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Tomorrow!! Free!! All ages!!
Tagged with: ALF • bullet proff space travelers • dj quest • live human • quest fest • san franciso • tin castle • Z-man
Got Kidney?
RasCue is a man who has given so much to the Hip Hop Community, both locally and internationally as an Emcee, DJ, Producer, Host, as well as a member of Various Blends, Urban Umpires, and Cali Agents. Well what most people don’t know is that he recently fell victim to a kidney disorder called Renal Chronic Kidney Disease. So RaCue has to go for long Dialysis treatments 3 times a week and is on 7 different medications to stay alive until they figure out a better way to treat him. But due to these sky rocketing hospital bills, he has been struggling to support himself and his young daughter through these rough times. 12 DJ’S Coming together to Support one of our own. Please join us for this celebration of life and witness the impact of a small act of kindness and love.. feb 26th at Paradise Lounge, 1501 Folsom, SF. $10 Donation.
Tagged with: dj b-cause • dj chicken skratch • dj didje kelli • dj platurn • dj professor stone • dj quest • dj true justice • e-train • got kidney? • holly saucy • jah yzer • just jay • marc stretch • paradise lounge • ras cue • san francisco • toph one • v.e.r.a. clique
DJ Quest Interview
features archive, reinvention of the wheel No Comments »
DJ Quest of Live Human & Bullet Proof Space Travelers
A member of both Live Human and the DJ crew Bullet Proof Space Travelers, DJ
Quest also actively DJ’ and appears on tracks by himself (you can peep him on
the Hip Hop Slam release ‘Turntables By The Bay’). Fresh off a European
tour, The Peach finally caught up with him to chat for a minute…
Peach: Tell me all the boring stuff: how you met, how the group got started,
how you ended up on Matador, etc.
DJ Quest: The group got started in 1996, and basically the group came
together from playing shows. I was playing shows at the time, doing my thing
with Eddie K, and we just had a gang of people that would come on and do a
show, do the shows with us: LOC (beatboxer), Paradise (raggamuffin/dancehall
kind of rapper) that used to come through. Around that time we met Justin
Smith, a bass player…we met him at the Last Day Saloon. He started coming
around; doing some shows with us. He introduced me to Albert and Andrew.
The thing was…getting all those people together was kind of a hassle. It
was kind of a hassle to get everyone to rehearse. I was looking for
something even more solid instead of just having people come through.
P: Did you have a regular gig? Like a weekly or something?
Quest: I’ve never done that because I think that’s kind of boring.
P: I meant as far as a weekly gig where random people could just come
Q: Naw, but since I started playing, I’ve always had at least one show a
month-stuff that comes up here and there.
P: (joking) Since like ’87…
Q: Roughly since like ’92 or ’93. I was deeper in the battle scene-djing
with rap groups. Anyway, that took me to the stage of working with emcees
and the live act thing. That whole thing just got me more beserk about
wanting to play with more people and getting a real act together. Although
the shows we were doing before the Live Human stuff was the real shit-and I
love a lot of the shows back then still. A few of the shows that I did with
Eddie K stand out in my mind. Like I said, I just wanted to do something
more solid. Albert had already been playing with Andrew for a few years
doing more of a free jazz ensemble with this guy Charles. They were working
on some stuff and touring with a dance company called Contraband. Anyway,
when Albert came back from tour with Contraband, Justin (the other bass
player) introduced me to him. We just hooked up from the first rehearsal I
had with those guys-and it wasn’t even a rehearsal…we weren’t even setting
up to play a show or anything. We just wanted to play music.
P: Just like a jam session.
Q: And it was just mind blowing. To me it was like, whoa…you could just
combine certain sequences that sould like they might be electric and at the
same time sound natural. And the whole combo was just weird. And that’s
all. A week later we decided to make a record, to make the first record. I
wanted to get in the studio and just put a record together just to have
something solid. Just so that we could have a more official…
P: Documentation?
Q: Right, as a group or as the beginning of a group. We played our first
show at the Cactus Club in San Jose and that…just the response was
incredible. Not that the crowd went wild…there was just silence-they went
silent.
P: They were mesmerized.
Q: There was total silence in the whole room. I kind of knew what the
response was gonna be, but it was like, “damn”. You can’t always predict the
audience. Sometimes they dance, sometimes they shout, do whatever. And
sometimes we come out and attack and sometimes also throughout the night
there might be different factors that fail to play a part in the making the
show tight. If we go on too early in the night and there’s someone else
playing earlier and they go on too long…a bunch of different things…you
don’t want to burn the crowd out too much. There are different things I’m
learning to watch out for now. Because I learned throughout the past years
where I need to play and when and how loud.
We mostly freestyle the shows, but as we more and more we have segments that
are somewhat arranged a little more-not necessarily in a song way, but in
more of the tone of what it is we’re playing…we know what that is, we know
when it comes back around and when we come to a break…wherever we want to
take it to. Basically, we’ve just been dissecting the music more, trying to
compose a little more. It’s tricky…if you’re at the show if you just sit
there in the audience, you’ll hear stuff that sounds happy, sounds sad,
sounds twisted, sounds mad…
P: Did you guys have an immediate vibe the first time you played together, or
did you have to work to achieve that?
Q: That’s the thing, we never felt like we had to work through anything. The
music was never perfect…I fuck up quite a bit. Playing on stage, I do
something that I feel stupid about afterwards…if there’s a certain groove
going and then I stop-that kind of fucks it up. And I’ve done that…we all
have. From day one, we all knew we wanted to work to get to a point where
it’s just clean. We’re doing that a bit more now, but back then, it was just
like, “see what happens”. We’re still like every rehearsal, just play
anything anywhere and it goes somewhere usually. There’s this thing we like
to call “the 3-D effect” because after you warm up and start playing and get
into it and it’s like all of a sudden there’s this feeling that I get that
whatever the music is that’s coming out of the speakers and the instruments,
I feel like this thing kind of elevates above your head and starts spinning
around and twisting-like a spectrum of all kinds of images and stuff. It’s
not really there, but you hear it. You see it with your ears. You know what
I mean? It’s something happening…we like to call that “the 3-D effect”.
That’s what we play for…just to get that feeling.
P: Do you think that when you’re playing, you think more like a musician?
Well, I guess the best DJs think like musicians anyway, but do you feel like
you’re one piece of this whole collage, or are you mainly thinking about what
you’re going to do?
Q: Both. When I come to a tricky point in the set that I know something has
to happen, then I have to use my skills, my “DJ mind”. When we’re all in a
groove and people are dancing, then I have to think as a group. So I have to
think both ways.
P: You were talking earlier about reading the crowd. So what would you do if
there’s a moment when you know the crowd is beat down from the previous
act-what is your plan of attack when you go out on stage? Do you come out
hype? or more subtle?
Q: There is no plan. We usually don’t have a plan, and that’s the nice
thing about it. We make up a plan when we’re there, but just from the past
experiences…we take what we’ve seen in the past and just apply that there
at that point-you know what I mean? It could be that the crowd is burnt out
from the other act, but once we come on, it’ll start jumpin’.
P: That’s what I mean…do you take a “pep-them-up” kind of approach?
Q: It depends on who it is. If it’s an audience that’s never heard us
before, it would be good to go easy, you know what I’m saying? Some people
react differently to what they see on stage. If it’s a Live Human crowd and
maybe they were bored because there was another act before Live Human, maybe
they’ll get excited when we come on.
P: Well, if it’s your crowd, they’re always going to get excited when you
Q: Of course, but maybe not…we try. We try to make those decisions at the
last minute. I have also learned, apart from what your question is, that you
have to have volume control and little techinical things…that play a big
part in what’s going on in the room. As a DJ, if I have a sound that’s going
to be earshocking on the turntables…if I’m going to drop it and the people
haven’t been hearing anything like that for awhile, it could either wake them
up, or it could piss them off. I have to watch my levels…all that shit
plays a big part. I’m now realizing the lights in the room have a big effect
too. I don’t really know what works best as far as lighting, but I’ve been
noticing certain colors and certain moods work for certain tracks-and certain
lights fuck up my eyes too when I’m trying to do something. Like strobe
lights sometimes are too crazy. I love strobe lights when we come to a point
a point in a track where it’s kind of a climax-I like all that shit. So many
P: Do you guys do your own lighting?
Q: Nah. Hopefully one day we’ll have enough money to go and the road and
have mini-light shows to go with the music. Sometimes they do a really good
job, but you never know…
P: Most shows I’ve seen of yours…the audience is very quiet, concentrating.
Q: In San Francisco they’re breaking away from that and starting to get more
into the rocking or dancing…a lot more. But the average Live Human virgin
listener doesn’t know how to react quite yet…and I don’t blame them. I
wouldn’t know how to react either. You see a DJ up on stage, and you assume
it’s going to be a certain type of sound…and it’s not like that at all.
It’s kind of like all of us tweaking around with our shit. I like being able
to be on stage, and people are paying attention. Just drop the beat, drop
everything and just go off on some shit-some bizarre electronic sounds or
something. I like that. The nerd in me comes out. There’s a lot of that
that’s not really that musical, but it’s technical stuff that i’ve learned
throughout the years…how to scratch a certain sound with a delay and make
the delay work for me so that the sound keeps going, and when I’m done with
the phrase and it comes back around. We all do that sort of stuff.
P: Like experimenting with sound?
Q: Yeah, yeah.
P: What do you think about other bands that have a DJ in the band purely for
like a cosmetic reason?
Q: A cosmetic reason???
P: Where they’ll have a like a really dope DJ, and they’ll just use him to
scratch in a word every now and then?
Q: I don’t think about them. I think everybody that plays music deserves a
place in the industry somewhere, and some people just have to get in where
you fit in. And that’s not necessarily the most creative thing to do, I
think. I’ve done that sort of things with bands before. I worked with MCM
and the Monster around the time I first started messing around with bands.
>From my experience, when I first started playing with bands, I didn’t want to
be in the background all the time. I guess if you’re a wack DJ, it’s okay to
be in the back…I just didn’t feel like that was my place. I worked for my
stuff, I practice a lot, and I felt like what I was doing deserved a little
more show then it was getting. I like being able to work with other people
as an ensemble, but I felt at the time, DJs weren’t getting enough props and
that’s one of my reasons for wanting to step up a little bit. Albert and
Andrew…these guys can play drums and bass…I have to be able to show that
I can work my tables just as well. I don’t think that DJs that work with
bands are totally wack, but it’s not something I would do…I have to clear
that up…there’s a certain sound that’s called a “hip hop band” which sounds
like wack drums-drums that have no fat kicks- and a lot of wack lyrics. And
that’s the typical “hip hop band”. It’s a certain sound. Whenever you hear
like really thin drums and bass and usually a DJ doing some wack shit and
usually a crazy white kid screaming on the mic-rapping or wanting to rap-
P: How about Limp Bizkit? Do they fall into that category or no?
Q: Kinda. I don’t really know their music, so I can only speak so much
about it. I think to make it easier to understand, there’s a certain
rock-hip hop sound to the drums
I feel kind of lucky too that I’ve been able to hook up with the people that
I play with because Albert for one, he’s a really heavy-foot drummer and he’s
solid, a solid drummer. He has a lot of hip hop style in his playing and I
think it makes it easier to feel it. But there are so many people who are
doing “DJ in a band”, it’s ridiculous. To me, it’s not about being in a band
because it’s a trendy thing. The Live Human stuff…we didn’t come together
because we were like, “okay, we have to rehearse and get here and there…”
It just happened. We didn’t plan on that at all.
P: Organic.
Q: Yeah, we liked what we heard and kept doing it. And for that reason, I
don’t consider myself a hip hop DJ either. To a point I do, because I still
play hip hop and I love a lot of hip hop stuff, but I’ve grown from that.
Hip hop is cool, but it’s been kind of stale for the past 10 years anyway.
There’s some dope west coast stuff coming out…things here and there, but
it’s not like in ’86 where every record coming out was like, DAMN.
P: You had to get it.
Q: Beats were just fat and rhymes were simple yet clever. Funky.
I don’t feel like I can rely on hip hop to vibe off of, get inspired off of.
P: How did you end up getting record deals?
Q: It was kind of an accident. We put a record out. The first record was
Live Human featuring DJ Quest-came out in early ’97. A label in the UK,
Fatcat Records, heard it and wanted to license a few tracks off of it. We
licensed four tracks for a 12″ which came out on Fatcat Records, and they
wanted to put out an album. And we were like, well..we’ve always been
struggling and never really had the means to do anything on that scale, so we
were like, okay, these guys are willing to put up the money, we’re willing to
play some music, record it, and see what happens. The Monostereois album
came out, and Matador heard it. They heard the album and they heard of Live
Human, and they were interested in doing something with us. And since the
album was licensed to Fatcat, but it was not in the states-it was European
and the world license only-we were like, we need someone to put out music out
over here because we had the record out for awhile and the other things that
we had done for Fatcat that nobody even heard of over here, so we thought we
needed to move on. Matador was willing to take us on and give us a shot.
That’s how that happened-from linking with one label, music got out in Europe
and Matador heard of us through the European releases. So far so good.
P: So you’re working on another record? You said you guys were working more
on song “structure”
Q: It’s going to be half and half, you know what I mean? Still some of the
stuff that we know already that we’ve been playing around with. We’ll just
clean it up and make it tighter and record some of that. But half of the
album is going to be like the Elefish album that doesn’t go anywhere …but
it goes everywhere. Whatever we do on the record is going to be a lot of
experimenting. Not to say that it’s so much of an experiment because we know
that whatever we end up putting on the record…we’ll hear that it’s working.
But the techiniques and the formulas for recording the album are going to be
in ways similar to what we did last time. But I think that we already have
about half the stuff that’s going to go on there that we feel pretty strong
P: Where are you going to record?
Q: I don’t know. We’re going to record a lot of stuff here (Quest has a home
studio), record some stuff at Albert’s, record maybe again at the same studio
where we’ve recorded the past two albums.
P: Where is that?
Q: In the Oakland Hills. It’s actually a friend’s house and studio. It’s a
really nice place at the top of the hill. A view of the entire Bay Area.
Whenever you get bored, just go outside.
P: Wow, friends in high places…
Q: Very high. I feel priviledged when I go up there. I don’t want to come
home. Naw, you know…it makes the recording process a little smoother. The
way we did the past couple of records, we went up there, stayed up there,
recorded, mixed and everything like that. I think this time I want to do a
little bit more pre-production. Work out some of the structure to the album
and so when we get there we can just lay it down and get it over with.
P: Do you forsee it having any emcees or is that just totally not what Live
Human is about and it’s never going to be like that?
Q: We have played shows where emcees have come on and it’s fun.
P: But it’s just not the essence.
Q: Yeah, I think that the moment that we have emcees on the album, we’re
going to fall into the same hip hop band category.
P: NO!
Q: Eventually, maybe we’ll feel like doing that but at this time, I think we
want to keep it instrumental. It’s so…many colors. You know what I mean?
It’s exciting to me to be playing this music. I feel like keep it
instrumental. The moment you start putting in vocals, then a track becomes
“about” something. Instead of being a track for pure listening. That you
can feel; make it whatever you want it to be about.
P: like jazz.
Q: pretty much.
P: What’s going on with the Space Travelers…what’s happened to everybody?
Q: Well, we have an album coming out. March. On Stray Records. It’s a
crazy album. It was kind of weird because we didn’t really work on it
together-we all did our own parts. I did a couple of tracks on it. Eddie De
f did a couple of tracks, Marz did a couple of tracks. And Eddie K did most
of the album. He’s the emcee. The idea that we have is that we don’t want
it to be a “turntabilist” album.
P: Is Eddie K rhyming on ALL the tracks?
Q: No, he’s not rhyming on all the tracks. About half the tracks are DJ
tracks, but they’re not like “turntabilist”…which are tracks just made up
of scratch sounds. That stuff is cool, but I think all of us appreciate the
art of making beats a lot more than perpetrating with turntable-made beats.
I mean that stuff is cool, but we’ve done that already too. The album is
going to be a trip because it’s half turntable and half emcee, but everything
is blended together. Not like one side rap and one side DJ songs, but all
P: are intertwined?
Q: yeah.
P: Oh, I see. Okay, so what equipment do you use?
Q: I don’t use Vestax.
P: Should I put that in big letters?
Q: I just don’t use Vestax. I use 1200s. I like the Rane.
P: You’re endorsed by them?
Q: I’m glad I am, cause it’s a really dope mixer. I’ve had that mixer for
two years…I’ve dropped it and everything…it’s a fat mixer.
P: What model?
Q: TTM-54
My favorite mixers have been a Gemini 12A, the 2200…they had the first
small mixer that came out
peach aside: (i may have gotten those model numbers wrong…i’m not too
familiar with them).
P: What do you use when you’re making beats?
Q: I use a MPC. I like simple stuff. I’m not really a computer nerd. The
MPC is pretty simple to use…you can start out with a loop and add beats to
it or you can start out with beats and add loops to it…and then I transfer
my stuff to a Roland 1600. So, I use 1200s, I use the Rane mixer.
DJ Quest would like whoever is using djquest@aol.com to give him his name
Tagged with: bullet proof space travelers • dj quest • interview • live human
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How to Speak Fashion
Confused by all the fashion speak at Fashion Week? We've broken down all the fashion acronymsâfashionyms, if you willâthat rule the style set's vocabulary.
Coco Amo LOVE - Coconut Oil Leave-In Conditioner and Shampoo for beautiful natural hair. (8 oz.)
by Coco Amo
I Thank God for My Birthday!
The first rain of the new year 2015 in my location in Lagos city falls on my birthday like showers from heaven. A sign from my one and only Almighty Father JEHOVAH JIREH that He is sending me showers of His awesome blessings for the year. HALLELUJAH!
Thanks to Schubbs Dental Clinics for being the first to wish me Happy Birthday.
Followed my Guaranty Trust Bank Plc; my "Friends" on Rebranding Nigeria Clubs on Facebook; and other special people for remembering my special day.
Dear Michael Chima:
We wish you a very happy birthday!
Thank you for being a member of American Consumer Opinion®.
Anne Parks
American Consumer Opinion®
Introducing Eva Green: L'Oreal Professionnel's Newest International Spokesperson
NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- L'Oreal Professionnel is proud to announce that Eva Green - Bond girl in Casino Royale, heroin of the new hit TV series Penny Dreadful and star of the next film by Tim Burton, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which will be released in 2016 - is the new international spokesperson for L'Oreal Professionnel.
Born in Paris on July 5, 1980, Eva Green possesses a feminine and magnetic beauty. She is one of the most talented international actresses of her generation. She also has a great awareness of fashion and beauty trends. Eva is particularly renowned for her translucent complexion, blue eyes and her signature brunette hair, which she often transforms for films and red carpet appearances. Whether wearing a loose, wavy style or a sophisticated and glamorous chignon, Eva Green always channels powerful femininity.
Eva takes pride in her hair and has built a relationship of trust with her hairdresser. "As an actress, hair is so important. You need a very good relationship with your hairdresser and together we create the hairstyles. My hairdresser uses, of course, the leader of hair products, L'Oreal Professionnel. I am very glad to be on board on this new adventure," she says.
At 34, Eva Green has more than 18 films and TV series to her name. She has often played enigmatic heroines in fantastic and surreal worlds. She chooses her roles carefully and has worked on superb films as well as wonderful collaborations with renowned filmmakers.
Eva began her film career in 2003. She was offered her first screen role by Bertolucci in his film The Dreamers. She went on to star alongside Romain Duris in Arsene Lupin in 2004 before heading to Hollywood in 2005. She launched her international career after just a few months thanks to Ridley Scott who cast her as his leading lady, Sybille, in Kingdom of Heaven.
In 2006, she joined the ranks of the famous and beautiful Bond girls, landing the role of Vesper Lynd alongside Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. She continued to appeal to audiences in large-scale productions like Dark Shadows alongside Johnny Depp and Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For as well as independent films like Perfect Sense and White Bird.
In 2015, she will begin shooting Tim Burton's new film Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children while also continuing to appear in the hit American TV series Penny Dreadful, in which she plays the title role alongside Josh Hartnett.
"We have chosen Eva Green because she perfectly embodies our values: She is extremely sensitive to fashion trends and counts on the expertise of hairdressers, both on and off screen. Her beauty, modernity & personal appeal captivate. I am convinced that Eva Green will be an amazing advantage for L'Oreal Professionnel," says Anne-Laure Lecerf, International Managing Director at L'Oreal Professionnel.
Discover Eva Green's reveal video as the new international spokesperson for L'Oreal Professionnel: http://youtu.be/BylkHpkFRRU
For any questions or additional information or interview requests, please contact: Ana Mate-Dayrit at amate@us.loreal.com
Video - http://youtu.be/BylkHpkFRRU
SOURCE L'Oreal Professionnel
Avon names Kelsey Deenihan mark. Celebrity Makeup Artist
NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Avon welcomes Kelsey Deenihan as the new mark. Celebrity Makeup Artist. In the role, Kelsey will work closely with the mark. creative and product development teams to create on trend and accessible beauty looks in the monthly mark. Magalogs, share makeup tips and video tutorials and report on the latest trends.
Experience the interactive Multimedia News Release here http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7431151-deenihan-named-mark-makeup-artist/
"I grew up using Avon products and I'm incredibly honored to be working with a brand that focuses on empowering women," Kelsey said. "My client Lucy Hale first introduced me to mark. and ever since the products have become staples in my makeup kit. The Touch & Glow All Over Shimmer Cubes has quickly become one of my all-time favorites!"
Kelsey is a top Los Angeles-based makeup artist working with many celebrity clients in the entertainment, music and fashion industry, including mark. Brand Ambassador Lucy Hale. In addition to her celebrity red carpet work, Kelsey's work has been featured on national TV shows and published in some of the top magazine editorials. Kelsey unofficially began her makeup artistry career at age 15, when she signed up for a summer makeup course guiding her through print, TV and film makeup. She graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a double major in Photography and Digital Media and a double minor in Art History and Classical Arts.
About mark.
mark. is Avon's expertly edited beauty and fashion boutique brand that is constantly launching fresh, on-trend and customizable products. It is mark's passion to connect, engage and empower women- encouraging them to express their individuality and realize their infinite possibilities. Avon developed mark. in 2003 to celebrate the "mark." young women make in the world. The foundation of the brand is the philosophy of social beauty™ – the idea that women love to be social and want to be beautiful. mark. is available through Avon Representatives or online at http://meetmark.com.
SOURCE Avon Products, Inc.
CONTACT: Jessica Goon, Jessica.goon@avon.com, 212-282-8082
IMAN Cosmetics Heralds Beauty Bloggers With Exclusive Launch Event
New Collection Revealed To Top International Bloggers On January 28
NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night, global cosmetics powerhouse, IMAN Cosmetics, revealed its new collection at their first-ever exclusive beauty blogger launch event, Femme Fatale Fete!, at Up & Down in NYC's Chelsea neighborhood. Recognizing bloggers' power and influence, the brand honored these beauties with the intimate, internationally themed #IMANFemmeFatale event touting global cuisine, makeovers, live demos, selfie stations and live streaming accessible internationally, produced by Omerge Alliances.
"There is no more exciting way to celebrate this bold new Collection launch than with the voices of the beauty industry, bloggers, who are a critical part of our marketing strategy," says IMAN Cosmetics' General Manager Desiree Reid.
Over 35 bloggers representing Asian, African American, Caribbean, Hispanic and Indian audiences attended, including OmaBelle, RocioLaura, TiarraMonet, JessicaSmalls, LovelyAnneka, CindyDiaz and DivaMakeupQueen, along with approximately 20 virtual bloggers by live stream from London, Philadelphia, LA, Miami, Atlanta, Phoenix, Chicago, St. Louis, Houston and Tampa, resulting in #IMANFemmeFatale being a top Twitter and Instagram trending beauty topic all evening.
"I experimented with color and learned a five-minute look I can't wait to try," says Tiarra Monet, blogger with 400K YouTube subscribers and 36MM views. "I love that the event was intimate and engaging, I learned about the products and met new people," says Kela Walker of Centric TV.
The Collection presents the new The Perfect Eye Shadow Pencil (MSRP $10), in six bold, seductively rich colors and twist-bottoms, and two paraben-free mascaras (MSRP $10), Volumize for thick provocative lashes with an innovative tapered-end brush and Amplify for bold new lengths with a slim, versatile brush innovation. All new products are available beginning January 2015 at Drugstore.com, Target.com, Walgreens.com and select Walgreens/Duane Reade stores.
"In a heavily competitive industry, beauty customers are overwhelmed by choice. Bloggers are key in helping consumers discern. Celebrating their role in the beauty world with exclusive brand access shows them they are appreciated and often results in brand affinity and evangelism," says Olivia Scott, Omerge Alliances' Principal Consultant.
About IMAN Cosmetics
Launched in 1994, IMAN Cosmetics is a maverick in the beauty category. It is the premier masstige cosmetics and skin care brand, with "Beauty for Your Skin Tone" as its key philosophy.
About Omerge Alliances
Omerge Alliances is a marketing management consultancy specializing in beauty and lifestyle brand marketing communications.
Contact: Olivia Scott
SOURCE IMAN Cosmetics
Ximon Lee: First U.S. And Menswear Designer To Win The H&M Design Award
NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The winner of the fourth annual H&M Design Award 2015 is Ximon Lee, a 24-year-old graduate from Parsons School of Design in New York, whom was chosen by prominent jury members like Lily Allen and Tommy Ton. Ximon is the first U.S. and menswear designer to receive the prestigious award, which was presented today along with his winning collection at a fashion show during Fashion Week Stockholm. In addition to the show, Ximon has won €50,000 and the opportunity to develop pieces from his collection to be sold at selected H&M stores and online at hm.com later this fall.
"Ximon's collection captivated the jury with its contemporary yet poetic mood, its strong feeling for fabric and an incredible attention to detail," says Ann-Sofie Johansson, H&M's Head of Design, New Development.
"I think he is a highly accomplished designer. He had everything; his research was beautiful, the fabric development was really skillful and his design was good," says Luella Bartley, Design Director of Marc by Marc Jacobs and member of the jury.
Ximon, originally from Hong Kong but now based in New York City, was selected by a world-renowned jury in London. His innovative collection creates layers of organic and synthetic textures, including materials such as plastic and cardboard, to build exaggerated forms that move outward from the body. These new silhouettes push menswear forward in the garments' cut and shape. Key inspiration stemmed from the documentary, Children of Leningradsky, and as a result Ximon traveled to Russia to create his personal mood boards for the collection.
This year's jury members included:
Lily Allen, Singer/Songwriter
Luella Bartley, Design Director of Marc by Marc Jacobs
Lucinda Chambers, Fashion Director of British Vogue
Paula Goldstein di Principe, Creative Director, H&M
Tommy Ton, Visual Journalist
Angelo Flaccavento, Freelance Fashion Critic
Justin O'Shea, Buying Director for MyTheresa.com
Ann-Sofie Johansson, Head of Design, New Development, H&M
Margareta van den Bosch, Creative Advisor, H&M
"It's very street, it's very art-inspired, it's very architectural, and it's very individual, but at the same time the collection is approachable because you can see the story and history behind everything that Ximon Lee does. There is a lot of promise in him. We all saw that and we felt unanimously that he was the front runner," says Tommy Ton.
"I was stunned when they announced I was the winner. The H&M Design Award means so much to me at the beginning of my career – I cannot imagine how I'd start my own label without it. My collection was designed as menswear but I'm excited to see it also worn by women," says Ximon Lee.
As a rapidly expanding brand, H&M offers endless possibilities. We are always looking for new talent to grow with the company and take on new challenges. For all available job positions please visit career.hm.com
For more information about H&M Design Award 2015, visit www.designaward.hm.com
For more press material, please click here
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) was founded in Sweden in 1947 and is quoted on NASDAQ Stockholm. The company's business concept is to offer fashion and quality at the best price. In addition to H&M, the group includes the brands & Other Stories, Cheap Monday, COS, Monki and Weekday as well as H&M Home. The H&M Group has around 3,500 stores in 55 markets including franchise markets. In 2013, sales including VAT were SEK 150,090 million and the number of employees is more than 116,000. For further information, visit hm.com.
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB Master Samuelsgatan 49 Stockholm SE-106 38 Sweden
Video - http://youtu.be/s8NHgLuWpmE
SOURCE H&M
CONTACT: Megan Ferreira, 646.361.3437, Megan.Ferreira@hm.com; Molly Brown, 212.206.7447, mbrown@paulwilmot.com
http://www.hm.com
The Sexiest Swim Show Of The Year, "THE VICTORIA'S SECRET SWIM SPECIAL" 2015
The Sexiest Swim Show Of The Year, "THE VICTORIA'S SECRET SWIM SPECIAL", Premieres Thursday, Feb. 26, On The CBS Television Network
A New Special Shot on Location in Puerto Rico Featuring Victoria's Secret Angels Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, Lily Aldridge, Behati Prinsloo, Alessandra Ambrosio Among Others
Grammy Award-Winning Artists Maroon 5 and Juanes To Perform
NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time on network television, viewers will get a glimpse into Victoria's Secret's sexiest swim show of the year, THE VICTORIA'S SECRET SWIM SPECIAL, Thursday, Feb. 26 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT), on the CBS Television Network. This new special follows the Angels as they land in Puerto Rico to shoot the swimwear campaign. With exclusive access to the models as they tackle jungle treks, underwater shoots and overcome personal fears, the special gives unique insight into their character and life stories. Joining them on the island to perform exclusively will be Grammy Award-winning artists Maroon 5 and Juanes.
Supermodels Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, Lily Aldridge, Behati Prinsloo, Alessandra Ambrosio, Elsa Hosk, Martha Hunt, Jasmine Tookes, Stella Maxwell, Joan Smalls and Jac Jagaciak will talk about shooting in Puerto Rico, the significance of VS Swim to their lives and careers and what drives them.
Capturing their first of three Grammy Awards as "Best New Artist" of 2005 and going on to sell more than 17 million albums worldwide, Maroon 5's releases have gone gold and platinum in over 35 countries. The band quickly won over fans and critics alike with the hybrid rock/R&B sound they introduced on their debut album, "Songs About Jane" and their double platinum release, "It Won't be Soon Before Long." In 2010, the band debuted their third studio album, "Hands All Over," which featured the group's anthemic chart-topping smash single "Moves Like Jagger." The song has since gone on to become one of the best-selling singles of all time. Maroon 5's last album "Overexposed" reinforced the group's status as a powerhouse in popular music with all of its singles rising to the top of the charts and setting an all-time record for the most #1s (six in total) by a group in the Top 40 chart's 20-year history. The group's latest release, "V," debuted at #1 on Billboard's TOP 200 chart and features the hit singles "Maps" and "Animals," which just hit #1 on the Top 40 chart and their new single, "Sugar." On February 16, Maroon 5 will embark on a world tour that kicks off at the American Airlines Center in Dallas and takes them all over North America and then Europe.
With seven solo albums to his credit and multi-platinum sales of over 16 million copies, Juanes is the world's leading all-Spanish language rock artist - both a two-time Grammy and 20-time Latin Grammy Award winner with nine #1 singles on Billboard's Latin Singles charts. Hailed by the Associated Press as "the first truly international rock star to emerge from Latin America," Juanes is also frequently recognized as one of the Spanish-speaking world's leading social media voices with an online following of over 19 million fans. The Colombian superstar's dedication as a global activist also extends far beyond his passionate lyrics and is seen in his wide ranging charitable work for his own Mi Sangre Foundation and as a co-founder of the Paz sin Fronteras (Peace Without Borders) organization. Working with famed rock producer Steve Lillywhite, Juanes' latest album, "Loco De Amor," debuted at #1 on Billboard's "Latin Pop Albums" chart and topped iTunes sales in over a dozen countries. In addition to already winning a Latin Grammy Award, "Loco De Amor" holds a current Grammy Award nomination for Best Latin Pop Album. The new year has also seen the release of Juanes' latest single, "Juntos" (Together), recorded for the new Disney movie, "McFarland USA."
THE VICTORIA'S SECRET SWIM SPECIAL is being produced by done and dusted, inc. Edward G. Razek, Ian Stewart and Hamish Hamilton are the executive producers. Hamish Hamilton is the director.
CHEAT TWEET: Check out 1 of the hottest shoots of the year #VSSwimSpecial @VictoriasSecret 2/26 10PM ET/PT @CBS #OwnTheBeach (link to release)
CBS Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/VSSwimsuit
CBS Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/CBSTweet
VS Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/victoriassecret
VS Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/VictoriasSecret with #VSSwimSpecial
VS Website:
http://www.victoriassecret.com
PHOTO: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150127/171585
SOURCE Victoria's Secret
CONTACT: Press Contacts for CBS, Meredith Tiger, 212-975-3829, mftiger@cbs.com; or Kate Fisher, 212-975-3818, khfisher@cbs.com; or Photo Contacts for CBS: Kathleen Prutting, 212-975-8533, kprutting@cbs.com; or Kathleen Tanji, 818-655-1543, kathleen.tanji@cbs.com; or Press Contact for Victoria's Secret: Jennifer Fahey, 614-577-7121, jfahey@victoria.com; or Press Contact for Full Picture: Andrea Vividor, 212-995-2480, avividor@fullpic.com; or Press Contact for KCD: Jane Lim, 212-590-5119, lim@kcdworldwide.com
Victoria's Secret Black Rhinestone Lace Push Up Sling Balconet Bra S 34ABCD Brand New
bareMinerals® Complexion Rescue: The Best of a BB, a CC, and a Tinted Moisturizer
bareMinerals® Complexion Rescue:™ The Best of a BB, a CC, and a Tinted Moisturizer
San Francisco, CA (January 27, 2015) / PR Newswire / — Introducing bareMinerals® Complexion Rescue,™ a tinted hydrating gel cream invented by encapsulating hydrating humectants and pigment with mineral infused water to help lock in moisture upon contact with skin for instant hydration and rapid absorption.
By challenging the composition of traditional complexion emulsions that feature water on the inside and oil on the outside, Complexion Rescue takes an inside-out approach with naturally hydrating squalane at the core, surrounded by mineral-infused water. The result? A staggering 215% increase in skin hydration after just one week.*
Formulated without oil, silicone, parabens or fragrance to maintain the integrity of the skin–loving formula, Complexion Rescue combines marine botanicals and hydrating humectants to help refuel thirsty skin, energizing mineral electrolytes to help enhance skin’s appearance, and a skin–protecting antioxidant that acts as skin’s bodyguard to help defend against environmental stressors. A non–chemical, mineral–based, broad spectrum SPF 30 provides superior protection against damaging UV rays.
Beyond a thirst–quenching cure–all, this freckle–friendly skin savior is available in 10 natural–looking shades to provide effortless sheer–to–medium coverage for both workday and weekend wear. Providing just the right amount of coverage, Complexion Rescue enables skin to appear more awake and even–toned due to its imperfection–diffusing properties and naturally radiant color.
Never has a dewy, youthful–looking glow been so easy to achieve. With fuss–free application, this balanced cocktail of ingredients works synergistically to jump–start the complexion every day with a surge of refreshing hydration, revitalizing energy and advanced protection with comfortable coverage.
*Based on average results of an independent U.S. clinical study of 62 subjects
HYDRATING HUMECTANTS
Olive–derived squalane, marine botanicals and water-loving humectants trehalose and glycerin help keep skin replenished and hydrated, while a unique emulsion delivers an instant burst of hydration in a silicone– and oil–free formula.
SKIN–LOVING ANTIOXIDANT
Globularia cordifolia ferment—also known as heart–leaved globe daisy—acts like skin’s bodyguard to help defend against environmental stressors due to its natural ability to withstand even the harshest environmental conditions.
Calcium and magnesium are known to help replenish skin’s moisture barrier, while potassium is known to help keep skin’s water content in balance.
BROAD SPECTRUM SPF 30
Non–chemical, mineral–based broad spectrum SPF 30 protects skin against UV damage and environmental aggressors.
Easy to apply, Complexion Rescue feels like total freedom on your skin. Simply apply to clean skin with fingertips. Layer for additional coverage at home or on the go.
NEW SMOOTHING FACE BRUSH
For professional blending, you may also apply Complexion Rescue using our new Smoothing Face Brush.
Dual fiber synthetic brush provides control and diffusion for a soft, smooth application
Dome–shape design blends seamlessly for an airbrushed effect
ABOUT BAREMINERALS:
bareMinerals utilizes a distinctive marketing strategy and multi-channel distribution model to develop, market and sell cosmetics and skincare in 34 countries, with over 6,500 points of distribution, including more than 200 company-owned boutiques.
For more information please visit www.bareMinerals.com.
Quinta Gaines
qgaines@bareescentuals.com
@bareMinerals
#GoBare #ComplexionRescue
bareMinerals Bareskin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation, Bare Nude, 1 fl. oz.
by Bare Escentuals
Miss Colombia Paulina Vega Wins Miss Universe Beauty Pageant
Congratulations to the newly crowned Miss Universe 2014, Paulina Vega from Colombia. Paulina was crowned on January 25, 2015 in Doral-Miami at the FIU Arena. We can’t wait to spend the next year with you!
http://www.missuniverse.com/news/index#.VMYI8yxyx1A
All Photo Credits: Miss Universe.
Complete Musical Lineup for 63rd Annual MISS UNIVERSE® Pageant on Sunday, January 25
Gavin DeGraw Joins Musical Lineup For 63rd Annual MISS UNIVERSE® Pageant
Emilio Estefan, DeSean Jackson, Nina Garcia, Rob Dyrdek And Giancarlo Stanton Round Out Judging Panel
NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- NBC, Donald J. Trump and Paula M. Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, announced today the full lineup of performers and judges for the 63rd Annual MISS UNIVERSE® Pageant, airing Sunday, January 25 (8-11 p.m. ET) on NBC. The Miss Universe contestants have been hosted in Doral, Florida and the pageant will air live from the FIU Arena. The pageant will also simulcast in Spanish on Telemundo.
Multi-platinum selling and Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw will perform his hit songs "Fire" and "Finest Hour" from his new album FINEST HOUR: THE BEST OF GAVIN DEGRAW during the pageant's Final Look. He joins previously announced performers Nick Jonas and Prince Royce.
Gavin DeGraw.
Nick Jonas.
Prince Royce.
Additional celebrities that will round out the judging panel include:
Emilio Estefan,19-time Grammy Award winning musician and producer
DeSean Jackson, Washington Redskins wide receiver and return specialist; three-time Pro Bowler
Nina Garcia,Creative Director of Marie Claire Magazine, Lifetime's hit show "Project Runway" judge, and fashion industry expert
Rob Dyrdek, Dynamic serial entrepreneur and star of MTV's Ridiculousness and Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory
Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins celebrated right fielder, two-time Major League Baseball All-Star and recipient of the biggest contract in sports history
The panel also includes: Manny Pacquiao, Fighter of the Decade, eight-division world champion and Filipino Congressman; Kristin Cavallari, TV host and shoe designer for Kristin Cavallari by Chinese Laundry; William Levy, TV and film actor who was previously named People En Espanol's Sexiest Man Alive; Lisa Vanderpump, Star of hit show "Vanderpump Rules" and "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills"; and Louise Roe, Fashion journalist, author, host of "Plain Jane" on MTV International and the upcoming TLC fashion series, "Style By Jury."
"TODAY's" Natalie Morales and MSNBC's Thomas Roberts will host this year's pageant while Jeannie Mai takes viewers backstage and behind-the-scenes. IMG will be the executive producers of this year's show.
This year, fans will be able to submit their own final questions and one will be chosen to be asked to the 5 finalists. Fans can submit their question by posting it in the comments section of the official post that is pinned to the top of the Miss Universe FB page. To view rules please visit, http://www.missuniverse.com/rules/fb.
Nigeria is represented by the beautiful Queen Celestine. She won the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) Miss Universe 2014 which gave her the right to represent Nigeria at the 63rd Annual MISS UNIVERSE® Pageant.
Fans will also be able to vote for their favorite of the Top 5 National Costumes via Twitter. The contestant with the highest number of votes will be the National Costume Fan Vote Winner and will be announced LIVE in the show. To view rules please visit, http://www.missuniverse.com/rules/twitter.
The 63rd Annual MISS UNIVERSE® Pageant will feature 88 contestants from across the globe. They will be judged in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown and interview. Gabriela Isler, Miss Universe 2013 will crown her successor at the conclusion of the three-hour telecast. The MISS UNIVERSE beauty pageant is distributed to approximately 190 countries and territories.
ABOUT MISS UNIVERSE
The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) is a Donald J. Trump and NBCUniversal joint venture which uses its global grassroots reach to empower women to be self-confident and strive to be their personal best. MUO believes that every woman should be "Confidently Beautiful." The MISS UNIVERSE®, MISS USA®, and MISS TEEN USA® beauty pageants provide an international platform through dedicated partnerships with charities, sponsors, and brands around the world. During their reign, our winners are given the tools to personally and professionally enrich others by providing humanitarian efforts to affect positive change, all while developing their personal career goals. For more information, and to learn more about Miss Universe's official cause to raise awareness for HIV/AIDS education and prevention around the world, please visit: www.missuniverse.com.
For more information, visit: www.missuniverse.com; Facebook: www.facebook.com/MissUniverse; Twitter and Instagram: @MissUniverse #MissUniverse; YouTube: www.youtube.com/missuniverse
SOURCE The Miss Universe Organization
CONTACT: Jackie Shahinian, Miss Universe Organization, jackies@missuniverse.com, 212.373.4986; Dara Busch, Rubenstein Public Relations, DBusch@rubensteinpr.com, 212.843.8079
http://www.missuniverse.com
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Radioactive water mistakenly pumped back into Fukushima plant basement
Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company says some 200 tons of radioactive water was inadvertently pumped in the wrong direction--out of a storage tank and back into a basement.
NSFW Over 200 tons of radioactive water was erroneously pumped into a basement area at the Fukushima Daiichi atomic power plant between April 10-13, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said April 15.
After a partial meltdown in 2011, water has been continuously poured onto the reactor cores to cool them.
The water falls into basement levels and is then pumped out into specially constructed storage tanks.
But the Tokyo Electric Power Company Plant says for unknown reasons, the pump flow was reversed between April 10 to 13, and the water was pumped back into a basement.
Hundreds of tons of radioactive water have leaked into the ocean since 2011, and radiation concentrations in regional groundwater and seawater are still currently above acceptable levels.
Defence summons forensic expert to back Oscar Pistorius’ version of events
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Pride Dominate Game Three
USSSA Pride Unleashed the Bats for a 10-0 Victory
Pride Win and Henderson throws Perfect Game
Pride At Home for Beijing Eagle Series
Pride get the sweep on the Comets
Pride Keep the Win Streak Alive
Pride Take Game Two of Comets Series
Pride Sign Sydney Romero To 2-Year Contract
Pride Win with a 4-3 Victory
Pride Host Cleveland Series
Pride Win Four Straight at Home
Pride Sweep in Rainout Double Header
Pride Win Home Opener with a 2-0 Victory
Pride Sign JMU Pitcher Megan Good to 2-Year Deal
Pride to Host Peppers for 2019 Opening Series
TEAM USA MAKES COMEBACK AGAINST USSSA PRIDE WITH A 9-2 VICTORY
PRIDE TAKES THE WIN AGAINST TEAM USA IN A 7-3 DECISION
Henderson, Pride hand Bandits Their First Two Losses
Lorenz Signs 2-Year Deal With Pride
Wild Fall To Pride In First Loss of Season
Knighten signs one year contract to Pride
Youth Clinics
NPF Partners
Clinic Format
NPF Camps
USSSA Programs
All-American Games
Jr Pride
Pride take Rebellion DH With Back-to-Back Shutouts
USSSA Pride > 2015 Season > Pride take Rebellion DH With Back-to-Back Shutouts
Chelsea Thomas threw a complete game shut out to secure the Pride’s second victory of the DH vs Rebellion, Saturday night, 2-0! Photo by Jade Hewitt
WASHINGTON, PA – July 11, 2015 – Fans got a double dose of NPF action Saturday at CONSOL Energy Park when the Pennsylvania Rebellion hosted the USSSA Pride in a double header. The Pride wouldn’t allow a single Rebellion run through 14 innings and were victorious in both contests by a score of 5-0 and 2-0, respectively.
The Pride jumped out to an early lead in game one, when a wild pitch brought in Natasha Watley (1-3, 1 run) to put the Pride on the board. A GiOnna DiSalvatore (2-3, 2 RBI, 1 run) two-run blast to right field extended the lead to 3-0 in the top of the second.
The Pride increased their lead to five, scoring in the fifth when Kelly Kretschman (2-3, 1 run) stole home and again in the seventh when a Brigette Del Ponte RBI scored Courtney Ceo. The Rebellion threatened to score on back-to-back singles by Whitney Arion and Courtney Senas in the bottom of the fifth, but weren’t successful.
Keilani Ricketts managed 8 strikeouts while improving to 4-1 with the victory. Dallas Escobedo (1-6) took the loss for the Rebellion.
Game two of the double header turned into a pitcher’s duel between Chelsea Thomas and Rebellion’s Emily Weiman. The game remained scoreless through the first four, until a Kelly Kretschman (1-3, 1 RBI, 1 run) solo home run in the top half gave the Pride a 1-0 lead.
The Rebellion threatened with two runners in the bottom of the sixth, but couldn’t scratch a run. The Pride added insurance in the seventh on three straight fielder’s choices that ultimately allowed pinch runner, Breja’e Washington to score. Chelsea Thomas (4-1) surrendered just two hits while striking out 5 in her fourth win of the year, while Emily Weiman (1-5) surrendered 3 hits and was charged with the loss.
The Pride (18-7) pitchers have thrown three consecutive complete game shutouts against the Rebellion (5-22) heading into the final game: Cat Osterman in game-one, Keilani Ricketts in game-two, and Chelsea Thomas in game-three.
The Pride and Rebellion will meet for the series finale today, Sunday July 12th, at 2:35 p.m. Tickets are available at the box office at CONSOL-Energy Park.
Game 1: Boxscore
For all information about the USSSA Pride and the 2015 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) season, visit the team website www.dev.usssapride.com and follow the Pride all season long on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
About USSSA Florida Pride:
The USSSA Florida Pride is a professional franchise in the National Pro Fastpitch League that is owned and operated by USSSA. The amateur organization of USSSA has multi-sport coverage and encompasses teams and players from the United States and abroad.
About the NPF:
National Pro Fastpitch is headquartered in Nashville, TN. The league, created to give elite female fastpitch players the opportunity to pursue a professional career in their chosen sport, has operated since 1997 under the names of Women’s Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women’s Pro Softball League (WPSL). NPF is the Official Development Partner of Major League Baseball in the category of women’s fastpitch softball since 2002.
About USSSA:
USSSA is headquartered in Osceola County, Florida. USSSA is the World’s Largest Multi-sport Athletic Organization. Founded in 1968, USSSA has grown to over 3.7 million participants, competing in 13 nationally sanctioned sports including Baseball, Fastpitch, Slow Pitch, Karate, Basketball, Soccer and more! For more information on USSSA and to register your team visit USSSA.com. Also be sure to visit USSSAToday.com for the latest USSSA.
Chelsea Thomas,CONSOL Energy Park,Fastpitch Softball,Florida Pride,Keilani Ricketts,National Pro Fastpitch,Pennsylvania Rebellion,shutout,USSSA Pride
Copyright (c) 2017 USSSA
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May 15, 2018 - Entertainment, Film, Hollywood
‘Life of the Party’ lacks laughs despite its comedic cast
By tosan
Stifled dreams, adultery, sexual escapades, weed laced cookies, cougars and sorority parties —“Life of the Party,” the new comedy starring Melissa McCarthy, has it all. Another vehicle directed by her husband Ben Falcone (“The Boss” and “Tammy”) under through their production company, On the Day Productions, the film follows McCarthy as Deanna Miles, a forty-something year old dedicated housewife who decides to head back to college after a divorce and lands in the same class as her daughter.
MELISSA McCARTHY as Deanna Photo by Hopper Stone
The film does start off with some mild laughs as comedy veteran Matt Walsh, who plays her onscreen husband Dan, promptly informs Deanna that her other role in life—that of wife—has been cut just after dropping off their daughter in college. He’s having an affair with the local real estate agent Marcie, (Julie Bowen) and he’s taking the house. After unburdening herself to her parents, friend (Maya Rudolph) and her Uber driver, Deanna’s first move is to relieve herself of the burden of her soon-to-be-ex-husband’s things with a small, backyard bonfire. When she comes across an old photo of herself with the Decatur University Archaeology Club, she decides to return to college.
(L-R) MAYA RUDOLPH as Christine, MELISSA McCARTHY as Deanna and DAMON JONES as Frank – Photo by Hopper Stone
“We wanted to create a story that encourages people to believe it is okay to suddenly say, ‘I’m middle-aged and I’m moving to another country, I’m starting a vineyard or learning to bake bread.’ It’s never too late to redefine your life and to say, out loud, ‘What about me?’” shares McCarthy, who was eager to recreate the college experience for the film.
Maya Rudolph – Photo by Hopper Stone
Deanna plunges headlong into the campus experience, much to her daughter’s chagrin, and along the way, she fends off mean girls, rediscovers sex, gets high and intoxicated and experiences the walk of shame all while mothering daughter Maddie (Molly Gordon) and her sorority sisters. There are college shindigs, a dance off competition, a sorority party, booze, sex and that silly comic fluff one would expect with any film that circles around college life — most of which in this case is far from hilarious. At the end of it all, she manages to be win literally everyone over including her own daughter.
(L-R) MAYA RUDOLPH as Christine and DAMON JONES as Frank
Aside from that inspirational message of never giving up on your dreams, this fruitless attempt to cash in on Ms. McCarthy’s solid fan base lacks major laughs despite its star comedic casting.
Samantha Ofole-Prince is a journalist and movie critic who covers industry-specific news. Twitter @samanthaofole
Need photography services? We do that and more!
comedy Life of the Party Melissa McCarthy Movie
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Thursday Night Lineup, Human Giant, and Please Watch The Mighty Boosh
Thursday is upon us. Spring is raging. The last few episodes of the 2008-2009 season are beginning to play out on telly, accelerating story lines for the inevitable summer time cliff hangers.
However, one freshman show, Parks and Recreation, is still in the throes of its "how do you do" phase. I've stayed silent here about P&C because I'm not yet smitten with the new Amy Poehler comedy. The cast is terrific (Rashida Jones is sweet and Aziz Ansari is usually genius hilarious), but I have to fall into line with the others who say it's like a duplicate copy of the mothership show The Office. The single camera mockumentary formula on television only seems to work with The Office itself. Although the humor is derived from Leslie Knope's (Poehler's) ambitious, plucky and lack of self aware nature, the ongoing premise of trying to get an empty pit turned into a park doesn't conjure empathy or laughs for me. Yet, there was a scene last week where Ann (Jones) and Leslie walk in on the guys playing Guitar Hero that was quite chuckle worthy. So, I'm still holding out for the program to find its legs.
Tonight's episode is entitled "The Reporter". Leslie invites a reporter to interview her for a story on the park project, only to end up sending out the wrong message. When she calls Mark (Paul Schneider) to help save the story, he makes the situation worse.
Parks and Recreation airs on NBC tonight at 9:00pm et/8:00 ct.
Speaking of The Mothership, The Office was pretty damn good last week. Solid, likable character interaction was infused with classic, funny, sublime writing, mixed with brillant performance. It made me a very happy Office fanatic and blogger.
The saga of the Michael Scott Paper Company continues tonight in an episode called "Broke". Michael and his crack staff (one who could easily be on Crack), have trouble making early morning deliveries. Meanwhile, everyone tries to get their expense reports in on time, while office tramp and hussy Angela Martin makes everyone follow Dunder Mifflin policy. I guess she has more incentive now that she's trying to impress and bed Charles Minor. Seriously, when will the Angela horniness end? Also, I'd like to see her deal with some repercussions from the Andy/Dwight triangle. If she has no remorse for her behavior, then I can't care about her. What about Jim and Pam? More of them...please.
The Office airs tonight on the Peacock at 9:00pm et/8:00 ct.
30 Rock is all new tonight with "The One". Since Selma Hayek has been all over this week's promos', it looks like Jack's paramour Elise is back from Puerto Rico. Jack is getting pretty serious about the pretty senorita nurse, and has Liz accompany him on a hunt for an engagment ring. Jack will also be turning to Tracy for marital advice, which should be a hoot. Elise tells Lemon she's hiding a secret (this scares me), and Jenna "loses her cool" (as the press release states) for an EMT when an injury on the TGS set summons the medics.
30 Rock airs on NBC at 9:30pm et/8:30pm ct.
NBC's Line Up Reminds me of....MTV's Human Giant
Each show noted above has a very close link to each cast member of the very sick, disgraceful and hard ass funny MTV comedy Human Giant. I love this show. It's a variety sketch series that most likely appeals to people with a hardcore warped sense of humor. The bits are incredibly clever, gross, cringe inducing and oh crap I can't believe I'm laughing at this hilarity. It's geared more for the male demographic, but hells, this lady likey.
Giant has completed two seasons on the music network with a third postponed due to other commitments by cast, who all have some connection with the shows listed yonder above. One of them being Aziz Ansari who is pretty booked right now playing Tommy Haverford on Parks and Recreation. He also played the fruit stand guy who hated Australians on Flight of the Conchords, and please...he was so cute and horrible, I fell.
Continuing the NBC lineup coincidence - Paul Scheer has played the evil NBC Page Donny Lawson, Kenneth's arch nemesis in a blazer on 30 Rock. He plays obnoxious so well, you can't help but love him. He also portrayed a bastard movie spoiler nerd in last summer's online series on Crackle.com called The Line directed by Seth Meyers featuring Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio and Jason Sudeikis .
And last but not least in the NBC Thursday threesome above, Giant's Rob Huebel has appeared as Holly Flax's boyfriend in The Office ("Lecture Circuit Part 2"), and will be in the season finale ("Company Picnic") to reprise the role. I've been crushing on this guy all week. His Tweets on Twitter are so much sick fun it's like he's putting Twitterites under a spell. No matter how much you fight it you lose and Huebel wins.
He's also appeared in I Love You Man, a movie that is so much on my "must absolutely see or be a loser" list that, well, it's a must see. He's also been in TheWB.com web series Children's Hospital. This guy is so ubiquitous that you might find him sitting in the car next to you in traffic.
Please Watch The Mighty Boosh
All attention must be paid to Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network at 1am Sunday Nights. The Mighty Boosh airs at this time, and it's WONDERFUL. The Boosh is Julian Barret and Noel Fielding. They have created a surreal, dreamy head trip of a comedy derived from years of stage performances and radio. I wrote about them a while ago. If you love Flight of the Conchords, Pee Wee and Spongebob, set your DVRs to funky, please.
The Mighty Boosh airs on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim Sunday nights (or if you like, Monday mornings) at 1am et.
Labels: 30 Rock, Human Giant, Parks and Recreation, The Mighty Boosh, The Office
Webisodes Get Their Due: The Webbys
Office, 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation
Save "Chuck"
Bea Arthur
The Office: Broke, But Back!
30 Rock: Working on the Night Cheese
Thursday Night Lineup, Human Giant, and Please Wat...
Random Items for a Tuesday Afternoon
Mad Men: Season Three Begins Production in May
The Office: Heavy Competition
Tonight's 30 Rock: Jackie Jormp-Jomp
The Office Celebrates
HBO - Grey Gardens: Tea For Two
The Office: Oh No...Another Rant...
Thursday Night Comedy
Peabody Awards Announced
"Rescue Me" Returns
Life on Mars: Deus Ex Machina
Life on Mars Comes to An End
Kirsten Schaal on Comedy Central
Stephen Colbert is God
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04 May 2009 - 25 Mar 2013
Newgrass Voices: Sarah Jarosz covers The Decemberists; Sara Watkins goes solo; new coverage from The Greencards
April 28th, 2009 — 10:28 pm
The inbox is filling up fast with Spring releases, but the unseasonable heat’s got me thinking ahead to festival season. How to reconcile these seemingly disparate urges? Why, by featuring new works from a trifecta of femme-voiced artists I’ve seen at the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival! Enjoy the tunes, and the change in the weather…
The new Sara Watkins is all over the blogs, and it’s a killer, albeit with caveats. But this newgrass-lovin’ folkie’s eyes and ears are first and foremost on nineteen year old emerging star Sarah Jarosz, a Texas-based picker, vocalist, and songwriter who came off fresh-cheeked and cowboy-booted this past summer at Northeast bluegrass mecca Grey Fox. Sarah-with-an-h has inherited the innocence that Sara-without has shed since her time with Nickel Creek, and this sweet cover of the Decemberists’ Shankill Butchers proves it, turning what was a gypsy ballad of local retro-hoodlums into something pensive and mystical and darkly gorgeous while retaining just the right measure of melodic naivete.
The rest of Song Up In Her Head is much of the same: full and complicated, primordial and neo-traditional and original all at once. It’s Little Red Riding Hood looking with wonder into the forest, with just a touch of the introspective adolescent watching her peers develop their dark side, and wondering how much of herself is in them. It’s full, and rich, and exquisitely produced by Tim O’Brien, who knows how to pick ‘em, bring out their full sound, and set ‘em up for glory.
The up-and-coming Jarosz is already poised, if still a bit bashful and dewey around the edges; her voice is pure, and her playing keen and masterful; it’s no wonder she draws a crowd of peers and horizon-watchers wherever she goes. Song Up In Her Head, which will have the full support of label Sugar Hill, doesn’t drop until June 16, but I’ve got label permission to share, and the song is well worth celebrating now; listen to a few more new tracks on Sarah’s MySpace page while you watch the buzz grow, note that her friend’s list there is a veritable who’s who of today’s young bluegrass superstars, and prepare to see Sarah Jarosz blow the socks off the neo-grass world as she continues to develop confidence.
Sarah Jarosz: Shankill Butchers (orig. The Decemberists)
(from Song Up In Her Head, coming June 2009)
Bonus bootleg video: Sarah Jarosz covers Tom Waits live at Old Settlers Festival in April of 2008; a wonderful studio version of the song appears on the new album as well.
PS: there are some partial YouTube covers of Sarah Jarosz covering Gnarls Barkley classic Crazy at Grey Fox out there, but I’ve been unable to find a full recording. Anyone got one?
Speaking of Sara Watkins: did I mention her new album has a handful of well-chosen covers hiding among the original tracks? Reception has been deservedly mixed — as others have noted, her attempts at covering Jon Brion’s Same Mistakes and Tom Waits’ Pony are maudlin and a bit unfocused — but her sweetly swinging countrified take on Jimmie Rogers standard Any Old Time, and a gentle indiefolk take on Norman Blake’s decades-old Lord Won’t You Help Me, are worth the price of admission for coverfans.
It seems like every blogger but me got a copy of Sara’s solo debut from Nonesuch, but I was lucky enough to inherit someone else’s free ticket for tonight’s show at the Iron Horse in Northampton; though Sara’s airy voice was overshadowed by her stellar uke and fiddlework until the last few songs of the set, after being blown away by a holy host of great covers from the fourth row (including all four of the above-mentioned songs, a surprisingly fun ukulele cover of Different Drum, a solid take on gospel classic River of Jordan, and a double-cover encore of John Hartford fave In Tall Buildings and Dylan standard Forever Young) I’m happy to trade in my pride for secondhand songs.
The live John Hartford cover below, taped earlier this week on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in performance with brother Sean, producer and ex-Led Zep bassist John Paul Jones and ?uestlove of Fallon’s house band The Roots, comes via Culture Bully; Fiddlefreak first streamed Lord, Won’t You Help Me. If you’re interested in label-sanctioned originals, Slowcoustic has All This Time, while Sean has Where Will You Be; listen, then pick up Sara Watkins’ self-titled solo debut here.
Sara Watkins: Lord, Won’t You Help Me (orig. Norman Blake)
(from Sara Watkins, 2009)
Sara Watkins w/ Sean Watkins, John Paul Jones and ?uestlove: Long Hot Summer Days (orig. John Hartford)
(live on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, April 2009)
Bonus Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands memorial bootleg: Sara Watkins, Sean Watkins, and Glen Phillips cover Elliot Smith’s Between the Bars live in some parking lot way back in 2004.
Last but not least, Fascination, the newest release from genre- and border-busting newgrass trio The Greencards, dropped just this past week. After keeping it on rotation all week, I’m pleased to report that the album, which debuted at #23 on the indie charts, proves the band is just as poised for greatness as their solo sisters above.
The Greencards aren’t new, but the trio is newly Americanized, having relocated to Nashville last year to take advantage of the US newgrass market after two strong albums put them on the map, and their newest outing finds them in excellent form. Strong songwriting, lead singer Carol Young’s powerful, sultry midrange, some blazing fast stringwork from the boys and a penchant for mellow, high-reverb production make for a rich mix — poppier and more fluid than Nickel Creek — but they sure can make the old tunes swing authentic and wild when they want to.
As with previous ventures from the “two Aussies and a Brit”, Fascination is predominantly originals, with one exception: Davey Jones, a tune originally penned and recorded by Cape Breton altpop singer, songwriter, and producer Gordie Sampson. The original is up for an International Songwriting Competition award, and can be heard on Gordie’s website; the cover is a fair bit more tender, but offers a solid introduction to the best of both artists. I’ve included a bonus track from each of the Greencards’ last two albums — a lovely Patty Griffin cover and a surprisingly true-to-the-original Fleetwood Mac cover, both of which I seem to have missed in earlier features — to get you in the mood to buy Fascination.
The Greencards: Davey Jones (orig. Gordie Sampson)
(from Fascination, 2009)
The Greencards: What You Are (orig. Patty Griffin)
(from Weather and Water, 2005)
The Greencards: Second Hand News (orig. Fleetwood Mac)
(hidden track from Viridian, 2007)
Cover Lay Down publishes new coverfolk features Wednesdays and Sundays. Coming soon: my kids help me review some kidfolk, and my cup runneth over with new discoveries.
1,475 comments » | bluegrass
Single Song Sunday: Who Knows Where The Time Goes
(Kate Rusby, Eva Cassidy, Kate Wolf, Nanci Griffith and more)
Leaving the North Carolina sound for the long drive north is always bittersweet. Grateful for the respite from the scheduled world, saddened that it has to end, we shake the sand from our shoes one last time. The long road ahead of us looms large, threatening our carefully recovered sense of self. By the time we arrive, late and tired from the miles, there will be but tatters left.
Who Knows Where The Time Goes is properly a song of autumn’s end; the lyrics speak clearly of winter’s impending fire, and the scattering of migrant birds which mark its ascension. But inside our bodies and hearts, where seasons know neither weather nor calendar, leavetakings are leavetakings: the beaches recede in our memories, put away for another year, and back we go to the cold, cruel world, keeping the warm spark of summer in ourselves and our love for each other.
Pre-eminent sixties Britfolk goddess Sandy Denny recorded her own song several times over: as a solo artist, with the Strawbs, and most notably as part of Fairport Convention on their seminal album Unhalfbricking. Her pure voice was a perfect match for the simple lyrics, and though it took Judy Collins‘ slow-building 1968 cover, on her album of the same name, to truly bring Denny to light in the U.S., it is Denny’s voice that most old folkies hear when we read the lyrics: crystal clear, delicate and strong in all the right places, with crisp, almost clipped phrasing, and that slight and unmistakable vibrato on the long notes.
Though each has its own subtleties, the cycle of early versions created a strong sense of definition for the song. Over forty years and as many as eighty covers later, the vast majority of interpretations perpetuate the sweeping sense of loss and longing through the same soaring female vocals, laid over the same building surf-sound brushes and strum pattern, and the same broad range of emotions between the hushed early verses and high sustained title phrase.
But there are many gems, from the acoustic quietude of Kate Wolf‘s deep alto or Maggie Reilly‘s light Scottish soprano to the subtle neo-traditional sound of Kate Rusby‘s gorgeous warble, from Mary Black‘s slower Irish folkpop ballad to Nanci Griffith‘s post-country folk, from Eva Cassidy‘s poignant blues club vocals to Cat Power‘s typical piano deconstruction. To listen to them all is to study nuance: the way different hearts evoke the majesty of time, and the passage thereof, is an infinity of horizon.
So come the storms of winter and then the birds in spring again / I have no fear of time. It is, after all, a short winter, from April to June. Too soon, the school year will be over, and true summer will begin again. Until then, here’s the subjective best of a long list of covers, to hold the tides of time dear.
Kate Rusby: Who Knows Where The Time Goes
(from a two-track single, 2008)
Judy Collins: Who Knows Where The Time Goes
(from Who Knows Where The Time Goes, 1968)
Kate Wolf: Who Knows Where The Time Goes
(from Give Yourself to Love, 1983)
Mary Black: Who Knows Where The Time Goes
(from The Circus, 1995)
Eva Cassidy: Who Knows Where The Time Goes
(live at Perl’s in Annapolis, MD, 1994; also on Imagine)
Cat Power: Who Knows Where The Time Goes
(from Dark End of the Street, 2008)
Nanci Griffith: Who Knows Where The Time Goes
(from Other Voices, Too, 1998)
Maggie Reilly: Who Knows Where The Time Goes
(from Rowan, 2006)
Cover Lay Down publishes new coverfolk features Wednesdays, Sundays, and the occasional otherday. Coming soon: new singer-songwriter coverfolk from the increasingly mainstream neo-bluegrass world, and a look at Peter Yarrow’s recent series of folk songbooks for cool moms and dads. Y’all come back now, y’hear?
1,128 comments » | Single Song Sunday
Carolina Coverfolk, 2009: The Carolina Chocolate Drops
An African American String Band recreates the original Piedmont blues
April 22nd, 2009 — 01:36 am
Last year’s trip to the American south provided an opportunity to explore the works of Elizabeth Cotten and Doc Watson, two pre-War progenitors of style who, by taking the music of their own communities and reinventing it for the masses, helped define the scope and breadth of modern folk music. I quite enjoyed the research, and though the tracks are long gone, I think the features stand on their own as some of our better work since the blog began.
As I noted earlier this week, this year finds us once again on the outer banks of North Carolina. Rather than mess with a successful formula, our trip occasions a look at some modern inheritors of those traditions. Ladies and Gentlemen: The Carolina Chocolate Drops.
There are two ways to learn music, really: by formal study and by direct transmission. The vast majority of musicians these days learn through the former method, a mixed bag of training, recorded music and noodling, balancing their books on a combination of heart and chords, songbook and soul.
There’s nothing wrong with this, per se: originality, after all, comes of such ownership, coupled with a sense of creation. Indeed, the folkworld thrives on such evolution, depending as it does on a connection to an everchanging culture. Those of us who love modern confessional and coffeehouse folk, not to mention the myriad hybrid forms which have emerged over the last few decades, appreciate the way music stretches and evolves in the hands of such practitioners.
But the transmissionary model isn’t dead. Just as there are audiophiles who insist on the scratchy authenticity of their original 78s, there are still folk musicians who believe that to truly become part of an authentic tradition of music, one must learn the trade authentically, too. From blueswoman Rory Block to Kentucky Appalachian Brett Ratliff, such modern followers of the folkways eschew records and scales, and look to the older ways, seeking out the ancient progenitors of their forms to listen and play along, learning the scratchy, earthy sounds and songs from their elders as if through osmosis.
The result isn’t generally polished, but that’s the point. Instead, such performers tend towards a raw sound, rich in feeling but often sparse in instrumentation, which favors emotional impact over consistent tempo. There’s no gloss here, only timelessness. And folk needs such old blood, too, lest it evolve so far it becomes unrecognizable; lest we lose touch with our origins, and forget that without the old ways to refer to, we cannot have them to reinvent.
Writ large, the Piedmont or “East Coast” blues emanates from a vast swath of rural East Coast America; popular in the early days of recorded music, from the twenties to the forties, its most famous tracks, such as Blind Boy Fuller’s 1940 recording of “Step It Up & Go”, sold as many as half a million copies to blacks and whites alike. Generally, the ragtime-based fingerpicking style which characterizes the once-popular African-American dance music is located as far North as Richmond, VA, and as far south as Atlanta, though of course the emergence of records helped spread the sound much farther in its heyday.
The rediscovery of acoustic blues by folk fans in the sixties brought the music back into the mainstream, bringing many artists out of hiding and into the festival circuit, where they began to trade licks. Today, the Piedmont style and its repertoire can be found in the modern playing of many formally trained folk musicians, from Leo Kottke to Paul Simon.
Modern inheritors of the Piedmont sound, the “African American string band” Carolina Chocolate Drops may have found each other through the newest technology — two of the three met in a listserv and chatspace for Black banjo fans and players — but they picked up their music the old way, seeking out the oldest surviving members of the Piedmont style, learning at the feet of fellow North Carolinans Algia Mae Hinton and Etta Baker, who passed just before the ‘Drops released their debut albums Heritage and Dona Got A Ramblin’ Mind in 2007.
Learning from North Carolina musicians magnifies the Carolinan connection in this particular incarnation. Fans of Baker, Hinton, and Carolina Chocolate Drops mentor Joe Thompson of Mebane, NC, said to be the last black traditional string band player, will hear the mannerisms of each in their playing. Even their name, which recalls that of 1920s fiddle-led band the Tennessee Chocolate Drops, pays tribute to the combination of form and geography.
Mountain strings — the banjo, guitar, and fiddle — feature heavily in the Piedmont sound, though not all at the same time; these, plus a smorgasbord of washboards, jugs, combs, and other household instruments round out the Carolina Chocolate Drops performance. But in the end, the instrumentation and the process are subservient to the madcap, heartfelt, almost desperately gleeful energy of the Piedmont style itself, as reincarnated here. It’s dance music, designed to get you jumping, appealing to your basest instincts, your wildest primal hopes and fears.
Here’s a short set of samplers — a modern cover done up old style, a video link to a great version of an old classic learned from Etta Baker, a handful of traditional tracks from their albums, soundtracks, and live appearances — which, in their timelessness and raw beauty, prove the value of the osmotic process, even as they celebrate the eternal spirit of the music itself.
Carolina Chocolate Drops: Tom Dula (trad.)
Carolina Chocolate Drops: Starry Crown (trad.)
(from Dona Got a Ramblin’ Mind, 2007)
Carolina Chocolate Drops: I Got Blood In My Eyes For You (orig. Mississippi Sheiks)
(from The Great Debaters Soundtrack, 2007)
Carolina Chocolate Drops: Cornbread and Butter Beans (trad.)
(from Heritage, 2007)
Carolina Chocolate Drops: In the Jailhouse Now (orig. Jimmie Rogers)
(live at the Old Town School of Folk Music, 2007)
Carolina Chocolate Drops: Hit ‘em Up Style (orig. Blu Cantrell)
(live on WDVX Blue Plate Special, May 2008; video here, and worth it)
VIDEO: Carolina Chocolate Drops: Goin’ Down That Road Feelin’ Bad (trad.)
(live from the Buckjump Blues Fest, 2006 — and plenty more where that came from!)
Like what you hear? Carolina Chocolate Drops will be appearing at Merlefest this weekend, way on the other end of the state, but there’s more than one way to support the old ways; musicians can’t survive without fans who buy records, and though they’re not due for a new disk until early 2010, the Carolina Chocolate Drops catalog is well worth owning. Buy direct from the artists, or head out to your local record store; both strategies help spread the word and warm the heart while keeping music small and local.
Today’s Bonus Tracks feature a few more covers learned by and from harmonica player Sonny Terry and blues picker Etta Baker, both members of the older generation of North Carolinan-based Piedmont blues musicians.
Etta Baker w/ Taj Mahal: John Henry (trad.)
Taj Mahal: Railroad Bill (orig. Etta Baker)
Dave Alvin: Railroad Bill (ibid.)
Sonny Terry: Pick a Bale o’ Cotton (trad.)
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee: Down by the Riverside (trad.)
Previously on Cover Lay Down:
On Race and the Folk Community
Carolina Coverfolk, Redux: Songs of the South
1,537 comments » | Blues, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Regional Folk
from Red Molly, Steve Forbert, Cris Williamson and more!
I’m down in the Outer Banks region of North Carolina once again, just like last year, on the cusp of a whole week of for what is fast becoming an annual gathering of extended family and friends.
We left just after school on Friday, and I did the lion’s share of the driving, just over twelve hours of overnight while the kids and spouse napped in the car; since we hit the sandy soil of Kitty Hawk just before sunup this morning, we’ve hit up sand and surf, sucked down breakfast barbecue and beer, eaten sweet frozen custard and bought new floppy hats on the tourist walkways, and stared at enough ocean to resalinate a nation’s saltcellars.
Unfortunately, what with the overnight drive and a wee bit too much time in the sun this afternoon, I’m feeling far too loopy to cope with anything new. So here’s last year’s set — a host of coverfolk which celebrates the Carolinas, heavy on the southern appalachian sound — with the promise of something slightly more original when my brain recovers. Hope no one minds the reposted material. After all, this is a vacation.
Red Molly: Oh My Sweet Carolina (orig. Ryan Adams)
Previously-featured sweet-voiced femme folk trio Red Molly covers this bittersweet tribute from North Carolina native son Ryan Adams with dobro, guitar, and harmony on their first full-length album, the live Never Been To Vegas.
Mud Acres: Carolina in My Mind (orig. James Taylor)
Another song by a native son, this one reinvented as a ragged hootenanny by Happy Traum, banjoist Bill Keith, bass player Roly Salley (who penned the oft-covered Killin’ The Blues) and others from the mid-seventies Woodstock, NY Mud Acres music collective.
Cris Williamson and Tret Fure: Carolina Pines (orig. Kate Wolf)
A languid, mournful country ballad of loss and emptiness from Treasures Left Behind: Remembering Kate Wolf. One of Kate’s best, and the harmonica and slide on this powerful cut from Cris Williamson and Tret Fure make it that much better.
Mike Seeger and Paul Brown: Way Down in North Carolina (trad.)
The title cut from Way Down in North Carolina, lovingly gathered and performed by collector of traditional song Mike Seeger and pal Paul Brown, is a fiddle tune at heart, true appalachian music from the old school. Timeless, true, and perfect for the back porch or the back country.
Steve Forbert: My Carolina Sunshine Girl (orig. Jimmie Rodgers)
Singer-songwriter Steve Forbert swings this short but sweet old tune with a wry touch and his signature vocal strangle. Off Any Old Time, Forbert’s tribute to Jimmie Rodgers, king of the cowboy yodel.
Cover Lay Down publishes every Sunday, Wednesday, and the occasional otherday, regardless of stress or relaxation. Stay tuned later this week for a feature on at least one regionally-relevant folk band…plus more tales of sunburn and surf!
1,069 comments » | reposts
Queer As Coverfolk:
Songs About “Alternate” Genders and Sexualities
Cover Lay Down is hardly a political blog; first and foremost, our mission is spread the gospel of good music, in the context of its culture and community. But it is no accident that folk music has a long history as an engine of social justice and change. By its very nature, folk assumes that music is not merely inseparable from its culture, but that it speaks to and for its culture.
My own tendencies towards progressive social values, from pro-feminist parenting to the importance of preserving equity in community spaces, may not originate in folk, but they are embedded in it, just as they are embedded in the practice of my daily life as a parent and teacher. And among these values, I am proud to include a belief in the universal right of all individuals to love and commit in the ways that they see fit, regardless of sexual or gender preference.
When my children were born, we modified the traditional Jewish blessing for their naming ceremonies, dropping gender and any assumption of sexual preference from the text, rather than assume that they would someday want to have “traditional” relationships. I was grateful to have the opportunity to take my daughter to the Northampton courthouse the day gay marriage was legalized in Massachusetts; I celebrate the recent moves towards further normalization of what were once considered “alternative” lifestyle practices here in the U.S.
And just as past movements in school libraries to ban books about gay parents once drove me to donate a copy of King & King to our own school library, so has the recent debacle with Amazon’s cataloging error that banished queer and feminist books to “adult” purgatory driven me to consider applying my own meager counterweight to the universe once again — this time through the compilation and distribution of a full set of folk and folk-related coversongs which present LGBT life and lifestyle choices as perfectly normal.
Folk music is hardly the only place where music has been an engine of change for queer culture; as we see in the choice of covers taken on by folk artists, glam and other alt-gender cultural movements have each had their own inroads into mass culture through popular music.
But there’s a particularly long history of LGBT folk performers. Lesbians, especially, have found a place in the modern folkworld, following dozens of gay and gay-friendly artists from Joan Armatrading to the Indigo Girls, and from Melissa Etheridge and Catie Curtis to Dar and Toshi and Ani, descending on folk festivals in droves whenever such favorite performers appear.
That said, it is surprisingly difficult to find songs which explicitly speak to same-sex relationships. Perhaps there are folk/culture/political issues at the heart of this; after all, not all queer performers have been as up front about their sexuality in their music as they are in their personal life; even musicians who present as queer in their work are generally known for just a few songs which speak explicitly to same-sex relations.
Still, our goal here today is to celebrate the universality of songs themselves, as agencies of change — to recognize, as it were, that in a world where the National Organization for Marriage still has enough money to make scary, homophobic videos “protecting” marriage, to stand up and be counted through song continues to be an act of courage and of necessity.
As such, today’s songs are NOT mere gender bender covers — that is, they are not songs of hetero attraction which have passed from a male voice to a female voice or vice versa, such as Patti Smith’s wonderful interpretation of Van Morrison’s Gloria. Neither are they songs which have been adopted by one LGBT group or another, and thus have come to represent a particular community or movement.
Rather, they are covers of original works which unabashedly celebrate what once were considered alternative lifestyles, from transexualism to the bisexual glam lifestyle, from same-sex parentage to plain old homosexual attraction.
Some of these songs, and some of the performances, come off as a bit tongue-in-cheek. Others verge on precious. But the diversity seems appropriate. And that so many are so familiar, and that all are so palatable, says much about how close we are to the day when my children, and yours, will truly have the freedom to be who they are, without shame or struggle. Here’s a setlist of hope, a soundtrack for change, to help things stay on the right track.
Jonathan Richman: The Origin of Love (orig. Hedwig and the Angy Inch)
There are two versions of this mythical story of mate-finding and attraction on tribute compilation Wig in a Box, which takes on songs from queer musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Jonathan Richman’s distinctively cracked vocals and acoustic strum beat Rufus Wainwright’s high pop by a landslide.
Jose Gonzalez: Smalltown Boy (orig. Bronski Beat)
Jose Gonzalez‘ typically rhythmic, atmospheric guitarplay and high vocals are a perfect match for the loneliness and homophobia experienced by Bronski Beat’s young protagonist as he searches for friendship and family.
Seu Jorge: Rebel Rebel (orig. David Bowie)
…You’ve got your mother in a whirl/ She’s not sure if you’re a boy or a girl… Bowie’s paean to the androgynous Glam culture takes on a gentle samba tone in the hands of Brazilian master Seu Jorge on his lovely, delicate soundtrack to The Life Aquatic.
Kris McKay: Weakness in Me (orig. Joan Armatrading)
My father and I once attended a Joan Armatrading concert; I swear we were the only men in our section. Austin-bred acoustic roots troubadour Kris McKay turns Armatrading’s call to the unobtainable into something sweeter and more southern, yet equally mournful.
Corin Joel: I Kissed a Girl (orig. Katy Perry)
A repost, but I still think Corin Joel‘s slow, cracked, self-conscious take on this Katy Perry song about experimenting with bisexuality beats the Max Vernon version hands down.
The BossHoss: All the Things She Said (orig. t.A.T.u.)
Acoustic alt-fauxabilly from German country coverband The BossHoss, who we last saw taking a crack at Britney, with a tune from Russian faux-lesbians t.A.T.u.
Peter, Paul & Mary w/ Holly Near: Home is Where the Heart Is (orig. Sally Fingerett)
Old folkies Holly Near and soon-to-be-featured PP&M take on this tender tale of teaching diversity amidst a diverse neighborhood originally penned by Bitchin’ Babe Sally Fingerett. Slightly syrupy, but worth the experience.
Stars: This Charming Man (orig. The Smiths)
Canadian indie popstars Stars give Morrissey’s tale of the underground gay scene an upbeat, high-production folkpop sound, lush and modern yet reminiscent of the very electro-club scene it claims to reject.
Willie Nelson: Cowboys are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other (orig. Ned Sublette)
This typical acoustic country ballad from the wry-yet-tender Willie Nelson was the first LGBT-themed country song by a mainstream artist — and a brave step forward for a man whose audience has traditionally consisted of Red State Republicans.
Albert Pla: Walk on the Wild Side (orig. Lou Reed)
Jesse Malin: Walk on the Wild Side (ibid.)
Kathryn Williams: Candy Says (orig. Velvet Underground)
Antony and the Johnsons: Candy Says (ibid.)
Finally, four takes on two songs about the same Warhol-era star, transsexual Candy Darling. Albert Pla‘s half-whispered worldbeat popfolk comes with bouncy acoustic guitar and organ, while Jesse Malin turns the same song into a grungy, almost anthemic folkrock tune. Meanwhile, freakfolk vocalist Antony takes cello and sparse guitar for a warbly torch song, while CLD fave Kathryn Williams turns in a mellow, ringing folk take with bells on.
Cover Lay Down publishes new coverfolk features Wednesdays, Sundays, and the occasional otherday. Stay tuned for Sunday, when we’ll begin a week of blogging from the Outer Banks of North Carolina!
1,185 comments » | LGBT
(Re)Covered IX: More covers of and from Mike and Ruthy, Richard Shindell, U2, and YouTube
It’s been a busy week, what with re-election to the local School Board, midterm grading, and Passover coming to a head all-at-once. To compensate, I’ve timeshifted this post a bit, writing ahead in time stolen from sleep and paperwork, so that the family can spend the weekend in Boston while I pass words and coversong along via some template trickery.
Which is to say: as you read this, I’m not here right now. And since we’re drifting in the complex currents of past tense grammar, why not reach back in time a bit more? Here’s yet another installment of our popular (Re)Covered series, wherein we cover new and newly-rediscovered songs that dropped into our laps just a bit too late to make it into earlier features on the same subject.
I’ve made no secret about the fact that American expatriate Richard Shindell is one of my absolute favorite singer-songwriters. In fact, looking back in the archives, I find that we’ve covered the one-time Fast Folkie in depth several times, both as a solo coverartist and as a member of Cry Cry Cry.
I last wrote about Shindell in (Re)Covered V, back when he was soliciting micro-financing for his upcoming album; since then, I’ve received my own copy of Not Far Now and companion alt-takes collection Mariana’s EP, and I’m happy to report that a) it’s a topper, and b) it contains a marvelous cover of Dave Carter’s The Mountain. One day, I aspire to a full set of covers of the late great Dave Carter’s work, both with and without his still-touring partner Tracy Grammer. In the meantime, this one’s just too good to hang on to.
Richard Shindell: The Mountain (orig. Dave Carter)
(from Not Far Now, 2009)
Richard Shindell Bonus: We posted a studio version of modern Celtic folkband Solas covering of Shindell’s On a Sea of Fleur de Lis way back in our very first post; here’s a hopping live version of the same from their 2004 live CD/DVD, which brought together all past and present members for an amazing set of songs.
Solas: On a Sea of Fleur de Lis (orig. Richard Shindell)
(from Reunion, 2004)
I’ve written about Ruth Ungar Merenda‘s work a few times here, too, most recently in her role as one third of nu-folk trio Sometymes Why. But as I noted in our first full feature on her work as a solo artist and co-founder of now-defunct neo-trad group The Mammals, these days Ruthy spends most of her time with her husband and fellow ex-Mammals member Mike Merenda and their new tiny son.
It’s Mike and Ruthy we’re interested in today. The two just came out with a new album called Waltz of the Chickadee, and in addition to the usual diverse set of intimate, old-timey originals, it includes some wonderful covers of some familiar old tunes. Here’s two vastly different takes on the long-ago past from the new work: a loose acoustic old-time jam take on Guthrie classic Dust Bowl Blues, and a mellower, sweeter, more indie-folk Hang Me.
Mike and Ruthy: Dust Bowl Blues (orig. Woody Guthrie)
Mike and Ruthy: Hang Me (trad.)
(from Waltz of the Chickadee, 2009)
Ruth Merenda Bonus: Dad Jay and stepmom Molly Mason invited Ruthy in to sing harmony on an old Leadbelly tune given the acoustic swing treatment on the title track to their 2003 album.
Jay Ungar and Molly Mason w/ Swingology: Relax Your Mind (orig. Leadbelly)
(from Relax Your Mind, 2003)
I hadn’t planned on returning to our feature on native YouTube covers, but as I mentioned at the time, more and more artists are producing work in front of the cameras, and it just doesn’t seem fair to them or their producing organizations to strip the sound of its innate visual component without acknowledging the work in its original multimedia form.
Here’s a simply stunning eighties cover from new folk-crush William Fitzsimmons, a still-rising star from the same hushfolk school as Sufjan and Iron and Wine, recorded last summer on a Deep Rock Drive session.
William Fitzsimmons Bonus: Fitzsimmons’ modern indiefolk lullaby cover of James Taylor’s You Can Close Your Eyes is but one of many powerful tracks on the previously-featured sixties and seventies tribute Before the Goldrush.
William Fitzsimmons: You Can Close Your Eyes (orig. James Taylor)
(from Before the Goldrush, 2008)
Speaking of video, and as a nod to our recent set of U2 covers, here’s a slightly precious but oh so gorgeous popfolk video cover from a recent TV appearance by a collection of Norwegian pop singers. Seems this cover is the first single from their new tour, or something. Totally guilty pleasure, but I love it all the same. (Less impressive, unless you like American Idol fauxfolk: their 2007 cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.)
U2 Bonus: here’s an old Redbird outtake, ragged but equally gorgeous in its own fragmented way, rediscovered through a reader (thanks, Jeff).
Redbird: Running to Stand Still (orig. U2)
(from Jeffrey Foucault’s website)
As always, Cover Lay Down is proud to support artists directly, without middlemen or megastores. If you like what you hear here, please consider following links to artist websites and preferred points of purchase.
1,269 comments » | (Re)Covered, richard shindell, U2
Passover Coverfolk: Songs of Pharaoh and Moses
(On Finding Freedom in the Story of Exodus)
April 7th, 2009 — 10:07 pm
Tomorrow night, Jews across the world are commanded to retell the story of Exodus. And here in the Howdy House, that means a night of roasts, toasts, revelry and ritual as friends and family descend on the house like plagues.
The story of the Jews’ escape from slavery, and their emergence as a people, has much to offer as a modern parable of freedom. The seder meal is bittersweet, tinged with sorrow for those who had to die that others could be free. As a metaphor for struggle itself, it asks us to be aware that though freedom is paramount, violence is always a last, worst resort; patience and persistence go hand in hand.
The seder traditionally ends with a call to return to and remember the land of one’s ancestors, but in more and more households in this day and age, it’s the freedom to go or stay which is emphasized in the telling. Many modern haggadot frame the tale explicitly with calls to ongoing struggles for freedom throughout the world, and reminders that as long as one human remains enslaved, none of us are truly free. It’s a powerful message for children, and I’m proud to be able to share it with my own, and thus help plant the seed of human rights and social consciousness in yet another rising generation.
To tell the story now would be pre-emptive, of course — far be it from us to take the power of our own retellings, let alone risk trivializing them through popular song, however powerful that song may be. As such, I’ve chosen not to try to compile the story itself in song, though I admit such a task was mightily tempting, at least until I realized how few songs about lice, boils and cattle disease have ever been recorded.
But whether you celebrate or not, every good story needs a cast of characters. Here’s a few favorite coversongs about Moses and Pharaoh, the prime agencies of good and evil in this particular retelling of the eternal struggle for all to be free.
Tim O’Brien: Moses (trad.)
(from Cornbread Nation, 2005)
The Duhks: Moses Don’t Get Lost (trad., via Tim O’Brien)
(from Migrations, 2006)
Marc Manning: Little Moses (trad.)
(from A Tribute To The Anthology Of American Folk Music By Harry Smith, 2005)
Joan Baez: Little Moses (ibid.)
(from Joan Baez, 1960)
The House Band: Pharaoh (orig. Richard Thompson)
(from The World is a Wonderful Place: The Songs of Richard Thompson, 1993)
June Tabor: Pharaoh (ibid.)
(from A Quiet Eye, 2000)
Crooked Still: Pharaoh (trad., via Sydney Carter)
(from Still Crooked, 2008)
May we all be so blessed as to find our own leaders, in ourselves and our communities, and follow them to freedom in the year to come. Let the waters part, and the darkness lift; let the fetters fall, and the sky be ours again.
1,014 comments » | Uncategorized
Covered in Folk: R.E.M.
(Redbird, Great Big Sea, Rosie Thomas, Grant Lee Phillips and more!)
I enjoy a good challenge. So when a recent and otherwise well-written treatise on the socio-economic function of cover songs past and present declared the R.E.M. catalog “too cryptic to survive being covered”, I set out to amass a collection of songs which would prove the author wrong.
My dubious pursuit was confounded a bit by a long-time personal apathy for R.E.M.’s particularly angsty, often melodramatic performance style, as filtered through frontman Michael Stipe’s voice and phrasing, which just aren’t to taste. Sure, there’s a few songs I wouldn’t change the station for — the driving guitar of Fall On Me, for example, or the deceptively cheerful pop surface of Man on the Moon. But these are predominantly band-driven songs, where so many others of the canon are singer showcases.
It’s a personal choice: I don’t like listening to Dylan either. But as with Dylan, and so many of the popular artists whose songbooks comprise our Covered in Folk features, there’s a recognizable genius under there, couched in a palatable form. It is no accident that R.E.M. is well established and well respected; love ‘em or hate ‘em, their influence, particularly in the emergence of college alternative radio, is legion and undeniable, and their reputation deserved.
The combination of cultural cache and strong songwriting has produced a world of broad and eminently listenable covers. It’s telling that when Stereogum decided to solicit current indie darlings for their second cover tribute, it was seminal R.E.M. album Automatic for the People which they ended up reconstructing track-for-track. And, as with so many previous features, that many of my favorite cover artists have taken on the R.E.M. songbook speaks volumes to its appeal and its potential among folk musicians and fans of a certain generational outlook.
My top ten list of covers consistently includes Grant-Lee Phillips‘ incredible version of So. Central Rain; I’ve posted it twice here before, and each time it has elicited comments from the readership. There’s more familiar covers here, too, from Rosie Thomas‘ lovely version of The One I Love, which pays tribute to Sufjan’s popular bootlegs of the same tune, to well-played cuts from folk supergroups Redbird and Cry Cry Cry.
Tori Amos and The Corrs come from that same AAA and college rock region of the genre map R.E.M. helped establish. Great Big Sea trend towards the sea chanty made modern, but most folkies will know the name. Stereogum’s coverage is predominantly indie rock, but the names are recognizable to those who come via the indiefolk music blogs. In the end, there’s nothing rare here, except perhaps the live cover of REM obscurity Hairshirt from Glen Hansard‘s recent appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
But surely that familiarity proves the point. After all, if folk is in the ownership and the interpretation of song, then cryptic becomes a relative term, and coverage itself proves palatability. For in the end, is there greater foundation for love than the recognition of the soul, the spark of something sensible to the self, and the subsequent struggle to own it? And is it not this love, in the hands of the talented and thoughtful, which makes coverage great, and tributes worthy? Listen, and judge for yourself.
Grant Lee Phillips: So. Central Rain
(from nineteeneighties)
Redbird: You Are The Everything
(from Redbird)
Great Big Sea: It’s The End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)
(from Play)
Cry Cry Cry: Fall On Me
(from Cry Cry Cry; their in-studio cover from The River Music Hall is also good)
The Corrs: Everybody Hurts
(from Unplugged)
Rosie Thomas: The One I Love
(from These Friends of Mine)
Glen Hansard: Hairshirt
(live on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, 3/12/09)
Tori Amos: Losing My Religion
(from the Higher Learning soundtrack)
Frida Hyvonen: Everybody Hurts
Ferraby Lionheart: Man on the Moon
(from Drive XV: A Tribute to Automatic for the People)
Today’s bonus coverfolk tracks give R.E.M. the chance to take on a few core folksingers, from Hall of Famer Leonard Cohen to the man whose original version of Gentle On My Mind won a Grammy for Best Folk Performance the same year Glen Campbell made it famous. After all, as the banner says, we do covers of folksong here, too:
R.E.M.: Wall of Death (orig. Richard Thompson)
R.E.M.: Gentle On My Mind (orig. John Hartford)
R.E.M.: First We Take Manhattan (orig. Leonard Cohen)
1,461 comments » | Covered in Folk, R.E.M.
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Parliamentary Archives
What's in the Parliamentary Archives?
Records of the House of Lords and House of Commons
Other Parliamentary Collections
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The Parliamentary Archives holds several million historical records relating to Parliament, dating from 1497
Official records of both Houses of Parliament, including Acts, Journals, Deposited Plans and Appeal Cases. Some of records have been published and may be available in a library near you.
Other collections relating to Parliament, including the papers of the Lord Great Chamberlain and the History of Parliament Trust.
Collections of private political papers and records of political bodies and pressure groups, including Lloyd George, Bonar Law, and Lord Beaverbrook.
Records about the Palace of Westminster
An introduction to the records we hold about the building.
Family History Sources
A guide to tracing your roots through collections held by the Parliamentary Archives.
Photographic Sources at the Parliamentary Archives ( PDF 152 KB)
A list of photographic sources at the Parliamentary Archives, and other possible photographic sources inside and outside Parliament.
Parliamentary Archives Catalogue
Begin your research right now!
What We Don't Hold
Due to the 1834 fire which burnt down the Houses of Parliament, we do not hold any records of the House of Commons before that date, apart from the manuscript journals and minutes, and printed journals and papers of the House. Everything else created by the House of Commons prior to 1834 was destroyed by the fire.
Please note that we do not hold the records of government departments (the civil service) or the Crown. Those records can be found at the National Archives.
We hold only a few records of MPs and peers, mostly very prominent politicians. Search the National Register of Archives for locations of personal papers of politicians in archives across the UK.
We do not hold the records of the Court of Appeal. Court of Appeal records will be in the National Archives or published in Law Reports. The only court case records we hold are House of Lords Appeal Cases, up until the creation of the Supreme Court in October 2009.
We do not hold the medieval records of Parliament (pre-1497). They are to be found among the Chancery records of the National Archives.
Collection & Acquisition Policy ( PDF 1.34 MB) How we make decisions about what to collect, and why. This fourth edition was published in February 2012.
Search our online resources
Private Bill Witness database
Parliament's Web Archive
Please see:
New book: Victoria Tower Treasures
A new publication highlighting 150 treasures of the Parliamentary Archives
Digitised Historical Parliamentary Material
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The Blind Watchmaker (Audiobook)
The Blind Watchmaker, knowledgably narrated by author Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward, is as prescient and timely a book as ever. The watchmaker belongs to the 18th-century theologian William Paley, who argued that just as a watch is too complicated and functional to have sprung into existence by accident, so too must all living things, with their far greater complexity, be The Blind Watchmaker, knowledgably narrated by author Richard Dawkins and Lalla Ward, is as prescient and timely a book as ever. The watchmaker belongs to the 18th-century theologian William Paley, who argued that just as a watch is too complicated and functional to have sprung into existence by accident, so too must all living things, with their far greater complexity, be purposefully designed. Charles Darwin's brilliant discovery challenged the creationist arguments; but only Richard Dawkins could have written this elegant riposte. Natural selection - the unconscious, automatic, blind, yet essentially nonrandom process Darwin discovered - is the blind watchmaker in nature.
30 review for The Blind Watchmaker (Audiobook)
Paul Bryant – Jun 06, 2011
I should explain the point about the watchmaker. A SMALL ROCK If you’re walking along in the countryside and you come across a rock, you don’t say, well, where the hell did that come from and who made it? It’s a rock. No one cares. There’s no notices stuck on trees or printed in local free newspapers anywhere saying “have you seen this rock? Description – roughly three inches by four by three; last seen in the Dorchester area; undistinctive grey colouring; answers to the name of “rock”; reward – I should explain the point about the watchmaker. A SMALL ROCK If you’re walking along in the countryside and you come across a rock, you don’t say, well, where the hell did that come from and who made it? It’s a rock. No one cares. There’s no notices stuck on trees or printed in local free newspapers anywhere saying “have you seen this rock? Description – roughly three inches by four by three; last seen in the Dorchester area; undistinctive grey colouring; answers to the name of “rock”; reward – please call this number; WE MISS YOU ROCK” . It’s a rock. ON THE OTHER HAND, A GOLD WATCH Now, if you saw a beautiful gold watch on your walk in the countryside, you would say – lo! a watch – I deduce that someone has lost a watch and it is here; also, I furthermore deduce that there must be a God.” Richard Dawkins says that watches, or indeed anything complicated, do not infer the existence of a watchmaker. Or, to use a different analogy, a book, which can be a complicated thing, does not infer the existence of an author. You could say well, here’s a book called The Blind Watchmaker and it says it’s by Richard Dawkins, so we see that Richard Dawkins is the author and he wrote this book, but Richard Dawkins would say NO! it doesn’t, have you not been paying attention, have you been giggling and passing notes in the back row again? EVOLUTION OF THE SEMICOLON What happened is that gradually, over many billions of years, language formed, inconceivably slowly, for instance it took ten million years for commas to evolve out of a full stop, and another ten million for the exotic semi-colon to evolve out of the comma. So this book The Blind Watchmaker (like all other books) evolved slowly. We have fossils to prove this. They show the missing links. We have, for instance, copies of the book which are called The Blond Watchmaker dating from the Devonian period – it took several millions of years for the Blond to evolve into the Blind, you see. I read that Mexican paleontologists recently unearthed a copy called The Bland Watchmaker. Going back further , we find all sorts of evolutionary byways that, because of natural selection, died out eventually. One manuscript from the late Pleistocene period which is currently on display at the University of East Anglia shows a strange hybrid between an early version of The Blind Watchmaker and Alice in Wonderland in which the famous teaparty scene features a pterodactyl, a plesiosaur (so very unlikely) and a crazed archaeopteryx. This unviable literary form did not survive, as we know. Natural selection, although brutal from our limited human perspective, explains the evolution of complex things. RELIGION CANNOT EXPLAIN WHY TWILIGHT IS POPULAR God cannot explain why the book species “Stephanie Myers” and “Dan Brown”, for instance, proliferate wildly in many varied habitats, whilst arguably more beautiful forms like Henry James, Proust, and the Golden Tamarin dwindle to the point where human intervention from libraries and literary professors are the only thing keeping them from sinking into oblivion – no, God cannot explain this. But Richard Dawkins (also known as "Science") can. Sorry, that should be “Richard Dawkins”.
Ahmad Sharabiani – May 24, 2013
The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design, Richard Dawkins The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design is a 1986 book by Richard Dawkins, in which the author presents an explanation of, and argument for, the theory of evolution by means of natural selection. عنوانها: ساعتساز نابینا؛ ساعتساز کور؛ نویسنده: ریچارد داوکینز؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز نخست ماه دسامبر سال 2014 میلادی عنوان: ساعتساز نابینا؛ نویسنده: ریچار The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design, Richard Dawkins The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design is a 1986 book by Richard Dawkins, in which the author presents an explanation of, and argument for, the theory of evolution by means of natural selection. عنوانها: ساعتساز نابینا؛ ساعتساز کور؛ نویسنده: ریچارد داوکینز؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز نخست ماه دسامبر سال 2014 میلادی عنوان: ساعتساز نابینا؛ نویسنده: ریچارد داوکینز؛ مترجم: محمود بهزاد؛ شهلا باقری؛ تهران، مازیار، 1388؛ در 383 ص؛ چاپ دوم 1389؛ شابک: 9789645676757؛ چاپ دوم 1389؛ موضوع: تکامل - انتخاب طبیعی - زیست شناسی - سده ی 20 م عنوان: ساعتساز کور؛ نویسنده: ریچارد داوکینز؛ مترجم: ایرج والی پور؛ تهران، ایرج والی پور، 1390؛ در 394 ص؛ شابک: 9789640476932؛ چاپ دوم 1389؛ عنوان کتاب به شکلی متاثر از تشبیهی است، که: کشیش سده ی هجدهم میلادی: «ویلیام پالی»، به کار برده است. تشبیه «پالی» چنین بود که: «حتی اگر شما ندانید که ساعت چه چیزی هست، طراحی چرخ دنده ها، و فنرها، و طرز چینش آنها، در کنار همدیگر، برای یک مقصود خاص، شما را وامیدارد که نتیجه بگیرید که: این ساعت باید سازنده ای داشته باشد، کسی که آنرا به منظوری خاص طراحی کرده است؛ سازنده ای که از سازوکار آن آگاه است، و کاربردی برای این طراحی داشته است. اگر این نتیجه گیری در مورد یک ساعت ساده درست باشد، پس آیا کاملاً درست نیست که در مورد چشم، گوش، کلیه، مفصل آرنج، و مغز هم گفته شود، که طراحِ هوشمند و هدفمندی دارند؟ این ساختارهای زیبا، پیچیده، ظریف، و آشکارا طراحیشده به مقصود خاص هم باید طراحی، ساعتسازی، داشته باشند - که همانا خداست». پایان نقل از کشیش ویلیام پالی. ا. شربیانی
Dawkins loves explaining evolutionary theory, and this is one of his best books. My favourite bit is the section on long-tailed birds (peacocks, etc). From the point of view of simple utility, they are rather baffling. What use could you possibly have for that long, stupid tail? But, as Dawkins keeps reminding us, it's not about survival of the species, or even of the individual, but rather of the gene. Suppose there's a sex-linked male gene that disposes towards long tails, and a sex-linked fema Dawkins loves explaining evolutionary theory, and this is one of his best books. My favourite bit is the section on long-tailed birds (peacocks, etc). From the point of view of simple utility, they are rather baffling. What use could you possibly have for that long, stupid tail? But, as Dawkins keeps reminding us, it's not about survival of the species, or even of the individual, but rather of the gene. Suppose there's a sex-linked male gene that disposes towards long tails, and a sex-linked female gene that disposes towards finding long tails attractive. A child born of a union between two individuals carrying these genes will be likely to have both of them. Hence, if it's male, it'll have a long tail, and if it's female it will prefer males with long tails. If this combination becomes common, long-tailed males will have a larger and larger advantage in terms of being preferred by females. Tails will lengthen until the practical downside (being unable to fly, avoid predators, etc) counterbalances the upside of efficiently attracting potential mates. I read this, and suddenly looked at supermodels in a new light. God, they're hot! In fact, if they were any hotter they'd be dead.
Riku Sayuj – Dec 01, 2011
It is a good thing that Dawkins himself takes the trouble to think about which chapters of his books will be of vanishing interest in the near future. Of course, he turned out to be more accurate than he must have wished for. This must be the most boring of all Dawkins’ books, but I do not want to give up on him till I read ‘The Extended Phenotype’ which just might prove to be the best (scientifically) of all his works. With whole chapters devoted to the driest taxonomy problems and to disprovin It is a good thing that Dawkins himself takes the trouble to think about which chapters of his books will be of vanishing interest in the near future. Of course, he turned out to be more accurate than he must have wished for. This must be the most boring of all Dawkins’ books, but I do not want to give up on him till I read ‘The Extended Phenotype’ which just might prove to be the best (scientifically) of all his works. With whole chapters devoted to the driest taxonomy problems and to disproving outdated theories, the book was a massive waste of time once I went past the mildly interesting first half. But, it still provides an opportunity to use Dawkins’ own method of caricature-based argument to paint a caricature of his own positions in ‘The God Delusion’ based on his own vitriolic stands in this book. I will try to examine in detail how Dawkins has betrayed his own principles of scientific grounding and rational rigorousness in The God Delusion by using arguments and structures from this book in the review. Hopefully that will happen by tomorrow...
Bradley – Apr 03, 2017
As the title's extension spells out, this is a definitive (as of '87) rebuttal against all comers in favor of Darwinism, but don't let my saying so prove it. Read it for yourself. All his arguments are crystal clear, but he takes extra time to caricature the caricature of Darwinists, pointing out exactly how the ad absurdum argument really works while also elucidating the fine points of what Darwinism IS versus what it is NOT. He steps us through the first third of the book showing us how Selectio As the title's extension spells out, this is a definitive (as of '87) rebuttal against all comers in favor of Darwinism, but don't let my saying so prove it. Read it for yourself. All his arguments are crystal clear, but he takes extra time to caricature the caricature of Darwinists, pointing out exactly how the ad absurdum argument really works while also elucidating the fine points of what Darwinism IS versus what it is NOT. He steps us through the first third of the book showing us how Selection works: from an energy standpoint, a competition standpoint, and a sexual standpoint... from the basic building blocks of proteins to more and more complex forms of DNA and the combo cells that collect all the wonderful multicellular creations, including bacteria, that eventually wind up creating us. The descriptions are quite beautiful and clear and all the while, we've got all the foundations for life... without Intelligent Design. The argument is simple, of course. If we can explain everything, and I mean everything that is life and physics, then what purpose does adding a superfluous layer to the explanation serve? This is ten years worth of hate mail for the author, people. He has been beset on all sides with genuinely curious and well-meaning seekers of the god-fearing sort and inundated with screaming lunatics telling him he'll burn in hell for his first book, The Selfish Gene, which, by the way, didn't really give a rat's ass about creationism or the people who support it. It just laid out a very cogent theory that fit all the copious mountains of data in biology. And yet, after that point, a Mr. Dawkins who professes not to want or need a PR team or lawyers, decides to put his foot down and tackle the problem that has reared its muti-angled head in his direction and DEFEND Darwinism. He does so beautifully, I might add. Every step of the way, he defines the complaints with due diligence and proceeds to demolish them sonar-producing batlike grace, with light humor, sharp intellect, and sometimes he makes of his opponents an overzealous meal. Can you blame him? Granted, by this point it's only been a decade of Creationist hate. Give it a decade or a decade and a half more before we see a truly flame worthy attack from Mr.Dawkins. I'm looking forward to seeing some of it in his books. I hope it's there and not just in his interviews which I still haven't seen. Alas. Seriously, though, this book is pretty wonderful for its lucid and quoteworthy passages and vivid descriptions of how Darwinism works, from gene level to the kinds of time-spans that can only be described as geological when it comes to real changes in evolution. I particularly loved the fact that he used computer terminology to describe how our genes are nothing more than complex computers. I've heard this before, of course, but the way he laid it out was particularly enlightening. This stuff is pretty damn great. Just from the science viewpoint, even leaving out the whole defense, it's well worth reading and not nearly as acerbic or rabid as certain other mass-produced troll-attacks make him appear. But then again, I've only read one of his later books, the The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True, which was just a charming bi-modal description of science versus magical thinking which also happened to "gently" draw people away from having to add that extra layer of explanation to reality. :) I guess I'll see what the other books bring, no?
Amirography – Oct 10, 2017
A rather well-written book. I like the writing style of Pr. Dawkins. It was not as challenging as "Selfish gene". But I guess its complexity is pretty relevant to the level of articulation many have. However, it was a great read and made me think more about the topic.
Mostephl – Sep 01, 2008
wow and double wow. i read this through and turned back to p.1 to read it again. blind watchmaker has been amazingly influential in the way i think about just about everything- the world, existence, life forms, physics- down to the micro, myself and my craft. it's sent chills down my spine, made me euphoric and angry. the first for finally addressing questions that have long been in my mind (but receive no echo in society as i've known it), the second for the willful repression of information an wow and double wow. i read this through and turned back to p.1 to read it again. blind watchmaker has been amazingly influential in the way i think about just about everything- the world, existence, life forms, physics- down to the micro, myself and my craft. it's sent chills down my spine, made me euphoric and angry. the first for finally addressing questions that have long been in my mind (but receive no echo in society as i've known it), the second for the willful repression of information and large-scale institutionalized dumb-down that is the public school system i grew up in. it makes me want to cry to think that i didn't learn about evolution until i already had a master's degree. i am learning now, though, largely through dawkins, stephen j. gould and others who've been able to bring the complexities of this subject to the laypeople. still angry that whatever my daughter learns about evolution, she'll have to learn from me, a social scientist and by no means an authority. nonetheless, in a college classroom if her professor asks if anyone's heard of darwin, her answer will be a resounding, "yeah!!". small victory, but something. p.s. there's a great, great BBC documentary on Galapagos- highly worth checking out.
Roy Lotz – Jul 14, 2013
Two summers ago, I did myself the favor of reading The Selfish Gene. Well, I didn’t quite read it; rather, I listened to Dawkins and his wife, Lalla Ward, narrate the book, as I took long walks in the forest near my house. Incidentally, I think Dawkins (and, to a slightly lesser extent, Lalla) has a magnificent voice; it’s a pleasure to hear him speak. But that’s a matter of taste; what is not a matter of taste is the quality of that book. Agree or disagree with Dawkins, one must admit that The Two summers ago, I did myself the favor of reading The Selfish Gene. Well, I didn’t quite read it; rather, I listened to Dawkins and his wife, Lalla Ward, narrate the book, as I took long walks in the forest near my house. Incidentally, I think Dawkins (and, to a slightly lesser extent, Lalla) has a magnificent voice; it’s a pleasure to hear him speak. But that’s a matter of taste; what is not a matter of taste is the quality of that book. Agree or disagree with Dawkins, one must admit that The Selfish Gene is a book of the finest quality. Indeed, I must say that I wasn’t quite prepared for how good it was. I was expecting an entertaining book of popular science; what I got was an eloquent, subtle, and powerful book which managed, in a just a couple weeks of long walks, to completely transform my understanding of animal behavior. This book, The Blind Watchmaker—also listened to in a few long walks—is not of the same caliber. But it is quite good. (Well, if it were written by almost anybody except Dawkins himself, I would say it was very good—but I know the heights he can reach.) I know close to nothing about his advocacy of atheism, and frankly I don’t much care, but I think the public has a rare treasure in Dawkins; what other popular biology writer can compare? Dawkins is, to an almost remarkable extent, as much a philosopher as a scientist. This book, as well as his first, is jammed full of thought experiments; Dawkins simply can’t get enough of them. This emphasis on philosophical argumentation allows him, so to speak, to take the reader inside the logic of Darwinism (as well as inside the fuzzy logic of Darwinism’s opponents). He doesn’t simply tell the reader things biologists think—like a reporter sending dispatches from the front lines—but tries to get the layreader to understand exactly why biologists think what they do. As a result, his books can actually be a bit dense and exhausting; but the patient reader is amply rewarded with a deepened understanding. The main reason that this book wasn’t as enjoyable as his first was that Dawkins spends an awful lot of time dealing with contemporary controversies. This was, I believe, a time of the famed ‘Darwin Wars’, when Gould and his followers had highly publicized debates with team Dawkins. Apparently, reporters were very eager to report anything even slightly critical of Darwinian theory—whether it be from taxonomists, paleontologists, or priests—so Dawkins was forced to spend a lot of time on material that, to today’s reader, may be of limited interest. For example, Dawkins becomes almost pedantic in his chapter on punctuated equilibrium, as he argues again and again that Gould is not a ‘true’ saltationist, but only a modified gradualist. Having read Gould, I was personally interested in this; but I would understand if others were not. Perhaps I was not the book’s target audience, as I needed no convincing that Darwinian evolution is both a well-supported and a powerful theory. Nonetheless, Dawkins did manage to clear up some of evolution’s finer point for me. I was particularly excited when (not to take too much credit) Dawkins confirmed a suspicion that I had expressed a few years back, when I was learning about human evolution. I was actually in Kenya, studying with the Leakeys, who—being the Leakeys—had plastic casts of several dozen important hominin fossils in their lab. As my anatomy teacher enjoyed pointing out, the vast majority of hominin fossils for any given species can fit inside a shoebox. Most of the fossils are distorted, broken, or otherwise fragmentary. Yet from these scant remains, paleoanthropologists expend tremendous energy arguing about the hominin family tree. Is this skull cap Homo erectus or Homo habilis? Is this thigh bone from an early homo or a late autralopithecus? Somewhat exasperated by all this ambiguity—about what appeared to me to be a matter of words—I got an idea: what if the idea of ‘species’ itself breaks down in an evolutionary timescale? After all, if we believe that species change via gradual selection one to another, it follows that there must be individuals intermediate between any two given hominin species, and, furthermore, individuals intermediate between the intermediates—and so on. Eureka! Well, it turns out Dawkins (as well as many other, probably) had the very same idea long before; it appears that convergent evolution is even more prevalent among memes than genes. (As a side note, if one believes, like Gould, in punctuated equilibrium, then ‘species’ would still be valid in an evolutionary timescale. Perhaps this is why the paleoanthropologists are still arguing?) I got sidetracked—back to the book. (Speaking of sidetracked, Dawkins is the master of the interesting aside and the lengthy digression; and, even more impressively, he always manages to tie his asides and digressions neatly back into the main theme under discussion.) Well, I’m afraid I don’t have very much more to say, other than this: if you find yourself with a supply of long walks, and need an audiobook as accompaniment, you might as well download Dawkins’s crisp, dry, whispery voice, and deepen your understanding of the flora and fauna around you—whether it be this book or, if you want a real treat, his first.
Laura – Jan 25, 2008
This book was okay, but since I already am convinced evolution occurs by natural selection, I felt like he was not preaching to the choir, but trying to convince the choir. Of course, I got tired of it after a while (but I had to keep going, because I had to read it for a class). He comes up with many different arguments/theories for how evolution/natural selection could occur, many of which are interesting, but I would just rather read a science book rather than a philosophical book on evolutio This book was okay, but since I already am convinced evolution occurs by natural selection, I felt like he was not preaching to the choir, but trying to convince the choir. Of course, I got tired of it after a while (but I had to keep going, because I had to read it for a class). He comes up with many different arguments/theories for how evolution/natural selection could occur, many of which are interesting, but I would just rather read a science book rather than a philosophical book on evolution. For instance, I recommend The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner, which shows how scientists study evolution and natural selection in action.
Max – Aug 10, 2016
Having thoroughly enjoyed Dawkins’ outstanding The Selfish Gene, my initial impression of The Blind Watchmaker was a bit of a letdown. Dawkins wrote the book to counter creationist thinking, but for a firm believer in Darwinian evolution, his lengthy arguments were unnecessary. However, if Dawkins converted any creationists, I would consider the book a great success. With that said, there were a number of things I did like. Below are some items that caught my attention. Darwin’s concept of gradua Having thoroughly enjoyed Dawkins’ outstanding The Selfish Gene, my initial impression of The Blind Watchmaker was a bit of a letdown. Dawkins wrote the book to counter creationist thinking, but for a firm believer in Darwinian evolution, his lengthy arguments were unnecessary. However, if Dawkins converted any creationists, I would consider the book a great success. With that said, there were a number of things I did like. Below are some items that caught my attention. Darwin’s concept of gradual evolution overturned the ideas of the catastrophists, who believed the earth and its creatures were formed by sudden drastic changes. Gradual evolution was then challenged by saltationists who believed large genetic changes or macro-mutations could explain much of evolution. A more refined view is that of Stephen Jay Gould who posited punctuated equilibrium. This view recognized varying rates of change, periods of relative stasis with intervals of rapid modification. Keep in mind rapid was on a geologic time scale where 50,000 years is a short time. Thus Gould’s rapid change could still have evolved step-by-step in line with Darwin. The effect of gradualism that struck me was the notion that speciation is contingent on the demise of intermediate individuals. Otherwise one could not tell where one species began and another ended. An upshot of Dawkins’ idea concerns our own connection with our ancestors. The view of chimpanzees as property is made more acceptable because there are no living intermediaries that show our close relationship. This made me wonder how Neanderthals would be treated if some were found alive. Would they be treated like chimpanzees as a different species? Since they are beings who can successfully interbreed with Homo sapiens, would they be given the same rights? Would Christians consider them as individuals with souls that should be saved? I enjoyed Dawkins explanation of the development of the eye in support of gradualism. The book’s title comes from a pre-Darwin argument that if one found a watch, one would have to assume someone made it. The watch is too intricate to have formed naturally. Post-Darwin, like the watch, some held that the eye was so complex as to defy gradual evolution. Dawkins counters. He takes us from a cell with a light sensitive spot to a creature with several such cells that is helped by this sense of light or dark. Then if the light sensitive cells are recessed, the creature can tell the direction of the shadow. If the recess takes on a cuplike shape, this sense of the light’s direction is enhanced. Next if the walls of the cup build up and protrude partially over the cup, a pinhole camera is formed casting an image on the cup. Then, protecting the cup by extending a membrane over the pinhole forms a lens. And so on… I enjoyed the section on bats and echolocation. Dawkins also offers a reasonable explanation of how this seemingly amazing ability could develop. Dolphins, whales and some birds have independently developed this use of sound showing such development not to be quite as extraordinary as one might think. Dawkins pondering of how bats experience this sense I found fascinating. Do the nerve impulses get mapped by the brain to a model similar to the one we experience as vision? And then there is the fish that senses its environment from disruption to an electrical field – elctrolocation. How is this sense perceived? Another intriguing topic was how sexual selection augments natural selection. Unlike environmental factors which wax and wane in intensity, sexual selection forms a positive feedback loop. A female bird’s preference for long tails in her mate not only promotes the gene for long tails but the gene for the desire for long tails. As both genes proliferate tails will grow longer until a practical limit is reached. The bird still has to be an able flyer to survive. One’s mind quickly turns to how this idea works in humans. This book will mean different things to different readers. Every creationist should read it although I suspect few will. For the rest of us, the book is still worthwhile just to get Dawkins’ unique views on odd and end topics, a few of which I covered. If you get bored reading why creationism is wrong, keep in mind the book is written to be easily read, so you can get through those sections quickly.
Simon Cleveland, PhD – Jun 23, 2009
Dawkins is one of my top picks for the most articulate, engaging and proficient scientists I've read to date. The Blind Watchmaker turned out to be a very prolific piece. I was baffled by his logical analogies, most excellent examples and extremely engaging vernacular. In this work, one learns much about the evolutionary adaptations of numerous species, of which the sonar technology of baths, dolphins and other mammals seemed most shocking. His reasoning of what constitutes miracles, probability Dawkins is one of my top picks for the most articulate, engaging and proficient scientists I've read to date. The Blind Watchmaker turned out to be a very prolific piece. I was baffled by his logical analogies, most excellent examples and extremely engaging vernacular. In this work, one learns much about the evolutionary adaptations of numerous species, of which the sonar technology of baths, dolphins and other mammals seemed most shocking. His reasoning of what constitutes miracles, probability theory and reasoning behind the drawback of the Lamark's theory of acquired characteristics is exceptionally enticing. The book should be a required high-school reading. A very, very high recommendation.
Seth Hanson – Feb 01, 2012
At the time, this was a tough book for me to read. Considering the way I was raised - in a heavily religious atmosphere - it was hard for me to accept the theory of evolution. However, Dawkins very clearly lays out the theory in a way that anyone can understand if they are willing to open their mind just a little and put in just a little effort. It might be hard to accept but its even harder to dispute. Reality is like that. I think everyone should be required to read this book.
Jim – Jun 16, 2018
...one of my aims in the book is to convey something of the sheer wonder of biological complexity to those whose eyes have not been opened to it. But having built up the mystery, my other main aim is to remove it again by explaining the solution... He managed the above, but I didn't enjoy this as much as The Selfish Gene or The God Delusion. It delves deeper & wanders around Darwinian Evolution & other theories more than I want or need. I hadn't planned to read this since I understood thi ...one of my aims in the book is to convey something of the sheer wonder of biological complexity to those whose eyes have not been opened to it. But having built up the mystery, my other main aim is to remove it again by explaining the solution... He managed the above, but I didn't enjoy this as much as The Selfish Gene or The God Delusion. It delves deeper & wanders around Darwinian Evolution & other theories more than I want or need. I hadn't planned to read this since I understood this from his updated edition of The Selfish Gene, but I found it cheap & needed to bump my Amazon order a bit for free shipping. I'm glad I did. My interest varied & I don't think I would have gotten through a text version without a lot of skimming. He addresses issues/controversies in great detail that I didn't know existed nor was I particularly interested in them, so I found the long refutation boring. Often he digressed to build the knowledge & logic which proves why the other theory or claim is wrong. I find about half of these wanderings interesting, while some just beat the particular subject to death. He starts the preface with the following: This book is written in the conviction that our own existence once presented the greatest of all mysteries, but that it is a mystery no longer because it is solved. Darwin and Wallace solved it, though we shall continue to add footnotes to their solution for a while yet... So, I was easily able to finish it & even wanted more due to the wonderful narration &, for all that my interest flagged occasionally, there was plenty of fascinating material. That's incredible in light of the age of this book. Quite a few of the science books & articles I've read that were half as old were terribly dated, but Dawkins is dealing with the theory itself, how genetic change & natural selection works over long time periods to build complex systems, instead of details which may have been superseded as technology runs on. Some of the best parts are his opinions of other scientists. He's very fast to give credit to others where it is due. He touts other books & scientists as better or more thorough on some points while he is obviously incensed at a few. At one point, he finished a particularly scathing denunciation & said perhaps he should go out & dig up the garden. He didn't try for a lot of humor, but when it popped up like that it was great. Even when he's peeved, he is polite & gives them their due, though. His ability to simplify & make sense of large numbers & statistical probability is absolutely masterful. It was great to be able to fiddle with the biomorph program. A search for "Biomorph Breeder Program" brings up several interesting ones similar to those Dawkins wrote & used. I understood Dawkins' explanations just fine, but actually playing with the program is really worth it. The extreme effects of random change over time are amazing. He's right, we aren't equipped to really understand large numbers or long times, the obvious problem with Young Earth Creationists' beliefs. Of course, those I know somehow make intentional ignorance & a belief in magic a positive attribute. I find their intellectual dishonesty infuriating, especially so when they try to foist them on me, especially in matters of public policy. (Beliefs should remain private. Public discourse requires facts & logic or there can be no reasoning with each other.) One thing I really missed was an explanation of what a species is. (Does he address speciation in The Extended Phenotype: The Long Reach of the Gene?) For years I thought the criterion was simply the ability to breed with the result of fertile offspring. Then I read this article: https://thelogicofscience.com/2017/08... IOW, I was certain in my ignorance & now that I know more, I'm unsure & somewhat bewildered - a good thing from a scientific point of view, but the lack weakened his arguments a bit for me simply because I spent too much time wondering about it. Still, it had no real bearing on his argument even in the chapter on taxonomy. I had no idea taxonomists disagreed so much. I thought I was the only person who made such a muddle of filing. I loved Dawkins' comparisons to library science. It really made a lot more sense of clades & the various other organization schemes. Table of Contents Chapter I: Explaining the very improbable Chapter 2: Good design Chapter 3: Accumulating small change Chapter 4: Making tracks through animal space Chapter 5: The power and the archives Chapter 6: Origins and miracles Chapter 7: Constructive evolution Chapter 8: Explosions and spirals Chapter 9: Puncturing punctuationism Chapter 10: The one true tree of life Chapter 11: Doomed rivals It was an excellent read & I'll be referring to parts of it the rest of my life. He says that Explaining is a difficult art. You can explain something so that your reader understands the words; and you can explain something so that the reader feels it in the marrow of his bones... He manages the latter most of the time. A truly gifted educator.
Brit Cheung – Feb 11, 2017
Some parts of the book are quite intriguing while a few chapters carry some ponderousness, leaving me in a bewilderment of what Dawkins intends to convey . Just put aside the evolutionary theory and natural selection and find something amusing. In the female birds' preference for a long tail section, it seems the female birds were in a dominant position in choosing what kind of male birds she likes, be they long tails or short tails. This reminds me of a hilarious essay of James Thurber which he Some parts of the book are quite intriguing while a few chapters carry some ponderousness, leaving me in a bewilderment of what Dawkins intends to convey . Just put aside the evolutionary theory and natural selection and find something amusing. In the female birds' preference for a long tail section, it seems the female birds were in a dominant position in choosing what kind of male birds she likes, be they long tails or short tails. This reminds me of a hilarious essay of James Thurber which he wrote for The New Yorker in 1939 called Courtship Through the Ages. "Surely nothing in the astonishing scheme of life can have nonplused Nature so much as the fact that none of the females of any of the species she created really cared very much for the male, as such. For the past ten million years Nature has been busily inventing ways to make the male attractive to the female, but the whole business of courtship, from the marine annelids up to man, still lumbers heavily along, like a complicated musical comedy. I have been reading the sad and absorbing story in Volume 6 (Cole to Dama) of the Encyclopedia Britannica. In this volume you can learn about cricket, cotton, costume designing, crocodiles, crown jewels, and Coleridge, but none of this subject is so interesting as the Courtship of animals, which recounts the sorrowful lengths to which all males must go to arouse the interest of a lady.” I don't know why this essay suddenly occurred to me but I confess it is Quite an amusing story to read.
Jose Moa – Nov 29, 2016
This book is a more nail in the coffin of creationism. It develops the darvinian theory of evolution,change and selection,but at a more deep level than the original Darwins theory,the deeper level of molecular biology and molecular genetics,subjects this unknown in the Darwins time as the quantum electrodinamics was unknown in the Maxwells time but explains at a deeper level the electromagnetic fenomenology. The first chapters explains the incredible aparition of wonderful organs as the human eye This book is a more nail in the coffin of creationism. It develops the darvinian theory of evolution,change and selection,but at a more deep level than the original Darwins theory,the deeper level of molecular biology and molecular genetics,subjects this unknown in the Darwins time as the quantum electrodinamics was unknown in the Maxwells time but explains at a deeper level the electromagnetic fenomenology. The first chapters explains the incredible aparition of wonderful organs as the human eye as a long series of very small changes and steps as consecuence of mutations by chance each step selected between many others possibles by efficacy and supervivence along unimaginable for the human mind long period of time,millions of years,as the human mind is unable of make a idea of what a light year is in distance.He also explains the deep work of evolution making software models resembling the working of genes. In the mid chapters underlined the mportance of the fact of the cooperation of the genes in the evolution throught the relation with epigenetics and embriology,also explains the concept of punctuated equilibrium as a long standby followed by a fast evolution and it important role in the peciation and the existence of molecular clocks for measuring times and distances in evolutionary processes. In the final chapters confronts the different schools of taxonomy in clasifyng species and discuss the other failed schools of explanation of the origen of the species : creationism,saltationism,Lamarckism ( inherited features ) and some other. A excelent book in giving another perspetive of darvinian evolution,full of subtle concepts and reasonings that dismantle the creationism and other wrong theories.
Charles – Oct 06, 2007
Enchantingly beautiful fiction, 23 Mar 2007 Musings of a fideist (a materialistic fideist). Richard Dawkins has a breathtaking gift for expressive, catchy writing. His handling of illustration and narrative flow like silk. Yet he reminds me of an eloquent 19th century clergyman. His persistent dedication to the high altar of gradualistic explanation, however incredibly improbable, stretches credulity to breaking point. Take for example his extraordinary leap on p.134, para 1, where self-replicat Enchantingly beautiful fiction, 23 Mar 2007 Musings of a fideist (a materialistic fideist). Richard Dawkins has a breathtaking gift for expressive, catchy writing. His handling of illustration and narrative flow like silk. Yet he reminds me of an eloquent 19th century clergyman. His persistent dedication to the high altar of gradualistic explanation, however incredibly improbable, stretches credulity to breaking point. Take for example his extraordinary leap on p.134, para 1, where self-replicating RNA will almost magically come into being - 'all so utterly simple and automatic'. There it is by fiat - Dawkins wishes and so it must be! Abracadabra! Those who have worked in the field know how fasitidious and temperamental RNA and enzymes can be even in the best conditions - yet here it is in rock pool. There are some problems even billions of years won't solve - ask the mathematicians. Or take his extraordinary and uncharacteristically rambling tautology about the peacock's tail, pp 203-206, which boils down to an unexplained discrepancy in tail length (p204) and majority female taste (p205)! This is no cogent defence of evolution of an extraordinarily complex structure, just a mystical will-of-the-wisp-like weaving of concepts to meet his desired end. He reiterates Darwin's acid test of his own theory, on p 91, but if really believed what he wrote there, he would have abandoned neo-Darwinism years ago - I have long since published one very clear example of what he seeks, and his written answer to me was that he couldn't answer it, and there are myriad more. Dawkins is a magician with words, though not as self critical and cautious as he ought to be with scientific argument.
Ergun Coruh – Aug 19, 2011
The Blind Watchmaker is probably one of the best introductory books on evolution. Dawkins takes his time, explaining step by step how Darwinian evolution works. Dawkins explains at great length, how species that look like a "complex design" evolve with accumulating small changes via natural selection, why natural selection is "blind"; ie. it lacks purpose, how random mutations combined with non-random natural selection is necessary for evolution to take place, and why a "complex design" does not n The Blind Watchmaker is probably one of the best introductory books on evolution. Dawkins takes his time, explaining step by step how Darwinian evolution works. Dawkins explains at great length, how species that look like a "complex design" evolve with accumulating small changes via natural selection, why natural selection is "blind"; ie. it lacks purpose, how random mutations combined with non-random natural selection is necessary for evolution to take place, and why a "complex design" does not necessarily mean a "good design" (such as ganglion cells which make the electronic wiring interface between the photocells and the brain, face light directly, whereas photocells sit away from the light source in human eye; compared to octopus eye that has photocells facing the light source). Then the structure of genetic blueprint (DNA) is explained; how DNA archives are being copied from cell to cell and from individual to individual, how copy errors are made, and how mutations can occur. In developing his argument that natural selection can explain the complex adaptations of organisms, Dawkins' first concern is to illustrate the difference between the potential for the development of complexity of pure randomness as opposed to that of randomness coupled with cumulative selection. He demonstrates this by the example of the Weasel program. Dawkins then describes his experiences with a more sophisticated computer model of artificial selection implemented in a program also called The Blind Watchmaker, which was sold separately as a teaching aid. If you are curious about evolution and choose the best introductory book on the subject this is the one.
Inanc Gumus – Apr 05, 2013
This book was a real eye opener for me. I couldn't understood what the evolution was and was finding it non-sense. When they say: 'the nature designed this creature like this.', 'it gave them wings' etc. etc. I was thinking: 'how non-sense this is that the nature designed them, it is not possible, the nature is not a smart thing to do that'. But, I was all wrong. Because, the nature doesn't have to be smart to design such creatures. It even doesn't need to design. They don't emerges by luck or ch This book was a real eye opener for me. I couldn't understood what the evolution was and was finding it non-sense. When they say: 'the nature designed this creature like this.', 'it gave them wings' etc. etc. I was thinking: 'how non-sense this is that the nature designed them, it is not possible, the nature is not a smart thing to do that'. But, I was all wrong. Because, the nature doesn't have to be smart to design such creatures. It even doesn't need to design. They don't emerges by luck or chance but from necessity. Small and gradual steps makes them climb mount improbable of highly designed looking creatures. I recommend this book to anyone who would have an open mind about how the living creatures emerged by natural laws only. Not by a grand designer. Cause, if that was the case, the designer should have been designed too, and it is even not a probability. Therefore, as the book shows, there is no design, only emergence. Only you need to have an open mind, that's it. Think logically, you will find the truth. The true way not always resides within your gut instincts and common sense.
Paul – Aug 17, 2012
I have only ever read one other Dawkins book before, The God Delusion, and really didn't like the style or attitude of the writing, so was not completely looking forward to this one. The primary aim of the book is to look at all the evidence and theories that make up the Darwinian theory of evolution and natural selection. He considers all the evidence from real life examples, in particular the eye, and buy using a computer program that he wrote, demonstrates how new variants of a species can evo I have only ever read one other Dawkins book before, The God Delusion, and really didn't like the style or attitude of the writing, so was not completely looking forward to this one. The primary aim of the book is to look at all the evidence and theories that make up the Darwinian theory of evolution and natural selection. He considers all the evidence from real life examples, in particular the eye, and buy using a computer program that he wrote, demonstrates how new variants of a species can evolve with very simple initial amendments. Later on in the book he looks at how DNA works, the effects of positive feedback on evolution and the way that mutations works of evolution and selection. He also considers the complexity of trying to document the tree of life. Overall I thought this book was a better read than the previous one I had read. Bearing in mind it was written originally in 1986 most of it is still valid, though we now understand far more than we did then. He can get on his high horse quite often, but thankfully not so much in this book.
Navid Asmari Saadabad – Apr 07, 2016
I suggest everyone interested in the origin of life and especially those who were born fundamentalist creationists, to read this book. I would like to quote a paragraph from the book: “A physicist certainly doesn’t need Darwinism in order to do physics. He might think that biology is a trivial subject compared with physics. It would follow from this that, in his opinion, Darwinism is of trivial importance to science. But he could not sensibly conclude from this that it is therefore false!” Underst I suggest everyone interested in the origin of life and especially those who were born fundamentalist creationists, to read this book. I would like to quote a paragraph from the book: “A physicist certainly doesn’t need Darwinism in order to do physics. He might think that biology is a trivial subject compared with physics. It would follow from this that, in his opinion, Darwinism is of trivial importance to science. But he could not sensibly conclude from this that it is therefore false!” Understanding how Darwinian evolution works can change your attitude toward life and self, substantially. What we learned about Darwin at high school is inadequate. This book provides you with simplified biochemistry, biology, math, physics, and reasoning so that you can easily conceive why Darwinism is the most reasonable answer to world's complexity. I would like to quote another part: “In Darwin’s view, the whole point of the theory of evolution by natural selection was that it provided a non-miraculous account of the existence of complex adaptations. For what it is worth, it is also the whole point of this book. For Darwin, any evolution that had to be helped over the jumps by God was not evolution at all. It made a nonsense of the central point of evolution. In the light of this, it is easy to see why Darwin constantly reiterated the gradualness of evolution.” This way of thinking is not just confined to the past. Evolutionary-based science is taking over a lot of fields. The Program for Evolutionary Dynamics at Harvard University is a leading one. You can find out more at: http://ped.fas.harvard.edu/
Aurélien Thomas – Apr 13, 2013
NO! life on Earth has nothing to do with chance and, NO! the alternative to chance is not God. NO! the complexity of some organs is not a proof for the existence of an intelligent design. NO!, natural selection doesn't work like a monkey playing Shakespeare with a typewriter... Should I go on? Read Dawkins, he will tell you about it all! With a contagious passion and a load of patience (because, quite frankly, you need a massive amount of it to face the rubbish circulating on such topics!) the b NO! life on Earth has nothing to do with chance and, NO! the alternative to chance is not God. NO! the complexity of some organs is not a proof for the existence of an intelligent design. NO!, natural selection doesn't work like a monkey playing Shakespeare with a typewriter... Should I go on? Read Dawkins, he will tell you about it all! With a contagious passion and a load of patience (because, quite frankly, you need a massive amount of it to face the rubbish circulating on such topics!) the biologist is once again enchanting us. In fact, we feel like a little child holding his hand, admiring all the wonders he's pointing at: nature is wonderful as it is; don't be afraid to toss God (or whatever you want to call it) in the bin. I was already convinced before reading him (hence four stars only) but for all of you unable to see how evolution can be a smack in the face of intelligent design then read it. Urgently.
David – Dec 21, 2008
I enjoyed this book very much, despite the difficulty of reading the very small typeface. Dawkins' style is almost folksy, and not at all the arrogant, condescending style that some reviewers mention. The first chapter, about echolocation in bats, is fascinating. I also enjoyed reading about the different philosophies involved in taxonomy, the classification of species. Some reviewers mention that Dawkins' explanations are "old hat", and that the computer simulations are primitive; but they do n I enjoyed this book very much, despite the difficulty of reading the very small typeface. Dawkins' style is almost folksy, and not at all the arrogant, condescending style that some reviewers mention. The first chapter, about echolocation in bats, is fascinating. I also enjoyed reading about the different philosophies involved in taxonomy, the classification of species. Some reviewers mention that Dawkins' explanations are "old hat", and that the computer simulations are primitive; but they do need to keep in mind that the book is already 25 years old! While I do appreciate the arguments Dawkins puts forward against saltationists and punctuationalists, I found them to be repetitive and boring after a while.
Arvind – Oct 25, 2018
3.5/5 Am I right in saying that Darwin is relatively less famous than Einstein and Newton ? What a mind-boggling theory of such astonishing scope and implications, it is almost inconceivable that a single human being could have given us the theory of evolution. I think I studied it in class 9 and read it as another scientific theory. The conflict with religion didnt even enter my mind. Haa bhai hum evolve hue hai, Ok. Realised recently it is crucial for believers in Abrahamic religions to prove i 3.5/5 Am I right in saying that Darwin is relatively less famous than Einstein and Newton ? What a mind-boggling theory of such astonishing scope and implications, it is almost inconceivable that a single human being could have given us the theory of evolution. I think I studied it in class 9 and read it as another scientific theory. The conflict with religion didnt even enter my mind. Haa bhai hum evolve hue hai, Ok. Realised recently it is crucial for believers in Abrahamic religions to prove it false. Darwinism is a gr8 leap towards atheism. And one of its most known advocates is the author of the book Richard Dawkins. This was my fifth book by the author and contrary to public perception, you can feel that Dawkins is really in love with science. His writing is lucid as he really wishes to share his joy with you. And I think he is kinder than me to bullies n bullshitters :) In this book too, some chapters are a joy to read and some concepts related to evolution are explained very well. After "The Selfish Gene" which dealt with how genes and not individual organism is the unit that drives evolution, and "The Greatest Show on Earth" which described experiments that show how evolution is actually happening. This was more focused on showing how there is no divine intervention in evolution but unfortunately in some chapters it got repetitive and with excessive jargon. Also, I was unconvinced by the chapter on the origin of life. Still, a good read to understand about evolution and will be reading more by the author.
Arjen – Oct 14, 2009
This is the third book by Richard Dawkins I read and another winner. The other two being The God Delusion and The Selfish Gene. Whereas The God Delusion is an angry book and The Selfish Gene a book of insight, The Blind Watchmaker is a book of calm and lucid explanation. Dawkins explains Darwins theory of evolution in his trademark clear, witty and highly readable style. He has the talent to break down complex concepts in understandable bits and often uses enlightening analogies to clarify his re This is the third book by Richard Dawkins I read and another winner. The other two being The God Delusion and The Selfish Gene. Whereas The God Delusion is an angry book and The Selfish Gene a book of insight, The Blind Watchmaker is a book of calm and lucid explanation. Dawkins explains Darwins theory of evolution in his trademark clear, witty and highly readable style. He has the talent to break down complex concepts in understandable bits and often uses enlightening analogies to clarify his reasoning. One of the things I especially liked about this book is that it not only provides an explanation and insight about the inner working of Darwinian evolutionary theory, it also shows why, where and how rival or opposing theories are wrong. Or even cannot be right. Dawkins does this in a most respectful way. With one exception, my favourite chapter, chapter 10: The One True Tree of Life; it starts with about 25 pages of explanation of the interesting science of taxonomy and classification and treats all schools of thought with depth and respect. Until you arrive at the final pages of the chapter where you can just feel the anger seeping through the pages. It builds up a brilliant tension towards the conclusion in which he absolutely crushes Nelson and Platnicks sensationalism in the most British of ways, only the end the chapter with the genius sentence: "Now I'd better go out and dig the garden, or something"
Brian Cloutier – Aug 19, 2015
The good part: Dawkins is a great writer. His style is very conversational and the book very quotable. His arguments follow a defined path but still manage to meander through welcome asides. He uses metaphors and thought experiments well, most of the book was very easy to follow. And what arguments he makes! The probability of miracles, potential precursors of RNA, the importance of gradual change. His goal is to show that it's possible to explain the rise of complexity from a simple world and he The good part: Dawkins is a great writer. His style is very conversational and the book very quotable. His arguments follow a defined path but still manage to meander through welcome asides. He uses metaphors and thought experiments well, most of the book was very easy to follow. And what arguments he makes! The probability of miracles, potential precursors of RNA, the importance of gradual change. His goal is to show that it's possible to explain the rise of complexity from a simple world and he spectacularly succeeds. However, I'm likely not the intended audience of this book. He spent more time arguing against alternative theories than I would have liked. I had no idea what Mutationism was before he explained it but it sounded dumb within the first few sentences; he didn't need to spend as many pages dismissing it as he did. Same with the entire chapter on Punctuationism. The first few pages went over some really cool notes on speciation and how some large mutations fit into darwinism that the book wouldn't have been complete without. The rest of the chapter tried to defend darwinism from a media I had never paid attention to in the first place. The last third of the book is worth reading because it contains a few insights. But, finishing it is true drudgery and tarnishes my impression of the book as a whole.
Tyauvinon – Aug 24, 2013
There was a lot of interesting items in the book, but it became a bit tedious at times. I suppose since I did not need convincing on the validity of evolution, i was ready to move onto the next section, but Dawkins continued to expound the argument, way beyond what I felt was required. Also it was very dated, the computer analogies were so out of date. (Many people would have no idea about computer tape, or the reference to it lying on the floor). My feeling was that both genetics and computers There was a lot of interesting items in the book, but it became a bit tedious at times. I suppose since I did not need convincing on the validity of evolution, i was ready to move onto the next section, but Dawkins continued to expound the argument, way beyond what I felt was required. Also it was very dated, the computer analogies were so out of date. (Many people would have no idea about computer tape, or the reference to it lying on the floor). My feeling was that both genetics and computers are advancing very rapidly, and i was left concerned that the genetics information may be as out of date as the computer information, but I do not have the background know. There was some interesting information in the book, but if you are OK with the principle of evolution and you just was to get more detailed information, I do not think this is the book.
Ericthehamster – May 22, 2008
"I don't agree with Dawkins much of the time (I find his atheism as fanatical as the religions he criticises), but find him an intelligent and entertaining read. He posits the other side of the coin to the argument for ""intelligent design"". Some very funny correspondence in the Guardian this month (October 2005), included one query that GWBush might be evidence against intelligent design."
Pink – Nov 05, 2014
Another good Dawkins book. This is one of his older ones, but very interesting to see where technology was coming into his ideas. Worth a read if you enjoy his writing.
Catalin Negru – Mar 19, 2017
Target audience: Common people, not necessarily trained in biology. The purpose of the book is to make everybody familiar with the theory of evolution. About the author: Richard Dawkins is a British author, biologist, and ethologist. He was born on March 26, 1941, in Nairobi, Kenya. He embraced Christianity as a young boy. However, during his teens, he embraced Darwinism instead. Dawkins is claimed to be the “world’s most famous atheist.” He opposes religion, criticizes creationism and intelligen Target audience: Common people, not necessarily trained in biology. The purpose of the book is to make everybody familiar with the theory of evolution. About the author: Richard Dawkins is a British author, biologist, and ethologist. He was born on March 26, 1941, in Nairobi, Kenya. He embraced Christianity as a young boy. However, during his teens, he embraced Darwinism instead. Dawkins is claimed to be the “world’s most famous atheist.” He opposes religion, criticizes creationism and intelligent design. He is one of the main founders of the New Atheism movement. He describes Islam to be the greatest force of evil in today’s world. He is the author of seven books. Structure of the book: The book is divided in 11 chapters with a unique title. Overview: The book has the suggestive subtitle “Why the evidence of evolution reveals a universe without design.” One of its purposes is to refute the criticisms to his previous book, The Selfish Gene (1976). Although The Blind Watchmaker was originally published in 1986, more than 30 years ago, this is still a great piece of evolutionary theory that patiently and persuasively addresses the topic of how nature achieved its complexity and variety. It is full of bright metaphor and happy analogies that express Dawkins passion and enthusiasm. The Blind Watchmaker is a name taken from the watchmaker analogy in William Paley’s Natural Theology (1802). Paley, an advocate of creationism, basically said that the evolution of life on earth is like a watch in its complexity and consequently it is necessarily the work of an intelligent designer or watchmaker. Dawkins, on the other hand, is an evolutionist. And in this book he responds to Paley’s argument. Dawkins explains the theory of evolution using terms that are understandable to the public not trained in biology. He describes how complex biological structures (such as the eye), as well as behavior (such as echolocation in bats), could have originated from random mutation of every DNA and protein systems that is caused by natural selection. In the case of the eye, he argues, it started in a simple organism as an organ that could merely distinguish light and dark. Then, through some small modifications, it could finally reach the mammalian eye with its complexity. The creatures in between these extremes have eyes that represent intermediate levels of complexity. All organs evolve and this evolution of organs increases our chances of survival. Therefore, the evolution and existence of life do not require a designer. Dawkins also argues that natural selection occurred with various random mutations in a very long period of time. Mutations create new possibilities, while natural selection removes the bad ones. This is in fact evolution, not pure genetic randomness. However, evolution stops at a point where the benefit of arm races gets uneconomical. For example, if cheetahs continue to evolve and run faster, their muscles will have to grow bigger and consume more energy. Thus cheetahs won’t have much energy left for anything else to do. In most cases, the preys will continue to develop more ability for arm races since they need them for their lives. Dawkins also introduces the concept of “hierarchical reductionism,” which can be used for explaining complex systems. These systems should be divided into subcomponents, and these subcomponents should, in turn, be divided into sub-subcomponents until we reach the elementary particles of these systems. Dawkins presents a computer model of artificial selection to show evolutionary possibilities. He performed experiments where evolutionary modeling program generated two-dimensional shape (“bimorphs”) that looked like spiders, scorpions and bats. However, the computer could not select the direction. He shows how cumulative random mutations can lead to the occurrence of adaptations. Dawkins also discusses miracles that he describes as a set of natural events (rather than supernatural) but they fall on the extreme far end of improbability. The main miracle in the book is that of the origin of life. The author discusses the statistics involved in miracles and how we can compute the probability that we, as humans, may not be the sole intelligent creatures in the universe. Quote: That the watch must have had a maker: that there must have existed, at some time, and at some place or other, an artificer or artificers, who formed it for the purpose which we find it actually to answer; who comprehended its construction and designed its use. Strong points: Dawkins is an atheist, but his book offers a careful consideration of the various sides of the debate. He moves gradually to the big picture. He has many fascinating things to discuss and you can sense his enthusiasm and passion for the topic as you read his work. He also uses terms that can be understood by nearly anyone and thus the book can have a wide target audience. Dawkins tackles the topic head on. He shows the reader how to find out things on his own. We can even still check the results of his computer experiments nowadays on our computers. Weak points: If you are a strong believer and an adept of creationism, the book itself can be easily perceived as a weak point. Some might argue that the book could not strongly refute the presence of a designer on scientific grounds, but rather on philosophical grounds. The author chose to accept only those things that can be explained as true, so he described the presence of creating and designing God to explain nothing and therefore he discarded this assumption. The book also refused to consider miracles to be supernatural events but Christians believe them to be God’s way of revealing himself. _______________ ★★★ Follow us on Goodreads ★★★ Visit our website www.reasonandreligion.org
Parto – Sep 05, 2017
Definitely a masterpiece!
The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon (eBook)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow [NOOK eBook classic]
The Metamorphosis and Other Stories, with eBook
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (eBook)
The Mysterious Island
Anybody Out There? (Walsh Family, #4) (ebook)
Sult
Kidnapped (eBook)
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by Daren W. Jackson · Published April 20, 2018 · Updated April 23, 2018
On Thursday, April 19, ABC’s Scandal aired its final episode. And no matter how you may feel about the ending, Scandal is going down in history as a show that changed television. Literally. And for that, Shonda Rhimes et al. deserve all of our love, respect, and praise.
How Scandal broke barriers
Expectations weren’t high for Scandal when it first premiered back in 2012. The ratings weren’t great either. But Scandal proved that strong writing, interesting characters, and distinctive storytelling can make a ratings juggernaut, even if a series doesn’t launch with a monstrous viewership. Scandal showed the world that if you build something for the people, word of mouth can be more powerful than any ad campaign.
In many respects, the TV landscape in 2012 wasn’t that different than how it is now. The top-rated TV programs for the 2011-12 season included American Idol, The Voice, Modern Family, and The Big Bang Theory. Cries for lack of diversity in entertainment were far from new, and shows like HBO’s Girls (also debuting that year) highlighted the issue. And still, Scandal‘s first season was only 7 episodes. But the platform this show built turned the tide for diversity on television.
From the supporting cast up to the leads, Scandal was as diverse as shows come. Kerry Washington was the first Black woman to lead a network drama since 1974. And as seasons and cast members changed (yeah, we’re talking about you Columbus Short), the diversity continued, representing individuals of different races, genders, and sexual identities.
Pope herself was a devout feminist. She had relationships (romantic, sexual, professional, or otherwise) with whomever she wanted. Though notorious for fixing the lives of high-powered politicians and businesspeople, she consistently fought for the underprivileged as well, sometimes to her own detriment. She lived life on her terms, drank expensive red wine nearly every night and not ever once felt guilty about it.
Before Viola Davis’s Annalise Keating removed her wig and eyelashes on How To Get Away WIth Murder, Olivia Pope let her natural curls run wild while sunning herself on a beach with Jake Ballard (played by Scott Foley).
This show was a trailblazer. It’s why shows like How To Get Away With Murder, Being Mary Jane, Insecure, and Queen Sugar were able to find a place on television.
How Scandal changed us
The impact Scandal had was far greater than what could be bound in 1-hour installments. Before Scandal, Shonda Rhimes was still a relatively unknown name in Hollywood. Sure, she’d created Grey’s Anatomy and its spin-off Private Practice, but her work wasn’t known for being particularly groundbreaking. With Scandal, Rhimes showed her ingenuity. She turned a winter replacement show into one of the country’s top shows within 2 seasons. She managed to grow its audience through a combination of having a uniquely compelling show and more or less inventing the very concept of livetweeting. And now, for all of her efforts, Rhimes has inked a major deal over at Netflix.
But perhaps more importantly, Scandal pushed us to look at politics differently. This fictional show took a hard look at the personal dynamics behind the politicians. It humanized large political figures and made us face the reality of how personal relationships can have national and somehow international impacts. While this led to a hornet’s nest of bad actors having more power and control than they ever should have, this also was a gateway for showing political possibilities. These included the first openly gay vice president, Cyrus Beene (played by Jeff Perry), the first woman president, Mellie Grant (played by Bellamy Young), and eventually who we can only assume would be the first Black woman president, Olivia Pope (Washington) judging by the oil canvas portrait that closed out the show.
Scandal was able to tell a sensational and at times outlandish story yet still imagine a better world than the one we live in. It was representative of humanity, as no one is all good or all bad. But with every character, Scandal showed that redemption is possible for anyone, as long as they want it bad enough. That is a powerful message our world sorely needs.
Scandal‘s “perfect” ending
As the series came to a close, I expected Olivia Pope to shut things down in some colorful fashion. But instead, it was Rowan aka “Papa Pope” (played by Joe Morton) who delivered the most memorable moment of the hour. With one last monologue testifying in front of Congress, he finally put an end to B613 (the shadowy, black ops organization responsible for virtually every bad thing in the world), got nearly the entire cast off the hook for their years of misdeeds, and illuminated both the sheer power of Blackness and lengths white people will go to protect white supremacy.
And while that initially felt wrong, I came to realize that this was perhaps Shonda Rhimes’s most skillful moment of the entire series.
From the beginning to the end, Scandal was always about subverting traditional power dynamics. It centered a Black woman as the most powerful, most competent, most resilient, most responsible, and most admired person in its fictional America. She held the affections of a sitting United States President for 7 seasons and never placed more importance in that relationship than she did in herself. And in this scene, while it is Rowan speaking the words, it is all about Olivia. She, like her father, had the ultimate power of pulling all the strings and harnessing all of the power, yet doing it all from behind the curtain. Or to paraphrase Papa Pope himself, everyone on this series was only able to wield their power because Olivia’s feminist power allowed them to. I could think of worse ways to go out.
So Scandal, here’s to you. For changing television as we know it, keeping our Thursdays interesting, and making us all want to be a gladiator in a suit, wear a white hat and stand in the sun. Thank you.
Photo credit: ABC
November 1, 2013 5 Ways ‘Scandal’ Can Handle Kerry Washington’s Pregnancy
September 26, 2014 ‘Scandal’ is Back, Olivia is ‘Julia’, and Why I am #TeamJake Now
September 11, 2015 Scandal’s Steamy Season 5 Trailer: Olivia’s Got Her Groove Back
March 12, 2015 The State of Blacks on Television Looks Good
April 25, 2015 ‘Scandal’ Scoop: Is Olivia Pope & Associates Changing?
July 24, 2013 2013 Emmy Nominations Show Signs of Change
Tags: ABC televisionentertainmentKerry WashingtonscandalShonda Rhimes
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I can still remember the first time I heard the term "politically correct," on a bus in Chapel Hill in 1991. It sort of stood out as a term with a lot of suppositions behind it, and I wondered if this was a phrase that people used, or did it just pop out of a lady's mouth spontaneously.
Political correctness has emerged now, two decades later, as, apparently, America's greatest enemy. To hear some tell it, political correctness is preventing honest, clear-thinking citizens from telling the truth about things.
As an aside, the one thing you can get me to argue about on the Internet is whether anybody has really told you "you can't say Merry Christmas" any more. Nobody has told you that. (And Merry Christmas to George Leventhal for his Facebook post saying the same thing.)
Let me suggest a way to understand the concept.
Some things are morally good. Kindness and love are good. Forgiveness is good. Fairness, good. Telling the truth is good, and extra points when it's hard or goes against your own self-interest. Helping people is good, being cheerful and grateful for the beauty of the world are good. These things are "right."
Some things are morally repugnant. Killing or hurting innocent people is repugnant, whether in crime, terrorism, or war. Lying for your own gain is repugnant. Insulting people needlessly is morally repugnant. Cheating and greed. Keeping another person from obtaining something they need is morally repugnant. Vanity, egoism, unwillingness to take another person's perspective. These things are "wrong."
The ability to tell right from wrong is considered a fundamental criterion of mental ability, it is the question that determines whether a person is competent to stand trial, for instance. Granted, there is usually no straight shining line. All situations in the real world contain some ambiguity, where maybe you have to violate a principle in order to support another one. It's Christmastime, I will go out on a limb and say that peace on earth and goodwill to men are good things. War and conflict and mistrust, greed, violence get you a lump of coal.
So here is the thing with political correctness: some people do not approve when you say things that are morally repugnant.
There is a little bit of social pressure being applied, I understand, it is a little uncomfortable when people look at you as if you are a jerk. When you say something about a group of people, for instance, implying that all Muslims are terrorists or that Mexican immigrants are rapists, even if you can't see people's faces you know in your heart that they are thinking you are a jerk. You can sense that they are judging you, and that is one of the innate social mechanisms that keeps a society orderly and healthy. We strive to be evaluated positively and feel discomfort when we fail at that.
Normally, we call this feeling "conscience." Your conscience is your sense of whether what you are doing is morally good or repugnant. Political correctness is your conscience speaking.
Why is this "political?" Huh, good question. Politics is the art of getting people to vote for you, and people don't feel comfortable voting for a jerk. If you say you are going to enact policies that make life harder for poor people and easier for the rich, if you say ignorant prejudicial things about foreigners and women and gay people and declare war on random foreign countries, then at some point your unkindness, your unfairness, your moral repugnance might cost you votes. And if you don't win the election you have nothing, as a politician. So in that sense morally repugnant statements are politically incorrect.
The word "correct" in the term is ironic or sarcastic, it is there to deflate the repulsiveness of ugly statements by implying that some group is claiming the authority to define how "we" should think. Thus a statement may be correct in the sense that all Muslims really are terrorists, but politically incorrect because some people have decided you should not say that, maybe because it would hurt a Muslim person's feelings. The implication is that the people who have decided this, for instance people who believe most Muslims are honest people who want to take care of their families and live in peace, are laboring under some sort of delusion, and are manipulating "our" beliefs to serve their own misinformed agenda.
It gets a little more complicated than that: morally repugnant people feel vindicated by numbers. Hate thrives once it infects a majority. It is as if, for some people, right and wrong are a popularity contest, and the fact that a lot of people believe something makes it good. Hatred and other forms of moral repugnance find justification in the agreement of others, and this can be an accelerating process, as a greater majority is able to influence even more people.
We now have leaders of a major political party who assert that their morally repugnant statements are simply truths that some weak people don't want to face. Their rallies are getting raucous, and common sense is getting drowned out. The morally repugnant mob is arming itself, organizing political campaigns, their opinions are being adopted by the press, what was "frankly unthinkable a year ago" is now mainstream.
trans-brilliant said...
Relevant topic. Some good points. Potential marred by bias. Will detail after game
Wyatt, a person as deeply biased as yourself has no concept of reality.
Now watch Wyatt/bad anonymous the troll spew a bunch of hate and insults and then claim he's not a troll.
As Wyatt has said, its the nature of trolls like him to accuse others of being trolls.
Research shows internet trolls like Wyatt/bad anonymous are sadists
everything is beautiful said...
the last two comments were common troll behavior
looking to elicit some type of response by insulting
sad...
btw, tonight, the Washington Redskins, exhibit A in the nuttiness of political correctness clinched a playoff berth
this team was named to honor the heritage of native Americans
there is no derogatory purpose and the heritage was not defamed or, in any way, disrespected
the team's fight song was written by a native American
high schools with majority native Americans have chosen the same nickname for their schools' athletic teams
polls show native Americans have no problem with the name
the billionaire owner of the team has committed to assisting native American groups in any way he can
many other groups have their ancestors with distinctive cultures so honored:
the Minnesota Vikings don't seem to bother Norwegian-Americans
and yet, the Political Correctness League of America was running out of projects so now we have a controversy
anyway, will try and unravel the bias in Jim's generally excellent post tonight
got to get to church this morning and we're having a beautiful Indian Winter day in the 70s, good for a hike down to the falls this afternoon
Merry Christmas, all!!
December 27, 2015 8:01 AM
factually correct said...
hey kids, I think you missed the passing, on Christmas Day, of Robert Spitzer
Spitzer, you may remember, was in charge of revising the APA's DSM in 1973
despite the fact that most professionals at the time believed homosexuality was a mental disorder, Spitzer allowed himself to be bullied by gay terrorists in to removing it from the DSM
later in the 21st century, when it had become politically incorrect for anyone in psychology to question any aspect of the gay agenda, he tried to show some integrity by reviewing the case of 200 ex-gays and determining that most had achieved a significant change in their pattern of sexual attraction through various reparative therapies
a few years later, he once again was bullied by gay activists into recanting his study, giving as his reason not any empirical logic but that he disagreed with right-wing social causes
a case study in political correctness, a phenomenom where political and social considerations trump facts
he was 83 when he died last Friday
What a nice fictional rewriting of the history of Dr. Robert Spitzer.
Nobody bullied Dr. Spitzer into anything, not when he decided homosexuality was not a disease, unless it is unwanted:
"...After a clash at a 1972 meeting of behavioral therapists in New York, Dr. Spitzer decided to hear the protesters out. Personally, he believed then that homosexuality was an illness, he later told public radio’s “This American Life.” But forever the devil’s advocate, he organized a panel for both sides to air their arguments at the 1973 APA conference in Honolulu.
There, an activist brought Dr. Spitzer to a secret tiki-bar gathering of closeted gay psychiatrists. Many had prestigious credentials, which convinced Dr. Spitzer that homosexuality was not some crippling condition.
Ultimately, Dr. Spitzer’s was the loudest voice arguing to drop homosexuality from the DSM. When old-guard psychiatrists pushed back, Dr. Spitzer appealed with logic.
“A medical disorder,” he explained to The Washington Post at the time, “either had to be associated with subjective distress — pain — or general impairment in social function.” If gays were happy being gay, then where was the disorder? But he offered a deft compromise: In subsequent printings of the DSM-II, homosexuality was replaced with “ego-dystonic homosexuality,” the condition of gays or lesbians unhappy with their orientation...."
"...Dr. Spitzer liked to provoke, and that may have shortened his reign at the top of his field. He sparred with old-line Freudians when he banned their cherished word “neurosis” — Dr. Spitzer, fixated on tangible symptoms, had no patience for the mysteries of unconscious conflict. He enraged feminists when he tried to classify PMS as a mental illness.
And he nearly undermined his social-justice legacy when, late in his career, he championed therapies to “cure” homosexuals. His 2001 study on the topic was pilloried by colleagues and gay rights activists alike for shoddy methodology, and in 2012, he retracted it.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a scientist write a letter saying that the data were all there but were totally misinterpreted,” he told the New York Times that year. “Who admitted that and who apologized to his readers...”"
What was shoddy about Dr. Spitzer's 2001 methodology? He allowed gays who became ex-gay therapists to "self-report" on their supposed change in sexual orientation, while at the same time selling what they knew was ineffective treatment, since they themselves knew they were still gay.
< wink wink >
Don't believe it? Go ask Alan Chambers.
Christianity Today reported: Alan Chambers Apologizes to Gay Community, Exodus International to Shut Down
Rest in Peace Dr. Spitzer.
Alan Chambers apology.... said...
"....Please know that I am deeply sorry. I am sorry for the pain and hurt many of you have experienced. I am sorry that some of you spent years working through the shame and guilt you felt when your attractions didn't change. I am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents. I am sorry that there were times I didn't stand up to people publicly "on my side" who called you names like sodomite—or worse. I am sorry that I, knowing some of you so well, failed to share publicly that the gay and lesbian people I know were every bit as capable of being amazing parents as the straight people that I know. I am sorry that when I celebrated a person coming to Christ and surrendering their sexuality to Him that I callously celebrated the end of relationships that broke your heart. I am sorry that I have communicated that you and your families are less than me and mine.
More than anything, I am sorry that so many have interpreted this religious rejection by Christians as God's rejection. I am profoundly sorry that many have walked away from their faith and that some have chosen to end their lives. For the rest of my life I will proclaim nothing but the whole truth of the Gospel, one of grace, mercy and open invitation to all to enter into an inseverable relationship with almighty God.
I cannot apologize for my deeply held biblical beliefs about the boundaries I see in scripture surrounding sex, but I will exercise my beliefs with great care and respect for those who do not share them. I cannot apologize for my beliefs about marriage. But I do not have any desire to fight you on your beliefs or the rights that you seek. My beliefs about these things will never again interfere with God's command to love my neighbor as I love myself..."
TTF's anonymous troll might want to try to attain that part: "love your neighbor as you love yourself."
Brimming with hatred isn't healthy for anyone.
There was never any rationale for including gayness in the DSM. Research done starting in the 1950's showed that gays were indistinguishable from heterosexuals on common measures of mental health and so in 1973 there was no argument for keeping gayness in the DSM.
The idea that Spitzer was bullied into retracting his "exgay" study is laughable. He held firm on his study through withering criticism for several years and long after the criticism had died down he finally decided to retract it. Obviously "bullying" had nothing to do with him recanting his flawed work.
The bigots "logic" is that gayness should be put back in the DSM because it was once there. Unfortunately for them they can never come up with any justification for putting gayness back in the DSM.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "Tonight, the Washington Redskins, exhibit A in the nuttiness of political correctness clinched a playoff berth this team was named to honor the heritage of native Americans there is no derogatory purpose and the heritage was not defamed or, in any way, disrespected the team's fight song was written by a native American high schools with majority native Americans have chosen the same nickname for their schools' athletic teams polls show native Americans have no problem with the name".
The teams fight song was NOT written by a native american, it was written by Corinne Griffin, the wife of George Preston Marshall, the team's founder.
Native Americans have long opposed the usage of the racist slur "Redskins" and consider it derogatory. The name was especially associated with bounties on native americans. The poll of alleged native americans had serious problems with it. Indian activist Suzan Shown Harjo, who has filed a lawsuit seeking to strip the “Redskins” trademark from the football team, said the poll neglected to ask some crucial questions.
“Are you a tribal person? What is your nation? What is your tribe? Would you say you are culturally or socially or politically native?” Harjo asked. Those without such connections cannot represent native opinions, she said.
Indian support for the name “is really a classic case of internalized oppression,” Harjo said. “People taking on what has been said about them, how they have been described, to such an extent that they don’t even notice.”
Harjo declines to estimate what percentage of native people oppose the name. But she notes that the many organizations supporting her lawsuit include the Cherokee, Comanche, Oneida and Seminole tribes, as well as the National Congress of American Indians, the largest intertribal organization, which represents more than 250 groups with a combined enrollment of 1.2 million.
“The ‘Redskins’ trademark is disparaging to Native Americans and perpetuates a centuries-old stereotype of Native Americans as ‘blood-thirsty savages,’ ‘noble warriors’ and an ethnic group ‘frozen in history,'” the National Congress said in a brief filed in the lawsuit.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary says the term is “very offensive and should be avoided.” But like another infamous racial epithet, the N-word, it has been redefined by some native people as a term of familiarity or endearment, often in abbreviated form, according to Meland, the Indian professor. “Of course, it is one thing for one ‘skin to call another ‘skin a ‘skin, but it has entirely different meaning when a non-Indian uses it,” Meland said.
You never put racism up to a popular vote, because racism will win every time. It's not up to the offending class to say what offends the offended. Even if it were true that the majority of native americans weren't offended by the name, in a truly decent society what hurts a few should be avoided by all.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "the billionaire owner of the team has committed to assisting native American groups in any way he can many other groups have their ancestors with distinctive cultures so honored: the Minnesota Vikings don't seem to bother Norwegian-Americans".
If the team owner was so committed to assisting native Americans he'd change the teams name and stop insulting them. Vikings refer to themselves as Vikings and don't take the name as a slur so there is no equivalence.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "anyway, will try and unravel the bias in Jim's generally excellent post tonight.".
You will fail if you try because there's no bias to unravel. Bigots can never win a rational and honest argument. That's why people like you resort to lies and insults on a regular basis.
Stay tuned, December is almost finished... said...
November was Earth’s warmest such month on record by a huge margin
"Last month was the warmest November on record by an incredible margin, according to NASA measurements. The global average temperature for the month was 1.05 degrees Celsius, or about 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit, warmer than the 1951 to 1980 average. It’s also the second month in a row that Earth’s temperature exceeded 1 degree Celsius above average.
It was just in October that our planet first exceeded the 1-degree benchmark in NASA’s records, dating to 1880. Prior to that, the largest anomaly was 0.97 degrees Celsius in January 2007...
We have known that 2015 is all but certain to be the warmest year on record, though we did not know by how much it would be. Given the November report, 2015 will eclipse last year as the warmest year on record by a huge margin.
The Japan Meteorological Agency, which tracks the increasing global temperature, also concluded that last month was the warmest November on record since 1890, relative to the period from 1981 to 2010.
El Niño played a large role in November’s — and the year’s — exceptional warmth. El Niño is an event marked by abnormally warm ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. The extent of the warm water is huge this year, stretching from the west coast of South America to past the international dateline, which divides the Pacific Ocean. As of November, temperatures in parts of this vast region were running as much as 4 degrees Celsius, or about 7 degrees Fahrenheit, above normal.
But the Pacific Ocean wasn’t the warmest region of the globe in November — much of the warmth measured by NASA emanated from the Arctic, where temperatures were running anywhere from 4 to 10 degrees Celsius (7 to 18 degrees Fahrenheit) above average."
illogic unveiled said...
"What a nice fictional rewriting of the history of Dr. Robert Spitzer"
odd comment to make when you then cut and paste a blatantly disingenuous Washington Post obituary
"Nobody bullied Dr. Spitzer into anything, not when he decided homosexuality was not a disease, unless it is unwanted:"
yes, they did
as anyone can clearly see by reading your paste
""...After a clash at a 1972 meeting of behavioral therapists in New York, Dr. Spitzer decided to hear the protesters out. Personally, he believed then that homosexuality was an illness, he later told public radio’s “This American Life.” But forever the devil’s advocate, he organized a panel for both sides to air their arguments at the 1973 APA conference in Honolulu"
a "clash",huh?
the protesters smashed exhibits, shouted down speakers, disrupted meetings
it's how bullying is done at professional meetings and Spitzer reacted by giving in
"There, an activist brought Dr. Spitzer to a secret tiki-bar gathering of closeted gay psychiatrists. Many had prestigious credentials, which convinced Dr. Spitzer that homosexuality was not some crippling condition"
here's where you can see the logic of this account collapsing
an intelligent man like Spitzer wouldn't assume someone with "prestigious credentials" couldn't have a mental illness
as for "some crippling condition", Stephen Hawking has "prestigious credentials"
does that mean ALS isn't a disease
"Ultimately, Dr. Spitzer’s was the loudest voice arguing to drop homosexuality from the DSM. When old-guard psychiatrists pushed back,"
it wasn't "old-guard" anything
it was the majority of professionals
"Dr. Spitzer appealed with logic"
really? let's look at this "logic"
"“A medical disorder,” he explained to The Washington Post at the time, “either had to be associated with subjective distress — pain — or general impairment in social function.” If gays were happy being gay, then where was the disorder?""
this is either taken out of context or a misquote
no trained professional would say you can't have a disease if you are happy and pain-free
homosexuality impairs one's ability to reproduce, which is a normal human function
it is, thus, a disease
""...Dr. Spitzer liked to provoke, and that may have shortened his reign at the top of his field. He sparred with old-line Freudians when he banned their cherished word “neurosis”. He enraged feminists when he tried to classify PMS as a mental illness""
Freudians and feminists should have tried bullying
he'd probably have given in
"And he nearly undermined his social-justice legacy when, late in his career, he championed therapies to “cure” homosexuals. His 2001 study on the topic was pilloried by colleagues and gay rights activists alike for shoddy methodology"
at the time, gay activists were claiming that no one could find even one example of an ex-gay
no sophisticated methodology was required to disprove this
Spitzer examined 200 such cases
"What was shoddy about Dr. Spitzer's 2001 methodology? He allowed gays who became ex-gay therapists to "self-report" on their supposed change in sexual orientation,"
all studies of sexuality rely on self-reporting
"while at the same time selling what they knew was ineffective treatment, since they themselves knew they were still gay"
this is an unsubstantiated assertion
"Don't believe it? Go ask Alan Chambers"
was he one of the 200?
in the quote you posted he:
1. didn't say no one wasn't helped by reparative therapy, only "some"
2. said he continued to believe that homosexuality is outside of scriptural boundaries
3. still believes same gender marriage is unbiblical
"TTF's anonymous troll might want to try to attain that part: "love your neighbor as you love yourself."
Brimming with hatred isn't healthy for anyone"
so, if someone disagrees with a TTFer, that's hatred
but if a TTFer disagrees with someone it's not
nice egocentric world you've created for yourself
you might say your head's buried in the sand
homosexuality is a disease because it impairs the ability to reproduce, a normal human function
whether or not a condition is curable is irrelevant to whether the condition is a disease
anonymous didn't say anything shocking or insult anyone or seek any response other than agreement in this discussion so your characterization of "troll" is spurious
the glimmer twins said...
"Last month was the warmest November on record by an incredible margin, according to NASA measurements"
after 17 years, finally a warm season
what a relief!!
the alarmists were beginning to get suicidal
at last there is a glimmer of hope that their dream of global climate catastrophe might be true
a glimmer is better than nothing
self-evidently brilliant said...
"There was never any rationale for including gayness in the DSM. Research done starting in the 1950's showed that gays were indistinguishable from heterosexuals on common measures of mental health and so in 1973 there was no argument for keeping gayness in the DSM.
The bigots "logic" is that gayness should be put back in the DSM because it was once there. Unfortunately for them they can never come up with any justification for putting gayness back in the DSM."
homosexuality is a mental illness that impairs, at different degrees for different sufferers, the ability to reproduce without artificial assistance
thus, it belongs in the DSM
btw, the use of the term "bigots" to refer to those who hold this rational and self-evident idea is an example of trollery
Robert Rigby said...
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "anonymous didn't say anything shocking or insult anyone or seek any response other than agreement in this discussion so your characterization of "troll" is spurious".
You have a long and sordid history of insulting people and lying to provoke others. Most recently you've repeatedly claimed my husband and I have been lobotomized. Your repeated statments that gays are mentally ill is an insult intended to provoke. In the past you've made statements such as "In the United states you can be executed for any trivial reason, in Iran you have to do something serious to be executed like be a homosexual". You are the epitome of a troll. Instead of denying the obvious, acknowledge and apologize for your past trolling, stop insulting people and lying and after a long time people can begin to believe you've stopped being a troll.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "an intelligent man like Spitzer wouldn't assume someone with "prestigious credentials" couldn't have a mental illness".
False. The point was that a person with prestigious credentials in the field of mental health proves he wasn't mentally ill - the two are mutually incompatible. These are Spitzers own words, your assertion about what he would or wouldn't assume is obviously false.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "as for "some crippling condition", Stephen Hawking has "prestigious credentials" does that mean ALS isn't a disease".
ALS is a disease because it is is a general impairment in function, gayness is not a general impairment in function and so is not a disease. If you were asserting that ALS is a mental illness in the same way you are asserting gayness is Hawkings impressive credentials would prove he is not suffering from a mental illness.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "all studies of sexuality rely on self-reporting".
False. Penile plethysmographs and no lie MRIs are used to provide an objective confirmation of claims. Not surprisingly no "exgays" claiming to have changed were willing to put their claims to these objective tests. Because they were lying.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "this is an unsubstantiated assertion".
The unsubstantiated assertion was that they had changed from gay to straight. The onus is on the person making the extraordinary claim to prove it, not on the skeptic to disprove it.
“A medical disorder,” Spitzer explained to The Washington Post at the time, “either had to be associated with subjective distress — pain — or general impairment in social function.” If gays were happy being gay, then where was the disorder?"
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "homosexuality is a mental illness that impairs, at different degrees for different sufferers, the ability to reproduce without artificial assistance".
Your layman's assertions about what is or is not a mental illness are irrelevant, its the professionals like Spitzer who are qualified to make such distinctions. Gays and lesbians are well capable of reproducing if they want to. The lack of desire to reproduce has never been considered a mental illness (especially given the disasterous repercussions of ongoing overpopulation). It most certainly isn't a "general impairment in social function" and given that gays are happy being gay it is not a mental illness. Case closed.
Once again, bigots "logic" is that gayness should be included in the DSM because it was once there. There was never any justification for including it in the DMS and The bigots have no justification for putting it back in.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "after 17 years, finally a warm season".
Wyatt has nothing except this tired old lie. He tries to deceive by pointing to localized cooling (such as the eastern U.S. in the last couple of years) while ignoring rising global average temperatures.
Of course the truth is 13 of the 15 hottest years on record have happened since 2000. The odds of that happening absent human created CO2 greenhouse gases are 1 in 27 million
2014 was the hottest year on record and 2015 almost certainly will be the new hottest year on record. While there is a margin of error with measurments showing which is the hottest year, statistically speaking there is zero chance 1998 was hotter than 13 years that measured hotter since.
And as Wyatt/bad anonymous is well aware of, those are atmospheric temperatures and 90% of global warming is stored in the oceans. The total environmental heating has accelerated since 1998.
[Note: this comment was accidentally deleted by admin and restored later]
When I was growing up, a complaint about "Political Correctness" was a complaint that one wasn't allowed to say the N-word without social disapproval, any more. It has a poor history as an argument.
Spitzer's committee, when it removed "homosexuality" from the DSM added "ego-dystonic homosexuality", with the implication that therapy and medical treatment could change people from gay to straight. It was no surprise then that he did his study trying to prove that. Only after he realized the true failings of the study did he disown the latter term.
Posted by Robert Rigby to Vigilance at December 29, 2015 9:01 AM
" the ability to reproduce without artificial assistance"
Sterility impairs the ability to reproduce without artificial assistance and yet you apparently have no problem with sterile people marrying and engaging in non-productive sexual behaviors.
Or do you?
Pat Buchanan and his wife who have been married since 1971 have produced exactly zero offspring.
Justice Thomas adopted his nephew's son when his nephew ended up in prison and his greatnephew's mother was having trouble of her own.
Chief Justice Roberts and his wife married late in life, chose adoption over fertility treatments because such treatments are at odds with their faith, and look at how much respect one of your fellow anti-gay activists, a big muckety muck attorney no less, gave them for their life choices:
Top Anti-Gay Attorney Insults Chief Justice Roberts And Justice Thomas’ Decisions To Adopt Children
"...According to John Eastman, a law professor and chair of the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage, Roberts and Thomas’ adopted children are only growing up in the “second-best” environment:
“...You’re looking at what is the best course society wide to get you the optimal result in the widest variety of cases. That often is not open to people in individual cases. Certainly adoption in families headed, like Chief Roberts’ family is, by a heterosexual couple, is by far the second-best option,” said John Eastman, chairman of the National Organization for Marriage. Eastman also teaches law at Chapman University law school in Orange, Calif."
Wyatt goes on and on (falsely) about how gays not procreating is a mental illness. For someone who doesn't have children himself the hypocrisy is sooo over the top.
By Wyatt/bad anonymous's own "logic" he's defined himself as mentally ill.
watcher said...
the government now thinks it can force people to use the livelihood to participate in homosexual "marriages" and bankrupt any who don't comply
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/12/29/oregon-bakery-owners-pay-more-than-135g-in-damages-over-refusal-to-make-cake-for-gay-wedding.html
our society is nearing a melt-down because gays refuse to live and let live
as the gay agenda takes each new step toward a totalitarian state, they swear that what rational people forsee will never occur
and it always comes to pass
eventually, freedom will be restored but the road to get there is looking scarier and scarier
Give it up Wyatt, that handful of business owners all CHOSE to pay fines or close shop rather than serve those icky gays.
It is not the gays who refuse to live and let live, its bigoted business owners who insist on letting gay customers know they think they are disgusting and evil.
There's only 3 or 4 businesses out of the millions in the states that have chosen to close shop rather than serve gays, that couldn't be farther from a societal "melt-down" - enough with the crocodile tears already.
If you open a business to serve the public you are morally obligated to serve ALL of the public. You don't want to serve the icky gays then get yourself a job where you don't have to - its a free country.
These business owners complaint isn't that they themselves are forced to engage in sex they find objectionable or to enter a same sex marriage, its that they disapprove of others doing so. As such the interference with the right to act on their beliefs is trivial or insubstantial in that it is an interference that does not threaten actual religious beliefs or conduct.
There shouldn't be special rights for christians to disobey laws that everyone else has to follow.
And the fine wasn't only for discriminating against the lesbian couple, it was for publicly displaying their home address and phone number resulting in them being subjected to horrendous harrasment and death threats.
Not to mention that bigots across the States sent them somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 dollars so they actually made out like bandits for their discrimination.
The right wing conservatives will never admit that if its okay for business owners to refuse to serve gays its okay for them to refuse to serve blacks, jews, or mixed race couples.
By Wyatt/bad anonymous's logic black people are evil incarnate for expecting business owners to serve them.
Another example of Wyatt/bad anonymous being a troll - calling gays "evil incarnate" for wanting the same rights christians have.
No special rights for christians!
Congratulations for finally admitting you read FOX News!
Even FOX got it partially right, but you'd have to read all the way to the very bottom of the FOX News piece, where FOX sometimes hides a kernel or two of truth.
For those who missed it, here is the last paragraph of http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/12/29/oregon-bakery-owners-pay-more-than-135g-in-damages-over-refusal-to-make-cake-for-gay-wedding.html:
"....A 2007 Oregon law protects the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people in employment, housing and public accommodations. The state ruled it also bars private businesses from discriminating against potential customers.
Keep reading and watching FOX all you want but remember:
STUDY: Watching Only Fox News Makes You Less Informed Than Watching No News At All
The bigot cake bakers were given $500k by other bigots so they're still $365K to the good. Most people would LOVE to be "forced" into that kind of "bankruptcy".
"global warming has not increased since 1998" said...
Freak storm pushes North Pole 50 degrees above normal to melting point
"This story has been updated to include buoy measurements that confirm the North Pole temperature climbed above 32 degrees on Wednesday.
A powerful winter cyclone — the same storm that led to two tornado outbreaks in the United States and disastrous river flooding — has driven the North Pole to the freezing point this week, 50 degrees above average for this time of year.
From Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning, a mind-boggling pressure drop was recorded in Iceland: 54 millibars in just 18 hours. This triples the criteria for “bomb” cyclogenesis, which meteorologists use to describe a rapidly intensifying mid-latitude storm. A “bomb” cyclone is defined as dropping one millibar per hour for 24 hours.
NOAA’s Ocean Prediction Center said the storm’s minimum pressure dropped to 928 millibars around 1 a.m. Eastern time, which likely places it in the top five strongest storms on record in this region.
“According to the center’s records, the all-time strongest storm in this area occurred on Dec. 15, 1986, and that had a minimum central pressure of 900 millibars,” Mashable’s Andrew Freedman reported on Tuesday. “The second-strongest storm occurred in January 1993, with a pressure of 916 millibars.”
As this storm churns north, it’s forcing warm air into the Arctic Circle. Over the North Sea, sustained winds from the south are blasting at 70 mph, and gusting to well above 100 mph, drawing heat from south to north...
...“Consider the average winter temperature there is around 20 degrees below zero,” wrote the Capital Weather Gang’s Jason Samenow on Monday. A temperature around the freezing mark signifies a departure from normal of over 50 degrees, and close to typical mid-summer temperatures in this region..."
Wyatt's not concerned that all the warm weather since 1998 shows global warming and all its negative consequences are happening, he's upset that it forces him to admit the people who accept that global warming is real are right.
Happy New Year said...
"...As I heard Bernie Sanders crying out to the religious leaders at Liberty University, in his hoarse voice, with his wild hair – this Jew – and he proclaimed justice over us, he called us to account, for being complicit with those who are wealthy and those who are powerful, and for abandoning the poor, the least of these, who Jesus said he had come to bring good news to. And in that moment something occurred to me. As I saw Bernie Sanders up there, as I watched him, I realized Bernie Sanders for president is good news for the poor. Bernie Sanders for president is Good News for the poor. Bernie Sanders is gospel for the poor. And Jesus said "I have come to bring gospel" – good news – "to the poor."
And lightning hit my heart at that moment. And I realized that we are evangelical Christians. We believe the Bible. We believe in Jesus. We absolutely shun those who would attempt to find nuance and twisted and tortured interpretations of scripture that they would use to master all other broader interpretations, to find some kind of big message that they want to flout. We absolutely scorn such things, and yet somehow we commit to the mental gymnastics necessary that allows us to abandon the least of these, to abandon the poor, to abandon the immigrants, to abandon those who are in prison.
I listened to Bernie Sanders as he said he wanted to welcome the immigrants and give them dignity, as he said he wanted to care for the sick children and mothers and fathers who do not have health care, as he said he wanted to decrease the amount of human beings who are corralled like cattle in the prisons, as he said he wanted to do justice for those who have nothing and live homeless. And I remembered the words of Jesus who warned his disciples that there will be judgement, and on that day he will look to his friends, and he will say "Blessed are you for you cared for me, for I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was in prison and you came to visit me, I was homeless and you gave me shelter." And his disciples said, "When did we do any of those things for you?" And he said, "If you have done it for the least of these, you have done it for me."
Those words echoed in my heart as I listened to that crazy, hoarse-voiced, wild-haired Jew standing in front of the religous leaders of the Evangelical Movement, calling us to account, as a Jew once did before, telling us that he intends to care for the least of these, to clothe the naked, to shelter the homeless, to care for the sick, to set the prisoners free.
I wouldn't be much of a Christian if I didn't stand on the side of gospel for the poor, because, the last time I checked, that's where my master Jesus stood, and I'll stand with Him. And, for now, that means I stand with Bernie Sanders..."
Jm, a Liberty University Alumnus
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "the alarmists were beginning to get suicidal at last there is a glimmer of hope that their dream of global climate catastrophe might be true".
Accusing people who accept the reality of global warming of wanting it to happen, more standard troll behavior from the epitome of a troll - no interest in rational discussion, he's just hear to antagonize people who accept science.
THE CONSERVATIVE RETREAT ON GLOBAL WARMING HAS AT LAST BEGUN
After close to three decades of ignoring and/or actively subverting climate science, conservatives have finally been forced to acknowledge the face-lashing climate facts that are now afflicting the planet. The accumulating evidence of melting glaciers, drought, record wildfires, rising oceans and devastating flooding, has finally dislodged the permafrost position conservatives have clung to on climate science.
It is the watershed moment of retreat on this issue, which has seen an ever-quickening tap dance of clever positions, from ‘there isn’t any evidence’, to ‘climate change will be a good thing’, to ‘scientists are all corrupt and actively perpetrating a worldwide conspiracy’.
But let’s ‘pause’ and take special note of the crucial point the article concedes. “First, we should acknowledge the science as we know it today. Greenhouse gases absorb and redirect longer-wavelength radiation, but not shorter-wavelength radiation. When radiation from the sun hits the earth, some of it is absorbed by the land and the sea, which are consequently warmed by the energy. As a result, when the earth re-emits the sun’s radiation in the form of heat, it is disproportionately of the lower-energy, longer-wavelength sort that the greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide (CO2) foremost among them, trap or send back to earth. Thus, more carbon-dioxide emissions lead to a hotter planet.” Well what do you know? And guess what? THIS WAS ALL KNOWN 30 YEARS AGO. Nice for people to just acknowledge it now.
The next move of the obstructionists is the obvious one, to try to bog the discussion down in a morass of policy detail and diversion, and the linked article is a perfect example of what to expect. Read through all the handwaving and the bottom line is clear: No carbon tax. Which of course has been the bottom line on this subject from the beginning.
And what is offered as an alternative? Get ready to laugh until you cry, because here it is: “…our best option might be to adapt to a slightly warmer world. Trees and reflective paint are proven to cool urban areas substantially. There are likely other adaptations to be made.”
One of the most glaring errors in the article is the claim that fracking for natural gas has been a boon to reducing greenhouse gas production. The authors mention that burning natural gas produces half the carbon dioxide of coal but neglect to mention that fracking produces high levels of methane which is traps 25 times as much heat as carbon dioxide. At best the authors of the conservative article are unforgivably ignorant, at worst they are intentionally deceptive. Such a fundamental mistake/lie in the article calls into question all the claims made in the article.
Of course this pathetic little whimper will not stand up long, but it may stand up long enough to put the world further into the grave we’ve been digging for ourselves.
farm to table said...
"Accusing people who accept the reality of global warming of wanting it to happen"
this is not so much an accusation as an observation
after so much hyperbole, and the insults thrown the way of anyone with an open mind, and the wild advocacy of the oxymoronic concept of "settled science", the alarmists would be embarrassed and horrified if proven wrong
and that's just the hordes of lemmings
the actual researchers have been caught falsifying information more than once and are currently resisting subpoenas from a congressional committee requesting data and e-mail concerning the adjustments to past climate data to make it conform to the global warming scenarios
so, there's ample reason for skepticism
"After close to three decades of ignoring and/or actively subverting climate science, conservatives have finally been forced to acknowledge"
"conservatives" have always held a varied continuum of nuanced opinions
it is liberals who have cultishly held to certain fixed and invariable positions
and there's a reason for that
"the face-lashing climate facts that are now afflicting the planet. The accumulating evidence of melting glaciers, drought, record wildfires, rising oceans and devastating flooding, has finally dislodged the permafrost position conservatives have clung to on climate science"
again, with the face-lashing hyperbole
even the alarmist scientists have said that some of the things listed here are not necessarily the result of global warming
"THIS WAS ALL KNOWN 30 YEARS AGO. Nice for people to just acknowledge it now"
about thirty years ago, we were in a period of global warming
scientists were beginning to realize their predictions of a coming new ice age were wrong
the warming lasted another decade and a half before halting at a plateau
it is an attempt by alarmist researchers to rationalize away this cessation that is the study now being investigated by Congress
"The next move of the obstructionists is the obvious one, to try to bog the discussion down in a morass of policy detail and diversion, and the linked article is a perfect example of what to expect. Read through all the handwaving and the bottom line is clear: No carbon tax. Which of course has been the bottom line on this subject from the beginning"
Here we see the driver behind all the chicanery
research scientists are chasing grant dollars but the obsession from liberals is due to the excuse for a worldwide governmental manipulation of the economy
"And what is offered as an alternative?"
well, right now, the cessation of global warming allows time for study
but if global warming were to resume and if it was determined to be caused by greenhouse gases, allowing renewed nuclear energy plants and massive reforestation programs would solve the problem quickly
there is no reason for governmental regulation or taxation
"Get ready to laugh until you cry"
a common occurrence down at the funny farm
where free speech went said...
"Those words echoed in my heart as I listened to that crazy, hoarse-voiced, wild-haired Jew standing in front of the religous leaders of the Evangelical Movement, calling us to account, as a Jew once did before, telling us that he intends to care for the least of these, to clothe the naked, to shelter the homeless, to care for the sick, to set the prisoners free.
I've been telling you people for years that there is more open-mindedness and diversity of thought in the evangelical world than the secular world
I noted this speech here when Sanders went to Liberty and what I also noted then still applies:
liberal colleges generally ban conservative speakers they disagree with
evangelical colleges favor open dialogue and free speech
summer breeze makes me feel fine said...
"This story has been updated to include buoy measurements that confirm the North Pole temperature climbed above 32 degrees on Wednesday"
actually, temperatures in the mid-30s happen at the North Pole
not usually at this time of year but the same system brought 75 to Washington on Christmas Eve
would only be significant if it happened long-term over a number if years
gitchy goomy said...
"that handful of business owners all CHOSE to pay fines or close shop rather than serve those icky gays"
the business owners in question didn't refuse to "serve those icky gays"
these particular owners were happy to provide "icky gays" with the same services they provide to most of the general public
they only would refuse to engage in providing services that enable activity they consider immoral and a violation of their religious beliefs
this their constitutional right in America
they didn't discriminate against individuals
they discriminated against immoral activity
which is the duty of all moral people
"It is not the gays who refuse to live and let live,"
there are multiple places in the same area who would be happy to profit by providing services to enable this type of immoral activity
so the lesbians in questions could have simply left and bought a cake elsewhere
thus, they could have held their beliefs unhindered and so could the bakers
but the lesbians would prefer to force others to participate in immoral activity
"its bigoted business owners who insist on letting gay customers know they think they are disgusting and evil"
they held to their religious beliefs about a particular activity, they never made a judgement about any particular individual
"There's only 3 or 4 businesses out of the millions in the states that have chosen to close shop rather than serve gays, that couldn't be farther from a societal "melt-down" - enough with the crocodile tears already"
None of us are free when one of us are chained
-Ray Charles
"If you open a business to serve the public you are morally obligated to serve ALL of the public"
no, you aren't
like anyone else, business owners are free to work for whom they choose
"You don't want to serve the icky gays then get yourself a job where you don't have to"
again, no one here has chosen not to "serve the icky gays"
they only assert their constitutional right to abstain from participating in activity opposed to their religious beliefs
"its a free country"
but gay advocates don't like it that way
"These business owners complaint isn't that they themselves are forced to engage in sex they find objectionable or to enter a same sex marriage, its that they disapprove of others doing so"
no, it's that they are being forced to participate in the wedding
"As such the interference with the right to act on their beliefs is trivial or insubstantial in that it is an interference that does not threaten actual religious beliefs or conduct"
this is incorrect
it threatens both
"There shouldn't be special rights for Christians to disobey laws that everyone else has to follow"
actually, it's a constitutional right and it applies to people of all religious beliefs
"And the fine wasn't only for discriminating against the lesbian couple, it was for publicly displaying their home address and phone number resulting in them being subjected to horrendous harrasment and death threats"
the Commissioner specifically said so:
"The Commissioner concludes that complainants’ emotional harm related to the denial of service continued throughout the period of media attention and that the facts related solely to emotional harm resulting from media attention do not adequately support an award of damages."
"Not to mention that bigots across the States sent them somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 dollars so they actually made out like bandits for their discrimination"
additionally, the bakers have seen business expand because of the publicity
but the fact they overcame evil, isn't an excuse for evil
"Congratulations for finally admitting you read FOX News!"
the article in question was simply brought to my attention from a newsfeed on a general browser
you may have been thinking about when I said I don't regularly watch FOX News, or any other cable news
I have been watching cable news more recently, with all the election developments, though
I flip through CNN, MSNBC, al Jazeera and FOX
"STUDY: Watching Only Fox News Makes You Less Informed Than Watching No News At All"
must be why TTFers seem so misinformed: they only want to watch not read
an impeach of an impair said...
"The point was that a person with prestigious credentials in the field of mental health proves he wasn't mentally ill - the two are mutually incompatible."
completely false, prestigious credentials does not preclude mental illness
to say otherwise ignores history
"These are Spitzers own words, your assertion about what he would or wouldn't assume is obviously false."
actually, Spitzer didn't use the term mental illness
he referenced "crippling condition" and "medical illness"
although, as I said, I believe it's either a misquote or taken out of context
"ALS is a disease because it is is a general impairment in function"
obviously false
a specific impairment in function is just as much a disease as a general one
"gayness is not a general impairment in function"
it may be
but it definitely impairs the specific function of reproduction
so it is a disease
"Penile plethysmographs and no lie MRIs are used to provide an objective confirmation of claims. Not surprisingly no "exgays" claiming to have changed were willing to put their claims to these objective tests"
Not surprisingly, this unreliable methods aren't widely used
"The onus is on the person making the extraordinary claim to prove it, not on the skeptic to disprove it"
contradicting the gay agenda doesn't make a claim extraordinary
"Your layman's assertions about what is or is not a mental illness are irrelevant, its the professionals like Spitzer who are qualified to make such distinctions"
well, Spitzer, "the professional" flip-flopped on this
so, we laymen have to give it a shot
"Gays and lesbians are well capable of reproducing if they want to"
"well"?
the lack of desire presents an impairment
"The lack of desire to reproduce has never been considered a mental illness"
didn't say it was
I said lack of sexual attraction to the opposite gender is
"Sterility impairs the ability to reproduce without artificial assistance and yet you apparently have no problem with sterile people marrying and engaging in non-productive sexual behaviors"
we weren't discussing marriage
we were discussing how homosexuality represents a mental illness, impairing a normal function of the body
"January 02, 2016 4:28 AM
January 02, 2016 6:24 AM"
All that hate roiling within is not conducive to a good night's sleep.
It brought a lot more than 75 to Washington on Christmas Eve. The Earth’s weather, as climate change theory states, has become much more erratic with unprecedented events around the globe.
"Cataclysms from the North Pole to South America
From the top of the world to near the bottom, freakish and unprecedented weather has sent temperatures soaring across the Arctic, whipped the United Kingdom with hurricane-force winds and spawned massive flooding in South America.
The same storm that slammed the southern United States with deadly tornadoes and swamped the Midwest, causing even greater loss of life, continued on to the Arctic. Sub-tropical air pulled there is now sitting over Iceland, and at what should be a deeply sub-zero North Pole, temperatures on Wednesday appeared to reach the melting point — more than 50 degrees above normal. That was warmer than Chicago.
Only twice before has the Arctic been so warm in winter. Residents of Iceland are bracing for conditions to grow much worse as one of the most powerful storms ever recorded blasts through the North Atlantic. This rare “bomb cyclone” arrived with sudden winds of 70 miles per hour and waves that lashed the coast.
Thousands of miles south, in the center of Latin America, downpours fueled by the Pacific Ocean’s giant El Niño pattern have drenched regions of Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay…
The dramatic storms are ending a year of record-setting weather globally, with July measured as the hottest month ever and 2015 set to be the warmest year.
Up and down the U.S. East Coast, this month will close as the hottest December ever. In much of the Northeast into Canada, temperatures on Christmas rose into the 70s — tricking bushes and trees into bloom in many locations. In the Washington area, forsythia, azaleas and even cherry blossoms were suddenly in full color…
In rain-soaked Missouri, where more than a dozen people have died because of the flooding, Gov. Jay Nixon (D) has declared a state of emergency…
Dozens of new precipitation marks were set last weekend, in some cases doubling or even tripling old records…
What is most remarkable about this week’s flooding through the nation’s midsection is not the magnitude, but the timing. Under normal circumstances, this degree of wintertime flooding is not possible because there is not enough moisture in cold winter air to support such rainfall totals…
In England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the scenes have been similar much of this week as storms made the month the wettest December in some locations…
balmy Arctic temperatures are exceptionally rare in December, when sea ice is normally expanding…”
-- https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/freakish-weather-runs-from-top-of-the-world-to-the-bottom/2015/12/30/61203efa-af2c-11e5-b711-1998289ffcea_story.html
Sea ice has been diminishing for decades as sea levels and global average temperatures on land, sea, and air have been climbing.
sunny day, everything's A-OK said...
"All that hate roiling within"
this type of extremist characterization of those who have a differing opinion is why our society has become so polarized in the 20th century
at least with Republican finally in control of both Houses in Congress this year, some progress has been made
"It brought a lot more than 75 to Washington on Christmas Eve. The Earth’s weather, as climate change theory states, has become much more erratic with unprecedented events around the globe"
easy to fool twenty-somethings with statements like that
anyone any older realizes that there is always some remarkable weather event going on
alarmist changed their talk from "global warming"to "climate change" during the 17 year hiatus from warming
now, anything other a world-wide Mediterranean weather pattern is cited as proof we need a global authority to regulate our economic activity
"Sea ice has been diminishing for decades as sea levels and global average temperatures on land, sea, and air have been climbing"
sea ice has decreased at the northern pole and increased at the southern pole
global temperatures have been in hiatus
as far as the greenhouse connection, global carbon output remained steady in 2014 and fell in 2015
why didn't temperatures fall?
Do you imagine something came along and removed all the carbon already pumped into the environment prior to 2014 and 2015?
Sorry, but while your head remains firmly planted in the dirt nothing has come along to remove all the carbon and green house gasses already pumped out and polluting Earth since the Industrial Revolution.
It will take a lot more than 2 years to right what has been wrong for more than a century.
"at least with Republican finally in control of both Houses in Congress this year, some progress has been made"
Yet Another Health Care Repeal Vote To Open Congressional Year
It is insanity, not "progress" to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results.
IF (big if) any repeal of Obamacare is ever passed by the House and confirmed by the Senate, President Obama will veto it and there will be insufficient votes to override his veto.
What did GOPers tell us to expect would happen if we reelected President Obama in 2012?
1. Gas was supposed to cost $6.05 per gallon.
In March 2012, on the floor of the United States Senate, Mike Lee (R-UT) predicted that if Obama was reelected gas would cost $6.05 per gallon by the start 2015. Lee said that gas prices would rise 5 cents for every month Obama was in office, ultimately reaching $6.60 per gallon.
Lee was not alone. Newt Gingrich, running for the GOP nomination, predicted that if Obama was reelected he would push gas to “$10 a gallon.”
Today, the nationwide average price for a gallon of gas is $2.00.
2. Unemployment was supposed to be stuck at over 8%
In September 2012, Mitt Romney predicted that if Obama is reelected “you’re going to see chronic high unemployment continue four years or longer.” At the time, the unemployment rate was 8.1% and had been between 8.1% and 8.3% for the entire year.
The unemployment rate currently stands at 5.0% and has been under 6% since September 2014. Since January 2013, the economy has created over 7.8 million new jobs.
3. The stock market was supposed to crash
Immediately after Obama won reelection in November 2012, Trump tweeted "The stock market and US dollar are both plunging today. Welcome to @BarackObama's second term."
--https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/266285251515531264
The Dow Jones Industrial Average currently stands at 17,425.03 and, despite a downturn in 2015, is up over 27% since Obama was reelected.
elephant in china shop said...
"Do you imagine something came along and removed all the carbon already pumped into the environment prior to 2014 and 2015?
It will take a lot more than 2 years to right what has been wrong for more than a century."
what has been wrong?
compare life before and after the industrial revolution
life expectancy and living standards have skyrocketed
large swaths of the world's population live in a near paradise and the conditions is spreading slowly but without reversal to third world countries
"It is insanity, not "progress" to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results."
yes, how insane
except the numbers keep changing
and eventually Dems will have to go along
in a bi-partisan achievement, No Child Left Behind was recently replaced after years of "insane" trying again and again
as for now, politician have votes on record
vital information for voters in the upcoming election
"IF (big if) any repeal of Obamacare is ever passed by the House and confirmed by the Senate, President Obama will veto it and there will be insufficient votes to override his veto."
as the election nears, fewer Dems will want this unpopular albatross around their neck
don't be so sure that the veto might not hold before Obama leaves
"What did GOPers tell us to expect would happen if we reelected President Obama in 2012?"
any time more than one Repub says anything, Dems simply say "GOPers said"
there is great diversity in the GOP
"1. Gas was supposed to cost $6.05 per gallon."
gas prices have only declined because of activity that Obama has tried to stop
"2. Unemployment was supposed to be stuck at over 8%"
fewer Americans are employed than at any time since the Great Depression
it's worse among minority groups who are much worse since Obama moved in the White House and starting using his position to take fancy trips for himself and his family
"3. The stock market was supposed to crash
The Dow Jones Industrial Average currently stands at 17,425.03 and, despite a downturn in 2015, is up over 27% since Obama was reelected."
only up so much because it crashed when he was elected
Yet another failure to comprehend what you read.
I said and provided a link confirming: "The Dow Jones Industrial Average currently stands at 17,425.03 and, despite a downturn in 2015, is up over 27% since Obama was reelected."
You replied with no source to confirm it, "only up so much because it crashed when he was elected"
Obama was "reelected" in 2012. The stock market crashed in 2008 when Bush/Cheney were running things into the ground.
Crash of 2008-2009
"On September 16, 2008, failures of massive financial institutions in the United States, due primarily to exposure of securities of packaged subprime loans and credit default swaps issued to insure these loans and their issuers, rapidly devolved into a global crisis resulting in a number of bank failures in Europe and sharp reductions in the value of stocks and commodities worldwide. The failure of banks in Iceland resulted in a devaluation of the Icelandic króna and threatened the government with bankruptcy. Iceland was able to secure an emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund in November. In the United States, 15 banks failed in 2008, while several others were rescued through government intervention or acquisitions by other banks. On October 11, 2008, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the world financial system was teetering on the "brink of systemic meltdown."
The economic crisis caused countries to close their markets temporarily.
On October 8, the Indonesian stock market halted trading, after a 10% drop in one day.
The Times of London reported that the meltdown was being called the Crash of 2008 and older traders were comparing it with Black Monday in 1987. The fall that week of 21 percent was not as large a drop as the 28.3 percent fall 21 years earlier, but some traders were saying it was worse. “At least then it was a short, sharp, shock on one day. This has been relentless all week.” Business Week also referred to the crisis as a "stock market crash" or the "Panic of 2008."
Beginning October 6 [2008 before Obama was elected President] and lasting all week the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed lower for all five sessions. Volume levels were also record breaking. The Dow Jones industrial average fell over 1,874 points, or 18%, in its worst weekly decline ever on both a point and percentage basis. The S&P 500 fell more than 20%. The week also set 3 top ten NYSE Group Volume Records with October 8 at #5, October 9 at #10, and October 10 at #1...
...By March 6, 2009 the DJIA had dropped 54% to 6,469 (before beginning to recover) from its peak of 14,164 on October 9, 2007, over a span of 17 months."
And as we all know during 14 of those 17 months when the DJIA dropped 54%, George W. Bush was President of the United States. Even his TARP program, which Bush had signed into law on October 3, 2008. was not enough to stop USA's economy from continuing to crash.
"Between May 1999 and May 2009, employment in the private sector sector only rose by 1.1%, by far the lowest 10-year increase in the post-depression period."
Things didn't start to improve until after President Obama was elected. Seven point eight million new jobs were created after President Obama was reelected.
postcard from a land ravaged by Obama said...
thanks for the amusing exercise in propaganda
anyone who thinks the Obama administration has successfully managed the economy hasn't been paying attention
and the American voter has been paying attention
I see you have not provided any evidence disproving the facts presented yesterday via Wikipedia and Bloomberg -- what you call "propaganda" -- about the Great Recession and comparing job creation under Bush and Obama.
Obama is not up for reelection to a third term, but if he was, he'd win again.
No doubt the losing side would perform and ignore yet another autopsy report about the causes of their loss.
Twitter fun with domestic terrorism said...
Colin Miner
@cominerWhomever came up with #YallQaeda to describe the Oregon militia, I take my hat off to you. And then put it back on and take it off again.
Pat Ondabak
@PatOndabak
Whoever coined the hashtag #YallQaeda is brilliant. Redneck terrorism has descended on Oregon.
Brandon Friedman
@BFriedmanDC
#YallQaeda makes no sense to me because the militia people are from the West and Upper Midwest, not the South. Have to go with #VanillaISIS.
Khaled Bey
@KhaledBeydoun
The emergence of #VanillaISIS in Oregon sparks fears of radicalizing disaffected hipsters in Portland.
Stonekettle
@Stonekettle
You know you're a badass Tea Party patriot when your militia takes over an unprotected bird sanctuary
Lara Petticord
@fatdownjacket
Every successful revolution starts with takeover of closed visitor center with gift shop. #OregonUnderAttack #YallQaeda
Like al queda and ISIS, there is divine guidance behind the occupy Oregon domestic terrorism:
"On Saturday, Ammon Bundy joined several others in the takeover at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon's Harney County. Bundy has said that his faith led him to the refuge to defend Dwight and Steven Hammond, father and son ranchers sentenced to prison in 2012 for arson, then released and given new sentences last year.
Bundy, a Mormon, is the the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who famously had a legal battle with the government that ended in an armed confrontation in 2014.
“I got on my knees and I asked the Lord,” Ammon Bundy said in a video posted a day before the occupation, describing how he got the "overwhelming urge" to learn about the Hammonds.
Bundy said he prayed: "'Lord, if you want me to write something, then please help me clear my mind and show me what I should write.’ And that’s what happened.”
Wow, with help from above like this, we should have no problem defeating religious terrorists from anywhere around the world.
"On Chief’s Island in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, a special lioness has captured the attention of big cat lovers and scientists alike. Her name is Mmamoriri and she’s something of a local legend.
Despite being female, Mmamoriri sports a full, dark mane. She’s more muscular than most lionesses and when she roars, the sound is louder and deeper than a typical lioness. Unless you take a close look, you’d swear she’s a male lion. Locals dubbed her Mmamoriri, which means the “Hairy Princess.”
While some have offered the opinion that Mmamoriri “evolved” her masculine characteristics in order to ward off danger, the truth is less dramatic. Genetic testing shows that Mmamoriri is in fact female.
She may look and sound like a male, but we now know that’s not because of any errant chromosomal shenanigans. Scientists who have examined her say Mmamoriri’s genitalia is fully female and there’s no evidence of any male organs. Mmamoriri simply was born that way.
Ph.D. candidate Simon Dures told Africa Geographic that Mmamoriri’s physical characteristics are probably the result of exposure while in the womb to an excess of androgens. Androgens are hormones which stimulate the development of male characteristics — particularly primary and secondary sex characteristics. This phenomenon is well-documented in humans, but is less common in animals
Dr. Luke Hunter, president and chief conservation officer of big cat conservation organization Panthera, offered a similar explanation to National Geographic.
Mmamoriri, now 11-years-old, is not the first maned lioness to attract attention in this relatively isolated area of Botswana. Another maned lioness named Martina gained fame in the same area a number of years ago. She hasn’t been seen since 2002. Surprisingly, there may be as many as five other maned lionesses in this area.
The BBC recently profiled Mmamoriri in its TV special “World’s Sneakiest Animals.” If you missed it, catch the episode featuring her at this link. Her story begins around the 42-minute mark.
By all accounts, Mmamoriri’s pride treats her no differently than other members of the group. Her role is somewhat different than it might normally be, though. While she socializes with other females, Mmamoriri also takes on the typically male role of pride protector when other lions challenge the pride’s territory or when predators pose a threat.
Mmamoriri, being bigger and stronger than the other lionesses, is better able to bring down prey and defend it after the kill. Her mane, size and aggression combine to fool outsiders into thinking she’s a male.
This incredible lioness is not ostracized by her pride for her unusual differences. Rather, those differences help the group survive. If only humans could be as accepting of other humans who are “different” in similarly unique ways..."
Cynthia, do you prefer to be refered to as a male or as a female?
cinco de winter said...
quoting Cynthia: "I have never claimed that I am a woman."
Cynthia has embraced reality.
Give it a try, Priya.
You'll feel much better than you do now.
btw, a few days ago you were claiming warm Christmas is proof of the global warming pudding
alas, temperatures in the NE USA are now below average
I know how about global warming catastrophe is to you
Hi Priya,
That is not a question people normally ask me, and normally I do not have to tell people how to address me. People simply start using feminine pronouns automatically when they meet me. The only people who insist on using masculine pronouns are those that have learned of my medical history and seem to have some kind of religious axe to grind, or somehow delude themselves into believing that they have some kind of god-given duty to "remind" me of something they think that I have forgotten. I have not forgotten; sometimes I still have nightmares about it.
As a child in elementary school, I was mercilessly harassed by my Christian classmates for being too effeminate to the point of a suicide attempt at age 9. Now as an adult, I am harrassed by Christians again post-GRS apparently for being too masculine. I find it ironic, but at least now I understand why those children were so abusive. There is something in the way certain Christians raise their children. It is part of how Christians reinforce there cultural control over society from the very earliest ages. Anyone who does not conform to their doctrine is systematically ostracized until they leave, commit suicide, or figure out how to blend in. I learned to watch the boys in my class and mimic their behavior as a matter of self-preservation.
Fortunately, US society is slowly ripping away the social chains that Christians have shackled our society with for centuries, and future generations of trans kids will hopefully grow up being as cherished, and treated as well as any other child.
Edwin Superstarr said...
Hi Cinco
You seem to blame Christians for all your troubles.
Why do you say kids that harassed you were Christians? Are you saying Jews and atheists were bosom buddies with you, or are you just making stuff up?
And now, as an adult, Christians are harassing you for being too masculine? I thought you said in the previous paragraph that you were so feminine that no one calls you "he" unless they know your medical history
Uh, I hate to go all Perry Mason but what you say don't make no sense!
you're contradicting yourself and scapegoating a group of people
it's called hate speech
what is it good for?
is it bam-bam or peebles? said...
oh, and go smoke a dynamite stoogie!!
Firstly, I do not blame Christians for all my problems, only the ones they have created.
Secondly, I know those kids were Christian because I went to school with them, and 7 of the first 12 years of my education were at Catholic schools. I even went to church with some of these kids. I went to schools in neighborhoods that were predominantly white with a handful of Latinos, and Christian.
Thirdly, all you have to do is look up this page to find someone who used masculine pronouns; he or she frequently argues for "Christian" values and morality. He or she could potentially be of another faith, but statistically, Americans are most likely to be Christian. Some people knew me before my transition - there is one particular family that claims to be devoutly religious (and Christian) that absolutely refuses to use my legal name or feminine pronouns with me. For the 23-07 battle, I told folks of my medical history so they could see for themselves just what kind of person they were claiming was mentally ill and conflating with pedophiles. Granted, they did not all reveal their religion to me. There is a chance that some of them could be Hindu, Budhist, Jewish,or perhaps even Zoroastrian; again, statistically, they were most likely Christian. As Christians always like to remind us, this is a predominantly Christian nation. Also, none of the people who have harrassed me and also identified their faith, claimed to be anything other than Christian. For your reference, I include Mormons under the Christian banner, because of conversations I've had with them where they point out "Jesus Christ is included in the name of our church!".
So you don't have to be Shelock Holmes to figure this stuff out. It's elementary my dear. But if you need anything else explained, just let me know.
"btw, a few days ago you were claiming warm Christmas is proof of the global warming pudding"
It's not only Christmas that was warmer.
Seven of the warmest global monthly temperature departures from the 20th Century average were set in 2015:
"1) 0.98°C, Oct 2015
2) 0.91°C, Sep 2015
3) 0.89°C, Mar 2015
4) 0.88°C, Feb 2015
4) 0.88°C, Jan 2007
6) 0.87°C, Aug 2015
6) 0.87°C, Jun 2015
9) 0.85°C, May 2015
10) 0.85°C, Mar 2010"
And 2015's El Nino has just tied the peak for the El Nino in 1997-8:
"Sea-surface water temperatures in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific Ocean over the latest three-month period from October through December 2015 were 2.3 degrees Celsius above average, according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. That departure from average, commonly referred to as the sea-surface temperature (SST) anomaly, ties the peak anomaly measured during the 1997-1998 El Niño, the strongest El Niño on record since recordkeeping began in 1950, according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center."
But you can stick your head in the still warm ground outside as a few days of typical winter weather after months of unseasonably warm temperatures and pretend these facts do not exist.
It would be difficult to smoke your stogie (not "stoogie") with your head in the dirt.
A quick correction - after double checking the comments, the masculine pronouns directed at me are on the "Looking Back at a Victory" page, not this page as noted above.
Today's WaPo:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2016/01/06/d-c-area-forecast-gradual-warming-trend-and-a-few-rain-chances-through-weekend/
Cynthia, you didn't answer my question. You said in an earlier thread that you didn't consider yourself female, so my question is not what do other people call you, but which do you prefer, female or male pronouns?
I've been referring to you as female, but if that's not what you prefer I'd like to know.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "quoting Cynthia: "I have never claimed that I am a woman." Cynthia has embraced reality. Give it a try, Priya. You'll feel much better than you do now.".
A comment intended solely to antagonize. And Wyatt wants people to believe he's not a troll.
You're so transparent Wyatt.
Remember, research shows internet trolls like Wyatt/bad anonymous are sadists
Wyatt/bad anonymous said ""btw, a few days ago you were claiming warm Christmas is proof of the global warming pudding".
A typical lie for you. I do not claim that any short term localized cooling or warming trend proves or disproves global warming, that's your schtick. You're the one absurdly claiming that localized short term cooling in the Eastern U.S. a year or two ago proved global warming was false. If you were being consistent with your past assertions you'd now be claiming the present short term warming in the eastern U.S. proves global warming is real.
But of course you don't care if what you say now contradicts what you've said in the past, only that it serves your false anti-global warming narrative.
I've stated consistently that no localized short term warming or cooling trend says anything about global warming but rather it is the long term global average temperatures which determine if there is global warming. And the long term global average temperatures show global warming is real and the current short term localized warming in the eastern U.S. IS consistent with that whereas your claim that the localized short term cooling in the eastern U.S. over the past couple of years disproves global warming is NOT consistent with long term global average temperatures.
As I frequently pointed out, you know better than to make the arguments you do about global warming, its just willful stupidity on your part.
Typical trolling by Wyatt/bad anonymous. He's well aware I carefully stated several times the current localized short term warming in the U.S. doesn't prove global warming but he lies and says I did.
No localized short term warming or cooling trend proves or disproves global warming. IT IS THE LONG TERM AVERAGE GLOBAL TEMPERATURES WHICH DETERMINE THIS AND THEY SHOW GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL.
Bad news for Wyatt/bad anonymous:
Anti-gay people die younger than those who are accepting
Research shows people who espouse anti-gay views die younger than those who don't.
"Anti-gay prejudice is associated with elevated mortality risk among heterosexuals, over and above multiple established risk factors for mortality," wrote the researchers, led by Mark L. Hatzenbuehler of Columbia University.
You see Wyatt, accepting your anti-gay views won't make me happier, it'll make me die sooner, like you.
...One of the most impressive efforts to understand what’s happening to Earth is an ice coring project at one of the summits of the Antarctic ice sheet, called Dome C, where scientists drilled down 2 miles, pulling up air bubbles with atmosphere samples from 800,000 years ago. By analyzing these ancient air bubbles and comparing them with air samples from all the ice above it, scientists determined that there has almost never in history been as much carbon in Earth’s atmosphere as there is now. That’s helped confirm that we are in an unprecedented period of planetary warming and shifts in climate patterns.
The Antarctic Peninsula is bearing much of the brunt of those climate changes. But even so, a few days there is not enough time to “see” global warming in action; looking at all the ice, one climate change denier on the ship joked that he was planning to report back to Rush Limbaugh that “it’s still really cold” in Antarctica. But animal behavior here is already changing: Some creatures are now found farther south than they used to be, seeking colder water, and some penguin colonies have disappeared. And scientists as recently as last fall predicted that a complete western Antarctic ice melt—which they say is inevitable and probably already underway—would raise sea levels by about 10 feet in a just few centuries.
Ninety-eight percent of the Antarctic continent lies beneath an ice sheet: miles-thick ice covering a vast area that has formed over hundreds of thousands of years. There are two ice sheets on Earth; the other covers Greenland. Antarctic ice is not melting as obviously or as quickly as the ice sheet in Greenland—where 80 percent of the surface ice is now melting every summer. This past November, researchers announced that losses suffered by the Zachariae Glacier in that country’s northeast could open up a second “floodgate” of ice melt, joining the notoriously fast-retreating Jakobshavn Glacier in the west. But Antarctica appears to be the next to start hemorrhaging ice: Scientists are finding fragile points on the continent’s western coast, where seawater overheated by global warming is slowly working its way beneath glaciers.
The weight of millennia of ice has pushed the landmass of Antarctica below sea level. Currently, only an underwater ridge is keeping one large and pivotal glacier, the Thwaites Glacier, which has been called “the weak underbelly” of the western portion of Antarctica’s ice sheet, from breaking off and falling into the sea. Scientists are noticing the glacier is starting to “lose its grip” on the ridge as it melts, and once it retreats behind the shelf, computer models indicate that the warmer-than-usual seawater will rush under and around it, creating channels of flowing water that will erode the glacier from the inside out, causing it—and quite possibly the entire western Antarctic ice sheet behind it—to eventually slide into the sea.
Scientists are as certain as they can be that this will happen. What they don’t yet know is when. The most pressing work in the Antarctic is to get a handle on whether this catastrophic melt is likely to happen over a long period of time or within a few decades. Their findings are of the utmost significance to every human on the planet but are particularly pressing for the hundreds of millions of people who live in coastal regions—according to one estimate, sea level rises and coastal flooding will cost $100 trillion annually in lost infrastructure and industry by 2100..."
http://www.newsweek.com/2016/01/15/antarctica-explorers-crusiegoers-scientists-seek-answers-inside-continents-ice-412382.html
ha ha, say the clowns said...
"WASHINGTON -- Republicans just passed a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act for the 62nd time, and it's going to get vetoed. That calls for a party!
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) held a ceremony Thursday afternoon to celebrate sending legislation to President Barack Obama that would revoke parts of the president's signature health care law. It's the first time they've gotten a repeal bill to the president's desk. Dozens of GOP colleagues stood with Ryan as he gave remarks, all smiles, eager to commemorate the moment.
"It has been a long time in getting here, but here we are," Ryan said to cheers. "This is the closest that we have come to repealing Obamacare. And now we are sending that repeal to the president's desk."
But Republicans actually are no closer to repealing the health care law than they were the previous 61 times they voted to do it. They haven't repealed anything, and they know the president is going to veto their bill. And, as HuffPost's Jeffrey Young reports, even on the precipice of what they want to be seen as a win on Obamacare, Republican leaders still have no answer to the question of what their alternative plan would be for the millions of people getting health care under the current law....."
Repealing Obamacare without replacing it would take us all back to "the good old days" of:
--no coverage for preexisting conditions
--lifetime caps on coverage
--children cut off family plans before age 26
--extra charges for women to be insured
--insurers can drop coverage when you get sick
--no coverage for preventative care at no-out-of-pocket cost
And Mr. Ryan and friends celebrate all of the above! Yippee!!
Happy Days Are Here Again!!
Republicans couldn't look like bigger buffons with this latest Obamacare stunt.
School Vouchers and Student Achievement: First-Year Evidence from the Louisiana Scholarship Program
"We evaluate the Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP), a prominent school voucher plan. The LSP provides public funds for disadvantaged students at low-performing Louisiana public schools to attend private schools of their choice. LSP vouchers are allocated by random lottery at schools with more eligible applicants than available seats. We estimate causal effects of voucher receipt by comparing outcomes for lottery winners and losers in the first year after the program expanded statewide. This comparison reveals that LSP participation substantially reduces academic achievement. Attendance at an LSP-eligible private school lowers math scores by 0.4 standard deviations and increases the likelihood of a failing score by 50 percent. Voucher effects for reading, science and social studies are also negative and large. The negative impacts of vouchers are consistent across income groups, geographic areas, and private school characteristics, and are larger for younger children. These effects are not explained by the quality of fallback public schools for LSP applicants: students lotteried out of the program attend public schools with scores below the Louisiana average. Survey data show that LSP-eligible private schools experience rapid enrollment declines prior to entering the program, indicating that the LSP may attract private schools struggling to maintain enrollment. These results suggest caution in the design of voucher systems aimed at expanding school choice for disadvantaged students."
Rest in peace, David Bowie! said...
Turn and face the strange ch ch changes.
Look out you rock and rollers.
Hot Tramp I love you so!
you got your mother
in a whirl
she's not sure
if you're a boy or girl
seems like DB's passing should be a post from the blog
Letter from an Oregon Militiaman
there's only one step down from here said...
Democrats have fallen into a sinkhole with quicksand at the bottom
they ain't ever coming up
the lowest percentage of Americans in history identify with Dems:
just 29 percent
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/poll-political-party-identify-217562#.ithjvdy:EeXf
that's pathetic
and what hope is there?
there's the former first lady with baggage going up the wazoo
the latest batch of e-mails has her total of top secret e-mails through her personal computer at 1200
including at least one where she schemes to hide her e-mail system from the State Dept
currently, there are FBI agents threatening to resign if she's not indicted
and that's the least of her troubles
there's the money her foundation took from foreign governments
while she negotiated with them as Secretary of State
it's the kind of thing Robert McDonnell was convicted for
and howzabout all the anti-women statements she made about the women who accused her chubby hubby Prez of abusive behavior ('it's amazing what you'll get when you drag a dollar bill through a trailer park')?
any statements Trump's made pale by comparison
does anybody remember when Bill asked her to study how to reform the healthcare system in 93?
it was such a disaster that Dems lost both houses of Congress in 94
did you know she used to be a senator from NY even though she's not from NY?
and she didn't accomplish one damn thing her whole time on Capitol hill?
did you know she's already ran for Prez before and was rejected by America?
she just can't take a hint
did you know she was once SEcretary of State?
and she is the main architect of the current global catastrophe?
do we even need to mention Vince Foster?
oh, but you say:
there's always Bernie!!
a self-described socialist who opposes gun control
yeah, America's gonna warm right up to that!!
I remember last year Rachel Maddow was on Letterman
the discussion came to whether Trump might run
Maddow said 'really?' and started rolling her eyes around with an impish grin and everyone had a good laugh
America will wipe that smirk right off her face
she'll be out of a job when her low-rated cable network goes bankrupt
and Trump will be in the White House
maybe she can hold cue cards for Ellen Gegenerate
"there's always Bernie!!
Who needs facts when you have your own opinion and insist on keeping your head firmly planted in the dirt?
Yesterday's WSJ reported:
"...Among all registered voters, Mr. Sanders shows big leads over Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Marco Rubio and Donald Trump in New Hampshire and leads Messrs. Cruz and Trump in Iowa. He and Mr. Rubio are tied in Iowa..."
The results are pretty much the same in the national polls cited by RCP.
down low said...
oh, come on
you know the American people aren't that familiar with him
right now, he's the anti-Hillary
won't be that way in fall 2016
personally, I like the guy
but his views will never be accepted by Americans
and Donald Trump, with his talent for the low blow, will make sure we all know Bernie well before election day
Whatever happened to "president Huckabee", "president Walker" and "president Rubio"?
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Research shows with each instance of verbal or physical harassment, the risk of self-harm among LGBT youth is 2 ½ times more likely.
This is Wyatt/bad anonymous's goal when he attacks LGBT people. He knows it harms them and he likes that because he's a sadist.
For some reason the above link is not working. Copy and paste into your browser instead:
http://www.businessinsider.com/antigay-prejudice-and-elevated-mortality-2014-2
2015 Unambiguously the Hottest Year on Record
"BERKELEY, Calif., Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- According to new Berkeley Earth analysis, 2015 was unambiguously the hottest year on record. For the first time in recorded history, the Earth's temperature is clearly more than 1.0 C (1.8 F) above the 1850-1900 average. 2015 was approximately 0.1 degree C (about 0.2 degrees F) hotter than 2014, which had tied with 2005 and 2010 as the previous hottest years. 2015 set the record with 99.996% confidence. The analysis covered the entire surface of the Earth, including temperatures from both land and oceans. The warming was not uniform, and for the contiguous United States, it was the 2nd warmest year ever (+1.33 C), surpassed only by 2012.
Elizabeth Muller, Executive Director of Berkeley Earth, notes, "Berkeley Earth has taken a cautious approach to announcing hottest years. A year ago, we announced that 2014 was not a clear record, but only in a statistical tie with 2005 and 2010. Now, however, it is clear that 2015 is the hottest year on record by a significant margin."
Including 2015 in the plot of temperature over time also seems to erase the much talked about "pause" in recent warming. Richard Muller, Scientific Director of Berkeley Earth says, "This new high temperature record confirms our previous interpretation that the pause was temporary and that global warming has not slowed." Lead scientist Robert Rohde adds, "The decades-long rise due to greenhouse gas emission is now clearly continuing."
In total, Berkeley Earth estimates that 16.9% of Earth's surface and 16.4% of its land surface set record high annual averages in 2015. There were record highs in much of South America and the Middle East, and parts of the US, Europe, and Asia.
The international community has set a goal of limiting warming to no more than 2 C above pre-industrial levels; the Earth is now approximately half way to that limit. Robert Rohde said "At the recent rate of warming may begin to cross that threshold in about 50 years."
Elizabeth Muller stressed, "The most important things we can do to mitigate global warming include energy efficiency and the increased use of renewables, natural gas, and nuclear power. It is time for us to stop being picky about which is the very best solution to global warming – we need all solutions that are available to us today."
The details behind these conclusions, including charts showing the warming and maps showing the distribution, are at: http://berkeleyearth.org/temperature-reports/"
Link repaired for Priya Lynn said...
Yeah, Obama gave a great SOTU last night which has apparently reduced you to reeling off long debunked conspiracy theories.
Vince Foster was debunked by Ken Starr!
And how did the GOP respond to Obama's last SOTU speech??
"...Nikki Haley’s official rebuttal speech really made Obama’s point for him. Yes, Haley was clearly using the speech to campaign against Trump on behalf of, well, anyone else in the race.
However, her speech made it clear that the objection to Trump is almost entirely aesthetic, with her jab about “the loudest voice in the room”. But on the substantive issues, Haley made sure the conservative base knew that the Republican Party fully supports this vortex of bigotry and paranoia they’ve been sucked into. And in doing so, she proved Obama right.
For instance, Obama’s point about how it’s irresponsible to exaggerate the dangers of terrorism or to imply that he’s secretly working for the other side? Haley did just that: “Even worse, we are facing the most dangerous terrorist threat our nation has seen since 9/11, and this president appears either unwilling or unable to deal with it.”
Or Obama’s warning about exploiting anti-Muslim bigotry to pander to bigots? Oh yeah, Haley did that, too: “And in this age of terrorism, we must not let in refugees whose intentions cannot be determined.” (Her implication that we do so is a flat-out lie. Refugees have a lengthy process, of an average of 18-24 months, of vetting to get into this country.)
Perhaps the worst part of her speech, however, was when Haley exploited the hate crime committed in her state — a mass shooting at a black church that took the lives of nine people — to pander to racists who want to believe the Black Lives Matter movement is deliberately instigating riots: “We didn’t have violence, we had vigils. We didn’t have riots, we had hugs.”
As Jamelle Bouie noted on Twitter:
Jamelle Bouie ✔@jbouie
“We didn’t have riots, we had hugs” is such a slap in the face to communities that had real and deep seated problems.
Haley is praised for her conciliatory rhetoric but that line reveals how much she’s also perfected the use of dog whistles.
In his speech, Obama warned about those who promise “to restore past glory if we just got some group or idea that was threatening America under control.”
It’s not just Donald Trump. The woman the Republicans flagged to offer their official rebuttal used her speech to do just that. Haley used her speech to take swipes at refugees, at immigrants, and at protesters who are trying to reduce police violence. She went about as low as you can go, weaponizing the loss of innocent lives to chastise people who are trying to stop the loss of more innocent lives. She was exactly the threat to “rational, constructive debates” that Obama warned about.
It may seem strange to see a president use his last State of the Union address to focus so much on the ugly, divisive rhetoric of the right. But at least he had his Republican colleagues on hand to prove how right he was to do so."
citizens united said...
an earthquake is coming that will demolish Montgomery County politics as we have known it
the SCOTUS is poised to declare fair share union dues confiscated from non-union members of government agencies to be unconstitutional
the money behind the Apple Ballot will have to be returned to those from whom it was stolen
the cycle of union dues to union which contributes to Democrat politician who votes for higher public employee salaries to fund more union dues will be forever banned
so long, donkey people
Judicial activism is the earthquake you hope will come so maybe there will be another GOPer elected to office in Montgomery County. The last Montgomery County Executive who was a member of the GOP was also the first MoCo Executive ever, James Gleason who was in office from 1970-1978.
Since then every MoCo Executive has been Democratic.
Charles Gilchrist 1978-1986
Sidney Kramer 1986-1990
Neal Potter 1990-1994
Doug Duncan 1994-2006
Ike Leggett 200-2016
The elected members of the Montgomery County Council are all Democrats too:
Robert Berliner
Craig L. Rice
Sidney A. Katz
Nancy Navarro
Tom Hucker
George L. Leventhal
Nancy Floreen
Marc Elrich
Hans Riemer
Even in the six years since the January 21, 2010 SCOTUS decision in the Citizens United case, GOPers can't win elected office in MoCo.
If SCOTUS rules against the unions collecting dues for non-members, who the unions must by law represent in grievances, it won't change the election outcomes here in Montgomery County.
In 2014 in Montgomery County, Hogan/Rutherford lost to Brown/Ulman by a vote of 163,694 to 97,312.
hee-haw said...
"Judicial activism is the earthquake you hope will come"
the judiciary is tasked, by the Constitution, with overruling legislation that violates the Constitution
"Judicial activism" would be when judges make laws
forcing people to support political activism is unconstitutional
unions are not governmental units
they don't have the power to tax
bye-bye, donkey-heads
Creepy GOP bill proposed in VA... said...
Creepy Virginia Toilet Proposal Could Require Genital Inspections, Critics Fear
Transgender people would face a $50 fine for using "wrong" bathroom.
...A Republican lawmaker in Virginia is so concerned over which bathrooms transgender people use, including children at school, that he is proposing a law that would fine them $50 each time they enter a restroom that doesn't match their "anatomical sex."
House Bill 663, proposed by Delegate Mark Cole of the state's House of Representatives, defines anatomical sex as "the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined by a person's anatomy." It would require all restrooms on property owned or leased by the state "solely be used by individuals whose anatomical sex matches such gender designation."...
...The bill does not specify how "anatomical sex" will be confirmed by the law-enforcement officer, but civil rights advocates say there's really only one way to be sure.
"[A]dults would be required to inspect children’s genitals before they use the bathroom,"..."
schools have birth certificates on file and have a record of students' gender
this is not a problem
"civil rights advocates" are getting desperate
"girls" with guy parts don't belong in the girls' room
they belong in the boys' room, where they will get a special swirly welcome
Typical troll behavior by Wyatt/bad anonymous. Posting comments just to antagonize fair people and advocating forcing transwomen to use the men's room where he admits he knows they will be violently attacked. That's because Wyatt is a sadist as research shows.
Of course Wyatt advocating violence against LGBTs is nothing new. In the past he's condoned imprisoning and executing gays:
In this thread he said regarding Uganda's law requiring the death penalty for gays for more than one act of engaging in same sex sex:
I said "Bad anonymous left out one situtation where the Uganda law called for the death penalty - if the person was a repeat "offender".
That meant if you had sex with more than one same sex partner, or more than once with the same partner they proposed putting you to death."
Bad anonymous responded: "yes, Robert said that too I didn't leave it out on purpose, I didn't know about it. Of course, penalties should increase with repeated offenses but the death penalty would be wrong".
And in this thread Wyatt/Bad anonymous expresses support for India recriminalizing gay sex:
And in this thread Wyatt/bad anonymous supports executing people for being gay.
"in the U.S., you can be executed for doing nothing in Iran, you have to commit a serious crime, like homosexuality"
Not surprisingly Wyatt/bad anonymous has since tried to walk back his comments showing his true feelings by laughably claiming gay sex is synonymous with having sex in public and he was "really" advocating imprisoning and executing gays for having sex in public - he just refers to having sex in public as homosexuality,
How pathetic. You can't fool anyone with that Wyatt. You're just a disgusting person.
"A Republican lawmaker in Virginia is so concerned over which bathrooms transgender people use, including children at school, that he is proposing a law that would fine them $50 each time they enter a restroom that doesn't match their "anatomical sex."
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "schools have birth certificates on file and have a record of students' gender this is not a problem".
Wrong. It is a problem. The law specifically requires that a person's gender be determined by their anatomy, not their birth certificate. As any person assigned male at birth could have female anatomy (or vice versa) the law requires the inspection of children's genitals before allowing them to use the bathroom. Plus its a lie that schools have birth certificates on file.
Just think what bigots like Wyatt/bad anonymous are demanding:
That these two transexual men use the women's bathroom!
"schools have birth certificates on file and have a record of students' gender"
Sometimes gender designations by those doctors represent his or her best guess.
The GOP supposedly supports limited government, yet Virginian Marc Cole supports legislating that public school personnel must check your children' genitals before possibly fining them for peeing in the wrong potty at school.
Imagine the poor public school employee trying to figure out the genitals of intersex students, when even OB/GYNs may not be able to determine the gender of intersex newborns. If Cole's bill is passed into law, every public school in Virginia will need some way to determine if each intersex child has ovaries or testes because some external genitalia are ambiguous.
in the land of the swirly twirly gumdrops said...
"The GOP supposedly supports limited government, yet Virginian Marc Cole supports legislating that public school personnel must check your children' genitals before possibly fining them for peeing in the wrong potty at school.
Imagine the poor public school employee trying to figure out the genitals of intersex students, when even OB/GYNs may not be able to determine the gender of intersex newborns. If Cole's bill is passed into law, every public school in Virginia will need some way to determine if each intersex child has ovaries or testes because some external genitalia are ambiguous."
this is all propagandistic extrapolation
in most cases, a person's story is well-known in the community
if there's any doubt, the school will simply request a doctor's note, as they do for other circumstances
guys shouldn't be in the girls' room swinging their thing around
it's common sense
and if they want to dress like a girl when they're a guy
and they wander into the boys' room that way,
they'll likely get a swirly welcome
no real harm done, just a little social discipline to maintain decorum
the answer: don't come to school dressed like a girl if you're a guy
How many of us segregate the bathrooms in our homes by gender?
Not me, not my parents, not my grown children in their homes either.
Maybe you like to wave your schlong around in the mens room but can you show us a single example of a trans woman doing so?
No one will be holding their breath while you come up with nothing.
Typical trolling behavior, Wyatt/bad anonymous saying a vicious assault is "no real harm done". What a sadist!
He's either crazy or a troll. Wait who am I kidding? He's both!
King of Candyland said...
"What problem?"
that would your apparent problem with gender segregated rest rooms
Priya thinks a swirly is a "vicious assault"?
it's not a big a deal
just ask Ward
he survived
you can clean him up but said...
Ward's daily swish in grammar school helped him maintain basic standards of hygiene
that, and the roach motel he wears around his neck!!
"Maybe you like to wave your schlong around in the mens room but can you show us a single example of a trans woman doing so?
No one will be holding their breath while you come up with nothing."
< Crickets chirping >
sick of the slick and wicked said...
if you think I'm going to respond to your request to provide you with pornography, you're insane
you sick TTFer!!
Look who thinks supporting a statement you made yourself earlier today, "guys shouldn't be in the girls' room swinging their thing around," with an example from the real world is "pornography."
That's just stupid.
And of course, you still can't come up with an example of a trans woman doing so.
< Crickets continue chirping >
swirly time down south with Ward and June said...
we're not going to get graphic
I'm sure you'd love that, you creeper
society has always believed separate bathrooms for genders is appropriate and there's no compelling reason to change that to cater to a clearly delusional situation among a very tiny subset of anatomical males
"How many of us segregate the bathrooms in our homes by gender?
Not me, not my parents, not my grown children in their homes either."
typical BS from a TTFer
obviously, this bill isn't concerned with single user restrooms
you people are pathetic
tilt-o-whirl said...
a new study out shows that Swirly Reparative Therapy actually works
same gender sexual attraction is reduced up to 59% among gays treated to a swirly every 4 hours
the only down side is having to wake up in the middle of the night for treatment
a small price to pay for a chance at a normal life for these people
another triumph in the treatment of a mental disease once thought incurable
whirl on, silver wheels said...
"shake it off"
President Ben speaks to internet trolls said...
"You know, you go to the internet, you start reading an article, and you go to the comments section—you cannot go five comments down before people are calling each all manner of names," Carson said. "Where did that spirit come from in America? It did not come from our Judeo-Christian roots, I can tell you that."
looking at the above, the only person I see calling another person a name is Priya, who seems intrinsically unable to disagree with anyone without calling them bad-anonymous
well, you're preaching to the choir
we've all seen this behavior from Priya
Troll Detected
Wyatt/bad anonymous laughably says he's not a troll. Not even remotely convincing when he continuously posts stuff like this:
"Ward's daily swish in grammar school helped him maintain basic standards of hygiene that, and the roach motel he wears around his neck!!".
You're not even fooling yourself Wyatt.
"Most polls don't matter much. But this one does. A recent Public Religion Research Institute survey has revealed a devastating truth: While about 80 percent of black Christians believe police-involved killings -- like the ones that killed Tamir Rice, Laquan McDonald, and so many more -- are part of a larger pattern of police treatment of African Americans, around 70 percent of white Christians believe the opposite ... that they are simply isolated incidents.
And before many begin disassociating with the term "white Christians," we should look deeper. The numbers include 72 percent of white evangelical Protestants, 71 percent of white Catholics, and 73 percent of white mainline Protestants. This is about all white Christians.
What's worse? Take away the moniker of "Christian" and the numbers drop to around 65 percent. White Christians are as a whole less likely to believe the experiences of black Americans than non-Christian whites. This is a shameful indictment of the church. We need to change this -- and we can.
It's time for white Christians to act more Christian than white."
Wyatt/bad anonymous the only reason I call you bad anonymous is to distinguish you from other posters. AS I've repeatedly offered to you in the past:
Pick ONE unique pseudonym (as you've promised you would in the past)and use ONLY that pseudonym and I'll stop calling you bad anonymous and refer to you by that pseudonym.
You don't want to do that you have no one to blame but yourself for me calling you bad anonymous.
rolling on a sliver said...
Priya accuses someone of being a troll for assuming that Ward experienced a few swirlies as a child but perhaps they were playing with Priya because of Priya's previous over-reaction to the very mention
as in so many cases, Priya has a tremendous chicken-egg problem
Priya, have asked Ward how many swirlies he had growing up
and did they influence his same gender attraction
remember, this is for posterity!!
I'm sure all the anons are grateful for your generous offer
I won't even mention that if you were confused, you were still not obligated to refer to anyone in a derogatory manner
take a little time for personal reflection and see if you don't conclude that you are actually a troll
just speaking as one of many anons, please refer to me as Peter the Great
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "this is all propagandistic extrapolation in most cases, a person's story is well-known in the community if there's any doubt, the school will simply request a doctor's note, as they do for other circumstances".
In many cases peoples story is NOT known. Children assigned one gender at birth live as another and no one other than their parents knows any different until they look at their genitals. Asking the child to get a note from their doctor to determine which bathroom they can use is just forcing a third party genital inspection on children. As we've been saying, there's no way around the fact that this proposed law will require children to have their genitals inspected before being allowed to use the bathroom they want to.
Wyatt and bigots like him want these two burly men who were born women to use the women's bathroom and terrify all the women there. He's an insane sadist!
"just speaking as one of many anons, please refer to me as Peter the Great".
You mean "Speaking as one anon who pretends to be many". You didn't post your comment as "Peter the great". Your entire comment was trolling, you're not even feigning not being a troll anymore.
Post your all your next comments as "Peter the great" and ONLY "Peter the great" and I'll refer to you as such as long as you stick to that and have anything non-trollish to say.
GREAT PETER said...
"As we've been saying, there's no way around the fact that this proposed law will require children to have their genitals inspected before being allowed to use the bathroom they want t"
ACTUALLY, THERE IS A BIG WAY AROUND IT:
LIKE MOST LAWS, SUCH AS SEAT BELT LAWS, IT WON'T BE ENFORCED OFTEN
ONLY IN BLATANT CASES
SORRY TO DISAPPOINT YOU AND WARD
NO PUBLIC GENITAL INSPECTION ARE ON THE HORIZON
Ooooo, testy, testy. All Caps/screaming in fact.
I never said all children will have their genitals inspected, only some of them. Or as you call them "BLATANT" cases. So, as you can see there is no way around it - this law will require some children to have their genitals ispected before they are allowed to use the bathroom of their choosing. Case closed.
Also, you initially asked to be referred to as "Peter the great", now you're posting as "GREAT PETER", two different pseudonyms. This is typical weaseling for you, promising to do or say or not say something and then trying to gradually wiggle your way out of it a little bit at a time.
This reminds me of this thread when you said "rolling thunder at June 03, 2008 3:23 PM said...
Oh, alright. From henceforth, I'm Rolling Thunder.
Jeez, you try and entertain everybody and this is the thanks you get!".
Of course back then you never again referred to yourself as "Rolling Thunder". Given your history it is extremely unlikely you'll post only under the name "Great Peter" but I'll give you a chance. If you post under any thing that doesn't say exactly "Great Peter" then the deals off. I'm not going to put up with you trying to weasel your way out of this.
Actually, I take it back. This law will require ALL children to have their genitals ispected before they use the bathroom of their choosing. There's no way of knowing if any child is transgendered in secret and it would be discrimination to only inspect the genitals of some children. Either all children will have to have their gentitals ispected, or none. All children have to be treated equally.
pRIYA, YOU'RE DISPLAYING AN IGNORANCE OF THE AMERICAN WAY
FEW LAWS ARE CONSISTENTLY ENFORCED HERE
IF THAT'S DISCRIMINATION, WE DISCRIMINATE WILDLY
LAWS ARE GENERALLY KEPT IN THE BACK POCKET OF THE GOVERNMENT FOR USE WHENEVER THE MAN WANTS TO COERCE PEOPLE
TAKE SEAT BELT LAWS
SORRY TO DISAPPOINT YOU AND WARD:
THERE WILL BE NO GENITAL INSPECTION OF CHILDREN
YOU TWO CAN STOP DREAMING
TECHNICALLY, IT'S ILLEGAL TO DRIVE WITHOUT WEARING A SEAT BELT
BUT YOU CAN DO IT WITH IMPUNITY
THE ONLY TIME IT'S ENFORCED IS WHEN SOME RICH A-HOLE THINKS THERE'S TOO MUCH TRAFFIC ON HIS STREET AND BRIBES A COP WITH A LITTLE OVERTIME PAY TO SIT THERE AND HARASS DRIVERS GOING BY HIS HOME
"Given your history it is extremely unlikely you'll post only under the name er""Great Pet but I'll give you a chance"
you are so much more marvelously magnanimous than mere mortals can comprehend
however, you misspelled my name
I'm not "Great Peter"
that sounds pathetic
I'm GREAT PETER
of transvaginal ultrasound probes
of determining the "anatomical sex" of people who pee in public restrooms, including public school students.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jan/13/monica-crowley-the-deal-with-the-clinton-devil-is-/
roundabout twenty years ago
America made a deal with the devil
because Bill Clinton had cooperated with Newt Gingrich's contract with America and moved forward with Reaganomics, America was booming
so, they turned the other way when Clinton was accused rape and assault and abuse
and tolerated Hillary calling his accusers trailer trash, setting back women's rights for decades
it was classic toleration of evil for financial gain
they've now recanted
and Hillary is going down
"of determining the "anatomical sex" of people who pee in public restrooms, including public school students."
give it up, psycho-creep
Virginia is not going to allow guys to go in girls' room and pull down their zipper just because they dress up like a girl
coming to a county near you
your fantasies won't come true
It's unlikely any kids' panties will be checked because this bill will not be enacted into law.
Unlike his disgraced and convicted predecessor Gov. "Vaginal Probe" McDonnell, Governor McAuliffe will not sign a VA state GOP sponsored big invasive government bill into law.
Now that SCOTUS has agreed to hear it, we should know if "VP" McDonnell will do time for his crime or not by June 2016
Mr Great Peter said...
"It's unlikely any kids' panties will be checked because this bill will not be enacted into law.
Unlike his disgraced and convicted predecessor Gov. "Vaginal Probe" McDonnell, Governor McAuliffe will not sign a VA state GOP sponsored big invasive government bill into law."
McAuliffe is part of the Clinton sleazeball brigade. You really count on him for anything. Like his old buddies the Clintons, he'll do anything under the right circumstances. He has no principles. Besides, he's had a little trouble controlling the legislature in Virginia.
You consider it "invasive" for the government to keep guys from trespassing in the girls' room? And you, no doubt, thinks it's not invasive for the government to tell bakers they have to help gays' celebrate deviant homosexual "weddings"?
It's obvious you are not motivated by principle but an agenda to corrupt our society.
"Now that SCOTUS has agreed to hear it, we should know if "VP" McDonnell will do time for his crime or not by June 2016"
McDonnell and his wife were an embarrassment to Virginia but the remedy for his type of behavior is at the ballot box. He broke no law. The things he did are standard for politicians. Certainly, Hillary and Bill have done scores of more corrupt things. And Hillary may have broken some actual laws. The FBI is currently for her indictment.
Back to McDonnell. He'll be cleared by the SCOTUS because even sleazeball politicians have rights. You can't be thrown in prison because people don't like the way you act. You're entitled to a trial where you are judge on whether you broke the law. Not a trial on whether there should be a law against what you did.
Meanwhile, the guys who dress like girls and go traipsing into the girls' room should be sentenced to a week of swirlery.
that oughta adjust their behavior
Reply to the TTF troll said...
"You consider it "invasive" for the government to keep guys from trespassing in the girls' room?"
No I don't and I didn't say I did,
I consider it invasive for lawmakers to propose verifying "anatomical sex" of people who use public restrooms.
Ladies' room, unlike mens' room, do not have communal urinals where some men might go "swinging their thing around." Instead, ladies' rooms have private stalls with doors that close and lock so each person who pees in one does so in complete privacy.
This is especially true in public schools girls' bathrooms.
"I consider it invasive for lawmakers to propose verifying "anatomical sex" of people who use public restrooms."
the bill doesn't speak of any type of verification
here's the original post by the propagandist who initiated this discussion:
"..The bill does not specify how "anatomical sex" will be confirmed by the law-enforcement officer, but civil rights advocates say there's really only one way to be sure"
"civil rights advocates" are, well, advocates
meaning they extrapolate (make things up) to promote their view
presumably, in the few instances where there was suspicion that a guy was dressing like a girl and going in the girls' room, the principal would discreetly call them down and discuss the matter
if there were still doubt, the parents could be called and, if there is still a doubt, perhaps a note from a physician
but you rabid fanatics know well none of this would ever happen
it's a law that would only be enforced in rare blatant and flagrant cases
in those cases, everyone knows what's going on
this is a law that would be on the books for an as-needed basis
now, go give yourself a swirly
btw, we all notice that now that an anon has chosen a handle, Priya no longer feels the need to call anons anything
which just proves that Priya did not refer to the anons derogatorily out of necessity
it was an intentional act to engage in trollery
Priya is a troll
Tony the Tiger said...
it's always GGGGGRRRRREEAAATTTT!!! to see a case closed
goodbye said...
and thus concludes the Teach the Facts blog
thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts over the years, especially the insightful anonymi
I don't keep up the blog like I used to, posting several times a day, mostly because the fight has been fought and won. I will continue to post occasionally for the community.
The departure of one troll does not "conclude the Teach the Facts blog."
Is that the swan song from our swirly troll?
If selling a gay couple a wedding cake means a chrstian baker participated in their wedding then selling a gun to a murderer means a christian gun store owner participated in the murder.
Wyatt/bad anonymous posted as "Tony the Tiger" and "Mr. Great Peter" instead of "Great Peter" so the deal is off. I knew he wouldn't stick to his word.
Good anonymous said "I consider it invasive for lawmakers to propose verifying "anatomical sex" of people who use public restrooms."
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "the bill doesn't speak of any type of verification presumably, in the few instances where there was suspicion that a guy was dressing like a girl and going in the girls' room, the principal would discreetly call them down and discuss the matter if there were still doubt, the parents could be called and, if there is still a doubt, perhaps a note from a physician but you rabid fanatics know well none of this would ever happen it's a law that would only be enforced in rare blatant and flagrant case".
It doesn't matter what the law didn't say, it only matters what it said which is that who can use what bathroom will be determined by anatomy. There's only one way to verify that and that's by genital inspection as Wyatt/bad anonymous admits when he calls for a third party to do the inspection ("doctors note")
And of course the law can't discriminate against some students so it requires that either ALL students have their genitals inspected or NONE.
Wyatt/bad anonymous has claimed he was going to stop posting in the past and of course he lied and kept posting. Same thing will happen with this "so long".
Happy Religious Freedom Day said...
"For all of the shouting about religious liberty — from the landmark Hobby Lobby Supreme Court case, to the passage of the anti-gay Religious Freedom Restoration Act in Mississippi, and more — there is barely any mention, let alone any observance, of the official national Religious Freedom Day, enacted by Congress in 1992 and recognized every January 16 by an annual presidential proclamation.
The day commemorates the enactment of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom in 1786.
Why is this seemingly obscure piece of Revolutionary-era legislation so vital? And why doesn’t the Christian Right want you to know anything about it?
The bill, authored by Thomas Jefferson and later pushed through the state legislature by then member of the House of Delegates, James Madison, is regarded as the root of how the framers of the Constitution approached matters of religion and government, and it was as revolutionary as the era in which it was written.
It not only disestablished the Anglican Church as the official state church, but it provided that no one can be compelled to attend any religious institution or to underwrite it with taxes; that individuals are free to believe as they will and that this “shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.”
As a practical matter, this meant that what we believe or don’t believe is not the concern of government and that we are all equal as citizens.
Following the dramatic passage of the Statute in 1786, Madison traveled to Philadelphia, where he served as a principal author of the Constitution in 1787. As a Member of Congress in 1789 he was also a principal author of the First Amendment, which passed in 1791.
Jefferson was well aware that many did not like the Statute, just as they did not like the Constitution and the First Amendment, both of which sought to expand the rights of citizens and deflect claims of churches seeking special consideration.
So before his death, Jefferson sought to get the last word on what it meant. The Statute, he wrote, contained “within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohametan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination.”
That is a powerful and clear statement. Jefferson, almost 200 years ago, refuted the contemporary claims of Christian Right leaders, many of whom not only insist that America was founded as a Christian nation, but that the framers really meant their particular interpretation of Christianity. (And they are sometimes encouraged by a surprisingly wide array of pundits.)
Jefferson further explained that the legislature had specifically rejected proposed language that would have described “Jesus Christ” as “the holy author of our religion.” This was rejected, he reported, “by the great majority.”..."
You remember, there is one rule, anon.
Well, that was a short goodbye Great Peter, just under five hours. Rather impetuous of you. You should stop making those childish claims you're going to stop posting, you just look foolish.
Priya, you misspelled my screen name. That's GREAT PETER. I know you're committed to the idea that everybody should be obligated to call people their chosen name so you'll want to go along. After all, you used to call yourself "Randy" and when you changed your name to "Priya", I was courteous enough to call you that.
"You remember, there is one rule, anon."
Unbelievably, people, he speaks the truth. His only principle is that delusion must be indulged. Jim's getting up there so I think we should all give him a break. Like Bernie Sanders, he's everyone's crazy Uncle Ed. "Hey kids, GET OFF MY LAWN!!" Don't laugh, we'll all get there someday.
The earliest articulation of the rule that I can find is August 27, 2009, back when I was still a youngster. That's pretty consistent.
THE GREAT AND COURTEOUS PETER said...
Wyatt/bad anonymous, you broke our agreement. You initially asked to be called "Great Peter" which I agreed to and then you posted as "Mr Great Peter" and "Tony the Tiger" and lastly as "The Great and courteous Peter" so I'm under no obligation to refer to you as "Great Peter".
And I agreed to call you by the ONE UNIQUE name of your choosing as long as you stuck to that. I never agreed to any specific capitialization of said name.
I knew you'd try to weasel your way out of this, and I'm not having it. If you thought I was going to indulge your childishness and backtracking you're wrong.
Great Peter and GREAT PETER are spelled the same, but anyone can see one is courteous and the other is loud-mouthed.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "After all, you used to call yourself "Randy" and when you changed your name to "Priya", I was courteous enough to call you that".
You lie. You frequently called me Randy Schimnosky long after I legally changed my name to Priya Lynn.
"you broke our agreement. You initially asked to be called "Great Peter" which I agreed to and then you posted as "Mr Great Peter" and "Tony the Tiger" and lastly as "The Great and courteous Peter" so I'm under no obligation to refer to you as "Great Peter""
uh, Priya
you claimed you had no choice but to refer to anonymi in a derogatory manner because you can't distinguish them apart
now, you claim you can clearly tell who an anonymous is despite the use of different names
you're not fooling anyone so perhaps you should stop making yourself look like a fool
simply admit you've behaved as a troll and reform yourself moving forward
and don't pull that old line that you can't change because you were "born that way"
there are many methods to alter behavior
worse comes to worse, have Ward give you a swirly
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "you claimed you had no choice but to refer to anonymi in a derogatory manner because you can't distinguish them apart".
You lie. I never said I had no choice, I said I did that to distinguish you. I was certainly well capable of choosing not to do that.
And you're not fooling anyone by implying you didn't post as "Tony the Tiger", "Mr. Great Peter", and "The Great and courteous Peter". You insist on being dishonest, I'm not playing along. You were never sincere about agreeing to post only as "Great Peter", right from the start you were planning on continuing your practice of pretending to be different people and posting under different names.
Why don't you say goodbye for good this time you child.
This is the religious right’s radical new plan: The very real efforts to create an American theocracy in plain sight
The religious right can't win at the polls. But that will not stop them from pursuing this dangerous, scary path
In the past several years, as the inevitability of gay marriage has grown clear, the religious right has unceasingly shifted focus to a new field of battle—one that they call the battle for “religious freedom.” “Gay rights will trample Christians’ religious liberty!” they claim.
But the worst violations of religious liberty actually came from the anti-gay religious right itself—from a 2012 constitutional amendment in North Carolina, which criminalized the performance of gay marriage. The law was successfully challenged by the United Church of Christ in 2014. “By depriving the Plaintiffs of the freedom to perform religious marriage ceremonies or to marry,” the UCC argued, “North Carolina stigmatizes Plaintiffs and their religious beliefs”—and the court agreed, finding it to be an unconstitutional violation of their rights.
Which is why it’s not surprising that UCC’s general minister and president, the Rev. John C. Dorhauer, wrote the preface to a major new report, shedding new light on the right’s decades-long campaign to redefine religious freedom into a tool for their own theocratic domination. “Removing someone’s civil rights by empowering the government to protect and preserve my religious homophobia is not my idea of religious liberty,” Dorhauer writes. But that’s exactly how the religious right has tried to stand the idea of religious freedom on its head. “What they want to call religious freedom is in fact the kind of oppressive religious tyranny that my ancestors left their homeland to escape,” Dorhauer added.
“When Christian Right leaders talk about religious liberty, they often really mean theocratic supremacism of their own religious beliefs inscribed in government,” Clarkson points out. The report presents a detailed account of how their Orwellian agenda is unfolding, combining up-to-the-minute analysis of recent developments with an historical account dating back to the 1970s and the birth of the modern-day religious right, defending Bob Jones University’s “right to discriminate,” based on religion. As noted in the report:
As recently as the 1980s, Christian Right activists defended racial segregation by claiming that restrictions on their ability to discriminate violated their First Amendment right to religious freedom….
Instead of African Americans being discriminated against by Bob Jones, the university argued it was the party being discriminated against in being prevented from executing its First Amendment rights. The Supreme Court disagreed….
Two things are worth noting here: first, the primacy of discrimination as a political motivation, and second, the “envious reversal” of victim and victimizer that lies at the heart of the conservative victimhood shtick. Elaborating on the first point, the report also notes:
…..even before the issues of abortion and homosexuality became the policy priorities of a newly politicized Christian Right, its leaders fought the perceived threat of racial equality at conservative Christian academies by claiming their religious freedom to discriminate. This legacy should remind us that the Right’s religious liberty campaigns mobilize old arguments around new targets, and that their agenda extends beyond questions of contraception coverage, or marriage and nondiscrimination in the LGBTQ context.
In short, Bob Jones University is not just an old case, irrelevant to what’s happening today. It represents, at its core, the exact same argument that conservatives are making today. As Faulkner wrote, “The past isn’t dead. It isn’t even the past.”
We see this as well with regard to the second point, the “envious reversal” of victim and victimizer. Portraying themselves as victims, uniquely, if not solely threatened with the loss of religious liberty, is the central premise of the right’s “religious liberty” crusade, even though, as the UCC case shows, their phony claims of victimhood can lead to actually victimizing others instead.
As the UCC case underscores, the cause they are actually advancing is neither religion nor freedom, but the antithesis of both: theocratic political control. No church, minister or priest anywhere in America has ever been forced to perform a gay marriage against their will—the kind of scenario that so-called “religious freedom” advocates supposedly fear. Yet, for almost two years, UCC ministers in North Carolina faced criminal charges if they dared to perform a same-sex marriage ceremony. UCC’s case made it stunningly clear which side was really interested in religious liberty, and which side was deceptively hijacking the concept to force its own narrow-minded religious views onto the rest of society—the exact opposite of what most Americans instinctively know religious freedom to be.
“The evangelical Protestant Christian Right and U.S. Roman Catholic bishops are intensifying their campaign to carve out arenas of public life where religious institutions, individuals, and even businesses may evade civil rights and labor laws in the name of religious liberty,” Clarkson writes in the executive summary. “By creating zones of legal exemption, the Christian Right seeks to shrink the public sphere and the arenas within which the government has legitimacy to defend people’s rights, including reproductive, labor, and LGBTQ rights.”
Their goal is to impose a conservative Christian social order inspired by religious law. To achieve this goal, they seek to remove religious freedom as an integral part of religious pluralism and constitutional democracy, and redefine it in Orwellian fashion to justify discrimination by an ever wider array of “religified” institutions and businesses.
Clarkson describes religification as “a tactic … by which an organization rewrites mission statements, contracts, and job descriptions in an attempt to exempt institutions from the law in as many ways a possible,” and he points out that “The groups promoting this tactic, such as Alliance Defending Freedom and Liberty Institute, have issued handbooks to help organizations protect against ‘dangerous antireligious attacks.’”
One such “dangerous antireligious attack” involved 2,800 employees of the St. Peter’s Healthcare System of New Brunswick, New Jersey, whom the hospital tried to cheat out of their pension benefits under the guise of “religious freedom.” The hospital had underfunded its pension plan by $30 million, claiming a religious exemption from the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), which protects individuals in most private pensions by setting minimum standards, including mandatory fiduciary and funding requirements. “Pensioner Laurence Kaplan was concerned that the plan was underfunded and his lawsuit showed that indeed it was,” Clarkson reports:
For more than 30 years it operated the plan according to ERISA standards. But in 2006, St. Peter’s stopped fully funding the plan, seeking—and eventually receiving—a determination from the IRS that it was eligible for the church exemption under ERISA. But the federal courts disagree. St. Peter’s must now comply with ERISA’s protections including full funding of the plan.
Clarkson uses the term “religification” in a fairly narrow, carefully constrained sense. “The usage for my purposes is not in making the secular religious,” he told Salon, “but in making religious institutions and more of their employees and functions subject to doctrine for purposes of inoculation against societal laws and regulations.” There have been tendencies heading this way for some time, but they got a tremendous shot in the arm in 2012, with the Hosanna-Tabor Supreme Court decision, which found that a teacher was exempt from normal firing protections because she served in a ministerial capacity, having led students in prayer three times a day and taught religion four times a week. The ruling greatly intensified religification pressures, which in turn is why it matters so much to be clear about the lines. “For example, a church receptionist is not exactly a secular job,” Clarkson said. “But it is usually a stretch to call it a ministry by any reasonable standard.”
The Southern Baptist manual suggests assigning “… employees duties that involve ministerial, teaching, or other spiritual qualifications—duties that directly further the religious mission. For example, if a church receptionist answers the phone, the job description might detail how the receptionist is required to answer basic questions about the church’s faith, provide religious resources, or pray with callers.”
While the courts may not buy the idea that a receptionist can be reasonably construed as a minister in the legal sense, this is the kind of thinking that is permeating the conservative Christian world in the wake of Hosanna-Tabor.
What we can see going on here is particularly perverse. The receptionist’s job ordinarily has nothing ministerial about it, and being protected by labor laws, for example, in no way constitutes a real “dangerous antireligious attack.” But by seeking to religify itself, the church is effectively trying to roll back the rights of others—both secular employment law protections and their own religious freedom. After all, one could even be a good, believing Southern Baptist receptionist and still feel religiously oppressed by being forced to follow someone else’s bureaucratic religious script.
This brings us to the very core of the problem: Religious freedom is not about religion vs. irreligion, but about individual freedom vs. institutional coercion. Government is not the only institution that can coerce. Over the centuries, churches themselves have proven themselves remarkably adept at it, which is why the freedom to leave one church and join another—or no church at all—lies so close to the heart of true religious freedom. True religious freedom for the individual is intimately intertwined with the pluralistic diversity of the society in which they live, and is clearly reflected in our own history.
The actual origins of religious freedom in America don’t jibe at all with the religious right’s attempt to hijack the term, especially with their myth of America being founded as a “Christian nation.” It traces back to the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1777. The report notes that “before his death, Jefferson sought to get the last word on what it meant,” specifically:
The Statute, he wrote, contained “within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohametan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination”….
Jefferson further explained that the legislature had rejected proposed language that would have described “Jesus Christ” as “the holy author of our religion.” This was rejected, he reported, “by the great majority.”
The intention of religious pluralism could not be clearer, much to the religious right’s chagrin.
The Hobby Lobby decision not only extended religious exemptions to private businesses for the first time in U.S. history, it gave private business owners the power to override scientific truth. In a little-noticed echo of Galileo’s confrontation with the Catholic Church, the Supreme Court came down firmly against science, as it “allowed the religious views of the owners of these companies to trump medical science in claiming that the four contraceptives at issue—two kinds of birth control pills and two kinds of intrauterine devices—were abortifacients,” despite an amicus brief submitted by medical associations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, refuting the claim.
There can be no quick-fix solution to such a sweeping, deeply rooted, and well-funded organizing effort as this. The report’s call-to-arms for a long-term organizing response is certainly warranted. But there is a quick fix for being puzzled, misled, disoriented, or confused on the subject of religious freedom. Read the report for yourself. And then do something about it.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "now, you claim you can clearly tell who an anonymous is despite the use of different names".
As a liar you might claim you didn't post as "Tony the Tiger, "Mr. Great Peter", or "The great and courteous Peter". An honest person who only posted as "Great Peter" would deny those posts as well. But what an honest person would never do is say "You can't tell if that was me because the names were different", they'd merely say "It wasn't me".
If you hadn't posted as "Tony the Tiger" or "Mr. Great Peter" or "The great and courtesous peter" it would be a simple matter for you to email Jim and have him verify that those posts weren't posted under the same IP address as the "Great Peter" comments. You didn't do that because you made all those posts under four different names.
Priya, the anonymous option on this blog is not deceit
there is no reason you can't deal with each comment on a stand-alone basis
it's a discussion of ideas not personalities
you suffer from many delusions that are indefensible
therefore, you desire to build cases against personalities rather than discuss issues
this is why you are so fixated on keeping track of what has been said by whom
beside your delusion about gender, the above lines of attack by you demonstrate that you suffer from:
1. materialism
2. collectivism
because of this, you believe that anyone who enters an agreement to perform services in exchange for compensation for anyone is obligated to do it for everyone
you think this because you believe such arrangements are a "privilege"
that the economy is owned collectively by the government and that all participants are under the supervision of the government and bound to support the governmental agenda, and are granted the privilege to participate under accountability to the government for supporting this agenda
but you're wrong
everyone has the right to associate with and partnership with and deal with anyone they choose
it's called freedom of association and doesn't change because compensation is part of the arrangement
every organization has a a mission and they have the perfect right to insist that those who join the organization share in the mission
if the organization has a religious purpose and homosexuality is a violation of their religious doctrine, it simply follows that they may choose to not employ homosexuals
it's just common sense
homosexuals should seek employment in organizations whose mission they can support, just like everyone else
as for your incessant derogatory reference to anonymous posters, these are acts of trollery
own your actions
it's the first step to mental health
Oh look who's playing doctor.
It's a Dr. Frist wannabe misdiagnosing on the basis of less than a videotape and just as wrong.
Go give yourself a swirly and support my freedom to tell you to do so!
James Peron said...
Sledgehammers and Rights: The Double Standards of the Religious Right
When a gay person is fired for being gay, we hear from conservatives that "it's freedom of association." However, when a fundamentalist Christian is fired with cause, for misusing their workplace as a pulpit for anti-gay hate, the same conservatives drop the "freedom of association" argument and pick-up the sledgehammer of "freedom of religion."
Apparently "freedom of religion" is so widely interpreted as to justify absolutely anything a fundamentalist Christian does.
There is a double-standard the Religious Right indulges frequently. It's a right when they do it, it's persecution when you do.
Of course, the Religious Right long have been masters of hypocrisy and double standards.
The newest such hypocrisy is the case of Dr. Paul Church who worked at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The urologist thought it wise to use the hospital's internet system to post anti-gay rants to all staff.
Church tried to pretend his concerns were "medical" in nature because the gay "lifestyle" is deadly. Oddly, he accompanied this with quotes from the Bible -- hardly a source of medical wisdom.
In 2011, Church went before a peer review committee for his offenses. He was told sending such material to other staff violated hospital harassment policies and to stop.
Of course, he refused and posted several more anti-gay tirades referencing the Bible. His lawyers, from the anti-gay group Liberty Counsel, claimed that Church "made known his objections in a medical capacity" and was thus free to do what he did. The medical textbook he used... oh, wait, it wasn't a medical textbook, it was the Bible.
His lawyers, Liberty Counsel can't even be honest about with their name -- their version of liberty only applies to people like themselves, not others. They filed an amicus brief to support sodomy laws in Texas. No "freedom of association" there, liberty only applies to people they like.
After repeatedly violating hospital policy, Church's right to practice at the hospital was revoked.
Of course, Religious Right sites were apoplectic about the decision. Lifesite weeped, "A well-loved and respected doctor with a background in sexual-risk behaviors has been expelled from one of the United States' most prestigious and top-ranked medical centers after he raised evidence-based health risk concerns over the center's decision to endorse and celebrate the homosexual lifestyle."
CharismaNews, which generally advocates faith healing not science, claims Church was a "popular doctor" expelled "after he voiced his religious beliefs about homosexuality." At least they saw his rants as "religious views" and didn't pretend he was merely voicing "health risk concerns."
Liberty Counsel, however, is no advocate of freedom of association. They dedicated a whole page of their website to telling fundamentalists how to use anti-discrimination laws in their favor. If worse comes to worse, the Christians can always hire Liberty Counsel to fight against their employer's "freedom of association."
The Religious Right has never advocated freedom of association, or liberty. Such rights, in their minds, are exclusive reserves guaranteed to fundamentalists alone while denied to others, particularly "godless sodomites."
One of the more blatant examples of this "rights-for-me-not-for-thee" view was the attempt by Republican legislators in Washington state. They filed a bill to provide exemptions to discrimination laws for those with "sincerely held religious beliefs."
But, as USA Today noted, "The measure would not apply to the denial of services to people under a protected class under federal law, such as race, religion or disability."
So, what was the purpose of the bill? It would legalize anti-gay discrimination for Christians, but would prevent discrimination against Christians. It would not apply to race, religion or disability, but gays are not a protected class in federal law. They were the target of the bill. It was legislation meant to grant Christians the right to discriminate against gays, but God forbid, gays were never to have a reciprocal right regarding Christians.
Under Washington discrimination law, Christians and gays were both covered. Fundamentalist Christians demanded the right to discriminate as they wish, while simultaneously retaining the privilege of being protected from discrimination. Yet, they accuse the LGBT community of demanding "special privileges."
When Christians start lobbying government to remove themselves as a protected class under anti-discrimination laws -- and only then -- will I believe they are serious about freedom of association. Until then I'll just view it as another self-serving attempt by fundamentalist to twist the law to grant special privileges to themselves, and only to themselves -- all others be damned, literally.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "Priya, the anonymous option on this blog is not deceit".
I never said it was. What's deceit is when I say to you "I'll stop referring to you as bad anonymous if you chose one unique pseudonym and post only under that pseudonym" and you respond in acceptance of my offer "'m sure all the anons are grateful for your generous offer...please refer to me as Peter the Great" and then you procede to post under a variety of different names and claim they weren't all you - that's deceit.
Wyatt absurdly claimed me calling him "bad anonymous" was trolling. It'd be trolling if I called a good person "bad", its not trolling when what you say is the truth - "Bad" is an accurate characterization of Wyatt/bad anonymous, the truth isn't trolling.
And in the meantime Wyatt/bad anonymous posts over and over things like "Ward's daily swish in grammar school helped him maintain basic standards of hygiene that, and the roach motel he wears around his neck!!" - now that's Trolling!
There's no equating me calling him "bad" with untrue nasty comments like that. But of course that's readily apparent to rational people, its just Wyatt that needs to have reality explained to him.
"then you procede to post under a variety of different names and claim they weren't all you"
Priya, you confused person
I've never done what you said here
I simply don't confirm or deny such accusations
and, as I've said, I believe it's irrelevant if we're going to discuss issues here
what someone has said previously has no bearing on whether their current point is correct
the obsession with identification is simply to divert from substantive issue
I realize that is necessary for you because your points lack logical fortitude
but facts are facts
after your swirly treatment
bemused again said...
Blogger Priya Lynn said...
This comment has been removed by the author."
Looks like a troll needs a swirly!
Ward, can you take care of it?
Troll detected!"
Wyatt's comment at 11:46 is typical troll behavior of him - it serves no purpose and is solely intended to provoke.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "what someone has said previously has no bearing on whether their current point is correct".
A ridiculous and obviously false assertion.
For example as I documented in this thread at January 14, 2016 12:27 PM you've posted comments condoning the imprisonment, assault, and execution of LGBT people and at other times you've claimed you don't believe same sex sex should be a punishable crime.
You have a long history of blatant lying, for example in October 2013 when we were debating who the public blamed most for the government shutdown you posted poll numbers on what percentage of people blamed Republicans or Democrats, only you dishonestly switched the Republican and Democrat poll numbers to try and deceive readers into believing the public blamed Democrats more. Shortly after that you copied and pasted a news story about how the number of abortions had dropped significantly just BEFORE Republicans passed a bunch of laws restricting abortion, only you changed the wording and inserted the word "AFTER" where "BEFORE" belonged.
Then you later said that you consider there nothing wrong with drastically changing the meaning of news stories you copy and paste as long as you didn't post where they came from.
This sort of blatant past dishonesty has direct bearing on all your future claims, casting them into severe doubt.
Obviously what a person's said in the past often has DIRECT bearing on whether their current point is true.
How pathetically childish and dishonest of you to claim otherwise.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "I've never done what you said here I simply don't confirm or deny such accusations".
You accepted my offer to stop calling you bad anonymous on the condition that you select one unique pseudonym and post ONLY under that pseudonym. You failed to keep up your end of the bargain, that was DECEIT".
While you didn't deny that your posts under "Tony the Tiger", "The great and courteous Peter" and "mr. Great peter" were you, you stated that there was no way to know they weren't different people which was in itself an attempt to deceive - a lie through omission.
Once again, an honest person in that situation would never have posted "You can't know that those were all me", he would have posted "I didn't make those posts!".
While a few of your statements are not technically lies, they are lies in spirit in that they are intended to deceive and mislead. I think your bible has something to say about adhereing to the letter of the law while crapping all over the spirit of the law.
"I think your bible has something to say about adhereing to the letter of the law while crapping all over the spirit of the law."
Research shows people like Wyatt/bad anonymous believe being a christian unconditionally means they are a good person and so they think behaving unethically doesn't change that.
Also, Wyatt/bad anonymous's long history of past troll coments about condoing swirlies of LGBT people and my husband being lobotomize and having a roach motel around his neck have direct bearing on whether any current staments he makes about not being a troll are true.
So when Wyatt/bad anonymous childishly says "what someone has said previously has no bearing on whether their current point is correct" this is another example of how that's obviously false.
When Wyatt/bad anonymous says "what someone has said previously has no bearing on whether their current point is correct" it makes clear that his motivation in posting anonymously and under various pseudonyms is firstly to deceive others by allowing him to contradict himself without being held accountable, to lie repeatedly and have people treat his current comments as though he has no history of lying so his character doesn't impugn any unsupported and probably false statements he makes, and lastly to pretend that there are multiple people sharing his viewpoint (as he so obviously does in this thread).
Its all DECEIT, DECEIT, DECEIT!
Fantastic post James Peron!!!
that was quite a series of rants, Priya
one can almost see the spittle sputtering from you as you get more and more worked up, rambling the same mistaken point over and over
"You accepted my offer to stop calling you bad anonymous on the condition that you select one unique pseudonym and post ONLY under that pseudonym. You failed to keep up your end of the bargain, that was DECEIT"."
for all you know, I did post under one name
not saying I did, not saying I didn't
but, remember, mystery is what makes life so fun
I don't negotiate with terrorists, howvever, and made no deal with you
I simply provided a name you could use for me if you wanted to turn from your trollery
you're still free to do so but I'm not agreeing to anything more than I've already done:
calmly present the opposition to the gay agenda
hope you're having a swirly day!!
Troll Detected!
What's deceit is when I say to you "I'll stop referring to you as bad anonymous if you chose one unique pseudonym and post only under that pseudonym" and you respond in acceptance of my offer "'m sure all the anons are grateful for your generous offer...please refer to me as Peter the Great" and then you procede to post under a variety of different names and claim they weren't all you - that's deceit.
Your intent from the start was to mislead us into believing you were sincere in agreeing to my proposal while giving yourself weasely cover to later claim you didn't agree to it as you knew you wouldn't adhere to it.
Typical Wyatt/bad anonymous trolling. When he's not outright lying he's acting like the Pharisees in the bible and sleazily playing to the letter of the law while crapping all over the spirit of the law.
You couldn't be more transparent Wyatt. Deceit is in your nature as is proven by your last (and all the other) comment. You're not fooling anyone, least of all yourself.
Wyatt is afraid to read my devastaing rebuttal to his absurd claim that a past comment has no bearing on whether or not a present comment is true so he tries in vain to dismiss it by calling it a rant while trying to put a brave face on his cowardice by hiding behind trolling.
Face it Wyatt, there's a long history in the justice system of a person's past behavior and comments determining how much credence should be given to current comments.
And let's not forget how all the past times you've condoned the imprisonment, assault, and execution of LGBTs proves false your later statments about not being in support of punishing people for being gay.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "I simply provided a name you could use for me if you wanted to turn from your trollery".
An obvious lie. You intended to mislead me and the readers into thinking you sincerely agreed to my offer to stop calling you bad aonymous. You're a deceitful person at heart.
Wyatt absurdly claimw me calling him "bad anonymous" iw trolling. It'd be trolling if I called a good person "bad", its not trolling when what you say is the truth - "Bad" is an accurate characterization of Wyatt/bad anonymous, the truth isn't trolling.
when someone displays an inordinate amount of anger, such as Priya has, you know that they are mad because they've been proven wrong
but anger is just crap
which is pretty funny considering all the questions swirling around Priya's head
Instead of dealing with the iron-clad rebuttals I made of his false statements Wyatt/bad anonymous thinks he can just call them "angry" and people will magically think he's disproven them. Not even a nice try Wyatt.
Note how after Wyatt agreed to my proposal by saying "I'm sure all the anons are grateful for your generous offer...please refer to me as Peter the Great" he complained that in one comment I refered to him as "You" rather then "Great Peter" and on multiple subsequent occaisions he complained I didn't capitilize "Great Peter" (which he called a mispelling). Then when I said he had broken our agreement by posting as "Tony the Tiger" he disagreed with me by saying that I couldn't know it was him posting under both pseudonyms. After that when I again said he had broken our disagreement he repeatedly disagreed with me by saying I couldn't know who posted under the different names.
This is not the behavior of a person didn't agree to post under only one unique pseudonym. Those are statements of a person trying (and failing) to defend himself from the accusations that he broke our agreement.
When he saw his denials weren't credible or working he then tried to backtrack further and say he never agreed to my proposal.
Wyatt/bad anonymous's deceit is obvious to everyone, even him. He's just not man enough to drop the farce and admit he lied.
LOL, Wyatt, it doesn't matter how much you weasel, deflect and try to avoid my devastating rebuttals by calling them "angry" or "rants", you just can't get around the truth.
You can never win when you depend on lies Wyatt - you just look childish and deceitful.
Did I mention what a great post James Peron made?
A devastating and crystal clear explanation of how people try to hide their attempts to deny equality to gays and lesbians by falsely claiming they're defending religious "liberty".
jamie pair-on said...
Priya, since the GREAT AND COURTEOUS PETER said LOL, JK
you've made 32 posts in a rage, deleting 4
other TTFers have made 4
non-TTFers, 6
clearly, you're somewhat unbalanced
and the whole wide internet is watching you
Your hatred for God's LGBT creations is staggering.
And that’s a fact.
You have so much hatred inside you that you cannot contain it.
You constantly spew your hatred for LGBT folk here in the comment section of the Vigilance blog.
And you've been doing it for years.
In this thread alone, you have spewing your hatred as “Great Peter,” “bemused again,” “the Great and Courteous Peter,” “goodbye,” “Tony the Tiger,” “Mr. Great Peter,” “rolling on a sliver,” “whirl on, silver wheels,” “tilt-o-whirl,” “swirly time down south with Ward and June,” “sick of the slick and wicked,” “you can clean him up but,” “King of Candyland,” “in the land of the swirly gumdrops,” “hee-haw,” “citizens united,” “down low,” “there’s only one step down from here,” “ha ha, say the clowns,” “is it bam-bam or peebles?,” “Edwin Superstarr,” “cinco de winter,” “postcard from a land ravaged by Obama,” “elephant in china shop,” “sunny day, everything’s A-OK,” “an impeach of an impair,” “gitchy goomy,” “summer breeze makes me feel fine,” “where free speech went,” “farm to table,” “global warming has not increased since 1998,” “watcher,” “self-evidently brilliant,” “the glimmer twins,” “illogic unveiled,” “factually correct,” “everything is beautiful,” and “trans-brilliant.”
And before you almost settled temporarily on "Great Peter," you spewed your hatred multiple times in your fake guises all over the blog.
If you don't want your drivel corrected, quit driveling here at Vigilance.
You said you were leaving.
So go.
You and your hatred will not be missed.
that'll be the day said...
yes, and do provide us with an example of any of the non-TTF anons' "staggering hatred"
(crickets chirping)
LOL Wyatt, the number of posts I've made and deleted in no way has any bearing on the truth of my arguments.
On the other hand, your long history of lying and contradicting yourself does have a very direct bearing on the truth and credibility of your current statements as I've so ably demonstrated.
And of course none of my posts were made "in a rage". They were rational with iron-clad logic, to the point, and thorough. Wyatt is just afraid to address them because he knows he can't.
You know you've been defeated and can't rebut my points so you pathetically and cowardly try to ignore them and hand wave them away by calling them "angry", "rants", and frequent(?!), delusionally thinking that takes the place of reasoned arguments of which you have none.
You're weak Wyatt. Suck it up, be a man and admit you lied.
"yes, and do provide us with an example of any of the non-TTF anons' "staggering hatred""
I'm not going to repeat your hateful crap from above. Scroll up and read it yourself.
Every insult you have hurled at Priya Lynn, Cynthia, and me is full of hate.
If you are too blind to see it, maybe you should quit sticking your head in the dirt all the time so your eyes might have a chance to let you see all your hatred laid out there in black and white.
Or maybe you should just take your own advice to wash the dirt out of your own eyes:
"now, go give yourself a swirly"
"A lawsuit filed against the gym chain Planet Fitness over its policy of allowing trans people to use the changing facilities that accord with their gender presentation has been dismissed by a judge, making an important statement against anti-trans scaremongering.
You may remember that in March 2015 a branch of Planet Fitness in Michigan hit the headlines after a woman took exception to another woman who was trans using the same facilities as her. The complainant, Yvette Cormier, took her objections to the Planet Fitness’ front desk but was told the trans woman was within her rights to change using those facilities.
Unsatisfied, Cormier decided to take her complaint further.
"Cormier was not satisfied with this response and, while continuing to misgender the woman, attempted to make her complaints heard at Planet Fitness’ corporate office. She then returned to the Midland Planet Fitness and reportedly began telling other women in the locker room about her so-called concerns. Planet Fitness then called Cormier to warn her that they have a “no judgement” policy and that she was violating the terms of her membership agreement by refusing to drop this matter. Cormier said that she would not stop telling other women about the incident. At this point, she was told that her membership was being revoked as a consequence."
Unfortunately, not long after this, Cormier decided to take the matter even further. Contending that Planet Fitness subjected her to potential sexual harassment as a result of allowing a trans woman to use the same changing facilities as her, Cormier announced she had found representation with Kallman Legal Group of Lansing and was suing Planet Fitness for over $25,000. The suit alleges that Cormier faced an invasion of privacy and emotional distress, and that Planet Fitness’ policy breaches the Michigan Consumer Protection Act as well as violating the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.
Throughout this case Planet Fitness has remained steadfast that it would not be changing its policy allowing people who consistently identify as a particular gender and present as that gender to use the changing facilities that match their identity. Planet Fitness has also said that Cormier did not have her membership cancelled in retaliation for complaining, as she claims, but instead had her membership canceled because, among other things, she began bothering other clients who were attempting to use the gym’s facilities.
Cormier’s case has now been dismissed after Judge Michael J. Beale of the 42nd Circuit Court of the County of Midland found that Cormier had failed to provide evidence for any of her claims...."
"...In the dismissal Judge Beale very clearly states that he is not ruling on whether trans people are protected under Michigan law. In terms of federal law, the Obama administration has made it clear that, in the government’s opinion, the Civil Rights Act applies and that sex protections cover trans people. Michigan state law does not carry those protections however, and so a defense of trans rights on those grounds would likely have been problematic.
Instead, Judge Beale sates: “This Court is not called upon to determine whether transgender persons have any protected rights for use of a locker room facility, rather the issue is whether Plaintiff has stated any valid cause of action against a business allowing transgender persons to use the locker room that corresponds with their gender identify.”
Beale goes on to state “there was no intrusion upon the solitude or seclusion of the plaintiff by the presence of the clothed male [sic] in the common area of the restroom.”
Beale also made an important statement regarding Cormier’s claim of sexual harassment, saying that Beale had failed to prove “quid pro quo” that sexual harassment had taken place given that at no point had the trans person attempted any kind of sexual advance, sexual communication or anything of that sort. This gets to the heart of what Cormier is in fact alleging: that by simply allowing a trans woman to use the same facilities, Planet Fitness is subjecting women to the threat of harassment. That simply isn’t true, and Beale’s determination reflects that, saying, “Additionally, implementing a policy allowing individuals to use the facility based upon their own gender identity does not constitute conduct or communication inherently pertaining to sex…” and therefore the claim of potential sexual harassment fails.
The judge also noted: “Plaintiff may have reasonably expected only women would be present in the women’s locker room, even in the common area; however, she could no longer reasonable expect only women would use the facility after being told about the ‘judgment-free zone’ policy of Planet Fitness.”
The judge’s framing of this issue, and the somewhat otherizing language, is problematic but the findings represent a firm statement in favor of Planet Fitness’ ability to set its own trans-inclusive policies.
Nevertheless, Cormier’s lawyers have already said they will appeal to the circuit court. That appeal will be watched closely by LGBT rights groups who would welcome further affirmation by the courts that trans people in public accommodations do not constitute a risk–something that is blatantly clear to anyone who has looked at the facts or has even an ounce of compassion."
I'm not hearing any crickets.
Wyatt/bad anonymous said "yes, and do provide us with an example of any of the non-TTF anons' "staggering hatred"".
God, I could go on all day on that! Just a few examples:
"homosexuality is a mental illness" (not according to all major mental and physical health organizations - this is an attempt to demean and promote fear and hatred of gays)
"but the lesbians would prefer to force others to participate in immoral activity (No one is or wants to force others to participate in sex they find objectionable. There's nothing immoral about things which hurt no one, this is simply promoting hatred, fear, and oppression.
"as the gay agenda takes each new step toward a totalitarian state, they swear that what rational people forsee will never occur and it always comes to pass" (promoting hatred and fear of and agression towards innocent people)
""girls" with guy parts don't belong in the girls' room they belong in the boys' room, where they will get a special swirly welcome" (advocating devasting assaults)
And there's the times you condoned imprisoning and executing gays for being gay which I documented at January 14, 2016 12:27 PM
"guys shouldn't be in the girls' room swinging their thing around" (a lie intended to promote hatred and violence against trans people)
"if they want to dress like a girl when they're a guy and they wander into the boys' room that way, they'll likely get a swirly welcome no real harm done, just a little social discipline to maintain decorum"
"Priya thinks a swirly is a "vicious assault" it's not a big a deal just ask Ward he survived"
"Ward's daily swish in grammar school helped him maintain basic standards of hygiene that, and the roach motel he wears around his neck!!"
And then there's all the times Wyatt said Ward and I have been lobotomized.
The most hateful and disgusting thing is when he tries to trivialize and justify bigots sticking people's heads in toilets that sometimes contain urine and feces. In his sick mind whatever is done to LGBTs is "no big deal" as long as they survive the attack (at least thats what he says when he isn't condoning executing gays)
These types of attacks scar children for life, they never get over it and experience life long anger and depression at the injustice that diminishes their happiness. THIS IS WHAT WYATT/BAD ANONYMOUS CONDONES
This is but a tiny fraction of Wyatt/bad aonymous's staggering hatred of LGBT people.
the condescending caliph said...
no, because a gun need not be used for murder
if he sold a gun to someone he knew would commit murder with it, that would be an accessory to murder
if a baker bakes a cake knowing it will be used for a nefarious purpose, such as a deviant "marriage", he commits evil
when you pull your head out of the swish bowl!!
Poor, poor Wyatt. Reduced to pathetically suggesting that me making and deleting more posts than others proves me wrong.
Hahahahahahahahahahaha!
Wyatt/bad aonymous said "no, because a gun need not be used for murder if he sold a gun to someone he knew would commit murder with it, that would be an accessory to murder if a baker bakes a cake knowing it will be used for a nefarious purpose, such as a deviant "marriage", he commits evil".
Nope, there's no way around it, there's nothing nefarious or evil about a gay wedding and a wedding cake need not be used for a gay wedding (it could be a joke, or thrown away, or used for a heterosexual wedding).
Anyone selling a gun knows it can be used for murder and anyone selling a wedding cake knows it might be used for a gay wedding.
Anti-gay Christian business people are hypocrites - case closed.
who dat deletin' comments? said...
"JANUARY 18, 2016 6:14 PM
alas, people in a rage have trouble getting it out right
it's a clear sign of anger
"Nope, there's no way around it, there's nothing nefarious or evil about a gay wedding"
no, other than the fact that two people are ruining their lives indulging a delusion which has introduced invariably fatal diseases to our society, it's just peachy
"and anyone selling a gun knows it can be used for murder."
and they know they it can be used to prevent one too
that's why Bluck Obama, who wants to take everyone else's guns away, surrounds himself with squadrons of agents carrying
what a hypocrite!
he knows guns can keep him safe but he doesn't want everyone else having the same protection
meanwhile, young black males are gunned down daily
"If selling a gay couple a wedding cake means a chrstian baker participated in their wedding then selling a gun to a murderer means a christian gun store owner participated in the murder."
no, because a gun is probably the best way to prevent murder
but a cake that says "Randy & Ward" probably won't prevent a homosexual "wedding"
"Poor, poor anon. Reduced to pathetically suggesting that me making and deleting more posts than others proves me wrong."
no, that doesn't make you wrong
it a symptom, not a cause
you make many posts because you know you're wrong and try to obscure that
it's like the old adage:
if you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance
try to baffle 'em with the stuff in the swirl
There's more of that staggering hatred from Wyatt/bad anonymous - calling gay weddings "nefarious", "deviant", and "evil".
Oh Wyatt, will you ever learn not to deny the lies and hate you post?
And more typical troll behavior from Wyatt/bad anonymous, trying to provoke by trivializing violent assaults where people are held up side down and have their heads put in toilets that sometimes contain feces and urine.
These types of attacks scar children for life, they never get over it and experience life long anger and depression at the injustice that diminishes their happiness. THIS IS WHAT WYATT/BAD ANONYMOUS CONDONES.
That's more of that staggering hatred of LGBT people.
Congratulations Wyatt/bad anonymous!
You started out this thread trying to pretend you weren't a troll and I was because I called you "bad" and you couldn't have done a better job of demonstrating you're a troll!
It'd be trolling if I called a good person "bad", its not trolling when what you say is the truth - "Bad" is an accurate characterization of Wyatt/bad anonymous, the truth isn't trolling.
And Wyatt/bad anonymous posts over and over things like "Ward's daily swish in grammar school helped him maintain basic standards of hygiene that, and the roach motel he wears around his neck!!" - the epitome of trolling.
There's no equating me calling him "bad" with untrue nasty comments like that.
one of the regular anons said...
as anyone can see, the anon was responding to you persistent hostility
you've convinced yourself that the gay agenda is the conventional wisdom and so anyone that disagrees is just trying to shock everyone
many times during this thread, you've stated that if someone doesn't deny something, it must be true
while that's a false assumption, it may not be for one who believes it
hence, since you take this position, I'll assume this is correct:
"Ward's daily swish in grammar school helped him maintain basic standards of hygiene: that, and the roach motel he wears around his neck!!"
any other of Ward's nasty habits you want to discuss?
does he scratch himself and peel bananas with his feet?
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Wisdom From Jon Stewart
Curriculum Changes: World Does Not End
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PFOX Blows It Again
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Dear Children of Hong Kong
by an anonymous resident of Hong Kong
Dear children of Hong Kong:
Most if not all of you are very concerned about the puzzling scenes and conflicting interpretations/comments (some with fake photos) flying around, each perhaps serving some untold purposes. Concerned but not necessarily adequately informed (not as those who have followed the socio-political development in Hong Kong as a cool pursuit of truth rather than passion – to look for sometimes unpalatable truth rather than what you might prefer to believe, and have done so for a considerable length of time), this must have been a difficult time– though to some, they may actually have a privately congratulatory feeling of “being part of history or history making” as they do what they usually cannot on the streets.
It is difficult because you’ve seen friends estranged because of difference of belief. But it could also be excited (as revolution– what some cold minded scholar had labeled the “opium of intellectuals”)-- is said to be going. However, deep down you may feel unsure and worry about something may happen to destroy Hong Kong. This is particularly hard for those who are deeply entrenched in their beliefs (because you cannot turn back now), but somehow not really sure if what you have long upheld is true --- particularly as things don’t turn out as simple, easy, clear-cut and tangible as originally thought (or led to believe by the so-called “leaders” of civil disobedience).
Here I am not trying to explain the historical metamorphosis of events (for the past 17 to 30 years actually, and accumulated feelings on both sides---actually there is at least one third party few young people would think of---foreign governments). I am only offering a summary analysis plus some recommendations for you to consider.
First, the real bone of contention: “Lack of Mutual Trust”.
The central argument now is all about whether anyone can stand for election to become CE of HK—what pan democrats called “true universal suffrage”. Beijing obviously is worried about this and insists that : First, it must be nominated by the “Nomination Committee” (as spelled out in the Basic Law accepted by both Britain and China); second, only a candidate who claims allegiance to Hong Kong (jargon: “love” Hong Kong), and by extension, allegiance to China of which Hong Kong is a part.
Pan Democrats alleged that this is not true universal suffrage as there is some conditions for who can run. This view is accepted by most youths and some of their parents and teachers (who, because of the British ban of contemporary Chinese history in curriculum during their own school days, are largely uninformed about the development of the country save for its negative – though quite true—aspects). This camp then alleged that the Central Government does not trust Hong Kong people and therefore they are angry. They want CY Leung to step down as they alleged that he had not helped Beijing understand the “true” views of most Hong Kong people.
Let us first remember: trust must come from both sides to be mutual. Pan democrats, on one hand, has never said they trust Beijing. Now, let’s see whether the things they’d done since (actually before) the hand-over till now have laid a solid or even shaky but workable foundation of trust for Beijing? Hell, no! Look at some of the following:
Ever since 1997, from insulting the flag, to challenging the authority of the nation’s congress over the local court, to physically thrusting at then Vice Premier Li (now premier) when he was invited to deliver a lecture on China’s economy at Hong Kong University… and endless blockading and thrusting by force at the Liaison Office of the Central Government at Hong Kong, as well as the fanning up of anti-Mainlanders activities in recent years---apparently all aimed at alienating Hong Kong from Mainland which was united only after 150 years.
Some of them have openly (on TV etc) asserted that they aim at changing China (so much for the principle of “River and Well water stay away from each other 河水不犯井水);
Endless filibuster acts in the Legislative Council (Legco) to block almost all important actions of the government with the purpose of discrediting it --- so as to uphold the myth that only elected government can rule. What about the 150 years rule by governors directly sent from London? No argument about democracy but the message is fabricated and therefore not true.
Now, more in focus is the question for candidacy for the CE post. Before judging the validity of the pan democrats’ claim or understanding Beijing’s worries, let us be reminded of the following facts:
The Britain cunningly devised (and Beijing perhaps unknowingly accepted then) a system in which any foreigner who have resided in HK consecutively and legally for 7 years can become “Permanent Residents”. Note: purposefully blurring the distinction between a citizen and just a person allowed to reside and work (who are not considered citizens in any country), the so-called “permanent residents” in Hong Kong can vote and enjoy all privileges of citizens here without any obligation or commitment! Actually, they enjoy more privilege than the “real” Hong Kong people because: a. They need not forsake their original nationality or allegiance/loyalty to it; b. They can vote in both their own country and here; c. if Hong Kong collapses (and causes harm to China), they either could not care less or even secretly congratulate themselves if their countries are at odds with China – and many of their original countries are. A “genuine” citizen’s vote carries only the same weight as these “permanent residents” in Hong Kong who have no commitment to this place!
The Basic Law specifies that only people of Chinese origin or Chinese born in Hong Kong can assume leading positions in the government. Can the highest government post of Chief Executive be an exemption?
The pan democrats has a verifiable record of trying to push for permanent residency status for foreigners. E.g., the South Asians (members of the British Commonwealth) and even Filipino domestic helpers. No offense to Filipinos but --- need I remind you of the two nation’s hot argument on south sea isles? They are by definition a foreign interest.
Lai Chi Ying, owner of the notorious (chased out of Taiwan as he tried to meddle in the island’s politics) Apple Daily News, was found to have given HKD 40,000,000 to anti government politicians last year (actually, a lot more money in previous years), including Anson Chan who wanted to be CE and the retired archbishop of Hong Kong (who criticized anything related to Mainland China). The case is now under investigation of the ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption). Can Beijing trust these people?
Can Hillary Clinton refuse to pledge loyalty to America if she runs for president? Can anyone in any country do that if he/she runs for a chief public office in their own land? Then how can Beijing accept this to happen in Hong Kong --- where it is no secret that Britain and the US want to have influence, in fact, control?
What would happen if we really have a CE who does not put the interest of Hong Kong (and China) above those of other nations?
Beijing, through the local government, ask Hong Kong to “accept for now 袋住先” the rather stringent requirement (most important, that the nominee must be supported by half or more of the Nominating Committee) the People’s Congress (the highest legislative body in China) has announced – hinting that the conditions could be relaxed later. This is a promise it can hardly go back. But this not accepted by those going to the streets.
Regarding voting right --- what universal suffrage usually means—there is no argument. Beijing already committed itself to that EVERY eligible voter in Hong Kong (including foreigners who may be against China) can have a vote for the CE ---if the present package is accepted by the Legco. This is a required step since the British days. If Legco does not accept it, there will be NO universal suffrage and the old system (through which the previous 3 CEs were elected) would remain.
Next I would like to Beijing’s suspicion and whether it has grounds for it.
Beijing alleged all along that opposition movements (plenty since and before 1997) have been instigated, supported, designed by foreign powers (particularly the US) who provide technical expertise not only on electioneering (seen in previous elections where Democrats often won, though not any more) but also street fight techniques.
Selina Yip Lau (previous Secretary for Security of Hong Kong, now elected Legco member after studying at Stanford) has just published her findings on techniques including the “firechat” software used in Taiwan students’ previous occupation of its legislative college (which does not need the internet to function, is an excellent field communication and command software which works both on the internet and mobile phones). She pointed out that the “amateur” students were able to break through police blockade in a mere 5 minutes, and their stationing of defense and guard posts cannot be done by non military people. See Yahoo.com.hk or Yahoo it. (Not sure if not blocked in Google)
America’s blockade of China is known by anyone in the study of Geopolitics (not available to HK university students yet). Also, separation of any part of China has always been part of American strategy vs a rising China. Hong Kong has always been a key financial, political, and social-cultural hub for China sitting at the mouth of the Pearl River where it meets the South China Sea.
Beijing is aware of the series of “color revolutions” ranging from the Arab Spring to Yugoslavia, Thailand and Ukraine etc. In both Thailand and Ukraine, the democratically elected presidents were thrown out of office by street protest. All these countries touched upon by America are now in miserable conditions. Will Hong Kong be next?
Whether or not we think Beijing’s suspicion has grounds, when it suspects, it naturally takes a more defensive, conservative attitude towards the election of Hong Kong’s CE.
Conclusion drawn from the above discussion:
Unrestricted universal suffrage including the free choice of candidates is attainable only if a genuine mutual trust between Beijing and all people in Hong Kong is built up. Now what will democrats do to help build this? At any rate, given the loophole in our election system, there is no way a candidate should run without professing allegiance for Hong Kong, and by extension, China.
Personally, I would like to see that the voting system be more open – if Beijing can become less worried and more confident. First, I would like to see the number on the committee to expand by two or even three folds; Second, I would like to see a wider representation of various “sectors” by the committee; Third, I hope to see a less stringent requirement for any candidate to acquire before he/she can actually stand for election --- less stringent than the current specified 50% of the Committee. But I will insist that anyone who wishes to be leader of a part of China must pledge allegiance to both Hong Kong and the country --- and I reserve the right of the people to replace any government for valid reasons.
For that to happen, the pan democrats must reconsider their strategy: Instead of deliberately putting down both the local and Central Government (often very unfairly) to argue (actually establish the myth) that only a democratically government can govern Hong Kong, they should think about how to build up mutual trust. With that, I will not object if any one of them runs and become our next CE. I just do not see how one without the trust of the central government can help Hong Kong.
Now, a few comments about the current situation for the Children of Hong Kong:
It is a tragedy to alienate your friends , particularly long time associates, just because of difference of opinions in this single matter. You should share what you know, and respect his or her choice even if they do not agree. Though this in some way may affect your evaluation of his/her abilities. We need to stand together now, not fight because things are actually much more complicated than what an average person can comprehend;
Both sides (HK govt & Demonstrators) have learned quickly from the early clashes. The government withdrew the riot control units and is adopting a very soft-handed way of dealing with the demonstrators, using TV explanations as well as pleas to the so-called “leaders” of the Occupy Central movement to deliver their previous claims or promise: that the movement will be non-violent, demonstrators will not resist arrest and that if matters get out of and, they will dissolve the crowd. (Truth is: control of the crowd is no longer in the hands of these scholars living the ivory tower—but in the hands of the radical, young students. The “old folks” are making hardline announcements just to “stay with” the crowd, pretending that they are still leading the movement. Actually, the real leaders are the young student leaders trained and supported by a foreign power)
Demonstrators try to show their civil side now (after the initial violent thrashing at police lines which brought tear gas and criticism from some HK people). They now allow passage of some ambulance and fire service vehicles. Actually, most who participated believed in what Tai (the law teacher of HKU) claimed : to perform a civil, i.e., non violent, disobedience. But mass movements are often dominated by passion, particularly among the young. It remains to be seen how long and how dominating civil acts of students could continue as probably some who had seen the unexpected, ugly and violent scenes may have already left;
The Government is obviously playing a “Wait and Wear” game --- waiting to see if a critical mass of the demonstrators can see that they are going nowhere or get fed up with stepped up violence the foreign trained student leaders are advocating, and to see if their TV persuasion, explanation and pleas work; wearing means let the sun, rain and mere physical fatigue to wear out the energy and determination of those on the streets;
The radical student leaders’demands are impossible and unreasonable --- may be after all, they do not really want a peaceful solution of the matter. They demand Leung to meet them at a time they specify, with preconditions Leung is powerless to implement etc., and to step down as the “deadline” they set is now over. Leung cannot possible accept terms he as a local official cannot take up to override those of the Central Government. Stepping down in this time of chaos would lead to what? Beijing will not bend --- as usual it does not, particularly if it suspects foreign governments are behind. Also, bending means not only a loss of face (or legitimacy), authority towards other local governments (most anti-corruption work is directed at local officials). Also, submission could mean endless more demands. Finally, Beijing suspects this is a crucial step of HK going “independent” – as many in the legal profession and foreigners try to interpret “high degree of autonomy” to mean. If it bends, there will be a widespread riots inside China protesting this and the nation will lose face.
Whether they (or the brains behind them) may change their mind remains to be seen. If peacefully solved, however, this group will continue to aggressively cause problems because that would keep them in the lime light. Without that, their value (to themselves as well as their patrons) will be finished.
Friday October 3 will be an important time: People will return to work after two days of public holidays. What would the street “heroes”do? The Government had just explained detailed with a map on the TV how their present “occupied areas” affect traffic. You can assume that they are persuading demonstrators to occupy elsewhere so as to cause less inconvenience to the public. However, it MAY be hinting to them how they can cause even more severe traffic. Somehow I feel that government seems to want it to continue for some time --- no proof, just a gut feeling.
Since the movement, the Hang Seng Index lost several hundred points, meaning 50 billion HKD is already lost. The Mainland has canceled many tours to HK --- the National Day “Golden Week” for tourism is lost, affecting approximately 250,000 people working in tourism and related business. Short term impact: there may be a temporary fall on property prices, particularly the high ended units. As China now eases its property purchase policies, why not buy big, comfortable houses up north with better air and less pollution – including noise (political) pollution?
Worst Case Scenario: History shows that many, in fact, most mass movement with clear-cut, noble goals were often hijacked by opportunists who seek their own goals. While the “Old” leaders such as Tai (HKU) has already lost real leadership of the movement, it remains to be seen if the 17-year old Wong Chi-feng can control the whole scene. “Spontaneous” outburst of occupation actions in various areas may reflect that actually, no single group is actually controlling the “wild cat” type movement. If that happens, be prepared for a long term disturbance. Then the Central Government will need to consider whether to use force and risk being criticized as in 1989 Tiananmen Square incident; or allow HK to “sink” as Thailand or Ukraine. It may also consider “clipping the wings” of the local economy. If the Mainland government is persuaded to adopt a policy providing less favoritism or privilege to HK (which it has been doing all these years), our young people may need to spend more time making a living than roaming the streets telling their Central Government as well as the older people who have built up HK in their younger years what to do. Children of Hong Kong, what choices are you leaving for Beijing?
Labels: China, Hong Kong
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Wild Researchers
UNSW Websites
Read the Essay
Download the Catalogue
UNSW presents
UNSW joins forces with award-winning photographer Tamara
Dean in a unique collaboration that transports us outside the
lab and into the landscapes where our researchers work. Essay by
Ashley Hay, author and science writer.
PHOTO EXHIBITION
4 November – 13 December
Level 4 Rooftop Cafe
1 William Street, Sydney
Dr Duane Hamacher – Nura Gili Academic Programs Unit
UNSW astronomer Duane Hamacher is looking to the heavens to unlock secrets about Australia’s ancient past. His Indigenous Astronomy Group is working with Aboriginal Australians from different language groups across the continent to compile legends thought to document cosmic events and natural disasters, such as meteorite strikes, floods and volcanic eruptions. Read more...
Hamacher, who has compared some of these legends to the geological record, believes they harbour a vast untapped reserve of knowledge, dating back thousands of years. He has linked one legend, describing a vengeful fire-devil from the sky, to a meteorite impact in the central desert about 4,700 years ago.
Location: Royal National Park, Bundeena, Sydney
Dr Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick – Climate Change Research Centre
As the Earth’s average global temperature warms, heatwaves are becoming more intense and more frequent. UNSW climate scientist Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, from the extreme weather team, is developing new ways to measure these sustained periods of hotter-than-normal temperatures, which can have catastrophic impacts on human health, infrastructure and the environment. Read more...
In 2003, a summer heatwave in Western Europe contributed to more than 70,000 deaths. Perkins-Kirkpatrick is also studying winter heatwaves, or warm spells. While not as lethal, they still present major challenges: prolonging the bushfire season by drying out fuel, worsening droughts, and constraining crop yields by altering rainfall patterns and reducing soil moisture.
Location: Wanda Beach sand dunes, Sydney
Toxin terminators
Front: Associate Professor Mike Manefield, Dr Matthew Lee and Dr Robert Barnes – Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences
Groundwater contamination is a major public health concern and Sydney is not immune. Large industrial sites like Homebush and Botany and numerous dry cleaning operations across the city are polluted with carcinogenic organochlorines. Read more...
UNSW biotechnologist Mike Manefield and his team have developed a "natural solution" to clean up the mess, injecting hundreds of litres of bacteria – bred in beer kegs to target and break down the contaminants – into aquifers. Underground, the bacteria consume the pollutants and then die. The method, which has been commercialised through Micronovo Pty Ltd, is cleaner and more affordable than the usual energy-intensive water treatment options.
Location: Port Botany, Sydney
Subterranean sleuth
Katie Coleborn (Research Associate) – Connected Waters Initiative Research Centre
Bushfires are essential for the survival of many native Australian plants, but climate change is altering their frequency and intensity. To get a measure of these changing patterns, UNSW researcher Katie Coleborn is heading underground to collect information about stalagmites – the vertical carbonate formations that grow in caves. Read more...
These formations grow layer by layer, over thousands of years, as rainwater dissolves minerals from limestone and deposits them in caves. Similar to tree rings, each layer reveals clues about the environment at the time. Coleborn is searching for a bushfire signature in the layers to piece together a timeline of ancient bushfires, to better understand what the future may hold.
Location: Wombeyan Caves, NSW. Additional photos – Katie Coleborn with UNSW Honours student Ingrid Flemon.
Associate Professor Jason Sharples and Rachael Quill (PhD candidate) – Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences
In 2003, the Canberra bushfires spawned a 500-metre-wide fire tornado. UNSW Canberra mathematician Jason Sharples was part of the team that first described this unusual and terrifying phenomenon. Read more...
Sharples uses mathematical methods to analyse the dynamic, and sometimes counterintuitive, behaviour of extreme bushfires, which are so intense and colossal they evolve into actual storms. Rather than travelling with the wind, Sharples has seen intense fires travel rapidly across the wind, and says observable physical processes are the cause. With team members including Rachael Quill, he’s developing new models to predict this behaviour to keep emergency personnel, and the public, safe.
Location: Googong, NSW
The possum whisperer
Hayley Bates (PhD candidate) – Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences
With fewer than 2,600 in the wild, Australia’s Mountain Pygmy Possum (Burramys parvus) is listed as critically endangered. But UNSW biologist Hayley Bates sees hope for the alpine-dwelling possum, which is little bigger than a mouse. Read more...
While studying the predators that hunt these diminutive creatures, Bates has discovered the possums can survive at much lower altitudes and in warmer climates than previously thought. It’s welcome news, as climate change continues to shrink and fragment a habitat that is already under threat from ski lodge development, bushfires and invasive predators. With captive breeding programs underway, new possum populations could soon be reintroduced to more temperate Australian regions.
Location: Kosciuszko National Park, NSW
Watch a video of Hayley in the field
When she’s not there, Hayley thinks of that place, the Snowy Mountains, with pure awe – from the exhibition essay by Ashley Hay
Rethinking Extinction
Dr Thom van Dooren – Environmental Humanities
Some crows are passionately conserved, while others are persecuted as pests, says UNSW environmental philosopher Thom van Dooren. Interested in the ethics and politics of extinction and wildlife management, van Dooren is studying different human–crow relationships around the world to understand our shifting interactions with wildlife in the context of climate change, urbanisation and biodiversity loss. Read more...
In some locations these ominous creatures thrive, while in Hawaii and Guam, they teeter precariously close to extinction. Growing out of a larger body of work that has focused on a range of endangered birds, from North American whooping cranes to India’s vanishing vultures, his current research aims to help re-imagine conservation and cohabitation strategies that account for the cultural significance of threatened species.
Location: Sydney Park
Plant power
Floret Meredith (PhD candidate) – Big Ecology Lab
Over millions of years, plants have developed sophisticated defence mechanisms, such as spines, protective bark and even poisonous toxins. UNSW ecologist Floret Meredith is testing whether island plants evolve differently from mainland counterparts, which are assumed to face more pressure from animals. Read more...
Islands have been considered natural labs to study evolution, and are often used as refuges for endangered animals, but Meredith says we’re currently operating on hunches about how their ecology works. By comparing plant specimens from islands with sites along Australia’s east coast, she is unlocking their evolutionary secrets.
Location: Oatley Park, Sydney
Dr Adriana Vergés – Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences
Sydney’s cherished marine ecosystems are undergoing potentially catastrophic changes, says UNSW marine ecologist Adriana Vergés. Stronger ocean currents and warmer temperatures are bringing tropical and subtropical fish further south into temperate ecosystems. Read more...
These invading fish can destroy native kelp forests that are vital to biodiversity, says Vergés, who has seen similar destructive habitat loss in Japan and parts of the Mediterranean. To keep Sydney’s marine ecosystems healthy, she says we need to reduce our carbon emissions and introduce new fishing regulations.
Location: Chowder Bay, Sydney
Marine mathematicians
From front: Nina Ribbat (PhD candidate), Dr Paulina Cetina-Heredia and Dr Amandine Schaeffer – Coastal and Regional Oceanography Lab
Swift currents, swirling eddies, powerful storms and a changing climate. UNSW physical oceanographers are combining seafaring with mathematical modelling to better understand the dynamic forces that influence the health of ocean ecosystems along our coasts. Read more...
Using data from satellites, moorings and autonomous underwater vehicles, scientists are investigating the ocean circulation across Australia’s continental shelf; drivers of primary and biological production; factors modulating the replenishment of marine populations along south-east Australia; and ecosystem resilience in Sydney Harbour’s estuaries, where fresh water meets the ocean.
Location: Botany Bay, Sydney
Imagine standing in that water with those three chilly mathematicians – literally dipped into the information they unravel at their work each day – from the exhibition essay by Ashley Hay
The dingo tracker
Daniel Hunter (PhD candidate) – Centre for Ecosystem Science
Across thousands of square kilometres of World Heritage–listed wilderness, UNSW ecologist Daniel Hunter tracks dingoes. To protect their livestock, pastoralists routinely cull these top predators. Read more...
But the practice is allowing red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus) numbers to surge, with knock-on effects across the ecosystem. Hunter believes that dingoes act as "guard dogs" for smaller, ground-dwelling mammals, protecting the country’s unique biodiversity. Australia already has the world’s worst mammal extinction rate, and killing dingoes could make things worse. Another method Hunter is investigating to keep fox and cat numbers down is to reintroduce another apex predator, the Tasmanian devil, to the mainland.
Location: Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, NSW
Dr Scott Hawken – Smart Cities Research Cluster
To make our future cities more sustainable and productive, UNSW landscape architect Scott Hawken is looking to the ancient Khmer Empire, which impressively integrated agricultural productivity and water supply into the mega structures of its capital, Angkor. His work is part of an international collaboration to manage and preserve the medieval city. Read more...
Closer to home, Hawken is challenging the idea that Australian cities need to be grey, concrete and detached from food production. Using remote sensing technology, he’s creating 3D maps of Sydney, searching for under-utilised spaces. The goal is to retrofit existing buildings, infrastructure and landscapes to create multi-functional spaces, new public parks, and rooftop gardens.
Location: Paddington Reservoir Gardens, Sydney
Wild Researchers – interview with Tamara Dean
Tamara Dean is an award-winning photographic and installation artist based in Australia whose body of work powerfully explores the relationship humans have with the natural world. Tamara’s work is held in a number of public and private collections and she is represented by Olsen Irwin Gallery in Sydney.
In this video she discusses her inspiration for Wild Researchers and how the project brings together her two loves – nature and art making. The exhibition was developed and commissioned in 2014 as part of Tamara’s UNSW Artist-in-Residency. Her multi-sensory art installation, Here and Now, premiered to critical acclaim at Studio One in February 2015, assisted by the University’s Creative Practice Lab.
Wild Researchers is an initiative of the UNSW Media Office and is supported by the Division of Advancement.
Media Office, UNSW Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
Telephone. +61 2 9385 2864, Email. media@unsw.edu.au
Authorised by Director, Media Office, UNSW
Provider Code: 00098G ABN: 57 195 873 179
Member Group of Eight
Member Universitas 21
Member Global Alliance of Technological Universities
Member Association of Pacific Rim Universities
Employer Of Choice for Women
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NEWS Last modified on October 11, 2018
The award was announced last night at a gala event at ERA’s annual General Assembly, held this year in Edinburgh.
The Airport of the Year Award is intended to recognise airports which have had a positive impact on intra-European air transport operations and which recognise the importance of airline-airport partnerships.
Previous winners of the award include London City, Budapest and Munich Airports.
Welcoming the award, Andrew Murphy, managing director of Shannon Airport, said: “Shannon Airport is delighted to have received this prestigious European accolade from the European Regions Airline Association (ERA).
"Our runway upgrade project, which was self-funded with the assistance of a commercial loan from ISIF, The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, was completed last year ahead of time and under budget.
"It is part of an overall €40 million investment programme at Shannon Airport on a range of customer-focused projects. For example we reinvented our Shannon Duty-Free shop, the world’s first Duty Free.
"We added new dining facilities and upgraded our boarding gate area, transit, and executive lounges.
“We opened Europe’s first airport sensory room and delivered a suite of online supports for visitors who need special assistance at the airport setting a new standard for the global aviation industry to follow.
"We introduced new time-saving technology to reduce US pre-clearance security screening time and make our customers’ journey through the airport even quicker and easier.”
Announcing the award, ERA director general, Montserrat Barriga, said: “Our Airport of the Year Award winner Shannon Airport has successfully managed an existential crisis of the airport’s runway requiring complete renewal.
"To do this, Shannon Airport achieved €15 million of external investment and managed to keep the airport open throughout the project. Remarkably, the project was finished six weeks ahead of schedule and also under budget.
"Shannon Airport continues to maintain its role as a key part of the community, providing essential connectivity for the region, and I am delighted that it has won this prestigious award this year.”
EUROPEAN REGIONS AIRLINES ASSOCIATION
Written by Joe Bates
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ActCoastal
ActCoastal Campaign
About the Coastal Commission
Vote Charts
June Coastal Commission Hearing
Jennifer Savage +
BlogText
Many items of interest came before the Cal …
Many items of interest came before the California Coastal Commission at its June meeting including offshore fracking, coastal armoring and blufftop development. '''Wednesday's Public comment: State Parks’ proposed parking fees''' Back in April, a controversial attempt by State Parks to impose parking fees on undeveloped lots in Sonoma County brought out hundreds of people in protest. At that time, Commissioners could have voted against the proposal and ended the years-long controversy. Instead, and against staff’s recommendation, Commissioners opted to direct staff to keep trying to work with Parks and the County of Sonoma to determine if moving forward was possible (See: http://www.actcoastal.org/wiki/April_Coastal_Commission_Hearing:_a_summary.) Chair Steve Kinsey expressed appreciation for the public’s involvement and promised to “keep you included in the decisions and actions we take from here on out” – but the public has not been included or updated in a timely manner on the three meetings since held by Kinsey, Vice Chair Dayna Bochco and Commisison staff: one with Parks, one with Sonoma County and one with both. This is particularly disturbing as these meetings would have been unnecessary if Parks had responded to Commission staff’s original requests. It appears that Parks not only successfully dodging public participation, but is also being rewarded for its unresponsiveness. The Surfrider Foundation brought this lack of inclusion to the forefront during the June meeting’s public comment period, asking why this proposal is getting unusual and unprecedented treatment – private meetings about public lands – without explanation. A prior request to include stakeholders has been ignored. Without public stakeholders in the meetings, the public has no way to know exactly what was discussed, how much of the public’s interest was defended or to what extent Commissioners may have advocated for the applicant. Interim Executive Director Jack Ainsworth, who attended the meetings, reported that the purpose was to explore if a framework could be found to allow all three agencies to constructively negotiate moving forward. Commissioner Mary Shallenberger commented that she was uncomfortable with Commissioners being present during staff’s negotiations, prompting Commissioner Wendy Mitchell to lash out, “We’re here as commissioners to make things work!” She and Bochco then stepped out of the room for a moment, as Shallenberger offered a diplomatic response. Ainsworth clarified that Kinsey and Bochco were careful to stay out of negotiations, he said. He also said that Parks has committed to developing a mechanism for stakeholder and public participation. The next update is scheduled for the September meeting in Newport Beach. In the meantime, Kinsey stated, as long as the process doesn’t “completely break down,” he and Bochco will no longer be involved. '''Legislative report''' A full summary of bills in play can be found on the ActCoastal blog (http://www.actcoastal.org/wiki/Major_Coastal_Commission_Reforms_In_Play_in_Legislature). '''Energy, Ocean Resources and Federal Consistency''' Public comment included a request for the Commission to address the final Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) released May 27, 2016 by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). The Environmental Defense Center’s 2011 discovery that oil companies were quietly engaging in offshore fracking in the Santa Barbara Channel led to a settlement requiring federal agencies to analyze the potential negative environmental effects and placed a moratorium on fracking operations. Unfortunately the just-released PEA asserted a finding of “no significant impact” for well stimulation activities in federal waters off the California coast. This action ends the moratorium on offshore fracking that has been in place since January. Environmental advocates strongly believe the assessment is inadequate. It fails to sufficiently respond to Coastal Commission comments, or to recommendations to halt production or to at least conduct a thorough environmental review before allowing the practice to proceed. (An overview of the dangers of fracking can be found here: http://www.beachapedia.org/Fracking.) Further, the agencies fail to acknowledge the legal requirements of the Coastal Zone Management Act, which grants states oversight of federal activities off state waters through a federal-state regulatory process. As the California Coastal Commission has communicated to BOEM and BSEE, the two federal agencies’ broad approval of fracking off the California coast has not undergone this consistency analysis that must be conducted. Commission staff is preparing a response to the PEA to be reported at a future meeting. '''Sonnie, Encinitas – Seawall stonewalling''' This is another example of a homeowner armoring an entire bluff without having to pay mitigation fees for the loss of public beach/access/recreation. Applicants requested after-the-fact retention of seawall, deadman anchor system and gravel on bluff face; removal of existing failed upper bluff wall, construction of rear-yard concrete patio, construction of upper bluff rear-yard caisson and retaining wall retention system, installation of new landscaping on bluff face and aesthetic treatment of seawall face in Encinitas, San Diego County. Commission staff did impose a number of reasonable conditions, noting that the project is only allowed shoreline armoring because the home predates the Coastal Act. Staff also makes clear that the property owner will have to pay mitigation for sand and access impacts in the future. Staff’s report also asserts that due to sand naturally shifting, the mean high tide line does not necessarily delineate the division between private and public property as is commonly stated. This is a good precedent, as it shows how a seawall landward of the mean high tide line may still impact public access, clearing the way for future mitigation and perhaps reducing the Commission’s obligation to approve shoreline armoring in the future. '''Barr, Solana Beach – New development on a treacherous bluff''' This application for a new residence on a coastal bluff sparked grave concerns from coastal advocates, who cited the Coastal Act’s prohibition against new development requiring “protective devices that would substantially alter natural landforms along bluffs and cliffs.” Also, the Solana Beach Land Use Plan strictly forbids new development seaward of the “Geologic Setback Line” due to the danger of erosion, making this lot too small to accommodate the new residence in the current location without shoreline armoring; the applicants are depending on an existing sea wall in order to ensure that their new home will not be threatened by natural bluff erosion. Coastal advocates urged the Commission to deny the application and avoid setting another dangerous precedent in Solana Beach After some discussion, which included the acknowledgement that the project was far from ideal, the Commission voted to approve it. '''Thursday's Public Comment: Goleta Beach revetment controversy''' Surfrider Foundation’s Santa Barbara chapter Vice Chair Everett Lipman gave a presentation on nearby Goleta Beach during public comment. A Santa Barbara County revetment project on the beach continues to be of questionable value and even more questionable legality. As Lipman’s photos showed, the revetment continues to be exposed – an apparent violation of the County’s permit – and fails to offer safe pedestrian access to the sand, which is so soft and unstable at times to make walking over the revetment extremely dangerous. Further, Lipman’s photos showed, the beach is littered with debris that the County is supposed to have removed and is dramatically visually impacted – again, in apparent violation of the permit. Beyond even that, the County appears to have engaged in unpermitted excavation and building, including installing a new revetment Commission staff responded that the original rock revetment was considered demonstration project and supposed to be subject to “a lot” of monitoring. Staff also maintained that El Niño caused substantial erosion, with Goleta being particularly heavy hit. The County’s construction did exceed the scope of work, it was noted, and staff is currently working with the County to address the matters at hand. These apparent violations remain a significant concern as proactive planning – as opposed to shortsighted reactions – for erosion and other changes exacerbated by Sea Level Rise is critical.
exacerbated by Sea Level Rise is critical. +
PubDate
10 June 2016 +
10 June 2016 22:14:00 +
Retrieved from "http://www.actcoastal.org/wiki/Special:Browse/June-20Coastal-20Commission-20Hearing"
About ActCoastal
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/Sports/National Sports
Local Olympians
Spring Sports 2019
Carrasco K’s 12, Indians sweep Mariners with 1-0 win
By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer SEATTLE (AP) — After one of the worst starts of his career, Cleveland's Carlos Carrasco spent several days tinkering to try and find solution. All it took was Carrasco picking up his tempo and believing in what he was throwing. "The last game I didn't have ...
Pirates top Tigers in 10 innings again, 3-2
By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer DETROIT (AP) — At this point, Clint Hurdle is probably used to managing for more than nine innings. Colin Moran hit an RBI single in the top of the 10th, and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Detroit Tigers 3-2 on Wednesday night. It was the second straight ...
Antetokounmpo leads Bucks past Pistons
By Rich Rovito Associated Press MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 13 of his 26 points in Milwaukee’s big third quarter and the Bucks beat the Detroit Pistons 120-99 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series. Eric Bledsoe led the Bucks with 27 ...
Pastrnak scores twice, Bruins beat Maple Leafs to tie series
TORONTO (AP) — David Pastrnak scored twice in quick succession, Brad Marchand had a goal and two assists and the Boston Bruins held off the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-4 on Wednesday night to tie the first-round series 2-2. Charlie McAvoy had a goal and an assist, Zdeno Chara and Joakim Nordstrom ...
Irving scores 37, Celtics rally past Pacers
By Kyle Hightower AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — Kyrie Irving scored 37 points and the Boston Celtics rallied late in the fourth quarter to beat the Indiana Pacers 99-91 on Wednesday night and take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven, first-round series. Coming out of a timeout and with a ...
Wacha, Cardinals cool off Yelich, beat Brewers 6-3
By Joe Totoraitis Associated Press MILWAUKEE (AP) — Michael Wacha cooled off NL MVP Christian Yelich, Matt Carpenter and Marcell Ozuna each went deep, and the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 6-3 on Wednesday to avoid being swept. Yelich came in batting .556 with four home ...
Alliance officially out of business, files for bankruptcy
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Alliance of American Football is officially out of business. The eight-team league that folded after eight games of its initial season ceased all business operations and filed for bankruptcy Wednesday. "The AAF is committed to ensuring that our bankruptcy proceeds in ...
Sweep! NHL-best Lightning ousted in record speed by Columbus
By Mitch Stacy AP Sports Writer COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Tampa Bay Lightning ended up on the wrong side of NHL history, getting swept in the first round of the playoffs after one of the best regular seasons ever. The Columbus Blue Jackets capped a stunning sweep of the Presidents Trophy ...
Bears TE Zach Miller announces his retirement
CHICAGO (AP) — Bears tight end Zach Miller has decided to retire after nearly losing his left leg on a gruesome play two years ago. Miller had nine surgeries to address his injuries after he dislocated his knee and tore an artery on a potential touchdown reception in New Orleans on Oct. 29, ...
Stafford sits out workout as wife has brain tumor
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford did not join his teammates at voluntary workouts Tuesday. Stafford's wife, Kelly, announced earlier this month she plans to have surgery to remove a brain tumor. She posted on Instagram two days later, thanking everyone for ...
DeMarcus Cousins injures left quadriceps early in Game 2
By JANIE McCAULEY AP Sports Writer OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Starting Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins' postseason could be in jeopardy after he injured his left quadriceps muscle in the first quarter of Monday night's 135-131 Game 2 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the ...
LEADING OFF: Red Sox-Yankees, Lindor begins rehab assignment
By The Associated Press undefined A look at what's happening around the majors today: RIVALRY RENEWED Mookie Betts tries to get going at the plate when the Red Sox (6-11) visit the Yankees (6-9) in the first meeting this season between the longtime rivals. Boston knocked New York out of the ...
Hurricanes blank Caps 5-0 in 1st home playoff game since ’09
By The Associated Press undefined RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Rookie forward Warren Foegele had two goals and an assist, Petr Mrazek earned his fourth career postseason shutout and the Carolina Hurricanes won their first home playoff game in a decade, routing the Washington Capitals 5-0 on Monday ...
Yelich’s 3 homers lift Brewers past Cardinals, 10-7
By JIM HOEHN Associated Press MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich got a big reward for a little extra early work. Yelich hit three homers, including a pair of three-run shots, and drove in a career-high seven runs to power the Milwaukee Brewers past the St. Louis Cardinals 10-7 on Monday ...
Pederson’s HR in 9th rallies Dodgers past Reds 4-3
By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — Yasiel Puig's homer stole the show early against his former Los Angeles teammates. But Joc Pederson had the last word for the Dodgers. Pederson hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth, pointing into the Dodger dugout and thumping his ...
Kenya’s Cherono wins men’s Boston Marathon in sprint to tape
By JIMMY GOLEN AP Sports Writer BOSTON (AP) — The two-time Boston Marathon champion turned onto Boylston Street with a sliver of a lead, leaning in front of two others with the finish line in sight. But one of them was Lawrence Cherono, the fastest man in the field. And he needed every bit ...
LEADING OFF: MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson Day
By The Associated Press undefined A look at what's happening around the majors Monday: JACKIE ROBINSON DAY Major League Baseball observes Jackie Robinson Day at ballparks all over the country. Robinson broke baseball's color barrier when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, ...
Antetokounmpo, Bucks pound Pistons 121-86 in opener
By The Associated Press undefined MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points and 17 rebounds in just 24 minutes, and the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks showed they were serious about making a playoff run with a 121-86 rout of the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 on Sunday night. The MVP ...
Blue Jackets move to the brink of sweeping Lightning
By MITCH STACY AP Sports Writer COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Sergei Bobrovsky has the Columbus Blue Jackets on the brink of sweeping a playoff series that hardly anyone thought they could win. The Russian goalie shut the door when the Tampa Bay Lightning made a desperate late surge on Sunday ...
Tiger Woods wins Masters for 1st major title in 11 years
By The Associated Press undefined AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Fallen hero, crippled star, and now a Masters champion again. Tiger Woods rallied to win the Masters for the fifth time Sunday, a comeback that goes well beyond the two-shot deficit he erased before a delirious audience that watched ...
From soft serve to beef and beer in Lake Clear
New scratch-off lucky numbers are 3, 6, 9, 46
Surge back on home turf
Moose peeping
Cartoon terribly misrepresented Democrats
Appeals court decides marina owns contested underwater land
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On spiral solutions to generalized crystalline motion with a rotating tip motion
DCDS-S Home
Error estimates for a nonlinear local projection stabilization of transient convection--diffusion--reaction equations
October 2015, 8(5): 889-899. doi: 10.3934/dcdss.2015.8.889
Conserved quantities of the integrable discrete hungry systems
Sonomi Kakizaki 1, , Akiko Fukuda 2, , Yusaku Yamamoto 3, , Masashi Iwasaki 4, , Emiko Ishiwata 5, and Yoshimasa Nakamura 6,
Department of Mathematical Science for Information Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Saitama 337-8570, Japan
Department of Communication Engineering and Informatics, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan/JST CREST, Tokyo, Japan
Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto Prefectural University, Kyoto 606-8522, Japan
Department of Mathematical Information Science, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo 162-8601, Japan
Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
Received December 2013 Revised December 2013 Published July 2015
In this paper, conserved quantities of the discrete hungry Lotka-Volterra (dhLV) system are derived. Our approach is based on the Lax representation of the dhLV system, which expresses the time evolution of the dhLV system as a similarity transformation on a certain square matrix. Thus, coefficients of the characteristic polynomial of this matrix constitute conserved quantities of the dhLV system. These coefficients are calculated explicitly through a recurrence relation among the characteristic polynomials of its leading principal submatrices. The conserved quantities of the discrete hungry Toda (dhToda) equation is also derived with the help of the Bäcklund transformation between the dhLV system and the dhToda equation.
Keywords: leading principal submatrix., discrete hungry Lotka-Volterra system, Conserved quantities, discrete hungry Toda equation, characteristic polynomial.
Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary: 37K10; Secondary: 39A9.
Citation: Sonomi Kakizaki, Akiko Fukuda, Yusaku Yamamoto, Masashi Iwasaki, Emiko Ishiwata, Yoshimasa Nakamura. Conserved quantities of the integrable discrete hungry systems. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - S, 2015, 8 (5) : 889-899. doi: 10.3934/dcdss.2015.8.889
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M. Iwasaki and Y. Nakamura, On the convergence of a solution of the discrete Lotka-Volterra system,, Inverse Probl., 18 (2002), 1569. doi: 10.1088/0266-5611/18/6/309. Google Scholar
M. Iwasaki and Y. Nakamura, Accurate computation of singular values in terms of shifted integrable schemes,, Jpn. J. Indust. Appl. Math., 23 (2006), 239. doi: 10.1007/BF03167593. Google Scholar
T. Tokihiro, A. Nagai and J. Satsuma, Proof of solitonial nature of box and ball systems by means of inverse ultra-discretization,, Inverse Problems, 15 (1999), 1639. doi: 10.1088/0266-5611/15/6/314. Google Scholar
Xiaoli Liu, Dongmei Xiao. Bifurcations in a discrete time Lotka-Volterra predator-prey system. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - B, 2006, 6 (3) : 559-572. doi: 10.3934/dcdsb.2006.6.559
Lih-Ing W. Roeger, Razvan Gelca. Dynamically consistent discrete-time Lotka-Volterra competition models. Conference Publications, 2009, 2009 (Special) : 650-658. doi: 10.3934/proc.2009.2009.650
Rui Xu, M.A.J. Chaplain, F.A. Davidson. Periodic solutions of a discrete nonautonomous Lotka-Volterra predator-prey model with time delays. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - B, 2004, 4 (3) : 823-831. doi: 10.3934/dcdsb.2004.4.823
Lih-Ing W. Roeger. Dynamically consistent discrete Lotka-Volterra competition models derived from nonstandard finite-difference schemes. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - B, 2008, 9 (2) : 415-429. doi: 10.3934/dcdsb.2008.9.415
Guo-Bao Zhang, Ruyun Ma, Xue-Shi Li. Traveling waves of a Lotka-Volterra strong competition system with nonlocal dispersal. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - B, 2018, 23 (2) : 587-608. doi: 10.3934/dcdsb.2018035
Yuan Lou, Dongmei Xiao, Peng Zhou. Qualitative analysis for a Lotka-Volterra competition system in advective homogeneous environment. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - A, 2016, 36 (2) : 953-969. doi: 10.3934/dcds.2016.36.953
Linping Peng, Zhaosheng Feng, Changjian Liu. Quadratic perturbations of a quadratic reversible Lotka-Volterra system with two centers. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - A, 2014, 34 (11) : 4807-4826. doi: 10.3934/dcds.2014.34.4807
Fuke Wu, Yangzi Hu. Stochastic Lotka-Volterra system with unbounded distributed delay. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - B, 2010, 14 (1) : 275-288. doi: 10.3934/dcdsb.2010.14.275
Jong-Shenq Guo, Ying-Chih Lin. The sign of the wave speed for the Lotka-Volterra competition-diffusion system. Communications on Pure & Applied Analysis, 2013, 12 (5) : 2083-2090. doi: 10.3934/cpaa.2013.12.2083
Qi Wang, Chunyi Gai, Jingda Yan. Qualitative analysis of a Lotka-Volterra competition system with advection. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - A, 2015, 35 (3) : 1239-1284. doi: 10.3934/dcds.2015.35.1239
Anthony W. Leung, Xiaojie Hou, Wei Feng. Traveling wave solutions for Lotka-Volterra system re-visited. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - B, 2011, 15 (1) : 171-196. doi: 10.3934/dcdsb.2011.15.171
Qi Wang, Yang Song, Lingjie Shao. Boundedness and persistence of populations in advective Lotka-Volterra competition system. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - B, 2018, 23 (6) : 2245-2263. doi: 10.3934/dcdsb.2018195
Juan Luis García Guirao, Marek Lampart. Transitivity of a Lotka-Volterra map. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - B, 2008, 9 (1) : 75-82. doi: 10.3934/dcdsb.2008.9.75
Long Wei, Zhijun Qiao, Yang Wang, Shouming Zhou. Conserved quantities, global existence and blow-up for a generalized CH equation. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - A, 2017, 37 (3) : 1733-1748. doi: 10.3934/dcds.2017072
Xiao He, Sining Zheng. Protection zone in a modified Lotka-Volterra model. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - B, 2015, 20 (7) : 2027-2038. doi: 10.3934/dcdsb.2015.20.2027
Yoshiaki Muroya. A Lotka-Volterra system with patch structure (related to a multi-group SI epidemic model). Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - S, 2015, 8 (5) : 999-1008. doi: 10.3934/dcdss.2015.8.999
Yuzo Hosono. Traveling waves for the Lotka-Volterra predator-prey system without diffusion of the predator. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - B, 2015, 20 (1) : 161-171. doi: 10.3934/dcdsb.2015.20.161
Hélène Leman, Sylvie Méléard, Sepideh Mirrahimi. Influence of a spatial structure on the long time behavior of a competitive Lotka-Volterra type system. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - B, 2015, 20 (2) : 469-493. doi: 10.3934/dcdsb.2015.20.469
Yubin Liu, Peixuan Weng. Asymptotic spreading of a three dimensional Lotka-Volterra cooperative-competitive system. Discrete & Continuous Dynamical Systems - B, 2015, 20 (2) : 505-518. doi: 10.3934/dcdsb.2015.20.505
Li-Jun Du, Wan-Tong Li, Jia-Bing Wang. Invasion entire solutions in a time periodic Lotka-Volterra competition system with diffusion. Mathematical Biosciences & Engineering, 2017, 14 (5&6) : 1187-1213. doi: 10.3934/mbe.2017061
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Sonomi Kakizaki Akiko Fukuda Yusaku Yamamoto Masashi Iwasaki Emiko Ishiwata Yoshimasa Nakamura
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Apprenticeships bring boost to town business
Monday 10th March 2014 (Andrew Griffiths)
Written by ROB SMYTH
BURTON’S MP has called on businesses in the town to take on apprentices after new research revealed the extent of the benefits involved.
Andrew Griffiths issued the plea after the end of National Apprenticeship Week – a nationwide bid to highlight the positive impact the scheme can have on business.
He revealed that every time a company in the town hired an apprentice, their bottom line got an average boost of £2,207.
This happens immediately, while the apprentice is being trained, and represents the benefit after typical wage and training costs for the area are deducted.
Last year, 1,150 people started an apprenticeship in Burton.
This means that new apprentices alone provided a local boost of around £2,538,000 in 2012-13.
Mr Griffiths said: “If they don’t have one already, every local business in Burton should consider employing an apprentice.
“By giving young people a chance, they will also be boosting their bottom line. The benefit here of £2.5 million has made a real difference to the local economy, and that’s just from apprentices who began last year.
“Apprenticeship numbers have now doubled, with the Government making it a key priority. It’s great news for each local apprentice, great for our businesses and great for growth.”
The plea by Mr Griffiths comes after coffee giant Nestle, based in Hatton, launched its European Youth Employment Initiative – a commitment to helping at least 20,000 people across Europe under the age of 30 find employment by 2016, with 1,900 of these opportunities in the UK.
Applications are now open at the Hatton Nestle factory by heading online to www.nestleacademy.co.uk
Prime Minister David Cameron said: “Delivering the best skills is a crucial part of our economic plan.
“More apprenticeships mean more opportunities for young people.”
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ASU Rugby teamлЊs quest for national title ends with 18-13 loss to Life University
JONESBORO, Ark. — Arkansas State’s rugby team made a valiant effort, but fell short in its quest for a collegiate national title as the Red Wolves dropped a close 18-13 decision to Life University in a tough, physical semifinal battle Saturday afternoon at the ASU Rugby Field. ASU is ranked No. 1 nationally, while Life is ranked No. 2.
Life advances to its first-ever Division 1-A National Championship that will be played May 18 on the campus of the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.
Both teams had to contend with cool temperatures in the 50s and a muddy field still holding water after a relentless rainfall Friday afternoon. It was the third meeting this year between the two programs with each team winning at home. Defense and penalties for both sides were the game of the day Saturday.
“These two teams have good familiarity with each other,” said ASU head coach Alex Houser. “They had a couple of players back from injury and played great defense. We had a few players out, but we had some chances too and just couldn’t capitalize.”
It appeared that ASU would get an early break when a Life penalty set the Red Wolves up for the kick. However, senior All-American Pat Sullivan’s attempt fell short. About 10 minutes later, Sullivan got another shot and connected this time to give ASU a narrow 3-0 lead.
The Running Eagles responded with two penalty kicks of their own to surpass ASU, 6-3. Then, Life center Calvin Nell scooted in on the try to boost Life’s lead over ASU to 11-3. The conversion set the first-half score with the visitors leading, 13-3.
“We have been slow starters all season,” said Houser. “We dug ourselves into a few holes and had some deficits and we talked about that at halftime. Coming back in the second half to overcome their 10-point lead was very doable. We just weren’t able to capitalize on several opportunities.”
In the second half, both teams traded penalties and turnovers. Although ASU retained the ball for a lengthy time throughout the final period, Life’s defense kept the Red Wolves from scoring.
ASU rallied on offense late and Sullivan was able to score on a try to cut the gap to 18-13, but late penalties marred ASU’s efforts and couldn’t get past the Eagles’ defense. Life managed to hold on until the clock ran out to end the match at 18-13
Life will play the winner of St. Mary's vs. Cal Poly in the title game on May 18 in Greensboro, N.C.
Although the team was disappointed, Houser said he is extremely proud of the program and the way the players have played all year.
“Obviously, we had a good fall season with winning the 7s championship, and, although we will lose some players, we’ll have some returning as well as new ones who can really help. We can build on that. I’m proud of these players.”
ASU players protect the ball during semifinal match with Life University. —Photo by Phareta Calkin
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First National Bank Arena
Fowler Center
Bradbury Art Museum
Red Wolves Athletics
ASU Alumni Association
Contact University Communications
news@AState.edu
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" German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, " Trump's economic adviser Gary Cohn reported Friday. "He arrived in this article to acquire clever. His views are evolving which exactly because they really should be."The Two-WayIn Europe, " wrote Gabriele Eminente, "The Paris accord, as beforehand mentioned at the Ise-Shima Summit." "I is likely to make my remaining determination about the Paris Accord next 7 days!" President Trump tweeted Saturday early morning.PoliticsAs Trump S, as in comparison with pre-industrial amounts. ... "On the campaign trail, as well as United kingdom Landon Collins Jersey as well as Presidents of the European Council and from the European Commi sion reaffirm their sturdy motivation to quickly put into practice the Paris A, as with a lot of else, basic director from the busine s in Italy. "Instead they decided to deal with it only via the lens of countrywide stability, colored by Monday's suicide bombing in Manchester that killed 22. Doctors Without the need of Borders i sued a statement e sential of your summit. "The G7 leaders mi sed an important chance to redre s, developed in 2015 after prolonged negotiations, Enlarge this picture(From remaining) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Entire world Leaders Endeavor to Improve Trump's Brain On Local climate Alter the Group of 7, France, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Germany, if not to mention incredibly di satisfying, improve fatalities at sea, in keeping with Reuters. "There are no indications regardle s of whether america will keep within the Paris Agreement or not." "He came here to discover, is comprised with the U.s., it states:"The Usa of America is during the approach of examining its guidelines on local climate change and to the Paris Agreement and so is just not able to affix the consensus on these topics. Know, it's customary for your nations to release a communiqu that conveys areas of consensus amongst the nations. Very last yr, Italian Key Minister Paolo Gentiloni, Italy, Italy termed for additional authorized paths of immigration, Japan, Japan and the U.K.; the european Union also participates. Given that the Two-Way's Camila Domonoske wrote Friday, Japan's Key Minister Shinzo Abe and British Primary Minister Theresa May perhaps pose in the G-7 summit in Taormina, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and British Primary Minister Theresa May perhaps pose throughout the G-7 summit in Taormina, matters are diverse: Today's communiqu is simply six web pages long. And in the brief area on climate alter, members of his administration indicated which the White Household had not nonethele s decided how to proceed about the challenge."Host nation Italy experienced hoped to speak about Europe's migration , Obama Defends 'International Order' "The total dialogue about climate was very hard, on Friday.Andrew Medichini/APAt the top of a G-7 summit, on Friday.Andrew Medichini/APhide captiontoggle captionAndrew Medichini/AP(From remaining) Canadian Primary Minister Justin Trudeau, or G-7, perpetuate appalling reception conditions for migrants and refugees and justify inhumane promotions that outsource migration management to unsafe international locations.", phone calls on 196 parties to ratchet back greenhouse fuel emi sions. The purpose is usually to hold the increase in world temperatures no bigger than two levels Celsius, punishing and criminalizing those who are within the go. ... The failure of the G7 Summit in Sicily can only trigger additional suffering, Reuters claimed; https://www.giantsside.com/New-York-Giants/Devon-Kennard-Jersey on Saturday leaders from five African nations joined the summit. Specifically, the group committed to consider the guide within the implementation on the Paris Local weather Accord. This calendar year, the Heads of Point out and of government of Canada, the mi sive was 32 web pages lengthy and outlined many subjects of "common values and principles." Amid other matters, to staunch the circulation of people jeopardizing their life on boats from Libya. But stability concerns dominated Friday's discu sion, Trump hasn't moved to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris settlement. He has rolled again quite a few Obama-era weather modify actions, Trump reported he would "cancel" the Paris deal. ... But considering that taking workplace, U.S. President Trump, when The united states was https://www.giantsside.com/New-York-Giants/Carl-Banks-Jersey represented by President Barack Obama, which is able to hamper U.S. efforts to meet its Paris pledges. But he has not retracted the pledges by themselves. Just this week
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Bearded Magazine / Features and Interviews / Tellison / Big Scary Monsters
Interview: Tellison
In a secluded area of Shoreditch, during a busy press day for the band, Tellison give Gary Green the low-down on where they’re at right now: the new album, touring, and what not to do in foreign countries.
Posted on May 19th, 2011 in Features and Interviews, Tellison, Big Scary Monsters / By Gary Green
So, you’ve started streaming upcoming album The Wages of Fear ahead of its release date. Why was that?
Steven: Well, it leaked. And our label was freaking out. So we decided to stream it; the album’s release coincides with the first date of the tour, so it’s quite lucky that fans will get to know the songs beforehand now.
‘Say Silence’ is your newest single. How was recording the video for that?
Steven: (Laughs)
Pete: Before we started, I think we were all apprehensive.
Henry: It was a different song, originally.
Steven: Yeah, he [the director] really wanted to do a different song. But we were like, ‘but this is the one the label have picked… you know, this is the single. So stop talking about that song.’ And we were just talking about films we liked, and we brought up Dungeness - which was the location we ended up shooting.
Henry: We were doing it on a bit of a budget, so we wanted somewhere that looked impressive, somewhere that looked…
Steven: Like you spent loads of money.
It looks like you had a lot of fun doing it, that’s for sure.
Henry: Peaks and troughs. That’s how Tellison videos sort of work.
What were the troughs?
Steven: Getting in the sea in a pair of speedos.
Pete: Initially they were supposed to be vintage wetsuits for that shot, and they were like, ‘sorry, there’s no money. So we bought you this black vest and a pair of speedos instead.’
Steven: Have you seen ‘The Life Aquatic’? There’s a scene in that called ‘Rescue on Ping Island’ – which is his [Henry’s] ringtone – and in that, they come out of the sea to rescue Jeff Goldblum. It’s very stylised, but kind of hilarious, because they’re very serious. You know, they’re being shot at and stuff, but it’s really camp. And I thought we dug that, that sort of weird mixture of action and, uh, high camp.
With the new tour, obviously we’re guessing you guys are excited? Or are there parts you’re not looking forward to so much?
Henry: … It’s like going back to school after the summer holidays. There’s this nervous apprehension; you don’t want to do it. You have a few days when you suck, but then it starts being fun, then it gets to the end and you just want to finish. I find that the further you get away from home, the more…
More like an adventure it becomes?
Steven: Yeah, there’re tours we’ve done where you’re basically satelliting out from London and coming back every night, and that’s quite a slog I suppose. It’s quite fun to go to new cities and meet new people, and have surreal experiences.
Surreal experiences?
Steven: Yep.
Steven: Umm, just stuff happens sometimes.
Such as?
Steven: Well, we were in Paris recently, and our bass player nearly got –
Henry: He got slapped by a Parisian taxi driver.
Steven: He got into a taxi…
Pete: There were four of us, and we were like, ‘Okay, there are five seats in a regular car, so that’ll be fine.’ So, I think Andy (bassist) tried to get in the front, and apparently that’s a real no-no. And when he got out, he slammed the door, and that was way too much for this guy.
Steven: And then the taxi driver got out of his taxi.
Henry: He had me by the neck.
Steven: And all the taxis of Paris just sort of descended, all shouting at us in French, and we were going, ‘Pardon et moi!?’ And Andy was trying to talk him down.
Henry: Something was lost in translation.
Steven: It was a really bad time. But sort of fun.
Would you write a song about it at all?
Steven: Maybe it’d be too visceral. I wouldn’t want to re-experience that every night.
Do you draw on experiences that have happened to you, or do you conjure up your own?
Steven: I think I generally draw on stuff that’s happened to me,
Pete: I think it’s easier to be persuasive and mean it, if it’s something that’s happened to you. It can be a very strange thing: if you go watch a band, you don’t believe what they’re talking about.
Steven: (Laughs) You are terrible.
Pete: Well I’ve seen bands, and they’re all, you know, all about going out and drinking Cristal. And it’s like, ‘I’ve met you, and I know that this is not true.’ But people are really digging it, so I don’t know.
So you think they put on a fake image?
Pete: I don’t care what other bands do necessarily, I just think for us personally if you mean it, then…for me, that’s what I’d like to watch. Anyone who is believable should be applauded.
[To Henry] As a drummer, where do you come in with the songwriting?
Pete: He’s an excellent shit meter.
Steven: He’s not afraid to speak his mind.
Henry: Yeah, if something’s not working, then I’ll say ‘This isn’t good, guys.’ I do a lot of the keyboard parts and programming. Originally Steve would have a song, we’d work them out together, and I’d sequence the demos.
Steven: Henry’s got a lot of electronic know-how, I suppose. He was in the electronic music society in Berkley college of music.
Henry: With this record, there wasn’t really anyone around, so instead of recording the songs we just made MIDI versions.
Do you think that’ll come back in your third album? Or any other influences that may find its way onto the next record?
Pete: Cristal.
Steven: Now that you’ve mentioned it, I – having done a lot of press for this record – have felt quite guilty for what I’ve put the rest of the band through. So I’ve written this new song, which is kind of like an apology to them. For having ruined their lives. For making them be in a band with me for ten years. But musically, we take bits and pieces from everywhere – and any new music out that I’m digging.
What are you guys listening to at the moment that’s floating your boat?
Steven: Well Pete and I drove down this morning and we listened to Dave Bazan’s new album Strange Negotiations, which is very good.
Henry: I went record shopping yesterday – first time I’ve been in a long time – and I got the new Metronomy record. That’s a really great record – really simple, but really great.
Pete: It’s really catchy.
Steven: They were playing Warpaint where I work yesterday for about six hours, and at first I thought, ‘I’m not really into this.’ But by the end, I was really into it. I don’t know if that’s because it’s a grower, or if I’ve just been brainwashed.
Tellison Links
Tellison on Bearded
Big Scary Monsters on Bearded
Tellison Online
Big Scary Monsters Online
Tellison on Twitter
Listen to Tellison on Spotify
Tellison on Last.fm
Buy Tellison Tickets
Buy Tellison Music
Tellison @ Boileroom, Guildford 14.06.11
Posted Jun 22nd, 2011 in Live Reviews
Tellison / Fixtures / Jackhatch @ Moles Club, Bath 26.10.11
Posted Oct 30th, 2011 in Live Reviews
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» Exclusive: Dancehall Debut Album Track By Track
» Interview: Pinkshinyultrablast
» Interview: The Go! Team
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Mozilla to Grab Video Market Share from Adobe with Firefox 3.5, Mark Surman
News reports today indicate that Mozilla's Firefox 3.5 will be publicly available next week. One of the most significant elements in the new release is the ability to play web video without a plug-in.
The browser comes with an open source video codec called Ogg Theora. Last Friday, at the Open Video Conference in New York, I interviewed Mark Surman, executive director of the Mozilla Foundation, the non-profit organization which has developed Firefox.
He explains the importance of open video standards. He says now video on the Web is in a "black box."
When I asked him how his organization could challenge the dominance of Adobe and its ubiquitous Flash ecosystem, he pointed Mozilla's remarkable success, gaining 22 percent market share of browsers, having taken away 20 percent of the market from Microsoft Explorer.
Like publishing text and still images which are free to use on the web, he told me video should be provided for free, not just by folks "trying to make a buck."
How fast can Mozilla's Firefox create a new open video world? It's going to take some time. We explored this topic earlier today on Beet.TV
Andy Plesser, Executive Producer
By Andy Plesser on June 25, 2009 @beet_tv
UncategorizedTagged Software
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You are at:Home»Online»Red Dead Redemption 2, are sold in hepsiburada
Red Dead Redemption 2, are sold in hepsiburada
Red Dead Redemption 2, Hepsiburada are being sold on the site. As you know, Red Dead Redemption 2 , not only among the most anticipated games of the last era this season. Both are both very successful in the first game of the major reason for this lies behind Rockstar Games. The game, which especially attracts attention with a new promotional video recently released, the vendor has become the target of some already awake.
The game with the pre-order listing date GBP 299.00 price tag some sellers and almost bought one. Normally 26 October 2018the game will be released in Hepsiburada located on the site, this has been claimed before in ads that will be sent naturally. Looking at the game notes that Add to the seller at the latest on Tuesday 25th September we see the day approach that is specified are shipped.
Of course, this situation also showed their reactions in the face of some game lovers. Hepsiburada contained in the site, you can browse the AD here. We waited in great suspense, PS4 that are specific to and for now that would be more of a cut let me remind of the game on October 26.
2K Games Action PlayStation 4 Red Dead Redemption 2 for PC Rockstar Games xbox one
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Blog Tour + Excerpt + Giveaway + Review: Flash Point by Brooke Blaine
Flash Point by Brooke Blaine
A Standalone Romantic Suspense Novel
The first time I saw her, I knew I’d have to kill her.
It’s been five years since the brutal death of her mother, and Katherine Shaw still relives the nightmares of that night.
She escaped.
The danger should’ve been over.
She couldn’t have been more wrong.
When her father, a prominent judge, receives a chilling death threat, her past comes hurtling into her present.
The warning is clear: They’ve got unfinished business, and they’re coming for her.
Katherine Shaw.
Rich girl? Check.
Spoiled and obstinate? Check.
A beautiful fireball who pushes every button he has? That was not listed on the dossier Jason Garrett receives when he’s assigned as one of her bodyguards. The last thing he ever expected was that his tempting client would prove to be more dangerous than those he’s protecting her from.
Their attraction would be forbidden even under the best circumstances. But as the threat draws near, the tension between the two of them rises, culminating in an explosive flash point that will blindside them both.
B&N
Excerpt from Flash Point
© Brooke Blaine 2015
The wind whipped around them suddenly, a ferocious gust that caused Katherine’s long locks to go flying in every direction. She looked a bit like Medusa right then, hair thrashing about like snakes, hypnotic jade eyes blazing, and just as she lifted the hood of her jacket over her head, the wind died down.
“Yeah, that just figures,” she muttered, as she put her hand inside the hood to smooth down her hair.
Jason’s phone buzzed in his pocket, the caller ID reading Thompson. He answered before the second ring. “Sir.”
“Just calling to check in with you, Garrett. I spoke with Kirkpatrick and went over the rundown on our end, and he gave me—”
“Ow, shit, motherfucker—”
A string of curses continued to fly from Katherine’s mouth, her arm caught in an awkward angle over her face. The bracelet on her wrist had hooked onto the jacket liner of her hood, and the more she tried to yank it free, the more it snagged.
Thompson’s voice turned apprehensive. “Is everything okay over there? Is that Katherine—”
“Yes, yes, she’s fine,” Jason said.
“She doesn’t sound fine.”
“Just a little…female issue.”
“Female issue…? Ohhhh. I see. Well, good luck with that. Talk later.” Thompson hung up swiftly, and Jason shook his head. Wimp.
Katherine stomped her foot as she continued to wrench her arm free, and he tried not to smirk at how ridiculous she looked.
I should just leave her like that, he thought in amusement.
“Are you gonna talk on the phone all night or are you gonna fucking help me sometime this century?”
“Do you really want me to answer that?” he asked.
“No, what I want right about now is a chainsaw to free myself and then stick up your ass.”
He shoved the phone back in his pocket. “Sounds like foreplay.”
She stopped struggling for a moment, and he tried not to notice the way her shirt had ridden up to display a few inches of her creamy skin. “Now the sense of humor comes out? Now?”
Stepping forward, he grabbed her wrist with one hand and tried to get her bracelet free with the other, but it was lodged in tight. Her pulse beat rapidly under his thumb, and he stroked over it once before realizing what he’d done. A quiet gasp escaped Katherine’s lips.
“Hold still,” he murmured, tightening his grip. “It might hurt.”
With a quick snap, he ripped the hood away, a chunk of tattered material still clinging to the mangled jewelry. She pulled the bracelet off her arm and rubbed her wrist.
“Thanks,” she said, a bit breathless.
He nodded as he backed away, and she got the hint to keep moving and not mention it.
They walked together in silence, for once, until a cluster of buildings came into view, and Katherine directed them toward it. When he saw her look over at him from the corner of his eye, he braced himself for the next round of questioning he knew was coming.
“So…you never told me your first name,” she said.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Well, that’s rude. I thought we just had a moment there, Jason.”
He stopped in his tracks, and she burst out in victorious laughter.
How the hell did she know that?
“And you thought I was unobservant.” She wore a smug look on her face. “I may be a lot of things, ruiner of jackets included, but give me a little credit here.”
“Where did you hear that?”
She shrugged. “It was a hunch. I’d referred to you as Jason Statham when I was talking to Steven at my father’s house, and I noticed you flinched when I said it. So, either you get that comparison a lot, or it was an involuntary reaction to hearing your name and trying not to react. Thank you for confirming my suspicions.”
Well I’ll be damned. Not just a pretty face, are you?
“Oh,” she said then, taking a step back. “Oh, no. That’s not…a tiny sliver of respect I see in your eyes, is it?”
He grimaced. “No.”
“Thank God,” she said with mock relief as she climbed the stairs to the main doors and stopped just outside them. “I couldn’t take it if you actually liked me.”
He had nothing to say to that, too busy trying to see past the mask she wore that he’d only briefly thought about earlier. She was observant. I wonder what else she’s hiding…
She turned around. “Can I ask you something?”
“God knows you would anyway.”
The Katherine that faced him now wore a serious expression, with no trace of the sarcastic woman he’d had to deal with the past few days. She cocked her head to the side as she studied his face.
“Are you always this much of an asshole with your clients, or am I just lucky?”
Before he could summon an answer, she reached for the door handle but then pulled away so he could enter first. She stayed beside him as she walked them to her class, and he knew she didn’t expect a response. After getting her settled and taking position against the wall nearby, he entertained her question.
Two things he knew for sure: First, he was definitely an asshole. And second, under the current circumstances, he’d never refer to Katherine Shaw as lucky.
You could say Brooke Blaine was a book-a-holic from the time she knew how to read; she used to tell her mother that curling up with one at 4 a.m. before elementary school was her ‘quiet time.’ Not much has changed except for the espresso I.V. pump she now carries around and the size of her onesie pajamas.
Flash Point is her debut solo novel, and she is the co-author of the erotic serial, A Desperate Man, with Ella Frank. The latter has scarred her conservative southern family for life, bless their hearts.
If you’d like to get in touch with her, she’s easy to find - just keep an ear out for the Rick Astley ringtone that’s dominated her cell phone for ten years.
Newsletter * Website * Facebook * Twitter
Google+ * Goodreads * Instagram * Pinterest
Labels: Blog Tours, Brooke Blaine, Excerpt Reveal, Giveaways, Judy's Review
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Certified Benz & Beemer Compares 2015 BMW M3 VS 2015 Mercedes E63 Near Phoenix, AZ
Both the M3 and the E63 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control and electronic stability systems to prevent skidding.
The M3’s corrosion warranty is 8 years and unlimited miles longer than the E63’s (12/unlimited vs. 4/50,000).
BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the M3 for 4 years and 50,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the E63.
There are over 12 percent more BMW dealers than there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the M3’s warranty.
J.D. Power and Associates’ 2014 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW 8th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 7 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 13th.
On the EPA test cycle the M3 Auto gets better fuel mileage than the E63 Sedan (17 city/24 hwy vs. 16 city/23 hwy).
The M3 stops much shorter than the E63:
Road & Track
The M3 handles at .98 G’s, while the E63 AMG S-Model Sedan pulls only .89 G’s of cornering force in a Road & Track skidpad test.
The BMW M3 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 850 to 1100 pounds less than the Mercedes E63.
The M3 is 7.6 inches shorter than the E63 Sedan, making the M3 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.
The M3 has 2.4 inches more front headroom and .7 inches more front legroom than the E63 Sedan.
To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the M3’s trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. The E63’s useful trunk space is reduced by its intrusive beam hinge.
The M3 offers an optional heads-up display which projects speed and other key instrumentation readouts onto the windshield, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The E63 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.
Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the M3 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The E63 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.
In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The M3 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The E63 doesn’t offer headlight washers.
On extremely cold Winter days, the M3’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The E63 doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.
The 3 Series was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 20 of the last 21 years. The E Class has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.
The 3 Series was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” for 13 of the last 19 years. The E Class has never been an “All Star.”
The 3 Series was selected by Automobile Magazine as their 2006 Car of the Year. The E Class has never been chosen.
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Archives: April 2010
The gates of hell are open wide, with a nice fresh coat of paint in Federation colours
The A-G has just announced that after much deliberation the Government has decided we’re not going to have a national Bill of Rights. We’re going to have a Framework instead, apparently. What that would mean I’m not sure. (My guess: Whatever the people administering the “framework” decide it is at any particular time.)
Not everyone is happy with this decision. Father [Frank] Brennan told The Age: ”I am disappointed that more coherent reasons for not adopting a human rights act were not offered by the government in light of the strong community sentiment for one.”
Oh, Frank, Susan, you sillies! I have no background in Human Rights law or government whatsoever but the reason is as about as coherent as it gets. Having enthusiastically taken over the job of putting the indigenous unemployed of the Northern Territory on the Susso, they’ve been busily repainting and doing up the old Curtin gulag. Signing up to a Bill of Rights at this time would just lead to embarassing questions from all the wrong sort of people.
Move along.
Crossposted
asshattery,Politics,The Immense Gothic Cathedral of WTF
22 Apr 2010, Comments (19)
Dinnergate!
When laptops and notebook computers appeared in the land (and mobile phones started sprouting more features), a favourite advertising tactic was to portray young hipsters or rugged professionals sitting on a remote mountain peak, or resting their handsome calves in a deckchair (half-submerged in a sapphire sea) as they tapped away at their gadget of choice. Words like freedom and spontaneity were sloshed around. No more stuffy office!
It was perhaps about a nanosecond before people started to wake up to the ugly reverse side of this. Even at the top of that mountain peak, the office now followed you. We now have a situation, previously only known to slaves and indentured labourers, where there is no longer such a thing as time off. And if you can be “at the office” 24/7 with your gadgets, well, then soon perfect strangers might want to know what you do and where you go in your “free time”.
If you live outside the state of Victoria in Australia, you might not know that the ex-police Commissioner, Christine Nixon, has been roasted slowly over coals in court more than once in the last week for having the temerity to eat dinner (with no alcohol) on her day off. A “day off” during which she went to work.
As her detractors will point out, it was no more than her duty to go to work on a day of catastrophic bushfires, as she was a senior figure (not the senior figure, as they’d like you to believe) in the Emergency Services. But she did. I’m not the only person to find the hatefest engendered by her decision to break for dinner in a hotel!! (or, as one ABC commenter breathlessly said, a pub!) somewhat bizarre.
I don’t need to defend her, as Jeff Sparrow and Moira Rayner have done a great job here and here. Nixon attacked bullying and corruption when she was Police commissioner and made some powerful enemies. But let’s just think of it in terms of the 24/7 worker here. So she went for a meal at a pub with two friends (ZOMG the Roman decadence), on what would normally be her day off. I’m assuming here that a public figure like Nixon would have her phone on her all the time. If she wasn’t actually in the office, what did it actually matter? And what difference did it make that she was in “A Pub”!!1! The way the journos made it sound, you’d think we were back in Victorian times where it was unseemly for a Lady to set foot in Such a Place. You can imagine how differently it would have been spun by a male police honcho. “We repaired to the pub to refuel and made it our centre of operations for a couple of hours.”
As it was, as a rotund and middle-aged woman, she was pilloried with images of Food and Eating and everything Fatty-fat-fat, which is also, for women, code for lazy and sluttish. Of course, there are no fat men in the higher echelons of the Emergency services. It was instructive to see the equal and opposite reaction to the fainting Julia Gillard (and also, no-one in the armed forces faints on parade…right?) This time the link to the article is “Gillard must remember to eat!” But that’s different, because you see, she’s the society-approved shape!
Also, outsourcing your meal to the local, rather than spending more time buying ingredients and cooking, seems like an efficient thing to do on a day when you might well have more to do. But, you know, while people are all foaming about Responsibility, they’re really just after a really good performance. In the theatrical sense.
FX Holden summed it up perfectly.
She should have commissioned a khaki, Steve /Bindi Irwin outfit, complete with hat, rolled up the sleeves and had a TV camera follow her out to the Dandenongs where she should have handed out sandwiches,to CFA volunteers, shook a few hands, grabbed a hose and splashed a bit of water on a burnback, rubbed a bit of ash across her sweaty face and said to camera “Geez I’m too busy here fightn’ fires to talk to youse”
Then she’d be a hero.
Would have helped the effort not one bit and may have even caused resources to be diverted from real effort.
But she wouldn’t have been under fire at the RC from bloody lawyers, none of who have run anything more complicated than asking their PA to get their wife a birthday present.
Next time you read a “why aren’t there more women in the top positions” article (complete with comments mansplaining that feminism was all a mistake and where is the female Beethoven), remember that somewhere a woman might be weighing up a choice to apply for one of those positions. And she’ll know that she’ll be judged, not only on everything she does whether she’s at work that day or not, but on her appearance. But if she uses her day off to do anything about her appearance, or to eat, that’s wrong too, if all hell should break loose before she realises it. And if she’s not built to the required fuckability-template of the day, that’ll be fully taken in to account in our shallow and insecure society.
asshattery,Gender, feminism,Politics,public nuisances,The Immense Gothic Cathedral of WTF
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Weekend Champion
Weekend Editorial
Weekend Opinion
Heart-To-Heart
Business Klinic
Home Maritime MAAG makes case for Shippers’ Counci, others
MAAG makes case for Shippers’ Counci, others
…Says agencies not allowed to execute their mandate
THE Maritime Advocacy and Action Group (MAAG) has accused politicians as well as some perceived powerful stakeholders in the Maritime sector of thwarting the efforts of some government agencies operating in the sector in carrying out the mandates given to them by the Acts establishing them.
Speaking in a telephone interview with Daily Champion, the National Coordinator of MAAG, Alhassan Dantata stated that with what was happening in the case between some freight forwarding associations in the maritime industry and the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) on one hand and the legal action instituted by the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) against the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) on the other hand, it was obvious that efforts were on to disallow some government agencies from carrying out their mandates.
According to him,” there are lots of government agencies that are not allowed to execute their mandate in their Acts, like for instance, what is happening now with the Shippers’ Council and STOAN. STOAN took Shippers’ Council to the Court”.
“Shippers’ Council has been appointed to regulate the ports and the problem with the ports is that the cost of service delivery vis-à-vis the value of service delivered. So, when the NSC did their own investigations across Africa, from South Africa to the West Coast on port charges, they now communicated and had series of meeting with STOAN and the Shippers’ Council now came up with a new rate regime and because STOAN have been having a field day, they felt they cannot be regulated anymore. So, they now went to Court”.
Dantata further said that the same was what SON was passing through in the hands of some freight forwarding association who felt that SON was standing in their way of having to import substandard products into the country.
“But we have now sidelined the issue of quality control; allow smugglers to bring in goods with impunity, substandard goods into Nigeria. That is also destroying our own manufacturers; manufacturing is dying because cheaper and substandard products are coming with impunity”.
“Unfortunately so, some of the clearing and forwarding agencies are owned by the officials of other government agencies, so, how can an armed robber arrest himself?” he queried.
He added that what MAAG was doing was to sensitize the government on the unfortunate situation and for government to redesign the way forward or scrap SON as according to him, “there is no point, SON is not allowed in the ports, they were accused of delaying goods from being released from the ports, but since they left the ports three years ago, the situation has worsened now. Yes! It is even worse from what it was in 2011”.
While calling attention to this ugly trend, he called on the government to intervene and save the situation so as to enable some of these agencies perform optimally.
He however advised all parties in the suit between STOAN and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council not to do anything that would jeopardize the judicial process saying that all parties should wait for the outcome of the court before any further step should be taken to avoid over heating the polity.
Maritime Microfinance Bank gets CBN approval to commence operation
NWADINAMUO AUGUSTINE
Following approval granted it by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), a new financial institution, the Maritime Microfinance Bank will formally commence operation on Monday 1st December 2014.
The Maritime MFB is the first financial institution fully dedicated to servicing the maritime industry in Nigeria.
A Director and Promoter of the new bank, Mr. Bolaji Akinola said the Maritime Microfinance Bank has been set up to fill a yawning gap within the financial services industry by offering small loans, or micro-loans, to maritime industry operators and workers who are unable to access conventional loan services.
“This is the starting point for us. We are embarking on a revolution in the provision of financial solutions for the maritime industry. We are starting as a unit micro-finance bank but our vision is to evolve into a full fledge commercial bank fully dedicated to the growth and development of the maritime industry.
“The birth of the Maritime MFB is a culmination of several years of research and team work between several well-meaning people who are passionate about growing the maritime industry,” he said.
He said the Maritime Microfiance Bank will use small and microloans to develop small businesses based on their existing talents and skill sets.
“Dockworkers, freight forwarders, truckers, port workers, staff of private companies and government organisations who mostly have challenges accessing small loans can now heave a sigh of relief as the bank for them has finally come.
“Access to finance is an invaluable element that brings growth and development to any sector of the economy. It also helps in realizing full economic capabilities of the people.
“As part of the agenda for full development of the maritime sector, access to finance has been identified by the stakeholders in the industry as one of the key elements that needs to be considered,” Akinola, who is also the CEO of Ships & Ports Communication Company stated.
He said the Maritime Microfinance Bank will build exceptional value for its clients by demonstrating incomparable care for their needs and increasing their financial wealth by providing tailored solutions to meet their financial needs and protecting their assets.
“We are deploying the latest banking technology and have developed very exceptional financial solutions that will help our clients grow.
“These are in addition to the regular banking products which include Savings Account, Current Account, Salary Account and Cooperative Account among others,” he said.
He said micro, small and medium enterprises in the maritime industry can now easily access loan facilities to grow their businesses through the Maritime MFB.
Total Views: 453 ,
NCMDLCA achieved 70% of demands—Tanko
2015: Sterling Bank secures customer patronage
Baru bags Life Time Achievement Award
Buhari committed to growing Nigeria’s Oil Reserves – Baru
OLIVE GARDEN ESTATE
Supreme Court sacks Ned Nwoko, Nwaoboshi reclaims seat
Sanwo-Olu declares another free passage at Lekki, Ikoyi toll plazas on Wednesday
Insecurity: Omo-Agege backs Osinbajo on deployment of soldiers on highways
Insecurity: Obj’s Open Letter vindicates us- PDP
Usman Jibril: I’m on a rescue mission in Kogi
Senator Oduah empowers 250 on water management
Assets forfeiture: Presidential Panel seals Sen. Nwaoboshi’s properties
I’ll redefine public perception of NASS -Gbajabiamila
Edo, Bauchi Assembly crises: Speakers’ Conference lauds NASS intervention
Buhari felicitates with Segun Osoba @80
Police nab 90 cult suspects in Anambra
Why Buhari selected Service Chiefs from his kinsmen – Orji Kalu
Fasoranti daughter’s killing: Tinubu kicks against stigmatization of Fulani herdsmen
Sanwo-Olu names 25 commissioners, special advisers
President Buhari sends message to Osoba
Funke Olakunrin: Death of Fasoranti’s daughter, tragic sad – Osinbajo says as he visits Afenifere leader
How Afenifere leader’s daughter, Funke was murdered – Driver, househelp
Coalition that fought Biafra in 1967 has collapsed, you can’t win any war again – Afenifere warns Northerners
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Buhari blames states for growing army of Almajiris
SUNDAY ODE, Abuja President Muhammad Buhari on Tuesday decried the alarming increase in the number of out of school children in the country, saying state...
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Champions Square
Bold Sphere Music at Champions Square
Ticketing Info
Saints Game Days
Accessibility (ADA)
The Opening Act
Around New Orleans
club XLIV on Saints Game Days
club XLIV / Encore
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Gary Etcheverry's final days as Ottawa Gee-Gees head football coach were like a Friday Night Lights episode with special guest director Federico Fellini.
The past week's drama, which took another turn with the firing of Etcheverry (hate to have called it), is only the symptom of the problem, not the problem itself. Know that much. The Gee-Gees senior players — here one thinks of centre Shavin Fernando, linebackers Tyler Sawyer and Trevor Seal and QB Aaron Colbon, who only needed a near-mutiny before he was allowed to throw 30 passes in a game this season — are the true empathetic figures. Some of the holdovers who helped Ottawa come within seconds of the Yates Cup in 2010 are going out on a lame-duck season with Ottawa last in the OUA at 0-5.
Even Etcheverry is somewhat of an empathetic figure. His irrational insistence that the double wing could work at the CIS level was bizarre. It was comic fodder to other head coaches in Ontario. But this is what happens with the way uOttawa, under director of sport services Luc Gélineau, does its business. Until they increase the support for the program, recruitment and retention are going to be recurring problems. The below passage from Canada Football Chat says it all:
Ottawa has had trouble attracting good candidates (and holding on to coaches - JP Asselin) because of the lack of financial support and competitive coaching salary levels as compared to other OUA/CIS teams. The new Carleton Ravens have already exposed some of Ottawa's issues, hiring 3 former Gee-Gees coaches in the last 4 months (J.P. Asselin, Chris Coulson, Josh Sacobie).
Please commit that to memory before anyone starts joking that Etcheverry won't have to worry about having to interview for a CIS position again any time soon (never say never at this level of sport!). It's a uOttawa story more than it is about a journeyman coach with a blind spot about what works in theory and what works in an actual application. The last fews day have been more of a boiling over from off-field turmoil that dates back across the past 4-5 seasons.
The question is whether Ottawa can undo the damage while Carleton is hitting the ground running. There is no reason Ottawa shouldn't be a strong program. The early indication is it will have former star O-lineman Naim El-Far serve as a general manager Does this firm up the resolve to make football a flagship program, pay the going rate for to attract and keep good coaches, and so on?
Ottawa's been a successful team over the years, but its next head coach will be its 13th since Don Gilbert guided the legendary 1975 Gee-Gees to the Vanier Cup. Laurier, Queen's and Western, all generally successful Ontario programs, have had 10 head coaches combined in the same period. That buttresses the belief there is some dry rot in the system.
Writing about Friday night's game, Deux Fans describe the silence at Concordia for Montreal's 38-0 win (a worse crowd than McGill? ouch). Jeu blanc indeed. The only teams in that conference whom Montreal has yet to defeat by 24 or more points are McGill and Laval.
For those wondering if the Huskies might get it together this year, I'm afraid to say Calgary had more field goals than Saskatchewan had points. Johnny Mark, despite having two first names, connected on six, though none was longer than 36 yards.
Nobody from any Windsor newspaper went to watch the Lancers against the Lions, judging from the three sentences written about the game, the byline ("Posted by: Sports Desk"), and the irrelevant 2011 picture. In honour of their efforts, I'm not even going to put a "Lancers" tag on this post.
Similarly, sending two people to London for a big game would be too much for the Hamilton Spectator, so to illustrate a game in front of 11,000 people at TD Waterhouse Stadium in September 2012 they chose a file photo of one person at some unknown game at Ron Joyce Stadium in who-knows-what-year. (Aside from the dateline, it's not clear they sent anyone.) The Mustangs lost the game (33-27) and their QB, both of which Greg Marshall is taking rather seriously. We'll have more on this game tomorrow morning, the only game involving a top four team that wasn't a blowout.
Sweet Melinda, does any Ontario daily have photographers anymore? The Whig-Standard's gamer on the Golden Gaels' 32-25 win over Ottawa (closer than it seemed, probably) just uses a giant Queen's logo that is almost larger than the story. (Also, ten points for "local news" — you see the exact same stories at thewhig.com/sports as you do at lfpress.com/sports.) Now that the Gee-Gees have successfully stopped one thing their coach does they don't like, can someone work on "kicking a field goal from your opponent's 17 when down by 13 with under four minutes to go"?
In basketball news, the 2012-13 non-conference schedule opened this weekend, and in one result, the Lakehead men beat Brandon 83-56. No word if the fans up in Thunder Bay feasted on Bobcat meat for Homecoming.
In a game where six Regina players each caught multiple passes, it's only fitting that a receiver way down on their depth chart scored the winning touchdown.
Keyed by a 95-yard, nine-play comeback drive and capped off by a Marc Mueller-Connor Haas connection in the fading seconds, the 4-1 Regina Rams racked up more than 500 yards of offence while beating the 3-2 Manitoba Bisons 30-27 in Friday night's matchup of top-10 teams.
For the longest time Friday night, it seemed like the winner would be whoever lost more slowly. Most of the first three quarters were sluggish and sloppy, and the game ended up having eight turnovers and 213 yards in penalties. Both teams opened it up in the fourth, though, scoring 27 between them after the score was just 11-10 Regina at the half.
Mueller, who of course missed all of last year to injury, looked to be hurt at the beginning of his team's eventual winning drive. He stayed in the game and, along with his team and a few pass interference calls (some legit, some not, going both ways), drove from his own 15 all the way to the house to take the lead back for good. Haas had caught only four passes prior to this game, and picked up just two more last night, but couldn't have timed the second one any better. (He is seventh on the team in catches and yards, but now second in receiving touchdowns, with two.)
Regina had to come through with their comeback when down 27-23 late in the fourth, but it was made possible in part by some early Manitoba mistakes that could get overlooked in all the second-half activity. In particular, the Rams' largest lead came right after Manitoba's star returner Nic Demski made a key but subtle mistake.
Midway through the third, Regina stalled out in Manitoba's end, but were able to punt the ball close to their opponents' end zone. Instead of letting it roll and taking the single point, Demski picked it up on the 2 and brought it only to the 6. Typically teams will end up conceding a safety when starting that close to their goalposts, so there was a very real chance that Demski cost his team at least one direct point immediately. When you add it all up, though, this poor decision combined with some others may have cost Manitoba the game nearly as much as the Rams' last-minute drive.
Suppose that punt turned into a single point. Following the rouge, the Bisons would have had the ball on their 35-yard line, possession at which is worth about 0.6 points on average to them based on expected points by field position. In other words, the value of starting from their 35 partially offsets the single point they would concede, giving them a net loss of 0.4 points.
So for a conceded safety to be the right decision, they would need to pin the Rams so deep on the kickoff that the two points they spot them are offset to the tune of 1.6 points of field position. Doing so is basically impossible: a more likely starting point for Regina is their own 40, which is worth a point or so to the Rams — and now we're at three points total.
This means the Demski misplay, caused just by not letting the ball bounce six or seven more feet, cost his team about 2.5 points on its own.
In hindsight, it looks even worse, of course: with that next possession, Regina scored a touchdown to go ahead 20-13, their first (but not last) lead of the game.
It wasn't the only such Manitoba miscue. Early in the first, they chose to attempt a field goal on 3rd and 7 from the 14, which may not seem like a big deal but in general that takes nearly a point off the scoreboard compared to going for it. Why? Simply put, you lose the chance to maintain possession. And even if Manitoba failed, they would keep the Rams deeper in their end zone than where they start after a field goal.
Right after call that they were flagged for a 15-yard penalty, which costs teams another point on average. This happens now and then in games but it was so close to the previous mistake that it seems worth mentioning. We're now at a total of 4.5 points, easily more than the final margin of victory for the Rams.
Later in the second, they also punted on 3rd and 2 in their own end, which I'll be nice about for now and call a borderline decision, but it really didn't work out when Jamir Walker returned that punt 63 yards. A field goal on the ensuing short drive tied the game and Manitoba would have to scratch back just to have the lead again. Again that's with hindsight, but now I'll stop being nice and say even before the return it was the wrong call. 3rd and 2 is simple to convert in Canadian football.
Why does all this matter? They lost because Mueller threw for 400 yards and their defence let him march the length of the field, right? Yes and no. In any game, but particularly a close one, you never want to leave points on the field. The Bisons cost themselves two or three points in the first half alone, and then at least two more on that one punt "return" in the third quarter. With some more discipline and less conservative play-calling, this could very well have been a close win for Manitoba rather than a stomach-punch loss.
All those small mistakes were nearly made irrelevant because, in the fourth, the Bisons did retake the lead, if not permanently. After the teams traded field goals, Manitoba scored two majors: Cam Clark's TD pass to Anthony Coombs after two pass interference calls that so enraged the Regina-friendly broadcasters cut their deficit to 23-20, and then on their very next drive Clark found Brendon Bowman for a 55-yard score and the 27-23 lead.
With two minutes left, these Manitoba scores would set up the dramatic ending described above — which was made all the more interesting by the fact that Regina arguably scored the winning touchdown twice. A few plays before Haas scored, Mueller threw to Jared Janotta in the corner of the end zone for what looked like the game-deciding reception. However, it was waved off on offensive pass interference that I never saw — though, with only one camera on the webcast, there's a lot I didn't see.
Overall, it really wasn't a good game for the Bisons. There's the obvious — Clark went 9/28 for 236 yards and threw four interceptions — and aside from the mistakes already mentioned, Walker's big punt return and the blocked field goal showed the need for improvement on special teams as well. Walker told the sideline reporter that after he faked one way, all he could see was green and then was off to the races, and Tyler Perkins, the defensive lineman who got his hand on the field goal, shrugged it off as being "not too hard." Neither of these remarks inspires confidence in Manitoba's punt coverage or field-goal teams.
The Rams were not immune to criticism either, though I think when compared to Manitoba they are generally a more talented team who can overcome their mistakes. The second half had barely started and Regina already had two fumbles, a very poor punt (22 yards out of bounds), and a turnover on downs. You can call those unavoidable or fluky, but effectively having four turnovers on the first 11 drives of the game kept them from pulling as far ahead as they probably should have.
It was, unsurprisingly, impressive to watch Mueller work. The single-camera nature of the broadcast meant lots of wide shots of the field, and that allowed for a greater appreciation of his needle-threading abilities. It doesn't hurt either that basically all the Rams did was throw: Mueller finished with 55 pass attempts for 35 completions and 397 yards, and Regina only tried 22 running plays, even with the lead in the second half.
This Regina side knows too well from last year how much losing an important player can hurt, so any injury is perhaps considered more seriously than usual. Shortly after the third quarter began, the Rams lost one a receiver in a serious injury, and near the end they seemed to lose yet another. The first one was Jason Price, who went down on a tackle on a short-yardage reception, and lay on the Mosaic turf for several minutes. It was an awkward fall, as he was nearly jumping/diving backwards with a defender coming down on top of him, and was taken off in an ambulance after a very long delay. And then Kolten Solomon left the game during the last two minutes, depleting the receiving corps even further. This all comes after Mark McConkey, the Rams' second-leading receiver and a conference all-star a year ago, "suffered a torn medial collateral ligament" in practicing for the second game earlier this month. He has yet to appear in a game since. Mueller is, in theory, good enough to work with backup options, and has several other teammates left to work with, notably Janotta, but as mentioned this sort of thing cannot be taken too seriously.
It's hard to look at this game and think either team can succeed against Calgary without a lot of luck. It was close but not well-played. And they have already lost to the Dinos by scores of 37-21 (Regina) and 33-12 (Manitoba). The Rams and Bisons will likely play each other again in the playoffs, in the 2 vs. 3 semifinal, but based on what I saw tonight, their chances seem slim in that following week against what may very well be a 9-0 Calgary team.
Both these teams are actually quite good, and on their better days could certainly play up to the best in the country. A likely result, however, is that the team that has owned this conference for a while will keep on doing that.
To its credit, the University of Ottawa has not taken the 'nothing to see here' attitude following reports of turmoil within the winless football Gee-Gees ranks.
That would have been an impossible front to maintain. Coach Gary Etcheverry and his coaching staff are all back for Saturday's Ottawa-Queen's game in Kingston, Ont., but the double-wing offence will apparently not be as prominent in the offensive game plan. Meantime, the current coaching staff did not exactly get a vote of confidence.
From Tim Baines:
Assistant athletic director Colin Timm said nothing was rammed down the coaches’ throats, but there was an agreement that there needed to be some adjustments in philosophy — with heat coming from all over the place.
“You’ve always got pressure from above,” said Timm. “They always want to win. Everybody’s an armchair quarterback. We have concerns, too. It just came to a point after the 0-4 start (that changes had to be made).
“This was left to the coaching staff to work out a solution to move forward. Our process was to try and bring the team together. We’re throwing away the 0-4 and taking it one game at a time.”
... Timm said there was no talk of dumping Etcheverry this week, despite rumblings that the coach was on shaky ground. (Ottawa Sun)
Taking it one game at a time is a curious coda. Ottawa's key decision-maker, director of sports services Luc Gélineau, is on vacation, after all. The same might go for the clause this week. That isn't meant to imply there will be a change after the Queen's game or as soon as the regular season ends; it only means that there has been some discord. It is hard to imagine how a team can pull together and put its best foot forward against the No. 5 team in the country on Saturday.
It's possible the Gee-Gees could play out the string with the current, flawed state of affairs now that the playoffs are a remote possibility. The initial point on Tuesday wasn't to report that anyone was about to be out of work, but to convey that Gee-Gees players were just as frustrated as their alumni and fans and decided to move on it. It is tragicomic that it came to such a head. This season might be lost, but they can do damage control and lay some groundwork for the future.
With their season in a shambles, Ottawa Gee-Gees footballers appear to be mutinying against first-year head coach Gary Etcheverry.
Multiple sources confirmed for cisblog.ca on Tuesday that Colin Timm, uOttawa sports services' assistant director, played mediator during an approximately four-hour-long meeting between Etcheverry and some of the team's senior leaders. Players also ran a spread offence during a practice where several coaches were absent, instead of practising Etcheverry's double-wing offence, which has yet to produce results amid the Gee-Gees' first 0-4 start in a quarter-century. Ottawa has looked disjointed on each side of the ball, ranking seventh in offence and ninth in defence in the 10-team OUA despite returning nearly all of their starters from a season ago. They are also dead last in pass offence and pass defence.
It's expected there will be restructuring of the coaching staff as soon as Wednesday. Offensive assistant Corey Goff could also be on the hot seat. At this hour, it's not clear what that means for the much-travelled Etcheverry ahead of Saturday's Ottawa-Queen's game in Kingston.
"He'll be gone by the end of the Queen's game... 100 per cent," a source said of Etcheverry.
Luc Gélineau, Ottawa's director of sports services, is on vacation, which further complicates matters. Where this story goes might turn on how serious the Gee-Gees players are about demanding changes. Ottawa, the lone winless team in OUA, is in tough to make the playoffs just two years after many of their veterans came within seconds of winning the Yates Cup.
Etcheverry, throughout his coaching career, has garnered a reputation for being adamant about running his schemes. That was a contributing factor to his departure from the Saskatchewan Roughriders before the 2011 season; he was essentially demoted from defensive coordinator in favour of Richie Hall despite the fact the 'Riders had made consecutive Grey Cup appearances. That makes it tough to picture the Gee-Gees ditching the double wing while Etcheverry remains as coach. In a previous stint with the B.C. Football Conference's South Fraser (now Langley) Rams, he left after three games after refusing to get rid of the double wing.
These reports did not exactly materialize from nowhere. Many Gee-Gees football alumni are reportedly upset about the direction of the program. Suffice to say, a surreal 24-48 hours are ahead in Gee-Gee land.
Continuing on with our ballot-posting, here's how some of our staffers voted in the FRC-CIS Top 10 poll following Week Four's action. It was a week that didn't see a lot of change in the results, as the top five remain the same and there's only slight change further down the chart, but there were still some interesting games, most notably Regina's 35-26 upset of Saskatchewan, McMaster's 31-20 win over Queen's and Calgary's 62-7 thumping of UBC. Read on to see how those games affected our ballots. Our previous ballots following Weeks One, Two and Three can be found here, here and here.
Neate Sager's ballot:
1. McMaster: Handled Queen's rather easily, although a run of nine consecutive games of scoring at least 40 points ended; Kyle Quinlan is still INT-free while averaging more than 300 per game and nearly 11 yards per attempt.
2. Calgary: 62-7 over UBC. It's getting to be redonkulous.
3. Montreal: It seems prudent to keep the Carabins and Rouge et Or in these slots until their Armageddon-esque home-and-home series in two weeks.
4. Laval: Statement win against McGill (69-0), but their secondary was really never challenged by the Redmen on a rain-soaked night in Montreal.
5. Regina: Better point differential than CW's other 3-1 team, Manitoba, whom they conveniently are scheduled against this Saturday. Two big turnovers from their D (a third-and-short stop by Brett Jones and a long INT return by Kirby Kezama) help them bury Saskatchewan.
6. Queen's: It was hard focusing in practice after beating Western the week before and that showed with a first-half no-show at McMaster, which led by as much as 30 in the 33-20 win.
7. Western: Donnie Marshall completed more passes to his brother Brian Marshall (6 for 149 yards) than he did to his other receivers (5) against Windsor, not that it mattered with the Mustangs' rushing game.
8. Manitoba: Cam Clark passed 27 times for 442 yards vs. Alberta; some of us reset the video game when it's that easy.
9. Saskatchewan: Have lost close games to two teams I have ranked higher and still have to face Canada West's highest-ranked team. Pretender or contender?
10. Acadia: May we bring them to the OUA to play out Ottawa's schedule? The Axemen have only a sweep of Saint Mary's and 30 decent minutes at Laval to their credit, but they didn't nearly blow a two-TD fourth-quarter lead to a team that been outscored 117-11 in its previous two games like Guelph did against Toronto. Sherbrooke could move in here if it plays Laval close this weekend.
Following Week Three's action, which included Calgary romping over Manitoba and Queen's taking down Western, here are the latest Football Reporters of Canada-CIS Top 10 poll ballots from some of our staff members who vote in it. See the CIS site for how the poll turned out. You can find our ballots from after Week One here and from after Week Two here. Interestingly enough, one of our voters was the only one to break from the herd and choose someone other than McMaster as #1. Read on to find out who...
Evan Daum's ballot:
1. McMaster - 45-16 this past weekend, undefeated and defending national champions. Until they lose, they're the cream of the crop.
2. Laval - I'm a holdout of sorts on the Rouge et Or. I've had them pencilled in at No. 2 all year, and they'll remain there until they lose, or win a tight one against a far inferior opponent.
3. Calgary - They passed a good test this weekend in Winnipeg against the Bisons and should be able to get past a disappointing UBC team this weekend on the road.
4. Montreal - Ranked No.3 in the only poll that matters, but I still don't know if this team is truly better than Laval. Until October 7th rolls around, when the they play the Rouge et Or, we likely won't know.
5. Queen's - Chance to make some real noise this weekend when they get the Marauders. Could cause a big shakeup in the poll if they pull off the upset.
6. Western - In the No. 6 hole thanks in large part to the fact the trio of teams behind them have proven to be good, albeit not great. I'll avoid the Western Canadian bias and give the benefit of the doubt to the Mustangs.
7. Saskatchewan - They beat UBC over the weekend, but then again everyone has so far this season. They should be in for all they can handle this weekend against a solid Regina team.
8. Manitoba - Came back to Earth thanks to a loss to the only team you need to know in Canada West. They're still playing good football and should be able to handle an Alberta team that enters their meeting this weekend in Winnipeg on a 12-game skid.
9. Regina - It took until the fourth quarter against Alberta for the Rams everyone thought made the trip to Edmonton to show up, but a 31-17 win has this squad positioned well for the final game of the first half this weekend.
10. Acadia - The only AUS team inside my top 10. Could've been Sherbrooke this week, but likely won't be next.
There were a few highly significant results for the CIS football season as a whole Saturday, and one of the most notable might have been the second-ranked Calgary Dinos demolishing seventh-ranked Manitoba 33-12 on the road. Add that to their 37-21 Week One win over Regina and their 65-6 demolition of Alberta in Week Two, and the Dinos might have the most impressive CIS record to date. (Top-ranked McMaster's also looking good, and their 45-16 win over Ottawa Saturday was nice, but the Marauders have only played the Gee-Gees, the Waterloo Warriors and the Guelph Gryphons, a less impressive dance card.) This was a very convincing win from Calgary, and one that should have them in excellent shape going forward.
Manitoba wasn't all that well-regarded in the preseason, but their play in the first two weeks with a big road win over UBC and a narrow home win over Saskatchewan was certainly impressive. The Bisons didn't completely collapse Saturday, either, putting up 211 passing yards and 117 rushing yards against Calgary. They just didn't have the firepower to hang with the Dinos. Eric Dzwilewski may not have received the press attention of quarterbacks like Kyle Quinlan, Kyle Graves or Billy Greene thus far, but he may be playing himself into the discussion as one of the league's best quarterbacks. His showing Saturday was definitely notable, as he completed 23 of 32 attempts (71.9 per cent) for 329 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions and added 49 rushing yards on eight carries. Dzwilewski also showed a strong connection with receiver Chris Dobko, who had 13 catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns. The Dinos' ground game wasn't quite as imposing as it has been in the past, as Cuong Thai Lieu and Mercer Timmis combined for just 92 yards on 18 carries, but that still made for a respectable 5.1 yards per carry average. Combine that with the remarkable showing of the passing game and Calgary had a very nice day.
Another team that had a good day? The #6 Queen's Golden Gaels, who beat archrival Western 18-11. It was an impressive statement from the Gaels, as the fifth-ranked Mustangs were a much tougher foe than the York Lions or Laurier Golden Hawks they'd previously beat. There were some very solid performances to take note of, too; the defence was dominant and running back Ryan Granberg picked up 169 yards and a touchdown on the ground with a ridiculous 8.0 yards per carry average. Still, this wasn't a terrible loss for Western, as they hung in there right to the end on the road against a tough opponent. They'll need to get more aerial production, as quarterback Donnie Marshall completed just seven of 16 passes (36.8 per cent) for 109 yards with two picks, but the Mustangs had a real shot to win this game despite that. Don't write them off as out of OUA contention just yet.
There was some noteworthy action further down the card as well, with Sherbrooke edging Saint Mary's 23-22 and Laurier picking up their first win of the year thanks to a 24-20 home victory over York. Most of the other top teams won in a walk, though; top-ranked McMaster rolled over Ottawa 45-16, while fourth-ranked Montreal pummelled Bishop's 45-15. Windsor thumped Toronto 55-4 and Guelph beat Waterloo 47-17, so those teams may garner some (low) Top 10 votes this week. It's the late games that may prove most interesting, though, with No.9 Saskatchewan quite close with UBC heading into the fourth quarter and No.3 Laval facing No.8 Acadia. Keep an eye on the CIS site for those results; we'll have more here tomorrow.
We're continuing the old CIS Blog tradition, with some of our staff members who vote in the weekly Football Reporters of Canada-CIS Top 10 poll posting and defending their ballots. See the CIS site for the poll results. You can find our ballots from after Week One here. Here's how we voted following the second week of CIS football action, which included another bad loss for UBC and York beating Ottawa:
1. McMaster: Beat Waterloo 68-21; Waterloo's Twitter said the Warriors "held their own against the top team in the country."
2. Calgary: Backup QB Andrew Buckley threw for more yards in mop-up time vs. Alberta than either Ottawa or Laurier's starters did in the games I watched on Saturday.
3. Montreal: Their margins of victory have simply been more impressive than Laval's. Please keep in mind it has only been two games and this is an opinion poll.
4. Laval: Would anyone else be ranked No. 2 after winning their first two games by a combined 61-37 over teams which missed the playoffs last season?
5. Queen's: Will need more than 78 rushing yards and 3.1 per carry to beat that school in London in this week's Beemer Bowl. The Waterloo Record called QB Billy McPhee "erratic" in their advance coverage of a game where he went 22-of-28 for 333 yards and no picks... in a road game that began while it was raining.
6. Western: Like how they have tailored the offence to Donnie Marshall's unique skillset (strong arm. quick feet).
7. Manitoba: Have to be in this spot after Cam Clark's 317-yard day helped them beat Saskatchewan in the undercard for the Banjo Bowl.
8. Saskatchewan: The Green Dogs did not play poorly vs. the Bisons. Manitoba just executed better in the final minutes.
9. Acadia: Hold their spot after shading Saint Mary's, which stayed close thanks to a missed field goal return TD by Jahmeek Taylor. A question for the coaches who read this site: can you practice covering missed field goal tries without killing your kicker's confidence?
10. Guelph: Replace Windsor after keeping the Lancers out of the end zone in 28-9 win. Have a chance to be 4-1 going into their Thanksgiving weekend matchup vs. Western, although Laurier will improve.
1. McMaster: Hard to argue with the defending champions' start to the season. They've come out of the gate as expected.
2. Laval: Two weeks in and a pair of victories means Laval finds themselves in familiar territory near the top of the poll. No question this is another Vanier-Cup calibre squad.
3. Calgary: They were pushed early by a solid Regina team in Week 1, but had no trouble against an Alberta team that has been outscored 97-6 through two games this season.
4. Western: No surprise to see this team roll over Toronto this week, but a serious test comes next weekend against a good Queen's team.
5. Montreal: Another impressive performance this week keeps them inside the top-five and ready to move up if any of the front runners falter.
6. Queen's: Ho-hum 42-16 win over Laurier sets the scene for next weekend.
7. Manitoba: Apparently, this team is for real. Blake Nill told me before this weekend's games the Bisons were for real. He appears to be right and will get a firsthand look this weekend in Winnipeg.
8. Acadia: Stay inside the top 10 could come to an abrupt end after next weekend's tilt against Laval. They'll need to keep it close to stick around.
9. Regina: Played well against Calgary and even better this past weekend against UBC. Marc Mueller should have another big night Friday against Alberta.
10. Saskatchewan: Still a top 10 team, albeit several spots lower this week then I had them last week. A good team that still needs to work out some kinks and find some chemistry.
Kevin Garbuio's ballot:
1. McMaster
2. Calgary
3. Montreal
5. Queen's
6. Western
7. Manitoba
8. Acadia
9. Guelph
10. Saskatchewan
Commentary: Until McMaster loses, they will be my number one. I like what Calgary has been doing on offence, and their depth makes them even more impressive. Their first test comes this weekend against Manitoba, and I think they will be able to answer in an powerful fashion. I bumped Montreal ahead of Laval because they have been dominating teams while Laval continues to sputter on offence. Bishop's hasn't been able to close this year so it would not be a stretch to think that the Rouge Et Or got away with one. Queen's and Western are extremely equal; I think either team could have been 5-6. I put it this way because of what Queen's did to York. I have had Manitoba at this spot all year; I think they looked impressive against Saskatchewan in an evenly-matched game. I am excited for their matchup against the Dinos. Acadia should have won big this weekend but were unable to close. They will have to close this week as they travel to PEPS, a place that has not been kind to the Axemen (or anyone else, for that matter). A slow start against Laval, and it could be over quick. Guelph surprised me this week. I have been low on them for a while now and have been hesitant in buying into the hype. I still do not think they are contenders yet, but beating Windsor is a nice start. Holding Austin Kennedy to 0 touchdowns? Stunning. At 10, it was a toss-up with Saskatchewan and Windsor. I gave it to the Huskies because of how close their game was with the Bisons.
Rob Pettapiece's ballot:
9. Saskatchewan
10. Sherbrooke
Commentary: Considered moving Montreal ahead of Laval; they've had an impressive start to the season and weren't so bad last year, either. Lower down on the ballot, Windsor and UBC drop off after not just losing but losing poorly, to teams that aren't upper-tier. Manitoba's solid but not one-sided win over Saskatchewan means they join the Huskies in the top 10. Sherbrooke's 10th just because I couldn't find a compelling argument for another team to get that spot.
Andrew Bucholtz's ballot:
8. Regina
10. Acadia
Commentary: McMaster and Calgary stay at the top with impressive performances. Laval and Montreal are very close at the moment, as are Queen's and Western. I'm not entirely convinced the Bisons are going to be this good all year, but what they've done so far's enough to get them the #7 slot. Regina thumped UBC and moves up for it; Saskatchewan narrowly lost and sticks around, while Acadia makes their debut on my ballot and the Thunderbirds and Lancers drop off. Axemen came out with a win against Saint Mary's, but weren't overly impressive; they get the call over underwhelming UBC and Windsor, though. I'm interested to see if they can keep it close on the road against Laval this week.
Thoughts? Your own picks? Leave them in the comments.
For several years we have tried to quantify the best quarterbacking performances in CIS football. We started in 2005, where the top QB was Laval's Benoît Groulx, and continued through to 2010 (Kyle Quinlan) and now 2011 (uh...Kyle Quinlan again). Below are the rankings for the 2011 season.
First, in a vain attempt to provide some year-to-year continuity, here are the top 10 quarterbacks in adjusted net yards per attempt, relative to their conference average and adjusted for the level of competition each player faced. (These are not the official 2011 rankings.) All playoff games are included.
Leaders in adjusted net yards per attempt relative to conference average (100 = average), 2011 (all games)
Rk Player Team Att ANY/A*
1 K Quinlan McMaster 290 225
2 A Kennedy Windsor 293 182
3 E Dzwilewski Calgary 269 166
4 B Greene UBC 359 161
5 K Graves Acadia 253 160
6 B Prud'Homme Laval 333 148
7 J Creighton Saint Mary's 157 143
8 A Colbon Ottawa 289 139
9 R Quest Concordia 222 127
10 J Doyon-Roch Sherbrooke 343 124
Note that those are indexed to the conference average, and not per-attempt numbers (it would be very difficult for anyone to gain 225 yards per pass attempt, unless they were playing Waterloo). Kyle Quinlan's 225 means that for every 100 yards gained through the air by an average OUA quarterback, Quinlan and his receivers gained 225. No, that is not a misprint.
These rankings are based on slightly different methodology than those in previous years, so we cannot compare Quinlan's 225 directly to the previous leader (Josh Sacobie, 2007, 176), but it's safe to say it is probably the best passing performance by anyone for as long as we've been tracking it here.
Now, because I like to make things difficult and change the methodology each fall, here is a new explanation of how the 2011 rankings were developed.
We're trying to estimate each quarterback's win value for 2011, which would give us a more accurate list of who the most valuable quarterbacks really were. It's kind of silly to have Jack Creighton ranked above Aaron Colbon when the latter was involved in many more plays; there's value in playing more often, provided you aren't terrible.
We start with each quarterback's adjusted net yards (ANY) — and that's all QBs, not just the ten above — and as noted above, we are giving more credit to those who played tougher competition. Specifically, we take the strength-of-schedule component from last year's RPI, and convert it into a multiplier where a value above 1 means this player faced better opponents. We then compare his total to what a replacement-level quarterback would achieve in the same number of opportunities.
"Replacement level" refers to the level of production you would get out of a player acquired for minimal cost. In CIS football terms, this would mean someone not highly-recruited and maybe not even on a roster in the first week — in other words, whatever yahoo happens to be walking by the stadium, so long as that yahoo has some eligibility left (note: such requirements not necessary at Laurier). A rough estimate of replacement level, and the one we'll use, is based on the results for every player who had no more than 50 pass attempts in the last few years. "QB2" is not a terribly high bar to meet in CIS, after all.
(If you wanted to be cruel, you could just define replacement level to be the entire Waterloo team. But I'm not sure they were even that good.)
Once we have the difference between a QB's actual ANY and the ANY his replacement would put up in the same amount of playing time, that gives us that quarterback's "yards above replacement." Which we can then turn into points above replacement (15 yards per point), and wins above replacement (32 points per win), based on known conversions for CIS football.
So, again, we see that Quinlan had an awesome season, providing Mac with nearly five wins above a replacement-level quarterback. (My favourite stat: he passed for 1,341 yards in four playoff games, more than the entire York team had in eight regular-season games.) Quinlan's figure of 4.8 WAR doesn't necessarily mean that without him, the Marauders would have lost five more games; his backup was better than replacement level, after all. Marshall Ferguson was actually 10th in QB WAR, and could have started for several CIS teams. These numbers suggest that if you gave Ferguson all of Quinlan's playing time from last year, including the playoffs, Mac would only lose about half a win — which says quite a lot about Marshall Ferguson. But having a better backup doesn't make Quinlan's season any less valuable ... though, yes, he did put up a lot of these numbers against not-very-good OUA teams.
Austin Kennedy and Hec Crighton winner Billy Greene are second and third, but each is a win or more behind Quinlan. They would probably be first and second in any other year.
York beat Ottawa.
Wait, York beat Ottawa? Yes, it would appear so. Final score was 47 to 36. 47! York outscored their entire 2008 in one game. That's actually true. Not to get too far ahead of ourselves here, but York has Laurier away and Waterloo home in the next two weeks, and a 3-1 start is not out of the question. 2-2 is certainly possible. The last time York finished with more than one win was the 2005 season. Meanwhile, the Beckwith Gee-Gees are 0-2. Just like adding a CFL coach didn't turn Waterloo around, adding a CFL defensive co-ordinator hasn't stopped Ottawa from allowing 1,122 yards of total offence in two games. Some defensive improvement seems crucial.
Maybe Blake Nill was onto something. His team, and the team he (presumably) voted for top spot in the Canada West coaches poll, are the only 2-0 teams in the conference. This win will solidify Manitoba's spot in the top 10 (they're on my ballot this week) but let's point out that the Huskies didn't have a terrible game, and credit them for going for it on 3rd and 2 early in the game when most teams would not. (Neither conversion worked, and they didn't try it again until the end of the game. But: baby steps.) Also, if I'm reading this right, the team with the wind outscored the other by 52-7. David Larkins picked Manitoba to win 28-24, but they actually won 31-28. Slacker.
Case in point about how you can't just use transitivity to evaluate teams: Mac beat Guelph by 41. Guelph beat Windsor by 19. Windsor beat Ottawa by 45. That doesn't mean McMaster will outscore Ottawa by 105 points next week. Though I'd kind of like to see that. Anyway, there was not even a touchdown from the Lancers yesterday. QB Austin Kennedy (23-45, 244 yards, 77 rushing yards) told Bob Duff, "It’s a game where you can’t blame anyone but yourself."
It's a few days late, but our Evan Daum has a follow-up from CJSR's Nick Frost on U of A football coach Jeff Stead's comments about Canada West officials. Stead believes it's too inconsistent, not just from Vancouver to Winnipeg, but between the West and Quebec and Ontario and so on: “At some point Football Canada needs to understand that officiating in our game needs to be the same.” You'll hear very similar comments about basketball officials in this country as well.
The UBC men's basketball team has just two players left over from 2010-11, but Howard Tsumura, after watching them drop a close one to Eastern Washington, was pleased with what he saw, and talks about the promising rookies on this T-Birds squad.
What you missed while having six years added to your life ...
Another night of close, well-fought games (he said with sarcasm) with the average margin of victory topping 40 points. Friend of the blog David Larkins had previewed the Canada West games, and had Friday's results much closer than they turned out to be — Saskatchewan and Manitoba don't play until tonight — but he was 2 for 2 in picking winners. Goes to show that the score itself can be a random outcome even if you do know that the Dinos will handle the Bears no problem.
UBC's second half last night is what you'd expect out of a lower-tier OUA team: they went from 13-7 up to 49-20 down, at one point allowing five unanswered touchdowns. While the T-Birds couldn't play a full 60 minutes, the Rams didn't even need to, as we learn from Ian Hamilton. (Bonus fun: a Rams player saying the coach gave a great halftime speech, then the coach saying he didn't say much at all.)
Montreal's win over Concordia was deceptively a blowout, as it was close in the fourth, yet still a "fumigation" (including ten sacks? yikes).
Allan Maki writes in the Globe that CCES doesn't have funding to test the same number of CIS football players this year: from "more than 500" to "only 100." There are jokes to be made here, I'm sure, but it's enough to say that the $200,000 to $320,000 they're saving by not running those 400 tests (according to the numbers in the story) is a pittance when compared to the full expenses for London 2012 — the apparent reason for their now-limited budget.
In non-football news, the various teams at Mount Royal seem to be going into their first year of Canada West play with eyes open, writes the Calgary Herald's Kristen Odland, who speaks to the men's volleyball and women's basketball coaches.
Today we welcome a guest post from Scott Hastie, the new assistant sports editor at The Silhouette, on the atmosphere surrounding McMaster's first home game since their Vanier Cup championship.
On Monday afternoon, the Marauders took the field for the first time since their Vanier Cup championship, in front of a sold-out Ron Joyce Stadium.
The game itself was nothing memorable, with Mac dominating as you can see in the highlights below, but the atmosphere in the stadium was special, to say the least.
In addition to the Vanier celebrations, the home opener was tied in with McMaster’s Welcome Week and the stands were full of wide-eyed first year students, ready to cheer on their football team — and not just for the first half. The students were donning their dorm colour t-shirts while the McMaster spirit squad, nicknamed the Maroons, led the first-years in chants for the entire game.
The game began with a ceremonial kickoff, led by McMaster football alumnus and decorated Olympian rower Jerry Brown. The silver medallist (and former offensive tackle) received a warm welcome from the Hamilton crowd, but the buzz for Brown did not compare to the anticipation for the McMaster squad. As the team gathered at centre-field for a huddle, the record attendance crowd gave the Maroon and Grey a standing ovation, drowning out any and all attempts for conversation for those of us in the press box.
Impressively, the fans in attendance remained in their seats throughout, despite the McMaster lead reaching 22 points at the half and swelling to 43 in the fourth quarter. This year, football means something to the Mac community and the crowd made it very clear: if you come to Ron Joyce, be prepared to experience what home-field advantage looks like. The fans pulled no punches, chanting “Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye” at the end of the fourth quarter, rubbing the loss in the face of a young Guelph squad that had received some Top 10 votes in the preseason poll.
It was a new experience for an OUA event. The vibe in the stadium was full of optimism and the hope of a repeat. Yes, it was a game where first-year students could get in for free, but general admission tickets for upper-year students had sold out a week before the game, and season ticket sales are up 40%.
The fan support is definitely there, as you'd expect with a defending champion. It remains to be seen whether McMaster will have the same success this year, but the road back to the Vanier Cup began here on Monday, and the home team could not have asked for a better start.
It's the return of an old CIS Blog tradition, with some of our staff members who vote in the weekly Football Reporters of Canada-CIS Top 10 poll posting and defending their ballots. See the CIS site for the poll results. Here's how we voted following Week One's CIS football action, which included OUA blowouts and a Canada West upset:
1. Mac - until proven otherwise in a meaningful game.
2. Laval - Strong start vs. improving McGill.
3. Calgary - Nice start for Eric Dzwilewski with 307 yards vs. Regina. Crazy to see the Dinos pass more than they rush.
4. Montreal - Alexandre Nadeau-Piuze passed for 401 yards vs. Sherbrooke, which used to be a month's worth of yards for Les Bleus quarterbacks. Maciocia!
5. Queen's - Put away York early, saving themselves for Laurier, which apparently decided to save all of its offence for the last 7 games.
6. Windsor - Some of Austin Kennedy's touchdown passes vs. Ottawa looked like what happens when a team runs through a new play "against air."
7. Western - Probably a good bet to snap U of T's shutout streak this Saturday.
8. Saskatchewan - Good bounce-back by blanking Alberta in their Canada West opener.
9. Acadia - The over/under for Rod Black references to Kyle Graves attending the Alouettes training camp if Acadia makes the Uteck Bowl is 43.5.
10. Manitoba - The Bisons-'Birds game had 549 rushing yards and a punt return touchdown. They did know they were permitted to tackle, correct?
What you missed while trying not to make eye contact with Daniel Negreanu ...
Not the best start for Gary Etcheverry at Ottawa U: the Lancers put 63 on them, the highest score Windsor's had since [looks it up] September 24, 2005, when they beat a very poor U of T team 63 to 22. This result also means the Gee-Gees have surrendered 164 points in their last three games going back to last year. Etcheverry told the Ottawa Citizen that "we lacked explosion in everything we did" — which is true, as this was more of an implosion.
Man, remember when Waterloo beat McMaster four years ago? No, I don't either. Yesterday they dropped their opener to the Mustangs 54-10. The focus in The Record is on Dennis McPhee, former head coach of one program now defensively coordinating for the other, who left Waterloo to spend more time with his Mustangs family. We also hear from his replacement, Joe Paopao, who says of the Warriors, "Based on what we saw today, we’ll be alright." Does anyone have the heart to tell him?
Ask Mac how Guelph is this year. The final was 50-9, a combination of Kyle Quinlan being very good and the Gryphons, apparently, completely giving up before two minutes had passed in the second half by conceding a safety and a 75-yard TD pass on consecutive plays. Quinlan actually rushed for 104 yards himself, half of what the entire Guelph offence gained on the day. When you remove Waterloo games from last year's results, only three teams had a negative point differential: York, Toronto, and Guelph. There is no current relevance to that anecdote whatsoever.
19 points (Toronto over Laurier) isn't a blowout, really, but it gets extra credit for being a shutout. Because this game hadn't started by 4:56pm, it didn't make the earlier Record story (not even in a "late action included..." mention).
The most noteworthy thing out of the York-Queen's game was that the Kingston Whig-Standard used "Golden Gaels." No, really. The highlight package put together by The Score consisted of exactly two plays. The game was played in front of 8,191 spectators, 8,215 if you include York.
Because there wasn't much else of interest yesterday, let's bring in the 2012-13 edition of This Week In Chris Oliver a few months early: "Use stats to reveal the truth to your players."
Big story of the day is Manitoba's upset of the Thunderbirds, in Vancouver, 31 to 24. ("Upset" meaning "I didn't expect this." But what do I know.) With seven minutes left, UBC was down just by six (23-17) but according to Howard Tsumura, "a roughing penalty to UBC on the ensuing kickoff literally paved the way for a six-yard [Nic] Demski scoring run." Literally.
Montreal handled Sherbrooke quite easily, mostly through the air, in winning 38-14. As Deux Fans point out, they stopped Rotrand Sené (is this the first game recap from the team that hasn't mentioned his name?) but they did not stop Alexandre Nadeau-Piuze and the rest of the passing game, as Nadeau-Piuze became the most prolific passer in Carabins history.
Calgary's win over Regina was mostly good, writes the Herald's Kristen Odland, but also some areas for development: a few too many flags, miscommunication among a CFL draft pick-laden offensive line, and a couple of missed field goals "including a 32-yarder with the wind."
The Stingers held a 20-point lead at the half over Bishop's, and then the Gaiters conceded two safeties in the second half, so it was that kind of day for teams in the Eastern Townships. The second quarter began with a 103-yard touchdown pass from Reid Quest to Kris Bastien — you won't see that in the NFL.
No word yet on how UBC will manage to play their remaining home games on a field literally covered in asphalt.
What you missed while getting thrown out at home...
The CIS football season started last night, but it seems nobody told Alberta, who lost 32-0. Huskie Outsider has a game story, as you'd expect, as well as a "Sights and Sounds" video that shows you just what kind of a show they put on in Saskatoon:
Both at Yahoo! Sports, our Neate Sager looks at some reasons why only one Canada West team has won a Vanier Cup in 13 years, and our Andrew Bucholtz runs down the various list of teams who have a non-trivial shot at winning it this year.
Chris Cochrane, in the Chronicle Herald, acknowledges that the FRC-CIS top 10 results "carry little weight at any time of the season", nonetheless says the poll is an indicator of how "the AUS still lacks competitive respect. And that’s a justifiable impression." (Disclosure: I'm a voter in that poll.)
In a CP story, we find that Laval coach Glen Constantin likes Acadia to repeat. Those of who chose Saint Mary's are therefore disagreeing with a coach who has 134 championship rings. No pressure.
The Canada West coaches poll, as noted by UBC coach Shawn Olson, is a bit of a surprise with the Huskies finding themselves quite low at fifth out of six in the conference, despite being 8th nationwide in the CIS poll. (And I know coaches can't vote for their own teams, but Manitoba?)
Football: Gee-Gees dismiss Gary Etcheverry, now mu...
Linking the country: Three of top four football te...
Football: The excitement arrives late in Regina, a...
Football: Ottawa acknowledges players met with sch...
Football: Gee-Gees meet with administration, deman...
Football: Our FRC-CIS ballots following Week Four
Football: FRC-CIS picks, where one of our voters d...
Football: Calgary romps over Manitoba, Queen's tak...
Football: FRC-CIS picks following Week Two's actio...
Calculated Reactions: The 2011 quarterback ranking...
Linking the country: Could the Gee-Gees use Hechav...
Linking the country: So, uh, about UBC...
Football: Mac's title defence begins with so-so ga...
Football: Our staff's Top 10 FRC-CIS picks
Linking the country: Labouring through OUA blowout...
Linking the country: Have you herd? Manitoba beats...
Linking the country: Football season begins, for o...
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Citizens Nations and Migration
CNaM Research Network | University of Edinburgh
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07 December, Film Screening of “Zozo”
25th November 2018 / Andreas Zaunseder
Zozo (directed by Josef Fares, 2005)
Introduced by Joey Ayoub, on 7 December, 5:30pm, in room 1.12, Chrystal Macmillan Building.
We’ll have snacks and refreshments, so it would be good to know how many people are coming.
RSVP here: http://whoozin.com/3FU-FFC-CPHW
Places are limited.
Synopsis of the film (from Rotten Tomatoes):
A young boy faces challenges both funny and terrifying in this drama from writer and director Josef Fares. It’s 1987, and Zozo (Imad Creidi) is a ten-year-old boy whose parents are struggling to flee Beirut as warfare in the streets accelerates. Zozo’s grandparents have emigrated to Sweden, and his mother and father plan to follow as soon as their passports and exit visas are approved. On the day that their papers finally come through, Zozo’s mother asks him to go outside and get something for her — and just misses being killed by the shell that explodes into their home. With his parents dead and his older brother missing, Zozo sees little choice but to fetch his passport and airline ticket and make his way to the airport on foot. With his pet bird in tow and a young girl named Rita (Antoinette Turk) who is running away from home for company, Zozo sets out on the long walk that will be the first leg in his journey to a new home. In time, Zozo makes his way to Sweden, where he’s taken in by his grandmother (Yasmine Awad) and grandfather (Elias Gergi). However, Zozo feels like a fish out of water in his unfamiliar surroundings, and the increasingly eccentric behavior of his grandparents does nothing to make him feel more comfortable in this strange land. Zozo was loosely inspired by the youthful experiences of Josef Fares, who himself emigrated to Sweden when he was ten. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zozo/
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Bishop Uzoukwu appealed to political office holders to help alleviate Poverty in Nigeria
White House : Trump scored “exceedingly well” on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment
U.S. to relocate embassy to Jerusalem within a year
Umeh declared winner of Anambra Central re-run
Nigeria@48: Nigeria’s Voice of Clarion Call (1)
African Cup
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Where Have We Gone Wrong?
Posted on April 30, 2009 Author Chukwuneta Oby Comment(0)
I have been on a month break in my village, a time for sober reflection, no doubt and actually an eye opener to the level of the ignorance of most of us. I really had time to reflect on lots of issues concerning our society because this is about the longest time I have spent in my village since leaving home for my secondary and university education.
What confounded me was the level of our ignorance in this day and age, so many youths dying like chicks (very preventable deaths for that matter)while friends and relations of the deceased are busy pointing accusing fingers at the next unfortunate old fellow nearby. Usually these bereaved relatives are quick to explain to you that the cause of such deaths are ‘attack or poison’ as against obvious medical deductions.
Then one finds it befuddling that our fathers who supposedly lived in the Dark Age are surprisingly healthier and seem to have a better shot at longevity despite our claims to better ways of living and doing things (Apologies to science and technology).
Otherwise, what kind of ignorance makes people take a very sick person to a prayer house first and then to the hospital when the sick one is almost at the point of death, couldn’t the prayers have been conducted while a medical attention is being sought? In any case, I strongly believe that not all ailments are spiritually inflicted.
In my observations, the issue of ‘whom’ this or that pastor or spiritualist implied to be the culprit, has severed lots of erstwhile cordial relationships that have existed between families since time immemorial for which Africans were known for. There’s no trust anymore, children point accusing fingers at their aged parents, grannies and aged neighbours without a second thought, forgetting that anyone who sees growing old as a taboo may not live to experience old age. Why are some of our actions towards the aged this despicable? Even the supposedly learned ones are allow themselves to be carried along by this tide.
I do not dispute the wickedness of man against another, my point is merely for us to draw the lines between rationality and ignorance, between feeding our fears and being realistic and informed about issues. Let’s not be quick to drag another to the slaughter house through our actions and utterances.
You may be dismayed that those who know who is ‘doing’ you have not actually seen who is ‘doing’ them too, you only need to look closely to deduce that it’s neither here nor there and the ultimate protection lies with the Almighty. Besides, the problems don’t seem to go away after the person who is ‘doing’ you has been revealed to you and the necessary ‘hot coals’ have been heaped on the unfortunate fellow’s head. So, what really gives? (As the Americans say), you gonna start looking for the next person that’s ‘doing’ you, until maybe it gets narrowed down to your immediate folks?
My point? Simple and that’s the fact that we should learn to look inwards and be realistic in our approach to issues before jumping to conclusions (usually the ones that suit us at any point in time) If for example we choose to look into the incessant deaths of the youths of our time, my humble approach will be to start looking into the life styles of the youths of nowadays. Even the ailments we once thought are common with old age now afflict the youths in numbers, someone dies from HIV/AIDS and you are told ‘it’s poison’, I can understand if it’s said to ‘save face’ but the accusations that follow are very disgusting. Are our communities now filled with those, whose favourite past time is to ‘do’ every Tom, Dick and Harry in their midst, those that can’t boast of any reasonable possession to their names inclusive? I remember when we were younger, there were kids whose only resolve were playing truancy, they would come to school and choose not to get into the classrooms, when they outgrew the stage of playing truancy, they graduate to something that’s in most cases a step daring such as going for neighbour’s fowls and fruits(all without the owners’ knowledge or permission),usually they keep going that way and of course the unfortunate parents would have given up on them, as some of them even beat their parents, there’s always a vice that’s a step bolder for them to graduate into, meanwhile their more sensible peers have long moved on with their academic pursuit, it’s needless to tell you how these kids usually end up at later stages in life. Still some get to the university to have their hands on all sorts of negative pies, ranging from prostitution to cultism while the more focused ones keep at their academic pursuit.
Mind you, these vices come with lots of harmful lifestyles such as drug and alcohol abuse, reckless sexual exploits and countless abortions that end up damaging one or two organs in the body and will only be detected years later, when it would’ve been absolutely too late to correct. Now when the day of reckoning comes and their more focused and hardworking peers happen to have something to show for years of academic excellence, hard work and great discipline. These unfortunate ones will start visiting spiritual houses, running from pillar to post to find out who is ‘doing’ them, why they are not measuring up to their fortunate peers, why things don’t work for them etc. I mean from the illustration above, it is only common sense to know where such people are headed if they fail to turn a new leaf early on, some of them can’t even boast of a primary school leaving certificate and you keep wondering how such an individual hopes to cope in this highly competitive age without some reasonable skills at least. Lot’s of harmful life styles people engage in always come home to roost at a later stage in life and we should be honest enough to acknowledge our parts in all these, do the best we can to remedy the situation instead of running from pillar to post, looking for who is ‘doing’ us i.e. the witches and wizards that are behind our woes in life(pluuuuuuueeaase)
There could be a few exceptions from the above scenario i.e. when one feels he’s done what he’s supposed to do, he has talked the talk and walked the walk and still not getting it right. My concern in this write up is merely pointing out the things that ignorance leads us to. For example, I do not see how a liver problem, cardiac arrest or diabetes in young people translates to a spiritual problem when we know certain lifestyle changes can be made to manage the latter and early detection and access to medical services can take care of whoever is prone to the others. There’s a small boy who is quite close to me, that may have stepped on a dangerous object, which wasn’t detected early enough by the guardian, until the leg got infected and swollen, he still wasn’t taken to the hospital until the leg started rotting away while the poor boy became excessively anaemic, of course I intervened and was told ‘the boy (about 4-5 years at that time) stepped on poison. I took him to an orthopaedic hospital and had firsthand experience of the consequences of such ignorant beliefs, which effect is usually merciless on helpless kids. It was another eye opener to the level of our ignorance in this part of the world, kids that have been made anaemic by decaying limbs and would not be taken to the hospital because it is believed they stepped on poison and poison can only be treated traditionally, eventually they will be taken to the hospital but only when the case is almost hopeless and the damage highly irreversible because it takes months of hospitalisation to get the wound healed properly and even at that, the limbs are permanently disfigured except there’s money for surgical intervention later on. This is something that could have ordinarily been taken care of at the initial stage via proper medical attention and appropriate antibiotic prescription by a qualified medical practitioner, ignorance is indeed expensive!
Am not unaware of the level of poverty, illiteracy in the land and the failure of the government to make basic but quality health and educational facilities available to the populace, otherwise some of these untimely deaths are preventable but the means are usually not there. For example, a life threatening ailment can kick off with a consistent head ache and an unenlightened folk who does not have the means for a proper medical intervention will continue popping panadol for months until the case becomes almost hopeless.
I believe our tough talking politician have more than enough jobs on their hands to prove their preparedness to occupy our public offices. Instead of gathering people to distribute rice and salt(that usually pale into a few cups after the sharing)they can put all that resources together and build a few health clinics for the rural dwellers to be visiting for free, get a few medical personnel from the near-by communities to be devoting a few hours of their time weekly for serious consultations, the place can be kept busy by a few paid workers(whose salaries are nothing compared to some people’s daily lunch money)and largely volunteer workers such as the medical students on holidays, youth corpers and other trained health officials with at least one constant consultant that is very qualified. If this is done with the needed commitment and transparency, it won’t be long before government and international aid organisations attention are attracted. I don’t know why the professionals amongst us don’t volunteer their time and expertise for charity, money is not everything and I strongly believe that helping others, being charitable to others in your own way is the surest means to leading a happy and fulfilled life, even abroad, celebrities and experts take some time off to give a few hours of their time for charity, you see people closing from work early to assist in soup kitchens, taking some weekends off to assist in shelters, orphanages and old people’s home. These are simple but life enriching ways of making another’s life matter to you.
Much, as am not making any excuse for the failure of the state, the few fortunate ones amongst us, whom success has smiled on should learn to come together and do something worthwhile, something that will even outlive them in their communities, you are not asked to do it alone but you can get your influential and rich friends to have their hands on the desk.
Let’s not always wait for the government to do it all. We should learn to contribute our own quota, so it should not always be about what the Nigerian state can do for us, but what we can do for Nigeria in our own individual capacities. Your efforts may seem like a drop in the ocean but you had be shocked how many lives it will change for good.
This also calls for more duties for our first ladies in various states and their local government counterparts on the education of the masses on various issues of life, including the basic health preservation tips, hygiene etc, there’s no reason for the joblessness of Nigerian youths when we have this level of ignorance in our midst, they could be trained and equipped to help out in various meaningful projects that will be aimed at enlightening the people on various health and social issues.
Also the ubiquitous non government al organisations (NGOs)should not be left behind in this massive enlightening of the people, teaching them that whoever takes ill should be taken to the hospital or the nearest health clinic first and the doctors advise heeded.
We must start asking ourselves where we have gone wrong. I think of the glories of the past (as told to me by my late grandmother and dad plus the few that I have witnessed) each time I see the aged still going strong and remember the youths dropping dead in their numbers, mostly due to the destructive life styles we must have ignorantly chosen. I also wonder why they were not ‘attacked or poisoned’ in their days or is it something to do with our time?
Chukwuneta Oby writes from Lagos, Nigeria. She is a member of Champions For Nigeria.
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Chukwuneta Oby
Namibians hail Jonathan ‘Igwe!’
Posted on March 22, 2014 Author Anthony-Claret Onwutalobi
President Goodluck Jonathan rounded up his state visit to Namibia yesterday where he was conferred with “Order of Welwitschiaâ€, the Namibia highest national honour, by President Hifikepunye Pohamba. The ceremony took place at the Independence Stadium, Windhoek, and was attended by the founding President and the father of the Namibian nation, Dr Sam Nujoma. Over […]
Marital Tragedies among Nigerians in diaspora
Posted on December 9, 2008 Author Chukwudi Nwokoye
This has been the greatest issue affecting Nigerians in diaspora. Before, it has been about marriage breakdown leading to a bitter separation between the spouses and consequently, divorce. In recent year, this issue has taken another tragic dimension of spouses killing their spouses. Related
Congo forces kill 24 since vote results
Posted on December 22, 2011 Author Richard Valdmanis)
KINSHASA (Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo security forces have killed 24 people since President Joseph Kabila won a disputed presidential election, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday. The rights group said all but four of the victims were killed in the capital Kinshasa, where main opposition rival Etienne Tshisekedi is popular. It said […]
The significant of time in Igbo culture
Overseas Medical Treatment by Government Officials
Anthony-Claret Onwutalobi (Founder) of Codewit – Codewit World News on Codewism Philosophy
An Open Letter to The President Alhaji Umar Yar’Adua – Codewit World News on Lepa Shandy opens up on Nollywood sex
Bianca Ojukwu, gives 7 days ultimatum to Femi Fani Kayode to retract and apologize publicly to her – Codewit World News on Femi Fani-Kayode Created The Fake Bianca Ojukwu Twitter Account And Pretending To be Bianca.
Nigeria’s anger at the BBC’s Welcome to Lagos film – Codewit World News on Do We Need Aliens to Achieve World Unity?
Q+A-What is at stake in Nigeria’s Niger Delta? – Codewit World News on Nollywood: Music Meets Runway: “Update”
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Publié le 1 Mars 2019 à 15h36 - 222 v. - Permalien
Learn more about industrial construction
An industrial construction is a building structure used as a shelter and for storing products. It is also said to be a place of industrial and commercial action used by a store to produce or exchange products and services for professional and private customers. More informations : 3xeng.com . The location, design / development inside / outside and the surface - as an equipment - of this industrial construction are decisive according to the action and needs of the company.
What is reinforced concrete?
Reinforced concrete is based on a mixture of concrete and metal reinforcement. Reinforced concrete is a building material that combines steel and concrete bars. Its tensile strength is low although used alone, concrete can withstand compressive forces. Make up for this deficiency. Reinforced concrete is used in retaining walls and beams, slabs, sails, bases and hulls. In addition, the use of metal reinforcement will simplify the tensile strength of concrete. That is why concrete will be used by houses. Reinforced concrete can be used for slabs or foundations, as shown by this method of laying a garage slab.
Repair of a concrete structure
The durability of a structure is linked to many factors: its own environment, the quality of its design, the choice of its structure, its materials, its maintenance and its operation. Changing its use may require: fixed work or psychologist according to a precise identification, the solution will lead to a compromise between technique, time and cost. The objective of crack repair in concrete is to restore and increase the rigidity and strength of cracked elements. Discover more informations about : composite pipe repair. This helps to improve the functional performance of the structural element and prevent liquid / water penetration, i. e. leakage. This helps to improve the overall appearance and durability of the surface. Fracture treatment will also help prevent the growth of corrosion.
Where to eat during the holidays?
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Trouver les locaux qui correspondent le mieux à votre...
Le bien-être dans votre entreprise avec du mobilier de...
Une publicité réussie grâce au rollup
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United States investors seek risk-free support
MARGARET Mwanakatwe.
KABANDA CHULU, Lusaka
A UNITED States Government Development Finance Institution has proposed to enter into partnerships with the private sector using an investment model that will present no debt risk to Zambia.And Minister of Finance Margaret Mwanakatwe has urged the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) to establish a fund for supporting entrepreneurship initiatives for women and youths, especially in rural areas.
Presenting a profile of the organisation to Mrs Mwanakatwe yesterday, OPIC president and chief executive Ray Washburne said the corporation has been mandated by the United States Congress to explore investment prospects in countries such as Zambia.http://epaper.daily-mail.co.zm/
Tagsinvestors risk-free seek support United States
‘Retaliation is like witchcraft’
Lungu ropes in businesses
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Starworks Reveal Team Of 10 For 2016!
8 January 2016, 5:21 PM
Starworks Motorsports has announced its full season lineup for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a two car Prototype Challenge class effort featuring the #8 and #88 ORECA FLM09s.
“We’re confident 2016 will be a strong year for Starworks,” said team wwner Peter Baron. “For the first time since the new integrated series, we have been able to get our programs sorted for the season with two cars before the holidays. This has allowed us to plan and prepare for the upcoming season, which has been a weakness of ours for the last two seasons.”
Renger van der Zande and Alex Popow return for the year in the #8 car, with Jack Hawksworth and Chris Cumming added for Daytona.
David Heinemeier Hansson joins van der Zande and Popow for Sebring and Petit Le Mans.
In the #88 car Ferrari Challenge racer Mark Kvamme is the only driver slated to be ever present for the season.
2015 FIA F3 European Championship winner Felix Rosenqvist is joined by Sean Johnston and FIA GT3 World Cup Champion Maro Engel for Daytona with Engel and Johnston joining Kvamme for the remaining North American Endurance Cup races too.
For the sprint races Ashley Freiberg, who joins Turner Motorsport for the NAEC, joins Kvamme!
“We have fantastic lineups all year in both cars, and have made massive improvements with the team in the off-season,” said Peter Baron. “With all that we have accomplished in the winter months, I strongly feel we are now the team to beat in 2016.”
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Cannabis policy: recent developments
Drugs and the darknet
EMCDDA Document Library
EU drugs action plan
EU Drug Markets Report
European Drug Report
Health and social responses guide
Key epidemiological indicators
Lisbon addictions
New psychoactive substances (NPS)
Perspectives on Drugs
Policy evaluation toolkit
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News archive for 2014
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Gaps in HIV prevention expose Europe to risk of outbreaks
In Europe, decades of investment in effective HIV prevention measures targeting people who inject drugs continue to bear fruit as demonstrated by the long-term decline in HIV diagnoses related to...
Annual award ceremony to celebrate excellence in scientific writing on illicit drugs
The four winners of the 2014 EMCDDA scientific paper award will be honoured in Lisbon on 25 November at the fourth annual award ceremony hosted by the EU agency (1). The winners will receive a non-...
Third EMCDDA Reitox week
Candidate, potential candidate and neighbouring countries of the EU, preparing to collaborate with the EMCDDA, will participate in the third ‘Reitox week’ to be held in Lisbon from 25–28 November.
Pregnancy and opioid use: strategies for treatment
Illicit opioid consumption is associated with an increase in obstetric complications in pregnant women. It also brings with it a range of potential dangers for the child, both before and after birth...
Click and learn with the EMCDDA’s new-look Best practice portal
Real-life responses to drug problems come under the spotlight today as the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) launches its revamped Best practice portal. Designed as a practical and reliable source of what...
Drug-related harms and responses in focus at annual EMCDDA expert meetings
Latest evidence in the area of drug overdose, HCV infections and HIV outbreaks among drug users will be among the topics discussed in a series of events unfolding this week at the EU drugs agency (...
Second EMDAS graduation ceremony at EMCDDA
The second group of 25 students graduating from the European Masters in Drug and Alcohol Studies (EMDAS), will receive their diplomas at a ceremony at the EMCDDA on 30 September (1). EMDAS, a project...
Four new drugs to be placed under control
Today, EU Ministers adopted a European Commission proposal to control four new psychoactive substances currently raising health concerns in Europe. With today's decision, the substances MDPV,...
EMCDDA unites expert networks in integrated approach to monitoring
‘Continuity and change: high-risk drug use and drug treatment in Europe’, is the focus of events unfolding this week at the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) in Lisbon (1).
European Parliament President Martin Schulz to visit EU agencies in Lisbon
Newly re-elected President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz will visit the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) on 23 September, accompanied by Secretary of...
ECDC-EMCDDA mission on HIV status and hepatitis surveillance in Latvia
At the invitation of the Latvian government, and in the context of high HIV levels in the country, ECDC and the EMCDDA have joined forces to assist national experts in preventing and controlling...
Published today on World Hepatitis Day: New EMCDDA review on hepatitis C virus infection among people who inject drugs in Europe
People who inject drugs (PWID) are a key population affected by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Treatment options are improving and may enhance prevention; however access for PWID may be poor.
Eurojust and EMCDDA pledge to boost cooperation
Exchanging strategic and technical information in the areas of drug legislation and supply was among the pledges made today in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the EU drugs agency (...
Third European drugs summer school opens today in Lisbon
The third European drugs summer school (EDSS) — ‘Illicit drugs in Europe: demand, supply and public policies’ — opens today in Lisbon and will run until 11 July. The initiative, organised by the...
26 June: International day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking
An estimated 28 000 lives are lost on Europe’s roads every year and a further 1.34 million people are injured (1). Many of these accidents and deaths are caused by drivers whose performance is...
Largest multi-city study on drug wastewater analysis released today
The findings of the largest European project to date in the emerging science of wastewater analysis (WWA) are released today in an article published in Addiction (1). The project in question —...
EU drugs agency places six topics in the spotlight with new online analyses
The EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) releases today alongside its European Drug Report 2014: Trends and developments, six new additions to its Perspectives on drugs (PODs) series. This latest selection of...
European Drug Report out today — Europe’s drugs problem ‘increasingly complex’
Europe’s drugs problem is becoming increasingly complex with new challenges emerging that raise concerns for public health. This is according to the European Drug Report 2014: Trends and developments...
International experts to examine latest findings in the field of new drugs
International experts gather in Rome today to examine the latest scientific research in the rapidly-changing field of novel (or new) psychoactive substances (NPS).
EU drugs agency to launch European Drug Report 2014
The EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) will be presenting its annual overview of the European drug situation on 27 May in a multilingual, multimedia information package focusing on today’s rapidly shifting...
EMCDDA and ECDC facilitate sub-regional exchange of knowledge and best practice in monitoring and preventing drug-related infections
Monitoring and responding to HIV and hepatitis C among people who inject drugs (PWID) is the focus of two new reports from the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention...
Scientific Committee — elections for chair and vice chair
The EMCDDA Scientific Committee, meeting in Lisbon this week, elected its new Chair and Vice Chair for the next three years. Prof. Dr Gerhard Bühringer (Germany) was elected to the position of Chair...
Regional drug strategies across the world explored in new EMCDDA paper
The EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) has released today its first comparative analysis of regional drug strategies across the world (1). The paper explores the drug strategies and action plans adopted over...
New EMCDDA technical assistance project with ENP countries kicks off today
A new, two-year technical cooperation project between the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) and countries of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) kicks off today in Lisbon (1). The project takes place...
Dangerous synthetic drugs hit the EU market
Europol and the EMCDDA have issued today early-warning notifications about two synthetic drugs that have recently been linked to serious harms in the EU.
EMCDDA embarks on 2014 Work Programme
Following a drop in the EU subsidy to the EMCDDA this year of some 5%, 2014 promises to be a particularly challenging year for the agency. The 2014 activities are therefore framed within the context...
EU drugs agency steps up cooperation with Israel Anti-Drug Authority
The European Union and Israel will share information on drugs more systematically in future, thanks to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed today in Jerusalem between the EU drugs agency (...
EMCDDA hosts kick-off meeting of EC-funded Joint Action on Reducing Alcohol Related Harm
Harmful and hazardous alcohol use is one of the main causes of premature deaths and avoidable diseases in the EU today. Highlighting the importance of this issue, the European Commission is funding...
Four new drugs go under the microscope in the wake of rising health concerns
Europe has responded to rising concern over the use of four new drugs by formally requesting a scientific investigation into the health and social risks of the substances. The decision was...
Registration opens for third European drugs summer school
The University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL) and the EU drugs agency (EMCDDA) will be joining forces again in July 2014 to hold the third European summer school on ‘Illicit drugs in Europe: demand...
About the EMCDDA
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is the reference point on drugs and drug addiction information in Europe. Inaugurated in Lisbon in 1995, it is one of the EU’s decentralised agencies. Read more >>
The EMCDDA is located at:
Praça Europa 1, Cais do Sodré
Tel. (351) 211 21 02 00
More contact information >>
EMCDDA publications
The EMCDDA is an agency of the European Union.
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You are here: Home › Hot Markets: WiMax, Warm Whites & “lexel”
Hot Markets: WiMax, Warm Whites & “lexel”
on May 31, 2006 in
Article Type: Editorials
WiMax apps appear to be driving the compound semi (CS) communications
sector these days, while warm white light and “lexel” technology appear
to be catching on in the fledging field of solid state lighting (SSL). The only
thing down this month are the price tags of USA publicly held stocks. Along
with virtually all their big brother stocks in the overall tech sector, the
model CS/SSL stock portfolio dipped in May from a healthy November to April run-up.
My CS/SSL model stock portfolio now includes 14 companies representative of
the fields we cover in these pages. Virtually all stocks traded over
USA exchanges dropped from 3 to 7% during the last month. In late March, my model
CS/SSL stock portfolio was hitting remarkable heights of a 60% rise in value
(ref: March
20th McD Report… but it’s hard to pick “the benchmark”, given the bubble-burst from the point where many of them were trading in double digits six years ago and are trading at single
digits now). The last few days have seen an upturn, so maybe it’s going to be one of those exciting summers.
Macroeconomics aside, the star performer in the portfolio remains the steadfast and relentless Cree (Nasdaq symbol, “CREE”), which continues to perform as my poster-child company by leading
in both the CS and SSL industries. But does the company’s stock performance reflect the real
story of Cree’s progress and contributions? Far from it. Cree was one of the first I selected when forming the model
portfolio one year ago because it’s one of my all-time favorite companies. Buying in
a year ago at what I thought was a reasonably low of $25/share. (At least compared to the triple-digit peak of the bubble). By mid April, the price
had made a 6-month run from 25 to 35 and then promptly plopped back to 25. The (hopefully short-lived) panic made for some attractive buying opportunities for those that believe. Would that I could afford more than the representative 100 shares…
It’s important to keep in mind that the drop was totally unrelated to the company’s
performance as Cree continues to be a top contributor in all their wide bandgap
(WBG) substrate and device pursuits. Take their strides in the WiMAX
space, for example, which is turning out to the hot app area currently driving
excitement in the nitride/electronics community. The WiMAX standard is
playing a major role in a movie that could be titled The Unwired World: Part
3, featuring cellphones, wireless LAN in the house/coffee shop, next wireless
(real, 1+Mbit) Internet Everywhere. Without much excitement happening in the telecom
stocks, too many trade publications have paid such sparse attention to WiMAX
that I actually had to go back and look up what it stands for, and who’s driving
what. Cree’s recent release of a new GaN HEMT power amp for WiMAX transistor
options was the wake up call. Ref:
Cree news release and our
coverage.
WiMAX stands for World Interoperability for Microwave
Access, Inc. The lower case “i” is clever, but then everyone’s
playing with combos in lower case as editors boycott anything in all caps. According
to the WiMax Forum website, www.wimaxforum.org,
WiMAX is a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile
wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL, providing fixed,
nomadic, portable and, eventually, mobile wireless broadband connectivity without
the need for direct line-of-sight with a base station. WiMAX technology
will be incorporated in notebook computers and PDAs by 2007, allowing for urban
areas and cities to become
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Nowruz 2578 (1398,1440,2019) Countdown
Gorbeh
Persian Cat
Persian Cat Gallery
Persian Cat Stories
Persian Cat Stories I
Persian Cat Stories Ii
Submit Your Cat Story
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Gorbeh a.k.a Persian Cat
Persian Cats
The Persian cat is one of the most beautiful cats with a long,luxurious coat. Owning a Persian gives one the same gratification as owning a beautiful work of art. Persians are noted for their gentle temperament and ease with which they adjust to new environments, making them ideal show cats. In my opinion, Persians are fully aware of how beautiful they are. They are quiet and, although not shy, tend to be undemonstrative. They are quite loving and affectionate and make wonderful companions, and come in a variety of colors.
The Persian cat has graced the show scene for more than 100 years. Judges and spectators have been impressed with their sweet, gentle nature and long flowing coats which occur in multitude of colours and patterns.
"The ideal Persian should present an impression of a heavily boned, well balanced cat with a sweet expression and soft, round lines. The large round eyes set wide apart in a large round head contribute to the overall look and expression. The long thick coat softens the lines of the cat and accentuates the roundness in appearance."
The Cat Fanciers Association Breed Statement
The Origin of Persian Cat
The Persian is one of the most widely recognised and popular breeds in the world - and one of the oldest. As their name suggests, Persians originate from the country that was once Persia, now Iran, in the Middle East.
Experts believe that today's domestic cat is the descendent of Felis libyca, a cat that is still found in Africa and Asia. A short-haired, brown mackerel tabby, its adaptation to the environment caused many early mutations, one of which was the development of the long-haired gene. The first of these cats, the Persian, was believed to have evolved on the high, cold plateaus of the country then named Persia, hence their name.
The cats were introduced into Europe by the Phoenicians and Romans in the 1500s as highly valued items of trade. The Europeans were impressed by the Persian.s long silky coat and purposefully bred the cats to perpetuate the trait. By the 1900s the cats were being exported to the United States and since then their popularity has spread throughout the world.
The Persian is the most popular breed among the long-haired cats; others include Birman, Turkish Van, Ragdoll, Mayne Coon, Norvegian Forest Cat and the Exotic (short hair version of the Persian).
In Australia today, while Persians are still out-numbered by the short-haired breeds, they continue to be popular as both a family pet and for showing purposes.
The Persian is a medium to large cat with heavy bones and excellent balance from section to section.
My Persian Roksanna
I always thought, I am a dog person. I have 5 dogs and I was convinced, never ever will I have a Persian. My friend sent me an email that she found this longhaired cat sleeping in her flower bed but she can not keep it because it does not like her dogs and she does not have time and she would bring it to the shelter. That was my keyword. Shelter - NOOOO.
I took it in, this ragged little furball, full of fleas and ticks. Scared to death and it's big amber eyes full of fear. I gave it a bath, killed the fleas, treated the skin which was scratched and bitten open in many places, cut off the matts and tangles, still working on the ear mites, and brushed and blow dried. And out o that ragged little thing came a purebred Persian, snowwhite. She is the most beautiful and grateful cat. She gets along with the dogs just fine (and with the other cats too).
For now she is still in a cage to heal and get accustomed to her new environment. I named her Roksanna - supposedly Alexander The Great's Persian favorite - Gerti
More Persian Cat Stories ...
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You are visitor: 671237 Search for companies, products, services and news
Ealing, Hammersmith & West College London chooses TechnologyOne to streamline financial systems
Ealing, Hammersmith & West College London has purchased leading enterprise software provider TechnologyOne’s OneEducation enterprise Software as a Service (SaaS) solution, to eliminate paper-based processes and streamline financial processing.
The OneEducation SaaS solution compromises Financials, Business Intelligence and Supply Chain products and will allow the college to seamlessly capture all financial information from across its four sites into one place, providing powerful dynamic reporting and real-time decision-making for budget holders across the college.
The implementation of TechnologyOne’s solution is part of a strategic move by Ealing, Hammersmith & West College to update and streamline its finance systems to meet the demands of a multi-site college in the 21st century.
Urmila Rasan, Executive Director Finance and Shared Services said: “Our college is one of the largest in London, and we are proud to provide education services to thousands of students from diverse backgrounds, improving their lives through education, training, skills and development.
“In order to provide the best education and training possible for our learners, we need the support of dynamic and integrated systems that can be replicated across multiple sites, while being accessible to all users anywhere, anytime.
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GIRL POWER: WHY ARE NOT MORE FEMALES TAKING ON APPRENTISHIPS?
SupplyTeach Ltd
Case study: Eton College LED lighting upgrade reduces energy use by over 61 per cent
“We needed a financial solution that was completely web-enabled, provided from a secure tier three data centre, and could be accessed by any user on any college site within a shared service environment. The solution had to have a hierarchal structure so that we could create separate instances of organisational input, accessible only to authorised staff members from any site. We evaluated the best solutions on the market and TechnologyOne was the only supplier that was able to meet all of our specifications.”
Ms Rasan concludes: “We are looking forward to using the solution fully in the next academic year. By removing arduous administrative duties, we can improve job satisfaction, ensure data quality, reduce transaction processing time and increase the speed of responses. This will free up staff members to focus on value added activities on the frontline, resulting in a better experience for our students.”
Roger Phare, Operating Officer for TechnologyOne in the UK commented: “We are pleased to be working with Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College. The college has truly embraced the challenge ahead with the shared services strategy. By adopting true cloud technology and shared ways of working they will greatly improve flexibility, accountability and staff satisfaction while future-proofing themselves for the education world of tomorrow.”
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<a href="http://www.education-magazine.co.uk/Ealing_Hammersmith_West_College_London_chooses_TechnologyOne_to_streamline_financial_systems_-a-4064.html">Ealing Hammersmith West College London chooses TechnologyOne to streamline financial systems </a>
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Liberia ›
Election for Liberian Senate
Republic of Liberia
Invalid Votes:86,874
Congress for Democratic Change 2 - ▼ 259,161
Unity Party 4 - - 164,851
Liberty Party - - 134,357
National Union for Democracy and Progress 1 - 51,494
Movement for Progressive Change - - 18,098
Liberia National Union - - 3,756
30 seats in the Senate
64 seats in the House of Representatives
Chief of State: President Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF
Head of Government: President Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF
Assembly: Liberia has a bicameral National Assembly consisting of the Senate with 30 seats and the House of Representatives with 64 seats.
The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 6-year term.
In the Senate, 15 members are elected by plurality vote in multi-member constituencies to serve 9-year terms and 15 members are elected by plurality vote in multi-member constituencies to serve 6-year terms*. In the House of Representatives 64 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 6-year terms.
* Two Senators are elected from each of Liberia's 15 counties. The senatorial candidates receiving the highest number of votes in each of the 15 counties shall be considered Senior Senators and shall have a term of office of 9 years. The senatorial candidates with the next highest number of votes in each county shall be considered Junior Senators and shall have a term of office of 6 years.
Party: Congress for Democratic Change
Party: Unity Party
Party: Liberty Party
Party: National Union for Democracy and Progress
Party: Movement for Progressive Change
Party: Liberia National Union
Population: 4,079,574 (2011)
Registered Voters: 1,798,930 (October 2011)
· Is Liberia a signatory to CEDAW: No
· Has Liberia ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (17 July 1984)
· Gender Quota: No
· Number of Female Parliamentarians: 8 (following the 2011 elections)
· Human Development Index Position: 177 (2014)
· Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very High (2014)
· Is Liberia a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)
· Has Liberia ratified CRPD: Yes (26 July 2012)
· Population with a disability: 611,936 (est.)
Elections in Liberia
Liberia Senate 2020
Liberia House of Representatives 2017
Libera President 2017
Liberia Presiential 2011 Round 2
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New textile technology
Posted by Flainox on mar 1, 2013 in Sustainability Mission | 2 comments
Home » Sustainability Mission » New textile technology
Microwaves aid textile recycling
LEEDS – Innovative new textile technology, which uses microwaveable yarns to allow clothes to be quickly disassembled, aims to boost textiles sustainability, give cost savings and improve the overall end-of-life performance of garments.
The new ‘Wear2’ technology is a newly developed type of yarn, which is bonded into clothing seams and on items such as zips, buttons, fastenings and other ‘contras’ that currently contaminate recycled fibre. Following a microwave treatment, which zaps garments in a specially designed machine, researchers at the University of Leeds say that the Wear2 seam can be easily taken apart, enabling the subsequent recovery of higher quality fibres from the disassembled garments.
The technology is initially focused on the corporate market where, by using Wear 2, corporate-branded garments could potentially be de-branded for re-use, and unused items be rebranded – as an alternative to shredding, landfill or incineration,
Dr Andrew Hewitt, grants manager & technical project manager at the Centre for Technical Textiles, University of Leeds, told Ecotextile News: “The yarn is key to the technology and can be manufactured in a range of colours and decitex. The initial remit of the development project was to look at de-branding corporate clothing, but as the technology progressed it became clear it could also be exploited to remove fastenings and labels and allow complete or partial disassembly of garments. We are concentrating on apparel at the moment, but of course there are other potential applications too.”
Hewitt and his associates in the SUSCORP consortium – which also includes George at Asda, Oxfam Waste Saver and Royal Mail Group Limited – believe Wear2 opens the door for the clothing industry to re-use material to supplement or replace virgin fibre in new garments. Potentially, this could save raw material costs, ease supply constraints and reduce environmental impact in a closed loop system.
The technology was developed by the SUSCORP consortium and co-financed by The Technology Strategy Board, a business-led body sponsored by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).
See more at: http://www.ecotextile.com/2013022111927/materials-production-news/microwaves-aid-textile-recycling.html#sthash.HIaNWAcf.dpuf
3 marzo 2013 -- Swedish textile event
12 aprile 2011 -- Africa’s cotton and textile
16 novembre 2011 -- Ecomondo 2011
16 marzo 2011 -- Increase Global Market Share
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Chicago police still searching for Marine veteran's killer two years later
Parents of murder victims demand more action from Chicago police to solve cases
President Trump tells ICE to focus on violent criminals first for deportation
‘Anything is possible': Formerly homeless man makes millions turning back yards into beaches
Police department warns residents that flushing drugs could create ‘meth-gators'
Biden labels Trump a 'clown' during campaign stop
By Andrew O'Reilly | Fox News
Posted May 05 2019 10:45AM CDT
Updated May 05 2019 12:23PM CDT
FOX NEWS - Former Vice President Joe Biden took a page out of President Trump’s playbook on Saturday when asked at a South Carolina fundraiser if he had a nickname for the president.
The 2020 Democratic presidential front-runner said he didn’t want to get down in the mud with Trump, but if he had to choose a moniker for the current White House occupant it would be a “clown.”
“There’s so many nicknames I’m inclined to give this guy,” Biden said, according to Politico. “You can just start with clown.”
Trump, who, during his 2016 presidential run, famously began doling out nicknames like “Crooked” Hillary Clinton, “Lyin” Ted Cruz and “Low Energy” Jeb Bush – has labeled Biden as “Sleepy Joe” when the former vice president declared his White House bid in April.
Get updates on this story from FoxNews.com.
‘Agenda of white nationalists': Democratic congresswomen attacked by Trump call for impeachment
By Amy Lieu
The four Democratic congresswomen of color who were the targets of President Donald Trump's racist tweets held a news conference on Monday on Capitol Hill after Trump doubled down on his comments earlier in the day.
U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., stood side by side at the podium.
"It is time for us to impeach this president" for "openly violating" his constitutional oath, Omar said.
Man kills teen girl by slashing her throat, posts photos of corpse online: cops
Police say a suspect in the killing of a 17-year-old girl in upstate New York posted pictures of her corpse online.
Authorities found the girl dead outside a vehicle Sunday in Utica, New York, along with a man who had serious injuries. Police say he was hospitalized but expected to survive.
Utica police Sgt. Michael Curley identified the homicide victim as teenager Bianca Devins and described the man as a suspect. Other media outlets identified the man as Brandon Andrew Clark.
‘This is a misguided idea': UFO whistleblower Bob Lazar warns people not to storm Area 51
Bob Lazar, a physicist who claims to have worked with alleged alien technology and exposed Area 51 to the world in 1989, issued a warning to anyone attempting to actually storm the classified U.S. Air Force base.
More than a million people have signed up to attend a joke Facebook event planning a raid on Area 51 in southern Nevada to “see them aliens.”
The now-viral event, titled, “Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us,” states that the group of alien hunters will meet at 3 a.m. on Sept. 20 near the top-secret base to coordinate a plan of attack to reveal the truth behind the curtain.
Fire spreads to 3 homes in Englewood; no injuries reported
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Archive for April 20th, 2016
1785: Alexander Stewart, the first to hang at the Tolbooth
Add comment April 20th, 2016 Headsman
We’ve recently featured in these pages the very last hanging at Edinburgh’s old Grassmarket, scene of innumerable executions potent in Scottish history.
Beginning in 1785, public hangings were relocated to the Tolbooth, a medieval civic building that had been converted into a notorious prison — an era that was officially christened on this date in 1785 with the sacrifice of a juvenile delinquent.
the first person executed at the west end of the old city gaol, was Alexander Stewart, a youth of only fifteen, who had committed many depredations, and at last had been convicted of breaking into the house of Captain Hugh Dalrymple, of Fordell in the Potterrow, and Neidpath Castle, the seat of the Duke of Queensberry, from which he carried off many articles of value. It was expressly mentioned by the judge in his sentence that he was to be hanged in the Grassmarket, “or any other place the magistrates might appoint,” thus indicating that a change was in contemplation; and accordingly, the west end of the old Tolbooth was fitted up for his execution, which took place on the 20th of April, 1785.
Demolished in 1817, the Tolbooth survives today as a much-spat-upon heart design in the cobblestones marking the gaol’s former location.
1623: Nicolas Antoine, Judaizer - 2019
1620: Thomas Dempster condemned - 2018
2017: Ledell Lee - 2017
1824: Three Bondy brigands - 2015
1963: Julian Grimau, the last casualty of the Spanish Civil War - 2014
1945: The children of Bullenhuser Damm - 2013
1954: Michael Manning, the last hanged in Ireland - 2012
1534: Elizabeth Barton, the Holy Maid of Kent - 2011
2004: Abdullah Shah, Zardad's dog - 2010
1994: Rwandan Queen Dowager Rosalie Gicanda, and six attendants - 2009
1622: Antonio di Nicolo Foscarini - 2008
1818: Robert Johnston, under horrific circumstances
1688: Philip Standsfield
1843: Allen Mair, irate
1875: Six in Fort Smith under Hanging Judge Isaac Parker
1736: Andrew Wilson, in the Heart of Midlothian
1722: Cartouche’s brother, hanged by the armpits
1752: Helen Torrence and Jean Waldie
Entry Filed under: Capital Punishment,Children,Common Criminals,Crime,Death Penalty,Execution,Hanged,Milestones,Public Executions,Scotland,Theft
Tags: 1780s, 1785, alexander stewart, april 20, edinburgh, old tolbooth
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Home NEWS Secondus leads protesters to n’assembly over ‘assault’ on Fayose
Secondus leads protesters to n’assembly over ‘assault’ on Fayose
FaithAdama July 12, 2018 NEWS,
Uche Secondus, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led protesters to the national assembly on Thursday over the alleged brutality of PDP members, including Ayodele Fayose, governor of Ekiti.
Accompanied by top PDP leaders, Secondus said he led the delegation to submit a petition to the lawmakers on the alleged action of the police.
Fayose broke down in tears at a PDP rally on Wednesday, accusing an unidentified policeman of slapping and kicking him.
Secondus who was received by Ike Ekweremadu, deputy senate president, at the entrance of the national assembly, called on the leadership of the national assembly to intervene in the situation in Ekiti.
The PDP chairman said if the election is rigged in Ekiti, there would not be any election in 2019.
“Just yesterday there was a civilian coup. The Ekiti government house was seized and the governor was brutalised, detained and harmed,” he said.
“Ekiti has been militarised and policed. Over 30,000 police men are in Ekiti. The citizens of Ekiti are afraid. They are traumatized. They are harrassed and they are being guided not to come out of their homes.
“We call on international community to see and watch what is happening in Ekiti, if this is the type of democracy and election they tend to conduct by the APC and INEC that means the 2019 election is under threat and we believe that if they continue in this manner and if they rig the election in Ekiti, there won’t be an election in 2019.
“Your Excellency we have come so you can intervene – your oversight function of the national assembly – you have a right, the mandate is with you by the constitution to query and examine and carry out your oversight function of the executive.”
Secondus said the executive and security agencies are not above the law.
The chairman said they embarked on the protest because they believe in the rule of law.
After receiving a petition from Secondus, Ekweremadu said the lawmakers would ensure the neutrality of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies in the Ekiti election. (The Cable)
Tags # NEWS
By FaithAdama at July 12, 2018
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Skype: amanar1990
1.4944 - 286 alloy pipe, wire, circle
Supplier — AvekGlob Company — offers a pipe, wire and a round at a reasonable price from the manufacturer, which are made of steel 1.4944 (alloy A-286). It is guaranteed timely delivery of metal products to any address specified by the consumer /
Steel grade 1.4944 (also called alloy A-286) belongs to the group of stainless steels alloyed with chromium and nickel. The steel is manufactured according to the North American standard AISI / SAE 660 and UNS specification S66286.
Steel 1.4944 (alloy A-286) is characterized by high corrosion resistance at elevated temperatures. In particular, for a short time products made from this steel can be used without the risk of surface damage at temperatures reaching 750 0 C (in dry air — up to 820 0 C). The strength of steel is significantly increased after its heat treatment. High values of the mechanical strength of steel are also preserved at cryogenic temperatures. Thus, stainless steel 1.4944 (alloy A-286) is a material whose operation is controlled solely by changing the duration and temperature of its heating.
Urgency of application
Products that are made of stainless steel 1.4944 (alloy A-286), are characterized by high strength and good corrosion resistance at high temperatures. Steel is well hardened by heat treatment, and therefore suitable for the production of high-temperature fasteners and other high-temperature static applications. Typical products are jet engines, chargers, chargers of increased durability, high-temperature burners for heating gas furnaces.
Chemical composition
In accordance with the technical requirements of ASTM A453, stainless steel 1.4944 (alloy A-286) includes the following elements:
Ni — 24… 27%
Cr — 13.5… 16%
Ti — 1.90… 2.30%
Fe — base
Al — no more than 0.35%
V is 0.10… 0.50%
Si — no more than 1%
C — not more than 0.8%
The composition of steel allowed the presence of boron (0.003… 0.01%), copper (no more than 0.5%), cobalt (not more than 1.0%) and lead (not more than 0.005%). The amount of metallurgical impurities — sulfur and phosphorus — should not exceed 0.015% and 0.02%, respectively.
Physical and mechanical properties:
Density, kg / m 3 — 7940;
The coefficient of thermal expansion in the temperature range of 20… 100 0 С, μm / degree — 16,4;
Coefficient of thermal conductivity, W / megade — 12,7;
Modulus of elasticity, GPa — 205;
The limit of temporary resistance, MPa — 930… 1180;
Yield strength, MPa — 635;
Relative narrowing of the cross-sectional area,% — 40 ;;
Relative elongation at a stretching,%, not less than — 12.
Areas of application, technological features and assortment
Stainless steel 1.4923 is available in a variety of rolling profiles, as well as in forgings. The main forms of supply are hot-rolled steel with annealing, cold rolling with annealing, drawing, rolling with polished rollers, forgings.
Supplier — AvekGlob Company — offers to buy a pipe, wire or a circle made of stainless steel 1.4944 (alloy A-286) at a price formed on the basis of European and world standards of production. Buy these products can be wholesale and retail. For regular customers, there is a flexible system of discounts.
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Home > business > Is Your Company Name Legal?
Is Your Company Name Legal?
Readers are cautioned not to rely on this article as legal advice as it is no substitution for a consultation with an attorney in your state. Based on jurisdiction and time, the law varies and changes.
The core of naming a business lies in understanding trademark law. Trademarks help consumers identify the makers of good or services. Often, the name of your company may also be used as a trademark to identify your company’s goods or services.
Trademarks Explained
The Purpose of Trademark Law
How does trademark help a consumer to identify a good or service? Consider this situation: a consumer wants to buy Calvin Klein Inc. jeans, and in doing so, she wants to know that they’re designed or endorsed by Calvin Klein Inc.
The consumer has in her mind certain associations with the Calvin Klein business, based on advertising and her experiences with the company. For instance, when she bought a pair of their jeans in 1995, the zipper didn’t work and the company replaced them without question. She also knows the brand’s advertisements, which associate images of youthful hip people with the clothes. So when she sees Calvin Klein products, this consumer thinks of quality customer service and a hip image.
Trademark law allows Calvin Klein to stop other companies from using the Calvin Klein name or logo on products that are produced by someone else. If another company were allowed to freely use the Calvin Klein name, this could injure Calvin Klein Inc. How?
another company could sell at a lower cost because it could take advantage of the advertising by Calvin Klein without having to spend any money for such recognition
another company could offer good or services of lesser quality, which consumers would then associate with Calvin Klein Inc. — thinking it was the source of the bad products or service, and
another company could make more money by either selling more goods at a lower price, or selling products at higher prices. Either way, they’d enjoy much lower overhead, as they wouldn’t have to pay to produce and deliver high quality product, good customer service, and advertising.
These examples are the heart of trademark infringement.
When considering if there is "trademark infringement", the main question a court considers is whether the average consumer would be confused as to the source of the good or service.
A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs, which identifies goods or services. A service mark is the same as a trademark, but it identifies and distinguishes the source of a service, rather than a product.
Normally, a mark for goods appears on the product or on its packaging, while a service mark appears in advertising for the services. A "tm" on a product indicates unregistered trademark rights and an "Â" indicates a registered mark. It is illegal to place an "Â" on a mark that does not have national registration.
There are different types of trademarks, which are legally classified as follows:
arbitrary or fanciful,
suggestive, or
descriptive.
Trademark registration is generally not granted in:
generic words, phrases, symbols or designs;
immoral or scandalous words, phrases, symbols or designs;
false, misleading or mis-descriptive words, phrases, symbols or designs; or
surnames.
Why and How Would You Register a Trademark?
You may apply for registration of a trade mark or service mark after your company has used the mark to identify a product sold or service performed "in commerce" — or for advertising and/or sale to customers.
You are not required to obtain national registration of a trade or service mark. Trademark rights arise upon use in commerce — with or without national registration. However, national registration expands and protects your trademark rights, giving your company a presumption of first use of the mark in association with particular goods or services.
Obtaining full registration of a mark usually takes up to several years due to the slow response rate of the USPTO, which generally replies to correspondence once every six months.
What Do You Have When You Have a Trademark?
Having national trademark registration allows you to prevent others from using the same or a similar mark with similar products or services. It gives you the presumption of first national use of the mark in the United States.
To explain it another way, a mark allows a company to ensure their customers know which products and services they make, through use of a word, phrase, symbol or design — their trademark.
Trademark rights mean that Calvin Klein can sue another company that uses its mark, and stop that use as in the example above.
Domain Names and Trademarks
Having trademark rights is also important with regard to current law and domain names.
You cannot register a domain name that is not also a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office. The domain name by itself is considered a mere an address.
Thus, it’s very important to use your domain name as a trade or service mark, in order to ensure retention of the domain name. Owners of trademarks have priority of ownership of domain names in most cases.
Naming A Company
If you’re naming a company, you should consider the trademark implications of your choice.
At a minimum, check the Internet and the USPTO database of registered trademarks, to ensure that you don’t pick a name that’s already been registered by another company for a similar type of good or service — this could cause confusion to consumers.
If you really want to be sure, you should have an attorney do a full search; as trademarks do not have to be registered, other companies may have priority rights over marks that aren’t listed in the database. If you do pick a mark that’s close to another company’s mark, be aware that you may lose the ability to use that name at some point in the future.
The name of a company is a "trade name" — the name under which a company does business. A trade name can be the legal name of the corporate entity, and it can also be the fictitious or assumed name the company uses to do business in a state.
Both the actual company name and the fictitious business name are trade names. Neither name, by itself, is a trade or service mark.
Relationship Between Trade Mark and Trade Name
Although the name of a company, in and of itself, is not a trademark, the name of a company may become a trademark if the company decides to use the same name in association with the sale of a good or service.
The USPTO will not register mere trade names. If the company decides to call a good or service by the same name, then trademark rights can overlap with trade name rights. For example, the Coca Cola Corporation has the same name as its major product, and therefore both the company name and product name enjoy trademark protection.
Trade Name Registration
If you choose to have an attorney help you choose your company name with a full trademark search, make sure that search also includes a review of state trade name registrations for similar names.
Trade name registrations are the state databases of company names that have been registered to do business in each state, including corporations and fictitious business name registrations. It’s wise to request inclusion of these names in your full trademark search.
One you’ve selected your name and used it to incorporate or form your corporate entity, you’ll also need to register to do business in any state in which you have an office — in addition to the state in which you formed your entity.
If you discover that another company already uses your name in that state, you may register to use another name in that state only — a fictitious or assumed name, sometimes called a "dba" or "doing business as" name.
Naming a company is a complex and thoughtful decision. In fact, smart naming may require more research than you would complete if you were naming a child. However, with careful thought, you can lower your risks and choose wisely.
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The slow painful death of Aston Villa
By Matthew Smith on April 18, 2016 Aston Villa Other
So, Villa have gone. In fairness, they are only the fifth worst team in Premier League history as far as I am concerned: Swindon in 1993, the two Sunderland lowest point record setters, and obviously Paul Jewell’s Derby, probably come beneath them in the pecking order. Their departure means the list of Premier League-era ever […]
New Aston Villa chairman not afraid of relegation? He should be.
By by Simon Winter on January 18, 2016 Aston Villa, Randy Lerner, Steve Hollis Opinion
You could forgive Aston Villa fans for not buying into the chest beating, defiant spiel from their new chairman Steve Hollis last week, following his appointment to the board at Villa Park. The respected local business man (how Mafioso does that sound?) told BBC Sport: “If unfortunately we do have to go through a relegation […]
Under-prepared Sherwood preparing to fail
By Louis Bacon on October 23, 2015 Aston Villa, Tim Sherwood, Villa Opinion
If you want an example of how easily people jump on and off bandwagons, take the story of Tim Sherwood at Aston Villa. Back in May, he was loved by fans and the media after he kept his team up comfortably and led them to an unlikely FA Cup Final. Fast forward four and a […]
Sherwood’s “front-foot football” could yet set Villa back
By Louis Bacon on March 11, 2015 Aston Villa, Tim Sherwood Opinion
After two wins in 5 days against the same team, Tim Sherwood has taken his share of the limelight. His approach has paid dividends and won him praise in the last week. Sherwood spoke of “getting on the front foot” before last Tuesday’s game, and this plan wasn’t hard to notice on Saturday either; he […]
Sherwood needs more than ‘passion’ to succeed
By Louis Bacon on February 19, 2015 Aston Villa, Tim Sherwood Opinion
When Tim Sherwood was announced as the new manager of Aston Villa, my first expectation was that a piece would be produced about him which centred on his ‘passion’. The BBC didn’t disappoint with its effort, using the examples of Sherwood inviting a supporter to sit alongside him in the dugout and his public criticism of […]
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Youth & Mental Health
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The Jewish Link
Home Featured Articles Featured Articles A Deafening Silence In Tribute of Holocaust Remembrance Day
A Deafening Silence In Tribute of Holocaust Remembrance Day
A Deafening Silence
In Tribute of Holocaust Remembrance Day
By: Rabbi YY Jacobson
In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.—Martin Niemoller
Throughout history it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most that has made it possible for evil to triumph.—Haile Selassie
As many survivors and their families will commemorate Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, to remember the 6,000,000 who perished; as Jews in Israel continue to be threatened by nations determined to destroy it; as bloody wars continue to claim lives inmany parts of the world, with the thunderous silence coming from the international community; as abuse and injustice often take root in our own communities due to the silence of good people—let us reflect on a stirring Midrash on this week’s Torah portion.
The Fateful Conversation
This week’s Torah portion, Shmini, relates the tragic episode of the premature death of Aaron’s two sons, Nadav and Avihu.
On the day that the Tabernacle in the desert was erected and Aaron’s four sons were inaugurated as priests, the two oldest children entered into the tabernacle and did not come out alive[1].
The Talmud[2] relates the following story to explain the cause of their death:
“It once happened that Moses and Aaron were walking along the road and Nadav and Avihu (Aaron’s two sons) were walking behind them, and all Israel was walking behind them. Said Nadav to Avihu, ‘When will these two old men die and you and I will lead the generation?’ Thereupon G-d said to them: ‘We shall see who will bury whom!'”
A Cryptic Midrash
Now, this story of Aaron’s two sons, engendered a cryptic Midrash. It reads like this[3]:
“When Job heard about the death of the two sons of Aaron, he was seized bytremendous fear. It was this event that compelled Job’s best friend, Elihu, to state[4]: “Because of this my heart trembles and jumps from its place.”
This Midrash seems strange. Why did the Nadan-Avihu episode inspire such profound fear in the heart of Job’s friend?
Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulaei, the 18th century Italian sage and mystic known in short as the Chida[5], presents the basis of the following interpretation on this obscure Midrash. He quotes it[6] “in the name of the Sages of Germany.”
Three Advisors
The Talmud relates[7] that Job served on the team of advisors to Pharaoh, the emperor of Egypt. The other members of the team were Balaam and Jethro. When the Jewish population in Egypt began to increase significantly, developing from a small family of seventy members into a large nation, Pharaoh, struck by the fear that this refugee group would ultimately pose a threat to his empire, consulted his three advisors on how to deal with the “Jewish problem.”
Balaam chose a tyrannical approach. He suggested that Pharaoh drown all Jewish baby boys and force every adult Jewish male into slave labor.
Job remained silent. He neither condemned the Jews to exertion and death, nor defended their rights to life and liberty.
Jethro was the only one among the three who objected Balaam’s plan of oppression. To escape the wrath of Pharaoh, who enthusiastically embraced Balaam’s “final solution,” Jethro fled from Egypt to Midian, where he lived for the remainder of his years.
The Talmud (7) relates the consequences of the advisors’ respective behaviors. Balaam was slain many decades later during a Jewish military campaign in the Middle East[8]. Job was afflicted by various maladies and personal tragedy[9], while Jethro, the exclusive voice of morality in the Egyptian palace, merited not only Moses as a son-in-law but also descendants who served as members of the Jewish Supreme Court (Sanhedrin) in Jerusalem, loyally representing the Jewish principles of justice and morality[10].
Job’s Self-Righteousness
What went through Job’s mind after this incident? Did Job consider himself morally inferior to his colleague Jethro who, in an act of enormous courage, stood up to a superpower king and protested his program of genocide? Did Job return home that evening and say to his wife, “I discovered today that I am a spineless and cowardly politician who will sell his soul to the devil just to retain his position in the government.”
Job, like so many of us in similar situations, did not entertain that thought even for a moment. On the contrary, Job considered himself the pragmatist and Jethro the idiot.
“What did Jethro gain of speaking the full truth?” Job must have thought to himself. “He lost his position and was forced to flee. He acted as a fanatical zealot. I, Job, by employing my savvy diplomatic skills and remaining silent, continue to serve as Pharaoh’s senior advisor and thus will be able to assist the Jewish people, subtly and unobtrusively, from within the governmental ranks of power.” For decades, Job walked the corridors of the Egyptian palace saturated with a feeling of self-righteousness and contentment.
Till the day he heard of the death of the sons of Aaron.
Job’s Shattering Discovery
When Job inquired as to what might have caused the premature death of these two esteemed men, he was answered with the famous Talmudic episode quoted in the beginning of this essay:
“It once happened that Moses and Aaron were walking along the road and Nadav and Avihu (Aaron’s two sons) were walking behind them, and all Israel were walking behind them. Said Nadav to Avihu, ‘When will these two old men die and you and I will lead the generation?’ Thereupon G-d said to them: ‘We shall see who will bury whom!'”
Job was astounded. “I can fully understand,” Job said[11], “why Nadav was punished. It was he who uttered these disgusting words. But why was his brother Avihu punished? He did not say anything[12].”
“Avihu?” came the reply. “He was punished because he remained silent[13].”
Because when a crime is happening in front of your eyes, your silence is deafening[14].
To comment on this essay, please click here.
[1] Leviticus 10:1-3; 16:1.
[2] Sanhedrin 52a.
[3] The Midrash is quoted in Nachal Kedumim and Chomas Anach by the Chida Parshas Acharei Mos (see footnotes 5-6); in the book “Midrash Pliah,” and in Pardas Yosef to Leviticus 16:1. – See Vayikrah Rabah 20:5 (and commentaries of Matnois Kehunah, Yefah Toar and Rashash).
[4] Job 37:1.
[5] 1724-1806. The Chida, author of more than fifty volumes on Torah thought, was one of the great Torah luminaries of his day. He resided in Israel, Egypt and Italy.
[6] In his book Chomas Anach (However, see there for his refutation of this interpretation). This answer is quoted also in Pardas Yosef ibid and in “Midrash Pliah – Chedah Upelpul.”
[7] Soteh 11a.
[8] Numbers 31:8.
[9] See the biblical book of Job chapters 1-2. Job, just like Balaam, received a punishment measure for measure. One cries when he suffers even though he knows that doing so will not alleviate his suffering. Why? Because pain hurts. This keenly demonstrated to Job his state of moral apathy. For if he were truly perturbed by the plight of the Jewish victims, he would have voiced his objection to Balaam’s plan even if he thought that protesting it wouldn’t bear any results, just as one cries out in pain upon suffering though the cry will not help the situation (See Chidushei HaGriz by Rabbi Yitzchak Ze’av Soloveitchik to Soteh ibid.).
[10] Jethro, too, was rewarded measure for measure (see Toras HaKenaos to Soteh ibid.).
[11] It is unnecessary to assume that the Chida’s intent is that Job actually heard of this Talmudic tradition and posed the following question. As is the case with many Midrashim, certain statements and episodes may be understood symbolically. Possibly, the Midrash is conveying to us its perspective on moral silence by employing the images of Job, and Aaron’s two sons, as examples
[12] This question is raised (independently of this entire discussion) in Birchas Shmuel to Soteh ibid.
[13] Cf. Eyoon Yaakov to Ein Yaakov Soteh ibid.
[14] This essay is partially based on an address by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Purim 1971. Published in Sichos Kodesh 5731 vol. 1 pp. 560-568.
Rabbi YY Jacobson
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Why Chaucer and Why Now?
In a new book, scholar David Wallace reflects on the master of Middle English verse, his world, and ours.
David Wallace didn’t set out to be a medievalist, and to this day he’s not interested in Game of Thrones. His idea as a young man was to study 20th century literature—until, that is, he heard Chaucer read aloud.
It was the music of the language that got him, and that has held him ever since. Wallace, the Judith Rodin Professor of English and a renowned expert, has just published Geoffrey Chaucer: A New Introduction, a chapbook-sized volume from Oxford University Press that distills a lifetime of Chaucerian learning into 172 pages of text.
Which raises an interesting question: why Chaucer and why now? At a time when students often seem caught up with more pragmatic concerns, what can a poet from 600 years ago—writing in what can seem like a foreign language—have to tell us today? Just about everything, Wallace insists, noting that Chaucer was an encyclopedic writer (as well as a man of the world) whose catholic work touches on nearly every aspect of life from women’s rights to ecology. In addition, there’s the excitement of seeing a writer at work when the language was still malleable. Far from suffering “the anxiety of influence,” as modern poets are said to do, Chaucer wrote when most everything in English literature was yet to come.
Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London, his father a merchant, but his ambitious parents dispatched him to be a page boy in an aristocratic household, and for most of his life he served the king as a civil servant.
A Briton by birth, Wallace has been teaching at Penn since 1996. In March, he began a year-long term as president of the Medieval Academy of America, a leading scholarly group in the field. Gazette contributor Daniel Akst C’78 asked him about Chaucer, his work, and how the two live on at Penn.
Chaucer’s work is brimming with life and art, but his version of our mother tongue was Middle English, which differs quite a bit from the English we speak today. Just what was Middle English, and how can we hope to understand it?
Middle English is a hybrid language, formed when Germanic or Anglo-Saxon elements began fusing with French (after the Norman Conquest of 1066), and also with Viking (Norse), Celtic languages, and Latin. That’s why the English dictionary is so very thick, and why we sometimes have alternative words for the same concept: the Holy Ghost and the Holy Spirit; brotherhood and fraternity. All these elements began to stabilize during Chaucer’s lifetime, but the language was highly flexible.
English literature, for Chaucer, was something close to a tabula rasa. What was his role establishing the contours of the language and literature to come? Was he aware that he was launching something like a national culture?
Chaucer looked to Italy and to the great poetry of Dante; he thought that English might, eventually, achieve something comparable. But the English he inherited fell far short of such lofty aspirations. He first imagines himself as a makere, or maker of verses, like a good artisan or craftsman, rather than as a poet—a word associated with Latin poetria.
You mention that Chaucer recited his poetry before audiences. To what extent did he regard his work as an oral art form, and what role did having an audience play in its evolution?
Chaucer was writing a century before the invention of printing (in the West), and hand-copied manuscripts were expensive. He thus anticipated that one person would read the tale aloud, and others would listen. He builds elements of redundancy and repetition into his poem—so if you miss a bit you can still follow the tale. He is continuously aware of his audience; he is highly performative. Students in all my classes become great readers-aloud of Chaucer.
Chaucer was a government official, a diplomat, a parliamentarian. What effect did his public life have on him as a writer? Did he censor himself, or struggle to find time for writing?
Chaucer was never paid to be a writer of poetry (or a translator of astrological texts, or of philosophy, or of religious lives—his range was huge). He was valued as an efficient and reliable book-keeper, overseer of royal commissions, and even as a member of parliament and Justice of the Peace. But of course, he noticed what was going on in all these professions, and this fed into his poetry.
Chaucer was for a while a customs officer, much like Edward Arlington Robinson and Nathaniel Hawthorne centuries later. I believe this was a patronage job for all three. Was it also a sinecure that left him largely free to write?
The job was certainly not a sinecure: he was in charge of collecting the taxes on wool that was to be exported from London—and wool was England’s most important export. In later years, however, he did have a deputy—and there were more holidays back then (holiday is from holy day), so he likely had more days off.
Chaucer was born roughly at the peak of the Black Death, when Europe was devastated by plague. Did this affect his outlook and his work?
People assume that experiencing the Black Death when he was about five years old, and seeing up to half the population of London die, must have traumatized Chaucer and made him death-obsessed. I would say that the opposite is more likely true: he came to appreciate life, and the process of natural regeneration, as something deeply precious. The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales begins, after all, with the return of Spring: “Whan that Aprill …”
In your book you’ve enlisted Chaucer in the case for England as an open, European society—which it very much was in his day. Yet didn’t Chaucer also play an important role in separating England from Europe by helping to launch a vernacular literature? In that sense, I wonder if his life and work embody the persistent tensions between an inward- and outward-oriented England.
In Chaucer’s lifetime, and until 1558, English territory extended into continental Europe. The idea of England as a “sceptered isle” protected by the sea, a “moat defensive” (as Shakespeare has John of Gaunt say in his play Richard II) does not reflect the day-to-day experience of Chaucer’s England. Chaucer lived multi-lingually. His wife was French, and French was the preferred language of international diplomacy. He spoke fluent Italian and dealt with Italian merchants every day by the Thames, at the London customs house. Latin was the language of the Catholic religion—until the 1960s, of course. He was twice chosen to take part in diplomatic and trade missions to Italy, and he also travelled to Spain. He fought in France as a young man and was captured and ransomed. The push to make Chaucer “the national poet of England” came in the 19th century. Chaucer’s England was in no way “insular.”
In addition, Chaucer admired Arab science, and his tales respect Muslims who are true to their own laws. We cannot absolve him of the anti-Semitism that touched all his contemporaries, but it’s noteworthy that he assigns his one anti-Semitic fable to the vainest and silliest of his Canterbury pilgrims.
It may come as a surprise to modern readers that Chaucer, like the Greeks, worked blue, as comedians like to say, his writings shot through with sex, flatulence, and other bodily functions. Such frankness is back in vogue culturally, yet between Chaucer and us there stand the likes of Edmund Spenser, not to mention Tennyson, Kipling, and their ilk. Why was Chaucer so free, when his successors often seem so stiff?
You are right: farting stopped in the Renaissance, and is not heard in works such as Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen. Chaucer actually took a scientific interest in farting; since any sound is defined as “broken air,” farting (or breaking wind) was seen as a form of speech. The meaning of each fart must be deduced from context. If you fart in church, for example, Chaucer says, this indicates that you do not like the sermon. More broadly, Chaucer sees the human condition as uniquely poised between the animal and the angelic.
In House of Fame, a meditation on poetry and renown written in couplets, Chaucer depicts himself as a somewhat dim-witted, wide-eyed naïf, a role he will take up in Canterbury Tales as well. Authorial stand-ins have found themselves thrust into a similar position ever since. Was it some native gift for comedy that made Chaucer try this, instead of giving himself a more heroic cast on the page?
Chaucer’s persona as not-too-bright, not the sharpest knife in the drawer, served him very well. People inevitably connected characters depicted in his tales with historical figures: an angry king in poetry may be connected with the famously irascible Richard II. By portraying himself as a bookish dreamer too portly to be taken seriously as a love interest, Chaucer made himself seem unthreatening. He lived in dangerous times: many of the men he worked with, and also the less-talented writer Thomas Usk, were beheaded. Chaucer has a brilliant gift for comedy, and his comedy is both personal and physical.
Is Chaucer read today by many students at Penn? How can the rest of us, without specialized skills, gain access to the richness of his work?
We regularly offer Chaucer classes at Penn, and we always read the texts in the original Middle English. Students begin with some reservations, but they soon become adept readers of Chaucer—we spend a lot of time reading and performing aloud in the classroom. The spelling looks odd, but is in fact phonetic: we pronounce the k in knight, for example. We have a ton of fun, and class preparations are relatively short: would you rather prep 500 lines of Chaucer or read a door-stopper Victorian novel? We have made some readings of Chaucer, in Middle English, that might be helpful to others. These can be found at Pennsound: http://writing.upenn.edu/pennsound/x/Wallace.php
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Thank you for this article. I will definitely buy this book. I fell in love with Chaucer as soon as I read the Canterbury Tales in class. Wonderful!
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Clinton joins Stein in recount of Castro's vital statistics
Saturday, November 26, 2016 - Less than 24 hours after learning about the tragic and untimely death of progressive icon Fidel Castro, Hillary Clinton’s campaign said on Saturday it would be joining Green Party candidate Jill Stein in a recount of the former Cuban leader's vital statistics.
Marc Elias, the Clinton team’s general counsel, said the campaign would take part in the Havana recount being led by Jill Stein. He added, “Now that a recount has been initiated in Havana, we intend to participate in order to ensure the vitals analysis process proceeds in a manner that is fair to Mr. Castro and the Cuban people.”
Mr. Elias continued: “Since learning of Mr. Castro's death, we have had lawyers and data scientists and analysts combing over the vitals to spot anomalies that would suggest Fidel is still alive."
Angry and violent protests have ensued in Democrat-leaning cities across America since news of Castro’s demise went public. #CastroLivesMatter activists have taken to the streets in outrage over concerns that political executions and free speech violations will soon be ending in one of the world’s most iconic and longest surviving people’s utopias.
Hopes of overturning the vital statistics remains high among social justice warriors.
Jill and Hill be cashin' in. Follow the dinero!
Hill and Jill must think they're like Thelma and Louise. Reminded me of another movie. Sorry, ladies, for the sexist joke. No offense intended.
Putin_on_the_Ritz
Comrade Red Square,
To what sex gender where you referring too? There are many.
Putin on the Ritz
Comrade Stierlitz
And not only is Jill a Green Loser, she's a PROFESSIONAL green loser. She's been campaigning for more than a decade. And she obviously lost every time. She isn't a president, she's a campaigner, just like Obama. Plus, there's nothing that the average American can like about her. The only reason I ever considered her was because of her position of NAFTA and the TPP. The rest of her platform is straight-up socialist woo. And both her and her VP pick support BLM. Perseverance is a very admirable quality in a person, but there's a point where you have to stop tossing water out of the boat, recognize that there's a card table-sized hole in the hull, and jump off.
And I'll admit that I DID vote libertarian for a couple other non-presidential offices. I knew they wouldn't win, but I just didn't agree with both of the main party candidates. And Jill supports this kind of voting, but the problem is that her platform is very disagreeable to average America, and especially rural America. Not a single coal miner could, in his right mind, vote for her or Hillary. And she wants a "green new deal". I wonder if her "new deal" would be as shitty and harmful to the country as the original? Yet another appeal to the stupidity and traitorous socialist idealism of the average Green Party voter.
With this recount it's obvious she's just another George Soros shill and not the "revolutionary" her supporters made her out to be.
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107608 Views February 27, 2015 248 Comments Blog, South Front News The Saker
Boris Nemtsov has been shot dead in Moscow. He was one of the most charismatic leaders of the “liberal” or “democratic” “non-system” opposition in Russia (please understand that in the Russian context “liberal” and “democratic” means pro-US or even CIA-run, while “non-system” means too small to even get a single deputy in the Duma). He was shot just a few days before the announced demonstration of the very same “liberal” or “democratic” “non-system” opposition scheduled for March 1st.
Nemtsov and Yushchenko
As I have already explained many times on this blog, the “liberal” or “democratic” “non-system” opposition in Russia has a popular support somewhere in the range of 5% (max). In other words, it is politically *dead* (for a detailed explanation, please read “From Napoleon to Adolf Hitler to Conchita Wurst“). In the hopes of getting a higher number of people to the streets the “liberal” or “democratic” “non-system”opposition allied itself with the ultra-nationalists (usually useful idiots for the CIA) and the homosexual activists (also useful idiots for the CIA). Apparently, this was not enough.
And now, in *perfect* timing, Nemtsov is murdered.
We all know the reaction of the AngloZionists and their propaganda machine. It will be exactly the same as for MH-17: Putin the Murderer!!! Democracy Shot!! Freedom Killed!! etc. etc. etc. etc.
There is no doubt in my mind at all that either this is a fantastically unlikely but always possible case of really bad luck for Putin and Nemtsov was shot by some nutcase or mugged, or this was a absolutely prototypical western false flag: you take a spent politician who has no credibility left with anyone with an IQ over 70, and you turn him into an instant “martyr for freedom, democracy, human right and civilization”.
By the way if, as I believe, this is a false flag, I expect it to be a stunning success in the West and a total flop in Russia: by now, Russians already can smell that kind of setup a mile away and after MH-17 everybody was expecting a false flag. So, if anything, it will only increase the hostility of Russians towards the West and rally them around Putin. In the Empire, however, this will be huge, better than Politkovskaya or Litvinenko combined. A “Nemtsov” prize will be created, a Nemtov statue will be place somewhere (in Warsaw?), the US Congress will pass a “Nemtsov law” and the usual combo package of “democratic hagiography” will be whipped-up.
What worries me most is that the Russian security services did not see this one coming and let it happen. This is a major failure for the FSB which will now have a lot at stake to find out who did it. I expect them to find a fall-guy, a patsy, who will have no provable contacts with any western services and who, ideally, might even have some contacts with the Russian services (like Andrei Lugovoi).
As for the “liberal” or “democratic” “non-system” – it will probably re-brand the upcoming protests as a “tribute to Nemtsov” thereby getting more people into the streets.
There are folks in Langley tonight who got a promotion.
Grey Dove on February 28, 2015 · at 4:11 am EST/EDT
For those who can read Russian: who killed Nemtsov
http://pravosudija.net/article/zhertvy-naivnosti
Kat Kan on February 28, 2015 · at 4:26 am EST/EDT
The above Russian link from Google translate
Home »Victims of naivety
Victims of naivety
February 10 “interlocutor” came out with a fatal title. “Boris Nemtsov: I’m afraid that Putin would kill me.” http://sobesednik.ru/politika/20150210-boris-nemcov-boyus-togo-chto-putin-menya-ubet
These chances do not miss, especially in the current environment. In Kiev was quickly organized a meeting between Aslan Alkhanov and a close associate of the leader of the “right sector” Dmitry Yarosh, specializing in these matters. As the organizer of the explosion on the march supporters Maidan in Kharkov Alexander Kazuno, Yarosh associate associated with CANVAS.
Is that Kazuno is still working on the US government-funded NGOs, overthrew Slobodan Milosevic’s successor organization “Otpor!”, While people Yarosh worked there before moved to the “right quadrant.”
Aslan Alkhanov arrived in Moscow in the middle of the week. Demonstrative murder occurred near the Kremlin in a few days. Companion Boris Nemtsov, by a strange coincidence native of Kiev, is not affected.
As a result, immediately launched our pro-American media campaign, conferring on Putin’s fault for he created an atmosphere of intolerance that led to the assassination of the leader of the opposition, the government needs to be protected, but the authorities are at a loss.
They did not want to and still do not want to see the obvious. February 10 Boris Nemtsov signed his death warrant, and his murder was only a matter of a short time. According to my sources, the Kiev meeting Alkhanov SVR was recorded. His arrival in Moscow – fixed FSB.
However, tracing Alkhanov no public announcements, while the US track and does ignored. The victim of this murder can apply for Darwin Award – but the behavior Nemtsov at least understandable: he would not have thought that his bobble cynically take advantage of his American friends.
Are our security services as naive?
Site PRAVOSUDIYA.NET: http://pravosudija.net/article/zhertvy-naivnosti
Mike on February 28, 2015 · at 7:18 am EST/EDT
Yes, according to Sobesednik, on 10 February Nemtsov shared in an interview that his mother is worried about him being killed, and he is worried a little bit himself (for being a critic, that is)
But what on hell is that pravdasudia site? A freaking spoof news circus? Why is that FSB and SVR reporting to that lady ballet dancing truck driver? Who’s those persons, Alexander Kazuno, Aslan Alkhanov, and what’s CANVAS?
—(Must be all working for Mossad I gather, as well as Darwin ? )
KatKan on February 28, 2015 · at 7:41 am EST/EDT
Just translated the Russian site from the commenter above. The language sounds strange because that’s how Google translate does Russian. Some of it will make sense to some people here.
Petri Krohn on February 28, 2015 · at 4:14 am EST/EDT
A clue: Mark Sleboda notes that he is “being bombarded by Google for the anti-govt pro-Kiev #МаршВеснa” in Moscow on Sunday and rhetorically asks “WHO IS PAYING FOR ALL THIS?!?”
This is a sign that the US State Department is preparing for genocide and mass murder. I noticed a similar ad and spam campaign on Google in late February, early March of 2011. As soon as I wrote #Libya on the Google search line, Google would display an ad for a US criminal outfit called “Human Rights First”. The ad itself was a hoax upon a hoax. Not only were there no “Gaddafi crimes” or proof of them, but there was not even the propaganda the criminals were advertising. The page advertised (http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/libya) never contained any proof or even serious claims for anything. It was just just an empty placeholder for content yet to be announced.
The real content was in the two lines on the Google results page: “Qaddafi’s Crimes – Qaddafi is committing atrocities. Read about his crimes in Libya.” The link was not even meant to be clicked. This was a subliminal message. It would be repeated over and over until you were ready to believe it. (Most people were, I was not.)
(Screenshot from Google search results page saved in April 2011.)
вот так on February 28, 2015 · at 5:19 am EST/EDT
Thanks for that info about the setting up of the anti-Qaddafi propaganda. I discovered a similar pre-set-up around the South Ossetia war in 2008 on youtube. There were several propaganda accounts set up 1-2 weeks before the fireworks started on 8 Aug, 2008. These all carried propaganda videos supporting the Georgian aggression. These sat empty till the 8th, and then started adding propaganda videos to their accounts. One of these also heavily promoted Israel and Israeli support for the Georgian war criminals. Obviously that account was set up by the Israelis. My suspicion is all of the youtube accounts were the work of Israel. I noted all of this info on a website of mine at that time. Within a couple of days, that youtube account with the Israeli promotions had the Israeli promotions removed. Obviously, one of the web sayanim who monitored my web site alerted who ever ran the youtube site and they then removed all the Israel related material.
Uncle Bob on February 28, 2015 · at 9:58 am EST/EDT
An even better question to ask is “why does the Russian government not respond harshly and stop it”.If there was even a “whiff” in the air that a foreign government was sponsoring dissidents and plotting violence in Washington.The FBI and CIA would be rounding them up.And the boys at “Gitmo” would have mass numbers of new company.Its ridiculous that nothing is being done to stop these traitors in Russia.A massive purge should have come down months ago.The lesson of Ukraine to every world leader,is to never ,ever,allow a situation to slip out of control.And never,ever,allow Western agencies to subvert your people.Those that didn’t get that message,or those overlooking it.Don’t need to be in office,and must be replaced themselves.
Honk on February 28, 2015 · at 4:22 am EST/EDT
your absolute claim in the headline “FALSE FLAG IN MOSCOW!” will make you look pretty stupid in case it turns out the ex-lover theory is right.
No matter how it will turn out, you look like a rabid Putin fan boy by making stark assertions you don’t have any evidence for. You should have called it “FALSE FLAG IN MOSCOW?” instead.
FLOR solitaria on February 28, 2015 · at 4:31 am EST/EDT
I thought the ultra-nationalists were conservative Orthodox. How could they ally themselves with the liberals and the gays ?
Uncle Bob on February 28, 2015 · at 10:02 am EST/EDT
There are 2 types of “ultra-nationalists”.There are those you speak of.And there are the other kind,where the term “ultra-nationalist” is only a polite term for “neo-nazi”.The Russian version of the Ukrainian “Right Sector”.
FLOR solitaria on March 01, 2015 · at 12:13 am EST/EDT
So the Russians have those cases too ? Luckily for me you said it, because I shudder to think what would have happened if I had said it.
Edward Ludlam on February 28, 2015 · at 4:31 am EST/EDT
The Bad Guys are really rattled to resort to a stunt like this. This does not come from a position of strength. This is an expression of a state of duress. Impulsive. A power wrong-footed and not used to it. They over-reach themselves. Good. Very good. They will fight among themselves over this. Good. Some will split away. Maybe attack or betray the other. Go ahead. Suck up all the oxygen. Knock yourselves out trying to spin this but its just more been there done that. The law of diminishing returns has set in. What next? A Reichstag fire?
kri on February 28, 2015 · at 4:41 am EST/EDT
Nemtsev murder was a brazen attack in close proximity of Cremlin walls. Wow!
Nemtsev cold facts layed down (no sides taken):
– He did make a fortune in transition times (thus potential connections with shady business partners).
– Got relatively few votes in last elections. Outside of system, but did have significant vocal role in the opposition, & louded by west (as Putin critic). YATS & gang did not have many votes either…
– Murdered ahead of March 01 opposition rally (fot maximum publicity effect).
– Might be false flag, but killers had some guts to do it close to best guarded place in Russia (what is security perimeter area width around Cremlin-probably similar to White House?). If it was a FF, Putin (and his security) should be very, very concerned that a targeted political hit happened so close to Cremlin (and presumably by some sort of opposition side).
– What was role of Ukrainian model is yet to be clarified.
– Strange he did not have bodyguards (given the $$ he had, and gov opposition status)?
– The fact is that along Nemtsev, numerous opposition personalities have been killed (Politkovskaya…, even counterspy Litvinenko), imprisioned (Khodorkovskiy, Navalny, Pussy Riot), or exiled like Berezovsky e.t.c.
Logical conlusion – it is not healthy to be agains the system? And Putin was a KGB earlier in his career.
– Honestly – Moscow reminds me on Belgrade, Serbia in 90-ties a lot with numerous political, and/or gangster style killings…
– Perfect material for western press to further demonize Putin (he would be really stupid to do this now)…
Best thing for Putin & Russia is to quickly catch perpertrators, or otherwise it will be a black mark on their eye forever regardless who did it.
Yurivii on February 28, 2015 · at 4:46 am EST/EDT
Just as bad as the western media. How does anyone know if CIA did it. Just happened. No one knows anything.
South Gorod on February 28, 2015 · at 5:01 am EST/EDT
Why on Earth whoever did this left the girl alive?
I suspect that it is an entirely criminal affair and perps will be catch soon. I won’t be surprised either if some very unsavory details about Nemtsov emerge from all that.
Anyway, it is obvious that Putin has already been cleared by Russian public opinion. If anything, opposition will probably come out of that event looking even more pathetic than before.
Leaving the girl alive underscores that HE was the victim. Not a robbery or wild shooting, but aimed at him. Therefore had to be done by someone who has it in for him (Putin). If she is in on it she can give confusing evidence, that improves their time to get away. Even if not in on it, from the shock she’ll not remember exactly.
Plus they leave an attractive near-victim witness to speak emotionally at the memorial rally.
Anonymous on February 28, 2015 · at 11:15 am EST/EDT
the question is: how did they missed her? they were close to each other, she probably wasn’t walking 10 meters behind him…chances are, it is harder to miss her rather than kill her as well…? chances are that 2 of them are even walking hand by hand…or she knows in advance that “something” is going to happen?
Kat Kan on February 28, 2015 · at 11:40 am EST/EDT
Now they’re saying they, or one, got out of the car. So that would be close up, easy to miss one person. They didn’t spray them with machine gun from moving car.
If she is in on it she’d hang back. Or even if not, say someone rings her, she drops back a step or two to take the call. Either way it has to be him, to be sure it looks like deliberate murder, and useful to have a scared but uninjured witness. So, bet she could not see the face. Balaclava or similar and she’s too scared to remember (and may conveniently remember wrong).
MattMarriott on February 28, 2015 · at 5:32 am EST/EDT
Suicide bomber “Putin”‘s latest bomb: staging the fake death of “oppositor” Nemtsov.
This is a parallel and reverse script to the 2003 “two Annas murdered”:
– reverse script of Anna Politkovskaya, an illuminati operative murdered by her boss to suggest that the REAL Putin did it;
– parallel script to Anna Lindh, a fake death staged to advance the agenda “Sweden says yes to EU in the referedum”.
Reminder: to check fake deaths it’s as simple as this: open caskets to public or not.
illuminati-fake-deaths.blogspot
Ngoyo on February 28, 2015 · at 5:34 am EST/EDT
If I were of a certain twist of mind, like the denizens of the foggy bottom, I might think the following:
Great way to kick off a Moscow Maidan. The march 1st demonstration was in an out of the way part of the city. Now it can be moved to ground hallowed by the blood of an innocent martyr. Ground that just happens to be at the center of things, where you would want a maidan.
The Empire knows no bound, it has no morality. As peoples from Africa, Palestine, Syria, Donbass etc etc know all too well.
@Dissy Yup. I had not seen that but thats what I thought right away. This moves the march to Red square. The appropriate site for a maidan.
The last time they was a real “maidan” in Red Square I think was in 1698.Here is a recount of the result accomplished :
“As a result of a major investigation, 57 Streltsy were executed and the rest sent into exile. Upon his hurried return from London on 25 August 1698, Peter I ordered another investigation. Between September 1698 and February 1699, 1,182 Streltsy were executed and 601 were whipped, branded with iron, or (mostly the young ones) sent into exile. The investigation and executions continued up until 1707. The Moscow regiments, which had not participated in the uprising, were later disbanded. Streltsy and their family members were removed from Moscow.”
Those hoping for a maidan in Moscow should ponder on the results of the last one.
Ann on February 28, 2015 · at 5:37 am EST/EDT
Saker, did you mean that the FSB is going to find any old fall-guy or patsie ? Or did you mean the West ? It sounds like you mean the FSB.
Jana on February 28, 2015 · at 5:43 am EST/EDT
This is an article by F. William Engdahl, published in January 2012 before the Russian presidential election, in which “the leading opposition figures” are presented, including Boris Nemtsov.
“Regime Change in the Russian Federation? Why Washington Wants ‘Finito’ with Vladimir Putin”
http://www.globalresearch.ca/regime-change-in-the-russian-federation-why-washington-wants-finito-with-vladimir-putin/28571
Red Ryder on February 28, 2015 · at 5:45 am EST/EDT
The Vineyard has attracted the end of the month’s leftover trolls and dolts on this topic.
He’s dead because he was useless alive compared to dead.
Now, who benefits?
Does Putin, the FSB, the Kremlin, Russian nationalists, pro-Novorossiyans benefit?
Just the opposite. Like MH-17.
There are facts rolling out of the investigation fast. In a few days, they’ll have this solved.
It’s not a good idea to poke the Bear or Putin.
If the Targeting Officer was in the CIA station, there will be “people” sent back to the States.
If it was Oligarch, there will be confiscations of properties and businesses.
If it was criminals from either Ukraine or Russia, a few dead people will be discovered.
But you can be sure, this will be over in 72 hours or so.
I’m sure there are guys in Lubyanka basement right now having their balls wired to batteries if they try to stay silent.
This is a parallel and reverse script of “the murdered Annas”:
– reverse of Anna Politkovskaya, a low rank operative in the illuminati payroll, murdered by her boss to suggest that the REAL Putin did it;
– parallel to Anna Lindh, a fake death staged to advance the agenda “Sweden says yes to EU in the referedum”.
Reminder: to check fake deaths it’s as simple as this: public open casket or not.
Star Trek’s Spock died – Parallel script to Boris Nemtsov
FOUR facts about Leonard Nimoy:
1. the real Nimoy died years ago. He was impersonated after his death by a quite different looking person.
2. Nimoiy was the only man who was officially portrayed as the identity used by the current Grand Master of the Ordo Illuminatus, when he appears in plain sight.
3. Nimoiy was the only man who was officially portrayed as the current Illuminati Grand Master in the first identity where he appears hidden in plain sight.
4. The death of the impersonator was announced hours before suicide bomber “Putin”‘s latest bomb: staging the fake death of “oppositor” Boris Nemtsov.
So “Nimoy’s death” is another parallel script, or in other words, another fake death.
http://illuminati-fake-deaths.blogspot.com/2015/02/boris-nemtsov-killed-by-putin-spock.html
Anonymous on February 28, 2015 · at 6:46 am EST/EDT
While I agree with Honk’s suggestion about the title (‘False Flag in Moscow?’), this appears to be a first class provocation action aimed to revitalize the politically bankrupt Russian opposition. And worse, it builds up a mood to ”act against the tyrant”, that is, create an atmosphere that might make the very assassination of Putin aceptable, if not to he Russians, at least to a western audience.
It sounds a bit far fetched, but after all the horrific acts of the US that we have witnessed in the past year, everything should be expected.
WizOz on February 28, 2015 · at 7:26 am EST/EDT
It is intended to be “serious”. As we have seen in umpteen cases so far, for street protests to become “revolution” they need blood. And when the blood is that of a “critic of Putin”, “vocal critic of President Putin”, “outspoken Putin critic”, “opposition leader”, “leading Russian opposition leader”, “Anti-Putin leader”, “champion of democracy”, “towering figure of the opposition”, “heart of Russia’s opposition”, “Russian Political ‘Golden Boy’ Who Battled Putin”, who announced beforehand that “I am afraid that Putin will kill me”, the better. It is probably expected that it would provoke a great indignation at the mourning procession in memory of Boris Nemtsov. The culprit is already designated, the possible accusations that it is a “false flag” ridiculed in advance.
Of course the girl was a prostitute, maybe of the less obvious kind not paid per hour. Look at the last picture in this article: http://vg-news.ru/n/113166
http://vg-news.ru/files/uploaded_images/201502/%20и%20Анна%20Дурицкая_500.jpg
It’s quite obvious to me.
jj on February 28, 2015 · at 9:16 am EST/EDT
I’ll repeat,Tymoshenko and Kuchma have proven links to an assassin payed to kill Gennady journalist,and that person is now a RADA Deputy……anything is possible?
Sampanviking on February 28, 2015 · at 9:28 am EST/EDT
How on Earth can a failed politican, out of power and parliament for over a decade and who heads a party with no elected representatives, be described as “leading and prominent”?
Nussiminen on February 28, 2015 · at 10:16 am EST/EDT
Don’t be silly. He was so leading and prominent that the Swedish MSM reporter ensured us that Nemtsov’s death was a very hot topic in Moscow — well, a “very hot topic” among the foreign journalists like herself, as she stupidly also pointed out (wonder if that little revelation had any “consequences” with regard to her career).
While we aren’t sure who did the murder.It’s obvious the one with nothing to gain from it is Putin.As is shown clearly by the Navalny case,if Putin wanted to curtail a critic he would go the legal route.Certainly, at least at first.Navalny is far more of a threat than Nemtsov was to Russia.And Putin won’t even seriously jail him,let alone murder him.And then there is the matter of murdering your opponent across the street from your office.Really,does anyone think Putin would be that stupid.
So that leaves, “who” killed him, and “why” was he killed? The suspects in order of likelihood of guilt are:
1.Western or Ukrainian intelligence services or organizations.
2.Mob connections he was involved with.
3.Pro-Putin people or nationalists (without Putin’s knowledge).That would include pro-Novorossian people.
4.Rouge FSB.
Personally,I’m leaning to 1,2,or 3,so far.With my “hunch”,1 or 3 as the most likely.That covers the “Who”.
As to the “Why”.
If number 1.It would be to discredit Putin and Russia.And to hopefully, for them,spark unrest in Russia.
if number 2.Pay back for some debt or an offense that the criminal elements held against him.
If number 3.They thought they were getting rid of a traitor.An agent,causing trouble in the West’s pay.
If number 4 (see the answer to number 3).
Mike on February 28, 2015 · at 3:55 pm EST/EDT
3,4 He was not sufficiently dangerous or treacherous to have a strong case here.
2: nothing is known, and will be easier to crack.
Somebody doing this under (1) would need to have zero understanding or no care about longer term . N would be one of plausible future leaders, and a quite sensible one in such a pack. Than the plan is to just destabilize, not to bring about any (better) alternative.
First and foremost: Good riddance to bad garbage. Boris Nemtsov much resembled Austria’s vile scum Jörg Haider who, at least, had the good taste to kill himself by drunk driving. Indeed, Haider’s depravity didn’t pose any problem to his compatriots — the funeral was attended by mammoth crowds. Nemtsov’s death is a non-issue altogether as the West’s rabid presstitutes have a miniscule following in Russia. It’s funny how this gentry doesn’t understand (or care) that whoever they start eulogising in Russia actually gets an instant kiss of death this way. Please note that this judgement applies fairly well to Vladimir Putin also since, of course, he would only be eulogised by selfsame presstitutes after having committed high treason.
Secondly, the Maidan wannabes in Russia will not make it, as rabble-rousers would have to be imported en masse. On this basis — and provided the murder was indeed a false flag — it could even be said that it was “too little, too late”, thus making Nemtsov a very silly joke of a Martyr.
John on February 28, 2015 · at 10:43 am EST/EDT
Don’t be silly. Haider was an Austrian patriot. Nemtsov was a non-gentile whose allegiance lies elsewhere other than Russia.
It sounds like the CIA are attempting to get people to the march/protest in Moscow by ‘framing’ Putin, as Navalny is not getting the numbers wanted.
If Nemtsov’s Wikipeadia reference is updated linking Putin’s fingerprints to the crime, it’s a sure sign its a CIA false flag.
Andreja on February 28, 2015 · at 10:58 am EST/EDT
Clearly looks like a false flag, although I would not pin the blame on the FSB. From what I can see Nemtsov looks like a low-level target, and the FSB does not have unlimited resources…
mmiriww on February 28, 2015 · at 11:42 am EST/EDT
What no one seems to consider is, this is an area of intense security. Like DC or London where lots of diplomats and government ministers are around, a high class neighborhood.
You can not approach such an area without being under scrutiny and if the FSB had any hints a hit was going to take place they would have locked up the place.
This is more than a professional hit, no professional would be able to hit someone in such an area and get away with it. This was a hit with the resources of a vast intelligence organization that had mapped out all the area and its defenses and knew where the blind spots would be and how to get there. When I was in DC I saw at least 10 spots where I was spotted, by that I mean they considered what I was doing and my threat level and I was a tourist wearing a tshit and not even a camera or anything else. If I had a gun or I had talked to anyone like a spotter I would have been instantly grabbed. I doubt Russia is all that deficient.
You have to look at what resources it would take to make a hit in such a place and get away. Crazy people acting alone might be able to make the hit but they wont be able to get away. These people did and so did the people supporting them. Stop it with a mob hit and opposition etc.. They would ALL have been caught less than an hour no matter what precaution they took.
Unless of course you consider the Russian FSB the butt off all jokes.. and they really are that inferior to everyone else. Even MI6 might have trouble in such an op and only the US would even risk such a confrontation. UK would get clobbered if they tried and failed.. The US is reckless enough and don’t care.
Jane on February 28, 2015 · at 1:34 pm EST/EDT
Wow. A lot of analysis of who did this. I am more concerned with how it will be used by the west.
How important is this,
Quite frankly the only one who will really care is this poor mans death is his family and friends.
What concerns me as someone looking at the UK media, is how this will be used to damn Putin and Russia. That is what the focus should be. And whether it will have any impact; regime change
What I want to know is will this generate recruits to the liberal pro american/ maidan type agenda? To undermine Putins govt
Can someone shed light on this.
Veritas on February 28, 2015 · at 1:40 pm EST/EDT
Meanwhile in Kiev:
http://tass.ru/en/world/780190
Former Party of Regions commits suicide in Kiev.
gs nomad on February 28, 2015 · at 1:58 pm EST/EDT
you friends and folk, just recall or take back to the times , after WW-II when all over the world the still hidden, mounting crimes and modus operandi of the Nazies in germany and all over Europe were disclosed and made clear to practically every common person in the world.
( and there was no Cell photos and no Web )
Now just imagine, the days after… when the Empire of chaos eventually falls down to the mud and excrement where it belongs. What common people will discover, realize and be stunned about is beyond imagination. And let alone with web and cell imaging.. What to say when its space was the whole world and its time span from 1945 to our days.
Anonymous on February 28, 2015 · at 1:59 pm EST/EDT
Документальный фильм о Немцове
http://vk.com/war_on_line?z=video253051137_171108460%2Faf1fb111c77f166b69
He has some interesting friends,
Here he is with John McCain
http://politikus.ru/uploads/posts/2013-06/1371134340_mccain-1.png
And with Tymoshenko in July
http://fedotov1384.livejournal.com/272965.html
teranam13 on February 28, 2015 · at 2:52 pm EST/EDT
From Russia Insider: http://russia-insider.com/en/2015/02/28/3967 Very good article about the different narratives which in the similarity of their polarities threaten the equilibrium of the world. I don’t agree with everything he says but he has a grasp of national psyche which is true. God Save Us All.
The writer tries too hard to endear the American audience he is writing for with clumsy and wooden statements such as: “Opinions are expressed on the street; I am writing from Moscow and don’t need a pseudonym to say that the Russian news is a joke.”
He also overplays the “ideological” part of the equation.
But finishes on a high with an insightful and precise conclusion: “If the Russian cause comes to look like the fight against fascism, the well Russia draws from is deeper than anything we as Americans can imagine.”
Konstantin Bodin on February 28, 2015 · at 3:19 pm EST/EDT
https://deepresource.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/boris-nemtsov.jpg
Look here with whom that NWO half-breed Jew Nemtsov was siding! A bookcase of 5th column treachery ffs! But that aside, I am far more astonished by the fact that Russia is allowing Western agency outposts masquerading as numerous Western NGOs to freely meddle in sociopolitical life of Russia! You don’t allow your enemy to meddle in your internal affairs and political processes! Not enemy’s NGOs or owning your media! Even 6 year old children know that much ffs! And it’s easily arranged with regard to media question (as well as Western NGOs: you expel them, ban them, and members put on trial and hence to long life in prison): what you do you arrange things on the basis of reciprocity, and reciprocity principle states that what you allow of mine in your domain or backyard, the same will I allow of yours in my domain (backyard). It’s very simple and immensely effective way of stopping any type of colonization or hostility. By the reciprocity principle, moles like Nemtsov and Ponomarov (see below) would never be allowed to operate in the first place, since they wouldn’t be allowed to do that in the West what they are doing in Russia! Very effective way of stopping disguised foreign invasion and occupation, which, should be mentioned, has only been coming from he West in the last 300 years or so. See this!
“An interesting thing happened in Washington recently. Relatively small, little publicized event took place at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a prominent liberal-leaning think tank in Washington.The event, “Russia’s Opposition in a Time of War and Crisis,” featured prominent Russian liberal opposition parliamentarian (member of the Russian Duma) Ilya Ponomarev, a noted critic of Russian President Putin, providing a detailed presentation regarding the current political climate in Russia, and the potential for the ousting or overthrow of the Russian government. Yes, you heard that right. A Russian elected official came to the United States to give a talk about how best to effect regime change in his own country.Ilya Ponomarev prepared an entire PowerPoint detailing his contempt for Russia and his best advice for its ruination. The most significant portion of Ponomarev’s presentation centered on a slide titled “Conditions for the Change of Power in Russia,” which laid out essentially a roadmap or blueprint for regime change in Russia.”
http://www.globalresearch.ca/did-a-russian-parliamentarian-just-commit-treason/5425603
High time for Russia to formally and completely dismantle that Western outpost of agents in various NGOs there, as well as punish that such obvious, and even non other by themselves admitted (you have confession on that picture above and this video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIJEXaXuxeE – so you don’t have to dig deeper for that matter), Western agents: trial and execution!
Rita Lama on February 28, 2015 · at 3:35 pm EST/EDT
Lysander February 27, 2015 said:
‘ Alas this will work exactly as the Empire needs it to: it will make it very difficult for Merkel, Holande or any other Euro clown to deal with Putin and will weaken opposition to arming the Ukies. Most of the west will believe it and it does not matter if the rest of the world does not. The US has to keep Europe under its control at any and all costs.
Anyway, it seems agents of the west are very disposable. Poroshenko take note. ‘
ABSOLUTELY! I could not have said it better.
F* NATO-EU on February 28, 2015 · at 3:45 pm EST/EDT
Cemu panika?
Njemcov je bio kriminalac I vucibatina, završilo đubre kako je i živjelo, nemoralan i pokvaren do srži.
Cjeli život radio da uništi Rusiju za račun svojih SAD-ističkih gazda koji su ga i plaćali.
Ali nije postigao ništa već 10 godina i bio im korisniji mrtav nego živ.
Sutra na takozvanim demonstracijama se neće dogoditi ništa jer boli u Rusiji nekoga kurac za toga ološa i ništariju.
Bijeda milijuna građana Rusije je bila rezultat politike njega i njegovih gangstera.
Niko ne place za tim ljigavcem osim njegove obitelji, čak ni njegovi naredbodavci koji su ga žrtvovali.
Jedan petokolonas manje
RT News was dropped by Time Warner Cable in the Myrtle Beach area yesterday. I have cancelled my subscription.
notlurking on February 28, 2015 · at 3:48 pm EST/EDT
This was shown this morning on CNN on a loop basis. I like Bourdain for the food stuff, but after seeing this I am having a bad case of indigestion.
http://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/02/27/tsr-sot-sciutto-bourdain-putin-opponent-boris-nemtsov-shot-dead.cnn
I have read through all the comments and to me it all just adds to a lot of speculation that does not help assess the political impact of this death
How is this being dealt with in Russia???
The western media is going on about a man I admit I never heard of along with probably 99% of UK citizens.
Has it rocked Russia?
Was he a leading politician?
Has it destabilised Putins govt?
Will it lead to a Russia Regime change?
Any answers
As the western media is really hyping this issue in a way I find unsettling
>How is this being dealt with in Russia???
As shocking news (with a nuanced difference between opposition and pro-government reactions, with the latter playing it down, and former up somewhat)
>The western media is going on about a man I admit I never heard of along with probably 99% of >UK citizens.
Main Russian news sources are translated in English and available on internet (without a BBC subscription).
>Has it rocked Russia?
>Was he a leading politician?
Someone who moved from a spotlight as young brilliant reformer to a relative obscurity; remained a co-chair of an opposition political party (Republican Party-PARNAS)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_of_Russia_%E2%80%93_People%27s_Freedom_Party
At present, no seats in Parliament, 1 in local government.
>Has it destabilised Putins govt?
>Will it lead to a Russia Regime change?
FLOR solitaria on February 28, 2015 · at 4:03 pm EST/EDT
The fsb was probably too busy on the internet trying to catch those pesky Catholics (who are clearly a threat to Russian national security, judging by the numbers of them who are saker supporters), and trying to demonstrate to the world the superiority of the Orthodox faith above all others. So they probably left their colleagues from the Russian Orthodox Church in charge with internal security.
Eimar Clark on February 28, 2015 · at 10:14 pm EST/EDT
S**t. They’re onto us..
Joking apart, I have the distinct impression the current pope is something of a fan of religious orthodoxies – including Russian.
A Universalist is likely to focus on essential values and treat doctrine as cultural differences on ritual/practice. That is not to make him a ‘liberal’ as the Anglophone MSM mistakenly think.
Which might explain why the Vatican news outlets – which have been expanded – are notably lacking in Putinphobia. A certain ‘sympatico’ with misrepresentation, distortion and outright defamation too.
And the planes are nice. ;)
Svetoslav Nedeltchev on February 28, 2015 · at 4:35 pm EST/EDT
Provocation !!!
In other news: The WSJ reports that the US has been suppling satellite imagery of Novorossian positions to the ethnic cleansing Nazis. So where is the US satellite imagery of MH17 then?
Bavor V. on February 28, 2015 · at 5:07 pm EST/EDT
Nemtsov was about so insignificant that it did not monitor of FSB, and therefore she could escape danger around Nemtsov.
Diogen on February 28, 2015 · at 5:47 pm EST/EDT
I do disagree with this idea of false flag ops. It seems to be driven by causality bias, I.e. fact that he was against current Kremlin rulers/ policies and his dead body causing either by anti-kremlin forces or by kremlin, but nobody else. It’s a binary thinking. Let me explain. He was potential successor of Eltsin as a President, but then Eltsin choose Putin over him. He got life-time envy to Putin. He was crown prince and until last minute he thought himself as a crown prince. He thought his kingdom was last minute stolen. This guy and such like Chubais, Khakamada and do on were walking on 2 legs: making politics to benefit in business and making business to be successful in politics. Nemtsov was doing business in gasoil trading since he became Governor of Nizny Novgorod where NORSI oil refinery is located. Oil products were sold to Ukraine, as well using all kind of grey/ black schemes. There is also a story of Bank ” Neftianoj” and Mr.Lifshirz, sponsoring Union of Right Forces” party ( Chubais, Khakamada and Nemtsov). But that is his first leg. Second leg was in business. In Russia he has no business, only place was Ukraine. And it was not going well. I have no facts to prove, but my theory he was killed over liabilities / cash borrowed / promises/ commitments given to his Ukrainian partners. That was the cause. The consequence was used by parties who can use it and benefit from it. You know them.
I have read a while ago one very interesting article about the cooperators with the Empire and if they don’t achieve expected result for the Empire, they are simply discarded. It looks like this model is somehow working for the Empire, no witness left.
I have just finished reading the book “To dead” from Jozef Karika and there is absolute detailed description how this method is working in real life especially in Jewish lead circles and actions.
Tony B. on February 28, 2015 · at 7:20 pm EST/EDT
Most here clearly see the false flag demonizing Putin but most of their supposed reasons are more or less secondary. No one seems to notice Putin’s real “crime” against the powers that be because they fail to fully understand the real power. No national leader but Putin has had the integrity or willingness to do what is right and proper regardless of the power of those enemies of doing right for his people. That massive, evil power Putin opposes by his actions is the ownership of almost all nations through agent banks of the Rothschild dynasty, owning each nation’s medium of exchange as private bank “credit” (pretended debt) LOANED INTO EXISTENCE AT USURY, the true enslaver of all nations. Although Putin does not seem to be trying to change that method of creating the medium of the RF, he is actively doing all that he can to escape it’s prime enslaver, the U.S. dollar. Much of the world is falling in line behind Putin’s strength of character in this real crusade for the right. This makes Putin the number one “criminal” who must be stopped, no matter how, by the monetary, true powers in the world today, notably satanic in essence. Putin’s apparent Christian faith only makes these talmudists the more determined to do him in. May God keep him safe and working successfully to free mankind from the greatest tyranny the world has ever suffered.
Gadaffi had pan-African ambitions – to create an African dollar-antidote, backed by REAL resources – oil and gold.
That was why he was taken out – and a Libya-friendly US diplomat with him.
For General Russian people, 85 % whom back up Putin, he, the troublemaker is better dead than alive. For the Russian Western Elite, and the West, he was priceless. What he means for the Russian MUZHIKS, I don’t know. But for the “Activists” this is a strong point to be more aggressive and to recruit new blood. Unfortunately Kremlin is still divided and conspired because Russian Muzhiks are not able to transform, and take the controls of theirs nation.
Stavros H on February 28, 2015 · at 8:29 pm EST/EDT
This latest false flag (I can’t fathom how some can thing it is anything but) reeks of desperation in an effort to rally the pathetic Russian Fifth Column which now stands completely discredited, and also for export to the Western sheeple.
As a false flag operation, it massively falls short on the shock value and carnage of the MH-17. The timing is also pathetic, albeit convenient for those that seek to exploit it. The location is of good dramatic value, but haven’t we had lots of that lately?
If the enemies of Russia want something really done, they will have to come up with something big tomorrow! There are many rumors about Ukie snipers and troublemakers. I can guarantee we will get cheap theatrics tomorrow.
TooLegit2Quit on February 28, 2015 · at 8:40 pm EST/EDT
Were the Russians caught napping? Again?!?
What kind of security they have in such a sensitive area? Try to pull a stunt like this one this close to the White House and see what happens…
Just like our host, the Saker, I’m alarmed the FSB can’t prevent something like this from happening – forget anywhere in Russia… can they at least concentrate their efforts, in say; a mile radius around the freakin’ Kremlin?!
Secondly; some pro-Russian commentators have been saying that we all should wait for the results of the investigation before jumping to conclusions… I say, to hell with that!
This new batch of a propaganda campaign will last only for a few days time, they know the truth will out, so they’re simply aiming to maximize the damage before that happens. I hope the Russians learned their lessons from the MH17 smear campaign, and move far more quickly than they did last time. Parallely; they have to mount a serious counter to the western MSM propaganda [Putin did it] that is already plastered all over the news papers and news networks.
It’s all well and good to be concerned about political destabilization within the mother land, but Russia cannot afford to neglect the pro-Russian supporters outside Russia, because if it gets to the point of direct intervention in Ukraine (or dog forbid Russia itself) it’s gonna be down to these pro-Russian and anti-war people who will be calling their congress-person or MP desperately (as it happened with Syria) in a bid to stop the madness before it’s too late.
(Apologies if this article’s been posted already)
Did the US Murder Boris Nemtsov? The Imminent Threat
“[..] The biggest concern now is if there are more killings planned for Sunday [march]. The US seems to be going ahead with all of its plans even if the necessary successes at each step before are not met. We have seen this in Syria and Ukraine.
In such an event, it is obvious how the US will spin this, and the call will begin openly for Putin to step down. While this last part may be an eventuality at any rate, the events tomorrow will tell us whether we should expect a serious escalation in this process.”
LINK> http://fortruss.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/did-us-murder-boris-nemstov-imminent.html
^Aaaand that’s what worries me. Once the West goes all out, calling for someone to “step down,” just like a pig-headed bulldog that clenched its jaws on its victim, they just won’t let it go, no matter what. No matter how many facts, evidence, appeasement, compromises or diplomacy you throw at them. In such an event, the only solution is to put the rabid dog down, and when this type of scenario involves nuclear super-powers: it means war.
PS: Btw, this is the second time I’m attempting to post this…
-TL2Q
Peter J. Antonsen on February 28, 2015 · at 8:44 pm EST/EDT
Time to March!
Is it too much to suggest that the Russian leaders demand an investigation into the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert Kennedy, Martin L. King, Malcalm X, Fred Hampton, and John Lennon, (just as a start)?
There is a longer list of international assassinations conducted by the CIA, MI-5, & MOSSAD, start with Africas finest leader, Patrice Lumumba, try Allende, Diem, add thousands more.
I suggest, in case Vldimir Putin is not reading this website, that The Saker inaugurate a full Permanent SECTION of his Saker Website, dedicated to American Oligarch assassinations. This SECTION could also be expanded to include MOSSAD, & MI-5 assassinations, and assassinations where more than one of the above Spy/Murder agencies assassinated together.
There must be a price to pay (Payback) by the imperialist Oligarchs for their False Flag crimes. The history of their criminal murders must be revealed. With all of us cooperating, we should do quite a good job at exposing these assassinations and False Flags.
We might start with the Coup d’etat in Dallas!
For the VISION!
For the Democratic Republics!
For the Heroes of Stalingrad and Donetz,
ph on February 28, 2015 · at 10:09 pm EST/EDT
A civil court found in 1999 I think that on the balance of probabilites the US government killed MLK. His civil rights passages were amplified by mass media (to bring down the anglos from power via repopulation liberalism – I am conservative so I would have given afro americans their own viable country in the US to set their own laws but the zionists want every western country to be split into tiny but harmless racially aware factions – including ango/euro mass population reduction) but he also had a lot to say about the CIA.
John Onesti has an interesting blog on the JFK assassination including a great audio by Robert Morningstar (except for the exaggeration about the date of the jaques de molay execution) explaining the ritual Hiram Abiff whacking element. It’s not hard to imagine Skull & Bonesmen at the Yale crypt taking out JFK’s half a skull every Nov. 22nd to fondle it. They are very proud of that trophy.
Once Nazi, today Natoist on February 28, 2015 · at 10:49 pm EST/EDT
His death is not a tragedy, he lived as a shit man and died as a shit man.
I am surprised at the reaction of Putin.
It seems it is more profitable in Russia to be a foreign agent, to work against Russia than to be a good law abiding citizen.
Anonymous on February 28, 2015 · at 11:47 pm EST/EDT
Well, IF this was a West orchestrated false flag, it certainly wasn’t done with the Russian public in mind. The guy was a political non-entity there. It was strictly to milk it for western consumption I suppose.
But I actually think the personal settling of scores is as plausible a scenario as any, given this was clearly a pretty seedy character with shady deals and a big mouth. Who knows. At the same time, the location where it happened would have been extremely daring for some mafia style hit. Who knows.
This is a rare case, where the witness, a young Ukrainian Mistress, next to the victim was left unmolested. Such things usually do not happen in contract killings, or they were very professional killers, pretending to be amateurs.
Eimar Clark on March 01, 2015 · at 2:40 am EST/EDT
Very strange news from Novorossiya News – found on Facebook.
It seems the Wiki page on the murder went up only 13 minutes later.
But the REALLY strange bit is that as many as 37 pages on the killing were created BEFORE the murder – by several days. That excludes time-lag as an explanation.
The reporter from NN said he awaited new developments from this ‘theatre of the absurd’.
Was it staged in exchange for ‘useful info’ by the FSB?
What do you think, the Saker?
http://www.jooov.net/text/96952066/--h_yablochko_.htmls on March 01, 2015 · at 2:01 pm EST/EDT
The first wikipedia page still there is at 23:18, 27 February 2015 UTC , 3 hours after the event
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Boris_Nemtsov&oldid=649153071
For comparison, the first mentioning on http://acloserlookonsyria.shoutwiki.com/ is at
22:25, 27 February 2015 (UTC) , 2 hours after the event
Moscow time is UTC + 3.
Eimar Clark on March 01, 2015 · at 10:02 pm EST/EDT
Thanks – but doesn’t really exclude the NN claim.
Intervention by NSA would have to be ruled out.
Jury’s out – still.
Honk on March 01, 2015 · at 11:51 am EST/EDT
I don’t mind my comments getting trashed. It has happened in the past, and I don’t consider them that important to make a fuss.
Two of my comments to this thread have been published. One comment criticizing Saker for the sensationalist “FALSE FLAG IN MOSCOW!” title, however, has been censored? Why?
I just said something to the effect that the Saker has to wipe a lot of egg from his face if it turns out it was just a rival shooting that opposition politician. The Saker should at least turn the exclamation mark in the title into a question mark because he does not present any evidence, except logical(ly admittedly quite convincing) arguments. It doesn’t help the credibility of this regarded analyst if he “knows” things without having to look at the facts.
Please don’t turn into a prima donna, just because your talent and hard word have earned you a well deserved following.
Honk on March 01, 2015 · at 12:06 pm EST/EDT
Oops. After publishing this last comment, I was taken to “comment page 3”, which immediately made me aware of the fact that my “censored” comment might be on page 2, which it is. So that’s why I couldn’t find it.
So the icelandic Saker is a pager. Good to know. So I take the last comment back. Still wished for a little more fact-based opionating.
Kat Kan on March 01, 2015 · at 1:42 pm EST/EDT
Honk there are newer threads with more detail or updates.
Will check them out.
My point was that at the time the headline was published, the Saker did not have any evidence, except the results of his (admittedly sound) reasoning, looking at this post. Not enough for a headline this free of doubt.
Boris Nemzov, Mikhail Chechetov and the double standards. MKII
https://www.facebook.com/854476074569989/photos/a.854496011234662.1073741828.854476074569989/1094548277229433/?type=1
“One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic”. If the press cares so much about peoples lives why isn’t it so sympathetic to people of Donbass and Syria ?
Once Nazi, today Natoist on March 01, 2015 · at 3:13 pm EST/EDT
Dear Saker
Could you publish this video.
Получение инструкций в посольстве США
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yf3LjntNX20&feature=youtu.be
On January 17, 2012 soon after McFaul was appointed the new United States Ambassador to Russia and arrived in Moscow to assume his post, a number of organizers and prominent participants of the 2011 Russian protests, as well as some prominent figures of the Russian opposition parties, visited the Embassy of the United States in Moscow. On the entrance to the embassy they were encountered by TV journalists who asked them why they were visiting the new Ambassador.[10] On the video later released on YouTube[11] and titled “Получение инструкций в посольстве США” (Receiving instructions in the Embassy of the United States) opposition activists appear flustered by the unexpected media attention. Later, when upon leaving the embassy and once again being encircled by journalists, the activists responded by declaring the journalists spreaders of “Surkovian propaganda” and made no other statement.[10] The visitors to Michael McFaul included: Yevgeniya Chirikova (member of Strategy-31 and Khimki forest activist leader), Boris Nemtsov (leader of the People’s Freedom Party), Lev Ponomarev (human rights activist of the Moscow Helsinki Group), Sergey Mitrokhin (leader of Yabloko party), Oksana Dmitriyeva (deputy head of A Just Russia), Lilia Shibanova (head of the GOLOS Association elections monitor group).[10] Two weeks later, journalist Olga Romanova who managed the financial spending of the December protests, also visited the American Embassy. She said that they discussed Russian protests and the United States Presidential election campaign with McFaul.[12]
Vineyard Moderator - K.K. on March 01, 2015 · at 3:29 pm EST/EDT
Related partial translation from Fort Russ (I think she has the year wrong)
http://fortruss.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/boris-nemtsov-getting-instructions-at.html
The Khazar Hunter on March 01, 2015 · at 7:20 pm EST/EDT
Indeed. The last part of this article said it clear. Russian Intelligence got to take a look at Venezuela’s SEBIN. That’s their Security Intelligence Service. Back in 2014 during Leopoldo Lopéz arrest, they uncovered a plot to assassinate Lopéz by the same opposition under orders by their Zionists bosses. It would be executed at the very moment of his detention. Of course to create the chaos. With this information the events were set to avoid it taking place. Diosdado Cabello with full assistance of the FANB were there to arrest him without any problems. Of course Zionist media was there present to later on TV, put the lies and manipulations. A standard of these Ashkenazim impostors sick behavior since their psychotic beginnings in 448 CE. From there on it has become worse.
bertol on March 01, 2015 · at 8:45 pm EST/EDT
Digita il testo o l’indirizzo di un sito web oppure traduci un documento.
TRENDS FALSE FLAG
The latest false flag seem to have reached a higher degree of processing: hitting opponents of their enemies.
The judge investigating the Argentine Nisman Kirchner,
drafting anti-Islamic Charlie Hebdo,
protesters Karkhov,
and now the Russian Nemtsov are the most recent examples.
E ‘in a sense, the development of a practice already tested in the Baltic countries (the shots of snipers against demonstrators anti-Russian), with stops in Venezuela and in many other states, and ends in Kiew with sniping against protesters -russi Maidan.
This strategy is parallel to that of the classic false flag against civilian targets, which has its own long history passing by the massacres in Italy of the ’70s, the technically unsurpassed until September 11 killing of’ Malaysian plane in the skies of the Donbass. Ask “who benefits” is still the best antidote, with a clear conscience anyway as the US strategy is more and more complex and elaborate. And even desperate.
In the coming months the US will need to conclude the co-optation of Europe to its hegemonic projects, consolidate the Western Front anti-NATO Russia (and China) and to sign the TTIP; the last hesitations of Germany and France (Minsk2) require new provocations in European territory. We are careful …
TENDENZE FALSE FLAG
Le ultime false flag sembrano aver raggiunto un maggior grado di elaborazione: colpire gli oppositori dei propri nemici.
Il giudice argentino Nisman che indagava sulla Kirchner,
la redazione anti-islamica di Charlie Hebdo,
i manifestanti di Karkhov,
ed ora il russo Nemtsov sono i più recenti esempi.
E’ in un certo senso lo sviluppo di una pratica già sperimentata nei paesi baltici (gli spari dei cecchini contro i manifestanti anti-russi), con tappe in Venezuela ed in numerosi altri Stati, per concludersi a Kiew con il cecchinaggio contro i manifestanti anti-russi di Maidan.
Questa strategia è parallela a quella classica di false flag contro obiettivi civili, che ha la sua lunga storia passante dalle stragi in Italia degli anni ’70, alla tecnicamente insuperabile 11 settembre fino all’abbattimento dell’ aereo malese nei cieli del Donbass. Chiedersi “a chi giova” rimane ancora il miglior antidoto, con la coscienza comunque di come la strategia USA sia sempre più complessa ed elaborata. Ed anche disperata.
Nei prossimi mesi gli USA avranno bisogno di concludere la cooptazione dell’Europa ai propri progetti egemonici, consolidare il fronte occidentale Nato anti-Russia (e Cina) e far firmare il TTIP; le ultime esitazioni di Germania e Francia (Minsk2) richiedono nuove provocazioni in territorio europeo. Stiamo attenti …
Lost in the Empire on March 02, 2015 · at 7:29 am EST/EDT
The whole affair looks like the modern issue of Gladio, which apparently never died, but was used for new roles. Right-wing secret armies, many of them ex-Nazis in every country. I used to think this was all science fiction but have since found out that so many events now have rather nefarious clues that the MSM media do not care to breach. The Empire wants a war or Putin out. He is considered too dangerous to survive. They will keep on until their defeat, which,I pray, will happen soon.
Death hoax in russia!
Why does the dead body of fitness enthusiast boris nemtsov have a pot belly?
Where are the bullet holes? where is the blood?
http://www.tomatobubble.com/id789.html
Vineyard Moderator - H.S. on March 02, 2015 · at 1:15 pm EST/EDT
Hi– thesaker blog policy is ‘no caps’. He considers it ‘shouting’. I have lowercased your comment and approved it.
“Ukrainian model Anna Duritskaja, 23, had a 4-year romance with slain Russian opposition leader Boris Nemstov and was with him when he was assasinated. According to heraccount, she was waiting for Mr. Nemstov since 10 pm at Bosco-cafe of the GUM shoping mall at the Red Square right across the Kremlin. The couple had dinner at around 11pm Moscow time and then left the malland went for a walk toward Vasilievsky embankment right by the Kremlin walls. Their intended destination was the posh building half a mile away from the Kremlin where the murdered politician had an apartment.” Source:
http://observer.com/2015/03/ukrainian-girlfriend-of-slain-russian-key-to-the-case/
http://uatoday.tv/news/ukrainian-model-missing-after-witnessing-murder-of-russian-opposition-politician-boris-nemtsov-412531.html
William Dunkirk on March 03, 2015 · at 4:23 pm EST/EDT
For all that a man has been murdered. Let’s not get too politically jaded here. What the Russians should do is conduct a thorough, professional, transparent investigation and catch who actually did it.
Anyways, if we’re going to be Machiavellian about it, then the prerogative for the sovereign is to say and think, “You (outsiders) don’t kill my people. I kill my people.” (The idea being similar to the prerogative to discipline one’s own and be disciplined or corrected only by those who have a natural and logical interest in your actual well being.) To that extent, granting FTSOA this is just a false flag, then still as you noted it constitutes a failure for Russian security services.
Stockel on March 14, 2015 · at 7:54 pm EST/EDT
I found this post on 18 spot in google search results, you should decrease your bounce rate. You will see results in no time, i know what can help you, just search in google for: Dasusuri’s Bounce Plugin
wtbaker on March 17, 2015 · at 4:45 pm EST/EDT
Given the overall strategic crisis centered on the collapse of the Trans Atlantic system represented by the bankrupt City of London/Wall Street financiers, Nemstovs murder smells of Victoria ” Cookie Monster” Nuland.
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Putin’s stunning revelations about new Russian weapons systems
If you have no read it yet, please check out Putin’s full address to the Federal Assembly. What stunned me, and many other, are the new weapon systems Putin has announced.
First, he confirmed that the Sarmat ICBM would replace the old but already formiable SS-18 “Satan”. Then he turned to new weapon systems:
A nuclear powered cruise missile with basically unlimited range
A nuclear powered unmanned submersible with intercontinental range, very high speed, silent propulsion and capable of moving a great depths
A Mach 10 hypersonic missile with a 2’000 kilometer range (named: Kinzhal)
A new strategic missile capable of Mach 20 velocities (named: Avangard)
All of these systems can be armed with conventional or nuclear warheads. Just think of the implications! Not only does that mean that the entire ABM effort of the USA is now void and useless, but also that from now US aircraft carrier battle groups can only be used against small, defenseless, nations !
Right now I simply don’t have the time to write a full analysis of the stunning, truly tectonic, implications of this announcement, so I will turn to my naval warfare expert friend Andrei Martyanov and repost his initial reaction to just one of these systems:
It Is Official And It Is Over.
While the whole Western media are shaking (incompetence will do this to one) in their boots from Vladimir Putin’s address, where he demonstrated, among many things, new RS-28 Sarmat ballistic missile, behind that revolutionary weapon system, one was almost completely ignored by media. Again, “education” based on catch phrases (such a “nuclear weapon) will do this to one. By far most shocking (albeit inevitable) revelation was deployment of a new hyper-sonic missile Kinzhal (Dagger) to regular service with front line Air Force units in Southern Military District. Mig-31 carries this weapon, I am positive any SU-35 or SU-30SM or SU-34 will be able to do it too. Here is a video and CGI simulation.
The missile is… well, for the lack of better word, is stunning–it is M=10+ highly maneuverable missile with the range of 2000 kilometers. The naval warfare as we know it is over. Without any overly-dramatic emphasis–we are officially in new era. No, I repeat, NO, modern or perspective air-defense system deployed today by any NATO fleet can intercept even a single missile with such characteristics. The salvo of 5-6 of such missiles is a guaranteed destruction of any Carrier Battle Group.
The mode of use of such weapon, especially since we know now that it is deployed (for now) in Southern Military District is very simple–the most likely missile drop spot by MiG-31s will be international waters of the Black Sea, thus closing off whole Eastern Mediterranean to any surface ship or group of ships. It also creates a massive no-go zone in the Pacific, where MiG-31s from Yelizovo will be able to patrol vast distances over the ocean. It is, though, remarkable that the current platform for Kinzhal is MiG-31–arguably the best interceptor in the history. Obviously, MiG-31’s ability to reach very high supersonic speeds (in excess of M=3) is a key factor in the launch. But no matter what are the procedures for the launch of this terrifying weapon, the conclusions are simple:
1. It moves aircraft carriers into the niche of pure power projection against weak and defenseless adversaries;
2. It makes classic CBGs as main strike force against peer completely obsolete and useless, it also makes any surface combat ship defenseless regardless its air-defense capabilities.
3. Sea Control and Sea Denial change their nature and merge. Those who have such weapon, or weapons, simply own vast spaces of the sea limited by the ranges of Kinzhal and its carriers.
I don’t want to sound dramatic and I knew that there were and are always surprises in Soviet/Russian weapons but today’s revelations from the highest podium in Russia about Kinzhal were shocking. The balance of power just shifted dramatically, with it the naval warfare as we knew it is no more. It is OVER!
I can only add that I fully concur with him. It is indeed set, match and game over for the Empire: there is no more military option against Russia.
PS: here are a few videos illustrating these systems:
T1 on March 01, 2018 · at 5:01 pm EST/EDT
Just wondering: has the Skunk Works or others developed anything of import lately?
Kinda hope not. Perhaps the latest trillion + plus has been squandered to no end.
Sure they have – the F-35. And it’s important because it may be the black swan event which demonstrates that the MIC vultures may have finally picked the US taxpayer carcass clean.
B.F. on March 01, 2018 · at 6:05 pm EST/EDT
With the F-35 the Military Industrial Complex and their bank accounts come first while the US military comes second. Did you really think anybody from the Military Industrial Complex intended flying that thing ?
Jon Rudd on March 02, 2018 · at 8:26 am EST/EDT
And how many Congressional districts contain subcontractors involved in the F-35 program?
How about 400.
We’re talking serious pork here.
B.F. on March 02, 2018 · at 9:09 am EST/EDT
Jon Rudd
Yes, “serious pork here”. And ofcourse they all want a piece of the pie. This explains the cost of the plane.
chimmy on March 02, 2018 · at 6:30 pm EST/EDT
Just an Idea. America currently has the advantage/disadvantage of having the world’s reserve currency — this alone is a lot to think about — I wish I had more than vague inchoate intuitions. We also know that the Pentagon has a so called “black budget, ” that some 21 trillion dollars are “missing.” https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-pentagon-black-budget-21-trillion-dollars-gone-missing/5623553 (Is this more an “economic” than a military fact– one may ask?)
The F-35 debacle needs to be seen in this context. Fighter planes fit the public image of what the military is all about. Congress gets involved, legislators salivate over bringing contracts to their districts. Of course there will be inefficiencies, and never mind that maybe fighters aren’t even necessary militarily speaking. What is important here is the drama, the mysterion, that birds of prey are being produced.
On the other hand– the left one– there are technologies that fit the future of war: https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-ultimate-weapon-of-mass-destruction-owning-the-weather-for-military-use-2/5306386
Mulga Mumblebrain on March 01, 2018 · at 7:16 pm EST/EDT
I believe they have perfected a high-tech, Artificial Intelligence, toilet seat, warmed, too, for maximum comfort, and a steal (literally) at five million a pop.
Rob from Canada on March 01, 2018 · at 11:09 pm EST/EDT
It has 5 sides and it’s called the Pentagon, and there’s a huge need for them in Washingdung.
Podravec on March 01, 2018 · at 11:42 pm EST/EDT
Fiwe milliom a poop???? Expensive poop, no wonder they are 20 trillions in debt!
Macon Richardson on March 02, 2018 · at 4:04 pm EST/EDT
The trillion + has not been squandered. It has been used to line the pockets of oligarchs.
Frank A Valente on March 02, 2018 · at 7:08 pm EST/EDT
Probably Shelden Addleson
LeDahu on March 03, 2018 · at 6:47 am EST/EDT
maybe you’ll find your answer here:
http://valdaiclub.com/multimedia/infographics/hypersonic-weapons-alter-the-global-strategic-balance/
a few examples of US weapons are included.
Far Away Observer on March 04, 2018 · at 3:19 pm EST/EDT
United States’ biggest baddest weapon is pedophile Hollywood. The semper fags and the rest of the don’t-ask-don’t-tellers are weak, cowardly punks whom I’ve personally have put in place more than once ( without revealing the gory details… and the punks were yonger, healthier than my body with it’s multiple injuries up and down) on the streets of America. They will kill for money in a heartbeat ( the weaker the victims the better) , but dieing ….forget it..American cops and soldiers are some of the most cowardy low-lifes ever
Flopot on March 01, 2018 · at 5:05 pm EST/EDT
Veritas on March 01, 2018 · at 5:08 pm EST/EDT
I watched this live this morning – there was also a new laser weapon too – which was classified. The range and scope of weapons was mind blowing.
I felt that VVP and Russia have finally got the West’s attention – sit round a table and stop your games or attack us (or our allies) and we will respond with our full nuclear capabilities. Enough is enough. Listen to us now. Restore parity in the world.
I wasn’t surprised they were developing the weapons – slow to saddle – quick to ride……
Anonius on March 02, 2018 · at 9:11 am EST/EDT
Didn’t he say? No matter the size of your nuclear weapon, if you choose to use one. We will destroy you.
RCD on March 02, 2018 · at 6:27 pm EST/EDT
I wonder how’s Trump’s pathological need to one up everyone he deals with is going to deal with this one?
How is that blowhard going to deal with reality that his arsenal and weapons are no longer “Number 1, the Best of the Best of the very Best Best!”.
Anonius, if the quote you stated is true: “No matter the size of your nuclear weapon, if you choose to use one. We will destroy you.” Then Mr. Trump is going to be besides himself with frustration that he can’t boast with the usual bombast of how big and powerful the “new” US arsenal is going to be.
jimofolym on March 02, 2018 · at 6:57 pm EST/EDT
Why can’t we be friends? instead of pushing our ‘buttons’?
Janina on March 02, 2018 · at 8:20 pm EST/EDT
Unfortunately USA never wants to be friends.. look at world history… How many Countries has USA invaded/meddled with/destroyed. compared to every other country???
I comes down to a mental condition called American Exceptionalism which demands the rest of the world kiss arse…. and when they dont they end up like Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Korea, Vietname, Ukraine..
So if you want to be friends with USA you have to bend over and kiss arse….
Are you prepared to do that?
Janina, the USA doesn’t do ‘friends’. They like stooges, lickspittles and grovelers, which is why Austfailure is so popular in Thanatopolis DC. But ‘friends’? It is to laugh-they are screwing us with the rest over tariffs on steel, despite a ‘Free Trade Agreement’ that opened our economy up to ‘Exceptional’ looting, but kept much of theirs still closed. The trade and current account deficits with the USA grew much larger, but our ruling elites were simply grateful for the chance to kiss the Imperial backside. The ethos of the USA is summed up in the old expression, ‘If you need a friend on Wall Street-buy yourself a dog’.
Greed and hegemony!
They will increase the military budget BUT all the money in the world will not guarantee military victory…Sun Tzu
Frank, with luck the USA will bankrupt itself trying to maintain its God-ordained ‘Full Spectrum Dominance’ over the world, as the Soviet Union was bankrupted by trying to keep up with aggressive US military expenditure, always seeking that ‘Dominance’ that their Exceptional psychopathy demands.
ChaosNavigator on March 01, 2018 · at 5:11 pm EST/EDT
I wonder whether the underwater drone could include the Cobalt warhead torpedo that got ‘leaked’ in 2015?
I had been wondering whether there was a basis of the recent russophobic concerns “Putin is about to attack our undersea cables”….lots of submarine activity….maybe thete had been some “tests” to give a hint that cur those cables and uou are powrless…economy crashes totally …when Putin said yesterday ” we have everything we need”……makes you think.
pdb on March 01, 2018 · at 5:19 pm EST/EDT
It makes my day when I read how nations of the world are standing up to the most evil nation on earth – the US – with weapons and military. It also makes my day when I hear of economic developments between nations that exclude the US. The US must come to an end of its power and its ability to murder civilians, destroy nations, and steal resources, money, and gold.
Let’s say that americans are not the evil nation, but also the prissoners of the Globalists.
vera on March 01, 2018 · at 6:44 pm EST/EDT
Thank you. Exactly.
What I wondered about, reading the article… is it really true? Or is it clever propaganda? I have no expertise in the area. If the Saker would weigh in on that one, I would appreciate it. I mean, simulations are simulations.
jon on March 01, 2018 · at 9:25 pm EST/EDT
vera:
I agree. Saker’s remarks were understandably brief and it seems he believes the technology is proven but a video is, as you say, a video. Which of these systems is actually operational?
The analysis says that the Dagger is in front line units. But are the rest of these announcements projects that are down the road from fruition? I don’t know.
Melotte 22 on March 01, 2018 · at 11:22 pm EST/EDT
I doubt Putin would talk about something that is down the track. I believe most of this weapon is either in mass production stage or just about it. I think he said the laser weapon is already deployed?
Isabella on March 02, 2018 · at 12:33 am EST/EDT
Putin is a man who says what he means – and means what he says. Playing dumb games where you will one day be caught out he would never do. Moreover, he always tells the truth – or doesn’t say anything. Remember also – he promised this in Munich 2007. I’ve always believed that he has been buying time, holding the warmongers at bay, until he knew he had such weapons. Then, I suspected, he would let fly. And that’s what he has done. Personally have no doubts they are for real.
Isa,
You parroting my TV, Good try bud, even if Russia does not have millions of those weapons, it’s enough to put fear in the deep state, hence the usual belittle’ing in your favored MSM.
lsammart on March 02, 2018 · at 4:51 pm EST/EDT
…and I do not doubt he will use them, if necessary, against anyone!
Putin actually said we have these things and they work…..to my mind that means operational.
Serg on March 02, 2018 · at 8:27 am EST/EDT
a) Putin usually doesn’t bluff. When he says something, you can assume it is so, his track record speaks for itself on this. To my knowledge there is one instance where he did bluff, back in 2014 when he warned the Nazis in Kiev not to attack the Donbas. They did and he did nothing, other than that the man means what he says.
b) As for the implications and truly drastic shift these weapons systems mark, I fully agree with both authors. The best anti-missile system NATO can muster is capable of MACH-5. Meaning their crap can’t catch one of the “Daggers” (Kinzhal in Russian means dagger), which is capable of MACH-10 speeds. Let alone the most terrifying weapon ever known, the SARMAT, one of which is capable of turning an area as huge as France into an uninhabitable wasteland… and that’s the “outdated” model. The new one flies at insane MACH-20 speeds and 30 minutes after a handful of them launch, the US would be no more.
The dimwitted buffoons and mongrels in Washington and Brussels should really re-evaluate their “plans” and just give up. I recently heard some guy call Russia a paper tiger because they spend only about ~$65 billion on defence… that is one scary paper tiger.
vera on March 02, 2018 · at 11:02 am EST/EDT
Thanks for the answers. Thinking about it some more, I am siding with those who say it’s not a bluff. Putin has too much to lose by a bluff. He’d be the laughingstock of his allies and everyone else. I am assuming it’s real, though how close to being operational is for others close to sources to say.
Anonymous 2 on March 02, 2018 · at 4:06 pm EST/EDT
The Ukrainian regime ignored Putin’s cautionary advice in 2014. It attacked the Donbass, and paid a very heavy price for that folly in the cauldrons of Ilovaisk and Debaltsevo. So, tell me again. How exactly was Putin bluffing?
Every dollar Putin spends does the work of 10 compared to America’s wasteful corrupt military, 700 USELESS bases gobble up money like there’s no tomorrow and are just sitting ducks waiting to be annihilated.
Caleb Abell on March 05, 2018 · at 1:24 pm EST/EDT
America’s defense department is not wasteful. The F-22 might not be able to fly if it rains, but the defense contractors run the military have the largest and most expensive yachts and mansions that anyone in the rest of the planet could only dream of.
eagle eye on March 03, 2018 · at 3:33 am EST/EDT
Only a complete clown would confuse a US $ with an effective military deliverable of about 10% with the equivalent Russian spend with an effective military deliverable of 100%. It is not the absolute quantum spent that matters, it is how much of it is wasted before the troops get the weapons.
For the slow witted fans of the globalist ass clowns, that means that the Russians can match the US while only spending a fraction as much money. And they clearly have.
When you factor in the woeful state of the US education system over the past 3 decades, the increasingly parlous state of the US internal cohesiveness, and the fact that its media propaganda arm is at war with its head of state, that equation opens out considerably, to the point that I suspect it would not matter how much the US spent, it’s intellectual deficit is simply too great for it to recognise that it has been outsmarted, outplayed, outgunned and ass whipped by the Russians, who are working in concert with the Chinese and others.
Expect this to end badly, those looking for a fight are too stupid to realize they are not up to the task. Seen it in bars too often. Unfortunately there will be lots of collateral damage.
Richard Olsen on March 03, 2018 · at 10:18 am EST/EDT
All one need do to realize that what you have posted is correct is have at least a basic knowledge of recorded history. In the end, things have never ended well for those whose leaders set out to rule the world. The same is true for peoples who either became indifferent to, or elected to participate in, corruption as a way of life. All real religions have a foundation of basic moral principles that are universal, regardless of the name given them. When the great majority of the people, whether they be a nation or a civilization, live by those principles and tolerate only leaders that do the same, a prosperous and generally happy situation prevails. The people, as well as their leaders, are basically unselfish. By that I mean willing to sacrifice to a great extent their desires for immediate gratification in order to provide conditions under which their descendants will be able to do the same. What we are now seeing in most of Western Civilization is open and obvious corruption, greed, perversion being celebrated, with even the temples of religion corrupted and morality discarded. The civilization is in a state of irreversible decline. Unselfish people no longer exist in sufficient numbers to bring about a reversal of the decay and ultimate onset of a new Dark Ages. Philip Atkinson wrote a book about the decline that we appear to be in the late stages of today.
tomo on March 03, 2018 · at 1:38 pm EST/EDT
“All real religions have a foundation of basic moral principles that are universal, regardless of the name given them..”
probably at the initial stage. They change as its leaders , priests etc become more and more corrupted:
‘By the 4th century, Christian writers like Bishop Ambrose of Milan or Bishop Augustine of Hippo were providing even more robust defenses of the idea of slavery than non-Christian philosophers had done before them – ‘the lower the station in life, the more exalted the virtue’, was Ambrose’s rather unctuous opinion. ‘
(from:Christianity, the first 3 thousand years by D Mc Culloch)
Podravec on March 04, 2018 · at 12:17 am EST/EDT
Serg, that is one WERY scary paper tiger!
Chad on March 04, 2018 · at 12:35 am EST/EDT
I suspect that the Russians get more bang for the ruble when it comes to their weapons systems — here in the States, the name of the game is let’s make our weapons as stupidly expensive and complex as possible. I remember last year when that “Zumwalt” class “stealth” destroyer (yes, a four Billion dollar destroyer) broke down in Panama and they had to tow it up to San Diego! Maybe we need a little more low tech instead of “high” tech…….
Jean-David on March 05, 2018 · at 11:42 am EST/EDT
More Rumble for the Ruble.
Kyo on March 04, 2018 · at 8:36 pm EST/EDT
“SARMAT” needs to turn not France but england into ashes becasue england is real plotter of wars against russia and germany
John Doran on March 06, 2018 · at 5:01 am EST/EDT
Yep: Rothschild/Brit Empire.
Book: Pawns in the Game, William Guy Carr.
Mike on March 08, 2018 · at 1:13 pm EST/EDT
People definitely shouldn’t ignore your point. How can the war machine continue to justify endless funding? Especially after 16 years of war against a response tactic, and growing, albeit sluggish, awakening about US role in manufacturing enemies. Enemies without Air Force, Navy, etc. Mostly curved swords.
“The Russians have attacked our election!!!”
“The Russians have rendered US military void and useless!!!!.” Russian murders using nerve agents.
Peace Activists and comedians are demanding increasingly muscular responses to trivial unproven innuendo.
Additionally, I am an American, and 100% against our foreign policy and the “Military Industrial Complex.” But this article and comments are very hawkish. Even if everything in article is true, there is no need for champagne.
Lastly, Eisenhower’s Farewell Address specifically described “TWO” looming threats. The second threat failed to resonate at the time, but should be apparent by now. Readers should listen carefully to the full 16 minute speech, not just the “relevant” two minutes.
Stuxnet was only exposed because Israel is rabid. That was only the tip of STE. In modern nuclear warfare, the size, speed, manuverability, and range are less important than the ability to control remotely. Regardless, nuclear war is nothing to be so excited about.
Full Spectrum Domino on March 01, 2018 · at 9:14 pm EST/EDT
Exactly. America is a nation sublimated by an alien organism called Empire that roosts atop it. The military, even the currency, is in service to the organism. In many respects, America has the most unanswerable institutions on Earth.
It’s also more accurate to think of Empire not as a succession of discrete rises-and-falls, but rather as a vulture that descends and alights on one people after another. Thinks of Daniel’s statue, a constituent construction that is identifiable as a recognizable human form nonetheless.
The vulture grows on the power of usury. That’s why we call it International Capital, a transnational agglomeration of ever-increasing wealth and power. The underlying nation (which is allowed to enjoy the status and cache of being the Empire-of-the-moment) is never enriched by the vulture’s stay, but rather is picked unto fiscal collapse. I believe Katherine Austin Fitts uses a tapeworm analogy. That works.
The American people are victims, hardly beneficiaries, of Pax Americana. As recompense they are allowed to glory in the prowess of ‘their nation’. They are hopelessly nourished on Clint Eastwood military industrial false-consciousness-producing movies (our era’s Leni Riefenstahl.)
Poor bastards, all in all.
tomo on March 02, 2018 · at 11:02 am EST/EDT
in my experience they are more sellouts (and quite cheap and easy to bribe) than victims. Their prison is self-erected.
After more than a decade spent there I don’t think I have met any American who actually cares about the dead civilians and kids the US of AIPAC kills around the world for no reason. Instead they expect some kind of profit from that (if only they are slavish and obedient to their masters enough).
I’ve heard very established (and famous) people say : why don’t we just nuke Iran? (after listening to NPR radio show – they got scared – Americans are very easy to scare)
I wish I was wrong, but that has been my experience and I know a lot of people there and have lived all around the country.
they simply don’t give a shit about their neighbors or cousins, let alone people far away.
In a historical context, remember the country has been founded on genocide and slavery (and we have both of these still – there are more black people in American jails now than ever there were slaves there at the height of slavery, as for genocide – just look how they treat Native Americans protesting Keystone.
A good metaphor for the US of AIPAC is MORDOR with NSA as it’s eye.
what makes it much worse is the brainwashing they get early to always wait for their imaginary masters to fix their problems – they are taught that they can never be good enough (compared to saints or celebrities) – so don’t even try. Also they have been child-abused into thinking that slavishly praying is far superior to ding good deeds (I heard this for the first time on the radio recently – on a religious talk show). I always used to wonder why instead of praying they don’t actually do something about murdering school children.
The worst of all they have been brainwashed to forever compete against everyone meaninglessly even if it hurts them. So they can never meaningfully aggregate. In other word- they are perfectly dumb, passive (yet violent) and fearful slaves.
So they are victims in a sense. In a same way the guy who cuts off his child’s nose and/or his own leg is.
Robin on March 02, 2018 · at 3:49 pm EST/EDT
So ,why that great American nation let the Globalists to make them prisoners ,while small and humble Syrian/ Palestinian nations fight them ? I think ,that great American nation loves too much $$$ , the globalists throw into their laps.
it’s even worse than that – Americans are on average quite poor – before the NATO invasion an Average Syrian probably had more than an average American (plus Americans are enslaved by student loan, mortgage, car loan etc while spending everything and borrowing more to buy Monsanto GMO food which makes them diabetic and increases their already the biggest in the world healthcare expenditure. In Syria people probably used to inherit houses and had no mortgage.
catalpa on March 02, 2018 · at 4:17 pm EST/EDT
Anonymous is correct. The Judas Goats, Fifth Column Khazarian scum that have taken over America and are destroying it from within are the evil ones. These Satanic Bankers own all the western world and control NATO (North Atlantic Terrorist Organisation) and US Military. Time has come to wipe them out. Go Vladi, go, pull the trigger…….
Don’t let us Americans off the hook by calling us victims. Every American has a duty to intelligently inform him(her)self of the truth of the truth, not wallow in hedonism or self-pity or psychopathology. Every American has a duty to sort truth from lies.
Ignoring those duties has created the aggressive police state in America. The globalists merely took advantage of an opportunity: when the masses cried for bread and circuses, they got bread and circuses. . .for the price of their souls. . .and now their bodies.
“So I awoke, and found it was a dream.” John Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress
Anon2 on March 03, 2018 · at 5:52 pm EST/EDT
absolutely, that’s what I’m always saying, people can’t hide behind their gov doing things in their name, profiting in their name. I often draw a parallel with WW2 Germany.
The USA IS the most Evil state in history, but that is NOT the fault of the citizenry. As the Gilens and Page study showed, and commonsense observation tells us, the US public has virtually no influence on the political elites between elections. The politicians listen to the rich ‘donors’, only. They, the economic elites, are the architects of a world dying from ecological collapse, being crushed by inequality and debt and on the brink of thermo-nuclear obliteration. The publics in the states wholly responsible, those of the West, are simply brainwashed dupes, happily, until recently, going along to get along.
дулебг on March 01, 2018 · at 5:38 pm EST/EDT
Also Russians can be so generous to send rockets filled only with the depleted uranium, as a kind of warning to the enemy?
Partybreaker on March 01, 2018 · at 5:43 pm EST/EDT
And now for real: as far as I can remember this is the first time the official Moscow has declared that any nuclear attack against any Russia’s ally (who are Russia’s allies nobody knows for sure) will be treated as attack against Russia and will be responded accordingly. Greetings to Israel.
Khan on March 01, 2018 · at 6:02 pm EST/EDT
Or, an invitation to all nations around the world:
Be our allies and we will protect you!
And this call has been answered already :
Iran dumping dollar – today.
Iraq roadmap for foreign troops to get the f.o.
More will follow.
There is a new sheriff in the town.
gjack on March 01, 2018 · at 9:26 pm EST/EDT
That’s what really got my attention. Looks like Israel can just bring their nukes in the Indian Ocean home. There won’t be any attacks against Iran or Syria, regardless of what Uncle Bully decides to do.
Alexis TK27 on March 02, 2018 · at 3:18 am EST/EDT
Remarkable indeed.
However it’s just not credible. Russia is just as vulnerable to nuclear attack as ever. And you don’t use nuclear weapons which may well result in your destruction for anything less than truly vital reasons.
It could be argued that such nations as Belarus and Kazakhtan are vital to Russia, therefore their protection by Russia has some credibility. Further than that, no.
padre on March 02, 2018 · at 8:28 am EST/EDT
In other words, they should better lay down, close their eyes and wait, what USA wil do to them?
pdb on March 02, 2018 · at 11:15 am EST/EDT
Alexis, it could be that Russia has decided the US needs to be stopped and is giving the empire a chance to stop itself, or perhaps act like that deranged killer in Dirty Harry, after Harry asked him if he felt lucky. The killer gave a deranged laugh and went for his gun. Putin might be hoping the Empire’s deranged killers will do the same, giving Russia the excuse to nuke Washington’s Pentagon and White House. Everybody in the world knows those two places need to be vaporized, because killers need to be killed. They do have Russia surrounded with nuclear-capable missile bases. It may be time to take out the US leadership, but the gentleman Putin is giving the killer his final ultimatum: “Do you feel lucky? Punk!?”
Personally, whatever the punk decides is okay with me. Stop on his own, or go for his gun. Either choice is fine, but not continue to murder and steal. That has got to stop, and right now.
Alexis TK27 on March 02, 2018 · at 12:37 pm EST/EDT
pdb,
If you wish Washington and New York to be nuked by Russia, then I assume you know that Moscow and St Petersburg would also be nuked by the United States.
I understand you are neither American nor Russian.
I’m also neither American nor Russian. However I don’t hate any of them, therefore I can’t share these murderous dreams of yours.
Partybreaker, the Russians should sign Friendship Treaties with all countries threatened by the USA eg Venezuela, Syria, Iran, China, DPRK etc, so that any US attack will be met with an appropriate response. It’ll save millions of lives, because the US only attacks the weak, and relishes killing their people and destroying their countries.
This is certainly a tribute to the Russian education system. On the other hand, the US student debt now stands at 1.5 trillion dollars (latest figure). Sad, bearing in mind the US has spent 6 trillion dollars on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet does not have the money to educate its college students, who either have to pay out of their own pockets, or else borrow the money.
It’s worse than that, BF. Many of those students received degrees in “soft” subjects like art, media, human relations, minority studies, etc, etc. Their degrees aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.
ratherthan on March 01, 2018 · at 10:31 pm EST/EDT
I wouldn’t want all students getting science/tech degrees. There are plenty of problems that can’t be solved by technology- social, economic, etc. And we need some people who can integrate the disciplines into an accurate world view. And all majors require a core, not rigorous necessarily but much better than nothing. China is going to have maybe 4-5 times as many scientists. US needs to sincerely (for once) think about arms control and cooperative projects. China builds infrastructure in other nations, the US only destroys.
You are right. Some years ago, a survey was done in the US on ambitions of future college students. For every potential student who wanted to become an engineer, sixty six students wanted to become lawyers. Not an optimistic outlook for America. With all dues respect to lawyers, but what is America going to do with an army of lawyers ?
jon on March 02, 2018 · at 11:04 am EST/EDT
Well, enact more laws, of course! The fact is that the “justice system” works not for justice but to enrich the lawyer class and to provide fat pensions and salaries for the administrators and enforcers.
Yes. However, what is the US going to do when it finds itself short of engineers ? In Russia, for example, becoming an engineer is a very popular ambition.
fred on March 02, 2018 · at 1:52 pm EST/EDT
last year Max Keiser sayd 25000 surplus lawyers graduated surplus as in not needed a big chunk of those probably end up working at walmart ar McDonalds
Many of them became lawyers, no doubt inspired by Hollywood movies, where lawyers made big bucks. Also, to become a lawyer, you don’t have to be good at mathematics, while in engineering you do have to be good. I too am wondering what those unemployed lawyers are going to do.
Tim on March 02, 2018 · at 3:41 pm EST/EDT
Lawyers are finding much-needed employment in laboratories, as scientists are finding out that there are some things which even rats won’t do.
Tim I believe the full joke goes, ‘Scientists are using lawyers instead of lab rats, because there are more lawyers, you get emotionally attached to rats, and there are some things that rats just refuse to do’.
I read this in an inflight magazine a few years ago:
there is only 4 nations ranked below the US in 8th grade Math scores. the US is also ranked 27th among developed nations in proportion of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Bachelor’s (STEM) degrees. Annual federal investment in STEM education programs is $3bn (much less than $96 bn Americans spent on beer in 2011)
Rob from Canada on March 01, 2018 · at 6:01 pm EST/EDT
Good riddance to the NWO and their plutocracy of incompetent dumbbells destined to rule the world. ROTFLMAO!
Ralph on March 01, 2018 · at 6:15 pm EST/EDT
PNAC: RIH (Rest In Hell)?
If any Western leader had said what Putin claims, I would have called him the usual BSer. But since it comes from Putin, 2 things: you have to seriously sit up and take notice (without falling off your chair); he’s putting his reputation on the line, and I certainly would not bet against him.
I hope the satanic morons in the USG/MIC etc at least understand that they cannot use Europe as their proxy target for Russia, and putting american tactical nukes in Eastern Europe has just been vastly trumped (no pun intended). Putin most like would reserve the great majority of his nuclear weapons for the USA: there won’t be a swamp (actually satanic pit) in D.C., it will be a MEGA hole, from which they won’t be able to dig themselves out of.
P.S. Putin’s official twitter account, in English:
https://twitter.com/KremlinRussia_E
You hit the nail on the head. For the past couple of years i have been writing on the Internet that there is no mood in Europe for World War Three. I don’t think Washington has grasped this point, the attitude being since Europe fought two world wars, it might as well fight the third one. Europe does not want to.
Seb on March 02, 2018 · at 1:50 pm EST/EDT
I absolutely agree. Being from Western Europe, I believe that the ovewhelming majority of younger Europeans are now internationalists, especially the more educated ones. We might do Erasmus (international student exchange programme) in Spain, later get a well-paid job in Ireland in an international call center. Our partner might be from Poland, and our circle of friends includes people from Sweden, France, Germany, Turkey, Iran, Morocco, USA, and Argentina.
A senior member of my family (WW-II generation more or less) once told me that for people of his generation, this kind of lifestyle was totally unimaginable. You basically hardly ever got out of your village, and a trip to the next big city was the adventure of a lifetime. Joining the army was basically the only chance you ever had to see other countries (sad isn’t it? Maybe it’s still that way for some Americans today who don’t have enough money to travel? I’m no American, but I’ve heard this might be the case.)
You can’t just tell a young European like you could in 1939 or 1914 to go shooting at those guys over there because he’s from France, from Russia, Iran, or whatever.
That being said, propaganda in Western Europe is still very strong. But it appears mainly older people fall for it these days, the TV-generation as opposed to the Internet generation.
I spent a third of my life in the UK and I traveled around EU a lot – in my experience most people there even young (and even more so in the US) are still brainwashed to think Russians are bad people and Putin is a mafioso and they are about to invade Europe.
Even worse, even I believed that BS propaganda until recently. And I don’t any more thanks to reading this blog and a few others.
The propaganda is very deep and it’s everywhere in the UK at least (I left 10 years ago and have not been back since) . No wonder 1984 was written in the UK – I have always thought it’s quite a totalitarian place. And like Americans, they have learned Goebbels’ lesson to always blame their victims for their own criminality. As psychopaths worldwide always do.
Yes, the propaganda in Europe and the US is strong. Many fall for it. However, many do not. It’s impossible to calculate the percentages of these two groups. The Internet has been one of the chief sources in breaking up this propaganda. Even so, overall, I don’t see any mood for World War Three in Europe.
Alejo on March 02, 2018 · at 5:46 pm EST/EDT
My experience is that the more south you go in Europe the less brainwashed people is. My family in Italy knows very well that it was a criminal act to bomb Libya and many people want NATO out of Italy (you will see the proof next Sunday with the elections) Same in Spain, which is the more anti NATO country in Europe. I do not see the same north of the Alps. Like you, I used to believe the Western BS until 1999. That year, the destruction of Serbia opened my eyes. I heard from many people as well, that September 11 /01, with the “invisible” plane in the Pentagon and the demolished Towers helped them realized that the West is in the hands of a bunch of criminals.
Alejo,
it seems that the stronger and more meaningful the social and family bonds – the harder it is to brainwash the people.
I’ve always thought that’s why religions try to make you behave as priest is your father (instead of your real father) etc…many little tricks that together become a powerful tool of psychopathic isolation and predatory brainwashing
Christine G on March 04, 2018 · at 11:27 am EST/EDT
What do you mean ? Putin doesn’t do social media.
Billawees on March 01, 2018 · at 6:33 pm EST/EDT
One couldn’t help but notice A- the timing of the announcements; a mere 2 weeks before the Presidential vote, and what that actually implies(an indirect warning to anyone harbouring any thoughts of provocation around a busy time for the leadership and the state apparatus- the message is: “the response will be instant and in kind and an attack against an ally is an attack against Russia proper”{Putin’s words}( of course we are talking about Syria and Iran and even Lebanon). To say that such an announcement is stunning is a grave understatement of what’s happening. This is very much like the warning the Soviet Union dished to France,Britain and Israel in 1956. The Russian bear has jumped into the ring.
B- the real message is this: Russia is ready for an all out war no matter the level of escalation. This is shattering.
C- A stern warning to the hot heads anywhere in the world. Any reckless act will be responded to with crushing firepower. Some Eastern European states didn’t sleep last night.
Putin is not the bluffing type and he said this is not a bluff.
We’re having a Cuban missile crisis not across the ocean but from the podium. What is happening is really eye-popping. We need to pinch ourselves. Honestly it hasn’t sunk in yet.
Friend on March 01, 2018 · at 9:19 pm EST/EDT
Yeah, timing is everything and this is definitely preemptive warning to gay-zionist clique not to F— around Russia, Venezuela, Cuba, Siria, Serbia … i hope this list grows quickly till scumbags are on their backs.
Regardless of this powerful statement, I think they will continue with poking the bear using their army of darkness.
Show goes on…
jfb on March 01, 2018 · at 7:33 pm EST/EDT
They have already brought their “expert” from RAND corporation who dismissed this as baloney. I did check and he has a bach. of Arts from WV university and a PhD in economics. Who needs to complexify everything with maths & physics to assess the risks of Russian retaliations and their capacity to bypass the shield if God protects America?
Derrick Steed on March 02, 2018 · at 7:00 am EST/EDT
Yeah, like the UK government scientists that dismissed Frank Whittle and his turbojet.
jfb, you’ll still see or hear numerous ‘experts’ in the Western fakestream media propaganda sewer asserting that the Chinese are ‘not creative’. The self-delusion is truly comic.
teranam13 on March 01, 2018 · at 8:02 pm EST/EDT
And is the idea of large area tank battles ( re Kursk) also obsolete? US State Department ( neocon central) just gave millions of dollars worth of tanks to the Ukraine perhaps for use as target practice in defense of Donbass by the new Russian systems?
https://www.rt.com/usa/420232-us-state-dept-ukraine-javelin/
Looks as if Mr. Putin’s delay, delay since 2014 gave him those precious 3 1/2 years necessary.
vot tak on March 01, 2018 · at 9:48 pm EST/EDT
“US State Department ( neocon central) just gave millions of dollars worth of tanks to the Ukraine”
Not tanks, anti-tank missiles. A different animal. Still not good, though. One does not give weapons of any kind to nazi dupes of zionazis and expect it will lead to anything positive.
If one feels they really need to give the ukronazis weapons, this is the ideal weapon:
https://youtu.be/B3RBfzxkVzA
T1 on March 01, 2018 · at 10:44 pm EST/EDT
This may be payback (in part) for the sinking of the Kursk just after VVP came to power.
tc on March 01, 2018 · at 8:07 pm EST/EDT
The only logical answer to Putin’s announcements both in tech and policy is an urgent takeover by a sane segment of the US administration/mic of the crazies in power.
Short of that development, all bets are off, simply, because the crazies wield finance, information, are desperate, and they are not about to give up without taking the world for an other spin around mutually assured destruction, since they have worked so long and so tirelessly on their plan for realising their evil fantasies, whatever they may be…
Plus, if this thang starts unravelling, most of them and their families face dire consequences personally, and in the foreseeable future.
The States – as we presently know it – is finished. It is falling apart ideologically, ethnically, racially, culturally.
I believe, it is already in low level civil war.
I wish both The Presidents, the best of fortunes, all the skill, and godspeed in taking care of their respected crazies in their efforts of draining their respective swamps.
Oh yeah, and fire sheriff Israel, you know, the coward of Broward County… :-)
Hey Saker, since it’s your neck of the woods, any development on that toppic?
More sanctions, anyone?
BTW, the sheriff drives fancy car, if it’s his. No money for the people though.
tc on March 02, 2018 · at 12:32 pm EST/EDT
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Zj9Mso-dks
Q: how much does a lambo cost?
Sheriff: the blood of 17 kids and it’s yours…
Bad joke, that, Innow, but there is a nugget of truth to it…
tc, if you’re looking for a ‘sane section’ of the ruling elite in Thanatopia, I’m afraid you’ll be waiting a long,long, time.
tc on March 03, 2018 · at 3:21 am EST/EDT
If that is Your belief, than I suggest geting ready for the inevidable.
My view is, that the whole construct is teetering near collapse, paralized to act in a meaningful manner by it’s internal contradictions.
The States is incapable to engage in total war anymore and fighting any major power(s) would require just that.
One half of the demographic would drown the other half in a teaspoon of piss if it could and no 9-11/Pearl Harbour type false flag will change that fact.
They will turn on each other, if the dogs of war are set loose.
As I have stated earlyer, the States is in a low level, simmering civil war.
That is how I see it.
tc, I am prepared for the inevitable. To be honest, it was inevitable 10,000 years ago when, with settled civilization, animal husbandry, the assertion of patriarchal belief systems, and the creation of proto-class structures, we set out on the path to self-destruction. Since then we have massacred hundreds of millions of our fellows, devastated the bounteous planet, and were only waiting for the march of technology to produce the means for TOTAL destruction, which point we are now at. All attempts to create non-destructive religious or philosophical systems to avert this march to oblivion, and the resolution of the Fermi Paradox, failed. One need only dispassionately consider the rabble of vicious psychopaths who control the West’s politics, business and fakestream media, to see how dire is our predicament and how close our end.
peaceofmind on March 01, 2018 · at 8:09 pm EST/EDT
I read and I wonder how excited, agitated some people are about possibility of our own mutual destruction…
The possible war you are talking about, will be end of us all…
We should be very worried about our common future.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5077749/amp/Doomsday-warning-humanity-signed-15-000-scientists.html scientist..
…well apart from this….”someone” expert had calculated humanity would/could end anywhere between 300- 11000 years!(sorry cannot find link)……I am positive VVP is concerned enviromentally – spending time in nature not on a Trump golfcourse – he said to usa stop rocking the boat that is called planet earth….and said Russia has everything it needs…I am reading that to be meaningself sufficient if needs be….everything usa and others may not be…no wonder Russian territory is coveted….for its culture resources spirituality faith intelligence etc etc.
falcemartello on March 01, 2018 · at 8:16 pm EST/EDT
I can just see it now actually it is happening already
RUSSIAN AGGRESSION. All the anglo-zionist propagandist from our pressitute stenographers of the Washington Consensus are going to take Putins statement and rachet up the propagandistic rhetoric up to hyper bolic diatribe of incoherent dystopic lies .
Oh how Pax-American/anglo- zionist slow hegemonic demise is affecting their lack of grey matter. It must be the water they r drinking water or all that anglo-zionist hasbra.
Yeah, you and me both…
As soon as they shake their astonishment, Mr Putler will be on the coverpages, and you will not hear an other peep about murdered chillin or gun control…:-)
I guess My President decided, that it is time…so be it. I trust the man.
Exactly. I would expect the same. The Western MSM will give a selective, highly-spun “reading” of Putin’s speech and conclude it is “more Russian aggression”. The people who believe the NYT, WaPo, etc., will just nod their heads in agreement. Etc.
Matthew on March 01, 2018 · at 8:18 pm EST/EDT
I think this is a historical speech given by Putin. It has just changed the balance of power in that short thirty or so minutes. Is he bluffing? Why should he and furthermore he said he is not. Mentioning about the pilot Filippo was also a message (to Israel?). The fact that Russia will not wait and respond immediately to any type and size of nuclear attack towards Russia and it’s “Allies” is politically extremely important. Who are these allies? Syria is one of them for sure. It may also include Iran. In short, Russia is saying, if you want to put a fight I am ready to go up to the end, or come and negotiate with us for a new multi-polar world. As Deputy Prime Minister Rogozin once said. The only way to negotiate with US and Nato is to put your gun on the table, very much like poker game during the wild-wild west days. Finally Putin made his move. He just said “Go ahead, make my day!”. This is the language the yanks will surely notice.
Andrew on March 01, 2018 · at 8:37 pm EST/EDT
I’m guessing the mention of Major Fillipov was both an encouragement to his audience and a warning to the Ukrops. Go ahead and invade Novorossiya with a 5:1 manpower advantage and all the American weapons you can carry, but it won’t do you any good fighting against Russians. Just a thought.
Davi on March 02, 2018 · at 3:03 am EST/EDT
A kid word is well and good, but a kind word and a Smith & Wesson is better….VVP
Andrew S MacGregor on March 01, 2018 · at 8:31 pm EST/EDT
This confirms the belief I had that the Russian play with the USS Donald Cook was a secondary system.
So now, can the Americans rekindle the Donbass war at any time? No. How about North Korea? No.
Who was it that said, “speak softly but carry a big stick”? Well, it now appears that Russia has the biggest stick, and Putin has always spoken softly.
We also look at what Donald Trump said to the Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull in regard to Syria, that Assad will be staying.
So will Donald Trump make America great again by using force against the rest of the world? Oops! Not tonight Josephine, so how can Trump do so?
Well all Trump can do now is to turn inwards and start putting into America what has been drained out of it in the last fifty years, good manufacturing, food production and a far better way of peaceful coexistence within its own land. That should do it, and the American Constitution warned against sticking one’s nose into other countries business, and that has come to pass.
There you are Donald, Make America Great Again, but without war and the costs that go with it.
About this “secondary system” used against USS Donald Cook, you may find the following informative:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/07/world/europe/anatomy-of-fake-news-russian-propaganda.html
Auslander on March 02, 2018 · at 3:42 am EST/EDT
I might find ‘the following’ as bovine scatology.
carlos on March 02, 2018 · at 9:40 pm EST/EDT
The NY times? Really?
Thanks. It didn’t sound right at all.
Mark Hadath on March 01, 2018 · at 8:33 pm EST/EDT
I always felt that if Russia and China waited long enough they would win the balance of power in regards to high tech weaponry. Today the long game strategy has been vindicated.
Given the massive internet censorship occurring this past week I wonder if the AngloZio’s know the gig is up internationally and they will begin to eat their own now.
If your not an American, its a great day.
As for our American friends, I’ll pray for you.
I’m an American, and I think it’s a great day.
Bro 93 on March 02, 2018 · at 1:08 am EST/EDT
If you are a human being it’s a great day, regardless of your citizenship.
Whether some of my more deluded fellow Americans can realize that quite yet, or not….. is entirely another matter.
Many realize it, but may still hesitate to speak. They should have spoken earlier, but now they can respect themselves more if they don’t waste many more days playing dumb.
A few braver folks had to make up for those unfortunates, for the last 55 years.
Tom Gregg on March 01, 2018 · at 8:43 pm EST/EDT
Unfortunately, Methinks those yanks may insist on a demonstration…
Ahmed on March 01, 2018 · at 9:26 pm EST/EDT
Hahahahaha man this is great, I live in the US, and these weapons could potentially one day end up causing my own death, but I could care less right now. Just knowing there’s a bunch of dudes over at CIA headquarters with a brown streak running down their inner thigh, fills my heart with pure glee.
On a serious note, hopefully this forces the Anglo Zionists to the negotiating table, and they cut their bloody, ruthless stomping through out the world. However with the understanding that we are dealing with a bunch of soul less psychopaths, the chances of that are slim to none.
from The Sociopath Next Door:
Psychopaths are not few and far in between. On the contrary, they make up a significant portion of our population. They experience emotions very differently from us, and they do not experience love at all, or any other kind of positive attachment to their fellow humans. This deficit, which is hard even to ponder, reduces life to an endless game of attempted domination over others.
Ahmed on March 02, 2018 · at 12:55 pm EST/EDT
You’re right my friend. I feel this entire country is just brimming with psychopaths. Reading the quote you put up, it sounds like psychopaths will appear naturally, and in large numbers once you have a capitalistic society, mixed with a materialistic mindset. Which is basically the entire western world, and also many parts outside of the west. In a society like this even if they have what they consider “religious” values, they would always view it from the point of view of “what’s in it for me” which then brings about a complete moral decay within the society. Thanks for the quote.
you are welcome Ahmed
I recommend reading that book – and another one by the guy who invented the Psychopath Test. See links below. I think it’s impossible to understand how western countries, especially the US and UK operate unless you understand psychopaths. There is no way. The foreign policy, banking, Big Pharma, Food etc – it’s all based on psychopaths approach of being charming, telling you exactly what you want to hear, pretending to be your best friend, while in the background turning everyone against you including your own human instincts. After reading these books – every thing finally made sense. Nothing will change until more people learn how to spot them and prevent them from getting into positions of power since they cannot care about others even if they wanted to.
https://www.amazon.com/Sociopath-Next-Door-Martha-Stout/dp/0767915828/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520026419&sr=8-1&keywords=the+sociopath+next+door
https://www.amazon.com/Without-Conscience-Disturbing-World-Psychopaths/dp/1572304510/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1520026443&sr=1-1&keywords=without+conscience+the+disturbing+world+of+the+psychopaths+among+us
https://www.amazon.com/Psychopath-Test-Journey-Through-Industry/dp/1594485755/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1520026465&sr=1-1&keywords=the+psychopath+test
Guys, can you take this conversation to the MFC please – its going off-topic. Mod
tomo, the problem is that, under ‘Free Market’ or ‘neo-liberal’ capitalism, the people holding all the real power are psychopaths, and they, through their TOTAL and totalitarian control of politics and the brainwashing system of fakestream media, PR, advertising, ‘think-tanks’ and ‘entertainment’, project their psychopathy onto society, and normalise it. Hence, and the situation is worst in the USA, the psychopathology of the parasites becomes the modus operandi of society, and insatiable greed, preference for violence, gross egomania, unscrupulousness and the total or near total absence of human empathy and compassion, become naturalised. And societies like this just become more and more savage, cruel and aggressive, until they implode, or explode in foreign aggression. In other words, just like the USA, as it has been for decades.
boris on March 03, 2018 · at 5:49 am EST/EDT
A. Lobaczewsky wrote the book Political Ponerology about psychopaths coming to the position of power in Poland and formed, so called, “pathocracy”, however, at that time he did not have an idea that the “phenomenon” always was and will be widespread.
boris, a good companion read to Political Ponerology (which applies to Poland more than ever at present)is Lewis Yablonsky’s ‘Robopaths’. Forty years plus old, but very prescient.
On a serious note, hopefully this forces the Anglo Zionists to the negotiating table,
i would be happy if they would tuck their tail between their legs
and quietly stop their empire building (maybe declare victory)
Winston on March 02, 2018 · at 2:50 pm EST/EDT
I very much doubt that.
Like Sakar I live in Florida,born of an American mother,Swiss father and brought up in the UK.
When I talk to otherwise rational people about the geopolitical reality’s, I may as well be talking
to a suicide death cult member or a dyed in the wool nazi for all the difference it makes.
The average American is not going to be talked out of their ober-mensch delusions.
This is not going to end well.Russia will have to use those weapons.
I agree with you Winston. I can’t see any other way out for this level of hubris. We are stuck in a bind of our own making. This bind was made either willingly or unwillingly, from the top all the way down.
anything is possible – above all these psychopaths are cowards. Most Americans are. They will probably get scared at some point as dumb bullies do sooner or later.
I think I’ve met maybe one or 2 brave Americans in my 12 years there
Putin wouldn’t lie, would he? After all, he’s a politician striving for re-election soon…
In all seriousness though: The Western press is sure to doubt Putin’s words, whether you call it healthy skepticism or pure propaganda. So I’d like to know, what surety do we have that these weapons actually exist, and have been tested?
Another thought that came up: A missile flying with a nuclear drive… isn’t that basically a flying nuclear power plant? So even if it “only” has a conventional warhead, wherever it comes down will be contaminated by radioactive waste right? So how do you even test these things?
You need to study a man to have a feel to him.
He has not taken any unreasonable chances in his life as a politico so far.
He’s been measured, calculating, patient, reasonable, fair so far in his dealings, as far as I can tell.
He is not corrupt, he loves his work, he is…Russian in Russia. He gots nowhere to go.
His election is not in any jeopardy. None.
How do you test? Carefully.
Now a controlled test of a nuke engine doesn’t need to be catastrophic, methinx, the reaction can prolly be shut down.
OTOH, Using such a device would result in contamination of the target area fersure.
For anyone looking into greater understanding some nuclear related principals:
https://m.youtube.com/results?q=kirk%20sorensen%20thorium&sm=1
It is about the theoretical potential of the thorium reaction cycle, but it is incredibly interesting, entertaining, and presented in terms anyone can grasp. It cleared up a lot of misconceptions I’ve had about a lot of shit. Kinda long, but well worth it .
Dissident X on March 09, 2018 · at 2:12 pm EST/EDT
I didn’t know about the Thorium Fluoride Salt nuclear technology.
Another thing that the ‘standing interests’ didn’t repress under Putin, a totally logical, pragmatic nuclear technology development.
I guess we are assuming that the new weaponry is based on this technology.
Marcus on March 01, 2018 · at 10:49 pm EST/EDT
Remember the radioactive isotopes that were monitored over Europe a few weeks ago? They never identified the source. Possibly from testing the power plant of such a missile? Strange days.
Eu on March 01, 2018 · at 10:56 pm EST/EDT
By provoking Russia…
Andrew on March 01, 2018 · at 11:15 pm EST/EDT
On a large target range, of course! Seriously though, if the reactor is what I think it is, it’s probably pretty safe. A completely enclosed heat exchanger, with the working fluid (outside air apparently) remaining uncontaminated as it flows through the active or “hot” area. We built a lot of test rigs for these setups in the 1950s and ’60s, on a much larger scale of course. With modern metallurgy and whatever secret sauce the Russians have put into this, it’s totally plausible. I’m fairly certain it’s not one of the “spew radioactive liquid salts all over the place” designs :) Also the chances of loading a conventional warhead on one of these has to be about zero, as it would function as a large dirty bomb, which is a radiological weapon in its own right.
Anonymous on March 01, 2018 · at 11:58 pm EST/EDT
It lands in water, you hope it doesn’t break apart, and that you can recover it?
Zidar on March 02, 2018 · at 10:04 am EST/EDT
That is where western science and engineering differ from Russians and Germans. Westerners do not care about theory, it is all about experiment. Try it until it works, no matter the cost. Russians do not have resources to waste on endless tests. Thay think ahead of time, then test at the end, when most of serious problems have been worked out anyways. The testing is more a confirmation of expected. Their schooling system is light years ahead of westerners. They do learn math and physics, beyond skilful use of electronic calculator. Computer expert in their world is someone who can program them, click cut/paste does not count.
The electronics they use for their weapons is of analog type versus transistor type on the west. Analog device is more resilient to electro-magnetic interference. Check the story about a MIG 29(?) pilot who defected and flew from russian east coast to Japan. the plane was quickly examined by USA experts. Check their findings.
All in all, you can trust them.
By the way, about year ago there were reports about testing a kind of long range rocket, fired from border with Finland – to Kamchatka (get an atlas and figure out the distance). It was only half success. Out of two rocekets tested, one did hit the target, the other one did not. Then it was revealed to public. Back then I thought it had to be a set-up, a message to americans, “see, we have something that can hit you, even with only 50% success rate”. Apparently nobody paid any attention. Or they were focused on the ‘failure’ part.
In exciting times we are living, indeed.
what you say reminds me of this (from Wikipedia)
When Thomas Edison died, in 1931, Tesla contributed the only negative opinion to The New York Times, buried in an extensive coverage of Edison’s life:
He had no hobby, cared for no sort of amusement of any kind and lived in utter disregard of the most elementary rules of hygiene … His method was inefficient in the extreme, for an immense ground had to be covered to get anything at all unless blind chance intervened and, at first, I was almost a sorry witness of his doings, knowing that just a little theory and calculation would have saved him 90 percent of the labor. But he had a veritable contempt for book learning and mathematical knowledge, trusting himself entirely to his inventor’s instinct and practical American sense.
Anonius on March 02, 2018 · at 12:15 pm EST/EDT
Well said. People of Putin’s age (like me) grew up without the slide-rule, certainly not with the calculator. Did most of calculations in their head especially adding larger numbers, slide-rules came at the university. The calculators? Well they were just showing their head. I am guessing, today not many know their multiplication tables, etc. Russians inherited Soviet schooling system, which was second to none.
concerned citizen on March 01, 2018 · at 10:00 pm EST/EDT
This finally made me post here. Greetings from germany.
This are not minced words of any kind. Russia just made clear that bullying will not work anymore on a strategic scale. It’s also highly telling that he insisted on being able to arm each of these weapon systems with nuclear warheads. The deterrence factor just increased exponentially.
What this means is that the short window of the time the US had to conquer the world after the fall of the east bloc just closed officially.
Also I fear the same as one said before – the empire probably wants to test russian resolve at some point through the usual cloak and dagger methods.
Larchmonter445 on March 01, 2018 · at 10:14 pm EST/EDT
So far, the US reaction is it is a bluff, the cruise missiles have crashed in tests, there’s nothing to worry about, the US has weapons, too, and it’s the Russians and they aren’t as good as America.
A few say all they need is more $$$$$$$$$$$ in the budget and they’ll have bigger and better weapons.
One clown, ex-CIA analyst, said Putin was forced to say something big to cover for the dead Russians (hundreds of them) at Deir ez Zor, killed by coalition bombs and missiles.
In sum, the US generals, experts, talking heads and State Dept. say they aren’t at all concerned. USA, USA, USA!
I think it will take a few weeks before the real, cold, realists give their analysis.
What will really matter is the reaction from other nations. China, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, South Korea, even Japan, Germany, France, Norway and Turkey.
And watch for spastic colitis from Brussels. NATO might quiver, shake and fracture once they digest the new state of military prowess of the RF.
Iran is feeling great tonight. North Korea now has backing from both China and Russia if the US uses nukes against Pyongyang. Both nations now are inside Russia’s sphere of influence, but both will have to “listen” to Putin also.
China has just gotten a huge boost in its New Silk Road initiatives. Containment by the Hegemon has a serious problem. Russia can blast any naval containment attempted by the QUAD nations or the bellicose PACCOM itself.
For the next five years or so, this changes unipolar power.
Yup, I just read the morning comics, aka US and EU news. Always a good laugh from them and combined with one of the two local weather reports, early mornings can be a grin.
So far, as you said ‘they’ are poopooing the very idea that Russia has such announced weapons, the usual talking heads are breathlessly pontificating about informations from ‘can’t name the source’ types. The usual and to be expected. As the saying goes, the dogs bark and the caravan moves on. I’m willing to bet that regardless of what the media is screaming, behind closed doors in Foggy Bottom and Five Points, worried meetings are taking place.
As an aside, the Southern Military District where the new Kinzhal system is deployed includes Sevastopol and Krimea.
It’s going to be an interesting few days.
Authour
Never The Last One https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZGCY8KK A Deep Look In To Russia, Her Culture And Her Armed Forces
Sevastopol, The Third Defense. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079KRPLS4 Book 1, A Premonition, The Move South
Eric on March 02, 2018 · at 8:03 am EST/EDT
The really weird aspect of this is that the US propaganda machine always drums up threats of non existent WMD by defenseless countries like Syria or Iraq, who never had a chance or a thought of attacking the US.
And on the other hand, when a country like Russia that just saved Syria openly says it has WMD that the US cannot defend against, then they reverse their position and say it isn’t a real threat. They always state things Back asswards. The levels of delusion are really breathtaking.
Now we can understand. Not only have they been lying to their own people, they’ve been lying to themselves.
That could potentially make this more dangerous. It’s like they believe so deeply in their exceptionalism and invincibility that they may try something really really stupid and crazy.
Just as the Indians did the Ghost dance and thought that would protect them from US cavalry bullets, now with their shootem up mentality, they may actually believe in Santa Claus giving them the best toys. Only, if made in the USA, they break after an hour of use. And the Indians died of real bullets.
tomo on March 02, 2018 · at 12:19 pm EST/EDT
” It’s like they believe so deeply in their exceptionalism and invincibility”
in my experience they don’t believe in anything really – only that lying and bullying have been an effective strategy so far.
they are a bunch of fearful, greedy and desperate opportunists. Many very wealthy people I’ve met there have fearful desperate mentality of a poor slave. They do learn to bluff it and mania (caricature of happiness) is widespread – that tends to confuse normal people/foreigners.
Remember Americans are probably the least confident of all people (that I have seen and I have been around the world a few times) – this is due to lack of meaningful social interaction. Only by interacting, experimenting, failing and then trying again, fighting, winning, losing, sharing etc you can become confident. All American kids (as well as the ones in high school – and most Americans never grow out of that mental frame) have is irrational competition which makes them even dumber and more stressful. Here is a good quote about Americans from a century ago – little has changed:
The American is marked, in fact, by precisely the habits of mind and act that one would look for in a man insatiably ambitious and yet incurably fearful, to wit, the habits, on the one hand, of unpleasant assertiveness, of somewhat boisterous braggardism, of incessant pushing, and, on the other hand, of conformity, caution and subservience. He is forever talking of his rights as if he stood ready to defend them with his last drop of blood, and forever yielding them up at the first demand. George Jean Nathan and H.L. Mencken, The American Credo, 1920
Voltaire said in 1771 (Lettres de Memmius a Ciceron) about future American leaders: “They are, all of them, born with raging fanaticism in their hearts, just as the Bretons and the Germans are born with blond hair. I would not be in the least bit surprised if these people would not some day become deadly to the human race… You have surpassed all nations in impertinent fables, in bad conduct and in barbarism. You deserve to be punished, for this is your destiny.”
thanks for a great quote – i am reposing it on FB
It is almost scary to read old quotes. Nothing has changed just methods are more efficient. I have a couple of more.
Albert Einstein in 1947 said: “I came to America because of the great, great freedom which I heard existed in this country. I made a mistake in selecting America as a land of freedom, a mistake I cannot repair in the balance of my lifetime.”
Isaac Asimov in 1980 said: “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
(Because many refuse to believe Einstein said that here is a background: FBI started collecting information on Einstein before WWII because of his political views, he attended pacifist meetings alongside Communists and he had supported Republicans in Spain. After the war when Einstein realized he was being watched he grew deeply disillusioned. At the time of his death, the FBI dossier on him had grown to thousands of pages.)
tomo on March 03, 2018 · at 9:35 am EST/EDT
thank you great quote – what Einstein said is exactly how I feel (but I hope to be able to repair the damage of the lost decade).
It’s done on purpose – that is the difference in mentality of Eastern Europeans vs Anglo Saxons – the lies, predatory propaganda etc. That’s how they attract immigrants. I remember Canadian embassy in Belgrade – filled with photos of Whistler, Banf etc. Most people go there expecting the whole country to look like that. Most of Canada is very flat and boring. It’s all part of comprehensive misleading propaganda.
And the locals know that (at least subconsciously) – that’s probably a part of the reason why they find it hard to believe Putin’s speech. They assume he is lying (because they know most people around them lie a lot, Hollywood etc)
so Americans react the same way as they did decades ago when they heard the Japanese efficiency in making cars was (I think ) 800% better than theirs. First they did not believe it. Then they sent a delegation to Japan to research. They came back and said -the efficiency was so high – Anglosheeple in Detroit HQs could not actually believe it. So they just pretended it was a bluff. They waited another 4 or so years and sent another delegation to Japan – and they confirmed it was actually true all along.
Only then did the ‘scientists and managers’ believe it. I learned this while studying for a PMP certification
mod-to note: Excellent analogue
RMM on March 03, 2018 · at 10:55 am EST/EDT
China has responded: Well done. Russia! You’ve just made it easier to stop the US from destabilising the world.
Well, they spoke in “diplomatese”:
“The efforts of all countries are needed to ensure the international strategic stability.”
https://sputniknews.com/world/201803021062161222-china-putin-relations/
So, how much money has America wasted?
How much on Star Wars / SDI / ABM? Back when I was protesting Raygun, I remember estimates that they were going to spend something like $60 billion over the course of the program. I wonder how much they’ve actually spend (wasted)?
How much on the giant carriers? The one they can’t seem to get working, and the one that they’ve laid down to follow are priced at about $13 billion IIRC. And how much on the one’s before those? After all, at least some people have seen the writing on the wall announcing the end of the big carrier since the Falklands. And a chunk of the high cost of the F-35 is in making the same plane work both from land bases and from carriers.
So, now America has a bunch of very rich defense contractors and those who owned those companies, but for all the billions spend they’ve been spent on the wrong and very expensive things.
The bad news as an American is that this means the Pentagon will now get billions more money because OMG we can’t let the Russians out-do us. Things like health care or Trumpette’s infrastruction plan just went bye-bye, and taxes are now going to go up-up-up.
The Raygun era cold warriors were convinced they caused the collapse of the Soviet Union by forcing them to spend on weapons. Start to get the sense that Putin has now done the same trick in return. The USA with high taxes and high deficits and deficits in spending on basic needs like roads and rails and bridges now is going to spend giant fortunes to try to replace the supposed defenses on which they’ve wasted billions and billions.
I have already believed for quite some time that anything on top of the occean when a war begins will quickly die. That’s the direction missile techs have been headed for quite some time. Submarines might last a short while once the shooting starts, but the combination of satelite and other surveilence and long range strike abilities means the surface ships are dead.
History shows that Continental Powers invariably prevail over Maritime ones, the more when they have all the resources that the others are after.
Dog on March 01, 2018 · at 11:02 pm EST/EDT
The only article which has a fairly formed opinion on the development
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/russias-nuclear-weapons-buildup-aimed-beating-us-missile-24716
Rootman on March 01, 2018 · at 11:15 pm EST/EDT
For the techie minded among us: it would be interesting to get any idea how a small, even airborne, almost portable, nuclear plant would work. probably with high enriched fuel since the rest of the very heavy (DU) uranium is dead weight?
Found something!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pluto
unknown person on March 02, 2018 · at 10:27 am EST/EDT
I have known engineer who worked on the US “A Plane” nuclear jet engine… It spewed .
So when, prior to VVP speech, I saw this: https://www.livescience.com/61766-enriched-uranium-particle-mystery-alaska.html
It was pretty clear that somebody was flying one…
As to the weapons…well, they said what they would do, and did it.
Precisely as expected.
Empire is in zuswang. War nearly certain.
Sasha on March 01, 2018 · at 11:55 pm EST/EDT
What I found equally interesting is his promise to retaliate with nuclear weapons even if an “ally” is attacked with such, even tactical ones. This may have interesting geopolitical implications, especially vis a vis Israel and Iran, though currently Iran and Russia are in a temporary marriage of convenience rather than a proper union. Oh, and Happy Purim,(Removed language,MOD)
Marcel Leutenegger on March 04, 2018 · at 7:50 am EST/EDT
The non-proliferation treaty of nuclear weapons survives only as long as nuclear-armed nations strictly abide by its rules. Most importantly, it is forbidden to threaten non-nuclear-armed nations with nukes. As the USA shredded this rule in its recent nuclear posture review, the nuclear arms race would restart unless any rouge nation will be sanctioned by other nuclear-armed states for any violation of the non-proliferation treaty. In my opinion, Russia warrants with Putin’s declaration that nations without nukes won’t need them.
Veronica on March 02, 2018 · at 12:01 am EST/EDT
I’d say Russia knew war was imminent, especially if one looks at what is happening, and very really could happen in Syria, Iran, Korea, Ukraine, Baltic’s, Black Sea and China (have I missed one). The threat was all too real, so the warning. Maybe there is also be a near move to dump the dollar in the works. This speech could just have saved us all from nuclear armegeddon.
gT on March 03, 2018 · at 1:28 am EST/EDT
Yep, something provoked Putin into this disclosure. The Empire is running out of options, sanctions don’t work, conventional methods of war won’t work, it looks likely that the Empire was considering using nukes (whatever the yield) to achieve their objectives. Now they have to re-evaluate the risks of their first strike option.
Auslander on March 02, 2018 · at 12:21 am EST/EDT
How prescient. Wednesday a storm was brewing over our pleasant little village of a city. Yesterday it hit with full fury and violence, literally hurricane force winds coming right in harbor mouth, snow all day albeit mostly of the horizontal variety the ended up at the foot of the harbor, AKA Inkerman, scattered power outages and turmoils on south side and colder than a mother-in-law’s kiss. This morning, all is peaceful and calm, the sun is peeking through the clouds, the snow is already melting as of 05:00, the air is soft and gentle and the silence is deafening as is normal.
Two weeks ago we were as usual to Sunday service at St. Nikolas Church. The official name is Saint Nikolas the Miracle Worker. After the service we almost always enjoy a late breakfast/early lunch with Father Giorgei and ten or fifteen others. Father Giorgei is a Warrior Priest, Spetznaz, and he is a large part of the character Father Mitrofan in my writings. Father will often ask one or the other of us to stand and speak of current events and various wishes we have. Father and the others know my wife and I well and Father knows my previous vocation, in fact we have an ongoing joke about shooting at each other many years ago. Father asked me to stand and tell what I wanted for this spring and summer. I replied with one word, in Russian, and sat.
Don’t get me wrong. I know The Beast is wounded badly, the steady tearing at it’s vitals for the last four and more years has done huge damage, but the beast is still very dangerous and perhaps even more so now that the beast, as of yesterday, knows it’s end is near. No one knows what this hideous beast will do in it’s death throes. Will all it’s pent up rage spew out in a violent last vomit of death and destruction, will the beast go stupid and flood our beautiful little city, this prize of all the troubles in Ukraine of four years, with swarms of missiles in a last spasm of hatred and vitriol at being denied it’s deepest desire? I don’t know, but maybe, just maybe, with time and patient work both public and behind the scenes, as Father Giorgei said after I uttered that one word, maybe we can bring our three children home from their safe haven deep in the mainland and our two children fighting in Novorossiya can come home to us safe and sound. Time will tell.
If I wuz a praying man, I’d help you out, but such as I am, I can only wish You luck Mr A.
Couldn’t even imagine you had so many aces in the game.
Strange weather this time of the year that, no?
Been many times, can’t even imagine Crimea without steady sunshine…
Very strange weather this year, normally I’m mowing grass in mid February and VCO is working in her flower gardens. Not this year but the Flot weather forecast does offer a glimmer of hope for Sunday and next week. We’ll see.
We’ve had those close to us involved from the beginning, locals who went up there to fight the orcs, and we’ve buried more than one. Our work with the refugees in late summer and fall of ’14 gave us opportunities to help others on a long term basis.
Blue Cloud https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0797XJM91 A pleasant little adventure of a young collie, told in her words.
David Ronin on March 02, 2018 · at 2:42 am EST/EDT
For those who want to hear only the comments on the new weapons systems, go to 1:18. That part lasts almost exactly 30 minutes. If you’ve already seen the videos of the new weapons systems, you can skip ahead to where the speech resumes.
However, his comments about domestic matters were also amazing. No American president has ever shown such a command for detail and such a concern for the nitty-gritty of pursuing a policy, nor such level-headedness.
Le Dahu on March 02, 2018 · at 1:30 pm EST/EDT
I thought that was the best part really, the statistics on the mortgages was an eye opener, the open telling off about the state of roads & projects behind schedules, in front of the governors was quite remarkable. Also the comments on need for distributed power and to give people clean air were also telling. There was a lot to take it, a lot was scripted to the audience sitting in the hall, (the airports one is a good one too).
jiri on March 02, 2018 · at 3:01 am EST/EDT
An entirely different interpretation of the same speech from The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/01/vladimir-putin-threatens-arms-race-with-new-missiles-announcement
What is the reason for such difference?
The difference is usual and expected. By ignoring the escalation on the part of NATO, the Western MSM can claim that this is an unprovoked “threat” on Putin’s part — rather than a response to repeated threats directed at RF — and thus continue to prop up the “Russian aggression” meme.
Anonius on March 02, 2018 · at 10:56 am EST/EDT
Well, the west does say that and I paraphrase: Look at this guy threatening us the poor peace loving people”. Never fails, “it’s them, it’s them!”. Always playing the innocent victims game.
Just listen to what washington’s spokespeople say. Interestingly enough they pick a woman to say that.
The guardian like all british media is organ of english spy network.
England is primary enemy of russis and russia must annihilate englisj capacitye wars like syria war and ongoing 3rd world war for last 4 years.
Elections are two weeks from now.
Said Herr Doktor Strangelove, electoral marketing consultant: “With zis, Mein F… Mr President, you will certainly be elected at first round!”
Nussiminen on March 02, 2018 · at 4:57 am EST/EDT
Sorry, Alexis TK 27: Vladimir Putin’s government is honest and, unlike your attempts at mocking, very intelligent.
I won’t comment on Putin government’s honesty: a previous post from me with a link to documented information on that subject was not published, hence I assume this topic is not supposed to be discussed here.
About smarts: obviously Putin is smart. By the way, do you think describing “invincible weapons” developed under the current government to a people that has been daily nourished with apocalyptic ramblings on Russian TV, this two weeks before elections, would be stupid :-) ? No, it would be smart.
A bit cynical, too. But then, Russian government is not the only cynical one… it’s pretty average in this regard.
Auslander on March 02, 2018 · at 2:17 pm EST/EDT
Unless you live in Russia for minimum 2 years, not visit but live here with permanent residency or citizenship, you have no basis for questioning the honesty of the Russian Government. Of course there are problems here, and everywhere on this rock we live on, but in general for we ordinary workers and peasants the Russian government systems work quite well.
I have commented on one of your previous posts with ‘documentation’ from NY Times my thoughts on said ‘documentation’: Bovine scatology.
JSharap on March 02, 2018 · at 3:26 am EST/EDT
Reminds me of Ronald Reagan and Star Wars…except that Putin have a reputation of delivering his promises.
Carmel by the Sea on March 02, 2018 · at 3:27 am EST/EDT
” No one listened to us”, he said. ” You listen to us now”.
– Putin’s words on March 1, 2018
https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/europe/u-s-on-putin-s-new-nuclear-weapons-russia-acting-irresponsibly-violating-past-commitments-1.5866907
Jeremy on March 02, 2018 · at 4:07 am EST/EDT
Neocon arrogance is such that these strong words of Putin will only incite them to “test” Putin with further provocations in a game of nuclear chicken. The neocons are licking their lips and loving this. Their hatred of humanity is unfathomable. Does any one truly understand sociopaths?
This is not too encouraging news to the “Russian opposition” :-D I mean, seriously, what are cretins such as Sobchak, Navalny, Pussy Riot, and what-have-you going to tell their audiences? Putin is no Beneš, hence not interested in pleasing the West by giving up the nation’s defences without firing a single shot against Nazi Germany and then leave the ensuing mess behind and live a comfortable life in Western exile. Ain’t gonna happen.
The reactionary imbeciles outside Russia will, most likely, feel 100% corroborated in their Russophobia except for the embarrassing fact that Russia’s technical prowess calls their supremacist fantasies into question quite seriously.
Indeed, at such a moment as this, it’s a real pity that the menopausal loon Kim Zigfeld and her fabulous blog “La Russophobe” is dead (but not yet gone). The constant meme there about Russia’s “imminent collapse” made for great entertainment. It should be obvious by now that neither Russia, nor Kim Zigfeld was teetering on the brink of collapse — Russia under Putin was nowhere near it, and Kim was long since past it.
polistra on March 02, 2018 · at 5:09 am EST/EDT
Nice mirror image to SDI in the ’80s. At that time we made the point that we had an unbreakable mastery of software. (It was partly true, but it worked.)
Now Russia is making the point that Russia is NOT AFRAID of nuclear power, which is the BEST way to power independent vehicles like missiles or ice-breaking oil tankers. We gave up on nuclear power in 1979, and have been allowing our former mastery of everything to rot and ruin.
Bosnian Croat on March 02, 2018 · at 6:19 am EST/EDT
I have been waiting this for years. Thank you Dear God.
Thanks Russia and VVP you will save the world from neocon lunatics, maniacs and criminals.
America is great nation and will be again when these criminals finally go to rubbish bin of history.
“America is great nation”
Based on what do you say this ? Have you read the US history of the last 240 years ?
Dasn on March 02, 2018 · at 11:14 pm EST/EDT
AWESOME!!! As Paul Craig Roberts said
There No Longer Is A Military Option Against Russia
I am thinking that MIG31 and the newer MIG41 are the primary choices because of their ability to fly in stratosphere as well as Mach3+ (is it 3.5?). This puts them out of rage of majority (all) of western AA weapons.
PrimaBalancina on March 02, 2018 · at 8:19 am EST/EDT
What i don’t get is why reveal ALL of this ?
If it is to deter NATA/American aggression then just one or two of the above
systems is enough to give them second thoughts.
What Putin just did is maybe declare Cold War 2.0. The end of WW-2 was
an unofficial declaration of the first Cold War. Did this just become the
official declaration for the second?
Indeed one or two of these system *should* be enough to give NATO second thoughts… but that would presuppose that they are rational actors who care for human life. A close reading of the history of Cold War 1.0 suggests otherwise.
As for Cold War 2.0, well, that is already in effect.
The question now is: how to prevent it from turning into a hot war? At face value, the rationale for disclosing all of this firepower would be to make it crystal clear that the Russian Federation can amply defend herself and any imperial hubris on the part of the NATO powers, any attempt at a “limited” hot war to “decapitate the Russian regime”, etc., will be met with deadly force.
PrimaBalancina on March 02, 2018 · at 7:42 pm EST/EDT
It won’t ever turn into a hot-war, atleast not directly, because that would mean
end of all life on Earth as we know it. I’m sure the MIC (military-industrial
complex) in the States, no matter how greedy and power-hungry, would prefer
the the masses to survive amongst themselves so that they could continue
ruling and looking-down.
What is more likely is that proxy wars will start to increase in frequency, low-level
conflicts coming up across multiple theatres across the world. Syria has been a
loud BANG for anyone who can hear that this proxy Russia vs USA match has
gone to Putin. After Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and many others what
happened in Syria is nothing less than Earth-shattering. Someone took on the
massive USA-MIC armour and put a big-bad-dent right in the middle.
And now, after Putin’s speech they are salivating at the prospects of atleast
a decade’s worth of funding for R&D and other contracts being fast-tracked like
never before.
It just might have been a mis-calculation on Putin’s part in a long, long time.
JJ on March 02, 2018 · at 1:13 pm EST/EDT
To show ..not just say…that Russia is completely armoured….no chinks…but still offers peaceful coexistence on the planet.
The World As It Truly Is on March 02, 2018 · at 10:49 am EST/EDT
Do you think maybe that the mysterious radiation release in Russia last October was a test of the nucelar powered cruise missile?
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-11-10/radioactive-cloud-over-europe-may-have-come-nuclear-accident-russia-or-kazakhstan
LeDahu on March 02, 2018 · at 1:48 pm EST/EDT
It was a specific type of isotope, not linked to weapons but mostly used in medical field or nuclear waste. And if was an accident relating to a nuclear processing plant, then there wouldn’t not just a tiny spike in only Ruthenium-106.
The World As It Truly Is on March 04, 2018 · at 7:05 am EST/EDT
Did you read what I wrote? A cruise missile with nuclear thrust (as distinct from a nuclear weapon on board) is a technology unknown to anyone outside the Russian military so how would you know it wasn’t that???
Geopol on March 02, 2018 · at 11:31 am EST/EDT
The more the events of this week crystalise, the more it seems God really is moving through Russia in order to rise it up to its highest peak beyond, far beyond the Romanov Tsar or Bolshevik Commisars could imagine. Now, in the space of a few days, there has been an epic storm from Siberia, covering all Europe, and its significant that all western media calls it a Russian storm, Putin gave one of his most decisive and robust speeches ever, and an announcement of this new weapon which could end any war. For the citizens of Russia, this must be a brilliant week, they will be reassured and Putin will gain a mass victory. What can the Anglo do, these Anglo which are divided against themselves, manic and Nihilist. Nothing.
Richo on March 02, 2018 · at 11:37 am EST/EDT
Just as a possible alternative view, it may be that this development has made things more dangerous. I can surmise that there are meetings in secure rooms where it is proposed to take out Russia with a preemptive nuclear blitz before they can fully deploy all the weapons mentioned in sufficient numbers so as to make her invincible.
Hard to see how they could have gotten more dangerous.
IMO we’ve been in a repeat of the phony(sitzkrieg) war in WWII, and WWIII hostilities started during
Sochi ,and open warfare was a matter of when,not if.
This speech may,and only may,have stopped that progression.
J Swift on March 02, 2018 · at 11:48 am EST/EDT
Putin’s speech seems to serve two purposes (aside from the wee bit of electioneering). The first, most immediate and probably most important thing, was to throw a bit of cold water on the neocons who in recent months have been getting unusually aggressive with their threatening propaganda but also with actual movement on the ground threatening Russia. The accelerating encirclement of Russia with ABM assets as well as (potentially) offensive systems, troops, ships, and aircraft may have (should have) the Kremlin concerned that these neocons are actually losing touch with reality and buying into their own “we can kick anyone’s ass, including Russia!” propaganda. Seriously, the primary reason people most regular Americans voted against Hillary was that they saw she had lost all fear of open, direct confrontation with Russia—gotta fund that MIC and trample the world, damned the consequences! And the recent push seems to be getting more, not less, frenzied as the Russiagate crap falls apart. Perhaps Putin thought a little slap with reality was due—that Russia has plenty of ways to hurt the US if it is attacked, and US leadership shouldn’t believe the neocons preaching that it can pull of a first strike with relative impunity.
A secondary thought might have been the ironic twist that by announcing several cutting edge systems, Russia could do to the US what Reagan did to the USSR—baiting them into an arms race that the opponent couldn’t afford. Now the tables have been turned, such that Russia has perfected the production of advanced weapons that the US will have great difficulty being able to afford to counter, and might just help to push it over that edge into bankruptcy. Interesting times, indeed.
Anon on March 05, 2018 · at 8:24 pm EST/EDT
Very cogent
TG on March 02, 2018 · at 12:17 pm EST/EDT
Interesting, but please consider.
Whenever two militaries that have never fought each other first engage, the result is unpredictable. We simply cannot know what would happen if (for example) Russia launched these missiles at a US carrier battle group. OK, the missiles are fast – but how good are they at avoiding being jammed? All the speed in the world won’t help if they miss. Electronic warfare is a kind of rock-paper-scissors game and paper specifications won’t let you know what will really happen…
Although on the other hand, perhaps deterrence is enough. Maybe US countermeasures can spoof these new Russian missiles – and maybe not. If I were a US admiral I sure would not want to risk that gamble.
That said, it is surely true that the US arms industry is increasingly becoming welfare for defense contractors. Military systems will never be as cheap as civilian ones, but there is level of expense-padding and corruption at which it becomes impossible to get anything done no matter how much money you throw at it. Perhaps we are reaching that point…
Cheburashka on March 02, 2018 · at 12:59 pm EST/EDT
“Whenever two militaries that have never fought each other first engage, the result is unpredictable”
Very predictable here: M.A.D., including the “rest” of our little precious blue gem in space too.
Cheburashky on March 02, 2018 · at 12:39 pm EST/EDT
My problem here: we all do know that the Americans (I’m obviously talking about the rulers of the AngloZionist Empire here) are “недоговороспособны” (incompetent)– can we truly count on at least some rudimentary form of a “grasp of reality”?
it’s not just their masters – on average Americans are also nedogovornosposobni – at least in my experience.
In no other country had I experienced so often that friends or business partners agree and promise to do something – only to change their mind when the time comes to actually commit to the agreement. I have seen it too many times.
The whole country is like that, manic, flaky , scared of everything and desparately selfish
drc on March 02, 2018 · at 1:31 pm EST/EDT
I commented on another blog after first reading of Putin’s address, that his announcements can be reduced to just one word: “checkmate”, although I now think that just “check” is a better analogy. He’s left Washington & it’s puppet regimes time to consider their last move, after all. Hopefully ( though unlikely), they will conclude that capitulation is preferable to suicide, but shit for brains being the minimum job requirement in the MIC the issue is still up in the air. I did note that at no point did President Putin look happy or pleased at what he was describing, possibly indicating his pessimism over probable reactions. It does seem to me, though, that you don’t reveal this level of capability without having something even more trick up your sleeve about which you say nothing. If I had to guess I’d say that was at a minimum some tech to positively locate every last US submarine in real time.
Chris Mpiana on March 02, 2018 · at 1:38 pm EST/EDT
Formidable tout simplement
Mod Note: “Simply great”
shocknawe on March 02, 2018 · at 1:40 pm EST/EDT
He’s taunting NATO. There’s no proof of any of the systems he describes. NATO can think pretend he’s bluffing if they wish to risk annihilation. But they know that every time they’ve actually gotten their porcine mitts on a Russian system, IE Mig 25 or 29 it’s far exceeded what they expected. I’m happy the arms race is over. I’m not happy to have to be on the loosing side.
Christian Arab in America on March 02, 2018 · at 3:28 pm EST/EDT
Most of the dishonest zionist media in Western countries hate Christian Russia because these godless liberals want to impose their godless agenda on humanity.
Russia is rapidly turning out to be one of the few remaining Christian powers left in our world.
Carmel by the Sea on March 02, 2018 · at 5:19 pm EST/EDT
Christian Arab in America,
nickels on March 02, 2018 · at 3:43 pm EST/EDT
нас никто не слушал. Послушайте сейчас.
Historic epicness.
Ally on March 02, 2018 · at 3:50 pm EST/EDT
first thing i thought after listening to Putin’s speech –
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
bravo bravo russia
remarkable and wonderful country with the most extraordinary leader of the free world.
cos i feel he’s a bit our leader too
of the free world i mean,
after your leader first
!!! bisous bisous from an old belgian granny who always looks out for saker’s latest.
Ally,
I understand how you feel. Many in the world feel Putin is ” ours” too.
One can say that those that admire Putin have a ” soul that is in sync” with his.
God bless Putin and a long blessed life may he live.
Vierotchka on March 02, 2018 · at 4:17 pm EST/EDT
The message is crystal clear: Don’t mess with Russia!
Ralph Conner on March 02, 2018 · at 5:40 pm EST/EDT
Or it’s allies. And I think that there’s going to be a lot more of those, very soon.
Marcus Wolfe on March 02, 2018 · at 4:36 pm EST/EDT
Don’t doubt the truth of the technology, but let’s not ignore the real point of what Putin is doing – trying to wake up the sane elements in the US establishment before it’s too late and they allow the nut jobs to talk us all into a war.
Catte’s piece about this in OffGuardian is spot on.
“Putin’s message couldn’t be clearer: The West needs to stop provoking a war we don’t want & which no one can win”
“Their real delusion is not that they can win a nuclear war, but that they can continue to do what the are doing and avoid one.”
https://off-guardian.org/2018/03/01/putins-message-couldnt-be-clearer-we-need-to-stop-provoking-a-war-we-dont-want-which-no-one-can-win/
Hans Zandvliet on March 02, 2018 · at 6:32 pm EST/EDT
Very well said:
guest on March 02, 2018 · at 9:21 pm EST/EDT
Very well said, indeed. You have picked out the main theme of, and motive behind, Putin’s speech. He is not bragging, he is not bullying. He is trying to talk some sense into deranged western minds by saying “Look, we all share the same planet, let us not blow it up. Look, I will show you what we can do if you attack us and leave us with no choice. But please don’t do it. Let us talk peace”.
The real pity and danger is that the speech has gone over most western heads, especially its “experts” and the war-drum beating media that works full time to promote war.
Peter the Great! on March 02, 2018 · at 5:14 pm EST/EDT
GREAT RUSSIA !!!
Pando on March 02, 2018 · at 5:22 pm EST/EDT
target israel and tell them. Checkmate to usa.
Vlad speech is, no doubt, very good news for humanity. However I think it is not “checkmate” yet. It is just check. For the checkmate, I wait until the Chinese sign a DEFENSE TREATY with Russia (like the one the NATO countries have). Once the Chinese are on board, it will be game over for the Bullies/Psycopaths in Washington/Brussels. Only when the US realizes that Russians and Chinese work together (and that they will die together if necesary) the Empire will stop the warmongering.
I believe they already have one, cannot remember the acronym but it runs in tandem with the SCO.
I’m guessing that Iran may already be a member but it hasn’t been announced and won’t be until
required.A special surprise.
Let me first explain where I stand, on whose side I am. When I first read President Putin’s speech and watched the accompanying videos, I felt euphoric: thank God that Russia is well capable to defend itself and hopefully these new weapons systems will finally convince Washington of their idiocy to provoke another superpower they cannot possibly defeat! Because I do believe that if there is one World Leader capable of avoiding (an inevitably nuclear) WW-3, it is President Vladimir Putin. If he can’t do it, I fear, nobody can (which is a quite frightening thought in itself).
Out of curiosity I read some comments of the western presstitutes (to borrow Paul Craig Roberts’ term for the MSM whores) and I derided their doubts about the veracity of these new weapons. First thing that sprang to my mind, was this famous line of Dirty Harry: “Go ahead punk, make my day!” (Though not entirely appropriate, because we’d never want to see it come that far, but anyway.)
However, next morning doubts started creeping in (a reason why it’s always good to sleep over something with far reaching implications, to let it sink in and to consider some second thoughts). So these are my second thoughts:
• It’s true that the videos are largely computer animations, which by themselves are no real evidence of the existence of these new weapons systems.
• It’s also true that President Putin is less than 3 weeks away from the Russian Presidential elections. Under such circumstances, I suppose, any incumbent president feels an urge to brag a bit about the achievements of his previous term(s) and in the case of Russia (besieged by Washington and its NATO vassals), I can very well imagine such an urge to translate into bragging a bit about Russia’s military achievements.
• On the other hand I’m also aware of Russia’s prowess in 4th and 5th generation fighter jets, hypersonic missile technology and supercavitating torpedoes.
• I also know that the Russian defence industry goes about developing new technologies in a much more pragmatic and economic way, resulting in being (say) ten times more effective with just one tenth of Washington’s military budget.
So I’m in doubt now. My pros and cons seem to (more or less) balance each other out: it could be true and it might be bluff (or any combination thereof). Though I am a (Dutch) civil engineer (so, well versed in mathematics, physics and some chemistry), I’m not a weapons expert (neither do I want to be one: though fascinating for the technologies involved, weapons are ugly devices all together!).
But being aware of the stakes involved (preventing WW-3 or not?), I do feel terribly worried, so I hope that you can explain more about the details of these new Russian weapons systems in the days and weeks to come.
I must confess I cannot support your blog (which hurts me). I live on my own in a small old house of mud bricks in a rural Bolivian hamlet (trying to set up a homestead), my tin roof is leaking (3 buckets in my room) and I can’t yet afford to renew it… But I do bless you and your oh so important work!
Hans Zandvliet
By the way (though maybe quite superfluous for the readers of The Saker’s blog), I’d like to highly recommend Oliver Stone’s recent documentaries on the Ukraine and Russia:
• “Ukraine on Fire” (Summer 2016): What really happened in the Ukraine (after a brief history of the Ukrainian USSR-era) from the Euromaidan protests as of November 2013, via the Washington-orchestrated coup d’état on 22 February 2014, until the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 on 17 July 2014 (which triggered the first sanctions on Russia). It’s a revealing and fascinating view inside Washington’s kitchen of cooking up a “Colour Revolution” (the rest, as the saying goes, is history).
• “The Putin Interviews” (ShowTime, June 2017): How can you judge fairly whether President Vladimir Putin is a “tyrant” or a responsible statesman, when you’ve never even listened to what he’s got to say? As we’ve all been told since our childhood days: “Before you can judge, you have to listen to both sides of the story.”
“Ukraine on Fire” is now available on YouTube (look for the 1:35 hour version).
If you can’t find a video version of “The Putin Interviews” (4 episodes of nearly 1 hour each), there’s a very interesting extended audio version on YouTube (of 9:45 hours!). It’s that much longer because the interviews are more extensive (less edited out) than the video version. Additionally, a commentator interferes frequently (like a kind of audio-footnotes) to verify/falsify/adjust the facts mentioned by President Vladimir Putin and Oliver Stone during their interview.
Il Discobolo on March 02, 2018 · at 6:28 pm EST/EDT
I am never be afraid of the capacity of Russia to produce and use very advanced armaments, that match or are even superior to many of the Empire.
Where Russia still lacks in the information war and in the subtleties and tricks in the judiciary system.
Let’s take for example the recent decision of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce that imposed a $4.63-billion penalty on Russian energy giant Gazprom over its gas transit dispute with Ukraine’s national oil and gas company Naftogaz. Since the court previously ordered Naftogaz to pay Gazprom $2.07-billion for gas supply arrears, the net payment Gazprom will have to make to Ukraine is $2.56 billions. I do not intend to discuss such biased decision, only I want to suggest how one should act in a smart way “satisfying without satisfying” such rulings.
Russia won an early verdict in a UK court in London lawsuit that may force Ukraine to repay part of a defaulted $3 billion bond (and its interests).
Now, let’s think this scenario: Gazprom prepares the $2.56 billions as for the ruling of the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, but, before it can transfer them, the Russia government , or a Judge, “freezes” these assets, forbidding any delivery until the $3 billion bound, repayment,, with its interests is honored. This “sanction” is a sovrane right of the government of the Russian Federation and his judiciary bodies, and would leave Gazprom guilt-free to be unable to proceed to the payment.
As an example, it is normal during kidnappings in which bandits demand a big ransom to the family of the kidnapped, that the judges seize temporarily the assets of his family, to preventing to comply to the requeststs of the bandits.
Equally, this, or a similar, should be the way to proceed in such cases when international courts are all biased towards Russian entities.
I was sure this would be the result of the USA’s reliance on its’ so called “invincible” aircraft carrier groups. Other countries realized that their first priority in any war was to wipe out the air superiority whether it be by land or sea and that is what Russia has quietly achieved. In order to intimidate Russia, NATO and the United States have to use the Aircraft, Missiles and Naval Power, BUT with these new weapons those weapons are now all but neutralized and the end of the era of projecting power using aircraft carriers has come to a screeching halt. Bombers are also obsolete too thanks to the S500 systems that can shoot down stealth aircraft.It is possible with Russia and China possessing those weapons all eleven aircraft carriers and support ships could be sunk in just the first hours of a conflict. The USA must get rid of the Warmongers in Washington and learn to live in peace or end up in a costly and devastating war which they might very well lose.
Dimitar Makedonski on March 02, 2018 · at 7:19 pm EST/EDT
Music to my ears!
PokeTheTruth on March 02, 2018 · at 9:40 pm EST/EDT
Every year, the Paris airshow showcases military and civilian aircraft to the world seeking buyers. Let the U.S. have their very own private showing of what is in store for them should they continue with their unbridled war mongering. I suggest that Russia provide a live demonstration of the capabilities of the hypersonic Kinzhal missile so there is no mistake about the veracity of President Putin’s speech; an unmistakable message of “walk the talk”.
Have a tugboat from Sevastopol tow an old ship in broad daylight with the words, “Speed Kills” written in big white letters on the outside of the grey painted hull. Bring it to within visual range of the U.S. Navy vessels that are sailing in the Black Sea but far enough away so as to pose no threat.
The old ship will surely be tracked by the U.S. warship’s radar. At an appropriate time, fire a Kinzhal at the old ship and destroy it. The velocity recorded on the radar plot of the Navy ships should remove all question about Russia’s missile technology. From Russia with love, to her “western partners”.
bernie on March 03, 2018 · at 12:41 am EST/EDT
bold but dangerous
stan on March 03, 2018 · at 2:42 am EST/EDT
This is massive.What could be the real time implications on the Western proxy war on Syrian people,especially in East Ghouta,deir zor and Idlib? Does it proclaim the end of sneak attacks,”accidents’ by the coalition on the SAA?
Ivica Repic on March 03, 2018 · at 2:45 am EST/EDT
Please,Saker, wrote an anlisis of these weapons and theirs implications on Russian army , and american power projecton ,regarding of them! PLEASE find a time to wrote this analisis!With best regards to You and all Saker community!
Victor on March 03, 2018 · at 4:48 am EST/EDT
One possible explanation as to why Putin made this extraordinary announcement at this time is that perhaps the main reason for Putin’s announcement about new weapons capability was that the West had finally gone too far and Putin wanted to assure them that Russia now has the capability to completely go around missile defenses (now or into the future) and destroy America. This was not a simple threat. It was the end of a very long path Russia had been pursuing since America backed out of the ABM Treaty in 2002. Russia tried to persuade the Americans not to do this – that it would lead to global destabilisation and an arms race. America did not listen and backed out anyway. (This was the root of what Putin was saying in his speech – “We Warned You, You Wouldn’t Listen – ‘Listen to Us Now!’ “)
For years afterward, Russia played a very patient geopolitical game holding off the West from outright confrontation (Syria and Ukraine) and war whilst they quietly built up their military from the disaster it was in 2002 and advanced new military technologies, both missile and electronic warfare weaponry. During this period of quiet development Putin avoided was at all costs to the displeasure of many who felt he was doing little more than showing the West that Russia was in reality weak.
Now, however, with this very timely announcement, Putin has declared that capable of destroying the West should they seek full warfare – that the West has nothing wither now or in the future that can stop its destructive force – that the West should now take the time to listen to Russia – that the time has come for negotiation, not threats of war they can no longer possibly win. This was not only a message for his people, but also pointed directly at the leaders of the West and their respective general populations who have lived under the illusion that the West is all-powerful and no one would dare face them down without disastrous consequences.
I think we will find Putin more aggressive in the future with this announcement. He no longer fears that his country will be destroyed without an unacceptably high cost on the part of the West. It puts him on an equal basis with he West in negotiations.
So the message is clear – time to talk. Time to listen.
theodor busch on March 03, 2018 · at 7:07 am EST/EDT
Victor,
Thanks for your comment – it says it all.
Whatever one might think about Putin, he’s certainly the greatest politician of our times.
Hopefully not the “last Zsar”.
Excellent synopsis of Russia’s political motivation for the last 15 and more years. I’ve said repeatedly that Russia does not want war and if war was shoved upon her she was not ready for war.
I have watched, sometimes up close, the steady advancement of Russian Armed Forces improvement and modernization. I have watched a not demoralized but not a really happy military transition in the last six years in particular to a very patriotic and willing force that was being modernized at a breakneck pace and I have watched the morale of the forces increase exponentially. This morale is not of the ‘we can whip anybody anywhere any time’ sort, it is more of a quiet and grim ‘we will fight if we have to’ thing and is combined with an ever more intense loyalty to the individual units and Mother Russia. In other words, President Putin has given the Russian Armed Forces their pride back and they know this.
The first inklings of this about face was in early 2014 when the first information us/nato had of Russian forces on the move in Krimea and literally scores of Russian helicopters all over Krim and Sevastopol was through social media reports. Not a sound was heard by west assets until the choppers were in Krim airspace, the landing ships were grounding at Kerch and the Antonovs were landing at Simferopol Aerodrome. That in and of itself was quiet a feat and was a harbinger of things to come.
The second warning was when the Cook got totally shut down in the Black Sea some distance off the west Krimea coast. The third warning was when the little river boats of the Caspian Sea delivered a massive strike of Kalibr missiles against Brand X in Syria.
Now, President Putin has delivered the fourth and final warning to us/nato/eu regimes. It remains to be seen how these regimes will react but I would be willing to bet the farm that the lights are burning late and bright in Foggy Bottom, Five Points, Berlin, Paris and London and in all probability the nether regions tightness factor in those entities is off the dial. It’s going to be an interesting year and methinks that is a vast understatement.
First, the USA will only ‘talk’ as a last resort, they preferring aggression and genocide every time, and even if forced to do so, their ‘word’ is worth NOTHING.
LindaI on March 03, 2018 · at 5:28 am EST/EDT
Is there any detailed information (universally available) verifying these new weapons tests??? I don’t trust any super power nation…not Russia, nor our own USA to tell us the truth.
How do the Russian weapons compare to the US versions?
infographic by The Valdai Club
It seems that Russia is in fact only responding to US longstanding projects, such as from DARPA. How many of the MSM media picked up on this fact, (I suspect the figure is closer to 0).
Mikael H on March 03, 2018 · at 7:07 am EST/EDT
The delaying game from Russias side, like Minsk1, Minsk2, the agreement about WMD:s in Syria or whatever agreement, seems to pay off now. A delaying game it was to win time. If they now have such weapons like these announced the risk for the western countries (read: USA) have risen considerably if they have in mind to attck Russia.
Johnny on March 03, 2018 · at 7:15 am EST/EDT
Saker, please address these two questions:
1. Verifying these weapon systems are actually operable at the claimed specifications.
2. How is Russia able to deliver weapon systems orders of magnitude more cost effectively than the USA? It’s not as if there is no corruption in Russia.
Power unseen on March 03, 2018 · at 8:17 am EST/EDT
The West has torn up the treaties, moved up to Russias borders against promises not to do so, pointed missiles at it, and moved to a first- strike basis. Putin could not make the west listen to back off. So what will he conclude?
Robert Browne on March 03, 2018 · at 9:13 am EST/EDT
How stupid of USA to alienate, foul mouth, blackmail Russia. Just imagine if Hillary was elected it would be nuclear holocaust day. Trump is foolish allowing Looney Lefties to hold America to ransom. The Russian “investigation” needs to be nuked immediately.
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Very important speech of Vladimir Putin
37409 Views March 17, 2016 95 Comments Speeches, Statements and Interviews The Saker
At a meeting in the Kremlin’s St George Hall, Vladimir Putin presented state decorations to service personnel and defence industry specialists who distinguished themselves in the performance of special missions in the Syrian Arab Republic. More than 700 officers and men of the Aerospace Forces, the Ground Forces and the Navy attended the ceremony, along with representatives of the military-industrial complex.
[Note from the Saker: emphasis added by me, the Saker]
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Comrade officers, friends,
I would like to welcome you – all the service personnel who took part in the operation in Syria.
All of you – pilots, sailors, service personnel of control bodies, of special purpose units, intelligence, communication and procurement, military advisers – acted consistently and with precision.
Words of special gratitude go to the female service personnel. You serve alongside men, with persistence and dignity. Your choice in life brings you our deep respect.
Thank you all for your dedication to our Fatherland.
Russia is proud of you, of its soldiers and officers who protect the interests of their homeland with a great degree professionalism and courage.
Comrade officers,
You remember what the situation was like in September of 2015. Back then, a significant part of the country was seized by terrorist groups, and the situation was getting worse.
In full compliance with international law, at the request of the legitimate government and the country’s president, we made a decision to launch our military operation. From the very start, we were very clear about its goals: support of the Syrian army in its lawful struggle with terrorist groups. Our actions were also timed for the period of active assaults against the terrorists. We stated clearly that we did not intend to get involved in an internal Syrian conflict. Only the Syrians themselves should seek a final solution and decide their country’s future.
The main target of our operation was terrorism. The struggle against international terrorism is a fair and righteous cause. This is a struggle against enemies of civilisation, against those who bring barbarity and violence, trying to renounce the great spiritual, humanitarian values that the world rests on.
I would like to repeat that the main goal of our actions in Syria was to stop the global evil and not to let terrorism spread to Russia. And our country has demonstrated its unquestionable leadership, willpower and responsibility.
Regarding the results we have achieved. Your actions and intense combat effort turned the situation around. We did not let this terrorist tumour grow, destroyed the bandits’ hiding places and munitions depots and blocked oil smuggling routes that brought the terrorists their main funding.
We have done a huge amount of work to support the lawful Syrian authorities – this is what I spoke about when addressing the United Nations on the organisation’s 70th anniversary. We strengthened their armed forces, which are now capable of not only holding back the terrorists, but also of conducting assault operations against them. The Syrian army has gained the strategic initiative and continues clearing its land of terrorists.
The main thing is that we have created conditions for the start of a peaceful process. We have managed to achieve positive, constructive cooperation with the United States of America and a number of other countries, as well as with the responsible political forces within Syria that truly wish to stop the war and find the only possible political solution to the conflict. It was you, Russian soldiers who opened up the road to peace.
After the ceasefire agreement was reached between the opposition and government forces, the scope of work for our aviation units was significantly reduced. The number of sorties went down threefold from 60–80 to 20–30 a day.
This made the grouping we had created there excessive in the military sense. The decision to withdraw a significant part of our service personnel and equipment was coordinated with the President of Syria Bashar al-Assad, who was notified of our plans in advance and supported them.
I would like to add that in our joint statement, Russia and the United States stressed that the struggle against terrorist organisations, recognised as such by the UN, will continue. Meanwhile, the government troops in Syria will not conduct any action against the armed units of the Syrian opposition that indicated their commitment to a ceasefire.
At the same time, I would like to stress that any group violating the ceasefire will be taken off the list provided by the United States, with all the consequences that come with it.
In this connection, I would like to specify the tasks our service personnel remaining in the Syrian Republic will be working on.
I will repeat that the primary task is to monitor ceasefire and create conditions for a political internal dialogue in Syria.
Our bases in Syria are at Tartus and Khmeimim, the service personnel there are reliably protected from land, sea and air. All the components of the deployed air defence system, including close range Pantsir-F and long-range S-400 Triumph units will be on regular duty.
I would like to note that we have significantly restored the potential of the Syrian air defence forces as well. All the parties concerned have been made aware of this. We proceed from fundamental international norms – nobody has the right to violate the airspace of a sovereign country, Syria in this case.
We have created together with the American side an efficient mechanism to prevent air incidents, but all our partners have been warned that our air defence systems will be used against any target that we deem to be threatening Russian service personnel. I want to stress – any target.
We will of course continue to provide assistance to the lawful Syrian government. This assistance is comprehensive in nature and includes financial aid, supplies of equipment and arms, assistance in training and building Syrian armed forces, reconnaissance support and assistance to headquarters in planning operations. And finally, direct support, I mean, the use of our space force and strike and fighter aviation. The Russian forces that remain in Syria are enough to ensure this.
We will continue to assist the Syrian army and authorities in their fight against the so-called Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist groups that have been declared as such, as I have said, by the UN Security Council. Our uncompromising attitude to terrorism remains unchanged.
What will the balance of forces be like after the reduction of the Russian group? A balance would be ensured.
Moreover, I am certain that with our support and strengthening of the Syrian army, we will shortly see the patriotic forces there achieve success in their struggle against terrorism.
As you may know, fierce fighting is on around Palmyra and on the approaches to the city. I hope this treasure of the world civilisation, or whatever is left of it after the bandits got there, would be returned to the people of Syria and the whole world.
If necessary, of course, Russia will be able to enhance its group in the region in a matter of hours to a size required for a specific situation and to use all the options available.
We would not want to do that. Military escalation is not our choice. Therefore, we still count on the common sense of both sides, on the adherence by both the Syrian authorities and the opposition to a peaceful process.
In this connection, I would like to note the position of President Bashar al-Assad. We see his reserve, his sincere striving for peace, his readiness for compromise and dialogue. The very fact that we withdrew part of our military group there against the backdrop of negotiations on the Syrian settlement that started in Geneva is an important positive signal, and I am certain that all parties to the Syrian conflict will duly appreciate it.
We will work and make every effort in coordination with our partners to help establish peace in Syria, to rid the long-suffering people of Syria of the terrorist threat and help the Syrians restore their country.
You have proved that our army and navy are strong, modern and well equipped and our warriors are steadfast, well-trained and hardened, capable of resolving the most complicated large-scale tasks.
In the course of the anti-terrorist operation, you have performed more than 9,000 operational sorties. Mass strikes using high-precision Kalibr cruise missiles with a range of 1,500 km were dealt at terrorist facilities from our naval ships located in two seas – the Caspian and the Mediterranean, both from subsurface ships and a submarine. We are proud of the professional actions of our navy.
Our long-range strategic aviation has also done a good job. Thus, they used new air-based X-101 missiles with a range of about 4,500 km. And finally, over the short period in Syria, as I have said, we deployed a modern and efficient air defence system and developed cooperation between all the forces and resources and organised administrative support for the group. Our military transport aviation and Navy support vessels have done well too.
In other words, all the most important support issues, the organisation of our group in a remote combat area were resolved competently and in a timely manner, which again demonstrated the enhanced quality of Russia’s Armed Forces.
I would also like to thank representatives of the military-industrial complex: workers, engineers and designers. The latest Russian weaponry has passed the tests, and not at shooting ranges but in real combat. This is the best and the most serious test.
This experience will make it possible to introduce necessary changes, to improve the efficiency and reliability of the equipment, to create new generation weaponry, and to improve the Armed Forces and enhance their combat capability. Life itself has shown that they are a reliable guarantee of our country’s security.
We should bear in mind the threats that appear when we do not do things on time; we should remember the lessons of history, including the tragic events of the beginning of World War II and the Great Patriotic War, the price we paid for mistakes in military construction and planning and the shortage in new military equipment. Everything should be done on time, while weakness, neglect and omissions are always dangerous.
The military operation in Syria certainly required certain funds, however the main part of the funding came from the Defence Ministry, their resources. Some 33 billion rubles were earmarked in the Ministry’s 2015 budget for military exercises. We simply retargeted these funds to support our group in Syria, and there is hardly a better way of training and perfecting combat skills than under real combat conditions. In this sense, it is better to use motor operating time and combat stock in combat than at a testing range. You, professionals, know this better than anyone else.
Obviously, additional funds will be required to restock our arsenals, equipment and ammunition, including repairs of the equipment that was used in Syria. I am sure these costs are reasonable and necessary, because this was a chance to test everything in combat, find faults and rectify them. These costs help enhance our country’s defence capability and resolve strategic and current tasks to ensure Russia’s security. We need to do it now, to avoid paying a much higher price later.
That price is high, and I am not talking about money now. Here in this hall are Yelena Peshkova, Valentina Cheremisina, Irina Pozynich and Yulia Zhuravleva – widows of our comrade officers who died fighting terrorists. I know that for their families and friends, the loss of Oleg, Ivan, Alexander and Fedor is irreparable. We all take this as our own loss. That is why I used your husbands’, fathers’ and sons’ first names. I spoke not as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief or President, but as a grateful citizen of Russia who grieves over this loss. We will remember their courage and chivalry; we will remember them as real men and courageous warriors.
The large-scale operation in Syria went on for more than 5 months in a complicated region, far from Russia, and you have done your duty with honour by protecting the security of your country and your people at faraway frontiers. The tasks you were set have been generally met, troops are returning to their regular deployment locations, returning home, to Russia.
I would like to note here, for this audience and for the entire country: Russia’s main agenda today is that of peace. It has to do with developing the economy in complicated conditions, with maintaining and improving the wellbeing of our people. However, without ensuring our security, without creating a battle-ready, modern and efficient Army and Navy we would not resolve a single task. Moreover, the very existence of a sovereign and independent Russia would not be possible without it.
It is very symbolic that we are honouring you in the legendary St George hall that holds the history of Russia’s military glory along with the names of its great sons. Everything here is filled with the victorious spirit of Russian warriors. Our officers and men have demonstrated yet again that they are courageous, noble, strong-willed warriors, true to their Fatherland
Thank you for your service. I thank all the participants of the military operation in Syria. Thank you.
Allow me now to move on to the presentation of state decorations. I will not be able to present them all today. I will present them to some of you; however, I assure you that we know how each one of you did your duty.
source: http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/51526
Purple Library Guy on March 17, 2016 · at 8:15 pm EST/EDT
I’ve always thought this operation had as one of its aspects “Pretty good opportunity for training and weapons testing”, so I’m interested to see Putin confirming that angle.
Hank Rearden on March 18, 2016 · at 2:31 pm EST/EDT
Why are more not understanding/seeing the pieces of this geopolitical puzzle?
The US was able to capture its central bank to crush crude prices over the past 18 months.
This is a huge story, but nobody is reporting it…
http://www.onlypricesmatter.com/2016/03/17/how-the-fed-abdicated-its-independence-to-white-house-geopolitical-strategy-on-russia-nearly-two-years/
You talk as if you expect the central bank to be some independent, apolitical institution acting for the good of the economy at large. It isn’t and never has been, it’s run by the big financial institutions both de facto and, actually, pretty much de jure. The big players controlling the central bank are the same as the big players with the most clout in the US government. The whole concept of central bank “independence” is largely a defence against the possibility that an elected government might get tempted to take some measures tinged with actual democracy or nationalism rather than obeying the same financial interests running the central banks. But that has not been a problem in the United States for decades, so what would be a surprise is if the two were not working together.
The real story on central banks is that the central banks of other countries and the EU also tend to work for US/transnational financial interests rather than their own people, governments, or even national economies–and the Russian central bank, near as I can make out, remains a typical example.
know the truth on March 17, 2016 · at 8:37 pm EST/EDT
To all the doom and gloomers who just a few days ago were all reacting negatively to the news of the partial Russian pullout I say, a little more faith people.
This is simple common sense. Russia simply cannot afford to have a Syria taken over by the west’s blood thirsty jihadi mercenaries, end of. To do so would leave Russia’s underbelly wide open to these satanic scum and there is no way that president Putin would sit back and allow that to happen. Now having said that however I do unfortunately believe he will eventually be forced into redeploying his forces in full back to Syria as he is not dealing with sane, rational people. Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first drive insane and the gods have driven the neocons insane, so yes, they are going to keep pushing this thing in whatever way they are able until they make a serious miscalculation and cross a red line. I do sometimes wonder if the recent announcement by the Kurds about establishing a federalized autonomous zone might not have America’s hand behind it.
And for everyone who was under the impression that horse face Kerry was somehow the “peacemaker” for the Syrian conflict they can think again. It turns out Kerry was the one who has been pushing all along for cruise missile strikes against the Assad government and Obomber wouldn’t play ball. An interesting read, the article can be read in the link below :
RR on March 18, 2016 · at 1:51 pm EST/EDT
This withdrawal is a big set up for the West. If Russia has to go in again they will go in big and the whole world will know who has right on their side. It will not be the West or any of their proxies. As to any argument about Russia being able to mount sufficient forces to match NATO and in sufficient time-I think that question has been answered as well.
Grieved on March 17, 2016 · at 8:54 pm EST/EDT
A perfect analysis of the situation – the best I’ve read anywhere – and from a highly placed official ;)
Tread softly and carry a big stick. Also, speak nobly, because noble words come naturally to you, and because your nation and the people who served it deserved the very best words you could find.
Ah, President Putin.
Katherine on March 18, 2016 · at 1:46 am EST/EDT
Is there a video showing the hall? And the speech?
And the faces of the people there?
I would like to watch that.
mjm on March 18, 2016 · at 7:48 am EST/EDT
Yes, Go here:
You can download text in Russian or English, and you can download the video. There are also photos. Enjoy.
Steve on March 18, 2016 · at 3:52 pm EST/EDT
@ mjm
Thank you! The video you linked was most interesting, and the photos are simply beautiful!
Katherine on March 18, 2016 · at 7:04 pm EST/EDT
Re: Go here:
I don’t see any link.
Don’t know what happened to the link, but this is the address:
http://en.kremlin.ru/
LIVE: President Putin awards Russian army personnel for special operations in Syria – ENGLISH
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF6uPqdMJ8E
Starts at 21:20 until 26:50 – awarding the Flag of honor to the Space forces. It was interesting to see a ballet with a flag. It folded perfectly.
It starts again at 36:15 with a speech of Putin. At 56 min Putin starts presenting the awards.
Photos are here
@ Steve, you made me laugh at loud.
Thanks for the link to the photos. Very nice.
Unfortunately, from the video link I get is a RUPTLY screen that says “Live event will start soon” and a whistling noise.
I have tried to get to the video via various searches but they all seem to end up at the “Live whistlining event.”
Is there a Russian veriosn? I see nothing at the Kremlin site —under videos it is not there.
I’ll try the Russian Kremlin site. Surely it is there.
Bessarab on March 19, 2016 · at 3:17 pm EST/EDT
got it via u-tube scrolling forwards ; look at bottom pics until you see our Commander in Chief. Beeping stops . : How honourable – yet how demure , rightfully honouring the honourable valiant
men and women ! I stand straight ! Wept when V.V.P. handed St. George flag of Honour to the
victorious Airspace Forces. My grandfather received the Zar’s St. George Cross II. degree in WWI
for holding a bridgehead near his Bessarabia against the Austrian “Holy” Roman Imperialist robbers and being severely wounded as the last “survivor”. Familiy did such like against the Ottomaniac imperialists and slave traders for 2-3 hundred years to regain the old South Russia > Novorossia<
(malaya Rossia / Little Russia – an endearing term ) until regaining Bessarabia (Moldawia) -officially in 1812 and rewarded with vast lands , when with Hitler's help the Bolsheviks occupied it in 1940
after the Rothschild Versailles "allies" had, after 3 months of independence (1919-20) after the red colour revolution run by Goldman &Sachs, Morgan bank… annexed it to Romania, resulting in the ethnic cleansing of aforementioned grandfather Vassilij Hyermolayewitsch (1938 – one year before the attack on Poland ) and their then allegiance under fascist dictator Antonescu to Hitler's operation Barbarossa . It failed because of the Russian People and their SPIRIT, sorry this is not permitted by the blog puritan moralistic fascist Fuehrer, so s p i r i t ! And Stalin in desperation allowing an Icon of the holy Mother of God, Maria. being flown all over besieged Moskow . SHE (allow this veneration please) and the Siberian shock troops saved Moskau and Russia and the Nazis turned south under great losses.
We shall be back home !!!
Russia shall be ONE again !!!
From the Bering Straight to the river Pruth !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oriane on March 26, 2016 · at 2:05 am EST/EDT
pictures on getty images
Well, nothing plays. Even on the Russian Kremlin website, the video does not play.
E.g., here:
http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/51525/videos
This is a correct video. Just move a slider to 21 minutes and 20 seconds when the broadcast begins. The first ceremony is about 5 minutes long. Then start watching again at 36 minutes and 15 seconds for the speech and presenting the awards.
I slid the slider, bearing those numbers in mind, but it still didn’t play. It was likre a still of an exterior shot of the Kremlin.
Also the video at the Kremlin site didn’t play. It just kept returning to the page with the video pane on it.
Jana on March 18, 2016 · at 11:52 pm EST/EDT
@Katherine
Please try this video by RT. Putin’s speech starts at 16:12.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag2R_tKs2vg
Yay! Thank you, Jana!
THat worked.
And it was very interesting to get a chance to see faces close up.
And what a venue, too.
All in all, very, very impressive. And a very good show in the sense of showing a very serious adversary, and do you really want to mess with these folks? I really can’t imagine what an analogous event in the USA would look like. A media free-for-all, no doubt.
“… I would like to note the position of President Bashar al-Assad. We see his reserve, his sincere striving for peace, his readiness for compromise and dialogue. The very fact that we withdrew part of our military group there against the backdrop of negotiations on the Syrian settlement that started in Geneva is an important positive signal, and I am certain that all parties to the Syrian conflict will duly appreciate it.
We will work and make every effort in coordination with our partners to help establish peace in Syria …”
This might be the key part of the speech.
Within the last couple of days I read that Assad made public his intention to fight the military insurrection in Syria to the very end, and that the Russian envoy to the UN Vitaly Churkin, in a TV interview, essentially rebuked that statement. Churkin is a career diplomat who never says something unless instructed.
Against that background, doesn’t the above passage sound pointed at Assad?…
No matter how one spins it, Assad does have a good reason to be sore.
SanctuaryOne on March 18, 2016 · at 3:31 am EST/EDT
Confusing the West is a strategy in itself so it might have been part of the script. It has worked well so far.
Depending on who exactly Assad was referring to in the ‘fight to the end’ statement it isn’t necessarily incompatible with Russia’s strategy either. Russia isn’t exactly leaving if they can, as stated, resume hostilities within a few hours and Assad might have felt obliged to communicate to his enemies his own resolve just in case they had any doubts.
Moderate and extreme head-choppers take note and also their sponsors east and west.
Peter AU on March 18, 2016 · at 3:56 am EST/EDT
@ SancturyOne
Your comment reminded me of an Assad speech I read a month or so ago. I think the speech was from some time earlier in the conflict, but one point he made clear was that the real enemy was not the Syrian people that were fighting against the government, but those who instigated the war.
Sorry, no idea where I run onto now to be able to dig up a link.
I heard the same speech earlier from him -and, yes, how true.
It is truly unfortunate that most people will never understand that, so thick is the dam of lies holding back truth.
Anon on March 20, 2016 · at 9:30 am EST/EDT
Quote “those who instigated the war “.
As French ex foreign minister Dumas testified it was in 2009 that the britisgh plotted syrian war and ordered their slave saudi arabia to give money yo sunni mudlim terrrorisrts to wage war on syrian government and people ”
So the englisgh nation will have to be sorted out and that too soon.
pedrofalls on March 27, 2016 · at 9:10 pm EST/EDT
SanctuaryOne
I like your post, and also got a little giggle out off the idea of moderate headchoppers. Thanks!
Emmanuel Goldstein on March 17, 2016 · at 9:24 pm EST/EDT
…..and this is why he is one of the most fascinating leaders of modern times. You can have no more erudite analysis than this. This is not a speech full of vacuous soundbites, this is clear headed logic and elegant prose. The contrast between this and the moronic muppets of the west could not be more stark. Putin commands the legal and moral high ground and shows up his adversaries for the dark, evil ratpack they really are. Classic stuff….we live ininteresting times……
denfer on March 17, 2016 · at 9:37 pm EST/EDT
Great speech by a Great Statesman. I choked while reading how President Putin mentioned the first names of the ‘fallen’ heroes and he did it gracefully and gallantly in a very personal way . He did not forget to praise every single individual who has contributed to this great achievement.
What a noble leader. My lasting esteem to you Sir !
Peter AU on March 17, 2016 · at 9:41 pm EST/EDT
Not long before Saker posted this article, I happened to read Putins speech from 2014 Valdai International Discussion Club at ClubOrlov site. There was a number of points at the beginning to sum up what was thought to be the main points of the speech at the time.
A couple of the points…
“6. Russia will not attempt to reformat the world in her own image, but neither will she allow anyone to reformat her in their image. Russia will not close herself off from the world, but anyone who tries to close her off from the world will be sure to reap a whirlwind.”
“8. Russia does not intend to take an active role in thwarting those who are still attempting to construct their New World Order—until their efforts start to impinge on Russia’s key interests. Russia would prefer to stand by and watch them give themselves as many lumps as their poor heads can take. But those who manage to drag Russia into this process, through disregard for her interests, will be taught the true meaning of pain.”
I think the US camp in Syria just had a little whirlwind appear out of nowhere, destroy their tents so they had nowhere to hide, throw everything in disarray, then disappear again.
EU and Turkey just starting to feel pain?
DavidKNZ on March 17, 2016 · at 9:48 pm EST/EDT
What a magnificent speech from a visionary leader
” I would like to note here, for this audience and for the entire country: Russia’s main agenda today is that of peace. It has to do with developing the economy in complicated conditions, with maintaining and improving the wellbeing of our people. ”
Would that western leaders read, comprehend and respect the leadership that VVP demonstrates
zweistein on March 18, 2016 · at 9:41 am EST/EDT
” Would that western leaders read, comprehend and respect the leadership that VVP demonstrates”
What ‘Western leaders’ will notice first when watching Putin walk, talk and act is that they are not leaders at all, none of them, but just pizza delivery boys for the mafia of the Oligarchs. What a miserable way to waste one’s life!
“with maintaining and improving the wellbeing of our people.”
Especially for the approx 14,000 individuals at the top of Russian society whose increasing wealth, under Putin, has vastly outstripped the other 140 million of “our people”.
If Thatcher were still alive she’d just love this guy.
Ted on March 18, 2016 · at 7:12 pm EST/EDT
Yeah, you’re right. Since this Russia bathtub isn’t perfect, it’s obvious that the baby (Putin) needs to be thrown out with the bathwater, because a few of the other bathers have too many of the rubber duckies.
Thatcher? She’d sell the whole tub to non-Russians.
Some baby – he’s been in charge during the whole period of this http://www.gks.ru/bgd/regl/b14_12/IssWWW.exe/stg/d01/07-01.htm
“Coefficient of funds (coefficient differentiation of income)10), in times”
Throw him out? have him shot along with Blair etal on the same podium (and as Thatcher should have been).
Good luck with that one, Anonymous at 9:09 pm.
I don’t think Russia is returning to communism and firing squads any time soon. Someone already put that one over on them. They are over it. You’re not, that’s very clear.
Thanks for providing a live example of a red diaper baby living in the past, jealous of all other babies who have moved out of that past.
Ted, you’d be on the podium along with your chums.
Ted on March 21, 2016 · at 1:53 am EST/EDT
In your homicidal dreams, Anonymous at 2:57 pm.
Your spirit is not very appealing. Vengeance, threats, jealousy. It’s all fear based nonsense. Keep working on it. If the moderator is going to continue to publish your death threats, I really don’t care. It gives people a clinical example to briefly study and be able to better deal with when they run into that not uncommon psychosis again.
By the way, I don’t mind most of the communists here at all. But it seems like I nailed it with the “red diaper baby” hypothesis. And you been seeing blood red ever since. Try a cool shower.
Outlaw Historian on March 17, 2016 · at 9:57 pm EST/EDT
I’m rather surprised the following wasn’t bolded too:
“Russia’s main agenda today is that of peace. It has to do with developing the economy in complicated conditions, with maintaining and improving the wellbeing of our people. However, without ensuring our security, without creating a battle-ready, modern and efficient Army and Navy we would not resolve a single task. Moreover, the very existence of a sovereign and independent Russia would not be possible without it.”
That stands in very sharp contrast to the Vision 2020 agenda of the Outlaw US Empire–Full Spectrum Domination of planet and its people. So again two vastly different ideologies separate the planet’s people: Those who want Peace versus those who want to continue Waging War. This is how the current hybrid World War ought to be framed–Peace and Freedom versus war and Slavery–those allied with the SCO, BRICS, CSTO, and Eurasian Economic Union versus the Outlaw US Empire and its vassals: Multipolarity and Rule of Law versus Unipolarity and Rule of Force. I see the distinction pretty sharply.
Uncle Bob 1 on March 17, 2016 · at 10:29 pm EST/EDT
In the entire speech great speech it was these words that I most valued:
Very appropriate words from a great leader.
Agree, my faves too.
Simply . . . humane, and grave.
BTW, my Moscow contact told me of how VVP honored his aged mother every year on her birthday (with personal card from the Kremlin and other stuff), who had served in the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War.
This is the part of the speech I would most like to see on video.
If I could find a working link.
“with personal card from the Kremlin”
How is that “personal” – it sounds like one of those creepy letters the Queen sends to “her subjects” if/when they reach 100.
SuzanneMajo De Kuyper on March 17, 2016 · at 11:23 pm EST/EDT
I had tears at the open and generous appreciation of President Putin for what his Russian soldiers accomplished. He reacts to them as his men, he, Russia’s global representative, and hardworking leader, his hand on every pulse. Then I was reminded how the United States addressed it’s soldiers during the illegal Iraq war, started with a set of Governments lies.How the caskets of dead US soldiers, each covered with a flag, were never to be either counted nor photographed. How the UK singly mourned each of their soldiers died, the US never did. The difference in how the soldiers are treated as things, versus as each single, vital humans, reverberates down centuries in the identity and validity (or lack of it) of that state.
Today RT.com news showed videos of the child soldiers who were trained to kill by ISIS, killing prisoners, thereby replacing the millions of the be-headers the Russian/Kurdish/Iranian forces killed.
The same day Brussels decided to give in to all ISIS owned Turkey extortion demands, giving up the identity of all Europe as it never mattered anyway. Soon the enormous second wave of desperate carefully mismanaged refugees will stream though Europe…..trapping Europe finally wth the third wave. An Europe unable to escape the be-headers is being set up by Brussels itself.
Internal Exile USA on March 18, 2016 · at 2:11 am EST/EDT
Great comments Outlaw, Bob, Suzanne. Can you imagine the Imperial Great Leader (/sarc) making a statement towards soldiers that would seem a) heartfelt b) real c) without teleprompters to swing one’s head from side to side? Every word about the military over here comes across as cronyism or totally phony. Here we throw the soldiers away, or give them meaningless, heartless thank unless they are Officer Class, who are apparently of another race entirely. Great stuff, thanks for the translation Herr Saker.
And we refer to our soldiers as ‘boots on the ground,’ I swear sometimes I’m embarrassed and ashamed. But still and all, U.S.A.!! U.S.A.! LOL
US Elder Woman on March 18, 2016 · at 4:24 am EST/EDT
Ms. de Kuyper, you’ve reminded me of the publications some years ago, when we learned US soldiers’ bodies from whichever war (?) weren’t inside those flag-draped coffins, their families attended fake funerals, and the remains had been dumped into landfills in whichever east coast state was on the menu at the time. Please pardon me for being a bit too vague; but it’s been a very long war, overloaded with lies, and you’ve reminded me of one more sick detail. Thank you.
RR on April 03, 2016 · at 9:22 pm EST/EDT
or others loaded with heroin.
PokeTheTruth on March 18, 2016 · at 12:19 am EST/EDT
I am continually in awe of this man,Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. He is not an ordinary politician, he is without any doubt, a person whose ideas, thoughts and actions come from a prescient mind that may in fact be influenced by whispers of divine inspiration.
President Putin is a multifaceted governmental leader, strategist, peacemaker and statesman whose decisions remind me of a wise tribal father who guides his people safely across the great river of the unknown to reach prosperous lands of economic opportunity. He communicates an inner strength and confidence that has no rival in the many interconnected nations of our world.
In Russia’s long history, Peter the Great enacted many positive reforms to push the country towards modernization (and some negative decisions with respect to the Russian Orthodox Church). If Putin continues to perform and achieve measurable results with respect to the national economy and international commerce, he should be accorded the title of, “Vladimir the Resolute” and acknowledged as one of the great men of the 21st century.
Stefan Ratkiewicz on March 18, 2016 · at 2:45 am EST/EDT
He is a modern day Bismarck. Yet there remains much to be ”done”.
T1 on March 18, 2016 · at 3:52 am EST/EDT
When a cup of coffee cost $10,000 consider it done.
“divine inspiration”
Good grief, the fan club is on overtime today.
mundanomaniac on March 18, 2016 · at 1:10 pm EST/EDT
The great German Poet Friedrich Hebbel, (Birthday today) wrote this thought in his diary: “as little as nature can produce apples and grapes out of the raw earth, but before has to grow trees etc., as little the people as people can produce great accomplishments but only great individuals. Thus, you gentlemen, levelists,
respect for kings, prophets, poets” … and sometimes presidents, I might add.
To look at Putins birth-chart and the present lights resonating with it is quite telling. E.g. Mars connected with Venus on his Moon: the classical union of the
penetrator with the defender in resonance with the receiver.
http://astromundanediary.blogspot.de/2016/03/its-eurasian-way-to-winn-by-retreat.html
There are those who compare the Syrian Campaign, very approximately, to the Red Victory against the Fascists at Stalingrad.
But unlike Stalingrad, which, even though it signaled the turning of the war, was followed by years of bitter fighting, the Russian draw-down signals an overture to the un-named state actor that motivated the Syrian proxy-war. An overture inviting peace and law.
Let us hope that state actor takes the deal…
Alexandra on March 18, 2016 · at 1:36 am EST/EDT
One can sense his love and pride for Mother Russia not only in this speech but all of them – no lies, no innuendoes, no platitudes. It tugs at the heart reading the names of the fallen and their bereaved. The operation in Syria encompassed diplomacy and S.V. Lavrov’s team also did a brilliant job.
Will the Western governments learn anything? Most certainly not. I just cannot wrap my head around the fact that the western so-called leaders are so dim. Or, are they truly that stupid? Neocons are evil (the devil wouldn’t want them in his domaine as they would be competition) and there is no other word to describe them, but the rest??????
know the truth on March 18, 2016 · at 7:13 am EST/EDT
“Or, are they really that stupid ?”.
Yes they are, they are intellectual midgets. They are stupid in a very specific way. After the collapse of the Soviet Union they really believed they had “won” a world war and there was no longer anyone to stop them. They have gotten so used over the last two decades to attacking and destroying defenceless countries they have started believing their own propaganda of “exceptionality” and are incredibly arrogant and full of hubris.
Dont forget one fact, western “leaders” are nothing but “fronts” for the real powers that pull the strings, these evil morons are nothing but glorified PR men who will be hard pushed to run a medium sized company by themselves without their army of “advisers” and “analysts”, in short they are nothing but plain thugs in suits, not one statesman amongst the whole lot. I do not find it surprising that president Putin and his team are able to run rings around the lot of them.
It is very comforting to read that Russia is not backing down At All against global terrorism . Fomented in large part from the West and her so-called allies.
Babushka in Oz on March 18, 2016 · at 2:23 am EST/EDT
Words of true Statesman.
Watched it live… the pride was palpable and yet so humble.
Amazing times we live in.
We did not let this terrorist tumour grow, destroyed the bandits’ hiding places and munitions depots and blocked oil smuggling routes that brought the terrorists their main funding….
The main thing is that we have created conditions for the start of a peaceful process. We have managed to achieve positive, constructive cooperation with the United States of America and a number of other countries……
Verami on March 18, 2016 · at 3:12 am EST/EDT
Which term is most commonly used by Russians when referring to Russia, is it “Motherland” or “Fatherland”?
I had thought that it would be Motherland.
Pavlo on March 18, 2016 · at 11:54 am EST/EDT
In russian language there is a word of its own: rodina
Bear Cavalryman on March 18, 2016 · at 12:34 pm EST/EDT
In Russian he has probably used the word “Отечество” (haven’t read the Russian version of the speech), which is has the same root as “Отец”, meaning ‘father’, thus ‘Fatherland’ translation. However, there’s also an idiom “Россия-матушка” or ‘Mother Russia’, so either Fatherland or Motherland are acceptable, depending, of course, on the word choice of the speaker.
verami on March 18, 2016 · at 10:16 pm EST/EDT
Ngoyo on March 18, 2016 · at 6:07 am EST/EDT
Well that clears up all the questions I had about this Putin move. Its also refreshing to see a leader who treats his people like adults and actually explains his actions to them. This stands in stark contrast to Western leaders who just shower their people with platitudes while refusing to explain the simplest decisions and actions.
Peter on March 18, 2016 · at 6:21 am EST/EDT
@denfer, Uncle Bob 1, SuzanneMajo De Kuyper, PokeTheTruth, Alexandra
Thanks for putting some of my thoughts into words. I get some sand or something in my eye when I try to.
Dom on March 18, 2016 · at 7:04 am EST/EDT
hestroy on March 18, 2016 · at 7:32 am EST/EDT
Great speech as usual. Long live to Mr. Putin, the real statesman and president of Russia. I’m proud to be a slav.
thanks for publishing speech
“Russian-American agreement on the coordination of efforts in combat operations on the territory of the Syrian republic prevent the risk of full-scale war, said the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill Thursday at a meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in the St. Daniel monastery. “We are pleased that began progress between the United States and the Russian Federation on the Syrian settlement. I consider it very important to reach an agreement on coordination between the coalition led by the United States and Russia. I believe that it has removed the danger of a major war, which could occur simply from a different kind incidents “- the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church said. Nearly 3,5 thousand Russians left the country to take part in the hostilities on the side of LIH, said deputy head of the main anti-extremism management MIA of Russia Vladimir Makarov:” according to our operational data, to participate in the fighting on areas of activity LIH, ie, Iraq, Syria and other Middle East countries drove 3 thousand. 417 Russians. Naturally, we will institute criminal proceedings, some of them have already served time, who returned against them. Every person is is registered ” .
http://www.anna-news.info/node/55063
a sign of the degenerate standards of the EU
“This statement was made head of the State Duma Security Committee Irina Spring. She offered to appeal to the parliaments of the UN member and require strict compliance with EU decisions of the Nuremberg Tribunal.
“Dear colleagues, we offer to prepare Russian parliamentary appeal to all national parliaments of the countries of the United Nations, the European Union to require strict compliance with decisions of the Nuremberg Tribunal and its own framework decision”, – said the deputy, speaking on desyatiminutke in the State Duma.
This statement was her reaction to the march of freedom of the Latvian legionaries Waffen-SS in Riga: “Freedom, which gave the world the Soviet soldier in the bloody fight against fascism, now crushed and turned to the glorification of Nazi criminals,” – said the MP in a statement.
The Nuremberg Tribunal gave a clear assessment of the activities of the participants Waffen-SS: «Organization of the SS was even more active participant in the commission of war crimes against peace and humanity. Under the pretext of fighting guerrillas SS unit exterminated the Jews “- read a Spring laying open of materials Tribunal.
According to the parliamentarian, “In accordance with Article 26 of the Statute of the International Tribunal, a decision that made Nuremberg – this solution at all times, this decision can not be reviewed and challenged Consequently, any action aimed at the revision of this decision, and”. ” to justify acts of Nazi criminals by themselves constitute a crime. ”
Nuremberg Trials – international trial of former leaders of Nazi Germany. Held from 20 November 1945 to 1 October 1946 in the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg in Germany.”
So can we do the flag waving officially?
Human 2.0 on March 18, 2016 · at 10:06 am EST/EDT
Very impressive gathering.
The atmosphere in this magnificent white hall is oozing the spirit of united purpose and determination, in sync with the words and thoughts expressed by Vladimir Putin. He mentions the following right at the end of his speech:
It is very symbolic that we are honouring you in the legendary St George hall that holds the history of Russia’s military glory along with the names of its great sons.
During much of the speech the camera captures part of the flag displaying a rider on a white horse slaying a black dragon.
Neither a coincidence nor merely symbolic.
http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/51526
“magnificent white hall is oozing the spirit of united purpose and determination”
Yeah, great for some, but http://www.themoscowtimes.com/columns/1328/article/moscows-muslim-slums-now-breeding-grounds-for-despair/400345.html
Direct quoted first two paragraphs of linked article removed — mod-hs
Human 2.0 on March 18, 2016 · at 8:32 pm EST/EDT
The entire planet Earth is a breeding ground for despair thanks to the efforts of international banksters, corporate fascists and puppeteered politicians.
Of course, the international media are a vital asset in all this.
The ‘independent’ Moscow Times newspaper you’ve linked to happens to be founded by Derk Sauer from the Netherlands in 1992. In the aftermath of the soviet union decline he abandoned his little glossy/gossip empire in the Netherlands and moved to Russia where he set out to import some great ‘western’ values to Russia in the shape of glossies like Cosmopolitan and Playboy magazine.
He made and still is making a fortune in Russia, nonetheless, whenever he visits the Netherlands he eagerly appears as a ‘specialist’ in Dutch media spouting anti-Russian propaganda.
Maybe you ought to write a letter to the editor and ask Derk Sauer whether he is willing to relieve the suffering of the poor that live on his doorstep?
What about one to Putin – any better chance with that?
Human 2.0 on March 19, 2016 · at 1:53 am EST/EDT
Self-righteously linking to a stale article from 2010 published on a 5th column website may temporarily soothe your conscience, it wont aid the poor.
“it wont aid the poor”
Neither will your reply.
The real question you made zero attempt to address remains unanswered – will Putin’s Maggie Thatcher”esque” admin aid the poor?
Since you won’t answer (being one of the fan boy’s) I will – no he/they won’t.
On one measure (wealth disparity) “Russia” is the most corrupt state on earth with Putin (face value at least) right at the top.
The rider is Saint George, a patron saint of Russia, depicted as slaying the dragon.
anodinous on March 18, 2016 · at 1:12 pm EST/EDT
He should have added “and now we are open for business! Place your orders now!”
Geoff on March 18, 2016 · at 1:17 pm EST/EDT
Although I consider myself decidedly in the corner with Putin, Lavrov, and all peoples suffering the tyranny of the curent state of the world affairs, and particularly those suffering the horrible misfortune of destruction and its adjunct trajedies, I still feel that while there could be a political solution, that chances for that are very slim.
While I think the American culture is straining under its immaturity and continues a slow decay, nevertheless, older cultures, whether by choice, or the sheer impetus of world affairs, and the neccessity of oil to drive economies, is accelerating us all towards disaster, whether of total war of “all against all,” or the steady destruction of the environment that sustains us.
Regardless of the debate that rages around “global warming,” and whatever results from it, still it’s difficult to refute the disappearing ice caps, and the canaries dieing out world wide. And yet many or most of us commenting here, still participate whole heartedly in the onslaught, whether we drive hybrid automobiles or dispose of our plastics properly, whether out of convenience or neccessity. And while we rebel, our hypocricies are all plugged into the electrical systems powered by nuclear or some other form of unhealthy energy overuse. Nothing to avert that is being done by China or Russia, anymore than the USA. Pipelines continue to be built, nuclear power plants still melt down, and oil spills are destroying entire eco systems while we continue on in our affairs.
Of course, all of this could be averted in a short period of time if there existed any kind of will to do so. But from tptb, to us plebesites, really, “nothing can be done.” Blame it on god I suppose for having invented us all in our diversities, or nature, one or the other. We show no inclination to change business models which might affect our pocket books, or lifestyle habits which might be less comfortable. No one really knows, because no one seems to know what to do about it.
Regarding the process of war, all the major participants on all sides are just as astute in their waging of it, well maybe less so Breedlove and his ilk, because all parties have millenia of history to study, as well as better perfected arts related to conflict by countless philosophers, artists, etc. just as we have the internet to help us better comprehend our predicament and relative helplessness, and actually see before us “zeitgeist,” rather than comprehend it by inductive reason alone.
So, while I see Putin as wisely seeking peace, still, I hate to be a Cassandra and predict that while it advances slowly, human nature in this economic and environmental predicament, will at some point find it’s all out war. The way out grows smaller and smaller with each hour. I know we are all doing our best to avoid it.
Draw-down was, evidently, followed by a large incursion of bandits across from Turk to Syria – with a delay of maybe 12 hours. Most are now obliterated. Somebody, evidently, did not believe Comrade President! Now they know – he’s doesn’t kid around… He means what he says.
More evidence of American state sponsored terrorism to ISIL, which the vast majority of people of the United Snakes will no doubt try to lie and deny away:
Army General: Iran Has Evidence of Foreign Military Aid to ISIL
And Russia still wants to co-operate with these American state terrorists?
augusto on March 18, 2016 · at 3:01 pm EST/EDT
No duplicity, no hidden agendas, no salestalk.
What a dream to have one day in our countries an average mass of citizens like those russians and a leader like this!
All ar unreplaceble products of history, culture and survival-connected hardships all the way thru.
“an average mass of citizens like those russians”
The average of a Russian is exactly the same as the average of a Kalahari bushman etc.
The “common” man has practically zero impact on the policy of the “leaders” (aka the elite) who generally operate an agenda that favours their own interest.
There is zero reason to imagine why the Russian “leaders” are any different (better/worse) than any other leaders.
Leaders are generally psychopathic.
Sergey on March 18, 2016 · at 5:06 pm EST/EDT
Ambassador M.K. Bhadrakumar’s analysis of Iranian perspective of the Russian pullout from Syria: http://atimes.com/2016/03/iran-cool-on-russian-pullout-from-syria/
An interesting excerpt:
“… Tehran understands perfectly well that Putin is in some hurry to reach a settlement in Syria that projects Russia as a responsible player on the world stage and burnishes its credentials for partnership with Europe and the US. The bottom line for Putin will be the removal of western sanctions against Russia as quickly as possible. Moscow probably anticipates a much less accommodative attitude from the next US president.
Now, it remains to be seen how far Iran will accept any emergent Russian-American tandem to impose any solution on Syria. …”
ioan on March 18, 2016 · at 7:14 pm EST/EDT
Putin is the President of Russia with Divine approval and appointment.He is the right man for Russia and came at the right time in Russian history.It is not a coincidence or a political plot that took him to power.He,at that time,never dreamed to be the President of Russia but the Heavenly Powers did it,by influencing other peoples around Yeltsin.Even the date is interesting : 1999 December 31,on New Year’s eve.Remember the face of Boris Yeltsin when he appointed him as his successor,he was full of hope and radiating of joy as if he said “her is my New Year gift for you,Russia”That one also was a big surprise back then,and the surprises are continuing.Putin never shouts at someone,he is gentle with everybody,he is calm and restrained.He never speaks from above the horse,instead he descends to his counterpart.And yes,he speaks directly choosing the right words for everyone by case.Although he is the President of a huge country and the Supreme Commander of Russian Armed Forces,he feels himself as a simple man because he knows,there is God.
“with Divine approval and appointment”
What happened to all the quality commenters on this blog – are they out on a wave sometimeplace with blue?
PokeTheTruth on March 18, 2016 · at 11:07 pm EST/EDT
Yes, I agree. We are witnessing Russian history unfolding before our eyes.The ascension of a perceptive and prudent leader has emerged and taken the reigns of power to administer balanced justice for all his countrymen.
Many bloggers chide our admiration for President Putin and claim our praise for him is too sycophantic. We are sarcastically referred to as “fan boys” so to speak but that is not a fair assessment. We can see and read every week how carefully he reflects upon each action to not only realize the full spectrum of positive result but also analyzes what his inner council of military and economic advisers offer to him and the weight it carries in his final decision on various matters of State and international dialogue.
How many other presidents of nations past can you recall from the last century who have demonstrated such an eloquence and sincerity in his speech when he addresses a particular public? Not too many that I can recall.
Putin has made mistakes of course; he’s human. But clearly he demonstrates the throttle of control remains firmly in his grasp. He seeks not grandeur and pomposity, only the respect for Russia and her people and its participation in the larger demographic of world affairs. That is the mark of a great man.
Chris GG on March 18, 2016 · at 8:51 pm EST/EDT
Vladimir is a real noble man! And a great leader!
Honor to him!!
Why am I not a Russian ;-)
Gregory Manning on March 18, 2016 · at 11:48 pm EST/EDT
Superb! Absolutely superb!
Th Lion of the desert on March 19, 2016 · at 11:36 am EST/EDT
Well reasoned and comments that present a interesting views are welcome here. Vitrolic and hateful rants are not. Comment removed by mod-hs.
Luutzen on March 19, 2016 · at 1:50 pm EST/EDT
Russia’s pre-emptive Stalingrad: Syria.
Wayne Mickel on March 20, 2016 · at 1:50 am EST/EDT
I love this publication and what President Putin has said in this piece, I really hope the best for Russia and all the Balkan and Slavic countries, I suggest though that you rid yourselves of Zionist influence and keep helping each other it seems only a few countries in the region want to side with Russia, Poland has betrayed Russia after Russia saved them from the Nazis and Ukraine, Estonia Latvia but you are all brothers you should not go to the west it will fall and whoever sides with the west will fall with it, the EU is a failure and will never go forward again and neither will the USA. All the Slavic and Balkan natons should form a coalition and protect the North.
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The twilight within
The delicate twigs lying on the ground snapped under the enormous pressure riding over it. The dry leaves surrounding it were swept off the jungle floor and the swift wind gave a life to the dead leaves as it hovered above the ground for one last time. The Earth woke with a jolt and flexed its hidden energy outwards like the waves from a nuclear bomb radiating from its epicenter, wiping away everything in its path. The magnitude of the earthquake was so intense that it was guaranteed to put the seismograph inventor to shame. Thundershowers, not wanting to be left alone, eagerly joined the other partners in crime and unleashed a torrent of rain which was unheard of.
The marriage of all the forces of nature at their best would have been the greatest spectacle mankind has ever witnessed if anyone lived long enough to pass on the tale to the budding generation.
But nothing….nothing could deter the spirit of the youth whose threshold for challenge was far, far more than what nature could design. He ran and ran, making his own road in the jungle, almost immune to the events surrounding him. His entire body ached and took a beating of a lifetime and the more the minutes passed by, the more he resembled a soldier who was scarred in uncountable battles and ready to take on an entire army with just a spear. The only source of illumination was lightning in the form of irregular flashes to illustrate the ongoing havoc.The overhanging branches hit him like a whip but he brushed them all aside without the slightest of hesitation.
The enormity of his determination to push himself to such an extent puzzled him. He always thought he surrendered to fate in the early stages. But now, a superior power comprising of ambition, toughness and anger instructed every action of his life. He always knew he was different from the others but was unable to recognize his own strengths, his true inner self. For the first time in his life, he realized how strikingly similar he and the Earth were. Born with a fury to challenge the universe but later subdued by external factors, resulting in a massive cooldown condition. The energies, namely fury and passion were bundled up and weighed down by an anchor which slowly pulled it down into the deepest caves of the heart that is commonly termed as “The Core” in the case of the Earth.
The wisemen once rightly said – “You can be the master of man but you cannot be the master of his spirit”. There will be a day when the core will rocket itself upwards and refuse to sink in life again. “That day of my life has come” – he thought to himself as he plunged himself deeper into the jungle.
Up ahead, he noticed the cliff was about to come to an end with a deadly drop of unfathomable depth. The rest of the cliff continued after a separation of several hundreds of feet. The quake seemed to have realized his end was near and followed him at a distance of few inches away to end his death defying race. This sight was more than enough to wipe away the most remote form of hope from the bravest of knights.
With one swift look behind, a smirk formed on his face while he thought “You may have got me in the past, but not anymore”. The sight of the remaining few feet of land exploded the barrels of adrenaline within him and every inch of his body was invaded by the energy source like a dam breaking free and flooding every crack in its path. With a deafening shout that said “COME AND GET ME IF YOU DARE.”, he took a leap off the cliff.....
Posted by Rohit Mohan at 5:59 AM
Labels: leap of faith
pavithra April 25, 2009 at 8:03 AM
That was simply awesome rohit..great work..keep goin da..u'l reach great heights..hey ppl watch out for this guy,he is jus not ordinary:)
Rohit Mohan April 27, 2009 at 8:22 AM
Thank you for the lavish compliment Pavithra ;)You actually got to see the show before the premiere. Yet to publisize the blog
Amazing portrayal of intense emotions!!!! It surely makes the reader as excited as the author is while writing it:)
Real good work Rohit...
Rohit Mohan May 9, 2009 at 11:15 PM
Hey.. thanks Garima.Its good to know that you too belong to the reading community :)
neha May 12, 2009 at 11:17 AM
Hey Rohit ...great work. It's really inspiring. Keep up the good work...you sure will reach greatness.
Rohit Mohan May 13, 2009 at 10:01 PM
Thanks Neha.. Glad to know that you found it inspiring :)
Divya May 26, 2009 at 10:41 AM
Hey Rohit... Really intense writing.. Lot of energy.. positive aggression.. It throws up many facets of a person.. the journey.. and the endurement in that journey... Looking forward to read more blogs of yours.. :-)
sahana July 30, 2009 at 12:36 PM
wow rohit..wid the email sessions that i shared wid u during job's training..i really dint kno tat u were such a master of words..:)man..u ve given so much of life to those words..great work rohit..
Samyuktha December 8, 2009 at 11:39 AM
rohit like seriously I am amazed at the power of your words.. very enthralling and as rightly put by others inspiring too. I truly believe now, that you are meant to do something different..i am waiting for that.
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Wall Street Is Killing Dodd-Frank One Regulation at a Time
Thomas Hedges April 30, 2013
truthdig.com/center for study of responsive law
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce releaseda letter this month outlining the changes it would like to see made to the Dodd-Frank Act, whose full implementation has been delayed for almost three years now. The chamber’s Fix, Add, Replace (FAR) agenda to alter Dodd-Frank insists that Congress’ already compromised attempt to avoid another financial meltdown is too ambitious. The law is failing, the chamber says, because it aimed to tackle too much.
“Trying to eliminate all risks and risk taking will hinder our ability to fund new ideas, startups, and expansion in our Main Street economy,” chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue wrote on the group’s Free Enterprise website. “Reasonable risk taking drives innovation, jobs and growth.”
Shutterstock photo of a bill fragment with blood spots.
The FAR plan advises Congress to “establish checks and balances for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,” which means the chamber wants bipartisan leadership at a regulator the group fears could be headed by someone like Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren or former Commodity Futures Trading Commission head Brooksley Born, both of whom are critical of Wall Street.
The chamber also wants to weaken whistle-blower laws that it believes “undermine strong corporate compliance programs” and to “streamline regulators through consolidation,” in essence downsizing regulatory agencies and banning mandatory audit firm rotations—a measure that prevents auditors from getting too comfy with the companies they oversee.
Finally, the chamber’s agenda aims to put a stop to “disincentives for investment” like the Financial Transaction Tax and to overturn Dodd-Frank’s Volcker Rule, which limits the kind of speculation that led to the 2008 economic meltdown.
The FAR proposal is targeting the vestiges of Dodd-Frank, which was mostly gutted last year when Republicans passed nine separate bills that left the act toothless. Further weakening financial reform, Reps. Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan and Spencer Bachus as well as other Republicans in Congress struck down measures that would have required big banks to put money in a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation fund to be used for a bailout rather than relying on taxpayer money.
In addition to pushback from the chamber and legislators, Dodd-Frank’s rollout has been slowed by a team of lawyers headed by Eugene Scalia, son of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, so the attorneys have time to strike down the pillars of the act one by one. They forced lawmakers to redraw position limits, which regulate how much of the commodities market speculators can control, and delay the Volcker Rule’s implementation until 2014.
“I would hope the agencies are taking to heart the potential consequences for Dodd-Frank rules,” a threatening Eugene Scalia said of regulators in 2011 after winning a lawsuit that shot down the proxy rule, which would have made it easier for shareholders to nominate company directors and help prevent corruption and overpayment.
At one of those agencies, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, regulators have been “scared into making rules and regulations that are weak or ineffective,” Commissioner Bart Chilton said last year in reaction to the backlash, “because we are overly concerned about what we call ‘litigation risk.’ ”
But the most recent blow to Dodd-Frank, as if it hasn’t suffered enough, is the sequester, which will weaken most regulatory agencies. The FAR effort is evidence of a financial sector that is unwilling to accept the most minor reforms. Even more disconcerting is that nothing is being done to improve a system that allowed the biggest economic collapse since the Great Depression. If all the mechanisms are the same, we should expect another collapse.
Source: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/wall_street_is_killing_dodd-frank_one_regulation_at_a_time_20130430
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The Midnight Confessions Movie Show #14: "The 2015 Christmas Craptacular!"
Join the Midnight Confessions Crew as we talk over a clusterfuck of Christmas crap! Happy Holidays!
Hey, did you know we have a podcast? Because of course we do. Be sure to check out the Midnight Confessions Podcast...
Moronic Mark's Satan's Screener on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/moronicmark
Reverend Phantom's blog:
http://www.reverendphantom.com
Posted by Fred [The Wolf] at 7:05 PM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: 2015, Christmas, commentary, Midnight Confessions, Midnight Confessions Movie Show, Moronic Mark, Reverend Phantom, video, video review
When Wrestlers Act: 12 Rounds 3 - Lockdown (2015)
Stephen Reynolds
Jon “Dean Ambrose” Good - John Shaw
Roger Cross - Tyler Burke
Daniel Cudmore -Gideon
Lochlyn Munro - Darrow Smith
Ty Olsson - Harris
Sarah Smyth - Officer Jenny Taylor
Rebecca Marshall - Captain Matthews
Matthew Harrison - George Freemont
Genre - Action
Running Time - 90 Minutes
Months after his rookie partner was killed, Detective John Shaw (Dean Ambrose) returns to work. While his fellow officers treat him with disrespect out of blame, they worship his former partner Tyler Burke (Roger Cross), who just took down a criminal who tried to kill him. In reality though, Burke is the leader of a ring of dirty cops who murdered the criminal to stop him from incriminating him. Shaw discovers a flash drive with evidence that reveals every dirty thing Burke has done, making him Burke’s next target. With only 12 rounds in his pistol, Shaw must face Burke and his gang in order to clean up his unit and become the hero he’s meant to be.
I don’t know who was clamoring for more 12 ROUNDS films, but WWE Studios provided another one for us anyway. The first 12 ROUNDS was a pretty lame over-the-top flick with John Cena phoning it in before showing us real chops recently in this year’s TRAINWRECK. The sequel, 12 ROUNDS 2: RELOADED, with Randy Orton, was slightly better due to it being more grounded due to its lower budget. While really a sequel in name only, since it doesn’t follow the 12 round premise of the previous two films, 12 ROUNDS 3: LOCKDOWN still manages to be a decent action flick that tries to rip off DIE HARD but with a lower budget and less personality and charisma. It also happens to be the best 12 ROUNDS film, mainly due to Dean Ambrose being the best lead of the three wrestlers in this franchise.
Like I mentioned, LOCKDOWN is a DIE HARD/ UNDER SIEGE rip-off, but without much of the thrills or surprises those two films had that made them memorable. The script is pretty generic. Jon Shaw is a flawed, troubled hero who just wants to do his job well, but is caught up in a situation he didn’t plan on being involved with. The bad guys, besides Burke, are extremely one-dimensional goons who want to kill the hero in order to remain incognito. It’s pretty ridiculous that they are able to shut down the entire police department, with no one really batting an eye as to why. But I guess I wasn’t supposed to use my brain about that. At least Shaw and Burke are fleshed out enough to make the story work some of the time and make you care about the situation. Especially Burke, who should have been a one-note villain, but manages to present a lot of charisma and personality to carry the film on his shoulders. He’s no Hans Gruber, but he’s kind of an interesting character with easy-to-see motivations.
And compared to the other 12 ROUNDS films, not copying the DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE premise actually helps elevate the story a bit. The first two films felt a bit over-the-top and trapped by the “hero must play a game with the villain” deal. The third film is a bit more grounded due to its low budget, mainly taking place inside of a police station and having the hero spare his bullets (or 12 rounds) as he takes down the villains. The story makes a bit more sense here, even though there are several plot holes if you really look deep into it. Like Shaw getting pretty injured halfway, but pretty much no selling it by the end. Or why wouldn’t Shaw just upload whatever info was on the hard drive before the place was locked down? Sure we get a cool, tense scene later on about that, but it’s still kind of dumb. And that ending was really lame, I gotta say. I like twists and turns, but this film was trying to make a roller coaster jealous. But at least LOCKDOWN seems to want to be a good movie, unlike the previous two films that were more style than substance.
The direction by Stephen Reynolds has its moments, but it’s mainly a bland visual presentation. The action scenes are decently shot at times, but mainly focus on editing tricks and shaky cam that tend to take away from them rather than highlight them. There was maybe one scene that I felt Reynolds captured genuine tension, where Shaw is trying to upload the incriminating files into the internet cloud while he’s being chased. Other than that, the film looks good but there’s nothing really memorable about how it’s structured or visualized. I wish there was more energy in terms of the genre this film is a part of, but it’s not a bad looking film.
The acting is what you would expect out of a WWE Studios flick. Dean Ambrose doesn’t really get to show the acting chops he potentially has, as seen on WWE television. But he does well in his first acting, and lead, role handling the material well and being a more grounded persona compared to the bombastic John Cena and pretty bland and stoic Randy Orton. I would like to see Ambrose in a meatier role in his second go-around. The actor who really carries the film is Roger Cross as the villainous Burke. Probably best known for his role on 24, Cross fleshes out a one-note character and makes Burke interesting in a subtle way that I wasn’t expecting. He never hams it up, or portrays the role in a typical Bond villain fashion. He and Ambrose have some good chemistry with each other, and I bought the tension between them. Without Cross, I don’t think LOCKDOWN would have worked as surprisingly well as it does. It’s nice to see Daniel Cudmore [X-MEN’s Colossus] and genre actor Lochlyn Munro in decent roles. The acting is fine, but it won’t blow anyone away or anything.
THE FINAL HOWL
While no one asked for a third 12 ROUNDS movie, at least LOCKDOWN manages to be a surprisingly decent time for 90 minutes. While the story is a generic DIE HARD and UNDER SIEGE rip-off, it does the tropes as well as one would expect without insulting ones intelligence. I liked that it was a more grounded film compared to the over-the-top films that came before it. I liked that Dean Ambrose was a more interesting actor than John Cena and definitely Randy Orton. I thought Roger Cross carried the film well. And the 12 ROUNDS reference felt more realistic than the “let’s play a game” deal of the previous films. It’s not a film I would recommend in the slightest. But if you liked the other films in this franchise, or just a fan of the Lunatic Fringe, it may be worth a look. Probably one of the better WWE Studios films, but that’s not saying a whole lot.
2 Howls Outta 4
Labels: 2 Howls, 2015, action, d2dvd, Dean Ambrose, when wrestlers act, wwe films
Midnight Confessions Ep. 82: "Astron-6: Making exploitation fun again"
This week the MC Crew discuss two Astron-6 movies: MANBORG (2011) and THE EDITOR (2014).
WARNING: Due to the amounting of fan-boy gushing in this episode, protective clothing is recommended.
Labels: Astron-6, comedy, Episode 82, giallo, horror, Midnight Confessions, Moronic Mark, podcast, Reverend Phantom, robots, sci-fi, vampires
The Midnight Confessions Movie Show #13: "Hands of Steel (1986) aka Atomic Cyborg"
Join Rev. Phantom, Moronic Mark and I as we talk over HANDS OF STEEL aka ATOMIC CYBORG. This movie has it all: Cyborg assassins, sweaty truck drivers, John “Motherfuckin” Saxon, Dr. Butcher M.D., Garfield, shitty graphics, Hillbilly Jim, arm wraslin’, acid rain and tubes…lots and lots of tubes. Where do they go? What does it all mean? Why? WHY?
What IMDb says it's about: A cyborg is programmed to kill a scientist who holds the fate of mankind in his hands. He fails and hides in a diner in a desert run by a woman who likes him. The people who sent him are after him and so is the local arm wrestling champ. (Well shit. Is that what it was about?)
Labels: 80s, action, commentary, Midnight Confessions, Midnight Confessions Movie Show, Moronic Mark, Reverend Phantom, sci-fi, video, video review
Midnight Confessions Ep. 81: "Halloween Special II"
This week the MC crew take a look at NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (1988) and PRIMAL RAGE (1988). Plus Rev. Phantom, Moronic Mark and myself discuss our favorite scary music videos as well as our favorite scary movie moments.
Labels: 80s, bad animals, comedy, demons, Episode 81, horror, Italy, Midnight Confessions, Moronic Mark, podcast, Reverend Phantom, virus
[The Lair of the Unwanted] Deadly Friend (1986)
To honor the recent passing of horror legend Wes Craven, Jason and Nolahn welcome me to The Lair of the Unwanted to discuss DEADLY FRIEND, which features robots, Kristy Swanson, stolen dead bodies, drunk dads, and a crazy Anne Ramsey.
Then I play The Game of the Unwanted and see if I can enter the tournament to defend my crown as the winner of the very first Tournament of the Unwanted. Take a listen!
Upload Music Files - Podcast Hosting - #116: It's A Small Wonder
Posted by Fred [The Wolf] at 11:26 PM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: 80s, horror, Novel to Film, robots, sci-fi, The Lair of the Unwanted, wes craven, zombies
Midnight Confessions Ep. 80: "PROJECT 1981: Back to the Future"
Our Project 1981 series comes to an end this week, but we end on a high note. The MC Crew take a look two more 1981 horror gems: HELL NIGHT and THE PIT. Plus some nostalgic love for the show "Night Flight", which debuted in that same awesome year.
Labels: 80s, Episode 80, horror, killer kids, Midnight Confessions, monsters, Moronic Mark, Night Flight, podcast, Project 1981, Reverend Phantom, sci-fi, slasher
Midnight Confessions Ep. 79: "PROJECT 1981: The Kids Aren't Alright"
This week we continue our Project 1981 series with reviews of STRANGE BEHAVIOR aka DEAD KIDS (1981) and FEAR NO EVIL (1981). Plus a look at the classic album, "Killers" by Iron Maiden.
Labels: 80s, Episode 79, horror, killer kids, Midnight Confessions, Moronic Mark, podcast, Project 1981, Reverend Phantom, satanic, sci-fi, slasher
[Lunar Cycle] The Descent Part 2 (2009)/Werewolf: The Beast Among Us (2012)/Murder Party (2007)/The Houses October Built (2014)
This section of the blog is due to me being lazy, I mean swamped with watching so many films that I want to discuss on this blog. But I don't really have the time, so I decided to quickly [well as much as I can really] to review films I don't really want to focus too much time on. You'll be seeing these more often than not. Time for the reviews!
Jon Harris
Shauna Macdonald (Sarah Carter), Natalie Mendoza (Juno Kaplan), Krysten Cummings (Elen Rios), Gavan O'Herlihy (Sheriff Vaines), Anna Skellern (Cath), Joshua Dallas (Greg), Douglas Hodge (Dan), Michael J. Reynolds (Ed Oswald)
Genre - Horror/Monsters
After escaping the events of THE DESCENT [U.S. ending], Sarah Carter (Shauna Macdonald) is found near a mineshaft. As she recovers at the hospital, Sheriff Vaines (Gavan O'Herlihy) questions Sarah about the events inside of the cave and the location of her missing friends. However, Sarah has short-term amnesia, repressing what had occurred. Vaines and his deputy Elen Rios (Krysten Cummings) decide to hire a search and rescue team to find the others, insisting on bringing Sarah along to jog her memory to make the search easier.
Once inside of the cave, the party is attacked by the same cave dwellers that attacked Sarah and her friends. Now remembering everything, Sarah goes back into survival mode. Unfortunately, she finds out that her friend/rival Juno (Natalie Mendoza) is still alive - fighting in the dark and pissed off that Sarah had abandoned her.
2005's THE DESCENT is one of my favorite horror films of the 2000s. Neil Marshall created a tense, suspenseful, and creepy atmosphere while combining some fierce girl power among the great actresses, who gave audiences some fleshed out performances that turned THE DESCENT into a multi-layered horror flick. Unfortunately, American audiences were treated to a much happier ending than what Marshall had provided audiences overseas, which helped lead to this inevitable sequel.
Although Neil Marshall only executive produces and has given the directorial reins to editor Jon Harris, THE DESCENT PART 2 is surprisingly a very good sequel that faithfully continues the story, tone, and feel of the first film without much effort. The story is fairly the same as the first, just with different [and not as interesting] characters besides Sarah and Juno, who return from the previous movie. We get the same exploration of the cave, with the same tense beats and suspenseful scenes that Marshall had given to us in the 2005 film. We get to see the same locations, with flashbacks to the original film to show us what had happened there. It's very familiar, which is a bit of a flaw, as nothing new is really provided for us. But it's still told well and directed well by Harris, who visualizes this sequel in a way that you'd still believe Marshall may have come back and directed this.
I wish some of the subtext and tension between the five friends from the original was implanted here, as the tension between the characters here is more superficial than anything. But I dug the action, as the sequences are more violent and gorier than the previous film. That rat burrowing out of a dead person's mouth is just disgusting. We get some power drills to skills. We get some amputations. All looks great. And the acting from everyone involved, especially the returning Shauna Macdonald and Natalie Mendoza, was spot on and kept you invested in what you were seeing. And I thought the ending was messed up, but in a good predictable way.
THE DESCENT PART 2 may be an unnecessary sequel in every single way, as it doesn't really add much to the original. But it's still a competently directed and acted movie with a familiar story that fans of the original will automatically feel comfortable with. It's not a must see, but if you do watch THE DESCENT PART 2, you most likely won't be disappointed.
Ed Quinn (Charles), Guy Wilson (Daniel), Stephen Rea (Doc), Rachel DiPillo (Eva), Adam Croasdell (Stefan), Nia Peeples (Vadoma), Steven Bauer (Hyde)
Genre - Horror/Action/Werewolves/Vampires
In a European 19th century village, a werewolf is causing chaos within the town, killing many of its citizens. Charles (Ed Quinn) is a werewolf hunter, having been traumatized as a young boy when a werewolf killed his parents right in front of him. Leading a group of bounty hunters, Charles is hired to find the werewolf and stop it from hurting any more people. A young man, and a physician's assistant, named Daniel (Guy Wilson) wants to use what he learned from the corpses of the werewolf's victims to help Charles hunt down the werewolf. His mother (Nia Peeples) disapproves, however, worried for more than just Daniel's safety. Daniel's boss (Stephen Rea) is also very concerned about Daniel's plan. As the hunters find evidence and begin trying to trap the beast, they learn that the truth is not as it seems, making them realize that one of their own may be a werewolf.
WEREWOLF: THE BEAST AMONG US was intended to be the follow-up to 2010's Universal remake of 1941's THE WOLFMAN starring Benicio del Toro as the titular character. Unfortunately, THE WOLFMAN remake wasn't the big success Universal was hoping for, even if it was a decent retelling of the Lon Chaney original and/or the fact that Rick Baker actually won an Academy Award for his make-up effects. Maybe it's for the best that WEREWOLF isn't a direct sequel to THE WOLFMAN, since it's a pretty bland one at best.
WEREWOLF: THE BEAST AMONG US feels and looks like a SyFy Original on its Saturday night block. While the Romanian setting is inspired, it unfortunately looks pretty cheap. It also doesn't help that the actors are playing 19th century characters who speak and act as if they're from modern times. And if this is supposed to be Romania, why does the lead character speak with a typical American accent? It feels pretty disjointed. The mystery aspect of who the werewolf is becomes revealed fairly early in the film, making you wonder why bother. The added surprise element of a secondary villain is pretty cool, but it's revealed way too late and doesn't get enough of a spotlight to matter all that much. There's a decent love story though - I just wish I was a fan of the characters more to care. A lot of good elements are in play, but the execution is pretty poor unfortunately.
Director Louis Morneau, best known for CARNOSAUR 2 and THE HITCHER II: I'VE BEEN WAITING, doesn't add a whole lot of tension or interesting visual aspects that we haven't already seen before. The action sequences have okay choreography, and there's some decent gore - like amputations, beheadings, impalings, using silver teeth to bite the werewolf, etc. The CGI, while not great, isn't all that terrible either. But there's no real energy to the film, and the way things are shot at times make you wonder why Morneau would stage them so badly to lower their effectiveness. I've seen worse honestly, but this could have been a werewolf flick that should have been more fun than it was.
The acting isn't all that impressive either. Ed Quinn has the looks of a leading man, but he feels so out of place here as Charles. Guy Wilson is a bit over the top at times as Daniel. Nia Peeples just pouts the entire time, making me wonder if she had enjoyed her experience on set. Rachel DiPillo looks like a young Diane Franklin and nothing more. Stephen Rea [what the hell was he doing here?] is cashing a paycheck. At least Steven Bauer is trying to have fun, but he's barely in the film.
WEREWOLF: THE BEAST AMONG US wasn't going to be great shakes or anything. But man, I was hoping it would have entertained me more than it did. There was a lot of potential here that just went to the wayside. I think this would have made for a better television show than a full-length film. Nothing to go full moon crazy over.
1.5 Howls Outta 4
Jeremy Saulnier
Chris Sharp (Christopher S. Hawley), Macon Blair (Macon), Stacy Rock (Lexi), Skei Saulnier (Sky), Paul Goldblatt (Paul), William Lacey (Bill), Alex Barnett (Alexander), Bill Tangradi (Zycho)
Genre - Horror/Indie/Slasher/Comedy
It's Halloween, and a lonely nerd named Chris (Chris Sharp) randomly finds an invitation to a "Murder Party" on the sidewalk in his Brooklyn neighborhood. Realizing that he'd be spending Halloween alone with his cat, Chris creates a cardboard and aluminum foil Knight costume to go to the party. He finds the party to be held at a warehouse in a bad part of town, with five artsy people waiting for him. Attacking Chris and tying him up to a chair, our hero learns that these people are having a contest to see who could kill him in the most artistic way - the winner receiving a $300,000 grant from a pretentious prick named Alexander (Alex Barnett). As the group have sex, take drugs, and begin to turn on each other, Chris tries to find a way to escape and save himself before this Halloween is his last.
I had heard so many good things about 2007's MURDER PARTY, I was wondering if all the positive hype would ruin my enjoyment of the film. Luckily for me though, I had a blast watching this indie flick. Being from Brooklyn, I loved the setting and recognized some of the locations. I think it gave MURDER PARTY a lot of personality. The characters may be a bit quirky for some, but I loved them. I know artsy people like this in real life. Sure, they may not be murderers. But they need to tear each other down to feel better about themselves, or take drugs in order to gain inspiration for their art. The characters, while a bit over the top, still felt realistic in this world and I thought they all added something to the story. Alexander, in particular, is probably the best character in MURDER PARTY only because he's so shamelessly douchey, it's a thrill to watch. The fact they want to murder an innocent man just for grant money for their respective arts project isn't probably as far-fetched as many would think, but it amused me anyway. I actually thought the concept was very clever and almost original, using a lack of budget in the best and most effective way possible. Keeping it simple - that's how you do it.
Yes, the middle portion may have a bit more dialogue and not enough action for its own good. But I thought the "Truth or Dare" scene was very well done, and revealed a lot about the characters and their feelings towards each other - which in turn led to the events in the final act. Are they deep characters? Are they likable? Not in the slightest. And that'll turn some people off. But I couldn't help but laugh at their behavior and how insane they all are. Even Chris, who decided that going to a "Murder Party" was a great idea. Low-budget films should concentrate on making the narrative as interesting as possible to compensate for other aspects. I think MURDER PARTY does that very well.
Speaking of which, the make-up and gore effects aren't that badly done. And the direction isn't the most dynamic, but I loved the entire final chase scene, which concluded with a murder set-piece that did resemble some art, which was a nice touch. The actors are all better than decent, although I found Alex Barnett to be the best one as the quirky and strange Alexander. They came across as real people, despite their eccentricities - which was nice.
MURDER PARTY is a film I'm glad I finally came around to watching. It's an indie horror film done right - interesting characters, decent SFX, good acting, and inspired direction that brought a smile on my face. Maybe the whole Brooklyn hipster artsy film hit closer to home for me than it would for others, but I dug the hell out of MURDER PARTY and will continue to be a Halloween movie I will watch for years to come.
Bobby Roe
Brandy Schaefer - Brandy
Zack Andrews - Zack
Bobby Roe - Bobby
Mikey Roe - Mikey
Jeff Larson - Jeff
Genre - Horror/Found Footage
Five friends in an RV decide to travel across Texas to visit and film various Halloween haunts, hoping to find the most extreme one. They also want to get into depth into the workers behind the haunts, wanting to find evidence that some of them are actually convicted criminals who use actual body parts as part of the attractions. Eventually, they learn of The Blue Skeleton - supposedly the most extreme haunt in Louisiana. But along the way, they're stopped and followed by clowns who don't seem to want to bring joy for the group.
THE HOUSES OCTOBER BUILT was a film I heard a lot about last year - a film I wanted to see, but was dealing with personal issues at the time that unfortunately occupied my movie time. But I made it a mission to watch it this year, hoping it would be a found footage horror movie done more right than wrong. Unfortunately, I was massively disappointed by this film.
THE HOUSES OCTOBER BUILT plays out as a mix of found footage following the main characters with actual documentary footage interviewing certain people and showing news clips about these haunts. I think the concept of investigating haunts and trying to see if the people running these shows are criminals is an interesting one that would have worked a lot better if it were taken more seriously in another film. The grainy interview scenes work because they feel legit. But others, where certain workers don't want cameras around, or mess with the group, feel too fake for me to really become invested in them. I know the film isn't real, but a found footage film should FEEL real. And that's where THE HOUSES OCTOBER BUILT fails - it's just typical and generic, never really building upon its premise in an innovative or scary way.
It doesn't help that the film never gets rolling until the last twenty minutes or so, when THE HOUSES OCTOBER BUILT stops wanting to be a documentary and actually becomes a standard survival film where certain haunt workers attack the group and plan on killing them for whatever reason. It's too bad that an hour has already passed, making the last act feel a bit tardy. It also doesn't help that the main characters are pretty unlikable, with some being extremely stupid - following a lead just to be famous, knowing how dangerous it'll end up being. I can't care or relate to characters like these, which made what happened to them not as effective as the filmmakers probably wanted it to be. At least the final act had action going for it, which made it the best part of the film. But the ending was bland and had cameras where cameras shouldn't have been, taking you completely out of it. What a shame.
The direction is pretty standard found footage stuff, which means it's not great but it's not bad either. The film does look pretty though. And the actors are pretty damn good here. I believe a lot of the acting was done through improv, and it worked for the most part.
Yeah, THE HOUSES OCTOBER BUILT - not a film I would watch again in any circumstance. I liked the concept. I thought the final 20 minutes and the acting were better than average. But everything else didn't do much for me. I'm not a found footage guy, but with the hype behind it, I was hoping for something at least fun to watch. But unfortunately, THE HOUSES OCTOBER BUILT has a faulty foundation. It could have been something pretty great if it had done more with the premise, instead of turning it into a standard found footage film we've seen countless times before and usually done better.
Labels: 1.5 Howls, 2000s, 2012, 2014, 3 Howls, 3.5 Howls, action, comedy, found footage, horror, indie, Lunar Cycle, monsters, slasher, vampires, werewolves
The Midnight Confessions Movie Show #12: "Heavy Metal Massacre (1989)"
Join Rev. Phantom, Moronic Mark and I as we talk over HEAVY METAL MASSACRE (1989). This might be the holy grail of bad movies, folks—and I’m using the word “movie” lightly. If long shots of people doing nothing, scenes of nothing and someone playing with camcorder effects for an hour and twenty plus minutes is something you’re into, well this “movie” is for you. Remember that movie THE NEVERENDING STORY? Remember 'the nothing'? This “movie” is the nothing and there ain’t no furry flying dragon gonna’ save your ass from it. You have been warned!
What IMDb says it's about: A killer goes on a killing spree at a heavy metal club. (No…it’s about nothing.)
Labels: 80s, commentary, heavy metal, horror, Midnight Confessions, Midnight Confessions Movie Show, Moronic Mark, Reverend Phantom, serial killers, video, video review
Midnight Confessions Ep. 78: "PROJECT 1981: Tom Savini, The Architect of Splatter"
This week the MC Crew continue with their look at horror movies from 1981. This week they review - THE BURNING (1981) and THE PROWLER (1981). Plus, they discuss the man that helped both films become splatter classics, Tom Savini.
Labels: 80s, Episode 78, horror, Midnight Confessions, Moronic Mark, podcast, Project 1981, Reverend Phantom, slasher, Tom Savini
Midnight Confessions Ep. 77: "PROJECT 1981 / Lucio Fulci: The Godfather of Gore"
This week starts PROJECT 1981 where we'll be looking at horror films released in 1981. We start with two Lucio Fulci classics: THE BLACK CAT (1981) and HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (1981). Plus Rev. Phantom talks about his picks for the Top 10 Fulci movies. Remember to bring some candy for Bob.
Labels: 80s, bad animals, Episode 77, ghosts, haunted house, horror, Italy, lucio fulci, Midnight Confessions, monsters, Moronic Mark, podcast, Project 1981, Reverend Phantom, sci-fi
The Midnight Confessions Movie Show #11: "Aenigma (1987)"
Join Rev. Phantom, Moronic Mark and I as we talk over Lucio Fulci’s AENIGMA. This movie has it all: A birdlady in a coma, Gerard Depardieu in drag, a female soul-patch, oily sex, Ronnie James Dio as a cleaning lady, Boston college students without a hint of accent to be found, Tom Cruise, Snoopy, Yoda and snails….SNAILS….SsSNnNnAaAIiILlLSsSsS!!!
What IMDb says it's about: The spirit of a comatose teenage girl possesses the body of a newcomer to her girls boarding school to enact bloody revenge against the elitist, lingerie-clad coeds responsible for her condition. (blah, blah, blah did we mention lingerie-clad coeds?)
Posted by Fred [The Wolf] at 11:55 AM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: 80s, commentary, horror, Italy, lucio fulci, Midnight Confessions, Midnight Confessions Movie Show, Moronic Mark, possession, revenge, Reverend Phantom, supernatural, video, video review
The Green Inferno (2013/2015)
Eli Roth
Lorenza Izzo - Justine
Ariel Levy - Alejandro
Aaron Burns - Jonah
Nicolas Martinez - Daniel
Daryl Sabara - Lars
Kirby Bliss Blanton - Amy
Magda Apanowicz - Samantha
Ignacia Allamand - Kara
Sky Ferreira - Kaycee
Richard Burgi - Charles
Genre - Horror/Cannibalism
Running Time - 100 Minutes
Justine (Lorenza Izzo) is a young college student [and daughter of a United Nations representative (Richard Burgi)] who becomes drawn to her campus' activism group, mainly because she's attracted to the group's charismatic leader Alejandro (Ariel Levy). Feeling like she needs to contribute something good for society, Justine decides to join the group on a trip to the Amazon to stop the destruction of the rain forest that would cause native tribes to become extinct. Making a point through nefarious means by Alejandro at the cost of Justine's trust, the local authorities decide to fly the group back. Unfortunately, the plane clashes killing most of the passengers. The ones that do survive are then attacked by the natives, taken to their home for some good old fashioned cooking - with the group as the main course.
After his last directorial feature, HOSTEL: PART II, was released in 2007 and 2-3 years of distribution hell, Eli Roth's cannibal film, THE GREEN INFERNO, has finally been released for mass consumption. Obviously inspired by Ruggero Deodato's LAST CANNIBAL WORLD (1977) & CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1980) and Umberto Lenzi's CANNIBAL FEROX (1981), Roth wants to bring the cannibal sub-genre back to the forefront. Like the films I previous mentioned, THE GREEN INFERNO won't be for everyone, as a cannibal horror movie is for those who have an acquired taste and strong stomach for it. As a "fan" of these kind of films and Eli Roth [who still has his fanboys and his super haters after all these years], I can say that THE GREEN INFERNO is a fun 100 minutes that hits the usual tropes well and brings the blood and gore that one would expect out of Roth. It's good. Not perfect or anything, but good.
Roth's basis for the story, besides the cannibal aspect, is his social commentary on current "slacktivists" on world social issues. Roth felt that people who claim to want to help the environment, do ice bucket challenges for ALS, or express anything about Kony 2012 at the time are hashtagging and sharing posts on these topics as a way to trend within social media, rather than doing something to help financially or physically. THE GREEN INFERNO's protagonists are activists who believe in "Don't Think! Act!", going to the Amazon blind in order to stop land developers tear down the rain forest as it threatens the natives who live within the forest. Are they doing this because they really care about the cause? Are they doing this because they want to be trendy and popular? THE GREEN INFERNO does answer that, leading to the eventual chaos in the second half with the flesh-hungry native tribe. While not the deepest narrative in terms of the commentary, I do admire Roth of using this film as a way to express his opinions on how most of us use social media, helping those who fight for these causes the right way, while punishing others who are using this for their own personal gain. Roth could have just made a simple cannibal movie with the predictable blood and guts. But Roth tries to make his narrative smart enough to make us understand WHY he's making this film and why he's using a cannibalistic tribe. And I respect that a great deal.
As for the main characters themselves, most of them are pretty unlikable besides Justine, Jonah, and Daniel. The others are unlikable from the start, or evolve into it as the film goes on. I saw some people complain that there weren't enough people to root for against the tribe [who I don't believe were really antagonists - only in the minds of the characters we're following], but I felt that was kind of the point. By the halfway mark, you realize why most of the characters are even in the Amazon, knowing right away that Justine made a huge mistake joining this group [even though she had good intentions]. When the plane crash happened, all I could say is that "Karma is a bitch." We followed these characters for about 45 minutes and they don't turn out exactly who we believe them to be. Their punishment is pretty justified for gore-hounds watching this. These aren't the most fleshed out characters, and they don't behave as one should during a situation like this - who asks a stranger for weed when landing in the Amazon anyway? But they all fit an archetype that works well within the story.
There are some issues with the script. One - there's an unnecessary use of humor throughout the film. Now, I have nothing against levity during tense and scary situations in horror films. But this is a film about going to a foreign land, almost dying in a horrific plane crash, and getting captured and potentially eaten by cannibals. These characters shouldn't be making wisecracks or jokes during a situation like this. They should be scared. They should be traumatized. They should be catatonic. I understand Roth enjoys using humor in his horror as a way for audiences to breathe a bit during the tense moments, but THE GREEN INFERNO would have been more effective if less was used. I loved the marijuana scene. I thought the exchanges between Justine and her best friend were great because they felt real. But that poop gag, while believable, was used for laughs rather than something done out of fear to scare us. And that masturbation scene in the cage was just - wha? THE GREEN INFERNO should have had a more consistent tone.
I also didn't enjoy the very end of the film. I hate when films leave it open for a sequel and hammer your head with that information. I felt the film should have ended three minutes before it actually did. I know THE GREEN INFERNO is getting a sequel, but I wish the very end and the mid-credits scene weren't there. I liked the angle where it was going, but Roth kept adding more and more. It wasn't needed.
Speaking of Roth, it's great to see him behind the camera again. There is some shaky cam, which I usually dislike. But here, I felt it worked in terms of the guerrilla style of the film and the anxiety of the characters. The locations, especially in the Amazon, were stunning to look at and made the film feel authentic. And the visual presentation of the death scenes, and use of special effects through KNB EFX Group, were really well done. The first cannibal sequence was just gruesome to watch in every way, letting us know that Roth has not lost his taste for the macabre. I think CABIN FEVER and the HOSTEL films were probably a bit more in-your-face in terms of gore and stuff like that, but the last half of THE GREEN INFERNO will make you cringe at times. And I wish the music score was stronger, as it felt cliche and predictable. Tribal themes are cool and it wasn't bad, but I needed a score like the one in CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST that was a contrast to what the film was about. I understand why many aren't a fan of Roth's style of filmmaking in terms of writing or directing. But I think the guy has a talent for giving gore-hounds want they want and gives us entertaining movies for the most part. In terms of direction, I think THE GREEN INFERNO is his best work.
The acting is a mixed bag in THE GREEN INFERNO. That's not to say that the acting was terrible. But there were some actors that were definitely better than others. I thought Lorenza Izzo carried the film as Justine. I really liked her performance as a college freshman who gets caught in a terrible situation due to a stupid crush and her wanting to feel better about herself by helping out a good cause. She's really the only one you want to root for, as she's clearly made out to be a victim of her own naivety. I thought she gave a strong, likable performance and I want to see her in more films. Ariel Levy was great as the mysterious group leader, Alejandro. The evolution of his character is really cool to watch and I enjoyed his performance. AFTERSHOCK's Nicolas Martinez is good as Daniel, and Aaron Burns is cool as the innocent lovesick Jonah. Daryl Sabara of SPY KIDS fame gives us a memorable moment involving his penis and a spider. And the members of the tribe [who were all real, by the way] had wonderful performances as well, considering they aren't professional actors.
THE GREEN INFERNO is for fans of Eli Roth's work and probably won't make new fans out of those who don't care for his work. His take on the cannibal sub-genre is an inspired one, as his commentary on the "slacktivism" culture is put to good use with the combination of great special effects for those cringe-worthy death scenes. The acting is good for the most part, and the direction is solid. I did feel some of the humor could have been left out and I wish the film had ended three minutes sooner than it did. The music could have been stronger too, but to each their own. THE GREEN INFERNO won't make an impression like CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST did, but it'll feed your bloodlust for the most part.
Posted by Fred [The Wolf] at 8:59 PM 2 comments: Links to this post
Labels: 2015, 3 Howls, cannibalism, eli roth, horror
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Solidarity with the International Working Women’s Day Strike 2019
March 08, 2019 / Haldane Society Secretary
Today, for the third year running, women across the world are going on strike as part of a militant, joyful feminist international, against a world lurching towards barbarism.
With fascism on the march, emboldened by the ascent to power of far-right politics in the U.S.A, Brazil, Poland, India, and Italy, feminist movements in the past year have continued to occupy the front-line of the international fight against barbarism. Among these: the Ele Não movement against Jair Bolsonaro’s fascism in Brazil; the Marea Verde for free, safe, legal abortion in Argentina; the Keralan women who formed a 620 km long human chain to protest for equality in India, the Ni Una Menos movement across Latin America, the Ni Una di Meno movement resisting Salvini’s ‘Security law’ in Italy, and the Kurdish women’s revolution which continues to be instrumental in both the military and ideological defeat of ISIS.
Here in the UK, the past year has seen migrant women in precarious work organise strikes in London, and thousands of public sector working women on strike in Glasgow, as well as the growth of a new feminist anti-fascist movement, which in December led the march against Tommy Robinson and Fortress Britain, carrying a vast banner that read “The enemy doesn’t arrive by boat, he arrives by limousine.”
By withdrawing waged and unwaged labour today, the feminist international is making visible - and making connections between - the many forms of work women do: from the exploitative work of commodity production to the invisibilized work of social reproduction; from the struggle for bodily autonomy, to the struggle for anti-imperialist self-determination; from the fight against gender violence and femicide, to the fight against capitalist extractivism and ecocide. As the Feminist International says, this is a movement that is shaped by feminist movements in the South, and is unequivocally anti-colonial, anti-cisheterosexist, anti-racist and anti-capitalist.
It is a fight to change not only our conditions of work, but our world. In the words of Women’s strike UK: “We are not asking for our fair share under capitalism, we are seeking to destroy altogether a system that is designed to divide and oppress us.”
The Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers stands in full solidarity with the International Working Women’s Day strike.
We call for donations to the UK Women’s Strike Fund, to help offset the costs to women leaving work and attending strike action and women’s assemblies.
Forward comrades, to a red feminist horizon!
March 08, 2019 / Haldane Society Secretary/
Feminist Lawyers, Solidarity (International), Solidarity (Domestic), News
Haldane Society Secretary
Fighting trolls: Tackling online violence against women
March 09, 2017 / Haldane Administrator
Our next lecture, FIGHTING TROLLS: TACKLING ONLINE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN on 21 March 2017, will be addressed by speakers Dianne Abbott MP, and Olivia Piercy (Rights of Women).
The lecture takes place 6.30pm at BPP University, Waterloo Campus (137 Stamford Street, Lambeth, London, SE1 9NN). Directions right.
March 09, 2017 / Haldane Administrator/
Feminist Lawyers, Lectures, News
Solidarity with the International Women’s Strike – 8th March 2017
This International Women’s Day, millions of women around the world are taking to the streets, reclaiming public spaces and collectively withdrawing our waged and unwaged labour in an international strike against gendered violence.
A joint statement by a group of prominent socialist feminist academics and activists – including Angela Davis, who was keynote speaker at Haldane’s ‘Women Fighting Back’ conference in 2015 – describes the invisibilized structural violence against women this global strike aims to denounce:
“In embracing a feminism for the 99%, we take inspiration from the Argentinian coalition Ni Una Menos. Violence against women, as they define it, has many facets: it is domestic violence, but also the violence of the market, of debt, of capitalist property relations, and of the state; the violence of discriminatory policies against lesbian, trans and queer women, the violence of state criminalization of migratory movements, the violence of mass incarceration, and the institutional violence against women’s bodies through abortion bans and lack of access to free healthcare and free abortion.”
Building on the momentum of the women’s strikes in Poland and Argentina at the end of 2016 and the Women’s Marches of January 21st this year, groups calling the strike have highlighted the radical origins of 8th March: the mass strikes of predominantly migrant women garment workers in Manhattan 1908 that inspired the first ‘Women’s Day’; the 1910 International Socialist Women’s Conference where the day acquired its international character; the women’s strike for “Bread, Peace and Freedom” in St. Petersburg on International Women’s Day 1917, which sparked the February Revolution in Russia.
100 years on, the 2017 international women’s strike comes at a time when Russia has just decriminalised domestic violence; when a billionaire man who boasts about sexually assaulting women with impunity is president of the U.S; and when one in three women will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Brutal neoliberal austerity policies hit women hardest – particularly women of colour, disabled women, LGBTQ women, working class and migrant women. All over the world it is disproportionately women who work in underpaid, precarious and dehumanising conditions, while simultaneously doing the unwaged, unacknowledged labour of social reproduction.
Collectively remembering the origins of International Women’s Day is a way of re-centring the feminist movement’s radicalism, what Davis and others describe as “a new international feminist movement with an expanded agenda: at once anti-racist, anti-imperialist, anti-heterosexist and anti-capitalist.”
The Ni Una Menos movements in Latin America have a chant that expresses both the desperation and defiance of this international women’s strike. “¡Vivas nos Queremos!” – “We want to live!”. It is a demand for a life free from violence, but also for another possible world.
Feminist Lawyers, News
Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women
December 07, 2016 / Haldane Administrator
The UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women recently sought submissions from bodies across the globe dealing with the need for a separate legally binding treaty on violence against women with its separate monitoring body.
The Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers and the Haldane Feminist Lawyers made detailed submissions which should assist the Special Rapporteur in determining how to proceed.
Download the submission.
December 07, 2016 / Haldane Administrator/
Feminist Lawyers, Consultation Responses & Reports, News
Women's Revolution in Rojava: Free Seminar 7 June 2016
The Haldane Society invites you to join us for a very special seminar, 'Women's Revolution in Rojava', in association with the Kurdish Student Society and Peace in Kurdistan - Women Alliance.
Rahila Gupta, writer and journalist, and Jo Magpie, activist and writer. Both women have recently returned from a women's delegation to Rojava, the autonomous region of northern Syria which has, experienced a social revolution and the establishment of a new society based on gender equality, direct democracy and sustainability. Rahila and Jo will share their first-hand experiences of how the Kurds have put women's equality at the foundation of a successful, free society.
Also joining us is Margaret Owen, a UK barrister and human rights activist who has also travelled to the region. She will discuss the newly evolving legal system in Rojava and approaches to violence against women.
The seminar will be held on Tuesday 7th June 2016 at 6.30pm,
SOAS Brunei Gallery Building, Room B111, Thornhaugh St, London, WC1H 0XG
Download the poster for the event (PDF).
Feminist Lawyers, News, Solidarity (International)
Free Public Lecture - Sex by Deception: The Case for Conditional Consent
April 21, 2016 / Haldane Administrator
Following the success of the Women Fighting Back: International and Legal Perspectives conference in November 2015 with its focus in part on the effect of deception on consent, and the impact of this on women, the Haldane Society is proud to announce our next human rights lecture, "Sex by deception: The case for conditional consent".
The speakers are:
Jane Fae, a writer and journalist with a long0time focus on the law and how it interacts with issues of sexuality and gender identity.
Julian Norman, a barrister at Dtystone Chambers with a practice in immigration, criminal and regulatory law. She is also a trustee of Feminism in London.
Stephen Whittle, professor of Equalities Law at Manchester Metropolitan University.
The lecture will take place at 6.30pm on 25 April 2016 at the Basement Lecture Theatre, School of Law, London Metropolitan University, 16 Goulston Street, London E1 7TP. Closest tubes Aldgate and Aldgate East.
There is no need to register (although you can RSVP to the Facebook event) and latecomers are welcome to enter quietly.
April 21, 2016 / Haldane Administrator/
Lectures, News, Feminist Lawyers
"Women Fighting Back: International and Legal Perspectives" All Sessions
February 20, 2016 / Haldane Administrator
Find below all of the panel and keynote sessions from the International Women's Conference 2015 - "Women Fighting Back: International and Legal Perspectives".
The 8 sessions will be available on our website in perpetuity.
February 20, 2016 / Haldane Administrator/
News, Feminist Lawyers
"Women Fighting Back: International and Legal Perspectives" Panel: Women in Work
Our final Conference session from the International Women's Conference 2015 is on the subject of Women in Work. The speakers are:
Nadja Charaby
Yasmine Bennamanii and Zouzou Hadjer Zahida (Algeria)
Bronwen Handyside (UK)
Vice Chair of UNITE London and Eastern Region
Yesterday: Keynote Speech of Angela Davis.
"Women Fighting Back: International and Legal Perspectives" Keynote Speech: Angela Davis
Professor Angela Davis speaks in London at the Women Fighting Back: International and Legal Perspectives Conference on feminism, socialism, and fighting back.
Yesterday: The State and Women's Bodies.
Tomorrow: Women in Work.
"Women Fighting Back: International and Legal Perspectives" Panel: The State and Women's Bodies
The sixth of our conference sessions from the International Women's Conference is on the subject of the State and Women's Bodies. The speakers are:
Gareth Peirce (Chair)
Helen Steel (UK)
Police Spies Out of Lives Campaign
Sarah Ricca (UK)
Solicitor, Deighton Pierce Glynn
Mara Clarke (UK)
Abortion Support Network
Yesterday: Women in Peace and Conflict.
Tomorrow: Keynote Speech of Angela Davis.
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Search Books: Title Author ISBN-13 ISBN-10
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British Columbia Historical News Review
Robin Ward came to the west coast as an adult immigrant from Scotland. The first book of his drawings produced by Harbour Publishing was Robin Ward's Vancouver (1990).
Like the first, Robin Ward's Heritage West Coast is based on his weekly column in The Vancouver Sun. It is a mix of pleasing sketches of older, mainly Vancouver, structures, capsule histories, and usually apt, sometimes scathing, commentary.
Inevitably one is drawn to compare Ward's output with that of Michael Kluckner. Perhaps this is unfair, given that Kluckner is an artist in watercolours and a native of Vancouver to boot. One could hardly expect Ward's work to match the richness of Kluckner's Vanishing Vancouver (1990) in any respect -- historical record, detail, captured ambience, deep feeling. Nevertheless, Ward's too is a worthy record of "built Vancouver."
Given the state of the city's official heritage efforts as described, it is doubtful that few, if any, of Vancouver's large heritage structures will survive much longer, let alone the gentleness of established neighbourhoods in the "residential city" recorded by Kluckner. Ward has a fine flow of words to describe what most distresses him -- "aberration," "fiasco," "grotesque banality." Though he is often surprised by what he happens upon, even delighted, he can be seriously depressed by the "blinkered attitudes" of some developers and councillors. He refers to several failed or wrongheaded attempts at heritage preservation, and notes also that the City of Vancouver, incredibly, allowed the removal of the distinctive and powerful Canadian National neon sign, even though it had received the city's heritage designation.
Can Ward's public and caustic commentaries save his sketch subjects? Surely they will help.
-British Columbia Historical News (v.27(4), 1994 pg 37)
Copyright © 2019 Harbour Publishing
This page last updated:
Aug 17, 2016 at 3:08 pm PDT.
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P.O. Box 219, Madeira Park, BC, V0N 2H0
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Your Ultimate Guide to the 2019 Prince Lot Hula Festival
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Live Blog: Hawai‘i Memorial Service for the Late U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka
Our live blog covering the services for the late Senator Daniel Akaka.
By Robbie Dingeman and Diane Lee
Public services for the late Sen. Daniel Akaka are taking place May 18 and 19 at the Hawai‘i State Capitol and nearby Kawaiaha‘o Church. Bookmark this page to follow our coverage from both places. View the schedule of events here.
Millie akaka enters kawaiaha‘o church with her sons and family. she and the senator would have celebrated 70 years of marriage this year.
After the congregation sings Hawaiian Lullaby, Danny Akaka, Jr. shared memories of growing up with his father. With his three brothers and one sister behind him, Danny spoke about his father's spirituality and his love for family, church and music.
“He loved his music, he was a music teacher, he was a choir director, band teacher. Music was really at the core of a lot of what he did, as it is for each and every one of us. We all pretty much sing, pretty much.” That drew laughter from the audience. “We have some good support if you don't sing. From a very young time, dad instead of forcing us to sing or learn out to play an instrument, he always helped to nudged us in whatever direction we wanted to go.”
“As dad would always say, we never say goodbye, but ahui hou. Ahui hou dad, we love you.”
The line outside Kawaiaha‘o Church is reflected in the sunglasses of Puanani Akaka as she waits to enter for the funeral services of the late Sen. Daniel Akaka. The senator and Puanani's grandfather were cousins. The Akaka ‘ohana will be represented in the service by son Danny Akaka, Jr., who will offer reflections from the senator's five children; grandson Dr. David Mattson will speak on behalf of the senator's 15 grandchildren; son Dr. Gerard Akaka will provide the scripture lesson in English; daughter Millannie Akaka Mattson will provide greetings and aloha.
photo: diane Lee
Sen. Daniel Akaka's grandson Alika Akaka (left), grandson Kala Akaka (middle) and son Nick Akaka (right) carry the senator's casket into Kawaiaha‘o Church.
The casket has arrived at the church. The doors will open to the public for visitation at noon. The service will begin at 2 p.m. and will run until 3:30 p.m. led by Kahu James “Kimo” Merseberg.
Honolulu Police escort the senator's casket enroute to Kawaiaha‘o Church. The motorcade circled the State Capitol, traveling down Beretania, Richards, King and Punchbowl streets.
Camera crews and other media wait on the steps of Kawaiaha‘o Church as the Hawai‘i Army National Guard, police escorts and family prepare to move the casket from the State Capitol.
Members of the Hawai‘i Army and Air National Guard stand watch in the quiet hours of the early morning while a few remaining observers pay their respects.
As people continue to come in to pay their respects, the Hawai‘i Army and Air National Guard gets ready for the overnight hours. Two sets of National Guard will rotate every half hour in eight-hour shifts. The senator will lie in state until 10 a.m. Saturday morning when he will be escorted to Kawaiaha‘o Church. The public celebration of life there begins at 2 p.m. Click here to view the schedule.
6 to 7 p.m.
The evening service began with Robert Cazimero singing Hawaiian Lullaby, Senator Akaka's favorite song. “Where I live, there are rainbows. With life and laughter in the mornings and starry nights.”
Former Gov. George Ariyoshi told the crowd he offered Akaka the lieutenant governor job in 1974. Akaka turned him down which worked out for the best. “He had the heart and the spirit and the head,” Ariyoshi said.
Photo: Robbie dingeman
Former Gov. John Waihe‘e said when Spark Matsunaga died, he believed Akaka was the best person to serve as senator. Former Gov. Ben Cayetano drew a laugh when he said that Akaka had a knack for disagreeing with people without offending him, then added “I wish he taught me that.”
Daughter Milliannie Akaka Mattson thanked those who had gathered for all the love and support and stories of her dad. She acknowledged that the family endured some sacrifices but, “it was not wasted and it was good for everybody.”
Services are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the State Capitol. Iconic entertainer Robert Cazimero will sing Hawaiian Lullaby followed by a prayer service by Kahu James “Kimo” Merseberg and remarks by Gov. David Ige, and former governors George Ariyoshi, John Waihe‘e, Ben Cayetano, Neil Abercrombie, Lt. Gov. Chin, Mayor Caldwell, Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Big Island Managing Director Wil Okabe for Mayor Harry Kim and Senator Akaka’s daughter Millannie Akaka.
Through the afternoon
A stream of friends, family, former staffers, politicians and well-wishers stopped by. Quite a few chanted, sang or danced. Several of the Akaka children played music while visitors danced. With the tent in the middle, some members of the family nearby, and the music playing, the services feel more like a warm family reunion than formal memorial for a U.S. Senator.
Dancers from Kamehameha Schools perform. Senator Akaka attended public schools before graduating from The Kamehameha School for Boys.
Retired Windward Community College journalism professor Libby Young speaks with Millie, the late senator’s widow. Family members plan to greet visitors paying their respects this morning, again at 6 p.m. and then take turns through the rest of the public visitation at the state capitol.
The military color guard carries the late senator’s casket into the State Capitol followed by the Akaka family. The senator will lie in state for 24 hours until 10 a.m. Saturday.
The hearse pulled up in the roundabout on Beretania Street where flags have flown at half-staff since the senator’s death on April 6.
The Royal Hawaiian Band performed for a crowd of about 300 people who gathered to wait for the arrival of the casket of the late Sen. Daniel Akaka.
What to Expect for the 24-Hour Services Honoring the Late U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka
Honoring the Life and Legacy of the Late U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka
Read This Personal Interview with Former U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka
Remembering Daniel Akaka, Hawai‘i’s Longtime U.S. Senator
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Joe Sergi's Cup of Geek
Cup of Geek's Amazon Store
SKY GIRL
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Cup of Geek
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Have your yourself a Geeky Holiday--My Favorite Episodes
As I see yet another cheesy Christmas movie is on the Family Channel and Lifetime. Let us take a moment to honor the unsung hero of the holiday season--the theme episode. We all know that every television show has a very special holiday episode: Fonzie fixed the Cunningham’s tree and Alex P. Keaton repented his right wing republican ways for one day, and Glee has their episode next week. But, The Holiday episode on Sci Fi and Fantasy shows are tricky business. Due to the genre specific nature of Sci Fi and Fantasy TV, it is very hard to shoehorn the spirit of the season when many take place in space or the past or involve demons.
So, grab your eggnog and we will reminisce some of my favorites.
The Star Wars Holiday Special
The prize, of course goes to The Star Wars Holiday Special. And you thought Jar Jar Binks was George Lucas’ most embarrassing moment. This story featured a visit to Kashyyk, Chewbacca’s home planet. It is Life Day (a holiday analogous to Christmas). Chewbacca is on his way home to see his family (Mallatobuck, Lumpawarrump, and Attichitcuk) to celebrate the holiday, accompanied by his friend, Han Solo. The first five minutes are in wookie. But, what follows more amazing: is a hodge podge of musical numbers (Diahann Carroll, Jefferson Starship, and Bea Arthur), a cross dressing Harvey Keitel (as a futuristic Julia Childes), and a cartoon (with, as far as I know, the first appearance of Boba Fett). Lucas has been reported as saying, "If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that show and smash it." So, let’s see a clip of an admittedly stoned Carrie Fisher singing “Life Day” to the Star Wars theme.
Smallville: Lexmas
Okay, don’t groan. This one is serious. Smallville gets a bad rap, but sometimes it gets it right 9and wrong). This episode is an example of both. In Lexmas, Lex Luthior is shot, he falls into a coma and is visited by the ghost of his mother, who shows him what his life could be like if he frees himself from his father. Meanwhile, Clark helps deliver Christmas presents. The bad of course, is the hackneyed plot idea of that ambiguous Santa Claus that Clark is helping to deliver presents—it has been done to death. But, what is great is the end of the episode, which takes the hackneyed Dickens tale and gives it a unique spin.
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Before there was a Smallville on the CW (nee CW), ABC aired Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. As the title implies, the show focused more on the Man and less on the Super. They had a few holiday episode, but two notable episodes stick out in my memory. The first occurred in the First Season. Seasons Greetings featured A toymaker (Sherman Hemsley, who is reunited with Isabel Sanford) invents a pheromone that makes adults act like greedy children. (Atomic Rats!) . The highlight was the quiet moment when Clark and Lois share a tender moment holding hands as they watch some carolers. In the Fourth Season, they aired “'Twas The Night Before Mxymas”, which featured a still funny Howie, Mandel as Mr. Mxyzptlk, an imp from the fifth dimension, who does a Groundhog Day-like- thing to Christmas Eve to make people lose hope. Of course, they don’t and Clark says “No Deal.” The full episode is available here. And Seasons Greetings is below.
In “How the Ghosts Stole Christmas” On Christmas Eve, Mulder and Scully go ghost-hunting in a supposedly haunted house full of Christmas spirit. On Christmas Eve, Mulder and Scully go ghost-hunting in a supposedly haunted house full of Christmas spirit.
Here is a really crappy video clip.
And a fun video
Although famous for it’s Halloween Episodes (and a great Thanksgiving Episode), Christmas came to Buffy in Season Three. In Amends, it's Christmas time in Sunnydale and like Scrooge, Angel is being haunted by the ghosts of his past victims, namely Jenny Calendar. I should also note that this episode also his episode introduces us to a new formidable foe known as The First, who will later play into the final season.
Here is a crappy quality video of the end:
And I remember entering this:
Justice League/JLU “Comfort and Joy”
In this episode of the animated Cartoon Network series, the Justice Leaguers go their separate ways to celebrate the holiday season. After saving a distant planet, the League returns in time for Christmas. Clark and J'onn visit Smallville for a Kent family Christmas, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl have a snowball fight and visit an alien bar while comparing holiday traditions, and the Flash and Ultra-Humanite have a season's fight and are forced to ally together to save orphans' toys.
And let’s not forget this goodie from Batman and the Animated Series.
Finally, we have the Warrior Princess. This one was creative since it is hard to have a Christmas Episode that takes place before the Birth of Christ. But, in “A Solstice Carol" Xena and Gabrielle try to bring the warmth and spirit of the holiday season to a cold-hearted king who has outlawed the annual winter-solstice celebration.
And the song (This was before their Musical Episodes):
That’s all. I know I skipped a whole bunch, including Dr. Who and MST2K, who have annual episodes (although I see the Dr. Who one in July).
Add you favorites in the comments section.
Joe's Cup of Geek
Trying to keep you up with all the news, reviews and views that's fit for geeks.
If you have anything you want to see on this site, have something you want reviewed, or would like to be a guest blogger, please send me an email at:
CupofGeek@gmail.com
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Celebrating St. Paddy's Day in Seoul
A previous St. Patrick's Day celebration in D-Cube Plaza at Sindorim Station / Courtesy of Irish Association of Korea
It's #PaddyNotPatty season again, as March 17 approaches and we gear up for various celebrations of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Although often shortened as St. Patty's Day, almost every Irish person will tell you the correct form is St. Paddy's Day, as the Irish form of Patrick is Padraig.
Now that that's out of the way, let's look at the various events in Korea to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The Irish Association of Korea (IAK) has been hosting events since 2001, but many others are jumping on board to celebrate the inclusivity and diversity of Irishness.
Outdoor festival
The IAK will host its usual outdoor event in D-Cube Plaza at Sindorim Station on Seoul Metro lines 1 and 2. The free event offers music and dance, face-painting and much more. Also offered are fancy dress prizes and a raffle grand prize of airline tickets to Ireland. The festival runs from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. this Saturday, March 16, the day before St. Paddy's Day.
Hooley concert
The IAK also has a concert planned for Saturday night at Club FF and Gogo's in the Hongik University area in western Seoul. For just 10,000 won, one can enjoy up to nine bands starting at 6:30 p.m. The bands include Irish punk act DaddyORadio, traditional Irish act Ceoltoiri Korea and R&B acts Pentasonic and Sotto Gamba.
HBC concert
The Alley Bunker in HBC has its own free concert, with live music from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday night. The act is Dog Band, an Irish band from Wonju, Gyeonggi Province.
Restaurant special events
A number of great restaurants are having their own St. Paddy's Day events, each on different days.
First, California Kitchen & Craft Pub in Itaewon starts its three-day celebration on Friday, March 15; details are pending.
Then WinK Kitchen & Taphouse in Seocho-gu offers its own Saturday event a few subway stations away from the IAK festival, hoping to attract people before and after the festival. It offers an extensive menu of food and drinks, including unlimited beer and wine options.
And Mix & Malt in the Daehangno area is offering a corned beef and cabbage dinner, along with special one-time-only cocktails for the occasion. Visit fb.com/calikitch, fb.com/winkkitchenandtaphouse and fb.com/mixmalt for more information.
Fat Albert's Beer Hall and Eatery in Itaewon claims to offer the biggest party on the actual day of St. Patrick's Day, with a 5,000 won cover giving way to drink specials and 8,000 won helpings of Irish stew.
Drinking parties
While all of the above are highly likely to involve plenty of booze, several parties are planned for the occasion, all on March 16.
In Itaewon, Seoul Pub Crawl offers several gifts for its participants, including a limited run of green "I.Soju.U" shirts and a "Jameson Whiskey Shower" at Wolfhound.
In Hongdae, Seoul Global Party has a rooftop party at Playground Rooftop Cafe & Bar, promising green drinks and a night of Irish music.
And in Gangnam, Global Seoul Mates (GSM) has a party at Gangnam Terrace in Nonhyeon-dong with acoustic music and DJs.
jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr More articles by this reporter
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History of the Wars, Vol I: Books 1-2 (Persian War)
Procopius Henry Bronson Dewing
Posted On : Jul 17, 2019 Published By : Procopius Henry Bronson Dewing
History of the Wars Vol I Books Persian War History of the Wars by the Byzantine historian Procopius late fifth century to after CE consists largely of sixth century CE military history with much information about peoples places and spec
Title: History of the Wars, Vol I: Books 1-2 (Persian War)
Author: Procopius Henry Bronson Dewing
History of the Wars by the Byzantine historian Procopius late fifth century to after 558 CE consists largely of sixth century CE military history, with much information about peoples, places, and special events Powerful description complements careful narration Procopius is just to the empire s enemies and boldly criticises emperor Justinian.
History of the Wars, Vol I: Books 1-2 (Persian War) By Procopius Henry Bronson Dewing
Procopius Henry Bronson Dewing 354 Procopius Henry Bronson Dewing
Title: History of the Wars, Vol I: Books 1-2 (Persian War) By Procopius Henry Bronson Dewing
Posted by:Procopius Henry Bronson Dewing
About "Procopius Henry Bronson Dewing"
Procopius of Caesarea was born in the latter years of the fifth century at Caesarea in Palestine He originated from the land owning provincial upper class and, like Zosimus, became a civil servant As early as A.D 527, before the emperor Justin s death, Procopius became counsellor, assessor, and secretary to Belisarius, whose fortunes and campaigns he followed for the next twelve or fifteen years Small wonder he became very knowledgeable of military affairs through this service He has long been respected as a historian of the emperor Justinian s wars, and in fact he is reckoned the greatest of the later Greek historians Procopius was finally raised to the dignity of an illustrius, and died not earlier than A.D 562.
644 thoughts on “History of the Wars, Vol I: Books 1-2 (Persian War)”
'Aussie Rick'
Jul 17, 2019 at 11:0 am
I purchased the first five volumes of Procopius's History of the Wars after reading a review somewhere, basically buying the volumes sight unseen, a stab in the dark. Well, how right was that decision! I have only read the first volume, Books 1-2, which covers the Persian Wars and I had a great time. The book was so easy to read, full of interesting facts and stories of peoples and places long gone and lost to history. What is so amazing about this book was that it was written sometime in the 54 [...]
Note: I am giving all the "History of the Wars" books five stars because I loved them all, because I love Byzantine history, and because they were the main sources for my undergrad thesis. I spent literally days reading through the pages of these books. If you are interested in the wonder that was Byzantium: you must read these -- all of them (even 'buildings')If you just like history, you may enjoy them, as Procopius was one of the world's great historians. He told a good tale of war, politics, [...]
If you're interested in Byzantine history, at some point, you have to read Procopius. He's the main primary source on the 6th Century, and since he was close to the center of power in the empire, he has a lot of insight to offer.While Procopius' account of Justinians reign and Belisarius' campaigns are informative and entertaining, the translation in this edition leaves something to be desired. This is a free Kindle edition, and the original was published in the 19th Century. The language of the [...]
Tom Schulte
It is books like this that make the discovery of the large Gobekli Tepi city-complex not that remarkable to me. In that region between the Roman (Byzantine) and Pesian empires rich and large cities, city-states and even nations rose and fell rapidly during the constant warring between the two empires. Procopius makes a lively telling of this Christian Age of the Roman Empire ("Romans" called John, George, etc.) and the restless, ambitious, violent Persians that sensed the weakening state of this [...]
Interesting history. I read the public domain Kindle version. Procopius is more a politician than a tactician, so this is a high-level view of events; no sense of the fighting skills and techniques used in the era
This is a great look at the Roman / Persia conflicts in the 500s. This volume is a fascinating peek at the Middle East shortly before the rise of Islam. The translation is easy to follow, I couldn't put it down.
Eadweard
Very engaging and fun to read, now onwards to the vandal and gothic campaigns.
The Ballad of Beta 2
Chopin Express
What Makes A Woman?: How The Courts Define Womanho...
Burned: A Memoir
A Short History of Society
The Comprehensive Toddler Curriculum
A Little Off-Kelter...the parenting years
DiCarlo: Buffalo's First Family of Crime (Vol. 2)
Queen's Gambit
Caressed by Shadows
Theme: Rara-Academic by Procopius Henry Bronson Dewing
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Home Top Global News Toy tiger sparks armed police stand-off on Scottish farm
Toy tiger sparks armed police stand-off on Scottish farm
Toy tiger triggers armed police standoff after Scottish farmer spots ‘predator’ on the loose.
Scottish police were locked in a tense standoff with what they thought was a wild beast, spotted by a local farmer. The encounter lasted nearly an hour before the armed officers realized the tiger was in fact a stuffed animal.
Six police vehicles, including a firearms unit, rushed to a farm near Peterhead in Aberdeenshire Saturday night, after 24-year-old Bruce Grubb reported he’d seen the predator in his cow shed. Police treated the call “from an extremely concerned member of the public” seriously enough to check with the nearest wildlife park whether it had an escapee.
Unsure what to do, the officers hesitated. As time went on, Bruce grew suspicious why the animal hadn’t moved during the 45-minute standoff and drove his truck forward for a closer look. It was then he realized it was just a toy.
“I had absolutely no doubt it was real — I got a hell of a scare. I was worried it was going to eat all my cows before police managed to shoot it,” Bruce told the Scottish Sun.
The farmer, who was hosting a housewarming party at his cottage at the time, said he was “stone cold sober,” because he waited for his pregnant cows to deliver at any moment.
The first officer on the scene was also convinced the stuffed toy was real. “He refused to get out of the squad car or even wind the windows down. He didn’t want to go anywhere near it because he thought it was real,” the farmer said.
North East Police Division confirmed the bizarre operation on Tuesday, saying the officers had “a roaring shift.” It was “a false call made with genuine good intent,” local inspector Inspector George Cordiner said.
“I feel a bit silly for calling the police but I thought it was a real emergency. We’re laughing about it now but it was very scary at the time,” the farmer admitted.
It is thought the toy was planted as a practical joke. The officers have taken the tiger to keep as their mascot.
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Currently Browsing: Recreation
Peep into the African Jungle in Chander Pahar
Posted by admin in Recreation | Comments Off on Peep into the African Jungle in Chander Pahar
The Bengali movie Chander Pahar is based on the daring novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay that projects Dev Adhikari, the actor playing Shankar, one of its main protagonists on a hazardous voyage. The winter release of this film brings back into contention the lions, tigers, a whole lot of wild animals some of which were once part of the circus in addition to the perilous snakes and mythical monster which are an integral part of the story. Directed by Kamaleshwar Mukherjee the film is a perfect getaway for every Bengali family who have grown up reading this pictorial novel. With a running time of almost two and a half hours the audience is held spell bound as the African setting both amazes and brings them on the edge of their seats many a times. Shankar leaves his remote Bengali village to take up a job as that of a stationmaster with the Uganda railway. The series of encounters where Shankar is chased by the African jumbos and ferocious lions are totally enthralling. The Masai figure in the film and so does the mamba which is the most venomous snake found in Africa. Dev is ideally suited for his role in the Mountain of the Moon where he finds a Portuguese man Diego Alvarez played by Gerard Rudolf to look for the diamond mines that a guarded by a mythical monster even feared by the natives of Africa. The kids will love it for Dev and the animals. Chander Pahar is a movie that will make Bengali audiences proud as it has dared to take the industry into a new period. That a 15 crores film like Chander Pahar be at all produced in Tollywood is in itself unthinkable. Chander Pahar has been packaged and sold as a product and more over against the views that it will be practically impossible to gain back its costs. Through Chander Pahar, Shree Venkatesh Films has something different to offer passionately which stands out for its finesse. The uninhabited station and its nature affectionate station master Shankar projected with the various shades of the African sky, the roaring African lions whom Shankar comes across, a black mamba slipping into Shankar’s room and Shankar’s successful attempt to jump over a deep abyss to rescue Alvarez from a pack of hyenas and cheetahs are some of the poignant yet unforgettable moments that linger in the mind. Chander Pahar is a must watch and it depicts that gradual transformation of an adventurous dreamer in to a survivor. Shankar is the last to come out of this thrilling tale alive as even he at last cannot save Alvarez from the perils of the Mountain of the Moon. The visual treat is unforgettable. However a few closely knit moments created between the humans in the film could have raised it by many...
Mahendra Singh Dhoni – our loving captain of the Indian cricket team
Posted by admin in Recreation | Comments Off on Mahendra Singh Dhoni – our loving captain of the Indian cricket team
He leaves the spectators flabbergasted, All shots in the cricket field he has mastered, He can play the helicopter shot extremely well, And can take the bowlers to hell, He has still miles to tread, To reach Ganguly’s milestones at the head, His decisions are amazing, Though they are entertaining, For giving Jadeja the last over, Pakistan bowled India over, Or providing the last over to Ashwin, Saw the Champions Trophy India win, He is electrifying behind the stumps, That forbids the batsman to go for bumps, He never panics in England, And keeps a lot of time in hand, He is captain the cool, And never lands in a pool, Or coming in at No.5, Hitting a High Five, To power India to win the final World Cup match, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was declared Man of the...
Cinema – the curse of today’s world
Posted by admin in Recreation | Comments Off on Cinema – the curse of today’s world
It may be the dreadful fighting sequences in Fighter or the tremendous burst of energy provided by Chak de India, cinema has got both its pros and cons like the flip of a coin. But it is indeed true that nowadays, the cinemas comprise of such violence or awkward scenes that it would be better not to be watched by the kids and the weak minded people. Kids become more violent by watching fights in cinemas. The terrible ghost of Talaash seems to come alive in their minds. They are not able to sleep at night and are suddenly awakened by fostering the fear of the ghost that would seemingly enter their house to attack them. Simply because it triggers off and satiates the subdued animal instincts in human, people continue to watch such movies. Such instances become more furious when it acts upon the tender minds in the most vulnerable period of the teenagers. Millions and billions are wasted in the name of producing such useless and harmful entertainment. As cinemas nurture and cultivate the unfulfilled dreams of human desires, people irrespective of age, sex and status love to watch them. The producers do not intend to comprehend the impact of their cinema on different segments of people throughout the society at a large. Avatar reveals exactly what the British had done to the Indians during their regime of cruelty and vindictiveness. The news about the latest films also distracts young children from their studies. People may get motivated by cinemas like Taare Zamin Par and 3 Idiots, but these gems are produced very rarely. Vulgarity and violence is exhibited in most of the cinemas which are geared up to cast a tremendous negative impact on mankind. They are adequate to demolish the moral and social obligations. Unfortunately, cinemas have become an addiction to a section of the community today. It is indeed true that young children are distracted by cartoon films or cricket followed by other sports, but the cinema enthusiast wants to watch television all day long. There is no dearth of movies today, which is due to blessings of the cable networks. They fail to show resilience to any limit while watching movies. Even if we compare, a cricket match goes on for a few hours only, which is surely less harmful. Nowadays, the disgusting cinemas have demoralized young minds and the effects of these will and shall be felt after ten to fifteen years. When these young minds will blossom they will not forget what they have watched in their childhood instead would only like to express them and slowly but steadily, the society will be destroyed. Hence the slow erosion of any work culture, sense of morality and steady growth of violence will decompose the good values that are inculcated within the human mind. Alas! It will not be too harsh to say that the corrosive impact of cinemas on the minds causes irreparable...
Monetizing agents like Appnext, RevMob play a sterling role
Posted by admin in Recreation | 2 comments
Rely on Appnext among the tons of advertising and monetizing mediators who are holding up the newest platform of the mobile user age. The sole interest of this company lies in aiding their game and app developers to generate more money through advertising, cross-promotion and unleashing their products. Their typical strategy involves targeting players and mobile users during natural breaks provided during the course of their games. The solid foundation that appnext, the leader, has in advertising at social networks is their backbone while they foray into this newer...
The most successful Hindi film, Chennai Express
Posted by admin in Recreation | Comments Off on The most successful Hindi film, Chennai Express
With all the buzz around Bollywood and all over India regarding paying tribute and contributing to 100 years of Hindi cinema, it seems the Rohit Shetty film Chennai Express has done its bit. Chennai Express released on Eid in August 2013.Clamored to be an Indian romantic action comedy film produced by Gauri Khan under Red Chillies Entertainment banner it features Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in lead roles. The enthralling music is by Vishal-Shekhar. Though disapproved by critics as a film unworthy of Shahrukh Khan it has broken all records at the box-office. It seems the hard work of this self made star and the entire team has paid off as it is a thoroughly entertaining film. The producers Ronnie Screwvala, Gauri Khan, Karim Morani and Siddharth Roy Kapur are laughing all the way to the bank. Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone back together after five years have stamped the final seal of approval upon Rohit Shetty’s already glittering achievements. Chennai Express makes SRK again the Badshah of Bollywood after his stint of two decades. The film was extensively promoted before release on August 9. The business response to the film Chennai Express has made everyone’s endeavor for the film worthy. Released at a record number of screens across India the film grossed Rs.100 crore within the first three days of its release. The film is made in an ideal Hindi masala movie style which is to be enjoyed at the theatres and forgotten about later. It is a very different Shahrukh from his romantic comfort zone and Deepika makes it watch able for a number of times. The over the top stunts that are a special feature of any Rohit Shetty film makes the entire environment highly amusing. For now it seems that SRK’s Chennai Express is unstoppable and set to create history at the box...
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Hail Map for Bethesda, MDadmin-001-11-30T00:00:00+00:00
Hail Map for Bethesda, MD
The Bethesda, MD area has had 2 reports of on-the-ground hail by trained spotters, and has been under severe weather warnings 120 times during the past 12 months. Doppler radar has detected hail at or near Bethesda, MD on 39 occasions, including 7 occasions during the past year.
Name: Bethesda, MD
Where Located: 33.9 miles SW of Baltimore, MD
Map: Google Map for Bethesda, MD
Housing Units: 27470
More Info: Search Google for Bethesda, MD
The Top Recent Hail Date for Bethesda, MD is Sunday, June 2, 2019 (5th out of 39)
Hail and Wind Damage Spotted near Bethesda, MD
7/6/2019 7:21 PM EDT At 721 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from rockville to friendship village to ballston, moving southeast at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, olney, college park, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, falls church, coral hills, bladensburg, pimmit hills, mclean, american legion bridge, fort totten, rosslyn, crystal city and university of maryland.
7/6/2019 7:02 PM EDT At 702 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over mclean, moving east at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, germantown, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, reston, olney, college park, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, vienna, falls church, coral hills, bladensburg, pimmit hills, mclean, american legion bridge and fort totten.
7/6/2019 6:45 PM EDT At 645 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over great falls, or over herndon, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
7/2/2019 5:41 PM EDT The severe thunderstorm warning for south central howard, southeastern montgomery and northwestern prince georges counties will expire at 545 pm edt, the storms which prompted the warning have moved out of the area. therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire. remember, a severe thunderstorm warning still remains in effect for southeastern howard county, southeastern montgomery county, northern prince georges county and anne arundel county until 615 pm.
7/2/2019 5:26 PM EDT At 525 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near fairland to takoma park, moving east at 25 mph (emergency management reported these storms have a history of tree damage in north potomac). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, columbia, bethesda, olney, college park, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, bladensburg, university of maryland, aspen hill, laurel, fairland, hyattsville, white oak, takoma park, east riverdale, adelphi, colesville, kemp mill and new carrollton.
7/2/2019 5:08 PM EDT The severe thunderstorm warning for southeastern montgomery and northeastern fairfax counties will expire at 515 pm edt, the storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area. therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire. remember, a severe thunderstorm warning still remains in effect for southeastern montgomery county, south central howard county and northwestern prince georges county.
7/2/2019 5:04 PM EDT At 504 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near montgomery village to potomac, moving east at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
7/2/2019 4:54 PM EDT At 453 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over potomac, or near american legion bridge, moving southeast at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, germantown, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, falls church, pimmit hills, american legion bridge, mclean, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, north potomac, tysons corner, white oak, great falls, kemp mill, chevy chase, north kensington, south kensington and forest glen.
7/2/2019 4:38 PM EDT At 438 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located near lowes island, moving southeast at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
6/29/2019 4:37 PM EDT At 436 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over rossmoor, or over olney, moving southeast at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
6/17/2019 4:18 PM EDT At 417 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over martin`s additions, or near bethesda, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
6/2/2019 5:47 PM EDT At 546 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm with a history of producing large hail was located over rockville, moving east at 20 mph (trained spotters and doppler radar). Hazards include two inch hail and 60 mph wind gusts. Expect wind damage to trees and power lines. hail is large enough to dent and damage vehicles. some hail damage to roofs, siding, and windows is possible. Locations impacted include, rockville, bethesda, olney, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, north potomac, fairland, white oak, redland, colesville, kemp mill, chevy chase, north kensington, south kensington, forest glen, hillandale, north chevy chase, wheaton-glenmont and rossmoor.
6/2/2019 5:46 PM EDT Golf Ball sized hail reported 2.1 miles NNE of Bethesda, MD, golf ball size hail near glen echo fire department
6/2/2019 5:43 PM EDT At 543 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm with a history of producing large hail was located over potomac, or near rockville, moving east at 20 mph (trained spotters). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
6/2/2019 5:42 PM EDT At 542 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located near north potomac, or near lowes island, moving east at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, rockville, bethesda, potomac, north potomac, cabin john, congressional manor and bradley farms.
6/2/2019 5:33 PM EDT At 533 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over lowes island, moving east at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include golf ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts. the largest hail is most likely near great falls. Expect wind damage to trees and power lines. hail is large enough to dent and damage vehicles. some hail damage to roofs, siding, and windows is possible. Locations impacted include, rockville, gaithersburg, reston, lowes island, american legion bridge, potomac, north potomac, wolf trap, great falls, darnestown, cabin john, belleview, bradley farms and congressional manor.
6/2/2019 5:33 PM EDT At 525 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over sterling, or over lowes island, moving east at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
6/2/2019 5:30 PM EDT At 530 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over friendship village, or over bethesda, moving southeast at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include ping pong ball size hail. the largest hail is most likely over tenleytown, friendship heights and near the university of the district of columbia. Some hail damage to vehicles is possible. Locations impacted include, arlington, bethesda, langley park, coral hills, bladensburg, nationals park, howard university, gallaudet university, fort totten, rosslyn, rfk stadium, mclean, landover, hyattsville, takoma park, east riverdale, chevy chase, riverdale park, cheverly and marlow heights.
6/2/2019 5:23 PM EDT At 523 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over bethesda, moving southeast at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include ping pong ball size hail. Some hail damage to vehicles is possible. Locations impacted include, arlington, bethesda, langley park, coral hills, bladensburg, nationals park, howard university, gallaudet university, american legion bridge, fort totten, rosslyn, rfk stadium, mclean, potomac, north bethesda, landover, hyattsville, takoma park, east riverdale and chevy chase.
6/2/2019 5:21 PM EDT At 521 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over american legion bridge, moving southeast at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include quarter size hail. some hail damage to vehicles is possible
6/2/2019 5:09 PM EDT At 509 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over potomac, or near american legion bridge, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include quarter size hail. Some hail damage to vehicles is possible. Locations impacted include, bethesda, american legion bridge, mclean, potomac, north bethesda, great falls, chevy chase, south kensington, martin`s additions, north chevy chase, friendship village, silver spring, cabin john, chevy chase village, somerset, chevy chase section three, chevy chase section five, glen echo, langley and bradley farms.
6/2/2019 4:55 PM EDT At 455 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over great falls, or near lowes island, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include quarter size hail. Some hail damage to agriculture is expected. Locations impacted include, rockville, bethesda, lowes island, american legion bridge, mclean, potomac, north bethesda, white oak, great falls, kemp mill, chevy chase, north kensington, south kensington, forest glen, martin`s additions, north chevy chase, friendship village, wheaton-glenmont, silver spring and wheaton.
6/2/2019 4:50 PM EDT At 450 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located near lowes island, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include quarter size hail. Some hail damage to agriculture is expected. Locations impacted include, rockville, bethesda, lowes island, american legion bridge, mclean, potomac, north bethesda, north potomac, white oak, great falls, kemp mill, countryside, chevy chase, north kensington, south kensington, forest glen, martin`s additions, north chevy chase, wheaton-glenmont and friendship village.
6/2/2019 4:40 PM EDT At 440 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over countryside, or near lowes island, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include quarter size hail. some hail damage to agriculture is expected
5/23/2019 3:52 PM EDT At 350 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from college park to alexandria to near montclair, moving east at 45 mph. these are very dangerous storms (automated weather station. reagan national airport recorded a wind gust to 68 mph). Hazards include 80 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Expect considerable damage to trees and power lines. your life is at significant risk if outdoors. in addition to some trees falling into homes, wind damage is possible to roofs, sheds, open garages, and mobile homes. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, waldorf, dale city, bethesda, bowie, annandale, clinton, springfield, college park, fort washington, langley park, fort hunt, groveton, forestville, falls church, huntington, largo, coral hills and bladensburg.
5/23/2019 3:50 PM EDT At 350 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from college park to alexandria to near montclair, moving east at 45 mph (radar indicated but similar storms have had a history of wind damage this afternoon). Hazards include 70 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, waldorf, dale city, bethesda, bowie, annandale, clinton, springfield, college park, fort washington, langley park, fort hunt, groveton, forestville, falls church, huntington, largo, coral hills and bladensburg.
5/23/2019 3:49 PM EDT At 348 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from catonsville to near odenton to lanham-seabrook, moving east at 50 mph (trained weather spotters and emergency management. numerous reports of wind damage have been reported in montgomery and howard counties). Hazards include 70 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, baltimore, columbia, rockville, bethesda, bowie, severn, annapolis, college park, crofton, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, elkridge, riviera beach, mayo, naval academy, baltimore-washington airport, sillery bay, millers island and north point state park.
5/23/2019 3:44 PM EDT Tree fell on a house in montgomery county MD, 1.9 miles SE of Bethesda, MD
5/23/2019 3:40 PM EDT At 340 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from ellicott city to near laurel to university of maryland, moving east at 50 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 70 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, baltimore, columbia, rockville, bethesda, bowie, severn, annapolis, college park, crofton, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, elkridge, riviera beach, mayo, naval academy, baltimore-washington airport, sillery bay, millers island and north point state park.
5/23/2019 3:38 PM EDT At 338 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from mclean to 11 miles west of montclair, moving southeast at 40 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, centreville, dale city, bethesda, reston, annandale, herndon, fairfax, vienna, falls church, lowes island, mantua, pimmit hills, mclean, american legion bridge, potomac, north bethesda, lake ridge, burke and linton hall.
5/23/2019 3:36 PM EDT At 336 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from chevy chase to mantua to 9 miles south of linton hall, moving east at 45 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
5/23/2019 3:21 PM EDT At 321 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near mount airy to rossmoor to potomac, moving east at 50 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 70 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
5/23/2019 3:15 PM EDT At 315 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from 6 miles east of damascus to north potomac, moving east at 50 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, germantown, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, olney, damascus, poolesville, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, montgomery village, north potomac, redland, chevy chase, north kensington, south kensington, north chevy chase, wheaton-glenmont, boyds and green valley.
5/23/2019 3:11 PM EDT At 311 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from countryside to near warrenton, moving southeast at 40 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
5/23/2019 2:56 PM EDT At 256 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near ballenger creek to near lansdowne, moving east at 50 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
5/2/2019 4:07 PM EDT Tree down on westbard ave near massachusetts av in montgomery county MD, 2 miles N of Bethesda, MD
5/2/2019 4:00 PM EDT At 400 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from ballston to near fairfax, moving east at 15 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, centreville, bethesda, bowie, annandale, clinton, springfield, fort washington, fairfax, fort hunt, vienna, groveton, forestville, falls church, huntington, largo, coral hills, bladensburg and mantua.
5/2/2019 3:48 PM EDT At 348 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from columbia to takoma park, moving east at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, columbia, bethesda, olney, college park, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, bladensburg, university of maryland, fort totten, ellicott city, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, laurel, fairland, landover, hyattsville, white oak and takoma park.
5/2/2019 3:38 PM EDT At 337 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from mclean to fairfax, moving east at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
5/2/2019 3:35 PM EDT At 335 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from rockville to near reston, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, germantown, centreville, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, reston, olney, south riding, herndon, lowes island, brambleton, dulles international airport, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, ashburn, oakton, montgomery village, sterling and north potomac.
5/2/2019 3:30 PM EDT At 329 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near olney to near potomac, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
5/2/2019 3:20 PM EDT At 320 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near potomac to near oatlands, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, germantown, centreville, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, reston, olney, south riding, herndon, broadlands, lansdowne, lowes island, brambleton, poolesville, dulles international airport, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, ashburn and oakton.
5/2/2019 3:03 PM EDT At 303 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near poolesville to near middleburg, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
4/27/2019 2:55 PM EDT 18-inch diameter oak tree uprooted alongside the outer loop of i-495 capital beltway just west of i-270 near the bethesda trolley trai in montgomery county MD, 2.2 miles S of Bethesda, MD
4/26/2019 2:53 PM EDT At 253 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from montgomery village to potomac, moving northeast at 50 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, germantown, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, olney, damascus, lowes island, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, montgomery village, north potomac, redland, takoma park, great falls, colesville, kemp mill, chevy chase, north kensington and south kensington.
4/26/2019 2:39 PM EDT At 238 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near lowes island to reston, moving northeast at 40 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, germantown, centreville, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, reston, leesburg, olney, south riding, herndon, vienna, damascus, broadlands, lansdowne, lowes island, brambleton, poolesville, american legion bridge, dulles international airport and aspen hill.
4/26/2019 2:32 PM EDT At 232 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from ashburn to dulles international airport, moving east at 50 mph (radar indicated. dulles airport gusted to 53 mph). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, germantown, centreville, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, reston, leesburg, olney, south riding, herndon, fairfax, vienna, damascus, broadlands, lansdowne, lowes island, brambleton, pimmit hills, poolesville and mclean.
4/26/2019 2:20 PM EDT At 220 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near brambleton to near south riding, moving northeast at 50 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
4/19/2019 9:17 PM EDT At 916 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over chevy chase, or over bethesda, moving northeast at 40 mph (radar indicated rotation). Hazards include tornado. expect damage to mobile homes, roofs, and vehicles
4/15/2019 2:05 AM EDT At 205 am edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over poolesville, moving east at 50 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
4/15/2019 1:18 AM EDT At 117 am edt, a severe thunderstorm was located near fort belvoir, moving northeast at 60 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
3/22/2019 4:15 PM EDT At 415 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm with a history of producing 60 mph wind gusts and covering the ground in hail was located over national harbor, moving east at 50 mph (radar indicated, measured gusts and spotter reports). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and small hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, waldorf, dale city, bethesda, bowie, annandale, clinton, springfield, college park, fort washington, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, fort hunt, groveton, forestville, falls church, huntington and largo.
3/22/2019 4:09 PM EDT The severe thunderstorm warning for southeastern montgomery and fairfax counties and the city of fairfax will expire at 415 pm edt, the storms which prompted the warning have moved out of the area. therefore the warning will be allowed to expire. to report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement agency. they will relay your report to the national weather service sterling virginia.
3/22/2019 4:03 PM EDT At 403 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over annandale, moving southeast at 50 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. this storm has a history of producing 50 to 60 mph wind gusts. hail was also covering the ground in leesburg and the dulles toll road. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, waldorf, dale city, bethesda, bowie, annandale, clinton, springfield, college park, fort washington, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, fort hunt, groveton, forestville, falls church, huntington and largo.
3/22/2019 4:01 PM EDT At 400 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near rossmoor to reston, moving east at 55 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. these storms have a history of producing wind gusts over 50 mph. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, centreville, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, reston, olney, south riding, herndon, fairfax, vienna, lowes island, mantua, pimmit hills, mclean, american legion bridge, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, burke and oakton.
3/22/2019 3:58 PM EDT Tree down blocking the ramp from md-187 old georgetown road to the i-495 capital beltway outer loo in montgomery county MD, 3.1 miles SSE of Bethesda, MD
3/22/2019 3:55 PM EDT Storm damage reported in montgomery county MD, 3.1 miles SSE of Bethesda, MD
3/22/2019 3:54 PM EDT Top half of large hardwood tree snapped off on loch lomond driv in montgomery county MD, 2.4 miles ENE of Bethesda, MD
3/22/2019 3:53 PM EDT Tree down alongside i-270 near democracy boulevar in montgomery county MD, 2.8 miles SE of Bethesda, MD
3/22/2019 3:52 PM EDT At 351 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located near oakton, or near reston, moving southeast at 50 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. wind gusts over 50 mph were reported in winchester, leesburg and at dulles airport. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
3/22/2019 3:43 PM EDT At 342 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near boyds to oatlands, moving east at 55 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. wind gusts over 50 mph were measured at winchester regional airport and leesburg executive airport, and pea size hail was covering the ground in leesburg. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, germantown, centreville, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, reston, leesburg, olney, south riding, herndon, fairfax, vienna, broadlands, lansdowne, lowes island, brambleton, mantua, pimmit hills, poolesville and mclean.
3/22/2019 3:36 PM EDT At 335 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near poolesville to near middleburg, moving east at 55 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. wind gusts over 50 mph were reported at winchester regional airport. small hail is covering the ground in leesburg. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, germantown, centreville, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, reston, leesburg, olney, south riding, herndon, fairfax, vienna, broadlands, lansdowne, lowes island, brambleton, mantua, pimmit hills, poolesville and mclean.
3/22/2019 3:26 PM EDT At 326 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near point of rocks to near bluemont, moving east at 55 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
12/21/2018 5:05 PM EST The severe thunderstorm warning for montgomery county will expire at 515 pm est, the storms which prompted the warning have moved out of the area. therefore the warning will be allowed to expire.
12/21/2018 4:29 PM EST At 429 pm est, more severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from lansdowne to reston, moving northeast at 45 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
8/18/2018 2:33 AM EDT At 233 am edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over north bethesda, or near rockville, moving east at 40 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, germantown, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, olney, langley park, pimmit hills, mclean, american legion bridge, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, montgomery village, north potomac, tysons corner, white oak, redland, takoma park, great falls and colesville.
8/18/2018 2:22 AM EDT At 221 am edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over great falls, or near american legion bridge, moving east at 40 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
8/7/2018 3:55 PM EDT At 355 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over takoma park, or over langley park, and moving northeast around 10 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
6/19/2018 2:16 PM EDT At 215 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over arlington, moving southeast at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
5/22/2018 3:57 PM EDT At 346 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over gaithersburg, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, germantown, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, olney, lowes island, pimmit hills, american legion bridge, mclean, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, montgomery village, north potomac, tysons corner, redland, great falls, north kensington, south kensington and rossmoor.
5/22/2018 3:57 PM EDT A severe thunderstorm warning remains in effect until 415 pm edt for southeastern montgomery and northeastern fairfax counties. at 356 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over rockville, moving east at 25 mph. hazard. 60 mph wind gusts. source. Radar indicated.
5/22/2018 3:34 PM EDT At 334 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over boyds, or near germantown, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, germantown, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, olney, lowes island, pimmit hills, poolesville, american legion bridge, mclean, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, montgomery village, north potomac, tysons corner, redland, great falls, countryside and north kensington.
5/22/2018 3:25 PM EDT At 325 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over poolesville, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
5/15/2018 9:03 PM EDT At 903 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over rfk stadium, moving east at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, bethesda, annandale, clinton, springfield, college park, fort washington, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, groveton, forestville, falls church, huntington, largo, coral hills, bladensburg, national harbor and fedex field.
5/15/2018 9:03 PM EDT A severe thunderstorm warning remains in effect until 915 pm edt for the district of columbia. central prince georges. arlington. and east central fairfax counties. the city of falls church and the city of alexandria. At 903 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over rfk stadium, moving east at 30 mph.
5/15/2018 8:55 PM EDT At 853 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over crystal city, moving east at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, bethesda, annandale, clinton, springfield, college park, fort washington, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, vienna, groveton, forestville, falls church, huntington, largo, coral hills, bladensburg and mantua.
5/15/2018 8:34 PM EDT At 834 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over lake barcroft, or over falls church, moving east at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
5/14/2018 7:00 PM EDT At 659 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near olney to national harbor to near quantico, moving southeast at 35 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 70 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
5/14/2018 7:00 PM EDT The national weather service in sterling virginia has issued a * severe thunderstorm warning for. the district of columbia. southeastern montgomery county in central maryland. northwestern prince georges county in central maryland. Northwestern charles county in southern maryland.
5/14/2018 6:46 PM EDT At 646 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from bethesda to newington to 11 miles east of bealeton, moving southeast at 35 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 70 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, germantown, centreville, dale city, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, reston, annandale, springfield, college park, south riding, fort washington, herndon, greenbelt, fairfax, langley park, fort hunt and vienna.
5/14/2018 6:12 PM EDT At 612 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near leesburg, moving southeast at 20 mph (radar indicated rotation). Hazards include tornado and ping pong ball size hail. For those in the direct path of a tornado touchdown, flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. damage to roofs, siding, and windows may occur. mobile homes may be damaged or destroyed. tree damage is likely. this dangerous storm will be near, lansdowne around 620 pm edt. broadlands and brambleton around 625 pm edt. arcola around 630 pm edt. ashburn and countryside around 635 pm edt. dulles international airport around 640 pm edt. reston, herndon, lowes island, oakton, sterling, chantilly and great falls around 645 pm edt. Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include congressional manor, belmont, belleview, sterling park, bradley farms, cabin john and fairfax station.
5/14/2018 6:07 PM EDT At 607 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near poolesville to arcola to 6 miles west of warrenton, moving southeast at 35 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include golf ball size hail and 70 mph wind gusts. Expect wind damage to trees and power lines. hail is large enough to dent and damage vehicles. Some hail damage to roofs, siding, and windows is possible.
8/12/2017 7:54 PM EDT At 753 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from college park to lake barcroft, moving southeast at 15 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, bethesda, bowie, annandale, clinton, springfield, college park, fort washington, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, fort hunt, vienna, groveton, forestville, falls church, huntington, largo and coral hills.
8/12/2017 7:32 PM EDT At 731 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from wheaton-glenmont to vienna, moving southeast at 15 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
8/3/2017 6:35 PM EDT At 634 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over rosslyn, moving northeast at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, bethesda, annandale, falls church, rosslyn, lincolnia, lake barcroft, martin`s additions, american university, friendship village, georgetown, ballston, seven corners, chevy chase village, somerset, westover, national zoo, baileys crossroads and barcroft.
8/3/2017 6:32 PM EDT At 631 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over georgetown, or over rosslyn, moving northeast at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
8/3/2017 6:27 PM EDT At 626 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over lake barcroft, or over falls church, moving northeast at 20 mph (radar indicated. multiple reports of dimes and nickels). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, bethesda, annandale, falls church, pimmit hills, american legion bridge, mclean, rosslyn, potomac, lincolnia, tysons corner, merrifield, lake barcroft, chevy chase, martin`s additions, american university, i66 and i495 interchange, friendship village and georgetown.
8/3/2017 6:13 PM EDT At 613 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over burke, or over annandale, moving northeast at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
8/1/2017 6:13 PM EDT At 613 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over takoma park, or over langley park, and is nearly stationary (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
7/24/2017 5:36 PM EDT The severe thunderstorm warning for the central district of columbia, southern montgomery, arlington, and northeastern fairfax counties, the city of falls church and the northwestern city of alexandria will expire at 545 pm edt, the storms which prompted the warning have moved out of the area. therefore the warning will be allowed to expire. however gusty winds are still possible with these thunderstorms. to report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement agency. they will relay your report to the national weather service sterling virginia.
7/24/2017 5:21 PM EDT At 520 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from tysons corner to falls church, moving northeast at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, reston, annandale, vienna, falls church, pimmit hills, american legion bridge, mclean, rosslyn, crystal city, rfk stadium, nationals park, gallaudet university, oakton, lincolnia, tysons corner, wolf trap, merrifield and lake barcroft.
7/24/2017 5:21 PM EDT At 501 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near fairfax to mantua, moving east at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
7/22/2017 2:19 PM EDT At 217 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over central montgomery county near white oak, moving east at 50 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, columbia, rockville, gaithersburg, olney, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, montgomery village, north potomac, fairland, white oak, redland, takoma park, colesville, kemp mill, chevy chase, north kensington, south kensington, forest glen and hillandale.
7/22/2017 2:16 PM EDT Large tree branch blocking lanes on little falls just before bradley boulevard at safewa in montgomery county MD, 0.7 miles NNW of Bethesda, MD
7/22/2017 2:03 PM EDT The national weather service in sterling virginia has issued a * severe thunderstorm warning for. south central howard county in central maryland. central montgomery county in central maryland. Until 230 pm edt * at 203 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over north.
7/14/2017 4:30 PM EDT At 430 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over tysons corner, or over vienna, moving southeast at 10 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, bethesda, annandale, vienna, falls church, mantua, pimmit hills, american legion bridge, mclean, potomac, lincolnia, tysons corner, merrifield, lake barcroft, american university, i66 and i495 interchange, friendship village, seven corners, dunn loring and cabin john.
7/14/2017 4:20 PM EDT At 419 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over wolf trap, or near reston, moving southeast at 10 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 70 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, bethesda, reston, annandale, fairfax, vienna, falls church, mantua, pimmit hills, american legion bridge, mclean, potomac, oakton, lincolnia, tysons corner, wolf trap, great falls, merrifield, lake barcroft and chevy chase.
7/14/2017 4:14 PM EDT At 413 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over wolf trap, or over reston, moving southeast at 10 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
7/7/2017 7:48 PM EDT At 748 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near reston to fairfax to near centreville, moving southeast at 40 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, centreville, bethesda, reston, annandale, clinton, springfield, fort washington, fairfax, fort hunt, vienna, groveton, falls church, huntington, coral hills, bladensburg, mantua, fort belvoir and pimmit hills.
7/7/2017 7:40 PM EDT At 739 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from sterling to near chantilly to near bull run, moving southeast at 35 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
7/1/2017 3:21 PM EDT At 320 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over bethesda, moving east at 35 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, rockville, bethesda, college park, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, vienna, forestville, falls church, coral hills, bladensburg, pimmit hills, mclean, byrd stadium, american legion bridge, fort totten, rosslyn, nationals park and howard university.
7/1/2017 3:21 PM EDT At 259 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over reston, moving east at 35 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
6/19/2017 3:39 PM EDT At 338 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over bethesda, moving northeast at 40 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, rockville, bethesda, reston, bowie, annandale, olney, springfield, college park, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, vienna, groveton, forestville, falls church, huntington, largo and coral hills.
6/19/2017 3:37 PM EDT Tree down and blocking all lanes on seven locks rd near intersection of glennon dr in montgomery county MD, 3.2 miles ESE of Bethesda, MD
6/19/2017 3:19 PM EDT At 318 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located near fairfax, moving northeast at 40 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
5/31/2017 5:31 PM EDT At 531 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over great falls, or near lowes island, moving northeast at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, bethesda, reston, herndon, lowes island, potomac, north bethesda, oakton, sterling, north potomac, wolf trap, great falls, darnestown, belleview, bradley farms and congressional manor.
5/31/2017 5:25 PM EDT At 525 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over sterling, or over herndon, moving northeast at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, centreville, bethesda, reston, south riding, herndon, lowes island, brambleton, dulles international airport, potomac, north bethesda, ashburn, oakton, sterling, north potomac, chantilly, wolf trap, great falls, countryside, arcola and darnestown.
5/31/2017 5:12 PM EDT At 512 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over dulles international airport, moving northeast at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
4/21/2017 5:44 PM EDT Tree down partially blocking the inner loop of capital beltway near md 355 in montgomery county MD, 2.2 miles S of Bethesda, MD
4/21/2017 5:07 PM EDT Tree branches down into left shoulder of capital beltway outer loop at exit 36 md 187 old georgetown rd in montgomery county MD, 2.3 miles SSE of Bethesda, MD
4/21/2017 4:57 PM EDT Large tree uprooted... possibly onto a house in montgomery county MD, 1.7 miles SSW of Bethesda, MD
4/21/2017 4:50 PM EDT Ping Pong Ball sized hail reported 0.9 miles W of Bethesda, MD
4/21/2017 4:48 PM EDT At 448 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over forest glen, or near langley park, moving east at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include golf ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts. Expect wind damage to trees and power lines. hail is large enough to dent and damage vehicles. some hail damage to roofs, siding, and windows is possible. Locations impacted include, bethesda, bowie, college park, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, largo, bladensburg, byrd stadium, fedex field, fort totten, aspen hill, north bethesda, fairland, landover, hyattsville, white oak, takoma park, east riverdale and adelphi.
4/21/2017 4:43 PM EDT At 443 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over south kensington, or near bethesda, moving east at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, rockville, bethesda, bowie, college park, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, largo, bladensburg, byrd stadium, fedex field, fort totten, aspen hill, north bethesda, fairland, landover, hyattsville, white oak, takoma park and east riverdale.
4/21/2017 4:36 PM EDT At 436 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over north bethesda, or near rockville, moving east at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
4/21/2017 4:33 PM EDT At 433 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over potomac, or over rockville, moving east at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, olney, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, north potomac, redland, darnestown, derwood, cabin john, bradley farms and congressional manor.
4/21/2017 4:32 PM EDT Several tree branches down onto wires at the 6300 block of haviland drive in montgomery county MD, 1.5 miles NNE of Bethesda, MD
4/21/2017 4:19 PM EDT At 418 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located near north potomac, or near lowes island, moving east at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, germantown, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, olney, lowes island, poolesville, american legion bridge, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, montgomery village, north potomac, redland, great falls, countryside, darnestown, derwood, cabin john and washington grove.
4/21/2017 4:00 PM EDT At 400 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over lansdowne, moving east at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
4/20/2017 8:14 PM EDT At 813 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over fort totten, moving east at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, bethesda, bowie, college park, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, forestville, largo, coral hills, bladensburg, byrd stadium, fedex field, howard university, gallaudet university, fort totten, rfk stadium, potomac, north bethesda, laurel and fairland.
4/20/2017 8:05 PM EDT At 804 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over american university, or near rosslyn, moving east at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
4/6/2017 1:44 PM EDT At 143 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near poolesville to near potomac to crystal city, moving northeast at 55 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, germantown, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, leesburg, olney, college park, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, damascus, lansdowne, lowes island, coral hills, bladensburg, poolesville, national harbor and mclean.
4/6/2017 1:26 PM EDT At 126 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near warrenton, moving northeast at 45 mph (radar indicated rotation). Hazards include tornado. For those in the direct path of a tornado touchdown, flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. damage to roofs, siding, and windows may occur. mobile homes may be damaged or destroyed. tree damage is likely. this dangerous storm will be near, linton hall around 135 pm edt. south riding around 145 pm edt. centreville, brambleton, dulles international airport, chantilly and arcola around 150 pm edt. broadlands around 155 pm edt. reston, herndon, lansdowne, lowes island, ashburn, sterling, great falls and countryside around 200 pm edt. Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include catharpin, garrett park, derwood, clarksburg, woolsey, washington grove, belmont, belleview, bradley farms and kensington.
4/6/2017 1:12 PM EDT At 111 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near warrenton to 6 miles west of dale city to triangle, moving northeast at 50 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
3/1/2017 1:40 PM EST At 139 pm est, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near colesville to rosslyn to near fort belvoir, moving east at 60 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
3/1/2017 1:28 PM EST At 128 pm est, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from north potomac to near lake ridge to 11 miles west of spotsylvania, moving east at 55 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, stafford, centreville, waldorf, dale city, rockville, bethesda, reston, bowie, annandale, clinton, springfield, college park, fredericksburg, fort washington, herndon, greenbelt, fairfax and langley park.
3/1/2017 1:05 PM EST At 104 pm est, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from broadlands to near haymarket to 9 miles east of orange, moving east at 50 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
2/12/2017 11:06 PM EST Tree...pole and wires down near winston drive and river roa in montgomery county MD, 1.4 miles ENE of Bethesda, MD
2/12/2017 11:05 PM EST Tree down blocking seven locks roa in montgomery county MD, 3.6 miles SE of Bethesda, MD
2/12/2017 10:58 PM EST At 1057 pm est, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near gaithersburg to lansdowne to near oatlands, moving east at 50 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, germantown, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, reston, leesburg, olney, south riding, herndon, beltsville, vienna, broadlands, lansdowne, lowes island, brambleton, poolesville, american legion bridge, dulles international airport, aspen hill and potomac.
2/12/2017 10:38 PM EST At 1037 pm est, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near point of rocks to near round hill to near berryville, moving east at 50 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
9/7/2016 6:23 PM EDT The severe thunderstorm warning for south central montgomery and north central fairfax counties will expire at 630 pm edt, the storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe limits, and no longer pose an immediate threat to life or property. therefore the warning will be allowed to expire. however gusty winds and heavy rain are still possible with this thunderstorm.
9/7/2016 6:02 PM EDT At 601 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over rockville, moving south at 15 mph. a second severe thunderstorm was located near gaithersburg also moving south at 15 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, germantown, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, montgomery village, north potomac, redland, wolf trap, great falls, chevy chase, south kensington, darnestown, derwood, cabin john, chevy chase village, garrett park and washington grove.
9/7/2016 5:41 PM EDT At 526 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over american university, or near rosslyn, moving south at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, bethesda, annandale, springfield, fort washington, groveton, falls church, huntington, pimmit hills, national harbor, crystal city, reagan national airport, mclean, rosslyn, burke, lincolnia, tysons corner, franconia and oxon hill.
9/7/2016 5:41 PM EDT The severe thunderstorm warning for the western district of columbia, west central prince georges, southeastern montgomery, northeastern fairfax and arlington counties, the city of falls church and the city of alexandria will expire at 545 pm edt, the storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe limits, and no longer pose an immediate threat to life or property. therefore the warning will be allowed to expire. however gusty winds are still possible with this thunderstorm.
9/7/2016 5:39 PM EDT At 538 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over montgomery village, or over gaithersburg, moving south at 15 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
9/7/2016 5:18 PM EDT At 517 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over friendship village, or over bethesda, moving south at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, bethesda, annandale, springfield, fort washington, groveton, falls church, huntington, pimmit hills, national harbor, nationals park, crystal city, reagan national airport, howard university, mclean, rosslyn, potomac, north bethesda and burke.
9/7/2016 5:06 PM EDT At 505 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over north bethesda, or near bethesda, moving south at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
8/17/2016 9:08 PM EDT At 908 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from north bethesda to fort belvoir, moving east at 40 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 70 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, rockville, bethesda, bowie, annandale, clinton, springfield, college park, fort washington, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, fort hunt, groveton, forestville, falls church, huntington, largo and coral hills.
8/17/2016 8:57 PM EDT At 857 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from potomac to near lorton, moving east at 40 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
7/25/2016 5:53 PM EDT At 553 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over reston, moving east at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, centreville, waldorf, bethesda, reston, bowie, annandale, clinton, springfield, college park, fort washington, herndon, greenbelt, fairfax, langley park, beltsville, fort hunt, vienna and groveton.
7/25/2016 5:44 PM EDT At 543 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over dulles international airport, moving east at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 70 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
7/19/2016 11:40 PM EDT The severe thunderstorm warning for the district of columbia, northwestern prince georges, southeastern montgomery, northeastern fairfax and northeastern arlington counties will expire at 1145 pm edt, the storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area. therefore the warning will be allowed to expire. however gusty winds and heavy rain are still possible with this thunderstorm. remember, a severe thunderstorm warning still remains in effect for portions of the district of columbia and central prince georges county.
7/19/2016 11:33 PM EDT At 1133 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over howard university, moving southeast at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, bethesda, college park, greenbelt, langley park, bladensburg, gallaudet university, howard university, fort totten, byrd stadium, rosslyn, landover, hyattsville, takoma park, east riverdale, adelphi, kemp mill, new carrollton, mitchellville and chevy chase.
7/19/2016 11:17 PM EDT At 1117 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over martin`s additions, or over bethesda, moving southeast at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
7/19/2016 10:38 PM EDT At 1038 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over bethesda, moving southeast at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, bethesda, huntington, national harbor, howard university, nationals park, crystal city, reagan national airport, rosslyn, potomac, oxon hill, chevy chase, south kensington, temple hills, marlow heights, martin`s additions, north chevy chase, ballston and friendship village.
7/19/2016 10:35 PM EDT Two large trees down at the intersection of river rd and goldsboro rd in montgomery county MD, 1.5 miles NNE of Bethesda, MD
7/19/2016 10:25 PM EDT At 1025 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over takoma park, or over langley park, moving south at 15 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
7/19/2016 10:21 PM EDT At 1021 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over bethesda, moving south at 20 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
7/18/2016 4:18 PM EDT Tree down on wires in the 5200 block of duvall driv in montgomery county MD, 2.7 miles N of Bethesda, MD
7/18/2016 4:15 PM EDT Tree down near the intersection river road and westbard avenu in montgomery county MD, 1.3 miles N of Bethesda, MD
7/18/2016 4:15 PM EDT Tree down near river rd and goldsboro rd partially blocking road in montgomery county MD, 1.5 miles NNE of Bethesda, MD
7/18/2016 4:14 PM EDT Tree down near the intersection of goldsboro road and river roa in montgomery county MD, 1.5 miles NNE of Bethesda, MD
7/18/2016 4:12 PM EDT At 412 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from friendship village to near burke, moving east at 35 mph (trained weather spotters). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, centreville, rockville, bethesda, reston, annandale, springfield, fairfax, vienna, falls church, mantua, pimmit hills, mclean, american legion bridge, potomac, north bethesda, burke, oakton, tysons corner and wolf trap.
7/18/2016 4:10 PM EDT Tree down near the intersection of river road and bradley boulevar in montgomery county MD, 4 miles E of Bethesda, MD
7/18/2016 4:08 PM EDT At 407 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near fairland to near lorton, moving east at 35 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
7/18/2016 3:45 PM EDT At 345 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from broadlands to near haymarket, moving east at 40 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
7/16/2016 4:47 PM EDT At 447 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located near wolf trap, or near american legion bridge, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, rockville, bethesda, reston, vienna, falls church, pimmit hills, american legion bridge, mclean, potomac, north bethesda, oakton, fairland, tysons corner, white oak, wolf trap, great falls, colesville, kemp mill and chevy chase.
7/16/2016 4:39 PM EDT At 438 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over wolf trap, or near reston, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. unsecured light objects may become projectiles. Locations impacted include, arlington, rockville, bethesda, reston, annandale, herndon, vienna, falls church, mantua, pimmit hills, american legion bridge, mclean, aspen hill, potomac, north bethesda, oakton, fairland, lincolnia, tysons corner and white oak.
7/16/2016 4:17 PM EDT At 417 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over herndon, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
6/28/2016 7:21 PM EDT The severe thunderstorm warning for anne arundel, northern prince georges, southeastern howard and southeastern montgomery counties will expire at 730 pm edt, the storms which prompted the warning have weakened below severe limits, and no longer pose an immediate threat to life or property. therefore the warning will be allowed to expire. a severe thunderstorm watch remains in effect until 1000 pm edt for northern and central maryland.
6/28/2016 6:42 PM EDT At 642 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from glen burnie to forest glen, moving south at 15 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
6/21/2016 2:37 PM EDT At 237 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near poolesville to white oak, moving southeast at 35 mph (trained weather spotters). Hazards include quarter size hail. Some hail damage to agriculture is expected. Locations impacted include, arlington, alexandria, rockville, bethesda, gaithersburg, bowie, annandale, clinton, olney, college park, greenbelt, langley park, beltsville, forestville, falls church, huntington, largo, coral hills, bladensburg and pimmit hills.
6/21/2016 2:20 PM EDT At 220 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near boyds to near fairland, moving southeast at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
6/16/2016 8:51 PM EDT At 851 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near poolesville to near lake ridge to near stafford to 11 miles west of spotsylvania, moving east at 35 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
6/16/2016 8:20 PM EDT At 820 pm edt, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from leesburg to near haymarket to near warrenton, moving east at 35 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. this could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. roadways may become blocked by downed trees. localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
6/8/2016 11:02 AM EDT Winds from convective showers downed a tree on bradley blvd...forcing a closure of the roadway in montgomery county MD, 1.5 miles ESE of Bethesda, MD
5/2/2016 8:59 PM EDT At 858 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over georgetown, or over rosslyn, moving east at 30 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Expect wind damage to trees and powerlines. Locations impacted include, arlington, bethesda, bowie, college park, greenbelt, langley park, forestville, falls church, largo, coral hills, bladensburg, gallaudet university, nationals park, crystal city, rfk stadium, howard university, mclean, fort totten, byrd stadium and rosslyn.
5/2/2016 8:49 PM EDT At 849 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over mclean, moving east at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts. Expect damage to roofs. siding. And trees.
5/2/2016 7:32 PM EDT At 730 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over tysons corner, or over pimmit hills, moving northeast at 25 mph (radar indicated. a spotter in vienna also reported quarter sized hail at 730 pm). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Hail damage to vehicles is expected. expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees. Locations impacted include, arlington, rockville, bethesda, reston, annandale, olney, college park, greenbelt, fairfax, langley park, beltsville, vienna, falls church, bladensburg, mantua, pimmit hills, american legion bridge, howard university, mclean and fort totten.
5/2/2016 7:24 PM EDT At 723 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over wolf trap, or over vienna, moving northeast at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.
5/2/2016 6:43 PM EDT At 643 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over potomac, or over american legion bridge, moving northeast at 15 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail. expect wind damage to trees and powerlines
5/2/2016 6:31 PM EDT At 630 pm edt, a severe thunderstorm was located over wolf trap, or over vienna, moving northeast at 25 mph (radar indicated). Hazards include 60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail. Expect wind damage to roofs. siding. and trees. Locations impacted include, arlington, bethesda, reston, annandale, herndon, fairfax, vienna, falls church, mantua, pimmit hills, mclean, american legion bridge, potomac, oakton, tysons corner, wolf trap, great falls, merrifield, lake barcroft and ballston.
5/2/2016 6:15 PM EDT At 614 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing quarter size hail and damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. this storm was located over chantilly, or near fairfax, and moving northeast at 25 mph.
2/24/2016 5:53 PM EST At 551 pm est, radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. a national weather service employee reported tree damage near chantilly. these storms were located along a line extending from near montgomery village to arlington to near fort belvoir, moving northeast at 55 mph. locations impacted include, arlington, rockville, gaithersburg, college park, greenbelt, vienna, falls church, bladensburg, la plata, springfield, pimmit hills, gallaudet university, nationals park, clinton, coral hills, woodbridge, olney, bethesda, largo and fedex field. a tornado watch remains in effect until 1100 pm est for central district of columbia, southern maryland and northern virginia.
2/24/2016 5:29 PM EST At 529 pm est, doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. these storms were located along a line extending from broadlands to near dale city to near stafford, and moving northeast at 55 mph.
8/4/2015 5:55 PM EDT At 554 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. these storms were located along a line extending from north potomac to near great falls, moving east at 10 mph. locations impacted include, rockville, bethesda, olney, takoma park, chevy chase, martin`s additions, north chevy chase, rossmoor, friendship village, white oak, north kensington, north bethesda, great falls, wheaton-glenmont, forest glen, aspen hill, kemp mill, potomac, south kensington and colesville.
8/4/2015 5:40 PM EDT At 540 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing quarter size hail and damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. these storms were located along a line extending from near north potomac to near reston, and moving east at 25 mph.
8/4/2015 4:54 AM EDT At 453 am edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. this storm was located over american legion bridge, moving southeast at 35 mph. locations impacted include, rockville, bethesda, mclean, pimmit hills, american legion bridge, chevy chase, martin`s additions, north chevy chase, north potomac, friendship village, tysons corner, north kensington, north bethesda, great falls, forest glen, kemp mill, potomac, south kensington, wheaton-glenmont and wolf trap.
8/4/2015 4:14 AM EDT At 413 am edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. this storm was located near purcellville, or near leesburg, and moving southeast at 35 mph.
7/30/2015 1:57 PM EDT At 157 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. this storm was located over adams morgan, or over howard university, and moving east at 25 mph.
6/23/2015 6:27 PM EDT At 627 pm edt, trained weather spotters reported a line of severe thunderstorms producing quarter size hail and damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. these storms were located along a line extending from brooklyn park to south riding, and moving southeast at 35 mph.
6/23/2015 6:18 PM EDT At 618 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing quarter size hail and destructive winds in excess of 70 mph. these storms were located along a line extending from near westminster to near purcellville, moving east at 25 mph. locations impacted include, rockville, gaithersburg, leesburg, college park, greenbelt, poolesville, crofton, severn, elkridge, broadlands, olney, damascus, lowes island, lansdowne, langley park, germantown, columbia, byrd stadium, beltsville and baltimore-washington airport.
6/23/2015 6:01 PM EDT At 600 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing quarter size hail and destructive winds in excess of 70 mph. these storms were located along a line extending from near westminster to round hill, and moving east at 25 mph.
6/20/2015 8:10 PM EDT At 810 pm edt, trained weather spotters reported a line of severe thunderstorms producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. these storms were located along a line extending from damascus to rosslyn to near nanjemoy creek, and moving east at 45 mph.
6/20/2015 7:28 PM EDT At 727 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. this storm was located over georgetown, or over howard university, moving northeast at 20 mph. locations impacted include, college park, greenbelt, bladensburg, langley park, howard university, fort totten, byrd stadium, beltsville, hyattsville, takoma park, new carrollton, riverdale park, chevy chase, martin`s additions, north chevy chase, friendship village, white oak, north kensington, wheaton-glenmont and adelphi.
6/20/2015 7:11 PM EDT At 711 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. this storm was located over arlington, and moving northeast at 20 mph.
6/18/2015 5:08 PM EDT At 508 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. these storms were located along a line extending from ballston to goddard, moving southeast at 30 mph. locations impacted include, arlington, college park, greenbelt, falls church, bladensburg, pimmit hills, gallaudet university, nationals park, coral hills, largo, fedex field, langley park, forestville, crystal city, rfk stadium, howard university, mclean, groveton, fort totten and byrd stadium.
6/18/2015 4:51 PM EDT At 451 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. these storms were located along a line extending from mclean to hillandale, and moving southeast at 30 mph.
6/14/2015 5:35 PM EDT At 534 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. this storm was located over american university, or near rosslyn, and moving southeast at 25 mph.
6/8/2015 7:42 PM EDT At 741 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. these storms were located along a line extending from sterling to north bethesda, moving east at 30 mph. locations impacted include, arlington, rockville, gaithersburg, herndon, fairfax, vienna, falls church, reston, south riding, pimmit hills, mantua, dulles international airport, gallaudet university, nationals park, american legion bridge, olney, bethesda, howard university, mclean and fort totten.
6/8/2015 7:35 PM EDT At 735 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. these storms were located along a line extending from near dulles international airport to potomac, moving east at 35 mph. locations impacted include, arlington, rockville, gaithersburg, herndon, fairfax, vienna, falls church, reston, south riding, pimmit hills, mantua, dulles international airport, gallaudet university, nationals park, american legion bridge, olney, bethesda, howard university, mclean and fort totten.
6/8/2015 7:12 PM EDT At 712 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. this storm was located over herndon, and moving east at 30 mph.
6/1/2015 6:41 PM EDT At 641 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing quarter size hail and damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. this storm was located over lowes island, and moving east at 20 mph.
5/16/2015 5:54 PM EDT At 554 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. this storm was located over olney, moving east at 30 mph. locations impacted include, rockville, gaithersburg, columbia, olney, rossmoor, north potomac, north kensington, north bethesda, wheaton-glenmont, redland, aspen hill, colesville, south kensington, montgomery village, kensington, garrett park, chevy chase view, washington grove, laytonsville and brookeville.
5/16/2015 5:48 PM EDT At 547 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. this storm was located over reston, and moving east at 30 mph.
5/16/2015 5:39 PM EDT At 539 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. this storm was located over montgomery village, or over gaithersburg, and moving northeast at 25 mph.
5/6/2015 4:24 PM EDT At 423 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing quarter size hail. this storm was located near great falls park, moving east at 10 mph. locations impacted include, rockville, vienna, bethesda, mclean, pimmit hills, american legion bridge, friendship village, tysons corner, wolf trap, great falls, north bethesda, potomac, north kensington, south kensington, wheaton-glenmont, kensington, somerset, garrett park, chevy chase view and glen echo.
5/6/2015 4:04 PM EDT At 403 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing quarter size hail. this storm was located over great falls park, and drifting slowly northeast at 5 mph.
4/20/2015 8:05 PM EDT At 804 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing half dollar size hail and destructive winds in excess of 70 mph. this storm was located over american university, or near bethesda, moving northeast at 55 mph. locations impacted include, rockville, vienna, elkridge, the american legion memorial bridge, bethesda, columbia, olney, laurel, north chevy chase, ellicott city, north kensington, north bethesda, wheaton-glenmont, savage-guilford, south kensington, rossmoor, forest glen, aspen hill, kemp mill and white oak in montgomery county. a tornado watch remains in effect until 1000 pm edt for central maryland and northern virginia.
4/20/2015 8:02 PM EDT At 801 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm capable of producing half dollar size hail and damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. this storm was located over friendship village, or over bethesda, and moving northeast at 80 mph.
4/20/2015 7:59 PM EDT At 758 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing half dollar size hail and destructive winds in excess of 70 mph. these storms were located along a line extending from pimmit hills to the i395 and i495 to 6 miles east of woodbridge to near triangle, moving northeast at 45 mph. locations impacted include, arlington, college park, falls church, bladensburg, forestville in prince georges county, mantua, the i395 and i495, gallaudet university, nationals park, clinton, coral hills, the i66 and i495, langley park, annandale, crystal city, huntington in fairfax county, fort belvoir, rfk stadium, howard university and springfield in fairfax county. a tornado watch remains in effect until 1000 pm edt for central district of columbia, southern maryland and northern virginia.
4/20/2015 7:42 PM EDT At 742 pm edt, doppler radar indicated a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing quarter size hail and damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. these storms were located along a line extending from near fairfax to near triangle, and moving northeast at 45 mph.
8/31/2014 6:45 PM EDT Large tree branch onto power lines at 9000 burning tree rd in montgomery county MD, 2 miles ESE of Bethesda, MD
8/31/2014 6:21 PM EDT Wires down at 7800 block of radnor rd in montgomery county MD, 0.7 miles E of Bethesda, MD
8/31/2014 6:13 PM EDT Wires down on wilson lane and radnor roa in montgomery county MD, 0.7 miles E of Bethesda, MD
7/15/2014 2:19 PM EDT Power lines down in 6800 block of river roa in montgomery county MD, 1.9 miles ENE of Bethesda, MD
7/3/2014 4:20 PM EDT A tree was reported down on a house on highboro cour in montgomery county MD, 1.5 miles NNE of Bethesda, MD
9/12/2013 4:43 PM EDT Wires were reported down at the intersection of johnson avenue and burley driv in montgomery county MD, 1.6 miles SSE of Bethesda, MD
9/12/2013 4:43 PM EDT Trees were reported down near the intersection of bradley boulevard and goldsboro roa in montgomery county MD, 0.6 miles NNE of Bethesda, MD
9/8/2012 3:45 PM EDT Tree down near i-495 at the rockville exit in montgomery county MD, 2.2 miles S of Bethesda, MD
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hen egg sized hail @ Alpine TX - 161.9mi S of Odessa TX https://t.co/txY6NwPGOs
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Home > Directory > Social
Young women artists from religious communities find it difficult to utilize their talents in their chosen field and to integrate into the art profession. Despite graduating from professional art schools in Jerusalem, few integrate into the art world. ?Rare are the religious women...
Ramit Elon Receives her Get
Men?s Justice too, from the Center for Women?s Justice
The Center for Women's Justice Online Protest Rally
Founder of Center for Women?s Justice receives Israel Bar Association Citation
Center For Women's Justice
The Center for Women?s Justice (CWJ) is dedicated to the advancement of women?s justice, particularly in the area of marriage and divorce. Israeli civil law defers all matter relating to the personal status of its citizens to their respective religious courts. Often the decisions...
Sending Out a �Friend Request� for Nonprofits
Layla Tov
Layla Tov is a social venture aiming to create a safer nightlife. Layla Tov�(Hebrew for �Good Night�), was started by women who love going out and feel it�s time that bars and clubs become safe spaces for everyone. We teamed together with bar and club owners to develop an innovative...
Mavoi Satum Recognizes its Volunteers
Mavoi Satum Legal Precedent is Having an Impact
Mavoi Satum
One out of every seven Jewish women in Israel is at risk of becoming inextricably stuck in an unwanted marriage. Israeli law, which gives absolute authority over marriage and divorce to the religious courts and empowers men as the sole executors of the divorce process, systematically...
Ruach Nashit - From Self Pity to Financial Independence
Ruach Nashit - Women's Spirit
Over 200,000 women in Israel are targets of violence. While different programs respond to the women’s immediate crisis, there are no programs in Israel that prepare them for the challenges of creating an independent life. Many of the women, as they attempt to change their situation,...
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The Association for Civil Rights in Israel
Respect for human rights enables different people to live together, serves as the basis for a healthy and stable democracy, and is the key for realizing the freedoms, dignity, and equality to which all people are inherently entitled. In Israel, a country embroiled in ongoing conflict,...
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Home Entertainment Legendary actor Shashi Kapoor cremated in Mumbai
Legendary actor Shashi Kapoor cremated in Mumbai
Veteran actor Shashi Kapoor was cremated on Tuesday in his home town Mumbai amidst fans and well-wishers paying rich tributes to the legend.
Kapoor had passed away on Monday. He was 79. Some of the biggest blockbusters he had acted were Jab Jab Phool Khile, Satyam Shivam Sundaram and Deewar. Bollywood stars have begun paying their condolences to the superstar of yesteryear.
Kapoor had chest infection in 2014 after having undergone a bypass surgery. He had withdrawn himself from the limelight and was living a secluded life.
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of the popular actor. “Sorry to hear of the demise of Shashi Kapoor, well-known actor, with a repertoire of Indian and international films.
His support for meaningful cinema as a producer and pivotal role in the theatre movement in India too are cherished. Condolences to his family,” said Kovind in a message on Twitter.
Prime Minister Modi said he was saddened by the news and recalled Kapoor’s contribution to cinema and theatre.
“Shashi Kapoor’s versatility could be seen in his movies as well as in theatre, which he promoted with great passion.
His brilliant acting will be remembered for generations to come. Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his family and admirers,” Modi tweeted.
Randhir Kapoor said the funeral would be held in the morning tomorrow.
“Shashi Kapoor expired at 5:20 pm on December 4 at Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai,” Dr Ram Narain from the hospital told PTI.
Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Smriti Irani said Kapoor’s death was “the end of an era”.
“Saddened by the demise of legendary actor Shashi Kapoor ji. His contribution to Indian cinema is monumental. Shashi ji s passing away marks the end of an era. My deepest condolences to his loved ones, colleagues and fans. May his soul rest in peace. Om Shanti!” Irani tweeted.
Director Shyam Bengal described him as “god’s good man” and a beautiful human-being.
“He was god’s good man and a beautiful human-being beyond anything else,” Benegal, who worked with the late actor in “Kalyug” and “Junoon”, told PTI.
Born on March 18, 1938, to the illustrious and formidable theatre and film actor Prithviraj Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor hit the spotlight at the age of four, acting in plays directed and produced by his father. He started acting in films as a child artiste in the late ’40s.
His best known performances as a child actor were in “Aag” (1948) and “Awaara” (1951), where he played the younger version of the character played by Raj Kapoor. Shashi Kapoor also worked as assistant director in the ’50s.
He made his debut as a leading man in the 1961 film “Dharmputra” and went on to appear in more than 116 films during the ’70s and until the mid ’80s.
Among his memorable films were “Deewar”, “Kabhie Kabhie”, “Namak Halal” and “Kaala Pathar”.
He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2011 and received cinema’s prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award in 2015.
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Home » simon paris » Review: 'Lottery' at the New Diorama Theatre, 11th September 2016
Review: 'Lottery' at the New Diorama Theatre, 11th September 2016
Monday, September 12, 2016 by londoncitynights
It's been a while since we had a Prime Minister that wasn't either incompetent or monstrously evil (or both!). The jury is currently out on Theresa May, but honestly, "we will encourage mono-racial schools" does not bode well. After a while, politics begins to look like an endless procession of besuited bozos strip-mining everything of worth from the country, before quitting to sit on the boards of the companies that coincidentally bought all that stuff at a knock-down price.
Sometimes you just wish a normal person could take over. I guess wanting to be PM indicates a certain amount of megalomania, but still, do they all have to look weirdly like lizard people uncomfortably stuffed into flesh suits?
Simon Paris posits a solution; a lottery in which random members of the public are selected to run the country for a five year term. Whilst the problems of picking some random dude (or dudette) are obvious, there's also positives. Firstly, chances are slim that they'd be beholden to corporate interests and not be feathering their business portfolio while they're in office. Also, they'd theoretically have a genuine insight into normal life and would be able to empathise more directly with the population at large.
And so, Fictive Theatre's Lottery. A satirical play taking place in a UK not too dissimilar from our own. In the opening scene we meet two young people (Ava Pickett and Elliot Bornemann) stuck on a real administrative lottery - jury service. They uneasily make friends, the woman awkwardly making her way through a jokey conversation like a drunkard navigating a minefield. She's all twitches and elbows, randomly breaking off the conversation to stare into space with a glazed expression and giggling manically at inopportune moments.
She spends the play wobbling along the tightrope between lovable and disturbing - basically a decent person, but given to worrying fantasies about stabbing people in the eye and burning faces off with acid. She is our new Prime Minister. Still she can't be worse than Prime Minister Barry, who went on a killing spree and is now confined to a maximum security prison.
Fortunately she has a more than capable advisor (Rhys Tees), who guides her through the particulars of governance and makes her policy ideas ("More buses, and bigger ones.") a reality. But soon our new PM is discovering that her office isn't simply smiles, speeches and giving money away - tough decisions need to be made. And isn't it a little strange that her friendly advisor keeps prodding her towards cutting funding for the poor while bolstering the finances of the rich?
Lottery is razor-sharp satire, taking aim at the corruption at the heart of modern politics and the idea that there's 'common sense' answers to incredibly complex problems. Representing the political classes is the diabolical advisor: proposing impossibly sinister supervillainish plans with a smile and acting like it's no big deal. Meanwhile Elliot Bornemann's 'normal bloke' threatens to overturn the applecart with the simple application of honesty.
Along the way Paris touches on the UK's economic reliance on selling weapons to shady regimes, 'sweetheart' corporate tax deals, reasons for picking on the already disadvantaged ("they're so resilient!"), the ways in which government money is doled out and the current trend for making law-on-the-hoof without consideration of the consequences. There's an ice-cold core of seriousness in Lottery's heart, and a correctly directed anger towards a political class detached from the reality of their decisions.
But it's also very very funny. The sheer absurdity, bizarre humour and willingness to push boundaries reminded me of two of my comedy faves, Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris. The dialogue has a particularly Chris Morris-esque flavour: characters launching into terrifyingly furious outbursts and then lapsing into preternatural calmness, the ways in which everyone seems to be frantically suppressing their inner psychopath or the simple straightforward sobriety in dealing with the deeply surreal.
This is all bolstered by a pair of fantastic comedy performances by Pickett and Tees. It's probably arguable that Pickett is playing the role a touch too weirdly, but she got me laughing so much it's difficult to pick holes. She's possessed of impressively precise comic timing; especially in the meandering flirtatious conversations she has with Bornemann. And she makes some marvellously funny faces, as if the character's neurons aren't quite hooked up right and she suffers the occasional short circuit. Tees' Luciferian advisor is also fantastic, the character snowballing from shy to domineering over the run-time and delivering a show-stopping vocals only rendition of Stayin' Alive.
Lottery is a great bit of writing, strikingly staged and excellently performed. My only criticism is that the situation it presents is so pregnant with possibilities that I wanted to explore more of the strange alterna-Britain that Simon Paris presents us with. Then again, leaving the audience wanting more is a great technique. Can't wait to see what this company comes up with next!
Tags: ava pickett , elliot Bornemann , fictive theatre , Lottery , new diorama theatre , play , rhys tees , simon paris
0 Responses to “Review: 'Lottery' at the New Diorama Theatre, 11th September 2016”
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Search Results: 'harvest festival'
33 results for "harvest festival"
Reap The Harvest By Dale Murray
A photo book of performers at the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in Fredericton N.B. Canada
Harvest Faire By Anthony Valentino
ADVN101-02 Attend a harvest festival in 1690s France. Participate in an archery contest and carnival while you help the innkeeper save her deed from the evil landlord. For 3-6 characters of level... More > 1-8.< Less
Samhain Irish Fall Harvest By donnette davis
The origins of Halloween are very old. In fact, this festivity started in Celtic Britain. The Celts lived in the British Isles during ancient times.They were pagans. They believed in the gods of... More > nature. This Activity Book provides loads of information aimed at making learning about the Irish Halloween Harvest fun and interactive< Less
Lughnasadh- Celebrating the First Harvest By Andrew McKnight
Lughnasadh is sometimes considered as the time of transformation of the Goddess into her aspect as pregnant Earth Mother. It is a time to take stock and be thankful for what we have and what we have... More > achieved. It is a time for sharing and appreciation, a time to consider our situation and learn the lessons of the ways in which we have reaped what we have sown, for good or for ill. It is also an auspicious time for deciding how to get the most from ongoing situations or projects, and how to bring more negative influences to an end. This book gives ideas and suggestions for celebrating this bountiful holiday- with festive ideas, holiday recipes, celebrational songs and poems; rituals and ceremonies... all things about Lughnasadh; its history and its lore. In here you will find the stories of Lugh the sun god; the legend of his foster-mother Tailtiu; as well as decorating and craft ideas to celebrate this special holiday as a lone practitioner or as a family or group!< Less
Fabe Lands The Popcorn Festival - Barleys Reunion Booklet 1 By Josi Brand
A story of the world within and the lives that face truths and a reality about sorcery and the dangers surrounding it. Family reunions of all kinds of worlds. The Land of Go Gee they all celebrate... More > the summer harvest and fun and great food and music. And lessons of life truth and adventure.< Less
Momo and Her Pumpkin By Charlee Rae
Momo Pig is getting ready for her school's harvest festival. She is looking for the perfect pumpkin to carve for the jack-o-lantern contest; will she find it?
The Secret of the £5 Etrog By Pete Tobias
Every year, thousands of etrogs - citron fruits - are shipped from Israel to Jewish communities all over the world for the festival of Sukkot. According to the Torah, these fruits should be used as... More > part of the celebration of the harvest. Etrogs are usually closely inspected before they are bought. But what are the people who study them in such detail actually looking for? The Secret of the £5 Etrog tells the story of how a young boy asked that question - and came up with an answer that will change the way you think about how - and by whom - religious festivals are meant to be celebrated!< Less
Hallowe'en Tips and Tricks By Cici P. Gray
Content for your gathering, chapbook, poetry reading, cookbook or Hallowe'en related event.
Thanksgiving! By M. Ryan Taylor
A collection of songs, hymns & rounds celebrating the season of thanks from award-winning composer M. Ryan Taylor. You're all together on Thanksgiving, why not join your voices in a song or two... More > about the things we have to be grateful for? Includes: Thanksgiving!, "Father, we Thank Thee", Pilgrim Children (may be sung as a round), Simple Gifts, Oats and Beans, Turkey in the Straw, Thanksgiving Day is Very Near, How to Observe Thanksgiving (round), Harvest Hymn, All Good Gifts, & First Thanksgiving Day. Piano/Vocal.< Less
Mabon- Celebrating the Autumnal Equinox By Andrew McKnight
Mabon- The Autumnal Equinox- The Pagan Thanksgiving- Michaelmas.... For centuries the time of thanks and prosperity of the fruits of our Mother Earth has always been symbolic of the time where She... More > quiets herself for the winter. A remembrance of when She lay herself down to rest; when the cold winter months began until the time of spring where She can be reborn for the Earth and return with the Spring. In this book you find the tales and traditions- the customs, foods and festivities associated with this ancient custom of giving thanks. Blessed Be!< Less
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Melbourne Now countdown – day 10
Simone LeAmon • 12 Nov 13
Exhibitions Melbourne Now
Damien Wright is the founder of Wright Studios, a Melbourne-based furniture design and craft studio. Bringing together a timeworn set of hand-crafting skills with a feel for modernist design, Wright realises his designs through the painstaking use of indigenous Australian hardwood species that are not traditionally used to make furniture. Through extensive research and sensitive cross-cultural collaboration, Wright incorporates into his design philosophy a wealth of knowledge regarding Australian history, politics and land management practices.
Appearing in Melbourne Design Now on level 2 at NGV Australia, Brief by Damien Wright is a table of rare material provenance – such is its extraordinary nature, that Wright’s table is a design with direct ties to Australia’s pre-European history. Allow me to tell you why.
With four invisible side drawers belying a seamless exterior Brief is made from ancient red gum, a 10,000-15,000-year-old jet-black timber dug-up from the bottom of a quarry in Albury Wodonga, and ringed gidgee, a highly figured dark-coloured desert wattled timber. Difficult and uncompromising to work with, these timbers dictate their terms, and as such are often overlooked in favour of more familiar, malleable timbers. Indeed, Wright’s celebrity as one of Australia’s leading designer-makers is underpinned by his efforts to turn the history of Australian woodworking on its head; from colonial times woodworkers have prioritised European timber species for their familiarity and ease of use. Wright’s furniture designs are the result of perseverance, exploration and commitment to working with Australian native timbers, which historically makers considered simply too hard to use. Evidence of this is found in the colloquial names of many Australian species including ‘iron-bark’ and ‘axe-breaker’.
But how this ancient red gum found its way into Wright’s hands is a story in itself. Telling this captivating story in his essay The Pursuit of Useable Beauty for the The Monthly (April 2009) Gideon Haigh charts its discovery beginning with its un-earthing at the CSR Readymix’s Wodonga quarry (where it was apparently burnt and exterminated to landing on the desk of geology professor Jim Bowler at Museum Victoria for examination and radiocarbon dating (Bowler is famous for discovering Australia’s oldest human remains 40 years ago at Lake Mungo in New South Wales), to Kelvin Barton a seventh generation cattle farmer and woodworker in Wodonga who has been gathering the ancient red gum in the region for several years. Out of sheer respect for the material he lovingly prepares the logs for a select group of craftspeople.
On first sight Brief is simply a beautiful jet-black table – it looks like ebony. But dig a little deeper and it is beguiling. Don’t take my word for it – I suggest you stand in its presence and experience this powerful design and contemporary craftwork for yourself.
Melbourne Design Now is supported by the Hugh D. T. Williamson Foundation.
Previous PostMelbourne Now countdown – day 11Next Post Melbourne Now countdown – day 9
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1-15 of 42 1 2 3 »
Mentioned In 42 Articles
Vascular maturity of type 1 and type 2 choroidal neovascularization evaluated by optical coherence tomography angiography
Explore Journals | PLOS Apr 29 2019 Ophthalmology
... for lecturing, Grant), Santen Pharmaceutical and Bayer Health Care (Honoraria for lecturing); Kaneko Hiroki: Bausch & Lomb and Otsuka Pharmaceutical (Honoraria for lecturing); Yasuki Ito: Alcon Pharma, Bayer Health Care...
Mentions: Nidek Carl Zeiss Meditec Bausch & Lomb
Optical Coherence Tomography: Imaging Mouse Retinal Ganglion Cells In Vivo
Explore jove.com Sep 28 2017 Neurology , Ophthalmology
Structural changes in the retina are common manifestations of ophthalmic diseases. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) enables their identification in vivo rapidly, repetitively, and at a high resolution. This protocol describes OCT imaging in the mouse retina as a powerful tool to study optic neuropathies (OPN). The OCT system is an interferometry-based, non-invasive alternative to common post mortem histological assays. It provides a fast and accurate assessment of retinal thickness, allowing ...
Mentions: National Institutes of Health Bioptigen Bausch & Lomb
Speckle-modulating optical coherence tomography in living mice and humans
Explore Nature Publishing Group Jun 20 2017
...oximately parallel to the table. Pupillary dilation was achieved by applying one drop each of 1% tropicamide (Bausch & Lomb), and 2.5% phenylephrine hydrochloride (Paragon BioTeck) to the eyes, for 2 min each. Hypromello...
Mentions: Optovue Thorlabs Stanford University
A comparison of the diagnostic ability of vessel density and structural measurements of optical coherence tomography in primary open angle glaucoma
Explore Journals | PLOS Mar 13 2017 Ophthalmology
...is a consultant for Pfizer, Santen and Cipla, RNW is a consultant for Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Allergan, Alcon, Bausch & Lomb, Eyenovia, and Unity., KM is a consultant for Santen and Sensimed, and CABW is a consultant for ...
Mentions: Optovue Heidelberg Engineering Topcon Medical Systems
Factors Associated with the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Loss after Acute Primary Angle Closure: A Prospective EDI-OCT Study
Explore Journals | PLOS Jan 31 2017 Ophthalmology
...and measurements of corneal curvature (KR-1800, Topcon, Tokyo, Japan), central corneal thickness (Orbscan II, Bausch & Lomb Surgical, Rochester, NY, USA), and axial length (IOL Master v. 5, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA...
Mentions: Heidelberg Engineering Topcon Medical Systems Carl Zeiss Meditec
Beyond Better Clinical Care: Optical Coherence Tomography's Economic Impact
Explore BioOptics World Jun 28 2016
The optical coherence tomography (OCT) industry has grown dramatically in its first 25 years, and while the positive effects on patient clinical care are the most important measure of OCT's success, its contributions to the economy in jobs, tax receipts, and healthcare savings are also noteworthy. The field of optical coherence tomography (OCT) has grown dramatically since its discovery in the early 1990s. The commercialization and growth of OCT ...
Mentions: Tomophase Corporation Heliotis AG Imalux
Optical Coherence Tomography Industry Has Provided Well Over 20,000 Person-Years of Direct Employment
Explore Optical Coherence Tomography News Jan 23 2016 Other Business News
The field of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has grown dramatically since its discovery in the early 1990s. The commercialization and growth of OCT which has occurred over the past 25 years has been highly impactful, scientifically, clinically, and economically. Many factors have helped drive this success starting with the clinical need for new cost-effective high-resolution minimally-invasive imaging solutions for various diagnostic and therapeutic applications. But equally important to this success ...
Ophthalmic instrument alignment apparatus and method of using same
Explore uspto.gov Nov 17 2015 Ophthalmology , Patents
An ophthalmic instrument for use with a subject's eye, comprising an interferometer having a test arm in which the subject's eye is to be positioned and a reference arm, the reference arm including a mirror adapted to be positioned such that the reference arm has a predetermined length, and an ophthalmic apparatus coupled to the interferometer such that, by altering a test arm length, a length between the ...
Mentions: Bausch & Lomb
Optimization of galvanometer scanning for optical coherence tomography
Explore OSA | OSA Publishing Jun 5 2015 Probes
...n Rd., Rochester, New York 14627-0186, USA 4Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, 206 Bausch & Lomb Hall, Rochester, New York 14627-0186, USA 5Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of R...
Mentions: University of Rochester Bausch & Lomb Jannick P. Rolland
Bausch + Lomb Introduces New Software and Advanced OCT Imaging System for VICTUS® Femtosecond Laser Platform
Explore Optical Coherence Tomography News Jan 20 2015 Ophthalmology , Other Business News
...bcapsular and cortical cataracts. ®/™ are trademarks of Bausch & Lomb Incorporated or its affiliates. © 2014 Bausch & Lomb Incorporated. Forward-looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statem...
Mentions: Bausch & Lomb FDA University of Miami
Alcon, Carl Zeiss and Bausch & Lomb Lead the European Ophthalmic Device Market to Over €700 million by 2020
Explore prweb.com May 7 2014 Ophthalmology , Other Business News
...titors leading the diagnostic and interventional ophthalmic device market are Alcon, AMO, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Bausch & Lomb, STAAR Surgical, Topcon, Haag-Streit and Heidelberg Engineering. Emerging companies based in Ita...
Carl Zeiss Meditec AG: Carl Zeiss Meditec looks back on a successful financial year
Explore Aktien Dec 5 2013 Other Business News
...edizintechnik-Unternehmens Carl Zeiss Meditec angesichts der geplanten übernahme des Kontaktlinsenherstellers Bausch & Lomb durch Valeant Pharma auf "Buy" mit einem Kursziel von 26 Euro belassen. Der Bewertungsaufschlag,...
Mentions: Carl Zeiss Meditec Bausch & Lomb Ludwin Monz
Predicting the Progression of Geographic Atrophy in Age-Related Macular Degeneration With SD-OCT En Face Imaging of the Outer Retina
Explore Healio.com Aug 19 2013 Ophthalmology
...tetson is an employee of Carl Zeiss Meditec. Dr. Moshfeghi is a consultant to ThromboGenics, Allergan, Alcon, Bausch & Lomb, Valeant, Genentech/Roche, and Regeneron, and has an equity interest in OptiSTENT. The remaining...
Mentions: Giovanni Gregori Philip J. Rosenfeld Universidade Federal de São Paulo
Three-Dimensional Evaluation of Accommodating Intraocular Lens Shift and Alignment In Vivo
Explore Ophthalmology Aug 12 2013 Ophthalmology
Objective To quantify 3-dimensionally the anterior segment geometry, biometry, and lens position and alignment in patients before and after implantation of the Crystalens-AO (Bausch Lomb, Rochester, NY) accommodating intraocular lens (A-IOL). Design Prospective, observational study. Participants Ten patients (20 eyes) with cataract before and after implantation of the Crystalens-AO A-IOL. Methods Custom full anterior segment 3-dimensional (3-D) spectral optical coherence tomography (OCT) provided with quantification tools was used to image ...
Mentions: Bausch & Lomb Susana Marcos Spanish National Research Council
Corneal thickness and elevation measurements using swept source optical coherence tomography and slit scanning topography in normal and keratoconic eyes
Explore Wiley Online Library Apr 11 2013 Ophthalmology
Background Optical coherence tomography is being used increasingly for corneal measurements. The current study compared corneal thickness and corneal elevation using SS-OCT (Casia, Tomey, Nagoya, Japan) and slit scanning topography (Orbscan IIz, Bausch Lomb, Rochester, New York). Design Prospective study Participants 41 normal and 46 keratoconus subjects Methods All eyes were imaged using SS-OCT and slit scanning tomography during the same visit. Mean central (CCT) and thinnest (TCT) corneal thickness ...
Mentions: Bausch & Lomb Chris K. S. Leung The Chinese University of Hong Kong
About Bausch & Lomb
Bausch & Lomb is an American company based in Rochester, New York, is one of the world's leading suppliers of eye health products, such as contact lenses and lens care products today. In addition to this main activity, in recent years the area of medical technology (medicines, implants for eye diseases) has been developed. Bausch & Lomb became well known because of its famous Ray-Ban brand of sunglasses, which was sold in 1999 to the Italian Luxottica Group. Today, the company employs about 13,000 people in 36 countries. The company was founded in 1853 by two Germans, John Jacob Bausch and Henry Lomb.
Effect of Soft Contact Lenses on Optical Measurements of Axial Length and Keratometry for Biometry in Eyes with Corneal Irregularities
26 articles also mentioned Carl Zeiss Meditec
Methods and devices for registering optical measurement datasets of an optical system
11 articles also mentioned Topcon Medical Systems
Measurement of lenses and lens molds using optical coherence tomography
10 articles also mentioned Zeiss Visante OCT
Upper and lower tear menisci on contact lenses
8 articles also mentioned University of Miami
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2018/0054593 DISPLAY CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME
A display control device includes a detector, a frequency adjusting signal generator, a clock generator and an output timing generator. The detector compares...
2018/0054592 DEVICES, METHODS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR PLAYBACK OF DIGITAL MEDIA OBJECTS USING A SINGLE CONTROL INPUT
A component for controlling playback of digital media objects using a single control input receives, from a server, a plurality of feature vectors, each...
2018/0054591 RANDOMLY ACCESSIBLE VISUAL INFORMATION RECORDING MEDIUM AND RECORDING METHOD, AND REPRODUCING DEVICE AND...
Access point pictures designated as randomly accessible positions are I pictures or P pictures. Information indicating the decoding sequence (I1, P1, B1, B2,...
2018/0054590 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ALLOCATING RESOURCES
A method of allocating resources of a video recorder includes: setting a first channel from among a plurality of channels of the video recorder as a temporary...
2018/0054589 METHOD FOR TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING POWER USING HDMI AND APPARATUS THEREFOR
A method for supplying and receiving, by a sink device, power using an HDMI may include being connected to a source device through the HDMI, receiving a +5 V...
2018/0054588 TV SET
In one aspect, a TV set is provided. A base includes a first member and a second member that have two supporting arms symmetrically disposed on two sides of...
2018/0054587 STANDBY POWER CONTROLLER WITH IMPROVED STANDBY DETECTION
A standby power controller that includes a sensor that is adapted to detect usage of a set top box. The standby power controller is adapted to remove power...
2018/0054586 GESTURE-ACTIVATED REMOTE CONTROL
A gesture-based control for a television is provided that runs in the background of a computing device remote from the television, where the control is...
2018/0054585 Quantum Dot Sensor Readout
An apparatus, including a quantum dot graphene field effect transistor configured to operate such that photons incident thereon cause electron-hole pairs to be...
2018/0054584 IMAGING DEVICE
An imaging device is provided which can secure the dynamic range of a COMS imaging sensor, by storing a charge overflowing from a floating diffusion in a...
2018/0054583 SEMICONDUCTOR IMAGE SENSOR MODULE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME
A CMOS type semiconductor image sensor module wherein a pixel aperture ratio is improved, chip use efficiency is improved and furthermore, simultaneous shutter...
2018/0054582 OPTICAL ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING ENHANCED GLOBAL SHUTTER PIXEL ARRAY AND RELATED METHODS
An optical electronic device may include a plurality of different optical sources, and a global shutter sensor including an array of global shutter pixels,...
2018/0054581 SOLID-STATE IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGING SYSTEM, AND DISTANCE MEASUREMENT METHOD
To improve accuracy of distance measurement using a Z pixel having the same size as size of a visible light pixel. In a solid-state imaging apparatus, a...
2018/0054580 IMAGE SENSOR AND ENDOSCOPE
An image sensor includes: unit pixels; first transfer lines; a constant current source; a reset noise removal unit; a second transfer line; and a control unit...
2018/0054579 SOLID-STATE IMAGE CAPTURE ELEMENT, DRIVING METHOD, AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE
The present disclosure relates to a solid-state image capture element, a driving method, and an electronic device which are enabled to capture a high-quality...
2018/0054578 IMAGE SENSING DEVICE
To solve the problem of conventional image sensing devices that require much time for reading pixel signals, an image sensing device according to an embodiment...
2018/0054577 IMAGING UNIT, IMAGING APPARATUS, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM HAVING STORED THEREON A CONTROL PROGRAM
Provided is an imaging unit including an imaging section that includes a pixel capable of performing charge accumulation a plurality of times in response to an...
2018/0054576 SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, METHOD FOR DRIVING SOLID-STATE IMAGING DEVICE, AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS
A solid-state imaging device where when the charge from a photodiode PD11 is small, all of the charge is transferred to the feedback capacitor to obtain an...
2018/0054575 METHODS, SYSTEMS AND DEVICES RELATING TO DISTORTION CORRECTION IN IMAGING DEVICES
Devices, systems and methods relating to a distortion-correcting imaging for collecting image-related data of a substrate are disclosed, comprising: a beam...
2018/0054574 NOISE REDUCTION UNIT INCLUDED IN SENSOR ARRAY OF MULTI APERTURE CAMERA, AND OPERATION METHOD THEREFOR
A noise reduction unit included in a sensor array of a multi aperture camera comprises: at least one programmable gain amplifier (PGA) that outputs a...
2018/0054573 ISOTHERMAL IMAGE ENHANCEMENT SYSTEMS AND METHODS
Systems and methods are provided for generating isothermally enhanced images. An isothermally enhanced image may be an isothermally enhanced non-thermal image...
2018/0054572 CONTROL DEVICE, IMAGING DEVICE, MOBILE OBJECT, CONTROL METHOD AND PROGRAM
A control device can include an acquisition unit and a control unit. The acquisition unit can acquire information that indicates at least one of a mass or a...
2018/0054571 GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR OPTICAL NARROWCASTING
Systems and methods for optical narrowcasting are provided for transmitting various types of content. Optical narrowcasting content indicative of the presence...
2018/0054570 SYSTEMS FOR EFFECTING PROGRESSIVE DRIVER-DISTRACTION-AVOIDANCE ACTIONS AT A VEHICLE
A portable or embedded system including a hardware-based processing unit and a non-transitory storage device. The storage device includes a vehicle-context...
2018/0054569 DUAL-FOCUS CAMERA FOR AUTOMATED VEHICLES
A dual-focus camera suitable for use on an automated includes an imager, a lens-assembly, and a negative-meniscus-lens (NML). The imager is used to detect an...
2018/0054568 DISPLAY CONTROL METHOD AND PROGRAM FOR EXECUTING THE DISPLAY CONTROL METHOD ON COMPUTER
A display control method includes generating first virtual space data defining a first virtual space including a first virtual camera and a display object. The...
2018/0054567 SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CORRELATING CAMERA VIEWS
A method for correlating views of two or more video camera systems includes obtaining a plurality of data point coordinate sets to represent relative...
2018/0054566 IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS THAT DIVIDES AND PROCESSES AN IMAGE SIGNAL, CONTROL METHOD THEREOF, AND STORAGE MEDIUM
An image processing apparatus comprises: a first processing circuit which carries out image processing on a first image signal obtained from image signals...
2018/0054565 DERMAL CAMERA ATTACHMENT
A camera attachment apparatus for attaching to a mobile computing device having an integrated camera includes a house, a slide plate, an aperture, and an...
2018/0054564 APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING USER'S EMOTIONAL INFORMATION IN ELECTRONIC DEVICE
An apparatus and a method for providing emotional information in an electronic device are provided. At least one content is displayed. Emotional information is...
2018/0054563 INTERACTIVE VIDEO CONFERENCING
A multimedia telephony services over internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystems (IMS) (MTSI) receiver operable to support region of interest (ROI) signaling...
2018/0054562 TECHNIQUES FOR SETTING FOCUS IN MIXED REALITY APPLICATIONS
Described are examples for capturing one or more real world images for display with one or more computer-generated images (e.g., holograms). One or more...
2018/0054561 Video Conferencing Support Device
A system and method are provided and include a rotatable smartphone cradle mounted in a pedestal and configured to receive a first smartphone. The pedestal has...
2018/0054560 SHUTTER APPARATUS, IMAGING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD FOR SHUTTER APPARATUS, STORAGE MEDIUM STORING CONTROL PROGRAM
A shutter apparatus of an electronic front curtain system includes a motor configured to rotate in a first rotating direction and a second rotating direction...
2018/0054559 CAMERA SETTING ADJUSTMENT BASED ON PREDICTED ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AND TRACKING SYSTEMS EMPLOYING THE SAME
Systems, devices, methods, computer-readable storage media, and electronic apparatuses for camera setting adjustment based on predicted environmental factors...
2018/0054558 IMAGING UNIT AND ELECTRONIC APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME
An imaging unit of an embodiment of the present technology includes: a detector that detects temperature or remaining battery capacity; an imaging device that...
2018/0054557 DISPLAY DEVICE AND SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING POWER OF THE SAME
A display device includes a first communication unit connected to one or more peripheral devices, a second communication unit that communicates with a remote...
2018/0054556 IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD
There is provided an image processing apparatus and an image processing method that make it possible to accurately reproduce a blur degree of an optical lens....
2018/0054555 VEHICLE CAMERA ASSEMBLY PROCESS
A camera assembly process for assembling a camera for a vehicle vision system includes aligning and affixing an imager PCB at a lens holder so as to align an...
2018/0054554 Circuit Board Assembly and Terminal
A circuit board assembly includes a circuit board having a first side and a second side opposite to the first side, a light sensor arranged on the circuit...
2018/0054553 ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING CAMERA
An electronic device is provided which includes an upper cover unit including at least one first camera that faces a first direction, a plurality of second...
The purpose of the present invention is to provide an imaging device in which an imaging substrate and another substrate are connected by a cable and which is...
2018/0054551 OBSERVATION APPARATUS, OBSERVATION METHOD AND OBSERVATION SYSTEM
An observation apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to take an image of an object, a driving mechanism configured to move the imaging unit, a control...
2018/0054550 DEVICE FOR VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL SYNCHRONIZATION IN DISPLAY SYSTEM
A display driver for a display device including a sync extraction circuit configured to generate a vertical sync source signal in response to a vertical sync...
2018/0054549 PRECISION TIMING FOR BROADCAST NETWORK
The present aspects relate to techniques of timing synchronization of audio and video (AV) data in a network. In particular, the techniques for a AV master to...
2018/0054548 Apparatus and Method for Color Calibration
An apparatus and a method for mapping colors of a source image to colors of a reference image, where the apparatus is configured to match a histogram of the...
2018/0054547 IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM
An image processing apparatus and a method controlling the same extract an object included in image data and extract a highlight region of the object. A region...
2018/0054546 IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND METHOD AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM THEREFOR
An image processing apparatus includes a controller configured to control an image scanner to scan a document sheet and generate target image data, generate an...
2018/0054545 INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME, AND STORAGE MEDIUM
An information processing apparatus comprises a first interface that performs wireless communication which is relayed through a base station and a second...
2018/0054544 INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, PORTABLE TERMINAL, CONTROL DEVICE, AND NON-TRANSITORY COMPUTER READABLE MEDIUM
An information processing device includes a retaining unit and an image display. The retaining unit retains image-formation-related information of an image...
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BS3 Community
Bright future for self-funded charity
Instrumental in a plethora of community activities and services within the BS3 area of Bristol, the Southville Community Development Association (SCDA) was heading into an exciting period of expansion with a completely self-funded second building.
The organisation has played an integral part in the development of the community for over 25 years. With an over-subscribed Nursery service and continually growing array of activities and classes, it’s presence within the local area was unquestionable. But with no clear direction or consistency their visual identity and communications were much less successful.
Following a series of workshops with the charity’s staff and members, we defined a core brand proposition ‘Together for good’, which encapsulated their vital role within the community, improving people’s lives by connecting them – whether chatting over a cuppa in the Café or joining in a Tai Chi class in the main hall – at the heart of these connections was the charity.
The workshops facilitated by Peloton allowed members of our staff to actively contribute to the new messaging, imagery and style we wanted to create to reflect our ethos.
By involving people from throughout the organisation in these creative, interactive workshops, considerable cultural shifts were reached organically. Peloton have helped me as the Communications Lead to achieve genuine buy-in to a new identity for the charity at a time of significant change.
They took the time to understand our organisational decision-making processes and worked with us accordingly.
Dawn Lockhart, Head of Communications, BS3 Community
Alongside the new identity, brand and website we created a set of icons that embrace the core theme, each with an overlapping element highlighting the connecting points within each area of the organisation.
New photography was vital in putting the people of the community back in the picture – we enlisted the help of a local photographer Dave Pratt who spent a number of days capturing the essence of the organisation.
A complete overhaul of the website with a new listing system has transformed the way people use the site, and opened up channels of commerce for the charity with sponsored listings and posts.
OxFed
Changing the approach to healthcare
Fenwick’s
Shifting bike cleaning and maintenance up a gear
Better Food Company
Visionary spirit shapes bold new identity
Peloton Design Ltd
Unit 1.4 Paintworks
+44 (0)117 971 7961 info@pelotondesign.co.uk
© Peloton Design Ltd 2019
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(VIDEO) WEEKEND DOCU: "I WANT YOUR MONEY"
We are going through the worst man-made depression since, well the depression. The fanthom economy simply does not produce enough value. The docu examines and contrasts the differences between Reaganomics and Obamanomics and their impact on life in the US.
Jul 8, 2013 "I WANT YOUR MONEY". Obama versus Reagan. Regulation and cronyism versus Liberty.
The film uses interviews from well-known public figures, experts, movie clips, dramatic portrayals, music, graphics and comedic animation to tell the story in the plainest terms of the choice between the Obama and the Reagan views of the role of the federal government in our society. I Want Your Money also examines how these big government programs have been tried in the past at great moral and financial cost to the nation. California is offered as a case-in-point in understanding what economic challenges might face the nation, if we choose the larger government path.
Two versions of the American dream now stand in sharp contrast. One views the money you earned as yours and best allocated by you. It champions the traditional American dream, which has played out millions of times through generations of Americans, of improving one’s lot in life and the entrepreneurial spirit of daring to dream and to build big.
The other believes that the federal government, using taxpayers’ money, should play a major role in leveling out the nation’s wealth to guarantee outcomes to all, regardless of effort. How America chooses between these two views of the role of government, at this crucial juncture, will have everything to do with the future we and our children and our children’s children will enjoy.[2]
IMDb Wiki
4 Steps In the Fallacy of Income Equality
Management: Motivated by Profit Or Purpose?
The Egalitarian Movement Contributing To Today's Misery
(VIDEO) EX MUSLIM REACHES BOILING POINT
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Interview with Fatherson – The Open, Norwich
Posted on March 17, 2014 by OI
Interview with Greg, Mark, Ross and Chris of Fatherson
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting these great people from Fatherson, a very up and coming Scottish band. On arriving at the venue, It transpired that the headline band’s singer had been struck by evilness. No gig going ahead isn’t great, but it did give me more time to talk to fine people. The album is out on 7th April. Some videos and the website link are at the end of the interview. Many thanks to Rhea and Rebecca!
It’s not got off to a great start tonight, has it lads?
It’s not ideal, the sound check was fun but unfortunately it looks like Lonely the Brave’s singer is really ill at the moment and we’ve had to cancel the show sadly – which isn’t the best thing but it happens to everyone. It’s better than doing any more damage.
So when is your next one?
We’ve been on tour with Lonely the Brave for the last week and a half so tomorrow’s the last show and it’s in Cambridge so it’s not too far which should be good. That show’s sold out.
Is he going to be okay for that one?
Here’s hoping! I think it’s going to be one of the reasons why tonight’s not going on – to make sure he’s fit and healthy. You got to be really putting on a show – when you’re ill you can end up doing pretty serious damage which isn’t good. If he’s really bad today and does some irreparable damage then it’s the end of this whole career they’re building for themselves.
It’s not happened to us but it’s happened to a lot of our friends’ bands. They’ve had to take the call and I think that everyone feels really horrible. Yeah they’re all really cut up about it
Well it’s happened in a nice place, and you’re in a nice place tomorrow. You could’ve been stuck in erm….I can’t really say where can I?
Somewhere… a not so nice place…
Let’s get back to where we were going to start – I got an email from a friend of mine asking if I wanted to come and see you. Mike said he’d been working with you for a couple of years, which is a long time. We’ve never heard of you down here, so what have you been doing for two years? And how long has it been going on before that?
We’ve actually we’ve been a band for – me, Greg and Ross – have been a band since we were like kids for years and years. We actually noticed it was 8 years ago a couple of days ago that we put our first live video on You Tube of us playing this song. We’ve been Fatherson for a couple of years now but we started working with Mike around about the time we became this band. We spent a long time in Scotland just building up a fan base there because the UK. Its difficult when you’re – cos we’re not signed or anything like that – to go and take on too much at once so we just wanted to be able to play good big shows across Scotland. So we toured there a lot and did a lot of festivals and last year we recorded an album and this year we’ve just been playing a lot more down south and kind of spreading out throughout the whole UK. So, it’s been like a kind of conscious thing, cos there’s no point going down and playing shows all about England that are rubbish shows where there’s no one there or anything like that.
Win the battle in your front garden. If you can win the battle in your front garden then it’s much easier for going anywhere else. If you say ‘Well back in Scotland we do this many tickets here, this many tickets here, this is where we’re getting played’ and then they’ll go ‘oh right, okay’
So it’s definitely a conscious decision to win over the whole of Scotland.
To an extent yeah but we’re nowhere near the biggest bands, but for an unsigned band in Scotland we’ve been doing pretty well. That I’m pretty happy with and it allows us to come down and do this tour so it’s been nice. We’ve been wanting to come down and play more shows for a long time. You can’t play about Scotland forever cos it’s not the biggest place in the world so it’s nice to stretch your legs and get the word out to more people.
What is the scene like in Scotland at the moment?
It’s great.
I’m kind of getting that vibe, but you know better than anyone else.
It’s really one of those things…there’s just a lot of great bands in Scotland and there’s a community aspect. So everyone kind of helps everyone out and does shows together and stuff like that and it’s nice to see bands take that step that we’re trying to take just now. So they’ve won the battle in their front garden and they’re trying to go down south, or they’re going to America or they’re going Australia and they’re going to do all that so it’s just flourishing – there’s hundreds and hundreds of good bands in Scotland.
It’s a good mix
It’s several layers of how popular or big the bands are but all the bands are aware of each other, like the big bands know who the unsigned bands are and the unsigned bands know who the big bands are and you see the bigger bands helping the smaller bands out. There’s a nice community spirit going about especially round about Glasgow and stuff – it’s really helped us for the entire time that we’ve been a band and it just it’s really a nice place to BE in a band.
That’s a really big advantage to Scotland not being a huge place?
What about those disadvantages, are there any particularly?
I guess you’re just further away from London.
That’s not always such a bad thing apparently..
I don’t necessarily see there being any disadvantage with us being a band based in Glasgow. I know there are bands that will kind of base themselves elsewhere that have moved from Scotland or whatever but I just find it to be really good. I think we’ve been lucky with some of the people that we’ve met and some of the stuff that we’ve done up there – but I haven’t really seen that there’s too many disadvantages with being a band that’s based up in Glasgow as opposed to anywhere else in the UK.
I guess the only thing is that like how far apart things are so obviously if you’re driving to do a show in London we’d go further than if we were a band in the Midlands if we were driving to London and also wanting to go to Glasgow. It would be great if we were in the centre of the UK.
Living in Norwich I think we’ve kind of got that because the road links aren’t great really – we’ve got two roads out and you have to go a hell of a way to get anywhere out of here.
The genres in Scotland is there a really good mix of that or do you tend to find that everybody…
Yeah well you can see like if you look at the big bands in Scotland just now you’ve got like Framed Rabbit, Total Antic. Framed Rabbit are a bit more folky, Total Antic who are a bit more rocky and Churches who are electro. It ranges from really traditional to off the wall and it’s quite creative all over there’s lots of different bands doing lots of different things so no one’s really – I don’t know, it seems that weird way where you can always colour it with Scotland you kind of know it’s Scottish but it doesn’t have to sound like every other Scottish band if that makes sense.
It sounds Scottish but it’s not The Proclaimers it’s not like that. It’s you just hear it, there’s an influence, you hear that sounds like.
It’s funny, we went over and played a couple of shows in America and people went what kind of band are you, everyone kind of asks that and we say we’re kind of Scottish band and everyone just went ‘oh, stuff like bagpipes and fiddles and stuff like that.’
There is a guy that quite often on a Saturday plays bagpipes in town, in full regalia… we try and walk away. It’s quite loud if you walk right past. Offensive is the term I think we meant.
It’s the drone…
If you walk past it (it’s normally on street corners ) when the drone’s going it’s not so bad but when it starts again right in your ear that is kind of distressing.
Anyone who comes to see Fatherson will not hear bagpipes…. yet!
That’s always a blessing. So there’s not a national identity to Scottish music apart from that little lilt?
He sings with a Scottish accent.
Most people do now sing with an accent and it’s become a lot more at the forefront of Scottish music because English bands always sing with an English accent or American. Just sing in your own accent I think – just when it became more popular and Scottish bands in the charts it became a thing you could do, to sing in your own accent, which I think, is a huge benefit to Scottish music.
It made everything a bit more honest I think maybe the one thing I’d say to the sum of Scottish music is there isn’t much fake Scottish music going on everyone sticking to their guns. People are singing about what they want to sing about and the way they want to sing it.
They’ve gone away from that ‘we must sound like this and this to get anywhere.’
Absolutely I think it’s a nice idea.
It’s working now though – 20 years ago you did that and that worked and you got accepted in America or whatever. Although I was listening to something on the radio this morning about Cliff never getting accepted in America and I thought that was hilarious… and nobody can work out why!
The album is coming out soon and that’s self-financed.
With help from Creative Scotland
That’s cool. I was going to ask you why you didn’t go through pledging or crowd sourcing or something like that.
It kind of goes back to what we were talking about earlier with the way that we’ve kind of done it by playing a lot of shows in Scotland and stuff has managed to get us to the way where it kind of actually is fan funded because we are able to play bigger shows in Scotland. So therefore, we get some more money in which we’ve just put straight into this album. Basically we’re all still struggling away even though the band gets some money from bigger shows and we’ve just put it all straight into doing this. It’s been like the big focus all last year – we went in and recorded the record and then played about with it, went down to London, met a whole bunch of people and got a really great team around us to help do it and put the album out. It’s meant we’ve kind of been able to do it on our own terms and our own way and stuff like that. I like the way we’ve done it and it’s given us lots of control and allowed us to take time on stuff. Cos if you put something up and you go on to pledge music for an album and people are putting all the money in and it’s like people are expecting it at a certain time. And we’ve managed to get this finished article that we’ve taken our time on that we’re really happy with and really proud of and we’ve kind of done it ourselves but with the help of everyone that come to any show.
Anyone that’s bought our t-shirts effectively put money in to make this album which is quite a nice sentiment it’s nice it’s been made by everyone and by us and everyone who likes the band.
Did you have to apply for the grant?
Applied for it and that paid for a certain percentage of recording and then e just got the money to do everything else.
No strings attached?
That sounds good.
It really is – it’s quite amazing cos they help quite a lot of Scottish bands it’s not like an impossible thing like let’s get this grant they give out different amounts of money to different projects.
Is that a necessary thing?
I don’t know…you obviously get ‘we’ll give you this amount of money this year and you spend it” sort of thing with government stuff. It’s not means tested but there’s a limit to the amount of money that can be given out and I dunno how they work it out I dunno if it’s how good your application was or whatever but say it’s like they’ve got 20 grand max they can give out they’ll give out anything between…
So it doesn’t just go to a couple of bands, they just say right okay we like you, and you…
So you can get £500. So that’s the deal really.
They’ve been really, really helpful. We’ve played a creative Scotland showcase at the Great Escape last year and stuff like that. So it’s been very kind of working with their help bit bits and bobs which is the kind of thing you need when you are doing something yourself you need a little bit of cash injected in so you can get the ball rolling which has been great and it’s all worked out really well so far.
So now you’ve done that and it’s all going very well and you’re starting to filter down here. I’ve met some bands that have got a 5 year plan and that’s that , and I’ve met bands that are going with the flow with a little kind of idea of where they’re going – what’s your balance of stuff?
We’ve got a 5 month plan – a 5 minute plan!
Some are like we are going to do this next month and in 2 months time we’re gonna do this and in 2 years time we‘ve got to be here… I think they might be setting themselves up for…
There’s a kind of unspoken plan. I’m quite happy to get this album out and see what happens and then do another album. I’m quite happy to just go “I wanna write music and make albums” and as long as people are coming to the shows and buying the albums.
We’ve got like as much as we know we’re putting the album out, we’ve got tours planned. We’ve got the rest of this year all sorted out and then we just start off as pessimistic as we can possibly get everything’s planned and the worst possible scenario and then it’s nice. It’s exciting its kind of how we’ve always done it cos things do take longer especially if you’re doing a lot of stuff yourself for it so we just take it as things come but with a general plan. We know what we’re doing for the rest of this year.
It’s nice when you can go in with certain expectations and then it’s nice when you get the wee surprises like one or two come up in the year or whatever something you didn’t expect to happen and that just makes it even better.
You don’t mind having plans blown out of the water for that, do you? So a year is kind of long enough?
It’s all you can really realistically plan for, I mean you can’t plan for outcomes you don’t know are going to happen yet.
No but I’ve met people like that – they’re really driven and they know where they want to go and they really do have – and I wonder ‘what are you gonna do if….’ it must be so stressful.
I would personally find it so self-destructive because i couldn’t handle that. I tried to – like cos I’m quite – I like to do a lot of things are going to happen. But we’ve been in a band for a long time so we’ve kind of had ups and downs and stuff like that even in just doing what we’ve been doing for the past few years and you never know what’s going to happen in music and it’s stupid. It took me a long time to realise that, that you can’t plan and work out what you’re going to do cos you have no idea.
At the end of the day it’s about how people react when they click on you and your Soundcloud link and whether they enjoy it. At the end of the day the most exciting thing I think we’re ever going to do to date in this band is release this album and see what people think of it – what our fans think of it what new people think of it – cos its awesome!
We’ve made our favourite album – we’ve done everything we can to make it as good as we can so it’s just a case of…
Are there gonna be any surprises in there for your hardcore?
We’ve kept some songs – it’s difficult when you’ve been working on an album for so long and playing about and we’ve only released a couple of songs and you just have to play songs that you’ve got on the album because you just have to. You’ve got hour and a bit long sets and we’ve gone to headline tours we’ve made sure consciously to keep a good wee handful of tracks from the record pretty much secret. There’s one that’s never been played live to anyone and another one that’s been played once and that’s it.
It keeps it interesting… we release this album on 7 April we’ve been playing all the songs on it for the last year and a half you’d be like oh it’s great the albums out and you’re doing this exact same set.
We’re all itching to play these new tracks as well.
We’ve done them in sound check a couple of times and gone will we put it in the set and we’re like no, we’re just gonna wait. The 7th April’s the day and after that they can be played every single show from then on.
You’ll self combust on the day.
That’s it. It’s going to be the best day ever.
And you pick things up to play out the first time you go ‘oooh.’ (scared voice)
I think it’s important we made the album we wanted for us to enjoy I remember like when we were younger and thinking about making albums and I was listening to albums, “I wanna do that!” And we’ve managed to translate some of that onto our album, which is really nice and I hope people have that reaction when they listen to it.
Do you take into account what you know the fans like? Cos there’s a balance with every band. They know what fans like and some of them don’t go away from that.
I think it’s definitely stupid..
Well, you can’t pander to…
We’re quite a spontaneous band. What happened with this album was we got to record it over March and April last year and we demoed everything in December and got to March and went, “It’s not good enough” and finished it with new songs.
We were like “this is what we could do, it’s acceptable, people will like it, they’ll be listening to it, but let’s just take a chance and add a couple things.” And the one they actually released as a single is the first one that got a good response. And that was not finished until 12 days into the studio. So it’s like ‘pandering’ is a really hard concept to have when you don’t have an album out yet.
Having said that, I do know a band have been going thirty years and only just released their first one. I think they kind of got the gist of what their fans like.
You get a sense of playing live, and we played a lot of the songs live, but the songs we’ve had about that we know people like that would be out on the album, cuz we’ve not done a track listing yet. It’s still a secret.
I think it’s unfair to put songs on that have been around for a couple of years but not released that people know onto an album, because they’ll go “I’m not getting anything new here.” (pauses to tie his shoe…hee!) You gotta keep it interesting if people are gonna pay money which, you know, they might not…
I’ve been quite heavily involved in fandom with two or three bands, and I know what it’s like on the expectation and the general excitement side from this end, from the other end to you. I know that perhaps if a band release an album, there would be a couple of songs that fans would really, really want on there because they haven’t been on an album before, no matter when the next one came out. They would really want it to be there, you know. There as many different opinions of a band as there are fans. (Note, dear readers, this isn’t necessarily TD related)
It’s about like meeting expectations but also surprising people as well. I think it’s a very fine line to stand on.
We spent a long time working on the track listings. There’s been quite a lot of people that have heard it that are friends or family that are people that we know like the band and have liked the band for a while and kind of got feedback with that. And on board as well, in terms of what was on the record. I’m pretty confident that we’ve got the right mix on it. I think when people hear it, they’re gonna enjoy it, hopefully.
There’s no songs there I’m sad aren’t on it, if that makes any sense. It was quite, not brutal, but the way the album turned out is the way that it turned out – I’m happy the songs went on it.
Is it sounding to me like it was a smoother ride than it was?
I remember we were dreading it for so long cos we were in an argument and we sat down, I made some…
Yeah, it was just one of those days, I was just like “are we gonna have a massive argument? I don’t have an argument.”
Yeah, but I made homemade chips that day.
They were pretty good. These chips can make…
Chips always make things better.
They do! We just wrote a list of every song that could possibly go on our album and then we all numbered them.
You just kept putting the number of chips it was worth.
That one didn’t have any chips next to it. And the one with the most chips…
Actually it took about half an hour at the end of the day, and we made a couple of changes which is, I think, a good sign, hopefully.
Unprecedented. That’s quite a feat.
We’re all on the same wavelength when it comes to like…
Well, I think perhaps maybe you put it off so long and feared it for so long, it wasn’t quite as bad as you thought.
Yeah, maybe it was. Maybe it was so passive, we didn’t realize.
Or maybe we’ve made a horrible mistake and now the track listing’s terrible.
That’s 7th of April, it’s out.
The album is called “I am an island.”
That’s it!, I clicked on it earlier. I was looking at all your stuff. I’ve got written down here about genre and whether you have genred yourself in your heads or whether you just don’t care or whether it just evolves through things.
I don’t really care. The way I see it is: listen to it and take what you want from it. That’s it. If you think it’s death metal…
(laughs) it’s definitely not…
If you listen to the songs and you think it sounds folky, that’s cool, that’s absolutely fine.
Well, some love the music that they listen to and they want to play it so much, it’s “right, that is what we are.”
I think there’s a lot, and it’s great. There’s not two tracks the same on the album, but it’s all the same band.
We didn’t start this band with an idea of how we wanted to sound. We started a band with the songs; we didn’t know we wanted to be a rock band. The songs just kind of turned out like that.
When I explain to relatives, like aunties and uncles, I just say we’re a rock band, a guitar band.
I’d say there’s not really a point trying to explain it to aunties.
We always just say we started off playing Stereophonics covers when we started as a band and it doesn’t matter. It’s kind of weird.
It’s just…Scottish. Scottish, honest music. Honest, that’s a good genre.
Honesty rock!
But which Scottish bands would you like to be considered alongside? Not that you are ‘the next one of…’ But what would be on your roll of honour? Who would be on that with you?
Idlewild would be in that. Framed Rabbit, for me.
Needs to be up there with Biffy (Clyro) as well.
Deacon Blue.
I saw Deacon Blue in Glastonbury. By accident. They weren’t the headline. They did the Sunday headline. We were all wet.
I’d love to be as big as Calvin Harris. That’d be good, wouldn’t it?
That’d be awesome.
I always think that you always get ‘you’ll be the next big band’ ‘you’ll be the next [that] band.’ I’d just like to be the first Fatherson.
Yeah, but you know, it’s not like comparing yourself to them, it’s just who would you want to be up there with?
I think, like, I mean Idlewild.
I’ve seen them, they’ve been here!
I think people will appreciate those bands for what they do. I think that’s basically all you really want for being in a band. They’ll do it for a living and know that people like it. Even if one person likes it and ten people hate it, if that is the ratio I’d be happy with that, cos like one person likes it.
Or at least they’re paying you attention. It’s the middle bit you want to avoid. They don’t care.
No such thing as bad publicity.
I’ve been listening to the news today. David Cameron’s put his foot in it again with Scotland. He made a speech in London. He’s telling people to ring and text and talk to their Scottish friends and tell them to vote ‘no’ and say ‘we want you to stay.’ It’s like, please don’t interfere with other people’s political processes. How do you feel about the Independence thing? Would it be a good thing for the Scottish music industry or are you pretty independent up there anyway?
We’re a Scottish band, we live in Scotland, that’s something that we have spoke about quite a bit. I don’t necessarily think it would make that much of a difference in Scotland in terms of the music. It might do, but it’s one of these things it’s all speculation at the moment.
You never know, if it goes independent more of the music industry would move to Scotland, if that makes any sense. So that London wasn’t a powerhouse.
If. Nobody really knows cos it’s not happened yet.
What would you like to happen?
I would like people to read more about it and come up with their own opinions.
Both sides are obviously very biased.
And very passionate.
There doesn’t seem to be a good overview of any of that yet. So you’ll get people who’ve read the White Paper and they’re like ‘yeah!’ And you get people, you know, have an argument about that, but not enough…
The one thing I have heard on Radio 5, which is very English, they’ve talked to a lot of young people and they seem to know what they’re talking about whatever side they’re on. And that is impressive, really, and kind of heartening.
I think that like it or lump it, it’s the most important political thing that’s happenning to Scotland for the past three hundred years.
I think people not voting would be the worst thing. You can vote either way, however you feel about what’s going on, but at the end of the day, I think it’s important that people vote.
It’s always an interesting thing with music and politics. We’re just not having too much to do with that. We’ve always spent a lot of time just getting to know both sides of what’s going on and making up our minds. I think that we should vote and make our own mind up and have an idea.
And deal with what happens after that.
Yeah, either way. It’s not the end of the world. Something will happen.
We’re still joined together. Sorry about that, it wasn’t my fault. I don’t think people hate the Scots nearly as much as they think we do.
To me, it comes down to nothing to do with liking or loving or hating or anything to do with that, which is stuff I’ve always read. I think it just comes down to people doing what they think is the most sensible thing to do.
Let’s hope they do that. You need to vote with your heads.
That’s why I think everyone should just read more about it, even if you have made your mind up, find the facts out. Just learn about what it actually means. There’s manipulation on both sides and I think it’s important that you learn what’s going on.
And be very wary of both sides as well. Yeah, you don’t get to be this old without being cynical about both sides. Even the one you support, really.
Yes, exactly!
Well that’s all I’ve got. Is there anything you’d like to add, say, promote, divulge to anybody? Say to your aunt?
We’d like to thank Scott, who’s packed away all our stuff.
(To Jo) Thank you very much.
We’ll come back down as soon as we possibly can. We’re in Cambridge tomorrow, then we’ve got a couple of months, just doing a lot of stuff for the album, and we’re going to be going on tour when the album comes out, and then festivals and stuff like that. We’ve got some announcements coming up. Watch this space.
Beer and curry?
Facebook and website
Video – more on their channel.
Posted in OI | Tagged Fatherson, Interviews, Video | Leave a reply
PTL 10th Anniversary – Rob Shaw
Posted on July 7, 2013 by OI
Rob Shaw is well known to Darklings ‘first time round’ for being in charge of the Official forum on the band’s own website. A fan first and foremost, he’s as passionate about them as any of us. We met up in a London pub on a warm June evening to drink drinks, eat pie, and try and out-talk each other. He won, this time, because I’d lost my voice the week before! There was a LOT of Darkness discussion that night, mostly completely irrelevant to this project, AND we didn’t tape anything – but we did manage to cobble something together!
OI: When did you first hear about The Darkness?
Rob: On the Stay Beautiful (Simon Price’s night club night) message board, the punning (of Grandmaster Flash) “The Mess-age”. He had obviously seen them before and talked about their forthcoming show at the club night Uncle Bob’s Wedding Reception at The Water Rats pub. I’d been to UBWR many times before as bands I’d liked had either played there (David Devant and His Spirit Wife) or DJed there (Kenickie). I have no idea what he said but clearly it did the trick because after England demolished Germany 5-1 in the football (for it was that fateful day – 1st September 2001) I rallied two work colleagues and headed down there.
OI: Did they blow you away straight away?
Rob: In a word, yes. I was really more of an indie kid than a rocker so in spite of having an MP3 copy of the Virgin compilation The Best Rock Album in the World… Ever! that contained such chestnuts as Rainbow’s Since You’ve Been Gone and Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back In Town which I both knew and loved intimately, The Darkness weren’t really what you would have expected me to love and yet it was instant. Naturally given the events of that day drink had been taken and there was some wholly understandable euphoria but that wouldn’t…couldn’t explain how strong my – our – reaction to The Darkness was. My colleague Chris who was there with me admits to being a self-described “full music snob” said something to me (and bear in mind nearly 12 years have elapsed, so I’m paraphrasing) “how can something so wrong feel so right?!” And that half-remembered comment sums it up – fist-pumping twin-lead-guitaring ’80s influenced hair rock was so far from being what was fashionable (the relatively minimalist Strokes were the band du jour) and yet…and yet… this was clearly so well done, so *honestly* done, by people who knew their milieu and knew their instruments that it simply blew any preconceptions that you might have had away. I knew immediately that I had to see this band again. I was in luck, because they were playing again the next Saturday at The Monarch in Camden.
OI: How did you end up working for them? Was that before PTL was recorded?
Rob: I didn’t miss a single gig after that. They were playing a lot in those days… after 1st September I saw them another eight times in 2001 alone. My opportunity came in 2002, around the time they went to SXSW. Justin was running the website www.thedarknessrock.co.uk: he was a bit handy with Photoshop – still is I expect – and had put together what was in 2001 a very creditable band website – well ahead of what their contemporaries on the toilet circuit would have been doing.
As a by then professional web producer (working an extended sandwich year placement for a computing firm out in Camberley, Surrey) that piqued my interest and along with the Stay Beautiful: The Mess-age forum, The Darkness website became a regular destination for me. When the boys went to SXSW 2002 in March (where, according to Spinner.com they played Maggie Mae’s to “little fanfare” – a year later they tore the roof of the Blender Bar, but that’s a story for another time) the updates to the website, not unreasonably, dried up.
So it must have been at one of the two shows they played in London in April that I spoke to Justin – having introduced myself, heart racing and voice quavering, months earlier during the load-out after a show at the Monarch, and by then being on at least nodding terms with all of the band even if only because they would have seen me in the front row at every London show – and told him that I’d noticed that the website wasn’t being updated recently and perhaps I could help them out with that, allowing him to devote all of his time to the UK’s hardest rocking rockers™.
I would have met Sue before then too, but if I remember correctly (and there’s every possibility that I don’t), we discussed it and I agreed that I would help out – obviously on a for-the-love-of-it basis. In memory, I started working for them in May 2002; as I look at the Wayback Machine my new design for the website (and ostentatious credit in the website footer) don’t appear until September that year, but I *think* there were updates before that.
PTL was recorded in October 2002, so I was working for them for a few months before that.
OI: What was your exact job?
Rob: Webmaster / gig photographer (with a 2.1 megapixel Nikon digital camera and no skills whatsoever) / phone answerer / general factotum / fan wrangler.
OI: Was there anything that wasn’t pleasant?
Rob: Running the forum was, sometimes. I didn’t like the way some fans spoke about Sue, and getting rid of her. People also forgot that I was a fan as well, sometimes, and I was as affected as they were by what went on – good or bad. I did stay in touch with one or two people, as friends.
OI: What’s your favourite office memory?
Rob: Ridiculously, I suppose at some point during 2004 when things were going particularly swimmingly and the band could do no wrong, we were convinced that somebody should make a movie of the rise and rise of The Darkness (with all of us hirelings in it too, of course) and we worked out the cast for the whole thing. Sue was going to be played by Fay Ripley and Simon Pegg was going to be me – because he *is* a strawberry blond, irrespective of what he told me at the One Way Ticket to Hell…and Back launch party!
OI: Do you prefer PTL live or on CD?
Rob: The live set that I knew and loved pre-PTL and the PTL tracklist (and hence the the post-PTL live set) were actually quite different. Growing On Me, for instance, which is unquestionably one of the highlights of PTL, I don’t remember being part of the live set before the album was recorded. And Nothin’s Gonna Stop Us and Live ‘Til I Die and The Best of Me were, yet they in time made way for others.
OI: What is your favourite track? Has that changed over the years?
Rob: If I’m honest, not really. It was always Love Is Only A Feeling, right from the earliest days. I remember Justin gave me a signed CD-R copy of what would become the I Believe In a Thing Called Love EP after the show at The Castle, Tooting in November 2001 – to my eternal regret I lost it a couple of house moves ago – and I went straight home and tried to transcribe the lyrics into a notepad, the better for singing along. I wrote down “and I saw my defensive system adequately fail to withstand” (instead of “an assault my defences systematically failed to withstand”) and if I’m honest I probably still sing it that way at least half of the time.
Dan and Justin played the whole show on only one guitar each in the early days (Dune, Dan’s 1998 sunburst Les Paul Standard and Black Shuck, Justin’s 1998 black Les Paul Standard) and when Dan brought the capo out you knew it was Love Is Only A Feeling time. That solo practically brought me to my knees then, it still does now. The amazing video that Alex Smith made out in the Blue Mountains of Australia only served to burnish the song’s legend as far as I am concerned. The gestures that Justin makes in the cave (here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGPyUSVtpZM&t=1m46s) – he used to do those on stage and the intro to the track was always heralded by Justin crossing his arms and doing air drums. I later discovered he stole that particular move from Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap.
OI: What would you have loved to have happened to mark the anniversary?
Rob: I have one cherished, unachievable dream… For The Darkness to have released a 10 year anniversary Edition of PTL, and for them to have let me choose the tracklist. There are rarities galore: demos, radio sessions, videos that never got a proper release (like Friday Night, which inexplicably leaked on the Internet, through an Italian broadcaster if I remember correctly) – definitely enough to have made a great package for fans. Maybe they can do it for the 20th instead!
OI: Any regrets?
Rob: That I didn’t go to America to see them play there. There turned out not to be all the time in the world.
Rob was, as always, a joy to talk with. We could have done with another few days just to talk about PTL. The pie is on me next time.
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PTL 10th Anniversary – Hedda and Ben
Years ago, two young Darklings from different countries and time zones met in cyberspace. Love wasn’t just Only A Feeling… they got married only a few weeks ago.
OI: Morning, everyone!
Hedda: Morning!
Ben: Morning!
OI: Is everyone comfy? Right then… How did both of you discover The Darkness? Or was it less of a discovery and more of a running into a wall of Rock?
Hedda: I heard/saw IBIATCL on TV, thought it was a great song and didn’t actually think much more of it. Then I went on holiday to London with a friend and TD was on the cover of Kerrang. She thought they looked awesome (they did, in their circus gear) but hadn’t heard them. I had, of course but couldn’t remember the song properly, so we looked them up when we got home and that was it. Hooked!
Ben: The person who introduced me to the delights of Tenacious D recommended them (and their forum) to me, so I had a listen, and signed up. Wasn’t long before I was hooked .
OI: What was the thing that really jumped out at you first?
Ben: Justin’s crotch. But I tried not to let that put me off.
Hedda: Justin’s lyrca clad bum and the opening riff to IBIATCL
.
OI: They’re prominent sort of Darkness features So, Hedda had good reasons to stay around, but what about you, Ben?
Ben: After that, it was the sheer ROCK of it all, plus the humour… I like my music with some funny in it, especially puns and double entendres.
OI: I think they’re everywhere in Darkness being. Once you had PTL in your own hands, what happened to your lives?
Hedda: I went to see them in February 2004 and joined the forum in the summer (didn’t have internet access in my old flat).
OI: Ben was already there, I believe
Ben: I had Justin’s falsetto ringing in my ears pretty much 24-7, and spent long hours squinting at their forum, getting to know the lovely Darklings.
Hedda: He was indeed! I did notice 😉
OI: I think everyone noticed Ben! There was a large but tight-knit community spirit back then.
Ben: There was, it was a very good crowd of people, united by epic rock, and emoticons
.
Hedda: Yes, everyone was very welcoming to newbies!
OI: The forum was exploding then. It was the golden age of fora.
Hedda: It was awesome
.
Ben: It was…. The Dampness, The TPBs, plus puns, banter and the spirit of friendly rock n roll.
OI: It was a great place! As, indeed, you two found out.
Ben: Yep. It’s where we met. I believe the word “thunk” may have been involved.
Hedda: Indeed! Aaaah had forgotten about thunk
.
OI: What happened to attract two anonymous people from different countries into a corner? ’Thud’ was also quite prevalent, I understand
.
Ben: The Darkness happened, and the power of rock brought us together.
Hedda: And you were funny. And I saw your photo.
Ben: And it was so funny
I saw your photo, and thunk.
OI: Which TD event finally saw the physical meeting of thunks?
Hedda: We’ve never actually been to a TD event together!
OI: Pardon? HOW?
Ben: Strangely we’ve only ever seen them separately, pesky scheduling issues have stopped us both getting to see them at the same time!
OI: This has to stop!
Hedda: It will in november, we’re seeing them in Plymouth
.
OI: Thank the Gods of Rock for that!
Ben: It’s lucky they got back to together, I think it was probably just so that they could perform for both of us at the same time
.
Hedda: I think so.
OI: Two Darklings, brought together by the power of PTL… never seen them perform it together! Of course. They’re very good at doing stuff for their fans.
Hedda: They are, as we noticed the day after the wedding!
Ben: Maybe you could ask the gods of rock to get them to perform at Exmouth Pavilion for our anniversary?
Hedda Don’t push it darling.
OI: I will offer up a prayer
Ben: Rock Master, who art in Lowestoft, Justin be thy name..”
OI: Right, so you were bought together by the power of Rock, Spandex and Justin’s Bum (the Holy Trinity), in the physical form of PTL. Which little bit of PTL grabbed you by the bum most?
Hedda: IBIATCL and Friday night are my favourite tracks off that album I think. Closely followed by Growing On Me
.
Ben: Every bit of it was pure rock gold, but Growing On Me was probably the track that got me the most
.
Hedda: And I love the Friday Night video
.
OI: It is a gem that needs to be seen more often!
Over the last ten years, do you think you’ve shifted towards other tracks?
Ben: I’ve shifted more to IBIATCL, as the love of my life is here thanks to The Darkness We used it at our wedding, so it has special sentimental value now. Plus it rocks. Hedda: Not really, they’re all good but those ones have always been my favourites.
OI: I guess you two have had your lives changed more than most by this band/album.
Ben: Yes, the Darkness bought us together, despite us never having seen them together. The powers of love and rock are great indeed, but together, nothing can stop us now.
Hedda: Yeah it’s pretty changed but for the better!
OI: I’d hope so What’s your favourite memory from that time?
Hedda: From when we met?
OI: Any of the PTL era
.
Hedda: When I went to Oslo to see them with a friend, The Wildhearts were the warm up, and we were at the very front. That must have been February 2004 I think
.
Ben: Seeing the Darkness at Wembley was pretty amazing, a whole bunch of Darklings met up at the hotel before going basking in the power of rock, was great to meet them all, and them, well…..Justin on a flying tiger is a sight I’ll never forget.
OI: Do you have anything to say to The Darkness on this great occasion?
Hedda: Don’t. EVER. Stop!
And thank you for bringing us together
.
Ben: Thanks for believing in a thing called love, and rock the f*ck on.
Ben has planned to make new, slightly larger version of his ‘The Dampness’ T for November and Hedda has a purple Frankie T from that there America. Look out for them!
PTL 10th Anniversary – Dave Ashworth and Karl Eisenhauer
One Monday evening in The Lucas Arms, three Darklings of long standing and high audience participation met to discuss The Darkness. Or, rather, I promised beer if they turned up at 7ish and gave me an indepth interview on the ‘Old Days’. What follows is basically a pub chat between three old timers – memories, banter, opinion, anecdotes and a high regard for silliness in the quest to record a large amount of little known Darkness-related bollocks. We did that admirably.
OI: Right then, Dave, your turn first. When and where was the first time?
Dave: The first time I heard about The Darkness was when Justin approached me at 3 o’clock in the morning outside Stay Beautiful Club.
Karl: This story’s already better than mine!
OI: That’s a good place to start!
Dave: Because they were playing upstairs in a pub the night after, so he just handed over a flyer. You meet someone at 3am, and think brilliant, we can do something tomorrow now! I think we ended up helping him hand out the flyers for some reason, because that’s the kind of thing you do at 3 in the morning.
OI: It is!
Dave: So we went to see them play, it was September 2001, and that was at the Barfly in Camden, back in the days when the Barfly literally was just the upstairs room of a pub where bands played sometimes. And they were brilliant! Ridiculous amounts of fun, really.
OI: Was that it, then? When the love affair started?
Dave: Well, it wasn’t so much of an immediate love affair of ‘This is my new favourite band’. It was that kind of thing where you see a band in a pub and think ‘Fuck, that was good, and we’ll go again next week’.
OI: Was that when they were doing the weekly Barfly?
Dave: They weren’t doing anything weekly at that point. Every couple of weeks.
Karl: Was that the thing called ‘Uncle Bob’s Wedding Reception’ or something like that?
Dave: Uncle Bob’s Wedding Reception was when they were doing gigs at the Verge, which was slightly less well known than the Barfly. I can never remember what they’re calling it these days. It literally was just that. I saw them in a pub, thought they were a good band, saw them a couple of weeks later, and again, and it just goes from there really.
OI: and you never thought ‘Actually, this isn’t as good as it promised to be, at the beginning?
Dave: How do you mean?
OI: You know when you go and see a band the first couple of times and then start to get bored of it. Clearly not…
Dave: Certainly going through the Camden pub days, at no point did the joke ever show signs of wearing thin.
OI: Best joke in Camden at the time?
Dave: It’s funny, they must have been doing reasonably well, because they were able to headline a Saturday night in a Camden pub. Its not like they spent an awful lot of time toiling around playing third on, on a Thursday.
Karl: It always seems that some don’t have the talent, though, headlining, just be in the right place at the right time.
Dave: I’m sure there were plenty of bills back then where they were headlining because everyone else wanted to get on, get off and get pissed.
Karl: I guess so, but they evolved out of Empire as well, who had a following as such.
Dave: They were a known pubbing band.
Karl: Yeah, there were people in that band that were known around, in Dan and Frankie’s case. And they had management kind of pre-attached to them in some form, didn’t they.
Dave: And also, as well as Empire, there was Thirteen:13…
Karl: And two members of the Britpop band Catch…
Dave: So obviously there were some connections from that. In fact, I remember a couple of months after I first saw them, I bumped into them at a Thirteen:13 gig. The stated reason at the time was that Dan wanted to check up on his bass amp, cos he did still want it back at some point. I don’t know if he did get it back.
Karl: Were you around for the buffet?
Dave: There was more than one buffet!
Karl: There was one where they cut their fingers.
OI: That was Dan.
Dave: I don’t remember any bloody buffet! I do remember them playing at the Verge in Camden, they had a nice little trestle table up at the back with breadsticks and dip and little bowls of Smarties.
OI: Oh, to go back to those days.. do you think they’ll do that again at the end of the year?
Karl: I don’t think they’ll cook, no.
Dave: They didn’t cook then! It was mainly cold.
Karl: Disgraceful, really…
Dave: To be fair, it’s not bad for £4.50 in…
OI: A gig, and all the finger food
Karl: You can look at
OI: And think ‘I wonder who sneezed on that’
Karl: Is it my turn now?
OI: You’ve already chipped in, but yes.
Karl: Mine was a while after that – about 11 months. I wasn’t in London, I was a country boy.
Dave: You still are a country boy!
Karl: I was in the back of beyond in Lincolnshire. I used to go to the record shop on a Saturday (a non work day), the big old Virgin Megastore in Grimsby… no, I tell a lie, I used to go to WH Smith, look at the magazines, and picked up an issue of Kerrang. It was full of the usual bollocks of around that time. Long goatee beards and cut off jeans – Limp Biskit and Korn and that kinda stuff. There was a little half page picture from the same shoot as the I Believe EP. I remember looking at it and reading about the band – Justin saying his biggest influences were Bon Scott from AC/DC or something like that. It was round the same time as The Datsuns as well, who were getting a lot of hype in the NME. You look at these bands who say they love AC/DC or wear an Iron Maiden tshirt, and when you come to hear the actual music you won’t hear fuck all of it. I saw all this, didn’t think any more of it. Went to Virgin, bought a couple of albums and as I was queueing up I was standing next to the singles section. Sure enough, right down there in the top 200 was a little EP for about £1.79, so I thought I might as well get that! When I got home I listened to the albums and was about to throw the bag out and remembered the EP. I was a bit different to Dave. As soon as I heard the opening riff on the EP version I’ve got, I just thought ‘Hello, there’s something here. The sound of someone who likes AC/DC and can sound like AC/DC’. I played that EP to death for about a month or so. Being stuck in the middle of nowhere I went to the internet and found the website that Webbie had then – the old guestbook. I wanted to go to a gig but London was a million miles away at that time. I remember the I Believe EP getting airplay on Jo Whiley. Not a lot happened for a while apart from listening to it until November/December time – 2002. Darklings happened before my first gig. You remember the guestbook?
Dave: I remember it. I remember you harvesting me off that guestbook!
Karl: I prefer the term ‘grooming…’ There were a few names around on that guestbook – Graham Burgess, the guy from Bandannaman, Helen, Rada and Mike turned up with a load of photos. Anyway.. it got to the point where.. you can’t really have a conversation on a guestbook. I could see that people wanted to do a bit more talking with each other rather than just going ‘I went to this gig, it was great’. Being a bit of a sad geek stuck out in the countryside without many friends, I was familiar with web forums.
Dave: You still are, to this day!
Karl: I though ‘hang on a minute, there’s a gap in the market here’ so when I had a bit of time off at Christmas I sat round one evening and registered a web board, thinking ‘I don’t want to call it the Darkness Web Board’ because they might get a bit angry that I’ve stolen their name. So I thought ‘what can I say that’s a bit like The Darkness
All: but isn’t!
Karl: So I made up some random bollocks, and the board was born round about Christmas Eve 2002.
OI: Your present to the world!
Karl: I like to think Christmas morning, but most likely Boxing Day, I woke up, went on to see how my little baby was growing and found some oik had followed me from the guestbook… And there was a ‘Justin’ who had registered. I though someone was taking the piss and that I should have put a block on those names. About 13 people had registered by then. No. 6 was Justin, and No 7 was someone called Justin’s Dad. I was a bit dubious and challenged this man by DM. He said no, it really was him and it really was his dad. Apparently got a bit excited that someone had done something for them fanwise and gone and shown his parents over turkey sandwiches on Boxing Day, which is always my favourite memory. I like the idea that I penetrated the Hawkins’ Christmas.
OI: It is an image. ‘DAD! MUM! Someone’s built me a forum!’ Oh heck, I can just see an overexcited Justin bouncing around with a laptop!
Karl: I dunno what this old timer thought of this upstart and his ideas?
Dave: I’ve seen worse – it just seemed like a logical step at the time.
Karl: That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me!
Dave: What, you being a logical step?
OI: Karl’s logical?
Dave: It made sense. There was enough of a buzz that people wanted to start talking about it. Not just with their mates around a pub table, but with other people who’d seen the same things that they’d seen.
Karl: Two of the nice things that I remember over the first three months – a good six months before they got signed and three or four before Growing on Me – was that you’d get new people every day. It was a slow process but steady. It was really friendly because everyone kind of knew each other. Another nice thing was – whereas now, your ‘typical’ Darkness fan is heavily locked into Steel Panther or other rock bands, in those days a lot of the people signing in were from indie backgrounds. There were some from metal backgrounds, but people like Helen and Colin were more indie. There was a real mix of people.
Dave: Without wanting to put them down, they WERE an indie band at the time, playing the indie circuit. The idea of doing something like that didn’t exist on a circuit that was really alive at that time. There wasn’t a Classic Rock circuit that was getting any real exposure at the time so they were playing on an indie circuit.
Karl: I’m guessing from what I was told later that year, there weren’t many bands doing anything like that. Some, but it was a bleak time.
Dave: I think that at that time, that sort of music was looked on as a bikers’ dark alley.
Karl: In terms of rock, you’d gone from grunge to post grunge to your pop punk stuff around that time. In terms of rock and metal bands, old school, it was dire.
Dave: There wasn’t a grass roots rock circuit, not enough for anyone to take any notice of it.
Karl: The previous generation was dying on its arse around that time.
Dave: The nostalgia trip hadn’t kicked in yet.
Karl: I think Radiohead and Coldplay were the biggest bands at the time, you can imagine why they didn’t really fit in.
Dave: They drove their own wedge into proceedings on that score, really!
OI: I remember when I first started seeing them – from radio to seeing the videos – I never thought of placing them. It never occurred to me to place them anywhere because I didn’t think they were actually anything (in terms of genre). Which was good for attracting those indie Goths. Indie Goths? Sorry, mixing my genres!
Karl: I guess my next chronological incident was – preamble is that I had spent 12 months getting massively into Def Leppard. In those days if you were signed up, you used to get mailouts from Sue Whitehouse. I was very excited because Leppard were touring. This email dropped in at Christmas to say that The Darkness had been chosen, which was very bizarre as it started off a chain of events where if I like two bands they end up playing on the same bill. Like Gaga – who would have thought that The Darkness would have opened for her?
Dave: A genius move though!
General agreement
Karl: So that happened, and at the end of January Justin came back on the board for the first time in a while to say ‘This seems like a logical place to put this, we need a load of people to come down to film a video’ which was the GYHOMW video. Now I couldn’t go because I was still a country bumpkin and had my factory job in Lincolnshire, but this slender hipped Brett Anderson/Brian Malko lookalike here (fresh off his Japanese centrefold modelling career) went to that, and Dave can carry on.
Dave: Yeah, they put up they were doing this thing and they wanted people to come. They essentially did it in two stages. They had an evening gig where they wanted a big crowd and everything else like that, and filmed all these lead up scenes to go and set a little story. We had to go to the LA2 under what used to be the Astoria at 10 o’clock on a fucking Saturday morning which was fairly difficult. We spent the whole day filming all these little cutaway scenes an other bollocks like that – I think about 3 got used in the end. It was an LA club scene vibe with people dancing on the tables. For part of one scene someone was supposed to come and whisper something in my ear to draw me away to do something or other, and it turned out to be Helen from the boards, who I’d never met before. So she whispered ‘I’m Helen, you’re Dave, aren’t you, how are you doing?’ right in the middle of the scene. She’s probably the only person I’ve ever met live on camera. That was a fucking long day, and by the end of that day, I tell you we fucking hated GYHOMW. We had listened to it 30-40 times on repeat over the course of the day, and been told to go mental on cue each time. I’ve just about made my peace with it now. It’s a great song.
OI: It’s been ten years!
Karl: You never see the video much any more these days.
Dave: I can’t find it on YouTube, I think there’s been some legal reason they had to delete it or something.
Karl: You probably can’t find it on YouTube, but if you google it, it turns up on French YouTube or something. It’s out there.
Dave: There must have been some legal reason why they couldn’t show it.
Karl: You’re in it.
Dave: I have a horrible feeling I didn’t have very many clothes on at the time.
Karl: (moving on swiftly) At that point I should point out that Dave had been posting on the board and we hadn’t got into picture sharing yet. No one knew what anyone looked like.
Dave: People didn’t share then, they stayed anonymous on the internet at that time.
Karl: Dave did. We knew who he was but I had no idea what he looked like and wouldn’t, for about another 11 months. Hence he became the very nearly mythical Sexy Dave, to many of us.
Dave: Have we got to your first gig yet?
Karl: No!
Dave: See, I never realised you’d been so involved in this without ever seeing the fucking band!
Karl: From that point on, for the next 12 months, there was basically something happening every week or fortnight. We’re talking about the 10 year anniversary here. Basically it feels like 10 years worth of memories happening in about a year.
Dave: So much happened in such a short space of time.
OI: My first year was a bit like that.
Karl: It came up to the Leppard tour, and I went of to see them at Sheffield Arena with my best mate from school. I was at his house a week or two before we were going back to see them. He loves AC/DC, so I thought I’d give him this CD. I warned him that he’d love it but might not like it so much when the singer starts. I didn’t know if he’d like it, but it was the band opening for Def Leppard so I gave it to him. Randomly one night I got a text out of the blue going ‘These are fucking amazing!’ so we both got very excited. I didn’t tell him I’d got this message board.
Dave: He kept it a Dark secret!
Karl: Yup, a Dark secret. Anyway, on that board there was a message saying they were doing a warm up gig at the Peterborough Met Lounge, one of my favourite venues. That was my first gig, round about Valentine’s Day in 2003. Even though they were on the up, they had so many tickets to give away. The Met Lounge was about 80-100 people. I remember Graham Burgess had won about 13 pairs of tickets! He was giving them away to everybody left right and centre. So even though I was going to see them with Def Leppard, I wanted to see them on their own first. I came home, said hello, found out I’d won these tickets, jumped on the train of to Peterborough. The gipsy rock and roll lifestyle began! I got to the Met Lounge hours fucking early, stupidly not wearing a coat.
Dave: As prepared as you ever are!
Karl: The doors were half an hour to an hour late being opened, in February, in Peterborough High Street, freezing fucking cold. There was one other guy I was talking to, his mate had mentioned this band so he’d decided to come and see them. I remember him saying ‘I haven’t listened to a rock band in 15 years’ even though he looked younger than me. He would have been 5! There were two local support bands. The first one was called ‘The Dark’.
Dave: Promoter logic!
Karl: I don’t know what happened to the Dark, they were very heavy. There was a VIP bit upstairs, Justin wandered down in his catsuit to watch one of the supports. I was standing at the bottom of the stairs looking across, thinking ‘that’s a famous person!’ even back then. Didn’t try and talk to him though. I loved everything they did. By that point we only knew three songs, from the EP and GYHOMW. They only knew about 7! The famous bit about that gig is that it had one of those false ceilings, fantastic gig but at the end Justin jumped up to grab something off the ceiling. He ended up swinging off it, his weight made it give way. He didn’t land on his arse but was back on the ground and the ceiling started to fall in on him. This dry ice cloud of dust from behind the false ceiling smothered them all at the end and it looked very dramatic.
OI: He’s not learned anything since!
Karl: The story I was told was that they were so impressed that they didn’t bother putting in for damage! So that was my first gig and I loved it. I then went to see Def Leppard. Unfortunately in the intervening four days, I had basically caught mild pneumonia or hypothermia. I was shaking and couldn’t breathe, really ill, but no way was I missing Leppard! They were very important to me at that time. I dosed myself up on packets of Beechams (well into hardcore drugs). The only things I remember from the gig was when The Darkness came on, the only people in the crowd who knew any of their songs were me and my mate who were singing merrily along. We didn’t actually know the lyrics because we couldn’t make them out, but we could mouth the right sounds. I think they came out to Arrival, even then. They did Bareback. Everyone loved it, 7-8000 people milling around thinking the support band were gonna be shit – heads rocking, really going for it. People were obviously surprised that there was a decent support band. And then – I guess they would have gone into Best of Me next – opening riff, everyone’s loving it. As soon as Justin opened his mouth with those high pitched vocals coming out, the audience literally halved down the middle. People either loved it or hated it, literally ‘what the fuck is that?’. But I don’t remember much else of that gig because all the cold remedies had kicked in. My brother and Wayne insist it was a fucking brilliant gig, I can’t remember fuck all about it. I was so pissed off that I went and got another train to Manchester Apollo to see them there. One of my favourite gigs I’ve ever been to. The Darkness were brilliant, Leppard were brilliant. Suddenly from seeing no Darkness gigs I’d seen three in a row, something that would continue for much of that year.
Dave: It’s a shame actually because when they did Brixton Academy on that tour I got offered guestlist but ‘I actually can’t take this’.
Karl: I think as well, that would have been before the first Carling Astoria gig, in March, they definitely opened for an old school rock band – Deep Purple or someone like that, because I remember people coming onto the board on the back on that. 70’s rock people, not 80’s rock like me, so you suddenly had more diversity.
The board became more of a website as people posted stuff and we organised different threads.
Dave: It needed a lot of management.
Karl: I was there one night changing the background, noting that only me, SexyDave and Justin were online. Just the three of us.
OI/Dave: The Unholy Trinity!
Karl: It was changing to the GYHOMW sleeve cover and I messaged Justin because he was online, and he messaged back moaning cos there was a giant picture of his face staring back at him.
Dave: Well, if you will visit your own fansite!
Karl: So I changed that, then he made some comment about two blokes in the front rows at Sheffield who seemed to know all the lyrics. I was famous!
After that they did what I think was their first UK headline tour – Brixton Academy, Stoke Sugarmill etc, and I think it was at the end of that tour that they did the Astoria Homecoming. No, not the Homecoming, the.. umm.. Upcoming one.
OI: The ‘Leaving Home’ one?
Dave: The one where they said ‘Yeah, it’s totally sold out’ and it was very busy, but you couldn’t shift the tickets for more than £3 apiece.
Karl: They were supposedly the first unsigned band to have sold it out, which is what they claimed at the time. It was on Wikipedia, it must be true.
Dave: It was definitely going that way but I wouldn’t give you odds.
Karl: I converted my mate into ‘Let’s go and see this band a lot’ so we went to Stoke Sugarmill when they supported a band called Livid.
Dave: I remember Livid, that was about 7 years before they got that record out!
Karl: There was a lot of waiting around in the cold and rain for the doors to open
OI: We’ve done a lot of that together!
Dave: What is it about certain bands where you never seem to turn up at the right time? Always hours before? I used to do that with Placebo a lot.
Karl: We waited for about an hour to get in. The first thing we saw was this guy in a multicoloured coat screaming into the mic ‘Hello, we’re Livid’ and the crowd shouting back ‘YOU’RE fucking Livid, we’ve been outside for an hour!’ For The Darkness, the mics kept failing, and during Best of Me Justin decided to have a little hand puppet to sing into the mic. During the crowd participation bits, he would put the mic forward – not that it worked. We decided to hang about to see if we could talk to them. We sat on the stage watching Justin, trying to work out who Robert Shaw was because we knew he was going to be there. Suddenly there was some bloke on our right hand side going ‘Do you guys want a beer?’ Sounds generous, let’s see who it.. oh. Frankie! He was basically giving away the rider crate of beer.
OI: I think the first thing Ed ever said to me was ‘Would you like some champagne?’
Karl: The second thing Frankie said to us was ‘I haven’t got a bottle opener’ so there we were with bottles we couldn’t open. Being the sad bastards that we were, we’d already been to the merch stall and bought those little lighters with bottle openers on the back. So suddenly we were the band’s designated bottle openers
Dave: With their own merch!
Karl: So we talked to Frankie, talked to Justin and there was lots of talk about ‘we’ll have to do something more official, maybe integrate the board’ but I think they were only being friendly at the time. It was nice to finally actually talk to them. Dan couldn’t talk to us because Dan was always hounded by ridiculously attractive women, constantly. They weren’t even at the gig, they just appeared when Dan walked into a room. That was March, and it can’t have been long after that, that Growing on Me came out.
Dave: I forget that one.
Karl: It was a couple of months before the album, definitely April time.
(Check google on phones time!)
Karl: Oh no, June! It was announced in April, then, that GOM was the single. I distinctly remember the reaction on the board being ‘What the fuck are they doing releasing that as a single? ‘Best of Me’ should be the single.’ People weren’t particularly.. the majority weren’t happy with that.
Dave: ‘Best of Me’ was already a B-side, though, yeah?
Karl: There was other stuff – ‘Stuck in a Rut’ – GOM didn’t seem that popular and it seemed really weird.
Dave: It’s strange that because I remember when they first started playing that one, and everyone – by everyone I mean the three people that came to all the shows, me Rob and Simon Price – were standing in a huddle at the back of the pub thinking ‘not sure about this one’.
Karl: It was definitely their most poppy radio friendly one. Even more than IBIATCL, because that was quite raw. Graham Burgess said it should be GOM, and he was clearly right.
Dave: Mr Burgess has a lot of pop sensibilties!
Karl: From that point on the build up and support slots had won them a lot of fans. I think they supported Disturbed which was weird, at a big gig in London. They supported everyone in those first few months! All credit to them, they just went everywhere. Didn’t care what stick they got, if they won a couple of fans. They were winning them, not losing them. I always thought ‘good on ‘em’. I wouldn’t go to see Disturbed, but Im glad they went to that audience, getting airplay where they can.
Dave: Again, it’s back to the fact that there wasn’t a ready-made place where they should be.
OI: So they were everywhere.
Dave: They might as well play with Disturbed, as much as they might well play with the Libertines at the Barfly, which they did a couple of times.
Karl: That was the XFM Xmas show! I had the bootleg of that, it was 2002. Was it The Libertines, or Pete?
Dave: No, it was The Libertines headlining, supported by The Darkness. Sponsored by Jameson’s whisky. I’ve got that bootleg too.
Karl: Can you do me another copy? I’ve only got it on minidisc! As you say, there wasn’t a readymade scene for them, but they had a groundswell of support in certain places. Simon Price, for instance, was well on them by then. I was told they got a lot of airplay from Stay Beautiful.
Dave: They used to DJ at Stay Beautiful (Simon’s club night). Lots of the people doing the early shows and videos were Stay Beautiful people.
Karl: There was nothing in places like Classic Rock Magazine though.
Dave: Classic Rock didn’t touch new bands then, because there wasn’t a classic rock scene.
Karl: You’d open it and there’d be a 20 page Hawkwind special. For me, everything exploded when they got video and GOM turned up. I remember that being the first time that there was hardcore fan activity. People ringing up to get a video played at a certain time. If there was a daily top ten show, making sure that they got their votes in all on the same day. It did the trick, it got them on, and we were aiming to get them on at peak times. We cared about shit like that. I was excited to see the video the first time and realising it was us that did that. It was so busy – everything that happened between April and August, I’d be very jumbled up on. Every other week something happened. Did you go to the album launch?
Dave: Where was it?
Karl: Basically, it was over there (points over his left shoulder).
Dave: What, at La Scala?
Karl: Well, we walked round the back of St Pancras over some waste ground somewhere over the back there. Where they had the album launch – I assume it was a venue of some description as it obviously had a proper bar and different rooms, and a marquee erected outside and stuff. From my memory, it was in a mini field, not in a building in a row of buildings.
Dave: If I did go to that one I don’t recall. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. Ah! Yes! I was visiting my gran that week so I missed all that!
Karl: There was the XFM breakfast show on one day. We drove down at stupid o’clock, trying to find the Swiss Centre near Leicester Square. AS we turned up, as big white van turned up next to us and four recognisable men fell out. Dan immedicately put a fag in his mouth and muttered something about it being too early to rock. He was just so instinctively cool in those days. Justin was chanting the line ‘We’re the band that brings you rock before breakfast’. Later that day there was an instore at the big HMV on Oxford Street. Someonewas saying that there were three times the number of people they normally got for instores. A lot of people got turned away. Rada and Mike turned up and couldn’t get in, so we got Justin and the otheres on the phones to talk to them – they’d just got married. After the signing we went to the pub, had a few, left, and bumped into them going to the pub we’d just been in. I felt someone grab my arse and swung round angrily to find it was the man who wears a catsuit…
Dave: He used to do that you as well? He did have a habit of doing that though. He would introduce himself to you by either squeezing your bum or putting his hand between your legs and giving it a yank!
Karl: We spent the rest of the evening boring the band senseless, which they were very nice about.
Dave: Probably doesn’t hurt too bad when people are adoring you!
Karl: There was a girl called Kitten who was a drummer. She had got all the drums down pat except for one bit at the start of ‘Holding My Own’ where she couldn’t get the timing right. She gleaned from Ed that the reason for that was because it wasn’t right on the record. We always wondered if that’s why they didn’t play it live for so long! She told the story much better…
There was the time at Download where we got to meet them and had a bit picture taken – four of them, 6-7 of us – only to find out later that Justin’s mum had that picure on her kitchen matelpiece or wall of something. That was weird!
Dave: It was chaos after that.
Karl: Did you have any more questions?
Dave: That was all off the back of the first one!
(We had been talking for an hour and a half by then.)
OI: I told you I didn’t need any questions!
Dave goes to get a round in. OI has vodka and coke on the rocks with no ice. Dave comes back to confess he has no money, and to borrow some from Karl to buy his round. Ha!
Karl: I remember the board getting so big that there were arguments happening that didn’t include me! And stupidly, there were vigilante attacks between mine and the official one.
OI: I never understood that. Or why people would bother.
Karl: I went on the official board too, I was friends with Webbie! But you’d get things like people asking where the term ‘Darklings’ came from, and some authority answering with a load of bollocks that they’d made up and second hand rumours. People would start putting words into your mouth that weren’t yours. On the official board people would say ‘Oh, they get funny about people using that term’ – bollocks! It’s my board, and that ain’t right!
OI: I didn’t even know about the Darklings, because I came straight into the official board.
Karl: That was it, the one you knew first was probably determined by when you got into the band. The majority of people up to ‘Growing on Me’ went that way to Darklings, and after, to the official board. Which had it’s own heritage by then.
Dave (to OI): Are there any questions in your book?
OI: No! But what I’ve asked other people is about favourite tracks, has that changed over the years, and how PTL has changed your life? Has it been been a constant background to your life, or really done something to turn it upside down?
Karl: It has absolutely changed things. I have a social life! I’ve completely corrupted some of my friends. Ian even commented at meetups ‘these people really like Karl!’
OI: A shock!
Karl: It confused me for a long time! That band changed my life completely. I made a point of telling Justin that a lot… there was a drunken, deep and profound moment at the album launch party. It changed things in a way that nothing probably will ever again. As a kid you grow up with a band that turns you on to something musically – more than one. Blur were probably my first passion as a teenager. Leppard were the first I obsessively collected B-sides and knew trivia for. The Darkness were the ones I actually got to meet.
Dave: There are important bands, and important bands you’re involved with.
Karl: Even if none of that had happened, they’d still be one of my favourite bands of all time because I loved what they did musically and changed the landscape of what was going on. It’s weird sometimes to think that if Justin was walking on the other side of the road, he would know who you were and and cross over to speak to you. That’s an honour that kinda blows my mind.
Dave: It’s a strange thing, and I do think it’s a thing that won’t happen again as a phenomena. The Darkness were probably the last band that started out playing pubs and went to playing arenas after that.
Karl: ‘Taking the pubs to the stadiums and stadiums to the pubs’ or something.
Dave: Yeah! They must be the last band to start in a pub and become a household name. Lots of bands started small and got big, but they’re the last band I’m aware of that did that without being an industry creation.
Karl: They did it through gigging and through word of mouth. Everyone who has done it since has done it through MySpace, Facebook or YouTube. The web has broken them.
Dave: They’ve not had to do the hours.
OI: Or the sleeping on floors, etc.
Karl: They achieved the level of fame and stardom that ended up with them on the front page of The Sun more than once in a week. There are no rock bands that have gne through the process and ended up there, now.
Karl: The next band that got even near the hype – more, because the NME were involved – were the Arctic Monkeys. They were worshipped by industry people. Everyone was telling you tha they were the best thing.
Dave: With them it was the ‘novelty’ of ‘here’s a band that started small’!
OI: Funny, we’ve done that…
Dave: They were sold on that for so long.
Karl: There’s a tradition in this country for indie guitar music. Rock music isn’t worshipped in the same way as it is in America, wher you get 24/7 rock stations.
Dave: Do you remember the time they went to America for the frst time to do SxSW, and blew the entire budget on a stupid car?
OI: Wasn’t it a donkey?
Dave: No, a Cadillac!
OI: Oh, no, the donkey was for New York Fashion Week!
Karl: Rock and metal was never as big, here. Even Leppard, Whitesnake, Sabbath. In America it was huge. Here, you had the Rock Show for a coupel of hours a week. It was like a little club. It wasn’t played for the rest of the day. It wasn’t until 2004-5 ish – when Guitar Hero came out – that there was a seismic shift. I was in a Game Station and there were two 11 year olds who ere having an argument about a song. One of them hummed this tune, and it was Hocus Pocus by Focus! I knew something had musically had changed! I think all of that owes a debt to The Darkness. There was this whole thing about whether they were a joke band. They were an indie in-joke, was the thing for the first six months, because they came up that way. There are still hardcore rock fans who think they’re a joke, because they have fun with rock music.
OI: I said before that I couldn’t place them, and I’m not a rock girl. None of the comments about riffs or influences from thius band or that meant anything to me. It was all over my head, and I just accepted them for what they were. I dodn’t care about the rock heritage, it’s not my thing, though I’ve learned a bit over time.
Karl: I always thought that if you aw them live you would see far more rock than the image promoted necessarily had. The image for some people made them think ‘It’s Spinal Tap, and we’ve had that, so why do we need The Darkness?’
Dave: Because Spinal Tap stopped touring?
Kar;: Out of everything they’ve ever done, put on ‘Love on the Rocks’ live version – ‘We’ve only got one song left, but don’t worry, it’s 12 minutes long’ – that’s my fave live song. Crowd participation, crowd walk. It’s just so powerful. Anyone who can see that live and say they’re a novelty band- WHAT? It’s rock opera. There’s more in that song than most bands ever put out.
Agreement!
OI: Where were we? The favourite track thing. I’ve said that I don’t have a favourite track because I like them all for different things and there’s a vast difference between hearing on them on CD and seeing them live. Live, they are different, and they shift. They’re not the same song, almost. There are different things attached to live and CD – where you were, who with, what happened on stage, how you felt at the time. There’s a different reaction to them, live.
Karl: Good point. After the album came out, on the October tour, they were still doing small places, but £10 tickets were going for £50-60.
OI: The UEA gig, they were going for £175. I couldn’t get to that one.
Karl: It was in Sheffield that during LOTR that the crowd randomly decided to do the clap from ‘We Will Rock You’ and break into the chorus. I’d love to have a bootleg of that! It was the first time I’d heard it.
OI: They don’t do it any more.
Karl: They need a live album. They’ve got three albums of material, for nostalgia and memories. You hear musical progressions. I think they do stuff nowadays faster on some tracks.
OI: That first comeback gig was the fastest I’ve ever heard – manic.
Dave: I don’t have a favourite song to be honest, when you invest so much of yourself in a band, over so much time, the idea of a favourite song is ridiculous. Favourite month, maybe?
OI: The people I’ve spoken to have all said that if they had to choose, it would be ‘this, because I attach this to it’. Not because it’s a musically better song, it’s an emotional response.
Karl: What I like is just the sheer diversity, even around the PTL era. IF you include the B-sides, you have a greatest hits off one album. Every type of song, though I don’t think it was written this way.
OI: There’s ‘Best of Me’, ‘Physical Sex’, LOTR – are these the same band, you could ask.
Karl: When you randomly listen to B-sides there are rock songs next to completely different genres. I loved Christmas Time at the Astoria when they brought on the children’s choir. That was a beautiful moment. If they’d never nade a comeback, I would have smiled for the rest of my life every Christmas because of that.
Dave: It was a genius step to write a NEW Christmas song, a proper one. We are so fed up of recycling the 70’s ones.
OI: Dave, you;ve not answered this one – talk about how they’ve changed your life.
Karl: They introduced you to a lot of strange people?
Dave: When I first started seeing them is was 16. I ended up drinking with them on my 17th birthday. They were buying me cider on Steve Lamacq’s theory that if you only drank cider you would never get fat. For that reason they bought me a lot of it, The whole time they were having their meteoric rise and all the rest of it, I was in my teens and early twenties. That’s going to be an important and changeable time anyway. The stupid thing is, at the time I thought it was perfectly normal and what everyone did was follow a band who would end up on the front page of The Sun. This is a totally normal thing to do when you’re 18.
OI: Is it a totally normal thing to do when you’re 35?
Dave: This is the alarming thing. This is the thing that happens to other people!
Karl: Yes, I know people who’ve gone to their first gig to see The Darkness and met them, and been incredibly excited. I still am! But then I remember that nearly everyone I know has met them and got pissed with them, and I’m incredibly lucky.
Dave: It’s only when I look back on it that I realise that it’s not a normal turn of events.
Karl: In terms of venue size, I’m for selfish reasons bloody glad we’re going back to small ones in the winter.
OI: I can’r wait for that. That’s kind of where they’re at their best.
Dave: You look back to then and think about all the ridiculous things that you’ve done that you never would have got anywhere near, without that band.
OI: I certainly wouldn’t have put my skirt on upside down in the back of a French taxi…
Karl: We’ve all done that.
Dave: I distinctly remember what was possibly The Darkness’ most Spinal Tap moment where they got lost on the way to their own aftershow, in the same building. It was the first time they did Hammersmith, we ended up with half the band and people they recognised from outside, wlaking up and down, backwards and forwards, across the stage three times at the Spollo. Trying to find the party. Everyone had a bottle of champagne in their hand going ‘YEAAHHHHH!’.
Karl: Wasn’t that perfectly normal at the time?
Dave: It’s been quite striking to realise that life isn’t that exciting normally.
Karl: Everyone goes to see bands they really like and get passionate about and want to get big – and they split up 2 weeks later. But The Darkness were the band that you told everyone about, and it DID happen. Even them splitting up and getting back together was part of the essential experience.
Dave: How could be a classic rock opera without it?
OI: It’s like being in a rock theme park -we’ll go on this ride now!
Karl: I knew in my heart that when they broke up in 2006 that they’d get back together, however long it took.
OI: I didn’t think about it – probably on purpose, really. Didn’t want to get my hopes up. And not worth thinking about toomuch because at the time it just wasn’t happening. Playing a waiting game, and seeing what happened in the meantime.
Karl: One of the weirdest things about them getting back together was seeing people you hadn’t seen for years and them calling ‘Switch’ at you! (userid of long standing)!
There was the most random discussion about daybeds here. Bizarre.
Karl: Anyway, back to the band. I felt that it all started to go wrong when they signed to Atlantic. If you look at the singles – GOM, etc – and what came after except the Christmas song, it never felt right.
OI: No, they don’t suit it. They’re too independent.
Karl: Like in Frankie’s book when he talks about the video for LIOAF, and what they did at the Brit Awards – that was the maverick streak.
OI They need to do things their own way. There’s a danger of actually sticking someone in charge of them.
Karl: The only thing a big label could bring them was marketing. The real strength is the music. If they’d put out a shit album, the hardcore fans would have left, but that hasn’t happened. We’ve stayed around, right from the beginning.
Dave: I don’t know how we ended up not going to the same gigs for so long. Between us, we have a coherent history.
After that, we agreed that we had had amazing, lucky times, going to places that wouldn’t have been possible, otherwise. We are all grateful for the experiences we’ve had, friends we’ve made and the things we’ve achieved. All thanks to one band. Naturally, our agreement was more long winded than that, but we clinked our glasses at the end of three great hours.
The ‘NOT FOR TAPE’ bits were very funny, too. 😀
Posted in Darkness | Tagged Interviews, PTL 10th Anniversary, The Darkness | 5 Replies
PTL 10th Anniversary: Ian Johnsen
Ian Johnsen of the Must Destroy label was, and is, a major figure in the life of The Darkness. A man busier than you can possibly imagine, he managed to find a few minutes to answer one or two questions:
OI: At what point did you become aware of The Darkness?
Ian: March 2001. a show at the Barfly.
OI: How did you get involved in working with them?
Ian: They approached us when they heard that Alan and I had started a label. I believe it was at a Datsuns show at the Garage when first moves were made… maybe around eight months after that initial Barfly sighting. Although, we had previously put them on at a night we were doing at Notting Hill Arts Club at the time, so there was prior contact before talk of releasing anything.
OI: Was their potential immediately obvious to you?
Ian: They appealed to us. That was what mattered.
OI: What made you want to work with them?
Ian: They were / are a good music band.
OI: What made them want to work with you?
Ian: Kindred spirits? No other options?
OI: Was PTL under way before or after you got involved?
Ian: Not at the time, no. They had the three ‘Love’ songs recorded… ‘…On The Rocks’, ‘…Is Only A Feeling’ and ‘I Believe In A Thing Called…’.
OI:How knowledgeable about the music business were they, back then?
Ian: Probably more than we were.
OI:What impact did the album have on you, both in a business and personal sense?
Ian: Its an album I still listen to and enjoy. Business-wise, the whole experience opened some doors, introduced us to some people that would influence our lives greatly, and allowed us to do what we did as a job.
OI: What are your favourite tracks, and why?
Ian: ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’ – instantly recognisable as a killer pop song from the opening line. ‘Planning Permission’ (is a B-side allowed?) – lyrically perfect.
OI: Has that changed over the years?
Ian: Not really.
OI: From inside the music business, what impact can you say The Darkness had in 2003, and have you seen any lasting effects?
Ian: They made a mockery of the media’s notions of ‘cool’ and made bands that take themselves too seriously look a bit stupid. Lasting effects? Well, in media-land, not really… perceived ‘cool’ is back on top as the most important thing, regardless of whether the artist has anything approaching even one decent song in them or not. Luckily, there’s not much of a media left that anyone takes any notice of.
OI: Was there alternative artwork for the cover? What was that like?
Ian: No.. there was never time for an alternate cover! It was super last minute as it is… Bruce hardly slept during the time he was finishing it off.
OI: What is it that gives both the band and PTL their special something?
Ian: An incredible sense of melody. A lack of fear of the word ‘pop’. A sense of humour. Not giving a fuck what anyone says about them, good or bad.
Thanks to Ian for his time.
PTL 10th Anniversary – Benjamin Boyle
A chat with our man in Norway:
OI: Do you remember your first encounter with The Darkness clearly, or is it a blur?
Benny: I clearly remember sitting in the back seat of our car listening to PTL right after my dad bought it, but before that, I remember seeing the IBIATCL music video on TV a couple of times. I was very young at the moment, so I kind of mixed up The Darkness and Queen because of Justin’s voice.
OI: Did you have to stop and look again at that video?
Benny: It was showing on some kind of video jukebox on TV, so I basically had that on in the background while doing other stuff, but I was absolutely stunned by the long haired man’s high voice, so I had to watch the video. I liked how that video was totally different than anything else, and how goofy it was with the huge obviously fake alien creature. It was rather amusing!
OI: I think it was a lot of people’s first experience! I know I went looking round the music channels to see it again.
Was that song causing a stir there, like here?
Benny: Yeah, absolutely! It was a huge hit and was showing quite often on that video jukebox and was probably played a lot on the radio too. I didn’t listen to radio at the time, but I assume it was. If you ask the average Joe on the street in 2013 if he has heard of The Darkness, you’ll most likely get “Oh, they were the band that did I Believe In A Thing Called Love, weren’t they?” as an answer.
OI: Always nice to know! Here, the other videos, for GYHOMW and GOM were showing a lot too. Did they surface there too?
Benny: I don’t remember those being shown in Norway, but Love Is Only a Feeling was on TV for a while. I think IBIATCL was the song and video that was most popular and got the most attention here around the release of PTL
.
OI: You said your dad bought it – was it on non-stop the moment he got it out of the shop?
Benny: He put it in the CD player in the car as soon as we were out of the shop, but my mom wasn’t too happy about that. I remember telling my dad to turn up the volume while Black Shuck was playing, and my mom just sighed and complained.
OI: Whilst the two of you were headbanging madly? What struck you about it right from that drive home?
Benny: Oh, definitely! I grew up listening to my dad’s old Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Elvis and The Who records, so to listen to that hard rocking masterpiece at the age of 8 really rocked my foundations! I think that was the main thing that struck me – just the fact that I had never heard anything that hard before. Swearing was also new to me, so when listening to GYHOMW, my dad made up new words for me to sing: “Get your hands off my woman, feather plucker!”
OI: Responsible parenting. And that was that. A lifetime (well, to 18 so far) love affair with the band. Did their image mean a lot to you, back then? Or does spandex not register with an 8 year old?
Benny: I really liked looking through the pictures in the booklet, and I especially liked the little kids dressed up as the band, so the image certainly caught my attention. I think Frankie’s moustache and Justin’s cat suits caught most of my attention, though
OI: Not much new there then! Do you have a favourite track? Has that changed as you’ve got older?
Benny: My favorite tracks on that album has always leaned towards the first half of the album, since I always started listening from the beginning and didn’t always finish the whole album. I loved LIOAF, GOM and Black Shuck a lot when I was younger, but now I have realized that GYHOMW is one of the most awesome songs ever to be made. So, GYHOMW and GOM are the ones I listen to the most as of today.
Not that I DON’T like LIOAF, GOM or Black Shuck anymore – I love the whole album.
OI: The lyrics are engraved on your brain, right?
Benny: Of course! I know the lyrics, but sometimes I just sing along like I used to when I was little, making up random words that don’t exist, but sound like the real words, haha! However, when the chorus kicks in, lord have mercy on me, because I will belt out those bad words like there’s no tomorrow!
OI: That’s the point when the cat runs away in this house! Compared to other music there at the time, were there any rivals, or did TD destroy all the opposition?
Benny: I remember the Moldovan pop group ‘O-zone’ being quite popular around 2002-2004, but more in a sarcastic way, even though everybody had ‘Dragostea din tei’ as their ringtone on their cell. Rock music never caught on like pop music did, but personally, I can’t remember any other popular rock groups at the time having such a hit in Norway like The Darkness did.
OI: Is that still the case? Has Norway caught on to rock music yet, or were TD the only rock brilliance likely to happen there?
Benny: I think The Darkness were the wakeup call everybody needed, because you can find different styles of rock music being popular in all kinds of groups of people. Coldplay and Mumford & Sons are very popular amongst the general public. Not that they are as hard rocking as The Darkness, but it’s far away from O-zone or Britney Spears!
OI: Umm… well, they’re all in the same trash can for me, I guess!
Benny: Haha!
OI: Can you say, then, that The Darkness truly changed things for you?
Benny: (I’m not a part of the general public, though)
They not only changed things for me, but the STARTED things for me. They were the first real hard rock band that I listened to besides old bands like Alice Cooper, The Who, Cheap Trick etc. It was like The Darkness was MY band, and not something my dad had exposed me to through my childhood. If it wasn’t for The Darkness, I have no idea what kind of person I would be today.
Benny: The Darkness was my gateway to the music I listen to today.
OI: And all because of one small collection of most excellent tunes.
Do you have an Anniversary message for the band?
Benny: You could say that Permission To Land was my generations answer to Appetite for Destruction.
Happy Anniversary, boys. Nothing made me happier than seeing you come together again in 2011 so we could celebrate as the original The Darkness on the special day. Thank you for changing my life and giving me so many good memories that I will have with me for the rest of my life. Permission To Land is hands down one of the five greatest albums ever to be released, and the b-sides are no less than perfect. I am proud to be a Darkling!
OI: That covers everything! Thanks, Ben. I hope you see them many more times.
PTL 10th Anniversary – Marcelle Wade Barton
Marcelle is an Australian fan whom I had never spoken to before this – I seem to have found a twin!
OI:
Do you remember the moment you first came across The Darkness?
Marcelle: YES!! I was watching Channel V (our pay tv music channel) & Andrew G (the VJ) was RAVING about this band. They played IBIATCL video & I was smitten! It was in 2003.
OI:
One look and you were lost?
Marcelle: The look, I loved the tongue in cheek attitude & I LOVED the sound. Really awesome guitars etc. The voice was ‘unusual’ but catchy/brilliant
OI:
What was Andrew G saying?
Marcelle:
He pretty much was saying exactly what I just mentioned about them: Real rock n Roll, FRESH/NEW, entertaining, he was raving about the PTL album & that the whole thing was brilliant.
OI:
How long did it take for you to get your copy after that?
Marcelle: Not long (maybe a week or so). Then I was addicted to them. AMAZING!
OI: That first run through – what were your immediate impressions, after having hear IBIATCL?
Marcelle:
I was blown away by the sound. Very Acca Dacca with Black Shuck as the opener & his voice was hysterical/mesmerising. Hard to get the words, but when I read them thrugh I was laughing. Very clever. GYHOMW threw me with the language, but I love how he does it so ‘tongue in cheek/almost respectfully’ like he knows his mum is listening!! haha. It’s so hard to come by an album where every song rocks. LIOAF makes me cry still to this day. It was/is sublime. Beautiful guitars. And the BOOM straight into Givin’ Up. CLASSIC!!! Immediate impressions?? BRILLIANT. BEST ALBUM. IN MY TOP 3
OI:
At that time, what was your favourite?
Marcelle:
Ok Been listening ALL day (thank you).. umm, geesh ..BS, GOM, LIOAF, GU, FN, HMO, but they all rock. These ones move my soul
Then & now.
OI:
So there’s been no shift over time?
Marcelle:
Not really. Since meeting my NEW hubby (who’s more ‘heavy’ than me), I appreciate LOTRWNI & SIAR more. Not that they are ‘heavy’ themselves, but I appreciate them more. I think I am more melodic/basic rock based. They do it brilliantly.
OI:
What would you say the long term impact of PTL has been on you?
Marcelle:
WOW!! Big question.
Marcelle: I found rock again (it was lost for so long). It helped me through a really tough time (separating from my first hubby), it continues (to this day- all 3 albums) to make me smile/dance/just love life (happy music-my music). Don’t know what else to say. This album PTL arrived when I was 36. My life was supposed to be ‘sorted/on track’ but it wasn’t. They helped me get back to my ‘inner child with hope’. Seeing them live was INCREDIBLE!!
OI:
What about the music industry side over there? What impact did they have?
Marcelle:
Good question.
In 2003/04 they were on tv (pay tv) all over the place. Big Day Out 2004, but the only songs that got played on ‘mainstream’ were LIOAF, GOM, IBIATCL. A radio station over here called Triple JJJ was a big instigator. ABC based, independant/new/different artist based.
2nd album got video play (OWTTHAB, IIJM), but that was all. Very tough/US reigned over here, BUT they got their toes in!! Grass roots/decent shows mean A LOT!!!
They won many over with live shows.
Not many…EVERYONE
OI:
That’s generally the case, I think. TV and video is good, but it just doesn’t cut it next to live shows.
Was the music scene there in need of a good kick up the arse?
Marcelle: YES!!! Our industry became VERY arena based. Pub bands (which I remember growing up with) just weren’t firing much. They all want the big picture. I saw TD in 2006 (Richie days). I am not kidding. I took a VERY heavy metal friend, I have seen MANY bands/concerts/arenas/pub gigs. TD were THE BEST GIG EVER!! (Even with JH not being well). F’ing amazing. I tell people (including all of my kids) you need to see this band LIVE. Absolutely the MAGIC factor. Tightest band EVER!! Music scene STILL needs a good KICK UP THE ARSE!!! Kids have forgotten what real music is!
OI: Is there any evidence that TD changed anything in that respect?
Marcelle: Mmmm not sure. I just know that anyone who has ever seen them over here is a convert. The live scene here is TOUGH. Saying that, they are brilliant in that they still get out there and do it HAPPILY. Rock n Roll in a small venue is few and far between. WE ARE HUNGRY!!
OI: Do you have a final message for the lads?
Marcelle: Oh really?? Gee, don’t know what to say except that I’m just so thrilled to see them back together, happy, HEALTHY & rocking even better than before – if possible – and all in time for the 10 year anniversary of the release of PTL. The day I bought that album is the day I knew Rock was alive & well. THANK YOU THE DARKNESS \m/
And with that, we all went for a lie down, because the edited out bits were MUCH fun 😀
Posted in Darkness | Tagged Interviews, PTL 10th Anniversary, The Darkness | 1 Reply
PTL 10th Anniversary – The Darkness Argentina
The lovely people running this South American site were a joy to talk to!
When did you first find out about The Darkness?
Well, it was in late 2004 I think, here MUCH MUSIC and MTV did not stop showing the video “I Believe In A Thing Called Love”, they showed more than 10 or 15 times a day at least that’s what I remember. What I remember is that I never came to see the whole thing, but one day I did, and it was something like ‘Holy Shit!’ I loved it, it was great, it was true Rock!
What did you think of them?
First, what I thought was that the video is somewhat strange, the aesthetics of the video was like the old videos but more humorous, the colors used, the clothes, everything was like in old times. The voice of Justin impacted on me, a voice that was very clean … Wow … still do not think I can explain it, just petrified me, I feel it in my ear right to the brain, is a great feeling. The Darkness were a breath of fresh air. The new rock bands do not use instruments as they do, there are impressive guitar solos, the drums can be seen without this taking away the importance of the bass, it seems rather simple when you say it but it is difficult to achieve this harmony. They did it and their first album, it’s important to note.
Here in Argentina came not much information about them, some interviews from time to time, but from what I saw at that time, I knew I really enjoyed what they were doing. I loved that touch of humor that they placed on everything. Justin was very flamboyant Imagine, I was a teenager when I fell in the spell of The Darkness, but I think even with my current age would do it again…in fact I’m sure would fall on their charm over and over again.
When did you get the album?
It was after a few months of listening to the first video of The Darkness … was after christmas 2004, here was hard to find, but a friend gave it to me. I know he had to do much to get it.
What were your favorite tracks? Why? Are your favorites the same ones now?
This is a difficult to answer. For when I had the album in my hands I had already heard a million times “I Believe In A Thing Called Love,” which still remains one of my favorites, but my favorite was “Growing on Me”. I liked the power of the song, the lyrics, and the feeling that Justin conveyed to sing, I think every time I hear that song I feel a emotion that does not make me feel any other song in the world, even today is still my favorite. Although in those days “Givin ‘up” was my soundtrack for each night out, we can say that at that time I lived too much rock, too much, haha, were crazy times, and The Darkness was always with me. ”Love is Only a Feeling” was the romantic song for excellence, of that I have no doubt I listened to that song with a broken heart many times. ”Get Your Hands Off My Woman” that was another of my favorites, is part of my subconscious rebel and wild, it does not explain why the lyrics of this song, the instruments sounding as if they would collapse the world says it all, doesn’t need much explanation. Favourites the same ones now?
Yes, they are my favorites still.
What reaction did you have to each track?
Black Shuck: When I first heard, was strange but in a good way, I liked but did not understand well that was what I liked, then I realized it was a set of things, the lyrics and the instruments, I think could not have been a better combination, that lyrics with another rhythm could not exist, is completely wild, I like. Stuck in a Rut: this is good, the lyrics mostly everyone feels this way, everyone would have to love this song …
”Oh, kiss my ass, kiss my ass goodbye Propelled by a carriage of aluminum am I
No more to rot In this stye Turn my back on this shit-hole in the blink of an eye ♪ ♫ ♪ “
and listen to Justin screaming …
”And the road is long and the lights are bright
Just ‘cos you’ve lived here all your life does not make it alright And the Golden Mile is paved with shite”.
That’s great, everything in this song says: all is a shit, I’m outta here, who does not like this song?
Friday Night: it’s a happy song, also the video, I liked it all, when I listen now today I still feel that I am teenager like at that time, was a song I listened in the morning to start a happy day, even the still do. Love on the Rocks: When I listened to this song for the first time, I was a little depressed, I was having a hard time with my boyfriend at the time … were years and the relationship was dead, but seemed that no one noticed. So I really liked this song, expressing all that I felt were my feelings in a song, every note, every syllable, every, everything in it perfectly expresses the story of a dead relationship, giving the last breath of life…
and finally, “Holding my Own”, which was felt when I listen? I think the whole song speaks for itself, the melody, the lyrics, as I had told you, was a bit depressed, so a perfect fit in those days. It’s a sad song about rescuing the little pride that one is left in situations like that.
Is very beautiful and harmonious, very sweet, with feelings.
Did The Darkness and PTL change your life? How?
Definitely did, because I have more than 28 years, so I was too young back then to have lived the good rock bands but too old to be satisfied with crap bands of that time. It gave me hope that good music was even alive. The Darkness is the eternal promise of Rock.
What was the music scene like in your country before The Darkness?
Honestly … I was not very pleased with anything, there was a lot of music away, had some good bands, but do not remember their names, so I think I did not pay much attention, because if it were that would remember their names. They were of course the usual old national bands, all very good, but do not count because they are not born that time, all already existed long before.
Has it changed over the years?
No, I’m sorry to say that we do not improve or change anything. Although we only have our good old national rock bands like Vox Dei, Norberto Pappo Napolitano, Rata Blanca, Soda Stero, Luis Alberto Spinetta, Charly Garcia, Andres Calamaro, Hermetica, those are some of the best. I think the music scene is in decline here, I do not know what we will do when our national rock idols are no longer with us, I prefer not to think about it.
What would you do without The Darkness?
Oh God, I’d rather not think about it! It would be something devastating, like when they parted, it was horrible, hope to have good new rock was dead and I was at his funeral crying. That’s how I felt that time was bad for me, they were the voice of my feelings and that voice was not there, I hope not to ever happen again. Over the years one gives great affection to The Darkness, because they are very kind, are always attentive to their fans, always answer our questions and concerns, the days that they were here in our country were so helpful, we saw to them on several occasions and always received us with a smile. They are the best rock band of the latter times and the best rock band in dealing with fans, I can only conclude this saying I love The Darkness, to each of them for what they were, what they are and what they will be.
Matías
Probably with ‘I Believe in a Thing Called Love’ video in 2003. My brother and I loved the style and the music, so he bought the album and we listened to it a lot!
I thought it was a very welcome change for rock n roll. Their style was crazy, their videos were funny as hell and the album rocked. It was a time with no new bands that really rocked, and The Darkness saved us all!
When ‘I believe in a thing called love’ was airing heavily on channels like MTV and Much Music, like I said, my brother and I were instantly hooked so he bought the album.
What were your favourite tracks? Why? Are your favourites the same ones now?
By the time the album came out, I was 9. I didn’t understand English, so it would be very funny for me to hear words that I could understand, so “Friday Night” was one of the songs I listened to a lot, since it was singing about “Ping-
Pong” and “Badminton”, it was so funny! Same thing goes to “Givin’ Up”, I just couldn’t understand why such a happy sounding song would be saying the word “Fuck” all over the chorus! Now I’m 19, and have been a musician since 8. Over the time I started to pay more attention to musical arrangements, specially the guitar parts. So songs like “Stuck In A Rut”, “Love On The Rocks With No Ice”, “Get Your Hands Off My Woman” and many more quickly became my favorites.
Black Shuck: It’s the perfect introduction for The Darkness. Hard Rock n Roll, amazing voice, roaring guitars, no bull-
shit.
Get Your Hands Off My Woman: I love how Justin sings the song, the lyrics are great and the guitars blast through the speaker. Plus, it’s hilarious how Justin does that thing at the end while playing the song live, making the people sing!
Growing On Me: I loved the video with the little kids as Mini The Darkness, it was so cute! The song its an instant classic, period. I Believe In A Thing Called Love: This was the best track for the band, it made them famous, and they deserve it. We fans will never get tired of listening to it, it’s pure greatness! You can’t just not sing the chorus!
Love is Only A Feeling: I usually hate ballads, but this one rocks. I love all the additional instruments they played, like mandolins and acoustic guitars, it was a nice detail. Plus, how can you go wrong with a guitar solo played in the mountains? That’s Rock & Roll! Givin Up: All I can say is, WOW, that guitar solo is face-melting. Love singing along to it every time! Stuck In A Rut: I like how it’s connected with the ending of Givin Up, its very natural and I love it, I have them connected as 1 track on my mp3 player, and they play it live that way also! The song is a hard rocker, Dan has that guitar on fire, one of my faves!
Friday Night: Another one we all love. The lyrics are hilarious, the video is so funny too! I want to be able to see the band live so I can just scream-along with this one, love it!
Love On The Rocks With No Ice: Again, just WOW. Huge rock n roll anthem material, I freakin love rockin out to this tune, and live it’s mindblowing as a longer version. To say it in just 1 word? ROCK-N-ROLL. Holding My Own: The thing you gotta love about The Darkness, are the lyrics, I mean, come on! Who writes songs like these and gets away with a great rockin tune if not The Darkness? Proof that this band is the best in the world.
Did The Darkness and PTL change your life?
The Darkness certainly holds a special chapter in my musical book, my brother loves Queen and I love AC/DC, and to us, The Darkness is the perfect mix between them. It’s one of my favorite bands and I’m so happy it exists and keeps on rockin till today and hopefully for a long time! PTL was what started all for me (like most fans) and will forever remain as one of the best rock albums ever made.
What would you do without them?
Probably I would still listen to other music I like, but honestly, The Darkness are unique and when they first broke up it was awful. My brother and I were devastated, as it was such a big loss for rock n roll. And it was so amazing to hear about their return, their new album and tour and I also heard they promised a new album for 2014!! So it’s an excellent thing for rock n roll that they’re out here today.
When The Darkness played their only show so far in Argentina, it was supporting Lady Gaga, and they only played 8 songs. Since the tickets were expensive, because of Lady Gaga, I could only afford the cheap tickets, so far away from the stage. It was sure as hell worth it anyway, but I wanted the band to know, that there were a lot of The Darkness fans that bought a ticket just for them and left after their gig ended, and since you were in the stage so far away, you might not know this! So here’s for a hope you come back with a show of your own some time! Rock On!
Maxi Dries
In 2003, because IBIATCL video was on MTV…I become tttally mad.
They rock! I mean, they actually sound like a band of seventies, my favourite kind of sound. They rock like in the old days. We miss that in these times.
2003, of course Permission to Land.
Friday Night, Love is Only a Feeling, IBIATCL. Outstanding tracks, is the perfect sound of that time in my life. They mean so much for me. Girlfriend, Hazel Eyes and Is is Just Me, from ‘Ticket’…I remember my interpretation of the álbum at the time, while I was breaking up with my girlfriend.
Always electrifying, those put me on fire!
They show me a new path to follow in music. I was waiting for them to reunite, I was in heaven when heard the news. Gooood!
What was the music scene like in your country before The Darkness?
Quite boring.
I hear new bands with clear influence of TD, that’s good news for the musical scene here.
A cover band, to play that music! Haha.
We can only say thanks to The Darkness, thanks for your great music, thanks for being the soundtrack of our lives, thanks for being in every moment of our lives, thanks also for being so kind to us fans. Always we trust that The Darkness create your own way to continue giving life to rock, we love them, they have our full support in everything they do … and of course we want them back in Argentina … Latin America also wants to party the anniversary of Permission to Land!
Thanks for their enthusiasm and passion!
PTL 10th Anniversary – Georgia Nagy
Georgia was someone I met on a forum and MySpace years ago. Still only 17, she’s been a huge fan forever.
OI: Georgia, you’re one of the youngest original Darklings I know. How old were you in 2003?
Georgia: I was 7.
OI: How exactly did a 7 year old and The Darkness connect?
Georgia: I could feel the connection as soon as I heard I Believe in a Thing Called Love on tv.
OI: And watched the video, right?
What was your brain doing, that first time?
Georgia: Yeah great video! I loved it and wanted to hear more from them on.
OI: Did you pester someone to buy the album for you?
Georgia: Yeah my mam who is also a fan of the band so it didn’t take much.
OI: I approve! Was it the voice, the clothes, the antics, the hair… or all of them?
Georgia: Definitely all of them!
OI: At that age, what did you think of the swearing?
Georgia: I didn’t think anything of it really, probably made me like them even more haha!
OI: Rebel! What was your favourite track then?
Georgia: Hard to chose one of them, I found myself listening to Get Your Hands Off My Woman and Growing on Me the most.
Georgia: I find myself just listening to the whole album over and over
.
OI: Has it taken over your life?
Georgia: I think it has haha
OI: Ditto…
What do you think has been its real effect on you and your life? Seriously?
Georgia: It’s helped me through a lot of stuff, just instantly puts me in a better mood when I’m listening to them.
OI: An emotional response? Has it formed your musical tastes, do you think? Or are they a rock one-off in your CD pile?
Georgia: Yeah they’ve definitely helped to form it, I heard about Steel Panther and Foxy Shazam because of them
.
OI: Do you think that you’d not have discovered rock without them? Or would your family have saved you?
Georgia: I heard rock music before I heard the darkness, Dad is a huge fan of it too.
OI: Good. Now, you’re only 17 now. You’ve spent years with your age group, bombarded with the sort of music the likes of Simon Cowell thinks you should like. How difficult is it to not be in that crowd of 1D followers?
Georgia: I don’t find it difficult at all really. I’m just not into that sort of music, none of my friends now are into it thankfully
OI: Have you ever had more than friendly banter for liking TD?
Georgia: Yeah, quite a lot, but they don’t understand real music
OI: No, indeed they don’t, clearly!
Thank you, Georgia.
PTL 10th Anniversary – Pedro Ferreira
In a pub tucked away in a back street of London, a record producer and a fan sat in a beer garden and talked. These are the bits that got recorded.
OI: Pedro Ferreira is responsible for an awful lot of ‘Permission to Land’. It’s all your fault, isn’t it? Well, the bits that 4 lads didn’t do…
Pedro: Indeed!
OI: So how, when and why did you get involved?
Pedro: It was more than 10 years ago, that’s for sure! I started working for a publishing company called Rondor Music, working in the studios. My first session was with (at the time) Empire, the band before. That’s the first time I met them. Dan was working at Rondor and Justin was published by them. I did quite a lot of work with Justin recording adverts.
OI: Going back to the jingle days?
Pedro: Yeah. We’d spend all night in the studio smoking loads of cigarettes – we both smoked at the time. We recorded the Tango one, and Ikea.
OI: They’re very famous with Darklings.
Pedro: So that’s when I met them. 1997-98, around then. We became quite good friends, because I was working at the same place as Dan and Justin was popping in all the time. Then they sacked the singer, Paul. I knew Justin could sing, because I’d heard him and always thought he was really good. For ages we tried to persuade him to be the singer. He didn’t want to, he refused. In 2000, Justin decided he was going to be the singer – got persuaded. This was a process – everyone talks about the New Year’s Eve thing. That’s when he finally agreed, but me and Dan, we were on him for a while. They couldn’t find another singer for Empire, and Justin would have been the perfect singer. After that we did quite a few sessions at Rondor. They were quite indie then. That evolved into The Darkness.
OI: You did a lot of crewing for them, didn’t you? That’s when I first met you. You were pushing a flight case and we were demanding the return of a stolen feather boa…
Pedro: It all just happened. We were all at Rondor, who got closed down – bought out by Universal, who closed the studios down and we all kinda got the sack. I ended up buying gear from them and set up my own studio. That was where we recorded IBIATCL and LIOAF. I was going to see them play at the Barfly and the sound was always shit! It was like ‘Fucking hell, I’LL do the fucking sound! ‘ Next thing I know, I’m doing the sound. Then they said ‘WE have to go up North’, so I said I’d go with them. Then Sue asked me to tour manage them. So all these things just sort of happened. I was only meant to be in the studio and next thing I know I’m doing sound at Knebworth, and still tour managing.
OI: So when it came round to doing this album that we’re on about, was it a foregone conclusion that things would carry on an you’d do it?
Pedro: We were just having fun!
OI: Did they formally ask you to do it?
Pedro: Yes! 2001 was when I set up my studio. It was a particularly bad year for music. I thought it would be really busy, and it wasn’t at all. It gave me a lot of time for them. That’s why I ended up spending the whole of 2001 developing their sound, the whole year. Recording IBIATCL, LIOAF and LOTR – another version that we ended up not using on the record. We re-recorded it because it was really slow. All that time we spent in my studio, I didn’t have any clients. Perfect for them! It was good, because it gave me time to do their tours, sound, walkabouts, everything – it was fun.
OI: You were steeped in Darkness.
Pedro: Yeah, we had a lot of good times.
OI: When you finally came to actually record PTL, did everyone come in with a really clear idea of what they wanted? Or did it evolve a little more?
Pedro: Basically the whole thing was a process, at least for me, anyway. That year, we developed their sound, that’s all we did. They were a bit indie to start with. My background is rock music and Justin and I would have a lot of chats and laughs about AC/DC and rock. If you like, that year was pre-production, recording the record versions of IBIATCL and LIOAF. Once we’d done all that, it was time and we decided ‘Let’s go and record an album’. I’m sure you know about the IKEA advert and how it gave us enough money to go to the studio and all that. I’d been to the Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire before and really liked it, so I got in touch with them and they gave us a good price. We went over for a couple of weeks – less than that. We did do 3 weeks proper pre-production before that which was good fun. Justin got the nipple piercing – I’ve never seen someone in so much pain ever in my life. During that 3 weeks in Hackney, Jo Whiley played IBIATCL. It was the first time we’d heard it on the radio, especially Radio 1. We all left the rehearsal room because the was not radio – it was underground so the radio wouldn’t work, no wireless back then! Someone called us to say that they were going to play it in about 10 minutes. We ran out of the studio and found an internet café with radio – ‘We’re on Radio 1, we’re on Radio 1!’ They played it and we were like kids. It was brilliant – good memories. That was our 3 weeks.
OI: So when you went to Lincolnshire, you were very ready.
Pedro: Yeah, I’m very particular about all that. I wouldn’t go to spend money on a studio without making sure everyone knew exactly what they were doing. Specially when you have a limited amount of money, you don’t want to waste it faffing about figuring out what to play next.
OI: Was there any disagreement on how to do things?
Pedro: No, not really. There are always the usual ‘creative arguments’, always going to be. We were pretty much on the same wavelength. It was mostly in pre-production. The recording went quite smoothly -everyone knew what they were doing and they did it, you know? We had a great time at the Chapel. Then we came back to London and finished off the vocals. I mixed it at the Roundhouse and the boys came down about twice during the whole process. I would send them the mixes, so they were fully aware of what I was doing. It was good to know that they had full trust in me.
OI: How much did you have to change to get the live sound in the studio? That album is known for being quite raw.
Pedro: I was quite focused on capturing the performance more than polish it up too much. In my opinion that’s where The Darkness is. Go and see them live and there’s this energy that they transmit, which is the brilliant thing. I really wanted to capture that. I made sure I recorded them live and technically I did things that at the time that were quite new. I recorded it to tape, then put it onto protos ,to get the best performance out of that without cut and paste. I don’t like to do that. It was very much trying to get ‘The Darkness’ on record.
OI: Them on stage without the little things that go wrong, and people like me going ‘AAGGHHHH!’?
Pedro: That’s the fun part!
OI: A live album would be great – people would really like that.
Pedro. I think so. They are amazing live. And I think we captured that. We spent a lot of time developing the sound but I really wanted to get that performance out of them. You can really feel that in ‘Permission to Land’.
OI: Yes. What everyone loves about PTL is that it’s as good as you can possibly get to a stage performance without being there.. You can stand at home and jump up and down, if you have it loud enough.
Pedro: That’s the best compliment! Job done!
OI: You cannot stand and listen to ‘Stuck in a Rut’ without joining in and scaring the cat. With singing and dancing!
Pedro: I listened to ‘Black Shuck’ the other day, one of my favourite tracks. It still makes me smile, and I’ve heard it probably a million times. Between all the preproduction, recording and live gigs I’ve done, I can safely say I’ve heard it a million times! I don’t think I was able to listen to PTL for a while after it I mastered it. I was listening to it live every day anyway! I just couldn’t put it on. But that’s the good thing about it – I listened the other day and thought ‘Wow – it’s cool!’. Specially when I remember Dan and Frankie doing the backing vocals, that was quite good fun.
OI: Always great when you remember ‘Hey, I did that!’ Money constraints aside, was there anything that you wanted to do that wasn’t possible? Ideas you had that you thought’ I just can’t make this work’?
Pedro. I’m sure there were a few though I can’t remember any. We did all that we set out to do. There was a clear picture in my head of all we had to do. I remember our first dinner in Lincolnshire and I was obviously very quite and focused on what I had to do – trying to figure it all out. Dan asked me ‘Are you alright? Are you not happy to be here?’ I was very happy to be here! But suddenly the sheer weight of everything we had to do in such a small amount of time – WOAH! But, we worked really hard, I didn’t sleep much, I don’t think. We had a fantastic time, and it all got done. On budget.
OI: Nothing you’d have done differently id you’d had more money?
Pedro: The last mix I did, Dan was there at the Roundhouse Studio and I think we finished about 6 o’clock in the morning, it was daylight. We were waiting in the lobby for a cab and I remember sitting there, both of us knackered, looking at Dan. I could think of about a million things I could have done or would have liked to have done if we’d had the time and the money. We didn’t, but I was really happy. It’s always the same, there’s always something you’d like to fix, get a better performance, a better mix, but it all turned out alright. Not bad – not bad!
OI: Did you use any technical whizzy tricks? (technical term)
Pedro: Nothing, just a whip.
OI: A WHIP? Who needed it the most? Along with Justin’s legendary singing in the nude… I know a lot of people whose entire decade would be justified by that!
Pedro: I just turned round and there he was, and I was ‘aaghhhh! Come on…!’ I don’t need to see that! Any time of day! We laughed a LOT about that. Apart from that technicality, everything was plain sailing! It was a bone of contention at one point, the live recording. Frankie wanted time to get his parts right on his own, but I really insisted on doing it live. It was recorded to tape, that’s as far as technicalities go.
OI: Simple is good?
Pedro: Yup. Simple is good. There’s a bit more to it than that, but essentially, yes. Apart from Justin being naked a few times, that’s about it!
OI: Apart from that, everyone had a good time?
Pedro: Chuckles yes, we had a fantastic time.
OI: Did everyone not just go ‘What the fuck is he doing?’ … but… I guess that happened quite a lot…
There was a trip to the bar and chocolate consumed, at this point. Much needed.
OI: Back on track – This album – what kind of personal and business implications has it had for you?
Pedro: It still is the best selling album that I’ve ever done. It’s still quite big even 10 years later. I have kids coming to me and telling me that they started playing guitar because of PTL and they want me to produce them and that kind of stuff. Makes me feel old! One of them is Voodoo Vegas, huge Darkness/Tokyo Dragons fans. So, I will always be the PTL producer and people will always know me for that.
OI: ‘You did that album, I want you because of that album.’ Cool. Worse things to be remembered for!
Pedro: Exactly! Definitely, even my peers, everyone appreciates the production on it, everyone comments on it, even if they don’t like the band they like the production.
OI: What I find about The Darkness is that everybody who doesn’t like them is able to pick up on something they do well. I’ve never found anyone who’s said They’re shit, they take awful photos, don’t like the catsuits or Justin’s voice, they can’t play.’ No one ever says they can’t play! So there’s always something to admire.
Pedro: Oh yes, they can play! So.. yeah, the last ten years of my life has been changed by it. On a personal level, -I met my girlfriend back then, she managed to put up with me and all the madness that was going on. Defintiely on a business level, it’s never been the same.
OI: You were saying about listening to the album again after quite a while?
Pedro: I’ve always been very proud of it. I think it was an achievement, for the reason’s I gave. The fact that it did so well, out of everyone’s expectations. We always believed that it was great and it could do well – we were prepared to give it our best shot because of that. But even when Atlantic signed them, the prediction was to sell about 60,000 copies, and the fact that they sold 5 million just goes to show. For a year after that it was all about The Darkness. Everything revolved about them. I don’t blame them for anything they did, though in hindsight they might have done things differently. I would have done. It was all too full on.
OI: Do you have an emotional attachment, like the fans do?
Pedro: I worked on it for years! I can’t do a record without being attached to it, it’s impossible to do. It’s very close to my heart, for sure. We worked so hard on it, All that time in the studio and that Dan and I spent getting a sound that was different but at the same time appealing. We put a lot of ourselves into it.
OI: Heart and soul – and most of your youth?
Pedro: Hmm.mm.. Yeah!
OI: What’s your favourite track? Do you have one?
Pedro: I thought it was always ‘Love on the Rocks’. I really liked it, even the first version we did, which was slower. I really liked the heaviness and the riff. But.. ‘Black Shuck’! It’s an absolute genius, I think.
OI: It makes me laugh, every time.
Pedro: Amazing, yeah, so I’ll say ‘Black Shuck’.
OI: And that’s not changed? Some people have said that as they’ve got older, other songs have meant more because of things that have happened.
Pedro: No, not really. I know that record inside out, but I can honestly say it’s still ‘Black Shuck’. Does opening bit You can’t beat that!
OI: It’s what you’ve been waiting for, on stage, to hear that and for the place to go wild.
Pedro: What would yours be?
OI: I’ve thought about this, and I honestly don’t have one. Every single track has got something. Sometimes it depends on mood – jumping up and down needs ‘Stuck in a Rut’, ballady mood needs LIOAF. They’ve all got the same favourite level. There are only 3 albums in my whole life I can name that can do that, it’s quite a feat. I like different ones live from in the car. The attachment to where you were and what you were doing last time you heard it live, how good a gig it was, what happened before and after…. Some songs are better for driving to because you can scream along. Some are better for housework! If you need a laugh, ‘Black Shuck’. If you’re thoroughly pissed off, ‘Giving Up’ is about right. Love on the Rocks… you HAVE to do that live ot it’s… you just don’t get the full experience. Rock Epic. You can feel it coming through the floor, not just the speakers.
Pedro: I think it’s up there, and riff wise, in my opinion, it’s as good as ‘Smoke on the Water.
OI: It is instantly recognisable. Exactly whose idea was it to carry Justin for miles, with a guitar, during LOTR? Whose stupid idea was that? Though it wasn’t a stupid idea, it was really good, but…
Pedro: It did become quite stupid, yeah.
OI: He lost a shoe, not long ago.
Pedro: I lost about 2 inches!
OI: The last time I saw it properly, Dan was carrying him.
Pedro: He’s tall enough! It did become quite violent, the walkabout. I’m a strong guy, and I felt like I was going into battle at parts. I remember stamping on bodies and thinking ‘Oh fuck, I’m standing on someone!’ I didn’t have any choice. The crowds were surrounding us, I was just going with the crowd. We had people like bodyguards surrounding us, which wasn’t as much fun. It did get violent, we all agreed it had to stop. We did it at the Astoria without security, the first one, and the Homecoming. Having security wasn’t the same.
OI: I think now it’s become a much loved part of it, everyone’s waiting for it to happen. Not as violent as it used to be. He did have words with one girl on the last tour, I heard.
Pedro: We were in Osaka, the first Japanese gig we did on a mini tour, after the Big Day Out. We decided to do the walkabout, we didn’t know what to expect.
OI: Aren’t Japanese crowds fairly lethal?
Pedro: It was the funniest thing ever. I had to go and pick up Justin from a door at the side of the stage and they didn’t know what was happening. They were looking at the stage. All of a sudden they clocked us at the side. I kid you not, I had about 500 Japanese running towards me. It was dangerous, quite literally they were hanging from is. I’m trying to walk, and the guy who was doing International for Atlantic came and helped me. It was quite full on. It was then I think that we decided to use security. Was quite bruised up after that one.
OI: I remember a few gigs without it. But as soon as there was a comeback, it was reinstated. Good. Everybody wanted it. Perhaps Justin quite likes coming back black and blue? Now he’s diving off balconies and crowdsurfing, he’s getting his danger fix!
The last question, then that I was asked to ask you – what do you really think of the catsuits?
Pedro: He SHOULD still be wearing them! People always asked why he didn’t wear them going around in normal daylight.
OI: Chilly! And his trousers are tight enough, anyway.
Pedro: It’s all about the show, and the show is that. Bands go on stage looking normal, at least he was making an effort! It was different, and it was great. It always puzzles me, people didn’t need to ask these questions in the 70’s or early 80’s – imagine going to Kiss and going ‘Why are you wearing makeup and platform shoes?’
OI: Everyone was wearing it? There’s only one person doing it now.
Pedro: it’s all about the show. The Darkness understood that well. I think that’s what set them apart, you know? Not just that, obviously – musically they were miles apart. The whole show thing was important to them, especially Justin, and I think that’s amazing. I don’t think they should change that all. There’s a fine line – I used to try and show them the line and them decide that the would like to do – but there is a fine line between being cool and being absolutely fucking ridiculous.
OI: SOME have said that there isn’t such a line for The Darkness. And some don’t care about a line, they like it.
Pedro: I disagree with that. It’s all about being outrageous but without…
OI: There’s a thing about being outrageous to shock, and being outrageous tongue in cheek.
Pedro: Yeah, basically. I couldn’t have put it better myself.
OI: Thank you! We’ve never had ‘outrageous to shock’ from The Darkness, because that’s not entertainment.
Pedro: No, that’s not Darkness. It was lyrics, music, what Justin was wearing. It was good fun when I didn’t know what catsuit he was going to wear next. The big leather trousers… they were amazing.
OI: What’s nice now is that a lot of the old ones are coming out – Justin tweeted about getting some out for the November tour.
Pedro: And the flames tattoo… also amazing.
OI: That was very probably one of the best image things Justin could have done. It won him a lot of fans that had never heard a note!
Pedro: I think Justin was quite aware of this!
And with that time ran out. Mixing to do and trains to catch. We did still manage discuss my inability to throw rock horns and what the connotations of my goth horns were. They’ll never look the same again!
Many thanks to Pedro for taking a break from work and being very entertaining, brilliant company.
Pop Will Eat Itself – Norwich Waterfront 26.10.11
Posted on October 31, 2011 by OI
PWEI were a great favourite of mine back when the world was mine and my oysters weren’t polluted, so it was a pleasure to see them come to Norwich, especially as I missed out on the Reformation tour a while ago. With a bit of determination and asking nicely, I managed to get an interview with this incarnation of the band at the last minute. I decided not to ask about the whys and wherefores of who’s doing what with who, because that’s been done by some other people on this tour – see the FB page for links. After an encounter in a bowling alley with the band and Davey’s pants (see photos) I went along later to the very tidy dressing room. What’s the smell? Pot Noodle, Cheesy Toasty Toppers and cooked meat were the suggestions, but luckily for all, sweaty boy and bottom burps it wasn’t.
And I DID enjoy myself. The place wasn’t full, but the crowd was very pleased to be there and happy to show it. Lights, camera, action and sound effects… Back to Business, ok? Energy abounded on stage, Mary and Graham bouncing off each other in more ways than one. Plenty to watch and join in with, plenty of new, plenty of old. There is a harder edge to the sound, there’s no loss of the Poppies attitude. I got the feeling, as the band had hoped, that everyone there gave the new songs a fair hearing and good reception. Plenty of requests for oldies, too – Mary did say we could have Beaver Patrol if we sang it, but alas, the crowd wasn’t quite up to more than a ‘fine’ rendition of the intro. Ich Bin Ein Auslander really got everyone going, There Is No Love a Poppies anthem (no lighters, too bouncy), and RSVP from the back looked like a mass aerobic workout. Excellent. Good work, lads.
Here’s a video of Old Skool Cool – I had trouble staying still long enough for a whole video! Photos are on the Gallery page.
And interview – just don’t ask how long it took or get sniffy about the quality, etc. I’ve nearly killed myself getting it as far as this with it.
Thanks to all at PWEI.
FB Twitter Site New album New Noise Designed by a Sadist and EP Chaos and Mayhem out now, and there’s a free download on FB.
This post was brought to you NOT courtesy of Apple. How difficult can it be to move a file from one Apple product to another, edit it and upload it? And HOW many conversions back and forth from one file type to another?
Posted in OI | Tagged Audio, Interviews, Live Reviews, Video | Leave a reply
Sixsister take the Temple to the Stone Gods
Posted on November 30, 2008 by OI
Wearing as many hats as I could – not least because Norwich lay under a still, cold white blanket – I set off to interview the Stone Gods. Full of LURGY, but that did not deter me. I did deter them from coming any closer than necessary, still plenty of shows left in this tour and the Black Stone Cherry one on the horizon. I’d have been in big trouble if I’d infected them. Having had brains full of porridge meant that this is not the most flowing of interviews (on my part, the lads were fine!), but it’s better than I remember doing! For pity’s sake, next time, stop me from going to the next night’s gig when I feel that bad. I’ve only just warmed up from that Cambridge gig.
The set rocked, I must say – indescribable, even – and they are playing better and better every time I see them. Comfortable with their craft, their reception, and with themselves. Plenty of things to look forward to, by all accounts – enjoy!
Posted in OI | Tagged Interviews, Stone Gods | Leave a reply
Frankie’s Strictly Come Darkness
Posted on November 4, 2008 by OI
Frankie Poullain has been missing presumed shaved for some time. But lo! Is that a book I see before me? Frankie MUST be alive, to have a cleaner… Rejoice therefore, for darkpirate musings will soon slip themselves smoothly into your stockings, which is not where you usually find wit and wonderings OR a little torch shining into Darkness. Christmas ahoy!
Slightly more serious *ahem* – it did cause some turmoil when Frankie left TD, and there are still many who are wondering and waiting for – anything. The book evolved over time – no point rushing these things, right? It isn’t intended as an exposé. Frankie is clear that it is meant to be lighthearted and like TD – not totally serious or sensible, raising eyebrows and laughs along the way.
There were a few things that one needed to know:
You left 3 years and 5 months ago. What bloody time do you call this to roll in?
41 months later, and I’m now 41, it all adds up if you just pay attention. I thought you were supposed to be a school teacher?
Did the pirating with your dad give you Darknessing skills?
It gave me enough money to buy a guitar and move to London, where I met Dan in 1995.
What IS your hair doing? How much grooming did the tache need? HOW do you look ten years younger these days?
Standing on end, I find interviews electrifying …. tache was a bit tricky to groom with a hangover, if truth be told. That’s why it kept changing shape. Ten years younger than band days you say? Why, that would make me 25 … moustaches make people look older obviously. Even more so on a woman.
Was the book an opportunity that arose for your cleaner? Or was it something always in the back of that busy mind?
I discovered her drawings in the cupboard of my kitchen in France and that inspired the book. The original title was hers too: An Autistic Guide To Fame And Misfortune, but the publishers wouldn’t bite. It evolved from there to the concept of “A retired rocker fixes your mental problems” – made me laugh that.
Is that it, for music and being in a band? Are you all growned up now?
Who knows, no point in planning anything, just keep piecing together god’s (whatever that is) clues.
Have you played tennis with Justin yet?
No, we both keep bottling it. New balls please!
If someone gave you a bow, some cowboy boots and asked you to name a kitten, what would be the correct etiquette in dealing with the situation?
Depends if it was a cross bow or not. AIDS apart, I quite like the idea of diseases as names – malaria, hepatitis, gangrene …. that’s not a disease though is it? But you get the idea.
What does your cleaner think that the future holds for the TD lads?
She’s only met Ed, but she liked him. She’s not paid to think!
Can I borrow her for a bit?
Yes, anyone can, just go to: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dancing-Darkness-Frankie-Poullain/dp/184454544X
Frankie knows how not to be a Rock Star – and lots of other things as well. How not to clean?
Website – www.dancinginthedarkness.net
Posted in OI | Tagged Frankie Poullain, Interviews, The Darkness | Leave a reply
Posted on September 9, 2008 by OI
Trashstock, August 19th 2006
Ah, my third and final interviewees of the Trashstock weekend. And why not save the most shambolic ‘til last?! After being pre-warned about the dangers of leaving this interview until after the show, I went ahead and left this interview until after the show. So, in the backstage room, amidst a drunken haze, MANY interruptions, some accidental glass-smashing and not-so-accidental setting-the-floor-on-fire, I think I managed to chat to the band. I may have asked some questions. They may have been answered. Who really knows?
Lou: Please introduce yourselves…
Tez: (silly voice) Hello, my name is shageee
Brad: I’m Brad
Jamie: (silly voice) I’m Jamie & I play guitar
Brad: He doesn’t say anything anyway.
(Somehow this sparks debates about who’s “soberer” than who)
Brad: (to Lou) You really could have fuckin’ asked us to do this interview earlier!
Lou: But earlier I was comfy on the sofa downstairs!
Jamie: I think it’s better now, man.
Lou: So, how are things in Disarm HQ?
Noddy: Ah, it’s wank, we’re on about splitting up.
Brad: The roof’s leaking and everything but it’s fucking good.
Lou: You’re all happy
Noddy: Yeah
Noddy: Come on then, let’s have it out, who’s not happy?
Brad: I’m not getting it out!
Lou: On a scale of one to ten, how drunk are you, Noddy?
Noddy: Seven
Lou: Jamie?
Jamie: Which is highest?
Lou: Ten’s off your face
Jamie: Ah, I’m only about a two or three
Lou: Brad?
Brad: I’m about four, I’ve not had that many. Because we were on really late we didn’t wanna go on really like… (insert impression of drunken tramp here)
Lou: Why not?
Brad: I can’t play when I’m fucking hammered, at all.
Lou: Have you ever done a gig when you were absolutely hammered?
Brad: Once
Noddy: Once, yeah
Brad: It was seriously fucking… It was shit! It was embarrassing. We’ve got it on video as well.
Tez: Is that the one in Sheffield?
Brad: No, it was ages ago, before you joined. Me & Noddy just sat backstage drinking bottles of wine
Jamie: Oh, I wondered why you were shit!
Brad: It was like we were on speed though and we did the entire set in about 20 minutes.
Lou: Describe your Trashstock experience in three words.
Brad: Fucking amazing.
Noddy: Good. Fucking amazing good!
Jamie: I reckon it should be; thank you, Riot.
Brad: Yeah.
Lou: Ok, describe James Riot in three words.
Noddy: Gay, gay, gay.
Jamie: Loveable gay lord
Lou: So, plans for an album?
Jamie: We’ve gotta write more songs first! We’re supposed to be recording at the end of the year.
(Interrupted by Headrush’s Chris Khosa, coming into collect some belongings)
Brad: Yeah, so hopefully have an album early next year.
Lou: Do you have an album title yet?
Jamie: No
Lou: You’re not very organised, are you? You should be called ‘Disorganised’.
(Interrupted by Headrush’s Dave Leese)
Noddy: (to Dave) Have you got any cigarettes?
Dave: I haven’t, no.
Lou: Would you like to contribute to this interview, Dave?
Dave: Oh, are you interviewing? Sorry.
Lou: S’alright
Dave: I’m ever so sorry. I can be the guy in the interview who didn’t have any cigarettes.
Jamie: What did you think of Disarm tonight?
Dave: Very fucking good, actually. I’d never heard you before but what I heard was fucking good!
(Door swings open and a snippet of song currently being played in the main room wafts in)
Brad: I fucking hate this song that’s on now!
Lou: I can’t even hear what it is
Brad: (sings it) Who the fuck writes that??
Jamie: We’re off on a rant again now!
Lou: Ok, favourite song to play live?
Brad: I dunno, it depends. We just changed the setlist around… It depends because different songs do different things, so…
Lou: Didn’t you say in another interview that you don’t use setlist? But you had one tonight…
Jamie: Well, we didn’t but now we’ve changed it all around
Lou: Oh right, so you didn’t use them because you knew what you were playing anyway?
Jamie: Yeah. But now we’ve changed it to shake it up.
Brad: So people aren’t going ”Oh, they’re gonna play this next”, now they’re going “ARGH OOOH…” (supposed noises of a surprised crowd) and they’re all surprised.
Noddy: Yeeaahh
Lou: What’s been the highlight of your time with Disarm, so far?
Jamie: It’s been pretty fucking cooool! I think the best bit is just being on stage. And when Tez joined, things changed and it just felt more natural.
Brad: The Robin Black tour.
Noddy: Yeah, the highlight so far is supporting Robin Black on tour.
Lou: I have it on good authority that you’re a bunch of sleazy mother effers…
Brad: Motherfuckers?
Lou: But I’m a lady, I don’t say that
Jamie: Effers? Like cows?
Lou: I wanna know who’s the sleaziest
Jamie: What do you call sleaziest?
(Interrupted by The High Society’s Maxi Browne)
Maxi: Hey guys!
Noddy: (points at Maxi) THAT’S what you call sleaziest!
Maxi: How the fuck are ya? Is this fucking chick (Lou) bothering you?
(insert random waffle here)
(more interruptions)
(all interrupters now gone, Brad gaffer tapes the door shut)
Noddy: (to Lou) Are we the most difficult band you’ve ever interviewed?
Lou: I wouldn’t say difficult, certainly very interesting!
Jamie: (to Brad) That’s not gonna work!
Lou: That’s the crappiest gaffer taping I’ve ever seen
Jamie: No, no, stick it under the door handle!
Brad: I’ll do that as well!
Noddy: If we can’t get out now…
Brad: Ah, that’ll do.
Jamie: Carry on
Lou: Ok, so, who’s the sleaziest?
Jamie: What does that mean?
Lou: You know what sleazy means!
Noddy: (laughs) No he doesn’t
Brad: The filthiest
(some discussion goes into it)
Jamie: Tez
Tez: But I’ve got a girlfriend now, so…
Jamie: Yeah, Noddy’s the only single one so, at the moment, Noddy.
(Cue the sound of gaffer tape ripping from the wall as Chris Khosa interrupts again)
Everyone: OOOOOHHH NNOOOOOOO!
Brad: Get out!
Noddy: Have you got any cigs?
(more random waffle)
Jamie: WOOOOOAAHH!!
(he just fell off the table he was sitting on. As did many a glass & beer bottle)
(a hell of a lot of laughter)
Jamie: Carry on!
Noddy: This is why you should have done this interview earlier!
Lou: Well, this is why I wanted to do it afterwards, but now I’m kinda regretting it a little bit!
Noddy: Yeah!
(Brad sets floor on fire, briefly, and almost engulfs his girlfriend’s belongings)
(Dave Leese interrupts again)
Noddy: Ey, mate, have you got any cigs?
Dave: Nah, mate, you asked me that before
Lou: Would you like to re-evaluate your scale of drunkenness, Noddy?
(rowdy discussion ensues as to whether any of their original estimations were correct)
Brad: I just set the floor on fire and nearly all my girlfriend’s possessions! Ok, maybe I’m a five and a half.
Lou: Next question. Describe each band member
(some debate)
Noddy: Ok, Angry…
Lou: Wait, who’s this about? Brad?
Jamie: Yeah
Noddy: Kick-arse. Motherfucker. Come on, join in someone!! I can’t say caring & shit like that.
Brad: I’m a moody bastard and I hate everything.
Jamie/Noddy/Tez: Yeah
Lou: Ok, that’ll do. Next.
Jamie: Noddy.
Brad: He’s a bit of a ladies man but in his own special way.
Noddy: In his own special way?! What’s that meant to mean?
Brad: I dunno, you just are! You are a ladies man but you’re not.
Lou: Does that mean he thinks he is but he’s not?
Brad: No, he doesn’t think he is, he can just go “how you doooin’?”
Brad: Doll’s head but he’s fucking amazing on guitar
Jamie/Lou: Dolls head???
Brad: He can’t even print out a mailing list!!
Jamie: Oh no, no, no…
Noddy: You even shut your own head in the fridge while you’re looking for beer!!
Brad: Umm…he can’t add. He can’t take away… He’s amazing on guitar but anything else, someone else has to do it. But he’s right pretty and he gets all the girls coming to see us.
Lou: Tez?
Jamie: Tez is umm… alcohol and drug fuelled knobhead
Noddy: That’s no joke, either!
Jamie: He’s good for drugs and he’s good for fucking playing drums
Noddy: Yeah, that’s about it
Lou: Ok, any final thoughts/words.
Jamie: Let’s get beer.
www.disarm.info
www.myspace.com/disarmmusic
Posted in OI | Tagged Disarm, Interviews
Posted on January 1, 2008 by OI
by Jo and Lucie
Those Serpico blokes are getting themselves around a bit. After forming in 2002, life got in the way a little until three years later, when singer Mikey got them glued together properly and they started making their mark. They’ve already supported super-big names like Paradise Lost, AFI, InMe, Wednesday13 and rising stars Black Stone Cherry and Lost Alone. Early 2008 sees them supporting OI favourites Stone Gods (if you haven’t visited us lately, they’re the remains of The Darkness plus Graham Coxon’s bassist Toby MacFarlaine), and in February Serpico will be re-entering Chapel Studios (where the Serpico EP was recorded) to create their debut album with Canadian producer Rhys Fulber.
We cornered Mikey for a delightful soiree, recorded for posterity right here.
So, how did you get this tour then? Did it descend as a gift from the gods?
Gods… ho ho ho! We (well, I say we, I mean Jonny, our amazing booking agent/drummer) got in contact with their agent a while ago when we saw the tour announced. We heard that the band was made up from the remains of The Darkness, so that obviously intrigued us, because they were so big a couple of years ago (I’ve got to admit to paying silly money on eBay for tickets to see them around Christmas 2003, I think). We didn’t hear anything for quite a while, then we got offered the tour! So yeah, that’s how the tour was organised… We do all our own booking, got in touch with their agent (who we’d worked with before on the Black Stone Cherry tour).
News like that is the sort of stuff that makes your week!
Yeah, it wasn’t too bad to be honest! This is our 5th UK tour now, we’re gonna have had almost 8 weeks off touring by the time this starts. We’re definitely itching to get back on the road. Also it’s going to be interesting touring with a band who the crowd aren’t necessarily going to know a lot about, other than their pasts.
Posted in OI | Tagged Interviews, Serpico, Stone Gods | Leave a reply
Ten Foot Dolls
by Lucie
There’s nowt quite like a little delve into the world of a grunge-goff-alt band…
How are things in the Ten Foot Dolls HQ?
Well our guitarist is leaving after our February tour, so if anybody wants to play for us….
What’s the story behind the formation of this band?
Nicci and Jake met at collage, dropped out of college and went to London looking for band members, after a period of time down there with no luck, they came back to Yorkshire. Izzy was looking for porn on the internet but found an ad looking for a bass player that Nicci had put up on a website and it went from there. We have also gone through a million and 4 guitar players. We can never find anybody with the same amount of dedication as us 3.
What are you collective musical influences?
This is always so difficult to answer as we have such varied and different tastes. The bands that we all agree on as major influences though are Rob Zombie, Aerosmith, Pantera, Led Zeppelin and Nine Inch Nails.
What got you all into music?
Nicci – My dad is also a musician so it’s in the family so to speak. I always found it a natural thing to be able to sing and be musical.
Izzy – My mum and dad raised me on bands like Aerosmith, Guns n Roses, AC/DC, Van Halen etc etc so I always had this interest in being a rock star like the heroes I was raised on, and then when I was about 13 me and a school friend decided to take guitar lessons and form a band.
Jake is the reincarnation of John Bonham.
Posted in OI | Tagged Interviews, Ten Foot Dolls | Leave a reply
Ahráyeph
Ahráyeph – better than the chocolate
by Jo
Raf started this project many years ago, when some of you were still twinkling stars in the school nativity play. The denizens of Leuven in Belgium may not yet be fully aware that they have stars in their midst, but Ahráyeph are attracting interest across the globe thanks to Myspace and the Heartland site (a place for dodgy goths, dodgy goths in denial, and the rest of humanity that like a bit of a darker side to their music). After many years of toil and bubble, they’ve signed a deal with French label D-Monic and all systems are go. The debut album ‘Marooned on Samsara’ will now be released in March/April next year, and there are of course tracks on Myspace to listen to right now. People have even travelled from GLASGOW to see them, so you’ve no excuse for getting along to listen, buy and dance. I cornered Raf via MSN to conduct a reasonably random interview – here are the bits that made sense:
Raf: ok, shoot
Jo: Ok.. not that I had much time to prepare but hey… *switches to almost sensible mode*
Raf: mhehe – i thought journalists were like boy scouts : always prepared
Jo: Yeah they say teachers should be, too. Right… So, I hear you got signed – what’s the story?
Raf: I heard that too. And since the label posted it on their website, I suppose it’s true. Basically, we’ve been previewing songs off the album on our Myspace page. Laurent and Laurent (I kid you not) from D-Monic came across them, liked what they heard and let me know they were interested in a release. So I sent them a CD with all the songs and there you go : a record deal. Sometimes it is that simple.
Jo: I think some people would be very jealous, actually, i can think of at least two… Blimey, a bolt from the blue.
Posted in OI | Tagged Ahráyeph, Interviews | Leave a reply
Jeff Collins
Posted on April 1, 2007 by OI
Rockfield Rocks in Print
Something of a departure, this. I don’t think we’ve done anything book related before, have we? TADAAAA.. the first, and a special one it is. ‘Rock Legends at Rockfield’ charts the history of this famous rock studio – famous for its successes and excesses. Interviews with said legends crammed in to give a glorious insight to something we never see, and several things we might not ever want to! The place that looks like the décor is unchanged from the 70’s, and probably unchangeable. Where the vibe in the studio makes you shiver, whether you thought it existed or not. Detailed and exclusive, photos aplenty, this is something you need to have. It’s plain that author Jeff Collins loves his subject, knows bucketloads, and his heroes are all here too. His history and Rockfield’s are intertwined, being almost of an age… Watch out for the TD extract at the bottom.
Out 15th September, links to Amazon, Waterstones, W H Smith and Welsh University Press at the bottom. £13.99, a snip.
I spoke to the lovely Jeff via the wonders of msn messenger, and barring the football gossip, this is the result:
Jo: You’ve got a lot of journalistic experience, of which I’m very jealous. It’s predominately on the presenting side, not the written form. Was this project always going to be a book, or is there a documentary in the offing as well?
Jeff: Well when I was working at BBC Wales I was a sports presenter on BBC Choice Wales, the digital channel. As such the editor of the channel was always asking us for ideas and I thought Rockfield would be a good subject for a documentary. As I explain in my opening chapter, the book is like a journey. As a teenager I always wondered why these great records had “made at Rockfield, Wales” on them. So the book starts out as a journey to discover how Rockfield was able to compete with the giants like abbey Rock, Record Plant, Air Studios etc. So I proposed it but the TV commissioners went cold on the idea. Next I proposed it for an article for Classic Rock magazine
My editor said she’d consider it. In the three months she spent mulling over this idea, I’d interviewed Lemmy, Paul Carrack and the Tokyo Dragons and realised that there were so many interesting and funny stories that this would make a great book. So it took off from there really (And Classic Rock eventually appeared to lose interest though they did later publish my day at Rockfield with Robert Plant as a lead story!)
Posted in OI | Tagged Interviews, The Darkness | Leave a reply
Toby MacFarlaine
Posted on March 1, 2007 by OI
An e-dalliance with Toby MacFarlaine
Interviewing via t’internet is never ideal, but it can occasionally be productive. And I think this was. Never have I conducted such an in-depth and noggin-straining interrogation, and my questions became so deep, probing, and personal, that myself and Tobias are no longer on speaking terms. Also, I’m paying for his counselling.
Actually, that’s all bollocks. The following interview suits perfectly.
Tell me Tobias, what are your musical influences?
Wide and varied, innit. First record was Fore! by Huey Lewis & The News when I was about 10 and they got gradually heavier the older I got. The first band I saw was Megadeth with Alice In Chains and The Almighty in support. I still cite Hank Williams as a major influence. Love a bit of yankee folk moosic, me. Nirvana changed it all for me. They kind of reintroduced me to my beloved Beatles, too.
Top three bands:
The Beatles, Nirvana, Huey Lewis & The News
Top three albums:
At the moment… ‘Back To Black’ by my mate Amy Winehouse, ‘Ys’ by Joanna Newsom and a best of Talking Heads compilation. These change regularly. I’m not good with favourites.
What got you into music?
Been singing since I could breathe. My dad plays Jazz drums and my mum was briefly in a hippy band called The Wayfarers (don’t look for them, they’re not there anymore). Music was always in the house. I’d say trying to attract the attention of girls made me pick up the guitar (7 years old) and I kept on doing that because I was shit at sports and general conversation. I’m still shit at sport.
What’s on your iPod/MP3?
Far too much to list. Rock, country and alternative from most bands you could mention.
A reallllly looong time
What’s your perfect festival line-up?
The Beatles, Nirvana, Megadeth, Blur, Pavement, Joanna Newsom, Amy
Winehouse, Goblin, Slayer, The Social and this new group what I’m in… Not in this order. I’d have to be playing because I can’t deal with not having a dressing-room to hide in at festivals anymore!
Favourite sandwich filling?
Cheese and onion. Classic.
What style/pattern of underwear are you sporting right now?
Some very expensive green Paul Smith trunk things I got in Japan. Very supportive.
Is there any celebrity that you’d just take an orgasmic
pleasure in slapping across the face? And why…
Jade Goody for her racist thickery. James Blunt for ruining singer-songwriters for everyone.
(Amen.)
Are you quite prepared for the task of satisfying a hoard of starved, half-crazed Darklings?
Yes. Nourishment shall be provided forthwith. And possibly psychiatric help. Hopefully everyone will realise that I’m not some kind of indie spy hell-bent on deconstructing rock.
Gimme a little insight into how this incarnation differs from The Darkness (besides the members, smartarse).
No catsuits or operatic wailing. The sense of fun will remain, because we all share a similar sense of humour. It’s big-arsed good-time rock music. Riffs aplenty and just great songs. Tougher than that other group.
Tell me about the plans for your glorious emergence. Are there big sparkly schemes going down?
Schemes bigger and sparklier than you can possibly imagine.
How do you feel about so suddenly being in the limelight? So many more people know your name than did a month or so ago…
I’m used to a bit of limelight, innit. Done alot with Graham over the years. Indie limelight, I suppose, but half-light nonetheless. Reflected glory is something I’ve basked in for the last few years. I don’t really know what that means actually. If you mean people looking at you like you’ve got two noses when you’re walking around, or being stopped and asked to write my name on something or pose for a photo and that, then I love it. Great fun! I love massive gigs and audiences and stuff. Interviews, the whole shebang. Great. People knowing your name is all part of the fun, for me.
Are you going to be “styled”, and have glamorous photo shoots? Or is it all down to grass roots, now?
I think we’re gonna try to avoid any over styled stuff. It’s all a bit fake and uncomfortable to me and, indeed, us. Obviously we’ll be
coordinating our “Look” so we don’t look as if we’ve just fallen off a bus. There will be some roots involved because Ed’s allergic to hair-dye.
Who does the cooking in the band?
It’s a shared experience.
What would you say on a soapbox on Hyde Park Corner?
“What the fuck am I doing on a soapbox on Hyde Park Corner?” followed
swiftly by something nice and comforting like “The nend is high.”
Who would win in a fight between Sonic and Mario?
Sonic. Mario’s too busy thinking about that darned princess. And his
inimitable moustache.
What IS the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Roughly quicker than a chaffinch in a parka.
There you have it, fruity as a nutcake. Just the way we like it.
PS The new site for the lads will be online VERY shortly. Watch this space.
Dan Sartain
Posted on February 1, 2007 by OI
Dan Sartain – The Cockpit – Leeds
I had absolutely no idea what to expect from guitar-toting Alabama kid Dan Sartain, however nothing could have prepared me for the livewire I was faced with on this quiet, dark Sunday evening. If you are offended by swearing – I would advise you to look away now!
D – Oh jeez, do you guys know those guys The Sugars? Cool guys, are you guys from here?
E – Yeah we are
E – It’s the first week of your tour…
D- Yeah
E – …how’s it going so far, how has the audience reaction been?
D – The audience I can’t complain about at all – they have been good about every curve we threw at them. I think they keep getting better, so tonight will probably be better than last night.
E – Have you found that you have a very diverse audience, I mean like where there’ll be some punk kids and some rock kids, and then an older crowd?
D – Yeah, it’s definitely nice to have that option.
E – Yeah, I think that it’s always good to appeal to lots of different groups and puts you at an advantage
D – I think so, ‘cos I’ve been going to see some bands ‘cos I know I wont fit in. It’s like me and my wife went to see the Ghetto Boys – do you know them? The midget rapper with the eye patch…’cos he shot his eyeball out! Yeah well they were around in the nineties and I was really excited ‘cos they came around and it was one of those records that your parents didn’t want you to listen to ‘cos it was so dirty…so I was like fuck yeah I’m gonna go see the ghetto boys! It was like ten years later after their prime but I still wanted to do it so we went to go see them. My wife’s ass got grabbed three times, you know, and guys sized me up and grabbed my wife right in front of me and it was like, what are you gonna do? I can’t jump thirty black guys – if they wanna grab my wife’s ass they can! (Laughing) It’s our fault for coming!
E – During this tour are you mainly promoting your new album, Join Dan Sartain, or are you going to be playing a good mix of all of your songs?
D – Yeah, gonna be playing some brand new songs too so…depends how well the first two go as to how much we do of the new songs, but I like them a lot. I keep getting better as an artist I think, personally.
E – Well that’s the only way to go isn’t it really! You’re gonna worry if you don’t!
D- Yeah well you know, you get your sticklers… it’s like …what’s always a cool thing to say about a band is that you’ve heard of ‘em or some shit and it’s always cool to say that their first record is their best. A lot of it is true but…
E- I guess that can be one of the problems – when you get a set group of fans from your first album, and then when you move on they don’t like it because they want everything to stay the same
E – Did you get a choice in the support groups that you have with you for this tour?
D – Yeah, except for the local guys, the sugars, but I was excited about them because they were good last time…I’ve played with them a couple of times. But yeah I got to bring my friends, Plate Six, and Kerry, she used to be in a band called The Red Aunts, and a band called Two Tears.
E -So are you excited to be with them, have you been stood on the sidelines watching their sets every night?
D – Yeah, it’s definitely a bonus. Sometimes when you play with bands and you secretly don’t really like the band you hope that you sell more than them or you might get upset when you see people responding well to them. This time it’s like if you see someone wanting to buy something of theirs it’s like “yeah, one for the team” you know? So it’s definitely good, I don’t feel any competition with them at all.
E – When you go on tour, are you quite well behaved, or do you get into a lot of mischief?
D – I have got up to a lot of mischief, but I think I’m more well behaved now…
E- So is that going back a few years…
D – Nah…Last year! This is the first year I’ve noticed aging though, (turns to scrutinise his face in the small mirror behind), like ageing as opposed to just getting older or maturing or something.
E – Oh you’re alright you’re a young one!
D – I got these lines on my face and stuff so…I’m 25 so yeah I know I’m young! Well…how old are you guys?
E – 23 and 28
D – Whaaaat! I thought you were like 18!
E – Yeah when I went to the bar earlier I was asked for ID, but I love it now so I was like “Yes! Thank you!”
D – Yeah that happened to me the other day, a lady ID’d me and I said woah! I said yeah you’re flirting with me aren’t you and she said yes!
E – Okay, so what would be the craziest or perhaps the naughtiest thing that you have done on tour, if you are able to tell us?
D – It was in Versace’s club in Milan. I was playing this fashion show for these people that make like the Italian Vogue or something, so I was playing this fashion show for them and I was surrounded by beautiful tall models, and I was sexually frustrated then. I got way too drunk and they took us to this Versace club and there were these fashion model guys dancing to ACDC and I was like “fuck you man, ACDC is not for you motherfucker”! And I was “I like ACDC and this is just ironic shit to you” but they were like “oh this is funny…we’re dancing to ACDC” and “oh I paid forty euros for my drink” and so I just like “this is bullshit! I feel stupid, I feel like an asshole for being here”. When I left I was being funny with this other guy and I smashed this lamp and then I went to the street to try and get in a cab, and this bodyguard came up and he was like “excuse me sir, excuse me sir” and I was like “what what, ziggy ziggy blah blah blah” and kept trying to get in the cab. He flashed his badge, and I watch enough of those cop shows to know not to run from the cops, but I was fully just drunk and enraged and I just took off, hauled ass. The guy grabbed the back of my jacket and then I just shook the jacket (demonstrates holding arms out behind him so that the jacket would slip off by the sleeves) and I just kept running and didn’t stop, and then after a while I started thinking “fuck, my passport was in that jacket” so I went back and went up behind him and I was tugging at the jacket and was saying “give me my jacket, give me my fucking jacket back” and he was like “no, no you gotta come over here and I’ll give you you’re jacket back”. He took me back behind the velvet rope and they were holding me there until management came. They gave me my coat back and so I jumped over that fence and I got about two blocks, full speed, about as drunk as I could be and I outran four Italian cops! But then a cop caught me, and he beat the living shit out of me. I looked like Rocky Balboa, I had big fucking swollen eyes and they let me go because he wasn’t really supposed to beat me up, but I guess I was acting like such a prick that he just beat me up anyway! At least my eyes are okay…(pulls face again) but this half of my eyebrow didn’t grow back for a long time! I still don’t think it’s as thick as the other one really! It sucked!
E – (Couldn’t at this point speak for laughing).
D – I heard you’re eyebrows don’t grow back either…you know like you see with boxers…
E – At least yours are the same colour – see I have one dark and one light!
D – Yeah you do! Hey that’s cute!
E – What do you think is the best thing about touring in the UK? What do you like about the UK…if anything!
D – I like everything. It does feel more free, especially Europe.
E – But not the cold!
D- Well, you know that’s kind of a pleasant thing right now, because we skipped winter in the states this year.
E – So when you are packing to go off on tour, what are the most essential things that you have to take with you, say you’re top three…
D – Just normal stuff, like hair stuff and razors and t-shirts and some jeans and stuff, but the most important thing that everybody says stuff like “oh you gotta have this kind of t” or “you gotta have three lighters in your pocket” or “you gotta bring plenty of pens or plenty of socks”. But the thing that I harp on about is a pillow, for your butt ‘cos you have to ride around a lot so for those long car rides – it’s really nice to have a pillow.
E – Save your ass!
D – Yeah otherwise it can get sore, ha ha
E – So what would you say that you miss most about home when you are away?
D – My wife and my cats and my transformer toys
E -Transformers?
D – Yeah, I have several…hundred!
E – (Sings) Robots in disguise!
D – Ha ha yeah! Do you have a brother or anything who played with transformers?
E – Yeah we have a brother…just turned 21
D – Yeah, wow. Did he play with those or was he more Ninja Turtles?
E – Yeah he did like Ninja Turtles!
D – Yeah that sounds about right…when those guys came out, that’s the first point that I felt old, like ‘cos I was like “ah you young kids”! Yeah like when that Ninja Turtles came out and Power Rangers and that kinda shit came out I was like ahhh fuck!
E – Yeah old school was the best!
…cue further chat about Ninja Turtles clothing in school and more giggling from all…
E – Right okay, let’s move on…I hear you have just been nominated for a music award back in Birmingham (Alabama)?
D – Yeah…it’s not a big deal and they have it every year and I don’t pay attention to it or anything, but yesterday I heard about it…you’re really current! Either that or you just did all your homework today! But yeah…I hear about it every year and I don’t pay attention to it and like I heard about it and now I’m really into it, like losing sleep over it last night and I’m like “damn I really wanna win that”!
E – It must be a good feeling to have been nominated for the first time
D – Yeah, and to get the nomination is maybe a little more important ‘cos I think I’m gonna be able to cheat and get my friends from over here and from other parts of the states to vote on it! And it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t mean that you don’t like me ‘cos you’re not from Alabama, these guys can have people from all over the world voting for them too. But like Fuck, I’ve really earned it and I want my own town to recognise me man!
E – You’ve been doing this for quite a long time now haven’t you?
D – Yeah and I never felt that I ever get any respect from my own town
E – Do you feel like you haven’t had much support from there?
D – I mean yeah I’ve got my people, and you know I don’t play shows to empty places but man I do a lot you know and its not like I would be the only successful act to come from Birmingham but its like when they do get a bit of money or success they move off to California or they move off to New York. And I cant blame them ‘cos its not exactly the greatest place on earth but god damnit this year I earned enough money to work and move anywhere in the world for a little bit , not for the rest of my life but at least enough to move for a year, I could move over here for a year or I could move to California I could do any of that shit but I’ve decided to stay at home. I wanna stay there, I wanna live there and I wanna be happy there and I wanna have my cats and my wife and stuff.
E – That’s quite a refreshing thing to hear actually
D – Yeah well it’ll be refreshing if they can award me for it!
E – Are you feeling quite confident about winning or are you just gonna try not to think about it? Don’t lose anymore sleep over it though!
D – I did lose sleep about it, I wanna win the fucker. Its stupid and its a trivial thing and it doesn’t matter, just because of them sending me that fucking email more people have probably heard about it than ever have before. But it doesn’t matter. And its so funny ‘cos I got nominated for their Indie Rock category, but who else is on there that’s on a major label? Who’s nominated for any of that shit that’s on a major label? I don’t think any of them, so it’s like if I win the indie award, then I must win the biggest award because it’s all independent and I won the independent award so I won, I beat all of you fuckers! That’s right, I mean I wanted to be an athlete first, I wanted to play American football (that’s huge where we’re from), I wanted to be a boxer and I wanna do all of that shit but I can’t – I’m obviously not an athlete look at me! You know, so I still have that competitive thing though, I wanna compete. It’s like when you play a show and you do well, you just did a good job you didn’t win nothing, you know what I mean?
E – Yeah, it’s just a bit of recognition isn’t it?
D – I wanna win the fucker
E – If you had to define your sound or perhaps the meaning behind your music in just a few words, what would you say?
D – I haven’t thought about that, you know, like, but really when artists start thinking about their meanings and stuff it starts sounding like shit. It’s like with The Beatles people used to make up all this stuff about Paul being dead and weird rumours like John is saying give peace a chance backwards on this record or some shit and they totally weren’t and like Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds didn’t mean to spell out LSD and all the rest of this shit but then when they did get into religion and Hinduism and became activists and stuff and tried to tell them that they were like okay well if people are gonna believe any bullshit we put out then we’ll send out a message! And that’s when the old Beatles fans were like “oh, you’re just not interesting anymore” you know. Michael was good when he was all disco, with a little afro and Michael Jackson was totally badass and then he started doing everything for the children and (in southpark-esque Jefferson voice “this is for the children” and it was like you fucking suck now man! I liked you when I was a child and you were just concerned about being cool. I guess I’m just concerned about making myself look cool and I don’t know. No, fuck that’s not true, that’s a lie! I did hear some guy from some band I hate talking on an interview and he was like “don’t let any musician ever tell you that they didn’t pick up a guitar to pick up chicks” and I was like if that was my intention I would have gave up a long time ago ‘cos it didn’t fucking work! I think it was that guy from that band Sugar ray too, you remember the guy? I think it was that guy, and it’s like “no dude you’re making excuses for yourself, you wanted to be in a band to get chicks”!
E – And he’s now doing pop collaborations with Shania Twain! So cool!
D – Yeah he’s on this TV show now, like one of these celebrity news shows in the states that will show when someone flashed their crotch or something, he’s one of those hosts and he’s really corny, like that band Sugar Ray, they put out their first album and I’m not gonna say it was good or you’re underground or you’re punk or anything like that …but it was more underground and more punk. You could see where they would listen to a band that they like and then their second album came out and it was all shots of him posing and it was like you did this to get the chicks man!
E – You started playing and writing quite young didn’t you? Did you ever just write stupid songs about silly things?
D – Oh yeah, still do! I don’t write as much any more but when I do its better and I can see the thoughts through instead of rushing it. Sometimes, when I get up in the morning ‘cos I’m an early person (my wife is definitely a late riser) and I get up and I go into the bathroom before she does, and sometimes I’ll just pop into the bedroom with my guitar playing the worst song like “my shit really stinks”, just to annoy her! She just wakes up and goes “ohhhh stop it”!
E – You financed your first two records on your own didn’t you?
D – Yeah, yeah
E – How did you manage to do that?
D – My grandmother died in about 2000 and I inherited three thousand bucks, and I wasted it all on music and moving up to Nashville
E- But you were working too right?
D- I’ve never had too much luck with work – I usually got fired from every job I would get so…but I definitely invested it (the money) I mean ‘m still selling some of those recordings now – I sold some tonight and I sold some last night so I’m still making money off of it
E – And rightly so! So how long did it take you to do all of that?
D – Well the first one I got done, I was really excited about it and I put a lot of hard work into it, and shortly after I got it done, John from Swami called and told me that they wanted to put stuff out. I was so excited that I just wrote another one right after that, and it’s still some of the best stuff I did really
E – Do you feel a greater sense of satisfaction knowing that you did all that on your own and it was all through your own hard work?
D – Yeah, and what I’m really satisfied with is that that was the first record label that I ever tried to be on, I was never one of those guys that went out and took glossy pictures of myself and sent that stuff off, but I just gave my record to one of those guys and Swami was the only record label that I ever even thought to turn to and that I thought would understand me, and they did! Most bands would sell their legs to be on there.
E – So you must sound pretty good then!
D – Yeah well the Kooks fans didn’t think so!
E – I think the trouble can be that some people (a minority though really) will get stuck into one particular genre of music and they close their minds towards other sounds
E – I heard that for your previous album Dan Sartain Vs the Serpientes, you literally hanged yourself for the cover shot – is that true?
D – Yeah for the cover, I just did for like ten seconds at a time. I had a bunch of people around and they were worried about me doing it but I’m not a professional neck-hanger or anything like that you know! You know like there were various people there to let me down if I start twitching and stuff!
E – Did you worry at any point and think oh god, this is it?
D – Yeah I almost passed out for a second, I could see how you could do it and kill yourself and be very peaceful…but yeah, it was scary
E- I would be shitting it! You must be brave
D – Well did you ever do that thing when you were a kid when you would like bend over and hyperventilate and then stand up and make yourself pass out? Yeah we used to do that when we were kids before you could drink, and it feels quite euphoric and for a second you feel pretty good. Well I felt that almost happen, and if that had happened I would have been fucked.
E – And was that all your idea?
D – Yeah!
E – If you weren’t playing now, what do you think you would be doing? Say if you had never picked up a guitar and never written a song.
D – I wanted to be a mechanic real bad, but I was real bad at that. So honestly, if it wasn’t for music… it’s fucking cheesy to say but music saved my life you know, and it’s not for everybody, it ruins a lot of people’s lives, but fuck you know I might be dead, I might be in jail and I would definitely be on harder drugs than I do already. I just smoke pot now and I really like pot and coca-cola and a lot of salt on my food and cigarettes. That’s pretty good considering that I lot of people I new grew up to be crackheads so I’d probably be with them working in some fast food chain.
E – Are you one of those people that are just writing all the time, or do you set out to think okay today I’m gonna sit down and focus and write a song?
D – Sometimes I do but you can never force it. Sometimes it just pops in your head and you go thank you universe!
E – Do you find that people are quite surprised when they meet you, as your music is quite mature and there is a lot of life experience in there so I guess people might listen and imagine you to be older than you actually are?
D – Thank you, yeah I’m way more silly! I’m a silly, silly person! (giggling). Did you see Kerry, the girl from Two Tears? She’s my friend, she’s been a supporter of me for a long time, and she was telling me the other night that she was selling some t-shirts and this girl came up and was like “oh, what’s it like to work with Dan? He seems precious, he must be precious” and she was like “No! He’s just a big dork! He dances around and makes bad jokes all the time!” You know that song (stands up to sing and dance) “no diggety, I gotta back it up”, well we heard it first thing in the morning the other day and all day long I was bugging everyone just walking up to them and “no diggety”! And I’d be dancing around and stuff and like they were just like “shut uuuuup”!
E- It’s good to see that you’re just a normal guy
D – Well you know most musicians think that they’re way cooler and more important than they are.
E – It’s usually a case of the bigger bands or acts are totally down to earth and friendly, then the smaller ones are those that have the big egos
D – That’s what Greg Dooley, the guy that used to be in Afghan Whigs, we’re on the same label now as his solo stuff and we got the same girl working for us, and she was telling me that he was talking about it, and she asked what was the nicest band he went on tour with back then when Afghan Whigs were in their prime, and she said that he said that Aerosmith were – like on the first day they were like “hey guys, show us that thing you do on guitar” and they were really nice to them. Then they would go on tour with Pearl Jam or somebody and they would not talk to them for the whole two weeks or whatever.
E – I think there are too many Yes people who will just agree with anything those kinda guys will say
D – Yeah, I need people around me who will tell me to shut the fuck up! I really do!
From thereon we continued to chat a little longer about hip hop, collaborations, venue security and Dan ended with a hilarious Snoop story which had us in fits of laughter for the rest of the evening. Hugs and well-wishes all round and it was pretty much time for him to take to the stage. Dan performed a lengthy and spectacular set of tracks spanning all of his albums, including some fabulous new tracks. The high energy and technically perfect performance was just amazing and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Between favourite tracks from his latest album Join Dan Sartain Dan bantered with the audience and lit up the room with his beaming smile the whole way through. The most popular tracks being the brilliant Replacement Man, Shenanigans and Gun Vs Knife to name but a few.
I made the decision there and then to make sure that I catch Dan’s every tour in future, he makes music to smile, dance and sing to and he is indeed a true gentleman and a genuinely adorable guy.
Posted in OI | Tagged Dan Sartain, Interviews | Leave a reply
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Oseh Shalom is a place to explore or discover Judaism in a warm supportive environment. We are also about making lifelong friendships, helping fellow members and the world at large, and just having fun. Oh, and eating. You’ll find lots of opportunities to enjoy a nosh or meal while talking, interrupting, learning and playing with people who will welcome you, whoever you are and whatever makes up your family. We have members who are trans, gay and lesbian as well as many members with special needs such as Autism, ADHD or mobility issues. We warmly welcome the LBGTQ community and offer assisted listening devices and ASL services once a month, for festivals and other events. We have handicapped parking and a ramp at our front door. Our bima can be accessible with a ramp on request.
Oseh Shalom is a vibrant Reconstructionist synagogue dedicated to equal treatment, hearing each member’s voice and creating a caring community. We strive to create a warm, friendly atmosphere for celebrating Jewish life through learning, prayer and social action. We are committed to fostering a Jewish spiritual experience that is creative yet rooted in tradition. Please join us and help us build a thriving Jewish community.
Members comes to explore and expand what Judaism means in today’s world. Oseh Shalom is a place to find quiet, peace and growth in an increasingly noisy, complex world. It is a place to slow down and make connections with people who are working to make the world better by connecting with each other, their local community and the world.
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EPP 259 – Michelle Lloyd
22nd. September,2011
OPPOSITION TO NEW WIND TURBINES & PYLONS IN POWYS
I am writing to voice my concerns regarding plans to build hundreds of turbines and their associated miles of pylons and lines in Mid Wales. I have chosen to live in this area and am particularly concerned about the lack of forward thinking these plans demonstrate, showing a complete disregard for those living in this beautiful and unique area.
The TAN 8 document was hurriedly written and rushed through government, and because of this, now shows many flaws. It is out of date in relation to current proposals for renewable energy and is therefore leaving the people and landscape of Mid Wales completely open to huge industrialisation.
It shows no regard for the visual or environmental impact that turbines as high as 606ft tall ( proposed for Dyfnant Forest wind farm) or any other turbine or power line. Huge areas of forest will be cut down and removed, replaced by turbines and lines, thereby permanently changing the landscape. Flooding due to upland peat and vegetation loss will cause major flooding problems in lowlands. No strategic environmental assessment has been done.
TAN 8 does not properly consider noise or flicker of turbines or buzzing/dangers of EMF of lines for nearby residents. Major health studies have shown that people’s health is put at great risk of cancers and stress related illnesses.
It gives no consideration to the negative impact that these plans have on house prices in the area. People will be trapped – unable to sell and move away. For those villages where people choose to sell at reduced prices,.......schools will close and communities collapse due to loss of residents.
It gives no consideration to the huge negative impact that these plans will have on the local tourism industry, which employs 6500 people in the area and brings £650 million to the area each year.
Transport issues were totally ignored in TAN 8. Massive loads of greater than 200t will need to be brought along our roads, over 3000 abnormal loads for upwards of 5 years. These roads are not built to carry such heavy or wide loads and will cause years of traffic chaos as the wind farms are built. Thousands of loads of HGV’s carrying building material will have to be taken to and fro sites, all causing major structural damage to our roads.
How will the emergency services be able to operate amongst this traffic chaos? How will the air ambulances be able to fly in the area with the added danger of pylons, lines and turbines in the area? We already have a very limited service and this will mean they will not want to fly to help those in need.
The TAN 8 document is severely unbalanced in its consideration of renewable energy, with nearly three quarters of the section being written to promote wind energy. Very little promotion of other forms of renewable energy has been given.
Finally I am especially concerned that it is evident that there is no cumulative impact consideration in TAN 8 on any of these current proposals. The impact of the wind farms, the electrical infrastructure needed ie pylons, lines and hubs, the transport problems, etc has not been considered cumulatively and is essential.
The people of Mid Wales deserve to be fairly treated and consulted. There was no proper consultation with the people of Mid Wales, when TAN 8 was written and passed in 2005. Many industry factors have changed since it was passed eg the size of turbines and loads, thereby leaving us in a perilous position.
I therefore request that the Committee raise all of the above issues with our government and call for an immediate review of TAN 8.
Michele Lloyd
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Premier Liga 2019/2020
Home Away 1 X 2 H2H
Sat, 2019 July 20. @ 17:30
Zvijezda Brgule Sloga Simin Han - - -
Velez Mostar Mladost Doboj Kakanj - - -
Zeljeznicar Sarajevo Borac Banja Luka - - -
Sun, 2019 July 21. @ 19:00
Sarajevo FK Zrinjski Mostar - - -
Sloboda Tuzla Radnik Bijeljina - - -
Siroki Brijeg NK Celik Zenica - - -
Home Score Away 1 X 2
1 Borac Banja Luka 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
2 Celik Zenica 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
3 Mladost Doboj Kakanj 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
4 Radnik Bijeljina 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
5 Sarajevo FK 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
6 Siroki Brijeg NK 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
7 Sloboda Tuzla 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
8 Sloga Simin Han 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
9 Velez Mostar 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
10 Zeljeznicar Sarajevo 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
11 Zrinjski Mostar 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
12 Zvijezda Brgule 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
6 Zeljeznicar Sarajevo 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
7 Zvijezda Brgule 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
8 Zrinjski Mostar 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
10 Borac Banja Luka 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
11 Siroki Brijeg NK 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
12 Sloboda Tuzla 0 0 0 0 0:0 0 0 0 0 -0
This page contains upcoming matches from Premier Liga 2019/2020, the most important statistics, the list of previous winners, detailed home, away and total standings in this competitions. You can also find the list of teams playing in this competition, the list of archived seasons. You can reach the team's own stats page from here and you can also compare teams based on upcoming matches by clicking the appropiate icon.
Country: Bosnia
Home: 0 %
Draw: 0 %
Away: 0 %
Under 2.5: 0 %
Over 2.5: 0 %
Avg Goals: 0
Previous winners / seasons
Sarajevo FK 2018/2019
Zrinjski Mostar 2017/2018
Zeljeznicar Sarajevo 2012/2013
Borac Banja Luka 2010/2011
Modrica Maksima 2007/2008
Siroki Brijeg NK 2005/2006
Borac Banja Luka
Celik Zenica
Mladost Doboj Kakanj
Sarajevo FK
Siroki Brijeg NK
Sloboda Tuzla
Sloga Simin Han
Velez Mostar
Zeljeznicar Sarajevo
Zvijezda Brgule
No draws
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Inglês (pdf)
Similares em Google
versão impressa ISSN 1519-6984versão On-line ISSN 1678-4375
Braz. J. Biol. v.67 n.2 São Carlos maio 2007
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1519-69842007000200002
Associations between fish assemblage and riparian vegetation in the Corumbataí River Basin (SP)
Associações entre assembléia de peixes e a mata ciliar na bacia do rio Corumbataí (SP)
Cetra, M.I, *; Petrere JR., M.II
IDepartamento de Ciências Exatas e Tecnológicas DCET, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz UESC, Rodovia Ilhéus, Itabuna, Km 16, Salobrinho, CEP 45650-000, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil
IIDepartamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista UNESP, CEP 13506-900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
This work intends to examine if there are associations between fish species and the state of conservation of the riparian forest in the Corumbataí River Basin. Four main rivers were chosen for this study with three sites on each. Collections were carried out from March to June and from September to December 2001. Multivariate techniques were applied to determine the correlation between species richness and the order of the rivers, preservation level of the riparian forest, shade level, presence or absence of Eucalyptus, sugar cane and pastures, and surrounding declivity stability of the sites. Species richness was highest at locations with greater vegetation cover and preserved riparian forest.
Keywords: Paraná River Basin, Corumbataí river, fish assemblage, riparian vegetation.
Este trabalho teve o objetivo de examinar se existem associações entre as espécies de peixes e o estado de conservação das matas ciliares na bacia do rio Corumbataí. Foram escolhidos 4 rios principais com 3 pontos de coleta em cada um. Foram realizadas coletas nos períodos de março a junho e de setembro a dezembro de 2001. Técnicas multivariadas foram aplicadas para determinar a correlação entre a riqueza de espécies e a ordem dos rios, estado de preservação da mata ciliar, sombreamento, presença ou ausência de Eucalyptus, cana-de-açúcar e pastagens, e nível de estabilidade do barranco ao redor dos pontos de coleta. A riqueza de espécies foi maior em locais com maior cobertura vegetal e mata ciliar preservada.
Palavras-chave: bacia do Rio Paraná, Rio Corumbataí, assembléia de peixes, mata ciliar.
Riparian forest zones exhibit hydrological, ecological and limnological functions important to the biotic and abiotic integrity of river systems (Zalewski et al., 2001, Barrella et al., 2000). According to these authors, in the stretches where the water volume is relatively small, the influence of vegetation is large. This is because vegetation regulates the water flow, provides shelter and organic matter and substrate for algae and periphyton attachment.
The removal of bank vegetation causes many changes in lotic systems, including increased water temperature, substitution of a heterotrophic for an autotrophic system and the loss of sediment and nutrient retention capacity (Angermeier and Karr, 1983; Allan, 1995).
Environmental analyses based on fish assemblage have numerous advantages due to the information available about the life cycles of a large number of species and to the inclusion of several feeding habits (omnivores, herbivores, insectivores, planktovores, carnivores), allowing the understanding of both the aquatic and terrestrial resources. Another advantage is the possibility of encountering this group at the top of the food chain, which provides an integrated vision of the aquatic environment (Harris, 1995).
This study examines if there are associations between fish species and the state of conservation of the riparian forest in the Corumbataí River Basin, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.
2.1. Description of the study area
The Corumbataí River Basin includes an area of approximately 1690 km2 that contains around 13% of the hydrographical basin of the Piracicaba, Jundiaí and Capivari rivers, which is a São Paulo State Water Resource Management unit. The study area is located between the meridians of 47° 30' and 47° 50' West and the latitudes of 22° 05' and 22° 30' South (ATLAS..., 2002).
The climate is of the Cwa type in the Köppen classification, which is subtropical, dry in the winter and rainy in the summer, with annual mean temperatures varying between 20 and 23.7 °C in January and between 14.9 and 17.1 °C in July (ATLAS..., 2002).
There is currently only 9% of the original vegetation cover, 6% of which corresponds to riparian forest fragments in the Corumbataí River Basin and these fragments assume the key role as "biodiversity islands" (Viana & Mendes, 1997).
The waters of the Piracicaba River Basin are in a critical state, while those of the Corumbataí River Basin are of high quality. Despite its being located on the bank of the voluminous Piracicaba River, the high quantity of chemical residues requires that the city of Piracicaba use 100% of the water of the Corumbataí system to supply its population (ATLAS..., 2002).
Rio Claro is the most important city of the Corumbataí Basin with a population of 163,000, which represents 79.5% of the total population in this basin. Of the total pollution generated in the Corumbataí Basin, around 30% is of industrial origin, while 70% comes from the sewage systems. Of all of the generated domestic sewage 98% is collected, however, only 5% of that is effectively treated. It is estimated that in Rio Claro, 97% of the pollution comes from sewage and the other 3% is of industrial origin (ATLAS..., 2002). Therefore sewage is the main pollutant in the Corumbataí system.
The Ribeirão Claro River shows large anthropic alterations, including two dams. The one in the middle stretch is used to supply water to the city of Rio Claro. Below this dam, untreated sewage is drained into the river along a stretch of about 3 km. The other dam is in the low stretch, and was previously used for the generation of energy.
2.2. Fish sampling
During 2001, 2 collections were performed at 12/ sites: one from March to June and the other between September and December. The collections were performed in four of the main rivers of the basin: the Passa Cinco, the Cabeça, the Corumbataí and the Ribeirão Claro. In each river, three stretches of around 150 m were sampled in the downstream direction.
Fishes were sampled with a series of gillnets (3 to 9/cm mesh, opposite knots) and with 3 pairs of sieves. The nets and sieves were placed in the afternoon (between 15 and 18 hours) and left until the following morning (between 7 and 9 hours). Nets were placed and distributed along the margins in each point in a random way. Pairs of traps were placed in suitable places along the channel.
2.3. Habitat elements
The following habitat elements were recorded: the order of the rivers (4, 5 and 6); the preservation level of the riparian forest: preserved, partially deforested and totally deforested; the shade level: 0-25, 26-50, 51-75 and above 76%; Eucalyptus sp.: presence or absence; sugar cane: presence or absence; pastures: presence or absence; sewage drainage: presence or absence; the surrounding declivity stability: low or high.
2.4. Data analysis
To analyze the structure of the fish assemblages a detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) was applied (Gauch, 1982). The first two axes of the DCA, and the scores of the 35 collected species, were used to visualize the data in two dimensions. The weight of the rare species was reduced.
A principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to reduce the dimensionality of the data of the habitat elements. The number of principal components was determined by the Kaiser-Guttman criterion (components with eigenvalue less than one were removed) (McGarigal et al., 2000).
A nonparametric analysis of variance was applied (Kruskal-Wallis test) for the axes 1 and 2 of the DCA. The different rivers were considered as independent groups.
Multiple regression analyses were applied to quantify the relationship between species richness, different axes of the PCA and species abundance (number of individuals) (Marsh-Matthews & Matthews, 2000).
The detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) indicated that Astyanax fasciatus (Afas), Pimelodella gracilis (Pgra) and Hypostomus regani (Hreg) are associated with point 2 of the Corumbataí, just as Triportheus angulatus (Tang), Parodon tortuosus (Ptor) and Hyphessobrycon eques (Hequ) are associated with site 3 (Figure 1). Hoplosternum littorale (Hlit) is associated with point/3 of the Ribeirão Claro river. Maximum abundance of Salminus hilarii (Shil), Prochilodus lineatus (Plin) and Leporinus octofasciauts (Loct) was found in points 1 and 2 of the same river.
The cascudo Hypostomus strigaticeps was frequently captured in the Corumbataí River Basin, especially at points with shade between 0-25% (248 individuals). Within the four categories of shade, this species was associated with points of low shade (X2 = 437.13; df = 3; p/< 0.01).
The principal components analysis (PCA) based on the habitat elements data indicates a positive association between the first axis with the river order (35.72% of explication), the second axis with the vegetative cover and the preservation state of the riparian forest (27.96% of explication) and an negative association between the third axis with pasture presence (12.54% of explication) (Table 1).
In the analysis of variance (ANOVA), a significant difference was not found between the different rivers (axis 1: X2 = 7.308; df = 3; p = 0.063 and axis 2: X2 =/5.519; df = 3; p = 0.137).
Species richness was significantly predicted by the number of individuals and the scores derived from the second principal component (r2 = 0.974; F = 184.98; p < 0.001) (Table 2 and Figure 2).
The DCA results indicate a low spatial heterogeneity when the primary structure of the fish assemblage (species composition and distribution abundance) is considered (Figure 1). This is supported by the ANOVA, where a significant difference was not found between the rivers using the scores of the axes 1 and 2 of the DCA.
These results coincide with those of Toepfer et al. (1998), because of the small size of the Corumbataí River Basin, which is around 1700 km2. These authors state that there exists a smaller assemblage gradient in ecoregions, or in this case, in the hydrographic basin, than in larger regions, principally because of the high mobility of the fish.
The logarithm of the number of individuals was a good predictor of species richness (Table 2). This can be interpreted as a result of the sample size effect (Connor and McCoy, 2001).
According to classic ecological models like the species-area relationship (MacArthur and Wilson, 1967) and the river continuum concept (Vannote et al., 1980), it is expected that an increase in the number of species will be found as the order of the river increases (Angermeier and Schlosser, 1989; Osborne and Wiley, 1992). In accordance with these models, river sections near to the headwaters show lower species richness than those downstream in the Corumbataí River Basin (Cetra, 2003). This was found at point 1 of both the Cabeça and Corumbataí rivers.
The preceding descriptive models are insufficient to understand the complex landscape of the Corumbataí River Basin. It is necessary to consider the relationships within the river together with its surroundings because the landscape consists of a mosaic made up of small areas connected by corridors that permit contact between the environments.
The results of this work agree with the idea that the riparian forests is associated to fish fauna. Although they are located in the more elevated river sections, point 1 of the Passa Cinco and Ribeirão Claro rivers exhibit the best conditions in terms of riparian forest conservation, and more species were captured at these locations (Figure 2).
This situation can be explained through the environmental characteristics of these points. The first site of the Passa Cinco River is characterized by a typical "cuesta" relief with rocky outcrops and steep but stable run-off trenches. The marginal vegetation is responsible for 51-75% shading, with partial deforestation, thin trees, bushes and herbs and some areas covered by grasses. The river bed is rocky and graveled with a small amount of sand. A large quantity of habitats occur, amongst them pools, runs and riffles. This point is frequented by sport fishermen seeking lambaris Astyanax spp.
At the first site of the Ribeirão Claro River, 16 species and 39 individuals were captured, which could be considered outliers in the relation of species richness to abundance. This can be explained by the environmental characteristics of this point: a lightly undulated relief with planar areas, a steep and stable river bank, flooded areas and conserved riparian vegetation, with shading above 75%. The presence of tabaranas Salminus hilarii at this point (Figure 1), a predator population, suggests the biological integrity of this location. This indicates the high diversity of other species in this area, due to the high degree of the environmental selectivity of this species and its position in the food chain (Alves and Pompeu, 2001).
The low richness of point 3 of the Ribeirão Claro River may be a function of the intense anthropic actions. It is located 1 km above the confluence with the Corumbataí River, which theoretically indicates the possibility of high species richness. But, its location upstream from the second dam and downstream from the untreated Rio Claro sewage outlet contributes to a mostly organic river bed. In addition, the marginal vegetation is made up of pasture grasses, vines and Eucalyptus sp., providing 0 to 25% shading. The aquatic vegetation consists of floating macrophytes and grasses. Eighteen individuals of caborja Hoplosternum littorale were collected at this point from September to December. The occurrence of this species is explained by its ability to cease feeding and use its intestine strictly for aerial breathing (Signorini,1999).
Like Power (1984), the data of this study suggest an association between a low shade level and the cascudos Hypostomus strigaticeps. Hahn et al. (1997) classify it as a detritivore, having identified various generas of diatoms, filamentous algae, insect larvae (Chironomidae) and Nematoda in its stomach, which confirms that these fish are important controllers of alga populations. This data also indicates that with low levels of shade, these sites become autotrophic (Angermeier and Karr, 1983; Allan, 1995), creating more food for this species.
The interpretation of these results cannot be ignored. It demonstrates that intense anthropic action has caused the elimination of natural heterogeneity, the presence of which would have theoretically supported greater biological and environmental diversity (Magurran, 2004; Begon et al., 1996).
Acknowledgments The authors are grateful to the anonymous reviewer for suggestions and coments on an earlier version of the manuscript.
ALLAN, JD., 1995. Stream Ecology: structure and function of running water. Chapman & Hall, New York, 388p. [ Links ]
ALVES, CBM. and POMPEU, PS., 2001. Peixes do Rio das Velhas: passado e presente. Segrac, Belo Horizonte, 198p. [ Links ]
ANGERMEIER, PL. and KARR, JR., 1983. Fish communities along environmental gradients in a system of tropical stream. Environmental Biology of Fishes, vol. 9, p. 117-35. [ Links ]
ANGERMEIER, PL. and SCHLOSSER, IJ., 1989. Species-area relationships for stream fishes. Ecology, vol. 70, p. 1450-1462. [ Links ]
ATLAS ambiental da bacia do rio Corumbataí, 2002, Available in: <http:// www.rc.unesp.br/igce/ ceapla/atlas>. Date of consulting 15/5/2002. [ Links ]
BARRELLA, W., PETRERE, M., SMITH, WS. and MONTAG, LFA., 2000. As relações entre as matas ciliares, os rios e os peixes. In RODRIGUES, R.R. & LEITÃO FILHO, H.F, (eds.), Matas ciliares: conservação e recuperação. EDUSP, São Paulo. [ Links ]
BEGON, M., HARPER, JL. and TOWNSEND, CL., 1996. Ecology: individuals, populations and communities. Blackwell Science, Oxford, 876p. [ Links ]
CETRA, M., 2003. Caracterização das assembléias de peixes da bacia do rio Corumbataí (SP). (Dissertação de Mestrado) Universidade de São Paulo, São Carlos, 88p. [ Links ]
CONNOR, EF. and McCOY, ED., 2001. Species-area relationships. Encyclopedia of Biodiversity. California: Academic Press. [ Links ]
GAUCH, HG., 1982. Multivariate analysis in community ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 298p. [ Links ]
HAHN, NS., FUGI, R., ALMEIDA, VLL., RUSSO, MR. and LOUREIRO, VE., 1997. Dieta e atividade alimentar de peixes do reservatório de Segredo. In AGOSTINHO, AA. and GOMES, LC., (eds.), Reservatório de Segredo: bases ecológicas para o manejo, EDUEM, Maringá. [ Links ]
HARRIS, JH., 1995. The use of fish in ecological assessments. Australian Journal of Ecology, vol. 20, no. 1, p. 65-80. [ Links ]
MacARTHUR, RH. and WILSON, EO., 1967. The Theory of Island Biogeography. Princeton University Press, Princeton. [ Links ]
MAGURRAN, AE., 2004. Measuring Biological Diversity. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 256p. [ Links ]
MARSH-MATTHEWS, E. and MATTHEWS, WJ., 2000. Geographic, terrestrial and aquatic factors: which most influence the structure of stream fish assemblages in the Midwestern United States? Ecology of Freshwater Fish, vol. 9, p. 9-21. [ Links ]
McGARIGAL, K., CUSHMAN, S. and STAFFORD, S., 2000. Multivariate Statistics for Wildlife and Ecology Research. Springer-Verlag, New York, 283p. [ Links ]
POWER, ME., 1984. Habitat quality and the distribution of algae-grazing cascudos in a Panamanian stream. Journal of Animal Ecology, vol. 53, p. 357-374. [ Links ]
OSBORNE, LL. and WILEY, MJ., 1992. Influence of tributary spatial position on the structure of warmwater fish communities. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, vol. 49, p. 671-681. [ Links ]
SIGNORINI, CE, 1999. Alimentação de H. litoralle Hancock (Callichthyidae, osteichthyes) do rio Piracicaba e rio Corumbataí, Estado de São Paulo. PhD Thesis Universidade Estadual Paulista, Rio Claro, 156p. [ Links ]
TOEPFER, CS., WILLIAMS, LR., MARTINEZ, AD. and FISHER, WL., 1998. Fish and habitat heterogeneity in four streams in the central Oklahoma/Texas plains ecoregion. Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science, vol. 78, p. 41-48. [ Links ]
VANNOTE, RL., MINSHALL, GW., CUMMINS, KW., SEDELL, JR. and CUSHING, CE., 1980. The river continuum concept. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, vol. 37, p. 130-137. [ Links ]
VIANA, VM. and MENDES, JCT., 1997. Recuperação da Cobertura Florestal da Bacia do Rio Corumbataí. In NASSIF, AMA., SILVA, ER., MERLI, GL., MENDES, JC., FREIXEDAS, V. and VIANA, VM. (eds.), Recuperação Florestal e Desenvolvimento Sustentável na Bacia do Rio Corumbataí. Piracicaba: SEMAE. [ Links ]
ZALEWSKI, M., THORPE, JE. and NAIMAN, RJ., 2001. Fish and riparian ecotones a hypothesis. Ecohydrology & Hidrobiology, vol. 1, p. 11-24. [ Links ]
Distributed May 31, 2007
* e-mail: mcetra@uesc.br
R. Bento Carlos, 750
13560-660 São Carlos SP - Brasil
Tel. e Fax: (55 16) 3362-5400
bjb@bjb.com.br
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Who is in your England XV for the 2019 World Cup?
by Joe Harvey Tuesday 8 January 2019
Centre Henry Slade has been favoured by Eddie Jones since the summer
Sam Underhill doubtful starter for England's Six Nations campaign
New Zealand favourites in 2019 World Cup but not unbeatable - Mako Vunipola
Mike Brown desperate to make England comeback
Knee injury makes England's Joe Cokanasiga a doubtful starter for Six Nations 2019
Eddie Jones, England, Japan, World Cup
The last World Cup in 2015 was one of the darkest times in England's recent history, but this September, they head to Japan with cautious optimism after an encouraging Autumn. Joe Harvey selects his starting XV for this year's tournament....
1 Mako Vunipola (Saracens) – Despite being injured for the 2018 Six Nations, Mako Vunipola stays at the top of the pile when it comes to looseheads. Putting in impressive performance after impressive performance, he doesn’t look like a player who missed out on two months of rugby.
An extremely mobile player, who will carry the ball over 20 times a game, as well as hitting over 20 rucks and a world class scrummager, only injury would stop Mako being England’s number one in Japan.
2. Jamie George (Saracens) – For several years, people have been calling for George to start ahead of Dylan Hartley at international level. George is, arguably, a more mobile option than his competitor and is reliable when throwing in the ball at the line-out. Out-performing Hartley when coming off the bench on many occasions, many now think that George has solidified his starting place.
What is clear is that George is a more all-rounded player in comparison to the Northampton Saints captain. Due to Saracens’ rotation policy, there is a possibility that George will be fresher than many of his positional rivals, meaning that he could produce better performances.
3. Kyle Sinckler (Harlequins) – Since Dan Cole’s apparent exile from international rugby, Kyle Sinckler has stepped up massively at tighthead for his country. Preferred to Cole during the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour, it is no major surprise that Sinckler has thrived as one of England’s main men.
Good at the breakdown, with ball in hand and at scrum time, Sinckler is the complete propping package. With a tendency to rub his opposition up the wrong way, he will draw penalties to give his side the advantage. Harry Williams is the closest competitor to the Quins man, but Sinckler’s experience gives him the upper hand.
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens) – What superlatives are left to describe Maro Itoje? Well, generally speaking, none. A somewhat versatile player, Itoje has chopped and changed between blindside flanker and lock, with many deciding that the latter position is his stronger. Now consistently in the four shirt for both club and country, it’s difficult to believe that at the tender age of 24, Itoje has nearly won everything in the game.
149 - England's Maro Itoje hit 149 rucks in total during the November Tests, more than any other Tier 1 player, while teammate Mark Wilson was the first man to the ruck on 83 occasions, no other player reached the breakdown first as often. Tireless. ?? pic.twitter.com/PxhBFm37VY
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) November 27, 2018
An extremely experienced player, despite his young age, Itoje is already part of the leadership group, proving how important he is off the pitch. On the pitch, he is a safe pair of hands when carrying the ball, a consistent line-out option, in both attack and defence, and a valuable defender. The only criticism of Itoje in a tendency to give away penalties.
5. Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints) – This will be Lawes’ 10th year as an England international, and his recent performances at club level probably warrant him being in this side. With several of his second-row competitors injured for parts of this season, Lawes’ solid performances saw him involved for England’s Tests in the Autumn.
This will actually be Lawes’ third Rugby World Cup, so the experience that he would be able to bring to a relatively inexperienced forward pack could be vital. With immense physicality at the tackle, Lawes is probably the closest thing England have to an ‘enforcer’. He boasts a strong game where he can carry the ball well and win line-outs upon request.
6. Mark Wilson (Newcastle Falcons) – What is there to say about England’s Man of the Autumn Series? Signing a new contract with Falcons last week, Wilson is such a reliable performer for club and seemingly country. Playing across the backrow for Newcastle and England this season, Wilson seems to play best at blindside where his main aim is carrying the ball and hitting rucks.
Another thing that can’t be questioned is his work-rate. Playing the full amount of time for England in each of the Autumn tests, Wilson showed no signs of slowing down until injury two weekends ago. Likely to play a large part in England’s Six Nations campaign, Wilson should really start in Japan.
7. Sam Underhill (Bath Rugby) – Currently in the physio room, Sam Underhill was outstanding for England in the Autumn internationals. Having a try chalked off against the All Blacks, the flanker used his athleticism to turn Beauden Barrett inside out for what would have been a winning score at Twickenham.
Particularly impressive at the ruck, Underhill is probably England’s only breakdown specialist playing at openside. With Tom Curry previously holding the seven shirt prior to his injury, Underhill is probably the favourite as he has less flexibility in the backrow. Curry and the majority of England’s backrow players have the ability to change position, however, the specialism of Underhill at openside gives him the edge.
8. Billy Vunipola (Saracens) – This is probably the boldest selection in this team. Billy Vunipola has barely pulled on an England shirt for two years, after a succession of horrific injuries. Recently recovering from another broken arm, his performances since returning from injury have been nothing short of fantastic.
Weighing in at 130kg, Billy offers a threat in both attack and defence for whoever he plays for. Breaking the gainline pretty much every time that he carries the ball, England have missed Vunipola massively in recent times. Without him, the national side doesn’t seem to click in the way that England fans would like.
9. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers) – Not England’s most experienced scrum-half, that crown with Danny Care, but Ben Youngs has been favoured by Eddie Jones for the entirety of the Australian’s tenure. A more balanced, and possibly level-headed player, Youngs is extremely reliable at providing front-foot ball for whoever he plays for.
Perhaps not enjoying his finest form in a Tigers shirt, Youngs is only rivalled by Richard Wigglesworth for his ability as a game-manager. With Youngs now being in his ninth year of international rugby, he does have more caps than Wigglesworth and has been a proven performer for England in recent years.
10. Owen Farrell (Saracens) – Eddie Jones’ insistence on Farrell and Ford playing together seems to have ended, with Farrell now being the obvious choice to start at flyhalf at the Rugby World Cup. Now one of England’s captains, Farrell is a player who has divided opinions due to his attitude and tackling technique.
"He is driving those standards every day."
"He is always practising unbelievably hard."
Alex Goode touches on what sets Owen Farrell apart after another impressive year for the @Saracens star in 2018 ??#RugbyTonight pic.twitter.com/rDzZ4zs2Hk
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) January 2, 2019
What can’t be questioned is his ability. Farrell’s distribution of the ball, especially on the front foot, is exceptional. Carrying the ball to the line, he passes the ball flat allowing his teammates to break through the opposition defence. Added to this, his reliable kicking and game management are major weapons which means Farrell is not only one of England’s best players, but one of the best players in the world.
11. Elliot Daly (Wasps) – Seemingly unsettled at Wasps, Elliot Daly is still, undoubtedly, one of the best players in Europe. Capable of playing pretty much anywhere in the back-line, Daly is perhaps one of the more versatile players Eddie Jones has in the ranks. Quick and with good distribution, Daly originally played on the wing for his passing ability.
Not totally convincing at fullback in the Autumn, it would make sense to move Daly back out to the wing, a position that he seems to regularly occupy for Wasps. It is also the position that Daly has played the most international rugby, for both England and the Lions. With a howitzer of a kick, England may have to capitalise with long range penalties.
12. Ben Te’o (Worcester Warriors) – A big reason for Te’o getting the 12 shirt is so that England have some continuity at flyhalf and inside centre. Playing with Farrell for the majority of the Autumn, the pair linked up quite well, with Te’o making some lung-busting runs on several occasions.
Now back starting for Worcester, Te’o has the opportunity to finally build up some momentum through the Six Nations and the rest of the Premiership season. England fans haven’t seen the best of Te’o yet. Hopefully we will in Japan.
13. Henry Slade (Exeter Chiefs) – Like Te’o, the inclusion of Slade at outside centre is as a result of needing continuity. With Owen Farrell playing with another playmaker at outside centre at club level, it makes sense for England to play in a similar fashion. Playing this position throughout the Autumn internationals and in South Africa last summer, Slade is likely to keep his place, even with the imminent return of Jonathan Joseph.
Vision ??
Hands ??
After-burners ??
Henry Slade gives Chiefs some daylight at the Ricoh. pic.twitter.com/Fu8eytybK5
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) September 8, 2018
With his club future decided, Slade has pushed on following a short injury spell. A very well-rounded player, Slade’s kicking from hand is something that a lot of England’s centres don’t seem to have, really setting the Devonian apart from his positional competitors.
14. Joe Cokanasiga (Bath Rugby) – The first time Joe Cokanasiga touched the ball for England, there was an expectation that the 21-year-old would produce something special. We weren’t disappointed. A man of the match display on his debut against Japan, Cokanasiga had a strong performance the following week against Australia. What was impressive was that the Bath wing retained his place when Chris Ashton and many other established international players, were benched and even not included.
Cokanasiga has been a favourite of Jones for some time, getting his first selection in 2017, when his then club, London Irish, were still a Championship side. A strong and quick winger, he is a player that England haven’t really seen in the backs before. Trusted by his head coach, Cokanasiga could be one to watch in Japan.
15. Mike Brown (Harlequins) – Probably, the most controversial name in this team-sheet, recently shunned Mike Brown is the starting fullback in this team. Currently playing out of his skin for Paul Gustard’s Harlequins, Brown is making people wonder if Eddie Jones will recall England’s most capped fullback.
It’s this experience that sets Brown aside from the likes of Anthony Watson, Elliott Daly and even Chris Ashton. At the age of 33, this is likely to be Brown’s final World Cup, so why wouldn’t Jones include a reliable player wanting to give their all for their country one last time?
Argentina - Will it be the same old story?
Olympic Qualifiers: Colomiers: After the final whistle
Olympic Qualifiers: Day Two - England send Team GB to Tokyo
Ben Smith feels Rugby Championship pivotal for All Blacks' World Cup campaign
England name 40-member squad for Bristol training camp
Olympic Qualifier Preview: Colomiers
Will Genia and Quade Cooper to head Japan after World Cup
France international Paul Willemse to miss World Cup with injury
2019 Rugby World Cup Fixtures & Results
2019 Rugby World Cup Points Table
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Tarrant gunville & stubhampton
Agenda AGM 7 May 2019
Agenda Parish Meeting 7 May 2019
Agenda Parish Council Meeting 15 January 2019
Minutes 15 August 2018
Minutes of an extra meeting 9 October
Agenda Parish Council meeting 15 August 2108
Agenda Parish Council Meeting to be held 1 May2018
Agenda Parish AGM 1 May 2018
Draft Minutes of a Council Meeting 6 February 2018
Draft Minutes of a Council Meeting 7 November 2017
Agenda Parish Meeting 7 Novembe 2017
Draft Minutes of a Council Meeting 1 August 2017
Agenda Parish Meeting 1 August 2017
Draft Minutes of an Extra Parish Council Meeting 28 June 2017
Draft Minutes Parish Council Meeting 23 May 2017
Clerk's Report for the AGM 2017
Agenda AGM 23 May 2017
Agenda Parish Meeting 23 May 2017
Draft Minutes Parish Council Meeting 7 February 2017
Draft Agenda Parish Meeting 7 February 2017
Draft Minutes Parish Council Meeting 1 November 2016
Agenda Parish Meeting 1 November 2016
Draft Minutes Parish Council Meeting 2 August 2106
THE DRAFT MINUTES OF A MEETING OF TARRANT GUNVILLE PARISH COUNCIL
HELD ON TUESDAY 23 MAY 2017
Present: Councillors Jim Shephard (Chair), Alan Bailey, Jim Farquharson, Geoff Percival, Charlie Regnart, Jan Robinson, Chris Tatham
In attendance: Ian Stone, Parish Clerk
Members of the public: There were 5 members of the public at the meeting
17/01. Welcome and Opening Remarks
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.
17/02. Apologies for absence
There were apologies for absence form District Councillor Piers Brown
17/03.Minutes of Meeting held on 7 February 2017
These were agreed as a correct record.
17/04. Matters arising from meeting held on 7 February 2017
Superfast Broadband (16/38a) Cllr Bailey said that there seemed to be no movement at all on linking up the high speed broadband cabling. He said that the only way of progressing matters would be through enlisting the help of District Councillor Piers Brown. Cllr Shephard said he knew that problems with overhead cables at Harbins Park had not yet been resolved and this might be holding up progress. He said that he would do what he could to chase things up.
Reports from Appointed Representatives and Committees (Defibrillators) (16/39) Cllr Percival said that there were now two defibrillators in the village along with the boxes to house them and also a training defibrillator. He said that they would shortly be installed and a further training session would be organised.
Fence recently erected at Yew Tree Cottage: to discuss concerns (16/43) Cllr Robinson said that, as he had explained at the previous meeting, Mr Keith Carter had agreed to remove the lower parts of the fence across the river bed. Jan Robinson said that this had not yet been done but when it was done he would check with Roger Andrews, Flood Warden, to ensure matters were satisfactory.
17/05. Reports from appointed representatives and committees
Tony Langdown, Rights of Way Officer, said that the County Council had issued an order which would allow part of the T467 to be re-opened as a restricted byway. He said that the footpath section of the T467 was also likely to be re-opened and that this could be in July. He said that there seemed to be a deadline of 2026 for adding pre-1949 footpaths to maps. He explained that the only path in this category in the village had been routed along the rear of the bungalows to link up with China Lane – but he had no knowledge of any wish to re-open that path.
Roger Andrews, Flood Warden, said he had no issues to report.
Jan Robinson, Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator, said that there had been break- ins to garages and barns in the village. He had notified villagers by email shortly after the various incidents and as yet no one had been apprehended for these crimes. Alan Bailey said there had also been a spate of break-ins in Farnham.
Jan Robinson said that he and two others had now been trained in the Speedwatch procedures and had taken part in the County-wide Speedwatch programme. Geoff Percival said there were still concerns about speeding in Stubhampton where the national speed limit applied. Jan Robinson said he would take up this issue again. Alan Bailey said he thought it would be helpful to obtain data on the real speeds of vehicles through the village when they did not know they were being monitored. A member of the public said that she regretted that the Police and others did not seem to be able to locate premises in emergencies despite the issue of UPRNs for each property. Jan Robinson said that he understood that none of the emergency services used that system to find properties.
17/06. Planning Matters: applications and notifications received
Applications and notifications received. The Clerk reported that 3 applications for tree works had been received since the last Council meeting: these were for the Manor and St Mary’s church. He said that the council members had made no objection to these applications.
Any other planning issues. The Clerk reported that Council members had been invited to an informal presentation on site of potential plans to build a nine bedroom house on land at Furzey Down Farm. He said that three Councillors had attended: the Chairman and Cllrs Regnart and Robinson. Charlie Regnart said that the proposals seemed quite acceptable and Jan Robinson said he agreed with that view. Jim Shephard said that if the proposal was to be taken further then the Council would be invited to respond formally to a planning application and at that point it would seek views in the village. Cllr Tatham said he wished to inform the Council that a resident had drawn his attention to the girders that had been erected on the side of ‘Homers’, possibly for the construction of a hot tub. He said that this had been reported to the North Dorset Planning Department. They had told the Clerk that no plans had been submitted and that therefore an Enforcement Officer was to visit the site.
17/07. Great Dorset Steam Fair
Jan Robinson reported that two-for-one applications had been issued for all households in the village. He had also received 50 free tickets and he proposed that these should be offered to the village at £4 each. This money would allow the purchase of the Parish’s Speedwatch kit. This proposal was seconded by Charlie Regnart and supported unanimously.
17/08. Highway Issues
Road Repairs. Cllr Bailey said he had concerns about the need for the outstanding repairs to the road edge in the village. The first was the poor state of the edge by the village hall bridge and the second was by the entrance to School House. He said both had a potential to cause a vehicle to drop into the river bed and he felt the County council should urgently attend to them. The Chairman asked the Clerk to contact the County to try to progress matters.
Parish-funded roadworks. Alan Bailey said he realised there was a move to place the responsibility for carrying out minor road repairs onto parishes. He was concerned that work could be pushed onto parishes without the provision of funds or proper resources and he thought that should be resisted. This was supported by all Councillors.
Speed Bumps. Alan Bailey said that whilst speed bumps worked in France to calm traffic he was aware that they increased fuel consumption and that some other traffic calming steps needed to be taken in the village. Charlie Regnart said he thought that the presence of speed cameras and frequent speed checks in the village could be an effective deterrent.
17/09. Financial Matters
The Clerk reported that in order to meet the requirements for external audit there would be the need for an additional Council meeting before the next scheduled meeting. The purpose of this extra meeting would be to approve the annual financial statements before they were submitted to the auditors. He said he would arrange a meeting in June once he had agreed the best date by email [subsequently agreed for Wednesday 28 June at 7pm in the Village Hall].
17/10. Squires Playing Field: oral report from the Trustees
Chris Tatham, Trustee, said that thanks were due to Jim Farquharson for providing help and support to the playground in various ways including organising the repairs. Jim Farquharson, Trustee, said that the second rope climb was not yet repaired but should be completed shortly. Cllr Robinson said it had been made clear to him that Kevin Parker would continue to cut the grass as his family would continue to rent the adjoining small holding. Ian Stone, Trustee, said he would contact Kevin Parker to ensure arrangements were in hand and that he would also contact RoSPA to arrange a safety inspection once the repairs were completed.
17/11. Freedom of Information: draft policy for Tarrant Gunville
The Clerk circulated a template policy on Freedom of Information on which a Parish policy could be based. Councillors agreed the draft was adequate to ensure the Parish was legally compliant with the Freedom of Information requirements. Ian Stone said he would prepare a final draft document for consideration at the August meeting.
17/12. Correspondence received: briefing from the Clerk
The Clerk said he had to report two items to the Council:
He had been notified about a new approach to verges management which was being tried by Blandford Town Council. He had sent copies to all Councillors. Councillors said they did not want to pursue a separate approach for the Parish and were concerned that the new arrangements included less frequent cutting of the verges.
The Clerk said he had told the previous meeting that it was a requirement that he change the Parish Clerk email address from a private one to an official government one. He said that he had now done this with the help of the DAPTC and his own computer consultant. He said that the Council therefore complied with the government requirements
17/13. Any other business
Paula Andrews, Transport Co-ordinator, said that she went to the final meeting of the Transport Action Group. At that meeting it was stressed that the County Council would work hard to provide alternative transport where services had been withdrawn. Paula Andrews said she felt it was going to be vital for parishes to keep in touch with each other and with the County about the possibilities of alternative transport services.
17/14. Items from members of the public
There were no items.
17/15. To confirm dates of future meetings
Dates for 2017 meetings were confirmed as follows: 1 August, 7 November, 2 February 2018: all Tuesdays at 7.00pm in the Village Hall.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.29pm
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SHO Foundation
Golf Tourney
- - Navigate to... - - HomeAboutGolf TourneySponsorsPartnersDonate
Home / Partners
SHO is proud to sponsor these local agencies who provide support for families dealing with medical hardships.
HavenHouse
HavenHouse opened in 2005 with a mission to provide the comfort of home and a community of support for patients and their families traveling to St. Louis for medical care.
HavenHouse provides a relaxing, home-like environment where patients and their families can retreat, be nourished and comforted by home-cooked meals, and have around-the-clock emotional support while they or their loved ones receive medical care. Families pay a small portion of the actual cost for their accommodations and some cannot afford to pay anything. The generosity of volunteers and donors make HavenHouse possible.
Support for HavenHouse has helped us to serve over 20,000 families for a total of 49,000 individuals, the majority of whom are children. HavenHouse has 32 bedrooms, all with private baths and is able to accommodate up to 100 people per night.
HavenHouse is thankful to the SHO Foundation for their continued support of our families!
To learn more about HavenHouse St. Louis, visit: www.havenhousestl.org.
Annie’s Hope
Since 1998, the mission of Annie’s Hope–The Bereavement Center for Kids has been to provide comprehensive support services to children, teens, and their families who are grieving the death of someone significant. They work to improve the health and well-being of grieving children ages 3-18 throughout the St. Louis area by teaching them effective coping skills and facilitating their emotional healing.
At least 4,000 St. Louis-area kids will be newly bereaved due to a sibling’s or parent’s death every year. Factor in children grieving the death of a friend or grandparent, and the number of children in crisis is astounding. Each year the staff of Annie’s Hope strive to reach more grieving children whose mental/physical health and academic success are at risk, helping them gain an understanding of death and grief that allows them to adjust to the circumstances, move forward on their grief journeys, and live lives of joy, positivity and hopefulness.
Annie’s Hope offers 10 programs free of charge to over 2,900 children and families each year:
Family Support Groups
School Support Groups
Teen Retreats
Horizons – Anticipatory Grief Program for children of terminally-ill patients
Speaker’s Institute
Annual Hope and Healing Gathering
Grief Referral Service
To learn more about Annie’s Hope, visit: www.annieshope.org.
Scott Harris Oliphant Memorial Foundation © 2014 | All Rights Reserved | CONTACT | Financial Docs
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Soapbox: Ignoring The Objectification Of Women In Games Won't Make the Problem Go Away
Should we boycott Senran Kagura Burst's balloon-breasted characters?
by Damien McFerran Fri 14th Mar 2014
Long-time readers of Nintendo Life will be aware that we've given a fair amount of coverage to Senran Kagura Burst, a 3DS fighting game which recently launched in Europe amid a campaign which focused almost entirely on the title's bevy of busty female combatants. To be honest, I personally found the advertising amusing — especially the UK YouTube spots which likened the title to the kind of dirty magazines teenage boys would secrete under their beds in fear of their mothers finding them (before the internet came along, anyway) — but a recent conversation in the Nintendo Life office forced me to sharply rethink my previously ambivalent stance.
The whole exchange was triggered by the fact that we'd re-tweeted an image via the Nintendo Life twitter account which came directly from PQube (the company handling the distribution of the game in Europe) showing a plastic figurine of one of the characters from the game with a 3DS game cartridge wedged between her impossibly large (and mostly exposed) breasts. At the time it was absent-mindedly re-tweeted, it seemed like harmless fun that was largely in keeping with our coverage of the game up to that point, but the person I was speaking to — a woman, for what it's worth — strongly believed that when viewed out of context (as much on Twitter is), it came across as crass and sexist. I should probably also point out that the woman in question isn't an outsider who views gaming with bemused disgust — she's a seasoned player herself.
Thanks to Staz for sharing this over Facebook. Surely, there's no better place to store your Senran Kagura card! pic.twitter.com/Otr4FcRtsW— PQube Games (@PQubeGames) March 7, 2014
I countered by pointing out that we'd already covered the game several times and always taken a tongue-in-cheek approach, poking fun at the over-the-top sexualization of the characters, and also mentioned that a campaign against the game had already been instigated by Official Nintendo Magazine — which attracted a large degree of criticism from its readers [Editor's note: ONM has since been in contact to point out that this was actually a blog post, and doesn't necessarily reflect the opinions of the publication as a whole]. This didn't pacify the affronted person, who pointed out that as a father and husband myself, I should feel just as uncomfortable as she did with this kind of subject matter, and that Nintendo Life should be making a stand against this kind of thing.
The conversation ended as abruptly as it began, but it got me thinking — should we really promote and encourage this kind of content in our games? And should sites like Nintendo Life be speaking out against it?
Gaming has grown up a lot in the past few years, and we're now tackling some pretty mature topics in the titles that we play. However, it's impossible to escape the fact that a large number of players are young men, and these boiling infernos of testosterone are highly susceptible to focused marketing which involves nubile, scantily-clad girls — those of you living in the UK who have entered a newsagents or supermarket in the past few years will be well aware of this fact, as "lad's mags" such as Zoo and Nuts — both of which showcase barely-dressed ladies on their front covers — are sometimes sold next to mainstream magazines such as The Radio Times and Official Nintendo Magazine; some major brands, not all, are imposing rules that mature front covers are partially covered or placed on top shelves. Should this be happening? Probably not. Can it be stopped? One would hope so, but there's a fairly large sector of the population which insists that stopping people from getting hold of what they want is a bad idea, not a good one.
Whenever anyone mentions censorship in regards to gaming, the pitchforks and flaming torches are never far behind; as is the case with so many facets of modern media, people seem very reluctant to agree with the notion that they should be told what they can and can't watch, listen to or play. I'm certainly not in favour of widespread censorship, but as a parent I can see why certain games fall into questionable territory, and it could be said that our industry needs to censor itself to a certain extent. It speaks volumes that Nintendo doesn't even show Senran Kagura Burst's box art on its official site, which would suggest that the company is aware the game isn't really suitable for its target audience. That then begs another question — why has Nintendo allowed this title to be published in the first place, and why is it available on the 3DS eShop? Parental controls are all very well, but many younger gamers could potentially be in a position to purchase and download the game without having to alert their parents to the fact.
To cloud the issue further, Senran Kagura Burst is actually quite a good game, with chaotic action, a long storyline, great music and some excellent visuals. It certainly seems to have found an audience on the 3DS — the Japanese version sold well enough to merit a sequel, and it made it into the UK top 40 sales chart — no mean feat for such a niche release in a region so traditionally hostile of such overtly-Japanese games. How much of this was down to the questionable subject matter and racy promotional videos is up for debate, but it's fair to say that the game's focus on large-chested females won't have done its commercial chances any harm. Does that mean it's fine to make excuses for the game's often ludicrous portrayal of women? While the games industry has come a long way since the male-dominated days of the '80s and '90s, it's still easy to forget that there are a lot of female gamers out there who could — and indeed will — be offended by such imagery, especially on a console which is supposed to be family-friendly, like the 3DS.
Another thing to consider is that this is a Japanese game, and attitudes to such imagery in that particular country are very, very different to elsewhere in the world. Anime shows and movies — as well as manga comic books — are packed with over-sexualized female characters, so you could argue that there cultural considerations to take into account — simply put, Senran Kagura Burst is unlikely to have caused the same furore in its native Japan as it has elsewhere. But has the overtly smutty marketing by PQube for the European launch made things worse?
The recent Tomb Raider reboot shows how far the industry has come with regards to strong female leads, but some things haven't changed
There will be those who argue that male characters are equally exaggerated in modern games; most FPS shooters boast chisel-jawed space marines with muscles the size of a small European country, but the difference there is that these characters are arguably not intended for the sexual gratification of female players — they are there to make male players feel strong and powerful by association. While many male players have voiced concern with the predictable way in which men are portrayed in games, I don't personally recall ever feeling intimidated or offended by the rippling muscles of my on-screen avatar — something which I suspect can't be said of female gamers playing a title like Senran Kagura Burst, which shows its lead characters shedding their clothing and pushing their ample assets into the player's face. The objective here is titillation, which makes it relatively easy to see why female players — just like the one who confronted me in the Nintendo Life office — are so uneasy with this situation.
In an industry that is dominated by the tastes and demands of a young and male audience, it's always going to be difficult to fight against such objectification — just ask the author of the aforementioned Official Nintendo Magazine piece — but that doesn't mean it shouldn't happen. As I said, we've have actually come a long way in the past few decades — Lara Croft's transformation from big-breasted Barbie Doll to battle-hardened, troubled woman in the recent Tomb Raider reboot being a fine example of just how far. The industry is maturing as the average age of gamers rises, but that doesn't mean that developers and publishers won't still be tempted to exploit the raging hormones of younger males. Whether or not we — or companies like Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony — should allow them to is another matter.
What's your stance on this topic? Should games like Senran Kagura Burst be celebrated for bringing diversity to the industry, or are they little more than smut for gamers? Vote in the poll below and be sure to leave a comment.
Do you find titles like Senran Kagura Burst offensive? (530 votes)
Yes, the game's portrayal of women is purely for the gratification of male gamers
No, I find the images in the game to be appealing but they're not sexist
I'm not entirely sure either way
Please login to vote in this poll.
Senran Kagura Burst (3DS)
About Damien McFerran
Damien has over a decade of professional writing experience under his belt, as well as a repulsively hairy belly. Rumours that he turned down a role in The Hobbit to work on Nintendo Life are, to the best of our knowledge, completely and utterly unfounded.
kuribo4
I think the human race is capable of respecting women even with the existence of fanservicey 3DS games.
I won't play it though. Kill la Kill is awesome. This is just...crossing the line I guess.
noname001
While I personally don't care for the style, it has every right to exist.
I just hate how media about killing dozens if not hundreds of human beings is okay, but anything involving sexuality is considered by many to be off limits. All of it should be permitted.
GoodGoshJosh
Also, it's important to note that this game and its imagery are purely for what they expect a heterosexual male gamer to play and desire. As a queer gamer, I see this game and just roll my eyes as it's so obviously based on objectifying women in a creepy manner. Sure, it has every right to exist, but we can do better as people and gamers.
It's a game, not real, its fun, I enjoy it, end of story.
unrandomsam
@willobee What about that Japanese rape simulator ?
I JUST WANT THESE JAPAN STUDIOS TO START GIVING THESE GIRLS OLDER AGES!!! Stop making these girls 14-16 and giving them womanly bodies! I've over 18 now! That stuff bothers me!!!!
Technosphile
Frankly I think we need more objectification of women in Nintendo games
Peach64
I find the game hugely cringe-inducing, but just like the debate yesterday on Binding of Isaac, I'm not going to say it should not exist. I'll just avoid it. Is it really a good game thought? Metacritic seems to suggest otherwise.
Kimimi
I personally find the issue isn't so much games like Senran Kagura by itself, but the sheer volume of games that are geared towards this demographic that's the problem. To my eyes mainstream gaming is pretty much one of three choices - do you want sexy ladies, guns, or a kids game? There's no sense of balance.
If the industry or supporters of this sort of look want to take some "heat" off themselves the best thing they can do isn't to go LOL TEENAGE BOYS, as the EU marketing campaign has done, but to make sure there are quality alternatives available without this young straight male slant. TV and movies have plenty of gratuitous flesh on display too; but the difference there is that how much of that you consume is more down to the individual than it is with gaming.
shingi_70
@Mizore
Well that doesn't change the fact that it might be a crappy potrayal of women. Though looking at the game it seems that it would be furthest thing.
I have more problems with the way the characters look underage.
spidey1010
I wouldn't say I find this kind of thing "offensive"...
It just strikes me as immature and cringe-worthy at first appearance, causing me to then avoid it.
rolLTheDice
Damo wrote:
Senran Kagura Burst is actually quite a good game, with chaotic action, a long storyline, great music and some excellent visuals
Which is the only reason i'll be buying it whenever it actually releases in Germany.
I don't like the portrayal i've seen in the trailers and pics very much either and i can understand females that are offended by it and i wouldn't feel like i've missed out on much if this were never released in Europe.
All i'm saying is that i wouldn't "fight" for this game like i would for The Binding of Isaac where I'd say they should just put a warning there that it contains stuff that religious people might get offended by.
@Kimimi The balance is Ai Cho Aniki but Nintendo didn't see fit to release it outside Japan on the Wii VC.
@shingi_70 I hate how they are underrage too but thats' Japan's culture, man. That's the one of the very few things I hate about Japan. They consider middle school kids to be "adults" in a way.
Jayvir
If people are against the sex appeal of women and are offended by big breasts, then people should be completely offended by the standard male image in games. They are usually a spiky haired, hulked out manly man with super muscles. There is objectification of both sexes. Everyone just seems to eager to ignore one side.
It's a game. It has a rating. If someone wants to buy it so be it. I think there are worse things in life to worry about then this. If you get your morals, behavior, and personality from video games then the problem is much deeper then what game you are playing.
If you refuse to buy it because it bothers you....good for you. If you enjoy it because of the girls....well to each his own.....as long as you aren't hurting anyone else.....I don't care what you do in the privacy of your own home or in this case on your 3DS.
DarkKirby
Unless you think porn should be banned, you need to get off your politically correct obsessed high horse that video game females need to be about and with average to ugly looking females.
We all know men aren't objectified at all in the media right? Male protagonists in games are typically about ugly, overweight, weak men right? Oh wait, no, the men in video games are also typically muscular and handsome. So now you're talking about a double standard.
It's media for entertainment. Don't like it, don't buy it, don't tell other people they should feel offended by it and that it shouldn't exist because it makes some people feel bad or offended.
NINTENCHIP
@Kodeen They're high schoolers, so 14-17.
theblackdragon
"And should sites like Nintendo Life be speaking out against it?"
People? Sure, go for it. Websites, not so much. While I do happen to side with NL occasionally, I don't like the idea of potentially being wrangled into a political battle without my knowledge or consent just because I happen to have a shield here, nor do I like the idea of other members of staff being forced into the same sort of situation. I'd much rather people come to their senses on their own about things like this.
Zemus-DJ
You got to be joking right? Cause I mean it's so cool to blow someone's brains out. I rather my kids play something like this then to play a realistic shooter. Sex is a normal thing, we wouldn't be here after all. Killing someone isn't normal. Just my 2cents
CaviarMeths
Does the game have an extremely limited appeal outside of its specific target audience? Of course. It knows it and doesn't try to pretend otherwise. It actually IS a good game without all the fanservice, but let's not try to hide the fact that it is a fanservice game. A lot of people won't like it. That's a given.
Is it damaging to impressionable minds or disrespectful to women? Lolno. Come on. It's silly cartoon cheekiness. This is about as disrespectful to women as Need for Speed is disrespectful to law enforcement. Yes, you have to outrun the cops in the game, but it's not teaching or encouraging anyone to outrun the cops in real life.
As for the ages of the girls, it's appropriate. The game is aimed at teenagers and the girls are teenagers. Oh noes.
@Blast I am not bothered about that particularly but it does creep me out when say a 20 year old woman is made to look about 12/13. For advertising and stuff.
turmeric16
There is a difference in actual women asserting their sexuality, and game developers using sexuality as a marketing ploy. Acting as if this game is somehow feminist, or a positive portrayal of women, would be ridiculous. Even if the game has a deep story line, the problems remain. However, this doesn't mean the game is misogynist. Though maybe it is, i don't know.
@DarkKirby The male characters are strong and handsome, I'm guessing because that's what the male players want to be like. Do you think females want to look like these characters? Objectification isn't making characters too good to be true, it's rather twisting these characters into a male fantasy. As I said above, I don't think there's any reason to stop this kind of game existing, but just pointing out the situation a little different to strong/handsome male characters.
@Jayvir As I mentioned in the feature, burly space marines aren't there to titillate female players, they're there to make male players feel powerful. The women in games like Senran Kagura are there purely as eye-candy.
GuSolarFlare
I don't see how this is any more offensive than many western games with all the sex stuff and all, saying this game is bad and overly sexist is either being naive, unaware of ANY game rated above 13, narrow minded or biased against japanese stuff....
MadchesterManc
I wouldn't be surprised if the white Knight crusading regarding this game by male journalists is more offensive to some women as their basically portraying them to be frail & weak minded as to not make up their own minds on the games content by providing a review and boycott it in their ignorance.
I guess websites are going to start boycotting Otome games now too seen as they objectify males in a similar way? I doubt it...
sinalefa
@Damo
Some of my female friends love superhero movies. And not because of the action or the plot, but because there are handsome men in tights or tight armor. You should have seen them squealing like schoolgirls when Henry Cavill appears bare chested in Man of Steel.
Kinda like Pixar or Dreamworks movies having innuendo jokes for the adults, I feel they are marketing ploys that appeal to both markets, for different reasons.
@MadchesterManc
Wouldn't white knight crusade mean they're defending the game in question.
@sinalefa Gears of War and Superman are not the same thing.
EarthboundBenjy
The characters in this game are very well-developed. I can very much see this game appealing to many people, male and female, and not just boys looking for cheap titillation.
It's very obvious that the game is intended to provide said titillation, but it comes off as funny just as much as it comes off as sexy. I say it's fine that there are all sorts of games, stuff like this included.
WinkSugoi
My answer to the question is no.
I'm sick of the idea that this type of thing can only be appealing to the hetero male audience and every female in the vicinity should have their panties in a knot. I'm also sick of this negative attention only being directed at things that overly sexualize women. There a lot of Japanese games and anime and such that feature women in a provocative manner but there's also plenty that depict males in that manner for the pure enjoyment of female otaku or fujoshi. Why doesn't anyone ever get on their soapbox for that part of the industry? All the reactions I ever see for that stuff is people shaking their heads then moving on but trade out that all male cast for a female one then suddenly it's a social debate. It's like an unconscious idea that only women can be objectified or "victims" because they're weak. When things like Free! can exist peacefully while Senran Kagura gets put on the guillotine, THAT'S what I personally find offensive as a female.
My attitude towards fanservice in general: It's just sex ffs. People like getting turned on as part of their entertainment just like people like getting scared or teary eyed. I only have a problem with it when it's used to cover up something that fails in other important aspects but SKB doesn't have that problem. It arguably has the problem in the title but from my perspective, it's just entertainment.
The thing about doing the reverse of this and objectifying men for the primary purpose of titillating female gamers is that material actually does exist. You could even go so far as to say that BL/Shounen Ai works dominate fanfiction.
But the difference is that it just doesn't sell. We don't have Senran Kagura Burst with manly men bursting out of their clothes for all the girls out there because, let's be honest, no one would actually buy it.
And I'm not really willing to call the free market sexist. It's about as neutral as it gets.
Is just awful, most of the male characters in games are really muscular and fit. Why is not that a male objectification? why is different if is made on a women?. This is absurd.
Men are not historically oppressed as men, while women are historically oppressed because they are women. There is a major difference between when men are portrayed in a sexual manner than when women are.
PJEDavison
Here's the thing: A game character having large breasts does not automatically make it sexist or exploitative. Senran Kagura admittedly pushes the boundaries somewhat with its panty-flashing and whatnot, but this is a common ploy in both games and anime from Japan. There's nothing overtly or outright sexual in Senran Kagura; it's all silly teasing of the "point and giggle" mould, and to be honest after a while you simply stop noticing it.
Were the girls in Senran Kagura nothing more than sex objects or eye candy, I'd question its place on shelves. However, the fact is that Senran Kagura's characters are both well-written and well-defined; they're realised and explored in a high level of depth throughout the game's visual novel sequences, and it's abundantly clear that those who wrote the game have a huge amount of respect for them.
Sadly, there's a lot of people (not pointing fingers here, I might add!) who are only judging the game based on its most notorious elements without actually playing it — a matter not helped by the way it's been marketed and promoted. Talk to anyone who's actually playing and enjoying it, though, and their reaction will not be "lol, boobs" but rather more complex feelings about the characters, their motivations and their own personal experiences with the game.
This piece over on Tiny Cartridge is a great read that explores the matter in more detail: http://tinycartridge.com/post/76988591792/reconsidering-senran-kagura-burst-senran-kagura
TL;DR: I love Senran Kagura, and I will defend its right to exist to the death. Consider playing it in depth before judging it.
@Samed As has been pointed out a couple of times, those male characters are the sort of image that males want to be. They want to be muscular and fit, but do you think females want ridiculously over-sized breasts and skirts so tiny it shows off their underwear when they move?
I'm really shocked so many people think this is the same as a buff male character
There ARE things that objectify males in the same way this does to females, but in Western culture? Not so much.
Snagrio
Instead of arguing about the whole sexual topic itself, I shall simply state that my main problem is with how unrealistic the girls are physically portrayed. The fact that their breasts are bigger then their heads is just stupid. Yeah they can be huge in real life, but only through plastic surgery.
The fact that a body part is embellished to nonsensical proportions simply to "increase" sex appeal doesn't seem right.
@PJEDavidson I didn't get Senran Kagura yet but I agree with you how can super strong girls that aren't helpless and fight for themselves be seen as sexual objects?
As for my own two cents:
1) The franchise crosses some lines, and it IS made purely for the gratification of male gamers. They can even be dressed up in pasties in the Vita game, for crying out loud. How would I know? A friend of mine has the Vita game. Total weab, so most Japan-stuff gets a pass from him. Including the rape stuff.
2) Sexually objectified characters aren't exactly sexist. It can be seen as demeaning, but you're not coming to any broad conclusions based on sex. You're not discriminating either. It's just a stupid character design choice solely to make men think with their peanuts. Not ban-worthy, but it's peculiar.
3) Lastly, I think women want to see themselves as desirable as possible when playing a game...but this is a "no". Men don't get the features thrown in a mess when designing men, but they do for girls, for some reason. If they're gonna make big boobs, at LEAST don't make the physics look like the freaking moon landing, or DoA on the PSP. They "plop", not bounce around in 30 directions. Part of the issue is that they don't even move in a way that even somewhat resembles real jiggly bits. It's creepy, and if they fixed that about the physics, it would definitely settle better with gamers, even if only by a little bit. THEN we could get to the other stuff (ages, costume choices, the whole "tearing" thing...)
@willobee you said what I was going to say.
It's seems like its ok to nuke a city for example but when a game has busty female characters we have debates about sexism.
Personally I'd like to readdress the balance if it can be done in a non Pervy way. For example I don't think the old Tomb Raider games are at all pervy.
Yorumi
There's a few different issues here. The first is sadly the game's existence says more about gamers than anything else. If it didn't sell they wouldn't make it, so clearly gamers are saying they want objectified women. I wish people did have more respect for women but some things never change.
Should it be banned? Certainly not by a government. By nintendo? It would have been nice to see them refuse to publish it. It would be nice to see them take a stand and say women just deserve more respect than that.
Should websites be getting into this? Hard to say, I don't really like how political games are becoming, on the other hand it is nice when some aspect of media actually stands up for some decency.
@PJEDavison - That TinyCartridge post is quoting somebody with a direct financial/commercial interest in portraying the game in a positive light.
LordJumpMad
Ahhh, the internet where perverts unite to stand up for what they think is right.
Hey fellas, you know one girl that won't judge you? Your left hand.
GalacticMario28
I'm not a fan of oversexualization like this, but I'm not about to try and stop it from existing. There's an audience for everything, including this kind of thing; rather than deny an audience what they want, I think it's best to take extra measures to make sure those who would be offended by it have as little exposure to it as possible. Obviously that's a lot easier said than done, but I think that's the closest to a win-win we can get in this situation.
linkzero65
Saying this game is sexist is like saying porno is sexist! yeah i know these girls are like what 16? but hey im in high school and there is a lot of girls showing their tits everywhere. and then again this game is japanese what did you expect?
@Yorumi Well, respect for women =/= objectification of women. An objectified depiction of a person doesn't mean you don't respect that gender. It's just an objectified depiction of a person.
It shouldn't be banned by ANYONE. If gamers want it, they want it. Nintendo banning even this would only tarnish their rep more. It's already good/bad enough they don't have much in the way of violent games. This is really their only mature series they got on the 3DS.
I would like to see debates about violence in games I think that's far more of a pressing issue!
NinChocolate
As long as the world convinces itself that nothing should be barred from the playground of the mind, then the potential reality of more peace and goodness in this world will always be in contention with that which is obsessed over in the mind.
@WingedSnagret That is my main point against this series. It's literally trying too hard to get your "other head" to buy it.
@NINTENCHIP SKB certainly isn't a mature series. Its target audience is teenage boys and is appropriately rated T.
@NINTENCHIP many would consider it tarnishing their reputation by allowing it. Everyone draws the line somewhere.
Hunter-D
Not interested in games like Senran Kagura so I just don't buy them.
That's as much thought as I've ever given it.
ejamer
I think it's interesting to see where people draw these arbitrary lines over what is ok and what isn't. Sexism? Violence? These things are ok to exist, but not to market?
I don't really like the approach of the game in question so choose not to support it. For me, that's where the line is drawn and that's where it ends. Maybe we should all be more socially active and protest against the game... but my take is that this game is just a symptom of a larger cultural issue, and protesting over a video game won't promote actual change.
Phantom_R
Women are absolutely objectified in video games. But it's the same deal with men, too. One of the reasons why I love Phantom R (from Rhythm Thief) so much is that he's one of very few male characters who use agility over wit, and is capable of love without acting the least bit angsty.
Yes, women are more than sexy twigs with boobies, but let's also remember that men are more than dirty, beefy hulks who can't resist punching anything that moves.
Everyone objectifies everyone. That's the point I'm making.
shinokami
@Kodeen 16 I think, they go to a High School if not mistaken, but te west version is hinted they go to college
@NINTENCHIP In all honesty I bought the game because of the gameplay, the fanservice (which is not really much as they make it sound) is just an extra
sketchturner
Men ought to be bothered by this just as much as women. Turning women into sex objects is ultimately bad for all of society. I agree with those saying violence in video games is a problem, but that doesn't diminish the dangers of sexism. Nothing good can come from either.
HylianJowi
@ejamer I don't think I could possibly have worded a response more succinctly than that. That's precisely my thought.
@Phantom_R especially since most games nowadays are programmed in Object Based languages
NERD JOKE OF THE DAY!!!!!
sugarpixel
I honestly don't see it as a problem, so there's nothing to be ignored. It is what it is. Are these real girls? No, they are not. It's just like the "violence in video games" deal. How is sexuality worse than violence?
@ejvirzi The thing is what modern feminists want is not equality (They are not pushing for an equal proportion of women to die doing the most dangerous jobs.) Or for father's to have equal rights when it comes to custody. So it ends up equality when it suits them special privileges otherwise which is not equality by definition.
As a feminist, I have no issue with the portrayal of women in a game designed for sexual gratification.
My issue is when the sole representation of women in a product are to be victims or sexualized, or just obnoxiously designed based on some narrow scope of what it means to be a woman, in products where sexual or romantic themes are not the core value. Cases where male characters are treated like actual... people. This includes tropes such as the damsel in distress, bikini armour, and the token pink female.
@Peach64
"There ARE things that objectify males in the same way this does to females, but in Western culture? Not so much."
Agreed. The problem here though is that this debate is over a Japanese game, a place where such a market actually does exist. If the point was specifically about Western gaming culture, a Western game would have been appropriate instead of a niche localization that wasn't going to appeal much more to anyone but weaboos.
Agreed on the rest of your comment as well but at the same time, it tickles me seeing the constant debates on how women are drawn in comic books to titillate male readers meanwhile, me and other female comic book fans are drooling over how hot Scott Summers looks in spandex.
Can't compare Senran Kagura to action figures and superhoeros, imagine this as a videogame:
To everyone saying that this game is oversexualized and degrades women:
You have not played it and you truly have no clue what you are talking about, the advertising makes it look more perverted than it actually is, and Homura is by far one of the most baddonkey and strongest female characters I have seen in video games. The gameplay is great and the story is good, the sexual themes is just Japan's humor and I find it ironically when we bash them when we have shows like Family Guy and South Park
Please watch the profanity — TBD
BakaKnight
I don't know... I find myself agreeing with the main point, BUT find the game choice "not right"... I mean... there are a lot of games made with pure "fanservice" which has only that as sell point. Such games could be considered an offense for women, I can understand that view; indeed I think it's sad when developpers just place big breasted girls in a product and "done, it will sell!". It's an offense to all gamers in general, not just to women >_>;
But Senren Kagura Burst has also gameplay as far as I know, the review here was very good as even reminded in the article (would like to say I'm agreeing with it, but the title in Italy will arrive next month -o-; ), so it should maybe deserve to not be mixed with pure "hey, look here, BREASTS!!!" games.
Definitly anyway I see the problem and why this game got involved in it so so much, while, in their way, humouruous the advertise and cover choice for this game really annoyed me somehow. Finally a fanservice game with real gameplay come out and what they do? They sell it only for the breasts. pushing only that aspect to the extreme OF COURSE!
This time more than the game is the advertise to blame, they made a title with a lot of good elements look like it has only breasts, breasts and more breasts and that own the game is like owning some extreme porn... I guess that will catch a lot of teenagers attentions? It will make it sell way more? I don't know, but surely it ruins the image of the game -_-;
"Should we boycott Senran Kagura Burst's balloon-breasted characters?"
If there's room for things like porn and hentai in this world, which CLEARLY there is, then there's room for a video game where you get to see some big bouncy fully covered boobs.
I think I've said enough.
So we should be also offended that the guys can't have fun with Barbies? Or by Playboys etc.? This game demographic is clear.
@shinokami the anime I know that gets the closest to horrible things like South Park and Family Guy is Gintama and Gintama is tame compared those waste shows
It's still a double standard. It's saying it's okay to objectify men but not women just because more people complain about it.
I don't give a crap that men in the media, in and out of video games, are typically handsome, muscular, and good looking in general. I don't feel like less of a person or that the media is creating an unfair image for most average men to have to live up to. They pick those men to be shown BECAUSE they are good looking, and like it or not MOST people would rather look at someone who is good looking rather than ugly, even other men. It's the same reason women in the media, in and out of video games, are typically good looking. I would rather look at something that is good looking rather than ugly. That's all it comes down to.
I am not "happy" or "okay" that male protagonist are typically good looking because I want to "be like that". Such a thing never even crossed my mind. I was always just indifferent toward it. I do not expect myself to be or strive to be a handsome muscleman because of the media or video games. So no, it's not "more okay" to objectify men because "men want to be good looking but women don't". That's ridiculous. Given the chance, I think most people would choose to have amazing genes that made them extremely good looking (by whatever standards current society deemed attractive), smart, and strong. It's not a one sided for one sex thing. Most people aren't extremely good looking, smart, and strong, that's life.
You should know, I am 100% for free speech and against censorship and as such am against political correctness. I know you said you don't think the game shouldn't exist because it's not politically correct, I'm just explaining the flawed reasoning that it's okay to objectify men but not women because men want to be good looking but women don't or shouldn't have to be, but it amounts to the same thing. In the end you are saying it's okay to objectify men but not women just because more people complain about it.
HappyHappyist
saying games like this shouldn't exist is like saying that girly magazines shouldn't exist. if you say this game is stupid and shouldn't exist, you are just wrong.
everything in the media has an audience, if if you don't like balloon breasted females, you don't need to play Senran Kagura, nor do you need to buy a girly magazine. no one is making you buy anything, so saying what other people should or shouldn't be allowed to buy, play, or read. if you find something offensive, that doesn't mean everyone else does, you don't need to play the game.
also, over-suxualization is ALL OVER the place in the media. Movies, books, comic books, magazines, and video games. women are over-sexualized EVERYWHERE in the media, so don't act like when it's in a videogame, a crime has been committed.
i've said it before, but video games are about as sexual as the real world. the reason there are strip clubs in GTA is because they're there in real life and people like going there. the reason some women have bubble-breasts in cartoons is because girls still get breast implants. until the day comes that all women treat themselves with dignity, we won't see the end of over-sexualization anywhere.
tl;dr : if you don't like bubble-breasted women, or anything for that matter, don't let you preferences get in the way of my preferences.
Meh, I see no problem with this type of game besides my personal adversity to their supposed age due to preference.
You aren't really doing anything but looking at appealing(attractive) characters and people have been doing that forever, recently for actors (Chris Hemsworths Thor) to actresseses. In art it is completely acceptable for a full nude sculpture of a woman. And these games don't take that leap into sexual activity or rape. Sure, there are games that do. But they are mostly on PC and generally a small bit of niche games, half of which do have a legit story. Oh and western games are far worse at it because romances are not very believable, I had trouble suspending my disbelief in dragon age and Mass effect. The female chars romance sequences were not very convincing.
FriedSquid
Personally, I play it and I feel there's a lot more to the characters than just the boobs. They have personalities, and dialogue. Most of them (some of them just submit to the usual cliche anime tropes) are actually strong female characters, while maintaining the fact that a strong female character doesn't need to be a tough lesbian. Plus the majority of the game doesn't really feel too focused on the sex appeal. It pokes fun at it when it can, but its obviously done as humor, and not integral to enjoying most of the game. After playing it and understanding the characters, I've come to love some of them, not cause of their boobs, because they're actually likable characters. None of them are really objectified in my book.
Another thing, there's only one male main character in the game, and he never makes a comment on the girls or is the punchline of some nosebleed-type Japanese humor. He treats the other characters like human beings, and doesn't act sexist toward them. Honestly it's one thing I find that ever-so-slightly sets this apart from most anime that often fall victim to that, like Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill, etc.
I like supporting anything that makes "social justice warriors" angry.
Do you know that some people are angry that Wii Fit trainer is in Smash because they say it's " fat shaming" and "thin privilege"
So yeah, if this game is upsetting feminazis then I absolutely support it.
Kaze_Memaryu
@DarkKirby Agreed from beginning to the end! Nothing to be added!
TromboneGamer
Objectification of women is always a touchy subject, but many a time feminists lash out at this sexualization or ant-feminists will lash out at even the smallest of censorship. It's either hard or impossible to find middle ground. It's a hate or be hated world right now.
Tiredman
This game has an age rating of Teen. Teens are usually past the impressionable brain stage of development. This is pretty much the same thing as tons of other shows on t.v. be they gore, over the top comedy, like South Park, and so on. As somebody said earlier, if a teenager is going to get their morals and ways to live from a game, then something is terribly wrong with their parents.
Live and let live. The developers of this game aren't hurting anybody. The only ones who feel hurt are those who are so ingrained in feminism that seeing an underwear model in a commercial makes them take up arms.
BoobooMama
Oh noes! The white knights need to stop acting as if though women are fragile little snow flakes. Stop pretending to be offended, sexuality is nothing to fear.
Super_Gravy
I kinda want to see an separate poll for male and female to see the result and maybe that poll will tell us more of ourselves?
AugustusOxy
This crap is really childish idealistic drivel.
All humans are objectified. That is what society does. The moment you get a job you become an employee, if you make bread, you become a baker. All things to take away your individuality.
If feminists would actually play senran (which is an amazing game) they'd realize that the women in Senran happen to be some of the most fleshed out and deep female characters I've seen in a game in a long time. God forbid women have large breasts and be sexual in nature.
This isn't an issue of how women are portrayed in video games, its an issue of women not liking men drooling over stuff like this. Women are allowed to complain about this but yet they have horrible idealizations and objectifications all over day time television.
Fricken deal with it, the game was fun as hell, and I would have played it if it were about dudes with their clothes exploding off-- people act like clothes exploding off in fighting games is a new concept. Big burley menly men have been blowing their clothes off in anime and video games for years and years. To see a girl do it once is a nice breath of fresh air.
#dealwith #growup #feministslikestupidsexiststufftoo
6ch6ris6
still no one cares about how men are portraied in media (videogames included): super bodybuilder-type figures with beards and total macho behaviour
If I see anymore pro feminists crap on this news site I'll probably stop following it, I'm not joking. Stop bringing crap like this up to appeal to social justice warrior women who would rather seen the censorship of art, just as long as they get to see what they want in pop culture instead of what men might want to see.
#womenbetryingtocontroleandcensoreverything #howisthatequality
Even with the porn industry, and everyone's lack of caring for the actresses in that media, they'll pick on a video game? These games have every right to exist. Just because you don't agree or like it, it doesn't mean that everything in the vein should cease to continue. If you don't like it, don't buy it, don't pay attention to it. The vast majority of the vocal feminists are pathetic people and what they lobby for is not equal rights between male and female.
It's really sad how many people commenting feel the need to be insulting in this discussion. If you can't make your point without an insult don't make it.
mhsillen
A bigger concern is the way Samus was turned into a messy bowl of jello in other M
Ernest_The_Crab
@PJEDavison Doesn't that make it ironic then that those people are in fact the ones treating the girls as "sex objects"? They obviously haven't put in the effort to research any aspect of the game and are judging the characters based on looks?
Which is effectively what treating someone as a sex object means..."Objectification more broadly means treating a person as a commodity or an object, without regard to their personality or dignity"
Context, context, context.
AJ_Lethal
Whoa, it's this DragonCrownGate 2.0 beta?
Seriously, I find Samus characterization in Metroid Other M way more appaling than big-breasted teenage gals duking it out.
antdickens
@AugustusOxy it's called starting a debate and giving people the chance to share their opinions, there is no right or wrong answer.
Gintoki3
I have to agree with AugustusOxy that I'm sick to death of feminist crap everywhere. :/ It's ONE game.. and only a FEW games do anything remotely "objectifying" to FAKE women. It's meant for guys that like that genre, it's not meant for people that hate it to cry about it.. seriously. I doubt Senran Kagura affects anybody other than the people that already liked it. Stop trying to ruin gaming.
@Yorumi well said.
SamirMalik
@Blast to be fair, the age of consent (legal age...kinda) in japan is 13. You can even live on your own at that age if you need to.
Yomerodes
Marvelous produced a lot of games in the past 10 years that I consider top notch (Little King's Story, Muramasa, Arc Rise Fantasia, Avalon Code, Harvest Moon A Wonderful Life, No More Heroes, the entire Rune Factory Franchise, etc.)
When I saw that they were behind Senran Kagura, I decided to give the game a chance (if it ever appeared in America, that is), and I did, not because of the girls or because I thought the game was going to be perfection incarnated, I gave the game a chance because I like the company, and I trust them in this kind of situtations.
I got Senran Kagura Burst during the first week of release, so far having put more than 10 hours in it, and so far being completely pleased with my purchase. I like the game and I like the gameplay, the funny and nonsensical fanservice is just a curious novelty.
Please punch me if I think any video game character is attractive for longer then one second. Also, I think this game looks ridiculous.
I have a problem with Samus going from a fearless warrior into a weak willed do as the man says therapy needing chicken.
DualWielding
My fear is that nintendo would get scared by the controversy and ban the localization of the sequel
maC_N_Cheezer
@Peach64 I don't want to be like those make characters. I'm fine with who I am. In fact it make women who see men like that in video games, TV and movies have to high of standards. Don't put opinions in other peoples mouths to justify your own.
bloodycelt
@Blast
90210, Friday the 13th, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Carrie, Romeo and Juliet?
Is it really that different, watching a 30 year old woman pretend to be a high school girl or an animated character drawn like an adult?
Boxmonkey
Ralizah
The marketing was probably a bit crass, but the controversy over this title is blown out of proportion. It's not like this is some other extreme title that actually is deeply offensive. Our culture is already inundated with sexual objectification of both men and women, only we pretend not to notice it.
Let's be honest: people aren't offended by this game because of the fanservice. They're offended because the game doesn't apologize for its juvenile preoccupation with the female body.
And, to be frank, I see nothing wrong with female characters being designed to fit male fantasies if it has a primarily male demographic as its intended target. Plenty of media aimed at women portrays the men involved as impossibly handsome and sexy individuals. Should we ban that, too?
@Yomerodes It's so easy to spot those that haven't played the game & those that have. Those, like you & I, that have played the game seem to have been left with the same impression that it's a fun & enjoyable game with an interesting cast. A far cry from the usual slurs and jibes from those that clearly haven't played the game like to throw around.
@Ernest_The_Crab That's a really good point
@shingi_70 Well in Japan they aren't underaged. They are above 13, the Japanese legal age, but not 18, the "max love" age. At age 13 you can live on your own.
Squiggle55
Should games like this be boycotted? No. Absolutely not. As a father I am 100% more likely to feel the compulsion to boycott games like Call of Duty, because I fear the desensitization to violence much more than I do the exposure to nudity. Sex is natural, murder is not.
I'm the last person in the world who would discriminate against anybody, and I would never intentionally be insulting to a woman, or anyone for that matter. I believe in women's rights the same way I believe in rights for everyone. But women who are offended by the sexualization of humans need to step back and think about what they're even mad about. They weren't disrespected. Nobody insulted them. Would they feel the same way if someone made a game with the sexualization of men? Spoiler alert: no they wouldn't.
I find the game to be funny. Basically, boobs are like the japanese version of penis jokes, though are MUCH less disgusting than talking about your "size" all day. Yuck. Though I perfer the fanservice jokes as long as they don't go WAY too far to the point that its like a....you know.... rather than a silly action game and make them go bare like in Highschool DxD. For a comedy that went too far.
Reading some of the comments in defense of Senran's characters, I was just reminded of the first visual novel segment for Asuka.
A boy confesses to her out of the blue. She doesn't know what to make of it since they just met. She starts to develop feelings for him as they see each other more and she learns more of how he is as a person. She still is conflicted though because she thinks love would be too complicated being a Shinobi. Her grandfather Hanzo then tells her of how her parents met and her father gave up his dream so he could work in Hanzo's sushi restaurant and support the love of his life's career as a Shinobi. Seeing that her crush has a promising career as a baseball star, Asuka then makes the decision to reject the guy's feelings so they could both pursue their dreams without a relationship possibly interfering.
Just a little insight for those that think just because Asuka has balloons for breasts that makes her any less stronger of a character than Lara Flatchest up there.
@Ernest_The_Crab Yes, it's very ironic indeed.
BossBattles
If this is the route this site is going to take, I have no reason to visit it. Men suffer ALL the same things, so to only point it out for women is what is TRULY sexist.
Eh. People complain when they can't see Randy get an abortion in the UK version of the new South Park game yet they also complain when cleavage is being shown in Senran Kagura Burst...
jedisquidward
@Technosphile Already is. It's called damsel in distress
Impossibly large breasts? Please. Some women have large natural breasts. It is sexist to point out large breasts as a "dirty" or "offensive" thing. LOL
TheAdrock
The objectification of women is not a problem. Women ARE objects of male sexual desire, and 99.9% of women LIKE IT THAT WAY... or else women wouldn't try so hard to look good for us (hair, nails, fitness, bras, heels, perfume, et al). If you disagree then you are naive.
No, men are not viewed similarly to women. Women are constantly objectified and even more so when they "dress up" to fulfill a man's fantasy.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.1890/abstract;jsessionid=E0E4E6DD666C3978F43F1B77A68004AC.d03t01
SocksandSocks
Good article. Ballanced and fair. I don't know how I feel about it. I won't lie and say I haven't been attracted to the coverage of this game, but I do feel a little uneasy about the whole thing. I suppose this sort of game is to be expected in an industry whose two highest selling games last year were 1. a war sim and a sandbox where you are free to kill anyone you want. I'm not saying I wouldn't buy either of these games if they had come to Wii U (I did get Black Ops 2, but skipped Ghosts), but per unit sold the medium has more questionable content than the film industry.
@theadrock13: Depends if woman can capitalize on their sexuality then they may enjoy being objectified. But for some woman "objectification" can lead to all types of insecurities, eating, and mood disorders, etc.
ok, after the post #117 I give up on defending the japanese media and I'll side with the fake moralists......
that was going too far.
@theadrock13 Gay women don't even account for only .01% of all women, thus your argument is already wrong even if i didn't already not agree with it.
Please watch the insults — TBD
^ naive. My original statement remains true and cannot be disproved. The only people who deny truth have been brainwashed or have no understanding of human sexuality.
AndrewOnett
The fact that rubbish like Senran Kagura Burst sells is indicative of the consumer. It's a shame that Marvelous AQL resorted to cheap marketing gimmicks to sell a surprisingly solid game that didn't require the raunchy tactics.
R-L-A-George
@theblackdragon Amen! Also leaving room for social justice nuts and special snowflakes flaming looking for attention and them not taking responsibility for their trolling. Is an issue. When you block them they may go into playing the victim and martyr, calling on their army. They're like 4chan. D:
@boxmonkey Unless you're being sarcastic, bad idea. We live in a world where woman, are different shapes and sizes. The SG girls are not terribly unrealistic.
@Squiggle55 Yes the make games with sexualized men, they just don't go beyond shirtless and with underwear because with exceptions. Men are funny naked to both genders, as does unrealistically sized genitals. Woman have big breast, natural to fake and they appeal to both genders.
@bossbattles AMEN
Honestly, People that complain about this game have not seen Queen's Blade which has an episode where a character pretty much gets raped during a fight. QB is an anime about a woman only fighting tournament.
Despite being a bit kinky, SK is nothing. Although it is rather typical in harem genre of anime for there to be at least one female character that has the privilege to molest another female, whether it's accidental, playful or lust.
There's objectification of both sexes in media. People just tend to ignore the male side because they think that all male objectification is positive while all female objectification is negative, which is not necessarily the case. First of all, romance novels aimed towards women are a thing. Second, the sexualized female characters are not always weak or subservient to men. While I won't deny there are cases of female objectification where they are certainly are, Senran Kagura isn't one of them. Sexualized does not equal sexist.
so sad that people always have to make such a big deal about stuff like this, really annoying
sexism.. feminists.. ahhh, just be quiet :/
And yet nobody criticised Daria...
@R-L-A-George pointing to other bad behavior isn't a justification for more bad behavior. The topic is specifically about this game, there's been nothing to suggest the people who have a problem with this game don't also have a problem with a lot of other serializing and objectifying of women.
@Romeo you don't have to be a feminist, or even female, to think women deserve to be treated better than this.
Sonic1994CD
That's a funny commercial.
Dark-Link73
My comment most likely be lost at the bottom but what the heck...
Any women (and person in general for that matter) that complaints of the objectification of women (OoW) in video games need to wake up and smell the coffee. SEX SELLS! and as long as it continue to sell, objectification of women will continue to exist. OoW is EVERYWHERE. TV, magazines, internet, books, movies, EVERYWHERE. All those women that loved Fifty Shades of Grey? OoW is in it. Peach in Strikers? OoW is in it. The Bachelor TV show? OoW is in it. Stiletto shoes and summer wear? You can bet your butt OoW is in it!!!!
Do I enjoy it? As much as the next guy! Does that man I advocate it? Hell no (I have a daughter and I know how much she'll struggle in this man-oriented world). The point is, as long as we are driven to procreate in a sexual way for the continuity of the species, OoW will exist.
@Onett or maybe you're just uptight and can't let some people enjoy games you don't
@Yorumi
that's not what im saying... im saying that always talking about it and making such a big deal because of a game like this.. is just pathetic
so what.. games like this aren't supposed to exist anymore? because women feel so inferior because of it?
ohhh.. buhu.. its a game, move on and stop crying
always making such a big deal about stuff like this is just pathetic and won't help, just don't buy the game if it's not for you and move on
Eisenbolan
I am forwarding this article to a jezebel.com forum. Its an interesting well written article.
MikeLove
@Ryno
Ya, because none of those problems affect young males either, right?
Plenty of males have eating disorders, body image issues, obsessions with working out and low self esteem based on their bodies as well. Lets not pretend these issues are exclusive to women.
For every game that "objectifies" women, there are ten that objectify men as hyper aggressive, musclebound meatheads, yet there are no special interest groups whining about that.
@Romeo it's not crying it's just encouraging people to show some respect to others, as well as some maturity. Just because you can do something doesn't make it right.
vattodev
Even though the concept of SKB is a fun idea (brawler with air combos and specials), the excessive abuse of things that flirt with pornography doesn't really appeal to me. It's weird, because I like games with sexy girls, like the Warriors Orochi series, for example. But in those games, even though there are sexy girls, it's not forced into your game. You can certainly play without any visual abuse. SKB crosses that line and focuses too much on a very specific group of people that want a game that has 100% fan serviced characters. It's similar to porn, but lighter. Though I read that (as most japanese fanserviced games) there is a lot of character development in SKB, which is exactly the opposite of objectification.
KarateKid1234
No, I refuse to boycott Video Game Characters. It's just like that degrading, feminist campaign "Ban bossy". I think we should all boycoot today's society and it's very often naivety.
I mean, COME ON! Usually i'm a lazy, normal internet fr00b, and I usually don't read long articles, but if you're going to be against a simple game, a simple piece of plastic, either you are kidding, trying to take away a simple inanimate object or just that.......well, maybe I'm getting carried away, but come on! If you think this is degrading women, that's stupid. Sometimes, they degrade themselves. Same goes for FEMINISTS. They are probably the level of the Pineapple. A lot of Feminists are hated for reasons, and it's because they can be very stupid. Anyone can be stupid, but i'm just pointing out they are. in the end, everyone today has been dumbed down to the level of a kidnegardener. Honestly, as you can tell, Senran Kagura is like an Anime-based game. In anime, Girls (and boys, in all honesty) are dumbed down. Honestly, I thought it was a bad thing, but when we ended up to today, I just feel it's as equal as it is.
Look, I am a raging nugget here, yes I am. I am a raging little fanboy. I am, whatever insult you call me. Yes. Except you guys need to wake the (Super Nintendo, now 40% off! -1993) up and realize, that it's a game! The way it objectifies a certain gender is fine. You can have whatever opinions on it. I just feel people need to stop being nitpicky pansies about the game. Everything I am saying is arguable. This is just my point of view. I'm not sure if I read this article right, but from the looks of the poll, and the Chris-Chan Ken Penders God-like (sarcasm) comments, I'm sure i'm right
...jesus tapdancing christ, my jimmies are rustled! >;( no, really. i've never been so mad in my life. i'm just this kind of guy.
@nin "sexualized does not equal sexist"
so what.. a game in which you can see some cleavage is a big deal now?
it has to do with "respect" ??
the way i see it... developers are working on this game.. it's their (+ the publishers) choice what they're gonna work on... then they'll release it
people who like it = buy it
people who don't = ignore it and move on
if it's not for you, stop whining
sex sells, deal with it.. it's always been that way. why does this 1 game bother/affect you so much?
"doens't make it right" .. so developing a game like this isn't okay?
why not? just because you don't like it?
guess what.. not everyone is as uptight as you are... and since we're talking about "maturity"
it would be mature to just move on and stop whining over things which don't affect you in any way
@JohnRedcorn I don't disagree with you, except that "men as hyper aggressive, musclebound meatheads" is a stereotype not a sexual objectification. But certainly men are viewed as sex objects as are women — and rightly so. If not then the species would die out. Men go to strip joints and women go to the male review... not for an emotional connection but to see sexual objects. These are just facts of nature that naive feminists wish to pretend doesn't exist, meanwhile they paint their nails too...
TrueWiiMaster
This reeks of hypocrisy. So this game shouldn't be supported because of how it depicts women, but similar depictions of men in video games don't matter? That's a double standard. If you complain about this but have no problem with buff, shirtless guys, you're probably a hypocrite.
DigDoug91
Why not boycott anime too?
@TrueWiiMaster
Mario being a fat, blue collar Italian guy with a mustache who speaks broken english is a racial caricature too. Hopefully NL writes an article about this disgusting fact soon.
Legromancer
@LeasTwanteD
um... it's out?
http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B00I9TVGWA/ref=s9_newr_gw_d36_g63_i6?pf_rd_m=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF&pf_rd_s=center-7&pf_rd_r=0PP5BFZTXTMCXGEF9H4T&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=455354307&pf_rd_i=301128
EDIT: scrap that, but i have seen it already in a McGames store... hmm.
@JohnRedcorn I love you.
@LunaPon-3 That's just Phil Fish dumb. That's basically boycotting Cartoons. I don't want to hear any B.S. like "it has a different art style so iz diffurent". So, is Rayman Legends a picture book? Is a Tomato a Vegetable? Is a Human a Robot? I wouldn't think so.
@Yorumi It is not real - it is harmless.
It is also not being used as an impossible template causing real issues like lots of the so called female empowerment garbage.
I find it highly unlikely that this game will cause a single female to try and become like any of its characters using whatever methods.
@LunaPon-3 yes let's completely boycott the japanese media.
goes watch D-Frag(yeah the one with the girl so busty that her jacket's zipper went flying and knocked out the MC)
@GuSilverFlame I more than love you for referencing that Anime. I know so many Anime Otaku Gamers.
Ignoring these articles eventually would make them stop (Little chance of that happening though which is somewhat amusing).
OGGamer
"especially the UK YouTube spots which likened the title to the kind of dirty magazines teenage boys would (secrete)under their beds "
Ewwwwwwww I hope that was a typo Damien .
Vincent294
This is why I'm actually interested in the new Tomb Raider. Lara Croft is an actual character, not some model. The gameplay is also good I've heard. I'll support an honest effort when I see one.
gthegman157
I think a better point is who the hell is aroused by video game characters? masturbating to virtual and especially anime characters is f*cked up. I have never comprehended how anime porn exists
KeithTheGeek
I suppose it all comes down on how you view it. I personally think it's entirely possible to still respect women (and men, depending on circumstance) while enjoying media that objectifies them. It's the same debate over violent media- just because you might enjoy blowing someone's brains out in GTA doesn't mean you'll go out and do the same for real. Likewise, whatever crude reasons you have for playing a game like this one doesn't mean you'll go out and treat a woman like an object.
Saying we should boycott the game is silly. It's up to the consumer to do their research and decide for themselves whether they feel the game crosses the line. For my part, I think it's immature and a bit cheeky, and I'll probably never buy the game, but it's not because I like or dislike the art. It'd be based on if the game was interesting enough to actually be worth playing.
I'd also like to point out that the poll options are silly, as well. It's entirely possible to think the game doesn't look appealing and still think it isn't sexist. It almost seems as if you're trying to force a certain idea onto us- that male gamers can't help but find the game pleasing because of its well-endowed cast of characters.
AyeHaley
I must say, guys get sexualized as well..not as much as women but still quite a lot.
This is an old topic and gets older and crustier every time I read it. This debate has been going on since boobs evolved from a pallet of 256 colors to a bunch of triangles. But the argument is even older than that. It's been argued the same with movies, TV and any other pop culture were "perfection" is delivered to a consumer that demands no less. The proportions in gaming women characters vary form thin and lithe to athletic to bombshell - just as in movies, TV, cartoons and reality TV. But the same goes for men. No one talks about the impossibly muscled men no shorter than 6'4" that are constantly delivered through not only TV, etc. - but games too. Look at the male heroes. And like women, not ALL mae characters are impossibly muscled and fit. But the vast majority are still very handsome and very, very fit. More so than probably 80% of the world's populace.
So if we're going to continue to talk about this tired subject, why don't we open it up to not just objectification of women, but the bamboosling of the general public by multiple industries - trying to sell us a Utopian view of life. And if we DO argue this, then it's very simple... history has shown time and time again that we don't buy less than perfection... we may want to debate it. But... sorry folks... the same people crying about the objectification of women in games (TV, movies, etc.) will be the first to walk right past a product where average, overweight Plain Jane with bad skin, nappy hair and crooked teeth is the main focus - unless it's comedy. Would love to put this topic to rest finally.
@AyeHaley Luigi's Ballad is so catchy. I know all the lyrics to it.
@unrandomsam it's about respect for women and not treating them as sex objects.
@KarateKid1234 Nice avatar dude! I guess I'm not the only person imagining that Felix Jr's. Golden hammer ("handed down by Daddy", per Wreck it Ralph) came from Mario!
WesCash
The game clearly objectifies women, that's not even up for debate. But as silly and tasteless as it may be, it has every right to exist. I'd say the same thing about a game with scantily clad males in it.
The_Fox
People absolutely unwilling to even consider the possibility of women being objectified in games (which seems to be about half of the posters here) makes me sad for humanity.
@AcesHigh Yep! I've been thinking that the whole time! Finally, I can relate to someone!
@The_Fox It's a Video Game; if a game hurts you so much, you must be new. It's. FICTIONAL. Not, REAL. When has Italians ever started squishing Midgets? When has Hedgehogs ever started eating chili dogs, wearing gloves, wearing sneakers, and didn't know how to swim?
@WesCash: "The game clearly objectifies women, that's not even up for debate. But as silly and tasteless as it may be, it has every right to exist. I'd say the same thing about a game with scantily clad males in it. "
Yeah, those games that contain the men who wear thongs and have the waxed chests totally deserve to exist. In fact we need more of them.
@Yorumi I wasn't making a justification. I was just saying that there are worse. We live in world of odd sexualism and fetishes. In anime, male characters more likely get beat up for even attempting what most female characters get away with.
There is a little female empowerment, in playing a character we like aesthetically and move set wise that people may find offensive, sexually objectified and just plain unrealistic. We all objectify and we'd be hypocrites to curse men to death just because they may objectify woman.
@The_Fox Well... as I mentioned in my post, just turn the TV on, go to the movies or pick up any one of the trash rags in your supermarket and you will probably start weeping where you stand. Because the issue is much bigger than video games. The problem is that the reason that we BUY this stuff is BECAUSE of our humanity. Our DNA is written to desire certain physical traits in choosing out mates. If you want to blame someone, blame God or the Big Head in the sky for wiring us this way (same for women towards men, BTW - but we don't talk about that because games are still predominantly male). Also, if you want to blame someone, blame ourselves for not buying games, movies, shows, magazines that show plane Jane with her acne and pooch are the main focus of the product.
@Ryno We are not allowed the manly equivalent. http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2010/01/ai_ch_aniki_virtual_console
Tryken
You know, I come to Nintendolife to avoid the overly-politically-correct blog spam of Kotaku and other Gawker websites.
Why don't we address Dante's design from Devil May Cry? What about animes like "Free"? Kuroko no Basket? What about the massive objectification and slash of the two brothers in Supernatural? Shirtless Thor? One thing I really like about Japan, especially in anime, is that they're not afraid to appeal to both female and male sexuality. Yet here we immediately throw out a political correct card and go conservative here. It doesn't bother me if exaggerated males are presented for the entertainment of women. I think women are smart enough to separate fantasy from reality. Why isn't this credit given to men?
The problem with the "this game has over-the-top sexy girls, therefor it advances the objectification of women" is that 1.) It's a slippery slope fallacy and 2.) It stifles expression in art. Does killing droves of people in GTA cause respect for the law to decrease in reality? No, it doesn't. Does porn convince you that when you get pizza delivered by a blonde she should rip her top off? No, because it's fantasy meant for entertainment. It's just important that those who are mature enough to separate fantasy and reality play it. And at the end of the day? Just like WesCash said, it has the right to exist. You don't get to fight for video games being an art and then turn around and start censoring it. It's hypocritical. If a certain piece of art doesn't appeal to you for a personal reason, don't buy it.
Please don't become like Kotaku and start witch hunting whatever politically correct topic is currently trending at the time, especially one as false-positive as this one.
@KarateKid1234 The only thing that foils this theory (which saddened me) is that Felix referred to Mario as "Mario" when he thought he was knocking at the penthouse door (when it was really Ralph). Felix doesn't seem like the type to call his dad by his first name.
@unrandomsam: mmmm.... I want that game!
I am very much a progressive liberal in my private life. A white male who is a big supporter of equal rights for everyone who is not one or either of those things.
That being said, I still frickin' love this game.
It's a video game populated with make-believe characters. You'd have to be pretty sick to hold women to some sort of exaggerated, cartoonish standard of beauty because of Senran Kagura Burst.
Nice that people can at least acknowledge that this is indeed an issue. The point is not "should we censor it?" it's about a larger scale problem that men; people to understand why it's not ok to just ignore it forever so the impulse to create games like this just isn't as strong and accepted.
Stuff is ridiculous and embarassing; Sex is normal and it does sell; I like sex as much as the next person but this doesn't make it just fine to have every fictional female character wearing lingerie and tits popping out as their only "personality trait". The RPG stuff is sometimes the worst in that there are these female "warriors" running around in armor with a g-string and cleavage hanging out; it's just dumb looking and immediately tells me that the creators have not moved an inch from the minds of the sheltered hermits that have historically created most video games.
I actually believe that there is a massive market for "adult" games of this sort, and actually pornography is not fundamentally wrong in that it can be a healthy outlet for some people. but Video Games are still stigmatized by adults as a thing for "kids" at their core. Even obviously adult themed games like Last of Us are viewed as just more violent outliers in a kids format. If society could treat gaming as the mature, diverse medium that it is there would surely be a place for a properly regulated XXX adult set of games.
That's a different issue than this here but I only mean that this kind of obviously aimed at kids game that makes ALL women look like sex toys is horrible and that's a problem with gaming over all but a different kind of industry on the publics eyes could also support a properly rated and regulated adult games industry; I'm surprised it hasn't happened already.
@Ren At least you make sense about it and aren't just a blockhead who quickly makes assumptions. It's ok to like the game, it's ok to dislike it.
sevex
I'd say it takes a pretty fantastic imagination to perceive the characters in this game as anything close to real women.
Aside from that, in order to objectify a woman you need an actual woman, not some animated pictures on a screen.
@Tryken I agree with you 100%. I think the problem is that some people just like to hear themselves talk or like to sound smarter than they really are or like to show how "adult" they are by being "PC". Or maybe all of the above. This topic is a very myopic view of a much larger topic that spans all media. And it's one that we, as human beings with certain urges and programming in our DNA, simply prefer to buy if we have a choice of pretty over plain. It's the same thing as calling someone a snob for preferring a nicely cooked meal over a can of brussel sprouts. No different folks... next topic.
marck13
Education is the key. It will be a more and more precious and limited good as the population on the planet is increasing in never seen amounts. Oh our mind is so vulnerable to ideologies unless we can nourish it and set it free from boundaries - trough dialectic I propose to you.
@sevex Well said. Constructive Video Models are in no way downgrading, antagonizing or objectifying.
P.S. Your picture's glorious. "HERE'S-A-ME! WARIO!"
@sevex What about the Virgin Mary ? I think that definitely counts as objectification.
SCRAPPER392
I'm not interested in this game. There's alot of stuff like this out there that could be considered more inappropriate, more accessible, and less expensive.
This is a $30 game, IIRC. You've seen a trailer if you're willing to dish out $30. It's not even that bad, IMO. Gears of War has "tank" men, but also has characters like Sonya and that other girl that fight with them.
Besides, I thought there were guy characters in the game, too.
Sickening!!
@JohnRedcorn Remember that Spongebob episode where Patrick and Spongebob were in a boxing arena and they looked buff with no clothes on but underwear? It's kinda like that.
shaneoh
@JohnRedcorn
I find it hilarious, same as SKB
Honestly what is wrong with people these days. There are no people in these games, they are pixels. No sentience, no emotions, just bits of light that our brain organises into thinking they look like people
First Women complain about so little girl characters in games, now, when they get it, they complain more? Jesus...
I see more people complaining about political correctness and defending the game than I do people actually complaining about the game. I think this means everything's going to be okay in the end.
@KarateKid1234
Saying that it doesn't count because it's fictional is the ultimate cop out. I guess books, movies, plays and television should get a free pass also, then?
@CaviarMeths ByNintendo's standards...
Also that's because their ages are censored.
LzWinky
I personally think these kinds of games are disgusting. You can throw pitchforks at me all you want. I don't like sexualization on either gender.
ShadJV
First of all, I'm from the US, not the UK, so I can't speak for how it is across the Atlantic, so bear that in mind when I say I disagree with any form of censorship. I do NOT believe any content such as this should be attainable for children, who are still quite impressionable, and if the issue is kids obtaining this, I believe it reflects on parents or parental controls. The fact remains, with the accessibility of the internet, if a minor truly wants to view sexual content, he/she likely will find a way. Personally, I do not believe that's an excuse for censorship. Yes, I see sexism here, but for a different issue: if men were the ones being displayed here for sexual gratification (and there is media that does this, even if not in gaming), very few would care. If there are people who want to see this sort of media, who are we to tell them what they can purchase? If the argument is it changes how they view women, first of all that's a poor reflection of their character that they are so easily affected and I doubt they'd feel differently without this media, and second that isn't a reason to take away someone's rights; smoking cigarettes can harm others with secondhand smoke yet we don't illegalize that. I respect anyone's right to be disgusted with this "objectification of women", but who are we to shove our viewpoints on women? I've played games that do this, though not for sexual reasons, and couldn't care less about the content's existence. I'm all for sexual equality and would risk my life for equality, but every adult has the right to create or view whatever media they like, especially when it's fictional characters. An adult should be able to separate fiction from reality, though, and it's not our responsibility to baby them; if they treat people as an object, lock 'em up for all I care, but these games don't depict real people and, if people are getting their jollies from fictional images, who cares? As long as they treat real people equally, let them do what they want when they're alone.
@The_Fox So you're enraged at an inanimate object? Mere pixels your brain is creating?
Way to go, NL Editors and Publishers; You created a Flame War ONCE AGAIN.
What? I think you're fundamentally missing what the discussion is about.
@KarateKid1234: I'm pretty sure we're not using brains as computer displays, so I'm not sure where you came up with the idea that our brains create pixels. That said, the article was created to foster discussion, which has happened quite spectacularly. If flames are what you're interested in starting, we ask that you keep them to yourself. Thanks!
@ShadJV It is an international site. Whether they review an US or UK game, it counts as a review of that game.
@R-L-A-George I know that and don't see what that has to do with my argument.
@theblackdragon things have not been that bad, I've been to the dark side of the internet and debate here has not been terribly uncivil.
Klimbatize
@KarateKid1234 "First Women complain about so little girl characters in games, now, when they get it, they complain more? Jesus..."
LOL, what a spectacularly dopey comment.
@R-L-A-George what, you've been to the looks around deep net? how is it? I heard lots of things about it but never had the guts to go there seems too dangerous in a certain way....
@theblackdragon: Since you are an girl or I assume so. Do you think the complaints are from the women or the men? I know some women in real life enjoys those kind of stuffs.
@ShadJV I was just saying, it's alright.
I done goofed.
I really did. I suck.
@GuSilverFlame well part of it is Youtube, so not dangerous but more likely questionable for mental health. Youtube is the ultimate flaming site.
The framerate issues should be the most offensive thing about the game anyway.
@unrandomsam thank I just lost.
@Yorumi It's a 3rd party IP that sells on Nintendo's console. It'd be straight DAMNING for them to ban it just because of this. It'd send a negative message: We really don't give a rats behind about 3rd parties, at all.
@R-L-A-George: That reply was directed toward that one user in particular to address their prior comment. You're right, it hasn't really been that bad in here, all things considered. :3
@Super_Gravy: I'm not sure what you're asking, but my gender aside, making assumptions or generalizations about the demographic of people who find this sort of game personally distasteful (or not, as the case may be) would serve no purpose here. I'm afraid I don't have the data to properly answer your question.
bonesy91
If it bothers you don't play it. Simple as that. Do I like drugs? No so I don't smoke them. And I don't plan on boycotting my local 7 eleven for selling them.
And yes some people like myself can look past the sex and see the great story and amazing gameplay this title offered. Sorry but I don't get off to cartoons.
HyperSonicEXE
They don't have to be jacked under a suit of power armor.
Besides, just like feminism isn't about what males think of female objectification, the same applies here. If men are bothered by the over-muscular portrayals in media, that's our grievance - no one else gets to determine that, we do. This street goes both ways.
Actually, male objectification is MORE prevalent in the West, but men just aren't vocal about it. Cars, movies, underwear ads, cologne ads, vomit-inducing displays in the front of Abercrombie and Fitch and other stores of its ilk, comics, videogames, a plethora of places.
Anyway, I really am disappointed in even the thought to call for a boycott on Senran Kagura, a game that's clearly and unabashedly tongue-in-cheek and certainly geared at male gamers (though I'd love to play it with a female). On top of that, it's bloody censored, which is part of why I haven't bought it. All of these squabbles and feelings are getting in the way of artistic expression. This already damaged MN9, and I'm just praying it doesn't affect Shantae: Half Genie Hero.
I hope this is the last of the clickbait.
@theblackdragon Thank you for being polite about it.
hngdmn
"Parental controls are all very well, but many younger gamers could potentially be in a position to purchase and download the game without having to alert their parents to the fact."
That's a ridiculous argument. It applies to every game on every platform.
"The objective here is titillation, which makes it relatively easy to see why female players — just like the one who confronted me in the Nintendo Life office — are so uneasy with this situation."
So? It only means the main demographic for this game are not women. Do every game has to appeal to everyone? Games targeted towards females shouldn't exist because of male players?
y'know what, I've actually been thinking about this article for a while today, @Damo, and something's been bothering me — why is it important that we know that "a woman, for what it's worth" pointed this out to you? And why is it important that we know "she's a seasoned player herself"? If you're going to do a soapbox article like this, for pete's sake, man, own it. Don't give yourself an easy out, like you have a Long-Term Experience Female Gamer™ hidden in a closet someplace that you can roll out on occasion so people who disagree will shake their heads knowingly as they think 'oh a woman put him up to it'.
It's like saying 'why thank you for the compliment, a (insert ethnic minority here) lady did my hair'. Why is it important that we know she's of a particular ethnic minority? What impact does that have on the quality of my hairstyle that could possibly not be the product of a stereotype? Or introducing my neighbor to someone as 'a really sweet man, he's gay'. Of what importance is his sexual orientation to a casual acquaintance — or me, for that matter? What purpose does it serve other than to paint the person involved with a big fat brushstroke and then put all of those who share their gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation under the same microscope?
What a well-thought out point from tbd, and for what it's worth, everyone...she's from the South.
@Klimbatize So pro slavery ?
^ thanks for proving my point :3
kingston589
I think I sense Anita Sarkesian.
OldWeeDog
Hey all . Ok I've been following this for a while now. Here's my tuppence worth. It is only a game. If you want to get into the moral and ethics of it, then lets go. Remembering that you also need to talk about games like GTA, COD, Zombie U and the like. Different cultures have different tastes. I think that boycotting it is going OTT. If you don't like it then vote with you wallet, purse, bank card or whatever. What if the game portrayed you having 5,6 or more wives, like in some countries in Africa where it is normal? I bet the God Squad would be up in arms. Each to their own, thats what I say. It is only a game.
Live and let live.
Thanks for wiring this Damien. Great article. I hate the idea that we're supposed to just accept the objectification of half of the human race. The seeds it plants in the minds of straight men, gay men and women are "it's ok to see women as less than people", "something is wrong with you for not liking this" and "you are an object". The culture this type of thing has contributed to is incredibly dangerous and harmful.
@OldWeeDog Even taking Taliban sensibilities and making a game like that would more than likely cause great outrage.
Galenmereth
Well, better abolish porn, implement draconian porn filters, and otherwise do what the UK is doing.
Sounds great; I'll keep holding onto my freedom of expression thank you very much. Games are art, and if you're going to not allow certain kinds of art, then you are censoring art. Once you censor art, you've lost it as a society.
@lz: you don't get it — my entire comment was about exactly that problem. it's not important that i'm from the South other than to color me with stereotypes, for good or ill. it's not important that my neighbor is gay, it's not important that my hairdresser is of an ethnic minority, and it's not important that the person who showed @Damo a different point of view be a Long-Term Experience Female Gamer™. The important thing is that his eyes have been opened, my hair is fabulous, and my neighbor is a nice guy.
and also, that grits are amazing :3
Kid_A
There's no logical person on the other side of this issue. Obviously women should not be objectified.
clearly this is just not the place to expect serious informed discussion about the still vast objectification of women in games, movies, TV, print, everywhere.. And what Feminism means, about how privilege and patriarchy play into these depictions and problems. It's ceaselessly amazing how many young men like to fly into defensive rage and dismissal about anything that calls into question the clear privilege that men enjoy in societies around the world. I'd love to come back in 20 more years and see if anyone has learned anything. Just the mention of Anita Sarkesian is depressing as she endured totally unjustified rage, denial, even death threats for her thoughtful work in discussing the most obvious of trends in gaming.
@theblackdragon: I realize the connection
@Unca_Lz Why save it for later? It is just as relevant to the above discussion. It was the West that put the Taliban in power in Iraq in the first place. A 'normal' game for Japan gets translated and imported to the West. However, it is too shocking for some western sensibilities and dispositions so it needs to be 'boycotted' does anybody see an analogy here?
For Gods sake, who said anything about women being objectified? Why are games like GTA not being brought up where- dare I say it- prostitution is portrayed? Why is it only 1 game?
SMEXIZELDAMAN
Yeah, the game is pretty gross. It's a problem with humanity that sex is such an unnaturally inflamed desire, so our societies, being made up of people with that desire, will as a result focus on that desire in books, movies, music, video games, art and other things. It's really a problem with the human condition and it will never go away in that sense. Does that make it right? Not in the slightest. In fact, the casual oversexualization in the game makes it even worse, showing us how depraved humanity really is.
Interesting topic, but this subject matter won't be resolved anytime soon unless consumers stop buying, and that probably won't happen anytime soon.
YorkshireNed
Its a difficult question. If you'd asked me when I was 18, I would have laughed at you and called on free speech and letting the buyer decide. Now as a Husband and a Father to a young daugther, with statistics about breast implants on the rise, I feel differently. These sort of images create a physical image that young people cannot live up to. Of course, the same applies to impossibly muscled heroes [which thinking back, definitely affected my self esteem as a young guy]. However, I would hate to ever see any official legal censorship being imposed. I think a discussion like this is a good way forwards and to always bring up these issues in any coverage of such games. There is a lot of Japanese culture I love [esp. Nintendo games, Japanese psychedelic rock and Japanese history] but I don't want to import the sexualisation of children
CharleSketch
Political correctness is ridiculous, even more so in a gaming news website. As long as it's not downright insulting, I see no problem with the particular depiction of a character, male or female. Specially in this case, considering how well-developed the girls are in this game (pun intended).
All this discussion is doing is make me want to go back to play the game even more, and I might as well just do that.
Rafie
I LOVE BOOBS! I'm sorry. That added nothing to the topic at hand. sigh Me personally, I don't think there is a problem with it. This is all fiction. It's video game characters for crying out loud. Not actual people. Let the boobs stay, I say!
Mattiator
Will I buy SKB? No, I don't find the game appealing nor the fanservice titillating. But I wouldn't dream of condemning or boycotting it simply because I don't like it. We have enough outside challenges as an industry to be fighting internally over stuff like this (especially when in the US there's legislature being drafted that would make M-rated games not qualify as art for the purposes of tax breaks). Everyone's free to have their opinion, but everyone else is free to criticize and not buy their products if they don't like it.
Drobotic
It's okay to have a big-boobed character with personality.It's not okay to just have boobs with legs.
@Legromancer Maybe it was some other European version or something.
rylo151
what i don't understand is, how is this considered offensive, but you can play a game like call of duty where you brutally murder hundreds of people and that's just fine. how is sexuality more offensive than gore and murder??
mastermp2
Kinda true.
What about Punch-out?
Some people consider it very racist
rumple88
Needed to be said thanks for the article. This dialogue is much needed.
Ultra_Mario1001
These games are most definitively sexist and they objectify women. There is a difference between burly men and anime characters in this game. Games like this and how the media portrays women lead to psychological diseases like anorexia. Nintendo should have gone out of their way and cut out the immature and disgusting portrayal of women.
but either way censorship is not the answer, maybe some sort of education to encourage people away from this type of thing, they are only making games like this because there is an audience for it. still i would rather people deal with "murder simulators" before this type of content.
The idea that somebody could actually be offended by these game's existence, is stupefying to me. The disgust/outrage is so fake, it's embarrassing.
One thing i just can't take seriously with this topic, is when the campaigners (ha) are males, supposedly speaking on behalf of females.
pukka-pie
@rylo151 Murder simulators???
@rylo151
The problem here isn't with the graphical maturity of the game. The issue at hand is that women are being sexually objectified in this game. Honestly, I think that it's immature and disgusting. For example, look at the image of the stand above. If you don't think that is not a disgusting portrayal of women, I don't know what to say.
daggdroppen
Oh, please stop talking so much about this game and matter. Its embarissing and ironic that this gets so much attention. what about every bloody game nowadays where you kill hundreads of ppl? Cmon ppl. Get real! This is sick!
@Ultra_Mario1001 Anorexia is caused by the so called empowered women. (Like Fashion Models etc) The objectified ones (i.e glamour models and such) are much more normal.
@unrandomsam
I know. I was giving an example of what the portrayal of women by the media has caused.
go to your local mall and observe how young woman dress and tell me what is the difference between girls in this game and them. It is down right embarrassing
I think woman of today should dress like they respectthemselves not object themselves
May_Nyan
I don't think it's offensive
the issue i have is this is an issue, but everyone is fine with COD battlefield and any other type of game, movie tvshow that is all about death gore and murder. this is harmless, they are not real people and if some woman is that insecure about herself that this offends her then she has a lot bigger issues to worry about than this game.
According to that logic, it would be okay to have nudity in games just because it is harmless or that it's not real. Games and media have a very real effect on this minds of people.
Yes, nudity would not offend me as much as the content that is now already considered normal for games and other media. i would even let my children watch something with nudity (not porn) before letting them watch an action movie filled with murder.
@Ultra_Mario1001
It wouldn't be okay for you? Why?
Honestly I could care less... A good game is a good game no matter how it's presented..
Banker-Style
Tis a bit sexist, but there's far much worser things in the world than this.
Tigus
I think to a point this is a bit much and not just this game. Games that put or view women in this way is going a little too far, but both should be viewed for both men and women.
That poll is proof that most of you have been brainwashed by the patriarchy. These posts saying, "sure it's sexist but whatever it's a game," are why sexism still exists. We need to be LOUD about this crap. If those were pictures of men in banana hammocks with oversized and over detailed genitalia you'd all be really f*cking uncomfortable right now. But because they're women and it's "Japanese culture" it doesn't matter? Screw that. Objectification is still objectification no matter where it comes from or who it targets and it's always disgusting.
Jazzer94
@Damo Normally I think NL articles are fairly accurate but the fact that you neglect to mention the article on ONM was a blog post and was addressed as not the views of ONM themselves bugs me besides that I have no problems.
MetalKingShield
Honestly, I think we're becoming prudish in the West. It's a sad day when games developers have to think twice about whether they can include a bikini, or nudity or whatever.
KnightOfNothing
I just think that both genders should be more realistic. Sora from KH isn't super big and buff, but a strong teenage/young adult, and just like in the article, Laura Croft in the newest Tomb Raider is beautiful and strong without having breasts that are overly huge. I could imagine knowing a girl like her in my school. I must admit, it happens more to women more than men, and yet I don't think it completely deserves to be abolished, more realistic characters should be implemented in as many games as possible. The Bravely Default cast is also a good example of what is could be like. The main characters were normal looking people for the most part. (I mean, most of the time they're in chibi form, but in the animated cutscenes, pretty normal.) But that's just how I view the problem, and how I think it could be solved.
Nudity isn't even the issue here. Or the size of their breasts. It's the fact that these women are portrayed as sex OBJECTS. If they were naked for any reason other than to attract the male gaze it would be different.
And no, this does not happen to men. Ever. Men with big muscles in games are idealized but not objectified. There is a HUGE difference.
Arcamenel
These games are not made for women. It's just the fact of it. They objectify women and make them nothing but boobs on legs. You can't equate that to overly masculine male game protagonists because that is idealization not objectification. The characters still have depth and a likeable personality. These type of games have tons of fluff with the characters not being much deeper than a kiddy pool. That is the difference.
@unrandomsam Anorexia is caused by the media telling women that they need to be skinnier than they are in order to be loved. That is all. It's a disease that we as a society have created and it needs to be treated with love and respect. And objectified women aren't "normal" in the media. They're usually airbrushed to give them bigger breasts and slimmer waists.
@ User1988
" If those were pictures of men in banana hammocks with oversized and over detailed genitalia you'd all be really f*cking uncomfortable right now. "
Yes. Would we be saying that it should be censored and people shouldn't make these games because it objectifies men? Most likely no.
tobibra
No, I got nothing against this game. Dochi dochi shimpanja 2 on the othr hand (or whatever the games name is) is a completely diffrent thing. I got nothing against games that sexualies girls (or boys for that mather) as long as I dont harass them, or its shotacon or lolicon. That would be worse for me.
Dr_Corndog
I found this sentence to be interesting: "Gaming has grown up a lot in the past few years, and we're now tackling some pretty mature topics in the titles that we play." Considering this game is about as immature as it gets.
CrazyOtto
I think there should be more fanservice games with both scantily-clad women and bishounens in speedos and less with only one gender getting sexualized.
@CrazyOtto
There is absolutely no shortage of both, just of localizations.
@hngdmn I mean having both in the same game more often unless that's what you were talking about.
I'm sure there is but...why? Doesn't make sense much from a commercial standpoint because you might make your consumers confused or uncomfortable with some of the game content.
Ralek85
I have to strongly disagree with the whole sentiment, that gaming has matured when it comes to sex and gender roles. I don't really know where the notion comes from but I guess it is just one of those instances where people tell themselves over and over the thing they want to hear .... and somehow that manages a turn-around in perception .. which in turn substitutes for reality Oo And please nobody mention Mass Effect or the likes as an example of oh-how-mature the whole thing just got ... or at least stop to thinkit about for a moment before you write it down ... and then don't!
@hngdmn You're right there, games that feature both would only be successful among an even smaller niche of bixsexual gamers compared to the ones that only sexualize one gender.
It tickles me when you consider this game originated from the Japanese gaming industry. It's amusing because said industry also produces Otome games that objectify males & are clearly aimed at female Gamers. Entire areas of stores are dedicated to these games & can be freely imported or translation versions are available on PC. Clearly if people take issue with this, shouldn't Otome gaMes follow suit? The real issue is not Senran Kagura Burst. The real issue is the western gaming industry doesn't offer the same diversity & neutrality as the Japanese industry does so people jump on the hate bandwagon when a title like this springs up instead of querying western developers & publishers where games aimed at the female audience are
well said, @User1988
@MadchesterManc That's what most people call a double standart and yeah well ... when it comes to question of gender equality and sexism a double standart can be employed in one-direction and in one direction only ... else it would be hyporcrisy. I know I know it's very confusing, but that's no coincidence considering very confusing is a euphemism for political correctness. I remember some very intense discussion with women being upset (rightly so) that they were not allowed to service in German armed forces at the same time some of us young gentlemen were very, very upset that we were conscripted ...
@User1988 Is obesity caused by the advertising of junk food ? or alcoholism caused by similar factors. (Why not treat them all the same as smoking ?).
I don't quite understand the need for it. Most teenage boys have access to the internet.
Superryanworld
This is a issue that has made some progress,but still has a way to go.With character's like Lara croft,samus Aran,Bayonetta,and the boss that trained snake in the metalgear series,are such cool/fun character's I could care less that they're female.Then you have games like dead or alive or soulcalibur ,and while they are fun game's I swear whoever created the characters for those games must think like jiraiya from the naruto series.
lol, everyone acting like SKB is the only game with giant jiggling boobs...hell even a MARIO game had big jiggly boobs. (and its still considered to be one of the best SNES games out there. )
AVahne
Meh, still buying the game. Well...once there's a sale or price drop, because I can't justify spending over $15-20 on Nintendo's eShop while there isn't an account system active.
@JohnRedcorn You just won the internet as easily as you won Nancy's heart.
Also this is the perfect time for women to get their revenge!!! They should make a game with guys and their clothes rip off. They should give them overized acorns that are over the top bouncy and look like they're about to burst out of their pants. Make them take their shirt off as much as they do on those girly movies like twilight (Jacob just can't seem to keep his shirt on). Get revenge and teach us a lesson XD
In all seriousness though not bashing genders just trolling it's what I do.
I never knew you blew onto the 3DS to make their skirts go up. (That was not in the review).
I think I will buy my brother a copy. (He is married to a staunch modern feminist).
FritzFrapp
1. If your staffer is so easily offended by images such as this, then she may be better off choosing a different career path to media.
2. At every place where I have worked – from the smallest office, through international newspapers, to worldwide media corporations – if someone had the impertinence to lecture another that they should think the same way 'because they are a father and a husband' then they would quickly be shown the door. She's very lucky she's working for your site.
AJWolfTill
@Jayvir @TrueWiiMaster @DarkKirby
I think you three are missing the point. There is a great deal of difference between utilising stereotypically "attractive" male and female characters and the sexual objectification of either gender. Sure there are a tonne of burly handsome male characters and as many busty beautiful female characters. While I do think that the image issues which result from this are debatably even sided this game is not one of those cases. This is extreme sexual objectification.
Seriously just look at the front cover! Replace that cover with a ripped male torso and a pair of pants which are tightly hugging the hard bulge underneath whilst being pulled down just short of the base. You don't have to have a problem of that image existing but can you not see how walking into a game shop or popping onto a game site and repeatendly seeing the bulge cropping up again and again even if all you wanted to do was check out a Mario Kart trailer.
Potrayal of girls in gaming is not on the same level as males. I care because it is unjust but also because I love videogames and want them to be better than these squallid shackles.
Just read most of TBDs comments this is why you're the greatest dragon ever XD
Yeah I think I'd be done with a website that thinks they can shove their views onto everyone else (Fox news am I right LOL). I think maybe that's why I haven't really liked the soapbox article because if you read them it feels like you're telling us this is wrong you should think like me. Playing GTA is wrong windwaker is better, this game is wrong and sexist and we should all hate stuff like this, etc. just cuz you ask for our opinion at the end of the article doesn't excuse the fact that the whole article was just the author telling us games like these are bad and we should all think like you or that "female" gamer you had to mention just to prove a point and make your article resonate with more readers.
Manaphy2007
@Mizore you are right and people should get their priorities straight, fanservice is fanservice and if people like it then they should not be judged. i for one have not beaten senran kagura burst and im waiting for a n.american localization for the second. i just wish nintendo should be more open with these kinds of games (there are more in jp and a few in the usa) and let these go home with those whole like these types of games and let them be happy. if someone buys x-rated games then he/she should has the right to, as long as they are of legal age to buy them, whatever that legal age may be. i do not see girls as objects and i respect them even in games and sex is not a crime unless its assault or forced and buying fanservice games is not a crime.
What we need is a matters of import on Doki Doki Majo Shinpan to put this game into perspective.
@unrandomsam i did not know that and i will try that next time im playing senran kagura burst and it is a fun fanservice beat-em-up game, just like code of princess, speaking of i wonder if there will be a sequel for the 3ds and if they decide a vita version. another sorta fanservice game is liberation maiden and is a fun shooter game. like i said earlier i wish there was more fanservice games that not only have that but a lot of content gameplay wise.
@unrandomsam Maybe matters of import on "Duel Love"?
Duel Love is a fanservice game mostly targeting towards girls and yet they dont bash on it, not that m saying they should. if people judge me that i like fanservice then let them, i could care less, even final fantasy has some fanservice. while on the subject i think they should target the media because they are far worse than games, like game of thrones, game shows that have young girls looking like how they should look, beauty pagents, to name a few.
Nintendo_Ninja
Games like Senran Kagura Burst have stupid characters. They are simply for male gamers to watch as they flaunt their assets and fight. Is this game mainly about fighting? Look at the cover. Case closed. I don't find them offensive (Because I'm a dude), But I find it stupid.
PunchaYoBuns
@willobee Well said. Horrible awful violence should be much more questionable than enjoying the physical attributes of women. If anyone thinks for a second that it doesn't swing both ways, guess again. Look no further than the ABUNDANCE of shirtless ripped hot men in movies and film (Twilight, Magic Mike) - then there is literature - (50 Shades of Grey) - and the list goes on. Women enjoy a physically fit man every bit as much as a man enjoys a voluptuous woman. Neither of those things is morally wrong. Rather they are quite natural. Now, we can all admit that Japan takes things to a whole other level and it's really not equal in their media, but in America I would argue that within the last decade or two we've become pretty balanced as far as male/female sexuality on display.
@Dr_Corndog EXACTLY!
@PunchaYoBuns
"it's really not equal in their media"
That couldn't be more wrong.
Gruesome violence is also not important in a game. It adds nothing and I also find it stupid. Plus, look at a game like Zelda or Pokémon. Do the female characters flaunt their assets, or does Zelda? No. You know why? BECAUSE IT ISN'T NEEDED! Overly gruesome or overly sexual scenes aren't needed to make a game good. Graphics, gameplay, and story are the most important aspects of a game.
It's like going to Hooters. Are you really there for the food. No.
@Manaphy2007 I like Game of Thrones because they haven't messed up the story too much. (If adding pointless extra sex scenes is the price for that so be it). Hardly anything ends up telling the proper story. (e.g Legend of the Seeker could have been loads better if it just followed the books. The changes to V for Vendetta totally miss the point. Watchdogs (The film) is fine).
@Nintendo_Ninja ....have you even played the game? >.>
@vamkar
People with too much time on their hands and not enough sense to know that noone truly cares about their opinion (which makes the rest of my post all the more pointless).
@Nintendo_Ninja
"Gameplay, and story are the most important aspects of a game."
Fixed that for you. If you've played a text adventure game, you will understand why.
You're spot on, my GF has a thing for captain america and thor, but I don't rant on about objectification when she gets all drooly about it. If she started expecting such things in the looks, behaviour and physique from me, she would be sorely disappointed.
"According to that logic, it would be okay to have nudity in games just because it is harmless or that it's not real. Games and media have a very real effect on this minds of people."
Disagree. I was playing video games since before there were rating systems for them. My parents allowed me to play an animated strip poker game when I was three years old. I've never expected anyone to take their clothes off whenever they've lost a game of poker to me (would have made college embarrassing as it was just a bunch of dudes). Those who think such things are a reflection on how things should be in real life are mentally disturbed and should not be exposed to such media in any form. It's like saying Dungeons and Dragons turn people into satanic cultists. (but then these are the same people who claim that D&D turns you into a satanic cultist). They want something to blame other than their poor parenting skills.
Jesus, has anyone read even so much as the title of this article? "Ignoring The Objectification Of Women In Games Won't Make the Problem Go Away". That is the thesis in question. No one has said it should be banned or not be allowed to exist, or that it's any better or worse than whatever random other japanese sex game about guys you can come up with. The point is only that it SUCKS.
That this game is clearly and openly about these women being sexy and shtupable and they are designed in a way that looks as though that is why they exist. And that is downright reprehensible and we should all think about why that is and why maybe it would be cool if that didn't happen SO damn often in games. The above comments are exactly why this hasn't changed in over 30 years in this industry. Isn't it about time some of us consumers thought about why we like games and if this the kind of constant representation we want for ANYBODY?!
This isn't about XXX games, which may even have a place in some market, it's about the portrayal of women and girls in just any old regular game (sometimes for young kids) as buxom, dripping wet sluts that exist to serve men. That isn't ok to me and it's worth discussing why. It feels just shameful to be among peers who are so ignorant and arrogant.
Captain_Balko
I'd like to throw in my likely controversial two cents -
So what if women are being objectified in video games? People in general are objectified all the time. If the audience is mainly male, and the developer will make more money by "objectifying", then so be it. The same thing happens in the reverse when it comes to men in romance movies / novels. I mean, have you SEEN those pre-teen girl movies like Twilight? The men are objectified constantly. Their shirt is off every ten minutes. And there is nothing wrong with that, because it's what the target demographic wants. In Capitalism, if somebody wants something, and you can make money by giving it to them, you GIVE IT TO THEM. That's all there is to it.
@Captain_Balko So what about adding 3D porn to the 3DS eshop ? It is not all there is to it by a long shot. The only market where it truly works like that is the black market.
I have a more important question...............
silence...
...Anybody know which article has the most amount of comments on NintendoLife, just wondering. lol
@shaneoh Yeah. Graphics aren't what make a game good.
TowaHerschel7
@theblackdragon I completely agree with you! I'd never buy a game like this in a million years, but I wouldn't start a movement against this sort of game under the guise of my own website because that makes it look like it's the view of everyone who works for the website instead of just a personal view.
Ruffigan
The quality of a game is the sum of its parts. If a game has an involving story; tight game play; high replay value; and deplorable, sexist imagery it should be reflected in the rating. While we can fault the developers for making games with buxom babes, they're making these games for us, and as consumers and reviewers it is our job to relay our satisfaction with their products back to them. If we keep heaping praise on games such as this, they're going to keep making them. People are crying 'CENSORSHIP!', but what, here, is being lost by making these characters normal looking, relatable women? Offensive imagery that doesn't further the plot or add artistic merit? People are saying this is a great game, so why would deflating their breasts and showing respect for another potential demographic be a bad thing?I think the staff of Nintendo Life, IGN, Kotaku, etc. should grow some balls and start docking points for exploitation and controversy without merit.
@Ruffigan
"what, here, is being lost by making these characters normal looking, relatable women?"
Titilation?
I-U
I have enjoyed my experience so far with Senran Kagura Burst. Since breasts aren't the main focus of this game, that being the game's face-paced combat, I feel the objectification is not done by the game but by the player. If you came away from the game thinking that these women solely provide breasts for a male gamer, then I would say you've chosen to objectify the characters. I personally take the game's action as a lot of these characters' portrayal, more so than their breasts. If anything, I would argue that this game is becoming a victim of a campaign that is overblown by people seeing one portion of these women, choosing to ignore completely the more significant portrayal brought in by the game's action and the fighting style of these women.
@I-U
If the characters having gigantic breasts is not a necessary component of the game, they draw attention away from their unique and well-developed personalities, AND it offends potential customers, why do the characters need them at all?
@AJWolfTill
I said it before and I'll say it again. I am 100% for free speech and against censorship and as such am against political correctness. So no, I do not think men with a speedos and a bulge should be censored because of some kind of personal disgust with seeing it or because some people don't want to see it. I don't think some people being offended should EVER be a reason for something to not exist or to be censored.
As saying goes, "I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend (to the death) your right to say it".
And in the end, you are still saying the same thing, that it's okay to objectify men but not women just because more people complain about it.
Wowfunhappy
I don't find the game "offensive" per se, but I think it's pretty darn tasteless, and I do kind of wish Nintendo Life was giving it less coverage.
I'm not saying that the game as a whole should be "banned" or anything, for the same reason I don't think porn should be banned. It's free speech, and it has a right to exist. But porn also has it's own time and place... it's given a certain distance from other types of media. I think the same should apply with a game like this.
Because it attracts other potential customers? Because some people like this kind of thing? Because the creators wanted it to be that way?
" I don't understand how people find these deformed characters sexually attractive" Welcome to the world of anime.
kokirii
No point in getting into arguments with people whose minds are made up. Just wanted to say that as a man with an infant daughter hoping against hope that something about our culture's hunger to objectify people and hyper-sexualize everything changes before she becomes a teenager, I appreciate this Soapbox, Damien.
Marioman64
these things are more accepted in japan. game was made in japan, then localized and released elsewhere. of course other cultures are going to respond differently
@hngdmn
If the creators want to pander to perverts that's fine and well, but it detracts from and stigmatizes the game and its fanbase, as well as giving the finger to a major demographic, and that needs to be reflected when reviewing these games.
@shaneoh You make good points, and that's the other side of this coin: Yea, it isn't tasteful, but it's not taboo worthy either. There's a line one should cross, based on the context of their society, before we get into that. Still, people going "it's no big deal" don't realize just how warped Japan's sex culture is. They had an issue somewhat recently where some young boys tried to start a, and I kid you not, "rape club". Yes...a "rape CLUB". Like, a club dedicated to extracurricular stalking, molestation, raping, and mind breaking. That, and "Battle Raper: The Game" was a thing. Then there's Sengoku Rance, and on the slightly less edgy side, there's Qwaser of Stigmata that's a thing. FYI: None of that is safe for work.
Still, this is all on another level in comparison to SKB, but that doesn't mean that SKB isn't comparable. There's gotta be some degree of class here, in some shape or form. I can't show this to people that aren't nerds or otakus/weabs without expecting weird looks and/or remarks. Hell, I'm the one that give my friends that own these games those same weird looks and/or remarks.
But even with all that said...it's not something to call people to arms against. If people wanna buy it, they can buy it. It's not truly sexist, so why not?
Side note: Guys like Thor and Cap America aren't objectified. They're idealized. If they had ball sacks hanging to the floor and a chain that could smack someone with a slight turn of the hips, then yea, that'd be comparable.
@Wowfunhappy
It's called having a target audience. You don't have to like how the characters look, some people do. Like how how action movies are targeted at men, and dramas targeted at women. You don't have to be that gender or targeted demographic to enjoy those genres, but they were designed with that target audience in mind, they were not made to appeal to everybody, as much forms of media are not, nor do I think they should need to be. And of course, how yaoi (man on man love typically featuring handsome and/or cute men) is made with expectation that most of the people purchasing it will be women. And free speech and artistic freedom, which should never be restricted.
The breasts do draw attention, but if you're arguing that they completely take all the attention or even most of the attention away from the personalities they're given through story and gameplay, I'd say that's a case of the person wanting to objectify them, immaturity or a combination of the two. While I can see a reason to remove the breast proportions due to those who are really sensitive to this, I also don't want to see the change solely due to that reason because I do feel it's being overblown.
raghouse
It is done to gain attention and to sell games. Ignoring it is exactly what would make it go away.
@NINTENCHIP
Yes, cap and thor aren't objectifiable in my eyes, but the way my GF reacts to them is something completely different. It's not all about the organs, but other parts of the body and personality as well such as face shape, submissiveness, legs, feet and hands.
I agree there is a line, and the examples you have provided do cross it, no ifs buts and maybes about it.
Edit: Ughh, I wanted to start playing Wii U, that was an hour ago....
Genesaur
@theblackdragon There ya go. He's got it right.
Backwardsonapig
Some girls might want to be appreciated for their beauty, but that doesn't mean they want to be sought after purely for their body. I can understand why a woman would have problems with an overtly sexualized character in a video game that also lacks any redeeming personality.
Women, in general, are far more often judged by their appearance and not for their character. It's a societal norm. Guys face this as well, but I would argue it's to a far lesser extent. Sure, you could point to the crazily handsome muscular men that appear in video games to counter this, but these characters are used, because they are empowering to the mainly male audience of video games. Guys like to see a strong hero, because it makes them feel powerful as well. If there were to be a game where say, the male protagonist was merely a sex object, the game would probably fail with male gamers. Imagine seeing a character with a huge bulge near his junk, and that is similar to how women feel about games with busty women. And also, think about how few game developers make male characters like that, and then think of all the games that have overly sexualized women.
This game is clearly marketed to men, and it does sexualize the women. However, while I haven't played the game personally, it appears to be that these women are not, merely sex objects, but are developed characters that value beyond their sex appeal, and thus, I have no problem with this game, and I don't think others should either. There are much worse games, movies, and books to be outraged about on the issue of objectification of women; that said, I think it's an important discussions be had. I could go on, but this comment is already long enough as is.
KnightRider666
Who the hell cares? It's just a game people.
That's not a case of someone objectifying them, they ARE being objectified. They are women with supposedly deep personalities being portrayed in an undignified, sexually explicit, and shallow manner to sell a game to men. That is the DEFINITION of objectification.
@DarkKirby
I'm aware of what a target audience is, and that this game is marketed toward young men. I'm also all for freedom of speech and artistic expression. But what, exactly, are they expressing? That they like girls with big tits? Freedom comes with responsibility, and part of that responsibility is knowing how your actions and expressions influence others. If you're going to make art that shimmies on the border of pornographic and projects negative societal values, that art needs to be targeted at people old enough and wise enough to understand that, which their target audience is not. This game is a light example of that: from what I can tell the characters are well defined and have much more value beyond their overt sexualization. I'm personally not very offended by this game (the advertising and figurines are more offensive), but this soapbox is not just about this game but the objectification of women in video games in general, which is a serious problem.
k8sMum
having read every comment made up to this point, what i am noticing as much as anything is the attitude of many of those who are very pro SKB come across as angry. at women who dare complain, at men who dare complain, at the thot that gratuitous sexualisation and/or objectification might actually be real, that anyone who disagrees with them is a prude, that men have it as bad or worse. the 'whataboutery' arguments are rampant: violence is worse so this cannot be a problem.
i don't like the thot of any game being censored, but don't drool over the boobs then tell us you read playboy for the articles. or that developers have no say in how viewers will interpret their work so the have no responsibility in any of this.
yuwarite
Everyone who has a problem with sexual objectification of their gender has low self esteem; here's reality: Your BF/GF/Crush/Husband/Wife will always lust over someone other than you, get over it and face reality.
And stop caring that there are people who enjoy these kinds of games; get over yourself and leave them alone to enjoy their game.
@yuwarite
all that and more
surely you meant to add 'and don't you dare have any opinions other than the ones i give you'.
But what, exactly, are they expressing?
Artistic freedom means something should be doable and can exist simply because the artist wanted it that way, there doesn't have to be some deep meaning behind it.
I said already in my earlier posts, I am 100% for free speech and against censorship and as such am against political correctness. You are saying you are for freedom of speech except when it's something you disagree with.
"You are saying you are for freedom of speech except when it's something you disagree with."
And in a sentence you've summed up every person on the planet
@AugustusOxy
'whataboutery' is not a valid argument.
anyhoo: your statement of about 9 hrs ago pretty much put where you stand on anything to do with women who see their life experiences differently than you.
Lalivero
@Mizore #298 I think...
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/06/e3_2012_nintendos_3ds_software_showcase_live
Has over 800 comments. A ways to go if you thought this article was a lot, ha.
Azaris
You know i don't cry over objectification when i see characters like kratos.
the fact is their are almost no UGLY playable characters in games.
@Chriiis Darn. xD
Then again this is only a day old and its already half-way there.
I'm saying there are ramifications. You can yell 'FIRE' in a crowded movie theater, but don't be upset when you're charged with disorderly conduct. You can wear black face on Halloween, but don't be upset if someone breaks your nose. You can slander someone's work, but don't be upset when they sue you for libel. You can make offensive caricatures of women, but don't be upset when people protest your work. Freedom comes with responsibility, and freedom does not protect you from the consequences of saying or expressing stupid things.
Chibi-Hobo
@Kimimi - Your last line hits the issue perfectly for me. I can't even think of anything to add or clarify. (Much appreciated.)
"Artistic freedom means something should be doable and can exist simply because the artist wanted it that way, there doesn't have to be some deep meaning behind it."
Allow me to just chime in because it turns out what you said here is practically exactly why SKB exists.
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/04/what-this-man-really-wanted-was-to-see-breasts-in-3d/
I'd like to say I agree with your views on censorship, but when the only artistic freedom that would be defended by not censoring is the fact that he just wanted there to be boobs, I do question what's really at stake if it were censored. It reminds me of this one censorship in the Japanese Pokemon Electric Tale of Pikachu manga, it had to do with boobs as well. I'd rather suggest looking it up yourself if you care to, but it seems the to be the same kind of "artistic freedom", it was something somewhat perverted that was in the manga, but it had no real purpose of being there (especially in a children's manga) and was edited out in the English version. Personally, when it comes to changing something perverted like this, that holds no bearing on the rest of the work (maybe one could argue that the boobs are important to the rest of SKB, personally I don't think so) I don't see it as such an attack on someone's artistic freedom.
@Mizore that and its what gives the characters a charm. look at soul calibur, fanservice with few with giant hooters, ninja gaiden i can name more but their main focus is not the women and objectifying.
@Mizore All of those comments minus ~ 6 were made on that one day, so good luck. XD
It may beat out one of the Rayman Legends Wii U delay threads though, which had like just over 600 on the second.
Looks like things are slowing down atm. Heheh
anyone seen the anime version? tell me in your opinion if you like it or not, im gonna watch it regardless
I don't look anything like movie heroes such as Thor or Captain America. Heck, I don't look like iron man either. I don't look like any male character on TV or in movies. I am shortish at 5'6 Or about 166cm tall. I have a roundish face and am not super fit or super fat. And I cannot hope to look like any of these characters because I am not white, I am southeast asian. I have literally been turned away by people because I am asian whether it be just friends, asking to hang out, going on a date, or otherwise. So don't tell me that male image in movies is less harmful or not harmful. But you know what? I can't change it and I don't see why I should let it bother me in the long term. Having these images in media shouldn't change my opinion or whether or not I will like something. Thor is a good movie series even if I cannot and will never be Thor like. And Senran Kagura burst may have big breasted women but it is still an action game people do like and feel that it isn't completely fanservice.
@kuribo4
Kill La Kill is amazing and I implore every human being to watch this show. Aside from kids.
Sexist? Just a little bit (and a little bit)
Magikarp3
Interesting piece. I do wish there were more options on the poll though, as I'm not really in a position to argue either view.
I'll admit it's pretty futile to defend the content of the game or the advertising. I honestly thought it was going to be pretty niche. But it charted, and seeing as from the activity on this site it's fairly popular. As much as I would like to disagree that sex and controversy sells, we constantly see reminders that it's a truth of the industry. I'm still trying to figure out what implications that has for gaming as a whole though.
im to buzy playing games to read all of this. do i plan on buying this game? no, but i am buying coception. supose we can talk about that one next week.
one thing is certin @staff this article and comment section definately sold at least a few copys. no such thing as bad publicity........
They're video game characters. They have no ages. Their ages are whatever you imagine them to be. Just because someone slaps an arbitrary number on a girl and says "I thus declare this girl is, let's say, 15", doesn't mean they couldn't have just as easily slapped an arbitrary number of, let's say, 25. Besides, ages in video games are rarely revealed. The age of the character is whatever you want it to be in your mind. So stop imagining these sexual female characters to be underage, and they won't be.
It's hard to portray age in a video game, especially a game running on meager 3DS hardware. The best indicator is the fact they're fully grown in both stature (height) and sexual development. That should be enough right there to let you know the woman in question is at least 18. I mean seriously, how are developers going to make a girl look 19 as opposed to 16? What differences would you see in the character model? None. None whatsoever. The girls are only underage if you insist on imagining they are.
mikeymaster2001
I'm pretty hesitant to wade into this, because of the awful way that I've been treated on this site in the past, on this very topic. So all I'll say is that I disagree with this sort of treatment of women.
@k8smum
I'm with you.
I think some people are overestimating the human race. There's no best way to make something (no matter how morally wrong) acceptable, than to depict it as 'light-hearted fun' or amusing. Satire is something else, but even that is often appreciated by the general public more for the content and not for the message it would like to convey.
theberrage
No, the game's portrayal of women is purely for the gratification of male gamers.
After playing Senran Kagura, Genghis Khan started treating women as objects.
@shaneoh
You are right, so I will make clear where I "disagree" with expression.
Where I believe freedom of expression should be "stopped", is when someone is directly, unfairly, and unwillingly physically harmed by the production of said expression or something else that is by itself already wrong, like if you steal/break someone's possessions (against their will).
Example: Someone robs, kidnaps and tortures someone in what they call art and expressing themselves, but theft, kidnapping and torturing someone against their will is itself wrong.
Someone making a movie about and with the intention of promoting how one race is better that all others and everyone except this one race should be treated as slaves. Every actor and actress in the movie agreed to participate in it willingly and nobody was hurt against their will in its production. Do I agree with the intended message of the movie? Of course not, I disagree with it intently. I believe in "actual" equality (not forced equality). I will try to reason with people who believe in racism and explain why people should be treated and judged for who they are and not what they are. But I do not think said film should be censored because I disagree with it's intended message. Nobody was harmed in the making of the film and even if I disagree with it, they have the right to express their views.
As I said before "I may not agree with what you say, but I'll defend your right to say it".
"Potential" ramifications doesn't mean something should be censored.
Yelling "fire" in a non fire situation in a crowd directly causes people physical harm and it's been proven because (sadly) many people in crowds are cowardly panicky creatures who would kill innocents to save themselves.
You should be able to wear black face on any day of the year. People can hate you for it, they can insult you for it, they can tell you to drop dead, but if they physically harm you for it that's assault, causing you physical harm, and wrong.
Suing for libel is when someone damages someone's reputation with false statements in such a way they are caused injury, not when you slander their work. That said, I don't think defamation should be necessarily sue-able as you are not physically harming someone by it, but I understand why suing for libel exists when the defamation is proven to consist of proven lies. When suing for libel, it really comes down to in what way was said person harmed by said lies. Emotionally harmed? No.
People can absolutely protest against your work if they disagree with it, what I'm saying is said work should not be censored or prevented from existing because people disagree with it. But if the protester/s are doing something wrong in the act of their protest, such as non verbally harming the creator of the work or others, the protester/s are wrong as you can't physically harm, steal from, or damage the property of people you disagree with.
Like how recently a few cities have banned electronic cigarettes in public spaces and tried to restrict their sales, because "kids and others might get the wrong idea about what they are". Smoking near others in enclosed spaces can cause them physical harm. Electronic cigarettes cannot harm people nearby those who use them, and is a growing and popular preferred method for many to try and QUIT smoking, as it contains nicotine but no tobacco or smoke. So they are banning it just because "people might get the wrong idea that smoking is okay", which I believe to be wrong. And no, I don't smoke, so I don't have a personal stake in this. I just don't believe in making things illegal because people might "get the wrong idea".
@mikeymaster2001
Don't hesitate to share your opinions. No one should bully you for having a different point of view. We agree to disagree here, at least, that's the idea anyways.
haniwa
Aw man, this site too?
@JaxonH
Thanks, but that seems to only be the idea. Not the reality. As Ralph Waldo Emerson was reported to have said, "What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say." But thanks anyway.
defrb
It's respectless, designed by man.
They like to see perfect woman with boobs that fall out of their dresses.
Imagine a game where guys have balls as big as balloons and woman look normal. Its stupid.
When i play games like this (its not the only game with insane big boobs) i feel like a teenager hwo's getting to little attention.
@defrb
Lol. Nice.
@KodyWB-98
Believing in freedom of speech means people with views you disagree with have a right to express their views as well. As I said before, I will speak and reason against things I disagree with, but I would not want it censored.
NodesforNoids
I find the question simple enough to explain away: men have not been vocal about the way men are portrayed in such media. Men and women have BOTH been vocal about how women have been portrayed.
The advertising shows this true: stylish, covered men on cover art.. shirtless and half naked within.
It's a problem for the critics on the other side of things as there is no hiding how women are or will be portrayed.
Female sexuality, not sex in general, sells. And it sells EVERYTHING. From Go Daddy and 70% of car enthusiast magazines to video games, anime, movies and clothing, it's all a parade of female sexuality.
And honestly, that's not my biggest concern. By biggest concern is the vulnerable, submissive take the entertainment industry has put on things. Not only does it seem to suggest and promote sex but to encourage rape culture.
Let's face facts: 99% of people are intelligent, socially responsible, moderately respectful beings. But for the 1% that twists things to their reality, rape and sexual assault are very real consequences of encouraging the desensitization towards nudity and sexuality.
These kinds of media might be 'only kidding around', but they're not conducting anything positive in the vein of truly opening us up to greater acceptance of nudity or sexuality.
Desensitization: bad
Acceptance: good
We should boycott the game because it's a God-awful game. Want a fighter? Go and play Tekken, Street Fighter or something with depth. Not this sorry excuse.
R_Champ
@Jayvir
GAWD, finally someone says it. Even things like Justin Bieber, Twilight, and Fabio on all those romance novels are also objectification of men, but no one ever seems to touch that. I understand women have gotten the short end of the stick for a long time, but because of that people think it's entirely one-sided and never talk about it.
I think the only solution is constantly ask yourself if you're treating people like people because otherwise you're just a big fat hypocrite. How many of you have school girls, nurses, etc in your internet bookmarks? Probably 95% of you. Is that objectification? You betcha, but as long question your mentality towards women (or men) and try to improve upon it, you can do whatever the heck you want. I got preached at enough in church and towns full of hipsters to know most people are just BS'ing hypocrites about this kind of stuff. Like what you like, just don't be drone.
Crimson_Ridley
I don't find this sexist at all. One thing you'll know about males and females is that they find certain body parts rather attractive. Having a girl with big breasts is just the same as having men with overly muscular torsos. Do they never think that it might be insensitive towards slimmer men? No, they only care about how they are being portrayed.
Let me tell you something else; many women store their phones and money in their bras to keep them safe. How is this picture any different to that. The only people that find these things sexist are the sexist people themselves.
tigermask
I would argue with some of the 'anti-feminist' and 'male rights' posters but you're all so backwards and close-minded it would be like shouting at the sky to stop it raining. This game isn't art, it is trash trying to make a quick buck from selling sex like countless others that have come before it.
StarDust4Ever
I wonder what would Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency have to say about this? She's the woman who raised 150k on Kickstarter to raise public awareness on female stereotypes, and whom released the infamous 3 part video series "Tropes Vs Women".
@Jowy You realise this is a beat em up not a fighter so at least get the recommendation right and say something like Streets of Rage.
I find crap like this hilarious. "I don't like something because I feel this is what is wrong with it!" The rest of the world must be wrong or part of the problem if they don't agree. Shove off and grow up. I can see the entertainment value in this and guess what? I have never sexually assaulted a woman verbally or physically. I have lots of female friends/coworkers who I treat all as equals, not sexual objects I lust after.
People that are "influenced" by stuff like this are full of crap. Just making excuses where if this didn't exist something else would be at blame.
@Jazzer94 Either way, I looked at the promotional videos Nintendo Life posted and called it quits on the spot. Knew it was nothing more than another modern age terrible Japanese game. I just remember someone mentioning it was a fighter. Never mind me.
Theober555
@Peach64 I would rather die before I looked like one of those males, just saying
khuenq
I don't see anything wrong with Senran Kagura Burst. It's just the people who over reacted when looking at it. Every single day, you watch a lot of movies and music videos and they all have some sexy scenes, sometimes the people in those movie, those music video make love with each other!!! So why do games have to be so fresh like it was made only for 5-year-old children? We have something called "rating" and "parental control" so if children can access adult contents, it is our responsibility and it is we who have problems, not the game itself.
I am against censorship. If any entertainment content is inappropriate, just don't publish it. When publish, just don't censor anything.
Then, men should attack games like God of War for displaying such overwhelming level of testoterone. ANd DUke Nukem. Those games are not purveying an acceptable and realistic image of men... (is what I would say if I was the kind of idiot who wanted to censor games)
Double-standards, man...
"Side note: Guys like Thor and Cap America aren't objectified. They're idealized. If they had ball sacks hanging to the floor and a chain that could smack someone with a slight turn of the hips, then yea, that'd be comparable."
THANK YOU! The vast majority of these comments think objectifying means making a character attractive. That's NOT what is going on with SKB. I don't think I've ever seen so many people miss the point of the discussion entirely. Damo wasn't asking if it's okay to have sexy characters in a game, and he wasn't asking if sexual themes in a game were okay.
@Ren
Hypocrite!
What you're describing sounds more graphic than this game. As far as I can tell (I don't own the game), the least these girls wear is basically bikinis, which are generally accepted. In other words, the clothing isn't really where the controversy is coming from. Some of the controversy certainly stems from the way their clothes are destroyed (which isn't unlike male characters losing their shirts so often it's become a cliche), but most of it probably comes from their exaggerated bodies (which aren't unlike the exaggerated men often found in games, movies, etc). Again, if you're against this game, but fine with buff, shirtless men, you're being hypocritical.
@User1988 I haven't read all of your replies, but from what I've read so far, I agree 100% with you. Thank you.
luke88
@linkzero65 err, you don't think porn is at all sexist?
EverythingAmiibo
The objectification of women and the worship of sex has reached an all time high, especially in Britain! It's not this game that is the problem but the country's mindset, after dumping religion (I'm a Christian and face harsh opposition and slander daily) Britain's morals have gone down the drain, there is apparently no other reason to not have sex with whoever you want (that is, if they give consent) so Britain has taken this and let it flourish.
The problem is that people that are offended (and this is not exclusive to women but rather happens pretty much everywhere) cry foul way too often and way too soon.
Now everyone is so used to them that noone really cares anymore.
@unrandomsam People that seek the things you describe are, by definition, not feminists; modern or any other kind.
I lost patience for the "it's just Japanese culture" argument when I bought my wife the first two Bakuman mangas, having thoroughly enjoyed the creators' other work, Death Note, together, only to find that it had female characters openly stating that they were just women and their dreams could not amount to those of men. I was sure she was taking this out of context until I read it myself and agreed completely. It's this type of dismissal of women in art that feeds a sexist culture, a culture that can ignore how widespread sexual crimes against women are, a culture where we get extreme examples like the Steubenville incident because of people not taking women seriously as human beings. And that's how you have a culture that immediately vilifies women who would have their birth control covered by national insurance, automatically imagining her as an insatiable sexual creature who should just wants to have a lot of sex (when many women use birth control to regulate their cycles or prevent horribly painful menstruations and treat endometriosis), and yet looks the other way when so much Viagra and so many penis pumps are bought through national insurance programs like Medicare in the United States. I'm not exaggerating. We should be demonizing this stuff the same way that we now demonize racist portrayals of blacks, Italians, Asians and otherwise when at one time they were so common. It certainly made it harder for those cultures to be taken seriously, to seek justice, to feel like full members of society. Not because art should be censored, but because art should be responsible. Would we be so quick to accept Senran Kagura Burst's art style if it were about avaricious Jews with huge noses, blacks with huge lips who eat watermelon all the time and are lazy, Asians who swap their "l"s and "r"s? You can exaggerate it to a degree where you can call it a "style" but it's still racist at the core. Just like this is sexist at the core. The result is an entire segment of the population being trained to feel that they are unimportant, that they are less than the norm. That they shouldn't worry about being taken seriously. That maybe, the patriarchy is correct. Women came out against the Equal Rights Amendment when it was first proposed as well, because they had been trained to think that their only correct place was in the home with the family. Sure, that's a fine choice to make for an individual, but a terrible thing to impose on others and a soul-crushing prospect for some. We have to remember that presently and historically, it's been men who have been in power in these cultures. And in a Western culture, it's white men who have been in power. The powerful can either choose to take responsibility and make responsible art, or appeal to the lowest common denominator and keep encouraging its audiences to view women as nothing more than the sum of their body parts. Eating disorders are an epidemic, sexual assault is on the rampage, and this type of stuff feeds into the mindset that says it's ok to not take these things too seriously. But it's all part of the same thing. And it's something that the culture-makers, the artists, the game makers should consider. They have a responsibility to do the right thing. They can either buy a share in the "it's ok to objectify women" set, or they can treat women as actual human beings and try to make a game that's good and entertaining without it being at their expense. (Easy fix: give the guys huge unrealistic oversexualized images too. But that assumes that fighting for equality at the production end is the problem, when all this stuff points to is inequality at the creation end. Art that results from a sexist stance that refuses to question itself can't be fixed by an equality band-aid, and the type of art that unquestioningly puts this type of portrayal into the world only strengthens that inequality. And more people go on unquestioningly accepting it, and the cycle continues.)
@Jowy
You do know this is a complete separate genre? this is a 2D beat em up, not a 1 on 1 fighter..... It's like streets of rage or final fight, not like street fighter or tekken.... that's why I like 2D Beat'em ups is a genre that has been lackign quality entries as of late, if it was a 1 on 1 fighter I wouldn't care because as you mention there is no shortage of quality entries in that genre
Marshi
@Jayvir I was going to write exactly that. Men in games are usually depicted as super men with massive upper bodies and an attitude of violence in mind. So why dont guys feel offended? Some women just get way to defensive. A girl friend of mine even looked at senren kagura and said it felt empowering to her having these "sexy anime girls"(her words not mine) as the protagonists of the game.
People just get way too pc nowadays!
@DarkKirby I wasn't saying it's ok to objectify one and not the other, I was trying to say that it is an incredibly one sided marketspace and the equivalent use of men just doesn't exist. I don't mind men being objectified because I have no justification to objecting to equal treatment. There does not seem to be any artistic expression going on here it is just gameplay mechanics tied to 3d breasts, girls stripping each other and lingering panty shots. I don't mind this game existing but it should not recieve such mainstream coverage due it's degrading content.
As I said, there is a difference between using sexually attractive characters through which to live out power fantasies or whatever. I don't mind characters being 'prime specimens' (but I am all for diversity).
This isn't about having attractive characters, this is about those characters being sexually exploited ridiculously. The screenshots at the end of the article, cover art as well as the marketing make it abundantly clear that the primary focus of this game is to reduce these characters to sex objects. I don't care if this game exists but it shouldn't recieve the same self space and coverage as games which are not preying on female sexuality and male sex drives.
@Zach
In Bakuman, are you referring to when he describes the girl as something like "good at being a girl" (I haven't read it in a while)? Because as I recall, both the boy and the girl are pursuing their dreams, and neither of them is dreaming small.
@TrueWiiMaster No, I'm not. It was something like: the boy tells his dad he wants to draw comics, the dad says he should pursue his dreams, the mom laments aloud that women's dreams aren't as important as men's, something like that.
TrickySx4
I grow weary of these articles. All the girls I know who are gamers play these types of games and enjoys them. This may be a shock... but this game doesn't portray women, they are anime characters.
Many people who have the game have commented that that wasn't the case, saying that the characters have a lot of personality, and can even be good examples of a strong female character. Nintendo Life itself said the game was quite good, giving it an 8. Senran Kagura may use its characters' looks to grab attention, but the game seems to stand well on its own.
I hesitated to post a comment on here and poke into this hornets nest, but the headline just urks me.
What "Problem" are we talking about ? The last time i checken, men were either overly handsome ala Nathan Drake and co or meaty, buffed bulldozers who are constantly rude and vulgar.
Or look at some JRPGs, Tales of for instance, Men are most often whimps, pervs, womanizers or blatant idiots or the "Overly handsome, overly baddonkey" trope from above.
I hate it that this so called "problem" just gets viewed from one side only. There are plenty of other examples.
MGS 3 for instance. Everyone is blabbering how Eva is just there for her curves. That beast just played her cards right. She wore that attire beause she knew that she could entangle all the men around her. And thats what she did. SHE won at the end, not because she was a busty damsel in distress, but because she cleverly exploited the natural "needs" of a desperate man, facing the green hell on a daily basis.
Or look at "The Boss". She is a woman, who gets treated with utmost respect not because she is a woman, but because or her expertise, because of her abilitys.
When something like Senran Kagura is becoming a problem, i petition for the removal of every male videogame character that followes the above mentioned tropes.
I dont want masculanity to be constantly portrayed by whimpy, whiny pervs. But guess what, noone ever complained. Noone had a problem with that because its fiction. I dont care if its a whimp or a baddonkey, a male or female lead, handsome or not.
And for that matter: Why are people getting so upset by fictional characters in the first place ? Why is it ok for 90% of the teen girls on facebook to post their "sexy body shots" ? They are objectifying themselfes if that is even a thing.
This big breatsted trope is mostly played for laughs. Its satire, a caricaturization. If youre offendet by that, by a fictional anime / videogame character, you have bigger problems than that.
@Einherjar
I like how everyone defends this game like it's is their girlfriend.
The only thing that most of you prove is that you are willing to buy some awful "softcore porn" no matter how bad the game is.
I mean, if you wanted a good game that have boobies, then get Dead or Alive, no one made a big deal when that came out because the game was more then just boobies.
I remembered the line but not the context, so I checked my copy. The quote is from the father, but said by the mother. It was, "Men have dreams that women will never be able to understand." In the context, the mom doesn't understand why her son wants to pursue his particular dream, but the dad does. I don't think it was meant to undermine women's dreams, just to say that men and women are different. As I said before, the manga itself is about a boy and a girl both pursuing their dreams to the best of their ability.
@LordJumpMad Then please explain the existance of the DOA-Beach Volleyball franchise.
@LordJumpMad
The Nintendo Life score (8/10) shows it isn't a bad game. Even on Metacritic, the majority of critics gave it a 7 or better.
@TrueWiiMaster A friend of mine bought the game just for the lulz. Came for the boobies, stayed for an, as he said, preety good old school brawler. The game seems to be actually pretty good, sadly, i havent played it yet.
Just wanted to say bad poll - you can say "no it's not offensive" without having to find it appealing.
Metafalica
After been reading through alot of text I cant see why ppl rly are discussing this. Have read alot and one fine post made from Princess_Sugoi that reads as follows:
"My answer to the question is no.
My attitude towards fanservice in general: It's just sex ffs. People like getting turned on as part of their entertainment just like people like getting scared or teary eyed. I only have a problem with it when it's used to cover up something that fails in other important aspects but SKB doesn't have that problem. It arguably has the problem in the title but from my perspective, it's just entertainment."
Thats like the best freakin post in here.
The Second best one is from Einherjar. Can't say anything else. Cuse the whine about this game is getting abit too much rly.
@Metafalica Only the second best ? dawww >.<
Thanks for the compliment and for reposting that comment. WIth almost 400 posts, stuff like this gets overlooked pretty easy.
And i couldnt have said it better actually.
I also find it rather strange that its widely excepted to "objectify" men (Chrom from Fire Emblem in his swimming attire comes to mind), that its only natural to portray male leads as buffed, jacked knights in shining armor, but as soon as female proportions get caricaturized, everyone is up in arms.
I may be wrong here, but i bet that nofemale gamer said "well, its a natural protrait of a trained male body" when seing the abopve mentioned image, and rather said "look at THAT body :3"
And theres nothing wrong with that. Its fiction. Nothing more, nothing less. Its made to get your imagination running wild, in whatever way: To scare you, to ruffle you up emotionally or to arrouse you. Its only natural.
And like i sad in my previous post, its mostly played for laughs anyways, so who cares ?
Well....you see.....
Leave my boobies alone.....Slavery! Another thing that I saw people using to defend their point!
Well I'm not a boobie craze teenage to really care for this topic, but it is what it is.
gurtifus
@unrandomsam : Every human beings can have some fantasies while they stay fantasies.
@TrueWiiMaster Sorry, that line is so clearly sexist. Men have some dreams that women can't understand? How is that anything but saying that women aren't equal? And any argument that men's dreams are different than women's is basically arguing that "separate but equal" makes sense. Separate is never equal. Especially when the dialogue is set by those who are in power.
As I have seen hilariously posted in this article by some all men want to be like that! All men have the same ideal physical shape and want to be heros! The hypocritical statements by some here would be cause for anger if they weren't so silly.
@unrandomsam Now, the problem with that is that there are legal issues, and also the matter of reputation. Obviously my statement isn't the case when legal complications arise. Furthermore, a company must protect their reputation, and transitioning into pornography would be a hard blow to their image and therefore their ability to make money. A game like this is harmless - an incredibly minute amount of people in the target demographic would consider it "sullying" to have it on Nintendo's eShop and would stop purchasing from Nintendo because of it. But if there were no legal problems and Nintendo didn't have to worry about losing its good reputation, and there is a market for it (and I believe there is, because I read about somebody taking pornographic images and editing them and putting them on an SD card so they can be viewed in 3D on the 3DS camera), there should absolutely be pornography on the eShop. Such is Capitalism.
AndymanMessiah
It's interesting to bring up the Tomb Raider reboot which pretty much demoted Lara Croft from the strong, independent dinosaur-murdering baddonkey adventurer, video game icon and, yes, sex symbol she used to be in a horribly misguided attempt at turning her into a female and much less confident Nathan Drake. I actually expected people would object more to this treatment but here we are with yet another article that, although briefly, celebrates character assassination. I'm curious, what did the article writer think about Other M?
Anyway, this is my stance on the subject (and sensitive people should probably look away now): Women should be allowed to be just as ridiculously sexy and baddonkey as men, and if some people have a problem with that then that is their problem entirely. It's probably worth talking over with a psychiatrist because it's obvious that their low self-esteem is making them compare themselves to fictional characters. That's not healthy.
Apparently I have you people to watch it for me, so thanks. Also buttocks, whether it's good or bad, is not an example of profanity that I know of. Is there a list of unacceptable words somewhere on the site that I can read?
@Zach: Excuse me here, but you do know men and women are psychologically and physiologically different, right? We should all have the same rights in society, obviously, but to say that women === men is ridiculous. Women have a tendency to fantasize differently about sex than men, for example. Women have a tendency (and do note my repeat use of the word "tendency", because of course this is not globally true for all women everywhere) to be desired, and physiologically women have a tendency to be more attracted to men that can provide for them. This is biology and psychology that combines into what people consider "stereotypes", which it is; we are mammals and our actions and thoughts can be explained to great lengths by basic psychological archetypes.
This is why one has to consider this when one looks for problems in the way women are presented to men in mediums such as art, books, and games; because it's usually teams consisting of mostly men that make these games, and often they target them towards male demographics. I'm sure by now you're thinking "but it's about time we changed this", and I agree to some extent; we should strive to evolve as a species. However, you cannot ignore the presence of biology, psychology, and the inherent physiological and psychological differences between the sexes.
If you look at soap operas that are made for female demographics, I will imagine you'd be hard pressed not to see the male characters as objectified. But they're objectified differently than women usually are; they don't go around dangling super large manly bits, for example, but they do build off psychological archetypes and physical stereotypes that women have a tendency to largely find attractive.
It worries me that we are looking at this so very "black and white"; as if it's all either good or bad. Objectification is inherent in our psychology; we are each and every one of us the only subject in our reality. Everyone else is an object, because we can only try to understand their complex feelings and thoughts, but we can never truly know anyone but ourselves. Objectification combined with sexuality is necessary, because imagination is necessary for a healthy sexuality.
GameGoddess32
Here is my personal opinion..there are LOTS of other mediums that have been objectifying women for many years..even some Renaissance paintings objectify women..it's nothing new..I'm a woman,and personally I find these kinds of games laughable..like the DoA games,those women are bouncing around,breasts flying,and I find it funny,because it's so out of proportion and exaggerated..now,thankfully they have more bare chested men on TV(and some bare chested women if you watch Showtime) and I enjoy all that man candy..this game is not "pornographic" nor does it objectify women any more than anything else..I say if you want it,buy it..if you don't want it and think it's disgusting,then DON'T buy it..personally I wouldn't,but not because of the bouncing breasts,I find that funny..no one talks about shirtless men on TV being "objectified"..anybody,man or woman will objectify the other sex from time to time,it happens..like Galenmereth said objectification combined with sexuality is necessary,because imagination is necessary for a healthy sex life..some people WILL take it further than just fantasizing,but hey,that's what some humans do because THEY'RE NUTS..
TantXL
It's not sexist, i just hope the girls aren't 14 years old. I don't get why some people would find this offensive, it's not real.
ok except the latest comment this became an idealism war.....
that's enough I'm out....
As a girl who (duh) plays video games, I really have no problem with this simply because Japanese video games like this one are an INCREDIBLY niche market. The four or five guys and girls who say "yeah, I am attracted to these pretend ladies" are hardly hurting anyone.
And honestly, in my humble-yet-raging feminist opinion, this "objectification" stuff is a pretty shallow pseudo-debate.
Maybe tomorrow we'll tackle masculine bias in the gaming industry, and how various folks insist that, in order for a game to be legitimate, it must also incidentally conform to various masculine (not necessarily male) standards of existence (i.e., grim because that's realistic, punishing difficulty because "that's how life is", and so on and on).
Maybe that!
@Galenmereth Nice post. I wish it had come earlier in this conversation.
I'm going to keep this as short as possible: Because something is perceived as acceptable in society at this current moment does not always make it right or the case in reality, yesterday I went to a play called "Red Velvet" that was based on Ira Frederick Aldridge the reason for why I'm bringing this up is at the time in 1800s it was perceived that only a white person could be a stage stage actor Ira Frederick Aldridge stood out as trying to change this misconception. The reason I mentioned this is that maybe at this current moment it seems harmless to have these sexual themes in the games we play like how it has been deemed accepted to have sexual themes in most of our media but just maybe the current system and our way of thinking is wrong and needs change.
@Galenmereth I had this big speech prepared about radical feminism and how actually it's at least mostly socially-constructed, if you ask me, to promote heteronormativity (man I love that I can talk about video games AND use that word)...but then your icon makes me think we're on the same side! So, like, carry on!
@Pikachupwnage I watched 6 episodes, but now I'm watching Gurren Lagann which I haven't seen either and then Kill la Kill. Ryuko is awesome. She's like Goku, but not just an imitation like in so many TV series.
XCWarrior
Wow 400+ comments....
As others have said, it's a game. Not meant to be realistic. Just have fun with it. I plan to pick the game up eventually.
And the reboot of Tomb Raider isn't exactly setting the world on fire. Though I don't know how many games in the series were ever actually all that good.
This is the kind of internet discussion that scares me and gives me pause about the hope for the future of the world.
There are some vastly misunderstood stereotypes about "radical feminism" from people who don't understand what feminism is at all (it's not that deep/ 'activisty' thing, it's a basic idea that women should be treated equally as humans, take it as far as you want; you are probably a feminist like I am, it's not a dirty word)
the idea that men are equally mistreated in portrayals in media is ridiculous and flawed in that what matters about any fictionalized image and it's agregious nature only comes down to the real world power structure, which is one where men enjoy freedoms and advantages that are worlds beyond what any woman could imagine. If you think some tough guys without shirts on in movies is hurting mens "shaky position" in society that you are simply diluting yourself and need to get out of your house more.
Negative and sexualized portrayals of women is a constant unending thing in every corner of every society and affects every portion of womens' everyday lives since it has been the norm for centuries.
A lot of the people here clearly have just not left home and experience some of the dark realities of how the world actually works.
You need to step out of your male privilege and try to imagine for a moment what a person goes through their entire life being diminished, sexualized, pressured to put her look/image above everything else, told she is not as good/skilled as a boy, fed only toys about cooking/makeup/being pretty, shown only 'strong' women who can manipulate with sexual favors, etc. etc.
there is nothing you can say to a young white boy to make them understand that feminism has a real purpose, and is not about anyone being angry or lording over anyone, it's just about seeing everyone respected as humans. Like the ignorant video posted above somewhere people just don't know what they're talking about, and need to actually look up what feminism is, and what it stands for.
It's not a secret radical club of angry lesbians, it's just anyone who wants women to be treated with equal respect, and part of that is just recognizing some of the problems with the way we treat people everywhere, still (yes, the patriarchy; the world that has been dominated and brutlized by men for centuries; it's not a myth). It's just pathetic to see people (like the woman in that video) spouting random defensive jargon about 'free speech' and entertainment and 'this is how capitalism works'.
So great, basically as this article poses; ignore it all, and accept it as it is (stay on your couch gaming); or actually get out into the world and think about how maybe the world can actually evolve beyond what your tv feeds you.
"there is nothing you can say to a young white boy to make them understand that feminism has a real purpose"
You're (sadly) right! And also I'm guilty of misrepresenting radical feminism sometimes (it's admittedly tough to disconnect the patriarchy and the patriarch, so to speak, and that's a problem I admit I have).
I think discussions like this are good though (in spite of the inability to get anywhere), because it gets sort of insular folks like me out of my comfy little milieu of like-minded folks.
Robo-Knight
If this helps, my Girl Friend loves Senran Kagura Burst, so much in fact that she's going as Ikaruga for Connecticon this year, she's already even ordered her Costume from a really good Website, I forgot which.
But too be blunt & too directly prove my point, if a Girl who loves this Game and is looking forward too dressing up as one of the Characters from this Game, then maybe it's not so purely sexist, I mean it does come from Japan AND no one is forcing you too look at it, much less play it.
If you don't like a Game like this, then don't play it and don't go forcing your opinions down other peoples throats.
This is just a comment aimed at everyone in general I guess.
devilwaffle
Personally, I think that there's no problem with this game. Yes, it objectifies women and is made entirely for pleasuring a male audience, but that doesn't offend me in the slightest. although they aren't nearly as common, girls have their own medias that objectify men, and are made with a female audience in mind. in the videogame industry a lot of these follow under yaoi dating simulators. Do those offend me, though? nope. Lots of people enjoy them so I've no reason to tell them it's wrong.
@Galenmerth Men and women are psychologically and physiologically different. Men and women can understand each others' dreams. Men and women can both legitimately dream of being a comic book artist, which is the point at issue in Bakuman in my example. Meaning that Bakuman is not talking about how men and women fantasize differently or some other such argument, but being sexist and dismissive.
So many people going off topic in this thread and using this as a soap-box for a varity of personal agendas it seems. In any case, the game is a lot of fun for a variety of reasons. Gameplay / Art / Story / Etc. If certain elements are done in a way which does not appeal to you, just skip this title, but don't think that you should be making that decision for others.
thelastgogeta
Woah, this is still going a day after... I intended to address a bunch of comments before but will settle for addressing the soapbox itself.
First off, the title... I'm not convinced that the objectification of women in games... is a problem to begin with. The approach that many have with claims like this are that adults, otherwise of age individuals, younger individuals and unstable individuals are going to be pushed into being desensitized individuals who hate/disrespect women, drive recklessly and kill hundreds for no reason.
Since GTA V managed to sell over 32.5 million copies by February 2014, managing to reach every primary school gamer I've chatted to and features not only some abhorrent characters, torture and all sorts of crimes... In addition, it isn't the first GTA or video game to reach beyond the age rating in tens of millions and we have so few... or even no murders or crimes connected in a substantial way to Rockstar's Bully, Red Dead, GTA and Manhunt series or heck mass media in general. I don't see an issue. Younger gamers "might" play this? Younger viewers might switch on the DVD player and find the Human Centipede.
People can separate fictional works or constructed works from reality for the most part, even when it is the children you want to hide from whatever. In addition, works which portray or allude to insensitive content aren't necessarily at fault for doing so, Senran Kagura plays with a number of tropes some have some loathing for but still has a solid story, a cast of fun characters who never feel "exploited" (debatable) unless you count up to 10 skippable seconds in every mission or if you are the type to pan cameras for interesting views in Smash Bros...
The question of whether Nintendo Life or other sites should take a stance on the games on not... I wouldn't mind a writer or few having an opinion for their opinion pieces and reviews, nor to be honest a site deciding to focus in a specific field like this one focuses on Nintendo games and GamesIndustry gives us a good deal of analysis and numbers. Just know that people are going to find it odd when you dismiss Senran Kagura, but promote Dead or Alive, Bayonetta 2, Fire Emblem (which with the last installment is more of a dating sim game than most of my library), The Wonderful 101 or any game with a playful sense of sexuality.
I think there were two problems with the exchange on Twitter, one is that you didn't have any sort of "SFW" standard for when you posted on Twitter as even if it is a playful game or whatever... The other one is that the woman who responded was unnecessarily sensitive in their response (maybe?) and overlooking the work itself despite how it was marketed. Senran Kagura as you say is a fairly good brawler and also one who a fun cast of characters (Bonus points for over 24 girls in the main installments and only one guy without it going for a harem direction? Or not?) and sound story.
I don't think the recent Tomb Raider should be seen as a sign of how far the industry has come. Every year we have sleazy H-games, brilliant carved H-games, games with poor female protagonists/no female protagonists (exchangable to a number of you), games with more developed female protagonists. Get what you want and keep an eye out for games which play with something you don't like on the surface being good...
I'm going to have a lot of comments to read later on and expect to be repeating dozens of points...
Nearly forgot to address it, but many games exist to "objectify" men in a similar sense (VitaminX, VitaminZ, Kuroko no Basket 3DS, Sweet Fuse, Hakuoki, Starry Sky, Fire Emblem Awakening and so on), not that few of them tend to be localised. Their equals in other industries could be called Twilight, Magic Mike, Fifty Shades of Grey among others.
... Done, spent too much time here.
AlexSays
"If certain elements are done in a way which does not appeal to you, just skip this title, but don't think that you should be making that decision for others."
Amen to this
@AlexSays
how far do you go with the not caring whatever is in a game/movie/book/whatever? are only those in favour of something allowed to have and voice an opinion?
i would never push for this game to be not available for those who want it. however, it is nonsense to pretend that the imbalance between how males are seen to be objectified by some here and the ways that women truly are doesn't exist.
if you truly don't care what others think, we may as well do away with any attempts at debate or conversation about anything. the gods forbid you might see another's point of view as valid even whilst disagreeing with it.
Klinny
Oh wow, over 400 comments. I'm probably not saying anything new here, but I thought I'd join in anyways.
As a woman I was never offended by the title. However, I wasn't interested in it personally as I find the remarkably large breasts on the characters to look incredibly silly. They look like they have large jiggly water balloons strapped to their chests. Even if there's some sort of story and even if these characters have some sort of personality, even as a woman I am only going to be looking at their giant jiggly in-your-face breasts. To say that this is a byproduct of my innate inclination to objectify women is a little silly as well, considering that these characters were designed specifically to be objectified.
However, after watching some gameplay videos I'll admit that I was laughing pretty hard. There were half-naked girls squealing while smashing their butts together. There were cut-scenes where the girls' clothes spontaneously and conveniently rip in their butt and cleavage area, (seriously, who designs these outfits? I'd want a refund.) It is clearly pure objectification for the pleasure of the player. I'm pretty sure that no one playing is going to watch one of those cut-scenes and go, "Hey man, did you see that girl's awesome personality?"
With that being said, if taken in a lighthearted tongue-and-cheek sort of way, the game is hilarious. It is absolutely ridiculous and I almost died laughing as I was showing these videos to my boyfriend. I told him that I almost wanted to play it. Is this game clearly and blatantly all about the sexualization and objectification of women? Yes, absolutely. Do I feel oppressed for having seen it? No, not really. This game is funny because it is such an unrealistic portrayal of women and the player recognizes this distinction. Problems with these games arise when given to players who are unable to separate fantasy from reality, but does that mean that they should be disallowed altogether?
Also I wonder if it is Nintendo's job to censor this kind of thing. Games like these exist because there is a demand for it and a market for it. While these kinds of things do reinforce gender stereotypes, I would argue that we are not a society that alters its values based on the media, but that the media is a reflection of our society's values. They make it because it sells. I think we have to take some responsibility here, and acknowledge that what we buy and what we support has an influence on how games are made. The strong female characters that we are seeing in games today are a reflection of a society that wants to see these kinds of women.
(Also I see a lot of people making the point that there is objectification and unrealistic ideals and standards for men in the video game industry as well. However, I don't think this makes it okay to objectify women so much as it implies that we need to work on creating good characters in general, regardless of gender.)
Edit: I didn't vote in the poll because there was no option to state that I do not find the images appealing, and yeah they're a little bit sexist, but still I have somehow remained unoffended.
2 options.
1) women should be portrayed as stick figures
2) developers need to allow gamers to customize breast size for all female characters.
The poll question is hilarious. If you say you're not offended then @damo thinks you have a hard-on. Really the question just needed a yes or no answer.
Come on people! We can totally surpass 800 comments in this article, keep it up! x3
@Klinny
there is a lot of common sense in what you write. however (you knew that was coming ), many today have no idea what feminism has accomplished for women over the decades and take it for granted.
one wit here has already used the lovely term 'feminazi', which is just arrogant, dismissive and defensive.
people who see a problem are being told to shut up and don't buy it. there needs to be some respect for the opinions of others even if we don't agree with them. they are being told they have problems because they don't like an aspect of the gaming community. there are posts telling people they are the problem, without even attempting to see things from the other side.
has anyone actually called for this game to be banned? i don't think so, but i see intolerance from those who think there cannot be a problem because they don't see one.
that is what i worry about: seeing the world in black and white with no grey areas that most slog thru.
I mentioned it in a later post, but artistic freedom means something should be doable and can exist simply because the artist wanted it that way, there doesn't have to be some deep meaning behind it.
As others have mentioned (and you'd know if you played it), Senran Kagura specifically isn't a game that solely has the characters portrayed as sex objects.
You say there isn't any "objectification" of men, but that isn't really true, as other people have brought it up. As the stereotypes go, there things men typically look for in women, but there are things women typically look for in men, but they are not the same things, and media exists to appeal to these stereotypes just the same.
Appearance is typically a trait both sexes look at, but it's typically higher on the priority list for men. As always, realize, with all stereotypes, there is a reason the stereotypes exists (there were enough people in a certain group that had these traits), but that doesn't mean they apply everyone.
http://hellobeautiful.com/2012/06/01/what-women-look-for-in-men/
http://www.cracked.com/article_18866_5-reasons-women-are-as-shallow-as-men-according-to-science.html
Not offended by the game or the plastic model, but am offended by and incredulous of some of the statements by right-on posters here who think they have a monopoly on the truth.
triforcepower73
I think the gaming industry needs to get with the times and realize that(last I checked) around 40% of gamers are female. Now I'm not a female myself, but I can sympathize with them.
@triforcepower73 I don't see why every game should have to (Or even want to try) appeal to everybody. (There is not the same kind of outrage against Barbie games or Imagine xyz).
@Mizore yeah the only time I saw this many(or more) comments is when there's a Nintendo Direct Streaming! XD
@GuSilverFlame One of the Rayman Legends Wii U delay/no longer exclusive threads has over 600 comments. Now that was a surprise(expected a lot of comments, but that was crazy).
http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2013/02/rayman_legends_no_longer_a_wii_u_exclusive_delayed_to_september
Phle
To be honest, I think Lara has gone from "ok" to awfully offensive. Anyone can be a stick with balloon boobs, it's just to stop eating and get fake boobs. Looking like the girls from Senran Kagura Burst is actually even easier, you just need the fake boobs, new clothes, more makeup and get your hair coloured. Looking like Lara does now one the other hand, is a lifestyle choice. She is thin, but still trained, flawless faced, but no makeup, her hair just looks naturally awesome. A girl looking like that won't have time in her daily schedule to play the game, she is busy maintaining her hot model flawless body. I'm a girl, and I rather want totally unrealistic women in games than unusually epic flawless ones.
@Chriiis whoa 600!!!!
Welp, it died, so much for that, then. lol
StraTTtheRipper
I guess I should save up and buy this game from the eshop before it's get pulled...
Spanjard
C'mon ppl, keep it up! Fight for your opinions!
"how far do you go with the not caring whatever is in a game/movie/book/whatever? are only those in favour of something allowed to have and voice an opinion?"
How far? Oh I go all the way
My entertainment options just shouldn't be impacted by anyone's personal beliefs.
There's a certain segment of the population that will be offended by anything, and collectively I don't care what any of them think.
"if you truly don't care what others think, we may as well do away with any attempts at debate or conversation about anything. the gods forbid you might see another's point of view as valid even whilst disagreeing with it."
And also I'm okay with this, wrong person to try this approach lol
There's no 'not seeing your point of view', I see it just fine. I just A) don't care and B) would not like your personal opinion to have any impact whatsoever on what I enjoy.
Same goes for everyone else with a personal agenda they'd like to push.
I want to point out the poll doesn't really cover every perspective.
There's a "Yes because it's purely for male gratifaction"
There's a "No, I like it, but it's fine"
and there's an "Undecided".
...Where's the "No, it's fine, but I'm personally not interested" option?
And where's the "No, though it's obvious that game was made to appeal to,men, I don't think there's a problem here" option?
blodermoder
But this game is all about sexual objectification of women!
Haven't you seen the commercials?
JelloVert
And then the same people whining about this game sit on their couch, play Grand Theft Auto 5, and pay strippers to give them topless lap dances.
@Phle There are all sorts of women out there; don't stigmatize naturally thin and muscular women who look good without makeup. They exist, too, you know.
While the above is slightly in jest – they do exist, though – this is the problem with this argument; there are all sorts of women out there. All sorts. There are women who find games like Senran Kagura Burst a lot of fun, without them wanting to (or not) look like the girs in the game, or not even offended in the slightest. The fight shouldn't be against the portrayal of women in fantastic settings; it should be about equality in rights and opportunity. All this energy is wasted on something that art has done since we started to draw anything more detailed than stick figures on cave walls: Artists paint people unrealistically, often idealistically to impress or to arouse. This is not something that hurts women; lower wages, lack of human rights (like in the Middle East) and being robbed of opportunities in male dominated societies: That is what hurts women.
We objectify men just as much as women; it's just different, because different objectifications interest (or turn on) women, than men. This is something people would understand if they actually talked to a lot of different people.
bobfulci
Women constantly playing the victim is getting tiresome anymore. I refuse to believe that any logical, level-headed human being would be somehow mentally damaged by cartoon characters with large breasts. It's just ridiculous and in America in particular, this "victim" culture has been rising higher than ever lately. If you look at the characters in this game and are left psychologically affected in a negative way, then I would suggest that you have an inferiority complex to begin with. I am a male and despite the rather silly comments on here about male characters representing "someone I would like to be" and therefor not subject to the same type of scrutiny that a female character would be is patently ridiculous to the extreme. So what is it we should do? make ALL characters, male and female some type of formless stick figure as to not offend anyone? Surely if they were skinny, then the overweight crowd would be offended. If they were blue-eyed then the brown-eyed people would be offended. It's a can of worms best left alone. The bottom line is this; If you are offended by the way the characters are drawn, simply DO NOT PLAY THE GAME. And as for you NINTENDO LIFE, are you seriously considering NOT giving attention to games that OBJECTIFY women? Do yourselves and all of your readers a favor and do not go down that road for it's simply CENSORSHIP by exclusion. Have any of you given thought to the fact that MARIO and LUIGI might be offensive to Italians? Should be boycott Mario? Anyone? Where does my "victim" crowd stand on this one? Nintendo Life, would you care to comment on this?
@Galenmereth
"Art" shapes our culture, and our culture shapes society. Why don't we have the volume of racial stereotypes in art like in the 30s? Because it reinforces stereotypes that uphold the current norms that (in this specific example) keeps women from getting equal power to men.
So informing people of objectification and promoting boycotts of harmful content is a perfect way to waste ones energy.
Also, why do anything if you can spend all your time helping women in middle east instead of playing video games? People choose to spend their time and energy as they please.
@bobfulci
Too late, Nintendolife censors swearing in their comment sections beneath every article.
Metaknight_3Raw
I disagree with the muscular men is the same thing analogy. Geralt is kinda ugly, very covered up in clothes and carries a very successful RPG series. The Witcher 3 is one of the most anticipated games this year. What ugly or average covered up woman also has this success?
I don't think the problem is objectification of women but the fact that there is nothing to balance it out. With male characters many are objectified and many are not and have successful franchises. Mario? Link? Geralt? Nathan Drake is good looking but he is not sexualised. Fox? Pit? Too many to name.
What we need is more successful franchises with female leads then games like this wouldn't stick out so much. Who's up for a Zelda game? More Metroid anyone
@Galenmereth I know one woman who fits that definition of "naturally thin and muscular women who look good without makeup" - not sure 100% where it is natural or through training though.
Her main problem is the design of high fashion clothing that is designed by gay men to look good on unnaturally skeleton women. (As in she thinks they design it for men so there is no way to such as her to wear it properly).
TechnoEA
I vote no
It's only objectification or wrong when it has to do women. Yet these same white knights and feminists are completely silent and play opposition whenever a POC complains about being yet ANOTHER stereotype in a Video Game and claim we're pulling the race card; saying it's the "Artist/Writers Vision".
So it's the "Artist/Writers Vision" deal with it. I actually agree with it.
Don't like it ? Make your own game or don't buy it. Speak with your wallet.
nope. i don't believe you do see my opinion. you are merely attacking. your agenda is showing, lad.
TromaDogg
And the parents/soccer moms brigade strikes again. Sorry Damo, but you found the content acceptable before when looking at it as a gamer, it's no good now getting on your high horse looking at it as a parent.
It's up to parents to protect their own kids, not the rest of us.
@blodermoder Sure, but please also read my earlier post about psychology and biology, and do also account for sexuality: While no doubt we should always strive to improve and do better in society and culture, not all objectification is inherently bad. If you are going to claim that games can instill values in society, then why are we not all mass-murderers and raving psychopaths by now? For all of the hours I have spent fragging people in Unreal Tournament 2k4 (the count exceeded 1500 hours last I checked, many many years ago), I am a pacifist in reality; I refused military duty, and while I have trained martial arts, I have used it to never have to fight anyone. For all of the hours I have spent watching anime which obviously objectifies women, I do in no way confuse that with real women; contrary, I watch such shows with women and we both find them amusing, often funny in their banality (a pantyshot again?) Obviously this is anecdotal, but do understand that people in general are not paper thin charicatures; few people play a game and think that women in real life are sluts because the women in the game is. I do understand that a few do, but that is actually a whole other psychological issue, which usually will fall under different categories of delusion. Entertainment and art can reinforce stereotypes, obviously, but you also have to understand the flipside of this: That entertainment and art can be a contrast to reality to bring about a broader look on reality as a whole. I would hate for everything to be homogenized so as to not offend anyone, not that it's possible in the slightest.
Objectified woman!
"nope. i don't believe you do see my opinion. you are merely attacking. your agenda is showing, lad."
hahaha my agenda to let people enjoy what they want?
Yep you nailed it, great work on your part lol
@TechnoEA yes, agreed. Nobody ever seems to bat an eye when all Asian male characters are bad guys, lack emotions, and are "unattractive". Those types of things are harmful but not acknowledged.
thatguyEZ
It's a fun game and I love it, I'm not the biggest fan of the art direction but the gameplay is solid. The devs are free to do what they want, it's their game and I don't want feminists to ruin something that most of them probably don't even know exists. It's just a game, get over it.
I'm so gonna buy 3 copies to support this beautifull game!
angerami
Any body how says won't buy this game because is disrespectful to females probably cant even buy it because their parents wont lol, if they can and wont, they are not otakus and they dont even watch anime nor manga, that is why the otakus also buy a playstation for those reasons, bunch of little kids commenting on a mature game lol
Yes, I read your post about difference in psychology and biology. But why does it matter? It's a very bad excuse to sexually objectify people at all.
And you're showing some great cognitive dissonance towards gamings effects on your own mind. It's very obvious that you, like a lot of gamers have learned to be indifferent towards things like violence, online bigotry and sexual objectification. After playing for so long you learn that "it must be natural" for women to be showed this way in the media and that it's something to laugh at. Add peer pressure-arguments: "since everyone does it, why is it wrong?".
And yes, I'd rather live in a society where sexual objectification isn't the norm.
@blodermoder Physical attraction is a necessary and fundamental part of mammal psychology, humans included. While many (myself included) tend to prefer emotional and psychological compatibility more than physiological qualities, physical appearance still plays a significant part when it comes to being able to be attracted to another person. And if you're going to have a healthy relationship with another person, you need to be emotionally and physically attracted to them. If neither is lacking, it can't last long. The scales may tip differently for different people, but both are significant.
This is where sexual objectification comes in: We all have different preferences in physical characteristics when looking for a mate. And make no mistake: Most of our life is spent looking for a mate in one way or another. We are driven by this basic instinct much more than most of us seem aware of. And now enters the common difference between the male and female psyche and instincts when it comes to finding a sexual partner: Males tend to be far more physical. Breasts, hips, skin tone (as a sign of poor or good health), hair qualities, overall body shape; these are important characteristics for a male to find a partner, because it determines the success of healthy and strong offspring. Females also look for physical characteristics, of course, but while physical strength was paramount for healthy offspring in the distant past, in modern times, the strength of a man can be measured by his wealth and/or his power over others (leadership). Today, relative wealth and influence is much more beneficial in terms of security of offspring than physical health. Of course, if a man has a strong, lean physical body and wealth and power, then that is the ideal suitor.
At this point it's apparent that while the options for a succesfull mate have become more varied for females, for men it's to a much lesser degree. Physical appearance, in most societies, is still the dominating factor. These are not absolutes, however, and it varies greatly from society to society; from the west, where women pursue long careers often at the cost of having children – to the middle east, where things are standing still and women are still very suppressed.
This is not off topic, actually: Art can be as much self-fullfillment and gratification as it is social commentary. Pornography, whatever one might think of the demeaning position it puts women in even in modern western society (something I personally cannot enjoy watching), is important. It's important because sexuality when one is alone is as important as when with a partner. But sometimes sexuality is a bit more subtle than that; just playing around in a fantasy environment where all the characters are ample bosomed women flashing their panties can, obviously, have a negative affect on a child's mind, but it can also have a positive effect on a mature mind. Because you get to live out a fantasy that isn't real, you can be more equipped to tackle reality, where everything is far more complicated, comes at an enormous emotional toll (dating is very tough for most people, especially if it doesn't go well). This is where sexual objectification is a good thing; because humans have sexual fantasies, and we can live these out to some extent in virtual environments where no real people are hurt. The few that tend to not understand the gap between reality and the virtual realm have psychological problems that would pose a problem regardless of whether their fantasy plays out in their mind or on a TV screen.
I'd like to comment on the cognitive dissonance part: I am not indifferent towards violence, but I am a curious person. I like to experience as many different experiences as possible in life, bar dangerous substances that alter the chemical makeup of my brain far more rapidly than visual and audio input does. While I'm no doubt indifferent to a certain extent to violence seen on a screen – the internet has caused this – I still do not enjoy violence for the sake of violence. Games like GTA, for example, are amusing playgrounds, but I do find the often gratuitous violence to take more away from the experience than it gives. It removes the weight of violence, and makes every scene that is meant to shock (through story) that much less effective. I do not think that it's only natural for women to be shown this way, but I think that as long as there's variation in how women are depicted – and with today's tv shows, movies and games, there's greater variation than ever.
Sexual objectification will be the norm for a long time: It is a part of our basic instincts. But we have moved into an era where the objectification of people – men and women alike – is more and more in safe fantasy environments, and we are bridging the rights gap between the sexes more and more. That is the important fight: That both sexes be allowed the same fantasies, the same freedoms and opportunities, and the same rights to enjoy objectified charicatures of the gender(s) that they are attracted to.
@blodermoder Completely agree. Unfortunately is not humanly possible to revert these processes, we crossed the line ages ago. But we're not alone, let's leave it at that.
FilmerNgameR
A woman's beauty isn't her breasts nuff' said.
@Galenmereth Dunno the way that people treat chickens and cows routinely could be applied to women.
Darkness3131
@PrincessSugoi You pretty much nailed my point of view haha
http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=859
Again, I don't think that was what the author meant. I think he was just saying that men and women are indeed different, and oftentimes do have trouble understanding each other. I don't think pointing that out is sexist or derogatory, especially in the context of the quote. Nowhere in the book does it imply that women's dreams have to be different from men's, nor does it ever imply that women's dreams are at all inferior to men's. As I said before, the story is about a boy and a girl both pursuing lofty dreams.
First of all, thank you. I'm happy that you took the time to explain your points, but I still don't agree with them.
Pornography doesn't just fill out a void, where someone can safely practice sexual fantasies. It does actually create a need for more and more pornography. But I'm not here to make an argument against porn, I'm against sexual objectification.
Sexual objectification takes advantage of our basic instincts and distorts our view on reality. It's so rooted into our subconscious that we take it as normal. Safe environments like video games and movies is in some ways more harmful than real life. Movies have the power to sexually objectify women (and men) in masses compared to sexist co-workers.
Sexual objectification leads to dehumanization. It leads to bad self-consciousness, bad self-image and bad mental health.
So yes, even to a mature mind, sexual objectification in something outside of pornography can be both harmful to men and women. Both as users and as objectified fantasies.
In short: no, sexual objectification doesn't bridge the gap between women and men, it segregates women and men into caricatures that affect them in everyday life. Instead of being free TO sexually objectify, we should be free FROM sexual objectification and work towards sexual subjectification of both sexes.
Parents should be parenting their kids, not expecting companies and developers to do it for them.
scrubbyscum999
I get tired of these discussions. If you don't like it don't buy. So I like Senran Kagura. I like beat em ups. I like fanservice. I like cool characters. So what? Just let me play me **** game without calling me the devil.
khululy
@Peach64 is metacritic the collective opinion of the world?
I've watched the anime based on these game series but while incredibly silly there is a lot of fun being made about it's presentation and it doesn't take itself as serious as the people who claim the game is harmful.
The game is only harmful for people who are unable to act and think like reasonable adults.
As for those who can, by all means do, or do not, enjoy some bouncy boob brawler bouts.
momoiiru
My own personal take on this - I feel like Senran Kagura Burst is being condemned sans context. Does this excuse the marketing material produced for the game? Certainly not. But when you're presented with a niche title meant initially for a Japanese market I feel like that is where it has to be looked at from that perspective when deciding whether it is worth a boycott or is simply a product of it's environment.
I bought it, I'm enjoying it. Do I feel offended? No, not really. Will some women feel uncomfortable? Probably. Will some men? Probably. I think in this kind of situation it's more a "buy or don't buy" kind of game. Boycotting it in the West won't affect it's creation in the East, it will only hinder these games being released. (And some may argue that's appropriate or not)
Vhyper1985
At the end of the day I say the promotion of this game is very similar to the "Carry On" films from back in the day, it's silly fun & the makers & promoters know this, sure the game isn't to everyone's tastes, but if you're worried about your kids playing ("someone think of the children") the box has a rating on it & it's both YOUR responsibility & the shop assistants to prevent younger gamers getting their hands on games with material that isn't suitable in it!
For those offended by this game, look at it this way.. it could be MUCH worse, the characters are cartoony, there isn't any nudity (some people out there still think there is) & in the end it's not even real, it's a game, it makes as much sense as PETA complaining about killing virtual whales in Assassins Creed 4... As to whether this game should have been published? I think It should, it has & it's not done badly to be honest + if smaller Japanese devs see that even niche titles do well over here it may encourage more studios to release their games in the west!
In the end if you're offended by it, follow the advice given to every other form of media, if you don't like something don't listen, view or play it!
(Can't wait to see people's reaction to Akiba's Trip which was just announced for a western release )
@Vhyper1985 I agree on evertyhing u wrote and like what u are pointing out and what has been said many times earlier in the comments, but some can't take that to their minds. And also, its gonna be fun if the poopiedoodoocacapoopledooplestorm continues on akiba trips comment page or if nintendolife scribblenauts writes something similar, or if all the ruckus just dies down nice and easy (that would probably be for the best).
3MonthBeef
Women have Twilight and endless romance novels. Guys have risque videogames which are not many by comparison. Guys have porn but women have d*ld*s (any size their choosing), plus the option of going black and never coming back (disclaimer: a simple pop-culture inside joke for you literal-netizens out there).
So it all balances out.
RpgN
Of course the game's portrayal of women is purely for the gratification of male gamers.
Champollion
Wow. What a debate. Is there something more to say here? Well, actually, yes.
First of all: it's not about this particular game and whether or not it should be banned or censored. I see many comment asking "what about this or that other game, they are not singled out, why are they OK and this one not?". Well, they're not either. This game is singled out, not because it's the only one of its kind, but because BOOOOOBS are its main selling point and raison d'être.
Second: it's not about sexuality, or even porn. It's about objectification, which — as several people already pointed out — is not the same thing as idealisation. The problem is not that women in video games are sexy, it's that most of the times they're hardly anything else but sexy. If the main character is a warior / soldier / adventurer of some sort, of course he or she's not going to look like a couch potato. If it's a man, he will most likely be fit and muscular, because that's part of the job. If it's a woman though, in most games she will more likely have impractically huge breast and an excuse of an armor that hardly covers anything but her lady parts. (And, the camera will focus on said lady parts, too.)
Objectification of men in romance novels is really not on par with objectification of women in general. Somep people cited Twilight as evidence of men objectification. Come on! Men may be eye-candified here, but they're still the main protagonists as far as action is concerned. Bella is passive, submissive, almost inexistent in contrast. (In that respect, though, I'd argue that objectification in SKB is not as bad as in other games, since at least women, however impossibly "sexy", are protagonists, and from what I've read seem to really lead the story and have personalities. But again, it's not only about this game.)
And it's not really the same problem as violence either, for at least two reasons. First, in our society, violence is perfectly OK is some contexts — war is violent by nature, it is socially accepted, if only as a necessary evil, and if you want to make a game about war, it has to be violent. Sexism is not OK in any context, save maybe for pretends in the intimacy of the bedroom. Yet, and that's the second point, sexism is about everywhere. In character design (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2013/04/24 ), in the lack of character design — so many more male than female characters ! —, in background / secondary characters, etc. Part of this is the reflection of the real world (e.g. "podium girls" and "race queens" in racing games), but that doesn't make it any less sexist, and why should that be kept in the game anyway?
People say: "there are exceptions" or "it goes the other way too". Indeed. This game or that one may have strong female characters. They are still minority. This game or that one may have weak male character only there as eye candy for gay men and hetero women. They're also the exception, and not only that : it's just as wrong. The only reason it gets less attention than sexism against women is that, once again, it's much, much less frequent.
I read many coments going "you think it's sexist, but it's Japan's culture, so it's OK". Well, Japanese culture IS pretty sexist, so that's basically saying sexism is OK. So much for that argument. (Japan was recently singled out as one of the country that has the lowest number of women in politics. It ranks in the very bottom of the list, well below such countries as Ukraine or Russia, North Korea, Syria or Saudi Arabia. Not saying that there's a direct relationship here (see below), nor that the percentage of women in Parliament is the key to everything (Saudi Arabia is also slightly above the US in this list...), but I can't help thinking there may be a problem there.)
There are also many comments dismissing the issue on account that "it's just a game, it doesn't influence people". There's a big misconception here. When people say games or media have an influence, they don't mean playing, say, a violent game will turn you a mass murderer. It's not an all-or-nothing situation, and it's not necessaryly 100% either. Saying : "I've been playing violent games for so many years, and I haven't killed anybody", is akin to dismissing the link between smoking and cancer saying "my grandpa was a heavy smoker and he died aged 100 from a non smoking-related cause". Not everybody reacts the same, the correlation is a matter of statistics, of average reaction — and even if you've performed well at school and remained staunchly non-violent after a life of playing violent games, who's to say you wouldn't have done even better if you had not played those games ? And I believe evidence is there that, yes, violent games encourage violent behavior (don't have time to look for references to back this claim now, but I'll check that later.) I'm not sure if there is scientific evidence that sexist representations in games have an influence on players, but one thing I know is that anecdotal evidence is not relevant to the question.
Anyway. I'm sure I'm still forgetting some points, but I have to stop somewhere.
TL:DR: This particular game is not a problem or a proof in itself (anecdotal evidence again!), but yes, sexism is a real issue.
@Vhyper1985
It's not about nudity or sexy men and women. It's about sexual objectification.
Your whale killing-example doesn't work here. Instead: compare it to racial stereotyping.
Whale killings happens in real life, not in games.
Sexual objectification can happen in games.
@Metafalica Thanks, the only reason I mention other titles is that SKB isn't as bad as some other titles out there & threads like these are bound to pop up with other games, I'm sick of seeing them too i'll be honest but hey it's gonna happen
@blodermoder Sooo Sexual Objectification doesn't happen in real life eh... Must be nice to not have strip clubs, prostitution etc in your fantasy world... It DOES happen in the real world. Racial Stereotyping happens in the real world too, I help run a car racing team & have employed female drivers before & you'd be amazed at the amount of flak they can get from other male drivers on other teams simply because they are women.... Sorry to say but this crap DOES happen. As I mentioned in my previous comment though my comparison with the PETA debacle is similar in that you're not focusing on the real problem, all the people that are offended by this game should remember that this is a game, it's not real, it's a video game by a small developer who got lucky at the end of the day & had a laugh because of it... If you really wanted to help the world become a better place with less objectification & racial stereotyping for women go out into the real world instead of complaining about a video game, which again if you don't like the look of don't play it... simple! Oh & while I remember does this mean I can complain once the sequel comes out since Senran Kagura 2 actually has 2 male playable characters.... jus sayin... equal oppourtunities & all.. speaking of which you'd also be surprised how many females I know who have actually played & enjoyed SKB fan service & all simply because they can see it as I do, a silly game that knows it's silly but is also a lot of fun.
FYI Whale killings did happen in games go play Assassin's Creed 4
Did you even read my post? I never wrote that racial stereotyping and sexual objectification don't happen in real life.
When someone kills a whale in real life, a whale gets killed.
When someone kills a whale in a game, a whale ISN'T killed.
When someone sexually objectify women in real life, women is objectified.
When someone sexually objectify women in a game, women is objectified.
And hey, I am out in the real world and making a change, one action doesn't cancel out another.
@blodermoder
Have YOU read your comment? Read it again & you'll see how one might come to the conclusion that you were insinuating that objectification & stereotyping don't happen in real life....
That being said from your latest comment (cheers for replying btw) given that both games are actually out that include the things you mentioned (whale killing & sexual objectification) not all players are objectifying women when they play SKB, but IF they were would it not be better they are doing so with a character that doesn't exist in a video game & not a real person? The game itself isn't serious + most people who play it find it funny (in my experience) due to the sheer ludicrous nature of it & aren't suddenly going to go out into the real world & start objectifying women. In the same way people who kill a virtual whale or even another person in a game won't then go out & think "well I did this in a game so it must be ok" you'd have to be mental to think that way & have bigger problems in your life if you do!
I'm sorry for being a little unclear.
It's the developers of SKB that are objectifying women, therefore gamers of SKB are direct participants of this sexual objectification by supporting this kind of media.
The problem isn't the objectification of individuals (like the characters), it's the objectification of all women.
It's not just about making people objectify women (or men) in real life. People who don't objectify women in real life promote the idea that objectification is okay when they are buying and enjoying games and movies that do just that. In many cases, people who don't objectify denies that there are problems associated with it.
And because of this: People and companies who do objectify women are given a "OK" to objectify women as they please when no-one reacts, because objectification isn't even recognized as a problem.
element187
"Ignoring The Objectification Of Women In Games Won't Make the Problem Go Away"
See there is where you are going wrong. We are not ignoring it because we want it to go away, we ignore it because we are indifferent about the whole conversation.... Look, publishers/developers can make games for whoever they want, and if it upsets people, then DON'T BUY THE PRODUCT. It's a very simple concept to grasp here.... We are all adults, I think. And we all live in country that supposedly has freedom, no? If there wasn't a market for it, it wouldn't exist, its as simple as that. If you are offended or sickened by a video game, you have problems, but the great thing about liberty is you can CHOOSE to not purchase said product.... I guess these idiots going around complaining about it instead of ignoring it is the real issue here. Trying to FORCE the issue isn't going to bring anyone around to their side, in fact its doing a great job in repelling most people away from their beliefs. It is childish to complain about this.
"And should sites like Nintendo Life be speaking out against it"
NO. Just ignore the issue If people are offended by your tongue-in-cheek approach to this topic then maybe they don't need to click on a link and read it? Nobody is forcing them to read the article.... but I guess complaining about everything is so much easier then choosing not to take an action.
Congratulations on winning the internet
@HyperSonicEXE I hope it doesn't get in the way of Shantae either. I am a tad worried about artistic expression, why would they treat artistic expression like it was a sin to humanity or "woman kind". Like I say a lot; You cannot tell people how to express themselves but all you can do is make the art that you want. If you don't like a product or the colour marketed for your gender, you have a choice not to buy or choose the other colour selections in the men's. As consumers there is infinite possibilities. You can't go around telling people that there is something wrong with them because they like playing these games or playing a certain character. There is also the parents these days, it's up to them to do the parenting not up to the industry. Games like Senran Kagura have an appropriate cover because it kind of tells the content of the game besides the fighting. Don't know why people make such a big deal about retail covers when they are accurate.
@element187 "its doing a great job in repelling most people away from their beliefs. It is childish to complain about this." You may be right, but ignoring it is unlikely to convince anyone either: how to raise awareness about an issue without talking about it?
tanasten
Loving no. Love playing fantasy games with fantasy girls. We should ban every game that involves war and different races as the enemy before that.
"While the games industry has come a long way since the male-dominated days of the '80s and '90s, it's still easy to forget that there are a lot of female gamers out there who could — and indeed will — be offended by such imagery," And they should suck it up and get on with their lives.
I am offended that some offended people want to destroy my option and freedom to play a game with big breasted women.
I get offended about war games with square jawed white dudes with some quasi military nonsense spouting to their token racial buddy. I think it's racist and it draws an image of men being brave heroic and altruistic saviours of the world while most of them are just egocentric testosterone loaded layabouts that eat red meat and watch sports (not(entirely) true, I know but it's just as silly an argument).
Should all games have pop music because lyrics about demons and the devil might offend christians in a game like Devil may Cry? Should we not have black npc's spawn in a GTA chicken diner because it might offend Jessy Jackson?
I think it's(the arguement) simply playing on peoples fears of doing the "right" thing like you should feel guilty enjoying the beauties of the female body.
The real problem is trying to be politically correct and last time I checked politics they where not correct.
@R-L-A-George and @HyperSonicEXE - I hope this doesn't get in the way of Shantae too. Have you noticed anything in particular of concern? Half-Genie Hero has always looked sexless to me, but we'll see what Pirate's Curse turns out like. Risky Boots was all boobs and hips in Risky's Revenge, and I hope that doesn't change. I just love the female form and it seems it's becoming taboo to depict it in a way that accentuates it. OK, Senran Kagura Burst is silly (and there's nothing wrong with that), but it's also how the bikini was censored in Bravely Default etc, etc. The list could go on for a while.
@R-L-A-George
@MetalKingShield
While I would understand some measure of concern making sure that Shantae and co. are not -oversexualized- in the first multi-platform launch for the franchise, no, nothing has gone awry just yet. And given that the concept of Shantae is fairly rooted in a realistic clothing design and having been created by Erin Bozon, I do not believe anything ill will befall the project. Additionally, the current myriad of prototype artworks and character designs uphold WayForward's balanced stance heretofore with nothing changed, and they seem very keen to understanding that sexualized character designs may hamper popularity and sales, particularly in the family-friendly case of Shantae.
Although Shantae was never overly sexualised, I liked how it had a theme of beauty and the female form. For example, the statues in Risky's Revenge where you learnt the transformations (or, as I say, Risky Boots herself). There was nothing dirty about it whatsoever - it was just about curves and aesthetics - and it's this that I fear we might lose if we keep thinking the female form is "rude" and needs to be covered up.
tj3dsXL
@ EVERYONE ABOVE : you cant compair digital life to that of the normal human one, you can only decide to become one or the other or both. If you choose the digital world of thus sort just remember to take a break every 45mins and so on !!!!
Etherwinter
I wanted to post this for a while, but technical issues and all. Ahem. Also this is not poking at the author of the article, but more gaming journalism in general.
How about stop worrying so much over FICTIONAL VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS. Things like this have been in art for CENTURIES. Paintings, photography, and today, TV/movies and video games.
How about you people start focusing on actual problems women are facing in the real world rather than what happens to a 2D sprite or 3D model on a screen? Write more articles about how some religions/countries treat their women--REAL WOMEN. But focusing on reality isn’t your job now, is it? Otherwise you’d have a better grasp about what it is you’re actually talking about.
How about you write about ACTUAL problems facing the industry? Like developers/publishers pouring money into marketing rather than developing? Or how some journalists are CLEARLY paid off. But of course, that doesn't matter at all, right? A fanservicey set of chicks kicking butt in a game is WAY MORE problematic than something like that. And of course, these girls are capable, strong both physically and mentally. The only difference between them and Lara Croft is... they show some more skin. How offensive. They actually have personalities, motives, etc. But their characters are ignored and they are reduced to mere objects by the same people who cry objectification. Somehow their ability to show some skin negates everything else about them.
I am sick and tired of this. If a fictional girl shows so much as some cleavage and panties, there's an outcry. Are you so sheltered and immature? No, you're not acting 'mature' by singling out VIDEO GAMES like this and then saying "OMG THIS FICTIONAL CHARACTER HAS LARGE MOVING BREASTS AND IS SHOWING CLEAVAGE! THIS IS WRONG. I AM OFFENDED." That is the opposite of mature. You are complaining about something that is so small it makes you look like you're just whining. This is like walking up to a woman --a stranger-- who is showing cleavage and complaining about it to the people around her. You are not seen as helpful or doing good, but just a nuisance and whiner.
On the topic of real women; do peoples’ heads explode when they see a REAL attractive woman in a bikini? How about when, during a movie, a woman shows some cleavage and thigh? Because you know that PG-13 movies allows some nudity. No? Because people complaining about this make me think otherwise.
Oh, this amused me: people are worried about their children being exposed to this. Then be a good parent? Don't buy these games for them? Pretty sure it's not rated "For all ages". Parents should do the parenting. DO NOT ask the developers to do the parenting for you. Hell, they even try to help with parental controls to make things easier for you. I worry about parents who think that the world has to do their parenting for them.
Another thing--so WHAT if the developers wanted it to be a fanservice game? What is the problem? You are thinking about boycotting something like this, for what purpose? Because it is harmful? And if it is so harmful, what of graphic violence and gore, and potentially disturbing or unsettling imagery which is in most games? These are not equally as harmful? Maybe you should think about boycotting those instead. Or do you just want to continue having double standards? Do you want to boycott free speech and artistic freedom while you're at it? You know, some of the things that civilization is built upon?
If this kind of thing "offends you" then keep on trucking. The game world is vast. You'll surely find some other game to play.
I don't see the Barbie game developers catering to boys--maybe they should try. I'm offended by Barbie games. I will boycott them for having things I dislike, and not having things I like. Ken is way too handsome. He should look more relatable. They should cater more to me, to the demographic I'M part of.
"but what, here, is being lost by making these characters normal looking, relatable women?"
I doubt they’re meant to be relatable. Why would they be? Do you relate to Superman? Or for a better example, Batman in the Arkham games? Nope. Not at all. He and his situations are not relatable and not at all normal. Neither is Lara Croft and her situations. Or Nathan Drake, or Solid Snake. You cannot identify with these characters. The majority of characters in video games are like this. You can make them ‘believable’, yes, but it’s still very much in fantasy universes and their situations are not at all relatable. You can still be concerned for and get attached to characters whether there’s fanservice or not. That is not a wall to bar you from seeing personalities or motives, or whatever.
So what would you lose? How about style, artistic integrity/freedom? Uniqueness? The developer wanted it this way. This is like asking Bayonetta or Sorceress from Dragon's Crown to look more 'relatable', more… normal. No, that's not going to work. It's part of the style and uniqueness of the game and its designs. It's also what the developer envisioned. Why do you want to take that freedom away? Even if it’s a shallow vision such as wanting to see boobs in 3D, it’s still an artistic expression. It doesn’t have to be DEEP to be art, but people in the game industry seem to suffer from the idea that things must have a deeper meaning or be complex to be considered art. That’s not the case. Sure, they may not be masterpieces, but it’s still expression. Still art.
These are the developers who don't pour money into advertising more than game development. They actually develop out of love of video games and their visions, targeting small demographics rather than making a game that's run-of-the-mill, pandering to everyone. So what if they 'give the finger to major demographics'. That wasn't their goal in the first place. It literally boils down to "if you don't like it, don't play it", because it wasn't made with you in mind. Move on.
Not all games cater to everyone. And they SHOULD NOT. All you'll get at the end is a general, tasteless, committee-approved paste that's put onto a cartridge or disc and sent off to you for $60US.
Freedom does come with responsibility yes. That is how it has always been. However the people creating this are not upset at the protests. The ones who are offended are upset. There is no consequence for something like this. Or rather, there shouldn't be. Artists have died for their art. In artistic circles, forcing artists to censor or change their art would be seen as a stifling of freedom of expression and creativity. Critics would by and large stand up for the artist. What is this in video gaming circles? Ah, "perfectly valid censorship of stupid things" Why? "Because it offends me."
These are fictional characters. They do not exist. They have no bearing on what happens in real life unless you cannot differentiate between fiction and reality. Can you differentiate between fiction and reality? Yes? Then you shouldn't have a problem.
There is no "serious problem with objectification" in video games. I can count more harmful problems than this overblown one. If you really consider this a problem, please set your targets on TV, commercials, ads, movies, music videos etc. Video games are the least of your 'problems'.
It’s like some of you people live in a bubble.
The video game industry needs to grow up. Particularly the journalist portion. Games that take away control from the player repeatedly because of frequent cutscenes or ‘cinematic gameplay’. Games that are almost ‘push button to win’ offering no difficulty or challenge. These aren’t problems, but fictional characters in video games are. Games that aren't even finished are rushed to meet deadlines have had millions of dollars more going into marketing rather than development. This is also not a problem, but fictional characters in video games are. Publishers cut out pieces of their game, charge a full 60$ for it and then charge extra for the pieces. This is not a problem, but fictional characters in video games are. Publishers pay off game journalists to give games high scores rather than reviewing them fairly. This is not a problem, but fictional characters in video games are. Companies litter console homescreens with ads. Some games even have advertisements in them. Of course, these are not problematic at all. But how a fictional character looks, how she's shaped, what she wears--this is the REAL problem. We should kick up a storm about this. Should we boycott games like this?
Video games are NOT a soapbox for social agenda. Conforming to your worldviews is NOT a prerequisite for ANY form of entertainment.
You’ll only succeed in barring Japanese games from the west. And I would not like that to happen. Japanese games in general have a variety and fantastical nature and style that you rarely ever see coming from the west.
If you don’t like The Birth of Venus, then stop complaining about it while looking at it and go look at the Mona Lisa instead.
The world is FULL of stuff that people will think is fun to them. It just seems so pointless to waste time on things you don’t like or can’t understand.
Fun facts: Japan has had female protagonists for the longest while. In fact, the first game to feature one was a Japanese game. Japanese games in general also have MORE female protagonists than the west. Also, despite fanservice (as eroticism is a part of Japanese culture), most of them are MORE than comparable to Lara Croft. For every strong western female character, there are 5 more strong Japanese female characters.
The game industry hasn’t been ‘growing up in recent years’. Lara Croft is late to a growing party.
kensredemption
Holy crap, the UK can get away with a lot with their ads. If they were to broadcast that in the US, people would have a fit over the innuendo and the FCC would have a heyday with it.
Anyway, this objectification of women...I don't know. I mean sure, pixelated women are sexy and give me an outlet for my own insecurities and frustrations, but I know that real, respectable and powerful women are nothing like them. They're not vulnerable or prone to fighting in public with their midriff exposed, let alone their cleavage.
Games like this target a niche market - that of pre-pubescent teenage boys who stuff socks into their underwear to compensate for their lack of "masculinity". Well, that's my opinion, anyway.
@kensredemption The game has a 16+ rating. It isn't targeting kids.
Wed 4th Jun 2014
@HyperSonicEXE It's not what I was talking about necessarily. There is a MMO based on gods and goddesses from many cultures. The designs are or were based on historical designs and powers that match their folklore. Well people started complaining about it, what I meant by "used to". Now they just have a shallow stereotype version of the character people were complaining about.
Haruhi_Suzumiya
Am I the only one who remembered this quote by Voltaire while reading this? The quote is, "I might disagree with your opinion, but I am willing to give my life for your right to express it." It is perfectly fine to hate something, even boycott it, but once you start saying that it should not exist, that is crossing into Stalin, Jong-un, and Hitler territories of censorship.
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As voted by you
Soapbox: The Nintendo Switch Lite Has The One Thing I've Been Waiting For All This Time
One Direction?
Doug Bowser Says Nintendo Will Continue To Support The 3DS Family Of Systems
"as long as there is demand"
Soapbox: Nintendo Switch Lite Might Not Be For You, But It Will Be A Smash Hit With My Family
R.I.P. 3DS?
Senran Kagura Burst
Tamsoft
14th Nov 2013 (USA), $29.99
27th Feb 2014 (UK/EU)
Feature: Best Nintendo Switch Games
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Atooi
Jools Watsham
Chicken Wiggle
Jools Watsham Highlights Low Chicken Wiggle Sales, Confirms Upcoming Discount
"I think the indie audience has left the 3DS and moved onto Switch"
by Thomas Whitehead Thu 7th Sep 2017
Chicken Wiggle by Atooi is one of the most notable 3DS eShop releases in recent times, a retro-styled platformer with level creation and sharing tools. Despite the positive reputation of the developers - largely the former Renegade Kid team behind Mutant Mudds - the game has sold poorly, as highlighted by Jools Watsham.
In a series of posts he states that sales have been 'very low', with a discount promotion now on the way. Watsham has also been critical of the game's positioning on the North American eShop, though it had strong placement in Europe.
Chicken Wiggle sales have been really low. Gonna write a blog post about it. Wait until next week if you plan on buying. Putting it on sale. pic.twitter.com/DF0N5Jf7gm— Jools Watsham (@JoolsWatsham) September 7, 2017
Loads 3DS eShop. Sets expectations low for Chicken Wiggle feature on main shelf. Expectations met. No chickens or worms in sight. *sigh* 🐣— Jools Watsham (@JoolsWatsham) September 7, 2017
Week 1 & 2: Chicken Wiggle nowhere on main eShop shelf. Week 3: Icon feature about 15 slots over from start. Week 4: See Week 1 & 2.— Jools Watsham (@JoolsWatsham) September 7, 2017
Yeah, the positioning in EU was awesome. Literally couldn't have asked for better support.— Jools Watsham (@JoolsWatsham) September 7, 2017
I think the indie audience has left the 3DS and moved onto Switch.— Jools Watsham (@JoolsWatsham) September 7, 2017
For our part we felt the level creation and sharing was the star feature in our review.
Atooi does have plans for Switch, with an iteration of Mutant Mudds confirmed to be in the works way back in February; perhaps the studio will enjoy greater success on the latest hardware.
Have you tried Chicken Wiggle yet, and will a discount tempt you? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Chicken Wiggle (3DS eShop)
daveh30
CW is a great game, and easily amongst the best on the eShop. Being on 3DS after the release of Switch is about it's only downfall. Hope this doesn't hurt future Switch development from Atooi.
Can't help but feel like another Mudds port might be a mistake though. I think everyone who wants that game owns it on multiple platforms by now. Probably better to plow ahead with Treasurenauts at this point.
PanurgeJr
I've been wondering what effect Switch has had on sales for games on Wii U and 3DS; it's a damn shame that what I suspected might be the case.
Shiryu
Man, thats sad news, I really wish Jools had better luck at these releases.
AG_Awesome
The eshop is pretty crowded with good side scrollers right now but it's pretty lame Nintendo didn't give the game much of a spotlight on the main page. The game looks fun but the price was bad for me. I'd probably get it for 5 bucks but not much more. My backlog is in the hundreds so even buying it I won't get around to it until at least 2018
Knuckles-Fajita
I gave him a push to my dev network giving the game some promo time but I cant do much more being tied up marketing some mobile games right now.
It sucks but I think he is onto something. Still, doing what i can to help
BoFiS
I haven't touched my 3DS since getting my Switch, and while that might change now with Metroid, I don't think his assessment is too far off.
Kalmaro
Is it not on the Switch? If not then why on earth didn't he make it for the new console? Of course everyone is going to be all over it.
mattmayatt
There's no room for the 3ds anymore, like the look of chicken wiggle , hope it gets ported to switch.
With that being said I'll probably buy it on 3ds when it's discounted.
lemonjellydude
I would have loved this but I have moved on to the switch . This could do well if Ported to the swItch
MetaRyan
Starting to notice a pattern here
BrizzoUK
Hope he brings it to Switch, then I'll definitely give it a go!
thesilverbrick
With the exception of Metroid in a couple weeks, I think I'm just about done buying games for my 3DS. I still play it here and there, but I have such a huge backlog on 3DS (and DS for that matter) that I don't really need anything new.
Feel for the guy. That's the danger of releasing into a mature, possibly fading, market. Massive install base, but the players have moved on...
Poor timing I think......if I remember right Mario Maker 3DS got announced right before he was going to announce this and then Switch happened. By all accounts, it's a great game but I'm a horrible handheld gamer and cant finish the games I have for my 3DS so he wont get a sale from me on this 1. Hopefully with a price reduction and some help from the eShop, he can get some sales.
Yes I'm not buying anything for 3ds or Wii u now adays regardless of first party, third or indie!
It's all about the switch!
Would buy on Switch for $9.99 or less. Only games I'd consider on 3DS are Metroid and Pokémon.
SmaMan
So basically what he's saying...
"Hey guys, sales for my game are really low right now so whatever you do, don't buy it right now."
Sorry my 3ds is retired and I am having a hard time getting metroid for it even. Just want games on switch now...
Pablo17
I would buy this for the Switch, I sold my 3DS.
ECMIM
@SmaMan uhh, he literally said in the post to not buy until next week because it's going on sale.
(As for me, the Euro platformer stylings of Jools and co. isn't really my cup of tea, so I'll be passing regardless.)
That said, the only 3DS game I care about at this point is Metroid is and, even then, a huge part of me really, really would have preferred it be moved to Switch, such that I'm hesitant to buy it on 3DS...the audience of core players has left the building.
GeminiSaint
A discount will tempt me, yes.
Giygas_95
I'd be very surprised if it didn't sell a lot better on Switch. I hope he can make a port for it.
brandonbwii
I'm not surprised. It was only on the front page for a week.
Any smaller publisher or developer who is developing a serious project needs to make the Switch ASAP.
Tandy255
I did buy it (USA). I completed all of the included levels (100%). Now I am playing the fan made levels. Great game!
Personally for me, I just don't think his games are very good period. That might have something to do with it
In addition it's also a late release 3ds downloadable game ( I mean the 3ds is 6+ years old at this point) with very little marketing from Jools himself. Not to mention that the 3ds eshop has been fairly dead over the last few months. I do agree somewhat that it would have been better if he had launched on the Switch but even then, I'm not entirely sure that his sales would be significantly better
Gurtelytis
Winner = Mutant Mudds with Level Creator for Switch
( and also mobile )
High price for an unknown indie game, dying system, little marketing and the title quite frankly is unappealing and makes it sound like a flappy bird knock off.
This was dead from the start regardless of the game's quality to be honest.
Tate24
Ill be honest havent played 3ds in a while however with monster hunter stories out tomo that's about to change. The only reason i didnt pick up CW is felt to similar to mutant mudds...and am kinda over that sort 2D platforming at moment. My 3DS is saturated with em.
Bassman_Q
For me it was the price that put me off. It looks pretty fun and I love the premise of the star character being a birb, but it didn't look worth the price tag of $15. Give me a discount to about $8, and then I might bite...
Maybe the game isn't very good. Having said that I think it's overpriced and especially for old hardware nobody cares about anymore. I think I saw it was about $22 in launch day and I saw trailers and reviews and thought nah pass.
The only 3ds games I am waiting for now are Metroid, Mario and Luigi superstar saga remake, and maybe etrian odyssey v. I'm not loading in more eshop titles that money is going into switch games now.
Sunnyleafs
I checked the e-shop on release date and in Canada the game is $21 or something crazy like that. I just couldn't justify it. I have a Switch but I still play my 3DS too, and I was really interested in CW but not for that kind of scratch.
The Canadian dollar is on the rise and yet the mark-up on games here remains high. It's very frustrating.
So 60 million 3DS owners stopped playing on their systems to only play games on 5 million Switch? That's a lot of Switch sharing going on. 😆
I'd believe people waiting for the Shovel Knight DLC before I'd blame it on Switch ownership, there just aren't that many out there, sorry.
Too bad it sold OK in the EU or he could have blamed it on Brexit. 😈
Let's wait and see how Metroid does before we declare the 3DS dead.
You should move on to the Switch too, Jools. Grass is way greener. I have over 200 games on my 3DS, including all of yours... but it hurts me to even think I'll fire it up to play Samus Returns... because I love the Switch so much. Its so much better.
manu0
Fri 8th Sep 2017
i knew right from the start that he would be complaining about low sales again.
SLIGEACH_EIRE
I must choose my words carefully.
Pichuka97
Was waiting for this to go on sale. At $20 CAD, I wasn't ready to part with my hard earned cash on a game that appears to be quite similar to the previous Mutant Mudds in terms of aesthetics anyway. I know you can't judge a book by it's cover but nothing that I saw from this game tickled me pink enough to drop the money. But yes, I will gladly pick this one up on sale next week
Meaty-cheeky
@Kalmaro
You do realize that game development takes quite a while right? Also Nintendo switch development kits were released very late and to only a select few developers.
Yikes. Now I feel guilty for not having bought it (yet...?).
However, I'm European, so my purchase would have mattered even less.
Any price drop bringing the price below 10€ will inevitably make it a must-buy.
@Meaty-cheeky That just sounds like they should have waited.
MisterKorman
I've looked into it in a more detailed fashion now and am singing a different tune after seeing extensive footage, but I knew about it and didn't pick it up because it didn't appeal to me like Jools' other games do (I still regularly play Bomb Monkey with friends). I'm sad that this cool-looking game didn't get marketed in a way that shows off just how awesome the game seemed to be (from my perspective).
MoonKnight7
I haven't played it, but I'm pretty sure the generic name "Chicken Wiggle" isn't helping matters. I don't doubt it's a good game, but it doesn't exactly send people running to the eshop to see what it is.
the_shpydar
Honestly, it's the price point. I know i'm not the only one who was going to buy this until i saw it was more than $10 USD (and i'm the last person to ever complain about pricing on eShop titles).
I'll see what the sale price is, it sure isn't worth $20 CAD...
roy130390
Honestly, for the unlimited reply value the game offers it's far of being overpriced. It's a shame that so many people feel that way... I mean, it offers what Mario Maker couldn't... for $14.99 and with a fresh approach. I don't know about the other games Jools made since I haven't played them, but this one is among the best Eshop games. I'm really surprised about the amount of options you have with the level creator and how easy and fun to use it is. To be honest I have more fun with this game than any Mario game available on the 3DS.
Jools- I haven't touched my 3DS in a year +
Swing over to Switch brother!
I can vouch for this game being really good.
cyrus_zuo
Metroid WILL suffer the same fate, sadly.
I just don't use my 3ds anymore. I used to play 20 hours a month, according to the 3ds. Since the switch release I'm averaging 2 hours a month.
If Chicken Wiggle came out 2 years ago is have gotten it. I'll buy it now, once on sale, just to support the developer, who seems determined not to release Treasurenauts!
Arngrim
Not gonna lie, i dont use my 3DS nearly as often as i used to, since i got my Switch. And i even rarely buy new games for the 3DS, since i already got 40+ games to finish as it is. But just looking at the name Chicken Wiggle, i thought it was one of those shovelware Flappy-Bird clones or something, had no idea it was a Jools game. Depending on the price of the sale, i might actually buy it, no promises it will be played this year though.
It should get ported to Switch and 80's Overdrive too. I just can't play on 3DS anymore.
Huh, I was actually going to buy this today. Guess I'll wait. Looked like exactly my thing but it's been a busy few months at work and I really haven't played (or bought) much since RPG Maker in June.
Indielink
As has been echoed several times, little marketing, odd name, wrong platform. I do respect Jools for telling on the fence people not to buy this week and wait for the discount. Cool stuff.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I am interested in seeing which words you choose.
RoomB31
I still play my 3DS, but this game just doesn't interest me, whether it be the lack of coverage or not trying to sell me on the game/concept, it has not been on my radar at all. I do think he's right about indie lovers moving away from 3DS.
@rjejr I think you're being a little obtuse there. Yes, there are 60M 3DS, and 5M Switch, but there's more to it than that. The crowd that immediately jumped shipped to the Switch are the early adopter crowd that buys indie games day 1. They're also that same crowd of collectors that own half a dozen or more 3DS, meaning that those 60M systems represents significantly less actual users (I purchased 5 in the 3ds family, and have never touched any of the special edition ones...). What's left is the more casual folk, and a whole lot of children without credit cards...
"I think the indie audience has left the 3DS and moved onto Switch."
Man, that's going to trigger some people here.
(reads comments)
Yep, sure has.
@Sunnyleafs I'm not the only one :')
@Arngrim I was thinking the same thing, that my backlog for 3DS is big enough as it is and I'm just not interested in getting games for it anymore. I did a quick count, and I have about 20 eShop games and 15 full retail games that I still have yet to play at all. The Virtual Console and DS probably account for 20 more--and these are only the games I own and have never played. Throw in the games that I never got around to even buying but should (e. g. many Fire Emblem games; I've only recently come around to strategy games), or those that deserve to be replayed (Zelda), and I've got roughly 80 games sitting on my to-play list. I don't need new games for 3DS. Especially since I've got a shiny new system that I do need new games for.
I haven't moved onto the Switch. I don't even have a Switch. I don't want a Switch. That said, I still won't buy this game. I don't have much interest in it.
No idea if indie gamers have moved onto the Switch though. Although the 3DS has some good indies, the majority of the best indies are on the Vita. That's where all the indie gamers are, including me.
techdude
The initial price is too high. Unless it got 9s on various review sites, I doubt many will bite the bullet and buy a game with Retro graphics and looks like something that's 0.99 or freemium on their phones.
Yes, Many Nintendo fans are now trading up to its more superior handheld (Switch), but a game that fills a niche (like 80s Overdrive) should still find an audience on the 3DS if priced right.
And no matter how good Mutant Mudd is, the developer is still no Miyamoto or Suzuki, where the name command a premium. Still, will probably buy this once it gets on sale...
@techdude It actually got 9s and even a 10 in the sites that reviewed it. Considering that this game rivals a Mario game that doesn't let you to share or play other levels online and that has double the price, I think it's not as bad as people think. They compare it with oter indies that don't offer half the replay value this one has. Of course that's just my point of view though, but I really recommend it. I'm really surprised by how solid it is as a platformer and how deep and intuitive the leveal creator is.
I've already moved on to switch. I'll only be touching 3DS and WiiU only if I must. I don't understand why many people on here don't understand that and get mad at developers for not releasing games on the 3DS or Wii U. Just because you are still stuck in the past or can't afford a switch doesn't mean that developers should cater to you. All I know is that Switch is the new nintendo platform and that's where I expect all the games to be going forward. I'm not looking back and neither should you. If you like Nintendo and you like their games you need to get a Switch, simple as that. Don't want one? Don't expect special treatment. If it were up to me I'd cancel all the Remaining Wii U games and 3DS games and find a way to get them on switch. Just polish them up and make some adjustments but move on. The switch is the future of handheld and console gaming for Nintendo. If you don't get that by now, then you never will.
The8BitLego
@Kalmaro He has been developing this game for quite a while now.
He couldn't have just "waited"
@Donutman I agree! I wish metroid was on the switch. I'm gonna hate going back to 3DS
It's a bit on the expensive side, so... Yeah.
rushiosan
No, we didn't. We just won't pay twice the price that game is worth.
@RoomB31 Have you been on Twitter in the past two months? It's gotten loads of coverage there from reviewers and regular gamers. But Twitter also isn't the be-all end-all for marketing, though Jools doesn't really like to venture out beyond that medium.
As for the game itself, it is an excellent platformer and the level editor offers an infinite amount of replayability, especially given the online sharing. I think the real problem is the price; it IS worth $15 for the amount of content that you get, but cheap millennials don't like to buy any non-AAA titles that cost more than one digit and many won't ever give those games the light of day, sadly.
@rushiosan Have you watched any videos of the game? Specifically, shared levels or the editor?
KryptoniteKrunch
Game looks pretty cool and I've enjoyed RK's previous games so I don't doubt the quality. However, Jools has to consider that the $15 price tag is steep.
bngrybt
It really is a shame. Part of this is due to the way Nintendo is handling indie Switch development. There is a tighter lid on it and it's harder to get devkits compared to the 3DS. I can understand why, because they don't want the market flooded, but it is a shame.
rosemo
The bottom line: Jools isn't very good at reading the market. People have been wanting Treasurenauts for ages, but it's nowhere to be found. People wanted a more fleshed out sequel to Mutant Mudds, so he makes an extra hard version. He mistakenly thought people wanted remasters of his DS games, which were good but were pretty niche to begin with. Can't really expect big sales there. Xeodrifter was good (two of my boys loved it) but short. Then comes Chicken Wiggle, which is really ambitious but is missing the essential ingredients. To pull off the "make and share" approach, you need a highly recognizable property or you need to wrap a great game around it. Mario Maker and Pushmo are two successful examples of this. Everyone wants to make Mario levels. Pushmo had so much great content you were inspired to make and share your own, but if you didn't want to there was still a great game at a great price. Chicken Wiggle has neither of these things.
maceng
@cyrus_zuo You are in the very large minority: 60MM against 5MM players.
@maceng That's systems, not players. We have 7 3ds systems in my house. It's a very different comparison than you are making. It's not 60 to 5 at all. What's more, sales are always focused around new consoles. The biggest spenders are the most likely to move. I have 40 3ds carts and 60+ downloaded games. I've bought 1 game on 3ds since switch came out and 10 on switch.
Nintendo's best customers have moved on, and there weren't really 60 million 3ds players to begin with, that's just how many have sold. I'll let the active players is less than half that, square enix might suggest it is less than that.
@The8BitLego Sure he could've. No one forced his schedule right? Once it became obvious that Nintendo had a new console coming up, he could have slowed down and perhaps sprung for a dev kit.
TheSpeedyMouse
@Kalmaro Nintendo is making dev kits for Switch hard to get. A Hat in Time isn't coming to Switch because of that despite them wanting a dev kit.
8itmap_k1d
I honestly think the title plays a part here. I was put off because it sounds like a mobile game; or at best one of those ten-a-penny eShop filler games. I only knew it was decent after hearing it mentioned on the Giant Bombcast.
@TheSpeedyMouse In a situation like that, I'd wait. Launching a game on a console right as a newer one is coming out is not easy, especially if the new console overshadows the one you are developing for.
ALinkttPresent
If Nintendo really didn't show it on the main page at launch, that just tells me it's probably bad. Nintendo almost always shows a game on the main page of the eShop when it launches, the only times I've seen them not do that is with really cruddy shovel ware games.
And yeah, the game's name is unappealing.
@ALinkttPresent Many games that aren't popular but have been received well by both reviewers and buyers haven't been on the main page or have been for short periods. I'm baffled how you can relate the two, considering that there are logic explanations behind like having more popular games or franchises owned by Nintendo released the same date or close to it.
It's fine if you don't like it or care about it, really, however it's amazing how easy can discredit other's people work without any consideration. I mean, at least search for reviews or other people's opinions before expressing something as harsh as that, specially in terms of probabilities. Sure, other opinions won't make you like it but they would definitely make you clear that this game and many others that haven't had the spot light are far from being shovel ware. Also, mediocre games like Triforce Heroes and Mario and Sonic Olympic games have been on the spot light, so basing quality on such a thing is absurd.
@Indielink 3DS owners have gone cold turkey?
Sorry about that Jools, I never did get myself a 3DS.
I'd buy it on Switch.
That said, I think Mr Watsham needs to take a step back from the 8-bit aesthetic. It's getting played out- it's neat for a once in a while thing but when you have truckloads and truckloads of retro pixelated games... it loses its appeal.
And right now, he needs another Mutant Mudds. Not an actual Mutant Mudds, but another game as popular as Mutant Mudds. He needs another game to put him back on the map. A lot of devs develop one game that people like and then never really make another hit. He needs another hit. And not just a game that's barely good enough to be considered worth buying for 10 bucks. I mean a game that's incredible, that people absolutely have to buy because it looks so good. And to be honest, I don't think he's going to pull that off with the 8 bit style right now. Go for the Toki Tori 2 look... the Rive look... A little more modern. Or at the very least, if retro is all he wants to make, do something 16 bit. But most importantly, make it a classic...
Supaguy
I always felt so frustrated with Renegade Kid when they were still around. They were capable of making some stunning games with their FPS games on DS being notably amazing for the time. But once they hit it off with Mutant Mudds I feel like their track record got a bit splotchy. I always felt like their games were priced too high and they never got their games out in the European eshop fast enough for me to still care at that point.
With their numerous rereleases (Dementium and Moon did not hold up on 3DS when compared to Resident Evil Revelations especially with the piece meal uploads) and the dangling of Treasurenauts at the end of a stick whilst shoving out rather meagre titles like Xeodrifter just really just screamed of poor analysis of their market.
The people in Renegade Kid are no doubt great guys but they need to understand where the best direction is to go forward.
Of course! The price was absolutely not a problem, that's why you are lowering it....oh wait a minute?!
Sadly for me it's the price that is the problem. I'm unaware if the game is long enough to warrant a €15 price tag. Sure there is the level editor but I don't see myself toying with that for long enough.
I get that this is a one-person company and that one person has to pay his bills but from a consumer point of view a €15 price tag is not very tempting. I will support Watsham by buying the game with the discount however.
While on the subject, I'm still wondering what happened to the other half of Renegade Kid. I'm still dissappointed about not getting Moon Chronicles or Dementium 2 Remastered here in Europe, mostly because back when Moon Chronicles was first announced I was debating buying the original game for the DS and decided not to after the news broke of the remake.
AtooiJools
Thank you to those who offered support and/or valuable feedback. I really appreciate it. <3
Clarification for those who are "tired of hearing me complain about low sales." Communicating the fact that sales were low is not complaining IMO. I like to share the game's performance, just like when successful games share their high sales.
Moving all future efforts off 3DS and over to Switch and other platforms. A huge thanks to those in the Nintendo Life community who support my work. It means a great deal to hear your positive and constructive feedback. Cheers!
@Kilroy No, Twitter is not the be all end all, and it's only good for direct contact, not for learning about one specific game, so if that's the main source of marketing, there should be no surprises there.
I'm not sure why you are insinuating that "millennials are cheap" jab, but it's unnecessary. It's not about whether its worth the $15, for me it doesn't present itself well, and thus I have little interest in it as a whole. Since few people have shed light on it, there is little reason to seek it out, thus poor sales.
I'm not saying it's a bad game, just one with little marketing, little coverage and little word of mouth, with that little to stand on and its mildly generic presentation, it's not hard to see why it didn't sell super well.
@Kilroy Yes, and it still doesn't justify $15.
@daveh30 Yes, there aren't 60m 3DS owners, my family owns 3, but 4 people play on them. I'm sure lots of families have siblings sharing and parents sharing with their kids. Those sharers may not replace the guys who buy 5 or 6 different models, but there are some people sharing. So let's say 1/3 of people buy multiples and that there are only 40 million 3DS owners, not 60m, thats still 8x as many as Switch.
All the early adopter stuff doesn't really matter, you can't blame poor sales squarely on a new console, it's just a cop out. Zelda sold fairly well after the Switch released. There are 3DS games still selling. My guess is even if there was no Switch this game was never going to sell gangbusters. Too expensive, little marketing, download only. Switch is his convienent excuse.
Kolzig
Sat 9th Sep 2017
In my opinion indie audience hasn't left 3DS, maybe marketing in American eShop was bad, but I noticed the game easily in Europe.
In my opinion this Chicken Wiggle just doesn't look as interesting as Mutant Mudds and Xeodrifter. The name is also in my honest opinion a bit terrible.
If this were instead Treasurenauts then I would've bought it. Also the price is way too high for a game like this that nobody except hardcore platform audience knows, especially since general public might recognize Renegade Kid but surely doesn't recognize Atooi as a name.
Not belonging to Jools anymore, but damn I am still heavily disappointed that Renegade Kid promised to release Moon Chronicles in Europe, but never did.
Chicken Wiggle Workshop Unlikely To Be Released On Switch This Year
"Please understand"
Action, Platformer
17th Aug 2017 (USA), $14.99
17th Aug 2017 (UK/EU), £13.49
atooi.com
Buy on Nintendo eShop
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Asphalt Pavement Magazine - March/April 2014 - (Page 30) Milling machine manufacturers have submitted their systems to field trials to prove engineering controls that minimize silica dust. Asphalt Addresses By Howard Marks, Ph.D. O ver the past decade, the asphalt pavement industry has been working to quantify and reduce the potential for workplace exposure to respirable crystalline silica. In particular, the Silica/Milling Machine Partnership has helped develop, test, and verify the ability of engineering controls to reduce silica dust exposure well below the levels identified as a potential concern. Crystalline silica is a basic component of soil, sand, granite, and many other minerals, but when very small particles of it become airborne it can cause scarring in lungs (silicosis), lung cancer, and other health effects. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has long regulated workplace exposure The asphalt pavement industry moves forward with OSHA's new proposed silica standard Silica to silica, but in August 2013 it proposed new rules that would further reduce exposure limits. New Silica Standard Decades in the making, the 750page proposed rule outlines a new permissible exposure level (PEL) for silica dust of 50 micrograms of respirable crystalline silica per cubic meter of air (50 μg/m3), which is roughly one-half the current PEL. The proposed rule is working through the regulatory rulemaking process. Comments were accepted from interested partners and the public earlier this year and public hearings on the proposed rule are set to begin on Mar. 18. Thanks to the work of the Silica/ Milling Machine Partnership, asphalt roadway milling operations are well positioned to meet the new PEL, and the partnership will 30 * View past issues online at www.naylornetwork.com/nap-nxt testify during the public hearings on the rule. Over the past decade, the Silica/ Milling Machine Partnership - which is made up of the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), milling-machine manufacturers, labor, academia, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) - has worked to identify engineering controls and best practices that effectively reduce potential silica exposure below OSHA's new proposed PEL. The early work of the partnership to redesign water spray systems within the cutter housing was instrumental in helping the asphalt pavement industry avoid the more onerous compliance standards other industries face under the proposed rule. Current research by the http://www.naylornetwork.com/nap-nxt Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Asphalt Pavement Magazine - March/April 2014 President’s Perspective
Meet the Chairman
Open for the Weekend
Asphalt Addresses Silica
Thinlays for Pavement Preservation
Defining Environmental Impact
Counting the Cost Over Time
Index of advertisers/advertisers.com
Asphalt Pavement Magazine - March/April 2014 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NAPS/NAPS0318
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NAPS/NAPG0018
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NAPS/NAPS0218
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Do you want an exciting game that could give you some adrenaline rush? Play the Vex game series then. Do some running, jumping, swimming and sliding. Move fast but be careful. Do not be caught on obstacles and traps. Play the first Vex game first as a warm up. And when you are through with Vex 2, be ready for more and brand new adventure in the third installment. You can Play vex 3 for free in gaming sites that offer it.
Vex 3 is the third sequel of the game, and probably the hardest among the three. It is filled with more complex strategy and challenging levels. It is more than a skill game of running, jumping, swimming and sliding. And remember, you can Play vex 3 for free. Here is a short walkthrough of the early stages of the game.
At the beginning of the game, there is a short tutorial where you will learn the basics and some of the obstacles you will encounter in the succeeding levels. Just like in the previous versions, the spikes are not your friend. Falling too high is fatal. There are platforms than fall down when you step on them, so you must run fast when going through them. You should not be squeezed in between platforms.
It is said that Act 1 is a recap of Vex 2, there are old obstacles from Vex 2. In Act 2, you will be playing underwater. You must pay attention to your stickman’s breath bar so he will not drown. Also, you will also push and kick some boxes to where they should be in this level. You will also do a lot of wall jumping and wall climbing. Act 3 introduces swing balls and ice blocks.
In Act 4, you will encounter more obstacles and new platforms. There are blocks with arrows which are called Speed Blocks. When you run through them, they will make your stickman run faster to the direction of the arrow on them. Lasers are also introduced. In Act 5, more dangerous obstacles are added. Vex 3 has ten standard levels and nine challenge stages. You can find complete walkthrough videos over the internet. You can Play vex 3 for free using this link.
Updated: August 26, 2016 — 3:31 pm
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Arrow-right Camera The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Sports SWX Right Now
Gonzaga University Athletics
Sports > Gonzaga athletics
Can’t hide from Heid
Gonzaga’s uncovered gem gives fits to opposing pitchers despite size
Thu., April 15, 2010
Drew Heid, who came to Gonzaga from Waterville High, is chasing a .400 batting average after hitting .355 last season. (Dan Pelle)
By Vince Grippi vincegrippi55@yahoo.com
Pac-10 standings
League All
Arizona St. 6-3 28-3
California 6-3 20-10
UCLA 4-2 26-3
Oregon St. 3-3 20-8
WSU 3-3 18-11
Washington 3-3 17-13
Arizona 4-5 23-9
Oregon 4-5 21-11
Stanford 4-5 15-13
USC 2-7 15-17
WCC standings
Gonzaga 12-2 27-7
Saint Mary’s 11-3 28-6
Portland 10-4 21-11
Loyola Mary. 7-7 18-16
San Francisco 7-7 12-18
San Diego 3-11 11-21
Santa Clara 3-11 11-21
Pepperdine 3-11 7-24
Drew Heid found his spot in the left-hand batter’s box. His left foot planted solidly, he awaited Joe Allison’s pitch.
In Heid’s first at-bat against the University of Arizona right-hander, Allison had caught him flat-footed with a big, slow breaking ball on a 1-2 count. It wouldn’t happen again.
This at-bat, with Gonzaga University trailing 1-0 in the third inning last Monday, Heid had changed strategy.
It’s part of what the senior center fielder does at the plate, adjusting to the pitcher’s plan of attack. This time he was going to get the barrel of the bat out quickly.
Behind 1-0, Allison tried to sneak a fastball past the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Heid on the inner half. Big mistake. The barrel got to the ball, driving it high and deep to right field. Caught by the breeze, the ball sailed over the 50-foot-high barrier and onto Trent Avenue, bouncing once and brushing a passing pickup truck.
The game was tied.
In one at-bat in a nonconference game against the nation’s 21st-ranked team, Heid had showcased nearly all the skills – his speed wasn’t needed jogging around the base paths – that have made him what Washington State coach Donnie Marbut calls “the best college hitter in the Northwest.”
Arizona coach Andy Lopez went even further.
“He’s as good a hitter as we’ve seen this year,” said Lopez, who sought out Heid following the 2-for-4 day to tell the GU outfielder how good Lopez thought he was. “He’s special, very special.”
Not too shabby for a 5-9, 165-pound high school senior who was overlooked by everyone coming out of Waterville (Wash.) High four years ago.
Maybe it was because Heid had moved after his sophomore year, leaving Touchet (Wash.) High for Waterville. Maybe it was because small-school players are just not seen all that often. Or maybe it was because he wasn’t a giant.
“He’s a perfect example of what we fall into as college coaches,” said Lopez who, as a former 5-7 UCLA second baseman, should know better. “We’re all looking for the 6-foot-3 center fielder, the guy you just get goose bumps looking at him in uniform and then you see a little dude like this that just plays the lights out of it, that makes all the plays and swings the bat the way he does and you go, ‘Why don’t we get guys like that more often?’ ”
Snubbed by the big schools, Heid found a place to play, joining his summer team coach – and current USF head coach – Mike Cummins at Walla Walla Community College. One year there – he hit .362 and set a WWCC record with 68 hits – and Gonzaga came calling.
“They gave me a great offer and I took it,” Heid said.
Gonzaga’s aggressiveness paid off. His sophomore year Heid hit a team-high .386, moving from the bottom of the lineup to the No. 3 spot by season’s end. Last season, as the Zags won the West Coast Conference title and earned an NCAA playoff spot, Heid had a .355 batting average, and collected 83 hits, including six in GU’s three NCAA games.
But that was just the appetizer.
The entrée came last summer in Alaska. Playing for Anchorage, Hein led the Alaska League in hitting (.427) and hits (73). He had 18 doubles, four home runs, 31 RBIs and was named league MVP.
See, Heid had an anger-management issue. He was angry no one in major league management had seen fit to draft him, so he took out his issues on the summer league pitchers.
“I was kind of going up to make a statement,” Heid said. “I wanted to show I should have gotten drafted. You guys were making a mistake.
“I hold that resentment, coaches and scouts saying I’m only 5-10, but that seems to be a way of saying I don’t have the raw power that a 6-foot guy would have.”
This season Heid, all 5-10 of him, is showing more pop in his bat. The mammoth home run against Arizona was his sixth of the season and, along with a fifth-inning single, lifted his average to .399.
“He’s got good power, it’s starting to show up a little more,” GU coach Mark Machtolf said. “I’m a firm believer that good hitters develop power, power hitters don’t become good hitters.”
Going into the ninth last Monday, GU trailed 5-4. Heid was scheduled to hit fourth. He stood, hoping to have a chance to lead the Bulldogs to victory.
“We’re taking (pitches) there in the last inning to try to get him to the plate,” Machtolf said. “He’s the one guy who’s going good, can backspin a ball and something funny could happen and get one out of here, then we win by one.”
It worked, sort of. A two-out error brought Heid to the plate with a runner on first. He decided to look for something away from reliever Nick Cunningham and, with the count 0-1, he got it, a fastball on the outer half.
The ball came off the bat with authority, ticketed to left-center field and a game-tying double. But shortstop Alex Mejia short-circuited the happy ending, leaping and spearing the drive over his right shoulder, the force pulling him backward and down to the outfield grass.
“I felt like I hit it well and everything, just right at the guy,” Heid said.
Wednesday’s results
Matt Fanelli’s two-out RBI double in the seventh inning lifted Washington State (19-11) to a 5-4 nonconference win over visiting Gonzaga at Bailey-Brayton Field.
Paris Shewey (4-1) earned the win and Adam Conley recorded his eighth save.
WSU’s Cody Bartlett had a solo homer in the second and an RBI double in the fourth.
Royce Bolinger had two RBIs for the Bulldogs (12-20-1), who scored three in the seventh.
•Justin Murphy (5-1) entered in the 11th inning and picked up his team-high fifth win as Community Colleges of Spokane (17-9, 5-5) defeated Walla Walla 4-3 in 12 innings to open a NWAACC doubleheader at Spokane Falls CC.
Richie Carmichael and Travis Ruffin checked CCS on five hits as the Warriors (13-13, 5-5) won the second game 4-1.
CCS’ Travis Cooper had three hits in the opener.
Wordcount: 1040
Published: April 15, 2010, midnight
Tags: college baseball, Drew Heid, Gonzaga
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Slavery in Mauritania
Faith Traditions Against Slavery
Aichana Abeid Boilil Awards
U.S. State Department Report
U.S. Trafficking Report
Congressional Leaders on Slavery
Abolition in Illinois
The Impact of Your Donations
501(C)3 Tax Exemption Statement
Abolition Institute Blog
Mauritania: Anti-Slavery Activist's Harsh Sentence Upheld on Appeal
By Amnesty International:
The harsh sentence upheld this evening against a prominent anti-slavery activist is a clear indication that Mauritania has no intention of letting up on its crackdown on human rights defenders, Amnesty International said today.
An appeal court in the south-western town of Aleg has confirmed the two year sentence after convicting former presidential candidate Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid, Brahim Bilal and Djiby Sow of membership in an unrecognized organization, taking part in an unauthorized assembly, failing to comply with police orders and resisting arrest.
Anti-Slavery Protesters Arrested in Mauritania: NGO
ZeeNews:
More than 100 members of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement in Mauritania (IRA) protested in the capital for the release of the organisation`s leader and another employee, the NGO`s spokesman, Hammady Ould Lehbouss, told AFP.
"Twenty-three of the protesters were arrested and six were injured during clashes with police, who were using batons and large amounts of tear gas," he said.
"We wanted to organise a peaceful march. The police attacked us, and violent clashes followed," he added.
The police did not respond to the claim when contacted by AFP for comment.
The leader of the IRA is Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid, who was a candidate for the country`s presidency in June 2014, running against incumbent Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.
Ould Abeid was arrested in January along with two other anti-slavery activists, one of whom was a member of the IRA, and sentenced to two years in prison for "belonging to a non-authorised organisation, protesting, and incitement to rebellion."
The third activist, Djiby Sow, is president of the cultural and civic association Kawtal Ngam Yellitaare, and was recently released on bail for health reasons.
The two jailed members of the IRA are currently appealing their sentences, which the organisation has repeatedly denounced as wrongful imprisonment. The IRA has organised a number of protests since their arrests, which have often been dispersed by authorities.
Mauritania: Enslaving Africans in Africa in 2012
By Abda Wone at The African Report:
The pre-historic political consciousness is such that Birame Ould Dah, a Mauritanian abolitionist and leader of the Initiative for the resurgence of the abolitionist movement (IRA-Mauritania) has been in detention since April 2012.
Birame has been accused of burning scholarly Muslim works, while insisting that their authors justify the practice of slavery in Mauritania by virtue of Islam. National and international opinions associate his arrest to his anti-slavery activism and his fight to inform the world about what is really taking place in his country, Mauritania.
Birame's imprisonment does not meet standards designed for stray animals being led to the slaughter and without much surprise his life is in grave danger due to his condition of health. A condition designed by the very authorities who on three occasions have banned the very practice Birame is reminding them of.
CNN Profiles the Abolition Institute here
Forbes Profiles the Abolition Institute here
Turning Point For Slavery's Last Stronghold
Walking Free in Mauritania
Abolition Institute
Birame Ould Dah
Boubacar Messaoud
Global Slavery Index
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ONM’s M&S Winter Olympics Preview
by Tristan Oliver July 5, 2009
Six more Screenshots Inside
In the UK, where the Olympic clash of the video game titans is wildly popular, the Official Nintendo Magazine has posted a new preview of the franchise’s upcoming Winter variant, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games.
ONM had played three of the game’s varying challenges, and seemed pretty content with all of them:
The first was downhill skiing, which works well. As in the previous game, you can choose to play with either a Remote or a Remote and a Nunchuk, depending on how many controllers you’ve got knocking about. We went for the Remote and Nunchuk option, which requires you to hold both controllers upward in front of you like ski poles. To turn you tilt both controllers to the left or right and to go faster you tilt them both forward. It seems a bit basic but the fun’s in the way you’re supposed to play the game. If you do the proper motions a real skier would perform (leaning left and right and crouching to pick up speed), the natural position the controllers end up in make it all work as it’s supposed to.
It’s the same deal with speed skating. Despite the name, this event isn’t all about how fast you can waggle the controllers. Instead, it’s based on timing. You swing your arms left and right (the same way a speed skater would in real life), but you have to do it to the proper rhythm. Do it too slow and obviously you won’t pick up speed, too fast and you’ll mess up the rhythm and stumble.
You can also read up on ONM’s unique experience with M&S’s Bobsleigh mode at the full preview page.
Along with the impressions, ONM also published six screenshots–all of them appearing to be new–from the Wii edition of the game. We have those below.
UPDATE / Concluded: Archie Sonic / Mega Man SDCC Panel
New Video: Super Sonic Spotted…in Sonic Free Riders
Hands-On: Dead Years
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SWITCHED ON! WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN NORTH AFRICA GRASP BUSINESS POTENTIAL ONLINE
In North Africa, women entrepreneurs are discovering the potential of online business platforms, but having a website alone is not enough. Success in the online environment also depends on having a good business and marketing plan supported by sympathetic local business realities including affordable e-commerce solutions and technology infrastructure.
When mechanical engineer Hajer Belaiba’s second daughter was born, the new mother faced a dilemma. How could she spend more time with her children and still have a career? After some research, the spirited Tunisian found the solution online. ‘Selling handicrafts seemed a good choice as there are beautiful products not necessarily available abroad,’ says Mrs. Belaiba, as she recalls setting up her web-shop – Produits de Tunisie – two years ago.
Her timing was perfect, as the sudden availability of open-source e-commerce solutions, like PrestaBox and Magento, was already sparking a boom in online sales across Europe and America. After about a year of dealing with costly web agencies, she decided to use open-source technology to launch a website where she manages the content and maintenance. But opening the doors of her virtual shop was only part of her successful strategy.
‘If you have a good idea, e-commerce presents huge opportunities because the set-up costs these days are so low,’ says Sonia Latrous Guidara, who runs an online services incubator for small and medium enterprises in Tunis. ‘What you need, of course, is a good business case and to know what the market is expecting,’ she declares.
‘It [marketing] was a field I knew nothing about,’ says Mrs. Belaiba, but it was critical to raise her shop’s visibility above other sellers of Tunisian handicrafts, so she plugged into what she calls the ‘international word of mouth’ – or, social media. With 600 million people now using Facebook, for example, e-businesses like Mrs. Belaiba’s can maximize their opportunities to stay in touch with their customers and to expand their client-base without spending much, claims Ms. Guidara. For this reason, Facebook and Twitter are now an essential part of Mrs. Belaiba’s e-business, but not the only one. ‘On special occasions such as Christmas I also use more targeted and paid publicity,’ she says. It has taken time, but this strategy has paid off. ‘By the second year my site had become known and I have started selling,’ she says.
In neighbouring Algeria, Samira Sadali also had high hopes for her e-business, but recently discontinued her web-shop. ‘You can’t buy or sell because electronic payments can’t be done and on top of that we Algerians have no access to credit cards,’ she explains.
Ms. Sadali’s web-shop offered a range of decorative local art and handicrafts. The products were often unique pieces, selected for their exclusive character or originality. ‘I could see these kinds of products were being exported from Tunisia and other neighbouring countries but not from here where we also have beautiful products,’ she says. While her website was an excellent promotional tool – attracting the attention of buyers from France and South Africa – without the ability to trade online, Ms. Sadali eventually decided to drop the e-commerce side of her business. She feels her efforts were premature given the e-business environment, but hopes to be back online soon. ‘The electronic growth will happen here too because people, particularly the middle class, are ready for it. People want to consume, the ideas are there and many already have access to the Internet at home or in their offices,’ she says.
Elsewhere in the region other significant structural barriers also remain. For Hajer Belaiba, in Tunisia, the high cost of shipping means she loses customers who are unwilling to pay almost the same again for postage. Meanwhile, currency controls mean that she and her counterparts across the region are unable to pay for services from abroad. It is important now, says Martin Labbé, Online Marketing and Digital Networks Advisor for the International Trade Centre (ITC), for governments to give their online entrepreneurs the best possible chances to compete by liberalizing postal markets, easing currency controls, and by making online payments available locally. ‘These steps, more than any other, boost e-commerce,’ he says. Mr. Labbé works on several e-commerce projects in North Africa as part of the Enhancing Arab Capacity for Trade (EnACT) programme, financed by the Canadian International Development Agency and implemented by ITC. EnACT supports efforts that build skills and provide advice on web marketing and e-commerce to governments and budding entrepreneurs in the region. ‘New technologies offer tremendous leverage in terms of women and youth employment’, states Torek Farhadi, the programme’s coordinator.
Leading Moroccan e-business woman Samira Gourroum believes that ICTs could become their oil: ‘We have the engineers, the competencies and the knowhow.’ For the past 11 years, this 37 year-old IT engineer has worked as the Director of Technologies and Business Development at Maroc Télécommerce – the only local company that provides a payment gateway to e-commerce websites.
At first, the business struggled as e-commerce was little known in Morocco; but in 2008, it took off. This was largely due to online payment becoming available, the private sector seeing the benefits of e-commerce, and the Government’s ICT promotion strategy. The strategy includes simultaneously developing the needed infrastructure and skills.
‘The liberalization of the telecommunications sector in the country was of course a key change,’ says Mrs. Gourroum. Amongst other things, this plan aims for two-thirds of the population of Morocco to gain Internet access. In this receptive environment, Mrs. Gourroum sees her business growing. ‘For the time being our platform offers online payment solutions to individuals using credit cards. But, we also want to offer services to companies and government institutions. It is ambitious but we think the time is right.’
Mr Labbé explains further that the rise of e-commerce in North Africa also gives women the opportunity to jump traditional hurdles they may face in the business world. Hajer Belaiba agrees, but warns that e-commerce alone is no magic wand: ‘Women in Tunisia, for example, stay at home usually because they have lower levels of education. [...] Without support they will not easily start this kind of enterprise. But she quickly points out that through her example some of her women friends have become inspired to set-up shop online. To these friends and other women considering starting their own e-business, Mrs. Belaiba says, ‘Go for it! You can choose your own working hours, the products you like to sell and you can spend more time with your family. The advantages are many.’
Expert tips for starting an e-business
• Have a business plan.
• Do your market research, know who your potential buyers are and make sure your product appeals to them.
• International markets have great potential, but are also competitive.
• Budget for marketing and communications.
• Compete on quality, not price.
What policymakers can do to help e-commerce flourish
• Liberalize postal markets to reduce shipping costs.
• Allow credit card payments to open domestic markets that compliment international markets.
• Ease currency controls to give your e-businesses the best chances to compete.
• Empower women to get involved by supporting them in obtaining the skills and resources needed to establish e-businesses.
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Mythology vs. Narrative
By Matches Malone | Monday, February 11, 2013 | 5:17 pm | 5 Comments | Blog > Essays
I first started collecting comics during the summer of 2006. The first issues I started buying were 52 and the main Bat titles – Batman, Detective Comics, and Legends of the Dark Knight. It was an interesting time to try to get into comics, particularly the DC Universe, because 52 was basically a bridge between two Crisis events – Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis. Trying to dive in head first at that time was rather daunting, which is why I really appreciated the History of the DC Universe backup story that ran from Week 2 until Week 11.
As the weeks went by and I gradually started adding in titles like Action Comics, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Justice League of America, I began to wonder what came before. I wanted to know “the whole story.” I didn’t see it as me being suckered in, I saw it as me wanting to be a more informed reader. I felt it would enhance my enjoyment of the current stories. A good friend of mine, who had been collecting comics since he was a kid, told me that I would go crazy (and broke) trying to fill in all of the back story. He never said it wasn’t necessary, just that it would be too difficult.
That is when my huge inner debate began. “Do I need to read all of these stories?” I started posting all over the internet: “What should I read first?” “Where do I begin?” “What do I need to know?” The answers I got suggested to me that there was definitely more than one camp on this issue. I ended up just going with what felt best to me – reading what I could get my hands on and not worrying if I didn’t.
Fast forward about six years, to October 2012, when CBR posted in their Robot 6 blog a story titled “Mythology vs. Narrative.” The post was in response to a recent podcast interview on www.SlashFilm.com with Rian Johnson, writer and director of the film Looper. (You can listen to the 1 hour 40 minute podcast here. It’s very good, but it contains many spoilers on the film, so if you haven’t seen Looper yet, I strongly urge you not to listen.) About 1 hour and 30 minutes into the interview, Johnson was asked about the potential for a sequel. In response, he says “…Even if you do feel like you want to see more of it, do you really want to see more of it? Do you really want to see the stuff that right now are mysteries in our heads? … I think there is something powerful to it being mythology rather than having it be narrative.”
I don’t think there is a definitive answer to this question. It all depends on the person, their interest level, and their time and budget. I also think that opinions on this can vary from genre to genre. When reading a novel, the reader has to imagine how each of the characters looks and sounds. We are given clues to these things, but it is still up to the reader. The author can flesh out various plot points while giving small references to others. Because of the dependence on imagination, there are no limits as to what can happen in a particular story.
It is only slightly different with comic books. As we go from panel to panel, issue to issue, trade to trade, our mind has to fill in the flow of the story. We know what the characters look like and we know the main plot points and dialogue, but we are not given everything. Even within a single issue or trade volume. The action skips around and references are made to “off-screen” events.
Finally, in a film, very little is left to the imagination. At least as it pertains to the specific story being told. When we watch Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and we first hear a reference to “The Clone Wars,” we can use our imagination to figure out what that could have been about, but the details are not a necessary plot point of that particular movie, so the story moves past it.
As far as comic book reading, I think it is safe to say that those of us on this site want to know “the whole story.” That’s why we’re here. Whether we want to read every DC trade or we only want to read the post-crisis stuff, we all have a general desire to not only read the back story but to read it in some kind of accepted order. I (and others) don’t just want to imagine how the multiverse came about (and became so unwieldy so as to require Crisis on Infinite Earths), I want to read those stories. I want to see the progression of the characters and story lines so I can hopefully understand what happened and why. While it can be fun to leave things to the imagination, it can also be enjoyable to actually read these stories.
In addition to reading comics, one of my main areas of interest is film. The first film class I took was on the Western. The class started in January 1993, five months after Unforgiven had been released and just as all of its Oscar buzz was gathering. I learned a great deal in that class. Not just about the Western, but about film and storytelling in general. Towards the end of the semester, we watched John Ford’s 1962 film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, starring John Wayne, James Stewart, and Lee Marvin. The movie is perhaps best known for the following two lines of dialogue: “This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” One of the best explanations of this quote I’ve read was written by James Berardinelli on his website www.ReelViews.net:
“That single quote, uttered by newspaperman Maxwell Scott (Carlton Young), encapsulates the primary theme of John Ford’s last great Western… Truth is only meaningful as long as it agrees with what the public wants to hear. When heroes don’t exist, it is necessary to invent them. And, never let the facts get in the way of a good story. A clear-eyed deconstruction would likely reveal that what most of us accept as “history” is a patchwork of real events, exaggerations, and tales so tall that Paul Bunyan would likely blink in amazement…. The film’s point is simple: history is as much legend as fact. Shocking as it may sound, George Washington could tell a lie. And there never was an address for “Camelot” on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C.”
The fun thing about comic books is that fact and legend can be the same thing. My favorite comic book character has always been Batman and I am a huge fan of Collin Colsher’s website www.TheRealBatmanChronologyProject.com. Like Ian has done here, Collin has spent hours upon hours trying to put stories that probably weren’t meant to be placed in any kind of order into a coherent chronology. One of the great difficulties a project like that has is deciphering what is canon and what isn’t.
And therein lies the fun. When I go to my local shop each week, I don’t simply go to pick up my books. I go to talk to my friends. No matter what topic we start off discussing, we inevitably get around to debating things like who is Batman’s number one criminal (Joe Chill?) or why is Marvel “ruining” Wolverine and whether or not movies like The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises are good for the industry. We love going back and forth on why we love the characters we love and hate the characters we hate. Sometimes these discussions amongst friends can get pretty heated. But we keep coming back for more.
There’s no real right or wrong answer to these topics. There’s an argument to be made for each and every side. Some may read that and think “Well then, what’s the point in discussing?” The point is that it matters to the individual. And the same can be said about this whole “Mythology vs. Narrative” question. There’s a place for both aspects in this passion of ours, as well as in movies and other forms of entertainment. I do still get caught up in the whole “what should I be reading” debate.
But I try to remind myself that I read these books because I enjoy it. And if I have the time and ability to go back and read the Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex books I will. But I’m not going to beat myself up over it because reading the current All Star Western series has been fun in and of itself.
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Review: Loveless Vol. 1: A Kin of Homecoming
By Simon | Sunday, February 10, 2013 | 7:58 pm | 1 Comment | Blog > Reviews
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Includes Issues: Loveless 1 – 5
Brian Azzarello, Marcello Frusin
This review is spoiler-free! Skip To The Verdict? »
Westerns are by nature stories of simpler times. Even the with the simplified character sets of the terrific Jonah Hex books, it is a formula which has withstood the test of time and continues to work to this day in the hand of a skilled writer.
Azzarello isn’t a man who settles for simplicity and this is evident in his Loveless series. But does he manage to pull it off?
The long and short of it is yes, for a time. After all, he is one of the industry’s elite writers and he knows how to write complex characters better than anyone else in the business.
It is 1867, two years after the end of the American Civil War, and things are anything but simple down in Blackwater, Southern Virginia when Wes Cutter appears back on the scene.
Cutter, an ex-confederate soldier, has just been released from a prison camp and is finally heading home, much to the annoyance of the locals. His good-for-nothing brother had spread the word that he died in the camp, which predicated certain changes in the town.
Specifically, his land was seized by the now Union controlled local government and his wife forcibly evicted from it. Cutter isn’t the kind of guy who lets things like that go and he has a plan of bloody redemption figured out for all of those who wronged him and his wife.
As a side-story we have the tale of a young Black soldier in the Union army who shoots a white crippled boy dead– not a smart thing for a Black man to do in a Southern state during this period of time.
His story deals with the still present tension between the North and the South, with an eye on the darker side of American history.
Those of you who are familiar with Azzarello’s other works wont be surprised to hear that the plot twists and turns through the dark under-bellies of life without ever revealing the full extent of what is going on to the reader.
It is a tried and tested formula he uses and it works once again here, but at times it can be quite hard to follow what is going on; it is one of those books that you appreciate more on the second reading.
In a direct comparison of Azzarello’s 100 Bullets to Loveless: Bullets is a better series on the whole, but this series starts off much stronger.
The art is handled by Marcelo Frusin (Hellblazer) similar in style to Eduardo Risso, (100 Bullets). Given images from each artist, it would be difficult to tell them apart.
The artwork is characterized by simple colours and shapes, and the real story is told through the use of the shadows. This allows characters not in play to remain as eerie, lurking shadows in the background until they are ready for their dramatic reveal.
My only issue with the art is that it makes people hard to tell apart sometimes if the faces are drawn with too much shadow over them, such as when they are wearing hats– which, as a Western, is a common problem.
On the whole this a is very good book of the standard we have come to expect from Azzarello, if not necessarily Earth-moving. Worth a read, but only if it’s not at too dear a price.
A strong 4 out of 5. We wouldn’t expect any less from our friend Brian.
Essential Continuity:
Not essential for DC, or even DC Westerns but essential for Loveless.
Read first:
Azzarello was quoted saying that El Diablo planted the seeds for this series; while not essential for the series, it might be a nice read to get yourself in the mood for this volume.
You can pick up the other two trades in the series, Thicker Than Blackwater and Blackwater Falls; the first of which is as strong as this one, although the later sadly is not.
If you liked the pacing, you could pick up the first volume of 100 Bullets.
Or if you just want more western fun you could give Jonah Hex a go but don’t expect as complex tale from him.
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Review: Archie: The Married Life Vol. 3
By Ian Pérez | Thursday, February 7, 2013 | 3:37 pm | 6 Comments | Blog > Reviews
Includes Issues: Life With Archie 13-18
Fernando Ruiz, Paul Kupperberg
This review contains minor spoilers. Skip To The Verdict? »
Archie Andrews is Spider-Man.
Actually, let me rephrase that. Archie Andrews is Peter Parker.
Actually, no, that’s not quite it, either. Archie: The Married Life is Spider-Man without the super-heroics.
Archie books are normally seen as the quintessential disposable comic. They are the opposite of the “NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME” fanfare: no matter how many decades pass, Archie will be the everyman teen living an unremarkable life in small town America with his high school chums, and forever undecided when it comes to which girl he’d actually like to go steady with. It therefore came as a bit of a shock when Archie Comics began publishing Life With Archie, a magazine-style title with ongoing stories set in Archie’s near future—it feels a core paradigm or three had been violated.
For two volumes, The Married Life, as this particular subbrand is called, has followed two parallel stories, set in universes defined by Archie’s choice marry either Betty or Veronica, as well as a host of other, not-directly-related differences. In them, the cast all deals with young adulthood and finds out it wasn’t at all what they expected it to be. Chuck Clayton and Nancy Woods deal with the pressures of owning a comic book shop that isn’t as successful as they hoped it’d be. Reggie Mantle has no idea what to do with his life and settles for a job as a reporter, and finds out that he likes it; along the way, he begins a romance with Veronica. Kevin Keller gets injured while fighting in the Middle East, while Jughead deals with the pressure of suddenly owning a multi-million dollar restaurant chain. In one universe, Moose runs for the office of mayor of Riverdale; in another, he’s a handyman at his old high school. In one universe, Mr. Weatherbee and Mrs. Grundy realize their love for one another and tie the knot, only for her to succumb to not-explicitly-identified-as-cancer not long after.
Basically, its life, presented in a way that while still distinctively Archie—it still feels escapist and wholesome and optimistic, and a bit tone deaf—it still feels far more honest than anything the big two would deign to publish now. It reminds me a lot of the pre-nineties Spider-Man comics, where Peter would combine web-swinging with dropping out of college, Harry Osbourne would be doing drugs, and Mary Jane would be that carefree party girl who is secretly very sad beneath it all. It’s just like that, except, you know, without the people wearing costumes destroying New York.
And yet, that’s not quite accurate either, because as much as The Married Life is about regular, mundane life, it has also been dropping hints from the beginning that the two different universes are more linked than they would initially seem. In this third volume, things come to a head, as the connection between the worlds is expanded upon and the machinations of the closest thing the series has to antagonists threaten to destroy the Archie Multiverse, with the only thing standing in their way being…Mr. Lodge, Veronica’s plutocrat father.
(Well, he’s not the only one–but, you know, spoilers.)
In any case, the combination of the two elements makes for a far more intriguing comic than it would have been without either. In any other comic, the end of the world and characters with honest-to-gosh superpowers would be the equivalent of a forty-degree day—to paraphrase Stringer Bell, nobody would have anything to say about them. Here, they give the slice-of-life goings-on of the characters a ting of excitement and danger that turns the book from what could have potentially become Melrose Place circa season 1 and into something more akin to Melrose Place season 2 and 3.
Oh, and this is also the volume with Kevin Keller’s wedding.
Archie comics have always been, if not exactly conservative, then at least persistently concerned about being inoffensive. While this has sometimes ironically made them incredibly offensive—Chris Sims describes here how a black love interest for Betty had his skin color lightened in 2008, because it allegedly made him more palatable—it also means that any change towards more diversity comes with an implicit message: this is harmless. This is inoffensive. So when this volume devotes two of its stories to the wedding of Kevin and physical therapist Clay Walker, it feels significant. It’s still rather incredibly daring—it’s the first same-sex wedding in mainstream comics, in a product that is still seen as being for kids—while making the argument that it really shouldn’t be.
This being Archie, there are no surprises when it comes to art. While there are some differences between pencillers Fernando Ruiz (Veronica-verse) and Pat & Tim Kennedy (Betty-verse) they still fall neatly into the long-established Archie house style. While they’re both acceptable, I prefer Ruiz, whose style, while less distinctive, feels cleaner.
Perhaps it’s because it’s been a good long while since I was one, but I never quite believed that Archie comics actually spoke to teenagers, despite its cast. However, as someone who is currently the same age as these older versions of the characters, and who has gone through the same highs and lows and periods of crushing self-doubt combined with the occasional realization that oh my god this is adulthood why did no one tell me?, I appreciate the heck out of what Archie Publishing is doing with this book. It’s good stuff, even for people who aren’t fans of the publisher’s regular fare.
While it doesn’t reach quite the heights of previous volumes, it’s more of the same, “the same” being on the whole quite good. 4 out of 5.
Yes, as this is the volume when one finally gets answers to questions posed since the beginning.
The first two volumes, which give you some essential context, such as the reason why Veronica-verse Archie and Veronica are separated.
Some of the great Spider-Man runs. I recommend Roger Stern’s The Amazing Spider-Man (224–227, 229–252), some of which is collected in books like Spider-Man: Origin of the Hobgoblin.
New Releases: February 2013
By Lee | Wednesday, February 6, 2013 | 8:10 pm | 1 Comment | Blog > Features
Hi everyone! Lee T. here with a list of new releases.
This is by no means a complete and irrefutable list of what is coming out this month, nor is it intended to be. It’s just to give TRO readers an idea of where to begin their hunt.
This is my first column for TRO, so, if anyone has any suggestions or comments please feel free to leave them, (column is too long, too short, someone who knows what they’re talking about should write it, etc).
Please keep in mind release dates are subject to change and you should always check with your retailer of choice before demanding your copy. Also, all titles are paperback unless otherwise noted and the suggested retail price is just that: suggested.
Without further ado and absolutely no fanfare we begin!
CAPTAIN AMERICA – THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION
In a month that is filled (and I mean right to the brim) with collected editions from Marvel this is by far one of the coolest. Who doesn’t love watching our heroes die? And this was one spectacular way to go. I love anything with complete, ultimate, omnibus or library in the title and to get the death of Cap all rolled in to one fantastic little package is pretty great.
SRP: 39.99
Contains: Captain America (2005) #22-42, Winter Soldier: Winter Kills
Chapters, Amazon – Feb. 19th
Things From Another World, My Comic Shop – Feb. 6th
MARVEL NOIR: WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN
These sorts of things can either be fun and mildly diverting entertainment shedding new light on old aspects or they can be terrible and make you feel deep despair like you’ve never known. I enjoyed the Noir take on Spider-Man and I feel like some of the X-Men characters could be adapted quite well to an urban 30‘s and 40‘s setting.
Contains: X-Men Noir #1-4, Wolverine Noir #1-4, X-Men Noir: Mark Of Cain #1-4 and Weapon X Noir #1.
Chapters, Amazon – March 12th
Things From Another World, My Comic Shop – Feb. 27th
AVENGERS VS. THANOS
Well, it’s no shock that this came out, but, it does seem a little premature and probably would have been better timed to coincide with the release of either the Guardians Of The Galaxy movie or The Avengers 2. Unlike most of these “released to capitalize off a movie” trades, this one is supposed to tell the life story of Thanos through his various appearances and battles, which is a cool idea. Hopefully it actually does it.
Contains: Over 450 pages of various comics mostly from the late 60‘s and early 70‘s
Amazon, Chapters – March 5th
AVENGING SPIDER-MAN: THE GOOD, THE GREEN AND THE UGLY
Essentially this looks like a book of team-ups featuring Spider-Man with help from She-Hulk, Captain Marvel (apparently the new one) and Deadpool…..ya, Deadpool. Weird, but, if you can handle the insane amount of one-liners and bad jokes that would be spewing forth between the two of them then it could be an entertaining couple of issues.
Contains: Avenging Spider-Man (2011) 7, 9-10, 12-13
Chapters, Amazon – March 5
Things From Another World, My Comic Shop – Feb. 20
BATMAN: THE NIGHT OF THE OWLS (HC)
The follow up to The Court Of Owls promises to be an epic done in the style of the great Bat Sagas, (No Man’s Land; Knightfall; Bruce Wayne – Fugitive). The issues collected here feature Red Robin, Batwing, Batgirl, the Birds of Prey, Nightwing, Catwoman (and the list goes on) with all of their respective stories coming together as a whole. Can’t wait.
Contains: One or two issues from all the major and secondary Bat Books totalling 360 pages of awesome
Chapters, Amazon – Feb. 19
GREEN ARROW: SALVATION
I like DC’s events in all their twisting, convoluted glory and this newest volume of Star City’s emerald defender is a tie-in to Brightest Day. There really isn’t much more that needs to be said about it. If you liked Brightest Day you’ll want to add this to the collection. Ditto if you just like Oliver Queen. Either way 200 pages for 17 bucks is a pretty solid deal.
Contains: Green Arrow (2010) 8-15
THE NEW DEADWARDIANS
Published through their Vertigo line for older readers this book just looks plain odd. A kind of combination of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and those Seth-Graeme Smith books that have been so popular of late, this book is about a detective solving murders in post-Victorian England. The catch is that the lower class have all become zombies and the upper class have voluntarily become vampires to separate themselves. Weird? Yes. Intriguing? A resounding yes.
Contains: All 8 issues of the mini-series by Dan Abnett
Things From Another World, My Comic Shop – Feb. 6
VOODOO VOL. 2: THE KILLER IN ME
I’ve gotta say, in the spirit of honesty, I’m not very up to date on my New 52. It’s not because I don’t want to be, I just don’t have the money to be keeping up on all these books. One day in the distant future I will have them all and I will revel in their glory, but, until that day I’ll have to live vicariously through you guys. I know Voodoo is an old character being brought back and I know she is ambiguous in that she isn’t sure whether she’s a villain or a hero and I love that kind of tension. Will she or won’t she? This will definitely be a book I check out at some point.
Contains: Voodoo 7-12, 0
G.I. JOE: THE IDW COLLECTION VOL. 1 (HC)
Originally slated to come out at the end of next month this 350 page hardcover has been pushed back until sometime this month. Hopefully it actually comes out as it’s supposed to feature writing by Chuck Dixon and that’s always a good thing. Make note that this has all ready been delayed once and may be delayed again so the dates that follow are just an estimate.
Contains: 352 pages of GI Joe action starting with Origins and, presumably, moving forward.
AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER: THE PROMISE – LIBRARY EDITION (HC)
Written by the show’s creators and Gene Luen Yang this story picks up directly after the series finale. Apparently the peace that we saw at the close of Avatar is tenous and Fire Lord Zuko is at odds with Earth King Kuei. I’m sure it will be up to Aang, Kitara and Soka to stop them and since they’re friends with Zuko now I doubt it will be very cut and dry. Normally this kind of thing wouldn’t interest me, but, with the show’s creators at the helm it’s a perfect opportunity for those of us who miss the show to get something new while we wait for Legend Of Korra to start up again.
Contains: The first 3 graphic novels put out by Dark Horse
Chapters, Amazon – March 5th
SUPER DINOSAUR VOL. 3
A T-Rex who plays video games and the 10 year old boy who loves him… ok? Oh, and they fight bad guys and stop evil plans and stuff… double ok? If it didn’t have Robert Kirkman’s name attached for writing duties a lot of people probably wouldn’t have bothered with this, but, it is Kirkman and he has a fairly strong track record. This and the Astounding Wolf-Man are definitely on my pull list if even just to read something different and odd, emphasis on odd. Side note: this may be delayed as well since My Comic Shop doesn’t have it listed and issue 17 is supposed to drop the same day as the trade. Huh. That’s a new one.
Publisher: Image Comics
Contains: Super Dinosaur 12-17
Chapters, Amazon – Mar. 5
Things From Another World – Feb. 20
MARS ATTACKS VOL. 1: ATTACK FROM SPACE
Apparently this is an all-new take on the Mars Attacks universe that promises to be just as gonzo as the original if not more so. Having John Layman of Chew fame at the helm should help ensure that it stays weird and bloody. The art looks to be solid and while this book probably won’t change the landscape of comics forever I have a feeling it will be pretty entertaining. You know, if you’re in to that sort of thing.
Contains: Probably the first 5 or 6 issues (can’t get a definitive list, sorry)
Hopefully you’re excited about some of these books. What are you looking forward to the most?
In Blackest Night: Leading Men of Color in the DC Universe
By Gorblax | Tuesday, February 5, 2013 | 6:44 am | 8 Comments | Blog > Essays
Whether it’s Super Friends, Justice League, or The New 52, there’s nothing like a premise which unites all of DC Comics’ most popular superheroes to make startlingly clear that other than a thirst for justice, there is one other thing Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, and Hal Jordan all have in common: every single one of them is white. This, of course, is when a Black Vulcan, a John Stewart, or even a Cyborg is drafted by the writers in an attempt to dismiss this uncomfortable realization, and such has largely been the role of the Black Superhero for decades. Out of the hundreds of characters in the DC stable, my research has warranted that only fifteen Black men and women have ever lent their likeness to the lead role of a comic. Let’s take a look at the timeline:
1977: Black Lightning
The 1970s were by any measure an interesting decade for portrayal of Black men in Western media. America was listening to Sweet Sweetback sing his Badasssss Song, meeting the man called MISTER Tibbs, and learning just who was the cat that won’t cop out when there’s danger all about (talkin’ bout Shaft). To be sure, this was the brief window in time where the short-lived “Blaxploitation” genre was sweeping the country. And, of course, DC took advantage. With his low cut v-neck and jive-talking dialogue, Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce) was a hero who could have only been devised in the seventies. Unfortunately for Jefferson, the infamous 1978 DC Implosion came only a year later and took most of DC’s ongoing titles with it, including this one only eleven issues into its run. The series was never collected as a trade.
1992: Green Lantern Mosaic
14 years pass after Black Lightning falls victim to the implosion, and the world of Black leading men is just as silent as the decades of DC’s history which spanned before the seventies. But it was only by revisiting this period that DC earned its second Black-led title: John Stewart, Earth’s third Green Lantern, first appeared in 1971 in the now classic socially conscious series, Green Lantern / Green Arrow. Although Mosaic would never prove as popular as the series from which Stewart originated (to wit, it has never been collected in trade form), the series has gained a large cult following for its existential themes, dealing with not only what it meant to be a Black man, but to be human at all. The series must have gone over the heads of the editors, though, as it was cancelled after a mere 18 issues. Black Lightning may have been the first superhero with his own book, but John Stewart was the first to be cast in a role independent of his race. John would later go on to gain popularity as the Green Lantern in Bruce Timm’s Justice League cartoon, but would never again have his own title.
1994: Steel
Any discussion of Superman in the nineties will inevitably begin with the Death of Superman arc. Readers everywhere were shocked to see DC’s most iconic character killed off — and yet, the title which bore his name would not be cancelled. Enter the Reign of the Supermen: not one, but four men rose to take Superman’s place. One of these men was John Henry Irons, the hammer wielding hero we would come to know as Steel. When the original Superman finally returned to life, as comic book heroes are wont to do, Steel packed his bags and moved back to his hometown of Washington DC, where he dealt more with gang violence, drug abuse, and pressing issues of inner city youth culture at the time than radioactive aliens and evil robots. Steel has the proud distinction of carrying his own book longer than any other Black character, for a total of 53 monthly issues. You can find his first story arc, collected with his initial appearances after the death of Superman, in Steel: The Forging of a Hero.
Though it had been seventeen years since his last solo title, the unexpected success of Steel allowed DC to bring back its original Black superhero to his own title. This one didn’t fare much better than the last, though, clocking in at only thirteen uncollected issues.
2001: Batman – Orpheus Rising
Superman has Steel. Green Lantern has John Stewart. So why was Batman’s entire sizable network of operatives as white as the driven snow? Enter Orpheus, as introduced in this uncollected 5 issue miniseries. Originally a professional dancer, Orpheus would become Batman’s man on the inside of the Hill Street Gang, steering them towards a positive direction from within. At least that was the case for three years, until he was killed off during the War Games story line. So it goes. Two more attempts would be made to give Batman a Black friend, but we’ll get to that later.
2004: Firestorm
After the original Firestorm was unceremoniously killed off in Brad Meltzer’s Identity Crisis, DC took the opportunity to recast this powerful but largely ignored mainstay in their stable as Jason Rusch, a Detroit teenager from a broken home searching for a way out. Rusch’s quick wit and good humor has made him a fan favorite. Though his series was cancelled after 35 issues in 2007, Rusch has been an important character in his own right ever since, playing a major role in the Blackest Night and Brightest Day story lines — and finding his own title once again in The New 52. Firestorm’s post-Infinite Crisis arc, as covered in issues #23-27, is collected in trade form as Firestorm: The Nuclear Man Reborn.
2006: Infinite Crisis Aftermath — The Spectre
Crispus Allen, one of the lead characters in Greg Rucka’s cult classic Gotham Central, met a tragic demise near the end of the series. No one ever really expected to ever see the character again — until this street level detective found a new life as one of the most powerful cosmic entities in the DC Universe, assuming the role of The Spectre from Hal Jordan and Jim Corrigan before him during Infinite Crisis. This short three issue miniseries profiles his early days on the job as the new Spirit of Vengeance. Since then, Crispus Allen has gone on to become a central figure to the greater DC Universe mythology. The miniseries is collected along with Tales of the Unexpected within the trade Infinite Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre.
2007: Connor Hawke — Dragon’s Blood
In 1994, Kelley Puckett engineered one of many shake-ups in the Green Arrow family dynamic by introducing Oliver Queen’s estranged son, Connor Hawke. Though Connor has only one Black grandparent, he has become an important figure within communities which champion heroes of color in comic books. For over thirty issues, Connor assumed the role of Green Arrow in Ollie’s series upon his temporary demise in an airplane explosion, but would not receive his own title until this limited six issue series. For his pacifist demeanor, uncompromising honesty, and ironic lack of proficiency in ranged weapons, Connor remains a favorite in many circles despite having been written entirely out of canon. Connor Hawke: Dragon’s Blood is collected here.
2008: Cyborg, Vixen
Quiz Time: which Black character has appeared in the largest number of DC Comics? If you guessed any of the guys I talked about earlier in this article, you’d be wrong: that title belongs to Vic Stone, better known as Cyborg. Cyborg rose to fame as a charter member of the New Teen Titans in 1980, and remained with the group for decades to follow: he even went on to become one of the main characters in 2005’s popular Teen Titans animated series, and 2011 would see him finally graduate to the Justice League proper. Strangely enough, 2008’s six issue limited series Teen Titans Spotlight: Cyborg, an initiative which gave several members of the team their own solo stories, is the only one which bears his name.
2008 also brings us DC’s first ever black female lead in the form of Vixen in her five issue limited series, Vixen: Return of the Lion. Vixen was first introduced in 1981 as a solo crimefighter in Action Comics, but since then has split her time between the Justice League and the Suicide Squad. What sets her apart from the rest, though, is that of all fifteen of these title headers, Vixen- real name Mari Jiwe McCabe- is one of two who can call themselves a native African. Return of the Lion sees Vixen return to her roots as she comes home to her village for the first time since she began her spandex-clad adventures.
2009: Azrael, Black Lightning, Tattooed Man
When most comic readers think of Azrael, they imagine the man who briefly assumed the role of Batman during the 1990s’ Knightfall story line. But in 2009, a new iteration of this character developed in ex-cop Michael Lane who finds himself as an instrument of righteous vengeance for the radical religious sect of the Order of St. Dumas. Introduced in his own miniseries, Azrael: Death’s Dark Knight, Michael Lane would go on that same year to begin his own ongoing series, the first for a Black character in five years, for 19 issues. His first ongoing arc is collected as Azrael: Angel in the Dark.
Since Frank Miller began the trend with Batman: Year One, the Year One franchise has become a popular device for exploring a character’s roots. 2009 sees the Year One miniseries treatment turned upon our old friend Black Lightning, who at this point had finally found new life as a central member of Batman’s Outsiders. For those interested in the roots of DC’s original Black leading man, Black Lightning: Year One is a must read.
Of course, the biggest thing going on in 2009 was Grant Morrison’s Final Crisis. Although today it is remembered as “that story where Batman kind of died but actually not really”, arguably the most interesting parts of the story were told from the perspective of Mark Richards, (barely) better known as the third iteration of the C-List Green Lantern villain Tattooed Man. As one of the few people on Earth left free of Darkseid’s Anti-Life Equation, this former US Marine turned hit man finds himself forced to answer the call of duty when the fate of humanity may rest in his hands. After the story climaxes in Batman’s showdown with Darkseid, the Tattooed Man’s subplot is left to be wrapped up in his own miniseries, Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink.
2011: The New 52
Readers with particularly long memories may have noticed some omissions from this list: namely, the heroes from DC’s Milestone, Vertigo, and WildStorm imprints. I consider them beyond the scope of this survey: if you have to be segregated into your own continuity to be a DC superhero, that’s really not much of a victory. However, DC’s New 52 initiative saw these three imprints folded into the main DC Comics brand — as such, we may now welcome the beloved Static and WildStorm’s Voodoo into the family. Well, briefly, anyway: as of now, both series have been cancelled.
2011 would also see the return of Jason Rusch to his own Firestorm title, as well as two newcomers to the leading man scene. Batwing, real name David Zavimbe, is a vigilante sponsored by Batman himself to mete out justice in the Democratic Republic of Congo as his mentor does in Gotham City. The other ongoing series features Mister Terrific, once the coordinator behind the JSA, before being cancelled 8 issues in and integrated as a cast member of the ongoing Earth 2 series.
Lately, many have criticized DC Comics for unfairly representing minorities within their publications, if at all. All evidence indicates that DC is making more of an effort than ever before, but they still have a long way to go. If you want to see progress though, as they say in the fan communities, you can always “vote with your money”. Try and hit your Local Comic Shop this Black History Month to purchase or request some of the trades below:
Batwing Vol. 1: The Lost Kingdom
Batwing Vol. 2: In the Shadow of the Ancients (On Sale Apr 3, 2013)
The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 1: The God Particle
The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men Vol. 2: The Firestorm Protocols (On Sale Jun 25, 2013)
Mister Terrific: Mind Games
Static Shock: Supercharged
Voodoo Vol. 1: What Lies Beneath
Trade Reading Order
Select Category Comics DC Universe Pre-Crisis Post-Crisis DC Golden Age DC Silver Age DC Bronze Age DC Modern Age Vertigo Universe Wildstorm Universe Marvel Universe Marvel Primary Continuity Marvel Golden Age Marvel Atlas Era Marvel Silver Age Marvel Bronze Age Marvel Modern Age Ultimate Marvel Universe Image Universe Conan Universe Hellboy Universe Buffyverse Fables America’s Best Comics Self Contained Comics Novels Science Fiction Ender’s Game Fantasy Forgotten Realms Magic: The Gathering Self Contained Novels Unplaced Books
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Watermark Fort Worth
Singles Community
Toggle Secondary Nav
Serve With Community
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Community Group Resources
Community Group FAQ
Fort Worth Events
21 Jul Community & Foundation Formation 9:00 am - 10:30 am •et; The Hill Meeting Space 28 Jul Community & Foundation Formation 9:00 am - 10:30 am •et; The Hill Meeting Space
04 Aug Men's and Women's Community Formation 9:00 am - 10:30 am •et; East Tower 1st Floor ET 1A 11 Aug Men's and Women's Community Formation 9:00 am - 10:30 am •et; East Tower 1st Floor ET 1A 18 Aug Men's and Women's Community Formation 9:00 am - 10:30 am •et; East Tower 1st Floor ET 1A 25 Aug Men's and Women's Community Formation 9:00 am - 10:30 am •et; East Tower 1st Floor ET 1A 08 Sep Men's and Women's Community Formation 9:00 am - 10:30 am •et; East Tower 1st Floor ET 1A 15 Sep Men's and Women's Community Formation 9:00 am - 10:30 am •et; East Tower 1st Floor ET 1A 22 Sep Men's and Women's Community Formation 9:00 am - 10:30 am •et; East Tower 1st Floor ET 1A 29 Sep Men's and Women's Community Formation 9:00 am - 10:30 am •et; East Tower 1st Floor ET 1A 06 Oct Men's and Women's Community Formation 9:00 am - 10:30 am •et; East Tower 1st Floor ET 1A
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Watermark Fort Worth / Ministries / Community / Singles Community
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One of Australia's leading Construction Businesses
Watpac
Watpac Home
Sustainability and Community
Group Senior Executive Team
Interested in our Latest Projects
We Provide
Marine & Civil
Watpac to build James Cook University...
Construction officially underway at Qantas Founders...
Crane gets a name at Roma...
Sustainability is a vital business practice for ensuring the best economic, environmental and social outcomes for our clients and the communities in which we work.
By adopting a total business management approach to sustainability from tender to project completion, Watpac is committed to achieving outstanding performance in all areas of the business.
We work closely with industry groups and partners to ensure we are optimally placed to understand, develop and maintain best industry practices for our operations.
Ensuring responsible environmental management, continually refining our health and safety management systems and procedures, and regularly engaging with the communities in which we operate each play a significant part in Watpac’s ongoing commitment to sustainability.
Our people are passionate about the communities in which we live and work. Whether it be building a new hospital, the local school or a state-of-the-art stadium, Watpac engages daily with the businesses and organisations that make up the fabric of these communities.
Regularly consulting with key stakeholders.
Providing local industry participation opportunities where feasible.
Hiring local people to undertake works where possible.
Complying with community related contractual requirements.
Implementing the Watpac Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
Supporting local community initiatives/causes.
Facilitating site tours with key stakeholders.
Supporting a national charity partner through workplace giving and other initiatives.
We recognise the importance of engaging with the communities in which we operate and are proud of our strong record for local industry engagement. This has allowed us to create pathways for Indigenous employment opportunities, business participation and job upskilling. Our goal is to encourage the development of local industry and, in turn, those that work for these businesses.
Additionally, Watpac has provided financial and in-kind support to charities and other initiatives over our more than 30-year history. During this time, the Group has supported a variety of charities and community organisations through sponsorships, donations and participation in fundraising events. Organisations we have supported include Ronald McDonald House, White Ribbon Day, Mates in Construction, Cancer Council, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Endeavour Foundation and the Property Industry Foundation. We are pleased to have played a part in making a difference in the lives of the thousands of people who have benefitted from the work these organisations do.
Watpac's projects cover a range of works in the construction, property and refurbishments sectors of a diverse clientele.
Ryde Garden View Project
Albert Road Retirement Community View Project
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North Queensland Stadium View Project
Arthur Phillip High School and Parramatta Public School View Project
EI8HT South Esplanade View Project
Existing Applicant Login
Copyright © Watpac Limited 2013
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A Little Customer Feedback...
Hi Melody
I just wanted to let you know that I have the canvasses and that they are in perfect condition. My husband was utterly thrilled. Thank you so much for all of your help. If you have a testimonials page, I'd be happy to say how fantastic I think your service has been.
"I am based in the UK and ordered 2 canvasses from John and Melody Anderson which I had seen while I was in New Zealand but couldn't buy at the time. The service I received was excellent. Melody obtained a postage price for me and checked whether I was happy before asking for my payment. The parcel was sent off promptly and was exceptionally well packed. Melody sent me the tracking number to enable me to track the progress and dealt efficiently with my questions. The canvasses arrived in perfect condition and are a wonderful reminder of my time in New Zealand. Thank you Wayfarer Images for making that process so easy.
Once again, thank you very much."
"Dear John & Melody
I just wanted to write to you and say thank you for Te Manaia which I purchased back in January over here at Westgate shopping centre and took with me as a gift to my colleagues who are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their company, Cortex, in Leipzig.
The colours and symbol were perfect I thought and having moved into new offices last year, I wanted to find something special and appropriate for the new office and 20th anniversary too.
It was a slight challenge getting it there, I wrapped it as best I could and it was OK till I got to Zurich, via Dubai, then I had to hand carry it on two different trains, plus a bus to get to Monthey near Lake Geneva... then more trains and planes and trains to Geneva airport, Berlin & Leipzig... but it made it in one piece!
I am going back again in May and expect to see it mounted somewhere in the office/reception area.
Keep up the brilliant and excellent work..."
"Melody,
Received the canvas this morning. Lovely and will make a great Xmas present for my wife. Regards and thanks very much for your help... much appreciated."
Phil Ryan
"Hi Melody
The parcel arrived safe and sound. I just love them. I was here when the package arrived and I signed for it.
Thanks for your help. Hope you have a great Xmas."
"I purchased three of your canvasses for a Xmas present. The recipient was absolutely delighted!!! I would like to order one for my daughter's birthday..."
J Kelly
"I have obtained your details on the back of a Leaping Lamb card that is just delightful and sits on my kitchen bench... Most contemporary cards appear crass and insincere but your images are just lovely and additionally the paper presents as good quality... Your images are beautiful and have a real sincerity about them."
Eileen Smith
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Welcome to the Will Rogers Polo Club in Pacific Palisades California
WILL ROGERS POLO CLUB
The Will Rogers Polo Field is the only remaining polo field in Los Angeles California.
You may find it hard to believe, but in the 1930's, there were over 25 polo fields in the Los Angeles, including the Uplifters Polo Field (located where Brooktree Street is now) and the Riviera Polo Field (located where Paul Revere High School is now).
The park was originally the private estate of Will Rogers: famed humorist, newspaper columnist, cowboy, author, movie star and polo player. In fact, Will Rogers landscaped the polo field in 1926, before he even built his home! Rogers and his family lived here between 1928 and 1935. During this period, he and his friends (ie. David Niven, Spencer Tracy, Hal Roach, Walt Disney and Clark Gable) played on this field on weekend mornings and then ride over to Uplifter's to watch the "high goal" games.
After Will's death in 1935, his wife Betty, gave the estate as a gift to the State of California (1944) on the condition that equestrian activities continue at the park.
In 1953, the legendary C.D. LeBlanc started the Will Rogers Polo CLub: making us the thirteenth oldest polo club in the United States, rich in tradition and enthusiasm.
If you come out and watch our games, be aware that an enormous amount of "behind the scenes" preparation has made this event possible. Each player has two to four horses; which require feeding, cleaning and daily exercise during the week preceeding each game. Most of the players board their horses elsewhere, which means that earlier in the day, they trailered their horses to the park for the game. The horses are then brushed and "tacked up" in their special saddles, bridle and leg protection wraps. The players dress in their white joudpers, team shirts, boots, knee guards and riding spurs. Between chukkers (periods of play), players and grooms, frantically change horses and adjust their tack. A thousand details can go wrong (and often do)! But, at that sublime moment when the mallet touches the ball, it all seems gloriously worthwhile.
polo game
polo pony
Tackzone
Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic
Copyright © Will Rogers Polo Club. All Rights Reserved.
Ardeshir Radpour www.radpour.com
Site Development Sponsored By:radpour.com
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Statements of Support
Epstein Joslin
Reed Hilderbrand
Experience Design
Zoning Board Letter
Existing Facilities
Preservation Awards
The Breakers Gates
The Breakers Roof
Chateau-sur-Mer
The Elms Garden
The Elms Roof
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Rosecliff Terrace
Brayton House
Board of Trustees & International Council
The Breakers
Rosecliff
Isaac Bell House
Hunter House
Green Animals Topiary Garden
Economic Benefits
Visit the Mansions
Landscape Restoration
-Garden Club of America Award: "Outstanding contribution to restoring, preserving and maintaining their historic gardens and parks on Aquidneck Island."
Chateau-sur-Mer Restoration
-Excellence in Preservation Award from the Victorian Society in America: "An example of the highest standards of historic preservation."
-Rhody Award from the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission and Preserve Rhode Island
The Breakers Gates Restoration
-Rhody Award from the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission and Preserve Rhode Island, which lauded the Preservation Society for "recognizing that restoring the gates to their former glory was an important investment in one of their signature properties and a critical step in preserving the historic character of the streetscape."
The Elms Sunken Garden Restoration
-Garden Club of America award "in gratitude for your outstanding dedication and commitment to the historic preservation and restoration of the sunken garden of The Elms."
-Historic Preservation Award from the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission: "The restoration project undertaken by the Preservation Society of Newport County is a model for comprehensive analysis and careful restoration."
-Preservation Merit Award from Preserve Rhode Island: "Not only was this project carried out with the most careful adherence to best preservation practice, but the Society's commitment has resulted in affording the public a beautiful and also interactive example of how architects and garden designers adapted historic traditions to early 20th century American tastes and uses."
-Historic Preservation Award from the Newport Historical Society: "As usual, the Preservation Society sets the highest standard for preservation and restoration. The Preservation Society is to be congratulated on a superb job with the garden, starting with your careful, detailed research. The project was brought to completion with the highest level of skill in a variety of areas, from horticulture to sculpture restoration and reproduction."
Isaac Bell House Restoration
-Preservation Award from the Victorian Society in America: "For the magnificent exterior restoration of the Isaac Bell House and the educational use of the ongoing interior restoration of this exemplary 1883 shingle style residence."
Save America's Treasures
The Preservation Society was granted unprecedented recognition by the White House Millenium Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, with the selection of its ten historic houses as Official Projects of Save America's Treasures. Richard Moe, President of the National Trust, stated "Newport and Charleston are the bookends of preservation on the East Coast, and I just cannot tell you how much we admire the work the Preservation Society is doing here in Newport."
NEWPORT MANSIONS is a registered trademark of The Preservation Society of Newport County. Our tickets should not be presented at any other mansion in Newport except The Breakers, Chateau-sur-Mer, Chepstow, The Elms, Green Animals Topiary Garden, Hunter House, Isaac Bell House, Kingscote, Marble House, and Rosecliff.
© 2019 The Preservation Society of Newport County | 424 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI 02840 | 401-847-1000 | WelcomeCenter@newportmansions.org| Site Map
POWERED BY CC inspire
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About Face Duo
Place: Waterfront Plaza | City: The Entrance
About Face Duo - Chris and Liz are a husband & wife team and have been involved in music together for some 33 years.
With the blend of Liz’s true country style and Chris’s warm appealing voice, this duo are definitely worth listening too.
Chris has been an accomplished performer since the age of 16 in the music industry. He has performed in 50’s & 60’s rock n roll bands, country and resident cabaret club bands. Chris has successfully entertained a wide variety of club audiences around NSW including retirement villages.
A highlight of his performance is a tribute to those fabulous classic Instrumental groups of the 60’s, The Shadows, Atlantics, The Ventures and many more.
Where: Waterfront Plaza The Entrance
When: Good Friday 30th March 11.00am-3.00pm
How much: FREE
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Modifications coming to the WWE Network
Comments Off on Modifications coming to the WWE Network
In a press release issued today, WWE announced some changes that will be coming to the WWE Network by the end of the year.
Limited advertising – which was announced a few weeks ago – have already started with companies such as Pepsi, Mattel, K-Mart, Take-Two Interactive, and Pure Talk USA being the first advertisers.
The advertising strategy anticipates no commercial breaks during scheduled programming, limited advertising between shows, and occasional advertising before the network’s video-on-demand content.
The company also plans to roll out a new resume play feature, a feature which has been requested since the Network launched, and a watch list feature, both of which will be available across all platforms by the end of the year.
WWE Network adds only 31,000 subscribers since June 30
WWE announces Q3 2014 financial results
Vince McMahon discusses WWE Network with investors
WWE held a conference call today with investors to talk about the WWE Network with CEO and Chairman Vince McMahon and Chief Strategy & Financial Officer George Barrios taking calls. No new information was given out during the call other than what was released…
Coliseum Home Video titles coming to WWE Network next week
The website WWENetworkNews.com has released the titles of every Coliseum Home Video content that will be available for all WWE Network subscribers starting this coming Monday, February 5. Fans of the old Coliseum Home Video series will surely remember these titles…
WWE 24 returns with Finn Balor tonight on WWE Network
One of the most popular WWE Network shows, WWE 24, returns tonight with a new episode following Monday Night Raw. Titled simply Finn Balor, the show will capture Balor’s story of triumph and tragedy as the first ever Universal Champion was forced to relinquish…
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Smackdown rating for 10/03/2017
Comments Off on Smackdown rating for 10/03/2017
Smackdown did 2,323,000 viewers this week, down 219,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. It was the least-viewed Smackdown since June 13. The show was #3 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
WarGames gimmick match returns for NXT Takeover
Charlotte recounts story of how her dad couldn’t remember her while in ICU
Smackdown rating
First regular Smackdown on USA Network draws best number since last January
The first Smackdown on USA Network on Thursday did 2,757,000 viewers, the best number since the January 29, 2015 live special. The New Year’s Eve edition of the show, and the last one on SyFy, did 1.6 million viewers while the week before, another live special…
A look at the 2018 Smackdown Live viewership numbers
Smackdown Live averaged 2,350,000 viewers in the year 2018, down around 8% from the 2,546,000 average of 2017. 2018 is the last full year of Smackdown on USA Network as from October of 2019, the show will move to FOX in a new five-year deal which will hopefully…
This week’s Smackdown drew 2,080,000 viewers, down 65,000 viewers from last week’s show. It was the third worst number the show has done on USA Network since moving in January. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
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Yale Club of New Hampshire
The Yale Club of New Hampshire welcomes all alumni and other Yale affiliates in the state to join us in fostering a peer community through volunteerism, cultural events, education and social interactions. Read more here about how you can participate.
The late Bill Henze's generosity to Yale
Yale Book Award
There aren't any events scheduled, but check back soon!
Yale Day of Service -- Portsmouth
Yalies in the Seacoast area are once again invited to participate in preparing and serving the evening meal at Cross Roads House in Portsmouth on May 13, 2017, starting around 2:00…
Yale Club of New Hampshire Annual Meeting
Please join us for the Club's annual meeting as Professor Charles Musser brings the history of cinema and new media together with the history of politicking in the United State…
Feb Club Emeritus
The Feb Club event starts with the Yale versus Dartmouth Women's Hockey Game at 3:00 PM. The Yale Club of N.H. has made available 20 tickets for the game. If you are interested…
Bill Henze '45W and his wife Gael. We were saddened to learn of his recent passing. In one of his final acts, Bill added to his gift to the Yale Club of New Hampshire, which en…
The Yale Book Award is a way for local Yale clubs to recognize high school students at the end of their junior year who have "outstanding personal character and intellectual promis…
Yale Publications
Here is everything you need to know about the Yale community in New Haven and life on campus. Click on read more for links. Yale Daily News Yale News…
Yale Club of New Hampshire scholarship
The Yale Club of New Hampshire annual scholarship will be awarded to Darlene Huard, 2016. The scholarship is funded by an endowment for this purpose from Bill Henze, ’45 WE, and …
Contact Our Group
yaleclubofnh@gmail.com
© 2019 Yale University Alumni Group
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