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Large Scale / H.A. Services Security Systems Administration Monitoring μαθετε περισσοτερα Σημείο αναφοράς στις Υπηρεσίες Πληροφορικής & Εκπαίδευσης CITEd.gr "The workers and professionals of the world will soon be divided into two distinct groups. Those who will control computers and those who will be controlled by computers. It would be best for you to be in the former group." -- Lewis D. Eigen Large Scale / H.A. Services Security Systems Administration Monitoring μαθετε περισσοτερα Σημείο αναφοράς στις Υπηρεσίες Πληροφορικής & Εκπαίδευσης CITEd.gr "The workers and professionals of the world will soon be divided into two distinct groups. Those who will control computers and those who will be controlled by computers. It would be best for you to be in the former group." -- Lewis D. Eigen

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This is historical material, "frozen in time." The web site is no longer updated and links to external web sites and some internal pages will not work. M96-20: Rivlin Memo on Initial ITMRA ImplementationOMB Home MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ESTABLISHMENTS FROM: Alice M. Rivlin SUBJECT: Implementation of the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996 This memorandum provides preliminary guidance to Federal agencies on the implementation of the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996 (ITMRA), Pub. L. 104106, which President Clinton signed into law on February 10, 1996. ITMRA repeals Section 111 of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (popularly referred to as the "Brooks Act") and establishes a new statutory scheme for information technology management and acquisition within the Executive branch. The Act's provisions take effect on August 8, 1996, 180 days after enactment. This memorandum addresses two areas -- the designation of the chief information officer (CIO) and the role of the General Services Board of Contract Appeals (GSBCA) in information technology protests. In addition to this memorandum, OMB Circulars will be revised to provide further guidance to agencies. OMB will seek agency and public comment of draft revisions to Circular A130, "Management of Federal Information Resources," so that these revisions will be final by early August 1996. In addition, OMB Circular A-l l, "Preparation and Submission of Budget Estimates," will be revised as part of the annual update of that Circular. Agency Chief Information Officers Section 5125(a) of ITMRA amends Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1996 (PRA), Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, by establishing the position of Chief Information Officer in place of the designated senior of official for information resources management previously established by the PRA. This provision is intended to establish clear accountability for agency information resources management activities, provide for greater coordination among the agency's information activities, and ensure greater visibility of such activities within each agency. One of the most important responsibilities of the CIO is to promote effective agency operations by implementing budget-linked capital planning for, and performance-based management of, information technology systems. Under the ITMRA, agencies are to determine, before making an investment in a new information system to support a particular function, whether the function should be performed or supported by the private sector or another agency. Agencies should also, where appropriate, reorganize and revise the way a function is performed to improve its effectiveness before making significant IT investments to support that work. To ensure that these strategic issues are addressed by the agency, the Act makes the CIO explicitly responsible for promoting improvements in agency work processes. The CIO is also charged with facilitating the development, implementation, and maintenance of a sound and integrated information technology architecture for the agency, and promoting the effective design and operation of all major information resources management processes. The duties of the CIO are set forth at section S 125(c) of the ITMRA. Designation and Organizational Placement of the Chief information Officer. Each agency head is expected to select and position a CIO to ensure the effective acquisition and use of IT and to carry out the agency's information resources management responsibilities. While the organizational placement of the CIO is to be determined by the agency head, the person selected should report to the agency head directly, and not through another official. The CIO must actively participate, with the agency head and other senior agency officials, in planning and budgeting deliberations, support of work process redesign in areas being considered for IT investment, and the development of information technology program performance measures. Consistent with the ITMRA for the agencies listed in the Attachment, information resources management shall be the primary duty of the CIO. The agency head may designate as the CIO any individual who has the professional qualifications and experience required for the duties of the position. The position may be filled by recruiting and appointing someone from outside the agency, by the current senior information resources management official, or by someone holding another position in the agency. 1 Agencies may also establish CIOs for major subcomponents or bureaus, and may also appoint deputy CIOs that have additional experience in work process redesign, design and management of information technology architectures, and data and telecommunications management. Relation to Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The head of the agency is responsible for defining the operating relationship between the CIO and CFO functions and ensuring coordination in the implementation of the ITMRA, the PRA, the Chief Financial Officers Act, and the Government Performance and Results Act. The CFO continues to be responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining the financial management systems as provided for in the CFO Act. In agencies where financial systems represent a substantial part of the agency's information systems portfolio, it may be appropriate for the same person to serve as both CIO and CFO, so long as the mix of the CFO/CIO duties and qualifications is consistent with the intent of ITMRA. Finally, Section S 126 of the 11 ITMRA encourages the CIO and CFO to work together under the direction of the agency head to ensure that the agency's information systems provide reliable, consistent, and timely program performance information. Appointment Process. By August 8, 1996, the head of each agency shall designate its Chief Information Officer, as required by ITMRA and the PRA. Each agency listed in the Attachment should consult with the OMB Deputy Director for Management prior to establishing and filling the position, and provide the following information: the CIO's name, background and experience. an organization chart which identifies the CIO's position relative to the head of the agency, and other senior agency officials, and the agency staff and associated resources assigned, or to be assigned, to the CIO for the performance of functions assigned by the PRA and ITMRA. a description of the CIO's authority and responsibilities. All agencies should provide the name, title, and phone number for the CIO to OMB once the position is filled. This information should be mailed to Room 10236, New Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20503. This information should be updated as changes occur. Role of the General Services Board Of Contract Appeals (GSBCA) The repeal of the Brooks Act revokes the GSBCA's authority to hear and decide bid protests. The GSBCA will continue to hear and decide protests received up to and including August 7, 1996. The GSBCA will not accept any protest received on or after August 8, 1996. Inquiries. Inquiries or suggestions regarding the role of the Chief Information Officer may be directed to the Information Policy and Technology Branch in OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (202) 395-3785. Inquiries regarding the role of the GSBCA should be directed to OMB's Office of Federal Procurement Policy (202) 395-6803. 1. In agencies listed in the Attachment, if the position is placed in the Senior Executive Service (career or non-career), the agency head may set the pay of the incumbent at any rate of the Senior Executive Service in accordance with 5 U.S.C. S383. Attachment Department of Agriculture Department of the Air Force Agency for International Development General Services Administration The Budget Legislative Information Management Reform/GPRA Grants Management Financial Management Procurement Policy Information & Regulatory Policy Contact the White House Web Master Graphic Version T H E W H I T E H O U S E

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The gentle art of sidewalk counseling by Edmund Miller Almost from the very beginning, the problem facing history and humanity has been fragmentation. Immediately after disobeying God’s command, Adam and Eve’s relationship fragmented under the blow of blame and guilt. That fragmentation then spread to their offspring, as brother murdered brother. Ultimately, we find the whole human community suffering from the inability to connect, to relate, to understand each other. Man’s efforts to communicate with others became mere babel. The ultimate answer to this babel is, of course, in Pentecost—that is, in the communion of the Church, our relatedness in the Body of Christ. For those who step out of this community, however, there can be only isolation. I don’t think sinful man’s isolation can be seen any more clearly than at the abortion mill. One of the clearest reflections of the community of the Triune Godhead, we know, is the Trinitarian community of the family. That community, however, is badly wounded, perhaps destroyed, at the abortuary. When the man puts the woman in the car to take her there, he tells her he didn’t really intend the message of self-gift he spoke at the moment of physical intimacy. He says he wants the incarnation of their union—the child—to be torn apart. The woman says she doesn’t trust the man. She says there’s no such thing as sacrifice, no such thing as love, no such thing as communion. For the woman, elective abortion is total despair. However, even at that moment of despair, even at the very door of the abortuary, miraculous moments have occurred—moments in which a mother recognizes the reality of another soul and her connection to that soul, moments in which a man recognizes his responsibility to the woman he has brought to that dark place. These moments are often witnessed and, in some ways, facilitated by the pro-life movement’s frontline activists: sidewalk counselors. The methods used by sidewalk counselors to help bring about these moments vary from region to region, and even from facility to facility. Nevertheless, there are a few universals that, I believe, all sidewalk counselors can and should observe. Following are the general guidelines* employed by the Guadalupe Partners (see sidebar) who sidewalk counsel in the Detroit metropolitan area. When I present sidewalk counseling workshops (see sidebar), usually I’m asked, “What do you say to a woman who’s going in for an abortion?” Unfortunately, there’s no script for sidewalk counseling. The sidewalk counselor, like Saint Paul, has to be “all things to all people.” He must be able to adapt himself to where he is and to whom he is speaking. With that theme in mind, one must first realize this person isn’t always a woman. The woman, certainly, is the one who will suffer the abortion, but sometimes it’s her boyfriend or dad who is really going for the abortion. When the sidewalk counselor sees the potential customers getting out of their cars, he has to make an immediate assessment: Who really wants the abortion, and what kind of person is he? A Spanish-speaking couple or woman will probably be more open to appeals of faith. A father taking in a daughter needs to be reminded that the trouble she’s experiencing can’t be erased by a five-minute procedure and that the abortion itself will inflict her with years of guilt. A boyfriend or husband must be told that if he loves his woman, he won’t want to destroy what she—what they —have created. One will remind him, too, that abortion is usually the death sentence of a love relationship. An older woman who already has several children can be asked why this one is any less valuable: Doesn’t she love them all equally? Finally, one might ask a teenage girl if she had always dreamed of beginning her womanhood in an abortion mill. While there are several possibilities for what to say, there are many things one shouldn’t say or do. The sidewalk counselor shouldn’t trigger the woman’s or couple’s self-defense mechanism, meaning that the sidewalk counselor shouldn’t do or say anything that causes a woman to create a mental barrier between herself and the counselor. Years ago, one of my high school students and I pulled up to a Chicago abortuary where pro-life rescuers had blocked the doors. The police had created a corridor to one of the doors, and that corridor was lined with pro-lifers, many of them holding signs. As my student and I approached the scene, an abortuary “escort,” mistaking us for a couple, approached to ask if we wanted to be escorted into the facility. We both looked at each other and then said, “Yes.” Once inside, we argued loudly about Ashlea’s feigned decision to abort. After 10 minutes of brilliant improvisation, I was kicked out. What’s most important to recount, though, is what we experienced while walking through that corridor of pro-lifers. It was like walking through a factory, a barrage of noise, none of which made sense. When someone entering an abortuary feels—rightly or wrongly—that she’s being attacked, she creates a mental wall that blocks any message others try to convey. Any kind of shouting, then, no matter how worthy the message, is self-defeating. Large signs or even bulky packets of material can have the same effect. Bodily positioning on the sidewalk is also very important for sidewalk counselors. They shouldn’t group together; instead, as an expression of their own weakness, they should approach the woman or couple singly. To a certain extent, sidewalk counselors must abandon fears for their own safety. They shouldn’t speak to anyone from a “safe distance,” but calmly walk right up to the man or woman. This guarantees that the counselor’s voice will be as non-threatening as possible. Not long ago, a woman inside of a Dearborn, Michigan, abortion facility came out to smoke a cigarette. As she stood just outside the front door, a ring of pro-lifers stood about eight feet from her, talking at her, but not really talking to her. Sidewalk counselor Alicia Wong (a Guadalupe Partners member) approached, stepped right through the ring to the woman’s side, and began a quiet conversation. Perhaps the most important “don’t do” rule is that you should never talk over another sidewalk counselor. I know how tempting it is. You’re convinced that what you have to say is directly from the Holy Spirit, sent by Angelic Express. You’re full of fire, so you call it out, right over another sidewalk counselor’s active conversation. At that moment, the woman or boyfriend takes advantage of the slight interruption and says, “I have to go back in now.” A person being spoken at has an easier time of breaking away than a person who has been engaged in a true conversation. So, in order to engage a woman or couple entering a facility, a sidewalk counselor needs to ask questions: Is this your first child? How many children do you have? Are you married? What brought you here? What do you think abortion will do for you? Do you know anything about the long-term effects of abortion? How can we help you? The answers to these questions will point the way for you to follow in the conversation. The advantage is that what you say won’t be a generic script; instead, your words will speak directly to an abortion-minded person. The overall environment in which sidewalk counselors should work is an environment of prayer and quiet. Ideally, everyone present at the abortuary at that time should represent a unified effort directed by a single leader. leader. Roles should be clearly defined. Those who are there for prayer support shouldn’t interfere with sidewalk counseling or take up the sidewalk counselor’s space. In other words, they shouldn’t stand right in front of the door, but well off to the side. Sidewalk counselors should be well spaced, each working in their own assigned zone. They shouldn’t carry a sign or do anything else to advertise their presence. A foretaste of heaven Finally, a sidewalk counselor should understand that when real, human contact is made with a mother or couple, and she or they have rejected the temptation to kill the child, often that moment is the beginning—not the end—of the story. Invite the mother out to breakfast. Take her grocery shopping. Ask if you can visit her home and meet her other children. In other words, try to keep the relationship going. After all, this is what the work is about: It’s about the life of the child, yes; about the health of the mother, yes; but mostly, it’s about relationship, the truth that no one lives in isolation. The community we share and experience on earth is a foretaste and preparation for the final, perfect community of heaven. When I and other Guadalupe Partners began making trips into Detroit to visit mothers or families, we felt intimidated by the city’s harsh reputation. We entered, it seemed, a strange and threatening land. Now, though, that city holds many friends for us. Often, when rescuing a baby from the suction machine, we find that we have, in a way, rescued the whole family. This seemed poignantly clear not long ago, when we buried a baby miscarried by a mother originally turned away from an abortion center. Despite his mother’s change of heart, he had died. But now she had gathered a few friends to say goodbye and to bury her child. Even the woman who had fronted the money for the baby to be killed was there by his casket, acknowledging that he was, after all, a member of the human family. This child died loved, not rejected. And a broken family is a little less broken. A unique sidewalk counseling ministry The Guadalupe Partners began its sidewalk counseling ministry in the Ann Arbor, Michigan, area over 10 years ago (see Celebrate Life, November-December 2008 and “At the heart of the sidewalk,” January-February 2009). Its cofounders selected an abortion facility where they could have direct contact with the mothers entering for appointments. When that facility closed after a year and a half, they moved their outreach to an abortion business frequented by women from Detroit’s Mexicantown. There, cofounder Alicia Wong, born and raised in Mexico City, used her native Spanish with great success.Now that this facility, American Family Planning, is also closed, Guadalupe Partners has focused its efforts on two abortuaries located on Detroit’s west side. This sidewalk counseling organization is unique in that its members personally provide all follow-up with the mothers who turn away from the abortion mills—including rent and utility bill assistance, along with frequent grocery, clothing, and diaper deliveries. An online audio seminar on the Guadalupe Partners’ sidewalk counseling techniques is available, free of charge, at GuadalupePartners.org. * These guidelines apply only where direct contact with the mothers is possible. Injunctions, property lines, aggressive abortion facility escorts, and so forth, may make these methods impossible. 2013 Summer Edmund Miller Edmund Miller Edmund Miller teaches at Spiritus Sanctus Academy in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has been sidewalk counseling since 1987. For more information about the Guadalupe Partners, please visit GuadalupePartners.org. American Life League launches the Marian Blue Wave Fulton Sheen’s Spiritual Adoption saves lives! Red Rose Rescue Loving Jesus’ precious children inside... Battling against the culture Pro-life essay contest WINNERS 2017 “Abortion Victim Photos” and why the pro... Cecile Richards has a special heart-to-heart with... Scary Karaoke Mr. Atler’s special argument We cannot be idle in the face of slaughter Morning coffee with some lies Abandoned, but far from forgotten: Dr. Monica... And Then There Were None: What if there were no... Pro-Life billboards: Getting a compassionate message...

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Hard-Working Americans: The Firefighter By Maggie BenZvi | August 25, 2019 Even after a residential blaze gave him third-degree burns, firefighting was a lifestyle Arron Williams couldn’t leave behind. He got hooked after going on a ride-along in high school, and now going into his seventh year with his local Fire Department, he views his coworkers as part of his family. “You know, a lot of cliched people say it’s to help the community, which it is, or it’s the adrenaline rush, which there’s plenty of it. But it’s just like in the service or for police officers — it’s about the guys and gals you work with,” Williams said. “It’s the community you’re involved in. It’s just a special thing.” I realized early on I wasn’t going to be a professional baseball player. So this job provides a lot of similarities to the sports world — you have your teammates, your coworkers. I always wanted to be a chef — well, I get to cook every day I go to work. Become a paramedic — well, every day I’ve got to run 25 paramedic calls. I wanted to be a fireman, and I get to be a fireman once a month or so when we get a good fire. Obviously, helping the community is a lot of what we do, and I’d be a liar if I said that wasn’t special to me. In a job like this where you’re faced with the realities of this world — the homelessness, veteran PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) you see out there out on the streets, from the Vietnam wars or even you see from our Iraq and Afghanistan wars, you get veterans living out there in the streets. Or you see domestic abuse in the homes, and we’re the first line of defense. Or we’re the first line of defense for an officer down shooting call. It’s those moments where you get to be a part of something that’s bigger than yourself. There’s no words to describe what that feeling is like. Photo by AJ Miller/Coffee or Die. What do people get wrong about the fire service? I come across a lot of people — and it’s kinda demoralizing — they think all we do is sit in a recliner all day long, they pay us to shop at the grocery store and do nothing but watch TV. That couldn’t be further from the truth. In a typical day here, I run 20 calls, probably 15 ALS (advanced life support) calls, maybe a couple vehicle fires or vehicle accidents, some high-rise alarms. I cook and I clean every day. There’s a great line — “they don’t pay us for what we do, they pay us for what we’re willing to do.” And I think a lot of people recognize that, but you come across some folks who don’t. And that’s okay, it’s maybe out of ignorance, but we’re there to kind of help bridge that gap. But we do a lot more than sit in a recliner. We’re always training, we’re cooking, we’re cleaning, we’re running calls, we’re taking care of the community, and at any moment, at any drop of the dime, we’re willing to go put our life on the line. And I know that sounds cliche, but we do it every day. What’s been your hardest day on the job? I’m going to bring it back to April 8, 2015. I was working with Cal Fire on a Type 3 fire engine. We got called out to a structure fire, residential, and during the initial fire attack operations we had what was called a flashover event where the whole room combusted. And I was right in the middle of that, and I was stuck inside, disoriented for about 30 seconds. Photo courtesy of AJ Miller/Coffee or Die. The whole room I was in went orange, so I had no idea where the door was, had no idea where my partner was, no idea where my hose line was. It was kind of like being a baked potato in an oven. So I had about half a minute inside a room with 1,000-degree temperature, burning alive. It got to the point where I saw my mask melting, I could feel my body melting. At 1,000 degrees, it’s awfully hot. I ended up passing out. When I passed out, I passed out next to the door where my partners were waiting. They weren’t able to go inside because you can’t walk through a wall of fire. But like something out of a storybook, I just fell right into their hands. They were able to drag me out. Long story short, I ended up with 20 percent burns to my body. Most of them were third degree. I had a lot of skin grafts — I was at UC Davis at the burn center for three weeks in the ICU (intensive care unit) and a total of 14 months off the job. So, physically, I would say that’s my hardest day in the fire service. One of the hardest soulful moments I’ve had in the fire service was probably at that 10- to 12-month point when my body was healing and I had to make a decision: do I come back to this job? I just experienced one of the worst moments of my life, one of the worst moments any firefighter can ever imagine. I was burned alive. And I had to make a decision to I come back to this job. Is it still what I want to do? Or do I go do something else? I had a lot of time to think about this during my recovery, and what it ultimately came down to is, what else could I do? This is what I know, this is what I love, this is what I’m good at. Obviously it has risks, but you have to decide whether the risks are worth it. Are you willing to give up all that hard work you put in, all those relationships you’ve established, into a career that you call a lifestyle? I wasn’t ready to give up that lifestyle. So the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make was probably coming back to work, knowing that everything I’d just experienced could happen again. And I was going to have a lot of hard days ahead of me, proving to the guys and gals I work with that I could still do the job both physically and mentally — and proving that to myself, too. And it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. It’s been incredible knowing that after all that I didn’t have to give up what I love the most, and that’s being a fireman. Are you still passionate about what you do? If so, why? One-hundred percent. I’d say even more so than when I started. I’m seven years in now, and like I mentioned earlier, this is not a career, this is a lifestyle. The folks you get to work next to every day, it’s a beautiful thing. You establish those bonds and friendships that are going to last 30 years and a lifetime. It’s the people you go to help. The everyday grind is not a grind. It’s knowing that you have a job to come to that’s special. Knowing that I get to come to work and I have the great friends who are coworkers. It’s the things that I get to do and see that are very unique to society as a whole. You know, we’re there on folks’ worst day, and we’re there to turn that around. And to be that person, to fill that role? Words can’t describe that. Hard-Working Americans: The Beekeeper Hard-Working Americans: The Butcher

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Lennox and Catherine Tierney Photograph Collection Professor Patrick Lennox Tierney is professor emeritus from the University of Utah's Art History Department. Lennox Tierney's specialty is Japan and has visited that country almost every year since 1949 when he first worked there as the Arts and Monuments Commissioner. Later, Lennox Tierney lead many photography tours over the years for a group called Through the Lens Tours and traveled to most countries of the world. Over the years, Professor Tierney donated over 250,000 slides to the Marriott Library's collections. The slides reflect landscapes, architecture, agriculture, the arts, and various other topics. 1782178317841785178617871788178917901791179217931794179517961797179817991800180118021803180418051806180718081809181018111812181318141815181618171818181918201821182218231824182518261827182818291830183118321833183418351836183718381839184018411842184318441845184618471848184918501851185218531854185518561857185818591860186118621863186418651866186718681869187018711872187318741875187618771878187918801881188218831884188518861887188818891890189118921893189418951896189718981899190019011902190319041905190619071908190919101911191219131914191519161917191819191920192119221923192419251926192719281929193019311932193319341935193619371938193919401941194219431944194519461947194819491950195119521953195419551956195719581959196019611962196319641965196619671968196919701971197219731974197519761977197819791980198119821983198419851986198719881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010 TO 1782178317841785178617871788178917901791179217931794179517961797179817991800180118021803180418051806180718081809181018111812181318141815181618171818181918201821182218231824182518261827182818291830183118321833183418351836183718381839184018411842184318441845184618471848184918501851185218531854185518561857185818591860186118621863186418651866186718681869187018711872187318741875187618771878187918801881188218831884188518861887188818891890189118921893189418951896189718981899190019011902190319041905190619071908190919101911191219131914191519161917191819191920192119221923192419251926192719281929193019311932193319341935193619371938193919401941194219431944194519461947194819491950195119521953195419551956195719581959196019611962196319641965196619671968196919701971197219731974197519761977197819791980198119821983198419851986198719881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010 Image11,848 image/jpeg11,870 Lennox and Catherine Tierney Photogra...11,870 Filters: Collection: "uum_lctpc" 1 - 25 of 11,870 Sort by Relevance Sort by Title A-Z Sort by Title Z-A Sort by Date Ascending Sort by Date Descending Sort by Last Modified Ascending Sort by Last Modified Descending 1 Block printing: Katsukawa Shunsho [008] 1782 uum_lctpc Image 2 Social Life and Customs, Japan: New Year Celebration [050] Hand-colored (001) 1820; 1821; 1822; 1823; 1824; 1825; 1826; 1827; 1828; 1829; 1830; 1831; 1832; 1833; 1834; 1835; 1836; 1837; 1838; 1839; 1840; 1841; 1842; 1843; 1844; 1845; 1846; 1847; 1848; 1849; 1850; 1851; 1852; 1853; 1854; 1855; 1856; 1857; 1858; 1859; 1860; 1861; 1862; 1863; 1864; 1865; 1866; 1867; 1868; 1869; ... uum_lctpc Image 3 Industry in Japan: Pearl Industry and Trade [001] Hand-colored (001) 1870; 1871; 1872; 1873; 1874; 1875; 1876; 1877; 1878; 1879; 1880; 1881; 1882; 1883; 1884; 1885; 1886 uum_lctpc Image 4 Shinto: Japan [007] Hand-colored (001) 1874 uum_lctpc Image 5 Industry in Japan: Pearl Industry and Trade [002] Hand-colored (002) 1874 uum_lctpc Image 6 Musical Instruments: Japanese Music and Musicians [012] Koto (008) Hand-colored (001) 1874 uum_lctpc Image 7 Japanese Arts and Crafts: Calligraphy [009] Hand-colored (001) 1874 uum_lctpc Image 8 Japanese Clothing and Dress [013] Hand-colored (002) 1874 uum_lctpc Image 9 Hakata, Fukuoka, Japan [011] Hand-colored (001) 1874 uum_lctpc Image 10 Japanese Clothing and Dress [012] Hand-colored (001) 1874 uum_lctpc Image 11 Block printing: Printmaker at work [001] Hand-colored (001) 1874 uum_lctpc Image 12 Japanese Arts and Crafts: Embroidery [001] Hand-colored (001) 1874 uum_lctpc Image 13 Tea Ceremony [001] Hand-colored (001) 1874 uum_lctpc Image 14 Geishas: Kyoto, Japan [023] Hand-colored (001) 1874 uum_lctpc Image 15 Japanese Architecture: Interiors [010] 1874 uum_lctpc Image 16 Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations: Japan [001] Hand-colored (001) 1874 uum_lctpc Image 17 Post-war Japan during Lennox Tierney's service, 1949-1952 [096]: Furumaki noodle cart 1919 uum_lctpc Image 18 Hōryūji Buddhist temple, Ikaruga, Japan [041]: Plan of grounds (3) 1920 uum_lctpc Image 19 Channel Islands, California (Santa Rosa) [037] 1930; 1931; 1932; 1933; 1934; 1935; 1936; 1937; 1938; 1939; 1940 uum_lctpc Image

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Home > Journals and Magazines > Journals > IBPP > Vol. 3 (1997) > Iss. 9 (1997) The Political Psychology of Deception Research II A previous IBPP article (V. 2, No. 9, "The Political Psychology of Deception Research" described some of the complexities in assessing how psychological assessment instruments are vulnerable to deception--e.g., the purposeful "faking bad" of test takers. That article focused on some ethical Issues of deception research and the concept of the social transformation of knowledge that threatens reliability and validity of assessment instruments through time. The present article focuses on a methodological consideration in documenting the threat of deception to psychological assessment. (1997) "The Political Psychology of Deception Research II," International Bulletin of Political Psychology: Vol. 3 : Iss. 9 , Article 2. 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the chronicle flask Tales of interesting chemical tidbits Tag Archives: Hg Elements, compounds and misleading mercury Posted on 4 Aug, 2015 by katlday Elemental mercury isn’t the same as mercury in compounds. Today I read an interesting article about some recent research carried out at the University of Illinois where they demonstrated that the best way to convince parents to vaccinate their children might be to show them the results of the diseases the vaccines prevent. (This, by the way, contradicts some research published in 2014 which showed that this tactic didn’t work. For an excellent discussion of the two, see here.) Then, because I am just one of those people who can’t resist poking at ulcers with my tongue (you know what I mean) I had a quick look at some of the comments regarding that article. Reassuringly, most people were weighing in on the “yeah, vaccinate!” side of the argument. But not surprisingly there was also a small group of people posting the traditional anti-vaccine arguments. And then, this appeared: This is thoroughly silly, and I’ll tell you why. Well, it did make be go “hmmmmm”, but for the reason you might imagine. No, you see, what I thought was: “hmmmmm, someone else who has, possibly deliberately, failed to understood the difference between elements and compounds, and how chemical bonding changes properties.” Allow me to start at the beginning. If you went to a school in the UK (and I would hope it’s similar elsewhere in the world) you learned about elements, compounds and mixtures when you were about 13 years old – if not before. You might have forgotten it since, but I can absolutely, categorically guarantee you that lesson happened. In fact, it was probably a few lessons. The much-loved reaction between iron and sulfur. One experiment much beloved of chemistry teachers since year dot is to take a mixture of sulfur (a yellow powder) and some iron filings (grey) and show that they can be separated with a magnet. Then heat the mixture up so that the two react, with a rather beautiful red glow, to form iron sulfide. This is a blackish solid which is in theory not magnetic (but in practice almost always is) and demonstrate that now the two elements cannot be separated. Thus we have demonstrated that elements (the iron and the sulfur) have different properties to the compound they formed (iron sulfide), and also that mixtures can be separated fairly easily, whereas breaking compounds up into their constituent elements is much harder. Lovely. Job done. And yet… so many people seem to have been asleep that day. Or perhaps just didn’t grasp it well enough to continue to apply the principle to other things. Elemental mercury For example, mercury. Mercury, the element (the runny, silvery stuff that you used to find in thermometers) is a heavy metal. Like most of its compatriots, such as cadmium, lead and arsenic, it’s toxic. It can be absorbed through the skin and mercury vapour can be inhaled, so containers need to be tightly sealed. The increasing awareness of the toxicity of mercury is why older readers might remember seeing it ‘in the flesh’, so to speak, at school, whereas younger ones will not – these days it’s rarely even used in thermometers for fear of breakages. That said, it does occur naturally in the environment, particularly as the result of volcanic eruptions – and very low levels aren’t considered harmful. The dose, as they say, makes the poison. It also occurs as the result of industrial processes, particularly coal-fired power plants and gold production, and occupational exposure is a genuine concern. In particular, chronic exposure is known to cause cogitative impairment. It might the source of the ‘mad dentist’ myth. It’s almost certainly the origin of the phrase ‘mad as a hatter‘. So in summary, don’t mess about with elemental mercury; it’s not good for your health. However, as I took some pains to establish, elements and compounds are different things. So what about compounds which contain mercury? The compound thiomersal This is where vaccines come in. There is a substance that used to be used as a preservative in (some) vaccines called thiomersal (or thimerosal, in the U.S). You may have heard its name; it comes up quite a lot. Incidentally, it hasn’t just been used in vaccines, but also in various other things including skin-test antigens and tattoo inks. Now, to be clear, thiomersal IS potentially toxic, however it’s quickly metabolised in the body to ethyl mercury (C2H5Hg+) and thiosalicylate and, although ethyl mercury does, clearly, still contain atoms of mercury, it does not bioaccumulate. In other words, your body gets rid of it. At very low doses (such as those in vaccines) there is no good evidence that thiomersal is harmful. Still, due to continuing public health concerns, thiomersal has been phased out of most U.S. and European vaccines. In the UK, thiomersal is no longer used in any of the vaccines routinely given to babies and young children in the NHS childhood immunisation programme. And at the moment, all routinely recommended vaccines for U.S. infants are available only as thimerosal-free formulations or contain only trace amounts of thimerosal (≤1 than micrograms mercury per dose). Let me just say that again. The evidence suggests it’s safe, but it’s been removed anyway as a precaution. If you live in the UK, it’s not in your child’s vaccines, and that includes the new nasal-spray vaccine for flu which has been rolled out over the last few years. If you live in the U.S. it’s probably not, and thimerosal (thiomersal) free versions exist. It does turn up most often in flu vaccines (hence the meme image at the start) but thiomersal-free versions of those also exist in the U.S. So chances are it’s not in your vaccines. Not in there. Got it? Ok. methyl mercury (left) is not the same as ethyl mercury (right) Now, you may have heard about mercury in seafood. It is an issue, particularly for women who are pregnant, trying to become pregnant or breastfeeding, and is the reason such women are advised not to eat shark and swordfish, and to keep their tuna consumption low. But here’s the thing: it’s a different kind of mercury. In this case, it’s methyl mercury (remember, thiomersal breaks down to ethyl mercury, which is not the same). Methyl mercury is more toxic than ethyl mercury. Methyl mercury binds to parts of amino acids much more readily than its ethyl cousin, and it’s able to pass through the blood brain barrier and into nerve cells where it causes damage. In addition, ethyl mercury is much more quickly eliminated from the body than methyl mercury. Because of all this, methyl mercury does bioaccumulate (build up in the body), and that’s why large top-of-the-food-chain fish like shark and tuna can have significant levels of it, and why certain groups of people should be careful about eating them. The FDA’s action level (the limit at or above which FDA will take legal action) for methyl mercury in fish is 1000 ppb (1 ppm). But remember, that’s for the much more dangerous methyl mercury, not ethyl mercury. I’ve been unable to find an equivalent figure for the UK, but I’d imagine it’s similar. So, where does the 200 ppb mercury figure in the image at the top come from? Well the Environmental Protection Agency does indeed set a ‘maximum contaminant level goal’ for inorganic mercury of 0.002 mg/L or 2 ppb in water supplies. Methyl and ethyl mercury are not inorganic mercury; compounds that fall into this category include mercuric chloride, mercuric acetate and mercuric sulfide, which largely get into water as the result of industrial contamination. In summary, that meme image at the start is basically comparing apples and oranges. The EPA limit isn’t relevant to vaccines, because it’s for inorganic mercury, which the substance in vaccines isn’t. While we’re about it, the levels applied to fish don’t apply either, because that’s methyl mercury, not ethyl mercury. They’re not the same thing. And all that aside, it’s highly unlikely (if you live in the UK, no chance at all) that there are 50,000 ppb of ethyl mercury in your flu vaccine anyway. AND, let’s not forget, there’s no evidence that the tiny quantities of thiomersal used in vaccines are harmful in the first place. You may note that I’ve studiously avoided the word ‘autism’ in this post so far. But yes, that’s the big concern; that exposure to thiomersal in vaccines could cause autism. Despite multiple, huge, studies in several countries looking for possible links between vaccines and autism, none have been found. Vaccines don’t cause autism. It’s time we stopped wasting enormous amounts of time and resources on this non-link and spent it instead on finding out what does cause it. Wouldn’t that be far more useful and interesting? Now… if you’re hardcore anti-vaccine and you’ve read this far, and you’re about to hit the comment button and tell me that all this research is just Big Pharma covering things up so they can make money from the ‘million(/billion/trillion) dollar vaccine industry’, just wait a moment. Think about this: how much money could the medical industry make from people actually catching measles, mumps, polio, TB, whooping cough and all the others? Just think of all the money they could make selling antivirals and antibiotics, all the money to be made from painkillers, antipyretics, drugs to treat respiratory symptoms of one kind or another, and everything else? Believe me, it would be much, much more than they make from a single 2 ml dose of vaccine. Why ‘cover up’ research that’s, if anything, reducing their profits? All these diseases are horrible, and some can be fatal or have genuinely life-changing consequences. That’s proven. Please vaccinate your children, and yourself. Follow The Chronicle Flask on Facebook for regular updates. Posted in Chemistry in the media, Dangerous chemicals, Elements, Everyday chemistry, Medicine | Tagged atomic weight, autism, cogitative impairment, compound, element, environment, EPA, ethyl mercury, ethylmercury, FDA, flu, Hg, influenza, inorganic mercury, jab, Medicine, mercury, methyl mercury, methylmercury, neurotoxin, NHS, organic mercury, poison, preservative, shot, thimerosal, thiomersal, toxin, U.S., UK, vaccines The Chronicles of the Chronicle Flask: 2019 Electrolysis Made Easy(ish) Non-stick toilets, synthetic poo and saving the environment Refilling bottles: why it may not be as simple as you thought How are amber teething necklaces supposed to work? TCF on Facebook TCF on Twitter Just what is blk water, and should you drink it? The acid that really does eat through everything No need for slime panic: it's not going to poison anyone Amazing alkaline lemons? Annual roundup Ask For Evidence Chemistry in the media Dangerous chemicals Everyday chemistry WhatCulture Science

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Tresillian Celebrates 100 years as Australia’s leading early parenting service. And read stories from all across Australia. Tresillian’s Centenary in 2018 celebrates one hundred years of history as Australia’s leading child and family health service. Formed in 1918, as The Royal Society for the Welfare of Mothers and Babies, Tresillian has supported generations of parents during the early days of their baby’s life, providing reassurance and building confidence. Founded at the Sydney Town Hall, on 4th November, 1918, the Society was a NSW government initiative sparked by soaring infant mortality rates and a desperate shortage of health services for new mothers. The need for intervention was exacerbated by the First World War, which left many young mothers widowed. In the same period around 58,000 babies lost their lives through poverty, disease and lack of hygiene. The Society’s primary aim back then was to make a difference to the high mortality rate of children under the age of five. In 1919 the Society was incorporated by an Act of Parliament in New South Wales. Then in 1921, Queen Mary became the Patron of the Society, until her death in March 1953. On 4th August 1954 Queen Elizabeth II, who had just visited Australia, became the Patron of the organisation. The Society initially responded to the problems at home with a community education program for parents of small children. The Society’s other aims as outlined in the 1920-21 Annual Report, were: To Save Life. To co-ordinate all agencies dealing with mothers and babies. To ensure proper Nursing Conditions to every mother prior and subsequent to Childbirth To establish Welfare Centres and Committees in the metropolis and country To establish rest Homes for Mothers To establish a Corps of Mothers’ Aids To care for and bring under supervision all children up to school age To provide certified and humanised milk, and ice. In 1921, Dr Margaret Harper, the first Medical Director led the establishment of an Infant Welfare Training School at 2 Shaw Street, Petersham. It was, in fact a post-graduate training school for nurses wanting to specialise in mothercraft and a home where difficult infant feeding cases could be cared for, and breastfeeding established, where possible. Nurses came from all over Australia to attend. A baby clinic for parents also opened where mothers could bring their baby to be assessed and checked. The clinic at Petersham had been named “Tresillian” by the previous owners who originated from the village of the same name in Cornwall, England and from then on, the Royal Society for the Welfare of Mothers and Babies became affectionately known as “Tresillian”. When the Willoughby Centre was purchased in 1927 the name was retained and this Centre became known as Tresillian North. By the mid-1920’s the infant mortality rate had fallen to 3% from a peak of over 10% just a few years earlier. As times changed, Tresillian’s scope adapted and broadened with specialised nursing, medical and psychological support available on site and across mediums such as the internet and on the telephone. The primary goal of Tresillian today remains unchanged: that of securing the best possible life and future for young Australians. With close to 100 years of invaluable service for young families across New South Wales, Tresillian has played an important and unique role in the history of New South Wales. These days Tresillian has Family Care Centres across New South Wales at Willoughby, Wollstonecraft, Penrith, Belmore, Wagga Wagga and Lismore and in Victoria, at Albury Wodonga. With a range of services including parenting programs, counselling and one on one advice, designed to provide professional support for families with a baby, toddler or pre-schooler. A number of exciting Events are planned this year. We invite you to celebrate the diverse history and heritage of Tresillian by attending one of these unique Centenary celebrations. Our interactive timeline will also provide you with a wonderful insight in to Tresillian’s past, present and future. As part of our Centenary Celebrations we’re inviting you to share your story with Tresillian. You may have called on Tresillian for help with one of your children or you may be a past or current staff member or student? We want to hear about your experiences. I wanted to say thank you for the service I received yesterday on the Parent’s Help Line. It was a call back from a lovely nurse. She gave me a range of options with the advice of working out a plan that would suit the whole family. My husband and I were able to quickly agree on the best way to help our youngest, a 3 year old with long standing sleep issues. I found the nurse very respectful of our personal beliefs and family situation. She treated me kindly and was very non-judgemental in her approach. She is to be commended for representing your organisation well. Thank you so much for all of your expertise and wonderful support over the past few months. The Canterbury Day Stay service was amazing and helped us so much. We are all eating and sleeping better now! We have just got home from Tresillian Nepean with our 6 month old. Our stay at Tresillian made the world of difference in breaking habits, which we had tried and tried to do already, and gaining confidence. A bit of work to go still but I know we will be able to persist and reinforce the skills we learnt. Thank you, the stay at Tresillian has already made huge improvements in my sanity and our relationship! It has been a week since our stay at Tresillian and things are going well for our 10.5 month old baby. She is now sleeping in her cot and sleep times are now peaceful for her, my husband and myself. I now wait for her to wake up since I’m able to do more things while she’s asleep! From the Parent’s Help Line to the residential staff, everyone was very helpful, understanding to our needs and situation, and patient. Thank you very much. We stayed at Tresillian Willoughby a few weeks ago and it was an absolutely life changing experience for us. My husband and I had been struggling with our newborn. We had great difficulty settling, and getting her to sleep anywhere that wasn't on us. The staff were so patient and caring in teaching us skills we could take away to change our lives when we went home. The staff made us feel completely at home in the facility, it almost felt like a family when we were there. One staff member in particular, Emily, was absolutely incredible. The time and patience she had for myself and my husband, sitting with us while we asked thousands of questions, reassuring us when we tried to settle our Bub was above and beyond. We left with some confidence and knowledge that we could survive life with a newborn. It was the most amazing experience. Thank you Emily and the staff at Tresillian Willoughby.

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How Health Wearables Are Bringing More Power to Patients On Digital Trends About: Healthcare Wearables are bringing medical care out of the doctor’s office and into all aspects of patients’ lives. Their increase in popularity is causing companies to evaluate how they can thrive in a new patient-oriented marketplace. When the FDA starts taking input from patients, you know that times are certainly changing. In September of this year, the Food and Drug Administration announced the formation of a Patient Engagement Advisory Committee, which will use patient feedback to inform decisions on whether to approve new medical devices and policies. Traditionally, these kinds of decisions have been made without considering the opinions of the patients they affect, focusing instead on the opinions of doctors and bureaucrats. But the call for doctor-patient collaboration marks a trend that has been building for years. The digital health market has seen rapid growth in the current decade, and patients are taking their health into their own hands with gusto. What does this mean for the healthcare industry at large, and what role will tech companies play in this new health-conscious world? Not Just a Fitness Fad Fitbits, Jawbone Ups, and Apple Watches are putting more advanced health metrics in the hands, wrists, and sleeves of consumers. And the world of health wearables isn’t reserved for tech anymore — in January, Swarovski and Misfit announced their partnership to develop a bejeweled health tracker, officially bringing health trackers into the world of high-fashion. While wrist-devices are taking off in popularity now, health wearables will only get more diverse. In 2014, Google announced the development of a smart contact lens that can monitor glucose levels. For diabetics, this new tech would mean the end of non-stop finger pricking to measure blood-sugar. Tech firms like Withings and AliveCor are selling wireless blood pressure monitors and portable EKGs respectively, both of which work with a smartphone. Saving Time, Improving Health This developing, diverse wearable market is working in tandem with another digital health trend: Telehealth, which is working to improve patient health and reduce expenses. The Department of Veterans Administration has used a combination of in-home monitoring technology and teleconferences to save roughly $2,000 per patient since 2013. Indeed, the market for Telehealth is booming, as companies like Doctor On Demand, Pager, and Caring in Place make accessing health care from home even easier. CEO and co-founder of Caring in Place Josh Fotheringham says, “Hospitals and other institutions benefit when some of the costs of home monitoring moves to family and caregivers, but these caregivers need technology to take on that role appropriately.” Where Health Companies Can Capitalize The home healthcare market consists of six distinct segments: independent living services, consumer medical devices, Telehealth, personal emergency response systems (PERS), wearable technologies, and health gaming. While some technology like PERS has been around for decades (LifeAlert being the most popular), others are just starting to take off, including the portable, smartphone-compatible ECG monitor AliveCor. As the FDA blurs the lines between patient and developer, we can expect to see even more medical devices that will change the way we see health and healthcare. In order to stay ahead of the curve, hospitals, healthcare providers, and health insurance companies need to identify ways in which today’s new digital tools can help them better serve their patients. Whether they’re best served by focusing on consumer wearables, providing a robust Telehealth option, or improving home health monitoring, each organization will need a strong team to evaluate current needs and future potential. The FDA’s commitment to the new, patient-facing medical market is an opportunity for brands to create devices that truly meet consumer needs. Companies now face the challenge of developing even more powerful tools that are just as useful in the hands of the average consumer as they are in those of trained medical professionals. Previous PostSocial Media and Big Data Analytics: Benchmarking For Success Next PostFrom Big Data to Big Algorithm: The Rise of Predictive Analytics

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AWARDS RECEIVED BY: My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran’s Tour in Iraq 2009 DIY Book Festival grand prize: The awards ceremony was held in February, 2010 at the historic Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California. The photo shows author Grist receiving the award, which included a cash prize of $1,500, from Bruce Haring, managing director of the DIY Convention. Gold Medal/First Place (2010) in the Memoir Category of the Military Writers Society of America Awards. Richard Boes Award: This award is sponsored by Modern History Press and the awards criteria is “Best debut book by a veteran (fiction or memoir).” The award is named for Richard Boes who enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam in 1969 – 1970 with the First Air Cav. He was the author of two books: The Last Dead Soldier Left Alive (2007), a firsthand inquiry into why thousands of Vietnam veterans have committed suicide, and Last Train Out (2008). Right up to his death, he was writing a third, In the Valley of Dry Bones. He passed away on February 21, 2009 at the VA Hospital in Albany, N.Y.

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By Rachel Furtado Murphy-Ortega graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 1991. After graduating, she joined Chevron as an engineer and quickly volunteered to support campus recruitment efforts. She now serves as a manager in their University Partnerships and Association Relations group, where she develops strategic relationships with universities and national associations to support the curriculum, faculty and facilities that are needed to lead students to success after college. “I have focused my personal and professional work on helping students and new employees in the STEM fields be successful and achieve their dreams. As a female and Hispanic chemical engineer, I have a true passion for my work and I want to help women and underrepresented minorities find their own passion as well,” said Murphy-Ortega. Murphy-Ortega also serves on the Engineering Dean’s Executive Committee and the program advisory committee for the Leadership in Engineering Advancement Diversity and Retention program at UC Davis, where she was influential in Chevron’s founding partnership of the program, as well as the Avenue-E community college transfer program designed to recruit, retain and graduate diverse populations of students. “I am honored and humbled to receive this special award, which was a complete surprise, and I am very proud to help serve as a role model and inspiration for others,” said Murphy-Ortega. “I dedicate time to speak with students, faculty, leaders and the broader community, so I can tell my personal story to hopefully help others be successful. I am thankful for all of the women and mentors who have been trailblazers before me and I will continue to blaze a trail for others.” The Industry Trailblazer Award recognizes the employer or employee in industry for their exceptional volunteer contributions to the STEM education at the primary, secondary or collegiate levels, especially in reaching girls from groups underrepresented in STEM fields. The name of the award signifies the ability of an employer or employee to “blaze a pathway” through the artificial barriers that prevent women in STEM professions of diverse backgrounds from attaining their full potential. WEPAN is the leading champion in North America for leveraging research and best practices to propel the inclusion of women in the field of engineering. WEPAN’s network connects advocates who actively pursue strategies and implement solutions to increase participation, retention and success of women and other under-represented groups in engineering from college to executive leadership. Related Story: Two CHE Alumni Honored with Distinguished Engineering Alumni Medals Undergraduate Student Spotlight: Coffee Research Intern Reece Guyon Last update: September 9, 2019

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Russia news today Quickly and reliably on developments in Russia and in the world The Russian Orthodox Church called the Greek criminal law on sex-change 15 years Posted By: newsmaker 21.10.2017 © RIA Novosti / Grigory to Sysoeva in fotoreceptori Hilarion of Volokolamsk. Archival photo © RIA Novosti / Grigory to Sysoeva the image Bank The law on the legalization of sex change from the age of 15, adopted by the Greek Parliament, is «a crime before God and people» and will see numerous protests of believers, the head of the Department for external Church relations (DECR) of the Moscow Patriarchate Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk. «I think that the Greek Church will openly Express their opinion, their protest, which is happening now. In some dioceses in protest bells ringing, the Archbishop and many bishops of the Greek Orthodox Church has opposed the government in light of the adoption of this law,» — said the Hierarch in the program «Church and world» on TV channel «Russia 24». According to him, people are taught that if they feel the other sex, they «not only have the right to such self-awareness, and physicians should provide them with this assistance.» «In this case we are talking about a young 15-year-old young men and women, which may then change your mind,» said the Bishop. The activities of the Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras, in the opinion of the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, contrary to the opinion of most Greeks and the foundations of religious tradition, which for centuries adhered to the Greek people. Metropolitan Hilarion recalled that the Greek leader had earlier met with the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill and Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Hieronymus II, after which he expressed a desire to go to mount Athos, but admitted there was not. «Mr Tsipras, despite the fact that is the Prime Minister of an Orthodox state, doesn’t hide his atheistic beliefs and also does not hide that for him religion means nothing,» said the Hierarch. Miomir Maksimcev on Merkel called Brexit without a deal, the worst versions of «divorce» with BritainWhy does Britain need an agreement? When Germany f… kathystevenson on Putin and Pence discussed the upcoming meeting of the leaders of Russia and the United Statesdreadlockssite 5++ DreadlocksSite on Putin and Pence discussed the upcoming meeting of the leaders of Russia and the United Statestrump will be seeking asylum there soon i bet Martin Musatov on About arrested in Greece winnick want to make a movie, the lawyer saidI post this openly to Timothy: my name is Martin M… Reciprocity on Popular blogger killed in road accident in Moscowbummer.nice azz... https://uploads.disquscdn.com/i… In the Vladimir region of more than 20 people fell ill with measles The Paris police arrested a stripper who beat a tourist at place Pigalle In the state Duma proposed to grant Russian citizenship persecuted believers of the UOC The Ministry of health has announced its intention to increase spending on disease prevention … Waiting for the slowdown of the world economy in the coming years

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When freshwater dried up, so did many megafauna species. Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Author provided Earth is now firmly in the grips of its sixth “mass extinction event”, and it’s mainly our fault. But the modern era is definitely not the first time humans have been implicated in the extinction of a wide range of species. In fact, starting about 60,000 years ago, many of the world’s largest animals disappeared forever. These “megafauna” were first lost in Sahul, the supercontinent formed by Australia and New Guinea during periods of low sea level. The causes of these extinctions have been debated for decades. Possible culprits include climate change, hunting or habitat modification by the ancestors of Aboriginal people, or a combination of the two. Read more: What is a ‘mass extinction’ and are we in one now? The main way to investigate this question is to build timelines of major events: when species went extinct, when people arrived, and when the climate changed. This approach relies on using dated fossils from extinct species to estimate when they went extinct, and archaeological evidence to determine when people arrived. Read more: An incredible journey: the first people to arrive in Australia came in large numbers, and on purpose Comparing these timelines allows us to deduce the likely windows of coexistence between megafauna and people. We can also compare this window of coexistence to long-term models of climate variation, to see whether the extinctions coincided with or shortly followed abrupt climate shifts. Data drought One problem with this approach is the scarcity of reliable data due to the extreme rarity of a dead animal being fossilised, and the low probability of archaeological evidence being preserved in Australia’s harsh conditions. Read the rest of this entry » Tags: archaeology, climate change, extinction, megafauna, palaeoecology, palaeontology, Sahul Categories : Australia, biodiversity, climate change, climate shift, conservation, decline, exploitation, extinction, mathematics, modelling, palaeo-ecology, southern Australia, synergies, top-down ecology, water Environmental damage kills children Yes, it’s a provocative title, I agree. But then again, it’s true. But I don’t just mean in the most obvious ways. We already have good data showing that lack of access to clean water and sanitation kills children (especially in developing nations), that air pollution is a nasty killer of young children in particular, and now even climate change is starting to take its toll. These aspects of child health aren’t very controversial, but when we talk about the larger suite of indicators of environmental ‘damage’, such as deforestation rates, species extinctions, and the overall reduction of ecosystem services, the empirical links to human health, and to children in particular, are far rarer. This is why I’m proud to report the publication today of a paper on which I and team of wonderful collaborators (Sally Otto, Zia Mehrabi, Alicia Annamalay, Sam Heft-Neal, Zach Wagner, and Peter Le Souëf) have worked for several years. I won’t lie — the path to publishing this paper was long and hard, I think mainly because it traversed so many different disciplines. But we persevered and today published the paper entitled ‘Testing the socioeconomic and environmental determinants of better child-health outcomes in Africa: a cross-sectional study among nations‘* in the journal BMJ Open. Tags: air pollution, breastfeeding, child health, children, corruption, diarrhoea, ecosystem services, environmental degradation, food supply, governance quality, health investment, human overpopulation, infectious disease, injury, Millennium Development Goals, over-population, paediatrics, pulmonary diseae, sanitation, stunting, Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations, water, wealth, World Health Organization Categories : Africa, agriculture, anthropocene, biodiversity, biowealth, carbon, climate change, conservation, conservation biology, corruption, deforestation, demography, development, economics, ecosystem services, environmental Kuznets curve, environmental science, exploitation, extinction, food, function, governance, habitat loss, harvest, health, human overpopulation, investment, livestock, logging, modelling, pollution, poverty, Red List, societies, sustainability, threatened species, toxification, water Here’s a presentation I gave earlier in the year for the Flinders University BRAVE Research and Innovation series: There is No Plan(et) B — What you can do about Earth’s extinction emergency Earth is currently experiencing a mass extinction brought about by, … well, … us. Species are being lost at a rate similar to when the dinosaurs disappeared. But this time, it’s not due to a massive asteroid hitting the Earth; species are being removed from the planet now because of human consumption of natural resources. Is a societal collapse imminent, and do we need to prepare for a post-collapse society rather than attempt to avoid one? Or, can we limit the severity and onset of a collapse by introducing a few changes such as removing political donations, becoming vegetarians, or by reducing the number of children one has? Tags: Anthropocene, climate change, climate emergency, collapse, extinction, extinction emergency, food supply, human-caused global warming, sustainability, The Great Dying Categories : Australia, biodiversity, biowealth, carbon, climate change, conservation, conservation biology, corruption, decline, deforestation, development, drought, economics, ecosystem, ecosystem function, ecosystem services, education, environmental economics, environmental Kuznets curve, environmental policy, environmental science, exploitation, extinction, extinction debt, Flinders University, flood, food, fragmentation, function, governance, habitat loss, harvest, health, human overpopulation, impact, invasive species, livestock, logging, management, modelling, palaeo-ecology, pollination, pollution, poverty, recovery, reforestation, research, restoration, science, sustainability, synergies, threatened species, trophic cascades, video Increasing human population density drives environmental degradation in Africa Almost a decade ago, I (co-) wrote a paper examining the socio-economic correlates of gross, national-scale indices of environmental performance among the world’s nations. It turned out to be rather popular, and has so far garnered over 180 citations and been cited in three major policy documents. In addition to the more pedestrian ranking itself, we also tested which of three main socio-economic indicators best explained variation in the environmental rank — a country’s gross ‘wealth’ indicator (gross national income) turned out to explain the most, and there was no evidence to support a non-linear relationship between environmental performance and per capita wealth (the so-called environmental Kuznets curve). Well, that was then, and this is now. Something that always bothered me about that bit of research was that in some respects, it probably unfairly disadvantaged certain countries that were in more recent phases of the ‘development’ pathway, such that environmental damage long since done in major development pulses many decades or even centuries prior to today (e.g., in much of Europe) probably meant that certain countries got a bit of an unfair advantage. In fact, the more recently developed nations probably copped a lower ranking simply because their damage was fresher. While I defend the overall conclusions of that paper, my intentions have always been since then to improve on the approach. That desire finally got the better of me, and so I (some might say unwisely) decided to focus on a particular region of the planet where some of the biggest biodiversity crunches will happen over the next few decades — Africa. Africa is an important region to re-examine these national-scale relationships for many reasons. The first is that it’s really the only place left on the planet where there’s a semi-intact megafauna assemblage. Yes, the great Late Pleistocene megafauna extinction event did hit Africa too, but compared to all other continents, it got through that period relatively unscathed. So now we (still) have elephants, rhinos, giraffes, hippos, etc. It’s a pretty bloody special place from that perspective alone. Elephants in the Kruger National Park, South Africa (photo: CJA Bradshaw) Then there’s the sheer size of the continent. Unfortunately, most mercator projections of the Earth show a rather quaint continent nuzzled comfortably in the middle of the map, when in reality, it’s a real whopper. If you don’t believe me, go to truesize.com and drag any country of interest over the African continent (it turns out that its can more or less fit all of China, Australia, USA, and India within its greater borders). Third, most countries in Africa (barring a few rare exceptions), are still in the so-called ‘development’ phase, although some are much farther along the economic road than others. For this reason, an African nation-to-nation comparison is probably a lot fairer than comparing, say, Bolivia to Germany, or Mongolia to Canada. Tags: Africa, agriculture, carbon emissions, deforestation, development, ecological footprint, ecology, environmental performance, environmental sustainability, human population, human population growth, megafauna, sustainability, sustainable development Categories : Africa, agriculture, anthropocene, biodiversity, biowealth, carbon, cattle, conservation, corruption, deforestation, development, economics, environmental Kuznets curve, environmental policy, environmental science, exploitation, extinction, food, governance, habitat loss, human overpopulation, livestock, logging, mammal, management, modelling, poverty, protected area, societies, sustainability, threatened species, vegetation First Australians arrived in large groups using complex technologies One of the most ancient peopling events of the great diaspora of anatomically modern humans out of Africa more than 50,000 years ago — human arrival in the great continent of Sahul (New Guinea, mainland Australia & Tasmania joined during periods of low sea level) — remains mysterious. The entry routes taken, whether migration was directed or accidental, and just how many people were needed to ensure population viability are shrouded by the mists of time. This prompted us to build stochastic, age-structured human population-dynamics models incorporating hunter-gatherer demographic rates and palaeoecological reconstructions of environmental carrying capacity to predict the founding population necessary to survive the initial peopling of late-Pleistocene Sahul. As ecological modellers, we are often asked by other scientists to attempt to render the highly complex mechanisms of entire ecosystems tractable for virtual manipulation and hypothesis testing through the inevitable simplification that is ‘a model’. When we work with scientists studying long-since-disappeared ecosystems, the challenges multiply. Add some multidisciplinary data and concepts into the mix, and the complexity can quickly escalate. We do have, however, some powerful tools in our modelling toolbox, so as the Modelling Node for the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH), our role is to link disparate fields like palaeontology, archaeology, geochronology, climatology, and genetics together with mathematical ‘glue’ to answer the big questions regarding Australia’s ancient past. This is how we tackled one of these big questions: just how did the first anatomically modern Homo sapiens make it to the continent and survive? At that time, Australia was part of the giant continent of Sahul that connected New Guinea, mainland Australia, and Tasmania at times of lower sea level. In fact, throughout most of last ~ 126,000 years (late Pleistocene and much of the Holocene), Sahul was the dominant landmass in the region (see this handy online tool for how the coastline of Sahul changed over this period). Categories : Australia, climate change, connectivity, demography, ecology, genetics, invasive species, mathematics, minimum viable population, modelling, mvp, population dynamics, population viability analysis, societies Koala extinctions past, present, and future Photo by John Llewelyn Koalas are one of the most recognised symbols of Australian wildlife. But the tree-living marsupial koala is not doing well throughout much of its range in eastern Australia. Ranging as far north as Cairns in Queensland, to as far west as Kangaroo Island in South Australia, the koala’s biggest threats today are undeniably deforestation, road kill, dog attacks, disease, and climate change. With increasing drought, heatwaves, and fire intensity and frequency arising from the climate emergency, it is likely that koala populations and habitats will continue to decline throughout most of their current range. But what was the distribution of koalas before humans arrived in Australia? Were they always a zoological feature of only the eastern regions? The answer is a resounding ‘no’ — the fossil record reveal a much more complicated story. Tags: climate envelope, Eucalypt, Eucalyptus, koala, marsupial, niche, Phascolarctos, Phascolarctos cinereus, potential niche, SDM Categories : Australia, biodiversity, biogeography, climate change, climate shift, conservation, conservation biology, conservation ecology, decline, deforestation, ecology, extinction, fragmentation, habitat loss, mammal, modelling, niche model, palaeo-ecology, research, science, southern Australia, species distribution model, threatened species, vegetation Ecological Network Analysis Workshop We are most fortunate that Dr Giovanni Strona of the EU Joint Research Centrein Ispra, Italy, will be visiting Flinders University for most of April. As a recipient of the prestigious International Visitor Fellowship, Dr Strona has kindly agreed to give a day-long (and hands-on) workshop in network modelling. What is network analysis? Well, anything that is connected to other things is ostensibly a ‘network’ — think social-media users, neurones, electric elements in a circuit, or species in an ecological community. It doesn’t really matter what the ‘nodes’ of a network actually represent, because all networks more or less share the same properties. The analysis of network structure and behaviour is what Dr Strona will focus on for the workshop. Being ecologists, we will of course be primarily interested in ecological networks, but maths and coding is essentially the same for all types of networks. Interested in attending this free and rare opportunity? If so, please register your interest here. The workshop will be held at the Bedford Park Campus of Flinders University from 09:00-17:00 on 29 April 2019. The outline of the workshop is described in more detail below. Read the rest of this entry » Tags: coding, data visualisation, ecological networks, edge directionality, k-core, network analysis, networks, nodes, R programming language Categories : community ecology, conservation, ecology, modelling

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BREAKING: Democrats On Judiciary Committee Vote To Advance Trump Impeachment A strictly partisan vote on the House Judiciary Committee on Friday resulted in the Democrat-controlled body voting to advance articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump for allegedly abusing the power of his office and obstructing Congress. “After a fractious two-day debate steeped in the Constitution and shaped by the realities of a hyperpartisan era in American politics, the Democratic-controlled committee recommended that the House ratify two articles of impeachment against the 45th president,” The New York Times reported. “In back-to-back morning votes, they adopted each charge against Mr. Trump by a margin of 23 to 17 over howls of Republican protest.” A New York Times tracker that was updated on mid-Friday morning showed that for Democrats, 136 House members supported article of impeachment, 12 were undecided, and 85 had not responded to a request for comment. For Republicans, zero House members supported articles of impeachment, there were no undecided members, and 56 had not responded to a request for comment. The sole independent member of Congress supported impeachment. This New York Times tracker on where members stand on impeachment, updated today at 10:50 AM, doesn't include stated Democrat opposition to impeachment. pic.twitter.com/pOs7xaeQdC — Tommy Pigott (@TCPigott) December 13, 2019 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, having seen the supposed evidence that Democrats laid out over the past few months, has stated that there is “no chance” that the Senate will vote to remove Trump from office if the House votes to send impeachment to a trial in the Senate. White House Press Secretary and Communications Director Stephanie Grisham issued a statement saying that the president was looking forward to a trial in the Senate. “This desperate charade of an impeachment inquiry in the House Judiciary Committee has reached its shameful end,” Grisham said. “The President looks forward to receiving in the Senate the fair treatment and due process which continues to be disgracefully denied to him by the House.” “He looks forward to a Senate trial that he seems sure to win and thinks that it will help him on the campaign trail when he travels the country boasting that he had been ‘exonerated’ after the latest partisan ‘witch hunt,’” The New York Times reported. “Mr. Trump’s mood has actually improved in the past couple of weeks, advisers say, as Republicans have risen to his defense. He has grown more energized, bombarding followers with tweets and retweets defending himself and attacking his enemies.” South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, said, “He doesn’t like what’s happening. He thinks it’s unfair. But I think he’s resolved himself that they’re going to do it, they’re out to get him. I think he’s more determined now to win than ever.” Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler was supposed to hold today’s vote last night but cancelled at the last minute, without notifying or consulting the Ranking Member. “It has been a long two days of consideration of these articles [of impeachment] and it is now very late at night,” Nadler said. “I want the members on both sides of the aisle to think about what has happened over these last two days and to search their consciousnesses before we cast our final votes.” “Therefore the committee will now stand in recess until tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. at which point I will move to divide the question so that each of us may have the opportunity to cast up or down votes on each of the articles of impeachment and tell history to be our judge,” Nadler continued. The Committee is in recess.” Ranking Member Doug Collins slammed Nadler, “Mr. Chairman, there is no consulting from the Ranking Member on your schedule for tomorrow in which you just blown up schedules for everyone? You chose not to consult the Ranking Member on a schedule issue of this magnitude? This is kangaroo court that we’re talking about.” “I’m not sure what to say at this second, I’ve been in public life now since 2006 and I have just witnessed the most bush league stunt I have ever witnessed in my professional life,” Collins said at a press conference immediately following the hearing. “The reason we had this tonight is we had worked this out tonight to finish up tonight [because] we have members who have flights, we have members who are getting on trains, we have members who are going home because this was going to finish up tonight. But to not even consult the Ranking Member, to not even give us a heads up, this is all we heard, and we had been consulting back and forth in the last few minutes and how we were going to end the speaking tonight … that was the most lack of integrity thing I have ever seen by a member of Congress, especially a Chairman.”

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Journal of Economic and Social Measurement - Volume 41, issue 2 The Journal of Economic and Social Measurement (JESM) is a quarterly journal that is concerned with the investigation of all aspects of production, distribution and use of economic and other societal statistical data, and with the use of computers in that context. JESM publishes articles that consider the statistical methodology of economic and social science measurements. It is concerned with the methods and problems of data distribution, including the design and implementation of data base systems and, more generally, computer software and hardware for distributing and accessing statistical data files. Its focus on computer software also includes the valuation of algorithms and their implementation, assessing the degree to which particular algorithms may yield more or less accurate computed results. It addresses the technical and even legal problems of the collection and use of data, legislation and administrative actions affecting government produced or distributed data files, and similar topics. The journal serves as a forum for the exchange of information and views between data producers and users. In addition, it considers the various uses to which statistical data may be put, particularly to the degree that these uses illustrate or affect the properties of the data. The data considered in JESM are usually economic or social, as mentioned, but this is not a requirement; the editorial policies of JESM do not place a priori restrictions upon the data that might be considered within individual articles. Furthermore, there are no limitations concerning the source of the data. Measuring wealth and wealth inequality: Comparing two U.S. surveys Authors: Pfeffer, Fabian T. | Schoeni, Robert F. | Kennickell, Arthur | Andreski, Patricia Abstract: Household wealth and its distribution are topics of broad public debate and increasing scholarly interest. We compare the relative strength of two of the main data sources used in research on the wealth holdings of U.S. households, the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), by providing a description and explanation of differences in the level and distribution of wealth captured in these two surveys. We identify the factors that account for differences in average net worth but also show that estimates of net worth are similar throughout most of the distribution. Median net …worth in the SCF is 6% higher than in the PSID and the largest differences between the two surveys are concentrated in the 1-2 percent wealthiest households, leading to a different view of wealth concentration at the very top but similar results for wealth inequality across most of the distribution. Show more Keywords: Wealth, inequality, measurement DOI: 10.3233/JEM-160421 Citation: Journal of Economic and Social Measurement, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 103-120, 2016 New insights on the impact of coefficient instability on ratio-correlation population estimates Authors: Tayman, Jeff | Swanson, David A. Abstract: In this study we examine the regression-based ratio-correlation method and suggest some new tools for assessing the magnitude and impact of coefficient instability on population estimation errors. We use a robust sample of 904 counties from 11 states and find that: (1) coefficient instability is not a universal source of error in regression models for population estimation and its impact is less than commonly assumed; (2) coefficient instability is not related to bias, but it does decrease precision and increase the allocation error of population estimates; and (3) unstable coefficients have the greatest impact on counties under 20,000 in population …size. Our findings suggest that information about the conditions that affect coefficient instability and its impact on estimation error might lead to more targeted and efficient approaches for improving population estimates developed from regression models. Show more Keywords: Population estimation, ratio-correlation method, coefficient instability Consumption inequality in the Great Recession Authors: Lee, Hyojung | Painter, Gary D. Abstract: While the majority of inequality research focuses on income metrics to measure changes in inequality, a growing number of scholars argue that consumption is a better metric for measuring disparities in an individual's contemporaneous well-being. This study adds to a growing literature on consumption inequality by testing how consumption inequality varies across consumption categories and changes overtime. We find that overall consumption inequality declined since the mid-2000s before a recent uptick, which can be mostly explained by decreasing gaps in transportation expenditures on vehicle purchases. At the same time, the recent decline in overall consumption inequality disguises growing inequalities in …health and education expenditures (human capital investments). The rising inequality in human capital investments is of particular concern as it can predict future increases in inequality. Show more Keywords: Consumption inequality, economic well-being, Theil index decomposition The concentration of health care expenditures in the U.S. and predictions of future spending Authors: Cohen, Steven B. Abstract: Estimates of health care expenses for the U.S. population are critical to policymakers and others concerned with access to medical care and the cost and sources of payment for that care. Medical care expenses, however, are highly concentrated among a relatively small proportion of individuals in the community population. Using information from the Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS-HC), this study provides detailed estimates of the concentration and persistence in the level of health care expenditures in the United States. Attention is given to identifying the characteristics of individuals with the highest levels of medical expenditures, in …addition to those factors that are associated with low medical expense profiles. Analyses are included to discern the most salient factors that serve to predict the likelihood of experiencing high levels of medical expenditures in a subsequent year, in addition to the factors operational in predictions of experiencing low levels of medical expenditures in a subsequent year. Show more Keywords: Medical expenditures, concentration of healthcare expenditures, MEPS Seasonal adjustment of hybrid time series: An application to U.S. regional jobs data Authors: Phillips, Keith R. | Wang, Jianguo Abstract: Hybrid time series data often require special care in estimating seasonal factors. Series such as the state and metro area Current Employment Statistics produced by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are composed of two different source series that often have two different seasonal patterns. In this paper we address the process to test for differing seasonal patterns within the hybrid series. We also discuss how to apply differing seasonal factors to the separate parts of the hybrid series. Currently, for state employment data, the BLS simply juxtaposes the two different sets of seasonal factors at the transition point …between the benchmark part of the data and the survey part. We argue that the seasonal factors should be extrapolated at the transition point or that an adjustment should be made to the level of the unadjusted data to correct for a bias in the survey part of the data caused by differing seasonal factors at the transition month. Show more Keywords: Current employment statistics, seasonal adjustment, hybrid time series

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Culture Rock Media Metal Allegiance and Exmortus House of Blues Anaheim, Thursday,… ULTIMATE JAM NIGHT’S “ULTIMATE NAMM NIGHT 3” TO FEATURE OVER 100… STITCHED UP HEART RELEASE THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR “WARRIOR” Metal Hall Of Fame, Wed, Jan 15th 2020 / Marriott Delta… Ronnie Montrose Remembered Home Article STITCHED UP HEART RELEASE THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR “WARRIOR” snickerjames DARKNESS OUT MARCH 13TH; AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER HERE (Los Angeles, CA – January 10, 2020) – Stitched Up Heart release their new music video for “Warrior” today via Another Century. Check out the video HERE. “Warrior” is off the band’s forthcoming full-length album Darkness out March 13th. “I’m really excited about this video because I was able to come up with almost the entire creative vision for it. From wardrobe, makeup, to cinematography. We wanted to go for a visual aesthetic similar to the movie 300. The director, Ron Underwood, went above and beyond taking every idea I had and making it more than I ever dreamed it to be! I’m very happy with the end result!,” states Stitched Up Heart frontwoman Alecia ‘Mixi’ Demner about the music video. Darkness features previously released tracks such as “Lost“ feat. Sully Erna of Godsmack, “Darkness“, “Warrior“, “Problems“, “Crooked Halo“, “Dead Roses“, “This Skin“, and their most recent release, “Bones“. The upcoming full-length album was produced by From First To Last singer/guitarist, Matt Good (producer of Asking Alexandria and Hollywood Undead). Fans can grab Darkness on CD and vinyl along with merchandise bundles exclusively at CenturyMedia.store, including a Darkness t-shirt, logo pullover hoodie, logo beanie, and signed Darkness lithograph posters (limited to 200). Stitched Up Heart also partnered with Guitars 4 Vets to release a limited-edition “Warrior” t-shirt and digital download bundle. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the non-profit. Shop HERE. Darkness is the follow up album to the Stitched Up Heart’s debut album Never Alone, which charted at #7 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums chart, #14 on Billboard Independent Albums chart, #23 on Billboard Top Albums chart and at #4 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. The album features the hit track, “Monster, which peaked at #25 on Billboard’s Active Rock chart and #27 on the Mainstream Rock Songs Chart. Additionally, the band has clocked in over 9 million US streams to date and received praise from outlets such as Billboard, Alternative Press, Revolver, Loudwire and more. Pre-order Darkness: Follow Stitched Up Heart: Frankie James Stitched up heart Sun Stroke Photography Previous articleMetal Hall Of Fame, Wed, Jan 15th 2020 / Marriott Delta Garden Grove Next articleNeil Peart, Rush Drummer, Arguably The Best In The World, Dead at 67 POWERWOLF To Release Best Of The Blessed Album Featuring Numerous Brand New Versions of Timeless Classics! DISCIPLES OF VERITY Release Official Music Video for “Lying To Myself” Featuring PHIL DEMMEL Metal Allegiance and Exmortus House of Blues Anaheim, Thursday, 16 January 2020 The Greg Golden Band Announces Ground-breaking CD Release and Concert Article December 9, 2019 If You’re A Musician In CA. Read This! Because The Music... Article November 27, 2019 American Grim Lands #2 Spot on VEVO Best New Rock Videos... Article October 7, 2019 Black Label Society Featured Article Article April 27, 2018 BLACKTOP MOJO PREMIERE “COME GET YOUR COAT” VIDEO Article November 7, 2019

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The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of (Adopted at the Third Session of the Seventh National People’s Congress on April 4, 1990 Promulgated by Order No. 26 of the President of the People’s Republic of China on April 4, 1990 Effective as of July 1, 1997) 1. This instrument was not given a chapter number under the Legislation Publication Ordinance (Cap. 614). An unofficial reference number, however, is assigned to this instrument in Hong Kong e-Legislation (http://www.elegislation. gov.hk) for identification purposes. This also enables users to carry out a search by reference to the unofficial reference number. 2. Please also see— a. Decision of the National People’s Congress on the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (Adopted at the Third Session of the Seventh National People’s Congress on April 4, 1990) (see Instrument A104 in Hong Kong e-Legislation); and b. Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on the English Text of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (Adopted on June 28, 1990) (see Instrument A105 in Hong Kong e-Legislation).

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Conversations on Diversity May 15, 2019 by Destiny Johnson 1 Comment Dr. Hubbs traveled all the way from Michigan to present in front of CSUSB. By Julia Carney and Destiny Johnson When people are asked what kind of music they listen to, their response is usually along the lines of “anything but country.” On May 2, Dr. Nadine Hubbs joined CSUSB students and faculty members to help them understand the complex reasons surrounding these opinions. Conversations on Diversity is an event held three times a year by the University Diversity Committee of CSUSB. Guest speakers are invited to talk about diversity. For this event, the University Diversity Committee welcomed Dr. Nadine Hubbs to speak on “What Country Music Can Teach Us about Sex, Race, Class, and Immigration in America.” She made it clear that her presentation was not only aimed towards country music lovers but haters as well. Dr. Hubbs has a doctorate in music theory and teaches women’s studies and music at the University of Michigan. Hubbs is an expert on queerness and country music, having written “Rednecks, Queers, and Country Music”. She is currently conducting research for her next book, “Country Mexicans: Sounding Mexican American Life”, “Love and Belonging in Country Music”. Faculty and students gathered in the SMSU to hear Dr. Hubbs speak Hubbs graced the stage of the SMSU wearing a pair of jeans, cowboy boots, and a pearl snaps western button up. As a musicologist, Hubbs is focused on whatever she is interested in but says that she is always listening to music to understand any issues. “I’m going to think my way through questions and problems with music sitting right there beside me,” said Hubbs. Identifying as Queer, Hubbs has faced homophobia in both a rural hometown setting and in a college academic setting. She explained how societal attitudes are constantly evolving. “Our views in society do a 180 about queerness. We go from hating on the queer lover to hating on the queer hater,” Dr. Hubbs Hubbs explains that after the 1970’s the working class was demonized for being queer haters. However, the middle class was able to keep their power and stay on top of the social class ladder. Her presentation acknowledged the “anything but country” attitude by saying that “popular music shapes society and society shapes popular music.” Hubbs also argues that country music is often denied due to its association with the white working class and the class’ association with bigotry. She explains that people deny country music to protect their social credibility, which serves as a rejection of a certain group in society. Many of the attendees did speak up during the event to admit that they associate country music fans with Trump supporters. Dr. Hubbs presenting her idea for her new book. However, with her new book, Hubbs hopes to show that there are many Mexican country music fans who find a sense of American pride in some of the more patriotic songs. She also played a few country songs for the audience. These songs included “Humble and Kind” by Tim Mcgraw and “Most People Are Good” by Luke Bryan. She connected their hardworking and family-oriented messages to that of immigrant culture. Kelli Cluque is joint operations manager of Coyote Radio & Advertising at CSUSB. As a music fan, she went to learn more about diversity and country music. “What she talked about applies to everybody across the board; how differences really make us all the same,”Cluque While Cluque admits that she hasn’t been a country music fan, hearing Hubbs speak has changed her mind. CSUSB student Emily Lylugo said the event helped her realize that her family members with degrees are more opposed to country music than the rest of her family. “It brought up something that I never thought of,” said Lylugo. “I grew up in a family where half listen to country and the other half doesn’t. I always just assumed it was just a preference thing.” Fernando Mora was invited to attend the event for a class. He realized that he had not given country music a fair chance after listening to a few songs that day. “I never knew much about country but I like how she combined it with queer culture and feminism,” said Mora. “Listening to the Tim Mcgraw song that came up was interesting and I liked its message.” After the event, Hubbs encouraged students to share their experiences with her so she could add them to her upcoming book. She was especially interested in hearing from students with Latino backgrounds. Hubbs urged attendees to consider what being American really means. Just like our borders, the lines are blurred. “Country music, it turns out, is a really useful vehicle for thinking through so many issues of interest to us in society today,” said Hubbs. Tunnel of Oppression informs students about prejudices Chingona Fire brings self empowerment through poetry Undocumented, unafraid and unapologetic Filed Under: Community Tagged With: Country Music, diversity, Dr. Hubbs, immigration, immigration culture, Latino, Tim Mcgraw, University of Michigan Sastry Pantula says Thanks for organizing this. Diversity leads to excellence, and the speaker below on May 20th (1:00-2:30pm, in HP 124) talks about why diversity is critical for excellent science. I encourage the campus to participate in the visit. Diversity conversations and innovation should be continuous and be a part of our culture. Some of these seminars are boosters to keep diversity on everyone’s mind. inside.csusb.edu/node/22141 Theoretical physicist from Brown University to speak at Cal State San Bernardino Sylvester James “Jim” Gates, a theoretical physicist and the Ford Foundation Physics Professor and Affiliate Mathematics Professor at Brown University, will visit Cal State San Bernardino Monday, May 20, to present his lecture, “Einstein v Robert,” in the Health and Physical Education building, room 124, 1-2:30 p.m. Sastry Sastry G. Pantula, Dean College of Natural Sciences

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Felipe Russo’s Centro: Seeing a City Through Its Patina If there’s one thing photography does well it is to faithfully depict the surface of people and objects. In a nutshell, that’s all you get, the surface, projected onto the photographic plane in that simple manner that makes the medium so perplexing. Ignoring aesthetics, photography really isn’t any different than what our own eyes have to offer. For example, when we look into a loved one’s face, we have no way of knowing what is really going on in their mind (and vice versa), however much we would love to think or pretend otherwise. All photography does is to freeze these moments, to give us minute chunks taken out of the continuum of time, presenting us with the loved one’s face that might have changed into something completely different just a short moment later. In real life, we have some hope of having the flow of time come to our rescue, of providing us with a plethora of information – instead of that one photographic bit. But in reality, often enough we’re just as much at a loss what’s going on as when we look at a picture. What we know of someone else’s inner life we have only access to if it is communicated, and the communicated really is just another, fancier, form of it being mediated (if you don’t agree, ask any therapist – seen that way, photography critics often enough are really photography therapists: you have strange ideas about photographs, we’ll set you straight; the only difference being that therapists tend to make a solid amount of money, and critics don’t). We have more hope understanding the inert, non-animalistic world around us, regardless of whether it comes in a primordial form or is merely the result of human activity. But even then our failure to look properly, to see and understand what is in front of our eyes leaves us with a woefully incomplete, if not flawed picture of the world. If photography critics often take on the role of therapists, so do photographers. Ideally, that’s what s/he will do: make us see, provide a mediated interpretation that might bring us a little closer to a different reality, a reality that does not replace our own, but that enriches it. Photography is nothing but interpretations layered upon interpretations, with each additional human component adding another layer. This makes this oh-so technical medium the worst, well, the least bad of all ways of humans mediating and communicating the world around them (just witness the seemingly never-ending discussions in photojournalistic circles about truth, about how much manipulation is allowed, etc. – essentially a battle that can only be lost, given it’s fought on an absurd ground). Photography excels where its limitations are understood, where everybody takes the medium for what it is. It is here and then, where we can get the most out of looking at pictures of surfaces, frozen in time. I had to think of this during a recent visit to São Paulo, a city I had never visited before, a city that I had not researched at all before going there. It’s not that I was (or am) lazy: it’s just that my priorities are a little different. I’m really not a very good tourist, and I don’t aspire to be one: you have a great art museum in your town? Well, that’s nice, but I’d rather walk around in your neighbourhood to see what life is like where you live. I had no idea of the city’s scale (it is huge), its spatial composition, its history as a city. One of the things I truly love about going to a city I don’t know is trying to infer – or maybe sense – the latter. Cities, after all, are living entities (however vibrant or morbid they might be) that constantly re-invent themselves, that constantly shed some skin (or part of it), to reveal another, newer one. What I’m most interested in is a city’s patina, the traces of all that was. Cities without patina bore and frighten me at the same time: a city made to look as if it had no life other than the current one is like a face frozen through Botox. It’s not alive any longer, it’s an abomination. From what I was able to tell during those few days I was there, there is considerable patina in São Paulo. Only while being there did I realize that Felipe Russo‘s Centro, which the photographer worked on during his time as a student in the program I teach in, essentially is about that, the city’s patina. Or rather it is about the city and its life, using the patina as a tracer. As I noted above, photography only captures surfaces, which often makes it hard to get beyond the obvious, to capture that which cannot be (easily) seen. But the patina isn’t obvious – quite on the contrary. The patina isn’t even just the physical surface of things, the grime and dirt left over on buildings, the paint flaking off. It is also the physical arrangements of things left standing around, however temporarily. It is where (and how) the city as a physical object meets with whatever it is we do while living there. Russo’s photographs are about just that. There are photographs of the cityscape, pictures that derive their beauty from the photographer’s ability to construct wonderful two-dimensional representation from three-dimensional blocks of all shapes (São Paulo’s aren’t all simple, mindless, infuriating cubes, which makes the city a sight to behold in its own). You couldn’t make these pictures in, say, New York City, because there you would end up with advertizing in every picture. São Paulo has banned large-scale advertizing, so unused facades of buildings are blank, where they don’t contain the remnants of paint bombs or artful looking graffiti. The effect is similar to driving into Vermont from any other US state – suddenly, all the awful huge billboard advertizing crap are gone, and there is a real landscape to be admired. But Centro isn’t merely a collection of cityscapes. There are a few. Most of the photographs show bricolage-style objects, found somewhere and photographed, such as, for example, a couple of palettes stacked on top of each other in a way that makes the viewer think of a purpose other than stacking. None of the objects are precious in any sense. But through Russo’s camera they become precious in the form of photographs, speaking of the city and those that live and work in it. There’s a bit of an anti-Walker Evans instinct at play: the photographs are not so much about the city itself, about the jumble of signage or non-precious objects, as about the gestures, however big or small, that made all that. This will get me into trouble with Evans fans, but still… As much as I admire this photographer’s work, it still seems more photographic than anything else: ultimately, it’s about the pictures. It’s about being visually clever. It does make us look at surfaces, but it doesn’t always invite us to look deeper, beyond the photographic. Maybe that’s one of the biggest weaknesses of what we might call “art photography,” that instinct to make sure that if there is any doubt, it’s more about a picture being a clever picture than about what it might hint at (clever in the sense of the photograph being a good picture, employing the medium’s criteria – there’s material for a future article here). Centro doesn’t only feel clever in that way. While the photographs are, of course, organized in ways that make them work, they’re not just about that, about a photographer’s ability to skillfully and pleasingly organize a three-dimensional jumble of things in a two-dimensional plane. They’re also not only about this aspect of “Look, what I’m making you see here.” While that is a (necessary) part of it, there is more: they are about a photographer noticing the city’s life through what was around him and bringing it to the viewer, by means of photography. And that difference might strike you as minute, but it is the crucial point. During my visit I told Russo that his work made me think of someone from the Düsseldorf School doing their work, but then bringing a human sensibility to it. Where so many photographs coming out of Düsseldorf feel like they were taken by uncaring automatons (at least on the surface), Centro is filled with emotion; and the step from the photographic to the emotion never is very far. This is most welcome. As much as I love contemporary photography, large parts appear to have gravitated towards the corner where so many books, say, could have the subtitle “Why I am so clever.” As Centro shows, it needn’t be so. You can produce very contemporary photography, yet fill it with love, with emotion at the same time. General / March 30 2015 Share this Article on Twitter Article Permalink Credits & Links All photographs © and kindly provided by Felipe Russo Ken Schles: Invisible City/Night Walk A few years ago, I lived in Pittsburgh, PA, a city trying to get over the fact that while there were much better days in the past, those are unlikely to come back. My apartment was somewhere close to the line that divided an area considered attractive to one seen as anything but. The line wasn’t completely invisible, as it is in so many American cities where you simply know where you belong. There was a public-transportation route cutting through, to be used by buses only and usually deserted, a rude, brutal conglomerate of concrete. Even the buses offered a bit of a divide, with its regular buses, stopping everywhere, and the express ones that zoomed right to the university areas. A couple of years after I moved there, the city decided to tear down a large public-housing building that was deemed to be an eye sore, to be problematic. The people living there were promised alternative housing, which might or might not have arrived. In any case, they had to go. And then Whole Foods moved in or rather, it literally crossed that dividing line, building a supermarket, daring those who thought better of venturing across the line to do so, provided they wanted, say, their tiny piece of “gourmet” cheese for $15. Other corporations followed, including a chain book shop (I don’t quite remember the name any longer, they’re all the same anyway), and a chain thrift-store that sold to used dresses for $20. Essentially the better off had chipped way a little at the territory of those who weren’t that, those who still had to worry about what to spend money on. Far beyond the dividing line, things didn’t change that much, despite the city’s best efforts to lure in, for example, artists, offering them houses to buy for little more than a wet hand shake. There was a fair amount of violence going on, and people peddled drugs. Artists did move in, and some of them moved back out again. I haven’t been back to Pittsburgh since I left, so I have no idea what happened to those areas. But this story seems to be fairly typical of the country as a whole. Now, I only need to drive down a few miles, and I’m in Holyoke, MA, a city that makes Pittsburgh look like a tremendous success story. Or I could drive down to Hartford, CT. In fact, wherever I drive there always is some city that has not only seen better days, but that essentially is trying to put a brave face on the simple fact that there is if not no hope then very little for it. Not too long ago, you were able to find this kind of situation in New York City, right in Manhattan. You wouldn’t know necessarily this from visiting the strip mall for the wealthy the island has become of late. But you might be aware of it, given that so much of its transformation is tied to the arts, tied to it providing the fuel for the arts, some of it anyway. Maybe this is too convenient an argument to make, and just like any convenient argument it’s essentially false. But that energy coiled up in the city, in Manhattan, fueled the arts as much as did the existence of incredibly cheap (albeit often ridiculously dangerous) housing. Just to digress a little: Now if that is correct, then we might as well find an alternative term for New Formalism: Gentrification Art. Because, you know, if so little matters to you in your life, if there is so little actual risk other than maybe missing an opening, then why would anything matter in your art? Why not just produce visual fluff? Anyway, I’m not sure I personally would have lived on, say, Avenue B at a time when the founders of Sonic Youth lived there, or Ken Schles, the photographer. There’s this general problem with looking back to a time that in retrospect looks so alluring because of some of its symptoms. All that art coming out of Manhattan in those days – that’s really a symptom, and I don’t mean this in any bad way. I love a lot of the stuff. Bad Moon Rising is awesome in ways that contemporary music simply doesn’t seem to aspire to any longer. But it’s still a symptom, the result of a sickness of the municipal body. So there is that push and pull here that one needs to be aware of. The story often sounds great, but at the same time, its beauty is grounded in circumstances that are anything but beautiful. I think this applies to Schles’ Invisible City and Night Walk . Invisible City is a re-release of its original 1988 incarnation, which has long been hard to come by (for those with limited funds). Night Walk, in contrast, was compiled from material that didn’t make it into the 1988 book, material that has now been given a life in book form. So you can treat these books as companions. They certainly speak of the same thing, even though there is quite a bit of a difference in their focus. Photographically, both book provide copious amounts of photographic references. In City, for example, there is a photograph of a kid pointing a gun at you, clearly echoing William Klein’s New York book. With their bleak and harsh black-and-white treatments, occasionally using considerable blur, the books also echo Japanese photography from around the Provoke era. Of course, many of these references have since been picked up by a younger generation of artists. I got a bit of a weakness for this kind of aesthetic, even though I realize that it’s also a bit easy. I mean, anything will look kinda cool if you just boost the contrast in b/w and show some serious grain. It’s a bit like visual punk rock: as long as its really loud and fast, and you cram 20 songs into 30 minutes, you got yourself some punk. But it’s one thing to do that, and another thing to be the Ramones. My first reaction after looking through both Invisible City and Night Walk was that I like the latter better. A lot better. The thing about City is that while it contains some pretty great photographs, the overall edit is a mixed bag. And the added quotes from Kafka, Borges, Orwell, Beaudrillard, and others really make it feel as if someone was trying a bit too hard. It feels very self-conscious. In contrast, Walk sings. The reality is that as we age, we get a little wiser. We don’t really have to try so hard any longer. And I think Invisible City and Night Walk make a pretty great case for just that. Walk feels expansive in ways that City feels restrictive. There’s a specificity to City that doesn’t allow its viewers to enter it under any conditions other than the one it lays out. Walk, in contrast, both echoes the times and circumstances under which the photographs were made, but also our times and circumstances, the things we do (or don’t do), the things we share (and don’t share). Seen that way, Night Walk does what it needs to be doing, given our cities’ lives: it references the past as much as the present and the future. It doesn’t glorify or condemn outright. It’s really only punk in visual form. To stay with music analogies, it has much more in common with latter-day Swans than with 1985 Sonic Youth. Invisible City; photographs by Ken Schles; 80 pages; Steidl; 2014 Rating: Photography 3, Book Concept 3, Edit 2, Production 5 – Overall 3.4 Night Walk; photographs by Ken Schles; 162 pages; Steidl; 2014 Photobook Review / March 23 2015 A Conversation with Melissa Catanese Melissa Catanese Melissa Catanese‘s Dive Dark Dream Slow might be one of the most successful and exciting recontextualizations of vernacular photography in recent years. With both vernacular photography and such efforts having become widely accepted in the world of art photography, I wanted to find out more, both about the book and its maker. The following conversation was conducted via email over the course of a few weeks. Jörg Colberg: Before talking about Dive Dark Dream Slow in more detail, can you talk a little bit about why/how you became interested in vernacular photography? Why is it interesting? Melissa Catanese: I never really sought out working with vernacular photography specifically, but a strong interest in using other people’s photographs developed in graduate school in 2004 and 2005. I became focused on working with groups of images and how meaning and narrative can be shaped through editing and sequencing. This led me to consider working with other source material besides my own photographs. I worked on a book with Ed Panar called Yesterday’s Beach, Tomorrow’s Forest from a friend’s personal archive of photographs taken in the 80’s and 90’s. From there we went on to create a fictitious photographer named Lester Pleasant. Lester was mostly three of us, but really anyone could contribute to his archive. It was under his identity where we could edit one another’s photographs, weaving them all together with levity and without ego or self-consciousness, more or less. This conversation opened my eyes to this profound ambiguity that exists in a photograph and the potential meanings that can be made from that ambiguity, especially when moved around within a sequence. When I began working with vernacular photography it was like going back to ground zero in revealing an essential truth that all photographs are these strange mysterious artifacts that can be so easily removed from their original meaning and intent. It sounds a bit new age, but once I started exploring Peter Cohen’s collection, I felt a draw to the photographs, a weird magnetic pull. These little objects have a strange autonomy and it’s hard to articulate this nearly mystical element of working with them. They were seducing me. As if they had been waiting to be reactivated (or liberated) from the circumstances by which they were first made. But also, I wanted to tap into their inherent strangeness, darkness even, that I believe exists in all images. JC: How did you meet Peter Cohen, and how did the idea to make Dive develop? In fact, how does one even go about working with a collection as enormous as Cohen’s? MC: I met Peter in 2009. He was a regular at a restaurant I worked at in New York. After a few visits, we came to discover we had some things in common which led to our friendship. The initial connection was that he was familiar with the graduate program I attended in Michigan, Cranbrook Academy of Art, an enchanting place. When he found out I was a photographer, he invited me over to share his snapshot collection. He’s been collecting snapshots for over 25 years and over the years, he invited several people to come in and help him organize. I was happy to have the opportunity to do this and spend more time with the collection. Being at his place was like a retreat for me. We’d catch up for a little while and then he would leave me alone with the piles of photographs. There was never any real serious pressure to formally archive or anything like that. I would sort stacks of new snapshots into boxes labeled with general categories, sometimes creating new categories. The woman who worked with him before me helped Peter produce several Blurb books from these categories. He would use these books to introduce his collection to friends, museum curators and institutions. I should also note that Peter is known for encouraging visitors, mostly museum curators and a few artists, to start their own boxes. There’s a whole section of the room dedicated to institutions. These usually become donations to the institutions, and sometimes exhibitions. It’s fascinating to see what ‘themes’ museums are interested in acquiring. He asked if I would be interested in adding to that series of books. The first book I made for him was called “Women on Land and Trees”. The book was designed in the same way as the other books and meant to be part of a series. It wasn’t long into these visits before I was putting images aside in a box labeled with my name on it. And Peter was very encouraging, he wanted me to produce something from the collection. After every visit, I would have a full box of photographs (housed in rigid baseball card holders) to lug home with me. I would scan every one of them and spend a few days with them in my apartment. When I returned to Peter’s for the next visit, I would then refile them in their categorically labeled box and start again. This refiling proved to be a ridiculously short-sighted. After Dive Dark Dream Slow was published and I was invited to exhibit the sequence of the book at Pier 24, Peter and I spent several nights digging through boxes and searching for the originals. We swore never to let that happen again! But at that moment, I didn’t really know what I was doing other than looking, scanning, and thinking about these mysterious objects. My time spent at Peter’s evolved from sorting stacks to these daydreaming sessions, sifting through images, box by box. Making books was already my preferred way of working with groups of images. I knew that if I used these selections in any way, that would be the format so I did have the foresight to scan them at a high resolution. The cover image from Dive Dark Dream Slow was among the first images I selected. I knew I wanted to draw from the emotional response I had viewing this image. It was a tumultuous moment in my life and I think the edit is deeply psychological and personal to me. I began selecting other images that I felt would help build the structure for the atmosphere I needed to create. In a way, each image can be traced back to that one of the girl in the white dress on the carpet. But this is a very personal thing for me and I hope that there’s enough openness to the story where others can get into it based on their own world experience. At that time I was also working on an updated version of one of the books from the snapshot series titled, Dangerous Women. And this time the book was produced as a print-on-demand hack where I produced a handmade cover in a limited edition. I later went on to publish this artist’s book through Spaces Corners. An expanded version of the book is being published by Rizzoli this year. JC: Can you talk a little more about the collection? Is it a more or less random assortment of material, or does he have broader themes he used/uses to amass photograph? MC: The collection is all over the place. I’d say that it’s a result of 25+ years of not necessarily fleeting, but small obsessions. Peter might be more equipped to answer this question, but based on my observations over the past few years, his collecting habits seem to be a lot like a photographer’s editing habits. They are intuitive – he buys photographs that give him some pleasure and over time, he begins to see patterns emerge. He’ll then build a more focused collection of the areas that interest him most, on top of continuing to collect random assortments. Since I’ve known Peter, there have been a range of themes that he’s been really excited about – some examples would include hand-tinted photographs, photographs of the Brandenburg Gate, and most recently people standing on one leg. In my experience, he also really enjoys collecting based on what interests his visitors. At some point in time and inspired by Les Krims’ The Deerslayers, I began setting aside a group of deer photographs and Peter began seeking them out for me. Just last week, I received an envelope in the mail with more of these to consider for a future book project. JC: And of course I forgot to ask whether you started your own collection of vernacular photographs? MC: I have some, but very few that aren’t donations from Peter. I haven’t gone down that rabbit hole yet… JC: Has spending so much time with other people’s pictures changed the way you approach your own? MC: I wasn’t taking a lot of photos while I was living in New York and began working with vernacular images. In a sense, working with Peter’s collection enabled me to expand on making these kinds of poetic stories I was making from my archive before living there. Working with these anonymous photographs was a relief for me– in one sense a way of escaping my own reality, but at the same time confronting it though these other images. I like to think that both processes inform one another, but I believe it’s important that I made the work I did before Dive Dark Dream Slow. There’s definitely a connection in editing style and atmospheric mood, but also the use of photographs as raw material is an important part of my approach. I try to also use my own images as if they were somebody else’s. Ultimately, I know they’re not and I can never completely disassociate from them, but I often will allow for enough time to pass where I can revisit them with fresh eyes, and hopefully with some amnesia. I find that this is when the photographs really speak to me the most, when I can tap into that strange autonomy. JC: Do you still photograph, or is working with vernacular photography (plus working on Spaces Corners plus the MACK work) taking up all your time? MC: I still do make photographs, but not nearly as effortlessly as when I was in my 20‘s. You could say those years were spent collecting my own vernacular photographs, storing prints in shoeboxes to be reinterpreted later. Today I spend a better portion of my time looking at images than photographing these days, both from my archive and Peter’s collection. But all of that aside, it’s true that I do wear many different hats and at times it’s overwhelming. But luckily everything I’ve chosen to do to survive involves what I love. It’s good to have help though. Ed and I work very closely on Spaces Corners as well as our own work and I like to think of the MACK work as an extension of what I do at Spaces Corners. It’s all personal and it’s all connected. Part of the decision to move to Pittsburgh from New York was to allow more time and space and to continue our lifestyle without serious financial pressure. JC: You’re also very active in Pittsburgh, having established Spaces Corners with your partner Ed Panar. Can you talk a little bit about both having the space/shop, but also about what it’s like to work in a relatively small community such as Pittsburgh’s? MC: While we have a small audience here, we’ve received a good amount of support and encouragement from the community. We were invited by Eric Shiner, the Director of the Andy Warhol Museum, to exhibit at The Armory Show in 2013, and this past year we were were invited on a three-month residency at the Carnegie Museum of Art. For a city of its size there’s a healthy amount of funding opportunities in Pittsburgh for individual artists, arts organizations, and startups. While the community is small, the opportunities are big and the possibility to experiment with little risk is even greater. We simply couldn’t afford to experiment in New York and we most certainly couldn’t have bought a building, which we’ve now done here in Pittsburgh. We have our moments of feeling isolated but the decision to move here came out of simple practicalities and our desire to foster a creative life, which for the most part we’ve been able to do. Plus, being here sometimes feels like you’re traveling back in time and entering a movie from the 1980’s. There’s a lot of red brick and cobblestone. It’s really cinematic here. Working in a mode that’s mostly solitary, it’s a good place to make work in peace. We do struggle to balance all of the things we want to do – pursuing our own work, operating the bookshop and programming around Spaces Corners, and future book ideas. While the pace of life is a lot slower here, we still have an endless amount of work to be done and it’s important to us to remain part of the bigger conversation. Conversations / March 16 2015 All images © and kindly provided by Melissa Catanese A Conversation with Katrien de Blauwer Katrien de Blauwer I’m not sure most photographers are aware of what’s going on in the world of collage. Much like photography itself, collage is easy to do and almost impossibly hard to do well. When it’s done well, it easily competes with other forms of art in terms of expressiveness and sheer beauty. Given most collage relies on photography, there are many lessons to be learned for photographers. The photographer’s task is to look, to find and then preserve the moment that is worthwhile being treated that way. Collage artists operate in very similar ways, the only difference being that their source material is different (and even that difference is now becoming ever more irrelevant, given contemporary photographic practice involves looking at archives). Katrien de Blauwer‘s work has been on my radar for a while. Her work evokes that of John Stezaker, but there are very different sensibilities being explored. As much as I enjoy Stezaker’s work, it often comes across as being just a tad too clever, too cerebral. I never had this problem with De Blauwer’s collages. Given my ongoing interest in and fascination with her work, I thought it would be nice to have a little conversation about it all. Jörg Colberg: Can you talk a little bit about your background? Katrien de Blauwer: I have been making collages for as long as I can remember. At 18 I rolled into fashion school for a couple of years, and the funny thing is I only got up to making mood books that consisted of little fragments of magazines. All my effort went into them. I’m a sensitive person and emotions are my main motivation. I try to express that through my works. They’re all translations of themes that keep me busy and bubble out of me. That’s why certain elements reappear and why my work often is a variation on a range of themes. Because of that it also has grown a certain maturity after all these years. If you do something for a long time, you’re always getting better in it. It’s like learning a language. Recently I saw a documentary about Michelangelo Antonioni in which he said: “If one asks me a question, I answer by making a movie”. There’s a lot in it, I think. He used his films as his language, and I use my collages. JC: Given you use collages as a language, if you had to tell people about what your collages would speak of what would you say? KdB: My collages speak about myself, about what’s keeping me busy. They’re my stories, how I deal with the past. My grip on reality, my ritual and routine. A few weeks ago somebody was at my home to look at my work, when she suddenly said “you look like your work”. That was a very nice observation and compliment. JC: This site focuses mostly on photography itself, so can you talk a little bit of what you actually do and how you do it? Where do you find your source materials? And, especially, how do you go about making your pieces? Do you have an archive of material, sorted in some way? KdB: I would like to describe myself as a “photographer without a camera”. I’m re-reading and re-using photographs. The framing is not taking place in the lens, but in the eye. My works calls to mind the technique of photomontage or film editing. They’re stills but nevertheless preserve a filmic vibration. I use a very spontaneous way of working. First I roughly cut out a selection of images and backgrounds, then I start creating in what is usually a few hours session. I always try to work out of my unconscious. By this way of working I come to unexpected results. Sometimes someone points out something I had overlooked at first: a line that fits perfectly, a figure that is connected in two images or an unusual association. Yes, I have a huge (unsorted) ever growing archive. It’s a treat to find some rare unknown magazine. If I travel abroad, it’s always with the idea of finding new material. JC: What is your relationship to the source materials? When you look through magazines, say, how do you approach the photographs? Do you look for specific details, or do you find them? A: I go through magazines rather fast. I know immediately if there’s a part of an image I can use. I developed some kind of sensitivity for this. There are of course some images (or parts) that always draw my attention, some details that reappear often, but that’s what makes it interesting for me. These pieces act like a mirror, they’re telling me something about myself. There’s a strong therapeutical value in all these pieces. I need to make them. It’s like breathing. Some time ago somebody was looking through my work and suddenly noticed: “There’s almost never a man in your works”. He was right, I never noticed it. But outside from the “Rendez-vous” series where there’s always a man and a woman, I can count the collages with a man on one hand. JC: So what are you going to do about it, work more consciously on adding men, or simply exploring what this all means? The photographer’s job usually never ends with taking pictures: there is the process of editing, of engaging with and learning from the work afterwards. How does this work for you? Do you look at your work once it’s done, to find out what it tells you? Or if it’s done it’s done? KdB: No, I’m not going to add men, the fact that there are no men in my work has a reason of which I became fully aware after the remark. Making collages is re-using existing material so the process of editing starts before the actual process of creating. After the work’s done, I display all the new pieces on a table, and then I start to see different moods, techniques and pieces that jump out. Afterwards I categorize the works, mostly by theme, but also by the feeling I have for a work. Really strong pieces are usually kept apart and displayed in my work space. I re-look at my work afterwards. When we where working on the book for example, we had to go through all the archive and make a selection, which was very interesting, because I started to look at older works in a new context. JC: I’m curious, what is it that collage (or maybe one should really call it montage) do that photography itself cannot do? Where do they overlap, and what are their differences? KdB: Difficult to say, there are of course different forms of photography and also different forms of collage. My collages are more direct, maybe you can compare them to classic black-and-white snapshots, but without a camera involved, no technical issues. The cut is the click. Making collages is a post-photographic process, giving new meaning and live to what is residual, saving images from destruction and including them in a new narration. My work is very intimate, it comes from my inner world and asks questions about my personal life, body, sexuality… But at the same time it’s also very anonymous by using images from magazines. I almost act as a neutral person between my story and somebody else’s. I did not make all these images, but I’m giving them a new meaning. I take stories from others in my personal world and by cutting away faces my personal story becomes everybody’s story and universal. JC: Photographers often (usually?) start out with quite specific ideas (maybe in the form of projects) from which work then evolves. Is that how you work? Or do you approach your work in a different way, and if yes, how? KdB: I have quite a fixed (almost) daily working scheme, and I’m also very productive. I try to work very spontaneously, without really a plan in mind. Sometimes my work evolves in a certain direction. Now for example I’m working on the “Single cuts” series, where one photograph is cut, divided and recomposed again to form a new, double image. I discovered this technique some time ago, and I’m experimenting a lot with it now, pushing it to the limits until something different comes out. Lately, my work is moving more towards a void and emptiness, almost abstraction, while only one year ago I worked on the “Rendez-vous” and “Féminin” series. I think there’s always a slow evolution in my work. All images © and kindly provided by Katrien de Blauwer Photobook Reviews (W10/2015) Things are a bit hectic at this end right now, leaving me with less time to work on this site than I would prefer. But it is what it is. I started writing a book, which I am tremendously excited about, but which probably will also keep me this busy until the end of the year (when the manuscript is due). If you want to keep up with what I might be up to besides what’s published here, there’s my Twitter feed, I occasionally write about things that pop up using my Ello account (those are all things that I’ve either covered here already or that simply have no place here), and those interested in silly pictures can check out my Instagram feed. I don’t know whether I received Grégoire Pujade-Lauraine‘s A Perpetual Season before Federico Clavarino‘s Italia O Italia (which I reviewed here). They’re different books, different bodies of work, even somewhat different photographic sensibilities. Yet these two books overlap in many ways, which has made it hard for me to see one without the other, or more accurately to look at Season without having Italia in mind. Both books combine photographs of parts of the mostly urban landscape with those of people, pictured for the most part in a state of almost befuddlement. As might be obvious from its title already, Italia is location specific in the sense that the photographs look like they were taken in Italy. But that’s about as specific as it gets. If the location is visible in the photographs in Season, I lack the knowledge to identify markers. In both books, providing a simple (maybe documentary style) description of a (the) location doesn’t really appear to be the point. Instead, their makers allude to feelings of alienation, and here is where the two books differ most strongly. Italia concerns itself with the almost grotesque state the country finds itself in. In contrast, Season speaks more of the urban human condition after years of modernism (and other isms). Here and there, A Perpetual Season has strong of some of Michael Schmidt’s Berlin work, if you can make the mental leap from Schmidt’s infinity of grey tones to the somewhat muted colour palette Pujade-Lauraine employs. This is not to say that as a whole Season is Schmidtesque. Thankfully, it is not. But it hits some of the side notes Schmidt made use of so well. However, as convincing as Season is it maybe is too convincing. The book feels too calculated. Everything is just perfect. It’s a very well-designed book and production, and there clearly is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But the photographs and the way they are put together feel very calculated, which had me wonder whether the artist actually discovered something he didn’t expect to find beforehand. I am not sure he did (even though I have no way of knowing – all I have are the pictures). And this is the biggest difference between Season and Italia. Part of what makes Italia so good is exactly this slight dissonance conveyed through the photographs, where you realize that the photographer doesn’t really want to give you any answers. A Perpetual Season, in contrast, feels more like a very specific answer. It still is a wonderful book with a large number of fantastic photographs. But still… If it only were a little bit less perfect, a little bit less eager to push all the right buttons and the right time, a little less cerebral… A Perpetual Season; photographs by Grégoire Pujade-Lauraine; 80 pages; MACK; 2014 Life is like a big game, the only complication being that you’re not even asked whether you want to play. You simply get to play. You’re also not told about the rules beforehand. Instead, life just throws things at you, and you better figure out how it all works. Good luck! Much like many of the various activities we engage with, photography is nothing other than an attempt to make sense of the world, of this game. We make selections and decisions, we photograph this piece of the world and not that one, we preserve those pieces frozen them in time, and we then infer things, or maybe create new ones. Given photography itself has its own rules, it isn’t that clear which parts of what we produce tell us something about the world, which parts speak of ourselves, and which parts are simply just caused by the technology we employ. This seemingly so complex mixture is a real recipe for disaster if you’re after some sort of truth (just ask the World Press Photo folks). But boy, it’s so much fun, especially if you don’t take it too seriously (which is, of course, bad news for the art types, who usually tend to take things way too seriously). I had to think of this all when looking through Guilherme Gerais‘ Intergalático. I honestly have no idea what the hell I’m looking at here, but it sure is fun. Intergalático is filled with all kinds of images and symbolism. I don’t think it would really work without any of the symbolism. Even though I’m convinced most of it is utter nonsense, it is exactly what is needed to hold everything together. After all, we’re used to seeing symbols as, well, just that, as markers that help us understand what’s going on. So those symbols here have certainly got to mean something, don’t they? Often times, it doesn’t really matter whether the rules you give people for your game make fun, as long as you have rules. That appears to be the underpinning of this book. We see photographs and symbols, and they’re clearly put together in a way that doesn’t look completely random. Obviously, there has to be some meaning then. “Obviously.” Honestly, I don’t know what the hell this book is telling me. What I do know, though, is that the fun, at least for me, is to find myself trying to figure it out every time I look at it. I still haven’t got anywhere, and I doubt I ever will. But unlike all those books that tell me stories I already know, this one has me coming back to it. Intergalático; photographs by Guilherme Gerais; 184 pages; self-published; 2014 Were it not for the nightmares. The simplest way I could describe Michael Ashkin‘s Were It Not For is to compare it to the music by British post-punk group The Fall, in particular the one produced from roughly 1979 until early 1983. Mostly devoid of actual melodies, the songs all begin…

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Over protests, Medvedev signs bill expanding FSB power August 2, 2010 1:02 PM ET New York, August 2, 2010—A measure signed into law on Thursday by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will expand the powers of security agents and contribute to a climate of fear among government critics, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The law grants the Federal Security Service (FSB) authority to detain for up to 15 days anyone suspected of planning a crime against Russian security, local and international press reports said. The law does not specify how security agents would identify potential suspects, or what would constitute a potential crime against the nation’s security. Facing domestic and international protest, Russian lawmakers scrapped provisions in the original bill that would have explicitly allowed FSB agents to summon journalists for questioning over news coverage and to demand that editors censor articles considered to assist extremists. “Although we welcome the removal of the censorship provision, we are still concerned by the effects of this law on critical and investigative reporters,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “It would bolster Russia’s security if authorities protected journalists’ right to investigate and report, instead of curbing their activities through vague legislation,” The legislation was introduced in parliament in April following a deadly bombing at a Moscow subway a month earlier. Similar to the 2006 and 2007 amendments to the anti-extremism law—both of which broadened the definition of extremism to include media criticism of state officials and public discussion of extremist activities—the new legislation singles out media outlets as a source and accomplice to violence. An explanatory note to the new legislation states in part: “Certain mass media outlets, including print and electronic, openly aid the formation of negative processes in the spiritual sphere, the affirmation of the cult of individualism and violence, and the mistrust in the ability of the state to defend its citizens, thus practically involving the youth in extremist activities.” Local and international rights groups, including CPJ, had urged Russian lawmakers and Medvedev to scrap the legislation. Aleksei Simonov, head of the Moscow-based Glasnost Defense Foundation, told CPJ the law is bound to intimidate government critics because it “brands as extremists all those who disagree with the government, those who stand up against authorities.” Anti-Terror Law Short URL: https://cpj.org/x/3ab9 Russian journalist Mikhail Romanov found guilty of ‘abuse of freedom of information’ and ‘false’ news Washington, D.C., August 2, 2019--Journalist Mikhail Romanov, a correspondent with the weekly Yakutsk Vecherniy, was found guilty on July 25 by the city court of Yakutsk, in eastern Russia, on charges of “abuse of freedom of information by publishing false information that poses a threat to the public,” according... Ingushetia court orders journalist Rashid Maysigov to remain in pre-trial detention for two months July 22, 2019 1:00 PM ET Washington, D.C., July 22, 2019 -- Authorities in the Republic of Ingushetia must release journalist Rashid Maysigov unconditionally and investigate allegations that he was tortured in custody, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.... Editor Abdulmumin Gadzhiev detained in Russia on terrorism charges Washington, D.C., June 14, 2019--Authorities in the Russian republic of Dagestan should immediately drop the charges against Makhachkala-based journalist Abdulmumin Gadzhiev and release him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.... Police detain, allegedly beat Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov June 7, 2019 1:40 PM ET New York, June 7, 2019 -- Russian authorities should immediately drop all charges against investigative journalist Ivan Golunov, release him, and investigate allegations that he was beaten in police custody, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.... Russian video blogger Vadim Kharchenko attacked, injured in Krasnodar New York, June 4, 2019--Russian authorities should conduct a swift and credible investigation into the brutal attack on video blogger Vadim Kharchenko in the southwestern city of Krasnodar and bring the perpetrators to justice, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today....

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Creative Tension This side of heaven, it's all paradox. Posts Tagged ‘NICE’ Too nice for our own good Posted in Commentary, tagged Alinsky, Andrew Breitbart, Anthony Weiner, Bill Ayers, Britain, Christianity, Churchill, Hitler, Italy, Neville Chamberlain, NICE, Obama, Sexism on June 21, 2011| 1 Comment » As a good little middle-class girl growing up in a small town in the 1960s, I had the all-importance of niceness drilled into me pretty thoroughly. It has taken me my whole adult life to get over it. About ten years ago, I realized I had some unresolved issues with “niceness” after an incident that happened to my then-17-year-old niece. At a basketball game, a boy had approached her and made a very lewd suggestion. She responded quickly, appropriately and, to my mind, brilliantly. But not “nicely.” She dumped her large cup of iced Coke all over the guy, her eyes blazing as she said most emphatically, “Don’t you ever talk to me that way again!” It worked. The guy never bothered her again. When I heard the story later from her mother, I was very impressed. And bemused. For my niece is one of the sweetest-spirited, most loving, giving individuals I’ve ever known. Moreover, she was raised in an exceptionally devout Christian home, and in one of those “fundamentalist” churches that does not dodge St. Paul’s teaching that wives should submit to their husbands. At that time in my life, I had not been a believing Christian for very long. I was not yet Catholic and did not yet have the spiritual eyes to really understand Paul’s teaching. At that early point in my Christian development, my sweet niece’s bold behavior struck me as paradoxical. How could a church that raised females to be submissive produce a girl who, when faced with male piggishness, could instantly respond more boldly than I, a supposed feminist, had ever summoned the nerve to do? Even in my most radical feminist days, whenever difficult situations arose, I did what my “nice girl” conditioning had trained me to do — avoid, evade, ignore, let it pass. Don’t confront, don’t make waves, don’t incur people’s anger. I soon figured out that there was no paradox at all in my niece’s behavior: She’d been raised to see herself as a precious child of God, made in the Divine Image, with intrinsic, inviolable dignity. Of course you don’t let people treat you like an object. Of course you don’t tolerate abuse of any sort. Her example affected me deeply. I found myself reeling with shame and rage and grief. For several weeks, every time I thought about what my niece had done, I broke down sobbing. Not for her, but for myself. My niece’s behavior — the almost automatic readiness with which she’d defended her own honor while teaching someone a needed lesson — brought up to the surface all my own long-submerged pain and frustration from the various psychological abuses I’d endured, from my early teens to my early 30s, never quite knowing how to fight back. The contrast between my own debilitating confusion whenever I’d been faced with sexual harassment and my niece’s simple, instinctive response caused an emotional reaction in me that to any outside observer would have looked way out of proportion. But the weight of countless insults, endured over many years, crushed me with remorse for all the times my conditioned, habitual “niceness” had inhibited me from responding appropriately. I felt that I had been launched into life without one of the most basic tools of survival. But enough of true confessions. The issue of whether to be “nice” or not goes way beyond the personal and individual. The fate of nations can depend on it. Breitbart vs. Weiner: The virtue of not being nice I was inspired to ponder the pros and cons of “niceness” recently after watching the way Andrew Breitbart fought back after Rep. Anthony Weiner, in an effort to divert attention from his own wrongdoing, tried to “kill the messenger” by attacking Breitbart. Weiner and his cronies in the liberal media accused Breitbart of hacking Weiner’s Twitter account and lying about it. Well, as we all know now, Andrew was completely vindicated, and Weiner is the one who was lying all along. Just one more case of a Leftist projecting their own bad deeds and intentions onto a conservative. Leftists use that tactic all the time; unfortunately, there’s nothing unusual about it. But what inspired me was the way Andrew Breitbart, as is his wont, righteously fought back. I wish I could send every Republican in Washington to an Andrew Breitbart Boot Camp. No more pussy-wussy-footing around! No more Georgetown cocktail-party schmoozing. No more playing golf with the President. No more sitting next to our enemies at the State of the Union address. No more assuming good intentions on the part of any communist, including the one in the White House and the ones in Congress (otherwise known as the Congressional Progressive Caucus.) It would be an injustice to their victims to be nice to these people. Obama’s political mentor and sponsor (and likely, his ghostwriter) Bill Ayers once chaired a meeting where his fellow Weather Underground terrorists talked about “eliminating” 25 million Americans if they refused to be “re-educated.” Now he’s a professor of education at the University of Illinois, and is one of the leading figures in academia on curriculum development. Ever wonder why your kids’ heads are being filled with poisonous claptrap at school? Ayers and his fellow “progressives” have declared war not only on conservatives, not only on America, but on the most basic foundations of society, including especially the family. They’re following Saul Alinsky’s playbook, Rules for Radicals, and it is not a nice book. It’s even dedicated to Lucifer, a.k.a. Satan! Saul Alinsky was not a nice man. (He was mentored by Al Capone’s enforcer, Frank Nitti, for crying out loud. ) His followers are actively implementing the Cloward-Piven strategy, which is not nice at all, but vicious and manipulative and cruel. Frances Fox Piven herself, not long ago, expressed her disappointment that the revolution had still not arrived, that Americans were not yet killing each other in the streets. Every time some “conservative” politician or radio host says that “Obama’s a nice man, I just don’t agree with him,” I want to vomit. They can’t really believe that. Not only are Obama’s policies specifically designed to inflict as much misery on as many people as possible, but his personal treatment of individuals he doesn’t like has ranged from rude to thuggish. Even the densest member of the Party of Stupid must know by now that Obama does not have good intentions. He’s a mean-spirited, vengeful, narcissistic bully, and everybody knows it. But there’s a reason so many Republicans keep giving Obama the benefit of the doubt (at least, publicly): It’s because it makes them sound like nice, broad-minded, kind, enlightened people. That’s the way they want to see themselves — and the way they want us to see them — even if they have to lie to themselves to keep up their illusion. Andrew Breitbart, that happy warrior, has shown what a crock this is. Had Breitbart been “nice” and “turned the other cheek” and backed down in the face of the Left’s attacks, he would have been an enabler of Weiner’s sick behavior. And for all the salacious jokes generated by the scandal, Weiner’s actions incurred deadly serious risks: They made him vulnerable to blackmail. Suppose the offensive tweets had not come to light when they did, and someone without our nation’s best interests at heart had gotten hold of them and used them as a threat against Weiner in order to extort classified information from him? Weiner sat on the Energy and Commerce Committee; he had access to information that our enemies might find quite useful. When Andrew Breitbart fought back against Weiner’s false accusations, he wasn’t just defending his own character and reputation. He was, by extension, fighting on behalf of all of us who oppose the atheist/communist Left. Breitbart was striking a blow for truth, which always needs able defenders, but especially in a society so dominated as ours is by “people of the lie.” It is a righteous deed to expose those who bear false witness. As Andrew Breitbart has repeatedly shown, there are times when we have a duty to not be nice. I’m not saying we should aim to offend people, especially in our personal lives. But I do believe niceness for its own sake is often a very bad idea. True Christian charity is one thing. But being “nice” out of habit, or timidity, or reluctance to hold others accountable for their own bad choices is destructive to oneself, to the wrongdoer, and to others. Plus, it diminishes the standing and the presence of Truth in the world. Ultimately, that hurts people. Being “nice” (politically correct) vs. true compassion Decades ago, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, found out, as Breitbart has, how viciously some people will react when you speak truth — even if you are motivated by sincere compassion and concern. As assistant secretary of labor and a key policy adviser to President Johnson, Moynihan put a copious amount of research and thought into an effort to find out why, after decades of progress, black families had started slipping in numerous indices of social and economic well-being. In 1965, Moynihan published his findings and recommendations in a landmark study titled The Negro Family: The Case for National Action. Moynihan warned that the greatest danger to American blacks was fatherlessness. A generation of young men was growing up without fathers in the home, and if that continued, there would be disastrous consequences, as young men without fathers were growing up vulnerable to drugs, gangs, crime and dropping out of school. America freaked out. You can’t say such things. You are not a nice person! You’re racist! Well, what is more racist — telling the truth, so that people are empowered to make good choices for themselves — or succumbing to “the soft bigotry of low expectations,” giving people the message that you don’t have any faith in them as decent, competent human beings capable of acting wisely on their own behalf? A man who cared deeply about his fellow man, of whatever race, was labeled a racist. But a few decades earlier, on the other side of the world, the most bigoted man who ever lived was regarded by many as… a nice, caring man. Hitler’s beautiful smile Several years ago, I read an elderly Italian woman’s recollection of an incident from her childhood in a small town in northern Italy. One day, when Hitler was already widely known but before he’d come to power, he toured through the area. It was a big day for the town. Hitler was riding in the back of a car and waving to everyone, shaking hands with people, and beaming with what she described as a beautiful, winning smile, a smile that people remembered long afterward. They liked him because they felt that he cared for them, the common people. Girls and women were smitten with him. In contrast, when Winston Churchill was at the equivalent point in his own career — widely known, but not yet in power — he was not very well liked at all. His countrymen thought him a pessimist and a doomsayer, because he just wouldn’t let up with his warnings about some distant threat in Germany that nobody wanted to hear about or think about. Churchill was insightful enough to perceive the truth — and bold enough to speak it. But it didn’t win him many friends. That is, not until Hitler’s tanks rolled into Poland. N.I.C.E. is not Speaking of great Englishmen, have you read C.S. Lewis’ That Hideous Strength? It’s a futuristic novel, the third in Lewis’ sci-fi trilogy. In it, Lewis’ antipathy toward scientism — not science, but scientism — comes through clear and strong. Scientism is the fetishizing of science; it’s an ideology holding that the only things that are real are things that can be proved empirically. Further, the rules for empirical proof are formulated — and can be arbitrarily changed — by scientists, who have their own biases just like everyone else, but who don’t see their biases as biases. In Lewis’ novel, scientific research has broken free of all moral and ethical concerns save one: utility. The ends justify the means, so there are no unethical means (think Nazi doctors), and the end, or goal, is whatever the powers-that-be deem useful. The prime national research agency is the National Institute for Coordinated Experiments, or N.I.C.E. The experiments they do there are not nice at all. Let’s just say that the current abortion regime in the U.S. and the current euthanasia regime in the Netherlands pale by comparison to the things that go on at the N.I.C.E. Thank goodness it’s a work of fiction. Ironically enough, in the real, present-day Britain, the National Health Service’s agency for deciding who gets what kind of medical care — the British health-rationing board or, dare I say, “death panel” — is called… NICE. The National Institute for Clinical Effectiveness. I kid you not. The $64,000 question, of course, is: Did they give it that acronymically portentous name accidentally or intentionally? Are British bureaucrats so culturally illiterate that they never read their fellow Englishman’s famous book? Or are they diabolical, knowing very well the literary significance of that acronym — and deliberately using it as a kind of perverse inside joke? The present-day NICE is, after all, the board that decides who shall live and who shall die. (The U.S. version of that board — Obamacare’s 15-member Independent Payment Advisory Board, or IPAB — is to be tasked with evaluating the “comparative effectiveness” of various treatments, so once Obamacare kicks into full gear, we too will have a NICE….) Beware of “nice” governments Barack Obama got elected in spite of — or, depending on whom you talk to, because of — his promises to talk, talk, talk to our enemies. But as we have seen in the past 2½ years, from China to North Korea to Venezuela, from Syria to Iran to Pakistan, our enemies are not very impressed with “nice.” As with all bullies, appeasement only emboldens them. You’d think we might have learned something from the example of the terminally nice Neville Chamberlain. Tens of millions of people died in the war that proved Chamberlain’s talk-nice approach to have been the wrong one. Count me in with those nasty warmongers Churchill and Reagan. Count me in with those pugnacious pundits Andrew Breitbart and Ann Coulter. Lucifer (and the people who read books dedicated to him) has got a hold on America. We don’t have the luxury of playing nice. UPDATE: The incomparable Ann Barnhardt considers “niceness” one of Satan’s most effective tools in his efforts to destroy Western civilization, the United States of America, and orthodox Christianity. Was Jesus a Pacifist? Can There Be An “Islamic Reformation”? Ann Barnhardt Big Peace C-FAM (Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute) Catholic Friends of Israel CatholicVote.org Cause of Our Joy Children of God for Life Conservative Diva Fellowship of Faith for the Muslims International Christian Concern Manhattan Declaration of Christian Conscience MommyLife Real Choice Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network Uncoverage The Heartlander Mind-Altering Books Email creativetensorATgmailDOTcom

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Tag: Michael B. Jordan Creed II Review – The Best Film in the Rocky Series? Creed II is the best film I’ve seen this year. Some movies are extremely well directed, well acted, and come together perfectly. Others, like the recently released Venom, are done with seemingly the only intent of entertaining – and not in a smart way. Creed II, directed by Steven Caple Jr., continues the story from Creed back in 2015. It is a continuation of the overall Rocky series, one of the most iconic franchises in film. This was a production that was taken seriously by everyone involved, to make sure it was a worthy sequel to a great film and another chapter in the Rocky saga. At this point, it can be tough to create a story that isn’t similar to previous movies. A common complaint is that Creed II is too similar to the movies before it. That is technically a legitimate complaint. Creed II features the protagonist thinking he’s ready for the fight, but is soundly defeated. He then goes into a depression, but is soon brought back to life and trains hard. In the rematch, he takes the advantage. It’s a comeback story, but not dissimilar to what we’ve seen before, preventing the film from feeling too unique among other Rocky films. At the same time, I would argue that Creed II executes these “generic” tropes exceptionally well, to the point one can watch the film without the thought, “Well, that’s just too similar to Rocky III.” Creed II has a lot more going on other than the loss, and build up to the rematch. The relationship between Adonis and Bianca takes a center focus, and it’s wonderful. The Dragos’ part of the plot is fascinating. (We’ll talk more about that soon.) Finally, the ending is emotional and avoids a generic knockout trope, cementing the climax as the best in the series. Creed II continues the story of Adonis Creed. He is now the heavyweight champion of the world, and things are looking good for him. He proposes to his girlfriend of three years, Bianca Taylor, and soon they learn that she will be giving birth to a baby. Meanwhile, Ivan Drago, the Russian antagonist from Rocky IV, has come to Philadelphia with an announcement to Rocky: Ivan’s son Viktor will beat Adonis in the ring. After a public declaration, Adonis has the choice of whether or not to accept the challenge and fight Viktor. This is something personal as well, as Ivan was responsible for the death of Apollo Creed, the father of Adonis. Adonis of course agrees, although Rocky does not want anything to do with it. From there, Adonis enters the ring enraged and doesn’t fight smart. He loses, and is crippled for a bit. After talking, Rocky decides to train him, and the road to the rematch begins… Sylvester Stallone steals every scene as the retired boxer. Any scene can be taken as a highlight, but one particular interesting one was Rocky attempting to talk Adonis out of the battle with Viktor Drago. Rocky talks from experience, not wanting Adonis to end up like Apollo. This is especially personal for Rocky because he could have thrown in the towel all those years ago, but chose not to, to respect Apollo’s wish to continue fighting. Rocky has great scenes throughout the movie; I would say this is Stallone’s strongest performance yet as the character. Rocky is so good in this movie, that the danger is that he could upstage Adonis. But, smartly, the director is careful to make sure that this is Creed’s movie, not Rocky’s. Rocky is there a lot, but he never upstages Adonis. Adonis and Bianca had good chemistry in the first movie, and it’s only gotten better here. The two big plot developments are that Adonis proposes to Bianca, and they learn that a child is on the way. Boxing movies are more than just the fights; they are about the people within those fights, who they are and how they got to this point. In this regard, (and just about all other regards) Creed II triumphs. There is some interesting, tragic drama as Bianca worries that her child will be born deaf. Let’s talk about the Dragos, perhaps the greatest aspect of Creed II. The film actually begins with Ivan and Viktor in Russia before cutting to Adonis’ fight with Danny Wheeler. Continuing with the knowledge that boxing films are more than just fights, Creed II shows the reasons why Ivan has Viktor challenge Adonis. As Ivan explains to Rocky at the restaurant (one of the best scenes in the film), after his loss at the end of Rocky IV, he lost everything, including his wife. We see later in a scene set in Russia that Viktor is being set up to bring boxing back to glory in Russia. Ivan’s wife actually shows up, but we see that she doesn’t actually care about Viktor; she just cares about the name Drago as a glorious name. Regarding Viktor, he doesn’t talk all that much during the film, which might lead some to say he has little character. But, I believe that’s the point. This film is in many ways a mirror to Rocky IV. Ivan Drago in that film also said few lines. He had less “personality” than Apollo Creed and Clubber Lang, but that didn’t mean he had less character. Ivan in Rocky IV was displayed as an emotionless super boxer, whose only goal was to serve the Soviet Union’s cause. However, in the climax, Ivan turns to a Soviet Union leader and says, “I fight to win! For me! For me!” This was a key line showing Drago did have his own character rather than just being a machine for the Soviets. With Viktor, we learn that he has had a tough childhood, with Ivan training him harshly. Viktor is raised with only one thing in mind: his fists. However, as the movie smartly shows, the two of them have an interesting relationship. Viktor never displays any hate or distaste for his father. In the Russia scene, we see Viktor distressed about his mother coming, telling Ivan that she is a stranger to them. Then, during the fight, when Viktor is clearly on the losing side, his mother actually walks away from the audience. This cements the fact that she doesn’t care about him. Despite that, he continues to fight. Ivan notices that his wife has left, and throws in the towel. We see briefly that Viktor is upset, with Ivan telling him that it’s okay. This shows that Viktor is a broken person, hoping to succeed in what his father trained him to do, and that his mother would come back into their lives. Since I just mentioned it, it would be good to talk about the climax. Instead of opting for a generic knockout win, Adonis wins by the towel being thrown. This is a key thing cementing this film as the best in the series. When Ivan notices his wife has walked away, and sees his son being beaten, he makes the call that Rocky didn’t in Rocky IV. He throws in the towel, stopping the match, and consoles Viktor. It’s hard to describe just how emotionally impactful the entire sequence was. When a scene can bring a tear to your eye, it did something right. In this case, we see that Ivan does indeed love his son, and didn’t want him to die in the ring. As part of the final scenes of the movie, we see Ivan running side by side with Viktor as they train in Russia. This is a great scene because earlier we saw Ivan training Viktor using a car, a rather impersonal approach. Finally, Rocky reunites with his son. This was a great way to bring everything full circle. The Rocky film series could continue, but if it ended with Creed II, that would be fine. Creed II is the perfect sendoff for the franchise. It continues the storylines from Rocky IV, Rocky Balboa, and Creed. Everything comes together for a satisfying final fight. The acting is great all around from everyone. Dolph Lundgren steals every scene he’s in as Ivan Drago, and of course Rocky is always great. The fights are well choreographed as always, and the soundtrack is good. In fact, the classic Rocky theme returns, and it’s placed perfectly within the story. Creed II has one of the best climaxes I’ve ever seen. Simply put, the film is fantastic. It may have a technically generic storyline, but it’s done so well that it may even exceed the original Rocky. Black Panther Review Let me start this review by saying how unique of a film Black Panther is. It’s as if the viewer is transported to a different culture. We’re very used to seeing the New York setting in comic book films, so it’s refreshing to see a new setting. The African scenery is beautiful. There’s a scene late in the film where T’Challa shows N’Jadaka a view of Wakanda, showcasing the fictional country’s splendor. The unique setting doesn’t hide mediocre performances either. Some films have stylistic scenery, but mediocre writing. Not so in Black Panther, where almost every major character is well developed and engaging. It’s tough to say if Black Panther is the best made Marvel film to date with films like Captain America: The Winter Solider and Iron Man. It very well could be, because Director Ryan Coogler gives viewers a well paced, developed story with fantastic characters. The story takes place shortly after the events of Captain America: Civil War. In that film, King T’Chaka (T’Challa’s father) was killed and T’Challa assumed the mantle of Black Panther. Here in his titled movie, T’Challa officially becomes Wakanda’s king. Meanwhile, Ulysses Klaue, last seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron, is still on the loose and working with a black-ops soldier named Erik Stevens, nicknamed Killmonger. T’Challa makes a plan to capture Klaue, but Killmonger ends up being a bigger threat, because he has personal ties to Wakanda… In Civil War, Black Panther’s character arc was that of revenge for the death of his father. At the end however, T’Challa let go of that desire for revenge. In his title film, we get to see T’Challa take on the center focus. With the revenge story out of the way, what would his character arc be? To put it simply, to display his love for his country as its new king. Chadwick Boseman is a standout as the title character. The performance is very likable. Unlike many of the other Marvel protagonists, T’challa is rarely sarcastic, instead coming off as more of a subdued character with just the right amount of humor. (If there was too much humor, it would have ruined the flow of the story.) T’challa is an engaging character, and viewers get a sense throughout of how passionate he is. A good scene demonstrating that passion is late in the story, when T’Challa shouts at his ancestors that they were wrong for not being more involved with the world outside Wakanda. It’s always a treat when the whole cast is excellent. This is the case with Black Panther. His sister, Shuri, is a fun character throughout the story. She being something of the Lucius Fox to T’Challa made for an interesting dynamic, and the banter between the two siblings was organic and genuinely funny. Nakia and Okoye get substantial roles, and both are compelling characters. Nakia’s sense of duty to helping those less fortunate, and Okoye’s unwavering loyalty to the throne made for interesting dynamics. There are a lot of strong performances in this movie. Klaue’s brief appearance in Age of Ultron was notable, because the titular robot ripped off his arm. In this film, Klaue has a chance to be seen as a compelling character. Aside from some forced, unrealistic dialogue like “That was awesome!”, Klaue is a fun character, with highlights being his scenes at the Korean casino and his interrogation with Everett K. Ross. Klaue however is not the primary antagonist, that would be N’Jadaka/Killmonger. The Marvel films have a history with mediocre villains, but that isn’t the case here. Sure, some of Killmonger’s dialogue is generic. (“The world took everything from me!”) But overall, Killmonger is an interesting character with ties to T’Challa’s family. The opening scene set in 1992 is nicely tied into what motivates Killmonger to want to kill T’Challa. Similar to Thor realizing that Odin was not the perfect being he idolized in Thor: Ragnarok, T’Challa is given the revelation that his father made a controversial decision, thus ruining T’Challa’s perfect view of his father. Killmonger’s street type of talking makes for an interesting contrast to the more noble-sounding Wakandians One of Killmonger’s best scenes is his ritual battle with T’Challa. Here, Killmonger demonstrates genuine passion when mocking T’Challa in front of the onlookers. There are some other named characters that should be mentioned. M’Baku, known as Man-Ape in the comics, was an interesting character. W’Kabi was decent, but needed more development. Finally, there’s the CIA agent, Everett K. Ross. While some may see him as an Agent Coulson stand-in, he was nonetheless fun to have around. He bordered on being unrealistic for the sake of laughs at times, but never quite crossed that border into the Erik Selvig land of no return. The sequences are extremely well done in this film. Perhaps the best part was the casino sequence. First, the build-up was interesting because of the change of scenery. T’Challa travels to Korea, which is in stark contrast to the vibrant land of Wakanda. The scenes in the casino are full of tension because the viewer knows something is about to go down. Black Panther does not disappoint in the action department, featuring well choreographed sequences such as the outbreak at the casino and the climatic battle at the heart of Wakanda. If the review hasn’t made it apparent by now, I’ll summarize what makes Black Panther good: the writing. The characters and their interactions are excellent, and the overall tone is consistent. It doesn’t traverse into ultra-dark territory, but it lacks the constant gags of other Marvel movies. That’s not to say the tone of the other Marvel movies is negative, because it has worked for the most part. But, what’s special about Black Panther is that it doesn’t rely on gags or funny scenes; it relies on the core characters and story. The only discrepancy in the writing I found was right before the journey to Korea. Shuri asks T’Challa if he thinks it’s a good idea to take his ex on a mission. That line of dialogue didn’t need to be there, because it doesn’t become a focus at all when at the casino. Moving past that, the soundtrack is notable. As I said earlier, the film transports the viewer to a different culture, and the music is part of that, providing some unique sounds we don’t typically hear in these movies. Overall, Black Panther is a great movie. Chadwick Boseman delivers a fantastic performance as the title character. He is assisted by an excellent cast of compelling characters. Nakia, Okoye, and Shuri are particularly strong characters, each with their own unique personality. Killmonger is an engaging antagonist. The action scenes are great, and the pacing is adequate. The film is a special one among the Marvel movies, worthy of acquiring its 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest rated Marvel Studios film as of the publishing of this review.

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David Labaree on Schooling, History, and Writing Comments on the nature of the US system of schooling, big history, and the craft of writing Posted in Higher Education, History, History of education Q and A about A Perfect Mess Posted on July 15, 2019 July 3, 2019 by David Labaree This is a Q and A I did with Scott Jaschik about my book, A Perfect Mess, shortly after it came out. It was published in Inside Higher Ed in 2017. ‘A Perfect Mess’ Author discusses his new book about American higher education, which suggests it may be better off today than people realize … because it has always faced so many problems and has always been a “hustler’s paradise.” Scott Jaschik David F. Labaree’s new book makes a somewhat unusual argument to reassure those worried about the future of American higher education. Yes, it has many serious problems, he writes. But it always has and always will. And that is in fact a strength of American higher education, he argues. Labaree, a professor of education at Stanford University, answered questions via email about his new book, A Perfect Mess: The Unlikely Ascendancy of American Higher Education (University of Chicago Press). Q: What do you consider the uniquely American qualities in the development of higher education in the U.S.? A: The American system of higher education emerged in a unique historical setting in the early 19th century, when the state was weak, the market strong and the church divided. Whereas the European university was the creature of the medieval Roman Catholic church and then grew strong under the rising nation-state in the early modern period, the American system lacked the steady support of church or state and had to rely on the market in order to survive. This posed a terrible problem in the 19th century, as colleges had to scrabble around looking for consumers who would pay tuition and for private sponsors who would provide donations. But at the same time, it planted the seeds of institutional autonomy that came to serve the system so well in the next two centuries. Free from the control of church and state, individual colleges learned to survive on their own resources by meeting the needs of their students and their immediate communities. By the 20th century, this left the system with the proven ability to adapt to circumstances, take advantage of opportunities, build its own sources of political and economic support, and expand to meet demand. Today the highest-rated universities in global rankings of higher education institutions are the ones with the greatest autonomy, in particular as measured by being less dependent on state funds. And American institutions dominate these rankings; according to the Shanghai rankings, they account for 16 of the top 20 universities in the world. Q: How significant is the decentralization of American higher education, with public and private systems, and publics reflecting very different traditions in different states? A: Decentralization has been a critically important element in the American system of higher education. The federal government never established a national university, and state governments were slow in setting up their own colleges because of lack of funds. As a result, unlike anywhere else in the world, private colleges in the U.S. emerged before the publics. They were born as not-for-profit corporations with state charters but with little public funding and no public control. The impulse for founding these colleges had little to do with advancing higher learning. Instead founders established these institutions primarily to pursue two other goals — to promote the interests of one religious denomination over others and to make land in one town more attractive to buy than land in a neighboring town. Typically, these two aims came together. Developers would donate land and set up a college, seek affiliation with a church, and then use this college as a way to promote their town as a cultural center rather than a dusty agricultural village. Remember that early America had too much land and not enough buyers. The federal government was giving it away. This helps explain why American colleges arose in the largest numbers in the sparsely populated frontier rather than in the established cities in the East — why Ohio had so many more colleges than Massachusetts or Virginia. Q: What eras strike you as those in which American higher education was most threatened? A: American higher education was in the greatest jeopardy in the period after the Civil War. The system was drastically overbuilt. In 1880 the U.S. had more than 800 colleges, five times the number in the entire continent of Europe. Overall, however, they were poor excuses for institutions of higher education. On average they had only 130 students and 10 faculty, which made them barely able to survive from year to year, forced to defer faculty salaries and beg for donations. European visitors loved to write home about how intellectually and socially undistinguished they were. The system as a whole had only one great asset — a huge amount of capacity. What it lacked, however, was sufficient students and academic credibility. Fortunately, both of these elements arose in the last quarter of the century to save the day. The rise of white-collar employment in the new corporations and government agencies created demand for people with strong cognitive, verbal and social skills, the kinds of things that students learn in school. And with the public high schools filling up with working-class students, the college became the primary way for middle-class families to provide their children with advantaged access to managerial and professional work. At the same time, the import of the German model of the university, with a faculty of specialized researchers sporting the new badge of merit, the Ph.D., offered American colleges and universities the possibility for academic stature that had so long eluded them. This steady flow of students and newfound academic distinction allowed the system to realize the potential embedded in its expansive capacity and autonomous structure. Q: You seem to be suggesting not to worry too much about today’s problems, because higher education has always been a “perfect mess.” But are there issues that are notably worse today than in the past? A: First, let me say a little about the advantages of the system’s messiness. In the next section, I’ll respond about the problem facing the system today. The relative autonomy and decentralization of American higher education allows individual colleges and universities to find their own ways of meeting needs, finding supporters and making themselves useful. They can choose to specialize, focusing on particular parts of the market — by level of degree, primary consumer base, religious orientation or vocational function. Or, like the big public and private universities, they can choose to provide something for everyone. This makes for individual institutions that don’t have a clean organization chart, looking instead like what some researchers have called “organized anarchies.” The typical university is in constant tension between autonomous academic departments, which control curriculum and faculty hiring and promotion, and a strong president, who controls funding and is responsible only to the lay board of directors who own the place. Also thrown into the mix are a jumble of independent institutes, research centers and academic programs that have emerged in response to a variety of funding opportunities and faculty initiatives. The resulting institution is a hustler’s paradise, driven by a wide array of entrepreneurial actors: faculty trying to pursue intellectual interests and forge a career; administrators trying to protect and enrich the larger enterprise; and donors and students who want to draw on the university’s rich resources and capitalize on association with its stellar brand. These actors are feverishly pursuing their own interests within the framework of the university, which lures them with incentives, draws strength from their complex interactions and then passes these benefits on to society. Q: What do you see as the major challenges facing academic leaders today? A: The biggest problem facing the American system of higher education today is how to deal with its own success. In the 19th century, very few people attended college, so the system was not much in the public spotlight. Burgeoning enrollments in the 20th century put the system center stage, especially when it became the expectation that most people should graduate from some sort of college. As higher education moved from being an option to becoming a necessity, it increasingly found itself under the kind of intense scrutiny that has long been directed at American schools. Accountability pressure in the last three decades has reshaped elementary and secondary schooling, and now the accountability police are headed to the college campus. As with earlier iterations, this reform effort demands that colleges demonstrate the value that students and the public are getting for their investment in higher education. This is particularly the case because higher education is so much more expensive per student than schooling at lower levels. So how much of this cost should the public pay from tax revenues and how much debt should individual students take on? The danger posed by this accountability pressure is that colleges, like the K-12 schools before them, will come under pressure to narrow their mission to a small number of easily measurable outcomes. Most often the purpose boils down to the efficient delivery of instructional services to students, which will provide them with good jobs and provide society with an expanding economy. This ignores the wide array of social functions that the university serves. It’s a laboratory for working on pressing social problems; a playpen for intellectuals to pursue whatever questions seem interesting; a repository for the knowledge needed to address problems that haven’t yet emerged; a zone of creativity and exploration partially buffered from the realm of necessity; and, yes, a classroom for training future workers. The system’s organizational messiness is central to its social value. Author: David Labaree David F. Labaree is Lee L. Jacks Professor at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education and a professor (by courtesy) in history. His research focuses on the historical sociology of American schooling, including topics such as the evolution of high schools, the growth of consumerism, the origins and nature of education schools, and the role of schools in promoting access and advantage more than subject-matter learning. He was president of the History of Education Society and member of the executive board of the American Educational Research Association. His books include: The Making of an American High School (Yale, 1988); How to Succeed in School Without Really Learning: The Credentials Race in American Education (Yale, 1997); The Trouble with Ed Schools (Yale University Press, 2004); Someone Has to Fail: The Zero-Sum Game of Public Schooling (Harvard, 2010); and A Perfect Mess: The Unlikely Ascendancy of American Higher Education (Chicago, 2017). View All Posts Previous Post Perils of the Professionalized Historian Next Post Frederick Douglass’s 1852 Speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” Academic writing Capitalism Credentialing Curriculum Educational Research Education policy Higher Education History History of education History of Higher Education Class History of School Reform Class Meritocracy Persona Politics Progressivism Scholarship School reform Social Programs Sociology Systems of Schooling Teacher education Teaching Theory Uncategorized Writing Writing Class Follow David Labaree on Schooling, History, and Writing on WordPress.com Pluck vs. Luck Academic Writing Issues #9: Metaphors — The Poetry of Everyday Life Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism What Schools Can’t Do: Understanding the Chronic Failure of American School Reform Academic Writing Issues #8 — Getting Off to a Fast Start Categories Select Category Academic writing (10) Capitalism (1) Credentialing (3) Curriculum (1) Education policy (10) Educational Research (11) Higher Education (9) History (7) History of education (12) History of Higher Education Class (1) History of School Reform Class (1) Meritocracy (5) Persona (1) Politics (1) Progressivism (1) Scholarship (5) School reform (6) Social Programs (2) Sociology (3) Systems of Schooling (4) Teacher education (1) Teaching (3) Theory (1) Uncategorized (8) Writing (25) Writing Class (14)

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A long time ago, back when I was in fifth or sixth grade, my class went on a field trip of sorts to the Hanover College Library. We were supposed to be doing research for some project or other. when I had gathered the books and materials I needed and sat down at a little table, I discovered that I couldn’t concentrate. Something was wrong. After several minutes, I realized what was wrong. The place was silent. I don’t know if the walls and ceilings were made of some sort of sound dampening material or if it was some design of the building, but there was no sound at all. As a person who has grown up in our mechanized era, constantly surrounded by noises and machinery, I found silence to be unnerving. It was almost as if the absence of sound was aloud and distracting sound of its own. I hated the silence. (Incidentally, years later I found the library at Indiana University to be very loud. Somehow the ventilation system was always making loud knocking noises and swooshes of air. I loved it and could spend hours happily reading there.) In politics recently, I have noticed a certain lack, especially as we seem headed for military action against Syria. Where did all the peace groups go? Whatever happened to Code Pink? Where is Not In Our Name? Where are the massive protests against Obama’s wars? Why are there no demands that Obama be tried for war crimes? Why isn’t Maureen Dowd proclaiming the absolute moral authority of grieving parents? (That “grieving mother” opposes military action against Syria, by the way. Cindy Sheehan may be a left wing loon and a lover of dictators, but at least she is consistent.) Why are policies that caused outrage while Bush was in office now greeted with silence when done by Obama? I have an idea. Maybe I am too cynical, but could it be just possible that all of that outrage was simply for political posturing? Could it be that it was not so much Bush’s policies they opposed but Bush? Could they all be a bunch of hypocrites. It does seem odd that all of these anti war movements disappeared almost the same day Barack Obama was inaugurated. Come to think of it, notice that the Occupy Wall Street movement with its 99% against the 1% only lasted as long as the wealthy Mitt Romney was running for president. Maybe I am getting paranoid as well as cynical. The silence does seem odd, though. Anti-war movement too poor to protest Obama over Syria (hotair.com) That must explain it. Its the economy. Code Pink Tweets on Obama’s Birthday: How Many Kids Won’t Celebrate Their Birthdays Because of Drones? (theblaze.com) Democrat Hypocrisy on Syria and Iraq (conservativebyte.com) Antiwar Left Stays Quiet On Syria (noliesradio.org) Tags:Cindy Sheehan, Code Pink, Maureen Dowd, obama, Syria Posted in Foreign Affairs, My Life, Politics, Scum and Villainy, What's Happening | 1 Comment » Maybe you remember this song by the Police. Every move you make Every bond you break Every step you take I’ll be watching you Every word you say Every game you play Every night you stay O can’t you see How my poor heart aches with every step you take Every vow you break Every smile you fake Every claim you stake I wonder if this is now the theme song for the NSA. Although Every Breath You Take was primarily about a jealous lover (a stalker?), Sting had surveillance in mind as he wrote it. I woke up in the middle of the night with that line in my head, sat down at the piano and had written it in half an hour. The tune itself is generic, an aggregate of hundreds of others, but the words are interesting. It sounds like a comforting love song. I didn’t realize at the time how sinister it is. I think I was thinking of Big Brother, surveillance and control. Fitting for these times, isn’t it? Every Breath You Take (trangmoschino.wordpress.com) NSA and GCHQ: the flawed psychology of government mass surveillance | Chris Chambers (theguardian.com) Every Breath You Take – The Police (Part 1) (artstageasia.typepad.com) Tags:Big Brother, Every Breath You Take, National Security Agency, NSA, police, Sting Posted in Movies, Television and Entertainment, My Life, Politics, What's Happening | 4 Comments » Going to War in Syria It would seem that we are preparing military strikes against the Assad regime in Syria. I can’t even begin to say what an incredibly stupid idea this is. Yes, it is deplorable that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons against the rebels. Yes, the current government of Syria is a vicious tyranny that has violated the human rights of the people of Syria and it deserves to be overthrown. The problem is that the rebels are Islamist fanatics that want to impose Sharia law on Syria, that are allied with al-Qaida, that they have been massacring Syria’s Christians, and that they will very likely to be as tyrannical and vicious as the Assad regime. There are no good guys in this conflict. Both sides hate us. Both sides have links to terrorists. The last thing the Middle East needs is another Islamic state, yet that seems to be just what Obama is trying to achieve. We need to just stay out of this. Syria chemical attack ‘undeniable’ – John Kerry … Kerry a liar ‘undeniable’ – David Icke (davidicke.com) 15 signs Obama will go to war with Syria (presstv.ir) Iranian Official: Israel to Be ‘First Victim’ of U.S. Attack on Syria (freebeacon.com) Maybe if we are really lucky this will start a general war in the Middle East. Syria: no-win in for us, them…or the Syrian people (shirazsocialist.wordpress.com) Stay out of Syria (newsherald.com) West could hit Syria in days, envoys tell rebels (news.yahoo.com) Tags:Bashar al-Assad, Chemical weapon, Christian, Sharia, Syria Posted in Foreign Affairs, Idiocracy, Politics, Religion of Peace, What's Happening | 1 Comment » Blaming Rush Again More powerful than the President? (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I was reading this column by Rush Limbaugh‘s younger (and smarter) brother David Limbaugh at Townhall.com and a couple of things stuck me. First of all is the unpresidential spectacle of Obama blaming Rush for his inability to get his legislation passed. Once again, President Obama is personally attacking my brother, Rush, this time to shamelessly blame him for congressional gridlock. Nice try, Mr. President, but what really bothers you is that Rush has your number and daily shares it with his vast audience. In an interview last week with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Obama charged that most congressional Republicans oppose the move to defund Obamacare but are afraid of saying so publicly for fear of Rush’s public condemnation. Obama made the same type of charge prior to the 2012 elections. Obama also glibly blames congressional Republicans for any impasse with him on budgetary policy, saying the least they can do is to pass a budget. “Congress doesn’t have a whole lot of core responsibilities,” he said, as if to suggest that passing a budget is a mere ministerial Despite the fact that Rush Limbaugh has a large platform with which to present his views, he is still only a private citizen. He has no power to enact or block legislation and it is beneath the dignity of any president to personally attack a private citizen. This sort of thing only makes Obama look petty and probably helps Limbaugh maintain his ratings. The second thing that struck me was this remark by Obama. But Obama continued to dig a deeper hole of deceit in his interview, telling Cuomo that sometimes his Republican friends (who are these creatures, by the way?) tell him privately that they would support his agenda but for their fear of a primary challenge from a tea party member, or they’re “worried about what Rush Limbaugh is going to say about me on radio.” I seriously doubt that any such conversations took place between Republican congressmen and Obama, but if they did, it shows the type of Republican who would befriend Obama — the type who is dishonest with his constituency. I wouldn’t doubt that many such conversations have occurred. But the point is that isn’t this how democracy is supposed to work? These people in Congress are supposed to be representing their constituents. If their constituents are opposed to Obama’s agenda, then shouldn’t they be representing such opposition? One gets the idea that President Obama would rather rule by decree with a rubber stamp Congress giving some fiction of constitutionality. Probably all presidents have felt that way from time to time, but Obama seems less able to conceal it. One of the greatest frustration that conservatives have had is politicians who talk conservative while campaigning but then vote liberal as soon as they get to Washington. Until recently these spineless wonders have been more afraid of the New York Times saying something bad about them than the reaction of the people back home. If fear of the Tea Party has caused these people to actually start expressing the will of the people they actually represent, than the Tea Party has been a very good thing for this country. Rush Limbaugh: Nobody is Listening to Obama Anymore (conservativeread.com) Barack Obama, Rush Limbaugh and the politics of blame (thisisliberalism.wordpress.com) Kurtz: Obama ‘Elevated Rush To His Level’ (breitbart.com) Howard Kurtz: Obama ‘Elevated Rush Limbaugh to His Level’ (mediaite.com) Limbaugh Fires Back at Obama Blaming Him for Congressional Gridlock (mediaite.com) Obama scapegoatingRush again (humanevents.com) Tags:Barack Obama, Christopher Cuomo, David Limbaugh, Rush Limbaugh, tea party Posted in Politics, What's Happening | Leave a Comment » Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov (biologist) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) A favorite character trope of science fiction and low budget horror movies is the mad scientist. The mad scientist is a scientist who is, well, mad, or at least eccentric. He works in his laboratory alone, or with a trusted minion. His researches are often considered beyond the bounds of respected science and he is either indifferent or oblivious of the moral and ethical implications of his discoveries. He could be evil, good, or amoral. The mad scientist is not always found in science fiction, however. There have actually been real mad scientists. Perhaps the maddest of these mad scientists was Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov. He was not mad in the psychiatric sense, but he was certainly willing to push the boundaries of scientific ethics. He is most famous for his attempts to create a human-ape hybrid. He was never successful, thank goodness, but that was not for lack of effort on his part. Ivanov was born in 1870 in the town of Shchigry in Russia. He attended the University of Kharkov and graduated in 1896. He became a professor of biology at that institution in 1907. Ivanov was an associate of Ivan Pavlov. He also worked as a research veterinarian and his primary contribution to that science was the development of methods of artificial insemination which he could use on animals, especially horses. Ivanov was able to use the semen of a single stallion to impregnate 500 mares, far more that any stallion could manage naturally. Horse breeders from around the world studied his methods and he was put to work breeding fancy horses for the ruling Romanov dynasty. Ivanov was fascinated by the idea of creating animal hybrids from species that would never even consider mating with each other in the wild. He was able to create hybrids of antelopes and cows, guinea pigs and rabbits, and zebras and donkeys. The Czar and his court were fascinated by these hybrids and while the Russian Orthodox Church frowned on artificial insemination, at least in humans, Ivanov’s future seemed assured. Unfortunately the Romanovs were overthrown in 1917 and the Bolsheviks seized control of Russia. The Bolsheviks did not have any use for fancy animals of any sort and Ivanov was out of a job. His troubles with the Orthodox Church seemed a recommendation to the militantly atheist Communists so he was able to find work at the State Experimental Veterinary Institute. At some point he had begun considering the possibility of making a human-chimpanzee hybrid. Chimpanzees were believed to be the animal most closely related to humans and he had managed to create hybrids from species farther apart, so the experiment seemed worth trying. He needed funding from the newly created Soviet government. Since the Soviet Union was just recovering from a devastating civil war, right after a disastrous experience in World War I, it might seem that the possibility of his getting the needed funds was remote. He somehow managed to persuade the Communists that a human-chimpanzee hybrid would show that man was nothing more than just another animal and its existence would serve to discredit religion and promote Communism and atheism. The Soviet government bought his line. The rising political leader Joseph Stalin was especially enthusiastic and in 1925, he got his funding. There are no apes native to any part of Russia, so Ivanov had to go abroad to begin his work. By 1926 he had made arrangements to conduct his experiments at a primate research facility in French Guinea. The conditions there were not ideal. The chimpanzees had been captured by poachers and half had already died of neglect. None of the females were sexually mature, so Ivanov had to wait, while trying to gather more chimps. By February the following year, two females had become mature and Ivanov could begin at last. The two female chimps did not appreciate being sexually assaulted by a man with a syringe and his first attempts were not successful. He tried again the following spring with a sedated chimp. This attempt was also a failure. With his chimps dying faster than they could be replaced, Ivanov decided he needed to change his procedures. He decided to return to the Soviet Union. Earlier, Ivanov had helped to establish a primate research facility in Georgia, the southernmost part of the USSR and the only territory with a climate that apes could flourish. He also decided that since it would be easier to keep one male than several females, that he would use chimpanzee semen to impregnate a human woman. He tried to make arrangements to acquire a male chimpanzee from a Cuban woman who kept a private reserve for apes, but the Ku Klux Klan learned of their plans and threatened her into withdrawing her support. Back in Georgia, most of the remaining apes fell ill and died. The only remaining ape was an elderly orangutan. Ivanov sought for volunteers to be fertilized with the old apes semen. They had to be volunteers since the Soviet authorities decided that it would be too capitalist or bourgeois to offer money. As amazing as it may sound, Ivanov actually managed to find a woman willing to undergo the procedure. Ivanov now had only to collect the semen from the orangutan. Unfortunately, he died before Ivanov could get a sample. He would have to get more apes. Before he had a chance to continue, however, Ivanov was arrested by the NKVD. According to stories that may or may not be true, Joseph Stalin had had visions of invincible armies of apemen working in factories and farms and advancing the Socialist cause in the Red Army. Stalin was growing impatient with Ivanov’s lack of progress and he reacted in his usual way, arresting people and shipping them off to concentration camps. Ivanov was comparatively lucky. He was only exiled to Kazakhstan. He was old and his health had become fragile, so Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov died of a stroke just before he was due to be released. His death was considered a great loss to science in some quarters and his old colleague Ivan Pavlov wrote his obituary. No one has ever tried to produce human-ape hybrids since his death and it is unlikely anyone ever will, at least I hope. If you want to know more about Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov, as well as many other DNA related matters, I cannot recommend highly enough Sam Kean’s The Violinist’s Thumb. Oliver the Humanzee (weird.answers.com) He wasn’t really, but a lot of people thought he was. Tags:humanzee, Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov, Joseph Stalin, Red Army, Russia, Soviet Union Posted in Biology, History, Religion, Science | 4 Comments » No Feeding the Homeless in Raleigh It seems that it is illegal to feed the homeless in Raleigh North Carolina, if this story in Yahoo News is any indication. A North Carolina church group said they were prevented from handing out food to the homeless after police threatened them with arrest, according to their website. For the past six years, volunteers from Love Wins Ministries frequented Moore Square in Raleigh, N.C., on Saturdays and Sundays to give out hot coffee and a breakfast sandwich to those in need, according to the church group’s website. But when volunteers went down to their usual weekend spot to dole out the 100 sausage biscuits and the gallons of coffee they had brought to feed the crowds who had gathered Saturday morning, they were also greeted by officers with the Raleigh Police Department, according to a statement on the church group’s website. “An officer said, quite bluntly, that if we attempted to distribute food, we would be arrested,” the Rev. Hugh Hollowell wrote on the group’s website. “We asked the officers for permission to disperse the biscuits to the over 70 people who had lined up, waiting to eat. They said no. I had to face those who were waiting and tell them that I could not feed them, or I would be arrested.” The Raleigh police were there to enforce a city ordinance that bans the distribution of food in any of the city’s parks, ABC Raleigh, N.C., station WTVD-TV reported. While the group said it was aware they could not use the park itself, they had set up on the sidewalk for the past six years without issue, their website said. “No representative from the Raleigh Police Department was willing to tell us which ordinance we were breaking, or why, after six years and countless friendly and cooperative encounters with the Department, they are now preventing us from feeding hungry people,” Hollowell wrote. In addition, the group learned it would need to apply for a permit to use the park, which costs $800 a day, their website said. No arrests were made in connection with the food distribution, Raleigh Police Department spokesman Jim Sughrue told WTVD-TV. “People were simply informed the ordinance prohibits the kinds of actions some groups have been engaged in at the park,” he said. Despite the off-putting encounter, Hollowell wrote that the group plans to find a venue in downtown Raleigh to carry out their mission. In the meantime, they are seeking out owners of private buildings or parking lots to allow them to continue to bring biscuits to the hungry, the website said. I am not sure what to make of this. Should I add this to the war on Christianity file? Maybe the police wanted to establish that only the government should be in the helping the homeless business. On the other hand, maybe the police simply didn’t want crowds of homeless people in the park doing whatever homeless people do to pass the time. Whatever their reasons the Raleigh Police Department isn’t winning any public relation awards with this action. North Carolina cops threaten to arrest charity groups for feeding the homeless (rawstory.com) Police stop charities feeding homeless in Raleigh (myfox8.com) North Carolina Charity Threatened With Arrest For Feeding Homeless People (thinkprogress.org) Volunteers threatened with arrest for feeding homeless in Raleigh, NC (sott.net) Raleigh, NC: Police Can Kill Citizens that Feed the Homeless (libertyfirewall.com) I think that is exaggerating just a bit. Raleigh, NC Police Threaten To Arrest Good Samaritans Who Feed The Homeless (sandystrachan.wordpress.com) Tags:Homelessness, Local ordinance, North Carolina, Raleigh North Carolina, Raleigh Police Department Posted in What's Happening | 4 Comments » State Over Church The question of same sex marriage wouldn’t concern me nearly so much if it were a matter of everyone being permitted to do their own thing. It doesn’t harm me if two men or two women pretend to be married to each other. I know that they cannot really be married. The problem is the use of the power of the courts to force people to go along, against their religious beliefs. Here is an example from Fox News. The New Mexico Supreme Court ruled Thursday that two Christian photographers who declined to photograph a same-sex union violated the state’s Human Rights Act. One justice said the photographers were “compelled by law to compromise the very religious beliefs that inspire their lives.” In 2006 Vanessa Willock asked Elaine and Jonathan Huguenin, owners of Elane Photography, to photograph a same-sex “commitment ceremony” in the town of Taos. Huguenin and her husband declined the job because their Christian beliefs were in conflict with the message communicated by the ceremony. Willock found another photographer at a cheaper price but nevertheless filed a complaint with the New Mexico Human Rights Commission accusing Elane Photography of discrimination based on sexual orientation. She was later found guilty and ordered to pay thousands of dollars in fines. Notice that the people involved were able to find another photographer, yet they would not leave the Huguenins alone. “The Huguenins today can no more turn away customers on the basis of their sexual orientation – photographing a same-sex marriage ceremony – than they could refuse to photograph African-Americans or Muslims,” Justice Richard Bosson wrote in the court’s unanimous decision. Bosson said the Christian photographers are now “compelled by law to compromise the very religious beliefs that inspire their lives.” “Though the rule of law requires it, the result is sobering,” he wrote. “It will no doubt leave a tangible mark on the Huguenins and others of similar views.” A recent Rasmussen survey found that 85 percent of Americans support the right of a photographer to refuse participating in a same-sex wedding. Bosson said the case provokes reflection on what the nation is about. “At its heart, this case teaches that at some point in our lives all of us must compromise, if only a little, to accommodate the contrasting values of others,” he wrote. Somehow, it seems that only one side of this debate is always being asked to compromise and deny its beliefs. Why could the couple not respect the Huguenin’s beliefs? Why was there no respect for the beliefs of the President of Chick-fil-A. Why does the tolerance only flow one way? Next Judge Bosson says something rather chilling. He said the Constitution protects the rights of the Christian photographers to pray to the God of their choice and following religious teachings, but offered a sobering warning. “But there is a price, one that we all have to pay somewhere in our civic life,” the justice wrote. “The Huguenins have to channel their conduct, not their beliefs, so as to leave space for other Americans who believe something different. That compromise is part of the glue that holds us together as a nation, the tolerance that lubricates the varied moving parts of us as a people.” In other words, you can believe what you want and pray to whom you want, for now, but you had better not actually try to live by those beliefs if they conflict with the needs of the state or of protected classes. Is this even remotely compatible with traditional concepts of liberty? The lawyers representing the Huguenins do not think so. Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal firm specializing in religious liberty cases, representing the photographers. Attorney Jordan Lorence said the ruling in effect means gay rights now trump religious rights. “Government-coerced expression is a feature of dictatorships that has no place in a free country,” Lorence said. “This decision is a blow to our client and every American’s right to live free.” Lorence said the New Mexico Supreme Court undermined the constitutionally protected freedoms of expression and conscience. “If Elane Photographer does not have her rights of conscience protected, then basically nobody does,” he told Fox News. “What you have here is the government punishing someone who says, ‘I, in good conscience, cannot communicate the messages of this wedding.’” Those sympathetic to the plaintiffs disagree. Amber Royster, the executive director of Equality New Mexico, called the court decision a big victory. “What it came down to is this was a case about discrimination,” she told Fox News. “While we certainly believe we are all entitled to our religious beliefs, religious beliefs don’t necessarily make it okay to break the law by discriminating against others.” Royster said forcing a business that offers services to the public to abide by discrimination laws does not violate the First Amendment – and does not pit gay rights against religious rights. “It’s about discrimination,” she said. “It’s not religious rights versus gay rights. We have a law on the books that makes it illegal to discriminate against LGBT persons. It makes it illegal for business to do that and this business broke the law by discriminating against this couple.” No one seems to be very concerned about protecting people like those photographers against discrimination. Again, the tolerance only goes in one direction. If you hold positions that are not politically correct, you cannot expect any tolerance or sympathy for your position. You can expect to be bullied by the courts. I would like to warn, once again, that anyone who thinks this court case is a victory for the cause of tolerance should consider very carefully that a government that has the power to coerce people like these photographers to act against their religious beliefs also has the power to force you to act against your beliefs. You have to consider not just what your friends will do with power but also your enemies. Depending on which way the wind blows, the government could just as easily have strict enforcement of sodomy laws and force gays to go straight, or else. Giving the government more power to enforce your ideology or preferences is a dangerous game that ultimately hurts everyone. STARNES: New Mexico court rules that Christian photographers must compromise their beliefs (radio.foxnews.com) Photographers Discriminated Against Gay Couple, Court Rules (blogs.wsj.com) Rights? You want rights? Only if the Left approves you Homophobic Homphobes! (thedaleygator.wordpress.com) Liberty of Conscience Is So Yesterday: New Mexico Says Christian Business Must Photograph Same-Sex Wedding (im41.com) Photographers Ordered to Violate Religious Beliefs (moonbattery.com) Will Religious Liberty Survive Same-Sex Marriage? (nationalreview.com) No. Tags:Bosson, Christianity, Huguenin, New Mexico Supreme Court, same sex marriage Posted in Christianity, Idiocracy, Politics, Religion, Scum and Villainy | 3 Comments » Call Me Loretta I am beginning to have the strange feeling that I have somehow stumbled into a Monty Python sketch. What brings this feeling on is the news that Bradley Manning wants to be a woman. Call him Chelsea. Bradley Manning, the Army private sentenced to military prison for leaking classified documents, revealed he intends to live out the remainder of his life as a woman. “I am Chelsea Manning. I am female,” the Army private wrote in a statement read on TODAY Thursday. “Given the way that I feel, and have felt since childhood, I want to begin hormone therapy as soon as possible. I hope that you will support me in this transition.” Manning, 25, was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Wednesday after having been found guilty of 20 charges ranging from espionage to theft for leaking more than 700,000 documents to the WikiLeaks website while working in Iraq in 2010. Manning signed the letter “Chelsea E. Manning.” During his trial, Manning’s defense team suggested his struggles with gender identity as a gay soldier were a factor in his decision to leak. His attorneys presented an email to a former supervisor from April 2010 in which he said he was transgender and joined the Army to “get rid of it.” The email, which had the subject line “My Problem,” also included a photo of Manning in which he is wearing a blonde wig and lipstick. During Manning’s nine-month detainment at the Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va., following his arrest in 2010, he sent two letters to his counselor using the name “Breanna,’’ Master Sgt. Craig Blenis testified at his trial. Normally, I wouldn’t have anything to say about Mr./Miss Manning’s lifestyle choices and psychological issues, but I wish he had come to this decision before deciding to commit felonies and being sentenced to 35 years in prison. As it is, I have a sinking feeling that the taxpayers will be paying for his/her treatments. Manning will likely serve the sentence at Fort Leavenworth, the only military prison for service members sentenced to 10 or more years, a Military District of Washington spokesperson told The Associated Press. Coombs said he is “hoping” that Fort Leavenworth “would do the right thing” and provide hormone therapy for Manning. “If Fort Leavenworth does not, then I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure they are forced to do so.” Why should they? I have no objection to him taking hormones or having surgery, as soon as he is released from prison and can pay for them. I have a problem with making us pay for it. The Army seems to agree. The Army responded to Manning’s decision to seek hormone therapy with a statement. “Inmates at the United States Disciplinary Barracks and Joint Regional Correctional Facility are treated equally regardless of race, rank, ethnicity or sexual orientation,” the statement reads. “All inmates are considered soldiers and are treated as such with access to mental health professionals, including a psychiatrist, psychologist, social workers and behavioral science noncommissioned officers with experience in addressing the needs of military personnel in pre- and post-trial confinement. “The Army does not provide hormone therapy or sex-reassignment surgery for gender identity disorder. The USDB has implemented risk assessment protocols and safety procedures to address high risk factors identified with the Prison Rape Elimination Act.” One thing I find a little disturbing about the Manning case is how someone with such an unstable personality and untrustworthy character was able to gain access to military secrets. Who is determining who gets access to classified Information. How many more people are out there who might reveal secrets. If you think Manning did the right thing, and perhaps he did, consider what someone with less noble motives might do with the information the NSA is currently gathering on every American citizen. Army won’t pay for Manning surgery (politico.com) Bradley Manning Wants To Live As A Female (today.com) He Is Not Bradley Manning. She Is Chelsea Manning. (newrepublic.com) This represents his struggle against reality. Bradley Manning: ‘I am a female’ (politico.com) Next, he’ll want to have babies. Bradley Manning Says He Wants To Live As a Woman And Be Called Chelsea (fox17online.com) Tags:Associated Press, Bradley Manning, Fort Leavenworth, Monty Python, wikileaks Posted in Favorite Things, Idiocracy, Movies, Television and Entertainment, What's Happening | Leave a Comment » Star Birth Everybody in Britain was excited about the birth of the new prince. That’s understandable, considering the importance of continuing the royal line, but astronomers have been recording a somewhat more significant birth, the birth of a new star. Here is the story and pictures from Yahoo News. A huge radio telescope in Chile has captured dazzling new views of a baby star lighting up an interstellar cloud with jets of gas streaking through deep space at record-breaking speeds. The ALMA radio telescope, a joint project between North America, Europe and Asia, recorded the star birth images. They show the nascent star about 1,400 light-years from Earth unleashing material at nearly 84,477 mph (144,000 km/h), which then crashes into surrounding gas, causing it to glow. The glowing object spawned by the newborn star is what scientists call a Herbig-Haro object. European Southern Observatory officials used the new views to create a video tour of new star birth images. These new, detailed images showed that the material is streaking out of the star at about 40 kilometers per second (nearly 25 miles per second), which is about four times faster than any previous observation of carbon monoxide jets, scientists said. The discovery may help researchers understand the complex processes stars undergo during their birth. “The sun is a star, so if we want to understand how our solar system was created, we need to understand how stars are formed,” Héctor Arce, the lead author of the study appearing in the Astrophysical Journal on Aug. 20, said in a statement. The new image of Herbig-Haro 46/47 (HH 46/47) produced by the ALMA telescope, its name is short for Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, reveals two jets of material streaming away from the newborn star, one of which was never detected before. One jet appears on the left side of the photo in pink and purple streaming partially toward Earth, while the orange and green jet on the right-hand-side show a jet pointed away from Earth. “This system is similar to most isolated low mass stars during their formation and birth,” Diego Mardones, a co-author of the study detailing the stellar findings said in a statement. “But it is also unusual because the outflow impacts the cloud directly on one side of the young star and escapes out of the cloud on the other. This makes it an excellent system for studying the impact of the stellar winds on the parent cloud from which the young star is formed.” ALMA’s sensitive instruments took five hours to get these results. Earlier photos taken with other telescopes did not catch the second (orange and green) jet stream because dust surrounding the star obscured their views. “ALMA’s exquisite sensitivity allows the detection of previously unseen features in this source, like this very fast outflow,” Arce said. “It also seems to be a textbook example of a simple model where the molecular outflow is generated by a wide-angle wind from the young star.” The $1.3 billion ALMA radio telescope is an array of 66 of individual radio telescopes that create one of the most powerful telescopes ever built. Each dish is up to 40 feet wide (12 meters) and can weigh 115 tons. The combined effort of the telescopes allows scientists to see celestial sights invisible in optical light because they are masked by gas and dust. Here are some baby pictures. Isn’t he the cutest thing. I think we should name him George. Star Birth Drama Captured by Giant Radio Telescope (Photos) (space.com) Star birth drama captured by giant radio telescope – The News International (thenews.com.pk) Birth Of A Star Captured In Stunning Detailed Images [VIDEO] (latinospost.com) A star is born … literally (cbsnews.com) Amazing Star Birth Photos: ALMA Telescope’s Views of Herbig-Haro Object HH 46/47 (space.com) Drama of star’s birth captured in images from telescope in Chile (upi.com) Birth of star captured by astronomers – Sydney Morning Herald (smh.com.au) Tags:Astrophysical Journal, Atacama Large Millimeter Array, European Southern Observatory, Herbig–Haro object, Star Posted in Science, Space | 1 Comment » Bringing Down America In 1969, Vietnam Veteran Larry Grathwohl had a chance encounter with some members of the radical group the Weathermen. Most people would have simply dismissed them as crazy hippies. Larry Grathwohl was not most people. He was concerned enough by their violent rhetoric to discuss the encounter with his father in law, a retired Cincinnati police officer. Grathwohl’s father in law encouraged him to share his concerns with the Cincinnati Police Department and the FBI. Grathwohl decided, partly on his own initiative, to try to infiltrate the Weathermen and was surprisingly successful. Despite having no training in undercover work, Larry Grathwohl managed to gain the confidence of the inner circles of the Weathermen and when they decided to underground, they took him with them. All this time, Grathwohl was sending information to the FBI and trying to frustrate the Weathermen’s plans for a violent revolution. Bringing Down America is the story of Larry Grathwohl’s adventures as an FBI informant in the Weathermen. It is an exciting story and somewhat harrowing when the reader considers how deadly earnest these radicals were with their plans for revolution. They planned bombings, assassinations, riots, kidnappings, robberies; all for the Revolution. The Weathermen had some limited success and the only reason that they didn’t do more damage was their own incompetence as terrorists. There are a couple of points to consider after reading Bringing Down America. First is that the Weathermen were woefully inept at terrorism and revolution. At least one of their bomb making facilities blew up killing several Weathermen. They never seemed to have any realistic ideas on how to successfully carry out a campaign of terrorism. What plans they made were often wildly beyond their actual capabilities. Second, the former Weathermen are far more dangerous now than they were back then. They made for inept terrorists, but now many of the former leaders of the Weathermen have positions of considerable influence. Bill Ayers is now an important expert on education. He helps decide what your children are learning in school. Bernardine Dohrn is doing her part as a “social activist” teaching law to undermine the rule of law. There is also Ayer’s protégé, one Barack Obama who has been moderately successful in politics. None of these people has ever expressed the slightest regret for their criminal actions and there is no reason to believe their desire to fundamentally transform America into something resembling Stalin’s Russia or Mao’s China has mellowed in the slightest. They are still dedicated to bringing down America. Larry Grathwohl (davidscommonplacebook.wordpress.com) Larry Grathwohl – RIP American Hero (gulagbound.com) Larry Grathwohl: May You Be Remembered for Your Heroism (trevorloudon.com) American Hero Larry Grathwohl Dead (planet.infowars.com) America’s ‘true hero dies in obscurity’ (mobile.wnd.com) Tags:Bernardine Dohrn, Bill Ayers, Larry Grathwohl, Weather Underground, Weathermen Posted in Books I've Read, Heroism, History, Politics, Scum and Villainy | Leave a Comment »

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No-Contest Clauses in Wills and Estate Planning A no-contest clause in a will is intended to discourage litigation by a beneficiary. If a beneficiary unsuccessfully challenges the will, their bequest is typically forfeited and reverts to the residue of the estate. Recently, the Alberta Court of Appeal had to determine whether an application brought by a beneficiary, a person interested in the estate, to obtain formal proof of a will amounted to a challenge to the will that would trigger the no-contest clause. The court found that the application did trigger the no-contest clause. The deceased passed away in September 2015 in Calgary at the age of 84. He had three adult children who were, along with the personal representatives of the estate, the appellants. The respondent said she had been in a long term relationship with the deceased and became his fiancée in March 2015. The appellants disputed this and said she was only a long term friend. The respondent claimed that the deceased had made four different wills, the most recent dated May 7, 2015. Under all of these wills, she was a beneficiary, but also shared equally with the adult children in the residue of the estate. The scheme of distribution was altered in an August 1, 2015 codicil and ultimately in a new will signed by the deceased on August 6, 2015 (the “August Will”). The August Will gave the respondent, a parcel of property in Alberta, a house and its contents in Austin, Texas, a Bentley automobile, and $2.6 million dollars. However, the residue of the estate was to be distributed only among the three adult children. The No-Contest Clause The August Will contained a no-contest clause at paragraph 21 which stated: “21. If any beneficiary of this my Will challenges the validity of this my Will or any Codicil hereto or commences litigation in connection with any provision of my Will or any Codicil hereto, other than for: (a) Any necessary judicial interpretation or for the assistance of the court in the course of administration of my estate; or (b) Seeking to enforce or obtain any rights or benefits conferred by the laws of the Province of Alberta; then, such beneficiary shall absolutely forfeit and lose all entitlement to benefits or to any gift to him or her hereunder, and every such benefit or gift so forfeited shall fall into the residue of my estate and the residue of my estate shall be distributed as if such beneficiary had predeceased me and left no issue surviving me.” At Issue The respondent contended that the deceased’s health was declining in the last months of his life, and asserted that there were suspicious circumstances surrounding the execution of the August Will. She applied to court for advice and direction to determine whether an application under the Surrogate Rules would trigger the no-contest clause. The respondent sought a declaration that an application under 75(1)(a) of the Surrogate Rules to request the personal representatives to obtain formal proof of the August Will would not constitute a challenge to the validity of the August Will or litigation in connection with a provision of the August Will, and would not trigger the no-contest clause. The Court of Appeal ruled that while the wording of the no-contest clause in the August Will allowed for a beneficiary to enforce any rights he or she might have to the estate under the province’s dependency laws, it didn’t allow for the type of application the respondent intended to pursue. As a result, the court ruled that the respondent could proceed with an application to obtain proof of the August Will, but would lose all her entitlements under the no-contest clause should she be unsuccessful. The court stated: “If [the respondent] were to proceed with her application and ultimately succeed in challenging the testamentary capacity of [the deceased] to make the August Will, then the August Will would be invalid, as would the no contest clause. If she is unsuccessful, then she would forfeit her bequest. That is exactly the type of dilemma the no contest clause is designed to create, and what was presumptively intended by [the deceased].” Further Implications This decision should give lawyers greater confidence in including a no-contest clause in a client’s will. However, the respondent has already indicated she will be seeking leave of the Supreme Court of Canada to appeal the decision. The highly-experienced and strategic Calgary estate lawyers at DBH Law can help you draft or update your will to reflect the needs of your family and your estate, no matter its size or complexity. Our responsive and concise approach to our work makes the process of will and estate planning easy for our clients. We take pride in the relationships we have built with our clients, and the opportunities we have to represent their legal needs as they grow and evolve. We understand your need to provide for your family and loved ones while also minimizing the taxation and chances of litigation your Estate may face. We can be reached by phone at 403.252.9937 or online and look forward to the chance to learn about what is important to you, and how we can help you achieve that.

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Digital History: A Guide to Gathering, Preserving, and Presenting the Past on the Web This book provides for the first time a plainspoken and thorough introduction to the web for historians—teachers and students, archivists and museum curators, professors as well as amateur enthusiasts—who wish to produce online historical work, or to build upon and improve the projects they have already started in this important new medium. It begins with an overview of the different genres of history websites, surveying a range of digital history work that has been created since the beginning of the web. The book then takes the reader step-by-step through planning a project, understanding the technologies involved and how to choose the appropriate ones, designing a site that is both easy-to-use and scholarly, digitizing materials in a way that makes them web-friendly while preserving their historical integrity, and how to reach and respond to an intended audience effectively. It also explores the repercussions of copyright law and fair use for scholars in a digital age, and examines more cutting-edge web techniques involving interactivity, such as sites that use the medium to solicit and collect historical artifacts. Finally, the book provides basic guidance on insuring that the digital history the reader creates will not disappear in a few years. Throughout, the book maintains a realistic sense of the advantages and disadvantages of putting historical documents, interpretations, and discussions online. It is also written in a tone that makes digital history accessible to those with little knowledge of computers, while including a host of details that more technically savvy readers will find helpful. And although the book is focused particularly on historians, those working in related fields in the humanities and social sciences will also find this to be a useful introduction. Co-authored with Roy Rosenzweig. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005. “The definitive introductory guide for professional and amateur historians wishing to understand and use the Web. Chapters that flow seamlessly together present the nuts and bolts of Web site creation…Amazingly, the prose is jargon free and at a level that neither offends nor stupefies. The explication of technique, moreover, never overshadows the more theoretical discussions…In an online world marked by evanescence, this book will long remain a vade mecum for dedicated amateurs and professionals working in the historical and social scientific fields. Summing Up: Essential.” —Choice Buy Digital History directly from Penn Press Buy Digital History from Amazon Read Digital History online Equations from God: Pure Mathematics and Victorian Faith Extending a tradition stretching back to the ancient Greeks, many Victorian intellectuals saw mathematics as a divine language, a way to ascend above the profane realm and commune with the mind of God. This religious vision of mathematics motivated numerous Victorian mathematicians in both their research and social agendas, including major figures such as Benjamin Peirce (the father of Charles Sanders Peirce) and the British co-founders of mathematical logic, George Boole and Augustus De Morgan. From unpublished sources it is apparent that these mathematicians were intensely concerned with interdenominational agreement in a chaotic era of belief. While their pure mathematics later became a way for philosophers to render spiritual questions irrelevant, in the nineteenth century their theories were often seen as a way to transcend sectarian boundaries in the name of a true and universal faith. Dealing with important mathematicians and intellectuals in England, Scotland, and Ireland, as well as in the United States, this book is a wide-ranging study in trans-Atlantic Victorian thought and culture that sheds new light on the history of science, religion, and philosophy. Because of the broader themes that the book illuminates and the many fields it touches upon, the book will appeal to readers in a variety of disciplines, including those interested in the evolution of modern thought, the history of science and religion, and Victorian life in America and Great Britain. The book covers a vast array of materials, from highly technical mathematical notebooks to populist sermons to secret diaries to the musings of amateur circle squarers, and is written in a way that makes the mathematics themselves accessible to non-mathematicians. It also conveys to the reader the elegance of thought and concept that the Victorian mathematician saw in the world of numbers and symbols. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007. Buy Equations from God directly from the Johns Hopkins University Press Buy Equations from God from Amazon Hacking the Academy: New Approaches to Scholarship and Teaching from Digital Humanities Scholars are asking whether the institutions of the academy as they have existed for decades, even centuries, aren’t becoming obsolete. Every aspect of scholarly infrastructure is being questioned, and even more importantly, being reordered. In Hacking the Academy: New Approaches to Scholarship and Teach from Digital Humanities, a wide array of scholars present their thoughts and approaches with a vibrant intensity, as they explore and contribute to ongoing efforts to rebuild scholarly infrastructure for a new millennium. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2013. Buy Hacking the Academy at the University of Michigan Press Buy Hacking the Academy on Amazon Read the open access version of Hacking the Academy at the University of Michigan Press/MPublishing “Is Google Good for History?” In Jeffrey Young and Tim McCormick, eds., Rebooting the Academy (HighWire Press, Stanford, 2012). The eBook of Rebooting the Academy is available through Amazon.com “A Conversation with Data: Prospecting Victorian Words and Ideas” Explorations in text mining over a million Victorian books. Victorian Studies, Fall 2011. Read “A Conversation with Data: Prospecting Victorian Words and Ideas” online at Victorian Studies on Project MUSE “Digital Ephemera and the Calculus of Importance” How important are small written ephemera such as notes, especially now that we create an almost incalculable number of them on digital services such as Twitter? Some of the most critical collections of primary sources are ephemera that someone luckily saved for the future. The New Everyday, June 2010. Read “Digital Ephemera and the Calculus of Importance” online at the The New Everyday “The Idols of Scholarly Publishing” In Jerome McGann, ed., Online Humanities Scholarship: The Shape of Things to Come (Rice University Press, 2010), 311-322. Read “The Idols of Scholarly Publishing” online at Connexions “Engaging and Creating Virtual Communities” When historical artifacts go online, scholarly and amateur enthusiast communities arise around them. How can cultural heritage institutions (and others) curate those communities as well as the artifacts? Proceedings of the Cultural Heritage Online Conference, December 2009. Read “Engaging and Creating Virtual Communities” “Pragmatic As Well As Prescient: Digital History Education at George Mason University” In 2001, George Mason University’s Department of History and Art History enrolled ten graduate students in its nascent doctoral program, listed in the original brochure as “A PhD with a Difference.” The difference? An emphasis on digital history. Perspectives, May 2009. Read “Pragmatic As Well As Prescient: Digital History Education at George Mason University” online at Perspectives “Digital History Interchange” A freewheeling discussion by eight historians about the nature and potential impact of digital methods and technology on their discipline. Journal of American History, September 2008. Read “Digital History Interchange” online at the Journal of American History “Creating Scholarly Tools and Resources for the Digital Ecosystem: Building Connections in the Zotero Project” In a Web 2.0 environment, no application or repository should be an island; to live in this digital realm, applications and repositories must connect with each other, must be able to give to and take from other applications and repositories, and must be able to leverage the combined knowledge and actions of scholars from around the world. Thinking in this way has serious pragmatic implications for the way in which all of those who serve the scholarly enterprise should orient their online creations for maximal utility. First Monday, August 2008. Read “Creating Scholarly Tools and Resources for the Digital Ecosystem: Building Connections in the Zotero Project” online at First Monday “The Promise of Social and Semantic Computing for Historical Scholarship” Recent trends in computing, including new forms of information sharing and the semantic encoding of the information shared, may very well change the way historians and other scholars in the humanities conduct their research, find relevant documents, and collaborate. In Perspectives, May 2007. Read “The Promise of Social and Semantic Computing for Historical Scholarship” online at Perspectives “From Babel to Knowledge: Data Mining Large Digital Collections” What might be possible once Google and others have digitized millions of books? How will we extract information from these enormous digital libraries? This article addresses these questions through a detailed explication of some of my software tools that scan, sort, and analyze large online collections. It also makes some important recommendations for those creating and maintaining substantial digital resources. In D-Lib Magazine, March 2006. Read “From Babel to Knowledge: Data Mining Large Digital Collections” online at D-Lib Magazine “No Computer Left Behind” Just as the calculator—an unavoidable modern technology—muscled its way into the mathematics exam room, devices to access and quickly scan the vast store of historical knowledge on the Internet (such as PDAs and smart phones) will inevitably disrupt the testing—and thus instruction—of humanities subjects. In particular, these developments likely spell the end of the multiple-choice test. The death of this testing method is to be praised; just as the teaching of mathematics should be about higher principles rather than the rote memorization of multiplication tables, the teaching of subjects like history should be freed by new technologies to focus once again (as it was before a century of multiple-choice exams) on more important principles such as the analysis and synthesis of primary sources. In the Chronicle of Higher Education, February 2006. Read “No Computer Left Behind” online at the Center for History and New Media “Web of Lies? Historical Knowledge on the Internet” Scholars in history (as well as other fields in the humanities) have generally taken a dim view of the state of knowledge on the Web, pointing to the many inaccuracies on Web pages written by amateurs. A new software agent called H-Bot scans the Web for historical facts, and shows how the Web may indeed include many such inaccuracies—while at the same time being extremely accurate when assessed as a whole through statistical means that are alien to the discipline of history. These mathematical methods and other algorithms drawn from the computational sciences also suggest new techniques for historical research and new approaches to teaching history in an age in which an increasingly significant portion of the past has been digitized. Co-authored with Roy Rosenzweig. In First Monday, December 2005. Read “Web of Lies” online at First Monday “Reasoning and Belief in Victorian Mathematics” An examination of the way in which Victorian mathematicians attempted to create new forms of logic in the midst of a seemingly illogical culture. The social experiences, religious beliefs, and technical work of the British founders of symbolic logic, including George Boole, Augustus De Morgan, William Stanley Jevons, and John Venn are explored, providing a sense of how cultural interests collided with research agendas to shape a new field in mathematics. Chapter 6 in Martin Daunton, ed., The Organisation of Knowledge in Victorian Britain, Oxford: Oxford University Press/The British Academy, 2005. Download the PDF of “Reasoning and Belief in Victorian Mathematics” “By the Book: Assessing the Place of Textbooks in U.S. Survey Courses” What is the role of American history textbooks in the U.S. survey courses that use them? Using my Syllabus Finder software to create a specially constructed database of nearly 800 syllabi from these courses (ranging from 1995 to 2004 and including 462 different educational institutions), this article for the first time provides a precise measure of the centrality of textbooks by showing how few additional texts are assigned in the average survey course, and how such courses are put together. The article includes revealing information about the most popular textbooks, the most popular additional works assigned, the place of non-textual material such as websites and film, and the grading structure of these courses at different kinds of institutions. In the Journal of American History, March 2005. Download the PDF of “By the Book: Assessing the Place of Textbooks in U.S. Survey Courses” Read “By the Book: Assessing the Place of Textbooks in U.S. Survey Courses” online at the Journal of American History Read “By the Book: Assessing the Place of Textbooks in U.S. Survey Courses” online at the History Cooperative Coverage of “By the Book: Assessing the Place of Textbooks in U.S. Survey Courses” in Inside Higher Ed “The Future of Preserving the Past” Beginning with a comparison of how institutions such as the Library of Congress approached the critical task of saving a rich and representative historical record of December 7, 1941 and September 11, 2001, this article discusses the challenges presented to those in charge of preserving our cultural heritage by the changing nature of the historical record—now largely digital rather than analog. In CRM: The Journal of Heritage Stewardship, Summer 2005. Download the PDF of “The Future of Preserving the Past” “History and the Second Decade of the Web” Over ten years of experience with the web has allowed us to understand what the medium does well and what it does poorly, and how we may be able to improve online historical efforts so that they capitalize on the web’s strengths while avoiding its weaknesses. This article explores three possible ways to advance digital history: interaction between historians and their subjects, interoperation of dispersed historical archives, and the analysis of online resources using computational methods. Thinking about such possibilities raises important, age-old questions about how we should preserve and chronicle the past. In Rethinking History, June 2004. Download the PDF of “History and the Second Decade of the Web” “Digital History: The Raw and the Cooked” This article presents the question of whether, and to what extent, it is worth structuring historical efforts on the web (by using, for instance, XML). It looks at the benefits, and the costs, to both producers and users of highly structured digital works, and whether technical alternatives in the present as well as unpredictable historical interests in the future might render such structuring obsolete. In Rethinking History, June 2004. Download the PDF of “Digital History: The Raw and the Cooked” “Idealism and Pragmatism in the Free Culture Movement” A review of Gary Hall’s Digitize This Book! The Politics of New Media, or Why We Need Open Access Now (University of Minnesota Press, 2009), including a discussion of the tensions in the open source and open access worlds. In the magazine Museum, May 2009. Read “Idealism and Pragmatism in the Free Culture Movement” online “Making the Macintosh” A Web site review from that highlights the connection between the early history of the Macintosh computer, 1960s Bay Area radicalism, and today’s open source and free software movements. In the Journal of American History, December 2002. Read “Making the Macintosh” online Download the PDF of “Making the Macintosh”

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The Dictionary of Sydney Geoffrey Sherington Persistent URL for this entry http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/education To cite this entry in text Sherington, Geoffrey, Campbell, Craig, Education, Dictionary of Sydney, 2008, http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/education, viewed 20 Jan 2020 To cite this entry in a Wikipedia footnote citation cite web | url= http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/education | title = Education | author = Sherington, Geoffrey, Campbell, Craig | date = 2008 | work = Dictionary of Sydney | publisher = Dictionary of Sydney Trust | accessdate = 20 Jan 2020 To cite this entry as a Wikipedia External link cite web | url = http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/education | title = Education | accessdate = 2008 | author = Sherington, Geoffrey, Campbell, Craig | date = 2008 | work = Dictionary of Sydney | publisher = Dictionary of Sydney Trust In the late twentieth century historians of education came to argue that the urban experience can only be fully understood through the social processes and social relations associated with schooling. The new 'social history' of education has thus often been closely aligned to the history of cities. [1] In Australia the 'new' social history of the city has often been written in terms of family formation, sometimes related to the history of childhood, but there has only been marginal attention to the specific nature of education in Sydney as an urban phenomenon. [2] This essay focuses on Sydney schools and other educational institutions although it raises questions about social processes and social formations. It suggests that the history of education in Sydney can be understood in a number of phases and themes, each related to the changing social history of Sydney. Informal education had long been part of the culture of Indigenous society prior to the British invasion of 1788. In the early colonial period, up to about 1830, governments established schools for the children of convicts based in Sydney and even for Aboriginal children. There were also 'private venture' schools for the sons and sometimes daughters of free settlers. [media]In the period from 1830 to 1870 the city of Sydney emerged as a metropolitan centre of educational establishments including schools, colleges and the University. From around 1870 to the end of World War II, with the growth of the city of Sydney and its suburbs, schooling was increasingly related to social class, gender and religion as part of suburban life. From 1945, the 'neighbourhood' school and even the 'local' university has become part of a pattern of regional differences associated with the expansion of the city through migration and population growth. Colonial traditions Learning was part of everyday life in the traditional Aboriginal society of the various peoples and clans of the Sydney basin. Children were brought up in a network of family and kin, engaging in both play and hunter-gathering activities. Ceremonies and formal initiations formed part of the life cycle as children matured into adults. As an important part of traditional culture, language developed through interaction with significant others. Other skills were learnt as part of a group. [3] In contrast, the idea of modern institutionalised education was an 'invention' in Europe and Britain during the late eighteenth century. The first schools of the British settlers were concerned to foster the moral well-being of the 'rising generation' of native-born convict children. [media]The Anglican chaplain Richard Johnson established formal education. In 1797, the judge-advocate and secretary to the colony, David Collins noted: There were at this time in the town of Sydney three schools for the education of children; and this being the period of their breaking up for the Christmas holidays, the governor was gratified with the sight of 102 clean and decently dressed children, who came with their several masters and mistresses, and in form paid their respects to his excellency, who examined the progress of the elder scholars in writing, specimens of which he kept for the purpose of comparing those with which they should present to him on the following Christmas. [4] [media]So began in convict Sydney an educational tradition that would soon be exported to the rest of Australia – the colonial state would establish schools for the children of the poor or criminal class. Thereby, urban 'urchins' could be reformed by being instructed and tested in the basics of education. There was particular concern with potentially disruptive populations. Following the example that he had established on Norfolk Island, in 1800 Governor King established an 'orphan' asylum and school for girls who were 'abandoned' by their parents (embracing more than one third of the female children then in Sydney). [5] This initiated the principle of removing children from parents deemed to be no longer fit to provide care. Education was thus closely aligned to both child welfare and social control. [media]By 1826 a Female School of Industry for girls had been established in Macquarie Street so that the inmates could learn 'useful' skills needed by household and farm servants. The idea of schooling for care and control was soon extended to the Indigenous populations. Disturbed at Aboriginal acts of hostility and resistance towards British settlers, Governor Macquarie established in 1814 a Native Institution for the 'civilisation of these natives'. Both sexes were to be brought up in habits of 'industry and decency'. [6] The institution was later transferred to Parramatta but the experiment soon ended as Aboriginal children deserted the school to return to their families. So began a long series of failed attempts to involve the Indigenous young in formal education. Religious involvement As in Britain, the Christian churches became partners with the state in these endeavours, involved first as missionaries to the Aborigines and then in creating schools for the poor. Church engagement brought into being state aid for church schools as well as systematic forms of instruction. By 1824, land was reserved for the Church of England to provide funds for the establishment of a school system based on the monitorial instruction principles of Dr Andrew Bell of the National Society in Britain. Pupils were to be taught by a master teacher assisted by senior students acting as monitors and instructors. This provided the means for mass instruction of school populations. [7] The monitorial system never fully developed in Australia but it left as a legacy the idea that popular mass education could be bought 'on the cheap'. [media]By the 1830s almost all the churches were seeking aid from the colonial state. Eventually, in the interests of efficiency as well as in the hope of religious harmony the state created its own 'national schools'. These were based essentially on the Irish National system of education which sought to teach a non-denominational but still Christian-infused curriculum. By 1848, there was a Board of National Education to administer these schools and a Denominational Schools Board to oversee the schools of the churches which continued to receive state aid. Schools for the whole colony In 1848 and 1849 there were 15 national schools established. Of these only three were in Sydney: Botany, Crown Street and Riley Street National schools. This fact reminds us that unlike the United Kingdom and the United States, the city and its wards were not the basis of government school organisation. The whole colony, and then the whole state was the focus of educational policy and administration. In effect, the colonial state set out to set up new schools in rural areas while the churches had established competing schools in the city. It was not until the early 1870s that schools of the government, known as public schools after the passage of the Public Schools Act of 1866, began to prevail in Sydney. As a consequence of this, it is usually difficult to untangle the history of national and public schooling in Sydney from that of New South Wales as a whole. Associated with the new national schools were new forms of pedagogy and new ways of producing teachers. The notion of the 'pupil teacher' came to Sydney with the arrival of William Wilkins, the new superintendent of the Board of National Education. Himself formerly a pupil teacher, 'apprenticed' to a 'master' teacher and then trained for a period in a training college, Wilkins also established the idea of teacher standards and competencies, laying the basis for the slow emergence of the idea of teachers as professionals. [8] [media]The pattern of education was different for the children of the few free and 'respectable' settlers in the Sydney region. From 1800, 'private venture' schools, sometimes conducted by clergymen but set up to make a profit, were being established in Sydney and Parramatta. While the teachers had little formal training, such schools offered a basic education in reading and writing, sometimes adding commercial subjects and even the classics for boys, and the 'polite accomplishments' of art and music for girls. [9] The City of Sydney as the education metropolis From 1830s to the 1870s most of the new and significant educational establishments of Sydney were created in or close to the city centre. The growth of Sydney as a commercial centre created a demand in the private sector for education from both new immigrants and emancipists. [media]One exception was The King's School, opened by the Church of England at Parramatta in 1832. Although founded on the English public school tradition, in its early years King's tended to cater for the small settlers along the Hawkesbury. [10] The Church of England had tried to found another King's School in the centre of Sydney during the 1830s but this failed. The Roman Catholic Church was more successful with the opening of St Mary's College at the Cathedral site in 1837, transferring in 1852 to Lyndhurst at Glebe on the edge of the city. Focussing on a classical curriculum, Lyndhurst helped to create a Sydney Catholic middle class, some of whom became early matriculants to the University of Sydney in [media]1852. [11] [media]In 1858, the Sisters of Charity opened St Vincent's at Potts Point, now the oldest Catholic girls' school in Australia. One of the early establishments taking its name from the city was Sydney College, founded by religious dissenters as a secular institution, and located in College Street on the site of the current Sydney Grammar School. Its first headmaster was WT Cape, who had previously run his own very popular private academy. Most students were the sons, aged from seven to 16, of the wealthy merchants of Sydney. [12] [media]The Australian College, founded by the Presbyterian minister JD Lang, was in competition. The College offered a curriculum based on a Scottish model that included both classical and commercial subjects in accord with Sydney's commercial development. As Judge WW Burton of the Supreme Court pointed out, 'Nearly the whole number of pupils attended the classes for writing and accounts…' [13] It was an indication that vocational interests formed an important part of education in Sydney almost from the beginning of white settlement. Other less formal institutions were still educational in purpose. In 1821 the Philosophical Society of Australia was founded in Sydney. By 1826 there was an Australian Subscription Library and Reading Room, the forerunner to the present State Library.[media] Finally, following the British model, Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts was created in 1833, ostensibly for the artisan, but providing a library for all classes, lectures and opportunities of enlightenment for all Sydney's citizens, including women. [14] Founding a university Many schools and colleges, including both Sydney College and the Australian College, failed during the depression of the 1840s, raising questions about the future of 'higher education' in Sydney. [media]At the same time, Sydney's leading citizens, such as William Charles Wentworth, were anxious to create an institution to provide social and political leadership founded on merit and not birth. Wentworth hoped the new University would challenge the Sydney establishment which had shunned descendants of emancipists, like him and his family, because of their convict heritage. [15] [media]The new University of Sydney, established in 1850, was unique in the British Empire. A secular 'public' university, with a teaching and examining function, founded through state endowment, it owed nothing to any religious denomination. It had a 'social contract' particularly to serve its various 'publics' in Sydney. Sydney's male middle-class meritocracy who matriculated through examination, were the first to benefit. Many of them had access to generous scholarships. [16] For a century it was Sydney's only university. While the original curriculum emphasised the classics, maths and science, the university soon developed professional 'schools'. It educated and formed the city's professions as well as the leaders in government and public administration. [media]It also influenced the city's cultural and social and sporting life. It soon became a nursery of cricketers in the city and colony as well as the virtual founding place of rugby in Australia. Until World War I, many sporting contests in Sydney revolved around the university. [17] The university was also closely associated with adult education, first through extension lectures for the community and then through a connection to the Workers' Educational Association. Tutorial classes for the ordinary citizen began in 1913. Colonial state education The opening of the university created the need for a 'feeder school'. With encouragement from the University professors, the colonial parliament enacted legislation which founded and endowed Sydney Grammar School, opened in 1857 on the College Street site the university had just vacated. [18] The establishment of the university and the endowment of Sydney Grammar School were indicators of the growing role of the colonial state in secondary and higher education. It was the same in elementary education. From 1848 the National Board of Education competed with the 'denominational schools' of the churches. By 1866 the old name of 'national' schools, associated with the now failed educational experiment in Ireland, had been replaced by 'public' from a local Australian perspective. It was a clear indication that the schools of the state, just like the university, were being designed to serve 'public' interests. From the 1850s, colonial governments founded many solidly built Gothic-style public schools as a statement of commitment to civic pride and the common good. [media]Many were opened in the city and nearby suburbs. Such schools as Cleveland Street (1856) and Bourke Street (1866), both of which still stand today, were demonstrations of the authority and resources of public schools over the less impressive school buildings of the churches. [media]At the peak of the public school system was Fort Street Public School, opened in 1850 just above The Rocks on Observatory Hill. Established as a model training school for teachers, Fort Street soon achieved outstanding results at the public examinations administered by the University of Sydney. Fort Street and similar state-provided schools became 'superior' public schools offering a form of secondary education for 'free'. [19] With the universal male franchise came a clear view that education in a common school should be the basis of a common citizenship for most social classes. This was a challenge to the churches, particularly the Church of England and the Roman Catholics, who continued to maintain their own school systems with the assistance of state aid and in competition with the public schools of the state. While the church schools were often designed for the poorer classes, state administrators such as William Wilkins knew that many middle-class parents in Sydney had come to prefer the public schools as providing the 'best' education. [20] [media]These issues came to head in the 1870s, culminating in the 1880 Act which removed all state aid from church schools and established a Department of Public Instruction. It was soon based in Bridge Street, Sydney, in a sandstone building that symbolised the civic virtues of public education. The Church of England agreed to give up its elementary schools (while moving more into establishing secondary schools) in the interests of common Protestantism. But the Roman Catholic Church rejected this settlement and condemned all public schools as 'irreligious' even though they still taught a form of non-denominational Christianity and allowed the churches some access. A great religious and cultural divide was created in Sydney, as in the rest of Australia where similar arrangements prevailed. Where you went to school almost mattered more than where or whether you went to church. Public schools had lay teachers; Catholic schools survived through having the 'religious' as teachers. [media]In the wake of the 1880 Act, the colonial government established Sydney Boys' High School and Sydney Girls' High School in 1883 in Elizabeth Street on the site of the current David Jones store. The boys' school soon moved to Ultimo; the girls' school transferred to Moore Park, to be followed later by the boys. Many of the early graduates of Sydney Girls' matriculated to the University which had now begun to admit women. [21] [media]From the 1870s, public schools began to spread beyond the inner city and nearby suburbs to appear throughout Sydney. In such areas as Summer Hill (1883) and Dulwich Hill (1885) or North Sydney (1874) or Sutherland (1887) the local public school occupied public space as well as creating a public image of a foundation of common citizenship. [media]By 1914, enrolments in all New South Wales public schools had grown two and a half times since the 1880 Act. Much of this growth had taken place in Sydney. And in many Sydney suburbs with high Catholic populations, there also appeared schools attached to the local parish of the Catholic Church which had refused to accept the terms of the 1880 Act. With legislation to enforce school attendance, those born in the late nineteenth to early twentieth century became the first generation of Sydney children required to attend school until adolescence. The public school and working-class communities [media]The Public Instruction Act of 1880 made schooling compulsory for the first time, but there was a delicate balance to be struck between the state's interest in efficient schooling, and working-class communities' need for their children's labour. Well into the twentieth century children in working-class families were engaged in labour, often paid, of some sort or another. [22] It took a substantial time for working-class children in Sydney to become primarily 'school' children. The Public Instruction Act required attendance of no more than 140 days per year; this left plenty of time for absences for any reason – compulsory attendance was also hindered by the requirement to pay school fees. The building of a culture of schooling and childhood that assumed priority for the demands of the school on a young person's time over that of the family and their possible contribution to the household economy was not completed until after World War II. Among some Indigenous and other communities in Sydney, 'truancy', the new crime associated with not attending school, remains a problem. [media]The future Director of Education Peter Board, when head teacher of Macdonaldtown Public School in the 1880s, was distressed by the conditions under which many working-class families in the area laboured. The attempt to enforce the payment of fees from the families compressed into nearby slum tenements led to multiple applications by him for the waiving of the fees. It was only in 1906 they were finally abolished by parliament. [23] It was not until 1916 however that the compulsory clauses of 1880 were amended. The new Public Instruction (Amendment) Act not only required schools to keep attendance registers, but virtually required all children in a public, Catholic or private school, to attend every school day. These changes, more than the 1880 Act, were more significant for transforming the attitudes of working-class families to the labour and schooling of their children. The writer Christina Stead represents a somewhat jaundiced view of the culture of inner Sydney working-class schools in the early twentieth century in the novel For Love Alone (1945): 'I hate it, I hate it,' said the fair woman rocking herself. 'If I can only keep the kids down, I don't care if they never learn a line. That Milly Brown came in with a note from her mother again this morning about ink on her dress. I wish some of the mothers had to take care of my class for a whole day.' 'I wish that, too,' said Mrs Keeling. 'They'd wake up.' Teresa burst out with: 'Why do you stay in it if you hate it so much? … .' [media]The difficulties associated first with the Depression, then with World War II, meant that many public primary schools remained in straitened circumstances until the 1960s. In the 1950s the new emergency of the baby boom led to a prolongation of very large class sizes, inadequate buildings and inconsistent curriculum reform. Many Sydney primary schools and working-class populations of children in public and Catholic primary schools did not see large improvements until the period of the Schools Commission in the 1970s when federal funding was directed to such communities through schemes such as the Disadvantaged Schools Program. The extension of the school leaving age from 14 to 15 in 1943 increased the pressure on the public school system to imagine suitable secondary schools for working-class children. For a time the system held with the reforms engineered by Peter Board as Director of Education from just before World War I. There would be technical schools for boys and home science schools for girls, and evening continuation schools for recent school leavers. They often offered commercial courses. Only clever working-class children were likely to achieve entrance into the academic high schools. Through the 1930s to the 1960s, intelligence testing was used to sort children, assisting in their selection for the different kinds of public secondary schools on offer in the Sydney metropolitan area. Such testing usually discriminated against working-class children. They were less likely to have access to the language and knowledge privileged by such tests. New Education in Sydney Curriculum reform along lines that imagined the child as potentially creative, more than a rote learner of facts, spelling and multiplication tables, was in the air from the late nineteenth century. Early manifestations of the New Education included the idea that one could learn better by doing – engaging with material or real problems in cooperation with fellow students. These ideas came mainly to Sydney from the United Kingdom. [24] Considerable effort was required to shift the educational establishment in Sydney however. At the turn of the century the tendency was towards self-satisfaction with the results of the Public Instruction Act and the bureaucratisation of curriculum, school inspection, teacher promotions and so forth. The challenge came from one of the professors at the University of Sydney. [media]In his 1901 address to a teachers' association meeting, Francis Anderson argued against schooling that conceived the process of education as systems and mechanisms. Neither the human spirit nor true learning was served by hundreds of children learning their geography like parrots: 'New Guinea – North of Australia – birds of Paradise – Gold.' [25] The shock of the criticism led to various reports by GH Knibbs and JW Turner from 1902 on reforming education in New South Wales. Probably more significant was the work of Peter Board in rewriting the Primary syllabus for public schools. It certainly had a more liberal spirit than its predecessors, but there was a disjunction between the intentions of the syllabus and the realities of daily life in schools, and the ways that authority was exercised over teachers and the curriculum. [media]A great boost to progressive education occurred towards the end of the Depression. The New Education Fellowship organised a remarkable travelling conference through the main cities of New Zealand and Australia, turning up in Sydney in August 1937. Its speakers from the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere demanded new approaches to assessment and examination, a redefining of the role of the teacher and the development of education for 'complete living' rather than narrow vocations and academic proficiency. [26] These ideas would have more practical effect in Sydney's schools, government and non-government, after World War II, but an influential reform community in education had been formed. Sydney-born Harold Wyndham, the great proponent of opportunity classes, which are a distinctive and continuing feature of primary schools in Sydney, was secretary for the Sydney conference. He was later Director General of Education (1952–1968). Preschools and special education The new spirit that sought to liberate the body and mind of the child through active learning was most effective earliest in the education of infants. In Sydney the ideas of the nineteenth-century German philosopher Froebel were influential in the late nineteenth century, especially in private kindergartens for middle-class children. The New South Wales Kindergarten Union was founded in 1895, with a strong working-class reform mission. [media]The first free kindergarten was appropriately opened in Woolloomooloo in 1896. [27] Kindergarten classes were soon formed in public schools as well, although infants' schools as separate establishments had been opened in Sydney from 1880 to relieve pressure on crowded public schools. Miss MM (Martha) Simpson was the most influential bearer of the message of Madame Montessori to Sydney. An early enthusiast, she persuaded the government to send her to Italy to learn first-hand. Arriving back in Sydney in 1913, Simpson 'plunged into a frantic round of interviews, talks and lectures …'. [28] [media]The teachers college at Blackfriars (Glebe) became the point of dissemination of Montessori-trained teachers and methods. The force of this period is still felt in Sydney today, though the preschools with the name 'Montessori' attached to them are more likely to be middle-class in character, contradicting the initial intentions of the new approach. In Sydney there were other approaches to the care and education of the infant. The nursery school movement had its enthusiasts for a time, but the Kindergarten movement through its well-organised Union and training college prevailed. The nineteenth century was a great age for the development of the social sciences and their application to the identification and management of populations that were thought either to be neglected, or a danger to the rest of civilised society. The development of confining institutions to deal with the young has already been referred to for the early part of the nineteenth century with the development of government-established orphan schools and the Native Institution. Later in the century attention turned to blind, deaf, 'dumb', criminal, retarded – and much later again, 'gifted and talented' children. A variety of public and private institutions were founded in Sydney, as ideas of what was a 'normal' child and the deviant 'other' were developed. In 1866 two Acts were passed addressing some of the problem populations: the Industrial Schools Act and the Reformatory Schools Act. A Nautical School Ship for boys requiring reform operated in Sydney Harbour.[media] Three existing ragged schools in Sydney gained state assistance, along with the already aided Asylum for Destitute Children and the Deaf and Dumb Institution. [29] The summary of education in New South Wales written by Percival Cole of Sydney Teachers' College, and published in 1927, identified special schools for physical and mental 'defectives' as well as for 'moral delinquents'. Institutions he outlined for physical defectives included the Sydney Institute for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind. He thought that not enough was being done in Sydney for the physically disabled. Cole was pleased that finally 'mentally-defectives' were being provided with special facilities. In the metropolitan area of Sydney he counted eight special classes, supervised by an expert psychologist. He looked forward with joy to the completion of a large residential school at Macquarie Fields for 'mental defectives'. It would be organised on the cottage system. The special classes would aim to give these young people sufficient skills to earn their own living. Cole argued that 'moral defectives' should no longer be treated as criminals. He was still happy with the 1901 Act that divided such children into two classes requiring separate institutional treatment. The first group of delinquents were 'genuine child criminals' who required reformatory schools. The second were neglected strays, requiring industrial schools and religious instruction. [30] The recent changing politics, policies and institutions of special education are too complex to address here. Sydney was as responsive as other western cities to the calls for 'inclusion' and 'mainstreaming' and the closing of confining institutions in the late twentieth century. Nevertheless the demand for trained teachers to deal with special children, regardless of their institutional or social circumstances, remains strong. In 2003 the Department of Education and Training conducted some 106 schools for children with special needs, a large number of which were situated in Sydney. Children needing special schooling were identified by their 'intellectual disability', 'emotional disturbance', 'physical disability', 'visual disability', 'behaviour disorder' and more. [31] At least in language the non-normal child had begun to receive some dignity. 'Gifted and talented' children were usually in special programs running in ordinary government and non-government schools. Those who had convinced the state that they were academically able by sitting the selective schools test were in selective schools, or selective streams in mixed secondary schools. [media]Some non-government schools such as Sydney Grammar School and Malek Fahd Islamic School enrolled students on the basis of superior academic ability as well. Teachers and teachers' colleges The idea that teachers should be educated for their craft or profession is an old idea born partly in Sydney. Henry Carmichael had attempted to open a normal school, or training institution, in Sydney as early as 1834, in preparation for the intended introduction of the Irish national system of schooling. Both the early introduction of the system and Carmichael's school failed. We have already mentioned William Wilkins coming from England to Fort Street Public School to assist in the training of teachers for the emerging public system. Fort Street played a significant role in preparing teachers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. [32] By the 1880s there was Hurlstone Training College for women. Nevertheless courses were short and the dominant models of teacher training continued to privilege apprenticeship through the recruitment of young people as monitors, pupil teachers and junior teachers. The idea that all teachers should be trained and credentialed in separate institutions such as teachers' colleges was slow to develop. Even at the beginning of the twenty-first century, New South Wales, unlike most other Australian states, had still not insisted that only teachers eligible for registration on the basis of specific teacher education, qualifications and experience should and could be employed. Nevertheless the Department of Public Instruction was convinced that its army of public school teachers needed formal training. [media]In 1906 Sydney Teachers' College was established with a Scottish principal, Alexander Mackie, imported to lead the initiative. It collected its students from the Hurlstone Training School and Fort Street. That Mackie was simultaneously appointed a professor of the University revealed the development of educational thinking; that teaching needed to move from being a craft learned by apprentices to a 'science' learnt in lecture halls and laboratories. There was also the notion that teachers needed to be liberally educated people. Sydney Teachers' College lasted as a separate institution under the control of the Department of Education from 1906 until 1974. [33] For teachers themselves, the struggle towards degrees of professional autonomy and acceptable remuneration and working conditions has been hard and long. In the process one of the more remarkable and powerful public teacher unions in the country has developed. [media]Based in Sydney, the New South Wales Teachers Federation has a significant voice not only in the working lives of teachers, but in education policy overall. It was one of the earliest teacher unions in Australia to affiliate with a Trades and Labor Council, and to adopt industrial campaign tactics in the pursuit of its policies. [34] Catholic parish schools [media]From the late nineteenth century the Roman Catholic Church throughout Australia built schools to emulate and compete with the public sector. Catholic elementary schools were closely tied to the local parish, and often located next door to the local church. And after the 1880 Act withdrew state aid to church schools, the teachers in Catholic schools were increasingly the 'religious' – orders of brothers and nuns founded overseas, often in Ireland, or formed in Australia. Without the religious as unpaid teachers, clothed in their habits, the Catholic educational endeavour would have failed. They also made Catholic education distinctive and very different from the public schools staffed by paid and trained lay teachers, many of whom were also Catholic. By 1883, the religious were already two-thirds of the teachers in Sydney Catholic schools; by 1950 they were 90 per cent. [35] While following the general curriculum, set by the state through public education, Catholic schools came also to share a number of features. By choosing a Catholic school or college Catholic parents could be assured that their offspring would have the benefits of a good Catholic education: strict discipline, knowledge of Irish traditions, a highly gendered approach to making 'hard men' and 'good wives', and a commitment to continue the faith into the next generation. [36] And Catholic priests and the hierarchy in Sydney, as elsewhere, continually insisted that Catholic children should attend Catholic schools even though the majority remained in public schools until after World War II. Many of the religious orders catered for the working class and poor in Sydney. The Marists may be best known for the more exclusive St Joseph's College at Hunters Hill, founded in 1881, but they began in the inner city parish of St Patrick's in the Rocks where they maintained a presence until the 1960s. [37] Gradually, Catholic parochial schools in Sydney became part of a system. Subject to state registration, and with their pupils sitting the public exams, there was soon a Catholic inspector of schools while many of the religious orders created their own training colleges. By 1939 there was a 'Catholic Education Office', initially just a room in Roma House in George Street. [38] But more coordinated administration could not prepare Catholic schools for the postwar bulge in student numbers when many nuns and brothers had to cope with classes of up to 100 in size. Corporate schools in the suburbs From the mid-nineteenth century, all the churches as well as other bodies were founding secondary schools within emerging middle-class suburbia. In Sydney now, these are usually called 'private' schools to distinguish them from the 'public' schools of the state. But they were different from the 'private venture schools' which were still owned and run by clergymen and university-educated women in Sydney well into the twentieth century. Historians of education call these schools 'corporate', as they were usually founded by corporate bodies such as the churches, and by religious orders in the Catholic Church. Most had formal constitutions, were governed by corporate bodies such as appointed or elected councils, and sought to develop a corporate image and ethos. These schools helped to solidify the patterns of class-related difference in employment and living arrangements that developed in Sydney's suburban development from the late nineteenth century. The corporate model was founded on the English public school tradition with its emphasis on character formation and social distinction. As in Britain, schooling in Sydney thus became an important way of establishing social rank, particularly for the 'old middle class' of business and professional families. Corporate schools were designed for students to learn how to lead. [39] [media]A few corporate schools remained in the city centre, such as Sydney Grammar School which now found itself restricted for growth and expansion of facilities. The most significant corporate city school foundation of the late nineteenth century was Sydney Church of England Girls' Grammar School at Darlinghurst (1895). Other corporate schools developed in the middle-class suburbs along Sydney's growing rail network line from Parramatta or in the eastern suburbs with the subdivision of the old holdings such as the Cooper Estate. Perhaps the best demonstration of corporate schools in the suburbs came on the North Shore. Initially educational development along the North Shore began at North Sydney, close to the harbour. [media]Here could be found the Catholic girls' school Monte Sant' Angelo (1875), the Catholic Jesuit boys' school St Aloysius (1879), Wenona, a private school that became corporate (1886), the Church of England boys' school soon known as 'Shore' (1889) and then the Catholic girls' school Loreto Kirribilli (1907) . [media]The continuation of the North Shore railway line south from Hornsby brought the creation of corporate schools on the 'upper' North Shore, some of which were church foundations, and some of which were church takeovers of existing private venture schools. Abbotsleigh (1885) was a girls' private school later taken over by the Church of England. Barker College at Hornsby was a private foundation in 1890 but was later taken over by the Church of England. The Catholic girls' school Loreto opened at Normanhurst in 1897. Ravenswood (1901) was a private girls' school at Gordon that subsequently became Methodist. Presbyterian Ladies' College at Pymble (1916) and the Knox Grammar (1924), a boys' school at Wahroonga were later examples. Locality and social class often coincided. Throughout the early to mid-twentieth century almost two-thirds of the students at Shore came from homes on the North Shore while a quarter were from outside Sydney. [40] Almost all of the corporate schools provided for 'boarders from the bush', and for the social elite such schools served as links between city and country. [media]Beyond the usual reaches of train and tram, other corporate school were established in bush settings. Perhaps the most important of these were St Ignatius College, established by the Jesuits at Riverview on the Lane Cove River (1880), and St Joseph's College (1881), founded by the Marist Brothers at Hunters Hill. With its place by the river, St Ignatius soon became a site for regattas and rowing contests. The establishment of the corporate boys' schools of Sydney led to the formation of the Athletic Association of Great Public Schools, representing the seven most significant corporate schools – King's, Grammar, Newington, Shore, St Joseph's, St Ignatius and Scots, as well as the public Sydney Boys' High School. [media]Their organised contests in cricket, rugby, athletics and rowing soon became part of the Sydney social scene, with the 'Head of the River' regatta a highlight of the social calendar by the 1920s. [41] In such ways, suburban and school life merged to become part of the patterns of leisure and pleasure of middle-class Sydney. There were a few departures from the norm with the establishment of progressive or alternative schools for the small cosmopolitan middle class of interwar Sydney. Influenced by overseas educational progressivism Morven Garden School opened at Mosman in 1918. [media]This social experiment, under the Americans Walter and Marion Griffin, eventually brought Anthroposophy to Australia and led to the foundation of schools influenced by the German Rudolf Steiner. [42] The spread of public high schools Sydney's corporate schools, while influential in social class relations, were far less dominant than similar schools were in Melbourne. [43] In Sydney, a selective academic high school tradition was established as part of the reforms of Peter Board in the early twentieth century. Public high schools catered for the 'new middle class' – often in public sector employment – who sought academic qualifications for their children. As with the corporate schools, state secondary schools in Sydney were all single sex. Only at Parramatta was a coeducational school established, in keeping with the principles for all non-metropolitan schools in New South Wales. [44] [media]Selective academic high schools soon cemented their status through the competitive Leaving Certificate examination. The most famous was Fort Street, building on its established nineteenth-century reputation. Under its legendary headmaster, Kilgour, Fort Street soon acquired a reputation for producing future lawyers, doctors and other professionals. [45] Analysis using Who's Who suggested that of the elite born in New South Wales before 1945 (most of whom would have been born in Sydney) more than 55 per cent had been educated in selective public high schools, only 30 per cent in corporate schools and about 15 per cent in Catholic colleges. And three public boys' high schools – Fort Street, Sydney Boys', and North Sydney Boys' – produced one-fifth of the social elite. [46] While certain elite high schools were most prominent, public high schools grew up throughout Sydney's suburbs in the period up to the 1950s. And, unlike Melbourne, many of the new high schools were in lower middle-class or even working-class suburbs. [47] Thus Fort Street boys moved to Petersham in 1905 while the girls remained behind in the site on Observatory Hill. North Sydney Girls' High (1914) and North Sydney Boys' High (1916) were established in an area that still had a working-class population. The best-known public high schools attained prestige by drawing students from across the city. There was also a ranking which placed the elite schools such as Fort Street above the 'second rate'. Sydney Technical High School opened as a boys' high school at Paddington in 1913. By the 1950s Clive James found it 'run down', mediocre, very inferior to the nearby Sydney Boys' High and not even focussed on technical studies. [48] In some ways the public high schools were like the corporate schools, adopting some of their 'machinery' of school governance and identity such as prefects and school colours. [media]The boys' schools had a similar passion for sport. But the academic tradition in education was maintained more in the public sector than in the private. And certainly, the 'Fort Street factor' was not found in any other Australian capital city to the same degree The postwar comprehensive high school 'revolution' Growth and then diversity marked much of the early postwar pattern of schools in Sydney. As early as 1947 the state Department of Education had been divided into administrative regions to cope with the complexity of governing public schools. Ideas of postwar reconstruction followed by emerging social pressures of postwar prosperity led to demand for more places in secondary schools and then in universities. As a result, in the public sector the differentiated system of selective academic high schools and post-primary schools was increasingly replaced by a new universal system designed to become the 'wave of the future'. By the late 1950s, Sydney had become the focus of an American-inspired 'educational revolution' in the organisation of state schooling. Following the report of the Committee chaired by Dr Harold Wyndham, Director General of Education from1952, who had been influenced by American ideas during his postgraduate studies at Stanford, government public high schools became comprehensive in nature, enrolling all students in the local neighbourhood. The new system was designed to replace the early selection of students for different schools that had prevailed since the early twentieth century. A few boys' and girls' high schools in Sydney, including Fort Street, remained selective as a result of pressure from former pupils and others. [49] For most of the 1960s and 1970s, and even into the 1980s, the opening of new comprehensive high schools to accompany suburban expansion was the major educational phenomenon in Sydney. The comprehensive school was associated with the idea of 'neighbourhood', suggesting a close relation between a school and its local community. In effect, the introduction of comprehensive schools took on a different shape in different parts of the city. In the 'inner city' it meant reorganisation of existing junior technical and home science schools. In the outer west and north-western regions, on the northern beaches and peninsula, or in the Sutherland shire, new comprehensive schools were purpose-built. In western and south-western Sydney, some saw the comprehensive school as an agency of assimilation, enrolling boys and girls in the same schools and taking in the waves of different ethnic groups who were arriving in the city. [50] The comprehensive schools were a direct challenge to the private sector, and particularly the Catholic schools which were now under intense pressure to survive. But within a few decades all this had been reversed. Funding and the drift to private schools In 1945, state governments provided schools to the vast majority of pupils. Various faith-based and other schools catered for the rest but without any form of state aid. Within 30 years, federal and state governments had begun to provide funds to the private sector, helping to initiate a new era in the history of Sydney schools. During the 1960s, there were haphazard forms of state aid, including subsidies for costs of transport to schools and federal government grants for science labs and libraries. But systematic forms of federal government aid to both public schools and private schools began with the establishment of the National Schools Commission in 1973 under the Whitlam Government. [media]The aim was in part to overcome more than a century of perceived injustice on the part of the Roman Catholic community by distributing resources on the basis of 'need' – many Catholic parochial schools in the inner city and working-class suburbs were in desperate straits. Early resources often went to schools in 'disadvantaged' areas of the city, many of which contained recent migrants. The initiative of 1973 introduced the introduction of universal 'state aid', providing government funding for almost all government and non-government schools. By the late 1970s under the Fraser Liberal government, more federal money was going to non-government than government schools with little recognition of the original principles of social justice. [51] These changes occurred in the context of the 1970s recession and high levels of youth unemployment. Throughout Australia from the mid-1970s, there has been a major shift from government schools to non-government schools. In Sydney this was associated with the decline of the old industrial working class and the rise of sub-contractors as well as the undermining of public sector employment. New patterns of skilled migration were also part of the restructuring of the economy. By the 1980s these new sectors of the middle class of Sydney were increasingly deserting their local neighbourhood public comprehensive schools. [52] There were also signs of a drift away from public primary schools as parents sought new ways to advantage their own children. To counter a drift to the private sector, both Liberal and Labor state governments revived the idea of selective and specialist secondary schools. But by the mid-1990s the 'school choice' policies of the federal Howard Liberal government increasingly diverted resources away from public schools towards the private sector. [53] [media]These policy changes had major impact on education in Sydney. Increasingly schooling became even more divided by social class and region. In the eastern suburbs, on the North Shore, and in much of the inner west, selective academic high schools and the old corporate and church schools, both Protestant and Catholic, became pre-eminent in the emerging 'schools market'. In southern Sydney, and particularly in the south-west, where recent migrants were concentrated, the local comprehensive high schools catered for a mixed ethnic and working-class school population. In the outer western ring of Sydney, not only the Catholic Church but the Anglican and other Protestant churches established schools to compete with the government schools that had been established barely a generation earlier. Other schools of new Christian faith emerged. [54] An indicator [media]of the social changes associated with the recent rise of the school market is the so-called 'flight' from government schools. Again these trends can be seen nationwide, but are particularly significant in Sydney where there had been such a strong tradition of public education. In the early 1970s, three-quarters of the school student population in Sydney were in government schools. At the 2006 census only 60.8 per cent of Sydney school students were in government schools, a continuing decline from the 2001 census figure of 62.4 per cent. [55] Very few students from the North Shore, eastern suburbs or the inner west are now in government schools. Rather, students attending government schools are concentrated in regions of high social disadvantage. [media]Those suburbs with over 85 per cent of students in government schools stretch in an arc on the outskirts of the city, from Kurnell in the south to Airds and Claymore in the outer south-west, the Blacktown area, Cowan in the north and the Fairfield-Liverpool region – regions of the city with such indicators as the lowest household incomes, high numbers of one-parent families and high rates of rental accommodation. [56] Social disadvantage is also concentrated in certain schools within these regions of disadvantage. Some schools have become 'residual': the place for those students who could not find or afford to buy a school place elsewhere. [57] Postwar tertiary education In 1945 there was still only one university in Sydney. More applied forms of technical education were found in the Sydney Technical College, opened at Ultimo in 1891 but with a history stretching back into the 1870s.[media] The college became the centre of technical education in the city, enrolling apprentices and those undertaking technical and further study. During World War II, the college was involved in the war effort and in the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme. [58] The establishment of the new Department of Technical Education in 1949 gave a new status to technical education and created the basis for TAFE Colleges which would now spread throughout the suburbs. [media]At the same time, the University of Technology, later the University of New South Wales, was established to cater for technical studies and particularly for part-time students in engineering and science. Its location at Kensington in the outer eastern suburbs was close to industry. While the war laid the basis for federal funding of universities and eventually technical education, the report of the Murray Committee in 1958 provided for continuous Commonwealth support. [media]Initially, the growth of universities tended to follow the overall development of comprehensive public schools. Macquarie University, established at Ryde in 1964, was clearly placed in middle-class suburbia to meet demands for higher education. Macquarie was an also an experiment in curriculum with a focus on cross-disciplinary studies, perhaps reflecting the aims of its student body. [59] [media]The 'binary' policy of the Menzies Government from the mid-1960s, drawing a line between the establishment of universities and of colleges, tended to place a damper on higher education in Sydney although the foundation of the University of Technology in Broadway in the 1970s was some return to the principle of studies in the metropolis. At the same time, older institutions, such as Sydney Teachers' College, became Colleges of Advanced Education while other new CAEs were created at such sites as Kuring-gai, St George, Milperra and Penrith. Overall, the move of population towards the west of the city raised questions about the need for another university. [media]By the 1980s western Sydney was seen as a major area of educational disadvantage. The University of Western Sydney was eventually established in 1989 from the merger of three colleges of advanced education, as a direct result of the policies of the federal minister for education John Dawkins to create a 'unified national system'. Denied adequate resources the new university found it difficult to survive; by 2008 the university was moving to reduce offerings on its Bankstown campus. In the early twenty-first century, when the University of Western Sydney was on the verge of its twentieth anniversary, the University of Sydney had already celebrated its sesquicentenary, even though it was now a different university, having amalgamated with a number of colleges under the Dawkins reforms. Ancient lineage seemed to be a sign that in the new Sydney market for university students the metropolitan centre could still claim to prevail over the suburban periphery. Patterns established in the colonial period continue to influence the contemporary development of education in Sydney. The failure to understand the culture of the original Indigenous inhabitants of Sydney has left legacies which still plague efforts to integrate Aboriginal students into school systems. Equally, tensions formed around social class, ethnicity and religion continue to surface. If Irish Roman Catholics were the feared others who insisted on setting up their own schools in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, then migrants of Islamic faith seem now to have taken their place. And while the creation of public school systems was founded on notions of common citizenship, the reintroduction of state aid is now justified on grounds of individual citizens' rights to choose. Overall, the general pattern of education in Sydney is similar to those in other Australian capital cities over the period. The role of the central state in education during the colonial period helped to enshrine centralisation and uniformity. Nevertheless, a number of unique features stand out. The nature of the central city and the relatively late emergence of the suburbs meant that the city of Sydney itself was important in educational provision until the end of the nineteenth century. Through the university, the metropolis of Sydney retained a dominant role in the education of the leading citizens of New South Wales until well after World War II. And while the corporate schools were not as dominant in Sydney education as in Melbourne, they came to play an important part in the social life of middle-class Sydney, particularly on the North Shore and in the eastern suburbs. Even in the twenty-first century social class and tradition continue to sustain Sydney's corporate schools. [media]Since World War II, regional diversity has emerged as one of the significant features of education in a city which has become a metropolis well beyond what was conceived in the nineteenth century. The centre has given way, not so much to the suburbs of the interwar years as to the regions. The growth of Sydney's population from 1.75 million in 1951 to over four million 50 years later has had a major impact on the provision of schools and educational institutions. Population growth was stimulated by the postwar baby boom and then sustained by continuous patterns of immigration. Sydney became a city of changing demographics and age relations leading to a focus on young people as the 'future' as well as a current problem requiring action. [60] The social experience of Sydney in these years was very much related to providing educational facilities. In such provision the 'local' became related to the 'regional', particularly as Sydney became more divided by the specific social and ethnic characteristics of its population. [1] RK Goodenow and William E Marsden (eds), The City and Education in Four Nations, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1992 [2] See Shirley Fitzgerald, Rising Damp: Sydney 1870–1890, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1987; Ann O'Brien Poverty's Prison, The Poor in New South Wales, 1880–1918, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1988. See also Kerry Wimshurst and Ian Davey, 'The 'state' of the history of urban education in Australia' in RK Goodenow and William E Marsden (eds), The City and Education in Four Nations, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1992, pp 73–86 [3] Colin and Eleanor Bourke, 'Aboriginal Education' in J Jupp (ed), Encyclopaedia of the Australian People, Cambridge University Press, Melbourne, 2001, pp 148–49 [4] David Collins, An Account of The English Colony in New South Wales Volume II, edited by Brian Fletcher, AH and AW Reed, Sydney, 1975, p 51 [5] King to Johnson and Others, 7 August 1800 in AG Austin (ed), Select Documents in Australian Education, Pitman, Melbourne, 1972, pp 2–3 [6] JJ Fletcher, Documents in the History of Aboriginal Education in New South Wales, Sydney, 1989, p 28 [7] Bathurst to Macquarie, 13 May 1820, in AG Austin (ed), Select Documents in Australian Education, Pitman, Melbourne, 1972, pp 3–4 [8] Clifford Turney, William Wilkins: His Life and Work, Hale & Iremonger, Sydney, 1992 [9] Christopher Mooney, 'Securing a private Classical Education in and around Sydney 1830–1850', History of Education Review, vol 25, no 1, 1996, pp 38–53 [10] Information from Peter Yeend, former archivist at The King's School [11] Student Data Base of Scholarship holders of the University of Sydney, University of Sydney Research Project [12] Peter Yeend, Analysis of the Registers of Sydney College [13] Alan Barcan, Two Centuries of Education in New South Wales, University of New South Wales, Kensington, 1988, pp 34–35 [14] Elizabeth Webby, 'Dispelling the Stagnant Waters of Ignorance: the early Institutes in Context', Phillip Candy and John Laurent (ed), Pioneering Culture: Mechanics' Institutes and Schools of Art in Australia, Auslib Press, Adelaide, 1994, pp 29–31 [15] Cliff Turney, Peter Chippendale and Ursula Bygott, Australia's First A History of the University of Sydney 1850–1939, Hale & Iremonger, Sydney, 1990 [16] Research based on Student Data Base, University of Sydney Research Project [17] Geoffrey Sherington and Steve Georgakis, Sydney University Sport 1852–2007: More than a Club, Sydney University Press, Sydney, 2008 [18] Cliff Turney, Grammar: A History of Sydney Grammar School, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1989 [19] Ronald S Horan, Fort Street, Honeysett Publications, Sydney, 1989 [20] Geoffrey Sherington and Craig Campbell, 'Middle Class Formations and the Emergence of National Schooling: An Historiographical Essay' in Kim Tolley (ed), Transformations in Schooling Historical and Comparative Perspectives, Macmillan Palgrave, New York, 2007 [21] Ursula Bygott and Ken Cable, Pioneer Women Graduates of the University of Sydney, Sydney University, Sydney, 1985 [22] Dianne Snow, 'Transforming Children's Labour through Schooling,' in John Martin and Kerry Taylor (eds), Culture and the Labour Movement, Dunmore Press, Palmerston North New Zealand, 1991 [23] AR Crane and WG Walker, Peter Board: His Contribution to the Development of Education in New South Wales Australian Council for Educational Research, Melbourne, 1957, pp 170–171 [24] RJW Selleck, The New Education, Pitman, London, 1968 [25] Francis Anderson, The Public School System of New South Wales, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1901; Craig Campbell and Geoffrey Sherington, 'A Genealogy of an Australian System of Comprehensive High Schools: The Contribution of Educational Progressivism to the One Best Form of Universal Secondary Education (1900–1940),' Paedagogica Historica, vol 42, no 1 & 2 , 2006 [26] John Godfrey, '"Perhaps the Most Important, and Certainly the Most Exciting Event in the Whole History of Education in Australia": The 1937 New Education Fellowship Conference and New South Wales Examination Reform,' History of Education Review, vol 33, no 2, 2004; KS Cunningham (ed), Education for Complete Living: The Challenge of To-Day, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne 1938 [27] Alan Barcan, Two Centuries of Education in New South Wales, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, 1988, pp 159–160 [28] RC Petersen, 'The Montessorians: MM Simpson and L De Lissa,' in C Turney (ed), Pioneers of Australian Education, Sydney University Press, Sydney, 1983, p 239 [29] Alan Barcan, A Short History of Education in New South Wales, Martindale Press, Sydney, 1965, p 127 [30] Percival R Cole, 'New South Wales,' in GS Browne (ed), Education in Australia: A Comparative Study of the Educational Systems of the Australian States, Macmillan, London, 1927, pp 52–58 [31] Department of Education and Training, Government Schools of New South Wales, New South Wales Department of Education and Training, Sydney, 2003, pp 225–226 [32] BK Hyams, Teacher Preparation in Australia: A History of Its Development from 1850 to 1950 Australian Council for Educational Research, 1979, p 46 [33] Graham Boardman et al, Sydney Teachers College: A History 1906–1981, Hale & Iremonger, Sydney, 1995 [34] Bruce Mitchell, Teachers Education and Politics: A History of Organizations of Public School Teachers in New South Wales, University of Queensland Press, Brisbane, 1975 [35] John Lutrell, Worth the Struggle: Sydney Catholic Schools 1820–1995, Catholic Education Office Sydney, 1996, p 24 [36] Tom O'Donoghue, The Process of Education in Catholic Schools in Australia 1922–1965, Peter Lang, New York, 2001; RW Fogarty, Catholic Education in Australia 1806–1950, 2 vols, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1950 [37] John Braniff, From Cradle to Canonisation: A short history of St Patrick's Marist College The Rocks 1872–1961, Dundas 1962, St Patricks' Marist College, Sydney, 2001 [39] G Sherington, RC Petersen and I Brice, Leaning to Lead: A History of Girls' and Boys' Corporate Schools in Australia, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1987 [40] Geoffrey Sherington, Shore: A History of Sydney Church of England Grammar School, George Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1983, pp 323, 330, 338 [41] Geoffrey Sherington, 'Athleticism in the Antipodes: the AAGPS of New South Wales', History of Education Review, vol 12, no 2, 1983, pp 16–28 [42] MD Lawson and RC Petersen, Progressive Education: An Introduction, Sydney, Angus & Robertson, 1972; Jill Roe, 'The magical world of Marion Mahony Griffin: culture and community at Castlecrag in the interwar years' in Shirley Fitzgerald and Garry Wotherspoon (eds), Minorities: cultural diversity in Sydney, State Library of New South Wales Press, Sydney, 1995, pp 82–102 [43] Janet McCalman, Journeyings: The biography of a middle class generation, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1995 [44] Helen Proctor, 'Gender and Merit; Coeducation and the Construction of Meritocratic Ladder in New South Wales, 1880–1912' Paedagogica Historica, vol 43, no 1, 2007, pp 119–34 [45] DL Webster, 'Kilgour of Fort Street; the English Headmaster Ideal in Australian State Secondary Education', in Melbourne Studies in Education 1981, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1981, pp 184–206 [46] Mark Peel and Janet McCalman, Who Went Where in Who's Who 1988: the Schooling of the Australian Elite, History Department, University of Melbourne, 1992, Melbourne, pp 19, 14 [48] Clive James, Unreliable Memoirs, Jonathan Cape, London, 1980, pp 76–77 [49] Craig Campbell and Geoffrey Sherington, The Comprehensive Public High School: Historical Perspectives, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2006, pp 45–66 [51] Michael Hogan, Public or Private, Penguin, Melbourne, 1984 [52] Craig Campbell, Helen Proctor and Geoffrey Sherington, School Choice, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2009 [53] Craig Campbell and Geoffrey Sherington, The Comprehensive Public High School: Historical Perspectives, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2006; Craig Campbell, Helen Proctor and Geoffrey Sherington, School Choice, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2009 [54] Craig Campbell and Geoffrey Sherington, The Comprehensive Public High School: Historical Perspectives, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2006 [55] Australian Bureau of Census and Statistics, Sydney A Social Atlas: 2006 Census of Population and Housing, 2008, p 40 [56] Australian Bureau of Census and Statistics, Sydney A Social Atlas: 2006 Census of Population and Housing, 2008, pp 40, 58, 66 and 74 [57] Margaret Vickers, 'Markets and Mobilities; Dilemmas Facing the Comprehensive Neighbourhood School', Melbourne Studies in Education, vol 45, no 2, November 2004 [58] Norm Neill, Technically and Further: Sydney Technical College 1891–1991, Hale & Iremonger, Sydney, 1992 [59] Bruce Mansfield and Mark Hutchinson, A History of Macquarie University 1964–1989, Hale & Iremonger, Sydney, 1992 [60] TH Irving, David Mauders and Geoff Sherington, Youth in Australia: Policy, Administration and Politics, Macmillan, Melbourne, 1995 Sherington, Geoffrey Geoffrey Sherington is Professor in the History of Education at the University of Sydney Campbell, Craig Craig Campbell is Associate Professor in the History of Education at the University of Sydney Mr Sampson's Classical and Commercial School, Newtown c1871 full record » Beaufoy Merlin From the collections of the [a089704 / SPF/704] Global conflict during the years 1939–1945. Australia's involvement in the second world war began with Prime Minister Robert Menzies' radio announcement on 3 September 1939 that the country was at war, and ended with Japan's unconditional surrender on 14 August 1945. As a member of the British Commonwealth, Australia fought with the alliance of powers known as the Allies (Great Britain, France, United States of America, the Soviet Union and China) against the Axis powers (Germany, Japan, Italy). More than a million Australians served, and for the first time the country came under direct military attack. Rev Richard Johnson, 1787 Garnet Terry [a1528135 / P1/854] Johnson, Richard Chaplain to the colony from 1788 to 1800 and successful farmer at Canterbury Vale and Ryde. Deputy judge advocate and secretary to the governor, who arrived on the First Fleet, was responsible for the legal establishment of the colony, and wrote the most complete account of the colony's first years. Female Orphan School, Parramatta c1820s Joseph Lycett [nla.pic-an7690892] Female School of Industry, Macquarie Street 1870 Charles Percy Pickering Sydney Female School of Industry School established in 1826 to train girls as domestic workers. The school also provided instruction in reading, writing, arithmetic, spinning, knitting and housework. Native Institution School established by Governor Macquarie for Aboriginal children, some of whom were brought by force and separated from their families. First established at Parramatta, it moved to a site at Blacktown adjacent to Colebee and Nurragingy's 1819 land grant in 1823. Western suburb built on the land of the Burramattagal people. Sydney's second European settlement, it began as a government farm in 1788 and has many heritage listed sites. It is now the commercial hub of Greater Western Sydney. St John's Church schoolhouse, Glebe 1871 [a1107057 / PXD 524,55] (Mitchell Library) Board of National Education Board appointed by Governor FitzRoy in 1848 to establish a system of public schools in New South Wales. Board of Denominational Education Board appointed by Governor FitzRoy in 1848 to manage government subsidies to church schools. Botany National School One of the first schools established by the Board of National education in 1848. Crown Street National School One of only three National schools opened in 1849 in Sydney, it existed in Woolloomooloo for only two years. The current school in Surry Hills of the same name did not open until 1863. Riley Street National School One of three National schools established in Sydney in 1849 Public Schools Act 1866 Legislation to make better provision for public education by creating the Council of Education to provide centralised administration. It was repealed by the Public Instruction Act 1880. Wilkins, William Educationist, school principal and superintendent of National schools he advocated a unified, co-ordinated system of state schools, inspectorates and improved teacher training. Compound interest - a page from William John Carroll's mathematics book 1846 William John Carroll [c021170158 / MLMSS 9581] Cricket match at King's School 1898 [a622006 / PXA 1232/1, f.6] The King's School Early independent boys' school in Parramatta. Hawkesbury River River that runs for 120 kilometres from the confluence of the Nepean and Grose rivers west of Sydney to Broken Bay north of Sydney. The Darug and Darkinjung people who lived along the river before European settlement called it Deerubbin. Catholic school founded by Bishop Polding and housed in Lyndhurst, a stately house in Glebe, which closed in 1877. St Mary's Cathedral St Mary's Cathedral is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney and the mother diocese of Australia, and remains the largest ecclesiastical building in the English Gothic style in the world. Garden mansion and estate which was subdivided from 1852 and became a theological college and Catholic school, along with many other uses. Almost derelict by 1972 it was saved from demolition for a proposed freeway by community action. It was restored by the Heritage Council and Historic Houses Trust and has since been sold to private owners for use as a home. Inner-city suburb named for its original status as Anglican church land granted to Richard Johnson, chaplain of the first fleet in 1790. The Glebe Point area became fashionable in the nineteenth century, while the southern part of Glebe became a working class district. First proposed by William Wentworth in 1848 as an expansion of Sydney College, the university was established via the passage of the University of Sydney Act in 1850 and inaugurated in 1852 before moving to Camperdown in 1859. It is the oldest university in Australia. St Vincent's College, Potts Point 1940 Sam Hood [hood_23357 / Home and Away - 23357] St Vincent's College Catholic girls' school opened in 1858 by the Sisters of Charity, it is one of the oldest day and boarding schools for girls in Australia. Small, densely populated inner-eastern suburb, joined to Garden Island in 1942. It contains significant nineteenth-century buildings as well as some of Sydney's earliest apartment buildings in the Art Deco style. It includes the locality of Kings Cross. Sydney College Early independent secondary school founded in 1835 under William Timothy Cape. Sydney Grammar School Independent boys' school in College Street. Cape, William Timothy Teacher and educationist who founded schools and was a supporter of the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts and other Sydney institutions. Revd John Dunmore Lang, DD, AM, for upwards of fifty years minister of the Scots Church, Sydney 1873 John T Gorus Henry Samuel Sadd Australian College School founded by Presbyterian minister JD Lang that taught both classical and commercial subjects to well-to-do Sydney boys. Lang, John Dunmore Presbyterian minister who became one of Sydney's most influential public figures. Burton, William Westbrooke Lawyer, judge and politician who helped develop legal structures in the colony. Philosophical Society of Australasia First scientific society in New South Wales which existed between 1821 and 1822. Australian Subscription Library Sydney's first major public library. The organisation formed in 1826 and the Library opened in rented rooms in Pitt Street, 1 December 1827, with 1,000 volumes. In 1845 the Library moved into a purpose built building on the corner of Bent and Macquarie Streets. The organisation was renamed the Australian Library and Literary Institution in 1853. After financial difficulties, in 1869 the collection and building was bought by the colonial government and became the first Free Public Library of Sydney and has since evolved into the State Library of New South Wales. The State Library of NSW is the oldest library in Australia. In 1869 the NSW Government purchased the Australian Subscription Library, which had been established in 1826, to form the Sydney Free Public Library, the first truly public library for the people of NSW. The Mitchell Library, the first library in the country to concentrate entirely on Australian content, opened in 1910. School of Arts, Pitt Street, Sydney 1856 Samuel Thomas Gill The oldest School of Arts in Sydney was founded to provide further education for working people and has done so since its inception in 1833. William Charles Wentworth 1861-2 [gpo1_08608] Wentworth, William Charles Explorer, barrister, landowner and author who championed the emancipists and free settlers and campaigned for radical political reform. University of Sydney c1863-1865 Rugby Union at Sydney University 1934 [hood_00506 / Home and Away - 506] International war between the Allies (Britain and its dominions, France, Russia, Italy and the USA) and Central Powers (Germany and Austria–Hungary,Turkey and Bulgaria) that was fought mainly in Europe and the Middle East. It began on 28 July 1914 and ended on 11 November 1918. Australia's involvement in the war began on 4 August 1914 when Britain and Germany went to war and Australia, as one of Britain's dominions, pledged full support. Australians fought in the British and Australian armies. While no battles took place on Australian soil, Australian involvement in the conflict had both immediate and long term impacts on the local community. Workers' Educational Association Sydney Sydney branch of the Workers' Educational Association (WEA Sydney), a not-for-profit adult education organisation originally founded in England in 1903 to provide ongoing education for working people. It began in Sydney in 1913 as a joint undertaking by the trade union movement and the University of Sydney and continues to offer a broad range of adult education programs. Cleveland Street Public School c1885 Henry King Cleveland Street Public School School established in prefabricated iron buildings at Cleveland Paddocks in 1856, as a model school. New sandstone Gothic buildings were constructed in 1867-68, which remain, along with later buildings on the site. The school became an intermediate school in 1913 and later a high school, and in 1977 became an intensive English language centre for migrant students. Bourke Street Public School School constructed in Victorian Italianate style to accommodate the rapid population growth of the area in the 1860s. Fort Street Public School 1871 Fort Street Model School Public school intended to educate boys and girls, provide teacher training, and serve as a model for other schools in the colony. It marked the establishment of a non-denominational system of education. Suburb located north of the central business district on the western shore of Sydney Cove. Characterised by a precinct of restored nineteenth-century buildings which are a major tourist attraction, it was recognised as a separate suburb in 1993. Hill at the top of The Rocks, west of Sydney Cove, which is the highest point overlooking Port Jackson. With commanding views both east and west, it was the site of one of Sydney's first windmills from 1796 before being replaced with a fort in 1803. By 1849 an observatory had also been constructed which can still be visited. Entrance to the Department of Public Instruction Building State Archives & Records New South Wales [4481_a026_000243] Public Instruction Act 1880 Legislation that removed government funding from church schools and established a Department of Public Instruction. State government department which administers public schools, and at times, technical and further education as well. As its role changed over the decades so too did its influence and name. Department of Education building Imposing Edwardian sandstone building at 35-39 Bridge Street in the city that operated as the headquarters of the New South Wales Department of Education from 1915 until 2016. Constructed on the site of an earlier sandstone cottage that had been in use by the department since the early 1880s. The building was constructed in two sections with several later additions. The southern section was occupied the Department of Agriculture until 1967. In 2016 the Department of Education office in the building was closed and staff were relocated. Old Sydney Girls High School, Castlereagh Street side, March 1922 [NRS4481_St7557] Sydney Boys' High School Public boys' high school established in 1883 to provide a complete education and qualification for entry to the University of Sydney. First housed in Elizabeth Street, the school moved to Ultimo in 1892 and to Moore Park in 1928. Sydney Girls' High School Public girls' high school established in 1883 to provide a complete education and qualification for entry to the University of Sydney. First housed in Elizabeth Street on the current site of David Jones, the school moved to Moore Park in 1921. David Jones store Elizabeth Street Retail department store near St James station. Western inner-city suburb named for surgeon John Harris's estate, densely populated by the end of the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century it became heavily industrialised, as well as a centre for technical education, and is now largely gentrified. Large area of parklands in inner south-east, also the location of the Sydney Cricket Ground and Sydney Football Stadium, and the former showgrounds, now an entertainment precinct. Glebe Public School 1871 Inner-western residential suburb, on land granted to emancipist Henry Kable in 1794 and 1804. Its name comes from Sunning Hill, the nearby property of New South Wales Corps officer Nicholas Bayly, in present-day Haberfield. Inner western residential suburb taking its name from Dulwich in London. It is now the terminus of the Inner West Light Rail. Sydney's second high-rise business district, at the northern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, result of a building boom from the 1960s to the 1980s. Southern predominantly residential suburb adjacent to the Royal National Park, possibly named after Cook's seaman Forby Sutherland, who died of tuberculosis and was buried at Kurnell in 1770. The first land sales by the Holt-Sutherland Estate Land Company were in 1882. Jubilee School, Surry Hills c1912 Ragged School Harrington Street c1911 City of Sydney Archives [NSCA CRS 51/283] Peter Board, late Director of Education 1923 [gpo1_17173 / GPO1 17173] Board, Peter Director of education who revolutionised public schooling in New South Wales in the early twentieth century. Erskineville Public School Established in 1881 as Macdonaldtown Public School, and changed to Erskineville in 1893. Public Instruction (Amendment) Act 1916 Act making school attendance compulsory for all children. Stead, Christina Writer who grew up in Sydney though she spent many decades overseas. Her Sydney experience features in a number of her novels. For Love Alone Book based on the author's early years growing up in Sydney and her later experiences living in London. A class of 72 pupils at Erskineville Public School 1947 [hood_22015 / Home and Away 22015] Francis Anderson c1902 Henry Ashby [nla.pic-an22410688] Anderson, Francis Professor of logic and philosophy who helped reform public school teacher training and curricula. Knibbs, George Statistician, academic and public servant who was a major influence on education in New South Wales, and on the development of Australian statistics. Turner, John William Teacher and administrator whose career ranged from pupil-teacher to Superintendent of Technical Education in New South Wales. Science class, King's School c1925-39 [a360007 / PXE 789 (v.35), no. 63] New Education Fellowship Conference 1937 International conference of educational specialists sponsored by Australian Council for Educational Research. Held in various Australian cities during 1937 and attended by more than 8,000 people. Wyndham, Harold Influential educationist and reformer of secondary education in New South Wales. Commonwealth Free Kindergarten in Bettington St, Millers Point 1910 [9856_a017_A017000013] Once a desirable bayside address east of central Sydney, the area grew more congested and grimy as the wharves expanded and the boarding houses and pubs gave refuge to larrikin gangs and petty criminals. Though now bisected by freeways and rail it is slowly reclaiming its heritage and character with extensive residential development and sympathetic landscaping. Simpson, Martha Teacher of the Montessori method which she incorporated in the training of kindergarten teachers. Science Class at Blackfriars Training College 1911 [7_15964_st4598] Blackfriars Public School Victorian Gothic school built to house up to 1,500 students which introduced 'Montessori' teaching methods in 1906 and later became a teachers' college. Industrial Schools Act, 1866 Act of parliament which allowed the establishment of the Nautical School Ships Vernon and Sobraon. Reformatory Schools Act 1866 Legislation that established reformatory schools to which any child under 16 could be sent if convicted of a criminal offence, for up to five years. Vernon nautical training ship The first nautical training school, on a ship moored in Sydney Harbour, which aimed to rehabilitate and train juvenile offenders. The largest arm of Port Jackson, which extends west from the Heads past Balmain and meets the estuaries of the Lane Cove and Parramatta rivers. Deaf, Dumb and Blind Institute, Darlington c1873 [on4_40169 / Home and Away 40169] Society for the Relief of Destitute Children Society formed by members of the Benevolent Society to raise funds for and manage an asylum for destitute children who were not eligible for the orphan schools. It aimed to be self-sufficient when it moved to Randwick and the site included a farm where the boys learnt farming skills. The children received a basic education andmany of the boys and girls became apprenticed to the Institution when they reached 12. Royal Institute for the Deaf and Blind Children Charitable organisation that educated deaf, dumb and blind children, and became one of Sydney's large charities. It moved to North Rocks in 1961, leaving its grand building to become part of the University of Sydney. Cole, Percival Teacher, educator and writer who was very influential in reshaping education in Sydney in the first half of the twentieth century. Sydney Teachers College College that moved teacher training from on-the-job pupil teaching and part time training schools, to university education. Gradually integrated with the University of Sydney, the college was later dissolved into the Sydney Institute of Education. Macquarie Fields Far south-western suburb which was largely agricultural until suburban development began in the 1970s. Art class at Malek Fahd Islamic school, Greenacre 2004 John Immig [nla.pic-vn3256004] Malek Fahd Islamic School Greenacre Independent Islamic combined primary and secondary school which has a population of over 2400 students across three campuses. Carmichael, Henry The Reverend Henry Carmichael was a Scottish minister, teacher and educationist who was a founder of the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts. He moved to the Hunter Valley in 1838, where he pioneered viticulture in the colony. Hurlstone Teacher Training College for Female Teachers Teacher training school at Summer Hill. Alexander Mackie at his desk, Sydney Teachers College 1923 [NRS4481 St8679] Mackie, Alexander Educationist whose long tenure at Sydney Teachers College saw great progress towards his ideal of teachers as well educated professionals. Conference of Teachers' Federation, Phillip Street 1948 New South Wales Teachers Federation Trade union representing school teachers in New South Wales. St Mary's Roman Catholic School 1872 [a1107066 / PXD 524, f. 64] Catholic boys school founded by the Marist Brothers in 1881. Inner north-western residential suburb, located on a peninsula separating the Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers. It was settled in the early nineteenth century and retains many fine historic residences. St Patrick's Catholic church Church Hill One of Sydney's earliest Catholic churches, opened in 1844. Administrative organisation for Catholic education in the Sydney archdiocese. Roma House Office building at 537-543 George Street, Sydney, near Liverpool Street. Sydney Grammar School c1875 [a1939062 / PXA 420, f.28a] Sydney Church of England Girls' Grammar School Darlinghurst Independent school for girls in Darlinghurst. Inner suburb to the east of the city which has been home to both gentry and underclass. The former Darlinghurst Gaol is now the National Art School. Cooper Estate Bellevue Hill Leasehold estate of 1130 acres acquired in 1827 by Cooper & Levy when Captain John Piper got into financial difficulty. It was eventually controlled by Daniel Cooper and then his nephew of the same name before being converted to freehold in the 1880s and the estate broken up. Monte Sant' Angelo at the Catholic College Basketball Championships 1935 [a407010 / PXE 789 (v.49), f.30] Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College College established in 1873 by Mother Ignatius McQuoin, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, North Sydney. St Aloysius College Catholic independent boys' school established in 1879 by Father Joseph Dalton. It moved to its current site at Milsons Point in 1903. Wenona School An independent school for girls in North Sydney established in 1913. Sydney Church of England Grammar School North Sydney (Shore) Church of England school for boys at North Sydney opened in 1889. Loreto Kirribilli Catholic girls' school established in 1907 by the Loreto Sisters Large chemistry teaching laboratory, Barker College, Hornsby 1938 [hood_09389 / Home and Away 9389] Abbotsleigh Private girls school founded in 1885 by Marian Clark. The school moved to its current site at Wahroonga in 1898. Barker College Independent Anglican school founded by Reverend Henry Plume at Kurrajong Heights. It was named for The Right Reverend Frederic Barker, the second Bishop of Sydney. Uniting Church school for girls from Kindergarten to year 12 at Gordon. Northern residential suburb. Its name derives from the Gordondale Estate of Robert McIntosh, named after Sir James Willoughby Gordon, Quartermaster-General to the Forces in the 1830s. Presbyterian Ladies' College Pymble Prestigious Uniting Church girls' school located in Pymble, on Sydney's upper north shore. Northern residential suburb named after free settler Robert Pymble (1788–1861) who acquired a land grant in 1823. Subdivision began in the early 1880s in anticipation of the building of the north shore railway line in 1890. Knox Grammar School Uniting Church day and boarding school for boys in Wahroonga, on Sydney's upper north shore. Upper-north shore residential suburb with an Aboriginal name meaning 'our home'. Orchards and large estates gradually gave way to suburban development on leafy green streets, but it still retains a natural bushland setting in its residential areas. St Ignatius College regatta on Lane Cove River Kerry & Co Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences [85/1284-2154] (Tyrrell Photographic Collection) St Ignatius College Riverview Jesuit boys school established at Lane Cove in 1880 on the Riverview estate. Northern residential suburb overlooking Lane Cove River. It is home to the Jesuit school St Ignatius' College, built in 1880. Lane Cove River Tributary of the Parramatta River, which rises near Thornleigh, flows south and drains to Port Jackson east of Greenwich Point. There are significant mangrove communities near where the river meets Sydney Harbour. Athletic Association of Great Public Schools of New South Wales Association of mostly private boys' schools in New South Wales that share common interests, ethics, educational philosophy and contest sporting events among themselves. Newington College Private school founded as a Methodist college and first housed at Silverwater on the Parramatta River, and later at Stanmore. Scots College Private school established by Reverend Arthur Aspinall and the Presbyterian Church at Brighton-le-Sands in 1893. It subsequently moved to Bellevue Hill, where it remains one of Sydney's more exclusive schools. GPS Regatta at Penrith, Nepean River 1940 Head of the River regatta Annual rowing race on the Nepean River near Penrith between eight of the Great Public Schools. Morven Garden School Experimental school opened in 1918 in Mosman by Walter and Marion Griffen Large suburb on Sydney's lower north shore which, since colonial times, has been home to civil maritime and defence installations, and is also a popular recreation area, with many harbour beaches, Taronga Zoo and pockets of Sydney Harbour National Park. Cappy Deans, Marion Mahony Griffin, Walter Burley Griffin, and George Walter Griffin in the Griffin's garden at Castlecrag c1930 ... Griffin, Walter Burley US-born architect and landscape architect best known for his role in designing Canberra and the Sydney suburb of Castlecrag. Griffin, Marion Mahony Pioneer American woman architect whose designs and illustrations were instrumental in securing the prize for Walter Burley Griffin in the international competition to design Canberra. Fort Street Boys High School, Observatory Hill, August 1913 Kilgour, Alexander Headmaster who established the scholastic excellence of Fort Street Boys' High by his dedication to discipline and hard work. North Sydney Boys High School Academically selective public high school located in Crows Nest. Inner-west residential suburb on the southern side of Parramatta Road, named in 1794 by Lieutenant-Governor Francis Grose after his home village in Surrey, England. Developed after the railway station opened in 1857, it is now a centre of Sydney's Portuguese community. North Sydney Girls' High School Selective girls' high school established in 1914. Sydney Technical High School Academically selective boys' high school which moved from Ultimo to Paddington in 1925 and to its current site at Bexley in 1956. Inner-east residential suburb, named for the London borough, with 3,800 terrace houses built between 1860 and 1890. It was one of the earliest Sydney suburbs to be valued for its heritage buildings, many of which have been restored. James, Clive Author, television and radio broadcaster, critic and poet who grew up in Kogarah in Sydney's south. He left Australia for England in 1961, and remained living and working in the United Kingdom until his death. Physical culture group at Christian Brothers Waverley 1946 Whitlam, Gough Australia's 21st Prime Minister from 1972 until 1975, he was leader of the Australian Labor Party from 1967 until 1978. Sacred Heart School, Darlinghurst 1976 [048\048056] Fraser, Malcolm Former Liberal politician who was Prime Minister of Australia from 1975 until 1983. Australia's 25th prime Minister who served from March 1996 until he lost his seat of Bennelong in December 2007. Ken Stewart MLA opens Ethnic Cultural Centre at Canterbury Boys High School, August 1979 [d3_02686 / GPO3 02686] North Narrabeen Primary School library in binishell structure 1975 Kurnell public school library 1985 Kurnell Residential and industrial suburb on the southern peninsula of Botany Bay. Captain James Cook landed here in 1770 and made first contact with the local inhabitants, the Gweagal. South-western suburb in the Macarthur region. It was named by Governor Lachlan Macquarie in honour of his wife Elizabeth's family estate in Scotland. South-western residential suburb. The majority of its homes were built by the New South Wales Housing Commission, with the first residents arriving in 1978. Western suburb on the country of the Darug people, which as 'Blacks' Town' became the site of the short-lived Native Institution in 1823. It was a separate town until suburban development joined it to Sydney in the mid-twentieth century. Far northern suburb surrounded by national park. Its name is believed to be an Aboriginal word meaning 'opposite', 'other side' or 'big water'. Sydney Technical College The hub of Sydney's technical education system for more than 70 years, which became Sydney's largest educational institution, offering courses ranging from Mechanical Drawing to Natural Philosophy. Technical and Working Men's College Sydney's first technical college, which grew out of the lectures at the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, and flourished for four years before the colonial government took over technical education. Technical College, Ultimo 1891-1892 [85/1284-619] Department of Technical Education State government department established in 1949 to administer technical education. TAFE New South Wales TAFE New South Wales is the leading provider of technical and vocational education in NSW. A Technical and Working Men’s College established by the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts in 1878 was taken over by the colonial government in 1883 and became known as the Sydney Technical College. A Board of Technical Education within the Department of Public Instruction supervised the College and also established classes in suburban and country areas. Sydney Technical College moved to premises in Ultimo in 1891. In 1949 the Department of Technical Education was established and created the basis for technical colleges in Sydney and in country areas. The Department was renamed the Department of Technical and Further Education in 1975. In 1991 the Department was replaced by a Commission on Technical and Further Education, and the following year Sydney Technical College was renamed Sydney Institute of Technology. In 2000 the various technical colleges and institutes we re-branded as TAFE New South Wales and were organised into ten Institutes, four of them in Sydney, plus the Open Training and Education Network (OTEN) which provides distance education throughout the State. University of New South Wales 2000 *vlad* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/306/4217564754/] Incorporated by Act of the Parliament in 1949, its development can be traced back to the formation of the Sydney Mechanics Institute in 1843 and Sydney Technical College in 1878. Inner-eastern high-density residential suburb. Named after the London Royal Borough, it is home to the University of New South Wales and the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA). Macquarie University campus 2009 Anders V [http://www.flickr.com/photos/anders-vindegg/3384476872/] University in Sydney's northern suburbs, established by legislation in 1964 and opened to students in 1967. Residential and commercial suburb on north shore of Parramatta River, named after the town on the Isle of Wight where Mary Turner, an early resident in the area had been born. It was the third British settlement in Australia after Sydney and Parramatta. University of Technology 2007 Brian Yoon Vee Yap [http://www.flickr.com/photos/yewenyi/1614565527/] (yewenyi) (CC BY-NC 2.0) Menzies, Robert Prime Minister who served twice in the position before retiring in 1966. He held strong beliefs in the monarchy and traditional ties with Britain. Formed at the beginning of 1988 from the former New South Wales Institute of Technology, and the amalgamation in 1990 with the Kuring-gai College of Advanced Education, the School of Design, and the Institute of Technical and Adult Teacher Education. Street at the western edge of Sydney's central business district which gives its name to the locality around it. Kuring-gai College of Advanced Education Teachers' college at Lindfield on Sydney's north shore constituted in 1974, and absorbed into University of Technology, Sydney in 1990. Unofficial name for a large region in southern Sydney, including parts of Hurstville, Rockdale and Kogarah, roughly corresponding to the original parish of St George, part of the subdivision of the County of Cumberland in 1835, for land title purposes. Milperra College of Advanced Education Tertiary college established in 1974. Name changed to Macarthur Institute of Higher Education in 1983. Merged into University of Western Sydney in 1989. University of Western Sydney 2009 Pinar Cildiroglu [http://www.flickr.com/photos/uwscommartsstudents/3706051302/] University formed in 1989 from an amalgamation of existing teachers' colleges and Colleges of Advanced Education, located on six campuses in Western Sydney. South-western suburb named for colonial botanist Joseph Banks, now home to an ethnically diverse population. During the Second World War the presence of the US Army Air Force at Bankstown Aerodrome led to the area becoming known as 'Yankstown'. Public school students 2007 torres21 [http://www.flickr.com/photos/torres21/1413885409/]

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TU Law Digital Commons Home > TLR > Vol. 54 (2018) > Iss. 2 Tulsa Law Review Citizenship Gaps D. Carolina Núñez Reviewing: Carrie Hyde, Civic Longing: The Speculative Origins of U.S. Citizenship; Kunal M. Parker, Making Foreigners: Immigration and Citizenship Law in America; Richard Sobel, Citizenship as Foundation of Rights: Meaning for America D. C. Núñez, Citizenship Gaps, 54 Tulsa L. Rev. 301 (2019). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.utulsa.edu/tlr/vol54/iss2/12 Law Commons Special Issues Lists Legal Scholarship Symposia Issues Book Review Issues Native American Symposia Issues Supreme Court Review Issues Other Symposia Issues All Issues Vol. 54, Iss. 1 Vol. 53, Iss. 3 Vol. 53, Iss. 2 Vol. 53, Iss. 1 Vol. 52, Iss. 3 Vol. 52, Iss. 2 Vol. 52, Iss. 1 Vol. 51, Iss. 3 Vol. 51, Iss. 2 Vol. 51, Iss. 1 Vol. 50, Iss. 3 Vol. 50, Iss. 2 Vol. 50, Iss. 1 Vol. 49, Iss. 3 Vol. 49, Iss. 2 Vol. 49, Iss. 1 Vol. 48, Iss. 3 Vol. 48, Iss. 2 Vol. 48, Iss. 1 Vol. 47, Iss. 3 Vol. 47, Iss. 2 Vol. 47, Iss. 1 Vol. 46, Iss. 3 Vol. 46, Iss. 2 Vol. 46, Iss. 1 Vol. 45, Iss. 4 Vol. 45, Iss. 3 Vol. 45, Iss. 2 Vol. 45, Iss. 1 Vol. 44, Iss. 4 Vol. 44, Iss. 3 Vol. 44, Iss. 2 Vol. 44, Iss. 1 Vol. 43, Iss. 4 Vol. 43, Iss. 3 Vol. 43, Iss. 2 Vol. 43, Iss. 1 Vol. 42, Iss. 4 Vol. 42, Iss. 3 Vol. 42, Iss. 2 Vol. 42, Iss. 1 Vol. 41, Iss. 4 Vol. 41, Iss. 3 Vol. 41, Iss. 2 Vol. 41, Iss. 1 Vol. 40, Iss. 4 Vol. 40, Iss. 3 Vol. 40, Iss. 2 Vol. 40, Iss. 1 Vol. 39, Iss. 4 Vol. 39, Iss. 3 Vol. 39, Iss. 2 Vol. 39, Iss. 1 Vol. 38, Iss. 4 Vol. 38, Iss. 3 Vol. 38, Iss. 2 Vol. 38, Iss. 1 Vol. 37, Iss. 4 Vol. 37, Iss. 3 Vol. 37, Iss. 2 Vol. 37, Iss. 1 Vol. 36, Iss. 4 Vol. 36, Iss. 3 Vol. 36, Iss. 2 Vol. 36, Iss. 1 Vol. 35, Iss. 3 Vol. 35, Iss. 2 Vol. 35, Iss. 1 Vol. 34, Iss. 4 Vol. 34, Iss. 3 Vol. 34, Iss. 2 Vol. 34, Iss. 1 Vol. 33, Iss. 3 Vol. 33, Iss. 2 Vol. 33, Iss. 1 Vol. 32, Iss. 4 Vol. 32, Iss. 3 Vol. 32, Iss. 2 Vol. 32, Iss. 1 Vol. 31, Iss. 4 Vol. 31, Iss. 3 Vol. 31, Iss. 2 Vol. 31, Iss. 1 Vol. 30, Iss. 4 Vol. 30, Iss. 3 Vol. 30, Iss. 2 Vol. 30, Iss. 1 Vol. 29, Iss. 3 Vol. 29, Iss. 2 Vol. 29, Iss. 1 Vol. 28, Iss. 4 Vol. 28, Iss. 3 Vol. 28, Iss. 2 Vol. 28, Iss. 1 Vol. 27, Iss. 4 Vol. 27, Iss. 3 Vol. 27, Iss. 2 Vol. 27, Iss. 1 Vol. 26, Iss. 4 Vol. 26, Iss. 3 Vol. 26, Iss. 2 Vol. 26, Iss. 1 Vol. 25, Iss. 4 Vol. 25, Iss. 3 Vol. 25, Iss. 2 Vol. 25, Iss. 1 Vol. 24, Iss. 4 Vol. 24, Iss. 3 Vol. 24, Iss. 2 Vol. 24, Iss. 1 Vol. 23, Iss. 4 Vol. 23, Iss. 3 Vol. 23, Iss. 2 Vol. 23, Iss. 1 Vol. 22, Iss. 4 Vol. 22, Iss. 3 Vol. 22, Iss. 2 Vol. 22, Iss. 1 Vol. 21, Iss. 4 Vol. 21, Iss. 3 Vol. 21, Iss. 2 Vol. 21, Iss. 1 Vol. 20, Iss. 4 Vol. 20, Iss. 3 Vol. 20, Iss. 2 Vol. 20, Iss. 1 Vol. 19, Iss. 4 Vol. 19, Iss. 3 Vol. 19, Iss. 2 Vol. 19, Iss. 1 Vol. 18, Iss. 4 Vol. 18, Iss. 3 Vol. 18, Iss. 2 Vol. 18, Iss. 1 Vol. 17, Iss. 4 Vol. 17, Iss. 3 Vol. 17, Iss. 2 Vol. 17, Iss. 1 Vol. 16, Iss. 4 Vol. 16, Iss. 3 Vol. 16, Iss. 2 Vol. 16, Iss. 1 Vol. 15, Iss. 4 Vol. 15, Iss. 3 Vol. 15, Iss. 2 Vol. 15, Iss. 1 Vol. 14, Iss. 4 Vol. 14, Iss. 3 Vol. 14, Iss. 2 Vol. 14, Iss. 1 Vol. 13, Iss. 4 Vol. 13, Iss. 3 Vol. 13, Iss. 2 Vol. 13, Iss. 1 Vol. 12, Iss. 4 Vol. 12, Iss. 3 Vol. 12, Iss. 2 Vol. 12, Iss. 1 Vol. 11, Iss. 4 Vol. 11, Iss. 3 Vol. 11, Iss. 2 Vol. 11, Iss. 1 Vol. 10, Iss. 4 Vol. 10, Iss. 3 Vol. 10, Iss. 2 Vol. 10, Iss. 1 Vol. 9, Iss. 2 Vol. 9, Iss. 1 Vol. 8, Iss. 2 Vol. 8, Iss. 1 Vol. 7, Iss. 2 Vol. 7, Iss. 1 Vol. 6, Iss. 3 Vol. 6, Iss. 2 Vol. 6, Iss. 1 Vol. 5, Iss. 3 Vol. 5, Iss. 2 Vol. 5, Iss. 1 Vol. 4, Iss. 2 Vol. 4, Iss. 1 Vol. 3, Iss. 2 Vol. 3, Iss. 1 Vol. 2, Iss. 2 Vol. 2, Iss. 1 Vol. 1, Iss. 2 Vol. 1, Iss. 1 Follow TU Law on: Facebook Twitter Tweets by @TULaw

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Article published on International Crisis Group on 04/30/2019 Wracked by divisions and political infighting, the UN Security Council is failing to respond to some of the world’s most pressing crises. To overcome dysfunction and retain credibility, the council’s members should prioritise the few cases where international cooperation is still possible. What’s new? Longstanding doubts about the effectiveness of the UN Security Council are intensifying, due to deepening tensions among the U.S. and its allies and between Western powers and Russia and China. Why does it matter? As tensions build on the Security Council, there is a risk that irreconcilable differences over select issues – Israel-Palestine and Ukraine, for example – could paralyse the body, undermining its broader credibility. What should be done? Security Council members should preserve the forum’s utility by finding compromises where possible – such as on Sahel military missions, Libya and Venezuela – while accepting that some disputes may be intractable. I.Overview In the first four months of 2019, the UN Security Council faced a series of significant crises in the world – and failed to make a significant impact on any of them. Council members have sparred bitterly over Venezuela, struggled to sustain the Yemeni peace process, and failed to come to common positions on events in Sudan and Libya. This lacklustre performance is symptomatic of worsening tensions between the forum’s five veto-wielding permanent members and the wider erosion of international cooperation. The Council’s inaction means that current crises have the potential to escalate international tensions, further eroding the UN’s credibility. If Council members want to the body to retain some leverage – and act as a vehicle for their own influence – they need to restore some sense of common purpose. Council ambassadors are attending an annual retreat on 2 May 2019, which offers a chance for them to discuss ways to ease relations. They should take steps to de-escalate simmering arguments on issues where agreement among the permanent five could be within reach. First, France and the U.S. should end a cycle of unproductive disputes in the Council about the costs and goals of UN and non-UN military missions in the Sahel, instead settling on a joint approach to stabilising the region, which is in both their interests. Secondly, the Council as a whole should overcome dangerous splits over how to handle the worsening violence in Libya, with an immediate focus on securing a ceasefire and relaunching UN-brokered talks. Lastly, all Council members should suspend their public arguments over Venezuela, which have made it harder to agree on political and humanitarian strategies there. Even if the Council can ease tensions on these crises, it may well split over issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But to retain a minimum of credibility, Council members need to hang together where possible. II.Council Diplomacy: From Bad to Worse The Council has been in trouble for most of the last decade, divided over the war in Syria and largely irrelevant to international tensions from Ukraine to the South China Sea. Many diplomats and commentators wrote the body off years ago, assuming that worsening relations among the U.S., Russia and China would inevitably paralyse it. Some predictions of the body’s demise have been overstated. The Council stepped up to tackle the Korean crisis in 2017 – imposing powerful sanctions on Pyongyang – and united to back the fragile peace process in Yemen at the end of 2018. It continues to oversee peace operations involving 90,000 personnel in Africa and the Middle East. But the Council is showing new signs of strain. This briefing, based on discussions with diplomats and UN officials in New York as well as Crisis Group’s work in the relevant conflict areas, offers an overview of these strains – and ideas about how Council members could ease them. It highlights three damaging trends in the Council: (i) growing divisions between President Donald Trump’s administration and traditional U.S. allies, including France and Britain, in New York; (ii) persistent and often worsening distrust between the Western powers and China and Russia; and (iii) tensions between the permanent and elected members of the Council over how the institution should work, including African states’ mounting frustration with how the UN treats their continent. These factors are combining to hamstring the Council’s collective response to crises. This is disturbing for three reasons in particular. The first is that, for all its flaws, the forum remains the best available mechanism for major powers to formalise compromises over severe crises such as North Korea’s nuclear tests. A second is that the Council’s support remains essential to UN mediators grappling with peace processes and regional conflicts from the Sahel to Syria. Divisions in New York complicate these peacemakers’ already daunting tasks. Third, and perhaps less tangibly, the Council’s frequent public failures validate widespread talk of a “crisis of the international order”, encouraging populist and nationalist forces that reject multilateralism. Some of the causes of the Security Council’s malaise are deep-seated and far beyond the ability of ambassadors in New York to resolve. Security Council diplomats often note in private that they would like to work together better, but that their political masters in capitals are not interested in compromise. Nonetheless, drawing on recent Crisis Group work on crises on the Council’s agenda, this briefing concludes with suggestions on how Council members could de-escalate current tensions and restore some sense of order at the UN. III.U.S. Policy and UN Divisions New and surprising splits are emerging among the five permanent members of the Council, or P5. In the course of the Syrian war, diplomats became accustomed to the three Western P5 members (Britain, France and the U.S.) clashing with China and Russia. But there are increasing frictions within the Western bloc, too. France and the U.S. have butted heads over whether the UN should support regional counter-terrorist operations in the Sahel and how to handle Hizbollah in Lebanon. The U.S. threatened to veto a British-drafted resolution on Yemen because it included language on humanitarian issues and human rights that Washington felt was weighted against the Saudi-led coalition there. The Americans also failed to engage with UK calls for a ceasefire in Libya after the upsurge in fighting there in April 2019. Such divisions are hardly unprecedented – Britain, France and the U.S. have split in the Council over crises from Suez to Iraq – but they reflect the Trump administration’s increasingly sceptical approach to the UN. Since Nikki Haley arrived as Trump’s first ambassador to the UN in 2017, the U.S. has picked fights with its main allies at the UN. Haley angered France by questioning the budgets of UN operations that Paris prioritises, such as those in the Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo. She fell out badly with both the British and French over the Trump administration’s decision to move the U.S. embassy to Israel to Jerusalem in December 2017. By late 2017, one French diplomat was willing to declare that Franco-British-American cooperation at the UN was “dead”. Nonetheless, the three powers managed to patch up their relations despite frequent spats. This was in part due to Haley’s own collegial if hard-headed diplomatic style. Arguments with Russia over chemicals weapons incidents in Syria and the Salisbury poisoning incident also pushed the three Western powers back together in 2018. Haley’s departure at the end of last year, however, presaged a renewed deterioration of relations. Over the last four months, with no permanent representative at the helm, the U.S. mission to the UN has often seemed adrift (even representatives of countries that regularly oppose American positions are quite nostalgic for the Haley era, when they had a strong interlocutor). Nonetheless, the U.S. has taken steps at the UN that have disquieted its allies. These steps cover crises from Venezuela and the Golan Heights to the Sahel and Libya. In the Venezuelan case, the U.S. has used the UN as a platform to air its demands for President Nicolás Maduro to step aside, rather than a space for real negotiations about the country’s future. In February, the U.S. tabled a call for new elections in the country that Washington knew was bound to be vetoed by Maduro’s supporters Russia and China (it duly was) while in April, Vice President Mike Pence visited the Council to demand that the UN recognise Maduro’s rival Juan Guaidó. Britain and France had already recognised Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate leader (as have the other three European countries currently sitting in the Council, Belgium, Germany and Poland) but the U.S. approach has left them uneasy. France in particular appears concerned that the U.S. hard line has closed off any chance for compromise with Russia and China over Maduro’s future, and complicated discussions of impartial aid to suffering Venezuelans. It is hard for the Europeans to differ with the U.S. on this issue, especially given support for Guaidó among Latin American countries, but they would prefer to limit fights over it in the Council. President Trump’s March decision to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights caused a more open rift with the Europeans, leaving them in another tricky diplomatic spot. While rapidly reasserting their position that the Golan is Syrian territory, the Europeans avoided a showdown in the Council or UN General Assembly over Trump’s decision comparable to that over Jerusalem in 2017. Though Kuwait, the sole Arab country on the Council at present, worked up a draft resolution condemning Trump’s position, U.S. allies concluded that tabling it risked a destructive argument over the validity of longstanding UN resolutions on Israel – notably Resolution 242 of 1967, which remains a central plank of discussions of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – that could worsen the situation further. European diplomats and other U.S. allies worry that the Trump administration may force an ugly debate over these issues in the near future anyway by tabling a Middle East peace plan that does not offer the Palestinians a sovereign state. If the U.S. takes this path it is likely to find itself isolated and subject to considerable criticism in the Council. Yet it is possible that Trump will take precisely this course on purpose, repeating his unilateral approach to the Jerusalem and Golan questions, effectively marginalising the Council’s role in Israeli-Palestinian affairs. This would be a serious slight to the Europeans, who have always prized the Council’s status as an arbiter on Middle East affairs as a source of diplomatic leverage. In the meantime, the U.S. and France appear to be limbering up for lower-level but trust-sapping arguments over the deteriorating security situation in the Sahel. Over the last two years, France has pushed for the Council to both reinforce the UN Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and offer practical support to the parallel regional counter-terrorist force, the G5 Sahel. The U.S. has consistently questioned both priorities on cost grounds. While Security Council ambassadors visited Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso in March at France’s instigation – and came away gloomy about the UN’s ability to contain jihadists in the region – the U.S. continues to indicate that it will block significant assistance to the G5 Sahel. It has also threatened to table cuts to MINUSMA unless the Malian government advances domestic political reforms and re-establishes state services in the north of the country rather than, in the view of American officials and other analysts, rely excessively on the peacekeepers for security. The U.S. would also like MINUSMA to focus more attention on central Mali, where violence is rising, though this could mean redeploying peacekeepers from the north of the country. French officials worry that this would allow jihadists to gain strength in the north. This MINUSMA debate will come to a head this summer and, if past bouts of Franco-American diplomacy over the G5 Sahel are any guide, could be time-consuming and toxic. This should be put in perspective: past U.S. administrations, including President Barack Obama’s, have tussled with France in the past over the costs of stabilising its former colonies in the region. Many UN officials are sceptical about the utility of MINUSMA, which has lost over 100 personnel to jihadist attacks, and feel that France should be more open to criticisms of the G5 Sahel’s patchy military and human rights records. While U.S. and French officials recognise that they share an interest in stabilising the Sahel – and Council members as a group are especially worried by jihadist advances in Burkina Faso – there is a risk that Franco-American discussions will be spoiled by financial disputes and diplomatic brinksmanship. By contrast, frictions between the UK and U.S. are noteworthy in part because British diplomats have long prioritised keeping the Americans close when they can. Nonetheless, UK-U.S. relations foundered this April after General Khalifa Haftar launched an all-out assault on Tripoli. The British rapidly put together a resolution calling for a ceasefire and singling out Haftar for criticism. This ran into objections from Russia (which backs Haftar) and African Council members (who have questioned the Council’s role in Libya since it authorised the 2011 intervention). But the biggest obstacle proved to be the Americans. According to differing accounts, U.S. diplomats either refused to discuss the British text or offered differing positions on it. Some observers assumed that the Americans simply lacked clear instructions, though there is growing evidence that President Trump and his National Security Advisor John Bolton tacitly or actively encouraged Haftar’s advance – reversing overnight four years of U.S. policy backing unconditionally the Tripoli-based government – leaving the UK diplomatically exposed in New York. Many diplomats see a pattern in these divisions between the Americans, British and French: they assume that Bolton, a veteran and acute critic of the UN, and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo are quite deliberately taking steps to minimise the Council’s role and limit the scope of UN conflict management tools like peace operations. While it may be possible to overestimate Bolton’s involvement in every last decision involving the UN (the administration was instinctively anti-multilateral before he came on board, after all), the U.S. does now seem intent on circumscribing the Council’s role. Some diplomats hope that this will change when Haley’s successor, former U.S. ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft, arrives in New York at some point in the coming months, but this is far from certain. In the meantime, efforts by the European members of the Council to mount a systematic defence of the Council and multilateralism have yielded mixed results. France and Germany, which happened to hold successive monthly presidencies of the Council in March and April, did a good job of presenting their back-to-back tenures as a single package, highlighting issues such as international humanitarian law. The UK, conscious of its potential isolation after Brexit, has made a point of working closely with its EU partners and in particular Germany. In public relations terms, the Europeans have done well at the UN. But the U.S. has not allowed EU members to project their multilateral ideals unchallenged. Washington threatened to kill a German-drafted resolution on sexual violence in conflict in April because of a passing reference to “sexual and reproductive health”, which the U.S. read as pro-abortion. The Germans finally backed down. Contretemps like these highlight the underlying reality that the Western group is splintering in the Security Council, is liable to fragment further while President Trump remains in office and could indeed break down even more fundamentally over an issue like the two-state solution. IV.Russia and China’s Strategies The current lack of strategic unity among the Western members of the Security Council has created diplomatic space for Russia and China to advance their interests in New York. The extent to which there is a coordinated Sino-Russian front at the UN is source of constant diplomatic speculation. The two powers frequently align their positions closely, generally insisting that the Security Council should avoid overreach, especially where human rights are concerned. In some cases, they table joint resolutions articulating these minimalist positions as counters to Western texts. Yet in many cases, China seems less keen to invite controversy than Russia, and has a solid track record of compromises with the U.S. and Europeans. Russia, having weathered a prolonged period of condemnation in the Council over its Syrian policy, continues to grow more assertive in UN debates. The Russian mission has been vocal in countering the U.S. anti-Maduro push at the UN, bringing together a caucus of pro-Maduro ambassadors for a photo shoot with the Venezuelan foreign minister at the Security Council in February. Behind the scenes, Russia has moved to limit the Council’s room for action in cases involving its friends. As noted above, it opposed any condemnation of the Haftar offensive in April. A little earlier in the same month, it also blocked (with African support) British and German proposals for a UN statement on the fall of President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan. Having cultivated good relations with the Sudanese government as part of a broader strategy to gain influence in Africa, the Russians insisted that his replacement was a domestic matter. While German ambassador Christoph Heusgen, the president of the Council, briefed journalists that the Council was “dealing with the issue”, it issued no formal collective statement on the coup – an astonishing development, given the UN’s history of intense if difficult engagement with Sudan over many years. More broadly, Russia is becoming more systematic in its approach to opposing U.S. and European initiatives that it does not like at the UN. In the early years of the Syrian war, Moscow appeared intent on defending President Bashar al-Assad in the Security Council, but was less assertive on most other conflicts, Ukraine aside. It largely allowed the U.S., French and British to set the agenda on African peacekeeping questions, for example. This is changing. Russia has increasingly refused to go along with the Western powers on such matters. Last year it strongly objected to, and ultimately abstained on, a resolution on renewing the UN Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) that did not recognise Moscow’s efforts to mediate the conflict in collaboration with the Sudanese through the “Khartoum process”. This March, it abstained again on a new mandate for the UN Mission in South Sudan over a minor point of language that even China accepted. Abstentions of this type lack the power of vetoes, and receive concomitantly less attention. Nonetheless, historical precedents suggest that a P5 abstention on a resolution will reduce its political credibility with the parties to a conflict. Russia’s willingness to flag its dissatisfaction with recent resolutions in this way arguably is in part indicative of its growing interest in African matters (symbolised not only by Moscow’s diplomatic overtures to Khartoum but also by the deployment of private military contractors to CAR last year). But it is also procedural. The Russians have long felt that the Western powers do not take their views sufficiently seriously in consultations on many Security Council issues, including African cases. Their abstentions may be a signal that, in future, Moscow will demand a still more active role in these negotiations. Nonetheless, the primary concern for Moscow in the Security Council remains Syria – and here there has been very little movement at the UN in recent months. The lack of progress on UN efforts to create a new constitution-drafting process in Syria, despite heavy Russian engagement, and the appointment of a new envoy to the country (Geir O. Pedersen), have put Security Council discussions of the situation into a sort of limbo. The Council continues to discuss Syria on a regular basis, but without the intensity with which it did at the height of the war. This is partly good news for Russian diplomats, as it means they face less public criticism. But it also leaves them no closer to winning UN support for a settlement in Syria that takes some of the burden of reconstruction off Russia’s shoulders. While China often joins Russia in abstentions, its broader strategy continues to be opaque. Chinese diplomats still tend to be cautious in Security Council negotiations, unless direct national interests are at stake. In some cases, as in recent months on Myanmar, they have refused to engage substantively at all. This level of caution contrasts to a marked growth of activism among Chinese diplomats in other UN forums, such as development committees and the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Nonetheless, Beijing is asserting itself in Security Council matters, too, often by applying pressure on other members through their capitals rather than bargaining in New York. For example, through these means, China worked with Russia in December 2018 to persuade other Council members to block a debate on the human rights situation in North Korea. China also benefits from the fact that the Council’s Western members want to avoid developing confrontational relations with it similar to those they have with Russia. The UK, which leads discussions on Myanmar, has avoided pushing the Chinese into a situation where they would veto a resolution on the Rohingya crisis. This April, China came close to a veto when the U.S. and UK tabled a resolution imposing sanctions on Masood Azhar, the leader of Pakistan’s Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group (JeM). China has long opposed sanctions against Azhar as a favour to Pakistan, but the British and Americans wanted to flag this issue after JeM claimed responsibility for killing forty Indian paramilitary police in Kashmir in February, sparking a series of Indian-Pakistani clashes. In this instance, the Chinese seem to have compromised to save face, persuading the U.S. to drop its resolution but agreeing to discuss sanctions on Azhar further. In sum, though China and Russia continue to cooperate on many matters in the Security Council, the two powers have developed quite different relations with the U.S. and the Europeans. While the Russians are locked in a confrontational relationship with the Western powers, China appears to be pursuing mutual accommodation. This can break down – for instance, Chinese diplomats were highly frustrated that other Council members refused to include a positive reference to the Belt and Road Initiative in a recent resolution on Afghanistan – but keeps public spats limited. Both the Chinese and Russian approaches arguably reduce the effectiveness of the Council. While arguments with Russia can bring UN diplomacy to a sudden halt, China has the ability to draw out talks on a problem like Myanmar indefinitely. It is possible that the U.S. may take a harder line toward China at the UN in future – National Security Advisor Bolton in particular is reportedly worried by Beijing’s influence there. For now, however, the main Western members of the Council appear to be more focused on pursuing disputes with each other. V.Elected Council Members: Second-class Citizens? The elected members of the council – or E10 – have grown increasingly impatient with the P5’s management of UN affairs in recent years. A number of European elected members in particular have recently tried to make the Council more effective and scored a few successes. Sweden, for example, played an important role in engineering the current Yemeni peace effort last year. A nascent “E10 culture” has emerged in recent years, with small and medium-sized countries working together across regional divides to make their presence felt – Kuwaiti diplomats have, for example, become heavily engaged on reforms to the Council’s working methods. But the P5 still keep the E10’s ambitions in check. The U.S. pushback against Germany’s resolution on sexual violence in conflict was not an isolated act of spite. When the Netherlands tabled a largely common-sense resolution on improving mandates for peacekeeping operations at the end of last year, Russia and the U.S. squashed the initiative on the grounds that it could tie their hands in future debates over blue helmets. Poland floated ideas for getting the UN more involved in conflict resolution in Ukraine in 2018, but ran into opposition from France, which worried that this would undermine the Normandy Format. The current group of elected members also have quite diverse views of multilateralism that mean they struggle to pull together as a group. As observed above, Germany has worked with France to project a strong sense of EU identity and purpose at the UN. But Indonesia and South Africa, which joined the Council at the same time as the Germans this January, have signalled their commitment to a “Southern” agenda, questioning Western initiatives and often taking positions that are closer to China and Russia’s on issues such as Venezuela. On Middle Eastern matters, notably Yemen, Kuwait frequently takes positions close to those of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (meaning that the U.S. does not always need to speak up for its Gulf allies directly). In this context, the elected bloc in the Council is unlikely to be a united force in the near future. The E10 still have ways to complicate Council business. The African members (or A3, currently comprising Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and South Africa) have been particularly active this year. In January, South Africa used procedural means to slow down Council discussions of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s disputed elections (countering a push for early talks by France), limiting the UN’s ability to influence events there. South Africa and Equatorial Guinea opposed the Council making a statement on the Sudanese coup. All three African members raised objections to the draft UK resolution on Libya and Haftar in April on the grounds that it did not reflect the views of the African Union (AU). While the A3 do not always work together coherently, their positions on these issues reflect a broader dissatisfaction with the P5’s approach to taking decisions on African issues, and recurrent lack of deference to the AU. These feelings have been magnified by a messy diplomatic battle in the Council in December last year, when the U.S. blocked a resolution floated by the African members (which then included Ethiopia rather than South Africa) calling for the UN to finance AU peace operations. The U.S. threatened to veto because of the draft resolution’s cost implications, leaving all sides raw. Diplomats note that both American and African representatives have been “aggressive” in discussing financing in other UN forums in recent months, and the problem will not be resolved soon. Given the importance of AU-UN cooperation in cases such as Somalia, these diplomatic ruptures potentially have serious consequences for crisis management and counter-terrorism operations on the ground. A forthcoming Crisis Group paper will explore AU-UN relations in more detail, with specific reference to the AU Peace and Security Council and UN Security Council. In the meantime, the question is whether the UN Council can recover some sense of strategic purpose. VI.Conclusion: Reducing Council Tensions The poor state of the Security Council is ultimately a symptom of the overall poor state of international cooperation, and there are few signs that this will improve soon. It is highly probable that tensions between the U.S. and other major powers over issues such as Israel-Palestine will complicate Council diplomacy in the coming months. Current American efforts to destroy the Iranian nuclear deal – which the Council has tried to avoid discussing in any depth to date – could also create new ruptures in New York. If nuclear talks between the U.S. and DPRK break down, and Pyongyang returns to regular missile testing, there will inevitably be a new spate of debate over sanctions in the Council. It is not guaranteed that China, Russia and the U.S. could collaborate as well on DPRK as they did in 2017. Council members should, therefore, be ready for some bruising debates. Nonetheless, there are issues where cooperation is still possible. In 2018, following extremely serious differences over Syria in the first half of the year, P5 members recognised that some sort of political process over Yemen could be a point of cooperation. This recognition helped frame the terrain for the launch of the December 2018 Stockholm agreement and ensuing efforts to build a Yemeni peace process, despite the Anglo-American differences noted above. The difficulties of implementing the agreement have turned into a headache for the Council. But the fact that the Council got behind the process shows that its members can still identify islands of agreement. Such points of consensus are likely to involve crises that (i) fall below top-level sources of international division (so not Ukraine or Israel) and (ii) where the P5 have no other clear ways forward. In this context, there are three possible areas for better diplomacy over the coming months: Mali and the Sahel: Recurrent Franco-American divisions over MINUSMA and the G5 Sahel are deleterious to the Council, and also weaken the international response to the crisis in the region. Rather than enter a new round of disputes over MINUSMA’s mandate and budget, France and the U.S. should pause to consider what steps are necessary to stabilise the region. The ingredients, as Crisis Group has argued in previous reports and commentaries, are well-known to diplomats working on this file: (i) focusing on security in central Mali; (ii) ensuring that G5 Sahel and other regional forces adopt a political approach to operations rather than a predominantly military one; and (iii) strengthening state structures and service delivery as fast as feasible across the region. French and U.S. officials should work bilaterally to identify a shared approach to these priorities at the UN. Libya in the wake of the Haftar offensive: While the Haftar offensive in Libya divided the Council, members need to come back together as quickly as possible to stop the current fighting from morphing into a costly war of attrition that will ultimately benefit no Council member. Again, the basic principles for action (outlined in a Crisis Group statement early in the fighting) are fairly obvious: (i) securing a ceasefire on the basis of forces’ current positions; and (ii) working with the parties to recreate conditions for UN-led peace talks that were thrown into disarray by the offensive; and (iii) taking diplomatic steps to limit outside interference in the political process. The Council should work on a diplomatic pathway back toward this outcome. It might also take a more serious approach to the UN arms embargo on Libya, which P5 members have largely ignored (or flouted) to advance their interests. “Do no harm” in Venezuela: The Council’s discussions of Venezuela to date have been counterproductive. If the U.S. hoped to use the UN as a mechanism to advance pro-Guaidó cause, this has backfired, as Russia has countered with a strong pro-Maduro push and U.S. allies have grown nervous about the entire agenda. While the final outcome of the Venezuelan crisis is unclear, it is possible that the UN may be needed to step in to help bring the parties back to the table if and when the crisis worsens. In the meantime, Council members including the U.S. and Russia would be well advised to agree on a tacit “do no harm” approach to the crisis at the UN, avoiding using the Council as a platform for public diplomacy. This sort of restraint may increase the chances of the UN playing a constructive role later on. These are all limited steps to restoring some sense of transactional, cooperative diplomacy in the Council. They are short-term priorities, and do not address broader strategic differences among the P5 and other Council members. Nor are they politically straightforward; each requires P5 members and other powers to compromise on often hard-fought positions. But such limited steps are what the Council needs to get back on track now. Without such progress, it is liable to slip further into dysfunction, unable to make even the most limited statement on the crises of the moment – let alone attempt to solve any of them. ICRC president: As Ramadan ends, renewed effort needed in Syria and Iraq 07/04/2016. “Suffering in Syria and Iraq has reached ‘unprecedented levels’ and that many people are living in abject fear and terrifying uncertainty” – Peter Maurer – UNHCR 2016 GLOBAL REPORT 06/12/2017. UNHCR’s Global Report presents a global overview of the work carried out by UNHCR in a given year to protect and improve the lives of tens of millions of forcibly displaced people. March 2018. A complet brief published on Humanitarian Alternatives website.

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Chicago Honors The Spirit Of Saul Bellow Saul Bellow: Nobel Prize Diploma It was, said the rabbi, a service “in the simple, traditional manner that Saul would have wanted.” There was the haunting cadence of the 23rd Psalm, chanted in the traditional Hebrew. The soaring voices of opera singers boomed three of his favorite arias against the vaulted ceiling of The University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. Chicago’s mayor spoke well of him. And there was just the right amount of levity. To remember Saul Bellow–their friend, their teacher, their colleague, their relative and often all of that together– a large crowd gathered Tuesday, September 27th, in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel to honor the Nobel Prize-winning novelist who died April 5 at the age of 89 in his home in Brookline, Mass. It was an achingly beautiful afternoon on the elegantly graceful campus of The University of Chicago, with a blue sky, green grass and the mellowed comfort of massively impressive Gothic buildings, weathered by a century of demanding weather. It was also a time to link Bellow to a city whose virtues, vices, foibles and fancies he made known to the world. “Saul understood Chicago like no one else, its beauty, its aspirations, its history. He appreciated that Chicago was built as a city of immigrants and that diversity is an enormous strength,” noted Mayor Richard Daley, who was one of eight speakers at the 90-minute service. The mayor also recalled, with a chuckle, that Bellow once had accompanied him on the campaign trail, at one point regaling an audience with 40 minutes of amusing tales of the city he loved. To get a chance to talk, Daley said, “I had to remind him that it was, well, my election campaign.” Others spoke of Bellow’s “lifelong preoccupation with the large questions” of life, the “conjuring quality of his prose” and his brilliant observational skills as “a first-class noticer.” Novelist Richard Stern, a longtime friend, noted “his ability to shuttle comfortably between the faculty lounge and the pool hall.” “What a kick Saul would have gotten from this afternoon,” Stern added, looking out from the chapel’s podium at the “people who remember him in the streets, the classrooms and the living rooms of Hyde Park,” his favored venues for much of his literary and academic career. One of the most influential American novelists of the 20th Century, Bellow taught at The University of Chicago from 1963 to 1993 as a member of the university’s renowned Committee on Social Thought, where he was the Raymond W. and Martha Hilpert Gruner Distinguished Service Professor. He had also attended the university during the 1930s. In 1993, he left a second time, at the age of 78, for a teaching position at Boston University, to be near his beloved country retreat in rural Vermont. Yet he remained ever identified with the city that sourced so much of his work. Though Bellow’s works–a dozen critically acclaimed novels and works of non-fiction–“are timeless, that does not mean they are place-less,” said Rabbi William Hamilton of Congregation Kehillath Israel in Brookline, Mass., who also officiated at Bellow’s funeral service in April in Brattleboro, Vt. Bellow was “a divinely gifted creative force,” Hamilton said. “Chicago was the home, is the home, from which soaring words, sorrowful sentences, were launched,” he added. During what was described as a service “of celebration and comfort,” soprano Susanna Phillips, baritone Quinn Kelsey and pianist Alan Darling from Chicago’s Lyric Opera Center for American Artists performed two arias from Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and one from Handel’s “Julius Caesar.” “They were his favorites,” said Danny Newman, a Lyric Opera emeritus executive and longtime friend of Bellow. Seated in the front rows during the service, along with university officials, were members of Bellow’s family, including his fifth wife, Janis Freedman Bellow, who–as several speakers noted–had saved Bellow’s life several years ago during an incident of food poisoning at a Caribbean resort. As others suggested, one hallmark of Bellow’s legacy is an enduring optimism, even during periods of personal travail. For author Eugene Kennedy, the mark of Bellow was that “he could survey the parade of the lofty and the lowlifes, the professionals and the pretenders, the seeker and the psychopath–all who had eaten the apple of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Chicago–and murmur, what a species.” Among the speakers was one of Bellow’s four children, his oldest son, Gregory, 61. His father’s idea of a university, he said, had nothing to do with “minds down and pencils up.” A good mind, my father suggested, should be restless. Growing up in a household where adults loved to kick around big ideas, “my singular goal was to emulate their ability to analyze an argument,” he said. Now, “to perpetuate my father’s spirit,” he urged, “all we have to do is to keep asking questions.” jsanderson@tribune Copyright 2005, The Chicago Tribune Posted in Cultural, Higher Education, Literature/Poetry, Media, News/Journals, Personalties, The Univ. of Chicago. Comments Off on Chicago Honors The Spirit Of Saul Bellow Simon Wiesenthal: In Remembrance of His Monumental Service to Humanity Simon Wiesenthal: 1908-2005 Simon Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor known for his work bringing Nazi war criminals to justice, passed away last week in Vienna at the age of 96. He is destined be remembered as one of the giant figures of the past century. After surviving personally intense suffering through the period of Nazi persecution, Simon Wiesenthal spent much of the rest of his life fighting tirelessly, and often successfully, to bring many Nazi war criminals to justice. His relentlessly committed labors were of almost singular importance in creating an empathic world focus upon the atrocities committed by the Nazis, as he fought to recover or maintain our memories of the six million Jewish people and other minority persons who were murdered during the Holocaust. Further, the Simon Wiesenthal (Memorial) Centers that he was intrumental in establishing throughout the world serve as powerfully evocative means for the narrative induction of subsequent generations into the master narrative of the plight of the violently destructive tragedy murderously inflicted upon the Jewish people by the Third Reich. Fearing that the memory of this European catastrophe of genocide might fade from collective memory and be repeated, Weisenthal continuously emphasized and turned our thoughts to the memorably striking phrase “Lest We Forget.” The master narrative of Shoah or the Holocaust necessary leads to feelings of melancholia, rather than to mourning and “working-through” in the collective memory of this murderous event. However, this is an especially unique sense of melancholia that provides an invaluable adaptive and soothing function as “restorative nostalgia,” which is of singular importance in enabling the recollection of the enriched experiences and times that existed for many Jewish people before the Nazi’s tragic mass infliction of genocidal disaster. Simon Wiensenthal made sure that the world will never forget the Holocaust. We will never forget, and we will never forget Wiensenthal’s monumental service to humanity. Posted in Cultural, Culture, Holocaust, Humor, Media, News, News/Journals, Personalties, Photography, Political, Political Opinion, politics, Psychology, Religion, Religion/Politics, Social, Social Ideas, Social Life, Society, Socio-Political, Wars. Comments Off on Simon Wiesenthal: In Remembrance of His Monumental Service to Humanity American versus European Universities For those of a certain age and educational background, it is hard to think of higher education without thinking of ancient institutions. Some universities are of a venerable age—the University of Bologna was founded in 1088, the University of Oxford in 1096—and many of them have a strong sense of tradition. The truly old ones make the most of their pedigrees, and those of a more recent vintage work hard to create an aura of antiquity. And yet these tradition-loving (or -creating) institutions are currently enduring a thunderstorm of changes so fundamental that some say the very idea of the university is being challenged. Universities are experimenting with new ways of funding (most notably through student fees), forging partnerships with private companies and engaging in mergers and acquisitions. Such changes are tugging at the ivy’s roots. This is happening for four reasons. The first is the democratisation of higher education—“massification”, in the language of the educational profession. In the rich world, massification has been going on for some time. The proportion of adults with higher educational qualifications in the OECD countries almost doubled between 1975 and 2000, from 22% to 41%. But most of the rich countries are still struggling to digest this huge growth in numbers. And now massification is spreading to the developing world. China doubled its student population in the late 1990s, and India is trying to follow suit. The second reason is the rise of the knowledge economy. The world is in the grips of a “soft revolution” in which knowledge is replacing physical resources as the main driver of economic growth. The OECD calculates that between 1985 and 1997 the contribution of knowledge-based industries to total value added increased from 51% to 59% in Germany and from 45% to 51% in Britain. The best companies are now devoting at least a third of their investment to knowledge-intensive intangibles such as R&D, licensing and marketing. Universities are among the most important engines of the knowledge economy. Not only do they produce the brain workers who man it, they also provide much of its backbone, from laboratories to libraries to computer networks. The third factor is globalisation. The death of distance is transforming academia just as radically as it is transforming business. The number of people from OECD countries studying abroad has doubled over the past 20 years, to 1.9m; universities are opening campuses all around the world; and a growing number of countries are trying to turn higher education into an export industry. The fourth is competition. Traditional universities are being forced to compete for students and research grants, and private companies are trying to break into a sector which they regard as “the new health care”. The World Bank calculates that global spending on higher education amounts to $300 billion a year, or 1% of global economic output. There are more than 80m students worldwide, and 3.5m people are employed to teach them or look after them. All this sounds as though a golden age for universities has arrived. But inside academia, particularly in Europe, it does not feel like it. Academics complain about “the decline of the donnish dominion” (the title of a book by A.H. Halsey, a sociologist), and administrators are locked in bad-tempered exchanges with the politicians who fund them. What has gone wrong? The biggest problem is the role of the state. If more and more governments are embracing massification, few of them are willing to draw the appropriate conclusion from their enthusiasm: that they should either provide the requisite funds (as the Scandinavian countries do) or allow universities to charge realistic fees. Many governments have tried to square the circle through tighter management, but management cannot make up for lack of resources. So in all too much of the academic world, the writer Kingsley Amis’s famous dictum that more means worse is coming to pass. Academic salaries are declining when measured against similar jobs elsewhere, and buildings and libraries are deteriorating. In mega-institutions such as the University of Rome (180,000 students), the National University of Mexico (200,000-plus), and Turkey’s Anadolu University (530,000), individual attention to students is bound to take a back seat. The innate conservatism of the academic profession does not help. The modern university was born in a very different world from the current one, a world where only a tiny minority of the population went into higher education, yet many academics have been reluctant to make any allowances for massification. Italian universities, for instance, still insist that all students undergo a viva voce examination by a full professor, lasting an average of about five minutes. What, if anything, can be done? Techno-utopians believe that higher education is ripe for revolution. The university, they say, is a hopelessly antiquated institution, wedded to outdated practices such as tenure and lectures, and incapable of serving a new world of mass audiences and just-in-time information. “Thirty years from now the big university campuses will be relics,” says Peter Drucker, a veteran management guru. “I consider the American research university of the past 40 years to be a failure.” Fortunately, in his view, help is on the way in the form of internet tuition and for-profit universities. Cultural conservatives, on the other hand, believe that the best way forward is backward. The two ruling principles of modern higher-education policy—democracy and utility—are “degradations of the academic dogma”, to borrow a phrase from the late Robert Nisbet, another sociologist. They think it is foolish to waste higher education on people who would rather study “Seinfeld” than Socrates, and disingenuous to confuse the pursuit of truth with the pursuit of profit. The conservative argument falls at the first hurdle: practicality. Higher education is rapidly going the way of secondary education: it is becoming a universal aspiration. The techno-utopian position is superficially more attractive. The internet will surely influence teaching, and for-profit companies are bound to shake up a moribund marketplace. But there are limits. A few years ago a report by Coopers & Lybrand crowed that online education could eliminate the two biggest costs from higher education: “The first is the need for bricks and mortar; traditional campuses are not necessary. The second is full-time faculty. [Online] learning involves only a small number of professors, but has the potential to reach a huge market of students.” That is nonsense. The human touch is much more vital to higher education than is high technology. Education is not just about transmitting a body of facts, which the internet does pretty well. It is about learning to argue and reason, which is best done in a community of scholars. This review argues that the most significant development in higher education is the emergence of a super-league of global universities. This is revolutionary in the sense that these institutions regard the whole world as their stage, but also evolutionary in that they are still wedded to the ideal of a community of scholars who combine teaching with research. The problem for policymakers is how to create a system of higher education that balances the twin demands of excellence and mass access, that makes room for global elite universities while also catering for large numbers of average students, that exploits the opportunities provided by new technology while also recognising that education requires a human touch. As it happens, we already possess a successful model of how to organise higher education: America’s. That country has almost a monopoly on the world’s best universities, but also provides access to higher education for the bulk of those who deserve it. The success of American higher education is not just a result of money (though that helps); it is the result of organisation. American universities are much less dependent on the state than are their competitors abroad. They derive their income from a wide variety of sources, from fee-paying students to nostalgic alumni, from hard-headed businessmen to generous philanthropists. And they come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, from Princeton and Yale to Kalamazoo community college. THE WORLD’S TOP TEN UNIVERSITIES* 2. Stanford University 3. University of Cambridge 4. Univ. of California/Berkley 5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 6. California Institute of Technology 7. Princeton University 8. University of Oxford 9. Columbia University 10. The University of Chicago *Rankings based upon academic and research performance, Nobel prizes and number of articles in respected publications. This review suggests two pieces of advice for countries that are trying to create successful higher-education systems, be they newcomers such as India and China or failed old hands such as Germany and Italy. First: diversify your sources of income. The bargain with the state has turned out to be a pact with the devil. Second: let a thousand academic flowers bloom. Universities, including for-profit ones, should have to compete for customers. A sophisticated economy needs a wide variety of universities pursuing a wide variety of missions. These two principles reinforce each other: the more that the state’s role contracts, the more educational variety will flourish. The Economist, September 8, 2005 Posted in Cultural, Education, Higher Education, Literature/Poetry, Media, News/Journals, The Univ. of Chicago. Comments Off on American versus European Universities Moral Righteousness: The Dark Side One might propose that the main political and philosophical opposition confronting us today is that between modernism and fundamentalism and between the cultures that embrace modernity and those which attack it. Critiques of this position have been made along the lines that this viewpoint encourages splitting, an omniscient attitude, and possible avoidance of the necessity to own our own tendencies to split good and bad. One might support a differing perspective that argues boldly and simply that what would “solve” the dilemma is a psychopolitical shift toward understanding the world as We rather than Us and Them—to do this not as a denial of destructiveness but as a way of transcending splitting. The We position is the basis for nonviolence, which formulates a positive connection to the “Other” à la Martin Luther King. However, psychically, the quandary is how to do this while still remaining aware of the potentially intense destructiveness of fundamentalism. More daunting still is the problem of how one might practically work toward acceptance of the nonviolent attitude in our society. Precisely what impedes such nonviolence are the fundamentalist tendencies that make the destructive superego supreme. For example, in a number of left wing political groups it is not uncommon to observe that when someone hurls the accusation of badness and wrongness and calls for a purge of the politically incorrect, everyone jumps into line frantically lest they be accused of haboring impure thoughts (sexist, racist, etc.). This susceptibility to righteousness mirrors the ostensible other side, the right-wing accusations of unpatriotic/soft-on-our-enemies (communism). Resisting such fundamentalist intimidation requires a clear understanding that fundamentalist tendencies are not identical with the apocalyptic nihilism of terrorists, though it might be proposed that they may contribute to it and are perhaps on a spectrum with it. Again, this involves the matter of bearing guilt, tolerating the accusation that one is bad—and how to take this on without resorting to nihilism, nose-thumbing, or posturing. And yet can we learn something from postmodern culture, the satisfaction of hearing “bad” used to mean “good”? It is clear that many political and philosophical representatives have been stymied by the fear of being labeled unpatriotic and thus become intimidated not to exercise opposition, such as to attacks on civil liberties. Overcoming such fears requires that we confront our own fundamentalist tendencies to externalize and attack “badness,” and learn to embrace the fact of life’s contradictions. Otherwise, fundamentalist tendencies here will win out. The moment fascism was defeated in Europe, the witch hunts began here. There is a tendency to deny the dark side of the modern and post-modern Enlightenment, its association with arrogance and its claim to the right to rule over others while denying that it is doing so. If the human condition requires us to confront our drive for omnipotence and the impossibility of truly asserting control, then surely this is a problem that has not been solved in the West, even as it has been left untouched in the East. Splitting is everyone’s problem. That said, it would be naîve to dispute the dominance that fundamentalism is now enjoying in the Arab world or that the Muslim world never went through the lengthy process of Reformation and religious wars that, in Europe, culminated in the Enlightenment. Even those who adopt the position that splitting is far from resolved in Western societies must still reflect on the degree of difference that characterizes terrorism and those who support it. Clearly, the most unmodulated forms of splitting are associated with terrorism, in which the world is seen as needing to be purified of evil through violence. Posted in Cultural, Mental Health Issues, Personal Thoughts, Political, politics, Psychoanalysis, Religion/Politics. Comments Off on Moral Righteousness: The Dark Side Considerations: On Making Amends From a personal perspective, my reaction to the bombings of Afghanistan, even somewhat Iraq, was to experience feelings of guilt. I am aware of how linked this feeling was to that of fear: that having inflicted this suffering we deserved some retaliation. In other words, I observed myself and others as we experienced first hand the link between guilt and terror once we began to retaliate. I wondered how much of the anxiety being publicly expressed, such as about anthrax, reflected this guilt. And how much did this have to do with our government’s inability to express remorse and responsibility for past and present destructiveness, for causing suffering, and thus leaving us all individually to contain immense guilt? My thoughts then focussed upon a parallel association, a link between guilt and responsibility. It seemed to me that the intense aversion to the idea of governmental responsibility, perhaps all socially organized responsibility, in America—-for instance, Republican reluctance to take responsibility for those put out of work by industrial change and downsizing,as well as for other widespread public tragedies—-might be related to the suspicion that any assumption of responsibility is a tacit admission of blame. But why is blame so onerous? Does the avoidance of blame throw doubt on the contention that recognizing one’s destructiveness is not “hitting rock bottom,” that destructiveness may be only the externalization of the unbearable experience of helplessness? Then again, is the accusation of indifference in the face of suffering in some way conflated with causing it, as when the abused blames the witness, whose refusal to mentally receive and recognize the abuse is felt to be as great a betrayal as the abuse itself? In any case, it seems that only when it is almost totally clear that there is no posssible onus of responsibility (blame) on themselves, as in external attacks or natural disasters, can Americans react responsibly or demand that their government do so. I wonder if the call for responsibility might be the most subversive one in America at this time, perhaps more to the point than “peace.” In these times, it is extremely doubtful that we have in our grasp anything approaching an adequate understanding about what would enable America, or its government, to find a new relationship to responsibility. Posted in Cultural, Mental Health Issues, Personal Thoughts, Political, politics, Psychoanalysis, Wars. Comments Off on Considerations: On Making Amends CONTINUING BUSH FAILURES September 8, 2005 — Patrick Zimmerman Katrina Black Ribbon The high winds of blame continued to circulate around the abhorrently deficient level of Hurricane Katrina federal relief efforts. Echoing the frustrations of local officials who have complained for days of slow federal response, the major New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper called for the removal of every official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): “We’re angry, Mr. President, and we’ll be angry long after our beloved city and surrounding parishes have been pumped dry,” the newspaper said this past Sunday in an open letter to President Bush. “Our people deserved rescuing. Many who could have been were not. That’s to the government’s shame.” In another development, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco refused to sign over control of the National Guard to the federal government and instead called on a Bill Clinton administration official, former Federal Emergency Management Agency chief, James Lee Witt, to help run the relief efforts. Is this a possible premonition that the Republicans could be beginning to lose their stranglehold on the Southern states, that the “Red” states might begin to shift once again to their historic designation as strongly identified “Blue” states? More on the Bush family’s disdain for the poor and disadvantaged: On Monday, former First Lady Barbara Bush toured the Houston Astrodome and observed the Louisiana evacuees. In remarks to PBS, she “cheerfully” stated: Almost everyone I’ve talked to says, “we’re going to move to Houston.” “What I’m hearing is they all want to stay in Texas,” she said. “Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underpriviledged anyway, so this {Chuckle}, this is working very well for them.” However upon further reflection about the poor and underpriviledged actually moving to Houston, she backtracked and added that such a notion was a very scarey thought! On a more empathic note, Gulf Coast native Jimmy Buffet played two Labor Day weekend shows at the Chicago Cubs’ Wrigley Field, in the very heart of Chicago. Both shows were completely sold out, and they ncluded a compassionate, deeply heartfelt commemoration of the New Orleans disaster. At one point in both of his shows, Buffet and his band played Steve Goodman’s (Chicago’s late, nationally recognized folksinger) most renowned work “The City of New Orleans.” As Buffet sang the song, a large, blue-tinted series of pre-hurricane photographs of some of New Orleans’ most historic buildings was displayed. The overflow crowds reacted with intense emotional sadness, and Steve Goodman’s mother and sister were seen in the audience as they openly wept over their reminiscent memories of the generous and humane Goodman, as well as about the tragedy incurred by New Orleans. Posted in Bush, Cultural, George W. Bush, Hurricane Katrina, Media, Mental Health Issues, Music, New Orleans, News/Journals, Personal Thoughts, Personalties, Political, politics. 2 Comments » Contemporary Psychotherapy in Residential Treatment Historic Chestnut Lodge The image of Chestnut Lodge represents one of the early mental health facilities in the United States that attempted to provide individual and milieu care for those with seriously disturbed emotions (as opposed to “state asylum” or simply back-ward custodial care). For decades, Chestnut Lodge provided long-term residential care for emotionally disturbed adults, and later adolescents. Some of the renowned mental health staff members included Frieda Fromm-Reichman, Harry Stack Sullivan, Harold Searles, Ping Pau, E. James Anthony, Wells Goodrich and many others. Enriching the lives of children and adolescents has always been the historic mission of residential or group care services for young persons. This mission continues, despite the prevailing public policies and managed care constraints that function to strangle the often desperately needed mental health care for children and adolescents. The following list of books, journals and other references represent valuable contributions to essential readings related to some of the complexities of residential treatment, various aspects of contemporary psychotherapy, and the provision of psychotherapy for children and adolescents in residential treatment and group care. All of them also may be understood within a broader context of expressions that all convey a sense of hope and compassion, each in its own particular manner, for our own strivings to achieve a rich, metaphoric sense of “self.” Listing of Books and Journals: (1). The Forsaken Child: Essays on Group Care and Individual Psychotherapy (Haworth Press, 2000), D. Patrick Zimmerman, PsyD. (2). Transitions from Group Care: Homeward Bound (Haworth Press, 2003), D. Patrick Zimmerman, PsyD., and Richard A. Epstein, M.A. (Eds.). (3). Psychotherapy in Group Care: Making Life Good Enough (Haworth Press, 2003), D. Patrick Zimmerman, PsyD., Richard A. Epstein, M.A., Martin Leichtman, PhD., and Maria Louisa Leichtman, PhD. (4). Residential Treatment (W. B.Saunders/Harcourt-Brace, 2004), Bennett L. Leventhal, M.D., and D. Patrick Zimmerman, Psy.D. (Guest Editors). (5). Relational Child Psychotherapy (The Analytic Press, 2002), Neil Altman, Ph.D., et al. (6). The Beast in the Nursery (Harvard University Press, 1998), Adam Phillips. (7). The Analyst in the Inner City (The Analytic Press, 1998), Neil Altman, Ph.D. (8). Psychotherapy with Young People in Care: Lost and Found (Routledge, 2001), Margaret Hunter. (9). Relationality: From Attachment to Intersubjectivity (The Analytic Press, 2000), Stephen A. Mitchell, Ph.D. The late Stephen Mitchell’s final work, exploring areas of clinically relational responsiveness with respect, grace and compassion. (10). Ritual and Spontaneity in the Psychoanalytic Process (The Analytic Press, 1998), Irwin Z. Hoffman, Ph.D. A seminal classic on modern individual psychotherapy. (11). The Maturational Processes and the Facilitating Environment: Studies in the Theory of Emotional Development (International Universities Press, 1965/1994), D. W. Winnicott, M.D. (12). A Home for the Heart (Alfred A. Knopf, 1974), Bruno Bettelheim, Ph.D. Bettelheim’s final attempt to present the story of an innovative therapeutic community, where the way people live and work together can create a setting that will benefit all who are, whatever their role, a part of it. (13). Freud’s Vienna and Other Essays (Alfred A. Knopf, 1990). Bettelheim’s last work containing eighteen essays, many of which reminisce about the influence of Vienna’s cultural and historical ambience, as well as the impact of the physical and psychological horrors inflicted by the Holocaust and Nazi persecutions. (14). Porn: Myths for the Twentieth Century (Yale University Press, 1991), Robert J. Stoller, M.D. An honorable capstone to the career of the late Robert Stoller, who at the time of his unexpected death was Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles. As Otto E. Kernberg, M.D., praised it, this is “…an outstanding contribution to the psychoanalytic exploration of the erotic and…of mass culture….” This extraordinary document allows the reader to witness a rare, sensitive, and empathic talent for interviewing persons in situations of extreme degradation. It teaches us the possibility of hope in our efforts to reach an understanding of how persons might be trying to seek underlying wishes for personal salvation and self-validation through the self-destructive potentials that they present to us. (15). The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (Bantam, Reissue 1993), Carson McCullers. At first glance, this might appear to be an unusual recommendation. However, readers of this brilliant first book by Carson McCullers consistently fail to recognize the underlying metaphoric theme as a strong plea regarding the wishes by those in emotional pain for an ever-attentive listener, who will also provide them with the security of a supportive sense of confidentiality. This is a sad and tragic story, but also at the same time a radiant, poignent classic novel. Journals Representing Similar Interests: 1. Residential Treatment for Children and Youth (Haworth Press). To receive a free sample copy of RTCY, go to: http://www.haworthpress.com/store/SampleText/J007.pdf 2. Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy (The Analytic Press). 3. Psychoanalytic Dialogues (The Analytic Press). 4. The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child (Yale University Press). 5. The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities (Association of Therapeutic Communities, UK). 6. Child Youth Care-Online (www.cyc-net.org). 7. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins). 8. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America (Elsevier Press). Posted in Adolescents, Blog, Blogs, Books, Bruno Bettelheim, Child Psychology, Children, Cultural, Culture, Education, Freud, Higher Education, Immigration, Links, Literature, Literature/Poetry, Media, Mental Health Issues, News, News/Journals, Personal Thoughts, Personalties, Psychoanalysis, Psychology, Religion/Politics, Residential Treatment, Social, Social Ideas, Social Life, Society, Socio-Political, The Orthogenic School, The Univ. of Chicago. Comments Off on Contemporary Psychotherapy in Residential Treatment

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Governor Andrew Cuomo | Major General Raymond F. Shields Jr. Team Niagara Participates in the Great Shakeout Drill DMNA Home page More News Stories Story by: Tech Sgt Brandy Fowler - 107th Airlift Wing Dated: Wed, Oct 16, 2013 Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, NY- Members of the 107th and 914th Airlift Wing joined more than 18 million people world-wide in the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill at 10:17 am on October 17th, 2013. The full-time employees practiced as if there was a major earthquake occurring by using the Drop, Cover and Hold On method and stayed in position for a minute. "Most of the people participating haven’t done this since grade school", said MSgt Catrina Smith-Coffey, Emergency Management Technician. "The Great ShakeOut drill is just a gentle reminder of the simple steps needed to take to react to a real-life earthquake." The exercise was just one of hundreds of drills that Team Niagara participates in throughout the year. "This is a different kind of preparedness that we’re dealing with today", says SSgt Paul Boser, Force Support Squadron. "We usually train to handle man-made disasters and situations. It’s good that we are also taking the time to prepare for natural disasters and is important to be ready for both." This drill marks the second year the Northeast Region was a part of this readiness exercise. "I encourage my colleagues to go home and share this training with their families", said Smith-Coffey. "It’s a great way to talk with your kids about what to do before, during and after an earthquake and practice this with them." While most employees were under their desks this morning in Niagara Falls, the Team of Airmen are now more prepared and practiced to stay calm and not over react in an actual situation. For more information, visit www.shakeout.org © NYS DMNA: News Story: Team Niagara Participates in the Great Shakeout Drill URL: https://dmna.ny.gov/news/?id=1382116253 Page Last Modified: Fri, Oct 18, 2013 Englishespañol中國的русскийitalianokreyòl ayisyen한국의বাঙালি

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70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards The Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, given to Los Angeles television stations and cable television for broadcast achievements for Local News, Programming, and Sports within the Los Angeles market, were presented at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Ana Patricia Candiani and the KVEA Telemundo News Team accept the Emmy for regularly scheduled daily daytime newscast: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Invision/AP /photo/467731?galleryid=467711 Antonio Diaz from KCET accepts the Emmy for L.A. local color for “Alta California” at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Former Television Academy Governor Beatriz Gomez and the team from KMEX accept the Emmy for live special events - programming for “Desfile de las Rosas 2017” at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Carlie Craig performs at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Diana Alvarado from KMEX accepts the Emmy for sports series - news for “El Rostro Hispano de Los Dodgers” at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Ana Patricia Candiani, from left, Jaime Sanchez, Brianda Sanchez, William Negron, Edith Lozada, Deya Ceballos, Yara Lasanta, Lizbeth Licon, and Justo Castellanos at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Ernst & Young team members arrive at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018.Invision/AP Eureka O'Hara arrives at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Karen Foshay from KCET accepts the Emmy for informational series (more than 50% remote) “SoCal Connected” at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Former L.A. Area governor Gerri Shaftel Constant from CBS2/KCAL9 accepts the Emmy for medical news story - multi-part report for “The Access Clinic” at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Gloria Cheng from PBS SoCal accepts the Emmy for independent programming for “Montage: Great Film Composers and the Piano” at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Guests attend the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Television Academy Chairman and CEO Hayma Washington speaks at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Jantel Lavender and James Worthy speak at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Jeff MacIntyre and David Ono from ABC7 accept the Emmy for serious news-story - single report for “Return to Japan: 6 Years After the Tsunami” at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Jose Alejandro Parody from KCET accepts the Emmy for creative technical crafts - composer at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Television Academy Chairman and CEO Hayma Washington and Television Academy Chief Financial Officer and EVP of Business Operations Heather Cochran at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Julian Gooden and Erick Cesar Vazquez from Spectrum SportsNet LA accept the Emmy for sports tease for “Dodgers World Series Game 6 Legends Tease” at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Nic Cha Kim, left, and Tina Malave speak at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. The Emmy winning team from KMEX poses at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Lizbeth Licon from KVEA accepts the Emmy for serious news story - multi-part report for “Las Caras de Exide” at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Logan Kibens and Sharon Greene arrive at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Mary Harris from NBC4 accepts the Emmy for outstanding writer - news at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Mayhem Miller arrives at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Mike Maas and Darren Lee arrive at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Mishel Prada and Melissa Barrera arrive at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Los Angeles Area Vice Chair Mitch Waldow, and Television Academy Governors Brenda Brkusic and Paul Button arrive at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Hyunsoo Moon from KCET.ORG accepts the Emmy for outstanding editor - programming at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Norma Roque and Ulises Covarrubias from KMEX accept the Emmy for live coverage of an unscheduled news event for “Mexico Quake Live Coverage” at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Pat Harvey and Nicolette Medina from CBS2/KCAL9 accept the Emmy for outstanding news feature reporting at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Television Academy Governor Patrika Darbo arrives at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. The team from Spectrum SportsNet LA accept the Emmy for outstanding videographer multi-camera - programming at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Stephanie Himonidis, from left, Elva Saray, and Amaya Pinto Fernandez from KVEA accept the Emmy for informational series (more than 50% studio) for “Mujeres Que Rompen Estereotipos” at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Ulises Covarrubias and Norma Roque pose with the Emmy for live coverage of an unscheduled news event for "Mexico Quake Live Coverage" at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Steve Maloney and the team from PBS SoCal accept the Emmy for arts for “Take Me Home Huey” at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Television Academy Chairman and CEO Hayma Washington and PBS SoCal President and CEO Andrew Russell, at the 70th Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018. Former L.A. Area Governor Hal Eisner of the FOX11 News Team accepts the Emmy for news special for “In Depth Special: L.A. Riots - 25 Years Later,” at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center, North Hollywood, California, Saturday, July 28, 2018.

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News from All Diamond Follow the latest insights shared by All Diamond in memory of Ehud Arye Laniado and access all articles written by Ehud Arye Laniado Select CategoryInsightsMarket UpdateOpinionIn The Press Subscribe to news by All Diamond Learning a Lesson from History Ehud Arye Laniado Polished diamond wholesalers have been reporting improved sales over the past few weeks. The improvement is most evident in sales made to US retailers seeking dossier goods in HIJ colors, SI and I clarities. In addition, sales to China have also increased somewhat in the lead up to the Chinese New Year. The goods destined for China are similar to those being sent to the US, only of slightly higher clarities – VS and SI. Are these signs of a turn around? Can we in all honesty say that the end of the diamond crisis is in sight? I think it is too early to say. The 2015 November-December holiday season was not much better than the 2014 holiday season, according to most reports from US retailers. Improvements have mostly been reported in lower price point categories, which are dominated by gold and semi-precious stones, and less so by diamond jewelry. Regardless, the rise in business activity is a welcome development, and the improved mood among diamond wholesalers is understandable. However, we must keep in mind that the improvement is modest. The total value and volume are far below historic levels and it will take a lot more in terms of sales and demand before anyone can reasonably declare us to be within sight of the light at the end of the tunnel. Furthermore, the current demand applies to a very narrow range of goods and once the orders for the Chinese New Year are filled, there is nothing on the horizon to drive sales for several months to come. What is most worrying at this point is the action that some midstream players may opt for in light of recent sales activity. Demand for rough is already rising, including for goods other than those that produce the items currently in demand. At the last Sight in 2015, De Beers reportedly sold more than $200 million worth of goods, more than double the sales reported in November. For the upcoming Sight, scheduled to start today (January 18), demand from Sightholders is reportedly very high, with requests totaling an estimated $700 million – more than triple sales for December and nine times the figures for November. If there is a rush for rough diamonds and competition is high, then there is a chance that premiums will rise, followed by a rise in the cost of rough diamonds in the secondary market. This, as history has proved, will lead to increased prices from miners that don’t want to miss out on an opportunity to make more money. If such a scenario plays out, we are truly doomed. The diamond industry, in a painful process over the past year, has seen rough and polished prices decline in such a way that there is simply no opportunity for improved margins. To generate this opportunity, rough diamond prices cannot suddenly spike. They must not. This situation calls for reasonable action on the part of miners. This means keeping the volume of rough diamond supply low until polished diamond inventories are reduced, while the price of rough remains in line with polished wholesale prices. Meanwhile, the midstream, and clients of the main diamond miners in particular, should act responsibly, maintaining their roles as gatekeepers. It is essential that the gatekeepers continue to make educated purchases as they did over the course of last year, while keeping a watchful eye on the goods, market demand and price. Buying when the price is right, at a volume that meets consumer demand – while applying the logic of rough pricing based on real wholesale polished diamond prices – is an essential course of action to lead the industry out of its current quagmire and toward a brighter horizon of reasonable profitability for all players across the diamond pipeline. Without such action, history will repeat itself, margins will be once again paper-thin, and the midstream will be chasing bank financing for oxygen. The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity. No one should act upon any opinion or information in this website without consulting a professional qualified adviser. Diamond Manufacturing Demographics: A Global Round... The Lustrous Legacy of Diamond Manufacturing Diamond industrialist Ehud Arye Laniado is a man passionate about diamonds. From his early 20s in Africa and later in Belgium honing his expertise in forecasting the value of polished diamonds by examining rough diamonds by hand, till today four decades later, as chairman of his international diamond businesses spanning mining, exploration, rough and polished diamond valuation, trading, manufacturing, retail and consultancy services, Laniado has mastered both the miniscule details of evaluating and pricing individual rough diamonds and the entire structure of the diamond industry. Today, his global operations are at the forefront of the industry, recognised in diamond capitals from Mumbai to Tel Aviv and Hong Kong to New York. Wednesday, 27 February 2019 Diamond Industry Organizations: Women’s Jewelry Association Monday, 25 February 2019 Trade Show Season Is On. Do We Need it? Wednesday, 20 February 2019 Diamond Industry Organizations: International Colored Gemstone Association I agree that my email address will be used for ad targeting, including through Facebook Custom Audience. ARTICLES TRENDING World’s Top Diamond-Producing Countries The diamond industry pipeline starts with mining, then rough trading, manufacturing, jewelry setting and finally retailing. It may look like a short and efficient journey, however it is anything but t... The World's 6 Biggest Diamond Producers We have seen how the industry has undergone significant changes over the past 20 years and how smaller companies have emerged to play an increasingly important role in supplying rough diamonds to the ... How Diamond Mines are Formed, How We Find Them, and How We Decide Whether or Not to Mine Them It might surprise people to know that there are only around 50 active diamond mines in the world. These mines never seem to be found on the outskirts of major cities. Instead, they are usually located... Gray diamonds When I discussed fancy brown diamonds in last week’s article, I stated that unlike other fancy color shades that are extremely rare in nature, brown diamonds are plentiful and therefore command much l... Top 10 Largest Diamond Mines by Diamond Reserve In the last two decades, much has been said about an impending demand vs. supply imbalance in the diamond industry. Huge mines discovered over the past 40 years are nearly mined out, some argue, and n... Diamond Mining in Namibia – Past and Present A major diamond rush, located in Lüderitz (in the former German colony of Deutsch-Südwestafrika - German South West Africa) is among Namibia’s most famous diamond sites. In 1907, the Germen railroad w... South Africa: A Closer Look at the Diamond Industry When most people hear about diamond mining, they think of South Africa, where diamonds were discovered in 1866 in the Kimberley region. A 15-year-old boy discovered the now-famous 21.25-carat Eureka D...

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ELEMENTS IN TIME The Wonderful World of Archaeology Famous Sites Exploring the Colosseum of Rome, Italy Published on December 18, 2018 by Aura Trejo Also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, the Colosseum is an oval amphitheatre situated just east of the Roman Forum in the centre of Rome, Italy. Built from travertine, tuff, and brick-faced concrete, the Colosseum is the largest amphitheatre ever built and could hold an estimated 50,000-80,000 spectators. Construction of the Colosseum began at the behest of Emperor Vespasian in AD 72 and was completed in AD 80 under the watchful eye of his successor and heir, Titus. Housing an average audience of approximately 65,000 people, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. The Origins of the Colosseum The site of the Colosseum was chosen as it was a flat area situated on the floor of a low valley between the Caelian, Palatine, and Esquiline Hills, through which a canalised stream ran. The densely populated area was largely devastated by the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64, after which Nero seized the area to add to his personal domain. He built the Domus Aurea and Colossus of Nero on the site, however only the Colossus of Nero was preserved during the construction of the Flavian Amphitheatre under Emperor Vespasian in AD 72. Completed under Titus in AD 80, the inaugural games were held in AD 81. Medieval Alterations to the Colosseum The Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles well into the 6th century – which surely would’ve been popular amongst New Zealand sports betting enthusiasts – but underwent several radical changes of use by the late 6th century. A small chapel was built into the structure of the Colosseum and the arena was converted into a cemetery, while the vaulted spaces were turned into housing and workshops. In approximately 1200, the Frangipani family took ownership of the Colosseum and used it as a castle by adding fortifications. After the great earthquake of 1349 destroyed the outer south side of the Colosseum, much of the stone was reused to build infrastructure around the city. The interior was also extensively stripped of stone and the bronze clamps were hacked out of the walls creating pockmarks which still scar the building today. Modern Alterations to the Colosseum During the 16th and 17th century, Church officials sought a productive function for the site and Pope Sixtus V intended to convert the building into a wool factory to provide employment for the prostitutes of Rome, however this plan never came to fruition. Then in 1749, Pope Benedict XIV declared the Colosseum a sacred site and installed Stations of the Cross, forbidding it from use as a quarry. Later popes initiated various restoration projects and the façade was reinforced with triangular brick wedges in 1807 and 1827, while repairs to the interior took place in 1831, 1846, and the 1930s. The Colosseum Today The effects of pollution and general deterioration elicited a major restoration project which took place between 1993 and 2000 and today the Colosseum is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world visited by millions annually. Top 4 Mysterious Discovered Archaeological Sites Exploring the Moai Statues of Easter Island Exploring Chichen Itza in Yucatán State, Mexico Previous Previous post: Exploring the Moai Statues of Easter Island Next Next post: Exploring Chichen Itza in Yucatán State, Mexico Amazing Archaeological Finds Of 2019 Movies Based on Ancient Myths Cursed Archaeological Discoveries The True Origins of Popular Myths Amazing Egyptian Myths

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Bottoms, Norwood Head to Runoff in Atlanta Mayoral Race by Valerie Sandoval | Nov 8, 2017 | News Atlanta City Councilmembers Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mary Norwood (74C) were the top two candidates in the Atlanta mayoral race, bringing the race to a Dec. 5 runoff. In the general election yesterday, Bottoms received 26.83 percent, and Norwood received 20.57 percent as of 1:06 a.m. with 95 percent of votes counted, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The AJC called the election as a runoff between Bottoms and Norwood at 12:53 a.m. Outgoing Mayor Kasim Reed has held office for two terms since 2010 and could not run for re-election. A total of nine candidates were on the ballot. Nearly 2,500 registered voters in 1.114 miles containing the University’s main campus planning to be annexed by the city of Atlanta were not eligible able to vote in the mayoral election because the proposed annexation has been put on hold due to a dispute regarding the effect of annexation on the Atlanta and DeKalb County public school district boundaries. The annexation was planned to be completed Sept. 5, but now will not be finished until December at the soonest, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Reed endorsed Bottoms Oct. 11, according to WABE. He also criticized some of the other candidates in a V-103 radio interview, claiming that nobody running could beat him. Both Bottoms and Norwood serve as Atlanta city councilmembers. Bottoms has served since 2010, while Norwood has served since 2001, according t0 the AJC. The woman who wins will be the second female mayor in Atlanta history. If Norwood is declared the victor, she would be the first white Atlanta mayor since 1974, according to The New York Times. Bottoms’ campaign platform calls for an “All Rise” program, according to her campaign website. The program aims to improve public safety, resolve traffic and transit problems, develop affordable housing, create new jobs and support students and families through education. Norwood hopes to increase public safety by working with state and federal law enforcement agencies to fight human and sex trafficking and help victims, according to her campaign website. She also plans to increase sustainability initiatives by installing solar panels on public buildings and upgrade transportation and infrastructure systems, according to her campaign website. Bottoms took the lead from Norwood in a WSB-TV/AJC/Landmark Communications poll released Nov. 1. The poll asked 750 eligible voters, “If the election for mayor of Atlanta were held today, for whom would you vote?” Results showed Norwood and Bottoms as the only two candidates with more than 20 percent of votes. Bottoms led with 25.4 percent while Norwood fell to second place with 24.3 percent. Both candidates support Emory’s annexation into Atlanta. Norwood stated that she would be “delighted” if Emory became a part of Atlanta, according to AJC. Bottoms stated that Atlanta is fortunate to have Emory, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) asking to be a part of the city, previously reported by The Emory Wheel. Norwood is an Emory alumna and has served on the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Waste and Efficiency, the Atlanta Repeat Offenders Commission and the Code Enforcement Commission Meeting during her time as a city councilwoman. Bottoms has served as vice chair of the Public Safety Committee and as chair of the Council’s Zoning Committee. She has also served as executive director of the city of Atlanta and Fulton County Recreation Authority (AFCRA), where she has managed government relations and public finance. Student group Young Democrats of Emory are planning on endorsing Bottoms, Young Democrats of Emory President William Palmer (18C) told the Wheel. “We think Lance Bottoms will be a smooth transition from the Reed administration,” Palmer said. “We’re excited that she is getting to advance her agenda and especially in working on low-income housing and transportation … [and] reforming MARTA and gridlock and infrastructure.” Palmer said that Norwood is “essentially the Republican in the race,” and has a more conservative record than Bottoms, excepting her support of LGBT rights. Young Democrats of Emory members have been working in various candidates’ campaigns, Palmer said. The executive board discussed endorsing a candidate but decided to wait until the runoff. Michelle Lou contributed reporting. PreviousIn Atlanta Mayoral Race, Bottoms Rises to the Top NextBehind the Decision: Emory Experts Discuss Ethics of Transplant Decisions Valerie Sandoval [email protected] | Valerie Sandoval (20C) is from Greenville, S.C., and is majoring in economics and political science. In addition to the Wheel, Valerie is on the women’s ultimate frisbee team. College Faculty Vote to Hold Wagner No Confidence Ballot Sororities to Apply to Join Emory Greek Life Hospital Emergency Department Expands DTD, SigEp to Share Former Beta House

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Select Language (it-ch) (it-ch) Ci scusiamo. Questa pagina non è ancora disponibile nella lingua scelta e perciò viene mostrata la versione originale. Page saved successfully Couldn't save page :( Please try again. DI at ESO Campaign - Update July 3, 2005 The Deep Impact campaign at ESO has entered its final phase. Last night, July 2, 2005, the team of astronomers from Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, France, Germany and Italy used all four 8.2m Unit Telescopes of the VLT on Paranal and the three main telescopes on La Silla to simultaneously observe Comet 9P/Tempel 1. They will continue to do so for one week. The purpose of these pre-impact observations is to acquire an unprecedented and complete set of data with in total eleven instruments. The observations cover the wavelength domain between 350 nm (ultraviolet side of the visible light) and 20 micrometer (thermal infrared). These observations will be used to obtain a detailed understanding of the effects of the impact, as they will serve as reference for post-impact observations. The final aim of the campaign is the characterization of the cometary gas and dust that was embedded into the cometary nucleus during its formation some 4.6 billion years ago, i.e. before the planets including our own one were born, thus giving us an insight in the formation conditions of the solar system. Dust Component Caption: FORS2 image of Comet Tempel 1, taken during the night of July 2 to 3, 2005. The R-band image appears in a logarithmic grey scale on the left. On the right image, it has been processed using a method that enhances the low contrast features in the coma (by subtracting a mean radial profile). This puts in evidence the various "fans" and "jets" that correspond to areas of the nucleus surface that are more active (i.e. releasing more dust and gas in space) than the surrounding. The scale in kilometres indicates the extension of the coma - the nucleus, only 6km long, is completely hidden in the single central pixel of the image. Images obtained with FORS2 on Antu (VLT) show the comet in red light (R-band), mostly showing the light of the sun as it is reflected by the dust surrounding the nucleus of the comet. The comet appears to be fainter than expected, which costs extra exposure time to achieve the anticipated science goals. The coma pattern continues to show jets and fans - though modified compared to last week's images - produced by various active regions on the rotating nucleus. Gas Component Caption: False-colour image of Comet Tempel 1 observed with EMMI on the NTT during the night of July 2-3, 2005. Background stars passing through the field of view due to the motion of the comet, appear like a "string of pearls" at the upper edge of the image. The colour coding in these star trails represents the usage of three filters transmitting light in different wavelength regions in the blue and UV part of the spectrum: red colour represents the transmission filter for light typical for C3 gas, green for the CN gas and blue for dust reflected sunlight in the coma. The field of view is 6 x 6 arcmin, i.e. 133000 x 133000 km at the distance of the comet. North is up and East is to the right. In the image the sun is on the right hand side of the comet. Another set of images was collected with EMMI on the NTT at La Silla in several wavebands. This shows the gas around the comet. The cometary coma is well developed due to the gas and dust released by the nucleus as a result of surface heating by the Sun. It extends several arcminutes from the nucleus that is hidden behind gas and dust in the central brightness peak of the coma. The coma appears slightly asymmetric due to enhanced activity of the nucleus towards sun direction. In addition, spectroscopy was obtained with FORS2 on Antu, UVES on Kueyen and with SINFONI on Yepun. The prominent CN, NH, OH, C3, C2 and NH2 molecules are clearly seen in the spectra and their spatial distribution in the coma was measured. No ion features were detected, implying that 9P/Tempel 1 does not produce a strong ion tail throughout this perihelion passage - something not necessarily surprising, but noteworthy to mention. [1]: Leading scientists of the ESO DI campaign: H. Boehnhardt (MPI, Lindau, Germany), O. Hainaut (ESO), H.U. Kaufl (ESO), H. Rauer (DLR, Germany). Members of the ESO DI observing team on site: N. Ageorges (ESO, Chile), S. Bagnulo (ESO, Chile), L. Barrera (UMCE, Chile), H. Boehnhardt (MPS, Germany), T. Bonev (Astr. Inst. Sofia, Bulgaria), O. Hainaut (ESO, Chile), E. Jehin (ESO, Chile), H.U. Kaufl (ESO, Germany), F. Kerber (ESO, Germany), J. Manfroid (U.Liège, Belgium), O. Marco (ESO, Chile), E. Pantin (CEA, France), E. Pompei (ESO, Chile), C. Sterken (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium), G.P. Tozzi (Obs. Arcetri, Italy), M. Weiler (DLR, Germany) Members of the ESO DI observing team not on site: C. Arpigny (U.Liège, Belgium), A. Cochran (McDonald, USA), C. Delahodde (Univ. Florida, USA), Y. Fernandez (Univ. Hawaii, USA), D. Hutsemekers (U.Liège, Belgium), H. Kawakita (Gunma, Japan), J. Knollenberg (DLR, Germany), L. Kolokolova (Univ. Maryland, USA), M. Kretlow (MPS, Germany), M. Kueppers (MPS, Germany), E. Kuehrt (DLR, Germany), L. Lara (IAA, Spain), J. Licandro (IAC, Spain), C. Lisse (Univ. Maryland, USA), K. Meech (U.Hawaii, USA), R. Schulz (ESTEC, The Netherlands), G. Schwehm (ESTEC, The Netherlands), M. Sterzik (ESO, Chile), J.A. Stüwe (Leiden, The Netherlands), I. Surdej (Univ. Liège, Belgium and ESO, Garching), D. Wooden (Ames, USA), J.-M. Zucconi (Besancon, France)

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About the Espresso Stalinist U.S. Imperialism Page Who are the Five Classics of Marxism-Leninism? 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Hate Mail Page ← V.I. Lenin on Bourgeois Democracy V.I. Lenin on the Two Stages of the October Revolution → Final Declaration of the 25th International Anti-Fascist and Anti-imperialist Youth Camp On August 10, 2016, the 25th International Anti-Fascist and Anti-Imperialist Youth Camp (IAFAIYC) ended, which began on August 3 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, under the slogan: For solidarity, peace and freedom. Hundreds of democratic, progressive, environmentalist, leftist, feminist, anti-fascist, anti-imperialist and revolutionary youths met to analyze the realities of each people, coming from: Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Haiti, United States, Canada, Colombia, England, Venezuela, Turkey, Germany, Brazil, Mexico. These were days of important work, of profound analysis on the issues dealt with that, together with cultural and sports activities, promoted the integration of the countries and peoples taking part. An important part of the youth who are promoting changes in the world and are fighting in different continents and regions met in the Dominican Republic to discuss their realities, to make known their demands and to agree on the international tasks of the youths who desire profound transformations for their peoples. The 25th Camp demands from us a fundamental task, the work for the 26th IAFAIYC to be held in another corner of the planet in 2018 and that already demands our preparation and work. The discussions taken up during the Camp reflect the common problems that we young people have in the world: unemployment, exploitation, lack of access to education, discrimination and criminalization, among others, which the capitalist system subjects us to permanently, as it does to other social sectors of each of our peoples. The discussions taken up during the Camp show us that the enemies of the youths and peoples of the world are common: the ruling classes of each of our countries, the bourgeoisies; the imperialist powers that are trying at all times to secure the economic, cultural and political dependence of our peoples; the international monopolies that take over our territories to loot our natural resources and condemn the workers to low-paid work-days. We thus declare that the fundamental opponents of the rights and interests of the youths and peoples of the world are capitalism and imperialism. In various countries, imperialism’s thirst for profit is promoting a tendency toward fascism in certain states and therefore they use the most reactionary violence, they promote the criminalization of social protest, terrorism, drug trafficking, para-militarism, and through these means of intimidation and oppression they are trying to contain the determined struggle that is being taken up in the different countries and these phenomena are being aggravated. In this context, on October 10, 2015, in Ankara Turkey an attack took place on a demonstration of democratic sectors that rejected the repressive and anti-popular policy of the Erdogan regime. It left 245 injured and 95 dead, of whom four were young comrades who were part of the 24th IAFAIYC held in Izmir, Turkey, two years ago. On February 3, 2014, a communist militant from the state of Morelos, Mexico, Gustavo Alejandro Salgado Delgado, who began his political action at the 19th IAFAIYC in Mexico, was assassinated by the state. Today the youth of the world are holding high the banners of justice for these fallen comrades, they are denouncing the repressive actions of these regimes and their moves toward fascism, which are a reflection of their weakness, because their institutions have lost their authority and are no longer able to continue ruling as they did before. During the 25th IAFAIYC, the youths of Venezuela, the popular organizations and the sectors of the Left endured the forced disappearance and later assassination of comrade Julio Blanco, who attended and was one of the organizers of the 23rd International Camp held in that country in 2012. For our comrades fallen in the midst of struggle, who together with us and thousands more men and women dreamed of a different world, in which we would all be truly free, we raise our voices and our fists demanding justice and prison for those responsible. We make a determined commitment to continue their battles in each of our countries until we achieve victory. Those of us who attended the 25th IAFAIYC came from different corners of the planet and we discussed our struggles and battles. In Europe hundreds of thousands of young people have taken to the streets to reject the neoliberal labor reforms aimed at curtailing the rights of young workers, subjecting them to increasingly harsh work days, with ever-decreasing wages in a context in which the capitalist states are strengthening their adjustment policies, which are anti-worker, anti-people and they are trying to place this burden on the peoples and make its consequences fall on the peoples, workers and youths. In the Americas, banners are raised in defense of public, secular, quality and universal education against the ruling corrupt right-wing regimes, which discriminate against the youth. We demand a greater budget for social services; we reject the anti-popular laws and policies in different countries that curtail the rights and freedoms of youth. In all the corners of the planet we constantly dream and struggle to win a world radically different from the one that capitalism gives us and to which imperialism subjects us; we struggle for life and freedom, for a real democracy so that we who create the wealth are the ones who we can define the future of our peoples. With the same force and intensity, we discussed our problems, we expressed our solidarity with the peoples struggling for their independence, for recognition of their territories such as Palestine and the Kurdish people, against forced displacement, against the discriminatory policies that legitimize wars and hunger to which capitalism and imperialism subject millions of men and women in countries such as Kenya, Somalia and Haiti. We express our solidarity and support for the men and women of the world who have become refugees due to the aggression promoted by the imperialist powers, which are taking place in regions such as the Middle East. We condemn the imperialist wars that seek to plunder the resources of the peoples; we reject the interventions of the world powers that seek to expand their zones of influence and increase their degree of subjection; we want no more wars in which the young people are forced to become cannon fodder of the violence of the system, we demand peace and self-determination for the peoples of the world. We emphasize the role of women as essential protagonists in the social transformations and the productive development of the peoples; we recognize and reject the conditions of super-exploitation and structural violence of which they are victims. We reject all forms of sexual discrimination and oppression as we condemn their patriarchal and misogynist character, a product of the imperialist-capitalist system. The unity of the workers of the world is fundamental for our demands and aspirations to be met, to stop the policies of terror of the capitalist states; it is indispensable to strengthen the principle of internationalism, to promote solidarity among the youths of the world. We are building the unity of the youths, workers and peoples through the exchange of experiences, broad and democratic discussion of our problems, political accords that denounce the evils of capitalism and imperialism in all corners of the planet. We are following and supporting the struggles that are unfolding in different countries, and especially the struggle and mobilization that we are developing in each of our countries in defense of our rights and interests and those of our peoples. Only in this way can we stop the looting, war, fascism and the whole imperialist policy imposed on the broad majority subjected to and exploited by capitalism and imperialism. This camp is a reflection of the joy and rebellion of the youths of the world, of the renewing character of those of us who feel angry and demand profound transformations in each of our countries. All the energies of the youths of the world, all the battles that we take up should be aimed in one direction, against capitalism and imperialism, in order to break the chains of exploitation, domination, oppression, discrimination and dependency to which we are subjected. hey must be directed toward profound changes, that will guarantee the victory of the emancipation of each of our peoples. The course that the young people of the planet who are struggling against capitalism, imperialism and fascism must take should be one of the revolution and the building of a new society, a socialist society. Let us lift up our voices, our struggle and the unity of the anti-fascist and anti-imperialist youth of the world! Santo Domingo Dominican Republic, August 10, 2016 Organizations that Signed the Resolutions of the 25th International Anti-Fascist and Anti-Imperialist Youth Camp: Revolutionary Youth of Ecuador National Student Coordinator – Mexico Union of Revolutionary Youth of Mexico Federation of Socialist Peasant Students of Mexico Movement of Popular Organizations – Haiti Union of Rebel Youth – Brazil Delegation of Puerto Rico Current of Anti-Fascist and Anti-Imperialist Youth – Venezuela Caribbean Youth – Dominican Republic Flavio Suero Student Front – Dominican Republic The 25th International Camp discussed the particular problems of each of the participating countries; their debates allow us to affirm and endorse the present political agreements, which express the analysis and denunciation of their problems and the banners of struggle that the youths of each peoples are taking up in their respective territories. Venezuela is facing an economic, political and social crisis. This is taking place in the context of the general crisis of capitalism, of the condition imposed by the continuing dependency and is now in a process of renegotiating its economy, affected mainly by the low price of oil and the sabotage by the bourgeoisie. It has a democratic and popular government, but one that has acted by conciliating the interests of the proletarian class as a solution to the crisis. All these factors, coupled with a strong imperialist offensive, are contributing to a sharpening of the contradictions of the class struggle in this country. The different scenarios were presented, in which the bourgeoisie is seeking as soon as possible to retake full power in order to suppress the popular movement. Against this this revolutionary youth, together with the workers, peasants and community organization, is raising the banner of anti-imperialist revolutionary popular unity, UPRA, which is the platform that today calls on us to bring together a broad accumulation of all the popular, democratic and revolutionary forces against imperialist intervention and fascist reaction. The 25th IAFAIYC held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, between August 3 and 10, 2016, expresses its solidarity with the youth, workers and peoples of Ecuador who are promoting unity and struggle in opposition to the government of Rafael Correa that, with a leftist discourse, is promoting reforms aimed at consolidating capitalism and affecting the popular sectors. We representatives of the 12 countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas join with the struggle taken up by the student movement against the government policy aimed at reserving education for the elite and imposing improvised reforms that threaten educational rights, as well as the repression against hundreds of students and social leaders. We support – in that sense – the demand for the dismissal of Education Minister Augusto Espinosa who is currently facing a political trial for incompetence; we stand in solidarity with Cotopaxi Technical, Andean and FLACSO [Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences] universities that are being attacked by the government. We reject the attempt to make illegal the historic teachers’ union, the National Union of Educators, a measure that is one more fruitless attempt by the regime to silence the voice of the largest union in Ecuador, the representative of the teachers and promoter of an emancipating education. Finally, we wish for the success of the National Accord for Change, a unitary candidacy based on the unity achieved among union sectors, the indigenous and social movements that, after defeating the government in the days of popular mobilization, is prepared to take part in the next electoral process and defeat the right-wing that is governing and the traditional sectors that seek to recover lost ground. Education has a multiple effect on human development, therefore in our country the lack of this tool forces us to accept the capitalist and imperialist propositions; in this regard, we are firm in our resolve to fight against the empire by means of Education. As anti-imperialist youths, we understand that it is indispensable to support the struggle for the liberation of the peoples. That is why we express our full support for the struggle for the independence of Puerto Rico. This is a necessity to weaken the imperial domination in the Caribbean region and our Americas. In addition, this will save our youth from the oppression of the empire that, besides expressing itself through its neoliberalism, is now taking on new intensity with Fiscal Control Board, established by the Congress of the United States. Similarly, we understand the importance of the political integration among the rank and file movements of our peoples. We propose an Antillean federation as a political tool to concretize and give strength to the struggle to expel the Yankee invader from our territories in the Caribbean. Moreover, we demand the freedom of all political prisoners and prisoners of war in the Yankee jails. We must never leave behind our comrades in the dungeons. They are revolutionary comrades who understood the consequences of the revolutionary struggle and took it up with discipline and commitment. The development of the policies in Europe is the result of the war in the Middle East and the refugee crisis. After the explosions in some European countries, a state of emergency was declared, as in France and Belgium, which is why many young people and the opposition have been confronted by force. The right-wing parties and organizations in Europe have used the explosions and refugees in order to spread their ideas. Hundreds of young people have taken to the streets against such ideas with an anti-fascist struggle. Moreover, the workers and youth in France are taking up the fight against the anti-democratic, labor law; for many months, the population has taken to the streets fighting for their future. Day by day fascism is gaining strength in Turkey, under the shadow of explosions and war; one single man, Erdogan, is increasing persecution and under him, a one-party dictatorship is being built. Due to this, the working class, the laboring people, youth and women are forced to live in a world of darkness and oppression. However, if they hide the sun from us we will fight in the darkness. As youth of Turkey, we will continue our struggle for bread, peace, work and freedom. We say to the world that what we have done here we will bring back to our country in order to strengthen international solidarity. The regime’s offensive is against the youth and the whole Mexican people. The implementation of the 12 structural reforms is to ensure maximum profit and the plunder of our natural resources by imperialism, mainly U.S. imperialism. To ensure this, the state is imposing measures with a fascist content; Mexico is now experiencing an arduous struggle due to the events of September 26 and 27, 2014, in Iguala, Guerrero, where the comrades of the Raul Isidro Burgos rural teacher’s college in Ayotzinapa were victims of one of the most shocking repressions in the country’s history. This led to the assassination of three student teachers by firearms with one of them being killed in the most brutal manner, with his face mutilated, and the arrest and disappearance of 43 student teachers by the state. Also the National Coordinator of Education Workers (CNTE) is carrying out a nationwide strike calling for unity of all sectors of the country to combat the structural reforms, primarily the educational ones. Despite the repression that this process has undergone with a new massacre of 14 people in Nochixtlan, Oaxaca, last June 19, today we declare that the struggle against imperialism and its fascist violence should be taken up by the Mexican youth and people, defending in unity the rights we have gained and building a revolutionary process that will transform this system from its roots. For the presentation alive of the 43 student teachers of Ayotzinapa 43 who have been detained-disappeared by the state! Stop state terrorism; free the political prisoners! Solidarity and struggle with the CNTE; down with the educational reforms and all the structural reforms! Unity and struggle of all the anti-fascist and anti-imperialist youth! At the 25th IAFAIYC we state that we are living through a time of great political and economic backwardness in the country. This was no counter-revolution, because the 13 years of the Workers’ Party (PT) and its policy of class conciliation, called “coalition presidentialism,” in order to hide its actual content, never created any obstacles for the development of capitalism and the domination of the bourgeois class in the economy and politics of the country. This was done in order to protect the bosses of the workers and ensure the implementation of this policy. It is a fact that people had a number of guaranteed rights, particularly the right to demonstrate and in reality there were social programs that improved the living conditions of the poorest people, the real wage increase, the structural or deep transformation of the economy and politics. We are experiencing a period of great struggles of the youth, such as the more than 700 occupations of schools, the resistance in the universities against the cutbacks to student enrollment by the illegitimate government and the general strike of institutions and the demonstrations Temer Must Go that are now taking place at the Olympics. The Brazilian youth have always taken part with all our energy in the main struggles of the country, in support of the workers and all our people. Today we continue to play the combative role on the road to major changes for solidarity, peace and freedom in the world; we are on the march towards socialism. The young people taking part in the 25th Anti-Imperialist and Anti-Fascist International Youth Camp, IAFAIYC-2016, held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 3 to 10, 2016, extend their embrace of solidarity and combat to the struggle of the Colombian people for their social liberation, for freedoms and rights and for the structural changes that the immense majority of the exploited and oppressed desire. In addition, we raise the banner of the importance of placing at the center of the debate the fight for a true peace with redistributive social justice, that is, a peace that challenges the profound relations of exploitation of man by man and the economic model that this entails. These demands can only achieve the importance that they deserve, to the degree that a broad national dialogue on the situation in the country and the roots of the conflict is created, in order to begin the call for a National Constituent Assembly, of a democratic character and with full participation of the sectors and organizations that represent the people, analyzing all their demands and providing the conditions to choose a patriotic government of the people and for the people. Long live the just struggles of the Colombian people! Long live Peace with redistributive social justice! National Constituent Assembly now! The political system that prevails in the Dominican Republic excludes the youth from politics that are directed to the full development of their dreams and desires. The youth have been deprived of their right to study, to work and even sometimes their right to live, as a result of governments that have had as their main objective to keep our people steeped in ignorance and thus to perpetuate themselves in power without difficulty. Equity and the inclusion in the decision-making of the state should have a wider participation of the youth. There must be guarantees for developing a program that truly represents us in all areas of the state, which is responsible for ensuring the people’s rights. To summarize, organize and direct actions to take the power away from the ruling class is the most urgent task of the progressive and revolutionary youth of the Dominican Republic. Long live the 25th International Anti-Fascist and Anti-Imperialist Youth Camp!!! Long live the solidarity and unity of the peoples!!! This entry was posted in Anti-Imperialism, Brazil, Canada, Capitalism & Bourgeois Liberalism, Capitalist Crisis, Capitalist Exploitation, Capitalist Repression, Class Struggle, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Europe, Fascist Massacres, Feminism and Women's Rights, Germany, Haiti, ICMLPO (Unity & Struggle), Imperialism & Colonialism, Imperialist Massacres, Imperialist War, Internationalism, Kurdistan, Latin America, Marxism-Leninism, Mexico, Middle East, National Liberation, North America, Palestine, Puerto Rico, Racism, Social-Democracy, Socialist Revolution, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela. Bookmark the permalink. Your Author Follow The Espresso Stalinist on WordPress.com Click to subscribe to the Espresso Stalinist and get notifications of new articles by email. Subscribe to the Espresso Stalinist! E.S. Facebook Profile Victor Vaughn E.S. Facebook Page E.S. Podcast E.S. Twitter Comrade Ho Chi Minh "Uncle Ho," birth name Nguyen Sinh Cung. Ho Chi Minh translates to "He Who Enlightens." Remember the Vietnamese workers who liberated Vietnam from French colonial rule and defeated the U.S. imperialists genocide in Vietnam! Claims and Facts About the Right of Nations to Self-determination The Soviet Industrial Revolution: the Results of the First and Second Five-Year-Plans Molotov on Mao Molotov on Khrushchev Labour Party of Iran (Toufan): Long live the raging movement of the people of Iran! The Great Soviet Encyclopedia on the Great October Socialist Revolution J.V. Stalin on the Final Victory of Socialism in the U.S.S.R. Bill Bland: The Soviet Campaign Against Cosmopolitanism: 1947-1952 Fidel Castro’s Reflections: The duty to avoid a war in Korea Alliance Marxist-Leninist: The Problem of Pablo Picasso Djibouti: Chinese troops depart for first overseas military base V.I. Lenin to American Workers J.V. Stalin on Industry in Colonial Countries ICMLPO: Resolution on Turkey Russia is an Imperialist Country PFLP statement on the 50th anniversary of the June defeat: struggle to confront Zionism and imperialism Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan): Condemn the ISIS (Daesh) Criminal and Terrorist Attacks in Tehran, Iran! Workers’ Party of Tunisia Statement on the Terrorist Attacks in Iran Grover Furr: New Light On Old Stories About Marshal Tukhachevskii: Some Documents Reconsidered Communist Party Alliance: Bourgeois Democracy and Proletarian Democracy The Berlin Wall: Another Cold War Myth The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan) boycotts the farce presidential elections in Iran Soviet Democracy and Bourgeois Democracy Georgi Dimitrov to Stalin on the Question of “Social-Fascism” Communist Party of the Workers of France (PCOF): Our Position for the Second Round of the Presidential Elections Remember the Albanian Partisans! They died for our victory! “Without revolutionary theory there can be no revolutionary movement.” -- V.I. Lenin "No force, no torture, no intrigue can eradicate Marxism-Leninism from the minds and hearts of men." -- Enver Hoxha "If you do not condemn colonialism, if you do not side with the colonial people, what kind of revolution are you waging?" -- Ho Chi Minh “Every departure from class struggle has fatal results for the destiny of socialism.” "A nation which enslaves another forges its own chains." -- Karl Marx "Private property must, therefore, be abolished and in its place must come the common utilization of all instruments of production and the distribution of all products according to common agreement - in a word, what is called the communal ownership of goods." -- Friedrich Engels "The entire party and country should hurl into the fire and break the neck of anyone who dared trample underfoot the sacred edict of the party on the defense of women's rights." -- Enver Hoxha, 1967 "Today, in fact, ‘Stalinism’ has become a meaningless term of abuse employed to denote political views with which one disagrees." -- Bill Bland "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." -- Desmond Tutu “The class struggle does not disappear under the dictatorship of the proletariat; it merely assumes different forms... The class of exploiters, the landowners and capitalists, has not disappeared and cannot disappear all at once under the dictatorship of the proletariat. The exploiters have been smashed, but not destroyed. They still have an international base in the form of international capital, of which they are a branch. They still retain certain means of production in part, they still have money, they still have vast social connections." -- V.I. Lenin, 1919 "We are marching in a compact group along a precipitous and difficult path, firmly holding each other by the hand. We are surrounded on all sides by enemies, and we have to advance almost constantly under their fire. We have combined, by a freely adopted decision, for the purpose of fighting the enemy, and not of retreating into the neighbouring marsh, the inhabitants of which, from the very outset, have reproached us with having separated ourselves into an exclusive group and with having chosen the path of struggle instead of the path of conciliation. And now some among us begin to cry out: Let us go into the marsh! And when we begin to shame them, they retort: What backward people you are! Are you not ashamed to deny us the liberty to invite you to take a better road! Oh, yes, gentlemen! You are free not only to invite us, but to go yourselves wherever you will, even into the marsh. In fact, we think that the marsh is your proper place, and we are prepared to render you every assistance to get there. Only let go of our hands, don’t clutch at us and don’t besmirch the grand word freedom, for we too are ‘free’ to go where we please, free to fight not only against the marsh, but also against those who are turning towards the marsh!" -- Lenin, “What is to be Done?” "I have not brought you liberty, I found it here, among you." -- George Kastrioti "Skanderbeg" "[The children's] life will be better than ours; much of what was our life, they will not experience. Their lives will be less cruel. [...] Our generation has succeeded in doing a job of astounding historical importance. The cruelty of our life, forced upon us by conditions, will be understood and justified. It will all be understood, all of it!" "There is one, and only one, kind of real internationalism, and that is—working whole-heartedly for the development of the revolutionary movement and the revolutionary struggle in one’s own country, and supporting (by propaganda, sympathy, and material aid) this struggle, this, and only this, line, in every country without exception." "When the enemy attacks you, it means you are on the right road." "You'll hang me now, but I am not alone. There are two hundred million of us. You can't hang us all." -- Zoya Anatolyevna Kosmodemyanskaya "The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution was neither a revolution, nor great, nor cultural, and, in particular, not in the least proletarian." "Marxism is not only the theory of socialism, it is an integral world outlook, a philosophical system, from which Marx’s proletarian socialism logically follows. This philosophical system is called dialectical materialism.” -- J. V. Stalin, “Anarchism or Socialism?” "You speak of Sinified socialism. There is nothing of the sort in nature. There is no Russian, English, French, German, Italian socialism, as much as there is no Chinese socialism. There is only one Marxist-Leninist socialism." -- J.V. Stalin, 1949 “Nixon is to go to Peking! We are not in agreement. Therefore I think we should write to the Chinese a letter saying that we are opposed to this decision. Nixon is an aggressor, a murderer of peoples, an enemy of socialism — especially of Albania, which the USA has never recognised as a people’s democratic state and against which it has hatched a thousand plots. The invitation to Nixon will benefit imperialism and world reaction, and will gravely harm the new Marxist-Leninist Parties which have looked upon China and Mao Tse-tung as the pillar of the revolution and as defenders of Marxism-Leninism." "It is only the working class at the head of the masses, it is only the working class headed by its real Marxist-Leninist party, it is only the working class through armed revolution, through violence, that can and must bury the traitorous revisionists." “There were two ‘Reigns of Terror,’ if we would but remember and consider it; the one wrought murder in hot passion, the other in heartless cold blood; the one lasted mere months, the other lasted a thousand years; the one inflicted death upon ten thousand persons, the other upon a hundred millions; but our shudders are all for the “horrors” of the minor Terror, the momentary Terror, so to speak; whereas, what is the horror of swift death by the guillotine, compared with lifelong death from hunger, cold, insult, cruelty, and heart-break? What is swift death by lightning compared with death by slow fire at the stake? A city cemetery could contain the coffins filled by that brief Terror which we have all been so diligently taught to shiver at and mourn over; but all France could hardly contain the coffins filled by that older and real Terror—that unspeakably bitter and awful Terror which none of us has been taught to see in its vastness or pity as it deserves.” — Mark Twain, "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" Marx & Engels Hoxha Blake's "Visions of the Daughters of Albion" Bill Bland: Stalin & the Arts - On Marxist-Leninist Aesthetics J. Arch Getty on Stalin and Kirov Celebrate Socialism’s Victory Over Fascism! Women Hold Up Half the Sky! ¡Viva el CIPOML! Conferencia Internacional de Partidos y Organizaciones Marxista-Leninistas y el Marxismo-Leninismo! There is no Israel. There is only Palestine and occupied Palestine. 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Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 106 Part 6.djvu/373 PUBLIC LAW 102-583 —NOV. 2, 1992 106 STAT. 4931 (B) the President submits, at any other time, a certification described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of subsection (b)(1) with respect to such country, and the Congress enacts a joint resolution approving the determination of the President cont£dned in that certification. "(2) CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW PROCEDURES. —(A) Any joint resolution under this section shall be considered in the Senate in accordance with the provisions of section 601(b) of the International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976. "(B) For the purpose of expediting the consideration and enactment of joint resolutions under this section, a motion to proceed to the consideration of any such joint resolution after it has been reported by the appropriate committee shall be treated as highly privileged in the House of Representatives. "(g) DETERMINING MAJOR DRUG-TRANSIT AND MAJOR ILLICIT DRUG PRODUCING COUNTRIES AFTER SEPTEMBER 30, 1994.— "(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF GUIDELINES. — For each calendar year, the Secretary of State, after consultation with the appropriate committees of the Congress, shall establish numerical standards and other guidelines for determining which countries will be considered to be m£gor drug-transit countries under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 481(e)(5). "(2) NOTICE TO CONGRESS OF PRELIMINARY STANDARDS. — Not later than September 1 of each year, the Secretary of State shall make a preliminary determination of the numerical standards and other guidelines to be used pursuant to paragraph (1) with respect to that year and shall notify the appropriate committees of the Congress of those standards and guidelines. "(3) NOTICE TO CONGRESS OF PRELIMINARY DETERMINA- TIONS.—Not later than October 1 of each year, the Secretary of State shall notify the appropriate committees of the Congress of— "(A) which countries have been determined to be major drug-transit countries for that year under the numerical standards and other guidelines developed pursuant to this subsection; and "(B) which countries have been determined to be major illicit drug producing countries for that year.". (b) DEFINITION OF UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE.— Paragraph (4) of section 481(i) of that Act is amended to read as follows: 22 USC 2291. "(4) the term *United States assistance' means— "(A) any assistsmce under this Act (including programs under title IV of chapter 2, relating to the Overseas Private Investment Corporation), other than— "(i) assistance under this chapter, "(ii) any other narcotics-related assistcmce under this part (including chapter 4 of part II), but any such assist£ince providea under this clause shall be subject to the prior notification procedures applicable to reprogrammings pursuant to section 634A of this Act, "(iii) disaster relief assistance, including any assistance under chapter 9 of this part, "(iv) assistance which involves the provision of food (including monetization of food) or medicine, and Retrieved from "https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=Page:United_States_Statutes_at_Large_Volume_106_Part_6.djvu/373&oldid=8520991"

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Jo Johnson quits UK government over 'delusional' Brexit deal 9 November 2018 21:21 (UTC+04:00) British junior transport minister Jo Johnson said on Friday he was quitting the government over its proposed Brexit deal, calling for a second referendum and saying Britain stood on the brink of the greatest crisis since World War Two, Reuters reports. Here is the text of the resignation statement of Johnson, brother of former foreign minister Boris Johnson. “Brexit has divided the country. It has divided political parties. And it has divided families too. Although I voted Remain, I have desperately wanted the Government, in which I have been proud to serve, to make a success of Brexit: to reunite our country, our party and, yes, my family too. At times, I believed this was possible. That’s why I voted to start the Article 50 process and for two years have backed the Prime Minister in her efforts to secure the best deal for the country. But it has become increasingly clear to me that the Withdrawal Agreement, which is being finalised in Brussels and Whitehall even as I write, will be a terrible mistake. “Indeed, the choice being presented to the British people is no choice at all. The first option is the one the Government is proposing: an agreement that will leave our country economically weakened, with no say in the EU rules it must follow and years of uncertainty for business. The second option is a “no deal” Brexit that I know as a Transport Minister will inflict untold damage on our nation. To present the nation with a choice between two deeply unattractive outcomes, vassalage and chaos, is a failure of British statecraft on a scale unseen since the Suez crisis. My constituents in Orpington deserve better than this from their Government. “What is now being proposed won’t be anything like what was promised two years ago. “Hopes for ‘the easiest trade deal in history’ have proved to be delusions. Contrary to promises, there is in fact no deal at all on our future trading relationship with the EU which the government can present to the country. Still less anything that offers the ‘exact same benefits’ as the Single Market, as David Davis promised, or the ‘precise guarantees of frictionless trade’ that the Prime Minister assured us would be available. All that is now being finalised is the agreement to pay the EU tens of billions of pounds. All that may be on offer on trade is the potential for an agreement to stay in a temporary customs arrangement while we discuss the possibility of an EU trade deal that all experience shows will take many years to negotiate. “Even if we eventually secure a customs arrangement for trade in goods, it will be bad news for the service sector — for firms in finance, in IT, in communications and digital technology. Maintaining access to EU markets for goods is important, but we are fundamentally a services economy. Many in Orpington, for example, are among the two million Britons employed in financial services, commuting into the center of London to jobs of all kinds in the City. Countries across the world go to great lengths to attract financial and professional services jobs from our shores. An agreement that sharply reduces access to EU markets for financial services — or leaves us vulnerable to regulatory change over which we will have no influence — will hurt my constituents and damage one of our most successful sectors. “While we wait to negotiate trading terms, the rules of the game will be set solely by the EU. Britain will lose its seat at the table and its ability to amend or vote down rules it opposes. Instead of Britain ‘taking back control’, we will cede control to other European countries. This democratic deficit inherent in the Prime Minister’s proposal is a travesty of Brexit. When we were told Brexit meant taking back powers for Parliament, no one told my constituents this meant the French parliament and the German parliament, not our own. In these circumstances, we must ask what we are achieving. William Hague once described the goal of Conservative policy as being ‘in Europe, but not run by Europe’. The government’s proposals will see us out of Europe, yet run by Europe, bound by rules which we will have lost a hand in shaping. “Worse still, there is no real clarity about how this situation will ever end. The proposed Withdrawal Agreement parks many of the biggest issues about our future relationship with Europe into a boundless transitionary period. This is a con on the British people: there is no evidence that the kind of Brexit that we’ve failed to negotiate while we are still members can be magically agreed once the UK has lost its seat at the table. The leverage we have as a full member of the EU will have gone. We will be in a far worse negotiating position than we are today. And we will have still failed to resolve the fundamental questions that are ramping up uncertainties for businesses and stopping them investing for the future. “My brother Boris, who led the leave campaign, is as unhappy with the Government’s proposals as I am. Indeed he recently observed that the proposed arrangements were ‘substantially worse than staying in the EU’. On that he is unquestionably right. If these negotiations have achieved little else, they have at least united us in fraternal dismay. “The argument that the government will present for the Withdrawal Agreement ‘deal’ is not that it is better for Britain than our current membership. The Prime Minister knows that she cannot honestly make the claim that the deal is an improvement on Britain’s current arrangements with the EU and, to her credit, refuses to do so. The only case she can try to make is that it is better than the alternative of leaving the EU with no deal at all. “Certainly, I know from my own work at the Department of Transport the potential chaos that will follow a ‘no deal’ Brexit. It will cause disruption, delay and deep damage to our economy. There are real questions about how we will be able to guarantee access to fresh food and medicine if the crucial Dover-Calais trade route is clogged up. The government may have to take control of prioritizing which lorries and which goods are allowed in and out of the country, an extraordinary and surely unworkable intervention for a government in an advanced capitalist economy. The prospect of Kent becoming the Lorry Park of England is very real in a no deal scenario. Orpington residents bordering Kent face disruption from plans to use the nearby M26, connecting the M25 to the M20, as an additional queuing area for heavy goods vehicles backed up all the way from the channel ports. This prospect alone would be a resigning matter for me as a constituency MP, but it is just a facet of a far greater problem facing the nation. “Yet for all its challenges and for all the real pain it would cause us as we adapt to new barriers to trade with our biggest market, we can ultimately survive these difficulties. I believe it would be a grave mistake for the government to ram through this deal by once again unleashing Project Fear. A ‘no deal’ outcome of this sort may well be better than the never ending purgatory the Prime Minister is offering the country. But my message to my brother and to all Leave campaigners is that inflicting such serious economic and political harm on the country will leave an indelible impression of incompetence in the minds of the public. It cannot be what you wanted nor did the 2016 referendum provide any mandate for it. “Given that the reality of Brexit has turned out to be so far from what was once promised, the democratic thing to do is to give the public the final say. This would not be about re-running the 2016 referendum, but about asking people whether they want to go ahead with Brexit now that we know the deal that is actually available to us, whether we should leave without any deal at all or whether people on balance would rather stick with the deal we already have inside the European Union. “To those who say that is an affront to democracy given the 2016 result, I ask this. Is it more democratic to rely on a three year old vote based on what an idealized Brexit might offer, or to have a vote based on what we know it does actually entail? “A majority of Orpington voters chose to leave the EU in 2016 and many of the close friends I have there, among them hard-working local Conservative Party members, are passionately pro-Brexit. I respect their position. But I know from meetings I have had with local members that many are as dismayed as me by the course of negotiations and about the actual choice now on offer. Two and a half years on, the practical Brexit options are now clear and the public should be asked to choose between the different paths facing our country: we will all have different positions on that choice, but I think many in my local party, in the Orpington constituency and around the country would welcome having the last word on the Government’s Brexit proposals. “Britain stands on the brink of the greatest crisis since the Second World War. My loyalty to my party is undimmed. I have never rebelled on any issue before now. But my duty to my constituents and our great nation has forced me to act. I have today written to the Prime Minister asking her to accept my resignation from the Government. It is now my intention to vote against this Withdrawal Agreement. I reject this false choice between the PM’s deal and ‘no deal’ chaos. On this most crucial of questions, I believe it is entirely right to go back to the people and ask them to confirm their decision to leave the EU and, if they choose to do that, to give them the final say on whether we leave with the Prime Minister’s deal or without it. “To do anything less will do grave damage to our democracy.” UK envoy: January 20 martyrs played special role in restoring Azerbaijan’s independence (VIDEO) Europe 19 January 04:39 Javid aims to double UK growth after Brexit UK government plans light show to mark moment of Brexit World 18 January 07:18 UK PM Johnson meets Bank of England's Carney to discuss climate finance Hyundai, Kia invest $110 million in UK electric van startup Arrival Ltd Other News 16 January 11:32

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Lentis/Doom: Violent Video Games and Controversy 1 Controversy over Violence Before Doom 2 Origins and History 3 Technological Innovation 4 Release and Widespread Success 5 Columbine 6 Aftermath and Modern Day 7 Lessons from Doom Controversy over Violence Before Doom[edit] The early 1990s saw an important turning point in the history of video games in the United States, especially in regards to how the industry treated violent games. 1992 and 1993 saw the release of a number of extremely controversial games, such as Lethal Enforcers, Night Trap, and Mortal Kombat.[1][2][3] At the time, there was no unified ratings system for games, and it could be difficult for parents to discern the kind of content that a game would contain. [4] Even the same game could have vary wildly between different versions. Nintendo had policies in place that limited the level of violence and sex that could be shown in their games, while SEGA was much more permissive. As a result, the version of Mortal Kombat released for Nintendo's SNES console had significantly less on-screen blood than the version for the SEGA Genesis.[5] On December 9th, 1993 the senate to held a hearing to discuss violent video games. At this hearing they hoped to gather the perspectives of relevant groups, including key figures from Nintendo of America and SEGA of America, as well as educators and other stakeholders. [5] Senators Joseph Lieberman, Byron Dorgan, and Herbert Kohl felt that with the holiday season approaching, the senate needed to act in order to curtail the level of violence and sex in games sold to children. [5] To demonstrate how inappropriate games were becoming, these senators showed video footage of two games, Night Trap and Mortal Kombat. [5] Night Trap was a game that tasked the player with protecting a group of women from vampires.[6] Even though there was no nudity, the game was still extremely voyeuristic and not necessarily appropriate for children.[6] The senators recommended that Night Trap be removed from shelves, and SEGA ultimately complied in January 1994.[7] While Night Trap was controversial for its sexual nature, Mortal Kombat was chosen as a game portraying extreme violence. In Mortal Kombat, the player fights to the death with another character, and upon winning a match is told to execute a "fatality" or finishing move, which were often extremely graphic. [8] ESRB Ratings. The current main ESRB ratings. While the senators did not want to impose policies that might be construed as censorship, they felt that if the game manufacturers did not make the creation of a voluntary ratings system a high priority, then congress would need to intervene.[5] From this mandate, the rating body known as the Entertainment Software Review Board (ESRB) was born.[4] The ESRB, formally started in 1994, rates games based on their suitability for different aged audiences. The system was entirely voluntary; however, most major retailers agreed not to stock games rated AO and to check IDs for games rated M.[9] Additionally, the console manufactures agreed not to license their console technology to games rated AO.[10] As a result, AO games have extremely limited economic viability, and publishers have a strong incentive to avoid the rating. The ESRB is also able to use the AO rating to force publishers to change or re-release their titles, as occurred when Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was re-rated to AO following the discovery of a hack that could expose sexual content in the game. [11] Origins and History[edit] The December 9th hearings on violence in video games focused primarily on games for home consoles, but on December 10th 1993, one day later, Texas game developer id Software released Doom for the PC, a game that introduced incredible technical innovation paired with a new level of violence. After id Software released Wolfenstein 3D in May of 1992, most of the company began work on a sequel, titled Spear of Destiny. This left John Carmack, a software engineer at id, to improve Wolfenstein 3D's engine. Tom Hall, creative director of Doom, wrote the game's design document, which he titled the Doom Bible. Hall wanted Doom to tell a story, unlike Wolfenstein 3D; however, the other developers, specifically John Carmack disagreed. These disputes ultimately led to Hall being forced to resign in mid-1993. With Hall gone, most of the plans in the Doom Bible were left out of the game in favor of a more simplistic approach. Technological Innovation[edit] Doom map format. Height changes were now plausible as a result of improvements in the engine, resulting in much more realistic environments. The Doom engine heavily extended Wolfenstein 3D's, which resulted in extremely realistic 3D graphics compared to other games of the time. The new engine supported height differences, texture-mapped floor and ceilings, and non-perpendicular walls, which allowed designers to create much more interesting level layouts. The game allowed for dynamic components, such as platforms that raise and lower themselves, which made the environment more believable and interactive. While the graphics may seem primitive today, the stereo sound, shadows, and variable lighting created an atmosphere that many players found terrifying. Doom was also able to import custom content files, which allowed players to create their own levels and share them with friends. For many years after Doom's launch, a vibrant community continued to create and play these custom levels. Release and Widespread Success[edit] Doom was released as shareware on December 10, 1993, and was estimated to be installed on more than 10 million computers by 1995. Doom sold 1.1 million copies between 1993 and 1999, making it the 8th bestselling game of that time. During the same time period, its sequel, Doom 2, sold 1.5 million copies, placing 3rd.[12] id software stated jokingly in a press release that Doom was expected to be "the number one cause of decreased productivity in businesses around the world". [13] The game had a large following among tech companies and universities, forcing Intel and Carnegie Mellon University to issue policies forbidding Doom during work. An entire genre of games was made to emulate the style of Doom [14], at the time called "Doom Clones". One of the most noteable Doom Clones was Duke Nukem 3D [15], a shareware title released in January 1996 by 3D Realms. Duke Nukem 3D made over $7 million [16] and had very similar gameplay to the original Doom. In late 1997, the term lost popularity in favor of the more general term "First Person Shooter". This shift coincides with the release of Rare Ltd.'s GoldenEye 007, which borrowed many elements from Doom [17], but brought the genre from PC's to standard consoles. As Doom continued to be an influence in games, a developer of 1998's acclaimed First-Person Shooter, Half Life, stated that "Most definitely: we wanted to scare you like Doom did. Doom was a huge influence on most of us, and we really look on Doom as a brilliant achievement. It fathered the first-person shooter industry." [18] Popularity of the phrases "Doom Clone" and "First Person Shooter" over time. Upon its release, Doom was banned in Germany for "bloody sadistic" violence, and was relegated in adult-only stores [19]. In July 2011, the game was unbanned, stating that the game now only had artistic and scientific interest and would not be appealing to children. Columbine[edit] On April 20th 1999, students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold of Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado effected the then most violent school shooting in the United States. Harris and Klebold wounded twenty-one fellow students and killed twelve students, a teacher, and themselves. Groups from concerned parents to psychologists criticized everything from Harris and Klebold’s favorite bands to the prescription antidepressants Harris took. Among the hobbies criticized were violent computer games such as Doom and Wolfenstein 3D[20]. Eric Harris’ passion for Doom was significant partly because numerous levels he created still exist. Though Harris created many different levels – including one that resembled the equally violent Mortal Kombat, all of his levels feature excessive gore. In a level named “Deathmatching in Bricks,” which Harris designed for player vs. player games, the player can see multiple different impaled or disemboweled space marines, some of which twitch perpetually on the pikes[21]. Rumors, which were later shown to be false, claimed that Doom levels mapped out Columbine High School and contained featured students as enemies[22]. Though Harris’ custom Doom levels were excessively gory, many otherwise normal players created intentionally violent Doom levels for the fun of it; Harris’ having created disturbing levels did not implicate the game per se. In footage Harris and Klebold made in the basement of Harris’ house, Harris states that the shooting will “be like [expletive] Doom” and shortly thereafter describes his sawed-off shotgun as being “straight out of Doom.” Furthermore, Harris named his 12-gauge pump shotgun “Arlene” after Arlene Sanders of the Doom novels[23]. Considering the custom levels, the apparent daydreaming, and the naming of the shotgun, Doom likely helped Harris and Klebold imagine killing their classmates. At the least, their references to the game help in understanding why violent video games received some of the blame for the shooting. Aftermath and Modern Day[edit] Two years after the shooting, parents of the victims sued makers of violent video games. Filed on behalf of the slain teacher, Dave Sanders, companies named included Sony, AOL, maker of Doom ID Software, and Atari. Twenty-five companies were named in total. The lawsuit itself stated “absent the combination of extremely violent video games and these boys' incredibly deep involvement, use of and addiction to these games and the boys' basic personalities, these murders and this massacre would not have occurred” and sought $5 billion in damages. The case, however, was thrown out by the federal judge[24]. More recently, a California bill attempting to restrict the sale of violent video games to children under 18 was struck down at the Supreme Court. In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court stated that video games qualify for first amendment protection. Though psychological studies suggest that the interactivity of video games separates them from television programs or graphic comic books, the legal system has established and confirmed precedent asserting that they are effectively the same[25]. In the wake of the tragedy, psychological studies done on the effects of violent video games begin to specifically mention Doom and its involvement in the Columbine massacre. Though studies on the effects of violence in video games on aggression and behavior were not necessarily in reaction to the Columbine massacre, those such as Craig Anderson’s “Video Games and Aggressive Thoughts” contain specific reference to Eric Harris and Doom[26]. The continued reference to Columbine through as recently as 2008 in Chris Ferguson’s “The School Shooting/Violent Video Game Link” [27]suggest that Doom and Columbine have come to be the symbolize the relationship between violent video games and troubled youth. Lessons from Doom[edit] The disparity between the way Doom's violent content was treated in Germany, and how Night Trap's sexual content was treated in the United States demonstrates the significant role that cultural values play in determining how products will be received. Doom's failure to take into account differing cultural values denied them access to consumers in a country that now has a thriving PC games culture.[28] Likewise, the ESRB leveraged how strongly Americans value free speech to create a voluntary review board instead of a government body. The ESRB itself also contributed to Doom's success in the United States. While the game was not rated for the original PC release, its debuts on other platforms were, and the system's high success rate at keeping games out of children's hands may have kept the worst controversy at bay.[9][29] By agreeing to self-regulate and making concessions to the opposition before congress intervened, the gaming industry may have allowed games like Doom to release without fear of censorship. Furthermore, given that the courts protect violent video games and that the ESRB succeeds in informing consumers, the path to resolving objections over consumer products may lie in cooperation rather than legal confrontation. ↑ http://games.ign.com/articles/919/919357p1.html ↑ http://cheats.ign.com/objects/012/012402.html ↑ http://www.gamefaqs.com/segacd/920185-night-trap/data ↑ a b http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/the-needles/1300-Inappropriate-Content-A-Brief-History-of-Videogame-Ratings-and-the-ESRB.2 ↑ a b c d e http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/52848-1 ↑ a b http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/nighttrap/nighttrap.htm ↑ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-870489.html ↑ http://www.eyecrave.net/gaming/all-gaming-news/43-all/3132-mortal-kombat-retrospektive-mortal-kombat-1992 ↑ a b http://www.esrb.org/ratings/faq.jsp#7 ↑ http://www.gamespot.com/news/6172830.html ↑ http://www.hyw.com/Books/WargamesHandbook/Introduc.htm ↑ http://books.google.com/books?id=yyaxyKjyp2YC&lpg=PA161&ots=tCl9eAKES1&dq=doom%20deathmatch%20productivity&pg=PA161#v=onepage&q=doom%20deathmatch%20productivity&f=false ↑ http://bluesuncorp.co.uk/article/top-ten-doom-clones ↑ http://www.thecomputershow.com/computershow/reviews/dukenukem3d.htm ↑ http://www.shacknews.com/article/61747/3dr-teases-numerous-duke-nukem ↑ http://i.imgur.com/07A0d.png ↑ http://5years.doomworld.com/interviews/harryteasley/page3.shtml ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14748027 ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-04-13-columbine-myths_N.htm ↑ http://acolumbinesite.com/eric/doom.html ↑ http://www.snopes.com/horrors/madmen/doom.asp ↑ http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Transcripts_of_%22The_Basement_Tapes%22_of_Eric_Harris_and_Dylan_Klebold ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1295920.stm ↑ http://www.nationaljournal.com/tech/supreme-court-strikes-down-california-s-nobr-video-game-nobr-law-20110627 ↑ http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2000-08135-012 ↑ http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=3e37981d-0e2c-49f8-8b8e-1d49fdfd1df8%40sessionmgr111&vid=6&hid=127 ↑ http://kotaku.com/5832820/germany-loves-pc-gaming/gallery/1 ↑ http://www.esrb.org/ratings/search.jsp?title=doom&fromHome=fromHome Retrieved from "https://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=Lentis/Doom:_Violent_Video_Games_and_Controversy&oldid=3650955"

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Ashington, West Sussex St Peter and St Paul's Church Location within West Sussex 2,351 [1] 2001 Census 2,526 (2011 Census)[2] • London 41 miles (66 km) NNE Shire county Dialling code South East Coast Arundel and South Downs http://www.ashingtonpc.org.uk/ List of places 50°56′01″N 0°23′28″W / 50.93365°N 0.39109°W / 50.93365; -0.39109Coordinates: 50°56′01″N 0°23′28″W / 50.93365°N 0.39109°W / 50.93365; -0.39109 Ashington is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the A24 road 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of Storrington. The parish has a land area of 805 hectares (1989 acres). In the 2001 census 2351 people lived in 905 households, of whom 1286 were economically active. The 2011 Census population was 2,526[2] The ancient Anglican parish church is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul. Ashington won two regional categories (Business and Community Life) in the Calor Village of the Year competition in 2001 and was the overall Southern region winner in 2003.[3] Metrobus operate bus route 23 which links the village to Worthing, Horsham and Crawley. Sport[edit] Ashington Cougars has football teams from under 6 to under 16 and play in the Horsham and District Youth Football League. Started in 1999 it has grown into a successful club attaining Charter Development status with Sussex FA in 2009, one of only 14 clubs in the whole of Sussex. 2011 saw the club become a finalist in the Sussex "Sports Club of the Year" awards where it was recognised for its work in player and community development.[4] ^ a b "2001 Census: West Sussex – Population by Parish" (PDF). West Sussex County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2009. ^ a b "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 27 September 2016. ^ Calor results website Archived September 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine ^ "F A CHARTER STANDARD CLUBS" (PDF). The FA. 10 January 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2011. Media related to Ashington, West Sussex at Wikimedia Commons Ashington in the Domesday Book Settlements in Horsham District Steyning Villages and hamlets Adversane Annington Barns Green Billingshurst Bines Green Botolphs Bramber Broadbridge Heath Broadford Bridge Brooks Green Buncton Codmore Hill Coldwaltham Coneyhurst Coolham Cootham Copsale Dial Post Dragon's Green Edburton Faygate Graylands Greatham Heath Common Henfield Itchingfield Kingsfold Lambs Green Littlehaven Littleworth Lower Beeding Mannings Heath Maplehurst Marehill Monk's Gate North Heath Nutbourne Nuthurst Partridge Green Roffey Rowhook Rudgwick Rusper Shermanbury Slinfold Small Dole Southwater Storrington Sullington Thakeham Tisman's Common Upper Beeding Warminghurst Warnham Watersfield West Chiltington West Chiltington Common West Grinstead Wiggonholt Wiston Civil parishes List of civil parishes in Horsham district This West Sussex location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ashington,_West_Sussex&oldid=918706167" Horsham District Calor Village of the Year Villages in West Sussex West Sussex geography stubs OpenDomesday

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#VeteransDay Jim Lynch: My Favorite Veteran November 30, 2015 November 30, 2015 Enduring Gloucester 4 Comments Justin Demetri On a rainy Armistice Day my thoughts and prayers go out to my favorite Vet, James J. Lynch as he recovers from a serious fall…Get well my friend. To me the most interesting man in the world is not the guy from the Dos Equis commercials; it is a 91-year-old gentleman who lives down the Fort in what many of us still call “Dutchie’s House.” For over 15 years, Jim Lynch has been more than a best friend, he’s my mentor, my Master Yoda, if you will; and along with the late great Joe Garland another set of shoulders that I stand upon. Jim has been so influential to me that it’s hard to pinpoint all that he has done. But anyone who has talked with Jim, either down the Fort playground, at the Sawyer Free Library, or even aboard the schooner ARDELLE, realizes very quickly that he has lived a life straight out of a Hollywood script. In honor of his service, here are just a few of his adventures during World War II. As a kid Jim spent his summers aboard his family’s fishing schooners where he learned the art of navigation from his grandfather and uncles. By 1939, with German U-Boats starting their patrols, his grandfather was reluctant to have him aboard. When America joined the Allies in 1941, Jim signed on to the Merchant Marine, and with his fishing background was made a lieutenant. He was to be a navigator on the perilous Murmansk Runs – large, poorly protected convoys to the Soviet port of Murmansk to keep the USSR in the war. Part of his training was an intensive crash-course in conversational Russian that would serve him far beyond the war years. In May of 1942, Jim was part of a convoy on its way to Murmansk from Philadelphia. While steaming past Jan Mayen Island in the Arctic Ocean, German bombers came in almost at mast-height and bombed the ships. A direct hit sent Jim into the icy water as the ship went down. The long day this far North allowed him to find some floating wreckage to climb upon. As he lay floating there with hypothermia beginning to take hold, he was rescued by the Soviet freighter the STARY BOLSHEVIK, heading to Murmansk with a cargo of high-octane gasoline from Texas. They threw a line and Jim had just enough energy to tie a bowline around his waist as they hauled him on deck. He was surprised to find the captain and all of the officers were women. They did not waste time as they set him up on the ship’s boiler to get his core body temperature back, while on the way to Murmansk. When Jim tells this story today he usually ends it with “it made a Christian out of me.” Jim’s ship was ordered to deliver mobile artillery during the landing at Salerno. The captain of this ship didn’t like Jim, one time saying, “You’re Irish, You’re a fisherman and you’re from the North….You’ll never be any good to me.” He ordered Jim to the battle bridge in the stern. By exiling him aft he saved Jim’s life. German fighter bombers swept in equipped with the latest in Nazi super weapons: Hs model remote guided rockets, the precursor to today’s cruise missiles. One of these flew right into the bridge and killed most of the bridge crew. Now it was up to Jim, highest ranking surviving officer, to run back to the ruined bridge and pull the damaged ship out of the line. I won’t describe what he found once he got there, but I have no idea how he sleeps at night… The Raid at Bari Jim barely survived the German raid at Bari, Italy in 1943. The Allies had ships filled with mustard gas containers in the port. The official story is that these banned weapons were being prepared in case the Nazis used chemical weapons in Yugoslavia or Greece. Jim knew what was on the ships–his ship was tied up next to them. When the German bombers flew over the ships and dropped conventional bombs, the mustard gas in the ship holds was released. Jim was once again thrown overboard from an explosion, but this time he was covered in oil, contaminated with mustard gas. Jim was mostly blind for the next three months but fared better than the 2000 military and civilians that were killed from the gas. This little known event was covered up until the late 1950’s. Jim had many more exploits during the war, which took him to most of the major Allied ports, from Archangel to Asmara. He spent time in the Adriatic ferrying Frogmen and Partisans from Italy to Yugoslavia under German fire. It was there he met members of Italy’s exiled nobility fighting for the Allies and became life-long friends with the Duke of Colonna, the Count of Montezemolo and Venetian banking families. By the end of the war in Europe, Jim was back in the Soviet Union, where he celebrated V-E Day on the Eastern Front with Russian champagne and the thunderous singing of hundreds of Cossacks. The war was over for Europe but not for Jim. Due to the fact that Jim knew where the Germans laid mines in the Black Sea, Stalin “invited” him to stay and help with their removal. Jim didn’t return home until 1947. In the 1990’s Boris Yeltsin invited Jim and the other Murmansk Run survivors to return and they were recognized as Heroes of the Great Patriotic War. This is only a sample of Jim’s war stories, but one thing they all have in common is his message that all he was trying to do was to stay alive: a fisherman who was just doing his duty for his country. Whoever Jim Lynch was before the war, a stronger but still honest and true version emerged from the USSR in 1947. And for those like me who have the privilege of knowing Jim, we know that his wartime exploits only set the stage for the amazing career and the wonderful family that would soon follow. Here’s to you Jim! Justin Demetri grew up “Down the Fort” in one of the many families that comprised Gloucester’s Italian fishing fleet. He spent his childhood among the fishermen, the boats and the wharves. At age 12, Justin gave the first cash donation to the newly arrived Schooner Adventure, leading to a friendship with author and historian Joseph E. Garland. This was the spark that would lead to a love of writing and an appreciation for the special place he still calls home. His interests include researching local maritime history and exploring his family’s Sicilian fishing heritage. His works on Italian history, culture and food can be found at LifeinItaly.com. Justin holds a degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts/Boston and is the Director of Visitor Services for the Essex Shipbuilding Museum.

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KFMB-TV Superceded Report reflects information for : First Quarter of 2017 MIDWEST TELEVISION, INC. Doing Business As: MIDWEST TELEVISION, INC. Lisa Matich 7677 ENGINEER ROAD lmatich@kfmb.com Christina Burrow 1299 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW cburrow@cooley.com Patricia Elaine Elwood Community Services Director Patricia Elwood pelwood@kfmb.com Children's Liason Alberto MieryTeran amieryteran@kfmb.com Nielsen DMA San Diego Web Home Page Address www.cbs8.com Program Title Chicken Soup for the Soul's Hidden Heroes - Channel 8.1 Days/Times Program Regularly Scheduled Saturdays @ 9am Total times aired at regularly scheduled time 7 Number of Preemptions for other than Breaking News 5 Describe the educational and informational objective of the program and how it meets the definition of Core Programming. CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL'S HIDDEN HEROES, hosted by Brooke Burke-Charvet, is a hidden camera television show developed for teens in which each episode reveals the widespread goodwill in our world by secretly capturing heroes in action as they demonstrate acts of kindness, compassion and commitment to others, Highlighted by funny, light-hearted moments, the show shines a bright light on everyday people who selflessly share their positive attitudes towards society and life with others by doing good deeds. This program is specifically designed to further the educational and informational needs of children, has educating and informing children as a significant purpose, and otherwise meets the definition of Core Programming as specified in the Commission's rules. Digital Preemption Programs #1 Title of Program Chicken Soup for the Soul's Hidden Heroes List date and time rescheduled 03/04/2017 04:00 PM Is the rescheduled date the second home? No Were promotional efforts made to notify the public of rescheduled date and time? Yes Date Preempted 2017-03-04 Reason for Preemption Sports List date and time rescheduled 02/26/2017 09:30 AM Is the rescheduled date the second home? Yes Program Title The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation - Channel 8.1 Days/Times Program Regularly Scheduled Saturdays @ 8:00am Describe the educational and informational objective of the program and how it meets the definition of Core Programming. The Henry Ford's INNOVATION NATION, hosted by Mo Rocca, features the celebration of the inventor's spirit - from historic scientific pioneers throughout past centuries to the forward-looking visionaries of today. Each episode tells the dramatic stories behind the world's greatest inventions, and the perseverance, passion and price required to bring them to life. The program includes segments focusing on 'what if it never happened' and 'the innovation by accident,' and has a strong focus on 'junior geniuses' who are changing the face of technology. This program is specifically designed to further the educational and informational needs of children, has educating and informing children as a significant purpose, and otherwise meets the definition of Core Programming as specified in the Commission's rules. Program Title Bill Nye, The Science Guy II - Channel 8.2 Days/Times Program Regularly Scheduled Sundays @ 9:30am Describe the educational and informational objective of the program and how it meets the definition of Core Programming. Bill Nye the Science Guy is a scientist wearing a lab coat and a bow-tie, mixes the serious science of everyday things with fast-paced action and humor. Each episode covers a specific scientific topic such as physics, chemistry, humans, living things, earth science, or space science. Program Title Beakman's World II - Channel 8.2 Describe the educational and informational objective of the program and how it meets the definition of Core Programming. "Beakman's World," a live-action television series based on the Universal Press Syndicate comic feature "You Can with Beakman & Jax" by Jok Church, aims to prove that learning about science, nature and how the world works can be fun and fascinating.Celebrated performance artist Paul Zaloom stars as Beakman, a humorous, always inquisitive and never boring scientist who has dedicated himself to answering kids' questions. Each upbeat half-hour in "Beakman's World" takes audiences of all ages on an exciting journey of discovery. Main topics spin off into subsets of questions and answers that reveal the relationships between principles of science and nature, and how they impact our daily lives. Akin to the comic, Beakman responds to queries by performing various eye-opening experiments to demonstrate how the world works. Topics are addressed with cutting-edge humor and state-of-the-art visuals designed to make learning fun. Program Title Beakman's World I - Channel 8.2 Days/Times Program Regularly Scheduled Sundays @ 8am Program Title Dr. Chris Pet Vet - Channel 8.1 Describe the educational and informational objective of the program and how it meets the definition of Core Programming. Chronicling the adventures of Dr. Chris Brown, DR. CHRIS PET VET allows viewers unique insight into the life of one of the world's busiest vets and the animals that he treats. For those animals that require specialist services, Dr. Chris calls on his good friend and colleague Dr. Lisa Chimes, who works at a small animal specialist hospital. The show usually consists of three segments, following the doctor as he treats various animals that are in trouble and offering the viewer opportunities to understand the challenges a veterinarian daily faces. The series focuses on how the doctor investigates the individual problem and tries to develop solutions that on the surface would seem confounding to the viewer. As such the show not only offers a view into careers in and responsibility for taking care of pets, but also into problem solving strategies and behaviors. This program is specifically designed to further the educational and informational needs of children,has educating and informing children as a significant purpose, and otherwise meets the definition of Core Programming as specified in the Commission's rules. Program Title Lucky Dog - Channel 8.1 Describe the educational and informational objective of the program and how it meets the definition of Core Programming. Animal trainer Brandon McMillan operates a training facility known as the Lucky Dog Ranch, where his mission is to rescue hard-to-love and untrained dogs and find them homes. The show focuses on exercising responsibility and on developing a sense of appreciation for life and animals. Life lessons are an integral part of the overarching theme of rescuing these animals from death and providing a second chance for life. Following McMillan's investigations into how to retrain these animals to make them welcome members in the homes of families is both educational and inspirational - encouraging this demographic to become sensitive to our own and others' behavior and teaching how we as individuals can make a difference. This program is specifically designed to further the educational and informational needs of children,has educating and informing children as a significant purpose, and otherwise meets the definition of Core Programming as specified in the Commission's rules Program Title Mystery Hunters I - Channel 8.2 Describe the educational and informational objective of the program and how it meets the definition of Core Programming. Mystery Hunters explores some of the world's greatest myths and mysteries. Combining on-site reporting and exciting adventures, the Mystery Hunters uses science and reasoning to try to uncover the truth. The program teaches children how to gather facts, meet with experts, debunk common myths, and offer explanations for legends. Program Title Bill Nye, The Science Guy I - Channel 8.2 Program Title The Inspectors - Channel 8.1 Describe the educational and informational objective of the program and how it meets the definition of Core Programming. A scripted dramatic series set in Washington, D.C., inspired by compelling real cases handled by the United States Postal Inspection Service. In the series, Preston Wainwright (Bret Green), a determined teen who is thriving after being paralyzed in a car accident, works as an intern for his U.S. Postal Inspector mom, Amanda (Jessica Lundy), helping to solve crimes ranging from Internet scams, identity and mail theft, to consumer fraud. THE INSPECTORS strives to educate young people about making the right choices in their daily lives, encourages open communication between teens and parents and includes positive messaging regarding living with disabilities, overcoming challenges, beating the odds and the power of perseverance. The United States Postal Inspection Service, the nation's oldest federal law enforcement agency, will serve as the show's official programming resource. This program is specifically designed to further the educational and informational needs of children, has educating and informing children as a significant purpose, and otherwise meets the definition of Core Programming as specified in the Commission's rules. Program Title The Open Road with Dr. Chris - Channel 8.1 Describe the educational and informational objective of the program and how it meets the definition of Core Programming. This program follows renowned veterinarian Dr. Chris Brown as he embarks on an extraordinary journey, introducing young people to countries, cultures, flora and fauna around the globe. Acting as part observer, traveler and animal expert, Dr. Chris serves as a personal guide to and interpreter of each destination's unique lifestyles, history and traditions. In addition, as an expert in the field of veterinary sciences, Dr. Chris offers unusual insights into animal behavior as well as the preservation of endangered species. This program is specifically designed to further the educational and informational needs of children, has educating and informing children as a significant purpose, and otherwise meets the definition of Core Programming as specified in the Commission's rules. Title of Program The Open Road with Dr. Chris Program Title Mystery Hunters II - Channel 8.2 Name of children's programming liaison Patricia Elwood Address 7677 Engineer Road City San Diego Email Address pelwood@kfmb.com Include any other comments or information you want the Commission to consider in evaluating your compliance with the Children's Television Act (or use this space for supplemental explanations). This may include information on any other noncore educational and informational programming that you aired this quarter or plan to air during the next quarter, or any existing or proposed non-broadcast efforts that will enhance the educational and informational value of such programming to children. See 47 C.F.R. Section 73.671, NOTES 2 and 3. KFMB TV airs a number of Public Service Announcements, other than those listed elsewhere in this report, which serve the educational and informational needs of children 16 years of age and under. Organizations/topics include: drug/alcohol prevention tips targeting children and teens and crime prevention, environmental protection and violence prevention and literacy. In addition, the station airs a variety of local and network news and public affairs programs. These generally present a mix of local, regional, state, national and international news plus weather, sports, health, educational and features. In the station's judgement, certain portions of these news programs can further the development of the cognitive or intellectual needs of older children. In addition, KFMB TV has a variety of year-round, on-air and outreach projects targeting children. 1) CBS News 8's Weather Wednesdays- CBS News 8 Meteorologist Matt Baylow visits area elementary and middle schools on Wednesday mornings to present a comprehensive weather lesson. Baylow discusses general meteorology terms, the dynamics of San Diego's microclimates, broadcast meteorology and conducts a student question and answer session. To date, Baylow has visited more than 400 county schools and mentored thousands of students. 2) ADOPT 8 - KFMB TV partners with San Diego County Health and Human Services to find forever homes for children in the San Diego County Foster System. Twice a week, KFMB TV airs profiles on children who are currently in the Foster Care System waiting to be adopted, along with Public Service Announcements. While the "on air" stories and PSAs target adults, the ultimate goal of the project is to help "hard to place" children find their forever families. Since the program's inception in 1999, more than 750 plus Adopt 8 foster children have been placed in "forever families." In addition, San Diego County Health and Human Services has placed other children in permanent homes as a result of the Adopt 8 "on air" awareness campaign. San Diego County Health and Human Services sponsors this project. 3) EARTH 8- KFMB TV partners with Birch Aquarium at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California, San Diego to educate the community about care and stewardship of the planet. Earth 8 includes news segments with leaders in research and conservation and monthly in-depth, filed produced stories. Topics have included: water conservation, climate change; earth friendly tips; stewardship; gray whales; air quality; endangered sea and animal life. KFMB TV also airs a variety of Public Service Announcements to educate children and adults on caring for our planet. Earth 8 also hosts various environmental outreach products during the year for youth and adults. Earth 8 Website contains a section for children educating them on the ways to help protect the environment. 4) Innovate 8 was created to inspire interest and success in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) learning, CBS 8 Community Services Department created Innovate 8 a partnership with the San Diego County Office of Education and sponsored by the University of California, San Diego. Innovate 8 highlights county-wide educational programs fostering STEAM education and profiles San Diego students' STEAM success. Currently the U.S. Department of Education and the San Diego County Office of Education, which services every public school district, K-12 in San Diego County have target STEAM learning as a critical initiative to raise interest and student achievement in the areas of science, technology engineering, arts and math. These reports air bi-monthly and are posted on cbs8.com/Innovate8. In addition, KFMB-TV produces and airs public service announcements on STEAM learning and promotes STEAM outreach events for elementary through high school students. KFMB-TV hosts station tours and career seminars for elementary, high school and college students to inform students on how STEAM skills are utilized in broadcast careers . 6) Broadcast Educational Development: KFMB-TV anchors/reporters/behind-the-scenes personnel participated in school career/education days throughout the county. KFMB-TV also conducts station tours for elementary, middle, high school and college students. During this quarter, KFMB-TV staff participated in appearances to discuss broadcasting careers, educational background and dynamics of the broadcast industry. Describe the educational and informational objective of the program and how it meets the definition of Core Programming. MYSTERY HUNTERS explores some of the world's greatest myths and mysteries. Combining on-site reporting and exciting adventures, the Mystery Hunters use science and reasoning to try to uncover the truth. The program teaches children how to gather facts, meet with experts, debunk common myths and offer explanations for legends. Describe the educational and informational objective of the program and how it meets the definition of Core Programming. BEAKMAN'S WORLD features scientist Professor Beakman and a cast of assistants who conduct comical experiments and demonstrations to illustrate various real-life scientific concepts, from density to electricity. The program demonstrates and inspires scientific discovery and exploration. Describe the educational and informational objective of the program and how it meets the definition of Core Programming. BILL NYE, THE SCIENCE GUY, features Cornell graduate, Bill Nye, who earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and studied with Carl Sagan. The program teaches children geology, astronomy, biology and all the other "-ologies," thanks to this engaging and enthusiastic scientific scholar sporting a lab coat, bow tie while presenting fascinating, real-life scientific discoveries, experiments and facts. Program Title THE OPEN ROAD WITH DR. CHRIS Describe the educational and informational objective of the program and how it meets the definition of Core Programming. THE OPEN ROAD WITH DR. CHRIS is hosted by renowned veterinarian Dr. Chris Brown, who also hosts DR. CHRIS PET VET. Complimenting Dr. Chris' dedication to animal care and environmental stewardship, he embarks on an extraordinary journey around the globe, introducing young people to exhilarating experiences, from hiking in the heart of a volcano to swimming with humpback whales. Each episode will feature Dr. Chris in a culturally diverse destination where he will uncover the best-kept secret of the region. Whether he's exploring the history of the Chilean capital or coming face-to-face with a live volcano in Vanuatu, THE OPEN ROAD WITH DR. Chris is the viewer's passport to a rare educational adventure. This program is specifically designed to further the educational and informational needs of children, has educating and informing children as a significant purpose, and otherwise meets the definition of Core Programming as specified in the Commission's rules. Program Title Henry Ford's Innovation Nation - Channel 8.1 Program Title Lucky Dog Describe the educational and informational objective of the program and how it meets the definition of Core Programming. Animal trainer Brandon McMillan operates a training facility known as the Lucky Dog Ranch, where his mission is to rescue hard-to-love and untrained dogs and find them homes. The show focuses on exercising responsibility and on developing a sense of appreciation for life and animals. Life lessons are an integral part of the overarching theme of rescuing these animals from death and providing a second chance for life. Following McMillan's investigations into how to retrain these animals to make them welcome members in the homes of families is both educational and inspirational - encouraging this demographic to become sensitive to our own and others' behavior and teaching how we as individuals can make a difference. This program is specifically designed to further the educational and informational needs of children,has educating and informing children as a significant purpose, and otherwise meets the definition of Core Programming as specified in the Commission's rules. Program Title Bill Nye, the Science Guy II - 8.2 Program Title Beakman's World I- Channel 8.2

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Goose Goslin Teams: Washington Senators, 1921-1930, 1933, 1938; St. Louis Browns, 1930-1932; Detroit Tigers, 1934-1937 Goose Goslin was the only American Leaguer between 1921 and 1939 who was on five pennant-winning teams despite never playing for the Yankees or under Connie Mack. In 1925, Goslin led the AL-champion Washington Senators in every major batting department and placed high among the loop's leaders as well. Nicknamed Goose both because of his last name and because of his large nose, Leon Allen Goslin (1900-1971) grew up on a small farm in Salem, New Jersey. Originally a pitcher, he was converted to the outfield when his first professional manager thought that Goose’s bat had more promise than his arm. While leading the Sally League in hitting during his second season in the loop, Goslin was purchased by Washington for $6,000. A successful trial at the end of the 1921 campaign gave Goose hope of winning a regular job the following year, but he injured his arm while heaving a shotput during spring training prior to the 1922 season and was never again able to throw with his old ability. Mediocre defen­sively even before the injury, Goslin had to work hard to become a competent outfielder. Goose quickly emerged as a standout slugger. In 1923, he led the AL in triples. A year later, he was the loop’s RBI king. His 129 ribbies prevented the Babe from winning a Triple Crown. Playing in Washington, Goslin had no hope of ever winning a Triple Crown himself. The outfield fences in Griffith Stadium were so distant that no Washington player won a home run crown until the 1950s, when changes were made in the park’s contours. Goslin hit 17 homers on the road in 1926 and none on his home soil. The Senators in those years were good enough to win without the long ball, however, taking back-to-back pennants in 1924 and 1925. When a drought followed, Goslin was dealt to the Browns early in the 1930 season only a year and one-half after he won the AL batting title. Washington owner Clark Griffith almost immediately regretted having let Goose go and worked for two years to get him back. Reobtained on December 14, 1932, in a six-player trade, Goslin helped the Senators to win their third and last pennant the following summer. Unable to pay Goose what he was worth, the Depression-handicapped Griffith then swapped him to Detroit. Goslin played on flag winners in each of his first two seasons in the Motor City and produced the hit in the 1935 World Series that brought the Tigers their first world championship. Goose was selected to the Hall of Fame in 1968. Here are Goose Goslin's major league totals: BA G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB .316 2,287 8,655 1,483 2,735 500 173 248 1,609 175 Cristobal Torriente

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Tangerine Press written by Entropy December 19, 2017 Submission Guidelines: N/A Interview with Michael Curran, Founder How did Tangerine Press start? Well, to go way back, it all began with a book mail order company I ran between 1996 and 98. This was called Tangerine Books, which I ran from a small office on an industrial estate in Battersea, south London. I ended up living there too. I championed small press publications, primarily from the USA. It was my full-time occupation, though I needed a second job to get by—cleaning aeroplanes at Heathrow, telephone surveys in Elephant & Castle, kitchen porter in seedy west London hotels. Tangerine Books did not work out so in the summer of 1998 I threw 500 unused catalogues and a sluggish pc into a skip and entered the construction industry. The years rolled by and the itch was still there. I wanted to go further this time and actually start publishing writers I admired, make the press stand out from the others by presenting the books in the best way possible. And what was the best way? Bind the books myself. Tangerine Press was founded in 2006. For the first seven years I was binding books in the evenings and at weekends. I went full-time with the press in 2013 after a work-related injury meant I had to knock carpentry on the head. Tell us a bit about Tangerine Press. What are your influences, your aesthetic, your mission? American poet William Wantling (1933-74) was the initial inspiration to start publishing. I am eternally grateful to a man I shall never meet. He was an ex-Marine, ex-junkie who spent 5 years in San Quentin. On his release in 1963 he took a BA and MA in English and was a university lecturer when he died of heart failure in 1974, at the age of forty. I’m in touch with his widow and been to visit her a couple of times. Wantling’s best poems are on a par with—and in my opinion often superior to—his contemporary Charles Bukowski, with whom he had an unusual and ultimately destructive friendship. Other influences come from the visionary publishers of the 1960s and 70s: Jon and Lou Webb, Barney Rosset, Peter Owen, John Calder, John Martin, Marion Boyars, Morris Cox, Len Fulton, David Haselwood, Maurice Girodias. That gang did it all. Tangerine’s mission is very simple: to search out authentic voices and publish them, be they dead or alive, new or lost and forgotten. Talent is everywhere it seems, there’s no shortage of that. But original work is the key, a certain way of seeing things. We’re not after book-shaped mirrors. the late season, a debut collection of short stories by Canadian author Stephen Hines, came out in September. It’s available as a signed limited edition with original artwork, as well as the more readily available paperbacks. The stories have a unique ambience and I really believe Mr Hines is Canada’s most overlooked writer. Those of us active in the indie press scene—readers, writers and publishers—have been aware of this for a good few years. Mick Guffan’s Inner London Buddha, a definitive poetry collection, was released last month. Mr Guffan (1953-2006) was born in An Sciobairín, Cork, Ireland, the youngest of five brothers. He came to England at the age of 18, working variously as a taxi driver, airplane cleaner and finally as a carpenter. He died at St. George’s Hospital, Tooting, London on 14th June 2006, his body set about by nervous exhaustion following a gunshot wound. A fascinating character and a great talent. There are many more titles I’d love to tell you about, but we’re still negotiating rights, finding owners of copyright, etc. Watch this space! The founder of a well known press talked recently about the current wave of indie publishing as a ‘silver age’ and I think he’s right. It certainly feels like the start of something. There are many indie publishers out there, perhaps too many. All competing for the same readers, essentially. The golden age is yet to come. Let’s look again in 5 or 10 years’ time and see who’s around. There’s been much talk about the Net Book Agreement and how we should be lamenting its demise, in terms of publishers supporting more literary works that tend to be ‘slow sellers.’ Yes, in hindsight it wasn’t the best move, but the NBA won’t be coming back. Instead, we need to look elsewhere, in particular Amazon’s dominance in bookselling and how to tackle it as a matter of priority. It’s the job of all of us: publishers, retailers and readers, to dismantle their sphere of influence. But this is all part of publishing! And that’s what makes it all the more interesting and exciting. How do you cope? There’s been a lot of conversation lately about charging reading fees, printing costs, rising book costs, who should pay for what, etc. Do you have any opinions on this, and would you be willing to share any insights about the numbers at Tangerine Press? Publishing can be very expensive and the margins for publishers, writers, indie bookshops are very tight. There is a large initial outlay with a first run and it’s all a gamble, especially if it’s a new writer. I think one of the great thrills of publishing is taking a chance on a writer and doing whatever you can to grab the prospective readers’ attention. I don’t think you should charge reading fees—that’s part of the job of publishing and whilst it is incredibly time consuming, it’s a little rich to ask for payment from writers, as that’s where it all starts. If I told you how much each Tangerine publication costs—I’m talking not just paperbacks but the limited editions as well – you’d think I was crazy. Recent releases from Tangerine Press: Tangerine Press was last modified: October 20th, 2017 by Entropy avant-gardefictionhandboundlimited editionmavericksmisanthropesmisfitspoetry NAME TAGS #10: Happy Holidays WOVEN: Soft Parts Persistent Editions Plays Inverse Caketrain selva oscura press

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South Bend Tribune Home / ST. JOSEPH COUNTY NEWS MEDIA / South Bend Tribune / In South Bend Tribune South Bend mayor puts the brakes on police ‘discipline matrix,’ wants time for public input In light of Mueller’s statement, Robert Smith, a leader with Faith in Indiana, said the group hopes to meet with the mayor in the coming days to find out what his objections are. In South Bend Tribune, ST. JOSEPH COUNTY NEWS MEDIA Discipline guidelines proposed for misconduct by South Bend police “There hasn’t been a clear set of guidelines for consequences for particular kinds of misconduct,” said Andre Stoner, a Near Northwest Neighborhood resident and organizer with the group Faith in [...] Viewpoint: Stand up to Big Pharma, stand up for us, so that all lives are valued Whether in church, synagogue, mosque, or at the kitchen table, most of us learned at an early age that while money and material goods come and go, life and health are precious and irreplaceable. [...] South Bend’s next mayor will decide how money for anti-violence programs is spent SOUTH BEND — A crowd of people concerned about gun violence sat through three hours of a South Bend Common Council meeting Monday night before ultimately learning that it will be the city’s next [...] Pete Buttigieg wants South Bend police reform recommendations before he leaves office SOUTH BEND — Mayor Pete Buttigieg expects to receive a consultant’s assessment of police practices and operations before he leaves office at year’s end, and he’ll ask the city’s Board of Public [...] Buttigieg attends Peacemaker rally in South Bend, touches on police and community relationships SOUTH BEND — In a room full of hundreds of people, Kyle Lantz told a story about how he had to explain to his 2- and 4-year old children about a drive-by shooting that occurred at his next door [...] South Bend council to address gun violence, police relations in next budget SOUTH BEND — In the wake of the recent Eric Logan and Kelly’s Pub fatal shootings, South Bend common council members say they’ll look for ways to prevent gun violence and improve community-police [...] Still no decision on special prosecutor in South Bend police shooting SOUTH BEND — St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotter says he is considering whether to ask for a special prosecutor to handle the investigation into the fatal police shooting of Eric [...] Faith leaders, officials call for independent investigation of police shooting in South Bend Local faith leaders, community organizers and members of the South Bend Common Council are calling for an independent prosecutor to investigate Sunday’s fatal shooting of a black man by a South [...] Viewpoint: Health care for all is needed — no exceptions Here in Indiana, families are the cornerstone of our community. But, you wouldn’t know that if you walked the halls of the state capitol or paid attention to what our president is doing to our [...] ‘Treatment, not incarceration’ is mantra of South Bend town hall with elected officials Leaders of the faith group called on elected officials to commit to implementing jail diversion strategies for people suffering from mental illnesses and drug addiction. More than 94,000 voters cast ballots in St. Joseph County, up significantly from 2014 South Bend, IN – A steady stream of voters — more than usual — came out to local polls Tuesday as early voting leading up to the election also saw increases over past midterm elections. [...] Faith-based initiative puts families first More than 250 people from religious communities and neighborhoods throughout the county gathered with public officials and candidates for a town hall meeting and public action on Aug. 21 at Holy [...] Coalition celebrates ‘victory’ against immigration detention center in Elkhart Marbella Chavez speaks during a “victory celebration” held by The Coalition Against the Elkhart County Detention Center at College Mennonite Church in Goshen. Chavez helped coordinate the [...] CoreCivic pulls plans for Elkhart County immigration detention center Land on the west side of County Road 7, across the street from the Elkhart County Landfill, where a proposed CoreCivic U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center may be built. [...]

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Disturbing history in the country for richard marx discography Writer Kebir Mustafa Ammi made a trip to Cuba, where he found an old sewing machine in a hotel that immersed him in his childhood and reminded him of his father's trade, which he did not know well. This machine, which he has not mourned, is the ability to knit a mobile network. In April of last year, I had a disturbing story in Santa Clara, about three hundred kilometers southwest of Havana. I wanted to visit Cuba for a long time. I wasn't there for Guevara. But for the country – the music, Hemingway … I picked up an old taxi, which Buick blew up by its owner, in red paint, leather interior, as in old Capra or Hawks movies. It should have been in the arteries of not less than a million kilometers, but its chassis was strong, promising to walk the meter for the second time. I stopped in Santa Clara before ordering any further. I was thinking of Hamza, who devoted his youth to Trotskinism before finally turning the page of politics, becoming a wise businessman, and sitting on a golden mattress somewhere between Miami and Vancouver. He kept saying that I understand nothing about politics. I arrived in Santa Clara on April 23, around 2 pm There were masters in the sky. Not the city. It is not difficult to think of that day, October 67, when we learned about death commander“We were fourteen or fifteen. Guevara's death still inspired us a lot. We didn't know he had blood on his hands. He had the purity of a saint in our eyes. A pig episode, the ancestors remember it in Taza. The Cubans who are returning to the Americans made us happy. The end of Guevara was the end of something, but it undeniably added to this young leader's aura. When Richard Fleischer's film with Omar Sharif was shown in the Colosseum, Hamza beat up a call with the troops to explain that this day was historic, and that we had to unite, by all means, 1DH 15 pennies, hurry to the big hall and see work. The film didn't leave me with lasting memories. But this is a different story. Fifty years later in Santa Clara, I thought about it. I intended to visit a friend's Guevara dedicated museum, which I owed as a tribute to our young years. One young student wanted to know if I liked Cuba and what it means to be a friend of the Guevara of Morocco. I started to get in, skillfully so as not to hurt him. He didn't let go, and he asked me directly about my interest in the Castro revolution. I don't remember how I came to talk to him about the rich and the poor. I had no intention of lecturing him, presenting Marx's mind. But I, as Hamza would say, probably chose my example wrong. The young student was mistaken. He warned me with an arsenal of shocking resolutions, before abruptly interrupting me by saying that he had not come there to hear me nonsense. He thought why I didn't know I wanted to encourage him to be deported. What made him think about it? If he read my thoughts and heard me repeat the words of Bethelair, Go, if you must go; stay where necessary, It must have hurt him deeply. No word could I apologize for. He was furious. I was confused. I wondered what my friend Hamza would say to this young man. But Hamza today has a gold watch and little time to waste. He was sending the young man his favorite studies to learn how to have long teeth and become a dragon. After that I took a tour of the city. I returned to my hotel. I was staying at another hotel in a hotel on the narrow Maestra Nicolosa Street. Everything was from another era. The furniture, the items, the smallest details … It was an old colonial house ruled by a fifty-something, very welcoming. He was a former doctor. He was smiling, but a deep wound was hiding. He wanted to write and paint. But all this, he told me, could not find the path that took to transform art. He also traveled a lot. He inherited this Moorish-style house in a backyard where beautiful lush plants grew, and lupins, azaleas, clematis, hortensia … It was a little corner of paradise with red, green and blue birds in the trees. There were old carved oak tables, objects, cars, radios from other times, pickups, jokes … We talked for a long time. The owner told me about his life. It was his wife who decided to make this beautiful building a guest house. He showed me two black and white photos of this woman. He was sweet. He was tall, elegant and dark, had great eyes for the world, and at the same time kept him at a distance. I thought about Ava Gardner Bobik CountyHe died in 1993. Loyal to this woman, whom she passionately loved, the owner continued to receive visitors from all over the world. In the room where I occupied this magnificent hotel, the old Singer machine caught my attention, I thought for a moment that none of them were real, real, and that the tiredness made me see things that didn't exist. At his workshop in Taza, my father had Singer brand sewing machines that looked like the ones displayed there. I accompanied him once to Chez to buy one of those cars. Both of us were driving on a black Citroën. I should have been eight. This machine in Santa Clara was the perfect duplicate for the people my dad had in his workshop, and it had the serial number in two letters that matched the initials of his name. Was it possible who decided to pay tribute to him? I thought back to my father. As if it were a cruel institution. That's how I remember him. She wore dark blue suits, often with yellow or white stripes. He was still sewing. He lived in Paris for a while. In the late 20's. He received his diploma in "Wald Vandem" in 1931. October 8, before opening his sewing workshop in Taza. He knew Bel Epoch in Paris. I like to think that he has met authors I love, like Alejo Carpentier, who came to Cuba with traces of his ancestors. Paris shook with all its fires. The capital of France was creative, bright … I don't know what my father thought about it, and if he knew he was living in Paris at a crucial moment. I didn't know him well, I often tried to rebuild it after the fact. It is also – and above all, for this reason – a rebuild of this novel that we become a writer. We use the smallest thread and do not let anything slip. He had small turtle glass, which made him look serious. He didn't laugh much. It was from my mother that I inherited the taste of anecdotes. He had a lot of humor. This is what allowed us to go through difficult times when my father died suddenly, suffering from a debilitating illness in 1962. I was going on for ten years, the day it was raining, I remember we were disturbed. He had to sell his sewing workshop and his cars as quickly as possible. He had nine, but I was mostly attached to one of them. He was near the entrance to the workshop. He gave me a piece of thread, a piece of thread, and I got ready to work, wanting to believe that the art of sewing was no secret to me. It is a special noise made by a car, like no one else. I remember a face I will never forget – the man who bought the car and carried it in a hand cart that he had to rent on that occasion. He was faking, he was like a general on the battlefield, whom nothing could resist, he was vindictive and conqueror, with a rabbit beam casting a shadow on his glory. I was watching him pressing his fists and not allow any tears to appear. I memorized his face. I wanted to find him someday. I saw the car leaving my father in severe sadness, in mute pain. He suddenly disappeared at the end of the street, which ends on a slope, where his childhood horizon began to break. I really wanted my dad to be a fashion designer. I felt that I was being deprived of something essential, my profession, and that I could never be the person I dreamed of. That is why I have an unparalleled passion for clothes. I like to write clothes in the smallest detail down to… thunder. I've never lamented this car. I grew up and kept thinking about this car. I no longer know why I convinced myself that I will find her someday. I was there, in my thoughts, in my room, in Santa Clara, when the master knocked on my door to tell me that there was someone out there asking to see me. It was the young student I volunteered at the Guevara Museum. He was looking for me all over town and found me in a hostel. He was giving a stamp. There was joy in his face. He had changed. It was for the occasion. She wore a white shirt, and she wore shiny old leather shoes to give it a little style. He hinted at me as if to send me to graze, but very kindly, that his favorite was to go and live in an imperialist state. I didn't tell her that she was completely free to do what she wanted and that she didn't need my blessing. He left as if he had won a cup he had long wanted. He thought that he had knocked me out, and that made him very happy. He quietly closed the door. I heard his footsteps die. A light step, like the move of exiles. All this really shocked me. The owner came to see if everything was OK. He gave me a bottle of water for the night. He left. I didn't lock the door of the room. I went to bed: There was music everywhere in the city. Shadows, like the unscrupulous soldiers, ran to the ceiling and the walls until dawn. Leaving Santa Claus, I had a hard time. I wanted to believe that I had found my father's machine, which we had sold with his shop to bake bread. (function(d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)(0); if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Daox on the back for richard marx zyciorys New Beaujolais tonight at L & # 39; O à la Bouche for richard marx band La Cantera Resort & Spa. Annual Tree Lighting – WOAI: for richard marx emotional remains Alsace, a welcoming country, but also a rejection of the Jews for richard marx news Richard Marx tickets – Tours and concerts for richard marx scera Alsace, a welcoming country, but also a rejection of the Jews for richard marx lake bluff address Disturbing history in the country for richard marx clyde theater Richard Markle. 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HomePosts tagged 'Gary Carter' The Mayans Were Just Ten Days Out – 2012, The End December 31, 2012 December 31, 2012 fasab Factoids, Uncategorized, Unusual 2012, 2013, 31st December, 80 mph winds, Adam Lanza, Alex Karras, America, Andrew Breitbart, Android, Andy Griffith, Andy Williams, apple, Arlen Specter, Art Modell, Aurora, Australia, Austrian, Batman, BBC, Benghazi, Blogs, books, Carol Bartz, Category 1 Hurricane, Category 2 hurricane, celebrity paedophiles, Celeste Holm, Chad Everett, Charles Durning, child sex abuse, China, Chuck Colson, CIA Director, Colorado, congress, Connecticut, crazed gunman, Current Events, cycling champion, Daniel Inouye, Darrell Royal, Dave Brubeck, David Petraeus, Davy Jones, departures, derecho, Dick Clark, Director General, disc jockey, Don Cornelius, Don Grady, Donna Summer, Dust Bowl drought, Earl Scruggs, education, EF-4 tornadoes, Elizabeth Montgomery, Empire State Building, Ernest Borgnine, Etta James, events, events of the year, facebook, Felix Baumgartner, France, Frank Cady, g, Gary Carter, Gary Collins, George Harrison, George Lindsey, George McGovern, Germany, Gerry Anderson, Goodfellas, Google, Google Maps, Gore Vidal, Great Britain, Great Drought, greedy banksters, Hal David, Harry Carey, Helen Gurley Brown, Henry Hill, Herbert Lom, Hurricane Isaac, Illinois, increasing taxes, International Cycling Union, Intrade, ipad, iPhone 5, Islamic militants, Jack Klugman, James Holmes, James Q Wilson, Japan, Jerry Sandusky, Jim Unger, Jimmy Savile, Joe Paterno, Jonathan Frid, Junior Seau, Kentucky, Kitty Wells, Lance Armstrong, Larry Hagman, Lee MacPhail, Levon Helm, Libya, Life, London, Louisiana, Lower Mississippi River, Marvin Hamlisch, Marvin Miller, Maurice Sendak, Mayans, Megaupload, memories, Michael Clarke Duncan, microsoft, Mike Wallace, Misc, Miscellaneous, Mississippi, Mississippi River, movies, Musings, Neil Armstrong, New Jersey, new york, Newtown, Nora Ephron, Norman Schwarzkopf, November 2012, Obama administration, olympic games, Oval Office, paedophile, Paralympic Games, Patrick Moore, Paul Ryan, Penn State University, People, personalities, Peter Breck, Phyllis Diller, Plaquemines Parish, politics, pope, Port Sulphur, President Obama, President of the United States, presidential election, Prison Fellowship Ministries, publishing, Random, Ravi Shankar, Ray Bradbury, Reddit, Richard D. Zanuck, Richard Dawson, Robert Bork, Robert Hegyes, Robin Gibb, Rodney King, Roman Catholic Church, Ron Palillo, Russia, Sally Ride, Samsung, Sandy Hook Elementary School, scandal, Scott Thompson, September 11, severe thunderstorms, Sherman Hemsley, Sikh temple, SOPA, south korea, southern Georgia, Southern Indiana, southern Ohio, Stop Online Piracy Act, Sun Myung Moon, Super Storm Sandy, Sylvia Kristel, tablets, Techie World, technology, television, The Dark Knight Rises, thought police, Tony Martin, tornado, Tour de France, Turhan Bey, tweeting, Twitter, Ukraine, United States Anti-Doping Agency, US Ambassador Christopher Stevens, US mission, US Presidential Election, USA, USADA, Victor Spinetti, Vidal Sassoon, Virginia, warmest year on record, weather, Whitney Houston, Wikipedia, wildfires, William Asher, William Rees-Mog, WIndows 8, Wisconsin, Yahoo, Yitzhak Shamir, Zig Ziglar Yes folks we all gave the Mayans some stick when their prediction didn’t come true (including me, click here if you missed it) but they were just ten days out, not too bad in a few thousand years! Today IS the end. The end of 2012. It has been a difficult and frustrating year business-wise because of the continued mess created by the stupid and greedy banksters, so I for one won’t be sorry to see the end of it. However that gripe aside, it is the last day of 2012 so I thought we should do something a little different today. So, before we start to look forward to a new, and hopefully better, year, here is a selective look back at some of the events of this year. There are a couple of ways you could do a post like this. You could link to other sites, particularly newspaper sites because they all seem to do lists of one kind or another at the close of the year. The other way is to compile a more personal one, with the things you remember personally. Both are equally valid, but this being a blog I’ve chosen to go the more personal route and compile a list of the things I remember so, although it is quite long, it is selective and by no means covers everything that happened in 2012. I have also included a list of some of the personalities that passed during 2012, you probably heard about them all at the time, but memories being what they are I am sure one or two of them will come as a surprise. So let’s get started. I don’t know whether to class this as the biggest event or the biggest non event of the year, but November 2012 saw the Presidential election campaign and the successful return of President Obama to the Oval Office. Look forward to increasing taxes in 2013! Although on the face of it a national event, because of the power and influence of America, the US Presidential Election has now become an International spectacle watched by several billion people worldwide. What they made of it all I don’t know, but they watched it anyway. The other big international spectacle of the 2012 that drew large viewing audiences were the Olympic and Paralympic Games held in London in July, August and September. Approximately 10,500 athletes participated in 302 events in 26 sports. In the Olympics the top six gold medal places went to USA (46), China (38), Great Britain (29), Russia (24), and South Korea (13), with Germany and France tying for sixth place with 11 gold medals each. The overall medal table was slightly different, USA (104), China (88), Russia (82), Great Britain (65), Germany (44), and Japan (38). In the Paralympics the top six gold medal places went to China (95), Russia (36), Great Britain (34), Ukraine (32), Australia (32), and USA (31). In the overall medal results the order was China (231), Great Britain (120), Russia (102), USA (98), Australia (85), and Ukraine (84). The weather, at its extremes, was another major talking point of 2012. Starting with the last and worst, ‘Super Storm Sandy’ took most of the headlines and did the most damage, particularly to north east coast areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The cost is estimated to be in the tens of billions of dollars. Almost forgotten because of the ferocity of Sandy was Hurricane Isaac that slowly lumbered ashore near the mouth of the Mississippi River on August 28 as a Category 1 Hurricane with 80 mph winds. Isaac’s large size and slow motion caused a storm surge of up to eleven feet, more characteristic of a Category 2 hurricane. Thankfully, however, New Orleans’ new $14.5 billion levee upgrade held against Isaac’s surge, although further up the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish near Port Sulphur, it did cause major flooding of homes. In total Isaac still managed to do about $2 billion worth of damage. Early March also saw a massive and violent tornado outbreak on an exceptional scale and including two deadly EF-4 tornadoes. In all, seventy tornadoes touched down in eleven states, from southern Ohio to southern Georgia, killing 41 people, with Kentucky and Southern Indiana being hardest hit and suffering 22 and 13 dead, respectively. At one point, 31 separate tornado warnings were in effect during the outbreak covering an area of more than 80,000 square miles. Tornado watches were posted for mpre than 300,000 square miles, an area larger than Texas. Total damage was estimated at $4 billion. Also on June 29 a violent line of severe thunderstorms called a derecho swept across the U.S. from Illinois to Virginia, damaging houses, toppling trees, and bringing down power lines. Twenty-two people were killed, and power cuts affected at least 3.4 million people. The derecho was unusually intense due to extreme heat that set all-time records at ten major cities on its south side, helping to create an unstable atmosphere with plenty of energy to fuel severe thunderstorms. At least 38 thunderstorms in the derecho generated wind gusts in excess of hurricane force, making it one of the most severe derechoes on record. Total damage was estimated at $3.75 billion. Contrarily, 2012 was the warmest year on record, with July being the warmest month of any month in the 1,400+ months of the U.S. data record, going back to 1895. The spring temperature departure from average was also the largest on record for any season, and March temperatures had the second largest warm departure from average of any month in U.S. history. All-time hottest temperature records were set over approximately 7% of the area of the contiguous U.S., according to a database of 298 major U.S. cities maintained by wunderground’s weather historian, Christopher C. Burt. This, despite all this rainfall and flooding caused by the severe storms, also saw a ‘Great Drought’ in 2012, the full consequences of which we have not yet seen and which may well prove to be the biggest weather story of the year. The area of the contiguous U.S. in moderate or greater drought peaked at 61.8% in July–the largest such area since the Dust Bowl drought of December 1939. The heat and dryness resulted in record or near-record evaporation rates, causing major impact on corn, soybean and wheat belts in addition to livestock production. Drought upstream of the Lower Mississippi River caused record and near-record low stream flows along the river in Mississippi and Louisiana, resulting in limited river transportation and commerce. Crop damages alone from the great drought are estimated at $35 billion. As the total scope of losses is realized across all lines of business in coming moths, this number will climb significantly. Add to this 2012 as the 3rd worst wildfire year in U.S. history, with 9.2 million acres burned–an area larger than the state of Maryland. On a completely different subject 2012 will also be remembered as the year of the high profile celebrity paedophiles. Penn State University’s former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, was convicted of 45 counts of sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years. He was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison. The scandal sparked a national debate over child sex abuse, embarrassed the university and implicated a number of its top officials including legendary football head coach, the late Joe Paterno. In Britain there was a major, and still ongoing, scandal within the BBC because of the actions and subsequent cover-up of the actions of paedophile disc jockey Jimmy Savile (now deceased). This has already led to the resignations of several high-ranking BBC employees, including its Director General. The Roman Catholic Church also continued to suffer from the fallout from decades of child abuse and cover-ups by its priests and hierarchy. In the Techie World 2012 saw a number of milestone events. There was the introduction of the all new WIndows 8 operating system by Microsoft. Then there was the continuation of the big bust up between Apple and Samsung which in its second year seemed even stronger than ever. The thought police closed down Megaupload and stopped Americans using Intrade. Members of Congress also sponsored the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, and related bills to make it easier to shut down websites that illegally share music, movies and other content. But opponents (which included just about everybody who used the internet) argued it went too far and could end up shutting down legitimate sites while stifling free expression in the process. Unfortunately for backers of SOPA, Web heavyweights such as Google, Facebook, Reddit and Wikipedia joined the fight against the bill. Sites went black on January 18 to raise awareness. Members of communities such as Reddit put intense pressure on lawmakers (including soon-to-be GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan) until they dropped their support or went on record opposing the bill. The unprecedented backlash eventually caused supporters to shelve SOPA, and quite possibly ushered in a new age of Web activism. Facebook flopped producing one of the longest alliterated titles in the blogsphere during 2012 (Furious Flabbergasted Facebook Fools Face Frightening Falls From Fanciful Flagging Financial Flotation Farce ). Meanwhile Twitter went from strength to strength with even the President of the United States and the Pope tweeting their little hearts out. Speaking of flops, Carol Bartz flopped at Yahoo and was sacked being replaced by Scott Thompson. Yahoo continues to be troubled since its idiotic refusal of a $40 billion plus offer from Microsoft. Google got itself some tablets and started to take on greedy Apple in the iPad market selling its Android versions for substantially less. Along with the rollout of the much anticipated iPhone 5 in September, Apple overhauled iOS, the operating system that runs the phone, its iPad and other mobile devices. A much-hyped feature of the change was Apple’s first effort at its own mapping app – after dumping rival Google’s map software. The result was so bad that a few days later Apple’s CEO was essentially telling customers to use Google Maps. 2012 also the passing of many well known personalities and celebrities. For example, Neil Armstrong, aged 82 (8/5/1930 to 8/25/2012), astronaut who flew on the Gemini 8 mission (as commander) in 1966 and the Apollo 11 mission (as commander) in 1969, becoming the first of twelve men to walk on the moon. Sally Ride, aged 61 (5/26/1951 to 7/23/2012), astronaut and the first American woman in space, who flew on Shuttle flights STS-7 (1983) and STS 41-G (1984). Patrick Moore, aged 89 (3/4/1923 to 12/9/2012), British astronomer, writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter. Moore was a former president of the British Astronomical Association, co-founder and former president of the Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA), author of over 70 books on astronomy, and presenter of the world’s longest-running television series with the same original presenter, the BBC’s The Sky at Night. He was also a self-taught xylophone, glockenspiel player and pianist, as well as an accomplished composer. He was a former amateur cricketer, golfer and chess player. In addition to many popular science books, he wrote numerous works of fiction. Moore served in the Royal Air Force during World War II; his fiancée was killed by a bomb during the war and he never married. Chuck Colson, aged 80 (10/16/1931 to 4/21/2012), White House counsel under Nixon (1969-72), and imprisoned for obstruction of justice in Watergate scandal (1973). While in prison he underwent Christian conversion and founded Prison Fellowship Ministries. Robert Bork, aged 85 (3/1/1927 to 12/19/2012, U.S. solicitor general under Nixon. As acting Attorney General, he fired Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox on Nixon’s orders, after Elliot Richardson and then William Ruckelshaus refused and resigned. He was subsequently Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (1982-88) and Nominated to the Supreme Court by Reagan in 1987 and rejected by the Senate. Daniel Inouye, aged 88 (9/7/1924 to 12/17/2012), U.S. Representative (D-HI, 1959-63), U.S. Senator (D-HI, 1963-2012). William Rees-Mogg, Baron Rees-Mogg, aged 84 (14 July 1928 – 29 December 2012), British journalist and life peer, Editor of The Times (1967–1981). George McGovern, aged 90 (7/19/1922 to 10/21/2012), U.S. Rep., D-SD (1957-61); U.S. Senator, D-SD (1963-81); Democratic presidential nominee (1972). Arlen Specter, aged 82 (2/12/1930 to 10/14/2012), U.S. Senator (R-PA, 1981-2009; D-PA, 2009-11). Specter was a member of the Warren Commission that investigated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and co-author of the ‘magic bullet’ theory that Kennedy and Gov. John Connally were shot by the same single bullet. Norman Schwarzkopf, aged 78 (8/22/1934 to 12/27/2012), U.S. Army general. Commanded the U.S. and allied forces in the Persian Gulf War (1991). Yitzhak Shamir, aged 96 (10/15/1915 to 6/30/2012), Israeli prime minister (Likud party, 1983-84, 1986-92). Gerry Anderson, aged 83 (14 April 1929 – 26 December 2012) publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for futuristic television programs, using ‘supermarionation’, working with modified marionettes, such as Thunderbirds, and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. He was also responsible for the real-life sci-fi tv series Space 1999. Ernest Borgnine, aged 95 (1/24/1917 to 7/8/2012), actor, From Here to Eternity (1953), “McHale’s Navy” (Lt. Quinton McHale, 1962-66), The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Code Name: Wild Geese (1984). Won an Academy award for Marty (Best actor, 1956). Husband of singer Ethel Merman for 32 days in 1964. Phyllis Diller, aged 95 (7/17/1917 to 8/20/2012), comedienne/actress who appeared frequently on talk shows, game shows, and variety shows in the 1960s and 70s. Charles Durning, aged 89 (2/28/1923 to 12/24/2012), actor, The Sting (1973), The Muppet Movie (1979), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), “Evening Shade” (Dr. Harlan Eldridge, 1990-94). Larry Hagman, aged 81 (9/21/1931 to 11/23/2012), actor, “I Dream of Jeannie” (Maj. Anthony Nelson, 1965-70), “Dallas” (J.R. Ewing, 1978-91) and reprised the role of J.R. Ewing in the 2012 tv series “Dallas”. Son of actress Mary Martin. Jack Klugman, aged 90 (4/27/1922 to 12/24/2012), actor, 12 Angry Men (1957), “The Odd Couple” (Oscar Madison, 1970-75), “Quincy, M.E.” (Dr. R. Quincy, 1976-83). Husband of actress/game show panelist Brett Somers (1953-74). Won two Emmy Awards for “The Odd Couple” (1971, 1973). Sylvia Kristel, aged 60 (9/28/1952 to 10/17/2012), actress, the controversial Emmanuelle (1974) and three sequels (1975-84), Private Lessons (1981). Herbert Lom, aged 95 (1/9/1917 to 9/27/2012), most famous for his portrayal of Chief Inspector Dreyfus in The Return of the Pink Panther (1974) and five more films in the “Pink Panther” series from 1976 to 1993. William Asher, aged 90 (8/8/1921 to 7/16/2012), was a TV and film director whose work included “I Love Lucy” (1952-57), Beach Party (1963), “Bewitched” (1964-72), “Alice” (1977-79). Husband of actress Elizabeth Montgomery (1963-73). Turhan Bey, aged 90 (3/30/1922 to 9/30/2012), actor who starred in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944), The Amazing Mr. X (1948). Peter Breck, aged 82 (3/13/1929 to 2/6/2012), actor, “Maverick” (Doc Holliday, 1960-62), “The Big Valley” (Nick Barkley, 1965-69). Frank Cady, aged 96 (9/8/1915 to 6/9/2012), actor, “Petticoat Junction” (1963-70), “Green Acres” (Sam Drucker, 1965-71). Harry Carey, Jr., aged 91 (May 16, 1921 – December 27, 2012), actor, appeared in over 90 movies including Gremplins and Tombstone and several John Ford Westerns such as The Searchers, as well as numerous television series. Dick Clark, aged 82 (11/30/1929 to 4/18/2012), a TV host on shows “American Bandstand” (1957-87), “The $10,000 Pyramid” (1973-88), “TV’s Bloopers & Practical Jokes” (1984-88), “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” (1972-2012). He was also the producer of a variety of TV game shows, talk shows, entertainment shows, and movies. Gary Collins, aged 74 (4/30/1938 to 10/13/2012), actor, Iron Horse (Dave Tarrant, 1966-68), “The Sixth Sense” (Dr. Michael Rhodes, 1972). TV host for “Hour Magazine” (1980-88), Miss America Pageant (1982-90). Husband of Miss America 1959 Mary Ann Mobley (1967-2012). Don Cornelius, aged 75 (9/27/1936 to 2/1/2012), host (1971-2007) and producer (1971-88) of “Soul Train”. Producer of the “Soul Train Music Awards” (1987-2007). Richard Dawson, aged 79 (11/20/1932 to 6/2/2012), actor and game show host, starred in “Hogan’s Heroes” (Cpl. Peter Newkirk, 1965-71), “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” (regular performer, 1971-73), “Match Game” (panelist, 1973-79), “Family Feud” (host, 1975-88, 94-95), The Running Man (1987). Michael Clarke Duncan, aged 54 (12/10/1957 to 9/3/2012), actor, Armageddon (1998), The Green Mile (1999). Nora Ephron, aged 71 (5/19/1941 to 6/26/2012), filmmaker responsible for Silkwood (writer, 1983), When Hary Met Sally (writer, 1989), Sleepless in Seattle (writer, director, 1993), You’ve Got Mail (writer, director, producer, 1998), Julie & Julia (writer, director, producer, 2009). Chad Everett, aged 76 (6/11/1936 to 7/24/2012), actor, “Medical Center” (Dr. Joe Gannon, 1969-76), Airplane II: The Sequel (1982). Jonathan Frid, aged 87 (12/2/1924 to 4/13/2012), actor, “Dark Shadows” (Barnabas Collins, 1967-71). Don Grady, aged 68 (6/8/1944 to 6/27/2012), cast member, “The Mickey Mouse Club” (1957-58). Actor, “My Three Sons” (Robbie Douglas, 1960-71). Andy Griffith, aged 86 (6/1/1926 to 7/3/2012), cast member, “The Mickey Mouse Club” (1957-58). Gained prominence in the starring role in A Face in the Crowd (1957) before becoming better known for his television roles, playing the lead characters in the 1960–1968 situation comedy The Andy Griffith Show and in the 1986–1995 legal drama Matlock. Robert Hegyes, aged 60 (5/7/1951 to 1/26/2012), actor, “Welcome Back, Kotter” (Juan Epstein, 1975-79). Sherman Hemsley, aged 74 (2/1/1938 to 7/24/2012), actor, “All in the Family” (George Jefferson, 1973-75), “The Jeffersons” (George Jefferson, 1975-85), “Amen” (Deacon Ernest Frye, 1986-91). Celeste Holm, aged 95 (4/29/1917 to 7/15/2012), actress, All About Eve (1950). Won an Academy award for Gentleman’s Agreement (Best supporting actress, 1948). George Lindsey, aged 83 (12/17/1928 to 5/6/2012), actor, “The Andy Griffith Show” (Goober Pyle, 1965-68), “Mayberry R.F.D.” (Goober Pyle, 1968-71), “Hee Haw” (Goober, 1972-92). Ron Palillo, aged 63 (4/2/1949 to 8/14/2012), actor, “Welcome Back, Kotter” (Arnold Horshack, 1975-79). Victor Spinetti, aged 82 (9/2/1929 to 6/18/2012), actor, The Beatles movies A Hard Day’s Night (1964), Help! (1965), “Magical Mystery Tour” (1967). Mike Wallace, aged 93 (5/9/1918 to 4/7/2012), TV news correspondent famous for his adversarial style. Programs include “Mike Wallace Interview (1957-60)”, “60 Minutes” (1968-2006). Richard D. Zanuck, aged 77 (12/13/1934 to 7/13/2012), film producer for movies like Jaws (1975), Neighbors (1981), Cocoon (1985), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Deep Impact (1998), Planet of the Apes (2001). Son of producer Darryl F. Zanuck. Robin Gibb, aged 62 (12/22/1949 to 5/20/2012), member of the Bee Gees with older brother Barry and twin brother Maurice (1958-69, 1970-2003). Hits include “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” (1970), “Jive Talkin'” (1975), “Stayin’ Alive” (1977), and “Too Much Heaven” (1979). Older brother of Andy Gibb. Marvin Hamlisch, aged 68 (6/2/1944 to 8/6/2012), songwriter. Hits include “Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows” (1965), “The Way We Were” (1973), “The Entertainer” (1974), “What I Did For Love” (1975), and “Nobody Does It Better” (1977). Whitney Houston, aged 48 (8/9/1963 to 2/11/2012), pop singer. Hits include “Saving All My Love for You” (1985), “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” (1987), and “I Will Always Love You” (1992). Wife of singer Bobby Brown (1992-2007). Cousin of singer Dionne Warwick. Andy Williams, aged 84 (12/3/1927 to 9/25/2012), TV host, “The Andy Williams Show” (1962-71) and singer, “Butterfly” (1957), “Moon River” (1962), “Love Story (Where Do I Begin)” (1971). Donna Summer, aged 63 (12/31/1948 to 5/17/2012), pop/disco singer. Hits include “Love to Love You Baby” (1975), “Last Dance” (1978) “Bad Girls” (1979), and “She Works Hard for the Money” (1983). Ravi Shankar, aged 92 (4/7/1920 to 12/11/2012), sitar player. Mentored rock musician George Harrison (1966), played in the Concert for Bangladesh (1971). Father of jazz musician Norah Jones (1979). Dave Brubeck, aged 91 (12/6/1920 to 12/5/2012), jazz pianist. Hits include “Take Five” (1959). Hal David, aged 91 (5/25/1921 to 9/1/2012), lyricist and songwriting partner of Burt Bacharach (1957-1972). Hits include “Walk on By”, “What the World Needs Now Is Love”, “What’s New Pussycat?”, “The Look of Love”, “This Guy’s In Love With You”, “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head”, “Close to You”, and “One Less Bell to Answer”. Inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Levon Helm, aged 71 (5/26/1940 to 4/19/2012), rock vocalist and drummer, member of The Band (1968-1976, 1983-1999). Sang lead on “The Weight” (1968), “Up on Cripple Creek” (1969), and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” (1969). Etta James, aged 73 (1/25/1938 to 1/20/2012), blues singer. Hits include “The Wallflower” (1955), “At Last” (1961), “I Just Want to Make Love to You” (1996). Won four Grammy awards (1994-2004). Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (1993). Davy Jones, aged 66 (12/30/1945 to 2/29/2012), actor/singer, “The Monkees” (1966-68). Sang lead on “Daydream Believer” (1967). Tony Martin, aged 98 (12/25/1913 to 7/27/2012), singer. Hits include “There’s No Tomorrow” (1949), “I Get Ideas” (1951), “Walk Hand In Hand” (1956). Actor; Casbah (1948), Here Come the Girls (1953), Hit the Deck (1955). Husband of actress Cyd Charisse (1948-2008). Earl Scruggs, aged 88 (1/6/1924 to 3/28/2012), bluegrass banjo player, teamed with Lester Flatt (1948-69). Hits include “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” (1963). Kitty Wells, aged 92 (8/30/1919 to 7/16/2012), country singer. Hits include “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” (1952), “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (1958), “Heartbreak U.S.A.” (1961). Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame (1974). Received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1991). Wife of country singer Johnnie Wright (1937-2011). Gary Carter, aged 57 (4/5/1954 to 2/16/2012), catcher for Montreal Expos (1974-84, 1992), New York Mets (1985-89), and two other teams (1990-91). 11-time All-Star (1975, 1979-88) and 3-time Gold Glove Award winner (1980-82). Inducted into the Hall of Fame (2003). Lee MacPhail, aged 95 (10/25/1917 to 11/8/2012), major-league baseball executive, general manager of the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, American League President (1974-83) and President of the Players Relations Committee. Elected to the MLB Hall of Fame (1998). Son of baseball executive Larry MacPhail and father of baseball executive Andy MacPhail (1953). Marvin Miller, aged 95 (4/14/1917 to 11/27/2012), executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (1966-82), negotiated collective bargaining, arbitration, and free agency with the baseball owners. Art Modell, aged87 (6/23/1925 to 9/6/2012), owner of the NFL Cleveland Browns (1961-95) and Baltimore Ravens (1996-2004). President of the National Football League (1967-69). Was the principal force in having NFL games televised on Monday nights (1970). Joe Paterno, aged 85 (12/21/1926 to 1/22/2012), college football coach (Penn State 1966-2011). Won 24 bowl games and 3 Big Ten championships. Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (2006). Fired for not doing more about allegations of child molestation taking place in his facilities. Darrell Royal, aged 88 (7/9/1924 to 11/7/2012), college football head coach for Mississippi State University (1954-55), University of Washington (1956), and University of Texas (1957-76). Won three national championships (1963, 1969, 1970). Had 23 consecutive winning seasons. Alex Karras, aged 77 (7/15/1935 to 10/10/2012), NFL football player; Detroit Lions (tackle, 1958-71). Actor, Blazing Saddles (1974), “Webster” (George Papadapolis, 1983-89). Junior Seau, aged 43 (1/19/1969 to 5/2/2012), NFL linebacker for San Diego Chargers (1990-2002), Miami Dolphins (2003-05), and New England Patriots (2006-09). Was on the Pro Bowl team 12 consecutive years (1991-2002). In Publishing & Books Ray Bradbury, aged 91 (8/22/1920 to 6/5/2012), science fiction writer whose works include The Martian Chronicles (1950), and Farenheit 451 (1953). Andrew Breitbart, aged 43 (2/1/1969 to 3/1/2012), web publisher, editor for The Drudge Report, and founder of Brietbart.com and BigGovernment.com (2009). Facilitated an undercover video purporting to expose fraud in ACORN (2009). Helen Gurley Brown, aged 90 (2/18/1922 to 8/13/2012), author of Sex and the Single Girl (1962) and editor of Cosmopolitan (1965-1997). Jim Unger, aged 75 (1/21/1937 to 5/29/2012), cartoonist of “Herman” (1974-92). Gore Vidal, aged 86 (10/3/1925 to 7/31/2012), novelist whose works include Myra Breckinridge (1968) and Lincoln (1984). Maurice Sendak, aged 83 (6/10/1928 to 5/8/2012), children’s writer whose works include Little Bear (1957) and Where the Wild Things Are (1963). James Q. Wilson, aged 80 (5/27/1931 to 3/2/2012), sociologist/criminologist professor at Harvard (1961-87). Rejected prevailing theories that most/all criminal behavior is the product of societal factors. Wrote Varieties of Police Behavior (1968) and Thinking About Crime (1975). Zig Ziglar, aged 86 (11/6/1926 to 11/28/2012), motivational speaker and author (See You at the Top, 1975). Henry Hill, aged 69 (6/11/1943 to 6/12/2012), organized crime figure with the Luchesse crime family of New York, participated in a hesit of Lufthansa Air (1978), became an FBI informant, expelled from the U.S. Witness Protection Program (1982). Subject of the film Goodfellas (1990). Sun Myung Moon, aged 92 (2/25/1920 to 9/2/2012), founder of the Unification Church (1954), also known as “Moonies”. Convicted of willfully filing false US income tax returns (1982); imprisoned for 13 months (1984-85). Vidal Sassoon, aged 84 (1/17/1928 to 5/9/2012), hairdresser to the rich and famous. Rodney King, aged 47 (4/2/1965 to 6/17/2012), victim of a videotaped beating involving seven Los Angeles police officers on 3 March 1991 that made him a symbol of police brutality and led to racially charged riots in Los Angeles. Four officers were tried; three were acquitted and the jury failed to reach a verdict on the fourth. Their acquittals on 29 April 1992 prompted a riot in which 54 people died. Two officers were subsequently found guilty of civil rights violations in federal court, and King was paid $3.8 million by the city of Los Angeles. Manmade Tragedies 2012 also had its share of manmade tragedies. In Aurora, Colorado a crazed gunman opened fire on an unsuspecting audience during a midnight screening of the Batman new movie “The Dark Knight Rises”, killing 12 people and wounding 58 others. The killer was former neuroscience graduate student James Holmes. In Benghazi , Libya Islamic militants stormed the U.S. mission on the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, killing U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. The attack was the first to kill a U.S. ambassador in the line of duty since 1979 and sparked severe criticism of the Obama administration. An official inquiry found widespread failures in both security planning and internal management. In a Wisconsin Sikh temple a gunman killed six people and critically wounded three others, before he was himself shot dead by police. At the Empire State Building in New York City, an out-of-work fashion designer fatally shot a former co-worker before being killed in a blaze of gunshots by police, stunning tourists and commuters outside of one of New York’s most popular landmarks. Finally, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, Adam Lanza shot dead 20 children and six staff members, before killing himself. He had also killed his mother. Lance Armstrong, the disgraced cycling champion had his seven Tour de France victories scratched from the records and was banned from cycling for life after the International Cycling Union (UCI) ratified the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) sanctions against him. A USADA report said Armstrong had been involved in the “most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.” Record-setting skydiver. Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner leapt into the stratosphere from a balloon near the edge of space 24 miles above Earth and safely landed, setting a record for the highest skydive and breaking the sound barrier in the process. CIA Director, David Petraeus, who had formerly played a key role in the Iraq war, and led the U.S. Central Command and commanded U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, stepped down after admitting he had engaged in an extramarital affair.

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WAGs at war: Rooney & Vardy in almighty Twitter spat Two of the UK game's highest-profile partners of footballers have kicked off on social media over allegations involving The Sun Coleen Rooney, the wife of D.C. United star Wayne, has accused Rebekah Vardy, the spouse of Leicester and England forward Jamie, of leaking stories to The Sun via her private Instagram account. Coleen Rooney blocked all but one account from viewing her account in a bid to suss out who was selling stories to the paper. She dropped the social bombshell on Wednesday, revealing her detective work of how she'd deduced that only one person could possibly have shared the personal information with the UK tabloid newspaper. Coleen Rooney's statement on Twitter said: “For a few years now someone who I trusted to follow me on my personal Instagram account has been consistently informing The Sun newspaper of my private posts and stories. “There has been so much information given to them about me, my friends and my family - all without my permission or knowledge. “After a long time of trying to figure out who it could be, for various reasons, I had a suspicion. “To try and prove this, I came up with an idea. I blocked everyone from viewing my Instagram Stories except one account. (Those on my private account must have been wondering why I haven’t had stories there for a while). “Over the past five months I have posted a series of false stories to see if they made their way into the Sun newspaper. And you know what, they did! The story about gender selection in Mexico, the story about returning to TV and then the latest story about basement flooding in my new house. “It’s been tough keeping it to myself and not making any comment at all, especially when the stories have been leaked, however I had to. Now I know for certain which account / individual it’s come from. “It’s…. Rebekah Vardy’s account.” This has been a burden in my life for a few years now and finally I have got to the bottom of it...... pic.twitter.com/0YqJAoXuK1 — Coleen Rooney (@ColeenRoo) October 9, 2019 Can’t believe I’m even having to write this. I’m pregnant & on holiday & am at a loss to why she would do this. I’m now having to take legal advice as I can’t deal with this stress myself when I’m this pregnant. A post shared by Becky Vardy (@beckyvardy) on Oct 9, 2019 at 3:07am PDT How did Rebekah Vardy respond to Coleen Rooney's tweet? Despite Coleen's evidence pointing towards Rebekah Vardy, the wife of the Foxes star has hit back at the claims, suggesting that her account had been accessed by others than her. “As I have just said to you on the phone, I wish you had called me if you thought this,” she said. “I never speak to anyone about you as various journalists who have asked me to over the years can vouch for. “If you thought that this was happening you could have told me & I could have changed my passwords to see if it stopped. “Over the years various people have had access to my insta & just this week I found I was following people I didn't know and have never followed myself. “I'm not being funny but I don't need the money, what would I gain from selling stories on you? I liked you a lot Coleen & I'm so upset that you have chosen to do this, especially when I'm heavily pregnant.” Vardy has indicated that she is taking legal advice over the matter, which has been a huge talking point on social media among UK football fans during a quiet international break.

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Flint has been at a clean water deficit for five years Andrea Elsholz, Features Editor The Flint General Motors Truck Assembly plant stopped using Flint tap water when it started corroding engine parts. But it was also corroding the lead pipes that brought water to the city. On April 24, 2014, one metal transformed Flint. Five years later the people of Flint find they still lack a necessity—clean water. PHOTO https://www.flickr.com/photos/fordschool/30286782730 Gerald ford high school facilitates a discussion on the Flint water crisis for its citizens. The conference was meant to start up dialog between leaders and concerned citizens on Oct. 24, 2016. Senior Eibhen Macintyre: “Just waking up every day and brushing my teeth with a water bottle. Cooking with bottled water sucks. We can’t use it to wash our clothes or bodies because there’s not enough. We were actually one of the fortunate people who had water stocked up. We would leave cases on our front porch and curbside so people could get it. It just breaks my heart every time I think about it. Seeing all those plastic bottles stacked up in our kitchen is a constant reminder. People give me a lot of crap because I shouldn’t be using all this plastic for bottled water but I don’t have a choice. It’s been swept under the rug; it’s only gotten worse. They stopped the water pods and it’s been affecting my family money-wise because of the bills, which in Flint are actually some of the highest in Michigan. It’s ridiculous; you can’t even use it. Every couple of months we have to go and get our lead levels checked to make sure we don’t have lead poisoning, which is a constant thought looming over. When everything first started we were given filters. They got rid of the bacteria, but didn’t get rid oflead which is the biggest problem. People initially thought ‘you can just boil your water,’ but the lead would actually become more concentrated. This is so emotional for me. I will never forgive Governor Snyder. He has killed and hurt so many families, so many people with hearts and brains and feelings and souls; their lives will never be the same.” Sophomore Abbey Banks: “At FSPA (Flint School of Performing Arts) they would put yellow tape, like police tape, over the water fountains. They would have these big jugs of water and these plastic water bottles everywhere. Now, there are signs by the water fountain saying it’s clean, but I guess deep down a part of me could have lost trust in the water. I’m used to people saying don’t drink the water, so I just buy a drink. They did provide free water when it got bad, but now if people don’t have money they have to drink from the fountain.” Teacher Matthew Sullivan: “Good leaders have the ability to get the best out of the people they’re leading. I think that Flint was not a case where they didn’t get the best out of people, but it was a case of leaders letting people down. From what I know they chose not to act on it. I think there’s a definite loss of trust between the people of Flint and their leaders, which to me is most damaging and disgraceful because the people of Flint chose them to lead and they failed them, and ruined lives doing it. I think the community has to come together and find new leaders or step into that leadership role themselves. It’s really scary to think that happened just 10 miles away from us. It makes you feel fortunate that we have our own water supply but most importantly that we have strong leaders that wouldn’t put our lives in jeopardy.” Teacher Brian Murphy: “A bond needs trust, honesty, loyalty. But the bond is fragile. We put people in office because we believe in them to do right by us and change things for better in the city.The big idea is water: clean drinking water, which is essential for all life. If that’s run by the government they need to maintain this need for the people. The people of Flint were undermined by the government. I knew they were giving them filters, which to me seems like a temporary fix. What they really need to do is to redo the pipes. But where will they get the funding for that? In an impoverished city it can be very difficult. I think overall the people of Flint have been hurt. We need to be able to confide in our government. The bond between people of Flint and their government has been severed and they need to cooperate and communicate to fix it.” 12 schools, two divisions for the 2019 Flint Metro League After a two-year process of finalizing the new bylaws of the Flint Metro League, Fenton athletics will now participate in a two-division, 12 school le... New water bottle refill stations save over 7,000 plastic bottles Ambassadors concert helps fund One World Water Project The Ambassadors have been one of the most practiced form of entertainment at FHS. Preparation for their upcoming event was also a big point in the rou...

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Bulldog Hockey Closes Weekend Series At Mercyhurst With Road Split Erie, Pa. - The Ferris State University men's ice hockey team fell to the Mercyhurst Lakers 4-1 on Saturday (Oct. 21) as the two teams wrapped up a non-league weekend series at he Erie Insurance Arena. Redshirt sophomore defenseman Zach Yoder scored his first goal as a Bulldog in the loss for Ferris State as the two teams finished the weekend with a split. The Lakers got on the board first at 17:46 of the opening period when Taylor Best scored on the power play from Les Lancaster. FSU's Yoder evened the game at 8:22 of the second period from senior forward Mitch Maloney and Andrew Mayer on a two-on-one that snuck across the line. The Lakers responded with three third period power play goals, first from Derek Barach at 2:55. Matthew Whittaker scored back-to-back for the Lakers at 10:08 and 18:06 for the 4-1 advantage. Ferris State was outshot 36-23, and went 0-of-4 on the power play while the Lakers went 4-of-7. Sophomore goaltender Justin Kapelmaster made 32 saves in the loss for Ferris State. The Bulldogs return to Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) action on Friday (Oct. 27) as they travel to Bemidji State (Minn.) to face the Beavers inside the Sanford Center at 8:07 p.m. (ET).

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Pollasumera In 1824 the British penal colony of Van Diemen's Land is little more than a living hell. Chained to a wall in the darkness of a cell under Hobart Gaol, Pearce is visited by Father Connolly, the parish priest of the fledgling colony and a fellow Irishman. The Last Confession Of Alexander Pearce will draw a visceral and compelling picture of a hell on earth and tell how one man endured the unimaginable by doing the unthinkable. www.thelastconfession.com Channel 4 Picks Up ‘Alexander Pearce’ Co-Production The IFTA nominated drama, ‘The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce’, an Irish-Australian co-production has been picked up by UK broadcaster Channel 4. The drama, which recently won an Inside Film Award and an APRA Screen Music Award, stars Adrian Dunbar (The Crying Game), Ciaran McMenamin (One Hundred Mornings), Dan Wyllie (Chopper), Don Hany (California King) & Chris Haywood (Shine). The film depicts the final days of convict Alexander Pearce’s life in Van Diemen�... 03.12.2009 | Pollasumera's blog The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce Wins at 2009 Inside Film Awards Producer Nial Fulton & Director Michael James Rowland THE LAST CONFESSION OF ALEXANDER PEARCE WINS AT THE 2009 INSIDE FILM AWARDS The 2009 Inside Film Awards - Awards Room SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 18: Michael James Rowland, Nial Fulton and Corrie Soeterboek pose with the a... The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce - Nominated 2009 AFI Awards AFI AWARD FOR BEST TELEFEATURE, MINI SERIES OR SHORT RUN SERIES * 3 Acts of Murder. Sue Taylor. ABC1 * False Witness. Greg Haddrick, Peter Andrikidis. UKTV * The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce. Nial Fulton. ABC1 * Saved. Michael McMahon, Tony Ayres. SBS http://www.afi.org.au/AM/ContentManagerNet/MembersOnly.aspx?NavMenuID=1156&ContentID=8951&DirectListComboInd=D&Section=Television_Nominees2 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/m... The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce Wins at Screen Music Awards Acclaimed screen composer Roger Mason has received the Screen Music Award for Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie for The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce, the ABC telemovie that follows the final days of Irish convict Alexander Pearce as he awaits execution. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26297139-5013575,00.html http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/APRAAwards/ScreenAwards/Winners.aspx ... The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce Nominated at the Screen Music Awards 2009 The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce NOMINATED for the 2009 SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS! Huge congratulations to composer ROGER MASON! http://www.apra-amcos.com.au/APRAAwards/ScreenAwards/Nominations.aspx#Mini_Series_Telemovie ... The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce - Nominated 2009 Inside Film Awards http://www.if.com.au/2009/10/12/article/Samson-leads-IF-Award-nominations ... The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce - Available on DVD Now This high-quality BBC/ABC historical drama tells the gruesome but true story of Irish convict turned cannibal, Alexander Pearce. Launching nationwide with event screenings and being shown on the ABC in March 2009. This fascinating tale boasts some of Australia's finest young talent (both in front and behind the camera) and will shock and enthral. Starring Adrian Dunbar, Ciaran McMenamin, Dan Wyllie, Don Hany, Chris Haywood, Bob Franklin, Richard Green http://shop.abc.net.au/bro... The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce Nominated at Australian Directors Guild Awards 2009 The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce director Michael James Rowland has been nominated at the Australian Directors Guild Awards. Press release from the ADG The Australian Directors Guild today announced the nominees for its 2009 peer-assessed awards, celebrating the creative achievement of directors in film, television and new media platforms. ADG President, Ray Argall, said: “We congratulate all the nominees on the great work they have produced this year and look forward to seein... About Pollasumera The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce More blog entries The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce on Wikipedia The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce on Freebase The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce on Twitter The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce Blog

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Access our exclusive content Get our newsletter with exclusive Mining Energy Biotech Technology Small Caps The 420 Report The Green Keeper Trev's Stock Tips Buy and Cell Ctrl Alt Del Q&A Startups Market Wrap Investor 101 Stock of the Week Keep me posted menu 2020 Market Outlook Part 3: Impeachment could mark the start of volatility in 2020 By Trevor Hoey. Published at Dec 20, 2019, in Features On Wednesday I suggested that 2020 would be a year of volatility for equities markets, and on that note I pointed to some stock selection strategies that can assist in riding out such conditions without enduring too much pain. More specifically I said, ‘’In such an environment I want a share portfolio that is diversified by sector with a skew towards blue-chip stocks with robust balance sheets and a definite bias towards companies that generate income through the sale and provision of products and services that are difficult for businesses and consumers to live without. "Companies with strong competitive positions and unmatched proprietary technologies in niche markets generally demonstrate resilience even in tough times.’’ With a view to establishing a diversified portfolio I have focused on S&P/ASX 200 stocks across 10 S&P sectors, the first five of which were covered on Thursday. Today I select stocks from five other sectors that in my mind best fit the criteria outlined above. However, my comments on Wednesday regarding the seemingly inflated state of global equities markets, including Australia should be borne in mind. Rather than representing value at today’s prices, the stocks I’ve outlined may be ones to put on the watchlist, with a view to giving them some consideration when share prices retrace to levels that are more in line with their intrinsic value. Addressing anomalies within sectors Before we tackle the five sectors today, I would just like to provide some explanation regarding the make-up of a couple of indices, as that has impacted my approach to stock selection. The S&P/ASX 200 Materials index (ASX:XMJ) encompasses a wide range of commodity-related manufacturing industries. Included in this sector are companies that produce and manufacture chemicals, construction materials, glass, paper and minerals, as well as being home to manufacturers of forest products and related packaging products, including producers of steel. Although they are lumped into the one index, there are significant differences between a manufacturer of paper for example and a mining company. Consequently, I have chosen to select companies from the S&P/ASX 300 Metals and Mining index (ASX:XMM) in order to select a pure play mining company. However, within the XMM lies another anomaly in terms of making like-for-like comparisons. This index contains mining services groups, as well as mining companies exposed to varying commodities. The most significant clash in my mind is comparing base metal stocks with companies that are exposed to the precious metals industry, which is predominantly made up of gold explorers and producers. Base metal prices generally have an inverse relationship with precious metal prices as the former normally reacts positively to buoyant economic conditions because of the industrial uses of those metals, whereas gold is seen as a safe haven investment when markets are depressed. Because of this anomaly, I will be choosing a base metal stock from the XMM and a gold stock from the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold index (ASX:XGD) which contains pure play gold companies. I will examine the mining indexes after working through healthcare, information technology and communications. S&P/ASX 200 Health Care Index The S&P/ASX 200 Health Care Index (ASX:XHJ) includes a number of industry segments, and as such it also provides challenges in terms of making like-for-like comparisons. However, with a view to identifying defensive resilient stocks, the index provides plenty of options. Broadly speaking, the XHJ includes companies that manufacture healthcare equipment and supply or provide healthcare related services. It is also home to a prominent group of companies that are primarily involved in research, development, production and marketing of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology products. This market segment features many companies that invest heavily in research and development, but in some cases they are still to realise earnings that are commensurate with the capital invested. Consequently these companies tend to be less defensive than those which generate regular revenues from an established and proven business model. Popular stocks in the sector are CSL, ResMed and Ramsay Health Care. The latter has been a market darling over the last 10 years with its share price increasing from approximately $10.00 to more than $80.00 in 2016. While Ramsay faced some problems in recent years, prompting a retracement in the group’s share price to levels of approximately $55.00, it appears to be back in favour, just yesterday hitting a 12 month high of $74.85, a level it hasn’t traded at since mid-2017. Ramsay is a global health operator with market leading positions in Australia, France and Scandinavia. However, with much of its income generated from a large portfolio of hospitals I feel there are inherent risks. The industry itself is capital intensive and heavily regulated with the increasingly litigious environment presenting further challenges. Poor hospital facilities and practices are frequently featured in the media and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the industry undergoing a Royal Commission in the not too distant future. The aged care Royal Commission is already underway, prompted by criticisms of facilities and patient treatment in aged care homes. This had an impact on ASX listed companies operating within the sector before the Royal Commission even started, and I suspect Ramsay could be the subject of negative investor sentiment if a Royal Commission were conducted. My pick in the sector is... Sonic Healthcare Ltd (ASX:SHL) Sonic is a global healthcare company with a reputation for excellence in laboratory medicine, pathology, radiology, diagnostic imaging and primary care medical services. The following shows the company’s diversification in terms of revenue generation. Sonic has grown to become one of the world’s leading healthcare providers with operations in Australia, the US, Germany, Switzerland, the UK, Belgium, Ireland and New Zealand. The company has market leading positions in Australia, Germany, Switzerland and the UK. The January acquisition of Aurora Diagnostics in the US added 32 practices and 220 pathologists across 19 states. It also came with more than 100 hospital contracts serving approximately 23,000 positions. The acquisition has provided a growth platform in the world’s largest market with the US anatomical pathology market valued at approximately $20 billion per annum. Management recently highlighted the fact that the company’s robust balance sheet provided head room for further expansion and this would likely incorporate further geographic diversification, more than likely through acquisitions. From an industry perspective, the medical profession is continually developing technologies that identify problems in patients before they evolve into critical conditions. In this environment, there is an increasing reliance on pathology and diagnostic services. S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index The S&P/ASX 200 Information Technology Index (ASX:XIJ) is home to companies involved in areas such as software and services, data processing, technology hardware and equipment. The index also includes manufacturers and distributors of communications equipment, computers and electronic equipment, along with those involved in the semiconductor space. Afterpay (ASX:APT) has been the big success story over the last two years with its share price increasing from about $5.00 to more than $35.00 in September. While it has retraced to around the $30.00 mark, it still looks pricey trading on a PE multiple of more than 100 relative to fiscal 2021 forecasts. With an eye to where technology is heading and a greater focus on value, my pick in the sector is ... Appen Ltd (ASX:APX) Appen is a global leader in the development of high-quality, human annotated datasets for machine learning and artificial intelligence. Appen brings over 20 years of experience in collecting and enriching a wide variety of data types including speech, text, image and video. With deep expertise in more than 180 languages and access to a global crowd of over 1 million skilled contractors, Appen partners with leading technology, automotive and eCommerce companies, as well as governments worldwide in helping them to develop, enhance and use products that rely on natural languages and machine learning. Since listing on the ASX in 2015 with an IPO price of 50 cents per share and an implied market capitalisation of $47 million, the company has consistently under-promised and outperformed, resulting in substantial share price accretion. The company hit an all-time high of $32.00 in July, but when markets tumbled in August Appen was the subject of profit-taking. However, as usual this was short lived with management’s announcement of a fiscal 2020 earnings upgrade in November triggering a 30% share price rally. The company currently has a market capitalisation of approximately $2.8 billion. Appen provides the likes of speech recognition services to some of the world’s largest tech companies including those that operate global search engines, social media platforms and e-commerce operations. For commercial reasons, deal flow with these companies is extremely confidential, but to provide a sense of insight, the group has been working with Microsoft Research for 22 consecutive years. From a broader perspective, the company’s clients are believed to include eight of the top 10 tech giants, including Apple, Facebook and Google. S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index The S&P/ASX 200 Communication Services Index (ASX:XTJ) is ,as the name suggests, home to companies that are involved in all facets of communications, whether it be owners of telecommunications infrastructure, providers of online advertising or simply diversified media outlets such as Nine Entertainment (ASX:NEC). There are plenty of household names such as Telstra, NewsCorp and carsales.com. My pick is ... oOh!media Ltd (ASX:OML) OML is a leading media company in Australia and New Zealand that creates deep engagement between people and brands through physical and digital Out of Home advertising solutions. The group’s connected offline and online ecosystem makes brands more visible to a wider audience because of its diverse network of more than 37,000 locations across Australia and New Zealand. The company targets high-volume audience locations where viewers are likely to be interested in the products that its clients are advertising. Locations include roadsides, retail centres, airports, train stations, bus stops, office towers, cafes, gyms, bars and universities. Oohmedia also integrates experiential, social, mobile and online communications, a high-growth area. At the start of December, management upgraded its underlying earnings guidance for the 12 months to 31 December, 2019 (the company works on a calendar year financial period), triggering a 30% share price spike. However, Oohmedia still appears to be good value as it was recovering off a low base after being sold down in August. The earnings upgrade included positive commentary on the company’s operations with management noting that advertising bookings had improved over the last four months, while capital expenditure was expected to be at the low to mid end of previous guidance. S&P/ASX 300 Metals and Mining Index The S&P/ASX 300 Metals and Mining Index hosts a wide range of mining stocks and mining services companies. However, I will be highlighting a company that provides exposure to a wide range of metals and materials, while also offering investors an outstanding dividend yield. Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) Rio needs no introduction, but from an operational perspective it could be argued that some of its projects fly under the radar. Also, the company is entering a growth phase with major projects coming on stream in the near to medium-term, most notably the Oyu Tolgoi underground copper-gold project in Mongolia. The development of this project continued to progress in 2019 as it transitions to one of the largest copper mines in the world. While there has been a hold-up due to a reconsideration of the mine design, preliminary information now suggests that first sustainable production could be achieved in 2022/2023. Even at this early stage, the open pit operations have delivered $1 billion in free cash flow since 2013. Rio estimates that Oyu Tolgoi will have a mine life in excess of 50 years, typical of the company’s approach in terms of selectively developing projects that offer quality mineralisation, low operating costs and a ready cash flow that normally spans decades. Rio’s performance over the last three years speaks for itself with the company’s $25 billion in earnings representing a return on capital employed of 18%. During this period Rio generated free cash flow of $23 billion, and the group boosted shareholder value to the tune of $26 billion through dividends and share buybacks. As indicated in the following graphic, Rio provides exposure to a range of commodities such as copper, iron ore, bauxite, uranium, and diamonds. Some copper mines also benefit from associated gold production which helps Rio in achieving one of its key goals of driving down costs through gold credits, and this will be the case at Oyu Tolgoi. It would be difficult to find a mining stock that has consistently delivered better shareholder returns, and the company’s performance in 2019 demonstrates these attributes. In the last 12 months the company’s shares have increased from about $70.00 to more than $100.00, representing a capital gain of around 50%. Based on consensus forecasts, the company is poised to pay a full year dividend (12 months to December 31, 2019) of $6.69, implying a yield of 6.5%, which on a grossed up basis taking into account franking credits equates to 9.3%. S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold index The S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold index (ASX:XGD) is home to pure play gold stocks. The companies in this index have operations that span every continent. While Africa has been a happy hunting ground for gold companies, it comes with sovereign risk, a factor that works against those stocks particularly when markets are volatile. In the current environment, it is hard to go past gold miners with operations in Australia due to the lack of political risk and the predictability of regulators. Furthermore, the substantial depreciation of the Australian dollar against the US dollar makes the Australian dollar gold price very attractive. The spot gold price is currently hovering in the vicinity of US$1480 per ounce and the Australian dollar is fetching nearly US$0.69. This equates to an Australian dollar gold price of $2150 per ounce. Given that the average cost of production in Australia is in the vicinity of $1300 per ounce with many mines operating close to $1000 per ounce, the margins are outstanding. My pick in the sector is ... Regis Resources Ltd (ASX:RRL) Regis is an Australian-based producer which on a global basis is one of the lowest cost producers. This has assisted the company in consistently generating strong cash flows, minimising debt and having a balance sheet with the capacity to fund new projects that have gradually increased gold production. As the following map shows, the company’s producing mines are in Western Australia, but the McPhillamys project in New South Wales will be central to the company’s future. A development application is currently being assessed, and management anticipates that a potential open pit mine could produce at a rate of 200,000 ounces per annum. The company has 8.2 million ounces in resources and 4 million ounces in reserves, leaving it well-placed to maintain strong levels of production in the near to medium-term. Analysts are generally projecting production to range between 370,000 ounces per annum and 400,000 ounces per annum over the next three years with costs to hover in the vicinity of $1120 per ounce, in line with the bottom end of management’s guidance for fiscal 2020. Based on the current Australian dollar gold price, this provides a robust margin of approximately $1000 per ounce. Regis is also one of only a handful of gold producing companies that distributes a meaningful dividend. Analysts are forecasting dividends ranging between about 20 cents per share and 25 cents per share in fiscal years 2020 and 2021. Regis is currently trading in the vicinity of $4.10 which implies a yield of more than 5% based on the mid-point of the consensus dividend forecasts. Given Regis’ dividends are fully franked, this implies a grossed up yield in excess of 7%. Don’t expect the dividends to dry up anytime soon as the company is debt free with cash and bullion of approximately $150 million. Cashflow from operations in fiscal 2019 was $329 million which comfortably covered dividend payments of $81.2 million. Get our newsletter with an exclusive article straight to your inbox ASX STOCKS STOCK MARKET TECH ASX INVESTMENTS Like this article? You may like... Will Iran unleash a Cybersecurity tsunami on the US? Will Bitcoin's price surge on the back of world tensions? Gold hits seven-year high Energy markets lift on US assassination of Iranian general YPB Confirm Another Sale on the Back of Recent Tech Breakthrough Rio Tinto to join World Bank's green mining program Australia cyclone hits Rio Tinto iron production Will Iran unleash a Cybersecurity tsunami on the US? Get our newsletter sent straight to your inbox © 2020 Finfeed.com. All Rights Reserved. Subscribe to our weekly wrap.

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Other North American Cities Other European Cities Things To Do in DC Discount Pass Luxury Private Tours Standard Private Tours DC History Speaker’s Bureau Drinking History | DC Walking Tour You find the history of any great city not just in its memorials or famous houses but in the establishments where the everyday folks gather to chat, relax, and celebrate the victories of life – I’m referring, of course, to bars! D.C. has a wonderful selection of drinking history and bars for every taste and budget but our self-guided drinking history tour will showcase how you can learn the story of America while wetting your whistle around the nation’s capital city. Start: Martin’s Tavern, 1264 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20007 End: Round Robin, Willard Hotel, 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004 Stop 1 – Martin’s Tavern (A) 1264 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, DC, 20007 Open 7 days a week until 1:30am, Friday & Saturday until 2:30am Martin’s Tavern (folks in the neighborhood may simply call it Billy Martin’s, after the first proprietor) opened in 1933, on the day after Prohibition ended. How convenient to have your bar up and running so soon after the thirteen-year dry period ended! Billy Martin still runs it today – the fourth generation, that is – it’s the longest family-run restaurant still in operation in D.C. Martin’s Tavern is the stop for those with lofty political ambitions. Diners have included Lyndon B. Johnson, Harry S. Truman, Geeven Richard Nixon, who favored the meatloaf. A young, handsome Senator named John F. Kennedy used to each breakfast in the single-seat booth until he started dating a beautiful photographer named Jacqueline. The young couple upgraded to a larger booth for their meals at Martin’s, including the booth where JFK proposed! You can still sit in Booth 3, aptly labeled the Engagement Booth. Walk south on Wisconsin Avenue and turn left on M Street. Turn left on 18th Street and head north. Look for the Lounge between Nando’s Peri-Peri restaurants and Public Bar. Stop 2 – Eighteenth Street Lounge (B) 1212 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 Closed Mondays, Open Tuesdays-Thursdays and Sundays until 2am, Open Friday & Saturday until 3am This beautiful historic mansion, now home to one of the most chic drinking establishments in D.C., was once the home of Theodore Roosevelt! The mansion was rented by our most famous roughrider before he was President of the United States. When he lived in the White House, he shared the space with six kids, a small bear, badgers, a blue macaw, a one-legged rooster, hyenas, guinea pigs and his daughter’s pet snake, to name a few Roosevelt pets – so we know our 26th President can appreciate a raucous atmosphere! The former residence of Roosevelt has been converted into a swanky, Victorian-themed lounge with five unique bar spaces inside. For those interested in drinking with Washington’s bold-faced names and beautiful people, a few things to know. First, dress to impress – jeans and sneakers will not cut it here. Second, those in the know refer to it simply as “ESL.” Finally, there’s almost always live music – chat the bouncer up about the bands playing and you might just talk yourself in. Bully to that! Walk south on Connecticut Avenue and turn right on 17th Street NW. Take a left on H Street NW – look for entrance on the corner of H Street & 16th Street NW. Stop 3 – Off the Record at the Hay Adams (C) 800 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20006 Open every day until midnight Located just one block from the White House, this trendy bar is located in the basement of the historic Hay-Adams hotel. This is the kind of spot where you can nestle against red velvet walls and wait to see which noteworthy politician will be seen whispering with a journalist – strictly off the record, of course! Just like the hotel has drawn famous names like Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart and Sinclair Lewis as guests, the Off the Record bar has attracted the likes of Brad Pitt, Henry Kissinger, and a DC By Foot favorite, author and historian David McCullough! Walk east on H Street and turn right on 15th Street NW. Walk south on 15th Street – entrance located on left side of the street, just past G Street NW. Stop 4 – Old Ebbitt Grill (D) 675 15th Street, Washington, DC 20005 Open until 1am Monday-Thursday, open until 2am Friday-Sunday Though the Old Ebbitt Grill has changed locations several times in its history before settling in its current White House-adjacent locale in 1983, one thing that hasn’t changed is Washington’s love of the bar and restaurant. It first opened it’s doors in 1856 and was a favorite of presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt, Warren G. Harding, and Andrew Johnson. The bar is a favorite for locals and tourists alike, so if the main bar is full, consider going upstairs to the Corner Bar or the back of the atrium area to Grant’s bar. As you walk through the main bar, be sure to look for the the animal heads on the wall – they were allegedly bagged by President Theodore Roosevelt himself! For fans of the Broadway musical Hamilton, keep your eyes peeled for the carved wooden bears, imported by Alexander Hamilton! Walk south on 15th Street NW and turn left on Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The entrance is located at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue NW and 14th Street NW. Stop 5 – Round Robin at The Willard Hotel (E) 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004 Open until 1am every night except Sunday (open until midnight) It doesn’t get more historic than the Round Robin. This bar dates back to 1850 and has hosted such luminaries as Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant (on many occasions!), Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, and the list goes on. While the bartender is likely to be discreet about the deals they’ve seen brokered here, they will certainly let you in on one secret – the mint julep recipe they use at the Round Robin is the same one that Senator Henry Clay first brought to Washington, D.C. in the early 1800s. Clay was insistent that a true mint julep be made only with bourbon – so don’t expect to find gin or rum in the Round Robin’s version today! © 2020 Free Tours by Foot

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Come back soon to learn more about US-based projects to improve the health outcomes of Ethiopian immigrants. Click here to go back to the PROJECTS page. Gambella Medical Team Connection (GmTc) is a vital 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization originally formed to moderate the negative impacts of apathy and lack of available services for the under-served Ethiopian immigrant and refugee population. Our organization’s projects, implemented by a well-trained volunteer, offer many opportunities for the reduction of depravity and poverty through superior health care services. GmTc strives to serve as many people as possible with the resources we have available – every individual is important to our organization. By offering services that are concentrated on serving those less fortunate and addressing the greatest needs of our target community, we can make a positive contribution in helping the people we work with lead a more fulfilling life. While we will provide free health consultation and advice for participants’ healthy well-being, we will also provide referral services to those participants to appropriate hospitals or clinics for further evaluations. The services will also include health education for participant to control their weight, establish healthy eating habits, translation services, and assistance with transportation to clinics or hospitals for vital appointments. Gambella Medical Team Connection (GmTc) is based nonprofit that has served the Gambella Regional State of Ethiopia in 2008, as a temporary churches mission. It provided mobile clinic, books for orphanage, drilled wells, distributed clothes and sports item, and taught orphanage bible school. We hope to return annually to continue education and help to establish a clinic or clinics to eventually provide basic health care. Educating these forgotten people about hygiene is one of the best ways to save them from fatal diseases. To provide free mobile health screening and promote community health education for Ethiopian, South Sudanese, and African immigrant residing in Rochester and around Minnesota. The organization formed on the base of volunteerism, mutual respect, unity, and understanding. Serving disadvantaged people in the community to improve quality health services and foundation for a living healthy and fruitful life. Omot Olok Dang is the founder of GmTc, born and raised in Gambella, Ethiopia. He came to U.S 1993 as a refugee from South Sudan and for the past sixteen years, he has worked as health care provider. He has an associate degree in health science from Salt Lake Community College, a Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from the University of Utah, and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from American Public University. He is currently working for Mayo Clinic at St. Mary’s Hospital.

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after-dark Code Issues 66 Pull Requests 0 Releases 147 Wiki Activity Hugo Dark Theme Site Generator https://after-dark.habd.as dockerhugofetch-injecthackcssfusejsmarkjsvuejslazysizeslodash Tree: 425ad87fe1 from '425ad87fe1' after-dark/COPYING COPYING 34KB 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661 GNU AFFERO GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 3, 19 November 2007 Copyright (C) 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc. <https://fsf.org/> The GNU Affero General Public License is a free, copyleft license for software and other kinds of works, specifically designed to ensure cooperation with the community in the case of network server software. our General Public Licenses are intended to guarantee your freedom to software for all its users. 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What difference will Obama’s plan to bring power to Africa make? Posted on March 2, 2016 by greenecodemocratcom By: BBC Africa News President Obama talks with African solar AFP In February US President Barack Obama signed an agreement to bring electricity to 50 million people in sub-Saharan Africa by 2020. Neil Ford asks, even if this is possible, how many will still be left in the dark? Perhaps the most remarkable things about the Electrify Africa Act of 2015 are that it commits the US to increased foreign aid at a time of economic uncertainty and cuts through sharp political divisions.The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ed Royce, worked with Democrat Eliot Engel for two years to drive the bill through Congress. The act commits the US government to supporting President Obama’s Power Africa initiative. Although headlined as a $50bn scheme, the US authorities will contribute just $7bn. Other governments, development agencies and private sector companies are expected to provide the remainder in public-private partnerships.This will be difficult to achieve during a global economic downturn. Even if it succeeds in its aim of bringing electricity to 50 million Africans by 2020, more than 10 times that number will still be without power. So the Power Africa initiative is not a magic bullet, but it has at least highlighted Africa’s power supply problems. It is easy to take electricity for granted. Most African homes lack fridges and electric cookers but even a single electric light bulb can bring security and allow children to do their homework after dark. Mobile phones encourage economic growth but the lack of electricity makes recharging them yet another hurdle to be cleared. According to the latest World Bank data, 35% of sub-Saharan Africans have no access to electricity. This is a far lower figure than in any other region. The next lowest rate is 22% for South Asia, while all five North African countries claim 100% coverage. Most Africans use wood and kerosene for fuel, causing deforestation and thousands of fatal accidents every year. The 35% figure masks huge variations, with electrification rates ranging from 5% in South Sudan up to 100% in Mauritius. Connection rates in rural areas are typically worse than 10%. Most of those with electricity at home live in cities, supplied by grids that were developed in colonial times but which have failed to expand with urban growth. Even many of those connected to the grid suffer from unreliable supplies. So those who can afford them, buy their own expensive diesel fired generators. While South Africa relies on coal-fired plants, most African countries depend on large hydro schemes to generate electricity. Yet unreliable rainfall means that hydroelectric production varies even during a good year and is even worse – as at present – during an El Nino event. The main problem is a lack of revenue. Most consumers are unable to afford to pay a commercial rate for electricity. This prevents power utilities from earning enough money to pay for new generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure; generation capacity to produce electricity; transmission to move it across big distances; and distribution to get it into people’s homes and businesses. Either people need to become richer, or power needs to be cheaper. Luckily, a solution may be at hand. The price of photovoltaic (PV) solar power panels is falling, while solar cells are becoming more efficient, so PV is becoming a cost-effective option. Such off-grid solutions avoid the need for expensive transmission and distribution infrastructure. Power Africa is already supporting very small-scale solar PV. It has awarded part-funding to 28 off-grid projects, along with the technical support that small-scale developers often lack. Many more will now follow suit. Most of these projects involve solar PV or biomass, which involves using agricultural waste as a power generation feedstock. Power Africa describes the first kWh people gain access to as the “the most valuable” because it provides at least a single source of electric light and the ability to charge mobile phones and radios. With its commitment to providing “cleaner power generation”, many of the on-grid ventures backed by Power Africa also involve renewable energy. In some cases, it is directly funding generation projects, such as the 152 MW Sarreole wind farm in Senegal. More often, it will supply technical support and dedicated advisors. It has already helped Ghana to tap its newly discovered gas reserves for thermal power production by providing regulatory advice. New projects will be identified as more of the funding is made available. It may be that a single grand scheme cannot solve Africa’s power problems but Power Africa can help provide local solutions, one at a time. This entry was posted in Community, Education, Newswire, Politics, World News and tagged Africa, African, African solar AFP, electricity, Electrify Africa Act of 2015, Power Africa initiative, President Obama. Bookmark the permalink. ← Black students ejected from Trump rally in GA. Eutaw City Council approves election qualifying fees and other resolutions →

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Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy GRIID Classes What will we do in Grand Rapids to fight against government repression that targets immigrants? tags: GR Cosecha Movement, ICE Raids in Grand Rapids, Rapid Response to ICE, sanctuary churches by Jeff Smith (GRIID) (Editor’s note: In the interest of being transparent, I am part of the Rapid Response to ICE effort.) In the past two weeks we have been aware of the fact that at least a dozen families have been directly impacted because of ICE raids in the greater Grand Rapids area. Last Friday, we received calls that ICE had been seen in the area of Alpine and Leonard and on Sunday, there were 5 or 6 people who had been picked up by Immigration, Customs and Enforcement officials. In the past few days we have been contacted by several other members in the immigrant community who have either had a family member picked up by ICE or are facing deportation themselves. This is the reality that thousands of people face every day in the West Michigan community. People live in fear and people are having their families torn apart. Children in these families don’t know if their parents will be home after school because of ICE and parents are afraid to go to the grocery store for fear of encountering ICE. So what do people who are not facing these oppressive realities do? There are no easy answers and no simple blue prints to follow. However, there are concrete things that we can and should be doing. The Rapid Response to ICE group has been hosting monthly trainings to involve people to; 1) prevent ICE from taking people who are undocumented, and 2) provide mutual aid/support to families impacted by having ice arrest, detain and possibly deport people. The next training is this Thursday, September 21 from 6 – 8pm, with details you can find at this link. The mutual aid that people can provide often involves raising money for people to cover legal costs, but it also means donating money so that people can pay their rent, provide food for their children or cover medial expenses. Mutual aid is also about providing transportation to detention facilities or to court dates and then sitting with family members in the courtroom. Another important group to become involved in is the Cosecha Movement in Grand Rapids, which is a movement led by immigrants and the undocumented community. This movement believes in respect, dignity and permanent protection for immigrants, especially for those that are being targeted by ICE and anti-immigration policies. They meet on a weekly basis have been doing important organizing work. But this still begs the question of what do people who are not faced with this kind of repression do? What do those of us with white privilege do knowing that the immigrant community is facing this kind of oppression on a daily basis? Back in January, I participated in an all day gathering at Eastern Avenue church to talk about these dynamics and to see what those of us who carry a great deal of privilege could do. One of the main areas of focus on that day in January was to talk about faith communities offering sanctuary for those who are confronted with anti-immigration policies. The breakout session talked a bit about the history of sanctuary work in Grand Rapids and the more recent Sanctuary Movement that is growing across the country. There were several faith-based communities that day that were considering offering sanctuary, whether that was in a very public manner by declaring themselves a sanctuary or a more underground manner, where sanctuary was being offered, but in a less-public way. The unfortunate reality is, that not one church or faith-based group has stepped up to offer sanctuary (at least not that we are aware of). This fact is unacceptable. Grand Rapids and West Michigan as a whole, prides itself on being a very religious community, yet not one religious community has chosen to take a stand with the immigrant community that is being targeted with government repression. Sure, there are churches and faith-based non-profits that offer important resources – financial, legal and translation services – but offering individuals and families sanctuary would send a whole different message to the immigrant community. It would send the message that those of us who carry a great deal of privilege are willing to stand with the immigrant community and potentially suffer the same kind of government repression. It is in these moments of history where people are confronted with what to do and have to face the question – what did we do while whole communities were experiencing repression? What did we do to make a difference? What did we do to make it clear to impacted communities that we stand in solidarity with them? What will we do? from → Indy News ← Betsy DeVos selectively eulogizes Rev. Dwight Montgomery Those attending the MSU ribbon-cutting ceremony were greeted by anti-Betsy DeVos protestors in Grand Rapids → Betsy DeVos Watch Dissecting Green Capitalism Dissecting the Local News Grand Rapids Non-Profit Industrial Complex Grand Rapids People's History Project GRIID Videos New Media We Recommend I’m sorry to have to say that the vast majority of White Americans are racists, either consciously or unconsciously Honoring the legacy and message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr – Part III Honoring the legacy and message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr – Part II Honoring the legacy and message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr – Part I Documentary screenings of the film King in the Wilderness, will raise funds for those who have suffered state violence in Grand Rapids

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Men's Fencing Chang, Kaneshige Help USA Win Bronze at Paris Foil World Cup Chang and Kaneshige competed at their first senior international event with team USA (photo courtesy Gil Talbot). PARIS – Jerry Chang and Brian Kaneshige of the No. 4 Harvard men's fencing team helped the world's top ranked United States men's foil team to a bronze medal at the Paris Foil World Cup this weekend. To open the first senior international event of the season, USA received a bye in the round of 32. The red, white and blue went on to defeat Hong Kong, 45-18, and China, 45-33, to reach the semifinals. USA fell victim to France's sword in the medal rounds, 45-40, to capture bronze. Individually Chang finished 75th overall. The Harvard sophomore who hails from Mountain View, Calif., earned four victories with a plus-11 indicator in pool play to take a 31st ranking into the tables. Chang defeated Israel's Stanislav Sudilovsky, 15-12, to open up the elimination round. He dropped the ensuing bout to his US teammate, Nobuo Bravo, 15-8. Kaneshige tallied five wins on the strip in pool action. Seeded 60th, the Maplewood, N.J., native defeated Dmitry Komissarov of Russia, 15-8, in the table of 128, but fell to Japan's Suguru Awaji, 15-3, to take 86th overall. Chang and Kaneshige will take the strip with the Crimson this weekend when Harvard travels to Queens, N.Y., for the St. John's Invitational Sunday, Jan. 26.

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Lake Pend Oreille is Idaho’s biggest, at 43 miles long with 111 miles of shoreline. It’s also the deepest (at 1,158 feet deep, there are only four deeper lakes in the nation). Dug out by Ice Age glaciers and located amid three major frontal ranges of the northern... Discover Idaho’s Backcountry Bayview, Idaho the “Southern Gateway” to Lake Pend Oreille offers a friendly port for fishing, power boating, sailing, and relaxing. Once known for logging, fishing, and limestone-mining Bayview was originally named Squaw Bay. After 1900 the name was changed to... Your North Idaho Playground North Idaho is truly blessed with water - with three major lakes and scores of smaller low-land lakes and high alpine lakes, along with rivers and streams big and small, the region offers a superabundance of waterways. The trio of major lakes are Lake Pend Oreille,... Out for a rip! Sign up and stay connected Sign up for our newsletter and get all the latest lodge updates, specials and trail info right in your inbox.

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Looney Tunes Treasury: Includes Amazing Interactive Treasures from the Warner Bros. Vault! by Andrew Farago Looney Tunes Treasury: Includes Amazing Interactive Treasures from the Warner Bros. Vault! Ehhh, what’s up, Doc? Here’s a first-hand look at the Looney Tunes from an irrefutable source—the characters themselves! This irreverent, hilarious, and just plain looney history provides an offbeat look at the animation industry, the “MoreEhhh, what’s up, Doc? Here’s a first-hand look at the Looney Tunes from an irrefutable source—the characters themselves! This irreverent, hilarious, and just plain looney history provides an offbeat look at the animation industry, the “behind-the-cels” men (and women) who gave the characters their unequivocal look, attitude, and voices, and a first-hand account of what the characters do when they’re not starring in the latest Looney Tunes cartoon. From Bugs Bunnys monumental rise from humble beginnings to animation star at Warner Bros. Studios to Marvin The Martians latest scheme to blow up the earth, The Looney Tunes Treasury recounts the key moments and quirky details of your favorite cartoon characters.And the timing couldn’t be better, as Warner Bros. is rejuvenating the Looney Tunes brand in 2010 and beyond. Big announcements will include an innovative animated series starring the characters as you’ve never seen them before, new cartoon DVD releases, new mobile and wireless content, a U.S. Depart. of Health and Human Services campaign on health and wellness, live events, viral grassroots campaigns, and much, much more...With more than 300 fabulous pieces of concept art, paintings, and memorabilia, The Looney Tunes Treasury is a must-have book for fans of all ages. Looney Tunes Treasury: Includes Amazing Interactive Treasures from the Warner Bros. Vault! by Andrew Farago Beyond Literacy: Exploring a Post-Literate Future The Last of the Imperious Rich: Lehman Brothers, 1844-2008 LANCELOT AND THE HARLOT QUEEN OF CAMELOT (An Adventure of L. du Lac, the Unfulfilld Knight. Book 1) Hendrick Motorsports How to Acquire new skills in 21 Days Chatushloki Bhagawat in Marathi Hunger: A Novel

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by Roisin Lanigan Mar 14 2019, 5:00pm louis vuitton releases a statement about its michael jackson collection Virgil Abloh’s autumn/winter 19 show drew inspiration from Michael Jackson, shortly before ‘Leaving Neverland’ premiered. Photo via Virgil Abloh Instagram In the wake of Leaving Neverland, the documentary which levelled claims of child sexual abuse against Michael Jackson, the music industry has been left reeling. Drake has axed his collaboration with Jackson, while several radio stations have banned his songs from the airwaves. Now, the fashion industry is following suit. Following an autumn/winter 19 menswear collection that drew inspiration from Michael Jackson and his legacy, Louis Vuitton and its men’s artistic director, Virgil Abloh, have released a statement exclusively to WWD. “I am aware that in light of this documentary the show has caused emotional reactions. I strictly condemn any form of child abuse, violence or infringement against any human rights,” Virgil says. “My intention for this show was to refer to Michael Jackson as a pop culture artist. It referred only to his public life that we all know and to his legacy that has influenced a whole generation of artists and designers.” The brand stressed they were “unaware” of the documentary at the time of showing the collection, and that the claims made against Jackson by Wade Robson and James Safechuck had brought the brand “the greatest pain”. “We find the allegations in the documentary deeply troubling and disturbing,” said the brand’s CEO, Michael Burke. “Child safety and welfare is of utmost importance to Louis Vuitton. We are fully committed to advocating this cause.” The collection featured several pieces of Jackson’s costumes, including loafers with white socks, encrusted tees and sequinned gloves. The brand also affirmed that any of the items “that directly feature Michael Jackson elements” will not be going into production. This article originally appeared on i-D UK.

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Archive | Karl Schwartz RSS feed for this section Learning about Iran Through Two Classic Books: All the Shah’s Men and Persepolis Many people learn about Iran because of its hostile relationship with the United States, but the history and culture of the country is much more complex than it is often portrayed. Two classic books, All the Shah’s Men by Stephen Kinzer and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, are compelling stories that provide great context for understanding Iran in 2019. All the Shah’s Men focuses on a 1953 coup d’état led by the U.S. and Great Britain against Iran’s democratically elected president Mohammed Mosaddegh. Mosaddegh was a progressive leader who supported religious freedom, women’s rights, and empowering the poor in his country. He was elected by promising to nationalize the British oil companies operating in Iran that were siphoning all of the wealth they were generating out of the country. This greatly angered the British and at the height of Cold War hysteria, President Eisenhower began to fear that Iran would fall to Communist rule. Kinzer’s book explains how the coup against Mosaddegh was orchestrated, going into great detail about secret plots, propaganda campaigns, and international conspiracies. This is history written as a spy novel and a suspenseful story that describes an Iran that was on the verge on becoming a secular democracy before it was so cruelly undermined. Persepolis picks up shortly after the events of All the Shah’s Men. Marji is a ten-year old girl in 1980 who is growing up during the Islamic Revolution, a time when her country is becoming increasingly religious and more restrictive of women’s freedoms. Had Mohammed Mosaddegh stayed in power, Marji may have grown up in a much different country, but his ousting created an opening for religious fundamentalism to thrive. Persepolis is a graphic novel that provides an on the ground view of what life is like for someone living through these events. Marji is a smart and observant narrator who makes life Iran understandable to an audience of all ages. Satrapi’s wonderful art and storytelling have made Persepolis one of the most critically acclaimed graphic novels of all time. You can also borrow the sequel and an adaptation on DVD. Reading both books together gave me a great overview of Iran’s modern history. What new and countries and cultures have you learned about through the resources available at the Hoboken Public Library? Share with us in the comments. Young Adult Librarian Categories graphic novels, Karl Schwartz, Nonfiction, Uncategorized A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and its Assault on the American Mind by Harriet A. Washington I first became interested in the work of Harriet A. Washington when my home city of Newark was hit with a lead water crisis that has frequently been compared in terms of severity to Flint, Michigan. I wondered why such environmental disasters hit the poorest communities in the United States the hardest and what the social effects of long term lead exposure would mean for the children of Newark. In A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and its Assault on the American Mind, Washington brilliantly lays out the sobering research about environmental racism and the profound effects it has on the well-being of some of the most vulnerable Americans. “Environmental Racism” is a term used by public health researchers and sociologists to describe the disproportionate way in which black, Latino, and indigenous communities face the brunt of environmental hazards, often leading to devastating health consequences. A prominent example of environmental racism that Washington cites is the fact that almost all of the cases of lead poisoning in Baltimore were found among the city’s black children. While white residents of Baltimore were approved for cheap mortgages in the suburbs after World War II and moved into newly built homes, African Americans were redlined out of these neighborhoods and forced to stay in unsafe homes in the inner city, many of which to this day have never been fully remediated of the lead paint that continues to poison the developing brains of infants in Baltimore. Washington bluntly describes the profound social consequences of environmental racism. Many of these toxins such as lead, untested chemicals, and waste from landfills that find their way disproportionately into minority communities cause severe cognitive damage. Washington doesn’t believe that IQ is a good predictor of intelligence, but she does believe that it can show how a person has been harmed by bad environmental policies. In contrast to those who would argue that intelligence is innate or genetic, Washington’s research shows that differences in IQ between different groups of people correlates most strongly to the type of environment they live in. Washington demonstrates how the average intelligence of groups of people can rise dramatically when they are exposed to better nutrition and cleaner environments, refuting that commonly held belief that intelligence is a static trait. A Terrible Thing to Waste is an incredibly important book by one today’s smartest environmental researchers. I found many of my beliefs about intelligence, race, poverty, and urban planning to be constantly challenged while reading Washington’s book. I was inspired by the stories of communities who fought back against environmental racism and despite the often depressing subject matter, I felt hopeful by the end of the book that communities can work together to solve these problems. Categories Karl Schwartz, Nonfiction, Uncategorized

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SemoSearch semo.jobs Up to 13 feared dead in volcanic eruption off New Zealand By NICK PERRY AP-AS--New Zealand-Volcano Erupts, 22nd Ld-Writethru George Novak, ASSOCIATED PRESS TAURANGA, New Zealand (AP) — A volcano off the New Zealand coast erupted Monday with a towering blast of ash and scalding steam as dozens of tourists were exploring its moon-like surface, killing five people and leaving eight others missing and feared dead, authorities said. Helicopter crews landed on White Island despite the danger and helped evacuate the dozens of survivors, some of them critically injured. Hours after the disaster, authorities said the site was still too dangerous for rescuers to search for the missing. But aircraft flew over the island repeatedly, and “no signs of life have been seen at any point,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. The missing and injured included New Zealanders and tourists from Australia, the U.S., China, Britain and Malaysia, the prime minister said. Some of those who were exploring White Island volcano were passengers from the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Ovation of the Seas, docked on neighboring North Island. “My god,” Michael Schade tweeted as he posted video of the eruption. “My family and I had gotten off it 20 minutes before, were waiting at our boat about to leave when we saw it. Boat ride home tending to people our boat rescued was indescribable.” His video showed a wall of ash and steam around White Island and a helicopter heavily damaged and covered in ash. He said one woman was badly injured but seemed “strong” by the end. The terrifying disaster immediately raised questions of why people were allowed to visit the island some 30 miles (50 kilometers) off mainland New Zealand after scientists had noted an uptick in volcanic activity in recent weeks. White Island is the tip of an undersea volcano. Authorities said 47 people were on the island at the time. Some were walking along the rim of the crater just before the eruption. In addition to the dead and missing, 31 survivors were hospitalized and three others were released, officials said. Some of the victims were reported severely burned. The eruption took place about 2 p.m. and consisted of two explosions in quick succession, the prime minister said. It sent a plume of steam and ash an estimated 12,000 feet (3,660 meters) into the air. One of the boats that returned from the island was covered with ash half a meter (yard) thick, Ardern said. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said 13 Australians were hospitalized and 11 others were believed to be among the missing or dead. “Ï fear there is worse news to come over the course of perhaps today or over the next few days," he said. “This is a terrible tragedy, a time of great innocence and joy interrupted by the horror of that eruption.” Ardern said White Island is a “very unpredictable volcano,” and questions about whether tourists should be visiting will have to be addressed, “but for now, we're focused on those who are caught up in this horrific event.” Brad Scott, a volcanologist with research group GNS Science, said the alert level on White Island is often raised and then dropped without any eruption. He said there hadn't been any major problems with tourists visiting the island in the past, though there had been some close calls. He would not venture an opinion on whether it was safe enough for tourists immediately before Monday's eruption. After the disaster, GeoNet raised its alert level to 4, later dropping it to 3. “In the scheme of things, for volcanic eruptions, it is not large," said Ken Gledhill from GeoNet. “But if you were close to that, it is not good.” White Island is New Zealand’s most active cone volcano. About 70% of the volcano lies under the sea. Twelve people were killed on the island in 1914 when it was being mined for sulfur. Part of a crater wall collapsed and a landslide destroyed the miners' village and the mine itself. The remains of buildings from another mining enterprise in the 1920s are now a tourist attraction. The island became a private scenic reserve in 1953, and daily tours allow more than 10,000 people to visit every year. The island is also known by the indigenous Maori name Whakaari. Perry reported from Wellington, New Zealand. Coastlines and beaches Search and rescue efforts New Zealand government

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Houston has a unicorn, The Ion has its first academic partnership, innovators to know, and more top news of the week. Courtesy of Rice University Editor's note: The new year is officially in full swing, with Houston innovation news coming in hot — from a Houston business reaching unicorn status, or $1 billion in valuation, to news coming out of innovation hubs. Here's what this week's top stories were. 3 Houston innovators to know this week This week's innovators to know are focused on using artificial intelligence in data management, banking for startups, and 5G awareness in Houston. Courtesy photos This year, Houston's innovation ecosystem is set to change tenfold — from the rise of 5G to burgeoning startup and entrepreneurial hubs emerging across town. Today's featured innovators know a bit about these movements — from an entrepreneur using artificial intelligence in data management for his clients to a banking exec who went all-in on startups. Continue reading.Continue reading. 2 Houston startups land multimillion-dollar venture capital investments Riversand and Gecko Robotics are starting of 2020 with fresh funds for scaling business. Pexels Two Houston tech companies are starting off 2020 with fresh funds in their pockets — to the tune of millions and millions of dollars. Houston-based Riversand raised an additional $10 million last month, and Gecko Robotics, which has an office in Houston, closed a $40 million series B round. Continue reading. Local bank commits to Houston startup scene by setting up shop in The Cannon As a part of a national trend, a Houston bank has moved into a space in Houston's largest coworking hub. Texas Citizens Bank/Facebook Pasadena-based Texas Citizens Bank is getting cozy with current and potential customers at its new branch within The Cannon coworking campus. Jimmy Allen, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Texas Citizens Bank, says the bank's new 3,900-square-foot location — its seventh branch in the Houston area — fits perfectly within The Cannon's 120,000-square-foot building, which Texas Citizens helped build. The branch opened in December 2019; the grand opening is planned for February 2020. "Owner-operated businesses are both the genesis of our business model and [a] key customer segment served," says Allen, who was named to his position in September. "A subset of that group certainly includes young, relatively new companies, which favor the current trend in coworking or live-work-play communities." Continue reading. The Ion names inaugural academics partner, course programming for Houston hub Rice University's Glasscock school of Continuing Studies is the Ion's first academic partnership to be announced. Courtesy of Rice University A burgeoning entrepreneurship hub has taken a major step forward in its development with the announcement of its first academic partner and coursework for the partnership. The Ion has teamed up with Rice University's Glasscock School of Continuing Studies to bring programming to the to-be hub, which is expected to open in early 2021. "We are thrilled to extend our programming to the Ion constituents and Houston's innovation ecosystem," says Robert Bruce Jr., dean of Rice's Continuing Studies school, in a news release. "Continuing education, whether that takes the form of an advanced certificate or a single course, is an important part of the innovation lifecycle, and we are excited to provide this to Houston's entrepreneurs." Continue reading. Houston SaaS company achieves unicorn status following $125 million fundraising round Houston-based HighRadius has reported reaching unicorn status following a $125 million raise. Photo via highradius.com Following the closing of a $125 million series B investment round, a Houston software-as-a-service company is boosting a new title: Unicorn. HighRadius, an artificial intelligence-powered fintech software company, has announced its unicorn status, which is defined as being valued at over $1 billion. The series B round, which achieved this status for HighRadius, was led by ICONIQ Capital, with participation from existing investors Susquehanna Growth Equity and Citi Ventures, according to a news release from the company. "Today marks an important milestone for HighRadius and we're thrilled to have ICONIQ join us in our vision to modernize the Order to Cash space," says Sashi Narahari, founder and CEO of HighRadius, in a news release. "ICONIQ combines patient capital with a long-term vision of investing in category-defining businesses, and the firm has worked with some of the world's most successful tech entrepreneurs. We are building HighRadius into a self-sustaining, long-term category leader, and ICONIQ is a great partner for us in this journey." Continue reading. trending innovation news highradius gecko robotics crestline investors riversand texas citizens bank the cannon the ion rice university houston innovation news Three cheers for cheers Houston hangover pill startup seen on Shark Tank rebrands following multimillion-dollar raise These 3 Houston research projects are aiming to fight or prevent cancer Breakthrough research on metastatic breast cancer, a new way to turn toxic pollutants into valuable chemicals, and an evolved brain tumor chip are three cancer-fighting treatments coming out of Houston. Getty Inages Cancer remains to be one of the medical research community's huge focuses and challenges, and scientists in Houston are continuing to innovate new treatments and technologies to make an impact on cancer and its ripple effect. Three research projects coming out of Houston institutions are providing solutions in the fight against cancer — from ways to monitor treatment to eliminating cancer-causing chemicals in the first place. Baylor College of Medicine's breakthrough in breast cancer Photo via bcm.edu Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Harvard Medical School have unveiled a mechanism explains how "endocrine-resistant breast cancer acquires metastatic behavior," according to a news release from BCM. This research can be game changing for introducing new therapeutic strategies. The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and shows that hyperactive FOXA1 signaling — previously reported in endocrine-resistant metastatic breast cancer — can trigger genome-wide reprogramming that enhances resistance to treatment. "Working with breast cancer cell lines in the laboratory, we discovered that FOXA1 reprograms endocrine therapy-resistant breast cancer cells by turning on certain genes that were turned off before and turning off other genes," says Dr. Xiaoyong Fu, assistant professor of molecular and cellular biology and part of the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at Baylor, in the release. "The new gene expression program mimics an early embryonic developmental program that endow cancer cells with new capabilities, such as being able to migrate to other tissues and invade them aggressively, hallmarks of metastatic behavior." Patients whose cancer is considered metastatic — even ones that initially responded to treatment — tend to relapse and die due to the cancer's resistance to treatment. This research will allow for new conversations around therapeutic treatment that could work to eliminate metastatic cancer. University of Houston's evolved brain cancer chip Photo via uh.edu A biomedical research team at the University of Houston has made improvements on its microfluidic brain cancer chip. The Akay Lab's new chip "allows multiple-simultaneous drug administration, and a massive parallel testing of drug response for patients with glioblastoma," according to a UH news release. GBM is the most common malignant brain tumor and makes up half of all cases. Patients with GBM have a five-year survival rate of only 5.6 percent. "The new chip generates tumor spheroids, or clusters, and provides large-scale assessments on the response of these GBM tumor cells to various concentrations and combinations of drugs. This platform could optimize the use of rare tumor samples derived from GBM patients to provide valuable insight on the tumor growth and responses to drug therapies," says Metin Akay, John S. Dunn Endowed Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering and department chair, in the release. Akay's team published a paper in the inaugural issue of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society's Open Journal of Engineering in Medicine and Biology. The report explains how the technology is able to quickly assess how well a cancer drug is improving its patients' health. "When we can tell the doctor that the patient needs a combination of drugs and the exact proportion of each, this is precision medicine," Akay explains in the release. Rice University's pollution transformation technology Photo via rice.edu Rice University engineers have developed a way to get rid of cancer-causing pollutants in water and transform them into valuable chemicals. A team lead by Michael Wong and Thomas Senftle has created this new catalyst that turns nitrate into ammonia. The study was published in the journal ACS Catalysis. "Agricultural fertilizer runoff is contaminating ground and surface water, which causes ecological effects such as algae blooms as well as significant adverse effects for humans, including cancer, hypertension and developmental issues in babies," says Wong, professor and chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in Rice's Brown School of Engineering, in a news release. "I've been very curious about nitrogen chemistry, especially if I can design materials that clean water of nitrogen compounds like nitrites and nitrates." The ability to transform these chemicals into ammonia is crucial because ammonia-based fertilizers are used for global food supplies and the traditional method of creating ammonia is energy intensive. Not only does this process eliminate that energy usage, but it's ridding the contaminated water of toxic chemicals. "I'm excited about removing nitrite, forming ammonia and hydrazine, as well as the chemistry that we figured out about how all this happens," Wong says in the release. "The most important takeaway is that we learned how to clean water in a simpler way and created chemicals that are more valuable than the waste stream." university of houston rice university baylor college of medicine cancer breast cancer brain cancer pollutants akay lab metin akay xiaoyong fu michael wong thomas senftle research roundup

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Competitive Cycling French, the Language of Cycling Road Races Colin Quartermain Colin has been a follower of the sport of cycling for 30 years, when Sean Kelly challenged the dominance of continental cyclists. The International Nature of Professional Road Racing The sport of professional cycling is today one of the most watched spectator sports, both in terms of TV coverage and live viewing. At the pinnacle of road racing is the UCI World Tour, as organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale, where one-day classics (like Milan-San Remo), stage races, (like the Volta a Catalunya), and Grand Tours (such as the Tour de France) are all raced. The UCI World Tour is a truly international sport, with countries across the Northern and Southern Hemispheres hosting events, and the Peloton of riders often comprising of 30 or more different nations. The Language of Road Racing Is French The language of road racing can be regarded as French. While different nations will show coverage in their own language, many French words and terms are still widely used. The French influence is hardly a surprise, for the French were one of the first nations to take up road racing, and the Tour de France (1903) is normally regarded as the oldest stage race still being undertaken, and Paris-Roubaix (1896) also being one of the oldest one-day classics. Some of the French words used by commentators are obvious; others are less so. The Peloton A road race begins with the peloton crossing the start line. The peloton is the herd or pack of riders, and throughout the race is the name given to group on the road containing the majority of riders. Riders in the peloton will use a third less energy than a single rider riding the same stretch of course. Of course some riders will have to be at the front of the peloton, but will normally take it in turns, whilst those in the main body will often be able to virtually freewheel because of the reduced drag. The Peloton of the Tour de France, 9th of July 2005 - Vzach - released into Public Domain | Source The peloton will comprise a number of different teams, occasionally still referred to as l’equipe, in English commentaries. The number of teams in the peloton will vary depending on the number invited by the race organisers, and the number of riders on the team will depend on the race, and how far the race has progressed, because there is a relatively high attrition rate within a team. In a Grand Tour, a team will normally comprise a contender for the overall title, as well as a sprinter, le sprinteur, and a climber, le grimpeur, although neither term is as prevalent as they once were. The rest of the team is made up of domestiques—the Servants—who are there to protect and assist the main riders of the team. These domestiques will form the sprint train for sprinters, will carry food and drink for their team leaders, and will drive on the peloton when required; everything they do is designed to prevent the main riders from exerting more energy than required. Some riders are called "super domestiques," and are riders who can force the pace of the peloton by themselves, or guide team leaders up the steepest of climbs. Occasionally, the super domestique will be a team leader who can no longer win the race, but will do all that he can to ensure a member of his team does. In a car behind the Peloton will be a directeur sportif, a team manager and often a former professional cyclist, who will arrange the strategy and tactics for the race, amending them as the race progresses. Despite the peloton crossing the start line, the race only truly starts when the Commissionaire, the race referee, waves his flag to indicate the competitive racing can begin. The Commissionaire will be a prominent figure during the race, ensuring that riders, and teams stick to the rules, ensuring that there are not too many “sticky bottles”, or too much drafting behind team cars. In most races, the Peloton stays together for a large part of the race, although many riders will try and break away from the Peloton to form a smaller group at la tete de course, the head of the race. Subsequently, a rider who then tries to leave the Peloton and bridge over to another group will be called un poursuivant, a pursuer or chaser. Both these terms are more common in TV captions than in the commentary. The Peloton will break up into many smaller groups during a mountain stage, especially if there is a hors categorie mountain to be raced up. Mountains are normally classed between 1 and 4 in terms of difficulty, with 1 being the most difficult, but a hors-categorie mountain is without classification, for its steepness and length exceed the normal difficulty classification. Non-climbers will normally be found at the rear of the field, where an ever-expanding number of riders form into a new group, the grupetto or autobus, a group that then works together to ensure that they finish within the time limit. A welcome sign for any rider in a road race is the flamme rouge, the road marker that indicates there is only one kilometre left until the finish line is reached; and winners of the stage, or race, will have a title to add to their Palmares, a list of their achievements in cycling. The Grupetto and the Flamme Rouge Le grupetto sous la Flamme Rouge - www.instants-cyclistes.fr from France - cc-by-sa-2.0 | Source Commentators on a road race will often exclaim "chapeau". Chapeau literally means “hat”, and is used in the same manner as if one was to doff one’s cap to someone, for a piece of riding is worthy of praise, be it an attempt to win a stage by riding solo, attacking on a mountain or some other fete, and the attempt doesn’t have to be successful to be worthy of the shout "chapeau", it is the intention that is all important. Bidons and Musettes In road races it is essential that riders take on fluids and nourishment, and so riders, normally the domestiques, will take bidons, water bottles, and musettes, a feedbag, from the team car, or from a team member at the side of the road. Javier Cherro Molina - Euskal Bizikleta 2007 - cc-by-sa-2.0 | Source The Language of Le Tour There are of course more French words like to appear as TV captions during the Le Tour, the Tour de France. A stage of Le Tour is L'étape, whilst L'étape de plaine is a flat stage, L'étape de montagne is a mountainous one. At the end of each stage, the standings are announced as Les Classements, and a number of jerseys are awarded for leaders in the classifications. The most famous of the jerseys is Le Maillot Jaune, the yellow jersey that signifies the overall leader of the race. The other jerseys are Le Maillot Blanc, the white jersey for the best positioned young rider; Le Maillot Vert, the green jersey for the leader in the points competition; and Le Maillot a Pois, the polka dot jersey, given to the rider with the most points in the mountain competition. Historically there was also an award for the Lanterne Rouge, the rider who finished Le Tour in the longest time, although for the past 40 years race organisers have tried to dissuade riders from trying to deliberately come last. It is, of course, no mean feat to finish the race, and also each stage has a time limit. 9246 groep andy - filip bossuyt from Kortrijk, Belgium - cc-by-2.0 | Source Cycling Terms: French to English (click column header to sort results) 1km to finish flag Feedbags L’etape de plaine Flat Stage Le Maillot Vert Green Jersey List of Achievements L’etape de montagne Le Maillot a Pois Polka Dot Jersey Un Poursuivant Le Grimpeur La Tete de Course Head of Race Last Place Rider The Main Group of Riders Commissionaire Race Referee Grupetto Last Group on Road Le Sprinteur L’etape Uncategorised Climb Le Maillot Blanc White Jersey Le Maillot Jaune Highlights of 2009 Tour de France © 2018 Colin Quartermain Famous International Horse Racecourses From France, Germany and Australia by Rickrideshorses1 10 Race Tracks Every Horse Racing Fan Should Visit by JohnnyComeLately20 How to Convert a Road Bike for Cyclocross Racing by Liam Hallam0 Winning Bikes of the Tour De France by Liam Hallam12 The World’s Deadliest Motorcycle Race How to Ride a Time Trial: Tips and Techniques What Are Cycling's Monument Races? by Colin Quartermain0 You Must Sign In To Comment To comment on this article, you must sign in or sign up and post using a HubPages Network account.

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Singapore River Singapore River cuts through the heart of the city and was for many decades the main artery of trade and commerce for the British. Today, the stately Victorian and neo-classical Roman structures still stand proudly along the riverbanks, but they jostle for space with the many concrete-and-glass skyscrapers that have shot up in more modern times. The best way to view many of the buildings, statues, monuments, and museums that Singapore has inherited from its colonial past is to take a walk along the Singapore River or a riverboat tour from Clarke Quay. This half-hour tour costs S$9 per adult and S$4 per child, and cruises between 9am and 11pm daily. You will be brought along the Singapore River on an old bumboat, the kind that used to navigate the river in colonial times. Most of the colonial buildings and monuments are on the north side of the river while the Central Business District and its plethora of skyscrapers occupy the southern bank. Many of them are clustered around the City Hall and Raffles Place MRTs, so if you're taking a walk you can simply exit from these stations. At the mouth of the Singapore River stands a statue of the Merlion, a half-lion and half-fish mythical beast that has become the symbol of Singapore. The Merlion, which spouts water from its mouth, has a (much larger) cousin on Sentosa Island. Heading upriver, you will see the historic Anderson and Cavenagh Bridges. Cavenagh Bridge, built in 1869 and now for pedestrians only, leads to Empress Place, which was named in honour of Queen Victoria. At Empress Place, you will find the elegant Victoria Concert Hall, where classical concerts by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra are held regularly. There's also a cosy cafe here that's open throughout the day and serves good old Brit fare like fish and chips and chicken chops, besides local spring rolls and curry puffs. Next to the concert hall is Victoria Theatre, where local and foreign plays are a regular feature. Outside the theatre is a dark bronze statue of Stamford Raffles, officially unveiled in 1887. The imposing Empress Place building, built in1865, was once a courthouse and is now being refurbished to house the Second Wing of the Asian Civilisations Museum. Nearby, next to the river, is the spot where Raffles landed. This event is commemorated by another Raffles statue in white marble, built in 1972, where he first set foot on the island. Hugging the sides of the river are Boat Quay and Clarke Quay, which have experienced a renaissance in recent years. But while they were formerly streets teeming with sailors and coolies loaded with ships' cargo, today, the many godowns and shophouses that line the river have been renovated into trendy restaurants and bars. Location: 30 Merchant Rd, Singapore Penny Wong | Compulsive Traveller Getting Around Singapore Paul Smith, 24 Dec, 2019 9 Best Restaurants in the Civic District Singapore Paul Smith, 21 Oct, 2019 10 Best Bars in Singapore Penny Wong, 21 Oct, 2019 13 Best Things to Do in Sentosa Island Stephan Audiger, 21 Oct, 2019 Singapore Expo National Orchid Garden in Singapore Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore 18 Best Singapore Parks and Natural Spaces Goa (state) Hotels Kolkata Hotels Hyderabad Hotels Cochin Hotels Pune Hotels Bengaluru Hotels Colombo Hotels Zurich Hotels

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wcbelew@gmail.com Lift Up Jes.us About the Inbound Church 2. What Do the Rocks Tells Us? Home2. What Do the Rocks Tells Us? Nita Kaboonkum Oikos University I agree with Dr. Del Tackett and director Thomas Purifoy Jr. They talk about Grand Canyon and the importance of understanding the rocks. Title “Genesis” means “beginning”, for the book is about beginnings, including the beginning of the earth. To many, it is the starting point of what Christians believe about the doctrine of creation. Geologists believe the earth has a long history and reviews different ways Christians have related Genesis and geology. Geologists and other earth scientists often refer to the rock record. The rock record is nothing more than the rocks that currently exist. The rock record does not show a tidy, orderly progression of geologic events. Rock formations are eroded, buried, torn apart, melted, squashed together, even turned upside down. The only parts of the Earth history “recorded” are “leftovers” that haven’t yet been recycled. That is, when an area undergoes change due to a geologic process, the original rocks are often changed or destroyed, making the investigation of the events that created the rock quite difficult. Nevertheless, everything we know about the history of the Earth has been learned from studying the rock formed by geologic processes. the rock record for most of Earth’s history is composed of rocks that have been changed physically and chemically many times since it was first laid down. The appearance of fossils in the rock record has made geologic investigation easier because the organisms that the fossils came from giving us markers in the rock record. Fossils also tell us many things about the environment present when the organisms were alive. All rocks are the products of physical and chemical processes. Biological processes are also important for the formation of many rocks. the best place to see, test, and put together all these ideas about stacks of fossil-bearing rock is the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is an awesome gash in the earth, running for over 250 miles (400 km) along the Colorado River in the northwest corner of Arizona. The Canyon is about a mile (1.6 km) deep, and averages about 10 miles (16 km) from north to south rims. The walls of the narrow, zig-zag inner gorge expose tilted and faulted Precambrian rock, while the walls of the outer and upper gorge are streaked with thick, colorful, horizontal bands of fossil-bearing rock,I once believed and taught, like so many others, that the rock layers in the Grand Canyon represented stages in evolution laid down over vast eons of time. After leading over 40 week-long backpacking trips through the canyon, studying the rock layers and fossils close-up, I’m ready to stake the place out with Bible verses! What I once assumed was a record of a lot of time, now looks like evidence of a lot of water instead. Friend Review (DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE?) (WHAT DO YOU THINK) Title “Genesis” means “beginning”, for the book is about beginnings, including the beginning of the earth. To many, it is the starting point of what Christians believe about the doctrine of creation. Geologists believe the earth has a long history, and reviews different ways Christians have related Genesis and geology. the rock record for most of Earth’s history is composed of rocks that have been changed physically and chemically many times since it was first laid down. The appearance of fossils in the rock record has made geologic investigation easier, because the organisms that the fossils came from give us markers in the rock record. Fossils also tell us many things about the environment present when the organisms were alive. All rocks are the products of physical and chemical processes. Biological processes are also important for the formation of many rocks. the best place to see, test, and put together all these ideas about stacks of fossil-bearing rock is the Grand Canyon.The Grand Canyon is an awesome gash in the earth, running for over 250 miles (400 km) along the Colorado River in the northwest corner of Arizona. The Canyon is about a mile (1.6 km) deep, and averages about 10 miles (16 km) from north to south rims. The walls of the narrow, zig-zag inner gorge expose tilted and faulted Precambrian rock, while the walls of the outer and upper gorge are streaked with thick, colorful, horizontal bands of fossil-bearing rock,I once believed and taught, like so many others, that the rock layers in the Grand Canyon represented stages in evolution laid down over vast eons of time. After leading over 40 week-long backpacking trips through the canyon, studying the rock layers and fossils close-up, I’m ready to stake the place out with Bible verses! What I once assumed was a record of a lot of time, now looks like evidence of a lot of water instead. Khanittha Kraithong (Friend Review) Title “Genesis” means “beginning”, for the book is about beginnings, including the beginning of the earth. To many, it is the starting point of what Christians believe about the doctrine of creation. Geologists believe the earth has a long history, and reviews different ways Christians have related Genesis and geology. the rock record for most of Earth’s history is composed of rocks that have been changed physically and chemically many times since it was first laid down. The appearance of fossils in the rock record has made geologic investigation easier, because the organisms that the fossils came from give us markers in the rock record. Fossils also tell us many things about the environment present when the organisms were alive. All rocks are the products of physical and chemical processes. « Zoological and Scientific Approach to Beginning of Time- Oikos University HIS 101 -Yohko Iseki Learn to be like Jesus by Songtai Sangtaweep Oikos university Eng 101 » James 1:2-3 January 20, 2020 Market Your Church Learning how to be like jesus, wheredo you escape ,Oikos univer situ December 11, 2018 What is purpose of life? December 11, 2018 FORGIVING SHARING AND LISTENING December 11, 2018 Please use the form below for subscription to our latest news updates © Lift Up Jes.us 2020. Allegiant theme by CPOThemes. If you want to subscribe to our newsletter, please submit the form below.

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Home News Elections Don Mial - Wake County Board of Education Don Mial - Wake County Board of Education Name as it appears on the ballot: Donald Mial Campaign website: donmial.com Email: don@donmial.com Years lived in the county: 66 1. What do you believe are the three most important issues facing the Board of Education? What are your priorities for addressing these issues? The three most important issues facing the board of education are: Funding our public schools. Public school funding has been cut to the quick after excessive and reckless tax cuts at the NCGA. Between the recession and the tax cuts, far less money than needed is being allocated to the schools. We do not have the classroom resources we need and we are seeing educators leaving the profession in unacceptable numbers. New teachers are unable to pay off student debt or make ends meet on stagnant salaries. As of the 2017-2018 school year, funds have been slashed from the “general” or “formula” funding which is the primary form of state support for elementary and secondary schools, by 7% or more per student over the past decade and teachers make more than 11% less on average than they did 15 years ago, when salaries are adjusted for inflation. The NCGA has enacted tax cuts costing tens or hundreds of millions of dollars each year, instead of restoring education funding. Poor students suffer the most from budget cuts. The board of education must continue to work with the board of commissioners and the Wake County legislative delegation in order to get our funding back up to pre-recession levels. Safe Schools. A 2018 survey by the Pew Research Center showed that 57% of U.S teenagers are worried that a shooting happening at their own school. Since the shooting at Columbine in 1999, 187,000 U.S students have been exposed to gun violence in school. When students don’t feel safe at school, it impacts their social and emotional learning as well as their achievement. It will be important to implement the Task Force for Safer School’s recommendations especially having a third party to conduct an evaluation and needs assessment for our public schools. There are many evidence-based practices that we should adopt including safe school’s education training, hazard emergency operation and security master planning as well as security surveillance cameras and monitoring. Critically important, is adding more counselors, psychologists, and social workers to help our students and teachers deal with a variety of issues facing our students. Helping professionals are also needed to work with our teachers. According to a 2018 study by the University of Missouri, 93 percent of elementary school teachers report they are highly stressed, and many report needing help with traumatized students. Stressful teachers and students are not able to focus on academic goals. The causes and convergence of teacher and student stress has been a growing concern over the past decade. I am committed to seeing the ratio of counselors, psychologists and social workers per student increased to the levels recommended by professional organizations. Reforming discipline policies. We need a better way forward on student discipline. The “school to prison” is real in Wake County and is a major concern that also need to be addressed along with the racial gaps found in academic performance. Wake County student arrests and suspensions rates show how students of color has disproportionately higher rates. Since 2010, the U.S Education Department’s office of Civil Rights has been investigating whether Wake’s discipline policies and practices discriminate against African American students. During the 2016-2017 school year, African American students accounted for 60 percent of Wake’s suspension while only representing 23.5 percent of the total enrollment. The school-to-prison pipeline is a challenge that stands in the way of WCPSS achieving its mission for all students. The pipeline is a system of laws, policies, and practices that pushes students out of school and on the path toward the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Schools should be safe and orderly, but also equitable fair and just, including when it comes to school discipline. We owe it to our students to help them stay in school and on a path to graduation, rather than pushing them out school and on a path to prison. I have worked with this population and way too often they end up in our juvenile justice system. Statically speaking, there are four variables that tend to predict students’ behaviors such as their community, family, peer groups and their school environment. If these students have issues with two or three of these variables you can almost predict their outcomes and it is not successful graduation. An increase in school counselors and social workers can also have a great impact on helping these students mitigate their challenges. Finally, we need to move away from exclusionary discipline policies and seek to use the restorative just model along with minority sensitivity training for all staff. 2. What in your record as a public official or other experience demonstrates your ability to be an effective Board of Education member? This might include career or community service; be specific about its relevance to this office. My work and volunteer experiences and my educational training demonstrate my potential to be an effective Board of Education member. My experience as a public servant extends over 35 years. I have served the people of North Carolina as a Teacher, Probation Officer, Parole Case Analyst, Facility Director and Soldier to name a few. The relevance to this office is that WCPSS needs someone who is committed to service and has relevant experience. I feel I have strong leadership skills and the ability to listen to citizens. As a retired Army Officer and Facility Director, I know and understand what leadership means and why it’s important to know when to lead and when to listen and collaborate. My military and civilian experience give me the leadership skills, legal knowledge, time management skills, global perspective, the understanding and important of a strong education system, the understanding of a large budget and the ability to manage it. Furthermore, I consider my service to this country to be that of a public servant and it is through my experiences in the military and state government which have afforded me great opportunities that reflect on my ability to be an effective member of the Wake County School Board. The understanding of the State Government system is very important, since counties are simply agencies of the state, constituted for the convenience of local administration. In addition to a Master’s degree in Public Administration, my education includes a Master’s in Criminal Justice, as well as a B.A in History & Government and an A.A.S in Paralegal Technology. I have also received many military and civilian awards to include the North Carolina Order of the Longleaf Pine. I presently serve as the Vice-Chair on the Wake County Board of Adjustment and Secretary for the City of Raleigh Board of Adjustment. I have served as a Commissioner on North Carolina Victim Compensation Commission and Secretary of the Wake County Board of Election. My involvement as a public servant continue with my membership in many other social, political and civic organizations and most importantly to my family and church family. Finally, I graduated from the last class of J.W Ligon High School. I am very knowledgeable about this community and I am committed to improving public education for all students, especially East Wake students. I have seen my district change considerably over the last two decades and I understand the many challenges we are facing making sure we keep our students on track for graduation. I feel I have a lot to offer in helping us improve our approach with children of color. 3. If you are challenging an incumbent, what decisions have the incumbent made that you most disagree with? If you are an incumbent, what in your record and experience do you believe merits another term? This is an open seat and I am the most qualified candidate for this position because of my education, military and civilian leadership skills. I have grown up in this community and I will use this in-depth knowledge to improve our school policies. I am very excited about this opportunity to be an effective member of the school board. 4. Research, including a report from the NC Justice Center, suggests that North Carolina’s schools are becoming more segregated by race and economic status. What do you think is driving this trend, and do you think this is an issue WCPSS needs to address? Please explain your answer. One reason for the increase in segregation is continued systemic racism that separates communities by race, housing and income, all compounded by rapid growth in our county and in continued impact of the 2008 recession. People of color continue to face significant barriers in education, housing and education. Our schools reflect the continued segregation in housing by race and class. growth has just added to the problem. We have 67 new people moving into Wake County every day including about 20 school-age children. Demographic shifts, residential segregation patterns and changing political attitudes have all affected the extent to which schools have been integrated. The recession and the suppression in wages have pushed more families into poverty and is reflected in the R&F numbers at individual schools (more children counted as living in poverty). This has resulted in an increase in high poverty schools as well as continue white flight from our traditional public schools. More white families are choosing home schooling, private schools and charter schools. Wake County used to have 95% of the market share and now it is around 80 percent. Families leaving the Wake County School system are mostly white families and upper middle class families who can take advantages of other available options. The WCPSS school board has long worked to keep our schools integrated. When race could no longer be used to assign students to schools, the school system started using income levels reported by families on applications for federally subsidized school lunches, with the goal of having a maximum ratio of 40% low-income students at any one school. In 2010, the board voted to switch from socio-economic diversification policy to a system that focused on neighborhood schools. However, there was a concern this shift would “re-segregate” schools and this effort has been changed to the current model: WCPSS looks at four variables to assign students to schools: 1.) Student Achievement 2.) Stability 3.) Proximity 4.) Operational Efficiency. Nevertheless, we have too much high poverty schools and too many schools that are majority children of color. I am committed to looking for ways to make sure we are providing every child a high-quality education and to negate the impacts of poverty. This is not just a school system issue, but a community-wide issue and one I hope we can better address in the coming years. 5. What effects do you believe the popularity of charter schools is having on the school system? Is it exacerbating segregation or draining resources from neighborhood schools, as some critics contend? Charter school, part of the effort to privatize our school system has been a threat to public education for more than 20 years and is financed and championed by a network of corporate interest. Their goal, to use their financial muscle and propaganda to undermine the mission of public schools and position the nation’s students as commodities upon which to draw a sizeable profit and public schools have become a part of “the education industry”. There are still neighborhood public schools, but now there is an industry that relies on entrepreneurs and market forces. You don’t have to be an educator to manage, operate or start a charter school. Charter school properties are bought and sold, like franchise or just ordinary real estate. They have no organic connection to the local community. The charter industry has profits and losses. They open and close, it is not about education, it is a business! Charter schools can basically take who they want and they are exacerbating segregation and draining resources from our school system. Just look at the racial makeup of students: 68.6 % white students; 10.4% Hispanic or Latino; 9.3% black or African American and 6.2 % Asian. Charter schools are basically racially and economically isolated schools and they do not show any real academic advantages for students. 6. In light of recent funding debates, some Wake County commissioners have suggested shifting school-tax authority to the Board of Education. Do you think this is a worthwhile idea? Why or why not? This is an age-old debate that surfaces about every four years. Local school boards across the county fall into one of two categories when it comes to raising revenue on the local level. Boards are either fiscally independent or fiscally dependent. Fiscally independent school boards have authority to develop their own budgets and raise the local revenue to support the school system. Fiscally dependent school boards must have their budgets approved by and receive their local appropriations from another governmental entity. In North Carolina, school boards are fiscally dependent upon State and federal funds for about two-thirds of their budgets and on the local boards of County Commissions to levy local taxes for the other third needed for public education. Of the approximately 15,000 local boards of education nationwide, over 90% are fiscally independent. Even though it’s an idea that is already in place in most of the rest of the country. North Carolina is one of only three states in which school board are “dependencies of general government” according to the N.C School Boards Association. Several years ago, the NCSBA lobbied on behalf of the school boards and pointed to South Carolina as a model. In a 2001 study found that districts with independence increased taxes at a slower rate. Some believe that it is not a bad idea that the school board do not have taxing authority and are dependent on the Board of Commission. Then there are others who believe such as the BOC that they have the accountability for taxes but not the responsibility for expenditure. School boards often spend inordinate amounts of time and resources justifying their needs and monetary requests to county commissions. In addition to the extra layers of beauacracy this creates, the discussions all too often devolve into bickering over politics, personalities, partisanship, jurisdictional power conflicts, and other alternative agendas rather than the most efficient provision of educational services. Politics and political maneuvering should not be involved in addressing the educational needs of children. School boards are elected to be the education leaders and decision-makers in their communities and should not have to educate and justify their needs to another group of officials who are neither focused on education policy nor held accountable for the school systems’ success or failure. I think it is time to present this idea to the public for their input. I would support having some county-wide input sessions to see how our citizens feel about this concept of giving taxing authority to school boards. According to the state’s constitution, this would require legislative approval and also a referendum. Before that can happen, we need joint meetings between the two boards and a lot of community input. 7. Assuming the Board of Commissioners retains taxing authority in the near term, what steps do you believe the Board of Education can or should take to repair the sometimes-strained relationship with the commissioners over funding questions? During the leadership of former county manager, David Cooke and former School Superintendent, Del Burns, the boards had a two prone approach to establishing and maintaining a good relationship. Both boards were encouraged to meet monthly and quarterly. The Chairs/Vice Chair of the County Commissioners and School Board met monthly and quarterly to address upcoming “Capital Projects and Student Enrollment Funding” 2.) The Business Community (Town/Municipal’s Chambers of Commerce and Town Leaders) was encouraged to partner with both boards to bridge the uncertainties of the school system, while addressing the economy impact of Wake County. I would like to see the Chairs/Vice Chairs of both boards meet monthly and the entire board membership meet quarterly to address their uncertainties. The Business Community (investors) interest is important to our economy and should partner with both boards to ensure public education in Wake County School System is the best. The Business Community should monitor and assess the progress of the boards relationship quarterly and give feedback immediately 8. In the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School earlier this year, what do you think should be done to make schools safer? Do you see preventing such shootings as a “school safety” issue? In the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School earlier this year, it is my belief that the WCPSS should follow the recommendation of the Task Force for Safer Schools in Wake County. The task force made the following recommendations to have a third party conduct an evaluation/needs assessment of prevention efforts. Institute evidence-based drug education, safety education and training for students, staff, families and local communities. Each WCPSS school should have a full time, highly trained staff in the use of threat assessment to include therapeutic professionals, counselors, social workers, psychologists and nurses. Thereby, forming support teams for students, teachers, families along with restorative justice programs. It also recommends that the WCPSS develop a system wide comprehensive, all hazard emergency operation and security master plan of preparedness and they recommended that no one other than a certified law enforcement officer within their jurisdiction to possess a firearm at any WCPSS school. Lastly create a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) for the school system. 9. In a similar vein, do you support the placement of school resource officers in Wake schools? If so, what do you think their role should be? If not, what do you propose as an alternative? Yes, I support the placement of school resource officers in the schools. I believe that they should follow the Federal School Discipline Guidelines. Such as creating a healthy school environment by encouraging positive behavior and prevention strategies and providing students with resources to promote mental health and welfare. I do not believe that SROs should become involved in school discipline matters, remove students from the classroom and if so only as a last resort. SROs should be properly trained, supervised, and evaluated to ensure that consequences for misbehavior and age appropriate discipline is followed and it is proportional. School staff, including SROs, should be trained on disciplining students fairly and equally in order to prevent disproportionate impact on students of color, students with disabilities, and at-risk students. WCPSS, SROs, families and students should be involved in the creation and application of discipline policies. 10. Black students make up about a quarter of Wake County public school students, yet, according to the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, are nearly eight times more likely to be suspended than their white peers. Why isn’t WCPSS doing a better job of reaching students of color? Are racial disparities an issue you think the board of education needs to address? The disproportionate number of black students being suspended is a concern for WCPSS and is an issue that needs to be addressed. Even though this rate has declined over the past few years, four issues still remain. First, too many students are still being suspended out of school without a reasonable alternative. Second, too many students, who perhaps in the past would have been suspended, are still being pushed out of their regular classrooms and into inadequate alternative classrooms and not being counted as suspended but they are not getting the services they need to be successful at school. Third, teachers and administrators are been told to reduce suspensions but not being given the necessary tools to ensure that schools remain orderly and that students continue to receive quality instruction and support (e.g, resources for prevention, interventions, and alternatives to suspension, sensitivity training, etc.). Fourth, we simply do not have enough helping professionals in our schools (see answers above). The ultimate goal should not be merely making suspension data look better, but rather ensuring safe and fair schools and helping students be successful in school and in life. 11. Identify and explain one principled stand you would be willing to take if elected that you suspect might cost you some points with voters. The one issue that I think that would cost me some points with voters and that is supporting BOE receiving taxing authority. North Carolina is one of three states wherein the BOE do not have taxing authority and many citizens do not support any additional organization having taxing authority. More citizens do not even believe that county commissioners should make taxing policies or levies. Wake County Board of Education Don Mial Candidate Questionnaires

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Should You Talk About Politics at Work? Rebecca Knight When politics is as heated as it has been in the U.S. this election cycle, it’s hard to resist the desire to talk about what’s going on with your coworkers. But is the office the right place to discuss whether you are a Clinton or Trump fan? Or whether you’re happy and furious about Brexit? What’s the most tactful way to go about it? And what should you do about the coworker who can’t tamp his enthusiasm and relentlessly talks about politics? Talking about politics at work is tricky business. “Politics is very personal, and we tend to hold our beliefs extremely strongly,” says Liane Davey, cofounder of 3COze Inc. and author of You First: Inspire Your Team to Grow Up, Get Along, and Get Stuff Done. “No matter how much others try to influence us, we’re not likely to move our positions — if anything, we’re likely to retrench.” Put simply, politics often doesn’t make for good workplace conversation. And yet, says Joseph Grenny, coauthor of Crucial Conversations and cofounder of VitalSmarts, a corporate training company, you spend the majority of your waking hours with your colleagues, and so it’s natural to “feel the need to process your thoughts and feelings” with them. In fact, he says, learning how to talk about politics in a productive manner can help you “manage other difficult conversations at work,” including peer performance reviews or disagreements over strategy and policy. Politics is just another topic where “emotions run strong, the stakes are high, and opinions vary,” he says. Here are some strategies for ensuring these conversations remain civil. Weigh the consequences When you work closely with colleagues every day, chances are you have an idea of where they fall on the political spectrum. Davey suggests you consider these social cues before broaching or engaging in conversation about politics. “You usually get a sense of people’s leanings,” she says. Weigh the consequences of speaking up versus shutting up. “If you wade into an issue that’s highly [divisive], you risk souring a relationship.” At the same time, if coffee break chat veers into political territory that you’re passionate about — equal rights, say, or climate change — “it may be worth it to you” to speak your piece. “It is a choice you make,” she says. “Our world would be a less progressive place if there weren’t brave souls to push these issues forward.” Frame it as an opportunity Don’t think of the conversation as a chance to convert your colleague or to judge another’s choice. Trying to change the other person’s mind is often an exercise in futility, according to Davey. “If you’re using a conversation as an opportunity to influence, know that the likelihood of it working is slim,” she says. “But the likelihood of it driving a wedge [between you and your coworker] is incredibly high.” She suggests you “think of it as an interesting dialogue.” Grenny recommends viewing the discussion as an opportunity to learn and gain insight: “Think, ‘I’m going to come out of this dialogue with empathy for other people, new ideas, or a new understanding of how other people think.’” You might even add structure to the conversation. “Say, ‘We’re going to talk about this for 10 minutes, each of us will get five minutes to share our opinion, and we’re going to part as friends.’” The best way to learn from conversations is to ask lots of questions. “Be genuinely curious,” Grenny says. Try to identify the formative experiences that shaped that person’s worldview and “come away with an appreciation of how he arrived at his opinion.” Davey suggests saying something like, “It seems like some people feel that the cards are stacked against them and that the system is rigged. What do you think is the root cause of that? What can be done to make people feel that they had a chance to be successful?” The problem today “is that conversation is so polarized,” she says. “People tend to pull apart from those who feel differently than they do.” Rather than pulling away, “make an effort to understand.” Be respectful The key to diplomatic relations is to show respect for the other side — even if you believe the other side is patently nuts. “The central challenge of creating social capital in the workplace is learning how to transcend our judgments of other people,” says Grenny. Demonstrating respect “is about subtlety,” he says. Keep your body language comfortable and try to stay calm and collected. “We feel emotional when we feel threatened,” he says. In conversation, Davey says you should “either validate the content of the person’s viewpoint or his right to have an opinion.” Say you’re in a conversation about the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, for instance. “If you’re for it, but the person you’re talking to is against it, don’t say, ‘You’re an isolationist idiot.’ Instead, say, ‘I hear your passion about keeping employment low and keeping jobs in the U.S.’” Seek common ground To prevent the conversation from getting overheated, Grenny suggests looking for areas where you and your colleague are aligned. “Almost all disagreements are disputes of strategy, not purpose,” he says. Don’t demonize the other side. “Your very first assumption should be that the person you’re talking to loves this country — wants the country to be successful, and wants their children and their friends and family to thrive,” says Davey. She recommends emphasizing your commonalities by saying something like, “‘We all want [our country] to be great. We just have different views on how to get there.’” This is a good starting point, but it also provides a graceful departure from the “water cooler after a contentious conversation.” In this campaign season, “it’s hard to work with someone every day and not mention the election,” says Davey. That said, just because your colleague brings it up, you don’t need to take the bait. “Being authentic doesn’t equal transparent,” she says. “Be genuine and don’t lie — don’t be a Clinton supporter in the women’s washroom and a Trump supporter with your boss — but you also don’t need to be fully candid about everything you think and feel.” You can either artfully shift the conversation toward a neutral subject or focus on related topics that aren’t candidate specific — the lack of nonpartisan media coverage, say, or the obscene amounts of money in elections. “Speak about the process, not the candidate,” she says. If you find that you can’t keep your cool during a lunch break debate, “take responsibility for the fact that you are frustrated and angry, and exit the conversation,” says Grenny. Your coworkers needn’t be subjected to your rants. On the other hand, if a colleague’s incessant political talk is both grating and distracting, speak up. “Any conversation that detracts from your productivity doesn’t belong in the workplace,” says Davey. She recommends that you speak directly to your colleague in simple, straightforward terms: “I don’t want to talk about this” or “I’m not comfortable with this conversation. I need to get back to work.” If that doesn’t work, she suggests asking your boss for help managing the situation. Principles to Remember Recognize the risks. If you decide to speak your mind on a particular hot-button issue, do so knowing that the chances of influencing your colleagues are slim and that you may offend someone. Ask questions. Be curious and open minded. Show respect by validating either the content of the other person’s viewpoint or his right to have an opinion Demonize the other side. Instead, look for areas of agreement. Lie about your views, but don’t feel you need to be fully candid and transparent Tolerate a colleague’s incessant political talk. If his behavior is distracting, say so. Case Study #1: Remove emotion from the equation and focus on a positive working relationship As a Democrat living in the red state of Utah, Whitney McCarthy, the communications manager at RizePoint, a compliance management software company based in Salt Lake City, knows a thing or two about being diplomatic. Ordinarily she steers clear of talking about politics — particularly with her conservative colleague, Jim (not his real name), who according to Whitney is “a proud Republican.” But recently her curiosity got the better of her. “I made the mistake of saying to Jim, ‘Why do you not like Clinton? I mean, really, do you have a specific example?’” Jim listed several criticisms — all of which Whitney vehemently disagreed with. “It was hard to remain calm. In fact, I had told him I was genuinely curious, and I wouldn’t judge his answers. It was harder than expected to keep my cool,” she says. “My nearby colleague — also a Democrat — later said that she felt uncomfortable listening to our interaction.” Needless to say, Jim’s argument did not change Whitney’s opinion. “I think he knows I’m a die-hard liberal, as he is a Republican, so there really was no room to change my mind.” To end the conversation, she said simply and respectfully, “I don’t see it that way.” It worked, she says: “We ultimately agreed to disagree and later he came by my desk to make sure we were still work friends.” Regardless of their political differences, she and Jim have a strong working relationship. “We are such opposites that it gives us something to joke about in a friendly manner,” she says. “For instance, we have a running bet right now that if he eats vegetarian for a week (I’m a vegan; he’s an avid carnivore) that I will go to a gun range (I despise guns; he wants an assault rifle for his birthday).” Case Study #2: Be respectful and use politics as an opportunity to learn about your colleagues Joseph Sherman, a marketing specialist at Vimtag Technology, lives in Israel but works in New York. He doesn’t broach political topics at the office, but when others bring them up, he doesn’t shy away, either. “I sincerely value people who are enthusiastic and involved in the democratic process, no matter what party or political group they are part of,” he says. “I like to hear where they are coming from.” This campaign season has been especially enlightening. One of his colleagues, Maria (not her real name), is firmly for Hillary Clinton. “Maria told me that where she grew up, women did not have a lot of opportunities for education and political involvement, and seeing Clinton become the first female president would be a turning point in history.” Joseph listened to Maria, asked questions, and then validated her feelings. “I responded with something like, ‘I agree with you that it’s time for a woman in the White House, and I can see how much it means to you.’” He has colleagues who lean the other way too. Andrew (not his real name), for instance, is adamant that Trump will restore the economy. At first, Joseph thought Andrew was repeating a party line, so he asked him why he favored Trump. Andrew shook his head. “You don’t get it,” he said. Then Andrew explained how he works two jobs to support his family. After Andrew finished talking about his difficulties finding good, well-paying jobs, Joseph validated his point of view by saying, “I see you’ve really worked hard to get where you are, and I share your concerns about the economy.” Joseph does, however, have a colleague who talks incessantly about politics. Ryan (not his real name) has told Joseph that politicians are all liars and are not to be trusted. The first time Ryan spoke passionately without interruption, Joseph was patient. The second time, he suggested that Ryan get involved with a community organization. “The third time, I said, ‘Ryan, you keep talking about corrupt politicians who steal government money, but we are on company time, so by not working we are stealing time.’” Ryan hasn’t brought up politics since. Rebecca Knight is a freelance journalist in Boston and a lecturer at Wesleyan University. Her work has been published in The New York Times, USA Today, and The Financial Times. This article is about CONFLICT

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A Hebraic Approach to History: Response to Doran’s “The Theology of Foreign Policy” By Robert Nicholson on September 20, 2019 Identifying history’s meta-forces is pretty hard. While we all feel them at work in our lives, capturing and describing them can be exceptionally difficult. Historians who try are almost always charged with essentializing a more complex reality, which, by my lights, makes any attempt to do so even more courageous and admirable. Two such attempts immediately come to mind. In our Fall 2017 issue, Walter Russell Mead makes the case that different eschatological paradigms have shaped the way Americans look at international affairs. More recently in the pages of First Things, Mike Doran traces out in great detail how those paradigms have actually affected policy. Both pieces are excellent and merit serious debate. Here, I merely want to suggest that these two paradigms may go even deeper than Mead and Doran imply. Reinhold Niebuhr, this journal’s intellectual forbearer, made similar observations about religious thinking’s effect on the West, albeit in different terms. Where Mead sees the influence of “premillennial” and “postmillennial” thinking, and Doran sees “Jacksonian” and “Progressive” tendencies, Niebuhr focused on the “Hebraic” and “Hellenic” approaches to history that are embedded, though with some tension, in Western thought. In works like The Irony of American History, The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness, Faith and History and The Self and the Dramas of History, Niebuhr expanded upon a theme that remained central to all of his writings. The terms Hebraic and Hellenic refer, of course, to those intellectual currents that originated in Jerusalem and Athens, respectively, and that ultimately shaped the Christian religion and Western civilization more broadly. As Samuel Goldman notes in his response to Doran’s essay, there are “advantages and…disadvantages that accompany any attempt to impose conceptual order on vast and complicated historical phenomena.” Yet the basic conflict between these two Mediterranean capitals has been noted ever since the earliest years of the Christian era. “Christianity,” writes Niebuhr, “is commonly believed to be a joint product of Hebraic and Hellenic cultures.” And while some theologians like Augustine sought to deepen the synthesis between Hellenic and Hebraic thought, others like the Latin father Tertullian saw any synthesis as absurd. “What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” Tertullian famously asked: What concord is there between the Academy and the Church? What between heretics and Christians?… Away with all attempts to produce a mottled Christianity of Stoic, Platonic, and dialectic composition! We want no curious disputation after possessing Christ Jesus, no inquisition after enjoying the gospel! With our faith, we desire no further belief. The substantive differences between the two traditions are well-known. The Hellenic strand of Western thought is known for its pursuit of truth through rational contemplation aimed at universal principles. The Hebraic strand also pursues truth, but mainly through the study of, and submission to, divine revelation. The Greeks ask, “What is the good life?” The Hebrews ask, “What kind of life would God have us to live?” The Hellenic mind seeks unity, completeness, and mastery over nature; the Hebraic mind admits exceptionality, indeterminacy, and limits of the human condition. The Greeks seek to overcome difference; the Hebrews affirm it. The Greeks submit to reason; the Hebrews understand that, despite the order evident in creation, there is something fundamentally irrational that stands above it all. Niebuhr was not shy about ranking the two traditions, claiming that Christianity “when it is true to itself, is Hebraic rather than Hellenic.” Indeed, Niebuhr spilled a massive amount of ink warning against the Hellenic impulse in Western thought that tended toward idealistic, ahistorical, and universalist extremes. He believed that the same component of our culture that gave birth to the marvels of modern science also produced some of our most serious misunderstandings about man and history. The interplay between the Hebraic and Hellenic traditions is a topic too big to be discussed here. Suffice it to say, the two traditions begin from different epistemological starting points—revealed truth vs. natural reason—and this divide, though complicated by thinkers like Yoram Hazony and Dru Johnson, tells the main story. Ultimately, why Americans see the world through one theological lens or another has a lot to do with whether they identify more closely with a Hebraic or Hellenic kind of Christianity. Put another way, American Christians view the world differently depending on how much they read the Bible, believe the Bible is divinely inspired, and accept the Bible as authoritative in their lives. Although there are many factors at work in all “vast and complicated historical phenomena,” in this case one’s view of Scripture may be the most important. The Bible contains several ideas that inform the Hebraic worldview, but here I’ll mention only three: limits, particularism, and a divine end of history. First, this excerpt from Doran: [The Jacksonians and Progressives] differ in their understandings of: human nature (as broken or perfectible, static or malleable); morality (as absolute or relative); the relationship between the individual and society (as requiring personal responsibility, or as requiring collective and systemic solutions); the proper role of government (to safeguard personal liberty, or to safeguard equality); the mission of the United States in the world (to be a beacon of freedom, or to lead the way toward a new era of peace and brotherhood); and the meaning of history (as maintaining a holding pattern until the end of days, or as leading inevitably to human betterment). These distinctions reveal at least one major fault line between the two camps. The Hellenic approach to the world is an optimistic one, believing that natural limits can be overcome and application of right reason can tame historical forces. Differences between languages, nations, and moralities dissolve in the face of universal truths waiting to be discovered in nature. Science and mathematics can, in fact, conquer nature. The Philosopher King can domesticate, even manipulate, the vagaries of political power. The world waits to be understood, explained, unified, and systematized by the artful Hellenic hand. No corner of the cosmos needs to remain dark. The Hebraic approach, on the other hand, sees things like human nature, morality, and government as inherently limited inside history. The Hebraic God is, in fact, a God of limits. The first book of the Bible begins with Yahweh making distinctions between celestial and terrestrial, sea and land, man and woman, himself and mankind. He draws lines between sacred and profane, Israel and the nations, weekdays and the Sabbath. He imposes boundaries on knowledge, land, leaders, and governments; creates borders between nations and languages; demands accountability to a higher order against which all things, including political power, must be measured. Ultimately, the Hebraic God even sets limits on himself as he enters into history to initiate a personal encounter with man. The biblical concept of limits naturally gives rise to a second concept. Niebuhr writes that “the ‘scandal of particularism’…is a necessary part of revelation in Biblical faith.” The idea that “universal history should be the particular revelation of the divine, to a particular people, and finally in a particular drama and person” is scandalous to all rationalistic interpretations of history because it places meaning in discreet historical events rather than in universally valid concepts to which all historical phenomenon must conform. The Hellenic man sees the Hebraic man as parochial in his attachment to “signs and wonders” that took place among a “chosen people.” The Hebraic man, meanwhile, believes in divine Majesty…less bound to the pride of civilizations and the hopes and ambitions of nations, than the supposedly more universal concepts of life and history by which cultures seek to extricate themselves from the historical contingencies and to establish universally valid “values.” Looking upon this “divine Majesty,” the Hebraic man arrives at a third concept of biblical faith: God’s final intervention as the only solution to history’s flaws. As Mead puts it, Hebraic (or what he calls “premillennial”) Christianity “says things are going to be in a terrible mess, the world is really going to go downhill, and that following this, the judgment of God will be unveiled, and then Jesus will come back.” Hellenic (“postmillennial”) Christianity holds that “human effort, with the blessing of God, will gradually make the world a better place.” The Hellenic man finds hope inside history; the Hebraic man, beyond it. Niebuhr was something of an odd duck in that he carried within him both premillennial and postmillennial tendencies, but he leaned more heavily toward the former than the latter: Old Testament messianism…lays the foundation for the Christian, rather than the modern, attitude toward history by the fact that the expected messianic reign is always conceived as in some sense the end, as well as the fulfillment of historical meanings… [T]he messianic age is never merely the culmination of the known historical processes. It is the consequence of a radical divine intervention. Tertullian, that old advocate for Hebraic interpretation, also looked forward to a divine irruption at the end of history: “We do confess,” he writes in Against Marcion, “that a kingdom is promised to us upon the earth, although before heaven, only in another state of existence; inasmuch as it will be after the resurrection for a thousand years in the divinely-built city of Jerusalem.” This kind of premillennial view squares well with the views of those twenty-first-century Christians who share Tertullian’s hermeneutic approach. Limits, particularism, and a divine end of history—it isn’t hard to see how these ideas lead to what Doran identifies as Jacksonian suspicion of the “concentration of unelected and unaccountable power”; support for the moral right of the Jewish people to regather in their ancient homeland; and a realistic view about the ultimate hope of humanity lying outside the reach of human hands. It is no coincidence that the fundamentalist-premillennialist-Jacksonian camp often holds strongly to the belief in Scripture’s inspiration and authority, and that the modernist-postmillennial-Progressive camp often dismisses or minimizes Scripture, reading it, if ever, through the lens of Enlightenment values. These broad categories don’t always line up, to be sure, but Doran is onto something when he begins his analysis with divergent views of the Bible. The way Americans, and Christians more broadly, see the world has a lot to do with how they see that book. This fact becomes particularly noteworthy in light of growing trends toward biblical illiteracy in America, a country that is exceptional in its approach to foreign affairs mostly because it was founded on an exceptional attachment to Holy Writ. Doran is not oblivious to these shifting theological sands. In speaking about the rivalry between his two theological paradigms, he writes: These began as religious disagreements. Yet even as God recedes from our public life, the disagreements persist. Perhaps it is because God has receded that they persist. In a secular world, there is no universal moral authority capable of adjudicating between the two sides. All we have now are experts. This reminds me of why we created this journal to begin with. When Mark Tooley and I first began to brainstorm what we now call Providence, we braced ourselves for the obvious criticism: “Christianity and foreign policy? What’s the one got to do with the other? They’re completely unrelated, and let’s keep it that way!” We still hear that criticism often. The underlying premise, of course, is that a clear-headed approach to foreign policy will steer the conversation away from Christianity, not toward it. The fundamental assertion of Providence—that the Christian tradition has something to say about how Americans ought to engage the world—is, for us, axiomatic. While hardly a manual for statesmanship, the Bible offers narrative motifs and principles that help guide any responsible engagement with history. Moreover, biblical faith imparts a meaning to history and confidence in its end that cannot be found outside the revealed text. Many generations of Christian thinkers agree with us on this. Niebuhr agreed, too. “It will be a long while,” he writes, “before modern idealists will recognize that the profundities of the Christian faith, which they have disavowed, are indispensable resources for the historic tasks which lie before us.” Scripture, it seems, still has something to say. This article was originally published in Providence Magazine on April 20, 2018. Senior Fellow of the Center for Hebraic Thought Robert Nicholson is Founder and Executive Director of The Philos Project. He holds a BA in Hebrew Studies from Binghamton University, and both a JD and MA in Middle Eastern history from Syracuse University. A former U.S. Marine and a 2012-13 Tikvah Fellow, Robert founded The Philos Project in 2014. His advocacy focuses on spreading the vision of a multi-ethnic and multi-religious Middle East based on freedom and rule of law. Robert serves on the Board of Directors of Passages, and is a publisher of Providence: A Journal of Christianity and American Foreign Policy. His written work has appeared in First Things, The Federalist, The Jerusalem Post, The Hill, and The American Interest, among others. Excerpt from the original article at Christianity Today magazine: Conspiracy thinking injects itself at this exact point. Who will guide…

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This "Liver On A Chip" Lets Researchers Forgo Animal Testing George Dvorsky Filed to:biotechnology Testing new drugs on animals can be costly, cruel, and ineffective. In the quest to identify an alternative, a U.K. biopharmaceutical company has developed a “liver on a chip,” an important advance in the effort to minimize, and even put an end to, animal experimentation. Image credit: CN Bio Innovations via Bloomberg Testing experimental medicines on animals has its drawbacks. Treatments for certain diseases, like hepatitis B, can only be tested on primates like chimpanzees, a practice that has come under considerable scrutiny in recent years. It’s also bloody expensive; pharmaceutical developers often spend $10-million on a drug before it even reaches human clinical trials, with much of that cost absorbed into animal testing. What’s more, animal models often make for poor human analogues. What’s required, therefore, is something more ethical, affordable, and true to human physiology and genetics. As Bloomberg Business is reporting, one potential solution may come in the form of synthetic human organs that are simulated on chips. Biomemetic platform company CN Bio Innovations has developed a chip that simulates the human liver. Called the LiverChip System, it’s a scaffold whose dimensions recreate the capillary bed structures of human livers; the point is not to re-create the entire liver, but enough of it to perform meaningful tests. Recently, Australian company Benitec Biopharma Ltd. acquired the help of CN Bio to test a potential cure for hepatitis B using their LiverChip — a process that would have normally required the use of 50 chimpanzees. It cost Benitec $22,000 to use LiverChip, a savings it described as “significant.” Unfortunately, animal testing is still a necessary part of the process. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration requires developers to test medicines on animals prior to human trials. But as the Bloomberg Business article pointed out, the FDA is “looking forward” to when these organs on a chip can replace other forms of testing. There’s still a long way to go before this technology will completely replace animal testing, but there are good reasons to be optimistic. The U.S. Department of Defense just dumped $63 million into developing a “human on a chip” that will comprise no fewer than 10 synthetic organs, working together. Amazing — yet another sign that technology will help us put an end to animal experimentation. Can technology help us put an end to animal experimentation? Nobody likes the idea of experimenting on animals. It seems like the definition of inhumanity,… Read more at Bloomberg Business.

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AssetMark Pays Down $125M of Debt with Initial Public Offering Proceeds Download PDF Format (opens in new window) CONCORD, Calif., July 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AssetMark Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AMK) today announced that it paid off $125 million, or approximately half of its outstanding term loan debt, on its seven-year term loan that matures in 2025. This pay down was funded by the net proceeds to AssetMark from its initial public offering earlier this month, together with cash on hand. “The paydown of half of our debt represents an important milestone in the improvement of our balance sheet,” said Gary Zyla, Chief Financial Officer at AssetMark. “Our balance sheet provides us with exceptional flexibility to grow and invest in the business so that we can continue making a difference in the lives of advisers and their clients.” As of July 30, 2019, after giving effect to the pay down, AssetMark had $124.4 million of debt outstanding under its term loan, which was incurred in November 2018. The term loan matures in November 2025 and bears interest at a variable rate, currently LIBOR plus a margin of 3.25 percent. About AssetMark Financial Holdings, Inc. AssetMark is a leading provider of extensive wealth management and technology solutions that power independent financial advisers and their clients. Through AssetMark, Inc., its investment adviser subsidiary registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, AssetMark operates a platform that comprises fully integrated technology, personalized and scalable service and curated investment platform solutions designed to make a difference in the lives of advisers and their clients. AssetMark had an estimated $56 billion in platform assets as of June 30, 2019 and has a history of innovation spanning more than 20 years. Investors: Taylor J. Hamilton, CFA ir@assetmark.com Lexy Siegel Group Gordon lsiegel@groupgordon.com SOURCE: AssetMark Financial Holdings, Inc. Source: AssetMark, Inc. Taylor Hamilton, CFA At AssetMark, we promise to treat your data with respect and will not share your information with any third party. You can unsubscribe to any of the investor alerts you are subscribed to by visiting the ‘unsubscribe’ section below. If you experience any issues with this process, please contact us for further assistance. By providing your email address below, you are providing consent to AssetMark to send you the requested Investor Email Alert updates. AssetMark Financial Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AMK) (“AssetMark”) is a leading provider of extensive wealth management and technology solutions that power independent financial advisers and their clients. Through AssetMark, Inc., its investment adviser subsidiary registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, AssetMark operates a platform that comprises fully integrated technology, personalized and scalable service and curated investment platform solutions designed to make a difference in the lives of advisers and their clients. AssetMark is an indirect subsidiary of Huatai Securities Co., Ltd. For more information, please visit the Who We Are section. C33638 | 06/2019 | EXP 06/30/2021

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321 cases of measles have been recorded in between 1-17 January. Experts say the reason for the spread of the disease is that many have not been vaccinated" /> Karabakh stories Letters from prison Unheard Voices Measles outbreak in Georgia: why can’t the ‘ignorance virus’ be conquered? 321 cases of measles have been recorded in between 1-17 January. Experts say the reason for the spread of the disease is that many have not been vaccinated Georgia ranks third among the seven European countries with the largest number of measles cases this year. Most of them have been recorded in Serbia, while Ukraine is in second place. The highest mortality rate was recorded in Serbia, where 14 people have died. Three people died in Georgia in 2018, with 2,000-2,200 measles cases detected in Georgia. By January 2019, the situation had worsened – the National Centre for Disease Control has announced that there is a measles outbreak in Georgia. From 1 January to 17 January, in just 17 days, 312 cases of measles were registered in Georgia. “Measles mainly affects the age group from 20 to 40 years. 56-58 per cent of those infected belong to this group. As for the remaining age groups, eight per cent are infected from age 0 to one year, and 14 per cent from one to five years old,” says the head of the National Centre for Disease Control, Amiran Gamkrelidze, in an interview with Netgazeti. These rates are growing, as a significant part of the population is still not vaccinated. The only thing that can stop measles is the vaccination of these people. In the civilized world, measles has long become a controlled viral infection. Why is Georgia unable to overcome it? The article was written and published in October 2018 in response to a rise in measles cases in Georgia. Georgia ranks third among the top seven European countries where the number of cases of measles has increased the most, show data from the World Health Organization. Since the beginning of this year, 1,400 cases have been reported, two of which have been fatal. The first case of measles was reported in January when a hospital worker in Guria, Western Georgia, fell ill. The illness later appeared in Adjara and spread throughout most of Western Georgia. Specialists predict that the number of people infected will increase. Those that have not had measles in the past and who are not vaccinated against the disease are most at risk. The National Centre for Disease Control reports that there are about half a million people at risk in Georgia. “Research shows that these are people between 20 and 40 years old. As the number of people who are not vaccinated against measles remains high, the disease will spread,” says Paata Imnadze, the centre’s deputy director. Breakouts of measles in Georgia took place back in 2004 and 2005 as well when 14,500 fell ill and nine died. In 2014 and 2015, four people died from measles. Vaccinations against measles were first introduced in Georgia in 1968. Before that, the disease was popularly known as batonebi [ed. the Georgian word for ‘sirs, masters’] and was treated with folk medicine. Batonebi and anti-vaxxers Fifty-eight-year-old Dali remembers well how she and her sister fell sick with measles: their grandmother hung red velvet curtains on the windows, put red roses in vases and strongly warned the residents of the home not to curse or argue. The children had to sing in order not to anger the batonebi, or masters. The illness took its toll on them – Dali’s hearing suffered, while her sister had trouble with her hearing and vision. “We gave both our children scheduled vaccinations. Considering my own experience, I didn’t want to risk their health,” says Dali. However, in Georgia there are many people that think differently and do not vaccinate their children. Official data has it that 10 per cent of children up to six years of age are not vaccinated in Georgia. Irina Aliashvili is a young mother who has ensured that her three-year-old child receives all the necessary vaccinations. Aliashvili searches for the best doctors and reads up on information pertaining to vaccinations herself. “I didn’t find any reliable information anywhere that supported the idea that vaccinations can give rise to serious complications or illnesses,” Irina said. Nini Tvalavadze is 25 years old. She is the co-founder of the NGO Vaccinations and Risk Factors, which collects and distributes information about the dangers of vaccines. Nini asserts that there are many side effects to vaccines which she herself has experienced: “I began having epileptic attacks when I was five years old, and they continued until I was 18. I was afraid to go outside because I did not know when I would have an attack. The doctors didn’t understand what was the matter with me. Then we realised that it all began with a scheduled vaccination.” Nini’s daughter is three years old, and aside from vaccinations against tuberculosis (BCG) and Hepatitis B, she has not received any scheduled vaccinations. Nini says she gets her information about the dangers of vaccinations from the internet and that she herself studies the cases she has come across. “There was one case where a child received a vaccination and later became autistic. Another child lost an arm after getting polio from a vaccination,” she says. Nini says that, despite the fact that she hasn’t been vaccinated, her daughter is not ill and has a good immune system. Because of this she does not intend to begin vaccinating her in the future either. The Centre for Disease Control denies all claims that vaccinations can cause illness or complications, and attests to the quality of available vaccines. “We only get high-quality European vaccines in Georgia. After the 1990s, there has not been a single case of complications or infections after vaccination,” says Paata Imnadze. Imnadze says there are practically no complications associated with the measles vaccine. “The worst thing that can happen is an allergic reaction, but we have not had such a case to date.” Imnadze says that such cases are very rare, one in a million, and even in these cases a doctor can always act quickly and provide urgent care. Vaccination storage area in the National Centre for Disease Control of Georgia. Photo: David Pipia, JAMnews, October 2018 Is disinformation to blame? Specialists say there are two reasons behind the epidemic in Georgia: the failure of the 1990s immunisation programme and the subsequent refusal of parents to vaccinate their children afterwards. In 2008 the government planned to have one million people between the ages of 6 and 27 vaccinated. However, only about half of their target was reached. “A media campaign began which attested to the supposed harms of vaccination – even I became afraid. The programme, of course, failed,” says Paata Imnadze. There are several myths in Georgian society pertaining to the use of vaccinations. Many continue to think that vaccinations can cause autism. The greatest harm to regular vaccinations in the world was caused by an article by English scientist Andrew Wakefield in the Lancet journal in 1998 in which he claimed that a measles vaccine was causing autism. It was later proven that the article was paid for and falsified. The journal issued an apology and had the article redacted. However, the lie spread like a virus: the consequences of that article in Europe and the USA have more or less been overcome, but in Georgia it has been difficult. “The Russian propaganda machine took an interest in the topic of vaccination against measles. It has been shown that Russian trolls have been involved in the dissemination of disinformation across European social media and internet sites,” Imnadze says. The Georgian parliament is looking at a bill which will make vaccinations mandatory. Should parents be unable to show a document attesting to their child’s vaccination history, children will not be accepted into schools. The bill was accepted in its first reading. However, the NGO Vaccinations and Risk Factors is gathering signatures to prevent this bill from coming into force. Activists of the movement say they will come out in protest. Measles is a viral infection that is transmitted via the air. It is easily spread and the risk of infection is particularly high in populous areas. The measles virus causes fever and a rash on the skin and pus in the mouth. Sometimes it causes complications in the form of ear, lung or brain inflammation. According to the World Health Organization, one in 1,000 cases of measles are fatal. Symptoms should immediately be brought to the attention of a doctor. Vaccinations against measles are given in two rounds, the first at the age of one and the second at the age of five. “When a child falls ill before one year of age, this means that the mother did not have immunity against the virus. Before one year of age, the child shouldn’t fall ill. If they do, the illness is hard to treat. That’s why parents whose children are younger than one year old must ensure that they themselves are vaccinated,” Imnadze says. Experts from 17 countries visit the Lugar centre in Tbilisi Georgia and swine flu – 13 deaths and an extended winter break Hepatitis C in Georgia: Can the “silent killer” be beaten? How HIV-positive people live in Georgia Life after cancer - a story from Armenia Swine flu dwindles in Armenia How the Nagorny Karabakh Dialect Became a Brand In the Lori Valley there’ll be a ground frost More on JAMnews Human Rights in the South Caucasus: 2019 victories and losses A change of power and one girl’s dissent. Week in the Caucasus from JAMnews They’ve lived in Georgia for more than 100 years – yet no one knows about them Georgia to have US ambassador after 1.5 year pause Abkhaz opposition leader calls for dialogue w. Georgia – how has Tbilisi responded? NDI survey: majority of Georgian population distrusts government Record number of hopefuls register for snap parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan Putin bidding to stay in power forever—why this is the leading conclusion amongst experts Ukrainian PM resigns after audio clip surfaces with disparaging remarks about president Deported from the EU – how Armenians try to stay abroad Yerevan Zoo facing endless diseases, animal deaths – why? Psychiatric illnesses in Georgia treated with violence – not understanding and support Explainer: what happened in Abkhazia and what’s next – between the president’s dismissal & new elections European Court of Human Rights takes up case of Georgian transgender man Why did Georgian special forces kill 19-year-old Temirlan Machalikashvili? New data and questions for the investigation Georgia throws out Hepatitis C medications worth $200 mln Qasem Soleimani – reaction in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, and the world community Follow @JAMnewsCaucasus © JAMnews 2015 - 2018. All Rights Reserved. Toponyms and terminology used in the publications, and views, opinions and strategies they contain do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of JAMnews or any employees thereof. JAMnews reserves the right to delete comments it considers to be offensive, inflammatory, threatening, or otherwise unacceptable.

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The Shaman of Community: An Interview with Clifford Garstang by Curtis Smith February 25, 2019 · by jmwwblog · in Interviews. · Clifford Garstang is the author of the forthcoming novel, The Shaman of Turtle Valley, the novel in stories, What the Zhang Boys Know, winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction, and the prize-winning short story collection In an Uncharted Country. About Garstang’s first book, Tim O’Brien, National Book Award-winning author of The Things they Carried, said, “In an Uncharted Country is an impeccably written, sumptuously imagined, and completely enchanting book of stories. . .” John Casey, National Book Award-winning author of Spartina, called What the Zhang Boys Know “a wonderful and haunting book.” Garstang is also the editor of Everywhere Stories: Short Fiction from a Small Planet, a three-volume anthology of short stories set around the world. Garstang’s work has appeared in Bellevue Literary Review, Blackbird, Cream City Review, Los Angeles Review, Tampa Review, and elsewhere, and has received Distinguished Mention in the Best American Series. He is also the co-founder and former editor of Prime Number Magazine. After receiving a BA in Philosophy from Northwestern University, Garstang served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in South Korea, where he taught English at Jonbuk University. He then earned an MA in English and a JD, magna cum laude, both from Indiana University, and practiced international law in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Singapore with one of the largest law firms in the United States. Subsequently, he earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and worked for Harvard Law School’s Program on International Financial Systems as a legal reform consultant in Almaty, Kazakhstan. From 1996 to 2001, he was Senior Counsel for East Asia at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., where his work focused on China, Vietnam, Korea, and Indonesia. Subsequently he earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University of Charlotte. He lives near Staunton, Va. Learn more at https://cliffordgarstang.com. Curtis Smith: Congratulations on The Shaman of Turtle Valley. I’m always interested in a book’s journey in the indie press world. How did you end up with Braddock Avenue? Clifford Garstang: To be honest, my agent shopped the book to the big publishers because that’s what you’re supposed to do, and we had some near misses with them. But all along I thought it was more of a small press book, so we eventually shifted gears and started looking at smaller presses. I knew Jeff Condran at Braddock and had met the other half of the team, Robert Peluso, at AWP a few years ago, and had also seen a couple of their titles that impressed me. I asked them to take a look at the manuscript and they liked it, so we were off and running. CS: You’ve published two previous story collections with Press 53, but this is your first novel. How did the experience of writing a novel differ from a story collection? Did you change your process or mindset to tackle the project? Were there any unexpected challenges/rewards along the way? CG: Although I always did intend the book to be a novel, it began in much the same way that my short stories do. I wanted to look at the challenges facing a young single father in an environment that was similar to the one I created in my first collection, In an Uncharted Country. As I do with stories, I just wrote until I figured out what my subconscious was telling me about the character and his situation. When that was more or less settled, I realized that a novel, unlike most stories, needs many dimensions, and while that doesn’t always require multiple points of view, one of the things I really like about writing short stories is the opportunity to inhabit different voices and perspectives. So, to find those additional dimensions to my story, I layered in the voices of the women in the main character’s life, starting with his wife, then his mother, and so on. Adding these voices really opened up the story for me and even took it in a different direction. CS: The novel is told in a series of short passages. How did you decide on this structure? What does it bring that the typical longer, chapter-based structure wouldn’t offer? CG: The shorter passages, interspersed with more traditional chapters, are primarily the perspectives of the five women in the main character’s life. They are rendered in first person, so we hear the women speak in their own voices, rather than seeing them only through his eyes. He is a man from a traditional environment who is being challenged at every turn by these women, and my hope is that the short passages, while not distracting from his narrative, will shed light on his flaws and blind spots. CS: The novel addresses issues of culture clash and the walls and bridges we build. Can you look back and identify the seeds of this concept? I’m guessing it might be rooted in your own international experiences? Was there a trigger that took these ideas and then landed them in the forms of your characters? CG: Hanging over my fireplace at my home in rural Virginia between two mountain ranges is a temple painting I acquired more than 40 years ago when I lived in Korea as a Peace Corps Volunteer. It depicts the Mountain God in a traditional pose, surrounded by a pine tree, a tiger, fungus, and other elements associated with Korean Shamanism. If there is one seed to the story, it might be seeing the Virginia mountains reflected in the glass protecting the painting and realizing that while both cultures are rather closed and isolated, there are numerous similarities that could draw them together, including the unhealed wounds inflicted by their respective civil wars. CS: I’m always interested in a writer’s personal work habits. Some of us are planners, others dive right in—some sit down daily and others only when the inspiration hits. Can you share your routine and give us a glimpse of how the process works for you? CG: I wish I were more of a planner, and every time I start a project I tell myself I’m going to be systematic about it: do an outline, give myself deadlines, and stick to my schedule. But I’m also terribly impatient and I’d rather be writing than planning, so once I have my basic idea I want to jump in and see where it goes. Having said that, I do consider writing my job, although one that I love, and that means keeping to a routine. So I’m at my desk (defined loosely—sometimes I abscond to a coffee shop to work and avoid the telephone) every morning with a goal of making progress on whatever the project is at the moment. Even if I only write one sentence that I’m happy with during that time, it’s still progress and it adds up. Afternoons are usually spent in other activities that support the writing—researching, promotion, blogging, etc. CS: Besides your writing, you’ve also acted as an editor, both for anthologies and for a literary journal. You also keep up a blog and website, and you annually publish a ranking of literary magazines based on the Pushcarts. First, thanks for that. It’s a great resource. And second, I’m assuming you do these things to be part of a greater literary community. Can you address the importance of and the rewards found in these endeavors outside your own writing? CG: Being part of the literary community through these other projects—the editing, the magazine rankings, the blogging, the book reviews I write—is, honestly, its own reward. Even if I never publish another book I feel like I’m part of a greater endeavor. And I do think it’s important for writers to help other writers. In no way is writing or publishing a zero-sum game or a competition. At the same time, though, these contributions have been beneficial to me. A lot of people know me through the editing work I’ve done or through the magazine rankings (although sometimes not by name—to a lot of people I’m just “Pushcart rankings guy”), which may lead them to discover my books. And while one’s writing has to stand on its own, the connections are invaluable in many ways. CS: What’s next? CG: I haven’t had time to think about it lately, but 2020 is going to be a big year, and not just because of the important Presidential election. Press 53 is bringing out another story collection for me in the spring, called House of the Ancients and Other Stories. Then in the fall, Regal House will publish my novel Oliver’s Travels. But my current writing is focused on a new novel, my most ambitious project yet. It’s a blended historical and contemporary novel set in Singapore, and while much of it is already written, I’ll be moving the words around a lot before I declare it finished. Curtis Smith has published more than 100 stories and essays, and his work has appeared in or been cited by The Best American Short Stories, The Best American Mystery Stories, The Best American Spiritual Writing, The Best Short Fictions, and Norton Anthology New Microfictions. He’s worked with independent publishers to put out two chapbooks of flash fiction, three story collections, two essay collections, four novels, and a work of creative nonfiction. His latest books are Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, Bookmarked (Ig Publishing) and the novel Lovepain (Braddock Avenue Books). Tags: Braddock Avenue Books, Clifford Garstang, Curtis Smith, Interivews, The Shaman of Turtle Valley ← Review: Basilio Boullosa Stars in the Fountain of Highlandtown by Rafael Alvarez (reviewed by Joesph Crespo) Flash Fiction: Behind the Scenes by Monica Dickson → 2 responses to “The Shaman of Community: An Interview with Clifford Garstang by Curtis Smith” Rebecca Moon Ruark February 25, 2019 at 10:16 AM · · Reply → Great interview! I have to say, living in Richmond, VA, for a long time (and getting my MFA from VCU there) and seeing Garstang around the community–in person and online–I feel like I know him. But this interview got at things I didn’t know. Thanks for highlighting a wonderful leader in the literary community! Pingback: Pre-publication Buzz – CLIFFORD GARSTANG·

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03/04/2016 24/09/2016 Blogging, Books, Education, Environment, Feature, Health, Life, Social problems, Society, Writing 4 Comments AmmunitionAttacks in BrusselsCaliforniaConventional battlefieldEurope and AmericaEuropeans and AmericansGuns and war tanksHealing and developmentHealthiest and happiestISISKerosene lanternParisPentagon and FBIPhysical fightRejected continentSchool disciplineSurvivalUnderdevelopment and depopulationUnitedVoiceVillagers in AfricaWithout electricity and medicine 9 Out Of 10 Americans Would Perish Without Power For Over A Year? Rural African students study with the help of a kerosene lantern and some become doctors and engineers. In yesterday’s (April 2, 2016) United Voice News Magazine, I read that ISIS attacks in Brussels, Paris, and California may be just the beginning of an unprecedented plot to bring America to its knees by targeting our nation’s scandalously vulnerable electric grid, warn officials at the Pentagon and FBI. The report further reveals that: On a conventional battlefield, ISIS can’t beat America with brute military force because America is too strong for them. The interesting part of the article is: Everything will be fine, when the power goes out for few hours, but should the power go out for over a year, 9 out of 10 Americans would likely perish. It really sounds funny to read such news, knowing that there are thousands of villagers in Africa, who have never enjoyed light before since they were born, yet they are the healthiest and happiest people on earth. From school, they learn, read and write with the help of only kerosene lanterns. I’m back to what I have repeated over hundred times. Are Africans tougher and stronger than Europeans and Americans? When it comes to issues pertaining Africa, only a few people interested, but learning something from Africa, in regard to survival and discipline in schools, will be beneficial to Europeans and Americans if they put pride behind them. Frankly speaking, without any ammunition, guns or war tanks, Africa will defeat Europe and America if they stand toe to toe in a physical fight, because Africans are physically strong. Africans don’t need power to live or survive. They already have a long life span without electricity, before the vaccine against malaria was discovered and before they were hit by medical crime at the hands of Europe and America. Africa needs support, healing, and development, not underdevelopment and depopulation because that rejected continent, will one day be a safe haven for Europeans and Americans. 31/03/2016 31/03/2016 Blogging, Feature, Life, Religion, Social problems, Society, Writing BeheadingsBelgian nationalBrussels airport attacksChief executionerCrucifixionshead bodyguardISISIslamic State fighterPropaganda videosSharia4BelgiumTerrorismTerrorists A Promise Of New Wave Of Terror Across Europe Hicham Chaib poses with children making the ISIS salute BY JOHN SHAMMAS The Islamic State fighter Hicham Chaib said that the Brussels terror attacks which killed 28 people were just “a taste” of what is to come for Europe. He’s the man at the front and centre of a twisted new video promising a fresh wave of terror across Europe following the Brussels atrocity – but what do we know about Hicham Chaib? The ISIS coward is the chief executioner for the terrorist group. A Belgian national, he is also known as Abu Hanifa al-Baljiki and was an organiser of the extremist group Sharia4Belgium. He’s been involved in executions such as beheadings and crucifixions, and in a video that was posted on social media today he can be seen with a prisoner who is then shot dead. While he was in Sharia4Belgium, he acted as head bodyguard for the group’s bosses. But after fleeing to Syria, he began appearing in propaganda videos. Now, he’s the ISIS chief executioner and head of the twisted group’s “religious police”. He is seen in his home country as a major corrupting influence on vulnerable and troubled young people in Belgium who join ISIS ranks. In the video he claims that Tuesday was just a “taste” of what is to come. Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/who-evil-isis-chief-executioner-7637502? 23/03/2016 23/03/2016 Blogging, Environment, Feature, History, Life, Religion, Social problems, Society, Writing Attacks at airportAttacks in ParisB-17 pilotBelgian policeBrussels taxiBrussels through FranceISISIslamic State GroupIt's all ArabMuslim communityMuslim Employment levelsMuslim fundamentalistsMuslim ImmigrantsNaz-UndergroundNorth AfricanRaid in searchScharbeek neighbourhoodSuburb of MolenbeekUnemployment rates How Belgium Turned Brussels Into An ISIS Powder Keg Belgian police stage a raid in search of suspected Muslim fundamentalists linked to the attacks in Paris, in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek on November 16, 2015. By Jeff Stein About a dozen years ago, I stepped into a Brussels taxi and gave the driver a note with an address on it. He took it silently, set the meter and drove off through the city’s bustling, high-end hotel district. The gleaming steel and glass storefronts for Gucci, Tiffany and Dior soon gave way to grittier streets. I was on a mission to find and photograph a house where a friend’s father, a B-17 pilot, had been hidden by the anti-Nazi underground during World War II. A riveting book about his daring escape from Brussels through France, The Freedom Line, suggested that the neighborhood where he was hidden was populated back then by middle-class burghers living in neat rows of pastel-colored brick townhouses. “Why are you going there?” my driver asked, his North African, Arab features—dark eyes and wiry black hair—framed by the rear view mirror. I told him my story. “It’s very different now,” I recall him saying. “It’s all Arab.” And then, unprompted, he delivered a bitter lecture on the history of Arabs in Belgium, how they were imported from North Africa in the 1950s and 1960s as cheap labor to work in the factories. Most of those businesses had moved on, he said, leaving the immigrants unemployed with no real future for decades. In January, youth unemployment sat at nearly 23 percent, according to official estimates. “Although there are no statistics for Muslim employment levels,” the Euro-Islam website says, citing the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, “the foreign-born have unemployment rates more than twice that of indigenous Belgians.” The street I was looking for in 2004 abuts the Schaerbeek neighborhood, where on Tuesday Belgian police were desperately searching for perpetrators of the spectacular attacks hours earlier on the Brussels airport and a metro station. The Islamic State group, known as ISIS, claimed responsibility for the attacks, which killed at least 31 people and wounded more than 80. The group has called for Muslims in the West to rise up and carry out attacks on their own. Authorities have said their hunt for extremists since last November’s attacks in Paris have been hindered by a passive acquiescence on the part of Muslim immigrants to the presence of anti-Western militants in their midst. (On Tuesday, an umbrella group of Belgian Muslims condemned the attacks, saying they “complicate the efforts of society…and the entire Muslim community in favor of a harmonious coexistence.” Previously, the group had been “criticized…for not condemning the violence of the group that calls itself the Islamic State,” according to the Religion News Service.) Read more: http://europe.newsweek.com/isis-brussels-belgium-islamic-state-attacks-dead-airport-terrorists-murdered-439695? 13/03/2016 Blogging, Feature, History, Life, Religion, Review, Society, Writing Asiatic hordesCenter of piazzaCorriere della SeraCover of DabiqEgyptain obeliskEnglish Language magazineHoly SeeInternatinal Business TimesISISJihadisJolly RogerMiddle EastMuslimMuslim worldOttoman provincesRomeSlain victimsThe Failed CrusadeThe Italian DailyThe VaticanWorld denominationWorld War II The Vatican: Is The City Under Threat Of Invasion By The ISIS? ISIS often airs its threats to conquer Rome and convert St. Peter’s, above, into a mosque. These aspirations go all the way back to the early years of Islam, when Constantinople — capital of the Eastern Roman empire and bulwark of Christianity in the eastern Mediterranean and West Asia — was an early target of Arab ambitions. This article was first published on the Eidolon site by BY JAY REED In October 2014 an arresting image appeared on the cover of Dabiq, the slickly produced, English-language magazine of ISIS (the “Islamic State in Syria,” also known also as the “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant,” among other names). The magazine features — as Robert Evans has detailed in an article of the “I read it so you don’t have to” variety — interviews with jihadis and photos of their brutally slain victims, together with other material calculated to entice the devout to join the cause of world domination. The Photoshop job in question shows the ISIS flag flying in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, hoisted atop the Egyptian obelisk that marks the center of the piazza. The accompanying headline ‘The Failed Crusade’ imagines a reversal of the West’s medieval crusades, launched against the Muslim world from the Holy See. It also reverses the West’s more recent dispensations in the Middle East, from the divisions of the former Ottoman provinces after World War I to the results of the 2003 Iraq War. ISIS is expert at representing its aspirations in prankish, media-friendly terms. Its black and white flag, inspired by ancient descriptions of Mohammed’s own banners, also coincides in color and general design with the Jolly Roger. It flutters in the image like a skull-and-crossbones raised over a captured vessel, the flagship of Western Christendom reduced to pirate’s booty. The Italian daily Corriere della Sera was quick to take notice of the image, while in the International Business Times Umberto Bacchi pointed to the gloss provided by ISIS spokesperson Mohammed al-Adnani: “We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women, by the permission of Allah, the Exalted.” On one level he is trolling us with a cartoonish Orientalist stereotype (like Boris Karloff’s Fu Manchu urging his Asiatic hordes to “kill the white man and take his women!”) with the phallic obelisk mischievously restored to Eastern ownership. But al-Adnani is also quite serious. Learn more: http://europe.newsweek.com/vatican-isis-pope-terrorist-st-peters-obelisk-swiss-guards-papa-paolo-435714? 27/02/2016 27/02/2016 Blogging, Feature, Life, Review, Society, Writing AuthorBondsChickenCommodityDeutsche bankEconomy in EuropeEggExportsExports in ChinaFinancialFinancial CrisisGlobal stock marketGreat recessionGreg HunterISISJapanJournalistLehman brothersMichael SnyderMiddle EastPerfect stormPricesRussiansSaudi ArabiaSkyrockerSouth KoreaSunni militantsSyriaThe Baltic Dry IndexTurkeyWealthWorldWWIII Perfect Storm Of Financial Collapse And WWIII-Michael Snyder By Greg Hunter On February 24, 2016 In Political Analysis : USAWatchdog.com Journalist and book author Michael Snyder says the collapse is not an event, but a “process.” Snyder explains, “I believe it is already in the process of coming apart. . . . One fifth of global stock market value is already gone. That means we only have four fifths left. At one point this month, $16.5 trillion had been wiped out from global stock markets since mid-2015. So, this started last year. We saw oil collapse. We’ve seen junk bonds collapse. We’ve seen commodity prices collapse. The $16.5 trillion I just mentioned is just for stocks, and when you add up the other losses, that’s trillions of dollars more wealth that has been wiped out all over the world. What we have seen already has been extraordinary, but we are still in the process. People want to think of it as an event or a single day or a month, but this is a process.” Snyder also contends, “The Baltic Dry Index dropped below 300 for the first time ever. We did not even see that during the 2008 Great Recession and financial crisis. I didn’t know the Baltic Dry Index could go that low. We are seeing exports decline dramatically in South Korea. New numbers for Japan came out . . . their exports were down 12% year over year. Exports in China have been falling month, after month, after month. U.S. exports were down 7% for the last monthly figure we had. India’s exports are down. This is happening all over the world. Real economic activity is grinding to a halt.” Snyder says the problems with some global banks are far worse than in 2008. Snyder says, “The collapse of Deutsche Bank would be a far bigger event than the collapse of Lehman Brothers was back in 2008. If you are looking for another Lehman Brothers moment with their derivatives exposure . . . and now the biggest bank, in the biggest and most important economy in Europe, is in the process of coming apart.” On war, Snyder says keep your eyes on the Middle East and Syria. Snyder explains, “Saudi Arabia and Turkey have to give up and cut their losses or they have to go in and do the job themselves. The Sunni militants, including ISIS, are not getting the job done. Turkey and Saudi Arabia are seriously considering a ground invasion of Syria. Are the Russians and Hezbollah and Iran going to stand aside and let them do it? I say almost certainly not and, in fact, could very easily erupt into WWIII.” Either way, Snyder thinks we get “global financial collapse” and “World War III” but does not know which one comes first. Snyder says, “We already have the global economy grinding to a halt, but if we get WWIII, that just accelerates things greatly. It’s the chicken or the egg, whichever comes first, but without a doubt, we are moving into a time described as a perfect storm.” On precious metals, Snyder says, “I think silver will absolutely skyrocket in the years ahead. We like gold, but absolutely love silver.” Join Greg Hunter as he goes One-on-One with Michael Snyder, creator of TheEconomicCollapseBlog.com. 13/02/2016 13/02/2016 Blogging, Books, Contemporary Women, Education, Environment, Feature, History, Life, Literature, Non-fiction, Psychology, Religion, Review, Social problems, Society, Writing 3 Comments Advocate of women's rightArab WomenAuthorAutobiographyAyn Shams UniversityCairoCairo UniversityCensoredColonialColumbia UniversityDaughterDismissal from jobEgyptian WomenExiledFeministHealthImprisonedImprisonmentISISLifeMudahakkirat fi sijn-alnisaNeo-colonialNew YorkOppressionPhysicianPilloriedPsychiatristQuoteRacialReligiousSadatSexual DiscriminationStruggleWarWomanWomen in Arab World “Life Is Very Hard. The Only People Who Really Live Are Those Who Are Harder Than Life Itself.” There are hundreds of definitions about ‘Life,’ but none gives me its true meaning, than this quote by author Nawal El Salaawi, “Life is very hard. The only people who really live are those who are harder than life itself.” But who is this woman? Nawal El Saadiaw has been pilloried, censored, imprisoned and exiled for her refusal to accept the oppression imposed on women by gender and class. In her life and in her writings, this struggle against sexual discrimination has always been linked to a struggle against all forms of oppression: religious, racial, colonial and neo-colonial. In 1969, she published her first work of non-fiction, Women and Sex ; in 1972, her writings and her struggles led to her dismissal from her job. From then on there was no respite; imprisonment under Sadat in 1981 was the culmination of the long war she had fought for Egyptian women’s social and intellectual freedom. A Daughter of Isis is the autobiography of this extraordinary woman. Author Nawal El Salaawi Nawal El Saadawi, also spelled Nawāl al-Saʿdāwī (born Oct. 27, 1931, Kafr Ṭaḥlah, Egypt), Egyptian public health physician, psychiatrist, author, and advocate of women’s rights. Sometimes described as “the Simone de Beauvoir of the Arab world,” El Saadawi was a feminist whose writings and professional career were dedicated to political and sexual rights for women.El Saadawi was educated at Cairo University (M.D., 1955), Columbia University in New York (M.P.H., 1966), and ʿAyn Shams University in Cairo (where she performed psychiatric research in 1972–74). In 1955–65 she worked as a physician at Cairo University and in the Egyptian ministry of health, and in 1966 she became the director-general of the health education department within the ministry. In 1968 she founded Health magazine, which was shut down by Egyptian authorities several years later, and in 1972 she was expelled from her professional position in the ministry of health because of her book Al-marʾah wa al-jins (1969; Women and Sex), which was condemned by religious and political authorities. El Saadawi was jailed in September 1981, and during the two months of her imprisonment she wrote Mudhakkirāt fī sijn al-nisāʾ (1984; Memoirs from the Women’s Prison) on a roll of toilet paper using a smuggled cosmetic pencil. In 1982 El Saadawi founded the Arab Women’s Solidarity Association (AWSA) and later served as editor of the organization’s publication, Al-nūn. In 1991 the government closed down Al-nūn and then, several months later, AWSA itself. Due to her outspoken views, El Saadawi continued to face frequent legal challenges from political and religious opponents, including accusations of apostasy. In 2002 a legal attempt was made by an Islamist lawyer to forcibly divorce her from her husband, and in May 2008 she won a case that had been brought against her by al-Azhar University, the major centre of Islamic learning, that included charges of apostasy and heresy. El Saadawi’s novels, short stories, and nonfiction deal chiefly with the status of Arab women, as inMudhakkirāt tabībah (1960; Memoirs of a Woman Doctor), Al-khayt wa al-jidār (1972; The Thread and the Wall), Al-wajh al-ʿarī lī al-marʾah al-arabiyyah (1977; The Hidden Face of Eve: Women in the Arab World), Al-ḥubb fī zaman al-nafṭ (1993; Love in the Kingdom of Oil), and Al-riwāyah (2004; The Novel). The oppression of women by men through religion is the underlying theme of El Saadawi’s novel set in a mental institution, Jannāt wa Iblīs (1992; Jannāt and Iblīs). The female protagonists are Jannāt, whose name is the plural of the Arabic word for paradise, and Iblīs, whose name refers to the devil. http://goo.gl/HrS2nD 19/11/2015 20/11/2015 Feature, History, Life, Review, Society, Writing 3 Comments AirstrikesAlgeriaAsylumBelgiumBurkina FasoChadCharlie HebdoCongoCopperDiamondsEuropeansFranceFranciose HollandGabonGenerationsGoldGuineaImmigrantsInvasionISISIslamist AttackIvoryIvory CoastMalariaMaliMigrationMiltaryMineralsMoroccoMozambiqueMuslimNigerNileOpportunityPeoplePoliticalPopulationRelationshipRubberSatirical MagazineSekou TouréSenegalSub-Saharan AfricaSyriaTerrorismTinTogoTunisiaUpper Volta Would France Be Free From Terrorism Without Colonizing Many Islamic Countries? “France population consists of dangerous terrorists born and raised in the country, making the country an easy target.” – Joel Savage The scramble for Africa was very swift. It was an opportunity Europeans made good use of it, but with iron fist, after discovering Africa’s wealth, in the least advanced continent. Even though malaria killed hundreds of Europeans, by 1862, they had reached the source of the Nile, then little later, they traced the route of the Niger and confirmed the reality of Africa’s rich mineral resources- ivory, gold, diamonds, tin, copper, rubber etc. Between the 1870’s and 1900, Africa experienced European imperialist invasion, diplomatic pressures, military invasions, and eventual conquest and colonization. Among other European countries, France had Republic of Benin, Upper Volta, now Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Chad, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal and Republic of Togo in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia in North Africa, then Djibouti, Lebanon and Syria. Since most of the countries colonized by France were Islamic countries, Islam became the second largest professed religion in France, following Catholic-Christians, with an estimated total of 5 to 10 percent of the national population. France stands as the largest Muslim country in Western Europe. Do we have to ask: Would France be free from terrorism without colonizing many Islamic countries? As the story unfolds, France ruled heavy Islamic dominant countries, including Republic of Guinea, until Guinea attained its independence in 1958. Like Belgium, that couldn’t stand the pain of losing Congo and embarked on ruthless destruction of Congo, both physically and medically, France aimed to destroy Guinea as well. They emptied all the coffers of the bank and took everything from the state house, including the furniture to France. The newly elected Prime Minister Ahmed Sekou Touré inherited a very bad economy and complete looted country. France still interested in Africa, established its embassies in every country they colonized and continued interfering with African politics. The reason whenever there is coup in any of the countries France colonized, they quickly send the military to arrest the situation. France seen as paradise, nationals from countries they colonized in Africa, had the opportunity to travel to France to study, request for political asylum and to work as immigrants. Apart from migration, a lot of Muslims were born in France, amounting to 15 percent of the total population, creating Muslim communities through out France. The country therefore has a long and complicated relationship with the Muslim world and its own immigrant population, many of whom have been in the country for generations. Due to the heavy concentration of Muslims in France, the country is therefore an easy target for terrorists. In the beginning of this year, gunmen shot dead 12 people at the Paris office of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, in an apparent militant Islamist attack. That’s where France should have been careful to avoid the present attacks that have killed at least 129 people. Under President Francois Hollande, France launched its first airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria in September, but external attacks against terrorists, can’t weaken the foundation of terrorism threatening France, because the enemies-terrorists are within the people in the country. The France government should first fight against terrorism at home, to weaken its foundation, before concentrating on external issues.

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August 12, 2019 newswires No comments Views: 105 Krugman: China tries to teach Trump economics Palm Beach Post (FL) If you want to understand the developing trade war with China, the first thing you need to realize is that nothing Donald Trump is doing makes sense. His views on trade are incoherent. His demands are incomprehensible. And he vastly overrates his ability to inflict damage on China while underrating the damage China can do in return. The second thing you need to realize is that China's response so far has been fairly modest and measured, at least considering the situation. The U.S. has implemented or announced tariffs on virtually everything China sells here, with average tariff rates not seen in generations. The Chinese, by contrast, have yet to deploy anything like the full range of tools at their disposal to offset Trump's actions and hurt his political base. Why haven't the Chinese gone all out? It looks to me as if they're still trying to teach Trump some economics. What they've been saying through their actions, in effect, is: "You think you can bully us. But you can't. We, on the other hand, can ruin your farmers and crash your stock market. Do you want to reconsider?" There is, however, no indication that this message is getting through. Instead, every time the Chinese pause and give Trump a chance to rethink, he takes it as vindication and pushes even harder. What this suggests, in turn, is that sooner or later the warning shots will turn into an all-out trade and currency war. About Trump's views: His incoherence is on view almost every day, but one of his recent tweets was a perfect illustration. Remember, Trump has been complaining nonstop about the strength of the dollar, which he claims puts America at a competitive disadvantage. On Monday he got the Treasury Department to declare China a currency manipulator, which was true seven or eight years ago but isn't true now. Yet the very next day he wrote triumphantly that "massive amounts of money from China and other parts of the world is pouring into the United States," which he declared "a beautiful thing to see." Um, what happens when "massive amounts of money" pour into your country? Your currency rises, which is exactly what Trump is complaining about. And if lots of money were flooding out of China, the yuan would be plunging, not experiencing the trivial (2 percent) decline that Treasury condemned. Oh well. I guess arithmetic is just a hoax perpetrated by the deep state. Still, even if Trump isn't making sense, will China give in to his demands? The short answer is, "What demands?" Trump mainly seems exercised by China's trade surplus with America, which has multiple causes and isn't really under the Chinese government's control. Others in his administration seem concerned by China's push into high-technology industries, which could indeed threaten U.S. dominance. But China is both an economic superpower and relatively poor compared with the U.S.; it's grossly unrealistic to imagine that such a country can be bullied into scaling back its technological ambitions. Which brings us to the question of how much power the U.S. really has in this situation. America is, of course, a major market for Chinese goods, and China buys relatively little in return, so the direct adverse effect of a tariff war is larger for the Chinese. But it's important to have a sense of scale. China isn't like Mexico, which sends 80 percent of its exports to the United States; the Chinese economy is less dependent on trade than smaller nations, and less than a fifth of its exports come to America. So while Trump's tariffs certainly hurt the Chinese, Beijing is fairly well placed to counter their effects. China can pump up domestic spending with monetary and fiscal stimulus; it can boost its exports, to the world at large as well as to America, by letting the yuan fall. At the same time, China can inflict pain of its own. It can buy its soybeans elsewhere, hurting U.S. farmers. As we saw this week, even a mostly symbolic weakening of the yuan can send U.S. stocks plunging. And America's ability to counter these moves is hindered by a combination of technical and political factors. The Fed can cut rates, but not very much given how low they are already. We could do a fiscal stimulus, but having rammed through a plutocrat-friendly tax cut in 2017, Trump would have to make real concessions to Democrats to get anything more -- something he probably won't do. What about a coordinated international response? That's unlikely, both because it's not clear what Trump wants from China and because his general belligerence (not to mention his racism) has left America with almost nobody willing to take its side in global disputes. So Trump is in a much weaker position than he imagines, and my guess is that China's mini-devaluation of its currency was an attempt to educate him in that reality. But I very much doubt he has learned anything. His administration has been steadily hemorrhaging people who know anything about economics, and reports indicate that Trump isn't even listening to the band of ignoramuses he has left. So this trade dispute will probably get much worse before it gets better. Paul Krugman is a New York Times columnist and a Nobel laureate in economics. (c)2019 The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.) Visit The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.) at www.palmbeachpost.com UBS Private Wealth Advisor John Straus, Jr. CFP® Named to Forbes’ List of Top Next Gen Wealth Advisors AP: States Brace For Long-Term Flood Fight As Damages Mount

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Posted on October 8, 2014 by Charles Dumais Tomorrow’s Nobel Peace Prize Announcement Nobel Peace Prize Announcement – October 10th 2014 The Storting (The Parliament of Norway) and Nobel Foundation (Est. 1900) The 2014 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced this week on October 10th 2014 at 11:00 am in Norway, and there are no indications or leaks as to who will be receiving the honor in 2014. The year has been particularly marked by worldwide conflict and escalating political as well as military conflict. Nevertheless, while it may be possible that no laureate may be selected, it is likely that there will be a… Read More Posted on September 13, 2014 by Charles Dumais Distinguished Prizes Series: The Trudeau Fellowships In this latest entry of our distinguished awards series, we take a brief look at the prestigious Trudeau Fellowships — a series of annual awards granted by the Trudeau Foundation in recognition of academic and research excellence in the humanities and arts in Canada– a prestigious award valued at $225 000, paid over three years. The Trudeau Fellowship is considered one of the highest Canadian distinction in the humanities and arts. Trudeau Fellows are granted significant freedom to manage and use the funds for their research but are also required to undertake… Read More Posted on July 29, 2014 by Charles Dumais Prizes & Honors in Philosophy: Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada Click here for the official website of the RSC. In this fifth feature of our #prizes in philosophy series, we take a look at the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada — an honor granted by the Royal Society of Canada, on an annual basis, for their “remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life”. Created in 1882 by Canada’s Governor General Marquis of Lorne and incorporated in 1883 by a statute of the Parliament of Canada, over 3700 scholars have since… Read More World Prizes in Philosophy Series: The Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Foundation, The Norwegian Nobel Institute, The Norwegian Parliament (“The Storting”) In this second feature of the #Prizes in Philosophy Series, we look at the eminent Nobel Peace Prize — a USD 1 000 000 (EUR 1 500 000) prize established by the terms of the will of engineer Dr. Alfred Bernhard Nobel. The will was drawn on November 27th, 1895 and has been managed since his passing on December 10th 1896 by the Nobel Foundation created in 1900. The Nobel Peace Prize is granted to suitable candidate(s) that have… Read More

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“Aphrodite of Milos,” better known as the “Venus de Milo,” is an ancient Greek statue over 2,000 years old, named after the Greek island of Milos, where it was discovered. It is one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture and depicts Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. The Roman name for Aphrodite is Venus, and this was the description used during the early publicity of this Greek masterpiece, and the name stuck. This Ancient Greek masterpiece is the classical depiction of the female form and a beautiful representation of the human body. Mythological tradition claims that Aphrodite was born naked in the seafoam off the coast of a Greek island. Hellenistic sculptors leaped at this tradition to experiment with sculpting the nude female form. The Venus de Milo is the best-known example with its spiral composition and the fall of the drapery over the hips. The Greeks saw nakedness as, literally, a heroic state. Aphrodite is the ancient Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. She is identified with the planet Venus, which is the name of the Roman goddess Venus. The Romans called their equivalent of the Greek goddesses, Aphrodite, Venus. The cult of Aphrodite was derived mainly from that of the Phoenician goddess Astarte, who was acquired from the East Semitic goddess Ishtar of Sumeria. In Homer’s Iliad, along with Athena and Hera, Aphrodite was one of the three goddesses whose feud resulted in the Trojan War, and she plays a significant role throughout the Iliad. Aphrodite has been featured in much of western art as a symbol of female beauty and has appeared in numerous works of western literature. Aphrodite of Milos The Aphrodite of Milos was discovered in 1820 by a peasant within the ancient city ruins of Milos, on the Greek island of Milos in the Aegean, which was then a part of the Ottoman Empire. The statue was found in two large pieces along with fragments of the upper left arm and left hand holding an apple, and an inscribed plinth. A French naval officer who was exploring the island learned about this mysterious statue discovery and recognized its significance. The French officers quickly arranged for its purchase by the French ambassador to Turkey. It arrived in France in 1821 and was presented to Louis XVIII, who donated it to the Louvre Museum, where it can be seen today. There have long have been claims that the Venus de Milo’s missing limbs were broken off in 1820 during a fight on the shore of Melos, as French and Turkish sailors vied for possession of the artwork. Or were the sculpture’s arms already missing when it was found? The fame of the Venus de Milo increased during the nineteenth century as the result of a significant propaganda effort by the French authorities, who promoted the Venus de Milo as a superior classical sculpture to the Medici Venus. This debate was precipitated in 1815 when France was forced to return the Medici Venus to the Italians after Napoleon Bonaparte had looted it and taken it to France. The Medici Venus was regarded as one of the most beautiful classical sculptures in existence, which encouraged the French to promote the Venus de Milo as a more significant treasure than that which they recently had to surrender to the Italians. Additionally, Venus de Milo is renowned for the mystery of her missing arms. Milos is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea and is the most southwestern island in the Cyclades group. Milos, like many of the Aegean Islands, was influenced and invaded by the successive wave of civilizations and dominant powers that swept the Cycladic Islands. Milos has been invaded or dominated by the following cultures or nations in succession, Minoan, Mycenaean, Dorian, Athenian, Spartan, Macedonian, Roman, Byzantium, Crusader, Venetians, Ottomans, Russians and then eventually part of the modern Greek state. Name: Venus de Milo or Aphrodite of Milos Greek: Αφροδίτη της Μήλου Artist: Alexandros of Antioch Year: 130 – 100 BC Dimensions: 203 cm (80 in) Museum: Louvre, Paris, France Explore Ancient Greek Masterpieces Mask of Agamemnon – 1550 –1500 B.C. Statue of a Kouros – 580 BC Peplos Kore – 530 BC Artemision Bronze – 460BC The Parthenon Marbles – 440 BC Caryatids of Erechtheum – 420 BC Boy with Thorn – Original Greek ~ 3rd century BC Dying Gaul – Original Greek ~ 230 BC The Winged Victory of Samothrace – 200 BC Laocoön and His Sons – 200 BC (Greek Original) Venus de Milo – 130 – 100 BC Venus de’ Medici – 100 BC Do the missing arms increase the appeal and mystery of this masterpiece? Was she holding a spear, handheld mirror, an apple, or something else? Does Venus’ enigmatic incompleteness, transform this ancient work of art into a modern masterpiece? Quotes about Venus “Venus favors the bold.” – Ovid “Be bold: Venus herself aids the stout-hearted.” – Tibullus “Venus smiles not in a house of tears.” – William Shakespeare “I will imagine you, Venus, tonight and pray, pray, pray to your star like a Heathen.” – John Keats “Venus, thy eternal sway All the race of men obey. Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis. He is not a lover who does not love forever.” – Euripides “Adding sound to movies would be like putting lipstick on the Venus de Milo.” – Mary Pickford “Races and religions may have changed, but the marketplace, the living quarters, pilgrimage sites, places of worship, have remained the same. Venus is replaced by the Virgin, but the same life goes on.” – Pablo Picasso Aphrodite Quotes “The force that unites the elements to become all things is Love, also called Aphrodite; Love brings together dissimilar elements into a unity, to become a composite thing. Love is the same force that human beings find at work in themselves whenever they feel joy, love, and peace. Strife, on the other hand, is the force responsible for the dissolution of the one back into its many, the four elements of which it was composed.” – Empedocles “Aphrodite is about lust and gluttony – the only two sins worth committing, in my opinion.” – Isabel Allende “The individual disappeared, the features were obliterated, whether young or senile, beautiful or ugly – those were mere unimportant variations. Behind each woman rises the austere, sacred, and mysterious face of Aphrodite.” – Nikos Kazantzakis A Tour of the Louvre The Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci “Ruggiero Freeing Angelica” by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres “The Valpinçon Bather” by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres “The Turkish Bath” by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres “Grande Odalisque” by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres Self-portrait with Her Daughter, Julie by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun “The Virgin and Child with St. Anne” by Leonardo da Vinci “Louis XIV of France” by Hyacinthe Rigaud “The Massacre at Chios” by Eugène Delacroix “The Battle of San Romano” by Paolo Uccello “Virgin of the Rocks” by Leonardo da Vinci “The Death of Sardanapalus” by Eugène Delacroix “Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss” by Antonio Canova “Liberty Leading the People” by Eugène Delacroix “The Arcadian Shepherds” by Nicolas Poussin “The Lacemaker” by Johannes Vermeer “The Money Changer and His Wife” by Quentin Matsys “The Fortune Teller” by Caravaggio “Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione” by Raphael “Charles I at the Hunt” by Anthony van Dyck “An Old Man and his Grandson” by Domenico Ghirlandaio “Vulcan Presenting Venus with Arms for Aeneas” by François Boucher “La belle ferronnière” by Leonardo da Vinci Self-Portrait by Élisabeth Sophie Chéron The Four Seasons by Nicolas Poussin “The Death of Marat” by Gioacchino Giuseppe Serangeli after Jacques-Louis David “Oath of the Horatii” by Jacques-Louis David “The Coronation of Napoleon” by Jacques-Louis David Hunters Palette Akhenaton and Nefertiti Seated Scribe Fayum Mummy Portrait – Near Eastern Antiquities Law Code of Hammurabi Gudea, Prince of Lagash Victory Stele of Naram-Sin Statue of Ebih-Il Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Collections The Winged Victory of Samothrace Tomb of Philippe Pot “Rebellious Slave” by Michelangelo “The Dying Slave” by Michelangelo Highlights of The Louvre Photo Credits: 1) By Livioandronico2013 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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Tag Archives: Hugo Chávez Adiós, presidente Just because Hugo Chávez is a polarizing figure, which he is/was, does not mean we have to sit on one side or the other. It is not a matter of being pro-Chávez or anti-Chávez, especially for Latin Americans and Latin Americanists who are not Venezuelan. I got a little frustrated last night at the amount of airtime that CNN devoted to the views of Roger Noriega and Eva Golinger. For Noriega, who has often put his support behind coups and attempted coups in Latin America, Hugo Chávez was a dictator (Noriega is not really sure if he is socialist or fascist one though) and a threat to the US and his demise is wonderful news, while for Golinger, the man could do no wrong and his contributions to the creation of a better world are truly immense. What we need is a more complex picture of Chávez and what will be his legacy. Sure, Chávez put (some) oil wealth into social programmes, he provided a welcome and desperately needed challenge to US foreign policy and neoliberal economic policy and during the past decade or so, the Bolivarian revolution, along with the crisis of capitalism, has enabled socialism to become a thinkable and tangible political aspiration again in Venezuela and beyond. There is no end of history in Latin America today. Chávez also dared to complain at the smell of sulphur left by George Bush at the United Nations and got a new generation to read Eduardo Galeano’s Open Veins of Latin America. On the other hand, the Venezuelan economy is in a mess and murder rates are astonishingly high. He was democratically elected, but he was also without doubt a masculinist, populist and authoritarian caudillo. Many people loved him, adored him, and many are grieving. Just as many will be rejoicing, and hoping that the opposition now stands a realistic chance of returning to power. Those grieving are largely poor, darker-skinned and disadvantaged, those rejoicing are largely wealthy and white. That class and racial difference is significant. But Chávez’ political style actually jeopardizes rather than foments revolution, because it is built around a cult of personality, rather than around a dynamic and proliferating social movement. He changed the constitution so he could remain in power. And it is a model that he has helped to reproduce elsewhere, most notably in Nicaragua, where there is also a masculinist, populist, and authoritarian leader in power, who is also clinging onto power. Daniel Ortega was re-elected in 2011 although the Nicaraguan Constitution forbids re-election. Along with his wife, Rosario Murillo, he has taken Venezuela’s oil wealth, some $2.5 billion since 2007 (but they privatized it through a company called ALBANISA so it doesn’t appear in the National Budget), while ordinary Nicaraguans are struggling with the highest gas prices in Central America, people have lost faith in the electoral system and small children are still cleaning windscreens late at night at the traffic lights of the capital. But what will become of Nicaragua’s ageing caudillo and his destructive and anti-democratic determination to remain in power, now that his mate is dead? As Nicaraguan journalist and author, Sofía Montenegro commented on Twitter yesterday, with the death of Chávez, Nicaragua’s inconstitutional couple (Ortega and Murillo) has lost the goose that laid the golden egg. The death of Hugo Chávez changes Latin American politics, he was a significant actor that enrolled many other actors, in quite dramatic and decisive ways, in Nicaragua, in Cuba, in Bolivia. Without him, his discourse, his embodied presence and his bankrolling of his allies in the continent, these other actors will inevitably be reassembled and they won’t look the same in the medium to long term. Ortega, Chávez and Ahmadinejad Source: The Daily Telegraph Tagged Daniel Ortega, Hugo Chávez, Nicaragua, Venezuela

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Home Actresses Erinn Bartlett – All About The Actress Who Is Married To Oliver... Erinn Bartlett – All About The Actress Who Is Married To Oliver Hudson Adeola Seun Hollywood has opened its big arms and welcomed several personalities over the years and while some of them have gone on to become superstars, some have had a modest career, making seldom appearances in minor and supporting roles. For Erinn Bartlett, who belongs in the second category, it has been a decent career, considering she has been in show business since she was a child. Erinn Bartlett, although she has a few achievements and accolades of her own, is more known for her relationship with Oliver Hudson, who is also a fellow actor, known for his roles in Rules of Engagement and Nashville. Who Is Erinn Bartlett? She was born Erinn Anne Bartlett on the 26th of February, 1973 in Longmeadow, Massachusetts to parents Anne Bartlett and Brooks Bartlett. Not much is available about her background, particularly in terms of siblings but we know she had extensive education, studying up to college level where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication from Ithaca College. Her first introduction to the world of show business came in 1989 when she enrolled and competed in Miss Massachusetts Teen USA. Erinn Bartlett was 16 years at the time, and she finished first runner-up in the competition. She returned to the pageant scene two years after in 1991, competing in the same event and eventually going on to win it, giving her the chance to represent Massachusetts in Miss Teen USA of 1991. The competition, which was also held in her home state in Biloxi, Mississippi, saw Erinn finish 10th in the competition. Having gotten a taste of show business and TV entertainment, she relocated to Los Angeles where she chose to pursue a career as an actress. Erinn Bartlett made her debut appearance in 1999 as Suzanna in the film, Pacific Blue before playing an unnamed character in the classic, Deep Blue Sea. In the following year and the start of a new millennium, she appeared as a named character in the films, The In Crowd and Little Nicky, playing Sheila and Fenner respectively. As the years passed, Erinn continued to make appearances across both film and TV shows, appearing in shows like Felicity, A Nero Wolfe Mystery, Monk, Out of Practice and films like Girl Fever, The Last Run, Raising Helen, The Benchwarmers and several others. Since she made her debut appearance in 1999, Erinn Bartlett has appeared in over 25 films and TV shows. Erinn’s Marriage To Oliver Hudson Erinn Bartlett with longtime husband, Oliver Hudson Since Erinn Bartlett appeared on national television representing Massachusetts in Miss Teen USA in 1991, she has been in the news for a variety of reasons. On February 21, 2004, she was in the news for her engagement to the actor, Oliver Hudson. The two of them met in 1999 during an acting event, with their friendship eventually developing into a relationship. Following their engagement, Erinn and Oliver got married on the 9th of June, 2006 in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico during a ceremony that was officiated by a Buddhist monk with 100 guests in attendance. See Also: Who Is Theresa Randle? Father MC’s Wife And Bad Boys For Life Actress Unlike the rest of the important milestones in their relationship, a lot of time did not pass before Erinn Bartlett and Oliver Hudson welcomed their first child, a son, Wilder Brooks Hudson, who was born on the 23rd of August, 2007 in Los Angeles. Since their first child, they have given birth to two additional children, a second son, Bodhi Hawn Hudson who was born on the 19th of March, 2010 and a daughter, Rio Laura Hudson who was born in July 2013. Since they met each other in 1999, the two of them have remained together to become one of the oldest couples in Hollywood. As for Erinn Bartlett’s husband, Oliver Hudson, he is the son of the famous actress, Goldie Hawn and the musician, Bill Hudson. He was born in September 1976 and was raised with his sister, the famous actress, and model, Kate Hudson. Just like his sister, he followed in his mother’s path and became an actor, making his debut in the same year as his wife in 1999. He appeared in Kill the Man as an unnamed character and has since then appeared in over 25 movies and TV shows including major roles in shows like Nashville, Splitting Up Together and Scream Queens. Victoria Justice Net Worth: How Much She Makes From Movies And TV Shows What Is Victoria Justice Doing Now Since ‘Victorious’ was Cancelled? What Is Victoria Justice’s Age, Height, Does She Have A Sister? Jean Currivan Trebek, Alex Trebek’s Wife – Bio, Age & Net Worth 5 Things To Know About The Finn Carter – Where Is She Now?

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John Huston (left) and Jack Nicholson act together in a scene from the movie Chinatown (1974), directed by Roman Polanski. © © 1974 Paramount Pictures Corporation

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by Todd McKinney Rick Lobes/Pixabay Eugene’s wife Margaret lifted the lid of her husband’s medium Samsonite. Inside, the blue satin retaining straps were neatly buckled, one to the other, and pulled taut. She slid her hands into the long puckered pockets. In the right-hand pocket she discovered a hotel-sized bar of Camay soap and a sewing kit folded into the shape of a large matchbook. There was nothing in the left-hand pocket. Margaret slippered across the hallway into the bathroom. From the linen closet she removed a milky-white Tupperware container. Opening it, she smelled the combined perfumes of the other small, paper-bound bars of soap; Ivory, and Dial, and Camay; the one-ounce portions of Bayberry Spice Shampoo, Violet Creme Conditioner, and several cylinders of Silky Touch Hand’n’Body Lotion. Filing the new bar of Camay next to its cousins, she snapped the lid back on, and returned the box to its place on the third shelf, beside the guest towels. She turned to the sink and noticed a smudge of toothpaste on the chrome spout. This she polished away with a blue tissue from the dispenser that sat on the tank of the toilet. The box of tissues were protected by a blue plastic cover; on it were the embossed impressions of several varieties of shells. She gave the faucets a precautionary turn to the left. Lately they had been leaking; she had heard the distinct ping of water against porcelain during the night. Back in the bedroom, Margaret opened the beige curtains and noticed the October afternoon sunlight illuminating the elastic hem of the uppermost pair in a stack of Eugene’s boxer shorts. From the brass rack screwed into the side wall of his closet she selected four neckties in various muted colors. She folded the ties and slid them into a quart-sized plastic bag, which she zipped nearly shut before putting her lips to the remaining gap between the two sides. She sucked deeply, vacuuming the last of the wrinkling air from the bag, then placed it onto the pile of shorts. “The glow from the lamp shade painted an unhealthy green across the upper half of Eugene’s face. He wrapped the framed photograph of his wife within several sheets of typing paper, taped them closed, and laid the package carefully in his briefcase.” Eugene was in the den. On the eastern wall, he had installed, several years earlier, a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. There he stored back issues of the magazines to which he and Margaret subscribed: National Geographic, Smithsonian, Architecture, Hardware Jobbers Weekly, for him; for her there were dusted stacks of Sunset, Western Living, and Ladies Home Journal. He switched on the green-glass lamp that sat on the left side of his desk. The wooden veneer was nearly covered by the blotter, the in and out baskets, and the Grecian marble pen-and-pencil holder, with matching paperweight, which Margaret had given to him as an anniversary gift some ten or twelve years before. His face was reflected on a framed, close-up photo he had taken of Margaret on their recent trip to Key West. She was, as her friends might have said, a handsome woman; one who had mellowed rather than age;, a woman whose face continued to emit something of the girlish quality that had originally attracted Eugene to her. At the instant the Nikon’s shutter had opened, her hair had been sculpted by the Gulf wind into a soft-edged swirl the color of brown sugar, and the sun, dropping behind her, had blushed the helices of her ears a tropical red. He inspected the contents of the files and folders he had transferred from his desk to the case; sales reports and order sheets, lengthy notes on three-by-five index cards for a presentation he would make to the regional managers of the company, and a thick glossy catalog with descriptions and photos of American Hardware’s new products for the coming year. This Eugene had received at home, directly from the national office; he had spent every evening for the last week memorizing the descriptions, dimensions, and price breaks. Preparations for a business trip, and there had been many in his career, had a curious effect on Eugene. He felt himself, by small degrees, peeling away from his home, and from Margaret. Each item he placed into his briefcase seemed to release a clasp. He felt something of an airy lightness in his chest; he would often become clumsy, in a way that made him feel he was a stranger in his own body. He wondered if this was a sensation shared by other men who had, at some time in the past, gathered their weapons and readied for a march into the unknown. He often had trouble sleeping for a few nights before a departure; on these nights, he would stealthily rise from their bed and spend the early morning hours in the den, trying to work, but succeeding only in putting his papers in neat stacks on the desk. In some small way, he thought, every trip carried with it the likelihood that the person who returned would be someone different than the person who had left. He tucked his traveler’s checks into the zippered pouch in the lid of the briefcase. The latches produced a familiar and satisfying click as he thumbed them shut. The surface of the leather was a deep chocolate color, and carried scars that had been inflicted throughout his years on the road. Only the deepest ones remained; the others he had carefully rubbed to invisibility with saddle soap and Kiwi. “Your sport shirts are clean, they’re in the closet, and I pressed your khaki pants in case you get some time for sight-seeing while you’re there.” Margaret’s footsteps had made no sound on the tan pile carpeting, and the sudden intrusion of her voice in the dead quiet of the den caused Eugene to twitch. “You will have some free moments, won’t you? It’d be a shame not to get out and have some time to yourself. You know how you love Chicago.” “I might, after the sales meeting.” Eugene picked up the marble paper weight and began to toss it from his left hand to his right, and back again. “I’ll pack the camera and the long lens. Maybe I’ll get up to the observation deck at the Sears Tower.” Eugene rose from his desk and replaced the chair. “I haven’t been up there in years.” He smiled at his wife. “How about this,” he said. “I’ll bring home some pictures, and we can look them over together.” Eugene put the paperweight on the desk. “I talked to Marty, the Midwest rep, a couple of days ago. He lives in Highland Park. Remember, you met him a few years ago. Big guy, with glasses?” He waited a moment for Margaret to acknowledge his description. “He says there’s a lot of new buildings up since the last time the convention was there. I’ll take some pictures, and we’ll look at them together when I get back.” He walked across the room and kissed Margaret’s forehead, just above her left eye. The taste of the oils on her skin was as regular as morning. “I’ll miss you, Meg.” he said. “I’ll call when I get to the hotel.” The drive from Saginaw was without incident. Eugene was acclimated to life behind the wheel; his entire career had been involved in selling one line or another, and after so many years of travel the driving had become automatic. While his body controlled the Chrysler, he rehearsed his report. He imagined the attentive eyes of the managers as he delivered what he thought was an innovative and sensible strategy for increasing the market share of American Hardware’s catalog of small hardware and tools. He choreographed his speech with the graphics he had had transferred to vivid transparencies, with bar graphs and pie charts and phrases such as “Multi-Phase Integration into Medium-Market Locales”, and “Projected Bottom Line Puts American Hardware Over the Top!”. He imagined the handshakes of appreciation and respectful attitudes with which he would be greeted the next day at the company’s booth on the convention floor at McCormick Place. Eugene’s planning session carried him across the crisp Michigan landscape, through Indiana and finally into Illinois. At nine o’clock in the evening he edged the Chrysler to the curb in front of The Dorchester. The right front tire scraped against the concrete, and he winced at the sound, remembering, with some surprise at the suddenness of the association, how it was not so many years ago that nearly every car on the road was equipped with a pair of chrome curb-feelers to prevent such tire damage. The Dorchester was an old house, one of the oldest in Chicago, and it was Eugene’s habit to stay at such hotels so that he might consider himself a part of the preservation of historically significant architecture. Others at American Hardware, the younger men, mostly, opted for the glitz of the newer hotels, with tiled lobby fountains and silk greenery; windows which couldn’t be opened; and rooms carrying all the charm of a model home facing the freeway. Let them have it, he thought. I want to hear the laughter of couples on the sidewalk below; the sound of the taxis and trucks echoing up to me, announcing the busy Chicago morning. “The Dorchester was one of the few hotels still in business that allowed its guests the dignity of making their own decisions as to whether or not to spring from the window in a fit of suicidal despair. “ He gathered his Samsonite and briefcase, told the valet he wouldn’t be needing his car for the rest of the night, and walked, on legs stilted from the six hour drive, to the heavy brass doors of the hotel. Checking in at the reception desk, he noted with some satisfaction that he recognized the white-haired clerk, even though Eugene’s previous visit to the hotel had been seven years before. The clerk did not, however, seem to recognize Eugene. Eugene requested a room on the highest floor, the twenty-third, but the clerk, whose gold-colored nameplate identified him as Carl, told him the only room available on that floor faced southwest, toward the city, rather than northeast, toward the Lake Michigan shoreline. In fact, he had added, there were no other rooms available all week, because of the convention. “That’s fine,” Eugene said. “I’m not planning on spending much of the day in my room anyway. I’ll be at McCormick Place, making myself rich.” Eugene slapped a snappy rhythm on the marble top of the counter. “And in the evening, well, as I remember, the view of Chicago from the twenty-third floor of the Dorchester is pretty breathtaking.” “Of course, sir. You’re quite right.” Carl slid a perforated plastic card onto the counter, and offered a practiced smile to Eugene. “This is your room key. Enjoy your stay, and feel free to ring the desk if there is anything you require.” When Eugene opened the curtains covering the windows in room 2366, he discovered that one of the new buildings his friend Marty had told him about was a massive condominium tower looming directly across the narrow street from the Dorchester. His view, rather than of the dramatic thrusting shapes of the Chicago skyline, and the older neighborhoods that eventually gave way to the distant south side, was of the balconies and Levelored patio windows of expensive, vertically-stacked urban homes. He took the suitcase stand from the closet and positioned his Samsonite on the black nylon webbing. He removed the neat stacks of clothes, transferring them to the drawers of the dresser. When he found his vacuum-packed bag of ties he shook his head in wonder. This was, he thought, a perfect example of Margaret’s approach to life. Eugene retrieved his presentation materials and laid them carefully on the writing table. He had brought along a bottle of Johnny Walker Red, as a sleeping aid, and after removing the drum-tight plastic wrap from the tumbler in the bathroom, he poured a glass and sat at the writing desk near the window to brush up on his work. After a few hours and another glass of Scotch, Eugene rose and went into the bathroom to urinate. The slick, antiseptic tiles of the tub and the wobble in his legs enticed him into running a hot shower. With the water thrumming across his scalp, Eugene thought about Margaret and what she might be doing. Probably reading in the living room, or perhaps she was talking on the phone with her sister, to whom she spoke, it seemed to him, far too frequently for any meaningful information to be conveyed. He wondered just how long it had been since he had felt the relentless push to be at Margaret’s side, touching her, to have her attention each and every minute, and he was unable to remember, exactly, when it might have been. He wondered if she wondered about this, too. He had his work, and she volunteered two nights a week at Oakwood Hospital. She always returned home in a good mood, he thought, so at least she has some fulfillment in her life. They were comfortable now, inhabiting the house together, but sometimes, in the evenings, he would abruptly realize that an image of her, of what she might be doing or feeling, hadn’t crossed the barrier of his thoughts in what seemed like hours. He supposed this was normal, expected; desirable, even, for a couple that had been together for more than three decades. At least they were still together, he thought, and still sleeping in the same bed, although they seemed to be often too tired anymore to make the kind of love that they had enjoyed throughout the first ten years of their marriage. Eugene dressed in his pajamas and robe, poured another Scotch, and opened the window, inviting in the clamor of the night. He leaned out, laughing to himself that The Dorchester was one of the few hotels still in business that allowed its guests the dignity of making their own decisions as to whether or not to spring from the window in a fit of suicidal despair. The view of the city, beyond the condominiums, was not so bad with his head and shoulders jutting outside the building; he dropped back into the room and lifted his camera from the suitcase. Rotating the telephoto lens onto the camera body, he checked the film, then returned to the window. The lamp on the writing desk interfered with his view of the darkened streets; he snapped it off, and the room was dim except for the light streaming from the half-open bathroom door and the yellow wash from the streetlights below. He snapped a couple of shots of the Sears Tower, which, because of its enormous height, rose above the obstructing condos; he aimed his lens at the street below and squeezed off a composition containing what he hoped would be the streaky red blurs of time-lapse taillights. As he turned to his left, his Nikon still to his eye, his viewfinder framed a glass door over which there were no curtains. The condominium was on the same level as his room, and, though the light inside was indirect, he perceived a figure lying on a sofa, apparently watching a television which was out of Eugene’s view. The figure was a woman wearing only panties and a red cardigan sweater. The strength of Eugene’s lens caused him to have the unnerving sensation that he had somehow been drawn across the thirty or forty yards separating the two buildings and had come to rest, unwittingly, on the very sofa which she occupied. Before he lowered the camera from his face, she had turned to the window and smiled at him. Eugene laid his camera on the double bed and entered the bathroom. The sudden shift from darkness to fluorescence jerked his pupils into contraction. He splashed cold water on his face and scrubbed it dry. He brushed his teeth for a full three minutes. He mined around in his Dopp kit for the floss, with which he whittled away at his gums, as if he were a convict with a hacksaw, until his spit changed from white to livid red. He sucked water back and forth between his teeth, swallowing it, and filled the glass to the top before drinking it down. Eugene felt compelled to call Margaret, to immerse himself in the clean familiarity he knew her voice would bring. He sat on the bed as he dialed the number. His camera was at his side, its long black lens pointing toward the window. He replaced the lens cap and turned the camera so the extended lens was aimed at the headboard. Eugene listened as a series of clicks on the long distance line gave way to an insistent busy signal, which, after he hung up the phone, merged into the steady ping of water hitting porcelain. Returning to the bathroom, he found he had failed to completely shut off the faucet in the bathtub. He leaned into the tub to correct his oversight, and in doing so, misjudged the movement of his head and creased his brow on the vertical frame of the glass door. He flattened his palm to his forehead, then surveyed his injury in the mirror. There was a small cut, not more than a quarter-inch long, but the area around his eyebrow was already reddening. As he peered into the mirror, leaning close enough that his breath fogged its surface, his vision was captured by the reflection of the shower door. Its texture was composed of innumerable tiny beads in a seemingly random pattern. To Eugene’s eyes it took on the appearance of the tightly stretched hide of a transparent alligator, invisible and dangerous. A triangular cardboard tent on the television caught his attention as he padded back from the bathroom. He picked it up, and, holding it close to his undamaged eye, found the channel and time for the adult cable film for the evening, “Linda’s Lips”. He clicked the selector to channel seventeen, then stretched himself out on the bed. After several minutes of weak exposition, the film allowed its viewers the pleasure of seeing Linda’s lips, and the soft-focus fellatio on the small screen imposed on Eugene a halfhearted erection. He pulled at himself, his eyes alternately open and shut, until he realized that his interest was elsewhere. He turned off the television and walked to the window with his camera. The woman’s apartment was dark, and he saw in the glass door a tiny reflection of a man with a camera in a hotel window. He lowered the Nikon and went to bed. As he had hoped, the morning sounds of the city awakened him. He looked at his wristwatch and found that the clamor from below had failed to interrupt his slumber as early as he had expected, however; it was seven-thirty, and he had only enough time for a quick room-service breakfast. As he reached for the phone he noticed the illumination of the red message light. He called the hotel operator, who told him that he had had a call late the previous evening from a woman named Margaret. Would he like the number? No, he said, but thank you; after ordering black coffee, a cherry Danish, and a large grapefruit juice, he dialed his home. Margaret answered after three rings. “Gene,” she said. “”I’m glad you called. I tried your room around one o’clock this morning, but there was no answer.” She waited for his response. “Where were you?” Eugene saw himself in the mirror, smiling. “I tried to call around midnight, but the line was busy.” He pulled a clean sock onto his foot. “I’m sorry I didn’t get your call. I might have been in the shower. Or sleeping. I don’t remember.” “Well. I’m glad you’re all right.” Eugene heard the sound of their cast-iron skillet hitting the burner of the range; two eggs, over easy, on rye toast, he imagined. Margaret’s usual morning fare. “What’s for breakfast?” he said. “Why don’t you try to guess?” “Why don’t you just describe it for me?” There was silence on the line. “So,” he said. “Two over easy?” He heard the sound of air leaving his wife’s nostrils. “I’m making a Denver omelet. There’s a green pepper I have to use before it goes bad.” “Well. That’s different,” he said. He continued dressing. “Who were you talking to last night when I called?” There was a pause, and then, “Louise, for a while.” Eugene heard, over the phone line, the dim sound of Margaret humming. “Oh yes, before I forget, your friend Marty called. From the company? He asked what hotel you were staying in, and I told him. He said he’d call you so the two of you could get together for dinner. If he didn’t call you last night, I guess he’s planning on meeting you at the convention. Oh, hold on a second,” she said. The ambient sounds from the telephone dimmed, as if Margaret had placed her hand over the mouthpiece. He thought he heard some muffled words. “Margaret?” he said. “Are you there?” There was a knock on the door of the room, and as Eugene attempted to carry the phone along with him the cord disconnected from the wall. “Shit,” he said. He hung up the phone and opened the door to his breakfast. An extraordinary number of buyers had cornered Eugene on the convention floor that day. As soon as he would finish with one, the chief buyer from the Valu-Plus chain, say, he would be hailed from behind and have his hand grabbed by the owner of another, competing operation. Eugene had the feeling he was being watched; that his conversations were being overheard. American Hardware had erected, within the display area, a warren of offices in which the salesmen explained quantity discounts, showed samples of new products, and, with luck, wrote orders for the upcoming quarter. These office spaces were hardly soundproof, however; they were little more than six-foot-high carpet-covered metal panels which had been puzzled together by the unionized handymen who controlled the convention construction within the hall. What a racket, Eugene had thought. These guys give you forty-five minutes of halfhearted labor, then sit on their forklifts for the remainder of the hour, smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee. And for this we pay thirty dollars an hour per man. “Four years before, at another convention, he and Marty had met two women in the bar at their hotel. It was the only time in his marriage Eugene had been unfaithful to Margaret.” There was nothing preventing a buyer from standing just outside Eugene’s cubicle, beyond his vision, and listening to the deals being made. On one occasion a buyer had come in and had simply said that if American Hardware wanted his business, the company would have to do two front points better than the deal Eugene had just cut for the previous buyer. The business was changing, Eugene thought, and it wasn’t for the better. That same buyer noticed the swelling above Eugene’s left eye. Wife give you an uppercut there? he asked. Eugene had felt obliged to laugh; the guy just bought twenty-four thousand dollars worth of hardware. Harv Sharpley, Eugene’s supervisor, had added to Eugene’s anxiety by insisting that all sales representatives hold the line that had been ordered in the new pricing guides. Any difference in the published pricing and that which ended up on the order sheet might well be made up, Harv had said, from the commission check of the rep who wrote the deal. After an expense-account seafood dinner at Bookbinders, Marty suggested that they cab it down to Rush Street and have a few more drinks. The night was young, he said. “I don’t think so, Marty. I’d better keep the lid on tonight. I want to have a clear head for tomorrow.” Eugene circled the rim of his wine glass with the meat of his forefinger; a crystalline ringing danced from the glass. “I want to be fresh.” “Forget fresh. You could do the meeting in your sleep.” Marty lowered his voice. “Let’s go out and chase some skirt.” Eugene thought he heard someone call his name from across the restaurant, but realized, after looking in the direction of the voice, that he had been mistaken. “I’m too old to chase anything,” he said. “Sure, sure you are,” Marty said. “You think I forgot that time in Dallas?” A cooling sensation spread down Eugene’s neck and across his shoulders. Four years before, at another convention, he and Marty had met two women in the bar at their hotel. It was the only time in his marriage Eugene had been unfaithful to Margaret. The woman in Dallas had made earnest and imaginative love to him, but Eugene was uncomfortable discussing it with his associate. “That was a fluke, Marty. A weak moment, you know?” Eugene saw a distorted and upside-down reflection of his friend’s face on the surface of the varnished table. “I’m not exactly proud of that,” he said. “Proud shmoud, Gene. Who did it hurt? Nobody. Unless you told Margaret.” Marty drank from his wineglass. “You didn’t tell Margaret, did you?” “Of course I didn’t tell her.” Marty reached into his suit coat and brought out his wallet. He put his American Express card on the table. “Well?” he said. “Well, what?” Eugene said. “Well, are you coming, or not?” “Not,” Eugene said. “Suit yourself, my friend,” Marty said. “I’ll fill you in tomorrow.” Eugene rose from his chair. “I’m heading back to the hotel. I’ll see you in the morning.” He laid a ten on the table. “That’s for the tip.” Eugene took a taxi back to the Dorchester. The driver talked nonstop during the five-minute ride, but Eugene wasn’t listening. He was trying with no success to shake the memory of the woman on the couch, smiling at him. He inserted the plastic card into the slot on room 2366. The red light flashed, signaling the failure of his key to properly activate the lock. He tried again, and this time the lock clunked, the green light illuminating his thumbnail as he pulled the card from the door. The room was dark; he wiped his hand over the wall in long sweeping motions until, on a downward thrust, his fingers connected with the switch and the desk lamp lit. The bed had been pulled down, and the coverings were arranged in a severe diagonal from one corner of the head of the bed to the halfway point of the other side. One of the pillows appeared to have had the weight of a head upon it, but Eugene realized instead the maid had placed the mint onto the pillow with no little force. Perhaps she had had a long day, he thought. Eugene tossed his briefcase on the bed, picked up the mint and removed the foil wrapper. The cocoa butter had risen to the top of the candy, mottling the dark chocolate with tan smears. He remembered reading somewhere, probably on the side of a box of cheap chocolates, that this was normal, and wouldn’t affect the quality of the candy. Tossing the mint into the toilet and undressing, he dropped his suit in a lazy hank on the back of a chair. That’s so unlike me, he thought, and he replaced the garment on one of the chrome hangers in the closet. Eugene showered, raising steam into the atmosphere and pinking the skin of his back. Feeling refreshed, he decided to go over his presentation materials once more. The transparencies had stuck together, he found, and some of the colors from the pie charts had adhered to the bar graphs. He was able to remove the flecks of yellow and blue, but there were places on the charts now that were missing color. The window was shut, and he noticed the silence in the room shortly after his own thoughts had begun to quiet. He opened the heavy sash, pulling in a deep whiff of lake and land and car exhaust. Even so, he thought, even so, it smells good; this is Chicago. His eyes scanned the view, and stopped at the condominium window through which he had seen the woman the night before. He lifted his camera from the nightstand. It took a moment for his eye to adjust to the magnification; as before, he felt as if he were in the room across the street rather than sitting in a chair in front of a window nearly forty yards away. He saw no one on the sofa, though the lighting in the room was brighter than he had remembered it. As he turned the focus ring, his finger slipped onto the shutter button, and he was startled to hear the motor drive advance the film. He jerked the camera away from his face, looked across the chasm with his naked eyes, and lifted the machine once again. This time, the woman was there, reclining on the sofa, her feet pointing in the direction of the patio door. At two-hundred times magnification, Eugene could fill the frame of his viewfinder with her face. She was younger than he was, perhaps thirty, with light brown hair that draped itself down her shoulders. Her head was turned toward the light of the television, stretching the muscles of her neck. She had a full, almost swollen-looking lower lip, but her upper lip was strangely thin. Her eyes, as close as he could tell, were a light color, perhaps blue, or green, but definitely not brown. She wore the same cardigan sweater as the night before. It had only two buttons fastened, and Eugene allowed his vision to linger on the cool curves of her breasts, which were smallish. He followed the line of her sweater to where the bottom hem gave way to her underwear. Her panties were white; he saw the slightly darker area where the mass of her pubic hair shadowed the soft material. Her legs were good legs, he thought, strong , with long muscles. He traced his way down her calves, noticing the smoothness of her skin. Her feet were small, with long toes. Her toenails were painted a dark pink, but showed a small crescent next to the cuticle where the nail had grown since the polish had been applied. With auburn hair, he thought, she might look a little like Margaret had once looked. Eugene pulled back the shaft of the lens to decrease the magnification, and, as he did, the woman sat up, interlocking her fingers and raising her arms above her head in a slow stretch. She yawned. Looks like she’s ready to hit the hay, he thought. The woman left the room, and Eugene increased the magnification so that he might see the furnishings. There was an abstract painting on the wall, one he didn’t recognize. The coffee table in front of the couch was chrome and glass, and on it were several magazines and a half-full glass of what looked like cola. Near what he supposed was the front door there was a cat’s litter box, though he saw no cat. He noticed there were no objects suggesting that a man shared the woman’s home. Eugene began to compose a list of items that might suggest the presence of a man; a pipe rack, large muddy boots, a baseball glove–no, he thought, lots of women play softball now, they have their own leagues–a weightlifting bench–again, no, women work out, too–and as his eye snuck through the woman’s apartment he found himself once again face to face with her. She had removed her sweater. She sat upright, rigid even, he thought, and he allowed his gaze to once again explore her body. He began to squeeze the shutter release, and the sound of the motor drive seemed to supersede the city clatter which surged up from the streets below. He had never really considered himself a voyeur–that’s the name of the kind of person who does what I’m doing, he thought–but right now it felt good, and he convinced himself he wasn’t hurting anyone, certainly; he certainly wasn’t hurting her. Eugene focused the camera on her breasts and squeezed; the motor drive whirred. The contents of his intestines began to thump like the desperate occupants of a sunken submarine. He saw the woman’s hands rise from her lap and cover her breasts in what he took to be a gesture of modesty. He squeezed the shutter again. She moved from the frame and he understood that the woman had once again left the room. Eugene was aware, suddenly, that his fingers were trembling; his next thought was that he hoped the pictures wouldn’t be out of focus. He put the camera on the bed and picked up the phone. He set the instrument on his lap and, in doing so, realized he had an erection. This is crazy, he thought, I’m acting crazy. This isn’t me, this is crazy. He took a long drink from the bottle of Red, to steady his nerves, and dialed his home number. It rang, but Eugene replaced the receiver before Margaret could answer. He thought of calling Marty, but what would he say? Hey Marty, you got to see this, I’m watching a nearly naked woman through a telephoto lens, taking pictures of her, and this is why I couldn’t go out with you? Eugene raked the fingers of his left hand through his thinning hair and said shit, what am I doing here, and at that instant the phone rang and he felt the vibration through the nerves at the end of his penis, down and then up through his spine, and he put the phone to his ear; before he could say hello a woman’s voice said hey, where’d you go? And it wasn’t Margaret’s voice; not a bit. He carried the phone to the chair by the window and nestled it between his shoulder and his head as he raised the camera to his eye, and when he had the woman in his sights he found she had reclaimed her sofa, and she was covering her vagina with one hand and holding the phone to her small red ear with the other. “You like what you see?” she said. “Um, sure. Of course I do,“ Eugene said. “How did you get this number?” Eugene said. “Easy. I count the rooms. The first one on the left is 2360, and they’re all even numbers on your side. Your room is the fourth from the corner,” she said. “2366.” She had moved her hand into her underwear, and Eugene followed it there. Her fingers began to move rhythmically and slowly. “I’ve done this before, you’re not the first,” she said. “I like it.” “I see,” Eugene said. “Yeah, I bet you do.” The woman stood up and faced the window. “Now here’s the rules.” “Rules,” repeated Eugene. “Yeah. Rules,” she said. “You can watch, you can even take pictures. But you can’t come over here.” The woman was staring into the lens of the camera, and Eugene saw her eyes tighten. “If I find out you’ve so much as set foot in my building, I’m calling the cops. Get it?” “Yeah, um, sure. I got it.” Eugene squeezed off another shot. “No problem.” “OK, sweetheart. How long you going to be in town?” “Until the end of the week.” “Well, I’m not going to be available every night. Besides, that would take some of the shine off the whole thing. Make it less than oh-so-special. It only works for me if we do it once or twice.” Eugene had the sensation of being one of his own customers, locked into a deal he had to have at any price. “Once or twice is nice,” he said. “That’s fine with me. Once or twice, sure.” “So let’s say that tonight you watch, and take pictures if you want. When I turn off the lights, the show’s over.” Her voice softened, and she resumed her position on the couch. “But if you’re really paying attention, I’ll bet you’ll know when the show’s over anyway, right?” “Right. And I will. Really. Really be paying attention, I mean.” “Maybe next time we can stay on the phone together,” she said. “You know, tell each other some dirty secrets? Would you like that?” Eugene nodded. “Honey, do you want to tell me some dirty secrets over the phone next time?” He did, and he said so. “I’m going to hang up the phone now, sweetheart. I want you to watch me touch myself. Watch me.” She hung up the phone. On the wall behind her, Eugene clearly saw the shadow of a cat as it passed in front of the TV. He reached over to the desk and snapped off the light. Eugene’s first Saturday lunch at home after his trip consisted of a patty melt on rye, carrot strips, a small bowl of Better Maid potato chips, and an iced tea. Margaret faced him, sitting at her usual place within the breakfast nook. The wash of light from the window behind Eugene shone on her face harshly, and she squinted when she looked at him. Margaret ate the same meal as he, though in his recent absence she had continued her habit of experimentation in the kitchen. “Looks good, Margaret,” he said. “You’ll like it; I bought some of that cheddar, your favorite, sharper, at the market.” Outside, the neighbor’s dog had treed a grey squirrel, and was yipping in triplets. “That, and it’s ground chuck,” she said. Eugene sipped tea. “Trip was good,” he said. “When do you want to tell me about it?” Margaret;s knife chiseled through her beef patty. Eugene thought about her question, all its possible shades of meaning. After these many years together, he found that he was regularly confounded by her language. He had learned, however, to be deliberate in his communication with her; he rarely answered a question without poking through at least the three most apparent subtexts. “Tonight would be good, I guess.” He tried to sound nonchalant, and in so doing, felt that he had overshot that effect. “I can fill you in after dinner tonight.” “Did you take any pictures? How was the view?” “Blocked, a little. New construction across the street from my room.” Duke, the neighbor’s dog, had stopped barking, and Eugene considered whether he had given up the chase or if, perhaps, the squirrel had misstepped and been caught. Likely the former, he thought. “Some frames of cars and their headlights, blurred taillights, traffic.” He fished a chip from the bowl and crunched. “From my room. And too many shots at the trade show … probably I’ll delete most of those. How many pictures of guys in suits can we need?” Margaret smiled. “I’ve seen those shots. From before. We’ve enough,” she said. She chewed a carrot stick, slowly, minimizing the sound of the crunch. “What else?” she said. “I forget,” Eugene said. “Buildings, mostly. A few faces from the hotel. My room, I think.” He looked at her, and their eyes met. “There’s more, probably. I’ll plug into the computer and get a slideshow ready. You can pick some music to go with it, if you want.” “So. And what about you? How were things around here?” “Well, I would say boring, the same as ususal, you know, but I’m trying to answer questions more specifically these days. Something we learned at a patient service meeting at Oakwood.” She drank from her iced tea, and, before putting her glass on the table, she held it in front of her face. Eugene saw a mottled slice of deep orange appear on her left cheek. “Pretty,” she said, looking through it at the early afternoon sunlight “Looks like a sunset in the dessert. You try.” Eugene twisted in his chair, holding his tea to the light. “Yes. Yes, it’s nice. Maybe why they call it Orange Pekoe, I guess.” Outside their window, a cardinal landed on a branch of a small birch tree in their back yard. “It’s English Breakfast tea, actually.” She drank again. “But I know what you mean. It does appear orange.” “You were saying. About your week,” he said. “Oh. Sorry. Right,” she said. “Monday. Housework. Tuesday. More housework, shopped for groceries and went to the pharmacy. Refilled your prescriptions.” Eugene’s medications included Singulair and a generic loratimide for his asthma, Cozaar to help regulate his blood pressure, and another one. “Thanks.” “You’re welcome,” she said. “So. Wednesday. Treated myself to a wash and a style at Marie’s. Uptown, my usual place, though I’m thinking of changing. They’ve raised their prices again.” “Too bad,” Eugene said. He was happy to be able to wash his own hair, and had never understood his wife’s, or any woman’s, easy agreement with strangers to perform so many personal activiies. The irony of his judgement regarding this took no hold within his consciousness at this moment. “Looks nice, though. I noticed it yesterday when I got home. Sorry, I forgot to mention it. But it’s nice.” He waited a moment, then, “Thursday?” Margaret said, “Oakwood, of course. Every Thursday.” She slid her fork into the final bite of her patty melt and put it in her mouth. Eugene watched as her lips flexed, carefully closed as she ate. He look down to his own lunch when she caught him watching her chew. “And how’s that going?” “It’s still fulfilling. Yes. That’s how I would describe it.” She rose from the table and began scraping her plate into the garbage disposal. “Fulfilling. And if you’re wondering, my dear husband, if part of the reason that it’s satisfying is that I’m able to spend time with Arnold, then, of course, you’d be right. Our arrangement stands.” Margaret walked to Eugene and placed her hands on his shoulders. Her neatly-manicured nails, polished a light rose, rhythmically squeezed him. “Darling. I love you more than ever. Every little thing about you. And I love that you let me have a life of my own. And I love that you have a life of your own, too.” Margaret sat beside Eugene. “ I love how you come home from a trip, so excited, so eager to share your photos , and your fantasies, with me. It’s what’s kept our romance alive. It’s why we still feel attracted and alive at our ages.” Eugene thought about these things for a moment, then, “And Arnold?” “Arnold is Arnold, darling. Company, another perspective, a good friend. And we may sleep together, sometimes, rarely, these days, but he’s Arnold, and you’re Eugene, and you’re my husband, and you always will be.” Margaret kissed Eugene on the lips, gently, then harder. “So finish your lunch, and stop worrying. Everything is just as we’ve agreed it should be. We have each other, and the rest of the world is there only as we intend it to be. Your diversions on the road. Arnold. All diversions, catalysts, really. Nothing more, and you know it. “Yes,” said Eugene. Diversions. That’s all.” “Yes,” said Margaret. Next Short Story Being Out of State 2014-2018 Aesopinteractive | Built with WordPress/Aesop Story Engine.

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Tag Archives: Alaska Interview, Travel Kind of New Orleanian Interview: Life in Alaska with Adam Pinsker (Part 2) My brother moved to Anchorage, Alaska over 2 years ago to take a job as a TV reporter for KTUU. Adam has lived all over the country, but Alaska was still a culture shock from him– after all, my family is from Miami! Last year, I had the opportunity to visit him there and we sat down for a Kind of New Orleanian interview. This is part 2. Read part 1 here. Adam Pinsker at the Yukon border, during a drive through Alaska. The Yukon is a Canadian territory that borders Alaska. What are the politics here like in the state? I think people mistake it for being a very right-wing place. It’s definitely a solid red state, but there’s a Libertarian, progressive streak here. This is a very unionized state. They value hard work here. People here are very civically minded, especially about local politics. People genuinely care about how things go here because there’s such a small population and the state hasn’t been around that long. There’s a lot of pride in Alaskan statehood. Here’s a cup from the 49th State Brewery, near Denali National Park. I’ve noticed people have a lot of pride in Alaska’s statehood. They’re really passionate. There’s so many people here who were alive when the state was founded. So you think that’s got a lot to do with it? Yeah. Statehood was a long struggle. They actually tried to make this place a state in the 1920s. People here seem very hardcore about being from Alaska. Do you think it’s because it can be hard to live here? It’s a badge of honor if you survive 5, 10, 15, years here. People here have pride in weathering the tough climate. I’ve been in sub-zero temperatures and boy, it’s cold. You feel the difference from when it’s minus five to when it’s 25 degrees. What kind of effect have the long days of darkness and light had on you? You know what? The winter is worse than the summer. It doesn’t matter what time you go to bed, you can go to bed at 10 o’clock at night, fall asleep instantly and get up at 6 am and still feel like crap, even though that’s the best time to sleep. I never have a problem falling asleep when it’s light out. I have a problem staying asleep. That’s always been the issue because you wake up, and your mind doesn’t understand what time it is. You don’t know if it’s 11:00 in the morning or if it’s 5:00 in the morning. It looks the same. From a professional standpoint, working an evening shift is really hard. I had to do an interview in mid-November when the sun sets around 3:30. I got into work around 1:30 and we had to immediately rush up to this place, grab the person, and interview him on the spot because we’re literally losing daylight by the minute. Anchorage, Alaska, 10 p.m., August 2013. In the summer, there can be almost 12 hours of daylight in Alaska. Pictures from the spot in Healy, Alaska, just outside of Denali National Park. In the summer, there can be almost 12 hours of daylight in Alaska. Is it depressing in the winter time? I think that aspect of living in Alaska was a little overblown. But I’ve only done one winter here. I just kept myself so busy that I didn’t have time to think of it. But I live in a big city. If it’s a dreary, miserable winter day where the sun sets at 2, I can run out and go to a movie, rent a movie or go to a friend’s house. If I’m in one of these villages I might not have a movie theater or internet access. So either I read a book or I socialize. But you can only socialize with the same people so many times. It really depends, culturally. So what are your favorite things about the state and what are some of your least favorite things? Definitely the scenery. The mountains are just amazing. My least favorite things is definitely the distance from everything. I don’t know anybody who lives in Anchorage, beyond people I’ve met already here. Adam Pinsker in front of the Kenai fjords, his top recommendation in Alaska. Do you think you would’ve ever come up here had you not lived here? Honestly, probably not. Not because I’m closed off to it, but because it’s almost like travelling to Europe. You have to have the time, money and means to do it. And that’s one of the reasons I came here. Not only am I going to be working professionally, but I have a chance to see a side of things I’ve never seen before. If there’s one thing that you would recommend people see in Alaska, what would that be? I think if you could see one thing, it would just be the Kenai fjords. There, you get a sample of all of Alaska almost in one. You get the rugged wildlife and the mountains. Then you get out to the ocean and you see the finned animals and whales, all that within a 150-mile radius. Whereas if you go up to Denali you see Mt. McKinley, but you won’t see a walrus in Denali. What is one thing you want people to know about Alaska? It’s not a backwoods. It does have a frontier atmosphere to it, but it’s part of the United States. It’s far away geographically, but it’s not some caveman-like tundra. More Kind of New Orleanian Interviews: Rachael Kansas, New Orleanian Adam thought life in Alaska would be living in a tundra. Here’s a picture I took driving through the Kenai peninsula. My brother moved to Anchorage, Alaska over 2 years ago to take a job as a TV reporter for KTUU. Adam has lived all over the country, but Alaska was still a culture shock from him– after all, my family is from Miami! Last year, I had the opportunity to visit him there and we sat down for a Kind of New Orleanian interview. We talked about state pride, losing daylight, and the correct way to describe someone from Alaska. What did you think Alaska would be like before you got here? I thought it would be a frozen tundra, not as green as it is. I was surprised at how Anchorage is very similar to a lot of other Lower 48 cities. What are the stereotypes of people in Alaska? People imagine Alaskans are like hermits. Anti government or anti social. Someone told me when I first got here was that people come to Alaska for two reasons: they’re trying to improve themselves or they’re escaping something. Have you found that to be true? I don’t think a lot of people are here because they’re escaping. They’re here for opportunity or they just love the outdoors. What percentage of people have you met are from here? Very few. Maybe 20 to 30 percent. I think that’s because this is a very young state. Did living here get you more into nature? Absolutely. I’ve learned to appreciate animals much more. I don’t think you can live here without at least opening yourself up to nature. A view of Anchorage from the airport. Adam says most people who live in Alaska move to Anchorage, the largest city in the state. In a lot of other states kids leave the rural cities to go to the “big city.” Is that accurate for Alaska? Yes. There are a lot of people here that come here from villages and other small towns. If you’re going to stay in Alaska, Anchorage is the place to be (unless you have a family run business or a reason to be in another city.) What kind of jobs do people have in the smaller cities? It depends. In some of the villages, it’s fishing or mining. Or maybe you own a small business. Other people work for the city’s government or something with the natural resources. How would you describe people from Alaska? People here are pretty genuine. They’re very open and honest with you. They’re definitely a very tested people. They’ve been through a lot and they’re tough. It’s interesting that you said genuine to describe Alaskans. Why does that stick out to you? People seem to be less fake in Alaska. Like in South Florida, people have this fake persona. In Alaska, you may find somebody who drives a beat up truck, with a fishing rod hanging outside, wearing camouflage… and he’s like “It’s who I am. I’m proud of it. But I’m going to be nice to you if you’re nice to me.” People here have varied interests. A guy that looks like a professional, works in the BP building and wears a suit and tie Monday through Friday could be out on the weekend shooting moose in the middle of nowhere. So you’ve said you don’t call people from Alaska “Natives” not Indians? I’ve never heard the word Indian used here, ever. So what do they call them… Natives? Actually, somebody taught me that you call people that are Eskimos—I hate using that word but I’m just using it for description sake—you call them Alaska Natives. You call someone who is not of native descent but was born here Native Alaskan. You do that to distinguish between what’s considered an actual Native American person and it’s sort of more like a formality thing, as a respect thing. And then Eskimo is just one of the tribes, I’m assuming? To say an Eskimo would be a really blanket statement. There’s different tribes here. And actually, I learned the people that build actual igloos are mostly Canadian Eskimos. They’re not really even in Alaska. People do build houses under the ground (from what I’ve heard) in some of the villages in the arctic, but they’re made out of bits of trees, skins of animals. Whatever they can forage out of nature. So the Eskimo… are they a tribe? No, that’s just a description of them. They’re more like a … um, there’s different ones. A Nupiak, Athobascan, Klincket… there’s a few more. I should know, but I don’t. It’d be like saying, “Christian.” Baptists, Methodists, Southern Baptists. They’re different descriptions. It’s not inaccurate to say someone’s Christian if they are but they may be Methodist. But you wouldn’t call a Native American from Oklahoma an Eskimo? It’s more a description for Northern people? Is it common to meet Alaska Natives? Very much so. Obviously more so out of Anchorage, but you can find a lot of them here. Life in Alaska gets you more into nature, says my brother. I’ve split this interview into two parts. Click here to read part 2, with Adam’s thoughts on the long hours of darkness in Alaska and his number one recommendation in the state.

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Wharton, University of Pennsylvania The K@W Network: KWHS Knowledge @ Wharton Search World Global Focus Sponsor Collaborations Student Fellows How Businesses Can Drive Health Care to the Underserved mic Listen to the podcast: Omar Ishrak, CEO of Medtronic, and Parveez Ubed, founder of ERC Eye Care, discuss their business models for bringing low-cost health care services to the underserved. http://media.blubrry.com/kw/p/d1c25a6gwz7q5e.cloudfront.net/audio/20171122-From-Backstreet-to-Wall-St-Ep-04.mp3 More than a billion people worldwide, including in the U.S., lack access to basic health care, but they are very much on the radar of some public spirited organizations, both big and small. One is Medtronic, a large manufacturer of medical devices that has its worldwide operational headquarters in Minneapolis, Minn. The company, through its Applied Innovation Lab, is bringing low-cost, technology driven health care solutions in treating childhood blindness, childhood diabetes and adult blood pressure to the underserved in emerging markets. Another is ERC Eye Care in Jorhat, located in India’s Assam state, which provides affordable eye care in the country’s northeastern region. With a novel hub-and-spoke model of a hospital connected with rural centers and mobile vans, it has over the past six years provided eye care services to more than 1.55 million people. “Awareness, infrastructure and training are common elements that need to be resolved in health care,” said Omar Ishrak, CEO of Medtronic, about the company’s holistic approach. Parveez Ubed, founder and CEO of ERC Eye Care, meantime, encountered unique challenges in bringing health care to low-income populations, such as individuals feeling a lack of dignity in receiving free eye care services. “When we think that the aspirations of the BOP (people at the bottom of the pyramid) are not the same as those of the middle-income or the upper-income segments, we are totally wrong,” he said. Ishrak and Ubed shared their experiences in building their business models with Knowledge@Wharton for a new podcast series called “From Back Street to Wall Street.” The series is being produced in partnership with Impact Investment Exchange (IIX), a Singapore-based group that serves as a bridge between investors and development goals in Asia. (Listen to this episode using the player at the top of this page. Find the first episode here, the second episode here, and the third episode here.) Ishrak said Medtronic aims to “contribute to human welfare” through medical engineering, which is the first part of its mission statement. The company, he adds, does not want to stop simply with making the devices, “hoping that people get better with it,” but wants to ensure they also “alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life” — the second part of its mission statement, he added. He explained how Medtronic takes those goals seriously. “This is not just a matter of showing up with stuff,” he said. “It’s a matter of training and educating people, and creating awareness in different types of investments.” Granular and Specific The challenges in meeting the health care needs of the underserved in the U.S. are typically around creating sustainable funding and local infrastructure of facilities to make them widely accessible, Ishrak noted. But the issues are different in emerging markets and cannot be solved by technology alone, he said. They need customized solutions that get “very granular and specific” about the type of problem, the disease being tackled, the population being served, and the circumstances around that population, he explained. Medtronic’s vehicle for those objectives is its Applied Innovation Lab, “a collaboration hub for employees, customers, health care providers, and other partners,” set up in September 2015. Focused on the underserved, the lab plows back its profits to further scale the reach of its health care solutions. Its ecosystem is made up of other technology companies, physicians and government agencies. Knowledge@Wharton High School Among the projects that have had significant impact thus far is one to treat childhood hearing loss among underserved populations mostly in India, and some in Bangladesh. Another project: to treat childhood diabetes remotely. A third project is in Kenya, where it provides treatments for adult blood pressure and hypertension measurement. The lab is working on about a dozen technology-based health care programs. Technology and Scalability Medtronic is using technology creatively in delivering those solutions. For example, in treating childhood hearing loss, while the conventional otoscope takes a picture of the interior of the ear, the company added a mobile phone plug in order to send that picture to a doctor. Next, it is building artificial intelligence tools to provide quicker diagnosis. In hypertension measurements, it makes available low cost iPad technology to physicians that helps them manage patient treatment processes. “It’s dangerous in health care to think that there is a magic bullet that will solve all problems.” –Omar Ishrak Ultimately, for these programs to work effectively, “scalability has to go with affordability, so you cannot scale without affordability,” said Ishrak. “But affordability can happen if there’s a real ecosystem that develops that can pay for it.” He added that “without infrastructure, awareness and training, nothing is going to happen.” Ishrak shared his guiding philosophy: “The one thing that we can do is to move away from this being a charitable enterprise to one that’s an impact enterprise, where we measure our success in terms of the amount of impact that we make, as opposed to the money that we give,” he said. Remote Populations For Ubed, after he graduated in 2007 as an eye doctor from the Guwahati Medical College in Assam, he was struck by the size of the unmet health care needs of people in his state and elsewhere in the Northeast region. The region is not well connected with the rest of India, and with agriculture as the main occupation, most people live on marginal incomes. The region is also prone to heavy floods and has inadequate public infrastructure. When Ubed began practicing, he found that the “pain points for patients” were chiefly accessibility to care, affordability and inclusiveness, but he discovered something else as well. “The most important issue was the lack of dignity [among low income people] in accessing services which were not paid for,” he said. Data that Ubed found told him that 43% of the people in his region with low vision needed at least a simple pair of glasses. That encouraged Ubed to set up ERC Eye Care in Jorhat in 2011 with a modest capital of $6,000, and he converted his mother’s kitchen into a clinic. Ubed wanted to grow his enterprise, but found it hard to raise funding, and he realized he also lacked the requisite business expertise. “We were not businessmen [with an understanding of] how to monetize treatments in a profitable manner, and to run things in a sustainable way,” he said. He read a lot of management books including those by Philip Kotler, and learned how to write a business model, draw up Excel sheets, etc. “The most important issue was the lack of dignity [among low income people] in accessing services which were not paid for.” –Parveez Ubed In 2014, ERC won a $150,000 grant from the World Bank, and set up a large eye hospital in Jorhat that provides secondary eye care such as cataract surgery and other services like refractive error correction. Subsequently, it also secured investments from Ennovent Impact Investment Holding, Ankur Capital, Beyond Capital Fund and angel investors. A Hub-and-spoke Model ERC uses a “hub-and-spoke” business model, where it runs “vision centers” in rural areas and deploys mobile units to reach further into interior areas. They are the spokes that are connected to its hub, which is the main hospital. Ubed said he is now “very confident about our business model.” ERC is currently in a fund raising round aimed at prepping its internal operations to go “large scale” in two years. Future plans includes more hospitals, and expansion into new geographies across Southeast Asia. Ubed now has advice for other aspiring social entrepreneurs. “They should look and get help from organizations like IIX, which have programs for entrepreneurs like me to introduce them to the ecosystem” he said. “[They must also] make their business models investable, because it’s not always that the investor and the entrepreneur look in the same direction.” Citing Knowledge@Wharton For Personal use: Please use the following citations to quote for personal use: "How Businesses Can Drive Health Care to the Underserved." Knowledge@Wharton. The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 07 February, 2018. Web. 19 January, 2020 <https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/how-businesses-can-drive-health-care-to-the-underserved-in-remote-regions/> How Businesses Can Drive Health Care to the Underserved. Knowledge@Wharton (2018, February 07). Retrieved from https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/how-businesses-can-drive-health-care-to-the-underserved-in-remote-regions/ "How Businesses Can Drive Health Care to the Underserved" Knowledge@Wharton, February 07, 2018, accessed January 19, 2020. https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/how-businesses-can-drive-health-care-to-the-underserved-in-remote-regions/ For Educational/Business use: Please contact us for repurposing articles, podcasts, or videos using our content licensing contact form. Sustaining Sustainability: How Small Actions Make a Big Difference Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability need to be strategic in order to benefit firms and society, says C. B. Bhattacharya, author of 'Small Actions, Big Difference.' How the Digital Era Is Nudging Universities to Adopt a B2B Model The traditional education ecosystem needs a mindset change to prepare for the new imperative of lifelong learning, says Infosys President Ravi Kumar. Greentown China Holdings: Moving Toward an Asset-light Business Model Greentown, one of China’s largest real estate companies, is a market leader in deploying an asset-light business model. Log In or sign up to comment Knowledge@Wharton Partners Partner Collaborations Become a Content Partner The Wharton School is committed to sharing its intellectual capital through the school’s online business journal, Knowledge@Wharton. Hear what CEOs, Wharton faculty, and other commentators have to say about the latest business trends, breaking news and market research in their own words. Listen Now Get Knowledge@Wharton delivered to your inbox every week. About Knowledge@Wharton All materials copyright of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Sign up for the weekly Knowledge@Wharton e-mail newsletter, offering business leaders cutting-edge research and ideas from Wharton faculty and other experts.

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Lord Haw-Haw and Holocaust Denial Tony Blair [in 1997] lent support to the notion that it should be made a criminal offence to deny to Nazi Holocaust. Has he quite thought the matter through? For a start, just what is it to be a crime to deny? Many scholars do not endorse the popular figure of six million Jews. Six million was a piece of journalese based on the original Anglo-American estimates of 5,721,000. It later turned out that Stalin had shipped out large numbers of East European Jews from areas he controlled before the Nazi invasion. Not all the missing were dead, though rather more than four million Jews in Nazi Europe were definitely killed or died of neglect. But just where does one draw the line between criminal ‘denialism’ and reasonable scholarly doubt from persons of impeccable anti-Nazi backgrounds? [I have since learned that six million was the SS’s own estimate. This is the most likely source, with SS men talking while prisoners.] Shall one also make it criminal to omit mention of the extermination of several more millions Slavs and Gypsies and homosexuals of all ethnic backgrounds? Also could one have a special clause forbidding anti-abortionists from making Nazi comparisons without mentioning that the Nazis themselves reversed the liberalism of German democracy and passed very strict anti-abortion laws? Could one not also take the matter further, and prosecute anyone who denied that North America was founded by wholesale massacre and ‘ethnic cleansing’ of the Native Americans? Or that Hong Kong was acquired by Britain in defence of opium smugglers – opium which was grown as a legal monopoly of the East India Company? If the aim is to root out bad history, why not go after some of the central mythology instead of just the views of a few right-wing malignants? Nuremburg was an act of vengeance dressed up in the form of law. Virtually everything that the accused had done had also been done by the allied powers. The best efforts of lawyers were unable to find the surviving Nazi leaders guilty of anything Britain hadn’t also done. Only the Extermination Camps were unique. The allies avoided possible embarrassment by specifying that Nuremburg was only concerned with war crimes committed by the defeated powers. Had one of the allied powers decided to finish off remaining Jews on own territory, the Nuremburg Tribunal could have done nothing. And there was a very deliberate decision to do nothing and say nothing about the various expulsions of unwanted minorities in Eastern Europe. Even ‘nice’ Czechoslovakia was brutal with its German minority, which was ‘ethically cleansed’ in much the same way as the various Bosnian factions have purged rival populations. (Croats expelling Muslims from their part of Mostar, most recently and very embarrassingly for their allied backers.) Only the Extermination Camps were unique. Britain had invented Concentration Camps [during the Second Boer War], and used them to break the will of both the South African Boers and those South African Blacks who took the Boer side. Britain never had any Extermination Camps, any more than Soviet Russia ever had. Both had the same approach to unwanted or rebellious populations. Do not specifically kill them, but by all means neglect them to death. In the case of the Nazis, a small group in the SS were responsible for millions of unwanted people. Neglecting them to death was likely to take too long. So they went one step further and established Extermination Camps. It is unclear how many people outside of this small SS circle knew about this. Warnings were given to both the Pope and the Allies, who however chose to do nothing and say nothing. It is unclear how many of the Nazi leaders were told of this extra policy, even though Nuremburg duly held them all responsible. Goering and the other Nazis were of course well aware that Europe’s Jewish population was being rounded up and shut away. Just as people in Britain were aware that ‘enemy aliens’ were being rounded up and shut away in the early days of the war, even though they were Jews and anti-Nazi activists and showed themselves determined allies when they were later let out and allowed to do their bit in the war. Goering was sentenced to be hung for war crimes, even though he hadn’t done a single thing that Allied leaders hadn’t also done. It is generally agreed that his suicide was only possible because he was helped by some of the Allied soldiers who were guarding him. They surely did the right thing. Killing him as a dangerous enemy was fair enough. Hanging him as a criminal merely degraded the whole procedure. Lord Haw-Haw’s hanging was another piece of jiggery-pokery. As a mere broadcaster, he could not be plausibly set up as a war criminal. He was instead found guilty of treason, even though he had very clearly rejected Britain and put himself on the German Nazi side well before the war started. British justice decided that a British subject is not free to renounce Britain and support some potential enemy, even though there is no question of deception or betrayal of trust and secrets. The United States government could have executed Jane Fonda by just the same rule, apart from the minor detail that Vietnam was not classed as a war. Legal jiggery-pokery between the President and Congress meant that Vietnam was never actually a war, merely a rather large conflict involving armies, navies and the air force. In the case of Lord Haw-Haw, there was an added complication. He turned out never to have been a British subject, which seemingly made it impossible to convict him. He had however managed to get hold of a British passport when he made his final decision to quit Britain and cast in his lot with Nazi Germany. England’s best lawyers managed to argue that made him effectively a British subject and thus liable to be hung. And hung he was. Quite pointlessly, since most of the soldiers who had won the actual victory over Nazism saw this as a brutal act by a ruling class that had been less than determined to stop Nazism in the early days when it could have been done very easily. Lord Haw-Haw’s execution gave a marginal dignity to a nasty little man who would otherwise have gone down as a clown wilfully attached to a thoroughly bad cause. A law against ‘denialism’ is bound to do the same for right-wing malignants who are currently ignored. It has indeed been the pro-Nazi obsession of the Far Right that has made them ineffective, since the anti-Nazi struggle is part of the half-truths and mythology on which mainstream British nationalism depends. Throughout this article, I have insisted that British and Soviet actions were very much of a muchness, while the Nazis exceeded them only in establishing Extermination Camps. No doubt some readers will want to cite claims that the Soviet era caused ten, twenty or even forty million deaths. But just how are these figures derived? And what would you get if the British Empire were to be audited on the same basis? Soviet-era death estimates typically include everything, even Bolsheviks killed by White Guards or Nazi. In a sense, the Bolsheviks could be held responsible even for the death of their own supporters. It would not have happened if there had been no October Revolution, though few states escape at least one violent convulsion during their entry into the modern world. But if Lenin and Stalin are to be held responsible for deaths they did not wish for nor plan, but which did result from their policies, then what about British responsibility? If Britain had stayed out of World War One, there would have been no millions of deaths in trenches. Also most likely no Soviet Union and no Nazi Germany. The same would have been true if Britain had made it clear it would support France against any German attack, since in that case Germany would hardly have been so militant in supporting Austria against Serbian terrorism in the then-Austrian province of Bosnia-Herzegovina. You might mention the Ukrainian famine in the 1930. Was it so different from Ireland’s potato famine in the 1840s? The main difference was that the Irish could not plausibly be seen as a threat to the British Empire, having in fact supplied it with some of its best and most loyal soldiers and administrators. Irish Catholic loyalism had flourished during the early 19th century, and was only ended by Britain’s stubborn refusal to help the hungry after the potato crop failed. British opinion in the 19th century was quite comfortable with genocide, so long as it was confined to the ‘lesser breeds’. Darwin was happy to see British colonisation and conquest ‘leading to the inevitable extinction of all those low and mentally undeveloped populations with which the Europeans come into conflict’. Also ‘high [British-origin] New Zealanders say the [Maori] race dying out like their own native rat.’ (Darwin, by Adrian Desmond and James Moore, Michael Joseph London 1991, page 521). Mainstream British racism differed from the German sort, only in as much as it classified the Jews as generally useful and an asset to the Empire. Apart from some dormant laws on heresy, British law does not forbid ‘bad opinions’. It has a depressingly bad legacy of ‘bad opinions’ of its own, that should be openly confronted and rooted out in preference to bits of imported right-wing crankery. And it should be done by reason and argument, not law. People should be free to deny the entire 2nd World War if they feel like it. Insults to persons or groups are acts of aggression and will be dealt with either legally or illegally. We have to have laws in society is to work. Opinions about historic facts should be off limits. First published in Labour & Trade Union Review, 1997

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For a Marxist Analysis of the State — Dimitrios Kivotidis November 13, 2017 May 11, 2018 ~ Umut Özsu This post concerns the bourgeois state. Let me begin with a general point with regard to Marxist analysis, particularly the dialectical unity of theory and praxis. For a given individual to say “I engage in Marxist analysis” means that the analysis in question must be focused upon social change. It also means acknowledging that the objects of theoretical examination, namely socio-economic and also juridico-political processes, are in a constant process of change. The same also holds for theory itself. Theory must be applied to new cases, but it must also be applied to older problems in order to illuminate them, perhaps by offering a different approach, perhaps by focusing upon aspects that have generally been neglected. And by constantly developing and applying theory to the interpretation of historical processes we may place ourselves in a better position to analyse the current predicament. It is on this basis that I discuss the bourgeois welfare state form, an understanding of which I regard as crucial to furthering Marxist analysis of law and the state. In the welfare state form, social rights are recognised and labour rights (such as the right to strike and the right to collective bargaining) are constitutionally enshrined. Historically, the welfare state presided over the introduction of generalised systems of institutionalised social services, which resulted in the improvement of the living conditions of the labouring classes. A Marxist analysis of this form would take into account factors like the process of capital accumulation after the Second World War and the need for Keynesian or state-monopolistic policies that further investment in infrastructure and reinvigorate domestic markets so as to avoid intensification of class antitheses and social contradictions. On the contrary, in many analyses, emphasis is placed upon the progressive nature of this state form rather than upon its capitalist nature, or the reasons that led to its adoption. Central in these analyses is the issue of democracy. The process of constitutionalisation of social and labour rights is seen as progressive in itself because of the extension of the democratic principle to industrial relations. The experience of the Weimar state form is illuminating here. The Weimar Constitution and the Weimar state form were supported by the Social Democratic Party of Germany, one of the leading parties of the Second International. The proclaimed goal of the Weimar Constitution, at least as it was characterized by leading figures like Sinzheimer and Kahn-Freund, was to address the imbalance of power between capital and labour by extending democracy to economic relations. According to them, if the democratic principle does not extend to the economic sphere, manual workers will not be emancipated. In their view, Weimar sought to constitutionalise a series of social and labour rights which would then be able to sustain a balance of power between capital and labour. However, this balance of power could not be sustained. The reason for this is that the roots of the imbalance were never addressed or contested. A Marxist analysis would locate the fundamental contradiction in the sphere of production, that is the contradiction between a socialised labour process on the one hand and private ownership of the means of production on the other. The Weimar Constitution never threatened private ownership of the means of production. In that sense, one may argue in an Althusserian manner that the Weimar state form contributed to the reproduction of capitalist relations of production. When the need arose for increased exploitation and for the reproduction of conditions for the extraction of surplus value following the Great Depression, the state had to assume a different form so as to be able to reproduce these conditions: a more aggressive and authoritarian form, the Nazi form. The problem of the state and of the law’s positivity (either in the form of labour law or the welfare state, or even in the form of a judicial decision sanctioning the rights of members of the dominated classes) has been a challenging problem for Marxists. One could argue that Poulantzas’s investigation of the problem of the positive measures that the state adopts for the dominated classes is what leads him to define the state as “a relation, or more precisely as the condensate of a relation of power between struggling classes”. [1] Repudiating the instrumentalist conception of the state, Poulantzas contends that the state should be viewed “like capital”, as “a relationship of forces, or more precisely as the material condensation of such a relationship among classes and class fractions”. [2] Of course, the Poulantzian analysis of the welfare state form enhanced Marxist state theory by emphasising relative autonomy. The state acts “in a positive fashion, creating, transforming and making reality”. [3] Law, on this account, “does not only deceive and conceal, nor does it merely repress people by compelling or forbidding them to act; it also organizes and sanctions certain real rights of the dominated classes; and it has inscribed within it the material concessions, imposed on the dominant classes by popular struggle”. [4] A question thus arises: Does the state lose its class character when it adopts legislation to limit and regulate the working day, or when it recognizes positive rights for members of the dominated classes? If the state is the condensation of a relation of forces, does this mean that it is indifferent to the struggle of those forces? Is it neutral as between them? Dimitris Kaltsonis answers this question in a manner that qualifies Poulantzas’s definition: “Any correlation of forces contains, with the exception of transitional historical periods, a dominant component. It ultimately contains the socio-economic and political component which holds the monopoly of power at both the economic and the political level. As a result, any reflection of the correlation of forces on the legal superstructure finds its absolute limit in this: it cannot supersede the fundamental component, i.e. the ruling class, its state, and its legal system. Any integrated legislative conquests of the subordinate classes are always secondary. The dominant economic and juridico-political system fully assimilates them.” [5] As much as it is wrong to assume that the state and law are mere reflections of the interests of the ruling class, it is equally wrong to conclude from the falseness of this assumption that the state and law shed their class character because they assume a more liberal or democratic form or because they adopt positive measures for the non-dominant classes. The state assumes different forms based on the concrete level of intensification of socio-economic contradictions (i.e. class struggle and intra-class conflict). Nevertheless, these forms accommodate the fundamental characteristics of the state in the reproduction of class rule and the conditions of production. In his definition of the state, Poulantzas seems to focus on the former more than the latter. To argue that the state is the material condensation of the relations of forces between classes is accurate, so long as the state is still understood as a class state, that is as one that serves a class function in contributing to the reproduction of capitalist relations of production. This class state, with its class institutions, is not designed primarily to reflect the interests of the dominated classes. To the extent that the capitalist state does reflect such interests, thereby granting rights to the dominated classes, this is so only insofar as these rights serve the process of reproduction. If they do not, they can be discarded. This was the case with the welfare state form in interwar Germany, and it is the case with the welfare state form today. The proposition that the state is relatively autonomous and a material condensation of forces is not incompatible with the proposition that the state is a set of class apparatuses. In fact, the state is relatively autonomous because it is a class state, and it is a class state because it is relatively autonomous. Given all of this, perhaps we need to revisit the concept of Marxist “dictatorship”. Marxist dictatorship, that is class dictatorship, refers to juridico-political processes in their unity with socio-economic processes. In fact, the emphasis is placed on the latter. Some forms of bourgeois government may be relatively liberal, while in others authoritarian elements may be more dominant. But if they both reproduce the fundamental conditions of capitalist relations, can we not speak of two different forms of the bourgeois state? Of two different forms of bourgeois dictatorship? It is my view that this is not reductionism. The liberal form is not reduced to the authoritarian form, when it is argued that they both constitute forms of bourgeois dictatorship. The starting point is the difference between the two forms. But as much attention is paid to the form of decision-making (whether it is democratic or authoritarian), equal emphasis must be placed on the socio-economic relations that are reproduced by this form. What sets Marxist theory apart from bourgeois theory? That it examines juridico-political institutions and processes in their unity and contradictory development with socio-economic ones. The Marxist concept of dictatorship is an excellent example of this. A demand for “democracy” in the abstract remains meaningless from a Marxist standpoint. It is problematic to call for the democratisation of capitalist formations such as the European Union without any mention of power, property, and productive relations. And it is equally problematic to celebrate uncritically bourgeois institutions and mechanisms such as referendums for their radical democratic potential. What Marxist theory can contribute instead is an analysis of the role of bourgeois institutions, and different ways of exercising “public” power, in the capitalist mode of production. From this standpoint, it becomes possible to contest not just the authoritarian and anti-democratic forms of decision making, nor for that matter the neoliberal policies they have frequently accommodated, but the very power, property, and productive relations that these legal forms and policies function to reproduce. It also becomes possible to highlight the need for a properly anti-capitalist alternative. [1] Nicos Poulantzas, The Poulantzas Reader: Marxism, Law, and the State, ed. James Martin (London: Verso, 2008), 283. [2] Nicos Poulantzas, State, Power, Socialism (London: Verso, 2000 [1978]), 128. [3] Poulantzas, State, Power, Socialism, 43. [5] Dimitris Kaltsonis, Law, Society, Classes [in Greek] (Athens: Modern Times, 2005), 31 (original emphasis). Dimitrios Kivotidis is Lecturer in Law at the University of the West of England at Bristol. He recently defended his doctoral dissertation in law at Birkbeck, University of London. ‹ PreviousA Socialist Feminist Legal Theory For Our Time — Cyra Akila Choudhury Next ›The Spectre of Superfluity — Christopher M. J. Boyd

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J. Domas ORAL 34 - Quality/Survival/Prognosis in Localized Lung Cancer (ID 153) Type: Oral Session Track: Treatment of Localized Disease - NSCLC Moderators:B.C. Cho, R.L. Keith Coordinates: 9/09/2015, 16:45 - 18:15, 201+203 ORAL34.01 - Compliance with Follow-Up Programs After Surgery for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in the Phase III IFCT-0302 Trial (ID 2148) 16:45 - 18:15 | Author(s): J. Domas In patients operated on for non-small cell lung cancer, several guidelines recommend a follow-up based on regular clinic visits and chest CT-scans. However, evidence to support these recommendations is poor, in the absence of randomized data. The IFCT-0302 trial is a randomized multicenter trial which compared 2 follow-up programs after complete resection for a clinical stage I, II, IIIA and T4 (pulmonary nodules in the same lobe) N0-2 NSCLC (TNM 6[th] edition). We present the results of compliance with the follow-up programs for the first 2 years after randomization. In the CXR arm, follow-up consisted of clinic visit and chest X-rays. In the CCT arm, patients underwent clinic visit, chest X-rays, thoraco-abdominal CT scan plus fiberoptic bronchoscopy (only mandatory for squamous cell and large cell carcinomas). In both arms, procedures were repeated every 6 months after randomization during the first 2 years, and yearly until 5 years, in the absence of recurrence or second primary cancer. Supplementary procedures were allowed in case of symptoms. Primary endpoint was overall survival. Between January 2005 and November 2012, 1775 patients were randomized (CXR: 888; CCT: 887). Patient characteristics were well balanced between the two arms : males 76.3%, median age 62 years (range: 33-87), adenocarcinomas 56.7%, stage I-II 82.1%, lobectomy or bilobectomy 86,8%, pre- and/or post-operative radiotherapy 8.7%, and pre- and/or post-operative chemotherapy 45%. Surveillance was performed in 97% of patients at 6 months, in 94% at 12 months, in 90% at 18 months and in 84% at 24 months, and did not differ between the 2 arms. Intervals between randomization and visits were respected with no difference between arms (mean +/-SD in months from randomization: 5.93 +/- 0.84; 11.95 +/- 0.98; 18.05 +/- 0.99; 24.18 +/-1.30, respectively). In the 757 patients of the CXR arm, who had a follow-up visit at 6 months and no recurrence, 754 (99.6%) had a clinic visit and 730 (96.4%) a chest X-ray. In the 706 patients of the CCT arm who had a follow-up visit at 6 months and no recurrence, 702 (99.4%) had a clinic visit, 478 (67.7%) a chest X-ray, 678 (96%) a chest CT-scan, and 342 (48.4%) a bronchoscopy. Comparable compliance results were observed at 12, 18 and 24 months. In the CXR arm, supplementary thoracic CT-scans were done in 119 patients (15.7 %) at 6 months, in 96 (14.4 %) at 12 months, in 78 (13.2%) at 18 months and in 58 (11.4%) at 24 months. Other supplementary procedures were more frequent in the CCT arm than in the CXR arm, consisting mostly of brain imaging (at 6 months, in 93 (13.2%) and 39 (5.2%) patients, respectively, p<.001). Compliance with the follow-up programs was excellent in terms of timing. Chest X-ray was often omitted in the CCT arm. In the CXR arm, supplementary CT-scans that did not lead to a diagnosis of recurrence or second primary cancer were performed in 10 to 15% of patients. In the CCT arm, the most frequently performed supplementary procedure was brain imaging.

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« From the unauthorized biography of Lance Mannion | Main | Another chapter from the unauthorized biography of Lance Mannion » A young reader discovers the meaning of paranoia in the political novels of Allen Drury Charles Laughton as Senator Seab Cooley and Walter Pigeon as Senate Majority Leader Robert Munson in Otto Preminger's adaptation of Allen Drury's Advise and Consent. First book by Allen Drury I read was his fourth, Capable of Honor. It was one of the first serious contemporary adult novels I read. Since I found it on my father's bookshelf where I'd also found novels by Vonnegut, Cheever, and Joseph Heller, I assumed it counted as literature and was therefore as truthful and accurate about politics as Moby-Dick was about whaling. I felt very smart for reading it. I felt even smarter when I went back and read the first two books in what became a six-book series, Advise and Consent and A Shade of Difference. But then I read Preserve and Protect. Something weird was going on. I'm not sure if I knew the word paranoia when I was thirteen. I'm sure if I did I didn't have a real understanding of what a constituted a paranoid personality. Nixon was President but I thought of him as just a mean and angry guy. But however I did learn what it meant to be paranoid and to identify paranoia, reading Preserve and Protect and its two sequels, Come Ninevah, Come Tyre and The Promise of Joy, probably helped form the basis of my understanding. I didn't have a lot of experience with the world of adults but I knew there was something just plain nuts about Drury's view of how that world worked. It wasn't so much the apocalyptic visions or the cynicism or the sheer terror that I sensed was behind every word Drury wrote---Drury wasn't the only one who was convinced the world was on the eve of destruction back then. It was that I suspected that he thought what he was writing was realism. His plots had become surreal as nightmares and his characters, already not all that psychologically complex, had transformed into simplistic grotesques, most of them as mad as the characters in Alice in Wonderland. Drury had gone from being a realist to being an allegorist, but with this problem. He didn't seem to know it. It was as if William Blake insisted he was writing like William Wordsworth or Salvador Dali claimed John Singer Sergeant as his major influence and model. To put it another way, it seemed to me that Drury was reacting to his own creations as if he was reporting a truth imparted to him from someone else, an omniscient someone else, someone practically God-like in his authority, and he didn't realize that that someone else was his own wacky self. Basically, without being able to put it in clinical terms, I recognized that when I was reading his books I was in the company of a divided, delusional, and paranoid personality, and it creeped me out. Something else was going on too. At the same time I was reading his books, thinking I was reading real literature, I was reading real literature. I'd become a fan of Mark Twain and Kurt Vonnegut. I was making my way through the plays of William Shakespeare. I discovered Dickens and Dostoevsky, John Steinbeck and William Faulkner, James Thurber and E.B. White. I wasn't a complete aesthete. I was also reading a lot of Alistair MacLean, Agatha Christie, and Isaac Asimov. But their writing was teaching me the same thing about Allen Drury as Twain and Vonnegut and the others---Drury couldn't write. His plots creaked. His dialogue was clunky. He didn't know how to construct a scene. And even before he went nuts his characters had no life beyond their place in the plot and no psychology except for the attitudes that gave them their place in the plot or were necessary to placing them in the plot. Also he had no sense of humor, no sense of play or fun, no real sense of irony only of contradiction and coincidence. And he had no style or, rather, his style was defined by an absence of style. His competence with the language was on par with that of a very good writer of technical manuals. Once I realized these things, that he was nuts and a poor writer, his books were ruined for me. All his books. Including Advise and Consent. Which may be too bad. This essay in the New York Times by Thomas Mallon isn't the first thing I've read that's made me think I should take another look at Advise and Consent. Drury’s Senate is such a passionate, full-throttle place that “Advise and Consent” never has occasion to quote George Washington’s famous wish that the Senate serve as a cooling saucer for legislation that boils over from the more demotic House. His mid-20th-century senators certainly speak better than those serving today, most of whom, during debate, could scarcely pronounce, let alone deploy, its orotund courtesies and barbs. Indeed, much of the ambience in which these fictional senators work and preen has vanished. In Drury’s capital, printed newspaper editorials still drive the action, and the head of General Motors calls up senators from Michigan not to rattle a cup but to dictate and threaten. At the parties given by Dolly Harrison (a more genteel version of the real-life Perle Mesta), guests stay twice as long and drink three times as much as they would allow themselves to do at any Washington party today. And yet, 50 years later, most of the subject matter remains recognizable. Drury’s 99 men and lone woman wrestle with the issue of pre-emptive war, the degree of severity with which lying under oath must be viewed, and the way the coverup is invariably worse than the crime. Part of what kept the book on the best-seller list for 102 weeks is its comforting assumption that many politicians come to Washington hoping to do good. Considering how fascinated by politics and politicians a lot of people are, it's amazing that there are no other great American novels about Washington. And, you're right, I'm not counting Harlot's Ghost , for a reason. It's about Norman Mailer's obsessions, not about politics. What we have instead are some pretty good potboilers, like Gore Vidal's Washington, D.C. , and some good but minor novels by the likes of Ward Just and Joan Didion. I'm not sure why this has been the case, except that in order for a writer to make Washington her subject she'd need to live in Washington or have spent significant time there and American writers have seemed to gather in every other major city except Washington. In fact, there's a livelier literary scene in Missoula, Montana than in the District of Columbia. But it may be that there have just been so many good works of journalism and history that there's no need for a novel. Whatever the reason, the outcome may in fact be that Advise and Consent is by accident and default the great American political novel. It's certainly the source of one of the best American movies about politics. You can watch it online at Amazon.com. Lance Mannion on Wednesday, July 01, 2009 in Ruining my eyes, Smoke-filled rooms | Permalink It's been a long time since I've read any Allen Drury, although I have a copy of his memoir, "A Senate Journal" on a shelf at home. Even so, it seems to me that what makes "Advise and Consent" work better than most fiction about politics, Gore Vidal included, is that it doesn't try to do too much. It deals with a controversial cabinet appointment, rather than some larger, world-historical question, and is therefore as much about the the members of the institution-- and the institution itself, as it is about larger political issues. Interesting fiction is about people, generally. Vidal's Burr is good because it is mostly about an interesting character. Vidal gets away with making about quite a bit about Burr, and that's fine. Vidal wants to make a larger point, and that's fine too, but the book is good because the people are interesting, not because of the politics. Funny to see the picture of Charles Laughton today-- I just watched "Witness for the Prosecution" and was impressed with how really good he is. Posted by: Bill Altreuter | Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 02:03 PM What about Democracy by Henry Adams? My father (a Washington journalist, but not covering politics) said it & The Education of Henry Adams were great books, only appreciated by readers over age 50. So I need to try them out . Last winter, I came across a late Drury, Anna Hastings and a novel by Sally Quinn—both about journalists in Washington and both pretty poor. Was this turn to media personalities in the 1980s a sign of the times? Posted by: melissa | Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 03:08 PM Bill may be right about it not attempting too much; certainly its sequel, "A Shade of Difference," tries to do a lot more, and that's when caricature rather than character starts to manifest itself in the series. Seab Cooley = Strom Thurmond (or a contemporary -- Richard Russell? John Stennis?); LeRoi whatever = Malcolm X. I read it as a text for a high school government class (hey, the time was the 1960s and the place was the DC suburbs). Even then it seemed a little romanticized compared to what I was reading on the front pages of the DC papers. I liked it, though. Posted by: Linkmeister | Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 03:11 PM For some reason I skipped ahead to "Come Nineveh, Come Tyre" after reading "Advise and Consent." It was the first time I read something and got the unsettling sensation that there was something not quite right with the author. I also remember how increasingly bombastic the series got, with a rapid succession of short-termed Presidents and assassinations and has there ever been another mainstream novel series that published two contradictory final books? That struck me as very, very weird. Posted by: Chris G. | Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 04:16 PM I read all those Drury books as a kid, as well. The first was on my parents' bookshelves, and the rest I got from the library in my usual 14-books-a-week or so load. So all I can do is agree with everything you say. As it happens, I watched the movie of Advise and Consent for the very first time, though, only about three months or so ago, when it was on TCM. I was particularly struck by how overt the blackmail-over-homosexuality subplot was, including the immensely lurid visit to the gay bar, which seemed to me to be, in its own bigoted way, rather groundbreaking, given how gay themes and plots were so deeply suppressed in the movie versions during the Fifties and earlier of books where they had been quite explicit. I also think this statement in Mallon's essay is understatment in the exteme: "Drury’s book resembles not so much any Washington novel by Henry Adams or Gore Vidal or Ward Just...." Jeebus, I'd never have thought of comparing Drury to any of those guys! They're all terrific, insightful, writers! Drury wrote potboilers that, as you note, grew ever-increasingly cardboard and rather crazed. And as pop fiction of the day went, Alistair Maclean, at least before his last handful of novels, although hardly writing literature, really could be quite gripping in his thrillers. Page-turners, as the phrase goes. Drury was more of a page-turner in a wtf? sense. And the movie of The Best Man, with Cliff Robertson as the Nixon analog, Henry Fonda the Adlai Stevenson figure, and Lee Tracy as the vaguely Trumanesque figure, also comes to mind when I think of political-movies-adapted-from-novels of the era. Interestingly, although TBM is a good movie, it's not particularly a better movie than Advise and Consent, even though the book is far better than AaC's book. But, different media, different pros and cons, and different execution, of course. And Laughton was what really made AaC as a movie. Of course, the whole topic of pop political novels of the Sixties makes me also think of Seven Days In May, and Fail-Safe. Political thrillers just haven't been the same since the Cold War, have they? Posted by: Gary Farber | Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 04:39 PM "What we have instead are some pretty good potboilers, like Gore Vidal's Washington D.C" I tend to think of 1876 and Burr as above the level of potboilers, but you may count perhaps count them as historical novels, rather than novels of D.C., and/or you may rate them less than I do. "Whatever the reason, the outcome may in fact be that Advise and Consent is by accident and default the great American political novel." That just seems wrong. I don't mean you're necessarily wrong, but that if you're right, that just seems wrong. To be sure, I haven't reread it in decades, but even when I was 12, or whatever exact age I read it at, I was quite aware it was just badly written in many ways. The great American *political* novel may be a slightly different cat-- "All the Kings Men" qualifies under that slightly broader rubrick, for example. The great American Washington novel is where "Advise and Consent" (a Pulitzer Prize winner, for what it is worth) enters the discussion. I haven't read Drury's novel, but Preminger's movie isn't at all about politics (something that may or may not be shared with the novel - I don't know). In fact, it's thoroughly anti-political. It's a soap opera, and it's probably even less political than it could have been because people don't realize it's actually a soap opera. Notice that the movie includes absolutely no coherent discussion of any actual, real political issue. It's all about completely abstract, nonsensical made-up issues that have no connection to life on earth. Maybe the movie's about some kind of Martian politics, because it sure isn't about any sort of identifiable American politics. This is particularly problematic in a movie that purports to be an expose of the real Washington. Notice that the characters don't interact with each other on the basis of their politics - the characters interact with each other on the basis of soap opera motivations (who's having sex with whom, who's been a college buddy of whom, who's trying to show whom up in trivial ways, who dresses like whom, who likes to drink what kind of booze, etc). The movie, by the way, entirely misrepresents the actuality of American politics. The movie betrays significant amusement and benevolence towards Seab Cooley. But the real-life counterparts of Cooley were among the most negative, and, yes, actively evil, people in the entire history of American politics. (The old Southern Senators were not cuddly rapscallions, but leaders and prime movers behind a violent genocidal apartheid regime that used frequent terrorism against it's own population). No, the movie's ire is instead directed at Van Ackerman - primarily because Van Ackerman doesn't carry out politics with Cooley's Southern charm. And, uh, we're supposed to buy that the Senator from Wyoming is a fanatic pro-peace hidden pinko......yes, that's what the Senator from Wyoming is supposed to be. And that the hard-left pinko (who's, as we again need to emphasize, is the sitting Senator from Wyoming, of all places) would use outing a guy out of a closet as a threat. It's even more bizarre that the movie depicts Van Ackerman's kicking a guy out of a homosexual closet as the most horrid thing ever, while the movie gives sly pats on the head to Seab Cooley, who's main action is to kick a different guy's Communist past out of it's closet. I guess red-baiting is better than gay-baiting as long as you're doing it with Laughton chewing the scenery. Posted by: burritoboy | Wednesday, July 01, 2009 at 08:52 PM I also read the Advise and Consent series in high school in the 1970's -- I remember that in 1976 I wrote a Drury-style short story about a Senator for my junior writing project. Lance is dead on about Drury's paranoia, and I had the same reaction at the time -- "this guy is completely nuts, but he's a best-selling author". Bill Altreuter makes a good point about A&C not trying to do too much -- it succeeds in part because Drury is mostly reporting about a social world he knows well and keeping his own politics out of it. He started to go off the rails when the cardboard villains and useful idiots showed up. I was impressed with the imaginary political world he had constructed that was so different from the politics I knew about -- I'm less impressed now that I know how much of it was drawn from the late 40's. (On my first reading I had no idea that "the President" of A&C was FDR, for example). The idea of two alternate conclusions to the series is a really interesting one, and helped to encourage in me a lifelong interest in alternate history fiction. But along with the terrible execution of both books, you have the clever enormously powerful Russians of Come Ninieveh, Come Tyre (who among other things screw up the weather for Jason's inauguration and have secret bases all over northern Canada) and the woosy Russians of The Promise of Joy who roll over for Knox when he shows his indomitable will, and these are from a decision point only a few months earlier. The last two books remind me of nothing so much as The Iron Dream by Spinrad, except that the latter is satire. Yeah, A&C is nowhere the league of All the King's Men or The Last Hurrah as the Great American Political Novel. I agree that there's less competition for Great Washington Political Novel. You can set a book in Baton Rouge or Boston and avoid the big issues, but to put it in Washington means either creating an alternate national/world politics or at least taking a firm position on the real thing. It makes me more impressed with The West Wing, actually. Posted by: DaveMB | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 10:32 AM DaveMB, the one scene in Come Nineveh, Come Tyre at which I chortled with glee was the one in which Walter Dobius and the rest of the press corps were hauled off to St. Elizabeth's or somewhere in black trucks. Dobius's face was pressed against the window glass and he was apparently shrieking, as though he'd suddenly realized the error of his Commie-aiding ways. I guess I was a media critic even as a teenager. Posted by: Linkmeister | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 04:38 PM @DaveMB: Perhaps Drury was anticipating the Green Lantern Doctrine, which holds that sufficient will on the part of an American president is capable of altering the reality of global politics. Posted by: Chris G. | Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 05:41 PM While I don't remember Advise and Consent nearly well enough to contribute to this discussion, I just wanted to say that my experience of it -- followed later by my experience of book #3, where I stopped -- was pretty much identical to Lance's. I, too, read it in my early teens and took the first as serious, intelligent, truthful literature that made me all smart about politics, until it became clear that Drury was insane. Which really was, at the time, a letdown. Posted by: voxpoptart | Saturday, July 04, 2009 at 09:11 AM Contra Burritoboy, though: there is no contradiction between "amusing, cuddly rapscallion" and "prime mover behind violent genocidal apartheid regime", especially given that "genocidal" is a figment of Burritoboy's imagination and that apartheid was widely supported across the entire country (as James Loewen's and Dave Niewert's histories make all too clear). People have more than one side to them, and it's very easy -- common, in fact -- for even the worst person to be cuddly and amusing to the people he doesn't loathe and want to destroy. Obviously, Drury would have been a better writer and better person to have noticed such contradictions himself, but he was well within the mainstream to take his choice, not Burritoboy's choice, of one-sided caricature. "People have more than one side to them, and it's very easy -- common, in fact -- for even the worst person to be cuddly and amusing to the people he doesn't loathe and want to destroy." The problem is that that is NOT how Cooley is presented within Advise and Consent. The movie's true venom is reserved for Van Ackerman, not Cooley. The movie easily could have made the portrayal of Van Ackerman more balanced, but he appears as a sort of wild-eyed maniac lunatic not much short of a serial killer or something. Remember that, in any real world, Van Ackerman's views (at least, insofar as anything in the Martian politics world of Advise and Consent actually correspond to Earth politics) were excellent and sound views - Cooley's national security views are both idiotic and actively evil both in his time and ours. "Contra Burritoboy, though: there is no contradiction between "amusing, cuddly rapscallion" and "prime mover behind violent genocidal apartheid regime"," But Preminger's movie does not actually create or explore that contradiction - it would have been a vastly greater movie if it did. For example, the true nature of Cooley's imbecilic national security opinions could have been revealed or explored within the movie. Instead, Preminger allows the entire debate to be entirely driven by various forms of nonsense: the ONLY things we see Cooley's flag-waving as contrasted to Pidgeon's bullshit facade of polite talk as contrasted to Leffingwell's cornpone babble as contrasted to Van Ackerman attempting to eat the table. Apparently, everything is EQUALLY BS to Preminger, so let's just enjoy the show! Preminger promises us that he's going to show us the real Washington, but he lets all his characters preserve their own carefully-constructed facades instead of pushing them harder. Posted by: burritoboy | Monday, July 06, 2009 at 08:53 PM

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Impact of payday loans on credit rating Do you feel that this is a generational issue? With the King of Okky doing what he could to keep the country side in a ferment, to go up into the bush even with a strong party, and well provided, was risky. But these negotiations show that the authorities are still doubtful as to the advantages of the existing system. These two men he worked for were already nothing more than characters in his eyes–their business significated itself. Jones the regular rate of interest on his debit balance. Hamilton. On the other hand, his son was meditating on the tangled relation in which he now found himself in connection with the city treasurer and the fact that it was not possible for him to support the market alone. “I know how it is with you. Still, there were other streets, and the city was growing. 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The two factions into which they are divided, the Balfourites and the tariff reformers, are each acutely conscious of one another’s infirmities, and, through their respective organs, they have succeeded in proving to their apparent satisfaction what most of us have known, and some of us have said for a long time past, that they are an uncommonly poor lot all round. They assume, for instance, that the market will continue to exist for the foreseeable future in its current form. Here is another: Thompson, Towle & Company, members of the New York Stock Exchange, issue a weekly newspaper called the _News Letter_. See that you do not fail us in that hour. He was curious to learn more of her history. 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And as he stepped out into the overseer’s room again he experienced a peculiar sense of depression, a gone feeling which before this had not assailed him and which now he did his best to conceal. Did they not know that long-time franchises were practically the basis of all modern capitalistic prosperity? Why had he been given so fine a mind? 10. That impact of payday loans on credit rating was nearly seven years ago. The effect of a house of this character on its owner is unmistakable. Tighe was credited with a deposit of fifteen thousand dollars, with privilege to draw against it at once. She never loses, and _always_ wins.” Both of his hearers laughed. Ye must lave this man. “Yes–I suppose it might be called that,” she replied, in a low voice. Because our forefathers did not spend all their incomes on their own personal comfort and amusement but put a large part of them into railways and factories, and shipbuilding yards, our country is now reasonably well supplied with the machinery of production and the means of transport. Skinner, the president, who had a face which with its very short side-whiskers was as bland as a Chinese god. Ju-ju often gets there when drugs won’t touch the spot at all, and, mark you, you’re getting that admission from the man who knows more about drugs suitable for Coast ailments than anybody in West Africa. “I see great things ahead. One interest, of 350,000 shares, owned by Vermilyea, Edmonds & Stanley, the law firm of highest standing in Goldfield, could be acquired at 45 cents a share, and another interest, of 350,000 shares, owned by prospectors who had located the ground, could be had at 20 cents a share, all or none. “Why, hello, Hattie!” he called, leeringly and jeeringly. The Republican party and its local and State interests are certain to be against us. This nascent platform is way too small to accommodate the enormous amounts of cash laundered daily – but in ten years time, it may. He was a professional “second-story man,” “up” for ten years, but by dint of good behavior he had attained to the honor of working about this office without the degrading hood customary for prisoners to wear over the cap. But she knew that she was no longer the mistress of her own happiness–it lay in other hands now. Thus it is possible for Dr. He went to his wife and took her hand in his. rating payday loans credit impact on of. Owing to the possession of this surplus it becomes a market in capital, and so gets a considerable jobbing business, but the backbone and foundation of its position must be, in the end, industrial activity in the widest sense of the word. Now he could make Aileen his wife. We don’t start out with any school-boy and school-girl moonshine.” “Oh, there’s a good deal to be said for the moonshine,” she impact of payday loans on credit rating interrupted him, as she sank upon the sofa. Through legislation, policy measures, withholding of technology and know-how – the firm prevents its competitors from crossing the river into its protected turf. “I shall be delighted,” said Von Richter. Here was already the bewildered foreigner, an alien speech confounding him–the Hun, the Pole, the Swede, the German, the Russian–seeking his homely colonies, fearing his neighbor of another race. It has not seemed to be my business to do so, and upon advice I may say that the Committee would not hold that such was my business. Canada was “to dedicate”–that was the expression used by Mr. He replied: “I am going into politics. The following provisions shall have effect in respect of new capital issues and to dealings in securities issued for the purpose of raising capital: “(1) No person shall, except under and in pursuance of a licence granted by the Treasury– “(a) issue, whether for cash or otherwise, any stock, shares or securities; or “(b) pay or receive any money on loan on the terms express or implied that the money is to be or may be applied at some future date in payment of any stock, shares or securities to be issued at whatever date to the person making the loan; or “(c) sub-divide any shares or Debentures into shares or Debentures of a smaller denomination, or consolidate any shares or Debentures of a larger denomination; or “(d) renew or extend the period of maturity of any securities; or “(e) purchase, sell or otherwise transfer any stock, shares or securities or any interest therein, or the benefit of any agreement conferring a right to receive any stock, shares or securities, if the stock, shares or securities were issued, sub-divided or consolidated, or renewed or the period of maturity thereof extended, or the agreement was made, as the case may be, at any time between the 18th day of January, 1915, and the 24th day of February, 1919, and the permission of the Treasury was not obtained to the issue, sub-division, consolidation, renewal or extension or the making of the agreement, as the case may be. 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On Romania The Mysterious Mr. Pacepa - 04/01/2013 The topic of defector Ion Mihai Pacepa is a controversial one. There are, in fact, lots of controversies regarding Mr. Pacepa. There are debates over his actual employers, whether he was representative of state security – Securitate – personnel, the nature of his defection, the degree of his contribution to the fall of Ceausescu, the extent to which he had responsibility for Romania’s subsequent democratization, etc. Some of these have been resolved and should confound us no longer. Others remain in the realm of supposition. And still others, such as Mr. Pacepa’s role in the fall of Ceausescu and the collapse of Romanian communism, are likely to remain topics over which reasonable persons continue to disagree. Here I address three controversies that frequently emerge in media debates on the subject. Did Pacepa work for the KGB? Pacepa told both his West German and American debriefers that he worked directly for the KGB – even though he was the deputy chief of Romanian foreign intelligence. In fact, he has never wavered in stressing his work as a KGB agent. Throughout his 1987 book “Red Horizons,” he emphasizes his personal meetings with KGB chief Yuri Andropov and insists that he reported directly to Alexander Mikhailovich Sakharovsky, the head of KGB foreign intelligence. Of course, at the time Pacepa was trying to credit the idea that the Securitate – and Ceausescu – were Moscow’s agents. But his claims of reporting directly to KGB commanders were explicit, not metaphorical. In a public symposium on the KGB, where he shared the dais with former CIA Director R. James Woolsey and former Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky, he stated unequivocally that “I spent 27 years of my life working for the KGB, I defected from it 26 years ago.” (“Symposium: KGB Resurrection (continued),” FrontPage Magazine, 30 April 2004) That “27 years” covers the entire period of his career in the Securitate, from its beginnings in 1951 when Romanian state security was completely controlled by Moscow center, to his 1978 defection. Pacepa has consistently reaffirmed that in 1972 his KGB superior gave him responsibility for “illegal operations in Romania.” (The American Spectator, 9 July 2010) There is no controversy – not for Pacepa, not for the CIA, not for the German BND, and not for informed opinion – regarding the established and acknowledged fact that Pacepa worked for the KGB. Why there should be one in the Romanian media is a mystery. Was the Securitate controlled by the KGB? This is slightly trickier since some interpret the KGB’s ability to recruit double agents within the Securitate as “proof” of its control. However, an overwhelming number of sources confirm that Romanian intelligence as institution stopped all substantive cooperation with the KGB as early as 1963. Czechoslovak intelligence defectors Ladislav Bittman and Jan Sejna report that the problems in collaborating with Romania began in 1962. Soviet leader Nikolai Podgorny specified 1963 as the year collaboration ended. According to the East German Stasi, KGB leaders informed them of the same during bilateral service talks in 1967. And Yuri Andropov noted in the annual report after his first year as KGB chief that his organization received only minimal information from the Romanians, and only from the Romanian ambassador. Except for the Bulgarian KDS, which Romania still hoped to recruit to the idea of a Balkan Pact independent of the Soviet Union, the Securitate had cut-off all substantive collaboration with the other Pact services by the mid-1960s. In this regard Pacepa’s claim that he was getting his orders directly from the KGB leadership in 1972 is particularly interesting. In 1971, immediately after Ceausescu’s visit to Beijing – the first of any Communist leader since the Sino-Soviet split – Moscow ordered the other Warsaw Pact services to sever all intelligence ties of any sort with the Securitate. There was some lag-time between this instruction and the end of all contacts, allowing the last “social” visit of KGB officials and their wives to Romania in early 1972. The head of that delegation, KGB foreign counterintelligence chief Oleg Kalugin, noted after he moved to the United States that in 1971, when the other bloc services became “even more subservient to the Soviet KGB,” the Romanians “bolted out of the alliance” and “Ceausescu terminated their ties with the Soviet KGB.” (Harvard International Review, 2002 ) Bulgarian intelligence documents likewise report that the KGB forced the KDS - Bulgarian State Security - to break off all ties with Romania in 1971, and to plead “mea culpa” for having preserved them for so long. So, on what basis was Pacepa receiving orders from the KGB leadership for “illegal operations in Romania” in 1972? None of the other Pact services considered the Securitate a “fraternal, cooperating partner.” Indeed, all of the other Pact leaders labeled Romania and its leader a “traitor” at their August 1971 meeting in the Crimea. According to the archives brought out by former KGB archivist Vasiliy Mitrokhin, by the end of the 1970s – around the same time Pacepa defected – the KGB First Chief Directorate for foreign intelligence transferred Romania and the Securitate from its 11th Department for liaison and cooperation with fraternal socialist services, to its 5th Department, which included NATO states, Yugoslavia and Albania, all of which were targets of hostile Soviet and Warsaw Pact intelligence operations. Clearly, the Securitate was treated by the KGB as an enemy service rather than a subordinate one. Why did Pacepa defect? There are competing theories as to why Pacepa defected in July 1978. One theory holds that he feared imminent exposure either as a KGB agent or for some illegal dealings, or both. Another, that he was ordered by the KGB to do so in order to help head off Romania’s dangerous turn towards away from Moscow and towards the West. Less compellingly, Pacepa claimed in his 1987 book to be motivated by his love of democracy and secret pro-American sympathies. This remains as yet an area of speculation rather than knowledge. That said, prima facie evidence suggests that the first hypothesis is much more likely either of the latter two. The KGB was generally not anxious for its officers to defect because of the secrets they might reveal about it. Nor would the KGB be anxious to lose such a highly-placed agent in both the Securitate and the Romanian hierarchy – Pacepa was, after all, a principal security advisor to Ceausescu. Suspicions linger that the defection was a Soviet operation primarily because Pacepa made claims about Romanian policy and behavior that he knew to be false but which fully confirmed Soviet disinformation designed to destroy the special Romanian-American relationship. And he continued to do so well into the new millennium. However, it is more probable that he was courting support from a group within the US interested in undermining Washington’s support for Romania, for example, one of the Hungarian-American organizations that insisted Romania practiced genocide against ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania. There is also a remote possibility that he was expressing a personal grudge of some sort. In any case, the question as to Pacepa’s motivations for his defection remains an open one. Recently I was misrepresented by a journalist as claiming to believe – and to have “proof” – that Pacepa defected to the US as part of a Soviet operation. I neither said nor believe any such thing. However, there are precedents in which defectors have fallen back under Soviet influence after they arrived in the United States. For example, KGB defector Anatoliy Golitsyn gave very good information during his initial defection in 1961-1963, before he grew frustrated at not being allowed to brief President John Kennedy personally and moved to Great Britain. When he returned in the late summer of 1963 he did so with a variety of confabulations that confirmed Soviet disinformation, confounded CIA counterintelligence, and greatly compromised CIA operations in the Soviet bloc for the next decade. Among Golitsyn’s new revelations were the claims that the Tito-Stalin, Albanian-Soviet and Sino-Soviet splits were false, that Romanian independence was a myth, and, a bit later, that the Soviet Union would never invade Czechoslovakia because Soviet anger over the Prague Spring was a façade as well. As one US analyst noted, “having established his bona fides during his first stay in the United States,” Golitsyn now appeared to have “returned to carry out his disinformation mission.” (David Martin, A Wilderness of Mirrors, 2003) The CIA eventually concluded that the costs to the KGB were so great that it would never intentionally have one of its officers defect. However, the same interdiction apparently did not apply to the officers of allied services. In 1987, for example, the CIA discovered that “every Cuban agent recruited by the agency over the past twenty years was a double – pretending to be loyal to the United States while working in secret for Havana.” (Timothy Weiner, A Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, 2007) What was not permitted the KGB was manifestly permitted the officers of auxiliary services whose knowledge of KGB center was limited. Of all the Soviet Bloc intelligence services, the Romanian had the least contact and knowledge of KGB center. To sum up, we know that Pacepa was a KGB agent and we know that the Securitate was not controlled by the KGB – it was not even on a friendly basis with it (although some Securitate officers like Pacepa certainly were). These are not opinions. They are established facts repeatedly confirmed by documents and statements issued at the time. We do not know why Pacepa defected to the United States when he did. But we do know what he said once he got there. This blog appeared in Romanian translation at Adevarul.ro Posted by Larry L. Watts at 11:44 AM Labels: deception, denial, disinformation, larry l. watts, larry watts, pacepa Pacepa, The Great and Powerful II: Or, How to Trap... Pacepa, The Great and Powerful I: “Pay no attentio... Mr. Pacepa’s Disinformation II: Anti-Jewish Operat... Mr. Pacepa’s Disinformation I: Romania’s Anti-Vati... Falsifiers, Deniers and Deceivers II - 06/25/2013 Falsifiers, Deniers and Deceivers I - 05/27/2013 The Necessity of Trianon - 04/07/2013 The Statue in the Capital Building - 03/22/2013 Larry L. Watts

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Health Care, VA Benefits Attention “Brown Water Vets”! (“Brown water” means service in the rivers and delta areas of Vietnam) Even though elder law attorneys are primarily focused on nursing home benefits for wartime veterans who may be eligible for “Aid and Attendance” (a long term care benefit which helps to pay for in-home care, assisted living care, and nursing home care), we are also keenly interested in veteran’s benefits for Vietnam-era veterans. This post has important information that should be forwarded to anyone who served in Vietnam during the Vietnam Conflict. One of the ongoing scandals of our country is our failure to fairly compensate Vietnam war era veterans who were exposed to the poison called dioxin that was in the herbicide referred to as “Agent Orange” (AO). Many vets have been denied legitimate claims when trying to receive disability compensation for delayed diseases due to their exposure to AO. Agent Orange is still killing Vietnam veterans from all of our service branches. We belong to an organization called the Veteran’s Advocates Group of America (VAGA), which provides educational materials and communication for those who are concerned about VA issues. It was reported to us last week by Karen McIntyre, president of VAGA, that the VA has just announced that veterans serving on certain ships in the waters of Vietnam during the Vietnam Conflict are now eligible for Agent Orange presumptive service compensation benefits. This also opens the door for surviving spouses, dependent children, and dependent parents who may possibly get death benefits due to the death of their Vietnam veteran spouse, parent, or child. This decision to compensate “brown water” Vietnam veterans opens the door for VA health insurance as well. In the past, an Agent Orange claimant had to prove that he/she was a veteran who had “boots on the ground” in Vietnam before the VA would award service-connected compensation. But this recent “brown water” ruling finally opens the door for many of these deserving veterans and their dependents to get much-needed benefits as well. It’s important to remember that there are many who served in Vietnam who have already died as a result of an Agent Orange condition—so it is not too late for survivor spouses or dependents to file for benefits. I have attached a .pdf document at the bottom of this post (entitled “BrownWaterClaims”), which you can click on and download for information about Vietnam naval ships which worked in the inland waterways known as the “brown water” rivers and delta areas of Vietnam. This is a huge step forward for many of our veterans who were serving on “blue water” naval vessels but who also conducted operations in “brown water.” Individuals who served on these ships may be presumed to have had exposure to Agent Orange and its deadly herbicide called dioxin. Please forward this communication to all Vietnam war veterans and/or surviving spouses. This expansion of coverage still leaves our “blue water” servicemen and women who served on naval ships at sea without adequate compensation. Despite the fact that it is now well known that Agent Orange was toxic to anyone who handled it, the federal government and the VA have continued to deny full coverage to many of our servicemen/women. The next big step is for our government to admit that anyone serving in the Vietnam theater of operations may well have been poisoned by Agent Orange. Nonetheless, let’s celebrate this victory and the extension of benefits to “brown water Vietnam veterans.” Hooray! BrownWaterClaims Tags: agent orange, brown water veterans, dioxin, veteran's benefits, vietnam

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Nan Bauroth A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Nan Bauroth started her career as Director of Advertising and Promotion for Doubleday Publishing. From there she moved to Wall Street, serving as a Director of Marketing Communications for Merrill Lynch, and subsequently as a Vice President of Marketing for Citicorp. Since that time, Bauroth has been a freelance journalist whose work has been published in more than 30 magazines and websites. In addition, she has ghostwritten a column on business time management for the New York Times Syndicate; America Needs America’s Energy; the lead chapter in Innovate or Perish; and a book about entrepreneurial bootstrapping for Inc. She has also served as managing editor for a regional lifestyle magazine. Today she resides in Charlotte, N.C., where she pursues an avid love of gardening and the challenge of learning piano as an adult. Why Columbia, MO Is a Best Place to Live 8 Best Cities for Holiday Lights and Decorations Don't Miss Events in Raleigh, N.C. The Best Burgers in Charlotte, NC Tips for Starting a Neighborhood Block Party Hopping on America’s Rails to Trails Movement Eight Most Entertaining Children's Museums South Carolina Office of Innovation Promotes Tech Enterprise Why Sandy Springs, GA Is a Best Cities to Live 5 Best Gingerbread House Contests Across the U.S. Trying to Get Rid of Student Loan Debt? You Might Consider Moving 5 Tips for Starting a Farmers Market in Your Community Best Corn Mazes in the U.S. 9 Cities With the Most Top-Ranked Hospitals Birding Boom: Birdwatching Tips for Beginners

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Article in PDF (Download) Social covenants and social contracts in transitions – Seth D Kaplan, Author and Professorial Lecturer in the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University. Reprinted by permission of NOREF. Kaplan’s latest books – BETRAYED: Politics, Power, and Prosperity and FIXING FRAGILE STATES: A New Paradigm for Development Structurally fragile states are plagued by deeply entrenched sociopolitical and institutional problems. They harbour uniquely formidable obstacles to stability, development and democracy. Too often, international efforts to aid transitions in these places fail because they emphasise the importance of the vertical state – society relationship and social contract while completely ignoring the factors shaping the horizontal dynamics within society that determine how the state–society relationship evolves and whether or not such a contract can even be fashioned. A better approach would address these challenges directly, by developing a “social covenant” that brings together various ethnic, religious, clan and ideological groups to create a more inclusive and sustainable political process and social contract. As South Africa’s transition shows, a society that has reached agreement on its fundamental principles and values (e.g. who is a citizen and what makes for a legitimate government) through a social covenant is much better equipped to forge a sustainable social contract than one divided by stark fault lines, especially when institutions are weak and unable to enforce rules and commitments. Although domestic actors have the predominant role in any transition, the international community can play a pivotal role in supporting the negotiation process and shaping the transition framework and in both monitoring commitments and ensuring that they are kept. All transitions are not created equal. Some soar while others sink. What divides the ones that work from the ones that fail? Perhaps surprisingly, it has less to do with formal institutions and politics than with the dynamics inside societies that drive what occurs on the overt political level. To grasp this is the beginning of wisdom about transitions and how to help them fly rather than flop. The headline-making difficulties of the “Arab Spring” countries as they strive to transition to a more inclusive and democratic style of government repeat a familiar pattern. A large number of states – including Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Egypt, Iraq and Libya – have entered transitions with high hopes and then struggled. More often than not, the international community has found that its frameworks and tools have been inadequate even to explain, let alone solve, the problems that hold these countries back. Perhaps as many as 100 countries have transitioned to new political orders over the last few decades. Some of these have been among the world’s 60 or so structurally fragile states, [1] which are plagued by deeply entrenched sociopolitical and institutional problems. These fragile states are unlike other states. They function according to a different set of sociopolitical dynamics from more cohesive and institutionalised countries, and harbour uniquely formidable obstacles to stability, development and democracy. They are far more likely than other countries to have difficulties when changing political regimes. Because of these problems, those who seek to aid transitions must let the differences among citizens of fragile states take centre stage. Too often, international efforts are beset by tunnel vision. They focus tightly on a narrow view of governance, ignoring the critical factors that truly determine success in these places. A 2012 OECD (Office for Economic Co-operation and Development) report on fragile states (Letouzé and Catheu), for instance, emphasised the importance of the vertical state–society relationship 15 times and the social contract 13 times through its 108 pages, but completely ignored the factors shaping the horizontal dynamics within society that determine how the state–society relationship evolves and whether such a contract can even be fashioned. As transitions in Tunisia and Egypt hang in the balance or flounder, states from Libya to Burma enter crucial periods, and places such as Afghanistan and Iraq continue to struggle, there is a critical need for a broader framework that better targets the problems fragile states face during transitions. This report will examine how fragile states differ from other countries before proposing a new approach to address their challenges. Why fragile states differ Can a state navigate transitions and other challenges? It can if its people can cooperate with one another and if its institutions (formal and informal) can channel this cooperation to meet needs. These two factors shape how a government interacts with its citizens; how officials, politicians, military officers and businesspeople behave; how well different groups within society cooperate; and how effective foreign efforts to upgrade governance will be. In short, they determine to what degree a society is able to nurture a locally driven, productive system of governance – a prerequisite for any attempt to develop or democratise. Together with the set of policies adopted by the government, they determine a country’s capacity to advance. Fragile states fall short in both areas. Their populations have little capacity to cooperate in pursuit of public goods. Put differently, they suffer from political-identity fragmentation due to ethnic, religious, clan or ideological divisions within society. When combined with weak (or dysfunctional) institutions, political-identity fragmentation works in a vicious circle that severely undermines the legitimacy of the state, leading to political orders that are highly unstable and hard to reform. A strong national identity is crucial to the creation of state legitimacy, because a legitimate political order is usually built around a cohesive group and uses institutions which reflect that group’s historical evolution. A cohesive national identity depends on many factors. History can matter more than ethnic or religious diversity, as India’s and Indonesia’s cohesion attest. In both of these cases, enough of a common history and culture, a long enough period of colonialism, a strong enough set of common institutions, and good leadership at critical points accustomed their peoples to an overarching national identity. Nation-states, usually created through a long process over hundreds of years involving brutal wars, savage power politics, ethnic cleansing, forced assimilation and considerable greed and egotism as well as the building of highways and schools), have the strongest social cohesion. Countries with strong social cohesion are based on what Benedict Anderson (1983) would call an “imagined community” able to differentiate between compatriots and outsiders. [2 ]The affinitive power of a common national identity and group allegiance channels itself into country development, yielding states that are more stable, better governed, more development oriented and better able to deal with crises, because common challenges trigger cooperation. When South Korea faced a financial meltdown in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, its citizens largely eschewed bickering, seeking to make personal sacrifices to the nation. Individuals queued for hours to donate their valuables – including gold, wedding rings, jewellery and medals – in a gesture of support for their beleaguered economy (BBC News, 1998). It is difficult to imagine the citizens of Lebanon – or any other country sporting stark political-identity fractures – responding similarly. Although the Lebanese national anthem proclaims “all of us for the nation”, a 2009 New York Times article quoted a Beirut sign undressing this empty platitude: “All of us for which nation?” (Worth, 2009). Countries must continuously attend to the ties that bind their people together or risk seeing cleavages form as a result of events or processes that weaken their unifying identities and national social cohesion. Where social cohesion is lacking, political fragmentation and weak governing bodies feed upon each other in a vicious cycle. This brings about low levels of social cohesion, trust, sense of citizenship and state legitimacy, while creating incentives (and informal institutions) that encourage leaders and officials to act in ways that undermine formal institutions and state–society relations. This leads to greater conflict, poorer governance, poorer development outcomes and greater instability. Divisions of this nature also make it hard to form apolitical state bodies capable of distributing public services and applying the law evenly. As William Easterly has written, diversity only dampens economic growth in the absence of effective institutions (2000: 12). Fragile states in transition Transitions test states more than any other type of challenge. Changes of political regime create power vacuums and unleash powerful collective emotions. Competing political identities surge in importance just as the formal structures of government are least able to manage them. These pressures throw into stark relief the differences between fragile and resilient states. Resilient states are able to fall back on strong social bonds, trust and informal institutions that promote cooperation despite differences of opinion; fragile states, by definition, lack such resources. As a result, the forces unleashed by a transition bring together a society in a resilient state while pushing apart a society in a fragile state. Resilient states can work even when their governments fall. Leaders come together to settle disputes in ways that build trust, strengthen ties and lead to the establishment of a new and widely accepted political order. In fragile states, the reverse is often true. During transitions, leaders compete in ways that undermine trust, weaken bonds and yield an unstable political order with low legitimacy. The power vacuum in a resilient state is quickly filled. In fragile ones, crisis acts as a centrifuge, splitting society into its component parts. Contrast Somalia’s and Somaliland’s experiences since the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991. Somaliland has become one of the world’s most surprising success stories since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991. It has thriven because it is mainly based on one clan that has its own traditional system of institutions which everyone follows, and the system works to produce outcomes beneficial to the society and country. This combination has enabled it to offer a secure environment for businesses – encouraging trade and investment – and to resolve internal disputes (over such things as power and money) in the absence of strong formal state institutions. Somalia, by contrast, has been an abysmal failure as a state because the country’s clans constantly compete for resources, frustrating every attempt to establish a national government. It has very limited cohesion – despite a common language and ethnicity – and no institutions robust enough to funnel activity towards productive outcomes. International assistance has not helped; despite at least 15 peace initiatives and more than $8 billion of aid spent on efforts to create a strong state since 1991, the country still lacks anything remotely like a robust central government (Gettleman, 2008). (Somaliland has done well despite, or perhaps because of, a dearth of assistance from the international community. It is ineligible for many types of aid because it remains unrecognised as an independent state.) Social covenants As these examples indicate, in fragile states, horizontal society–society dynamics are closely linked to vertical state–society relationships, and often have an important impact on how these relationships evolve. Thus, they have an immense impact on whether a social contract can be fashioned and what its nature will be if it eventually is. In such places, developing a “social covenant” that brings together various ethnic, religious, clan and ideological groups is essential to creating a more inclusive and sustainable political process and social contract.[3] In social covenants, the major groups within a society come together and agree on a new framework and vision for cooperation. [4] They can play an important role in binding society together in ways that encourage cooperation, strengthen governance and promote state building. Forged from negotiations between different groups (and thus more akin to a society–society compact than a state–society compact), social covenants build a common identity, common values, a common narrative that defines the origins and make-up of political society, and a common sense of purpose for the state that people live in. In essence, they are less about state building than society building (which yields a unified political community), fashioned with the understanding that a cohesive society is a prerequisite for a successful state. Although both social covenants and social contracts are important, they serve different purposes. As Jonathan Sacks explains (2007: 110): Social contract creates a state; social covenant creates a society. Social contract is about power and how it is to be handled within a political framework. Social covenant is about how people live together despite their differences. Social contract is about government. Social covenant is about coexistence. Social contract is about laws and their enforcement. Social covenant is about the values we share. Social contract is about the use of potentially coercive force. Social covenant is about moral commitments, the values we share and the ideals that inspire us to work together for the sake of the common good. Social covenants have long played a crucial role in nation building. For instance, they played an important role in the development of England, Scotland, the Netherlands and Switzerland in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, helping to establish some of the world’s first nation-states. These peoples, as Daniel Elazar has written, “not only conceived of civil society in covenantal terms, but actually wrote national covenants to which loyal members of the body politic subscribed” (Elazar, 1995). When the Scots sought to resist Charles I’s interference in the Church of Scotland in the 1630s and 1640s, large numbers of Scottish noblemen, gentry, clergy and burgesses signed the Scottish National Covenant to assert their independence (the “Covenanter movement”). In the United States, social covenants played a prominent role in the establishment of early communities (such as the Puritans), individual colonies (especially in the north) and eventually the whole country. The Declaration of Independence, the U.S.’s founding document, is, in essence, a covenant developing a new relationship between a set of people sharing common values (the constitution, which followed 11 years later, is the social contract). Social covenants are crucial to building legitimate political orders in fragile states because such countries are generally colonial fabrications imposed on local populations and viewed as artificial impositions. Thus, they lack a common national identity and have populations with stark differences in loyalties, values and priorities. As Michael Hudson explains in his classic study of the “legitimacy shortage” in Arab politics (1977: 389–90): a legitimate political order … has to be [based on] some consensus about national identity, some agreement about the boundaries of the political community, and some collective understanding of national priorities. If the population within given political boundaries is so deeply divided within itself on ethnic or class [or, for that matter, religious or clan] lines, or if the demands of a larger supranational community are compelling to some [significant] portion of it, then it is extremely difficult to develop a legitimate order. In the 60 or so fragile states that face this dilemma, the establishment of a widely accepted and widely obeyed social contract is very hard to achieve if the most important groups within society do not come together to reach a consensus on how they will cooperate and what common vision will shape the nature of the state they share. Thinking in terms of covenants does not take for granted that an actual agreement is reached, any more than thinking in terms of a social contract does. However, in societies riven by divisions and lacking any organization – such as the state – that can be relied upon to play umpire among competing groups, some form of agreement – even if implicit – among major identity and ideological groups is crucial to ending conflict and dividing up power in a way that ensures a degree of common understanding of what the national identity is and how the state ought to work. Without a working agreement or its informal equivalent, the chase after power and resources is likely to be viewed as a zero-sum game between competitors, not compatriots – with predictably dire effects. Combining social covenants and social contracts Social covenants and social contracts complement and reinforce each other. Building a nation goes hand in hand with building a state. A commitment to developing an inclusive, unified polity goes hand in hand with developing a robust rule of law and an equitable framework for determining how power will be distributed. Building social cohesion and a common identity go hand in hand with developing accountable, democratic government. A covenantal society that has reached agreement on its fundamental principles and values (e.g. who is a citizen and what makes for a legitimate government) is much better equipped to forge a sustainable social contract than one divided by stark fault lines, especially when institutions are weak and unable to enforce rules and commitments. This is particularly so when covenants can strengthen and enforce commitments by building upon widely accepted traditions and beliefs, such as was the case for Protestant groups who used the concept in Europe and North America in the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. Given this, working with a set of principles and values that are widely shared across social divisions – and can be based on, for example, religion or a common cultural outlook – is essential if stark fault lines are to be overcome. Social covenants and contracts combined offer a broader and more comprehensive approach than focusing on either elite bargains or the quest for inclusive enough politics and processes. Covenants accomplish more than an elite bargain, binding both leaders and groups together under a stronger, more public agreement, and taking into account minority rights, historical grievances and differing perceptions about the role of religion in public life. If necessary, an elite bargain can be subsumed within a covenant. Social covenants and contracts together address a much broader set of issues than a focus on process and politics alone, as they help to build a unified political society, creating greater trust between groups, greater legitimacy for the resulting processes and greater state capacity (due to greater support for state actions) as a result. These, in turn, contribute to efforts aimed at improving the quality of governance. The two agreements also provide a mechanism to directly address the sectarian fault lines, horizontal inequities (economical, political and cultural inequities between identity groups) and discrimination in public services delivery that plague fragile states in a way that elite bargains and processes, and politics generally, cannot. The South African success story: how did they do it? Perhaps the best recent example of how the approach that we might call “a covenant plus a contract” can work in practice is the experience of South Africa. Despite being riven by decades of conflict and the long, sad history of apartheid, the country managed one of the most successful transitions in recent times, providing a template for how difficult transitions can be carried out in other deeply splintered societies. The 1991–1992 Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) brought together most of the major actors in an attempt to broker an agreement. Although this failed, it nurtured the relationships and set the stage for the 1992 Record of Understanding between the most important representatives of whites (the National Party or NP) and blacks (the African National Congress or ANC). This dealt with a constitutional assembly, an interim government, political prisoners, dangerous weapons and mass action, and restarted the negotiation process after the failure of CODESA. These two leading parties – the NP and the ANC – then worked together to reach bilateral consensus on the issues before taking them to the other parties, which by this time (April 1993) were all engaged in the political negotiations (white right-wing parties and some leading black parties had stayed out of CODESA). Finally, with international assistance (led by the former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and the British former Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington) to overcome some brinkmanship towards the end (led by the mainly Zulu Inkatha Freedom Party), an agreement amongst the major societal groups was completed. This final agreement – the social covenant – forced everyone to make concessions. The ANC got what it wanted – the transfer of power – in return for various protections for groups who feared what was sure to be a long period of one-party dominance after the transfer. The NP was promised a role in government for five years as part of the ruling coalition after the first post-transition election, held in 1994. The nature of the capitalist economy and the role of private property in it were maintained,ensuring that white assets would not be seized, as was widely feared. Decentralisation gave Inkatha, whites and other groups greater access to power at the provincial level. The Zulu monarchy was given special status. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established to deal with politically motivated crimes committed during the apartheid era in a way that would promote reconciliation and limit prosecutions. The constitution – the formal social contract that would guide the relationship between state and society – was drawn up by the parliament elected in 1994 in the first non-racial elections (but had to include a collection of “constitutional principles” that were agreed upon during the pre-transition negotiations), and was promulgated in 1996. With Nelson Mandela, leader of the ANC, playing a crucial role before, during and after the process, [5] the country achieved remarkable reconciliation between groups that had been in conflict for decades, and established a new national identity that brought people together in a way previously not thought possible. This identity, based on a highly tolerant, highly inclusive vision of South Africa as a multicultural “rainbow nation”, has been ritually celebrated at sports events (such as the 1995 Rugby World Cup), arts and cultural events (such as the 1997 South African Music Awards) and other fora across the country (Baines, 1998). In Tunisia, something akin to a social covenant was constructed years before the Arab Spring. The four major opposition political parties came together in 2003 to reach a consensus on the fundamental principles of how the country would be governed if they came to power. In the “Call from Tunis”, they agreed on such things as the role of elections, religion, Muslim-Arab values and women in society. Starting in 2005, these and smaller parties met to reaffirm their commitment to these principles while working to reach a consensus on the details of how they would be implemented. These agreements – as well as the relationships built while forging them – have allowed Islamic and secular leaders to overcome their mutual fears and distrust, and laid the groundwork for the relatively successful (if still highly imperfect and incomplete) transition that the country has experienced since 2011. Although negotiations over the constitution – the social contract – remain fraught, eventual agreement is still likely because the social covenant seems solid (Stepan, 2012). In contrast, Egypt has done remarkably little to develop a unified political society, build trust between its major factions or create a consensus about what the country’s identity and fundamental guiding principles ought to be, despite starting with a relatively cohesive and institutionalized state. Its post-transition governments have all acted exclusively, seeking to steamroll opponents rather than co-opt them. The result is much more conflict than necessary, and a process that is deemed illegitimate by many, even though a majority of the population voted for the country’s first elected president and now supports the military regime that toppled him. The rest of the region – including Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and Iraq – all suffer from similar problems to those of Egypt. One of the biggest challenges involved in forging social covenants and contracts is determining whom to include and whom to exclude from the process. The “winners” from any transition are generally reluctant to work with members (or partners) of the former regime, minority groups that played no prominent role in the changeover, former extremists who want to join the process and so on. Nonetheless, they should overcome their reluctance. In places such as Iraq and Libya, the shunning of members of the previous regime has weakened the capacity of the state; the shunning of members of the former dominant ethnic or tribal group has hardened social divisions and produced violence. The more inclusive the new regime is, the more likely it is to be stable, sustainable and successful. Some spoilers, however, will act in ways that make them too hard or too dangerous to work with, and will need to be excluded or confronted, sometimes with a show of force. Violent radicals, exclusionary democrats, secessionists and members of the former regime who refuse to accept the disposition of the new one will have to be contained or mollified; otherwise, the transition may suffer severe consequences. In Tunisia, a reluctance to take proper security measures against a radical Islamist movement came back to haunt the first government elected after the transition, when members of that movement attacked police officers, soldiers and the U.S. embassy in Tunis, and assassinated two opposition politicians. Unfortunately, it may be difficult at times to discern which groups and individuals should be brought in and which groups should be excluded from the process. The international role Although domestic actors have the predominant role in any transition, the international community can make a substantial contribution in a few areas. However, first it needs to create transition strategies that work in fragile states. This requires a much stronger focus on the society–society relationships that have so much influence on how countries evolve and their prospects for developing successful social contracts. The social covenant can play a crucial role here, and should be integrated into efforts to help countries whose divisions mean that they lack a cohesive political society. Intervention in its various forms can be pivotal in supporting the negotiation process and shaping the transition framework. More often than not, forging social covenants and contracts will require long discussions that gradually build up trust, bring in an ever greater number of parties, find creative solutions and compromises, and design new ways of governing and changing power. Outside mediators can play a crucial role. Foreign aid can play a crucial role in overcoming short-term financial shortfalls, encouraging “buy-in” even on the part of would-be spoilers and helping an economy to reform. Technical assistance can help reform institutions. Providing a wide range of information about the experiences and methods of other countries and how they dealt with similar challenges can be of particular help as local actors seek solutions that fit their own contexts. After agreements have been reached, international actors can also prove pivotal in both monitoring commitments and ensuring that they are kept. When trust between parties is low and local institutions are weak or missing, there is nothing like having an honest referee. In this capacity, international actors can enforce standards and agreements by both rewarding good performance and threatening sanctions on specific players for a lack of performance, ask the World Bank or International Monetary Fund to monitor economic reforms and even deploy troops as a security guarantee. International actors can also play a direct role in helping to ensure that funds are spent reasonably well (as they do in Liberia) or that the rule of law gains traction (as they do to some extent in Guatemala).[6] Transitions are a difficult challenge for any country. In fragile states, they can easily degenerate into conflict, authoritarianism or permanent instability, with dire consequences for economies and livelihoods. Forging a social covenant early in the process, joining together major social groups, is crucial to ensuring that an inclusive and legitimate political process will take root and become widely accepted. Even if not developed into full written agreements, these can play a decisive role in transforming the social relationships that must underpin any attempt at state building. [1] I use the term “structurally fragile” to refer to a set of countries whose political geography systemically disadvantages them (see below for more detail). This grouping has much overlap with what are known as “fragile and conflict-affected states”, but is not the same; not all conflicts are caused by structural fragility and not all stable states are structurally stable. [2] I refer here to horizontal, not vertical, social cohesion. The former, which I consider more important, looks at how strong the “social glue” is that ties people. The latter, which is often emphasised in the development field, looks at levels of inequity. For more information, see <http://www.fragilestates.org/2012/03/12/horizontal- versus-vertical-social-cohesion-why-the-differences-matter/>. The phrase “imagined communities” is typically used to identify nation-states, which make up the great majority of highly cohesive countries. [3] Daniel Elazar pioneered contemporary work on the use of social covenants in political thought. See <http://www.jcpa.org/dje/index-cov.htm>. [4] The idea of social covenants comes from Jewish and Christian theology. The Bible often uses the concept, and it was once the regular subject of theological treatises, even though it involves politics more than religion; see Elazar (1995). [5] People such as F. W. de Klerk, Cyril Ramaphosa, Roelf Meyer and Joe Slovo also played crucial roles during the negotiations. [6] This section borrows from World Bank (2012: 188–191). Seth Kaplan is a Professorial Lecturer in the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of Betrayed: Politics, Power, and Prosperity (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013), which examines ways to foster the political change and economic opportunity that will produce more inclusive societies and empower the poor. His book Fixing Fragile States: A New Paradigm for Development (Praeger Security International, 2008) has been read widely by policymakers and academics from Brussels to Beijing. He runs the website – www.fragilestates.org

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< Professionals Lorraine B. Halloway Retired Partner lhalloway@crowellretiredpartners.com Lorraine B. Halloway (Lorry) is a retired partner and was resident in the Washington, D.C. office of Crowell & Moring, where she served as chair of the Aviation Group and was a member of the International Trade Group. She helped clients resolve aviation regulatory and export control/embargo issues beginning in 1986. Lorry counseled and represented airlines, forwarders, charter operators, manufacturers, shippers, and trade associations in enforcement, fitness, licensing, and rulemaking proceedings before the Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Homeland Security, federal courts and foreign governments. Examples include: Advised a major U.S. airline, regional airlines, and foreign airlines on DOT's consumer protection rules and drafted comments for clients in related rulemaking proceedings. Represented U.S. and foreign airlines before DOT, FAA, and other federal agencies. Served as general counsel to the Regional Airline Association and advised Helicopter Association International on aviation issues. Defended shippers and carriers in civil penalty cases arising under DOT's Hazardous Materials Regulations. Represented Continental Airlines in administrative and judicial challenges that led to withdrawal of FAA's slot auction rules. Represented several airline petitioners in a judicial challenge to assessments of additional security fees. Led a team that prepared comments for a key airline trade association on the FAA's flight and duty time rulemaking proposal. Export Control/Embargoes Lorry represented a wide-range of clients before the Bureau of Industry & Security (Commerce Department), Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (State Department), Office of Foreign Assets Control (Treasury Department), and the Department of Homeland Security. She interpreted export laws and regulations, advised on licensing and embargo issues, drafted export control compliance programs and trained on their implementation, conducted audits and investigations, recommended and formulated corrective actions, and prepared voluntary disclosures. She also represented clients in enforcement proceedings involving alleged violations of customs, export control, and embargo laws and regulations. Lorry's export control clients included large and small U.S.-based companies and foreign entities. Before joining Crowell & Moring, Lorry served as a law clerk at the District of Columbia Court of Appeals (1979-80) and as a trial attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (1980-84). Lorry was recognized as a leading aviation attorney by Chambers USA. In 2011, she received the International Law Office Client Choice Award in the U.S. Aviation category. University of Wisconsin, B.A. (1969) Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, J.D. (1979) Practices, Focus Areas & Industries Administrative Law & Regulatory Sanctions & Embargoed Countries M N O P Q R-U Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with more than 500 lawyers representing clients in litigation and arbitration, regulatory, and transactional matters. The firm is internationally recognized for its representation of Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation, as well as its ongoing commitment to pro bono service and diversity. The firm has offices in Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, London, and Brussels. View Desktop Site | Mobile Sitemap Contact | Subscribe | Terms of Use | Privacy Statement | Alumni © Crowell & Moring LLP 2020 Attorney advertising - prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

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77 F. 3d 1525 - United States v. S Ross 77 F3d 1525 United States v. S Ross 77 F.3d 1525 107 Ed. Law Rep. 484 Thomas S. ROSS and John Collori, Defendants-Appellants. Nos. 92-1449 & 92-1685. Seventh Circuit. Argued Sept. 18, 1995. Decided Feb. 2, 1996. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, No. 90 CR 579; Charles R. Norgle, Sr., Judge. Deborah A. Devaney (argued), Office of the United States Attorney, Criminal Division, Chicago, IL, Barry Rand Elden, Chief of Appeals, Office of the United States Attorney, Criminal Appellate Division, Chicago, IL, for United States. Thomas S. Ross (argued), Highland Park, IL, pro se. Standish E. Willis (argued), Chicago, IL, for John Collori. Before FLAUM, KANNE, and ROVNER, Circuit Judges. KANNE, Circuit Judge. Thomas Ross and his brother, John Collori, profited by defrauding financially needy students in search of an education and the federal government aid programs that attempted to give them one. As officers of the Illinois School of Commerce, which Ross owned and Collori worked for, the defendants engaged in a complicated scheme to receive undeserved federal financial aid funds and student loan monies, use these funds for their own personal benefit, refuse to refund these monies to the government and the students that were entitled to them, and repeatedly falsify records and financial documents to conceal their wrongdoing. To further their scheme, the defendants made false statements to auditing accountants, Department of Education investigators, and financial institutions. And in the end, after the school had gone bankrupt, Ross violated his fiduciary duty to the school's creditors (including the victims of their scheme) by improperly transferring school assets to himself and one of his friends. After a jury trial, Ross and Collori were convicted of several crimes, including mail and wire fraud, false statements, misapplication and embezzlement, and bankruptcy fraud. On appeal, the defendants raise a flood of arguments. Between them, they challenge the timeliness of the indictment, the jury instructions, the sufficiency of the evidence upon which they were convicted, and the calculation of their sentences. We affirm their convictions and sentences in all respects. I. HISTORY In 1977, defendant Thomas Ross founded the Illinois School of Commerce ("ISC"), a for-profit business school located in downtown Chicago. For the next eleven years until the school's closing, Ross acted as ISC's president and sole shareholder. Ross's brother, defendant John Collori, joined ISC in December 1981 and served as the school's vice president of business services until he left for a brief period in May 1984. Collori returned to ISC in October 1985 and acted as the school's chief financial officer until it closed in May 1988. In April 1982, ISC entered into a Program Participation Agreement with the Department of Education ("DOE"), allowing ISC to participate in Title IV student financial aid programs. The school was authorized to act as a "disbursing agent" for the federally funded Pell Grant program and to receive student loan checks as part of the federally insured and subsidized Guaranteed Student Loan ("GSL") program. Continued participation in these programs was contingent upon ISC's compliance with applicable DOE regulations and upon accreditation by an approved accrediting association, ISC was accredited by the Association of Independent Colleges and Schools ("AICS"). A short note on program mechanics. The Pell Grant program provided educational grants of approximately $2,000 per year to needy ISC students. ISC was required to submit cash request forms to the DOE for monies needed to fund student enrollments for the thirty days following submission of the form. Based on these requests, the DOE would transfer funds from the United States Treasury to ISC's cash control account, where the school was to hold the funds in trust for the federal government. When qualifying students enrolled and completed their financial aid applications, the school was authorized to transfer corresponding cash control account monies into the school's operating account to pay the students' tuition debts. ISC utilized a system wherein the school officers filled out vouchers to document the number of eligible students with completed financial aid applications, so as to prevent excess transfers out of the cash control account. When a student would withdraw from school, ISC was required to refund the unused portion of grant monies to the cash control account. ISC was to offset any extra monies in the cash control account--either excess cash requests or refunds for withdrawn students--against future cash requests. To monitor the use of Pell Grant monies, the DOE required schools like ISC to file quarterly cash transaction reports. These reports were intended to reflect the quarterly amount of Pell Grant monies transferred to the operating account for student tuition debts, as well as the balance in the cash control account at the end of the quarter. Unlike Pell Grants, loans under the GSL program were not made out of federal government funds. Instead, the loans were offered by banks and other financial institutions. The federal government's role was to administer the program, to guarantee that the loans were paid (thus assuring an exceptionally low interest rate), and in many cases to subsidize the loans by making interest payments during the time when the student debtors were still enrolled in school. After a qualifying student completed his application, the lending institution would send a loan check directly to ISC. The check would be made payable jointly to ISC and the recipient student, and both signatures were necessary to cash the check. Once cashed, the check would be deposited directly into the operating account and used to cover the student's tuition debt. When a student withdrew from school or had a credit balance, DOE regulations instructed that the school was to refund the money to the student within standards set by the school's accrediting agency. In order to maintain accreditation, AICS required GSL refunds to be paid within thirty days. These refunds were particularly important because even if ISC failed to properly refund loan monies, the student debtor would nonetheless remain fully liable for the total amount of the loan. ISC catered primarily to low-income students who qualified for federal financial aid funds. In fact, an estimated 99 percent of ISC's tuition payments were received through the Pell Grant and GSL programs, and only one in every two hundred ISC students was able to attend without financial aid. The nature of this student population allowed an extraordinary amount of federal financial aid funds to enter into ISC's accounts, and by 1987, when the school filed for bankruptcy, Ross and Collori had misappropriated over $1.4 million owed to students and the DOE. Soon after ISC became eligible to participate in the federal financial aid programs, Ross and Collori commenced a pattern of abusing the Pell Grant program in order to improperly funnel excess government funds into the school and to conceal the fact that they were doing so. In order to bring in extra funds, both Ross and Collori filed numerous monthly cash request forms with the DOE that grossly overestimated ISC's projected Pell Grant needs by understating cash on hand levels. Although junior ISC employees informed the defendants of the cash control account's growing excess balance, the defendants ignored these figures and filed the request forms with inflated cash requirements they had derived out of whole cloth. The excess money did not merely remain in the cash control account, however. Ross repeatedly directed that monies be transferred out of the cash control account without supporting student enrollment vouchers, many times for his own personal expenses. By June 1984, ISC had appropriated $594,000 more in Pell Grant money than was justified by student enrollment. Yet despite this excess, Ross submitted cash request forms to draw down another $555,000 from the Treasury in October and November of 1984. In order to conceal the excess transfers out of the cash control account from both periodic auditors and the DOE, Ross directed ISC personnel to backdate several student enrollment vouchers, making it appear that the withdrawals had been justified. Ross and Collori also caused the quarterly cash transaction reports filed with the DOE to be falsified. Unlike the cash request forms, the transaction reports would overstate the balance in the cash control account, masking the improper withdrawals from the cash control account. In October 1985, DOE Special Agent Rex Livengood conducted an inspection of ISC's participation in the Pell Grant program and was given a spreadsheet purporting to track the activity in the cash control account for the year ending June 1985. In reality, Ross had directed that the spreadsheet be altered to conceal improper withdrawals and an excess balance. In 1986, when ISC Financial Aid Director Michael Shields once approached Collori about the incorrect cash control account figures listed on a transaction report, Collori told him: "There are things that you don't need to know, Michael. Don't worry. I'm protecting you from this. I don't want you to be involved in it." When the school closed in 1987, it was $552,000 overdrawn on Pell Grant money. The defendants similarly abused the GSL program. ISC consistently failed to pay refunds, except to those students who complained the loudest. In 1984, AICS became concerned about ISC's failure to pay refunds and ordered an outside audit. Ross retained the accounting firm of Miller, Cooper to perform the audit, but he made several false representations concerning refund and tax debts during the audit. On the basis of the false information, Miller, Cooper issued an opinion letter to AICS certifying ISC's financial statements. However, when Miller, Cooper learned of Ross's falsities, they withdrew their opinion letter. To conceal the problem, Ross ordered Miller, Cooper not to turn over any work papers to the DOE. He then hired another accountant, J.V. Springman, to review the false financial statements. Relying on Ross's falsities, Springman issued a comfort letter, which Ross forwarded directly to AICS. Ross then sent AICS financial statements for 1984-85 that had been falsified to conceal refund and tax debts. In 1986, Ross and Collori performed a "recalculation" of withdrawn students' accounts, changing withdrawal dates to be more recent in order to conceal refund liability. In 1987, outside accountant Robert Weaver performed a required periodic audit. Collori lied and assured Weaver that all refunds had been timely paid during 1986-87, even though the school's records evidenced over $885,000 in outstanding refunds due at that time. Collori attempted to delay the discovery of his lie to Weaver by ordering a staff member to mix up student records before producing them for inspection. As ISC's refund arrearage grew, Ross and Collori became more aggressive in their attempts to funnel excess loan money into the school. They instituted a program whereby withdrawn students that owed the school any money whatsoever were offered $100 to sign their entire GSL checks over to the school. For instance, one student that owed $35 received $100 in exchange for endorsing her $1,246 loan check to ISC--a loan she remained fully liable for. When the school finally closed, DOE officials estimated ISC's refund arrearage to be between $885,597 and $938,178, depending on the method of calculation. During this entire financial shell game, Ross and Collori were appropriating funds for their own personal use. Ross made a downpayment on a yacht with $45,000 traceable to the Pell Grant cash control account. As ISC's sole shareholder, Ross authorized the school to make him a $1 million "loan." Much of the loan was spent on a failed attempt to launch an ISC campus in California; the rest was used for yacht loan payments and for $46,000 of home furnishings. In addition to these expenditures, Ross used $261,000 of ISC's money for commodities trading, $48,000 for limousine expenses, and $45,000 for a downpayment on a Mercedes. Ross also took $800,000 in bonuses in order to reduce the balance of his $1 million loan from ISC. It is difficult to see these amounts as equity profit disbursements, given the school's growing refund arrearages at the time. Collori received more than $300,000 from ISC, in the form of a salary, fees for acting as a consultant, and even company payments of his child support obligations. Many of these payments were made during the period when Collori was not actually working at the school. In 1986, Ross refinanced his yacht loan with the Harris Bank, a federally insured institution. On the application and his personal financial statement, he failed to disclose that he owed $749,000 to ISC. Ross also submitted ISC financial statements to Harris Bank, but altered them to conceal his identity as the school's primary debtor. Relying on this misinformation, Harris Bank gave Ross the refinancing for his yacht loan and suffered a $37,000 loss when Ross later defaulted. On July 13, 1987, Collori and Ross could no longer bail water rapidly enough to keep the school afloat, and ISC filed for bankruptcy reorganization under Chapter 11. Yet in violation of his fiduciary duty to the creditors as an officer of the debtor, Ross began secretly paying money from the bankrupt school to himself and one of his friends. These payments were made both directly and as purported payment for nonexistent services provided by shell corporations. After a criminal investigation and two initial indictments, Ross and Collori were charged in a third superseding indictment on May 29, 1991. For their scheme to defraud the federal government and the students of ISC, they were each charged with several counts of mail fraud, wire fraud, making false statements regarding a matter within the jurisdiction of the DOE, and knowingly and willfully misapplying federal financial aid funds. In addition, Ross was charged with two counts of making false statements to a federally insured institution and with three counts of bankruptcy fraud. After a trial, the jury convicted both defendants on all counts. The district court sentenced Ross to sixty months for all guidelines counts, two years concurrently on the remaining nonguidelines counts, and three years of supervised release. Collori was sentenced to fifty-two months on the guidelines counts, two years concurrently on the remaining nonguidelines counts, and three years of supervised release. Further, Ross and Collori were made jointly and severally liable for paying restitution in the amount of $1,000,100. Both defendants appeal their convictions and the calculation of their sentences. II. ANALYSIS A. Statute of Limitations Ross argues initially that the government's third superseding indictment, issued on May 29, 1991, was time barred because it was not brought within the five-year limitation period prescribed by 18 U.S.C. § 3282. Ross did not, however, raise this argument before the district court. Although the advisory committee note to FED.R.CRIM.P. 12(b) explains that failure to raise a statute of limitations argument in a pretrial motion will not result in waiver, it does not follow that a defendant is free to wait until appeal to first assert his objection. Statutes of limitation are not a jurisdictional bar to prosecution; they are an affirmative defense that must be raised by the defendant. United States v. Meeker, 701 F.2d 685, 687 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 826, 104 S.Ct. 96, 78 L.Ed.2d 102 (1983). And it is widely accepted that a statute of limitations defense is forfeited if not raised at the trial itself. See, United States v. O'Bryant, 998 F.2d 21, 23 n. 1 (1st Cir.1993); United States v. Walsh, 700 F.2d 846, 855 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 825, 104 S.Ct. 96, 78 L.Ed.2d 102 (1983); United States v. Karlin, 785 F.2d 90, 92-93 (3d Cir.1986), cert. denied, 480 U.S. 907, 107 S.Ct. 1351, 94 L.Ed.2d 522 (1987); United States v. Williams, 684 F.2d 296, 299 (4th Cir.1982), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1110, 103 S.Ct. 739, 74 L.Ed.2d 961 (1983); United States v. Arky, 938 F.2d 579, 581-82 (5th Cir.1991), cert. denied, 503 U.S. 908, 112 S.Ct. 1268, 117 L.Ed.2d 496 (1992); United States v. LeMaux, 994 F.2d 684 (9th Cir.1993); United States v. Gallup, 812 F.2d 1271, 1280 (10th Cir.1987); United States v. Wild, 551 F.2d 418, 424-25 (D.C.Cir.), cert. denied, 431 U.S. 916, 97 S.Ct. 2178, 53 L.Ed.2d 226 (1977). See also 1 CHARLES A. WRIGHT, FEDERAL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE § 193 (2d ed. 1982 & Supp.1995). As a result, we review Ross's argument only for plain error.1 FED.R.CRIM.P. 52(b). But of course plain error cannot be found where there is no error at all, United States v. Olano, 507 U.S. 725, 732-34, 113 S.Ct. 1770, 1777, 123 L.Ed.2d 508 (1993), and here Ross's argument fails on the merits. The Supreme Court has explained that statutes of limitation are "mechanisms to guard against possible ... prejudice resulting from the passage of time between crime and arrest or charge." United States v. Marion, 404 U.S. 307, 322, 92 S.Ct. 455, 464, 30 L.Ed.2d 468 (1971). They are "designed to protect individuals from having to defend themselves against charges when the basic facts may have become obscured by the passage of time and to minimize the danger of official punishment because of acts in the far-distant past." Toussie v. United States, 397 U.S. 112, 114-15, 90 S.Ct. 858, 860, 25 L.Ed.2d 156 (1970). However, once an indictment has been timely filed, the defendant is notified of the charge against him and may begin to prepare his defense. The mere restatement or superficial amendment of the charge in a subsequent indictment does not further prejudice the defendant and thus does not offend the purposes underlying the limitation period. Therefore, a superseding indictment that supplants a still-pending original indictment relates back to the original indictment's filing date so long as it neither materially broadens nor substantially amends the charges initially brought against the defendant. See O'Bryant, 998 F.2d at 23-24; United States v. Robilotto, 828 F.2d 940, 949 (2d Cir.1987), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 1011, 108 S.Ct. 711, 98 L.Ed.2d 662 (1988); United States v. Friedman, 649 F.2d 199, 203-04 (3d Cir.1981); United States v. Snowden, 770 F.2d 393, 398 (4th Cir.1985); United States v. Schmick, 904 F.2d 936, 940 (5th Cir.1990), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 1067, 111 S.Ct. 782, 112 L.Ed.2d 845 (1991); United States v. Lash, 937 F.2d 1077, 1081 (6th Cir.1991); United States v. Pacheco, 912 F.2d 297, 305 (9th Cir.1990); United States v. Davis, 953 F.2d 1482, 1491 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 504 U.S. 945, 112 S.Ct. 2286, 119 L.Ed.2d 210 (1992); United States v. Italiano, 894 F.2d 1280, 1282 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 896, 111 S.Ct. 246, 112 L.Ed.2d 205 (1990). When the third superseding indictment was returned against Ross on May 29, 1991, twenty of the indictment's thirty-five counts were still within the five-year limitation period. Regardless of any relation back, these charges clearly were not time barred. As to the fifteen counts that were beyond the limitation period (counts 7, 10, 11, 17-21, and 25-31), each had been timely handed down in either the original or the (first) superseding indictment and realleged in the second superseding indictment, which was pending at the time the third superseding indictment was filed. As explained above, these counts relate back to their original timely filing date so long as they neither materially broadened nor substantially amended the counts in the earlier indictments. They did neither. Ten of these fifteen counts (7, 10, 11, and 25-31) were identical in every respect to how they had appeared when they were first entered, and so were not broadened or amended at all. The five that were changed (counts 17-21) had been modified in only two minor respects: (1) reference to a specific Code of Federal Regulations provision had been deleted and replaced with the general words "federal regulations" to obviate confusion from a change in the regulations' numbering; and (2) the time period in which the conduct forming the basis of each count was alleged to have occurred was narrowed by one month. The first of these alterations was simply cosmetic; the second actually narrowed, rather than broadened, the time frame of the charge against the defendant. Neither of these superficial changes amounts to the kind of broadening or amendment that would prevent relation back to an earlier pending indictment. As a result, these fifteen counts relate back to their previous timely filings and, like the twenty timely counts, were not barred by the statute of limitations. B. Jury Instructions Ross makes several objections to the district court's jury instructions, all for the first time on appeal. FED.R.CRIM.P. 30 states that "[n]o party may assign as error any portion of the charge or omission therefrom unless that party objects thereto before the jury retires to consider its verdict, stating distinctly the matter to which that party objects and the grounds of the objection." Thus, when a defendant fails to object to jury instructions at trial, he has forfeited his right to assign error to those instructions on appeal, and we may review his arguments only for plain error. United States v. Cheek, 3 F.3d 1057, 1060 (7th Cir.1993), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 114 S.Ct. 1055, 127 L.Ed.2d 376 (1994); United States v. Windsor, 981 F.2d 943, 946 (7th Cir.1992); United States v. Stodola, 953 F.2d 266, 272 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 506 U.S. 834, 113 S.Ct. 104, 121 L.Ed.2d 63 (1992). Under this exacting standard, we have no power to reverse unless the defendant first demonstrates that (1) there was error; (2) the error was plain; and (3) the error affected the defendant's substantial rights. Olano, 507 U.S. at 732-35, 113 S.Ct. at 1777-78. Once the defendant has established these three requirements, we have the authority to correct the error, but we are not required to do so. Id. at 735-36, 113 S.Ct. at 1778. We will not reverse unless, in our discretion, we find the error seriously affects the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings. Id. at 736-37, 113 S.Ct. at 1779. 1. Character Evidence Ross argues that the district court erred in failing to instruct the jury that any witness's testimony about his good character would be sufficient, on its own, to create a reasonable doubt as to his guilt. However, this court has repeatedly held that such an instruction, while sometimes allowable, is never necessary. See, e.g., United States v. Harrington, 919 F.2d 449, 450 (7th Cir.1990); United States v. Burke, 781 F.2d 1234, 1239 (7th Cir.1985). Thus, Ross's argument falters on the first hurdle of the plain error inquiry because he has failed to demonstrate any error at all. 2. Materiality In counts 7 and 10-15, Ross was charged with several instances of making false statements concerning matters within the jurisdiction of the DOE, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001. As an element of this offense, the government was required to prove that Ross's untrue statements were "material." United States v. Brantley, 786 F.2d 1322, 1326 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 477 U.S. 908, 106 S.Ct. 3284, 91 L.Ed.2d 572 (1986). Ross contends that the district court erred by instructing the jury that "materiality" is an issue of law. At the time of trial, it was well settled in this circuit, as well as in most other circuits,2 that a false statement's materiality is a question of law to be decided by the court rather than the jury. See, e.g., United States v. Lesperance, 25 F.3d 553, 557 (7th Cir.1994); Moser v. United States, 18 F.3d 469, 473 (7th Cir.1994); United States v. Bullock, 857 F.2d 367, 370-71 (7th Cir.1988). Adhering to this precedent, the district court did not submit the question of materiality to the jury, but instead determined itself that the statements charged were "material" and instructed the jury to consider the element of materiality to be established as a matter of law. Since the time of trial, however, the Supreme Court has decided that the Sixth Amendment guarantees a criminal defendant's right to have a jury decide each and every element of the offense with which he is charged, including the issue of materiality. United States v. Gaudin, --- U.S. ----, ----, 115 S.Ct. 2310, 2320, 132 L.Ed.2d 444 (1995). This holding effectively overturned the settled precedent on which the district court relied in giving its instruction. Thus, Ross has satisfied the first requirement of plain error analysis by demonstrating that the district court committed an error, some deviation from a legal rule. See Olano, 507 U.S. at 732-34, 113 S.Ct. at 1777. The second requirement of plain error analysis is that the district court's error be "plain," which is synonymous with "clear" or "obvious." Id. The Supreme Court explained in Olano that this requirement, at a minimum, prevents us from reversing for plain error unless the district court's error is clear under current law, i.e., the law at the time of appellate review. Id. After Gaudin, the district court's error here is certainly clear under current law. However, the Supreme Court declined to address the special situation we have before us today: "where the error was unclear at the time of trial but becomes clear on appeal because the applicable law has been clarified." Olano, 507 U.S. at 734, 113 S.Ct. at 1777. We must decide whether "plain" should be interpreted as requiring the defendant to show that the district court's error was clear at the time of trial or merely at the time of appeal. The rule that an objection is forfeited if not raised at trial creates an incentive for defendants to raise objections where they may be most efficiently resolved--before the district court. Forfeiture respects the district courts' institutional competence for resolving questions that may often be heavily laden with factual issues, avoids squandering judicial resources on numerous needless appeals, and prevents defendants from strategically withholding objections in order to assert them on appeal and obtain a new trial. Plain error review creates a limited exception to the general forfeiture rule, in that where a district court's error shakes one's faith in the judicial process, an appellate court has the discretion to correct the error despite the defendant's failure to object at trial. The plain error rule is protective; it recognizes that in a criminal case, where a defendant's substantial personal rights are at stake, the rule of forfeiture should bend slightly if necessary to prevent a grave injustice. Accordingly, the stringent requirements of plain error review (including "plainness") must not be viewed as a yardstick for measuring the magnitude of the district court's mistake (a view under which interpreting "plain" as clear at the time of trial makes a great deal of sense). To do so would illogically shift the focus of plain error review from whether the severity of the error's harm demands reversal to whether the district court's action simply deserves rebuke. Instead, the plain error requirements should be interpreted as means to cabin the appellate court's discretion and to safeguard against erosion of the rule of forfeiture. The requirements that an error be "plain" and that it "affect substantial rights" limit the authority of the appellate courts, preventing them from correcting forfeited errors that are either questionable or inconsequential. When viewed as a limitation on appellate court power to circumvent forfeiture where an error is debatable, rather than as a measure of district court fault, the "plainness" inquiry must look to the error's certainty from the perspective of the appellate court. Thus, we now hold that for purposes of Rule 52(b), a "plain" error is one that is clear and uncontroverted at the time of appeal.3 Given that the district court's error is unquestionable after Gaudin, Ross has satisfied his second burden under the plain error standard. The third requirement of plain error analysis is that the error affected the defendant's "substantial rights." Olano, 507 U.S. at 734-35, 113 S.Ct. at 1777-78. The Supreme Court in Olano explained that this requirement calls for the same inquiry as "harmless error" analysis, except that here the defendant bears the burden of persuasion with respect to prejudice. Id. at 734-35, 113 S.Ct. at 1778. Harmless error inquiry in criminal cases is significantly more stringent than in civil cases. The hypothetical rational jury is irrelevant for appraising the prejudice of an error in a criminal jury trial. Harmless error analysis in the appeal of a criminal case asks "not whether, in a trial that occurred without the error, a guilty verdict would surely have been rendered, but whether the guilty verdict actually rendered in this trial was surely unattributable to the error." Sullivan v. Louisiana, 508 U.S. 275, 279, 113 S.Ct. 2078, 2081, 124 L.Ed.2d 182 (1993) (emphasis in original). Ross must only prove the converse. He need not establish that in a trial without the error, a reasonable jury would have acquitted him; he must demonstrate that the jury verdict in this case was actually affected by the district court's faulty instruction. Ross has no trouble making this showing. Materiality is an essential element of the false statement crimes with which Ross was charged. Brantley, 786 F.2d at 1326. But the issue of materiality was never submitted to the jury, and thus the jury necessarily relied on the district court's erroneous preemptive instruction when it found Ross guilty. This court has held that, in general, failure to submit an essential element of a criminal offense to the jury for determination cannot be harmless; it is necessarily prejudicial. United States v. Shetterly, 971 F.2d 67, 73 (7th Cir.1992); United States v. Kerley, 838 F.2d 932, 938 (7th Cir.1988). Where a defendant demonstrates this prejudice, the third part of the plain error analysis is satisfied. Thus, Ross has satisfied the prerequisites for plain error review by demonstrating that the district court erred, that the error is "plain," and that the error affected his "substantial rights." But exercise of the power to reverse under plain error review is permissive, not mandatory. The Supreme Court instructed in Olano that we should only reverse Ross's conviction if, in our discretion, we find that the district court's error seriously affects the fairness, integrity, and public reputation of judicial proceedings. 507 U.S. at 736-37, 113 S.Ct. at 1779. The Court further explained that merely because an error is "plain" and affects "substantial rights" does not, without more, satisfy this standard, else our discretion would be illusory. Id. Here, the government presented evidence sufficient to convince any rational factfinder that the defendants' false statements were material. In fact, the issue of materiality was not even significantly disputed by the defendants at trial. Furthermore, the district court acted properly according to established precedent when it decided that the statements were material, rather than allowing the jury to come to the same obvious conclusion. It would be an unnecessary waste of judicial resources to retry this case based on the district court's failure to submit overwhelming evidence of a barely disputed issue to the jury, especially given that the district court was following settled law at the time. As a result, we do not find that the district court's error brings into question the fairness, integrity, or reputation of judicial proceedings, and we decline the invitation to grant Ross a new trial. 3. Misapplication On counts 16-29, Ross was convicted of violating 20 U.S.C. § 1097(a), which at the time of trial provided: Any person who knowingly and willfully embezzles, misapplies, steals, or obtains by fraud, false statement, or forgery any funds, assets, or property provided or insured under this [title] shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both; but if the amount ... does not exceed $200, the fine shall not be more than $1,000 and imprisonment shall not exceed one year, or both. Ross contends that the district court's jury instructions on these counts constituted error in two ways, neither of which has merit. First, Ross argues that the instructions directed the jury that it could convict him for "fraud" and "false pretenses" when that language did not appear in the indictment. But Ross does not identify, and we cannot locate, the allegedly faulty instructions. For each and every count of misapplication and embezzlement, the language of the district court's instructions perfectly tracked the language of the indictment, and nowhere did the words "fraud" or "false pretenses" ever appear. Neither did the court mention "fraud" or "false pretenses" when it defined "misapply" and "embezzle" in the instructions. Thus, there is no support whatsoever for Ross's argument. Ross argues secondly that the instructions for counts 16-24, by reference to the indictment, directed the jury that it could convict him for "failure to make refunds" when that language was not added to § 1097(a) until long after Ross had been tried and convicted. Ross is correct that explicit language concerning the failure to refund federally insured funds was only added to § 1097(a) when the statute was amended in July of 1992 and that Ross's trial took place in 1991. However, failing to make refunds constituted misapplication within the meaning of § 1097(a) even prior to its amendment. As the legislative history of the 1992 amendment explains: "The conferees wish to emphasize that failure to pay refunds does constitute criminal misapplication under current law. Language is added in this bill merely as a clarification." H.R.Conf.Rep. No. 630, 102d Cong., 2d Sess. 513, reprinted in 1992 U.S.C.C.A.N. 628. Thus, the district court's directions that failure to properly refund federally insured monies can constitute misapplication were proper. 4. The DOE Regulatory Scheme At trial, Ross had offered to introduce into evidence a five-hundred-page exhibit setting out the text of applicable (as well as irrelevant) regulatory provisions. Some of the regulations detailed in the exhibit had been enacted after the period of Ross's alleged wrongdoing, and several of the regulations' reference numbers had changed over time. In light of the adequate testimonial evidence at trial concerning the regulations' relevant content, the district court in its discretion refused to admit the exhibit, reasoning that it would only confuse the jurors and would not aid in their understanding of the regulations. Ross does not appeal this evidentiary ruling. Instead, Ross argues that the district court erred "when it refused to instruct the jury as to the regulatory scheme, in its entirety." The district court, however, never refused to give such an exhaustive instruction because Ross never requested one. In fact, Ross actually submitted a limited request that the jury be instructed about only certain specific regulatory provisions, and the district court gave his requested instructions. The Supreme Court has explained that "forfeiture" is the failure to make a timely assertion of a right, while "waiver" is the intentional relinquishment or abandonment of a known right. Olano, 507 U.S. at 733, 113 S.Ct. at 1777. Plain error analysis may be invoked to review a forfeited objection because mere forfeiture does not extinguish an "error" under FED.R.CRIM.P. 52(b). Id. Where there has been a valid waiver, however, plain error analysis does not apply because there is technically no "error" to correct. Id. Here Ross actually proposed (and thereby implicitly approved) the district court's instructions concerning the DOE regulatory scheme, rather than merely failing to object to them. As a result, he has voluntarily waived any objection that he might have to these instructions, and we will not review his argument even for plain error. Id.; United States v. Espino, 32 F.3d 253, 258-59 & n. 5 (7th Cir.1994); United States v. Lakich, 23 F.3d 1203, 1207-08 (7th Cir.1994). C. Sufficiency of the Evidence Ross and Collori each proffer numerous arguments that the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to convict them of the crimes with which they were charged. When reviewing a conviction for sufficiency of the evidence, our role is limited. It is not our function to reweigh the evidence, nor to substitute our judgment for that of the factfinder. United States v. Hatchett, 31 F.3d 1411, 1416 (7th Cir.1994). We consider the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, making all reasonable inferences in its favor, and will affirm the conviction so long as any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). Reversal is warranted "only when the record is devoid of any evidence, regardless of how it is weighed, from which a jury could find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt." United States v. Garcia, 35 F.3d 1125, 1128 (7th Cir.1994) (quoting United States v. Gutierrez, 978 F.2d 1463, 1468-69 (7th Cir.1992)). 1. Mail and Wire Fraud (counts 1-6, 8-9) In order to convict for mail fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1341, or for wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1343, the government must demonstrate: (1) the defendants' participation in a scheme to defraud; (2) the defendants' intent to defraud; and (3) the defendants' use of the mails or wires in furtherance of the fraudulent scheme. United States v. Walker, 9 F.3d 1245, 1249 (7th Cir.1993), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 114 S.Ct. 1863, 128 L.Ed.2d 485 (1994) (mail fraud); United States v. LeDonne, 21 F.3d 1418, 1429 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 584, 130 L.Ed.2d 498 (1994) (wire fraud); Lombardo v. United States, 865 F.2d 155, 157 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 491 U.S. 905, 109 S.Ct. 3186, 105 L.Ed.2d 695 (1989) (same). Ross offers two arguments that the government failed to prove the first element of mail and wire fraud, his participation in a scheme to defraud. First, Ross asserts that the mail and wire fraud statutes do not encompass prosecution of a scheme to defraud the United States itself. In practice, however, the mail and wire fraud statutes are routinely utilized to punish schemes to defraud the federal government of a property interest. See, e.g., United States v. Morris, 957 F.2d 1391 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 506 U.S. 941, 113 S.Ct. 380, 121 L.Ed.2d 290 (1992); United States v. Jones, 938 F.2d 737 (7th Cir.1991); United States v. Johnson, 927 F.2d 999 (7th Cir.1991); United States v. Bucey, 876 F.2d 1297 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 1004, 110 S.Ct. 565, 107 L.Ed.2d 560 (1989). Secondly, Ross argues that there was no evidence of a scheme to defraud because all the evidence adduced at trial had been developed through criminal investigations rather than through a "federal civil audit." To support his assertion, Ross points to 20 U.S.C. § 1094, which specifies the procedures that the DOE must follow before suspending or revoking an institution's participation in a financial aid program. This court has explained that § 1094 mandates an audit and a hearing on the record whenever the DOE seeks to revoke program eligibility of an institution that has previously been deemed eligible in all other respects. Continental Training Services, Inc. v. Cavazos, 893 F.2d 877, 883 (7th Cir.1990). A criminal investigation is insufficient to satisfy the civil audit and hearing requirements of § 1094 because such investigations rarely involve notice and a hearing. See Tangipahoa Parish School Bd. v. United States Dep't of Educ., 821 F.2d 1022, 1029 (5th Cir.1987). However, § 1094 merely establishes the notice and hearing requirements that the DOE must satisfy prior to revoking program eligibility or imposing other civil penalties. These requirements are necessary, for without them the participating institutions would be denied their right to due process. Section 1094 does not apply to criminal actions because in that context it is unnecessary. In a criminal case, the due process requirements of notice and a hearing are accomplished by the indictment and the trial. Ross has been afforded every opportunity to cross-examine and refute the government's evidence, and it would be ludicrous to maintain that a criminal trial could not be brought with evidence from a criminal investigation. Ross's argument that he may be convicted only on evidence from a "federal civil audit" has no merit. Collori puts forth two arguments that the prosecution did not prove his intent to defraud. First, he maintains that he did not benefit in the "fruits of the crime." However, the government did, in fact, offer evidence that Collori had profited from the scheme. Evidence was introduced that during the period of fraudulent activity, Collori received more than $300,000 in the form of salary, consulting fees, and company payments of his child support obligations. The evidence demonstrated that many of these payments were made at times when Collori was not even working at the school. Collori argues that these payments were merely usual compensation for his employment and do not represent illicit profits. Yet, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the government and making all reasonable inferences in its favor, a rational trier of fact could have found that Collori was being compensated for his intentional participation in the fraudulent scheme. Even were that not the case, this circuit has held that a showing of personal benefit is not required to demonstrate intent to defraud. United States v. Cosentino, 869 F.2d 301, 308 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 492 U.S. 908, 109 S.Ct. 3220, 106 L.Ed.2d 570 (1989). It is enough that the defendant intended to cause actual or potential loss to the victims of the fraud, whether to enrich himself, another, or no one. See United States v. Moede, 48 F.3d 238, 242 (7th Cir.1995). Second, Collori argues that his actions do not manifest an intent to defraud because they fell within the normal performance of his duties as chief financial officer. An intent to defraud may be established by circumstantial evidence and by inferences from the facts and circumstances surrounding the scheme. LeDonne, 21 F.3d at 1429. At trial, the government introduced evidence that Collori deliberately falsified cash request forms, which resulted in excessive drawdowns of Pell Grant funds from the Treasury; that he directed vouchers to be backdated so as to create the appearance that the school disbursed more Pell Grants to students than it actually did; that he falsified cash transaction reports submitted to the DOE in order to overstate cash holdings; that he fraudulently recalculated refund amounts in anticipation of an AICS evaluation; that he lied to DOE auditor Robert Weaver; that he ordered the office manager to disarrange student files that were to be produced to an outside agency; that he received over $300,000 in compensation during the time period of the fraudulent scheme, some of it when he was not even working; and that he told Michael Shields: "There are things that you don't need to know, Michael. Don't worry. I'm protecting you from this. I don't want you to be involved in it." Although Collori attempts to offer an explanation for how all these acts either did not occur or were legitimate, our review does not amount to a reweighing of the evidence. When the evidence presented at trial is viewed in the light most favorable to the government, clearly a rational jury could have found Collori's intent to defraud beyond a reasonable doubt. 2. False Statements (counts 7, 10-11 (Ross only) and 12-15 (both Ross and Collori)) In order to convict a defendant of making false statements in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001, the government must prove: (1) that the defendant made a statement (or that the defendant concealed facts that he had a duty to disclose); (2) that the statement was false; (3) that the statement was material; (4) that the statement was made knowingly and willfully; and (5) that the statement concerned a matter within the jurisdiction of a federal department or agency. Brantley, 786 F.2d at 1326; United States v. Petullo, 709 F.2d 1178, 1180 (7th Cir.1983). Collori argues only that the government failed to prove his intend to defraud. However, as discussed above in our treatment of the mail and wire fraud counts, the record contains ample evidence from which a reasonable jury could have found Collori's intent to defraud beyond a reasonable doubt. Ross's contentions are more numerous, yet no more compelling. Ross was charged with making essentially three different types of false statements, and he offers specific arguments for each of the types. In the first category, charged in counts 7 and 10, Ross was accused of making false statements to AICS. Count 7 concerned Ross's sending of the Springman comfort letter to AICS in order to conceal Miller, Cooper's withdrawal of its opinion letter. Count 10 addressed Ross's subsequent submission to AICS of a falsified financial statement. Ross raises two challenges to the sufficiency of the government's evidence on these counts. First, Ross argues that his statements to AICS did not concern a matter within the jurisdiction of the DOE because their submission was not required by a federal statute and because they were not submitted directly to a federal department or agency (AICS was a private accrediting association). Ross cites to the Supreme Court's language in Bryson v. United States that "[a] statutory basis for an agency's request for information provides jurisdiction enough to punish fraudulent statements under § 1001." 396 U.S. 64, 70-71, 90 S.Ct. 355, 359, 24 L.Ed.2d 264 (1969). But the Bryson holding provides little support for Ross's argument. In Bryson, the Court faced the issue of whether false statements in a statutorily mandated disclosure can constitute a violation of § 1001 even if the disclosure statute is later determined to be constitutionally invalid. The Court held that a statute (even an invalid one) requiring disclosure was sufficient, not necessary, for the application of § 1001. Id. The Court's holding does not limit the application of § 1001 to false statements submitted directly to a department or agency, nor to disclosures that are statutorily mandated. In fact, the Bryson Court directed that " 'jurisdiction' should not be given a narrow or technical meaning for purposes of § 1001." Id. This court has held that "[t]he term 'jurisdiction' merely incorporates Congress' intent that the statute apply whenever false statements would result in the perversion of the authorized functions of a federal department or agency." United States v. Stanford, 589 F.2d 285, 297 (7th Cir.1978). Contrary to Ross's argument, the law is clear that for a statement to concern a matter within the jurisdiction of a federal department or agency, it need not be submitted directly to that federal department or agency. United States v. Brack, 747 F.2d 1142, 1151 (7th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 1216, 105 S.Ct. 1193, 84 L.Ed.2d 339 (1985); Petullo, 709 F.2d at 1180. See also United States v. Davis, 8 F.3d 923, 929 (2d Cir.1993); United States v. Wright, 988 F.2d 1036, 1038 (10th Cir.1993); United States v. Herring, 916 F.2d 1543, 1547 (11th Cir.1990), cert. denied, 500 U.S. 946, 111 S.Ct. 2248, 114 L.Ed.2d 488 (1991); United States v. Popow, 821 F.2d 483, 486 (8th Cir.1987). For a statement to fall within a federal agency's jurisdiction, "it suffices to show that the deception of a private company affected a federal agency because of that agency's responsibility to ensure that its funds are properly spent." Brack, 747 F.2d at 1151. This court has repeatedly found the submission of fraudulent statements to a private (or nonfederal government) entity to be within the jurisdiction of a federal agency where the agency has given funding to the entity and the fraudulent statements cause the entity to utilize these funds improperly. Id.; United States v. Hamilton, 726 F.2d 317, 321 (7th Cir.1984); Petullo, 709 F.2d at 1180; Stanford, 589 F.2d at 297-98. In these cases, the jurisdictional nexus between the agency and the entity for purposes of § 1001 stems from the agency's ultimate duty to safeguard the proper spending of federal funds. Although the DOE's funds in this case did not pass through AICS on the way to ISC, this case presents a situation analogous to the cases cited above because of AICS's integral part in the DOE's decision making concerning the distribution of federal funds. Here, the administration of financial aid program disbursals falls squarely within the regulatory authority of the DOE. The DOE made program participation dependent upon accreditation by an association such as AICS, and as a result the DOE significantly relied upon these associations' audits and appraisals when making decisions about the disbursement of federal funds. Ross knew that the DOE based much of its program eligibility determinations upon the AICS accreditation, and he deliberately made false statements to the AICS for the express purpose of continuing ISC's eligibility for Pell Grant and GSL monies. We find this evidence clearly sufficient to demonstrate that Ross made false statements concerning a matter within the jurisdiction of the DOE. Secondly, Ross argues that the government failed to demonstrate that the Springman comfort letter and the false financial statements were material. A false statement is considered material where it has a natural tendency to influence, or is capable of influencing, the decision of the federal agency to which it is directed. Gaudin, --- U.S. at ----, 115 S.Ct. at 2313; United States v. Malsom, 779 F.2d 1228, 1235 (7th Cir.1985); Brack, 747 F.2d at 1147. The government adduced evidence that both the comfort letter and the false financial statements had the primary purpose and effect of lulling AICS into believing that ISC merited its continued accreditation. Given that AICS accreditation was a DOE prerequisite to financial aid program participation, the false statements had a natural tendency and capability of influencing the DOE's decision concerning ISC's eligibility. Clearly the government presented ample evidence from which a rational factfinder could find Ross's false statements to be material beyond a reasonable doubt. In the second category of false statement, charged in counts 12-15, Ross (as well as Collori) was convicted for causing false cash transaction reports to be filed with the DOE. These false reports overstated ISC's cash on hand, concealing the fact that ISC Pell Grant funds had been withdrawn and used improperly. Ross puts forth two arguments that the government failed to prove the cash transaction reports were false. First, Ross contends once again that there was no evidence of falsity because all evidence produced at trial had been procured through criminal investigations rather than from a "federal civil audit." As we explained above in conjunction with the scheme to defraud element of the mail and wire fraud counts, this argument has no merit. Secondly, Ross argues that the government's methodology for calculating cash on hand was incorrect. His argument is essentially that if one calculates the funds his way, rather than as the government did, the cash transaction reports were completely accurate. Again, however, it is not the function of this court to reweigh the evidence at trial. The government offered evidence that Ross had caused false cash request forms to be filed, with cash on hand stated at absurdly low levels, in order to receive larger amounts of Pell Grant funds from the DOE; that Ross had withdrawn Pell Grant funds for his personal use; and that Ross had caused student withdrawal vouchers to be backdated in order to conceal his own improper withdrawals. Given this evidence, a rational jury could certainly reject Ross's arguments concerning the methodology for calculating cash on hand and find that false cash transaction reports had been filed, with overstated cash-on-hand levels, in an attempt to further conceal the improper withdrawals. In the third type of false statement, which was charged in count 11, Ross was convicted of causing the altered cash reconciliation spreadsheet to be given to Special Agent Livengood during his inspection. For this count, Ross maintains that none of the four elements of § 1001 have been demonstrated. With respect to falsity and intent, Ross argues that, as with the cash transaction reports, the government's methodology for demonstrating the spreadsheet's falsity was flawed. As a result, Ross insists the government proved neither that the spreadsheet was false nor that it was submitted with an intent to deceive the DOE. Once again, however, Ross mistakes the role of this court in reviewing for insufficiency of the evidence. It is enough that there was ample evidence for a rational jury to reject Ross's arguments at trial and agree with the government's assessments. Ross makes two arguments concerning the materiality of the false spreadsheet. First, he contends the false spreadsheet was not material because there existed no statutory duty to submit it. However, as this court has previously held, the fact "[t]hat a statement was not required to be made to the agency does not make the statement any less material." United States v. Dick, 744 F.2d 546, 553 (7th Cir.1984). Secondly, Ross argues that the spreadsheet was not material because neither Special Agent Livengood nor the DOE actually relied on it. Yet, "[u]nder section 1001 a false statement may be material even though the agency did not rely on it and was not influenced by it." Id. The government need only have proved that the spreadsheet submitted to Livengood had the natural tendency or capability to influence a decision of the DOE--a showing that was clearly made here. Finally, Ross argues that the spreadsheet did not concern a matter within the jurisdiction of the DOE because ISC had no statutory duty to submit it. As we explained in connection with Ross's false statements to AICS, however, the application of § 1001 is not limited to false statements submitted directly to a department or agency, nor to disclosures that are statutorily mandated. There is ample evidence here that the spreadsheet concerned a matter within the official regulatory authority of the DOE. 3. Misapplication and Embezzlement (counts 16-24 (both Ross and Collori) and 25-29 (Ross only)) Ross and Collori challenge their convictions for misapplication under 20 U.S.C. § 1097(a), first by asserting that conversion and intent to defraud are necessary elements of the offense, and second by insisting that the government failed to prove these elements. The issue of whether conversion and intent to defraud are elements of misapplication under § 1097(a) was not fully briefed by the parties,4 and we decline to resolve it today. Because we find that the government has put forth ample evidence to establish both conversion and fraudulent intent, we need not decide whether these elements are in fact necessary for conviction. As support for their contentions that the government failed to prove either conversion or fraudulent intent, Ross and Collori cite two cases. In the first case, United States v. Kammer, 1 F.3d 1161 (11th Cir.1993), Kammer owned and operated a vocational training school in Mobile, Alabama. As her school began to deteriorate financially and students began to drop out, she neglected to promptly transfer unused Pell Grant funds from the school's operating account back to the federal funds trust account. Instead, she left the money in the operating account to pay the school's operating expenses, hoping to refund the government's money when the school increased its cash flows. The court defined conversion as "an act of dominion or control over the property that seriously interferes with the owner's rights." Id. at 1165. Reasoning that Kammer had never appropriated any of the federal monies for her own use nor demonstrated any intent to indefinitely deprive the government of its money, the court found the evidence insufficient to convict Kammer of misapplication. Id. at 1166. In the second case, United States v. Jakeway, 783 F.Supp. 590 (M.D.Fla.1992), the defendants operated cosmetology and business schools throughout the United States. Two of their schools' financial aid practices prompted the defendants' convictions: (1) when students would sign over excess GSL monies to one of the schools, the school would hold them in anticipation of subsequent expenses and would refund any unused balance at the student's graduation; (2) with the student's consent, the schools would use a student's excess Pell Grant monies to pay down that student's GSL debt obligations. With respect to the first practice, the Jakeway court held that merely deferring refunds too long (until graduation) did not evidence an intent to defraud nor a conversion of the property for the defendants' own use. Id. at 597-98. With respect to the second practice, the court noted that there was no statutory or regulatory prohibition against using excess Pell Grant monies against GSL debts and that the students had consented to this appropriation; as a result, the court could not find that the defendants had converted the money with an intent to defraud the government. Id. at 598-99. Ross and Collori argue that their case is analogous to the factual situations in Kammer and Jakeway. On the contrary, this case presents exactly what the Kammer and Jakeway courts found to be missing from those prosecutions. The evidence depicts how Ross and Collori intentionally falsified documents and lied to students in order to fraudulently obtain more money than they were entitled to. They appropriated this money for their own personal uses and then made false statements and falsified more documents to conceal their wrongdoing. It is clear that in this case, as opposed to Kammer and Jakeway, the government has put forth plentiful evidence from which a jury could find both conversion and the defendants' intent to defraud. 4. False Statements to a Federally Insured Institution (counts 30-31 (Ross only)) In counts 30 and 31, Ross was convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 1014 for submitting a false personal financial statement and loan application to Harris Bank in order to procure an $87,000 loan to refinance his yacht debt. Specifically, Ross understated his liabilities on both documents by omitting a $749,000 debt he owed to ISC. The bank relied on Ross's false statements in approving his application for the loan, and it lost $37,000 when he subsequently defaulted. Ross claims on appeal that the government presented insufficient evidence to establish either (1) that the documents were false or (2) that Harris Bank had been federally insured. As to the documents' falsity, Ross concedes that the $749,000 debt did not appear on either the financial statement or the loan application. However, Ross points to the fact that ISC financial statements were submitted along with these documents. He maintains that after the bank reviewed his total loan application "package," it approved the loan with "full knowledge of Ross's financial position." His argument is not supported by the record. At trial, the government presented a great deal of evidence that Ross had materially altered the ISC financial statements prior to submitting them to the bank. When the statements were prepared by J.V. Springer, the $749,000 entry in ISC's notes receivable had been accompanied by a footnote explaining that this debt was owed by Ross. When submitted to Harris Bank, this footnote and the reference to the footnote had been deleted, and the reader was left only to guess at the holder of the note. Clearly, this evidence was sufficient for a rational jury to have determined that the documents Ross submitted falsely described his debts. As to Harris Bank's federally insured status, this court has held that the government must prove not only that the bank has been federally insured at some point in time, but that the bank was federally insured at the time the false statement was made. United States v. Shively, 715 F.2d 260, 264-65 (7th Cir.1983), cert. denied, 465 U.S. 1007, 104 S.Ct. 1001, 79 L.Ed.2d 233 (1984). At trial, government witness Lawrence Mizera, vice president and collection manager for Harris Bank, was asked and responded as follows: Q: And are deposits in the Harris Bank federally insured? A: Yes, they are. "Are" is temporally distinct from "were," and Ross argues that such present-tense testimony is insufficient to prove that the bank was federally insured at the time he filed his loan application. In United States v. Knop, this court was faced with almost identical testimony at trial and held: "Taken woodenly and literally the testimony might seem to refer only to the time of the trial. In context it could plausibly have been taken by the jury as referring to the time of the commission of the offenses...." 701 F.2d 670, 673 (7th Cir.1983) (footnote omitted). As in Knop, in this case additional testimony formed a context against which Mizera's statement could reasonably be interpreted as referring to the bank's insured status at the time of the false statements. Specifically, on cross-examination, Ross's counsel pressed Mizera about whether the bank had in fact been insured, and Mizera gave the following testimony: Q: Sir, you said the bank took a loss. The bank was insured, weren't they? A: For a loan like this, no, we weren't. Q: You were not? I thought you said you were insured? A: The bank is federally insured. That does not cover loan losses. Here, defendant's counsel interpreted Mizera's answer on direct testimony as stating that the bank was insured at the time of the application and attempted to impeach that. Mizera insisted that the bank did possess insurance, but clarified the extent of its coverage. This colloquy could reasonably be interpreted to mean that although Harris was in fact insured at the time of Ross's wrongdoing, such insurance covers deposits, not loans, and thus did not relieve the bank of its loss when Ross defaulted. Given the whole of Mizera's testimony, and viewing this testimony in the light most favorable to the government, the evidence was sufficient for a rational jury to have found beyond a reasonable doubt that Harris Bank had been federally insured when Ross submitted the false documents. 5. Bankruptcy Fraud (counts 32-34 (Ross only)) Ross was charged and convicted on three counts of bankruptcy fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 152. One count charged him with fraudulently transferring ISC assets to a company he controlled and to his friend, Lesia Gast. The other two counts charged him with filing false reports in an attempt to make the transfers appear legitimate. Ross argues that since ISC, and not Ross, was technically the "bankrupt," he could not properly be convicted under § 152. Ostensibly as support for the proposition that § 152 applies only to "bankrupts" themselves, Ross cites several cases from the dawn of this century--namely Tapack v. United States, 220 F. 445 (3d Cir.1915); Israel v. United States, 3 F.2d 743 (6th Cir.1925); Carter v. United States, 19 F.2d 431 (8th Cir.1927). What Ross does not acknowledge is that his cited cases were interpreting § 29b(1) of the Bankruptcy Act of 1898, which by its own language prohibited fraudulent concealment of assets "while a bankrupt." Section 152 of the Bankruptcy Code under which Ross was convicted contains no such limitation, but instead broadly criminalizes: Whoever knowingly and fraudulently makes a false declaration, certificate, verification, or statement under penalty [of5] perjury ... in or in relation to any case under title 11; or ... Whoever, either individually or as an agent or officer of any person or corporation, ... with intent to defeat the provisions of title 11, knowingly and fraudulently transfers or conceals any of his property or the property of such other person or corporation.... 18 U.S.C. § 152. Ross's argument that his status as a nonbankrupt renders him unsusceptible to conviction under this statute, which does not confine its reach only to bankrupts, has no merit. D. Sentencing After their conviction, Ross and Collori were taken into custody on September 27, 1991. Collori served his sentence and was released on July 5, 1995. Ross was transferred on February 10, 1992, to a work-release program at a halfway house where he will remain until this month, February 4, 1996. Although Collori raised several objections to his sentencing in the briefs, both he and the government now agree that his release in July rendered his arguments moot.6 As a result, we address only Ross's sentencing objections. We review the district court's legal interpretations of the sentencing guidelines de novo. United States v. Ritsema, 31 F.3d 559, 564 (7th Cir.1994). Our review of the district court's factual findings, however, is deferential, and we will reverse only if we find them to be clearly erroneous. Id. 1. Increase for Obstruction of Justice Ross received a two-level increase in offense level for obstruction of justice pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 3C1.1,7 which reads: If the defendant willfully impeded or obstructed, or attempted to impede or obstruct the administration of justice during the investigation or prosecution of the instant offense, increase the offense level from Chapter Two by 2 levels. Application Note 3(d) to § 3C1.1 explains that among other conduct, this increase applies to "concealing or directing or procuring another person to ... conceal evidence that is material to an official investigation or judicial proceeding...." According to the district court, the increase in this case was predicated upon (1) Ross's directions to ISC consultant Kermith Owens to falsify the spreadsheet given to Special Agent Livengood in order to conceal excess cash in, and unauthorized withdrawals from, the cash control account; (2) Ross's written instructions to Miller, Cooper to withhold ISC documents from Special Agent Livengood; and (3) Ross's false statements to Special Agent Livengood during his inspection. Initially, Ross argues that this allegedly obstructive conduct does not fall within the ambit of § 3C1.1 because Agent Livengood's inspection was not an "official investigation," and thus Ross's conduct did not occur "during the investigation" of his offense. However, § 3C1.1 is not limited strictly to conduct occurring during the pendency of some legal proceeding. See United States v. Kirkland, 985 F.2d 535, 537 (11th Cir.1993). Rather, courts have interpreted an "official investigation" as requiring investigative action by federal law enforcement or government employees "acting within the course and in furtherance of their official duties." Id. at 538 (citing cases). For example, the First Circuit has held that "[h]iding rotten poultry and meat products in the freezer so that Agriculture Department inspectors would not find them ... is a flagrant example of concealing evidence material to an official investigation" resulting in the defendants' eventual convictions for selling, storing, and transporting adulterated meat products. United States v. Pilgrim Market Corp., 944 F.2d 14, 21 (1st Cir.1991). Here, Special Agent Livengood conducted his inspection as part of his official duties acting for the DOE, and thus Ross's obstructive conduct occurred during an "official investigation." Secondly, Ross argues that the increase was not warranted because his conduct did not significantly obstruct or impede Special Agent Livengood or the DOE. We need not address the merits of this argument, however, because as explained below Ross's invocation of this standard is misplaced. Application Note 3(g) to § 3C1.1 explains that the obstruction increase applies to "providing a materially false statement to a law enforcement officer that significantly obstructed or impeded the official investigation...." (emphasis added). Similarly, Application Note 3(d) to § 3C1.1 states that if directing another person to conceal evidence material to an official investigation "occurred contemporaneously with arrest ..., it shall not, standing alone, be sufficient to warrant an adjustment for obstruction unless it resulted in a material hindrance to the official investigation...." (emphasis added). These limitations exist to prevent application of the obstruction increase to a mere "exculpatory no"--i.e., where a defendant futilely denies his guilt, or attempts to conceal his wrongdoing, during questioning or apprehension by officials. See United States v. Fiala, 929 F.2d 285, 290 (7th Cir.1991). However, these limitations by their own terms do not apply to Ross's conduct. Application Note 3(g) is inapposite because Ross's obstruction was based primarily on directing Kermith Owens and Miller, Cooper to conceal evidence material to the official DOE investigation, rather than on making false statements to a law enforcement officer. The limitation in Application Note 3(d) is also inapplicable because Ross's conduct did not occur "contemporaneously with arrest." Thus, Ross's argument based on these limitations is without merit. Lastly, Ross argues that the obstruction increase violated the Fifth Amendment Double Jeopardy Clause because the evidence forming the basis for the increase also formed the basis for his conviction for false statements under count 11. It is important to note that count 11 was a preguidelines count, and thus its sentence was imposed separately from the sentence for the counts under the guidelines. The calculation relating to obstruction of justice concerns only the increase of the offense level for the guidelines counts. Had count 11 fallen under the guidelines, Application Note 6 to § 3C1.1 provides: Where the defendant is convicted both of the obstruction offense and the underlying offense, the count for the obstruction offense will be grouped with the count for the underlying offense under subsection (c) of § 3D1.2 (Groups of Closely Related Counts). The offense level for that group of closely related counts will be the offense level for the underlying offense increased by the 2-level adjustment specified by this section, or the offense level for the obstruction offense, whichever is greater. But count 11 was a preguidelines offense, and thus the grouping of offenses required under Application Note 6 does not apply. Turning to Ross's argument, the Supreme Court held in Witte v. United States that where evidence of criminal conduct operates to increase the sentence of another crime, the Double Jeopardy Clause does not bar subsequent prosecution for the enhancing criminal conduct. --- U.S. ----, ---- - ----, 115 S.Ct. 2199, 2204-08, 132 L.Ed.2d 351 (1995). The Court reasoned that for double jeopardy purposes, the increase constitutes punishment for the underlying crime and not for the enhancing crime. Thus, bringing a subsequent action to punish the defendant for the enhancing crime does not put him twice in jeopardy for the same offense. Id. The separate sentence determinations for the guidelines counts and for preguidelines count 11 present an analogous situation to that in Witte, and thus the Court's analysis controls here. Following Witte, the obstruction increase is properly considered under the Double Jeopardy Clause to be punishment for the guidelines offenses only and not for the actual obstructive criminal conduct. Thus, the Fifth Amendment posed no obstacle to charging and punishing Ross under count 11 for the obstructive conduct itself. 2. Upward Departure A district court is authorized to depart from the guidelines range if it finds that "there exists an aggravating or mitigating circumstance of a kind, or to a degree, not adequately taken into consideration by the Sentencing Commission in formulating the guidelines that should result in a sentence different from that described." 18 U.S.C. § 3553(b). In this case, the district court entered a two-level upward departure upon finding that the special impact of Ross's fraud upon his victims was an aggravating circumstance not adequately considered by the Sentencing Commission. In reviewing upward sentencing departures, we ask: (1) whether the grounds for the departure were appropriate; (2) whether the district court's factual findings underlying the departure were not clearly erroneous; and (3) whether the extent of the departure was reasonable within the structure of the guidelines. United States v. Panadero, 7 F.3d 691, 695 (7th Cir.1993) (quoting United States v. Tai, 994 F.2d 1204, 1213 (7th Cir.1993)). Ross does not question the district court's factual findings, nor does he argue that the two-level increase was unreasonably harsh. Ross challenges only the district court's grounds for departure, over which we exercise plenary review. Panadero, 7 F.3d at 695; United States v. Willey, 985 F.2d 1342, 1349 (7th Cir.1993). He submits that the district court erred because the financial detriment to the victims was already taken into consideration by U.S.S.G. § 2F1.1(b)(1). He maintains that there was nothing "special" about the impact of his fraud upon the students denied their GSL refunds. Application Note 10 to § 2F1.1 sets out a nonexhaustive list of "cases in which the loss determined under subsection (b)(1) does not fully capture the harmfulness and seriousness of the conduct," and thus where "an upward departure may be warranted." Among other examples, the list includes where "the offense involved the knowing endangerment of the solvency of one or more victims," Application Note 10(f), and where "the fraud caused or risked reasonably foreseeable, substantial non-monetary harm," Application Note 10(a). Both of these examples exist here. In this case, almost all of ISC's students were in need of financial assistance--an estimated 99 percent of the school's tuition came from federal financial aid. Most of ISC's students enrolled hoping they would be able to repay their GSL obligations upon securing employment after graduation. However, once student loan checks are cashed, they must be repaid. Where students withdrew from school but were fraudulently deprived of refunds, they remained liable for their loan obligations even though they never received an education. To many of these students, the crushing weight of their student loans spelled almost certain insolvency. Many had federal tax refunds withheld, credit ruined, and personal property seized. Even more importantly, so long as they remain in default, these students are branded ineligible to receive any further federal educational assistance, without which most could never attend another school. See 34 C.F.R. § 668.7(a)(7) (1995). This court remains mindful that some degree of financial distress and injury to credit is inherent in any fraudulent scheme, and that such losses were clearly contemplated by the Sentencing Commission in drafting § 2F1.1. However, 18 U.S.C. § 3553(b) and Application Note 10 to § 2F1.1 instruct that where sufficient aggravating factors above and beyond usual financial loss are present, an upward departure is warranted. The extreme risk of victim insolvency in this case, coupled with the students' nonmonetary loss of potential future educational opportunities, were appropriate grounds for the district court's departure. 3. Calculation of the Victims' Loss Ross argues that the district court's calculation of the total loss for purposes of § 2F1.1 was improper. He offers no competing calculations, but instead reasserts arguments discussed above that the government's methodology for calculating loss was incorrect and that the information was improperly obtained through a criminal investigation rather than from a "federal civil audit."As discussed earlier, Ross's argument concerning the federal audit has no merit. And it is not the role of this court to make a de novo determination of the proper calculation of loss. We review the district court's factual findings of loss only for clear error. United States v. Dillard, 43 F.3d 299, 309 (7th Cir.1994). Furthermore, Application Note 8 to § 2F1.1 instructs as follows: [T]he loss need not be determined with precision. The court need only make a reasonable estimate of the loss, given the available information. This estimate, for example, may be based on the approximated number of victims and an estimate of the average loss to each victim, or on more general factors, such as the nature and duration of the fraud and the revenues generated by similar operations. The offender's gain from committing the fraud is an alternative estimate that ordinarily will underestimate the loss. This language gives the district court great latitude in constructing the amount of loss from all available information, as does our deferential standard of review. Here, Special Agent Livengood offered testimony that the GSL refunds owed withdrawn ISC students totaled between $885,597 and $938,178, depending on the methodology of calculation. As to Pell Grant overdrafts, the DOE's final bill to ISC came to a figure of $552,049.52. Utilizing the DOE figure and the conservative end of Special Agent Livengood's calculation range, the district court estimated the total loss for sentencing purposes at approximately $1.4 million. On the basis of the evidence, we cannot find that the court committed clear error, or any error, in calculating the amount of loss. 4. Appropriateness of Restitution District court judges enjoy broad discretion in ordering restitution. United States v. Loscalzo, 18 F.3d 374, 386 (7th Cir.1994). An order of restitution will not be vacated upon review unless the defendant demonstrates that the district court abused this discretion in determining that restitution was appropriate or in setting the amount to be paid. Id. Ross puts forth two arguments that the district court erred in ordering him to make restitution to his victims in the amount of $1,000,100. First, he argues that the district court did not properly calculate the amount of the loss. But as discussed immediately above, this argument is without merit. Secondly, he argues that the ordering of restitution was improper because he was indigent throughout the trial. This court will reverse the district court's order as an abuse of discretion if it is "not improbable" that the district court failed to consider the mandatory factors set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3664(a). United States v. Boula, 997 F.2d 263, 267 (7th Cir.1993). The district court must consider: (1) the amount of loss sustained by the victims as a result of the offense; (2) the financial resources of the defendant; (3) the financial needs of the defendant and his or her dependents; (4) the financial earning ability of the defendant and his or her dependents; and (5) any other factors the court deems appropriate. Loscalzo, 18 F.3d at 386; 18 U.S.C. § 3664(a). However, although the sentencing court is required to consider the defendant's indigence, this one factor is not solely determinative of whether restitution is appropriate. United States v. Boyle, 10 F.3d 485, 492 (7th Cir.1993). Here, the record shows that the district court clearly grappled with the defendant's present penury, but considered other factors to be more important. The victims in this case have very low earning potential, and Ross is a well-educated man with entrepreneurial experience who may be able once again to become personally profitable. This court has held that "a person actually unable to pay may be directed to make restitution, provided there is some likelihood that he will acquire resources in the future." United States v. Ahmad, 2 F.3d 245, 247 (7th Cir.1993). Thus, we do not find that the district court abused its discretion in ordering Ross to make restitution. The district court's judgments of conviction and sentence for Thomas Ross and John Collori are AFFIRMED. In his Reply Brief, Ross argues that plain error analysis is inappropriate and that we should instead consider his argument on the merits. He cites to United States v. O'Bryant, where the court noted: "Appellant raises this claim for the first time on appeal. We would, therefore, ordinarily review it only for plain error.... But, because we find that the claim is unavailing as a matter of law, we forgo the extra step that plain-error review entails and proceed directly to the merits." 998 F.2d at 23 n. 1. Contrary to Ross's assertions, the court in O'Bryant was not saying that reviewing an unpreserved statute of limitations objection for plain error is "unavailing as a matter of law." Rather, as in this case, the court determined that plain error analysis was unnecessary because the defendant had failed to demonstrate any violation of the statute of limitations, plain or otherwise, and thus his objection failed on the merits See United States v. Gaudin, 28 F.3d 943, 955 (9th Cir.1994) (Kozinski, J., dissenting) (collecting cases) This holding accords with our plain error analysis in United States v. Jones, 21 F.3d 165, 172-73 (7th Cir.1994). Also, with this holding, we substantially agree with the decisions of every other circuit that has addressed this issue. See United States v. Keys, 67 F.3d 801, 809 (9th Cir.1995) (holding that for purposes of Rule 52(b), "plain" refers to the time of appeal); United States v. Retos, 25 F.3d 1220, 1230 (3d Cir.1994) (same); United States v. Washington, 12 F.3d 1128, 1138-39 (D.C.Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 98, 130 L.Ed.2d 47 (1994) (holding that "plain" refers to the time of trial, but recognizing an exception where the law upon which the district court relied was so settled at the time of trial that an objection would seem pointless); United States v. Viola, 35 F.3d 37, 41-42 (2d Cir.1994), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 1270, 131 L.Ed.2d 148 (1995) (holding not only that "plain" refers to the time of appeal, but that where an objection at the time of trial would have been pointless, the government, rather than the defendant, bears the burden of proving prejudice under plain error review). The only court of appeals to indicate differently did not specifically address the issue. United States v. Calverley, 37 F.3d 160, 162-63 (5th Cir.1994), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 1266, 131 L.Ed.2d 145 (1995). Rather, in passing reference, the court interpreted the language in Olano that "[a]t a minimum, the Court of Appeals cannot correct an error pursuant to Rule 52(b) unless the error is clear under current law" to mean that a "plain" error must be clear at the time of trial. Thus, the Calverley Court concluded that the Supreme Court had already decided the issue. This conclusion seems mistaken, however, because in the preceding sentence the Olano Court expressly declined to address the specific question of whether "plain" means clear at the time of trial. This indicates that in the passage cited in Calverley the Court used "current law" to refer to the law at the time of appeal, not the time of trial and thereby left unresolved the question we decide today The necessity of these elements was conclusorily asserted by the appellants. The government merely argued, as we now hold, that even were one to assume that conversion and fraudulent intent are elements of misapplication, the government put forth sufficient evidence to prove these elements beyond a reasonable doubt At the time of Ross's unlawful conduct, this phrase read "under penalty or perjury" rather than "under penalty of perjury." The error, however, was corrected by amendment in 1988. Act of Nov. 18, 1988, Pub.L. No. 100-690, Title VII, Subtitle B, § 7017, 102 Stat. 4395 The Supreme Court has held that "a criminal case is moot only if it is shown that there is no possibility that any collateral legal consequences will be imposed on the basis of the challenged conviction." Sibron v. New York, 392 U.S. 40, 57-58, 88 S.Ct. 1889, 1900, 20 L.Ed.2d 917 (1968); see also Minnesota v. Dickerson, 508 U.S. 366, 371-72 n. 2, 113 S.Ct. 2130, 2135 n. 2, 124 L.Ed.2d 334 (1993). Applying this principle to sentencing, this court has held that a defendant's release from incarceration does not render a sentencing guidelines issue moot where acceptance of the defendant's argument would reduce or eliminate his term of supervised release. United States v. Swigert, 18 F.3d 443, 444 (7th Cir.1994); United States v. Eske, 925 F.2d 205, 206 n. 2 (7th Cir.1991). Such a situation does not exist in this case. Even were we to agree with Collori's contentions, his term of supervised release would not be shortened Our references to §§ 3C1.1 and 2F1.1 are to the 1987 version of the guidelines, under which Ross was sentenced. On the other hand, both Ross and we refer for explanation to subsequently added application notes and commentary relating to these provisions. Because the Sentencing Commission's amendments to the commentary to which we refer were intended merely to clarify the text of these provisions, rather than make any substantive changes, it is proper to consider them in our interpretation. United States v. Fiala, 929 F.2d 285, 290 (7th Cir.1991)

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NZ slips down world rankings by Michael Brown - APNZ 17th Feb 2012 6:00 AM FOR a side who went undefeated in the 2010 World Cup, slotting in at 120 in the latest Fifa world rankings doesn't seem quite right. But it's a symptom of New Zealand's inactivity since those heady days in South Africa, when they drew with Slovakia, Italy and Paraguay after beating Serbia (then ranked 15th in the world) in a World Cup warmup. The All Whites were ranked 54 soon after the World Cup but have been on a constant slide since. >> Latest sport news They played only three friendly matches last year (a 1-1 draw with China and 3-0 defeats to both Mexico and Australia) but should jump up the rankings this year after June's first stage of World Cup qualifiers _ more ranking points are at stake in meaningful matches. Their current ranking places them alongside Namibia but behind the likes of the Faroe Islands (118), St Kitts and Nevis (117) and only 31 places above Samoa. The folly of the ranking system is illustrated by the fact Samoa are the second-ranked team in Oceania - which comes on the back of their World Cup qualifying defeats of the Cooks Islands and American Samoa - ahead of the likes of Fiji, New Caledonia, Tahiti, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The All Whites' fluctuating fortunes are reflected in the fact they have been as high as 47 in 2002 and as low as 156 in 2007 - 208 nations make up the rankings. They take on Jamaica at Mt Smart Stadium on February 29. The Reggae Boyz have climbed to 50th in the latest rankings but New Zealand will fancy their chances, especially as coach Ricki Herbert has selected a strong side. A win would be only the fourth against a top-50 side since the rankings came into effect in 1993. On top of the 1-0 win over Serbia, the All Whites have also twice beaten Australia when they were ranked in the top 50 (1998 and 2002). They also beat Mexico 4-0 in 1980 and won important matches over Australia, Saudi Arabia and China on the road to the 1982 World Cup in Spain, before the rankings system was introduced. The more recent win over Bahrain (ranked 61 at the time) to qualify for the World Cup, or the draws against Italy (5), Slovakia (34) and Paraguay (31) at the World Cup finals will ultimately be remembered as more significant, but a win over Jamaica would nonetheless be a timely ranking fillip for the All Whites. "A victory over any quality nation is motivation enough for the team I'm sure,'' New Zealand Football chief executive Grant McKavanagh said. "And a team like Jamaica who have been consistently in and around that top 50 for the last four or five years and can call on some exciting players shows why they are not to be taken lightly on February 29. "We see ourselves fitting in that 50 to 70 bracket [in the rankings] and a win would kickstart our own move back up the charts. We have up to 13 World Cup qualifiers, which carry more weighting than standard matches, forming the basis of a sustained programme of internationals over the next two years.'' Jamaica's latest rise saw them leapfrog Honduras to be the fourth-ranked nation in Concacaf, adding more significance to next week's match. The winner of Oceania's qualification zone will meet the fourth-ranked team from Concacaf in a two-legged intercontinental playoff in November 2013 to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Herbert not All White with selections All Whites to play Jamaica Memories spur on All Whites Keat only All White surprise new zealand all whites

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