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K.A.C. Creswell's Bibliography of the Architecture, Arts and Crafts of Islam, 3rd Supplement, 1981-1995 | 1997 BLOOM Jonathan ln 1995, the Fondation Max van Berchem awarded Jonathan Bloom, the American historian of Islamic art, a three-year grant to begin compilation of a third supplement to K. A. C. Creswell's A Bibliography of the Architecture, Arts and Crafts of Islam, covering publications from 1981-1995. Creswell, the great British scholar of Islamic architecture, started his monumental Bibliography in 1912 and published it in 1961. Covering publications to 1 January 1960, it contains over 15,000 entries arranged according to media and regions. The book was dedicated to the memory of Max van Berchem, Creswell's "perfect friend and perfect scholar." ln 1973, Creswell himself produced a first supplement, covering publications to the end of 1971, and a second supplement (compiled by the late J. D. Pearson, George T. Scanlon, and the late Michael Meinecke) covering publications from January 1972 to December 1980 was published in 1984, a decade after Creswell's death. Considering the increased interest during the 1980s in the history of Islamic art and architecture, the need for a third supplement had been obvious, but few qualified people had the means or the opportunity to devote the necessary time to the project. Several scholars suggested that Bloom undertake the project, and after consultation with the American University in Cairo Press, who had published the Bibliography and the two supplements, he agreed to do it in his spare time. The project has proposed to take the Bibliography to the end of 1995. Considering the explosive growth of interest in the subject during the past decades, it is envisioned that the third supplement will contain nearly as many records as the original volume. The principal publication will be a printed bibliography that follows the hierarchical organization and format of the original and the two supplements, but the project will also begin the process of making the entire bibliography accessible to a wider audience through electronic publication, whether as an on-line service on the Internet or as a CD-ROM. The purpose of the bibliography is to record all significant writings on the architecture, arts and crafts of the Islamic lands, whatever the language of publication. Each supplement has also filled in omissions in previous volumes, and the third supplement will do the same. The original bibliography and supplements were compiled on notecards, but now that computers are standard office equipment, the third supplement is being compiled electronically. ln an attempt to include relatively obscure publications, scholars have been invited to submit auto-bibliographies, and to date sorne 60 have been received. ln addition, Geoffrey Roper of the Islamic Bibliography Unit, Cambridge University Library, has generously made available the relevant entries collected for Index Islamicus during the relevant period. To those scholars who have submitted information, the project extends its heartiest thanks; to those who have not yet submitted auto-bibliographies or other information, it enthusiastically encourages them to do so. Jonathan Bloom

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Arthur Shenfield Professor Arthur Shenfield (1909-1990) was a libertarian lawyer and academic who wrote prolifically on right-wing economic issues. He opposed child labour laws, rejected compulsory state schooling, and had no time for affirmative action, believing that discrimination on any grounds whatsoever is a fundamental legal right. He was married to Barbara Shenfield. Philadelphia Society, Trustee 1977-79 Mont Pelerin Society, President (1972-1974) Confederation of British Industry, economic director International Institute for Economic Research, director Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Business and Industry Commission, chairman A Shenfield, "A Durable Free Society: Utopian Dream or Realistic Goal". (This web version is a reprint of an article first published in Imprimis (the monthly journal of Hillsdale College), March 1982, Vol. 12, No. 3.) Retrieved from "https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Arthur_Shenfield&oldid=138074"

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Category: biochemistry biochemistry, monitoring, science, Technology September 18, 2011 Epidermal Electronics I have been recently reading a lot about epidermal electronics. Pretty soon patients in hospitals (and sports people) should be able to wear skin mounted electrodes to be able to measure a variety of physiological indicators in real time for a prolonged period of time. The latest innovation comes from the University of Illinois. A new device looking like a tattoo, has been developed and proposed as an innovative smart skin solution. Researchers at the University of Illinois who came up with this device made circuits with a wide array of components, to prove it could work: sensors, LEDs, transistors, radio frequency capacitors and wireless antennas. The devices can draw power from induction or even from mini solar cells! Inventors say they could be used for various medical applications, especially sensors that monitor heart and muscle activity, which currently require conductive gels and/or relatively bulky equipment. To prove it, they measured electrical activity produced by the heart, brain, and skeletal muscles, some data are reported in Science. You can also see a video of the technology below. Pretty impressive technology which will be hopefully available soon! http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1 This is impressive technology, pushing the boundaries of wearable sensors and providing incredible possibilities for studying human movement. (Example of a sensor setup for EEG and other measurements. Photo courtesy of Prof. John Rogers) (Easy removal of the skin mounted electrode. Photo courtesy of Prof. John Rogers) You can learn more about this and other technologies developed by Professor Rogers’ group here. biochemistry, science, Technology April 10, 2011 >Nanosensing and biochemistry This is not really new…but it was new to me today when I found some articles on this innovative technology. I am talking about a nanosensor that could be injected into the skin, much like tattoo dye, to monitor an individual’s gluclose level. As the glucose level increases, the dye would fluoresce under an infrared light. The researchers at Draper Laboratory, in Cambridge (MA), have already tested a sodium-sensing version of the device in mice, and are due to begin animal tests of the glucose-specific sensor. The material consists of 120-nanometer polymer beads coated with a biocompatible material. A patent application has been filed. Within each bead is a fluorescent dye and specialized sensor molecules, designed to detect specific chemicals (so far the work has been done on sodium and glucose). When injected into the skin, the sensor molecule pulls the target chemical into the polymer from the interstitial fluid. To compensate for the newly acquired positive charge of a sodium ion, a dye molecule releases a positive ion, making the molecule fluoresce. The level of fluorescence increases with the concentration of the chemical target. The range of concentrations that the sensor can detect can apparently be varied, depending on whether it is important to measure precise concentrations or more broad variability. The sodium sensor has shown early success in animals. The researchers have developed a glucose sensor that works via a similar mechanism. It has been shown to work in a solution but has not yet been tested in animals. Still, the researchers have a long way to go before the sensor is ready for human testing. However, if it works and it is accessible, this could be a good way to make a good use of a tattoo 🙂 biochemistry, doping, Sports Science December 8, 2010 2011 WADA prohibited list is now online The Prohibited List (List) was first published in 1963 under the leadership of the International Olympic Committee. Since 2004, as mandated by the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), WADA is responsible for the preparation and publication of the List. It is an International Standard identifying substances and methods prohibited in-competition, out-of-competition and in particular sports. For a link to the list, click on the WADA logo. Substances and methods are classified by categories (e.g., steroids, stimulants, gene doping) and the list is updated every year and it is valid for a calendar year. The agreed process for the annual consideration of the List includes three meetings (see timeline below) of WADA’s List Expert Group with a draft discussion List being published and circulated for consultation in June, following the second meeting.* At its third meeting in September, the List Expert Group, following consideration of the submissions received from the consultation process, recommends the new List to the Health, Medical and Research Committee which in turn makes recommendations to WADA’s Executive Committee. The Executive Committee finalizes the List at its September meeting. The use of any prohibited substance by an athlete for medical reasons is still possible by virtue of a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). Few interesting modifications are: 1) To reflect the growing number of substances developed to stimulate erythropoeisis, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-stabilizers have been added as an example. 2) Intra-muscular use of Platelet-Derived Preparations (PRP) has been removed from the Prohibited List. 3) Desmopressin has been added as an example of masking agent. 4) Methods that consist of sequentially withdrawing, manipulating and reinfusing whole blood into the circulation have been added to this category. 5) Methylhexaneamine has been transferred to the list of specified stimulants (it seems to be a popular choice these days…) 6) At the request of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) and due to changes introduced in the format of the competition, alcohol is no longer prohibited in Modern Pentathlon for disciplines involving shooting. 7) It is clarified that, in addition to Bobsleigh, beta-blockers are also prohibited in Skeleton, which are both governed by the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT). 8) At the request of the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), gymnastics has been removed from this category. Technorati Tags: doping,sports sciencecience,biochemistry

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“People of Peace”is based mainly on excerpts from ancient Greek writers, as far as the narration is concerned, and uses scenes from conflicts of the last century that demonstrate their devastating effects on the earth and humanity. The excerpts are read by leading personalities of our times, who have taken a stand against the culture of war and destructiveness, such as the Nobel Prize winner Nelson Mandela, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, the artists Fernando Botero, Theo Angelopoulos, Mikis Theodorakis (who also offered his music for the documentary) and others. These excerpts were selected because when it came to war the ancient Greeks considered it their supreme duty to exercise self-criticism and refrained from succumbing to arrogance when they were victorious. Uttered by these personalities, their words acquire a new force and become the actual, present-day language used to express opposition to war. “People of Peace” was placed under the auspices of the President of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Karolos Papoulias and was supported by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO. The film was officially screened on September 24th 2006 at the Athens Concert Hall, in the course of celebrations for the International Day of Peace. We were honoured with the presence of the President of the Greek Republic Mr. Karolos Papoulias, who gave a speech on the occasion, the Prime Minister Mr. Constantinos Karamanlis, members of the Cabinet Council and representatives of foreign countries. The film was distributed gratis by the Sunday newspaper “Eleftherotypia” (a newspaper with a panhellenic circulation of 350.000 copies) on the same day. It was also distributed gratis to 3.500 schools in Greece, as well as to schools in Cyprus and South Africa. Moreover, it was distributed by the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence to all military units in Greece, in an effort to stress the importance of Peace worldwide and raise awareness on the destructiveness of war.“People of Peace” has been invited to participate in international festivals (such as the Montreal Human Rights Film Festival), it has been distributed to all the National Committees for UNESCO of the 192 member-states, as well as to university libraries abroad. It was also recently transmitted by three major greek television channels and was screened in Cyprus under the auspices of the President of the House of Representatives Dimitris Christofias. Two anniversary films, 30-minutes and 15-minutes long each, about the leading Greek educational foundation which has set its seal not only on the country’s scientific life but also on its… Within the assertive climate of the years after the restoration of democracy in 1974, a fringe group, the blind, many of them beggars, protested by demanding Bread and Education and…

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H7N9 Flu, Year Two: What Is Going On? February 10, 2014 By Maryn Leave a Comment Live-poultry market, Shandong, China, 2009. Jonas_in-China, Flickr Cast your mind back to about this time a year ago. A novel strain of flu, influenza A (H7N9), had emerged in China, in the provinces around Shanghai. International health authorities were deeply concerned, because any new strain of flu bears careful watching — and also because, on the 10th anniversary of the SARS epidemic, no one knew how candid China would be about its cases. By the time peak season for flu ended in China, there had been 132 cases and 37 deaths from that newest flu strain. But, confounding expectations, the Chinese government was notably open about the new disease’s occurrence, and scientists worldwide were able to ramp up to study it. Still, no one could say whether that flu would be the one to make the always-feared leap to a pandemic strain that might sweep the globe. As with other, earlier, worrisome strains of flu, science could only wait and see whether it might return. And now it has. Filed Under: Science, Science Blogs, Superbug Tagged With: avian flu, CDC, chicken, China, flu, H5N1, H7N9, influenza, poultry, Science Blogs, Who The "Road Not (Yet) Taken" On H7N9 Flu — And How Far We've Gotten June 10, 2013 By Maryn Leave a Comment Last week’s New England Journal of Medicine included a thoughtful meditation on the possibility that the new bird flu out of China, H7N9, could become a globe-spanning pandemic — and on how much knowledge is needed before we’ll be able to predict whether it will or not. The authors, all from the US National Institutes of Health, know a fair amount about pandemics: Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Dr. David Morens, Fauci’s senior advisor and a medical historian; and Dr. Jeffery Taubenberger, a physician and microbiologist who brought back to the world the viral cause of the worst pandemic: the influenza of 1918, which killed 100 million people. In various combinations over the past 10 or so years, the three have written a number of papers looking back at the record fro 1918, interrogating its impact, and particularly examining the causes of its extraordinary death toll. So they are probably the perfect authors to write about gaps in knowledge about H7N9. But aside from its useful examination of the virology, what struck me as most interesting about their paper is how soon it is to be able to write something like this. After all, H7N9 only emerged to public knowledge in late February, and so far has caused 132 cases and 37 deaths, all in eastern China. That these authors could write this paper now is yet another marker, I think, of how different this outbreak is from SARS 10 years ago, as well as how rapidly international public health science can move, if everyone cooperates. Filed Under: Science, Science Blogs, Superbug Tagged With: avian flu, China, flu, H7N9, influenza, NIH, Science Blogs The New Bird Flu, and How to Read the News About It April 5, 2013 By Maryn Leave a Comment By now you’ve no doubt heard that international health authorities are deeply concerned about a new flu strain that has surfaced in China: H7N9, which so far has sickened at least 16 people and killed six of them. The outbreak has a number of features that are troubling. It emerged rapidly; the first cases were announced five days ago, and the first death apparently occurred on Feb. 27. It is widely distributed: Confirmed cases have been found in three adjoining provinces that wrap around Shanghai, and also in Shanghai municipality itself. And it is novel: H7N9 has never been recorded in humans before. For infectious-disease geeks, it’s that last aspect that raises a particular nervous thrill. Most of the time, most people take flu for granted, to the point of not bothering to be vaccinated against it because they assume it will not make them very sick. But every once in a while, flu defies expectations, and roars up into a pandemic: worldwide spread, high numbers of cases, high rates of death. When a pandemic occurs, almost definitionally, it is because of a new strain to which humans have no prior immunity. In human terms, H7N9 is a new strain. Filed Under: Science, Science Blogs, Superbug Tagged With: avian flu, flu, H7N9, Science Blogs WCSJ: Maybe The Biggest Disease Threat Isn't Infectious At All July 1, 2011 By Maryn Leave a Comment I’ve been away the past week at the World Conference of Science Journalists, a biannual gathering that brought 726 writers and broadcasters from 87 countries to Doha, Qatar. I was there to give a presentation about blogging, and also because I organized two panels on under-reported epidemics and on food and farming issues in the developing world. My panelists’ testimony was so powerful that I wanted to share some of the details. Going into the conference, the epidemics panel was my favorite. That’s not because I cheated and made myself one of the speakers, but because it brought into public view so many of the disease-control issues that we talk about here. When I say hidden epidemics, what I mean is this: The diseases that routinely grab headlines are almost never the ones that cost society the most in illness and deaths, and also in money to control and repair them. Think of Ebola, for instance. There has never been a case of human Ebola in the United States. And as I’ve written before, viral hemorrhagic fevers repeatedly have been imported to North America without ever starting an outbreak. Yet whenever Ebola sparks in Africa, it earns scare-font headlines here, as though it were about to rampage across the continent — even though, in all its known engagements with humans, Ebola has killed less than one-tenth of the 19,000 that MRSA, for instance, kills in the US in a single year. I asked a set of distinguished health journalists, all friends, to come to Doha to talk about diseases that deserve headlines, but never get them. Here’s what they said: Filed Under: Science, Science Blogs, Superbug Tagged With: China, diabetes, flu, food, food policy, polio, Science Blogs

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Tina Smith: 2018 Election Guide Filed Under:2018 Election Guide, Tina Smith Above is the video and below are the answers Tina Smith provided. This is not a paid advertisement nor does WCCO endorse any candidate. (Editor’s Note: Some responses were revised after original submission) Responses from Tina Smith, DFL candidate for U.S Senate: Do you support legalization of the recreational use of marijuana? This is a conversation that we need to have for a couple of reasons. First, attitudes are changing across the country and there is an opportunity to learn from the experiences of states that have moved forward with taking marijuana off the controlled substance list. Second, we need research to find out if this will result in eliminating some of the deeply rooted injustices in our laws, particularly for low level drug offenses, and move toward a fairer and more just society. Do you believe that there should be a cap on how much money a candidate can spend on campaigning? If so, how much? We need to prioritize ending the influence of corporate special interests and secret money on politicians by limiting the amount of money they can spend on political campaigns. It’s time that we work to amplify the voices of Minnesotans. That’s why I support a Constitutional Amendment that reverses the Citizens United decision. I’m working to make organizations that buy ads online disclose who they are and who funds their efforts. I’m also working to enact a small donor matching program to help amplify the impact of working families who want to support a candidate and restore the Voter Rights Act to improve voter registration and engagement. Should Minnesota approve restrictions on gun purchases and/or ownership? Bump stock ban? “Red flag” law to allow police to confiscate weapons from a person who is a danger to himself or others? Universal background check? Assault weapon ban? I support the 2nd Amendment – and our sportsmen and sportswomen throughout Minnesota—and I also believe that we need to pass common sense reforms that keep guns out of the hands of criminals and dangerous people. In the Senate, I support bills that expand background checks on all gun sales, ban the sale of bump stocks, assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. I’m also supporting Sen. Klobuchar’s measure that would ban convicted stalkers from purchasing firearms, and I would support similar measures that keep weapons out of the hands of people who are dangerous to themselves and others. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their schools, communities, and places of worship, and it is time to take action on this issue because the livelihoods of Minnesotans are at stake. Should Immigration Customs Enforcement — ICE — be abolished, and replaced with a different agency to control immigration crimes? We need to create a fair immigration process that ensures the wellbeing of all families and prevents the wrong people from coming to this country, that includes reforming ICE and immigration enforcement. Since joining the Senate, I’ve voted to improve border security with an additional $25 billion in funding. We also need a tough but fair path to citizenship for people who have lived and worked here – and we need to implement a commonsense solution for children who are brought to this country. I’ve introduced a bill called the HELP Separated Children Act which would create a fair process that respects all families and makes sure that children can communicate with their parents if their parents are involved in immigration enforcement action. When politicians refer to negative stories as “fake news”, do you believe it? No. Our democracy depends on a free and independent press. When politicians call reporting they don’t like “fake news,” they undermine trust in our civic organizations for their own political gain. We need to find ways to disagree with each other but also stick to the facts. Should the President be permitted to unilaterally raise tariffs on US imports, or should Congress be required to vote before tariffs are imposed? Trade is vital to Minnesota’s businesses and farmers. But trade needs to be fair, and all parties need to play by the rules. When other countries cheat, we enforce the rules and stand up for ourselves. Congress has an important role to make sure that our trade policy works for Minnesota’s workers, small businesses, farmers, and the environment. I have voted in favor of supporting the role of Congress in trade policy, and imposing tariffs. Congress has an important role to play overseeing trade policy advanced by President Trump. As U.S. Senator, I have pushed the Trump Administration to explain the strategy around tariffs, and how we can move forward toward fair trade. Should able-bodied Medicaid recipients be required to work? Most people who receive Medicaid are seniors, children or people living with disabilities. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation study, most people who receive Medicaid and can work do work. The problem is that people can’t afford health care. Health care is a basic human right, and no one should have to choose between paying for health care and buying groceries or paying rent. Of those who aren’t working, the vast majority are in school or are unable to work because of illness, disability, or caregiving responsibilities. I do not support proposals that create new bureaucracies that will cost taxpayer money, and create more red tape. I don’t support proposals that cost Minnesota more to cover fewer people. The Republicans included a proposal like this in their bill to Repeal and Replace the Affordable Care Act. While I was not in the Senate at the time, I would have voted against that bill. Do you believe North Korea will “denuclearize,” as President Trump says it will? Our goal should be to secure lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, and a North Korea without nuclear weapons is good. President Trump was incorrect when he said in June that North Korea is no longer a nuclear threat. We need to engage in diplomacy to resolve this challenge, and achieve our goals. Do you believe in climate change, and should the U.S. rejoin the Paris climate accords? Climate change is real and poses a threat to our economy and our health. The question before us is what will we do to move our state and country toward a clean energy future. I support keeping the U.S. in the Paris Climate Agreement and I strongly oppose President Trump’s proposed cuts to energy efficiency and renewable energy. As Senator, I am working to keep auto efficiency standards and support for clean energy like wind, solar and biofuels. We need to lead the way towards clean, affordable, reliable energy, which will create jobs and make us more competitive. As Lt. Gov., I led the fight to raise Minnesota’s Renewable Energy Standard to fifty percent by 2030, and I continue to work on this goal in Congress.

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Today an internationally recognised transgender activist, Caitlyn Jenner is a speaker on diversity, transgender and other humanitarian issues. Caitlyn Jenner’s story is both inspiring and moving. Born as Bruce Jenner in 1949, Bruce was an accomplished athlete, who won an Olympic gold medal in the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976. Gaining a well-deserved status as something of a national hero, Bruce Jenner set three successive world records at the games, earning an unofficial title as the “world’s greatest athlete”. After becoming something of an American TV celebrity and turning her hand to film, automotive racing, writing, various businesses and modelling, Bruce Jenner announced in a 2015 Vanity Fair story that she identifies as a transgender woman and would change her name from Bruce to Caitlyn Jenner. Today, Caitlyn is perhaps the most well-known transgender figure on the planet. Between the years 2015 to 2016, she starred in her own reality TV series, titled I Am Cait, which allowed viewers around the world to witness the developments of her transitional journey. On her website, Caitlyn regularly curates content with a special aim at providing political support, guidance and news, on behalf of the world’s LGBT community. For example, the Caitlyn Jenner Foundation was set up with an aim to promote equality and combat discrimination towards transgender men and women. It gives grants to organizations that better the lives of the trans community. This inspiring woman is available for corporate speaking engagements and brand endorsements. 1.4M 3.7M Sharron Elkabas Book Caitlyn Jenner World Record Egg

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Met Council’s Press Release – Final Environmental Impact Statement Released On Southwest LRT Final Environmental Impact Statement Released On Southwest LRT ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — May 13, 2016 – The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today published the final environmental document on the Southwest LRT Project, marking a major step closer to realization of the $1.79 billion project. This comes after years of public feedback and technical analysis, done in conjunction with project staff from the Metropolitan Council. The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) responds to comments received on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and Supplemental DEIS, released in 2012 and 2015, respectively. The FEIS shows how the design was advanced to avoid or minimize impacts and identifies mitigation measures for impacts that cannot be avoided or minimized. It further outlines the Council’s commitments to deal with those impacts throughout construction and operation of the Southwest LRT Project. “Input from the public directly shaped the Southwest LRT Project,” said Metropolitan Council Chair Adam Duininck. “The public raised concerns about noise, visual quality impacts, water resources and safety, among other issues. Project staff has worked with federal, state and local partners to make the appropriate design changes and incorporate them into the project plans. The Southwest LRT Project today is stronger – and enjoys broader support – because of the public’s input. “This is a major step forward for the communities who have supported this project for years. It reinforces the need for the State Legislature to take action in the next week to provide the remaining $135 million to help us leverage $895 million in federal funds; without action, those federal funds will go to a transit project somewhere else in the country.” See metrocouncil.org/swlrt/feis to access the FEIS online or to learn where copies are available to review. Key adjustments analyzed in the FEIS Installing resilient track fasteners in a Minneapolis LRT tunnel, adjusting horn and bell usage and building sound walls are among steps outlined in the FEIS to reduce or eliminate noise and vibration along the future Southwest LRT Project. Additionally, the following provisions were identified through staff evaluation, consultation with cities along the route and in response to public comments on the Draft EIS and the Supplemental DEIS. Key adjustments include: Moving the alignment south in Eden Prairie to address concerns about impacts to business entrances along Technology Drive and bringing the line closer to Eden Prairie Center mall and the city’s core commercial and retail district. Building sound walls along portions of the route in St. Louis Park, Hopkins, and Minnetonka to mitigate noise impacts to residences. Selecting the final location for the operations and maintenance facility in a light industrial area in Hopkins and away from private residences. Floodplain impacts at the site will be mitigated by replacing lost water storage in the same or nearby areas, where feasible, in coordination with local agencies. Avoiding and minimizing wetland impacts through design refinement. Mitigating unavoidable wetland impacts by buying wetland bank credits as the preferred strategy to meet federal, state and local mitigation requirements. Adjusting the operation of horns and bells at several road crossings and positioning bells to minimize impacts to adjacent neighborhoods. Installing resilient fasteners on the track in the Kenilworth LRT tunnel in Minneapolis to mitigate vibration from LRT operations. FEIS details freight rail plans, safety measures The FEIS describes the decision to co-locate freight rail and LRT in the existing rail corridor in St. Louis Park and Minneapolis based on extensive public input and analysis of freight railroad location and water resources. Based on that analysis, Southwest LRT advisory committee recommendations and public comments, the design for the Project was adjusted in April 2014 to keep freight rail in the existing corridor along with LRT tracks. In order to retain the freight rail and trail in the corridor and avoid taking residences, the Project includes a shallow LRT tunnel to be built just under a half-mile in length between West Lake Street Station and south of the Kenilworth Channel. The LRT tracks will return to grade just south of the Kenilworth Channel and cross over the channel on a new bridge. “The project design is sensitive to the natural areas within the corridor and includes safety measures for trails, light rail and freight rail operating in a shared corridor,” said Jim Alexander, acting project director. The FEIS describes that farther west on the route, beginning east of Excelsior Boulevard in Hopkins, the existing freight rail tracks owned by Canadian Pacific Railway will be shifted north about 45 feet. This will allow the light rail tracks to be built south of the freight tracks and make LRT stations more accessible to local centers of activity, while retaining the trail. 31-day public comment period While state law requires a minimum 10-day period for the public to submit comments on the document’s adequacy, the project is providing 31 days. June 13 is the comment deadline. “Community engagement has been critical in assuring the concerns of the public are heard and addressed. Thousands of people have weighed in over the last few years. Results from this extensive public input process have been incorporated into the FEIS and have helped to fine tune the final report resulting in a stronger project, sensitive to the needs and desires of those the Southwest LRT will serve,” Hopkins Mayor Molly Cummings said. To complete the environmental review process, the Federal Transit Administration will need to issue a Record of Decision and the Council will make a Determination of Adequacy. Comments on the FEIS will be addressed as appropriate in these documents. Once these actions are taken, the Council can advertise construction contracts and apply for federal funding for half the capital costs so heavy construction can begin next year. With the completion of the environmental review process, public engagement will shift from the planning and design process to informing the public on what to expect from construction, such as temporary detours or lane closures. Communication methods will include construction updates that can be viewed on mobile devices and the project’s website www.swlrt.org. The FEIS process The Southwest LRT Project’s environmental review process studied resource areas, including – but not limited to – land use, acquisitions and displacements, noise, vibration, safety and security, and geology and groundwater resources. The FEIS responded to nearly 1,200 comments submitted by the public and government agencies following the earlier publication of the Draft EIS and the Supplemental DEIS. Comments were received at public hearings and through email and letters. The planned Southwest Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project (METRO Green Line Extension) will operate from downtown Minneapolis through the communities of St. Louis Park, Hopkins, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie, passing in close proximity to the city of Edina. The line will connect major activity centers in the region including downtown Minneapolis, Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, downtown Hopkins and the Opus/Golden Triangle employment area in Minnetonka and Eden Prairie. Ridership in 2040 is forecasted at approximately 34,000 average weekday boardings. The project will interline with the METRO Green Line, which will provide a one-seat ride to destinations such as the University of Minnesota, state Capitol and downtown St. Paul. It will be part of an integrated system of transitways, including connections to the METRO Blue Line, the proposed METRO Blue Line Extension, the Northstar Commuter Rail line, a variety of major bus routes along the alignment, and proposed future transitway and rail lines. The Metropolitan Council will be the grantee of federal funds. The regional government agency is charged with building the line in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The Southwest Corridor Management Committee, which includes commissioners from Hennepin County and the mayors of Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, Edina, Hopkins, Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie, provides advice and oversight. Funding is provided by the Federal Transit Administration, Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB), state of Minnesota and Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) and other project partners. The Southwest LRT Project website is www.swlrt.org This entry was posted in Southwest LRT on May 16, 2016 by citoyen1789. ← Southwest Light-rail Report Outlines Noise, Visual Impact in Chain of Lakes Corridor The Met Council’s Final Environmental Impact Statement →

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Significant collection on history of the Australian Left to be made available for research In August 1968, the Soviet Union sent troops into Czechoslovakia to end the liberalising regime of Alexander Dubcek; the incident and its aftermath became known as the Prague Spring. The events in the Soviet bloc were part of an international wave of uprisings and movements throughout 1968 that would have a profound impact on the Australian Left. The Communist Party of Australia (CPA) was one of the few in the international movement to publicly condemn the Soviet action. CPA leader Bernie Taft knew Dubcek personally and was instrumental in convincing the Party to take such a stand. On the 50th anniversary of the Prague Spring, the University of Melbourne Archives is pleased to announce the opening of the Bernie Taft collection. The collection contains over 100 boxes ranging from the 1950s to the 1990s, comprising correspondence, personal notes, movement documents and much more. It will be one of the most significant collections on the history of the Australian Left to become available for research in recent years. To mark these events, the University of Melbourne Archives and the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies will be hosting a free public symposium looking at the legacy of 1968, Bernie Taft and other political collections held in the Archives. More Image: Bernie Taft addressing listeners at Yarra Bank in Melbourne on behalf of the Communist Party, c.1960s. Communist Party of Australia, Victorian State Committee Collection, University of Melbourne Archives

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You are here: Home Walrus Undeterred By Avis Car Rental Ban Walrus Undeterred By Avis Car Rental Ban As Halifax indie-rock band Walrus prepares to bring 2017 to a close, one can’t help but marvel at all they have accomplished. In addition to maintaining a seemingly endless tour schedule that they could rightfully claim makes them the hardest-working band in Canada, they also released their full-length album Family Hangover, as well as a digital split-single with fellow indie rock faves WHOOP-Szo. Unfortunately for the group, they are ending their otherwise banner year on a bit of a sour note: Earlier this fall, the group discovered it has been banned by Avis car rentals, having perhaps interpreted the company’s “unlimited kilometres” policy a little too liberally. “We were actually very up front and open with the agent that rented us the vehicle. We let him know we were planning on driving to California,” Walrus’ Justin Murphy begins. It was while the band was in California that the group had their Avis rental van broken into, a robbery in which they lost several pieces of equipment along with some merchandise. When it came time to secure a vehicle for their fall tour, the group was informed by the company they would have to use a vendor other than Avis. Although they believed Avis’ refusal to rent them a vehicle was based on the fact their previously rental was damaged in the robbery, Murphy says the company came clean about the real reason why they were being declined a vehicle. “Unlike other rental car companies, Avis apparently lease their vehicles, meaning they have to keep a little bit more of a closer watch on the mileage customers are putting on. Our previous trip to California was viewed as having taken advantage of the unlimited mileage policy, and so we are forced to get our rental vehicles elsewhere.” Rental vehicle debacle aside, Murphy acknowledges that 2017 has otherwise been a stellar year for the group. Aside from having literally played all over Canada and the United States, the band also spent upwards of two weeks in Europe supporting Halifax ex-pats WIntersleep on their tour of the continent. “It was our first time playing in Europe, and it was amazing. Crowds are so much more attentive there, especially compared with some audiences in Canada and the U.S. European audiences see shows as an experience, where bands on this side of the ocean are sometimes considered as nothing more than incidental entertainment in a club.” With more touring expected to keep the band busy throughout 2018, Murphy acknowledges the notion of being at home is a bit of a foreign concept to the members of the group, but that there is nothing else they would rather be doing. “It’s weird when you end up back at home for a couple of weeks because I’d argue it takes the better part of two weeks before you really start to be able to relax, and then before you know it, you’re thrown right back into another touring cycle. We’re not complaining in the least though, it’s what we signed up for.” What: Walrus When: Thursday Nov. 30, 9 p.m. Where: Thunder & Lightning, 23 Bridge St., Sackville Tickets are $10, available at the door Filed in: MusicNerd Features

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Roman Empire, Antoninus Pius for his Wife Annia Galeria Faustina Major, Aureus The Spaniard Annia Galeria Faustina the Elder was the wife of Emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161). She died at the age of only 36, three years after the proclamation of her husband as emperor. Immediately after her death, Antoninus Pius consecrated Faustina and thus made her Diva, a goddess. A temple was built in her honor on the Forum Romanum, and priestesses worshiped the new goddess. Moreover, Antoninus Pius issued gold coins for Faustina; that the aurei were minted after her death is shown by the legend DIVA. The obverse of this aureus depicts Faustina wearing an elegant hairstyle plaited with strings of pearls. On the reverse is Ceres, an old italic deity, whom the Romans worshiped as goddess of earth, growth and maturation, and who as earth goddess had connections to the deceased as well. Women and ChildrenRaritiesPortraits ca. 138-161 n. Chr.

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8:30 PM - MON 1/13 MIAMI THEATER CENTER Rush Line 8:30 PM - TUE 1/14 REGAL CINEMAS SOUTH BEACH Rush Line Southeast US Premiere Directed by Yaron Zilberman Israel | 123 minutes | 2019 Israel’s official Academy Award entry for Best International Feature Film and winner of the Israeli Ophir Award for Best Film, this gripping psychological drama depicts the lead-up to the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin through the worldview of his assassin, Yigal Amir. In 1995, Yitzhak Rabin, then Prime Minister of Israel, was assassinated by an ultranationalist, right-wing Zionist who opposed Rabin’s signing of the Oslo Accords. The assassination is held to be a definitive — and infamous — moment in the struggling peace process with the Palestinians and in Israel's charged history. So much so that it has never been depicted in a feature film, until now. With a rigorous, exacting gaze, Incitement sets out to expose — through the eyes of Rabin's assassin, Yigal Amir — the motivations that led to Rabin's death. Set in the year preceding the incident, this meticulously crafted period piece embeds the viewer in the world of Amir (portrayed with an unsettling performance by Yehuda Nahari Halevi from MJFF 2016 film Wedding Doll), moving from his family home to his failed relationships to his ultimate radicalization. Director Yaron Zilberman will be in attendance to introduce the film and participate in an extended conversation with The Forward's Editor-in-Chief Jodi Rudoren afterward. Yaron Zilberman was born in Haifa, Israel. He studied physics at MIT before turning to filmmaking. He wrote, produced, and directed the documentary feature Watermarks (2004) as well as the narrative feature A Late Quartet (2012). Yaron Zilberman Yehuda Nahari Halevi, Amitai Yaish, Daniella Kertesz, Yoav Levi Linda Schechter & Robert G. Berrin, and the Sandra Mordujovich Memorial Fund Israel's entry to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign-language Film

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Precipitation total (Sat) Kosovo Satellite images Australia and Americas Map section North and South America Europe and Africa Africa and Asia Asia and Australia Australia and Americas North and South America Europe and Africa Asia and Australia Australia and Americas Area Please select North America Middle America South America Australia and South Pacific Satellite view Super HD (every 15min/3h loop) color Super HD (every 15min/3h loop) Cloud Tops Alert Super HD (every 15min/3h loop) Water Vapor Super HD (every 15min/3h loop) 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 01/20/2020 01/19/2020 01/18/2020 01/17/2020 01/16/2020 01/15/2020 01/14/2020 01/13/2020 01/12/2020 01/11/2020 01/10/2020 01/09/2020 01/08/2020 01/07/2020 01/06/2020 Time Auto-Update active 01:00pm 12:50pm 12:40pm 12:30pm 12:20pm 12:10pm 12:00pm 11:50am 11:40am 11:30am 11:20am 11:10am 11:00am 10:50am 10:40am 10:30am 10:20am 10:10am 10:00am 09:50am 09:40am 09:30am 09:20am 09:10am 09:00am 08:50am 08:40am 08:30am 08:20am 08:10am 08:00am 07:50am 07:40am 07:30am 07:20am 07:10am 07:00am 06:50am 06:40am 06:30am 06:20am 06:10am 06:00am 05:50am 05:40am 05:30am 05:20am 05:10am 05:00am 04:50am 04:40am 04:30am 04:20am 04:10am 04:00am 03:50am 03:40am 03:30am 03:20am 03:10am 03:00am 02:50am 02:40am 02:30am 02:20am 02:10am 02:00am 01:50am 01:40am 01:30am 01:20am 01:10am 01:00am 12:50am 12:40am 12:30am 12:20am 12:10am 12:00am Loop last 12 images 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 Mon 01/20/2020, 01:00pm CET Satellite Super HD Storm tracking Flash flood detection This data is gathered from satellites orbiting the earth at an altitude of 22,236 miles which is exactly how high a satellite has to go to stay in orbit while moving at the exact same speed as the earth�s rotation. This enables the satellite to stay in the same place relative to the earth�s surface and take pictures of weather phenomenon. The satellite takes these pictures through a variety of lenses enabling us to see different weather phenomenon based on which lens we look through. To navigate between these lenses, use the �Satellite View� menu to move between lenses as well as to move between the brand new GOES-16 satellite and the older GOES-13 and GOES-15 satellites. To look at different areas, use the menus titled �Sector�, �Area�, �Country�, �State�, and �County�. Note that because the GOES-16 satellite is not yet fully operational, it will only show up when you are viewing the US with the old satellite imagery. To access the GOES-16 data, select North America in the �Area� menu and then select USA in the �Country� menu. When you�re looking at the US, then go into the �Satellite View� menu where you will find the GOES-16 data under the �super res� tag. We currently have available 6 of the GOES-16 parameters available: More will be added in the future. Two infrared views which display cloud temperature, one Water Vapor view that displays moisture in the upper atmosphere, and three views that show clouds and landscapes as they actually exist. For more information on each view, select the question mark next to its name in the menu. We also have 6 GOES-13/15 parameters that display cloud temperature, water vapor, and visible imagery at a much lower resolution.

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Big Trouble, Little Taiwan: Why Taipei Is Moving Toward a Confrontation April 24, 2019 Topic: Security Region: Asia Tags: TaiwanChinaXi JinpingForeign PolicyWar Washington could play a pivotal role in helping Taipei avoid a war. by Gary Sands April 10 marked the fortieth anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). It was an opportunity not only to reflect on the long history of U.S.-Taiwan relations, but also to consider how well the TRA has stood the test of time. While the TRA, a domestic U.S. law, has played an important role in limiting efforts by Beijing to unify the island with the mainland over the last forty years, China’s military prowess has grown significantly in that time, and now represents a real threat to Taiwan’s de facto existence. On March 31, two Chinese fighter jets crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait into Taiwanese air space and refused to retreat for a twelve-minute period after being met by five Taiwanese fighter jets. The intrusion into Taiwanese airspace marked the first time since 1999 that the Chinese military intentionally crossed the median line, which was established in 1955 following the signing of a mutual defense treaty between Taipei and Washington in 1954—the precursor to the Taiwan Relations Act. History of the Taiwan Relations Act In the aftermath of defeat of the U.S.-backed Republic of China (ROC) military by Mao Zedong’s communist forces in China’s Civil War, and the retreat of the ROC leader Chiang Kai-shek and his nationalist forces to Taiwan in 1949, Washington formally guaranteed the security of the ROC on the island with the signing of the U.S.-ROC Mutual Defense Treaty in 1954, though at the time China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) lacked sufficient air and amphibious capabilities to invade the island. The treaty remained in effect until 1980, after President Jimmy Carter officially terminated diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1979. With the loss of a formal defense treaty, the U.S. Congress sought to limit the damage to U.S.-Taiwan relations and reassure Taipei of continued relations and U.S. military assistance, and so crafted a domestic law entitled the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). Passed by Congress in 1979, the TRA made it the policy of the United States “to maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan.” Along with the Six Assurances offered from the United States to Taiwan, the TRA has successfully framed the core of U.S.-Taiwan relations over the last forty years. The Case for Stronger Support Over the past forty years, while the TRA fell short of the harder security guarantees under the former mutual defense treaty, it has successfully served to limit China’s aggression toward Taiwan. Both states, however, have experienced significant changes in economic strength, military strength, and political governance. For Taiwan, the enactment of TRA in 1979 has allowed Taiwan’s nascent democracy to flower and eventually embrace the same principles of democracy, free and open markets, and respect for the rule of law which America has long trumpeted. U.S. military sales have periodically contributed to Taipei’s construction of a formidable defense of the island, though questions remain over how long the Taiwanese military is capable of holding off a prolonged assault by its much larger neighbor China before outside assistance is necessary. China’s economic growth in the past four decades has allowed for significant resources to be spent on its military, and its official defense budget now stands at some fourteen times that of Taiwan’s once formidable military. China’s military now presents a formidable threat to Taiwan, and though Chinese president Xi Jinping’s rule is now indefinite, his recent saber-rattling around the island may be a sign his patience over unification is wearing thin. In the face of a grave and growing challenge to Taiwan’s de facto autonomy, is the U.S. Congress willing to improve upon the TRA and counter China’s aggression toward the island? Efforts to Modernize the Taiwan Relations Act Some critics, such as Russell Hsiao, the executive director of Global Taiwan Institute, a Washington-based non-profit policy incubator, maintain that while the TRA has served as an effective deterrent, changes in China’s military strength now demand greater clarity of the U.S. commitment to defend Taiwan: “As the PLA grows stronger, a perceived lack of commitment by the United States to defend Taiwan could further embolden Beijing to use force to resolve the Taiwan issue [2:46:33].” This perceived lack of commitment is apparent to many Taiwanese, with slightly less than half (47.4 percent) confident of the U.S. sending troops to help defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack, according to a poll taken last April. Some 41 percent of Taiwanese expressed doubts America would come to the rescue. While the TRA demands the United States “maintains the capacity to resist any resort to force,” the question of whether or not to respond, and how to respond, is left to the president and Congress, who “shall determine, in accordance with constitutional processes, appropriate action by the United States in response to any such danger.” While nonbinding, the ambiguous language of the Act is similar to that found in many U.S. mutual defense treaties—and reflects the necessity of not drawing red lines in fluid environments—leaving the decision to respond militarily more dependent on political will than law. The Use of Soft Power In Building a Responsible Stakeholder While the fortieth anniversary of the TRA provides an opportune time for Congress to address any weaknesses of the Act, it appears any proposed legislation will fall far short of any calls for clarity, or strengthening of the use of U.S. hard power to defend Taiwan. Rather, Washington seems intent on bolstering Taiwan’s soft power—fighting for its diplomatic recognition and international participation. Since the start of the year, members of Congress have introduced legislation intended to improve upon the TRA, including several bills to help Taiwan regain observer status in the World Health Organization, to make clear the U.S. One-China Policy does not commit it to the PRC's One-China Principle, and to reaffirm U.S. commitment to Taiwan and to the implementation of the TRA. If passed, these laws would join or reaffirm similar soft power legislation passed last year by the U.S. Congress, including the Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative (TAIPEI) Act and the Taiwan Travel Act—to “encourage visits between U.S. and Taiwanese officials at all levels.” While a steady diet of supplements of regular defense arms sales and a steroid booster of stronger security guarantees would no doubt contribute to the overall fitness of the forty-year-old TRA, for now, U.S. lawmakers appear reluctant to upset the delicate tripartite balance while major trade negotiations are underway between the U.S. and China. Or perhaps many U.S. legislators are comfortable with the ambiguity of the U.S. commitment under the TRA (e.g. willing to defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion, but unwilling to respond should Taipei declare independence). Or possibly they are reflecting the views of their constituents, many of whom do not want the United States to enter into another major war, especially over a tiny island some still confuse with Thailand. A poll taken by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in October revealed only 35 percent of Americans would support U.S. military action to defend Taiwan if the island is attacked. With proposed congressional hard-power legislation currently limited to a reaffirmation of the U.S. commitment under the TRA, efforts to improve upon U.S.-Taiwan relations should continue to focus on building Taiwan’s soft power while at the same time broadcasting its emergence as a model democracy in the region. Despite significant strides in growing its economy and developing its democracy, the Taiwan story is yet to be fully appreciated; telling that story could go a long way toward building the U.S. political will and worldwide sympathy necessary to help defend its cause as a responsible stakeholder in the international system. Gary Sands is a senior analyst at Wikistrat, a crowdsourced consultancy, and a Director at Highway West Capital Advisors, a venture capital, project finance and political risk advisory. A former diplomat with the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation, he has contributed a number of op-eds for Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek, Washington Times, The Diplomat, Asia Times, National Interest, EurasiaNet, and the South China Morning Post. He is now based in Taipei, Taiwan. Image: Reuters

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NBN Apps Business activities & Projects Marketing & Strategy NBN Membership NPPES – B2B Meetings Southeast Asia Focuses On Russia’s Growing Nuclear Market by Arnaud Lefevre , June 29, 2018 By launching the first floating nuclear plant in May 2018, Russia has taken a step ahead of other countries interested in mobile nuclear power plants. With this new type of transportable nuclear reactors, Russia aims to attract countries eager to develop their nuclear energy. In just two weeks, several countries in Southeast Asia have already expressed interest in this technology. Russia is ready to make a big financial effort to meet their expectations,. Even though the negotiations have not yet officially begun, Rosatom, has already announced that it is willing to lease future units of its plant to countries that request it. The Manila government has already signed a nuclear development agreement with the Russian government at the end of 2017. Gerardo Erguiza, Deputy Secretary of State for Energy, did not hide his penchant for this solution: “We need a reliable and inexpensive source of energy, nuclear is ideal. ” Although Southeast Asia does not have any nuclear power plants in operation, various countries have already tried in the past decades to invest in this energy. The Philippines is the country that has gone the furthest in developing a civilian nuclear industry. In 1976, the Philippine government gave the green light for the construction of a 620 MW nuclear power plant. This decision was largely motivated by the energy supply problems faced by the country following the oil crisis. And although the works ended in 1986, the Bataan nuclear power plant was never commissioned. With a budget of $ 2.3 billion, well above the estimated budget, the project resulted in too much public debt for the Filipino state, which had to abandon the project. In early 2018, the Philippine government asked Russian nuclear experts to conduct an audit of the plant which was originally built by Westinghouse. According to the audit findings, and despite the age of the plant (1976), it could potentially be commissioned and finally produce energy as early as 2020. The case of the Bataan power station is a good illustration of the problem: in the absence of financial means and expertise in this field, the countries of South-East Asia have not yet had the opportunity to develop nuclear energy. Yet several countries such as Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia currently have large energy needs that they struggle to cover with fossil energy. In total, a dozen countries in this region could be interested in the Russian floating nuclear power plant. According to Rosatom, the Philippines and Indonesia are seriously considering deploying floating power stations off their coasts. Categories: Marketing & Strategy, Other countries Arnaud Lefevre Arnaud Lefevre is the Chief Executive Officer of Dynatom International. Arnaud is in charge of the international development of the business portfolio. CNNC enters into Brazil Market From Western to Eastern Africa Nuclear security in Kuwait Jinan breakthrough in the energy field Mongolian Energy Regulatory Commission visit CNI22 Back-end business in China for Orano? SINOMACH invests in nuclear technology International competition to build two nuclear power plants in Saudi Arabia أنشطة الأعمال والمشاريع التسويق و التخطيط التوريد والتدبير السلامة و اللوائح موضوعات أخرى 供应链&采购 商业活动和项目 安全和监管 市场营销和战略 لمانيا NBN.Media: NßN offers a free marketing platform focused on the emerging markets. NßN studies the business trends and provide online expertise to save your time and marketing costs. NßN spreads the information in English, Chinese, and Arabic because proximity is power. With NßN, you will break into emerging markets. We use cookies to provide the best possible experience for our visitors. By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our use of cookies | more info NBN Media / NBN, NBN Media Ltd, 171, Arch. Makariou III Avenue, 4th floor, 3027 Limassol, Cyprus For inquiries, send e-mails to: contact@nbn.media All Rights reserved.NBN Signup Our Newsletter © 2018 Copyright NBNMedia. All Rights reserved. By NBN We use cookies to provide the best possible experience for our visitors. By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn more

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Arabia, the Gulf, and the GCC Blog From the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations NCUSAR Home Analyses & Assessments Contact the National Council From John Duke Anthony ⇒ NavigateNCUSAR Home Analyses & Assessments Publications Library Contact the National Council From John Duke Anthony The 1990-1991 Kuwait Crisis Remembered: Profiles in Statesmanship Posted on August 2, 2017 by John Duke Anthony For the last twenty-seven years, today has marked the anniversary of an infamous event: Iraq’s brutal invasion and subsequent occupation of Kuwait, which began on August 2, 1990, and which was brought to an end on February 28, 1991. The regional and international effects of numerous aspects of the trauma then inflicted upon Kuwait remain ongoing. Like Kuwait itself, the world, even now, has yet to fully recover. National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President and CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony was one of the first American civilians into Kuwait following its liberation. He would return there twelve times over following year with delegations of American leaders tasked with assisting in one or more facets of the war-torn country’s reconstruction. He is here with his escort observing one among over 650 of Kuwait’s oil wells set ablaze by the retreating Iraqi armed forces. Photo: National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. Over a quarter century later, important postwar facets of what Iraq did to Kuwait fall short of definitive closure. And they defy effective description. The international legal requirement that an aggressor provide prompt, adequate, and effective compensation for a war’s victims was not honored at the end of hostilities. Despite continuing United Nations-supervised efforts to collect on this inhumane debt, what is due has still not been paid. The Missing in Action and Context A full accounting of Kuwait’s and other countries’ missing citizens swept up and carted off to Iraq in the war’s waning hours – in the immediate aftermath of the conflict its main cause celebre – continues to remain incomplete. The reason is not for lack of effort. After Kuwait’s liberation, an informal and unofficial effort was mounted by George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs to provide an estimate of the MIAs’ status. The focus group included diplomats, scholars, media representatives, American armed forces’ civil affairs personnel, and other individuals who fought to liberate Kuwait. Their unscientific consensus reported that more than 400 of the missing Kuwaitis died after they were captured. The fate of more than 200 of the missing, however, was unknown. In the immediate hours and early days following Kuwait’s liberation, when none of the country’s electric power, desalination water purification plants, and far more of the country’s infrastructure were left operative, and domestic security prospects had been rendered uncertain, armed personnel carriers and mounted automatic weaponry units were omnipresent in the country. Photo: Dr. John Duke Anthony. That possibly countless others remain missing is no small matter. The numbers in question, to some, may seem few. Not so, however, for those among the loved ones who tear up at the thought of them. Not so either for those who, despite the absence of grounds to warrant optimism for a fortuitous ending to their pining, and continue to wait and pray for their return. We Americans would do well to stop and think about this for a moment. We are often criticized, and rightly so, for having an empathy deficit when it comes to understanding the suffering of people in other countries and situations. An irony in this needs to be understood and underscored. The irony is that many in the United States demand that people in other countries understand us. For those in front of an American Consular Officer with ticket in hand to visit a friend or relative in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, or wherever, but who lack such empathy along with the understanding and civility that comes with it, they need to be wished good luck in obtaining a visa to the United States. Equivalencies and Empathy A reality in these regards is humbling: the number of Kuwaitis and others missing in the 1990-1991 conflict was a tenth of a percent of the country’s population. Compare that to what would have been the number of Americans missing then, when the U.S. population was 270 million. The analogical equivalent is stunning. It would be as though 270,000 Americans suddenly went missing. It would be as though they were forcibly carted across the border to Canada or Mexico and to this day remain missing and unaccounted for. Or, take France and Great Britain. France’s and Great Britain’s populations were each roughly 50 million then. Hence, it is the same as if 50,000 French or British citizens had been taken prisoner by an invading army. If this does not place the Kuwaiti predicament in perspective, it is hard to imagine what would. The site of a February 24, 1991 battle between a group of Kuwaiti freedom fighters known as the Al-Massilah group and Iraqi troops is now home to the Al-Qurain Martyr’s Museum, a memorial for those lost during the Iraqi occupation. Photo: Dr. John Duke Anthony. Ponder this: most Kuwaitis of my acquaintance know no fewer than four of those missing. Never since have they seen or heard from or about any of them. In addition, the same number are also aware of at least forty of their friends and relatives who still carry deep emotional scars as a result of the disappearance of their loved ones. Whether viewed in the here and now or in the rearview mirror, the costs and losses of the invasion and occupation of Kuwait remain beyond the imagination. The consequences in terms of health and human life, in terms of jobs, in terms of aspirations trampled, in terms of mental and material wellbeing among the invaded, may never be fully known. Also unknown are other costs. These include those incurred by the citizenry in the land of the invader. The moral and material impact of the invasion and the ensuing sanctions there were also astronomical. The consequences of those costs, however, were of another nature, intensity, and extent. As with the tragedy inflicted upon Kuwait, the American public may never come to grips with these costs either. One small insight, albeit but a snapshot, into the altogether different human harm levied by the “liberator” is encapsulated by the following. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was asked in a 1996 television interview whether she thought the reported deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children from the U.S.-led economic sanctions imposed after Iraq’s Kuwait invasion were acceptable to achieve U.S. policy objectives. Her response was, “Yes, …the price is worth it.” This monumentally callous remark continues to haunt the secretary’s image and that of the U.S. government to this day. But there is more. The physical damage and the psychological devastation inflicted upon the Kuwaiti people was and is one thing. The ensuing costs to the citizens of Iraq – to the country’s widows, to its orphans, and to innumerable other civilians who had nothing whatsoever to do with the war – were and are quite another. Even now, economists’ conservative estimates place the extent of the damage in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Such conclusions look like typographical errors. Would that they were. The physical damage and the psychological devastation inflicted upon the Kuwaiti people was and is one thing. The ensuing costs to the citizens of Iraq – to the country’s widows, to its orphans, and to innumerable other civilians who had nothing whatsoever to do with the war – were and are quite another. Even now, economists’ conservative estimates place the extent of the damage in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Such conclusions look like typographical errors. Would that they were. What Was Achieved Against any further measurement of the human devastation visited upon Kuwait, there would arguably be the following additional calculations. Among them would be those that occurred as the crisis unfolded. Here, the focus is not only on the humanistic and moral fronts that embraced considerations which were ever present from beginning to end. The focus is also on what occurred in the GCC-U.S. geopolitical, defense, and economic relationships. Analyzing these dynamics requires donning a different set of lenses. In no other way can one reach an insightful level of understanding of how, for instance, international law effectively came into play. Indeed, for one of the first and last times in the past half century, the United Nations’ Charter’s prohibition of the acquisition of territory by force was upheld. Not only did Kuwait’s citizenry and other inhabitants regain their safety and freedom. With this came something else: their dignity, which had been lost, was restored. (Left) U.S. Desert Shield and Desert Storm Armed Forces Coalition Commander General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, (center) U.S. Central Command Air Forces Commander General Charles A. Horner, and (right) National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Founding President and CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony share memories of the 1990-1991 campaign to liberate Kuwait from Iraq’s aggression. Photo: National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. In the process were still other achievements. For one, Kuwait’s national sovereignty, which had been stolen, was returned. Additionally, Kuwait’s political independence – which had been smashed to smithereens by the Iraqi invasion and occupation – was regained. Something else happened as well. The territorial integrity of this small and defenseless country, which Iraq violated, was restored. These three characteristics are noted herein for a reason: for the entire post-Second World War period, this triad of attributes had a sacrosanct dimension to it. The three components were considered by the international community not merely as adjectival descriptions. Nor were they conceptually interlinked to underscore a set of geostrategic and geopolitical points. Rather, they depicted an idealism and a self-serving practicality that Great Powers and non-Great Powers alike wished to see reflected in the nature of countries newly freed from imperialism or armed conflict and, indeed, that all nations should be expected to prove in order to be admitted into the United Nations. Stated differently, they conveyed the sine qua non for existence as a member of the international community in good standing. A Kuwait whose invasion and occupation were allowed to stand would have forfeited that status. In stark contrast, a Kuwait that was demonstrably sovereign, free, and intact could prove that it warranted membership as much as any other country. Not only did Kuwait’s citizenry and other inhabitants regain their safety and freedom. With this came something else: their dignity, which had been lost, was restored. In comparison to Palestine and other examples, this was no small feat. It is a status that Kuwait had but was stolen. It is a status that Palestine has yet to gain. It is a status that but for the internationally-concerted action led by the United States, Great Britain, eleven of Kuwait’s fellow Arab countries, and others, it is questionable whether Kuwait would have regained. Regarding Kuwait’s territorial integrity, the boundary between Iraq and Kuwait was effectively delineated by international community. Not just that, the boundary between the two countries was reconfigured and drawn differently than before. Indeed, for the first known time in modern international organization history, the new Iraq-Kuwait borderline would henceforth become inviolate. It would be guaranteed by the United Nations Security Council, the only boundary in the world to be so deemed. Here is cause for background, context, and perspective. In the post-World War Two period, in few if any other cases have the norms of interstate behavior been as acknowledged and underscored by the world’s highest political body. The Kuwait-Iraq border agreement set a one-of-a-kind marker for future conflicts and for international organizations. It is the world’s only frontier guaranteed by the globally constituted body to which the security of virtually everyone is entrusted. The 1990-1991 Kuwait Crisis[1] is indeed a rare textbook case for the study of international relations. An examination of the Crisis illustrates what can be achieved when and if the legitimate needs, concerns, interests, and aspirational goals of principled international leaders are aligned. Given the immediate previous decades of global competition between communist and their allied countries, on one side, and non-communist powers on the other, not least among what was remarkable with regard to the Crisis was that the necessary “when and if” prerequisites of leadership and statesmanship were in near-perfect alignment. Of more than noteworthy emphasis, they have not been so aligned since. In terms of conflict resolution, the outcome of this event must not be underestimated. It shows what can be done when those in the forefront refuse to accept taking the easy option. A fire rages at an oil well in the aftermath of Iraq’s invasion and occupation of Kuwait. More than 1 billion barrels of oil were burned in fires set by Iraqi forces in their retreat from Kuwait in 1991. Photo: Dr. John Duke Anthony. Here is a major reason why so many refer to the Kuwait Crisis as a teachable moment. What happened to Kuwait and what came as a consequence serves as a quintessential point of reference. It illustrates unmistakably what can be, could be, and, in this case, was accomplished by principled, strong-willed, and capable leaders – arguably in this instance statesmen – acting in concert effectively. Such were the characteristics of the heads of state, foreign and defense ministers, armed forces chiefs of staff, and commanders of units in the field that formed the concerted international action. American Assets One would have to look long and hard to find an American leader before or since with the range and depth of experience that President George H. W. Bush brought to bear throughout the Kuwait Crisis. Before becoming president, he had served in Congress, been Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, served as America’s chief envoy to China, and been Vice President. He was also the one U.S. President more than any other in American history with vast direct personal knowledge of the international energy industry. President Bush’s earlier stint as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations was also brought into play. That experience provided him a network of friends, allies, and working partners the likes of which no American President has come close to matching, let alone surpassing. Supporting President Bush’s efforts was an invaluable team of distinguished statesmen. His outstanding Secretary of State, James Baker, set a standard for clear, forthright, and strong leadership. Secretary Baker demonstrated, like few subsequent American chief diplomats, what a secretary of state should be and can be in times of crises. National Security Advisor General Brent Scowcroft was an additional stalwart who was in just the right place at the right time. U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait Edward (“Skip”) Gnehm, Jr., receives and briefs the first delegation of American leaders visiting Kuwait only days after its liberation. Photo: Dr. John Duke Anthony. Another who was held to the same high standard was U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chas Freeman, the consummate American diplomat most directly involved with the Saudi Arabian government in Riyadh. Vital, too, was U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait Edward (“Skip”) Gnehm, who worked closest with the Kuwaiti government-in-exile in Taif, Saudi Arabia. America’s Arab Allies Working hand-in-hand with these Americans was a collection of exceptional Arab leaders. First was Saudi Arabia’s monarch. King Fahd made perhaps the most extraordinary decision of his life with regards to what happened to Kuwait: he invited hundreds of thousands of U.S. military forces into the Kingdom. To state that what the King did was controversial is truthful but misses the point. Consider that, in a later interview, an Arab journalist asked King Fahd about how he made decisions and the king simply answered, “I don’t.” Rather, the king noted the classical Arab and Islamic traditions regarding the roles of consultation and consent in reaching decisions that are certain to impact one’s constituents. King Fahd said, paraphrased here, “One might best consider my role in our country’s decision-making process as that of a press conference spokesman. That is, in all my decades of public life as a leader, all I have done is declare what has been reached through the process of consultation and consensus among those most qualified to deliberate whatever matter is under consideration.” Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd bin Abdulaziz, with then-Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz behind him, at the 1987 GCC Heads of State Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Dr. John Duke Anthony. “There has been only one exception. It was when, in the absence of a consensus among the Kingdom’s most prominent leaders, I took the decision and risk on my own to invite the armed forces of our major allies into the Kingdom. I did so in the firm belief that in no other way would it be possible not only to prevent the forces that had invaded Kuwait from continuing onward into the Kingdom and beyond. I did so also to compel the invaders to reverse their aggression.” In matters related to one’s country or a treasured neighbor, would that there were more comparable risk-takers when the questions are ones of life or death – of a nation no less than a people – as in the case of the Kuwait Crisis. Additional key Saudi Arabian leaders working with King Fahd, who in their own ways made all the difference in the world, were Minister of Foreign Affairs HRH Prince Saud Al-Faisal; Director General of Saudi Arabia’s General Intelligence Directorate, the Kingdom’s main foreign intelligence service, HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal; Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States HRH Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, doyen of all the world’s foreign chiefs of mission; and a Saudi Arabian diplomat then stationed at the Kingdom’s embassy in Washington, Adel Ahmed Al-Jubeir. Working back and forth between the embassy and his outposts alternatively in Riyadh and Dhahran, the latter was indefatigable. He personally facilitated the ability of more than 1,000 journalists from all over the globe to come to the Kingdom. He allowed them to remain there. Al-Jubeir permitted the visiting foreign media to interview at will whomever they pleased. He enabled them to participate in cultural excursions. He supported their ability to write what they saw and experienced, so that the world would not be left in the dark. Little wonder that he would subsequently be appointed the Kingdom’s foreign minister upon the passing of the extraordinarily gifted, dedicated, and accomplished Prince Saud Al-Faisal. Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) H.E. Abdulla Y. Bishara with Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs HRH Prince Saud Al-Faisal at the 1987 GCC Heads of State Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Dr. John Duke Anthony. In addition to these and other Saudi Arabian leaders, there were several more of particular note. One was GCC Secretary General Abdulla Y. Bishara. After a decade-long stint as Kuwait’s Ambassador to the United Nations from 1971 to 1981, Bishara was appointed founding Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (comprised of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates). He had held this extraordinary position of trust and confidence for nearly a decade when the Kuwait Crisis erupted – and would hold it for two more years afterwards. For the purpose of maximizing every contact possible, the veteran Kuwaiti diplomat and his former ambassadorial colleague President Bush had established exceptionally close personal ties. Indeed, the two had served simultaneously as their respective countries’ Ambassadors to the United Nations in the 1970s. Two other effective Arab leaders were, one, the then-Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the time the doyen of all the world’s foreign ministers, and now the country’s ruler. Another was then-Ambassador of Kuwait to the United States, the late Shaikh Saud Nasser Al Sabah. No Kuwaiti diplomat in the United States worked more assiduously to liberate his country. Aiding him were three other noteworthy Kuwaiti leaders: Dr. Hassan Al-Ebraheem[2], Fawzi Sultan[3], and Saif Abbas Abdallah[4]. Left to right: 1990-1991 Free Kuwait Campaign Members Fawzi Al-Sultan, John Duke Anthony, and Hassan Al-Ebraheem, with former U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait Edward Gnehm, at the 2016 Kuwait-America Foundation “Do the Write Thing” Annual National Recognition Dinner held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. Photo: National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. President Bush and his team of principal advisers, on one hand, and the exceptional and gifted group of GCC Arab leaders, on the other, all of them already extraordinarily effective in their own right, would become more so acting collectively. Together they personified what morally courageous leadership is all about. Indeed, they forged a mostly rock-solid block among the ten non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The only exception was Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who had long been aligned with Iraq. Other International Leaders Among the non-Kuwaiti, non-Saudi Arabian, and other GCC leaders, the most prominent among President Bush’s western counterparts was British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, followed by the heads of state of China (where Bush’s having been the chief American envoy had come in handy), France, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. In Mrs. Thatcher, Bush was able to count on much. Great Britain had on numerous occasions acknowledged the vital importance of Kuwait’s financial holdings in London to the Pound Sterling and, by extension, to the British economy. It was not just Kuwait’s massive deposits in London-based banks, investment houses, and other financial institutions. It was also the Kuwaiti government being the largest holder of shares in British Petroleum. The latter was a mainstay of the British Treasury. It was also vital to the country’s manufacturing sector. Former President George Herbert Walker Bush, former Kuwait Crown Prince His Highness Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al Sabah, and former British Prime Minsters Margaret Thatcher and John Major return to Kuwait to commemorate the country’s tenth anniversary of its liberation from Iraq. Photo: Cynthia Anthony. Indeed, Kuwait’s hydrocarbon and monetary might helped drive much of the engines of Great Britain’s economy. This existential reality was diplomatically encapsulated when Kuwait gained its full sovereignty and independence from Great Britain in July 1961. Tellingly, the latter agreed constitutionally to come to Kuwait’s defense should its sovereignty and independence be attacked or threatened.[5] One of the most revealing statements that helped guide what would subsequently unfold was what Mrs. Thatcher said to Bush in late-August 1990, when discussing how to enforce U.S. sanctions on Iraq: “this is no time to go wobbly.” Wobbly the American President very much did not go. Nor did the international assemblage of countries determined to reverse Iraq’s aggression go wobbly either. President Bush and his team of principal advisers, on one hand, and the exceptional and gifted group of GCC Arab leaders, on the other, all of them already extraordinarily effective in their own right, would become the more so acting collectively. Together they personified what morally courageous leadership is all about. France’s contributions were also crucial. The reasons, however, were more complicated and conflicted. At the time of its invasion of Kuwait, Iraq owed Paris some 4.5 billion dollars for weapons and equipment purchased during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. By any standard this was a substantial sum. Understandably, the French wished to see the debt repaid. The likelihood for that occurring, to be sure, was to be significantly lessened if Iraq were to be repelled and defeated. This is the stuff of foreign policy nightmares for foreign ministers and heads of state: how to reconcile policies that contain glaring contradictions in nature and intent. In comparison, France had far less at stake in Kuwait. Yet, the GCC having established the principle that an attack on one would be interpreted as an attack on all tipped the geopolitical scales in Kuwait’s favor. It put its finger on the scale of the potential financial ones, too, for France had major economic interests in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Of Wild and Unpredictable Cards The most wild and unpredictable card, to be sure, was America’s longstanding nemesis, Moscow. But here, too, is where leadership was on display. President Bush was supported overwhelmingly not only by France, Great Britain, and the entire rest of the then 12-nation European Union. With Saudi Arabia’s Prince Saud and the GCC’s Abdulla Bishara working tirelessly among their Arab and Islamic colleagues from other nations, the United States, America’s Arab allies, and the internationally-concerted coalition that was forged to liberate Kuwait was hardly isolated. The beleaguered Arab and Islamic GCC member-state was also supported by the Organization of African Unity, a majority of the then 21-member nation League of Arab States, the 57 member-countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and all but Cuba among the then 33-member countries of the Organization of American States. Yet one of the most important decisions Bush had to make in confronting the Kuwait Crisis was whether to ignore, confront, or seek the hand of friendship and collaboration of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. In this, Bush wasted no time. Within days of the Iraqi invasion and occupation, he let it be known in the clearest terms that he would do nothing to try to upstage Gorbachev. Bush knew that upon Gorbachev’s cooperation in addressing the Kuwait Crisis would depend so much else in terms of the future relationship between the two heads of state. This was apparent when the two leaders met in Helsinki, Finland, and discussed the Kuwait Crisis and other matters of state, with the media’s cameras filming it all, on September 9, 1990. On that occasion, Bush declared that the United States would confine itself to liberating Kuwait from Iraq’s aggression. He proclaimed that American forces would not invade and occupy Iraq absent a UN Security Council resolution authorizing such a move. One of the most important decisions Bush had to make in confronting the Kuwait Crisis was whether to ignore, confront, or seek the hand of friendship and collaboration of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. In retrospect, it is apparent that neither Bush nor Gorbachev nor any of the other permanent five UN Security Council members considered that an invasion of Iraq by the forces being forged to liberate Kuwait would be either wise or necessary. While many would subsequently argue to the contrary, history to date would appear to have concluded that Bush, Secretary of State Baker, and National Security Adviser Scowcroft were proven correct and the others proven wrong.[6] In any event, the joint leadership between the metaphoric Russian Bear and the American Eagle, as the saying goes, meant all the difference in the world. Kuwait’s and the other GCC leaders and their fellow Arab partners were able to cooperate and coordinate effectively to a degree unprecedented among Arab governments and their respective militaries and diplomats in modern history. Wrecked and abandoned Iraqi armed forces vehicles along the “Highway of Death.” Photo: Dr. John Duke Anthony. At the time and in retrospect, no one would have wagered that such historic archrivals for strategic advantage and economic gain in the broader Middle East as the Soviet Union and the United States would end up voting identically with one another. Indeed, except for Moscow’s and Washington’s united position in voting for the 1987 UN Security Council Resolution that led to the end of the Iran-Iraq War, never before had the United States and the Soviet Union joined forces as they did with regard to the Kuwait Crisis – indeed, as they did on each of the dozen UN Security Council resolutions passed during the seven month conflict. Herein lies a possible lesson, or if not that then at least a reminder to the incumbent American and Russian heads of state, of what can happen when the two countries’ leaders can agree to cooperate seriously and effectively in matters pertaining to war and peace. Shifting Balances of Power It is staggering how far the then-enormous respect and high regard for the American government and people has fallen in the relatively short historical period since this event. Where’s an example of the kind of statesmanship on display throughout the Kuwait Crisis having been repeated? Does one have to travel backward, not forward? Where is it now? To find today’s moral giants, does one have to travel backward? Forward? Merely look around? For some time after the reversal of Iraq’s aggression there were reports of Kuwaiti families naming their newborn babies after President Bush. In the days after the guns on both sides had fallen silent, Kuwaitis sprayed the phrase “Yankee, Don’t Go Home” on the American embassy’s walls. Associated with the positive acclaim for what the United States had done to forge a coalition that cooperated to liberate Kuwait was the immediate resolve by President Bush thereafter to work towards the creation of a new world order. As proof that he meant what he said, he declared his intention to bring the Palestinian and Israeli leaderships together, ultimately in Madrid, to join forces for the purpose of negotiating a peace agreement. This he succeeded in doing in September 1991, setting the stage for President Clinton, who bested him in the national presidential elections in 1992, exercising further leadership aimed at bringing an end to the long-simmering Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Less prominently noted at the time was what Kuwait and its fellow GCC member states were able to achieve. On March, 6, 1991, not long after President Bush announced his new world order initiative, the foreign ministers of the six GCC member states plus their Egyptian and Syrian counterparts that had joined with the GCC and the Allied countries to liberate Kuwait, gathered to proclaim the Damascus Declaration – their echo at the regional level of President Bush’s declaration and commitment at the global level, in itself another precedent in the conduct of statesmanship in the realm of world affairs that the Kuwait Crisis afforded. H.E. Abdulla Y. Bishara, the longest-serving Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) (1981-1993), was in his fourth term when he and HRH Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States HRH Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, Director General of Saudi Arabia’s General Intelligence Directorate HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal, and HH Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, then Kuwait’s Foreign Minister and presently its Ruler, together with the late Saud Nasser Al Sabah, then Kuwait’s Ambassador to the United States, led the Arab component of the U.S.-led internationally concerted action that reversed Iraq’s aggression against Kuwait. Bishara had been Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the United Nations from 1971 to 1981. He is pictured here with Dr. John Duke Anthony. Photo: National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. The Declaration’s most important principle was what the parties argued had been underscored years earlier in the March 5, 1975 Algiers Accord between Iran and Iraq: the principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of other countries. If there has been one pan-GCC ironclad principle emphasized by the members more than any other since the GCC’s inception in May 1981 – and the one most pointedly directed by a majority of the GCC’s members at the revolutionary government of Iran – it has been this one. The evidentiary trail of when and how the GCC countries, Egypt, and Syria proclaimed in the strongest possible terms their adamant opposition to foreign intrusion in their internal political dynamics – and how this lies at the core of the GCC member states disputes with Tehran – is found in the March 1991 Damascus Declaration. What the Damascus Declaration also represented was something else that in concept and practice was unprecedented and thus in its own way transformative, certainly for the Arab world if not also Iran, Israel, and potentially Turkey. This was the particular aspect of how the Damascus Declaration countries sought to establish a new semblance of a regional balance of power between and among the Arab countries. Such a balance had come into being in the wake of the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.[7] Since the signing of the Camp David Accords, there had been a kind of unofficial, but nonetheless effective, area-wide symmetry of power in the Arab world vis-a-vis Israel and between specific Arab countries and non-Arab Iran. As a result of the Kuwait Crisis, however, that balance no longer existed. The signatories to the Damascus Declaration were keen to indicate regionally that the way forward would have to be in step with three things: (1) respect for the principles of non-interference in other’s domestic affairs, (2) the peaceful settlement of disputes in accord with official legal and diplomatic principles, and, also, (3) agreement that the sovereignty of the Arab world’s natural resources would henceforth reside in the country in which the resources were located. This latter provision may have sounded innocuous, but in intent and substance it was not. It was meant to put an end to an earlier suggestion and, in some cases, implicit claim by less well-endowed Arab countries that they ought to be entitled to a share of the more bounteous resources of their less populous fellow Arab countries. The Post-Kuwait Crisis Era The period immediately following the Kuwait Crisis was unique and, in retrospect, seemingly a very long time ago, indeed in another era. It was where Americans could be seen more often than not as doing the right things, in the right way, with the right people. Among GCC citizens there was genuine love, admiration, and appreciation for what the United States had done to lead and keep the region away from what would otherwise almost certainly have been not just a regional disaster but, very likely, a global one too. National Council Founding President and CEO Dr. John Duke Anthony with then-Governor of the State of Maryland William Schaefer, who spearheaded the American effort to reconstruct war-shattered Kuwait and who led a team of Johns Hopkins University medical specialists tasked with ascertaining the extent to which Kuwaiti pre-collegiate age children had been traumatized by Iraq’s invasion and occupation. Photo: National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. The love affair with America among many in the GCC region, other than Kuwaitis, would be short-lived. In January 1993, the Clinton administration took the reins from the Bush administration and soon concluded the first Oslo Accord. The American and other hype surrounding this so-called peace process proved naïve if for no other reason that over the course of Bill Clinton’s presidency Israel’s continued taking of Palestinian land and other resources – with no penalty or even effective admonition from those extolling reverence and respect for the rule of law – continued apace. As a result, in September 2000 the Second Palestinian Intifada erupted.[8] With it came the dramatic internationally-televised video of a Palestinian father ineffectively clutching his son, Muhammad al-Durrah, who was killed by Israeli gunfire. That the boy was living until that moment in his own land but the soldier who killed him was there illegally as a foreign occupier was a lesson not lost on anyone. If those developments were not enough to vitiate most of the goodwill engendered by the elder President Bush in America’s reaction to the 1990-1991 Kuwait Crisis, the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, and the globally perceived over-reaction by Washington officialdom that followed, had the effect of fundamentally changing the relationship.[9] Then came September 11, 2001 In comparison with years past, since the 2001 terror attacks in New York City it has been extraordinarily difficult to maintain the kind of deep, robust, and diversified relationship that had existed earlier between the United States and Saudi Arabia and, to an extent, between Washington and Kuwait. A reason is that various among both countries’ citizens have been associated with extremist movements. These, it is agreed, have often been opposed to various Western-aligned policies of their countries’ governments. Alongside these troubling trends and indications, however, have been numerous positive ones. For example, Kuwaiti, Saudi Arabian, and practically all other Arabs in the other GCC countries and elsewhere remain of the opinion that an American university education is still likely to be a ticket to meaningful employment and a purposeful life and career. Further, the robust sovereign wealth funds of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar continue to find their safest and most lucrative investments and deposits in the United States. These countries have been key members of the American-Arab allied coalition forged against al-Qaeda, ISIS, and violent extremist groups in general. There is also common interest in enhancing the respective national defense capacities of Kuwait and its fellow GCC members. This is in addition to U.S. official encouragement of steps that GCC countries have taken on their own to strengthen their overall and specific defense cooperation. To date, the latter has been illustrated vividly in the steps taken by Saudi Arabia to strengthen and expand the efforts of the United Nations to combat terrorism, and in its largely successful efforts to forge effective coalitions to fight against various forms of violent extremism. It has also been evidenced by Oman and Kuwait continuing their behind-the-scenes efforts to bring violent conflicts and intra-regional disputes to an end. An older iteration of Kuwait’s flag flies atop a dhow in Kuwait City. Photo: Dr. John Duke Anthony. There are additionally the extraordinary levels of defense structures, systems, maintenance, and training services that Kuwait and its fellow GCC members have undertaken jointly with the United States. Finally, there are the continuing Defense Cooperation Agreements put into place with Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE in the 1990s as well as the ongoing American defense cooperation with Saudi Arabia, with its much earlier origins dating back to the end of World War Two, that dwarfs all the other GCC countries combined. Such measures of ongoing strategic partnership between and among these countries and the United States would soon enough be further evidenced by something else. For quite some time, albeit little recognized by the American media, there have been more American armed forces positioned among the six GCC countries than anywhere else. This includes Germany, Japan, or South Korea, three countries that have been accustomed to as many as thirty-five thousand American military personnel stationed in their countries for more than the past half-century. These developments can all trace roots and key turning points to the jointly-transformative Kuwait Crisis. GCC Countries’ Strategic Importance Reexamined Consider what occurred in the Kuwait crisis over a quarter of a century ago. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates played vital roles in the reversal of Iraq’s aggression. They were also center stage in replacing the 4.5 million barrels a day of Iraqi and Kuwait oil that were declared off limits by the United Nations Security Council after the invasion. This was vitally necessary to global economic stability. The GCC countries were pivotal players in persuading a majority of the then 21-member League of Arab States countries to immediately condemn the invasion. This was of enormous strategic and geopolitical importance in that it disproved Saddam Hussein’s claim that the Western countries were poised to attack the Arabs and Muslims as in the Crusades. In addition, not long after that Kuwait and the other GCC countries succeeded again in persuading a majority of the Arab League members to endorse the deployment of Arab armies to Saudi Arabia to prevent the invasion from spreading beyond Kuwait. That measure helped protect not only Saudi Arabians, but also the hundreds of thousands of Kuwaitis who managed to escape to the Kingdom and thereby flee the carnage inflicted upon their country. It also helped to ensure the safety of the tens of thousands of Americans and countless other foreign nationals living and working in the Kingdom and the other GCC countries. What the Kuwait Crisis Enforced and Strengthened The lessons of the 1990-1991 Kuwait Crisis, in which statesmen-like leaders came to the fore and in the end prevailed, should not be ignored. The response to Iraq’s aggression prompted, and expedited, changes in the dynamics of neighboring countries. The event marked a new chapter in Arab-U.S. relations. It signaled and affirmed an enhanced and strengthened partnership between the United States and its allies in the Gulf. The GCC countries, with Saudi Arabia in the lead, absorbed more than half a million American and other countries’ foreign armed forces personnel that came to liberate Kuwait. In short, the GCC-U.S. relationship proved to be the cornerstone of the internationally concerted action that succeeded in reversing Iraq’s aggression against Kuwait. In tandem with America’s diplomatic efforts, the GCC countries helped coordinate majority UN Security Council votes aimed at ensuring Iraq’s actions would be defeated. In so doing, they helped prevent Iraq from expanding its invasion to the other GCC countries. The international alliance, of which the GCC countries were the most prominent Arab component, not only liberated Kuwait. It re-instated the country’s internationally recognized legitimate government, and restored freedom and security to the Kuwaiti people. Notwithstanding ongoing debate about other aspects of the crisis and conflict, glances in the rear view mirror will reveal realities that then, as equally now, were of no small moment. They reveal that these and other achievements were and are epochal in the annals of U.S.-GCC and U.S.-Arab strategic, economic, political, and defense ties. Certainly, they were without precedence at the time. Nothing remotely similar had happened in the history of Allied-GCC country defense cooperation. Their end result was the effective defense of a region that remains vital to the world’s economy and, as such, of overriding importance not just to its inhabitants but to all of humankind. [1] Note the phrase “Kuwait Crisis” instead of what many wrongly and repeatedly refer to as the “First Gulf War.” The Kuwait Crisis was the second, not the first, such regional conflict in the Gulf region in the past four decades. Often forgotten is the true first Gulf War: the armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from 1980 to 1988 and therefore preceded the second Gulf War, namely the Kuwait Crisis. Many distort the factual record further when they refer to the American-led invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003 as “the Second Gulf War” when in reality it was – and its after effects continue to be – the third. In terms of the nomenclature used here, it is therefore more accurate to refer to Iraq’s 1990-1991 invasion and occupation of Kuwait as “the Kuwait Crisis.” Of the three conflicts, it was at once the briefest and the one that least involved the Gulf, per se; indeed, the other two wars impacted the Gulf as a whole to a far greater extent. [2] Dr. Hassan Al-Ebraheem, Founder of the Kuwait Society for the Advancement of Arab Children, had previously served as Minister of Education and as President of Kuwait University. [3] Fawzi Sultan is the scion of a prominent Kuwait business family. [4] The late Saif Abbas Abdallah, a Shia Muslim, was a prominent professor at Kuwait University. [5] Of note is that the British included no such provision in the agreements by which it granted full sovereignty and independence ten years later to the nine remaining emirates (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Bahrain, Dubai, Fujairah, Qatar, Ras al Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al Qaiwain) to which it had been bound by treaty to administer their defense and foreign relations dating from the 19th century. [6] There were several reasons, among others, as to why the decision not to carry the war into Iraq proved efficacious. One was the avowed commitment made by President Bush in Finland with Mikhail Gorbachev at his side about limiting the role of the U.S. military to the liberation of Kuwait and nothing more. Second was the awareness within barely hours of the Bush administration’s ill-advised call for the largely Shia population in southern Iraq to rise up against the regime in Baghdad that it had virtually no Arab or other Islamic support for such a move. Indeed, at best, it had only the questionable and uncertain probability of there being no international support whatsoever save possibly that of Great Britain and Australia. A third reason was what the relevant officials acknowledged subsequently. In their memoirs and later public announcements, President Bush, Secretary Baker, General Scowcroft, Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, and U.S. Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Colin Powell were all in agreement that an American invasion of Iraq would have resulted in a disastrous quagmire of America’s own making. They agreed in particular that had American forces invaded Iraq, it would have been extraordinarily difficult and costly to withdraw the forces. Before extricating them from Iraq, it was reasoned they would, first, have to carry the fight all the way to Baghdad and that, second, they would have to topple Saddam Hussein. Both scenarios lacked sufficient international support. The degree to which there would have been the requisite American domestic endorsement for such an undertaking was questionable, too. In addition to these factors, there was yet another consideration that, although unstated, was no less significant. This was the lack of American expertise regarding the people and cultural dynamics as well as the dramatic personae of Iraq, basic prerequisites for any armed invasion of another country. This latter shortcoming would be overwhelmingly apparent when the United States invaded and occupied Iraq twelve years later. That it contributed mightily to the emergence of such groups as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, and emboldened the effectiveness of other insurgent groups such as al-Qaeda as a direct result would become all too apparent. [7] The 1979 Camp David Accords, forged in a rural retreat less than an hour from Washington, D.C. by U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, had shaken the Middle East to its geostrategic and geopolitical roots. The Accords effectively took Egypt and its then-mightiest Arab armed forces and demographic weight off the Arab-Israeli conflict table. What many could have predicted then but did not would soon become obvious. This was how one American regionally disruptive act would pave the way for another one. It is undeniable that Egypt and the Egyptian people gained from the Camp David Accords. As to whether Egypt or Israel gained more depends on one’s perspective. From Israel’s vantage point, it was clearly the greater beneficiary. One might only point to Israel’s 1982 invasion and 19-year occupation of Lebanon, using American-manufactured and supplied weapons and munitions, having gone unpunished by the United States. [8] The first Palestinian Intifada – intifada meaning a “shaking off,’ in this case the illegal Israeli occupation – with much of the world watching, is considered to have begun in 1987. [9] Overlooked in much of the commentary and analysis that followed the September 11, 2001, attacks was how much anger and resentment had been building against President George W. Bush. In August 2001, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abdullah, by then the effective head of state in the Kingdom in light of King Fahd’s protracted disabling illness, warned that America’s blatant disregard for and near-total ineffectualness in lessening the plight of the Palestinians – living under an occupation massively defended, financed, and armed by Washington officialdom – threatened to make the Saudi Arabian-U.S. relationship untenable. Indeed, in November 2001, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud Al Faisal charged that the failure of the Bush administration to pursue a peace settlement between Israelis and Palestinians “makes a sane man go mad.” This entry was posted in 1990-1991 Gulf War, Iraq, John Duke Anthony, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, US-Arab Relations. « Vision 2030: Enhancing American and Saudi Arabian Business and Investment Dynamics National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Presents Distinguished Global Leadership and Humanitarian Award to Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain » Dr. John Duke Anthony is the Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. On June 21, 2000, H.M. King Muhammad VI of Morocco knighted Dr. Anthony, bestowing upon him the Medal of the Order of Ouissam Alaouite, the nation of Morocco's highest award for excellence. Dr. Anthony currently serves on the United States Department of State Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy’s Subcommittee on Sanctions. Dr. Anthony is the only American to have been invited to each of the Gulf Cooperation Council's Ministerial and Heads of State Summits since the GCC's inception in 1981. (The GCC is comprised of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates). For the past 43 years, Dr. Anthony has also been a regular lecturer on the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf for the Departments of Defense and State. He is former Chair, Near East and North Africa Program, Foreign Service Institute, U.S. Department of State as well as former Founding Chair of the Department’s Advanced Arabian Peninsula Studies Seminar – the U.S. government’s leading educational preparation programs for select American diplomatic and defense personnel assigned to countries in Arabia and the Gulf, the one region to which the United States has mobilized and deployed more armed forces than any other place on three separate occasions in the past thirty-seven years. A Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations since 1986, Dr. Anthony has been a frequent participant in its study groups and seminars on issues relating to the Arabian Peninsula and Gulf regions, Syria, and the broader Arab and Islamic world. He has served as an Associate Professor, Visiting Professor, and/or Adjunct Professor at the American University in Cairo; Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service; the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies; the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies; the Universities of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Texas; the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School; the U.S. Joint Intelligence College; and the Virginia Military Institute. Dr. Anthony continues to serve as an Adjunct Professor at the Defense Institute of Security Cooperation Studies (formerly known as the Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Dr. Anthony is the only American to have been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in the former People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (1969-1970). Beginning in 1993 and continuing through 2006, his long experience in Yemen led to his being asked – consecutively by the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, and the Government of Yemen – to serve as an international observer in each of Yemen’s first four presidential and parliamentary elections. In 1971, he was cosponsored by the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Department of State as the sole American scholar allowed to observe at firsthand the process by which Britain proceeded to abrogate its longstanding treaty obligations to administer the defense and foreign relations for nine Arab states lining the coastal regions of eastern Arabia and the Gulf. Dr. Anthony's best-known works are Arab States of The Lower Gulf: People, Politics, Petroleum; The Middle East: Oil, Politics, and Development (editor and co-author); and, together with J. E. Peterson, Historical and Cultural Dictionary of The Sultanate of Oman and The Emirates of Eastern Arabia. He has also published more than 180 articles, essays, and monographs on a variety of topics related to the Arab region and specific Arab countries as well as America’s interests and involvement in the Arab countries, the Middle East, and the Islamic world. For sixteen years, Dr. Anthony was the annual author of the essays on “Oman” and “Qatar” for the Encyclopedia Britannica Year in Review, the world’s oldest continuously published encyclopedia in English. Dr. Anthony holds a Ph.D. in International Relations and Middle East Studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C., where he held a National Defense in Foreign Language Scholarship for Arabic, was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship, and was appointed to SAIS' full time faculty in 1973 while still a student. View more from this author The “Arabia, the Gulf, and the GCC” blog features insights and analysis from the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations as well as information about the Council’s programs, projects, events, and activities. Founded in 1983, the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations is a non-profit, non-governmental, educational organization dedicated to improving American awareness, knowledge, and understanding of the Arab world. Learn more about the Council at ncusar.org. Follow NCUSAR Strategic Dynamics of Iran’s Continuing Asymmetric Warfare Summer 2020 Washington, DC Internship Program In Memory of Gene Bird 2020 Malone Fellowship Oman Cultural Immersion Program Dr. John Duke Anthony Participates in Program on The Green March National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Welcomes Ambassador (Ret.) Richard W. Murphy as New Co-Chair of International Advisory Board At the Cutting Edge: The National Council’s Youth Leadership Development Program / Model Arab League ”Arabia, the Gulf, and the GCC” Feed

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News / Cyprus British alleged gang rape victim tells Cyprus court she was forced to sign retraction, which is written in broken English A British woman covers her face at Famagusta District Court in Paralimni, Cyprus. The 19-year-old British girl pleaded not guilty today to the accusation of giving a false statement about her rape by 12 Israelis. Photo: Katia Christodoulou/AAP 17 October 2019 6:59am The British teenager, who claimed she was gang-raped by Israeli teenagers at an Aya Napa beach resort in Cyprus, told court on Wednesday that Cyprus police forced her to sign a retraction which they wrote for her. The 19-year-old woman’s name has been suppressed for legal reasons after she claimed in July that she was gang-raped. Ten days later she signed a retraction letter which her legal team say was falsified after she was questioned by Cypriot police for eight hours without a lawyer. The young woman underwent a three-hour cross-examination at a Famagusta court in Paralimni, near Aya Napa, and said that the confession was written under duress in broken English and not written in the way an English speaker of the language would phrase things. She accused Detective Marios Christou, one of the investigating officers in the case, of shouting at her and intimidating her to the point of signing it, and she offered to point out the bad spelling and grammar mistakes by reading the statement in court. The presiding judge refused. READ MORE: British woman gang raped by Israeli teens was forced to retract allegations by Cyprus police, say family “It isn’t in proper English, it’s in Greek English,” she said. “I’m a very well-educated person, I got into university with an unconditional offer so there’s no way I would write something like this. Marios wanted me to write that I had made it all up.” She accused the officer of “corruption and conspiracy” and “not going by the law”, and says she was frightened. “I would not have put it past him at that moment to have kidnapped me or something. I can 100 per cent say that I was terrified for my life when I was in that police station,” she said, adding that the officer had spoken to the Israelis and told them that they would go home. She, however, was arrested and spent more than a month in a cell in Nicosia with other women before being bailed. “I was really, really stressed and I was crying. I was in a state. I was 18 years old and I was suffering from PTSD. I was trapped in there. They made me sign things I didn’t understand,” she said. READ MORE: British woman arrested for suspicion of false accusations of gang rape; seven Israeli teens go home She had a panic attack after signing the retraction, which psychologists attribute to PTSD suffered as a result of the alleged gang rape. Prosecutor Adamos Demosthenous said that the woman, on a working holiday to Cyprus, sent a message to her mother on the night she signed the retraction stating: “Calm down, I’m OK”. The teenager said that the message was to avoid alarming her mother who is a single parent. British woman gang raped by Israeli teens was forced to retract allegations by Cyprus police, say family Cypriot judge rules against British girl who said Israeli teenagers gang raped her British woman arrested for suspicion of false accusations of gang rape; seven Israeli teens go home

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The New Working Class It’s not just men working factory jobs in the Rust Belt—and it never really was. By Sarah Jaffe Joe Raedle/Getty More than a year into Donald Trump’s presidency, political commentators continue, despite all evidence to the contrary, to depict his political base as the “white working class.” Articles on his supporters seem almost entirely devoted to baseball-capped Middle Americans in declining industrial towns who believed the president’s campaign-trail promises to bring back coal, or steel, or keep the Carrier plant jobs in the country. There are problems with this image of the U.S. factory worker as he—and it is generally he—is depicted. First, in American factories, the workforce is far more diverse than the Rust Belt narrative would have it. The Carrier plant, site of Trump’s triumphant deal that, in fact, resulted in hundreds of workers still being laid off, had at least as many African American workers as white, and there were plenty of women laboring there, too. More important, those industrial workers who supposedly put Trump in office (a dubious assumption) have never made up the entirety of the working class or even its majority. These days, only around 11 percent of the working class are white men in industrial jobs. Although the “narrative makers” may have missed it, the working class has changed. Those who used to occupy its fringes—hotel housekeepers, retail clerks, and home care aides—are now its majority. Today, home health care is the fastest-growing industry in the United States, projected to add over a million new jobs to the economy in the next ten years. Retail jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, currently make up 10 percent of all employment. These jobs have always been important, but as automation and outsourcing have decimated manufacturing, the relative significance of service work has increased. Manufacturing employment peaked in 1953, at around 30 percent of jobs; now it is the service industry that dominates. An earlier era of political thought dismissed these workers politically, and that thinking still holds in many quarters: In the Supreme Court’s 2014 Harris v. Quinn decision, Justice Samuel Alito deemed home care workers only “partial” employees, a separate category of worker altogether. Service workers have, of course, been in unions for many years. Their presence has in fact fueled what little growth unions have seen of late. But workers have also found effective ways to pursue their interests outside of the old union model. In one telling example, Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. workers were able to force Andy Puzder, the unpopular former CEO of the two chains, who has faced allegations of sexual harassment and abuse, against his company as well as him personally, to withdraw his nomination for Secretary of Labor. Those who used to occupy the fringes of the working class—hotel housekeepers, retail clerks, and home care aides—are now its majority. This change in the composition of the workforce has the potential to redefine traditional alliances in the United States. Already, unconventional partnerships have formed across different groups: Walmart workers, restaurant workers, and domestic workers have organized and joined with community groups and movements such as Occupy Wall Street and the Movement for Black Lives. These alliances also take into account the importance of unpredictable scheduling, social isolation, safety concerns, and gendered and racialized expectations of who is “naturally” inclined to service work. One continuing political problem for the working class is that it remains difficult to measure it properly. Most estimates rely on flawed data. As Tamara Draut noted in her book Sleeping Giant, political surveys rarely capture occupational data, and many researchers still use education as a defining characteristic of class and a proxy for increased income. That no longer makes sense in a country in which average earnings for adjunct professors, who often have Ph.D.s, run around $20,000 per year, the same as for a home health care worker. But pollsters have yet to adjust—and politicians still listen to them. Beyond the flawed data, the real issue is whether either of the two U.S. political parties has any interest in advancing the goals and needs of the working class as it actually exists. Trump’s political persona—or at least those aspects of it unrelated to self-aggrandizement, naked cash grabs, or global belligerence—was built on the idea that he could turn the GOP, as banished Trump-guru Steve Bannon put it, into a “worker’s party.” But the workers he purported to speak for—the white, male ones—were just a fraction of the entire working class, and while their problems are real, they continue to receive outsize attention. Meanwhile, there has been some movement since the election away from a purely corporate Democratic Party—advocacy for the $15 minimum wage laws, paid sick leave, and new enthusiasm for single-payer health care—but right now, despite everything, the working class and its discontents still largely fall outside the two parties we have. To understand the U.S. electorate in 2018 and beyond requires a new understanding of the working class as a shifting, re-forming entity with distinct political demands—demands that present opportunities that have nothing to do with Trumpian economic anxiety or nostalgia for a long-gone economic mythology. Sarah Jaffe is the author of Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt (Nation Books). @sarahljaffe Magazine, March 2018, Rust Belt, Unions, Working class, Steve Bannon, Politics, U.S. and the World

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Samuel Mullet Sr. is one of 16 Amish charged with federal hate crimes in last year's beard-cutting attacks. Amish leader, 15 followers convicted of hate crimes in beard attacks Sixteen members of a breakaway Amish community in rural eastern Ohio, including its leader, were convicted of federal hate crimes Thursday for the forcible cutting of Amish men's beards and Amish women's hair. Sam Mullet Sr. and the 15 followers were found guilty of conspiracy to violate federal hate-crime law in connection with what authorities said were the religiously motivated attacks on several fellow Amish people last year. The verdicts were read in U.S. District Court in Cleveland following several days of jury deliberation and a trial that began in late August, a U.S. attorney's office said. Prosecutors said the 15 followers, at Mullet's instruction, shaved the beards and cut the hair of Amish people who had left his group over various religious disagreements. Five attacks happened in four Ohio counties between September and November 2011, authorities said. To the Amish, a beard is a significant symbol of faith and manhood, and the way Amish women wear their hair also is a symbol of faith, authorities said. The assaults violated the Matthew Shepard-James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which "prohibits any person from willfully causing bodily injury to any person, or attempting to do so by use of a dangerous weapon, because of the actual or perceived religion of that person," according to the office of the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. November 1, 2011: CNN goes inside Mullet's compound August 27, 2012: Hate crimes trial against Amish begins While the charges can carry a sentence of up to life in prison, the judge can choose any length, and the federal guidelines in this case is probably about 17.5 years, said Mike Tobin, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office. Mullet, a bishop of a group living on a compound outside Bergholz in eastern Ohio, wanted to "seek revenge and punish the departing families," according to an FBI affidavit filed before the trial. The attackers, using scissors and battery-powered clippers, injured their victims as well as others who tried to stop the attacks, prosecutors said. “(The attackers) sheared them almost like animals, leaving them bloodied, bruised and beaten," U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach told reporters Thursday. "These were no mere haircuts. These were violent attacks ... (leaving victims) so shaken and scared that they felt compelled to call on local law enforcement.” Usually, the Amish resolve disputes without involving law enforcement, but some Amish members reported the beard-cutting incidents to police last fall. Mullet’s group, which had broken away from a larger Amish community, is made up primarily of his relatives living on and around an 800-acre compound in a remote valley outside Bergholz. The jury also convicted various groupings of defendants with separate assaults, and Mullet and Lester Mullet with concealing or attempting to conceal items of evidence, including a camera and pictures of the attacks, the U.S. attorney's office said. The 16 defendants were: Samuel Mullet Sr., 66; Johnny S. Mullet, 39; Daniel S. Mullet, 38; Levi F. Miller, 54; Eli M. Miller, 32; Emanuel Shrock; Lester Miller, 37; Raymond Miller, 27; Freeman Burkholder, 31; Anna Miller; Linda Shrock; Lester Mullet; Elizabeth A. Miller; Emma J. Miller; Kathryn Miller; and Lovina Miller, 32. All live in Bergholz, except for Raymond Miller, Burkholder, Elizabeth Miller and Kathryn Miller, who are of Irondale, Ohio; and Lester Mullet, who is of Hammondsville, Ohio. - CNN's Jason Hanna, Mallory Simon,Tricia Escobedo, Chuck Johnston, Alan Duke and Chris Welch contributed to this report. Post by: CNN news blog editor Mallory Simon, CNN's Jason Hanna Filed under: Courts • Crime • Justice • Ohio Hopefully he/they will be made to cut their beards before entering prison–what a fitting punishment. September 23, 2012 at 6:46 am | Report abuse | Doodlebug2222 I find it sincerely sad that men that were stood for devoutness and claims to live the simple life for the efforts of fullfilling a higher calling – lost themselves to petty emotions such as... what lead them to do what they did. I hope one day they can see their slow spiral into losing who they once were... Many think the world is so very large and big – you are sure to be lost in it – but these men proved you can also be lost in a forest – when you follow the guide – who is lost but so very sure – they know the right path. We can see that he did not – and he took all of his kin down this same road of hatred. When Romney was a high school student, he bullied a younger, smaller gay boy and cut off his hair. Is that not a hate crime? September 23, 2012 at 10:52 am | Report abuse | My.T. Quinn Convictions like this make my heart sing! (It's too bad we've outlawed public horsewhipping.) Ed T Duck Mullet and Miller- not all related. I guess the gene pool is small in the Amish community huh. September 25, 2012 at 2:25 pm | Report abuse | kamarasune Well now that the federal government got a broad brush to call just about anything a "federal hate crime" we can all feel soo much more safe. Next they will be locking up kids for spit-balls..... October 5, 2012 at 3:37 pm | Report abuse | You read this and yet children are committing suicide from bullies which communities and schools do nothing about. Lovely. October 8, 2012 at 6:12 am | Report abuse | waynebob His name is Mullet? Gotta wonder what style haircut he inflicted on his victims......... October 14, 2012 at 12:25 am | Report abuse | Evil Villians Is Lemons He should have is beard on the back of his head, tee hee , sam mullet!!!!N!! XD October 16, 2012 at 1:58 pm | Report abuse | Joel Zimmerman Crapola Horkshower THE ELDER SCROLLS SERIES IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ITS SO MOVING IN EVERY ASPECT, ITS ALMOST AS GOOD AS TWILIGHT AND SKYRIM!! COMBINEEEED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Kyle D. It still makes me laugh (even though I feel bad for the Amish community). The irony of a guy named Mullet, cutting someone elses hair « Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

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Film and Media Screening Series: ‘The Washing Society’ with Lizzie Olesker and Lynne Sachs September 25, 2018 at 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm « EAP Lunchtime Seminar: Breathing Meditation Workshop Talking Trade at FIT Lecture: A Day in the Life of a President » Collaborating together for the first time, filmmaker Lynne Sachs and playwright Lizzie Olesker observe the disappearing public space of the neighborhood laundromat and the continual, intimate labor that happens there. With a title inspired by the 1881 organization of African-American laundresses, The Washing Society (44 minutes, 2008) investigates the intersection of history, underpaid work, immigration, and the sheer math of doing laundry. Sachs and Olesker present a stark yet poetic vision of those whose working lives often go unrecognized, turning a lens onto their hidden stories, which are often overlooked. The juxtaposition of narrative and documentary elements inThe Washing Society creates a dreamlike, yet hyperreal portrayal of a day in the life of a laundry worker, both past and present. Lizzie Olesker is a writer/director/performer whose plays and performances explore the poetry of the everyday. Lizzie presented her solo piece Tiny Lights: Infinite Miniature at the New Ohio Theater and Invisible Dog in Brooklyn. She was a 2013-14 Audrey Fellow with New Georges, with her new play, Embroidered Past, about family hoarding and loss of nature. Other plays have been developed and presented at Dixon Place, Brave New World Repertory, Clubbed Thumb, the Cherry Lane Theater and the Public. Published in the Brooklyn Rail and Heinemann Press, she’s received support from the Brooklyn Arts Council, New York Foundation for the Arts and the Dramatists Guild. Lynne Sachs makes films, installations, performances and web projects that explore the intricate relationship between personal observations and broader historical experiences. Between 1994 and 2006, she produced five essay films that took her to Vietnam, Bosnia, Israel, Italy and Germany—sites affected by international war—where she looked at the space between a community’s collective memory and her own subjective perceptions. Her films have screened at the New York Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival and Toronto’s Images Festival amongst others. They have also been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney, Walker Art Center, Wexner Center for the Arts and other venues nationally and internationally. The Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema, Festival International Nuevo Cine in Havana and the China Women’s Film Festival have all presented retrospectives of Sachs’ films. The Film and Media Screening Series is supported by the Diversity Council, the Student-Faculty Corporation, the School of Liberal Arts, and the departments of Film, Media and Performing Arts, English and Communication Studies, and Modern Languages and Cultures. All screenings are free and open to the public. Film Screening, Public Film and Media Screening Series Film and Media Screening Room D207 Pomerantz Center Michelle Handelman michelle_handelman@fitnyc.edu

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Andrew C. Moyle Partner at Latham & Watkins LLP Andrew Moyle, a partner in the London office and a member of the firm's Executive Committee, practices in the area of technology law, outsourcing and telecommunications. Mr. Moyle has over 20 years experience in providing business and legal advice on the structuring, negotiation, implementation and management of complex IT and telecom transactions and outsourcing, business process outsourcing, assisted business transformation and strategic alliances. Mr. Moyle advises clients in a range of industries including telecommunications, financial services, pharmaceutical, energy, retail and government and has supported those clients on some of the largest global and EMEA outsourcing transactions undertaken in recent times. Mr. Moyle is ranked by Chambers UK and The Legal 500 UK as one of the leading outsourcing and information technology lawyers in the UK and is recognized for his “practical advice and common sense approach.” Clients describe him as a “true specialist in the field with a premier practice.” RelSci Relationships Number of Boards Trying to get in touch with Andrew C. Moyle? Subscribe today to access their professional contact information and receive a one time promotion of free Contact Data credits! View Relationship Details RelSci Relationships are individuals Andrew C. Moyle likely has professional access to. A relationship does not necessarily indicate a personal connection. Ora Fisher Co-Chair & Partner, Silicon Valley at Latham & Watkins LLP Relationship likelihood: Strong Edward Sonnenschein Paul F. Sheridan, Jr. Global Co-Chair, Private Equity Practice at Latham & Watkins LLP Michael A. Bond Michele D. Johnson David S. Heller Richard M. Trobman Chair & Managing Partner at Latham & Watkins LLP Richard P. Bress Jamie L. Wine Global Chair, Litigation Practice at Latham & Watkins LLP David A. Gordon Vice Chair at Latham & Watkins LLP The Lawyer LMI analysis: Thomas Cook Paths to Andrew C. Moyle University of Melbourne - Melbourne Law School Melbourne Law School (MLS or Melbourne Law) is one of the professional graduate schools of the University of Melbourne. Located in Carlton, Victoria, MLS is Australia's oldest law school, and offers J.D., LL.M, M.Phil, Ph.D, and LL.D degrees. MLS is the only Australian member of the Law School Admission Council; and, in 2013, it was ranked as the best law school in Australia and fifth best in the world, according to the QS World University Rankings. MLS has produced a large number of luminaries in law and politics, including former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, Justice of the High Court of Australia Kenneth Hayne, and the Governor of Victoria Alex Chernov. Established in 1853, the University of Melbourne is a public-spirited institution that makes distinctive contributions to society in research, learning and teaching and engagement. It’s consistently ranked among the leading universities in the world, with international rankings of world universities placing it as number 1 in Australia and number 34 in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2013-2014). Latham & Watkins LLP is a full-service law firm. The firm offers services in the areas of finance, litigation, tax, banking, life sciences, private equity, real estate, government relations, employment law, and outsourcing. The firm practices in a spectrum of transactional, litigation, corporate, and regulatory areas. Latham & Watkins was established in 1934 and is based in New York, New York. The Emirates Group, dnata purchase Gold Medal International Ltd. from Thomas Cook Group plc Admitted to the England and Wales Bar Andrew C. Moyle is affiliated with Latham & Watkins LLP This web site is not endorsed by, directly affiliated with, maintained, authorized, or sponsored by Andrew C. Moyle. The use of any trade name or trademark is for identification and reference purposes only and does not imply any association with the trademark holder. The Presence of Andrew C. Moyle's profile does not indicate a business or promotional relationship of any kind between RelSci and Andrew C. Moyle.

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Southern Seminary to serve Louisville in fourth annual 1937 Project SBTS Communications — April 6, 2016 The 1937 Project is a campus-wide outreach as part of Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer's Give A Day week of service, which Southern Seminary has participated in since 2012. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (SBTS) — The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary will participate in Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer’s Give A Day Week of service with the fourth annual 1937 Project, April 23. The mayor’s office said the outreach, which honors the seminary’s role in helping the city recover from the 1937 Great Flood, is “one of the largest, most consistent groups over the last four years.” “The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary is an integral part of our Give A Day week of service,” Fischer said. “Last year they helped over 3,000 kids participate in a toy giveaway and this year they will organize a cleanup in Shelby Park, work with the Louisville Nature Center, among many other projects. We are sending a message that Louisville is taking its place among the world’s great cities, and compassion is one of our greatest strengths! For that, I have to say to all of you — thank you. What you’ve done has been amazing and inspiring.” The 1937 Project unites students of Southern Seminary and the city of Louisville for a day of community service. Volunteers will gather April 23 to serve in more than 20 teams across Louisville. According to seminary leaders, the outreach is designed to further its gospel witness and practically meet the needs of Louisville residents, as well as modeling Christian service for future church leaders. “The 1937 Project is a great way for students at Southern to represent Christians to the city of Louisville as those who show ‘perfect courtesy toward all people’ (Titus 3:2). And people are noticing,” said Jeremy Pierre, dean of students and associate professor of biblical counseling at Southern. “Just recently, Mayor Greg Fischer said to me, ‘Boy, Southern Seminary has really stepped up for our city in the last few years.’ I replied, ‘Well, Jesus told us he came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as ransom for many. We are just following in his footsteps.’” Southern's Student Life team posed with Mayor Greg Fischer following the Mayor's Give-A-Day Press Conference on March 18. The past four years of the 1937 Project have included restoring homes in the community, painting, cutting down trees in Seneca Park, and helping Scarlet’s Bakery prepare for construction. The Great Flood of 1937 devastated Louisville, with the Ohio River reaching so far inland that rescue teams saved people from second story windows of downtown buildings. During the crisis, Southern Seminary buildings were used to house orphans and flood victims. Former SBTS President John R. Sampey invited the mayor to use his office for an extended time. In 2011, Fischer established three pillars for Louisville: to be a city of healthy living, lifelong learning, and compassion. Since its creation, Fischer has sought to create various projects and campaigns to further the involvement of Louisvillians in caring well for the city they call home. The creation of the 1937 Project is one way in which the seminary community has been involved. In a letter to Southern, Fischer expressed his gratitude for the 1937 Project, saying he looks “forward to continuing our partnership with the seminary as we strive to keep Louisville the most livable and compassionate city in the world.” If a church or organization would like to submit a potential project, visit www.sbts.edu/1937. Students and families can visit the same link to register for service projects by April 19.

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Does tracking a car with a GPS require a warrant? Does tracking a car with a GPS require a warrant?Daniel McGuinnessOctober 31, 2013 October 19, 2016 If a law enforcement agency wants to track your car with a GPS device, do they need a warrant to do so? For many years, it has been unclear whether the installation of a GPS device on a vehicle and subsequent collection of location data requires a warrant. This confusion, coupled with the widespread availability of inexpensive and accurate GPS devices, led to the warrantless installation of thousands of such devices by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in United States v. Jones. While the Court’s ruling answered some questions about GPS tracking by defining the installation of a GPS as a “search” under the Fourth Amendment, there is still debate as to whether GPS tracking by law enforcement officials requires a warrant. It could be years before the nation’s highest court rules definitively on the issue, so for now we must look to lower courts for guidance. A recent decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (which includes Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey) held that police must obtain a search warrant in order to install and track the location of a vehicle with a GPS device. This post will discuss the Third Circuit opinion in United States v. Katzin. A String of Burglaries In 2009 and 2010, a wave of pharmacy burglaries struck Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey. Many of the pharmacies that were burglarized were Rite Aid pharmacies. In several of the burglaries, the pharmacy alarm system would be disabled when the external phone lines were cut. The local police worked with the FBI to find a suspect, and three emerged in May 2010. An electrician named Harry Katzin had been caught burglarizing a Rite Aid pharmacy. In addition, his brothers (Mark and Michael) had criminal histories that included arrests for theft and burglary. Investigators began to receive reports that Harry Katzin was spotted around Rite Aid pharmacies throughout the three states. In October 2010, police in Pennsylvania discovered Harry Katzin crouching beside a Rite Aid after responding to reports of suspicious activity. They discovered the following day that the phone lines to the pharmacy had been cut. The next month, Harry Katzin and one of his brothers were approached by police outside a different Rite Aid while sitting in their Dodge Caravan. The police searched the vehicle, and discovered electrical tools, gloves, and ski masks. After this, the police continued gathering additional evidence about the brothers’ potential involvement in the robberies. GPS Device Installed on a Minivan In December 2010, the FBI consulted with the United States Attorneys’ Office. Without obtaining a warrant, the FBI affixed a “slap-on” GPS tracker (which is battery operated and attaches magnetically to the exterior of a target vehicle) without first obtaining a warrant. The GPS tracking device yielded the results police sought after only a few days. Using location data, the police were able to see that the Katzin van was parked in close proximity to a Rite Aid that was burglarized. When they stopped the van, they found stolen merchandise and the three Katzin brothers inside. Motion to Suppress GPS Evidence The brothers moved to suppress the evidence discovered in the van. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled in favor of the brothers and suppressed the evidence in a decision that can be read in full here. The government appealed, seeking to have the evidence of the brothers’ whereabouts they obtained through the GPS device admitted in court. Third Circuit Rules in Favor of Privacy By the time the appeal reached the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the U.S. Supreme Court had issued its decision in the Jones case. Thus, it was clear that the instillation of a “slap-on” GPS device was a search. But due to the somewhat complicated nature of the Court’s opinion, the issue of whether such a search required a warrant was left open to question. The government lawyers arguing for the suppression to be reversed argued that no warrant was needed. A search warrant requires approval from a magistrate judge and investigators must demonstrate that they have probable cause to conduct the search. But the Katzin brothers disagreed. Their lawyers argued that this type of search, which nets a tremendous amount of revealing data, is one that should require a warrant. The court agreed. They held that the instillation of a GPS device on a vehicle requires a warrant supported by probable cause. As a result, the evidence of the Katzin van’s proximity to the burglarized evidence cannot be used in their criminal trial. Image Courtesy of Flickr User alex.lines New York City Intoxilyzer Breath Testing Records Now Available Online!Daniel McGuinnessMay 9, 2015 March 3, 2018 New York City Intoxilyzer Breath Testing Records Now Available Online! All NYPD Intoxilyzer records are now available to the public. Following our lengthy legal battle,... Breathalyzer Records Granted in Bronx DWI CaseDaniel McGuinnessJanuary 16, 2015 October 13, 2016 Breathalyzer Records Granted in Bronx DWI Case Today we received a Decision and Order from the Bronx County Criminal Court granting our... Appellate Court Rules Breathalyzer Materials Must be DisclosedDaniel McGuinnessDecember 11, 2014 October 13, 2016 Appellate Court Rules Breathalyzer Materials Must be Disclosed Earlier today the New York State First Appellate Division affirmed the lower court and ordered...

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How to Found a Startup in a New Industry February 4, 2016 · 4 min. Most startups’ founding mythologies are full of the same phrases: “hard work,” “agile strategy,” “smart scaling.” But one of the most undervalued and elusive factors is timing. As they say, timing is everything. Arrive to the market too soon and there’s no demand for the product. Arrive too late and you’re light years behind your competitors. But there is a sweet spot, and it’s usually found through a mix of smart industry analysis and luck. In a recent TED talk, Idealab founder Bill Gross talked about how Airbnb likely wouldn’t have taken off if not for the recession: People were strapped for cash and were therefore more willing to rent a room in their home to a stranger. On the flip side, Gross talked about Z.com, an entertainment company he backed. When Z.com was founded, quality broadband connection wasn’t as widespread as it is now, making it a pain to stream video. Just two years after the company went out of business, YouTube exploded. The lesson? Timing matters. My company experienced firsthand how critical that combination of spot-on industry analysis and pure luck can be. We founded Contently as a marketplace to connect freelance journalists to publishers, yet we ended up in a marginally related—but different—industry. As we began trying to broker deals as a talent platform, we realized that there was a big opportunity to redefine ourselves as a SaaS company that would help brands create quality content—what you now likely think of as content marketing, which didn’t even exist at the time. But just being there early isn’t enough. Your company has to be able to capitalize on its lead in the metaphorical horse race, and that’s often easier said than done. The perks of being early in the marketplace are obvious: shorter sales cycles due to lack of competition, less competition for top talent, and so on. The challenge, however, is that there will be people—VCs, potential customers, and employees—who don’t understand the concept, or don’t see the value of your product. That happened regularly at the beginning of Contently’s existence. Since we were among the first in a new industry, we had more than a few VCs and potential customers thumb their nose at the very idea of content marketing. That’s both a perk and a challenge. Defining a nascent industry is full of potential pitfalls—but when it’s done right, it can be a huge advantage. Here are three keys to creating a startup in a new industry. 1. Don’t skimp on thought leadership In a new industry, every company has an impact on the industry as a whole. For example, one of the top traffic camera companies, Redflex, was involved in a massive bribery scandal. In obvious ways, this made business easier for Redflex’s top competitor, American Traffic Solutions. But it also gave the public and public officials more reason to doubt the industry. (And who doesn’t want an excuse to hate traffic cameras?) While this is less pronounced in unregulated industries, the concept remains the same. If people don’t believe in your industry, what reason would they have to believe in you? You can combat this by promoting the industry rather than your company. It’s counterintuitive, but it’s important to speak at conferences and publish bylines in articles without mentioning the company. It promotes the industry and positions your executives as industry leaders without hitting the audience over the head with a sales pitch. Take this article my co-founder Shane Snow wrote for Mashable a few months after we founded Contently. You’ll notice that beyond Shane’s initial byline, our company is never mentioned. Instead, the article explains the industry at large and addresses an issue—proving content’s return on investment—that was causing companies to doubt the industry. If you’re thinking this is a big time commitment, you’re right. But you don’t have to look far to see the value. Take serial entrepreneur Mike Lazerow, who founded Buddy Media. While running Buddy Media, which was acquired by Salesforce, Lazerow made time to write about digital media trends for publications like Fast Company and Ad Age. When skimming his articles you’ll notice that he only mentions his company when it’s relevant to the point he’s making and simultaneously adds value for the reader. 2. Lead by example To not lead by example or practice what you preach would be like Netflix CEO Reed Hastings having a giant satellite dish mounted on the front of his house—it’s not a good look. Leading by example has two key parts. The first part is to use your own product when appropriate, even if your company isn’t the exact target customer demographic. If you’re not using it, why should anyone else? The second part is to use your product in a way that demonstrates the value of your industry. We used our platform to build our own publication, The Content Strategist (which now reaches more than 300,000 marketers a month), to show potential clients and the martech industry as a whole what content marketing was and how it could work. At the time, it wasn’t the traditional startup marketing route, but how could we approach prospects and tell them their brands would fail without quality content if we didn’t have it ourselves? This depends on the product, of course. But if you’re a B2B company, you can be your own best case study—before you even have great case studies. 3. Make talent a top priority Like a lot of startup founders, I’m a huge nerd. I would rather build product, learn new code, and read Hacker News than suffer through awkward hiring interviews. Well, as my grandma would say, “Tough noogies.” Hiring top talent is one of the most important things you can do as a founder. Y Combinator President Sam Altman—and just about every other successful entrepreneur—has said that hiring will, and should, require a significant amount of your time. By bringing on top talent early, you can demonstrate that both the industry and your company have potential. You’ll also build a team early that will help secure your company culture, which, in turn, will help secure more top talent. It’s a cyclical process that starts with the first few excellent hires, the importance of which cannot be overstated. When you’re at the forefront of a new industry, your competitors are a bit like siblings or cousins when you’re growing up. You might be in a battle for who’s more popular at school, and they’ll probably drive you nuts, but at the end of the day their reputation will affect yours. As a founder in a new industry, it’s your responsibility to gain respect and credibility for the the entire industry. And if you end up being the most popular startup at school, all the better.

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Stockholm Half Marathon Saturday September 5th, 2020 Distance: Half Marathon Stockholm Half marathon has a unique course. Starting and running in the area between the castle, the Riksdaghuset and the Opera is special. And running in the middle of town is really a special feeling. The half marathon in Stockholm has been called Stockholm Halvmarathon (Stockholm Half Marathon) since 2007 but the race is actually much older. In 1927, the year the first Volvo car was produced and Charles Lindbergh flew non-stop across the Atlantic, was when Stockholmsloppet (Stockholm Race) was launched. The race was organised by athletic club Fredrikshof IF and the newspaper Stockholms Dagblad whose sports writer, Oscar Söderlund, came up with the idea of the competition. The first race started and finished in the Olympic Stadium, later editions used the open-air museum of Skansen and the national football stadium in Råsunda. The race was international and until its demise in 1955 one of the major events in Swedish distance running. From 1933-1936 Thore Enochsson won four times, before the Finn, Erkki Tamila followed up with three consecutive victories.In the 1950s Uno Gustavsson became the third man to win the race three times.

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Shutdown Kalpakam N-plant:PMK Chennai: After backing protests demanding scrapping of the Koodankulam nuclear power project, Pattali Makkal Katchi today demanded shutting down of the Kalpakkam nuclear plant,claiming it had witnessed accidents besides affecting local people. "We would be sending a medical team soon to examine the effects on the local people.The government should come out with a white paper on the plant and the related fears expressed by local people," PMK chief S Ramadoss said. He told reporters here he would lead the protests at Kalpakkam, 50 km from here, while his party would conduct awareness camps for local people. "Impact of radiation on people must also be examined by an independent team of medical professionals.Government should make a policy announcement that no more nuclear plants or reactors would come up at Kalpakkam or anywhere else in the state," he said. "The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam should not be allowed to come into use and the plant should be completely shutdown by 2020," he said. Ramadoss said most countries, including developed ones, such as Germany had decided to phase out nuclear plants in the respective countries. To a question, he said former President APJ Abdul Kalam should not have visited Koodankulam power plant at all. Kalam had vouched for the safety of the plant. He said Chief Minister Jayalalithaa will have to take a stand due to the growing protests against Koodankulam power project at some point of time. Jayalalithaa had initially explained the safety parameters in place but later put the onus of allaying fears of the agitating locals on the Centre.

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FROGS VS FISH – HOW A NATIVE SPECIES BECAME A GOD On August 29, 2016 March 24, 2017 By Steve Busch The Federal government just locked up another 3,000 sq. miles of public land in California by designating it as “Critical Habitat” for three different species of amphibians. This knee jerk land lock-up action is no surprise to me. For the past 16 years I’ve been watching as Federal and State wildlife biologists have granted certain species of frogs and toads an elevated, almost mythic status similar to gray wolves. In 2002 retiring National Park biologist Harold Werner bragged about the trout eradication program he began in Yosemite National Park. Werner referred to trout removal as a “lake restoration” program designed to benefit amphibians and insects. Werner and his colleagues hoped to expand trout removal, a.k.a. “lake restoration”, to 150 Sierra lakes in order to mitigate a “known threat” to the amphibian population. The fact that introduced trout have co-existed with frogs and toads since they were planted in California’s Sierra Nevada Range nearly 90 years ago didn’t matter to Werner. The fact that other natural and environmental factors, such as chytrid fungus, air pollution, ultra violet radiation, and/or climate change, may be negatively impacting amphibian populations didn’t matter either. A lawsuit filed by environmental groups led by the Center for Biological Diversity claims that all introduced, or “non-native trout species” must be eliminated from our National Parks and Wilderness Areas because they are not endemic to the area and their elimination is considered absolutely essential in order to save “native” frogs. To mitigate one perceived threat to amphibians, Federal and State agencies have embarked on a poisoning and gill netting campaign to exterminate “non-native” fish both inside and outside of national park boundaries. By early 2013 some 89 named lakes and hundreds of miles of streams throughout the Sierra Nevada range had been “restored to their natural, fishless condition”. A very small percentage of these water bodies were re-stocked with “native” California Golden Trout, but the vast majority of waterways treated in the “restoration” program have been rendered fishless. The official number of lakes and streams where all non-native trout have been exterminated is likely understated. For example, the area known as “Sixty Lakes Basin” appears to have been counted as one waterway. The recent USFWS mandated “Critical Habitat” designation comprises an area of close to 1 million acres exclusively set aside for the protection of the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, an additional 221,498 acres for a sub-species of mountain yellow-legged frog, and another 750,926 acres for the Yosemite toad. The mandate will likely expand the trout removal program ten fold and include hundreds of additional alpine lakes and thousands of miles of streams across several western states. But trout fishing in the Sierra Nevada is not the only activity that will take a hit because of these new protections for frogs. Other activities that will be more strictly controlled or eliminated altogether include cattle grazing, flood control (dam building), fire management and suppression, and timber harvesting. The USFWS has identified sixteen risk factors that need to be mitigated in order to insure the survival of frogs and toads. These factors are: Acid deposition Airborne contaminants, including pesticides Fire management, including fire suppression Habitat loss and fragmentation Introduced fish and other predators Livestock grazing Locally applied pesticides Recreational activities, including packstock UV-B radiation Vegetation and fuels management Water development and diversion Unfortunately, as I predicted in my 2014 article entitiled, “Where Does Your Treasure Lie- How Preserving Native Species has become a Religion“, the removal of “non-native” trout to protect frogs is not limited to California, but is spreading across the country. In Wyoming, the Teton Wilderness “lake restoration” project is expected to be completed be the summer of 2017. Currently, the Wyoming Department of Fish and Game (WDFG) is killing “non-native” trout in two lakes and creeks in the Teton Wilderness just south of Yellowstone National Park. Introduced Rainbow and Brook Trout will be eradicated with Rotenone applications in Dime Lake and Mystery Lake and their corresponding outflows. Mystery Lake will be restocked with “native” cutthroat trout, while Dime lake will be left fishless in order to protect the “native” Columbia Spotted Frog population. Further south, in the Wind River Range, research is currently being conducted on other Rocky Mountain amphibian populations to determine how best to mitigate threats to their survival. Quoting from one field study (linked below), “threats include diseases such as amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) and Ranavirus, pesticides, herbicides, environmental pollutants, invasive species, non-native species, ultraviolet radiation, and habitat loss and fragmentation.” The terms invasive and non-native refer to multiple species of introduced trout. It is a historical fact that just as the high mountain lakes in the Sierra Range were historically fishless, most of the alpine lakes and high mountain streams in the Wind River Range were also fishless prior to the fish stocking programs conducted in the 1930’s and ’40’s by Finis Mitchell and others. As a result of the tireless work of these individuals, the Wind River Range was transformed from a barren landscape into one of the most unique and diverse trout fisheries anywhere in the world. But now, after nearly 90 years of living side by side with frogs the trout have all of a sudden become a “known threat”, and must be destroyed. “Critical Habitat” designations open the door to limitless Federal land grabs. Wake up Wyoming! Wake up America! In a few short years hundreds of Wind River lakes and streams that now contain self-sustaining populations of trout species such as Rainbow, Brook, German Brown, California Golden, Yellowstone Cutthroat, and Arctic Grayling, may be rendered fishless in order to protect one or more arbitrarily designated “keystone” frog species that are very likely succumbing to factors other than “non-native” trout. http://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article97900392.html https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-08-26/pdf/2016-20352.pdf http://www.sierranaturenotes.com/naturenotes/SavingFrogs.htm http://data.ecosystem-management.org/nepaweb/nepa_project_exp.php?project=41027 http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3836426.pdf http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/9493/insects-and-trout-topdown-ecosystem-study/ https://www.uwyo.edu/wyndd/_files/docs/reports/wynddreports/u14est01wyus.pdf https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2016/foothill-yellow-legged-frog-03-16-2016.html http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5363180.pdf http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/amphibians/foothill_yellow-legged_frog/ https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2016/09/03/a-flying-fish-that-transformed-the-sierra-for-better-and-for-worse/ http://www.pacificlegal.org/cases/critical-habitat-decree-opens-the-way-for-limitless-federal-land-grabs RMEF: A Wolf in Elk Clothing JAGUAR DESIGNATION MAY BLOCK “TRUMP’S WALL” 2 thoughts on “FROGS VS FISH – HOW A NATIVE SPECIES BECAME A GOD” It should be noted that Trout Unlimited joined the Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit to eradicate trout in the Sierra Nevada range. TU’s take was that Rainbow, Brook, and Brown trout should be removed to enhance the native California Golden trout population. To date, a small percentage of “restored” waterways have been restocked with California Golden trout, but the VAST MAJORITY of “restored” waterways have been left in their historically fishless condition in order to protect frogs. http://www.capitalpress.com/Oregon/20170127/grazing-halted-to-study-impacts-on-oregon-spotted-frog

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June 24, 2016 August 5, 2018 Winner of the the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or as well as the Academy, Golden Globe and BAFTA awards for Best Foreign Language Film, the 1959 Brazilian movie Orfeu Negro or Black Orpheus [based on the 1956 musical stage play Orfeu da Conceição (Orpheus of the Conception) by Brazilian writer Vinicius de Moraes] situated the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in modern-day Rio de Janiero during the annual Carnival festivities. The legendary Orpheus – musician, poet and prophet – was known to charm all living beings (even stones) with his music and tried to bring back his wife Eurydice (a nymph or daughter of Apollo – god of music, sun, etc.) from the underworld. This story has many universal parallels, among them the Japanese myth of Izanagi and Izanami, the Mayan myth of Itzamna and Ixchel, the Indian myth of Savitri and Satyavan and the Akkadian/Sumerian myth of Inanna‘s descent to the underworld. Roman mosaic depicting Orpheus surrounded by the beasts charmed by the music of his lyre by User “Giovanni Dall’Orto” Orpheus and Eurydice (1806) by Christian Gottlieb Kratzenstein, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen German poster for Black Orpheus by User “Holger.Ellgaard”, CC BY 3.o, Wikipedia Black Orpheus (1959), original film poster The Portuguese-language Black Orpheus, an international co-production between Brazil, France and Italy, was directed by French filmmaker Marcel Camus and starred Breno Mello (a Brazilian athlete and actor) and Marpessa Dawn (a Pittsburgh-born actress of Afrian-American and Filipino heritage) in the lead roles. An article on the film on a website run by the Brown University Library states that: When Black Orpheus was released internationally in 1959, it seemed to inject a dose of color and life into the grey landscape of previous art films, which had been dreary depictions of life in Germany, France, Japan, or Italy. It was the first internationally acclaimed film to take place entirely in a favela [Brazilian slum in an urban area], with an all-black Brazilian cast (one of the leads was of mixed race, and from Pittsburg, though this was rarely remarked upon), featuring a soundtrack by famous Brazilian singers Antônio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfá, who pioneered the new style of Bossa Nova [literally “new trend”, fusion of samba and jazz]. Still from Black Orpheus by User “Festival de Cine Africano”, CC BY-SA 2.0, Flickr Here Orpheus is a member of a samba school and streetcar conductor in Rio, unhappily engaged to a woman called Mira. Eurydice, a simple country girl, arrives in the city to stay with her cousin Serafina. She is hiding from a strange figure – Death personified in a skeleton costume – whom, she is certain, wants to kill her. Eurydice meets Orpheus (who is Serafina’s neighbour) and they soon fall in love. In the hustle and bustle of the carnival, Orpheus and Eurydice struggle to remain together with Mira on one side and Death on the other. After Eurydice is killed accidentally, Orpheus must pass through bureaucratic spaces and strange rituals in the hope of summoning her spirit. In an essay, the American film critic David Ehrenstein explains: The figure of Death that pursues Eurydice through the streets of Rio could be the literal personification of fate—or the sort of everyday maniac found on the streets of any major city. Likewise, Eurydice’s death from a streetcar cable is a neat transposition of the original legend in which she died from a serpent’s bite on her leg. Best of all is the film’s climax, in which Orpheus visits the underworld—here represented by Rio’s Bureau of Missing Persons—and a Macumba [pertaining to local, non-Abrahamic Brazilian religions] ceremony in which he tries to make contact with his dead love. As in the legend, the story of the film ends on an unhappy note. Still this nominally sad conclusion is undercut by the spirit of the largely unprofessional cast (Breno Mello was a champion soccer player, Marpessa Dawn a dancer from Pittsburgh); director Camus’ obvious love for Rio and its people; and the joyous, rapturous, unforgettable musical score. Despite many merits, Black Orpheus was also criticised for its exaggerated exoticism and lack of class consciousness. In Directory of World Cinema: Brazil (2014), the British film critic Scott Jordan Harris has written that “while for many outside Brazil the film provided a beguiling image of the country, for many inside it Black Orpheus seemed a flawed and inauthentic representation of their nation.” Watch a trailer with English subtitles below. You can watch the same video in higher quality here. Two scenes: Brazil: Five Centuries of Change (2009) by Thomas E. Skidmore Brazilian Cinema (Film and Culture Series) (1995) by Randal Johnson and Robert Stam Featured: Part of the film poster. Property of Dispat Films/Gemma/Tupan Filmes/Lopert Pictures. Used for illustrative purposes only. No copyright infringement intended. Posted in Antiquity and Further Back, Central and South/Latin America, Dance, Film, Late Modern Period (roughly 1800-1950s), Music, Mythology and FolkloreTagged 1950s, academy awards, ancient greece, art, BAFTA, brazil, cannes film festival, carnival, creativity, death, foreign language film, golden globe, greek myth, love, music, myth, mythology, relationships, samba, south america, world cinema4 Comments 4 thoughts on “Black Orpheus” lifecameos says: fascinating – and beautiful pictures. mySestina says: Beautiful is the word… You have such in depth knowledge of art Tulika. I am naive, must I admit. Thank you! 🙂 You’re too kind. I consider myself a student and not an expert. I know the world of art is huge and I know very little. Perhaps that’s why I try to keep researching. That is my dear a great thing to do. Must we keep learning and adding on to our sphere of knowledge. You too are very kind and I hope to see more from you. Gonna follow your blog now ← The Carnival of the Animals Symbols of Communication →

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Borstal goes to war By Dr Heather Shore, Leeds Beckett University This article was previously published on the Our Criminal Past website on 7/8/14 In the current commemoration marking the outbreak of World War One, homage has been paid to the millions of combatants who lost their lives during the conflict. Amongst the men who served were a sizeable amount of men and youths, whom up to the outbreak of war had been in penal institutions. Indeed, for some contemporaries services in the armed forces was a positive outcome. As Clive Emsley has observed, ‘There were those who believed that the young tearaway was, potentially, the ideal soldier in the making’ (1). Details of some of these boys can be found in the National Archives at Kew. The records of the Borstal Association, After-Care Association contain personal files for a number of former-Borstal boys in the period leading up to the Great War (2). I looked at these records many years ago and now seems the right moment to revisit them. My memory of the records is particularly strong as I was asked to consult them in small room to the side of the counter, presumably because they were deemed sensitive (the only other time I’ve been asked to go into this room was when I had ordered a set of CRIM records in which a bullet had survived amongst the evidence!). The Borstal records made me weep. Possibly this is not something an historian should admit, but the sheer toll of death amongst this first generation of Borstal boys moved me quite profoundly. The first Borstal had been founded in Kent in 1902, when a part of Borstal Convict Prison was set-aside for a special class of youths who had received sentences of at least six months imprisonment (3). The system would be formalised by the Prevention of Crime Act in 1908, and from the start the provision of after-care was regarded as essential. This emphasis on reform was not without its critics; ambivalence conveyed by an editorial in The Times, entitled ‘Children and Crime’, published in December 1907 (4). Nevertheless the After-Care Association assiduously followed up the first generation of Borstal boys. The earliest Home Office case-files date from 1908 and include the records of the 100 or so boys who entered Borstal in the years leading up to the First World War. Almost all of these boys went to the front, and almost all of these boys died at the front, or subsequently of injuries sustained in combat. A deliberate policy of releasing young prisoners to serve in the war had been instituted early on in the conflict. In 1915, the Home Secretary Sir John Simon, in response to questions from the Commons, answered: In the Borstal Institutions of Great Britain, where youths are received under sentences of one to three years, steps have been taken since the beginning of the War to release for enlistment selected prisoners who had profited by the training of the Institution, which includes drill and gymnastics, and who appeared likely to make good soldiers. The result of the experiment has been most satisfactory; a large number have been released and have enlisted, and in the great majority of cases good reports have been received of the conduct of the lads in the fighting services both at home and abroad (5) In the Report of the Prison Commissioners for 1916, it was noted, ‘Since the outbreak of war, about 1,000 ex-Borstal lads are known to have joined the Forces. Two have been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, 91 have received non-commissioned rank, while notification of death has been received in 37 cases. Including charges of desertion and minor offences, only 96 have been reported upon unsatisfactorily. As regards the 201 lads discharged direct to the Army form Borstal Institutions this year, only 7 have provided unsatisfactory; the remainder, 96 per cent., are doing well’ (6). How many boys actually went to war from the early Borstals, and how many died, I have yet to confirm. In his book, Boy Soldiers of the Great War, Richard Van Emden noted that by March 1915, of the 336 boys released from Borstal institutions, 150 were in the forces, and some 600 former borstal boys were known to be serving overall (7) By 1914, there was only one other Borstal, which was Feltham in south-west London; although there were what were known as ‘modified Borstal systems’ within some adult prisons. Feltham Borstal was closed due to low numbers in February 1916, presumably because of the declining male crime rate during the war, and the fact that youths were being diverted into the forces (8). The Prison Commission Report for 1918 noted that in 1917 to 1918, ‘385 lads were discharged to the care of the Borstal Association…of these, 329 were enlisted on release’ (9) Military historian Van Emden is one of the few researchers to touch on the Borstal soldiers. Most historians have tended to focus on the development of the system from the interwar period, and particularly on the involvement of the renowned youth worker and reformer, Alexander Paterson (the exceptions are Victor Bailey and Conor Reidy who has worked extensively on the Irish Borstal system). This early period has been subject to little scrutiny, and the policy of releasing the boys to military service, even less. These boys include Richard Whall (10). Richard was convicted at the Essex Quarter Sessions in July 1912 at the age of 17, having stolen a bicycle. He had held down a job as an errand boy for a while, but had left his job after falling out with his father, whom the records state, ‘was always swearing at him’. He had also helped his father with his boot-shining business. He received a three year sentence in borstal, where the Chaplain described him as ‘quite a nice lad, but not robust, especially in character’. During his time in the prison he seems to have knuckled down, and he was discharged into the care of his father in early March 1915. A week later the borstal agent, Mr. McKenna (of Borstal after-care system) received a letter from Richard stating that he would prefer to join the army, and he had enlisted in the Essex Regiment, he thanked Mr. McKenna for his help, and wrote that he hoped that he approved of his actions. During 1915, Mr. McKenna kept in touch with William, receiving a letter from him in May, which noted that he’d ‘not touched a drop of drink since he’d been in the army’. The Borstal aftercare wrote to William ‘for news’ in late May, July and August, when they received news from his parents that he’d been killed in action. A newspaper cutting from the Essex County Standard, with a picture of William in his uniform, is clipped to the file, and tells us that William was killed at Gallipoli on the 5th August. He was aged twenty. Van Emden tells a similar story in his book. Thomas Clarke from Wolverhampton, had been convicted of theft, but released under license into the Army, ‘being walked to the recruitment office by borstal staff’. He went to France after fourteen weeks training, aged just seventeen. Unfortunately Thomas absconded from his regiment, the 1st Royal Berkshires, in April 1916 when they were ordered to proceed up the line. He was court-martialled and sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted, since it was thought he was too young to be shot’ (11). There is nothing that haven’t heard before in the stories of youths such as Richard Whall and Thomas Clarke, in the wave of testimonies that are being revisited and remembered in this anniversary year. Nevertheless the sacrifice of the Borstal boys remains a little known story of the Great War that deserves to be remembered. And it should be said that the war service of these boys, and indeed of other prisoners who enlisted, did go completely unrecognised. Thus the 1916 Prison Commission commented on the testimony they had received from the authorities (such as the Borstal Association) who had kept in touch with ex-prisoners serving in the Forces, ‘Recruited as they are, from all classes of prisoners, the man fresh from penal servitude, the lad from a Borstal Institutions, the petty thief, and the habitual drunkard – their country’s call has touched a fibre in the heart of many whose lives hitherto had been shown to be irresponsive to all other calls and motives to honest living and good conduct’. The Report went on to quote from the Visiting Committee of Bristol Prison, which had a Modified Borstal System, ‘If one fact stands out more clearly than another as a lesson of the War, it is the magnificent material of which the working-class of this country is composed’ (12). C. Emsley (2013), Soldier, Sailor, Beggarman, Thief: Crime and the British Armed Services since 1914 (OUP), p. 36. TNA HO247, 1905-1977. L. Radzinowicz and R. Hood (1986), The Emergence of Penal Policy in Victorian and Edwardian England, vol. 5, A History of Criminal Law and its Administration from 1750 (Stevens & Sons), p. 384. The Times, 10 December 1907, p. 9. HC Deb 28 June 1915 vol 72 cc1465-6 1916 [Cd. 8342] Report of the Commissioners of Prisons and the directors of convict prisons, with appendices., pp. 14-15. R. Van Emden (2005), Boy Soldiers of the Great War (Headline Book Publishing), p. 138. The Times, 19 February 1916, p. 5. 1918 [Cd. 9174] Report of the Commissioners of Prisons and the directors of convict prisons, with appendices, p. 17. TNA: HO247/71, Case-file, Richard Whall. Van Emden, Boy Soldiers, pp. 139-40. G H Bennett@h1bennett· Unknown vessel (1920s-1930s?) discharging cargo into lighters (note the dusting of white on the hull). Location unknown. Junkshop photo (Chelmsford). Transcribe Bentham@TranscriBentham· 'Every offender, who, for any first or second-rate crime, suffers ignominious punishment, shall, all the time that he is undergoing the said punishment, wear the cap of ignominy.

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Home Northwest Ohio Coffee With The Pastor LOVE STORIES Sometimes I wonder if youth growing up in today’s world get their ideas of love from the romantic feelings displayed in movie scenes. For example, lots of fairy tales have love themes that begin “Once upon a time” and end with “they lived happily ever after.” These stories leave us with a good feeling that love is the answer to life’s broken dreams and troubles. Troubles do occur in everyone’s life, and I, along with many others, believe love really is the answer for happy endings. However, is what we see in movies true love? If a relationship fails that we thought was based on love, and ends in hurt and separation, I ask myself, Was it truly love those people experienced? The Bible says, “Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8). Naturally, we know love means more than physical attraction and romance, but that level of love is what many do not see. There is a beautiful love story in the Bible, the book of Ruth, and it gives clues to a deeper meaning of love. It is love like this that results in a “happily ever after” story. There is a beautiful love story in the Bible, the book of Ruth, and it gives clues to a deeper meaning of love. It is love like this that results in a “happily ever after” story. Ruth 1:1 begins, “Once upon a time”, actually it says, “Now it came about, in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land.” The land was the land of Israel. The days of the judges were awful days. These were days when everyone did what was right in their own eyes and there was no governing leadership in Israel to represent God and lead the people in God’s ways. God’s people continually worshipped false gods and followed sinful pathways. Their corrupt lifestyles opened the door for enemy nations to raid and terrorize the Jewish people. They cried to God for help, but after helping them, they always went back to their Godless ways. There is something about God’s love lived out through people who know him that attracts others to want that kind of love. Those drawn to that love eventually discover God’s love and learn to love the same way. Not everyone, however, rebelled against God. Some loved him and remained faithful to the ways he said were good for them. Naomi was one of those persons. Due to the famine, she followed her husband to another country. While there, her husband died, and her two sons married women from families that worshipped false gods. Naomi may have believed it was wrong or dangerous for her sons to marry women who would influence them toward false gods, but she loved, accepted them, and lived her faith before them. When her two sons died, and she heard the famine was over, she decided to return to her hometown of Bethlehem. She told her daughters-in-law that they should return to their families because she would be poor and have no security to offer them. Apparently, Ruth, being drawn to the love and to the God of Naomi, insisted on coming with her. Ruth said, “Where you go I will go, your lodging will by my lodging, your people will be my people and your God will be My God.” There is something about God’s love lived out through people who know him that attracts others to want that kind of love. Those drawn to that love eventually discover God’s love and learn to love the same way. In Bethlehem, Ruth found a way to support Naomi and their new life. Farmers allowed the poor to work in their fields, picking up grain left after the harvest. One day Naomi asked where Ruth was working and she answered that she worked in the fields of a man named Boaz. Naomi said that he was a close relative and she should keep working his fields. According to Jewish custom, this man could redeem the property of Naomi’s husband and son, including taking Ruth as a wife. The purpose of the marriage would be to have a son who would preserve the family name and heritage of Naomi’s husband and son. Naomi saw this as an opportunity to provide a secure life for Ruth. Love seeks what is best for others. Boaz heard from reports that Ruth was a woman of Godly qualities. He liked that she lived morally as the Lord God of Israel would have her do. He liked how she did not chase around after men, but was faithful to provide for Naomi’s well-being because of the love and respect she had for her mother-in-law. Boaz took a liking to Ruth and protected her from dangers such as being attacked and abused in the fields. He was kind to her in many ways. Boaz realized Ruth was a woman of excellence. Ruth wondered why he could be so loving and gracious to one who was a foreigner. One day, Naomi told Ruth how to ask Boaz to redeem Naomi’s family. He had grown to love Ruth and wanted to be their redeemer, but there was one problem. A relative closer to Naomi had the right of redemption. Boaz would have to see if that man wanted to buy Naomi’s property and marry Ruth. If so, Ruth would have to marry a man she never met in order to supply Naomi with needed money for a better life, and to raise a child for Naomi’s deceased son. Boaz was an honest man to go to another, when he may have wanted Ruth for himself. Ruth’s love was willing to do what it took to meet her mother-in-law’s needs and desires. Love demands great sacrifice, which Boaz and Ruth were willing to make. In the end, it works out for Boaz to marry Ruth and they live happily ever after. There is one more love story involved. We are not aware of it until a postscript is added at the end of their story. Boaz and Ruth had a son named Obed. Obed had a son named Jesse, and Jesse had a son named David. Ruth was the great grandmother of King David of Israel, but more than that, she and Boaz were part of the lineage that would lead to the heir of the throne of David. This one would be the permanent king of Israel, and ruler of the entire world. Ruth becomes part of God’s love story to redeem the world through his son, Christ Jesus. It was this Messiah, born in Bethlehem to the descendants of Boaz and Ruth, who loved the world, and sacrificed his life, so that all people would have opportunity to become a part of God’s love story and live happily ever after. Previous articleIran Minister Admits Growth of Christianity; Summons Converts Next articleUS Museum to Exhibit Mile-Long Illustrated Bible Poll Finds Nearly 50 Percent of Californians Say They Want to Move Out Soon What Do You Do When You are Hungry?

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Local NewsWellesley Township Council Wellesley rec. complex project moves into fundraising mode Much of potential new development hinges on joint federal/ provincial grant submitted by township council By Veronica Reiner EDCL donates $1,000 as thank-you to Floradale firefighters Thanking the Woolwich Fire Department, Elmira District Community Living this week donated $1,000 to the Floradale station. Firefighters from Floradale... Wellesley Township having cleared the way for a potential new $22-million recreation complex, the focus is now on putting together a fundraising campaign that will make it all possible. Township council last week unanimously approved submitting an application for funding from the federal and provincial governments, whose support will be needed to underwrite much of the cost of new rec. centre. The Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) community, culture and recreation grant, if approved, would fund 73.33 per cent of the cost. That would leave $5,876,400 (26.76 per cent) for the municipality to cover. A decision on the funding request is expected in late-winter or early in the spring. A successful bid would still leave a sizeable chunk of change to be financed locally. How can a small township come up with that kind of money? Enter the Wellesley Township Recreation Centre Committee (WTRCC), an organization of some 20 user groups dedicated to helping design the facility. The move was spearheaded Chris Martin, a long-time hockey referee and past president of Twin Centre Hericanes Girls Hockey Association. “While cost wasn’t a direct responsibility of our committee, it was always present in our discussions, as it should be,” said Martin. “It’s fair to say our committee now will start to focus on fundraising … come the new year, we’ll have a team ready to go along with a strategy.” To that end, the committee has enlisted the help of Glen Boy of the Waterloo-based organization Campaign Coaches. Boy has experience running campaigns to raise funding for several recreation centres, including Elmira’s Woolwich Memorial Centre in 2008, as well as Listowel, North Perth, and North Dumfries. Boy is in the midst of conducting a feasibility study designed to gauge the financial capacity of the community, with the $5-million goal in mind. He has interviewed 36 of a planned 54 people throughout the township so far – while the majority reside in Wellesley village, the entire municipality was well represented. The names were put together by the WTRCC steering committee, and their contact information made available to Boy. Interviewees were selected based on who might have to financial capacity to donate large amounts and those who had a strong identification with the project. “The people we have approached have responded well, there’s no question about that,” said Boy. “So there seems to be some excitement about it. There are some questions still out there – until they nail down all the details, that’s always going to be the case.” The study found that 32 out of 36 respondents were willing to donate towards the project. Two individuals gave the indication that they would donate at the $100,000 level or more, four people were willing to give between $50,000-$100,000, seven said between $25,000-$50,000, five said between $10,000-25,000, and nine said between $5,000-10,000. This would put the potential for donations between $670,000 on the low side, up to $1.42 million. This puts Boy’s recommended goal at $2.5-2.6 million at this time. The survey is not entirely complete, and Boy will complete his interviews by the end of the month, which could change these results. “Because of the demographics within the township, the donations largely come from individuals and/or owner-operated businesses,” said Boy. “You’re not going to see big multinational companies, because there aren’t any. So you’re going to see the local shops and businesses participating.” The survey also evaluated potential challenges that may be faced while conducting the campaign. “There’s a project underway for the restoration of the pond. There are only so many dollars to go along, so now all of a sudden, donors have to make choices,” explained Boy. Other challenges identified by interviewees include engaging residents in Linwood, Hawkesville and St. Clements, particularly to perceive the project as something for everyone in the township, not just for the village of Wellesley, since the complex is to be located on the parkland of Queen’s Bush and Hutchison roads. Gaining support from the Old Order Mennonite community or new residents moving into town may prove to be difficult. “Some of them might not even know there’s a grocery store in town. How do we get them more aware of what’s going on?” said Boy. “So it’s about putting a good communications team together. That solves a lot of the problems.” When the campaign officially begins in 2020, it will be unbeknownst to many in the community. This will begin what is referred to as the “quiet” phase – according to Boy, 80 per cent of the donations will come from a small portion – just 20 per cent – of the donors. After several months, fundraisers will reach the promotional stage or “community” phase. “By the time we reach the public campaign, we’re well on the way and then we engage the entire community,” said Martin. “That’s when the community will do the bake sales, community dances, roast beef dinners; that will raise the final 20 per cent. As part of the strategy, it engages the community. So when we cross the line, we will all cross it together.” The campaign will last roughly one year, expected to wrap up by March 2021. Any longer than that begins to wear on the community and volunteers, said Boy. While this campaign will be a collaborative community effort on the local level, a large majority of the funding is still up in the air. “This grant has potential of 73 per cent. That’s higher than normal,” noted Boy. “In the 30 years that I’ve been doing this, I haven’t seen a grant that high. When Elmira did it, they didn’t get that much, they were more along the lines of one-third (municipality) one-third (provincial) one-third (feds). “They really don’t have a whole lot of choice but to apply for this,” he added of the ICIP funding. Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Mike Harris feels that the application, which was due on November 12, is strong. “I think they’ve got a very good shot and I’m standing 100 per cent behind it,” said Harris. “I want to make it clear, though, I do not make the final decision. I can do all the lobbying I can, but ultimately it’s up to the Ministry of Infrastructure to nominate those programs up to the feds.” “The key thing is we worked with them through the application process to make sure that from their end that they’re putting in the best application possible.” During the early stages of putting together an amenities list, the inclusion of a pool was suggested by the recreation committee. However, it was determined that it could actually hurt the chances of a successful funding application due to lower feasibility. It is not quite as feasible as other amenities due to a short operating season, price, and close proximity to neighbouring municipality pools, such as those in the Woolwich WMC or Perth East recreation complex. Harris said that if the application ends up being unsuccessful, he will try to look for other avenues to try to make things move forward. “There’s different grant applications that the municipality can put in for, working with community partners, different stakeholders in the community for fundraising,” said Harris. “There’s other ways that we can try and make things happen. I’m certainly going to be a champion of moving this forward regardless of what we hear from the ministry.” The complete amenities list included in the application is as follows: an arena with NHL-size ice surface, seating for approximately 500 people (with single side seating and approximately 1,000 spectator capacity of arena), concession stand, eight change rooms, Junior C Wellesley Applejacks room, storage space for ABC, fall fair, skating, curling, soccer and hockey groups, walking track, seniors/active living centre, youth centre, commercial kitchen, gymnasium/community hall/banquet hall with a wall to divide room, fitness gym, gender neutral, family and male/female washrooms, two soccer fields, skate board park, meeting rooms, green space, horse and buggy shed, and walking trails. Canada Infrastructure Program ICIP Mike Harris rec centre recreation complex Twin Centre Hericanes Girls Hockey Association Wellesley Township Wellesley Township Recreation Centre Committee WTRCC Previous articleWoolwich stays course with economic development Next articleSnow-clearing crews put to an early test in the townships Floradale PS seeks new playground Veronica Reiner - December 26, 2019 0 Going inclusive and safer comes with a $34,000 price tag as parents at Floradale Public School look to raise money for a new... Maryhill News Lions Club of Ariss & Maryhill Diane Strickler - December 5, 2019 0 The Lions Club of Ariss & Maryhill held their 3rd fundraising project night. Ladies in the community were invited to take in the "Do... Making it look like Christmas Veronica Reiner - November 28, 2019 0 It’s a sure-fire sign that the holidays are fast approaching: the 1st Elmira Scouts are selling Christmas trees in Gore Park, continuing a longstanding... Rec. Centre Committee wins township backing, wish list finalized Veronica Reiner - September 5, 2019 0 Now an official committee of council, the Wellesley Recreation Centre Committee has finalized its wish-list for a proposed new rec. facility in the township. The...

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Obvi, We're The Ladies "Building Sisterhood Through Storytelling" Culture & Media Relationships & Community Speak Up With Us Kaitlin Olivero February 26, 2015 Culture & Media Is it Really “Fifty Shades of Fucked Up”? Photo : Alanna Bagladi This is not full of spoilers. If you are highly sensitive to spoilers, however, I encourage you to check back here after seeing the movie or reading the book. Some plot details will be discussed, though the movie’s ending is not revealed. Confession: I read all three of the Fifty Shades of Grey books a couple years ago and I saw the movie-opening weekend. I also partake in many other guilty pleasures, such as watching Bad Girls Club and buying way too many clothes. However, reading this erotica trilogy was certainly the most uncomfortable of my indulgences and I wrote it off as something I shouldn’t be proud of. Later, when the hype of the movie came, I felt like the story was promoting something I was against. But why did I feel that way? For starters, reading the sex scenes while on a crowded CTA Red Line train, during rush hour when you have no personal space no less, was… strange. Even though I was reading on a Kindle, I felt like the whole train knew I was reading about riding crops and spanking. I am not a terribly sexual being, and I surely do not know much about the BDSM community. Did I feel sick for wanting to read about explicit sex scenes? Perhaps I was I concerned that others (strangers on the train or a friend at work) would think less of me because I had read it? Now, the movie has opened in theaters and the wave of over-stimulating reviews and opinions flood my newsfeeds. It has been a couple years since I read or even really thought about the books, so it all came rushing back to me. The confusion of my thoughts on the subject has resurfaced and I find myself being pulled in different directions: Is this franchise smut, but virtually harmless? Is it potentially dangerous to vulnerable viewers? This is where I worry fiction walks a fine line and quick moving social media culture swoops in for the kill. I was feeling some type of way about my friends getting upset with the movie’s message, so I knew I had to figure out what exactly my feelings are. The opposition for Fifty Shades of Grey is too serious to ignore. Many writers have been using the books’ own quotes against it, proving how lack-of consent and abuse are huge red flags in the story. The defensive here is that the quotes are taken out of context, but the bigger defensive to almost all of the criticism is the word consent. Many believe that the contract signed by Anastasia Steele serves as consent for all of the sexual encounters that followed. At one point, she even initiates her own “punishment.” She decides, after consenting and then experiencing it, that she does not like it. She still consented. Though, the important part was her decision to put a stop to it right afterward, so that it would never happen again. This is an empowering moment for Ana, and I think it is important to highlight. Even if a consensual contract was drawn, she still felt strong enough to realize how upsetting it was to her and she expressed her feelings openly to Christian. To be fair, the link above does point out times when Ana says something like “please, not tonight” and it appears that Christian ignored her wishes, which becomes a different story. Luckily, the movie chose not to partake in those instances of more blatant manipulation. To help clear up some of the murky matters, it is important to note that the book differs from the movie in some important ways, just like the way I mentioned above. The movie elevates Anastasia to be a somewhat stronger character than the book does, probably because we cannot hear the awful inner dialogues E.L. James wrote. It just seems like the movie portrayed Ana to be observant and careful, while giving in to her curiosity, which gives her a more independent persona than in the book. However, neither the book nor movie can hide the fact that Christian’s tendencies, outside of the bedroom even more so, can be interpreted as abusive. Christian is very controlling. For the sex scenes, that can be stimulating (some women prefer domination in the bedroom), but when he shows up places uninvited or controls meals, the line is crossed. Still, it seems to me that Ana calls a lot of shots and calls him out on his bullshit, which is still on the right track. I cannot ignore the manipulation, though. Christian’s controlling behavior and coldness definitely made me uneasy. Though we do not learn too much about Christian’s past in this installment, we are seeing through Ana’s eyes, so we learn more about him as she does. We get the hint that he was in a (maybe?) consensual dominant-submissive relationship when he was underage. This is where my knowledge of Law & Order: SVU comes in and I start worrying for Christian and Ana. In a world where abused children are more prone to becoming abusers themselves, this may cause us to feel bad for Christian or to understand his issues more. However, it certainly does not mean that it is okay for him to abuse Ana. It is sad, but it is not an excuse. Still, I feel myself coming to more of a defense for Fifty Shades of Grey, regardless of whether I will ever watch the movie again. Consent is important to understanding the BDSM nature of the relationship. I know I am not the only one who doesn’t know anything about that culture, so that can lead to a misunderstanding of what is on screen. If Ana really agreed to everything, if the contract she negotiated is a valid form of consent, it all seems like fair game to me. She felt that the contract served as consent, even if it didn’t look healthy to others. She knew when to get out if she wasn’t liking the direction the relationship was heading. She knew she had the power to call it quits, whether or not the contract said that, as exemplified by her actions at the end. I enjoyed the movie, if for nothing else than the color correction and the fashion (Christian’s suits and Ana’s new clothes are pretty nifty). After I dug a little deeper and read up on some articles for and against the series, I think feel content with it all. I actually saw the movie privately in a showing for Pure Romance with a couple of my gal pals. As you can imagine, the ladies of the theater were cracking jokes and sharing plenty of “ow ow”s, which was fun. I was nervous though, waiting to hear the reactions of the theater when some of the more controversial scenes played out. Particularly, I heard people become confused, and uncomfortable, when Ana asked for punishment. I was almost relieved to know that the women in the theater were trying to figure out how they felt about it, too. I know everyone has their own opinions about consent and how it plays a role in Fifty Shades of Grey, but at least the door of conversation about it all has been thrust wide open (pun intended). As for me, I can say that I had a good time seeing a female-fronted film that has started a really interesting conversation. Kaitlin Olivero : Curly haired, art lovin’, loud talkin’, gal who’s twenty-something and ruthless. Most likely to become a Museum Director and to shop literally til she drops. Posted in Culture & Media and tagged books, movies, personal, reflection. Bookmark the permalink. Enter your email address to follow us and receive updates! Categories Select Category Culture & Media Get to Know Us Health & Wellness Poetry Relationships & Community Social Issues & Politics Uncategorized Work & Money © 2016 Obvi, We’re The Ladies | All Rights Reserved I’m Making Self-Love My Priority About This Lady : Kaitlin Olivero

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Tag Archives: European Court European Court Rules Against Turkey’s Religion ID Designation on identification cards used to discriminate on basis of religion. ISTANBUL, February 5 (CDN) — A European court on Tuesday (Feb. 2) ordered Turkey to remove the religious affiliation section from citizens’ identification cards, calling the practice a violation of human rights. Religious minorities and in particular Christian converts in Turkey have faced discrimination because of the mandatory religion declaration on their identification cards, which was enforced until 2006. Since then, citizens are allowed to leave the “Religion” section of their IDs blank. The ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) “is a good thing,” said Zekai Tanyar, president of the Turkish Protestant Alliance, citing prejudices against Christian converts. “[Religion on the ID] can cost people their jobs,” he said. “It has been known to affect whether they get a job or not, how people look at them, whether they are accepted for a post or an application of some sort. Therefore I think [the ruling] is a good and appropriate thing.” Tanyar said the same principles would apply in the case of Muslims living in a country that had prejudices against Muslims. For converts in Turkey having to state their religion on their ID cards, “in practice, and in people’s experience, it has been negative.” The ECHR ruling came after a Turkish Muslim national filed a petition challenging that his identification card stated his religion as “Alevi” and not Muslim. Alevis practice a form of Shia Islam that is different from that of the Sunni Muslim majority. The court found in a 6-to-1 vote that any mention of religion on an identity card violated human rights. The country was found to be in violation of the European Convention of Human Rights – to which Turkey is a signatory – specifically Article 9, which deals with freedom of religion and belief; Article 6, which is related to due process; and Article 12, which prohibits discrimination. The presence of the “religion” box on the Turkish national identification card obliges individuals to disclose, against their will, information concerning an aspect of their personal convictions, the court ruled. Although the government argued that indication of religion on identity cards did not compel Turks to disclose their religious convictions, the ECHR found that the state was making assessments of the applicant’s faith, thus breaching its duty of neutrality and impartiality. In a statement on the verdict this week, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the ruling was in line with the government’s intentions. “I don’t see the ECHR decision as abnormal,” he said, according to Turkish daily Taraf. “It’s not very important if it is removed.” The ECHR is independent of the European Union, which Turkey seeks to join. The rulings of the ECHR are binding for members of the Council of Europe, of which Turkey is a member, and must be implemented. A Step in the Right Direction Human rights lawyers welcomed the decision of the ECHR, saying it is a small step in the direction of democracy and secularism in Turkey. “It is related to the general freedom of religion in our country,” said human rights lawyer Orhan Kemal Cengiz. “They assume everyone is Muslim and automatically write this on your ID card, so this is a good reminder that, first of all, everyone is not Muslim in this country, and second, that being a Muslim is not an indispensible part of being Turkish.” The lawyer said the judgment would have positive implications for religious minorities in Turkey who are subject to intolerance from the majority Muslim population. In 2000 Turkey’s neighbor Greece, a majority Christian Orthodox country, lifted the religion section from national IDs in order to adhere to European human rights standards and conventions, causing tumult among nationals. “In Turkey, Greece or whatever European country, racism or intolerance or xenophobia are not rare occurrences if [religion] is written on your card, and if you are a minority group it makes you open to racist, xenophobic or other intolerant behaviors,” said Cengiz. “There might be times that the [religious] declaration might be very dangerous.” International Implications It is not yet known what, if any, effect the ECHR decision could have on the rest of the Middle East. Because of its history, economic power and strategic location, Turkey is seen as a leader in the region. Like Turkey, many Middle Eastern countries have a place for religious affiliation on their identification cards. Unlike Turkey, listing religious affiliation is mandatory in most of these countries and almost impossible to change, even under court order. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), religious identification is used as a tool to deny jobs and even basic rights or services to religious minorities in many Middle Eastern countries. “It’s a serious problem from a human rights point of view,” said Joe Stork, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa for HRW, an international human rights organization. “It’s especially problematic when that requirement becomes a basis for discrimination.” Stork said the identification cards shouldn’t have a listing for religion at all. He said the European decision may eventually be used in legal arguments in Middle Eastern courts, but it will be a long time before change is realized. “It’s not like the Egyptian government is going to wake up in the morning and say, ‘Gee, let’s do that,’” Stork said. Egypt in particular is notorious for using religion on IDs to systematically discriminate against Coptic Christians and converts to Christianity. While it takes a day to change one’s religion from Christianity to Islam on their ID, the reverse is virtually impossible. Posted in Christianity, Egypt, European Union, Greece, Islam, Orthodox, Turkey | Tagged 2006, abnormal, accepted, adhere, affiliation, against, Alevi, allowed, application, article 12, article 9, assessments, basic, basis, behaviors, binding, blank, box, breaching, calling, challenging, Christian, Christianity, Christians, citizens, converts, convictions, Copt, Coptic, Copts, cost, Council of Europe, countries, country, court, daily, dangerous, decision, declaration, democracy, deny, deputy director, designation, different, direction, disclose, discriminate, Discrimination, duty, ECHR, economic, Egypt, Egyptian, enforced, European Convention of Human Rights, European Court, European Court of Human Rights, European Union, faced, faith, filed, form, freedom, general, government, Greece, History, HRW, human rights, Human Rights Watch, ID, identification card, impartiality, implemented, implications, indication, information, international, intolerance, intolerant, Islam, Istanbul, jobs, Joe Stork, join, judgment, lawyers, leader, leave, location, mandatory, members, Middle East, Middle Eastern, minorities, Muslim, muslims, national, nationals, neighbor, neutrality, North Africa, occurrences, ordered, Orhan Kemal Cengiz, Orthodox, people, Persecution, personal, petition, positive, post, power, practice, prejudices, President, principles, racism, racist, rare, region, religion, religious, remove, reverse, rules, ruling, section, secularism, Shia, signatory, standards, strategic, Sunni, Taraf, tool, tumult, Turkey, Turkish, Turkish Protestant Alliance, Turks, used, violation, will, xenophobia, xenophobic, Zekai Tanyar | Leave a comment TURKEY: CHRISTIANS MAY APPEAL FINE FOR ‘ILLEGAL’ FUNDS Posted on March 28, 2009 by particularkev Converts accused of ‘insulting Turkishness’ fear ruling sets dangerous precedent. ISTANBUL, March 27 (Compass Direct News) – Fearing that a court-ordered fine of two Turkish Christians here for “illegal collection of funds” would set a precedent crippling to churches, their lawyer plans to take the case to a European court. Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal each paid the fine of 600 Turkish lira (US$360) to a civil court in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul yesterday. The verdict cannot be appealed within the Turkish legal system, but their lawyer said he is considering taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights. The ruling refers to the men receiving church offerings without official permission from local civil authorities. Nearly all Protestant fellowships in Turkey are registered as associations, with very few having status as a recognized religious body, and a strict application of the law would limit the scope of churches collecting funds. Although the punishment is a relatively small fine, their lawyer told Compass there is now a precedent that authorities could use to harass any church for collecting tithes and offerings. “For now, this court decision is an individual decision, but we fear in the future this could be carried out against all churches,” said defense attorney Haydar Polat. Umut Sahin, spokesman for the Alliance of Protestant Churches of Turkey, concurred that the case was worrisome for the country’s small Protestant community and could set a disturbing precedent to be against other congregations. When originally charged, the two men were summoned to police headquarters just before church services by three plainclothes policemen waiting for Tastan at his church. Tastan and Topal were given a “penalty” sheet from security police that ordered each to pay the fine for breaking a civil law. The court decision to fine them, enacted on Nov. 11, 2008 but not delivered until March 13, denied their request to drop the penalty. The two men claimed they were only collecting money from their co-religionists. Judge Hakim Tastan ruled at the First Magistrate Court that the two men were guilty of violating section 29 of Civil Administrative Code 2860, which forbids the collection of money without official permission from local district authorities. In light of the charge of “insulting Turkishness,” the two men believe the smaller accusation of collecting money illegally is merely part of a wider effort by the state to harass and discredit Turkish Christians. “They are doing this to bother and intimidate us, possibly to pressure us to leave the country,” Tastan told Compass. “They have the intention to hinder church establishment and the spread of the gospel.” Tastan has spoken publicly over his strong sense of pride in his Turkish identity and frustration with state institutions biased against religious minorities. “This case is proof that Turkey’s legal system regarding human rights isn’t acting in a just and suitable way,” he said. Difficult Circumstances The civil court case was the second set of longstanding charges against the two men. The first involves Turkey’s notorious Article 301, a loosely-defined law that criminalizes insulting “the Turkish nation.” On Feb. 24 a Silivri court received the go-ahead from the Ministry of Justice to try the men under Article 301. The crux of the first case – originally leveled against them in 2007 by ultranationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, now indicted in a national conspiracy to overthrow the government – focused on the two men’s missionary efforts as defaming Islam. Due to lack of proof and no-shows by the prosecution team’s witnesses, the converts from Islam believe they will be acquitted in their next hearing on May 28. Turkey has come under recent criticism over its handling of religious minority rights by a Council of Europe report, accusing the country of “wrong interpretation” of the Lausanne Treaty as a pretext for refusing to implement minority rights, according to the Hurriyet Daily News. The 1923 treaty, penned between Turkey and European powers following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, only recognizes Greeks, Jews and Armenians as minority populations in Turkey. More troublesome, Turkey’s basis of rights for its non-Muslim minorities is built upon reciprocity with Greece’s treatment of its Muslim minorities. This basis pushes both nations to a “lowest-common denominator” understanding of minority rights, rather than a concept of universal freedoms, the report said. Posted in Armenia, Christianity, European Union, Greece, Islam, Jews, Turkey | Tagged accusation, accused, accusing, acquitted, acting, Alliance of Protestant Churches of Turkey, appeal, appealed, application, Armenians, article, associations, authorities, basis, believe, Beyoglu, biased, body, bother, breaking, built, case, charge, charged, Christian, Christianity, Christians, church, churches, circumstances, civil, Civil Administrative Code, civil court, civil law, claimed, co-religionists, collapse, collecting, collection, common, community, concept, concurred, congregations, considering, conspiracy, converts, Council of Europe, country, court, court-ordered, criminalizes, crippling, criticism, crux, dangerous, decision, defaming, defense attorney, defined, delivered, denied, denominator, difficult, discredit, district, disturbing, drop, effort, efforts, establishment, European, European Court, European Court of Human Rights, fear, fearing, fellowships, fine, First magistrate Court, focused, forbids, freedoms, frustration, funds, future, gospel, government, Greece, Greeks, guilty, Hakan Tastan, Hakim Tastan, handling, harass, Haydar Polat, headquarters, hearing, human rights, Hurriyet Daily News, identity, illegal, implement, indicted, individual, institutions, insulting, intention, interpretation, intimidate, involves, Islam, Istanbul, Jews, judge, just, Kemal Kerincsiz, lack, Lausanne Treaty, law, lawyer, lawyers, leave, legal, leveled, limit, lira, local, longstanding, loosely, lowest, men, merely, Ministry of Justice, minorities, minority, missionary, money, Muslim, muslims, nation, national, nations, ninder, no-shows, non-Muslim, notorious, offerings, official, ordered, originally, Ottoman Empire, overthrow, paid, part, penalty, penned, permission, Persecution, plainclothes, plans, police, policemen, populations, powers, precedent, pressure, pretext, pride, proof, prosecution, Protestant, publicly, punishment, rceiving, recent, reciprocity, recognized, recognizes, refers, refusing, regarding, registered, relatively, religious, report, request, rights, ruling, scope, security, sense, services, sets, sheet, Silivri, small, smaller, spoken, spokesman, spread, state, status, strict, strong, suitable, summoned, system, team, tithes, treatment, treaty, troublesome, try, Turan Topal, Turkey, Turkish, Turkishness, ultranationalist, Umit Sahin, understanding, universal, verdict, violating, waiting, wider, witnesses, worrisome, wrong | Leave a comment 56 RELIGIOUS ORGANISATIONS OFFICIALLY SCHEDULED FOR LIQUIDATION IN RUSSIA On 15 October, a declaration unexpectedly appeared on the webpage of the Russian Ministry of Justice listing 56 religious organisations scheduled for liquidation. These stem from a number of major world faiths and included Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, the Catholic “Caritas” as well as small, dissident Orthodox groups and one organisation belonging to the Kiev Orthodox Patriarchate, reports William Yoder, Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists. Yet at least 35 of the 56 listed qualify as Protestant organizations. These include the humanitarian “World Vision” and “Youth with a Mission”. At least six Baptist organizations are listed. These include one established by the Russian branch of the “Billy Graham Evangelistic Association” and three regional districts of the “Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists” (RUECB). Apparently; several entire churches are up for liquidation, including the “Union of Churches of Presbyterian Christians” and the “Assemblies of God”. Even the 26-congregation-strong “Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians” is scheduled for elimination. Its Bishop, businessman Alexander Semchenko, remains a member of the presti gious “Council for Cooperation with Religious Organisations at the Seat of the Russian President”. Pastor Vitaly Vlasenko, the RUECB’s Director for External Church Relations, warns against undue alarm, for the declaration states only that the Justice Department “plans to file liquidation claims” against the 56. “This is a wake-up call,” the Pastor adds. “This is certainly not the last word on the matter.” He reports that thousands of religious organisa tions were registered during the 1990s, and that a number of them are now virtually defunct. Many have failed to submit the annual reports on activities and finance demanded by Russian law. In some cases, registered and factual activities no longer match. In one instance, a Baptist organization registered in Moscow is active only in Siberia. Attorney Anatoly Pchelintsev from Moscow’s „Slavic Centre for Law and Justice” (SCLC) sees serious injustice in the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate is absent from the list. Due to its overpowering size, the law of averages would demand that a least a few of its organisations find their way onto the list. Yet Protestants, who speak for less than 1% of the Russian population, make up 62% of the total list. He sees no regard for the appropriateness of means, describing liquidation as akin to meting out the death penalty to persons found guilty of jaywalking. “Such actions fly in the face of official Russian state policy on the freedom of worship and creed.” Pchelin tsev, a seasoned legal veteran, believes the responsible officials are hardly aware of the complicated international ramifications of their own decree and cites the possibility of “chaos and destabilisation in church-state relations”. In June, the highly-active SCLJ succeeded in getting a decision requiring the liquidation of a 30-member Methodist congregation in Smolensk overturned. Two years ago, it won a Euro pean Court ruling in Strasbourg sentencing the Russian Federation to a fine for having forbidden the work of the Salvation Army. The SCLJ was initially formed in 1993 and took on its present name when it became an affiliate of the Washington/DC-based “American Center for Law and Justice” (ACLJ) in 1998. The head of ACLJ is Jay Sekulow, America’s leading attorney on religious affairs. ACLJ was founded in 1990 by the controver sial Pat Robertson, a Southern Baptist and charismatic. He is probably America’s most prominent television preacher. The RUECB, Russia’s largest, unified Protestant church, represents approximately 80.000 adult members in 1.750 congregations and groups. Its President is Yuri Sipko. Posted in Assemblies of God, Baptist, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Buddhism, Charismatic, Christianity, Islam, Jews, Methodist, Orthodox, Presbyterian, Roman Catholicism, Russia, Salvation Army, Southern Baptist, World Vision | Tagged absent, ACLJ, active, activities, adult, affiliate, alarm, Alexander Semchenko, American Center for Law and Justice, Anatoly Pchelintsev, annual reports, apparently, appeared, Assemblies of God, attorney, averages, Baptist, based, believes, belonging, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, bishop, branch, Buddhists, businessman, Caritas, chaos, Charismatic, churches, claim, complicated, congregation, controversial, Council for Cooperation with Religious Organisations at, creed, death penalty, decision, declaration, decree, defunct, demanded, destabilisation, Director for External Church relations, dissident, districts, elimination, entire, established, European Court, factual, failed, faiths, file, finance, fine, forbidden, founded, freedom of worship, groups, guilty, humanitarian, include, included, injustice, international, Jay Sekulow, jaywalking, Jews, Kiev Orthodox Patriarchate, largest, law, legal, liquidation, listing, major, means, member, members, Methodist, Moscow, muslims, name, number, officially, organisations, organizations, Orthodox, overpowering, overturned, Pastor, Pat Robertson, possibility, preacher, present, President, prestigious, prominent, Protestant, Protestants, qualify, ramifications, regard, regional, registered, relations, religious, remains, reports, represents, responsible, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, RUECB, ruling, Russia, Russian, Russian Federation, Russian Ministry of Justice, Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, Salvation Army, scheduled, SCLC, seasoned, sentencing, serious, several, Siberia, size, Slavic Centre for Law and Justice, small, Smolensk, Southern Baptist, state policy, states, Strasbourg, strong, submit, television, unexpectedly, unified, Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians, Union of Churches of Presbyterian Christians, veteran, Vitaly Vlasenko, Washington DC, webpage, William Yoder, work, world, World Vision, Youth with a Mission, Yuri Sipko | Leave a comment

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A worker waits to transport containers at the container port in Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong province on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020. China's exports rose 0.5% in 2019 despite a tariff war with Washington after growth rebounded in December on stronger demand from other markets. (Chinatopix Via AP) US-China pact signing to ease tension but leaves much undone The Associated Press — By PAUL WISEMAN and JOE MCDONALD - AP Business Writers WASHINGTON (AP) — After 18 months of economic combat, the United States and China are set to take a step toward peace Wednesday. At least for now. President Donald Trump and China's chief negotiator, Liu He, are scheduled to sign a modest trade agreement in which the administration will ease some sanctions on China and Beijing will step up its purchases of U.S. farm products and other goods. Above all, the deal will defuse a conflict that has slowed global growth, hurt American manufacturers and weighed on the Chinese economy. But the so-called Phase 1 pact does little to force China to make the major economic reforms — such as reducing unfair subsidies for its own companies —that the Trump administration sought when it started the trade war by imposing tariffs on Chinese imports in July 2018. The U.S. has yet to reveal details of the agreement, though U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has said they would be made public Wednesday. Most analysts say any meaningful resolution of the key U.S. allegation — that Beijing uses predatory tactics in its drive to supplant America's technological supremacy — could require years of contentious talks. And skeptics say a satisfactory resolution may be next to impossible given China's ambitions to become the global leader in such advanced technologies as driverless cars and artificial intelligence. “The signing of the Phase 1 deal would represent a welcome, even if modest, de-escalation of trade hostilities between China and the U.S.,” said Eswar Prasad, a Cornell University economist and and former head of the International Monetary Fund's China division. “But it hardly addresses in any substantive way the fundamental sources of trade and economic tensions between the two sides, which will continue to fester.’’ In a letter to Trump on Tuesday, the top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York , complained that the Phase 1 deal appeared to make “very little progress in reforming China’s rapacious trade behaviors and seems like it could send a signal to Chinese negotiators that the U.S. can be steamrolled.’’ The thornier issues are expected to be taken up in future rounds of negotiations. But it’s unclear when they will begin. And few expect much progress before the November U.S. election. “Phase 2 -- I wouldn’t wait by the phone,’’ said John Veroneau, who was a U.S. trade official in the George W. Bush administration and is now co-chair of the international trade practice at Covington & Burling. “That is probably a 2021 issue.’’ Under the Phase 1 agreement, which the two sides reached in mid-December, the administration dropped plans to impose tariffs on an additional $160 billion in Chinese imports. And it halved, to 7.5%, existing tariffs on $110 billion of good from China. For its part, Beijing agreed to significantly increase its purchases of U.S. products. According to the Trump administration, China is to buy $40 billion a year in U.S. farm products — an ambitious goal for a country that has never imported more than $26 billion a year in U.S. agricultural products. The deal may be most notable for what it doesn't do. It leaves in place tariffs on about $360 billion in Chinese imports — a level of protectionism that would have been unthinkable before Trump took office. Chad Bown of the Peterson Institute for International Economics calculates that the Phase 1 agreement will leave nearly two-thirds of Chinese imports covered by Trump’s tariffs. Beijing’s retaliatory tariffs affect more than half of American exports to China. The average U.S. tariff on Chinese imports has risen from 3% in January 2018 to 21% now. High tariffs between the world’s two biggest economies, Bown says, are now “the new normal.’’ The Trump administration argues that the Phase 1 deal is a solid start that includes Chinese commitments to do more to protect intellectual property, curb the practice of forcing foreign companies to hand over sensitive technology and refrain from manipulating their currency lower to benefit Chinese exporters. In advance of the Phase 1 signing, in fact, the Treasury Department on Monday dropped its designation of China as a currency manipulator. And by maintaining significant tariffs on Chinese imports, the administration retains leverage to force Beijing to abide by its commitments — something the United States says Beijing has failed to do for decades. “We’ve never punished them before,” said Derek Scissors, China specialist at the American Enterprise Institute. "If you don’t have tariffs, you can write down anything you want, and the Chinese will cheat.’’ The administration contends that, however narrow the Phase 1 agreement may be, it represents a significant breakthrough. “Across the board, it’s a really, really good deal for the United States,’’ Lighthizer told Fox Business Network on Monday. “And it will work if reformers in China want it to work. And if that happens, great. If it doesn’t happen, (the pact) is fully enforceable... We expect them to live up to the letter of the law. We’ll bring cases -- we’ll bring actions against them if they don’t.’’ Scissors said the trade war has already delivered a benefit for Trump, even if it hasn’t forced Beijing to make major changes to its economic policy: Trump’s tariffs have reduced Chinese exports to the United States and narrowed America's trade deficit with China. The president has long lambasted the U.S. trade gap with Beijing as a sign of economic weakness, though many economists disagree. A wide trade deficit can actually reflect economic strength because it means that a nation's consumers feel prosperous and confident enough to spend freely — on imported goods as well as on home-grown goods. So far this year, the U.S. deficit with China in the trade of goods has declined by 16%, or $62 billion, to $321 billion compared with a year earlier. And the deficit will narrow further if Beijing lives up to its pledges to buy dramatically more American imports. Trump’s tariff hikes have proved to be a headwind for China's economy, which was already slowing, though the damage has been less than some forecasters expected. Chinese global exports eked out a 0.5% increase in 2019 despite a plunge in sales to the United States, according to Chinese customs data. Chinese exporters responded to Trump’s tariff hikes by shipping goods to the United States through other countries and by stepping up sales to Asia, Europe and Africa. The government reported double-digit gains in 2019 exports to France, Canada, Australia, Brazil and Southeast Asia. Economists said the tariff war slowed Chinese growth, which hit a multi-decade low of 6% in the quarter ending in September, by as little as 0.6 percentage point. Weak domestic demand and the cooling of a construction boom inflicted more damage. “It is unrealistic for the U.S. government to think they could defeat China by exerting extreme pressure,” said Tu Xinquan, director of the China Institute of WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. “As an economy with a massive size, China will gradually absorb such external shocks.” “China didn’t get everything they wanted out of this deal, and the U.S. has obviously not got the structural changes in the Chinese economy they wanted,” said Julian Evans-Pritchard of Capital Economics. “But they are going to get a substantial increase in exports and a reduction in the bilateral trade (deficit), which I think the Trump administration will clearly see as a win.” McDonald reported from Beijing.

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Thanks once again Petey for spotting an error in my last post. I’ve reposted the link below, with extras. Thanks once again, of course, Entdinglichung, whose archival gleaning is becoming impossible to keep up with. “The roots of multi-racial labour unity in the United States” was published in International Socialism 2:63, Summer 1994, and can be read either at MIA or the SWP’s own archive. It’s a review of Eric Arnesen, Waterfront Workers of New Orleans: Race, Class and Politics, 1863-1923 (New York and Oxford, 1991). Here’s the intro: The idea that white workers in the US have historically benefited from racism is widely accepted on both the academic and political left. Even those who hesitate to draw such conclusions concede that a class analysis is insufficient to explain the persistence of racism in the US. [… For socialists in the US the question of the ‘socio-economic nutriments’ of racism is a matter of practical politics. The persistence of racism cannot be accepted as a ‘baffling phenomenon’, but is either explicable in terms of the class struggle, or, if race can be proven to be a more fundamental social division than class the struggle for workers’ power in the United States is sheer utopianism. Previous articles in this journal have taken up the relationship of race and class in general and racism in the US in particular.2 Therefore there is no need here to recount the theoretical debates on the centrality of class. Rather this review article will attempt to show how multi-racial workers’ unity could take root in seemingly the least likely context: the segregated 19th century South. It will argue that whites did not benefit from the exclusion of blacks from the ranks of organised labour, but that such divisions were disastrous for black and white workers alike. Further, despite white supremacy, black workers North and South often rejected alliances with the small, but influential, conservative black middle class to make common cause with white workers in trade unions and socialist organisations. It will conclude by arguing that the struggle against racism in the US working class is above all a political question that cannot be resolved within the economic framework of trade unionism. Rather it must be rooted in the struggle for socialism and black liberation. You can read Lee Sustar elsewhere,at ZSpace (on various historical and political topics), at International Viewpoint (on Egypt), at Viewpoint (on Karl Marx) and even at NPR (on Dennis Brutus). Here’s some recently posted material from Entdinglichung, including stuff I’d missed last month. (more…) on April 25, 2012 at 10:40 am Comments (5) Tags: Ben Morea, Grandizo Munis, International Socialist, Lee Sustar, Loren Goldner, Louis Fraina, Marxist Internet Archive, Peter Kropotkin, Sean Matgamna Against Stalinism in its various forms A sophisticated apology for Castro: Pablo Velasco reviews Workers in Cuba: Unions and labour relations. // James Bloodworth on the cult of Che. // Sean Matgamna: The Socialist Party and the workers: “every sect is religious” // Michael Ezra on the New Worker. // Ron Radosh on Ikea and East German slave labour. // Everyone’s gotta Havana: Yoani Sanchez on US illusions in the authoritarian state. on September 9, 2011 at 3:05 pm Leave a Comment Tags: Cuba, Fidel Castro, GDR, Ron Radosh, Sean Matgamna, socialism From the archive of struggle: the Spanish Civil War at Warwick, the Marxist Internet Archive, and more It is a long time since I have done one of these posts, and my comrade Entdinglichung has been relaxing for a while, so we have not had the benefit of his services to the cause. First, some news (thanks Liz in a comments thread), from the Modern Records Centre in Warwick, in the UK: Work is now underway on a major new project to digitise internationally significant archives relating to the Spanish Civil War. The project will result in over 10,000 pages of archive material being made available online free of charge. Transcriptions will be available for every item, allowing researchers to search through the mass of material for key words or phrases. It is anticipated that the project will be completed in Spring 2012. What is being digitised? The archive collection of the Trades Union Congress includes 45 files on different aspects of the conflict . The files contain correspondence, minutes, reports, memoranda and propaganda material produced by members of the British and Spanish governments; political groups; international, British and Spanish trade unions; pressure groups, aid organisations, and other interested parties. In addition, we are also digitising a small number of publications from the collections of the Trotskyists Henry Sara and Hugo Dewar. These include examples of bulletins (in English and Spanish) produced by Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista (POUM). This is great news. Those interested might also be interested in some of their other digital resources: Examples of documents relating to the conflict in Spain are included in our online resources for the History Department module ‘Anti-fascism, Resistance and Liberation in Western Europe (HI392)’. Photographs of Basque refugees in Britain are included in our image gallery ‘North Stoneham Camp for Basque Children: Snapshots of a Volunteer’. Below is extracted from the former, and I urge you to spend some time there: Letter from Willy Brandt of the German Seamen’s Group, Oslo, to Edo Fimmen, Secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation, 1937Willy Brandt was Chancellor of West Germany between 1969-1974 and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1971 for his attempts to improve relations between the East and West. As an active socialist and anti-fascist, Brandt (born Karl Herbert Frahm) fled to Norway in 1933 to avoid arrest by the Nazi authorities. It was then that Frahm adopted the new name that he would use for the remainder of his life. [Added, from Wikipedia: “After passing his Abitur in 1932 at Johanneum zu Lübeck, he became an apprentice at the shipbroker and ship’s agent F.H. Bertling. He joined the “Socialist Youth” in 1929 and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in 1930. He left the SPD to join the more left wing Socialist Workers Party (SAP), which was allied to the POUM in Spain and the Independent Labour Party in Britain. In 1933, using his connections with the port and its ships, he left Germany for Norway to escape Nazi persecution. It was at this time that he adopted the pseudonym Willy Brandt to avoid detection by Nazi agents. In 1934, he took part in the founding of the International Bureau of Revolutionary Youth Organizations, and was elected to its Secretariat.” -Poumista][Included in the records of the International Transport Workers’ Federation, document reference: MSS.159/3/C/A/52] ‘The Spanish Revolution’, Bulletin of the Workers’ Party of Marxist Unification (POUM), 3 February 1937English language bulletin published in Barcelona. This edition counters Communist or Stalinist accusations against POUM. One of the inside pages also includes a reference to a visit to the offices of the publication by “the well-known British author” Eric Blair [George Orwell].[One of a series of publications on the Spanish Civil War from the papers of Henry Sara, Trotskyist; document reference: MSS.15/3/8/255/9] ‘Barcelona Bulletin’, second edition, 15 May 1937Anarchist news sheet describing the fighting between the Communists, and the anarchists and the Trotskyists (POUM) in Barcelona. It includes reports by Jane H. Patrick and Ethel Macdonald on events between 5-9 May.[One of a series of publications on the Spanish Civil War from the papers of Henry Sara, Trotskyist; document reference: MSS.15/3/8/243] More archival news from the Alliance for Workers Liberty: The archives of the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty and our forerunners, deposited at the library of the London School of Economics, are now catalogued and available to researchers. http://archives.lse.ac.uk/TreeBrowse.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&field=RefNo&key=AWL The archives include all the documents and publications of the AWL and our forerunners except the most recent stuff, which is on this website or (in the case of more recent minutes of AWL committees) in electronic archives available to AWL members. The rest of this post is a round-up of some of the main radical digital archive sites. From HathiTrust: Worker-Student Action Committees: France, May ’68, by two participants in the event, Fredy Perlman and Roger Gregoire [via Criticism &c] From Robert Graham: Luce Fabbri: Transforming Democracy (Luce Fabbri (1908-2000) was an Italian born anarchist writer who spent most of her life in Uruguay, where her family eventually emigrated after being forced to flee Fascist Italy. Her father was the great anarchist critic of fascism and totalitarianism, Luigi Fabbri (Volume One, Selection 113). Luce Fabbri experienced dictatorship both in Italy and, for a time, Uruguay. In the following excerpts from her article, “More on the Matter of Democracy,” translated by Paul Sharkey, she argues that anarchy and democracy are not incompatible, but that anarchy represents a further step forward in the struggle for human liberation.) Jorge Silva: Libertarian Self-Management (1996) Felipe Corrêa: From Party Politics to Libertarian Socialism (2005) The New Anarchism: Beyond Neo-Marxism with Murray Bookchin (1978) Gaston Leval: Principles and Lessons of the Spanish Revolution (1954) At the Kate Sharpley Library: Iron Column by Abel Paz printed: The story of the Iron Column: militant anarchism in the Spanish Civil War by Abel Paz, a Kate Sharpley Library copublication with AK Press, is back from the printers. If you can’t wait until we get copies, AK are already selling it at: http://www.akpress.org/2011/items/storyoftheironcolumn New publication: Anarchism In Galicia : Organisation, Resistance and Women in the Underground. The Anarchist movement in Galicia is unknown to English-language readers. These essays tells the stories of the men and women who built it, fought for it, and how they kept it alive in the face of incredible odds. ‘The FAI in Galicia’ by Eliseo Fernández gives a brief history of Galician anarchism before the foundation of the FAI (Federación Anarquista Ibérica: Iberian Anarchist Federation) in 1927. It goes on to detail the structure and activities of the FAI in Galicia, and shows how the tensions and tactical disagreements within Spanish anarchism played out at a local level, including within the CNT (Confederación Nacional del Trabajo: National Confederation of Labour). ‘Vigo 1936’ by Antón Briallos records the desperate – and ultimately unsuccessful – battle in the streets against the fascist revolt of July 1936. Full biographical details of anarchists mentioned show the roots, structure and fate of the anarchist movement in Vigo before, during and after the Spanish Civil War. ‘The Anarchist Homes of Libertarian Women’ by Carmen Blanco tells how Galicia’s anarchist women sheltered other militants and were central to attempts to rebuild the anarchist movement. This tribute reveals the extent of their involvement and the terrible price they paid. Edited and translated by Paul Sharkey. ISBN 9781873605127 Publication details and online review copy July 2011 KSL Bulletin online: KSL: Bulletin of the Kate Sharpley Library No. 67, July 2011 has just been posted on the site. You can get to the contents here or read the full pdf here. At Libcom: La « Garde rouge » raconte (“The “Red Guard” tells its story”): The centre of gravity of the workers’ committee movement in Italy in the late ’60s to late ’70s was the Milan area, and it was the committee of Magneti Marelli in the Crescenzago factory which was the most advanced expression of the committees in this region, and thus in the whole country. This book by the Italian historian Emilio Mentasti examines the whole history of the committee from its birth during the economic crisis of 1973 to its dissolution under the blows of judicial repression and industrial restructuring. Unfortunately, there is no English edition available as yet… The IWW Reply to the Red Trade Union International: Executive Committee, R.I.L.U., Moscow, Russia. The Left in the Detroit Labour Movement – Martin Glaberman: Martin Glaberman reviews – and contests the accuracy and honesty of – two books on the Detroit union movement: Christopher H. Johnson, Maurice Sugar: Law, Labor, and the Left in Detroit, 1912-1950(Detroit: Wayne State University Press 1988); Margaret Collingwood Nowak, Two Who Were There: A Biography of Stanley Nowak(Detroit: Wayne State University Press 1989). Rediscovering Two Labor Intellectuals – Steve Early: Steve Early reviews collections of writings by Martin Glaberman and Stain Weir, while tying their experience and outlook to the emerging split within the AFL-CIO in 2004: Singlejack Solidarity. By Stan Weir. (Edited and with an afterward by George Lipsitz. Forward by Norm Diamond.) Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2004. 369 pp. $19.95, paperback; Punching Out & Other Writings. By Martin Glaberman. (Edited and introduced by Staughton Lynd.)Chicago, Ill: Charles H. Kerr Publishing Company, 2002. 229 pp. $15 paperback. Radical Unionism and the Workers’ Struggle in Spain – Ruben Vega Garcia and Carlos Perez: A piece on Spanish trade unionism since the Franco’s death. The Spanish labor movement inherited a revolutionary legacy whose most important landmarks are the general strike of 1917, the proletarian insurrection of 1934, and the zealous antifascist reaction of 1936. However, as a result of its defeat in the Spanish Civil War, the prolonged iron dictatorship profoundly disrupted the continuity of this tradition. Workers Against Work: Labor in Paris and Barcelona During the Popular Fronts – Michael Seidman (PDF). PDF of the complete book. The Old and New in Anarchism: A Reply to Comrade Malatesta Piotr Arshinov’s 1928 reply to Errico Malatesta. In the anarchist organ Le Reveil of Geneva, in the form of a leaflet, comrade Errico Malatesta has published a critical article on the project of the Organisational Platform edited by the Group of Russian Anarchists Abroad. The Struggle in the Factory: History of a Royal Ordnance Factory. The History of Dalmuir R.O.F. is the history of any other war-time factory, it is the story of the workers’ struggle against the forces of capitalism aided an abetted by the fakirs of the trade unions and the Communist Party. Faced with these odds it is creditable that the workers did not succumb entirely, and that a band of them continued in opposition and endeavoured to preserve some degree of sanity throughout the welter of lies, distortions and intrigue that surrounded the worker. At Workers Liberty: From “Militant” to the Socialist Party: a collection Debating the Socialist Party/ Militant. See also Sean Matgamna: The Socialist Party and the workers: “every sect is religious” Edd Mustill: 1911: a time of possibility The life and death of Henk Sneevliet, Internationalist My Expulsion from Gerry Healy’s Socialist Labour League (Sean Matgamna) Dan Katz reviews Robin Blackburn’s Karl Marx and Abraham Lincoln At the Marxist Internet Archive: Added to the POUM History Archive: The Collectivization of the Vilardell Stores, 18 November 1936 Added to the Max Shachtman Archive: Sacco and Vanzetti, Labor’s Martyrs (1927) Trotsky taught us class action (1942) (reminiscences about Trotsky) What is the role of a revolutionary organisation? – Five years of the Workers Party (1945) Socialist policy in the war (1950) (position on the Korean War) Kerensky, head of the government that Lenin ousted, debates Max Shachtman (1951) (report on debate with Kerensky) An open letter to “our friends in Asia” (1951) (response to open letter by former left-wing intellectuals) For a democratic foreign policy (1953) Twenty Five Years of American Trotskyism (1953) Why the working class is central (1953) The Stalinist Social System (1954) (short analysis of Stalinist Russia and the new countries it had spread to) October was a true working class revolution (1957) (defence of the Russian Revolution while discussing fusion with Norman Thomas’s Socialist Party) The October Revolution was made for freedom in equality! (1957) (defence of the Russian Revolution on the occasion of the 40th anniversary) Added to the Spanish Helmut Wagner Archive: El anarquismo y la Revolución española, 1937 [Thanks to Jonas Holmgren & Círculo Internacional de Comunistas Antibolcheviques] Added to the Tony Cliff Archive: Alexandra Kollontai – Russian Marxists and Women Workers (1981) Added to the U.S.A. History Section: 24 issues of Labor Defender, the monthly journal of the International Labor Defense. Completed are the full first two years of journal, 1926 – 1927. The Labor Defenderwas an “pictorial” magazine with dozens of photographs and drawings from the best labor illustrators of that era. Articles were written and edited by, variously, Upton Sinclair, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, James P. Cannon, Max Shactman, Carloline Scollen and Eugene V. Debs. Added to the Raya Dunayevskaya Archive: The New Russian Communist Manifesto 1961 Added to the Encyclopedia of Trotskyism On-Line new Militant Project, part of the Left Opposition Publications Digitization Project: All 55 issues of The Militant for Volume VI, 1933 and all of the last year of The Militant, 1934. These additions represents the end of the Communist League of America (Opposition) era before merging with the American Workers Party (lead by A. J. Muste) that formed the new Workers Party of the U.S. which published The New Militant. This new period ended the period of being a public faction of the Communist Party of America while seeking to win that party back to what the Trotskyists of the CLA considered a genuine Leninist and revolutionary program. Both the failure of the German Communist to prevent Hitler from coming to power and the leadership of the CLA in the Minneapolis Teamster Strikes of 1934, the CLA concluded that it can have more of impact on revolutionary politics as a party in it’s own right than a faction of one they believed was playing an increasingly negative role in the workers movement in the U.S. and internationally through the Communist International. All the issues of the New Militant for 1935 and 1936, its entire run, published by the newly formed Workers Party of the U.S. This brings to an end the newspaper publication efforts of the Trotskyists in the form of The Militant and then the New Militant due to their organized entry into the left-moving Socialist Party of America. After this point it is not until August of 1937 with the start of publication of Socialist Appeal do the Trotskyists again publish a weekly workers paper. Added to the C.L.R. James Archive: Preliminary Notes on the Negro Question (1939) (James’s notes in preparation for his discussions with Trotsky in Coyoacan) Notes Following the Discussions (1939) (As the title suggests some notes James made after his discussions with Trotsky in Coyoacan) On Gone with the Wind (1939) (Initial call by the SWP for a boycott of the racist film) On Gone with the Wind (1940) (Critique of the Communist Party’s campaign against the film) The Economics of Lynching (1940) (The title is self-explanatory) “My Friends”: A Fireside Chat on the War (1940) (Workers Party pamphlet against American entry into the war) With The Sharecroppers (1941) (Study of the position of sharecroppers and of their campaign to protect their rights) White Workers’ Prejudices (1945) (Attempt to explain why white workers were prejudiced) The Rapid Growth of the NAACP (1947) (Analysis of the rise of the main black organisation of the time fighting against racism and for civil rights) The Communist Party’s Zigzags on Negro Policy (1939) (Extract from an article on the SWP’s work with African Aericans) The 1919 Race Riots in Chicago (1939) The Destiny of the Negro – An Historical Overview (1939) (Educational series on the origins and history of African Americans) On Native Son by Richard Wright (1940) (Book review) Marcus Garvey (1940) (Short article on the significance of Marcus Garvey) Public Awareness of the Negro Question (1945) Joe Louis and Jack Johnson (1946) (Article on 2 Black boxing heroes from different eras) Lenin on Agriculture and the Negro Question (1947) The Two Sides of Abraham Lincoln (1949) (Critique of Lincoln) Key Problems in the Study of Negro History (1950) Capitalism and the Welfare State (1950) (Extract from an unsigned editorial in Fourth International) Free For All: The nine year old leader, in Race Today, 14, 3, May-June, 1982 Added to the new Raymond Challinor Archive in the Encyclopaedia of Trotskyism On-Line (ETOL): Remember Lansbury (1957) H Bomb Front – Now Black the Bomb! (1958) Tory Attack on National Health Service (1961) Charity is not enough (1961) Challinor’s Choice (1969) Military Discipline and Working Class Resistance in World War II (2001) Labour – Yesterday and Today (2001) Added to the Alexander Shliapnikov Archive: On the Eve of 1917 (1923) (Book-length memoir of his experiences in the underground both in Russia and abroad during the World War I by Alexander Shliapnikov, a Bolshevik organiser and later leader of the Workers’ Opposition) Added to the Periodical Page: The Class Struggle was a bi-monthly Marxist theoretical magazine published in New York City by the Socialist Publication Society. The SPS also published a series of pamphlets, mostly reprints from the magazine during the short period of its existence. Among the initial editors of the publication were Ludwig Lore, Marxist theoreticians Louis B. Boudin and Louis C. Fraina, the former of whom left the publication in 1918. In the third and final year of the periodical, The Class Struggleemerged as one of the primary English-language voices of the left wing factions within the American Socialist Party and its final issue was published by the nascent Communist Labor Party of America. Added to the Murray Bookchin Internet Archive: State Capitalism in Russia, 1950. Article by Murray Bookchin when he was associated with the German ex-Trotskyists of the IKD putting their view on the nature of the USSR and historical retrogression. An addition to the Spanish-language Archivo Andreu Nin: La concepción marxista del poder y la revolución española (1937) At Anarkismo: (more…) on September 2, 2011 at 3:39 pm Comments (12) Tags: Alexander Shliapnikov, Alliance for Workers Liberty, C.L.R. James, CLR James, Communist League of America, Communist Party of America, Emilio Mentasti, Galicia, International Anarchist Congress, International Transport Workers' Federation, IWW, Kate Sharpley Library, Labor Defender, Martin Glaberman, Max Shachtman, Militant, Modern Records Centre, Murray Bookchin, Paul Sharkey, POUM, Raymond Challinor, Sean Matgamna, Socialist Publication Society, Spanish amarchism, The Class Struggle, Warwick University, Willy Brandt, Workers Liberty War, and class war Photo from my current favourite blog, Bertram Online. An individual, a group, a party, or a class that “objectively” picks its nose while it watches men drunk with blood massacring defenceless people is condemned by history to rot and become worm-eaten while it is still alive. – Leon Trotsky The Balkan Wars 1912-1913 (Sydney: Pathfinder Press, 1980), pp.292-293. So starts Sean Matgamna, in his recent intervention on intervention. David Osler is also very interesting on Libya and the ortho-left, responding to Eamonn McCann in Socialist Worker. More surprisingly, Gilbert Achcar agrees with Matgamna. Jim writes: Gilbert Achcar, a member of the mainstream (“Pabloite“) Fourth International, refuses to scab on the Libyan revolutionaries… other “revolutionaries” aren’t happy… Here’s what Gilbert says […] writing in International Viewpoint Barry Finger comments on Achcar and “anti-imperialism”, here. I have no doubt George Orwell would have taken the same line as Matgamna and Achcar. I have little doubt he would not have been pleased with many of the recent Orwell Prize for blogging long listees. I suspect he would agree with HarpyMarx‘s assessment that “Orwell Prize blogger longlist, with 1 or 2 exceptions, is just full of media privileged luvvies or journos who should b in journo section!” I think Orwell would not have been upset about Sunder Katwaler‘s or Cath Elliot’s longlistings (he would have liked Katwala on cricket I think, and taken up cudgels for Cath against the Morning Star). He would have been pleased about David Osler’s (second?) longlisting. And he would have been OK with Paul Mason’s (second?) longlisting. Mason writes: Getting myself longlisted yet again for the Orwell Prize (and good luck to all the real bloggers who don’t have a mainstream media pension, salary and self-censorship training to fall back on)… made me ask: what single bit of Orwell’s writing I would recommend to somebody starting a blog, or studying journalism? Actually it’s Inside The Whale, where Orwell takes apart the literary industry of the late 1930s, concluding that of 5,000 novels published, 4,999 were “tripe”. He does this sandwiched between two lengthy eulogies to a book that, at the time of writing, was banned – and banned in the 1930s meant impounded at Dover and burned, to be found only in the secret cupboards of anarchists and wierdos. The book in question is Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller – a strange choice of book to praise for a man who’d just come back from the Spanish Civil War and who, with the Dunkirk fiasco, believed Britain was entering a “revolutionary period”. Musing on this very point, Orwell concluded that Miller had probably founded a new school of writing with this one book, and its successor Black Spring: “In Miller’s case it is not so much a question of exploring the mechanisms of the mind as of owning up to everyday facts and everyday emotions. For the truth is that many ordinary people, perhaps an actual majority, do speak and behave in just the way that is recorded here. […] Orwell sensed that at some point people would start writing about ordinary life in ordinary language, dramatising the ordinary, peeling back layer upon layer of literary finesse, pretension, writing-school prose, irony etc. The blog is the logical outcome. And like the novels of 1940, the vast majority of blogs are mediocre, “tripe” as Orwell might have said. But they are mostly attempts at honesty – whether literary or non-fictional. I give you two excerpts, both from fellow longlisters, writing about the same recent event: (more…) on April 1, 2011 at 10:04 pm Comments (13) Tags: David Osler, George Orwell, Gilbert Achcar, Leon Trotsky, Libya, Orwell Prize, Sean Matgamna Poumisceral Timothy Snyder’s new book Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin is getting some attention. It sounds fascinating but flawed. Here are two sample reviews: by Neal Ascherson and by Richard J Evans. (More reviews, from automatically generated links, at the bottom of the page.) Also read this great piece by Snyder on totalitarian Belarus: In Darkest Belarus. The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers’ Party by Brian Hanley and Scott Millar has also gotten a fair amount of press, rather more surprisingly. Here’s reviews by Daniel Finn, Conor McCabe, and Chris Gray. Other book reviews by Andrew Coates: Francis Spufford’s Red Plenty (on Stalinism’s “golden age”), John Holloway’s Crack Capitalism. Mike McNair has had an interesting series in the Weekly Worker on Trotskyist entrism in the Labour Party over the years, which I keep meaning to link to. Here’s the final episode. Also in the WW: Jack Tansey defends left communism. Sean Matgamna’s very belated obit for Ernst Mandel. Also from the AWL: Dale Street on How Stalinism crushed the Vietnamese Trotskyists, and Matgamna on what a revolutionary party is and is not. Below the fold, From the Archive of Struggle no.53, mainly from Entdinglichung: (more…) on November 20, 2010 at 10:18 pm Comments (5) Tags: Andrew Coates, Hal Draper, Mike McNair, Neal Ascherson, Official IRA, Sean Matgamna, Socialist Party of Great Britain, Stalinism, Timothy D. Snyder, Trotskyism, Workers Party From the archive of struggle no.52 On radical history: Flora Tristan: The Beauty of Life as a Feminist Socialist. A magnificent article by Sean Matgamna, “The survivors of Atlantis”, in the new issue of Solidarity, encapsulates the entire tragedy of twentieth century Marxism and the twists and turns of its various Trotskyisms. A must read. The AWL also publishes “The socialist ABC” by old folkie Alex Glasgow. From the archive, via Ent., below the fold: on November 12, 2010 at 6:04 pm Comments (2) Tags: Alex Glasgow, Flora Tristan, Sean Matgamna Poumastasia First, two blogs to be added to the blogroll: Marc, the Happy Communist, and via him, the brilliant Guardians of the Secret. Another fallen comrade: Tiziano Bagarolo. Remembering CLR James in Hackney – a fight surprisingly easily won. Johnny Guitar on the strange death of Hardy, the leader of the French Trot sect Lutte Ouvriere. This week’s dose of anti-communism: “Leftists Defy Sandinistas As Labor Strife Hits Peak”, by Stephen Kinzer, New York Times, April 14, 1988. Some highlights from Entdinglichung’s on-going wonderful Sozialistika series, which makes my From The Archives of Struggle series completely irrelevant: (more…) Tags: Antomio Gramsci, Antonio Gramsci, Camilo Berneri, CLR James, Federica Montseny, Lutte Ouvriere, Peter Arshinov, Sean Matgamna, Tiziano Bagarolo, Volin Latinate Falklands/Malvinas: My Michael Foot post the other day (he was a defender of the Falklands war) reminded me of a recenitish interesting post and discussion thread at Dave’s Place on the correct left responses then and now, including the issue of Socialist Organiser (the Soggies?) and the split in the Workers’ Socialist League. Here, for further reference, is Sean Matgamna reflecting on the issue in 2007. Here is an SPGB position, taking a kind of “third camp” between Foot’s pro-Britain and the League for the Fifth International‘s psuedo-“revolutionary defeatist” support for the Argentine dictatorship. And here, as always representing great value for money, is Nick Cohen. Cuba: This is from Francis Sedgemore: Orlando Zapata Tamayo (1967-2010) “He wasn’t a murderer. He wasn’t a thief. He wasn’t a rapist. He was simply a young man who wanted a better future for Cuba.” [Laura Pollan, Ladies in White] RIP Orlando Zapata Tamayo – plumber, democrat, dissident, prisoner of conscience. Kronstadt: I already posted on the queer historical epic, Maggots and Men, which re-imagines the Kronstadt sailors’ story with a cast of 100 transgender actors. Here’s more from Schalom Libertad: Watch the trailer! // Read about it. Maggots and Men, an experimental historical narrative set in post-revolutionary Russia, re-tells the story of the 1921 uprising of the Kronstadt sailors with a subtext of gender anarchy. (more…) Tags: Alliance for Workers Liberty, Cuba, Falklands War, Kronstadt, Maggots and Men, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, Sean Matgamna, Socialist Organiser I have fallen behind on this task, not having done it for about 6 weeks. Below the fold are basically my personal choices from Entdinglichung’s Sozialistika series. on February 25, 2010 at 1:37 pm Comments (3) Tags: Albert Libertad, Amadeo Bordiga, Anton Pannekoek, CLR James, Communist Party of America, Communist Party of the United States, Communist Party Opposition, Ernest Mandel, Fredy Perlman, Gustav Landauer, Guy Aldred, Karl Korsch, Kronstadt, Max Shachtman, Noel Ignatin, Paul Mattick, Right Opposition, Rosa Luxemburg, rudolf rocker, Sean Matgamna, Socialist Party of America, Sojourner Truth Organization, Victor Serge, William Morris, Workers Party of America Some features from the Alliance for Workers Liberty, some new, some from the archive, below the fold. I have already included some of these in my From the Archive of Struggle series, but, hey, you can’t have too much of a good thing! Also, further down, a small number of other articles, including Eric Lee on Trotsky and some recent pieces from Against the Current. on December 24, 2009 at 6:05 pm Comments (16) Tags: Alliance for Workers Liberty, Antonio Gramsci, Che Guevara, Leon Trotsky, Michael Löwy, Robert Service, Sean Matgamna, Stalinism, Third Camp, Trotskyism, United Front, Weekly Worker This is wonderful: Karl Marx’s Capital in lithographs, by Hugo Gellert, from 1934, reached via Hak Mao. Gellert illustrated Max Eastman’s The Liberator too. Below the fold, From the Archive of Struggle, no.31. I think this edition is almost completely stolen from Entdinglichung. on September 17, 2009 at 10:50 am Comments (2) Tags: Alliance for Workers Liberty, Amadeo Bordiga, Big Flame, Capital, Hugo Gellert, Karl Marx, Leon Trotsky, Marxism, Sean Matgamna, Socialist Organiser Above the fold: American democratic socialists from archive.org and Russian anarchists from Libcom. Below the fold: links purloined from Ent, from assorted renegade Marxists and Third Campists. Browse the whole series here. Archive.org: *1905 Average Paid Membership by States, Socialist Party of America. *Ticket of the Socialist Party of Texas, 1906. *Socialist Party of America campaign book (1908). *Report of the Socialist Party of the United States to the International Congress at Copenhagen, 1910 – Hillquit, Morris,; 1869-1933; Berger, Victor L.,; 1860-1929; Barnes, J. Mahlon. *Armenian Revolutionary Federation Report in Socialist International Congress 1910. *Report of the Hungarian Socialist Federation to the National Committee of the Socialist Party of America, May 1913. *Patterson, Joseph Medill. The notebook of a neutral (1916). *The congress of the labour and socialist international. (1920) *National Convention. Socialist Labor Party. Reports, Resolutions, Platform, etc. (1921) *Norman Thomas Socialist Party 1928 election platform. *Proceedings of the 1962 National Convention of the Socialist Party [of America] (1962) *Socialist Party-Social Democratic Federation. Socialist platform 1960. Libcom: Budanov Avraam ( 1886? – 1928?1929?). A short biography of Avraam Budanov, who fought with the Makhnovists and continued an underground struggle after the defeat of the movement. Vdovichenko, Trofim Yakovlevich (1889-1921) A short biography of Trofim Vdovichenko, gifted guerilla commander and one of the most heroic figures of the Makhnovist movement Trofim Vdovichenko was born into a family of poor peasants in Novospasovka in the Ukraine. He received a primary education. From 1910 he was a member of the Novospasovka group of anarchist-communists, alongside Viktor Belash ,Vassily Kurilenko, Luca Bondarets, Filipp Goncharenko, Vladimir Protsenko and Fomenko who also all had leading roles in the Makhnovist movement later on. Tags: Alliance for Workers Liberty, BILAN, Norman Thomas, Sean Matgamna, Socialist Party of America Partisans and parasites Rokhl Kafrissen on Yiddish folky Daniel Kahn. Extract: His original songs evoke a Brechtian level of discomfort by problematizing heroes and making the grotesque sympathetic. For example, “Six Million Germans/Nakam” recounts the story of the hero of the Vilnius (known in Yiddish as Vilna) partisans, Abba Kovner, who was among the brave men and women who fought, with few weapons and terrible odds, against the Nazis and their collaborators. Less discussed is Kovner’s decision, with a group of friends, to take revenge on the Germans after the war. Calling themselves Nakam (revenge), they concocted a plan to poison German water supplies and take millions of German victims in retribution. The song, performed as an upbeat klezmer polka, jarringly juxtaposes subject and tone to bring up two of Kahn’s favorite themes, violence and revenge, and forces the listener to question the nature of heroism and justice. Via Will, who provides some audio-visuals. Here Rokhl’s blog. Here’s Jewish Currents, where she writes. Here’s Daniel’s webpage, and his MySpace. Ken Loach: I love many of Loach’s films. But I have started to despise the man. Why? Ask Rosie, Alex Massie, Alec or Martin. From the archive of struggle. no.16: At the risk of descending into some kind of ever-decreasing spiral of circularity, big thanks to entdinglichung, who thanks me in the latest in the excellent series of archival material from the history of the left. Included in this installment is more Karl Korsch from Class Against Class, Pierre Monatte in English from LBS, Sean Matgamna on Tony Cliff and the IS/SWP from back in 1969, a still anarchist Victor Serge in 1912 on banditry, and a homage to Marc Bloch, French anti-Nazi Resistance hero, by Georges Altman, founder of the “third force” socialist Rassemblement démocratique révolutionnaire. Snippets: Dave O and Entdinglichung on the passing of Guillermo Lora, leader of Bolivia’s Partido Obrero Revolucionaria, one of the few Trotskyist organisations in history ever to gain a mass following. And Dave on why now is not the 1930s. Lefty parent in the basement of the library with Bakunin. More snippets from Roland and Bob. Soundtrack from Martin. on May 22, 2009 at 2:37 pm Leave a Comment Tags: Daniel Kahn, Georges Altman, Guillermo Lora, Karl Korsch, Ken Loach, klezmer, Marc Bloch, Pierre Monatte, Rokhl Kafrissen, Sean Matgamna, Tony Cliff, Victor Serge Historical and archival notes Yes, I know there are more important things going on in the world today, but here are some tidbits from the history of struggle. From the archive of struggle, no.9. UK: Sean Malgamna on Gerry Healey and the failure of British Trotskyism [1994] UK/US: Sean Matgamna on Shachtmanism [2009] UK: Ray Challinor on class war in the Blitz [2009] US/global: Trotsky and CLR James in debate [1938] Scotland/Spain: Stan Crooke on Scottish volunteers in the Spanish Civil War (review of Daniel Gray’s Homage to Caledonia [2009] US: Norman Birnbaum on C Wright Mills [2009] Netherlands: An eyewitness account of Henk Sneevliet’s execution in a Nazi prison [1950] US: Fred Hart on Stalinism and Negro intellectuals [1950] France/UK: John McNair on the birth of the PSOP [1938, in French] Mexico/France/global:Alfred Rosmer on Julian Gorkin’s account of Trotsky’s murder [1949] US: Luke Tripp on the Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement (DRUM) [1969] Spain: Interview with a CNT militant from the Seville shipyards [2004] Many via Entdinlichung. on April 2, 2009 at 11:45 am Comments (2) Tags: Alfred Rosmer, C Wright Mills, CLR James, CNT, Fred Hart, Henk Sneevliet, International Brigade, Julian Gorkin, Leon Trotsky, Marxism, Max Shachtman, Ray Challinor, Sean Matgamna, Seville, Shachtmanism, Spanish Civil War, World War II

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Digital Big Bang Informatização Empresarial: Como as Empresas Podem Surfar na Onda Digital, uma perspectiva da BCG CentraleSupélecCentrale-Supélec Transform or disappear, the Darwinism of IT: In order to adapt to a digital world, a two-speed IT is needed. Despite the importance of IT in today’s digital world, Chief Information Officers (CIOs) often struggle to get their voices heard by executive committees. Faced with this challenge, IT departments are being forced to reinvent themselves to adapt their companies to the fast paced evolution of technology. The Boston Consulting Group has developed a business approach that allows IT to shed off its appearance of a heavy cost center and to adopt a new, more realistic persona as a quality service provider, partnering with users and the management. Would you be a professional, a student in engineering, a student in a business schools or would you just be interested in digital transformation and its implications on IT, Learn with three BCG experts why and how to manage an IT department as a business in order to transform a company and adapt it to a digital world. Join the conversation: #2SpeedIT One of the excellent courses at Coursera for information technology bosses and managers. Great course - I recommend it for all, especially IT and Business Managers! Transform or Disappear In this final module, we will see that IT must continually transform itself to adapt to an ever-changing environment. We will take a look at how that should be done: there are rules to make this happen. Digital Big Bang2:29 IT Departments Need to Change With the World6:32 Create the Conditions for Change6:49 Choose the Right Levers of Change3:42 Drive the Transformation9:06 Key Takeaways2:51 Antoine Gourévitch Senior Partner and Managing Director at The Boston Consulting Group Vanessa Lyon Partner and Managing Director at The Boston Consulting Group Eric Baudson Managing Director at The Boston Consulting Group Selecionar um idiomaIndonésioInglês [SOUND] CIOs needs to constantly question the world around them and wonder how new technologies can impact their business. What if, for example, the way we do grocery shopping completely changed? It is very easily imaginable that in a near future, computers could analyze incredible amounts of data. And predict the customers' behaviors. For example, with a simple formula and the heart rate of the controller, the speed of the trolley in the milk alley, the size of the customer, the color of the purchased bottles, the time of the day, the average temperature of the day, the number of hairs of the customer, the length of the customer t shirt, and the estimation of the controller. We will be able to estimate accurately, the minute needs of a customer, and deliver products automatically to his home. The question is not how to avoid new technologies but rather how to benefit from them. Indeed there was a time when a quill pen was an essential tool for a business manager, but throughout history new technologies came as comets and changed the world around companies. The telegraph, for example, was way more efficient for long distance communication. Later, Graham Bell invented the phone and people could speak with each other, without even having to see each other. More recently, the birth of IT, and of computers in particular, also changed our habits. But the pace is now increasing. In 40 years, technology has evolved like never before. And we believe the next big comet is yet to come. However, many CIOs will try to protect against it. But we believe the revolution will be so important that it will break its walls apart. This could lead to the end of the CIOs. Many people would be happy because they think it would make things much easier and less restrictive. But it would rapidly be a disaster. In an increasingly complex world, we need CIOs that do the dirty work and make sure everything stays clean. Hence, more than ever, CIOs need to keep a window open onto the world and try to spot the big comet. He should be aware that his clients and collaborators will not see how the comet could potentially threaten the consistency of IT. They will just be enthusiastic and willing to jump on it. Since the CIOs want to be able to fly the comet, they will have to join it.

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Jaime Ernesto Uzeta Jaime Ernesto Uzeta became CEO of Public Allies after serving on the organization’s national board of directors. Jaime has more than 20 years of experience working across sectors and empowering young people through media, technology, education, and public service. Most recently, Jaime was Vice President of Innovation and Partnerships at BUILD, a national nonprofit that uses entrepreneurship to teach Innovation Era skills to underserved students. His other roles in education have included heading up growth strategy and development for GreatSchools, the digital media group that helps parents unlock education opportunities for their children, and serving as portfolio director for the design firm IDEO. In the media space, Jaime built Participant Media’s digital and TV social action teams, which informed and mobilized audiences around critical social issues. He played a similar role for MTV, where he co-developed the Emmy Award-winning Choose or Lose and Fight for Your Rights initiatives. Beyond the media and education domains, Jaime’s experience includes political appointments within the White House and the Departments of Treasury and Commerce and various strategy and marketing roles for clients such as CNN and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He started his career as a field organizer at Rock the Vote. Jaime currently serves on the Board of the LA Promise Fund. He graduated with honors from the University of Houston with a BA in political science and earned his MBA from Columbia University. Jaime resides with his wife and two children in California. Jenise Terrell VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS (NATIONAL) Jenise Terrell has dedicated her career to ensuring that all young people have the opportunity to realize their full potential. Since 2003, she has lived out that commitment through her exemplary service to Public Allies, where she has held a number of senior programmatic and development roles, including as Vice President, local advisory board member, Director of Federal Grants, and Senior Director of Strategy and Development. Jenise has played a central role in developing two groundbreaking national programs set to launch this fall with funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service’s (CNCS’) VISTA Program: DREAMCorps, the first national service program to welcome DREAMers (undocumented young adults with deferred immigration status), and a collaborative, multi-city venture with the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance that will build career and education pathways for Men of Color. In both cases, Jenise’s expertise and vision have enabled Public Allies to quickly execute critical national partnerships and to move stakeholders from concept to product to upcoming program launch. Jenise is a native Milwaukeean, proud Public Allies alumna, and a working mother of two beautiful children. She regularly volunteers grant-writing support to small Milwaukee community-based organizations. Jenise holds a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from Marquette University, and has published urban history research on Milwaukee’s African American community. Stephen Bauer serves as Chief of Staff for Public Allies, working with the executive team to deliver our mission of creating a more just and equitable society. With over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Stephen has focused his work on creating pathways to education and careers for diverse leaders. Previously, he was Director of Strategic Initiatives for Public Allies where he focused on multiple national projects aimed at increasing the capacity of the organization. Before coming to Public Allies,Stephen served as the Director of External Relations at the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance where he staffed national collaborations aimed at recruiting and retaining next generation, nonprofit leaders. Stephen was chosen as both a 2013 Independent Sector NGen Fellow and a 2010 National Human Services Assembly National Civic Sector Leadership Fellow as well as co-founded the Kansas City chapter of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network. Stephen holds a master’s degree in higher education administration and a nonprofit management certification from Western Illinois University and a bachelor’s degree in computer graphics from Southeast Missouri State University.

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Why are conservatives so patriotic and hateful of the government at the same time? I know many conservative Americans (some in real life, but mostly on the internet) that are very patriotic - much more than many of their liberal counterparts. On the other hand, these same people, again much more than their liberal counterparts, are very hateful of the government and anything that could infringe on their freedom. These two positions seem to contradict, so what's going on here? How can you on one hand be extremely passionate about your country, but then be anti-government? Note that this feeling of anti-government is not directed towards any single government that exists at a particular point in time, but a feeling that is seemingly directed towards the concept of governance and control as a whole. Ans that does not seem to make sense. If you "love" your country, what exactly is it that you love, if not the government and the rules and structures and culture that it endorses, the history that it establishes, and the people that it protects? What else is there to define a country? Dirt? Apple pie? united-states conservatism JJ for Transparency and Monica Gran424Gran424 What are you asking? "What constitutes a country"? "How do (specific subgroups of) american conservatives value their country"? or "What is the ideal government structure according to (specific subgroups of) american conservatives"? – DonFusili Sep 12 '18 at 13:31 I don't have any surveys to back this up, but I suspect than when most people (regardless of political orientation) say "I love my country" they usually mean "I love people like myself". – Fizz Sep 12 '18 at 13:42 This is not a good question, as it depends on many questionable assumptions (or, at best, some very poor choices of words). "The country" and "the government" are not the same thing. "Being opposed to" is close enough to "wishing for a different system", but very different from "hating". I suggest that you revisit your assumptions. As it stands now, this seems more like a rant than an actual question. – SJuan76 Sep 12 '18 at 14:01 @SJuan76 why does that make it a bad question? He doesn't understand how a political group reconciles a seeming contradiction. We can objectively answer that with quotes and help him understand that group's motivation better. That seems like what this site was made for to me. – lazarusL Sep 12 '18 at 14:26 Please define "patriotic". Is the measure of someone's patriotism the number of flag decals they put on their car, the volume of the outraged noise they make whenever someone suggests the country isn't perfect, or the extent to which they sacrifice wealth and effort in order to try to make the country a better place for all its citizens? – Shadur Sep 13 '18 at 9:43 Conservatives don't see the government as the "the country." To quote Ronald Reagan in his inaugural address So, as we begin, let us take inventory. We are a nation that has a government—not the other way around. And this makes us special among the nations of the Earth. Conservative love of their nation is independent of its current government. Looking at a speech from Ted Cruz The idea that -- the revolutionary idea that this country was founded upon, which is that our rights don’t come from man. They come from God Almighty. And that the purpose of the Constitution, as Thomas Jefferson put it, is to serve as chains to bind the mischief of government. The incredible opportunity of the American dream, what has enabled millions of people from all over the world to come to America with nothing and to achieve anything. And then the American exceptionalism that has made this nation a clarion voice for freedom in the world, a shining city on a hill. Conservatives think what makes America special is that its government is restrained. The American dream doesn't come from what government does, it comes from what its government can't do. What's great about America is what its people do, its government often just gets in the way. The other key component to understanding this issue is that conservatives in America are not anti-government. When it comes to national security they are very pro-government. Much of the celebration of patriotism in America is centered around its armed forces who conservatives see as constantly making heroic sacrifices for the freedom of Americans and people around the world. For an example of how conservatives see the armed forces, see this speech by George W. Bush or basically any other speech by a conservative American politican. We have seen the character of this new generation of American armed forces. We've seen their daring against ruthless enemies and their decency to an oppressed people. Millions of Americans are proud of our military, and so am I. I am honoured to be the commander in chief. I want to thank everybody in uniform who is here today: thank you for your service, your sacrifice, and your love of America. When a conservative says he loves America, he's saying he loves the natural human institutions that a limitied government have allowed to grow. He loves the churches, communities, families, and busineses that flourish when they are protected but not controlled. He is grateful to the parts of his government that stay within their limited mandate of protection laid out in the constitution; like the armed forces. When he's upset at the government (as he often is), he's upset at it overreaching its mandate. He's mad because that government action hurts the free society he loves. He doesn't love America because it has the worlds best government, he loves America because a restrained government has led to a flourishing society. He wants to conserve that society by protecting it from misguided government action. lazarusLlazarusL Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat. – Philipp♦ Sep 14 '18 at 16:53 Like others have said, the government is not the country. They are two different things that have some overlap. This is also not unique to the US. Look at people in countries that have had dictators and people rebelled against. They could have easily just left the country instead of fighting, but they loved their country too much to leave it in the hands of said dictator without fighting them. A good example of this is Germans in WW2 that fought (from the shadows) against Hitler. Finally, most conservatives I know disagree with the government on things, but they don't hate it. Again, disagree and hating something are two different things. Incidentally, this is why most people I know don't like what Colin Kaepernick is doing so much. They believe that he is disrepecting the country for what he perceives the government is doing. To many conservatives, the flag represents the country, NOT the government. That is why they take it so personally when people step on the flag, spit on it, burn it, kneel during the anthem, refuse the pledge, attack soldiers (verbally or physically) and other things like that. To them, you are attacking the country itself, not the government. Heck, many of them would be glad to support you in your cause against the government, but you crossed lines when you start attacking the country. The country is the ideals we want to live up to, and just because the government may not be living up to those ideals, doesn't mean the country itself is bad. RazgrizRazgriz Penn and Teller (Mostly Penn, but that's schtick) stated that they could not do a lot of their act if it was not for certain values that are enshrined in the American Constitution... including that one could burn the flag and not fear arrest, because the symbolic nature of such an act outweighs the offense... They then proceed to demonstrate where one can be absolutely patriotic while burning the U.S. Flag. As they put it, the flag was a symbol for an idea and that "While the Flag may be gone, but the Constitution Remains." – hszmv Oct 18 '18 at 16:46 I could be considered a conservative American who is very patriotic but has a fair measure of distaste for this government. Grew up in the Midwest, and joined the United States Navy, becoming third generation military. The best political appellation would be libertarian Constitutional Originalist. Yes, I love my country. Growing up, I was an avid reader of the Constitution and founding documents. Upon swearing an oath to support and defend the same, I started an even deeper review of surrounding references in how things have transitioned from ratification to now. The nation wasn't perfect at ratification. The concept of universal equal rights wasn't realized, limited by the compromises to continue slavery and limited spread of suffrage. However, with some miss steps along the way, and nine additional amendments we got closer towards the ideal. Then the Great Depression happened. In the midst of major economic turmoil, the Federal government took aggressive remedial measures. Much legislation and executive action trying to stop the problem meant resistance from within and from the Supreme Court. It was with the latter the threat was made to stuff the court, increasing it to fifteen seats so the President could get the results he wanted. The court capitulated, and the decisions that followed allowed for the greatest expansion of Federal authority beyond the narrow enumerated powers. United States v Butler, while it was decided against the government, also codified a Hamiltonian view of the Tax clause, creating the General Welfare clause. This led to vast growth in Federal spending. National Labor Relations Board v Jones& Laughlin expanded Commerce clause, letting the Federal government get deeper into the individual businesses. Steward Machine v Davis supported tax power for purposes outside of revenue generation. Finally, Wickard v Fillburn allowed the Federal government to get even deeper into personal decisions. In addition to the shift of power from the States to the Federal, there is also an unConstitutional shift of power from the Legislature to the Executive and Judicial. J. W. Hampton, Jr. & Co. v. United States eroded the separation of powers, enabling the horrible practice of enabling legislation that Congress uses to transfer legislative power to the unelected bureaucracy of the Executive Branch. Also look to the shift of war powers since 2001, and the horror that is the Authorization for Use of Military Force. When I say I love my country, but hate my government, this is what I point to. Each of this measures grants the Federal government unproportional power with respect to the influence the individuals have. I'd wager there is a plurality of conservatives that hold similar views, but maybe without the references. Drunk CynicDrunk Cynic There is a bit of an irony for someone who is third generation military to be an originalist, given how strongly the founders opposed standing armies :-P (No offense intended) – David Rice Sep 12 '18 at 21:39 @DavidRice While there was a general aversion to the concept of standing armies before the revolution, after the revolution during the Articles of Confederation, and in the debates preceding ratification, the Federalist Papers and associated ratification speeches present the argument for keeping standing armies. Military force is the final option of diplomacy. – Drunk Cynic Sep 12 '18 at 22:07 Yet most "Conservatives" are anti-abortion. Something the court has said is a decision allowing a woman to control her own body. Reading your defense of conservatism worries me a bit. – boatcoder Sep 14 '18 at 17:31 @boatcoder It is important to understand why the conservative is anti-abortion. For those where it is purely an issue of religious morals, I appreciate their feelings but dismiss the argument; subjective morals aren't the basis for good law. For those where it comes down a question of individual libertiess, there is an honest question of when the unborn transitions form a parasitic growth to a mass of cells that should be viewed as a human life. There is a point in the gestation period where abortion should become illegal; I don't know for certain where it is. – Drunk Cynic Sep 14 '18 at 18:02 I'd like to add that abortion can be used as a form of eugenics which has been shown to be detrimental to the health of a population. Another conservative argument is that we do not know the full effects of allowing unrestricted abortion. It is so progressive that it has the chance of becoming regressive. Furthermore, one must also consider the opinions of the father, who is also the parent of the child. A woman has control over her body, but the child may not be considered her body after a certain point. – Shadowfax Sep 15 '18 at 9:34 Conservatives, for better or worse, believe in the American Dream. That if we're given the right to 'Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness', we have all the tools we need in order to forge a life whose quality depends almost solely on one's willingness to work hard and sacrifice. This is by design. We were founded by Puritans, who had a very similar worldview: that idle hands were the devil's plaything, and those who are idle are less worthy of earthly reward. So work=gain, and wealth=testament to past work, almost as a fundamental law. Enter: the government. The government has the interests of everybody in mind (even the slackers), and thus can't help but screw things up for those who are living the virtuous (hard-working) life. It takes away taxes from one's hard-earned money to give to other people. In fact, it takes MORE money from the more virtuous (wealthy)! It tells me that there are only certain kinds of hard work I'm allowed to do, and certain ways I have to do it (labor and environmental standards). Hell, it even forces what used to be free labor (one's children) to spend all their time in a school that indoctrinates them towards this take-care-of-your-neighbor philosophy and away from the ideal of the self-made man. And it even has the audacity to deny the fundamental premise of the American Dream, that we all start out with the same amount (nothing) and gain only by virtue of our industriousness. So in short, if you believe that rugged individualism and hard work will land anyone in a life of wealth and virtue, the government is necessarily an impediment to one's path. CarduusCarduus Note of possibly-needed clarification for readers: this answer is indeed a rosy and oversimplified version of a subset of conservative ideals, but it is only slightly oversimplified. I have met a great many other conservatives who roughly believe this, though they probably wouldn't say it so clearly without including caveats this answer leaves out. This answer (I think) isn't claiming individualism and hard work will land anyone in a life of wealth; merely, that if one believes that, they are likely to dislike someone taking wealth from a 'successful' person and given it to 'lazy' people. – HammerN'Songs Sep 12 '18 at 21:15 I am not advocating for this position, just leading the reader from 'if you believe x, then here's how you get to y'. – Carduus Sep 13 '18 at 12:50 The government is not the same as the nation - though it is a part of it. As you mention, there's also the shared culture, the shared history, the communities that it is made of, even non-government institutions. Those things can all be appreciated and supported without supporting the government. Even more importantly, any particular President/Congress/Supreme Court isn't the same as the government in the abstract - I can admire and love the Constitution without loving the way it's being implemented. I can even support the government while not supporting the administration - I can think that the EPA is really important and does good work while feeling that the current head of the EPA is undermining its mission. David RiceDavid Rice As a moderate of conservative leaning, I find that the phrase often used to deride patriotism is that they are people who believe "My Country Right or Wrong." This phrase is often attributed to Senator Carl Shurz in a famous 1871 Senate floor speech (though the sentiment was uttered well before Shurz). However, what is often forgotten by the use of the phrase to mock patriotism is that that it wasn't intended to mock Patriotism but defend it. The full statement was "My country Right or Wrong; If Right to be kept Right; If Wrong, to be set Right." In essence, Shurz expressed the idea that one could love their country and take pride in it, while being critical of how the country was being incorrectly wrong. While at first paradoxical seeming, the phrase is consistent in that a patriot would want what they feel is best for their country... if the country is moving in a wrong direction, than it must be righted... it's a core belief espoused in better words in the Declaration of Independence as well as the Constitution... that is, the Constitution replaces the Articles of Confederation and fixes the problems that the Articles introduced into the nation... as well as addressed abuses they perceived were common among Governments of the day. There is some interesting data to back this up too. A recent poll by Gallup noted that for the first time since they started asking this question, a minority of Americans who answered their annual Fourth Of July released poll "Are you Proud to be an American?" with "Extremely Proud" in the minority, the first time that occurred in the 18 years the poll was conducted. What they found was that among Democrats, the numbers of Extremely Proud responses dropped from a five year high in 2013 (56%) to a low of 42% of all Democrats (though it should be noted, extreme pride was declining from this point onward... the 2016 election results only added fuel to the fire... they weren't wholly responsible for the down-ward trend.). The Republican Response had jumped from 71% in 2013 to 74% in the same period... with the margin at a +- of 3% and the low point being 68% in 2015 and 2016, it could be said that Republicans remained ardent patriots despite who was in charge of the Government. And Republicans really did not like Obama. When asked about political ideology, Conservatives were even more stalwart. Between 2013-2018, conservatives pretty much stayed consistent with 65% in 2013 and 2018 and no year where the variance changed out of a +- 3% range of those figures. Liberals fell from 51% to 23% in the same time period and 2013 was the all time high. It would therefor be reasonable, that conservatives subscribe the full definition of Patriotism, as given by Shurz: That it is their pride in their country that motivates their complaints about their government, and not love (or lack) of their government that motivates their pride in country. hszmvhszmv Of course if you reduce everything to loving or hating your government, it doesn't make sense. Most people don't actually see it that way. You can be patriotic and love your country and its people, without loving the current government's actions. If a leader ends up being elected whose actions (through incompetence or malice) hurt the country, it would make sense for the patriot to side with the country against the bad leader, rather than with the bad leader against the country. They are aren't called leaderots, after all. Generally, if you love your country, it is not a great leap to want it to be governed in the best possible way. So if you see a part of the government that's running poorly, you would criticize and want to reform it. Criticizing the government does not contradict patriotism (love of one's country). Even criticism of one's country does not contradict it, if the criticism is motivated by genuine desire to make it better. You wouldn't say you don't love your son because you think he can get better grades if he studies more, would you? Even if patriotism somehow implied loving the government, not all conservatives favor low taxes or small government. Even among libertarians, only a minority would want to actually abolish the government. You can't really say any significant number of them hates the government. They mostly feel that the US government has a great foundation that would work really well if only a few unnecessary additions were removed. For instance, you could say the postal service isn't really doing a good job as a government entity, and government should stop wasting tax money on it and leave deliveries to private parcel services. This doesn't necessarily mean you hate the government, you can hate a part of it that you think isn't working. No mystery there. Looking a bit closer, you will find that while conservatives may ostensibly say they hate "the government", what they really mean is that they hate parts of the government that supposedly has a lot of liberal bias. Other parts, which don't seem to have this bias, are not hated, and even loved. For example, most (not all) conservatives have a very positive opinion of government organizations like the military and police, which themselves have a conservative culture and also benefit many conservatives directly (by providing jobs and safety). Meanwhile they might hate others like the department of education because it has a more liberal culture and makes life difficult for conservatives. Really, most conservatives don't hate the government - they just want the government on their side. The exception is libertarians, who regard government in general as a more or less necessary evil, but they are a small minority (and often not that patriotic). Note that this feeling of anti-government is not directed towards any single government that exists at a particular point in time, but a feeling that is seemingly directed towards the concept of governance and control as a whole. You are describing here an anarchist, not a conservative. American conservatives are rarely anarchists, and as I explained above, don't hate the concept of governance. They are concerned with a good government (from their point of view) being corrupted into a bad one. Pretty much any sane person would have such a concern, except very radical anarchists. It's just that what constitutes a good government may differ. If you "love" your country, what exactly is it that you love, if not the government and the rules and structures and culture that it endorses, the history that it establishes, and the people that it protects? What else is there to define a country? Dirt? Apple pie? Usually, if you love your country, that means you love its people, its land and its culture. That seems to be how it is most commonly understood. Culture here is a broad term, which includes religion, history, language and apple pie. If the government is in line with the people and culture, then you would love the government too. If the government goes against them, you would hate it. Rayce1950Rayce1950 Answers are expected to be factual and backed-up. Please edit to include references which show that the central claims of this post are true. – indigochild Sep 28 '18 at 6:41 I think the missing piece is the document that defines the relationship that US citizens have with their government: the US Constitution. It's only a few dozen pages long! The Constitution's purpose, the way I understand it, is to restrict the power of federal government as it synthesizes our arrangement about what federal government must do. So there is no contradiction if a person says, "The United States is the best kind of country" and also says "The current federal government is the worst federal government we've ever had." Here, just for fun I'll paste the US Constitution in this answer. (Preamble) We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Article I (Article 1 - Legislative) All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of 1: The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature. 2: No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen. 3: Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.2 The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three. 4: When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies. 5: The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment. 1: The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof,3 for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote. 2: Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies.4 3: No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen. 4: The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided. 5: The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States. 6: The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present. 7: Judgment in Cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law. 1: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators. 2: The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December,5 unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day. 1: Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide. 2: Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member. 3: Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal. 4: Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting. 1: The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.6 They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place. 2: No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office. 1: All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills. 2: Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law. 3: Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill. 1: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States; 2: To borrow Money on the credit of the United States; 3: To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes; 4: To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States; 5: To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures; 6: To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States; 7: To establish Post Offices and post Roads; 8: To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries; 9: To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court; 10: To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations; 11: To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; 12: To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; 13: To provide and maintain a Navy; 14: To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces; 15: To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; 16: To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress; 17: To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;—And 18: To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof. 1: The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person. 2: The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it. 3: No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed. 4: No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or Enumeration herein before directed to be taken.7 5: No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State. 6: No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another: nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another. 7: No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time. 8: No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State. 1: No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility. 2: No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision and Controul of the Congress. 3: No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay. Article II (Article 2 - Executive) 1: The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows 2: Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector. 3: The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice President.8 4: The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States. 5: No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the 6: In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office,9 the Same shall devolve on the VicePresident, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected. 7: The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be encreased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them. 8: Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:—“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” 1: The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. 2: He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments. 3: The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session. Section 3 He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States. Section 4 The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. Article III (Article 3 - Judicial) The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office. 1: The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority;—to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls;—to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;—to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party;—to Controversies between two or more States;—between a State and Citizens of another State;10 —between Citizens of different States, —between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or 2: In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction. In all the other Cases before mentioned, the supreme Court shall have appellateJurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make. 3: The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment, shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places as the Congress may by Law have directed. 1: Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court. 2: The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted. Article IV (Article 4 - States' Relations) Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof. 1: The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. 2: A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime. 3: No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due. 1: New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress. 2: The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State. The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence. Article V (Article 5 - Mode of Amendment) The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate. Article VI (Article 6 - Prior Debts, National Supremacy, Oaths of Office) 1: All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation. 2: This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding. 3: The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States. (amendments and transmittals, notes, ratification, etc. including THE BILL OF RIGHTS not shown: click this link) elliot svenssonelliot svensson Can you explain why it is "fun" to quote the Constitution and make your answer so long when a link would be sufficient if anyone was in urgent need to read it ? – Evargalo Sep 12 '18 at 16:12 @Evargalo, I would be glad to explain why this is fun. The US Constitution is so short that it fits in under the StackExchange 30000 character limit (excluding amendments... but they are not more than 10000 additional characters). How many countries do you know of that have such a short authoritative statement of government? – elliot svensson Sep 12 '18 at 16:16 Please don't paste it on SE, then. – Evargalo Sep 12 '18 at 16:21 I've submitted an edit to delete the quote, but it needs to go through peer review. – Monty Harder Sep 12 '18 at 16:54 @MontyHarder, I put it inside a box so it doesn't make your browser crazy. I don't think this is too different from other areas of StackExchange where people are always pasting their code for review. What do you think? – elliot svensson Sep 12 '18 at 17:01 Who says that conservatives in the US hate government? Well, they do, obviously, but if you look closely, there is a lot more rhetoric than substance there. In fact, there are lots of parts of government that American conservatives like quite a lot. The armed forces are one good example; support for that part of government is nearly universal among conservatives. Social security and medicare are also popular with a lot of conservatives, especially those old enough to be served by those programs. Many conservatives support the space program; the last two Republican presidents have at various times promised to return the manned space flight program to its former glory. Law enforcement agencies also enjoy high approval from conservatives, as law and order is a big part of their platform. Indeed, if you break out the US government's budget by line item, you will find that the overwhelming majority of that spending is on things that conservatives are in favor of, which is why conservative control of government doesn't really translate to reduced government spending. In other words, conservatives are just like any other political faction. They like certain government policies and expenditures, and they dislike others. When they portray themselves as anti-government they usually quietly ignore the parts of government that they approve of. To paraphrase the great British political philosopher John Cleese, Apart from the military, social security, law enforcement, and space program, what has the government ever done for us? Now, it's true that the branding strategy of conservative political parties has been to position themselves as both patriotic and anti-government, but as we've seen, that's mostly branding; it doesn't really have much basis in policy. So, why did they choose that particular branding? It's because those things resonate with the American people. Across the board, polls show that Americans have strong patriotic feelings, regardless of their political ideology. Likewise, Americans on both sides of the aisle generally dislike government. Congress didn't rack up single-digit approval ratings by being popular with roughly half the electorate. For decades, conservatives have realized this and incorporated it into their branding. Liberals were slower to do so, and have always struggled to project these images while still differentiating themselves from conservatives. Additionally, the conservative lock on patriotism was bolstered by the ascendence of the neoconservative movement around the turn of this century. Neoconservative views on foreign policy lined up nicely with vocal displays of patriotism, and liberals who opposed those policies had a hard time maintaining a patriotic image. So, to summarize, there are three main things going on here. The conservative anti-government stance is more rhetoric and branding than actual policy. Being patriotic and anti-government is good politics because most Americans, across the political spectrum, feel that way. Conservatives staked out this political high ground early on, and liberals have had a hard time dislodging them from it. NobodyNobody Portions of Conservatives may agree with the spending priorities you've highlighted, not the whole of conservatives. Maybe a plurality – Drunk Cynic Sep 13 '18 at 21:06 @DrunkCynic All of the issues I mentioned poll extremely well with conservative voters, are vocally supported in conservative-leaning news media, routinely make it into the party platform, and are generally supported by conservative politicians. That makes them pretty mainstream in my book. Or, to put it another way, suppose liberals just stopped voting. Which of the programs I mentioned do you think would be killed in a government elected only by conservatives? I doubt any of them would. – Nobody Sep 14 '18 at 11:33 Good answer. You're using conservative as a blanket term for "the American right" as opposed to liberal as a blanket term for "the American left." This isn't wrong and is probably what the OP meant by conservative. This is, however, very different from the more philosophical idea of conservatism as an opposition to radical change. Conservative as a philosophical position doesn't brand itself, political parties use conservative thought and try to mesh that in with their other ideas in an attempt to brand themselves as a broadly appealing (but often inconsistent) platform. – lazarusL Sep 14 '18 at 13:17 @lazarusL Thanks. Your observation about the meaning of "conservative" is true, but as you say, the OP's question doesn't really make sense with the more philosophical definition. – Nobody Sep 16 '18 at 13:02 An often overlooked dimension of political conflict is Globalism vs Localism. Globalism, in general, referring to the idea of pushing the purview from the national level to the global level. Localism is the opposite, moving a legislation from the international level to the national one. On a national level a similar conflict exists: federal vs state (and likewise at the state level: state vs local). The conflict is fundamentally the same in all cases. does government allow maximum representation by allowing a smaller group of people to decide laws for themselves? does the higher governing body decide laws to maximize compatibility/cooperation among the larger group? "Hating the government" is often how someone who leans towards "federal" in the "federal vs state" conflict describes the opposition's position. A more accurate description is "opposing federal government power" or in more detail: "Generally wanting the state government to hold legislative powers that the federal government currently holds", an idea that is not incompatible with patriotism. gunfulkergunfulker This answer would be improved by backing-up its claims. What is globalism? What is localism? According to who? Who says that the conflict between globalism and localism is the same at the national and state level? How do you know what someone who leans towards the "federal" position would think? – indigochild Sep 28 '18 at 6:31 I defined globalism and localism, so I guess "according to gunfulker's description" for anyone who won't look it up. They have the same conflict because they're both questions of whether control should go up the hierarchy or down it, and what I described as conflict was the benefits of both, without regard to whether politics is involved. Why would someone who supports the "federal" position characterize someone who doesn't support the "federal" position as "hating the government"? That's just beyond my depth of research I guess. – gunfulker Sep 28 '18 at 8:08 “The people are masters of both Congress and courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert it!” Abraham Lincoln Feb 12, 1865 Before one can address the question of loving or hating government one must first understand which form is the valid form of government. The USA is a "Constitutional Republic" which means that agents of gov. are "contractually bound" to protect the rights of "Individuals" NOT "groups!" In a "democracy" the opposite is true where 51% oppresses the remaining 49%. In the USA the 51% actually serve in an advisory capacity NOT as a RULING body. This is what the "fight" is all about! The Power to RULE not just ADVISE. The U.S. Supreme Court, in Scheuer v. Rhodes, 416 U.S. 232, 94 S.Ct. 1683, 1687 (1974) stated: "when a state officer acts under a state law in a manner violative of the Federal Constitution, he "comes into conflict with the superior authority of that Constitution, and he is in that case stripped of his official or representative character and is subjected in his person to the consequences of his individual conduct. The State has no power to impart to him any immunity from responsibility to the supreme authority of the United States." Judges are prohibited from "legislating from the bench" but must follow the LAW as written and they are not allowed to "interpret" the original contract only the statutes which fall UNDER that "contract" which is The Constitution! Over the decades various political groups have slowly "redefined" WORDS for their own financial and political (power) profit! Shuttlesworth v. Birmingham Al. 373 US 262:(1962) “If the state does convert your right into a privilege and issue a license and a fee for it, you can ignore the license and a fee and engage the right with impunity.” James Madison's Notes, May 31st, 1787: Legislative intent of "Republican Form of Government": The apprehension of the Framers in regard to “democracy”, is exhibited in Madison's Notes May 31st in which Elbridge Gerry and Roger Sherman, delegates to the Convention from Massachusetts and Connecticut, urged the Convention to create a system which would eliminate "the evils we experience," saying that those "evils . . . flow from the excess of democracy..." The "Framers" worked very hard to eliminate the application of "democracy" (mob/group think rule) as possible. Very few indeed understand that "President Trump" was not "democratically elected" but in FACT "Constitutionally elected" in accordance with LAW as "contractually required". Remember he is a Businessmen who understands contracts unlike politicians who try to circumvent contracts when it is advantageous to do so. People are not taught to understand the difference between individual RIGHTS and contractual privileges. Thompson v Smith, 154 SE 583. “When acting to enforce a statute and its subsequent amendments to the present date, the judge of the municipal court is acting as an administrative officer and not in a judicial capacity; courts in administering or enforcing statutes do not act judicially, but merely ministerially.” Burns v Supp. Ct, SF, 140 Cal. 1 “Ministerial officers are incompetent to receive grants of judicial power from their legislature, their acts in attempting to exercise such powers are necessarily nullities.” Thompson v. Smith, 154 S.E. 579, 583; Keller v. P.E., 261 US 428; F.R.C. v. G.E., 281, U.S. 464. “but merely act as an extension as an agent for the involved agency -- but only in a “ministerial” and not a “discretionary capacity...” Bacahanan vs. Wanley, 245 US 60; Panhandle Eastern Pipeline Co. vs. State Highway Commission, 294 US 613 "The police power of the state must be exercised in subordination to the provisions of the U.S. Constitution." This exposes the process where your right to drive a car have been converted to a privilege thereby denying your Miranda Rights when stopped so that states and insurance companies can profit. Police Powers are excluded from being used to generate revenue which puts the lives of officers in jeopardy during "collections"! Legality is the shelter for swindlers and thieves they make for themselves by passing statutes and acts. It is NOT law unless you consent to it. ~ Chris Duke "The ideal tyranny is that which is ignorantly self-administered by its victims. The most perfect slaves are, therefore, those which blissfully and unawarely enslave themselves.” ~ Charles de Montesquieu Brady v. U.S., 379 U.S. 742 at 748 (1970): "Waivers of Constitutional Rights not only must be voluntary, they must be knowingly intelligent acts, done with sufficient awareness of the relevant circumstances and consequences." (without coercion – which includes economic pressure) Michigan v. Duke 266 US, 476 Led. At 449: "....Police Power extends only to immediate threats to public safety, health, welfare, etc., California v. Farley Ced. Rpt. 89, 20 CA3d 1032 (1971): “which driving and speeding are not.” 42 U.S. Code § 1994 - Peonage abolished The holding of any person to service or labor under the system known as peonage is abolished and forever prohibited in any Territory or State of the United States; and all acts, laws, resolutions, orders, regulations, or usages of any Territory or State, which have heretofore established, maintained, or enforced, or by virtue of which any attempt shall hereafter be made to establish, maintain, or enforce, directly or indirectly, the voluntary or involuntary service or labor of any persons as peons, in liquidation of any debt or obligation, or otherwise, are declared null and void. (R.S. § 1990.) Getting people to "authorize" the creation of "insurance schemes and regulation" is to act to restore peonage as a variation of that used by the "Southern democrats!" The USA is the ONLY nation in the entire world which has "contractually bound" its government in this manner and as such poses a threat to all other nations who abhor the concept of actual freedom. As one might begin to realize, to understand true "Conservatism" requires understand history and the lessons learned from that journey through time. It is one thing to make mistakes yet another thing all together to continue to repeat them. This is not all you need to understand to be sure and that is why so many are trying to silence those of us who know and are willing to share that knowledge. "If you don't know the words you can't ask the questions. If you can't ask the questions you will never find the answers!" Systems AnalystSystems Analyst Please add sources for your quotes. – JJ for Transparency and Monica Sep 15 '18 at 21:13 I love my country. When I say that, I mean that I love the ideas it was founded on. I believe that the ideas, implicit and explicit, in the founding of America were inspired by God to provide for the establishment of human freedom. I believe that we have enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, more freedom than any other organized society in the history of the world, thanks to these ideas. I think I was listening to Glenn Beck (though it may have been Ben Shapiro) who said that if a dictatorial government were to take control of the United States, it would not remain America. By the same token, if the ideas that are America take root and flourish in any other part of the world, that place is just as much America as is the United States. These ideas include (and are not limited to) equality of opportunity, personal agency, self governance, individual intrinsic worth, the law of the harvest (you reap what you sow), and the importance of the community being secondary to that of the individual. I like the way that the LDS (Mormon) texts describe typical human behavior when empowered: We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion. (D&C 121:39) Humans, when left unchecked, tend to abuse their authority, even when attempting to enforce what they suppose are good, helpful ideas. Taken to the extreme, we tend to be dictators and tyrants. This stifles the ideas aforementioned, and thus stifles freedom. But anarchy doesn't provide a healthy environment for freedom, either. The Constitution and Declaration of Independence were written with this in mind. To the degree that our government remains within the bounds set forth in the Constitution, it can be good and useful for the pursuit and preservation of freedom. But to the degree that it passes these bounds it will stifle freedom and the ideas that I have claimed to love, and so I must oppose it (notice I didn't say "hate"). My allegiance will never be to any man, woman, leader, or organization, but to God and to the freedom of His children. The LedgeThe Ledge I'll try to find the Beck quote later. – The Ledge Sep 16 '18 at 21:02 " I love my country, but sometimes it loves me back :( " - one of my Russian internet friends. – gunfulker Sep 18 '18 at 4:08 Answers here are expected to be factual, rather than personal opinion. This is an insightful explanation of how you view the world, rather than a factual answer. Maybe you could frame it to explain why your perspective is valuable evidence here(if you feel that it is)? – indigochild Sep 28 '18 at 6:30 I think that much of the differences in the answers already given are caused by the use of the term conservative as a shorthand for right-wing. These are not the same thing. Merriam-Webster defines conservatism as: a. disposition in politics to preserve what is established. b. a political philosophy based on tradition and social stability ... c. the tendency to prefer an existing or traditional situation to change. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conservatism Therefore it is possible to be a left-wing conservative. The Communist Party members who attempted a coup against Gorbachev in the dying days of the USSR because they wanted to preserve the status quo are an example of this. Right-wing is far more difficult to define. Its meaning varies across societies, time, political systems and ideologies. Modern right-wing parties may include many strands of opinion including conservatives, Christian Democrats, classical liberals, nationalists and on the far-right; racists and fascists. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_politics Many Republicans don't hate the state. They tend to see the state as a necessary evil which should be kept as small as possible. Republican politicians from Abraham Lincoln to Donald Trump have been happy to pass laws, sign Executive Orders, and appoint Supreme Court Judges when it has been in their interests to do so and furthers their policies. People who hate the state tend to be those who favor libertarianism. They may be on the left (libertarian-socialists and anarchists) or on the right (the Tea Party movement and the Libertarian Party for example). This answer would be improved by including references that back-up its claims. For example, "people who hate the state tend to be those who favor libertarianism" - those kinds of claims really need sources. – indigochild Sep 28 '18 at 6:26 Want to improve this post? Add citations from reputable sources by editing the post. Posts with unsourced content may be edited or deleted. These conservatives loves their country as homeland because they grow up there. They have friends, families and tradition here. They also want the government to protect their lives and tradition. The current issue is there are many media, including mainstream and alternatives media amplifies emotions, opinions, prejudices rather than reporting facts. Mark Dice, an Media Analyst. Author of ‘The True Story of Fake News.’ has also mentioned that CIA has tried experimenting psychological experiments on spreading news at different ways and arrows different feelings and ways of discussions among the mass. That induces some political parties or underground riches to collude and influence the politics. They show their selfishness and dictatorship against the dissidents or any political candidate who is out of their plan. Not all people love seeing them disrupting their tradition and mutual trust between. That drives patriotism. I seldom label conservatives or liberals. It is because it often drives into disputes among the wordings or identity politics. That hinders rational discussion Raju yourPepeRaju yourPepe This answer should be backed-up with references that demonstrate it's accuracy. Much of it appears to be opinion, rather than fact. – indigochild Sep 28 '18 at 6:23 It is based on my discussion at the platform twitter , Reddit . If you have read the tweets and replies of Donald trump or Paul Joseph Watson, you gotta same conclusion as mine. – Raju yourPepe Sep 28 '18 at 7:30 A network of beliefs doesn't have to internally consistent, and the combination of believing oneself to be part of the majority group while also facing overwhelmingly powerful opposition is a common belief among many groups. This combination of beliefs isn't unique to American conservatives. For example, leftists might believe themselves to be part of the majority "working class" or "middle class" while also facing powerful enemies in the form of "corporate interests", the "surveillance state", or the "military industrial complex" (much of which also generalizes to being the "government"). This combination of beliefs allows someone to think that their beliefs are supported by the majority of their peers while also creating a powerful common enemy that the group must unite against. In America, there is no larger group identifier you can really adopt than being "American" so overt displays of symbols like the flag serve to signal that someone is part of what they perceive to be the largest group sharing their same belief system. This also explains things like people displaying prominent symbols of the Confederacy while also displaying prominent symbols of generic "America". America vs. traitors to America would seem even more nonsensical at at a glance than America vs. the government of America, but as a form of signaling it makes perfect sense. It's a way for people to signify that they're part of the local white majority, while also identifying with what they believe is a broader white "America". Meanwhile, the "government" is the singular most powerful entity that can be rationalized as not reflecting the will of the majority. "Activists judges" are unelected arbiters of the law that don't reflect the beliefs of "real Americans". "Voter fraud" occurs when individuals without proper documentation vote illegally. This offers a way to deligitimize opposition while presenting a strong enemy to unite the group. This works even when the group is in power. For example, even though Republicans currently control all branches of the federal government, problems can be conveniently blamed on a "deep state" formed of career bureaucrats. I mostly explained this in terms of American conservatism because that's what the question asked, but this phenomenon is very easy to generalize. It's just that the symbols used to signify group identity and the targets used as an enemy changes depending on the groups in question. TelekaTeleka "I mostly explained this in terms of American conservatism..." — no, you didn't. "...this phenomenon is very easy to generalize." — obviously, because you generalized it right in the first paragraphs to talk about leftists, rather than answering the actual question. – Wildcard Sep 13 '18 at 18:49 Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged united-states conservatism . Are clergy required to perform interracial and/or same-sex marriages in the United States? Did 'State' mean the same thing as today's 'country' during the time of the foundation of the USA? Are there systematic personality differences between liberals and conservatives? Why is the polish PiS considered dangerous, but not the UK conservatives? Are “left leaning” and “liberal” the same? Can the POTUS be the monarch of the UK at the same time? In the USA, why is there still a government shutdown when Congress and the White House are controlled by the same party? Can both US Senators from a state be elected at the same time? Why does a US government shutdown have a specific beginning time? If conservatives don't like government, why don't they like the shutdown?

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Study: Politicians Vote Against the Will of Their Constituents 35 Percent of the Time Posted on June 16, 2017 by Asher Schechter New Stigler Center working paper: “To the extent that legislators represent majority opinion, it happens largely because legislators share the opinions of their constituents, not because legislators seek to reflect constituent opinion.” Capitol Hill. Photo by K3nna, via Flickr [CC BY 2.0] In March, both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed a bill that repealed Obama-era regulations that would have prevented internet providers from storing and selling their customers’ browsing history without their consent. The bill was passed, and then signed by President Trump, despite being wholly unpopular with the American public: a HuffPost/YouGov poll showed nearly three-fourths of Republicans and Democrats wanted the president to veto it. “This is what’s wrong with Washington D.C.” said late-night host Stephen Colbert, in reference to the bill. “I guarantee you there is not one person, not one voter of any political stripe anywhere in America who asked for this.” This was not a rare occurrence. Academic studies have long since observed that whether they are influenced by special interests or their own preferences, politicians will often diverge from the will of the electorate. The belief that politicians act according to their own interests once they come into office played a big part in the disillusion and anger that fueled the global crisis of representative democracies and contributed to the rise of Trump. A 2016 Quinnipiac University poll, for instance, showed that 76 percent of Americans agree with the statement “Public officials don’t care much what people like me think.” The question remains, however, how often legislators really stray from what their constituents want? A number of scholars have already suggested that most Americans have little to no effect over what the government does. In a 2010 paper, John G. Matsusaka of the University of Southern California found that states choose policies that a majority of the public prefers only 59 percent of the time—“only 9 percent more than would have happened with random policymaking.” In a new Stigler Center working paper, Matsusaka aims to answer the question how often politicians stray and what motivates them to do so by offering a new empirical approach to measuring congruence between public policy and public opinion. Matsusaka finds that more often than not—65 percent of the time—legislators actually adhere to the will of a majority among their constituents. However, he also finds that when the preference of a politician diverges from that of his constituency, politicians overwhelmingly tend to follow their own interests, beliefs, and ideologies over those of the people they represent. In order to measure the level of congruence between legislators and their constituents, Matsusaka examined the results of 28 referendums held between 2000 and 2016 in nine states (Alaska, California, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington) that allow citizens to challenge newly-approved state laws through referendums. He then looked at 3,555 roll call votes associated with these referendums in state legislatures. The referendums covered fiscal, political, and social issues, from high-profile issues of national importance like minimum wage and same-sex marriage to more localized issues like the mascot of the University of North Dakota. What Matsusaka finds is that most of the time, “representation” works: 65 percent of the time, legislators’ votes correlated with the positions of their constituents. While 65 percent “is better than the 50 percent rate of congruence that would occur if legislators simply flipped a coin when voting,” he notes, it is still “less than one might hope.” Over the years, a number of theories have been proposed in order to explain and mitigate this disconnect between legislators and their constituents. Advocates of campaign finance reform, for instance, argue that campaign contributions are effectively bribes and that their immense growth over the past decade has made legislators more beholden to donors than to voters. Reducing campaign contributions, then, should help make legislators more responsive to public opinion. Matsusaka, however, finds no evidence that money in itself changes legislative votes. “I actually tried to find evidence of campaign contributions mattering, and I couldn’t find any correlations,” he says. “I can’t find any connection between the amount of the money people raised and their tendency to stray from what the constituency wants.” In trying to figure out what motivates politicians to diverge 35 percent of the time,” he says, “I tried to look if the legislators that are not doing what their constituents want are also the guys that are taking a lot of money—what I find is that there’s no connection in the data.” This, he says, doesn’t mean that campaign contributions have no effect, just that donors are attracted to candidates that share their values. “There’s no doubt that money matters in the system, the question is why. One story that people have is that it is corrupting, in the sense [that] legislators would rather do something else, but because of the money they pay attention to the donors. I think what the data show is that money matters in a different way. Politicians actually want to do the things the donors want them to do, and donors are just supporting people that share their views. In other words: you might be buying representatives, but you’re not buying votes.” Other arguments suggest that increased public and media scrutiny would make politicians more responsive, as will more competitive elections. Matsusaka finds no evidence of this, either. “Reformers have a strong belief that the way to make democracy more responsive is to make elections more competitive. Looking at the 35 percent of legislators that vote against constituent opinion, I don’t find that they are from non-competitive districts. In fact, I find almost no relation between electoral competition and legislator responsiveness to public opinion,” he says. In other words: it’s not necessarily the lack of public scrutiny, the increase in campaign contributions, or uncompetitive elections that make politicians stray from the wishes of their constituents. Ideology, surprisingly, is the factor that impacts congruence the most according to the study. When their ideology aligns with constituent interest, Matsusaka finds, politicians vote in accordance with their constituents 89 percent of the time. When their ideology is opposed to the preferences of their constituents, however, politicians act according to majority opinion only 29 percent of the time. “To the extent that legislators represent majority opinion,” Matsusaka writes, “it happens largely because legislators share the opinions of their constituents, not because legislators seek to reflect constituent opinion.” “I was somewhat surprised that there was so much ideological voting,” says Matsusaka. “The picture that emerges isn’t that politicians are listening carefully to their constituents and figuring out what they want, but that politicians say, ‘here’s what I believe and once I am in office I am going to stop listening to you and do what I think is right.’ This does not cause a complete failure of representation—if you’re a Republican in a Republican district, more often than not you’ll agree with what the voters want—but that is not the way I was originally thinking about how democracy works.” Disclaimer: The ProMarket blog is dedicated to discussing how competition tends to be subverted by special interests. The posts represent the opinions of their writers, not those of the University of Chicago, the Booth School of Business, or its faculty. For more information, please visit ProMarket Blog Policy. Meet the Sugar Barons Who Used Both Sides of American Politics to Get Billions in Subsidies Is Direct Democracy Better Able to Withstand the Influence of Special Interests? “Capture is Everywhere – It Happens at the Highest Levels of Our Democracy” « Blockchains and Corporate Finance: “In a Blockchain Market, Shareholder Activists Might Play Much Less of a Role” “The Blockchain Is Going to Revolutionize Central Banking and Monetary Policy” »

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A Zelig-like journey through TV history Raised by TV Tag Archives: Garry Marshall THANKS TONY 91 years ago today, on Thursday, February 26, 1920, A. Leonard Rosenberg was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After taking the name Tony Randall he would become a star of stage, screen, and television. Most sources give Randall’s birth name as Leonard Rosenberg, but according to the 1937 Tulsa Central High School yearbook, he was known as A. Leonard Rosenberg… and according to other sources, which I cannot confirm, the “A” stood for Arthur. Postcard sent to fans of ABC’s “The Odd Couple” in the 1970s. It’s “odd” to think of Tony Randall as a Jew from Oklahoma. He was so closely associated with New York and became the quintessential New Yorker. In fact, once when I was about 12, I followed Tony Randall from The Ed Sullivan Theater to The Russian Tea Room. Why? I wanted to see where he was going! Depending on your age, you might know Randall best from the 1950’s sitcom “Mr. Peepers,” which starred Wally Cox… or you might know him best from his many late night talk show appearances with Johnny Carson, David Letterman, or Conan O’Brien. But it’s safe to say most know Tony Randall best as Felix Unger from ABC’s “The Odd Couple.” Reverse side of the same postcard with “autographs” from the stars. Although “The Odd Couple” ran on the network for 5 seasons, it became an absolute smash in syndication, which elevated Randall and co-star Jack Klugman into beloved members of our own families. Tony Randall died on May 17, 2004 at the age of 84. He was survived by his second wife, Heather Harlan Randall, a daughter, Julia Laurette Randall, now 13-years old, and a son, Jefferson Salvini Randall, now 12. Tags: ABC, Autograph, Conan O'Brien, David Letterman, February 26, Garry Marshall, Jack Klugman, Johnny Carson, Late Night, Leonard Rosenberg, Mr. Peepers, Odd Couple, Sitcom, Tony Randall, Tulsa Central High School, TV history, Wally Cox Categories This Date in TV History, Tribute SCHLEMIEL, SCHLEMAZEL… 35 years ago tonight, on Tuesday, January 27, 1976 “Laverne & Shirley” premiered on ABC. The “Laverne & Shirley” marquee at Paramount Studios where the series was taped, June 1979. The show starred Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams as bottle-cappers at a Milwaukee brewery. Like “Happy Days” the show was set in 1950s. Technically “Laverne & Shirley” was a spin-off of “Happy Days” since the characters of Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney once went on a double date with Richie Cunningham and The Fonz. But in truth, that episode of “Happy Days” was just one way the producers tested out the new characters. Traditionally speaking, a spin-off is when a regular or recurring character from a series is given their own series. Prime examples of this would include “The Jeffersons,” “Lou Grant” and “Frasier.” This writer at the historic Paramount Pictures gate on the lot where “Laverne & Shirley” was taped, June 1979. The mid-season replacement series shot straight to the top of the ratings, finishing its short first season as the #3 primetime series. The next year it was #2, followed by two seasons as TV’s #1 show. By the 1979-1980 season “Laverne & Shirley” had dropped out of the top 10 for good. “Laverne & Shirley” ran for eight seasons (7 ½ really). In the fall of 1980 the setting moved from Milwaukee to California, and then in 1982 Cindy Williams left the show. It ran for one final season with just Laverne, no Shirley and left the airwaves in May 1983. Tags: ABC, Cindy Williams, Fonzie, Garry Marshall, Happy Days, Henry Winkler, January 27, Laverne & Shirley, Laverne DeFazio, Penny Marshall, Richie Cunningham, Schlemazel, Schlemiel, Shirley Feeney, Sit-com, spin-off, The Fonz, TV history Categories This Date in TV History HAPPY DAYS & HAPPY NIGHTS “Happy Days” marquee at Paramount studios, 1979. 37 years ago tonight, on Tuesday, January 15, 1974 the 1950s came to life on TV screens across America when “Happy Days” premiered on ABC. The main characters from “Happy Days” What many don’t realize is that “Happy Days” was first introduced almost two years earlier in a segment of the anthology series “Love, American Style.” I remember seeing the episode and the segment, called “Love and the Happy Days,” when it first aired in February 1972. Actors Ron Howard, Marion Ross, and Anson Williams were in both the segment and the series. One notable difference was the casting of Harold Gould as Howard Cunningham. The original cast of “Happy Days” It’s easy to tell that this is a very early publicity shot from “Happy Days.” Aside from the young age of Erin Moran as Joanie, we see the Cunningham’s oldest child, Chuck. Originally portrayed by Gavan O’Herlihy, the character of Chuck was never given much to say or do and by 1975 he was unceremoniously dumped into the TV trash bin, never to be heard from again. It was like he never existed. The other clue that this is an early publicity shot is that Fonzie is wearing a cloth jacket. ABC feared that if the character wore a leather jacket he might come across as a hoodlum. But as the show grew in popularity Fonzie wore that leather jacket and Henry Winkler became a star of the show. Henry Winkler as the Fonz. I previously discussed a conversation I had with Winkler in 1977, so I won’t rehash it here. But he told me that ABC Entertainment President Fred Silverman actually wanted to change the name of the show to “Fonzie’s Happy Days.” Notice the foreshadowing in this Henry Winkler Fact Sheet. Near the bottom Winkler notes that he “can teach water-skiing.” Can you say “jump the shark?” By the way, one of the writers of that first episode of “Happy Days” was Rob Reiner. In 1974 he was best known as an actor on “All in the Family” but at the time he was also the brother-in-law of “Happy Days” producer Garry Marshall. Tags: 1974, ABC, Anson Williams, Erin Moran, Fonzie, Fred Silverman, Garry Marshall, Gavan O'Herlihy, Happy Days, Harold Gould, Henry Winkler, January 15, Love American Style, Marion Ross, Richie Cunningham, Rob Reiner, Ron Howard, Sit-com, The Fonz, TV history This Date in TV History

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Home Politics Nunes Sues CNN for $435M for Defamation in Vienna Story Nunes Sues CNN for $435M for Defamation in Vienna Story Ranking member Rep. Devin Nunes of Calif., looks on during testimony by Jennifer Williams, an aide to Vice President Mike Pence, and National Security Council aide Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019, during a public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump's efforts to tie U.S. aid for Ukraine to investigations of his political opponents.Hunter Biden. (Shawn Thew/Pool Photo via AP) Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., on Tuesday sued CNN for defamation in a $435 million action regarding last month’s report that claimed that he had traveled to Vienna last year to find negative information on former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden. “Devin Nunes did not go to Vienna or anywhere else in Austria in 2018,” says the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia, and reported by The Washington Times. Nunes, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said he visited Libya and Malta last year as part of a “codel” — or congressional delegation. The Nov. 23 CNN story disclosed an attorney for an indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, Lev Parnas, said that his client would testify under oath that Nunes had made such a trip. The lawyer, Joseph Bondy, also claimed that former Ukrainian chief prosecutor Vicktor Shokin himself had disclosed Nunes’ efforts to his client, a Soviet-born U.S. citizen and Florida businessman. Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney and former New York City mayor, was investigating Ukraine’s involvement in the 2016 election at the time. CNN’s report did not independently verify or disprove Bondy’s claims. “Devin Nunes has never met Viktor Shokin,” the congressman’s lawsuit says. “This meeting never took place. “Viktor Shokin doesn’t know and hasn’t even heard of Devin Nunes.” Further, “Devin Nunes did not communicate with Parnas in December 2018,” the court action says. “CNN is the mother of fake news,” the lawsuit states. “It is the least-trusted name. “CNN is eroding the fabric of America, proselytizing, sowing distrust and disharmony,” the document continues. “It must be held accountable.” Previous articleL.A.’s Head Of Homelessness Resigns After 33% Increase in People Sleeping On Streets Next articleTrump Doubles Number of NATO Countries Paying Fair Share https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/12/04/devin-nunes-adam-schiff-violated-my-civil-liberties-phone-snooping-legal-options/ Take CNN to the clears and then go after Schiff, who is abusing his power. Definitely violated your civil liberties along with John Solomon, a journalist. All because of facts, that Schiff doesn’t want to be let out. Gee, obstruction of justice? https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2019/12/05/rand-paul-alarmed-at-the-abuse-of-power-by-adam-schiff-abhorrent-exactly-what-hes-accusing-the-president-of/ Saw Rand Paul on Fox and Friends. Thought his idea of helping students pay for college was really interesting. Also I hope you will push for this as well: “This is abhorrent,” Paul exclaimed. “This is exactly what he’s accusing the president of: using the power of government to go after political opponents. This should never happen.” “I’m going to work hard to make sure that in the future, people like Adam Schiff do not have the power to abuse government to go after their political rivals,” he added. Seenitbeenthere December 5, 2019 at 10:26 pm Go get them Devin! I’m so tired of the lies spewed from these so called Journalist. They make me sick. Who, What, Where, When, Why. . . This is how Journalist are supposed to do their job. Take them to the cleaners! Read “The Plot Against The President” by Lee Smith. Unbelievable how Mr. Nunes & his team uncovered so much corruption. Good Luck Sir & God Bless you & your family. Shell December 6, 2019 at 5:34 am It would be wonderful if Devin Nunes was awarded the entire amount. CNN deserve to lose.

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Backler Connections www.raybackler.com My Direct Family Postings DNA Results (plus Update April 2019) My Line of Backlers – Haverhill Roots My line of Backlers in Bristol Henry’s Brother – Samuel Backler My line of Backlers in Birmingham My line of Backlers in Warrington My line of Backlers in East Sussex And its Smith! The Chatfield connection The Elliotts of West Sussex Cullgeragaurn, Tawnaghbeg, Cloontia, County Mayo, Ireland The Finns Of County Mayo More on Grandad Finn’s Family Long Lost Hanrahans One eighth Welsh… or not! My Dad and the Korean War My Dad’s postcards to my Grandmother 1972-6 My Dad and Sikorsky Helicopters in Singapore and Malaya HMS Theseus and Sea Furies in the Korean War From the UK to Australia The Family of Michael Christian Backler and Ann Mary Fahnert Backlers – the German connection The will of Elizabeth Catherine Backler Henry Backler the tailor of Bristol and London Sugar refining Backlers in Bristol and London South Australian Backlers First World War Heroes from South Australia Charles Backler Bootmaker of Shipdham William Edward Backler – Bootmaker of Shipdham – brother of Charles Charles Backler 1808-1888 Haverhill Sexton 1911 Census – Backler Families The Backlers of Dedham Lieutenant Henry Backler – Royal Navy John Backler and Keziah Radford Backler Tragedies in Kent Hampshire Backlers – Leonard Country – via The Isle of Wight Hampshire Backlers – Leonard Country – via Haverhill Sotherton Backler and Hannah Osborne Sotherton Backler and Frances Harris Samuel Backler – Vicar of Ashwell The Descendants of Imri Backler and Frances Basham of Haverhill The descendants of John Backler of Haverhill Sotherton Backler (born 3rd August 1746 at St Giles, Cripplegate, London) was the seventh child of Sotherton Backler and Ann Ashley. His second marriage was to Hannah Osborne (1763 – 1803) in Bocking in 1782 and they had ten children together: Sarah Ann Backler (1783 – 1857), Samuel Backler (1784 – 1870), Thomas Backler (1786 – 1786), Joseph Backler (1788 – 1848), Elizabeth Backler (1789 -1821), Mary Backler (1791 – 1860), Benjamin Backler (born 1793), Jane Ozella Backler (1795 – 1830), Thomas Osborne Backler (1796 – 1796), Sotherton Backler (christened on 4th March 1798 – 19th November 1875). Nothing further is known about Benjamin. Sarah Ann is mentioned concerning Geffrye’s Almhouses in the blog page about Sotherton Backler and Frances Harris. Sarah Ann and Samuel were christened in Stoke Newington and the other children at St. Ann’s Blackfriars. The remaining children, who survived infancy are detailed below. Samuel married Mary Pellatt (1789 – 1857) on 30th November 1810. They had a daughter, Mary Backler (1813 – 1882), who married Henry Pellatt (1797 – 1860), presumedly a cousin, on 18th March 1831. Mary had a son Apsley Backler (1815-1835), who was presumably Henry Pellat’s son, born before marriage. Apsley was named after a relative, who was a Member of Parliament. In the 1851 census, living with Samuel and Mary at 3 Old Paradise Road, Islington, London were their daughters: Esther Maria Backler aged 21 (died 1918), born Bayswater, who married Magnus C. Abelin (born 1826)and Susanna Backler, born Oxford Street aged 34 (died 1883), who married James Boulding (born 1823). Also, living there were Susanna’s children: Susanna Mary Boulding aged 5 and Apsley Samuel Boulding aged 3. Susannah later married Edwin John Cross (1834-1889). Joseph married Jane Cowie (born 1789) on 1st February 1810. They had four daughters (listed in the following bullet points) and a son (see below): Jane Cowie Backler (born 16th April 1811, christened 23rd May 1811), who married John Brown (born 1802) in Kilmarnock in 1833. At some point they emigrated to Australia where they had six children. Jane died in Australia in 1855. Mary Cowie Backler born in 1814, who died just before her sixth birthday. Hannah Backler born 1818, who died in Melbourne, Australia in 1922. She married Henry George Regan (born 1832) in Australia in 1854 and they had three children. Sarah Cowie Mitchell Backler (christened 19th September 1823), who died the following year. Joseph was a stained glass artist who had a number of prestigious windows installed, notably in the chapel in Arundel Castle, West Sussex and the church in Dudley, West Midlands. Barbara has posted details of his life on http://www.backlers.com Joseph and Jane had a son, also Joseph Backler (born 1813 in London, died in Australia 1895), who turned his artistic talents to forging cheques at the age of 18. Both cheques were drawn on Messrs. Jones, Loyd, and Co of 43 Lothbury, London. The first one for £5 was cashed on 13th April at Sloane Street, Chelsea and he was caught attempting to cash the second one for £10 on 24th May in King Street, Soho, London. He was sentenced to death at the Central Criminal Court, at The Old Bailey, London on 30th June 1831. This sentence was commuted to deportation to Australia for life and after spending time on a prison hulk called Hardy, in Portsmouth Harbour, where he was transferred from Newgate prison on 30th August 1831, he was sent out on the Portland. He arrived in Australia, according to the Australian Dictionary of Biography on 25th May 1832. He was initially assigned to the Surveyor General’s department, but after involvement in further crimes, he was sent to Port Macqaurie prison in May 1833. He spent ten years in prison receiving 150 lashes, 23 days in cells and a year in irons. After release from prison in Australia, Joseph became an artist painting trades people, rather than the rich who would not commission a criminal. Joseph was one of the few recording the lives of the lower classes and he has a place in Australian history, because of this fact. Joseph married Mary Magner on 7th May 1842 at St Thomas’s Church, Port Macquarie but they did not have any children. Mary died in November 1852 and Joseph died on 22nd October 1895 at Liverpool Street, Sydney, survived by his second wife Sarah Vincer, whom he probably married shortly after Mary died, because there is a record of a Mrs Backler having a short lived child in June 1853. Mary married a lawyer, John James Joseph Sudlow (1788-1858) on 16th October 1813 in St Pancras, London. They had a daughter, Mary, in 1819 who did not survive the year. Jane Ozella married Daniel Burton (1790-1876) on 9th October 1827. Benjamin was christened on 18th June 1793 and nothing further is known about him. Sotherton became the vicar of Blatherwycke, Northants and he married Mary Hill (1802 Warwick – 1875 Oundle) at Chilvers Coton, Nuneaton on 6th January 1834 and in the 1851 census they were living at The Rectory. Barbara has added more details on http://www.backers.com and she has written that she has further details to publish. It would be interesting to find out further information about this line of Backlers.

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How Will We Deal with the Issue of Aging Baby Boomers? By Ray Williams We have both myopic and conflicting views on how to deal with the millions of aging baby boomers. We need to effectively deal with the following issues: Our concept and prejudices about aging. The impact of large numbers of people retiring from the workplace. The kind of medical and social support structures needed for an aging population. The Statistics of Aging The world’s population is aging. By 2050, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates two billion people will be aged 60 years or older, up from 900 million in 2015. By 2030, Asia will be home to 60 per cent of the world’s over 65. In a study by the Urban Institute, The Aging Baby Boom: Implications for Employment and Training Programs,concludes that by 2050, the median age of population will be in the following countries: Japan-52, Italy-52, U.K.-43, Finland-46, the U.S. and Canada-42. In the European Union in the next 10 years, the number of workers 50-65 will increase 25% while the percent aged 20-30 will decrease by 20%. Over 1 million people ages 90 to 100 will be working in Japan by 2030. By 2021, for he first time in history, the number of older people will outnumber the number of children younger than 5 years of age. The average life expectancy is expected to rise to 110 by 2030 in Japan and Germany are officially termed “super aged.” Four more countries—Greece, Finland, Spain and Canada,–are expected to enter the super aged category. According to the Global Age Watch Index, Norway has been nominated to be the most likely country to grow old out of 96 countries. Currently, about 28% of the U.S. population is 50 or older. Projections show that by 2025, that figure will increase to more than 35%. By 2010, the number of 35-44-year-olds who are normally expected to move into senior management ranks, will actually decline by 10%. Our Concept of and Descriptions of Aging Over Time The Old Testament describes King David’s death: “. . . and he died at a good old age, full of dogs, riches and honor”. Among ancient Hebrews, “The wisdom of our fathers,” which was written sometime after the birth of Christ states that if one reaches the age of 80, it is a story of survival. In contrast, if one reaches the age of 90, one is frail and “bending over the grave”. Among Greek philosophers, Plato sees successful aging through spirituality. He wrote: “The spiritual eyesight improves as the physical eyesight declines”. The Romans honor and even idealize old age. Cicero claimed: “Old age, especially an honored old age, has so great authority that this is of more value than all the pleasures of youth.” In Shakespeare’s play As You Like It,he portrays a very negative picture of aging: “last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful history, is second childishness and mere oblivion, sans teeth, sans eyes, sans everything” This dim medieval view speaks to the lack of prospects for successful aging. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe sees aging thus: “youth is drunkenness without wine; if old age can drink itself back to youth, that is a wonderful virtue.” Yet he also says, “So lively brisk old fellow don’t let age get you down. White hairs or not you can still be a lover” Historian Will Durant of the 20th century observed, “The individual succumbs but he does not die if he has left something to mankind.” To acknowledge an appreciation of the very subjective aspects of successful aging, we only need to consider Bernard Baruch’s view: “To me old age is always 15 years older than I am” It would accurate to say that for the most part in Western society, aging is viewed in a negative way, where somehow older people are viewed as less than able and capable, and to some degree helpless. Which can account for how older people can be made the object of ridicule or humor, or at a minimum, a nuisance to be tolerated but out of sight. Myths about aging are perpetuated by our media. The movie, Cocoon, a movie about older people, starred Don Ameche, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, who were all over the age of 70 at the time tried to deal with the issue of aging. When the film’s director, Ron Howard, reviewed the film’s early takes, he decided something was wrong. His actors weren’t acting like old people—their posture was too straight, step to lively, and speech too clear. So Howard hired acting instructors to teach them how to act like much older, less able people. Aging is no longer viewed as a natural stage of life, but a horror and devastating progression. Why are we as a human race so set on reversing the inevitable? The war on aging is on, but has our America’s obsession gone too far? The statistics show that more and more women are getting facelifts, and they also show that women are becoming interested in the procedure at a younger age. Women are now getting facelifts even as young as in their thirties. According to a report by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, procedures such as plastic surgery, Botox and wrinkle fillers are up 100% percent since 2000. Yet, and this is important, most of the studies of aging have focused on the 5% who are sick or diseased. Actually we have very few studies about physically and mentally healthy aging adults. Biogerentology, the biology of aging, is a science that is only 50 years old. One of the problems of our view of aging is our medical model which focuses on sickness instead of health. In contrast, the new advances in mind-body connection and neuroscience research show great promise in helping people with aging and maintaining good health. The term “successful aging” has been used in the gerontological literature to cover processes of aging throughout the life span It implies positive aging processes for some while provoking criticisms of failing to be either not comprehensive enough or too far-reaching for others The term “successful aging” suggests “key ideas such as life satisfaction, longevity, freedom from disability, mastery and growth, active engagement with life, and independence” Sometimes successful aging has been called “vital aging” or “active aging” or “productive aging” with the implication that later life can be a time of sustained health and vitality where older people contribute to society rather than merely a time of ill health and. The emphasis for many may be on maintaining positive functioning as long as possible but others have suggested that successful aging can also be discussed under more adverse health conditions. The “Silver Tsunami” Unfortunately, our view of aging is reflected in the language associated with older people, including the term “Silver Tsunami.” The Silver Tsunami (also known as Grey Tsunami, Gray Tsunami, Silver Wave, Gray Wave, or Grey Wave) is a metaphor used to describe population aging. The silver tsunami metaphor has been used in popular media and in scholarly literature to refer to the late-twentieth century demographic phenomenon of population aging in major media platforms including The Economist, Forbes.com, and multiple news outlets. The phrase has also been used to refer more specifically to health and economic implications associated with population aging by major medical publications including The British Medical Journal, New England Journal of Medicine, and professional organizations including American Psychological Association. Scholars from a range of disciplines including humanities, health professions, and social science have argued that the silver tsunami does not constitute neutral language to describe population aging, calling it “dangerous” and “a nasty metaphor for older adults”. Critics of the silver tsunami phrase (and its variants) have argued that it represents an important example of ageist language. For example, Andrea Charise writes that the prevalent use of this metaphor in popular and professional media “testifies to the barely conscious figurative language that serves to construct perceptions of an aging population.” “The Winter 2010 President’s Message from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research begins by invoking “the ‘grey tsunami’—the tide of chronic diseases rising from an ageing population which threatens to swamp our health-care system, economy, and quality of life.” Similarly, in 2010 the Alzheimer Society of Canada published a major commissioned report on the projected impact of dementia entitled “Rising Tide.” This ominous rhetoric of rising, swamping, tides, and disease—amplified by the authoritative tones of medical and health policy expertise—conceives of population aging as an imminent catastrophe” In a 2013 editorial in the Journal of Gerontological Social Work entitled “The Aging Tsunami: Time for a New Metaphor?”, Amanda Barusch builds on this objection, by describing the “inaccurate, damaging perceptions” of older age. “The specter of millions of dependent elders sweeping over the land makes us shiver.” In a content analysis (2009) of The Economist’s digital archive between 1997 and 2008, Ruth Martin, Caroline Williams, and Desmond O’Neill conclude that “There is a noticeable trend to ageism in one of the most influential economic and political magazines in the world. “In place of the silver tsunami’s “apocalyptic” imagery, critics have suggested abandoning the metaphor in favor of different, and ideally more neutral, terminology with less overtly ageist connotations. “Geriatricians and gerontologists who want to influence policy makers to improve services for older people will need to engage in a dialogue with journalists in areas other than the biomedical literature.” Increased Demand for Services and Support Specifically for Seniors In an article in Canada’s Globe and Mail,Jeffrey Simpson cited data from the federal government that cites the current average life expectancy for women is 82.5 years, and for men 79 years and predicts that by 2030 it will be for women will be 87 years and for men 82.8 years. In the 1960s, the average for women was 77 and for men 73. From the 1960s to 2030s, the life expectancy rose by almost a decade. Roughly speaking, the average age has been rising by one year every decade. The good news, Simpson says, is that more people will live longer – and in reasonable health – than ever. According to the OECD, a whopping 85 per cent of Canadians over 65 report themselves to be in good health, the second-highest share for any country. Are Canada’s pensions and retirement plans prepared for this? Is the work force and workplace? Are government finances? Simpson argues, “with an aging society comes slower economic growth, because fewer people will be working, earning income, and more people will need government programs.” The Federal Department of Finance states: “Slower nominal GDP growth will reduce the growth rate of government revenues, thereby limiting the capacity of governments to continue to finance growth in public expenditures as high as in the past. At the same time, population aging is expected to put upward pressure on public expenditures, notably for age-related programs such as elderly benefits and health care.” The financial implications are even more serious in the United States, where its medical and health system is far more expensive and currently in chaos. With the increase in population, there will be an increase in demand and the senior living industry will have to expand to meet that demand. Expect to see senior living communities popping up all over the country – not just in typical retirement states like Florida and Arizona. Many seniors are moving away from these states and halfway back to their home states, even inventing a new retirement term, “halfbacks.” As the demand for senior living increases, senior communities will rise in rural and urban settings alike. Not only will there be more senior living options, but they will look a little different. Today’s baby boomers expect more when it comes to senior living and senior care. They want accessibility and convenience partnered with unmatched care and amenities. The future of senior living is not institutional. It’s vibrant and active, encouraging and empowering – reflecting a generation that has changed their nation. As demand for senior living grows and the boomer generation raises the standard on senior living, we can expect to see more options and personalized care. From concierge services to transportation and even customized care offerings, senior living in the future will continue to move away from institutional care toward a true sense of home and community. Of primary importance for the aging will be the issue of appropriate medical and support care. As the number of senior people rises in many economies of the world, the need for long-term care and aging-in-place services will increase. This will escalate the burden on healthcare in many countries. There are some interesting models that are arising to meet the needs of this population. Many of these models are experiments, but they are proving to be highly successful in providing care, reducing cost and improving quality of life to this silver community. As people live longer, there will be a sharp increase in the number of people with dementias, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In fact, 25% to 30% of people aged 85 and older have a high level of cognitive decline. Globally there are an estimated 47.5 million dementia sufferers, and the number is expected to increase to 75.6 million by 2030 and 135.5 million by 2050. European countries with significant prevalence of dementia are Germany (1.9%) and Italy (2.09%). AD is the most common form of dementia, affecting an estimated 5 million people older than 65 in the U.S. Countries like Japan are struggling to move from hospital-centered medical care to community-oriented medical care. With declining birth rates and an increasing elderly population (people aged ≥65 years reached 25% in 2013 and is expected to exceed 30% in 2025 and 39.9% in 2060), Japan has invested heavily in robotics and is one of the first countries to be ready with products or prototypes in 2015. South Korea, the U.K., Germany, and China are closely behind in terms of manufacturing. These robots are ready to become part of the household soon. The question is, are seniors ready to share their house with a robot? The nursing robot, “Robear,” is an experimental nursing-care robot developed by the RIKEN-SRK Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research and Sumitomo Riko Company. It can work as a nursing robot and can perform tasks like lifting patients from wheelchairs. Robear can become an alternative for nurses in care homes and independent homes. Currently, nursing homes are struggling with manpower shortage. These robots can help seniors manage their day-to-day activities in their own homes. Another example is Care Robot or “ChihiraAico” robot, which resembles a Japanese woman and is likely to be used to assist elderly people with conditions, like dementia, by connecting them to medical staff. Robo Chef has been programmed to assemble and chop ingredients, using the stove or oven to cook, and later can also finish up by cleaning the dirty dishes. The Robo Chef is expected to enter the market between 2017 and 2018 at a cost of $10,967 and can become a great support for elders living in their homes and who are unable to do some household chores. If Transformers from the movie can become a reality, then Giraffplus would definitely be one of them. These remote-controlled bots can connect elderly patients with their friends and family, as well as facilitate a virtual visit. At the same time, it comes with sensors outfitted around the home tracking where someone is and what they’re doing. These robots can transform into their social friends by connecting them with their loved ones through the Internet. A Melbourne nursing home is using robots to interact and play games with residents, as well as improve the quality of life of patients with dementia. Baby seal Palro, expected to be priced at $8,600, is an interactive model developed in Japan. This robot already passed a successful trial in 2014. With the U.S. moving toward becoming a super-aged nation, will Americans be open to adopting Palro? SoftBank’s Pepper has got its work visa and also would be available for service in the commercial market. Who is next? The shrinking oldest-old support ratio is raising a lot of concerns at the highest level in terms of policy and also on the ground–people are asking “Who’s going to be taking care of grandma or grandpa?”. There are ongoing discussions and research about different models of care, and I don’t think we have any easy solutions at this time. Clearly there’s a lot of research and interest in trying to improve active life expectancy. The goal is not necessarily to increase longevity, but to increase independent function until as late in life as possible so that the person only needs hands-on care for a very short period of time prior to their death. The U.S. federal social security system unctions through the taxation of large numbers of young workers, in order to support smaller numbers of older dependents. A diminishing workforce, coupled with growing numbers of longer-living elderly can deplete the social security system. The Social Security Administration estimates that the old age dependency ratio (people ages 65+ divided by people ages 20–64) in 2080 will be over 40%, compared to the 20% old age dependency ratio in 2005.Increasing life expectancies of the older population will not only result in decreases in Social Security Benefits, but also devalues private and public pension programs. The death of funds supplying programs such as social security and Medicare may be a contributing factor for adults to delay retirement and to continue working. Some Myths About Aging Myth 1: A significant % of older people are either senile or suffer from dementia. Fact: Only 6-8% of people over the age of 65 have dementia; Myth 2: Older people suffer from rigid thinking. Fact: 41% of people over 65 use the Internet. Brain science shows we can learn easily well into our 90’s. Myth 3: Most older people have health problems. Facts: 75% of people aged 65-74 are in good health; over 60% age 75+ are in good health; 40% over age 80 are fully functional. Myth 4: Sexual activity declines significantly with aging: Facts: A recent study showed that 93% of people are sexually active in their 50’s; 81% in their 60’s and 75% in their 70’s. Myth 5: Older people exhibit significant cognitive decline. Fact: A recent study showed that in terms of verbal meaning, inductive reasoning, spatial orientation, numerical ability and word fluency the people studied 50-80 did not show any significant decline Advantages of Older Workers in the Workplace Older workers—or “perennials,” as this cohort has sometimes been called—are now the fastest-growing population of workers, with twice as many seniors as teenagers currently employed in the US. In the 30-year span from 1994 to 2024, workers aged 55 and older will go from being the smallest segment of the US working population to the largest, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Other industrialized nations are seeing similar trends; in Japan and South Korea, the workforce is aging even faster. The aging of the workforce is in part driven by employees who want to keep working—or at least, to keep earning—well into their 70s and even 80s. Increased life expectancy across the industrialized world means that more people have more years of healthy life than ever before. Women who deferred careers while raising children may only be hitting their professional stride in their later 50s; men and women who spent decades in engaging roles may be reluctant to abandon the social and intellectual stimulation of work for decades of leisure time. Meanwhile, the corporate shift from defined-benefit retirement plans, which guaranteed a steady income, to defined-contribution plans, which place the onus of saving on workers, has left many older people financially unable to quit work without a substantial drop in their standard of living. Nearly half of current retirees surveyed in 2014 said they were still doing some paid work in retirement. But even the subset of these workers who are continuing to work past retirement out of choice rather than necessity often desire some kind of transition by the time they reach their mid-60s. That may mean part-time work, to allow for more free time with family, or less time at a job that’s become more physically taxing, or flexibility to accommodate other lifestyle changes. Employers are seeing returns, too. As age diversity on work teams goes up, so does productivity and performance. Research from the Milken Institute’s Center for the Future of Aging and the Stanford Center on Longevity found that older employees took fewer sick days, showed stronger problem-solving skills, and were more likely to be highly satisfied at work than younger colleagues. There exists a “gray ceiling” image—characterized by burnout, obsolescence, and career plateauing—that keeps many aging workers from reaching their potential. In the workplace, there is an clear age bias where recruiters favor younger applicants. You have only 5 years when most people are free of age bias—35-40. Otherwise, often you are viewed as either too young or too old. Studies of older workers in the workplace have shown that older workers engage in less unethical and/or criminal activity; have higher levels of participation in politics and volunteerism; have fewer workplace accidents; have better visual acuity; have less conflict with co-workers; have fewer power struggles; are less ego driven; have less health costs than younger workers; have greater loyalty to the organization; have more positive attitudes than younger workers; are more resilient under stress; do better quality work; have less job turnover; are more trainable and have a less net cost compared to younger workers. Some of the world’s great achievements were accomplished by older people, not the youngest geniuses: It was during their “sunset strolls,” that Michelangelo, at 88,was designing the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica; Stradivarius, in his 90’s produced two of his most famous violins; Verdi, when 80, composed the opera “Falstaff;” Mary Baker Eddy founded the Christian Science Monitor at 87; Frank Lloyd Wright was 91 when he designed the Guggenheim Museum; Peter Drucker wrote, his famous book on management when he was 89; George Burns was still performing in his 90’s; Dr. Seuss was 82 when he wrote one of his last children’s books; Olive Riley, who was believed to be the world’s oldest blogger at 108, wrote a blog every day; Arthur Winston, 100, worked for 72 years for the same company, Los Angles Metro; Jennifer Figge, 57 was the first woman to swim the Atlantic Ocean; John Whittemore, 104, continued to compete in Track and Field; and John Kelly was still competing in Marathon and Iron man competitions at 97. We also commonly think of older people as being poor and penniless. But the current senior population possesses over $900 billion in spending money. Nearly a quarter of householders aged 65 to 69 have a net worth of $250,000 or more. Seniors spend more than $30 billion on travel each year. According to George Moschis of the Center for Mature Consumer Studies, “the 55-plus age group controls more than three-fourths of this country’s wealth and the 65-plus group has twice as much per capita income as the average baby boomer.” The question of legislating non-retirement In Hong Kong, Retired Not Out is a recruiting company that connects companies and retired professionals through part-time jobs, consulting, teaching and volunteer services. Founder Priyanka Gothi established the firm when her retired mother was looking for a suitable part-time job but could not find anything fulfilling. Gothi’s aim is to connect white-collar retirees with the types of jobs “that would make the most of their skills and experience”. She believes that by providing suitable opportunities, the experience and skills of older workers will have a considerable, positive impact on the economy and society. Dorothy Leonard, professor of business administration, emerita, Harvard Business School and co-author of Deep Smarts: How to Cultivate and Transfer Enduring Business Wisdom, suggests companies focus on recreating tacit knowledge – experience, anecdotes and creative solutions – in the workplace. For example, if an experienced CPA is planning to retire, the firm where they work should allocate a younger accountant to work with them. Leanne Cutcher, professor of management and organization studies University of Sydney Business School, agrees: “External mentoring is valuable but it’s after the horse has bolted. Knowledge is useful in context.” The “Silver Dollar” Rather than seeing seniors as draining the economy, a report by Bank of America and Merrill Lynchpublished June 6, 2014 suggests that the longevity economy has three places for investors wishing to play the ”silver dollar” theme: Pharma & Healthcare (including tackling age-related diseases and conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, as well as medical devices, hearing aids, orthopedic appliances, dental and vision care, and incontinence). Financials (including insurance, asset and wealth management). Consumer (including senior living, care, managed care, healthcare real estate investment trusts (REITs), aging in place, death care, pharmacies and drug stores, anti-aging, travel and leisure, retail, VMS, and technology). Consumers in the Longevity Economy According to the report, the Longevity Economy published September 2016 by the AARP, the longer seniors age 50+ remain in the workforce, the more money they have to spend and 83% of US household wealth is held by people over age 50. Access to credit and assets allows this group to spend more on goods, services and investments than the younger population. In turn, this spending by people age 50 and over in turn leads to the creation of more jobs. The Longevity Economy and the Workforce Americans age 50 and over who remain in the workforce tend to be more educated than younger people in the workforce. About 19 percent of employed workers over age 65 have a graduate degree, compared with about 13.5 percent of employed workers under 65. This higher level of education plus the fact that the work by older Americans is less physically demanding allows those over age 50 to remain longer in the workforce. Over the last 10 years people ages 55-64 made up the highest rate of entrepreneurs in the United States and one in three new businesses was started by an entrepreneur age 50 or more. The Longevity Economy and Philanthropy Baby Boomers and those age 50 and over give a lot of philanthropic, charitable and volunteer contributions. Those over age 65 were found to donate the largest amount averaging $1672 a month. This also pays off for them health-wise, as research has shown that people who do volunteer work and donate to charitable causes have a lower rate of depression, blood pressure and death. What can be done about it? In a recent article published in The Elder Law Journal,Sharona Hoffman, the Edgar A. Hahn Professor of Law at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law, urges policymakers to focus on the elderly population. “Everyone ages, and everyone has aging loved ones, so this is a personal issue for most of us, even if we don’t want to think about it,” she states. “In 2016 voters listed terrorism as their first and most serious national concern, but only 80 Americans were killed in terrorist attacks between 2004 and 2013, while millions of individuals faced grave difficulties related to aging,” said Hoffman, author of Aging with a Plan: How a Little Thought Today Can Vastly Improve Your Tomorrow. Hoffman offered five specific suggestions to improve conditions for seniors as their numbers continue to increase: Advocacy organizations and the media should educate the public and policy-makers about the challenges the elderly face and strive to make them a political priority. Long-term care (home care from aides, assisted living, and nursing homes) must become more accessible and affordable. This could be achieved through long-term care insurance that is subsidized by the government. The working conditions of professional caregivers must be significantly improved. Consider wage increases, health benefits and paid sick days. Affordable transportation options should be available to the elderly so they don’t lose their independence if and when they stop driving. Incentives, such as loan forgiveness programs and higher Medicare payments, should be offered to prospective health-care professionals as encouragement to enter the geriatric field. Challenges for the Workplace to Resolve Since 1998, the US has seen employment rise by 22 million to reach historical highs. The main cause of this increase isn’t the dynamism of Silicon Valley or the entrepreneurial energy of Brooklyn hipsters. The vast majority (90%) of this increase is due to higher employment for workers aged 55 and above. One specific barrier to older employment that receives much attention is corporate age discrimination. Older workers report frequent prejudice in terms of pay, promotion, training and recruitment. As the research of David Neumark of University California Irvine shows, workers over 60 who put their age on their CV halve their probability of being called for interview. Businesses do not consider aging people a viable demographic market, community organizations labeled them recipients rather than contributors, and when they were included in commercials, movies or news segments, they are portrayed as unhealthy, unproductive and uninvolved: a burden on the economy and the younger generations. In “The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife”, Marc Freedman argues that we need a “new map of life” to deal with this powerful demographic change. Mr. Freedman is founder and chief executive of Civic Ventures, a nonprofit research group focused on boomers. He points out that while medical science, improved nutrition and other advances have succeeded in extending our lives, our ability to redefine these longer lives has lagged woefully behind. Freedman wants to broaden the way that people think about this part of life, which he calls the “encore stage.” The encore stage is not about “clinging to our lost youth,” he says. Rather, it means using one’s evolving identity and experience in ways that are characterized by “purpose, contribution and commitment, particularly to the well-being of future generations.” If people live 85 years or longer, does it make sense to put so much pressure on people in their 20s and early 30s to complete their education, form a family, and start a career? A new view of age-related goals and activities may be more sensible. Ellen Galinsky, President and Co-Founder of the Families and Work Institute says that companies need to recreate work places that are multigenerational and that will require rethinking how work is organized, including more flexible work-life arrangements. One of the critical issues we face in the potential loss of aging workers from the workplace to retirement is the loss of knowledge. A 2006 Ernst and Young study report that companies are more likely to be concerned about knowledge loss and transfer, but they are doing little about it. A senior nuclear weapons designer retired from the Los Alamos National Laboratory after 30 years, leaving no one in the Lab who knows the design of missiles built in the 1950’s and 60’s, which are still deployed in military bases worldwide. A chemist who invented a new polymer retires and soon afterward his company loses the ability to fix variations in quality manufacturing. A senior sales executive departs from their company with years of detailed relationships with decision-makers and client organizations, which is never recovered with the new sales executives, and business declines by 30%. When a petrochemical explosion occurred at a large plan on the Texas Gulf Coast, an investigation found that the engineers there at the time had all been on the job less than one year. After Boeing offered early retirement to 9,000 senior employees during a business turndown, a subsequent new rush of order for 737’s threw the assembly line into chaos with all the new employees they hired. They had to finally shut down the assembly line and lost $1.6 billion in lost orders from customers. More than $24 billion, with 400,00 working on it was invested by NASA over 10 years to make a moon landing. So why haven’t we gone back to the moon? Budgetary constraints and a focus on the Space Station and Shuttles. It’s not that the new $50 billion plus price tag of returning the moon is a deterrent. It’s that NASA has lost the knowledge of how to do it. Most of the scientists who developed the technology have retired or are dead and were never replaced. Often, mature workers are left on their own as they near the end of their careers. Most organizations have no career development or professional growth plans for mature workers. A Manpower survey found that just 28% of U.S. companies and 21% of companies worldwide have a strategy for retaining mature workers. A study by the Conference Board showed that 80% of HR executives surveyed were oblivious to the concerns of older workers. An international study by Manpower showed that just 18% of U.S. employers have a strategy to recruit mature employees; Canada 17%; whereas Hong Kong 25% and Singapore, 48%. There are some organizations doing something about the issue. Companies in Finland, where aging workers is a more significant issue, are taking action. For example, the Abloy lock company, which operates in 40 countries, has 30% of its workers over the age of 55. They have created the designation of Agemaster for these employees, and they are entitled to an assortment of benefits—massages, free memberships in health clubs, free education, all funded by the company, free complete physical exams and fitness tests, and an annual 5 week vacation. And the creation of a mentoring program where all mature workers pass on their knowledge to younger workers before they leave. Finland, which already is facing an aging workforce, has initiated the National Program on Ageing Workers, a 4 year campaign to change public attitudes. The core of that program is the view that work should be adapted to the abilities of aging workers, rather than the other way around. Westpac Banking Corporation of Australia and New Zealand, recognized for its commitment to corporate social responsibly made it commitment to attract mature workers. They have increased their average age of 45 of their workforce from 20% to 30% in just 5 years. They have found that absenteeism for mature workers is actually lower than for younger employees. They have also found a larger percentage of mature employees were rated as outstanding or above average in their work compared to employees younger than 45. At a BMW factory in Germany, management realized workers were getting older. They estimated their employees would soon average age 47. BMW did not want to either force workers out, and many wanted to continue to work. They asked workers how could they make things better for them. Workers complained of sore feet from standing, so they made special shoes for them, and put in wooden floors instead of concrete, some got chairs, like a hairdresser. They adjusted work schedules to allow for stretching and relaxing; Tools and computer screens were changed to adapt to age. The entire project only cost BMW $50,000, and productivity and job satisfaction went up. A study of top companies in Canada, as reported in the Globe and Mail, illustrated strategies they used to retain older employees, including: Additional vacation time up to 6 weeks; free training and tuition programs; phased in retirement; physical fitness and wellness centers on site; and academic scholarships for children and grandchildren. According to Project Equity, many small business owners do not have succession plans–and because of this they’re putting their employees at risk. As a small business owner I empathize–we tend not to think ahead. This leaves us with fewer choices when it comes time to retire. Without succession planning, many of these businesses “will just quietly close down and go away,” says Project Equity’s co-founder Alison Lingane. We need a new kind of clock: an Ulyssean model in which the later years are viewed as a time of wisdom, creativity, power and purpose. We need to make a distinction among job, career and life calling. For people who are aging, calling is far more important. We need to be more concerned with wisdom, and less concerned with cognition. Look at the state of the world now, and what cognition has brought us without wisdom. It is wisdom, a strength of aging people, encompasses discretion, maturity, keenness of intellect, broad experience, profound thought, compassion and understanding and implies a moral nature. Wisdom is what and who you are, and not what you do. It’s time that employers and executives woke up the fact that we will need aging workers to sustain the economy. Government and workplace policies that recognize and prepare for these demographic changes need to be at the top of the agenda. Copyright: Neither this article or a portion thereof may be reproduced in any print or media format without the express permission of the author. Read my latest book: Eye of the Storm: How Mindful Leaders Can Transform Chaotic Workplaces, available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon and Barnes & Noble in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia and Asia. Ray's latest blog posts Why Introverts May Be Better Leaders for Our Times By Ray Williams December 19, 2019 Our culture, particularly in business and politics, seems to be in love with the charismatic, extravert (also spelled extrovert) leader — the guns blazing, no-holds barred, center-of-attention leader – who is a super... How Self-Limiting Beliefs Can Sabotage Our Success and Happiness By Ray Williams January 10, 2020 Many people are feel like failures because they believe success, happiness or fulfillment has evaded them in life. These beliefs are often strongly held and don’t necessarily result from a rigorous examination of logical facts... The Ageism Tsunami By Ray Williams December 12, 2019 Cruel jokes about the elderly are everywhere. We need to face our ageism tsunami and change our attitudes and policies about growing older. If you watch Saturday Night Liveor other TV comedy shows, there’s been an increasing number... The Problem with the Self-Help Movement By Ray Williams, October 19, 2019 In times of doubt and uncertainty, many people turn to self-help books, groups or gurus in search of encouragement, guidance and self-affirmation. The positive self-statements suggested in these books, such as “I am a... Do We Like Bad News More Than Good News? By Ray Williams August 2, 2019 Like many others I was shocked and dismayed to see and read the news about yet two more mass shootings with many dead and wounded in El Paso Texas and Dayton Ohio. These instances of domestic terrorism are added to a long list of... Can Compassionate Love Become an Organization’s Operating System? By Ray Williams August 1, 2019 The Predominant Business Model Business organizations have been dominated by men for at least the last two centuries. Correspondingly, male oriented values and behavioral characteristics—competitive aggressiveness,... Join our Newsletter for a FREE copy of Breaking Bad Habits e-Book by Ray 2017 © Ray Williams

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REPAIR - Repairing the future REPAIR - Armeno-Turkish Platform Armeno-Turkish platform Viewpoints from Turkey, Armenia and the Diaspora Full translations into Turkish, Armenian, English and French Before and after Hrant Dink Turkey and European Union Genocide in the relations between Armenia and Turkey Armenian and Turkish identity today Forgiveness, reconciliation, dialogue Armenian genocide : recognition and reparations Standpoints Standpoint of Armenia Standpoint of Turkey Standpoint of Armenian Diaspora Other standpoint 14 days in Diyarbakir / 14 pictures of Amed / 14 stories about Tigranakert Web-Exhibition: 99 Portraits of Exile - Home- About us- The project- Debate- - Before and after Hrant Dink- - Turkey and European Union- - Genocide in the relations between Armenia and Turkey- - Armenian and Turkish identity today- - Forgiveness, reconciliation, dialogue- - Armenian genocide : recognition and reparations- - Geopolitics- Standpoints- - Standpoint of Armenia- - Standpoint of Turkey- - Standpoint of Armenian Diaspora- - Other standpoint- Pictures- - 14 days in Diyarbakir / 14 pictures of Amed / 14 stories about Tigranakert- - Web-Exhibition: 99 Portraits of Exile- Videos- Contact The Constitution of Armenia, the Genocide and its reparations Created on Saturday, 01 March 2014 20:44 Vladimir Vardanyan international law expert The international law expert Vladimir Vardanyan presented in every detail the issue about the provision on the Armenian Genocide in the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, including the clause on the claim of Western Armenia. According to him the reference to the Genocide in the main document of Armenia is based on the international law and norms. The legist also spoke about the legal basis of the Turco-Russian Treaty, dated 1921. How is the issue of Genocide raised in the RA Constitution? What is written about it there? Both nothing and everything is written. Why nothing? Since there is no reference in the constitution, which is logical in a sense that Constitution is a tool directed towards the future. The tool which is entitled to regulate the relationship between the state and the individual, the individual and the society… It would have been illogical to stipulate provisions about the historical past. It is rather a main issue directed against the criminal law, legislation or Genocide denial. This is the answer to the question that there is nothing written. On the other hand, everything is written, since in the preamble of the Constitution a reference is made to the Declaration of Independence, which is an integral part of the Constitution and there is definitely a reference to the following provision: “The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia shall support the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide taken place in Western Armenia and Ottoman Empire.” That is to say, one of the main objectives of the state establishment has been fixed in the state’s founding document: – an obligation to support condemnation and recognition of the Armenian Genocide. This is what can be said about the correlation of the Constitution and Armenian Genocide. Of course, the section devoted to the human rights in the Constitution is, as such, based on the corresponding norms and principles of the international law, and has definitely a negative attitude towards genocide or any crime committed against the society, international law. And is there anything in the Constitution about the descendants of genocide victims, which have formed the Diaspora and also make a part of Armenia? Since the Constitution is a tool directed towards the future, the cause and effect relationship has been implemented only through the preamble. And it is my firm conviction that it is not the task of the Constitution to regulate the main issues of the compensation either to the victims or heirs thereof. Hence, there is not anything about Western Armenia either, isn’t it? What could have been about Western Armenia? There are provisions, which are entitled to protect the Armenian cultural heritage both in Armenia and abroad: this is a general provision. There isn’t any other provision, and maybe there isn’t any need for it. Does Armenia recognize all treaties signed by the First Republic (1918-1920) and the Soviet Union…? The issue here is more complicated. After its formation, in terms of international obligations, Armenia was guided by the so called principle of tabula rasa - clean board or clean page, that is to say it didn’t acknowledge any document binding, concluded prior to the establishment of Armenia. We speak both about the treaties of Kars and Moscow. The logic is as follows: as a new independent state Armenia assumes international legal obligations on its own, correspondingly by joining separately or concluding international treaties. This is a general approach, which has been formed since 1991. According to the international law, can Armenia put forward a compensation claim from the legal point of view? First of all we should understand what we mean by saying a compensation claim. By virtue of Article 9 of the Genocide Convention, Armenia can apply to the UN International Court saying that the Republic of Turkey, the legal successor of the Ottoman Empire, has executed the Genocide or violated the Genocide Convention with all the consequences arising there from. If the compensation claim follows the decision, then yes, if no then no. But here we speak about the interstate claim. Different mechanisms are possible. Many times I have told that we should differentiate 3 types of claims – interstate, the so-called genocide-related requirements, which do not arise from the Genocide, but are derivatives (such as insurance expenses, fees) and related requirements. These are the requirements arising from the genocide, which can be initiated under the judiciary powers of different states both in case of Turkey and other states. And, of course, putting forward a relevant claim against denial of the Genocide may take a form of a separate claim especially in the European countries, including Turkey theoretically. In the interstate sense, I see it only within the UN International Court, if it is a unilateral claim, or, through other mechanisms, upon the Turkey’s consent. You spoke about the claim against the denial of the Armenian Genocide, the most recent, perhaps was the draft under the consideration in France. As an expert, do you think the initiative of other states to adopt laws on criminalizing the denial of Genocide right? It is the business of each state. The approach to the freedom of speech is quite different in the USA. Such law cannot be adopted in the United States, at least in the near future. After the World War II holocaust disaster many European countries are trying to use this approach not allowing to deny such facts as, for instance, the Holocaust or the crime against humanity. In other words, it is typical of the European region. There are countries where such a law is generally unconstitutional and there are countries where it is an integral part of the constitutional right… However, it is the internal business of each state and we cannot say whether it is good or bad. What about Switzerland? In case of Switzerland there is no any definite bill on the denial of the Armenian Genocide. Simply the court was guided by the existing criminal lawsuit and legislative norms by setting out that such speeches and statements, actually, arise from the general logic of struggle against hatred towards humans and spread national, religious or other type of hatred. Moreover, let’s pay attention to a very important circumstance: these laws do not cover the so-called reasonable suspicions. We simply speak about the policy of not accepting existing facts “impudently”, when the person simply apposes. Is the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey mandatory condition, so that the Republic of Armenia or the ancestors of the victims could put forward a compensation claim? The fact of recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey is of substantial importance. Today it is not an easy task to say what consequences it will result in and how it will be done. Will Turkey recognize the fact that actions took place in the past by giving no assessments or will it act in some other way? Recognition of the Genocide by Turkey will definitely result in crucial changes. In case of the right, the devil is in the details. We should clearly understand what kind of claim we put forward. If we speak about the claims of ownership, it is another question, if it comes to losing a relative, then another concept is required. If we speak about the property “inherited” by the state, then the procedure is quite different. In each concrete case the details should be understood. The recognition is too important to put forward the claims arising directly from the Genocide. What is the legal point of view on the compensation of lands? The issue of territorial compensation is very complex indeed in terms of disjoining relevant areas from the legal ancestor of the Ottoman Empire and joining them to Armenia… We can say that this issue does not arise directly from the Genocide, but is interrelated with the Armenian issue. After all, we should not forget that disjoining of those territories from the Ottoman Empire is conditioned by a very important circumstance: the Ottoman Empire failed to prove to the international community that it is able to ensure the security of its Armenian citizens. That is why this territory could not be under the reign of the Ottoman Empire any more. Today, of course, no Armenians are left in these territories also due to the Genocide. I don’t want to express any opinion on this issue, but I must mention the following: though in many cases the losses incurred due to the Genocide and ways of solving the Armenian issue are interrelated, but they are different phenomena. One thing is for sure – today there isn’t any complete, full bilateral or even multilateral treaty between Armenia and Turkey, not arising any suspicion, complying with international norms and ratified by all parties. Turkey qualified the decision made by the RA Constitutional Court regarding Armenian-Turkish protocols on 12 January, 2010 as a main obstacle for the progress of Armenian-Turkish relations and ratification of protocols. Your comments, please. What is written in the decision of the Constitutional Court is written. This much… From the constitutional point of view, is the claim of Armenia on recognizing the Armenian Genocide able to record a relevant result? Regulation of the issue of the Armenian Genocide through legislative measures; I am very subjective. Many people may disagree with me, but I think that according to the international law the Genocide itself is a crime. Therefore, the sanctions should be formulated in the due manner. And if it is so, only and only legally one should try to achieve the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and relevant compensation. The contemporary world, as compared to the world that existed some 20-30 years ago, where the idea of imposing sanctions on the state merely for the crime called the Genocide was doubted, has substantially changed. Today the punishment mechanisms which are directed towards the crime against the international law seem to gradually gain strength and develop. In the light of the very development we should further the processes. Of course, here we definitely need a simultaneous approach between different institutions of Armenia and Diaspora both from legal and political point of view. It is not an easy task. After all, we don’t deal with a case where one person was assassinated; we deal with a criminal policy, which lasted for many years, where tens of thousands participated, hundreds of thousands reaching up to one million died. No matter how hard we tried to solve this issue on the legal platform, sometimes the legality is pushed out to the second plan… The issue of Genocide is a headache for Turkey Sergey Minasyan Armenian political parties and the Armenian Genocide Lilit Gasparyan It is not as hopeless on the human level as it is in politics Levon Barseghyan The Karabakh conflict in the Armenian policy of Turkey Armenia-Turkey, the necessary distinction between reconciliation and normalization of relations Without genocide issue, the unity of Armenia could be in danger Mensur Akgün Domestic policies of Armenia and Turkey state the agenda of relations Diba Nigar Göksel The never ending tension between Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaïdjan Arzu Geybullayeva Exhibition at Diyarbakir - 24th April 2014 The exhibition "99" for 24th April 2014 presented to the press at Diyarbakir A historical 24th April in Diyarbakir Partners on the “Repair” project: Follow @Repairfuture Copyright © 2011 REPAIR - Armeno-Turkish Platform. All rights reserved.

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Altered plasma levels of nerve growth factor and transforming growth factor-β2 in type-1 diabetes mellitus Sami T. Azar, Stella Major, Bared Safieh-Garabedian Nerve growth factor (NGF) and transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2) are cytokines which have known immunological effects. An elevated level of NGF has been reported in certain autoimmune diseases, whereas TGF-β2 is an immunosuppressor which is known to play a role in regulating cell proliferation. A role of this cytokine has been proposed in the pathogenesis of type-1 diabetes mellitus (IDDM), but no clinical studies have yet measured its serum level in this disease. In this study we measured the levels of NGF and TGF-β2 in the sera of patients with IDDM (n = 26) and values were compared to those of age-matched normal subjects (n = 27) and also to patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (n = 26) with similar HbAlc levels and an equal duration of diabetes. Serum NGF levels were significantly elevated in IDDM patients compared to those of age-matched controls (p < .001) and NIDDM controls (p < .01). TGF-β2 levels were lower in IDDM patients when compared with the healthy control (p < .001) and the NIDDM control (p < .05). There was no correlation between the levels of NGF and TGF-β2. The duration of diabetes and the level of HbAlc did not affect the NGF and TGF-β2 levels in the IDDM patients. We conclude that an increase in NGF and a suppression in TGF-β2 levels are present in patients with type-1 diabetes mellitus and that both cytokines may play independent roles in the pathogenesis of this disease. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity https://doi.org/10.1006/brbi.1999.0554 Nerve Growth Factor NGF TGF-β2 Type-1 diabetes Azar, S. T., Major, S., & Safieh-Garabedian, B. (1999). Altered plasma levels of nerve growth factor and transforming growth factor-β2 in type-1 diabetes mellitus. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 13(4), 361-366. https://doi.org/10.1006/brbi.1999.0554 Altered plasma levels of nerve growth factor and transforming growth factor-β2 in type-1 diabetes mellitus. / Azar, Sami T.; Major, Stella; Safieh-Garabedian, Bared. In: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, Vol. 13, No. 4, 12.1999, p. 361-366. Azar, ST, Major, S & Safieh-Garabedian, B 1999, 'Altered plasma levels of nerve growth factor and transforming growth factor-β2 in type-1 diabetes mellitus', Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 361-366. https://doi.org/10.1006/brbi.1999.0554 Azar ST, Major S, Safieh-Garabedian B. Altered plasma levels of nerve growth factor and transforming growth factor-β2 in type-1 diabetes mellitus. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 1999 Dec;13(4):361-366. https://doi.org/10.1006/brbi.1999.0554 Azar, Sami T. ; Major, Stella ; Safieh-Garabedian, Bared. / Altered plasma levels of nerve growth factor and transforming growth factor-β2 in type-1 diabetes mellitus. In: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 1999 ; Vol. 13, No. 4. pp. 361-366. @article{60e7ff24554b44e280079d2a8cfbf426, title = "Altered plasma levels of nerve growth factor and transforming growth factor-β2 in type-1 diabetes mellitus", abstract = "Nerve growth factor (NGF) and transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2) are cytokines which have known immunological effects. An elevated level of NGF has been reported in certain autoimmune diseases, whereas TGF-β2 is an immunosuppressor which is known to play a role in regulating cell proliferation. A role of this cytokine has been proposed in the pathogenesis of type-1 diabetes mellitus (IDDM), but no clinical studies have yet measured its serum level in this disease. In this study we measured the levels of NGF and TGF-β2 in the sera of patients with IDDM (n = 26) and values were compared to those of age-matched normal subjects (n = 27) and also to patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (n = 26) with similar HbAlc levels and an equal duration of diabetes. Serum NGF levels were significantly elevated in IDDM patients compared to those of age-matched controls (p < .001) and NIDDM controls (p < .01). TGF-β2 levels were lower in IDDM patients when compared with the healthy control (p < .001) and the NIDDM control (p < .05). There was no correlation between the levels of NGF and TGF-β2. The duration of diabetes and the level of HbAlc did not affect the NGF and TGF-β2 levels in the IDDM patients. We conclude that an increase in NGF and a suppression in TGF-β2 levels are present in patients with type-1 diabetes mellitus and that both cytokines may play independent roles in the pathogenesis of this disease.", keywords = "Autoimmunity, NGF, TGF-β2, Type-1 diabetes", author = "Azar, {Sami T.} and Stella Major and Bared Safieh-Garabedian", doi = "10.1006/brbi.1999.0554", journal = "Brain, Behavior, and Immunity", T1 - Altered plasma levels of nerve growth factor and transforming growth factor-β2 in type-1 diabetes mellitus AU - Azar, Sami T. AU - Major, Stella AU - Safieh-Garabedian, Bared N2 - Nerve growth factor (NGF) and transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2) are cytokines which have known immunological effects. An elevated level of NGF has been reported in certain autoimmune diseases, whereas TGF-β2 is an immunosuppressor which is known to play a role in regulating cell proliferation. A role of this cytokine has been proposed in the pathogenesis of type-1 diabetes mellitus (IDDM), but no clinical studies have yet measured its serum level in this disease. In this study we measured the levels of NGF and TGF-β2 in the sera of patients with IDDM (n = 26) and values were compared to those of age-matched normal subjects (n = 27) and also to patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (n = 26) with similar HbAlc levels and an equal duration of diabetes. Serum NGF levels were significantly elevated in IDDM patients compared to those of age-matched controls (p < .001) and NIDDM controls (p < .01). TGF-β2 levels were lower in IDDM patients when compared with the healthy control (p < .001) and the NIDDM control (p < .05). There was no correlation between the levels of NGF and TGF-β2. The duration of diabetes and the level of HbAlc did not affect the NGF and TGF-β2 levels in the IDDM patients. We conclude that an increase in NGF and a suppression in TGF-β2 levels are present in patients with type-1 diabetes mellitus and that both cytokines may play independent roles in the pathogenesis of this disease. AB - Nerve growth factor (NGF) and transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2) are cytokines which have known immunological effects. An elevated level of NGF has been reported in certain autoimmune diseases, whereas TGF-β2 is an immunosuppressor which is known to play a role in regulating cell proliferation. A role of this cytokine has been proposed in the pathogenesis of type-1 diabetes mellitus (IDDM), but no clinical studies have yet measured its serum level in this disease. In this study we measured the levels of NGF and TGF-β2 in the sera of patients with IDDM (n = 26) and values were compared to those of age-matched normal subjects (n = 27) and also to patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (n = 26) with similar HbAlc levels and an equal duration of diabetes. Serum NGF levels were significantly elevated in IDDM patients compared to those of age-matched controls (p < .001) and NIDDM controls (p < .01). TGF-β2 levels were lower in IDDM patients when compared with the healthy control (p < .001) and the NIDDM control (p < .05). There was no correlation between the levels of NGF and TGF-β2. The duration of diabetes and the level of HbAlc did not affect the NGF and TGF-β2 levels in the IDDM patients. We conclude that an increase in NGF and a suppression in TGF-β2 levels are present in patients with type-1 diabetes mellitus and that both cytokines may play independent roles in the pathogenesis of this disease. KW - Autoimmunity KW - NGF KW - TGF-β2 KW - Type-1 diabetes U2 - 10.1006/brbi.1999.0554 DO - 10.1006/brbi.1999.0554 JO - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity JF - Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 10.1006/brbi.1999.0554

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Tay Tay takes a chunk out of Apple [et_social_share] Taylor Swift recently persuaded Apple to pay artists, writers and producers during the three-month period people are trialling their new streaming service for free. I thought I’d have a look at how she pulled it off. Full disclosure #1: I heart Taylor Swift She’s not just the perfect pop star. She might even be the perfect human being. She’s talented, she’s beautiful, she’s intelligent, she’s funny. She’s got it all. So much so, that I can’t quite believe she wasn’t made in a lab by the government, or rescued as a baby from the wreckage of a UFO. I believe we are lucky to be living in the age of Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Beyoncé. I believe we will be talking about these women in fifty years in the way we talk about Madonna or Gloria Estefan now. Full disclosure #2: I am an independent musician who stands to benefit personally from Taylor’s intervention in the pop economy As well as being Quietroom’s Strategy Director, I’m a singer-songwriter who’s sung in the Albert Hall, recorded at Abbey Road, and once supported Cannon and Ball in a working men’s club in South Wales. Despite this glittering CV, I have on occasion struggled to make ends meet musically. At times, my ends have barely been on speaking terms. They Skyped, they used to pen pal back when that was a thing, but getting them in a room together has often been hard work. I have spent a small fortune over the years on making music and one of the ways I earn that money back is through iTunes downloads and Spotify streams. So I have my own axe to grind. For these reasons, if you’re looking for an impartial appraisal of Taylor Swift’s rhetorical skills, then you’re barking up the wrong blog. If you want a gushing, fawning fanboy’s rant about how awesome she is, then carry on barking, because I will be throwing bones and squeakies like it’s going out of fashion. So how exactly did Taylor achieve the unachievable and convince Apple that music was worth paying for? Let’s have a look. She starts by being direct and to the point, giving us the punchline in the first sentence. I write this to explain why I’ll be holding back my album, 1989, from the new streaming service, Apple Music. Journalists get taught this trick on day 1 – the inverted pyramid principle front-loads essential information so people can read your opening and get the gist of your story. If people stop there, they already know a lot. If they want more, then they can read on to get the detail. Next, she flatters them, in a way that probably made them blush. I feel this deserves an explanation because Apple has been and will continue to be one of my best partners in selling music and creating ways for me to connect with my fans. I respect the company and the truly ingenious minds that have created a legacy based on innovation and pushing the right boundaries. This is smart too. Starting off on an adversarial, confrontational footing might make you feel tough, but it also makes you easier to ignore. I’m sure you are aware that Apple Music will be offering a free 3 month trial to anyone who signs up for the service. I’m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months. I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company. Which telling off hit you hardest – the one from the angry teacher, or the disappointed one? Taylor expected better from you, progressive and generous Apple. You can imagine them reading it, and actually deflating. This is not about me. Thankfully I am on my fifth album and can support myself, my band, crew, and entire management team by playing live shows. This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success. This is about the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt. This is about the producer who works tirelessly to innovate and create, just like the innovators and creators at Apple are pioneering in their field…but will not get paid for a quarter of a year’s worth of plays on his or her songs. This is the killer paragraph. She begins by subtly showing us that she has mouths to feed – which makes it much harder to dismiss her arguments as the whingeing of a rich kid (or indeed, the whinging, depending on which spelling you prefer). She then does what all great communicators do all the time – she climbs down the ladder of abstraction. The ladder of abstraction is a cognitive model that describes the relationship between abstract ideas and concrete specifics. If Taylor stayed at the top, talking about the plight of the struggling artist and the principle that they should be paid for the art they create, then she’d stay abstract, and her argument would be harder to latch on to. But she climbs down, talking about bands releasing their single, young songwriters getting their first cut, producers innovating. With each example, her argument becomes more concrete and therefore more persuasive. Just when I thought I’d reached peak crush, she has a go at a bit of framing. The science of framing tells us that the way we present information shapes how people react to it. It’s the reason why some people talk about the bedroom tax, while others prefer the spare room subsidy. What Taylor does is call three months a ‘quarter of a year’, which makes it sound bigger. Playing with the units like this is classic framing, and it works. Because she’s Taylor Swift and she’s awesome, she then climbs up the ladder of abstraction again, zooming out to look at the big picture. Having earlier channelled the disappointed teacher, she’s now playing the nurturing parent, by criticising the behaviour not the child. Note also, that in Taylor’s argument, artists, writers and producers aren’t scared of Apple because they’re a gigantic globe-spanning mega-corporation, but because they admire and respect them so much. Flattery, once again, gets you everywhere. Finally, check out Taylor’s parallel structure. OK, that came out sounding sleazier than I wanted. I’m old enough to be her dad, for heaven’s sake. What I mean is – it’s rhetorically pleasing when she mirrors ideas like ‘complaints’ and ‘sentiments’, like respecting Apple but not ‘this particular call’. It’s persuasive, and a sign that her writing’s underpinned by some clear thinking. Let’s jump ahead to her final paragraph. It’s a beauty. … I say to Apple with all due respect, it’s not too late to change this policy and change the minds of those in the music industry who will be deeply and gravely affected by this. I love ‘It’s not too late to change’. It feels like an appeal to Apple’s better nature, rather than a demand. And I love her closing one-two: We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation. This is more parallel structure (‘We don’t’/’Please don’t’). It forces Apple to make a mental comparison between a product they want to sell, and the work musicians would like to sell. It’s also a great example of using variation in sentence length to create pace and impact. That short sentence really pops out of the page, especially as it follows lots of long ones. So Taylor changed Apple’s mind with the persuasive power of language. Yes, it helped that she’s one of the world’s biggest selling acts and that Apple wants to make a margin on those streams and downloads. Yes, it helped that she has 1200 bazillion Twitter followers whose sentiment affects Apple’s share price. Yes, it helped that hers was not the only voice urging Apple to change course. But it’s also a clever, articulate piece of advocacy that people will write case studies about for years to come.

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A Case-based Exercise in Getting Comfortable with Insulin Therapy Using Insulin to Bring Patients Safely to Target 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ 1.0 AANP Contact Hours 0.75 Pharmacology The accreditation for this activity has expired. Primary Audience: Primary Care Physicians; Nurse Practitioners; Physician Assistants and other clinicians managing patients with Diabetes Type 2 diabetes; insulin Davida Kruger Davida F. Kruger, MSN, APN-BC, BC-ADM Certified Nurse Practitioner Henry Ford Health System Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Bone and Mineral Disease Ms. Kruger has been a certified nurse practitioner in diabetes at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, MI, for more than 35 years. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing degree from Wayne State University in Detroit and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Boston College, in Boston, MA. Her role includes both clinical practice and research, and she is board-certified in both primary care and advanced diabetes management. Ms. Kruger has been a co-investigator on numerous studies of diabetes interventions and care, including the National Institutes of Health-funded multicenter EDIC and ACCORD trials. She lectures extensively throughout the United States on maximizing outcomes in diabetes and diabetes management. She is a past Chair of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Research Foundation and has served on the ADA Research Policy Committee. She is also an ADA Past President, Health Care and Education. She has published more than 50 abstracts, articles, and chapters on diabetes management and authored the 2006 second edition of The Diabetes Travel Guide. She has also served as editor-in-chief of two American Diabetes Association (ADA) journals, Diabetes Spectrum and Clinical Diabetes. Mark Stolar, MD Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine Mark Stolar, MD, is Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, General Internal Medicine, and Geriatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. Dr Stolar received his medical degree from the University of Illinois, Chicago. He completed his fellowship in Endocrinology at the Northwestern University Medical School and his residency in internal medicine at Lutheran General Hospital. Dr Stolar is board certified in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism, and internal medicine. Dr Stolar’s academic interests include diabetes, lipid disorders, and thyroid disease. A highly regarded speaker, he is actively involved in physician education in the area of diabetes and CV disease and has both written and presented in the US and internationally in those areas. He is currently president of the Endocrine Fellows Foundation and is actively involved in enhancing career opportunities for trainees in Endocrinology. Javier Morales, MD, FACP, FACE Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell University Advanced Internal Medicine Group, P.C. East Hills, NY Dr. Morales is in private practice with the Advanced Internal Medicine Group in East Hills, NY. After having graduated from UMDNJ-NJ Medical School, his medical training included residencies at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and North Shore University Hospital where he served as Chief Medical Resident. In addition to numerous publications, he has served as principal investigator for several different studies and clinical trials. He is active in the educational sector and presents at continuing education symposia both nationally and internationally. Dr. Morales serves as clinical instructor for several nurse practitioner programs, physician assistant programs, and the internal medicine residency program at Northwell Health at North Shore University Hospital and Winthrop University Hospital. He is a also Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Northwell School of Medicine at Hofstra University. 1. Identify the barriers between clinicians and patients to discussing and initiating earlier insulin therapy for diabetes management 2. Discuss currently available basal and ultrabasal insulins and their pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamic profiles 3. Describe how best to initiate, utilize and intensify insulin therapy in patients with diabetes while incorporating treatment guidelines and unique patient needs 4. Integrate strategies to improve the patient experience with, and adherence to, insulin therapy 1. Identify the barriers between clinicians and patients to discussing and initiating earlier insulin therapy for diabetes management 2. Discuss currently available basal and ultrabasal insulins and their pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamic profiles 3. Describe how best to initiate, utilize and intensify insulin therapy in patients with diabetes while incorporating treatment guidelines and unique patient needs 4. Integrate strategies to improve the patient experience with, and adherence to, insulin therapy Gregg Sherman, MD Chief Medical Officer/Course Director National Association for Continuing Education Sandy Bihlmeyer, M.Ed. Michelle Frisch, MPH, CHCP Sheila Lucas, CWEP Joshua Kilbridge, President Kilbridge Associates PROGRAM OVERVIEW: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, and its prevalence has been increasing. The disease is characterized by progressive failure of pancreatic β-cell function, leading to increasing difficulty in maintaining glycemic control. Even with multiple oral antidiabetic drugs, many patients need insulin therapy to achieve and maintain glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) targets. Early initiation of insulin therapy can reduce morbidity in patients with T2DM, but in practice, insulin therapy is underused. Using video clips taken from a live studio broadcast presented as part of Emerging Challenges in Primary Care 2018, this activity will identify the barriers of clinicians and patients for early initiation of insulin therapy, the current available basal and ultrabasal insulins, and how to develop strategies for initiation and intensification of therapies and improve patient adherence. DISCLOSURE POLICY STATEMENT: It is the policy of NACE to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all of its educational activities. NACE assesses conflict of interest with its faculty, planners and managers of CME activities. Conflicts of interest that are identified are resolved by reviewing that presenter's content for fair balance and absence of bias, scientific objectivity of studies utilized in this activity, and patient care recommendations. While NACE endeavors to review faculty content, it remains the obligation of each physician or other healthcare practitioner to determine the applicability or relevance of the information provided from this course in his or her own practice. DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: Mark Stolar, MD serves on the speakers bureau for AstraZeneca. Javier Morales, MD, FACP, FACE serves on the speakers bureau and as a consultant for Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Janssen, and Abbott. Davida F. Kruger, MSN, APN-BC, BC-ADM serves on the advisory board for Novo Nordisk, Abbott, Eli Lilly and Company, Sanofi US, Janssen, Dexcom, and Intarcia. Davida also serves on the speakers bureau for Janssen, Valeritas, AZ, BI/Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Dexcom, Lilly, Abbott, and Insulet. Additionally, she serves on the grants research team for AZ, Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, Hemsley Foundation, Dexcom, Lexicon, Abbott and has stock in Dexcom. Gregg Sherman, MD, has no real or apparent conflicts of interest to report. Sandy Bihlmeyer, M.Ed., has no real or apparent conflicts of interest to report. Michelle Frisch, MPH, CHCP, has no real or apparent conflicts of interest to report. Sheila Lucas, CWEP, has no real or apparent conflicts of interest to report. Josh Kilbridge has no real or apparent conflicts of interest to report. NACE requires that faculty participating in any CME activity disclose to the audience when discussing any unlabeled or investigational use of any commercial product or device not yet approved for use in the United States. The opinions expressed during the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of NACE. The information is presented for the purpose of advancing the attendees' professional development. The National Association for Continuing Education is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. National Association for Continuing Education is approved as a provider of nurse practitioner continuing education by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. AANP Provider Number 121222. This CME activity was planned and produced in accordance with the ACCME Essentials and the AANP CE Standards and Policies and AANP Commercial Support Standards. For CME questions, please contact: NACE at info@naceonline.com Contact this CME provider for privacy and confidentiality policy statement information at: http://www.naceonline.com/privacy_policy.php NACE designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. National Association for Continuing Education is approved as a provider of nurse practitioner continuing education by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. AANP Provider Number 121222. This program has been approved for 1.0 contact hours of continuing education (which includes 0.75 hours of pharmacology). TO OBTAIN CME CREDITS Read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures. Participate in the activity. Complete the post-test and activity evaluation. Physicians who successfully complete the post-test and evaluation will receive CME credit. Nurse Practitioners who successfully complete the post-test and evaluation will receive AANP CE credit. You must score 60% or higher on the post-test to receive credit for this activity. All other participants who successfully complete the post-test and evaluation will receive a certificate of participation. COURSE FORMAT/MEDIUM: Internet CME Activity ESTIMATED TIME TO COMPLETE: 60 minutes This activity is sponsored by the National Association for Continuing Education. This educational activity is supported by an independent educational grant from Sanofi US. If you have any questions regarding this activity, send an email to info@naceonline.com. Copyright © 2018 National Association for Continuing Education. All rights reserved. These materials may be used for personal use only. Any rebroadcast, distribution, or reuse of this presentation or any part of it in any form for other than personal use without the express written permission of NACE is prohibited. 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Sacked In the City Stan and Ollie Review The Laurel and Hardy movie has divided opinion, but this is only to be expected. Fans of the comedy duo knew it was an incredibly big ask to attempt to do justice to a biographic which aims to depict the pair in the twilight of their glittering Hollywood careers. After all, Laurel and Hardy were consummate comedic craftsmen, so not only did the actors need to look and sound like the duo, they needed to perfect their timing and skills. A masterpiece of caricatureand impersonation John C Reilly and Steve Coogan both undoubtedly pull off the task of impersonation superbly, infact,it would be almost impossible to conceive of better actors to play Stan and Ollie. It is obvious that Reilly and Coogan have studied their heroes for many years, as even the most minor of nuances and behaviours is woven in effortlessly. The movie is set in the early 1950sin a period towards the end of Laurel and Hardy’s career, during a tour of Britain, after the poorly received release of their last feature-length film, Atoll K. But we first see the effect of the costumes, makeup, and suitability of Reilly and Coogan on the set of the classic 1937 movie, Way Out West. Already major stars by this point, Stan is coming to the end of his contract with Hal Roachand is considering his options. But no sooner do we see a glimpse into the behind the scenes banter between shoots, then the pair kick into action to perform their now infamous dance in front of a bustling backdrop of horse and carts and men and women going about their business in a wild west township. The manner by which the pair switch on the charm is uncanny, as filming starts to roll. Fast forward 16 years The movie then jumps forward 16 years to the early stages of a British tour. Audience numbers are low, but over time, the popularity of the shows gain traction as Stan and Ollie win over the public, such isthe persistence of their talent and charisma, and their willingness to work hard. Stan truly believes that many good years remain ahead of them, as he tries to secure funds for a new film on the theme of Robin Hood, to be shot at the end of the tour. For many who grew up watching their films, even decades after their deaths, it may come as something of a surprise to know that they were anything other than revered for their entire lives. However, in their later years, not only were they short on money, they were in poor health (especially Ollie), and out of fashion in the United States. Abbott and Costello had taken their mantle in the cinemas, and Norman Wisdom was the start of the stage; times had moved on. One of the wonderful aspects of the film is how well Nina Arianda and Shirley Henderson play the wives of Stan and Ollie, Ida and Lucille, almost mirroring the relationships of their husbands. What comes across is how devoted, loving, and protective they were towards their spouses, and how fiercely they would defend their husband’s honour. Russian-born Ida has some of the best lines in the film, with her wit and bluntness almost refreshing against a backdrop of entertainment industry sycophants. The movie balances the comedic and tragic superbly, touching on the sad aspects such as their failing health and the undertone of distrust which continues to erode their relationship. That misgiving was rooted in a ‘betrayal’ when Ollie made the 1939 film, Zenobia, without his sidekick – a fact that Stan cannot forget. In one scene which highlights this tension, Stan says, “I loved us’, and Ollie replies: “But you never loved me”. As the film progresses, the toll of the duo’s relentless workload becomes increasingly apparent, and in doing so brings matters to a head, forcing Stan and Ollie to transcend their aged disagreement. It’s a wrap The movie is a perfect tribute to Laurel and Hardy, which celebrates their enduring talent while not shying away from the sad realities away from the stage or camera. If anything, it will make you want to watch the Laurel and Hardy back catalogue as soon as you get home, but with over 100 films, this may take some time. Enjoy. BDBF are employment law specialists. Contact us on 020 3828 0350 for employment law advice. Movie Review – The Wife Film Review: “Avengers: Infinity War” Film Review: “Isle of Dogs” Analysing Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Film Review: “Coco” Sacked in the City…part of the BDBF Group. For more information on Employment Law please visit www.bdbf.co.uk. Visit BDBF Employment Law News Will Robots And The Internet Take Your Job? Will we soon see US corporations with a conscience? Have you Considered Digital Healing? Be Inspired by City Running Clinical Hypnotherapy – demystifying hypnotherapy as a powerful tool to overcome mental health issues If you would like to receive our regular newsletter please fill in the details below Copyright © 2018 Brahams Dutt Badrick French LLP. Site design and build by Phase.

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Medical (17) Apply Medical filter Medical - Clinical Science (17) Apply Medical - Clinical Science filter Medical - Basic Science (13) Apply Medical - Basic Science filter (-) Remove Institutional filter Institutional true (3) Apply true filter Grant (19) Apply Grant filter National Institutes of Health (15) Apply National Institutes of Health filter Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (1) Apply Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research filter National Endowment for the Humanities (1) Apply National Endowment for the Humanities filter National Science Foundation (1) Apply National Science Foundation filter Federal (18) Apply Federal filter Deadline: 11/11/2017 Nuclear Physics - Theory National Science Foundation Discipline: Award Amount: See solicitation for details 8/03/2017 Deadline: 11/02/2017 Clinical Sites for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) Phase II (U01) National Institutes of Health Discipline: Deadline: 11/02/2017 Coordinating Center for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) Phase II (U01) National Institutes of Health Discipline: Deadline: 11/02/2017 Model Organisms Screening Center for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) Phase II (U54) National Institutes of Health Discipline: Deadline: 11/02/2017 Sequencing Core(s) for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) Phase II (U01) National Institutes of Health Discipline: Deadline: 11/02/2017 Metabolomics Core for the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) Phase II (U01) National Institutes of Health Discipline: Deadline: 11/03/2017 Implementing Genomics in Practice (IGNITE) II: Pragmatic Clinical Trials – Clinical Groups (U01) National Institutes of Health Discipline: Deadline: 11/03/2017 Implementing Genomics in Practice (IGNITE) II: Pragmatic Clinical Trials –Enhanced Diversity Clinical Groups (U01) National Institutes of Health Discipline: Deadline: 11/29/2017 Next Generation Humanities PhD Planning Grants National Endowment for the Humanities Discipline: Award Amount: $25,000 9/15/2017 Deadline: 11/30/2017 FSR Clinical Studies Network (FSR-CSN) Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research Discipline: Deadline: 9/06/2017 11/03/2017 Chronic Kidney Disease in Children Central Biochemistry Laboratory (U24) National Institutes of Health Discipline: Deadline: 11/30/2017 NINR Exploratory Center (P20) National Institutes of Health Discipline: Deadline: 8/09/2017 11/30/2017 NIOSH Centers of Excellence for Total Worker Health® (U19) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Discipline: Award Amount: $1,300,000 12/16/2016 Deadline: 11/30/2017 NINR Center of Excellence (P30) National Institutes of Health Discipline: Deadline: 11/03/2017 Implementing Genomics in Practice (IGNITE) II: Pragmatic Clinical Trials –Coordinating Center (U01) National Institutes of Health Discipline: Deadline: 11/01/2017 George M. O’Brien Kidney Research Core Centers (P30) National Institutes of Health Discipline: Deadline: 11/27/2017 CAPSTONE Centers for Multidisciplinary Research in Child Abuse and Neglect (P50) National Institutes of Health Discipline: Deadline: 8/09/2017 11/30/2017 Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health (U54) National Institutes of Health Discipline: Deadline: 11/02/2017 Center for Identification and Study of Individuals with Atypical Diabetes Mellitus (U54) National Institutes of Health Discipline:

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Kilim Shoes + Sandals + Limited Edition + Bulldog Embroidered Camouflage Pony Hair Expresso Suede Midnight Suede Ostrich Leather Snuff Suede The Most Interesting Facts & Trivia from the Winter Olympic Games By Cole Crouch February 14, 2018 The modern Olympics have a rich history of tradition through travel. For more than 100 years, athletes, spectators and media have traveled the globe over to compete, celebrate, and cover the Games, together. A story of its own, the Olympic flame and torch has traveled afoot around the world and even into space! After reading through all facts on the Olympic website collected about every Winter Games ever played, we thought we’d share some of our favorite moments with you. For the next week, you can stump your family, friends, and co-workers with these tidbits of Olympic history. Oh, and some are specific to fashion and travel... Chamonix, 1924: For the parade of the delegations during the Opening Ceremony, many athletes marched with their equipment on their shoulder (skis, hockey sticks, etc.). Indeed, according to the rules in place at the time, the athletes had to march in sportswear, and the skis or hockey sticks were part of their equipment. Today, the delegations no longer wear their sportswear, but they try to outdo each other in terms of imagination to appear in all their finery. Lake Placid, 1932: The Governor of the State of New York, Franklin D. Roosevelt, officially opened the games. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 1936: Great Britain caused a major upset by beating Canada in the ice hockey competition. It should be noted, however, that several of the British players were living in Canada at the time but had kept their British passports. 1940 & 1944: No Olympics were held these years because of World War II. St. Moritz, 1948: The Olympics returned after a 12-year break. The US won its first gold medals in figure skating. Olso, 1952: Computers were used for the first time in figure skating, to calculate the scores awarded by the different judges for the compulsory and free programmes. This enabled an athlete’s score to be given immediately. Cortina D’Ampezzo, 1956: The Olympic Oath was sworn by a female athlete, Italian Alpine skier Giuliana Chenal-Minuzzo, for the first time. Also, in its Olympic debut, the USSR conquered more medals than any other nation. Squaw Valley, 1960: When officials became unsure as to whether a skier had missed a gate in the men's slalom they asked CBS-TV if they could review a videotape of the race. This gave CBS the idea of inventing the now ubiquitous "instant replay". Grenoble, 1968: Norway won the most medals, the first time a country other than the USSR had done so. Gender tests for women were introduced, as were doping controls for both men and women. The Grenoble Games were also the first to be broadcast in colour. Sapporo, 1972: Canada did not send a hockey team to Sapporo to protest against the covert professionalism rife in the USSR and Eastern Europe Innsbruck, 1976: The 1976 Games had been awarded to Denver, but the people of the state of Colorado voted to prohibit public funds from being used to support the Games. Lake Placid, 1980: Artificial snow was introduced to the Olympics for the first time. Sarajevo, 1984: Revenues (US$ 102,682,000) from broadcast fees nearly quadrupled from the games at Lake Placid four years prior. Calgary, 1988: The first ever smoke-free Games were held. Albertville, 1992: The 1992 Albertville Olympic Games were the last Winter Games to be staged in the same year as the Summer Games. Nagano, 1998: Curling officially returned for men and women for the first time since the 1924 Olympic Games. Turin, 2006: With population of more than 900,000, Turin is still the largest city to ever host an Olympics game. Sochi, 2014: A record number of 2,780 athletes were entered, more than 40% were women. PyeongChang, 2018: As the parade of athletes reached its finale, there was a truly historic break with tradition. Normal protocol dictates that the honour of being the final NOC to enter the stadium falls to the host nation. However, in PyeongChang, the Republic of Korea delegation was joined by their counterparts from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Korea, marching together as Korea in a hugely powerful act of the Olympic spirit’s ability to engender camaraderie and peace. Go America! Go world! #OurBrandisTravel Cole Crouch Res Ipsa Opens Atelier & Showroom in Marrakech Res Ipsa Opens Pop-Up in Dallas Res Ipsa Opens Pop-up in L.A. Subscribe to our newsletter and don't miss a thing. Copyright © 2020 RES IPSA.

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Manuel Laguna http://leeds-faculty.colorado.edu/laguna Manuel Laguna is the Director of Global Initiatives and the MediaOne Professor of Management Science at the Leeds School of Business of the University of Colorado Boulder. He started his academic career at the University of Colorado in 1990, after receiving master’s (1987) and doctoral (1990) degrees in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He has done extensive research in the interface between computer science, artificial intelligence and operations research, resulting in over one hundred publications, including four books. He has received research funding from private industry and government agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research and the Environmental Protection Agency. Manuel is also a co-founder of OptTek Systems, a Boulder-based software and consulting company that provides optimization solutions. He is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Heuristics and has been Division Chair, Senior Associate Dean and Interim Dean at the Leeds School of Business. Advanced Business Analytics Capstone Communicating Business Analytics Results Business Analytics for Decision Making

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Nr 34 (2015): Ibsen and World Drama(s) / Goethe, Marx, Ibsen and the creation of a world literature Martin Puchner UiT - HSL-fakultetet. This essay was first presented at an Ibsen workshop at the Center for Ibsen Studies in Oslo in 2011 and further developed as a keynote address at the XIIIth International Ibsen Conference in Tromsø in the summer of 2012. Participants in both events helped me significantly develop this piece, including Tore Rem, Frode Helland, Narve Fulsa˚s, and Lisbeth Pettersen Wærp. First printed in Ibsen Studies 2013, vol. 13, no. 4. Forfatterbiografi Martin Puchner, UiT - HSL-fakultetet. MARTIN PUCHNER received his PhD from Harvard University in 1998. After teaching at Columbia University for 12 years, he returned to Harvard, where he is the Byron and Anita Wien Professor of Drama and of English and Comparative Literature. Among his publications are The Drama of Ideas: Platonic Provocations in Theater and Philosophy (Oxford, 2010; winner of the Joe A. Callaway Prize for best book in drama or theater), Poetry of the Revolution: Marx, Manifestos, and the Avant-Gardes (Princeton, 2006; winner of the James Russell Lowell Award for best book in literary criticism awarded by the MLA), and Stage Fright: Modernism, Anti-Theatricality and Drama (Hopkins, 2002, 2011). He is the founding director of the Mellon School of Theater and Performance Research at Harvard University. E-mail: puchner@fas.harvard.edu Puchner, Martin. 2015. «Goethe, Marx, Ibsen and the Creation of a World Literature». Nordlit, nr. 34 (februar), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.7557/13.3349. Nr 34 (2015): Ibsen and World Drama(s) Opphavsrett 2015 Martin Puchner Forfattere som publiserer i dette tidsskriftet aksepterer følgende vilkår:

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Reading: Introducing our Editorial Board Introducing our Editorial Board Gültekin Gürdal , Izmir High Institute of Technology (IYTE) About Gültekin Lori Carlin Director of Fulfillment and Marketing How to Cite: Gürdal, G. and Carlin, L., 2011. Introducing our Editorial Board. Serials, 24(2), p.114. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1629/24114 Gültekin Gürdal is a professional librarian and has been Library Director at the Izmir High Institute of Technology (IYTE) since 2005. He is current Chair of the Turkish University Libraries Consortium (ANKOS), one of the biggest consortia in Europe and the Middle East, with over 140 member institutions, dealing with more than 60 international publishers. Gültekin holds a Bachelor of Library Science degree from Hacettepe University and an MBA from Kocaeli University. He has worked at the Turkish Scientific Technical Research Organization and the universities of Bilkent, Sabanci and TOBB. He was recruited as a director at IYTE to set up a library for the institution. This involved managing complex library system implementation and various Web 2.0 applications. His skills include electronic library management, online databases, e-journals and e-books, multimedia hardware and applications. Gültekin is experienced in library building design and operations planning, and has recently been working on issues of library management, performance measurement and marketing of information services. Active membership of several organizations – Turkish Librarians' Association, University Librarians' Association and ANKOS Boards – helps to keep Gültekin at the forefront of the industry, and he has delivered papers at various conferences and has published in local and international titles, including Serials. He also serves on the advisory boards of a number of publishers and plays an active part in meetings and workshops, especially in the area of electronic publishing. In his spare time, Gültekin enjoys spending time with his two-year-old daughter. He is also the proud father of a 17-year-old son, who is following in his footsteps to become a librarian and is studying library science at university. Lori Carlin is Director of Fulfillment and Marketing at AIP Publishing (American Institute of Physics) where she heads up development and implementation of strategic sales and marketing efforts, and is business owner of its fulfillment activities. Lori has been involved in the STM community since 1980, by sheer fate. With a Theater Arts degree in hand, she set out to find a job to pay the bills while pursuing a career in theater. She soon found herself on site at a society annual meeting, running the administrative office. She has not looked back since. That led to a 15-year stint directing membership, subscription and marketing activities for individual membership societies, such as the Society of Nuclear Medicine, prior to joining AIP in 1997. While she still claims to aspire to a career in the theater “when she grows up”, Lori does not underestimate the connection between her acting and directing education/training, and the skills she currently needs. As a provider of partnerships, Lori's role covers AIP's own catalog of core physics publications, as well as having varying levels of responsibility for around 30 publishers/partners and 200+ titles that AIP supports. In her marketing role, Lori regularly attends and/or provides sponsorship of library conferences, such as SLA, ALA, ER&L, NASIG, Charleston Conference and UKSG, and industry events like the Frankfurt Book Fair and Online Information. Aside from live theater, Lori is an avid downhill skier, and an active Cub Scout Mom, who has actually been known to say the words ‘camping’ and ‘fabulous time’ in the same sentence! She does have a recently-developed aversion to volcanoes and ash clouds, dating back to roughly April 2010. Gürdal, G. and Carlin, L., 2011. Introducing our Editorial Board. Serials, 24(2), p.114. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1629/24114 Gürdal G, Carlin L. Introducing our Editorial Board. Serials. 2011;24(2):114. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1629/24114 Gürdal, G., & Carlin, L. (2011). Introducing our Editorial Board. Serials, 24(2), 114. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1629/24114 Gürdal G and Carlin L, ‘Introducing Our Editorial Board’ (2011) 24 Serials 114 DOI: http://doi.org/10.1629/24114 Gürdal, Gültekin, and Lori Carlin. 2011. “Introducing Our Editorial Board”. Serials 24 (2): 114. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1629/24114 Gürdal, Gültekin, and Lori Carlin. “Introducing Our Editorial Board”. Serials 24, no. 2 (2011): 114. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1629/24114 Gürdal, G.and L. Carlin. “Introducing Our Editorial Board”. Serials, vol. 24, no. 2, 2011, p. 114. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1629/24114

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Careersadmin2019-10-15T18:49:29+00:00 Start Your Career At Scarlett House Food Group Today Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Scarlett House Catering Inc. is committed to providing a respectful, accessible and inclusive environment for all employees and visitors. We support the standards set by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and fully comply with all regulations. Multi-Year Accessibility Plan: Scarlett House Catering Inc. has established and implements a Multi-Year Accessibility Plan outlining the Scarlett House Catering Inc’s strategy to prevent and remove barriers and meet its requirements under the Regulation. This includes: ensuring the Multi-Year Accessibility Plan is available and in an accessible format upon request and ensuring the Plan remains current. Integrated Accessibility Standards Policy: Scarlett House Catering Inc. is committed to treating all people in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence. We believe in integration and equal opportunity and are committed to meeting the needs of persons with disabilities in a timely manner. We will do so by preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Scarlett House Catering Inc. will continue to ensure that its process for receiving and responding to feedback is accessible to persons with disabilities by providing, or arranging for the provision of, accessible formats and communications supports, upon request to HR@ScarlettHouse.ca. We will endeavour to provide a written response with 24-hours of receiving the feedback request. Questions about this Policy This policy has been developed to break down barriers and increase accessibility for persons with disabilities in the areas of information and communications and employment. If anyone has a question about the policy, or if the purpose of a policy is not understood, an explanation will be provided by Human Resources: HR@ScarlettHouse.ca

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Tunnelrunners- Neath Abbey Road CD ~REISSUE W/ RARE 1977 TRACKS! Tunnelrunners- Neath Abbey Road CD. Long overdue reissue from this uncompromising band from the UK. The 28-tracks on this CD sound like an exploding punk-rock firecracker. This release rounds up everything the band recorded from late 1977 up until the early 90’s. These guys were known in the UK as the Welsh Ramones. If you haven’t heard them before you’ll be blown away by their songs and the unique vocals of Madoc because they so biting and ultra catchy! Five of these tracks are from the bands first release that came out in 1981 on Sonic International Records. The next five tracks are from the bands second 7” that only 100 copies were pressed and the remaining 18 tracks are ALL unreleased. The Tunnelrunners are a Neath trio formed by Madoc Roberts and Graham Jones in 1977 and who played around the Swansea area between 1978 and 1982 with a short lived reunion in the early 90’s. They’re another one of the unsung heroes of the first wave UK punk scene that sounds like a combination of the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, the Boys and the Ramones. Quality reissue here with some pretty rare unearthed photos of the band from the late 70’s. Import from the UK.

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View Service Times General Price List Serving Kansas City, Liberty, and Lathrop Missouri 816-523-1234 Phones Answered 24/7 Cox Jr., D.D. “Dave” June 11, 1920 — April 7, 2019 D. D. Cox, of Kansas City, MO, passed away April 7, 2019, at age 98. He is survived by his wife of 71 years, Patricia: His children; Pamela Johnson, Steven Cox, Christopher Cox, Martin Cox, and Jennifer Harris-Bassett: 8 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, his sister, Susie Snyder, 3 nieces: and dear friend Mary Tarwaters. D,D, was born in Pomona, MO. His goal was to become a Physician/Surgeon like his father. As a child, he would travel around southwest MO with his father, assisting him with providing medical treatment. His father carried a Colt 45 strapped to one side of his waist, and a flask of whiskey to the other. He trained D.D. at a very early age - how to use both. As a result, D.D. became an expert shot, and enjoyed a good scotch. He attended the University at Southwest MO State and University of Oregon Medical Program. Because of the escalating war (WWII) he left school to join the Marine Corps in 1942 and served in the Pacific Theater with the 2nd Battalion 8th Marines, Division Intelligence. His specialties included Expert Pistol and Rifle Marksman, and Field Artillery Fire Control. Some of his major campaigns included The Battles of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa. He was distinguished for an act of heroism during the Saipan campaign for rescuing fellow Marines from an exploding ammo dump that the opposing forces had bombed, where he suffered personal injury. He was honorably discharged with distinguished service from the Marine Corps in October, 1945. He married his wife Patricia in 1947, and they raised five children. He owned a residential construction company, sold real estate for many years, and had a full and interesting life. He was an avid tennis player and played in his 80’s until he sustained an injury from an automobile incident. He loved football, baseball, basketball, children all animals, and had a soft spot for dogs. He wanted to help people and save lives. In honor of his wishes, the family is asking that in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield, MO | 417-862-9249. https://www.bgclubspringfield.org/ The family also wishes to express their gratitude and love to Mary and all those who were involved in his caretaking as D.D.’s health declined including Carondelet Place and Ascend Hospice. Additionally, many thanks to Park Lawn Funeral Home, especially Hank, Rick, Jenny. A service will be held at Park Lawn Funeral Home, 8251 Hillcrest Road, Kansas City, MO 64138, Monday, April 15 at 1:00 PM. Cox Jr., D.D. “Dave”'s Guestbook I met D.D. when he first came to the long-care facility he was recently at. He was a nice and humorous gentleman and I enjoyed being around him. My husband, Jeff, enjoyed speaking with him when we came up. We are very sorry for your loss and will be praying for the family and friends. Mary L Winter Sign Cox Jr., D.D. “Dave”'s Guestbook Thank you for visiting the guest book. All messages are reviewed prior to being published, there will be a delay prior to your message being displayed above. Post Custom Field* Park Lawn Funeral Home | 816-523-1234 | [email protected] © 2020 Copyright & Powered By Summit Media Solutions Memorial Park Cemetery Assoc. of MO dba: Park Lawn Funeral Home, Park Lawn Northland Chapel, and Park Lawn Lathrop Chapel

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WINDOWS 10: A RETREAT AND A REVOLUTION By Michael Castelluccio On July 29, Microsoft will release its newest operating system (OS), Windows 10. The new OS will quell the grumbling among those who haven’t adjusted to the big-tile user interface of Windows 8. But more than that, it will become the universal engine that can be installed on all types of computers, from the servers at work to the chips in your refrigerator at home. The goal is to round out a user base of one billion computers running Windows 10. Microsoft watchers have commented on the ambitious scope of this new OS. The base upon which all of it rests is a “universal apps” concept—one OS serving all platforms. Windows 8.1 had four versions; Windows 10 will have seven: Home, Enterprise, Professional, Mobile, Mobile Enterprise, IoT (Internet of Things), and Education. Each version will be adapted to the specific platform, but the shared code amongst all the versions will encourage the development of apps that are truly universal. In his book Inside Windows 10, Windows product analyst Onuora Amobi describes the benefits: “Developers could write less code and have their program run on multiple platforms. Consumers in turn could use these new programs across multiple devices and not have to worry about compatibility.” First announced in September 2014, Windows 10 evolved throughout the stages of testing, watched by four million volunteers in the Windows Insider Program. Participants have been testing and commenting on each stage of the program’s evolution. If that brings to mind the Open Source law of software development (“given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow”), that’s precisely what’s going on here. And this is part of the revolution. For most of its existence, Microsoft enshrined the proprietary model of development, self-contained and solely owned, miles away from the Open-Source community development of projects like the free Linux OS and Apache software. WHAT’S NEW IN 10 Amobi describes the new OS as “the most comprehensive and exhaustive overhaul of Microsoft’s Windows franchise in the history of the company. It is a complete rethinking of Windows from top to bottom.” Well, that’s fine, but first Microsoft had to deal with widespread complaints about abandoning the Windows 7 home interface in version 8.1. With Windows 10 the company will take a half-step back and reintroduce the Windows 7 Start menu along with elements from Windows 8/8.1 with large tiles that open full-screen apps. The new features in Windows 10 include enhanced Cortana, a new browser called Project Spartan, new Mail and Calendar apps, virtual desktops, an Xbox app, and a Continuum feature that allows you to switch between PC and tablet interfaces. The Charms panel from Windows 8/8.1 has been replaced with a single Settings menu. PROJECT SPARTAN At the beginning of the year, the Internet Explorer browser had a market share of more than 55%. A distant second was Google Chrome with about 12%. For Windows 10, Microsoft will dump the Internet Explorer browser for a new faster, more lightweight browser that uses Edge technology for rendering pages. A copy of the older Internet Explorer 11 will be included in Windows 10 in order to be compatible with legacy and enterprise websites. Spartan, or it might be called “Edge,” allows you to directly mark up Web pages and then share them. It also comes with built-in support for offline and PDF reading. Cortana is a virtual assistant, like Apple’s Siri, and it will be embedded in almost all Windows 10 devices—desktops, laptops, tablets, and more. Built on the Bing search engine, Cortana isn’t only for search. It learns as it interacts with you. It can set reminders, and because it keeps a record of your preferences, it can be predictive and offer suggestions. Ultimately you have the ability to edit and remove personal information you would rather Cortana not store. Merriam-Webster defines “continuum” as “a coherent whole characterized as a collection.” Microsoft demonstrated the concept in its preview of Windows 10 by showing how the OS can work seamlessly across form factors. With a Surface Pro 3 two-in-one computer, you can switch between a tablet with touch controls and a laptop that has a keyboard and mouse (or touchpad). Just remove the keyboard, and the device switches to tablet. Windows 10 is a very ambitious undertaking, but it could help Microsoft finally migrate off the desktop and onto mobile devices and the wider world of the IoT. Michael Castelluccio has been the Technology Editor for Strategic Finance for 25 years. His SF Technotes blog is in its 22nd year. You can contact Mike at mcastelluccio@imanet.org. 0 No Comments Digital Twins Invade Industry Book Review: Optimizing Big Data Tools of the Trade: March 2019 Siri’s Competition

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Attention grabbers for expository essays for kids How to write a novel in a month pdf Unravel me Home check homework help History of parliament dissertation prize History of parliament dissertation prize George, Tucker's Town, utilities, water sports, Warwick, weather, wildlife, work permits. Beginning of the end of the era of English indentured servants as cheap field and house labor in Bermuda. They were replaced by slaves acquired mostly from Africa via the West Indies, a few from Central America. Tsien for their work on green fluorescent protein or GFP. However, Douglas Prasher was the first to clone the GFP gene and suggested its use as a biological tracer. Martin Chalfie stated, " Douglas Prasher 's work was critical and essential for the work we did in our lab. They could've easily given the prize to Douglas and the other two and left me out. Somorjai and Ertl had previously shared the Wolf Prize for Chemistry in The Nobel Prize committee's decision to exclude Somorjai was criticized in the surface-science community [28] and remains mysterious. This is a central technique in molecular biology which allows for the amplification of specified DNA sequences. Gobind Khoranahad an earlier and better claim to the discovery dating from Three decades after winning the Nobel, Calvin published an autobiography titled "Following the trail of light" about his scientific journey which didn't mention Benson. Others Henry Eyring — allegedly failed to receive the prize because of his Mormon faith. He completed his first periodic table in However, a year earlier, another chemist, Julius Lothar Meyerhad reported a somewhat similar table. InJohn Alexander Reina Newlandspresented a paper that first proposed a periodic law. However, none of these tables were correct—the 19th century tables arranged the elements in order of increasing atomic weight or atomic mass. It was left to the English physicist Henry Moseley to base the periodic table on the atomic number the number of protons. Mendeleyev died insix years after the first Nobel Prizes were awarded. He came within one vote of winning inbut died the next year. Hargittai claimed that Mendeleyev's omission was due to behind-the-scenes machinations of one dissenter on the Nobel Committee who disagreed with his work. Although it is governed by the same rules as the others, many, including members of the Nobel family, criticized this prize for violating Nobel's intent. As of [update]the faculty of the University of Chicago had garnered nine Prizes—far more than any other university. This led to claims of bias against alternative or heterodox economics. Krugman was a fierce critic of George W. The award produced charges of a left-wing bias, with headlines such as "Bush critic wins Nobel for economics", prompting the prize committee to deny "the committee has ever taken a political stance. The award caused international protests, mostly by the radical left, [40] because of Friedman's association with Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. During MarchFriedman visited Chile and gave lectures on inflation, meeting with Pinochet and other government officials. Many indisputably major authors have been ignored by the Nobel Committee, possibly for political or extra-literary reasons. Sweden's historic antipathy towards Russia was cited as the reason neither Tolstoy nor Anton Chekhov took the prize. During World War I and its immediate aftermath, the committee adopted a policy of neutrality, favoring writers from non-combatant countries. Narayanan Indian writer known for his works set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi and the abridged versions of the Indian epics — The Ramayana and The Mahabharata. Despite being nominated and shortlisted for the Nobel Prize in Literature multiple times, [44] Narayan never won the honor. Graham Greene who took it upon himself to work as Narayan's agent for his works, in the 60s expressed confidence that Narayan would one day win the Nobel Prize.Bermuda's History from to Eighteenth century events with role in American Revolutionary War and afterwards. By Keith Archibald Forbes (see About Us) exclusively for Bermuda Online. After his death in , the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel established the Nobel Prizes. Nobel's will specified that annual prizes are to be awarded for service to humanity in the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and ashio-midori.comrly, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel is awarded along with the Nobel Prizes. Dissertation prize history - Allow us to help with your Master thesis. professional scholars working in the company will accomplish your task within the deadline Order the . Book and Dissertation Prizes The competitions for books and dissertations published in has concluded. Please check back in the fall for prize submission instructions. The Nobel Prize in Literature (Swedish: Nobelpriset i litteratur) is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since , to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction" (original Swedish: "den som inom litteraturen har producerat det mest. The RHS History Today prize rewards high-quality work by undergraduates in their final-year dissertations. It is jointly sponsored by the RHS and History Today, and is part of our close association with a magazine which since has been a pioneer in communicating the results of historical scholarship to the general public. Compare and contrast sherman alexie Market segments of hoe hin white Data protection act 1998 and children Faust essays Basic business writing tips Stress and age Born on the fourth of july book essay Fun second grade writing activities The basic civil rights of every american citizen Introduction to the centralsug system essay Site de rencontre tiilt fr Danim cw2 sem2 2014 2015 Nobel Prize controversies - Wikipedia

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Why Mo Farah Must Attempt A World Record Written by runABC Scotland on Wed 21 Aug 2013 Where now should we rank Mo Farah in the history of running? It is a question that has been rumbling through the media and across internet forums since another incredible distance double at last week's World Athletics Championships (writes Chris Broadbent). By winning 5000m and 10,000m gold in Moscow he repeated his feats of the 2012 London Olympics and won his 10th major championship on the track. It left most experts debating his status in the sport, not just in the modern era, but all-time. His name is now mentioned in the same breath as Daley Thompson and Seb Coe as being amongst the best British athletes ever. The least he deserves is to be alongside those greats and he has now probably edged above other British legends such as Kelly Holmes, Sally Gunnell and Steve Ovett. Even more significantly, having become a multiple global champion, he is now edging closer to the elite band of all-time distance runners that includes Finland's Lasse Viren, Czech legend Emil Zatopek and Ethiopian greats Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele. However, unlike Farah, those four icons succeeded across successive Olympic Games.Mo will have to wait until 2016 until he can join the other distance kings at the very top table of Olympic sport. So what now to enhance his status in the intervening years? Next April he is due to race the Virgin London marathon. It will be his first attempt at the full 26.2mile distance, having experimented by running to half-way in this year's race. Should he win in London, it will be another brilliant title to add to his vast collection. But I am not sure it will be enough to bring him much closer to Viren, Zatopek, Gebreselassie and Bekele. It will prove he has an incredible range, having also mopped up the UK 1500m record this year. But to really enter the debate about who is the best ever, I believe Mo has to break a world record. It would be unfair to compare the times of Zatopek and Viren with times now, they are different eras. Farah's era (I think he has done enough to earn an 'era') overlaps with Bekele's and Gebrselassie's and they have both clocked faster 5000m and 10,000m times. So, when the historians of the future come to assess each runner's merits and they see Mo wasn't as quick as the Ethiopians they are likely to be inclined to rank him lower; even if he does do another double in Rio There is an old cliché is athletics that records can be taken away from you, medals can't. There's no arguing is validity. But record-breaking is at the core of what the sport is all about. Athletics exists to see what is humanly possible. That is why iconic records from athletes such as Roger Bannister, Bob Beamon, Paula Radcliffe and Jonathan Edwards have come to define their careers, arguably more so than the medals and titles they won. It doesn't matter that some of their records have now gone. They were people that redefined what was possible. Even for Seb Coe and Steve Ovett, their trading of the mile and 1500m records is a big part of their legacy. That's why Mo Farah should make a world record attempt his priority in the next two years. He is an athlete at the peak of his powers. He has shown he has the speed and the endurance. Crucially, he will also have huge support of a home British crowd should he attempt a record in this country. An athlete's peak is a small window of opportunity. When it is gone, it goes without warning and is gone forever. Mo Farah has already achieved more than British supporters ever dreamed was possible, now is the time to show the whole world what is possible. Chris Broadbent Kenenisa Bekele Haile Gebreselassie Seb Coe Steve Ovett ← The King Of parkrun Races To Do Before You Die →

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SOUTHLAND Season 3 Premiere Review Photo Credit : TNT You may think that&nbsp; it is too late to jump in as a new viewer to a show in its third season.&nbsp; How can you possibly understand what all that has already happened? &nbsp;&nbsp; By : SHAWNA BENSON You may think that&nbsp; it is too late to jump in as a new viewer to a show in its third season.&nbsp; How can you possibly understand what all that has already happened?&nbsp; Fortunately, the rough and tumble existence of “Southland” means two things: first, the show is tough and it’s still around for a reason (i.e. it’s good).&nbsp; Second, over two seasons there have only been thirteen episodes.&nbsp; Should you choose to watch all of the previous episodes, it won’t take you very long to get through them all, but really, the show is ready made for new viewers to hop aboard this season.&nbsp; “Southland” started life on NBC and though it had critical acclaim the viewership wasn’t good enough for the network to keep the show.&nbsp; NBC canceled it after the pilot and 6 episodes were produced.&nbsp; Michael Cudlitz, who plays Officer John Cooper, didn’t take that lying down, and made his displeasure known on Twitter and to anyone who would listen. &nbsp;Neither did the fans or critics, who were devoted enough to prompt TNT to give the show a second look.&nbsp; They liked what they saw — the show, the viewer numbers, so TNT picked it up, ran all of the produced episodes and then ordered a second season for six more. Now “Southland” returns for a third season, having proved it has a devoted audience.&nbsp; There’s a good reason for the devotion and the critical acclaim.&nbsp; Produced by John Wells, who won Emmys for ER and The West Wing, and created by Ann Biderman (NYPD Blue, Public Enemies) “Southland” lives up to its pedigree with some of the finest writing on television.&nbsp; Unlike most of the other cop/crime shows on right now, “Southland” is not a procedural – that is, it isn’t just about the crime of the week and the whodunit.&nbsp; It’s about the lives of these characters, these cops and their loved ones, and how the job and their personal lives don’t always mesh.&nbsp; Each character that makes up this ensemble has some demon to battle, whether it is personal or the kind encountered in their daily lives on the job. TV Review : LOOKING FOR ALASKA “Southland” pulls very few punches; it even bleeps out the worst profanity, making the people of this world feel more real than the cops on other tv shows, most of whom have to find some creative way to say “dirtbag” that won’t get them in trouble with the FCC.&nbsp; It has a rawness and gritty attitude that feels more like The Shield or The Wire.&nbsp; Unlike those shows however, there are no arch anti-heroes, just a group of devoted public servants, trying to uphold the mission statement on the side of every LAPD vehicle – Preserve and Protect.&nbsp; Los Angeles isn’t a new setting and as the opening credits show, the city has had more than its fair share of colorful crime history; but “Southland” certainly takes advantage of its setting – if you live in this town you’ll recognize just about every street corner. The third season drops us into a post-holiday Los Angeles which is experiencing a sharp increase in gang violence.&nbsp; Most of the key players in the series are here for either the first or second episode of the season.&nbsp; It appears that while the cast remains intact, some of the players won’t be featured in every episode.&nbsp; If this is the compromise to hold down the budget and keep the storytelling less cluttered, it’s a good one.&nbsp; Cudlitz (Band of Brothers) leads a cast which also stars Shawn Hatosy (Dexter, Public Enemies), Regina King (Ray, 24) and Ben McKenzie (The O.C.). “Southland” premieres Tuesday, January 4th on TNT at 10 PM ET. Seat42F January 4, 2011 USPS 2011 Pixar Stamp Details PRETTY LITTLE LIARS Season 1 Episode 12 Salt Meets Wound Teaser Clip

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Add cover This Guy's in Love with You by Bobby Sherman Select a track from spotify Burt Bacharach, Hal David Request a synchronization license Added by DashBoardDJ856 Highlights 5 Versions 267 Adaptations 10 This Guy's in Love with You written by Burt Bacharach, Hal David English That Guy's in Love Danny Williams 1968 First release This Guy's in Love with You Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass April 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Jerry Vale July 1968 This Girl's in Love with You The Four King Cousins October 1968 This Guy's in Love with You The Enoch Light Singers October 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Ray Conniff and The Singers October 1968 This Girl's in Love with You Petula Clark October 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Diana Ross and The Supremes & The Temptations November 8, 1968 This Girl's in Love / I Say a Little Pr… Connie Francis November 1968 This Girl's in Love with You Dusty Springfield November 1968 This Girl's in Love with You Dionne Warwick November 1968 This Guy's in Love with You The Lettermen December 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Johnny Mathis 1968 This Girl's in Love with You Shani Wallis 1968 This Girl's in Love with You Eydie 1968 This Guy's in Love with You The Unifics 1968 This Girl's in Love with You Carol Burnett-Martha Raye 1968 This Guy's in Love with You The Johnny Mann Singers 1968 This Guy's in Love with You The Hollywood Youngsters 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Robert Goulet 1968 This Guy's in Love with You The Midnight Voices 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Steve Miller [US3] 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Des O'Connor 1968 This Girl's in Love with You Catherine McKinnon 1968 Come Rain or Come Shine / This Girl's i… Vikki Carr February 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Burt Bacharach May 1969 This Girl's in Love with You Brenda Lee May 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Bobby Vinton June 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Andy Kim July 1969 This Girl's in Love with You Barbara Acklin August 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Jackie Wilson October 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Four Tops November 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Nat Stuckey November 1969 This Girl's in Love with You Joni Metcalf 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Al Wilson 1969 This Girls in Love with You Kathy Shannon 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Al Martino 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Ray Barrett 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Ed Ames 1969 This Girl's in Love with You Kate Smith 1969 This Girl's in Love with You Sheila Southern with the Mike Sammes Singers 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Bobby Sherman 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Willie Bobo 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Spiral Starecase 1969 This Girl's in Love with You Ella Fitzgerald 1969 Live version This Guy's in Love with You Georgie Fame 1969 This Girl's in Love with You Allison Durbin 1969 This Girl's in Love with You Hildegard Knef 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Gene Chandler 1969 This Girl's in Love Salena Jones 1969 This Girls in Love with You The Now Generation [US] 1969 This Girl's in Love with You Aretha Franklin January 15, 1970 This Guy's in Love with You B.J. Thomas January 1970 This Girl's in Love with You Marva Whitney January 1970 This Guy's in Love with You Smokey Robinson & The Miracles April 1970 ディス・ガール - This Girl's in Love with You The Peanuts July 20, 1970 This Guy's in Love with You Jimmy Ruffin September 1970 This Guy's in Love with You Kai Warner Singers 1970 This Guy's in Love with You The Ray Bloch Singers 1970 This Guy's in Love with You Akira Fuse October 1, 1971 This Girl is in Love with You Rita Reys 1971 This Girl's in Love with You Sonja Salvis - Gustav Brom Orchestra 1971 This Guy's in Love with You Tom Clay 1971 This Guy's in Love with You The Tony Mansell Singers 1971 This Guy's in Love with You Donny Osmond May 1972 This Guy's in Love with You The Dells May 1972 This Girl's in Love with You Etta Jones 1977 This Guy's in Love with You Bob Lanese, Orchester Udo Reichel 1978 This Guy's in Love with You Sacha Distel 1979 This Guy's in Love with You The Reels 1982 This Guy's in Love with You The Ejected 1982 This Guy's in Love with You Arthur Prysock 1986 This Guy's in Love with You Harold Faltermeyer 1987 This Guy's in Love with You The Dramatics 1988 This Guy's in Love with You Bryn Yemm 1989 This Guy's in Love with You Ian McShane November 1992 This Guy's in Love with You Mari Nakamoto 1993 This Guy's in Love with You John McCook 1993 One Less Bell to Answer / Close to You … Joe Bourne & Coco York 1993 This Guy's in Love with You Terry Hall November 1994 This Girl's in Love with You Grenadine 1994 This Guy's in Love with You Yasuko Agawa June 21, 1996 This Guy's in Love with You Harry Connick Jr December 10, 1996 This Guy's in Love with You Fastball October 7, 1997 This Girl's in Love with You Leonardo's Bride April 20, 1998 This Guy's in Love with You Faith No More October 26, 1998 Live version This Guy's in Love with You Robert Crenshaw 1998 This Girl's in Love with You Linda Purl 1998 This Guy's in Love with You Kevin Rowland September 21, 1999 This Guy's in Love with You Nose Riders 2000 This Girl's in Love with You Nadine 2000 This Guy's in Love with You Engelbert 2001 This Guy is in Love with You Jef Lee Johnson, Sonny Thompson [1], Michael Bland 2001 This Girl's in Love with You Rhonda Burchmore 2001 This Guy's in Love with You Paul Carrack February 19, 2002 This Guy's in Love with You Jackie Allen May 13, 2003 This Guy's in Love with You Michael Ball October 20, 2003 This Guy's in Love with You Steve Tyrell October 28, 2003 This Guy's in Love with You Ronald Isley - Burt Bacharach November 2003 Editor's cover song pick This Guy's in Love with You Joe Gransden 2003 This Guy's in Love with You Rene Froger April 19, 2004 This Girl's in Love Chris McNulty 2004 This Guy's in Love with You Martin Nievera 2004 This Guy's in Love with You Pat DiNizio 2005 This Guy's in Love with You Julio Iglesias September 18, 2006 This Girl's in Love Rosanna October 19, 2006 This Guy's in Love with You Barry Manilow October 31, 2006 This Guy's in Love with You Tony Christie 2006 This Guy's in Love with You Tony Joe White 2006 This Guy's in Love with You Patty Ascher June 10, 2007 This Guy's in Love with You Marica Hiraga with Manhattan Jazz Quintet June 20, 2007 This Girl's in Love with You Susan Wong August 2007 This Guy's in Love Peter Grant September 2007 This Guy's in Love with You Frankie Valli October 2, 2007 This Girl's in Love with You Carol Noonan November 2007 This Girl's in Love Trijntje Oosterhuis & Metropole Orchestra December 3, 2007 This Guy's in Love with You Dave Mason [AU] 2007 The Guy's in Love with You Marcus Davis Jr. 2007 This Girl's in Love with You Joana Zimmer May 30, 2008 This Guy's in Love Steve Tyrell featuring Herb Alpert & Burt Bacharach June 24, 2008 This Girl's in Love with You Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. October 14, 2008 This Girl's in Love Lisa Yvonne Ferraro 2008 This Guy's in Love with You Carl Riseley 2008 This Girl's in Love with You Jane Monheit January 20, 2009 This Guy's in Love with You ルースフォンチ (Luz Fonte) March 10, 2009 This Guy's in Love with You Regis & Joy November 23, 2009 This Guy's in Love Davy Jones [GB] November 2009 This Guy's in Love with You André Manoukian avec Cocoon April 5, 2010 This Guy's in Love with You John Dokes with The George Gee Swing Orchestra 2010 This Girl's in Love with You Jann Arden November 1, 2011 This Guy's in Love with You Nick Ziobro March 28, 2014 This Guy's in Love with You Paul Michiels November 10, 2014 This Girl's in Love with You She & Him December 2, 2014 This Girl's in Love with You Sarah Maclaine February 10, 2015 This Guy's in Love with You / A House I… Karima March 24, 2015 This Guy's in Love with You Mac DeMarco April 29, 2016 Anyone Who Had a Heart / This Guy's in … Kyle Riabko & The Original London Cast June 24, 2016 This Guy's in Love with You Eddie Vuittonet and The Time Travelers August 6, 2016 This Girl's in Love Rumer October 21, 2016 Editor's cover song pick This Guy's in Love with You Julian Yeo December 16, 2016 Editor's cover song pick This Guy's in Love with You Alessandro Pitoni June 30, 2017 Editor's cover song pick This Girl's in Love with You Nicki Parrott October 18, 2017 This Guy's in Love with You Jonathan Butler August 2018 This Girl's in Love with You Bobbie Gentry September 21, 2018 This Guy's in Love with You written by Burt Bacharach instrumental This Guy's in Love with You Percy Faith His Orchestra and Chorus September 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Jørgen Ingmann September 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Floyd Cramer October 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Billy Vaughn 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Tony Mottola with The Groovies 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Stanley Turrentine 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Martin Denny 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Ronnie Aldrich and His Two Pianos with The London Festival Orchestra 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Fausto Papetti 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Peter Nero 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Ferrante & Teicher 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Lee Castle and The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra 1968 O... Oui... Je suis bien Caravelli 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Bobby Timmons 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Garry Blake & His Orchestra 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Horst Jankowski-Quartet 1968 This Guy's in Love with You The Brass Ring 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Al Hirt 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Denny McLain 1968 This Guy's in Love with You The Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra 1968 Oh! Oui, je suis bien Le grand orchestre de Paul Mauriat 1968 This Guy's in Love with You Bert Kaempfert and His Orchestra February 17, 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra May 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Roger Williams May 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Lenny Dee June 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Chet Atkins, Guitarist - Boston Pops Orchestra - Arthur Fiedler, Conductor July 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Electronic Concept Orchestra August 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Hank Marvin October 1969 This Girl's in Love with You Terry Baxter and His Orchestra 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Roberto Delgado 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Steve Douglas 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Oscar Peterson 1969 This Girl's in Love with You The Briarcliff Orchestra 1969 This Guy's in Love Manuel Gas y su organo Hammond 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Les & Larry Elgart 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Christopher Scott 1969 This Girl's in Love with You Ray McVay and His Orchestra 1969 This Guy's in Love with You The Charlie Byrd Quartet 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Steve Allen 1969 This Guy's in Love with You George Van Eps 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Wilbert Longmire 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Barney Kessel 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Jackie Gleason 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Roy Meriwether 1969 This Guy's in Love with You The Original Brasso Band 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Hugo Winterhalter and His Orchestra 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Johnny "Hammond" Smith 1969 This Guy's in Love with You The 50 Guitars of Tommy Garrett 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Johnny Smith 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Andre Kostelanetz and His Orchestra 1969 This Guy's in Love with You 101 Strings 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Roy Ayers 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Jimmy Smith 1969 This Guy's in Love with You The Roundtable 1969 This Girl's in Love with You Dorothy Ashby 1969 This Girl's in Love with You Dizzy Gillespie 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Booker T. & The M.G.'s 1969 This Guy's in Love with You Frank Chacksfield and His Orchestra 1970 This Guy's in Love with You The Torero Band 1970 This Guy's in Love with You David Rose 1970 This Guy's in Love with You Pete Moore 1970 This Guy's in Love with You Basil Henriques and the Waikiki Islanders 1970 This Guy's in Love with You The Ted Heath Orchestra 1970 This Guy's in Love with You Moacyr Silva 1970 This Guy's in Love with You The Border Brass 1970 This Guy's in Love with You The Tubby Hayes Orchestra 1970 This Guy's in Love with You Willie Mitchell 1970 This Guy's in Love with You Tony Hatch & The Satin Brass 1970 This Guy's in Love with You The Wilders June 1971 Portrait of My Love - This Guy's in Lov… Anna Dell 1971 This Guy's in Love Alan Moorhouse 1971 This Guy's in Love with You Bengt Hallberg 1971 This Guy's in Love with You David Snell 1971 This Guy's in Love with You Freddie McCoy 1971 This Guy's in Love with You Chris Hinze 1971 This Guy's in Love with You The Johnny Howard Orchestra 1971 This Guy's in Love with You Ellis Larkins 1971 This Guy's in Love with You Buddy Fite 1971 Un ragazzo che ti ama Pino Calvi December 1972 This Guy's in Love with You Ena Baga 1972 This Guy's in Love with You Chaquito 1972 This Guy's in Love with You Roger Eggermont & Frankie Dake 1972 This Guy's in Love with You The Cedar Walton Trio September 1973 Live version This Guy's in Love with You Acker Bilk His Clarinet & Strings 1973 This Guy's in Love Tony Bagwell 1974 This Guy's in Love with You CD-4 Sound Orchestra 1974 This Guy's in Love with You The Gino Marinello Orchestra 1982 This Guy's in Love with You The Bands of the 48th Highlanders of Canada 1986 This Guy's in Love with You Eric Daub 1996 This Guy's in Love with You Brazilian Tropical Orchestra 1999 This Guy's in Love with You Sylvain Luc, Jean-Marc Jafet, André Ceccarelli 2000 This Girl's in Love with You Eric Alexander 2002 The Guy's in Love with You The Staffan William-Olsson Trio 2002 This Guy's in Love with You Larry Goldings Trio 2002 This Guy's in Love with You David Osborne 2003 This Guy's in Love with You Farrell / Nicolls 2005 This Guy's in Love with You David Hazeltine Trio January 2007 This Guy's in Love with You The Bad Plus May 8, 2007 This Guy's in Love with You CINEMA dub MONKS June 20, 2007 This Guy's in Love David Wilson February 2008 This Guy's in Love Krista Ricci February 2010 This Guy's in Love with You Sachal Studios Orchestra 2010 This Guy's in Love with You Fred Fried and Core July 2013 This Guy's in Love with You Ian Hendrickson-Smith October 2013 This Guys in Love with You Dave Stryker April 5, 2019 Half the World Away written by Noel Gallagher English Half the World Away Oasis December 18, 1994 First release Half the World Away Ricky Tomlinson November 5, 2001 Half the World Away Aurora [NO] November 6, 2015 Vain mies written by Lasse Mårtenson Finnish Vain mies Lasse Mårtenson - Esko Linnavallin orkesteri 1968 First release Ein Kerl wie ich written by Kurt Feltz German Ein Kerl wie ich Peter Kraus July 1968 First release Musik für zwei Bata Illic 1970 Ein Mann wie ich written by Anja Hauptmann German Ein Mann wie ich Nana Gualdi & Ralf Paulsen 1970 First release Ein Mann wie ich Hermann Prey 1981 Der Mann Vor Dir Hat Sich In Dich Verliebt written by Michael Kunze German Der Mann Vor Dir Hat Sich In Dich Verli… Peter Alexander November 10, 1986 First release Un ragazzo che ti ama written by Alberto Testa, Gianni Boncompagni Italian Un ragazzo che ti ama Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass 1968 First release Un ragazzo che ti ama Tony Renis 1968 Un ragazzo che ti ama I Trolls 1969 Innamorata written by Sergio Bardotti Italian Innamorata Ornella Vanoni 2002 First release 青空のかけら {Aozora no Kakera} - This Girl's in Love With You written by Shoko Suzuki Japanese 青空のかけら {Aozora no Kakera} - This Girl's… Shoko Suzuki June 1, 1994 First release Do vŕby zašepkaj written by Zoro Laurinc Slovak Do vŕby zašepkaj Marcela Laiferová 1970 First release Du ser en man written by Sven-Olof Bagge Swedish Du ser en man Svante Thuresson 1968 First release Du ser en man Anne-Lie Rydé & Svante Thuresson 1992

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Mauritius leading the way in 'smart city' developments The digital revolution has inexorably altered our lives in just two decades, impacting almost every aspect, from how we bank, shop and communicate to how we conduct business, however, experts agree that we have yet to experience the most dramatic transformation. No longer a futuristic concept, smart cities are already an established trend in Europe and the United States, with Mauritius leading the way in Southern Africa. “The emergence of smart cities is largely being driven by rapid urbanisation,” says Claude McKirby, Southern Suburbs Co-Principal for Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty, “and with 55% of the world’s population already living in urban areas, this is expected to increase to 68% by 2050 according to United Nations figures. “Cities are now developing at an unprecedented rate and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for authorities to meet the growing challenges of maintaining service delivery and managing critical factors like waste management, congestion and transport as well as the impact of climate change and politics.” So, what exactly is a smart city? McKirby says: “Solutions experts will tell you that it’s everything to do with technology whilst city officials may say it’s about streamlining procedures and conducting city business online, such as searching records or applying for permits and city residents may feel that it’s the easing of congestion or factors like crime reduction. “And all of them would be correct as a smart city, built properly, will have different value for different stakeholders. “As a starting point, a smart city is defined as one that uses technology extensively to achieve key outcomes for its various stakeholders, including residents, businesses, municipal organisations and visitors. However, the foundation of a smart city lies in its infrastructure and management and, ultimately, improving the lives and the welfare of its residents.” Leading the disruption in Southern Africa, Mauritius launched their The Smart City Scheme (SCS) in 2015 with the objective of establishing new, intelligent urban ecosystems across the island. At the heart of the scheme is the vibrant town of Moka. While it was officially certified as a smart city by the Economic Development Board (EDB) in November 2017, its development had already begun more than a decade ago, making it the most advanced Smart City in Mauritius. Moka is experiencing a major acceleration in its growth under the impetus of the Smart City Scheme and the next phase in the region’s urbanisation extends over 450 acres of integrated, mixed-use development. According to Samuel de Gersigny, Moka Smart City Senior Manager for leading Mauritian development group, ENL Property Limited, the SCS is a mixed-use development programme designed to create the ideal work/live/play/care environment. “Integrating the latest advances in urban planning, the smart city of Moka incorporates modern residences, an eco-friendly infrastructure, economic opportunities, a vibrant cultural scene and an integrative approach to municipal administration. “It also affords foreign investors a unique opportunity to acquire freehold property in the Smart City without any minimum investment restrictions.” Moka Smart City’s first residential development, Les Promenades d’Helvétia, comprises contemporary apartments, duplexes and penthouses and offers residents an unparalleled lifestyle to suit all pockets, with prices ranging from R1.6 million to R11.5m. “Les Promenades d’Helvétia is the ultimate integrated residential development that offers the best of both worlds,” says Timo Geldenhuys, Director of Sotheby’s International Realty in Mauritius. “Residents are afforded the convenience of having every amenity they could need right on their doorstep and the peace of mind of living in a secure precinct, but they also enjoy a tranquil environment in harmony with scenic natural surrounds and stunning mountain views.” “The core focus is on urban ecosystems in the form of mixed-use developments that integrate the business, residential and leisure components to enhance sustainability, efficiency and quality of life. “With the implementation of every new phase, the region is transitioning into an ever-more sustainable and liveable city through the progressive rolling out of ‘city-smartening’ and a flexible improvement process that is continually being adapted in line with the critical mass attained and technological advances.” The second phase of Les Promenades d’Helvétia has been launched and is marketed by Sotheby’s International Realty in Mauritius with the assistance of Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty Southern Suburbs. Source: Property 24

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Stephen O’Connor: “Another Nice Mess” from One Story #162, 03/29/12 Posted by Karen Carlson on March 27, 2012 "Fire in the Hole" - a 3D alphabet by Oliver Munday My colleagues and I are charged with deciding which soldiers should be killed in the war, as well as where, when, and how they will die. At first I thought it strange that we should be orchestrating casualties for a war that ended before my grandparents were born, but the human resources executive who hired me explained that the war was not, in fact, over, that wars never actually end, and must be continually refought, at least for as long as they are remembered. The narrator – (Oh, the woes of the unnamed first person narrator story. To be honest, I don’t even notice it when I’m reading. In fact, I’m a big fan of first person fiction, both as a reader and as a [sometimes] writer. It’s only when I talk about the story that it gets awkward to keep referring to “him,” especially if/when there are other “him”‘s who must be differentiated from the main character. In most cases, as in this case, the unnaming seems to me to be deliberate. No one in this story has a name, other than Stan Laurel. Oh, and a person who the narrator makes up, but that hardly counts. I just think it’s worth noting that the author makes up a nameless character who makes up a named character, and the named character is far less real than the nameless one) – is telling his story from the ballroom of an old mansion, where, as described above, he determines the fate of soldiers in The Great War. Unsurprisingly, his supervisor has provided guidelines for this. Dying while marching in rank formation, instantaneous death, and, when large numbers of deaths are called for, a single event such as a bomb killing many soldiers at once, are preferred. But not always possible. In the next room, separated by a mirrored door which keeps swinging open due to a faulty latch, our narrator can hear the sounds of a movie production, probably Babes in Toyland, starring a very elderly Stan Laurel. As a consequence, even when we are preparing for our most important battles – Verdun, for example, or Cambrai – we are constantly serenaded by the tinkling of toy pianos and the clattery crescendos of wind-up monkey cymbal bands. Now, devotees of The West Wing will jump up and down at this point. In delight, perhaps (“Hey, this is just like the Season 4 episode The Inauguration, Part 2 – Over There), or annoyance (“Hey, this is a knockoff of when President Bartlet was deciding whether or not to send troops to Kundu to end the genocide and watched the Laurel & Hardy Babes in Toyland because it just happened to be what his visiting grandchildren left in the VCR and it inspired him to change American foreign policy”). We might even work in the faulty latch on the door in the Oval Office during the storm scene of the Two Cathedrals episode. West Wing fanatics never forget, and they still gather at TWoP because everything reminds us of TWW. But what we have here is a very different story, even if it does use the juxtaposition of war and a goofy play-war movie. Our narrator consults with a soldier whose mission, as it were, is about to conclude, as the supervisor puts it (reminding me a bit of A Taste of Armageddon from Star Trek, S1E23) and some difficulty arises. The soldier, quite reasonably, doesn’t want to die. He’s fine with someone else dying in his place. The narrator tells him to go find James P. Hall, who can help him, and the soldier leaves to find Mr. Hall. The truth is James P. Hall is an entirely fictitious name that I conjured out of thin air. But I have every confidence that once the soldier gets down to the precinct where I directed him, and asks where Mr. Hall might be found, none of my colleagues will trouble to determine whether Mr. Hall actually exists. They will simply dispatch the soldier to yet another precinct, or to yet another authority. And every time he asks for Mr. Hall, this process will be repeated and repeated, until, finally, the soldier will either succumb to bewilderment and exhaustion, or develop the fortitude to accept his fate and go to his death with the dignity and resignation of a true hero – the encouragement of such fortitude being, of course, the primary reason we give soldiers the opportunity to come to terms with their fate in advance. At this point I flashed to Catch-22. It also sounds like something a local city hall clerk might pull on someone trying to escape a parking ticket, or perhaps like an experience with customer service at Time Warner Cable (don’t get me started…) It certainly occurs to me that this idea of personally facing people who are to die before you decide a cause is worth fighting for isn’t a bad one. In fact, I now recall the trailer for Rachel Maddow’s new book Drift which, though I’ve been hearing about the book for some time now on Rachel’s nightly show, I just viewed today, oddly enough, and heard her talk about the widening gap between the nation and the military – and how that separation is perhaps making it easier for “us” to decide when to send “them” to war. It might be harder if we had skin – ours or a loved ones – in the game ourselves. Somehow I insist on jumping outside this story into others. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It doesn’t necessarily mean the ideas are derivative or well-trod, especially in this case, where a fresh twist is provided at every intersection with other material; it’s just that certain facets bring to mind something else. In fact, I like it when a story becomes a nexus for several other works. I just hope the author wouldn’t be too upset that television features so prominently. But I go where I’m led. And I will further say, the matter-of-fact approach to the surrealism of this story, complete with scrambled timeline references, strongly reminded me from the first paragraph of Seth Fried, a recently acquired literary crush. Not to mention the dream-like aspects, which are indeed in Ishiguro’s The Unconsoled as well as the story he wrote to practice for that novel, A Village After Dark. That’s quite a compliment. In fact, all the touchpoints, for me, have been complimentary. In his One Story Q&A, O’Connor recounted his inspiration for the story: One evening last summer, I was walking in the woods, idly thinking about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, when suddenly I was struck by a bolt of guilt. Specifically, I thought that since I hadn’t worked hard enough to oppose those wars, I was to some extent responsible for them. The thought passed. The guilt receded—as my political guilt has a tendency to do—and two or three days later it was time to begin a new story. Whenever I start something new, I try to keep my mind blank, and get out a first phrase or sentence without even thinking about it. In this case, what came out was my narrator’s statement about devoting every waking thought to the Great War. I had no idea why he was thinking about the war, or even that he was a “he,” but I did remember that bolt of guilt, and worried that I was in danger of producing an overly schematic political fable. So I decided to mix things up a bit and give myself a little more imaginative freedom, first of all by having my narrator working in the ballroom of an old mansion, and then by having that movie being shot in the next room—a movie which, to my surprise, turned out to star Stan Laurel. So while there may be familiar elements – and there always are, in every story – this was an original and personal journey, and I’m thrilled to have been allowed to come along. I see O’Connor has a couple of collections out, and I think I’m going to need to take a look at them. Anyone who takes me through Seth Fried, The West Wing, Ishiguro, Catch-22, Rachel Maddow, and Star Trek in 15 pages is definitely worth investigating. This entry was posted in One Story, What I've been Reading, Writing/Reading and tagged Stephen O'Connor. Bookmark the permalink. Rivka Galchen: “Appreciation” from The New Yorker, 3/19/12 Julia Elliott: “LIMBs” from Tin House #51, Spring 2012 – Science Fair 3 responses to “Stephen O’Connor: “Another Nice Mess” from One Story #162, 03/29/12” Pingback: BASS 2012: Getting Started | A Just Recompense Pingback: BASS 2014: Stephen O’Connor, “Next to Nothing” from Conjunctions #60 | A Just Recompense Pingback: BASS 2016: Mohammed Naseehu Ali, “Ravalushan” from Bomb #131 | A Just Recompense

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NCAA, Sports SportsPress Heisman Trophy Award Voting Photo Credit: Hookem (featured image), CBS Sports (team logos) All 11 of SportsPress’s current writers came together to vote for their top 5 Heisman Trophy award candidates. They voted for any players, even those who are not among the official five finalists for the award. 1st place votes count as 5 points, 2nd place votes count as 4 points, 3rd place votes count as 3 points, 4th place votes count as 2 points, and 5th place votes count as 1 points. Christian McCaffrey, Running Back, #18 Stanford Cardinal (9-3) Statistics: 253 rush attempts, 1,603 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, 37 receptions, 310 receiving yards, 3 receiving touchdowns, 10 punt returns, 96 punt return yards, 14 kickoff returns, 318 kickoff return yards Dalvin Cook, Running Back, #11 Florida State Seminoles (9-3) Statistics: 268 rush attempts, 1,620 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns, 30 receptions, 426 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown, 1 solo tackle, 1 assisted tackle, 2 total tackles Sam Darnold, Quarterback, #9 Southern California Trojans (9-3) Statistics: 213/313 (68.1% completion percentage), 2,633 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 57 rush attempts, 230 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, 2 solo tackles, 2 total tackles Those Who Received Votes T10. Jonathan Allen, Defensive End, #1 Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0) Statistics: 27 solo tackles, 29 assisted tackles, 56 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 1 interception, 2 fumble recoveries, 2 touchdowns, 2 passes defensed Voting: 1 point Zero (0) 1st place votes (0 points) Zero (0) 2nd place votes (0 points) Zero (0) 3rd place votes (0 points) Zero (0) 4th place votes (0 points) One (1) 5th place vote (1 point) T10. Jerod Evans, Quarterback, #22 Virginia Tech Hokies (9-4) Statistics: 247/389 (63.5% pass completion percentage), 3,309 passing yards, 27 passing touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 182 rush attempts, 759 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns T10. Jalen Hurts, Quarterback, #1 Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0) Statistics: 220/337 (65.3% pass completion percentage), 2,592 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 162 rush attempts, 841 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 1 solo tackle, 1 total tackle T8. Donnel Pumphrey, Running Back, San Diego State Aztecs (10-3) Statistics: 330 rush attempts, 2,018 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns, 26 receptions, 205 receiving yards, 0/1 (0% completion percentage), 1 kickoff return, 6 kickoff return yards Voting: 2 points One (1) 4th place vote (2 points) T8. JT Barrett, Quarterback, #3 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1) Statistics: 214/346 (61.8% pass completion percentage), 2,428 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 194 rush attempts, 847 rushing yards, 9 rushing touchdowns 7. D’Onta Foreman, Running Back, Texas Longhorns (5-7) Statistics: 323 rush attempts, 2,028 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns, 7 receptions, 75 receiving yards One (1) 3rd place vote (3 points) 6. Jake Browning, Quarterback, #4 Washington Huskies (12-1) Statistics: 223/353 (65.0% completion percentage), 3,280 passing yards, 42 passing touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 57 rush attempts, 66 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns Two (2) 4th place votes (4 points) One (1) 5th place votes (1 point) 5. Dede Westbrook, Wide Receiver, #7 Oklahoma Sooners (10-2) Statistics: 74 receptions, 1,465 receiving yards, 16 receiving touchdowns, 7 rush attempts, 84 rushing yards, 0/2 (0% completion percentage), 4 punt returns, 79 punt return yards, 1 punt return touchdown, 8 kickoff returns, 227 kickoff return yards, 1 solo tackle, 1 total tackle Five (5) 5th place votes (5 points) 4. Baker Mayfield, Quarterback, #7 Oklahoma Sooners (10-2) Statistics: 235/330 (71.2% completion percentage), 3,669 passing yards, 38 passing touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 74 rush attempts, 143 rushing yards, 6 rushing touchdowns Voting: 20 points Two (2) 2nd place votes (8 points) Four (4) 4th place votes (8 points) 3. Jabrill Peppers, Linebacker, #6 Michigan Wolverines (10-2) Statistics: 46 solo tackles, 21 assisted tackles, 67 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception, 1 pass defensed, 21 punt returns, 310 punt return yards, 1 punt return touchdown, 10 kickoff returns, 260 kickoff return yards, 27 rush attempts, 167 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, 2 receptions, 3 receiving yards One (1) 1st place vote (5 points) Five (5) 3rd place votes (15 points) 2. DeShaun Watson, Quarterback, #2 Clemson Tigers (12-1) Statistics: 328/486 (67.5% completion percentage), 3,914 passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns, 15 interceptions, 129 rush attempts, 529 rushing yards, 6 rushing touchdowns Two (2) 1st place votes (10 points) Five (5) 2nd place votes (20 points) Three (3) 3rd place votes (9 points) 1. Lamar Jackson, Quarterback, #13 Louisville Cardinals (9-3) Statistics: 220/382 (57.6% pass completion percentage), 3,390 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 234 rush attempts, 1,538 rushing yards, 21 rushing touchdowns, 1 solo tackle, 1 total tackle Eight (8) 1st place votes (40 points) Two (2) 2nd place vote (8 points) Asher Fair December 10, 2016 January 5, 2017 2016, 2017, award, college, featuredone, football, heisman, NCAA, picks, players, Predictions, schools, teams, trophy Previous Previous post: Rockets, Motiejunas Reach Contract Extension Agreement Next Next post: Week 15 NCAA Top 25 Score

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CITES Secretary-General's remarks at the 71st IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit - Miami, USA 71st IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit Miami, 8 June 2015 ‘Air transport and Illegal trade in wildlife’ Address by John E. Scanlon, Secretary-General of CITES AGM President, Doug Parker (CEO of American Airlines). Tony Tyler, CEO of IATA. Distinguished delegates. It is a great honour to be invited to your Annual General Meeting and I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the IATA member airlines, as well as Tony Tyler, for giving us this unique opportunity to address you for the first time - in a year that marks the 70th Anniversary of IATA and 40 years since CITES entered into force. A significant amount of wildlife and wildlife products are legitimately traded each year under CITES. Many of these are transported by air and we have enjoyed a longstanding and beneficial relationship with IATA – especially in relation to CITES requirements for the transport of live animals and plants. However, today I am here to talk about the devastating economic, social and environmental impacts of illegal trade in wildlife – being wildlife that is traded in contravention of CITES, how air transport is being used by criminals to transport their contraband and how the air transport sector can further engage in helping to combat this illegal trade. CITES is a legally binding agreement between 181 State Parties, that sets the international rules for wildlife trade. The Convention regulates international trade in over 35,000 species of animals and plants, including their parts and derivatives. The nature of the various trade measures utilized by CITES to regulate this trade depends primarily upon the biological status of the species. International commercial trade in some wild caught specimens is prohibited under CITES – such as trade in elephant ivory, rhino horn, great apes, marine turtles and tigers. International commercial trade in other specimens is allowed but it is strictly regulated under CITES through a permit system to avoid overexploitation – such as the legal trade in alligator and python skins, the meat of the queen conch, the wool of the vicuña, and the bark of the African cherry tree. This legal and sustainable trade can have benefits for both wildlife and people. Over recent years, however, we have been experiencing a surge in illegal trade in wildlife, especially as it affects elephants, rhinos, pangolins and some precious timber species. This illegal trade is global in nature and is taking place at an industrial scale. We are increasingly being confronted by transnational organized criminals, and in some cases rebel militia and rogue elements of the military. They are driving this industrial scale poaching and illegal trade destined for illicit markets – with the profits being used for all manner of criminal activities. This dynamic has been well recognized by the United Nations (UN) Security Council, UN Crime Commission, and INTERPOL, as well as many others. Considerable scaled-up collective efforts are underway to combat wildlife crime, yet it continues to be a major problem worldwide, estimated by some to be worth up to 20 billion dollars a year – ranking it amongst other serious transnational crimes such as the trafficking in people and arms. Let me share just three examples to illustrate the scale of the illegal taking that feeds this illicit trade: The poaching of African elephants and the illegal trade in their ivory is one of the most noticeable and destructive forms of wildlife crime. Over the period 2010-2012, an estimated 100,000 elephants were poached for their ivory. In some regions, such as Central Africa, killings far exceed births, putting regional populations at imminent risk of extinction. The recovery of the White rhino is a great conservation success story, mainly due to the efforts undertaken in South Africa, but these gains are now under threat. Poaching was well under control up until 2007 when only 13 animals were poached . Since that time we have seen a rapidly increasing level of poaching, which reached a high last year with 1,215 rhino poached in South Africa alone for their horn. And these crimes are not only affecting iconic species that we all know well. Lesser known species such as the pangolin, a small ant eater living in Africa and Asia, are being poached at a massive rate for their scales and meat, with 10 tonnes of pangolin meat being recovered in just one customs seizure– that is the equivalent of 130 people of my weight. In overall terms, there are less than 24,000 rhinos left on the African continent, with another 3,000 in Asia (including just 200 Sumatran rhinos). The last Javan rhino in Viet Nam was lost in 2011, and the last known rhino in Mozambique was lost in 2013, both to poachers – and the ranger in the photo you can see on the screen is protecting the last surviving male northern white rhino on the planet. Forest elephants in Central Africa declined by over 60% in ten years, wild tigers only number 3,200, and there are just 800 mountain gorillas left in the wild, which were featured in the brilliant documentary, Virunga. To put these numbers into a human context, the Sun Life Stadium here in Miami has a capacity of 65,000 people – that is over two times the number of rhinos left on the entire planet and more than twenty times the number of wild tigers. Distinguished delegates, we are quite literally getting down to the wire with many of these species – we are confronting a crisis and if we do not act immediately they will be lost on our watch. But the impact of this illegal trade is not just on wildlife, it also poses a grave threat to people and their livelihoods – as well as national economies and in some cases national and regional security. Brave rangers serving in the front lines are being killed and injured in the line of duty, officials are being corrupted, and local communities are being deprived of making their own development choices, including through the legitimate use of their wildlife resources. Many countries rely upon wildlife-based tourism to generate significant national and local revenue and jobs – and in some countries it forms a major part of their GDP, such as in Kenya. Magnificent wildlife destinations are being plundered by poachers for the illicit trade, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites that are being degraded across Africa, such as the Selous Reserve in United Republic of Tanzania – which has been included on the World Heritage ‘in danger’ list due to the high levels of poaching. Against this backdrop, significantly enhanced collaborative efforts are underway to combat this illegal trade across source, transit and destination countries, tackling both demand and supply. We are fortunate to live in an interconnected world – something you know better than any audience. There are today over: 1.1 billion international tourist arrivals a year; 100,000 flights every day; and 500 million containers shipped a year. But legitimate forms of transport are being exploited by transnational organized criminals and others to transport their contraband. As your environment committee has noted, this can pose a safety risk to airline staff and passengers. It may also give rise to potential legal, reputational and financial risks. Illegal rhino horn and pangolin scales are, for example, most often transported by air, and while raw illegal elephant ivory is being largely transported by sea, most illegally traded worked ivory appears to be transported by air. And if time permitted many more examples could be given. Illegal trade in wildlife is of an industrial scale, but in the context of the overall volumes of air and sea transport, we are often searching for a ‘needle in a haystack’, with only a tiny fraction of the overall cargo or passengers carrying illegally traded wildlife. This contraband will, however, travel vast distances and go though many hands on its way to illicit markets, meaning there are many points along the way where it can be disrupted. Our collective objective must be to maximize the risk of trading illegally by disrupting it at every step along the illegal supply chain. We are certainly not asking IATA member airlines to become de facto customs or enforcement agencies, which perform core functions of government. But enforcement agencies cannot operate in isolation, they require access to good intelligence from multiple sources and this is where the transport sector can play a critical role. Distinguished delegates, you have tens of thousands of staff in the field dealing every day with customers, cargo and passengers and you have a deep knowledge of your own cargo supply chains. Your e-freight initiative offers opportunities for closer collaboration with CITES to better secure legal trade in wildlife through reducing the fraudulent use of permits and in detecting illegal trade. And if you, as CEOs and senior airline industry leaders, alert your staff to this issue and make it a priority of your company not to be used to carry any illegal wildlife or wildlife products, then your staff can be extra sets of eyes and ears on the ground – looking, listening and passing on information of anything that looks suspicious to relevant authorities – or providing what Sir Tim Clark of Emirates has described as, “street intelligence.” Related to this is ensuring that any legitimately traded wildlife adheres to IATA standards and CITES requirements. Your own IATA CEO, the CEO of Emirates, the CEO of Kenya Airways, myself and other leaders are all part of a Transport Task Force established by The Royal Foundation, under the patronage of HRH the Duke of Cambridge and chaired by William Hague – a distinguished former UK Foreign Secretary, to address how the transport sector can assist in combatting illegal trade in wildlife. Second meeting of the Transport Task Force meeting, May 2015 The work of the Task Force will not be completed until later this year but we need to move fast and there are three clear areas in which we believe you could play a critical role, both individually and collectively, in supporting these efforts, namely to: adopt and publicize a zero tolerance policy on illegal trade in wildlife; raise awareness among your customers, passengers and staff of the scale, nature and impacts of this illegal trade; and support customs and other enforcement agencies through the provision of intelligence gathered by your staff working on the ground. There is a global collective effort underway across countries, the UN, international and national organizations, philanthropic entities, and dedicated individuals to combat illegal trade in wildlife. Today we reach out to all of you to join in this global effort and we offer our full support and that of our partners to assist you as necessary – and yesterday your CEO and I signed the first ever MoU between CITES and IATA, which commits our two organizations to work even more closely together. Distinguished delegates, there are many issues on your agenda this week and some will no doubt give rise to differing opinions and lively debate. I hope that joining this global effort to put an end to this highly destructive illegal trade is an issue that can unite you. Press release: IATA and CITES to cooperate on reducing illegal trade in wildlife Video of CITES Secretary-General addressing the 71st IATA Annual General Meeting More photos from the event Secretary-General of CITES

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Stay Tuned: Denis Leary stars in funny event series ‘The Moodys’ Melissa Crawley More Content Now Dec 3, 2019 at 9:23 AM Dec 3, 2019 at 9:23 AM Creative crafters are back, true crime offers the unexpected, Hulu introduces a femme fatale and a marvelous missus returns for season three. The week’s highlight is a Denis Leary comedy on Fox. Dispatches: Weekly TV news NBC, the network of “America’s Got Talent,” along with producers Fremantle and Syco, released a statement regarding former host Gabrielle Union’s exit from the show, stating that they “remain committed to ensuring a respectful workplace for all employees.” Union, according to a report in Variety, was let go from the series after complaints about a toxic workplace culture. Tweeting about a Pete Davidson show is highly discouraged. The “Saturday Night Live” cast member has been asking fans attending his comedy shows to sign a contract that forbids them from sharing their opinions about the performance on social media. The fine for breaking the non-disclosure agreement is $1 million. Contenders: Shows to keep on your radar Calling all hot glue gun aficionados. Charming show, “Making It,” returns for a second season of creative crafting. Hosts Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman (Dec. 2, NBC, 10 p.m. ET) welcome a new group of talented DIY crafters who will compete for the coveted title of “Master Maker.” As part of Fox’s holiday programming, new “comedy event” series, “The Moodys,” airs over three nights with back-to-back episodes beginning Dec. 4 at 9 p.m. ET and continuing with the same start time on Dec. 9 and Dec. 10. With a what-could-go-wrong premise, the show features Denis Leary and Elizabeth Perkins who gather with their three adult children to have the perfect Christmas holiday. It’s all about the suspects no one saw coming in new series “An Unexpected Killer” (Dec. 5, Oxygen, 8 p.m. ET). Using interviews, crime scene examinations and re-enactments, each standalone episode features a murder investigation that takes detectives in a completely unexpected direction. Netflix drops a bunch of new series on Dec. 6. The top picks are comedy series, “Astronomy Club: The Sketch Show,” which features the first all-black Upright Citizens Brigade troupe and “Glow Up,” a feel-good British reality competition featuring make-up artists. Revenge drama “Reprisal” (Dec. 6, Hulu) follows a female antihero played by Abigail Spencer, who sets out to destroy her brother and his gang after they leave her for dead. The show is from creator Josh Corbin and executive produced by “The Handmaid’s Tale’s” Warren Littlefield. Season three of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” debuts on Amazon (Dec. 6), with Miriam experiencing the highs and lows of life on tour. Apple TV+ airs legal drama “Truth Be Told” (Dec. 6), starring Octavia Spencer as Poppy Parnell, a true-crime podcaster who reopens the murder case that made her famous. The show is based on Kathleen Barber’s 2017 novel “Are You Sleeping.” Report Card: A look at ratings winners and losers Winners: In a surprise to no one, NFL won Thanksgiving for NBC with its special edition of “Football Night in America.” Losers: Netflix canceled cult favorite, “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” Melissa Crawley is the author of “Mr. Sorkin Goes to Washington: Shaping the President on Television’s ‘The West Wing.’” She has a Ph.D. in media studies and is a member of the Television Critics Association. To comment on Stay Tuned, email her at staytuned@outlook.com or follow her on Twitter at @mcstaytuned.

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Shuttleworth & Ingersoll Articles & Insights AllAgribusinessAppellate LawBusinessConstruction LawEnvironmental LawEstate Planning, Wills, and TrustsFamily LawHealth LawLabor and Employment LawReal EstateTax LawStartups and InnovatorsWorkers' CompensationIntellectual PropertyCase Law Shuttleworth & Ingersoll Welcomes Attorney Sara G. Sidwell shuttleworthlawadmin Iowa City-based Attorney Sara G. Sidwell has joined the law firm of Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, P.L.C. Sara will be based in the firm’s Coralville, Iowa, office with a primary focus on employment and labor law. Five Tips for HIPAA-Compliant Online Engagement in Healthcare Hayleigh Hansen-Boardman The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights (OCR) recently entered into a settlement agreement with a private dental practice following a violation of the HIPAA OCR Director Delivers Reminder of the Human Component of Cybersecurity in Healthcare Tricia L. Hoffman-Simanek Roger Severino, director for the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), delivered an address on October 16 in Washington D.C. to provide a broad overview to recap recent HIPAA enforcement efforts Is Your Own Staff Your Biggest Cybersecurity Threat? A recent posting by the Office of Civil Rights 2019 OCR Cyber Security Newsletter suggests that the individuals in your organization should not be overlooked when trying to prevent the exposure of Small and Medium Health Care Organizations: HIPAA Security Risk Assessment Tool Webinar This article was updated on 7/24/2019. The HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) hosted a webinar titled Security Risk Assessment Tool Overview and User Feedback Session on July 17 in an effort Interests in Iowa Real Estate May Expire in 10 Years Unless Extended Marty L. Stoll The Iowa Court of Appeals in its West Lakes Properties, L.C. v. Greenspon Property Management, Inc. decision entered on September 27, 2017, held that a right of first refusal was subject to U.S. Supreme Court Holds That Copyrights Must Be Registered before Plaintiffs Can File for Infringement Jason R. Sytsma In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court held that registration with the U.S. Copyright Office is required to enforce copyrights. Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-street.com, LLC, No. 17-571, 586 Deadline to Submit Feedback to HHS on HIPAA Modifications Upon Us The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), has called for public input on improving care coordination and reducing the regulatory burdens of the Why Are We Talking About Arbitration? Kristymarie Shipley In the last week, there have been two Supreme Court opinions regarding the juncture between arbitration and employment. Window of Greatest Opportunity Closing in for Opportunity Zones Investment Jonathan C. Landon The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 established a new federal tax incentive called Opportunity Zones to encourage long-term investment in low-income census tracts around the country. There are 62 designated census tracts in Iowa, including most of downtown Cedar Rapids and sections of Coralville and Iowa City. Mt. Lemmon Fire Dist. v. Guido, 2018 WL 5794639 Dana L. Oxley Subject matter: Application of 20-employee minimum for ADEA coverage to states or political subdivisions. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Update Don L. Johnson With the passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on December 22, 2017, there are several significant changes to the way individuals will compute their individual income tax beginning in 2018. Although the actual impact the Act will have on each individual income tax return may be different, the following provides a general summary of the most significant changes made by the Act. Tech Companies Responsible for HIPAA Compliance? You Bet. Joseph M. Miller It is an exciting time for technology businesses considering or already providing services in the health care space. While technology is driving the growth of big data in health care, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is taking steps to ensure the security and privacy of patient medical records, also known as protected health information (PHI). Mormann v. Iowa Workforce Development The equitable tolling doctrines of the discovery rule and equitable estoppel are available with respect to the 300-day filing limitation in the ICRA. Ackerman v. State The tort of wrongful discharge in violation of public policy is not categorically reserved for at-will employees and is available to contract employees. Brewer-Strong v. HNI Corporation Employer's right to control medical care after initially denying liability for workers' compensation claim and standard for reimbursement of, and healing period benefits following, employee's receipt of unauthorized care. Bandstra v. Covenant Reformed Church Tort liability of church related to response to allegations of sexual abuse by pastor under Establishment and Free Exercise clauses, including qualified privilege for allegedly defamatory statements made by church elders. TSB Holdings, LLC v. Board of Adjustment for Iowa City, & TSB Holdings, LLC v. City of Iowa City Statute of limitations under Iowa Code § 614.1(6) for challenge to actions related to 1987 court ordered injunction. Jahnke v. Deere & Co., et al. The Iowa Civil Rights Act's extraterritorial application and whether it applies to a United States citizen working abroad. Failure of Joint Inventors to Agree Leaves Both in the Dog House Disputes between business partners are a regular occurrence. At Shuttleworth & Ingersoll, we advise our clients to have a direct conversation with their partners about equity, responsibilities, and decision-making authority before investing capital and labor in an idea. Banwart v. 50th Street Sports, L.L.C. d/b/a Draught House 50 Under Iowa Code § 123.92(1)(a), a plaintiff must demonstrate that a defendant licensee or permittee, sold and served alcohol to an allegedly intoxicated person (AIP) when it knew or should have known that the AIP was intoxicated or would become intoxicated, and that the AIP's intoxication proximately caused the plaintiff's injury. Here, the Iowa Supreme Court found that where an AIP consumed three beers in the span of four hours at a licensee's establishment, evidence of subsequent intoxication alone creates an inference that the bar sold and served beer to the AIP when it knew or should have known she was or would become intoxicated. DOL Disability Regulations and the Impact on ERISA Plans Earlier this year the Department of Labor announced that its final rule amending the claims procedures for plans providing disability benefits under Section 503 of ERISA will become effective April 1, 2018. In re Marriage of Erpelding Kristen A. Shaffer This case includes discussion of the following: Whether a provision waiving attorney fees in the parties' premarital agreement is an enforceable provision. Cote v. Derby Insurance Agency, Inc. and Kevin Dorn Applicability of the employee-numerosity requirement in the Iowa Civil Rights Act (ICRA) to corporations.

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Manuscripts (documents) (310) Floor plans (57) Architectural drawings (45) Compact discs (26) Floppy disks (26) Records (documents) (26) Exhibition catalogs (15) Pamphlets (11) Oral histories (document genres) (7) Serials (publications) (7) Museum registrars (59) Art museums. (43) Museum loans (38) Budget process (23) Museum finance (23) Legislative hearings (19) Natural history museums (15) Art, American (14) Committees (12) Historical museums (12) Decoration and ornament (11) Fund raising (11) Science museums (11) Traveling exhibitions. (8) Professional associations (7) Smithsonian buildings (7) Natural history museum directors (6) Traveling exhibitions (6) Astronautical museums (5) Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Office of the Registrar (19) United States National Museum, Office of the Registrar (18) Smithsonian Institution. Office of Programming and Budget (11) National Museum of American History. Office of the Director (9) National Portrait Gallery, Office of Exhibitions (9) National Portrait Gallery, Office of the Registrar (8) National Museum of American Art. Office of the Deputy Director (6) National Museum of Natural History. Office of the Director (6) Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Office of the Director (5) National Zoological Park, Office of the Director (5) Smithsonian American Art Museum, Office of the Deputy Director (5) Smithsonian Institution. Office of Design and Construction (5) Smithsonian Institution. Office of Planning, Management and Budget (5) American Association of Museums. Registrars Committee (4) Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Office of the Registrar (4) Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Product Design and Decorative Arts Department (4) National Museum of American Art. Office of Registration and Collections Management (4) National Portrait Gallery, Administrative Office (4) National Portrait Gallery, Office of the Director (4) Smithsonian Institution, Assistant Secretary for Administration (4) Smithsonian Institution, Office of the Registrar (4) Smithsonian Institution, Office of the Under Secretary (4) Smithsonian Institution, Traveling Exhibition Service (4) Smithsonian Institution. Office of Planning and Budget (4) Cooper-Hewitt Museum. Office of the Registrar (3) Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. Office of the Registrar (3) Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Registrar's Office (3) National Museum of American Art. Office of the Director (3) National Museum of Natural History. Department of Entomology (3) National Portrait Gallery, Dept. of Exhibitions and Collections Management (3) Caroline Islanders (1) Caroline Islands (1) Chuukese (Micronesian people) (1) Enggano (1) Indonesians (1) Jakun (Malaysian people) (1) Latin Americans (1) South Asians (1) Mall, The (Washington, D.C.) (4) Anambas Islands (Indonesia) (1) Art, Modern (1) Enggano (Malaysia) (1) Enid A. Haupt Garden (Washington, D.C.) (1) Mentawai Islands (Indonesia) (1) Mergui Archipelago (1) Nias Island (Indonesia) (1) Trang (1) Smithsonian Institution Archives (380) Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives (1) Query: Museum registrars 405 records — Page 30 of 41 Smithsonian Institution, Office of the Under Secretary These records document the work of the Under Secretary, Constance Berry Newman, mostly during the Calendar Year 1993 and part of 1992. The records pertain to the activities of Smithsonian Institution offices and bureaus; international relations; and significant projects such as the establishment of the National Museum of the American Indian, ... National Portrait Gallery, Office of the Director This accession consists of subject files documenting the administration of the National Portrait Gallery during the tenures of directors Charles Nagel (1964-1969), Marvin S. Sadik (1969-1981), Alan Maxwell Fern (1982-2000), and Marc Pachter (2000- ). Materials include correspondence, memoranda and related information. Departmental Records Renwick Gallery, Office of the Curator-in-Charge These records consist of the files of Director Lloyd E. Herman (1974-1986) and Curator-in-Charge Michael Monroe (1986- ) of the Renwick Gallery, and document temporary exhibitions as well as the permanent collections of the Renwick Gallery. Also included are general office files (primarily those of Joanna Barton, Secretary, 1974-1983), ... Smithsonian Institution, Assistant Secretary for the Arts and Humanities 9.69 cu. ft. (9 record storage boxes) (1 16x20 box) This accession consists of the records of Tom L. Freudenheim, Assistant Secretary for the Arts and Humanities. Freudenheim became the first Assistant Secretary for Museums when the office was created in February 1986 to absorb some functions of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Museum Programs, which had been held by Paul N. Perro... This accession consists of records documenting the activities of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) during the tenure of Director Marc Pachter (2000-2007), but also includes records from the tenures of Directors Charles Nagel (1964-1969), Marvin S. Sadik (1969-1981), and Alan Maxwell Fern (1982-2000). Topics covered include cultural affairs, ... Oral history interviews with Louise Daniel Hutchinson Hutchinson, Louise Daniel, interviewee 4 audiotapes (reference copies). The Smithsonian Institution Archives began its Oral History Program in 1973. The purpose of the program is to supplement the written documentation of the Archives' record and manuscript collections with an Oral History Collection, focusing on the history of the Institution, research by its scholars, and contributions of its staff. Program ... Smithsonian Institution, Conservation Analytical Laboratory 5.7 linear meters. These records document the Conservation Analytical Laboratory's (CAL) work with Smithsonian Institution curators and collections during the tenures of John H. Olin, Robert M. Organ, Jacqueline S. Olin, and Eleanor McMillan. They also document the Laboratory's extensive training programs and its wide contacts with other museums, both in th... Curatorial Records National Museum of American History. National Numismatic Collection These records primarily document the curatorial and professional activities of Vladimir Clain-Stefanelli and his wife, Elvira E. Clain-Stefanelli, and to a lesser extent the activities of curators Stuart M. Mosher, Richard G. Doty, and Cora Lee C. Gillilland. The records date back to when the National Numismatic Collection was known as the ... National Museum of History and Technology. Division of Medical Sciences 21.13 cu. ft. (42 document boxes) (1 oversize folder) These records document the activities of the Division of Medical Sciences and its predecessors, chiefly for the years 1917-1975. Included are correspondence, memoranda, annual reports, and administrative files concerning the Division's collections, exhibits, and research into the history of medicine and pharmacy. Of special interest is an ... Smithsonian Institution. Office of Planning, Management and Budget 14.5 cu. ft. (14 record storage boxes) (1 document box) These records concern budgeting and financial planning concerns of the Smithsonian in all its bureaus and offices. Records include both federal and trust budget planning documents covering regular operating needs of the Institution and special requirements such as those posed by the Columbus Quincentenary, capital funds drives for the trust ...

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November 28, 2018 by dereknewmanstille A review of James Alan Gardner’s All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault (Tor, 2017) In All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault, James Alan Gardner creates a world of heroes and monsters to explore ideas of identity. In this world, the wealthy have bought the magical ability to become Darklings through a pact with otherworldly entities. They have become vampires, demons, ghosts, werewolves, and other things that haunt the magical imaginations. But, this world also touches on the heroic realm and therefore there are Sparks – beings that are created (at least to some degree) through “science” (or some semblance of it). Many of these Sparks become heroes, acquiring powers… but also acquiring the need for secret identities and costumes. Superheroes are the perfect space to explore the fluidity of identity, especially since the idea of the costume and the secret identity are so intrinsic to the superhero mythos. In Gardner’s world, characters who gain powers need to take on a superhero identity and keep their ‘normal’ identity a secret as part of the complicated rules of the world. And when they use an superheroic name and wear a costume, they BECOME different, adopting new personality traits and radiating an aura of respectability. Yet, there are characters who are already accustomed to switches in identity like Kim Lam, who, in her search to find herself, has used multiple different names and personality characteristics. In fact, Kim refers to her previous identities as being dead like her identity as Kimmi, the goth girl who had a fascination with Darklings, her childhood name of Kimberly, or the name her father chose for her: Kimberlite (after the igneous rock). Kim is a genderqueer person (using she/her pronouns), existing in a nonbinary space, and Gardner is influenced in this idea of the death of identities by the Trans population and the use of the term “deadname”, referring to a previous identity that no longer reflects the person using it. Kim has had fluidity in her own identity, exploring different aspects of herself until she became Kim. Gardner makes a connection in his novel between gender fluidity and the superhero narrative, exploring the spaces of multiplicity of identity and the generative potential of this multiplicity. Identity and secret identity are interwoven in a way that allows for character complexity. Transitions become an important factor in All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault not just because of Kim’s transition to a genderqueer identity, but also because this world is made up of transitions – the change from wealthy to Darkling (which is marked by a ritual) and the transformation into a Spark (which is marked by an origin story). Transformation is part of a living story in Gardner’s world, something invested with power. In fact, even the powers of the Sparks need to be narrated and characters need to create a story to explain their powers in order to increase the likelihood that the universe will grant them those powers. In this way, the author plays with the idea of stories within stories and the importance of tales for creating new possibilities. In addition to exploring identity and fluidity, Gardner offers a critique of the logic of wealthy people, literally turning the rich into vampires. In fact, the wealthy still suggest that there is a “trickle down economy”, but instead of just buying businesses and claiming that hiring people will allow their wealth to trickle down, the Darklings use “trickle down” to refer to the money that they give to others when they take their blood. There is a literal feeding off of the labour and bodies of the poor by the wealthy in this world. Gardner uses literal consumption (of blood) to comment on capitalist consumption of resources. He borrows from right wing pundits who try to justify hoarding of wealth by the 1% when creating speeches by the wealthy who use rhetoric like “”We manage sources of prosperity to maximize their return” and “We bought our powers legitimately through a mutually beneficial, clearly defined argument”, and “I didn’t just fluke my way into undeserved privilege. I paid”. Gardner uses speculative fiction in order to bring up critical questions, inviting readers to interrogate the status quo and think about the way that power and exclusion work in our society, while also illustrating to the reader that change is possible. In addition to being a fun superhero versus monsters narrative, All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault is a social text, exploring possibilities through storytelling. To find out more about James Alan Gardner, visit https://jamesalangardner.wordpress.com To discover more about All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault, visit https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780765392657 Tagged GenderQueer, ghosts, identity, James Alan Gardner, monsters, NonBinary, poverty, reviews, Superhero, superpowers, vampires, wealth, werewolves Queerly Ever After A review of Ricky Lima’s Happily Ever Aftr (Lime Press, 2018). She grew up in a kingdom filled with toxic masculinity… perhaps that’s why she thought she could make a princess love her by kidnapping her. Happily Ever Aftr explores the traditional fairy tale motif of a princess locked in a tower… but adds a twist. The princess is imprisoned by another princess. Princess Gretchen grew up in Castle Grimhold as part of a family line of kings who have kidnapped princesses to be their brides. So, what else was there for her to do but carry on the family tradition and kidnap a princess to be her bride. Once Gretchen reveals that her intention is to marry Princess Emily, her family takes issue not with the kidnapping, but with Gretchen’s desire to have a bride instead of a groom. Gretchen begins to learn ideas of consent from Emily and explores her own identity and its relationship to her role as the princess of Grimhold. Ricky Lima uses the image of cell phone dating apps and texting to shape his tale of princesses in love (or captured by love), exploring ideas of princes who believe that they are entitled to women’s bodies and perceive princesses as objects and damsels in distress. With this use of dating apps as text, Lima makes a parallel between antiquated notions of masculinity and femininity and how these are played out on dating apps. Happily Ever Aftr uses a magical, fantasy setting to point out realities of how men objectify women on dating apps and the toxicity of “bro culture”. Although Princess Emily keeps asking for suitors to rescue her, she is more than able to save herself through her own quick wit and tough attitude, but first goes through numerous suitors who are beheaded trying to rescue her. It is only when she encounters a prince who needs her to rescue him that she is able to finally express her own power. Happily Ever Aftr calls into question the many “happily ever after”s offered by many traditional fairy tales that portray a passive princess being rescued by a prince and marrying in perpetual heterosexuality. Instead, the comic plays with assumptions about gender, assumptions about power, and assumptions about sexuality. To discover more about Happily Ever Aftr, visit https://www.limepressonline.com/product/happily-ever-aftr Tagged Comic Books, fairy tales, gender roles, graphic novels, LGBTQ2, passive princess, reviews, Ricky Lima

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Streamline Security Services Inc. Security Agents Dedicated to Your Safety and Peace of Mind Protecting What’s Important to You... Security Solutions From a Trusted Provider Threats can happen to anyone. But with the help of a professional security firm such as Streamline Security Services Inc., dangers can be prevented or totally deterred. We provide comprehensive security services to protect individuals, properties, and assets. Whether you need surveillance, traffic control, or undercover personnel, we got you covered. Contact us to learn more. Security Is No Laughing Matter. Don’t Settle for Second Best. Streamline Security Services Inc. is the largest privately owned and locally operated security services provider in the Tri-state areas of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut as well as Texas state. Our firm is licensed, bonded, and insured by the New York State Department of State. We are also NYS/NYC/SCA/The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey "MBE" certified and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) "DBE" certified. Our company is financially strong with vast local resources in New York and New Jersey. We are dedicated to 100% client satisfaction. We offer competitive pricing and customized security guard programs supported by the Tri-state region's most experienced security management staff. Please take a moment to look through our site and learn how StreamLine Security Services Incs. has become a security industry leader in the areas of New York (Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Manhattan, Bronx, and Staten Island), New Jersey, and Connecticut. Call us for a FREE consultation now and let's discuss your security needs. Click this text to edit. Tell users why they should click the button. About Our Security Firm Streamline Security Services Inc.

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Coral Sea Submarine Cable Lands in Sydney Coral Sea Cable Lands in Sydney By Radio New Zealand A fibre optic cable linking Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands to Australia is being laid on a Sydney beach this morning. Today’s landing of the 4700-kilometre long cable at Tamarama Beach will be / has been overseen in a ceremony attended by Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne. It marks the completion of the main international link of the Coral Sea Cable which connects the Melanesian countries to Australia’s cable fibre network. Currently only around 11 percent of the population of these countries have access to the internet. The cable is expected to deliver faster, cheaper and more reliable communications infrastructure to the Solomons and PNG from later this year. Diplomats from both countries are also observing the landing in Sydney. Australian company Vocus Communications began installation of the submarine cable, which was manufactured in France, in June. Ms Payne’s office said the cable was scheduled to be ready for service in December. Australia decided to finance the cable in 2018 after security concerns were raised about Chinese company Huawei, which was initially contracted to build the project. Australia is also supporting improvements to internet regulation and cyber security in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, to ensure the benefits of the cable are fully realised, according to Ms Payne’s office. Australia has provided the majority of the funding, with the Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands Governments jointly contributing one third of project costs. With the Australian landing completed today, the cable laying ship Ile de Brehat will soon return to Solomon Islands to lay a separate 730km submarine cable linking Honiara to the provincial centres of Auki, Noro and Taro. The World Bank forecasted that improved internet access and connectivity could bring more than $US5 billion to the Pacific economy and create close to 300,000 new jobs by 2040. Kieran Clark2019-08-28T09:59:05-04:00August 28th, 2019|Categories: Future Systems|Tags: Australia, Coral Sea, Ile de Brehat, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Sydney, Vocus| Tillamook County Approves Facebook Jupiter Cable Reliance Jio to Deploy New Submarine Cable Systems Chennai, Andaman & Nicobar Cable Work Begins Facebook Riles Oregon Town With Plan for Cable Submarine Telecoms Industry Report – Web Edition LATEST STF ANALYTICS REPORT

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Defense Focused On Shutting Down Kelce and Hill I suppose that headline shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Nor should this sentence. Saying you have to shut down Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill is a whole lot easier than actually doing it. But that’s the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ mission this weekend. Kelce and Hill are the Kansas City Chiefs’ two best weapons and for the Steelers to come out on top, they have to stop that duo. “Kelce has been a consistent, big-time explosive player since basically he got into the league,” Ross Cockrell told reporters via Steelers.com. “So we’re going to focus on him. He is their guy. As far as [Jeremy] Maclin, number 19, Tyreek Hill, number 10, those are guys who make explosive plays down the grass. We’ll do our best to limit those. But [Kelce] is the main guy for them.” Kelce had a career year in 2016, catching 85 passes for over 1100 yards and four touchdowns. He’s on a big-time hot streak too, going for at least 100 yards in five of his last seven games. It’s unclear exactly how Keith Butler will defend him. Justin Gilbert was used in the first matchup, with a high degree of success, but now that’s on tape. The team could use a true dime, Gilbert again, or roll up Sean Davis. Hill is the up-and-comer and one of the most dynamic players in the NFL. He’s also one of the fastest, turning in a 4.29 at his Pro Day. But his NFL impact is even more noteworthy, scoring 12 total touchdowns in his rookie season. Six through the air, three on the ground, and three in the return game. “He’s a guy that everyone wants on their team,” Artie Burns said of Hill. “He’s a real shifty guy. Fast, explosive, he does good on special teams and on offense. Very versatile. They put him in the backfield, they put him out wide. However they can get him the ball, they try to do it.” The Steelers have already faced Hill and the Chiefs but Hill has only gotten more and more involved in the offense. It’s possible Burns will see him again Sunday afternoon and he might be the only guy on the field with the speed to keep up with him, breaking up a deep pass against him in the first meeting. Back to special teams. Kansas City has arguably the best unit in the league, under the guise of Dave Toub, and Hill is a large part of that. He’s a game-breaker, a game-changer, and the Steelers are at their lowest point on that side of the ball. Getting healthy will help with that but it’ll be a big challenge to contain him all game long. Ditto with Kelce. It won’t be easy to stop either guy. But no one said winning the playoffs was an easy thing to do. Related Items:Artie Burns, Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Ross CockrellA, Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill Pavelle Steelers’ Mock Draft: Version 1.0 49ers To Face Chiefs In Super Bowl LIV 2019 NFL Championship Round Games Picks & Predictions: Dave Bryan & Alex Kozora

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Happy Birthday Leon! This is a scheduled post as I am currently away until Tuesday. Our eldest son is 35 today. It makes me feel old that I have a son in his mid-thirties. Leon now has laughter lines around his eyes. He is quick-witted and has a great East-End sense of humour. There has been much laughter over the years. However, it hasn’t always been plain sailing. Leon was a hyperactive child and was often described as ‘distracted and distracting’ in school reports. When he was four he decided it was a good idea to jump from the top of the staircase to the bottom, necessitating the first of many visits to A&E. He was always the class clown who knew how to wind people up the wrong way. One teacher used to send him out as soon as he went into the classroom, knowing that sooner or later he would play up. He was suspended from his middle school for a few days due to cutting a chunk from a girl’s hair. The girl had also cut Leon’s hair and had told him he would never amount to anything. He wasn’t academic, hated school, and didn’t want to go to university. He left school aged still 15 and took up a four-year engineering apprenticeship with a company who also paid for him to attend college one day a week. He passed all his electrician’s exams with distinction, and loved the job. He grew up overnight. He’s filled out somewhat from the skinny teenager who saved his apprentice wages of £57.60 every week and bought a 50cc motorcycle when he was 16. The bike got him back and forth to his job as a trainee air-conditioning engineer most days, but there was a rainy day when it broke down and he had to push it to the office where I worked to grab a lift in Mum’s taxi. Dripping wet and sweaty, he still managed to grin as he stood there in the rain (he would never wear any protective clothing). One day he phoned to tell me he’d be home late, as his workmates had winched the bike up to the rafters and he had to wait for them to return from their various jobs as he didn’t know how to get it down again. He took the teasing all in good part, especially when one lad took him to a job and asked him to open a grille that when he did so covered him in soot. He gave the lads backchat, hid their toolboxes, made them revolting tea and coffee, and failed to throw up when they took him to a sausage factory as part of his initiation rites. Within a few months he was one of the lads. As he grew older and earned more money as a manager, the bikes became bigger. He finished his apprenticeship and changed jobs so that he would not always be thought of as ‘The Boy’. Nowadays he roars up on a 1000cc Honda Fireblade in full leather gear, older and wiser after having fallen off the 50cc bike one too many times wearing only jeans and a tee-shirt. When his two daughters are arguing and fighting, he escapes on the bike, rides into his man-cave, and returns home when the furore has died down. Here’s a photo of Leon on the bike he had before the Fireblade. I have given birth to one of life’s alpha males. Leon’s voice is like a foghorn, and you know when he’s about. He spends his days checking up on all the engineers under his management, and gives them short shrift if they’re not doing their jobs properly. His favourite saying goes something like this: “If you know a better way of doing it, fine; let me know. Until then, do it my way!” Happy birthday Leon. You definitely amounted to something – love you! x 9 thoughts on “Happy Birthday Leon!” Happy birthday Leon! 🙂 Happy Birthday, Leon! With such a strong name, of course, you would amount to something!! Love the bike too. You have every right to be a proud mom!! Ha ha, thanks Darlene. A proud mother… how refreshing! Yeah, I’m proud of both of them.

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« Video: Hillary Clinton at the Third Annual U.S.-Indonesian Joint Commission Meeting Remarks by Deputy Secretary Burns at Ceremony Honoring Fallen Americans in Triploli, Libya. » Hillary Clinton with Indonesian FM Marty Natalegawa September 20, 2012 by still4hill Remarks With Indonesian Foreign Minister Raden Mohammad Marty Muliana Natalegawa After Their Meeting Treaty Room SECRETARY CLINTON:Good afternoon, everyone. And it’s such a pleasure, as always, to welcome the Indonesian Foreign Minister, and I believe the largest delegation that has ever come from Indonesia, for the purpose of our third meeting of the U.S.-Indonesia Joint Commission.This commission is the result of a vision by our two presidents for a comprehensive partnership, and the agreement to that effect was signed in 2010. Thanks to this partnership, the United States and Indonesia are working more closely than ever on a range of issues from global security to clean energy and climate to regional trade and commerce. And today, Marty and I had the chance to take stock of where our teams have come in the time of the last year, because we had our meeting in Bali a year ago. And I must say, I was very impressed. We covered a great deal today. But before I start, I’d like to say a few words about the protests in several countries around the world. We have condemned in the strongest possible terms the violence that has erupted from these protests. And as I have said, the video that sparked these protests is disgusting and reprehensible, and the United States Government, of course, had absolutely nothing to do with it. But there is no justification for violence, and I want to thank the Foreign Minister and his government for speaking out against violence. We have to look to reasonable people and responsible leaders everywhere to stand up to extremists who would seek to take advantage of this moment to commit violent acts against embassies and their fellow countrymen. Today’s meetings have highlighted the strong foundation that we have built together. And one of our most important concerns is promoting peace and stability in the Asia Pacific. Today, I’m announcing that the Obama Administration has informed Congress of the potential sale of eight AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters to the Indonesian Government. This agreement will strengthen our comprehensive partnership and help enhance security across the region. On growth and prosperity, we are increasing our trade relationship that topped $26 billion last year. Investments in transportation, energy, and infrastructure are creating jobs and supporting economic growth in both countries. For example, the deal between Lion Air and Boeing alone represents $21 billion in trade over the next decade. Indonesia’s Government has announced half a trillion dollars in infrastructure improvements, and we recently signed a memorandum of understanding to make it easier for American companies to bid on these projects. And yesterday, we signed an agreement for implementing our Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact with Indonesia. Over the next five years, the United States will invest $600 million in clean energy development, child health and nutrition programs, and efforts to help make Indonesia’s Government more transparent and open. The United States is also looking forward to Indonesia hosting APEC in 2013, and we are confident that Indonesia will come to this role with a commitment to promote greater economic integration across the Asia Pacific. Both the Foreign Minister and I believe that strong education is essential to compete in a modern global economy. That’s why the United States has expanded the Fulbright Program and supported partnerships between dozens of American and Indonesian universities. Academic exchanges between our countries are up and applications from Indonesian students to visit the United States have increased by one third. USAID has recently expanded its basic education program to provide $83 million for teacher training and literacy programs for young children. And we’re providing $20 in scholarship funding for Indonesian graduate students. I also thanked the Minister for Indonesia’s leadership in ASEAN. The Foreign Minister’s personal leadership has helped lay the groundwork for diplomacy between ASEAN and China as it relates to the South China Sea. And we continue to support ASEAN’s six-point principles, which we believe will help reduce tensions and pave the way for a comprehensive code of conduct for addressing disputes without threats, coercion, or use of force. Finally, Indonesia and the United States have stood together on a range of global challenges, from democratic reform in Burma to combating climate change, to working to end the violence in Syria. We are also coordinating efforts to further develop south-south and triangular cooperation, such as enhancing disaster preparedness in Burma and convening a conference on women’s empowerment. We believe that as the second and third-largest democracies in the world, the United States and Indonesia have a special responsibility to promote democracy and human rights. And for the last four years, Indonesia has hosted the Bali Democracy Forum to promote peaceful, democratic transitions through example and open dialogue. Last year, more than 80 countries attended. And once again, the United States will be sending a high-level delegation. So, Minister, thank you for everything. Thank you for the great partnership we’ve had between us and between our countries. FOREIGN MINISTER NATALEGAWA: Thank you very much, Madam Secretary. I’d like to begin by, once again, before members of the media, this afternoon to acknowledge and to thank you personally and as well, of course, through you, the government and the – of United States, and the delegations of the United States, for welcoming us in such a fine manner here in Washington. I concur with you fully in your description of the state of Indonesia-U.S. relations. It is, as it is often described, a comprehensive partnership, comprehensive – underscore the fact that our relations is a very broad ranged one covering many areas and sectors and fields of endeavor and cooperation. And throughout this morning, and of course throughout the year, as a matter of fact, the working groups established for the purpose of promoting our comprehensive partnership have precisely done that. They have worked very hard and we have heard just now, throughout our meeting this morning, the kind of progress – concrete, real, progress has been made in the areas of common concern, whether it be on trade, on education, on promotion of democracy and human rights, and many other fields – including, especially, and not least, in the defense and security area as well. What remains for us now is, based on the discussion that we’ve had today, to ensure the working groups and the Joint Ministerial Commission continue to be enhanced, continue to sustain the pace of its work so that once we meet again next year in Indonesia, we can similarly enjoy and raise witness important progress in the promotion of our bilateral relations. The point that I wanted to make at this occasion, Madam Secretary, is to reinforce and recall and reaffirm the fact that the importance of Indonesia-U.S. relations extends beyond the bilateral. Our two countries now have worked very closely in a very productive and very mutually beneficial way, not only bilaterally, but increasingly within the regional setting as well. Just now, Secretary Clinton was so kind enough to acknowledge the kind of efforts Indonesia is trying to make in trying to create an environment in our region that is peaceful and stable and thus, therefore prosperous, as well. But is a process, it is a common endeavor by all of us, and I have to say that over the recent years, the United States engagement in the Asian Pacific have truly been part of that creation of such a benign, peaceful and stable environment. But much work remains ahead of us. We have, of course, the New York United Nations meeting coming up this coming week. No doubt Indonesia and the United States will continue to work very closely. During the course of our discussion today, both in the plenary and especially in the more tete-a-tete setting, we discussed many a global issues, regional issues as well, whether it be in Southeast Asia, in East Asia, Asia Pacific, as well as, for example, in the Middle East, including the developments in Syria. What I wanted to say, basically and essentially, is that the strength of our bilateral relations is one that is becoming even more evident and it is a relations that is not only beneficial to the United States, beneficial to Indonesia, but no doubt I am sure beneficial to the region as well. Thank you very much, Secretary Clinton, for welcoming us to Washington, and I look forward to continuing our strong partnership. Thank you. Thanks very much. SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you so much, Marty. Thank you very much. MS. NULAND: We’ll take two questions today, we’ll start with Ros Jordan of Al Jazeera English. QUESTION: Thank you, Madam Secretary, Mr. Foreign Minister. Madam Secretary, my question is about the ongoing investigation into last week’s attack at the consulate in Benghazi. You are meeting this afternoon with members of Congress to discuss the progress and the concerns that they understandably have. First, there is the federal mandate to establish an accountability review board. Have you done so? Who would you like to see chair it? Are there certain questions that you desperately want to have answered in order to safeguard the safety of Foreign Service Officers around the world? And related to this, given the political instability and the successes of the past year and a half, are you satisfied that in light of those political changes, enough was done to protect those working in the Middle East and North Africa? And then finally – and this is perhaps going into the area of rumor and speculation – but there is at least one report suggesting that Ambassador Stevens felt that he was on a, quote, “al-Qaida hit list.” Is this a scurrilous rumor? Is this gallows humor when one is working in a period of difficulty and great challenge, or is there something more to what he allegedly – and I stress that word – said? SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, first, let me say I’m looking forward to the opportunity to go up to the Congress today. I will be briefing in two separate sessions, the House and the Senate, in a classified setting, along with my interagency colleagues, as we continue to work together, and with governments around the world, to ensure that our people and our facilities are safe. I will be joined today by the Director of National Intelligence, General Clapper, by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter, by the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Sandy Winnefeld, along with experts from the FBI, the State Department, and elsewhere in the government. Now, I anticipate that this briefing will cover our security posture before and during the events, and the steps we have taken since to do everything we can with host governments to protect our people and our embassies and consulates. The Director of National Intelligence will speak to the intelligence issues surrounding these events in Libya. Deputy Secretary Carter will brief on the superb support we have had from the U.S. military in the wake of these events, and we are at the very early stages of an FBI investigation. The team from the FBI reached Libya earlier this week. And I will advise Congress also that I am launching an accountability review board that will be chaired by Ambassador Thomas Pickering. I will also talk about the importance of the broader relationships with these countries in light of the events of the past days. There are obviously very real challenges in these new democracies, these fragile societies, but as I said last week, the vast majority of the people in these countries did not throw off the tyranny of a dictator to trade it for the tyranny of a mob. And we are concerned first and foremost with our own people and facilities, but we are concerned about the internal security in these countries because ultimately, that puts at risk the men, women, and children of these societies on a daily ongoing basis if actions are not taken to try to restore security and civil order. And let me just conclude by saying that there can be no doubt where the United States stands. We continue to support those who are fighting for universal values – values that we see at work in Indonesia – the third largest democracy in the world. We believe that these values of universal rights, of justice and accountability, of democracy, are there for every person regardless of where that person might live. So I will look forward to having a chance to talk with members of Congress. As to your final question, I have absolutely no information or reason to believe that there’s any basis for that. QUESTION: Thank you. MS. NULAND: Last question. Victoria Sidjabat from Tempo Magazine, please. QUESTION: Yes. Madam, thank you. My question is: Starting today, U.S. Embassy and Consulate are closed in Indonesia as the Muslim movie become wild fireball, which could be designed as a weapon to attack U.S. by raising sentiment anti-U.S. from the countries which has Muslim majority population like Indonesia. Madam Clinton, how do you see this threat as on the long run? If it’s continuing happen, it’s – obviously could give impact to the implementation of (inaudible) program in Indonesia. What is the reason U.S. Government closed the Embassy and Consulate in Indonesia? What is your expectation from Indonesia Government, for my Minister Marty Natalegawa? How Indonesia Government respond to the closing of this Embassy and Consulate, it’s starting today? Is U.S. – Indonesia Government has capability to protect U.S. Embassy and Consulate. So the (inaudible) program implemented – could be implemented successfully in Indonesia. Thank you. SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, let me begin by saying how grateful we are for the excellent cooperation we have received from the Government of Indonesia, and in particular, from the law enforcement and security institutions in Indonesia. We are very grateful for not only the cooperation and protection that has been provided to our facilities, but also to the strong statements condemning violence from the President, the Foreign Minister, and others. In consultation with the Government of Indonesia, we have temporarily, for tomorrow, closed our facilities. We want to be sure that law enforcement in Indonesia has the ability to do what it needs to do to make sure that there is no disruption of civil order and security. So we are cooperating completely, and we’re very grateful for the strong leadership provided by Indonesia. FOREIGN MINISTER NATALEGAWA: Hello, (inaudible), if I may just also respond. Precisely as the Secretary had said, the decision by the United States Government to close temporarily its embassies and consulates tomorrow in Indonesia is a decision that’s been made based on communication and conversation between the authorities in Indonesia and the United States as well. So in other words, it is an informed decision, a decision that is not intended to show any unfriendly intent on the part of anyone, but it is what it is, and it’s quite some – it’s the kind of step that governments actually carry out when situations requires it, even in our case. Some of our embassies abroad, when the situation requires us to have a temporary closing of the embassy, we do that as well. So it is something that is quite regular and something that is actually coordinated as well. But if I may just broaden the subject matter, I think as our President had said in the past, Indonesian Government – the Indonesian people, even, obviously cannot and would not condone the – any acts of violence against diplomatic premises, against diplomatic personnel, because that is, truly – would be a challenge to the efficient and a proper conduct of relations among states. So that’s our point of departure. At the same time, of course, beyond the immediate issue of protection of the embassies, we have still ahead of us the challenge of how to prevent the kind of situations where we are now at in terms of the kind of incendiary and the kind of statements or, in this instance, films that cause – that is now we have all deplored and condemned for these kind of activities not to be repeated. So we have a lot of homework to work towards in the future as well. SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you all very much. FOREIGN MINISTER NATALEGAWA: Thank you. Posted in Foreign Policy, Foreign Service, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, state department, U.S. Department of State | Tagged Foreign Policy, Foreign Service, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Indonesia, Marty Natalegawa, Middle East, North Africa, Secretary of State, State Department, U.S. Department of State, U.S.Embassies | 1 Comment on September 10, 2014 at 6:22 pm | Reply Hillary Clinton’s ‘Hard Choices’ Retrospective Part Five Chapter 17 Benghazi: Under Attack | Still4Hill […] Hillary Clinton with Indonesian FM Marty Natalegawa […]

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Anderson leads British charge at Europeans Team England’s Freya Anderson was the star of the show as the European Short Course Swimming Championships concluded in Glasgow. The 18-year-old claimed two of Great Britain’s three gold medals during the championships, while adding a silver in the 50m freestyle relay. Anderson claimed her maiden senior international title with victory in the 100m freestyle before eclipsing Fran Halsall’s long-standing 200m freestyle British record with a winning time of one minute and 52.7 seconds. "It's just amazing - I really didn't expect it,” said Anderson. "Even when I touched the wall and looked around I saw the one by my name I was like 'what!?'. I'm really happy with how I managed to pace my race and come back hard on the last 50 metres." Following an injury troubled 2018, Max Litchfield was back among the medals to win the 400m individual medley in emphatic fashion. Litchfield finished more than two seconds ahead of silver medallist, Ilia Borodin, in a time of four minutes and 1.36 seconds. “To get the win here, in front of a home crowd, is just awesome and so I’m really pleased and looking forward to the rest of the week now,” Litchfield told British Swimming. “It still feels weird racing internationally in December, but it’s nice to have that competitive nature and swimming for GB always helps as do the home crowd who are always behind us. “This has been a great pool to me over the years and it’s so nice to get the win.” Elsewhere there was also silverware for Team England’s Siobhan Marie O’Connor as she took home a well-earned bronze medal in the 200m individual medley, while Molly Renshaw and James Guy ended the championships on a high for the British team. Leading the majority of her 200m breaststroke final, Renshaw put on a gritty display to hold on to a silver medal in the dying metres, as Guy fought back from fourth to snake a late bronze in the 200m butterfly. Freya Anderson James Guy Molly Renshaw Swimming Winning return for Sarah-Jane Perry at Tournament of champions Marchant marches to keirin gold at Track Cycling World Cup

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Netflix experiments with promoting its shows on the login screen Netflix is testing a new way to promote its original shows – right on the login screen. A company spokesperson confirmed the streaming service is currently experimenting with a different login screen experience which replaces the black background behind users’ names and profile thumbnails with full-screen photos promoting a Netflix Original series or special, like “BoJack Horseman,” “Orange is the New Black,” “Dark,” “My Next Guest…”, “13 Reasons Why,” and several others. We first noticed the change on a TV connected to a Roku media player and on a Fire TV, but Netflix says the test is running “for TV,” which means those on other TV platforms may see the promoted shows as well. (Our Roku TV, however, had the same black background on the login screen, we should note.) The promoted shows aren’t necessarily those Netflix thinks you’d like – it’s just a rotating selection of popular originals. Every time you return to the Netflix login screen, it will have refreshed the photo that’s displayed. After cycling in and out of the Netflix app several times on our TV, we found the image selection to be fairly random – sometimes the promoted show would repeat a couple of times before a new show hopped in to take its place. Netflix will likely decide whether or not to move forward with the change to the login screen based on how well this new promotional effort works to actually increases viewership of its originals. While it makes sense to better utilize this space, I’m not sold on having ads for adult-oriented shows appearing on the same login screen that’s used by a child. The ads themselves (so far) have not been inappropriate, but it doesn’t seem like a good fit for multi-person households and families. For example, I now have to explain to a school-ager why they can’t watch that funny-looking cartoon, “BoJack Horseman.” Meanwhile, when I was logging in to watch more grown-up fare, I saw an ad for the new “Trolls” kids’ show. Uh, okay. That said, this is still a much less intrusive way to advertise Netflix shows, compared with putting promos at the beginning of a show, like HBO does. Netflix continually experiments with different ways to showcase its original programming, some of which eventually roll out to the wider user base – like the screensavers that launched last year, or the newer Stories-inspired mobile previews which arrived this spring. The company is expected to spend up to $13 billion on original programing this year, so it makes sense that it wants to highlight top shows to users in the hopes of getting them hooked on content that they can’t get elsewhere. Retaining users is especially important given all the changes to the increasingly competitive streaming media space as of late, including the rise of live TV services, the AT&T-Time Warner merger, and Disney’s forthcoming Netflix competitor. Netflix is smart to double-down on its best asset: Originals. The new test of promos on the login screen is only showing to a small percentage of users, Netflix says. That means you may not see them yourself, even if logging in to Netflix on a TV. Image credits: Me. Photos are from my own Netflix account. My daughter likes to rename her account silly things, in case you’re wondering. Side note: I miss having real profile images instead of these stupid drawings. Why can’t we pick from characters on Netflix shows? That would be a fun way to promote the original series. After all, BuzzFeed has long since proven that people do like relating themselves to fictional characters, thanks to those “which character are you?” quizzes.

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Prince Harry’s 2-year feud with Prince William is over "Given Harry is now permanently moving away, there was a realization if they didn’t sort things out now, they never would." Prince Harry’s 2-year feud with Prince William is over "Given Harry is now permanently moving away, there was a realization if they didn’t sort things out now, they never would." Porn site suffers massive data breach, including credit cards, social security numbers The data of “models” on an adult website has been exposed, says a cybersecurity firm. Porn site suffers massive data breach, including credit cards, social security numbers The data of “models” on an adult website has been exposed, says a cybersecurity firm. The media must expose bad-faith arguments on impeachment This is false equivalence on steroids. The media must expose bad-faith arguments on impeachment This is false equivalence on steroids. National forecast for Monday, January 20: Arctic blast retreats Cold air is the big story across the country with temperatures 10 to 35 degrees below average for two-thirds of the U.S. National forecast for Monday, January 20: Arctic blast retreats Cold air is the big story across the country with temperatures 10 to 35 degrees below average for two-thirds of the U.S. Senators make final campaign push in Iowa before impeachment trial A pair of Democrats running for President are getting a boost from the New York Times editorial board. For the first time, the paper endorsed two candidates in the primaries, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar. The Times says Warren is the best leftist candidate, while Klobuchar is the centrist choice. Ed O’Keefe reports on how they and their senate colleagues are squeezing in campaign appearances before the impeachment trial. Senators make final campaign push in Iowa before impeachment trial A pair of Democrats running for President are getting a boost from the New York Times editorial board. For the first time, the paper endorsed two candidates in the primaries, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar. The Times says Warren is the best leftist candidate, while Klobuchar is the centrist choice. Ed O’Keefe reports on how they and their senate colleagues are squeezing in campaign appearances before the impeachment trial. Tennis player Elliot Benchetrit told off by umpire for asking ball girl to peel his banana San Antonio shooting: Two dead after gunman opens fire inside bar San Antonio shooting: Two dead after gunman opens fire inside bar A manhunt is underway after a deadly shooting inside a bar in San Antonio, Texas, Sunday night. Police say an argument broke out between a group of people. Someone then pulled out a gun, and started shooting. One of the victims, a 21-year-old male, was found dead inside the bar. Another died at the hospital. Five others were wounded. No arrests have been made. With the matchup set for Super Bowl LIV between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, ticket prices for the big game are off the charts. Super Bowl tickets for Chiefs vs. 49ers are selling for record amount With the matchup set for Super Bowl LIV between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs, ticket prices for the big game are off the charts. Virginia state officials fear Richmond gun rights rally could be violent Richmond, Virginia is on high alert this morning before a gun rights rally that local authorities fear could turn violent. The FBI and local law enforcement say they’ve received credible threats of violence. Organizers say tens of thousands of people, including white supremacist groups and militias, may gather in the former confederate capital today, where Democrats are proposing new gun laws. David Begnaud reports. Virginia state officials fear Richmond gun rights rally could be violent Richmond, Virginia is on high alert this morning before a gun rights rally that local authorities fear could turn violent. The FBI and local law enforcement say they’ve received credible threats of violence. Organizers say tens of thousands of people, including white supremacist groups and militias, may gather in the former confederate capital today, where Democrats are proposing new gun laws. David Begnaud reports. The fraught business of removing and selling street art murals Banksy's well-known murals are everywhere but selling them can involve some heavy lifting. Street art fans and artists often protest against the sale of murals and storing heavy pieces of concrete isn't for everyone. The fraught business of removing and selling street art murals Banksy's well-known murals are everywhere but selling them can involve some heavy lifting. Street art fans and artists often protest against the sale of murals and storing heavy pieces of concrete isn't for everyone. Two dead, 15 wounded in shooting outside Kansas City bar hours after Chiefs win spot in Super Bowl Two people were found dead, including a woman in the parking lot. Earlier, the Chiefs claimed a Super Bowl spot by defeating the Tennessee Titans. Two dead, 15 wounded in shooting outside Kansas City bar hours after Chiefs win spot in Super Bowl Two people were found dead, including a woman in the parking lot. Earlier, the Chiefs claimed a Super Bowl spot by defeating the Tennessee Titans. How Lunar New Year became a shopping holiday for Western brands Brands like Gucci and Adidas Originals have partnered with Disney to release limited-edition capsule collections for Lunar New Year. | Wang Gang/VCG/Getty Images Gucci, Nike, and Sephora have released new merchandise for the Year of the Rat. The stretch of time between end-of-year celebrations and Valentine’s Day is usually bleak. People are physically and financially drained from the holidays, and there’s not much to celebrate — a dry spell that has led brands to create a deluge of fake holidays like National Shortbread Day (January 6) and National Shop for Travel Day (January 14). Within the past decade, a spate of brands both luxury and affordable have adopted a new holiday into their calendars, one that’s already celebrated by more than a billion people annually: Lunar New Year. In the US, the holiday is generally referred to as Chinese New Year, but Lunar New Year seems like a more accurate description, given that the event is also observed by non-Chinese people. What is Lunar New Year? While Lunar New Year 2020 officially falls on January 25, the holiday is celebrated across multiple days and even weeks in places like China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Under the Gregorian calendar used by most countries worldwide, the new year starts on January 1. Lunar New Year is the celebration under the lunisolar calendar — which is based on cycles of the moon — and typically falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. The specific celebrations and formal dates encompassing the holiday vary by country and culture, but it’s an important day reserved for festivities to ring in the new year. Celebrants host elaborate meals with extended families, exchange money or gifts for good fortune, party in the streets, and set off fireworks. Lunar New Year in China, which is called the Spring Festival, has 15 days of festivities, South Korea’s Seollal celebration lasts 12 days, and Vietnam’s Tết Nguyên Đán is a week long. Costfoto/Barcroft Media/Getty Images China has 15 days of festivities prepared for its Lunar New Year celebration, which is called the Spring Festival. There are numerous other lunar calendar-based celebrations that fall later than January 25, usually during or after the spring equinox. For example, Losar, the Tibetan new year, begins on February 24, while Cambodia starts its new year celebration on April 14. It’s likely that the growth of Asian immigrant populations in the US, especially those of Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese descent, has contributed to the overall popularity and cultural awareness of Lunar New Year. The largest celebrations from these communities typically occur in urban centers like Los Angeles, New York City, or San Francisco. Lunar New Year is a holiday steeped in tradition. It’s also an occasion to spend. As with most holidays, Lunar New Year has become an opportunity for retailers to sell shoes, jackets, or handbags on the premise of being culturally observant. While there are various other lunar-based celebrations in the months that follow, Western companies have notably latched onto Lunar New Year, given the scale of its celebration. Well-known Western brands like Apple, Gucci, Nike, and Sephora have launched new advertising campaigns and capsule collections overseas, primarily aimed at Chinese customers, but these activities have also bled into the American market. Malls, shopping centers, and entertainment venues in major US cities are hosting attractions tied to Lunar New Year. Despite the financial gains made from it, however, Lunar New Year is not yet a federal holiday. The commodification of major holidays and events is nothing new. Brands have long had a corporate incentive to pander to customers by aligning themselves with certain political and social goals. Yet there’s a stark disconnect that emerges when brands try to commercialize a holiday, especially one tied to cultures that celebrate it abroad like Lunar New Year. Despite the financial gains made from it, however, Lunar New Year is not yet a federal holiday “There’s this flattening of the world taking place in regards to marketing trends and themes,” Deb Gabor, a brands expert and CEO of Sol Marketing, told Vox. “It mostly started with the luxury brands, but we’re seeing more and more mainstream brands doing this,” like Sephora and online beauty companies. Lunar New Year appears to be yet another branded holiday where products are marketed with culturally specific colors, themes, and motifs — with the intention of courting an Asian market that holds significant spending power. Brands, especially luxury retailers, are actively chasing China, which will be the world’s largest apparel market by 2030. The “Lunar New Year effect,” as Gabor called it, is reflected in how American retailers are participating in Chinese shopping events, like Singles Day. According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, Chinese consumers in 2019 spent $149 billion across the week-long Chinese New Year holiday. China is also a hot spot for luxury retailers, spending about $7 billion each year on brand-name goods, according to McKinsey. Every year, retailers have the opportunity to create new merchandise that correlates with the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, which symbolizes a given year. A person’s zodiac sign depends on their birth year, and even American consumers have a semblance of knowledge of the zodiac, if not their affiliated animal. Given our collective enthusiasm at identifying ourselves through unscientific, ambiguous ways, brands are relying on zodiac imagery to sell their products. sees what you’re up to Apple. Alot of the emoji engraving options also match the Chinese Zodiac animals so you can engrave the year of your birth. pic.twitter.com/kxvM21ltfw— Brian Suda (@briansuda) January 3, 2020 2020 is the Year of the Rat, which might not be the cutest animal on earth, but that hasn’t stopped fashion retailers and makeup brands from releasing rat-related merchandise: Gucci and Adidas Originals have both partnered with Disney on capsule collections that feature Mickey Mouse, arguably the most famous rodent in the world. Rag & Bone has a pizza rat sweater, and Moschino released products with its Mickey Rat logo (which looks like Mickey Mouse but with a long jagged snout). Other retailers have opted to use more traditional motifs, like Nike, which has a series of subtly intricate shoe designs inspired by traditional Chinese paper cutting. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gucci (@gucci) on Jan 3, 2020 at 3:14am PST Despite their best efforts, Western companies haven’t escaped the inevitable criticism (mostly by Western consumers) that they’re commodifying a cultural holiday for their bottom line. In addition to Lunar New Year, brands have also capitalized on China’s Mid-Autumn Festival and the Muslim holiday Ramadan. In a 2015 piece for Racked, Fareeha Molvi wrote about the slow commercialization of Ramadan, and about grappling with how her culture “could be the next lucrative frontier,” like other holidays before it. “At its core, Ramadan is about doing more with less. Literally, you’re asked to do more good deeds while physically consuming less,” she wrote. When companies try to co-opt a cultural holiday for material gain, they risk subverting or even trivializing the tradition behind the event. Despite Lunar New Year’s deep-seated traditions, it has devolved into somewhat of a consumerist holiday: It’s tradition for people to buy loved ones gifts or exchange money (which encourages spending), and it’s even considered good fortune to ring in the new year with new stuff. For the most part, Asian consumers abroad don’t appear to take issue with the cultural marketing. Nike and Apple have received praise for releasing poignant ads that focus on family and tradition. However, foreign customers are quick to notice failed marketing ploys and point out where brands have erred. For example, Burberry’s Chinese New Year campaign in 2019 featured stoic, heavily stylized family portraits, which Chinese netizens found creepy and tone-deaf. Amid tensions between China and the US over trade and geopolitics, however, Chinese shoppers might not be as receptive to Western brands’ Lunar New Year efforts. They’ve become especially wary of American companies and critical of international retailers overall, according to a Wall Street Journal piece on how America is losing the Chinese customer. “This past Christmas is a good indication that [retailers] don’t have much up their sleeves besides promotions and discounts,” Gabor said. In a way, Lunar New Year has been a saving grace for some retailers, another opportunity to get more customers to buy. That might change in the future, as surveys show how Chinese shoppers prefer to buy from domestic brands, partly for patriotism’s sake. On Singles Day, the country’s largest shopping holiday, up to 78 percent of respondents surveyed said the trade war would affect their purchase of American brands. It doesn’t help that a string of missteps in 2019, which left companies scrambling to scrap together corporate apologies, has soured China’s perception towards Western brands. It was just in 2018 that a Chinese fast-fashion company had to set up shop in London to gain appeal in Beijing. The opposite effect might be taking place now. Analysts predict that Chinese shoppers alone are expected to spend as much as $156 billion on new year festivities. Still, it’s uncertain whether it’ll benefit the bottom line of Western companies. Sign up for The Goods newsletter. Twice a week, we’ll send you the best Goods stories exploring what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters. How Lunar New Year became a shopping holiday for Western brands Brands like Gucci and Adidas Originals have partnered with Disney to release limited-edition capsule collections for Lunar New Year. | Wang Gang/VCG/Getty Images Gucci, Nike, and Sephora have released new merchandise for the Year of the Rat. The stretch of time between end-of-year celebrations and Valentine’s Day is usually bleak. People are physically and financially drained from the holidays, and there’s not much to celebrate — a dry spell that has led brands to create a deluge of fake holidays like National Shortbread Day (January 6) and National Shop for Travel Day (January 14). Within the past decade, a spate of brands both luxury and affordable have adopted a new holiday into their calendars, one that’s already celebrated by more than a billion people annually: Lunar New Year. In the US, the holiday is generally referred to as Chinese New Year, but Lunar New Year seems like a more accurate description, given that the event is also observed by non-Chinese people. What is Lunar New Year? While Lunar New Year 2020 officially falls on January 25, the holiday is celebrated across multiple days and even weeks in places like China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Under the Gregorian calendar used by most countries worldwide, the new year starts on January 1. Lunar New Year is the celebration under the lunisolar calendar — which is based on cycles of the moon — and typically falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice. The specific celebrations and formal dates encompassing the holiday vary by country and culture, but it’s an important day reserved for festivities to ring in the new year. Celebrants host elaborate meals with extended families, exchange money or gifts for good fortune, party in the streets, and set off fireworks. Lunar New Year in China, which is called the Spring Festival, has 15 days of festivities, South Korea’s Seollal celebration lasts 12 days, and Vietnam’s Tết Nguyên Đán is a week long. Costfoto/Barcroft Media/Getty Images China has 15 days of festivities prepared for its Lunar New Year celebration, which is called the Spring Festival. There are numerous other lunar calendar-based celebrations that fall later than January 25, usually during or after the spring equinox. For example, Losar, the Tibetan new year, begins on February 24, while Cambodia starts its new year celebration on April 14. It’s likely that the growth of Asian immigrant populations in the US, especially those of Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese descent, has contributed to the overall popularity and cultural awareness of Lunar New Year. The largest celebrations from these communities typically occur in urban centers like Los Angeles, New York City, or San Francisco. Lunar New Year is a holiday steeped in tradition. It’s also an occasion to spend. As with most holidays, Lunar New Year has become an opportunity for retailers to sell shoes, jackets, or handbags on the premise of being culturally observant. While there are various other lunar-based celebrations in the months that follow, Western companies have notably latched onto Lunar New Year, given the scale of its celebration. Well-known Western brands like Apple, Gucci, Nike, and Sephora have launched new advertising campaigns and capsule collections overseas, primarily aimed at Chinese customers, but these activities have also bled into the American market. Malls, shopping centers, and entertainment venues in major US cities are hosting attractions tied to Lunar New Year. Despite the financial gains made from it, however, Lunar New Year is not yet a federal holiday. The commodification of major holidays and events is nothing new. Brands have long had a corporate incentive to pander to customers by aligning themselves with certain political and social goals. Yet there’s a stark disconnect that emerges when brands try to commercialize a holiday, especially one tied to cultures that celebrate it abroad like Lunar New Year. Despite the financial gains made from it, however, Lunar New Year is not yet a federal holiday “There’s this flattening of the world taking place in regards to marketing trends and themes,” Deb Gabor, a brands expert and CEO of Sol Marketing, told Vox. “It mostly started with the luxury brands, but we’re seeing more and more mainstream brands doing this,” like Sephora and online beauty companies. Lunar New Year appears to be yet another branded holiday where products are marketed with culturally specific colors, themes, and motifs — with the intention of courting an Asian market that holds significant spending power. Brands, especially luxury retailers, are actively chasing China, which will be the world’s largest apparel market by 2030. The “Lunar New Year effect,” as Gabor called it, is reflected in how American retailers are participating in Chinese shopping events, like Singles Day. According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, Chinese consumers in 2019 spent $149 billion across the week-long Chinese New Year holiday. China is also a hot spot for luxury retailers, spending about $7 billion each year on brand-name goods, according to McKinsey. Every year, retailers have the opportunity to create new merchandise that correlates with the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, which symbolizes a given year. A person’s zodiac sign depends on their birth year, and even American consumers have a semblance of knowledge of the zodiac, if not their affiliated animal. Given our collective enthusiasm at identifying ourselves through unscientific, ambiguous ways, brands are relying on zodiac imagery to sell their products. sees what you’re up to Apple. Alot of the emoji engraving options also match the Chinese Zodiac animals so you can engrave the year of your birth. pic.twitter.com/kxvM21ltfw— Brian Suda (@briansuda) January 3, 2020 2020 is the Year of the Rat, which might not be the cutest animal on earth, but that hasn’t stopped fashion retailers and makeup brands from releasing rat-related merchandise: Gucci and Adidas Originals have both partnered with Disney on capsule collections that feature Mickey Mouse, arguably the most famous rodent in the world. Rag & Bone has a pizza rat sweater, and Moschino released products with its Mickey Rat logo (which looks like Mickey Mouse but with a long jagged snout). Other retailers have opted to use more traditional motifs, like Nike, which has a series of subtly intricate shoe designs inspired by traditional Chinese paper cutting. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gucci (@gucci) on Jan 3, 2020 at 3:14am PST Despite their best efforts, Western companies haven’t escaped the inevitable criticism (mostly by Western consumers) that they’re commodifying a cultural holiday for their bottom line. In addition to Lunar New Year, brands have also capitalized on China’s Mid-Autumn Festival and the Muslim holiday Ramadan. In a 2015 piece for Racked, Fareeha Molvi wrote about the slow commercialization of Ramadan, and about grappling with how her culture “could be the next lucrative frontier,” like other holidays before it. “At its core, Ramadan is about doing more with less. Literally, you’re asked to do more good deeds while physically consuming less,” she wrote. When companies try to co-opt a cultural holiday for material gain, they risk subverting or even trivializing the tradition behind the event. Despite Lunar New Year’s deep-seated traditions, it has devolved into somewhat of a consumerist holiday: It’s tradition for people to buy loved ones gifts or exchange money (which encourages spending), and it’s even considered good fortune to ring in the new year with new stuff. For the most part, Asian consumers abroad don’t appear to take issue with the cultural marketing. Nike and Apple have received praise for releasing poignant ads that focus on family and tradition. However, foreign customers are quick to notice failed marketing ploys and point out where brands have erred. For example, Burberry’s Chinese New Year campaign in 2019 featured stoic, heavily stylized family portraits, which Chinese netizens found creepy and tone-deaf. Amid tensions between China and the US over trade and geopolitics, however, Chinese shoppers might not be as receptive to Western brands’ Lunar New Year efforts. They’ve become especially wary of American companies and critical of international retailers overall, according to a Wall Street Journal piece on how America is losing the Chinese customer. “This past Christmas is a good indication that [retailers] don’t have much up their sleeves besides promotions and discounts,” Gabor said. In a way, Lunar New Year has been a saving grace for some retailers, another opportunity to get more customers to buy. That might change in the future, as surveys show how Chinese shoppers prefer to buy from domestic brands, partly for patriotism’s sake. On Singles Day, the country’s largest shopping holiday, up to 78 percent of respondents surveyed said the trade war would affect their purchase of American brands. It doesn’t help that a string of missteps in 2019, which left companies scrambling to scrap together corporate apologies, has soured China’s perception towards Western brands. It was just in 2018 that a Chinese fast-fashion company had to set up shop in London to gain appeal in Beijing. The opposite effect might be taking place now. Analysts predict that Chinese shoppers alone are expected to spend as much as $156 billion on new year festivities. Still, it’s uncertain whether it’ll benefit the bottom line of Western companies. Sign up for The Goods newsletter. Twice a week, we’ll send you the best Goods stories exploring what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters. Political Hobbyists Are Ruining Politics Many college-educated people think they are deeply engaged in politics. They follow the news—reading articles like this one—and debate the latest developments on social media. They might sign an online petition or throw a $5 online donation at a presidential candidate. Mostly, they consume political information as a way of satisfying their own emotional and intellectual needs. These people are political hobbyists. What they are doing is no closer to engaging in politics than watching SportsCenter is to playing football.For Querys Matias, politics isn’t just a hobby. Matias is a 63-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic. She lives in Haverhill, Massachusetts, a small city on the New Hampshire border. In her day job, Querys is a bus monitor for a special-needs school. In her evenings, she amasses power. Querys is a leader of a group called the Latino Coalition in Haverhill, bringing together the Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, and Central Americans who together make up about 20 percent of the residents of the city. The coalition gets out the vote during elections, but they do much more than that.They have met with their member of Congress and asked for regular, Spanish-speaking office hours for their community. They advocate for policies like immigration reform for Dreamers and federal assistance in affordable housing. On local issues, the demands are more concrete. Dozens of the group’s members have met with the mayor, the school superintendent, and the police department. They want more Latinos in city jobs and serving on city boards. They want the schools to have staff available who can speak with parents in Spanish. They want to know exactly how the city interacts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.Querys is engaging in politics—the methodical pursuit of power to influence how the government operates. If she and the community she represents are quiet and not organized, they get ignored. Other interests, sometimes competing interests, prevail. Organizing gives them the ability to get what they want. Much as the civil-rights movement did, Querys is operating with clear goals and with discipline, combining electoral strategies with policy advocacy.[Read: Democrats should be worried about the Latino vote]Unlike organizers such as Querys, the political hobbyists are disproportionately college-educated white men. They learn about and talk about big important things. Their style of politics is a parlor game in which they debate the issues on their abstract merits. Media commentators and good-government reform groups have generally regarded this as a cleaner, more evolved, less self-interested version of politics compared to the kind of politics that Querys practices.In reality, political hobbyists have harmed American democracy and would do better by redirecting their political energy toward serving the material and emotional needs of their neighbors. People who have a personal stake in the outcome of politics often have a better understanding of how power can and should be exercised—not just at the polls once every four years, but person to person, day in and day out.In the United States, political habits vary significantly by race and education. In a 2018 survey, I found that whites reported spending more time reading, talking, and thinking about politics than blacks and Latinos, but blacks and Latinos were twice as likely as white respondents to say that at least some of the time they dedicate to politics is spent volunteering in organizations. Likewise, those who are college-educated report they spend more time on politics than other Americans—but less than 2 percent of that time involves volunteering in political organizations. The rest is spent mostly in news consumption (41 percent of the time), discussion and debate (26 percent), and contemplating politics alone (21 percent). Ten percent of the time is unclassifiable. Furthermore, the news that college-educated people consume is unlikely to help them actively participate in politics because, as the Pew Research Center has found, they are more likely than non-college educated Americans to rely on national rather than local sources of news. Daily news consumers are very interested in politics, so they say, but they aren’t doing much: In 2016 most reported belonging to zero organizations, having attended zero political meetings in the last year, having worked zero times with others to solve a community problem.What explains the rise of political hobbyism? One important historical explanation is the culture of comfort that engulfs college-educated white people, a demographic group that is now predominately Democratic. They have decent jobs and benefits. There has been no military conscription for some fifty years. Harvard’s Theda Skocpol argues that as the percent of Americans with a college degree has increased over time, they have come to feel less special, less like stewards of their community, less like their communities depend on them. As the college-educated population has grown over time, community participation has, surprisingly, plummeted.[Read: America is divided by education]In other words, college educated people, especially whites, do politics as hobbyists because they can. On the political left, they may say they fear President Trump. They may lament polarization. But they are pretty comfortable with the status quo. They don’t have the same concrete needs as Querys’s community in Haverhill has. Nor do they feel a sense of obligation, of “linked fate”, to people who have concrete needs such that they are willing to be their allies. They might front as “allies” on social media, but very few white liberals are actively engaging in face-to-face political organizations, committing their time to fighting for racial equality or any other issue they say they care about.This article has been adapted from Politics Is for Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change, by Eitan Hersh.Instead they are scrolling through their news feeds, keeping up on all the dramatic turns in Washington that satiate their need for an emotional connection to politics but that help them not at all learn how to be good citizens. They can recite the ins and outs of the Mueller investigation or fondly recall old 24-hour scandals like Sharpiegate, but they haven’t the faintest idea how to push for what they care about in their own communities.If you think the status quo in politics isn’t great, then the time wasted on political hobbyism is pretty tragic. But political hobbyism is worse than just a waste of time. As I argue in my new book, Politics is for Power, our collective treatment of politics like a sport incentivizes politicians to behave badly. We reward them with attention and money for any red meat they throw at us. Hobbyism also cultivates skills and attitudes that are counter-productive to building power. Rather than practicing patience and empathy like Querys needs to do to win over supporters in Haverhill, hobbyists cultivate outrage and seek instant gratification.In the Democratic Party coalition, racial minorities have long operated in tension with the well-educated, cosmopolitan wing of the party. It’s a tension between those who have concrete demands from politics and seek empowerment, versus those who have enough power that politics is more about self-gratification than fighting for anything. Only if you don’t need more power than you already have could you possibly consider politics as a form of consumption from the couch rather than as a domain of goals and strategies. In the 1950s and 1960s, there was a brief movement of activism by “amateur” or “club” Democrats, as they were called. These were middle-class white professionals who met regularly in well-to-do neighborhoods to talk about politics and push a liberal agenda, including civil rights. A criticism levied against these groups was that they were all talk. In 1967, for instance, in their book, Black Power, Kwame Ture (formerly Stokely Carmichael) and political scientist Charles Hamilton wrote that African-Americans have tried for too long to work with groups like the club Democrats. The authors argued that liberal white professionals didn’t really value black empowerment, often actually impeded black empowerment, and failed to understand the life-and-death consequences for political power. “Let black people organize themselves first,” they wrote, “define their interests and goals, and then see what kinds of allies are available.”Liberal white hobbyists living in well-to-do white enclaves, especially in blue states, might look at politics today and think the important stuff is happening elsewhere—in poorer areas of their own state, in swing states, in Republican states, in Washington—anywhere but where they live. Ture and Hamilton saw this pattern back in the 1960s. “One of the most disturbing things about almost all white supporters,” they wrote, “has been that they are reluctant to go into their own communities—which is where the racism exists—and work to get rid of it.” Fast forward to the present day—to a world of increasing inequality in resources, where rich neighborhoods will feature yard signs claiming everyone is welcome but where zoning rules claim otherwise: If you don’t think there is any work to do in your own town in advancing the cause of racial equality, you are not looking very hard.In immigrant communities, minority communities, in poor communities, politics is about empowerment. When politics is about empowerment, like it is for Querys, community service and political engagement are closely connected. Helping parents navigate school systems, helping neighbors fill out government forms, making sure families have healthcare and food and security—this is both community service and a fight for basic human needs. Those needs can also be served through attaining political power. And how does one gain power for their values, in the way that Querys does? By working in local organizations that demonstrate to a community of people you care about their needs. Then, when an election comes or an important meeting happens, the community shows up. That’s is the basic formula. That’s real politics. It’s precisely the kind of work that political hobbyists expect someone else to perform while they nod along to MSNBC.College-educated hobbyists can engage in real politics too. They’ll need to figure out what needs are unmet and how they can serve them. They’ll need to find local organizations in which they can serve. More fundamentally, they’ll have to figure out which communities they’re willing to fight for. As things stand, their apathy suggests that they already have figured that part out.This article was adapted from Hersh’s upcoming book, Politics Is for Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change. Political Hobbyists Are Ruining Politics Many college-educated people think they are deeply engaged in politics. They follow the news—reading articles like this one—and debate the latest developments on social media. They might sign an online petition or throw a $5 online donation at a presidential candidate. Mostly, they consume political information as a way of satisfying their own emotional and intellectual needs. These people are political hobbyists. What they are doing is no closer to engaging in politics than watching SportsCenter is to playing football.For Querys Matias, politics isn’t just a hobby. Matias is a 63-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic. She lives in Haverhill, Massachusetts, a small city on the New Hampshire border. In her day job, Querys is a bus monitor for a special-needs school. In her evenings, she amasses power. Querys is a leader of a group called the Latino Coalition in Haverhill, bringing together the Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, and Central Americans who together make up about 20 percent of the residents of the city. The coalition gets out the vote during elections, but they do much more than that.They have met with their member of Congress and asked for regular, Spanish-speaking office hours for their community. They advocate for policies like immigration reform for Dreamers and federal assistance in affordable housing. On local issues, the demands are more concrete. Dozens of the group’s members have met with the mayor, the school superintendent, and the police department. They want more Latinos in city jobs and serving on city boards. They want the schools to have staff available who can speak with parents in Spanish. They want to know exactly how the city interacts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.Querys is engaging in politics—the methodical pursuit of power to influence how the government operates. If she and the community she represents are quiet and not organized, they get ignored. Other interests, sometimes competing interests, prevail. Organizing gives them the ability to get what they want. Much as the civil-rights movement did, Querys is operating with clear goals and with discipline, combining electoral strategies with policy advocacy.[Read: Democrats should be worried about the Latino vote]Unlike organizers such as Querys, the political hobbyists are disproportionately college-educated white men. They learn about and talk about big important things. Their style of politics is a parlor game in which they debate the issues on their abstract merits. Media commentators and good-government reform groups have generally regarded this as a cleaner, more evolved, less self-interested version of politics compared to the kind of politics that Querys practices.In reality, political hobbyists have harmed American democracy and would do better by redirecting their political energy toward serving the material and emotional needs of their neighbors. People who have a personal stake in the outcome of politics often have a better understanding of how power can and should be exercised—not just at the polls once every four years, but person to person, day in and day out.In the United States, political habits vary significantly by race and education. In a 2018 survey, I found that whites reported spending more time reading, talking, and thinking about politics than blacks and Latinos, but blacks and Latinos were twice as likely as white respondents to say that at least some of the time they dedicate to politics is spent volunteering in organizations. Likewise, those who are college-educated report they spend more time on politics than other Americans—but less than 2 percent of that time involves volunteering in political organizations. The rest is spent mostly in news consumption (41 percent of the time), discussion and debate (26 percent), and contemplating politics alone (21 percent). Ten percent of the time is unclassifiable. Furthermore, the news that college-educated people consume is unlikely to help them actively participate in politics because, as the Pew Research Center has found, they are more likely than non-college educated Americans to rely on national rather than local sources of news. Daily news consumers are very interested in politics, so they say, but they aren’t doing much: In 2016 most reported belonging to zero organizations, having attended zero political meetings in the last year, having worked zero times with others to solve a community problem.What explains the rise of political hobbyism? One important historical explanation is the culture of comfort that engulfs college-educated white people, a demographic group that is now predominately Democratic. They have decent jobs and benefits. There has been no military conscription for some fifty years. Harvard’s Theda Skocpol argues that as the percent of Americans with a college degree has increased over time, they have come to feel less special, less like stewards of their community, less like their communities depend on them. As the college-educated population has grown over time, community participation has, surprisingly, plummeted.[Read: America is divided by education]In other words, college educated people, especially whites, do politics as hobbyists because they can. On the political left, they may say they fear President Trump. They may lament polarization. But they are pretty comfortable with the status quo. They don’t have the same concrete needs as Querys’s community in Haverhill has. Nor do they feel a sense of obligation, of “linked fate”, to people who have concrete needs such that they are willing to be their allies. They might front as “allies” on social media, but very few white liberals are actively engaging in face-to-face political organizations, committing their time to fighting for racial equality or any other issue they say they care about.This article has been adapted from Politics Is for Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change, by Eitan Hersh.Instead they are scrolling through their news feeds, keeping up on all the dramatic turns in Washington that satiate their need for an emotional connection to politics but that help them not at all learn how to be good citizens. They can recite the ins and outs of the Mueller investigation or fondly recall old 24-hour scandals like Sharpiegate, but they haven’t the faintest idea how to push for what they care about in their own communities.If you think the status quo in politics isn’t great, then the time wasted on political hobbyism is pretty tragic. But political hobbyism is worse than just a waste of time. As I argue in my new book, Politics is for Power, our collective treatment of politics like a sport incentivizes politicians to behave badly. We reward them with attention and money for any red meat they throw at us. Hobbyism also cultivates skills and attitudes that are counter-productive to building power. Rather than practicing patience and empathy like Querys needs to do to win over supporters in Haverhill, hobbyists cultivate outrage and seek instant gratification.In the Democratic Party coalition, racial minorities have long operated in tension with the well-educated, cosmopolitan wing of the party. It’s a tension between those who have concrete demands from politics and seek empowerment, versus those who have enough power that politics is more about self-gratification than fighting for anything. Only if you don’t need more power than you already have could you possibly consider politics as a form of consumption from the couch rather than as a domain of goals and strategies. In the 1950s and 1960s, there was a brief movement of activism by “amateur” or “club” Democrats, as they were called. These were middle-class white professionals who met regularly in well-to-do neighborhoods to talk about politics and push a liberal agenda, including civil rights. A criticism levied against these groups was that they were all talk. In 1967, for instance, in their book, Black Power, Kwame Ture (formerly Stokely Carmichael) and political scientist Charles Hamilton wrote that African-Americans have tried for too long to work with groups like the club Democrats. The authors argued that liberal white professionals didn’t really value black empowerment, often actually impeded black empowerment, and failed to understand the life-and-death consequences for political power. “Let black people organize themselves first,” they wrote, “define their interests and goals, and then see what kinds of allies are available.”Liberal white hobbyists living in well-to-do white enclaves, especially in blue states, might look at politics today and think the important stuff is happening elsewhere—in poorer areas of their own state, in swing states, in Republican states, in Washington—anywhere but where they live. Ture and Hamilton saw this pattern back in the 1960s. “One of the most disturbing things about almost all white supporters,” they wrote, “has been that they are reluctant to go into their own communities—which is where the racism exists—and work to get rid of it.” Fast forward to the present day—to a world of increasing inequality in resources, where rich neighborhoods will feature yard signs claiming everyone is welcome but where zoning rules claim otherwise: If you don’t think there is any work to do in your own town in advancing the cause of racial equality, you are not looking very hard.In immigrant communities, minority communities, in poor communities, politics is about empowerment. When politics is about empowerment, like it is for Querys, community service and political engagement are closely connected. Helping parents navigate school systems, helping neighbors fill out government forms, making sure families have healthcare and food and security—this is both community service and a fight for basic human needs. Those needs can also be served through attaining political power. And how does one gain power for their values, in the way that Querys does? By working in local organizations that demonstrate to a community of people you care about their needs. Then, when an election comes or an important meeting happens, the community shows up. That’s is the basic formula. That’s real politics. It’s precisely the kind of work that political hobbyists expect someone else to perform while they nod along to MSNBC.College-educated hobbyists can engage in real politics too. They’ll need to figure out what needs are unmet and how they can serve them. They’ll need to find local organizations in which they can serve. More fundamentally, they’ll have to figure out which communities they’re willing to fight for. As things stand, their apathy suggests that they already have figured that part out.This article was adapted from Hersh’s upcoming book, Politics Is for Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change. 'Power' Spin-Off: Starz Series Teases New Tommy Egan West Coast Sequel "Power" has multiple spin-offs coming to Starz and a prequel that follows Tommy starting his life over in California may be among them if Season 6, Episode 13 is anything to go by. 'Power' Spin-Off: Starz Series Teases New Tommy Egan West Coast Sequel "Power" has multiple spin-offs coming to Starz and a prequel that follows Tommy starting his life over in California may be among them if Season 6, Episode 13 is anything to go by. The next mega disasters that could happen at any moment (and kill us all) As wildfires so hot that images can be seen from space ravage Australia — creating toxic smoke that clogs the country’s major cities, killing over 25 people, burning 18 million acres and slaughtering up to a billion animals — many around the globe are wondering what catastrophe is next? The next mega disasters that could happen at any moment (and kill us all) As wildfires so hot that images can be seen from space ravage Australia — creating toxic smoke that clogs the country’s major cities, killing over 25 people, burning 18 million acres and slaughtering up to a billion animals — many around the globe are wondering what catastrophe is next? Two police officers killed in Hawaii by suspect with history of false 911 calls Two police officers were shot and killed in Hawaii Sunday by a man who had a history of making false 911 calls. The suspect Jerry Hanel also set a fire that destroyed seven homes. Jamie Yuccas reports. Two police officers killed in Hawaii by suspect with history of false 911 calls Two police officers were shot and killed in Hawaii Sunday by a man who had a history of making false 911 calls. The suspect Jerry Hanel also set a fire that destroyed seven homes. Jamie Yuccas reports. “King-Lee Day” and other ways states bend MLK’s legacy Zac Freeland/Vox How can some places use the federal holiday to honor “human rights” and Confederate generals — and not the civil rights leader? Welcome to Laboratories of Democracy, a series for Vox’s The Highlight, where we examine local policies and their impacts. The policy: States have stretched the meaning of the federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday to honor everything from “human rights” to Confederate generals. Where: Alabama, Mississippi, Utah, Idaho, Virginia, New Hampshire Since: 1986 The problem: In March 1990, the NFL delivered Arizona an ultimatum. The league approved Phoenix as the host of the 1993 Super Bowl — a sure economic boon — on one condition: The state needed to finally recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday. In a scramble, state legislators placed MLK Day on the ballot in 1990, confident it would be approved. But when the vote tally came in that November, officials were shocked to discover the proposal had failed. “We honestly don’t believe our kids and grandkids should revere him as a national hero,” one anti-MLK Day activist told the New York Times. True to its word, the NFL pulled the 1993 Super Bowl from Arizona. The Arizona vote revealed something sinister about American race relations: Although MLK Day is generally viewed as a way to mark the country’s supposed racial progress and the life of King, who fought for that progress, many white Americans still refuse to honor the civil rights leader. States are not required to observe any of the 10 federal holidays, including Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In many cases, they don’t: Columbus Day, for example, is only recognized in 21 states. But state authority over how to designate holidays has given rise to an ominous downplaying of MLK’s legacy. Congress first considered making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a holiday in 1968, the year of the civil rights leader’s assassination. Annual bills were introduced for more than a decade, but none of them made it out of committee because of lingering hostility toward King, particularly among several Republican representatives. But activists and labor unions continued to push for the holiday, delivering a petition that garnered more than 6 million signatures to Congress in the early 1980s. President Ronald Reagan had initially opposed MLK Day, citing the cost of another paid holiday for federal workers, but after the Reagan administration’s campaign against affirmative action and welfare, the president decided he needed to shore up his black support somehow. In 1983, he signed a law proclaiming that the third Monday of January would become Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But contempt for King’s legacy remained. Much of it stemmed from an insistence that King’s work in desegregating the South and advocating wealth redistribution across the country was fundamentally “un-American.” Misinformation about King as a communist sympathizer spread widely. Although many states followed the example of Congress and quickly recognized a holiday in his honor, some of the holdouts decided to get creative. How it works: In April 1984, a pair of white supremacists crawled under a synagogue in Boise, Idaho, and placed three sticks of dynamite beneath the kitchen. The duo, members of the violent white nationalist organization Aryan Nations, later said they intended it as an “act of war.” When the bomb went off, no one died. But it became one in a string of Aryan Nations attacks, which included the murder of a Jewish radio host, that shook the nation in the mid-’80s. The festering racism in Idaho, one of the whitest states in the country and the main base of the Aryan Nations, became fodder for national news stories. The state needed an image change, so Idaho Gov. John Evans devised a simple solution: Idaho would, at long last, push for a holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. after years of refusing to recognize it. But the legislation to make MLK Day official didn’t pass. The legislature tried in 1986, then again in 1987, and in 1989. Opposing legislators claimed they were concerned about cost, but as Boise State University history professor Jill K. Gill noted in The Pacific Northwest Quarterly, many Idahoans distrusted King, if not civil rights in general. In King, they saw a man who had committed marital infidelities and supposedly harbored communist sympathies. But other legislators did not bother to hide that their opposition was rooted in racism. State Rep. Emerson Smock complained to the Post Register, “A black holiday is what they’re wanting.” The legislature eventually forged a compromise: Rather than create a state holiday that honored King alone, the state would broaden it to include, in theory, anyone. In April 1990, the state announced it would celebrate King’s birthday as “Martin Luther King Jr.-Idaho Human Rights Day.” Although King remained the primary honoree, the extended name was explicitly about mollifying King’s detractors. Idaho isn’t alone. Alabama and Mississippi still celebrate a “King-Lee” day that lumps King together with Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, whose birthday is January 19. Until 2000, Virginia took this idea even further, creating a “Lee-Jackson-King Day” that also honored Confederate leader Stonewall Jackson. “Bundling the holidays remains a form of resistance to racial justice in America,” Gill told Vox. By putting King alongside Lee, she added, “it also remains a vehicle for obscuring white supremacist aims, past and present.” Other states tried an array of strategies to quite literally take Martin Luther King Jr. out of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Until 2000, Utah’s holiday did not mention King by name: MLK Day was known simply as Human Rights Day. South Carolina took a different tack, passing a standalone holiday honoring the civil rights leader but making its observance optional. There, state workers could choose between MLK Day and three separate Confederate holidays as their paid day off. Arizona voters, by contrast, refused to approve a ballot proposal for MLK Day until 1992, two years after the NFL boycotted the state. And in 2000, New Hampshire became the last state in the country to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day under any name, closing out an effort that included multiple failed bills since 1979. The winning compromise: New Hampshire would call its holiday “Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Day” instead of just “Martin Luther King Jr. Day.” Attempts to lump King together with other historical figures have not disappeared. In 2010, the Utah legislature considered a bill that would add gun manufacturer John Browning to the state’s celebration of King. When Desert News asked Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins whether he saw any conflict in honoring a gun manufacturer alongside a proponent of nonviolence, Jenkins replied, “Guns keep peace.” Many of the same states that have renamed MLK Day also routinely downplay anti-black violence in their discussions of America’s past. According to the Washington Post, Massachusetts, which observes the holiday, mentions slavery 104 times in its K-12 public school history guidelines. Compare that to Alabama, which only mentions it 15 times, or Idaho, which only mentions it twice. Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, key events in the civil rights movement like the murder of Emmett Till have at times been ignored entirely. According to Gill, maintaining a joint King-Lee holiday “continues that tradition of prioritizing white people’s reconciliation and image of patriotic nobility over acknowledging the historical truths of racial injustice and culpability.” Black activists have long pointed out the ways political leaders have diluted King’s legacy on his birthday. Instead of focusing on his commitment to radical policies like wealth redistribution, politicians are quick to generalize King as a unifier, proof of America’s supposedly harmonious racial present. Three years ago, the FBI even tweeted its support for King’s “incredible career fighting for civil rights” — even though the agency cast King as a domestic threat during his lifetime. That some states still refuse to celebrate King, even in this diluted form, is perhaps an indictment of how far America remains from any semblance of racial equality. Michael Waters is a writer covering the oddities of politics and economics. His work has appeared in the Atlantic, Gizmodo, BuzzFeed, and the Outline. “King-Lee Day” and other ways states bend MLK’s legacy Zac Freeland/Vox How can some places use the federal holiday to honor “human rights” and Confederate generals — and not the civil rights leader? Welcome to Laboratories of Democracy, a series for Vox’s The Highlight, where we examine local policies and their impacts. The policy: States have stretched the meaning of the federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday to honor everything from “human rights” to Confederate generals. Where: Alabama, Mississippi, Utah, Idaho, Virginia, New Hampshire Since: 1986 The problem: In March 1990, the NFL delivered Arizona an ultimatum. The league approved Phoenix as the host of the 1993 Super Bowl — a sure economic boon — on one condition: The state needed to finally recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday. In a scramble, state legislators placed MLK Day on the ballot in 1990, confident it would be approved. But when the vote tally came in that November, officials were shocked to discover the proposal had failed. “We honestly don’t believe our kids and grandkids should revere him as a national hero,” one anti-MLK Day activist told the New York Times. True to its word, the NFL pulled the 1993 Super Bowl from Arizona. The Arizona vote revealed something sinister about American race relations: Although MLK Day is generally viewed as a way to mark the country’s supposed racial progress and the life of King, who fought for that progress, many white Americans still refuse to honor the civil rights leader. States are not required to observe any of the 10 federal holidays, including Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In many cases, they don’t: Columbus Day, for example, is only recognized in 21 states. But state authority over how to designate holidays has given rise to an ominous downplaying of MLK’s legacy. Congress first considered making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a holiday in 1968, the year of the civil rights leader’s assassination. Annual bills were introduced for more than a decade, but none of them made it out of committee because of lingering hostility toward King, particularly among several Republican representatives. But activists and labor unions continued to push for the holiday, delivering a petition that garnered more than 6 million signatures to Congress in the early 1980s. President Ronald Reagan had initially opposed MLK Day, citing the cost of another paid holiday for federal workers, but after the Reagan administration’s campaign against affirmative action and welfare, the president decided he needed to shore up his black support somehow. In 1983, he signed a law proclaiming that the third Monday of January would become Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But contempt for King’s legacy remained. Much of it stemmed from an insistence that King’s work in desegregating the South and advocating wealth redistribution across the country was fundamentally “un-American.” Misinformation about King as a communist sympathizer spread widely. Although many states followed the example of Congress and quickly recognized a holiday in his honor, some of the holdouts decided to get creative. How it works: In April 1984, a pair of white supremacists crawled under a synagogue in Boise, Idaho, and placed three sticks of dynamite beneath the kitchen. The duo, members of the violent white nationalist organization Aryan Nations, later said they intended it as an “act of war.” When the bomb went off, no one died. But it became one in a string of Aryan Nations attacks, which included the murder of a Jewish radio host, that shook the nation in the mid-’80s. The festering racism in Idaho, one of the whitest states in the country and the main base of the Aryan Nations, became fodder for national news stories. The state needed an image change, so Idaho Gov. John Evans devised a simple solution: Idaho would, at long last, push for a holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. after years of refusing to recognize it. But the legislation to make MLK Day official didn’t pass. The legislature tried in 1986, then again in 1987, and in 1989. Opposing legislators claimed they were concerned about cost, but as Boise State University history professor Jill K. Gill noted in The Pacific Northwest Quarterly, many Idahoans distrusted King, if not civil rights in general. In King, they saw a man who had committed marital infidelities and supposedly harbored communist sympathies. But other legislators did not bother to hide that their opposition was rooted in racism. State Rep. Emerson Smock complained to the Post Register, “A black holiday is what they’re wanting.” The legislature eventually forged a compromise: Rather than create a state holiday that honored King alone, the state would broaden it to include, in theory, anyone. In April 1990, the state announced it would celebrate King’s birthday as “Martin Luther King Jr.-Idaho Human Rights Day.” Although King remained the primary honoree, the extended name was explicitly about mollifying King’s detractors. Idaho isn’t alone. Alabama and Mississippi still celebrate a “King-Lee” day that lumps King together with Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, whose birthday is January 19. Until 2000, Virginia took this idea even further, creating a “Lee-Jackson-King Day” that also honored Confederate leader Stonewall Jackson. “Bundling the holidays remains a form of resistance to racial justice in America,” Gill told Vox. By putting King alongside Lee, she added, “it also remains a vehicle for obscuring white supremacist aims, past and present.” Other states tried an array of strategies to quite literally take Martin Luther King Jr. out of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Until 2000, Utah’s holiday did not mention King by name: MLK Day was known simply as Human Rights Day. South Carolina took a different tack, passing a standalone holiday honoring the civil rights leader but making its observance optional. There, state workers could choose between MLK Day and three separate Confederate holidays as their paid day off. Arizona voters, by contrast, refused to approve a ballot proposal for MLK Day until 1992, two years after the NFL boycotted the state. And in 2000, New Hampshire became the last state in the country to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day under any name, closing out an effort that included multiple failed bills since 1979. The winning compromise: New Hampshire would call its holiday “Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Day” instead of just “Martin Luther King Jr. Day.” Attempts to lump King together with other historical figures have not disappeared. In 2010, the Utah legislature considered a bill that would add gun manufacturer John Browning to the state’s celebration of King. When Desert News asked Senate Majority Leader Scott Jenkins whether he saw any conflict in honoring a gun manufacturer alongside a proponent of nonviolence, Jenkins replied, “Guns keep peace.” Many of the same states that have renamed MLK Day also routinely downplay anti-black violence in their discussions of America’s past. According to the Washington Post, Massachusetts, which observes the holiday, mentions slavery 104 times in its K-12 public school history guidelines. Compare that to Alabama, which only mentions it 15 times, or Idaho, which only mentions it twice. Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, key events in the civil rights movement like the murder of Emmett Till have at times been ignored entirely. According to Gill, maintaining a joint King-Lee holiday “continues that tradition of prioritizing white people’s reconciliation and image of patriotic nobility over acknowledging the historical truths of racial injustice and culpability.” Black activists have long pointed out the ways political leaders have diluted King’s legacy on his birthday. Instead of focusing on his commitment to radical policies like wealth redistribution, politicians are quick to generalize King as a unifier, proof of America’s supposedly harmonious racial present. Three years ago, the FBI even tweeted its support for King’s “incredible career fighting for civil rights” — even though the agency cast King as a domestic threat during his lifetime. That some states still refuse to celebrate King, even in this diluted form, is perhaps an indictment of how far America remains from any semblance of racial equality. Michael Waters is a writer covering the oddities of politics and economics. His work has appeared in the Atlantic, Gizmodo, BuzzFeed, and the Outline. U.S. takes precautions as China's deadly virus outbreak spreads Passengers arriving in the U.S. from the city at the center of the coronavirus outbreak are now being screened, as China's leader calls for containment ahead of huge travel period. ShowBiz Minute: SAG Awards, Prince Harry, US Box Office "Parasite" wins at SAG Awards, so do Pitt and Aniston; Prince Harry: "Powerful media" is why he's stepping away from royal family; "Bad Boys for Life" debuts so good with box office top spot in the U.S.. (Jan. 20) ShowBiz Minute: SAG Awards, Prince Harry, US Box Office "Parasite" wins at SAG Awards, so do Pitt and Aniston; Prince Harry: "Powerful media" is why he's stepping away from royal family; "Bad Boys for Life" debuts so good with box office top spot in the U.S.. (Jan. 20) Kansas City club shooting: two dead, more than a dozen injured Two people were killed in a mass shooting outside a nightclub in Kansas City, Missouri. More than a dozen others were injured. Savannah Rudicel reports that the Nine Ultra Lounge was hosting a celebration party for the Kansas City Chiefs' win Sunday night. Kansas City club shooting: two dead, more than a dozen injured Two people were killed in a mass shooting outside a nightclub in Kansas City, Missouri. More than a dozen others were injured. Savannah Rudicel reports that the Nine Ultra Lounge was hosting a celebration party for the Kansas City Chiefs' win Sunday night. Iran said on Monday it could quit the global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if European countries refer it to the U.N. Security Council over a nuclear agreement, a move that would overturn diplomacy in its confrontation with the West. Iran says it will quit global nuclear treaty if case goes to U.N. Iran said on Monday it could quit the global nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if European countries refer it to the U.N. Security Council over a nuclear agreement, a move that would overturn diplomacy in its confrontation with the West. How President Trump's legal team will defend him at impeachment trial This week, President Trump will face charges in the Senate of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. House members, led by Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, are working on the opening presentation at the Senate impeachment trial. Weijia Jiang reports that the president’s legal team will argue that the entire process to impeach him has been tainted. How President Trump's legal team will defend him at impeachment trial This week, President Trump will face charges in the Senate of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. House members, led by Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, are working on the opening presentation at the Senate impeachment trial. Weijia Jiang reports that the president’s legal team will argue that the entire process to impeach him has been tainted. Despite wondering every autumn whether she can afford it, Kendra Espinoza has worked hard to keep her two daughters in a small private Christian school in Kalispell, Montana, costing about $15,000 annually for them to attend. Supreme Court religious rights case has big implications for U.S. schools Despite wondering every autumn whether she can afford it, Kendra Espinoza has worked hard to keep her two daughters in a small private Christian school in Kalispell, Montana, costing about $15,000 annually for them to attend. Read Prince Harry's full speech after royal split Prince Harry delivered a speech on Sunday at a dinner for AIDS and HIV charity Sentebal, in his first public remarks since Buckingham Palace announced a deal on his and Meghan's split from official royal duties. Read the transcript here. Read Prince Harry's full speech after royal split Prince Harry delivered a speech on Sunday at a dinner for AIDS and HIV charity Sentebal, in his first public remarks since Buckingham Palace announced a deal on his and Meghan's split from official royal duties. Read the transcript here. Eye Opener: The president remains defiant ahead of trial House impeachment managers get ready to present their arguments, while President Trump's lawyers say Democrats do not have a case to remove the president. Also, two people are dead and more than a dozen are injured after a shooting at a bar in Kansas City, Missouri. All that and all that matters in today's Eye Opener. Your world in 90 seconds. Eye Opener: The president remains defiant ahead of trial House impeachment managers get ready to present their arguments, while President Trump's lawyers say Democrats do not have a case to remove the president. Also, two people are dead and more than a dozen are injured after a shooting at a bar in Kansas City, Missouri. All that and all that matters in today's Eye Opener. Your world in 90 seconds.

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Technical Standard and Guidelines Continuing Certification Program Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) ClinGen is a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded resource dedicated to building an authoritative central resource that defines the clinical relevance of genes and variants for use in precision medicine and research. ACMG coordinates the three expert panels within the Inborn Errors of Metabolism clinical domain, as well as the Somatic work group. ACMG staff are aiding in the development of training modules on variant curation, as well as asking locus specific databases (with variant data for different genes related to the expert panels in progress) to submit their data to the ClinGen curation efforts. The ACMG meetings coordinator plans all the ClinGen face-to-face meetings (e.g., steering committee, expert panel, and work group meetings). ACMG is a sub-contractor under #1U01HG007437-01. National Coordinating Center for the Regional Genetics Networks (NCC) The mission of the seven HRSA Regional Genetics Networks (RGNs), the National Coordinating Center (NCC), and the National Genetics Education and Family Support Center (Family Center) is to improve the availability, accessibility, and quality of genetic services and resources for medically underserved individuals having, or at risk for, genetic conditions and their families across the lifespan. This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Cooperative Agreement #UH9MC30770-01 from 6/2017-5/2020 for $800,000 per award year. Newborn Screening Translational Research Network (NBSTRN) The mission of the Newborn Screening Translational Research Network (NBSTRN) is to improve the health outcomes of newborns with genetic or congenital disorders by means of an infrastructure that allows investigators access to robust resources for newborn screening research. The NBSTRN is funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health (contract #HHSN275201300011C). Tweets by TheACMG ACMG - American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics

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Gasp 0 Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two mortgage giants, “should be abolished”. Of course. But who says so now? No other than their greatest champion through the many years of their corrupt practices – Representative Barney Frank. It was because Barney Frank defended Fannie and Freddie from investigation and oversight that the subprime mortgage disaster pitched the world into economic crisis. That is why Barney Frank bears a personal responsibility for the recession and the debt Americans have to bear. Okay, he’s not the only one to blame, but he’s one of the most guilty, along with Presidents Carter and Clinton, and Senator Chris Dodd. From our post Moment of decision, Sept 29, 2008: Jimmy Carter, 1977. The Community Reinvestment Act. Banks must make loans to high-risk borrowers. Bill Clinton, devotee of multiculturalism, pressed for more home-ownership by those who could not afford it, minorities and in effect even illegal immigrants, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac responded, buying up hundreds of billions of dollars of the bad loans and sellng them on the world markets. Barney Frank and Chris Dodd who ran Congress’s banking panels, vigorously and persistently opposed Republican Party efforts to regulate Fannie and Freddie. From our post Free market not to blame for economic crisis, Oct 4, 2008, quoting Thomas Sowell: It was liberal Democrats, led by Senator Christopher Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank, who for years – including the present year – denied that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were taking big risks that could lead to a financial crisis. It was Senator Dodd, Congressman Frank and other liberal Democrats who for years refused requests from the Bush administration to set up an agency to regulate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It was liberal Democrats, again led by Dodd and Frank, who for years pushed for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to go even further in promoting subprime mortgage loans, which are at the heart of today’s financial crisis. From our post Ten most corrupt politicians, December 31, 2009, quoting Judicial Watch: Judicial Watch uncovered documents in 2009 that showed that members of Congress for years were aware that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were playing fast and loose with accounting issues, risk assessment issues and executive compensation issues, even as liberals led by Rep. Frank continued to block attempts to rein in the two Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs)… Frank received $42,350 in campaign contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac between 1989 and 2008. Frank also engaged in a relationship with a Fannie Mae Executive while serving on the House Banking Committee, which has jurisdiction over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Obama blamed Wall Street and the banks for the crisis, and did nothing to stop the real culprits. Instead of shutting down Fannie and Freddie, he made its easier for them to carry on undermining the economy. From our post Fannie and Freddie: the dirty dance goes on, January 4, 2010, quoting Bruce Bialosky at Townhall: [Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac], which together own or guarantee over one half of home mortgages, and which had previously been injected with a $111 billion bailout, received an unexpected Christmas present from the Obama Administration: an executive order, issued in the dark of the night … The Treasury announced they were eliminating the $400 billion limit available to these two entities – in essence giving them license to fritter away as much money as they want while the American people (and their grandchildren) pick up the tab … What seems to be missing is major reform of the lending practices. There’s no evidence that they’ve become more vigilant in their loan procedures, or more attentive to the credit-worthiness of the borrowers. In fact, it seems pretty clear that they have resumed their lending habits of old. Proportional fault has never been placed on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for the subprime loan crisis. Because these entities have been protected by Barney Frank in the House and Christopher Dodd in the Senate, the two lenders have escaped the kind of brutal public scrutiny visited upon banks and other lenders. While bankers have been on the hot seat and skewered by late night comedians, the people who run these behemoths have escaped unfazed. And now it is Barney Frank, of all people, who want them to be abolished. Investor’s Business Daily comments today: After years of dissembling and denial, Rep. Barney Frank has finally come out. He now says bankrupt government mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac “should be abolished.” Better late than never. ‘There were people in this society who for economic and, frankly, social reasons can’t and shouldn’t be homeowners,” Frank said in an interview with the Fox Business Network and sounding a lot more like an elephant than a donkey. “I think we should, particularly, stop this assumption that you put everybody into homeownership.” Barney Frank said that? (What else is happening today? Are pigs flying? Is the Pope denouncing Christianity? Is Obama siding with America?) After years of blaming heartless Republicans and Wall Street for the crisis caused by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — and their predominantly Democratic supporters in Congress — it’s refreshing to hear a member of the Democratic Party admit his mistakes. It’s especially true of Frank, who, more than any other elected official, championed the cause of the government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Indeed, Frank is most responsible for stopping GSE reform in the early 2000s, at a time when such a move might have prevented the financial meltdown. … In 2000, when Rep. Richard Baker proposed more oversight for the GSEs, Frank called concerns about Fannie and Freddie “overblown,” claiming there was “no federal liability whatsoever.” In 2002, again, Frank said: “I do not regard Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as problems. I regard them as assets.” In 2003, he repeated himself in opposing reform, saying he did not “regard Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as problems.” Even after a multibillion dollar accounting scandal hit Freddie Mac just a month after those remarks, Frank insisted nothing was wrong. “I do not think we are facing any kind of crisis,” he said. By 2004, Fannie had its own accounting scandal. Frank again insisted it posed no threat to the U.S. Treasury. … As late as 2008, after the tide of losses and foreclosures washed away Fannie’s and Freddie’s remaining capital, Frank was adamant that it was all Wall Street’s fault: “The private sector got us into this mess … the government has to get us out of it.” Of course, he had it exactly backward. We’ve already spent $148 billion of taxpayer money on the two losers. The Congressional Budget Office estimates it will ultimately cost taxpayers $389 billion to bail them out. Even that may be too little; at least one private estimate put the final toll at $1 trillion. … We’ve spent a lot of money for Barney Frank’s education in financial reality. Today, he’s basically saying he and his party were wrong all along. That’s a good start. But how about an apology? Or even a frank admission that his party’s indefatigable support of Fannie and Freddie — which, prodded by the Community Reinvestment Act, created and funded the massive subprime market that later collapsed — was to blame for our multitrillion dollar meltdown and the loss of millions of jobs? … Let’s get government out of the business of encouraging homeownership, an undertaking at which it has failed miserably. Now that the idea is dead, let’s bury it once and for all. Posted under Commentary, corruption, Economics, government, liberalism, Progressivism, Socialism, United States by Jillian Becker on Thursday, August 19, 2010 Tagged with Bruce Bialosky, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Judicial Watch, President Carter, President Clinton, Rep. Barney Frank, Rep. Richard Baker, Sen. Chris Dodd, Thomas Sowell Getting it and getting away with it 0 Investor’s Business Daily reports that Alan Greenspan “gets it” – which should not come as a surprise considering he was Chairman of the Federal Reserve for nearly 20 years – and recaps what happened that made America and the world poorer. Testifying before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, the former Fed chairman told some plain truths he didn’t dare utter when he headed the central bank. Most notably, Greenspan implied it was Congress’ meddling incompetence — not the Fed, or free markets, or greedy bankers — that created the financial meltdown. … It wasn’t the Fed that caused the housing crash and financial meltdown. It was Congress and the White House. The mess began in the 1970s when, during the Carter administration, left-wing activists attacked banks for supposed “redlining” practices that let them discriminate in making home loans. In response, Congress passed the Community Reinvestment Act, which gave regulators the power to force banks to lend money to “low-income, minority, and distressed neighborhoods.” To fund all this new lending, they used two little-known government-sponsored enterprises — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — and essentially rewrote credit standards for the banks, weakening them substantially. Banks made loans, then Fannie and Freddie bought them — using borrowed money to do it. In this environment, credit ratings no longer mattered much. Neither did having a job or a steady income. What mattered was race. The process got supercharged in 1992, when a Democrat-led Congress pushed Fannie and Freddie to buy even more mortgages from banks that had made loans to low-income and minority buyers. In 1996, President Clinton’s Department of Housing and Urban Development told Fannie and Freddie that 42% of their financing had to go to those with incomes below the median. By 2000, HUD [Department of Housing and Urban Development] Secretary Andrew Cuomo proudly unveiled “new regulations” to “provide $2.4 trillion in mortgages for affordable housing for 28.1 million families.” Despite subsequent efforts at reform, Democrats in Congress — led by Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Barney Frank — rejected major changes to Fannie and Freddie. We’re still paying for that today. Fannie and Freddie have gotten a blank check from the government for their losses, and still owe more than $5 trillion that they can’t pay off. We’ve been critical of Greenspan in the past, but on this, he’s completely right. The biggest villain in the whole financial meltdown isn’t the “private sector,” as some in Congress — like Rep. Frank — have tried to claim. It’s Congress itself. Shouldn’t those responsible, notably Chris Dodd and Barney Frank, be made to answer for the world-size wreck? What they’ve done to the economy makes Bernie Madoff’s crooked scheme look paltry. If it’s not to find who is guilty, so that the culprits may be consigned to their just deserts, what is a Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission for? Posted under Commentary, Economics, Progressivism, Socialism, United States by Jillian Becker on Thursday, April 8, 2010 Tagged with Alan Greenspan, Andrew Cuomo, Bernard Madoff, Bernie Madoff, Community Reinvestment Act, Congress, Department of Housing and Urban Development, economic crisis, Fannie Mae, Federal reserve, financial crisis, Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, Freddie Mac, housing bubble, HUD, Rep. Barney Frank, Sen. Chris Dodd, sub-prime loans, sub-prime mortgages, sub-prime scandal, White House The injustice of ‘social justice’ 0 Rep. Darrell Issa of California has released a report that shows how Democrats in power caused the depression that has spread through the world. It demonstrates how the pursuit of ‘social justice’ can bring economic disaster. And how the worst sufferers from the break-down of the free market will be precisely those for whom the whole ill-advised policy was implemented in the first place. Investor’s Business Daily lists the main points of the report. Here are some of them: • In 1995, the Clinton administration issued a National Homeownership Strategy, loosening Fannie and Freddie’s lending standards and insisting that lenders “work collaboratively to reduce homebuyer downpayment requirements.” • The administration complained that in 1989 only 7% of mortgages had less than a 10% downpayment. By 1994, it wanted that raised to 29%. • Reduced underwriting standards spread into the entire U.S. mortgage market to those at all income levels. • A complete decoupling of home prices from Americans’ income fed the growth of the housing bubble as borrowers made smaller down payments and took on higher debt. • Wall Street firms specializing “in packaging and investing in the lowest-quality tranches of mortgage-backed securities, profited hugely from the increased volume that government affordable lending policies sparked.” • Wall Street firms, homebuilders and the GSEs used money, power and influence to block attempts at reform. Between 1998 and 2008, Fannie and Freddie spent over $176 million on lobbyists. • In 2006, Freddie paid the largest fine in Federal Election Commission history for improperly using corporate resources to hold 85 fundraisers for congressmen, raising a total of $1.7 million. As the Issa report points out, “the real tragedy of the government’s affordable housing policy is the impact on average Americans, particularly those of modest means. Millions of these borrowers, who were supposed to have been helped by federal affordable housing policy, have now been forced into delinquency and foreclosure, destroying their asset base, their credit, and in some cases their families.” Posted under Commentary, Economics, United States by Jillian Becker on Sunday, July 12, 2009 Tagged with Darrell Issa, economic crisis, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, National Homeownership Strategy Diktat 0 From Investor’s Business Daily: Rep. Barney Frank, the Democrat who sits atop Congress’ efforts to deal with the financial crisis, has enough chutzpah for 100 politicians — which is saying a lot. In comments before testimony from both Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Fed chief Ben Bernanke Tuesday, Frank said he wants to regulate pay on Wall Street — even for companies that aren’t getting bailouts. And he called retention bonuses — a time-honored practice on Wall Street and elsewhere in America in which key employees are compensated for their enormous value — "extortion" and "bribes." Frank, one of the chief architects of the housing mess that’s brought us so low, isn’t satisfied merely with pretending he and his Democratic pals aren’t to blame for all this. No, exploiting voter anger over the now-infamous AIG bonuses, he also wants to dictate to American capitalism what it can earn and what it can’t. This is the kind of thing that normally happens in Third World countries ruled by tinhorn dictators, or in fascist states, where the democratic rule of law has collapsed. Not the U.S. Yet, that’s where we find ourselves today, isn’t it? Democrats in Congress, who steadfastly rejected virtually all efforts to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as they went on the wildest, most irresponsible lending binge in the history of finance, now pose themselves as the saviors of fallen capitalism. The hypocrisy is nothing short of stunning. Take Frank. As we’ve written before, he spearheaded congressional Democrats’ efforts in 1992, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2005 to block reform of Fannie and Freddie. Those two "government-sponsored enterprises" were the nexus of this crisis, holding $5.4 trillion of the $12 trillion in U.S. mortgages, while originating or funding 90% of the subprime market. Their failures presaged the subsequent financial meltdown from which we’re still trying to regain our economic footing. Then there’s Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, another posturing moralist in the flap over AIG bonuses. He turns out to have inserted the bonuses into the bailout legislation in the first place. An innocent move? Please note Dodd was No. 1 on the list of recipients of AIG’s political contributions. Also that his wife was a former director of IPC Holdings, a company controlled by AIG. We wish all this tinkering with the private sector was limited to Congress. But it isn’t. The Treasury wants what the Washington Post called Tuesday "unprecedented powers to initiate the seizure of non-bank financial companies, such as large insurers, investment firms and hedge funds, whose collapse would damage the broader economy." Citing the AIG precedent, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs defended this radical move, saying on CNN, "We need resolution authority to go in and be able to change contracts, be able to change the business model, unwind what doesn’t work." Breathtaking. Coupled with the vast expansion of government spending over the next 10 years, this is socialism, pure and simple. Yes, we know it’s unfashionable to use the "S" word. But we’re willing to be unhip in the service of the truth. It’s a frightening thing to see a once mighty, and free, capitalist economy placed under the heel of an incompetent government. But that’s precisely what’s happening now. Executive pay, the focus of much public fury right now, is only the start. Your pay will be next, rest assured. So hold on to your wallets, sure, but also hold on even tighter to something even more precious that now seems at risk: your freedom. Posted under Commentary by Jillian Becker on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 Tagged with AIG bonuses, Barney Frank, Ben Bernanke, Chris Dodd, economic crisis, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, obama, Robert Gibbs, Tim Geithner The budding American dictatorship 4 Keep the change 0 Jonathan Weil writes at Bloomberg-com: It’s hard to believe Barack Obama would even think of calling this change. Take a good look at some of the 17 people our nation’s president-elect chose last week for his Transition Economic Advisory Board. And then try saying with a straight face that these are the leaders who should be advising him on how to navigate through the worst financial crisis in modern history. First, there’s former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. Not only was he chairman of Citigroup Inc.’s executive committee when the bank pushed bogus analyst research, helped Enron Corp. cook its books, and got caught baking its own. He was a director from 2000 to 2006 at Ford Motor Co., which also committed accounting fouls and now is begging Uncle Sam for Citigroup- style bailout cash. Two other Citigroup directors received spots on the Obama board: Xerox Corp. Chief Executive Officer Anne Mulcahy and Time Warner Inc. ChairmanRichard Parsons. Xerox and Time Warner got pinched years ago by the Securities and Exchange Commission for accounting frauds that occurred while Mulcahy and Parsons held lesser executive posts at their respective companies. Mulcahy and Parsons also once were directors at Fannie Mae when that company was breaking accounting rules. So was another member of Obama’s new economic board, former Commerce Secretary William Daley. He’s now a member of the executive committee at JPMorgan Chase & Co., which, like Citigroup, is among the nine large banks that just got $125 billion of Treasury’s bailout budget. Obama’s economic crew might as well be called the Bailout Bunch. Another slot went to former White House economic adviser Laura Tyson. She’s been a director for about a decade at Morgan Stanley, which in 2004 got slapped foraccounting violations by the SEC and a month ago got $10 billion from Treasury. That’s not all. There’s Penny Pritzker, the Obama campaign’s national finance chairwoman. She was on the board of the holding company for subprime lender Superior Bank FSB. The Chicago-area thrift, in which her family held a 50 percent stake, was seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in 2001. The thrift’s owners agreed to pay the government $460 million over 15 years to help cover the FDIC’s losses. Even some of the brighter lights on Obama’s board, like Warren Buffett and former SEC Chairman William Donaldson, come with asterisks. Buffett was on the audit committee of Coca-Cola Co.’s board when the SEC found the soft-drink maker had misled investors about its earnings. Donaldson was on the audit committee from 1998 to 2001 at a provider of free e-mail services called Mail.com Inc. Just before he left the SEC, in 2005, the agency disciplined the company over accounting violations that had occurred on his watch. So, by my tally, almost half the people on Obama’s economic advisory board have held fiduciary positions at companies that, to one degree or another, either fried their financial statements, helped send the world into an economic tailspin, or both. There’s still more. We recommend that you read the whole thing. Posted under Commentary by Jillian Becker on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 Tagged with Anne Mucahy, Citigroup, Enron, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Laura Tyson, Penny Pritzker, Richard Parsons, Robert Rubin, Time Warner, Transition Economic Advisory Board, Warren Buffet, William Daley, William Donaldson, Xerox Corp. Once a prophet, now a numbskull 2 From Power Line: We’ve noted many times that John McCain was one of the prescient legislators who saw the dangers posed by the runaway Freddy Mac and Fannie Mae and tried to do something about the problem. Until now, though, I’d never seen this letter of May 5, 2006, signed by McCain and 19 other Senators, that couldn’t have been clearer about the dangers posed by the Democrats’ reckless treatment of Fannie and Freddy, and the need to take action to protect the taxpayers and the economy. It’s hard to see how any warning could be more spot-on. Click to enlarge: Among the more prescient observations: We are concerned that if effective regulatory reform legislation for the housing-finance government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) is not enacted this year, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole. … Today, almost half of the home mortgages in the U.S. are guaranteed by these GSEs. They are mammoth financial institutions with almost $1.5 Trillion of debt outstanding between them. With the fiscal challenges facing us today (deficits, entitlements, pensions and flood insurance), Congress must ask itself who would pay this debt if Fannie or Freddy could not? … It is vitally important that Congress take the necessary steps to ensure that these institutions benefit from strong and independent regulatory supervision, operate in a safe and sound manner, and are primarily focused on their statutory mission. More importantly, Congress must ensure that the American taxpayer is protected in the event either GSE should fail. Via Human Events. One thing I hadn’t realized is that McCain’s reform legislation was passed through the Senate Banking Committee, but was not able to gain majority support on the Senate floor. All twenty Senators who signed the letter calling attention to the urgency of reforming Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac were Republicans. After May 2006, the Democrats continued to use Fannie and Freddy as their private slush funds until the inevitable collapse, which McCain had warned against so eloquently, occurred. For some inexplicable reason, John McCain seems unable to claim the credit he deserves for being one of the few politicians in Washington who saw the present crisis coming and tried to do something about it. He is even more unable to vigorously and unambiguously put the blame where it belongs: on the Democratic Party. Which is one of the principal reasons why, as everyone expects, he will lose in November. Posted under Commentary by Jillian Becker on Sunday, October 12, 2008 Tagged with Congress, democrats, economic crisis, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, mccain, Presidential election, Republicans, Senate Banking Committee Free market not to blame for economic crisis 0 Thomas Sowell puts blame where it belongs: It was liberal Democrats, led by Senator Christopher Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank, who for years– including the present year– denied that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were taking big risks that could lead to a financial crisis. Alan Greenspan warned them four years ago. So did the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to the President. So did Bush’s Secretary of the Treasury, five years ago. Yet, today, what are we hearing? That it was the Bush administration "right-wing ideology" of "de-regulation" that set the stage for the financial crisis. Do facts matter? We also hear that it is the free market that is to blame. But the facts show that it was the government that pressured financial institutions in general to lend to subprime borrowers, with such things as the Community Reinvestment Act and, later, threats of legal action by then Attorney General Janet Reno if the feds did not like the statistics on who was getting loans and who wasn’t. Is that the free market? Or do facts not matter? His article also deals with how Obama benefited from Fannie Mae. He concludes: The country does not deserve to be put in the hands of a glib and cocky know-it-all, who has accomplished absolutely nothing beyond the advancement of his own career with rhetoric, and who has for years allied himself with a succession of people who have openly expressed their hatred of America. Posted under Commentary by Jillian Becker on Saturday, October 4, 2008 Tagged with Act, Alan Greenspan, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Community, economic crisis, Fanny Mae, Freddie Mac, Janet Reno,, Reinvestment Fannie and Freddie need criminal investigation 0 From today’s Investor’s Business Daily: Here’s how James B. Lockhart III, head of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, described the two companies back in 2006, before the meltdown occurred: "The result of (Fannie’s and Freddie’s) rapid growth unconstrained by market forces and a weak regulator was years of mismanagement, flagrant earnings manipulation, and systems-and-controls problems. Managements of both companies were forced out, earnings were misstated by an estimated $16 billion, fines exceeding one-half billion dollars were imposed, and remedial costs will exceed $2 billion." Yet Congress did nothing. Fannie and Freddie continued to enjoy a virtual monopoly of the housing finance market, holding nearly half the nation’s $12 trillion in mortgage assets in 2007. And what happened to Fannie’s and Freddie’s top executives, almost all with deep ties to the Democratic Party? Did they get perp-walked to prison like WorldCom’s Bernie Ebbers, Tyco’s Dennis Koslowski, Adelphia’s John Rigas, ImClone’s Sam Waksal, or any of the others who did time for corporate misdeeds in the early 2000s? No. Jim Johnson, former Walter Mondale aide, became head of Barack Obama’s vice presidential search committee. Franklin Raines, who headed Fannie from 1998 to 2004, the years of its worst excesses, pocketed nearly $100 million in pay and bonuses from Fannie. He, too, became an adviser to Obama. Other Fannie-Freddie alumni did equally well. Rep. Rahm Emanuel has been front and center in crafting a new rescue bill. Ex-Clinton Justice official Jamie Gorelick careens from career catastrophe to catastrophe, and still gets top jobs. It pays to have ties. Meanwhile, as previously documented, Rep. Barney Frank and Sen. Chris Dodd repeatedly thwarted reforms. Yet today they stand front-and-center as Democrats try to "fix" a problem they created. As such, any investigation into Fannie and Freddie must include Congress, both current and past. There’s lots of evidence that the two mortgage giants had become little more than taxpayer-guaranteed front companies for Democrats, who used them to reward supporters with cheap loans and to provide jobs for out-of-work politicians. Posted under Commentary by Jillian Becker on Wednesday, October 1, 2008 Tagged with advisors, Congress, corruption, economic crisis, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, obama, s, sub-prime meltdown Moment of decision 3 The moment of decision has arrived. Crunch time. Is the economic crisis to be solved by a capitalist free-market solution, or made worse by a socialist ‘solution’? Make no mistake about it – it was caused by socialism: by political correctness, by multiculturalism, by government interference in the market. It was NOT caused by the Bush administration, by the Republican Party, by capitalism, as the Democrats who did cause it are now alleging to cover their guilt. Among the most guilty men are Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Harry Reid. Jimmy Carter. 1977. The Community Reinvestment Act. Banks must make loans to high-risk borrowers. Opened door for ACORN (see earlier posts) to force banks to make sub-prime loans to uncreditworthy borrowers. Barack Obama. Trained staff for Madeline Talbott, ‘key pioneer of ACORN’s subprime racket’ as Stanley Kurtz calls her, to run her ‘subprime-loan shakedown racket’. ACORN employed him as its lawyer. And he funded it through the Woods Fund and indirectly through the Chicago Annenberg Challenge. In three years in the Senate, Obama received more contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac than anyone else save Dodd, who got his contributions from them over eleven years. He appointed two Fannie Mae CEOs as advisors to his campaign. Harry Reid. In 2005 when John McCain sponsored a Fannie-Freddie reform bill, he led the Democrats in crushing it. Fannie and Freddie were created by Democrats and Democrats are most responsible for their failure. McCain has repeatedly called for reforming Fannie and Freddie. President Bush – whose administration is being blamed for the crisis by Frank, Dodd, Reid etc – urged their reform 17 times this year. The irony of Bush and the Republicans being blamed now for the catastrophe the Democrats’ so insistently brought about! The cure now is not more socialism, not more government control of the market, not the election of the most socialist-minded candidate for the presidency ever – Barack Obama. If America elects Obama, it will be choosing socialism, and socialism has failed wherever it has been tried. America needs to choose capitalism at this moment in history, to save itself and to give hope to the wider world. Otherwise this crisis will be turned into an American and world-wide disaster from which there may be no foreseeable return. Posted under Uncategorized by Jillian Becker on Monday, September 29, 2008 Tagged with ACORN, Barney Frank, Bill Clinton, Chris Dodd, Democratic Party, economic crisis, Fanny Mae, Freddie Mac, Harry Reid, Jimmy Carter, Madeline Talbott, mccain, obama, Republican Party, Reviews

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> Sculpture>Sculptures small format Head of Heracles V0113R Reduced copy of a mini sculpture donated to the Academy by Carlos III. The original is a marble bust with the head of Heracles of Polykleitos. It was found in the Villa of the papyrus of Herculaneum. It is conserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples Head of Filetero de Pérgamo Reduced copy of a mini sculpture donated to the Academy by Carlos III. The original is a marble bust with the portrait of Filetero de Pergamo. It was found in the Villa of the papyrus of Herculaneum. It is conserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. Head of Terentius Reduced copy of a mini sculpture donated to the Academy by Carlos III. The original is a marble bust of a portrait attributed to Terentius. It was found in the necropolis of the Herculaneum Gate in Pompeii. It is conserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. Head of Arquidamo III de Esparta Reduced copy of a mini sculpture donated to the Academy by Carlos III. The original is a marble bust with the portrait of the King of Sparta, Arquidamo III. It was found in the Villa de los Papiros de Herculano. It is conserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. Head of Artemis Reduced copy of a mini sculpture donated to the Academy by Carlos III. The original is a bronze bust attributed to the goddess Artemis. It was found in the Villa of the papyrus of Herculaneum. It is conserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. Head of Doríforo Reduced copy of a mini sculpture donated to the Academy by Carlos III (inv.V-151). The original is a bronze bust that reproduces the head of the Doríforo of Policleto. It is signed by the Athenian sculptor Apolonio, son of Archias. It was found in the Villa of the papyrus of Herculaneum. It is conserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples V0113G

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遙遠之地​ Taiwan | 2017 | 30 minutes | Short documentary | Mandarin (English sub) ​Director: Myo Aung 許鴻財 ​5/26 4:30 pm Winner of 2017 New Taipei City Documentary Film Award Best Documentary of 40th Golden Harvest Awards (Student group) Da-hua who is an overseas Chinese in Myanmar brought a three-year old daughter to jade mine to seek chances to earn a fortune. His wife who operated an Yunnan-Burmese cuisine restaurant chose to stay in Taiwan with their five-year old son for better education. The story is about the family members who were separated from Myanmar and Taiwan. Director | Myo Aung Myo Aung is a Burmese Chinese who studied in Taiwan as an overseas Chinese student and graduated from the Department of Communication & Technology, National Chiao Tung University. He is currently studying for a Master’s Degree in the Department of Filmmaking at Taipei National University of the Arts. His films focus on the status of Burmese living in Taiwan, and now he also works for the Next Magazine while shooting a multitude of feature stories. Movement: 10 Days of Genius​ USA | 2017 | 7 minutes | Short, Drama ​Director: Tiffany Frances Just after her father passes away, a woman discovers his love for dance. She learns his dance moves as a way to remember him & her dancing takes on a life of its own in the short film, “Movement”. Inspired by Albert Einstein's quote: "Our death is not an end if we have lived on in our children and the younger generation. For they are us; our bodies are only wilted leaves on the tree of life. Director | Tiffany Frances Tiffany Francesis a Taiwanese American director and writer working in music videos, branded content and narrative film. She was selected for SHOOT Magazine’s 2018New Directors Showcase, where a trailer of her short film, WHAT I WISH YOU SAID, screened at the Directors Guild Theater in New York. Her short film MOVEMENT for National Geographicgarnered over 1 million views on Facebook, while her short film A COOL DARK PLACEwas the official selection at La Femme Film Festival, International Film Festival of Cinematic Arts and Brooklyn Girl Film Festival, and a finalist for Best Short Drama at the New Filmmakers LA Film Festival. 家鄉​ USA | 2019 | 2 minutes | Short film | Mandarin & English sub ​Director: Chia-Liang Liu 劉家樑 2019 ​Taiwan Film Festival trailer “Home” touches on the home-seeking and homesickness of overseas communities of the Taiwanese diaspora. The film is the official trailer for the Taiwan Film Festival in Boston. Director | Chia-Liang Liu Chia-Liang is a student from Harvard studying public health. He may not yet be a professional filmmaker, but believes that if you have an idea, just go out and shoot. Don't be scared to make mistakes. STAND UP, BRIAN! TICKET & PRICING

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Fear (disambiguation) This is a disambiguation page. It points to other pages that have similar names. If you followed a link here, please fix it to point to one of the pages listed below. Fear may refer to: In-universe Edit Fear, an emotion Fear (entity), an entity in TV: Fear Itself Fear (virus), a virus in PROSE: Fear Itself Fearless, a character in PROSE: The Crooked World Fearmonger, an alien in AUDIO: The Fearmonger Entity of Fear, a character in AUDIO: Phobos Forest of Fear, a location in TV: An Unearthly Child Mister Fear, a character in TV: Dreamland Fear (audio story), a Cyberman audio Fear Factor (CON episode), a Doctor Who Confidential episode Fear Her (TV story), a 2006 Doctor Who episode Fear Itself (TV story), a K9 episode Fear Itself (novel), a BBC Past Doctor Adventures novel Fear of Corners (short story), a short story in Life During Wartime Fear of the Daleks (audio story), a Second Doctor Companion Chronicles audio Fear of the Dark (novel), BBC Past Doctor Adventures novel The Fear (short story), a short story in Short Trips: A Universe of Terrors The Fearmonger (audio story), a Big Finish audio story Castle of Fear (audio story), a Big Finish audio story "The Forest of Fear", the third episode of An Unearthly Child The Hand of Fear (TV story), a 1976 Doctor Who television story "A Land of Fear", the first episode of The Reign of Terror The Natural History of Fear (audio story), a Big Finish audio story Planet of Fear (short story), a short story in Doctor Who Annual 1982 Seasons of Fear (audio story), a Big Finish audio story Spaceport Fear (audio story), a Big Finish audio story Vortex of Fear (short story), a short story in Decalog 2: Lost Property The Web of Fear (TV story), a 1968 Doctor Who television story Where Angels Fear (novel), a Virgin Bernice Summerfield New Adventures novel Retrieved from "https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/Fear_(disambiguation)?oldid=2650482"

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Americans need passenger rail that serves entire nation — not just the East and West coasts On July 12, 2018 By peanutgallerynhIn Domestic Affairs,, Infrastructure and Transportation,, Money, Class, and Poverty, Amtrak, America’s national passenger rail service, was created to do what freight railroads could not: Provide reliable and efficient passenger rail services to communities and people across this country. Yet, since it was created nearly half a century ago, Amtrak has never received full funding from Congress. Data from four years of polling show that regardless of political affiliation or geographic location, Americans want more Amtrak service and are willing to pay for it. Amtrak also regularly breaks its own ridership records, with 31.7 million passenger trips in 2017. To be clear, support is not limited to the Northeast Corridor. Americans across the country want passenger rail services, including more long-distance trains — and for good reason. … In small and rural communities across the country, Amtrak is often the only public transportation option available. [emphasis: mine] …Ticket agents do more than just sell tickets. They help elderly and disabled customers board trains, assist with luggage, and act as Amtrak’s public face. What’s more, [reducing the number of ticket agents] does a grave disservice to many of Amtrak’s customers who are not familiar with or are simply unable to buy tickets online. The carrier also announced the elimination of dining-car service on some of its most popular long-distance trains, the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited, both of which service the East Coast. Now, instead of being able to enjoy freshly made entrees on the train, customers’ choices are limited to a handful of premade breakfast and lunch options. …Further clouding the situation is the fact that Amtrak has made these drastic changes in the dark, without input from the public, stakeholders or lawmakers. With strong ridership numbers, national popularity, and service that helps drive local economic growth, Amtrak’s long-distance routes need to be supported. Amtrak [and lawmakers] must commit to fighting for the national passenger rail system so many Americans have come to know and rely on. Americans need passenger rail that serves entire nation — not just the East and West coasts | TheHill Italy proposes African migrant centers to halt immigrant tide Ronald Reagan: Why I’m for the Brady Bill

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BARNES: Continuity from the top down key to string of Winnipeg playoff appearances Dan Barnes, PostmediaMore from Dan Barnes, Postmedia When Winnipeg GM Kyle Walters stresses the value of continuity and stability, it comes from a place of personal experience. The 46-year-old is a relative rarity, rising through the ranks while working for exactly one college team and two in the Canadian Football League. The resumes of other CFL executives are dotted with a plethora of playing, coaching and administrative pit-stops all over the gridiron map, but Walters was a player, defensive assistant and head coach with Guelph, a player and assistant coach with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, then assistant coach, assistant GM, and interim GM with Winnipeg, before ascending to his current post in 2014. Now nearing the end of his sixth season at the top, he has hired exactly one head coach: Mike O’Shea, who promptly went 7-11 in his first season, 5-13 in his second, and was nonetheless afforded the opportunity to string together four straight seasons of double-digit wins. Top-down patience breeds the continuity Walters covets. “Mike and I are very in sync now with what we want. We don’t have to meet as much as we used to. We kind of know what each other is thinking,” said Walters. “Same with the support staff. Our whole group has been together. I trust everybody here, they do their jobs, they don’t need to be micro-managed. They’re very good at their jobs and we let them roll. “We have a real strong scouting department and we have been together as well. After so long your scouting department knows what your coaching staff is looking for. What Mike wants in a player, we’re certainly better equipped to go get that type of player who will have a chance to succeed in Mike’s system. So the continuity is important.” As much as he can, Walters applies the same principles to assembling his player roster year after year, though that process is both complicated and abetted by one-year contracts that continually force a flooding of the free agent market. “It used to be that you started more long-term planning. What’s evolved, or maybe devolved, however you want to word it or look at it, with one-year contracts you pretty much have to focus on the here and now. “You can pretty much gut your roster and replenish it every year with the way the CFL is currently up and running.” That’s either a gamble or a blessing, depending upon how it turns out in Week 21. “For sure it’s risky, but when you struggle as a team, it’s a much easier, quicker fix now because there are so many free agents every year. The challenge for you is to keep consistency, and that’s what we’ve done.” Take free agency last February. The B.C. Lions and Edmonton Eskimos cleaned their houses and filled them up again in a matter of days. The Bombers brought in defensive end Willie Jefferson from Saskatchewan, defensive back Winston Rose from B.C. and linebacker D.J. Lalama from Montreal. Jefferson led the league in knockdowns and is up for the defensive player of the year award, Rose led the CFL in interceptions. Finding and keeping impactful players is key to a stable core. “I think any successful organization in sport or in any line of work, has some sort of stability when it comes to employees, whether it’s football players or office staff. That’s the key to any business success so they can all grow as a group.” He witnessed that firsthand in Hamilton, where he played as a DB from 1997 through 2003, a run punctuated by a Grey Cup win in 1999. “My first year as a player we struggled, then Ron Lancaster showed up with (quarterback Danny McManus) and we had a good run there, with a consistent group of players for four or five years.” The roster Walters has shaped in Winnipeg, minus the injured QB Matt Nichols of course, will take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina on Sunday, with a Grey Cup berth on the line. The Bombers will be led onto Mosaic’s turf by quarterback Zach Collaros, who was obtained in a trade this season; by Jefferson, Rose, linebacker Adam Bighill, running back Andrew Harris and perennial lineman of the year candidate Stanley Bryant, who were all free agency adds; by QB Chris Streveler and by a serious crop of about 15 Canadian draft picks, who Walters values so highly. “Most of our Canadians are in-house. That’s a big part of what I believe in. I just jotted down how this week’s roster is made up. We’re pretty evenly distributed between scouting, free agency and draft picks, then throw in a couple of trades. “We’ve changed from early on, when we weren’t a very good football team, and there was a massive overhaul of the roster. Now we’ve focused on trying to keep the core together year in and year out.” MVP Andrew Harris happy to come out on top in Grey Cup and in battle ... WARMINGTON: Steeltown ready to roar for Tiger-Cats in Sunday's Grey Cup STINSON: Baby steps for CFL 2.0, but are there breakout stars?

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The Missing: New Starz TV Series Debuts November 15th by Trevor Kimball, August 11, 2014 Starz has announced that their new TV series, The Missing, will launch on Saturday, November 15th, at 9pm. There are eight episodes. Here’s the press release: STARZ TO PREMIERE “THE MISSING” SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15 AT 9PM ET/PT Dramatic Thriller Features International Ensemble Cast Led by James Nesbitt (The Hobbit Trilogy), Frances O’Connor (A.I.: Artificial Intelligence) and Tcheky Karyo (Goldeneye) Beverly Hills, Calif. – August 7, 2014 – Starz announced today that the limited series, “The Missing,” will debut Saturday, November 15th at 9pm ET/PT on STARZ. The eight-episode dramatic thriller, directed by Tom Shankland (“Ripper Street”) and written by Harry Williams and Jack Williams, centers on the psychological fallout and ensuing years-long manhunt resulting from the sudden disappearance of five-year-old Oliver Hughes while on holiday with his parents in France in 2006. “The Missing” is a gripping dramatic thriller that goes inside the mind of a father, Tony Hughes, played by James Nesbitt (The Hobbit trilogy), desperate to locate his lost son. With help from local police detective, Julien Baptiste, played by Tcheky Karyo (Goldeneye), Tony embarks on an obsessive quest to find his son and those responsible for his disappearance. A gripping puzzle with twists and turns at every stage, Tony’s exhaustive search fractures his relationship with his wife, Emily, played by Frances O’Connor (A.I.: Artificial Intelligence), and threatens to destroy his life. Told through a delicate and complex narrative, “The Missing” unfolds over two time frames simultaneously. Shot in Brussels, Belgium, “The Missing” is produced by New Pictures and Company Pictures in association with Two Brothers Pictures and Playground and will air on BBC One in the UK in fall of 2014. all3media international retains all US rights not obtained by Starz. In addition to James Nesbitt (Tony Hughes), Frances O’Connor (Emily Hughes) and Tcheky Karyo (Julien Baptiste), the international ensemble cast also includes Emilie Dequenne (Laurence), Arsher Ali (Malik Suri), Titus De Voogdt (Vincent Bourg), Ken Stott (Ian Garrett), Said Taghmaoui (Khalid Ziane), Anamaria Marinca (Rini), Jean-Francois Wolff (Alain) and Astrid Whetnall (Sylvie). For more information, follow @TheMissing_STZ on Twitter. About Starz Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com. Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription video programming through the flagship STARZ® and ENCORE® pay TV networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies. As of June 30, 2014, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 55.9 million subscribers, including 22.0 million at STARZ, and 33.9 million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels in the U.S. STARZ® and ENCORE®, along with Starz Networks’ third network MOVIEPLEX®, air more than 1,000 movies monthly across 17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz Distribution’s home video, digital media and worldwide distribution business units distribute original programming content produced by Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third parties. Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences worldwide. About New Pictures Established in April 2013 by Charlie Pattinson New Pictures already has two greenlit shows: Eden for BBC One and Indian Summers – a ten hour period series set in India for Channel 4. The senior management team includes Elaine Pyke and Willow Grylls and Tommy Bulfin is script editor for the company. Charlie Pattinson launched Company Pictures in 1998 with George Faber and grew it into one of the UK’s largest and most awarded Independent Production Companies. New Pictures has a first look distribution deal with All3Media International. About Two Brothers Pictures A new independent company established in late 2012 by Harry and Jack Williams, joined by their Development Producer Sarah Hammond. They recently produced C4’s animated sit-com six part series ‘Full English’, animated by Rough Draft Studios (Futurama, The Simpsons Movie). Last year they made ‘The Guardians’ as a pilot for C4 and are currently shooting ‘Fried’, a comedy pilot for the BBC. They are increasingly moving into drama as well as comedy, with a number of original drama commissions already on the slate. They currently have a first look deal with 4DVD. About Playground Playground, a New York based film, television and theater company, was founded by award winning producer Colin Callender in 2012 committed to producing quality drama for the stage and screen bringing together the finest US and UK talent from the worlds of theatre, film and television. Since its inception Playground has produced 36 hours of primetime television in the UK and US including Dracula (NBC/Sky), and The White Queen (Starz/BBC) and Dancing on the Edge (BBC/Starz) garnering 6 Golden Globes® including a win for Jacqueline Bisset in the Best Supporting Actress category. Playground is currently in production with two new series – the eight part thriller The Missing (Starz/BBC) and the six hour mini-series Wolf Hall (BBC / Masterpiece Theater) based on Hilary Mantel’s best-seller starring Mark Rylance. On stage Playground recently produced Nora Ephron’s record-breaking Broadway hit Lucky Guy starring Tom Hanks and directed by George C. Wolfe garnering six Tony® Award nominations and two wins. Upcoming productions include Casa Valentina the new play from four-time Tony® Award winner Harvey Fierstein to be directed by Tony® Award winner Joe Mantello opening at MTC’s Friedman Theater in April 2014. And in June this year Kenneth Branagh makes his much anticipated New York stage debut in the U.S. premiere of his thrilling new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth at The Park Avenue Armory, following its acclaimed sold-out run in the UK. In addition, Playground is in development on a rich slate of film, television and theater projects that draw on the company’s deep relations in the NY, London and LA creative communities including Ken Lonergan’s television adaptation E.M.Foster’s Howards End and Chris Hampton’s series adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons both for the BBC. Recently, Playground also announced an agreement with author J.K.Rowling, alongside London stage producer Sonia Friedman, to produce an original stage play based on Harry Potter. About Company Pictures Company Pictures is one of the UK’s largest independent film and television drama production companies. Established in 1998 by Charlie Pattinson and George Faber, television production highlights include Elizabeth I (winner of three Golden Globes), all nine series’ of Shameless (Channel 4: BAFTA and RTS awards), seven series’ of Wild at Heart, six series’ of Skins (E4/Channel 4), seven George Gently films (BBC 1), Generation Kill written by the creators of The Wire (HBO), The Devils Whore (Channel 4: 3 RTS and 2 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards), an adaptation of Martina Cole’s best-selling novel The Take starring Tom Hardy and Brian Cox (Sky 1: Best Multi-channel Programme, Broadcast Awards 2009), The Silence (BBC1: AMI Award for Best Television Drama, 2 IFTA Awards and a Crime Thriller Award), The Shadow Line starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christopher Ecclestone and Rafe Spall (BBC1); The Village starring John Simm and Maxine Peake (BBC1); Philippa Gregory’s The White Queen (BBC1) and the upcoming Wolf Hall starring Mark Rylance, directed by Peter Kosminski (BBC2). In spring 2013 George Faber and Charlie Pattinson left Company and were replaced by John Yorke as managing director. In the past Company Pictures has produced The Lakes by Jimmy McGovern, A Young Person’s Guide to Being a Rockstar (RTS award Best Serial) for Channel 4 and Warner Bros, North Square (Channel 4: winner Best Series Press Guild), Not Only But Always… (Channel 4: BAFTA winner: Rhys Ifans Best Actor), The Rotters’ Club (BBC), and Life and Death of Peter Sellers (HBO: winner of two Golden Globe Awards for Best TV Movie and Best Actor for Geoffrey Rush and 15 Emmies). Company has also made five feature films with some of the UK’s leading directing talent including films by Roger Michell, Stephen Hopkins, Penny Woolcock, Shane Meadows and Lynne Ramsey. Amongst its numerous awards Company Pictures won Best Independent Production Company at the 2005 and 2008 Broadcast Awards and the European Producers of the Year Award at the 2004 Monte Carlo Awards. Since October 2004 Company Pictures has been a part of the All3 Media group. About CZAR TV CZAR TV is the fiction department of Brussels based production company CZAR BE. CZAR BE was founded in 2000 by Koen Mortier and CZAR NL, the Dutch head office. It represents a range of very successful directors and soon became one of the most creative production companies on the Belgian advertising market, generating many awards including twenty Lions at the prestigious advertising festival in Cannes. CZAR BE also produced the acclaimed commercial TNT Push to add drama, directed by Koen Mortier, that won 9 Cannes Lions that year. Together with their Dutch, German and French partners they continuously keep working on their international reputation. In 2010 Eurydice Gysel became executive producer of the company and conjointly leads the department of CZAR TV. She produced the feature films Ex Drummer and May 22nd, both directed by Koen Mortier. In addition she produced the short films A Gentle Creature, Rivers Return and Perfect Drug, of which the latter is currently partaking in competitions at numerous renowned international film festivals.Together with Graniet Film (NL) and Angel Films (DE), Eurydice produced Borgman, the new feature film by Alex van Warmerdam, that premiered in the Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival. Additionally she co-produced Supernova by Tamar van den Dop that will have its international première at the GENERATION in the Berlinale 2014 and L’étrange couleur des larmes de ton corps by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, selected in official competition of the International Film Festivals of Ghent, Locarno and Toronto. Her latest project Waste Land by Pieter van Hees, starring Jérémie Renier, is currently in post-production and set to be released spring 2014. The BBC series The White Queen, a historic drama, is the first CZAR TV production and was aired during Spring 2013. Recent project in development that are supported by the Flanders Audiovisual Fund is Coureur by Kenneth Mercken. That took part in the prestigious Binger and Torino Film Labs. More about: Starz TV shows: canceled or renewed?, The Missing, The Missing: canceled or renewed? Ascendant: Starz Developing TV Series Based on Divergent Movies Outlander; Season Three: Starz Releases Premiere Date and Key Art Howards End: Starz Releases First Image of Hayley Atwell (Conviction) in New TV Series Howards End: Starz Series to Star Hayley Atwell (Conviction) The White Princess: Starz Releases Trailer & Premiere Date for White Queen Sequel The Missing: Starz to Release Season Two in February The Missing: Starz Releases Season Two Debut Date, Key Art Outlander: John Bell and Wil Johnson Cast in Season Three of Starz Series Outlander: Season Three of Starz Series in Production in Scotland Peep Show: Starz Developing Series Based on UK Comedy Outlander: Season Two Finale to Be 50% Longer The Missing: Season Two Production Begins for Starz TV Series Santeria: Starz Developing New Drama from Cuban Writer/Director Maleficio: Starz Developing Telenovela Series with Televisa USA The Missing: Season Two for Starz Limited Series The Girlfriend Experience: New Starz TV Show from Steven Soderbergh

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Tag: Made In Jersey How “High Concept” Does Your Concept Have to Be? No point in guessing. Just compare it to the premises for the shows below. Remember, regardless of what their ultimate fates may be, all these shows had premises that got them to the starting line…and scripts that took them beyond: The Premise-O-Meter: Ranking the New TV Dramas – by Margaret Lyons (Vulture.Com) ABC’s submarine drama Last Resort premieres tonight, and it’s a doozy: action, adventure, shouting, you name it. It’s great! But man, the show is heavy on concept: There’s a submarine, see, and it’s given an order to nuke Pakistan, but the captain doubts the integrity of the order, so he refuses to go through with it, and then they take over an island, and renegades, and the president, and a secret submarine prototype, and on and on and on. It’s a lot of premise. Not every fall show has this problem, though — there’s the other end of the spectrum, too, the premise-less end, the end where the show is about nothing and has nothing to say. Here are all your new fall dramas, ranked in order of complexity. ACK! THAT’S A LOT OF PREMISE Last Resort: See above. Revolution: A close second. There’s a global blackout, and 15 years later, everything is run by scary militias, and there are freedom fighters and people who want to turn the lights back on, and a lady with a secret internet in her attic, and a girl whose parents are dead, and there’s sword-fighting and a few jokes. So far, the show is heavy on concept and light on character. 666 Park Avenue: An attractive young couple moves into the Manhattan apartment of their dreams, only to discover that the building and its residents are possessed by dark, supernatural forces. It’s sort of like Revenge, but with the devil instead of vengeance. Nashville: A country music legend grapples with her fading stardom and there’s a young up-and-comer who’s trying to push her out of the spotlight. Enough of a hook to be a soap, but not so much nonsense that it feels like a bad episode of Melrose Place. Elementary: Sherlock Holmes is now a British ex-pat living in present-day New York; Watson is now a woman and is Holmes’s sober-living companion. It’s fancy, but it’s still just a procedural. Vegas: Just a ’70s cop show. Chicago Fire: Dick Wolf made a show about firefighters. It’s sort of like Third Watch, except much dumber. Emily Owens, MD: She’s a doctor. Mean girls exist. The Mob Doctor: She’s a doctor. The mob exists. Made In Jersey: She’s a lawyer. New Jersey exists. ACK! THAT IS NOT ENOUGH OF A PREMISE Yes, you’re right. The networks do not practice what they preach. Ask your teachers in the film-TV department what that means. Let us know if they can even pretend to have an answer. Author munchmanPosted on September 30, 2012 September 29, 2012 Categories OpinionTags 666 Park Avenue, Elementary, EMILY OWENS M.D., FALL TV 2012, last resort, Made In Jersey, nashville, Revolution, television writing, The Mob Doctor, TV, TVWriter.Com, TVWriter™, Vegas CBS Fall 2012 Premiere Dates Honking press release: CBS ANNOUNCES 2012-2013 PREMIERE DATES Wednesday, Sept. 19 8:00-9:30 PM SURVIVOR: PHILIPPINES (25th edition premiere) Monday, Sept. 24 8:00-8:30 PM How I Met Your Mother (8th season premiere) 8:30-9:00 PM Partners (Series Debut) 9:00-9:30 PM 2 Broke Girls (2nd season premiere) 9:30-10:00 PM MIKE & Molly (3rd season premiere) 10:00-11:00 PM Hawaii Five-0 (3rd season premiere) Tuesday, Sept. 25 8:00-9:00 PM NCIS (10th season premiere) 9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES (4th season premiere) 10:00-11:00 PM Vegas (Series Debut) 9:00-10:00 PM Criminal Minds (8th season premiere) 10:00-11:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (13th season premiere) Thursday, Sept. 27 8:00-8:30 PM The Big Bang Theory (6th season premiere) 8:30-9:00 PM Two and a Half Men (10th season premiere) 9:00-10:00 PM Person Of Interest (2nd season premiere) 10:00-11:00 PM Elementary (Series Debut) 8:00-9:00 PM CSI: NY (9thseason premiere) 9:00-10:00 PM Made In Jersey (Series Debut) 10:00-11:00 PM Blue Bloods (3rdseason premiere 10:00-11:00 PM 48 Hours Mystery (26th season premiere) Sunday, Sept. 30 7:00-8:00 PM 60 Minutes (45th season premiere) 8:00-9:00 PM THE Amazing Race (21st edition premiere) 9:00-10:00 PM THE Good Wife (4th season premiere) 10:00-11:00 PM THE Mentalist (5thseason premiere) Author munchmanPosted on July 11, 2012 July 11, 2012 Categories By TVWriter.Com, NewsTags 2 Broke Girls, 48 Hours, 60 Minutes, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, CSI, CSI: NY, Elementary, Hawaii Five-0, How I Met Your Mother, Made In Jersey, Mike & Molly, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Partners, Person of Interest, press release, Survivor: Phillipines, The Amazing Race, The Big Bang, The Good Wife, The Mentalist, TV writing, TVWriter.Com, TVWriter™, Two and a Half Men, Vegas Cartoon: Resolutions Hank Isaac on Cultural Confusion – Or Is It…Time Travel? Ian McKellen’s Blog

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Tag Archives: a legacy of honor Metal Chick of the Month – Daísa Munhoz Posted on September 1, 2015 by Gustavo Scuderi How dare you look at me in the eye? Time to fly back to South America, more specifically to the municipality of Bariri, São Paulo, Brazil, located about 300km from the city of São Paulo (and about 700km from the city of Rio de Janeiro), to talk about another Brazilian Heavy Metal diva, Daísa Munhoz, the beautiful and talented frontwoman of Brazilian Progressive Metal band Vandroya. If you’re simply fanatic for traditional Heavy Metal, I would say she might be the girl of your dreams. Owner of a very powerful and melodic voice, Daísa started singing when she was only 9 years old, and at the age of fourteen she was already part of a “travelling band”. Our diva said that although she never actually took any singing lessons, she grew up surrounded by every kind of musicians, rehearsals and jam sessions every single day, as her parents are musicians too. That helped her a lot in terms of getting used to how the world of music works, and she learned a lot from every musician that was close to her, especially her mother. She also plays the piano, but “in a mediocre way” in her own words, mainly because she ends up using it more like a guide during her writing and composing process, or sometimes just as a distraction or to relax a little. Daísa said she never really had any interest in specializing herself in the piano, nor the patience or discipline to do so. It was when our Heavy Metal bombshell was around 18 or 19 years old that she founded Vandroya, having recorded so far with the band a 2-track demo entitled Within Shadows, in 2005, and more recently their first full-length album, One, in 2012 via Spiritual Beast Records and in 2013 via Inner Wound Recordings. And stay tuned, because the compositions for the next Vandroya album are 100% finished and the recording process will start really soon. By the way, Daísa explained the word “Vandroya” means nothing specifically: it was just a suggestion from a friend back in their early years, based on a character in Avantasia who is called Vandroy. The band just loved the way it sounded. In addition, you can also see our diva in action in many other different bands and projects. She has been performing for years, including her one time all female band called Inlakesh, as well as a Led Zeppelin tribute band named Black Dog. Not only that, she recorded the vocals on track Song of Deliverance, from the 2013 album Exodus by Slovakian Progressive Power Metal band Signum Regis, as well as the vocals as “Judith” or “Judith, The Princess” in three different albums by Brazilian Melodic Power Metal band Soulspell (a Metal Opera project created by Brazilian drummer Heleno Vale): A Legacy of Honor (2008), The Labyrinth of Truths (2010) and Hollow’s Gathering (2012), winning the Best Female Vocalist award from Whiplash.net in 2010 for her work with Soulspell. There are so many awesome songs with Daísa on vocals on YouTube you can spend hours and hours just listening and watching to our diva kicking ass, so in order for you to get a delicious taste of her unique voice and the mighty metal music played by Vandroya, my recommendations are the beautiful ballad Why Should We Say Goodbye, the Helloween-ish Power Metal tune The Last Free Land (which I’m pretty sure will inspire you so much you’ll buy Vandroya’s debut album after the first listen), the smooth acoustic version of No Oblivion For Eternity, a live performance of one of their first songs, Within Shadows, as well as their recent cover version for the song Heaven, by Canadian icon Bryan Adams. In regards to her main music influences, it’s important to say that Robert Plant is her biggest idol of all time, with the way he sings and moves having a huge impact on her onstage performance, which by the way is beyond superb. However, there are so many awesome artists and bands that it’s hard to name just a few. Sacred names such as Dio, Freddy Mercury, David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes, Russel Allen, Robert Plant, Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, Doro and Ann Wilson are among her biggest idols, being also highly influenced by Iron Maiden, of course, and many German metal bands, especially Helloween, with the unique voice of Michael Kiske leading her into the world of heavy music. Vandroya playing one of my top Helloween songs of all time, the classic March Of Time, is truly outstanding and an amazing tribute from Daísa and her band to the best Teutonic metal band of all time. In one of her interviews, Daísa stated she has so many idols it’s very hard to choose just a few for a “dream tour”, but that she would truly love to be part of a festival only formed by female-fronted metal bands. It’s about time someone from the Metal Female Voices Fest invites her and the other members of Vandroya to be part of any future editions of the festival, don’t you think? Lastly, although Daísa grew up listening to a lot of classic rock and hard rock bands, always being completely fanatic for Led Zeppelin, when asked about the top 5 Heavy Metal albums that changed her life, she listed the following ones: Pink Bubbles Go Ape (Helloween), Cowboys from Hell (Pantera), …And Justice for All (Metallica), The Number of the Beast (Iron Maiden) and Black Sabbath (Black Sabbath), I guess not necessarily in this order. Take a good look at this list and answer me if this is not enough awesomeness to consider Daísa a true badass metalhead! Daísa Munhoz’s Official Facebook page Vandroya’s Official Facebook page “…I actually started to search for more female singers and I discovered a lot of amazing and brave warriors that faced this male-dominated market and won it. You know what? I just realized I know so many female singers I could write a book about their careers!” – Daísa Munhoz Posted in Metal Chick of the Month | Tagged a legacy of honor, …and justice for all, bariri, black sabbath, brazil, bryan adams, cowboys from hell, daísa munhoz, heaven, heavy metal, heleno vale, helloween, hollow's gathering, iron maiden, judith the princess, led zeppelin, march of time, melodic power metal, michael kiske, no oblivion for eternity, one, pink bubbles go ape, progressive metal, progressive power metal, robert plant, sao paulo, signum regis, soulspell, the labyrinth of truths, the last free land, the number of the beast, vandroya, whiplash.net, why should we say goodbye, within shadows | Leave a reply

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the Hellion Rocks Rock N'Roll has NEVER died, we're just getting ready for another set. Tag Archives: TFK THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH Releases First Remix EP METAMORPHOSIZ: THE END REMIXES, VOL. 1 Dec. 4; TFK’s “War Of Change” Gathers Momentum At Active Rock Radio‏ November 28, 2012 by janaya64 THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH RELEASES FIRST REMIX EP METAMORPHOSIZ: THE END REMIXES, VOL. 1 DEC. 4 Available Exclusively At Digital Retail, EP Features Tracks By Steve Sidelnyk, Rob Persaud, Andy Hunter, Robbie Bronnimann, Solomon Olds “War Of Change” Gathers Momentum At Active Rock Radio Modern rock favorites THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH will release its first remix EP, Metamorphosiz: The End Remixes, Vol. 1, as an exlusive to digital retailers, including iTunes®, Amazon.com and others, on Dec. 4. The EP features 5 songs from the independently released, 5-star acclaimed and No. 1 selling Billboard Hard Rock album, The End Is Where We Begin, by noted remix geniuses Steve Sidelnyk, Rob Persaud, Robbie Bronnimann, Andy Hunter and Solomon Olds. THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH decided to offer the remix EP following the response the band received from two remix songs delivered to its fans for free via noisetrade.com last month and commemorating the success of The End Is Where We Begin, which hit No. 14 on the Billboard Top 200, their highest charting album to date. “You spoke, we listened. Because your response to the two free remixes was incredible, we’ve decided to makeMetamorphosiz: The End Remixes, Vol. 1!” exclaims TFK front man Trevor McNevan. Featured on the remix EP is one of the tracks offered in appreciation of its fans, Solomon Olds’ (Family Force 5, Newsboys) take on the adrenaline-infused “Light Up The Sky.” Also featured is the current hit radio single, “War Of Change,” remixed by Andy Hunter (The Matrix: Reloaded, The Italian Job, ABC’s Alias), who further offers a ‘tripped out’ version of “I Get Wicked” for the EP. Robbie Bronnimann (Nicki Minaj, Chicane) remixes the Active Rock hit single “Let The Sparks Fly,” while Steve Sidelnyk (Madonna, No Doubt, Moby) and Rob Persaud (The Bourne Legacy, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Green Hornet) round out the 5-song EP with “We Are (Karmageddon Remix).” The album tracks of one or more of these songs have been featured in a string of sports entertainment song placements, including ESPN (NASCAR, NCAA basketball), EA Sports NHL 2013 video game, WWE (“Over The Limit” pay per view event), L.A. Kings’ (NHL) playoff reel (http://ht.ly/aFciK) and as the NFL Tennessee Titans’ 2012-13“kickoff” song. The full Metamorphosiz: The End Remixes, Vol. 1 track and remix artist list follows: 1.) “War of Change (Andy Hunter° Remix)” – Andy Hunter 2.) “Light Up the Sky (Solomon Olds Remix)” – Solomon Olds 3.) “Let The Sparks Fly (The Robbie Bronnimann Mix)” – Robbie Bronnimann 4.) “We Are (Karmageddon Remix)” – Steve Sidelnyk and Rob Persaud 5.) “I Get Wicked (Andy Hunter° trip Mix)” – Andy Hunter As the band prepares to releases the remix EP, and as The End Is Where We Begin sales continue double-digit percentage growth over the band’s previous best-selling album, Welcome to the Masquerade, TFK’s second Active Rock single from the new album, “War Of Change,” gathers momentum. The song not only hit No. 1 on SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s Octane Big-Uns Countdown, but is also gathering airplay across the country at Active Rock and Alternative Rock stations like WBUZ-FM “The Buzz” (Nashville), WRBR-FM (South Bend, IN), KAZR-FM (Des Moines), WCPR- FM(Biloxi, MS) and KCXX-FM (Riverside, CA), the latter station playing TFK music for the very first time. Featured last summer on the Third Annual Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival and having receiving over 1,700, 5-star average customer reviews on iTunes® alone for The End Is Where We Begin, THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCHhas found that sometimes the best way to move forward is to go back to the basics, taking all of the raw energy and emotion of the past and channeling it into the present. For those who’ve been following the Ontario, Canada-bred players since their formation in 1997, it’s been a continuously escalating highlight reel that includes best-selling albums, top Active Rock hits (including “Fire It Up,” “Move” and “Let The Sparks Fly”), plus a slew of soundtrack slots. In fact, the group has literally infiltrated every facet of pop culture, from ongoing ESPN appearances, to various NASCAR, MLB, NHL, NCAA and NFL airings (including the 2010 Super Bowl), along with the “GI Joe” movie trailer, WGN-TV’s “Smallville” and EA Sports’ NHL 2010 and 2013 video games. All the latest tour dates and additional band information can be found at www.thousandfootkrutch.com,http://twitter.com/officialtfk and www.facebook.com/thousandfootkrutch, where the band has over 600,000 fans. Posted in Classic Metal, Classic Rock, Heavy metal, Internet Radio, Metal, Music, Rock, Rock N' Roll, RockStar, Sleaze, Tattoos. Tagged (The Bourne Legacy, 80's, Alias), Andy Hunter, “I Get Wicked (Andy Hunter° trip Mix)”, “Let The Sparks Fly (The Robbie Bronnimann Mix)”, “Light Up the Sky (Solomon Olds Remix)”, “War of Change (Andy Hunter° Remix)”, “We Are (Karmageddon Remix)”, Bleach Bang, Bleach Bangs, Bleach Bangs Radio, Canada, Canadian, Charlie Owens, Chicane, Christian rock, Classic Rock, DJD recordings, FM Static, Glam, Glam Rock, Hard Rock, Hawk Nelson, Heavy Metal, Independant, Joel Bruyere, KAZR-FM (Des Moines), KCXX-FM (Riverside CA), Madonna, Manafest, Metal, Moby, Music, Nicki Minaj, No Doubt, Nu Metal, Ontario, Peterborough, Randy Norris, Rap Metal, Rob Persaud, Robbie Bronnimann, Rock, Rock N' Roll, Rock Star, RockStar, Snow White and the Huntsman, Solomon Olds, Steve Augustine, TFK, The Drawing Room, The End Is Where We Begin, The Green Hornet, the Hellion, The Italian Job, The Matrix: Reloaded, Thousand Foot Krutch, Three Days Grace, Tooth & Nail, Trevor "Teerawk" McNevan, WBUZ-FM “The Buzz” (Nashville), Welcome to the Masquerade, WRBR-FM (South Bend IN) Bob Kulick talks Skeletons In The Closet Frankie Banali talks ROAD RAGE!!! QUIET RIOT – ROAD RAGE Marty Casey – A Rock N’ Roll Champion talking with Robert Mason of WARRANT Outlaw Metal Whiskey Metal Wornstar Clothing the Hellion Rocks on Facebook! Metallica/Lady GaGa Stephen Pearcy talks SMASH STRYPER – To Hell With The Devil tour 2016 – 10/23/16 Albuquerque, NM Adam Joad talks Swamp Rebel Machine!!

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Metro Red Line Repairs Cause Closures in Late November November 8, 2017 by Katrina Schmidt Leave a Comment The Washington, D.C. Metro Red line is set to halt service between the Silver Spring and Fort Totten stations in Maryland from Nov. 25 to Dec. 10 for a second round of major planned track maintenance this year. The improvement project will cut service on the easternmost end of the Red line, the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority’s oldest and most used rail route. The line will operate in segments from the westernmost Shady Grove station to Fort Totten in the east, with a shuttle providing service from Fort Totten to Silver Spring. Additionally, from Dec. 2 to Dec. 3, work will extend to the end of the Red Line in Glenmont. The Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma stations will all be closed during this weekend. WMATA warned passengers to expect delays and crowding. The closures will affect students using the Red line at Dupont Circle, and restrict students who wish to travel to downtown D.C. to using the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines that run through the Rosslyn station. Four miles of track from Silver Spring to Fort Totten will see repairs and replacement in these repairs, replacing an interlocking, a part of the track where trains can cross from one track to another. Metro also plans to install new sections of track and rail ties and update signals. FILE PHOTO: CAROLING PAPPAS FOR THE HOYA The work is scheduled to begin the Saturday following Thanksgiving and continue through early December, a time period typically characterized by lower ridership due to the holidays. In 2016, ridership peaked in the summer months before falling to its low in December, according to Metro’s Vital Signs Report for the first quarter of 2017. The upcoming Red line project is one of WMATA’s 2017 Back2Good initiatives, which also include retiring old trains and rolling out more new 7000 Series trains, improving station management and maintaining escalators. “Preventive maintenance is the anti-SafeTrack that prevents emergency conditions and will begin to cut infrastructure related delays to trains in half,” WMATA CEO Paul Wiedefeld said in a Dec. 2016 testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Transportation and Public Assets. In the past, Metro often put off maintenance — a practice that has become increasingly unsustainable as the 50-year-old system has aged. Metro’s infrastructure woes came to the fore in 2009, when nine people died and 80 were injured after a Red line train collided with a stationary train on the southbound track between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations. A National Transportation Safety Board investigation found significant structural problems in the Automatic Train Control system and the track circuits monitoring activity on the rail lines. Near collisions occurred in 2005 on the Blue line between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom due to similar problems, and an investigation of the 2016 derailment of a train near East Falls Church station found Metro had neglected repairs of rail ties and tracks in the time leading up to the event. The work will take place over 10 working — and commuting — days, as well as two weekends, and the closures are expected to affect thousands of passengers. Takoma station, which will be closed for all service during the work, has an average of 5,108 passenger boardings per weekday so far this year, according to the 2017 Historical Metro Ridership report. “Customers who normally use Takoma, Silver Spring, Forest Glen, Wheaton or Glenmont are strongly encouraged to use other Red Line stations, travel during off-peak times or consider alternate travel options,” a Nov. 2 Metro news release said. These stations are all north of Fort Totten on the Red Line, and those hoping to travel further into Washington, D.C., than Fort Totten will need to make use of the shuttles or use other transportation. This work is part of planned preventative work following a year of updates to the Metro system through the SafeTrack program. SafeTrack compressed three years’ worth of updates into one year, as part of Wiedefeld’s “Back2Good” agenda, announced in 2016 when he took over, to repair the rail service and renew trust in the system. “That has to come to an end,” Wiedefeld said in a June interview with The New York Times. “You could get away with it when you were a 20-, 25-year-old system. Going into your 40s and 50s, you can’t do that anymore.” Now, after 15 “surges” to repair parts of the rail service in most need of attention, Metro’s Back2Good strategy is focused on preventative maintenance. Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), chairman of WMATA, told The New York Times. In the same article, Evans said the completion of SafeTrack repairs marked success in saving WMATA from collapse. “We saved the patient from dying,” Evans said. “The patient is still very, very sick.” About Katrina Schmidt

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It is amazing to think that Topps’ licensed comic book tie-in to The X-Files lasted three-and-a-half years, let alone that it was such a success that it spawned a second on-going series, a miniseries and a considerable volume of one-shots and digests and annuals. If anything, Topps enjoyed greater success exploiting the license than even IDW has – despite the fact that Topps was a relatively young company with minimal experience in comic book publishing while IDW has a reputation for (and a lot of experience at) skilfully leveraging these sorts of tie-in properties. This success would be remarkable in any context, but the comic book succeeded at a time of turmoil for the entire comic book industry. The late nineties were not a good time for comics, with the speculation bubble imploding and Marvel filing for bankruptcy. The success of Topps’ X-Files comic book is in many way a triumph of the brand, yet another reminder of how the series was on top of the world. There were lots of others – the ratings, the film, the tie-in video game – but the success of the comic was part of the narrative of The X-Files at this stage of its life. The comics themselves are actually surprisingly good. There is a reason that one of the first things that IDW did upon receiving the license was to publish “classic” collections of these comics. One of the more interesting aspects of the monthly series was the way that it managed to feel like The X-Files while still seeming suited to the medium in question. Stefan Petrucha and Charles Adlard pitched their run as something akin to a Vertigo comic, feeling like a crossover between The X-Files and the work of Grant Morrison or Neil Gaiman. The influences on John Rozum’s run are a lot less ambitious. Time and time again, Rozum seems to position his run on The X-Files as a rather strange hybrid between the first season of the television series and pulpy fifties horror comics. There are quite a few stories in Rozum’s run that might easily be read alongside Fantagraphics’ E.C. Comics archives, albeit guest starring Mulder and Scully. (And modern fashions. And phones. And so on.) It is a perfectly reasonable and legitimate way to approach the idea of “X-Files comic books.” Indeed, it seems especially reasonable given the existing tensions between Ten Thirteen and Topps over the comics. The relationship had been fraught since the early days of the comic, with Ten Thirteen objecting to both Petrucha’s dense and ambitious plotting and Adlard’s moody and atmospheric art. Petrucha was fired from the title after sixteen issues, while Adlard was phased out in favour of better likeness artists like Gordon Purcell or Alex Saviuk. Ten Thirteen wanted a safer and more conventional comic book under Rozum’s pen, and they got it. While it is easy to understand why these creative decisions were made, it does not make them any more palatable. Rozum’s work on The X-Files is generally quite consistent and occasionally even impressive. But it seldom seems ambitious or exciting. Under Petrucha, the tie-in comic carved out its own space that intersected with the parent show. Under Rozum, the comic book seems to do nothing but skirt the margins. Filed under: The X-Files | Tagged: alex saviuk, Charles Adlard, comic books, Comics, compromise, ec comics, gordon purcell, horror, john rozum, ten thirteen, the x-files, tie-ins, Topps, topps comics, x-files | Leave a comment » The X-Files (Topps) – Ground Zero #1-4 (Review) Posted on June 8, 2015 by Darren Ground Zero offers an indication of just how much success Topps was enjoying with their line of licensed X-Files comic books. The monthly series was still being published, and Season One was on a bimonthly schedule. Both books had stable creative teams, and there was no indication that they were likely to wrap up any time soon. Of course, Topps would pull of the comic book market in late 1998, but there was no indication that they considered their X-Files line to be anything other than a complete success. As such, it made sense to expand the line. After all, the company had already used the brand to sell annuals and digests. Eye see all… However, there was reportedly a considerable amount of friction between Topps and Ten Thirteen over the comic book line. Ten Thirteen was reportedly quite firm in what they would and would not allow to be published. Writers John Rozum and Stefan Petrucha have talked about how difficult it was to get their scripts published for the monthly series. It seems that Topps was eager to work around these restrictions. It is telling that neither Season One nor Ground Zero were original concepts; they were adaptations of ideas and stories Ten Thirteen had already approved. Ground Zero is written by veteran tie-in author Kevin J. Anderson. Anderson had already written a number of popular X-Files tie-in books and had provided a fill-in arc on the monthly comic book with Family Portrait. The artwork for Ground Zero is provided by Gordon Purcell, one of the best likeness artists in the business. Publishing a four-issue adaptation of a tie-in novel is the very definition of a “safe” choice to expand the line, and only illustrates some of the wasted opportunities towards the end of Topps’ stewardship of the license. Filed under: Comics, The X-Files | Tagged: adaptation, gordon purcell, ground zero, kevin j. anderson, nuclear, racist, ten thirteen, the x-files, Topps, x-files, xenophobic | 2 Comments » The X-Files (Topps) #27-29 – Remote Control (Review) Posted on March 27, 2015 by Darren This February and March, we’re taking a trip back in time to review the fourth season of The X-Files and the first season of Millennium. In many respects, Remote Control is a very “big” story. It is the biggest story that writer John Rozum has told to date on the comic book, one that spans three issues and seems to brush against the edge of the mythology most associated with The X-Files. Not only does Remote Control feature secret CIA experiments into psychic phenomenon, it also involves a UFO that is being transported through the United States and is hijacked by a foreign power. To top it all off, there is a super-soldier who can render himself invisible and make himself immune to bullets. Everything is under control… There is a very clear sense of scale to Remote Control, one that suggests this is a blockbuster adventure. This is the comic book equivalent of those mythology episodes that air during sweeps. At the same time, however, Remote Control brushes up against the limitations imposed upon the comic book by Topps and Ten Thirteen. While Remote Control offers the highest stakes that the comic book has seen since Feelings of Unreality, the script is quite clear that this is a story separate and divorced from anything happening in the show. There are points where it feels like Remote Control goes out of its way to remind readers that this is just a tie-in comic book, and is thus secondary to the television show. Mulder is a little tied up right now… Filed under: Comics, The X-Files | Tagged: Charles Adlard, comcis, comic books, Deep Throat, e.b.e., gordon purcell, Government, john rozum, likeness, mythology, remote control, senator matheson, ten thirteen, tie-in, Topps, x-files | 11 Comments » The X-Files (Topps) #25-26 – Be Prepared (Review) Posted on March 2, 2015 by Darren What’s interesting about Be Prepared is how much it feels like an episode of The X-Files. A lot Rozum’s earlier scripts felt like Mulder and Scully had wandered into old E.C. horror stories, cautionary supernatural tales about vengeful ghosts and poetic justice. In contrast, Be Prepared feels very much in tune with the aesthetic of the show itself. Mulder and Scully investigate a uniquely American piece of folklore, finding themselves in an isolated location dealing with human monstrosity at least as much as any paranormal element. If you go down to the woods today… Indeed, Be Prepared feels very much like an episode from the first two seasons of the show, evoking stories like Ice or Darkness Falls or Firewalker. Indeed, Be Prepared arguably sits comfortably alongside Topps’ range of Season One comics – feeling like a lost episode from the show’s early years. Be Prepared feels like the first time that Rozum is constructing a story specifically from tropes associated with The X-Files, rather than from horror tropes in general. The result is a fun little adventure that feels more like The X-Files than the comic has in quite a while. The right to bear arms… Filed under: Comics, The X-Files | Tagged: america, be prepared, cannibalism, Comics, Darkness, gordon purcell, isolated, john rozum, monsters, other, the x-files, Topps, wendigo, wild | Leave a comment » The X-Files (Topps) #20-21 – Family Portrait (Review) Posted on February 10, 2015 by Darren Kevin J. Anderson is a very experienced hand when it comes to tie-in fiction. Although Assemblers of Infinity was nominated for a Nebula Award in 1993, Anderson is perhaps best known for his work with licenced properties. He has written a significant number of Star Wars novels. He has published a trio of books set in the world of The X-Files. Indeed, Anderson would even adapt his first novel – Ground Zero – into a comic book miniseries for Topps. When Brian Herbert decided to finish his father’s Dune series, he collaborated with Anderson. So Anderson is very much a safe pair of hands. He is a writer you can trust to construct a functional two-part X-Files story with a logical structure and a solid central premise. Anderson knows how to work within the boundaries of tie-in media, and he knows how to write a solid science-fiction or fantasy story. Pairing him with artist Gordon Purcell makes a great deal of sense, particularly for comic book that is trying hard to cement its place as a good old-fashioned tie-in. Family Portrait is not exceptional, but it doesn’t try to be. Instead, it is functional. It is more efficient than ambitious, feeling very much like a classic horror comic that just happens to feature Mulder and Scully than a compelling episode of The X-Files in its own right. Let’s see what develops… Filed under: Comics, The X-Files | Tagged: black forest, black hills, Comics, gordon purcell, kevin j. anderson, paparazzi, Photography, reviews, Topps, x-files | Leave a comment » The X-Files (Topps) #17 – Thin Air (Review) Posted on February 3, 2015 by Darren By all accounts, this was the kind of creative team that Ten Thirteen Productions probably wanted on Topps’ X-Files comic since the start. Stefan Petrucha and Charles Adlard had done a phenomenal amount of work on The X-Files comic line. They had written sixteen issues of the monthly series, an annual, two digests and a slew of short stories scattered across various forums. However, it was quite clear that their approach to the comic was not quite what Ten Thirteen had hoped for when they licensed the comic to Topps. Petrucha’s scripts were ambitious, bold and playful; they were occasionally downright cheeky. Adlard was a master of mood and expression; he was less suited to likeness. Here come the men in black… This had caused no small amount of friction between the production company and the creative team. By all accounts, the working relationship between Petrucha and the production company was quite strained. Eventually they fired him from the comic, making Home of the Brave the last story written by Stefan Petrucha and Charles Adlard on Topps’ The X-Files comics. Given the two had been with the comic from the start, this was quite a radical change. However, this did allow Topps to put a team more agreeable to Ten Thirteen’s demands on the comic. “I call it blue steal…” Filed under: Comics, The X-Files | Tagged: aliens, bermuda triangle, characterisation, conspiracy, cover-up, flight 19, gordon purcell, john rozum, mystery, second world war, ten thirteen, the x-files, thin air, Topps, world war ii | Leave a comment » Mike W. Barr and Gordon Purcell’s Run on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Malibu Comics) (Review/Retrospective) Posted on September 1, 2014 by Darren The September and October, we’re taking a look at the jam-packed 1994 to 1995 season of Star Trek, including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. Check back daily for the latest review. The nineties comic book market was an interesting place. It enjoyed a huge boost due to the rise of speculation and collectors. The industry was massively successful in the early years of the decade, fuelled by high-profile artists, hype, and events. The industry imploded in on itself in the middle and towards the end of the decade, but it looked surprisingly profitable in the early years. Against that backdrop, Malibu Comics emerged. Malibu had become the publisher of record for Image Comics in 1992. Image had been founded by a number of popular artists who had departed Marvel to set up their own shop and found their own company. Malibu distributed their comics for about a year, which gave Malibu access to a larger distribution platform. Although Image soon grew strong enough to publish its own comics, there was a point where Malibu had surpassed industry veteran DC Comics in the market place. “Think of it—five months ago no one had ever heard of Bajor or Deep Space Nine. Now all our hopes rest here.” Against this backdrop, Malibu secured the rights to publish comic books based on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Up until this point, DC comics had been publishing comics based on the original Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Paramount’s decision to award the Deep Space Nine license to Malibu effectively split the comic book license up. DC Comics continued to publish comics based around the first two Star Trek shows, while Malibu had exclusive rights to the characters and world of Deep Space Nine. As such, the decision to recruit writer Mike W. Barr and artist Gordon Purcell to write the first six issues of the comic was a pretty big deal. Barr and Purcell were incredibly associated with Star Trek comic books. The duo had done popular work on the movie-era comics, and had demonstrated an obvious and abiding affection for the franchise. Assigning these two creators to work on Deep Space Nine was a very clear message. Malibu were taking this license very seriously, indeed. Filed under: Comics, Deep Space Nine | Tagged: Comics, emancipation, fungus, gordon purcell, malibu comics, Mike W. Barr, old wounds, Slavery, star trek, star trek: deep space nine, stowaway | Leave a comment » Doctor Who: Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror (Review) 165. Gisaengchung (Parasite) – This Just In (#34) New Escapist Column! On Colin Trevorrow’s “Duel of the Fates” and JJ Abrams’ “Rise of Skywalker”… New Escapist Column! On the Oscar Success of “Joker”… Non-Review Review: Bad Boys For Life It looks like I'll be watching a Noah Baumbach double feature tonight. You might even say I'll be watching the mov… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…...around... 6 minutes ago RT @daithigor: A history of Irish General Election results #GE2020 https://t.co/NAWAm7E44S...around... 3 hours ago I don’t know buddy, I just don’t know. #DoctorWho https://t.co/RtzxgZJyxb...around... 3 hours ago RT @ScottMendelson: Sony is absolutely killing it, Universal is in a slump, Warner Bros. is struggling with non-franchise fare and DC Films…...around... 3 hours ago #ICYMI: This week's episode of @thetwofifty covered Bong Joon Ho's "Parasite" (기생충), with special guests… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…...around... 3 hours ago Follow @Darren_Mooney Doctor Who: Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror (Review) "Can You Help Him?" The Millennial Malaise of "The Phantom Menace"... On Second Thought: Alien (Director's Cut) The Blog Resource Blogs Well Worth Your Time 1001 Must See Films Andrew at the Movies Cut the Crap Movie Reviews Encore Entertainment Fandango Groovers Four of Them Jameson Cult Film Blog Jar Watches Films M. Carter at the Movies Marshall and the Movies Movie News First Musings from a Man Lost in La Mancha Never Mind Pop Film Paragraph Film Reviews Ross v. Ross Scannain.com Screenwriter (Donald Clarke, Irish Times) The Film Cynics The Pompous Film Snob Things That Don't Suck Too Busy Thinking About My Comics Undy a Hundy Film Nerd Resources CinemaBlend (News) Movies.ie Rope of Silicon The Guardian Film Blog My Critics James Berardinelli

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Whatever you Grow will save a Bro They all raise awareness, raise funds, start conversations, and save lives Men's Health | Video With one month to go before the 1st November, Movember launches ‘Whatever you Grow will save a Bro’ to encourage all men to help raise awareness and funds whoever they are and no matter the type or size of moustache they can achieve. “It’s a fun one for men particularly to get on board with to support their brothers who are suffering, and to raise awareness for conditions that might affect any of us, or if not us someone we know and love.” This year’s campaign includes a new TV advert voiced by Welsh actor Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill, Harry Potter). Rhys commented, “I’m overjoyed to be able to support Movember, I’ve grown a moustache a few times in support of the charity in the past and I think ‘Whatever You Grow’ is a great campaign. Rhys also did a version of the campaign in Welsh. Rhys continued “I’m also really proud and pleased that we were also able to do this in Welsh because men’s health has no borders and it actually sounds very beautiful in Welsh too.” This year, we're highlighting the meaning behind the moustache, featuring men in the advert that have suffered from testicular cancer, prostate cancer, or mental health problems. One scene features 67-year-old Jim Thompson with his three sons. Jim, who has terminal prostate cancer and has raised over £60,000 for Movember said: “I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in late summer 2010 and in November 2011 I decided I needed to do something to raise money to aid research into cancer and try to do whatever I can to raise awareness of male cancers especially prostate cancer. I would like to think that the work we have done has also saved the lives of men I have spoken to about prostate cancer. My pipedream is to get to £100,000 before I die but I realise now that that will be improbable. I am incredibly proud that myself and my three sons were asked to be a part of the new Movember campaign. The drugs trial which is keeping me alive (massive doses of female hormones) means I have lost most of my body hair and now only have to shave once a week at the most, so the chance of me growing a Mo is slim, but I still raise funds every November and want to encourage as many people as possible to get involved – no matter how your Mo will look. “My consultants tell me I have between 24 and 36 months left and although I have no reason to disbelieve them I will do whatever I can to prove them wrong.” Movember’s Executive Director, Simon Traynor, said: “‘Whatever you Grow will save a Bro’ arose from the insight that some men want to support the charity but feel embarrassed by their facial hair, or its perceived inadequacy. We want men to know that even shit moustaches will save lives.” Sign up to Grow, Move or Host at Movember.com to change the face of men’s health. To donate to Jim Thompson, go to: mobro.co/geordiejim

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Watch Bruce Springsteen’s Broadway Movie Trailer Netflix has released a trailer for Springsteen on Broadway, the movie based on Bruce Springsteen’s acclaimed one-man show at the Walter Kerr Theater in New York. The special was recorded on July 17-18 in front of a private audience, and it’s accompanied by a soundtrack album which arrives on Dec. 14, two days before the movie appears on Netflix. Springsteen on Broadway has run for over a year; it's set to end on Dec. 15. “This is what I’ve presented to you all these years, as my long and noisy prayer – as my magic trick,” Springsteen says in the opening scene. “And like all good magic tricks, it begins with a setup.” Moving into early track “Growin’ Up,” he continued, “When I was a young man and looking for a voice to tell my stories, well, I chose my father’s voice. My father was my hero. And my greatest foe.” You can watch the trailer below: In the final moments of the promo Springsteen observes, “Everybody has a love-hate relationship with their hometown. Take me: I’m Mr. ‘Born to Run’ – I currently live 10 minutes from my hometown.” The clip also outlines his discussion of his parents, career highs and lows, and shows him duetting with his wife Patti Scialfa. In an interview earlier this year, Springsteen remained noncommittal about whether he’d take the show on tour. He previously discussed a solo album; E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg had also reportedly been in the studio of Springsteen’s producer on days when the Broadway show wasn’t on. See Bruce Springsteen Among Rock’s Funniest Guitar Faces Next: Bruce Springsteen Albums Ranked Filed Under: Bruce Springsteen

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Rod Stewart Has Finished a New Album Called ‘Blood Red Roses’ Dave Lifton David Becker, Getty Images Rod Stewart has been gearing up for his summer tour with Cyndi Lauper, but he's also been in the studio. Today (March 6), he revealed that he's completed work on a new album called Blood Red Roses, although it has yet to be determined when it will be released. His most recent album was 2015's Another Country. He broke the news while he and Lauper were speaking with Kyle Meredith of Louisville's WFPK, who asked if either of them had any material coming out. "My album's finished," Stewart said. "We're not sure when it's coming out. It's called Blood Red Roses. It's absolutely fantastic. ... Even I say it meself" He added that there are 12 songs on the album, 11 of which he wrote. Pressed for more details by Lauper, he said that "we don't know whether we're going to bring it out in May or June or September. There's a big discussion going on. ... It they bring it out in May and we're on tour in June, I will be [performing songs from it on tour], otherwise I won't. No, probably not. You know how difficult it is to try and convince people to listen to brand new songs when you've got so many songs that they want to hear. We'll see how it goes." In discussing both his and Lauper's famously outlandish outfits, Stewart, who was knighted in 2016, said that he has one thing in common with Queen Elizabeth II: "We've both had the same haircut for 50 years." This will be the second consecutive year that he and Lauper are touring together. They'll begin with a standalone show at the Hollywood Bowl on June 25. A month later, they'll kick it off proper at the Hard Rock Event Center in Hollywood, Fla., and conclude on Sept. 1 at the White River Amphitheater in Seattle. Check out all the dates here. Next: Top 10 Rod Stewart Songs of the '70s Filed Under: Rod Stewart Categories: New Albums, News

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Discovering a Piece of Hollywoodland’s Equestrian Past February 14, 2013 § 2 Comments The Front and Back Covers of a Hollywoodland Riding Club pamphlet, circa 1923/HopeAnderson Productions Last Sunday I stopped by the Antiquarian Book Fair at the Santa Monica Civic. I was there to meet John Howell, a rare book dealer who had emailed to tell me about one of his offerings, a pristine pamphlet advertising the long-defunct Hollywoodland Riding Club. Because all of Hollywoodland was once a ranch, there have been horses at the end of Beachwood Drive for as long as anyone can remember. In recent decades, horses have lived at Sunset Ranch, which offers boarding, lessons and trail rides to the public. But when Hollywoodland began in 1923, there was a riding club where homeowners could board their horses and learn to ride English-style, if they didn’t already know how. The allure of riding in the Hollywood Hills was a selling point for house lots, and figured prominently in radio ads for Hollywoodland: Listen–the horses are stamping in their stalls-the sea breeze kisses the hilltops-while the birds weave melodies of happiness on the open trail. Your day in Hollywoodland-in-California begins with a song, and for a brief hour you canter on the wings of the morning–a shower-breakfast-and away for a day at the office, to return at eventide to the calmness of the hills, and there below you, watch a myriad of millions of lights twinkling in the distance. Inside the Pamphlet, a Map of Hollywoodland Although I had seen the pamphlet in a larger format, I wasn’t aware it was produced in this compact size. I wasn’t planning to buy it, but in the end I did, impressed by its excellent condition and historical significance. Anyone with an interest in California history should check out John Howell’s website, which offers a variety of books and images: johnhowellforbooks.com The Hollywood Sign’s Renovation, Week Six: Painting the Y November 9, 2012 § Leave a comment The Hollywood Sign at Midday, 11/9/12/Hope Anderson Productions Yesterday it rained; today, along with sunshine, there is a beautiful bank of clouds behind the Hollywood Sign instead of the usual cloudless blue sky. The painters have reached the Y which, some will remember, is the letter Hugh Hefner chose to pay for when Sign was rebuilt in 1978. Without Hugh Hefner’s fundraising efforts, the Hollywood Sign would not exist today. In 1978, the original 1923 Sign was in ruins, and no one else seemed particularly concerned about its fate. It took someone of Hefner’s stature to draw attention to the eyesore on Mt. Lee and do something about it. In the decades since, the Hollywood Sign has become a huge tourist draw, creating headaches for those of us who live near it. Nevertheless, it would be hard to find anyone here who doesn’t enjoy looking at the Sign. Whether we regard it as a historical monument, a mascot and or a navigational device, Hollywoodlanders love the Hollywood Sign as much as tourists do, and–because it began as our neighborhood’s billboard–perhaps a little more. As Work Continues, the Hollywood Sign Evolves October 17, 2012 § 2 Comments The Hollywood Sign from Canyon Lake Drive, 10/16/12/Hope Anderson Productions Leaving town for a week made me notice the changes in the Sign’s appearance more than I might have if I had been within sight of it the whole time. Yesterday the “H” appeared blueish as it was stripped of paint; today a platform appeared in front of it as it was painted. This evening, the first “L” appears blueish in the evening light. The Sign from Beachwood Drive This Evening/Hope Anderson Productions For a static monument, the Hollywood Sign is remarkably changeable. It can look narrow and almost delicate when viewed from the east or west, and massive when seen from the south. Its paint captures changes in light, so that it can appear blindingly white, golden, grey or even pink, depending on the time of day. In its current restoration, a run-up to the 90th anniversary of the original Sign (and Hollywoodland itself), it is even more mutable than usual, and to my eyes more fascinating. Gloria Swanson in Hollywoodland: A Silent Star’s Hideaway June 22, 2011 § Leave a comment Swanson--Fashion Icon and Silent Film Star--in an undated portrait Gloria Swanson is best known for her blockbuster role as the 50-year-old, over-the-hill film goddess Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard,” but her early, wide-ranging Silent film career deserves equal notice. Unlike most actresses of her era, Swanson excelled in both comedic and dramatic roles, beginning in comedies as a 17-year-old at Essenay Studio in Chicago. She soon moved to Los Angeles, where Mack Sennett turned her into a Keystone star. But Swanson wanted to be more than a comedienne: she was determined to be a romantic leading lady. In Cecil B. DeMille’s 1919 hit, “Don’t Change Your Husband,” she became one. She was only 20 when DeMille made her a dramatic star, but she had already been married and divorced, having entered a disastrous 2-month marriage (at 17) to Wallace Beery. Beery not only raped her on their wedding night but, upon discovering she was pregnant, gave her an abortion-inducing drug. She would soon embark on the second of six brief marriages, only the last of which, undertaken in her late 70s, lasted longer than five years. Joseph P. Kennedy: Patriarch, Ambassador and Failed Film Producer Nevertheless, it was her not-so-secret romance with Joseph P. Kennedy, circa 1927-1930, that cemented Swanson’s reputation as a femme fatale off-screen as well as on. Kennedy was not only a permanently married Catholic but a father of seven children (with two yet to come). Such was Swanson’s appeal that he rapidly became not only her paramour (she was married at the time to the poshest of her husbands, the Marquis Le Bailly de la Falaise de la Coudraye) but her film producer and business partner. Swanson and Kennedy’s most famous collaboration, “Queen Kelly,” was considered a disaster upon its release but later grew to be considered one of Swanson’s best films. Swanson in "Queen Kelly" When the couple split in 1930, it was over money–Kennedy’s flagrant spending of Swanson’s, which the actress complained about throughout her life. Fortunately, Swanson was a canny investor in real estate. In addition to her magnificent Beverly Hills home–the 22-room King Gillette mansion at 904 N. Cresent Drive–she at various times owned valuable properties in London, New York and Portugal, and seems never to have owned fewer than two houses at a time. She also had a secret home in Los Angeles: this mid-twenties Norman manor in Hollywoodland. Swanson's Storybook Hideaway/Hope Anderson Productions Although it was never her official residence, Swanson certainly spent time at the house, a fact confirmed by an elderly neighbor when the current owner bought it during the 1970s. It seems more than likely that the house was a love nest for Swanson and Kennedy, a place for them to enjoy each other’s company out of the public eye. She couldn’t have chosen a better location: even if her neighbors knew about the affair, they were unlikely to have gossipped about it–privacy having been a hallmark of Hollywoodland since its beginnings in 1923. Bronze Plaques Stolen off the Hollywoodland Gates April 19, 2011 § 7 Comments The West Gate to Hollywoodland, with one of the missing plaques at top/Hope Anderson Productions Christine O’Brien has alerted me to the fact that the bronze plaques on the historic Hollywoodland gates have been stolen. They measure approximately 24” x 18” and read HOLLYWOODLAND est.1923 Anyone knowing their whereabouts should contact: info@ Hollywoodland.org You are currently browsing entries tagged with 1923 at Under the Hollywood Sign.

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<< Previous TITLE 36 / Subtitle II / Part B / CHAPTER 2205 / SUBCHAPTER II / § 220523 Next >> 36 USC 220523: Authority of national governing bodies Text contains those laws in effect on January 19, 2020 From Title 36-PATRIOTIC AND NATIONAL OBSERVANCES, CEREMONIES, AND ORGANIZATIONSSubtitle II-Patriotic and National OrganizationsPart B-OrganizationsCHAPTER 2205-UNITED STATES OLYMPIC COMMITTEESUBCHAPTER II-NATIONAL GOVERNING BODIES Jump To: Source CreditAmendments §220523. Authority of national governing bodies (a) Authority.-For the sport that it governs, a national governing body may- (1) represent the United States in the appropriate international sports federation; (2) establish national goals and encourage the attainment of those goals; (3) serve as the coordinating body for amateur athletic activity in the United States; (4) exercise jurisdiction over international amateur athletic activities and sanction international amateur athletic competition held in the United States and sanction the sponsorship of international amateur athletic competition held outside the United States; (5) conduct amateur athletic competition, including national championships, and international amateur athletic competition in the United States, and establish procedures for determining eligibility standards for participation in competition, except for amateur athletic competition specified in section 220526 of this title; (6) recommend to the corporation individuals and teams to represent the United States in the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, and the Pan-American Games; and (7) designate individuals and teams to represent the United States in international amateur athletic competition (other than the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games, and the Pan-American Games) and certify, in accordance with applicable international rules, the amateur eligibility of those individuals and teams. (b) Replacement of National Governing Body Pursuant to Arbitration.-A national governing body may not exercise any authority under subsection (a) of this section for a particular sport after another amateur sports organization has been declared (in accordance with binding arbitration proceedings prescribed by the organic documents of the corporation) entitled to replace that national governing body as the member of the corporation for that sport. ( Pub. L. 105–225, Aug. 12, 1998, 112 Stat. 1473 ; Pub. L. 105–277, div. C, title I, §142(n), 112 Stat. 2681–608 .) Historical and Revision Notes Source (U.S. Code) Source (Statutes at Large) 220523(a) 36:393. Sept. 21, 1950, ch. 975, title II, §203, as added Nov. 8, 1978, Pub. L. 95–606, §2, 92 Stat. 3054 . 220523(b) 36:393 note. July 8, 1980, Pub. L. 96–304, title I (last sentence related to limitation on exercise of authority in par. under heading "Salaries and Expenses"), 94 Stat. 898 . In subsection (b), the words "national governing body" are omitted (the first time they appear) to eliminate unnecessary words. The reference to "subsection (a) of this section" is substituted for "section 203 of Public Law 95–606 as hereby amended" because of the restatement. The word "corporation" is substituted for "Committee" because of the definition of "corporation" in section 220501 of this title. 1998-Subsec. (a)(6), (7). Pub. L. 105–277, which directed substitution of "Games, the Paralympic Games, and" for "Games and" in pars. (6) and (7) of this section, was executed by making the substitution in pars. (6) and (7) of subsec. (a) to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

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12 Angry Films: Sidney Lumet on Justice by Brian Brems Fight Like a Man by Ross McIndoe On Performance by Q.V. Hough Once Upon a Time in Tarantinoland by John Brhel The Western Enters the 70s by D.M. Palmer 2014 Film Reviews Film Essays 2014 Film Essays 2016 Music Reviews 2018 Music Essays Vague Visages Short Stories Festival du Nouveau Cinema RIDM – Montreal International Documentary Festival Santiago Festival Internacional de Cine UK Film Festival Guadalajara Film Festival Fantastic Fest Los Cabos International Film Festival Provincetown International Film Festival RIDM 2016 – Montreal International Documentary Festival Sheffield Doc/Fest: Sheffield International Documentary Festival Transilvania Film Festival Chicago International Film Festival 2017 India Kaleidoscope Film Festival Las Palmas Film Festival New York Film Festival 2017 Open Roads: New Italian Cinema 2017 Sheffield Doc/Fest 2017 South Asian International Film Festival 2017 True/False Film Fest Arrow Video FrightFest 2018 Blood in the Snow Film Festival 2018 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2018 Cinemania Film Festival 2018 Las Palmas Film Festival 2018 New York Indian Film Festival 2018 Tribeca Film Festival 2018 True/False Film Fest 2018 Animafest 2019 BAMCinemaFest 2019 Clermont-Ferrand 2019 Locarno Film Festival 2019 Open City Docs Fest 2019 Sundance Film Festival: London 2019 Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 2019 LSFF 2020 About Q.V. (Quinn) Hough Write for Vague Visages Vague Visages Independent • Cinema • Music • Short Stories • Est. 2014 Follow Vague Visages Review: Esteban Crespo’s ‘Amar’ Not Your Trophy: Deer Imagery in Jordan Peele's 'Get Out' 'Whisper of the Heart' and the Tragedy of Yoshifumi Kondō We Failed This Film: Darren Aronofsky's 'The Fountain' (2006) Obsession and Compulsion: A Deep Look at 'Single White Female' Review: Sam Mendes' '1917' The Cold Light of Day: On Agnès Varda's 'Le Bonheur' The Inside Is Now the Outside: Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s ‘Cure’ A Serious Investigation: The Coen Brothers’ ‘Raising Arizona’ (1987) We Failed This Film: Christopher McQuarrie's 'The Way of the Gun' Vague Visages on Facebook Follow VV on Twitter Follow Vague Visages via Email Enter your email address to follow Vague Visages and receive notifications of new posts by email. Vague Visages Is FilmStruck: Kate Saccone on Charles Walters’ ‘Summer Stock’ By Kate Saccone on August 3, 2018 • ( 1 Comment ) Approximately an hour into the MGM musical Summer Stock, Gene Kelly’s Joe, a performer, explains to Judy Garland’s Jane, a farmer, the essence of musical entertainment. “For instance, if the boy tells the girl that he loves her,” he says, “he just doesn’t just say it, he sings it.” “Why doesn’t he just say it?” she asks. Kelly ponders this and replies: “Why? Oh, I don’t know, but it’s kind of nice.” If you are not a fan of the musical genre, this may seem impractical; if you are an enthusiast, like myself, this rings true. And I’ve always had a soft spot for Summer Stock — it may not be the most innovative or exciting of Kelly’s films, but it’s an unpretentious movie that delights in the pure pleasure of musical entertainment, from the outright silly to the romantically sincere. Summer Stock, directed by Charles Walters and released in August 1950, revolves around a culture clash between a conservative, rural farming community and a visiting urban theatrical group in need of a performance space. Jane’s younger sister Abigail (Gloria DeHaven) is part of the show and promises the use of her sister’s barn to Joe, the director and her boyfriend. After some initial hesitation, Jane allows the group to stay, provided they help out on the farm. This troubles Jane’s fiancé, an emasculated asthmatic (Eddie Bracken), and his bullying father (Ray Collins). Of course, like most Hollywood musicals, Joe and Jane’s differing worlds and priorities are reconciled by the end, as they swap their respective, ill-fitting partners and put on the show in the barn together. Unfortunately, there are quite a few forgettable musical numbers in this film, all of which try to nostalgically capture the outmoded “putting on a show” vibe of earlier Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland musicals. (Summer Stock was initially imagined with Rooney in mind.) Some of the more engaging sequences include Garland’s emotional “Friendly Star” and Kelly’s energetic dance “Dig-Dig-Dig for Your Dinner” that he performs alongside his theatrical troupe. However, the most memorable number, perhaps tied with Garland’s iconic rendition of “Get Happy,” is Kelly’s squeaky floorboard and newspaper dance solo. Not only does he appear at perhaps his light, playful and athletic “everyman” best, but, in its beautiful simplicity and intimacy, this number epitomizes the underlying contradiction of the Hollywood musical: an incredible amount of effort — technological, musical, choreographic — goes into generating a sense of effortlessness. Or, as Jane Feuer wrote in her 1995 essay “The Self-Reflexive Musical and the Myth of Entertainment,” “the musical, technically the most complex type of film produced in Hollywood, paradoxically has always been the genre that attempts to give the greatest illusion of spontaneity and effortlessness.” At the point in the narrative when the solo occurs, Joe is beginning to develop feelings for Jane, while growing increasingly frustrated with her sister. After an argument with Abigail during rehearsal and a scolding from Jane, Joe is left alone in the barn. Meditatively whistling (reprising “You Wonderful You” from an earlier duet with Garland) and walking across the stage, he happens to step on a squeaky floorboard. (He is, of course, clad in his usual loafers, slacks and tight tee-shirt, an important part of Kelly’s proletariat athleticism.) The dance proper emerges from this situation, as Joe begins to tap around the space, using the squeaky board and then an abandoned newspaper lying on the stage (and later a wooden stand). Toward the end of the number, he uses his feet to rip the newspaper spread into separate pieces. Moments later, one of the squares grabs his attention and he stops dancing to pick it up. As Joe walks off the stage toward the wings reading, he steps on the squeaky floorboard one final time. It all feels quite natural — Kelly’s character is an entertainer, so it’s not strange that he would playfully experiment with the sounds in his surrounding environment. The squeak and the newspaper “just happen” to be there, allowing for a spontaneous-seeming moment of joyous, creative expression that ends as seamlessly as it began. The reality of making this dance — reportedly Kelly’s personal favorite — is documented in Gene Kelly: A Biography, where author Clive Hirschhorn recounts how Kelly, waiting for Garland to show up to work after one of her many relapses during Summer Stock’s extended and difficult production, met with choreographer Nick Castle who suggested the idea of a newspaper dance. Kelly liked the idea and went straight into a studio rehearsal room, where he experimented with the different sounds he could produce. Eventually, deciding that he needed another noise, he played around with numerous objects — cans, pebbles — before settling on the squeaky floorboard, which came out of his desire for a sound that would seem natural in the space of the scene. Following this, Kelly spent days testing out different types of newsprint — newer newsprint tended to not rip — and tap shoes, before discovering, thanks to a prop man, that the right newsprint had to be at least three months old. After what Hirschhorn deems a “lengthy process of elimination,” Kelly found the right newsprint and the right shoes and the number was ready to be filmed. While Kelly’s duet with an animated mouse in Anchors Aweigh (1945) or his dance with himself via superimposition in Cover Girl (1944) are more overtly technologically-innovative numbers — and thus perhaps make the effort needed more apparent — Kelly’s solo in Summer Stock downplays its complexity, both in terms of creating the dance and filming the scene, to celebrate the creative process itself. It’s a number that is about the construction of a dance, foregrounding the dancer’s curiosity, pleasure, training and physicality. In other words, Kelly’s choreography plays out the compositional act itself, suggesting that it’s a blend of decisions, skill, creative risks and pure luck. It’s not necessary for the larger narrative of the film, but, to return to Joe’s quote above, it’s kind of nice to see an effortless-seeming number develop before our eyes. Earlier in Summer Stock, a Garland-Kelly duet called “Portland Fancy” captures a similar sense of joyous spontaneity and is also, in some sense, about the act of creating a dance. There, however, it’s about dance as dialogue, as Kelly first challenges Garland with a series of steps, that she mirrors, before they come together in unison for the rest of the sequence. The number is more integrated into the larger narrative than Kelly’s solo and plays out Joe’s surprise and joy to discover that Jane is musically inclined. Summer Stock would ultimately be Garland’s last MGM film and Kelly, who had no interest in doing Summer Stock, joined the production as a favor to his friend Judy who was facing both professional and health difficulties. Watching them dance together, years after Kelly’s film debut with Garland in For Me and My Gal (1942), their mutual respect and friendship are evident. Summer Stock is an often-charming tale about the mishaps and victories in both farming and show business, as well as a celebration of the communal nature of both ventures. (It’s no surprise that Rick Altman labels Summer Stock a “folk musical,” a type of Hollywood musical rooted in the collective and a mythic sense of Americana.) Still, the community that the broader genre of Hollywood musical itself celebrated was a white one and was dominated by dancer-choreographers like Kelly and Fred Astaire, while other performers, such as African-American artists like Fayard and Harold Nicholas, were marginalized in the space of the specialty act. While I am very excited that Summer Stock, one of Kelly’s lesser-seen films, is available on FilmStruck, it’s difficult to ignore the fact that it’s still more visible in mainstream culture than the Nicholas Brothers’ dazzling feats. And that may be one value of Summer Stock and of Kelly’s impressive solo today: they force viewers to not only consider the beauty of the choreographic act in the Hollywood musical, but also impel one to think about whose body claimed agency, visibility and pleasure within the community and who routinely could not. Watch ‘Summer Stock’ at FilmStruck. Kate Saccone (@ks2956) is based in NYC. She’s the Project Manager of the Women Film Pioneers Project at Columbia University. Categories: American Cinema, Featured, Vague Visages Is FilmStruck Tagged as: 081118, 081418, Anchors Aweigh, Charles Walters, Clive Hirschhorn, Cover Girl, Dig-Dig-Dig for Your Dinner, Eddie Bracken, Essay, FilmStruck, For Me and My Gal, Friendly Star, Gene Kelly, Gene Kelly: A Biography, Get Happy, Jane Feuer, Judy Garland, Kate Saccone, MGM, Mickey Rooney, Musical, Nick Castle, Portland Fancy, Romance, Summer Stock, Technicolor, The Self-Reflexive Musical and the Myth of Entertainment, Vague Visages Is FilmStruck A Problem Without a Solution: On Alex Garland’s ‘Annihilation’ Photo Essay by Andy Witchger: Superorganism at Minneapolis’ First Avenue Sweet Sue says: Just one or two comments: Fred Astaire, as great as he was, wasn’t a cinematic choreographer like Gene Kelly. Also, we should note that Kelly’s “Be A Clown” dance with the Nicholas Brothers was the first time that two black men danced with a white man as absolute equals, and that was at Kelly’s insistence. Translate Vague Visages Content Video Essay by Q.V. Hough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uASf_t9ZRqc&t=20s Script by Q.V. Hough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8DxSM2Gz50&t=21s Vague Visages Archives Vague Visages Archives Select Month January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 March 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH_XP1yWtnw&t=2s Vague Visages Calendar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWlR9C9EKH0&t=25s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_DsQE6qisg&t=2s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOhQrNi4HCg&t=4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL8TX34ocT0&t=27s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGDR2dbalbE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_74mE8-HhOQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FB_iugxeL0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BK07_fCTyQ&t=4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC5cpRwQBEQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qr021sl5Ug VV Contributors Top categories: Featured Recap

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New Muralism In Egypt—Walls Work Over There, Why Not Here? This is another story about the worldwide trend to build walls. This was described by Colby Cosh as "The New Muralism," and which I blogged about under the somewhat obvious title of "Something There Is That Does Love A Wall" Even as Israel moves expeditiously to seal off its West Bank threat, however, Palestinians face the prospect of another wall hemming them in. This latest wall is not being constructed by the Israelis, though, but by Egypt, which seeks more protection from its Palestinian neighbors in Gaza. Cairo has every reason to be concerned. In January 2008, Hamas demolished the Gaza-Egypt border fence, allowing an estimated 700,000 Palestinians—nearly half of Gaza's population—to stream into the Sinai desert. Initially, Cairo viewed the Gaza breach as an opportunity to solidify its pro-Palestinian bona fides. Then reality set in. Egypt, it seems, was concerned that Palestinians entering the Sinai might exacerbate Egypt's own terrorism problem. In April 2006, 23 tourists were killed in a car-bomb attack in the Sinai resort town of Dahab; two days later, U.N. Multi-national Force Observers, enforcing the Egypt-Israel peace treaty, were targeted by suicide attacks. [Egypt Builds a Wall, by David Schenker, The Weekly Standard, 04/28/2008, ] Of course, the "New Muralism" is a response to the age of mass migrations, and this shows, once again, that walls work, and are generally the most humane solution.

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Home » “WTO Kills Peasants! 21 Years is Enough!! WTO Out of Agriculture!!!” La Via Campesina to step up its resistance during the XI Ministerial Conference “WTO Kills Peasants! 21 Years is Enough!! WTO Out of Agriculture!!!” La Via Campesina to step up its resistance during the XI Ministerial Conference 10 December 2017 Capitalism and Free Trade, Food Sovereignty 09 December 2017: A large delegation of La Via Campesina comprising peasants, rural workers, indigenous peoples, women and youth from around the world will converge outside the venue of the 11th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which is scheduled to take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina from the 10th to13th December. During the week of the conference, La Via Campesina (LVC) will mobilise, organise and join social movements and allies to expose the devastative effects that WTO has had on peasant agriculture and to reiterate our long-standing demand of 21 years, to oust the multilateral trade body from any discussions and decisions regarding agriculture. La Via Campesina, a global peasant movement with more than 180 member organisations from 79 countries, has consistently demanded to take agriculture out of the WTO’s scope. Instead it has demanded a systemic change that brings about food sovereignty to the worlds peoples. Once again the rallying call from the global peasants’ movement is “For Food Sovereignty, WTO Out of Agriculture!”. Since its beginnings in 1995 as derivative of General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATTs), the World Trade Organization has promoted the most brutal form of capitalism, better known as trade liberalization. At successive Ministerial Conferences, the WTO has set out to globalise the liberalisation of national markets, promising economic prosperity at the cost of sovereignty. In more or less the same terms, by its “liberalization, deregulation and privatization”, which is called Package of Neoliberalism, WTO has encouraged the multiplication of free trade agreements (FTAs) between countries and regional blocs, etc. In this context, with help from governments that have been co-opted, the world’s largest transnational corporations (TNCs) continue to expand globally and are blatantly undermining democracy and all of the institutional instruments that are meant to defend the lives, the territories, and the food and agricultural ecosystems of the world’s peoples. Through AoA (Agreement on Agriculture) regulated in the WTO, peasant communities become the most disadvantaged because they have minimal capital resources and little or no protection from national governments as WTO prohibits any protection that stand in the way of market liberalisation. Its role was replaced and eroded by corporations with large capital resources, slowly forming a monopoly scheme. As a result, peasants have to deal with dangerous implications such as land grabbing, criminalization, environmental pollution and the importation of agricultural products. In the previous Ministerial Conference (MC) in Nairobi in 2015, WTO had made six decisions on agriculture, cotton and issues related to LDCs. The agricultural decisions cover commitment to abolish export subsidies for farm exports, public stock-holding for food security purposes, a special safeguard mechanism for developing countries, and measures related to cotton. Decisions were also made regarding preferential treatment for least developed countries (LDCs) in the area of services and the criteria for determining whether exports from LDCs may benefit from trade preferences. In the 11th Ministerial Conference the WTO wants to return to the subject of agriculture in relation to public stock-holding, to put an end to small-scale fishing, and to make progress with multilateral agreements such as the misnamed General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). Notwithstanding the misleading protectionist statements coming from the developed countries, the WTO will meet again to try to impose the interests of capital at the cost of Planet Earth, of the democratic aspirations of the world’s peoples, and of life itself. During these 21 years of struggle against the WTO, the world’s peoples have resisted its attempt to globalize everything, including the food and agricultural systems, for the benefit of the TNCs. Our struggles have been the biggest impediment to the advance of the WTO. Our resistance to market liberalisation under this neo-liberal regime has continued since the Uruguay round conducted within the framework of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Ever since, La Via Campesina has mobilised against almost all of the Ministerial Conferences since Seattle (1999) and Cancún (2003) – where our brother Lee Kyung Hae, holding a banner declaring that “The WTO kills peasants”, sacrificed his own life – and up to Bali (2013) and Nairobi (2015). This week, our delegation in Buenos Aires will join the Peoples’ Summit ‘WTO Out! Build Sovereignty’ and denounce the WTO as the criminal organization that it is and will raise our flag of Food Sovereignty. We will denounce all governments, which, after having understood that the WTO had been weakened, resorted to mega free trade agreements, bilateral and regional, that threaten to annihilate our food systems, just as the WTO has done in the last two decades. We will talk about the peasants who died due to the WTO and expose to the people of the world that hundreds of millions of people have died of starvation and poverty due to its free trade polices. The WTO is nothing more than an interest group of transnational monopoly capital and sympathetic governments colluding with it. The various agreements and treaties of the WTO have driven peasants and small farmers who have been producing food in rural areas. It has destroyed rural communities and has caused food crises and food contamination. We demand that the WTO cease all discussions on agriculture and stop the its attempts to suppress peoples’ food sovereignty. Food is the universal right of everyone. Food sovereignty is the right of all peoples to define their own food system and puts food producers in the centre of it. Our alternatives for food sovereignty will save Mother Earth and our communities. To this end, the La Via Campesina will keep fighting. We will organise, resist and conduct solidarity events across the world with the participation of our members and the support of allies, demanding that national governments reject WTO and take agriculture out of its scope. FOR PRESS ENQUIRIES Francés: Claude Girod – Confederación Campesina, La Vía Campesina, Francia. (54) 91121824509 Inglés: Kim Jeong Yeol – Asociación de Mujeres Campesinas de Korea – Comisión Coordinadora Internacional – La Vía Campesina, Korea. (54) 91138781935 Español: Deolinda Carrizo – Movimiento Nacional Campesino Indígena – Cloc – Vía Campesina, Argentina. (54) 91133489316 Nury Martínez – Federación Nacional Sindical Unitaria Agropecuaria – Fensuagro – Comisión Coordinadora Internacional – La Vía Campesina, Colombia. viacampesina.org | facebook.com/viacampesinaofficial | @via_campesina La Via Campesina is calling upon social movements and civil society organisations of the world to mobilise and organise our resistances against the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) https://t.co/GaAAUTjaT3 #WTOKills #FoodSovereigntyNOW pic.twitter.com/UUjTP5sSsb — La Via Campesina (@via_campesina) December 7, 2017 WTO Ministerial

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To take full advantage of the attractions, restaurants, and shops along the canal, boaters moor and even spend the night aboard their boats. On land, pedestrians stroll on the boardwalk adjacent to the waterway while watching the lock's operations. Abundant in green space, the location is ideal for a picnic or simply for soaking up the sun on a beautiful summer day. Built on an exceptional site, the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal has become a popular destination. Make the most of your walk down this strip by exploring its historical features and learning about this site's prominent role in developing our country's business and tourism during the second half of the 19th century. The Story Behind the Canal Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal and Collector's House (North Lock) © Parcs Canada, © Héritage Montréal The first canal and the first lock are built between 1840 and 1843. The Government’s wharf at the end of Rue Saint-Pierre was built around 1850 and used by both passenger and cargo boats. Parallel to the old ones, the current canal and lock are renovated between 1875 and 1882 with new holds where citizens can secure their boats. Numerous passenger ships docked at Sainte-Anne’s, including the Old Field (before 1860), the Prince of Wales (between 1860 and 1869), the Sovereign (from 1889 on) and the Empress (until 1935). Today, yachtsmen from across the province and the United States visit us every summer and happily borrow that impressive lock that makes us all so proud. 170 Sainte-Anne Street Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue (Quebec) H9X 1N1 To get there Email: info.canal@pc.gc.ca Website: Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal Navigation schedule: www.pc.gc.ca

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2015 President - EN from Roberto Petitpas on Vimeo. Answers to journalists’ questions following Direct... Direct Line with Vladimir Putin Meeting on preparations for Direct Line with Vladi... Vladimir Putin proferiu um discurso na sessão plen... Plenary session of St Petersburg International Eco... CONVERSATIONS WITH PUTIN THE PUTIN INTERVIEWS EN RU Answers to journalists’ questions following Direct Line Following Direct Line with Vladimir Putin, the President answered a number of questions from media representatives. Answers to journalists’ questions following Direct Line. Question: What about Donbass? Russia’s response to shelling is weak; Zelensky has not decide anything and passports are a half-hearted issue… Vladimir Putin: As for resolving the Donbass problem, I have already spoken about this. I just talked about this, but I can say it again: this problem cannot be resolved properly without a direct dialogue and without the implementation of the Minsk agreements by the Ukrainian authorities. As for passports, understandably there are queues for Russian passports. We will grant citizenship to those who want it. As for other Ukrainian citizens that would like to receive citizenship, I talked about this as well. We will grant it to them and improve the system for granting citizenship under a simplified procedure. Question: Why is Russia’s response to the increasing shelling so weak, as if nothing is happening? Vladimir Putin: This is not a matter of weakness or strength. The bottom line is that we want to give the new Ukrainian leadership a chance to get on track to resolve this rather than make things worse. Question: Can you please tell us if you think it is time for Russia to admit its responsibility for the crash of the Malaysian Boeing, the downing of MH17? And one more question, Mr President. This is the 30th anniversary of the downfall of the Berlin Wall when Moscow’s sphere of influence in Eastern Europe started to collapse and which was followed by the disintegration of a great power – the USSR. Do you think Russia is again a super power 30 years later? Vladimir Putin: First, regarding the Boeing. Russia has never dodged its responsibility if it is responsible for something. We find absolutely unacceptable what we saw and what was presented as evidence of Russia’s guilt. We think there is no evidence at all there. Everything that was presented does not prove anything. We have our own version and we have submitted it, but regrettably nobody wants to listen to us. Until there is real dialogue, we will not find a correct answer to the questions that remain open, that are linked with the tragedy of the plane and the death of people, over which we are certainly mourning and of course consider such actions unacceptable. And it is still necessary to repeat what we said: who allowed flights over an area of hostilities? Was it Russia? No. Where were the fighters planes and where is the absolute proof that the militia men or someone else fired the weapon? There are a lot of questions and nobody is answering them. They have simply made a choice once and for all and have appointed the guilty – and that’s it. This approach to the investigation does not suit us. As for the dismantling of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Is Russia a great power? We are not seeking this status because this would imply certain elements of imposing our influence on other countries and entire regions. We do not want to return to how it was in the Soviet Union, when it imposed a way of life and political system on its neighbours, including countries in Eastern Europe. This is counterproductive, too costly and has no historical prospects. You cannot make other nations live by your rules. It appears that the sad experience of the Soviet Union is not considered by some of our partners in the West. They are making the same mistakes and falling into the same trap, assuming that they are empires and constructing their policy accordingly. Question: Starting this year, our correspondents have reported at least three deaths of Russian servicemen in Syria, which have not been reported by the Russian Defence Ministry. Sorry for reading it out, I am nervous. Since the beginning of war in Syria, Russia has not acknowledged the deaths of employees of a private military contractor linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin. Last year, our correspondents met with the families of several [Russian] citizens killed there. Their families and friends insist that they be granted the status of combat participants, even if posthumously. Tells us, Mr President, what is the problem with honouring and acknowledging people who fought in the interests of their country? Vladimir Putin: Look, as for the private companies, including the private security companies under which the people you have mentioned were operating – this is not the Russian state, and they are not engaged in combat. Fortunately or unfortunately, these are issues of an economic nature, related to economic activity, oil production and exploring oilfields – that is what we are talking about here. Of course, we acknowledge that people risk their lives even when addressing these social and economic tasks and problems. Overall, this is also a contribution to fighting terrorism as they are reclaiming these fields from ISIS. But this has nothing to do with the Russian state or the Russian army, so we do not comment on this. Question: We have a colleague in prison – Kirill Vyshinsky has been behind bars in Ukraine for a year. Considering that your meeting with Vladimir Zelensky is apparently postponed indefinitely, would it be possible to get Kirill back home before your meeting? Say, if we sent Oleg Sentsov to Ukraine, and those sailors, anyone, let everyone go, and then Kirill and these people would walk free as soon as this summer. Vladimir Putin: We are thinking about it, we have not forgotten. Question: May I ask a question about defrauded stakeholders of shared construction projects? You said earlier this month that within two years, the very concept of a defrauded stakeholder should disappear in Russia. Unfortunately, I am one of them, and I would like to ask you something using my case as example. I have a very difficult situation: the developer went bankrupt, and there is no new investor, because no one wants to invest. A lot of money is needed, and there is no financing from the Government. So I am not sure that in two years I will stop being a defrauded stakeholder. Could you tell us what actions, you think, will and can be taken to fulfil your task? Vladimir Putin: Indeed this is easier said than done. But this duty lies not only with the Federation, but largely with the regions of the Russian Federation. First of all, we need to identify all the equity construction investors who need support, to understand exactly which projects they had invested in and how much damage each incurred. This work is in progress. At the same time, work is underway to provide these people with housing, and the regional and federal budgets are involved. We are doing it, investing the necessary resources, and we will definitely complete it. Where is the project you invested in, in which region? Remark: I am a stakeholder in the Novokosino 2 residential complex in Reutov, Moscow Region. Vladimir Putin: In the Moscow Region, the problem is really quite acute, although I have given instructions to the regional governors, and compliance is monitored at the federal level, so that each stakeholder’s problems are finally resolved. What I meant when I said there would be no such thing as defrauded stakeholders in two years is that we are gradually getting rid of the shared construction system, in which a significant part of the risks are shouldered by future apartment owners, such as you. You know about it. I have already said many times, and I will use this opportunity, especially because there were no such questions during Direct Line today – they were not asked on air. But this is something people are concerned about, so I will use this opportunity since you asked. We shift responsibility from citizens to financial organisations, bolstering these financial organisations with insurance mechanisms from the budget, first and foremost, from the federal budget. The Central Bank has introduced an entire support system for those financial institutions which will be maintaining the so-called escrow accounts and only after the housing is commissioned, money from these escrow accounts, the citizens’ money, will be sent to developers. Yes, this might lead, and unfortunately it has already led, to some reduction in housing construction. We had a peak of 85 million, now it is below 80, but this is inevitable. We must move to a new system of financing housing construction, make it modern and civilised. This is exactly what I spoke about. Well, maybe not in two years, maybe in three years, but, in any case, we must do this in the upcoming years. Remark: But I do not fall under the system, for instance. Vladimir Putin: Why? Your issue, like the issue of other housing equity holders, must be addressed. If, of course, you are not just an equity holder, but engaged in business, if you bought not one but five, six, ten apartments and are going to do business, this is another thing. If you really bought housing for yourself, your issue must be addressed. I will talk to Andrei Vorobyov (Moscow Region Governor). Reutov, right? Remark: Yes. Question: In a little while you will go to meet with, as you call him, your friend, Shinzo Abe. Could you please speak about what you expect from this visit, as not only a number of meetings are expected to take place, but the closing of the Cross Year of Russia and Japan. Should we expect any surprises like you stepping onto the judo mats or visiting hot springs? Vladimir Putin: These are not the most important surprises in interstate relations – like stepping onto the judo mat or visiting hot springs – but this is also important and interesting and creates a certain atmosphere. What do I expect from this meeting? The continuation of dialogue. I am sure that Shinzo, like all of us, wants full normalisation of relations and the conclusion of a peace treaty. It seems like we are almost there, very close, but often there are issues that arise and suddenly postpone the final resolution of this issue. But what is absolutely clear, and I spoke about it many times: both the Japanese side represented by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russia wants a final normalisation of our relations. Both the Japanese and the Russian people are interested in it and will be striving for this. Posted by luisavasconcellos2012@gmail.com at 11:08 AM No comments: Labels: Answers to journalists’ questions following Direct Line, VLADIMIR PUTIN The annual special Direct Line with Vladimir Putin is broadcasting live by Channel One, Rossiya 1, Rossiya 24, NTV, Public Television of Russia (OTR) and Mir TV, and by radio stations Mayak, Vesti FM and Radio Rossii. Direct Line with Vladimir Putin. Tatyana Remezova: Good afternoon. As of now, we have received some 1.5 million questions from the public. Actually, the figure exceeded 1.5 million this morning. The most popular form of address is a telephone call. We have received nearly one million of them. Each call is recorded and processed by operators and is presented in a special inquiry form. We have received nearly 400,000 text and MMS messages. However, this year the people are very actively using the website moskva-putinu.ru to ask their questions. It is very simple and easy to use. People can make video calls, talk with an operator, send a text message or record a video message. This is very simple to do. Just click on the Record button. The only condition is that your message must not exceed one minute. Now click on the Send button. Your address will be processed by our staff. It means that your message has reached us. The benefit of sending a video message is that you can tell us about your problem and also let us see it. It can be a bumpy road, a rubbish heap or a leaking roof. We will be broadcasting live the messages about the most acute problems. The OK Live service is another high-tech means of reaching us. This service will connect you directly to us in this studio; we will try and do this during this programme. Not a single call will remain unanswered. Every call will be processed, and, as I have already said, summed up in a special form that includes your contact information. The most important part is that work on your calls will also continue after Direct Line. Pavel Zarubin: Good afternoon. Mr President, shall we begin? President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon. Of course, let us proceed. Pavel Zarubin: Over the past few days we saw for the first time how you prepare for Direct Line. We saw you sitting over a heap of questions and reading other messages on your laptop. What looked like the most important to you? What are the most acute problems? Vladimir Putin: In fact, it is clear that I should always be informed and aware of what is going on in reality. In the course of the current work it is more or less clear what people are concerned about. But during the preparations for Direct Line, of course, we find out some things that are the most pressing and important at that particular point. At the moment, and it is not a secret or a revelation, people are most concerned about the quality of life, incomes and healthcare. These issues are followed by waste treatment; this is what I heard just now. So, these are the most pressing issues. Housing and utilities. Pavel Zarubin: It is true, we have received great many questions regarding these issues, but there is something else. As I understand, these problems should be solved by national projects. Everyone talks about them; officials at all levels talk about national projects. But, judging by the questions, it seems that people do not quite understand what these national projects are and what they are supposed to achieve. Will they be useful in the end? Vladimir Putin: Yes, of course, and I am grateful that you chose to begin with this issue because all of our work revolves around it today. In fact, the work revolves around people, but in order to achieve the best results for our people, for our citizens, for the development of the economy, we created these so-called national projects. The ultimate goal of national projects is to put the economy on new track, make it tech-intensive and improve labour productivity, thus improving the quality of life and our country’s long-term security. Therefore, we divided the areas of activity, not by the level of importance, but in a certain order in accordance with the distribution of resources. It was a challenging job. First of all, we needed to decide how we would attain the result set and where to find the funds for the measures the state is supposed to finance. Regrettably, one of the Government’s decisions was to increase VAT from 18 to 20 percent. In part, it was done, as I have already said, to replenish the budget and to start working on one of the state’s obligations, that is, on infrastructure development. For example, who will build railway lines, bridges, motorways or electricity lines? None of this, as well as some other structural jobs, can be done without the involvement of the state. And then we coordinated the decision, calculating how much we need in order to boost the development of certain sectors and to increase people’s incomes to a new level. I would like to say once again that, regrettably, we had to take some unpleasant measures – let us put it this way. But we believed from the very start that the relatively negative effects of these measures could and would be very short-lived. Overall, the Government and the Central Bank turned out to be right, alas – inflation increased for a period of six months. What does this “inflation increased” mean? It means that the Central Bank raised the key interest rate, it means that production fell a little, and so on. We can see now that production is on the rise again, that inflation is declining – I believe it fell to below 5 percent as of the day before yesterday, and that incomes started growing… We will talk about this in more detail later, of course, but it is true that incomes have started growing again. In other words, our plans and the methods of implementing them appear to be effective, at least so far. Yelena Vinnik: Mr President, let us continue. You have mentioned a decline in incomes. We all see it too. There are a lot of questions. I will read just a few very short ones, they are from different regions. “Could you please tell us when life will get better, at least a little bit? It is very difficult to raise children with a salary of 10,000.” This is from Vladimir Nenashev, Samara Region. Perm Territory: “Why are single-industry towns dying? We have two plants, but there is no work, young people either leave or take to drink. ” Very, very many questions. I know that shortly before we went on air, a video question was sent in, so I am giving the floor to our call centre. Natalya Yuryeva: Thank you. We really have a lot of questions about low wages, which are simply impossible to live on. People cannot even afford essentials: food, clothes for themselves and their children. And, most often, the problems hit the ones that our lives depend on – teachers and doctors. For example, a teacher of the highest category from Orel wrote to us that she makes 10,764 rubles a month; another teacher, also the highest category from the Tver Region, 15,000; and a doctor from Murmansk, about 20,000. Stanislav Taukachiskas, a firefighter from the Kaliningrad Region, makes even less than that, as it turns out. We simply cannot help but show the video message that he sent to Direct Line. Stanislav Taukachiskas: Hello, Mr President, My name is Stanislav Taukachiskas, I am from Svetly in the Kaliningrad Region. I work here at Fire Station No.31. Could you tell me, please, when will they raise my salary? At the moment, the salary of a firefighter is 12,000–13,000 rubles; as the squad leader, I make 16,000. It is impossible to live on that, not with the current prices: we are forced to find two or three jobs and are hardly ever at home. Families are falling apart because of this. Moreover, fire brigades are understaffed – two or three people on guard. You see what is happening now in the country: fields are burning, summer cottages, larger structures. When will this be sorted out? Vladimir Putin: First of all, we should check what you said about the 10,000 ruble wages. We must know what is really going on. Why? Because we have recently decided to increase the minimum wage and raise it to the subsistence level, which is 11,280 rubles. Those who work full time must not be paid less than the subsistence wage. I cannot understand why they only receive 10,000 rubles. Yelena Vinnik: They write that their salary is 10,000 rubles and that whatever they get above that, they receive as a bonus. Pavel Zarubin: People write that the minimum wage has been reduced in some regions by regional authorities. Vladimir Putin: In this case, it is a matter for the regulatory authorities to check up on. Or these people are working part-time. Each particular case must be examined individually. This is the first thing I wanted to say. Now to the problem at hand. Frankly, it is true that the situation at the Emergencies Ministry is far from positive. Because the wages of some of the Ministry’s uniformed personnel are small, just as this person has said. I do not know if he is a military man, because a military man doing his job would have earned some 43,000 rubles a month, while civilian personnel only receive between 13,000 and 16,000 rubles. Over the past few months, I discussed this matter several times with [Emergencies] Minister [Yevgeny] Zinichev, who constantly raised this question with the Government. A decision has been taken: this year we will allocate 4.3 billion rubles to the Emergencies Ministry so as to raise the wages of the ministry staff, such as the man who has written to us, to some 24,000 rubles. Next year, we plan to allocate 4 billion rubles every six months, or 8 billion altogether, so that this man’s salary should increase to some 32,000 rubles. Yelena Vinnik: Let us ask if our call centre has received any new calls. Natalya Yuryeva: Yes, we are swamped with calls; there are more than 1.5 million of them. There is an incoming call from a pensioner. Where from? Moscow. And that caller has not yet given a name. Colleagues, we have an incoming video call. We will read out the question as soon as the caller formulates it. Yelena Vinnik: Yes, Natalya. Let me get back to the decline in incomes. Over this time, we have received thousands of messages saying that people are earning less. Everyone writes that: those who have good wages, those who belong to the middle class and those who are not embarrassed to call themselves poor. And what is probably important here is not the numbers as such but the way people feel. People write that life has become more difficult. When will it get easier? Vladimir Putin: This is true. This is why I consider this issue to be one of the most relevant and important. Let me remind you that several years ago we faced several shocks. These are not just the external shocks from the so-called sanctions or the current restrictions, but the situation on the market of our traditional goods such as oil, oil products, gas, hydrocarbons in general, metals, chemical fertilisers, chemistry in general and some other products as well. This is why we can see this unpleasant element in the economy and the social sphere. It is true that real incomes have been declining for several years. The biggest decline took place in 2016, I believe. Now incomes are gradually rising again. We should distinguish between two notions: people’s real disposable incomes and wages. Real disposable income, which, according to statistics, have been decreasing, is made up of many markers, including income and expenses. Today, payments on loans is one of these markers, and banks provide loans that amount to 40 percent of the wages, so to speak, which, of course, may have consequences. Remark: It is risky. Vladimir Putin: Yes, I agree, it is risky. The Central Bank must pay attention to it, because we do not need these bubbles in our economy. Nevertheless, people take out loans, and then they have to repay them, which has a negative effect on real incomes. About 100,000 self-employed individuals have registered officially, the shadow market has decreased, and this also affects real incomes. There are other factors as well; I will not list them all here. Speaking of wages, we can see that wages continue to increase both in nominal and real terms. In nominal terms, it looks like this: in 2017, gross wage in the economy was slightly over 39,000 (39,200) rubles, while this year, it is nearly 45,700, with the figure for the last month standing at 48,500. I would like to make a reservation straight away, so that Internet users and television audience watching us now don’t get angry that they don’t get such wages. This is natural, I am talking about average figures. Why do we have to use these average figures? This is because the situation differs greatly, depending on the specific sector or region. The people who are getting paid in Tyva are one thing, and those in Moscow, Tyumen or Ingushetia are another matter. Speaking of various sectors, the oil industry, the financial sphere and the transport sector pay different wages. But the format of our meeting makes it impossible to discuss each sector and each region separately for three or five hours. Therefore I and some other colleagues have to use average figures that, nevertheless, show the overall trend. What is this trend like? In the past, gross wages were just 33,000 rubles, and now the total is almost 45,000. Real wages are calculated depending on specific growth rates. In 2018, we saw 8.5 percent growth rates, and two percent growth rates were posted in early 2019. The May 2019 growth rates are estimated at 2.8 percent. Why did we see such growth rates last year? First, I believe this was due to economic recovery. Second, all levels of government tried to fulfil the 2012 executive orders, and even in late 2018 they were adding and adding and adding. By the way, some of the provisions of the May 2012 executive orders may not have been fulfilled. But if it were not for these documents, we would fail to achieve such results because the executive orders force all levels of government to work and achieve results, no matter what. This is the second thing. Third, as I have already said, we have raised minimum wages to the minimum subsistence level. By the way, initial wage increases covered 44 million people. One way or another, 44 million people received large or small wage rises. Increasing minimum wages covered an additional 3.7 million people. This year, we will index the pay grades of service personnel. There will certainly be questions about pensions today, but I’ll say right now, because ensuring that retired citizens get a sufficient income is one of the state’s priorities, of course, and we will certainly keep an eye on it. This year, the indexation of the insurance old-age pensions was 7.05 percent, with last year’s inflation at 4.3 percent. This is the first point. Secondly, starting from April 1, we raised state pensions and social pensions by 2 percent following the increase of the subsistence minimum for pensioners. From October 1, retired military’s pensions will be increased by 4.3 percent. As I already said, this will be done along with the increase in military compensations. On the whole, we are moving forward – we can see this problem and will certainly deal with it and will focus on it. Yelena Vinnik: Will life get easier, in general? Vladimir Putin: You see, this is what all the national projects that I mentioned are aimed at. Actually, the general solution to this problem is not government funds injected into industry or something else. The general way is to increase labour productivity, to develop the economy, and on this basis increase and improve the standard of living of the citizens – on the basis of growth. Everything else is auxiliary, because where do you think the government gets the money from? Also from the way the economy works. Yelena Vinnik: Mr President, let’s continue. Another topic is healthcare, with a lot of questions. On the one hand, everyone is talking about progress, which is obvious; new medical centres are opening, including high-tech ones. On the other hand, outpatient clinics are closing, and the quality of medical care does not always correspond to what the patients expect. These are common problems for the whole country. Therefore, our camera crews went to three places from where people called Direct Line. We have three regions with us via videoconference: the Chelyabinsk Region, the Pskov and Smolensk regions. Mikhail Akinchenko: Mikhail Akinchenko, Roslavl, Smolensk Region. We are standing in front of a children’s clinic. Anton Vernitsky: I am Anton Vernitsky, and I am together with the camera crew in the Pskov Regional Oncological Centre. Dmitry Shchugorev: Dmitry Shchugorev here, in a paramedic centre in Mauk, Chelyabinsk Region. Vladimir Putin: Go ahead, colleagues. Mikhail Akinchenko: Good afternoon, once again. As I said, we are here in Roslavl, in front of the children’s clinic. First of all, a few words about this town. It is an administrative centre of the district with a population of around 50,000 people. There is a hospital and two clinics: one for adults, one for children. We received a complaint for Direct Line from a young mother, Svetlana Vekshina, who is here next to me. Three and a half months ago she gave birth to a child, a boy. By the way, we missed that point, what is the name of your son, Svetlana? Svetlana Vekshina: Maxim. Mikhail Akinchenko: A great name. So, Maxim is quiet and does not speak but his mother has something to say. Svetlana, could you tell us, please, about the problems you encountered when you moved here from Moscow? Svetlana Vekshina: Hello, During the initial examination in Moscow we were given a list of medical specialists that my son had to see on a stage-by-stage basis, as well as a list of examinations that we had to go through once a month or once every two or three months. We moved here and the first thing we faced, regardless whether I had made an appointment to see a doctor, was the queues, and children having to wait, sometimes for more than two hours. The first time we went for our appointment, we had to wait for over two hours. And the second thing is the absence of specialists, which is the most important thing as far as I see it. So we could not make appointments, as per the list we were given, to see doctors and go through the examinations from that list. The list of available examinations is very limited. Mikhail Akinchenko: And where do you go to see specialists, if you need to? Svetlana Vekshina: Nowhere, so far. Well, maybe there is an option to go to Smolensk. But Smolensk is a regional city and it takes two and a half hours to get there by coach. First you need to get to the coach, then travel there by coach, and with a small child this is a very tiresome trip. Mikhail Akinchenko: On the whole, the situation is clear but we would probably like to hear the alternative point of view as well. We have come here and are right by the children’s clinic. Since we have come, although without any warning, let us hear what the doctors have to say. By the way, it is Thursday today and on Thursdays, the clinic issues appointment slips to see pediatric specialists. Today, there was a queue of people waiting for these slips here, at the front desk. But now it is afternoon and there is no queue. We do not see anyone but, theoretically, we should be able to get a slip today. Let us ask the staff at the front desk. There is such a wonderful woman here. Hello. Direct Line with Vladimir Putin here. We are now on the air. Could you tell us please whether there really are problems with doctors? Could you tell us which specialists people are queuing to see? What is your name? Could you please introduce yourself? Remark: Marina. Mikhail Akinchenko: Marina, are there queues to see pediatric specialists? Could you tell us? Remark: No, but people can arrange to see a doctor in person, by telephone and via the government services website. Mikhail Akinchenko: And when is it possible to get an appointment, with a pediatric surgeon for instance? Remark: One moment. Today, people made appointments with a surgeon. He will receive them. Mikhail Akinchenko: On what day? Remark: Thursday, June 20. Mikhail Akinchenko: So, today it is possible to get an appointment for today? So if I made this appointment, I could see the surgeon immediately? Mikhail Akinchenko: And what about a neurologist or an ENT specialist? Remark: The ENT specialist will also receive patients today. Mikhail Akinchenko: In other words, you do not see a problem with specialists, you have enough doctors. Is that right? You do not have queues, do you? Remark: Well, certain problems occur from time to time but we resolve them as they happen. Doctors receive everyone. Mikhail Akinchenko: I see. Thank you very much. Let us try to see the head of the clinic. The point is that this clinic is located on the ground floor of a five-storey residential building. Its layout is fairly standard. We were here yesterday and found her office. It is very close to here, office #15, Natalya Mochalova. Let us see whether she is in her office now. Good afternoon. Ms Mochalova? Natalya Mochalova: Yes? Mikhail Akinchenko: I am Mikhail Akinchenko, and this is Direct Line with Vladimir Putin. Ms Mochalova, the people complain that there is a shortage of doctors. Is this true? Can you update us on the situation? How many doctors do you have, and how many should you have? Natalya Mochalova: Yes, we do have problems with the number of medical staff. This year we expect two new doctors to join us, two district paediatricians. As of now, we are short four district doctors. Mikhail Akinchenko: How many people do you have on the staff now? Natalya Mochalova: I cannot give you the exact figure. We have 13 doctors now, but we need four more. Mikhail Akinchenko: That is, you are short one-third of the required staff. What are the highest and lowest wages doctors receive? Are they enough to attract doctors? Natalya Mochalova: Every region has its own level of wages. I believe our local government knows the answer to this question. Mikhail Akinchenko: Don’t you know it? Natalya Mochalova: The average wage of a young professional upon graduation ranges between 20,000 and 25,000 rubles. Mikhail Akinchenko: I can tell you that we looked for information on private clinics on job vacancy websites. For example, such clinics in Roslavl offer 60,000 rubles at the least, which means the wage gap between the public and the private sector is huge. Ms Mochalova, you can take your problem up with the President. What would you like to ask him about the shortage of specialists? Natalya Mochalova: I would rather address my question to the federal authorities. I am not sure, but graduates should probably be assigned to the regions after they graduate. Probably, this is the only solution to this problem. Mikhail Akinchenko: Well, this is the issue we wanted to raise. I hope its essence is more or less clear. This was Roslavl. Anton Vernitsky: The Pskov Regional Oncology Centre is a state-of-the-art healthcare facility that was renovated completely just three years ago. In 2016, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was shown this centre’s equipment. You see, it received the so-called heavy-duty equipment, including CT scans, a computerised linear accelerator and gamma radiation systems. The state invested almost 1.5 billion rubles in the centre’s reconstruction. This is an expensive centre with expensive equipment. Mr President, three years have passed and people from Pskov are complaining to Direct Line that it is very hard to get an appointment with an oncologist, many people waiting in corridors, there are always queues, and people come here at 5am to get their names on the waiting list. Let’s ask the front desk. Hello. I understand that you did not expect us to come. Could you please tell me if you have a lot of people who come here to get an appointment? How many people came today? Remark: People come by appointment. Anton Vernitsky: And you do not have any problems with the appointments. Remark: As you can see, it is not crowded here. Anton Vernitsky: The thing is that we did not bring any cameras the other day, and we saw a lot of people queuing in the corridors. Let’s try and make a brief tour of the centre. Indeed, this is a modern centre. It was not just renovated; it features state-of-the-art equipment. Unfortunately, Russia still has few such centres so far. The doctors are now saying that they can show us their equipment. But we don’t want to see the equipment. We just want to talk to the people who have appointments. Could you please tell me how long it took you to get an appointment to see a doctor? Are there any problems with this? Remark: No, there aren’t. Anton Vernitsky: Can you get an appointment straight away? Remark: Not straight away, but … Anton Vernitsky: No, or it could take some time? Remark: Of course. I, for example, had to be on a waiting list at a district outpatient clinic. Anton Vernitsky: Did this take you a long time? Remark: Of course. Anton Vernitsky: How long did it take you? Remark: Three weeks. Anton Vernitsky: Are there not enough specialists? Remark: That’s right. Anton Vernitsky: You are now speaking live with President Vladimir Putin, who can hear you. So, are there not enough specialists? Remark: There are not enough specialists. All doctors leave us. They are probably not paid enough. I don’t know. Anton Vernitsky: The local governor mentioned this too when congratulating medics on Medical Worker Day this past Sunday. Actually, he said that 43 percent of vacancies in the region remain vacant. The problem of this state-of-the-art centre has to be resolved. Anyone who can do so leaves for clinics in St Petersburg and Moscow, although this centre has modern equipment. It has excellent equipment and good doctors, but their number is small. How can we help? Pavel Zarubin: Let us go over to the third city straight away. Vladimir Putin:Please. Dmitry Shchugorev: We are in the village of Mauk, Chelyabinsk Region, at the local paramedic centre. As you can see, they have a dentist’s chair now, which is an incredible thing in itself. Because you can rarely find a paramedic centre in a rural area, not to mention a dentist’s chair. This has become a sort of a symbol of rebirth: the paramedic centre reopened here in February; it had been closed for three years because there was a lack of funds and because the specialists who worked here were made redundant. The centre used to have four employees, and now there are only two. Nevertheless, just the fact that they have access to a paramedic and a nurse, that a dentist comes once a month, is a huge support for local residents. Now pensioners, for example, do not need to travel 25 kilometres to the nearest town of Kasli, which is a very long way for them. However, some negative aspects remain, because, for example, physiotherapy is still not available because the equipment is too old. The biggest problem, ultimately, is staff, the fact that young professionals do not come here, despite the fact that the Rural Doctor programme has been launched. Svetlana is a paramedic, her shift ended two hours ago, but she kindly agreed to talk with us. Svetlana, could you please tell us do you agree that the village needs young specialists like doctors and paramedics? Why they do not come here? Svetlana Katashova: Good afternoon. I believe that the main problem here is the shortage of housing in the village. There is no decent housing. When specialists come here, they like our village, the nature here. Dmitry Shchugorev: So, they came? Svetlana Katashova: They did, yes. But they have one question: where will we live? And there is no decent housing, they do not agree to live in such conditions and so they go back. And we live here, we were born here. Dmitry Shchugorev: There are two people working here: you and your assistant, the nurse, who works part time. How do you cope? Is it hard for just the two of you? Svetlana Katashova: It gets hard sometimes, especially during the autumn and winter period, when infection outbreaks start, like colds and flu. Of course, it can get very hard. Dmitry Shchugorev: Thank you. It is an obvious and objective problem for many rural paramedic centres in Russia. We know that the regional government plans to increase the number of such centres by 100 within three years. Of course, such problems must be taken into account because they affect very many towns, especially small ones. Yelena Vinnik: Mr President, you can see the effect of Direct Line. Problems end as soon as Direct Line starts. But the shortage of personnel is a very real problem. Vladimir Putin: It is. Pavel Zarubin: If you consider it necessary, we have Healthcare Minister Veronika Skvortsova with us today. Vladimir Putin:Yes, I see her. I will give her the floor later. But first I would like to say the following. When we speak about healthcare, we should remember that this sector is improving, by and large, although it does have its problems, many problems, just as any other sector that is directly concerned with the people, works with and helps the people. What are the main problems we must settle, and which problems should we focus on as a priority? First, the availability of primary medical care. You have mentioned rural paramedic centres here. I will speak about this later. Second, specialists and the shortage of certain specialists. And third, the provision of medicine. These are the three main problems. There are more problems, but I consider these the most important ones. First, regarding the situation with the availability of primary medical care. It is true that we see the curtailment of the outpatient part of this service in some regions. The number of rural paramedic centres has decreased by 2 percent, while the number of outpatient departments has increased by 26 across the country. However, the share of primary medical care, or more precisely the number of outpatient departments, has decreased dramatically in some regions, in 15 to 18 regions. Some of them are quite prosperous regions with experienced and effective management staff. In the Krasnodar Territory, primary care has been reduced by 25 percent across the region, the same as in the Chechen Republic; the Kirov Region has also seen a significant reduction, although not by as much as 25 percent. And all these regions are led by very competent and effective people. There are 15 other regions like that, 18 in total. I am asking the Healthcare Minister to pay attention to this when talking to her colleagues in the regions, and the leaders of these regions should also pay attention to this. This is the first point. Secondly, we are talking about these rural paramedic centres, they are very important, and should be supported of course. In the near future, 390 new centres are expected to be built and 1,200 existing ones overhauled, but they require major repair work. Furthermore, in small towns, a mobile medical care system is being developed. I suppose as many as 3,800 mobile units have been created, and over a period of the next few years, say in the next three years maybe, about 1,200 more are expected to be launched. Equipment must be procured for them, and teams need to be formed, and so on. This will all be done towards ensuring the availability of primary healthcare. It is definitely necessary to develop a system for district GPs, or village paramedics, so we pay, respectively, a million or 500,000 rubles, to those who want to go there and work as a county doctor or a county paramedic. A doctor from one of the regions has just outlined one of the major problems – housing. This problem needs to be dealt with. The federal government pays them a lump sum of 1 million or 500,000 [as a relocation allowance], but the matter of housing should be handled by the regional and local authorities. We talked about this many times. And they should earmark funds in their budgets for these purposes; otherwise, of course, people will leave. The next problem is personnel. Indeed, there is still a shortage of staff – 25,000 doctors and 130,000 nurses. One of the key aspects here, of course, is raising their wages. Again, I just heard now that the wages are low. They are growing across the country; with doctors, this year’s growth has brought their average monthly pay close to 77,000. This is for the whole country, and Moscow and St Petersburg, there are high salaries there. But there are regions where there are very low salaries, and we certainly need to level this out. The same applies to nursing staff; there has been, I think, a growth of 3.5 percent, to about 35,000, Ms Skvortsova can correct me, maybe around 39,000 is the average pay. Again, I repeat – this is the average for the entire country. And for junior staff, growth was 2.2 percent, to 35,000, also an average. We need to bear this in mind. And medicine provision – this is, of course, an extremely important thing, especially for life-saving medicines. Yelena Vinnik: Very many questions concern subsidised medicines. The people cannot receive vital and essential medicines, for some reason, for conditions such as diabetes or other diseases. We will likely redirect this question to the Healthcare Minister. Vladimir Putin: I will give the floor to Ms Skvortsova, but first of all I would like the people, especially in the regions, to listen to me, because there is a difference between what the Minister says and what I say. What is it all about? Medicines are provided to people from two sources: the federal centre and the regions. The federal funds allocated for this purpose were transferred to the regions in full back in February, yet we see problems with the supply of some medicine. Besides, the situation differs depending on the illness, such as cancer or diabetes. Yelena Vinnik: There is also high blood pressure. Vladimir Putin: Yes, the third ailment is high blood pressure. The funds were transferred in full as well. What do we see? We see that many regions take too long to organise the purchasing procedure, delay tenders and do not have a smooth information system even within the boundaries of one region. Take the Smolensk Region. Ms Skvortsova can tell you about it – she updated me barely two days ago. Was it the Smolensk Region or not? I could be wrong; she knows better. No, it was not Smolensk. Well, we sent an inspection team there. And what was discovered? The warehouses are filled up with medicine, which is not reaching the people. Why? Because the distribution system has no information about what is available in the warehouses. We need to streamline the information sector and adopt new methods of working with the people. Now for the Thrifty Outpatient Clinic project. I have seen how it works in some regions, and it does help to seriously improve the quality of the medical service. By the way, the number of patients in such clinics has greatly increased. This idea has a huge potential. As for the regions, part of the vital and essential medicine is purchased in the regions. Regrettably, only seven regions buy the full list of medicine like this. In the rest of the regions the list of these vital medicines that people need is made shorter, the necessary medication is not purchased. There may be many reasons for this, but I would like to point out that the regional authorities must be aware of their priorities. It is one thing to launch a construction project, giving construction companies an opportunity to make money and to create new jobs. But the life and health of the people are another matter altogether. They are an unquestionable priority and something the authorities must take care of. Ms Skvortsova, please go ahead. Healthcare Minister Veronika Skvortsova: Thank you very much. Good afternoon, I would like to comment on several points. Of course, Mr President, we are very proactive in developing the outpatient and ambulatory care structure. Starting in 2014, we have seen an outpatient care revival both in rural areas and urban localities. The rural infrastructure’s supply level is already now 22 percent higher. Each year, we build between 300 and 500 rural paramedic centres. This year, at least 350 such centres will be built. The outpatient/ambulatory units are considerably better now too. At the same time, as you said, we have regions – 17 of them out of 85 – that have somewhat reduced the potential of the outpatient/ambulatory institutions. We are working with these regions and are in direct contact with the governors and the ministers. If we speak about ambulatory pediatric clinics, over a period of the last four years we saw the number of district pediatricians rise by more than two thousand and the ratio of those holding more than one job declined. Today, it amounts to just 1.1 percent, which means that the situation is getting better. In 2016, we introduced primary certification, and this is a great help. Yelena Vinnik: Ms Skvortsova, please tell us, what is happening with subsidised medicine in the regions? Could you comment? Why is subsidised medicine not always available in the regions? Veronika Skvortsova: As Mr President said, we have considerably increased the amount of federal budget subsidies for this category of medicine. Today’s figure is 156 billion rubles. The first instalment was sent to the regions on January 17 and the rest arrived before February 7. Over the past few months of this year, we have monitored the situation in all the regions. In 30 regions, we have discovered serious organisational and logistic shortcomings. I am referring to purchase rescheduling, wrong purchasing procedures, and, on top of this, inability to manage commodity stocks. As a rule, these are the regions, where there is no normal digital system of subsidised medicine provision and where healthcare organisers do not know what storage facilities or which medical organisations have a surplus. A case in point mentioned by the President is the Saratov Region. Pavel Zarubin: Thank you. We hope that these problems will be ironed out. We have very many other questions from a whole lot of different regions. Vladimir Putin: Just a minute… After all, you were telling me about a region, where recently… Veronika Skvortsova: This was the Saratov Region. Vladimir Putin: The Saratov Region, right. There’s a lot of medicine on the warehouse shelves, but not in the pharmacy chain. As for the funds, I can say that there has been a considerable rise, especially for cancer. We have doubled the financing of cancer medicine purchases. For example, there was 80 billion [rubles] for chemotherapy, and now 150 [billion rubles]. Veronika Skvortsova: Quite right! Vladimir Putin: Cancer has been made a separate focus area within the Healthcare national project. Pavel Zarubin: We are moving to the call centre now. There are very many calls. Natalya Yuryeva, take over. Natalya Yuryeva: Thank you, Pavel. We are being swamped with questions. Right now we have an incoming video call. I will ask the operator to broadcast it now. This year we have very many questions about national projects, for obvious reasons. Some people are upset that they cannot take part in them because they do not meet the requirements, while others wonder if we need them at all. The incoming video call has to do with this subject. Good afternoon. You are on the air. Please introduce yourself and ask your question. Valentina Volodina: Good afternoon. My name is Valentina Volodina, and I am from Moscow. Good afternoon, Mr President. I have a question about national projects. People talk a lot about them, and here is what I would like to ask you: what results can you report so far, and what other results can we expect in the near future? Can these projects be accomplished, and who can do this? Vladimir Putin: Actually, this is what we began with today, but I would like to thank you for raising this topic again. I consider it to be an extremely important and even a priority topic. In general, we could have decided not to focus our resources and efforts, both administrative and financial, in specific areas, going with the stream instead and dealing with the current requirements and problems as they appeared. But there is a different way to organise our work. I believe that we can and should pinpoint the main sphere where we must achieve breakthrough development, as well as the main goals in terms of global trends, and we must decide what we must do and what we must strive for to improve the standard of living for our people. I would like to repeat that this is the key element of all our national projects, and this is what they are intended to attain. The main thing is, as I have already said and will probably say it several times more today, the main thing is to restructure our economy, to create a high-tech digital economy with elements of artificial intelligence, develop unmanned vehicles, develop infrastructure. What is our goal? The goal is to boost labour productivity as the basis for ensuring the growth in prosperity for the people. This job has been split up into several areas, with the required financing for each of them, including roads (we have calculated that we need 6.5 trillion rubles until 2024 for that), healthcare, education, science and so on. There are indicators we must strive for in each area. Of course, we will also assess the results of our efforts. I will gauge the work of my colleagues by our progress towards this goal. We will do so this year, next year and every year until 2024. Our job will not be finished after that, of course, but we must have check points and adjust our work accordingly. In principle, I believe that everyone has been working hard. Pavel Zarubin: When will the people feel the first results of national projects? Vladimir Putin:This is not the case… In the Soviet era, they used to say that today’s generation of Soviet people will live under communism. Nobody could understand what “today’s generation” meant. Later it was said that the 1980 Olympic Games were held in Moscow instead of communism. We should feel the results now, this year, next year and so on. This must be reflected in the level of incomes and wages. We can see that there are problems, but I am showing that there are positive trends as well. This is the first point. Secondly, about the issues we were discussing just now, healthcare, and we have not spoken about science and education yet; money must be invested and is being invested there. And as I have said, at the first stage we knowingly allowed some negative external factors, but this made it possible for us to concentrate our resources, allocate them where we need them, and achieve results and breakthroughs in the end. This is the idea of the work done within national projects. Pavel Zarubin: When you recently had a meeting with the Cabinet on the subject of national projects, many ministers looked dejected. This is why I would like to read out a message from Tatyana Pinchuk: “Are the ministers personally responsible for failure to implement the national projects they supervise?” Vladimir Putin: I do not think they were dejected. Let’s say they were concentrating and thinking about how to fulfil their tasks. Speaking about personal responsibility, yes, I have said this before – but I do not remember if the cameras were on and if it were in the media or not – but everybody, all of my colleagues know that personal responsibility is essential, and everyone who supervises one area or another is responsible for it. Pavel Zarubin: One more flashpoint, the so-called trash reform: rates, landfill sites and processing. Tatyana Remezova, go ahead please. Tatyana Remezova: Thank you, colleagues. This year trash-related issues have literally skyrocketed into the top three most frequently asked questions. I will now ask our director to show on the big screen several photos that were sent by viewers. Some photos came from the village of Pokrovskoye in the Rostov Region. Kseniya Bobyatinskaya writes: “What is happening with the trash reform? We are drowning in trash. Nobody takes it away from the streets for weeks.” Yes, you have just seen these photos. Alexander Repin from the Nizhny Novgorod Region: “The trash reform has been going on for over five months but people have hardly noticed any changes for the better: containers are the same, full of holes, and trash pickup is irregular.” Verkhnyaya Salda, Sverdlovsk Region: “The trash reform is not working. This is what a clean city district has turned into in six months.” It is clear from the questionaries that all these photos were sent by young people under 35. Blogger Katya Adushkina has just got through to us. We will try to connect her. She is a popular instablogger and has run her blog since she was 10. She is 15 now and has over 8 million followers. Here is Katya. Apart from her vlog, Katya records musical clips and has tens of thousands of clicks across various internet platforms. Hello, Katya, we are listening to you. Your question, please. Yekaterina Adushkina: Good afternoon, Mr President. My name is Katya Adushkina. I am 15 and a video blogger. I am also a fan of music and dance. Like all school kids in the world I am very concerned that the environmental problems are getting worse. Now containers for separating trash have started to appear in Russia but people complain online that ultimately all the trash goes into one heap. How will you deal with this problem and do you have any plans to solve it? Vladimir Putin: This is a huge problem for us. It did not emerge yesterday We have spoken about it and returned to it many times. By the way, we started discussing and dealing with it literally two or three years ago. Strange as it may seem, it was all sparked by Direct Line one year. I recall people from Balashikha complained about their predicament. After that I sent a signal to my colleagues in the regions and the Government. They began talking about it and made it a subject of discussion and attention for all levels of government. It became clear that trash, waste products, had been piling up for decades and nobody ever tackled this problem seriously. I want to point out (experts know this, but ordinary people may not) that we generate 70 million tonnes of waste each year, 70 million. There is, in fact, no industrial recycling of this waste. This is a huge problem, considering that landfill sites have been growing since the Soviet era. The situation is complicated by the fact that our society has largely become a society of consumption, despite the fact that real wages had been going down in the past years but are rising now. Nevertheless, our society is based on consumption, generally speaking. New packaging is used now; in addition to paper and cardboard, a lot of plastic is used for packaging, too. There are entire islands of trash as big as an average European country in the Pacific Ocean. The lens effect is already impacting the climate of the entire planet. It is a big problem for us, and this is why we will work on this, of course. What was shown just now is horrible. We must see in which districts or Russian regions this is happening. Trash pickup tariffs are growing. As you noted, yesterday, I looked through the questions for today’s Direct Line. There are many questions about growing tariffs. Perhaps it is inevitable to some extent, because at least some starter money is necessary to carry out system-wide work. Of course, people should see results, and this is not a case where we must wait for 20 years. These are the results people should feel right now. Recently we made a decision; I have agreed to let governors choose who will work at these container yards: managing companies in charge of a corresponding residential building or neighbourhood, or so-called regional operators. Some people believe that regional operators will not be able to reach these yards, and others think it would be better to place all the responsibility in one set of hands. To tell the truth, it makes no difference to me, but many governors believe that it would be better to use regional operators. They are free to. Of course, we must examine these pictures and find out where they came from. There are many things like this. I hope that we will manage to do this and clean up there soon. And of course, I will keep an eye on this, even if trash is not exactly the most glamorous topic. Pavel Zarubin: Tatyana, another call please. Tatyana Remezova: Mr President, you mentioned tariffs, so let us talk about it in more detail, because we have a lot of questions on this particular topic. Retired people especially have been completely bewildered by the bills they began receiving after January 1. Let us now listen to a video message from Roman Dmitriyev from Omsk. Roman Dmitriyev: Trash reform has begun, but there has been no progress in areas with single-family homes like the ​​Old Kirovsk neighbourhood we live in. These are my bills, I am holding them in my hand. For March – that is, before the trash reform – we paid 90.27 rubles per month. It went like this: once a month, on the 20th, they brought a large container to my street, for all the people who live on this street to dump the trash they have been accumulating in their courtyards. After the start of the trash reform, the process did not change in any way, but the bill did change: in April, they charged us 133 rubles, and the one we got the day before yesterday was 266 rubles! Why is this reform proceeding on paper, when there is no real progress? Vladimir Putin: I cannot but agree with Roman that this not only raises questions and eyebrows, but also inspires protest. And, of course, it goes without saying that it should not be like this. On the other hand, there are some things we need to note. For example, in the past, no one had ever thought of how much trash removal costs. This is the first point. Secondly, today nobody wants to have any landfills near where they live, which means trash has to be transported far away, and this also means money, the cost of transport, the fuel that must be used, drivers’ pay, and so on and so forth. This is to say that trash removal may indeed be more expensive now, but what Roman said, of course, requires additional verification and careful analysis. And again, the most important thing is to find the responsible party: it’s either the managing company or the regional operator. This certainly needs to be done. In this case, we need to check. I will definitely ask the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service to deal with this. Yelena Vinnik: People do not want to have a landfill site near their place. We have had a lot of messages from the regions, and we are left with a vicious circle: on the one hand, people do not want landfills near where they live; on the other hand, we cannot do without landfills, not when the problem has been snowballing for decades. Is there any long-term waste recycling programme in our country? Will there be one? Vladimir Putin: We have a programme planned for the next few years, which envisages the construction of 200 waste processing plants. The total amount of funding is slightly above 300 billion rubles, with about one third of the amount coming from the federal budget, and the remaining funds need to be raised from businesses. The government part has been budgeted, and we will duly provide the financing. Yelena Vinnik: Mr President, important decisions to support large families have been adopted this year. I am a mother of four children, so I follow closely… Vladimir Putin:: Here: “Can child benefit payments be extended up to three years?” Yelena Vinnik: Yes, this must be done, and tangible support has been approved. But we also have proposals coming from large families: For instance: “Can the programme of state support of mortgage lending for large families with a 6 percent interest rate be extended to include the secondary housing market? Because currently the programme covers only the primary housing market.” Or another one: ‘Can 450,000 rubles allocated to families that are classified as large as of January 1, 2019, be used as a down payment to buy housing, because it is impossible to take out a mortgage without a down payment, and saving the amount is simply too difficult?’ Vladimir Putin: Shall be start with the question about six percent? Yelena Vinnik: Yes. Vladimir Putin: Six percent interest rate for a mortgage. Well, what is happening here and what happened? Indeed, there was such a decision, my instruction for families with children, moreover for families where the second and third child is born: a mortgage on beneficial terms with a six percent interest rate must be ensured. Can it be even lower? It can and this is already being done in the Far East, where the rate is five percent. What happened with these 6 percent? I saw a lot of messages on the topic in the stack of questions that I looked through yesterday, the day before yesterday and three days ago,. It is difficult for people to resolve this, or the problem is not solved with banks regarding the 6 percent: it does not apply to the loans issued previously. Yelena Vinnik: They do not recalculate the loans; they do not want to do it. Vladimir Putin: They do not recalculate. This is a real mistake of the Russian Government and the relevant agencies. What is the mistake? The Finance Ministry did not allocate sufficient funds to compensate banks for this subsidy objectives. They initially decided that 2 percent will be enough. It is not. So this problem needs to be addressed through two channels: through the Finance Ministry, which should work with large banks, such as Sberbank and VTB, and through the DOM.RF state company (they work with small and medium-sized banks). The reason it was not resolved through either channel is that the Government did not allocate the necessary resources. But even before Direct Line, after I looked through the questions, I spoke with Government members, including the Finance Ministry leadership, and in principle, this problem has already been solved. The Finance Ministry has allocated the necessary resources, and I hope that in the near future there will be progress and we will see tangible results. As for the 450,000-ruble benefit for the repayment of a family’s mortgage loan upon birth of their third child. What can be said here, we provided it specifically for this purpose, and this alone, because this sphere of life, especially for families with children, is the most important, the most sensitive one. By the way, the maternity capital, as we look at the statistics of its use, is mainly being spent to improve housing conditions. We launched the programme precisely for this purpose, and we will do it retroactively from January 1, 2019, and that is why it is not provided for other purposes. By the way, back to the 6 percent mortgage issue, this programme of state support for families with two, three or more children is valid from January 1, 2018 until December 31, 2022. And I want everyone who is using this programme to know that, if they take out a loan before December 30, their discount on mortgage interest will be valid for the entire term of the loan. Yelena Vinnik: Mr President, I would like to add that many people are writing to us that they should have waited instead of having a child in 2017. I mean, had they known that this programme would be launched, they would have postponed the birth of their second or third children. Indeed, there are such messages. Vladimir Putin: This should not be postponed. Yelena Vinnik: Well, yes. Vladimir Putin: This is something that is not measured with money. Yelena Vinnik: Let us turn things over to our call centre again. Tatyana Remezova: Thank you very much. Right now I have a call on this topic. We are receiving many calls from young mothers regarding maternity leave. It is true that the financial assistance they receive during this period, from eighteen months to three years when mothers cannot work, is called many things, Mr President: a joke or a humiliating sum, for example. Now we have Yekaterina Kirillova from Serpukhov. You can see she is sitting right next to her child’s bed, who unfortunately has fallen asleep while waiting. But the President can hear you, Katya. Ask your question, please. Yekaterina Kirillova: Good afternoon, Mr President. My name is Yekaterina. I live in the Moscow Region and I am on maternity leave. My son is ten months today. I have been regularly receiving child care benefit paid until the child turns 18 months old. But when my son turns eighteen months, I will receive 50 rubles per month, so I have a question: are there any plans to change this sum, because mothers I know can only see this sum as a joke and cannot understand what purpose it serves. I think that perhaps it would be better to end it altogether and not spend the money from the budget. Those who decide to go to work and leave their children in daycare nurseries face a different problem. Queues for nurseries are very long, and it is very difficult to get into one. Most children who get into them have some kind of preference. This is my question. Vladimir Putin: Interesting. We have just seen this on the screen: a question about increasing support for families with children under three. Was that not your question? Yelena Vinnik: We have received a text message with almost the same question. Vladimir Putin: On the screen right now. Pavel Zarubin: Our caller is not responding. Vladimir Putin: Not responding, ok. I would like to say this. First, it is true that a new measure of support has recently been introduced: we began to pay money to families with a first and second child. We have maternity capital for the second child, but there has never been a similar measure for the first one. On the whole, it is quite large, equal to the minimum subsistence level for a child in the region. On average – let me repeat that this is the average sum. It differs from region to region, but it is about 10,500 today, almost 11,000 rubles on average. This financial assistance is provided to families for their first and subsequent child. The money for the first child is allocated directly from the budget; the money for the second can be allocated, at the family’s request, from maternity capital. And the financial support is provided to the family according to its needs, as they say. I am talking about families where one adult worker’s average income equals 1.5 times the region’s subsistence minimum. Our country’s subsistence minimum equals the minimum wage; it is estimated at an average of 11,280 rubles. 1.5 times the subsistence wage per person, how much is that? 17,000 rubles. Roughly speaking, 17,000 plus 17,000 equals about 34,000. This means, if the family’s income is 34,000 for two adults, today, this family is entitled to financial assistance equalling 10,000 rubles – I repeat, this is an average number for the whole country. This is the minimum subsistence level for a child. We have almost adopted the decision at this point; we have talked about this with the Government, with the Prime Minister. The latter has recently delivered the Government’s report to Parliament in the State Duma, and said that we would increase the number of families provided with this assistance, with this benefit. How? Starting January 1, 2020, we will extend this assistance to not only families with 1.5 times the subsistence minimum per person, but also families with two subsistence minimums per person. Essentially, this means, relatively speaking, two minimum wages: 11,280 plus 11,280 equals 22,000, 23,000 rubles. In total for two, about 45,000 rubles. If the family earns about 45,000 rubles, it is entitled to compensation equal to the subsistence minimum for a child in the region. This is on average 10,000 to 11,000 rubles. Not so bad really, I think. Now to address the issue of the 50 rubles that I read about on the screen and that this woman just talked about while describing her situation. Indeed, this first measure covers children under eighteen months, while the second category, from eighteen months to three years, was left out. Not left out, but was granted 50 rubles worth of compensation. And the question was: maybe we should spare the budget such expenses? The thing is, this is not budget money we are talking about. In 1994, a decision was taken; a Presidential Executive Order was signed. The situation was extremely difficult, and employers were made to pay these 50 rubles. This money did not make much of a difference back then, and now, of course, it is means nothing – I mean, what are 50 rubles, really? So we have been searching for a solution of late. I actually think it has been found already, in fact the decision is ready. We will make the payments, in accordance with the family’s needs, depending on their income, to families with children aged from eighteem months to three years, in the amount of the subsistence minimum for a child. The only thing we still need to decide is the level of income that makes a family eligible. Either one and a half of the subsistence minimum per person, or two. What was the mum's name? Yelena Vinnik: Yekaterina. Vladimir Putin: We can work it out with Yekaterina right now… Yelena Vinnik: Calculate. Vladimir Putin: No, not calculate, but make a decision. There is nothing to calculate, everything is clear. Yelena Vinnik: Can we reach Yekaterina again? Unfortunately, they tell me there is no connection yet. They are dialling again. Vladimir Putin: It does not matter. It is important to agree on a benchmark amount to rely on in the future to give this support to families with children. Look, if from January 1, 2020, we start supporting families that earn two subsistence-minimum incomes and have children under eighteen months, it means the programme will reach 70 percent of families. It will be noticeable. On the other hand, it will be strange to bring the eligibility cutoff down to 1.5 subsistence minimum per person, once the child reaches the age of eighteen months – this would immediately reduce the number of families eligible for this support programme. So I believe – and I have actually decided this for myself a long time ago – we will have to extend it to all families with an income of two subsistence minimums. If you go back to the beginning of our discussion, to the beginning of our conversation, a colleague from the Emergencies Ministry said how much he makes, even an officer in his position makes about 43,000, so such a family will immediately become eligible (mum goes on maternity leave and will not work). Finally, I think that in the near future we will simply finalise this decision. We have one more support programme; it extends to regions with negative demographics, but there are already 65 such regions. There, families also receive a benefit in the amount of a child’s subsistence minimum for their third child. We will continue this programme, but I would ask the Government to look at the regions of Siberia and the Urals. This is something to think about. They are not yet included in these 65 regions, but we still need to look at what is actually happening with demographics there. In principle, yes, this is a new solution. Pavel Zarubin: Let’s go back to economic issues. Many people link these difficulties with the Western sanctions. By the way, the European Union again extended them today. Sometimes, there are appeals to make peace with everyone. If Russia complied with the West’s demands and agreed to everything, would this benefit our economy in any way? Vladimir Putin: First, what does it mean “to make peace”? We have not fought with anyone and have no desire to fight with anyone. Second, what would this give us and what would it not give us, and what would we lose? Look, according to expert analyses, Russia fell short by about $50 billion as a result of these restrictions during these years, starting in 2014. The European Union lost $240 billion, the US $17 billion (we have a small volume of trade with them) and Japan $27 billion. All this affects employment in these countries, including the EU: they are losing our market. I quoted our losses. They are tentative. Nevertheless, let’s assume we have accepted this. But we also received something. What exactly? First, we had to change our thinking (and we did this) to understand what we needed to do in the high-tech economic sectors and how. Our so-called import substitution programmes are worth 667 billion rubles. This compelled us to develop even those areas where we lacked competence before. I talked about this and can repeat it now. Say, the RSFSR (the Soviet Union) and new Russia never had domestic marine engine manufacturing. We bought these engines abroad. It turned out that it was not enough to manufacture engines, generally speaking. Marine engines are a special story, a separate technology, a separate branch, and a separate competence. We learned that in just a few years. We made our own engines that were not only not inferior but even superior to their Western counterparts in some respects. We also made progress in many other areas – for instance, transport engineering, power engineering, not to mention agriculture. Look, if ten years ago I or anyone else in this hall had been told that we would be exporting agricultural products worth $25.7 billion, like we did last year, I would have laughed in the face of the person who said this. We would shake hands and I would thank them for their kind but unrealistic intentions. Today this is a fact. Moreover, we want to reach $45 billion in agricultural exports by 2024, and I believe we can do this. Of course, it is still a question whether we will achieve this or not, but we must work on it; this is a realistic plan. So we were mobilised in many areas. Now to the question of whether some things would be different if we give in and abandon our fundamental national interests. We are not talking about reconciliation here. Perhaps there will be some external signals, but no drastic change. Look, the People’s Republic of China has nothing to do with Crimea and Donbass, does it? We are accused of occupying Donbass, which is nonsense and a lie. But China has nothing to do with it, and yet the tariffs for Chinese goods are rising, which is almost the same as sanctions. Now, the attack on Huawei: where does it come from and what is its objective? The objective is to hold back the development of China, the country that has become a global rival of another power, the United States. The same is happening with Russia, and will continue to happen, so if we want to occupy a worthy place under the sun, we must become stronger, including, and above all, in the economy. Pavel Zarubin: But voices in Europe are growing stronger saying it is time to stop… Vladimir Putin: Excuse me, but this is because nobody really likes this. We have lost 50 billion, and Europe has lost 240 billion. This affects many economic sectors in Europe, in European countries, so what’s good about it? In fact, even though we have gained something from these external restrictions, personally I believe that it is better to live in normal economic conditions, going by some general rules that everyone abides by. Tatyana Remezova: Nevertheless, today the EU will address the issue whether to extend sanctions against Russia without examining it, which means the issue was automatically submitted for approval. Yelena Vinnik: Let us get back to our call centre. Natalya Yuryeva: Thank you, Yelena. Our Centre has already received over 1,800,000 questions, and they continue coming in at an incredible speed. Let us see where people are calling from. Where is this question from? Call centre operator: The city of Kursk. Natalya Yuryeva: And this one? Call centre operator: The city of Tomsk. Natalya Yuryeva: And what about this one? Call centre operator: The village of Kaskara, Tyumen Region. Natalya Yuryeva: They are writing there is no running water. The lack of running water seems unthinkable in the 21st century. Let us listen to this particular call: “Good afternoon, Mr President, my name is Maria, from the village of Kaskara, Tyumen District, Tyumen Region. Construction work in our village has been continuing for more than 20 years, but we still have no water. There are over 300 residents, many kids, and we have to go for water to neighbouring villages. But initially, there was a water spout in the neighbouring village, which was then dismantled. And now we buy bottled water in Tyumen. At the same time, there is a water supply system for the Tyumen Broiler poultry farm near us. We asked the mayor to divert some, but the promise has not been kept. Mr President, you are our only hope, please help us solve this issue with water. Thank you.” Pavel Zarubin: Excuse me, look, I have an idea. Let us contact Tyumen right now and find a film crew there and send them to the village to see what is happening there. And we will return to this issue, we will contact them in the course of the programme. Do you agree? Vladimir Putin: Wait, what region is this? Pavel Zarubin: Tyumen Region. Vladimir Putin: All right. Pavel Zarubin: So, we are sending a crew now and contacting Tyumen. We are sending a correspondent to this village. Vladimir Putin: However, I must say a few words. Tyumen Region and Tyumen is a self-sufficient region, it is a fairly wealthy region in the Federation. Very strange. Is this some extremely remote village or what? Pavel Zarubin: We will find out everything during the programme. Vladimir Putin: Fine. Yelena Vinnik: Yes, because it is very strange that there is no water there at all. Over the 12 days when we received messages, interesting things began to happen in the regions. Decisions were made even before the Direct Line started; the authorities began to stir and officials found time to meet and talk with people. The Investigative Committee started noticing some details. Thus, for example, the director of an oil refinery already has been arrested in Belgorod Region; workers there had received no wages for a year. In Kaluga Region, there is a family living in a ramshackle home that, I believe, dates back to the post-war period. The house was found untenable in 2014. The Investigative Committee has intervened. There are many places like this in Russia. Pavel Zarubin: Including the so-called “whale prison” in Primorye Territory. For six months, it has been a top story in Russia. Therefore, we sent our film crew there. As soon as Olga Armyakova arrived there, as soon as they learnt that it may be a topic for Direct Line, amazing things began to happen there. Primorye Territory, Olga Armyakova. Olga Armyakova: Good afternoon, Moscow, or more precisely, good evening. It is almost 8.30 pm in the Far East, already dusk, but do not let the darkness bother you. Our crew is on the coast of the Sea of Japan, Srednyaya Bay. It is unbelievably beautiful here. However, we came here for another reason. You can see the marine mammal adaptation centre, the one called the “whale prison,” which the whole world is watching right now. Almost 100 belugas and killer whales have been living here for about a year. In these cages, you can see baby whales: they are very curious – they are trying to get a look at our crew – and playful: they tried to splash us with water several times, creatures of fantastic beauty. They are beluga whales, by the way. They were caught in the Okhotsk Sea “for scientific and educational purposes.” This is the official wording. However, later it was reported that they want to sell the animals abroad. Surprisingly the business people had all the authorisations they needed, but the law had changed, and the export of whales was prohibited. It was the beginning of a difficult legal puzzle, and these amazing rare animals, belugas and killer whales, fell victim to it. Let me remind you that the President ordered their future to be decided by March 1. Since then, expert commissions have come here as well as scientists from the Cousteau team; the entire country united in order to save the beluga and killer whales. However, there had been no breakthrough until today. It is an interesting coincidence or, in other words, the miraculous effect of Direct Line; there is no other way to put it. It is more important that right now two killer whales and six belugas are being moved to the area of the Shantar Islands to be released there; and this is, of course, an international sensation. Our camera crew were the only journalists who could see the animals being prepared for resettlement. I suggest we watch a report. (Video report demonstration) This is just the beginning of a large-scale project, which, by the way, still continues. Even though it is raining here. Scientists will be able to assess the success of this special operation later. The main thing now is to get it done. Let me remind you that nothing like this has ever happened in the world. Vladimir Putin: This is a well-known problem, and it is generally clear why these issues arise. The killer whales alone, as far as I know, cost about $100 million, so there are many “interested” parties, so to say, and this is why solving the problem is not easy. There are always issues when a lot of money is involved. But thank God, some movement has begun. We have Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Gordeyev on the line. Go ahead, please, Mr Gordeyev. Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Gordeyev: Good afternoon, Mr President, good afternoon, Direct Line participants. In essence, the correspondent has reported everything correctly. I would only add that a special group set up by the Government has been commissioned, and we took control of this issue because we understand the public relevance of this problem. The group is made up of specialists, scientists, representatives from both federal and regional bodies, Primorye Territory is also involved; we are grateful to the many specialists from there. Under the scientists’ recommendation, the only correct decision was taken, to transport the animals to their habitat, where they were caught, to their natural environment. The operation will take about four months. We have instructed the Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography to monitor and conduct this operation. So it will be done by specialists. Afterwards, when the animals are placed in Shantarstakaya Bay in Khabarovsk Territory, the specialists will continue monitoring them. The priority is appropriate re-adaptation, as was said earlier. Mr President, we are working around the clock, we will conduct daily monitoring. The operation is indeed unusual but very interesting, and it is also a fairly interesting scientific experiment at the same time. To prevent similar events in the future, so the mammals are not caught in such numbers, the Government decided to change the law, to prohibit catching them for so-called cultural and educational purposes and allow a small number of animals to be caught only for research purposes and for the people of the Far North, which is their tradition. This decision will be brought to the Government level so the public can take part in it. Pavel Zarubin: Thank you, Mr Gordeyev, we understand you. Mr President, we should have held Direct Line earlier, then the killer whales could have been released sooner, although it could be just a coincidence. Mr President, we have a lot of guests here today… Vladimir Putin: Excuse me, please. I would like to respond to some things that I just saw on the screen. These are questions of a political nature, so I do not want anyone to get the impression that we are dodging these questions. This one is quite sharp: “Where is this gang of patriots from United Russia leading us?” I believe that when people take responsibility, including for making decisions that are not very popular, but badly needed by the country, it means that these are mature people who consciously chose strengthening their country and improving people's lives as the goal of their lives, and of their political careers. I would not call the people who were at the helm in the 1990s a “gang.” But I must note that during that time our social sphere, industry and the defence sector collapsed. We lost the defence industry, we practically destroyed the Armed Forces, led the country into a civil war, to bloodshed in the Caucasus, and brought the country to the verge of losing sovereignty and collapse – I have to put this bluntly. I would not say that all people who worked in the 1990s are responsible for this, but surely, if this happened, there must have been those who should be held responsible for it. I repeat, I do not want to call them a “gang,” but such is the result of their work. This is about the first question I saw. The second one: “When will the local authorities be elected again?” If you are talking about local authorities, if you mean municipalities, they are always elected. We do have an election procedure through regional parliaments (this is stipulated by law). This, by the way, is also an election, but, as a rule, leaders of municipalities are elected by a direct secret vote of the entire population. Finally, one last question: “What kind of secrets do the Interior Ministry employees know, that they are not allowed to travel abroad?” Just a few days ago, I spoke with Minister of the Interior Vladimir Kolokoltsev, who also asked this question. Indeed, Interior Ministry officials – maybe not all of them, only some – do know these secrets, but not all; ordinary employees do not. Therefore, we agreed that we would expand the geography of possible foreign travel for Interior Ministry officials. But in general, still, Interior Ministry employees are endowed with special powers, and in this sense, of course, they are in a special position. They have to make an informed choice whether they want to work with these restrictions or not. Pavel Zarubin: Absolutely. Mr President, let us talk to the guests here in our studio, they have quite a few questions. We promised to give them the floor. Olga Pautova, please. Olga Pautova: Mr President, I suggest we change the topic and move on from cities to villages, because today we have a lot of farmers in our studio. Maria Kandyrina, for instance, has a small dairy farm; her cheeses have recently been awarded a gold medal at an international exhibition in France. Next to her is Boris Akimov. Back in the day, he came up with the idea of the LavkaLavka shop, where he would sell other farmers’ products; today, he is a farmer himself. He told us he was now growing his own variety of garlic and even producing Pereslavl parmesan cheese and jamon. Did you bring us some to try? Boris Akimov: No, everything is back in the village of Knyazhevo. Pavel Zarubin: Looks like we have to go there. They say their products are in great demand. Vladimir Putin: Jamon is a Spanish product, parmesan is Italian. They are produced differently, using different techniques. Boris Akimov: And now we have our own. Pavel Zarubin: Is your jamon good? Boris Akimov: So they say. Pavel Zarubin: What do you think? Boris Akimov: I am not one to brag. But seems like it. Pavel Zarubin: Then tell us about your problems and ask the President your question. Boris Akimov: Today, the government provides way more assistance to agribusiness holding companies than to farmers, about 90 percent of all assistance is provided to the 10 largest Russian companies. Meanwhile, these companies’ profits do not stay local, but are rather in Moscow, or, even more often, abroad, in offshore accounts. While small farmers, small businesses invest in the areas where they live and work, thus becoming a driver of local development. I believe we have a concrete suggestion on how these priorities could be adjusted somewhat. Europe has a great example of promoting regional products. Take, for instance, again, parmesan, or Parma ham, or champagne. They serve as drivers for these areas, providing a great number of farmers and small businesses with jobs. Our idea is to launch a similar programme for making regional products in Russia. I am sure this would give many farmers and small businesses a boost, while the local area would start developing as well; good for farmers, good for consumers, too. Yelena Vinnik: So what is your question then? Vladimir Putin: Will they develop well, by the way? Boris Akimov: Basically, this is the suggestion: we have many regional brands that are often forgotten. Take the Breitovo garlic that I grow, for instance, or Pavlovo chickens, or Murom cucumbers. In other words, there are many products that can be revived and become the drivers of the development of this territory. It would be great to extend this programme to the entire country. Vladimir Putin: Once again, please, what programme? Can you please explain? Boris Akimov: A programme to develop products of local, territorial origin. There is a place called Pavlovo in Nizhny Novgorod Region. At one time, it was famous for its Pavlovo chicken breed. These chickens were famous. Today, every region has many interesting products that could be revived, that could become economic drivers in their territories. They would create jobs and farmers would be employed. Vladimir Putin: So, you are talking about the development of local brands, so to speak. Boris Akimov: Yes, the development of product brands. Vladimir Putin: I see. We basically have, say, Vologda butter that is well-known at least in the country and maybe even abroad. So, generally, this has not been lost. I fully agree with you that the state and the media should help with this, although the media will want us to pay and then they will promote whatever we want. But, of course, the state should provide support. At the same time, I think what you said about farmers and large farms are repercussions of the debates on what the state should primarily focus on. And I agree with you. I know about these debates and I know who pushed for this. I am just kidding. Jokes aside, this is the former governor of Krasnodar Territory, Alexander Tkachyov. He kept saying that large commodity production was a driver of agriculture and indeed, it provides the main commodities and this is true both for this country and abroad. But we should certainly not forget about small and medium farms, and I fully agree with you on this. However, I think that you still have incomplete information in this respect. What do I mean? Look, first, the amount of commodity production at farms recently increased by 45 percent. Overall, this is decent growth, and it would have been impossible without state support. Government support for agriculture totaled 254 billion rubles last year; this year, it is more than 300–303 billion. This includes export support. Of the total amount, around 45 percent goes to large companies, while smaller farms account for 16 percent. Smaller farmers, who are rolling out more and more products, today account for 12 percent of the market. What does this mean? This means that the amount of support they are given is greater than their market. And this implies that the government is pushing them towards further development. If, as I believe, this happens, in the very near future, their share of the market will equal the level of support they get, growing from 12 percent to 16. Here of course, I fully agree with you, the state will have to lend a hand and take the next step, especially since there are areas of activity where smaller farms are indispensable. Farmers, in general, are an absolutely organic part of the agriculture industry. As for brand support, you are again correct; we need to think about this. I will ask Dmitry Patrushev [Minister of Agriculture] to draft proposals. Vladimir Putin: So where is the cheese? Boris Akimov: There will be cheese. Yelena Vinnik: Leave your address with us after the programme. A lot of housing has been built in Russia in recent years. The shortage of housing is less important now and the issue has been pushed to the background by another problem – now there is a lack of infrastructure in new residential areas: there are no kindergartens, schools, clinics, or public gardens. I will just read a couple of messages. Moscow Region: “Why, when building new complexes, residents' needs for schools, kindergartens, or other infrastructure are not taken into account? If you need children, you have to think about their living conditions.” Another one: “The infrastructure was never built. There is no kindergarten, no schools, and the developer is on the wanted list.” Mr President, let us go to our call centre, there are many calls on this subject, I know. Natalya Yuryeva: Colleagues, for starters, I will say that our call centre has just undergone a massive DDoS attack from abroad. Apparently, this is the reason for the disruptions in video calls we encountered. But we have managed to repel it; the app was restarted and we are continuing to receive calls. The total number is already approaching 2 million. We really do have a lot of questions about infrastructure. In Vologda there is a dire shortage of kindergartens, especially in the Leningradsky, Okruzhnoi and Gagarinsky districts. Rostov-on-Don: a problem with the new Suvorovsky neighbourhood, where plans provided for gardens. They are now being replaced with high-rise buildings. Voronezh, the Protsessor neighbourhood. There are many young families who were promised a school back in 2017, but construction has been put off until 2028. Which school will their children go to for the next 10 years? Who knows. We also have a video call from Kseniya Bessonova in Krasnoyarsk. Kseniya, you are on air. Ksenia Bessonova: Good afternoon, Mr President. Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon. Ksenia Bessonova: I call on you on behalf of all the residents of the 3rd neighbourhood, who need your assistance for a school, a kindergarten and a park to be added to the neighbourhood. Over 70,000 people live here, in Solnechny, mostly new builds, and mostly young families with small children. The schools that we do have are crowded with three times more pupils than acceptable. The birth rate in our neighbourhood was the highest in Krasnoyarsk, but the social infrastructure is a real problem. The shortage of places in our schools and kindergartens is estimated at over 3,000. In 2018 we protected the area where a school and a kindergarten were to be built when we learned that residential buildings would be built there instead. The residents held protests, and the residential construction decision was called off. But several months ago we learned that the city authorities had issued residential building permits for the remaining part of the municipally owned land in the third neighbourhood where a park was to be created. The problem is that there are no parks or public gardens in the new residential neighbourhoods, that is, in the larger part of Solnechny. Our children have nowhere to go outdoors. Please, help us. Vladimir Putin: I see that Krasnoyarsk Territory Governor [Alexander] Uss is taking part in this meeting via videoconference. Let him answer your question. I believe that in this particular case he should say how your problem will be settled. This must be done by all means no matter how complicated it may be. I would like to say the following in this connection. This problem has not appeared because of changes in the housing legislation. And it should have been settled a long time ago. The example you have provided suggests the opposite, but such problems were usually settled in the following manner: when the construction was co-financed by the future residents, the joint development contracts stipulated the construction of the social infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals and kindergartens. This does not seem to be your case, though. It is clearly the fault of those who made the construction decision at the local and regional levels. Even the regional authorities are not to blame here, for such decisions are made by the local authorities. But, unfortunately, this problem will now become more acute. I am talking about this in order to once again draw the attention of the Russian Government and the regional colleagues to this matter. Why? Because we are converting to new forms of housing construction linked with the decision to alleviate the burden on the people, the risks, rather, so as not to create new problems with unfinished construction projects. Now we are shifting this burden and the risks onto financial organisations, with state support. I repeat, in the first case, equity construction investors paid for this, one way or another. In the long run, it was included in the overall housing costs. Today, the state, namely, the federal Government or the specific region and municipalities with regional support, are supposed to build the social infrastructure under the law. This is what the law says, but they still have no source. The Government and Russian regions now have to create a legal system that would make it possible to build the social infrastructure along with housing, and that would also determine the sources of financing for such construction. Now, let us listen to the governor in this particular case. Pavel Zarubin: Mr Uss, could you make it very brief? Will you solve the problem? Vladimir Putin: Yes, Mr Uss, go ahead. Krasnoyarsk Territory Governor Alexander Uss: Good afternoon, Mr President. Indeed, the Solnechny residential area is far from ideal, and high-density construction is a typical legacy of the 1990s. It is located on the city’s outskirts and, to be frank, it has never been a high-priority area. At the same time, I would like to note that a school and a kindergarten opened there earlier in 2019, and I attended the kindergarten opening. I was surprised to learn that land plots suitable for construction, including these social projects, were allotted to municipalities for commercial housing construction projects. If so, we will modify this decision. At the same time, I would like to note that the residential area is located on the city’s outskirts, so we will probably find an opportunity to set up a park there. I would also like to say that this particular residential area is included in our Housing priority project. In this sense, modern urban development approaches can be implemented there, although it is impossible to completely eliminate the legacy that we have received. Pavel Zarubin: Thank you. Vladimir Putin: I am sorry, but I would like to address the governor once again. Please go there and talk to the people. Please see what can be done to expand the social infrastructure in line with this woman’s request. If you need any assistance, we are ready to provide such individual targeted assistance. I am confident that Krasnoyarsk Territory can accomplish this task. In any event, please report on this to me separately as soon as possible. Alexander Uss: All right, thank you. Pavel Zarubin: We had problems with calls at the beginning, so let us give the call centre another chance. Vladimir Putin: Let me also respond to some text messages here, or whatever it is on the screen: “When will officials have wages like average workers?” You know, I have seen a lot of such questions. Let us imagine that a minister will receive the wages of an average worker. It pains me to say this, and I would very much like to… Do you remember this famous joke: “We should work not so that there are no more rich people, but so that there are no poor people?” I would like the wages of an average worker to grow. What can be the problem if we simply decrease the wages of officials, ministers or even top managers at large state companies? We will not find enough qualified experts. They will go to private offices or move abroad, and in the end this will affect the prosperity of Russia and these average workers we are talking about, because there will be no effective decisions, no development plans, and no one to implement them. It is obvious that people should get wages according to their qualifications, according to their professional and personal qualities and, of course, according to the results of their work. However, I agree with you that the difference must not be colossal. If we turn to top managers at our large state companies, we will see some peculiarities here as well. To tell the truth, I am also rankled sometimes to see their incomes. By the way, I have said this many times. But the thing is, their companies – and this is really necessary – have many foreign experts, and the level of their salaries is comparable to what the top executives get. You see, if we decrease their pay sharply, they will have a deficit of experts, like in healthcare, and the consequences can be dire. Nevertheless, let me repeat that the difference must not be colossal. I agree with you. We should think about this. Pavel Zarubin: Tatyana, a call, please. Vladimir Putin: I am sorry. Incidentally, in healthcare or education, senior professionals receive ten times more, and I am not even speaking about ministers, ten times more than an average employee at a hospital or an educational institution. Of course, this is unacceptable, and we must definitely focus on this. Pavel Zarubin: We have a call. Tatyana? Tatyana Remezova: Thank you, colleagues. We are receiving very many questions and calls from outside Russia. Let us take a quick glance at them. This map shows those who are trying to connect with us via OK Live. We have calls from London, Paris, Zurich, Hanover and Hamburg. There are plenty of calls from Moldova, Belarus and, of course, Ukraine. Here are just a few examples, and some questions: “Mr President, you said on April 27 that the procedure for granting Russian citizenship would be facilitated for all rather than individual groups of Ukrainians. When will you sign the executive order?” “Will we ever make up with Ukraine? Will we ever restore ties with Ukraine?” A call from Odessa: “Mr President, will you visit us in Ukraine?” Right now, we have a call from Kiev. They tell me that it is Ukrainian journalist Valery Shvets. Valery, good afternoon. Valery Shvets: Mr President, good afternoon. Valery Shvets: Do the Minsk talks have a future after the recent elections in Ukraine? As we know, Viktor Medvedchuk has left the negotiating group. He said he would carry on independent talks on releasing detainees regardless of the position of the new Ukrainian authorities. Has Medvedchuk contacted you on the matter of releasing Ukrainian citizens held in detention in Russia? Vladimir Putin: First of all, we never lose sight of these matters, especially when it concerns the problems of people in distress, those who are in detention or in other places that are no better than a prison. It is true that Mr Medvedchuk was involved in this process, both at the request of the former President of Ukraine and on his own. But initially he was charged with this job by President Poroshenko. It is also true that Mr Medvedchuk takes all these problems personally, close to heart. He has been here recently, when he again called for releasing the Ukrainian sailors who had been detained during the accident near the Kerch Strait. He also called on us to release several other people who have been sentenced and are serving their terms in Russia. But these subjects should be regarded as a package. Before addressing this matter, we must think about those for whom we care, including Russian citizens, who are suffering the same fate in Ukraine. Yelena Vinnik: Mr President, we receive many questions through the social networks. Vladimir Putin: I am sorry; I just saw a question from Yakutia, “When will there be a bridge across the Lena River?” This is a question that the Russian Government must address together with Yakutia. This is an expensive project. The problem is, there is nowhere to extend this bridge and this future road. This is why we do not believe that there could be a return on this investment. Nevertheless, it will be necessary to address this problem as soon as possible in order for the city to develop. Now an unusual question: “Where have the Chud people gone?” They have mostly become assimilated. Yes. However, I am sure that they have not disappeared completely. In general, we had many peoples living in the Russian Federation. Some peoples are still there, some are not, but this is all part of our cultural code. Yelena Vinnik: Let us continue. A question we have received in the VKontakte social network, on the economy: “I would like to ask about the plans to further develop the Russian economy. Will there be a stronger emphasis on a market economy? Will we go back to a centralised economy or will we have a kind of mix, which makes the Russian economy stagnate now?” Vasily Buldakov. Pavel Zarubin: I have a question from a text message: “Do you understand that we will never have a breakthrough with economists from the 1990s?” Vladimir Putin: First, we have no economists from the 1990s. Where are they? Name at least one. Maybe Alexei Kudrin, but not completely; and he has also changed and I think he has been drifting towards Sergei Glazyev, because he wants to open our oil treasury and believes that we must raise the cut-off point for oil revenues. However, his own colleagues, his pupils in a way, oppose him and say it will result in inflation, and so on. Let them argue. But we do not really have any economists from the 1990s. Some ideas, maybe ones regarding monetary policy, are there, we can see that, but the economic system of the 1990s is no longer there. Why? Firstly, we no longer have that level of inflation, which was over 30 percent then, neither do we have that level of debt, which went through the roof. We are not dependent on the IMF. On the contrary, our foreign exchange reserves are growing, exceeding 500 billion dollars by now, and they continue to grow. We have no debt – only, unfortunately, some isolated cases of wage arrears or failure to pay salaries on time. But none of this is even close to the 1990s, when salaries were delayed for six months, and military compensations remained unpaid for months. Pensions were the only reliable source of income and even they were not paid on time. They were minuscule and were not paid on time. But there is nothing like that now. However, perhaps something else is more important. The most important thing is that there is no such thing as a pure market economy or a pure command economy, but a mixture of the two is quite possible, as the caller said here, and versions of this can be found around the world. In general, as soon as any economic breakdowns begin, as soon as problems arise, the role of the state immediately expands. But once savings increase, and the situation calms down, the state immediately withdraws from the economy. This happens everywhere, in all countries. And it always happened here in times of crises. Countries with mixed economies actually grow faster than others: China, and partly India. In China now, the pace of economic growth is slower than in India, but still it remains one of the drivers of the global economy. And India, too. What about the Western economies? Look, nobody there objects to strategic planning in industry; on the contrary, they tend to promote it. It is all there, so we need to keep it in mind and use it too. But the main thing that we need to pay attention to, and yesterday we also discussed this with the Economics Minister, and I completely agree – it is motivation. In whatever system a person works, whether in a planned or in a market economy, it is necessary to ensure motivation. Only then will we be able to solve the tasks facing the country. Pavel Zarubin: Let us continue. Natalya Yuryeva, please. Natalya Yuryeva: Thank you. We are now in our programme’s control room where the technical pulse of Direct Line beats. You can see how cramped and noisy it is. The staff have a lot to do. They receive all the calls, video questions and social media messages. You can see how many people are now waiting for their chance to put a question to the President. We can see governors waiting. Some of them will have to answer to the President today. I suspect they all are nervous. Guys, please tell us where the requests on this screen come from? Remark: A young man from St Petersburg. Natalya Yuryeva: And here? Remark: A man from Magadan. Natalya Yuryeva: Please, let us put Magadan on. Remark: Attention, Magadan, let’s go. Remark: We are on. Vyacheslav Korchanov: Good afternoon, Mr President. Vladimir Putin:Good afternoon. Vyacheslav Korchanov: My name is Vyacheslav Korchanov. Here is my question: the mass media regularly tell Russians about another corrupt official being caught. I recall Zakharchenko, the Arashukov father and son, among others; and Zakharchenko’s nine billion is a lorryful of banknotes. Could he really get them without help? When answering previous questions, you spoke about sources of funding. I have a question: where do these billions come from and, most importantly, where will these confiscated billions go? Who will be or is responsible for this rampant corruption? As the guarantor of law, do you feel personally responsible for this mess? Vladimir Putin: Firstly, I, of course, feel responsible for this mess. If I did not, you would not know anything, like it happens in some countries still, or like it used to happen here. You know, there is always an alternative. I am often told “Perhaps we can hide this” or “Maybe we should close this?” because there will be questions like yours. I always have the same answer: no. If we deal with crime, with corruption, with dirty money, we must, firstly, go through with this, and secondly, do it openly. And we will do this and do it openly. Where does the money come from? Clearly, from corruption schemes and from business. Incidentally, both sides are to blame here: one group of people steal and the other group take bribes. There are bribers and bribe-takers. And the law says so. Where does the money go? To public revenue, to be sure. Of course, officials, and representatives of law enforcement in particular, are in a special position and they will always be under special scrutiny. Pavel Zarubin: When you learned about those stored billions, what words best conveyed your reaction? Vladimir Putin: Sometimes it is better not to say them out loud. It is not a laughing matter, actually. In fact, when you learn about these billions, there are no words, at least none fit to go into print. To reiterate: this must not deter us from fighting this phenomenon. Incidentally, this subject occurs in many countries, practically in all of them. Look at the United States, for one, where corruption carries 70, 100, or even 150 years of imprisonment. This is senseless, of course, but the work is carried out in a sufficiently tough manner – and in public. In this country, we will do the same. Yelena Vinnik: In our country, there are also proposals to punish corruption with life imprisonment. Vladimir Putin: You see, the thing is you can sentence a person to life, if he or she is advanced in years, but dozens of years will not make that much difference. Pavel Zarubin: One has the impression that the authorities are stepping up the fight against corruption… Vladimir Putin: What is important is not even the years of imprisonment. The important thing is the inevitability of punishment. Pavel Zarubin: The authorities seem to be stepping up the fight against corruption, but it feels as though its scale is only growing. Vladimir Putin: This is only how it feels. In fact, the number of corruption crimes is declining. And it is declining, I think, largely thanks to our consistent and uncompromising efforts. And we will continue doing this in the future. Pavel Zarubin: We have promised to this studio before the show that we will give them the floor. Maria Gladkikh, please. Maria Gladkikh: Hello, Mr President. We know that we are living in the Internet era. Actually, we are an Internet generation. All of us have smartphones and our phones can help us order food or cinema tickets, while the navigator will always show us the way. I see a good-looking girl in this room, who is taking steps in this direction. Vladimir Putin: All girls are good-looking. Maria Gladkikh: Right, all girls are good-looking, but this girl in a blue dress is General Director of the company Yandex, which, one can say, makes our life easier. Good afternoon, Yelena. As I see it, you have decided to keep on going because there are so many things around. Yandex Director General Yelena Bunina: Good afternoon, Mr President. Yelena Bunina: This is what I would like to say. Ours is a unique country. It is unique also because the technological services created in Russia are more popular than similar international services. Russia is actually the only country where this is taking place on the open market without any harassment of others. But we want more at Yandex. We want to become an international high-tech company that hails from Russia, so that our country feels proud of us and the world admires our cutting-edge technological services. This is becoming possible. For example, our unmanned driving technology is among the best in the world. However, we have a problem with regulatory documents. In the United States, 1,400 self-driving cars are now being tested on the roads, whereas we have only launched the first five. Our legal procedure takes too long. So here is my question. Do you think our state is capable of taking our legal procedure one step ahead of the other countries, so that we can surge ahead in the new technological spheres and become better than anyone else? Thank you. Vladimir Putin: This is my dream as well. But we should take the specific features of our country into account, as you have said. I love Germany, but you know the saying, “What pleases the Russian kills the German.” But it can be the other way round as well. Suppose we start using drones for postal deliveries, as several countries are already doing. Some people here could use this service, which will be expensive at first, while those who do not have the money will keep looking at the sky for fear that something will drop on their heads. No, any innovation must be well prepared. On the other hand, we must accelerate to a breakthrough speed. I fully agree with you on this. That you have reached an agreement with your South Korean colleagues, who will create self-driving cars based on your “brains” and products, is a step towards making us proud of you. We are proud of you as it is; yours is a good company. As for whether others admire you or not… at the least, they respect you. A few words about admiration: it is something to be wary of. Everyone admired Huawei and now it has been swatted, quite unexpectedly. Do you see what I mean? We should remember that, regrettably, unscrupulous methods of competition are very often used. As for development, you know this terminology: we need to create “sandboxes,” and we are actually doing just this. In Skolkovo, a testing ground has been built where these unmanned vehicles are now broken in. Similar facilities should be built in other regions – and expanded. But of course, we must do it faster. Here I certainly agree with you. However, there is something else I would like to emphasise, something you also just mentioned. You said that we have an open market, and it is not protected. But your company, Yandex, wonderful as it is, is successfully competing on our market with giants like Google. Yet, this is not without a touch of state support. Pavel Zarubin: Mr President, there is another good question. You have partially answered it, but it is about summing up. How should life be arranged in Russian technology companies so that our programmers – who are the best in the world, as our young programmers have won almost every world Olympiad – feel better than in Silicon Valley? Vladimir Putin: We need to create a system of preferences, and we are working on this, including tax preferences. As you may know, high-tech companies enjoy a preferential status when it comes to making contributions to the social funds. There are other support policies, including direct support: competition for markets, export support and so on. Because we need our high-tech companies, including software developers, to grow from the Russian level to an international one; otherwise we will not achieve full success. But what is especially important, and what I would like to point out – and here we need to think together with our colleagues from the Government – we need to provide a market for our programmers, especially in sensitive fields: governance, sensitive industries, say the energy sector, the management system, the financial sector, in our large companies – to guarantee sovereignty and ensure security. And here we have to make decisions at the Government level, which would… Indeed, they might not be very market-based… someone has asked here if we have a market economy or not, or where we are heading. But in this segment, we just need direct Government support to ensure a market for such services. Pavel Zarubin: There are many business people, and very successful ones, in this studio today. Nailya, please. Nailya Asker-zade: Mr President, as it happens, people in China are not only fond of Eskimo ice-cream that you regularly present to the PRC President, but also our glazed biscuits. We will hear this story from our studio guest, who arrived from Penza. He sells this and other pastries not only in China but also in seven other countries, including Russia. He has a family confectionery factory. Let me introduce Nikolai Kuzyakov. Nikolai, what issues concern small and medium-sized businesses today? Nikolai Kuzyakov: Good afternoon, Mr President. I have one question and one personal request to make. The question is about the oversight authorities. Thank you for what you have done and for extending the oversight holiday. Indeed, there are fewer planned inspections, but, regrettably, many more unscheduled inspections. Three oversight agencies conducted inspections at my company last week. As a result, they will probably levy 100-percent fines. If they fail to do that, their higher-ups will say that the inspectors botched their job or that there is a corruption component. Small businesses say that, in principle, it is all right that they come and inspect companies. But they should behave like instructors, assistants and mentors. They should help us and teach us so we could safely phone and consult them. I have a question to ask you, Mr President. Is there a way to induce the oversight authorities to stop imposing fines or seeking out problems? Why cannot they help small and medium-sized businesses develop? And another thing. We met once before and you said you would taste Vanya’s Sweets, when you came to Penza. This is the first reason for you to visit us. The second reason is that we have a strong ice hockey school. The city of Penza has produced many national players. You play ice hockey in Sochi. Our governor plays hockey, too. I have a dream: to play with you on a rink in Penza. Vladimir Putin: Thank you for your invitation. First of all, I will answer a question I saw there: “Are you a Muscovite or a Russian?” I am a Petersburger. I was born in St Petersburg. It is my homeland, which is saying something, as I see it. The second question is about text messages used for treating children. It would be better to know where this question came from, because it must be connected with a problem somewhere, such as an outpatient clinic or its absence, or even the absence of a rural paramedic centre or an outpatient station. Unfortunately, it is unclear where this question has come from. Pavel Zarubin: It most likely concerns the collection of funds for a user’s medical treatment. Vladimir Putin: We need to consider it. “This never happened under Brezhnev.” No, it never did, but many other things that took place under Brezhnev ultimately led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Now to your question about inspections. First of all, there are scheduled inspections. We introduced inspection holidays, but the number of inspections held soared last year because the period of holidays was over. It is logical that the agencies making the inspections augmented their plans to include the companies they had not inspected for several years. This is why we have extended these holidays for another two years. At the same time, the number of scheduled inspections has decreased by some 11 percent. What can be done to turn the inspecting bodies and their inspectors into mentors, as you have said, or even assistants? Actually, you are perfectly right. This is what we want; we would like it to be as you have described it. And this is what we encourage the regulatory bodies, including the prosecutor and tax authorities, to become. We have proposed a number of measures, including the so-called mirror register, to ensure additional control. You have probably heard about this. If not, I will tell you about it. The idea is that not only the inspectors or prosecutor offices keep a register of the inspections, but the companies inspected keep a register as well. In fact, this is what our businesses have proposed. They will keep a register of who inspected whom, the reason for the inspection and their results. This information can and will be submitted to the prosecutor’s offices, which will have an additional source of information about the situation in this sphere. Pavel Zarubin: Mr President, you said many times that excessive pressure must be lifted from businesses and that there is no need for excessive inspections. You issued instructions and directives. What do you feel like when your instructions are not complied with? Vladimir Putin: Like anyone else who… Pavel Zarubin: Where are the boundaries of your patience? Vladimir Putin: It is not a matter of boundaries of patience; what we need is to achieve a set goal. And then, frankly speaking, I have answered similar questions many a time. The simplest thing I can do is raise a ballyhoo, kick out, fire and throw the book at somebody. All of these methods can be used in truly outrageous cases, but I also feel responsible when somebody fails to do something. Yelena Vinnik: Let us give the floor to our guests here. Again, I can see a lot of raised hands. Pavel Zarubin: About the pressure on business, sorry, I will continue. There is a person here with us who has experienced this very pressure on himself. He spent several months in the remand prison before being acquitted. Meet Alexander Khurudzhi. And now he is also a public ombudsman for the rights of entrepreneurs who are in custody. Alexander, your question to the President, please. Alexander Khurudzhi: Mr President, good afternoon. First, I would like to thank you for having supported me then. And the second point is very important. The number of people ending up in pre-trial detention is on the rise. We have made progress in improving the business climate; indeed, a lot has been done, but, unfortunately, we have taken a step backwards, and a very big one too, concerning criminal prosecution. Arrest remains the preferred pre-trial restriction, house arrest at best, and, consequently, a business owner cannot continue operating, loses the business, which in most cases goes bankrupt, and people lose their jobs. We have a specific proposal, and I know that after Titov’s report you spoke positively of it. It is about changing the approach to bail, making bail the predominant pre-trial restriction rather than arrest. This will reduce the cases of partners or rivals “setting each other up.” So their number will decline from the current level of 12 – by the way, not a single person has escaped – and a procedure will be worked out to determine the size of bail in each specific case. There is international practice: it usually depends on the suspect’s financial position. In our practice, the alleged damage is picked randomly, and in 80 percent of cases the court orders to compensate a fraction of that amount. Therefore, I have a really big request, as a person who is faced on a daily basis with loads of appeals from business people around the country to help them and give them a chance to be released on bail. So far, none of those released has fled. Vladimir Putin: I would just like to say, you cannot run away from us, we have a long reach. However, unfortunately, they do run away, you know, and lie low somewhere abroad. And our so-called partners do not seem to be in any hurry to extradite anyone, even in absolutely obvious cases of criminal offences, let alone civil litigation. But this is a separate topic, and it happens that they do extradite someone. You are certainly right to say that arrests should not be overused, especially in cases of economic offences. Here I fully agree with you. You have probably heard what I said in my Address this year, and this is exactly what I said then. Can bail be used for pre-trial restriction more widely? Yes, it can, and it should be. Along with house arrest, or travel restrictions – all these options need to be used more widely, I agree. Yet, it is not possible to exclude arrest from the options altogether – I understand that you do not mean that. But this way wealthy people would be able to avoid arrest indefinitely by paying, so that ordinary citizens now listening to us, and millions of people are indeed listening, would say, hey, this sounds like if he is rich, he can do whatever he pleases, then pay his way out and avoid any responsibility. This cannot be allowed either. Moderation is needed in everything. And bail should certainly be more widely used as a restrictive measure, I have no doubt. One of the main problems today is long remand. I have already asked the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Supreme Court to analyse the situation and make some proposals. There are varying terms; but I would like to adjust these terms and ask both agencies (the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Supreme Court) to submit their proposals by the end of the year, better still by late November or early December. Yelena Vinnik: Mr President, we also have a request from business leaders to streamline the application of Article 210 of the Criminal Code on criminal organisations, because this article is being actively applied. Vladimir Putin: Yes, I fully agree. I do not even want to comment on this, just that I agree. We absolutely need to work at the expert level here, including the Legal Department and the Presidential Executive Office, and the Duma members should also think about it. The current legal procedure prescribed by law is such – and by legal procedure I mean a statement of the essence of the problem – that almost anything can qualify as a criminal organisation, even the board of directors of a company, if at least one of the members has been caught violating the law. And this, of course, is unacceptable; it is an absolutely obvious fact and we need to deal with it and make changes to the current law. Pavel Zarubin: People have recalled the 1990s several times today. In August, we will mark 20years since the tragic events of August 1999, when militants led by Basayev and Khattab invaded Daghestan. The local residents were the first to stand up to them. Today, we will not ignore Daghestan, of course. We are in direct contact with our correspondent Alexander Sladkov in Daghestan. Alexander Sladkov: We are in Botlikh. Hello. This is an area high in the mountains. It is raining now. We were worried and wondered if we would be able to show the surrounding stupendous beauty. But the clouds are clearing up and you can see the legendary village of Botlikh below. There was fierce fighting here 20 years ago. This hollow was engulfed in flames. After choosing this spot for our report, we saw shell casings under our feet. Everything reminds you of the war here. These mountains were seized by the militants. Interior Ministry special forces, now the Russian Guard, landed here. This is Mount Alilen that was stormed by the paratroops; blood was spilled here, there were casualties, but the paratroopers took the height, and the infantry, the gunners, and the airmen were shooting. But the first shot was fired at the militants – there were over a thousand of them, they were international terrorists led by Basayev and Khattab (all sorts came here) – the first shot was fired by the local militia. We have here with us some participants in those events, people, who despite the danger to themselves and their families, despite the possible negative consequences, took up arms and fought alongside the Russian police, security personnel and the military. Mr President, they would like to ask you a question. Question: Good afternoon, Mr President. We remember the day you came to Botlikh by plane at a very difficult time for us. In Botlikh, the local militia was fighting and defending their land and Russia. And now I would like to say the following. We saw wounded and dead militiamen here. But even today – I would like to tell you – they have no status as participants in hostilities. I would like to ask you, Mr President, to resolve this – not for us or for someone else, but for Daghestan and Russia’s future, for the sake of our grandchildren. One more question: Do you remember how, in a military tent, we raised our glasses to victory? We were all standing next to you and wanted to drink up, but you said – later. Now Botlikh is flourishing; we have gas, running water, and it is beautiful here. Allow us to raise our glasses to your health and to victory. Thank you. Vladimir Putin: As for toasts, I hope we will be able to do this with you. In fact, it would be interesting to find out whether our latest decisions on Botlikh, agreed upon during my last visit to Daghestan, have been carried out or not. Regarding those events, they are in my memory for the rest of my life. I remember how the people of Daghestan acted. I remember how all this happened. I remember people coming to me… It might be unusual for the country to hear, but I will recall it, how people from Daghestan addressed me and said, If Russia is unwilling or unable to defend itself or us, give us weapons. I also remember a different situation, when the village heads came to our military – when the forces arrived – and said why aren’t you using artillery? And the Russian commander replied, your houses are there, it would be a shame to destroy them because it takes generations to build houses in the mountains. And I was struck by their reply: don’t feel bad, just do it. And it was like this not only in Botlikh but also in other villages too. For example, I remember Tsumandinsky District where the local residents simply refused to allow these criminals to enter their area. It was the same in other villages as well; people took up arms and defended their towns, as you said, they defended themselves, their birthplaces and the whole of Russia against these international terrorist groups. These were international groups that were, incidentally, well-armed and well-trained. The Constitutional Court has passed a ruling on this subject and said that the current law makes it possible to adopt a decision of this kind at the regional level. Well, I understand that the republic just lacks the funds. So, I agree with you and fully support you, that this decision must be made. This is a simple act: the militia members must be put on the list of the law now in effect in Russia, which will immediately give you and your militia comrades the same status as veterans of military operations. I am instructing the Government to do this and do it as soon as possible. The problem is how to compile the lists. But I do not think this will be too difficult. What I mean is that these people, thank God, are alive and in good health, and you will help us with it. Pavel Zarubin: Let us continue. Back in 1999, you went to Daghestan as prime minister. The country was falling apart. Several months later, President Boris Yeltsin resigned, shifting the responsibility for the country on to you. Vladimir Putin: What do you mean he shifted responsibility? He resigned, and I agreed to become acting president. I had to do this. Pavel Zarubin: If you could go back 20 years, would you make the same decision? Vladimir Putin: I have said many times that when Boris Yeltsin offered this to me, I replied that I was not ready for it, that I never thought I would do this. But ultimately, I agreed. As you said, and as the veterans of those hostilities have reminded us, the country was in critical condition. Had the terrorists reached their goals in Daghestan, it would have created system-wide problems for the whole of the North Caucasus and subsequently for the Volga region. This is something we must never forget. But we managed to avoid it; we preserved our sovereignty and territorial integrity, partly due to people like the ones we see on this screen today. Trust me, it was vital to do this then. What mattered was not the combat might of these volunteers, but their spirit and desire to preserve the country. It was a milestone, an absolutely key milestone event. I am deeply grateful to those Daghestanis and to Daghestan for taking a stand, then and now. Therefore, the only possible answer to your question is, “Yes, of course.” Especially since we did this by working together and with the support of the whole country. Yelena Vinnik: Mr President, let us listen to those who are here in this room. They have a lot of questions. Olga Pautova, please. Olga Pautova: Many questions have to do with healthcare. You could see at the beginning of this event, my colleagues showed you hospitals that have many problems. People turn to these hospitals for help, they want to get better. I would like to look at this issue from a different angle: some 1.3 million people who seek medical assistance in Russia every year are terminally ill. But this does not mean that we cannot help them. I will give the floor now to Nyuta Federmesser, the founder of the Vera Hospice Charity Foundation. Thanks to this foundation, the country has learned about palliative care for the terminally ill. Over the past three months, Nyuta has been travelling across the country and visiting hospices. She knows everything about the problems of palliative care. Nyuta, please sit down and take the floor. Anna Federmesser: Thank you. Indeed, I have been travelling for three months now. This story from Daghestan is incredibly touching – just recently, I have visited Daghestan with the Russian Popular Front’s project called The Care Region – which is why I cannot help but digress from my question and comment on this. These people are absolutely wonderful. In Daghestan, no one needs a reminder that people should pass away at home and that the elderly should be at home, that this is natural and normal, because everyone there takes people from hospital back home. Absolutely everyone, always. Even if someone passes away at a psychoneurological residential care facility that the relatives took them to back in their childhood, he or she is taken back home. I have to say that I saw a similar wonderful facility with the Miloserdiye [Mercy] department in the city of Buynaksk; it had a wonderful warm, homey, truly Caucasian atmosphere. But at the same time, there is not a single home-visit palliative care service in Daghestan. They are trying hard to make it happen, want to make it happen and are trying to. We tried as well. I am sure that we will continue working with the governor and the authorities on this. Just recently, a girl named Patimat was brought there from Moscow. Her mother Marjanat wanted to move there as well, but, let us put it like this, she stayed home in Makhachkala. Unfortunately, only after our appeal to the local authorities was a home-visit care service for her organised, because there is no such system there yet. We will work on it in Daghestan and everywhere possible, because it is very important. Thank you. My question, however, concerns a completely different topic. When you run around the country like this with three key messages that you have talked about – that there must be accessibility, trained experts and medication supply. It seems that palliative care will become accessible, the experts will, hopefully, complete their training; there will be medicines, the money for medication was allocated, everything was purchased. But why is there such a great number of patients not receiving pain management, why does this suffering remain? Because there is one more factor that does not deal with the healthcare system directly. This is the medical professionals’ fear of using opioid analgesics. The Interior Ministry says that there are not many cases of prosecuted doctors, medical professionals. Not many cases, but there are some, nevertheless. That is how we work, all of us – you make a public example of one person who is punished, and thousands live in fear. Prosecution of doctors – medical professionals, not just doctors – is regulated by the Criminal Code, article 228.2, section one. This is a very interesting article establishing criminal liability regardless of consequences, whether any harmful effects followed or not, whether they were dangerous or not. This means, the drug did not find its way to the illicit market, did not cause harm to health, but a mistake was made in the procedure – a mere formality: say, the entry was made at the wrong time, with the wrong pen, the entry form was wrong, the ampoule fell down and rolled under the safe, and it could only be retrieved the next day. When you ask doctors, “Why are you not managing the pain? There is a patient in pain there”, they reply with “You know how it is with drugs.” I hear this all the time. We held surveys via the Vera and Gift of Life foundations. We have been talking about this for five years, really, each time with another agency, and they keep telling us: “Yes, of course, we must decriminalise this article, we definitely must.” But it seems to me that we need someone on the inside when all agencies come together, who would finally advocate this. There are other offences in the Criminal Code, such as 228.1 and 229, which concern selling drugs – and this happens, unfortunately, truth to be told, some drugs find their way to the illicit market. If the medical professional is the one to blame, there are other statutes. If we must prosecute medical professionals for formal errors, we will never solve the personnel problem that today’s Direct Line basically began with. Olga Pautova: Back to the question please, Nyuta. Anna Federmesser: My question is, essentially, a request. I ask you to support the complete decriminalisation of medical professionals’ liability under article 228.2, because there are other articles for those who really are guilty, and they must not escape justice. It seems to me that for death to no longer be described in Russia as a “merciful release”, for people to pass away instead of dying in agony, one has to, unfortunately, appeal to Direct Line again, sorry to say. Vladimir Putin: Yes indeed, this problem is known. You are right, decisions have to be taken. Look, if an ampoule with a narcotic substance rolls under something, as you said, it naturally has to be retrieved, if it simply rolled away. That is the first thing. The second thing. Unfortunately, there are violations in this sphere as well; there are cases of these medications finding their way to the illicit market, and we must keep in mind that this happens. But you are absolutely right about the fact that it must not destabilise the entire system’s operation. And when something obviously gets lost, it is not even about the ampoule rolling under something, it can even get stepped on accidentally; sometimes, patients get prescriptions not according to medical regulations – four injections instead of two or three, which is a deviation from the regulation. And doctors must not be liable for this, you are absolutely right. But here, like in some other cases, the solution, as I see it, is very simple; it does not even require any major change. One needs to keep a record of such losses or when more is used than the regulation provides for, in some document to be signed by not only the doctor or the nurse, but, say, a hospital administrator or the chief of medicine. We simply need to develop a system for reporting and record keeping. And if someone tries to cheat under this system, or profit off it, this will be a criminal case that must be dealt with separately. And Ms Golikova [Deputy Prime Minister] is on the line right now, she is listening, but there is no need for comment. I ask her to pay attention to this and take action, and develop a corresponding proposal. Yelena Vinnik: Mr President, I would like to say a bit more about the anti-narcotics article. Vladimir Putin: Yes, just a second, please. Before we started discussing narcotics, I did not have time to write down the name of the village in Orenburg Region where a school has not been renovated for 50 years. Will you be able to find its name later on? Yelena Vinnik: Trudovoye village. Vladimir Putin: Right, Trudovoye. I will certainly discuss the matter with the governor, and, naturally, we will try and help. Anyuta has discussed doctor training programmes here. This is very important for the sphere you mentioned and also in general. When we talked about healthcare, it goes without saying that, on the one hand, it is necessary to streamline the system for training specialists and constantly improving their skills. On the other hand, there needs to be oversight of advanced training programmes and this entire process. As a matter of fact, the Ministry of Healthcare is now dealing with this matter. Yelena Vinnik: Once again, speaking of article 228 that deals with narcotics, many people have been sentenced in Russia. And most of them say that police had planted the drugs in order to prove their guilt. Perhaps it is now time to introduce some amendments to this part of the Criminal Code’s article that stipulates liability for narcotics possession. Vladimir Putin: Indeed, many people are sentenced for violating statutes on narcotics distribution. Moreover, people sentenced under articles linked with the illegal distribution of narcotics and preparations and their precursors account for some 26 percent of all prison inmates. Should we liberalise this sphere? I do not think so because this country, our nation and our people are facing a tremendous threat. Anyone illegally possessing, transporting and selling even small amounts of drugs must bear the consequences for this, and there can be no liberalisation here. On the other hand, we need to establish oversight of the operations of law enforcement agencies, so that they do not violate the law in any way, so that they do not arrest people for the sake of meeting preset targets, and so that there are no incidents like the one involving that journalist that you have mentioned. By the way, the generals were dismissed for this, and I hope that the required investigative activities will be duly conducted to expose all the culprits who created this abnormal situation. I repeat, the most important thing is that we need to establish oversight. Therefore, I will think about this, and I will have another conversation with the Prosecutor-General’s Office and the Interior Ministry. Maybe, the Interior Ministry’s internal affairs division should set up an independent specialised office that would monitor this sphere of activity. And the Federal Security Service ought to address this matter more actively. Pavel Zarubin: Back to the calls. A word from Tatyana Remezova. Tatyana Remezova: Three new laws, pased this spring, have sparked a lot of questions and criticism, especially in the internet community. Here is one typical text message about the law against insulting the authorities: “Do the officials differ in any way from other citizens of our country? Are they grown in incubators, or maybe delivered from Mars?” This topic has also hit the blogosphere. A popular social media person, a founder of the MDK project with 10 million followers, which is a big audience, Roberto Panchvidze, will join us by videoconference. We hope to see him on the screen right now. Roberto, hello. You are on air, please ask your question. Roberto Panchvidze: Good afternoon, Mr President. My name is Roberto Panchvidze, I am the chief administrator and editor of the MDK community. Since I deal mainly with young people and the internet, I will be more comfortable talking about things I can relate to and what hurts us specifically. On March 18, you signed a law on disrespect for the authorities. Apart from the media, this affects the internet. In our country, the internet is more than a list of social media or services. The internet in Russia is, first of all, people. People who have a need to speak out, who feel a growing social tension, who are looking for a place where they can let it all out. So they have been doing this openly and, most importantly, safely on the internet for some time. Now, because of this law, we all as internet users are in great danger. I would like to ask you to monitor the enforcement of this law and take it under control, so the situation with that infamous article No. 282 is not repeated. The prerequisites for this are in place. Just a few days ago, in Arkhangelsk Region alone, this new law resulted in six people being penalised – six people – because of their comments in a group on VKontakte. One woman was fined because of her comment, I will quote it verbatim: “They’ve got some nerve!” I do not know what the situation with the other five is, but I would say some clearly defined boundaries are needed, some line drawn between insult and criticism, so that people are able to fully understand and comply with this law, and the authorities will not be able to abuse it. Thank you. Vladimir Putin: I see what this is about. This law is not about criticising the authorities. On the contrary, it should be freer; people have the right and must focus attention on problems, including those in the functioning of government institutions. This goes without saying. The law has a different aim. It is designed to fight the desecration of state symbols; in fact, of our nation and each one of us, so that nobody could mock the flag, the emblem and so on. This is what it is about, and such things happen; we cannot let them go unnoticed. Moreover, this practice is not confined to Russia. Many countries even have criminal liability for this; for example, it is punished by several years in prison in Germany. In Russia, administrative liability has just been introduced for this. There is nothing unusual here. But something I must agree with you is that you are absolutely right that no one has the right to abuse this law in order to restrict people’s rights to criticise the current government at any level, by the way. Of course, we will monitor this. I will ask the General Prosecutor’s Office to monitor this carefully. Enforcement must be in keeping with the spirit and the letter of the law. Roberto Panchvidze: Thank you very much. Vladimir Putin: Thank you. Tatyana Remezova: There has been a big response on the blogosphere: four million views on OK Live 4, so the internet is with us, too. Another blogger has just contacted us. It is pundit and author Dmitry Puchkov, better known as Goblin in the internet world. Mr Puchkov, you have the floor. I understand you have a question about the law on fake news. Dmitry Puchkov: Good afternoon, Mr President. Dmitry Puchkov: My name is Dmitry Puchkov. The growth of the internet and social networks has destroyed many barriers that had previously stopped all manner of lies, and now anyone can, pardon me, rave and call it news: the end of the world is coming here in Dzerzhinsk, or a man was buried alive. It is a trend to call such made-up news “fake”. It is well known that our people are credulous, often naïve, especially on the internet. Young people readily believe any fiction and argue themselves hoarse, saying, “I know it’s true, I read it on the internet.” While in the West, I agree, they even have criminal liability for spreading video clips. For example, they can get real prison time in New Zealand. Here is my question. Isn’t it time to introduce stricter criminal liability for spreading fake news in Russia? Vladimir Putin: You know, we did not have any liability at all. I think administrative liability was introduced, but the problem is there and becoming increasingly urgent. You mentioned Dzerzhinsk but there are other examples. When we were sitting in my office, preparing for today’s event, the heads of our main channels – both Channel One and VGTRK – said they had receive calls about mines and bombs. But this is not limited to TV channels. Companies, transport facilities, shopping centres, including large malls, also receive calls and other information to this effect. Incidentally, this leads to huge losses and could trigger serious concern in society as a whole. You mentioned Dzerzhinsk where information about higher radiation or something else are being spread. But I would like to emphasize right away so everyone understands what the problem is. This is not simply about spreading information but about the deliberate dissemination of fake information. This is what this law is all about. Let us consider law enforcement actions, how this is being handled everyday and then decide whether it is enough or if something else has to be done in this respect. Thank you. Tatyana Remezova: Thank you. The DDoS-attacks on our call centre continue, but we are dealing with them. As you can see, the application works and we continue receiving video calls. The law on a sovereign internet will also come into force in Russia on November 1. Yet another blogger with a million followers has gotten through to us now. He has created one of the most popular YouTube channels with 7 million followers. This is Amiran Sardarov. Good afternoon, Amiran. You are on the air; we are waiting for your question. Amiran Sardarov: Good afternoon. Do you hear me? Vladimir Putin:We do. Good afternoon. Amiran Sardarov: One of the main topics online today is the law on a sovereign internet. It may look as if we are again trying to isolate ourselves from the outside world with an iron curtain. Bloggers and users are perplexed. They do not understand why this is being done. Can you tell us honestly why this law was adopted? Before you reply, I would like to say that my shawarma is the best in Moscow. I invite all of you to try it. Thank you. Vladimir Putin: All right. Well done. Tatyana Remezova: Everyone wants to feed you. Vladimir Putin: He took this opportunity to promote his product and this was the right thing to do. But what was his question? Tatyana Remezova: About the sovereign internet. Vladimir Putin: About the sovereign internet. Listen, this is not at all about restrictions on the internet. We talked about the Chinese company Huawei. The US decided to restrict its activities because most of its servers are abroad. Naturally, I hope this will not happen; they will not figure it out, because this would destroy their own system. But if we assume in theory that these servers are switched off or their performance is affected, we must, with this and other cases, ensure the reliable operation of runet, the Russian segment of the internet. This is the goal that is pursued by this law. This is the only goal. No restrictions are envisioned. On the contrary, this law is designed to ensure the sovereignty of our internet and the opportunity for everyone to work in it: individuals, bloggers and state organisations alike. As for the invitation, thank you very much. Pavel Zarubin: Recently you signed an executive order to simplify the procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship, which many Donbass residents were long looking forward to. The refugees from the people’s republics can be spotted all across Russia, including Naberezhnyye Chelny in Tatarstan. Our correspondent Yegor Kolyvanov. Yegor Kolyvanov: Naberezhnyye Chelny, Tatarstan, is on the line. We are paying a visit to the large Lyulkovich family, which is a blend of Russian, Ukrainian and Belorussian roots. Before we get acquainted with them I would like to show you this small room in a rented flat, which the head of the family, Vladimir Lyulkovich, refitted to use as a workshop. Here we can see work materials and toolboxes on the improvised rows upon rows of shelves. The thing is that Vladimir makes guitars – he is a master guitar maker. I think you will agree that this is a rare occupation. Let me introduce Yelisei – one of the nine children in the family. The whole family had to flee Donbass and seek refuge in Tatarstan. Come with me. Yelisei, I know that you also went to a music school in Naberezhnyye Chelny but then dropped out of it. Why? Yelisei Lyulkovich: We were having money problems, which strained family relations Yegor Kolyvanov: That is understandable. Members of the Lyulkovich family, please say hello to our studio audience and to Russia, which is watching you. Svetlana, we are now acquainted with Yelisei, so please introduce your other children. Svetlana Lyulkovich: This is Katya, Nastya, Valya and my granddaughter Marisha. Yegor Kolyvanov: We already have a granddaughter. Svetlana Lyulkovich: This is Jonnik, Jimik, Richik, Vladik and Dasha. Yegor Kolyvanov: Richard,Johnny, and Jim – it is only natural that your father named you after virtuoso guitarists. The family arrived from Dzerzhinsk – now, as it often happens in today’s Ukraine, the city is called Toretsk – in 2014. Dzerzhinsk is located between Slavyansk and Gorlovka. We all remember the news coming out of there in 2014. Katya, please show me what you have here. Yekaterina Lyulkovich: This is a shell that fell on the grounds of our school. Yegor Kolyvanov: Fragments. Yekaterina Lyulkovich: Yes, shell fragments. Yegor Kolyvanov: The most telling argument that explains why the family has moved from the area. Vladimir, you have been trying to get Russia citizenship since 2014, but, as far as I understand, you have not managed to obtain anything better than refugee status. Why? Vladimir Lyulkovich: Because I have a large family. My wife had to apply for temporary refugee status, which practically does not help in any way because of taxes, so it is like a vicious circle. She had five minor dependent children and it was difficult to declare income for tax purposes. Do you understand? Yegor Kolyvanov: Yes, you mean it was difficult to legally get a job to certify her income. Vladimir Lyulkovich: To get a higher status you have to declare your income for the previous year. It is a vicious circle she cannot break. Yegor Kolyvanov: Of course, it is important to explain that Dzerzhinsk was part of the Donetsk People’s Republic for about four months but now it is under the control of the Ukrainian armed forces, so officially it is not part of the Donetsk People’s Republic. You have a family of 11 and you are not the only ones who came to Naberezhnyye Chelny from Dzerzhinsk. Who are your guests today? Are these people your relatives? Vladimir Lyulkovich: This is the husband of our eldest daughter and his family, including his brother, his brother’s family and their mother. Yegor Kolyvanov: Do you have the same living conditions here? Remark: Yes, we have the same problems and sometimes they are even worse. My brother and I had temporary residence permits, and once both of us were fined and held at a temporary detention centre for foreign nationals. Yegor Kolyvanov: Until you were granted refugee status. It is clear why the family does not want to go back – Richard told me that at home they sent him call-up papers. Richard Lyulkovich: Every two months our neighbour retrieves my call-up papers tucked in the door. They come and ask where we are, where we are hiding and who knows where we are. But we do not want to go back and kill our people. Yegor Kolyvanov: It is clear why they are trying to enlist you in military service. The problem is clear. Your living conditions here are difficult. The children go to school but, of course, you are not eligible for other social guarantees. You can ask the President a question. Vladimir Lyulkovich: Good afternoon, Mr President. Vladimir Lyulkovich: Mr President, on April 29 you signed an executive order on simplifying procedures for receiving citizenship for the residents of some territories of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, who live in the Russian Federation. But this law does not cover me, my family and thousands of people from other territories of Donbass, who live in Russia. We are asking you for help in receiving citizenship because, as you know, hope dies last. Please explain what we could expect from you. Vladimir Putin: I have already spoken about this but would like to repeat it. You mentioned the April 29 Executive Order. There are also other regulations that allow Ukrainian citizens living in Russia to receive citizenship under a simplified procedure. I will see how this works in practice. This is a regulation that was adopted recently. I already know that there is a problem linked with demands for certain documents that Ukrainian citizens can only get in Ukraine. Clearly, this is a vicious circle. It is hardly possible to resolve this problem. Therefore, I will see what adjustments and additions should be made to the regulatory base so that this problem is resolved in practical terms rather than based on papers that are impossible to get. Mr Minnikhanov [President of the Republic of Tatarstan] is listening to this. I will talk to him to find out what else should be done to resolve this problem in your case, and as soon as possible. A decision on your family and the family of your relatives will be made quickly and then we will see in general what changes should be made to the regulatory base to make this process as liberal as possible for other Ukrainian citizens on Russian territory. In fact, I have already said that this is not even limited to those who are on Russian territory. In reviewing this information, I came across many questions from Ukrainian citizens who are not on the territory of the Russian Federation. They are abroad, including the territory of Ukraine. To receive Russian citizenship they will still have to come to the Russian Federation. I can hardly imagine how they would be able to simply contact our consular offices in Ukraine and resolve this issue under current conditions. That said, we will try to liberalise this process and make it as accessible to Ukrainians as possible. Pavel Zarubin: This question was received via the VKontakte social networking service: ”You do not speak with Zelensky. But you must understand that it is difficult for him; he is young and does not have enough skills. You could make the first step.“ Vladimir Putin: You know, we have just watched this video. I can say in this regard that he is a talented person. I remember his performance on the KVN comedy show in Moscow back in the mid-2000s. It was clever and funny. But what we have just seen is not funny. This is not a comedy; this is tragedy. And now that he has found himself in this position and has become the president of a state, he must solve these problems, especially as he repeatedly spoke about it during his election campaign and made it his core theme. But what is happening now? When visiting Paris, he said he was not going to speak with the separatists, that is, with representatives of these unrecognised republics. Then how do you solve this issue? There are no cases in modern history when conflicts of this kind have been settled without a direct dialogue between the conflicting parties. This is simply not possible. Moreover, there has been an increase in shelling by Ukraine's Armed Forces. However, during the election campaign, he stated that the shelling would be stopped and the blockade lifted. This is a direct violation of the Minsk Agreements, which say that the economic ties of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics with Ukraine must be restored. Nothing is being done, and the blockade is only getting worse. Making conciliatory gestures is the simplest thing to do. The Ukrainian leadership needs to exercise its political will. Yelena Vinnik: Mr President, I will go on regarding our closest neighbour, Belarus. You have spoken on this topic, though. Vladimir Putin: I beg your pardon, but here is an important question on the growing cost of housing and utility services. We will get back to this. I will not go into detail, but I want those asking this question – and there are plenty of such questions – to know that they remain under the control of the Government and my personal control. There are limitations to the growth in housing and utility service rates, but efforts should be made to monitor compliance with these restrictions at the regional level. I will task the Government with establishing proper regulation in this sphere. Here is a rhetorical question: “There is no way back to socialism, and capitalism has not given me anything. Why did they not ask the people?” To begin with, people were asked about this in the early 1990s and although 74 percent voted to preserve the Soviet Union (by the way, later on nobody recalled this fact for some reason), the RSFSR Supreme Soviet actually voted to dissolve it. These people were representatives of the nation and this is how they voted. Incidentally, as I see it, this question was asked by a leftist, maybe a Communist Party supporter. But who dissolved the Soviet Union if not the Communist Party? This is exactly how it was done. Both General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Mikhail Gorbachev, and his then opponent, came from the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee. So what? What is the question? Is it possible to return to full-scale socialism? I personally think this is unlikely, simply unlikely, because the country has changed. This is only possible through grievous domestic conflict. Do we need such conflict? I do not rule out that political forces with leftist views and socialist ideas can control the country and the supreme political power. By conducting an open political discussion and addressing the people, the population, the voters, any legal political force is capable of winning their sympathies and establishing itself in the upper echelons of power. Will this be good for the country? I do not know because it is one thing to nationalise everything and another thing to make nationalised industries work well. These are completely different things. As for the elements of state influence and state regulation, they are present in this country anyway. This is a separate big discussion. Yelena Vinnik: Let us continue about Belarus. Vladimir Putin: Yes, please. Yelena Vinnik: There are very many questions. I will read them from the website. When will Russia and Belarus unite in a real union state? There is a proposal to put this question to the people and even to hold a referendum. Vladimir Putin:The question of uniting as a single state is not on our agenda today. The matter deals with the implementation of the treaty that was signed many years ago about the formation of a so-called Union State. This is not a single state; this is not the same thing. But, indeed, there are many elements there, up to the formation of a union parliament, the introduction of a common currency and the like. Some things were not done by Russia, Russia delayed them, and other things were not done by Belarus. I have now agreed with Mr Lukashenko that we will return to this treaty and look together at what should be done from what was not done and what should be adjusted accordingly. Now expert groups formed at the level of prime minister and deputy prime minister are actively dealing with this issue. Incidentally, much has already been done, for instance, on social issues, on the free movement of goods and services and on social guarantees on both sides. Much has been done but in my view, this is obviously not enough. We can and must do a great deal more. Pavel Zarubin: Let us get back to domestic affairs. One of the objectives you set for our national programmes was to promote air routes without stop-overs in Moscow. We can see that things have started moving in this direction. They might not be moving as fast as we want them to, but the domestic network is definitely growing. We are flying to Gorno-Altaisk where our correspondent Dmitry Petrov is on the line. Dmitry Petrov: We are at Gorno-Altaisk Airport where an L-410 plane with 17 passengers has just landed. It made the flight from Novosibirsk. Indeed, the plane is small but quite comfortable and, most importantly, it makes regular flights to Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk; these are direct flights, not through Moscow, as was the case before. The Gorno-Altaisk Airport was rebuilt in 2011 after being out of operation for 20 years. They built a new runway, which is one kilometer longer than the old one, a new terminal and a new traffic control tower, and they installed new navigation equipment. All types of mid-range aircraft can land here. You can see a Sukhoi Superjet in the parking area farther on. It makes charter flights for one of Russia’s leading companies. It has brought company employees who will spend their holidays in the Altai Mountains. Closer to us, you can see a very small private plane. On some days, the parking area is full because several flights have been added. Of course, people are enthusiastic about going to the Altai Mountains. This was primarily done for tourism, so every year new flights are launched. Russians who have dreamt of traveling to the Altai Mountains can finally have their dream come true. In 2011, when the airport reopened, it handled 1.35 million tourists, and now the figure is over 2 million. Today, in June, campsites in the valley along the Katun River are full. Of course, Russians can now fly to the Altai Mountains to feed on the energy of the place. As for the local people, this means higher wages and new jobs. You can see the ground service staff maintaining a plane. Many of them have only been working there for a few months. Let us ask them. Good afternoon. Tell us about your job, please. What do you do to maintain the plane? Remark: Maintenance includes checking all the navigation systems and fueling it. Dmitry Petrov: When will it be fueled? Remark: The plane has just arrived, and it leaves tomorrow, so it will be fueled tomorrow. Dmitry Petrov: I believe airfare to Novosibirsk is 3,800 – this is a bit closer, and 4,900 to Krasnoyarsk. How do people like these prices? Remark: They think it is a bit too expensive. This is too expensive for our people, of course. Wages are not very high here, and we have to travel a lot everywhere. Dmitry Petrov: But it is convenient. Remark: It is convenient. Dmitry Petrov: Look, new routes are launched every year. Now there are five. This year we opened Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Moscow, Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk. Will you be able to manage 25 flights instead of just five? Remark: Yes, of course we will. Remark: Airport capacity is 155 people per hour, so we will, even if there are 25 flights. Dmitry Petrov: And the local authorities, the regional authorities, of course, have plans to develop air links to remote districts, such as Kosh-Agach and Ust-Koksa mainly; it takes all of 24 hours of driving on mountain roads to get there, or only a 90-minute to two-hour flight. And, of course, people living in Siberian and Far Eastern areas, where cities and villages are separated by great distances, dream about the development of regional aviation. Regional aviation alone can decrease these distances. And, of course, everyone hopes it will be like in Gorno-Altaisk: new airports with new runways, and new planes and, most importantly, reasonable fares. You know, some airlines in Chukotka, Kamchatka, Yakutia and Khabarovsk Territory have set very high prices for one-hour flights, like 20,000, 30,000, even 50,000 per passenger, which is very high, to put it mildly. Everyone is hoping that the systematic development of regional aviation will improve the situation. Vladimir Putin: Regarding this airport, I know it well; to tell the truth, it was built on my direct instructions, because the only way to fly there was from Barnaul, and this did not promote the potential for tourism. It is huge, really enormous there. And I am happy to hear that tourism has increased significantly. This is exactly what we wanted to achieve. But with regard to air transportation, it is in fact growing, it has grown lately. While the fact that airfares or, that is, the cost of plane tickets is increasing, is not good. The government, of course, is taking the necessary steps. What are these steps? First, we have retained the VAT on all flights, including those via Moscow. And the VAT on flights that do not go through Moscow has been suspended – it is zero – to stimulate interregional routes. This is a good measure in general. However, other problems came up. They are primarily related to expenses on plane maintenance at airports. And I also believe that the cost of aviation fuel is another big problem. What is the source of this? This problem really exists because the government has begun to exercise a so-called tax maneuver. In other words, we have begun to change export duties on oil and petroleum products with increasing MET taxes on raw materials extraction to compensate for possible losses to companies, and to stabilise the domestic market. It was decided to introduce a reverse excise tax, which means that some of the earnings from oil wells or increasing MET taxes will be redistributed to the oil refiners and thus the situation on the motor fuel market, including diesel and petroleum products, will stabilise. But this was not enough, so the government had to react to growing fuel prices manually and quickly (the entire country was watching). We came up with another mechanism: companies are refunded some of the earnings they could have gained if they had sold oil and petroleum products on the external market. We have agreed that this year the cut-off price would be $55 per barrel; and the difference will be subsidised from the budget, and if the price of oil drops, the oil companies will have to return the money to the budget, and the budget will be used to fund its own items accordingly, including social funding. Next year the price is forecast to be $50, I believe, for a barrel of oil. Why am I going on about this, what is the problem? The problem is that these stabilisation measures in the domestic market did not include aviation fuel; it is as simple as that. Motor fuel was included, diesel and all fuels, but aviation fuel was not. Last year the price increased by 9.5 percent, so it grew by 30 percent for aviation fuel, and by 9.5 percent for airfare, on average. This has never happened before. Growth was typically 2 percent annually. And now we see almost 10 percent, 9.5 percent or even a bit more. For example, 30 percent of the ticket price at Aeroflot is the cost of fuel. I have discussed this with the government; with those people in the government who are responsible for this, and I would like to remind them that this has been neglected and it must be adjusted. This goes for aviation fuel and for bitumen as well, because we need to build roads, and if we do not do this, the cost of road construction will skyrocket as high as airplanes fly, and we will be unable to implement our road construction plans. Yelena Vinnik: Thank you, Gorno-Altaisk. Let us hear from other guests of the studio. Valeria Korableva, please. Valeria Korableva: Mr President, if you do not mind I would like to ask about international issues. Valeria Korableva: We have spoken about sanctions today and there is a man in our studio who is living under them. Let me introduce him. He is the winner of the Leaders of Russia contest of managers, Yevgeny Grabchak. His question is about the leader of the country imposing these sanctions, Donald Trump. Considering that the G20 summit is about to take place, let us hear your question. Yevgeny Grabchak: Thank you. Mr President, I have been under individual sanctions for several years now. This is why I am so interested in international affairs, international diplomacy. The US President has lately been engaged in a strange diplomatic game: Twitter diplomacy. This is what my question relates to. He wrote on Twitter more than once that he would very much like to meet with you. Do you want to meet with him? And if you do, do you think the meeting will benefit this country in any way? Is he capable of improving our bilateral relations? Vladimir Putin: Dialogue is always good. There is always need for it. And, of course, if the US is interested in it – I have said this many times – we are open to dialogue to the extent that our partners are. However, we understand, we see what is happening in US domestic politics. Even if the President wants to meet us halfway in some respects, wants to talk about something, there is a host of restrictions related to the actions of other government institutions. This is especially true now that the incumbent President will be keeping one eye on the demands of the election campaign that he has already started. So I believe not everything will be simple in our relations, considering that part of the US establishment is exploiting Russia-US relations, trying to catch something for itself in this turbid water and inventing, as was mentioned here, groundless fakes by exerting efforts that are worthy of better use. And on and on, always the same. Therefore, as soon as our colleagues are ready we will respond accordingly, all the more so since we have a lot to discuss in international security and disarmament. I am referring to the New START Treaty that is about to expire and, in general, to the need to cultivate normal interstate relations in all areas, including the economy. After all, US companies are not leaving the Russian market. They are working on it although the turnover is not big. But, as I have already said, under Trump our trade grew by $5 billion. It fell under Obama to $20 billion but under Trump, it increased despite all the restrictions and sanctions. As for sanctions, I think this is a big mistake on the part of the US. I hope they realise this eventually and fix it. Pavel Zarubin: We have been working in conditions of cyber attacks today; meanwhile The New York Times reported that US intelligence agencies are trying to penetrate Russia’s power grid. President Trump even accused them of treason. Anyhow, these are their problems, while we are left wondering if it is indeed possible to switch off the lights across the whole of Russia from inside US territory. Do they have such a switch? Vladimir Putin: You know, the modern world is very interconnected and interdependent. I certainly heard about the article in the New York Times and saw the President’s reaction, calling them traitors. I am not sure how we should interpret that – if it means that they disclosed real information or it was a planted story. But in any case, we have to respond one way or another; we must understand what this is about. This is what I want to say on this matter. First, we suggested a number of times to our American partners that we should begin a dialogue to develop some rules in cyberspace including those affecting critical infrastructure and mass media, but we have yet to get any rational response from them. At the outset of his political career President Obama seemed to agree with that but he subsequently did not have time to do anything about it. We also informed the current administration about it. The response was generally positive but it did not go any further either. As to the operation of our critical infrastructure including power and other areas, we must certainly think about how to protect ourselves from any cyber attacks, from any negative impact. We are not only contemplating this but also addressing it. Natalya Yuryeva: Thank you, colleagues. Russia has made a tremendous technological breakthrough in modern weaponry – there is the new Armata missile system, the hypersonic Kinzhal, the prospective Avangard missile system, laser weapons. All of this is certainly very impressive. We are proud of these achievements, yet at the same time, it makes us worry. We have a video call on this topic. The caller is Alexander Batrakov of Moscow. Alexander, you are on the air, we are awaiting your question. Alexander Batrakov: Good afternoon, Mr President. Why does TV show so many new weapons? For which war and with which adversary are we being prepared? Vladimir Putin:Actually, it makes sense to remember what the ancients taught us: If you want peace, prepare for war. There is another famous maxim: Those who do not want to feed their army will feed that of their enemy. This is what I would like to say generally. Firstly, Russia is not among the leaders in military spending. Look, the USA is way ahead of us as they spend, if I am not mistaken, $720, and now they are asking for an astounding $750 billion. The People’s Republic of China comes second with $117 billion in spending. It is followed by Saudi Arabia, imagine that, which overtook us, Great Britain, France, Japan, and then Russia in seventh place in absolute terms, I think we are at the equivalent of $48 billion. The most curious thing is that we are the only great military power – and this is true – that is cutting military spending. In 2017 it accounted for 3.4 percent of the GDP (that is a lot for us), however, in 2018 it was slightly above three percent, in 2019 below three (2.9 percent). It will be 2.87 next year and 2.8 by 2021. If I am mistaken it is only on the decimals, but there is a trend of cutting military expenditures. No other big country is doing this, not a single one. What is curious and what we should certainly pay attention to and take pride in is that despite the modest military spending we not only maintain military and nuclear parity, but we are also two to three steps ahead of our competitors, because no other country in the world has the cutting-edge weapons technology that we have, I mean our hypersonic missiles. This is something we should also take note of. This is a fact that should make us feel proud of our country and feel respect for the people working in defence and research, the defence industry, and for those people who are working to build up our military, who organise that process. We should take note and thank them for it. I read another message here which states, and quite correctly, that the power of a country in the modern world lies not so much in the Poseidons and Peresvets or other weapons as in its economic power. This is absolutely true, and this is the reason we organise work under national projects, so as to support our economic power. Yelena Vinnik: I also have a message that is somewhat military related. A young girl writes from Ivanovo: My name is Darya Rogozina; I am 13. I would like to serve the Motherland as a naval officer but unfortunately, girls are not admitted to the Nakhimov School, at least, not yet. We have a different story in Krasnodar. On direct line is… Vladimir Putin: I am sorry to interrupt you now. I think regarding the Nakhimov School, a decision is being considered for the possible enrollment of young women. Yelena Vinnik: Then we will tell Darya that she will have to wait. Vladimir Putin: I believe a new location has been designated for this, and other things, in St Petersburg. I may be wrong but having said this, I hope Minister Shoigu will respond. Yelena Vinnik: That is exactly how it is going to be … I suggest we go to Krasnodar and our correspondent Pavel Krasnov. The Krasnodar Air Force School. Pavel Krasnov: Good afternoon. This is Krasnodar, greetings form the Krasnodar Air Force School, the military pilot training centre. Here in front of us is a flight simulator combat plane Yak-130 for training. It is also called “a flying desk” for future pilots. We all remember the lyrics of the song: “Airplanes always come first, and girls only afterwards.” But it sounds somewhat insulting for today’s heroes because you see these charming young women are cadets at the training centre, and they dream of the Aerospace Forces. And many of them also hope to ask a question of their Supreme Commander. Just like that, because even though these young women are still cadets, they have already tied their lives to military service. So let us begin. Hello, will you please introduce yourself and ask the President your question. Alla Sankova: Good afternoon, Mr Supreme Commander-in-Chief. I am Alla Sankova, a cadet at the Krasnodar Air Force School. To begin with, allow me to express my gratitude from all the female cadets at our school to you and the Defence Ministry for the opportunity to study and pursue the profession of a military pilot. Will you please tell us if we will be able to participate in other forms of aviation besides military transport? For example, fighter jets or assault aviation. I think we are as capable as the men are. Vladimir Putin: I think your wonderful, beautiful braid will fit in a combat helmet. And I do not see any restriction that could impede your service in the Aerospace Forces, in its various forms including fighter planes. There are no physiological restrictions for women, and I believe there should not be any. The only thing I would like you to consider is assault aviation. The loads there are unbelievable. When I myself flew on a fighter jet, and afterwards on assault jets, I can tell you this: fighter aviation – yes, it now has long-range weapons, they are aviation complexes that require a very high level of professional training. Why can’t women master it? Of course, they can. As to assault aviation, where a pilot flies as he watches with his own eyes the developments in a battle, it involves constant loads up and down, up and down. I am puzzled as to how men fly these planes because the only thing that moves is their fingers, they are so pressed into the chair that they cannot move their heads, cannot move anything, they only operate with their fingers. I am amazed at how they do it. This is why I feel you must explore everything and then move to assault aviation. But, again, I do not see any limitations here. The specialists and medics must be consulted. However, let me repeat for the third time, there is nothing inaccessible for women in military service. Question: Good afternoon, Mr President. I am a cadet of the Krasnodar Air Force Academy. Your life involves constant flying. How far do you fly annually? I also have a very interesting question: would a woman be considered to be one of your plane’s crew members? Vladimir Putin: Of course, she can, probably. But let me remind you that I use Rossiya Airlines aircraft which are not part of the Aerospace Forces. That is one thing. The second, regarding the distance travelled. It is a lot, I do not remember, but from 2012 until now… It is hard to say, but if I count how long I was in the air, maybe it would be months of just flight time. Yelena Vinnik: Thank you, Krasnodar. Pavel Zarubin: On with the military theme. The situation in Syria seems to be quieter. Will there be a big deal with America? Vladimir Putin: What do you mean by “a deal”? This is not a commercial enterprise. Pavel Zarubin: These days, deal is used to call anything … Vladimir Putin: No, we do not do deals involving our allies or our interests or our principles. We can agree with our partners on resolving certain urgent issues. Some of the problems that we must address together, primarily with our colleagues with whom we have made tangible progress, that is, Turkey, Iran, and other countries involved in the conflict, and above all the US, are related to the political settlement and the formation of the constitutional committee, the rules governing its work and getting that work underway. Can this be done or not? I think it can, given the goodwill of all stakeholder countries. I have already named them, but there are more countries in the region that are involved, primarily Israel, Egypt, and the European countries that are suffering from the flow of migrants and have a stake in securing a settlement. To sum up, we must pool our efforts and work together. Yelena Vinnik: To continue the topic, one more foreign policy question from Odnoklassniki. I quote: “The US blamed Iranians of attacking tankers on the Gulf of Oman. Will there be war between America and Iran” – they are asking you for some reason – “and what will Russia do?” Vladimir Putin: You said it – it is unclear why they are asking me. Probably because there is no Direct Line with my colleagues from Iran and other countries. We do not know the answer but of course, we would not welcome a war. That said, the US says it is not ruling out the use of force, either. I would like to say straight out that this would be, at a minimum, a catastrophe for the region, because it would lead to an outbreak of violence and maybe to an increase in the flow of refugees from this region. But I think this would probably also have terrible consequences for those who would hazard such attempts because it is very difficult to calculate what the use of force may lead to. This is very difficult to foresee. This is because Iran is a Shiite country and it is believed, even in the Islamic world, that these are people who are ready to go to extremes for the sake of their own defence and the protection of their country. It is hard to say what form these extremes would take and whom they would affect. Nobody knows this but it would be very bad for events to develop along these lines. As for Iran in general, it is in full compliance with its agreements with the IAEA, which oversees nuclear technology. Iran is not in violation of anything and we believe it is unjustified to impose any sanctions on it. Pavel Zarubin: A lot of hands are raised in the studio. Maria, please, you have the floor. Maria Gladkikh: Mr President, many topics have already… Vladimir Putin: A young man raised his hand over there. Maria Gladkikh: Yes, I will go to him now. He has been raising his hand from the beginning. Vladimir Putin: Yes, yes. Maria Gladkikh: What is your question to the President? Ilya Kovalyov: Mr President, good afternoon. I am the head of the autonomous non-governmental organisation Investment Agency for the Social Sphere. We are working on several projects, such as Football Russia. The project includes building year-round covered arenas at universities and schools. For example, there is a school with a worn out football pitch. We build a covered all-season arena on this worn pitch. The budget is not paying for this, neither is the school, nor the region; they do not pay for construction or maintenance. Over the last three years, we have built 23 arenas like this across Russia. After a while, we realised that the programme was paying for itself and that it should be used elsewhere. Maria Gladkikh: What is your question? A bit shorter, if you please. Ilya Kovalyov: So, we realised that the programme should be replicated. The Sports Ministry supports this, and the head of the corporation for the development of small and medium businesses Alexander Braverman found the model economically viable and supported it, too. However, later we found that there were strict administrative obstacles, in particular, in Moscow, St Petersburg and other cities with a million-plus population. This means that our contracts cannot be approved even at a low level, even though we are not demanding money. Mr President, this is what people at the lower levels are saying; I am not talking about top managers or governors: why would we need private investment if we have budget funding? What would we like to ask of you? To see how this project is being implemented. We can explain and show how it is done in Moscow, for example, and how to support similar projects. We would like to cooperate with the Russian Football Union, or someone we has not dealt with so far, to work on this issue and do it in Moscow, St Petersburg and other large cities. This is our request and proposal. Vladimir Putin: I will speak with my colleagues, with Mr Sobyanin [Moscow Mayor], the Acting Governor of St Petersburg and others. As far as I can see, the main thing for us is to provide for the continuous, high-quality operation of educational institutions. You need to cover your expenses, which means that you have an idea how to use these facilities commercially. It is important that this use does not interfere with the operation of the schools or universities. But I will definitely speak with my colleagues. Overall, I believe that this is a very good thing to do, and this would promote competition between schools. You know, this is well-developed in some countries: competitions between universities and schools. This is a very good area of work. Ilya Kovalyov: Mr President, children in the morning… Vladimir Putin:Yes, I can guess. Access is free in the morning and for a fee in the evening. It is important that the morning does not end at 10.00 at night. We should discuss all this with our colleagues. I will do this, I promise. They have probably heard this and will respond. Maria Gladkikh: Mr President, let us move from football on to culture because of a major event of the week. Practically all my friends, without exaggeration, have already visited the remarkable exhibition that is currently running at the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum, while I have been too busy with work to be able to, though hopefully I will make it before long. The exhibition features Sergei Shchukin’s full collection of paintings. Nothing of the sort has ever taken place before. Vladimir Putin: Good. We will get back to the Pushkin Museum in a moment. There was an SMS regarding salaries in emergency medicine. I would ask Ms Skvortsova to look into how things stand in the regions, given that the name of the region is indicated in the SMS. We must see what the salaries are in emergency medicine. Maria Gladkikh: Next to me is Director of the Pushkin Museum Marina Loshak. I suggest giving her the floor. Ms Loshak, thank you for such an interesting exhibition. It was enough for me to learn about it on the internet to get excited about this historic event. What is your question? Marina Loshak: You know, yesterday we unveiled an exhibition that is something of a landmark in the history of Russian culture. The exhibition acquaints visitors with an outstanding Russian citizen, collector and philanthropist, who played a huge role in the textile business and donated money for the upkeep of hospitals and schools, a man whose name is celebrated in Russian history. His home is located close to our museum. It was formerly the palace of the Trubetskoy family, who invited him to stay with them at their home. Hanging on the palace walls were 50 Picassos, 38 Matisses and 16 Gauguins from his time in Tahiti, the best of Monet and the best works of 20th-century French art. The Shchukin exhibition in Paris three years ago drew a record 1.25 million visitors who queued at the museum from dawn till dusk and could not believe that the best works by French impressionism – the pride of the 20th century – were to be found in Russia. As I speak now I feel that Shchukin is standing behind me and I am speaking on his behalf. His home is not seen as a cultural landmark and, in my view, it is very important that it be given this status. It is not important whether our museum or the Hermitage or some other museum manages it, but it must be part of the culture because it is a historical landmark in which we are greatly interested, as this is exactly the kind of memory that cements our society and our nation together, which seems very important to me. So my question is as follows: can the dream of the director of the museum and of a million-strong army of museum visitors ever – I do not know when exactly – come true? Vladimir Putin: Can we create a Shchukin museum there? Marina Loshak: We can create a museum in the spirit of Shchukin. There are many solutions and options. Vladimir Putin: Could you name one? Marina Loshak: One option is a Shchukin family museum because all three brothers, except Sergey, were great collectors and benefactors. Vladimir Putin: I see. Where? There, in his house? Marina Loshak: It is a small house at 18 Bolshoi Znamensky Lane. Maria Gladkikh: This building belongs to the Ministry of Defence. Vladimir Putin: Yes, of course. Maria Loshak: Since 1941. Vladimir Putin: Yes. I understand what you mean now. I will go by what I have seen with my own eyes, if you do not mind. Is it the one on the right-hand side on the way to the Kremlin? Marina Loshak: Exactly. Vladimir Putin: Behind an iron fence. Yes, it is a building complex that belongs to the Ministry of Defence, where Ministry of Defence departments are located and where communication systems were installed after 1941. This area and these spaces were developed by the Ministry of Defence. The Ministry has been developing the infrastructure year after year, for decades. I believe people understand what the infrastructure of a military establishment entails. It is primarily communication systems and they are expensive. Still, we can give them time to think it over. I believe that the first step could be to instruct the Ministry of Defence, and I hope the Minister can hear me, to consider the option of how the Defence Ministry itself… Because the building is part of its premises and so as not to uproot the Ministry from its property and hand it over to the City Council or the Ministry of Culture but to leave it for the Ministry of Defence, it would make sense if the Ministry of Defence oversaw this work itself and opened a Shchukin Museum there. Marina Loshak: We could also participate… Vladimir Putin: Not only you. Marina Loshak: We are very much interested in this. Vladimir Putin: Under the supervision and with the direct assistance of the Ministry of Culture, with your participation and according to the Defence Ministry’s plans and designs, and so on. The more so because this kind of activity seems to be far outside the scope of the Ministry of Defence at first sight, though the Ministry has a department like the Grekov Studio of Military Art. Therefore, in general, this is nothing out of the ordinary and the Ministry of Defence is in a position to do this and can afford it. To be continued.000000000000000000 Pavel Zarubin: Mr President, the producers are telling me we are ready to connect to the village of Kaskara in the Tyumen Region, where there is no water. We sent a film crew there at the beginning of our Direct Line. Let's see what is happening there. Vladimir Putin: Just a moment. I just read some interesting information here. “Yeltsin realised at the time – it was written – that Primakov absolutely had to head the Government. Do you think it necessary for Mr Grudinin to head the Government now?” Primakov did not have bank accounts abroad; he was not engaged in business. Yevgeny Primakov was an absolutely clear and transparent person. Therefore, before making such personnel decisions, as proposed, one needs to think carefully. A candidate will have to withdraw money from offshore companies – for a start. Pavel Zarubin: Could you please show the Tyumen Region on the screen. Artur Mikhailov is ready to start the videoconference. Artur Mikhailov: Hello, we are in the village of Kaskara. It is not far from the regional centre, about 20–30 minutes by car. We got there quickly and had time to talk with local residents, including Maria Kuznetsova, who sent the video message. Here is the problem in a nutshell, so that everyone understands. Water is available in Kaskara, but Kaskara is quite a big and old village, more than 10,000 people. So in the old part, the water quality is okay for drinking. But in the new developments, mostly low-rise areas, which are home to over 3,000 people, there is no water supply. People use wells, and even go to Tyumen to get their drinking water. This is rather inconvenient. But local residents believe the solution to the problem is literally under their feet. We are now standing in the place where a water pipe is buried. We are here together. The local residents will better explain where it leads. They also know better how acute the problem is. By the way, the local authorities have just arrived at the site, and a debate is unfolding, of which we were witnesses. I suggest we let them talk now. Everyone is present here – the local authorities and Maria Kuznetsova, the local resident who sent the video. Hello! The President can hear you. Maria Kuznetsova: Good afternoon, Mr President. We have a big favour to ask of you. Please help us with our water supply. We have lived in this village for 20 years, and we still do not have running water. They make new promises every year, but we are still waiting for them to deliver on their promises. Artur Mikhailov: I see that you have brought water bottles with you. What kind of water is this? Maria Kuznetsova: It is the water we get after four-stage purification. We use it to make tea. Look at it. Our children have to drink this cloudy water, because the only other choice is to buy bottled water or to travel 15 kilometres to obtain clean water. Moreover, our village is located in direct proximity to the Velizhany water intake system that runs towards the Tyumen Broiler poultry farm. We have lived in these conditions for 20 years. Artur Mikhailov: By the way, you can see the farm from where we are standing. The pipe is where the Tyumen Broiler farm is located. It is barely one kilometre away from here. Pavel Zarubin: In other words, a branch pipeline should be built from the intake system. Is this the case? Vladimir Putin: How far is the village located from the regional centre? Pavel Zarubin: It is only 20 kilometres away. Maria Kuznetsova: We travel to our relatives in the nearby village to wash our children and to do our washing. Remark: The water is yellow. Maria Kuznetsova: We have to sink individual artesian or other water wells. Remark: This is what I would like to say. We have lived here for a long time, and every one of us had to sink water wells. They have promised to connect us to the water system by 2020. We would greatly appreciate this. Pavel Zarubin: We see your problem. Let us listen to what the President has to say about this. Vladimir Putin: Ok, I understand your problem. Pavel Zarubin: There are members of the local authorities there. Shall we give them the floor? Vladimir Putin: Please, do. Oleg Podenov: Good afternoon. I am Oleg Podenov, and I live in this village. At present, I get water from an artesian well. A new water supply system is scheduled to be built in 2020 or 2021. It will be connected to the new buildings of Kaskara. We are preparing the documents and discussing the plans. I believe people can wait for a year or two… Remark: We have waited 10 years… Oleg Podenov: …and then they will have clean drinking water. As of now, we are preparing the documents. They will be approved by the local legislature after discussions, that is, if it was not discussed 10 years ago. Pavel Zarubin: Let's listen to the President. Vladimir Putin: Yes. What our colleague said just now is also relevant; this is important information. I take it that the village is not far from the regional centre – 20 minutes or 20 kilometres, as you said, but very near anyway. There is a water main there. Unfortunately, this is a problem across the country. Unfortunately, millions of people do not have access to quality drinking water. We have a whole programme to ensure that people have access to clean and quality water. In this particular case, it sounds a little strange to me that the place is in close proximity to a large and self-sufficient regional centre. Tyumen is one of the donor regions, and there is quite enough money there to resolve such problems. I do not know if there is an objective reason to wait for a year or two to do this. Honestly, I doubt it. In any case, to build a water discharge system in the next two years would not cost that much. Let us hear what the governor has to say. Go ahead please. Tyumen Region Governor Alexander Moor: Good afternoon, Mr President, Alexander Moor: Indeed, supplying water to residents of the Tyumen Region has always been monitored by both the Governor and the government of the Tyumen Region. As for Kaskara, indeed, the village does have a centralised water supply. The supply system was built a long time ago, in 1974, when the local poultry farm was built, and until recently it was managed by this poultry farm. Earlier this year, it was transferred to the management of the Tyumen Vodokanal water and wastewater services provider, because water is supplied to Kaskara from the centralised system of the city of Tyumen. So today, anyone can apply for a technical connection, and this opportunity will be provided to them. The system is indeed quite old, as the residents said today. We are reconstructing the water supply system not only with government money, but also by attracting investor funds through concessions. Three years ago, in the city of Tyumen, we concluded one of the largest concession deals in Russia, for 23 billion, and now we are working on another concession, planned for September-October, involving the entire Tyumensky district – and Kaskara is part of this district, to provide not only Kaskara, but also other villages in the district with centralised water supply and wastewater disposal systems. Pavel Zarubin: So when will there be water? Alexander Moor: It was announced at a local meeting that it would be in 2020, and one of the meeting participants, as I understand it, wanted to say just that. The water line from the city of Tyumen to Kaskara will be built, and it will be possible to increase the volume and throughput capacity of that line, so all the residents of small house suburbs will be connected to the centralised water supply. Absolutely no problems here, the question is clear. Pavel Zarubin: So they will have water in 2020, right? Mr Governor, water in 2020, have we understood correctly? Alexander Moor: The water supply system will be modernised in 2020. But applications for connection can be submitted even now, because the management has been transferred from the poultry farm to a professional market player, Tyumen Vodokanal. Vladimir Putin: You can consider the application already in place. That is what people are talking about. So you need to do it right now, not postpone it. Alexander Moor: We need to apply to Tyumen Vodokanal, and the connection will be made. Vladimir Putin: Do it. This is as good as done. I have just applied on their behalf. I am asking you – do it as quickly as possible. Agreed? Alexander Moor: We will do it, Mr President. Vladimir Putin: I hope this will be done. In general though, I would like to tell my colleagues, the governors, that they must, of course, join programmes that are being implemented at the Federation level. But they need to use modern water purification methods. We have large enterprises, including those in the defence industry, and one of them, MITT, the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, has made a remarkable discovery, a water purification invention, and it is working effectively. But they cannot expand into the regions. I am pointing out to my colleagues in the regions that they need to use such technologies, including the one I have mentioned. As for this specific case, I am asking you to resolve it as quickly as possible. Pavel Zarubin: It is a striking example, but there are many more such examples. It appears that no matter what happens through the fault of village, city or regional heads, you are the one who is held accountable. Is it frustrating for you? Many new governors have been appointed this year. Has this produced any positive effect? Vladimir Putin: This must not frustrate me, because this is my job. I have already said somewhere in the middle of this programme that I feel responsible, in part, for the fact that some of the goals set are not achieved. Of course, I will not turn a blind eye to the failures of ministries, departments or regional authorities. Our colleagues must be held responsible for the range of subjects that are directly within their competence. I have seen a scrolling line here that said, “Is Direct Line a special services’ show?” I know that it is a loaded question. I can assure you that none of Russia’s special services has anything to do with today’s programme. You saw how I was preparing for today’s event, this Direct Line. Questions started coming in a long time ago, and the direction of these questions and the topics that are the biggest concern for the people were clear to me. However, this is a direct line to the nation, to our citizens, a direct line that is intended to bring the bottlenecks into focus and to find solutions to these problems, the possible methods of dealing with them, sometimes right on the spot, during our dialogue. Yelena Vinnik: Mr President, many programmes have been launched in the past few years to help talented young people. We have a representative of the Leaders of Russia contest. Is this contest an effective instrument? Vladimir Putin: Yes, I believe that it is an effective project. The Leaders of Russia is not the only project of this kind. By the way, we received over 200,000 applications for this contest. Overall, we received more than one million, or more precisely, 1.5 million applications for various sourcing and training projects. As for this social lift project, the Leaders of Russia, it is an effective project. A considerable number of those who have passed through this screening system now hold the jobs of federal ministers and governors, as well as deputy governors in nine regions. I believe two of them are now federal ministers. Pavel Zarubin: Let’s have a quick round of questions with short answers. Yelena Vinnik: Yes, we have been on air for over four hours now. Vladimir Putin: Let’s go for it. Pavel Zarubin: The Tyumen Region: “When will the President stop bothering with minor questions?” Vladimir Putin: Well, these are not idle questions. I do not consider them to be minor if they affect human lives. Yelena Vinnik: One more question: “All of us know how hard you work. Do you ever feel lazy? How do you fight this feeling?” This question is from a school student Danila Karyakin. Vladimir Putin: First, psychologists say, if I am not mistaken, that feeling lazy is a normal human state that overcomes people when the body feels it needs to take a break. You should learn to give yourself time to rest. But the only method of fighting laziness is to start working. Yelena Vinnik: How can you force yourself to work? Pavel Zarubin: There is an interesting film, “The President’s Vacation”… Vladimir Putin: Sorry, but I see a hand raised there. Please. Yelena Vinnik: We will take a microphone over there. Natalya Kaspersky: Mr President, I am Natalya Kaspersky, President of the InfoWatch group of companies. My question: What do you plan to do in light of the Huawei scandal, attacks on Venezuela’s energy system and the recent item in The New York Times regarding possible US cyberattacks on Russia’s electricity power grid? How can we boost the import substitution programme in this sphere, because it is clear that we seriously depend on these imports and the substitution project is marking time? Vladimir Putin: I see. I have already spoken on this subject, but I can mention it again. We are working on import substitution. As I have said, we have allocated some 667 billion rubles for this, including for the high-tech sectors of the national economy. But the key idea I want to repeat once again is that we must protect the critically important infrastructure sectors, including with the assistance of such companies as yours. We are trying to do this. We need to create an internal market for such products. We will be encouraging this, even if we have to resort to non-market methods. Natalya Kaspersky: We need to provide assistance to the procurers, because companies and corporations are reluctant. Vladimir Putin: I understand. We do not so much need to support the procurers as, much as I dislike the word, force them to do what we want. We must encourage them to buy Russian products. We are pondering the possibilities here. I have issued instructions to the Government. We will continue working on this. Pavel Zarubin: I have been informed that Governor Uss, governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, arrived in the microdistrict with no infrastructure at all. We can put him on now, if you see fit. We can see what is happening there. Let’s have a look. (A fragment of a meeting is shown on the screen.) Pavel Zarubin: I don’t know if they can hear us, but we can see that work is in full swing now. Yelena Vinnik: They have responded, they have. Pavel Zarubin: Let’s continue with our quick questions. Yelena Vinnik: Mr President, shall we continue with the quick Q&A section or move on to the guests in the studio? Vladimir Putin: Let’s have some questions from the audience, we have already been talking for four hours. Yegor Beroyev: I will try to be quick. Vladimir Putin:: Go on please. Yegor Beroyev: Yegor Beroyev; I am an actor and co-founder of the I Am charity foundation. We work with mentally special people: with Down syndrome, autism, other wonderful special needs which you are aware of. I would like to speak with you about psychoneurological care facilities. The head of such an institution is simultaneously the client, the service provider and the sole guarantor of the services provided. This results in a direct conflict of interests. Vladimir Putin: A client and a service provider? How is that? Yegor Beroyev: Yes, a client and a service provider. Vladimir Putin:I have no idea what they can provide. Yegor Beroyev: Everything possible. They are the only caretakers for people living in these care homes. This means there is a system, and it’s completely corrupt. In 2017, in Petrozavodsk, you instructed your colleagues to reform the system, but regional officials completely sabotaged your instructions; and adoption of the law on distributed guardianship is our only hope now. You know this law very well. Both the government and the State Duma have been trying to adopt this law for two years now. Now the law is hindered by the State-Legal Directorate of the Presidential Executive Office. We cannot understand its reasoning in this situation. All our hopes today are on you. I can assure you that society needs this law, because, well, I have been working for eight years and have travelled across Russia with my colleagues; we know that people are living as if they were in prison. These people have no joy in life like we do. They share underwear, they share toothbrushes; they cannot go outside. We must solve this problem. Society needs this. We need them more than they need us. Vladimir Putin: Ok. Yelena Vinnik: Thank you. Vladimir Putin: I shall return to this. Yegor Beroyev: Please do. Vladimir Putin: I am sure that the Presidential Executive Office’s State-Legal Directorate has no element of corruption and as you may be aware, personally they are very far removed from this problem. If this is the case, there are some substantive arguments, if there are any at all. Maybe it’s a simple administrative issue. I promise you that I shall return to this subject. Yegor Beroyev: Thank you. Yelena Vinnik: Mr President, should we continue with our quick questions? Vladimir Putin:Yes, please. Pavel Zarubin: Let’s continue. “There is an interesting film titled The President’s Vacation, where the main character, without his guards, decided to see real life in Russia. Would you like to travel across Russia like that?” Alexander Yerastov, Vladimir Region. Vladimir Putin: First, I do travel across Russia. Second, I would really like to relax freely, unrecognised, but I understand that this is impossible. So I have to make do with real life. Third, it is one thing to have a trip, even a long one like I once took in Zhiguli, travelling for 2,000 kilometres in the Far East and inspecting the road connecting Khabarovsk and Chita. However, even if I go somewhere unrecognised, it does not give me a full picture of the situation in Russia, because you can only see specific places and specific situations, while our country is large and not everything is concentrated in one place. It is necessary to have information from different sources in order to understand what is going on in Russia. Third, I do travel across Russia and look. I can even, I am not afraid to mention this, see what is happening in the regions through the newly painted grass and benches. You know, I can see this. That is why I will continue my trips, but I will have to take what holidays are possible. Yelena Vinnik: We know you like jokes and often quote them. Do you know any about yourself? Vladimir Putin: Of course, I have heard a lot. Yelena Vinnik: Please tell one. Vladimir Putin: No. Now I have a colleague who does this professionally and much better than I do. (Laughter.) Pavel Zarubin: Viktor Mitrofanov, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area. “Officials inform you about what they believe necessary, and it is often far from reality. Thus they knowingly decrease your ratings and the public trust. When will you make them stand by their words?” Vladimir Putin: I think that it is an exaggeration to say that all officials always provide false information. Of course, this is not true. But perhaps it happens. You know, to tell the truth, during all these years in office, I have never seen anybody knowingly trying to misinform me. I cannot remember any such case. Perhaps they are the ones who are misinformed and they report their position to me when it is not objective; or their proposals regarding some problem are not the best solution. This can happen and happens quite often. But what can we do in such a situation? We need to gather opinions from many sources and make decisions based on a consensus. Yelena Vinnik: “What is Russia’s greatest problem now?” Vladimir Putin: I spoke about this at the beginning and in the middle of our conversation. Since the main goal we must achieve in several ways within the framework of our national projects is higher labour efficiency, which we must use to improve the living standards of the people, one of our biggest challenges is better labour efficiency. This is what we must get down to. Pavel Zarubin: The topic of officials is very popular. When will inefficient officials be replaced with robots? Vladimir Putin: Even if we decide to replace some people with robots, we will need to ask the Kasperskys for assistance, we will need to ask Yandex for help because you need people to program robots. Yelena Vinnik: If there are any left. “They are slinging mud at us, yet you call them partners. Why are you so polite?” Vladimir Putin: I would not say I am very polite. However, first of all, even though I grew up on the street, it was a street in St Petersburg, where even the urban environment incites certain harmony. These are not empty words; this is really so. The urban environment and architecture are very harmonious [in St Petersburg], and they are bound to influence human development and our understanding of harmony. It is my first point. Second, the Hermitage, the Russian Museum and the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theatre are all part of the environment in which I grew up. Political culture is part of our culture as well. If it is missing in some people, it is their problem. Third, I represent Russia, which is a country with a rich culture. I must never allow myself to forget this. And lastly, the fourth point. When the relationship between countries becomes critically complex or turns sour, ties between these countries’ top officials are very often the last resort for restoring relations, and this door must never be shut. We must serve the interests of our nations. I must never forget this either. Pavel Zarubin: Alexander Kuznetsov from Chelyabinsk asks: “Are you not tired of being President?” Vladimir Putin: No. Otherwise I would not have run for this term. Yelena Vinnik: “When will the railway section of the Crimean Bridge be built?” Vladimir Putin: The work is going according to plan, so the railway part of the Crimean Bridge should be commissioned at the end of this year. Pavel Zarubin: “Please tell us the truth – are you an alien?” Vladimir Putin: No. I have evidence and witnesses such as my family, my relatives, my children after all. Yelena Vinnik: “Mr President, do you sometimes feel ashamed and if so of what?” Vladimir Putin: This is such a serious question. And it is not easy to talk about it to a multimillion audience. Of course I am, like anyone else, like any normal person, I hope. I have already spoken about this publicly. Frankly speaking, it is even hard to talk about it now, but still. It was in the early 2000s; I travelled a lot. The country was going through a very difficult time. So we flew to one of the regions. It was the end of the working day, late in the evening and dark. It was autumn, and there was slush and mud everywhere, and I was to walk some distance, walking in this slush to the car. Suddenly, an elderly woman appeared in front of me, said something indistinctly and suddenly fell to her knees, and gave me a note. I promised her to read it. I took it, gave it to the assistants, and it got lost. I will never forget this. I am still ashamed of that. So now I try to carefully study everything that is sent or given to me. You know, it’s not always possible to resolve problems. Some are unsolvable. I am pretty sure, even certain, as to what was written in that note, having read dozens of such notes by now. Surely, something about helping a son who is in prison, or something like that. But this is not the point; the point is that it has been lost. Pavel Zarubin: Thank you. Shall we wrap up now? Yelena Vinnik: Mr President, maybe you wanted to answer some more questions? Vladimir Putin: I would like to say thank you for today's joint work together. Yelena Vinnik: Thank you very much. Posted by luisavasconcellos2012@gmail.com at 3:09 AM No comments: Labels: Direct Line with VLADIMIR PUTIN HOME - ALL BLOGS Maria Luisa de Vasconcellos luisavasconcellos2012@gmail.com

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