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Rigged Elections for Romney? - Michael Collins
Rigged Elections for Romney?
By Michael Collins
A group of independent researchers caught a pattern of apparent vote flipping during the 2012 Republican primaries that consistently favored Mitt Romney. A form of election fraud, vote flipping occurs when votes are changed from one candidate to another or several others during electronic voting and vote tabulation. (Image: Dean Terry)
Vote flipping is difficult to detect because the vote totals remain the same for each precinct. In one of several possible scenarios, an instruction is given to a precinct level voting machine or to a county-level central tabulator. The corrupted totals from precincts are sent from county election officials to state elections board and published as final results. (Primary documents for this article: Republican Primary Election 2012 Results: Amazing Statistical Anomalies, August 13, 2012 and 2008/2012 Election Anomalies, Results, Analysis and Concerns, September 2012).
The group's analysis is based on raw data from primary sources, local precincts, and state and county election records. The pattern of vote flipping raises serious doubts about the Romney victories in the 2012 Republican primaries in Wisconsin and the Ohio. Apparent vote flipping was demonstrated in the group’s paper for at least nine other 2012 Republican primaries as well.
The findings showed a consistent pattern of increasing votes and vote percentages for Romney in the precinct vote tally. The pattern emerges when precinct vote tallies are presented by candidate based on the size of a county precinct.
Wisconsin, for example, is represented in the graph below. Moving from the smallest to largest precincts, you can see Romney's percent of the vote takes off and those of the others drop after about 7% of the votes are counted. Romney's percentage of precinct votes goes up (the upward slope of the green line) while those of the three other candidates decline.
The steady increase in Romney's percent of the vote and steady decline in Santorum's represents a statistical anomaly. In this case, the anomaly is amazing according to the researchers. They argue that the probability of this happening by chance alone is so small it exceeds the capability of statistical packages to handle. Their software says Romney’s share of the vote, increasing with precinct size has zero probability of occurring by chance alone.
The significance of the Wisconsin analysis is of grave concern. Presuming the use of appropriate statistical measures and analysis, human intervention is the most likely available explanation.
Vote flipping gave Romney a 57,000-vote victory over Santorum in Wisconsin. Absent vote flipping, Santorum would have won over Romney by about 54,000 according the group's analysis.
Was Wisconsin the only state where Romney’s share of the vote increased in this way as precinct size increased?
There were eleven states that showed this amazing anomaly, Romney gaining in votes and margins as precinct size increased. The chart below shows the estimated vote flipping for eleven of the fifty states analyzed by the group using precinct-level data.
Estimated Votes Lost/Gained in 11 State Primaries - 2012 - Vote Flipping
Take a look at data for the Ohio Republican primary. A similar pattern emerges as seen in the graph below. Romney percentages increase from 30% in the smaller precincts to 38% as precinct size increases. The slope of increased votes for Romney violates acceptable levels for probability and must attributed to external intervention. The 65,777 estimated flipped votes provided Romney with a win over Santorum instead of a loss.
Why attribute the anomaly to intervention rather than an innocent trend? Consider what happens when there is no opportunity for human intervention through voting machines or central tabulators. Ohio has a variety of computerized voting systems. The results are recorded by computer at the precinct level and transferred to a central tabulator operated by election officials. Similarly, the vast majority of votes in Wisconsin are cast using electronic voting machines and central tabulators. However, eight counties still use paper ballots that are counted at the precinct level. The paper ballot counties have no central tabulators. They show no pattern of vote flipping. (See Figure 3: WI Outagamie County in document 2008/2012 Election Anomalies, Results, Analysis and Concerns, September 2012)
New Hampshire offers an even better comparison between precincts that use central tabulators (hand counted paper ballot precincts) and those without. Watchthevote2012.org, a citizen voting rights group, deployed volunteers at 27 precincts on election night to witness all aspect vote counting. Additional data was added for the 79 paper ballot-no tabulator precincts (See "NH Primary Vote Count for Jan 10, 2012" at http://www.watchthevote2012.com ).
The graphs below reveal the Romney pattern of vote flipping in precincts with electronic voting machines and central tabulators. No such pattern shows up in areas with hand-counted paper ballots. (Note, Watchthevote2012.org figures for the precincts differ from the published figures by state election officials.) See the graphs illustrating the difference at this link.
One criticism of this research is based on an assumption concerning the demographics of rural, suburban, and urban voters. The argument is that Romney was more likely gain votes as the larger precincts were counted since these larger precincts were closer to cities. City dwellers were presumed to be more sympathetic to Romney than Santorum, Gingrich, and Paul.
The research group considered the demographic question in detail in their second study. Their analysis debunks that presumption and further demonstrates the validity and reliability of the analysis.
The suggested vote flipping favoring Romney is based on 2008 and 2012 precinct data and statistical analysis. The process is transparent as demonstrated by the two papers produced by the groups.
Significance for the 2012 Presidential Election
The probability that systematic election fraud benefitted Mitt Romney is a significant concern in the upcoming presidential election. The election is close in battleground states. The stakes are high. The precinct data and analytic techniques used by the researchers are available from the authors for election analysis (see contact information on research papers). Post-election analysis can capture this pattern of vote flipping. But that will be too late.
Public officials and elected representatives need a wakeup call before the election. They need to know about the amazing anomaly described by the researchers. The two research group papers and this article are available for open distribution. Forward one or all of the publications to your county elections division and elected officials. Look for the “County Election Clerk” or “Registrar of Voters” on your county website. The Secretary of State for each state has an election division as well (state boards of elections listing)
Citizen-based exit polling is more important now than ever before. Exit polls by the television networks have been drastically curtailed. They will be conducted in only nineteen states. The media-sponsored exit polls may be of little use in detecting vote flipping. Raw data is rarely offered to citizens for objective analysis. In addition, the media sponsored exit polls presume the accuracy of officially announced vote totals. These pollsters adjust their raw data to conform to the official results.
Citizen exit polling is a vital alternative. Motivated citizens can perform their own analysis of raw data from precincts with the analytic techniques used by the researchers discussed in this article. In addition, experienced researchers with a track record of election fraud analysis should be consulted both before and after November 6.
Election fraud has been a part of politics in the United States throughout its history. From the disenfranchisements of minorities and immigrants to the wide array of suspected election fraud in the 2004 presidential election, the perpetrators of election fraud lurk in the shadows awaiting the every-four-year, high-yield opportunity to select the next president of the United States. Vigilance, citizen monitoring, and public discussion are the only protections we have left.
END This article may be reproduced with attribution of authorship and a link to this article.
Special thanks to Jillian Hayroot for her helpful input.
The Money Party
See these sources for citizen involvement in guaranteeing voting rights
Maps in Election Forensics by Roy Lipscomb
Because the Voter is Always the Last to Know
Richard Charnin’s Blog (polling and election fraud analysis)
News from the Underground – Mark Crispin Miller
Election Defense Alliance
BlackBoxVoting
© Scoop Media |
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May attends a campaign event in Twickenham, London, May 29, 2017. REUTERS/Leon Neal/Pool
LONDON — In the aftermath of Saturday night's terror attack in London, Prime Minister Theresa May has angrily attacked internet companies, accusing them of inadvertently providing support for terrorists.
In a strongly worded statement made the day after the attack that killed seven people, May accused the firms of giving "this ideology the safe space it needs to breed."
The government needs to, she said, "work with allied democratic governments to reach international agreements that regulate cyberspace to prevent the spread of extremist and terrorism planning. And we need to do everything we can at home to reduce the risks of extremism online."
Many of the tech companies implicitly blamed — Facebook, Google, Twitter, and so on — have since pushed back. They essentially argue that they already do what May is asking for.
And some critics worry that Theresa May's calls are dangerous, disproportionate, and "intellectually lazy."
Facebook: 'We want ... to be a hostile environment for terrorists'
Facebook, the world's largest social network with more than 30 million UK users, has been quick to highlight the work it already does to combat terrorism.
Founder and CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg. David Ramos/Getty Images It prohibits content that supports terrorist activity, letting users report potentially infringing material to human moderators. It also uses some technical solutions, like image-matching tech that checks new photos to see if they've already been banned from the platform for promoting terrorism. It also reaches out to law enforcement if it sees potential evidence of a forthcoming attack (or attempt at human harm more generally).
"We want to provide a service where people feel safe," director of policy Simon Milner said. "That means we do not allow groups or people that engage in terrorist activity, or posts that express support for terrorism. We want Facebook to be a hostile environment for terrorists."
This does not directly address the issue of encryption, however — but more on that shortly.
Here's Facebook's full response:
"We condemn the attacks that took place in London on Saturday night and our thoughts are with the families of the victims and those who are injured. Facebook's Safety Check was activated by the local community last night. We hope the people in the area found the tool a helpful way to let their friends and family know they are okay.
"We want to provide a service where people feel safe. That means we do not allow groups or people that engage in terrorist activity, or posts that express support for terrorism. We want Facebook to be a hostile environment for terrorists. Using a combination of technology and human review, we work aggressively to remove terrorist content from our platform as soon as we become aware of it — and if we become aware of an emergency involving imminent harm to someone's safety, we notify law enforcement. Online extremism can only be tackled with strong partnerships. We have long collaborated with policymakers, civil society, and others in the tech industry, and we are committed to continuing this important work together.
Google: We are committed to 'ensuring terrorists do not have a voice online'
Google's response is largely similar, and already takes action to police for content that potentially promotes terrorism. YouTube, its video platform, also takes down anything that incites violence and bans any accounts it believes to be operated by agents of foreign terrorist organisations. And once a video is taken down, it is flagged so it can't just be reuploaded.
The search engine, meanwhile, removes links to illegal content once it has been notified of it.
Here's the official statement from a spokesperson:
"Our thoughts are with the victims of this shocking attack, and with the families of those caught up in it. We are committed to working in partnership with the government and NGOs to tackle these challenging and complex problems, and share the government's commitment to ensuring terrorists do not have a voice online. We are already working with industry colleagues on an international forum to accelerate and strengthen our existing work in this area. We employ thousands of people and invest hundreds of millions of pounds to fight abuse on our platforms and ensure we are part of the solution to addressing these challenges."
Twitter: 'Terrorist content has no place on Twitter'
Lastly, here's what Twitter's UK head of public policy Nick Pickles said in a statement: "Terrorist content has no place on Twitter. We continue to expand the use of technology as part of a systematic approach to removing this type of content. We will never stop working to stay one step ahead and will continue to engage with our partners across industry, government, civil society and academia."
A spokesperson also highlighted the fact that it suspended 376,890 accounts in the six months leading up to December 2016. And of those, 74% were detected via its internal tech, and just 2% came from government requests.
The issue of encryption
May's statement called for the elimination of "safe spaces" where terrorists and terrorist ideology can "breed." It doesn't directly mention encryption — but this is being interpreted by some as an indicator the Conservatives plan to crack down on encryption tech.
Here's what May said:
"Second, we cannot allow this ideology the safe space it needs to breed.
"Yet that is precisely what the internet, and the big companies that provide internet-based services provide.
"We need to work with allied democratic governments to reach international agreements that regulate cyberspace to prevent the spread of extremist and terrorism planning.
"And we need to do everything we can at home to reduce the risks of extremism online.
"Third, while we need to deprive the extremists of their safe spaces online, we must not forget about the safe spaces that continue to exist in the real world."
Strong, end-to-end encryption has been increasingly adopted by major tech companies in recent years. It's used in messaging services including Facebook's WhatsApp and Apple's iMessage, among others, meaning the messages can't be intercepted and decoded by anyone else en route, including the companies themselves and law enforcement.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is a strong defender of encryption and user privacy. AP This keeps users' data secure — but some fear that they are enabling terrorists and other criminals in the process. Privacy advocates counter that there's no alternative if you want to keep ordinary people safe. There's no such thing as a backdoor that can only be used by the good guys, and any attempt to weaken encryption makes everyone's data vulnerable.
Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the world wide web, made this case after home secretary Amber Rudd made similar calls after March's Westminster terror attack. "Now I know that if you're trying to catch terrorists it's really tempting to demand to be able to break all that encryption but if you break that encryption then guess what - so could other people and guess what - they may end up getting better at it than you are," he said.
Removing encryption — if the UK government decided to try and force tech companies to do so in the country — would be a complex, expensive undertaking. And even then, it wouldn't stop people using it. There are plenty of companies and organisation based outside of UK jurisdiction that could simply not comply.
Critics: May's proposal is 'intellectually lazy'
May has faced some direct criticism over her remarks.
Open Rights Group, a London-based digital liberties group, asked for more information about how these proposals would work in practice. Its executive director Jim Killock, wrote:
"It is disappointing that in the aftermath of this attack, the Government's response appears to focus on the regulation of the Internet and encryption.
"This could be a very risky approach. If successful, Theresa May could push these vile networks into even darker corners of the web, where they will be even harder to observe.
"But we should not be distracted: the Internet and companies like Facebook are not a cause of this hatred and violence, but tools that can be abused. While governments and companies should take sensible measures to stop abuse, attempts to control the Internet is not the simple solution that Theresa May is claiming."
That second point is worth highlighting. Encryption tools are easily available right across the world. They will remain so, regardless of how the public content on the platforms of big tech companies is regulated.
As Kings College professor Thomas Rid wrote on Twitter: "Focus on 'big companies' is misleading. A range of secure comms channels will remain available to militants no matter what big firms do."
Peter Neumann — another professor at Kings College — also tweeted on the subject. "On 'Islamist extremism', she failed to spell out specific measures. So how is this different from what we've been hearing for 6 years?" He wrote. "Most jihadists are now using end-to-end encrypted messenger platforms e.g. Telegram. This has not solved problem, just made it different ... Moreover, few people radicalised exclusively online. Blaming social media platforms is politically convenient but intellectually lazy." |
It's the obvious option and the least discussed. But the idea of refurbishing the failing Scarborough RT — instead of building a replacement subway or LRT — is about to get another airing. A Transportation Summit organized by the Toronto Region Board of Trade on Monday will present a paper by one senior transportation consultant, University of Toronto professor emeritus Richard Soberman.
The Scarborough Rapid Transit system is slated for replacement by a subway (and earlier, by a planned LRT). But at least one expert thinks it would make more sense to just rehabilitate it. ( MARCUS OLENIUK / TORONTO STAR )
He argues that buying new SRT vehicles would be vastly cheaper and faster than the replacing the failing SRT with an extension of the Bloor-Danforth subway northeast from Kennedy Station. The idea is not without its problems. The newer version of the SRT cars being used in Vancouver may not be compatible with the existing Scarborough route. As well, continuing the SRT to Sheppard, where it could connect to the future Sheppard LRT would require building a fully separated right-of-way. But Soberman says these issues could be overcome for far less than the $4 billion he estimates as the cost of a subway extension built on some of the easterly alignments the city has lately considered.
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The Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO) is bringing Soberman's paper to the business event even though it doesn't normally comment on individual projects. Executive director Andy Manahan said he is making an exception because the Scarborough subway is such "an egregious error." "The mayor (John Tory) has publicly stated he doesn't think it's appropriate to flip-flop on these things. But when you're talking about a few billion dollars, it's worth a sober second look," said Manahan. Soberman is clear that the SRT technology — an orphan in the TTC subway and streetcar system — was never the right fit. It was foisted on the city in the 1980s by the province, looking for a demonstration for technology it wanted to sell further afield. It worked, too. It is being used around the world, from Vancouver to South Korea. The city's original plan to build light rail in Scarborough was probably the best solution.
"LRT would have provided similar speed, capacity and reliability at far less than the RT's capital investment," he said. In 2006, when the TTC dismissed the idea of modernizing the SRT, it was estimated to cost $360 million and involve an eight-month service disruption, said Soberman.
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"Abandoning a 30-year-old capital investment in rail rapid transit would probably make Toronto unique among major cities in the world and probably the universe," he concludes. The transportation conference is designed to look at financing and leveraging the unprecedented public transit investments planned for the Toronto region in the coming decade, according to the business group. The Ontario government is investing $15.5 billion in projects ranging from GO regional express rail to the Hurontario LRT in Mississauga. Toronto is looking at commiting about $8 billion in Mayor John Tory's SmartTrack rail plan. "It's to re-emphasize the importance of getting this on time and on budget and making sure everyone benefits from the investment,” said a board of trade spokesperson. “This investment allows us to create jobs and prosperity in communities that are not receiving a lot of attention." |
Flickr/The Barack Obama Campaign
Latinos, the conventional wisdom on the right goes, are ripe for conservatives' electoral picking. A majority are Catholic, family-oriented, and hardworking. If only Republicans could change their thinking on immigration—turning away from the Mitt Romney "self-deportation" approach—this constituency would naturally flock to the party of Reagan.
But a recent poll from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) confirms what data geeks have been saying for years: The Latinos-are-conservatives-at-heart idea is little more than Republican myth-making. Not only does this constituency strongly identify with Democrats on the key social issues that matter to movement conservatives—abortion and same-sex marriage—they are more liberal than most Americans. And hardworking or not, Latinos are concerned with rising inequality and favor public investment in the economy. All this is bad news for those who think the GOP is a rebrand away from cashing in on a Latino giveaway. “Republicans clearly have a serious brand and issue platform problem among Hispanics,” says PRRI CEO Robert Jones.
The argument that Latinos are natural conservatives rests on the fact that this group is more religious than the population at large, and that religiosity correlates with Republican Party affiliation. Indeed, according to the PRRI study, 53 percent of Latinos identify as Catholic, 25 percent as Protestant, and 12 percent are religiously unaffiliated. But while the GOP has branded itself as the home of the faithful, the correlation between religiosity and affiliation with the Republican Party only holds for white voters. The latest Gallup numbers show 62 percent of "very religious" whites identify as Republicans, but this number shrinks to 25 percent for Hispanics. A mere 9 percent of very religious blacks identify as Republicans.
Why the divergence? Religiosity does not consistently translate with policy preferences. PRRI found that a solid majority (55 percent) of Hispanics favor allowing gay and lesbian Americans to marry. That compares with 54 percent of Americans overall who hold this view. On abortion, this constituency is slightly more conservative: Fifty-two percent say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases while 48 percent say their opinion on abortion depends on the circumstances.
There is some good news for conservative strategists in the PRRI report. The percentage of Latinos who identify as evangelical Protestants jumps by 6 percent between childhood and adulthood, and opposition to same-sex marriage stands at a whopping 89 percent with this group. But there is a countervailing trend among Hispanics that is often overlooked. Just as many—7 percent—lose their religion during that time period. “While the media and political strategists have noted the increase in evangelical Protestant affiliation as Catholic identity has declined, most have ignored the growing numbers of unaffiliated Hispanics, who rival the size of evangelicals, and are a critical part of the future of Hispanic politics,” says Juhem Navarro-Rivera, a PRRI research associate.
But whether opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage translates into support for Republican candidates depends also on how important these issues are to voters. Here's more bad news: Unlike a majority of Republican voters, Latinos place little importance on social issues. Only 22 percent and 32 percent respectively say gay marriage and abortion are critical issues facing the country today. Rather, they cited jobs and unemployment (72 percent), rising health-care costs (65 percent), and the quality of public schools (55 percent) as the most important issues facing the country. They also favor government intervention in the economy. Roughly 6 in 10 support higher taxes on businesses and the wealthy to support spending more on infrastructure and education. By similar margins, Hispanics say government should do more to address the gap between rich and poor and guarantee health care for all.
Given where Latinos stand on all the fundamentals, it is no surprise that this group holds a negative view of the Republican Party. While 43 percent say "cares about people like you" describes the Democrats, only 29 percent say this describes the Republicans.
The takeaway for Republican strategist should be clear. The problems the party has in appealing to Latinos mirror the problems the party has in appealing to younger, non-white voters: It is perceived as the party of the wealthy, fundamentally unconcerned with the economic issues affecting ordinary Americans. Since their defeat in the 2012 election, Republicans have searched for a quick fix to their electoral problems, but the PRRI report shows that if the GOP wants to make inroads with Latino and other non-white minority voters, it needs a lot more than a rebrand. |
While Game of Thrones has charged forward, only eleven episodes remaining, George RR Martin’s has managed to resist rushing the A Song of Ice and Fire series.
The next instalment, The Winds of Winter, has been much delayed, Martin originally wanting the novel to reach book stores before the sixth season started.
However, there has been some large delays; something the author has apologised for on numbers occasions. Writing on his blog, Not A Blog, Martin teased the possibility of a 2018 release, but remained fairly non-committal.
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Addressing “some truly weird reports” circulating on the Internet regarding The Winds of Winter, the author wrote how absurd claims were that the book was finished, or that nothing had been written.
“Both 'reports' are equally false and equally moronic,” he continued. “I am still working on it, I am still months away.“
Shape Created with Sketch. What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character Show all 44 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. What the Game of Thrones cast look like out of character 1/44 Rory McCann Getty Images 2/44 Sandor "The Hound" Clegane 3/44 Cersei Lannister 4/44 Lena Headey Getty Images 5/44 Tyrion Lannister 6/44 Peter Dinklage AFP/Getty Images 7/44 Daenerys Targaryen 8/44 Emilia Clarke Getty Images 9/44 Jon Snow 10/44 Kit Harington AFP/Getty Images 11/44 Sansa Stark 12/44 Sophie Turner Getty Images 13/44 Jaime Lannister 14/44 Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Getty Images 15/44 Arya Stark 16/44 Maisie Williams Getty Images 17/44 Theon Greyjoy 18/44 Alfie Allen Getty Images 19/44 Brienne of Tarth 20/44 Gwendoline Christie AFP/Getty Images 21/44 Bran Stark 22/44 Isaac Hempstead-Wright Getty Images 23/44 Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish 24/44 Aidan Gillen Getty Images 25/44 Missandei 26/44 Nathalie Emmanuel Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly 27/44 Varys 28/44 Conleth Hill Getty Images 29/44 Melisandre 30/44 Carice von Houten Getty Images 31/44 Samwell Tarly 32/44 John Bradley Getty Images 33/44 Gilly 34/44 Hannah Murray Getty Images for Turner 35/44 Jorah Mormont 36/44 Iain Glen AFP/Getty Images 37/44 Davos Seaworth 38/44 Liam Cunningham Getty Images 39/44 Tormund Giantsbane 40/44 Kristofer Hivju Getty Images 41/44 Bronn 42/44 Jerome Flynn Getty Images for BFI 43/44 Gregor 'The Mountain' Clegane 44/44 Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson 1/44 Rory McCann Getty Images 2/44 Sandor "The Hound" Clegane 3/44 Cersei Lannister 4/44 Lena Headey Getty Images 5/44 Tyrion Lannister 6/44 Peter Dinklage AFP/Getty Images 7/44 Daenerys Targaryen 8/44 Emilia Clarke Getty Images 9/44 Jon Snow 10/44 Kit Harington AFP/Getty Images 11/44 Sansa Stark 12/44 Sophie Turner Getty Images 13/44 Jaime Lannister 14/44 Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Getty Images 15/44 Arya Stark 16/44 Maisie Williams Getty Images 17/44 Theon Greyjoy 18/44 Alfie Allen Getty Images 19/44 Brienne of Tarth 20/44 Gwendoline Christie AFP/Getty Images 21/44 Bran Stark 22/44 Isaac Hempstead-Wright Getty Images 23/44 Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish 24/44 Aidan Gillen Getty Images 25/44 Missandei 26/44 Nathalie Emmanuel Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly 27/44 Varys 28/44 Conleth Hill Getty Images 29/44 Melisandre 30/44 Carice von Houten Getty Images 31/44 Samwell Tarly 32/44 John Bradley Getty Images 33/44 Gilly 34/44 Hannah Murray Getty Images for Turner 35/44 Jorah Mormont 36/44 Iain Glen AFP/Getty Images 37/44 Davos Seaworth 38/44 Liam Cunningham Getty Images 39/44 Tormund Giantsbane 40/44 Kristofer Hivju Getty Images 41/44 Bronn 42/44 Jerome Flynn Getty Images for BFI 43/44 Gregor 'The Mountain' Clegane 44/44 Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson
Martin added that he’s unsure whether the fiction Westerosi encyclopaedia Fire and Blood or The Winds of Winter would be released first, concluding: “I do think you will have a Westeros book from me in 2018... and who knows, maybe two. A boy can dream.”
Writing on his blog in January earlier this year, Martin teased how The Winds of Winter would come this year, writing: “Not done yet, but I’ve made progress. But not as much as I hoped a year ago when I thought to be done by now. I think it will be out this year. (But hey, I thought the same thing last year.)”
Speaking about the book’s content in 2016, Martin said: “There are a lot of dark chapters right now in the book that I’m writing. It is called The Winds of Winter, and I’ve been telling you for 20 years that winter was coming.
“Winter is the time when things die, and cold and ice and darkness fill the world, so this is not going to be the happy feel-good that people may be hoping for. Some of the characters [are] in very dark places.
“In any story, the classic structure is, ‘Things get worse before they get better,’ so things are getting worse for a lot of people.”
Meanwhile, the seventh season of Game of Thrones has been pushing on, taking details from the final A Song of Ice and Fire instalment A Dream of Spring. Read all our coverage here. |
About this tournament
This event is a full-fledged FUNdraiser to help us get the 9 more baskets we need to complete the new, heavily wooded, technical, long, fair and fun course Damian and I designed. 8 of the new holes will be in play for this event, so not only is this your chance to help us complete this epic project, but you get to get a little taste of it as well.
Ams - Every penny of your entry fee goes to the New course, all prizes are donated!
Pros- $20 of your $40 goes to the course, the rest comes back in payouts.
The CCR is kicking in some discs and shirts and the Park in throwing in some annual disc golf passes as prizes... plus we have more to come.
Cashless pre-reg is available. |
But does that practice reduce the risk of additional heart problems?
A new study says yes. Giving low-dose aspirin after surgeries unrelated to heart problems -- things like knee replacements, cancer surgeries or a myriad of other operations -- reduces the risk of heart attack and death in people who've previously had artery-opening angioplasty.
The new study was led by Dr. P.J. Devereaux, of McMaster University in London, Ontario, Canada. The team pointed out that the safety of post-op aspirin was cast into doubt following the results of an earlier clinical trial of more than 10,000 people who received low-dose aspirin after a non-cardiac surgery.
That trial found that low-dose aspirin after such a surgery did not prevent a heart attack or death, but it did increase the risk of major bleeding for patients.
But Devereaux's team noted that a subset of patients who already had heart disease -- as evidenced by prior angioplasties -- were not looked at separately.
That's what the authors of this new study did, focusing on the 470 patients who had previously undergone angioplasty.
In these patients, use of low-dose aspirin after non-cardiac surgery did cut their risk for nonfatal heart attack and death, Devereaux's group concluded.
In fact, compared to similar patients who didn't get post-surgery aspirin, the risk for heart attack and/or death fell by half.
However, the risk of major bleeding in patients who took low-dose aspirin remained unclear, according to the study published Nov. 14 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
One heart specialist called the findings "terrific and important."
If these findings are replicated in a larger, well-designed trial, "we may in fact be able to prevent significant number of cardiovascular illnesses and deaths," said Dr. Maja Zaric, an interventional cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
Dr. Avneet Singh is an interventional cardiologist at Northwell Health's Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. He noted that the use of low-dose aspirin is already "mandatory" for patients who've had certain heart surgeries.
Also, "it's been seen that those patients who have prior stents tend to have higher risk of heart attacks at the time of undergoing other surgeries -- and aspirin may reduce this risk," Singh added.
The new study confirms a "clear benefit" to this strategy, he said, and should influence physician guidelines going forward.
The American College of Surgeons outlines how to prepare for surgery and recovery.
Copyright © 2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved. |
Rugby and #VegasBaby
January 27, 2014 by sportingjim
Vegas! Rugby! What a pair!
I just got back from the USA Rugby Sports Medicine conference, associated with the International Rugby 7s tournament stop in Las Vegas. What a great weekend it was! Ranging from the clinical sessions, to the sport, to the weather….to all that Vegas has to offer, it was brilliant. I would heartily recommend this conference to any one in clinical medicine with an interest in the sports of rugby union, rugby league and rugby sevens.
Every year at this time, in Las Vegas: it’s worth the trip.
The conference proceedings began on Thursday night and wrapped up by late afternoon on Friday. I had the chance to moderate some sessions. I was so impressed with several of the speakers, recruited by my friend Michael Keating, Director of Medical Services, USA Rugby and the driving force behind this conference.
As the headline speaker on Thursday night Bob Cantu, MD. spoke about the 4th Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). Among the several other wonderful speakers on the two days, Hamish Kerr, M.D., Chair of the USA Rugby Medical and Safety Committee, spoke on several occasions, as did Jonathan Hanson, M.D. ( @SportsDocSkye ), coming all the way from the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Dr. Hanson has worked with the Scottish Rugby Union for over a decade. Between the two of them, the conference participants got a great domestic and international perspective on the state of the sport and the associated medical management.
One of the most important lessons I gleaned from the proceedings is the existence of the excellent resource developed by the International Rugby Board (IRB) known as ‘rugby ready‘. This is an on-line resource that can be used by clinicians, parents, players, coaches, referees. Subjects range from those which introduce the sport and its rules to best practices on injury prevention and management. It’s fabulous, and I think represents a ‘best practices’ model: I yearn for something similar for American Football, a one-stop site I could share with parents of youth who question me about the medical issues of getting their kids involved in that sport.
American football has a lot to learn from rugby, indeed.
So, after the conference proceedings, what was the natural next step? Heading to Sam Boyd stadium, outside of the city, to take in the sport and pageantry of the Rugby7s tournament that took place this weekend. Under sunny, dry, 70 degree blue skies, the teams played several competitive matches, culminating with a South African victory over New Zealand in the championship cup draw. It was such fun to soak in the culture as well–yes culture and rugby do not represent an oxymoronic pairing of words!!! Such fun to see the Samoan fans, the Kenyan and Uruguayan fans, the French, Fijian…..the flags, the chants, the celebrations, the dancing to the beat of Bob Marley. It was a great scene. To my mind, it was everything sport should be.
As I wrote in my last post, we feature rugby fairly frequently in the pages of CJSM (you can check this link to see some of the offerings under keyword ‘rugby’). As ever, check the journal out for its rich offerings of a variety of sports and clinical medical topics, follow us @cjsmonline, and keep tabs on this blog. It may be cold in the Northern Hemisphere, but we have some topics as hot as an Australian Open match coming up soon in the journal and blog. |
Whoopi Goldberg thinks Jay Z had the right to smack Solange Knowles back.
“The View” co-host debated Tuesday over what caused Beyonce’s sister to lash out violently at the hip-hop star in a surveillance tape obtained by TMZ. While the discussion focused mainly on Beyonce’s inaction in the fracas, Goldberg provocatively suggested Jay Z could’ve hit her back.
See video: Jay-Z Gets Smacked Down by Solange Knowles in an Elevator
“I think Solange was ready for him to do whatever he was going to do,” Goldberg said. “This is the thing, if anybody hits you, you have the right — I know that many people are raised in a very different way but if a woman hits you, to me, you have the right to hit her back.”
Also read: Whoopi Goldberg Is Now a Weed Columnist and Really Loves Her Vaporizer Pen
Barbara Walters questioned Goldberg about whether that would still be the case if the gender roles were reversed.
“If I slap a man, he has every right to slap me back,” Goldberg opined.
Watch the video: |
NBC
Everyone knows Oscar Wilde was fond of one-liners, but would he have been a fan of “That’s what she said?” Moreover, how would the man who loved his bachelors have felt about The Situation? We’ll never know. But you can be sure that it is hysterical to watch Santino Fontana and David Furr, who play Algernon and Jack in Broadway’s current revival of Wilde’s Importance of Being Earnest at Roundabout Theatre Company, act out scenes from Jersey Shore as their very English characters (and in full 19th century costume). “Work blows d— for skittles right now” was apparently meant to be said with a stiff upper lip. Check out all five episodes their web series “Jersey Shore Gone Wilde” below. (Take heed: They contain profanity and are NSFW.) |
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption BBC's Philip Hampsheir says tear gas was fired at protesters in Bahrain during Monday's protests
A Bahraini man has been killed at the funeral for a protester who died on Monday in clashes with security forces during anti-government demonstrations.
The man was reportedly shot dead when security forces clashed with mourners as the funeral was beginning.
Monday's protests in Bahrain coincided with rallies in Yemen and Iran inspired by the toppling of Egypt's government.
Bahrain's Shia majority has long demanded more political rights from the Sunni monarchy.
The Shia opposition bloc Wefaq said on Tuesday it would boycott parliament in protest at the two deaths.
Second death
The interior ministry said it had launched an investigation into the death of the mourner outside the Salmaniya Medical Complex in Manama, Bahrain's capital.
Image copyright (C) British Broadcasting Corporation
"Fadel Salman Matrouk was shot by a hollow-point bullet in front of Salmaniya hospital where people had gathered for the funeral of the first martyr," Shia opposition member of parliament Khalil al-Marzooq told AFP news agency.
Officials at the hospital told Associated Press news agency that a 31-year-old man had died from injuries from bird shot fired during the clashes outside the hospital.
A crowd had gathered for the funeral of Ali Abdulhadi Mushaima, who was killed in clashes on Monday with police in the village of Daih, east of Manama.
"They were dispersed with tear gas close to the hospital and then gathered again," another Shia opposition MP, Ibrahim Mattar, told Reuters news agency.
On Monday, protesters clashed with police as they marched on Manama to demand greater political rights.
Bahrain has been hit by sporadic unrest for decades as Shias - who make up 70% of the country's 530,000 citizens - press for greater political power.
Political reforms - including parliamentary elections - in the past decade have opened more room for Shias, but they complain the Sunni-directed system still excludes them from any key policymaking roles or top posts in the security forces. |
Do you have an idea to build something really cool with search? Would you like to get some visibility on a high traffic platform, like the Azure Blog? If the answer is yes, then we’ve got something exciting for you. Azure Search is searching for awesome projects, big and small, that showcase its power. From now until the end of the year, we’ll be collecting submissions. In January, we’ll pick our favorite project and feature it on the Azure Blog with an interview from the author as well as a technical deep dive.
We’re intentionally leaving this open ended. You can build anything from search UI that thinks outside the box, to a console app that uses machine learning to augment search results. There’s a full set of official rules at the end of this post, but here are the general requirements:
New or existing project powered by Azure Search
Anything from personal projects to production scale
Project must be open sourced on GitHub under the MIT license so that the community can benefit from your work
Bonus points for: Integrating with other cloud services (Azure, AWS, etc) Creativity
Once you have your project ready to go email your submission by midnight UTC December 31st 2015 to TheSearchForSearch@microsoft.com with the following:
“Contest Submission” in the subject
Link to a live demo and/or video of your project
Short write up about your project and what makes it stand apart
Link to GitHub repo with build instructions
Projects will be judged by the following criteria:
Use of Azure Search Is search the focal point? Is your application of search creative? Do you take advantage of advanced features such as scoring profiles, language analyzers, indexers, or suggesters?
Technical Innovation Points for technical rigor Use of other cloud services to take something complex and make it beautifully simple
We’re excited to see what you come up with! We’ll contact the winner in January to prepare the featured post that will go out later that month. For those of you who are new to Azure Search, here is some documentation to help you get started. Don’t forget that Azure Search has a free tier that supports up to 10K documents so there’s no need to spend money to enter. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me @_Evan_Boyle with #SearchForSearch.
Read the official contest rules. |
This past week, Bill O’Reilly was his usual raging asshole self when he set out on his Fox News show “The O’Reilly Factor” to debunk the notion of White privilege. The essence of his argument? Asian Americans are doing great socioeconomically even though we are not White. Therefore, racism must not really exist, and the root of the problem for African Americans must be a cultural pathology.
To bolster his argument, O’Reilly pointed to racial disparities between Blacks, Whites and Asians in graduation rates, unemployment rates and median family income to conclude that African Americans have essentially invented a mythological White privilege as an attempt to avoid taking “personal responsibility”. O’Reilly argued:
Just 13 percent of Asian children live in single parent homes compared to a whopping 55 percent for blacks and 21 percent for whites. So, there you go. That is why Asian Americans, who often have to overcome a language barrier, are succeeding far more than African-Americans and even more than white Americans. Their families are intact and education is paramount.
In essence, Papa Bear provides a textbook example of Asian Americans used as the wedge minority by the White mainstream to berate African Americans (and implicitly other academically disenfranchised minority groups) for not bootstrapping their way to socioeconomic success. It can’t be racism; it must be some deficiency in Black culture to blame, right? After all, the Asians can do it, why can’t the Blacks?
That a (White) conservative pundit would use the Model Minority Myth to insinuate a Black cultural pathology is nothing new. The Model Minority Myth — which, let us remember, is a myth — was invented for this explicit purpose: its first appearance in the American political zeitgeist was in a 1960’s New York Times Magazine article (“Success story: Japanese American style”) as a reference to Japanese American immigrants who overcame discrimination through alleged “perseverance”, in stated contrast to African Americans who were focused on overcoming discrimination through political action (i.e. the Civil Rights Movement). In other words, the Model Minority Myth has always been a fiction invented by Whiteness and has always been used as a cudgel to denigrate, belittle, or dismiss African American efforts to agitate for political equality, while simultaneously appropriating and limiting the roles that Asian Americans can politically inhabit.
The Model Minority Myth is an overt and potent tool of white supremacy used to justify structural racism against virtually all communities of colour (including Asian Americans). For many of us who identify as descendants of the politicized Asian American Movement, dismantling the Model Minority Myth has been of tantamount importance.
Thus, it comes as a surprise when I come across Asian Americans who would not only internalize the myth of the Asian American model minority as articulated by the likes of Bill O’Reilly, but who actually vocally take up its anti-Black logic as their standard. Earlier this month, I invited blogger Byron Wong (BigWOWO.com) onto the Reappropriate podcast to discuss affirmative action; over the course of that conversation and through later comments, Byron blamed cultural differences between Black and Asian communities for observed racial disparities on commonly used tests for college aptitude like the SATs. That perspective has been taken up on his site by both Byron and several of his regular (self-identified Asian American) readers: in a lengthy post and subsequent comment thread, Byron argues that Asians are culturally predisposed to academic pursuits (Blacks, he argues, are culturally predisposed to athletic achievement) and that African Americans should learn how to Tiger parent from Asians to correct the racial disparities in academics.
Another who identifies as Chinesemom puts it more bluntly when she writes:
I don’t think money can do much for African Americans. It is quite clear to me that their problem is the culture. If their culture doesn’t change, they will be stuck here forever. No Chinese parents would claim their son a “good boy” if the kid were like Michael Brown or Trayvon Martin, we would be ashamed of raising that kind of thugs, even the killing of them may not be justified.
Both Bill O’Reilly and — disappointingly — several BigWOWO readers have bought into the Model Minority Myth hook-line-and-sinker. They espouse the tired canard of Asian American cultural exceptionalism, and in so doing join arms with Bill O’Reilly to reinforce the damaging effects of the Model Minority Myth in perpetuating anti-Black and anti-Asian racism in today’s America.
Don’t get me wrong: I understand that the Model Minority Myth is deeply flattering, which forms the basis for its appeal for some Asian Americans. People love to buy into a good story about their own racial or cultural superiority, as has been aptly and repeatedly demonstrated throughout human history. The problem, of course, is that the Model Minority Myth is also almost entirely fiction (a fact that is unlikely to sway partisan defenders of the Myth, who aren’t particularly interested in facts to begin with). The facts reveal that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders aren’t better (or worse) than anyone else; like any community made up of different kinds of people, we are simply people.
First, the Model Minority Myth focuses on our success stories while it simply ignores data showing where Asian Americans are struggling, even in the aggregate. Bill O’Reilly cites Labour Department statistics showing low unemployment rates in the Asian American community; he fails to note that while our short-term unemployment rates are low, the same data show that chronic unemployment rates for Asian Americans are highest of all racial groups — and similar to that of Black American jobseekers. O’Reilly is unaware, it seems, of obstacles barring Asian Americans from advancing within their chosen careers — an effect known as the “bamboo ceiling” — which made headlines this week with the revelation that Asian Americans are being excluded from the top positions even in Silicon Valley tech companies where we are otherwise well-represented. And while O’Reilly shows the high median family income of Asian Americans in the aggregate, Papa Bear doesn’t bother to inform his viewer that our wealth gap is also the largest for any racial or ethnic group: some ethnicities have extremely high median family incomes, while others fall far short of the national average. Regionally, Asian American poverty is extremely high, as in San Francisco’s Chinatown area, where Chinese American residents are forced to pack entire families into single-resident dwellings, and limited healthcare access have resulted in rampant chronic disease.
In assuming a common and exceptional Asian culture of bootstrapped success, the Model Minority Myth simply fails to take into account the pan-ethnic (and indeed pan-racial) nature of the Asian American & Pacific Islander identity, which includes multiple subgroups who appear indistinguishable with regard to some socioeconomic metrics from Black, Latino and Native groups. For some Southeast Asian American or Pacific Islander groups, college acceptance and matriculation rates are markedly lower, while unemployment, poverty, and incarceration rates are distressingly high. For example, while as many as 70% of South Asian Americans hold a bachelor’s degree, that rate is a mere 26% for Vietnamese Americans and less than 15% for Laotian, Cambodian and Hmong Americans. The Model Minority Myth simply papers over these ethnic differences in achievement in its assertion of a universal Asian American culture predisposed to better book-learning.
The issues are, as New York Times columnist Charles Blow points out, simply more complicated than the oversimplified Culture Canard would assert. The Culture Canard — which boils all success and failure down to cultural facets — ignores far too many of the mitigating socioeconomic factors that mountains of scientific evidence demonstrate as also significant in determining student success. Charles Blow writes, for example, about the potency of America’s immigration system in filtering America’s Asian immigrants. Blow cites both Pew and Colorlines in writing:
A 2012 Pew Research report entitled “The Rise of Asian Americans” found: “Large-scale immigration from Asia did not take off until the passage of the landmark Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Over the decades, this modern wave of immigrants from Asia has increasingly become more skilled and educated. Today, recent arrivals from Asia are nearly twice as likely as those who came three decades ago to have a college degree, and many go into high-paying fields such as science, engineering, medicine and finance. This evolution has been spurred by changes in U.S. immigration policies and labor markets; by political liberalization and economic growth in the sending countries; and by the forces of globalization in an ever-more digitally interconnected world.” Following the publication of the Pew report, the news site Colorlines spoke with Dan Ichinose, director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center’s Demographic Research Project, who was critical of some parts of the Pew report, but seemed to echo the role immigration had played. Colorlines put his response this way: “The more complex and far less exciting explanation for Asian Americans’ relatively high rates of education has more to do with immigration policy, which has driven selectivity about who gets to come to the U.S. and who doesn’t, said Ichinose.”
Because US immigration policy only permits permanent entry through specific visa classes, most Asian Americans are (by definition) selected through this process. Nearly one quarter of Asian immigrants enter as highly-skilled or highly-educated job recruits, an additional one quarter are entering as the immediate family of these recruits. That means by virtue of the effect of US immigration policy on our community alone, nearly half of all new Asian Americans have been selected because they have at least one highly-educated family member and are part of an intact family unit. Meanwhile, immigration is itself an expensive prospect: between the cost of travel and moving, even the most impoverished migrant family must have invested between hundreds and thousands of dollars in their arrival, which results in the selction of families of a certain base earning potential. That means that when amateur sociologists like Bill O’Reilly try to make conclusions about the cultural intelligence of Asians versus Blacks, he is doing so while comparing the general African American population against the achievements of a select group of (economically and educationally) privileged Asian Americans.
The power of the US immigration system in selecting the Asian American community is no better demonstrated than in Minnesota. This week, the state’s public school educators are holding an emergency meeting to address the summarized findings of the state’s reading, math and science proficiency tests which are administered to grades 3 through 8. As in previous years, the state’s White students boast a proficiency rate two to three times higher than Black, Hispanic or — importantly — its Asian American students. Only 29% of Asian American students are proficient in reading, only 19% are proficient in science, and only 41% (and only 30% of South Asian Americans) are proficient in math; all numbers comparable to Black and Hispanic classmates, and far shorter than the achievement of White students. Aside from the obvious overall problems with any public school system that is so patently failing its students of colour, these data are also illuminating in regards to today’s post topic: they run at direct odds with the Model Minority Myth.
The Model Minority Myth of Bill O’Reilly’s articulation would assert that Minnesota’s Asian Americans should, even immersed in a failing school system, be able to leverage our two-parent homes and our Asian cultural predispositions for academia to bootstrap our way at least past the Black and Latino students that Chinesemom would characterize as culturally stagnated. If we are so academically focused in the home, shouldn’t Asian American students demonstrate better proficiency than Black or Latino classmates even when Minnesota public schools are languishing? Yet, this is simply not so. In Minnesota, we’re not Tiger Parenting our way to success.
The reason for this has nothing to do with culture and everything to do with immigration policy. In Minnesota, the Asian American community is about equally distributed between South Asian, Chinese, Hmong, Laotian, Vietnamese and Thai communities; the latter groups include a higher number of immigrants entering the country as political refugees, meaning that they have not been selected through immigration for economic and educational privilege. And, it is the absence of the effects of that filtering that explains the results: Asian American students are not innately or culturally superior at academic pursuits than their non-White peers, they only appear to be when one fails to recognize how some Asian Americans who have been selected for their privilege are able to fall back on that privilege to buoy their educational outcomes. In Minnesota, absence of economic privilege along with the absence of a supportive public school system combine to reveal that Asian Americans of all ethnicities — like all students of colour — can be vulnerable to academic underachievement when the system fails them. No amount of Tiger parenting will help.
Indeed, the very concept of Tiger Parenting is a contentious one among scholars of this field. Proponents of Asian American cultural supremacy argue that Asian American parents have, in essence, cracked the secret of scholastic success, citing the parenting style codified by Amy Chua’s infamous book. This form of strict parenting is, argues Byron Wong, a distinctly common Asian one; it is a style he also asserts is directly responsible for Asian American high achievement on tests like the SATs, and a style that he further asserts is lacking among African American communities. Yet, in a special issue of the American Psychological Association’s Asian American Journal on Psychology which was devoted to the Tiger Parenting phenomenon, researcher Su Yeong Kim reported that a minority of Asian American parents (28%) are Tiger parents; most Asian Americans (45%) parent in a more supportive style that eschews the negative reinforcement and high expectations characteristic of the Tiger mother.
Researchers Min Zhou and Jennifer Lee explore how it is a larger “success frame”, not the Tiger parents, that sets the expectations of Asian American students in a manner that compels academic pursuits but with significant drawbacks for self-esteem and identity: those Asian American youths who succeed in the classroom are strongly motivated by the feeling of being “more Asian” when they succeed, but those who come up short suffer racial and cultural distance and alienation.
Meanwhile, there is little evidence to support the other side of the argument when it comes to the Culture Canard: that African American families are uninvested in academic pursuits, and that Black youth are more interested in basketball, music or “the thug life” than students of other races. Anyone who has spent any time in the Black community knows the emphasis placed by Black parents, Black peers, and even the Black church on higher education for the community’s sons and daughters. Since the times of chattel slavery, intellect was not only prioritized, it was a form of abolitionist revolt: slaves secretly taught themselves to read while hiding that skill from their masters. One of the major priorities of Reconstruction was the creation of schools for the education of Black children. Black students go out for the debate championship and enroll in AP classes as readily as do students of other races. The African American community founded HBCU’s as a direct response to segregation. Black thinkers are responsible for the traffic light, the cotton gin, and the first open-heart surgery. Black intellectuals — Neil deGrasse Tyson, Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell and more (not to mention the president and his equally as accomplished wife) — can be found throughout American life. One study by Charles et al (2007) reveals that upon controlling for income and schooling, Black parents are no less invested in the parenting or education of their children than are parents of other races. Another study showed that Black students are equally if not more intellectually curious than their non-Black peers. The stereotype of the unconcerned Black parent is a (racially charged) re-imagining of the Reagonomics “welfare queen”, but bears little resemblance to the realities of contemporary Blackness; anyone who advances this stereotype has spent no time in, and actually engaging with, the Black community.
There is no doubt that a racial disparity exists in quantifiable scores used (often overly broadly) to measure student aptitude. In the aggregate, White and Asian American students earn higher GPAs and outperform on the SATs compared to Black and Latino students; this disparity has been misused by Bill O’Reilly and others to bolster claims of Asian American cultural superiority in the context of the myth of Black cultural pathology. But, as Lee and Zhou point out, many Asian American students cited in such studies are starting from a position of greater privilege and opportunity (while those Asian American students lacking those privileges are lost in the statistical shuffle). Lee writes in an editorial:
Like Chua and Rubenfeld, we found that the children of Chinese immigrants exhibit exceptional educational outcomes that exceed those of other groups, including native-born Anglos. In Los Angeles, 64 percent of Chinese immigrants’ children graduated from college, and of this group 22 percent also attained a graduate degree. By contrast, 46 percent of native-born Anglos in L.A. graduated from college, and of this group, just 14 percent attained graduate degrees. Moreover, none of the Chinese Americans in the study dropped out of high school. These figures are impressive but not surprising. Chinese immigrant parents are the most highly educated in our study. In Los Angeles, more than 60 percent of Chinese immigrant fathers and more than 40 percent of Chinese immigrant mothers have a bachelor’s degree or higher. In turn, their children benefit from their parents’ human and financial capital, giving them a boost in their quest to get ahead. This boost – which includes resources such as after-school programs, SAT prep courses and tutoring – isn’t limited to the middle class. The children of working-class Chinese parents employed in restaurants and factories benefit from capital and resources that are made widely available to other Chinese Americans.
Lee alludes to, in part, how local communities are still geographically segregated and stratified by race, not class, meaning that working-class Asian Americans may also benefit by living in or near a wealthier predominantly Asian American ethnic enclave and benefit ting from the improved public school quality therein; whereas middle-class Black Americans may still live in poor predominantly Black neighbourhoods, where public schools may lack the taxpayer funds to provide adequate resources for students. Indeed, in a recent data crunch of admissions information from UCLA, I found that lower-income White and Asian American students still had access to better quality high schools than wealthy Black students.
In short, it would be fallacious to ascribe the high educational outcomes of Asian Americans to sheer bootstrapping, as Bill O’Reilly and BigWOWO readers would do; “high-achieving” Asian Americans perform well at least in part due to the specific economic privileges that come with membership in some Asian American ethnic communities, where extra resources are widely available, and even indirectly shared between wealthy and working-class families.
Yet, in his recent post, Byron Wong ignores these mitigating factors and suggests (along with many of his readers) that Asian Americans are scoring up to 400 points higher on average on the SATs than Black students (a number misapplied from the work of Thomas Espenshade), which he uses to assert the intellectual academic superiority of the Asian American student, and Black cultural and parental pathology. The SATs are a poor measure of student aptitude, and are not designed to measure student merit in the first place. While the SATs are very weak predictors of first-year college performance within the range that they are typically considered by college admissions officers, they are very strong at predicting one thing: the family income of the test-taker. Those who point to racial gaps in the SATs as evidence of Asian American cultural exceptionalism and Black cultural pathology fail to consider some things we already know: 1) that median family income differs across the races, and 2) income seems to matter quite a bit on SAT outcome.
In fact, when one considers the differences in median family income between Asian and Black students, one finds that the racial disparity in average SAT score is for the most part exactly what one would expect if assessing any two students coming from different backgrounds in family income. Given their median income, African American students are not, in fact, underperforming on the SATs at all (which does not mitigate all of the other problems with this exam, but I digress); and they are certainly not underperforming for vaguely defined if wholly racist explanations related to stagnated culture. This is not a culture thing, this is an economics thing.
As for Asian Americans, the only significant deviation in how Asian American students perform in the aggregate on the SATs is their high mean score on the math portion: in the aggregate, Asian Americans score about 75 points higher than one might expect for their income level on the math section alone. This is no small feat to be sure, but the reasons for this very specific high achievement are not clear. Further, it’s hard to hang the entire hat of Asian American cultural superiority on a 75 point boost in one section of a three-part SAT exam; and Asian Americans are performing exactly as would be expected based on their median income level on the other two sections.
It is in consideration of minority student performance not just in the absolutes, but in relation to the context of opportunities afforded to them, that lead Lee and Zhou to the perhaps surprising conclusion that it is (in Los Angeles at least) Mexican American youth who are the most successful of all students, not Asian Americans.
At what seems to be the other end of the spectrum, the children of Mexican immigrants had the lowest levels of educational attainment of any of the groups in our study. Only 86 percent graduated from high school – compared with 100 percent of Chinese Americans and 96 percent of native-born Anglos – and only 17 percent graduated from college. But their high school graduation rate was more than double that of their parents, only 40 percent of whom earned diplomas. And, the college graduation rate of Mexican immigrants’ children more than doubles that of their fathers (7 percent) and triples that of their mothers (5 percent). …[T]here is no question that, when we measure success as progress from generation to generation, Mexican Americans come out ahead.
In the end, this isn’t really about figuring out which culture is superior to another (hint: none); it’s about pulling the focus away from the fiction of the Culture Canard in the first place by debunking the myth that Asians are culturally exceptional and should provide the roadmap for “low-achieving” minorities.
A nearly 4000 word essay on Bill O’Reilly and his Asian American supporters regarding the Culture Canard might seem like much ado about nothing, but this pernicious myth demands analysis, if for no other reason than to point out how unfounded the Model Minority Myth is. But more tangibly, these words do not exist in a vacuum. They are only the latest salvo in America’s larger ongoing siege on Blackness — one that has real-world impact in the form of denying political investment in social services’ programs that would promote American class mobility, education, and uplift. When Bill O’Reilly demands “personal responsibility”, his goal is actually to absolve society of the responsibility of acknowleding our foundation in institutional racism. When Bill O’Reilly blames the racial hustlers, he shifts attention away from the mass incarceration state, educational segregation, economic violence, voter disenfranchisement, and the perpetual maintenance of Black America as a permanent social underclass.
And that’s not even getting into the damning effect of the Model Minority Myth on Asian American politics.
As Asian Americans, I believe we have a personal responsibility to not only refuse to support The Model Minority Myth, but to actively dismantle it at all costs. Sure, it might seem fun to have one’s culture praised by an “Important White Man” like Bill O’Reilly — is this newfound White acceptance a sign that we’ve made it?!? — but we must remember: this is nothing more than repackaged insidious anti-Asian and anti-Black racism for a new millennium. Asian Americans are no more culturally superior — or inferior — than any other group of people. We haven’t cracked the mystical, magical, Tiger mom secret to getting into Harvard. We are just people — some of us very privileged, others of us less so — who succeed and fail at life just like any other; racial parity is an America that recognizes, not flattens, those imperfections.
As an Asian American, I believe in the solidarity project. I prioritize the uplift of all people of colour, not just other Asian Americans. I have no desire to be embraced by the likes of Bill O’Reilly and used as a weaponized identity against my fellow man. To that end, I want no complicity in the Culture Canard; and, neither should you.
Read More: |
DETROIT, MI - Phoenix-based technology company Local Motors showed the world its first printed car Monday at the 2015 North American International Auto Show. Coined the "Strati", which is Italian for "layers", the car is a fully-functional 3-D-printed vehicle made from carbon fiber-infused plastic. The car's frame, exterior body and interior features were printed, while the mechanical parts of the Strati like the battery, motors, wiring, suspension and tires were not printed. John "Jay" Rogers, CEO of Local Motors, said his company is growing. Local Motors is expanding what Rogers called its "microfactories" to place locations in Oak Ridge, Tenn., and National Harbor, a 300-acre multi-use waterfront development on the shores of the Potomac River in Maryland, eight miles away from Washington, D.C. This will further accelerate the "speed at which we can bring the manufacturing of vehicles" to the 3-D printing world, Rogers said. Currently, the Strati takes 44 hours to print, which Local Motors intends to speed up in the next stage of research. The goal is to print a car in a single day. And while the car can be driven, there's still some more development needed, and "extensive testing" before the printed cars can be sold commercially. Rogers said Monday that each print builds upon the previous print, making improvements. This allows Local Motors to "push further forward fast to bring 3-D printing to life," Rogers said. Rogers' microfactories are the "heart and soul of change to what is going on in the automotive industry," he said, because they allow for a more hands-on experience for consumers. He compared a Local Motors microfactory to a mash-up between Build-a-Bear Workshop, IKEA and Formula One. While the Strati still has to undergo testing before it can be sold commercially, Rogers said the first of the vehicles will hit the road in 2015. The first fleet of 3-D-printed cars will roll out of the microfactory that will be located in National Harbor. Local Motors currently designs, builds and sells a rally car, a motorcycle and an electric tricycle, which Rogers said is great for "tearing up your cul-de-sac." More than 40 vehicles are expected to be unveiled at the 2015 NAIAS. The show runs Jan. 12-25 in Detroit. Press preview days are Jan. 12-13, followed by industry preview Jan. 14-15 and a charity preview on Jan. 16. The show will be open to the public Jan. 17-25. More than 750 vehicles will be on display, and some 800,000 attendees are expected to pass through the Cobo Center's doors for the event. Tickets to the 2015 public show days are $7 for senior citizens and children between 7-12 years old; $13 for adults; and free for children 6 and under. For more information on tickets, visit naias.com.
Ian Thibodeau is the entertainment and business reporter for MLive Detroit. He can be reached at ithibode@mlive.com, or follow him on Twitter. |
jitsuin requested a dev response to the infamy questions. Its about time we addressed this and my response became so large it deserved its own Devblog.
Lets start with the logic behind infamy
One of the main goals of Hurtworld was to create a survival progression with something closer to that of an RPG. Where once you can handle the starting area, you get some more gear and move up in the world, find better stuff, keep going. What we have currently is a prototype of this progression, it works in some cases and not in others. Once we can get the formula right we plan to create many more tiers of loot and PVE challenges.
The more you let a player progress while still in full loot, the more they have to lose. Add on to that fact that in a PVP environment, a death can be caused by wrong place wrong time and there is nothing you can do about it.
So we have established that we have players carrying possibly weeks of progression that could be lost on death, and being killed could be caused by no fault of their own.
Lets look at ways that other games deal with progression loss
Rust: Materials for a full kit of gear can be farmed relatively quickly, the main progression here is blueprints. If you have the blueprints, even from a fresh spawn you can get back up to speed quickly. Towards end game, items you are holding generally don’t have any value, meaning a death doesn’t set you very far back. Being raided is a larger setback but still doesn’t take away your blueprints. Blueprints look to be replaced by MMO type levels soon. Levels will have the same effect as blueprints, progression that can’t be looted on death.
Day Z: Gear is easy come easy go, a lucky run through Cherno as a fresh spawn can kit you out completely. Death truly does lose everything but the progression ceiling isn’t very high here (based on my time playing the mod, not sure how it is now)
Ark: Though I have never actually played this, my understanding is much of your progression is tied to the level system. PVP seems to play out much like an MMO where higher level players will always win against lower level players. Gear doesn’t seem to hold a great deal of value.
Where does Hurtworld store progression value?
Currently in Hurtworld I would say on average 70% of progression value is stored in gear, 30% stored in your base. Nothing is bound to your character. The reason full loot sucks in Hurtworld, is that losing 70% of your progression (which could be weeks of work) in a single bullet to the back of the head isn’t fun. Its not hardcore, its just stupid. We store much more progression in gear than other games, nothing is secured in your character. Our progression is going to get much deeper and its already too much to lose in one death. Full loot is not the solution!
Lets separate the 2 parts of infamy as they are unrelated
Although these are tied together under one system, there is really no need for them to be related. Our two goals for infamy are:
Punishment for death
People should always fear death. Currently sometimes they do not, this needs to be fixed. However they should not fear death so much that there is no point to living. Investing in progression is pointless if you can’t secure it to a point.
Punishment for murder
The decision to kill someone should come at a cost, this cost should always be lower than death, but never become trivial. This is broken because the punishment for death is usually too low. The prospect of losing a core piece of gear is usually far worse than losing what you have gathered this farming run.
This is a consequence I didn’t foresee
Given the fact that the value of your gear constantly increases, a single farming run diminishes in relative value the further you progress. Meaning the cost of death with no infamy decreases vs the cost of losing a piece of gear due to gaining infamy. AKA Shooting someone sometimes costs more late game than death. This makes the formula above much harder to balance.
The second factor at play here is that with no infamy and all materials banked in your base, death has absolutely no punishment. This needs to be fixed first.
How do we fix it?
We have a few options here, we will probably require a mix of the following:
Add more or an altogether different penalty for death so regardless of the situation, you don’t want to be killed. Ever .
. Change the penalty for murder to something that doesn’t benefit the person being killed. It was a nice perk that an infamous player would become a target to gain items from, in practice it rarely plays out like that. It would probably work better if the penalty didn’t benefit anybody else like it currently does.
Reduce the penalty for murder late game, we aren’t trying to discourage PVP
Shift some of the progression value from gear to another place like your base, then making players drop more items on death, as losing less progression value wouldn’t be as devastating. This would give players of a similar progression something to gain by killing each other that might outweigh the murder penalty. If balanced right, the murder penalty would be more expensive than what you stand to gain from killing fresh spawns. A problem this opens up is that progression invested in your base can be shared across teams (investment in production facilities etc), giving large clans a big advantage. We could add machines that can only be used by the owner, however as the reasoning for this isn’t clear to the average gamer, we would be barraged with “Why can’t I use my friends C&C machine, this is stupid!?”
The important thing to see from this isn’t that any of these things are the golden bullet to the problem, but that there are lots of complex elements at hand. Every choice a player makes in the game comes down to priorities. The questions we care about here are: “Is it worth shooting this person in the face?”, and “Death, am I too afraid of it or not afraid enough?”. Most of the suggestions I see are only valid for one scenario, and would be exploitable in another. A balance that works for early game will likely be totally broken late game and vise versa. Something that works for players with full gear will likely be broken if someone just runs around naked with a single weapon. Something that works in a 1v1 situation will likely be broken in a 1v5. Not everyone plays the game the same way you do.
We need good feedback on these systems, not knee jerk reactions to patch notes. See how something plays before giving your opinion, and please give it in a way that doesn’t make us dread reading feedback.
We will be adding in changes to address the above points over time, its not going to be perfect over night. Its an iterative process, good games take years to build, not weeks. |
Batting great Rahul Dravid has been named in ICC's newly appointed Anti-Corruption Oversight Group as part of the recommendation from its Integrity Working Party of the parent body.
"The oversight group will include the Chairman of the Executive Committee (under whose area of responsibility this function rests) and will also include former India captain Rahul Dravid, legal expert Louis Weston and independent anti-corruption advisor John Abbott, who was the Chairman of the Integrity Working Party. The Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Unit, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, and ICC Chief Executive, David Richardson, will also be ex-officio members of the group," said the ICC in a statement.
Dravid is currently coaching the Indian team in the ongoing U-19 World Cup, which is being held in Bangladesh.
"The oversight group will meet once a year to review and provide independent input into the strategy adopted by the sport to tackle corruption and its implementation, and to offer its advice and guidance to the Chairman of the ACU where required," the statement added. |
Fox News host Sean Hannity on Sunday encouraged Twitter users breaking Keurig machines in an apparent protest after the company said it would no longer advertise during Hannity’s television show.
“Deplorable friends, I am buying 500 coffee makers tomorrow to give away!! Details on radio and TV. Hint; best videos!!” Hannity wrote on Twitter Sunday night.
The Fox News host also wrote “Love it,” quoting a video showing a man smashing a Keurig machine with a gold club. The man’s tweet included the hashtag “I stand with Hannity.”
Hannity also tweeted a 2015 article from the Huffington Post, titled “Your Keurig Machine May Be Covered In Bacteria And Mold,” which described tests performed on the coffee machines by several local CBS affiliates.
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Hannity’s Twitter tirade about Keurig comes after the company wrote in a tweet to the president of the liberal group Media Matters for America that it will no longer advertise during Hannity’s show on Fox.
“Angelo, thank you for your concern and for bringing this to our attention,” the Keurig account wrote to Media Matters president Angelo Carusone.
“We worked with our media partner and FOX news to stop our ad from airing during the Sean Hannity Show.”
Carusone cited Hannity's coverage of Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore (R) in his criticism on the social media website.
Keurig is one of two advertisers that said they will no longer air ads during Hannity’s show after being questioned by Twitter users regarding Hannity’s coverage of Moore, who was recently accused of engaging in sexual conduct with a 14-year-old when he was 32.
While neither company explicitly said the decision was due to Hannity’s coverage of Moore, they only made the announcements on Twitter in response to critics citing the issue.
Hannity last week urged viewers not to rush to judgment in the case of Moore, citing other cases, like the Duke lacrosse rape case, where individuals were found to be innocent. Hannity then interviewed the Alabama Republican on his radio show Friday.
During that interview, Moore denied the allegation in The Washington Post story that he in 1979 had sexual contact with a 14-year-old. However, Moore also admitted he may have dated teenaged women during that time in his life, but that he did not “remember anything like that."
The Post's story included accounts from three women who said Moore attempted to court them during the same time frame — when they were between 16 and 18 years old. |
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On Thursday afternoon, the House voted to approve a resolution that is widely seen by advocates as a step towards defunding Planned Parenthood. Should it become law, the measure would weaken contraceptive access across the country.
The bill, HJ Resolution 43, allows states to withhold Title X family planning funds—about $300 million distributed to states annually—from providers who also offer abortion care, a group that includes Planned Parenthood affiliates. In December, Obama’s Department of Health and Human Services finalized a rule that anticipated this sort of effort by prohibiting states from withholding Title X family planning money from Planned Parenthood and other providers. This House resolution proposed overturning that HHS rule via the 1996 Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to repeal new regulations within 60 days of their passage. A version of this bill is also moving through the Senate.
At a House committee hearing earlier this week, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) called this bill “the most serious threat women have faced so far this Congress.” Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) called this the Republicans’ “first salvo” in defunding Planned Parenthood.
This development comes on the heels of several actions by the Trump administration and Congress that threaten women’s health care. They include Congressional efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act’s mandate requiring insurance coverage for contraception; the approval by the House of a bill to codify the Hyde Amendment, which prevents the use of federal funds for most abortions; and Trump’s expansion of the global gag order, which prohibits health providers overseas from receiving any US funding if they so much as mention abortion as an option for patients.
In the last Congress, a broader bill to deny federal funds to Planned Parenthood passed both chambers, but was vetoed by then-President Barack Obama. In contrast, Trump’s campaign said often that defunding Planned Parenthood would be a top priority for his administration. |
Dreamstime
The Jahfather
The Parmelee Post is a weekly series featuring tough investigative reporting on news that hasn't happened. Yet.
Marijuana dealers across the state breathed a sigh of relief this week when they learned their jobs would not be affected if Vermont’s legalization bill were signed into law.During a mandatory staff meeting Thursday, cannabis kingpin Troy “the Jahfather” Azurla told his 173 employees that Vermont’s latest attempt at marijuana legalization seems to be explicitly written to protect the jobs of hardworking marijuana dealers.“If anything, we owe these lawmakers massive thanks for keeping our livelihoods in mind,” he said. "Jah bless."The newly introduced H.170 bill would make it legal for adults to grow, consume or share select amounts of marijuana. However, it would prohibit the purchase or sale of any form of the recreational sticky icky, even in highly regulated dispensaries.“Unless they decide to start growing it themselves, this bill would leave our customers with only two options,” explained the Jahfather. “Either they drive to Massachusetts or Maine to purchase it legally and support those economies, or they can listen to one of you explain your theory about secret ancient Antarctic civilizations while you sell it to them illegally.”The Jahfather went on to praise the bill for offering the best of both worlds. “It would take the important step of keeping nonviolent tokers out of jail," he pointed out. "And it would ensure that we get to keep our weed-dealing revenue rather than sharing it with the state."This should come as a huge relief for all dealers," he added, "considering how expensive PlayStation 4 games can be.”Critics of the pot bill say that, by prohibiting regulated sales, the state would be missing out on a great opportunity to increase tax revenue and help ease budget woes. For the Jahfather and his grass-slinging employees, however, regulated legal sales would only mean decreased profits.“I just feel extremely lucky that state legislators are willing to ignore the potential financial benefits of legalization so they can instead focus on … uh, the economy,” quipped lead sales executive Eddy “the Kushmaster” Montgomery. “Whatever you do, don’t tell them about Colorado, where tax revenue from the legal sale of weed is helping to fund everything from the construction of schools to the treatment of substance abuse.“Don't get me wrong, we dealers are happy to keep all the pot profits for ourselves," Montgomery went on. "It’s just really surprising to see such reluctance to regulate sales in a state that claims to be looking for bold new ways fund education while simultaneously trying to address a crippling addiction epidemic .”Shaking his head in disbelief, the Kushmaster pointed out that opposition to taxing and regulating the sale of marijuana seems to be based on fear that stoners would drive even more badly if their weed were purchased legally. Or that children might accidentally consume an edible form of the drug found in their home and then steal their parents’ favorite records.“Some people seem to think that accidentally consuming marijuana would be more detrimental to a child’s development than to freeze or cut education budgets ,” added the Kushmaster. “Hell, I’m more worried about my kid getting into my perfectly legal gun collection than about him eating one of my illegal sour diesel brownies.”Despite the overwhelming support of the Jahfather and his merry band of weed-dealing employees, Vermont’s “legalization lite” bill may face an uphill battle after Gov. Phil Scott came out in opposition to it on Thursday. A spokesperson for the administration said they would like to wait and see how legalization plays out in 49 other states before Vermont takes the lead on the issue. |
New research suggests the better a parent understands the daily experiences of their teen, the better the mental health of the teen.
Moreover, having a parent who “gets” a teen’s daily life may influence the way a teen’s body responds to stress on a cellular level, improving physical health.
The study is reported in Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine.
“These results provide preliminary evidence that parental accuracy regarding their adolescent’s daily experiences may be one specific daily parent factor that plays a role in adolescent health and well-being,” says Lauren J. Human, Ph.D., of University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues.
In the study, 116 parent-teen pairs completed daily diaries for two weeks. The adolescents and their parents rated the daily demands on the teen (how much work they had at school and at home) as well as the positivity of their day together.
The teens also rated their general levels of depression and stress.
The parents’ ratings were more accurate when the teens generally had more positive days at home, and when the parents and teens generally had more positive days together.
Parents’ accuracy in rating their teen’s daily demands was not significantly associated with adolescent depression or stress levels.
Agreement or the congruency of ratings between parent and teen (on daily demands) did make a difference in stress levels and depression.
“However, adolescents whose parents more accurately perceived the positivity of their day together reported lower depression and perceived stress,” Human and coauthors write.
In other words, when parents and teens generally agreed as to whether they had a good (or not so good) day together, the teens had better psychological adjustment.
The study also looked at how parental perceptions affected “biological mechanisms relevant to health.”
That included tests of immune functions involved in inflammation, including cellular responses to the stress hormone cortisol.
Accurate perceptions by parents of a teens positivity were associated with greater “glucocorticoid sensitivity.”
This means that the teens “immune cells were more sensitive to anti-inflammatory signals from cortisol,” said Human.
Immune responses to stress are thought to be an important link between harsh family environments and physical health, according to the researchers.
Chronic inflammation has been linked to cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases of aging.
“Overall, these findings provide novel evidence that how well parents understand their adolescents’ day-to-day experiences may play a unique role in both adolescent psychological functioning and glucocorticoid sensitivity,” Human and coauthors write.
They add that their study is the first “to link the accuracy of others’ perceptions about one’s daily life to immunological processes potentially relevant to health.”
Human and colleagues believe that parental accuracy may play a unique role in adolescent health, deserving of further research.
“Although questions remain about causality and generalizability,” they conclude, “these findings begin to shed light on day-to-day parent-adolescent relationship processes that may affect adolescent psychological and physical health.”
Source: Wolters Kluwer Health
Mother and teenage son photo by shutterstock.
Teen Health Better If Parents Understand Daily Challenges |
Biden Asks Ecuador To Deny Snowden Asylum
"Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said on Saturday the United States had asked him not to grant asylum for former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden in a 'cordial' telephone conversation he held with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden," Reuters writes.
The news service adds that "Correa said he vowed to respect Washington's opinion in evaluating the request. The Andean nation says it cannot begin processing Snowden's request unless he reaches Ecuador or one of its embassies."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ethan Miller/Getty Images Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Obama administration officials have told Reuters and other news outlets that the two men did indeed speak recently by telephone.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Correa "added that he brought up with Mr. Biden the case of two fugitive Ecuadorean bankers who were believed to be living in Miami for the past few years and whose return Ecuadorean officials have sought. ... William and Roberto Isaías were convicted of fraud in 2012 by Ecuador's top court. The extradition request by Ecuadorean authorities has been rejected by U.S. courts. Although Ecuador has presented a case for the extradition of the bankers, U.S. judges have ruled Ecuador hasn't been able to prove probable cause against the bankers, and so far have ruled against extradition. In his speech Saturday, Mr. Correa said the case was an example of U.S. 'double standards.' "
Eyder explained more about those bankers on Friday.
Snowden, who admits to leaking information about National Security Agency surveillance programs to The Guardian and The Washington Post, is thought to be at the international airport in Moscow. He reportedly has been seeking asylum in countries such as Ecuador or Iceland, which in recent years have offered sanctuary to individuals who those nations maintain are being unfairly persecuted.
Related post:
-- 3 Things To Know About Edward Snowden's Passenger Purgatory |
Carter, a third-round pick out of Stanford last year, missed his entire rookie season with an ankle injury
Detroit Lions cornerback Alex Carter goes through drills May 8, 2015. (Photo: Kirthmon F. Dozier, DFP)
There’s no bigger lottery ticket on the Detroit Lions roster right now than Alex Carter.
A third-round pick out of Stanford last year, Carter has all the physical tools to succeed as a cornerback in the NFL, but he missed his entire rookie season with an ankle injury and no one’s quite sure what to expect from him this fall.
“We’re not expecting miracles,” Lions coach Jim Caldwell said at the NFL’s annual spring meetings last week. “But we certainly are expecting him to improve.”
Carter barely practiced with the Lions last spring because of academic commitments after the draft, then he sprained his ankle at the start of training camp in July.
He returned to the field in August, but was shut down days later with a bone bruise in his ankle. And he spent the season on injured reserve, able to practice for only three weeks in November.
Caldwell said this off-season is shaping up to be a “very, very important” one for Carter, who’s just 21 years old but has no clear path to playing time in a secondary that returns Darius Slay, Nevin Lawson and Quandre Diggs as its top three cornerbacks.
“It’s going to be a big year for him,” Caldwell said. “Alex will get an opportunity to go through the workout programs, the lifting, all of those things. The teaching from a ground level. Last year he wasn’t there because of obviously finishing up school. So I think all across the board it’s going to be huge for him.”
Ideally, the Lions would like for Carter to play well enough that he can be a backup cornerback to Slay and Lawson on the outside.
For now, special teams star Johnson Bademosi is penciled in as the Lions’ No. 4 corner, though the team has kicked the tires on several other veterans and still could add to the position through the draft.
Bademosi, who left Stanford the year Carter arrived, said Carter has the potential to be “a great player, especially when he’s healthy.” And Caldwell said he’s looking forward to finally seeing Carter on the field.
“He’s got talent, he’s got ability and he’s a big corner,” Caldwell said. “And he comes from a very, very challenging environment, both athletically and academically. Yeah, I’m hopeful that this will be a great off-season for him.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett
Download our free Lions Xtra app on your Apple and Android devices. |
There are film directors, there are great film directors and then there is Sir David Lean. More than any director, his career helped to define and propel cinema throughout the 20th Century. Like James Cameron today, David Lean showed the world with each new film what other filmmakers could only imagine – he took audiences to places outside the realm of their own wildest dreams.
The word ‘Epic’ is never a hair’s breadth away from the name ‘David Lean,’ and his later work pretty much redefined what ‘Epic’ meant. However, his wider filmography reveals an artist of many moods and perfectly capable of indulging them all. What defined Lean and made him the cinematic Titan that he will always be, was his genius as a pure storyteller.
Whether it was the comic tale of a Salford cobbler’s business dispute with his own daughter, or the story of The Russian Revolution no less, Lean’s unparalleled skill was in mastering every weapon in the film-maker’s arsenal and deploying them to tell each story, as though they were oils and watercolours on an great artist’s palette. Here are ten such stories.
10. In Which We Serve (1942)
In 1941, with World War II in its vicious mid-section, the hugely popular Noël Coward was charged with writing a stirring, tub-thumping motion picture to help keep British morale up. Coward was taken with the true story of HMS Kelly, which had recently been lost during The Battle of Crete after a Luftwaffe bombardment.
Brimming with self-confidence though he was, Coward knew that he would never be able to direct such a large-scale action picture himself, and so enlisted the man considered by everyone to own the most technically capable pair of hands in the British film industry – David Lean. Fresh from editing Michael Powell’s classic war film 49th Parallel, Lean made his directorial debut here, sharing credit with Coward.
Structurally unusual, the action of the sinking battleship and the regular murderous strafing of the lifeboats by German planes is interwoven with flashbacks from three crewmen from across the class divide, showing their families and the civilian life that they’ve been ripped away from. Thus the action-packed war film is presented alongside the wistful memories of what they are fighting to defend in the first place.
The extraordinary snootiness and patronising attitudes towards the working classes make for an awkward contemporary viewing experience, but at the time it was an enormous popular success. The, ahem, lower orders were treated with far greater empathy in Lean’s next Coward collaboration, This Happy Breed (1944).
9. Ryan’s Daughter (1970)
There is a moment in Lean’s underrated The Sound Barrier (1952) – a sort of Rank Charm School version of The Right Stuff – where Ralph Richardson’s obsessed aviation mogul shouts at his daughter, “You wouldn’t understand!!” at the suggestion that he tempers his quest for perfection.
You can imagine Lean himself shouting the same thing at his crew as he made them all wait on an Irish beach for hours until just the right cloud formation assembled itself in the skies ahead. In his determination to create something utterly extraordinary, Lean stumbled with this, the biggest disappointment of his career which stopped him in his tracks for 14 years.
Critics at the time complained, justifiably, that the story – a village teacher’s wife has an affair with a British soldier in 1916 Ireland – was too slight and was smothered by Lean’s inability to calm his epic tendencies: the film was 195 minutes long and filmed in Super Panavision.
Out of place on its initial release and with “The Troubles” imminent in Northern Ireland, time has done a great service to Ryan’s Daughter. A doomed romance in the finest, Shakespearean tradition, it contains some of Lean’s most memorable imagery, not least County Kerry made primal, sumptuous and glorious by Freddie Young’s camerawork.
8. Summertime (1955)
This remains one of the most undervalued films of Lean’s career: a Technicolor 1950s romance set in Venice, which could easily have starred Doris Day and featured a music number in St. Mark’s Square.
Despite the lush visuals – Venice has never looked so beautiful, before or since – there is a fissure of melancholy running through the whole jolly enterprise, as lonely spinster Katherine Hepburn briefly finds love among the gondolas and over-priced espressos. Lean was visibly overcome by the glorious sights of Venice and his love for the place and affection for his leading lady meant that he would refer to Summer Madness as his favourite of all his films.
It might seem extraordinary to modern audiences but the film (known as Summertime in the States) was a cause célèbre on its first release for its depiction of an adulterous affair – the Catholic Church was especially outspoken about such grotesque and wanton debauchery. Lean’s use of colourful imagery to depict that which the Hays Code would not allow is highly effective. A single red shoe here suggests more unspoken passion than five hundred shades of grey.
7. A Passage To India (1984)
The negative critical reaction to Ryan’s Daughter knocked the stuffing out of David Lean. He spent the next ten years failing to get a two-part version of Mutiny on The Bounty made (Robert Bolt’s Bible-sized screenplay was eventually pared down and shot as The Bounty by Robert Donaldson in 1984). When Lean announced that he had a green light to shoot E.M. Forster’s A Passage To India, it appeared that the world was about to receive another gargantuan, Lawrence-style epic in the great, Lean tradition.
However, Lean had taken on board the criticism of Ryan’s Daughter and A Passage To India saw him balance the visuals and the characters in perfect equilibrium. The monumental, mountainous India, “the real India,” doesn’t dwarf the characters or their story – an Indian doctor (Victor Banerjee) is accused of raping one of a group of travelling English ladies (Judy Davis) and the case spirals out of control, instigating a possible revolution.
Instead, Lean uses the unmistakable, kaleidoscopic colours of India to depict the characters’ rollercoastering emotional journey. Lean spent the rest of his life trying to film Joseph Conrad’s Nostromo with Marlon Brando but time ran out, leaving this as his suitably majestic swan song.
6. Hobson’s Choice (1954)
Comedy is not something one readily associates with David Lean, but his gift for the light touch can be felt in most of his films – A Passage To India is a lot funnier than you might expect, largely due to Dame Peggy Ashcroft.
Lean only directed two out-and-out comedies and both were the work of a maestro of comic timing and someone who understood completely the maxim that ‘comedy is character.’ Blithe Spirit was his third film in partnership with Noël Coward. Hobson’s Choice, though is one of the most purely enjoyable comedies ever made in Britain.
Playfully, the opening scenes suggest another murky, shadow-painted Dickens adaptation until Henry Hobson drunkenly arrives, larger than life. Victorian bootmaker, respected local businessman and occasional drunken sot, Hobson is played by the greatest character of all, Charles Laughton.
His vast, baby-faced, dirigible-waisted persona was never put to such memorable use as he was here, spluttering indignantly as his own daughter (Brenda De Banzie – superb) opens up a rival bootmaker’s shop and marries his underpaid cobbler (John Mills). The famous drunk, puddle-splashing scene (one of the best drunk scenes ever) shows that even in potential sit-com territory, Lean’s instincts are always filmic. |
Youtube Gaming To Rival Twitch.
Take a moment to appreciate the fact that history is being made right here, right now. In the past year, competitive gaming has taken several leaps and bounds forward. Just a few months ago E-Sports was declared a sport by the US Government, and a number of games released or announced in recent months are being geared expressly towards being E-Sports; Evolve, Rainbow Six: Siege, and others.
As we move into this era of E-Sports, the company who controls HOW we view E-Sports will have a significant degree over the industry itself. But, before we can go into details about how this competition might play out, we need to discuss the competitors themselves.
Twitch, The Current Undisputed Champion of Live Video Games Streaming.
That’s a lot of free minutes. I bet AT&T are jealous.
Talk to any gamer worth their salt, and they’ll refer you to Twitch for your online gaming streaming needs. Released in June of 2011 as a spin off from Justin.tv, a relatively unknown general streaming site. Within two years, Twitch had surpassed its parent site, averaging 43 million viewers a month.
A year later (2014), a lot of good things began to happen for Twitch. In February, it was listed among the top five internet traffic locations in the United States. Later that year, as a result of their popularity, Twitch also began to embrace music based streams and content.
But the year wasn’t over for them. In September of 2014 Twitch was purchased for $970 million dollars by Amazon, the ecommerce giant.
Advantages held by this competitor? They’ve fully integrated with many gaming systems; Origin, Uplay, Nvidia, Minecraft, Eve Online, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, and Ouya. Those are all systems that have Twitch directly installed.
To sum up, Twitch is no pushover, especially with an average of 11 million videos broadcast per month and over 16 billion minutes watched by viewers every month. Check here for the source and other cool statistics. |
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told New Zealand's foreign minister that his country's sponsoring of the UN anti-settlement resolution was a "declaration of war".
Mr Netanyahu has also lashed out at President Barack Obama after Friday's Security Council vote, on which the United States' abstention marked a break with tradition, and called the action a "shameful ambush".
The Security Council voted to condemn settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a "flagrant violation of international law" and demanded Israel “immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory”, pointing out that the international community views any Israeli construction over the agreed 1967 Green Line as illegal.
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According to Haaretz, in a personal phone call Mr Netanyahu told New Zealand foreign minister Murray McCully: "This is a scandalous decision. I'm asking that you not support it and not promote it.
"If you continue to promote this resolution from our point of view it will be a declaration of war. It will rupture the relations and there will be consequences."
Mr McCully reportedly refused to back down and said the resolution was consistent with New Zealand policy.
Israel has recalled its ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal, and cancelled aid to the latter country.
The resolution was put forward by New Zealand, Senegal, Malaysia and Venezuela, taking place just a day after Egypt withdrew it following significant pressure from both Israel and President-elect Donald Trump.
Mr Netanyahu has said Israel will not abide by the ruling.
He added: "At a time when the Security Council does nothing to stop the slaughter of half a million people in Syria, it disgracefully gangs up on the one true democracy in the Middle East, Israel, and calls the Western Wall ‘occupied territory’."
Defending New Zealand’s vote on Saturday, Mr McCully said: "We have been very open about our view that the [UN Security Council] should be doing more to support the Middle East peace process and the position we adopted today is totally in line with our long established policy on the Palestinian question.
"The vote… should not come as a surprise to anyone and we look forward to continuing to engage constructively with all parties on this issue."
The vote was welcomed by Palestinian representatives. A spokesperson from Palestinan Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' office called it a "big blow to Israeli policy, a unanimous international condemnation of settlements, and a strong support for the two-state solution".
Settlement building – which has accelerated year-on-year under current right-wing Prime Minister Netanyahu – is viewed as one of the major stumbling blocks to a lasting peace deal.
The Jerusalem Local Planning and Construction Committee is expected to approve permits to build 618 new homes in Jewish neighbourhoods across the Green Line today - and at the same time US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to lay out his vision for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The speech, less than a month before President Barack Obama leaves office, is likely to be the administration's last word on a decades-old dispute that Mr Kerry had hoped to resolve during his four years as America's top diplomat.
It could also be seen in Israel as another parting shot at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had an especially acrimonious relationship with Mr Obama since they both took office in 2009.
A State Department official said: "We believe that with the two-state solution in peril, it is important to share the deeper understanding we have developed of both sides' bottom lines during intensive consultations in recent years."
The Independent has contacted the Israeli embassy in London for comment.
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On Thursday, a Reuters report described how hackers were peddling some 272.3 million usernames and passwords for unsuspecting users’ email accounts, raising concerns of yet another major data breach at a time when cybersecurity sensitivity is at an all-time high.
Ensuing stories suggested the information had been pilfered from popular consumer services including Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Russia’s Mail.ru. By Friday, though, the services themselves (as well as independent analysts) concluded that the situation was not quite what it seemed.
The data stash was not the product of a large-scale hack of some of the world’s biggest email platforms, they argued. Instead, it seems to have been drawn from a variety of less secure third-party sites over a long period of time and subsequently aggregated.
What’s more, most of the stolen credentials were invalid.
Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.
Yahoo (yhoo) has issued a statement denying that it was hacked, as did Mail.ru, Russia’s biggest email provider. Google (goog) told Ars Technica that 98% of the Google user data in the database was “bogus.” Mail.ru’s analysis found that 22.56% of Mail.ru email addresses in the database did not exist, another 64.27% were matched to incorrect passwords, and the remaining 12.42% had already been identified as compromised. Only 0.018% of the email-password combinations, the company said, were correct and current.
The original report, from a firm called Hold Security, actually made clear that the database was a “collection of multiple breaches over time,” which explains why most of the data was outdated and most passwords incorrect. These sorts of collections of many smaller hacks are widespread on the so-called dark web, where low-level hackers offer to sell the usually not-very-useful data for small sums. The compiler of this particular database was asking for $1, which Hold said was a red flag about the quality of the data.
For more on cybersecurity, watch:
Though Hold Security was clear from the outset about what it had found, critics, including at Ars Technica, say the company should have done more to cool down the media response. Troy Hunt, who runs a large database of compromised login data, has questioned whether Hold Security CEO Alex Holden should have done more to verify the data before going to the press.
The knee-jerk reaction to the incident may have been too severe, but there remains a real lesson to draw from the situation. Some of the accurate email-password combinations found in the data cache probably came from users who re-used their email passwords on other sites.
So, in case you needed to be reminded, don’t do that. |
When Marty McFly travelled to the future in the 1989 "Back to the Future" sequel - to October 21, 2015, to be precise - he was greeted by flying cars, self-tying sneakers and hovering skateboards .
The futuristic items were from a distant world for the time-travelling teenager on a journey from 1985 to 2015 to save his children.
Photo: REX
But that day finally arrived on Wednesday, dubbed "Back to the Future Day" as fans of the blockbuster trilogy around the world celebrated the movie milestone.
Social media sites were ablaze with talk about the sci-fi adventure, cinemas held special screenings of the film and companies jumped in on the hype with savvy adverts.
US President Barack Obama tweeted:
Happy Back to the Future Day, @RealMikeFox! Ever think about the fact that we live in the future we dreamed of then? That's heavy, man. — President Obama (@POTUS) October 21, 2015
At the Houston, Texas headquarters of DeLorean cars, whose gull-winged DMC-12 model was adapted in the film into a time machine, crowds gathered to mark the anniversary.
"A lot of people are getting their cameras out and taking pictures," DeLorean Motor Co CEO Stephen Wynne told reporters. "When we opened... at 8 o'clock this morning, a woman ran in and she was dressed as Marty McFly and everybody goes, 'whoa'!"
In Canada, a playful recall announcement on the official Health Canada website said that "a certain DMC-12 car converted into a time machine, a defect in the flux capacitor could lead to inability to travel through time. Doc Brown will affect repairs."
One short scene has US baseball fans abuzz. A holographic news board informs Marty McFly that the long-suffering Chicago Cubs have won the 2015 World Series.
The Cubs actually made it to the Major League Baseball playoffs this year, and it seemed like the scene might be prescient. But now the Cubs are one loss away from being eliminated from contention by the New York Mets, which would continue the Cubs' 107-year championship drought.
In a commercial for Toyota, Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, who played the much-loved McFly and Dr Emmett "Doc" Brown, reunite on screen to discuss which predictions "Back to the Future Part II" got right.
Photo: Toyota
While the so-called hover boards have yet to make their commercial debut, other gadgets such as wearable eye glass screens and video calls have turned out closer to the mark.
"We've got 3D movies," Lloyd says as the two actors sit in a diner. "We've got fingerprint technology," Fox answers.
Photo: universal Pictures
Pepsi unveiled a limited run of "Pepsi Perfect", the soda McFly drinks in the film, while Nike, whose power-laced shoes the character wore, tweeted Fox on Tuesday saying "See you tomorrow", leaving fans speculating over the message.
• Back to the Future: a timeline of Michael J Fox’s career
Some fans had hoped for a revival of the franchise at a time when others movies are getting reboots. But earlier this week, one of the films' executive producers said a fourth instalment was unlikely.
00.29 - How the day played out. Was it as predicted in 1985?
Back to the Future Day is over. The exact time Marty and Doc Brown travel forward to from 1985 - has been and gone. This time round.
00.08 Driver in silver DeLorean stopped doing 88mph
Michigan state police join in fun of Back to the Future Day, claiming they stopped two speeding drivers called Dr Emmett Brown and Marty McFly going at 88mph in a DeLorean.
The police wrote: "Michigan State Police troopers stopped a silver DeLorean today for driving 88mph in a 55mph zone.
"The two occupants, Dr Emmett Brown and Marty McFly, were given a verbal warning to drive more safely on Michigan roads. Dr Emmett Brown responded by saying, 'Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.'”
The Canadian government also joined in the fun, releasing an official recall notice on the DMC-12 model DeLorean.
“On a certain DMC-12 car converted into a time machine, a defect in the flux capacitor could lead to inability to travel through time while travelling at 88 miles per hour (141.6km/h) and may increase energy consumption beyond 1.21 gigawatts,” the spoof statement said, referring to the speed at which the films' DeLorean can travel to the future. “This could have disastrous consequences.”
Photo: Michigan State Police
23.22
Back to the Future Day is impacting on the 2016 race for the White House. Sort of. Here's Marco Rubio's effort:
In honor of #BackToTheFuture day... Yesterday is over and we're never going back. https://t.co/UG4nmTKHhp — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 21, 2015
Ben Carson joined in the fun:
Been trying to get up to 88 MpH so I can see the future when Ben is elected President, but I'm not as fast as a Delorean. #BackToTheFuture — Ben Carson's Bus (@healerhauler) October 21, 2015
Ted Cruz chipped in with a quip about the Iranian nuclear deal:
In 1985, Doc Brown gave Libyan terrorists a fake nuclear bomb. In 2015, @POTUS gave Iran keys to the real thing. pic.twitter.com/kLZRvGW8wN — Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) October 21, 2015
Martin O'Malley's tweet bypassed humour:
30 years from now, we could be 5 years away from a 100% clean energy powered electric grid. #BackToTheFuture https://t.co/H8NGpC0meY — Martin O'Malley (@MartinOMalley) October 21, 2015
23.13
Christopher Lloyd has given an interview to Vulture.com about Back to the Future Day. He says he's surprised by all of today's excitement:
"I didn't imagine that 30 years later, there'd be this enthusiasm and excitement about it. This celebration, I didn't see that coming at all. Back to the Future came out, and there was a two-year lapse, and we did II and III together. We were just making another movie and hoping it gets past opening night. But the kids who saw this film, they've grown up and had kids, who have grown up and had kids. It's exponential, it just keeps spreading out more and more. But the film has aged well. I saw it last night. It seems very contemporary."
22.23
Even the leader of the free world is getting in on the excitement generated by Back to the Future Day:
Happy Back to the Future Day, @RealMikeFox! Ever think about the fact that we live in the future we dreamed of then? That's heavy, man. — President Obama (@POTUS) October 21, 2015
22.10
Couple tie the knot with Back to the Future themed wedding on Back to the Future Day:
Photo: Media Wales Ltd
Jordan Gillard, 26 and Sally Evans, 24, from Pontypridd are massive fans of the film, so after Jordan got down on one knee and proposed last year they knew a themed wedding would be on the cards.
Sally said: "Jordan and I have been together for around 10 years and we'd always talked about having a Back to the Future themed wedding. So when he proposed we knew we'd stick to the idea.
"We're kind of 'mega nerds' about the film, so when we knew Back to the Future Day was coming up this year we planned everything around that."
The couple started the plans earlier this year by sending out invitations, which were in the form of a letter that Marty wrote to Doc in the film.
"We'd been planning it for a while and we had lots of bits and pieces to go with the theme," Sally said.
"Our table plans were organised around different places Marty and Doc visited in '2015', we also have a 'Hill Valley' sign we painted ourselves to go outside the venue and the ceremony music was the orchestral version of the sound track."
Sally arrived at the wedding, which was held at De Courceys Manor in Pentyrch, in a Buick, a car which was used in the film. While Jordan 'time travelled' to the venue in a DeLorean, the car which Doc Brown used as his vehicle of choice for travelling through time.
21.14
Here's how the 'self-tying' laces self-tied in the film:
Filming Marty's Auto-Lace Sneakers for Back To The Future Part II, 1989. pic.twitter.com/TLrHNTubEL — History In Pictures (@HistoryInPics) October 21, 2015
21.00
Michael J. Fox will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight:
Happy #BackToTheFuture Day! We have something very special with Michael J. Fox TONIGHT on #KimmelinBrooklyn! pic.twitter.com/OSWzjgm547 — Jimmy Kimmel Live (@JimmyKimmelLive) October 21, 2015
20.47
It’s #BackToTheFuture Day! What would a time traveler from 1985 discover about NASA today? https://t.co/Qc8katwzlr pic.twitter.com/0M3cPafbQJ — NASA (@NASA) October 21, 2015
20.21
Lots of excitement about Nike releasing 'self-tying' trainers this evening:
20.00
That's it from me but here's a monster of a graphic, courtesy of superscholar.org, to pore over until Barney Henderson picks up the reins.
Source: SuperScholar.org
19.55
Here's the third in our series (oh for God's sake – Ed) of original Back to the Future reviews. This one from John Coldstream, published in 1990, is a review of Back to the Future III and applauds "a wholly delightful excursion, in the hands of some master craftsmen who have recaptured the spirit that made the first of the series so appealing."
19.45
Any Back to the Future fans out there who also support Everton FC (if you're reading this in America, they're a soccerball team)? Well, dear reader s , this is going to blow your mind.
When Marty McFly travelled back to 1955 Everton finished 11th, when he went back to 1985 they finished 2nd, 11-2=9 pic.twitter.com/fU7pUvi1eZ — jake (f)lawless (@jakelawless_) October 21, 2015
19.31
Wait, what?
People do realise Marty McFly didn't *really* arrive in our universe today, right? — Danielle (@abradacabla) October 21, 2015
19.24
Here's the second in our series (not really a series is it? – Ed) of original Back to the Future reviews. This one from Hugo Davenport, published in 1989, is a review of Back to the Future II and it says: "The film is full of sparky, inventive jokes and some special effects (the anti-gravity skateboards stand out) that will amze even the most blase young video-sophisticate."
19.10
Is there a brand on this planet not jumping on the Back to the Future bandwagon? #QTWTAIN
18.48
May I refer you, @Mopar71, to the fifth verse of the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament (it's the passage about the splinter and the eye btw).
I'm over Back to the Future day. Too many peeps posting about it. — Danny (@Mopar71) October 21, 2015
18.40
This is tinged with melancholy, is it not?
18.16
Trust Microsoft to be one step ahead of everyone else. But I like this... it's a look at what the world will be like in 2045, 30 years from now (the same jump forward in time taken by Marty and Doc in Back to the Future 2).
Here are their thoughts:
1. Artificial Intelligence
Futurist Ray Kurzweil said that it was perfectly reasonable to expect computers to exhibit human-level intelligence and emotions within the next 15 years. So in 30 years, expect to see AI intelligence presented as a virtual presence that you can see and potentially feel.
2. A 'Smart' City
We're still at very early stages for the Internet of Things (IoT), but we are already seeing connected devices such as the Microsoft Band. In 2045, expect to live in cities where everything could be connected. You may well be regularly talking to your fridge, cooker or thermostat!
3. Robots
Robots can already be used for demanding and repetitive tasks not suitable for humans. Imagine a world of connected robots communicating together, monitoring events, controlling and manipulating physical objects. Do you want a robot buddy to hang out with? Maybe one that could serve you drinks?
4. Self-driving Cars
There are already a number of tech companies currently working on this. In 30 years, expect it to be a reality where people call for a taxi without a driver, which drives itself to the venue of your choice, which you pay for on your hand-held device. Will we be still using smartphones?
5. Mixed Reality
We've started the age of the HoloLens. Where will this technology be in 30 years? Imagine going to a fashion retailer and experience a shopping experience where you can try on different clothes with a pair of augmented reality goggles? Or play video games using 3D images without the use of a screen...
Thanks, Microsoft. And what will future generations discover if and when they travel back in time?
18.05
Here's a link to that BBC story.
17.58
BREAKING
17.50
We can confirm that ITV2 did cut parts of Back to the Future. And with f-----g good reason.
@ruhawksley they replace "you're gonna see some serious shit" with "you're gonna see some serious stuff" sometimes, — FuzzbuttCageComforts (@Fuzzbutt_UK) October 21, 2015
17.40
Back to the, er, past. Our peerless archivist Gavin Fuller has dug up the original Telegraph review of Back to the Future and it's a rather wonderful thing.
Eric Shorter wrote in 1985: "It restores your faith in the fun to be mined from a time machine because it is well written, wittily conceived, tautly plotted and once its premise has been granted, as in all good farce, it proceeds with unerring logic to develop its absurdity with a proper, frenzied sense of seriousness."
17.20
The Back to the Future marathon is well underway on ITV2 (it started at 4.29 *bravo*). But one fan ain't happy. Can anyone confirm whether this is true? Tweet me @ruhawksley
@ITV @itv2 if your going to show all the Back to the Future don't cut bit out of the film. #BackToFutureDay #BackToTheFuture — Chris Hehir (@chrishehir75) October 21, 2015
17.10
Starter for 10... Do you know why Doc Brown's DeLorean needed to reach 88 mph? Nor me, but this article reveals all (as well as a whole load of other things you may not know).
17:03
My colleague Mark Monahan assures me that this is essential background reading for any Back to the Future fan. Yes, it's his review of the original film.
"This fusion of sci-fi, action, romance and comedy could have been a dreadful mess, were it not for writer-director Robert Zemeckis and co-writer Bob Gale's refusal to let a loose line or idea escape their pens."
If that hasn't put you off, read the lot here.
16.57
Just having a few drinks, things got a bit out of hand and the next thing I knew...
@jesspezinnit @jesspezinnit #bestofbritishtattoo #colourrealismtattoo #backtothefuturetattoo #portraittattoo A photo posted by @bestofbritishtattoo on Jul 15, 2015 at 12:18am PDT
This is excellent from Buzzfeed: 24 Back To The Future Tattoos That Will Blow Your Mind
16.46
Excuse the bad language but one does wonder whether @lorenzo_toilets is getting into the "f----n" spirit of things.
Did George Orwell fans just go fuckin bananas like this for the whole of 1984 — I Am 100% Dead (@lorenzo_toilets) October 21, 2015
16.41
'Tis indeed a very nice touch. Bravo, Amazon.
If you have Amazon Prime (Video), they’re letting you stream the Back to the Future trilogy today. That’s a nice touch :) — Shane Hawk (@shanehawkk) October 21, 2015
16.36
Speaking of the DeLorean, this is a lovely piece by Andrew Frankel on how the film's automotive star has stood the test of time.
"It's a question to which we think instinctively we know the answer. What was the DeLorean like to drive? It was rubbish, surely? Actually, and as we shall shortly see, it’s not quite as simple as that."
Read the full article here.
16.29
It's 4.29pm! The precise moment Marty McFly and Doc Brown arrive in "The Future", on October 21, 2015. Oh sorry, that's American time... as you were *puts cellophane back on DeLorean-shaped cake*
16.13
Thanks, Helena. Sorry I'm late, everyone, couldn't find anywhere to park the hover board... Hope you've all had a blast. Let's kick things off with this timeline of Michael J Fox's career.
15.56
Say goodbye to me and hello to Rupert Hawksley
It's time to hand over the liveblog to someone else now, and that someone is Mr Hawksley.
People who have been emailing in and tweeting, please now direct your BTTF musings to rupert.hawksley@telegraph.co.uk or tweet him at @ruhawksley
I'll leave you with this:
The 1989 film “Back to the Future II” showed life on Oct 21, 2015 — Double Neckties. [WTF?] pic.twitter.com/CCGAgs9F8a — Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 21, 2015
15.40
It's a very special day indeed today - not only is it Back to the Future day, but it is also the night the third episode of the Apprentice airs.
We wonder if there will be any jokes - Lord Sugar has been retweeting BTTF jokes today.
Am hoping that @Lord_Sugar puts a #BackToTheFuture twist on tonight's @bbcapprentice and fires the candidate by fax pic.twitter.com/uYQdZvtV2R — Andrew Bloch (@AndrewBloch) October 21, 2015
SIX HOURS TO GO! Who will be the 3rd (and possibly 4th and 5th) candidate fired? Tune in TONIGHT for @bbcapprentice pic.twitter.com/XSnnk3SUY2 — Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) October 21, 2015
It's fine to be excited about #BackToTheFuture today, but tonight it's time to go #BackToTheBoardroom. pic.twitter.com/FvzY9jpUCh — The Apprentice (@bbcapprentice) October 21, 2015
15.23
If you have the funds, you should probably donate to the Michael J Fox foundation
That's right, he has his own charity, which is aiming to combat Parkinson's disease.
What better day to donate than on Back to the Future day? Donate here.
15.13
Spotify's Back To The Future playlist
Fancy a bit of retro music? Spotify has created a playlist of the tunes that were popular in 1985.
It's probably better than listening to Bieber.
14:49
Some good tweets
The 1989 film “Back to the Future II” envisioned life on Oct 21, 2015 — Thumbprint Locks. [Got it] pic.twitter.com/hrBia4aXje — Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 21, 2015
Not looking forward to Back to the Future Boxing day. Cold Delorean sandwiches for a week! — Dean Burnett (@garwboy) October 21, 2015
See all of you making jokes about Back to the Future? You're David Cameron, you are — Michael Deacon (@MichaelPDeacon) October 21, 2015
The should make back to the future a subject in school. I think kids would benefit from it more than other subjects. — James Bourne (@JamesBourne) October 21, 2015
Just like Back to the Future predicted, you hate your stepdad — Erin Gloria Ryan (@morninggloria) October 21, 2015
Pete Wentz has got in on the action. This ain't a scene, it's a goddamned tweet round-up.
happy back to the future day. — t(-.-t) (@petewentz) October 21, 2015
14.30
How BTTF predicted Trump
That's right, people are saying that the film franchise predicted Donald Trump, everyone's favourite American Presidential Candidate.
YES!! Donald Trump is Biff Tannen from Back to the Future 2. (via @kristinanapoli) pic.twitter.com/WuiqobZSCW — Jason Romano (@JasonRomano) October 21, 2015
Say what you will about the accuracy of Back to the Future's predictions, it nailed Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. pic.twitter.com/ROUwsy8YrQ — Were D. Wolfson (@TheMattDWilson) October 21, 2015
Yeah yeah, Back to the Future II wasn't that good. But Trump was GREAT in it. Terrific actually. pic.twitter.com/e5W6ye7qGO — Cuffy (@CuffyMeh) October 21, 2015
Back to the Future Day. I can only assume that if Trump ends up as President, Marty McFly messed up a past timeline. — Liz Long (@LizCLong) October 21, 2015
SUDDEN REALISATION! Alternate 1985 Biff in Back To The Future 2 IS Donald Trump! — JeSuisStrongMessage (@twlldun) October 20, 2015
Lots of people talking about Back to the Future II and the Cubs but what about Trump being rich Biff in the alternate timeline? — Clue Heywood (@ClueHeywood) October 18, 2015
People are saying that he resembles Biff Tannen, the bad guy in the films. Biff uses the riches he gets from his casino/hotel to shake up the Republican party and then ends up assuming political power in Hill Valley. Sound familiar? They also look creepily similar.
I have never seen a thin person drinking Diet Coke. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 14, 2012
14:15
Is this the worst tweet today?
It's probably not a good idea to try to 'meme war'
14.12
America has woken up
They are in for a TREAT today!
Ok please just get all the "Back to the Future" references out of your system before noon, plz. — Dorito Medley (@jtwill84) October 21, 2015
i cant believe its back to the future day — eerie molly (@mollywoah) October 21, 2015
Just FYI that the entire Internet is going to be Back to the Future today. — Marlin Caddell (@marlincaddell) October 21, 2015
13.50
University of Leicester forms Department of Transtemporal Studies
They've written a spoof (we think) web page especially for Back to the Future day.
Here's an excerpt:
"The Department of Transtemporal Studies at Leicester (formerly the School of Anomalous Chronography) was founded in 1985. We are a leading centre for research and teaching into all aspects of time travel.
"Staff in the Department have extensive experience of journeying to a wide variety of historical and future periods, using a range of techniques. We have a comprehensive selection of state-of-the-art time machines, ranging in size from multi-person vehicles to individual wristbands, which are used for teaching our degrees and also for research at the cutting edge of chronolysis and chronography.
"Please contact us to find out more about our degrees, our research and our achievements - past, present and future."
13.41
I am liveblogging the wrong day
Apologies:
13.39
To celebrate this special day, why not permanently ink it on your body?
N.B. we are not responsible for any regrettable tattoos that arise as a result of this post.
Anyone know any tattoo parlors doing Back To the Future tattoos tomorrow? — Morgan Eattock (@MogeezyFoSheezy) October 21, 2015
13.28
South West trains are at it again:
Very good southwest trains pic.twitter.com/VoviGaYb81 — Claudia Stocker (@claudia_stocker) October 21, 2015
13.12
Teens react to back to the future
If you are older than the author of this live blog, this will probably also make you feel old:
It's quite funny, though.
13:02
I feel so old
@JamieRoss7 want to feel old? This is Doc and Marty McFly now. pic.twitter.com/PZcGctn7jW — Jerry Moriarty (@WidelyRecycled) October 21, 2015
12.57
Here are some odds from Paddy Power on what will happen in 2045
"The bookmaker has jumped in his handy time machine to offer 2/1 for Police to be using hover boards, while it’s a futuristic 4/1 for Domestic Robots to be used at Buckingham Palace.
"Paddy might sound like he’s from Planet Vulcan, but the bookie is even offering just 9/4 for England to have won the football World Cup by 2045.
2045 UK Predictions
• 2/1: Hoverboards to be used by police officers
• 4/1: Domestic Robots to be in use at Buckingham Palace
• 9/4: England to have won a football World Cup
• 4/11: Labour to have won a majority in a general election
"Paddy Power said: “Great Scott! Back to the Future got a few things right but England to win a World Cup? Surely not!”"
12.39
How homes could look in the future
We've got a nice property piece up about what homes will be like in the future.
Have a read, apparently we should expect Self-cleaning fabrics, truly waterproof materials and personal climate control.
12.28
I have let you all down and I am very sorry:
Oh no @horton_official is live blogging the wrong day https://t.co/Rwk1VWR88H — Malcolm Coles (@malcolmcoles) October 21, 2015
12.23
This is an intellectual politics blog
And this is an absolutely sick burn from David Cameron, if it is true:
Cameron just did the inevitable Back To The Future joke "Corbyn should get in his DeLorean, go back to 1985, and stay there" #PMQs — Greg Jenner (@greg_jenner) October 21, 2015
Our Asa did not enjoy it, however:
12.16
People love tweeting about how they haven't seen the films:
Happy Back-To-The-Future Day! *pops on hover-board and eats spaceman food* (i've never seen it) — nick grimshaw (@grimmers) October 21, 2015
When you've never seen Back to the Future, so you have no clue what's going on. — Nikolas (@NSghirripa) October 21, 2015
Today I feel like the only person in the world who has never seen Back To The Future. — Claire WhatElsaWears (@WhatElsaWears) October 21, 2015
I've never seen Back To The Future II, but I have watched Back To The Future twice in a row, does that count? — Lee Curtis (@MrLeeCurtis) October 21, 2015
I've never seen Back to the Future and, to be quite frank, you lot are not really selling it to me. — Annemarie (@one_mrs_k) October 21, 2015
Probably not the best time to say I've never seen back to the future — Jake (@___jake) October 21, 2015
I've never seen Back to the Future so I have no idea what everyone on my timeline is talking about. — Scary Name, So Banal (@SophieWarnes) October 21, 2015
About the only person that's never seen back to the future — bryony. (@bryyywelsh) October 21, 2015
Bonus- This is the worst joke on Twitter:
12.02
It's lunchtime (almost) so here's a nice long-ish read from Telegraph Travel about the future of travel.
Will we be using hoverboards anytime soon? Find out here.
11.49
Back to the Future 4 parody trailer:
Robot dogs, Kim Kardashian as president and Madonna's 2040 world tour...is this what Back to the Future 4 would look like if it was made?
This is a very well-made parody video:
11.32
No one could have predicted this:
Hoverboards are all very well, but #BackToTheFuture never predicted Jeremy Corbyn at #PMQs - did it? pic.twitter.com/eu8mUb6N6P — Asa Bennett (@asabenn) October 21, 2015
11.29
Please stop this at once:
Don't go #BackToTheFuture with the Tories - I've pledged to freeze fares for flying cars. https://t.co/0y4G3xUqtz pic.twitter.com/S8pF8YIFWH — Sadiq Khan MP (@SadiqKhan) October 21, 2015
11.19
Austria legalises hoverboards just in time for Back to the Future day
Justin Huggler reports from Berlin:
You can now legally use a hover-board on the streets in Austria – in the unlikely event you can get your hands on one.
In a bizarre homage to the Back to the Future film trilogy, the Austrian ministry of transport has made an official ruling that hover-boards are street-legal.
The announcement was timed for today’s date, October 21, 2015 – the date Marty McFly travels to the future in the films and first encounters a hover-board.
You can now use a hover-board on Austrian roads and pavements without any special license or permit.
The only problem is that the films’ prediction of levitating teenagers was slightly off.
Genuine hover-boards which float above the road surface are not yet commercially available.
However, several manufacturers are working on prototypes, and no one could accuse the Austrian authorities of being unprepared.
The ministry of transport says hover-boards are legal “anywhere you could go with an old-style skateboard” in an official announcement on its website.
“It is important that you don’t obstruct traffic or pedestrians,” the announcement says.
But the ministry warns that because of its ability to travel in different terrains, a hover-board could also be “considered an aircraft”.
“Depending on where you're traveling with your hover-board (water, soil, air), different rules may apply,” it says.
The ministray says the use of a handlebar, as seen in the film, is not a problem.
But it says anyone wanting to use the rocket-powered “Pit Bull” hover-board depicted in the film would need a pilot’s license.
The website also warns hover-boarders: “It’s always a good idea to wear a helmet for your own safety when riding.”
11.07
Stanford University create driverless DeLorean car for Back To The Future Day
10.54
Some sobering news:
When Marty & Doc set off back in 1985 the average UK house was £34,655. When they arrive today it’s £202,859 pic.twitter.com/uuMP2QhKQb — Henry Pryor (@HenryPryor) October 21, 2015
People old enough to buy property in 1985 were very lucky, weren't they!
Also in this deleted scene Marty McFly worries that being romantic with his mum will turn him gay:
Does this mean he thinks it is worse to be gay than it is to be inappropriate with your mother?
10.42
Pizza Express have 'invented' instant pizza
Would you eat it?
10.28
Want to ride in a DeLorean? Here's how...
Uber have teamed up with Pepsi to enable a limited number of passengers to drive in the iconic cars.
From 10am to 3pm today, you can get a lift in one with the app.
Consumers simply have to enter the promo code “PEPSIMAX” into the Uber app to unlock the DeLorean icon and have the chance to get a free ride in the iconic time machine.
Telegraph Cars have also reviewed the DeLorean to see how it stands up in 2015.
10.22
Yet more 'police banter':
Anyone travelling at 88mph hitting a pole, causing power cut & stopping the town clock will likely receive a fine & points! #BackToTheFuture — Richmond Police (@MPSRichmond) October 21, 2015
Oh frabjous day.
10.14
People are worried that politicians are going to make bad Back to the Future jokes at PMQs
It is assumed that Jeremy Corbyn probably won't.
The look the headmaster would give you when whispering in assembly https://t.co/rrylju0Cyn — Barry Ameobi (@ToonArmyMIA) October 14, 2015
He will pull that face if any humour is attempted.
If Cameron slips a Back To The Future reference into #PMQs today, let's all meet at Westminster later and burn the mother down. — Mark Harrison (@MHarrison90) October 21, 2015
Today's PMQs: Cameron clears throat: "Thing about appointing Seumus Milne is... it's BACK TO THE FUTURE." *silence* "Sir, that doesn't work" — Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) October 21, 2015
Shall we all agree to down a whole bottle of wine every time MP mentions Back To The Future at PMQs & then at least it might all end quicker — Jess Brammar (@jessbrammar) October 21, 2015
10.07
The life and times of Michael J Fox
The culture desk have chronicled Michael J Fox's life and given a review.
Their view is that as well as being an exceptional entertainer, he is an exceptional man.
Read it all here.
09:52
A Special Message From Doc Brown
Back To The Future Day is here and Doc Brown has recorded a special message for all the fans on this special day.
09.41
This guy has a more cynical approach to the festivities:
Today is the DAY pic.twitter.com/yvunUaRkvU — Jeffw (@Jeffwni) October 21, 2015
What's your favourite #branded #tweet?
09:40
Six experts predict what life will be like in 2045
Will they be better at predicting what the future is like than Back to the Future? They've told James Titcomb and Madhumita Murgia from the Technology desk what we should expect in thirty years time.
Predictions include the ability to buy emotions online, invisibility cloaks, artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
Read their article here.
Back To The Future reminds me of that time when I was a child when I fell asleep in the car and when I woke up it was the next day. — Moose Allain (@MooseAllain) October 21, 2015
09.20
Train station banter:
The spoilsports at South West trains have reminded passengers that they are not allowed to use hoverboards or time travel while using their service.
It seems like wherever you go today, you'll see tepid Back to the Future jokes, including on this live blog!
What a glorious occasion!
It must be a bit confusing for those who have not watched the film.
09.05
Apparently Back to the Future Day is going on until tomorrow morning. It is unclear whether livebloggers will be expected to sit at their computers until then (a source says that she hopes that isn't the case).
Back To The Future Day is tomorrow (Marty and Doc arrived in Hill Valley at 4.29pm Pacific Time, which is 0.29am British Summer Time) — diamond geezer (@diamondgeezer) October 21, 2015
This tweeter has pointed it out, apparently they actually went Back to the Future after midnight UK time.
Oh, and luckily for us, the DWP have chipped in with some 'banter' which is sure to make all of their many fans amused.
They wrote: ‘Pensions? Where we’re going we don’t need pensions…’ #DontIgnoreIt #BackToTheFuture http://www.workplacepensions.gov.uk/ "
And then on their image, they put "Erm, actually you do."
It's a bit of a weird joke.
08.50
Superfan explains why Back to the Future is so important
Back To The Future Superfan, Charlie Moore, explains why today is so important and what he will be doing to celebrate
08.30
Protesters park a DeLorean outside Parliament to protest the fact that hoverboards are illegal
Hoverboards have been made illegal to ride in public, along with Segways, and this has annoyed some fans of innovation.
We've received a press release from Project 42, who manufacture hoverboards.
Naturally, they are annoyed about the ban so they are parking a DeLorean outside Parliament and will have a Marty McFly lookalike on a modern day hoverboard.
Here is what they said:
"21st October 2015. That’s the date Marty McFly travelled 30 years into the future at the end of “Back to the Future.” He arrived in a world where a can of Pepsi costs $50 and where hoverboards were on every street corner.
"Today, Pepsi remains affordable but the dream of hoverboards seems further away than ever despite thousands of British consumers purchasing the self-balancing devices. On Sunday last week the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) outlawed ‘hoverboards’ and other self-balancing vehicles due to a law that was made in the 1835 Highways Act, 180 years ago!
"Project 42 (P42), a UK accelerator behind the UniWheel, one of the self-balancing products, has arranged for a genuine DeLorean to descend on the Houses of Parliament to highlight how this archaic law could stifle tech and innovative products that were once a dream. With the technology developing so quickly, only now has it become clear that this law will prevent people in the UK from experiencing their dreams and riding hoverboards."
08.18
Back to the Future: Its enduring appeal, and why it should never be remade
The University of Leicester has analysed the appeal of Back to the Future and has argued that it should never be remade (especially, perhaps, by Keith Lemon...)
Here's a snippet:
"In recent years, following the film’s cinema re-release for its 25th anniversary, Secret Cinema’s highly acclaimed immersive screenings of the first film, and technological developments such as Lexus’ hoverboard inspired by the films, the appeal of Back to the Future seems to be increasing. Perhaps this is because nostalgia for the film and its characters has not been affected by attempts to remake or re-boot the series. Unlike many other popular franchises of the 1980s such as Indiana Jones or Ghostbusters there are no plans to remake or extend the Back to the Future series.
"In fact its creators are set against the idea of a remake, with director Robert Zemeckis saying it could not happen until he and the film’s writer, Bob Gale, are dead – and hopefully not even then. In a rather grandiose claim, Zemeckis argued it would be like remaking Citizen Kane asking ‘What folly? What insanity is that?’ (Collins, 2015). But is he wrong to compare Back to the Future to, what is often thought of as, the greatest film of all time?"
Back to the Future II is now a film about the past. pic.twitter.com/KOTCqhZZcf — Meg (@megangillett_) October 21, 2015
07.58
Here are 13 things you may not know about the film franchise, kindly put together by tjhe experts on our Film team.
To start you off, apparently tt was almost called Spaceman From Pluto and Crispin Glover hated the ending...
07.48
The Surrey police force has got in on the action...
They're probably trying to get a few more followers, but their Photoshop skills are pretty impressive:
'Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads!' But 88 in a 30 gets you points & a fine in all timelines. #BTTF2015 pic.twitter.com/sGLxpKy0WK — Surrey Police (@SurreyPolice) October 21, 2015
07:43
Marty McFly's back to the future trainers become reality
This video does what it says on the tin:
07.27
ITV 2 are showing all of the films today and the Keith Lemon Back To The Future trubute...
Don't be late tonight 9pm pic.twitter.com/Mzn6erFQOT — Keith Lemon (@lemontwittor) October 21, 2015
07.18
Police forces in Aus are trying to outdo each other
It's been Back to the Future Day in Australia for a little while now, and some police forces have attempted to get in on the action.
Is it just us, or are State Police Force social media teams trying to out-viral each other? #BackToTheFutureDay pic.twitter.com/dPdu4UJWsk — Matt and Alex (@mattandalex) October 21, 2015
Marty McFly from Hill Valley, California was arrested in Melbourne today for disturbing the space-time continuum. Posted by Victoria Police on Tuesday, 20 October 2015
Officers from the Mount Isa Hoverboard Unit are investigating a crash involving a silver vehicle travelling at 88mph #BackToTheFuture Posted by Queensland Police Service on Tuesday, 20 October 2015
07.00 What's the plot?
Dr Emmett Brown takes Marty and his girlfriend Jennifer to the future to prevent their kids from "ruining their lives".
Photo: Universal Pictures
After doing that, Marty buys a sports almanac for 1950-2000, thinking it might help him in his time. Doc finds out and throws it away, but 2015 Biff (now a very old man) finds the book and uses the DeLorean to give the almanac to his younger self.
When Marty and Jennifer arrive back to their own time, they find it has totally changed - Biff is very rich and practically owns the city, (sound familiar?). He is married Marty's mother, killed his dad, and when Marty starts to ask about the almanac, he wants to kill him too.
Doc also finds out that he was imprisoned in an asylum, so the two go back to 1955, the night of the Enchantment-Under-The-Sea party in an effort to take back the almanac.
What did 'Back to the Future II' get right about 2015?
While some of these “inventions” seem laughable, not all have fallen wide of the mark.
Big-screen televisions and video calls
The film features several scenes of characters watching screens very much like the oversize ones we actually use these days. That's saying something, because most TVs of the 1980s were heavy, square appliances with bulky picture tubes. Some of them even came in wood-grain cabinets like furniture!
Also, the "BTTF II" characters talk to the screens just like we do today. Not bad, given that videophones -- though long promised -- barely existed in 1989. With FaceTime and Skype now staples, the video call has evolved from a business medium to an essential of everyday life.
Earlier this year, Canadian inventor Catalin Alexandru Duru broke the world record for the longest hoverboard flight, standing on the back of a Omni Hoverboard, his homemade, propeller-powered vehicle. With its downward-thrusting propellers, powered by a dozen lithium polymer batteries, it looks like a military drone and floats like a giant swimming aid with a man on top.
In May, Duru flew his patent-pending piece of kit at a height of 16ft above a Quebec lake, for 300 yards, on a trip that lasted a minute and a half.
Duru is not the only engineer who believes we can fly. A California company used Kickstarter money to develop the Hendo Hoverboard, which uses electromagnets to zip above a metal floor, while car manufacturer Lexus recently unveiled a wheelless skateboard made from bamboo and carbon fibre fitted with a superconductor cooled by liquid nitrogen to enable it to levitate above magnetic flooring.
To celebrate the date Marty McFly arrived in the future, an advert for the ‘Hover master’ has been made by Universal.
Video glasses
The Back to the Future films also presaged wearable technology, such as wraparound glasses which Marty uses to answer and speak on the phone (Google Glass, anyone?). Microsoft's recently announced Hololens bears more then a passing resemblence to Junior's goggles.As Doc might say: “Great Scott!”
Self-tying shoes
Nike is promising to develop hi-top trainers with inbuilt motors so the laces do the hard work by themselves.
While we’re no nearer to a flying car than when the film was released in 1989, it got some things right. Biff, one of the series’ main characters, pays for a taxi ride with a thumb print – just like the fingerprint technology used on the iPhone 6 and cashless apps such as Uber, Hailo and Bounce.
Jaws 19 trailer has actually been released
A parody trailer for Jaws 19, the film seen in Back to the Future II, has been released
he scene in Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future II, released in 1989, when Marty McFly travels in his DeLorean to 2015? In the background, a cinema is advertising Jaws 19. It is an amusing detail; a sly dig at the increasing absursity of the (never-ending) Jaws sequels. But it could never really happen... could it?
Don't be late tonight 9pm pic.twitter.com/Mzn6erFQOT — Keith Lemon (@lemontwittor) October 21, 2015
What did Back to the Future II get wrong?
Flying cars powered by rubbish
We're not quite at the stage of seeing cars zip through the air - although this guy has given it a good go... And fossil fuels still power our cars despite electric making inroads. What price a flux capacitor. Can someone get Elon Musk on the video phone..?
Power clothing
Now this is one thing we wish 2015 had brought: jackets that dry themselves and shoes that lace themselves up. Look, no hands!
Fax machines
The film went a little too heavy on its predictions for fax machines, which it imagined would be everywhere in 2015. Fortunately, they're not
... And there's one key invention Back to the Future II missed out: smartphones and tablets, undeniably the most important technological breakthrough of the last decade. Apple didn't even get a look-in.
Might have come in handy when Marty and the Doc wanted to escape the future and head back to 1985.
06.45: It's here - at last!
Hello and welcome to our Back to the Future liveblog on October 21, 2015 - the date that Marty McFly and Dr Emmett “Doc” Brown chose to travel forward in time from 1985 in the hit sequel Back To The Future II.
According to the time-bending 1980s sci-fi flick, by October 21 2015, we would be living in a world of hoverboards, flying cars and self-tying shoelaces. And now that the day has actually arrived.
Stay with us throughout the day for all the updates on one of the most memorable days in film history. |
Cricket in the West Indies was plunged into its deepest crisis yesterday when the Indian board announced it was suspending all future bilateral series, threatening financial ruin for the sport in the Caribbean.
The BCCI also announced it would launch legal proceedings to recover at least $65 million (£40 million) in losses after the West Indies pulled out of its tour to India with a one-day international, a Twenty20 and three Tests to play.
As in all Test-playing nations, West Indian cricket relies heavily on broadcasting deals, perimeter advertising and sponsorship generated from tours by the Indian team, which is due to visit in 2016 and 2017, and four times in total over the next eight years. Without that income, it is hard to see how West Indian cricket, which was $5 million in debt last year, can survive, forcing its administrators to beg for a compromise.
The West Indies board would also be crippled by a legal bill of $65 million if a compromise deal is not struck with the BCCI to resolve a dispute which began at the end of last week when the West Indies team, captained by Dwayne Bravo, pulled out of the tour due to a protracted contractual dispute.
The tour agreement between the boards is likely to be governed by Indian law and it is the courts there that will handle any claim for damages. The BCCI will know it is futile suing an entity that has no assets and sources are instead predicting it is likely to renegotiate the Future Tours Programme, with India cancelling the 2016 tour of three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20. Such a move would cost the West Indies around $50 million.
The fallout is spreading ripples around the rest of the cricketing world with Wally Edwards, the chairman of Cricket Australia, describing the situation as “deeply concerning”, no doubt worried about its potential impact on next year’s World Cup to be hosted by his country and New Zealand.
The England and Wales Cricket Board is also watching developments closely. England’s next Test series is in the Caribbean in April, a vital precursor to the summer’s campaign to regain the Ashes.
With the West Indies board at loggerheads with its players and threatening to suspend those on strike, it begs the question of what standard of opposition Alastair Cook’s men will face when they play three Tests in Antigua, Grenada and Barbados. The ECB will also be seeking assurances that, when the West Indies next tour this country in 2017, they will fulfil their commitments or have legal recourse for compensation with cash- strapped Test grounds here unlikely to be able to bear the losses incurred by an abandoned series.
The West Indies Cricket Board was holding an emergency board meeting on Tuesday but sources have indicated this issue is many months from being resolved.
It is the result of a long-running feud between the players and the board. It started years ago over the renegotiation of match fees. Dave Richardson, of the ICC, and Tim May, then chief executive of the international players’ union, Fica, struck a deal between the players and the board. The players’ union rejected it, the matter went to arbitration and the courts found in favour of the cricket board. The deal agreed by Wavell Hinds, the current president and chief executive of the West Indies Players’ Association, is at the heart of this current dispute is strikingly close to the one negotiated by Richardson and May.
It cuts sponsorship fees to the international side which are redistributed to improve the pay of domestic cricketers in the Caribbean. “There are 90 domestic players in the West Indies who think this is a great deal and eight in India who resent it and have not given anybody a chance to sort it out,” said one source.
Officials pleaded with the West Indies players not to pull out of the tour at the end of last week but they went ahead with their strike and have since returned home.
The BCCI blames the West Indies Board, holding them to account for failing to stand by contractual agreements and sorting out a deal with its own players.
Picking a fight with India is futile and the BCCI believes the West Indies board were too slow to react to the impending crisis. Officials had pre-booked flights to India this coming weekend and did not see the need to bring them forward. They falsely believed the fact the deal had been signed by the players’ representatives was an indication the team knew what they had agreed even if they were not entirely happy.
But by the middle of last week, with the players living the closeted world of a cricket tour, where minor disputes can turn into major resentment, the crisis got out of hand.
Now both sides are blaming each other with the cricket website, cricinfo, quoting a senior West Indies official as saying “it was the players, really, to be blamed”.
It has even embarrassed former West Indies greats, with Michael Holding siding with the players saying: “All will be fine in West Indies cricket when we get proper administration. We have the talent, we just need proper administration, something we don’t have at the moment.”
Pay disputes are nothing new in West Indies cricket but this is the first time they have pulled out of a tour, which would be bad enough if it were not for the fact they were playing the most powerful nation in the world.
There is nowhere for the West Indies board to turn. Under the new structure of the ICC, arguments over bilateral series have to be sorted out by the member boards, a situation that gives India massive leverage in any dispute. |
Citing videos he viewed on the internet, “Trunews” host Rick Wiles on Friday suggested that Hillary Clinton is faking her campaign stops, claiming that in videos of the events, the images that appear on the attendees’ smartphones are not images of the rallies.
“She’s nowhere to be seen, the flags are not there, you can’t even distinguish what they are looking at, it’s nowhere to be seen on the stage,” he said. “Are they faking her personal appearances?”
Wiles also alleged that Clinton’s campaign sent out a body double to speak to the press outside of her daughter’s apartment after she had fallen ill at a September 11 memorial event: “I personally think it was a double. I don’t think Hillary passed out on the curb and then an hour or two later was walking around smiling and grinning. That just doesn’t happen in normal life.” |
‘Work smart, not hard’ is a phrase you will hear often on a film set. In no way does it mean be lazy, in fact it means quite the opposite. The truth is that working in film can be incredibly hard…so why not do little things to make your day a little easier? At first some of it might seem a little odd, but as you gain experience and practice these tips they will become second nature.
Work Smart, Not Hard
Draw an overhead diagram of lighting positions and/or camera positions. Sometimes seeing things from above can really help you to better understand what you are doing and often times help you to tell if you are over lighting or over covering a scene. Many cinematographers will give their gaffer with diagrams, but even if they don’t there’s nothing stopping you from drawing one up.
Label things. I’m notoriously bad at forgetting this one. If you’ve rigged five kinos overhead and were able to run all the ballasts back to the same spot throw some white tape on them and label what they are. Later on when the DP asks you to switch two of them to low output and turn off the other two you wont be fumbling with switches.
Communicate well and discuss complex tasks before diving in. If you need to rig a light in a weird place or rig a camera to a car, talk it out first. Just because you are the key grip or the gaffer doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask the people below you for their opinions on things. Everyone sees the world in a different way and the way someone else would do something could be faster, safer and more efficient than your way.
Don’t question, but ask questions. It might save you a lot of unnecessary work. The last thing you want is to run a bunch of cable to find out it’s clearly in the shot. Also, asking questions might open your bosses eyes to problems that may arise later.
Work as a team and learn to delegate responsibilities. I think this one is a little obvious, but I see a lot of department heads that don’t use their team properly. They will have everyone in the department focus on one task or do everything themselves while the rest stand around watching. If there are three or four people in your department have each person tackle a small task, then get together for the big one.
Think ahead, especially as a best boy. The BB should always be one step ahead, if they aren’t running cable or pre-lighting the next set they could be prepping for tomorrow or taking steps to make your wrap out go smoother.
Be as efficient as possible, you’re already carrying all the right tools, let take it a step further. This one also goes hand in hand with thinking things through before diving in. Say you have to set a flag, instead of just taking the flag and the stand grab a sandbag too. Same goes for lights, take some AC with you, or a dimmer. Try to do as much in one trip so you can get things up faster.
Work Smart, Not Hard
If you have any tips to add feel free to share below and don’t forget to brush up on your set etiquette and subscribe! |
The Greg One will forever be a homer for his alma mater, North Carolina State University. NCSU is based in Raleigh, North Carolina, where your intrepid reporter was born, raised and attended college. San Diego Chargers fans already has a great link to NCSU in our future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Philip Rivers. As an alum, I will always root for fellow Wolfpack to succeed in the NFL. Mario Williams, Torry Holt, Rivers, Adrian Wilson, Manny Lawson and Andre Brown are among Wolfpack to make their names in the NFL. Now there is one more name to add, a name we should ALL have at the top of our lists no matter who we root for.
Russell Wilson.
Russell Wilson is touted as a Wisconsin Badger because he did play his senior year at Wisconsin. What no one mentions is Wilson played his first three years of college football at NCSU. That would be the equivalent of remembering Joe Montana as a Kansas City Chief instead of a 49er. Wilson made his name as an N.C. State quarterback but no one looks at college players in that regard. The Greg One does and will always look for him to do great things and he may have had his career defining moment three games into his NFL career. With one hail mary that was caught in the end zone..
Russell Wilson has saved the NFL.
The ongoing NFL referee strike has resulted in replacement referees trying to manage the most competitive, physical game in American sports. Watching these games, these referees have been greatly overmatched and overwhelmed by the speed of the game, the intensity of the players and the uncertainty of the rules. Simple things such as where to spot the ball, determining possession, which way to look when addressing a penalty (facing the crowd instead of the camera) are just a small sample of a major problem. The time of the game has been out of control, the pace and control of the games has gotten out of hand. We watch the games because we have no choice. We wait all year for the NFL to begin and we sadly have no control in getting the replacement refs off the field other than turning off our tv’s in such a huge volume over a consistent period of time the NFL has to take notice. We all know that won’t happen. So, we wait and hope for the storm to pass and can only watch as the damage unfolds, getting greater and greater by the week. It would take a catastrophic event to change the NFL’s perception that the replacements are doing fine, all things considered.
That event just happened.
On Monday Night Football, the most watched game of the week before a nationwide audience, a call so bad occurred that the league has to go back to the bargaining table with the locked out referees with the utmost sense of urgency. Now a starting rookie with Seattle, Russell Wilson’s pass was intercepted in the end zone by Green Bay’s M.D. Jennings. Seattle’s wide receiver Golden Tate got his hands on the ball as Jennings came down. One replacement referee called it a touchback while a second referee called a touchdown. The touchdown stood, was reviewed, upheld and the Packers were cost the win due to a wrong call. Before the pass itself comes into the equation, Tate shoved a Packers player out of the way to allow himself room to make a play.The shove, right in front of the referee, should have been called offensive pass interference and the game should have been over regardless of who caught the ball. Now the outrage from the national and social media, fans, and more notably NFL players have spoken out.
Chargers fans are not unfamiliar with a referee costing their team a win as evidenced by the Ed Hochuli call a few season ago against the Broncos but the fact that this even had a chance to occur is unforgivable. If the Packers miss out on the playoffs by one game, guess which game they will hearken back to. By then, the referees in charge of that decision will be long gone but a serious Super Bowl contender, and its rabid fan base, will be out of the picture. In a division with the Bears, Lions and a conference as tough as the NFC making it will be no cinch coming out of the chute at 1-2 after three games.
The integrity of the game has been compromised. Player safety, the two biggest buzzwords during the players strike, has been called into question. The ability of the replacement referees and the overall viewability of the games themselves has been in question since preseason. One Russell Wilson pass, viewed by the world on Monday night, will change the landscape of the NFL moving forward. Golden Tate gets no credit because he was the beneficiary of the bad decision and at no point caught the ball. The Greg One predicts this move is the breaking point even the league can’t deny and a deal will be reached by this weekend and the real referees will be back on the field in week five.
God Bless N.C. State athletes.
And thank you, Russell Wilson, for saving the NFL. |
Fed up with the mainstream media filter, Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) is taking her quest to inform Americans about the threat of jihad to the Internet — namely, YouTube — in a new weekly terror news video series that will be featured on her congressional Web site.
The first two episodes — “Beyond Terrorism -The Whole Story” and “Fort Hood – What You’re Not Hearing” — are presented in a news magazine format, with Myrick speaking in front of a grey screen, flanked by an American flag and a plant. In the Fort Hood episode, Myrick “interviews” authors like Walid Phares of the conservative Foundation for Defense of Democracies (while she asks them direct questions, Myrick does not seem to actually be in the room with her interlocutors).“There is a lot of radicalization on the Internet today; there is radicalization in the mosques; there are people who have been indoctrinated into the same line of thinking that are now in positions in our government,” Myrick says in the “Beyond Terrorism” episode (posted below). “All of this is tied together. And we want to bring this to you over a period of time, so you can be educated.”
A member of the House intelligence committee, Myrick first caught TPMmuckraker’s eye last October, when she launched a campaign to root out Muslim intern spies who allegedly infiltrated national security committees in Congress. That project was based on revelations from the book Muslim Mafia, whose foreword was penned by Myrick. She later declined to reject the call of the book’s co-author for a “backlash” against Muslims in the wake of the Fort Hood shootings.
It looks like the new video series could get much more interesting in the coming weeks. In an interview with Politics Daily, Myrick promised that a future episode will reveal “‘the rest of the story’ — including a plan by the Muslim Brotherhood, an Egypt-based Islamist group,” according to the news site. She said that the plan came out in the Holy Land Foundation Hamas funding trial.
Myrick is probably talking about a 1991 document from the trial that has since become a favorite subject of right-wing terrorism analysts. Reportedly a memo written by a “North American operative” of the Muslim Brotherhood, the document refers to a “Civilization-Jihadist” process with the goal of “eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within.”
In the first episode of the new series, Myrick slams the media for falling down on the job. The attack on Western civilization “is something that nobody ever tells you, you don’t hear about,” she says. “Sure there are people on television periodically who are experts do a good job — the Steve Emersons and Walid Phareses of the world — but that is not the whole story. ”
In the Fort Hood episode, there’s even footage of an anonymous “former FBI agent” talking about Major Hasan.
Myrick also recommends that viewers read several books on the threat of jihad, including They Must Be Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam and How We Can Do It by Brigitte Gabriel of the American Congress For Truth (last seen on the Washington Times‘ “Cruise for America!”) as well as Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives have Penetrated Washington by Paul Sperry, who also co-authored Muslim Mafia.
Myrick concludes the first episode: “Visit our Web site on a regular basis because we’re going to be posting a lot of new information, and it will be valuable to you, and you can share it with your friends and neighbors so they can be educated as well. Because if the American people don’t know what’s going on, we might as well hang it up.”
Here’s the first episode:
And here’s the second: |
Jen Carlson/Gothamist
This weekend, going through some old family photos, I found this folded up piece of newspaper: a page from The New York Times, October 5th, 1969. My dad, a huge Beatles fan, most likely saved it, though maybe it was my mom who originally tore it out of the paper to show him... she didn't really like The Beatles, and there was often a battle over the 8-track player in our old family van. It seems the author of the review also had plenty of criticisms about the band.
Nik Cohn makes the 15-minute medley on the second side the centerpiece of his review, as it was the only 15 minutes of the album he enjoyed—his headline reads, "The Beatles: For 15 Minutes, Tremendous." And even within those 15 minutes there are problems, according to Cohn, who declares: "Individually, the numbers are nothing special... and some of the lyrics are quite painful." Here are some other thoughts from Cohn, on one of the greatest albums in history:
"There was a time when the Beatles's lyrics were one of their greatest attractions. Not any more. On Abbey Road, you get only marshmallow."
"On Abbey Road the words are limp-wristed, pompous and fake."
"This album is unmitigated disaster."
"The badness ranges from mere gentle tedium to cringing embarrassment."
"On 'Oh! Darling,' Lennon flounders in an orgy of gulps, howls and retches, flung together at random." [Note: Lennon didn't sing that song, McCartney did.]
And that's not all, he goes on to call the two songs by George Harrison: "mediocrity incarnate." Those two songs, by the way, are "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something." He says Lennon has sunk to new lows by ripping off not only earlier Beatles tracks, but other musicians as well. He says The Beatles have started to rely on "overkill"—something that "ruined their last double-album," as well. You know, the legendary album commonly known as The White Album? According to his review of that one , it was "boring beyond belief" and filled with "profound mediocrities."
You can read all of Cohn's Abbey Road review right here—he finishes off his takedown by declaring: "As it stands, Abbey Road isn't tremendous. Still, it has 15 fine minutes and, by rock standards, that's a lot."
You may find Cohn's name familiar—he wrote the New York magazine article that went on to become Saturday Night Fever, and while his "article was published as a piece of factual reporting," he later admitted he made it up: "My story was a fraud." |
Strugglers Cheltenham and Stevenage battled out a scrappy goalless draw at Whaddon Road.
In a match of few chances, neither side mustered much in the way of impetus on an uninspiring night in Gloucestershire.
Cheltenham's Billy Waters forced a strong one-handed save from Jamie Jones after eight minutes but the best openings of the first half came within 60 seconds of one another.
Stevenage's Charlie Lee had a header cleared off the line by Jack Barthram on 18 minutes before Danny Wright held up for Harry Pell to fire a low shot across goal which was pushed around the far post by Jones at the other end.
The visitors upped the ante before half-time and Stevenage's Tyler Walker teed up Dale Gorman to fizz over from 18 yards, five minutes after the restart.
Cheltenham then enjoyed their own purple patch and with 13 minutes remaining, Pell's drive from a quick lay-off was scrambled around the upright by Jones.
The game became stretched late on with Kgosi Ntlhe guiding another Cowans free-kick back across goal, where the alert Griffiths pushed away.
Report supplied by the Press Association. |
[Back to Essays] On Critiquing*
An unpublished essay on the art of critiquing by Dean Blehert
I encounter much confusion when I critique poetry or discuss critiquing with poets. I know talented poets who consider critiquing a bad, useless and/or dangerous thing, others who have it confused with teaching a beginner how to write poetry and others who simply don't know how to begin.
My dictionary says a critique is a critical estimate of a work of literature or art. "Critical" is both "Inclined to criticize, especially unfavorably" and "Exercising...careful judgment; exact; nicely judicious"--not necessarily negative.
I'll be talking about critiquing poetry, something I've done a lot of, but it should apply to critiquing any art.
A critique is a communication about the strengths and weaknesses of a work of art. Its nature will vary greatly according to whether it's a communication by a critic to the artist, a teacher to a student, a critic to an audience of readers or the artist him/herself to readers. The intentions and methods are different in each case. I'm mainly interested in critiquing designed to help an artist improve his/her work. [From now on, please accept "he" as short for "he/she", etc.]
Most writings on criticism discuss aesthetics: What is a good line of poetry? How can you tell a good poem from a bad poem? Etc. In this discussion, I consider the act of criticism itself as a form of communication and describe, not the ideal content of criticism, but guidelines for making criticism useful to an artist. Where criticism goes bad, it's not usually because critics don't know what they like and why or because their notions of art are stupid. It's because they don't understand the purpose of a critique. Here are the key considerations:
A. Who should be critiqued?
Criticism is an attempt to improve quality and viability. It should not be attempted until the artist is able to produce in quantity. Most people who've taught poetry (or other arts) to school children will agree that critiquing plays no part in it. You just get them writing lots of poetry. It stems the flow to start telling them what's wrong with their work when they're just building up the nerve to write at all. The best critiquing at this stage is simply telling the student when you particularly like something. This is a time for broad praise, not criticism.
Criticism becomes useful to an artist when he's producing in volume and has attention on improving the products. He may despair of equaling the power of masterworks he admires, or he may simply be puzzled why others don't recognize his excellence. In either case, he's ready for critiquing, though in the second instance, this would take the form of telling the artist what others don't care for in the work and why, not saying what's weak in it; you can help an artist who thinks he's perfect (as long as he wants more acceptance), but it takes tact.
Ignoring this distinction between teaching and critiquing creates upsets about criticism. Most people who hate the very idea of critiquing received it mixed in with early teaching. When they were just beginning to grope for the nerve to think it might be barely okay for them to express themselves, someone took a critical look at their crude work. It may not have looked like a critique, perhaps was condescending praise, "Now isn't that just darling!" It may have been a tired father's rough joke or the absence of expected lavish praise. Maybe someone thought something was naughty to say.
People critiqued too soon may stop writing altogether. Or they may revise a single work endlessly, trying to achieve an Absolute--finishing nothing. One revises to improve. When art works (gets the message across), it's good enough. It can always be improved. There's no end to that. An artist who revises endlessly, waiting for a revelation of perfection, hasn't learned to decide that something is done. A professional FINISHES works of art. He may later decide to revise them further. But he doesn't wait for the art to attain to some impossible standard, usually imposed on the artist by an early critic.
Trying to critique a beginner in a helpful way is like walking blindfolded into a minefield.
How much production is enough? When an artist has produced enough to want outlets, when he's tried to improve his work himself (and it's hard to revise or toss out poems when you don't have an abundance of them), when he wants opinions of his work and not just patting on the head, he's ready. But don't mix critiquing with teaching a beginner. The teacher wants production. The critic wants to improve quality and viability.
B. How do you improve an artist's quality?
The main benefit an artist gets from criticism is increased ability to view his own work from the viewpoint of its audience. An artist is professional to the extent that, wanting to create a certain effect, he can sense whether his work will create that effect on his chosen audience and can revise the work as needed to create that effect. To the extent he can do this, he is his own critic and needs no critiquing from others (but any artist can gain from sharp enough critiquing.)
Imagination includes the ability to occupy a diversity of viewpoints. In a poem the poet may occupy the viewpoint of a bird, a flower or a madman. Should he not also be able to occupy the viewpoint of his reader reading the poem?
A work of art is a communication from an artist to an audience, where the artist wants the audience to receive his intention. As with any communication, it will work only to the extent that the origination point (artist) can confront the receipt point (audience) and put an intention across directly and exactly to that point (not over its head or falling short) so that the receipt point GETS it.
A poet writing in his room doesn't have his reader at hand, can't see the response. He has to imagine his reader, assume the reader's viewpoint--BE the reader. Critiquing helps him do this. For one thing, the poet hears what one reader (the critic) has to say about the poem.
But critiquing is not just saying "I like the poem." Fellow poets, to the extent that they are professional, are able not only to say what they like and dislike, but what in the poem creates that effect.
By "professional" I mean someone who is not just affected by art, but also is aware of how the art is doing what it does. He can be moved while also being aware of the techniques that move him. Through his sobbing, he hears the background music fishing for tears. He knows how it is done, having done it himself.
From readers and critics a professional gets a sense of what works for others. He can look at a poem he personally dislikes and see that it will please some other audience or that a poem he likes will not suit a particular editor. Thus the very ability obtained from good critiquing ( to occupy the viewpoints of readers) also increases one's value to others as a critic.
Critiquing others well improves an artist's work: A good poetry critic reads the poem intelligently, notes his own response to it AND what in the poem caused that response. Also, using that same ability to duplicate the viewpoints of others, the critic understands the response INTENDED. For example, even though unmoved by a poem, he can sense (if he's a good critic) that the author intended him to be moved in a particular way. (Note: This doesn't mean he knows the poet's reasons for writing. By intention here, I mean, simply, the effective vector of the communication. For example, if, in a restaurant, I say to the waitress, "Maam...", and she turns to me and says "Yes?"--she got my intention. She may not know what I want from her, but she knows I was trying to get her attention. Similarly, when a poet is trying to be ironic or funny or tragic, a critic should be able to tell--or should at least know that he isn't getting it.)
Finally, the critic should be good at communicating his response to the poem (and since the critic is a poet himself, he's likely to know what to say to get across to another poet.)
Then he can say, "Look here, this line falls flat. It's supposed to be funny and moving, but it's anticlimactic because..."--and if the critic has done a good job of getting the poet's intention, the criticism will make sense to the poet.
C. Guidelines for critics:
1. Don't critique someone who doesn't want to be critiqued-- unless you want to get rid of him. (It's usually safe to praise what you like.) Someone's having written a lot of poems doesn't mean the writer is willing to be critiqued. Some writers have had bad experiences with critiquing (giving or receiving) and can't stand the thought of it. Some, despite obvious talent, are terribly insecure and want only support.
Some people SEEM to ask for criticism, but send subtle signals to the contrary. To survive emotionally, a critic must learn to tell when a poet who asks for an opinion is really asking for praise. It's an old joke: Wife asks, "How do you like my new dress?" and inexperienced husband foolishly says he doesn't care for it, thinking she wants his opinion, when she's fishing for admiration.
If you admire an artist's talent and want to help him become more professional, you must first handle his objections to being critiqued (all critiquing is bad, no one should ever criticize a work of art, the artist creates for himself alone, etc.)
Usually such an artist has experienced (or done) bad critiquing. There may be words in the areas of critiquing and art that he's never properly understood. He usually prefers not to realize that bad critiquing happens all the time whether he invites it or not: Total silence, no one aware of his work, no one wanting to know about it, rejection slips, seeing a poem in print that's inferior to his own unpublished poem, even polite praise from friends--all act as criticism.
GOOD criticism disarms BAD criticism. A poet who has experienced sound critiquing is surer of himself and less daunted by the sloppy criticism the world inflicts on every artist.
2. Know your hobbyhorses. If you can't abide formally rhymed and metered poems, realize that you don't have much to say to a writer of rhymed and metered poems. You could advise poets to work in free verse and give your reasons, but you'd be doing a disservice if you told a poet his rhymed poem was lousy without also telling him that you consider all rhymed poems lousy. You'd be criticizing a poem's failure to live up to your own intentions, not the poet's. A professional considers not only his own tastes, but what others may like.
Beware, in particular, of criticism of another that is really a defense of your own poetry. A poet who feels under attack because his poems are too surreal for current tastes, for example, will be tempted to attack poems by others that are too logical in their linking of images--and vice versa. The game is getting another's viewpoint, not solidifying one's own.
There are uses for criticism that attacks the givens of a form. For example, suppose a poet has had his approach to poetry attacked because it's outside the mainstream. You may be able to encourage him by assailing the limitations of mainstream poetry. Critical essays for readers often do this sort of thing to give literary credentials to new or old forms.
But it's awfully hard to help a poet if you invalidate his intention in writing the poem. That criticizes not the poem, but the poet. A critic should help the poet distance himself from his poem and view it from a variety of viewpoints. An upset introverts and makes the poet less able to be anyone other than a very narrow outraged self. Attacking the poet and not the poem upsets the poet; it doesn't help him improve his work. It may stop him from working at all, a dubious goal for criticism.
Critiquing of intentions has no place in a discussion of QUALITY (how to get your communication across with impingement, power, clarity, wit, etc.). It has to do with VIABILITY (Will the poem sell, last for millennia, save society? Is it a GREAT POEM?). An artist must stably achieve quantity and quality before it will do him much good to consider viability. Just as a young poet first beginning to write will be stifled by too much concern about quality (whether imposed on him by others or by himself) and must be taught to loosen up and produce, so a poet who's written lots of poems but is just beginning to hone his quality will be overwhelmed by too much concern with viability.
Viability critiquing (often something a poet does for himself) is a long-range concern: developing the ability to view his work from the viewpoint of large numbers of readers in the distant future. It's "I'm writing good poems. Now how do I get them to survive?" It may be "I can create any effect I want. Now what effects SHOULD I create?" A writer who can view his work from the viewpoint of a CULTURE over a long period of time will achieve viability. In its narrowest form, it's being able to take the viewpoints of editors and contest judges.
Concern for viability does verge over into critiquing intention: "Your poems are great, but they're not the sort of poems we're interested in," says an editor. He's not criticizing the quality of the poems, but (implicitly) the poet's choosing to write about certain subjects or in certain forms, etc.
It's not that the poet shouldn't dream of future greatness or popularity, but that the development of quality requires that he learn the tools of the trade, work out his own "voice" and themes, find his audience, etc. If at this point he's overly concerned, for example, about selling a poem to a prestigeous magazine, he's likely to produce lots of pale imitations of the poems in that magazine, to take no chances, to find out little about what HE wants to say as a poet. (Trying for a particular magazine or type of poem is probably not harmful if done as a light exercise.)
Similarly, criticism that tells the poet he's writing the wrong kind of poetry, trying to communicate the wrong feelings or ideas, etc., will be ignored or will simply impede.
Viability in any field is a concern that can easily lead to dispersal. One must continually modify the product for each market. Unless the poet has a firm grasp of HIS product and a flexible mastery of his tools, he will soon feel he is no longer producing his own product, but simply giving people what they want, like a short-order cook. Flexibility requires strength.
After a poet has "found his voice"--is competent, knows who he is as a poet and what he's doing and can critique his own work easily, he is tough enough to put attention on viability. Critiquing of intention becomes possible. The poet can now spot it. When such critiquing slips in as critiquing of quality, it undermines the poet.
There's no absolute line to be drawn between quality and viability. It's a matter of emphasis. For example, telling a poet to stop writing in meter & rhyme because it's out of fashion could be one or the other. It's critiquing of quality if the critic has noted that something about the theme and rhythm of the particular poem would come across better in free verse or that the poet makes a hash of rhyme and meter (though then the poet probably needs to do MORE rhyme and meter). If the critic simply considers rhyme and meter obsolete, we're getting into viability. We're saying, "You do this well, but would you please do something else to be in fashion."
Examples of putting attention on viability: "This poem is very powerful, but it's sad. You write so many sad poems. But the world needs happy poems." "I personally love the way you use obscenity in this poem, but it's not suitable for our public, so could you please cut that part?"
To CRITIQUE viability, the critic would have to explain WHY happier or less obscene poems are needed. For example, the critic may have social concerns about the scarcity of happy poems. Nothing wrong with such concerns, but it doesn't mix well with criticism of quality. More legitimate at the quality stage would be, "All this sadness seems hackneyed to me. You really belabor it. Don't you think this line here pours it on a bit heavy? Every time you mention the sky, it's 'the weeping sky'."
Even the narrowest approach to viability (e.g., pleasing an editor) can subvert quality. The first step is for the poet to learn to communicate with high quality using the tools of poetry. This includes working out what he wants to say and to whom. By "to whom" I mean that the poet, in addressing a reader, becomes increasingly aware of who that reader is. And that reader is not necessarily an editor. If a poet sends lots of poetry to editors too soon in his development, editorial rejections and acceptances may be overwhelming and may prevent the poet from ever finding his readers. He'll be too eager to please or defy editors. After a poet can stand up to critiquing and knows what to ignore, he's ready to stand up to editors.
This doesn't mean a young poet should be cautious about sending off a few poems just to get the feel of it. But when, after a few submissions, he feels like not writing anymore or that there's something basically wrong with the sort of poetry he writes (that can't be defined in terms of quality), it's time to back off from submitting--and KEEP WRITING.
Critiquing with the idea of making a poem suitable for a particular market, then, will not likely be fruitful until the poet has achieved a stably acceptable quality.
My own worst excesses as a critic have come from missing the above distinctions. Once I told a gifted student that her poems were beautiful, but equated beauty with loss. All beauty needn't be sad, I asserted, challenging her intention, far from addressing the poem's quality. I drove her to tears. She never showed me a poem again.
Once I objected to a poem's glorifying a victim (an abused prostitute). I leapt in doctrinairely. It led to lots of heat and no light. (For one thing, I had a minute in which to try to make a point that would have taken hours of discussion. I was attacking the poet's philosophy.)
3. Know when you don't understand something and don't be ashamed to say so. If you don't get it, some others won't get it, and that's data the poet needs--and all too seldom gets. Most people, being social (not very useful in critiquing when it goes beyond basic manners), when they don't understand a poem, will praise it in a vague way. I've often seen the following: Poet X reads a poem--long silence. Then several people say it's a very strong or interesting poem. More silence. Then I say, "I don't really understand this poem. You lose me at line three." And suddenly it turns out no one else in the room understood either. Or the poet says, "Well, I meant blah blah blah...". And one of the poets who just praised the poem says, "What! I thought you meant...".
No one had a clue, and we were about to let the poet leave thinking he'd communicated clearly when he hadn't.
4. One specific example (of something in a poem that's weak, for example) is worth any number of generalizations. If the poet just wants to hear "I like it" or "I don't like it", he may as well survey on the street. (Of course, if the critic is someone the poet looks up to, just the "I like/don't like it" may be of value.) Generalities disguised as ultra-professional dicta (such as, "This poem needs to be cut to about half its length") can be stultifying.
5. Sometimes you have lots of time to give a poem a good reading. Sometimes you get only one quick hearing and don't even have a copy before you. Criticism is possible in either case, but don't try to be painstakingly detailed in critiquing a poem you've just glanced at. Give your impression and stress that it's a first impression.
6. DON'T LIE. Polite praise of the strong points of a poem is a tactful way to lead into a critique, but never call strong what you feel is weak. Don't compromise what's real to you.
The most common lie is a subtle one: The critic praises the poem because the poem seems to do what such a poem is supposed to do, but pays no attention to his (the critic's) responses AS A READER. A boring poem is praised as moving when, clearly, no one in the room is moved. Of course, when the poet is writing about his grief at the death of his mother, it takes tact and guts to say that the poem can be improved. And if the poet is too close to the poem, it may be best to say nothing. But don't simply compute "poem is supposed to be moving; therefore, I must have been moved by it." Be true to your own responses.
7. Don't give the poet more than he can use. If he's got a mediocre poem, help him make it a good poem. Don't tell him it's galaxies away from being a GREAT poem. (Greatness is a viability concern.) Ok, it's one more poem about young love, it's been said a million times before. Well, help him say it again and say it well. Help him eliminate some of the corn. Point out the image that draws you into it. Don't tell him that it's a tired theme at best--not until he can do it easily and is ready to tackle something more ambitious. Don't overwhelm him.
8. Criticize the poem, not the poet. Sometimes this isn't easy. For example, you may sense that the poet is writing about something he knows nothing about (that is, that the poet needs to "live" differently). But there's always some way to approach this in terms of the strengths and weaknesses of the poem, and that will communicate better. Implying that you or your experience is better than the poet or his experience is a sure way to break off all communication.
9. You're there to see that the poet is helped, not harmed. If you're in a workshop and one of the other critics is making hash of a good poem, speak up. Take responsibility for seeing that no one leaves maimed by stupid criticism. This doesn't mean getting into long arguments with another critic to prove that he's wrong. Usually it's enough simply to let the poet know that there's more than one viewpoint available.
For example, everyone in the group knows that poet X goes on the warpath against dirty words in a poem. No one takes X seriously on that point. A shy new poet who doesn't know about X reads a poem with a naughty word in it, and X dives in. The poet thinks, wow, my poem sucks!--or wow, this group sucks! Don't leave it at that. Say something sane, something positive about the poem, even about THE word.
The above are the least understood points I've encountered in critiquing. Obviously it helps if you, yourself, are a good poet and an experienced reader of poetry. It helps if you know something of the poetic tradition in your own language and perhaps in some foreign languages (but the importance of this has often been exaggerated).
It is essential that you know such basics of communication as being able to get your point across, not interrupting others (something that's gotten me in trouble), being able to listen to and acknowledge others, etc. It's important to know the difference between exchanging viewpoints (which is what's wanted) and arguing (which is useless, because arguers are simply fighting off the viewpoints of others). The writer answering a critic isn't arguing if some exchange of viewpoints occurs.
There are many other points that particular critics advocate. Some say the poet should present his work, then sit silent, just listen, not try to respond to criticism. I don't think it's always bad to respond. It can get the critic to clarify his point in a helpful way. On the other hand, the discipline of just listening is useful, especially for a very defensive poet.
Some critics think it essential that someone other than the poet read the poem to the group. Certainly that can help a poet get distance from the poem. But it's also good for a poet to get practice in reading his poem aloud.
Some prefer workshops led by a guru, a well-known poet who leads the critiquing. Others prefer critiquing among groups of equals (taking turns). The former may or may not provide superior critiquing, but it can be useful politically: getting to know the established poet, getting guidance from him in getting published, etc.
D. Guidelines for poets being critiqued:
For criticism to be useful, the critic must know how to critique, as discussed above. It also helps if the poet being criticized knows how to RECEIVE it. Here are some guidelines:
1. Offer for critiquing a poem about which you feel uneasy. Perhaps you've been struggling with it and know it isn't quite right. If you think a poem is perfect, why would you want it critiqued?
Actually, it can be educational to submit one of your "perfect" poems for criticism. It can open up your eyes. But it's harder on you. It's something you should do after you've been seasoned by successful critiquing of your weaker poems. (By successful, I mean that you feel you've improved the poem as a result--and probably others feel that too.)
This point is tricky, since there's a temptation to show off by giving your critics the work you're most proud of. Go ahead, but be ready for a jolt: If you're dealing with professionals, no poem is likely to be perfect.
2. Get the idea that you're there to get someone else's viewpoint, not defend your own. When others are critiquing your work, the most useful things you can say are requests that a critic clarify something you don't understand. Some critics say that beyond that the poet shouldn't speak up for his work at all. But if a critic totally misses the point of the poem, I'd point that out, then find out what the critic thinks of the poem once he's on the right track. I already know (from the critic's initial response) that the poem is unclear to him, which may be a weakness in the poem. Now I don't need to hear all the additional misconceptions he bases on the initial one. I'd rather direct him back to the poem.
Suppose I write a satire in which I take the viewpoint of a Nazi attacking Jews with the purpose of mocking the Nazi, and suppose a critic misses the irony and starts chastising me for being anti-semitic? From the point where I see the critic has missed the poem, my time is being wasted, because the critic is criticizing something other than my poem. I point out that the poem is a satire. Then the critic can say things useful to me, for example, point out why the irony doesn't come across.
In other words, communication that clarifies is useful. Defensive communication is not.
(Personally, I like communication free and easy and favor as few rules as possible.)
3. Learn which criticism to accept, which to ignore and which to put on a back burner to be reconsidered later: Learn to spot the critic who's riding a hobbyhorse, always objects to certain types of poetry without regard for quality. Learn to spot the "critic" who loves everything. Be wary when several poets whose poetry you consider sloppy and sentimental "love" your poem, and several poets whose work you respect are conspicuously silent. (Ask them what they're thinking.) Don't buy a criticism just because it comes from someone you respect. Learn that the critic with no blind spots is nonexistent. Don't change a poem if the change doesn't feel right to you (the changed poem will no longer be your own). Reject the criticism or put it on hold.
It's particularly educational to join a large, diverse group of poets who critique each other's poems. If you receive critiquing from a single teacher, his opinion becomes excessively weighty. In a diverse group it is often revelatory to see how one person hates the poem that another loves, how the line that one poet pinpoints as a weakness another considers a strength.
The diverse opinions don't necessarily cancel out. One of the critics may make more sense to you than another or may be, simply, a better poet/critic. Still, there's something liberating (perhaps confusing at first) about seeing one's poem evoke such a variety of contradictory responses. And after all, what do we seek from critiquing? The ability to assume the viewpoint(s) of our audience. Such diverse critiquing can make us very limber at leaping in and out of viewpoints and being stuck in no single stance. A poet gets a sense of who is likely to like what. He can pick his targets, aim and fire.
And all this diverse opinion drives the poet to learn to recognize what feels right to him. The most useful criticisms I've received made sense to me, either immediately or over time. Before I changed my poem, I was able to "own" the changes. Most criticism I've fallen afoul of I accepted despite its seeming not quite right to me. It not only weakened the poem, but in some cases stopped me writing for a time.
Maybe I accepted it to please someone influential or because I could see no good argument against it. I've never profited from such criticism. Even criticism I've later come to agree with wouldn't have helped if I'd accepted it before I'd been ready to agree with it and make it my own.
With lots of varied criticism, all sorts of idiocies and truths fly at you, so that, to survive, you fall back on what makes sense to YOU. At least that's how it's worked for me. You develop a taste in criticism. Just as you've learned to spot a good poem, so you learn to spot a sensible critique.
Note: When you reject a criticism, there's usually no need to explain your reasons or even to say you plan to reject it. Just note the suggestions and use those you like.
4. Different groups have different atmospheres and prejudices. Find one to your taste. If you go to a group for critiquing and come away feeling lousy, it's the wrong group for you (maybe for ANYONE). It should be fun--work, but fun. You should come away feeling that people read your work and got something out of it and that you've learned something.
If it's not fun, probably the critics are violating one or more of the guidelines for critics above. Perhaps the group has a guru who thinks all poetry should be a certain narrow way and whose word is law. Or the poets spend so much time on social chitchat that the poems get slighted. Perhaps one critic/poet has a superior attitude that offends others, is rude, talks too often and too long. Perhaps a critic is dense, has no sense of humor, no sense of meter, no appreciation for logical use of imagery or allusions to broadly shared cultural traditions, etc. Perhaps he makes a joke of everything, keeps the proceedings brittle and snide, is more interested in witty insults than in helping another poet. Perhaps his virulence (even if not directed at the poet being critiqued) is troubling, the sense that he's fighting off invisible enemies on all sides. Perhaps he has bad breath.
5. Go to such a group session with the intention of being a critic as well as being critiqued. Intend to improve your poem (not sell or defend it) and help others improve their poems (not prove that they aren't as good as you). If you give as well as take, you'll enjoy the session more and learn more. And critiquing others teaches you to critique your own poems.
6. Some trivial points: Bring a poem that will be accessible in the time allotted and not deprive the others of time to get their poems critiqued. (I remember my own embarrassment, the first time I came to a meeting of a very professional group: I brought a 17-page epic. Everyone else had a poem of one page or less.) Bring copies for everybody. It's difficult to critique a poem on just one hearing, especially a complex poem. Also, in a large group, people who don't have time to say all they have to say can make notes on their copy for you. Read the poem loudly and clearly. (This is particularly crucial if you didn't bring enough copies.) Use the group to improve your ability to read or recite your poems aloud.
7. Find a group (or several groups) you can work with and stay with it (or them). I've had best results meeting regularly with a group of poets whose company and work I enjoy. We're diverse enough to keep it interesting and have enough agreements about basics to keep it intelligible. It's a social occasion, although we stay closely with the critiquing.
We get to know each other from these sessions. Because we critique so much of each other's work over the years, we understand each other's aesthetic strengths and weaknesses, so that our critiquing is usually close to the mark. Since we consider each other professionals and like each other's work overall, there's no need to waste time on excessive politeness. If I say, "This poem doesn't work for me. It's not up to your usual standard," the poet criticized feels no need to be defensive, knowing how much I like most of his work. Usually his response is, "Yes, I just can't seem to make it work."
Also, the regular meetings provide incentive to write new poems.
Perhaps one needs to be jarred now and then, get fresh viewpoints from outside the customary group. It's not hard to do. Simply show or read your poems to as many people as you can (for example, at open readings), send them to editors, etc.
When all the above points are observed, critiquing becomes fun and useful. When a group of people all have in common an interest in poetry, what could be more natural than communication about their common interest? The problem is that when that communication concerns judgment of each other's work and when these judgments are exercised sloppily or cruelly, the harm can exceed the fun. But learning to critique well removes the sting, so that all the other benefits of networking become available. Poets recommend reading to each other, suggest markets for particular poems, give each other contacts, do public readings as a group, etc. The ongoing workshop becomes a poets' support group. Magazines and anthologies, perhaps cultures, grow from such groups.
* Some of the ideas above are taken from my studies of the writings of L. Ron Hubbard. The analysis of production into three factors--quantity, quality and viability, comes from his policy of 29 Oct., 1970, Organizing Series 10, The Analysis of Organization by Product. The discussion of art as communication, with communication broken down into source point, receipt point, intention, etc., and with stress on the ability to occupy (or "duplicate") someone else's viewpoint borrows broadly from many of Mr. Hubbard's technical writings on the subjects of communication and art.
Copyright c. 1998 by Dean Blehert. All Rights Reserved |
A TEEN who disappeared in a bear-infested wilderness has been found in seriously strange circumstances.
INSTAGRAM DISAPPEARED: Fauna Jackson at Grand Teton National Park, where she disappeared last week
Fauna Jackson, 16, excused herself to use the toilet while volunteering in America's Grand Teton National Park. But she never returned, sparking an enormous manhunt of more than 100 searchers, including aerial patrols, dog teams and paramedics. The FBI even got involved, using infra-red imaging to search for heat sources on the ground, while the area was plastered with missing posters.
INSTAGRAM MYSTERY: Fauna uploaded this the day she went missing saying "I can't wait to see all of you"
“Three rangers and a sheriff’s deputy had to restrain her” Denise Germann, Park Service She was outdoors and alone for 48 hours in a part of the woods branded "bear country", stranded in sub-zero temperatures. Thankfully she was later found alive and well, yet the girl they were looking for was completely different to the one they saw. In a statement, the National Park Service said: "Jackson changed her appearance by cutting and dying her hair. "[She] was wearing different clothes than when last seen, and when approached by law enforcement officials she fled."
National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Here are some of the entries to The National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year contest. The grand prize is: 'A seven-day Polar Bear Photo Safari for two at Churchill Wild–Seal River Heritage Lodge, a National Geographic Unique Lodge of the World.' Entries are welcome until May 27th 2016 at: natgeo.com/travelphotocontest 1 / 16 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest. Enter at: natgeo.com/travelphotocontest National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest
The teen, from the US city of Cincinnati, Ohio, had to be chased and restrained by rangers and sheriffs from the search party. She was found uninjured in an area of open sagebrush called Snake River Outlook, some four miles away from where she was last seen. Police have now taken her into protective custody while her parents make the journey from their home state to the Wyoming park. It's unclear how the girl survived two nights in the woods alone, but park authorities have launched an investigation.
INSTAGRAM ODD: Fauna posted this a week before saying she couldn't wait to go to Wyoming |
HALIFAX- The duo who are accused of planning a Valentine’s Day massacre at the Halifax Shopping Centre appeared in court today.
Lindsay Souvannarath of Illinois and 20-year-old Randall Steven Shepherd of Halifax are charged with conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to commit arson, illegal possession of weapons and making a threat through social media.
Police foiled the duo’s alleged plan before they could carry it out.
Souvannarath was in court, but Shepherd appeared by video conference from the Burnside jail.
Defence lawyer Luke Craggs asked for a 5 day preliminary trial beginning in June, but the crown says they only need one. Craggs says that they are still waiting on disclosure from the crown.
The duo is scheduled back in court April 16 at 9 a.m. to set preliminary trial dates.
Shepard has requested to appear via video conference then as well. |
(From left) India’s Eenam Gambhir, Sushma Swaraj and Paulomi Tripathi at the UNGA. (PTI photos)
It took just three powerful women from India to expose Pakistan’s lies on terrorism at the UN General Assembly this year. From India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, young diplomats at Permanent Mission of India in UN – Eenam Gambhir and Paulomi Tripathi – Pakistan received a verbal response it may have never expected. Apparently irked by its growing political isolation because of terrorism, Pakistan tried to attack India with lies that eventually haunted the Islamic country back at the international forum itself – thanks to the three women.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi started the verbal war first by raking up the Kashmir issue at the UNGA. Abbasi alleged that struggle of people in Kashmir was “brutally suppressed” by India. While remaining silent on the terror sponsored by his country and exported to India and other regions – a fact now known to the world, Abbasi accused India of indulging in terror activities against Pakistan. He even warned of a “matching response”. In his maiden speech as Pakistan PM at the UN, Abbasi said, “The Kashmir dispute should be resolved justly, peacefully and expeditiously. As India is unwilling to resume the peace process with Pakistan, we call on the Security Council to fulfil its obligation to secure the implementation of its own resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.”
“To this end, the UN secretary general should appoint a special envoy on Kashmir. His mandate should flow from the longstanding but unimplemented resolutions of the Security Council,” Abbasi said.
The Pakistan PM claimed his military has maintained restrain despite 600 ceasefire violations by India. “But if India does venture across the LoC, or acts upon its doctrine of limited war against Pakistan, it will evoke a strong and matching response,” he said. In his speech, Abbasi mentioned Kashmir a total of 17 times and India 14 times among other things. And even claimed that that from day one of its creation, Pakistan has faced unremitting hostility from its India.
Despite strong anti-India rhetoric, Abbasi said Pakistan is open to resuming a comprehensive dialogue. “This dialogue must be accompanied by an end to India’s campaign of subversion and state sponsored terrorism against Pakistan, including from across our western border,” Abbasi said.
Abbasi’s anti-India claim, however, backfired when Indian diplomat at the Permanent Mission to UN, Eenam Gambhir thoroughly exposed his lies.
Exercising India’s right to reply, Gambhir said, “It is extraordinary that the state which protected Osama Bin Laden and sheltered Mullah Omar should have the gumption to play the victim. By now, all Pakistan’s neighbours are painfully familiar with these tactics to create a narrative based on distortions, deception and deceit. This august Assembly and the world beyond know that efforts at creating alternative facts do not change reality.”
Terroristan
“In its short history, Pakistan has become a geography synonymous with terror. The quest for a land of pure has actually produced “the land of pure terror”. Pakistan is now ‘Terroristan’, with a flourishing industry producing and exporting global terrorism. Its current state can be gauged from the fact that Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, a leader of the UN designated terrorist organization Lashkar-i-Taiba, is now sought to be legitimized as a leader of a political party. This is a country whose counter terrorism policy is to mainstream and upstream terrorists by either providing safe havens to global terror leaders in its military town, or protecting them with political careers.
“We also heard Pakistan complain about the consequences of its supposed counter terrorism efforts. Having diverted billions of dollars in international military and development aid towards creating a dangerous infrastructure of terror on its own territory, Pakistan is now speaking of the high cost of its terror industry. The polluter, in this case, is paying the price,” Gambhi said, adding, “Even as terrorists thrive in Pakistan and roam its streets with impunity, we have heard it lecture about the protection of human rights in India. The world does not need lessons on democracy and human rights from a country whose own situation is charitably
described as a failed state.”
Pakistan received a big reality check when EAM Sushma Swaraj took the stage.
Look who’s talking
“We (India) are completely engaged in fighting poverty; alas, our neighbour Pakistan seems only engaged in fighting us. On Thursday, from this dais, Pakistan’s Prime Minister ShahidKhakan Abbasi wasted rather too much of his speech in making accusations against us. He accused India of State-sponsored terrorism, and of violating human rights. Those listening had only one observation: ‘Look who’s talking!’ A country that has been the world’s greatest exporter of havoc, death and inhumanity became a champion of hypocrisy by preaching about humanity and human rights from this podium.
“Pakistan’s Prime Minister claimed that his nation’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah had bequeathed a foreign policy based on peace and friendship. I would like to remind him that while it remains open to question whether Jinnah Sahab actually advocated such principles, what is beyond doubt is that India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has, from the moment he took his oath of office, offered the hand of peace and friendship. Pakistan’s Prime Minister must answer why his nation spurned this offer.
“I would like today to tell Pakistan’s politicians just this much, that perhaps the wisest thing they could do is to look within. India and Pakistan became free within hours of each other. Why is it that today India is a recognised IT superpower in the world, and Pakistan is recognised only as the pre-eminent export factory for terror? What is the reason for this?
“India has risen despite being the principal destination of Pakistan’s nefarious export of terrorism. There have been many governments under many parties during 70 years of Indian freedom, for we have been a sustained democracy. Every government has done its bit for India’s development. We have marched ahead, consistently, without pause, in Education, Health and across the range of human welfare and created Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). We established scientific and technical institutions which are the pride of the world.
“But what has Pakistan offered to the world and indeed to its own people apart from terrorism? We produced scholars, doctors, engineers and scientists. What have you produced? You have produced terrorists, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, HizbulMujahideen, Haqqani network and terror camps. Doctors save people from death; terrorists send them to death. Your terrorist organisations are not only attacking India but are also affecting our two neighbours, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. In the history of United Nations General Assembly, it may be the first time that a country asked for a right of reply and it had to answer to three countries. Does this not depict the reality of your actions? If Pakistan had spent on its development what it has spent on developing terror, both Pakistan and the world would be safer and better-off today.”
Caught red-handed
Pakistan responded to Swaraj by using fake photo. Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi presented an image of a girl from Gaza as a victim of pellet guns in Kashmir. “This is the face of Indian democracy,” Lodhi said of the
picture which had no connection with Kashmir.
The real picture
Paulomi Tripathi, a junior most Indian diplomat at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, exposed Pakistan’s lies. “The Permanent Representative of Pakistan, in her statement, yet again sought to divert attention from Pakistan’s role as the hub of global terrorism. She did so by callously holding up a picture of an injured girl. It was a photograph of Rawya abu Jom’a, a girl from Palestine. The picture was taken on 22 July 2014 by an American photographer Heidi Levine. This photograph was published by New York Times on 24 March 2015 under the caption ‘Conflict, Courage and Healing in Gaza’.
“The Permanent Representative of Pakistan misled this Assembly by displaying this picture to spread falsehoods about India. A fake picture to push a completely false narrative.”
Tripathi further said, “In view of this cynical and misleading attempt by Pakistan, we are constrained to show this Assembly, a photograph that reflects the real picture of pain inflicted by the nefarious designs of Pakistan on India. This is a real and not a fake picture of Lt. Umar Faiyaz. A young officer from the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir. Umar Faiyaz was kidnapped at a wedding celebration. He was brutally tortured and killed by Pakistan supported terrorists in May 2017.”
India had carried out Surgical Strikes last year on September 29 on terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. |
Stanford biologists discover that flexible gene expression may regulate social status in male fish
Scientists show how the selective expression of genes through epigenetics can regulate the social status of African cichlid fish. The work sheds light on how our genetic code might affect social relations.
L.A. Cicero Stanford researchers have demonstrated how flexible gene expression can enable male cichlid fish to achieve higher social status.
For a small African fish species, a colorful dominant male does better in life, winning access to food and females. New research by Stanford biologists suggests that this lucky outcome is regulated at a genetic level, by turning genes on and off.
People generally think that our genetic code, and thus the expression patterns of our genes, is fixed throughout life. Indeed, this is true in some cases such as eye color, a characteristic that is determined by gene expression early in development. However, scientists have recently found that gene regulation can also happen in an ongoing fashion through epigenetic processes, with the potential to change behavior throughout a lifetime.
Through epigenetics, gene expression can be turned on and off like a light switch via several mechanisms. Through one of these mechanisms called DNA methylation, methyl molecules are added to genes, preventing them from being expressed.
In a study published in PLoS ONE, researchers from Stanford report that social status in cichlid fish may be regulated by DNA methylation.
"Status differences exist in all social organisms," said Russell Fernald, a biology professor at Stanford University and senior author of the study. "Our work reveals how social dominance status is possibly regulated through methylation, which is important because individuals higher in rank generally enjoy better health and quality of life."
A show of social dominance
In 2004, a study by researchers at McGill University showed that the nurturing behavior of mother rats affected their offspring. Pups that were nurtured more grew up to be less stressed as adults, while pups that received less nurturing grew up with more anxious tendencies. This difference was caused by methylation of a gene for a stress receptor, explained Fernald, the Benjamin Scott Crocker Professor of Human Biology. Subsequent research has revealed other examples through which epigenetics can alter our gene expression patterns by experiences during our lifetimes.
Fernald studies Astatotilapia burtoni, one of the hundreds of cichlid fish species inhabiting Lake Tanganyika in eastern Africa, because of the unique ways they have evolved over time. For male A. burtoni, dominance is everything. They battle frequently for territory, with the victor winning access to the two most important resources – food and females.
Sporting bright rainbow-colored scales, high-ranking males aggressively defend their foraging grounds and lure females into their territory to dine on decaying matter on the lakebed. In contrast, the low-ranking males, which are dull grey in color, comprise 80 percent of the population but cannot reproduce and must swim with the females to get access to food.
But even the dominant males must fool the females into mating. This is tricky, as A. burtoni are mouth-brooders. After laying eggs in the sand, the female scoops them up in her mouth to brood them until hatching, which poses a logistical challenge for fertilization. The ingenious evolutionary solution to this dilemma is a version of oral sex.
The dominant male flashes his anal fin, which is adorned with spots that look like enormous eggs, and which are laced with sperm. When the female sees those spots, she goes after the male's anal fin as if trying to collect some eggs she dropped, collecting sperm in the process and fertilizing the eggs in her mouth.
"In this species, only the macho males get to mate and non-dominant males cannot reproduce, so the stakes are enormously high," Fernald said.
Changing social status
But some social mobility is possible. Because the flashy dominant males are more vulnerable to predation, whenever a boss fish disappears, a major battle ensues as non-dominant males fight to take over the vacant territory. The winner then ascends to dominant status resulting in an astonishing series of physiological changes, including rewiring of parts of the brain as previously reported by Fernald's group.
Given the importance of status, Fernald wondered whether these dramatic changes were driven by gene expression.
"If we altered gene expression through changes in methylation, could we influence change in social dominance?" he asked.
With a graduate student, Kapa Lenkov, Fernald tested this directly in cichlids raised in his Stanford lab. Several pairs of non-dominant males matched in size were each placed in an aquarium that could support only one territory. In each pair, one male was injected with a methylating agent while the other received a methylation suppressor, and the two fish fought for dominance.
"We could see the behavioral change in a matter of minutes, as one animal began to dominate the other," Fernald said. "Videos of these confrontations showed that the fish injected with the methylating agent were much more likely to be the winners, while those receiving the methylation suppressor typically lost the fight for dominance.
"It was remarkable that we could determine which fish became dominant by changing the range of genes expressed in this context," he said.
Fernald's work suggests that epigenetic processes may cause, rather than simply reflect, changes in dominance status in hierarchically organized species, said Tom Boyce, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study.
"This has implications for humans and nonhuman primates, since hierarchical behavior and social dominance relations appear early in life and remain important throughout the lifespan," Boyce said.
"DNA methylation is potentially a way through which social dominance is regulated in many social organisms, including people," Fernald said. "The next step will be to identify which genes are responding to methylation in causing this change in dominance."
Media Contact
Bjorn Carey, Stanford News Service: (650) 725-1944; bccarey@stanford.edu
Russell Fernald, Biology: rfernald@stanford.edu |
Ann Romney accompanied Mitt Romney on his trip to Iowa today where he endorsed Steve King, and she participated in an interview with local news channel KWQC but didn't answer any of the interviewer's questions.
KWQC TV6: "Here in Iowa, as you know, same-sex marriage is legal. Do you believe a lesbian mother should be allowed to marry her partner?"
Ann Romney: "You know, I'm not going to talk about the specific issues. I'm going to let my husband speak on issues. I'm here to really just talk about my husband and what kind of husband and father he is and, you know, those are hot-button issues that distract from what the real voting issue is going to be at this election. That, it's going to be about the economy and jobs." [...]
KWQC TV6: "Do you believe that employer-provided health insurance should be required to cover birth control?"
Ann Romney: "Again, you're asking me questions that are not about what this election is going to be about. This election is going to be about the economy and jobs."
[...]
KWQC TV6: "Well, I don't want to pull you off any message. You just told a reporter who was questioning you in Cleveland that you want women to have a secure and stable future. I asked you about marriage and whether lesbian mothers should be allowed to marry. Isn't marriage a part of creating a stable future?"
Ann Romney: "You know, again, I'm going to talk to you about the economy and about job creation and about how my husband is the right person for the right time. This is going to be an election that is very important for women, and we are going to make sure that their economic prosperity is more certain under a President Romney." |
This may be the hardest blog post I’ve ever written. Single women have been writing to me with one question: “How can I satisfy my sexual desire if I’m destined to remain single my whole life?” In part, this question is coming from women who’ve recently read Pulling Back The Shades, a candid look at erotica, intimacy, and the longings of a woman’s heart, which I co-authored with Dr Juli Slattery. But the truth is the question has been coming my way for a long time and I’ve managed to dodge it. My motivation to answer is impaled on the horns of a dilemma: do I, a married woman, pass you on to some one else with more “experience” for the answer OR do I tell you the truth which is undoubtedly not what you really want to hear in which case you may happily use my married status to disqualify the advice? Today I’m mustering up the courage to go for the latter.
Here goes.
My answer begins with a question.
I have to ask “why are you asking?”
It seems to me that the question is loaded with that angsty appeal we learned when we were children and mom said it was time for bed, “Ah, mom! One more book…one more page…one more sentence.” It is human nature to plead for what we have been told cannot—at this certain point in time—be ours. In this case, “Oh, come on! Can I look at ______…touch _______…just maybe I could ______….” It seems to me the question is wrought with you begging permission from me to wiggle past God’s truth about the sacred act of sex being confined to the marriage bed.
Right about now is certainly the moment you’ll be rolling your eyes and saying, “But, you’re married. You don’t understand!” So let me introduce you to the voice of the 30-something single author of “Sexless in the City”, Anna Broadway. She wrote the following in “True Love Obeys: Why We Abstain From Premarital Sex.”
“Years back, when working on my memoir (of “reluctant chastity,” yes), I spent an evening babysitting the daughter of some friends. After the baby had gone down, I picked up a volume of collected C. S. Lewis writings they had out, which included advice I’ve never forgotten. The gist was that it’s all too easy to slip into preaching the gospel on the grounds that it’s good for you rather than simply that it’s true—a tendency that must be avoided. I wish I could remember the reasons he gave, but appropriately enough I only remember the truth itself: truth ultimately has to stand on its authority, not its efficacy.”
The truth is that God designed sex to be enjoyed within the context of a marriage bed. It’s as simple and as terribly frustrating as that. While it would be nice if there were a caveat for those who never get married, that would deny the sanctity of the act of sex altogether wouldn’t it? The marriage bed should be honored by “all,” not just those who have one. (Hebrews 13:4) This is difficult but true.
I realize you have sexual needs that are not being met, but would it surprise you that I’ve been through periods of that very frustration as a married woman? There have been seasons in my marriage where Bob and I could not find one another let alone meet each other’s needs at any level. A good many visits to our marriage counselor and prayer has brought us closer, but I find myself knowing that in the golden years certainly one of us will be gone before the other…maybe in full body or maybe just in mind. Would you have me cry out for permission to alter God’s truth then? No. For times of sexual longing, I will choose the answer I’m just about to give to you because it’s the only one that’s ever worked.
I bumped into a single friend at the Waffle Shop today. (Please don’t confuse it with the Waffle House from which I practice an entirely different kind of abstinence. To the locals of State College, the Waffle Shop is what Tim Horton’s is to Canadians. Good morning comfort.) My friend, who like all my older single friends admits she’s still open to marriage if God brings it her way, told me that the simple fact is that her sexual desires rest quietly when her love relationship with Jesus is tended to with passion. I believe it was God’s will for me to hear her say those words because I’ve been a wimp as I avoided the writing of this next paragraph all week.
Here’s the answer you really, probably, most likely, don’t want to hear, but desperately need: you don’t need an outlet for sexual expression, you need more of God.
No doubt you’ve heard the trite phrase, “Singleness is a gift.” It’s only trite because we misunderstand. (And often those rolling the phrase off their tongues are equally uninformed. Like trying to read the words of Shakespeare without knowing what they mean, they can’t express it through their interpretation because they have none. Just hollow words.)
The very single Apostle Paul knew what he meant when he called singleness a “gift” in I Corinthians 7:6. And my dear friend and single author Carolyn McCulley expresses it well when she writes this about the passage in Sex and The Supremacy of Christ:
“It’s not a gift in the way we might think about it on our birthdays or at Christmas: “Do I like it? Do I want to keep it? Can I exchange it for what I really want?” There are several Greek words that could be translated as gift in English. One word denotes a gift presented as an expression of honor. A second euphemistically infers that a gift is more a matter of a debt or obligation. A third denotes a free gift of grace, used in the New Testament to refer to a spiritual or supernatural gift.”
Carolyn went on to so beautifully point out that the kind of gift Paul was referring to is the third: a gift of grace. The Greek word is charisma and is used to in the New Testament to describe a supernatural or spiritual gift. Other such gifts specifically listed in the Scriptures include faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, speaking in tongues, having words of wisdom or knowledge, being a prophet, pastor, apostle, teacher or evangelist.
Does it seem like a good old round of “One of these things is not like the other” is in order? Don’t be so quick! In God’s eyes, your singleness is a spiritual gift. I believe that Carolyn has tapped into the missing puzzle piece that the Church needs to lock singleness squarely into its proper place. We just have to look to see what all these gifts have in common.
Do you know what the common denominator is? A person cannot live in the full authority and power of any of them without the power of God’s Spirit. Oh, you can pretend to teach or even pastor a church but there’s a difference between those who fake it and those who are fueled by the Spirit of God. Some are just barely getting by and will fizzle out, their insignificance leaving us with little or no fruit. Still others: blatant “false teachers” leading people further from God not closer to him. But then…there is the real deal. The person so full of God that their gift of teaching or pastoring makes room for them no matter their personality, background or stature. These are the ones whose gifts change lives. Whose gifts are good for others. (I Corinthians 12:7)
Which are you? Are you the single woman who is just barely getting by who will become an insignificant spinster one day? Or are you the kind that’s more dangerous, leading the lost further into their lostness? Or is your singleness fueled by the power of the Spirit so that you are one who uses it for good, leaving a legacy of lives changed?
You cannot use your singleness for God, nor endure it without a deeper abiding in the Spirit. In the next few weeks I’m going to blog about how you can practically meet what I believe are the five deep longings in your heart, but the fact is it will be like giving a brand new baby a steak to chew on unless you first latch on to a determination to be Spirit-fueled. You’ll have no spiritual power to chew on what I pass your way if you aren’t full of God.
It is my hope that as you learn to tend to your love life with Jesus, you’ll find as my Waffle Shop friend did that your sexual desires rest quietly. A short while after we met up, she sent me this:
“Another snare for singles is often to have such an influence from the world that we forget our time here is really short. When you have more of a heavenly kingdom mindset, it becomes easier. We will be in eternity with Jesus so it is less important that we satisfy our needs while on earth. I have always desired to be married, but God has kept me single so far and I can be content in the state that I am in as long as I keep my eyes on Him and not my life or status of life.”
This, too, seemed another nudge from God to be brave as I write to you today. It rings true with how I’d already chosen to end what I imagine will be a disappointing and controversial blog. Here’s what Carolyn McCulley wrote several years ago
More importantly, when we are almost faint under the strain and worry of wondering if singleness is to be forever, we need to be reminded that there is an end to singleness: One day we will be at the wedding feast of the Lamb and we will be His bride. Even if we receive the gift of marriage on this side of heaven, that’s not our ultimate goal. It is a shadow and a type of what is planned for eternity and, like all things on this earth, it will have its conclusion in death. Our Father knows the time when earthly gifts will be distributed and when they will be no more; He knows, as well, when the heavenly wedding feast will commence. We can blissfully rest in the knowledge that the future is better than anything we think we’ve missed now: Jesus is preparing us for the eternal rewards and eternal joys of a future He’s told us is too inexpressible for us to understand.
Whether single or married, when our sexual needs aren’t met it is not really about our bodies at all. It is about our souls. The problem is not that our sexual desire is so strong. It is that our spiritual desire is so weak. |
New York police attack unemployed workers in 1874. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tompkins_square_riot_1874.jpg "The significant problems that we have created cannot be solved at the level of thinking we were at when we created them."- Albert Einstein
"Generals are notorious for their tendency to 'fight the last war' - by using the strategies and tactics of the past to achieve victory in the present. Indeed, we all do this to some extent. Life's lessons are hard won, and we like to apply them - even when they don't apply. Sadly enough, fighting the last war is often a losing proposition. Conditions change. Objectives change. Strategies change. And you must change. If you don't, you lose."- Dr. G. Terry Madonna and Dr. Michael Youn g
"Markets are perpetuating a serious error by acting on the belief that central bankers actually know what they are doing. They do not. Not because they are ill-intentioned but because they are human and subject to the limitations that apply to all human endeavors. If you want proof of their fallibility, simply look at their economic forecasts. Despite their efforts to do so, central banks can't repeal the business cycle (though they can distort it). While the 2008 financial crisis should have taught them that lesson, it appears to have led them to precisely the opposite conclusion.
"There are limits to knowledge in every field, including the hard sciences, and economics is not a hard science; it is a social science whose knowledge is imprecise, and practitioners' ability to predict the future is extremely limited. Fed officials are attempting to guide an extremely complex economy with tools of questionable utility, and markets are ignoring their warnings that their ability to manage a positive outcome is highly uncertain. Markets are confusing what they want to happen with what is likely to happen, a common psychological phenomenon. Investors who prosper in the long run will be those who acknowledge the severe limits of economic knowledge and the compelling evidence that trillions of dollars of QE and years of zero interest rates may have saved the system from immediate collapse five years ago but failed to produce sustained economic growth or long-term price stability."- Michael Lewitt, The Credit Strategist, Nov. 1, 2014
As I predicted months ago in this letter and last year in Code Red, the Japanese have launched another missile in their ongoing currency war, somewhat fittingly on Halloween. Rather than being spooked, the markets saw it as just another round of feel-good quantitative easing and climbed to all-time highs on the Dow and S&P 500. The Nikkei soared even more (for good reason). As we will see later in this letter, this is not your father's quantitative easing. The Japanese, for reasons of their own, will intervene not only in their own equity markets but in foreign equity markets as well, and do so in a size and manner that will be significant. This gambit is going to have ramifications far beyond merely weakening the yen. In this week's letter we are going to take an in-depth look at what the Japanese have done.
It is something of a cliché to quote Mark Twain's "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme." But it is an appropriate way to kick things off, since we are going to look at the "ancient" history of Mark Twain's era, and specifically the Panic of 1873. That October saw the beginning of 65 months of recession (certainly longer than our generation's own Great Recession), which inflicted massive pain on the country. The initial cause was government monetary intervention, but the crisis was deepened by soaring debt and deflation.
As we seek to understand what happened 141 years ago, we'll revisit the phenomenon of October as a month of negative market surprises. It actually has its roots in the interplay between farming and banking.
The Panic of 1873
Shortly after the Civil War, which saw the enactment of federal fiat money (the "greenback" of that era, issued to finance the war), there was a federal law passed that required rural and agricultural banks to keep 25% of their deposits with certain certified national banks, which were based mainly in New York. The national banks were required to pay interest on those deposits, so they had to put the money out for loans. But because those deposits were "callable" at any time, there was a limit to the types of loans they could do, as long-term loans mismatched assets and liabilities.
The brokers of the New York Stock Exchange were considered an excellent target for such loans. They could use the proceeds of the loans as margin to buy stocks, either for their own trading or on behalf of their clients. As long as the stocks went up - or at the very least as long as the ultimate clients were liquid - there wasn't a problem for the national banks. Money could be repatriated; or, if necessary, margins could be called in a day. But this was before the era of a central bank, so actual physical dollars (and other physical instruments) were involved as reserves, as was gold. Greenbacks could be used to buy gold, but at a rate that floated. The price of gold could fluctuate significantly from year to year, depending upon the availability of gold and the supply of greenbacks (and of course, market sentiment - which certainly rhymes with our own time).
The driver for October volatility was an annual cycle, an ebb and flow of dollars to and from these rural banks. In the fall when the harvest was ready, the country banks would recall their margin loans in order to pay farmers or loan to merchants to buy crops from farmers and ship them via the railroads. Money would then become tight on Wall Street as the national banks called their loans back in.
This cycle often caused extra volatility, depending on the shortness of loan capital. Margin rates could rise to as much as 1% per day! Of course, this would force speculators to sell their stocks or cover their shorts, but in general it could drive down prices and make margin calls more likely. This monetary tightening often sent stocks into a downward spiral - not unlike the downward pressure that present-day Fed tightening actions have exerted, but in a compressed period of time.
If there was enough leverage in the system, a cascade could result, with stocks dropping 20% very quickly. Since much of Wall Street was involved in railroads, and railroads were nothing if not leveraged loans and capital, falling asset prices would reduce the ability of investors in railroads to find the necessary capital for expansion and maintenance of operations.
This historical pattern no longer explains the present-day vulnerability of markets in October. Perhaps the phenomenon persists simply due to market lore and investor psychology. Like an amputee feeling a twinge in his lost limb, do we still sense the ghosts of crashes past?
(And once more with Mark Twain: "October. This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August, and February.")
It was in this fall environment that a young Jay Gould decided to manipulate the gold market in the autumn of 1873, creating a further squeeze on the dollar. Not only would he profit off a play in gold, but he thought the move would help him in his quest to take control of the Erie Railroad. Historian Charles R. Morris explains, in a fascinating book called The Tycoons:
Gould's mind ran in labyrinthine channels, and he turned to the gold markets as part of a strategy to improve Erie's freights. Grain was America's largest export in 1869. Merchants purchased grain from farmers on credit, shipped it overseas, and paid off the farmers when they received their remittances from abroad. Their debt to the farmers was in greenbacks, but their receipts from abroad came in gold, for the greenback was not legal tender overseas. It could take weeks, or even months, to complete a transaction, so the merchant was exposed to changes in the gold/greenback exchange rate during that time. If gold fell (or the greenback rose), the merchant's gold proceeds might not cover his greenback debts.
The New York Gold Exchange was created to help merchants protect against that risk. Using the Exchange, a merchant could borrow gold when he made his contract, convert it to greenbacks, and pay off his suppliers right away. Then he would pay off the gold loan when his gold payment came in some weeks later; since it was gold for gold, exchange rates didn't matter. To protect against default, the Exchange required full cash collateral to borrow gold. But that was an opening for speculations by clever traders like Gould. If a trader bought gold and then immediately lent it, he could finance his purchase with the cash collateral and thereby acquire large positions while using very little of his own cash.
[Note from JM: In the fall there was plenty of demand for gold and a shortage of greenbacks. It was the perfect time if you wanted to create a "corner" on gold.]
Gould reasoned that if he could force up the price of gold, he might improve the Erie's freight revenues. If gold bought more greenbacks, greenback-priced wheat would look cheaper to overseas buyers, so exports, and freights, would rise. And because of the fledgling status of the new Gold Exchange, gold prices looked eminently manipulable, since only about $20 million in gold was usually available in New York. [Some of his partners in the conspiracy were skeptical because…] The Grant administration, which had just taken office in March, was sitting on $100 million in gold reserves. If gold started suddenly rising, it would hurt merchant importers, who could be expected to clamor for government gold sales.
So Gould went to President Grant's brother-in-law, Abel Corbin, who liked to brag about his family influence. He set up a meeting with President Grant, at which Gould learned that Grant was cautious about any significant movements in either the gold or the greenback, noting the "fictitiousness about the prosperity of the country and that the bubble might be tapped in one way as well as another." That was discouraging: popping a bubble meant tighter money and lower gold.
But Gould plunged ahead with his gold buying, including rather sizable amounts for Corbin's wife (Grant's wife's sister), such that each one-dollar rise in gold would generate $11,000 in profits. Corbin arranged further meetings with Grant and discouraged him from selling gold all throughout September.
Gould and his partners initiated a "corner" in the gold market. This was actually legal at the time, and the NY gold market was relatively small compared to the amount of capital it was possible for a large, well-organized cabal to command. True corners were devastating to bears, as they generally borrowed shares or gold to sell short, betting on the fall in price. Just as today, if the price falls too much, then the short seller can buy the stock back and take his losses. But if there is no stock to buy back, if someone has cornered the market, then losses can be severe. Which of course is what today we call a short squeeze.
The short position grew to some $200 million, most of it owed to Gould and his friends. But there was only $20 million worth of gold available to cover the short sales. That gold stock had been borrowed and borrowed and borrowed again. The price of gold rose as Gould's cabal kept pressing their bet.
But Grant got wind of the move. His wife wrote her sister, demanding to know if the rumor of their involvement was true. Corbin panicked and told Gould he wanted out, with his $100,000+ of profits, of course. Gould promised him his profits if he would just keep quiet.
Then Gould began to unload all his gold positions, even as some of his partners kept right on buying. You have to keep up pretenses, of course. Gould was telling his partners to push the price up to 160, while he was selling through another set of partners.
It is a small irony that Gould also had a contact in the government in Washington (a Mr. Butterfield) who assured him that there was no move to sell gold from DC, even as that contact was personally selling all his gold as fast as he could. Whatever bad you could say about Gould (and there were lots of bad things you could say), his trading instincts were good. He sensed his contact was lying and doubled down on getting out of the trade. In the end, Gould didn't make any money to speak of and in fact damaged his intention of getting control of the Erie Railroad that fall.
The attempted gold corner didn't do much harm to the country in and of itself. But when President Grant decided to step in and sell gold, there was massive buying, which sucked a significant quantity of physical dollars out of the market and into the US Treasury at a time when dollars were short. This move was a clumsy precursor to the open-market operations of the Federal Reserve of today, except that those dollars were needed as margin collateral by brokerage companies. No less than 14 New York Stock Exchange brokerages went bankrupt within a few days, not including brokerages that dealt just in gold.
All this happened in the fall, when there were fewer physical dollars to be had.
The price of gold collapsed. Cornelius Vanderbilt, who was often at odds with Jay Gould, had to step into the market (literally - that is, physically, which was rare for him) in order to quell the panic and provide capital, a precursor to J.P. Morgan's doing the same during the Panic of 1907.
While many today believe the Fed should never have been created, we have not lived through those periods of panics and crashes. And while I think the Fed now acts in ways that are inappropriate (how can 12 FOMC board members purport to fine-tune an economic cycle, let alone solve employment problems?), the one true and proper role of the Fed is to provide liquidity in time of a crisis.
"People Who Live Too Much on Credit"
At the end of the day, it was too much debt that was the problem in 1873. Cornelius Vanderbilt was quoted in the epic book The First Tycoon as saying (emphasis mine):
I'll tell you what's the matter - people undertake to do about four times as much business as they can legitimately undertake.… There are a great many worthless railroads started in this country without any means to carry them through. Respectable banking houses in New York, so called, make themselves agents for sale of the bonds of the railroads in question and give a kind of moral guarantee of their genuineness. The bonds soon reach Europe, and the markets of their commercial centres, from the character of the endorsers, are soon flooded with them.… When I have some money I buy railroad stock or something else, but I don't buy on credit. I pay for what I get. People who live too much on credit generally get brought up with a round turn in the long run.The Wall Street averages ruin many a man there, and is like faro."
In the wake of Gould's shenanigans, President Grant came to New York to assess the damage; and eventually his Secretary of the Treasury decided to buy $30 million of bonds in a less-clumsy precursor to Federal Reserve open-market operations, trying to inject some liquidity back into the markets. This was done largely as a consequence of a conversation with Vanderbilt, who offered to put up $10 million of his own, a vast sum at the time.
But the damage was done. The problem of liquidity was created by too much debt, as Vanderbilt noted. That debt inflated assets, and when those assets fell in price, so did the net worth of the borrowers. Far too much debt had to be worked off, and the asset price crash precipitated a rather deep depression, leaving in its wake far greater devastation than the recent Great Recession did. It took many years for the deleveraging process to work out. Sound familiar?
The Panic of 1873 started one of the longest depressions in American history - sixty-five straight months of economic contraction. In the next year, half of America's iron mills would close; by 1876, more than half of the railroads would go bankrupt. Unemployment, hunger, and homelessness blighted the nation. "In the winter of 1873-74, cities from Boston to Chicago witnessed massive demonstrations demanding that authorities ease the economic crisis," Eric Foner writes. The irony is that the fall was far more severe because of the rapid rise of the previous decade. The expanding, increasingly efficient railroad network had created a truly national market. The fates of farmers, workers, merchants, and industrialists across the landscape were tied together as never before. New York had cast its financial net across the country, which meant that credit flowed to remote regions far more easily than before - but also that financial panics affected the entire nation. As Vanderbilt pointed out, railroad overbuilding was an underlying economic problem, and it was exacerbated by Wall Street's craze for railway securities. When the bubble burst, the consequences were felt across the country with devastating suddenness and severity." (From The First Tycoon)
Can you hear the rhyme? This almost eerily echoes our own time and the interconnectedness of international markets. The growth in global markets has been funded by debt, fueled by quantitative easing. Yet, for the moment, the markets believe that central banks can control any panic or crisis. Somehow this time is different. Our central bankers have come up with all sorts of new tools and techniques, so there is nothing but upside - rainbows and unicorns.
I cannot recommend highly enough The First Tycoon, the book on Cornelius Vanderbilt by T. J. Stiles. It is incredibly well-written and researched and won a Pulitzer Prize as well as a National Book Award. My only real problem with the book is that there was so much fascinating detail and useful trivia that I could not skim through but had to slow down and absorb it all! While Vanderbilt is the central character, the book is far more than a biography. It is a compelling history of the rise of steam engines and railroads, and just as important, the beginning of the invention of the idea that a corporation is something separate from its shareholders. This was a truly radical concept and took decades to play out. Insider trading was legal and was done all the time. It was a true laissez-faire, buyer-beware market. Self-dealing, price collusion, and other corporate practices that we would consider repugnant today were standard fare.
But you have to understand that there was no precedent for the circumstances of autumn, 1873. The country was embroiled in a great and contentious conversation over what money and banking and corporations and business should be, all of this happening as new technologies turned millennia-old social processes on their heads. Railroads would have been impossible without corporations, and railroads vastly emancipated and enriched the West (and the rest of the world, wherever they went). Even in an era of price collusion, railroads brought the cost of shipping products down dramatically. The McCormick reaper greatly enhanced the productivity of farms just as a market for their produce appeared by means of cheaper transportation to growing Eastern seaboard cities and Europe. Agriculture went from producing 53% of total national commodity output to less than 33% as manufacturing became dominant, spurring mass labor movement from the country to the cities with their factories. Meanwhile a new wave of immigrants poured into the US.
The new technologies made everything less expensive and more abundant. Steam engines went from small and inefficient to massive and powerful, capable of driving huge ships and trains with less fuel cost. Transportation went from being a small part of the economy to being the very heart, employing hundreds of thousands. The period of time from 1870 to 1900 was one of general price deflation of almost everything. But in general, it was the good deflation that comes from increased productivity and lower prices - once the asset deflation of the Panic of 1873 was worked out.
Businesses, professionals, government, and society in general were all having to learn new rules for everything, and then scrapping the new rules for even newer rules. There was no playbook, no organizing principle for building a new society. They had to create entirely new institutions from whole cloth. They were literally inventing modern society from the ground up - a task somewhat akin to building an airplane while it is trying to taxi down the runway.
And that's the point we need to fully understand. They were making it up as they went along. I should note that the crises of that era were not just financial. Government was constantly running behind the rather messy process of transformation, trying to contain the damage. Like generals fighting the last war, the bureaucrats were always trying to make sure the last crisis or bad policy would not be repeated. All sorts of new laws needed to be enacted in order to level the playing field for average citizens. Farmers felt put upon by the railroads and the vast wealth of the railroad magnates (even as freight prices generally fell). Price fixing among monopolistic cartels was the norm. Unions were brutally suppressed time and time again and in turn were often violent. Politicians were openly bought and sold. The journalists of those times had all the gentility of the current denizens of the internet, which is to say, generally none.
Income inequality? When Vanderbilt died, he was worth an estimated $100 million (multiple trillions of dollars in current buying power) and was the richest man up to that point. He was just the first of a number of contemporaries who would go on to amass even greater fortunes. Wealth disparity from top to bottom was far worse than it is today, and the poverty at the bottom was devastating. There was no social safety net of any kind.
And let's not kid ourselves: much of the social and financial mess of the 19 th century is still with us today. In fact, if you read deeply enough, you find that we have been trying to solve these large societal problems for hundreds of years. Somehow each generation thinks they have finally got it figured out.
Reading the commentary from the papers of that time, you are struck by the level of optimism that the leaders of society expressed - they certainly believed they had figured it all out. Nothing but upside. Until, of course, the next crisis ensued.
We live in an era that does not repeat the latter part of the 19 th century - things have changed - but there is a rhythm and a rhyme that seem hauntingly familiar. There is the enduring belief that this time is different. Each unfolding generation feels that it will solve the problems of the previous generations, even as each older generation in turn despairs of the wisdom and probity of its youth. We play Minsky's old tune, "Stability Leads to Instability," over and over again. You would think we could figure out how this song ends and come up with a different, less tumultuous tune.
And our "generals" do indeed go on trying to fix the problems of the last war, missing the entirely new problems that are developing. Until a crisis steers our common vehicle into the ditch, we cling to the illusion of control. We look at the rampant corruption of the Gilded Age and believe we have made progress. And we have: we have progressed to new levels of problems, some of which are altogether unappreciated and certain to produce their own unexpected and unintended consequences and eventual crises.
The Link Among All Crises
But we have not dealt with the primary cause of nearly all financial crises throughout modern history and throughout the world: too much of the wrong kind of debt - debt which is nonproductive. Paul Krugman, the most visible spokesman for those who think it is old-fashioned and foolish to worry about the debt, recently wrote:
On the Chicken Little aspect: It's actually awesome, in a way, to realize how long cries of looming disaster have filled our airwaves and op-ed pages. For example, I just reread an op-ed article by Alan Greenspan in The Wall Street Journal, warning that our budget deficit will lead to soaring inflation and interest rates. What about the reality of low inflation and low rates? That, he declares in the article, is "regrettable, because it is fostering a sense of complacency."
It's curious how readily people who normally revere the wisdom of markets declare the markets all wrong when they fail to panic the way they're supposed to. But the really striking thing at this point is the date: Mr. Greenspan's article was published in June 2010, almost three and a half years ago - and both inflation and interest rates remain low.
And he is right, up to a point: too much debt is not a crisis today. Too much debt is never a crisis, right up until the moment it becomes a crisis. Too much debt was not widely recognized as an issue in the US in 2006 or in Europe in 2010, but then - boom! - it became an issue. And throughout the developed world and China, today's levels of debt, an ever-increasing amount of which is unproductive, are staggeringly high.
The currently fashionable way to deal with too much debt is to punish savers and enrich the already rich, prolonging a situation in which even more debt can be accumulated. Markets believe in the effectiveness of central bank actions precisely because they want to, not because there is any well-established basis for that belief. Yes, we have dealt with some of the problems that gave rise to the last crisis, but we have still not dealt with the underlying, fundamental problem of too much nonproductive debt. At some point, some nasty cousin of subprime debt will come along to prick our bubble. And because debt levels are now even higher than they were in 2007 and there is less scope for the Federal Reserve to intervene with interest rates, the next crisis will not be a repeat of the Great Recession but its own calamitous variant. Which will bring yet more monetary and fiscal intervention, which will produce its own unintended consequences.
And speaking of unintended consequences, let us now turn to Japan.
Japan: The World's Largest Hedge Fund
In a (reputedly) passionately contested 5 to 4 vote, the board of governors of the Bank of Japan voted essentially to become the world's largest hedge fund. Not only did they raise the level of quantitative easing by over 15%, to the equivalent of $720 billion a year, they are aggressively allocating and increasing portions of that money to Japanese equity markets and REITs. In a (supposedly) uncoordinated but almost simultaneous announcement, the $1 trillion+ government pension fund announced a move to sell Japanese bonds in size and increase their equity holdings in Japanese and foreign stocks by 20%, divided equally between Japanese and foreign markets. This is the equivalent of $200 billion being injected into global equity markets from one pension fund alone. We can expect that nearly every other Japanese pension fund will follow suit, meaning that potentially hundreds of billions of dollars will be thrust into global equity markets.
Bank of Japan Governor Kuroda said that the move was necessary to achieve their inflation target of 2%. Core Japanese inflation fell to 1.2% last month (after adjusting for the sales tax increase) and has been falling for the last six months. He has a target of 5% nominal GDP growth, by which we assume he means 2% inflation and 3% real GDP growth. The fact that nominal growth has been almost literally zero for the last 20+ years doesn't seem to impact his optimistic target.
In his comments after the announcement, Kuroda-san said, "[However,] it is important for the BOJ to strongly commit to achieving its price target to get its price target firmly embedded in people's mindset.... [Thus] we have pledged to do whatever it takes to achieve our 2 percent inflation target at the earliest date possible.... It won't do much good in trying to shake off the public's deflation mindset if you just say inflation will reach 2 percent someday."
I guess using the phrase whatever it takes is working so well in Europe that Kuroda decided to try it out in Japan. At least the currency market believes him: the yen is getting thrashed as I write this.
Local analysts give him almost no chance of approaching 2% inflation in the first part of next year. Household spending fell another 5.6% in September, and another round of consumption tax increases is due to kick in next year. The consumption tax was raised from 5% to 8% last April, which resulted in a 7% contraction of the economy in the second quarter. The tax will rise another 2% (to a total of 10%, or double the original amount) next October. Seriously, if you are in the middle of a recession, the general prescription is to cut taxes, not double the national sales tax over a period of a year and a half. Taking away 5% of Japanese consumption is not going to be good for GDP or the inflation rate, especially when so much of your aging nation is living off fixed incomes that essentially pay them no interest.
Real wages have been falling for well over a year and are now down 3% year-over-year. I've written extensively on the deflationary impact of Japanese demographics. All of this data, taken together, is not the stuff of which inflationary fears are made.
And thus Kuroda's ostensible reason for increasing the money supply: we need more inflation, and economic theory says quantitative easing is the way to get it. The argument from the Bank of Japan is that it is simply applying the same strategy that the United States, Great Britain, and Europe have used to such stunning effect.
Except.
Japanese debt-to-GDP is approaching 250%. This year the government deficit is 7.6% - or the US equivalent of a deficit of about $1.3 trillion. (The actual US deficit in 2014 was $463 billion.) And Japanese government budgetary requests amount to a spending increase of about 6% for 2015 … although Prime Minister Abe assures us that Japan will be close to a primary balance by 2020. Rots o' ruck on that one, Abe.
Ten-year Japanese bonds are now yielding 0.45%, and five-year JGBs yield a minuscule 0.11%. The Bank of Japan has essentially become the Japanese bond market. The balance sheet of the Bank of Japan will rise about 1.4% of GDP each month for the foreseeable future. That is easily more than twice the amount of debt the government of Japan will issue. That means they will have to go into the market and buy already-issued bonds. Thus, the government pension fund announces that they will serendipitously sell their bonds (at a profit, of course) to the Bank of Japan and purchase equities. Such fortuitous timing for the Bank of Japan.
Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics notes that the BoJ already owns a quarter of all Japanese state bonds and a third of short-term notes (The Telegraph).
The actual Japanese strategy, over time, is to move the bulk of government debt off the books of banks, insurance companies, and pension funds, so that when, in some distant future, the Bank of Japan allows interest rates to rise, it will not devastate the balance sheets of Japan's most important institutions.
Head 'Em Up and Move 'Em Out
And this is where the move by the Japanese pension funds is so important. At the end of the day, the pension funds are moving out of JGBs and into equity and especially foreign equity precisely because they have lost faith in their ability to meet their obligations in an environment of continual and rising QE. The pension funds have forced the Bank of Japan to boost its QE support in order to absorb the amount of JGBs that will be put back on the market.
This is precisely what I predicted in both Endgame and Code Red and in this letter over the past four years. Investors, and that includes pension funds and insurance companies, have no choice but to diversify outside of Japanese bonds. Not to do so would be a dereliction of duty, but their shift forces the BoJ to increase its quantitative easing perhaps faster than it would like to.
This dynamic has the potential to spiral out of control. The more the yen falls, the more apparent it becomes that Japanese individuals and institutions are fleeing the Japanese bond market, and the greater will be the move to sell bonds. Unless the Bank of Japan can absorb all those bonds, interest rates will have nowhere to go but up, which would be devastating to the government of Japan.
Will the current level of JGB absorption, which is about 4% of total government debt per year over and above newly issued debt, be enough one year or two years from now? If it isn't, I fully expect another announcement increasing QE to an even more stratospheric level. Japan is still behaving in a gentlemanly fashion, to be sure. The pension funds will give the Bank of Japan a heads-up as to their plans, and it is likely there will be some give and take, but the direction is certain. This is not something that can happen overnight, as moving hundreds of billions of dollars into equity markets without radically roiling the markets is not possible. But this cattle drive is getting rolling - "head 'em up and move 'em out."
The debt-to-GDP ratio of Japan will rise another 25% in the next few years, but the amount of that debt on the balance sheet of the BoJ will increase by over 50% in just the next three years. By comparison, that would be the equivalent of the Federal Reserve's purchasing $8 trillion worth of government bonds and equities. That amount of money beggars the imagination … but it will still leave the Japanese government owing just a shade under 200% of GDP.
Since the government of Japan simply cannot survive in an environment of significantly rising interest rates without serious intervention by the Bank of Japan, QED, the BoJ is going to go on quantitatively easing well into the next decade. They will literally need to monetize 200% of GDP (or more!) while the government of Japan somehow manages to get into an actual surplus, so that the BoJ can withdraw from the markets and allow interest rates to rise to market levels. And if that debt-to-GDP ratio is pulled down to a more normal 40 to 50% (70%? - pick your favorite level for "reasonable") and they have a balanced budget, then interest rates will actually remain reasonable from the perspective of the government.
But if the Bank of Japan withdraws anytime soon from the bond market, there will be no Japanese bond market for the foreseeable future. Interest rates will rise with the same market force brought to bear by Jay Gould's corner on the gold market. I know I've been beating this drum for a number of years, but you can see this coming. Japan's past reckless spending leaves them with no other choice than to monetize their debt and destroy their currency.
The Bank of Japan is now the Japanese bond market. There is no one else. Japanese pension funds and investors are fleeing the Japanese bond market and putting money into "hard" assets like the local stock market or real estate if they want to keep the money in Japan, or they are moving it into investments denominated in other currencies.
The chart below shows the fall of the Japanese yen against the dollar in the last two years. Note that the dollar has risen some 40% against the yen. Since its recent high, the yen has dropped a similar amount against the euro and the Korean won. It is even 50% lower against the Chinese renminbi. That is a breathtaking move for a currency in so short a time.
The yen is now almost 114 to the dollar as I write early Monday morning, continuing its drop of last Friday. Expect to read about pushback from many countries over the next few weeks. They will become even more vocal when the yen crosses 120. And then 130 and at every point until the yen is at 200 to the dollar. The only question in my mind is, will the Bank of Japan monetize enough Japanese debt so that it can withdraw its quantitative easing before the yen reaches 200? I actually have real money in 10-year yen put options that says they can't. But then again, that assumes that a response by the Federal Reserve for QE4 doesn't develop. Please note that I'm not saying that the yen will go straight to 120, much less 200, from here. It will probably do so in an uneven and volatile manner similar to what we've seen in the past few years. But it is my belief that the overall direction is for an ever-depreciating currency.
If the yen depreciates only 10% a year, that exerts an inflationary force of less than 0.5% a year. Given the market dynamics already at work in Japan and given the stated goal of 2% inflation, that is nowhere near enough. There will come a time in the not-too-distant future when inflation again starts to recede uncomfortably below 1%, and the only way Governor Kuroda will be able to maintain his credibility will be to double down on even more aggressive QE. Whatever it takes, indeed!
These are not simple men at the helm of the BoJ. They fully will understand that they are eroding the value of their currency - and that, in fact, is part of their intention. In his comments after the meeting, Gov. Kuroda came right out and said, "Overall, a week yen is positive for Japan's economy." He hopes that by weakening it he will put some competitive zing back into Japan's exporting industries. By targeting equities, Japanese leaders hope to alleviate much of the pain to investors and their pension funds by fomenting a rising market. And Japanese corporate profits are up significantly - far more than those of their European and US counterparts - over the last two years as the yen has fallen.
I am sure the "unintended" consequences of Japanese actions are discussed at the monthly meeting of central bankers at the Bank of International Settlements in Basel. Perhaps they are even discussed aggressively. But at the end of the day, all Kuroda-san can do is shrug his shoulders and tell the other members he has no choice.
And he doesn't. If he does not continue in his present course, he will face a deflationary depression of the first-order, and that would have an even greater negative impact on the world than what he is attempting to do now.
But it is remarkably naïve for the market to believe in the illusion that the central bankers of the world have it all under control, that they have this all thought out, that they have modeled it perfectly, and that these new Japanese actions are simply part of the plan.
The Japanese are attempting to export the one Japanese product the world does not want: their deflation. It is not clear how the central banks of the world will react to the yen at 130, let alone 140 or 150. With proper fiscal, regulatory, and tax reform, the United States can cope with a rising dollar. I've been writing for a long time that the dollar is going to become stronger than any of us can possibly imagine. And not just against the yen. But monetary policy alone is not enough to deal with the challenges that a strong dollar presents.
I am not sanguine about Europe, where QE is still streng verboten. Neither is it clear what the proper course for China should be. Allowing the renminbi to strengthen along with the dollar would create deflationary impulses in China and weaken their own export competitiveness. But to allow their currency to fall would threaten the dollar relationship of their internal debt financing. Properly understood, Chinese government debt may be approaching 200% of GDP (when total government obligations are taken into account). That is a staggering sum for an emerging, growing economy, even one with China's dollar reserves. My guess is they're going to need every penny of those reserves. The good news, I suppose, is that they have them.
To think that the Japanese are not busy triggering a major currency war is to favor hope over political reality. It is true naïveté. Politicians are going to want to be seen doing something about currency fluctuations that hurt their local businesses. This will put pressure on their central banks and prompt urgent calls for protection. The bad news is that we're sliding into this currency crisis at a time when debt is at nosebleed levels and still rising, when Europe seems ineluctably headed for another phase of its crisis (and another recession), and China is struggling to balance a most unbalanced economy.
In the same way that we connected farmers and bankers in every corner of the United States back in the 1870s, we have now connected businesses at every level in every corner of the world. To think that we can somehow manage our Brave New World economy with any greater success than President Grant and his Treasury Secretary achieved is to rely on a huge dollop of hope, and hope is not an economic management strategy.
How do we recognize where and when the serious problems will develop? We'll close with a slightly edited version (from Endgame) of Michael Pettis's timeless list of "five things that matter":
1. Debt levels matter. The best way to measure them is as total debt to
GDP or external debt to exports. As a general rule, the more debt you have, the more difficulty you are going to have servicing it. Coupons matter, too. Low rates are much more serviceable than high rates.
2. The structure of the balance sheet matters, and this may be much more important than the actual level of debt. Not all debt is equal. An investor has to distinguish between inverted debt and hedged debt. With inverted debt, the value of liabilities is positively correlated with the value of assets, so that the debt burden and servicing costs decline in good times and rise in bad times. With hedged debt, they are negatively correlated.
Foreign currency and short-term borrowings are examples of inverted debt. This makes the good times better and the bad times worse. Long-term fixed-rate local-currency borrowing is an example of hedged debt. During an inflation or currency crisis, the cost of servicing the debt actually declines in real terms, providing the borrower with some automatic relief, and this relief increases the worse conditions become. Highly inverted debt structures are very dangerous because they reinforce negative shocks and can cause events to spiral out of control, but unfortunately they are very popular because in good times, when debt levels typically rise, they magnify positive shocks.
3. The economy's underlying volatility matters. Less volatile economies are less subject to violent fluctuations, especially if the performance of the economy is correlated with financing ability. This is especially a problem for countries whose economies are highly dependent on commodities. Typically, commodity prices go down in bad times, making it that much harder to export profitably.
4. The structure of the investor base matters. Contagion is caused not so much by fear, as most people assume, but by large amounts of highly leveraged positions, which force investors into various forms of delta hedging, that is, buy when prices rise, and sell when they drop.
5. The composition of the investor base also matters. A sovereign default is always a political decision, and it is easier to default if the creditors have little domestic political power or influence. Unless foreign investors have old-fashioned gunboats or a monopoly of new financing, for example, it is generally safer to default on foreigners than on locals. It is also easier to default on households via financial repression than it is to default on wealthy and powerful locals.
As you can see, the structure and ownership are almost more important than absolute debt levels themselves. This has very important implications, which we will go into as we go country by country around the world.
The insight that it is better to borrow in local currency versus foreign currency is critical. The United States and the United Kingdom, for example, are able to borrow exclusively in their own currency. This acts as an important shock absorber in bad times. It also creates an incentive to use devaluation and inflation as a means of financial repression. Devaluation hurts foreign bondholders, and inflation eases payments in your own currency in the short run.
Currency wars will create massive havoc in emerging markets with dollar-denominated debt. Think 1998 on steroids.
Markets are creatures of emotion and leverage. If either one turns negative in a world where deflationary pressures are building, then the only inflation we have seen - asset price inflation - will be threatened. Even with Godzilla-sized Japanese QE. Stay tuned.
New York and, well, New York
I look at my calendar and marvel that I only have one scheduled trip, to New York November 12-14, for the rest of the year, though it seems likely that I may go back to New York in early December. I'm sure that my reduced travel schedule will change (it always does), but for now I'm looking forward to enjoying the coming holiday season at home.
Even more so because this last road trip, while providing lots of fascinating conversation and new information, was exhausting. Normally jet lag is not that hard for me, but for some reason this trip just drained the batteries. I look forward to recharging them in the next few weeks.
In the past week I had conversations with between 40 and 50 serious market participants: investors and numerous hedge fund managers (some quite large), household-name economists (at least in my household), political leaders, central bank types, and so on, from all over the world. I'm struck by the fact that there is no single takeaway - no theme or meme that seems to dominate the current conversation. Perhaps that's due to the diverse nature of my conversational partners and differences in venues, but there seems to be more confusion and frustration than you would expect as the market goes on making new highs.
During the week, in several venues (where, under Chatham House rules, I can discuss what was said but not the names of the participants), I was somewhat taken back by the level of confidence exhibited by the central bankers and major economists with regard to their ability to generate inflation when they so desire and to keep things on an even keel. They generally dismissed the notion that there has been inflation in asset prices, because that is something they desired; and as long as it is not general price-level inflation that is affected, they don't worry. We all like it when our stocks and real estate go up. They almost seemed to assume that the recent asset price rises were the norm and that anything else would be an aberration. Has anyone noticed that margin debt in the US is at all-time high just as the markets hit an all-time high? Shades of 1873.
The level of complacency was somewhat unnerving, given my level of general alarm and concern. The present situation strikes me as being eerily similar to 1999 and 2006. And when I point to the data, the markets seem to tell me that I am too much concerned about the wrong things and not focusing on all the good things that are happening. But that's also what the market was telling me in 1999 and 2006. As I keep saying, the market is not as smart or prescient as it is given credit for. In fact, the market missed just about every recession up until it became clear that recession was inevitable. Still, the market has a better track record than Federal Reserve economists do!
On a personal note, I really hate writing letters like this. I am actually an irrational optimist, at least in regards to the course of human affairs in technology and society. I am merely bearish on governments. I much prefer dwelling on the ethereal and fantastical visions of the future reality that we seem to be creating even faster than our human counterparts did in the 19 th century. I think the potential for economic growth after we have hit the debt reset button is at least as great as we've seen in the past century. The trend toward "cheaper and more abundant" is a dominant force that we should all be cognizant of. Maybe after the next crisis we can decide to do something about debt and keep it from building up so that our children won't have to deal with another debt supercycle crisis.
I will be hosting a small gathering this coming Tuesday on election night. I don't know that much will change after this election, but perhaps it will be a preview of changes to come. Have a great week. And if you're in the US and haven't already done so, go vote. Unless you're in Chicago, where no voter identification or proof of residency is needed, and then you should vote twice. I'm told that is the ancient and usual custom.
Your preparing for a sea change analyst, |
DRUDGE REPORT: “Megyn Kelly Twists Knife into Ailes”
Roger Ailes gave Megyn Kelly the PRIME SPOT in the nightly lineup following Bill O’Reilly and the top ranked show in cable news.
What does he get in return?
A knife in the back!
Megyn Kelly accused Ailes of sexual harassment.
Good grief.
Deadline reported:
Fox News boss Roger Ailes is negotiating his exit, Deadline has confirmed. Blogger Matt Drudge put up a headline at the top of his popular aggregation website The Drudge Report this afternoon that Ailes will exit the company with a “$40+ million parachute.” There is no link to a story, but a source subsequently told Deadline that Ailes is in exit talks, saying terms of the settlement are being hammered out tonight. “With internal allegations mounting, it was deemed time for him to go,” the well-placed source said. |
Jamie Dimon claims cryptocurrency is only fit for use by drug dealers, murderers and people living in North Korea
Bitcoin is a fraud that will ultimately blow up, according to JP Morgan boss Jamie Dimon, who said the digital currency was only fit for use by drug dealers, murderers and people living in places such as North Korea.
Speaking at a conference in New York, the boss of America’s biggest bank said he would fire “in a second” anyone at the investment bank found to be trading in bitcoin. “For two reasons: it’s against our rules, and they’re stupid. And both are dangerous.”
Q&A What is bitcoin and is it a bad investment? Show Hide Bitcoin is the first, and the biggest, “cryptocurrency” – a decentralised tradeable digital asset. Whether it is a bad investment is the big question. Bitcoin can only be used as a medium of exchange and in practice has been far more important for the dark economy than it has for most legitimate uses. The lack of any central authority makes bitcoin remarkably resilient to censorship, corruption – or regulation. That means it has attracted a range of backers, from libertarian monetarists who enjoy the idea of a currency with no inflation and no central bank, to drug dealers who like the fact that it is hard (but not impossible) to trace a bitcoin transaction back to a physical person.
He added: “The currency isn’t going to work. You can’t have a business where people can invent a currency out of thin air and think that people who are buying it are really smart.
“If you were in Venezuela or Ecuador or North Korea or a bunch of parts like that, or if you were a drug dealer, a murderer, stuff like that, you are better off doing it in bitcoin than US dollars,” he said. “So there may be a market for that, but it would be a limited market.”
Bitcoin is a virtual currency that emerged in the aftermath of the financial crisis. It allows people to bypass banks and traditional payment processes to pay for goods and services. Banks and other financial institutions have been concerned about bitcoin’s early associations with money laundering and online crime, and it has not been adopted by any government.
It has more than quadrupled in value since December, hitting about $4,700 last month before falling back. It fell by about 5% after Dimon’s comments on Wednesday to below $4,000.
“It is worse than tulip bulbs,” Dimon said, referring to a famous market bubble from the 1600s. He predicted big losses for those investing in bitcoin. “Don’t ask me to short it. It could be at $20,000 before this happens, but it will eventually blow up,” he said. “Honestly, I am just shocked that anyone can’t see it for what it is.”
However, the banker revealed his daughter had bought bitcoin: “It went up and she thinks she’s a genius now.”
Last week, Lady Mone launched a major property development in Dubai, priced in bitcoins, saying the digital currency was a growing market that could not be ignored.
Bitcoin investors could lose all their money, FCA warns Read more
The co-founder of the underwear brand Ultimo is selling the luxury apartments with her businessman boyfriend, Douglas Barrowman, and the £250m scheme will include two apartment blocks and a shopping centre. One-bedroom apartments will be priced at about 54 bitcoins, Barrowman said, while two-bedroom flats are expected to go for about 80 bitcoins.
Meanwhile, a London property developer is allowing its tenants to pay their deposits in bitcoin – the first time the cryptocurrency has been used in the UK residential homes market.
By the end of this year the Collective will also accept rent payments in the virtual currency. It said the move was in response to demand predominantly from international customers.
Dimon’s criticism of the currency coincided with a warning from the UK financial regulator against a speculative frenzy in initial coin offerings (ICOs), where internet start-ups are funded by investors using cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.
Cryptocurrency boom stalls as regulators focus on ICOs Read more
In an ICO, an investor pays in bitcoins in return for a “coin” or “token” that is in effect their share in the firm.
The FCA said anyone investing in ICOs should be prepared to lose all their money. “ICOs are very high-risk, speculative investments,” it said. “You should be conscious of the risks involved … and prepared to lose your entire stake.”
Yann Quelenn, an analyst at the online bank Swissquote, said bitcoin “still has great potential”.
“We think it is a possible safe haven. Fewer than 0.01% of the world’s population has a bitcoin wallet,” he said. “If this would reach 1%, the demand for bitcoin would skyrocket, because there are only 18m coins available.
“Cryptocurrencies are a new asset class, one at war with fiat [paper] money, and that war will be fought on regulatory issues. Central banks are keen to preserve their monopoly on money, something they will not let go of without a fight.” |
Lexington Avenue, often colloquially abbreviated as "Lex", is an avenue on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street to Gramercy Park at East 21st Street. Along its 5.5-mile (8.9-kilometer), 110-block route, Lexington Avenue runs through Harlem, Carnegie Hill, the Upper East Side, Midtown, and Murray Hill to a point of origin that is centered on Gramercy Park. South of Gramercy Park, the axis continues as Irving Place from 20th Street to East 14th Street.
Lexington Avenue was not one of the streets included in the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 street grid, so the addresses for cross streets do not start at an even hundred number, as they do with avenues that were originally part of the plan.
History [ edit ]
View of Lexington Avenue south from 50th street, with the Chrysler Building in the background
Both Lexington Avenue and Irving Place began in 1832 when Samuel Ruggles, a lawyer and real-estate developer, petitioned the New York State Legislature to approve the creation of a new north/south avenue between the existing Third and Fourth Avenues, between 14th and 30th Streets. Ruggles had purchased land in the area, and was developing it as a planned community of townhouses around a private park, which he called Gramercy Park. He was also developing property around the planned Union Square, and wanted the new road to improve the value of these tracts. The legislation approved, and, as the owner of most of the land along the route of the new street, Ruggles was assessed for the majority of its cost. Ruggles named the southern section, below 20th Street, which opened in 1833, after his friend Washington Irving. The northern section, which opened three years later, in 1836, was named after the Battle of Lexington in the Revolutionary War.[3][4]
Lexington saw the first arrest in New York for speeding, in 1899, when a bicycle patrolman overtook cabdriver Jacob German, who had been racing down the avenue at the "reckless" speed of 12 mph (19 km/h).[5] The portion of Lexington Avenue above East 42nd Street was reconstructed at the same time as the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. The widened street and the subway line both opened on July 17, 1918.[6]
Parallel to Lexington Avenue lies Park Avenue to its west and Third Avenue to its east. The avenue is largely commercial at ground level, with offices above. There are clusters of hotels in the 30s and 40s, roughly from the avenue's intersection with 30th Street through to its intersection with 49th Street, and apartment buildings farther north.
Portions of the avenue were widened in 1955, which required eminent domain takings of the facades of some structures along Lexington.[7]
Lexington Avenue has carried one-way (downtown) traffic since July 17, 1960.[8]
The July 18, 2007 New York City steam explosion sent a geyser of hot steam up from beneath the avenue at 41st Street resulting in one death and more than 40 injuries.
Irving Place [ edit ]
In contrast to Lexington Avenue, the five-block stretch of Irving Place, from 14th to 20th Street at Gramercy Park carries two-way traffic and is decidedly local in nature. After the opening of Union Square in 1839, the Irving Place area became one of the most sought-after residential neighborhoods in the city, a situation which was only enhanced by the development of Gramercy Park to the north and Stuyvesant Square to the east.[4]
An assortment of restaurants and bars line Irving Place, including Pete's Tavern, New York's oldest surviving saloon, where O. Henry supposedly conceived of his short story "The Gift of the Magi", and which survived Prohibition disguised as a flower shop. Irving Plaza, on East 15th Street and Irving, hosts numerous concerts for both well-known and indie bands and draws a crowd almost every night. Another component of the avenue are the large apartment buildings which line the street from Gramercy Park to 17th Street. Also at 17th, a small bed-and-breakfast, the Inn at Irving Place, occupies two Greek Revival architecture townhouses built in 1840–1841 and renovated between 1991 and 1995.
Historically and architecturally significant are 47 and 49 Irving Place—the latter where Washington Irving is said to have lived, but did not[4]—which are part of the East 17th Street/Irving Place Historic District, and 19 Gramercy Park on the corner of 20th Street, part of the Gramercy Park Historic District.
Offices located on Irving Place include those of The Nation magazine, the New York branch of the Rosicrucian Order and the Seafarers and International House mission.[9] There are also a number of clinics and official city buildings along the street, including Washington Irving High School and the headquarters of the New York City Human Resources Administration.[9] The bottom of the street is anchored by the rear of the Zeckendorf Towers condominium apartment complex on the west side, and the Consolidated Edison Building on the east.[9]
Public transportation [ edit ]
Surface:
The following buses use Lexington Avenue between the following streets (northbound buses run along Third Avenue):
M98: Between East 120th and East 67th Streets
M101, M102, M103 (Third and Lexington Avenues Line): Between Harlem and East 24th Streets; turns east at East 24th Street. M101 and M103 run to 125th Street; M102 runs to 116th Street and turns west there.
BxM1: Between East 106th and East 34th Streets
SIM6: Between East 57th and East 23rd Streets
SIM22: Between East 57th and East 42nd Streets
SIM26: Between East 57th and East 42nd Streets
Subway:
The IRT Lexington Avenue Line (4, 5, 6, and <6> trains) of the New York City Subway runs under Lexington Avenue north of 42nd Street (at Grand Central) to 125th Street; south of Grand Central, this subway line runs under Park Avenue, Park Avenue South, and Fourth Avenue until Astor Place.
In popular culture [ edit ]
Lexington Avenue became part of a classic American cinematic moment, in the 1955 movie The Seven Year Itch, the scene in which Marilyn Monroe shot what would become her most famous scene. Whilst she stands on a subway grating outside the Loew's Lexington theatre, her skirt billows up from the wind underneath. While the footage showing the theatre in the background appeared in the finished film, the footage featuring the subway grate shot on September 15, 1954, on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 51st Street was more of a publicity stunt; retakes were shot on a studio soundstage, and shots from both are seen in the film.[10]
This street was also featured in the film 1408.
See also [ edit ]
Lexington Avenue bombing
Southern Indian Cuisine: in reference to the growing number of Asian Indian restaurants and spice shops along a stretch of Lexington Avenue between 25th and 30th Streets in the Rose Hill neighborhood which has become known as Curry Hill.[11]
References [ edit ]
Notes
Further reading
Route map:
KML is from Wikidata
New York Songlines: Lexington Avenue with Irving Place, a virtual walking tour |
A time machine, murder, mystery, and the dynamic duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson took the stage Thursday night in The Secret Case Of Sherlock Holmes at Steinbach Regional Secondary School.
Troy Friesen, who played Sherlock Holmes, says he was a bit nervous before taking the stage, but feels their performance went well and any slips were recovered quickly and, for the most part, unbeknownst to the audience. Friesen adds there were a couple favourite moments during the production.
"I don't mind when we're talking to Professor Moriarty and both [Watson and I] are getting super intense. I don't know how to fight in this, I'm just a goofy character. I just have my fists up and I don't even know what I'm doing. Also, some of the stuff that was just Watson and I, those are always fun cause then we can just goof off."
Devon De Ruyck, who played Dr. John Watson, says he wasn't too anxious opening night and hopes the audience continues to enjoy the production.
"I hope everybody gets the laughs. I hope they laugh in the similar places they laughed in [Thursday night]. I hope we can get the show going, I hope we don't get too tired, I hope we can keep the energy going in the next two nights."
Shows take place Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SRSS theatre. |
A Chinese man has sued a Beijing animal hospital over the death of his dog during plastic surgery. Chinese animal welfare advocates have been appalled at the surgery, a facelift that was performed specifcally to meet “the aesthetic desire” of the man, as Qin Xiaona, director of the Capital Animal Association, says to the Global Times.
Mr. Yu (as the media are referring to him) owns a Beijing dog farm. He wanted the dog to have a “facelift” to improve his appearance and thereby increase profits, as he says in the Global Times: ”The skin of my dog’s head was very flabby, so I wanted to cut part of his forehead and straighten the skin….. If my dog looks better, female dog owners will pay a higher price when they want to mate their dog with mine.”
Yu is demanding 880,000 yuan ($141,240) in compensation for the dog’s death; he claims that he bought the dog, a Tibetan Mastiff, from another owner for that price in March of 2012. He had previously had other dogs undergo surgery to make their ears more erect. The Global Times says that Yu owns 30 dogs and has been breeding them with dogs from other farms for fifteen years, for a price of 30,000 to 300,000 yuan. He also keeps female dogs whose puppies can sell from several thousand yuan to several million yuan.
The Tibetan Mastiff has become a canine status symbol for China’s nouveaux riche. One sold for 20 million yuan last year; a coal magnate in northern China bought a mastiff, Hong Dong for 10 million yuan in 2011. “If you are rich, you can easily buy a big house or a Lamborghini. But owning a pure-bred mastiff is quite another thing. It’s solid evidence of your wealth, power and taste,” millionaire dog breeder Li Yongfu is quoted as saying in the Telegraph.
Not only have Chinese animal welfare advocates expressed outrage at the use of plastic surgery to make the deceased mastiff look “better” according to the eyes of Yu. It is presumptuous for us to think that what humans consider “attractive” is the same as what animals do.
Advocates also point out that it is abusive for Tibetan mastiffs, which are native to the grassland plateaus of Central Asia and were originally bred as guard dogs, to be raised in lowland cities including Beijing and in urban areas, period.
In the Global Times, Zhang Mingming, who owns two cats, shuddered at the use of plastic surgery on a pet as such treats him or her “like a toy instead of a living being.” As Care2 blogger Judy Molland writes about the current rage for dog tattoos in the U.K.
Isn’t tattooing, or any other kind of adorning, taking away your pet’s dignity? How would humans like it if they had to submit to such embellishments against their will?
In the case of the deceased mastiff, the facelift was intended for the profit of the dog’s owner, in blatant disregard for the “rights and interests of the dog,” says Qin of the Capital Animal Association. It is horrendous that Yu is still seeking to make money from the now deceased dog who more than deserves to be left in peace.
Related Care2 Coverage
Dog Tattoos: Want To Shave A Snowflake Into Your Pooch’s Fur?
Too Hard to Regulate Dog Breeders? Just Forget It, Then!
Beaten Service Dog Faces Execution
Photo from Thinkstock |
By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
With the fragmentation of Iraq and Syria primarily along sectarian fault-lines- principally that of the Shi’a vs. Sunni dynamic- third way ethno-religious groups such as the Christians find themselves caught in the middle. Lacking organizational coherence, unity and strength to form their own separatist projects, Christians in Iraq and Syria generally find themselves forming alliances with one major player or another in the respective conflicts. In Syria, two choices exist: the regime and irregular aligned forces (e.g. the Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Wadi al-Nasara in Homs province) or the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) autonomous administration. In Qamishli, the dichotomy of regime vs. PYD administration has played out in the split of the original ‘Sutoro’ militia of the Syriac Union Party (SUP), whereby the SUP loyalist Sutoro has tied itself to the PYD, while a ‘Sootoro’ in Qamishli is aligned with the regime.
Merry Christmas from the pro-Assad militia Muqawama Suriya last year. For similar outreach and on the Qamishli situation, see this article I wrote.
In Iraq, discrepancies in Christian population by region mean that the main accessible actor to which the majority of Christians at the present time can turn is the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). For instance, the Dwekh Nawsha militia active in the Nineveh Plains and tied to the Assyrian Patriotic Party- whatever ideals may be espoused of being able to achieve self-sufficiency in arming- finds itself heavily dependent on the Peshmerga. However, there is still a Christian population in Iraq outside areas of KRG control, and it is largely in this context that we find notions of a Christian-Shi’a alliance- something that has ample precedent in Lebanon with Hezbollah’s outreach to Christians (for the latest examples of this phenomenon, see this excellent report by my friend Kareem Shaheen of The Daily Star in Beirut).
To be sure, in Iraq some components of the Sunni insurgency do try to play up the idea of supposedly having Christians in their ranks, principally as part of a Ba’athist superficial cross-sectarian messaging strategy. The most notable case here is the Jaysh Rijal al-Tariqa al-Naqshbandia (Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order/JRTN) of Iraq Ba’ath Party leader Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri’s Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation. JRTN claims it is an “extension of the prior Iraqi national army” with members from all ethnicities and religions, including Shi’a and Sunni Arabs, as well as Yezidis, Christians and Mandaeans. Unsurprisingly, such a narrative hardly proves appealing in the face of the dominance of the Islamic State (IS), which has displaced all Christians from Mosul amid a dhimmi pact ultimatum. Though JRTN condemned the displacement, it did not denounce IS by name, opting instead for the conspiracy theory that this tragedy was all the work of the government in Baghdad.
Thus, it should hardly prove surprising that with the militiafication of much of the Baghdad government-aligned forces following the fall of Mosul in June 2014, Shi’a militias in particular can capitalise on the rise of IS and engage in outreach to Christians on the basis of fighting a common enemy. At the most rudimentary level, this takes the form of social media graphics emphasizing affinity between Jesus and Imam Ali.
Sample graphic of Christian-Shi’a solidarity: “The Messiah forever and oh Ali, grant strength.”
Turning to specifics on the ground, illustrative of Shi’a militia outreach to Christians is the recent case of the Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Forces, a group headed by Aws al-Khafaji, a one-time figure in Muqtada al-Sadr’s office who reportedly visited Damascus in support of the Iraqi Shi’a militias fighting against Syrian rebels. Indeed, it seems likely that his Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Forces, with similar name, is based on Syria’s Liwa Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas. For Christmas, Khafaji and his militia paid a visit to the Evangelical Church in Baghdad, with Khafaji delivering a speech inside the church and granting an interview. In the latter, he emphasized: “On this day, Christmas Day, we want to send a message to the whole world that the religion of Islam is a religion of compassion and brotherhood. The religion of Islam calls on us to protect our Christian brothers…Our religion is not the religion of the Dawa3esh [IS guys] that forced the Christians to leave. Our religion is not the religion of the Dawa3esh that destroyed the churches. Indeed we respect the churches….We defend our country, our lands and every religion present in our country.”
“The Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Forces wish you a Merry Christmas”- featuring Christian-Muslim unity symbolism and the militia’s logo on the top-right.
“Iraq brings us together. The Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Forces congratulate you on the occasion of Christmas.”
Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Forces fighters outside the church with their flags.
An even more interesting case of Shi’a-Christian alliance in Iraq is that of Kata’ib al-Imam Ali and its creation of the “Spirit of God Jesus Son of Mary Battalions.” The particular social media pages advertising this concept are not associated with Assyrian identity symbolism but rather Syriac/Aramean. The group is of particular interest because it bases the work with Kata’ib al-Imam Ali on the grounds of Kurdish betrayal and handing over of areas to IS. It should be noted that this sense of disappointment and distrust of Kurdish forces in light of the fall of many areas of Ninawa province is not limited to Christians but is also a sentiment felt by many Yezidis.
“Syriac Sons’ Brigades”- a Facebook page promoting the “Spirit of God Jesus Son of Mary Battalions” as part of Kata’ib al-Imam Ali. The page describes itself as follows: “For the defence of our land and homeland: Syriac Christian brigades.” The symbol used is employed by proponents of Syriac and Aramean Christian identity in opposition to Assyrian identity narrative. Cover photo features “Spirit of God Jesus Son of Mary Battalions” insignia on left.
Promotional video for “Spirit of God Jesus Son of Mary Battalions,” featuring a procession with the Christian cross, flag of Iraq (right) and the flag of Kata’ib al-Imam Ali. Those marching in this procession are wearing Kata’ib al-Imam Ali shirts.
The cohort of Kata’ib al-Imam Ali featuring the Christian cross.
The true size of this Syriac brigade is unclear, and it is hardly evident that it is some kind of major military force in the Nineveh plains. Nonetheless, it is of great interest particularly with the playing up of affinity between Shi’a and Christians. The promotional video features an interview with one Sheikh Ahmad al-Rubai’e, who emphasizes: “And we see that with the companions of Imam al-Hussein [key figure in Shi’a Islam] were groups of Christian soldiers, and today also the Christians go with whosoever supports Hussein.”
In the end, the two-way choice between the Shi’a and the Kurds for Iraq’s Christians was inevitable. Not all Christians are going to trust the KRG and its forces, and in the end, the Shi’a militias do not pose for them the existential threat from IS that has come to be the main authority in all major majority Sunni localities outside of government control. The situation is ever further from the ideal of a coherent, national Iraqi army to maintain order.
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Colin Cowherd finally apologized. On air. It drew gasps, and came only after passionate hectoring by arguably the most famous person in sports media. You can see the reluctance on Cowherd's face as he says the words: "I apologize right now to John Wall."
And so ends the extended pillorying of Wall, an ascendent NBA superstar, by Cowherd, one of the loudest voices in sports-talk radio.
Maybe. At least for now.
But this isn't really about Cowherd and Wall. Wall could have been anyone. Cowherd's words — repeatedly painting Wall with tired stereotypes and using them to draw vast generalizations about his character — represent much more.
Cowherd's obsession with denigrating Wall offers a gives a look into how norms and boundaries along racial lines are policed in America. It's a wide open window offering a glimpse into how sports are used to enforce larger societal prejudices for personal gain.
It's also an entry-level course in how words that ostensibly mean one thing are used to convey another for personal gain. In a whacked-out election year, there's more than a whiff of familiarity to all this.
Yes, we're looking at Donald Trump.
Cowherd, now with Fox Sports, first fixated on Wall during the player's rookie season in 2010, back when Cowherd was at ESPN. Wall had the temerity to dance (aside: remember "The Dougie"!?) during pre-game intros. Cowherd's had an obsession with Wall ever since.
After being pestered this week by Bill Simmons, a guest on his show, Cowherd finally offered a public apology to Wall following years of abuse.
Soon after Cowherd's apology Keely Diven of CSN Mid-Atlantic compiled a list of some of the radio host's rants against the Washington Wizards point guard and three-time All-Star. Here's a small taste.
First, the "Dougie" rant that started it all in 2010:
Before the game started, he spent 34 seconds doing the Dougie. That tells me all I need to know about J-Wow. Then he opened his mouth later and confirmed it: not a sharp guy ...
J Wow's 37-second 'Yo dawg look at me I'm the man [dance]', and his wild, out-of-control style ... He's gonna end up on the Iverson, Francis, Starbury: great stats, nine All-Star teams, never play with good smart players and an elite head coach. He's gonna drive people nuts.
It's not robbing the bank, it's that you planned it. It's not just doing the Doggie [sic] for 35 seconds, it's that you really thought before the game, this is gonna be super cool and people will like me. The wrong people ...
My daughter's 10. Ten years old. She knows the difference between right and wrong ... The haves get it early, the have-nots never do
Now here's another from the same year.
I'm a big believer, when it comes to quarterbacks and point guards. Who's your dad? Who's your dad? ... Strong families equal strong leaders. Talent? Overrated. Leadership? Underrated ...
(Wall's father, by the way, died of cancer when Wall was eight years old. Wall is by most accounts a good and hard-working professional from a tough background.)
Not all of Cowherd's barrages against Wall were so obviously tinged with racial undertones. But, as Diven correctly notes for CSN, the worst of Cowherd's reasoning "force-fits one of the league's most dynamic figures into a lazy, racist trope of the black player who is physically superior but intellectually flawed."
Let's widen the lens
Wall at a press conference this season. Image: Nick Wass/AP
Meanwhile, America's through-the-looking-glass election cycle this year has cast a new spotlight on an old phrase: Dog whistling.
It's saying one thing to the population at large while delivering a coded message to a smaller group. It's speaking in general terms, while "winking and nodding," as MSNBC's Joy Reid phrased it in March, to your true intended audience.
It's Donald Trump lamenting "you can't have a rally in a major city in this country without violence or potential violence" — but really vilifying urban-dwelling minorities to his largely white supporters.
It's Cowherd calling Wall "not a sharp guy," putting the words "Yo dawg" in Wall's mouth, baselessly bringing up Wall's father to spotlight supposed shortcoming as a player, implying the adult Wall can't match Cowherd's young daughter when discerning right from wrong, et cetera and so forth. It's saying all of this supposedly about Wall, but really ascribing to him tired stereotypes that have been used to smear black men.
This isn't to say Cowherd himself is a racist, although you can bet a segment of his audience is racist. (His show, by the way is called "The Herd.") Cowherd is a professional provocateur. He hates on many people — hating is his thing, his schtick.
Maybe that's a fine schtick — it's "just sports," right? But when racial dog-whistles and stereotypes that have been perversely baked into the American psyche for centuries are employed to stoke passions and boost ratings, there's a problem.
Just sports, or something more?
Wall took his mother to the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in April. Image: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Sports as an arena for policing cultural boundaries is hardly new or exclusive to the Cowherd-Wall dynamic. Acknowledged openly or not, there are racial undertones to so many sports stories — from the NBA dress code, to Jose Bautista's bat flip in last year's MLB playoffs and far more. But Cowherd railing against Wall for years at seemingly every opportunity brings the issue into unique focus.
Also worth noting is that Cowherd's treatment of Wall fits into a behavioral pattern for the radio host. He was widely criticized last summer for remarks about Dominican baseball players, for example. For further reading, click over to a Deadspin post also from last summer called "Remember All Those Other Times Colin Cowherd Said Racist Shit on ESPN"?
But let's bring our attention back to this week. Cowherd has apologized to Wall, for what nothing that's worth. His bizarre one-man crusade against one of the NBA's brightest young stars appears to have ended.
But Cowherd will likely fixate on a new target sooner than later. Because this isn't about John Wall. It's about saying one thing and meaning another. It's about policing false boundaries and perpetuating specious stereotypes. It's about stoking fear and loathing to pull more angry people into your fold.
Does that sound familiar, America?
Maybe this story isn't "just sports," after all.
One election from the presidency. Image: Michael Snyde/AP
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments. |
The Juice, as they say, is loose. O.J. Simpson was granted parole Thursday in Nevada, meaning he’ll be free by October. Around the time the verdict came down, Kato Kaelin was angry on Twitter.
But it had nothing to do with O.J. and everything to do with the Milwaukee Brewers. Seriously.
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You remember Kato, right? The houseguest who turned into one of the cast of characters America grew to know on a first-name basis throughout the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Kaelin was a witness back then. These days, he’s just a witness to a baseball team that’s free-falling out of first place.
The Brewers — from Kaelin’s hometown of Milwaukee — lost a Thursday matinee 4-2 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was the Brewers’ fifth straight loss and it dropped their lead atop the NL Central to one game. Kaelin, like every Brewers fan, wasn’t too happy about this development.
Quick hello 2everyone! I apologize @Brewers if my passion takes over but I WANT A WINNER & we continue to not get better! Need pitchers now — Kato Kaelin (@Kato_Kaelin) July 20, 2017
.@Brewers it's really really sad – — Kato Kaelin (@Kato_Kaelin) July 20, 2017
And that’s nothing compared to the Twitter rant Kaelin went on Wednesday night when the Brewers lost. He sent eight tweets in an hour including these gems:
Story continues
U SUCK @Brewers U JUST FN SUCK! U will NEVER BE A CONTENDER! It's what the management does best! NOTHING! I can't stand u — Kato Kaelin (@Kato_Kaelin) July 20, 2017
If anyone says it's a fn rebuilding year u are 4ever blocked on Twitter @Brewers – REBUILDING 4 EVER- we just SUCK WE ALWAYS CHOKE — Kato Kaelin (@Kato_Kaelin) July 20, 2017
13 strikeouts @Brewers -this is so AWFUL! They won't be wildcard team & blowing the chance to win division. Broxton & Thames must b traded — Kato Kaelin (@Kato_Kaelin) July 20, 2017
Why Counsell sucks @Brewers 1) he plays Thames 4k's 2day He can't motivate- after all star break we HAVE SUCKED. It's FN OVER! We R PUKEPUKE — Kato Kaelin (@Kato_Kaelin) July 20, 2017
We’ve seen a lot of baseball fans get mad online in our day but “We R PUKEPUKE” is a new one. Congrats, Kato.
And, hey, let’s all admit that if you’re Kato Kaelin, getting mad about your favorite baseball team is way better than getting caught up in another O.J. drama.
O.J. Simpson at his parole hearing Thursday and Kato Kaelin circa 1995. (AP)
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
More O.J. Simpson coverage from Yahoo Sports:
• O.J. Simpson granted parole, can be freed in October
• Twitter reacts to Nevada parole board’s Simpson decision
• A parole board member heard Simpson’s case wearing a Chiefs tie
• Parole only the latest twist in O.J.’s long legal drama |
BY: Follow @@Cam_Cawthorne
Rep. Maxine Waters (D., Calif.) told CNN co-host Chris Cuomo on Tuesday morning it is "absolutely ridiculous" for Republicans to say she threatened President Donald Trump earlier this month when she said during a speech she would go and "take Trump out tonight."
Cuomo began the interview by playing a clip of Waters' speech last week at a gala for LGBT youth in New York.
"Wow, what a moving evening this is. I'm sitting here listening, watching, absorbing, thinking about Ali even though I never met him," she said at the dinner. "And with this kind of inspiration, I will go and take out Trump tonight."
Cuomo followed up by asking Waters what she intended by her comments, noting the controversy it has stirred about her possibly making a death threat.
"That's absolutely ridiculous. Nobody believes that a 79-year-old grandmother who is a congresswoman and who has been in Congress and politics for all these years is talking about doing any harm," Waters said. "The only harm that I may doing to the president, is I want him impeached, and those people who are so opposed to my leadership on impeachment are organizing – the right-wing, the white nationalists, the KKK – they've organized an effort to try and of course defeat me in my election coming up and to discredit me."
Waters continued by saying that she isn't talking about any physical harm to anyone and that she is on the front lines trying to impeachment Trump.
"I believe this president is not worthy. I think that this president should not be representing our country. He has alienated our allies. He continues to lie day in and day out. He creates controversy. He can't get along with the members of Congress. He needs to be impeached. I want him impeached and I'm going to continue my efforts to call for his impeachment," Waters said.
Cuomo then referred to the language used on both sides, including by Waters and others opposed to the president, as "ugly talk." He asked her whether she believed she should "be the change" she wants to see and show "a high level of decency" when criticizing others.
"I think that I have been extremely responsible in laying out the case for why this president should be impeached. I know that the right-wing, the white nationalists, all of those who are organized around this president do not like this, and people are not accustomed to a woman – in particular, an African-American woman – taking this kind of leadership. How dare me challenge the President of the United States?" Waters said.
"But we have never witnessed a president who has been as irresponsible and as dangerous as this president, and I think that we need to step up to the plate and tell the truth and speak truth to power, and that's what I am doing and that's what I am going to continue to do. I know it's unusual," Waters added.
Waters has been one of the harshest critics of Trump's presidency, calling for Trump's impeachment as early as three weeks after he was sworn into office. She has argued Trump and his associates colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign. Meanwhile, inquiries into collusion are ongoing and no such determination has been made. The California representative nevertheless said she will continue to "call it like it is."
"I'm going to continue to call it like it is, and speak to truth to power, and say that this president is not capable of managing this country in a responsible way," Waters said. |
Two hip hop DJs creating new music by mixing tracks from multiple record players. Pictured are DJ Hypnotize (left) and Baby Cee (right).
Hip Hop or Hip-Hop, is a culture and art movement that began in the Bronx in New York City during the early 1970s[1]. The origin of the word is often disputed. It is also argued as to whether Hip Hop started in the South or West Bronx.[2][3][4][5][6] While the term hip hop is often used to refer exclusively to hip hop music (also called rap),[7] hip hop is characterized by nine elements, of which only four elements are considered essential to understand hip hop musically. The main elements of hip hop consist of four main pillars. Afrika Bambaataa of the hip hop collective Zulu Nation outlined the pillars of hip hop culture, coining the terms: "rapping" (also called MC or Microphone Commander), a rhythmic vocal rhyming style (orality); DJing (and turntablism), which is making music with record players and DJ mixers (aural/sound and music creation); b-boying/b-girling/breakdancing (movement/dance); and graffiti art.[8][3][9][10][11] Other elements of hip hop subculture and arts movements beyond the main four are: hip hop culture and historical knowledge of the movement (intellectual/philosophical); beatboxing, a percussive vocal style; street entrepreneurship; hip hop language; and hip hop fashion and style, among others.[12][13][14]
The fifth element is commonly considered either street knowledge, hip hop fashion, or beatboxing; however, it is often debated.[3][8]
The Bronx Hip Hop scene emerged in the mid-1970s from neighborhood block parties thrown by the Black Spades, an African-American group that has been described as being a gang, a club, and a music group. Hip hop culture has spread to both urban and suburban communities throughout the United States and subsequently the world.[15] These elements were adapted and developed considerably, particularly as the art forms spread to new continents and merged with local styles in the 1990s and subsequent decades. Even as the movement continues to expand globally and explore myriad styles and art forms, including hip hop theater and hip hop film, the four foundational elements provide coherence and a strong foundation for Hip Hop culture.[3] Hip Hop is simultaneously a new and old phenomenon; the importance of sampling tracks, beats, and basslines from old records to the art form means that much of the culture has revolved around the idea of updating classic recordings, attitudes, and experiences for modern audiences. Sampling older culture and reusing it in a new context or a new format is called "flipping" in hip hop culture. Hip hop music follows in the footsteps of earlier African-American-rooted musical genres such as blues, jazz, rag-time, funk, and disco to become one of the most practiced genres worldwide. It is the language of urban environments and the youth around the world. According to KRS-One, "Hip hop is the only place where you see Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have A Dream Speech' in real life." He also notes that hip hop is beyond something as race, gender, or nationality; it belongs to the world.[15] In 1990, while working with the rap group Snap!, Ronald "Bee-Stinger" Savage, a former member of the Zulu Nation, is credited for coining the term "Six elements of the Hip Hop Movement" by being inspired by Public Enemy's recordings. The "Six Elements Of The Hip Hop Movement" are: Consciousness Awareness, Civil Rights Awareness, Activism Awareness, Justice, Political Awareness, and Community Awareness in music. Ronald Savage is known as the Son of The Hip Hop Movement.[16][17]
In the 2000s, with the rise of new media platforms and Web 2.0, fans discovered and downloaded or streamed hip hop music through social networking sites beginning with Myspace, as well as from websites like YouTube, Worldstarhiphop, SoundCloud, and Spotify.[18][19][20]
Etymology [ edit ]
Keith "Cowboy" Wiggins, a member of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, has been credited with coining the term[21] in 1978 while teasing a friend who had just joined the US Army by scat singing the made-up words "hip/hop/hip/hop" in a way that mimicked the rhythmic cadence of marching soldiers. Cowboy later worked the "hip hop" cadence into his stage performance.[22][23] The group frequently performed with disco artists who would refer to this new type of music by calling them "hip hoppers." The name was originally meant as a sign of disrespect but soon came to identify this new music and culture.[24]
The song "Rapper's Delight" by The Sugarhill Gang, released in 1979, begins with the phrase "I said a hip, hop, the hippie the hippie to the hip hip hop, and you don't stop".[25] Lovebug Starski — a Bronx DJ who put out a single called "The Positive Life" in 1981 — and DJ Hollywood then began using the term when referring to this new disco rap music. Bill Alder, an independent consultant, once said, "There was hardly ever a moment when rap music was underground, one of the very first so-called rap records, was a monster hit ("Rapper's Delight" by the Sugar Hill Gang on Sugarhill Records).[7] Hip hop pioneer and South Bronx community leader Afrika Bambaataa also credits Lovebug Starski as the first to use the term "hip hop" as it relates to the culture. Bambaataa, former leader of the Black Spades, also did much to further popularize the term. The words "hip hop" first appeared in print on September 21, 1982, in The Village Voice in a profile of Bambaataa written by Steven Hager, who also published the first comprehensive history of the culture with St. Martins' Press.[22][26]
History [ edit ]
1970s [ edit ]
In the 1970s, an underground urban movement known as "hip hop" began to form in the Bronx, New York City. It focused on emceeing (or MCing) over house parties and neighborhood block party events, held outdoors. Hip hop music has been a powerful medium for protesting the impact of legal institutions on minorities, particularly police and prisons.[27] Historically, hip hop arose out of the ruins of a post-industrial and ravaged South Bronx, as a form of expression of urban Black and Latino youth, whom the public and political discourse had written off as marginalized communities.[27] Jamaican-born DJ Clive "Kool Herc" Campbell[28] pioneered the use of DJing percussion "breaks" in hip hop music. Beginning at Herc's home in a high-rise apartment at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, the movement later spread across the entire borough.[29] On August 11, 1973 DJ Kool Herc was the DJ at his sister's back-to-school party. He extended the beat of a record by using two record players, isolating the percussion "breaks" by using a mixer to switch between the two records. Herc's experiments with making music with record players became what we now know as breaking or "scratching."[30]
A second key musical element in hip hop music is emceeing (also called MCing or rapping). Emceeing is the rhythmic spoken delivery of rhymes and wordplay, delivered at first without accompaniment and later done over a beat. This spoken style was influenced by the African American style of "capping," a performance where men tried to outdo each other in originality of their language and tried to gain the favor of the listeners.[31] The basic elements of hip hop—boasting raps, rival "posses" (groups), uptown "throw-downs," and political and social commentary—were all long present in African American music. MCing and rapping performers moved back and forth between the predominance of toasting songs packed with a mix of boasting, 'slackness' and sexual innuendo and a more topical, political, socially conscious style. The role of the MC originally was as a Master of Ceremonies for a DJ dance event. The MC would introduce the DJ and try to pump up the audience. The MC spoke between the DJ's songs, urging everyone to get up and dance. MCs would also tell jokes and use their energetic language and enthusiasm to rev up the crowd. Eventually, this introducing role developed into longer sessions of spoken, rhythmic wordplay, and rhyming, which became rapping.
By 1979 hip hop music had become a mainstream genre. It spread across the world in the 1990s with controversial "gangsta" rap.[32] Herc also developed upon break-beat deejaying,[33] where the breaks of funk songs—the part most suited to dance, usually percussion-based—were isolated and repeated for the purpose of all-night dance parties. This form of music playback, using hard funk and rock, formed the basis of hip hop music. Campbell's announcements and exhortations to dancers would lead to the syncopated, rhymed spoken accompaniment now known as rapping. He dubbed his dancers "break-boys" and "break-girls," or simply b-boys and b-girls. According to Herc, "breaking" was also street slang for "getting excited" and "acting energetically"[34]
DJs such as Grand Wizzard Theodore, Grandmaster Flash, and Jazzy Jay refined and developed the use of breakbeats, including cutting and scratching.[35] The approach used by Herc was soon widely copied, and by the late 1970s, DJs were releasing 12-inch records where they would rap to the beat. Influential tunes included Fatback Band's "King Tim III (Personality Jock)," The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight," and Kurtis Blow's "Christmas Rappin'," all released in 1979.[36][dead link] Herc and other DJs would connect their equipment to power lines and perform at venues such as public basketball courts and at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, Bronx, New York, now officially a historic building.[37] The equipment consisted of numerous speakers, turntables, and one or more microphones.[38] By using this technique, DJs could create a variety of music, but according to Rap Attack by David Toop "At its worst the technique could turn the night into one endless and inevitably boring song".[39] KC The Prince of Soul, a rapper-lyricist with Pete DJ Jones, is often credited with being the first rap lyricist to call himself an "MC."[40]
Street gangs were prevalent in the poverty of the South Bronx, and much of the graffiti, rapping, and b-boying at these parties were all artistic variations on the competition and one-upmanship of street gangs. Sensing that gang members' often violent urges could be turned into creative ones, Afrika Bambaataa founded the Zulu Nation, a loose confederation of street-dance crews, graffiti artists, and rap musicians. By the late 1970s, the culture had gained media attention, with Billboard magazine printing an article titled "B Beats Bombarding Bronx", commenting on the local phenomenon and mentioning influential figures such as Kool Herc.[41] The New York City blackout of 1977 saw widespread looting, arson, and other citywide disorders especially in the Bronx[42] where a number of looters stole DJ equipment from electronics stores. As a result, the hip hop genre, barely known outside of the Bronx at the time, grew at an astounding rate from 1977 onward.[43]
DJ Kool Herc's house parties gained popularity and later moved to outdoor venues in order to accommodate more people. Hosted in parks, these outdoor parties became a means of expression and an outlet for teenagers, where "instead of getting into trouble on the streets, teens now had a place to expend their pent-up energy."[44] Tony Tone, a member of the Cold Crush Brothers, stated that "hip hop saved a lot of lives".[44] For inner-city youth, participating in hip hop culture became a way of dealing with the hardships of life as minorities within America, and an outlet to deal with the risk of violence and the rise of gang culture. MC Kid Lucky mentions that "people used to break-dance against each other instead of fighting".[45][full citation needed] Inspired by DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa created a street organization called Universal Zulu Nation, centered around hip hop, as a means to draw teenagers out of gang life, drugs and violence.[44]
Ronald Savage is the owner of the Hip Hop Movement trademark and is credited for coining the term "Six elements of the Hip Hop Movement
The lyrical content of many early rap groups focused on social issues, most notably in the seminal track "The Message" (1982) by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, which discussed the realities of life in the housing projects.[46] "Young black Americans coming out of the civil rights movement have used hip hop culture in the 1980s and 1990s to show the limitations of the movement."[47] Hip hop gave young African Americans a voice to let their issues be heard; "Like rock-and-roll, hip hop is vigorously opposed by conservatives because it romanticizes violence, law-breaking, and gangs".[47] It also gave people a chance for financial gain by "reducing the rest of the world to consumers of its social concerns."[47]
In late 1979, Debbie Harry of Blondie took Nile Rodgers of Chic to such an event, as the main backing track used was the break from Chic's "Good Times".[36] The new style influenced Harry, and Blondie's later hit single from 1981 "Rapture" became the first major single containing hip hop elements by a white group or artist to hit number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100—the song itself is usually considered new wave and fuses heavy pop music elements, but there is an extended rap by Harry near the end.
1980s [ edit ]
In 1980, Kurtis Blow released his self-titled debut album featuring the single "The Breaks", which became the first certified gold rap song.[48] In 1982, Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force released the electro-funk track "Planet Rock". Instead of simply rapping over disco beats, Bambaataa and producer Arthur Baker created an electronic sound using the Roland TR-808 drum machine and sampling from Kraftwerk.[49] "Planet Rock" is widely regarded as a turning point; fusing electro with hip hop, it was "like a light being switched on," resulting in a new genre.[50] The track also helped popularize the 808, which became a cornerstone of hip hop music;[51][51] Wired and Slate both described the machine as hip hop's equivalent to the Fender Stratocaster, which had dramatically influenced the development of rock music.[52][53]
Other groundbreaking records released in 1982 include "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, "Nunk" by Warp 9, "Hip Hop, Be Bop (Don't Stop)" by Man Parrish, "Magic Wand" by Whodini, and "Buffalo Gals" by Malcolm McLaren. In 1983, Hashim created the influential electro funk tune "Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)", while Warp 9's "Light Years Away"(1983), "a cornerstone of early 80s beat box afrofuturism", introduced socially conscious themes from a Sci-Fi perspective, paying homage to music pioneer Sun Ra.[54]
Encompassing graffiti art, MCing/rapping, DJing and b-boying, hip hop became the dominant cultural movement of the minority-populated urban communities in the 1980s.[55] The 1980s also saw many artists make social statements through hip hop. In 1982, Melle Mel and Duke Bootee recorded "The Message" (officially credited to Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five),[56] a song that foreshadowed the socially conscious statements of Run-DMC's "It's like That" and Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos".[57] During the 1980s, hip hop also embraced the creation of rhythm by using the human body, via the vocal percussion technique of beatboxing. Pioneers such as Doug E. Fresh,[58] Biz Markie and Buffy from the Fat Boys made beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using their mouth, lips, tongue, voice, and other body parts. "Human Beatbox" artists would also sing or imitate turntablism scratching or other instrument sounds.
The appearance of music videos changed entertainment: they often glorified urban neighborhoods.[59] The music video for "Planet Rock" showcased the subculture of hip hop musicians, graffiti artists, and b-boys/b-girls. Many hip hop-related films were released between 1982 and 1985, among them Wild Style, Beat Street, Krush Groove, Breakin, and the documentary Style Wars. These films expanded the appeal of hip hop beyond the boundaries of New York. By 1984, youth worldwide were embracing the hip hop culture. The hip hop artwork and "slang" of U.S. urban communities quickly found its way to Europe, as the culture's global appeal took root.[citation needed] The four traditional dances of hip hop are rocking, b-boying/b-girling, locking and popping, all of which trace their origins to the late 1960s or early 1970s.[60]
Women artists have also been at the forefront of the hip hop movement since its inception in the Bronx. Nevertheless, as gangsta rap became the dominant force in hip hop music, there were many songs with misogynistic (anti-women) lyrics and many music videos depicted women in a sexualized fashion. The negation of female voice and perspective is an issue that has come to define mainstream hip hop music. The recording industry is less willing to back female artists than their male counterparts, and when it does back them, often it places emphasis on their sexuality over their musical substance and artistic abilities.[61] Since the turn of the century (the beginning of the 2000s decade), female hip hop artists have struggled to get mainstream attention, with only a few, such as older artists like the female duo Salt N' Pepa to more contemporary ones like Lil' Kim and Nicki Minaj, reaching platinum status.[61]
1990s [ edit ]
With the commercial success of gangsta rap in the early 1990s, the emphasis in lyrics shifted to drugs, violence, and misogyny. Early proponents of gangsta rap included groups and artists such as Ice-T, who recorded what some consider to be the first gangster rap record, 6 N' the Mornin',[62] and N.W.A whose second album Niggaz4Life became the first gangsta rap album to enter the charts at number one.[63] Gangsta rap also played an important part in hip hop becoming a mainstream commodity. Considering albums such as N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton, Eazy-E's Eazy-Duz-It, and Ice Cube's Amerikkka's Most Wanted were selling in such high numbers meant that black teens were no longer hip hop's sole buying audience. As a result, gangsta rap became a platform for artists who chose to use their music to spread political and social messages to parts of the country that were previously unaware of the conditions of ghettos.[62] While hip hop music now appeals to a broader demographic, media critics argue that socially and politically conscious hip hop has been largely disregarded by mainstream America.[65]
Global innovations [ edit ]
According to the U.S. Department of State, hip hop is "now the center of a mega music and fashion industry around the world" that crosses social barriers and cuts across racial lines.[66] National Geographic recognizes hip hop as "the world's favorite youth culture" in which "just about every country on the planet seems to have developed its own local rap scene."[67] Through its international travels, hip hop is now considered a "global musical epidemic".[68] According to The Village Voice, hip hop is "custom-made to combat the anomie that preys on adolescents wherever nobody knows their name."[69]
Hip hop sounds and styles differ from region to region, but there are also instances of fusion genres.[70] Hip hop culture has grown from the avoided genre to a genre that is followed by millions of fans worldwide. This was made possible by the adaptation of music in different locations, and the influence on style of behavior and dress.[71] Not all countries have embraced hip hop, where "as can be expected in countries with strong local culture, the interloping wildstyle of hip hop is not always welcomed".[72] This is somewhat the case in Jamaica, the homeland of the culture's father, DJ Kool Herc. However, despite hip hop music produced on the island lacking widespread local and international recognition, artists such as Five Steez have defied the odds by impressing online hip hop taste-makers and even reggae critics.[73]
Hartwig Vens argues that hip hop can also be viewed as a global learning experience.[74] Author Jeff Chang argues that "the essence of hip hop is the cipher, born in the Bronx, where competition and community feed each other."[75] He also adds, "Thousands of organizers from Cape Town to Paris use hip hop in their communities to address environmental justice, policing and prisons, media justice, and education.".[76] While hip hop music has been criticized as a music that creates a divide between western music and music from the rest of the world, a musical "cross pollination" has taken place, which strengthens the power of hip hop to influence different communities.[77] Hip hop's messages allow the under-privileged and the mistreated to be heard.[74] These cultural translations cross borders.[76] While the music may be from a foreign country, the message is something that many people can relate to- something not "foreign" at all.[78]
Even when hip hop is transplanted to other countries, it often retains its "vital progressive agenda that challenges the status quo."[76] In Gothenburg, Sweden, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) incorporate graffiti and dance to engage disaffected immigrant and working class youths. Hip hop has played a small but distinct role as the musical face of revolution in the Arab Spring, one example being an anonymous Libyan musician, Ibn Thabit, whose anti-government songs fueled the rebellion.[79]
Commercialization [ edit ]
Rapper, entrepreneur and executive Jay-Z emphasizes his wealth.
In the early- to-mid 1980s, there was no established hip hop music industry, as exists in the 2010s, with record labels, record producers, managers and Artists and Repertoire staff. Politicians and businesspeople maligned and ignored the hip hop movement. Most hip hop artists performed in their local communities and recorded in underground scenes. However, in the late 1980s, music industry executives realized that they could capitalize on the success of "gangsta rap." They made a formula that created "a titillating buffet of hypermasculinity and glorified violence." This type of rap was marketed to the new fanbase: white males. They ignored the depictions of a harsh reality to focus on the sex and violence involved.[80]
In an article for The Village Voice, Greg Tate argues that the commercialization of hip hop is a negative and pervasive phenomenon, writing that "what we call hiphop is now inseparable from what we call the hip hop industry, in which the nouveau riche and the super-rich employers get richer".[47] Ironically, this commercialization coincides with a decline in rap sales and pressure from critics of the genre.[81] Even other musicians, like Nas and KRS-ONE have claimed "hip hop is dead" in that it has changed so much over the years to cater to the consumer that it has lost the essence for which it was originally created.
However, in his book In Search Of Africa, Manthia Diawara states that hip hop is really a voice of people who are marginalized in modern society. He argues that the "worldwide spread of hip hop as a market revolution" is actually global "expression of poor people's desire for the good life," and that this struggle aligns with "the nationalist struggle for citizenship and belonging, but also reveals the need to go beyond such struggles and celebrate the redemption of the black individual through tradition." The problem may not be that female rappers do not have the same opportunities and recognition as their male counterparts; it may be that the music industry that is so defined by gender biases. Industry executives seem to bet on the idea that men won't want to listen to female rappers, so they are given fewer opportunities.[82]
As the hip hop genre has changed since the 1980s, the African-American cultural "tradition" that Diawara describes has little place in hip hop's mainstream artists music. The push toward materialism and market success by contemporary rappers such as Rick Ross, Lil Wayne and Jay Z has irked older hip hop fans and artists. They see the genre losing its community-based feel that focused more on black empowerment than wealth. The commercialization of the genre stripped it of its earlier political nature and the politics and marketing plans of major record labels have forced rappers to craft their music and images to appeal to white, affluent and suburban audiences.
After realizing her friends were making music but not getting television exposure other than what was seen on Video Music Box, Darlene Lewis (model/lyricist), along with Darryl Washington and Dean Carroll, brought hip hop music to the First Exposure cable show on Paragon cable, and then created the On Broadway television show. There, rappers had opportunities to be interviewed and have their music videos played. This pre-dated MTV or Video Soul on BET. The commercialization has made hip hop less edgy and authentic, but it also has enabled hip hop artists to become successful.[83]
As top rappers grow wealthier and start more outside business ventures, this can indicate a stronger sense of black aspiration. As rappers such as Jay-Z and Kanye West establish themselves as artists and entrepreneurs, more young black people have hopes of achieving their goals.[84] The lens through which one views the genre's commercialization can make it seem positive or negative.[85]
White and Latino pop rappers such as Macklemore, Iggy Azalea, Machine Gun Kelly, Eminem, Miley Cyrus, G-Eazy, Pitbull, Lil Pump, and Post Malone have often been criticized for commercializing hip hop and cultural appropriation.[86] Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry, although not rappers, have been accused of cultural appropriation and commercializing hip hop. Katy Perry, a white woman, was criticized for her hip hop song "Dark Horse".[87] Taylor Swift was also accused of cultural appropriation.[88]
Culture [ edit ]
DJing and turntablism, MCing/rapping, breakdancing, graffiti art and beatboxing are the creative outlets that collectively make up hip hop culture and its revolutionary aesthetic. Like the blues, these arts were developed by African American communities to enable people to make a statement, whether political or emotional and participate in community activities. These practices spread globally around the 1980s as fans could "make it their own" and express themselves in new and creative ways in music, dance and other arts.[89]
DJing [ edit ]
DJing and turntablism are the techniques of manipulating sounds and creating music and beats using two or more phonograph turntables (or other sound sources, such as tapes, CDs or digital audio files) and a DJ mixer that is plugged into a PA system.[90] One of the first few hip hop DJs was Kool DJ Herc, who created hip hop in the 1970s through the isolation and extending of "breaks" (the parts of albums that focused solely on the percussive beat). In addition to developing Herc's techniques, DJs Grandmaster Flowers, Grandmaster Flash, Grand Wizzard Theodore, and Grandmaster Caz made further innovations with the introduction of "scratching", which has become one of the key sounds associated with hip hop music.
Traditionally, a DJ will use two turntables simultaneously and mix between the two. These are connected to a DJ mixer, an amplifier, speakers, and various electronic music equipment such as a microphone and effects units. The DJ mixes the two albums currently in rotation and/or does "scratching" by moving one of the record platters while manipulating the crossfader on the mixer. The result of mixing two records is a unique sound created by the seemingly combined sound of two separate songs into one song. Although there is considerable overlap between the two roles, a DJ is not the same as a record producer of a music track.[91] The development of DJing was also influenced by new turntablism techniques, such as beatmatching, a process facilitated by the introduction of new turntable technologies such as the Technics SL-1200 MK 2, first sold in 1978, which had a precise variable pitch control and a direct drive motor. DJs were often avid record collectors, who would hunt through used record stores for obscure soul records and vintage funk recordings. DJs helped to introduce rare records and new artists to club audiences.
DJ Pete Rock mixing with two turntables.
In the early years of hip hop, the DJs were the stars, as they created new music and beats with their record players. While DJing and turntablism continue to be used in hip hop music in the 2010s, the star role has increasingly been taken by MCs since the late 1970s, due to innovative, creative MCs such as Kurtis Blow and Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash's crew, the Furious Five, who developed strong rapping skills. However, a number of DJs have gained stardom nonetheless in recent years. Famous DJs include Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Mr. Magic, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Scratch from EPMD, DJ Premier from Gang Starr, DJ Scott La Rock from Boogie Down Productions, DJ Pete Rock of Pete Rock & CL Smooth, DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill, Jam Master Jay from Run-DMC, Eric B., DJ Screw from the Screwed Up Click and the inventor of the Chopped & Screwed style of mixing music, Funkmaster Flex, Tony Touch, DJ Clue, Mix Master Mike, Touch-Chill-Out, DJ Red Alert, and DJ Q-Bert. The underground movement of turntablism has also emerged to focus on the skills of the DJ. In the 2010s, there are turntablism competitions, where turntablists demonstrate advanced beat juggling and scratching skills.
MCing [ edit ]
Rapping (also known as emceeing,[92] MCing,[92] spitting (bars),[93] or just rhyming[94]) refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics with a strong rhythmic accompaniment".[95] Rapping typically features complex wordplay, rapid delivery, and a range of "street slang", some of which is unique to the hip hop subculture. While rapping is often done over beats, either done by a DJ, a beatboxer, it can also be done without accompaniment. It can be broken down into different components, such as "content", "flow" (rhythm and rhyme), and "delivery".[96] Rapping is distinct from spoken word poetry in that it is performed in time to the beat of the music.[97][98][99] The use of the word "rap" to describe quick and slangy speech or witty repartee long predates the musical form.[100] MCing is a form of expression that is embedded within ancient African culture and oral tradition as throughout history verbal acrobatics or jousting involving rhymes were common within the Afro-American community.[101]
Graffiti [ edit ]
Graffiti is the most controversial of hip hop's elements, as a number of the most notable graffiti pioneers say that they do not consider graffiti to be an element of hip hop, including Lady Pink, Seen, Blade, Fargo, Cholly Rock, Fuzz One, and Coco 144.[102][103][104] Lady Pink says, "I don't think graffiti is hip hop. Frankly I grew up with disco music. There's a long background of graffiti as an entity unto itself,"[105][106] and Fargo says, "There is no correlation between hip hop and graffiti, one has nothing to do with the other."[102][104][107] Hip hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash has also questioned the connection between hip hop and graffiti, saying, "You know what bugs me, they put hip hop with graffiti. How do they intertwine?"[107][108][109]
In America in the late 1960s, graffiti was used as a form of expression by political activists. Gangs such as the Savage Skulls, La Familia, and Savage Nomads used graffiti to mark territory. JULIO 204 was a Puerto Rican graffiti writer, one of the first graffiti writers in New York City. He was a member of the "Savage Skulls" gang, and started writing his nickname in his neighborhood as early as 1968. In 1971 the New York Times published an article ("'Taki 183' Spawns Pen Pals") about another graffiti writer with similar form, TAKI 183. According to the article Julio had been writing for a couple of years when Taki began tagging his own name all around the city. Taki also states in the article that Julio "was busted and stopped." Writers following in the wake of Taki and Tracy 168 would add their street number to their nickname, "bomb" (cover) a train with their work, and let the subway take it—and their fame, if it was impressive, or simply pervasive, enough—"all city". Julio 204 never rose to Taki's fame because Julio kept his tags localized to his own neighborhood.
Phase 2 is an influential graffiti artist who began painting in the 1970s.
One of the most common forms of graffiti is tagging, or the act of stylizing your unique name or logo.[110] Tagging began in Philadelphia and New York City and has expanded worldwide. Spray painting public property or the property of others without their consent can be considered vandalism, and the "tagger" may be subject to arrest and prosecution for the criminal act. Whether legal or not, the hip hop culture considers tagging buildings, trains, bridges and other structures as visual art, and consider the tags as part of a complex symbol system with its own social codes and subculture rules. Such art is in some cases now subject to federal protection in the US, making its erasure illegal.[111]
Bubble lettering held sway initially among writers from the Bronx, though the elaborate Brooklyn style Tracy 168 dubbed "wildstyle" would come to define the art.[112][113] The early trend-setters were joined in the 1970s by artists like Dondi, Futura 2000, Daze, Blade, Lee, Fab Five Freddy, Zephyr, Rammellzee, Crash, Kel, NOC 167 and Lady Pink.[112]
The relationship between graffiti and hip hop culture arises both from early graffiti artists engaging in other aspects of hip hop culture,[114] Graffiti is understood as a visual expression of rap music, just as breaking is viewed as a physical expression. The 1983 film Wild Style is widely regarded as the first hip hop motion picture, which featured prominent figures within the New York graffiti scene during the said period. The book Subway Art and the documentary Style Wars were also among the first ways the mainstream public were introduced to hip hop graffiti. Graffiti remains part of hip hop, while crossing into the mainstream art world with exhibits in galleries throughout the world.
Breakdancing [ edit ]
B Boy executing a freeze
Breaking, also called B-boying/B-girling or breakdancing, is a dynamic, rhythmic style of dance which developed as one of the major elements of hip hop culture. Like many aspects of hip hop culture, breakdance borrows heavily from many cultures, including 1930s-era street dancing,[115][116] Brazilian and Asian Martial arts, Russian folk dance,[117] and the dance moves of James Brown, Michael Jackson, and California funk. Breaking took form in the South Bronx in the 1970s alongside the other elements of hip hop. Breakdancing is typically done with the accompaniment of hip hop music playing on a boom box or PA system.
A silhouette shows a man break dancing. One of the 4 elements of hip hop.
According to the 2002 documentary film The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy, DJ Kool Herc describes the "B" in B-boy as short for breaking, which at the time was slang for "going off", also one of the original names for the dance. However, early on the dance was known as the "boing" (the sound a spring makes). Dancers at DJ Kool Herc's parties saved their best dance moves for the percussion break section of the song, getting in front of the audience to dance in a distinctive, frenetic style. The "B" in B-boy or B-girl also stands simply for break, as in break-boy or -girl. Before the 1990s, B-girls' presence was limited by their gender minority status, navigating sexual politics of a masculine-dominated scene, and a lack of representation or encouragement for women to participate in the form. The few B-girls who participated despite facing gender discrimination carved out a space for women as leaders within the breaking community, and the number of B-girls participating has increased.[118] Breaking was documented in Style Wars, and was later given more focus in fictional films such as Wild Style and Beat Street. Early acts include the Rock Steady Crew and New York City Breakers.[citation needed]
Beatboxing [ edit ]
Biz Markie is noted for his beatboxing skills. He is holding the mic close to his mouth, a technique beatboxers use to imitate deep basslines and bass drums, by exploiting the proximity effect
Beatboxing is the technique of vocal percussion, in which a singer imitates drums and other percussion instruments with her or his voice. It is primarily concerned with the art of creating beats or rhythms using the human mouth.[119] The term beatboxing is derived from the mimicry of the first generation of drum machines, then known as beatboxes. It was first popularized by Doug E. Fresh.[120] As it is a way of creating hip hop music, it can be categorized under the production element of hip hop, though it does sometimes include a type of rapping intersected with the human-created beat. It is generally considered to be part of the same "Pillar" of hip hop as DJing—in other words, providing a musical backdrop or foundation for MC's to rap over.
Beatboxers can create their beats just naturally, but many of the beatboxing effects are enhanced by using a microphone plugged into a PA system. This helps the beatboxer to make their beatboxing loud enough to be heard alongside a rapper, MC, turntablist, and other hip hop artists. Beatboxing was popular in the 1980s with prominent artists like the Darren "Buffy, the Human Beat Box" Robinson of the Fat Boys and Biz Markie displaying their skills within the media. It declined in popularity along with b-boying in the late 1980s, but has undergone a resurgence since the late 1990s, marked by the release of "Make the Music 2000." by Rahzel of The Roots.
A typical rap drum beat, written in drum notation.
Although it is not described as one of the four core elements that make up hip hop, music producing is another important element. In music, record producers play a similar role in sound recording that film directors play in making a movie. The record producer recruits and selects artists (rappers, MCs, DJs, beatboxers, and so on), plans the vision for the recording session, coaches the performers on their songs, chooses audio engineers, sets out a budget for hiring the artists and technical experts, and oversees the entire project. The exact roles of a producer depend on each individual, but some producers work with DJs and drum machine programmers to create beats, coach the DJs in the selection of sampled basslines, riffs and catch phrases, give advice to rappers, vocalists, MCs and other artists, give suggestions to performers on how to improve their flow and develop a unique personal style. Some producers work closely with the audio engineer to provide ideas on mixing, effects units (e.g., Autotuned vocal effects such as those popularized by T-pain), micing of artists, and so on. The producer may independently develop the "concept" or vision for a project or album, or develop the vision in collaboration with the artists and performers.
In hip hop, since the beginning of MCing, there have been producers who work in the studio, behind the scenes, to create the beats for MCs to rap over. Producers may find a beat they like on an old funk, soul or disco record, and then isolate the beat and turn it into a loop. Alternatively, producers may create a beat with a drum machine or by hiring a drumkit percussionist to play acoustic drums. The producer could even mix and layer different methods, such as combining a sampled disco drum break with a drum machine track and some live, newly recorded percussion parts or a live electric bass player. A beat created by a hip hop producer may include other parts besides a drum beat, such as a sampled bassline from a funk or disco song, dialogue from a spoken word record or movie, or rhythmic "scratching" and "punches" done by a turntablist or DJ.
An early beatmaker was producer Kurtis Blow, who won producer of the year credits in 1983, 1984, and 1985. Known for the creation of sample and sample loops, Blow was considered the Quincy Jones of early hip hop, a reference to the prolific African American record producer, conductor, arranger, composer, musician and bandleader. One of the most influential beatmakers was J. Dilla, a producer from Detroit who chopped samples by specific beats and would combine them together to create his unique sound. Those who create these beats are known as either beatmakers or producers, however producers are known to have more input and direction on the overall the creation of a song or project, while a beatmaker just provides or creates the beat. As Dr. Dre has said before "Once you finish the beat, you have to produce the record."[121] The process of making beats includes sampling, "chopping", looping, sequencing beats, recording, mixing, and mastering.
Most beats in hip hop are sampled from a pre-existing record. This means that a producer will take a portion or a "sample" of a song and reuse it as an instrumental section, beat or portion of their song. Some examples of this are The Isley Brothers' "Footsteps in the Dark Pts. 1 and 2" being sampled to make Ice Cube's "Today Was a Good Day".[122] Another example is Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness" being sampled to create the song "Otis", released in 2011, by Kanye West and Jay-Z.[123]
"Chopping" is dissecting the song that you are sampling so that you "chop" out the part or parts of the song, be that the bassline, rhythm guitar part, drum break, or other music, you want to use in the beat.[124] Looping is known as melodic or percussive sequence that repeats itself over a period of time, so basically a producer will make an even-number of bars of a beat (e.g., four bars or eight bars) repeat itself or "loop" of a full song length. This loop provides an accompaniment for an MC to rap over.
While hip hop music makes a significant use of sampling old records, using turntables and drum machines to create beats, producers use electric and acoustic instruments on some songs. Pictured is an electric bass player at a hip hop show.
The tools needed to make beats in the late 1970s were funk, soul, and other music genre records, record turntables, DJ mixers, audio consoles, and relatively inexpensive Portastudio-style multitrack recording devices. In the 1980s and 1990s, beatmakers and producers used the new electronic and digital instruments that were developed, such as samplers, sequencers, drum machines, and synthesizers. From the 1970s to the 2010s, various beatmakers and producers have used live instruments, such as drum kit or electric bass on some tracks. To record the finished beats or beat tracks, beatmakers and producers use a variety of sound recording equipment, typically multitrack recorders. Digital Audio Workstations, also known as DAWs, became more common in the 2010s for producers. Some of the most used DAWs are FL Studio, Ableton Live, and Pro Tools. DAWs have made it possible for more people to be able to make beats in their own home studio, without going to a recording studio. Beatmakers who own DAWs do not have to buy all the hardware that a recording studio needed in the 1980s (huge 72 channel audio consoles, multitrack recorders, racks of rackmount effects units), because 2010-era DAWs have everything they need to make beats on a good quality, fast laptop computer.[125]
Beats are such an integral part of rap music that many producers have been able to make instrumental mixtapes or albums. Even though these instrumentals have no rapping, listeners still enjoy the inventive ways the producer mixes different beats, samples and instrumental melodies. Examples of these are 9th Wonder's "Tutenkhamen" and J Dilla's "Donuts". Some hip hop records come in two versions: a beat with rapping over it, and an instrumental with just the beat. The instrumental in this case is provided so that DJs and turntablists can isolate breaks, beats and other music to create new songs.
Social impact [ edit ]
Effects [ edit ]
Hip hop has made a considerable social impact since its inception in the 1970s. "Hip hop has also become relevant to the field of education because of its implications for understanding language, learning, identity, and curriculum."[126] Orlando Patterson, a sociology professor at Harvard University, helps describe the phenomenon of how hip hop has spread rapidly around the world. Patterson argues that mass communication is controlled by the wealthy, the government, and major businesses in Third World nations and countries around the world.[127] He also credits mass communication with creating a global cultural hip hop scene. As a result, the youth are influenced by the American hip hop scene and start their own forms of hip hop. Patterson believes that revitalization of hip hop music will occur around the world as traditional values are mixed with American hip hop music,[127] and ultimately a global exchange process will develop that brings youth around the world to listen to a common musical form of hip hop.
It has also been argued that rap music formed as a "cultural response to historic oppression and racism, a system for communication among black communities throughout the United States".[128] This is due to the fact that the culture reflected the social, economic and political realities of the disenfranchized youth. In the 2010s, hip hop lyrics are starting to reflect original socially conscious themes. Rappers are starting to question the government's power and its oppressive role in some societies.[129] Rap music has been a tool for political, social, and cultural empowerment outside the US. Members of minority communities—such as Algerians in France, and Turks in Germany—use rap as a platform to protest racism, poverty, and social structures.[130]
Language [ edit ]
The development of hip hop linguistics is complex. Source material include the spirituals of slaves arriving in the new world, Jamaican dub music, the laments of jazz and blues singers, patterned cockney slang and radio deejays hyping their audience using rhymes.[131] Hip hop has a distinctive associated slang.[132] It is also known by alternate names, such as "Black English", or "Ebonics". Academics suggest its development stems from a rejection of the racial hierarchy of language, which held "White English" as the superior form of educated speech.[133] Due to hip hop's commercial success in the late 1990s and early 2000s, many of these words have been assimilated into the cultural discourse of several different dialects across America and the world and even to non-hip hop fans.[134] The word diss for example is particularly prolific. There are also a number of words which predate hip hop, but are often associated with the culture, with homie being a notable example. Sometimes, terms like what the dilly, yo are popularized by a single song (in this case, "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" by Busta Rhymes) and are only used briefly. One particular example is the rule-based slang of Snoop Dogg and E-40, who add -izzle or -izz to the end or middle of words.
Hip hop lyricism has gained a measure of legitimacy in academic and literary circles. Studies of hip hop linguistics are now offered at institutions such as the University of Toronto, where poet and author George Eliot Clarke has taught the potential power of hip hop music to promote social change.[131] Greg Thomas of the University of Miami offers courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level studying the feminist and assertive nature of Lil' Kim's lyrics.[135] Some academics, including Ernest Morrell and Jeffrey Duncan-Andrade, compare hip hop to the satirical works of great "Western canon" poets of the modern era, who use imagery and create a mood to criticize society. As quoted in their work "Promoting Academic Literacy with Urban Youth Through Engaging Hip Hop Culture":
Hip hop texts are rich in imagery and metaphor and can be used to teach irony, tone, diction, and point of view. Hip hop texts can be analyzed for theme, motif, plot, and character development. Both Grand Master Flash and T.S. Eliot gazed out into their rapidly deteriorating societies and saw a "wasteland." Both poets were essentially apocalyptic in nature as they witnessed death, disease, and decay.[136]
Hip Hop lyrics have also been known for containing swear words. In particular, the word "bitch" is seen in countless songs, from NWA's "A Bitch Iz a bitch" to Missy Elliot's "She is a Bitch." It is often used in the negative connotation of a woman who is a shallow "money grubber". Some female artists have tried to reclaim the word and use it as a term of empowerment. Regardless, the hip hop community has recently taken an interest in discussing the use of the word "bitch" and whether it is necessary in rap.[137] Not only the particular words, but also the choice of which language in which rap is widely debated topic in international hip hop. In Canada, the use of non-standard variants of French, such as Franglais, a mix of French and English, by groups such as Dead Obies[138]) or Chiac (such as Radio Radio[139]) has powerful symbolic implications for Canadian language politics and debates on Canadian identity. In the United States rappers choose to rap in English, Spanish, or Spanglish, depending on their own backgrounds and their intended audience.[140]
Censorship [ edit ]
graffiti artist uses his artwork to make a satirical social statement on censorship: "Don't blame yourself ... blame hip hop!"
Hip hop music has been censored on radio and TV due to the explicit lyrics of certain genres. Many songs have been criticized for anti-establishment and sometimes violent messages. The use of profanity as well as graphic depictions of violence and sex in hip hop music videos and songs makes it hard to broadcast on television stations such as MTV, in music video form, and on radio. As a result, many hip hop recordings are broadcast in censored form, with offending language "bleeped" or blanked out of the soundtrack, or replaced with "clean" lyrics. The result – which sometimes renders the remaining lyrics unintelligible or contradictory to the original recording – has become almost as widely identified with the genre as any other aspect of the music, and has been parodied in films such as Austin Powers in Goldmember, in which Mike Myers' character Dr. Evil – performing in a parody of a hip hop music video ("Hard Knock Life" by Jay-Z) – performs an entire verse that is blanked out. In 1995, Roger Ebert wrote:[141]
Rap has a bad reputation in white circles, where many people believe it consists of obscene and violent anti-white and anti-female guttural. Some of it does. Most does not. Most white listeners don't care; they hear black voices in a litany of discontent, and tune out. Yet rap plays the same role today as Bob Dylan did in 1960, giving voice to the hopes and angers of a generation, and a lot of rap is powerful writing.
In 1990, Luther Campbell and his group 2 Live Crew filed a lawsuit against Broward County Sheriff Nick Navarro, because Navarro wanted to prosecute stores that sold the group's album As Nasty As They Wanna Be because of its obscene and vulgar lyrics. In June 1990, a U.S. district court judge labeled the album obscene and illegal to sell. However, in 1992, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit overturned the obscenity ruling from Judge Gonzalez, and the Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear Broward County's appeal. Professor Louis Gates testified on behalf of The 2 Live Crew, arguing that the material that the county alleged was profane actually had important roots in African-American vernacular, games, and literary traditions and should be protected.[142]
Many black rappers--including Ice-T and Sister Souljah--contend that they are being unfairly singled out because their music reflects deep changes in society not being addressed anywhere else in the public forum. The white politicians, the artists complain, neither understand the music nor desire to hear what's going on in the devastated communities that gave birth to the art form. —Chuck Philips, Los Angeles Times, 1992[143]
Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop that reflects the violent culture of inner-city American black youths.[144] The genre was pioneered in the mid-1980s by rappers such as Schoolly D and Ice-T, and was popularized in the later part of the 1980s by groups such as N.W.A. Ice-T released "6 in the Mornin'", which is often regarded as the first gangsta rap song, in 1986. After the national attention that Ice-T and N.W.A created in the late 1980s and early 1990s, gangsta rap became the most commercially lucrative subgenre of hip hop.
N.W.A is the group most frequently associated with the founding of gangsta rap. Their lyrics were more violent, openly confrontational, and shocking than those of established rap acts, featuring incessant profanity and, controversially, use of the word "nigga". These lyrics were placed over rough, rock guitar-driven beats, contributing to the music's hard-edged feel. The first blockbuster gangsta rap album was N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton, released in 1988. Straight Outta Compton would establish West Coast hip hop as a vital genre, and establish Los Angeles as a legitimate rival to hip hop's long-time capital, New York City. Straight Outta Compton sparked the first major controversy regarding hip hop lyrics when their song "Fuck tha Police" earned a letter from FBI Assistant Director Milt Ahlerich, strongly expressing law enforcement's resentment of the song.[145][146]
Controversy surrounded Ice-T's song "Cop Killer" from the album Body Count. The song was intended to speak from the viewpoint of a criminal getting revenge on racist, brutal cops. Ice-T's rock song infuriated government officials, the National Rifle Association and various police advocacy groups.[147] Consequently, Time Warner Music refused to release Ice-T's upcoming album Home Invasion because of the controversy surrounding "Cop Killer". Ice-T suggested that the furor over the song was an overreaction, telling journalist Chuck Philips "... they've done movies about nurse killers and teacher killers and student killers. [Actor] Arnold Schwarzenegger blew away dozens of cops as the Terminator. But I don't hear anybody complaining about that." Ice-T suggested to Philips that the misunderstanding of "Cop Killer" and the attempts to censor it had racial overtones: "The Supreme Court says it's OK for a white man to burn a cross in public. But nobody wants a black man to write a record about a cop killer."[147]
The White House administrations of both George Bush senior and Bill Clinton criticized the genre.[143] "The reason why rap is under attack is because it exposes all the contradictions of American culture ... What started out as an underground art form has become a vehicle to expose a lot of critical issues that are not usually discussed in American politics. The problem here is that the White House and wanna-bes like Bill Clinton represent a political system that never intends to deal with inner city urban chaos," Sister Souljah told The Times.[143] Until its discontinuation on July 8, 2006, BET ran a late-night segment titled BET: Uncut to air nearly-uncensored videos. The show was exemplified by music videos such as "Tip Drill" by Nelly, which was criticized for what many viewed as an exploitative depiction of women, particularly images of a man swiping a credit card between a stripper's buttocks.
Public Enemy's "Gotta Give the Peeps What They Need" was censored on MTV, removing the words "free Mumia".[148] After the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Oakland, California group The Coup was under fire for the cover art on their album Party Music, which featured the group's two members holding a guitar tuner and two sticks[149] as the Twin Towers exploded behind them despite the fact that it was created months before the actual event. The group, having politically radical and Marxist lyrical content, said the cover meant to symbolize the destruction of capitalism. Their record label pulled the album until a new cover could be designed.
Product placement and endorsements [ edit ]
Critics such as Businessweek's David Kiley argue that the discussion of products within hip hop culture may actually be the result of undisclosed product placement deals.[150] Such critics allege that shilling or product placement takes place in commercial rap music, and that lyrical references to products are actually paid endorsements.[150] In 2005, a proposed plan by McDonald's to pay rappers to advertise McDonald's products in their music was leaked to the press.[150] After Russell Simmons made a deal with Courvoisier to promote the brand among hip hop fans, Busta Rhymes recorded the song "Pass the Courvoisier".[150] Simmons insists that no money changed hands in the deal.[150]
The symbiotic relationship has also stretched to include car manufacturers, clothing designers and sneaker companies,[151] and many other companies have used the hip hop community to make their name or to give them credibility. One such beneficiary was Jacob the Jeweler, a diamond merchant from New York. Jacob Arabo's clientele included Sean Combs, Lil' Kim and Nas. He created jewelry pieces from precious metals that were heavily loaded with diamond and gemstones. As his name was mentioned in the song lyrics of his hip hop customers, his profile quickly rose. Arabo expanded his brand to include gem-encrusted watches that retail for hundreds of thousands of dollars, gaining so much attention that Cartier filed a trademark-infringement lawsuit against him for putting diamonds on the faces of their watches and reselling them without permission.[152] Arabo's profile increased steadily until his June 2006 arrest by the FBI on money laundering charges.[153]
Rapper Dr Dre has endorsed a line of headphones and other audio gear called "beats", which bear his name.
While some brands welcome the support of the hip hop community, one brand that did not was Cristal champagne maker Louis Roederer. A 2006 article from The Economist magazine featured remarks from managing director Frederic Rouzaud about whether the brand's identification with rap stars could affect their company negatively. His answer was dismissive: "That's a good question, but what can we do? We can't forbid people from buying it. I'm sure Dom Pérignon or Krug [champagne] would be delighted to have their business."[154] In retaliation, many hip hop icons such as Jay-Z and Sean Combs, who previously included references to "Cris", ceased all mentions and purchases of the champagne. 50 Cent's deal with Vitamin Water, Dr. Dre's promotion of his Beats by Dr. Dre headphone line and Dr. Pepper, and Drake's commercial with Sprite are successful deals. Although product placement deals were not popular in the 1980s, MC Hammer was an early innovator in this type of strategy. With merchandise such as dolls, commercials for soft drinks and numerous television show appearances, Hammer began the trend of rap artists being accepted as mainstream pitchpeople for brands.[155]
Media [ edit ]
Hip hop culture has had extensive coverage in the media, especially in relation to television; there have been a number of television shows devoted to or about hip hop, including in Europe ("H.I.P. H.O.P." in 1984). For many years, BET was the only television channel likely to play hip hop, but in recent years[when?] the channels VH1 and MTV have added a significant amount of hip hop to their play list. Run DMC became the first African American group to appear on MTV.[156][157] With the emergence of the Internet, a number of online sites began to offer hip hop related video content.
Magazines [ edit ]
Hip hop magazines describe hip hop's culture, including information about rappers and MCs, new hip hop music, concerts, events, fashion and history. The first hip hop publication, The Hip Hop Hit List was published in the 1980s. It contained the first rap music record chart. It was put out by two brothers from Newark, New Jersey, Vincent and Charles Carroll (who was also in a hip hop group known as The Nastee Boyz). They knew the art form very well and noticed the need for a hip hop magazine. DJs and rappers did not have a way to learn about rap music styles and labels. The periodical began as the first Rap record chart and tip sheet for DJs and was distributed through national record pools and record stores throughout the New York City Tri-State area. One of the founding publishers, Charles Carroll noted, "Back then, all DJs came into New York City to buy their records but most of them did not know what was hot enough to spend money on, so we charted it." Jae Burnett became Vincent Carroll's partner and played an instrumental role in its later development.
Juice. The German hip hop magazine
New York tourists from abroad took the publication back home with them to other countries to share it, creating worldwide interest in the culture and new art form.[citation needed] It had a printed distribution of 50,000, a circulation rate of 200,000 with well over 25,000 subscribers. The "Hip Hop Hit List" was also the first to define hip hop as a culture introducing the many aspects of the art form such as fashion, music, dance, the arts and most importantly the language. For instance, on the cover the headliner included the tag "All Literature was Produced to Meet Street Comprehension!" which proved their loyalty not only to the culture but also to the streets. Most interviews were written verbatim which included their innovative broken English style of writing. Some of the early charts were written in the graffiti format tag style but was made legible enough for the masses.[citation needed]
The Carroll Brothers were also consultants to the many record companies who had no idea how to market hip hop music. Vincent Carroll, the magazine's creator-publisher, went on to become a huge source for marketing and promoting the culture of hip hop, starting Blow-Up Media, the first hip hop marketing firm with offices in NYC's Tribeca district. At the age of 21, Vincent employed a staff of 15 and assisted in launching some of the culture's biggest and brightest stars (the Fugees, Nelly, the Outzidaz, feat. Eminem and many more).[citation needed] Later other publications spawned up including: Hip Hop Connection, XXL, Scratch, The Source and Vibe.[158] Many individual cities have also produced their own local hip hop newsletters, while hip hop magazines with national distribution are found in a few other countries. The 21st century also ushered in the rise of online media, and hip hop fan sites now offer comprehensive hip hop coverage on a daily basis.
Fashion [ edit ]
Clothing, hair and other styles have been a big part of hip hop's social and cultural impact since the 1970s. Although the styles have changed over the decades, distinctive urban apparel and looks have been an important way for rappers, breakdancers and other hip hop community members to express themselves. As the hip hop music genre's popularity increased, so did the effect of its fashion. While there were early items synonymous with hip hop that crossed over into the mainstream culture, like Run-DMC's affinity for Adidas or the Wu-Tang Clan's championing of Clarks' Wallabees, it wasn't until its commercial peak that hip hop fashion became influential. Starting in the mid- to late 1990s, hip hop culture embraced some major designers and established a new connection with classic fashion. Brands such as Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger all tapped into hip hop culture and gave very little in return. Moving into the new millennium, hip hop fashion consisted of baggy shirts, jeans, and jerseys. As names like Pharrell and Jay-Z started their own clothing lines and still others like Kanye West linked up with designers like Louis Vuitton, the clothes got tighter, more classically fashionable, and expensive.
As hip hop has a seen a shift in the means by which its artists express their masculinity, from violence and intimidation to wealth-flaunting and entrepreneurship, it has also seen the emergence of rapper branding.[159] The modern-day hip hop artist is no longer limited to music serving as their sole occupation or source of income. By the early 1990s, major apparel companies "[had] realized the economic potential of tapping into hip hop culture ... Tommy Hilfiger was one of the first major fashion designer[s] who actively courted rappers as a way of promoting his street wear".[160] By joining forces, the artist and the corporation are able to jointly benefit from each other's resources. Hip Hop artists are trend-setters and taste-makers. Their fans range from minority groups who can relate to their professed struggles to majority groups who cannot truly relate but like to "consume the fantasy of living a more masculine life".[161] The rappers provide the "cool, hip" factor while the corporations deliver the product, advertising, and financial assets. Tommy Hilfiger, one of the first mainstream designers to actively court rappers as a way of promoting his street wear, serves a prototypical example of the hip hip/fashion collaborations:
In exchange for giving artists free wardrobes, Hilfiger found its name mentioned in both rhyming verses of rap songs and their 'shout-out' lyrics, in which rap artists chant out thanks to friends and sponsors for their support. Hilfiger's success convinced other large mainstream American fashion design companies, like Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, to tailor lines to the lucrative market of hip hop artists and fans.[162]
Artists now use brands as a means of supplemental income to their music or are creating and expanding their own brands that become their primary source of income. As Harry Elam explains, there has been a movement "from the incorporation and redefinition of existing trends to actually designing and marketing products as hip hop fashion".[162]
Diversification [ edit ]
Hip hop music has spawned dozens of subgenres which incorporate hip hop music production approaches, such as sampling, creating beats, or rapping. The diversification process stems from the appropriation of hip hop culture by other ethnic groups. There are many varying social influences that affect hip hop's message in different nations. It is frequently used as a musical response to perceived political and/or social injustices. In South Africa the largest form of hip hop is called Kwaito, which has had a growth similar to American hip hop. Kwaito is a direct reflection of a post apartheid South Africa and is a voice for the voiceless; a term that U.S. hip hop is often referred to. Kwaito is even perceived as a lifestyle, encompassing many aspects of life, including language and fashion.[163]
Kwaito is a political and party-driven genre, as performers use the music to express their political views, and also to express their desire to have a good time. Kwaito is a music that came from a once hated and oppressed people, but it is now sweeping the nation. The main consumers of Kwaito are adolescents and half of the South African population is under 21. Some of the large Kwaito artists have sold more than 100,000 albums, and in an industry where 25,000 albums sold is considered a gold record, those are impressive numbers.[164] Kwaito allows the participation and creative engagement of otherwise socially excluded peoples in the generation of popular media.[165] South African hip hop is more diverse lately and there are hip hop acts in South Africa that have made an impact and continue making impact worldwide. These include Tumi, Ben Sharpa, HipHop Pantsula, Tuks Senganga.[166]
In Jamaica, the sounds of hip hop are derived from American and Jamaican influences. Jamaican hip hop is defined both through dancehall and reggae music. Jamaican Kool Herc brought the sound systems, technology, and techniques of reggae music to New York during the 1970s. Jamaican hip hop artists often rap in both Brooklyn and Jamaican accents. Jamaican hip hop subject matter is often influenced by outside and internal forces. Outside forces such as the bling-bling era of today's modern hip hop and internal influences coming from the use of anti-colonialism and marijuana or "ganja" references which Rastafarians believe bring them closer to God.[167][168][169]
Author Wayne Marshall argues that "Hip hop, as with any number of African-American cultural forms before it, offers a range of compelling and contradictory significations to Jamaican artist and audiences. From "modern blackness" to "foreign mind", transnational cosmopolitanism to militant pan-Africanism, radical remixology to outright mimicry, hip hop in Jamaica embodies the myriad ways that Jamaicans embrace, reject, and incorporate foreign yet familiar forms."[170]
In the developing world, hip hop has made a considerable impact in the social context. Despite the lack of resources, hip hop has made considerable inroads.[72] Due to limited funds, hip hop artists are forced to use very basic tools, and even graffiti, an important aspect of the hip hop culture, is constrained due to its unavailability to the average person. Hip hop has begun making inroads with more than black artists. There are number of other minority artists who are taking center stage as many first generation minority children come of age. One example is rapper Awkwafina, an Asian-American, who raps about being Asian as well as being female. She, like many others, use rap to express her experiences as a minority not necessarily to "unite" minorities together but to tell her story.[171] Many hip hop artists that make it out of the developing world come to places like the United States in hopes of improving their situations. Maya Arulpragasm (AKA M.I.A.) is a Sri Lanka-born Tamil hip hop artist in this situation. She claims, "I'm just trying to build some sort of bridge, I'm trying to create a third place, somewhere in between the developed world and the developing world.".[172] Another music artist using hip hop to provide a positive message to young Africans is Emmanuel Jal, who is a former child soldier from South Sudan. Jal is one of the few South Sudanese music artists to have broken through on an international level[173] with his unique form of hip hop and a positive message in his lyrics.[174] Jal has attracted the attention of mainstream media and academics with his story and use of hip hop as a healing medium for war-afflicted people in Africa and has also been sought out for the international lecture circuit with major talks at popular talkfests like TED.[175]
Many K-Pop artists in South Korea have been influenced by hip hop. Many South Koreans perform hip hop music. In Seoul, South Korea, Koreans b-boy.[176]
Education [ edit ]
Scholars argue that hip hop can have an empowering effect on youth. While there is misogyny, violence, and drug use in rap music videos and lyrics, hip hop also displays many positive themes of self-reliance, resilience, and self-esteem. These messages can be inspiring for a youth living in poverty. A lot of rap songs contain references to strengthening the African American community promoting social causes. Social workers have used hip hop to build a relationship with at-risk youth and develop a deeper connection with the child.[177] Hip hop has the potential to be taught as a way of helping people see the world more critically, be it through forms of writing, creating music, or social activism. The lyrics of hip hop have been used to learn about literary devices such as metaphor, imagery, irony, tone, theme, motif, plot, and point of view.[178]
Organizations and facilities are providing spaces and programs for communities to explore making and learning about hip hop. An example is the IMP Labs in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Many dance studios and colleges now offer lessons in hip hop alongside tap and ballet, as well as KRS-ONE teaching hip hop lectures at Harvard University. Hip hop producer 9th Wonder and former rapper-actor Christopher "Play" Martin from hip hop group Kid-n-Play have taught hip hop history classes at North Carolina Central University[179] and 9th Wonder has also taught a "Hip Hop Sampling Soul" class at Duke University.[180] In 2007, the Cornell University Library established a Hip Hop Collection to collect and make accessible the historical artifacts of hip hop culture and to ensure their preservation for future generations.[181]
Values and philosophy [ edit ]
Essentialism [ edit ]
Since the age of slavery, music has long been the language of African American identity. Because reading and writing were forbidden under the auspices of slavery, music became the only accessible form of communication. Hundreds of years later, in inner-city neighborhoods plagued by high illiteracy and dropout rates, music remains the most dependable medium of expression. Hip Hop is thus to the Hood as Negro Spirituals are to the Plantation: the emergent music articulates the terrors of one's environment better than written, or spoken word, thereby forging an "unquestioned association of oppression with creativity [that] is endemic" to African American culture".[182] In hip hop culture, it is thus considered essential to "keep it real" or to be authentic to the lived experiences of people from disadvantaged neighborhoods ("the Ghetto"). Despite the fact that hip hop artists typically use imagined scenarios and fictionalized stories in their raps, the culture demands that they act as if all their lyrics are true or potentially true. Because of this, lyrics of rap songs have often been treated as "confessions" to a number of violent crimes in the United States.[183] It is also considered to be the duty of rappers and other hip hop artists (DJs, dancers) to "represent" their city and neighborhood. This demands being proud of being from disadvantaged cities neighborhoods that have traditionally been a source of shame, and glorifying them in lyrics and graffiti. This has potentially been one of the ways that hip hop has become regarded as a "local" rather than "foreign" genre of music in so many countries around the world in just a few decades. Nevertheless, sampling and borrowing from a number of genres and places is also a part of the hip hop milieu, and an album like the surprise hit Kala by Anglo-Tamil rapper M.I.A. was recorded in locations all across the world and features sounds from a different country on every track.[184]
According to scholar Joseph Schloss, the essentialist perspective of Hip Hop conspicuously obfuscates the role that individual style and pleasure plays in the development of the genre. Schloss notes that Hip Hop is forever fossilized as an inevitable cultural emergent, as if "none of hip-hop's innovators had been born, a different group of poor black youth from the Bronx would have developed hip-hop in exactly the same way".[182] However, while the pervasive oppressive conditions of the Bronx were likely to produce another group of disadvantaged youth, he questions whether they would be equally interested, nonetheless willing to put in as much time and energy into making music as Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool Herc, and Afrika Bambaataa. He thus concludes that Hip Hop was a result of choice, not fate, and that when individual contributions and artistic preferences are ignored, the genre's origin becomes overly attributed to collective cultural oppression.
Authenticity [ edit ]
The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote that 50 Cent has "earned the right to use the trappings of [185] Graffiti depicting US rapper 50 Cent . Larry Nager ofwrote that 50 Cent has "earned the right to use the trappings of gangsta rap – the macho posturing, the guns, the drugs, the big cars and magnums of champagne. He's not a poseur pretending to be a gangsta; he's the real thing."
Hip hop music artists and advocates have stated that hip hop has been an authentic (true and "real") African-American artistic and cultural form since its emergence in inner-city Bronx neighborhoods in the 1970s. Some music critics, scholars and political commentators[who?] have denied hip hop's authenticity. Advocates who claim hip hop is an authentic music genre state that it is an ongoing response to the violence and discrimination experienced by black people in the United States, from the slavery that existed into the 19th century, to the lynchings of the 20th century and the ongoing racial discrimination faced by blacks.[citation needed]
Paul Gilroy and Alexander Weheliye state that unlike disco, jazz, R&B, house music, and other genres that were developed in the African-American community and which were quickly adopted and then increasingly controlled by white music industry executives, hip hop has remained largely controlled by African American artists, producers and executives.[186] In his book, Phonographies, Weheliye describes the political and cultural affiliations that hip hop music enables.[187] In contrast, Greg Tate states that the market-driven, commodity form of commercial hip hop has uprooted the genre from the celebration of African-American culture and the messages of protest that predominated in its early forms.[188] Tate states that the commodification and commercialization of hip hop culture undermines the dynamism of the genre for African-American communities.
These two dissenting understandings of hip hop's scope and influence frame debates that revolve around hip hop's possession of or lack of authenticity.[189] Anticipating the market arguments of Tate and others, both Gilroy and Weheliye assert that hip hop has always had a different function than Western popular music as a whole, a function that exceeds the constraints of market capitalism. Weheliye notes, "Popular music, generally in the form of recordings, has and still continues to function as one of the main channels of communication between the different geographical and cultural points in the African diaspora, allowing artists to articulate and perform their diasporic citizenship to international audiences and establish conversations with other diasporic communities."[190] For Paul Gilroy, hip hop proves an outlet of articulation and a sonic space in which African Americans can exert control and influence that they often lack in other sociopolitical and economic domains.[191]
In "Phonographies", Weheyliye explains how new sound technologies used in hip hop encourage "diasporic citizenship" and African-American cultural and political activities.[192] Gilroy states that the "power of [hip hop] music [lies] in developing black struggles by communicating information, organizing consciousness, and testing out or deploying ... individual or collective" forms of African-American cultural and political actions.[191] In the third chapter of The Black Atlantic, "Jewels Brought from Bondage: Black Music and the Politics of Authenticity", Gilroy asserts that these elements influence the production of and the interpretation of black cultural activities. What Gilroy calls the "Black Atlantic" music's rituals and traditions are a more expansive way of thinking about African-American "blackness", a way that moves beyond contemporary debates around essentialist and anti-essentialist arguments. As such, Gilroy states that music has been and remains a central staging ground for debates over the work, responsibility, and future role of black cultural and artistic production.[193]
Traditional vs. progressive views [ edit ]
Ever since the over-commercialization of hip hop occurred between the late 1980s and the mid 1990s (at peak), traditional hip hop supporters have been in a feud with more progressive hip hop fans, claiming that they are uneducated towards what they are building. The traditionalists also claim that progressives are not only building music that steps further and further away from Hip Hop, but causes ignorance and misconceptions between fans of more progressive Hip Hop and fans of traditional Hip Hop culture. These views have been narrowed heavily over the past couple of years and have experienced change of views from the traditional side, as well as acceptance towards evolution of hip hop.
However, all of these beliefs seem to still be viewed under very specific sets of morals and ethics. Such as that one does not take themselves away, or deny the true past of hip hop (doing such would result in ignorance of the history of hip hop, and a completely disconnected community of fans who become uncertain as to what truly should be considered hip hop). Hip hop is also known to be the music of the oppressed (African Americans, Puerto Ricans and women) and activist based. Fans of more progressed Hip Hop have received both acclaim due to innovation and futuristic views, as well as strong criticism due to lack of proper education and what is felt as a completely changed form of values, rather than evolved.
Like most grassroots cultures, hip hop initially rejected the views and support of the mainstream industry, however eventually learned to be content due to the understanding of what opportunity and voice could be given. The Father of Hip Hop, DJ Kool Herc recently criticized the cancelled Netflix series The Get Down due to its lack of viewer response, by calling it 'The Let Down' and that legendary hip hop DJ Grandmaster Flash is Grandmaster Trash. Herc criticized the whole production for their misrepresentations of history and culture.
However, he did state that he does support many stars in rap today such as Lil Wayne and Drake.[194] Herc, and many other old school hip hop legends such as Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Caz originally held views against mainstream rap.[195] However, recent interviews have shown to prove that even they have changed their ways to a certain extent.[196] However, rappers like KRS-One still feel a strong disapproval of the rap industry, especially through mainstream media.[197]
In b-boying, most supporters have begun to slowly involve more industry sponsorship through events on the World BBoy Series and through the UDEF powered by Silverback Open.[198] Other b-boys have begun to accept using the term breakdance, but only if the term b-boying is too difficult to communicate to the general public. Regardless of such, b-boys and b-girls still exist to showing lack of support to jams and events that they feel represent the culture as a sport, form of entertainment and as well through capitalism. Battle Rap as an industry has also been strongly supported by old-school/ golden-era legends such as Herc, Kid Capri and KRS-One.[199][200]
Reception [ edit ]
Commercialization and stereotyping [ edit ]
In 2012, hip hop and rap pioneer Chuck D, from the group Public Enemy criticized young hip hop artists from the 2010s, stating that they have taken a music genre with extensive roots in underground music and turned it into commercialized pop music.[201] In particular, seminal figures in the early underground, politically-motivated music, such as Ice T, have criticized current hip hop artists for being more concerned with image than substance.[202] Critics have stated that 2010s hip hop artists are contributing to cultural stereotyping of African-American culture and are poseur gangsters. Critics have also stated that hip hop music promotes drug use and violence.[203][204][205]
Hip hop has been criticized by rock-centric critics who state that hip hop is not a true art form and who state that rock and roll music is more authentic. These critics are advocating a viewpoint called "rockism" which favors music written and performed by the individual artist (as seen in some famous singer-songwriter-led rock bands) and is against 2000s (decade)-era hip hop, which these critics argue give too large a role to record producers and digital sound recording. Hip hop is seen as being too violent and explicit, in comparison with rock. Some contend that the criticisms have racial overtones, as these critics deny that hip hop is an art form and praising rock genres that prominently feature white males.[206]
Marginalization of women [ edit ]
Hip hop artist Lauryn Hill has been successful as a solo performer and as a member of the Fugees . This photo shows her performing at the Ottawa Bluesfest in 2012.
The hip hop music genre and its subculture has been criticized for its gender bias and its negative impacts on women in African-American culture. Gangsta rap artists such as Eazy-E and Snoop Dogg have song lyrics that portray women as sex toys, and as people who are inferior to and dependent on men (though Eazy-E is deceased, Dr. Dre makes music less frequently since about the '90s and has apologized for his views which carried over into actuality, and Snoop Dogg has become extremely diversified and changed his image in a positive way.)[207] Between 1987 and 1993, over 400 hip hop songs had lyrics that described violence toward women including rape, assault, and murder.[208] These anti-women hip hop lyrics have led some male listeners to make physical threats toward women and they have created negative stereotypes of young urban African-American women.[209] Hip hop music promotes masculine hegemony and it depicts women as individuals who must rely on men.[208] The portrayal of women in hip hop lyrics and videos tends to be violent, degrading, and highly sexualized. There is a high frequency of songs with lyrics that are demeaning, or depict sexual violence or sexual assault towards women.[210] Videos often portray idealized female bodies and depict women as being the object of male pleasure.[211]
Very few female artists have been recognized in hip hop, and the most popular, successful and influential artists, record producers and music executives are males. Women who are in rap groups, such as Lauryn Hill of the Fugees, tend to have less advantages and opportunities than male artists.[212] Female artists have received little to no recognition in hip hop. Only one female artist has won Best Rap album of the year at the Grammy Awards since the category was added in 1995.[213] In addition, African American female hip hop artists have been recognized even less in the industry.[214]
Marginalization of Latinas [ edit ]
Latinas, especially Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican women, are degraded and fetishized in hip hop. White women and Asian women are also fetishized in hip hop but not as much as Latinas, who are referred to as "Spanish". Latinas, especially Puerto Rican models and Dominican models, are often portrayed as an object of sexual desire in hip hop videos.
Homophobia and transphobia [ edit ]
As well, the hip hop music community has been criticized for its homophobia and transphobia.[215] Hip hop song lyrics contain offensive, homophobic slurs (most popularly, the pejorative term "faggot") and sometimes violent threats towards queer people, such as rapper DMX's "Where the Hood At," rapper Eazy-E's "Nobody Move," rap group Brand Nubian's "Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down".[216] Many rappers and hip hop artists have advocated homophobia and/or transphobia.[217] These artists include Ja Rule, who in an interview claimed,"We need to go step to MTV and Viacom, and let's talk about all these fucking shows that they have on MTV that is promoting homosexuality, that my kids can't watch this shit,"[4] and rap artist Erick Sermon, who has said publicly,"[Hip hop] will never accept transgender rappers."[5] Until the 2010s, hip hop music has excluded the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. This has perpetuated a culture in hip hop that is prejudiced towards queer and trans people, making it a tough culture for queer artists to participate in.[215] Despite this prejudice, some queer/genderqueer rappers and hip hop artists have become successful and popular in the 2010s. One of the more notable members of the LGBT community in hip hop is Frank Ocean, who came out in 2012 and has released critically acclaimed albums and won two Grammy Awards.[6] Other successful queer hip hop/rap artists include female bisexual rapper Azealia Banks,[218] pansexual androgynous rapper and singer Angel Haze,[219] lesbian rapper Siya,[220] gay rapper/singer Kevin Abstract,[221] and genderqueer rapper Mykki Blanco.[222]
Legacy [ edit ]
Having its roots in reggae, disco, funk and soul music, hip hop has since expanded worldwide. Its expansion includes events like Afrika Bambaataa's 1982 releasing of Planet Rock, which tried to establish a more global harmony. In the 1980s, the British Slick Rick became the first international hit hip hop artist not native to America.[citation needed] From the 1980s onward, television made hip hop global. From Yo! MTV Raps to Public Enemy's world tour, hip hop spread to Latin America and became a mainstream culture. Hip hop has been cut, mixed and adapted as it the music spreads to new areas.[223][224][unreliable source?]
Early hip hop[by whom?] may have reduced inner-city gang violence by replacing physical violence with hip hop battles of breakdancing, turntablism, rapping and artwork. However, with the emergence of commercial and crime-related gangsta rap during the early 1990s, violence, drugs, weapons, and misogyny, were key themes. Socially and politically conscious hip hop has long been disregarded by mainstream America in favor of its media-baiting sibling, gangsta rap.[65] Alternative hip hop artists attempt to reflect the original elements of the culture. Artists/groups such as Lupe Fiasco, Immortal Technique, Lowkey, Brother Ali, Public Enemy, The Roots, Shing02, Jay Electronica, Nas, Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Dilated Peoples, Dead Prez, Blackalicious, Jurassic 5, Jeru the Damaja, Kendrick Lamar, Gangstarr, KRS-One, Living Legends emphasize messages of verbal skill, internal/external conflicts, life lessons, unity, social issues, or activism.
Black female artists such as Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott, and MC Lyte have made great strides since the hip hop industry first began. By producing music and an image that did not cater to the hyper-sexualized stereotypes of black women in hip hop, these women pioneered a revitalized and empowering image of black women in hip hop.[225] Though many hip hop artists have embraced the ideals that effectively disenfranchize black female artists, many others choose to employ forms of resistance that counteract these negative portrayals of women in hip hop and offer a different narrative. These artists seek to expand ways of traditional thinking through different ways of cultural expression. In this effort they hope to elicit a response to female hip hop artists not with a misogynist lens but with one that validates women's struggle.[226]
Many have written about these intersections of hip-hop and feminism. One such example is Savannah Shange's article on Nicki Minaj entitled A King Named Nicki: Strategic queerness and the black femmecee. In her article, Shange discusses the inability to categorize Nicki Minaj's music as either specifically hetero or homosexual. She ways that Nicki uses a sort of strategic queerness to that uses her sex appeal both ways to attract her audience. Shange writes how even when looking at Nicki's music and persona from a homonormative lens, she defies categorization. She goes on to describe how Minaj "is a rapper whose critical, strategic performance of queer femininity is inextricable linked to the production and reception of their rhymes." In this way, Nicki Minaj's performative style enables her to make similarly great strides as those who came before her.
For women, artists such as Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim, Young M.A. and others are providing mentorship for new female MCs. In addition, there is a vibrant scene outside the mainstream that provides an opportunity for women and their music to flourish.[61] Rap music has the power to influence how we view black women in our society. Queen Latifah used her award-winning song "U.N.I.T.Y." to support to other women and to inform of the presence of women in the hip hop genre. However, many contemporary females in hip hop do not embody this mindset and counteract it.[227] In 2014, Iggy Azalea was the first White female rapper to go mainstream and was the first White female rapper to have a number-one hit with "Fancy" in history.[228]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Bibliography [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ] |
MGM Pictures released the first trailer for its remake of the 1974 vigilante classic Death Wish on Thursday, featuring Bruce Willis taking over the lead role — but some critics and commentators have already branded the unreleased film “racist,” “alt-right,” and “nakedly fascist” over the short clip’s content.
Willis stars as Paul Kersey, a surgeon on a brutal quest for revenge after his wife is murdered and his daughter is raped.
{snip}
The remake also trades out the original film’s gritty New York City environment for contemporary Chicago.
{snip}
In a twist on the original character, Willis’ Dr. Kersey wears a hoodie, an item of clothing associated in recent years with the Black Lives Matter movement.
The trailer for the film came under fire on social media shortly after its release Thursday, with at least one critic contending that the original series was “always racist.”
Some critics wrote that the film’s release appeared ill-timed for today’s charged political environment, while Forbes film critic Scott Mendelson called the film’s message “tone-deaf” coming from a white filmmaking team.
{snip}
Angry, old white man becomes an armed vigilante against Chicago civilians. That’s a dangerous message. Is Death Wish alt-right fan fiction? pic.twitter.com/7VIrMbLWXv — Adam Best (@adamcbest) August 3, 2017
Maybe it’s the marketing, but seems a strange time to give a high-five to an older angry white dude going vigilante with lots of guns. — Chuck Wendig (@ChuckWendig) August 3, 2017
Eli Roth’s Death Wish remake is so nakedly fascist that alt-righters will have an erection before the trailer ends https://t.co/sDY5fQXR9W — Alan Zilberman (@alanzilberman) August 3, 2017
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"We have to make them more productive through automation, through tools. So I'm convinced that there is in fact going to be a jobs shortage. There is going to be jobs that are unfulfilled, and that the way we'll fill them is to take people plus computers, and the computers will make people smarter. If you make the people smarter, their wages go up. They don't go down, and the number of jobs go up, not down, if you see my point."
"People keep saying, what happens to jobs in the era of automation? I think there will be more jobs, not fewer."
At Viva Tech, Jeff Immelt, the outgoing chief executive of General Electric, also spoke out against people predicting widespread unemployment as a result of automation, saying that the idea robots will completely run factories in five years is "bulls--t".
"There's 330,000 people that work for GE and none of them had a productive day yesterday, none of them had a completely productive day. So my own belief is that when it comes to digital tools and things like that, that first part of the revolution, is going to be to make your existing workforce productive," Immelt said during a talk at the Viva Tech conference in Paris on Thursday.
Fierce debate is raging around the impact that automation could have on jobs. Around a third of jobs in the U.K. could be affected by artificial intelligence and automation, while this figure rises to 38 percent in the U.S. by the 2030s, according to a report by accountancy firm PWC released in March.
Some technologists such as Elon Musk warned humans may have to merge somehow with machines to prevent becoming irrelevant in the age of AI. Others in Silicon Valley have suggested a universal basic income could be necessary to help cushion the blow of unemployment resulting from automation. |
IT IS becoming a familiar ritual: each time a significant anniversary of Argentina's 1982 war with Britain over the Falkland Islands looms, its government starts rattling sabres. In 2007 Néstor Kirchner, the country's then-president, cancelled an oil-and-gas agreement with Britain and banned energy companies active in the islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas, from operating on the mainland. With the war's 30th anniversary falling in April, the tradition has been upheld by Cristina Fernández, Mr Kirchner's widow and successor, who is due to step aside for 20 days on January 4th 2012 in order to receive treatment for thyroid cancer. On December 20th she got Argentina's partners in the Mercosur trade block—Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay—to declare that they would ban civilian ships flying the Falklands' flag from entering their ports.
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Although up to $300m in maritime trade to and from the Falklands passes through Uruguay each year, this decision may have little practical effect. Most of the 30 or so vessels hoisting the Falklands' flag—a British red ensign with a coat-of-arms featuring a ram and tussock grass—belong to Spanish fishing companies. British merchant ships will still be allowed to dock in South American ports.
Nevertheless, the new Mercosur policy is the latest in a string of small diplomatic victories for Argentina, which is keen to regionalise what has always been a bilateral dispute. Mercosur already does not welcome in its ports British warships on Falklands duty. Earlier in December a meeting of the newly formed 33-country Community of Latin American and Caribbean States unanimously backed Argentina's “legitimate rights in the sovereignty dispute” over the Falklands and South Georgia. UNASUR, the putative South American union, has done likewise.
In 2010 Hillary Clinton, America's secretary of state, called for talks over the dispute, a contrast to 1982 when the United States backed Britain. The British government insists that its control over the islands, which dates back to 1833, is clear under international law, and that the right of the Falklanders to self-determination is not negotiable.
Ms Fernández has been especially exercised by recent oil exploration in Falkland waters. The small deposits found so far may not be profitable, though a rig will shortly start to drill in previously unexplored blocks to the south of the islands. But Argentina responded to the resumption of drilling in 2010 by requiring ships travelling between the islands and the mainland to receive permission. In a speech at the UN in September, Ms Fernández threatened to disrupt the weekly flight between Chile and the Falklands, operated by Chile's LAN. She accused David Cameron, Britain's prime minister, of “mediocrity and near-stupidity” for refusing to negotiate sovereignty.
Argentina has forsworn another attempt to seize the islands by force. It anyway lacks the military means. Despite cuts in public budgets, Britain still spends heavily on the islands' defence.
But if oil starts to flow, Argentina might seek regional support for an economic blockade. Would it get it? Most Latin American governments are left-of-centre, strongly nationalist and increasingly confident of their growing clout in the world. Argentina has persuaded them that the Falklands are a colonial anachronism.
Mr Cameron said in a Christmas message that he would “never” negotiate on sovereignty “unless you, the Falkland Islanders, so wish.” The 3,000 islanders do not: as a people, they have been in the Americas as long as many Argentines, and they resent being bullied. But they—and Britain—have failed to explain their case to the rest of South America. British diplomats doubt that the region will offer more than rhetorical support to Argentina's claims. That looks complacent. |
For the CIA officials involved in torture, one thing was clear from the very beginning: The only way they would be forgiven for what they did was if they could show it had saved lives.
It was the heart of their rationale. It was vital to public acceptance. It was how they would avoid prosecution.
The executive summary of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s grindingly exhaustive torture report released Tuesday indelibly captures CIA officials turning their back on human decency, and it all starts with a “novel” legal defense floated in November 2001 by CIA lawyers – and arguably prompted by their White House masters, lurking offstage – that the “CIA could argue that the torture was necessary to prevent imminent, significant, physical harm to persons, where there is no other available means to prevent the harm.”
Specifically, they pointed out: “states may be very unwilling to call the U.S. to task for torture when it resulted in saving thousands of lives.”
And so, when the tragically predictable sequence of events began to unfold – and torture, as it always has, produced false confessions and little to no intelligence of value – admitting that it had failed was not even an option.
Instead, those involved made up stories of success.
They insisted that Abu Zubaydah was a top al Qaeda figure who, only after being waterboarded, provided information that foiled a major attack on the U.S. – even though Zubaydah wasn’t in al Qaeda, the plot was a farce, and the only related information he provided came before he was tortured.
They cast Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s false confessions as deadly threats, then announced they had been thwarted.
They viciously brutalized people, some of them entirely innocent, and described what they were doing as an art and a science.
Senate investigators, who had access to millions of pages of original CIA cables and other source material, used most of the 499 pages in Tuesday’s release documenting example after example of CIA officials doing gruesome things, then telling convenient falsehoods to each other, to their bosses, to the White House, to anyone who questioned them, and to Congress – all to prove to everyone that torture worked.
By mid-2003, the CIA’s constant mantra was that “enhanced interrogation tactics” had “saved lives,” “thwarted plots,” and “captured terrorists.” Saying otherwise was like blasphemy.
The end result was that when President George W. Bush and other top government officials finally told the public about the program, they trafficked in almost nothing but misinformation.
Should we call these lies? The Senate report doesn’t. (Then again, it also doesn’t call what happened “torture”.)
The people who actually knew the facts certainly lied, obliging the requests from their superiors for examples of effective torture.
Maybe some of the people who heard the lies, and passed them on, let themselves believe they were true. For the CIA, that would be even worse, because a susceptibility to lies is a fatal flaw for an agency charged with providing fact-based intelligence to keep the nation safe.
What the Senate’s summary tells us is that the modern CIA is actuated by fantasy and faith. It’s a familiar charge; we saw the same pattern in the CIA when its political masters wanted a case for war in Iraq.
Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden observed on Tuesday that “The current CIA leadership has been alarmingly resistant to acknowledging the full scope of the mistakes and misrepresentations that surrounded this program for so many years.”
There are no indications the CIA is ready to turn things around, of course. CIA Director John Brennan went to extraordinary lengths to stymie and discredit the investigation. And now, he is rebuffing its conclusions.
Brennan’s statement Tuesday acknowledged “shortcomings” and “mistakes,” but reasserted “that interrogations of detainees on whom [enhanced interrogation techniques] EITs were used did produce intelligence that helped thwart attack plans, capture terrorists, and save lives.” He angrily rejected the report’s “inference that the Agency systematically and intentionally misled” Congress, the Executive Branch, and the public.”
And while they remain offstage by design, nothing in this report in any way exonerates the people who were running the show from the White House.
Other reports and works of journalism have clearly identified Vice President Dick Cheney as the prime mover in creating a torture regime that extended not just to the black sites, but to Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo and elsewhere. Cheney was no victim of misinformation; he was its architect.
And George W. Bush might have remained unfamiliar with the details until as late as 2006 – “According to CIA records, when briefed in April 2006, the president expressed discomfort with the ‘image of a detainee, chained to the ceiling, clothed in a diaper, and forced to go to the bathroom on himself’.” But he must have had some idea what Cheney and others were up to in the basement.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The report adds nauseating new details to the already substantial record of the CIA’s enthusiastic descent into savagery after capturing its first terror suspects, post-9/11.
There’s the image of the CIA’s first fully documented torture victim, Abu Zubaydah, becoming “completely unresponsive, with bubbles rising through his open, full mouth” after a session of repeated near-drownings on the waterboard.
There are descriptions of sleep deprivation that “involved keeping detainees awake for up to 180 hours, usually standing or in stress positions, at times with their hands shackled above their heads.”
The report identifies 26 detainees, out of the CIA’s 119 in total, who the agency itself determined should never have been held at all. That unfortunate group includes “Abu Hudhaifa, who was subjected to ice water baths and 66 hours of standing sleep deprivation before being released because the CIA discovered he was likely not the person he was believed to be,” and “Nazir Ali, an ‘intellectually challenged’ individual whose taped crying was used as leverage against his family member.”
The report also creates new additions to the CIA’s lexicon of torture euphemisms, such as “rectal rehydration” and “rectal feeding”:
At least five detainees were subjected to rectal rehydration or rectal feeding. There is at least one record of Abu Zubaydah receiving “rectal fluid resuscitation” for “partially refusing liquids.” … KSM was subjected to rectal rehydration without a determination of medical need, a procedure that KSM interrogator and chief of interrogations [REDACTED} would later characterize as illustrative of the interrogator’s “total control over the detainee.”
The authors don’t just document these new atrocities, they cite them to illustrate how baldly CIA officials deceived others about what was really going on.
A particular sore point is the inaccurate information the CIA fed to Congress. First CIA officials disavowed torture, and promised that the Senate Intelligence Committee would be notified about every individual detained by the CIA. Then came the misinformation and the outright subterfuge.
A 2005 proposal from Senator Carl Levin to establish an independent commission to investigate detainee abuse, for instance, “resulted in concern at the CIA that such a commission would lead to the discovery of videotapes documenting CIA interrogations.” As a result, the CIA destroyed them.
The summary devotes a 37-page appendix on “Inaccurate CIA Testimony” by former CIA Director Michael Hayden in one Senate Intelligence Committee hearing alone.
At the April 12, 2007, hearing, Director Hayden verbally provided extensive inaccurate information on, among other topics: (1) the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, (2) the application of Department of Defense survival school practices to the program, (3) detainees’ counter interrogation training, (4) the backgrounds of CIA interrogators, (5) the role of other members of the interrogation teams, (6) the number of CIA detainees and their intelligence production, (7) the role of CIA detainee reporting in the captures of terrorist suspects, (8) the interrogation process, (9) the use of detainee reporting, (10) the purported relationship between Islam and the need to use the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques, (11) threats against detainees’ families, (12) the punching and kicking of detainees, (13) detainee hygiene, (14) denial of medical care, (15) dietary manipulation, (16) the use of waterboarding and its effectiveness, and (17) the injury and death of detainees.
Hayden told the Senate Intelligence committee: “Punches and kicks are not authorized and have never been employed.” But interviews conducted for two CIA internal reviews described the treatment of Gul Rahman, the detainee who died at the Salt Pit. One witness stated:
[T]here were approximately five CIA officers from the renditions team… they opened the door of Rahman’s cell and rushed in screaming and yelling for him to “getdown.” They dragged him outside, cut off his clothes and secured him with Mylar tape. They covered his head with a hood and ran him up and down a long corridor adjacent to his cell. They slapped him and punched him several times… a couple of times the punches were forceful. As they ran him along the corridor, a couple of times he fell and they dragged him through the dirt (the floor outside of the cells is dirt). Rahman did acquire a number of abrasions on his face, legs, and hands, but nothing that required medical attention. (This may account for the abrasions found on Rahman’s body after his death. Rahman had a number of surface abrasions on his shoulders, pelvis, arms, legs, and face.)
Hayden also lied to Congress about how many detainees were held. At first, the CIA’s lowball numbers were, amazingly enough, just a mistake
Internal CIA documents indicate that inadequate record keeping made it impossible for the CIA to determine how many individuals it had detained. In December 2003, a CIA Station overseeing CIA detention operations in Country [REDACTED] informed CIA Headquarters that it had made the “unsettling discovery” that the CIA was “holding a number of detainees about whom” it knew “very little.”
But five years later, when a CIA officer informed Hayden that the correct number was 112 or more, the officer sent himself an email to memorialize the conversation: “DCIA instructed me to keep the detainee number at 98 – pick whatever date i [sic] needed to make that happen but the number is 98.”
At a 2006 congressional hearing, then-CIA director Porter Goss said the CIA’s interrogation program is “not a brutality. It’s more of an art or a science that is refined.”
But the report provides new, horrifying details about what it calls COBALT – the notorious Salt Pit facility in Afghanistan, that one CIA official described as a “dungeon.”
The CIA kept few formal records of the detainees in its custody at COBALT. Untrained CIA officers at the facility conducted frequent, unauthorized, and unsupervised interrogations of detainees using harsh physical interrogation techniques that were not—and never became—part of the CIA’s formal “enhanced” interrogation program. The CIA placed a junior officer with no relevant experience in charge of COBALT. On November [REDACTED], 2002, a detainee who had been held partially nude and chained to a concrete floor died from suspected hypothermia at the facility.
Although most of the misinformation documented in the report dates back to the Bush years, Senate investigators also debunked the narrative – spread by Obama-era CIA officials – that torture was responsible for the capture of bin Laden.
Within a day of the UBL operation, the CIA began providing classified briefings to Congress on the overall operation and the intelligence that led to the raid and UBL’s death. On May 2, 2011, CIA officials, including CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell, briefed the Committee. A second briefing occurred on May 4, 2011, when CIA Director Leon Panetta and other CIA officials briefed both the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Armed Services Committee. Both of these briefings indicated that CIA detainee information—and the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques—played a substantial role in developing intelligence that led to the UBL operation.
The report documents the ample information the CIA had from other sources about the courier who ultimately led them to bin Laden.
The CIA did not receive any information from CIA detainees on Abu Ahmad al-Kuwaiti until 2003. Nonetheless, by the end of 2002, the CIA was actively targeting Abu Ahmad al-Kuwaiti and had collected significant reporting on Abu Ahmad al-Kuwaiti—to include reporting on Abu Ahmad al-Kuwaiti’s close links to UBL.
In fact, the information in the report supports the argument that torture may have slowed the hunt for bin Laden.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Attorney General Eric Holder has frequently stipulated “that the Department of Justice will not prosecute anyone who acted in good faith and within the scope of the legal guidance given by the Office of Legal Counsel regarding the interrogation of detainees.”
The Senate report makes clear that the DOJ memos giving legal cover to CIA officers were based on crucial misrepresentations by the CIA of its needs and its conduct. The DOJ memos “relied on the CIA’s claim that the techniques were necessary to save lives,” the investigators wrote.
Although the CIA proceeded to interpret its authorities more generally, the initial memos were largely derived from what the CIA told DOJ about Zubaydah, and much of that was simply not true.
Most notably, CIA “headquarters” informed DOJ and White House officials in July 2002 that Abu Zubaydah’s interrogation team believed he possessed information on terrrorists and terrorist threats in the U.S. “The CIA officials further represented that the interrogation team had concluded that the use of more aggressive methods ‘is required to persuade Abu Zubaydah to provide the critical information needed to safeguard the lives of innumerable innocent men, women, and children within the United States and abroad,’ and warned ‘countless more Americans may die unless we can persuade AZ to tell us what he knows.'”
But according to the CIA cables the Senate investigators reviewed, the interrogation team had not made any such determination — quite the contrary. They wrote that they were operating under the assumption that Zubaydah was “not holding back actionable information concerning threats to the United States beyond that which [he] has already provided.”
The report also finds that some tactics employed by the CIA went beyond what was allowed by those memos, concluding for instance that the routine use of nudity, abdominal slaps and cold-water dousing were not approved by the Justice Department.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Supporters of the CIA’s interrogation tactics prefer not to call them torture. And some media outlets still shy away from the term. But it’s preposterous to call them anything else.
And one telling series of events described in the report (initially revealed in a 2009 New York Times article by Mark Mazzetti and Scott Shane) makes it clear that CIA officials knew exactly what it was they were doing.
It’s a White House tradition that the President makes an obligatory and anodyne proclamation each year on the occasion of the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
In 2003, George W. Bush’s included the following language:.
The United States is committed to the world-wide elimination of torture and we are leading this fight by example. I call on all governments to join with the United States and the community of law-abiding nations in prohibiting, investigating, and prosecuting all acts of torture and in undertaking to prevent other cruel and unusual punishment. I call on all nations to speak out against torture in all its forms and to make ending torture an essential part of their diplomacy.
But when then-CIA general counsel John Rizzo heard about that statement – along with a quote from White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan that all prisoners being held by the U.S. government were being treated “humanely” — he panicked.
Rizzo wanted to make sure this didn’t represent a change in policy.
He called John Bellinger, then the legal advisor to the National Security Council, to “express our surprise and concern at some of the statements.”
Rizzo told his CIA colleagues that it “might well be appropriate for us to seek written reaffirmation by some senior White House official that the Agency’s ongoing practices… are to continue.”
CIA director George Tenet then sent a memo to National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice seeking reaffirmation of White House support because “recent Administration responses to inquiries and resulting media reporting about the Administration’s position have created the impression that these [interrogation] techniques are not used by U.S. personnel and are no longer approved as a policy matter.”
Not coincidentally, it was right about then that the CIA started making a major effort internally to build the case that what they had been doing was effective.
The report documents, for instance, the effort by the chief of ALEC station – the CIA unit charged with finding Osama bin Laden – requesting information from his subordinates on the “value and impact” of CIA detainee information, which he said was being compiled for senior CIA leadership. He wrote asking for information “that helped reveal or stop plots, reporting that clinched the identity of terrorist suspects, etc.”‘
Subordinates responded enthusiastically. And information started flowing up the chain of command.
On July 29, 2003, as a result of DCI Tenet’s July 3, 2003, request seeking reaffirmation of the CIA’s detention and interrogation policies and practices. Tenet and CIA General Counsel Scott Muller conducted a briefing for a subset of the National Security principals. According to a CIA memorandum, Muller represented that CIA “detainees subject to the use of Enhanced Techniques of one kind or another had produced significant intelligence information that had, in the view of CIA professionals, saved lives.” The CIA briefing provided the “results” of using the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques in briefing slides with the heading: “RESULTS: MAJOR THREAT INFO.” The slides represented that KSM provided information on “[a]ttack plans against US Capitol, other US landmarks”; “[a]ttacks against Chicago, New York, Los Angeles; against towers, subways, trains, reservoirs, Hebrew centers, Nuclear power plants”; and the “Heathrow and Canary Wharf Plot.” The slides also represented that KSM identified Iyman Paris, the “Majid Khan family,” and Sayf al-Rahman Paracha. These representations were largely inaccurate.
Eventually, those lies made their way up to George W. Bush.
On September 6, 2006, President Bush delivered a speech based on information provided by the CIA, fully vetted by the CIA, that was full of misinformation.
Marc Thiessen, who wrote the speech and is now a columnist for the Washington Post, described its genesis several years later:
This was the most carefully vetted speech in presidential history — reviewed by all the key players from the individuals who ran the program all the way up to the director of national intelligence, who personally attested to the accuracy of the speech in a memo to the president.
But as the report powerfully argues, the speech “included numerous inaccurate representations about the CIA program and the effectiveness of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques.”
In fact, the CIA’s vetting of the speech, which is detailed in CIA “validation” documents, made it even more inaccurate.
One week before the scheduled speech, a passage in the draft speech made inaccurate claims about the role played by Abu Zubaydah in the capture of Ramzi bin al-Shibh and the role of Abu Zubaydah and Ramzi bin al-Shibh in the capture of KSM, but did not explicitly connect these claims to the use of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques.
CIA records show Zubaydah played no role in the capture of al-Shibh, and the capture of KSM had absolutely nothing to do with either of them. But the final version of the speech went even further, directly connecting the use of the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation techniques” against Zubaydah to bin al-Shibh’s capture.
Bush also said: “Once in our custody, KSM was questioned by the CIA using these procedures, and he soon provided information that helped us stop another planned attack on the United States.”
But the convoluted story Bush told was completely untrue and unsupported. The CIA “validated” the claim with a June 2003 cable, leaving out any mention of a March 2003 cable which showed that information about the alleged plot, such as it was, actually came out before KSM said anything.
“Terrorists held in CIA custody have also provided information… [that] they helped stop a plot to hijack passenger planes and fly them into Heathrow or the Canary Wharf in London,” Bush said.
But according to Senate investigators:
A review of records indicates that the Heathrow Airport and Canary Wharf plotting had not progressed beyond the initial planning stages when the operation was fully disrupted with the detentions of Ramzi bin al-Shibh, KSM, Ammar-al-Baluchi, and Khallad bin Attash. None of these individuals were captured as a result of reporting obtained during or after the use of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques against CIA detainees.
The Senate report also exposes what was perhaps the Bush administration’s single most cited example of how torture saved American lives as, quite literally, a joke.
Bush and others frequently said that information gained by waterboarding led to the disruption of a plot by U.S. citizen Jose Padilla in Chicago that involved blowing up apartment buildings in the United States and possibly “using a ‘dirty bomb’ in the U.S.”
But the Senate report discloses that that Padilla and his associate, Binyam Mohammed, conceived what the CIA called the “Dirty Bomb Plot” after reading a satirical magazine article, “How to Make Your Own H-Bomb,” that instructed would-be bomb makers to enrich uranium by putting liquid uranium hexafluoride in a bucket, attaching a six-foot rope to the bucket handle, and swinging “the rope (and attached bucket) around your head as fast as possible… for about 45 minutes.”
According to the Senate report, that’s exactly how Padilla was planning to build the “dirty bomb.” That ludicrous plan is what landed him in a military brig for three and a half years, labeled as an enemy combatant, before the Bush administration released him to federal court to face other charges.
Furthermore, CIA operational cables and other records showed “that the use of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques played no role in the identification of Jose Padilla or the thwarting” of any plot. When Zubaydah provided information on a “dirty bomb” attack, he didn’t identify Padilla by name – and in any case, whatever he did say was while talking to the FBI, three months before the CIA started torturing him. And the CIA first heard about Padilla from a foreign government, the report states.
A fascinating footnote to the Padilla case involves the CIA’s refusal to admit its error, even years later. In 2008, the Intelligence Committee sent the CIA a question: “Why was this information [related to Padilla], which was not obtained through the use of EITs, included in the ‘Effectiveness Memo’?”
Committee investigators found that one CIA official drafted a response admitting that the agency had “simply inadvertently reported this wrong. Abu Zubaydah provided information on Jose Padilla while being interrogated by the FBI.”
But someone higher up on the foodchain had that draft killed. The truth was simply too much of a threat.
Photo: Dennis Brack/Black Star/Getty Images; Hayden: Mark Wilson/Getty Images; Padilla: J. Pat Carter/AP |
The children coming across the southern U.S. border "were never examined after they got here and quarantined if they had a disease. They were just sent out across the country. Many of them had measles ... We now have an outbreak of it all because of our immigration policy."
Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh says the focus on vaccinations in the wake of the measles outbreak is a "leftist Democratic trick" to divert attention from the president’s "DOA" budget plan.
And to the extent that the measles outbreak is real, Limbaugh said Feb. 3, 2015 , it was all the fault of the White House anyway.
"We have a vaccination problem for one reason: Barack Hussein Obama and his open borders immigration policy, which opened the southern borders to children sick, healthy, you name it, poor, ill-educated, just tens of thousands of kids flooded the southern border all of last year.
"They were never examined before they got here. They were never examined after they got here and quarantined if they had a disease. They were just sent out across the country. Many of them had measles."
Other conservative voices have linked measles to illegal immigrants. The conservative website The Blaze wrote about Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., who said the disease was brought into the country by "illegal aliens."
The common thread in these statements is the idea that these children were never examined, that they had measles, and Washington took no precautions before allowing them to stay.
None of that holds up, however.
In fiscal year 2014 , over 68,000 unaccompanied minors presented themselves at the border. The crisis spurred a flurry of activity, largely by two government agencies, the departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services. Homeland Security set up new processing centers and HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement looked after the children until their fates were resolved.
Contrary to Limbaugh’s assertion, the federal government did examine these kids. The protocol , according to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, was to provide "vaccinations to all children who do not have documentation of previous valid doses of vaccine."
Limbaugh also claimed that these children were never quarantined if they had a disease. The reverse is true.
"Children receive additional, more thorough medical screening and vaccinations at ORR shelter facilities," according to the refugee resettlement Web page. "If children are found to have certain communicable diseases, they are separated from other children and treated as needed."
Latin America outdoes the United States
Further undermining Limbaugh’s case (we reached out to his show and did not hear back) are the vaccination rates for the key countries involved in the influx of unaccompanied minors -- El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
The latest data from the World Health Organization runs through 2013. As this table shows, over the past four years, the vaccination rates among those countries are on par or exceed the rate in the United States.
Country Measles, mumps, rubella vaccination rate:
4-year average El Salvador 92 percent Guatemala 90 percent Honduras 94 percent Mexico 95 percent United States 92 percent
With vaccination rates this high, epidemiologists say there is no particular reason to point to children from these countries as the source of a measles outbreak.
What we know about the outbreak
As a final point, the information on the measles cases this year reported to health departments fails to suggest a link to immigrant children.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that most of the 102 cases stem from exposures at Disneyland in California. California health officials report that 59 cases emerged directly or indirectly from the amusement park. The core group was made up of 40 people who worked at or visited the park. Neither the CDC nor the California Department of Health have traced the outbreak to one of the young people who entered the country last year.
In fact, assistant surgeon general Anne Schuchat said in a news conference that "we assume that someone got infected overseas, visited the parks and spread the disease to others."
Past measles outbreaks have not been linked to Central America. Last year, Ohio saw 382 measles cases. According to state health officials , that began when unvaccinated travelers came back from the Philippines and spread the disease within the local Amish community. The CDC said nearly 80 percent of the cases that year were among people who chose not to be vaccinated due to their religious beliefs.
Our ruling
Limbaugh pinned the current measles outbreak on the Central American children who flooded the southern border in 2014. Limbaugh said they were never examined and that many had measles.
Limbaugh provided no evidence that this is true. Probably, because no evidence exists. The children who came in from Central America were examined and vaccinated as part of a standard routine.
There is no data that links this or any other outbreak of measles to those immigrants, who are vaccinated at about the same rate as Americans.
This claim lacks any basis in fact. We rate it Pants on Fire. |
The transwoman, who has not been named, is the fourth publicised case in the space of a year. (Picture: Getty)
Another transgender woman is being held in an all-male prison, it has been revealed, despite a government pledge in the wake of two deaths last year.
The transwoman, who has not been named, represents yet another high profile case of a similar nature in the space of a year.
The deaths of two transwomen in a week, followed by the high-profile imprisonment of Tara Hudson, sparked outrage that led to a government pledge to review the way trans people are dealt with in prison.
The latest case was brought to light in parliament by the prisoner’s MP Daniel Zeichner who raised the issue with equalities minister Nicky Morgan.
Currently, trans people in England and Wales are sent to prisons that reflect their legal gender. (Picture: Getty Images)
‘A transgender constituent of mine who is being held in custody is having a very difficult time in a men’s prison,’ he said.
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‘[After the previous cases] we were promised a review. What discussions has she had with the Justice Secretary and how close are we to some outcomes from that review?’
What is the law? Currently, trans people in England and Wales are sent to prisons that reflect their legal gender. However, this can lead to complications for those that have lived as a woman for years but have not undergone a bureaucratic gender recognition process. Last year the prisons minister pledged to record and publish the number of trans people in prisons.
Morgan said the the review would be published shortly but added that she also plans to raise the issue with the Home Secretary.
Speaking to Pink News, Zeichner added ‘When you are guilty of a crime, society expects an appropriate punishment.
‘But this is a double punishment – not just deprivation of liberty, but failing to respect transgender people as well.’
The revelation has been widely condemned online.
What is actually WRONG with the U.K. government?!?? How inhumane can people be to think that this is just ok?? https://t.co/bKcs4NsRLh — Naomhán O'Connor (@Tirnanogender) June 6, 2016
This is a nightmare for anyone trans who face any type of jail time for any reason. https://t.co/TH4xGEDZxy — Spiritual Alignment (@SpiritualAlignm) June 5, 2016
A spokeswoman for LGBT equality charity Stonewall.told metro.co.uk: ‘It’s extremely concerning that another trans woman has been placed in all-male prison.
‘This comes as a shock, particularly following the campaigning efforts around Tara Hudson’s imprisonment last year to prevent such instances, and following the tragic deaths of Vicky Thompson and Joanne Latham.
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‘New guidance and training for prison staff must be addressed as a priority.
‘We would urge the Ministry of Justice to publish the outcomes of their review and act on this without delay, to ensure the safety of trans prisoners. Stonewall will continue to work by the side of trans people on these matters.’
MORE: It’s 2016 and period ads have finally ditched the rollerblades and ‘blue’ blood |
After denying premature reports about a Chinese production, SBS finally confirms that the Good Sunday variety program “Running Man” is indeed having a version in China.
On May 30, a representative from SBS confirmed that a Chinese version of “Running Man” is in the works. “We are currently in negotiations with Zhejiang Satellite TV for the joint production of ‘Running Man’ in China,” said SBS.
Discussion about the details for the Chinese version of “Running Man” ends this June and the show starts airing in China through Zhejiang Satellite TV by the fourth quarter of this year.
Aside from PD Jo Hyo Jin, major staff from “Running Man” will also participate in the joint production. Also, Chinese stars will be featured as “Running Man” characters that will capture the hearts of the viewers in this version of the show. |
Yesterday, the US Forces – Afghanistan issued a cryptic press release apologizing for an “image highly offensive to both Muslims and the religion of Islam” that was part of a leaflet dropped in Parwan province. While the press release never addressed the specific contents of the image, Taliban media personnel posted it on their twitter feeds.
The image (reproduced above) features a lion chasing what appears to be a dog or a goat with the shahada (the profession of faith in Islam: “there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”) emblazoned over it. The Taliban uses the shahada on a white background as its flag. Presumably, the lion represents the Afghan government/military, while the dog/goat represents the Taliban.
A public affairs or information operations specialist made the grave error of equating the shahada solely with the Taliban, and the commanding general of Special Operations Joint Task Force – Afghanistan is now forced to apologize for the mistake.
Predictably, the Taliban quickly capitalized on the US information operations blunder and launched a suicide attack outside of Bagram Air Base. The Taliban claimed the attack and said it was executed to avenge the perceived insult on Islam. The Taliban claimed more than 20 people, including US personnel, were killed at the gate outside of Bagram. US Forces -Afghanistan confirmed the attack and said “the explosion resulted in a small number of casualties.”
The Taliban, without a doubt, will claim more attacks to avenge the perceived slight.
The Taliban has deftly used its propaganda to make itself appear to be the defenders of the Muslim faith. This is a serious issue and a major component of the war that should not be taken lightly. The Taliban, like other jihadist groups such as al Qaeda, derives its legitimacy in the Muslim world by enmeshing itself in Islam. Religious leaders and the fatwas, or religious edicts, that they issue are just as important, if not more so, than the military commanders and their operations.
Press release attributed to Major General James Linder, the commanding general of Special Operations Joint Task Force – Afghanistan:
On September 5, U.S. forces conducted a leaflet drop in Parwan Province. The design of the leaflets mistakenly contained an image highly offensive to both Muslims and the religion of Islam. I sincerely apologize. We have the deepest respect for Islam and our Muslim partners worldwide. There is no excuse for this mistake. I am reviewing our procedures to determine the cause of this incident and to hold the responsible party accountable. Furthermore, I will make appropriate changes so this never happens again. Resolute Support remains committed to Afghanistan’s future, and I offer my sincerest apologies for this error.”
Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.
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On Sunday, May 10, celebrated Lebanese children’s book author Fatima Sharafeddine spoke at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair with scholar Mathilde Chèvre, author-illustrator Gulnar Hajo, and illustrator Raouf Karray, along with several other authors and illustrators in the audience. They discussed whether or not there’s a “nahda”—or renaissance—in Arabic children’s literature:
Sharafeddine began writing picture books in the early 2000s, and has since written and translated more than a hundred children’s books. Her multi-award-winning work has been translated into Dutch, Danish, Spanish, Catalan, French, German, English, Turkish, Swedish, and Korean. Hajo started, along with her husband Samer, the publishing house “Brightfingers,” the first private children’s-book house in Syria. Karray is an innovating and award-winning illustrator and a professor at the Higher Institute of Arts and Crafts in Sfax, Tunisia.
Chèvre, who moderated the talk, is a publisher, author and illustrator of children’s books in France and Egypt and focused her doctoral thesis on children’s books in Arab countries since the 1970s.
Chèvre was the most adamant about calling the movement that began around fifteen years ago a nahda, citing the number of child-focused publishing houses that have sprung up from Casablanca to Tunis to Cairo to Beirut to Damascus. “It’s not only the number,” Chèvre said, “it’s also the quality of the books.”
This was not a movement that came from nowhere, Chèvre said, but from experiments in the 1970s, and particularly experiments by Egyptian artist and children’s-book author Mohieddin El Labbad, who aimed to reclaim Egyptian heritage through illustration.
Maybe not a nahda?
Lebanese publisher and children’s-book author Nabiha Mheidly, of Dar al-Hadaek, was in the audience, and she argued that it was not so deep as a renaissance, but was instead more of a movement, an experiment. Hajo said that she was very optimistic: “When there is money, there is a market, and there is development. We don’t have a market, but there is passion.”
“We don’t have organization,” she said, “but we have talented people.”
“When I work by myself, I make a nahda, but there is not a nahda of publishing.” Arabic children’s book publishing was just in the birth stages, she said. “It’s a birth, but difficult. Caesarean.”
Sharafeddine noted that one of the problems was the lack of criticism of Arabic children’s literature. “We used to have one magazine in Lebanon that came out once a month, but it stopped,” she said. “We will not develop, we will not get better, if nobody criticizes our work.”
Before the discussion, Sharafeddine and I also sat down and had a discussion about the topic. Parts of this interview appeared in the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair’s Show Daily:
A conversation with Sharafeddine
Is it a nahda? When did the nahda, or renaissance, in Arabic children’s literature begin?
It started it in the early 2000s: 2003 or 2004. That’s when I started writing, and I was lucky to start just when publishers were seeing the huge gap that we have—that we don’t have original, modern books written originally in Arabic for children.
Where did it start?
It started in Beirut and Egypt mostly, with Dar al Shorouk and Asala and Hadaek, and with the books by Samah Idriss. It started in Beirut and Egypt mostly, with Dar al Shorouk and Asala and Hadaek, and with the books by Samah Idriss. He was one of the first who revolutionized the language with which you address children. And the first time I wanted to publish, I called him and I said I would like to write in Lebanese like you did, and he answered, “But I didn’t write in Lebanese. Re-read the books.” And then it became clear to me, that he was writing fosha (standardized Arabic) in a very, very simple way.
Okay. Then I can write that way, too.
Because I wrote my first four books in Lebanese. For me, my theory was that children under six, their mother tongue is the spoken language, so that’s how you address them. And once you address children over six, then you start writing in simple fosha, and you develop your language with them. But no publisher would publish me in Lebanese, and I was asked to re-write them in fosha. That’s when I worked on my style and discovered ways of reaching children.
Would you still like to write something in Lebanese?
Some things come out of me in Lebanese, especially rhymed text or poems or songs. But I’m happy I never published in Lebanese, because had I done that, I wouldn’t have been translated or known on an Arab scale, in the whole Arab world. So I guess the publishers were right back then.
If we run with this metaphor, what will really bring about a golden age in Arabic children’s literature?
As writers, and I’m going to talk about myself, I feel a bit tied up by all the restrictions that publishers are putting on me. You can’t write freely about things. I’m working on a novel, and I started with a girl, she noticed a guy, and she likes him. Her heart is beating fast, and she wants to approach him: He’s so handsome, he’s so sexy.
And then I thought, Okay, who’s going to publish this? So I changed it. I made him interested in her rather than her interested in him. And now I stopped because I said, No, I shouldn’t. I’m stuck.
I want to talk about her perspective, which happens!
I think we still have to go a big step ahead of ourselves to really call it a nahda. We have lots of taboos: You can’t say “I don’t believe in God” in a book for children, you can’t say “I hate my father” in a book for children, let alone have a pet dog or a peg pig, or say “I like pigs.”
So that’s the thing. I censor myself, still. It’s not my point to defy everybody. I just really want to reach the children in the best way I can. Maybe small steps will get it there, but we are still not there yet.
What do you think the role of digital books are in a potential nahda or in stopping a nahda?
It wouldn’t stop a nahda, to the contrary. We have to go with the technological development so that the children, if they can’t access the paper book, they can access it on an app. The other day, I was in Sour, a town in the south of Lebanon. During the reading, one of the girls started saying the words with me. And I said, ‘Wait, do you know the book?’
Yes, she told me. ‘Do you have it?’ No, she said, it’s on Lamsa (www.lamsaworld.com).
So I think it does contribute to the nahda in children’s literature.
What are the other exciting nahda-like initiatives?
There is a new initiative called Mubadara, the idea of Eva Kosma El Assad. She recently won the Etisalat Prize for Arabic Children’s Literature for her book, and she’s using the money to launch this new initiative. So we are working together on the concept of this website, and it will be launched in September.
Mubadara will be a hub for writers and for illustrators to present information about their books. It will have instructions for teachers on how to use literature in the class. It has a page for parents, and it will have YouTube recordings of encounters between children and writers and illustrators. It also has a page for publishers. It’s going to be the place to go for whatever you want to know about Arabic children’s literature.
And Badr Ward, who launched Lamsa, has a new project. He’s organizing a children’s exhibition in Jeddah, working with Leonard Marcus.
What are stumbling blocks? Self-censorship and…?
The nahda happened when there was a lot of money put into this sector. So there was a boom, and then the money was finished, and there is now a decline. One of the problems is the publishers are catering to schools, so the production is getting cheaper and the content is aiming to please parents and teachers.
About censorship: A mother would let her child read a book in English about teenage pregnancy, but she won’t let him read it in Arabic. Because when you read it in English, you’re telling your son: OK, it happens there. It’s their culture, their language, their issues. It’s different. But when it’s in Arabic, then it becomes closer, and then they start thinking about those things.
Is there a growing respect for children’s book authors?
I think it will take a long time for children’s authors to have this respect.
That’s why we can’t say it’s a nahda until we have a respect, or the awareness of the importance of children’s book authors.
Do you have advice for someone who wants to write a children’s book?
They have to read maybe 1,000 books before they write one book. And they have to read in all the languages they know.
They have to know the language of the child. Not only the linguistic aspects of it, but how the child thinks and analyzes.
They must have knowledge of the psychology of human development of the child: the different stages of mental, social, and emotional development.
They have to put themselves in the shoes in the character they’re writing about, to make the reader feel they’re authentic.
Once they’ve written the perfect book, what should they do?
Do research about their rights. The problem is there is no transparency. They have to talk to a lawyer and study the contract they’re signing very well before they do any deals. Authors, when they’re publishing for the first time, they’re desperate: They would sign anything to get their book published. I did that, and I learned. So it’s good to work with a lawyer. And talk with other writers.
And then once they’ve found a publisher for their perfect book?
They have to dedicate themselves to promoting the book. You don’t make money from reading at schools or getting in touch with children. Until now, all the readings are for free in the Arab world. But it doesn’t matter, it’s not about money, they should go and they should work on promoting the books.
I was translated in the beginning, because I was living in Belgium and I translated my first four books into French. Then I made 50 copies, I put them in 50 envelopes, and I sent them to 50 publishers. And only one publisher answered about one book. And that’s how I started.
So don’t give up, even if you get rejections.
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(This article appears in the February 13th, 2012 issue.)
Say you want to know how many customers you’ll lose by raising prices 5%; or to predict the market’s response to selling a large block of stock; or to estimate a borrower’s likelihood of default. Check out Kaggle, a San Francisco startup that runs business-modeling competitions online. Launched in 2010 and staked with $11 million in venture capital, Kaggle lets contestants submit predictive algorithms based on sets of data, and compares the results to actual historical figures. The best modelers bag money (put up by companies in need of intelligence) and the chance to score consulting gigs; Kaggle charges fees to run the contests. "It’s like the PGA tour," says Kaggle founder and CEO Anthony Goldbloom, 28. "We're looking for the Tiger Woods of data science.”
Here are some puzzles the number crunchers are up against:
Predicting Insurance Claims
Allstate wanted to better predict auto-related injury claims in order to set its prices more precisely. Contestants used data from 2005 to 2007 (specific cars and the number and size of payouts associated with each) and applied them to figures from 2008 and 2009. Matthew Carle, an actuarial consultant in Sydney, Australia, took the $6,000 first prize with a decision-tree-style algorithm used to teach computers how to learn. It beat Allstate’s model by 340%.
Measuring Hospital Patient Flow
According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the U.S. health care system burns $30 billion on preventable hospitalizations. The Heritage Provider Network, a managed health care outfit in California, hopes to contain costs by helping doctors flag problems sooner. The challenge: to predict, using a battery of data over a 36-month period, which patients would require hospital treatment. The contest--featuring a $3 million top prize (Kaggle’s largest)--began in May 2011 and will end April 2013. So far 1,400 teams have submitted nearly 10,000 algorithms.
Forecasting Tourism
Airline executives, hoteliers and restauranteurs would kill to know how much fuel, food and staff they’ll need to keep customers happy. In 2010, the International Journal of Forecasting sponsored a competition to beat a published predictive formula based on tourist activity in different locales at different times. The winners, Jeremy Howard and Lee Baker, developed a model that nicely scrubbed out one-time events, such as nasty storms. Their prize: $500 and a chance to publish their results. Howard himself went on to win other Kaggle contests, and is now the company’s president and chief scientist.
Rating Chess Players
The so-called Elo rating system determines the relative strengths of two chess players based on past performance. Kaggle has run two competitions aimed at improving it. In one of them, sponsored by the World Chess Federation (FIDE) and Deloitte, a professional services firm, competitors were given data on nearly 2 million games played by 54,000 people over an 11-year period. The predictive models were then run against 100,000 games that were played later to determine how accurate the rankings were. Tim Salimans won first prize by weighting more heavily certain variables such as a player’s recent peformance, the skill of his opponents, and how many games he had to play in a single day. Salimans’ award: $10,000.
Follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Read my Forbes blog here. |
The age of the universe is about 13.75 billion years. The diameter of the observable universe is estimated at about 28 billion parsecs (93 billion light-years). As a reminder, a light-year is a unit of length equal to just under 10 trillion kilometres (or about 6 trillion miles).
The Observable Universe consists of the galaxies and other matter that we can, in principle, observe from Earth in the present day—because light (or other signals) from those objects has had time to reach the Earth since the beginning of the cosmological expansion.
The word observable used in this sense does not depend on whether modern technology actually permits detection of radiation from an object in this region (or indeed on whether there is any radiation to detect). It simply indicates that it is possible in principle for light or other signals from the object to reach an observer on Earth. [Source: Wikipedia]
The numbers are pretty hard to comprehend even when you know what each unit represents. To even think of how long 10 trillion kilometers might be, let alone 93 billion times that distance, can cause your brain to hurt. Andrew Z. Colvin has attempted to put some of this incomprehensible size into perspective by starting with our own planet and zooming out from there.
For those interested, the eight images below can be found on Wikipedia in a much higher resolution here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Earth%27s_Location_in_the_Universe_(JPEG).jpg
1. Earth
2. Solar System
3. Solar Interstellar Neighborhood
4. Milky Way Galaxy
5. Local Galactic Group
6. Virgo Superclusters
7. Local Superclusters
8. The Observable Universe
9. Pale Blue Dot |
Relatives and rescue workers carry the coffin of a man killed in a bomb blast in Peshawar on Monday. Khuram Parvez/Reuters
A bomb hit a police van protecting a polio-vaccination team in northwestern Pakistan Monday, killing two people and wounding up to 20 others, police said. The incident is the latest in a series of attacks against U.N.-backed health workers, who have been targeted by armed groups that accuse them of serving as fronts for Western governments.
"It was an IED (improvised explosive device) blast, and the target was policemen," said Najeeb ur-Rehman, a police official in the city of Peshawar, where the blast occurred. Rehman said that one of the victims killed and most of the wounded were police officers. Other police reports stated that up to six people had died in the attack.
Pakistan — one of only three countries where polio is endemic — reported nearly 200 confirmed cases of the disease in 2011, the most for any country that year. Pakistan was able to bring that number down through a vaccination program that is supported by the U.N., but threats of violence could reverse its progress.
Polio, which can cause irreversible paralysis within hours of infection, is spreading rapidly throughout Pakistan. Eight new cases were reported in the country last week, according to the Global Eradication Initiative. In August local health officials detected five other cases.
Health workers had planned to immunize 34 million children across the country, but 1.5 million have not received the vaccine because of security threats, said Elias Durry, the World Health Organization's emergency coordinator for polio eradication in Pakistan.
Gunmen killed two female health workers in northwestern Pakistan earlier this year. Similar attacks have been staged elsewhere in the country and hampered efforts by global health organizations to eradicate the disease.
A small but vocal minority of religious leaders in Pakistan accuses the West of using vaccination programs as cover for a variety of anti-Islamic plots. The allegation gained traction after the CIA used a Pakistani doctor, under the cover of an immunization program, to try to confirm Osama bin Laden's whereabouts in 2011.
Violence in Pakistan's often lawless northwest has shown few signs of abating, despite efforts to open talks with Taliban groups in the country and in neighboring Afghanistan.
Threats by armed groups have also hindered vaccination efforts in Somalia, where polio outbreaks have flared up this year. The country has confirmed 108 cases so far, according to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative website — the worst epidemic in the world.
Al Jazeera and wire services |
First Nations chiefs have backed a resolution calling on Marion Buller, the chief commissioner of the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls inquiry, to resign.
By a vote of 48 to 15, chiefs gathered at the Assembly of First Nations special meeting in Ottawa said they want the federal government to both extend the time of the inquiry — by tacking on an extra two years beyond the scheduled completion date of November 2018 — but also "reset" the process by appointing a new leader.
The Liberal government does not have to adhere to the non-binding resolution, and, in an interview with CBC News before the vote, Buller said she had no plans to step aside.
"I came into this knowing there would be a great deal of criticism, and I always welcome informed, constructive criticism because it's helped us do our job better," she said. "The commissioners and I intend to continue. The families and survivors all across have told us how important this work is and how we need to continue to shine a light on the truth, to make our final report and recommendations, because they deserve nothing less."
When asked if she thought people supportive of the inquiry are having their voices drowned out by those in opposition, she said that's a question for the media to ask itself as it routinely gives a platform to those critical of the inquiry. "What I hear in hearings ... families are very supportive of the work we're doing. It's up to you in the media to decide, I'm not going to tell you who to talk to."
Chief Peter Collins, of Fort William First Nation, first introduced the motion at the assembly calling for an extension without the condition Buller leave her post, but agreed to the addition — moved by Judy Wilson, chief of the Neskonlith Indian Band in B.C. — after it became clear most chiefs were unhappy with the commissioner's leadership.
Buller, who had only minutes earlier made a presentation to the AFN, received little if any applause from chiefs when she defended the inquiry's work, and recounted stories of families who are supportive of the study. Rather, when it came time for a question and answer session, she faced an onslaught of criticism.
The most scathing came from Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson, who heads the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, a group of some 30 First Nations in the province's north.
'You're not a brilliant commissioner'
"You're not a brilliant commissioner for this inquiry. Sorry, and not sorry at the same time. We need to see you resign. All of you commissioners should resign but for me personally it's you ... the commission is falling apart."
In an interview after her public rebuke of Buller, Wilson said Buller is too cold and "heartless" in her approach to families and survivors. "This inquiry needs to go on, but not under her leadership. I'm sure she's a brilliant person, but she's not a brilliant commissioner."
Many critics believe the inquiry is too focused on gathering testimony from families and survivors, and has not honed in on studying concrete solutions to solve the preponderance of violence directed at Indigenous women.
There is also a concern that the inquiry has not done enough to study the conduct of police and institutional racism. Buller has vowed to study police conduct, and "investigate the investigators," but has called on the federal government and provinces to work together to establish a new, separate body to which families can be referred if they feel they got short shrift from police in the first place.
Sheila North Wilson, Grand Chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakinak, was scathing in her criticism of MMIWG chief commissioner Marion Buller. (Jeff Stapleton/CBC)
Chief Janice Henderson, of Mitaanjigamiing First Nation in northern Ontario, the original seconder of the motion, pulled her support because she said removing Buller would simply delay the proceedings that are already beset with staffing issues.
She said she just testified at the inquiry's family meeting in Thunder Bay, Ont., this week and was impressed with the level of care afforded to her and others who came forward to tell their stories. Henderson's mother, and two of her aunts, were murdered.
"The commissioners were very compassionate. They created a safe environment for families. I support the inquiry, I support the process. This needs to go to an extension because three short days [in Thunder Bay] isn't sufficient for families to get there and be able to give their statements," she said.
Donald Maracle, the chief of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte in southern Ontario, told other chiefs he backed Buller and forcing her out now would be a step backwards. "I think if you get rid of the commissioner, it will paralyze the operation and slow things down," he said.
Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott said the inquiry is the responsibility of her counterpart, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett, and she did not want to pre-empt her reaction to the motion — but added, "[Bennett] is determined that the inquiry will be successful, the families will remain at the centre, and she'll work with the commissioners and all other parties to get there."
In a statement Thursday, Bennett's office said the minister would consider a formal request for an extension when they receive one from the commissioners, but ignored questions about the AFN's resolution to remove Buller. |
Today, the House of Representatives will vote on a bill that would strip all federal funds from NPR. Conservatives have long targeted NPR because they believe it has a liberal bias, and many conservatives now believe their claims are bolstered by a selectively edited tape made by the conservative activist James O’Keefe, in which he records an NPR fundraiser supposedly making disparaging comments about the Tea Party. “It is clear we cannot tolerate, or afford, the continued spending of tax dollars on this type prejudice, intolerance and negative stereotyping,” said Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY). But during a House Rules Committee hearing yesterday in which the de-funding bill was discussed, Rep. James McGovern (D-MA) had a novel amendment: Congress should also prevent any tax dollars, via advertisements, from going to the “wildly biased” Fox News Channel:
MCGOVERN: Over the past several years, it has become clear that the Fox News channel is wildly biased. They continue to employ a talk show host who called President Obama a racist. They continue to employ several prospective Republican Presidential candidates as “analysts,” giving them hours and hours of free air time. And their parent company has donated millions to GOP-linked groups. My amendment would prohibit federal funds — taxpayer dollars — from being used for advertising on the partisan, political platform of Fox News.
Watch it:
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The amendment failed on a party line vote. Meanwhile, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) is circulating a letter to his House colleagues asking them to oppose the funding cut. “I hope that you will join me in opposing these cuts and standing up for this important public service, and for honesty in journalism and our public discourse,” he wrote. |
By Paul Henderson Scott
The result of the Elections for the Scottish Parliament of May 5 has been widely described as historic. The Scottish National Party (SNP), which was created to gain independence, won an overall majority, something no other party has achieved in the devolved Scottish Parliament. In fact, the electoral system was designed by a previous UK Labour Government especially to make such a result unlikely, if not impossible. Labour, LibDem and the Conservatives all lost seats: Labour even in areas in and around Glasgow which they have held for decades. There is now a mood of optimism and confidence in Scotland, and the SNP is committed to holding a referendum on independence in mid-term.
Scotland is one of oldest nation states in Europe and we resisted English invasion for centuries. In 1603 the Scottish King, James VI, whose grandmother was an English princess, succeeded to the English throne. After the failure of the Darien scheme which the English Government did their best to disrupt, the Scottish Parliament in 1703 passed a bill to restore full independence on the death of Queen Anne by electing a separate Scottish monarch on her death. The English Government responded by first threatening invasion and then offering negotiations. The Scottish delegation was appointed by Queen Anne and during the talks the English side refused to discuss any proposal except their own. This led to a draft Treaty for the Union of the two kingdoms. The consent of the Scottish Parliament was achieved by the heavy bribery of some members. At that time the Scottish Parliament, like others, consisted almost entirely of the aristocracy and representatives of the landowners. The people of Scotland declared their opposition to the union in a flood of messages, but they were ignored.
Scottish opposition to the union continued for decades, although at that time the Parliament did not interfere greatly with the lives of most of the population. Even after the union many important Scottish institutions remained under Scottish control; the Church, the legal system, education and local government. Scotland continued to develop its distinctive intellectual and cultural life.
During the nineteenth-century many Scots became reconciled to the union mainly because of the Empire. This was valuable for Scottish trade and many Scots had important roles in its development and administration. A complete false view of the origin of the union of 1707 became widely accepted. At the end of the Second World War many of the Empire’s colonies achieved independence, but not, so far, Scotland. Since that time the study, appreciation and revival of Scottish cultural and intellectual life has become very vigorous and along with this, so has the desire to recover independence.
In the last few years opinion polls have suggested that a majority of Scots are opposed to independence, but in earlier years the opposite was true. Polls are volatile. After all, only a few weeks ago they predicted a Labour victory in the May elections. The strong support for the SNP in that election and the evident admiration and widespread approval of Alex Salmond and his team of ministers is likely to influence opinion in favour of independence.
The union has recently had some very adverse effects on Scotland. In particular, the seizure by the UK Government of the proceeds of the oil in Scottish waters which could have made Scotland a very rich country. Then, the creation of a fleet of nuclear submarines on the Clyde and war in Iraq, both of which are opposed by the majority of Scottish people. Scotland does not share the evident anxiety of English politicians to cling to the dangerous illusion that the UK is still a Great Power.
David Hume, the great Scottish philosopher, in one of his essays said that small countries were the best form of government because everything lies under the eyes of the ruler. That this is true is apparent, for example, from the fact that small countries in Europe, many much smaller than Scotland, are among the most prosperous.
In fact, as I said in a recent book, A Nation Again (Luath Press): “The advantages of independence are so great and so obvious that it cannot be long before we demand it in a referendum. At my age, I only hope that I can live long enough to see it.”
Paul Henderson Scott has written numerous books on Scottish history, literature and affairs, including ‘A 20th Century Life’ and its sequel, ‘The New Scotland’. He has been Rector of Dundee University, President of the Saltire Society and of Scottish PEN and a Vice-President of the Scottish National Party. The opinions expressed are his own.
Image – Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond is seen gesturing in front of the national flag during the launch of the St. Andrew’s Day and Winter festival programme at St. Margaret’s Primary School in Loanhead near Edinburgh, Scotland in this November 2, 2007 file photograph. REUTERS/David Moir |
A U.S. court has the authority to hear a trademark lawsuit by grocery chain Trader Joe's against the man who runs a Vancouver knockoff, Pirate Joe's, a U.S. federal appeals court ruled Friday.
Trader Joe claims Pirate Joe's owner, Michael Hallat, has been purchasing goods at Trader Joe's U.S. stores for resale in Vancouver.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a decision by a district court in Washington state that initially dismissed California-based Trader Joe's federal trademark claims.
The district court said it lacked authority to hear those claims, because the defendant's alleged trademark violations occurred in Canada, and Trader Joe's had failed to clearly explain how they affected U.S. commerce.
But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Hallatt's conduct could harm Trader Joe's reputation, decreasing the value of its American-held trademarks.
Circuit court judge Morgan Christen also pointed out the goods Hallatt sold in Vancouver were purchased at Trader Joe's in Washington state.
A call to Hallatt's attorney, Nathan Alexander, was not immediately returned.
Trader Joe's does not have stores in Canada.
The company sued Hallatt in 2013, alleging he drove across the border to a Trader Joe's store in Washington state, bought the company's products and resold them at higher prices at his Vancouver store.
Pirate Joe's in Vancouver resells Trader Joe's merchandise purchased in the U.S. (CBC)
A Trader Joe's store refused to sell to Hallatt, but he put on disguises to avoid detection, shopped at other stores as far away as California and hired others to shop for him, the company said in its lawsuit.
It estimated Hallatt had spent more than $350,000 on its products.
Hallatt said his business was lawful. He provided a service to Canadians who wanted Trader Joe's products but didn't want to go through the trouble of traveling to the U.S. to get them.
In court documents responding to the lawsuit, Hallatt said he never represented himself as an authorized reseller of Trader Joe's products or as an affiliate of Trader Joe's.
The U.S. appeals court has sent the case back to the Washington state district court for further proceedings. |
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Anti-gay discrimination not on the agenda of this month's heads of government meeting in Sri Lanka
Homosexuality is illegal in 41 out of the 53 Commonwealth countries, a report released on Monday reveals.
Despite this, the forthcoming Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in Sri Lanka has elected not to discuss the issue of anti-gay discrimination.
Commissioned by the Kaleidoscope Trust and compiled by LGBT activists throughout the Commonwealth, the report calls for Commonwealth countries to repeal anti-gay legislation, with an immediate moratorium on enforcement.
“If you look at the world as a whole, around about 40% of nations have state-sponsored homophobia,” said Kaleidoscope’s spokesman, Douglas Pretsell.
“Half of those – about 54% – are in the Commonwealth. If you look at the rest of the world not inside the Commonwealth, it’s only 24.5% – so the Commonwealth has a big problem.
“These are laws that make it illegal to be gay.”
Pretsell said the anti-gay laws were hangover from British colonial rule. It exported laws – including those outlawing sodomy – to Commonwealth countries, where they persist backed by the prevalence of strong religious views among the populations.
“It’s worth noting that in the vast majority of these countries, the laws sit there and they’re completely unused, so no one is ever prosecuted. But [the laws’ existence are] used as a way to intimidate and harass.”
Australia did not completely decriminalise homosexuality until 1997 after a legal case was brought to the UN. From 2007-13 all forms of legislated discrimination were removed from Australian law.
“Faith organisations continue to play a big role in the provision of services,” the report says.
“Although anti-discrimination legislation ensures that faith-run aged-care facilities do not discriminate, there are exemptions for faith-run schools, hospitals, clinics, employment agencies and businesses.”
Pretsell expressed concern that the issue will not be on Chogm’s agenda. The meeting takes on 15-17 November.
“It is not to be talked about at all. In fact Sri Lanka has gone out of its way to refuse visas to any lesbian or gay group, to ban their own activists in the country, and the agenda has absolutely nothing focused on this.”
Patron of the foundation, and former high court justice, Michael Kirby is “not convinced” the topic will be off the agenda.
Kirby told Guardian Australia that he believes some heads of government will put it on the table.
“I’m pretty confident there will be discussion about it, both in the general sessions of Chogm and the margins -in private discussions between the leaders,” he said.
“This is a big problem for the Commonwealth and it has to be addressed.”
“Not only are [the laws] contrary to human rights, they are also a serious impediment of a successful strategy against the HIV epidemic.”
The report is littered with stories of violence and discrimination in Commonwealth countries. According to the one testimony, the movement for change in Belize has come at a cost for a man who started it.
“As the only claimant in the current constitutional challenge case, I have lost two teeth, had my family property invaded and car damaged by two masked men in the week of the supreme court hearings in May of this year,” writes Caleb Orozco, executive director of the United Belize Advocacy Movement.
“I have had stones thrown at me, experienced simulated gunshots, insults and physical harm on public transportation, threats that speak to, ‘Caleb, you have no right to breathe!’”
The Commonwealth charter does not specifically enshrine protection of people based on their sexual orientation. “We are implacably opposed to all forms of discrimination, whether rooted in gender, race, colour, creed, political belief or other grounds,” it reads.
It does however enforce a commitment to the UN declaration of human rights.
Pretsell would like to see Australia make bilateral agreements with regional neighbours to remove discriminatory laws.
“Before the last election we worked on getting a pledge from each of the political parties that they would support LGBTI rights in their bilateral and multilateral relations in foreign policy. We got the Greens to sign up, we got Labor to sign up and we got individual Liberals to sign up.”
Pretsell said Kaleidoscope had sent the report to the foreign minister, Julie Bishop, and the prime minister, Tony Abbott.
“I received a response from Julie Bishop, but we have quite a cordial relationship, so I was expecting that,” he said.
“Obviously Tony Abbott’s office is busier than Julie Bishop’s, so I’ve not received a reply from that. But we sent a letter specifically to him to ask him to ensure that 2015 Chogm has these matters brought to the table again.”
The offices of the foreign minister and the prime minister have been contacted for comment.
Britain's shadow foreign secretary, Douglas Alexander, singled out the host nation's stance on gay rights, the Press Association reported.
"Today's report from the Kaleidoscope Trust highlights the ongoing concern about human rights – and in particular the rights of the LGBT community – within Sri Lanka," Alexander said.
"New allegations in this report of abuses and intimidation of LGBT citizens are a further warning that President Rajapaksa's government has not made the progress ahead of this Commonwealth summit that we all wanted to see.
"As David Cameron departs for this week's Commonwealth summit, the evidence that Sri Lanka is heading in the wrong direction is mounting, which is why Labour has called on the prime minister to use what leverage he has in the run up to the summit to pressure the Sri Lankan government to change their approach on human rights."
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: "The prime minister and foreign secretary will make clear their concerns about the human rights situation in Sri Lanka when they visit Colombo this week.
"The Commonwealth Charter, agreed by all Commonwealth members, explicitly states that we are opposed to all forms of discrimination and it is important that all members live up these values. That is the message that we will be taking to the summit."
• This article was amended on 12 November 2013 to correct the name Kaleidoscope Trust. |
[T]he communist hypothesis is [perceived as] a criminal utopia that must give way to a culture of 'human rights', which combines the cult of freedom (including, of course, freedom of enterprise, the freedom to own property and to grow rich that is the material guarantee of other freedoms) and a representation in which Good is a victim. Good is never anything more than the struggle against Evil, which is tantamount to saying that we must care only for those who present themselves, or who are exhibited, as the victims of Evil. As for Evil, it is everything that the free West designates as such. (Alain Badiou, The Communist Hypothesis, 2)
Lumping together Stalin and Hitler was already a sign of extreme intellectual poverty: the norm by which any collective undertaking has to be judged is, it was argued, the number of deaths it causes. If that were really the case, the huge colonial genocides and massacres, the millions of deaths in the civil and world wars through which our West forged its might, should be enough to discredit, even in the eyes of 'philosophers' who extol their morality, the parliamentary regimes of Europe and America. What would be left for those who scribble about Rights? How could they go on singing the praises of bourgeois democracy as the only form of relative Good and making pompous predictions about totalitarianism when they are standing on top of heaps of victims? (Alain Badiou, The Communist Hypothesis, 3-4)
For Fanon the oppressed confront the oppressor on multiple levels. On the situational level, an oppressed individual confronts the oppressor as an objective limitation of humanity. It is irrelevant what the colonized or oppressed individual may think of himself in relation to members of the colonizing or oppressing group. Everyday he confronts the objective reality of his life's inequality to theirs. His death will never rip through the overdetermined anonymity of nature-like existence. He looks around him at the slaughterhouse that constitutes, say, colored life in the modern and contemporary ages and he finds it difficult to distinguish colored life from that of the array of other animals that sink each day into the belly of consumption, death, and irrelevance. At times of trouble, it is the whites who are scurried off to safety; in the midst of thousands of colored deaths, it is the loss of an occasional white life that rips into the consciousness of the world - the world, in this case, usually coded as "free" or "civilized," which means, ultimately, European, Western, white. In the prisons, the colonized see colored captives, especially in cases where the colonizers are victims of violent crimes, but rarely see colonizers, and nearly never colonizers in cases where the colonized, which often means people of color, are victims of colonizers' violent crimes. Eventually, it becomes important to equalize matters. If the colonized cannot make a colonized or colored life as good as that of a colonizer or white one, they can at least make a white one no more valuable than a colonized or colored one; they can, that is, bring the white god down to humanity. […] Here we see the stages of a tragic story. For in its symbolic form, violence always takes the path of someone's being dragged "downward." In revolution or violence the human being tragically emerges out of a violent situation of "gods" and the "damned." (Lewis Gordon, "Fanon's Tragic Revolutionary Violence", 303, emphasis added)
One of my academic areas of so-called "expertise" is political violence. Since my dissertation focused on philosophical questions raised by anti-colonial theory, it was necessary for me to engage with the issue of anti-colonial and revolutionary violence and its structural opposition to the larger context of colonial violence. All of the great anti-colonial, anti-imperialist, and anti-capitalist thinkers were concerned with the social fact of violence: there was a reason that Frantz Fanon began his masterfulwith a philosophical meditation on violence - and it is a mistake to simplistically dismiss this meditation as nothing more than an endorsement of violent behaviour by simply wrenching a few phrases out of context (i.e. the "cleansing" force of violence) and utterly ignoring the point he was trying to make.Fanon, like so many other revolutionaries, was interested in investigating the great and terrible violence of the everyday, how it tragically caused the necessity for violent response, and why this lamentable necessity must be taken seriously. It also becomes necessary to askand the impermissibility/permissibility of violent acts in this society. The question of comparative violence is the following: why is the violence of everyday capitalism-imperialism conjured away, relegated to peripheral spaces, and accepted as normative and-violent; and, conversely, why is the violence of those who act violently against and because of the violence of this system understood as the only thing that can be properly called. Other connected questions follow from the question of comparative violence: why do some deaths count more than others, why do so many of us on the left go out of our way to condemn the violent acts of the victims of a violent system, why do we want to keep our revolutionary colours but play the game of peacenik reformism? Also, on the opposite side, does the necessity of revolutionary violence cause us to wrongly treat violence, like the foot-soldiers of imperialism and the movies celebrating their actions, as heroic and glorious?I want to structure this loose and semi-academic discussion on political violence with two quotes from Alain Badiou that, in my mind, explain the question of comparative violence:In these quotes the inequality of violence and death - what the common sense morality considers Good and Evil - is problematized. The everyday violence necessary for the "freedom" of private property and the market, that lurks behind the founding of the central imperialist nations and must be maintained through military might and the export of capital, is sublimated in a discourse of human rights where this everyday reality is Good. Thus, anything that acts against this Good must ultimately be Evil and the only thing that should count as. (On a side note, I discussed this issue in a different context in my analysis of Pascal Laugier's brilliant film Martyrs .)It is in this normative context that we are conditioned to treat acts of violence thatthis context as reprehensible. The battered wife who shoots her rapist husband is called "hysterical." The suicide bomber who murders himself out of a desperate hatred of his colonizer is "beyond reason." Those who flew the planes into the Twin Towers in 9/11 were "cowardly" and "evil" and how could they do this to us? The reality of the initial context of violence, everything that the so-called West codes as Good, is ignored and we are often taught to see violence as anything that threatens the business-as-usual structure of the free world. These violent actors, whose small violence will never be measured by the same standard as the massive violence behind capitalism, are "declared insensible to ethics […] represent[ing] not only the absence of values, but the negation of values." (Frantz Fanon,, 41)Revolutionary thinkers have always understood the violent response to oppression as a necessity. If, as Fanon rightly claims, the oppression "only loosens its hold when the knife is held to its throat" (Fanon,, 61), then revolutionary violence is the only response. The terrible violence of capitalism, the so-called free and Good, will not disappear simply because we vote it away. The ruling classes will not be convinced by a scientific "socialism or barbarism" argument (though I believe these are necessary to make) that they should not continue exploiting. There are stakes involved, and capitalism and imperialism works hard to maintain its violent way of life: anything that threatens this life is Evil, and now we are cynically told that the previous challenges - that every challenge - to the capitalist "end of history" can be nothing more than totalitarian, violations of human rights. (Another side point: the human needs versus human rights distinction is important to grasp in this context: pursuing our needs as a species is treated as irrational, whereas abiding by the "rights" discourse of liberal capitalism is treated as somehow "natural.")Before Fanon, Mao Zedong understood the problem of violence - Mao's logic, in fact, lurks behind. Mao understood that the people needed to be armed and mobilized in order to defeat the fascists and Chiang Kaishek's reactionary regime. His famous statement that "revolution is not a dinner party" but a "violent uprising in which one class replaces another" was meant to explain why revolutionary violence was a forced option. Although it is popular these days, in reactionary and liberal circles, to ahistorically treat Mao as some sort of subhuman monster who was only interested in murdering his people, we have to understand this insight about violence as an understanding about the necessity of political violence in response to the far greater and world-destructive violence of capitalism and imperialism. When Mao spoke of political power coming from the barrel of a gun, he was not championing some macho gunslinger aesthetic. The insight was simply meant to indicate that seizing political power could only happen through armed revolt and that maintaining this power (here he follows Lenin's insights from) requires a certain measure of violence: the exploiters will try to return and restore capitalism (and he was right - they did return in Russia and China), the capitalist world will try to invade and destroy that which challenges its global supremacy. This is why Mao also said: "we are for peace, but are not afraid of war; we are ready for both."I think, however, we also need to understand the epistemological dimension of political violence, especially in its clash with the normative everyday violence. It is one thing to agree that, pragmatically speaking, this violence is necessary. It is quite another to celebrate its existence in the way Hollywood celebrates its soldiers and maverick cops. The key to understanding revolutionary violence and its necessity is to understand that - and here I'm gleaning this insight from Lewis Gordon's analysis of Fanon - this type of violence is a. A violence generated by the overall violence of capitalist-imperialist life, either sporadic or organized, is not essentially liberating. It is the tragic tool forced upon revolutionaries in their long march for liberation, but it is not something that should be celebrated in isolation from its context.There is a beautiful passage by Lewis Gordon that not only explains this tragic dimension of revolutionary violence but connects it directly with what I call the question of comparative violence:Here we have the necessity of revolutionary violence that issues from a context of unequal violence - where the existence and violence of the oppressor are treated as normative and not-violent, and where the existence and violence of the oppressed is seen as an abnormal violent response. The deaths of the oppressor, Gordon notes, are anonymous because their annihilation is often not worthy to be considered. The oppressors killed by violent responses of the oppressed, however, "rip into the consciousness of the world." And when the oppressed, and those fighting with the oppressed, act in violent ways (i.e. the Algerian terrorism, both in Algeria and France, during the FLN's fight for national independence) we react with more horror than we did to the violent existence that structured these actions. The revolutionary violence becomes spectacle; the normative violence of capitalism-imperialism vanishes. Even many leftists, especially those in positions of oppressor privilege, want to command the actions of the oppressed: you're going too far, you're making a mockery of our sober politics, you should go about things in the way we say you should go about things.This is not to say, however, that the organization and operation of revolutionary violence should not ever be criticized. As Gordon points out, we need to recognize the tragic dimension of this violence. We can correctly answer the question of comparative violence without celebrating and glorifying the tragedy, and this is important to discuss. For if some of us reject and belittle these acts of revolutionary violence, some of us also cheer and endorse these acts in the way that Hollywood patriots laugh and clap their way through reactionary action films.At a conference I attended a year ago, in the question and answer section of one panel, an old Marxist academic stood up and delivered a speech about arming the world proletariat and the need for a "violent and bloody revolution." Although I agree, for reasons stated above, that the world situation of capitalism generates violent revolution, this specific speech was an abstract glorification of revolutionary violence coming from a man, a comfortable academic, who was disconnected from the tragic stakes of this violence. Like a general of the US military, he could babble about the oppressed taking up arms while he, comfortable in the ivory tower (like myself and so many others), could command from afar and tell them who to kill and why. This is the danger, I believe, of mistaking the tragic necessity of revolutionary violence as something that, divorced from its aims and reasons, is moral in and of itself.There is a long history of the debates of violence within revolutionary movements. Every successful revolution has had to confront the contradiction between the tragedy of violence imposed by the violence of oppression, and the need to pursue a liberatory society that exists beyond violence. Under Stalin, because of the logical fear that the bourgeois would return, there was a paranoia that the enemy of socialism was everywhere, in every home: this led to mass political liquidation, the history of which is well known. Recognizing the problem of the Soviet Union, Mao and his allies tried to deal with the question of violence in a different way: forced with peasants who were suddenly free to harass their landlords, the CCP of the Mao period was always fighting amongst itself on how to properly curb violent excess. Here they were faced with the tragic violence of the formerly oppressed who, now justified in a revolutionary society, wanted revenge on their former oppressors. As for the return of the bourgeoisie, Mao's line was always re-education over liquidation: he recognized that "cutting heads changes nothing" and that it was more important to change the ideas in the heads. In any case, failure of the Chinese Revolution notwithstanding, the Maoist position (which is being taken seriously again in places like Nepal) was an attempt to take the fact of tragic revolutionary violence seriously. Mao understood the necessity of revolutionary violence but, because he understood its tragic dimension, he was not like that academic man who spoke at the conference last year about bloodshed and violence.My point, here, is that those engaged in revolutionary violence - those who have fought against the overdetermining violence of the system - have been forced to deal with the questions of tragedy. There is a history of understanding the tragic dimension, of trying to work through the contradiction, and we should not ignore this fact by celebrating necessity as freedom. Necessity and freedom are dialectically connected, as Engels following Hegel has pointed out, but because they are dialectically connected they are also opposites.Still, the question of comparative violence is very important when it comes to how we condone or condemn the acts of those who violently respond to the violence of global oppression. Lewis Gordon, in his discussion of tragic revolutionary violence, highlighted a passage in C.L.R. James'where, after describing in gory detail the spectacular and terrible violence of the revolting slaves (where the standard of the revolution was a white baby on a spear), James writes "[a]nd yet they were surprisingly moderate, then and afterwards, far more humane than their masters had been or ever would be to them." Gordon notes that, in a later edition of, James adds a footnote to this claim that reads: "[t]his statement has been criticized. I stand by it." And Gordon comments: "[o]ne wonders who these critics were in terms of the audience they signified." (Gordon, "Fanon's Tragic Revolutionary Violence," 307)So what audience do we choose to represent when we condemn or celebrate revolutionary violence? What lives do we consider possess more meaning, and what actions do we accord the meaning of Good and Evil? For those who have sacrificed their lives pursuing tragic violence, in all the failed attempts to bring the capitalist god down, often die forgotten or maligned - or are awaiting death in prisons and ghettoes the world over. While we should recognize the tragic dimension of their decisions, we should not silence them and dismiss them for their attempts, however frail and failed, to attack the violence of global oppression. The ruling ideology of capitalism condemns them already - in films, books, and common sense political discourse - and to allow this ideology to speak for them is to possibly collaborate with this ideology by accepting its interpretation of violence and the Good, abandoning those who fought for a better world. |
BOSTON -- Boston University freshman Jack Eichel won the Hobey Baker award on Friday as the top player in college hockey.
Jack Eichel is just the second freshman to win the Hobey Baker award in its 35-year history. Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images
Eichel, who is expected to be one of the first two players selected this year in the NHL draft, is just the second freshman to win the award in its 35-year history. The other was Paul Kariya, who won at Maine before going on to a 15-year NHL career in which he scored more than 400 goals.
The 18-year-old Eichel has 26 goals and 44 assists so far this season, including two goals and an assist at the Frozen Four on Thursday night to help the Terriers reach the NCAA championship game. They will play Providence at Boston's TD Garden on Saturday night.
After thanking his teammates and coaches, Eichel told his parents at the ceremony at Northeastern's Matthews Arena, "I get to play a game that I love every day because of everything you do for me."
The other finalists were Harvard forward Jimmy Vesey and North Dakota goalie Zane McIntyre.
Baker was a football and hockey star for Princeton and the biggest name in hockey before serving in the Army Air Corps during World War I. He was 26, already scheduled to be shipped home, when he was killed in a plane crash in France. |
Toronto's main midtown intersection has undergone profound changes over the last sixty years. From low-rise neighbourhood shopping district to neon-lit, high-rise cluster following the arrival of the subway, Yonge and Eglinton emerged as one of the city's principal crossroads in the latter half of the 20th century.
This is what Yonge and Eglinton looked like in the 1950s.
Public transit has been a key part of the Yonge and Eglinton intersection for more than 90 years. The southwest corner was home to a streetcar barn from 1922 to 1948 and a busy bus station until 2002. This aerial photo, taken in 1956, shows the early days of the bus era.
There's a lot going on in this composite photo (view full size here): streetcars on Yonge St. at the far left, the skeleton of Eglinton subway station under construction to the left of centre, and the unfinished bus bays on the site of the former streetcar barn on the right. Both pictures were taken circa. 1953.
The Yonge line ended at Eglinton from 1954 until 1973, when the subway was extended north to York Mills, then to Finch in 1974. The buses shown here were made by General Motors.
The centre platform at Eglinton station when it was shiny and new. This photo was taken on April 1, 1954. The subway had only been open for two days.
Another aerial shot, this one taken looking north along Yonge toward Eglinton in 1951. The old streetcar barn is still standing in the lower left corner. Note how few buildings are more than two storeys high. Compare that to this 1969 photo, and the change is remarkable.
Looking north on Eglinton from just north of Yonge. On the left, there's a Laura Secord candy store, a Woolworth's five-and-dime, and a Dominion supermarket. The strip of buildings has since been replaced by the RioCan Yonge Eglinton Centre.
This photo was taken looking north from south of the intersection, showing the Tambyn Drugs store at the northwest corner. Founded in Toronto, Tamblyn was sold to Loblaws, then UK pharmacy chain Boots, then Pharma Plus, which still has an outlet on the site today. Likewise Dominion, which became Metro, is also still on the site. In the foreground diggers are taking up streetcar track on Yonge.
Just east of the main intersection at the southeast corner of Dunfield Ave. was the DuPont Co. of Canada Building. Despite the similarities, Dupont St. was named for George Dupont Wells (1814-1954,) the eldest son of war hero Col. Joseph Wells (1773-1853.) Davenport Rd. was named after the Wells' mansion. Wells St. and Wells Hill Ave. got their name from the same family.
East on Eglinton from Yonge on 7 March, 1954, during the removal of streetcar tracks. That's a Dominion Bank on the left. The bank merged with the Bank of Toronto in 1955 to form the Toronto-Dominion Bank.
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Images: Toronto Public Library (as marked,) all others Toronto Public Library. |
Right on the heels of a new at-home HIV test receiving FDA approval comes word that the first HIV prevention pill has also been approved. Produced by Gilead Sciences, the dual-drug Truvada has been in use since 2004 as part of treatment for those infected by HIV. But studies in 2010 showed that the antiretroviral medication worked effectively to prevent contraction of the virus in at-risk individuals, such as those in relationships with HIV-positive partners or even sex workers.
Truvada is actually two drugs (emtricitabine and tenofovir) combined to make HIV replication in the body more difficult. Although it is used as therapy once the HIV virus has infected T-helper cells, its mechanism of action appears to work as well at stopping infection in the first place. When low dosages of Truvada are taken daily, the risk of infection was reduced by 42 percent in a trial of HIV-negative gay and bisexual men. Among heterosexual couples in which one partner was infected, the infection rate was reduced by 75 percent against placebo.
One member of the advisory panel who made the recommendation for Truvada’s approval in May told the New York Times that the drug represented “an amazing opportunity to turn the tide on this epidemic.” Every year, approximately 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with HIV.
But the drug is not a replacement for safe sex practices, such as the use of condoms, or a waiver from HIV testing. In fact, it is vital that anyone taking the drug for prevention purposes be HIV-negative. Why? To prevent the emergence of drug-resistant forms of HIV, which is why anyone taking the drug must be tested every 3 months. Resistance might also occur if people don’t take the pills religiously, as low levels of the drug can strengthen viruses that can adapt to it, just as bacteria do with antibiotics.
A year supply of Truvada is estimated to be $13,000, and it’s still unclear if insurance companies will cover any of the cost. They may very well want to wait until a recently announced clinical trial involving Truvada is completed before covering the cost. The 4-year clinical trial aims to test another HIV treatment, Selzentry, as an alternative to Truvada, which carries with it some concerns about bone and kidney damage.
Since the 1980s, governments and medical communities have had little more than cautionary education to prevent HIV from becoming a major threat to the human race. But Truvada’s approval may open up a whole new approach to the prevention of HIV, signaling the beginning of the end for the virus.
Check out this video about Truvada to learn more:
[Media: YouTube]
[Sources: Boston Globe, FDA] |
I’m friends with the #shillarmy members on a group called Banned By Food Babe. I was on the site for a month or so before launching Science Babe over on facebook. Occasionally, this will come as no surprise to my audience, they repost things from the erstwhile Ms. Vani Hari. This week, one of my favorite #sciencebabeshills posted a document called “Food Babe Habits,” a PDF directly from the Food Babe’s site. The document isn’t something that her followers have to pay for, it’s a document that has been circulating for a while now and she freely gives out these bullshit health tips for an allegedly healthier life.
What happened after my friend posted the PDF? The Food Babe, or one of her minions assistants, reported the document to the facebook henchmen for copyright violation to be pulled down. If it is re-posted? BBFB may be shut down.
That was when I remembered I have my own website and Vani Hari is invited to, using the internet vernacular, ‘come at me, bro.’
All the italic blockquotes are from a document to which FoodBabe owns the copyright. I would never originate such ramblings, they’re all yours, Vani! Who knows why you would want to follow them though, as you are about to see, I will be using science to rip them to shreds, because it appears all the Food Babe is capable of is having nice hair and piecing together sentences that seem grammatically correct.
“# 1) – Drink Warm Lemon Water and Cayenne Pepper – Maintaining this habit first thing every morning on an empty stomach provides a super stimulant to the liver, your main detoxing organ in the body. Your liver will release uric acid and create bile to safely eliminate environmental and lifestyle toxins that would otherwise be trapped in your digestive system longer. Remember keeping your liver and digestive system clean and in optimal condition will help your body prevent diseases like cancer in the future. Combining cayenne with lemon increases the detoxing effect and raises the temperature of your body increasing your metabolism. Drinking this combination will cleanse your body every single day safely and naturally. I plan to do it for the rest of my life. Join me and watch your vitality increase! (Recipe = juice of half a lemon + sprinkle of cayenne + 12 ounces warm water)”
Well that was some delightful bullshit.
First, your liver does not need ‘waking up.’ Your liver is humming along, doing its job, pumping out necessary enzymes whether or not you eat lemon and cayenne pepper every day.
Also, reasons why you shouldn’t take advice from self-styled internet doctors: This Livestrong article.
“Cayenne pepper increases the time blood needs to clot, and when taken with anticoagulant medicines like warfarin, the effect of the medicine may be intensified, says DrugDigest.org. This increases the risk of uncontrolled bleeding, which can present as symptoms such as bloody urine or stool, spitting up blood, unusual bruising and continued bleeding from minor cuts.”
Eep. Maybe stick to real doctors, not self-styled internet “investigators” with pretty hair.
Cayenne pepper, according to some studies, may help slow the rate of liver fibrosis in rats, but there are no studies showing that it will stop fibrosis in humans or “cleanse” the liver in healthy people. Why? Because the liver doesn’t need cleansing. It does that on its own as long as you don’t absolutely drench it in alcohol. How do I know that you cleanse your body daily? The toilet paper industry is a thing.
The main things you have to protect your liver from? Genetic diseases, vaccine preventable and/or STDs (hepatitis, which literally means inflammation of the liver), and alcohol. Speaking of which:
Attacks Starbucks based on misinformation and misunderstanding about group 2b carcinogens but drinks group 1 carcinogen. She sciences hard.
Next from Vani…
“#2) – Eliminate Refined Sugar From Your Diet – Asking you to eliminate every type of “sugar” from your diet is just crazy – any person trying to do this will fail in the long run. The key here is to still include sugar in your diet but in forms that your body can easily assimilate and sources that also provide nutrients, minerals and vitamins your body will use. Avoiding refined sugars made from cane, beet and corn but still enjoying naturally occurring sugar in moderation is one of the keys to ultimate balance in life. The problem with eating refined sugar from cane, corn or beets vs. other sources of sugar, is that refined sugar is acid forming in the body because it has been chemically stripped of its minerals. The natural minerals in whole foods are important for our body’s ability to process nutrients in food and to ultimately keep our bodies alkaline. Remember – a body in an alkaline state is primed to avoid disease and a myriad of other aliments. Food Babe approved sugar sources include these organic items: fruit, coconut palm sugar, raw honey, maple syrup, date sugar, and dried fruit.”
Well that’s cute. She seems to be confused as to how calories work, but then a lot confuses her. She was also “puzzled” as to why Angelina Jolie would want her breasts removed after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene, but then I’ve figured out that Food Babe doesn’t science well.
It’s a good thing she has pretty hair.
Look, Vani, sugar is sugar. It’s entertaining that you think because it hasn’t come out of a processing plant that your ass, pancreas, and jeans will react differently to it. Chemistry, thermodynamics, and biology don’t bend to your will just because Suja Juice costs $6.99 per bottle and gives you a cut every time somebody buys some of their overpriced sugar water from your website. I’m not saying to gorge yourself on sugar (I’ve lost 90lbs and kept it off for several years), but eat a fucking cupcake once in a while. The sugar in it is as “toxic” for you as dried fruit, i.e. not toxic at all. Don’t believe me? Try spotting the difference between the sugar molecules in this picture. I’ll be over here humming the Jeopardy theme song.
#3) – Fast Every Single Day – Fast for at least 12 hours from the time you eat your last meal until the time you “break” the “fast” with breakfast. Adopting this habit can be so rewarding, restorative to your health, and put you on the path to ultimate youth and beauty! It takes at least 8 hours for your body to completely digest its meals from the day. If you add in another 4 hours to that time without introducing more food to digest, the body actually goes into detoxification mode and has more time to remove dead and dying cells from the body. During this “idle” time, the body also stimulates the development and regeneration of new cells. Aging occurs when more cells die than are being produced. Allowing your body sufficient time every single day to digest, eliminate dying cells and develop new cells is a habit that will get you closer to drinking straight out of the fountain of youth!
Repeat after me:
Detox is not a thing. Detox is not a thing. Detox is not a thing.
What if you’re hungry? What if you’re an endurance athlete and you just goddamn need calories? What if you’re on medications that need to be taken with food? Your lifestyle does not fit for all people and they should be taking advice from a doctor, not you.
Promoting fasting is promoting orthorexic behavior, which could lead to more serious eating disorders. This is such a dangerous pattern of behavior. All this just because you’re obsessed with your size four jeans? How dare you, Vani.
“4) – Drink a Green Drink Every Single Day – It can be as small as a wheatgrass shot or as big as a 32 ounce green smoothie. Consuming green drinks is the best way to get greens in your diet, provide your body a rich source of chlorophyll on a daily basis, and ultimately is one of the key actions you can take to keep your body in an alkaline state to avoid disease. Having access to both green juicing and green smoothies is important in one’s quest for wellness and vitality. I drink both types of green drinks for different reasons. I drink juice to deliver as many nutrients to my body as possible at once and I drink green smoothies for the beneficial fiber. As long as you chew your green drinks your body will be able to digest and receive the benefits. Don’t just slam down a smoothie or juice – you need that chewing action for digestive enzymes to do their magic.” Check out purepathessentialoils.com/best-digestive-enzyme-supplement/ to learn about digestive enzyme supplements.
What is it about the magical color green with these people?
Look, there is nothing wrong with drinking a green juice. I juice sometimes myself because I like getting some spinach in with my homemade apple juice. Chlorophyll is not a supplement that is indicated for use in every day life nor is it a vitamin that the body regularly needs, although it can be given via IV for acute pancreatitis.
However, your body has a tightly controlled pH. Trying to go ‘alkaline’ just isn’t a thing. According to webmd (and every other website on the internet that’s even slightly responsible and reputable), “blood is slightly alkaline, with a pH between 7.35 and 7.45.” Your stomach pH is not alkaline, and stays at a much lower pH of around 3.5 to help it break down food via acid hydrolysis. Urine pH changes depending on what you’ve consumed. Your body pH is extremely tightly controlled, and if it changes? It means you are very, very sick. The alkaline thing? It’s complete bullshit, and the onus is on them to prove it right, not for me to prove it wrong.
“#5) – Change Your Grocery Store – If I could give one piece of health advice to everyone I love I’d ask them to shop in a place where they can get the best quality groceries and produce available. Changing my grocery store has been fundamental in changing my health for the better. Typical large wholesale stores and conventional supermarkets are stocked with so many bad chemicals and ingredients it can make your head spin. The top BIG FOOD companies have created so many foods that are full of anything but whole ingredients – It’s cheaper for them to make these chemically made up fake foods than to use real, whole and nutritious ingredients. Alternative health stores have been around forever, but in the recent past they have become more mainstream allowing someone to make an easy transition to healthier, organic, whole, packaged and convenience foods. I understand that some big name conventional grocery stores are making an effort to include more organic produce and organic convenience foods – but, they still carry all the chemical laden foods too. It makes shopping there 10 times harder because unless you know the brand and trust it – it means reading lots of labels and deciphering chemical names of ingredients.”
PLEASE SHOP AT THE GROCERY STORE THAT CARRIES MY OVERPRICED SUGAR WATER!
Well that was easy.
As far as those evil chemicals and big companies… Whole Foods brought in $12.9 billion last year. Monsanto brought in $14.9 billion last year. Don’t tell me that one of these companies is the big bad guy when one of them caters to people who can afford to spend $4 on a bottle of water and the other is building the technology that feeds starving people.
Lastly, if you are still afraid of chemicals and still don’t believe me that organic foods use pesticides, ask yourself this; how do organic crops stop bugs and weeds from growing? Think about that for a little while next time you let Vani Hari scare you into buying $6.99 organic gluten free bullshit water.
#6) – Stop Drinking With Your Meals – Digestion is super important for health, staying slim, and mental wellbeing. Without proper digestion many discomforts can be born into the body – indigestion, heart burn, irritability, bloating, lethargy, headaches, insatiable cravings, inability to determine true hunger, and depression. Now imagine that you are doing something every single day that unknowingly is causing one or more of these symptoms! Wouldn’t you want to know what that was? Have you thought about what you drink and how much you drink with your meals? Drinking liquids during your meal dilutes your naturally occurring digestive enzymes and stomach acids which makes it harder to breakdown food. Stomach acids are dissipated with the act of consumings liquids with solids because water is excreted faster than solids. If you are chewing adequately (creating saliva), you should be able to eat comfortably without supplementary liquids. Allow your saliva to naturally help you swallow your food. When you are eating, you want all your energy directed at breaking down food so your body can easily assimilate the nutrients and eliminate waste. When you have bad digestion – you could actually gain weight in the long run, because toxins can be built up in your digestive organs which can inhibit the bodies ability to breakdown fat, cause insatiable cravings and mess with your body’s ability to determine if you are full or not.
Luckily, I already thoroughly ripped that apart here. It was my first blog entry. Aah, memories! My advice as a runner? Drink whenever the hell you’re thirsty.
Sometimes people think I’m anti-health from going after Food Babe. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I’ve lost 90lbs and kept it off for several years. I also know that I have no certifications as a dietician and I’m not the appropriate person to give medical or nutrition advice… so, crazy concept on the internet, I don’t. I refer you to pages who give you the type of advice that I follow.
If you’re going to take anything away from perusing Vani Hari’s habits, let it be your wallet and your mind before her unscientifically grounded advice leaves both empty. She’s a pretty and skinny girl on the internet, and these alone are no reasons to go to her for health and fitness advice. Pages like Disrupt Your Diet, Go Kaleo, and James Fell Body for Wife are my go-to pages for this. All are run by attractive people who offer sane and medically grounded diet and exercise advice- see, you can be cute and science hard, brah.
Eat the food, see your doctor for medical advice, and skip the pseudoscience from Food Babe.
And Vani, if you want me to take this down? Good luck with that.
-Science Babe
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US airlines are attempting to demonstrate their clean energy credentials, scheduling flights partially powered by biofuels
Do not be alarmed if your aircraft begins to smell suspiciously like a fast-food restaurant – or pond scum for that matter.
US airlines were racing this week to demonstrate their clean energy credentials, scheduling a number of flights powered partially by biofuels.
First United Continental announced the departure on Monday morning of Flight 1403 from Houston for Chicago – or the 'Eco Skies test flight' as the airline called it – using a mix of 60% conventional jet fuel and 40% algae-based fuels.
Alaska Airlines then announced it would operate 75 flights using a mix of 80% conventional jet fuels and 20% biofuels starting on Wednesday. Instead of algae-base, the airline is using used cooking oil or fast-food restaurant throwaways, said Robert Ames, vice-president of Dynamic Fuels, which produced the fuel.
"We can use vegetable oil. We can use used cooking oil," he said. "A good mental reference is McDonald's used fryer grease."
The flights will include 11 between Seattle and Washington DC, and 64 between Seattle and Portland, Oregon, the airline said.
"We wanted to demonstrate the use of sustainable biofuels both on a transcontinental route and on a short haul that competes with ground vehicle traffic," Bobbie Egan, a spokeswoman for Alaska, said in an interview.
The airline calculates the use of the biofuels mix cuts greenhouse gas emissions on those particular flights by 10%.
It's not clear, however, when – or even if – Alaska will begin running regular flights on biofuels.
The cooking oil substitute cost six times as much as conventional jet fuel, said Egan. That makes a permanent switch prohibitively expensive – unless production increases and prices come down.
Dynamic Fuels, a joint-venture between Tyson Foods Inc, the world leader in chicken, beef and pork production, and Syntroleum Corporation, is the only producer of this type of fuel in the US. The plant has been operating just over a year, and has an annual capacity of 75m gallons.
Ames would not discuss current prices, but he said he was hopeful they would eventually come down.
"There is enough used cooking oil," he said. "Are we shutting down Saudi Arabia? The answer clearly is no. In America, we like our fast food but we really don't have those kinds of quantities available."
Monday's flights were not exactly historic. Virgin Atlantic first began trying out biofuels three years ago, and KLM tested a 50/50 blend of conventional fuel and used cooking oil on its Paris-Amsterdam route last June.
The US airforce, meanwhile, plans to test 40 of its aircraft on a biofuels blend by 2013.
But the flights could encourage the rest of the industry move towards cleaner fuels.
Following Monday's flight, Solazyme said on its Facebook page it hoped to sell as much as 20m gallons of biofuel a year beginning in 2014.
"Sustainable biofuels, produced on a large scale at an economically viable price, can one day play a meaningful role in powering everyone's trip on an airline," the chief operating officer of United, Pete McDonald, said in a statement.
Egan said meanwhile she hoped Alaska's move would encourage other biofuels suppliers to get into the market, bringing costs down.
The test flights are also a sharp contrast to threats of a trade war by the US aviation industry to moves by European airports to charge carriers for greenhouse gas emissions. |
Handing in boxes of signatures for a vote on transparent party funding (Keystone)
Swiss political parties and voting committees must be transparent and say from whom they receive large sums of money. This is the demand of organisers of an initiative who on Tuesday handed in the necessary signatures to the Federal Chancellery.
“We want everyone’s cards to be on the table. This is crucial for democracy,” said Nadine Masshardt, a parliamentarian for the left-wing Social Democratic Party.
The almost 110,000 valid signatures – 10,000 more than required – mean the issue will go to a nationwide vote.
“It’s high time that voters can have a say on this,” Masshardt said, pointing out that parliament had rejected every proposal for increased transparency. “Yet, polls say two-thirds of voters want more transparency.”
If the initiative were to be accepted by voters, parties would have to publish the origin of all donations over CHF10,000 ($10,250). In addition, individuals and committees who donate more than CHF100,000 to a campaign – or more than CHF10,000 per person – would have to declare the total amount they have donated and where it all came from.
Accepting anonymous donations would be illegal.
Informed opinion
Rosmarie Quadranti from the centre-right Conservative Democratic Party said people could only have an informed opinion if they have all the information. “Knowing who is funding which parties and campaigns is an important part of that puzzle,” she said.
Another parliamentarian said the initiative was a chance to create some trust. “Switzerland is the only country in Europe to have no rules on party funding, resulting in regular criticism from the Council of Europe’s European Group of States against Corruption (GRECO),” said Lisa Mazzone from the left-wing Green Party.
Non-governmental organisation Transparency International has criticised the Swiss system as fostering corruption and abuse of party funds. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has also pushed for more transparency.
Parliament will discuss the initiative at a later stage before the government is due to set a date for a nationwide vote.
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Violators will be apprehended via the no-contact apprehension policy and will be fined P500 per offense
Published 7:56 PM, November 17, 2017
MANILA, Philippines – Starting Wednesday, November 22, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will strictly enforce the motorcycle lane policy on EDSA.
The MMDA announced on Friday, November 17, that it will conduct a two-day dry-run of the implementation of the of motorcycle lanes or blue lanes along EDSA on November 20 and 21. Stricter enforcement will begin the following day, November 22. An initial dry-run was conducted along Orense in Makati on Friday.
Violators will be apprehended via the no-contact apprehension policy to avoid obstructions. They will be fined P500 per violation.
According to MMDA Assistant General Manager for Planning Jojo Garcia, this is for the safety of motorists, noting that motorcycle riders are most prone to crashes.
“We’re doing this for the safety of our motorcycle riders. ‘Di niyo alam na sa pagsingit-singit ay marami ang naaaksidente. Iniiwasan lang natin iyan. Walang kalaban-laban ang motorsiklo kapag binangga iyan,” he said.
(We're doing this for the safety of our motorcycle riders. For your information, crash incidents happen as motorcycles squeeze in between vehicles. We're trying to avoid that. Motorcycles are helpless when they figure in a crash with another vehicle.)
Criticisms from motorists
However, the proposed implementation has drawn criticisms from motorists.
Shaun Roberts, a motorcycle rider for more than 30 years now, shared that he is completely against the policy because it brings more harm than good to motorists.
Motorcycle riders will be strictly required to stay on the motorcycle lane, but it will be a shared lane with other private vehicles.
"How will it promote our safety if cars are allowed to be in that motorcycle lane? It is even more dangerous for us to be sandwiched between cars," he told Rappler in a phone interview.
Jobert Bolanos, the interim chairman of Motorcycle Rights Organization, also expressed the same sentiments.
"Legally, they cant impose it because everyone who has a vehicle has a road user tax. [By limiting motorcycle riders in one lane], you already eliminate equal protection form the law," Bolanos said.
He added that implementing the policy will result in unfair treatment of riders.
"Motorcycles are discriminated on this one because they are put in a lane and threatened with apprehension. They are basically segregated [when] in reality, everyone on the road suffers from lack of discipline," Bolanos said.
"What gives the cars more right than a motorcycle? The only thing that this can work is for them to give us our lane. We are asking for equal rights. Whatever is short for those equal rights is discrimination. That is our frustrations as motorcycle riders. We are fed up." Roberts meanwhile said.
The motorists believe that the policy will not promote road safety and discipline. Bolanos said that authorities should focus on strengthening existing policies instead of implementing a new one. He cited the faulty licensing system and the weak and selective enforcement of enforcers as the root causes of the problem.
Roberts and Bolanos also said that the motorcyle lane policy may encourage corruption because of the inevitable apprehensions on motorcycle riders.
According to data, motorcycle riders are the most vulnerable to injuries on the road. Some 19,852 cases or 65% of patients injured were riding a motorcycle. (READ: Road deaths in PH: Most are motorcycle riders, pedestrians)
Motorcycle riders have constantly been the top victim of road crash injuries since 2010. From 6,244 injuries in 2010, the number of recorded injuries increased to 19,852 in a span of 5 years. (READ: IN NUMBERS: Road crash incidents in the Philippines)
Across the country, 10,012 people died due to road crashes in 2015 – a 45.76% increase from 6,869 deaths recorded in 2006.– Rappler.com |
Over the past month, eight women have come forward to accuse Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore of behaving inappropriately toward them — and in some cases, assaulting them — when most of them were minors and he was in his 30s.
Moore hasn’t responded to the individual accusations and recently said he has never met the women.
Lawyer Paula Cobia, who is representing accuser Gloria Thacker Deason, told ThinkProgress she believes Moore has been hiding from her client’s questions during his campaign for the Senate seat that was left vacant by Jeff Sessions when he was appointed attorney general.
“Whether [Moore] wins or not, those questions are not going to go away,” Cobia said. “He’s going to have to answer them. I wish for the sake of Alabama and the county that he would have been brave enough — as brave as these women — to answer those questions.”
Cobia said that Deason has received harassment and threats since coming forward to recount her experiences with Moore.
Below is the list of all the women who have come forward to share their stories:
Leigh Corfman alleges she was just 14 years old when Moore “seduced” her. She claims he brought her to his house where he took of her clothing and kissed her.
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Wendy Miller says she met Moore when she was 14 years old. According to Miller, he asked her out multiple times while she was working as a Santa’s helper at the local Gadsden Mall.
Debbie Wesson Gibson alleges she was 17 when she first started dating Moore. While she says their relationship was consensual, she says she believes the other women’s experiences.
Gloria Thacker Deason was 18 when she says she and Moore began a relationship after meeting at the Gadsden Mall.
Beverly Young Nelson says Moore attacked her when she was 16 years old. She says that after offering her a ride home, he forcibly groped her behind the restaurant where she worked.
Tina Johnson, who was 28 at the time of the alleged incident, says Moore “grabbed [her] behind” while she was in a meeting at his office with her mother.
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Gena Richardson says she met Moore at the Gadsden Mall near the time of her 18th birthday. She says after she turned down his repeated requests for her phone number, he called her at school to ask her out on a date.
Becky Gray says Moore “harassed” her at the Gadsden Mall when she was 22. He allegedly asked her out multiple times despite her refusal.
The Republican National Committee and the White House continue to support Moore.
Kira Lerner contributed reporting to this story. |
The state's highest court has rebuked a Sydney judge for reading aloud an epic 17-hour judgment over four days, costing taxpayers and the parties thousands of dollars in court and legal fees.
District Court Judge Garry Neilson – who courted controversy in 2015 after making comments about incest, paedophilia and homosexuality – raised the ire of two Court of Appeal judges for delivering a lengthy judgment on the bench rather than publishing written reasons.
District Court Judge Garry Neilson in 2015. Credit:Fairfax
Justice Ruth McColl, the acting president of the Court of Appeal, said Judge Neilson read aloud a 138-page judgment over four days in a Sydney courtroom last year after hearing a six-day negligence case in Wagga Wagga in May.
The case concerned a man who sued for compensation after he was thrown from a horse which bucked after a car drove past. |
Organizers across the US are riding the momentum of the post-inauguration march to mobilize in solidarity with scientists, immigrants, LGBT people and more
After the Women's March: six mass US demonstrations to join this spring
Hope your feet aren’t sore yet, because come spring, there are major nationwide marches planned for nearly every weekend.
After the success of the Women’s March on Washington, activists are preparing for mass mobilizations throughout the year.
Here are some ahead:
15 April: Tax March
Since Donald Trump refused to release his tax returns during the campaign, thousands are marching on Tax Day to protest “the absolute unfairness of a man who is a billionaire president who might be not paying taxes while working folks are paying their fair share”, said Gwen Snyder, a community organizer and national organizer of Tax March.
At least 30 Tax Marches have been planned in solidarity around the country with several hundred thousand people expected. The Los Angeles event page shows 66,000 people who have expressed interest or attending. The New York march event page has nearly 40,000 interested or attending, and 37,000 people have said they are interested in the DC march, with over 7,000 clicking “attend”.
Snyder, who has spent 10 years as an organizer around economic justice, declared: “I haven’t seen this kind of energy on the ground since Occupy.”
The DC march will take place at 10am at the Ellipse.
22 April: March for Science
Trump is known for being sceptical of climate change, meeting with vaccine sceptics and announcing cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (a department he plans to “abolish”, according to an aide).
After the idea for scientists to march on Washington was first suggested in a Reddit forum, the March for Science will be held at the Washington Mall on Earth Day, 22 April.
“The March for Science is a demonstration of the widespread public support for the scientific method, the enterprise of science (including science communication and education), and the use of evidence as the basis for good decision-making by our political leaders,” said Jonathan Berman, a University of Texas Health Science Center postdoctoral fellow and march organizer, in a press release.
“We hope to humanize scientists as approachable members of our communities, and to draw attention to dangerous trends in the politicization of science,” added Berman.
As well as scientists speaking to the crowd, “teach-in tents” will be held in DC, with scientists explaining their research and its importance to the public.
One week later, the People’s Climate March will take place in DC.
“It’s not just a march in reaction. We planned this march back last fall before the election. Our goal was to move whoever is our president to be big and bold on climate,” said Paul Getsos, national coordinator for People’s Climate Movement, which is organizing the event.
In 2014 the People’s Climate March in New York City had over 300,000 attendees making it the biggest climate march in history, and the 29 April march (which is day 99 of the new president’s first 100 days) is a follow-on rally.
“If it was Hillary Clinton, we’d be on the streets on the 29th. Our demands would have been different,” acknowledged Getsos, noting that as well as climate, Trump has attacked people of color, unions and immigrants.
“We’re fighting for climate rooted in racial and economic justice, and we want to hold this administration to account,” said Getsos. “We want a reaction from the administration, we don’t want to roll back our climate progress.”
Sister marches and events are also expected to be held in other cities. Details of the route and location of the march have yet to be announced. So far, over 13,000 people have said they are attending or interested on Facebook.
6 May: Immigrants March
“I started organizing for the march the day that Trump ... signed the executive order on the construction of the wall on the Mexican border,” said Erick Sanchez, whose father is Iranian and great-grandparents are Mexican. That was also the day a draft of Trump’s travel ban was leaked to the press.
The Immigrants March Facebook event page already has 163,000 people interested and 25,000 attending.
Sanchez, who works in public relations in DC, quickly secured permits for the National Mall for the weekend of 5-7 May. He noted that the permits were free and on a first-come-first-serve basis for anyone wanting to march on the mall, which is called “an incredible resource to have as American citizens”.
He said he sees the march as important to help “build collective sustainable infrastructure to highlight the attacks about immigration” from the Trump administration, and hoped that not just immigrants, but that all different communities came out in support of immigrants.
“At this point, with every constituency who gets targeted and harmed, I think it’s important we come together and organize and align,” said Sanchez.
11 June: National Pride March
A gay activist from Brooklyn first created the Facebook event (originally called Gays on the Mall) after being inspired by the huge crowds at the Women’s March, to be held on Pride weekend.
It quickly grew online, with 130,000 people marking themselves as interested or attending on the event’s page.
“The outreach and response to this march is staggering and inspiring. What started off as a proposed march in Washington DC on June 11, has quickly morphed into a national movement, as well as a global one,” reads the event description.
But there was criticism by some in the LGBT communities, since large-scale Pride events had been long-organized for the weekend.
Philly Gay Pride posted an announcement on its website noting that the DC march threatens Philadelphia’s Pride events and that even a 15-25% lower than expected attendance could have “catastrophic” repercussions.
“Not only does this threaten the viability of Philadelphia’s gay pride organization, it will have a profound negative effect on the myriad of community non-profits that depend on our events,” reads the announcement.
The Guardian contacted the Pride March to discuss the event and was told: “Unfortunately, we are not granting any media requests at the moment until a diverse and intersectional initial planning group has finalized our mission statement and platform/agenda”.
16 September: Juggalos March
In September, fans of the hip-hop group Insane Clown Posse and their fan base, better known as juggalos, will march on DC to protest their classification by the FBI in 2011 as a gang.
“As wonderful as the Women’s March was, we planned this well before the Women’s March,” said Jason Webber, director of public relations for Psychopathic Records, who is organizing the march. He notes they received march permits last September.
“The point of the Juggalos March is not to make a statement against the Trump administration. The point of the Juggalo March is to raise awareness about how juggalos are discriminated against, profiled and have their lives ruined as a result of identifying as fans of a certain music genre,” said Webber.
Stories from the Juggalos March website describe people who lost custody of their children, were fired from jobs and had criminal charges increased against them because of being classified as gang members.
Around 4,000 people are expected. The rally will start at the Lincoln Memorial, then, following speeches, will march down the mall, around the Washington Monument and back to the Lincoln Memorial.
Webber is trying to get politicians and other activists involved, since Juggalos view the FBI classification as government-approved discrimination based on music taste.
“But considering the current climate in America in general and Washington DC specifically, people are just getting a little bit jittery about going to DC and raising their fists against the FBI,” said Webber. |
After its keep running on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the multiplayer beta for Call of Duty: WWII is made a beeline for PC soon. It runs September 29 through October 2 on Steam, and you don’t need to pre-request to get in: it’s open for everybody.
“This test is a basic stride on our street to conveying the most ideal online experience on Steam at dispatch in November,” Sledgehammer Games said in an announcement.
One of the objectives that Sledgehammer and co-designer Raven Software have for the beta is to stretch test the diversion’s frameworks and foundation. The studios are likewise hoping to “draw in with the PC people group to adjust and streamline the PC encounter for November.”
Activision has additionally distributed the base PC specs for the Call of Duty: WWII beta, and you can see these beneath. Note that these are not for the last form; Activision is as yet upgrading the amusement and the last specs could change.
Call of Duty: WWII Beta Minimum Specs:
OS: Windows 7 64-Bit or later
CPU: Intel Core i3 3225 or equivalent
RAM: 8 GB RAM
HDD: 25 GB HD space
Video: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 @ 2 GB / AMD Radeon HD 7850 @ 2GB or better
DirectX: Version 11.0 compatible video card or equivalent
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
At long last, Activision said it will declare points of interest on the substance incorporated into the beta and pre-stack subtle elements for the Call of Duty: WWII beta in the near future. Continue seeking out GameSpot for the most recent.
Obligation at hand: WWII dispatches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 3. |
Google is an imperfect oracle of popular will, but here’s one trend that seems pretty clear: Searches for the phrase “registrarse para votar” — “register to vote,” in Spanish — hit an all-time high during Monday’s presidential debate, spiking to more than 100,000 searches.
The term was Google’s third trending search in the United States at 10:30 p.m. Monday, preceded only by two phrases related to the Houston shooting. According to Google, search volume was highest in the ever-important swing state of Florida, followed by New Jersey, New York, Texas and California.
A quick note on this data, and what Google means by “trending”: The designation doesn’t refer to the most popular searches, but the ones that — relative to all other searches — are spiking. In other words, the blue trend line above doesn’t show you how many Spanish-speaking people are Googling how to vote. It shows you what normalized share they represent, in the grand scheme of all U.S. Google searches.
Spanish-language searches for voting information have only neared this interest share on one prior occasion: That was after the first presidential debate in 2012. In the current election cycle, the last comparable spike occurred on Aug. 31, the day Donald Trump made his much-anticipated Phoenix immigration speech, though search volume also increased after both parties’ conventions.
Incidentally, Google just introduced a major expansion to its in-search voting guides, the automated Knowledge Box that provides searchers personalized information on how and when to register in their states. (To be fair, this probably compounded the apparent spike from the debates.) While the box was previously only triggered by English-language searches, queries like “registrarse para votar” or “como votar” now also pull up the guides to registering.
Hispanic voters are far more likely to vote for Hillary Clinton than for Trump, statistically speaking.
Liked that? Try these: |
Buy Photo Co-workers of Chrysler Public Relation Manager Patrick Hensen and auto journalists lined up special vehicles for his funeral procession. (Photo: Todd McInturf / The Detroit News)Buy Photo
Livonia — There were few things in life Patrick Hespen enjoyed more than the rumble and roar of a powerful engine.
"When we were dating, he never had to ring the doorbell. I could always hear him pull up," said Hespen's wife Gina. "When we were married, I knew when he got home at night, because I could hear him."
Gina Hespen will no longer be able to hear the comforting sound of her husband's engine revving in the driveway. Patrick Hespen died Friday after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 36.
CLOSE When Patrick Hespen died after a two-year battle with cancer at 36, his co-workers at Chrysler decided to honor his memory with a tribute to match his love of big, roaring engines. Lauren Abdel-Razzaq
"He was a fighter," she said. "Everything a wife could want."
Hespen was a public relations manager at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles,although he'd spent years bouncing around the automotive industry, putting in time with Volkswagen, Audi and Ford. When his current coworkers heard the news, they knew they wanted to put together a tribute that would truly honor what Hespen loved.
"We wanted the procession to look like the Woodward Dream Cruise in December, knowing that's what Patrick would have wanted," said Hespen's coworker Wendy Orthman, who put together the tribute at the funeral Tuesday along with Kathy Graham, another coworker. "We began having conversations about how we could get people to bring some cool cars because that was Patrick's favorite thing."
Then Graham had the idea of replacing the 21-gun salute with a 2,100 horsepower salute and she knew just the vehicle to do it with.
Hespen was laid to rest in a procession that featured three 2015 Challenger Hellcat SRTs, which produce a combined 2,121 horsepower. And as Hespen's casket was taken out from the hearse and into St. Aidan Catholic Church in Livonia, he was honored with the sound of those revving engines roaring, along with two dozen other unique and high-power performance and muscle cars brought by auto company workers and reporters from across the industry.
"It's so heartwarming for me," said Gina Hespen, after the funeral service was over. "I know he is with me saying, 'that's proper, that's me.' "
Born with 'oil in his blood'
Hespen was born May 10, 1978. He never had a chance of escaping the pull of the auto industry.
"The kid had oil in his blood," said Julie Martin, a Chrysler PR specialist who knew Hespen back when he was an intern at Volkswagen. "I knew he was going to get hired right away; he knew more about cars than the people on the floor."
Hespen's father Daniel worked at a Volkswagen dealership, so he grew up surrounded by cars. He named his cat Motor. He liked to race junker cars in lemon races. As he grew up, working on automobiles and engines became his main hobby a way to clear his mind, said Drew LaFollette, a friend from college.
"He had an old Jetta he was always playing around with," said LaFollette, who maintained his friendship with Hespen even as they each moved to different parts of the country and took on different jobs. "He had model cars all over his dorm."
Hespen was a kind, big-hearted person who always went out of the way to do something nice for someone else, said LaFollette.
Once, Hespen visited LaFollette in Cleveland. LaFollette was having car trouble, so while he was at the office, Hespen took his car to get repaired.
"When I got to my car at the end of the night, I had a full tank of gas," said LaFollette. "That's the kind of guy he was."
Before going into PR, Hespen served two tours in the Middle East with the Air Force. He was deployed after 9/11 and would later join the National Guard upon his return. He was a RED HORSE, or Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer, the Air Force's heavy-construction units.
He spent time in Ohio and California before meeting and settling down with his wife in Royal Oak. The two met at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California, while he was doing PR for Ford and she was working for one of the automaker's suppliers. They had an instant connection, and when Gina Hespen returned, he called her up to thank her for her hard work.
"I was on the phone with him, wondering 'is he going to ask me out?' she recalled. "I fell in love with him the first time I saw him."
Married, then diagnosed
In August 2011, the couple married, pledging themselves to each other "for better or for worse."
It didn't take long for the "for worse" part to begin. Shortly after they were married, Hespen was diagnosed with bile duct cancer, a rare form of the disease that almost never affects younger individuals. He was told he'd have two years to live.
"We didn't believe it when we heard," said friend Sarah Toycen, a senior marketing specialist with Audi who had worked with Hespen in the past. "He had a stint where he was doing better — 95 percent of the cancer was gone — but he had a spot on his spine that they couldn't operate on."
The cancer spread and he died almost exactly two years after his diagnosis.
At the funeral service Tuesday, at least 300 auto industry workers and journalists from across the country gathered in the church to pay their respects and listen to the words of Monsignor Ronald Browne, who married the Hespens just three years ago.
Browne reminded everyone of Hespen's smile, his kind heart and his contributions in "a short life by some standards, but not an insignificant life; a life that has touched many."
"Patrick fought cancer, a valiant effort, but he's human and the illness overtook him," Browne told his family and friends. "But it didn't overtake his love for you."
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CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - Dylann Roof, the man convicted in a church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, asked a judge on Wednesday to keep details about his mental health sealed for the sentencing phase of his federal death penalty trial next week.
FILE PHOTO - South Carolina church massacre shooting suspect Dylann Roof is seen in U.S. District Court of South Carolina evidence photo which was originally taken from Roof's website. Courtesy U.S. District Court of South Carolina/Handout via REUTERS
Roof, a 22-year-old avowed white supremacist, was found guilty on Dec. 15 on 33 charges of federal hate crimes resulting in death, obstruction of religion and firearms violations stemming from the June 2015 massacre of nine people at a historic black church.
The same jury that heard six days of testimony about the bloodshed at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church will reconvene on Tuesday for the trial’s penalty phase.
Roof, handcuffed and wearing a prison jumpsuit, smiled and answered “yes” when U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel asked if he still planned to serve as his own lawyer as prosecutors make the case that he should be executed instead of spending the rest of his life in prison without parole.
“I think it’s a bad idea,” Gergel warned, encouraging Roof to discuss his decision with his family and lawyers.
The judge said he would allow Roof to change his mind up until the penalty phase gets under way.
Roof said he planned to make an opening statement to jurors but did not indicate whether he would testify on his own behalf. He said he would present no evidence or witnesses.
He made clear he wanted no details about his mental health revealed, asking Gergel to refrain from unsealing video interviews about his competency or the transcript from a hearing on the topic in November.
“The unsealing of the competency hearing is sort of against the purpose of my representing myself,” Roof said in court.
Gergel said he had not decided how releasing the transcript might affect Roof’s state trial on murder charges, also due to start next month.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson said the government planned to call 30 or more family members of victims to speak about the impact of the massacre.
After defense lawyers raised concerns about Roof’s competency in the federal proceedings, Roof represented himself for a week during jury selection before asking for his attorneys back for the duration of the trial’s guilt phase.
Roof’s guilt in the shootings was not disputed. But his defense lawyers, hoping to spare him from execution, asked jurors to consider what factors had driven Roof to commit the act and suggested he might be delusional. |
There are essentially two Republican parties right now: the Party of Donald J. Trump and the Party of House Speaker Paul Ryan—who has, nonetheless, endorsed Trump for President. One of the ways in which members of the Ryan faction delude themselves is by believing that Ryan’s policies would dominate if Trump were President and Ryan remained Speaker of the House.
The view of senior House Republicans with whom I talked over the past month, for a piece in this week’s magazine, was that Trump is “malleable,” as Congressman Tom Price, the chairman of the Budget Committee, put it. They believe that Trump, as President, can be pressed into service as a reliable signature for the Ryan agenda, which has been thwarted by a slow-moving Senate and by Obama’s veto pen. “I think we will work hand in glove, I really do,” Price told me on May 16th.
Ryan made this case explicitly in an Op-Ed endorsing Trump, which was published on the Web site of his home-town paper, the Janesville Gazette, on June 2nd. Ryan noted that when he took over as Speaker, last fall, his top priority was to fashion a detailed Republican policy agenda. The idea was to ignore the circus of the Republican Presidential primaries, which was sure to push the candidates into making reckless statements, and instead to have waiting at the end of the process a sober general-election platform that the Republican nominee could embrace. “The concept from the start was simple,” Ryan wrote. “If we had a Republican president ready to sign bills into law, what would we do?”
This instrumental view of the Presidency—that a Republican in the White House would serve more or less as an Autopen for Ryan’s ideas—rested, even apart from Trump, on two shaky assumptions.
The first was that Ryan could do a better job forging consensus than John Boehner, his predecessor, who was ousted by a band of House insurgents last September. Though it was overshadowed by the spectacle of the Presidential primaries, Ryan failed the first big test of unifying Republicans back in April, when he couldn’t pass a budget—something he’d promised he would do—because conservative Republicans refused to vote for it.
Ryan’s second assumption was that any new Republican President would respect a historical shift in the way that Republicans think about the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches. From 1969, the start of the Nixon Presidency, to 1993, the end of the George H. W. Bush Administration, when Republicans controlled the Presidency and Democrats dominated the House, the G.O.P. believed in a powerful executive, a view that was revived when George W. Bush took office. But in the Obama years, when Republicans’ base of power became more firmly rooted in Congress and, in their view, Barack Obama expanded the powers of the Presidency, Republicans became loud advocates of the primacy of the legislative branch.
Just yesterday, Ryan released a report about how Republicans can expand Congress’s authority, which the report argues has been allowed to “atrophy” as “the executive and judicial branches have vastly increased their power.”
As with Ryan’s optimistic predictions about House Republican unity, there is no reason to believe that a future Republican President would share the House G.O.P.’s view of Congress’s role. But it’s an especially absurd assumption when it comes to Trump, who has displayed authoritarian instincts and has argued that he will exceed Obama in using the powers of the executive branch.
More important, Trump’s agenda is not Ryan’s. The Speaker has been regularly unveiling policy reports on the Republican House agenda, and Trump, who seems oblivious to the Ryan project, has been shredding the ideas with his public comments. Two weeks ago, Trump argued that Gonzalo Curiel, a federal judge, couldn’t do his job because his parents were born in Mexico. A few days later, Ryan was scheduled to speak in a predominantly black neighborhood in Washington, D.C., about his new and much-touted policy proposals to address poverty. He ended up using the event to describe Trump’s claims about Curiel as “the textbook definition of a racist comment.” He immediately added, though, that he was still supporting him for President, in part because he thought that Hillary Clinton was worse.
This week, after the attack in Orlando, Trump reiterated his call for a ban on Muslims entering the U.S., and Ryan was forced to reiterate his opposition to the proposal. “I do not think a Muslim ban is in our country’s interest,” he said, at a press conference on Monday. “I do not think it is reflective of our principles. Not just as a party but as a country.” Ryan called for “a security test and not a religious test,” and pointed to a report on national security with sixty-seven recommendations that he had released just last Thursday. It was part of the same project he’s been working on all year, the one that he was hoping would lead to a package of legislation that a new Republican President would sign into law.
As he left Monday’s press conference, a reporter shouted a final question at Ryan: “Do you stand by your support of Donald Trump?” Ryan walked briskly through the scrum.
Another reporter laughed. “He didn’t answer,” he said. On Thursday, at his weekly press conference, Ryan did: he was standing by his endorsement of Trump for President. |
Adult Swim, which held its upfront event last night in New York, announced three new series and several projects in development.
New original series:
THE HEART, SHE HOLLER
The Heart, She Holler is a new live-action soap opera about folk who ain’t never used soap or seen an opera. It’s a satire on the emotional Hee-Hawification of America, set in a town so inbred, the folks have become almost supernaturally wrong. The series is produced by PFFR, and stars Patton Oswalt and Heather Lawless. The Heart, She Holler premieres this fall on Adult Swim.
CHINA, IL
Frank and Steve Smith are brothers who teach in the history department of a state university in China, Illinois. They also happen to be legends in their own minds who will often sacrifice facts, lessons and syllabi for the sake of being awesome. Created by Brad Neely, executive produced by Brad Neely (Creased Comics) and Daniel Weidenfeld and produced by Titmouse, Inc. (Metalocalypse), China, IL premieres this fall on Adult Swim.
TIGHT BROS
Tight Bros is a new animated comedy that follows two moronic “clergybros” who are on a quest for fat beats, hot chicks and tricked out cell phones. Vince and Aaron were called by God to spread a holy message: one of peace, love and tearin’ up the club. By day the two sell religious kitsch at a kiosk in Viceroy Del Sol mall. By night they hunt for babes, but only with mega tans and super smooth waxes in place. Premiering in the spring of 2012, Tight Bros is created and written and executive produced by Sam Johnson and Chris Marcil.
They join previously announced NTSF:SD:SUV and Black Dynamite.
Pilots currently in development:
Regal Productions; Live action comedy created, directed, produced and starring Bob Odenkirk.
The Dummiez; Nick Cannon project
Untitled project with Major Lazer
Untitled project with Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All
Rolling with Dad; 30-minute animated sit-com created by Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg
Untitled project by Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland |
Alpha 16 is now available for download! The full change log is at the end of this post.
Devlog
The janitors and mechanics got improved a bit to recognize trash and vandalized objects on adjacent tiles instead of only on the tile they’re standing on. Additionally all staff wandering behaviour has been improved a bit to make them less likely to step on tiles they’ve recently visited. This makes them cover their area more uniformly and should increase their efficiency a bit (and makes them seem a bit smarter).
Here’s a test with the old completely random movement. The red squares mark where the employee in this test went:
And here’s the improved one:
We added the Boat Transport ride from this weeks Art Stream:
And we wrote a bunch more explanatory tooltips.
Changelog
- added Splash Battle ride
- added Boat Transport ride
- added Spooky and Fantasy props, buoys
- added shuttle mode for Monorail, Suspended Monorail transport rides
- added reordering custom color slots using drag & drop (hold Alt to replace instead)
- added tapping shift when building toggles between setting the object height to the last used one and ground level
- added more tooltips
- improved overall performance, especially with many objects on screen (up to ~40%)
- improved staff patrol behaviour
- improved janitors/mechanics to be more aware of nearby trash/vandalism
- improved behaviour when building entrance/exit between tracked ride stations with one tile distance
- improved camera pan speeds
- improved the look of metallic and glass objects
- improved research costs and duration balance
- fixed visualization views not working anymore
- fixed input field arrows misbehaving on Linux with a non-english locale
- fixed boats driving through coaster tunnels, stone paths, transport system tubes, wooden supports
- fixed errors when deleting a boat ride
- fixed sometimes not being able to open a boat ride even though it is placed in a valid location
- fixed some random error messages popping up occasionally when using any UI with a scroll list
- fixed wrong savegame entry being selected by default when saving game |
Funko Fallout Pop! Games Power Armor Vinyl Figure is rated 3.7 out of 5 by 9 .
Rated 1 out of 5 by Ms S from Wrong Item Pictured I got my "Brotherhood of Steel" POP today and it is the Power Armor with "Power Armor" on the front of the box with the BoS SKU sticker put over the original one on the box. Not pleased with this at all, as the "Brotherhood of Steel" box is the one I am trying to find.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Dani V from Awesome addition! This Fallout "Brotherhood of Steel" pop is the perfect addition to your Funko Fallout collection.
Rated 5 out of 5 by CoriLizBeth from Brotherhood of Steel / Power Armour The box doesn't actually say Brotherhood of Steel but I love the detail on this pop.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Juggernaut_jcd from Love fallout and this is great!!! I don't really collect pop figures but I love fallout and thought it was just a cool power armor figure from the game. I love it u won't be disappointed and for 12 bucks it's a great little collectible. |
After his rookie season in 2012, it looked as though offensive tackle Matt Kalil was going to be the long-term answer at left tackle for years to come for the Minnesota Vikings. However, the past three seasons have provided many more questions than answers, as Kalil regressed in 2013 and 2014 before a mild bounce-back season in 2015.
The Vikings picked up his fifth-year option, guaranteeing him the second-highest salary on the team for the 2016 season. From what Kalil has said in an interview with 1500 ESPN, if he continues to struggle this year, it won't be because he isn't healthy.
"Yeah, there's absolutely no pain in my knees anymore," Kalil said. "My hip feels awesome. I'm feeling pretty good compared to a couple years ago when my knee was kind of garbage, so to speak. It's nice to be healthy. That definitely made me mentally tougher throughout the year. Grew up a lot, so just ready to play and have fun."
Not having to have any procedures done in the offseason meant that Kalil could get himself back into the weight room in February rather than having to wait until the summer time, which should put him significantly ahead of the curve compared to the past couple of seasons.
As the article points out, this will be the third season in a row that Kalil will have a different left guard next to him, with free agent signee Alex Boone plugging into that spot for this season. You'd have to think that Boone would be a step up from Charlie Johnson in 2014 and Brandon Fusco's relatively disastrous shift to the left side last season. He also has a new offensive line coach for the first time in his five NFL seasons, with Tony Sparano taking the place of the fired Jeff Davidson.
Kalil has said that he would like to remain in Minnesota for the long term, and this is the definition of a make-or-break season for him. If he can get closer to his rookie season form, the Minnesota offense is going to be significantly better and he could be in line for a fairly large payday. If he doesn't show significant improvement, there's a very good chance that the residents of Minnesota will know him as the guy that owns the pizza restaurants rather than as the Vikings' left tackle. |
The U.S. Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple and several book publishers earlier this week alleging they collaborated to artificially set the price of ebooks. Now Apple has fired back with a statement saying it has actually been working to break Amazon’s control over the ebook market.
In a statement to AllThingsD, Apple spokesman Tom Neunayr said,
The DOJ’s accusation of collusion against Apple is simply not true. The launch of the iBookstore in 2010 fostered innovation and competition, breaking Amazon’s monopolistic grip on the publishing industry. Since then customers have benefited from eBooks that are more interactive and engaging. Just as we’ve allowed developers to set prices on the App Store, publishers set prices on the iBookstore.
After conducting an investigation into whether or not Apple, along with Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins, Penguin, Hachette Group and Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holzbrinck collaborated to artificially drive up ebook prices, the government agency filed a lawsuit claiming the companies formed a “cabal” that ultimately left consumers paying more for ebooks than they otherwise would have.
Apple says it didn’t collaborate to artificially set ebook prices
“We’ve long held that Apple and this group of book publishers formed a cabal with the sole intent of extinguishing any competitive influences in the e-book marketplace,” said the Department of Justice’s lead counsel Steve Berman.
When Apple introduced its iBookstore, it agreed to what’s called an agency model for book pricing where publishers set how much consumers pay instead of letting retailers buy books and sell them at whatever price they like. Amazon resisted the change because it didn’t fit with its business model where it bought books at a percentage of the cover price and then often times would sell titles for below cost.
Following the announcement that the DOJ had filed its lawsuit, Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster all reached a settlement and were dropped from the lawsuit.
MacMillan CEO John Sargent said that the agency model fosters an “open and competitive market,” and added there was no collusion on the part of publishers to change the book pricing model. |
Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Friday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ remarks on Hawaii were “really bizarre.”
“Friendly reminder to Jeff Sessions as attorney general, Hawaii, that ‘island in the Pacific,’ is our 50th state. Judges routinely issue orders that apply nationwide so there is nothing amazing about that fact,” Mr. Blumenthal said on CNN’s “New Da.”
The Connecticut Democrat was commenting on remarks Mr. Sessions made on a radio program Thursday criticizing a judge in Hawaii for blocking the Trump administration from carrying out the travel ban.
Mr. Sessions said on “The Mark Levin Show”: “I really am amazed that a judge sitting on an island in the Pacific can issue an order that stops the president of the United States from what appears to be clearly his statutory and constitutional power.”
Mr. Sessions later issued a statement saying the issue was with the judge blocking President Trump’s ability to keep the country safe and that Hawaii was a “beautiful” place where his granddaughter was born.
Copyright © 2019 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission. |
So you decide to join twitter and make your twitter account. And then you start tweeting. Then you realize that you don’t know what to tweet about. A lot of newbies on twitter ask, “What do I tweet about?” Not just newbies, but all of us sometimes go through phases of ‘Twitter block’ where we cannot think of anything to tweet about. I have seen some tweets in my timeline which said “I don’t know what to tweet now” or “Can’t think of anything to tweet”. Well, look no further, because in this list I am going to give you ideas on the variety of things you can tweet about!
1. Tweet quotes:
“Everybody tweets quotes on twitter, how am I going to be different from them?” Well then, tweet your own quotes, your own thoughts! There are many tweeps who make their original quotes, and their uniqueness makes them stand out. A beautiful quote which people can relate to, can become very popular on twitter and can go viral as well.
2. Share links:
You can follow @Tweetsmarter , @problogger , @smexaminer and many more for constant killer content and share them with your followers. Or share an interesting video you found on the net! It might prove to be helpful and useful for you as well as your readers too!
3. Send a funny tweet or a joke:
Be funny but not insulting or derogatory in any way. Funny tweets get noticed very quickly. It will help you keep your followers hooked onto your tweets and spread a smile or two in your stream.
4. Tweet about current events:
Twitter trending topics give us an instant update of the world happenings. You can tweet about them but make sure what you tweet is not factually incorrect or insensitive. Like for example, during the recent Japan earthquake and tsunami, a lot of tweeps spread information regarding the helpline numbers for those affected and their family members – which is a brilliant way to use twitter!
5. Ask a question to your followers:
This will help you engage better and the answers might prove to be helpful to you and your followers as well. The questions can be anything – ranging from help/opinions regarding a situation or a recommendation for a product you intend to buy or a survey!
6. Retweet someone else:
This never gets old. When you run out of content to post, just share someone else’s post. Sharing multiple times will help you get noticed and grow your list of friends on twitter! Sharing is caring!
7. Repeat old (and popular) tweets:
This is what I do – I ‘favorite’ tweets which have received great response/retweets from tweeters and repeat them after wide intervals. Wide intervals because you might not want to fill your followers’ stream with the same tweets over and over again. Hence, I think it’s not a bad idea to repeat your great tweets if you ever run out of things to tweet about.
8. Tweet a photograph:
Just saw an interesting picture? A funny picture? A random pic? Or a picture from a tweetup? Then tweet it! You can use twitpic , lockerz, flickr and many other services and moreover, the good thing is that now even Twitter is having its own service to share photos on twitter. Photos on twitter garner a lot of attention.
9. Send a drive by tweet!
A simple ‘hello’ to a tweeter in your home feed, or a reply to someone’s tweet can not only help spark off a conversation but also help you gain a new twitter friend!
10. Send a voice tweet:
We always wonder how our twitter friends sound like, right? If you want to take tweeting to the next level – you can send a voice tweet to your followers! Audioboo is a great site that I have sent voice tweets from.
Finally, remember – “Don’t tweet because you have to say something. Tweet because you have something to say.” Keep tweeting!
This is a guest post written by Nicky who is having a very huge followings and influence on Twitter and I found her as a great personality and a very good friend after knowing her “a bit” via Twitter! Twitter rocks and contributes a lot to my happiness and in my process of making new friends, everyday! |
Moving up in the world
I like to give my animals the biggest possible enclosure, and at the same time, try to provide an appropriate environment for any given species. Space is often a limitation for owners and I like to use the ‘upward’ space for a lot of my animals. In particular, Persian jirds appreciate taller cages, naturally being rock hoppers. I have therefore designed an enclosure that will provide an area for food storage and hoarding requirements using a glass fish tank, whilst providing a cage extension on top to satisfy their jumping and climbing skills. The following instructions show you how we have made our newest cage extension.
Materials and equipment required
Wire mesh 10 mm
Wooden batons – (Base – 20 mm x 20mm, Frame - 10mm x 20mm)
Hinges – plus appropriate screws, Hammer, Wire cutters, Saw, Tape measure, Screwdriver, Set square
Wood glue
Screws
U-shaped pins - can use a staple gun
Pencil
Patience and a cup of tea
Start off by making a plan. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece, but make sure you have a clear idea of what you plan to do. Be sure to measure carefully and think ahead of how to structure things.
Start by planning the base to fit into the tank. Most have a small shelf on which a simple wooden frame can sit (2a). There are plenty of ways to join the wood, but we find it better to do it as illustrated (2b). Measure out instep at the end of the wood and using a saw cut half-way through the baton. Secure wood safely and use a chisel and a hammer to carefully to remove wood to create the joints.(2c) A small amount of glue is used in the middle of the joint, making sure it does not ooze out the sides, followed by additional nails to secure.
The hardest part of making the base is to get it nice and square. You may find it best to position it on the top of the tank to ensure it’s the correct fit! We clamp ours by using weights to hold it all in position whilst it dries.(3)
Now the base is made, the next step it to decide how tall you want to make your cage, whether it be one storey, 2 storeys, whatever. For this part, we used a slightly thinner wood, simply because you can use cheaper pieces for this section as a lot of the rigidity will come from the wire when attached later. The h-shape structure (4a; arrow) makes up one of the side panels. There are lots of ways to join the wood, cutting out insteps as above, drilling small holes and gluing in dowling rods or using metal brackets. We find cutting out the insteps works best as it is simpler and quicker to do. Clamps were used to hold wood in place while the glue was drying to ensure accurate joins (4b).
Image (5a) illustrates 2 h-shaped side frames joined to the base frame to create the side panels. (5b)Two more horizontal batons are added to create the first floor (yellow arrows), by simply gluing them into place. A simple joint made using wood cut at a 45 º angle (red arrow) is used to simply secure the top of the frame, again using wood glue.
To give the structure extra security, metal L-shaped brackets are attached to the joins.(6) That is the main frame of the cage completed. Next to be made are the doors.
For this cage, we decided to make two large, front opening doors. (7) These were made by using a frame of thinner wood, making sure they fit snugly within the front panel of the main frame. The joints are again made using wood cut at a 45 º angle and glued. That is all the wood work finished; now it’s onto the wire.
Start by adding wire to the doors as this seems to be an easy way to begin.(8a) Previously, we have used U-shaped pins, but since investing in a heavy duty staple gun, building cages has become much quicker and easier (and there’s also been less swearing). Securely attach mesh using enough staples or pins to hold it into place (8b). Make sure the wire is pulled taught when attaching it. Adding the wire will give stability to the door frames.
Next to be done is the main cage frame.(9) For each surface, measure out and cut your wire to size, bearing in mind you will want to cover wooden surfaces to prevent chewing. Be warned, it can be very sharp. Sand down any sharp edges if needed, using a coarse sand paper or metal file. Try to think ahead and be economical – an extra piece of wire at the edges can be bent around wood to prevent chewing, rather than cutting extra smaller pieces later. Carefully cut out sections of the wire to fit snugly into the corners. (10a & b)
The top panels do not have any wooden panels to staple wire to; instead these can be fastened together by wrapping round the wire carefully making sure all sharp pieces of wire are sanded down. Once the last piece of wire has been attached, the frame will become much more stable and is ready for the final few touches. (11 & 12)
Once all the wire is attached, decide on the size and location of holes in the various floors, (13) bearing in mind the way they will be used by the animal and the affect they make have on the structure of the frame. It is easier to cover the floors of the cage in one piece of wire and then cut out the hole once in position. This makes it easier to place the hole exactly where you want. Bend back any loose exposed ends of wire to prevent injury. To make the holes more rigid, we glued in strips of wood to create a strong ledge. (14) Leave extra wire when cutting and wrap this under the wood to prevent chewing of the ledge.
Now that the main cage is finished, all that needs adding is the doors. We chose to use large hinges, (15) as that is what we had, but you could use any type of hinge. For ease of fixture, these were screwed to the outside of the cage, but could easily be attached inside for a neater look. The final detail is to add a secure catch to prevent escapees. (16a & b) There are a number on the market to choose from. Remember, you need them top and bottom on the doors, otherwise they will just open if only attached in the centre.
The finished cage extension should fit snugly on the top of the tank. The wire floor can be covered in paper or wood to make it more comfortable for the animals. A few furnishings and the cage is ready for its new occupants. This cage is currently housing 3 persian jirds who seem to love it, but I’m sure many animals would enjoy this type of cage. Below, the Persian jirds can be seen investigating their new tank extension!
Below are two other examples of tank toppers.
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Six non-governmental organisations, which figure in an Intelligence Bureau report on NGOs stalling development projects, operate out of a single building in Katwaria Sarai in South Delhi.
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The IB report on the ‘Impact of NGOs on Development’ said inquiries into “pattern, design and funding of protests at nuclear plants and uranium mines” revealed a “superior network” of pan-India organisations closely linked to territorial outfits that were also indulging in agitation against GM foods and the POSCO steel plant in Orissa.
“The manner of free-funding for these NGOs is observed from the fact that ASHA and its IFSF campaign are headquartered with four prominent anti-nuclear NGOs at a single address — A-124/6, Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi — which is an unmarked, small, two-room flat,” the report stated.
“These four NGOs are Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF), Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament & Peace (CNDP), Popular Education & Action Centre (PEACE) and Jan Sangharsh Samanvaya Samiti, the latter being the focal point for anti-Fatehabad nuclear power plant,” it added.
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Its section on anti-nuclear activism said CNDP, INSAF and PEACE were at the forefront of protests against building of nuclear energy plants in India and accused them of coordinating radiation leak studies and instigating protests to stall construction work at nuclear sites.
ASHA (Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture) and IFSF (India For Safe Food) have been identified in the IB report as among the four NGOs — the other two being Navdanya and Gene Campaign — which have been leading anti-GM food activism in India.
“The above NGOs were active facilitators of news articles, liaison with other activists and social media activism which contributed to the four-year old moratorium on Bt Brinjal and the ban regimes recommended by parliamentary standing committee (August 2012), Technical Expert Committee appointed by the Supreme Court in October 2012,” the IB said.
INSAF, involved in the anti-Jaitapur nuclear plant activism, was accused of organising and paying for anti-POSCO events “with active participation of most NGOs headquartered with it at Katwaria Sarai”. The IB cautioned that INSAF was now opposing the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, asking activists to warn farmers that they would become landless owing to government acquisition of land for the project. The document claimed INSAF used foreign funds during 2009-12 to pay “at least 15 non-FCRA and 26 FCRA organisations”, including an individual to protest against the extra-judicial executions in Manipur. Its FCRA registration was frozen in 2013 as transfers by an FCRA NGO to non-FCRA NGOs violated Section 7 of FCRA 2010.
When The Indian Express visited the Katwaria Sarai building on Thursday, it found that two of the three floors there are occupied by the four NGOs mentioned in the report — INSAF, CNDP, PEACE and Jan Sangharsh Samanvaya Samiti.
Anil Chaudhary, convenor of PEACE, said there was nothing wrong if they were all operating out of the same address since “we are all like-minded organisations and there is no harm in allowing cost-cuts for infrastructure, especially when we are fighting for a common cause”. He said a monthly rental of Rs 15,000 was being paid for each floor.
Chaudhary, who is also a member of INSAF, said the CNDP was not a registered NGO but “a campaign by individuals with no foreign funding, no membership record… the primary focus of the campaign is nuclear disarmament and its financial repercussions”.
“CNDP was formed in 2000 after Pokhran and became part of PEACE which was formed in 1995. My only question is how has a document of national security been leaked? And if there is a ban on NGOs going against government policy, why aren’t such rules specified in the FCRA?”
“PEACE and INSAF are registered under FCRA. The IB report has not been formulated overnight. It has involved years of investigation. IB personnel have visited us every time there has been a campaign or an awareness programme. During President Clinton’s visit to India in 2000, the IB personnel visited our office to inquire what we were up to,” he said.
PEACE has 16 members and five trainers who deal with various issues relating to displacement, water, NREGA. They also train field workers of smaller NGOs. Nuclear disarmament, Chaudhary said, is only one of the many issues they raise.
The INSAF, he said, is an umbrella body comprising 750 organisations, including PEACE. “INSAF cannot have individuals as its members. Only organisations can be part of it. Elections are held to top posts every two years. INSAF and PEACE each receive funding of Rs one crore a year, the main foreign contributor being Germany. All this has been submitted in our annual report to the FCRA. Why are they creating a problem now,” Chaudhary said.
Last year, the registration of INSAF was suspended for 180 days in “public interest” and its bank accounts frozen. This order was challenged in the Delhi High Court and the suspension order was subsequently withdrawn.
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“We learnt of the IB report only through the newspaper, we never received any official correspondence from the department. We entertain the personnel the same way we entertain any and every visitor who comes here. We are very clear on what we are fighting for. The IB may say what they want. But as a small organisation, we can’t be behind a mass movement. Our only way to spread awareness is through small competitions in schools and workshops. If there are rules, we are following them. In fact, we are glad the IB has named us. At least now our voices will be heard,” Chaudhary said. |
Buy Photo Shoppers are shown coming and going out of the Target store at the Washington Square Mall on Dec. 19, 2013. The Minneapolis-based retailer says it plans to close 11 under-performing stores nationwide in February, including its store in Castleton. (Photo: Matt Detrich / The Star )Buy Photo
Target Corp. will close its store near Castleton Square Mall on Feb. 1.
The Castleton store is among 11 lower-performing stores being closed by the Minneapolis retailer. The store at 8448 Center Run Drive is just east of the mall in a strip center.
None of the other Target stores being closed is in Indiana.
Store employees are being offered jobs at other Target stores, the retail chain said. Target has nearby stores in Nora and Fishers.
Target has almost 2,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada.
Call Star reporter Jeff Swiatek at (317)444-6483. Follow him on Twitter: @JeffSwiatek.
Read or Share this story: http://indy.st/1qo8coC |
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Let me present to you one of the most intellectually radical political essays I've read in a long time.
Penned by the pseudonymous author Publius Decius Mus for the staunchly conservative Claremont Review of Books, it's titled "The Flight 93 Election." America is the plane; Trump and his supporters are Todd Beamer and his fellow passengers who stormed the cockpit in a last-ditch (and ultimately doomed) effort to forestall catastrophe; and Hillary Clinton and her progressive allies in the political and media establishment are the hijackers.
As I said: radical.
From the standpoint of reasonableness and a sense of moral and political proportion, the essay is really quite mad. As in: insane. After introducing the Flight 93 metaphor in the essay's opening paragraph, the author immediately adds a new and equally outrageous analogy: "A Hillary Clinton presidency is Russian Roulette with a semi-auto. With Trump, at least you can spin the cylinder and take your chances." But sometimes an extreme argument can be marvelously clarifying — and this one certainly is.
The Republican Party is in the midst of an ideological civil war. Donald Trump won a plurality of votes in the GOP primaries despite breaking sharply from party and conservative movement orthodoxy on immigration, trade, and foreign policy. Most elected Republicans and party operatives have gone along with Trump's nomination, at least in public, not because they agree with him on these issues but because they realize that the party's largest faction of voters enthusiastically supports him. They feel they have no choice. The party's unelected elites, meanwhile — the pundits, magazine editors, think tank staffers, foundation officers, lobbyists, donors — have either come out against Trump in the name of the old pieties or kept quiet in the hope that after he's defeated things will revert to normal.
This isn't to say that no one in the pundit class has risen to Trump's defense. Ann Coulter and Mickey Kaus have come out strong for Trump. The editors of First Things magazine and the Claremont Review have expressed ambivalent, conflicted support. And then there are the talk radio rabblerousers, many of whom began as skeptics but most of whom have now come around to the Trump camp (with Mark Levin jumping on board just this week).
Publius Decius Mus is different. He acknowledges many of Trump's defects. Yet he insists in the strongest possible terms that all genuine, committed conservatives should fulsomely support the Manhattan mogul in his campaign to defeat Hillary Clinton. The result is the most powerful (and chilling) case for Trump that you're likely to read — which is undoubtedly why Rush Limbaugh devoted a good part of his radio show on Wednesday to reading, commenting on, and endorsing almost the entirety of the 4,300-word essay live on the air.
To those outside the conservative movement, the case will sound more than a little deranged. But many within the movement will undoubtedly find it compelling — while for many other conservatives it just might force a long-overdue reckoning with the character of the ideology they've been defending for much of the past two decades.
The key to the essay is the author's decision to treat the most extreme conservative rhetoric about the detrimental consequences of progressive ideology (from Woodrow Wilson to Barack Obama) with utmost seriousness. Unlike most Republican politicians and conservative intellectuals, who make a habit of denouncing a range of political, moral, and cultural trends while doing little to reverse them, Decius Mus is itching to take action — and he thinks these politicians and writers would be, too, if they followed through on their own arguments.
On the one hand, conservatives routinely present a litany of ills plaguing the body politic. Illegitimacy. Crime. Massive, expensive, intrusive, out-of-control government. Politically correct McCarthyism. Ever-higher taxes and ever-deteriorating services and infrastructure. Inability to win wars against tribal, sub-Third-World foes. A disastrously awful educational system that churns out kids who don't know anything and, at the primary and secondary levels, can't (or won't) discipline disruptive punks, and at the higher levels saddles students with six figure debts for the privilege. And so on and drearily on…. Conservatives spend at least several hundred million dollars a year on think-tanks, magazines, conferences, fellowships, and such, complaining about this, that, the other, and everything. And yet these same conservatives are, at root, keepers of the status quo. Oh, sure, they want some things to change. They want their pet ideas adopted — tax deductions for having more babies and the like. Many of them are even good ideas. But are any of them truly fundamental? Do they get to the heart of our problems? [Claremont Review of Books]
The answer, Decius Mus believes, is an obvious No. And that's what sets up a sledgehammer of a single-sentence paragraph:
If conservatives are right about the importance of virtue, morality, religious faith, stability, character, and so on in the individual; if they are right about sexual morality or what came to be termed "family values"; if they are right about the importance of education to inculcate good character and to teach the fundamentals that have defined knowledge in the West for millennia; if they are right about societal norms and public order; if they are right about the centrality of initiative, enterprise, industry, and thrift to a sound economy and a healthy society; if they are right about the soul-sapping effects of paternalistic Big Government and its cannibalization of civil society and religious institutions; if they are right about the necessity of a strong defense and prudent statesmanship in the international sphere — if they are right about the importance of all this to national health and even survival, then they must believe — mustn't they? — that we are headed off a cliff. [Claremont Review of Books]
Decius Mus suggests that conservatives either "don't really believe" their own rhetoric, or they simply feel they have too much to lose in overturning the established order of things.
How have the last two decades worked out for you, personally? If you're a member or fellow-traveler of the Davos class, chances are: pretty well. If you're among the subspecies conservative intellectual or politician, you've accepted — perhaps not consciously, but unmistakably — your status on the roster of the Washington Generals of American politics. Your job is to show up and lose, but you are a necessary part of the show and you do get paid. To the extent that you are ever on the winning side of anything, it's as sophists who help the Davoisie oligarchy rationalize open borders, lower wages, outsourcing, de-industrialization, trade giveaways, and endless, pointless, winless war. [Claremont Review of Books]
The progressives are the problem, but the conservative movement is no solution.
But why Trump? Won't he — with his manifest corruption, ignorance of policy intricacies, myriad character defects, and temperamental instability — just make the problem worse? While conceding that "only in a corrupt republic, in corrupt times, could a Trump arise," Decius Mus nonetheless argues that Trump's manifold faults have thus far proven to be one of his greatest virtues as a presidential candidate. Only someone this brash, this obnoxious, and this fearless in his disrespect for corrupt establishment institutions could break through and threaten a system that has managed to co-opt nearly everyone in both parties.
Threaten it in the name of what? Nothing less than saving the republic itself from destruction. "Trump, alone among candidates for high office in this or in the last seven (at least) cycles, has stood up to say: I want to live. I want my party to live. I want my country to live. I want my people to live. I want to end the insanity."
Decius Mus remains skeptical about whether Trump can actually make much of a positive difference. But he insists that genuinely committed conservatives have little choice but to place the last tattered remnants of their hopes in his campaign. It's "worth trying," he claims. And if you don't agree? Well, then "you are either part of the junta, a fool, or a conservative intellectual."
For all the talk of conservatism in the essay, there is really nothing significantly conservative about it. Oh sure, it lists a series of positions that are typically embraced by conservative writers. But when it comes to the crucial question of judgment, prudence, practical wisdom — of how one who affirms these conservative views should act in present political circumstances — it is a shockingly radical document.
Or rather, it's a reactionary one — not in the watery sense that it opposes what progressives lazily presume to be the inevitable drift of history. It's reactionary in the precise sense delineated in Mark Lilla's just-published book The Shipwrecked Mind: On Political Reaction. Like all reactionary thinkers, Decius Mus identifies a past golden age (America before progressivism) and a historical fissure after which steep and perhaps irreversible decline set in (the establishment of the administrative state) — and also like other reactionaries, he has come to believe that only a new historical rupture, a sundering of the status quo, has any hope of altering the apocalyptic course of history.
After Trump, the deluge.
All of this would merely be one anonymous man's personal revenge fantasy were it not for one singularly important point: Decius Mus is indisputably correct that the rhetoric devised and deployed by the conservative movement and Republican Party in recent years points in precisely this direction. Reactionary attacks on the status quo have encouraged reactionary judgments, provoked reactionary pessimism, and raised reactionary expectations — and the 2016 campaign is the stage on which the reactionary drama is now playing out, with Donald Trump in the starring role.
Once the election is behind us, conservatives and Republicans who peddled this political poison for years and then came to recognize too late the dangers posed by a potential Trump presidency will face a choice. Will they at long last rein in their rhetoric? Or will they keep at it, and risk a threat to the republic even greater than Donald Trump? |
Here’s a nice story of community problem solving.
Any time there’s a furry event in San Francisco, Zarafa Giraffe is there. He gets around so much, that he was the featured image (with me too) when SFGate news mentioned “furries” in a silly little story about “The Most Embarrassing Google Searches” per state.
Zarafa is iconic for SF Bay Area furries. So it was a shock to hear that his fursuit was stolen:
SAN FRANCISCO FURRIES NOW TARGETS FOR ROBBERY.
That’s very nice personal coverage from Broke-Ass Stuart. He’s a well known San Francisco personality who does travel writing, news blogging, TV hosting, and even ran for mayor. The news tip came from Smashwolf. It made great press, counting the city as a place for the wild and creative, and furries as a unique part of it.
Broke-Ass Stuart linked Dogpatch Press. There was already a story here about the scene of the crime – a crossover between the subculturally hot Frolic furry party, the big party Bootie, and it’s venue, DNA Lounge.
Drag Queens vs. Furries at a legendary San Francisco Party – January 30, 2016.
The fursuit theft happened with a car break-in. Furries speculated that they were specially targeted, but consensus held that the carry case was a random target. There had already been high-profile efforts to reduce car robbery in the neighborhood with assistance from night life venues. NBC News reported about DNA Lounge: “After thieves targeted club staff, performers and guests, the promoters chipped in to hire security guard Jonathan Yancey.” (More at SFist.)
As crushing as the loss was, the stage was set for a very visible search. (The attention shows what I take as a credo… if you don’t like what the media does, Be The Media.) The hunt was on to find a missing purple giraffe. He’s a good fursona… how many of those are there?
So, after the Frolic/Bootie party in SF last nite, my fursuit was stolen from my locked car trunk-a random urban crime. I'm crushed. 🙁 — Zarafa (@Zarafagiraffe) January 31, 2016
The silver lining here is you are all overwhelming me with your thoughts and prayers and offers to help. It's a "good" overwhelming. 🙂 — Zarafa (@Zarafagiraffe) January 31, 2016
Stolen fursuit in the San Francisco area. Purple Giraffe. Please please keep an eye out. Contact us with any info! pic.twitter.com/dQdHrbGIpx — Made Fur You (@MadeFurYou) January 31, 2016
If history is a guide, a stolen fursuit doesn’t have good chance to be found. Nobody who’d wear one would steal one, knowing how conspicuous that is. It’s like stealing famous unfenceable art. Nobody who’d steal one would know a use for it. Dumping it is the most likely scenario.
Luckily, the SF Bay Area Furry scene has very dedicated movers to make things happen – none more than Neonbunny, promoter of Frolic. Neon both put on the party AND put in search hours (with Frolic team member Skibit) to post flyers across the neighborhood. The flyer was collaboratively made by Catwoman69y2K.
One of the flyers did the job. The sad happening was turned around when everyone worked together for a common goal.
Zarafa’s journal – From Despair to a Miracle: My Fursuit Returns!
Reddit – Unbelievably, Zarafa the purple giraffe fursuit found! A homeless lady found it and returned it! Wonderful news!
Reddit – Zafara the Purple Giraffe has been found!
He was found dumped in an alley, missing a hand and footpaw but otherwise intact, by the homeless lady living in a tent city. She was paid with a pizza, sleeping bag and reward money. It’s a very San Francisco story.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153451712088553&set=a.10150614815953553.386360.623053552&type=3&theater
This sums up the current situation pretty well. Art by @EmoBurd I am near tears, but now they're the good kind. 🙂 pic.twitter.com/6Jp2DGfnh4 — Zarafa (@Zarafagiraffe) February 4, 2016 |
On August 16th I covered the upcoming 2014 Strides Against Breast Cancer across Second Life season, which officially runs through the months of September and October, and forms a part of the RFL SL season.
The organising team’s chair, Jessi Warrhol has now released information on the season’s kick-off event.
Things will start on Sunday September 7th at 09:00 SLT with a pre-event show from T1 radio. The full schedule will be as follows, remember all times SLT, 24-hour clock notation, as usual!
09:00-10:00 – T1 Radio Pre Kick Off Show
11:00-16:00 – Musical Performances
15:30 – While you are dancing away at kickoff, join the team at the special Making Strides broadcast booth for the premiere of the T1 Radio Show “Getting in Stride With Tee and Nuala”.
The kick-off event will be taking place as a special venue alongside the American Cancer Society’s main region – teleport there and follow the signs.
Get Involved!
You can get involved by becoming a member of the Pink Club and being one of the MSABC sponsors for the 2014 seasons. The MSABC sponsorship page provides information on the available sponsorship packages for those interested.
Individuals, businesses, groups and organisations across SL can also provide direct support throughout September and October. Simply request a fundraising toolkit and get started making strides in Second Life!
Survivors and Caregivers
Please register so that the MSABC team can keep you up to date with Strides activities and so that you can receive the special 2014 breast cancer survivor and caregiver packet.
Hunt Participants and Gifts
The I feel, You Feel hunt will run from September 21st to October 31st, and applications are still open for those creators and businesses willing to participate in the hunt and donate gifts. Items do not have to be all pink, and those wishing to provide clothing are asked to consider making both a male & female gift or a unisex item, as the hunt is for everyone. Those stores and businesses wishing to participate in the hunt are asked to complete the hunt application form, and to address any questions to Earth Nirvana in-world.
About Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer or MSABC is the largest network of breast cancer awareness events in the United States, uniting more than 300 communities across the country. Every breast cancer walk run during the MSABC’s season is seen as an incredible and inspiring opportunity to honour those who have battled breast cancer, raise awareness on how the risk of breast cancer can be reduced, and to raise money to help the American Cancer Society fight the disease with research, information, services and access to mammograms for women who need them.
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Adobe Flash Until the rise of the iPhone and other mobile devices, Adobe Flash was the most popular way to add video and animation to your website. Adobe still makes a profit from selling its Flash development software, but not nearly as much as it did in the early 2000s. With the rise of HTML5 and Flash-unfriendly mobile devices, then end of Flash's run seems inevitable.
Amazon Prime Amazon's free two day shipping and media streaming subscription service, called Prime, has attracted a lot of users. In fact, Amazon said in late August that more items are shipped through Prime than Amazon's Free Super Saver Shipping. But that hasn't helped the service become profitable on its own. Still, the product sales it drives, and what Amazon is able to learn about the media business may make it an invaluable loss-leader. Classic Amazon strategy.
Google's Android Operating System Google may license out its Android operating system for free, but it's still making money from it. Thanks to search engine traffic, ads, and a cut of every Play Store sale, Google has pulled in an estimated $550 million in profit from 2008 to to 2011 from Android.
Spotify Hoping to end the trend of actually buying a song or album, Spotify launched its freemium music streaming service in 2006. Ever since, the company has been struggling to lure its freeloading users into paying $10 per month for its ad-free offering. A report released in September 2012 says that for all the money Spotify makes from its Premium subscribers, it loses just as much by streaming music for free. |
If the rich nations in the world keep growing their economies by 2% each year and by 2050 the poorest nations catch up, the global economy of more than 9 billion people will be around 15 times larger than it is now, in terms of gross domestic product (GDP). If the global economy then grows by 3% to the end of the century, it will be 60 times larger than now.
The existing economy is already environmentally unsustainable. It is utterly implausible to think we can “decouple” economic growth from environmental impact so significantly, especially since recent decades of extraordinary technological advancement have only increased our impacts on the planet, not reduced them.
Moreover, if you asked politicians whether they’d rather have 4% growth than 3%, they’d all say yes. This makes the growth trajectory outlined above all the more absurd.
Others have shown why limitless growth is a recipe for disaster. I’ve argued that living in a degrowth economy would actually increase well-being, both socially and environmentally. But what would it take to get there?
In a new paper published by the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, I look at government policies that could facilitate a planned transition beyond growth – and I reflect on the huge obstacles lying in the way.
Measuring progress
First, we need to know what we’re aiming for.
It is now widely recognised that GDP – the monetary value of all goods and services produced in an economy – is a deeply flawed measure of progress.
GDP can be growing while our environment is being degraded, inequality is worsening, and social well-being is stagnant or falling. Better indicators of progress include the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), which accounts for a wide range of social, economic and environmental factors.
Cap resources and energy
Environmental impact is driven by demand for resources and energy. It is now clear that the planet cannot possibly support current or bigger populations if developing nations used the same amount of resources and energy as developed nations.
Demand can be reduced through efficiency gains (doing more with less), but these gains tend to be reinvested in more growth and consumption, rather than reducing impacts.
A post-growth economy would therefore need diminishing “resource caps” to achieve sustainability. These would aim to limit a nation’s consumption to a “fair share” of available resources. This in turn would stimulate efficiency, technological innovation and recycling, thereby minimising waste.
This means that a post-growth economy will need to produce and consume in far less resource-intensive ways, which will almost certainly mean reduced GDP. There will of course be scope to progress in other ways, such as increased leisure time and community engagement.
Work less, live more
Growth in GDP is often defended on the grounds that it is required to keep unemployment at manageable levels. So jobs will have to maintained in other ways.
Even though GDP has been growing quite consistently in recent decades, many Westerners, including Australians, still seem to be locked into a culture of overwork.
By reducing the average working week to 28 hours, a post-growth economy would share the available work among the working population. This would minimise or eliminate unemployment even in a non-growing or contracting economy.
Lower income would mean we would have less stuff, reducing environmental impact, but we would receive more freedom in exchange. Planned degrowth is therefore very different to unplanned recession.
Redirect public spending
Governments are the most significant player in any economy and have the most spending power. Taking limits to growth seriously will require a fundamental rethink of how public funds are invested and spent.
Among other things, this would include a swift divestment from the fossil fuel economy and reinvestment in renewable energy systems. But just as important is investing in efficiency and reducing energy demand through behaviour change. Obviously, it will be much easier to transition to 100% renewable energy if energy demand is a fraction of what it is today.
We could fund this transition by redirecting funds from military spending (climate change is, after all, a security threat), cutting fossil fuel subsidies and putting an adequate price on carbon.
Reform banking and finance
Banking and finance systems essentially have a “growth imperative” built into their structures. Money is loaned into existence by private banks as interest-bearing debt. Paying back the debt plus the interest requires an expansion of the monetary supply.
There is so much public and private debt today that the only way it could be paid back is via decades of continued growth.
So we need deep reform of banking and finance systems. We’d also need to cancel debt in some circumstances, especially in developing nations that are being suffocated by interest payments to rich world lenders.
The population question
Then there’s population. Many people assume that population growth will slow when the developing world gets rich, but to globalise affluence would be environmentally catastrophic. It is absolutely imperative therefore that nations around the world unite to confront the population challenge directly.
Population policies will inevitably be controversial but the world needs bold and equitable leadership on this issue, because current trends suggest we are heading for 11 billion by the end of this century.
Anyone who casually dismisses the idea that there is a limit to how many people Earth can support should be given a Petri dish with a swab of bacteria. Watch as the colony grows until it consumes all of the available nutrients or is poisoned by its own waste.
The first thing needed is a global fund that focuses on providing the education, empowerment and contraception required to minimise the estimated 87 million unintended pregnancies worldwide every year.
Eliminating poverty
The conventional path to poverty alleviation is the strategy of GDP growth, on the assumption that “a rising tide will lift all boats”. But, as I’ve argued, a rising tide will sink all boats.
Poverty alleviation must be achieved more directly, via redistribution of wealth and power, both nationally and internationally. In other words (and to change the metaphor), a post-growth economy would eliminate poverty not by baking an ever-larger pie (which isn’t working) but by sharing it differently.
The richest 62 people on the planet own more than the poorest half of humanity. Dwell on that for a moment, and then dare to tell me that redistribution is not an imperative of justice.
So what’s stopping us?
Despite these post-growth policy proposals seeming coherent, they face at least four huge obstacles – which may be insurmountable.
First, the paradigm of growth is deeply embedded in national governments, especially in the developed world. At the cultural level, the expectation of ever-increasing affluence is as strong as ever. I am not so deluded as to think otherwise.
Second, these policies would directly undermine the economic interests of the most powerful corporations and institutions in society, so fierce resistance should be expected.
Third, and perhaps most challenging, is that in a globalised world these policies would likely trigger either capital flight or economic collapse, or both. For example, how would the stock markets react to this policy agenda?
Finally, there is also a geopolitical risk in being first to adopt these policies. Reduced military spending, for instance, would reduce a nation’s relative power.
So if these “top-down” policies are unlikely to work, it would seem to follow that if a post-growth economy is to emerge, it may have to be driven into existence from below, with communities coming together to build the new economy at the grassroots level.
And if we face a future where the growth economy grows itself to death, which seems to be the most likely scenario, then building up local resilience and self-sufficiency now will prove to be time and energy well spent.
In the end, it is likely that only when a deep crisis arrives will an ethics of sufficiency come to inform our economic thinking and practice more broadly. |
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