his own country people regarded liberty and equality as “ inalienable rights, ” and he had observed “ this same love of liberty and equality ” in china, “ the same spirit which had animated our own ancestors at lexington, trenton and valley forge. ” this was china filtered through the rhetoric of the american dream, not necessarily the most appropriate framework for policy in asia. although he had invoked the neutrality act prohibiting trade with belligerents in regard to the civil war in spain, roosevelt chose not to apply it in the case of japan and china because it would have worked to the advantage of the aggressor and disadvantage of the victim. shipment of arms under the american flag to china or japan was banned, but not the sale. in exercising the discretion allowed him by the act, roosevelt had begun to move ahead of prevailing isolationist sentiment. … in a speech at chicago on october 5 roosevelt suggested a collective “ quarantine ” of the forces breeding “ international anarchy, ” which he likened to the carriers of a disease. the result was a historic boomerang. declaring that the president was “ pointing ” the people down the road to war, six major pacifist organizations launched a joint campaign for twenty - five million signatures to “ keep america out of war. ” the a. f. of l. disapproved the speech, representative hamilton fish proposed the president ’ s impeachment, and a poll of congress showed two to one against joining the league of nations in collective action in the far east. “ it ’ s a terrible thing, ” the president said to a friend, “ to look over your shoulder when you are trying to lead — and find no one there. ” … in china the government, followed by the diplomatic corps, withdrew from nanking to hankow, four hundred miles up the river, where stilwell came in the first week of december, 1937. with the rail routes from peiping blocked by the battle front, the journey now took eight days, first by sea around the shantung peninsula, then via the lunghai railway line to chengchow, then southbound to hankow. already “ quite fed up with everything and everybody, ” as win wrote to her daughters, stil well boarded the train at hsuchow in a swarm of refugees : “ 13 occupants in 8 seats, didn ’ t dare get up to go to the toilet. cold … no food, no water. ” after two days and two nights he drank the cold tea from a sleeping passenger ’ s teapot. for


: “ 13 occupants in 8 seats, didn ’ t dare get up to go to the toilet. cold … no food, no water. ” after two days and two nights he drank the cold tea from a sleeping passenger ’ s teapot. for the next eight months hankow ( also known, in a triad with two adjoining cities, as wuhan ) was the capital of unoccupied china. the generalissimo had his headquarters across the river in wuchang on the south bank. in hankow itself the foreign missions crowded into the western - style buildings of the concessions facing the river, where the u. s. s. luzon, flagship of the yangtze river patrol, lay at anchor. the city was a chaos of thousands of people rushing around “ like ants on a hot rock, ” in stilwell ’ s phrase : officials, hangers - on, journalists, profiteers, refugees, welfare committees, and all the hectic influx of war. devotion and energy mixed with laxity and indifference. as always, the uncaring treatment of the common soldier excited stilwell ’ s wrath. “ the wounded left in the north station and everywhere. not wanted, and they realize it and expect it and pay the price of living by dying. … why didn ’ t cks organize a medical service or at least a stretcher bearer service? ” a week after stilwell reached hankow, on december 13, 1937, nanking fell in circumstances dreadful even for china. during the time bought in the trenches at shanghai no preparations for the defense or evacuation of nanking had been made, with the result that losses in men and material when the capital fell were enormous. the arsenal was taken intact, as was the red cross hospital with all its precious supplies and the wounded in their beds, as well as the rolling stock in the railroad station and vehicles and stores of all kinds. with no defense lines established to cover the withdrawal of soldiers or civilians, the human loss was as great. determined to make an example of the capital that would bring the war to an end, the japanese achieved a climax to the carnage already wrought in the delta below. fifty thousand soldiers hacked, burned, bayoneted, raped, and murdered until they had killed, by hand and in person, according to the evidence witnessed and collected by missionaries and other foreigners of the international relief committee, a total of forty - two thousand civilians in nanking. groups of men and women were lined up and machine - gunned or used alive for bayonet practice


to the evidence witnessed and collected by missionaries and other foreigners of the international relief committee, a total of forty - two thousand civilians in nanking. groups of men and women were lined up and machine - gunned or used alive for bayonet practice or tied up, doused with kerosene, and set afire while officers looked on. reports by missionary doctors and others. dazed with horror and helplessness, filled church publications in america. much of the photographic evidence that later reached newspapers abroad came from snapshots taken by the japanese themselves, which they gave for developing to ordinary camera shops in shanghai, whence copies made their way to the correspondents. … not a few chinese, including members of the government, believed peace with japan preferable to ruin, but the majority would not have permitted a surrender or settlement. “ cks can ’ t quit, ” wrote stilwell. “ called on the country, it responded. now he must go on. ” japan too had to go on, although dangerously extended and with no definite goal in sight. after nanking, on december 17, chiang kai - shek publicly reaffirmed his decision to continue resistance to the utmost by a strategy essentially chinese. “ the time must come, ” he explained, “ when japan ’ s military strength will be exhausted thus giving china the ultimate victory. ” in reply japan severed relations ( up to now maintained ), and frustrated and angry, caught in the fatal entanglement of war without limits, drove on, forced to send more and more divisions until their strength on the mainland numbered more than a million. as time went on, repeated peace overtures were made to chiang kai - shek, first through the german ambassador in china, later through an american, dr. john leighton stuart, president of yenching university, but on terms that would have left japan in control of the country. … on december 12 the event most dreaded by the american government — an incident involving american bloodshed — occurred. coinciding with the fall of nanking, the japanese in an excess of arrogance bombed and sank the u. s. s. panay a few miles above the capital, causing two deaths and forty - eight casualties. … so deliberate was the attack, that it could not seem like anything but a direct challenge. ∗ ∗see an account of the panay incident in the april, 1967, issue of a merican h eritage. — ed. stilwell ’ s recorded reaction, characteristic of him in fateful moments


anything but a direct challenge. ∗ ∗see an account of the panay incident in the april, 1967, issue of a merican h eritage. — ed. stilwell ’ s recorded reaction, characteristic of him in fateful moments, was reduced to a minimum : “ panay bombed and sunk yesterday. great to - do. ” almost anything might follow, including war. … next day tension eased slightly when, as stilwell put it, “ japs apologize. ‘ very sorry for you. ’ couldn ’ t see the insignia. the bastards. ” he did not mention the panay again, but it cannot be doubted that the necessary swallowing of this incident by his country added to his black mood at this period. the panay touched off nothing, for when there is no will to war, war does not happen, and neither japan nor america was ready for confrontation at this time. alarmed at the wild exploit, the government in tokyo apologized promptly and within ten days accepted in full american demands for indemnities. … official american reaction was restrained. in the armed services, conscious that american naval forces were inadequate to compel the japanese to behave, the feeling prevailed that anything that might touch off a showdown should be postponed. public reaction insofar as it was represented by congress was not to roar but to shrink. the house immediately took up the ludlow resolution, requiring a national referendum before a declaration of war could become effective. previously its sponsor had been unable to collect the necessary number of signatures to bring the measure before a committee of the whole. two days after the sinking of the panay he had more than enough, and the resolution was later defeated only after heavy pressure by the administration and only by twenty - one votes. a notable result of the panay affair, in order to remove a further possibility of friction with the japanese, was the withdrawal from china two months later of the 15th infantry. long under discussion in washington and urged by the army because of the tight restrictions on the regiment, it was a case, according to one american newspaper, “ of doing the right thing at the wrong time. ” to the tears of local women the “ can do ” troops marched out, plaved through the streets of tientsin by the bands of the other foreign regiments and even serenaded by japanese bugles. stilwell ’ s vinegar was at a high level during the winter in hankow, “ the bunghole of creation. ” he was depressed by the climate, “ raw, grey, dr


foreign regiments and even serenaded by japanese bugles. stilwell ’ s vinegar was at a high level during the winter in hankow, “ the bunghole of creation. ” he was depressed by the climate, “ raw, grey, drizzly, chill, ” by china ’ s situation, by the endless frustrations in the way of carrying out his professional task, and by the blank incomprehension at the washington end. the war minister had refused permission to visit the front. … stilwell was galled by the badgering of m. i. d., which, in the hands of a petty despot and pedantic bureaucrat, colonel e. r. w. mccabe, pestered him with demands for daily operational reports, questioned every expense, issued orders to his staff without consulting him, made demands without relation to the battle situation or even to the normal geography of china, and informed stilwell that it was “ embarrassing to receive so little information ” from him. “ bastards in washington don ’ t like me, ” he concluded with some truth, for there was certainly a quality of vendetta in mccabe ’ s treatment, although he was hounding other attaches too. he kept a little black book called his “ sob book ” in which to record his dislikes. in consul robert jarvis ’ apartment, where stil well had found living quarters, he felt at ease — “ he and i talk the same language. … ” he had forgiven ambassador johnson, who was always kind, pleasant, ready to talk and to call stilwell in when visiting personages came. with the government now preparing to withdraw to chungking and johnson under instruction to go when they did, he left stilwell free to decide for himself and thus rated along withjarvis in the category of “ good egg. ” … friends and cordial hours were part of his life, too. some of the chinese, especially the mayor, were “ delightful, ” and he enjoyed a reunion with feng yu - hsiang, his road - building client of fifteen years ago, who was in town to join the “ dicker ” over reorganizing the government to let in the reds. “ the old boy looks well and hopeful. says they can go on for six months. ” xor were stilwell ’ s prejudices inflexible. “ the pleasantest people in town are the british navy people, ” he reported astonishingly. invited to lunch by their admiral crabbe, he “ enjoyed it


six months. ” xor were stilwell ’ s prejudices inflexible. “ the pleasantest people in town are the british navy people, ” he reported astonishingly. invited to lunch by their admiral crabbe, he “ enjoyed it ” and pronounced his hosts “ good eggs. … the french are okay too. ” even the “ limey consul ” was a good egg. he found his most congenial company among certain of the journalists, usually the more venturesome free lances sympathetic to revolutionary china who, like carlson, roamed the country “ from the heart. ” agnes smedley and jack beiden were of this company. beiden especially, a great romantic and idealist aged twenty - eight, moody, driven, alternately gay and despondent, “ a sad, ragged, torn, incredible character ” as a friend described him, became a close companion and valued informant. in january, 1938, stilwell finally broke through obstructions, and he was able to go on the first of many journeys that over the next year and a half were to take him to embattled areas in many parts of china. on a bitterly cold trip through kiangsi and hunan he found the active front had melted away but there was no peace talk anywhere in the area. the provincial governors talked in terms of three years ’ resistance and had begun training programs in guerrilla tactics. the chinese were sold on guerrilla warfare, stilwell noted, but munitions and equipment would be a serious problem. when asked by a chinese officer what his own strategy would be, his reply, “ make use of numbers and attack, ” was not welcomed. through a friendship formed with general shang chen, commander of the 2oth army corps in honan, stilwell was able to leave again, this time for kaifeng and hsuchow, western and eastern ends of the lunghai line. he was so glad to be leaving the miasma of hankow that a last - minute message from the war department suggesting that he go to lanchow “ on the way back ” from kaifeng caused more of a shrug than an explosion. he merely commented, “ i wonder if they know where it is. ” lanchow, port of entry for russian supplies coming across central asia, was close to the border of inner mongolia, six hundred miles northwest of kaifeng. in honan his confidence in the chinese revived. they were gaining experience, organizing and improving the flow of replacements, and he began to believe that if they could reach the point


to the border of inner mongolia, six hundred miles northwest of kaifeng. in honan his confidence in the chinese revived. they were gaining experience, organizing and improving the flow of replacements, and he began to believe that if they could reach the point of taking the initiative and attacking, which might be within the year, “ the turning point will be reached. ” … accompanied to hsuchow by shang chen, whom stilwell considered one of china ’ s dependable commanders, he was finally able to see china ’ s army at the front, upon which his pessimism returned. he decided “ the offensive is not in them. ” … a talk with a kuomintang officer, general liu, recorded with stilwell ’ s remarkable gift for catching character in dialogue, distilled for him the attitude of the governing class. yes, losses had been heavy, general liu admitted, about six hundred thousand, but that was “ really a good thing. … the chinese soldiers are all bandits, robbers, thieves and rascals. so we send them to the front and they get killed off and in that way we arc eliminating our bad elements. ” asked how much pay a soldier received, he replied eight dollars a month and “ if he got any more he wouldn ’ t fight. ” as to the duration of the war general liu thought at least one year or two. by that time the japanese would be broken financially, their soldiers would be homesick, and the foreign powers would have entered the war. actually the more ground japan occupied the better, because they would be that much more easily absorbed. “ in the long run the japanese will disappear, absorbed by the chinese as were the mongols and the manchus. ” asked what china would do for salt and motor fuel if blockaded, he replied that the more territory - japan occupied the smaller would be the part left to china, “ so we won ’ t have to move around so much then ” and would need less gasoline. asked why greater use was not made of the educated class as officers, general liu replied that “ university students and graduates are all cowards. they would run. i know because i am a university man. ” besides, “ the chinese learned long ago to make the lower classes do the fighting. at first the nobles fought but they soon got over that and made the people do it for them. ” the english used indians to fight for them, he pointed out, the french used moroccans and annamites, and now the japanese were using mongols


first the nobles fought but they soon got over that and made the people do it for them. ” the english used indians to fight for them, he pointed out, the french used moroccans and annamites, and now the japanese were using mongols and manchurians. knowing and talking to the china of general liu, stilwell was not prone to see the country as fighting democracy ’ s battle, the favorite theme of ideologists like carlson. of carlson himself, whom he came to know in hankow, his opinion was kindly. he was “ a good scout, not overeducated … but a solid citizen and a soldier. ” … privately he called him captain courageous and was not impressed by carlson ’ s glowing reports of the 8th route army ’ s military training methods, which stilwell told him he had seen in practice under feng yu - hsiang fifteen years ago. though it was the fashion to say “ aren ’ t the 8th route wonderful, ” stilwell was skeptical but professionally interested. through agnes smedlcy he became acquainted with chou en - lai, one of the communist governing triumvirate and its representative in hankow, and with yeh chien - ying, the communist chief of staff. he thought the communists ’ political demands for “ liberalization of military policy ” and “ mobilization of the masses ” were “ very vague — the usual slogans ” ; but personally, after visiting and dining with chou en - lai and his entourage, he found them “ uniformly frank, courteous, friendly and direct, in contrast to the fur - collared, spurred kmt [ kuomintang ] new - style napoleon — all pose and bumptiousness. ” chou en - lai was handsome and cultivated and a favorite of foreigners. yeh chien - ying made the select category of “ good egg, like most reds. ” talking to these intense and energetic men, pursuers of china ’ s old unsatisfied need of revolution and asyet uncorrupted by power, stil well realized t he “ wide chasm ” between them and a man like general liu. he felt sure that if china emerged from the war with japan, “ there will be trouble again internally. ” … just as stilwell was about to leave for the anhwei front to observe the 13th army under general lang en - po, he was balked by the war department, which ordered him to go to lanchow instead, to report on russian aid reaching china. furious at


to leave for the anhwei front to observe the 13th army under general lang en - po, he was balked by the war department, which ordered him to go to lanchow instead, to report on russian aid reaching china. furious at the cancellation of a tour that had taken a great deal of arranging and represented the first time in eight months of the war that a foreign officer had been able to get accredited to a unit in the field, stilwell offered every kind of excuse almost to the point of insubordination to avoid going. he was ordered to comply. the war department was acting, as it happened, at the desire of the president, who had asked for a report on the nature and amount of arms reaching china through all avenues : hongkong, indochina, and burma as well as overland from russia. stilwell was not told this, and indeed the whole lanchow affair, which brought his resentment to a peak, could have been mitigated like the rest of his troubles with m. i. d. by a simple personal communication. he went off “ sick unto death of the interfering bastards in washington, ” and in a mood, as he wrote to win, to retire, at once or next year, “ whatever the family decides. ” he passed his fifty - fifth birthday en route to lanchow feeling that, in view of his relations with the war department, his career henceforward held little promise. stilwell was the first foreigner to visit the russian air base at lanchow and bring back evidence to show how far russia was concerned to help china. making his way by train as far as sian, where he visited 8th route army headquarters, and from there to lanchow by bus and truck, he hunted down clues, bribed employees of the russian guest house for figures on arrivals, questioned sentries, police, bus drivers, innkeepers, servants, the governor of kansu and his secretaries, missionaries at sian, a tibetan interpreter, an automobile dealer, chinese officers, student aviators, and local mongols. these last, “ sturdy, dirty, hard - bitten, weather - beaten, with faces like sitting bull, ” he entertained to tea at an inn ; afterward when encountered on the street they were “ all smiles and howdy. ” though his movements were watched and conversations listened in on, he was able to inspect the flying field and ascertain that three hundred russian planes had been delivered, of which thirty were still at the base for training chinese pilots.


and howdy. ” though his movements were watched and conversations listened in on, he was able to inspect the flying field and ascertain that three hundred russian planes had been delivered, of which thirty were still at the base for training chinese pilots. russian aviation personnel, though physically impressive, with huge appetites consuming four meals a day, were “ a sour and surly lot … i never saw one of them smile. ” he collected figures on the russian truck convoys that brought in munitions and fuel, worked out estimates of the monthly deliveries on the basis of distance travelled and turnaround time, and was able to specify types of munitions “ though unable to get box markings or broken boxes. ” the total was little in comparison with what could be brought in by ship at hongkong, and he concluded the route was established primarily for aviation fuel and as an emergency inlet in case canton fell. by the time he returned to hankow on april 15, china ’ s mood had undergone a dazzling change caused by her first real victory, at taierhchuang in shantung on april 6 and 7. the whole country went “ mad with joy. ” the japanese were not invincible after all ; a new hope in resistance swept away pessimism. it was the first cause for rejoicing since the war began. taierhchuang was a town on the path of the enemy ’ s advance to hsuchow, whose fall would have put the japanese on the lunghai line, opening their way to the interior. under the command of the kwangsi general li tsung - jen, its defense was turned to counterattack, according to a plan of the german advisers, with an army of reinforcements brought up to cut off the enemy in the rear. general tang en - po ’ s army, which stilwell would have been accompanying had he not been at lanchow, played this role. thrilled by the phenomenon of reinforcements, the defenders rushed forward to join the attack with “ battle cries that shook the skies. ” they were able to slaughter the japanese infantry who had been cut off from their supply of ammunition and fuel for tanks and proved unable to withstand a determined attack without mechanized support. at the end of the seventeen - day battle the japanese had suffered sixteen thousand casualties and the loss of forty tanks, seventy armored cars, and one hundred motor vehicles besides guns and other arms in their first notable defeat since their creation of a modern army. the chinese sustained equal casualties. like all china ’ s partisans, stilwell wanted deeply to find cause for


tanks, seventy armored cars, and one hundred motor vehicles besides guns and other arms in their first notable defeat since their creation of a modern army. the chinese sustained equal casualties. like all china ’ s partisans, stilwell wanted deeply to find cause for optimism and was moved to write after taierhchuang when friends now said they thought china would win, “ so do i. ” at the same time he knew that militarily the chinese had lost their advantage by failing to pursue. … analyzing the battle with stilwell and the german advisers, pai chung - hsi was not interested in the lesson of attack. he reverted to the theory of winning by outlasting. “ we can afford to lose four men if the japanese lose one, ” he said, adding that chinese losses would be of “ no significance ” until they passed fifty million. the chinese, stilwell commented, “ cannot get the idea of the offensive into their heads. ” visiting the scene at taierhchuang, he talked with the commander, li tsung - jen. in one of the few recorded views of stilwell through chinese eyes, li described him as “ outspoken ” in manner, with sympathy for china ’ s cause but with “ great pessimism over the future of china ’ s resistance. ” this pessimism li ascribed to the “ materialist civilization ” in which the american colonel had been educated. ironically, the success at taierhchuang confirmed chiang kai - shek in his overall policy of the defensive, because the victory seemed to suggest that the japanese had exhausted their impetus. within weeks they returned to the attack, broke through the line, and advanced upon hsuchow, which fell at the end of may. with another japanese army coming down from the north to cross the yellow river above kaifeng, the whole region between the rivers, including hankow itself, was in danger. in a desperate expedient chiang kai - shek called not on china ’ s armies but on china ’ s sorrow — the yellow river. he ordered general shang chen to blow up the dikes at chengchow behind the japanese vanguard. repeatedly he telephoned in anxiety to learn if his orders had been carried out, while shang chen delayed until his army could be moved out of the way. then the dynamite was exploded. jack beiden, who was present, reported how, for moments of agony to the watchers, the silt - filled waters flowed steadily on their old course, swirling and bubbling against the broken dikes


the way. then the dynamite was exploded. jack beiden, who was present, reported how, for moments of agony to the watchers, the silt - filled waters flowed steadily on their old course, swirling and bubbling against the broken dikes, then suddenly with a “ terrible roar ” ripped through the breach and spread over the low ground on a rampage eastward to the sea. eleven cities and four thousand villages were flooded, the crops and farms of three provinces ruined, two million people rendered homeless, and in that vast and sodden wasteland another fund of animosity was stored up against the government. the japanese were bogged down, and perhaps three months ’ time bought in the process. china ’ s battle was making an impression on america. out of sympathy with her resistance or investment in her affairs, correspondents, missionaries, and other observers concentrated on the admirable aspects and left unmentioned the flaws and failures. an idealized image came through. generalissimo and mme. chiang kai - shek as “ man and wife of the year ” for 1937 gazed at americans in sad nobility from the cover of time, sober and steady, brave and true. time ’ s owner, henry luce, had been born in china of missionary parents, so the worshipful view of the chiangs was no accident. the missionaries, and behind them the foreign missions conference of north america, the federal council of churches of christ in america, the y. m. c. a., and china famine relief, rallied to the cause of their wards with warmth, energy, and all their considerable influence. the chiangs ’ christianity at the helm of china was gratifying proof of the validity of the missionary effort. if there was an element of expedience in the case of the generalissimo, at least madame and the soong circle∗ represented modern, westernized, christianized china. the church groups rallied to them in self - interested loyalty. they overpraised chiang kai - shek and, once committed to his perfection, regarded any suggestion of blemish as inadmissible. “ china has now the most enlightened, patriotic and able rulers in her history, ” stated the missionary review of the world. the same journal presented the communists, too, in acceptable terms as a group trying to bring about “ social reform compatible with the aspirations of all progressive people. ” ∗madame chiang had been mei - ling soong ; one sister had married the late dr. sun yat -


, too, in acceptable terms as a group trying to bring about “ social reform compatible with the aspirations of all progressive people. ” ∗madame chiang had been mei - ling soong ; one sister had married the late dr. sun yat - sen and the other h. h. kung, the nationalist finance minister ; her brother t. v. soong had also been finance minister, and two other brothers were prominent in financial and governmental circles. — ed. the picture of “ determined oneness of purpose ” was necessary not only to the church groups heavily engaged in raising money for china relief but also to the envoys and propagandists of the nationalist government who were exerting pressure for american loans and intervention. to acknowledge the deep schism in chinese society was not convenient. therefore the communists were not to be considered irreconcilables but respectable social reformers within the fold. correspondents were asked by the kuomintang not to refer to the communists as communists. “ there are no communists left in china, ” chiang kai - shek told a german newspaperman in 1939. everyone assisted in this illusion, including the communists themselves, because it fitted the party line of the united front. although they did not deny their marxist ideology, they talked in terms of the “ new democracy ” as a stage on the way toward their eventual goal. the times, dominated by the menace of fascism, shaped america ’ s view of china and the fervent syllogism at its core : democracy was threatened by the aggressor nations ; china was under attack by an aggressor nation ; therefore china was a democracy, and her battle was the battle of world democracy. to all men of good will convinced of the indivisibility of the world struggle, this appeared self - evident, and help for china therefore obviously in america ’ s self - interest. strategically this was valid, if not ideologically. but strategy is more attractive when dressed in ideology, and people on “ our side ” are considered to be democrats regardless of their political experience. americans find it difficult to remember that thomas jefferson did not operate in asia. … although china ’ s friends made extraordinary efforts, american isolationism remained stronger than sympathy. polls showed only 2 per cent of the public pro - japanese against 74 per cent pro - chinese, but the sentiment did not include a desire for involvement. at government level a sense of urgency was growing. the president, anxious to keep china on her feet, was abetted on the


the public pro - japanese against 74 per cent pro - chinese, but the sentiment did not include a desire for involvement. at government level a sense of urgency was growing. the president, anxious to keep china on her feet, was abetted on the one hand by secretary of the treasury henry morgenthau, who, with a desperate sense of the need to resist fascist aggression, believed support for china crucial, and restrained on the other hand by secretary hull, who maintained an unbudging resistance to any “ unneutral ” gesture, including economic aid, that might involve the united states in the sino - japanese conflict. his caution was such that he refused to accept t. v. soong as economic emissary because he was too prominently anti - japanese. when the treasury ’ s agent in china, j. lossing buck, came to see the military attache on august 30, 1938, to be briefed on the military situation, stilwell put forward the argument of li tsung - jen that america should aid herself by enabling china to buy arms. as reported by buck to secretary morgenthau, “ colonel stilwell … feels that the policy of our government should be more positive in the present situation and that help to china in the way of financial loans and military equipment is much better defense for us than only the building of our own defense equipment. a very small proportion of the cost of such defense, if given to china, would be much more effective. ” morgenthau agreed. with strong conviction in the larger cause but less knowledge of china, he thought there was “ a bare chance we may still keep a democratic form of government in the pacific ” and strenuously urged the loan to china upon the president. in december, 1938, a loan of twenty - five million dollars was ultimately arranged through the export - import bank. despite their successes the japanese could not end the war and in august, 1938, took the decision to drive toward a new objective — hankow. stilwell returned there in august from peiping, where he had decided on his own authority to spend the summer with his family. this decision had more than ever incensed m. i. d., with whom he was already engaged in a continous quarrel over the assignments of his five assistants. informed by colonel mccabe that his return to peiping in june represented “ a serious error of judgment … when major military developments are in progress, ” he was ordered in a tone more suitable to a cadet than a full colonel


of his five assistants. informed by colonel mccabe that his return to peiping in june represented “ a serious error of judgment … when major military developments are in progress, ” he was ordered in a tone more suitable to a cadet than a full colonel to perform no further travel without permission and to submit for approval “ reasons, route, destination and estimated cost in each case. ” he was told that the department undertook to direct his and his assistants ’ movements because the “ coverage, quality and quantity of information received was not ( repeat not ) satisfactory. ” seven thousand miles from the scene mccabe asserted the department ’ s right to “ assign you or any other officer in china to any mission it deems fit. ” in further communications stilwell was informed that his reports compared unfavorably with carbon ’ s to the navy, that the information conveyed did not justify the sums of g - 2 confidential funds spent, and that he should explain the “ exact nature and value ” of the information obtained by these expenditures. mccabe was evidently trying to goad stilwell from his post in favor of some more intimate associate of the “ attaches ’ clique ” ; if so, he almost succeeded. stilwell at one point made up his mind to ask for relief and drafted in fierce angry pen strokes a demand for an inspector “ to determine the manner in which i have performed my duty under the conditions that have existed since june 1937. ” china, however, held him back. hankow was now cut off from peiping by land and could only be reached from the north by ship via shanghai to hongkong and from there by plane. when stil well arrived on august 26, the government had withdrawn and a sense of siege was descending. remembering the great revolutionary days of hankow in 1925 – 26, the communists wanted to conduct a “ people ’ s defense ” of the city after the example of madrid, which was still holding out after two years of siege. they urged the government to organize an army of 150, 000 workers, students, and townspeople, to be led by an elite corps of youths with “ the highest revolutionary consciousness. ” this project had small appeal for chiang kai - shek, who had no desire to see workers ’ cadres established under communist control and did not believe in any case that the wuhan cities could be held against japanese assault. … stilwell started out for the front in a group with the british and french attaches and the news photographer robert capa, who had covered spain for a year and was “ quite


case that the wuhan cities could be held against japanese assault. … stilwell started out for the front in a group with the british and french attaches and the news photographer robert capa, who had covered spain for a year and was “ quite a guy. ” staying on after the englishman “ got mad and bowed out ” and the frenchman fell ill of dysentery and returned, stilwell can be seen in the pages of his diary : “ moved by night, hard going and guard went astray. pack transport, coolies, exhausted men curled up to die … jap plane at 200 feet machine gunning the road. after a few wounded, i suppose. wild eagles! … welcome from chung. go forward, sure. the nearer the front the warmer the welcome. had a talk and chow. they got me bedding. … bread and cheese for breakfast, by capa. mouldy but o. k. sat around till 9 then off to the front. hot as the hinges of hell and hard going. climbed a high hill and got view along yangtse to juichang. just a sea of rocky hills and scrub brush. could be held indefinitely. … a lot of assorted artillery coming out north of the lake. why? kwan and chang say it can ’ t be used but back of their present positions it could. ” back in hankow there were “ barricades and wire everywhere. ” colonel rouselle, the french attache, was dead of dysentery. it was the seventh anniversary of mukden [ and the japanese onslaught on manchuria ], and in europe the powers trembled through the munich crisis. “ my god what a world. if another war starts in europe where will we all end up? ” japanese bombers blasted the city daily, unopposed. the chinese air force on which chiang kai - shek had pinned his hopes never became an effective force and had few planes or pilots left to defend hankow. shortage of fuel was made shorter by the pervading chinese philosophy of hoarding equipment for a future crisis. “ the chinese can ’ t bear to use their stuff, ” stilwell wrote after seeing a battery of 75 ’ $ that had been through the battles of shanghai and hsuchow without being fired. “ if they put it in, they might lose it and then where would they be after the war, without any materiel? ” air force personnel was a greater difficulty. lacking the american ’ s affinity for the combustion engine, chinese mechanics treated their


“ if they put it in, they might lose it and then where would they be after the war, without any materiel? ” air force personnel was a greater difficulty. lacking the american ’ s affinity for the combustion engine, chinese mechanics treated their machines with little care or respect ; lacking expert maintenance, their planes rapidly became useless. pilots and navigators, drawn from the educated class, represented a group that on the whole was not martial in spirit and had no desire to die in unequal combat with the well - trained, well - equipped japanese. those who did become pilots were valiant but reckless and flashy and ill - prepared by the italian officers whom chiang kai - shek accepted from mussolini early in the 1930 ’ s to train his air force. when italy withdrew her officers out of deference to growing friendship for japan, the italians took with them all the aerial maps they had prepared for their clients, leaving the chinese, who had left the work to others, helpless. to take charge of building his air force chiang kai - shek in 1937 engaged a remarkable american fighter pilot, captain claire chennault, who had retired from the american air corps because of deafness and disagreement. by 1938 chennault, promoted to colonel in the chinese air force, had begun a major program of airfield construction and organized an effective warning net by radio, but he had less success with pilots and was soon to recruit a volunteer force of american mercenaries to defend china ’ s skies. for the present, as the japanese raided hankow unopposed, the sirens wailed and the streets drummed with the sound of thousands of running feet seeking the safety of the foreign concession area. while columns of ragged and bloody wounded straggled in, evacuation of civilians had begun. in the last week forty thousand moved out in boats and junks or overland in trucks and handcarts to changsha, capital of hunan. trainloads of half - starved, tattered war orphans gathered up from the battle zones by a woman ’ s committee organized by mme. chiang were fed and washed and marched in clean blue overalls to river boats for evacuation. the dismantling of factories and equipment for the long haul to the interior, organized by the industrial co - operatives, was under way. the wounded, looking for some designated hospital already dismantled, sat or lay on the pavement, worn out, unable to go farther. among the “ last - ditchers ” of hankow was mme. chiang kai - shek, whom stilwell visited in september and found


some designated hospital already dismantled, sat or lay on the pavement, worn out, unable to go farther. among the “ last - ditchers ” of hankow was mme. chiang kai - shek, whom stilwell visited in september and found “ very charming, highly intelligent and sincere. ” mme. chiang never made an effort to charm without succeeding, and the american military attache was worth her effort. he sent her flowers after the interview. out again to the southern front in october, he observed from a battalion commander ’ s command post a five - day fight for teian in the path of the japanese drive southward from the yangtze against nanchang, capital of kiangsi. “ walked to wang lia - chi ’ s hq, 15 li. bridges are all burning, road broken every 200 yards or so. met wang. warm welcome. he has been catching hell — 50 % losses. … no hmg [ heavy machine guns ]. small ens [ caissons? ]. no guns. about 200 rounds apiece. 4 lmgs [ light machine guns ]. bridge out. no car. no phone, etc. slept in the straw. ” colonel wang at first held a hill position but was forced back into the town ; the fight continued within the walls. in the last hours colonel wang himself led a night attack through the narrow streets. as described by stilwell afterward, “ the detachment runs into a japanese machine - gun nest. … the chinese throw themselves prone on the right side of the street. the japanese open fire but fail to come out into the open where they can rake the street and the shots carom off the opposite wall and hit no one. quick action is needed here and the chinese are equal to it. a squad slips around a building and coming in from the rear puts the machine - gun crew out of action with hand grenades. … everything by now is in an uproar and colonel wang in the darkness loses touch with them. … ” for the rest of the night and the next day the fight continued with only a few yards separating the two sides until, as the japanese advanced in force against the weakened garrison, the position became hopeless. a messenger from the division commander, the only one to get through of six who were sent, arrived at 6 p. m. with orders to withdraw. under eover of darkness colonel wang with sixty - five men rejoined the rest of the battalion and left the field with less than four hundred men of his original fifteen hundred. they had been


, arrived at 6 p. m. with orders to withdraw. under eover of darkness colonel wang with sixty - five men rejoined the rest of the battalion and left the field with less than four hundred men of his original fifteen hundred. they had been continuously in action for over five days with little sleep, food, or water. of his eleven hundred casualties six hundred were dead. in actions like these stilwell was forming the judgments that he was to take with him as commander in the chinese theater four years later. colonel wang was brave, but his judgment was poor ; he should have stayed out of the town, which, being in ruins, furnished no cover and was absolutely dominated from the hills. in a g - 2 report analyzing the war from what he had seen at first hand, he described the needless failures inherent in chinese defensive tactics. in open country against japanese planes, tanks, and artillery, the chinese, being deficient in these weapons, made only halfhearted defense and readily abandoned positions. in hilly country, however, where concealment was good, they held their ground better, and with only rifle, grenade, and machine gun, slowed down the japanese advance. the enemy continued to push against the flanks, often thrusting out a salient that invited counterattack, but instead of seizing their chance, the chinese “ always react to protect their rear. ” they hoarded their reserves, failing to exert full strength when it could succeed, with the result that numbers were more equal than they should have been, and japanese initiative and superior equipment turned the scale. the report concluded on his favorite theme : “ the chinese soldier is excellent material, wasted and betrayed by stupid leadership. ” there was a corollary : “ suppose the chinese soldier were well - fed, well - armed and equipped, well - cared for and well - led …? ” the sino - japanese war came to a climax in the five days of october 21 – 25, 1938, when the japanese took not only hankow but also canton, china ’ s last access by sea to the outside world. … japan expected the captures to seal victory at last. with a million men now on the mainland, and desperate to find some end to the war, she made one more effort to force china into a settlement. a new order for east asia based on an anti - communist bloc of japan, china, and manchukuo was announced and the chinese government invited to join on condition of repudiating its anti - japanese past and “ reforming its personnel. ” now that japan


order for east asia based on an anti - communist bloc of japan, china, and manchukuo was announced and the chinese government invited to join on condition of repudiating its anti - japanese past and “ reforming its personnel. ” now that japan had control of china ’ s ports, railroads, and major cities, and of north china, the shantung peninsula, the yangtze valley, and the southern coast, the japanese believed the kuomintang would have to capitulate. … for chiang no acceptable future was possible if he submitted. he remained as always impervious to the buffeting of events. nothing ever changed him. he was welded to the belief that china would outlast japan and that history must bring him foreign allies. loosely organized and agrarian, china could sustain herself even though isolated in the far west — at what reduced level or cost in suffering did not matter. a slender egress by road into burma, hacked out of the mountains by hand labor, had just been opened. chiang would hold out in chungking beyond the enemy ’ s reach until japan ultimately clashed with russia or the western powers. he rejected all terms. japan reaffirmed inclusion of occupied china in the new order and her resolve to “ exterminate ” the kuomintang government, which “ no longer exists except as a mere local regime. ” chiang kai - shek publicly reaffirmed on december 26, 1938, the resolve to maintain china ’ s independence. except for local punitive campaigns, military advance came to a stop ; japan had no appetite to go farther ; the war was left unfinished, the million men remained. … the new order confronted the united states with violation of both the integrity of china and equal opportunity in china, the two basic principles of her china policy for forty years. once again the horrid case arose of circumstances which the country could not in conscience accept and was unwilling to use force to resist. washington chose the middle course of protest. the new order was declared to violate the open door and the nine - power treaty. japan expressed surprise that the united states had “ failed to awaken to the new actualities in the far east resulting from japan ’ s successful military campaigns in china. ” in response to renewed agitation in america for economic sanctions, the japanese were reported by an experienced correspondent to “ have begun to feel that the united states may prove the principal antagonist when the time comes for japan to make a settlement with china. ” stilwell did not stay to see the japanese enter hankow


, the japanese were reported by an experienced correspondent to “ have begun to feel that the united states may prove the principal antagonist when the time comes for japan to make a settlement with china. ” stilwell did not stay to see the japanese enter hankow. he left to join shang chen ’ s headquarters at changsha in hunan, pivot of the new defense line. during the next two months, when the situation was in flux, he remained on the southern front, moving from place to place along with military units, hospital staffs, stranded officials, foreign colleagues and newsmen, and all the displaced flotsam that follow a defeat. another movement, a huge slow - motion upheaval, was relocating the working capacity of free china to the west. a steady trudging, toiling stream of people carried goods and equipment and themselves out of the area of the invader into the independent zone. factory machinery, government records, university libraries, the contents of hospitals, arsenals, and offices, were transported in boxes slung on shoulder poles or borne on the backs of coolies or packed in sampans and pulled upstream by straining teams moving foot by foot over the rocks and roadless banks. in the age - old method for moving vessels up the rapids, the great - muscled coolies, bent double against the ropes, slowly hauled the burdens to the free land beyond the yangtze gorges. a whole textile mill was packed into 380 junks, of which a third sank in the rapids, were raised, repacked, and started on their way again. some factories were more than a year en route before renewing operation. faculty and students of the universities, organized into marching sections with foraging squads, police units, and pack animals, walked to new locations in the west and southwest. gradually, while keeping track of chinese divisions, reviewing events with the commanders, struggling for transportation, and trying to find out through the confusion and fog of rumor what was happening, stilwell made his way southward through hengyang to kweilin in kwangsi. finding he would have to wait until february for the next vacancy by plane for chungking, he managed to obtain a place in a car for the journey over the only motor road through kweichow and over the mountains. on december 28 in chungking. china ’ s wartime capital for the next seven years, stilwell was to have a personal meeting with chiang kai - shek. by now he had been authorized to return to peiping preparatory to the end


mountains. on december 28 in chungking. china ’ s wartime capital for the next seven years, stilwell was to have a personal meeting with chiang kai - shek. by now he had been authorized to return to peiping preparatory to the end of his tour in may, and so his stay in chungking was short, lasting only from december 19 to 31. it was enough to decide that the remote, provincial, five - hundred - year - old city with its steep streets of steps climbing up from the river, its open sewers and dank fogbound climate in winter, was a “ sloppy dump. ” the meeting with the generalissimo and mme. chiang lasted for only fifteen apparently agreeable minutes. “ very cordial, ” stilwell recorded. “ both looked extremely well. they were quite frank. gave me a photo and their blessing. ” the signed photograph subsequently occupied a prominent place in stilwell ’ s living room in peiping, perhaps more in defiance of the japanese than from admiration of the generalissimo. summarizing his judgment of china ’ s leader in a g - 2 report less than a month after their meeting, stilwell wrote, “ chiang kai - shek is directly responsible for much of the confusion that normally exists in his command. ” the reason, stilwell believed, was his suspicion of rivals. … in private notes stilwell added, “ he wanted to keep all his subordinates in the dark because he didn ’ t trust them. … if they all knew nothing they couldn ’ t very well get together and dicker. ” describing the factors that were one day to become his own frustration, he wrote that the generalissimo “ never assigned good artillery to divisions because he didn ’ t want to let any get away from him. … he was always thinking of what he could save for later on when perhaps his own position would be threatened. ” … on the last day of 1938 stilwell left chungking by air for kunming in yunnan, now the main air base of free china and the starting point of the burma road. at the hotel du lac he spent the evening in dinner and long talk with chennault with no foreshadowing of the conflict between them that was to come. the last months in peiping brought the solace of home and family, offset by living under japanese occupation. only with the greatest difficulty could his new japanese - speaking assistant, captain frederick munson, convince him it was necessary to pay an official call on general okamura if


brought the solace of home and family, offset by living under japanese occupation. only with the greatest difficulty could his new japanese - speaking assistant, captain frederick munson, convince him it was necessary to pay an official call on general okamura if the military attache ’ s office was to function. stilwell grudgingly agreed but announced he would not go in uniform ; and when argued out ofthat position, balked at wearing a sword ; and when persuaded of this formality, had no reserve left but to refuse positively to go in breeches and boots, the inseparable accessories of the japanese officer. grimly in military slacks he marched off to tea with china ’ s conquerors and managed to get into an argument on the innocuous subject of the temple deer at nara. drawing up a balance sheet of japanese qualities, to relieve his feelings in private, stilwell allowed them six good qualities — industriousness, bravery, perseverance, organization, discipline, patriotism — as against twenty - six bad, ranging through arrogance, cynicism, truculence, ruthlessness, brutality, stupidity, treacherousness, lying, unscrupulousness, immorality, lack of balance, and hysteria. almost any foreigner having to accommodate to the japanese in china during these years would have shared stilwell ’ s sentiments, although he might have been less facile in expressing them. to maintain correct relations under the provocative insolence and swagger, and worst of all the stream of bland, inside - out distortions of fact, was mortifying to the soul. even sir robert craigie, british ambassador in tokyo, while on a visit to shanghai described himself as so “ utterly weary of the policy of appeasing japan ” and so “ nauseated by being polite to the little blighters ” that he felt constantly humiliated and “ emotionally and even maybe mentally upset. ” he suffered a recurring dream in which, wearing the gold - braided uniform of a general, he commanded a landing party near tokyo and was suffused by a tremendous joy at the order to go “ all out in retaliation against the dirty little bastards. ” what really tortured craigie and stilwell and many others was the passivity of their own countries in face of japanese aggression. frustration was acute as despotism advanced and the democracies threw it chunks of appeasement to buy themselves the illusion of safety. stil well, in addition, faced his own depressing professional prospects. the first star of a


japanese aggression. frustration was acute as despotism advanced and the democracies threw it chunks of appeasement to buy themselves the illusion of safety. stil well, in addition, faced his own depressing professional prospects. the first star of a brigadier general, which made all the difference in a military career, appeared to have receded beyond his reach. in another year he would have passed five years in grade without a promotion, which, combined with more than thirty years in the army, made retirement mandatory. ten officers who had graduated with him at west point, including two junior to him, were already generals. though he had friends and advocates working for him, writing letters to the war department, and although their pressure had succeeded in having his name put on the eligible list, mccabe ’ s disparaging efficiency reports were a nearly insuperable block. assigned by his new orders to an unpromising job, he believed “ they ’ re trying to put me out to pasture ” and saw his career ending in undistinguished desuetude among the retired colonels. the time came for departure on may 1, 1939. discouragement was in the air. far away in chungking the winter fogs had lifted, enabling japanese terror bombing of the undefended city to begin. america was still selling scrap to japan. no sign of help for china was in prospect. in nearly two years since marco polo bridge, the improved, concerted military assistance that stilwell had hoped for had not evolved. on their last day in china, on board the river boat from tientsin to taku, the stilwells, joined a friend, mrs. edmund clubb, wife of an embassy official, who too was going home. as they opened a lunch basket to picnic on deck they saw floating by the body of a man clutching a drowned child still attached by a rope to the piece of wood used by houseboat families as a life preserver. it had been inadequate. as a symbol of everything sad and wrong in china, the sight of the dead bodies in the river at that particular moment was unbearable. wordless, the group picked up their lunch baskets and went down below deck. in america three days before, stilwell ’ s fate was entirely changed by an unexpected development : over the heads of thirty - four senior officers george marshall was appointed acting chief ofstaff, to succeed to the full position september i, taking over an army that then ranked, with reserves, nineteenth among the world ’ s armed forces


hammond family history hammond surname history hammond family history has a rich and complex origin of which the particulars have been accumulated over the years by hammond family researchers. the last name hammond is an old lineage that has spread all across the world over time, and as the hammond family has migrated, it has evolved making its etymology a challenge to unearth. this page is the home for the complete history of the hammond surname, hammond etymology, and history of people with the hammond name. no content has been submitted here about hammond. the following is speculative information about hammond. you can submit your information by clicking edit. the evolution of hammond begins with the origins of thefamily name. even in the earliest days of a name there are variations in that single name simply because family names were infrequently written down that long ago. as these families emigrated between countries and languages, the hammond name may have changed with them. hammond families have moved across various regions all throughout history. it was not unusual for a surname to change as it enters a new country or language. hammond country of origin no content has been submitted about the hammond country of origin. the following is speculative information about hammond. you can submit your information by clicking edit. the nationality of hammond is often difficult to determine because countries change over time, making the nation of origin indeterminate. the original ethnicity of hammond may be difficult to determine as result of whether the surname came about naturally and independently in multiple locales ; for example, in the case of names that are based on a professional trade, which can come into being in multiple regions independently ( such as the family name " baker " which refers to the craft of baker ). meaning of the last name hammond no content has been submitted about the meaning of hammond. the following is speculative information about hammond. you can submit your information by clicking edit. the meaning of hammond come may come from a profession, such as the name " dean " which may have been adopted by members of the clergy. many of these trade - based family names might be a profession in some other language. because of this it is important to know the ethnicity of a name, and the languages used by its early ancestors. many western names like hammond originate from religious texts such as the quran, the bible, the bhagavadgita, and other related texts. in many cases these surnames are shortened versions of a religious phrase such as " worthy of praise ". - will hammond - verna hammond - warren hammond 1826 -? - emma parile


##hagavadgita, and other related texts. in many cases these surnames are shortened versions of a religious phrase such as " worthy of praise ". - will hammond - verna hammond - warren hammond 1826 -? - emma parilee hammond hosch 1870 -? - minnie louise hammond 1885 -? - charles samuel hammond 1857 -? - joseph hammond 1867 -? - caroline mary ( finch ) hammond 1823 -? - helen j. hammond 1885 -? - clara hammond - julia augusta hammond 1861 -? - sarah hammond - minnie louise hammond miller - elizabeth roby hammond 1846 -? - william clinton hammond 1864 -? hammond family tree famous people named hammond no famous people named hammond have been submitted. you can submit your information by clicking edit. nationality and ethnicity of hammond no content has been submitted about the ethnicity of hammond. the following is speculative information about hammond. you can submit your information by clicking edit. we do not have a record of the primary ethnicity of the name hammond. many surnames travel around the world throughout the ages, making their original nationality and ethnicity difficult to trace. more about the name hammond fun facts about the hammond family we have no fun facts about hammond. you can submit your information by clicking edit. hammond spelling variations no content has been submitted about alternate spellings of hammond. the following is speculative information about hammond. you can submit your information by clicking edit. knowing spelling variations and alternate spellings of the hammond surname are important to understanding the etymology of the name. family names like hammond change in how they ' re spelled as they travel across communities, family unions, and eras over the years. in the past, when few people knew how to write, names such as hammond were transcribed based on how they were heard by a scribe when people ' s names were recorded in government records. this could have given rise misspellings of hammond.


scanned text contains errors. greatest service consists in the fact that he was the founder of scientific geography. his greatest work was his gfogrdphlca, in three books. the first was upon physical geography, the second treated mathematical geography on the basis of the measurement of degrees, discovered by himself. the subject of the third was chorography, based upon a map of his own drawing. the work is unfortunately lost, and known only by what later writers, especially strabo, have preserved. historical investigation owes a great deal to the chrdnogrdphia, in which he undertook to found chronology on astronomy and mathematics. his comprehensive book on ancient comedy was a contribution to the history of literature. the cdtdl & goi was a work on astronomy and mythology, in which were collected the fables of the ancient writers on the constellations, with an enumerationof the single stars in each group. a dry compendium, called the catastlrismoi, containing a mere enumeration of 44 constellations, with 475 stars, and the fables attached, is based on the great work of eratosthenes. his poetical efforts were a short epic called hermes, and a celebrated elegy, the erigdnt. besides the compendium above mentioned, and some fragments, we have a letter of eratosthenes to ptolemy euergetes on the doubling of the cube, and an epigram on the same subject. erebus. in greek mythology, the primeval darkness, springing, according to hesiod, from chaos, brother of night, and father by her of jether and hemera ( day ). the word is commonly used of the lower world, filled with impenetrable darkness. erechthenm ( erechtheign ). the original sanctuary of the tutelary deities of athens, athene p61ias, ( the goddess of the city ), pfiseidon, and erechtheus. it was situated on the acrfipolis. the old temple, said to have been built by erechtheus, was burnt by the persians in 480 b. c. the restoration was perhaps begun as far back as the time of pericles, but, according to the testimony of an inscription in the british museum ( no. xxxv ), was not quite finished in 409. the new temple was, even in antiquity, admired as one of the most beautiful and


of pericles, but, according to the testimony of an inscription in the british museum ( no. xxxv ), was not quite finished in 409. the new temple was, even in antiquity, admired as one of the most beautiful and i perfect works of the attic - ionic style. it was 65 feet long and nearly 36 broad ; and was divided into two main parts. entering through the eastern portico of six ionic pillars, one came into the cella of athene polias, with an image of the goddess, and a lamp that was always kept burning. to the solid wall at the back was attached the erechtheum proper. here were three altars, one common to poseidon and erechtheus, the other to hephaestus and the hero butes. connected with this, by three doors, was a small front - chamber, with seven half columns adorning the western wall, and three windows between them. this chamber was approached through a hall attached to the north side of the temple, adorned with seven ionic columns in front, and one on each side. under this was a cleft in the rock, said to have been made by the stroke of poseidon ' s trident during his contest with athene for the possession of the acropolis. corresponding to this on the south side was a small hall, supported not by pillars, but by caryatides. this was called the hall of c6re, and it probably contained the tomb of cecrops. from it a step led down to a court, once walled round, in which were the pandr < 5seum ( see pandrosos ), the sacred olive tree of athene, and the altar of zeus herkeiss. on the east side, in front of the temple of athene polias, stood the altar on which the great hecatomb was offered at the panathenaea. ( see plan of acropolis. ) erechtheus. a mythical king of athens. according to homer he was the son of earth by hephaestus, and brought up by athene. like that of cecrops, half of his form was that of a snake — a sign that he was one of the aborigines. athene put the child in a chest which she gave to the daughters of cecrops, agraulfis, herse, and pandrfisfis, to take care of ; forbidding them at the same time


##origines. athene put the child in a chest which she gave to the daughters of cecrops, agraulfis, herse, and pandrfisfis, to take care of ; forbidding them at the same time to open it. the two eldest disobeyed, and in terror at the serpent - shaped child ( or according to another version, the snake that surrounded the child ), they went mad, and threw themselves from the rocks of the acropolis. another account made the serpent kill them. erechtheus drove out amphictyon, and got possession of the kingdom. he then established the worship of athene, and built to her, as goddess of the city ( psllas ], a temple, named after him the erechtheum. here he was afterwards worshipped himself with athene and poseidon. he was also the founder of the panathenaic festival. he was said to have invented the four - wheeled chariot, and to have been taken up to heaven for this by zeus, and set in the sky as the constellation of the charioteer. his daughters were orithyia and procris ( see boeeas andcephalus ). originally identified with erichthsnlus, he was in later times


the elephant charm the hindu god, ganesha, is their god of wisdom and success, the remover of obstacles. he is, in fact, worshipped by all hindu sects as well as some jains and further parts of india. this god is represented by an elephant - headed human with two pairs of arms, and originates from between the 4th and 5th centuries of our common era. these same cultures also consider the elephant to be a symbol of fertility. the sheer vastness and strength of the beast is said to boost the male libido. male elephants also tend to become angered and enraged when in a rut. this strong sense of emotion has also been linked to raw sexual power between a man and a woman. indra was another god that was linked to elephants. he was the king of the gods, and used an elephant as his royal mount. in addition, indra was god of the warriors. as such, he used elephants as his weapons in several ways. he also used his status as god of rain by using the elephant to cause a much - needed monsoon for his people. elephants have also been connected with clouds – an unexpected connection, perhaps. elephants were believed to have been symbols of the clouds and people even believed that the elephants created the clouds. their physical appearance of being large and grey and their slow, careful nature is likely to have played a major part in this connection. the elephant has long been held as a totem, or charm. because of the strong family bonds that exist among the family members within the elephant species, totems are said to improve the love and respect among members of the family of anyone possessing the elephant totem. this should be manifest in the care for the young, elderly and sick of the herd or family, as well as the sense of strength within one ’ s self. they are, therefore, honoured as key players in reestablishing family ideals and thereby improving those of the entire society. the trunk plays a major role in superstitions regarding elephants as well. most avid collectors, and even those with only vague superstitions, know that the trunk of an ornamental elephant should always be facing upwards in western cultures and downwards in eastern cultures for it to bring good fortune on the house in which it resides. in western cultures, it is believed that an upward trunk ensures that good luck and prosperity do not run out, while a downward trunk signifies mourning. the elephant has become a religious and cultural symbol for many reasons. its ethereal presence has haunted men through the


introducing your dog to a new baby click here for a printable pdf version when anticipating the arrival of a new baby, special care must be taken to prepare the family dog – or dogs – for the big changes to come. planning ahead and taking precautions are key in making the transition a smooth one for everyone involved. it has been said, “ a dog doesn ’ t know how to be a person ; he only knows how to be a dog. ” this bears repeating when discussing dog - baby relations. for every romantic memory ( or fantasy! ) about a dog “ baby - sitting ” a child for hours, there are many more about difficult – even tragic – consequences of improper supervision. dogs don ’ t know how to interact with babies, and some may not even know what a baby is. they may accidentally hurt an infant by jumping on the owner ( with the baby in her arms ) or becoming aroused by loud screaming and flailing arms. a dog who gets along with small children will not necessarily recognize a baby as a smaller child, and could even view him as prey. it is best, therefore, to assume your dog will react unpredictably toward your new baby and plan accordingly. how to plan? - start training now. if you haven ’ t already done so, enroll your dog in obedience training. a positive, pain - free training class will teach you how to control your dog ’ s behavior without causing stress or unpleasant associations with you or your baby. - once your dog can perform the basics ( sit, down, stay, come, etc. ), practice them while doing soon - to - be familiar baby tasks : practice a down - stay while cradling a doll and walking it back and forth. pat the doll ’ s back as though burping it, sit back down, and so on. reward your dog with treats for staying in the desired position. practicing with a talking doll ( some come with a crying track ) can further simulate a real infant. - if possible, begin to expose your dog to real babies, perhaps of friends or extended family. do not let the dog approach the baby : simply reward him for calm behavior in the presence of this brand new creature. if the dog shows discomfort ( growling, barking, etc. ), do not punish him : this doesn ’ t teach him that “ aggression is bad ”, but that babies are bad news. calmly remove him and repeat the exercise at a later time and at greater distance from the baby. - begin to introduce your dog – slowly


punish him : this doesn ’ t teach him that “ aggression is bad ”, but that babies are bad news. calmly remove him and repeat the exercise at a later time and at greater distance from the baby. - begin to introduce your dog – slowly – to the sounds of a new baby. recorded baby sounds ( gurgles, babbling, crying ) can be played at extremely low volume while feeding the dog treats. with each session, increase the volume a little bit. the goal is to have the dog still appear relaxed even in the presence of loud crying. ( who wants to deal with a barking dog and a screaming baby during 2 : 00a. m. diaper changes?? ) - if your new baby is born at a hospital, consider bringing home blankets he / she has worn to begin to familiarize your dog with the new scent. when the baby comes home : - plan to have one person handle the dog while another handles the baby. it is too risky and exhausting to ask one person to do both, and could result in injury to the baby. - head halters ( such as the gentle leader ) are highly recommended for humanely controlling excited dogs. they can prevent the dog jumping at the baby or simply moving too quickly toward her. let the dog see the baby from 20 feet away, reward for calm behavior, then leave the room. repeat from 15 feet away, 10 feet away, and so on. - use caution when allowing your dog to approach the baby. keep the dog on leash and watch for any signs of trouble : staring at the baby with a stiff body and closed mouth, high - pitched whining, or sudden lunges. if you are not sure what to look for, hire a trainer to come to your house and assist you with this stage. - if you cannot supervise your dog around your baby, confine the dog in a safe area ; ideally, this would be a crate in another room. if small children are visiting, lock the door to this safe - room so no one lets the dog out without your knowledge. pay special attention when the baby is crying, screaming, wiggling and flailing arms and legs, as this can provoke a predatory reaction in some dogs. some parents opt to install a sturdy baby gate at the nursery door to keep the dog out ; others shut the door and keep a baby monitor running in the nursery so they can hear any activity when the baby wakes up. make sure to schedule time and exercise for your dog to prevent “ garden variety ”


diagrammatic codes used for crochet, knit and needlelace stitches. these are standard crochet codes in common usage, but the knit and needlelace codes have been invented to provide a more 3d interpretation. textile process - crochet - knit - needlelace stitch - will vary according to process form - start with sphere – disk – tube – spiral – pyramid dimensions - number of stitches – rows - iterations materials colour surface modifications picot – spike – loop – frill – ridge hole – indentation – raised found objects wax – paint – varnish each variable will have either a discreet series or range of values eg. rows / stitches will have values with upper / lower limits, while process will have values of knit, crochet or needlelace. the preliminary experiment will confirm or modify the variables and their values. sampling might be part or a complete specimen, enough to see what works. stitch size and tools ( hook / needlesize ) will be determined by the sampler. ideas – genetics, dna, mutation, inheritance, natural selection, evolution rules – variables such as technique ( process? ), dimensions, form, pattern with discreet limits mutation – chance – random generator of values for rules genetic code – assign codes to stitch types, diagrammatic interpretations of pattern selection – viability and aesthetic choices evolution – selected specimens as starting point for next generation classification – identify relationships, naming documentation – pattern, stages of development ( photography ) the work takes the form of a series of experiments exploring the idea of mutation to evolve new textile ‘ life forms ’. the principles of generative art are used to create a series of rules that determine the shape and form of organic ' specimens '. variables of size, shape, sequence and number have aleatory values, ie. generated randomly.


in our fat - phobic culture, all overweight people endure a certain amount of criticism and discrimination. overweight children, however, suffer the cruelest treatment in school and on the playground. - an overview the u. s. government estimates that in this country about six million young people are sufficiently overweight to endanger their health. another five million are borderline, and the problem grows larger every year. why? lots of reasons. families no longer eat regular meals together. home cooking is no longer the primary source of meals for many people. greasy and sugar - laden fast food is cheap, tasty, and available everywhere. time spent in front of a tv or computer steals time from sports and other activities that burn calories. manufacturers of snack food and soft drinks advertise their empty calories directly to children. schools eliminate or cut back physical education classes. because of concerns about community and neighborhood safety, parents keep their children from participating in informal, spontaneous playground activities. what is the result of children taking in more calories and being less active than they were a decade ago? dr. naomi neufeld, a pediatric endocrinologist says, " the children we see today are thirty percent heavier than the ones who were referred to us in 1990. " obese children are at risk physically and emotionally. many become obese teens and then obese adults. they suffer low self - esteem and are candidates for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and many cancers. diabetes alone can lead to damaged blood vessels, kidney failure, blindness, amputations, heart attacks, and strokes. the u. s. secretary of agriculture predicts that obesity will soon rival smoking as a cause of preventable death. ( newsweek, july 23, 2000 ; page 42 ) - what to do if your child is overweight or obese - if your child is still a baby, don ' t panic. baby fat is normal. - if your child is still growing, don ' t panic. weight gain precedes growth spurts. it is not unusual for a child to gain thirty or forty pounds and then shoot up ten or twelve inches. - limit couch potato time. a stanford university pediatrician found that children who watched tv for one hour or less per day were measurably leaner than those who watched as much as they wanted to. - don ' t nag about food or weight. your child will resent you and withdraw, probably to a hidden stash of food


or less per day were measurably leaner than those who watched as much as they wanted to. - don ' t nag about food or weight. your child will resent you and withdraw, probably to a hidden stash of food. if you try to police what your child eats, you may inadvertently create depression, shame, feelings of abandonment, anxiety, or even a life - threatening eating disorder. - be especially careful if your child is a preteen daughter. our culture teaches young women to base their self - esteem on the shape and size of their bodies. if your daughter thinks you are criticizing her appearance, she may believe that you find her unacceptable too. she may deal with her crushed feelings by becoming anorexic in an heroic effort to please you, or she may rebel and become even fatter as an expression of anger and defiance. - instead of nagging, set a healthy example. don ' t give one child a diet plate while everyone else dives into fried chicken and chocolate cake. make family meals healthy for everyone. instead of collapsing in front of the tv after dinner, go for a walk or bike ride with the kids. on weekends take them hiking or introduce them to your favorite sport - - but make sure you participate in it and don ' t just watch it on tv. - in order to avoid rebellion and crushed feelings, when you talk to your children, focus on health, not appearance. emphasize more activity, not less food. diets create feelings of deprivation. for that reason they don ' t work for adults, and they won ' t work for kids either. - be realistic about your child ' s weight. genes do make a difference. if a child is chubby but eats healthy foods in reasonable amounts, and if s / he is active and has self - control, s / he may be genetically predisposed to be heavier than average. research suggests that this kind of extra weight is not as much of a health risk as the kind acquired via too many snack foods and too many hours on the internet. genetically pudgy children may be healthier chubby than if they are forced to diet to fit in with slim peers. just make sure they understand that personal worth depends on character, not on appearance. - find out if emotional stress or unhappiness is contributing to your child ' s weight gain. children may substitute food for friends when they are lonely. they also can overeat when they are bored, angry, depressed, anxious, or otherwise stressed


found everywhere, dioxin is public enemy number one. to give you an idea of how common dioxin exposure is, consider bleached coffee filters. the epa says that 40 % to 70 % of the dioxins contained in bleached coffee filters get transferred to your coffee. therefore, the simple routine of using bleached coffee filters results in a lifetime of unsafe exposure to dioxin. according to the world health organization, dioxins are highly toxic. they cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, disrupt hormones and cause cancer. the skinny science : dioxin is an organic chemical that consists of a pair of benzene rings. because of their chemical stability and their ability to be dissolved by fat tissue, they can exist in the body for years. highly potent in small quantities, it is measured in parts per trillion, not the parts per million we usually hear. dioxins are categorized as persistent environmental pollutants. this means two things : they do not degrade in the environment, and they exist indefinitely once released. word to the wise : manufacturing processes are the root cause of our dioxin issues today. this includes smelting, chlorine bleaching of paper pulp, manufacturing of herbicides and pesticides, and uncontrolled waste incinerators. sadly they are found throughout the world, even in hundred - year - old greenland sharks that live in some of the most pristine waters of the arctic ocean. green your routine : how do you avoid this seemingly omnipresent substance? a major source of dioxin exposure is eating animal products, because of dioxin ' s ability to persist in fats. in addition to changing your diet, here are some other strategies you can incorporate : - avoid eating animal products. - eat organically grown fruits and vegetables. pesticide and herbicide residues found on non - organically grown food harbors dioxin. - when gardening, avoid using pesticides and herbicides that contain dioxin. - when cleaning, avoid chlorine bleach. it forms dioxin after contact with organic compounds. - in personal care products, avoid triclosan, an antibacterial agent. it degrades into dioxin. - with coffee supplies, use unbleached coffee filters, metal filters, or a french press. dioxin is a by - product of the bleaching process. - avoid bleached paper products like disposable dia


. - with coffee supplies, use unbleached coffee filters, metal filters, or a french press. dioxin is a by - product of the bleaching process. - avoid bleached paper products like disposable diapers, napkins, tissue and paper towels. prevention is the best cure : because of the ubiquitous nature of dioxin, the usual prevention advice is challenging. dioxin is present in every aspect of life : water, air, soil and food. that said, dioxin concentrations vary, so the best advice may be to avoid foods with the highest concentration of dioxins. since dioxin accumulates in fat - - in both our own and the animals we eat — people with diets high in vegetables and low in animal products have lower dioxin levels. high dioxin level foods : - dairy products low dioxin level foods : - alternative names quick list : dlc ( dioxin - like compound ), tcdd ( the most toxic dioxin ), pcdd, pcdf, and some dioxin - like pcbs. - dioxin is categorized as one of the " dirty dozen " chemicals. - dioxin made headlines when it was used in an assassination attempt to poison former ukrainian president, viktor yushchenko, leaving him severely disfigured. - agent orange made dioxin infamous in the 1980s. - for more information, check out these sources : united states department of agriculture, environmental as always, stay informed and green your routine to what fits you best. other decoding household chemicals posts - the dirt on bleach : what makes chlorine bleach bad news? - what is triclosan? a shady chemical you should unfriend - for frog ' s eyes only : what is formaldehyde? - bubble trouble : what is sodium lauryl sulfate? ( image : courtesy of chemical sensitivity network )


science can no longer stomach dinosaurs - to - birds theory for decades now, the evolutionary community has been batting around the theory that dinosaurs evolved into birds ( thompson and harrub, 2001 ). in fact, if you keep your ear to the ground about the latest scientific news and writings, you will still hear the theory being floated in various places. to bolster the theory, paleontologists have identified “ fuzz ” that surrounds some dinosaur fossils as “ protofeather ” material. pictures of “ feathered ” dinosaurs have graced the covers of science magazines for years. it just so happens, however, that though this theory is still out there, and is championed by many, it simply cannot be true. the fact of the matter is, we have found fully functional, flying, legitimately feathered ( not “ fuzz - covered ” ) birds that lived “ millions of years ” ( using the inaccurate deep - time of evolution ) before dinosaurs died out. in august, 2012 in the open - access on - line biology journal, plos : biology, lida xing and colleagues wrote an article titled “ abdominal contents from two large cretaceous compsognathids ( dinosauria : theropoda ) demonstrate feeding on confuciusornithids and dromaeosaurids ” ( 2012 ). that is a mouthful, but in laymen ’ s terms it simply means that the skeletons of two dinosaurs that lived during the “ cretaceous ” period ate a bird known as confuciusornis sanctus. the two dinosaur fossils under consideration are recognized as sinocalliopteryx gigas. according to evolutionary time, these dinosaurs lived about 120 million years ago. yet the confuciusornis sanctus found in the stomach of this creature was a “ crow - size, flight - capable bird ” ( “ dinosaur guts …, ” 2012 ). one of the picture captions describes the stomach contents as “ a tiny bird skeleton within the stomach of the dinosaur sinocalliopteryx ” ( “ dinosaur guts … ” ). dinosaurs could not have evolved into birds because, among other reasons, they were eating birds during their lifetime! john ruben, oregon state professor of zoology, accurately summed up the problem this poses for the dinosaurs - to - birds theory. he said : “ for one thing, birds are found earlier in the fossil record than the dinosaurs they are supposed to have descended from. that ’ s a pretty serious problem, and there are other inconsistencies with the bird - from -


. he said : “ for one thing, birds are found earlier in the fossil record than the dinosaurs they are supposed to have descended from. that ’ s a pretty serious problem, and there are other inconsistencies with the bird - from - dinosaur theories ” ( “ discovery raises new doubts …, ” 2009 ). pretty serious, indeed! this situation highlights one of the most common problems with the various aspects of evolutionary theory : the fact that tenet after tenet is proven to be positively wrong. and yet, instead of questioning the theory that undergirds the inaccurate conclusions, most evolutionary scientists go “ back to the drawing board ” and concoct a different scenario that eventually proves to be just as wrong. the problem is not in the various possible lines of evolution, it is in the theory itself. it is not as if evolutionists simply misidentified the wrong animal from which birds sprang ; they have misidentified the complete process. birds did not evolve from dinosaurs because evolution is not true. according to the law of biogenesis, and the known scientific evidence ( see miller, 2012 ), the most plausible explanation is that god created birds fully functional “ in the beginning. ” that concept has stood the test of time and will most certainly not be replaced in a few decades. “ dinosaur guts : photos of a paleo - predator ” ( 2012 ), livescience, http : / / www. livescience. com / 22805 - dinosaur - guts - photos. html. “ discovery raises new doubts about dinosaur - bird links ” ( 2009 ), sciencedaily, june, http : / / www. sciencedaily. com / releases / 2009 / 06 / 090609092055. htm. miller, jeff ( 2012 ), “ the law of biogenesis, ” reason & revelation, 32 : 2 - 11, january, http : / / www. apologeticspress. org / appubpage. aspx? pub = 1 & issue = 1018 & article = 1722. thompson, bert and brad harrub ( 2001 ), “ archaeopteryx, archaeoraptor, and ‘ dinosaurs - to - birds ’ theory — part 1, ” reason & revelation, 21 : 25 - 32. xing, lida, et al. ( 2012 ), “ abdominal contents from two large cretaceous compsognathids ( dinosauria : theropoda ) demonstrate feeding on confuciusornithids and dromaeo


scots pine, also known as scotch pine is a beautiful evergreen which is hardy and adaptable to nearly all climates. can be used as either a windbreak or a single specimen. grows to 60 ', 40 ' spread. ( zones 3 - 7 ) scots pine trees are widely used for christmas trees because of their excellent form and their ability to hold their needles for a long period of time. there are many color variations within the species and some trees are sprayed with green color to make them more attractive as some naturally have brown needles during the winter months. it is also a good tree for reclamation sites because of its re - seeding capabilities. a beautiful evergreen which is hardy and adaptable to nearly all climates. can be used as either a windbreak or a single specimen. grows to 60 ', 40 ' spread. ( zones 3 - 7 ) owls prefer roosting and nesting in large conifers such as scots pine, and many mammals and birds consume pine seeds. the scots pine was widely planted on old farm fields at the turn of the century. early farmers were familiar with this species from its growth throughout europe and knew it could tolerate poor, dry soil. eventually they found that the trees did not mature into the fine timber stands they envisioned, but often stagnated or had twisted trunks. it was the beginning of the realization that seed sources vary widely and must be matched to the planting site. today, seed sources are selected with care and varieties of scots pine are favored to provide the species ' best qualities, especially when planting for the christmas tree market. in the country of scotland, the name scots pine is preferred over the use of the term scotch pine. normal moisture requirement, with moderate drought tolerance. this tree has spiral ; two needles ; 2 to 4 inches long. the fruit is oval ; 1 to 3 inches long ; dry ; brown.


abstract : masada : last stronghold of the jewish resistance against rome lecturer : jodi magness the mountain of masada rises 400 meters above the sw shore of the dead sea. in the 1st c bc, herod the great, client king of judaea, built a fortress and lavishly decorated palaces on top of the mountain. seventy years after his death, in 66 ad, the jews living in judaea rose up in revolt against roman rule. a band of 960 jewish rebels, or zealots, took over the top of the mountain and occupied it for the duration of the revolt. they continued to hold out against the romans even after the official end of the revolt with the fall of jerusalem in 70 ad. in 72 or 73 ad the romans arrived at the foot of masada and set up a siege. the dramatic fall of the mountain to the romans arrived at the foot of masada and set up a siege. the dramatic fall of the mountain to the romans, which ended with the famous and controversialmass suicide of the jewish rebels, is related in dramatic detail by the ancient historian flavius josephus. this slide - illustrated lecture describes the archaeological remains from herod ' s fortress and palaces ( excavated by the late yigael yadin in the 1960 ' s, and those connected with the roman siege. it includes new information from excavations that i co - directed in the roman siege camps in the summer of 1995. yigael yadin, ' masada : herod ' s fortress and the zealot ' s last stand '. ( random house : ny, 1966 )


this past monday, president obama made climate change and sustainable energy the focal points of his inaugural address when he declared that choosing to ignore these key environmental issues “ would betray our children and future generations. ” this is the first time in the last few months that the president has taken a firm stand for the future of our earth, a direct result of super storm sandy and a smart choice to reveal controversial policies only after re - election. although monday morning was not the time to outline a specific political strategy, president obama made it very clear that this time around, denial of scientific judgment and congressional opposition would not be reasons for failure to act. since this is a sentiment easier said than done, there is doubtlessly a long and difficult road ahead for the president and his administration. the white house has revealed that it plans to focus on what it can do to capitalize on natural gas production as an alternative to coal, on “ reducing emissions from power plants, [ increasing ] the efficiency of home appliances and [ on having ] the federal government itself produce less carbon pollution ” ( nytimes ). according to the new york times, they aim to adopt new energy efficiency standards for not only home appliances but for buildings as well, something that should spark the interests of architects and urban planners already committed to designing with climate change and sustainable energy in mind. more after the break … a new set of tools have been developed by researchers at mit in collaboration with china ’ s tsinghua university that will evaluate the performance and energy consumption of large - scale projects. led by dennis frenchman and christopher zegras from mit ’ s school of architecture + planning, these new set of guidelines and tools are a proactive response to the rapid urbanization of china and its ever - increasing development and infrastructure projects. the main goal is to introduce sustainable methods of implementation and construction, and responsible energy patterns one neighborhood at a time. as we told you a few months ago, amo ( the think - tank inside oma ) played an important role on roadmap 2050, an initiative by the european climate foundation which looks to chart a policy roadmap for the next 5 - 10 years based on the european leaders ’ commitment to an 80 - 95 % reduction in co2 emissions by 2050. based on this plan, amo presents “ roadmap 2050 : a pathway to decarbonize the united states power grid ”. while ranked # 1 based on the gdp, the us is ranked # 61 in energy performance. as we see on the above video,


the use of new non - traditional sources. the image of “ eneropa ” appears as a new continent based on its energy production : biomassburg, geothermalia, solaria, the tidal states … are part of this new territory. other branding concepts are introduced on the study, creating a tangible image of this ambitious plan, which reminds the powerful ( yet simple ) idea behind the barcode flag. you can download the full study in pdf format at the roadmap 2050 website. more after the break : when driving between sfo airport and san francisco on the edge of the bay area, i have always wondered what would happen when the sea level starts to rise. recently, the san francisco bay conservation and development commission ( bcdc ) organized an ideas competition ( open to any professionals, not just architects ) to address the sea level rise in the bay area, looking for innovative and creative solutions to bring forward a vision of a future estuarine shoreline applicable to the san francisco bay and beyond. 130 entries from 18 countries were submitted. six teams were announced as the winners, splitting a cash prize of $ 25, 000. among these entries we find interesting ideas, such as faulders studio ’ s laser light barrier that measures the sea level, powered by tidal energy, kuth ranieri architects ’ s ventilated levee to balance the sea / bay water levels, or som ’ s smart membrane under the golden gate bridge. but, as usual in some competitions, the honorable mentions bring more disruptive ideas, embracing a vision on a post - flood city instead of preventing it. there ’ s also humor among the honorable mentions, “ failure : bring your boots ” or “ about rising tides : it´s the delta, you stupid ”. will our future be amphibious? all the awarded entries after the break : the city within a building – mario fiorentino in the last 50 years, we have built a massive amount of buildings, experimenting techniques and philosophies as never before. reinforced concrete, cheap energy and cars allowed us a freedom to build that we never experienced before.