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After You Watch These Bill Murray Facts You Will Receive Total Consciousness By the late 1990s, Bill Murray was one of the biggest comedy stars in the world, commanding a salary per picture of about $9 million. But did you know when Murray agreed to star in Wes Anderson’s Rushmore, he made just $9,000, and when the studio refused to give Anderson the money he needed for a crucial helicopter shot, Bill Murray wrote a check to cover the costs. That’s just one of the facts featured in the last episode of You Think You Know Movies! It’s a crazy story but it’s true: Murray agreed to star as the voice of Garfield the Cat in the live-action version of the long-running comic strip because he believed he was signing on to work with Joel Coen, of the Coen brothers. In fact, the movie was written by Joel Cohen, who had worked on the screenplay for Toy Story, and would later write films like Evan Almighty and Daddy Day Camp. (The damn ‘h’ in his name is silent.) ‘You Think You Know Movies?’ is a ScreenCrush original series that dives deep into the cinematic worlds of your favorite movies and freeze frames a few tidbits you might not have known. We’ve already tackled Star Wars, The Avengers and Spider-Man, but now we’re making a quick change and talking about the life and career of Bill Murray. Watch more installments of ‘You Think You Know Movies?’ below and let us know in the comments what movies we should cover next. Source: After You Watch These Bill Murray Facts You Will Receive Total Consciousness Categories: Articles, Original Features

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How much influence did the animated Lord of the Rings movie from 1978 have on Peter Jackson's trilogy? I wonder how much the previous movie treatment of The Lord of the Rings -- in the form of Ralph Bakshi's great (albeit unfinished) animated version from 1978 -- had any kind of influence on Peter Jackson's movie trilogy. While the production design of Jackson's movies was directly influenced by illustrators Alan Lee and John Howe, the style of Bakshi's movie was declaredly not influenced by any contemporary illustrators and they indeed seem to have quite different designs in many aspects. However, I can't help but notice that other scenes in turn seem to feel similar (like the Hobbits hiding under a tree root from a Nazgul), but that might as well just be a result of the common source material or me overimagining things. So is there any acknowledgment by the people behind the Lord of the Rings trilogy giving insights into how much their movie was influenced by the animated version from 1978, be it the design, story, cinematography or whatever? Or is there even evidence that they actively eschewed from replicating it in any way? Or are there maybe even direct references paying tribute to Bakshi's movie (afterall it was the movie that sparked Jackson's interest in the books in the first place)? analysis the-lord-of-the-rings reference lord-of-the-rings-1978 Napoleon Wilson Napoleon Wilson♦Napoleon Wilson My lord that was such a terrible cartoon. %_% – SliderBlackrose Mar 30 '17 at 18:38 I lifted this directly off the LOTR Wiki, so I didn't have to go transcribe the DVD Extra: Peter Jackson first encountered The Lord of the Rings via Bakshi's film, and some shots in his live-action trilogy appear to have been influenced by it: One such shot features Frodo and the other hobbits hiding from a Black Rider under a big tree root, while the Black Rider stalks above them. In his version of the sequence, Jackson uses a similar shot — although he films it from a different angle (in the book, Frodo hid separately from the other hobbits). A second sequence features the camera slowly revolving around Strider and the hobbits, who stand in a circle as the Black Riders approach them on Weathertop. In his staging, Jackson also uses a similar shot — although his camera is much faster, and Strider is not among the hobbits. A third similarity is the depiction of Gollum losing the ring in the prologue: both films show very similar events but the book had no such prologue and indeed it runs directly counter to Tolkien's scheme for the storyline. Another similarly staged scene is Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn's discovery of Gandalf the White. On the DVD commentary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Jackson acknowledges one shot, a low angle of a hobbit at Bilbo's birthday party shouting "Proudfeet!", as an intentional homage to Bakshi's film. By far the biggest "lift," however, is the scene of the Nazgûl appearing in the hobbits' room at the Prancing Pony and slashing the beds to ribbons thinking the shapes under the sheets to be the hobbits (but are actually pillows). This is almost identical to Bakshi's version, which is significant, as the scene is not depicted in the book; a passage does appear that states that hobbit beds wind up slashed during the night, but the townsfolk of Bree are the perpetrators, not the Nazgûl. Some of Sam's interjections are also sourced from Bakshi rather than Tolkien. Another idea used in both films is to depict Éomer as a late arrival at the Battle of the Hornburg, rather than the book's Erkenbrand. Indeed, the whole stricture of the first two installments is but Bakshi's movie script plight in two and a little expanded with some episodes (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ends exactly where Bakshi's movie ends: the end of the Battle of Hornburg and Gollum leading Frodo and Sam to Shelob - the Black Gate is presumably cut, since Gollum talks about his "secret way", and Faramir could be as well, since the Hobbits are journeying through the Mountains of Shadow). Johnny BonesJohnny Bones Whilst I know Peter Jackson's interest in LOTR did come partially from him watching Ralph Bakshi, I found this interview with Bakshi and thought it might help: And of course it could be really ironic if someone said something like, "In the spirit of Lord of the Rings" considering you did the first one. I'll send it to them! Are you kidding? I'm not going to let that one slide. "In the spirit of Lord of the Rings, I want to do Wizards II." I'll use it. [I've been asked] to finish Rings in animation. I really don't want to. That was one of the questions I wanted to ask. I know that. Everyone wants to ask that question. Why should you be different? Because we're all curious. We love Lord of the Rings the books, we liked your Lord of the Rings, we liked the Peter Jackson one. The picture was just done. I don't want to do a picture that's been done. He's finished it! It's no fun doing something that's been done. It's just no fun for me. Why would I want to spend three or five years working doing something that someone else did? Good point. If I got the same money he had, I could grind him into the ground with mine, but the point is, why bother? Everyone knows that anyhow. I'm definitely a fan of your version of Lord of the Rings, as well as the Peter Jackson one. [My version] had more character, more soul, more heart. Less sneaker selling. We thought it was pretty obvious at several points in the Peter Jackson version that they did take a couple of riffs from you. Uh huh. They took everything from me. The ring wraiths were taken from me. There was a lot! I mean, I designed the ring wraiths. Now, I know Peter Jackson said he also saw your films, and obviously it was some degree of an influence. I mean, how do you take that? Oh, some degree of an influence! Holy shit! Some degree of an influence! What are you talking about? Hey, I can be diplomatic either way, see? [laughs] Let me ask you a question. You're a bright lad in Montreal, right? Some degree of an influence. Look. I'm sitting here with a book called Lord of the Rings, and no film to look at. Every fucking thing you're looking at in Rings I—the design, Gimli, Aragon, the dwarfs, the elves, all that stuff—I came up with, basically because there was nothing to look at. Peter Jackson looked at it and said, I like that, I don't like that, I can improve on that. Who are you kidding? Look at his Lothlorien. Look at my backgrounds of Lothlorien. Take a look! He had much more to see than I did, and if you don't think he lifted it over and over again, you're wrong. I mean, how did he design a knife in Lord of the Rings? How did he design a sword? How did he design the dwarf with his axe? How did he design the fur around him? Why did Peter Jackson put fur around the dwarf? Because I put fur around the dwarf! Why would the dwarf have fur naturally? You see, I could give you a billion little things. I wish I had a movie to look at. That's fine for Peter [Jackson]. But for you to say "somewhat"—shit. Shit, that's ridiculous. Well, you know, I've gotta be diplomatic. I've got to be honest— What? Why? Why do you gotta be diplomatic? Because I haven't seen your Lord of the Rings in a bout a decade. So my memory's not as good as it could be. Then go see it! Go see it. How about under the tree, under the limb, when the wraith on the road is trying to find Frodo, Sam, and the guys were hiding under the bush, under the tree, under the limb on the road, and it was on top? Where did that come from? See, you answered my next question, which was going to be, how did you feel about that? [laughs] How did you feel about that? You're the guy trying to be diplomatic, I'm not. How did you feel about that? I'm interested in how you felt. Well, like I said, I hadn't seen yours in a while, so I didn't have as good a memory as to how much it was. But there were some things that I saw— Aren't you curious? Why didn't you take a look to see the shot-for-shot cuts and background for background? Oh, I'm plenty curious. Unfortunately, I don't get that much sleep as it is. [laughs] Well, let's take a look. You slap it in, you roll down there at high speed, and there it is. But you don't want to do that, because you'd be facing something you don't want to see, and you wouldn't know how to write about it, and then Peter Jackson will get mad about you, and you can't afford that and he's a hot director. You'd best forget about the whole thing and hide. Well, we all know I talk to Peter Jackson every week. [laughs] Did Peter Jackson ever actually contact you at any point? He can kiss my fucking ass. No he hasn't. He didn't have to contact me. He had my movie. Why would he contact me? He robbed me to begin with. What right did he have to make the Rings? It does happen on occasion. I don't know all the details behind it, so I had to ask to find out. Ask me another question. So we won't be seeing you and Peter Jackson in a bar laughing it up anytime soon. You won't see me and my first wife, either. There are certain people you don't want to go near, right? Sorry it's so long I thought it was better to lift it from http://www.fpsmagazine.com/feature/040703bakshi-6.php the narrators questions are in bold and italics. Considering the ringwraiths are described as 'Riders disguised in Black' in The Fellowship of the Ring novel its not that far for them to design the film versions similarly and in my view the Jackson version of them in LOTR is more alike their description than the '78 film but I enjoyed both interpretations. Finally just to add I do think the ringwraiths depicted in The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies were designed exactly along the lines of Bakshi's interpretation and to me were almost a carbon copy though the design is different it goes along the same lines and is presented in the same way and all I could think of was Bakshi's version as I watched their appearance in that scene as they join Sauron and float around his manifestation but anyway hope I helped. The Man With No NameThe Man With No Name Whoa, Bakshi sounds like a pretty bitter asshole. But thanks for the interview, of course. – Napoleon Wilson♦ Apr 1 '15 at 20:10 Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged analysis the-lord-of-the-rings reference lord-of-the-rings-1978 . Do Frodo and Bilbo live forever at the end of the Lord of the Rings trilogy? Was the Lord of the Rings trilogy the first film series to be shot concurrently? Did Pippin die in Lord Of The Rings? What was Saruman's motivation in the Lord of the Rings trilogy? Why did Peter Jackson direct the Lord of the Rings first and then The Hobbit? Why didn't the Lord of the Rings Trilogy just release the Extended Versions in the theater? Why is Sméagol from Lord of the Rings talking to himself alone?

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Celtics fans welcome back Delonte West with open arms By Kurt HelinSep 3, 2010, 12:45 PM EDT Like a prodigal son, Boston fans — and Danny Ainge is among those fans — are welcoming back Delonte West with open arms. The fatted calf is running scared right about now. Delonte is back to a place where he had his best seasons — in the pre Big 3 era in Boston West was a fan favorite. He played with fearlessness, a reckless abandon that fans love. He started 71 games for the Celtics in 05-06 and gave them a fairly efficient 12 points a game. He was eventually traded in the deal that brought Ray Allen to Boston. After he left came the big problems. That reckless style of play led to injuries, there was the run in with the law and the public disclosure of an emotional disorder. Then he was playing for the Cavaliers, who were the sworn enemy of Boston the last few seasons. Read Boston blogs and chat rooms though and it doesn’t matter. In part because he has a non-guaranteed contract, so if it doesn’t work out in training camp nothing is lost. But in part because they are just glad to have him back. Danny Ainge told the Boston Globe he is among those fans happy to see West back in green. “Delonte has been one of my favorite players that I enjoyed watching in my time here with the Celtics,” said Ainge. “He is a competitor and we’re all aware and we’ve done a lot of checks and had a lot of conversation with Delonte and his people and we obviously have a long history with Delonte also and we think he can help us win.” He should be a good fit, spelling Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo in the backcourt nightly. More West and less Von Wafer will be a good thing in Boston. They have a roster spot available. This seems to have happy ending written all over it. But then, we’re weeks out of training camp so maybe it is too early to write the ending to this tale. We know how Boston fans want it to end, though. Tags: Boston Celtics, Danny Ainge, Delonte West

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Federal Commission Wants All the Voting Registration Data Filed under: Voting — trp2011 @ 10:25 PM Tags: Crosscheck, Kris Kobach, undocumented immigrants, voting commission Dictator Donald Trump (DDT) has been furious since his election last November that he missed getting the majority of popular votes by at least three million. He spent the first few months claiming voter fraud by undocumented immigrants, but white supremacist may have given him a solution for punishing people who disagreed with him. On May 11, DDT signed one of his executive orders, examining both voter fraud and suppression. Toward that end, he appointed Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to be vice-chair of DDT’s commission who stated that the commission’s sole objective is to support DDT’s lie that voter fraud was involved in the 2016 election. DDT has claimed that the commission would be bipartisan, but among Democrats are a West Virginia county clerk and a former Arkansas state legislator who doesn’t know why he was chosen. Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap and New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner hope to look into Russia’s interference in the election, but that was not part of the commission’s charge. Nor is the growing number of voter suppression laws across the nation since the Supreme Court gutting of the 1965 Voting Rights Act in 2013. Kobach has an illustrious history in voter suppression throughout the nation.In 2010, the Kansan started providing states with bills to prevent a nonproblem when he provided Arizona with its language for demanding citizenship papers, citizenship proof to register to vote, and strict photo ID requirements for voting. The Arizona “show your papers” law failed in the Supreme Court, but Arizona can still require citizenship proof for state elections. People have to register twice—once for federal candidates and the other for state/local elections. In 2011, Kobach introduced the Kansas law requiring residents to give proof of citizenship to be registered as a voter. Lawsuits against the law are still in court because the federal National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) requires only “the minimum amount of information necessary” to verify citizenship. Last April the court demanded documents to prove Kobach’s claims that enough citizens are registering to force higher standards from NVRA. The ACLU claims that these show that he lobbied DDT to change the law, indicating that he knew his process was inconsistent with current federal law. Last week, a federal judge fined him $1,000 for making “patently misleading representations” about these documents. In 2015, Kobach, he created a system suspending tens of thousands of eligible voters from the rolls but claimed that “nobody’s being disenfranchised.” He is the only secretary of state in the country with the power to prosecute people for committing voter fraud. Kobach’s office also compared voter rolls to temporary driver’s licenses for non-citizens and commissioned outside firms to poll non-citizens about voting habits using these driver’s licenses. He also asked the Department of Homeland Security to compare a list of suspected non-citizen voters against a list of naturalized citizens. In Kansas, Kobach used a database called Crosscheck to look for voters registered in two states and plans a similar process with the data that he collects from the 50 states. It supposedly matches voters’ names and dates of birth to flag people who are double registered. Unfortunately experts have found that it finds 200 false positives for every one legitimate result. Kobach could find almost 1 million false positives. Other states have dropped the program because it flagged one in six Latinos, one in seven Asian Americans, and one in nine African Americans as potential double registrants in the states examined. This week, Kobach sent letters to all 50 secretaries of state requiring “publicly-available voter roll data” including ten types of sensitive information within two weeks. One of these is the last four digits of the registrants’ Social Security number. There was no indication of how Kobach or the commission chair, Vice President Mike Pence, plans to use the information—or keep it secure. Kobach may be on the way to setting up a national system like the one he developed in Kansas. The majority response to Kobach’s letter was “no.” He can’t even get Social Security numbers from Kansas because state law prevents it. Indiana Secretary of State Connie Lawson, a commission member, said that she would provide only voters’ names and their congressional district assignments. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a statement that he will “not provide sensitive voter information to a commission that has already inaccurately passed judgment that millions of Californians voted illegally.” Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill said that she would be “withholding protected data.” She added: “In the same spirit of transparency, we will request that the commission share any memos, meeting minutes or additional information as state officials have not been told precisely what the commission is looking for. This lack of openness is all the more concerning, considering that the vice chair of the commission, Kris Kobach, has a lengthy record of illegally disenfranchising eligible voters in Kansas.” Mississippi’s Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann hadn’t gotten the letter when he formulated his response: “As all of you may remember, I fought in federal court to protect Mississippi voters’ rights for their privacy and won. In the event I were to receive correspondence from the commission requesting (what the other state received) … My reply would be: They can go jump in the Gulf of Mexico and Mississippi is a great state to launch from.” In Missouri, however, the secretary of state said that he will cooperate. Jay Ashcroft is the son of former U.S. AG John Ashcroft, Kobach’s mentor at the Justice Department. In some states, the secretaries of state are not responsible for voter information. For example, the two largest counties in Arizona, not the state, maintain their information. The letter had also suggested that the data be sent to an insecure email address unprotected by even basic encryption technology, a faulty method for the goal of improving the security and integrity of federal election systems. The federal Privacy Act of 1974 prohibits the federal government from keeping records of voters’ party affiliation except in rare circumstances. The law was enacted after Watergate and concerns about Richard Nixon collecting personal information on U.S. voters. Still, Kobach hopes that the Justice Department will get the information for him if states would send him the data. In the original letter, Kobach wrote that “any documents that are submitted to the full Commission will also be made available to the public.” Later he reversed his position and said that it would be stored on a secure server. Voter data is useful for identity theft. Almost 200 million records for U.S. voters compiled for DDT’s 2016 campaign was available for 12 days until a techie pointed out the problem. The Center for Democracy and Technology compared the data availability to a leak of toxic waste. Releasing the data to Kobach would mean having faith in him to keep the material secure. The accusation of widespread voter fraud is fraudulent; the GOP uses it to eliminate votes from women, minorities, and the poor. The type that voter suppression laws intend to control is tremendously rare; they are only a burden to a largely non-existent problem. An examination of DDT’s claims about undocumented immigrants voting in mass during the 2016 presidential election has proved false. A federal judge ruled that some of Kobach’s proposed ID requirements constituted a “mass denial of a fundamental constitutional right.” Candidates around the United States are already beginning to incorporate opposition against Kobach’s plan. Kobach is a candidate for Kansas governor in 2018. A question in Kansas is whether Republicans value their privacy. Imagine if the Democrats tried to collect all the voter data! DDT: Bully-in-Chief Tags: bullying, fake Time cover, Joe Scarborough, lying, Mika Brzezinski, narcissism, New Yorker cover, photoshop, tweets Dictator Donald Trump (DDT) keeps hitting all-time lows in his self-proclaimed drive to regain the “American Dream.” The worst this week—thus far—may be his tweet attack on the hosts of MSNBC Morning Joe show, Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough: “I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don’t watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came.. “…to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year’s Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!” People in the White House feel that they don’t need to live up to any standards because DDT doesn’t. Fifteen minutes before DDT’s tweets, White House social media director Dan Scavino tweeted: “#DumbAsARockMika and lover #JealousJoe are lost, confused & saddened since @POTUS @realDonaldTrump stopped returning their calls! Unhinged.” Scavino apologized; DDT did not. DDT’s attitude toward Scarborough has reversed since the host helped with his campaign. After DDT’s inauguration, he suggested that he marry Brzezinski and Scarborough at Mar-a-Lago or the White House. Before the election, Scarborough went to Trump Tower and gave DDT advice on how to win the election. In the same way that DDT has unified the European Union because of their opposition toward him, he created a bipartisan outcry although Republican legislators’ comments were a bit more muted. GOP comments included “[not] an appropriate comment” (House Speaker Paul Ryan), “beneath the office” and “highly inappropriate” (Sen. Lindsay Graham), “isn’t normal” (Sen. Ben Sasse), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) has a solution: “Since our President clearly has a problem with women, let’s send more to Congress.” In a press conference, Sarah Huckabee Sanders justified DDT by saying that he always pushes back when he’s attacked. She claimed that he has never been violent—this statement about the man who told his audience that he would pay lawyer’s fees for people who punch out protesters. Asked about the president being a role model, she said that only God has this role. Her justification for his behavior was that people knew what they were getting when they voted for him. A statement from DDT’s wife, Melania, said that her husband hits back “ten times harder” when he is attacked. Asked about her cyberbullying program that she had proposed, her office stated that she Grisham was asked about Melania Trump’s stance against cyber bullying, the response was that she is “continuing to be thoughtful about her platform.” DDT has said that “my strongest asset, maybe by far, is my temperament.” He also claimed, “I can be the most presidential person.” Only 20 percent of people in the U.S. think that DDT’s tweets are “effective and informative,” and almost 70 percent find the tweets “reckless and distracting.” DDT is getting stranger—if that’s possible. Today, he interrupted a call to newly elected Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar to compliment a female reporter, calling her “beautiful” with a “nice smile.” Turning back to the prime minister, he said, “I bet she treats you well.” No one is sure what specific problem initiated DDT’s virulent attack on the Morning Joe hosts, but it came soon after Brzezinski called him a narcissist and “needy” because of his “fake” Time cover hanging in at least four of his golf clubs. One of DDT’s common lies is that he appeared on the cover of Time more than anyone else. that he had been on the cover of Time magazine more than anyone else. When he made this claim, he had appeared on that periodical cover 11 times; Richard Nixon was on 55 times, and Barack Obama was on 12 times in just 2008. The photoshopped image of DDT’s “fake” cover is dated March 1, 2009 and touts his show The Apprentice. The headline reads, “Trump Is Hitting On All Fronts…Even TV!” An analysis of the cover shows that two secondary headlines were on the March 2, 2009 cover that used an image of Kate Winslet. Several parts of the cover are wrong, including the exclamation point which Time never uses, the narrower red strip around the cover, and the bar code for software that lets you be a karaoke DJ. A Photoshop tutorial blog post provided the bar code free in 2010. Time has confirmed that the one with DDT is not their cover and asked for its removal from DDT’s properties. At a press conference, Sanders refused to answer question about whether DDT knows that the image is fake. (Time has now published a tutorial on how to spot a fake Time cover that uses DDT’s image as an example.) None of the actual DDT covers of the New Yorker seem to appear in his properties, but they are available here. This one from April is an example of them. Parodies of DDT’s Time cover are also well worth perusing. DDT continued his tweet diatribe with his frequent war on the media. “So they caught Fake News CNN cold, but what about NBC, CBS & ABC? What about the failing @nytimes & @washingtonpost? They are all Fake News!” White House press secretaries have constantly announced that they don’t want press conferences because they want DDT’s words to speak for themselves. Yet DDT’s words continue to be lies. Almost 60 percent of people agree that DDT is not honest, up from 53 percent at his inauguration. Two major newspapers have started tracking DDT’s lies. New York Times reporters David Leonhardt and Stuart A. Thompson have kept track of DDT’s lies since his inauguration and found at least one every day for each of the first 40 days and then on at least 74 of 113 days. Days without lies were while he vacationed or golfed. Some of these lies were reversals of others as he piled lies on top of other lies. The majority of them come from taking credit for others accomplishments. The next categories were false historic detail and recent news that didn’t happen. After that came false exaggerations, descriptions of federal government functions, fabricated economic statistics, job impacts of his policies, and positive effects of his work. And other categories exist. Daniel Dale at The Toronto Star found 337 DDT lies since he was inaugurated, an average of 2.1 per day. DDT managed 18 during just his Iowa rally, the first one west of the Mississippi. Dale listed the lies by date, but they can be searched by topic. DDT’s “misrepresentations” may be the most dangerous. In praising the Senate’s disastrous version of Trumpcare, he stood in front of Alaska’s GOP senator Lisa Murkowski and talked about a 203-percent increase in premiums but omitted the reductions from tax credits. The Affordable Care Act brought the 25 percent increase last year to 1 percent for 93 percent of people in Alaska. Most of them pay less for health insurance than in 2013, before the ACA, and many others couldn’t buy insurance before the ACA because they had pre-existing conditions. In 2017, the 86 percent of Alaskans receiving tax credits pay $93 a month—far less than the $344 they paid in 2013. Only ten percent of people in the United States have to pay full premiums because they aren’t on Medicaid or Medicare, aren’t poor enough to receive subsidies, or don’t receive insurance from their employers. That’s a lot of people, but it’s only three percent of the people in the United States. Brzezinski was right when she called DDT “needy,” and she may be right to call him a narcissist. Characteristics of narcissism is lying and telling people different things to feel good. Narcissists fail to follow social conventions, and others “normalize” their behavior and cover for them. Narcissists enjoy firings, recriminations, and punishment for any perceived enemies. Their “gaslighting” is intended to convince others that they perception of reality is wrong, a part of narcissistic lying. DDT has spent his entire life lying to get what he wants. He’s always been a brutal bully, always on the attack, especially against women. But DDT is no longer a CEO, much as people think that is the job of the President of the United States. That position is a role model for the world, an influence for acceptable behavior by both adults and children. DDT’s presence in this position has coarsened people and caused other great nations to reject the United States. President Obama held himself to the higher standard of his position. He ignored the racist jokes, the posters that showed him being lynched or appearing to be Adolf Hitler, even the slurs against his wife when Republicans called her “a male” or a “gorilla.” The former president did have altercations with the Fox network, perhaps because Fox leadership ordered their hosts to slant the “news” to make the president look bad. In less than 23 weeks, DDT’s behavior and speech have made the United States the laughingstock of the world. No one, not even his lawyers, seems able to curb his crude manner or educate him about governing. People said, “Give him a chance.” He’s taken that chance to constantly embarrass the people of the United States. Today DDT is the face of the GOP. Republicans might want to consider whether he is the image that they want to portray. Congress Churns Forward Filed under: Legislation — trp2011 @ 11:40 PM Tags: budget, CHOICE Act, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Dodd Frank Act, environment, EPA, health care, Jason Chaffetz, TrumpCare Congress is getting ready for another vacation, gone for all next week for a week, before returning for a few days and disappearing for over a month. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) has taken over for Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) as head of the House Oversight Committee and announced that he won’t bother with any investigation into the involvement of people such as Michael Flynn and Jared Kushner with Russia. Gowdy also ruled out looking into whether Trump White House adviser Jared Kushner’s security clearance should be revoked. This is the same man who spent millions of dollars and hundreds of hours examining Hillary Clinton’s email server and four deaths in Benghazi. Chaffetz won’t be back to Washington after the break; he submitted his resignation in April. He did leave a legacy by calling on Congress to declare a monthly $2,500 housing stipend for each congressional member, equivalent to two annual minimum-wage salaries. Chaffetz is the same person who told people that they could pay for their health insurance if they didn’t buy an iPhone. People who asked why Chaffetz had quit a year and a half before the end of his two-year term now have their answer. He starts on Fox network Saturday—the day that he begins “retirement.” House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, John McCain (R-AZ), each met with Andriy Parubiy, founder of the neo-fascist Social-National Party of Ukraine that used Nazi ideology and Third Reich imagery. The SNPU banned non-Ukrainians and established a violently racist paramilitary group called the Patriot of Ukraine. Ryan called on “closer political, economic, and security relations between our legislatures,” and McCain said that he and Parubiy had a “good meeting.” While the media concentrated on the egregious health care plan in the Senate and the Russian investigation into Dictator Donald Trump (DDT) and his colleagues, the House passed a near-repeal of the Dodd-Frank Act. When the act was signed into law in 2010, it attempted to limit the riskiest types of securities to keep the United States out of another recession like the one a decade ago. Current Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin hates the Dodd-Frank Act because it keeps him from making more vast profits from disclosing on mortgages the way that he did before it went into effect. Ironically the pro-Wall Street bill is called CHOICE Act. One part of it eliminates the Labor Department’s fiduciary rule, requiring brokers to act in the best interest of their clients when providing investment advice about retirement. The legislation would also stop the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. from overseeing plans for banks with more than $50 billion in holding assets if they need to declare bankruptcy. It would also greatly lower capital requirements, a method of making bank safer by keeping them from loading up on debt. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) calls it the “Wrong Choice Act” because the anti-family, anti-consumer provisions block regulators from carrying out their jobs and allows big banks to ignore oversight. CHOICE allows banks to return to gambling in the market with federally guaranteed deposits and resume unlimited unfair banking practices to deceive customers. CHOICE permits unregulated payday and car-title loan sharks. If the bill passes, the president can fire the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and curb its oversight powers. The bill allows legislators to defund CFPB, the first step in doing away from it. CFPB returned $11.8 billion to more than 29 million consumers defrauded by big banks, shady for-profit colleges, and debt collectors. Despite the banks’ record profits last year, they want to eliminate the rules that reduce foreclosures and protect borrowers. The Dodd-Frank Act creates rules, processes, and organizations in the connected financial world of banks, hedge funds, mortgage originators, insurance companies, debt collectors, and payday lenders. Stripping away the pieces of Dodd-Frank is like mining by removing a mountain. With any luck, the CHOICE Act may not move through the Senate because eight Democrats would have to support it. Before the Senate tackles CHOICE, it has to deal with the highly unpopular health care bill. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has found $188 billion, and he’s madly talking with reluctant GOP senators to bribe them with backroom “side deals.” Conservatives no longer want to use money to reduce the deficit. If he gets any kind of consensus, then he has to rush the revised bill to the Congressional Budget Office for another scoring in order to vote in the last two weeks of July. The bill has to be passed in coordination with the House by September 30 in order to need only 50 votes, and the Senate is in recess for all of August. Compromise will be difficult: the far right wants no coverage mandates to lower premiums, and the right (called moderates) want more generous tax credits for the working class and less punitive Medicaid cuts. At least nine senators have said that they couldn’t vote for the present bill, and they’re split between those from states that expanded Medicaid and those who fought it. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) wants permission for bare-bones plans that don’t offer much health care—back to life before the Affordable Care Act. McConnell continues to claim that Democrats won’t talk about the health care bill while Democrats are begging to be given a seat at the discussion table. As could be expected, Democrats were upset about being left out of the process. In an odd twist, however, so were several Republicans. Those in the closed-door “listening sessions” reported that the leadership wouldn’t tell them what was and wasn’t on the table. They were just asked about what they could and couldn’t support. Some went so far as to say that the meetings were a box-checking exercise. “I always believe legislation is best crafted through the normal order,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said. “I think it’s much better to have committee consideration of bills, public hearings and to have a full debate.” She was joined by a number of “moderate” GOP senators in calling on involvement of Democrats in the governing process. The Senate has not had this type of closed-door partisan process to major legislation since before World War I, over a century ago. Don Ritchie, the historian emeritus of the Senate, said that Democratic leaders tried the same MO during the Great Depression, but senator revolted. A small revolt may be starting now as most GOP senators are non-committal about the bill. A result of Senate support, people hate their version of Trumpcare even more than they hated the House bill. A USA Today poll reported 12 percent approval, and that newspaper is owned by Fox’s Rupert Murdoch. The House bill had gone as high as 20 percent approval. The last time that members of Congress headed home for a recess, most of the Republicans refused to have town halls with their constituents. They will be increasingly reluctant this summer because the health care bills are causing far more anger than earlier—and the public was furious then. Some GOP legislators are using the shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) as an excuse to avoid their voters. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) has an idea. During the last recess, he suggested that Democrats “adopt a district” as he did when he fielded questions in a town hall from constituents in a neighboring district after Rep. John Faso (R-NY) avoided any meetings. Rep. Reuben Gallego (D-AZ) “adopted” a neighboring district belonging to Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) when she wouldn’t host an event in her district. Maybe the idea will catch on this summer. Only two GOP senators—Jerry Moran (KS) and Bill Cassidy (LA) have scheduled town halls for the upcoming break. A miracle did happen in the U.S. House during the past month! Republicans stood up for the environment! DDT’s budget eliminates more than 50 EPA programs, halves the scientific research, and decimates environmental enforcement and grants—in all, slashing $2.6 billion, 31 percent of the EPA’s budget. Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) wasn’t buying the agency’s secretary, Scott Pruitt, when he defended the cuts by saying they didn’t need the funding. Rep. David Joyce (R-OH) defended the Great Lakes, calling them “a national treasure” and asking if Pruitt thought that it’s “fair to expect states and local communities to shoulder the burden of caring for them.” Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) opposed the 30 percent cuts in the Superfund program, affecting over 100 hazardous waste sites in his state. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) objected to zeroing out several tribal environmental grants and programs. It’s a start! DDT: Week Twenty-Two – Russia, Other Bizarre Happenings Tags: ambassador nominees, Christopher Wray, gerrymandering, Iowa rally, jobs, lawsuits against the president, Russia, sanctions, TrumpCare Dictator Donald Trump (DDT) seemed tamer earlier last week, but he always winds up before his weekend vacations when he can ditch his keepers. Maybe his daily 6:30 am calls to his legal time have given him food for thought. He has far too many lawyers for a man who has nothing to hide. Some of his own lawyers are even hiring their own lawyers. DDT’s biggest loss to Russia could be the Senate vote of 98-2 that limits DDT’s power to remove sanctions from Russia. The U.S. shooting down a Syrian Air Force fighter didn’t make this nation popular with Russia, a Syrian supporter. In retaliation, Russia declared any U.S.-led coalition craft west of the Euphrates river as a possible target and ended the Syrian air safety agreement with the U.S. to avoid aircraft collisions. DDT had already turned all military decisions to Secretary of Defense James Mattis, thereby losing all control and possibly forecasting war. The result was 4,000 more troops sent to Afghanistan and a massive increase in U.S.-caused civilian casualties in Syria and Iraq, more than 35 percent more in five months since DDT’s inauguration than in all of 2016. May saw a record number of women and children killed. It was only two months ago that DDT said that “we’re not going into Syria.” Each week gives greater information about Russian hacking into the U.S. election, including attempts to delete or change voter data. A DHS official testified that 21 states were target although a total of 39 states is possible. Russian revelations keep surfacing. Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn missed reporting a 2015 trip to Saudi Arabia lobbying a U.S./Russia business plan to build nuclear reactors. The legality of foreign payments to Michael Flynn’s business partner Bijan Kianthe is also being investigated. Another casualty could be CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who kept briefing Flynn on highly classified secrets after he knew Flynn was subject to Russian blackmail. The Justice Department has one month to make public part of AG Jeff Sessions’ clearance form that was supposed to disclose Russian official contact, according to a U.S. District Court judge. Sessions has hired his own lawyer. The judge gave the same time limit to search Chief of Staff Reince Priebus’ communication with the FBI to repudiate links between Russia and the Trump campaign. Much of the media was taken up last week with the announcement of the senate health care bill, prepared in secret by GOP leader’s staffers, according to Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT). The sole purpose of the bill is tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, indicating that the name might be better Trumpcut than Trumpcare. In his continuation of hosting foreign leaders—perhaps hoping that they will want his golf courses and resorts—DDT praised the U.S. for doing “a good job building [the Panama Canal].” Panama’s President Juan Carlos Varela responded, “Yeah, about 100 years ago.” The Supreme Court decided to hear a gerrymandering case from Wisconsin that could—or might not—reduce voter suppression throughout the United States. The fourth solid red district stayed red after reelections for DDT’s nominations. All of them, however, are turning purple as the most recent one in Georgia where Dem Jon Osoff lost by under two points after GOP Tom Price won it by 23 percent just six months ago. Democrats overperformed in the other elections too, despite the Republians’ lies. The circus of White House press conferences continued with refusals to even tape the event before Spicer backed down. Despite rumors of Sean Spicer’s departure—and his requirement to interview for his replacement—the press secretary is still there and repeating his line about not speaking to DDT about the subject of the question, any question. After weeks of teasing his audience about possible tapes of himself and former FBI director James Comey, DDT has announced that he lied, that there are no tapes. His claim about taping could be defined as an attempt to intimidate a witness. DDT could still be lying about the existence of tapes if he thinks that they don’t support his version of conversations with Comey. According to former employees, DDT taped conversations at Trump Tower in New York City and recorded his guests’ telephone calls at Mar-a-Lago. To cover himself, DDT said that he didn’t rule out the possibility that “electronic surveillance” had picked up their talks. DDT sent a statement with “warm greetings” to Muslims celebrating Ramadan but eliminated the two-decade tradition of an Iftar dinner representing the end of the Islamic holy month of fasting. Two organizations are suing DDT for illegally destroying communications that federal law demands be preserved. Messages sent from the White House supposedly use an “auto-delete” app to erase messages after they are read. Jordan Libowitz, CREW spokesman, said that the purpose is to “keep them secret from the American people,” as part of a “larger, troubling pattern” of information suppression in the Trump administration, which also includes deletion of the president’s tweets.” DDT continually slammed Hillary Clinton for not saving her emails, asking Russia to find them. Ivanka Trump is also involved in a lawsuit. She has been ordered to testify in a lawsuit from an Italian shoemaker who is accusing her of copying one of his designs. DDT has gone back to finding ambassadors. He picked two owners of sports franchises, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson to go to the UK and former LA Dodgers baseball team owner Jamie McCourt for Belgium. Top donor and fundraiser Kelly Knight Craft may be headed to Canada. She and her husband Joe Craft, president of a coal company Alliance Resource Partners, gave $1.3 million to GOP candidates and SuperPACs last year. Fourteen of his 19 ambassador picks are campaign donors. In another choice, DDT nominated Christopher Wray to replace James Comey as head of the FBI. In early January 2017, Wray deleted a line from his law firm bio referencing a 2006 case in which he represented a U.S. energy executive being investigated by the Russian government. As Chris Christie’s personal lawyer, Wray got the New Jersey governor off from a charge of the George Washington Bridge closing. Wray had a phone with text messages and a former staffer during legislative testimony that Christie claimed he gave to the Department of Justice, but a judge refused to subpoena the phone in evidence against Christie. Wray’s firm also worked on DDT’s “blind trust.” Several candidates for the FBI position had already withdrawn from consideration. A Washington Post analysis found that DDT’s Mar-a-Lago club is booking fewer charity banquets and events since his campaign than in the previous seven years. These banquets account for almost half the annual revenue. DDT’s real estate business is also struggling with a decline in condo and land sales. Listing prices for several high-end NYC condos are being drastically cut while the city’s condo market is booming. DDT did manage to sell a penthouse to a Chinese American tied to high-ranking Chinese government officials and organizations linked to Chinese military intelligence groups. The large revenue on DDT’s financial disclosure forms show gross and not net revenue. DDT tried to rally his troops in a speech in Iowa ten days ago. It was his first west of the Mississippi, and he told at least 18 lies according to fact checkers. One was his promise to pass “new immigration rules which say that those seeking admission into our country must be able to support themselves financially and should not use welfare for a period of at least five years.” DDT’s mandate has been law for 20 years. He also bragged about bringing back coal jobs while delivering multiple lies about the Paris Agreement. Iowa not only has no coal jobs but also gets one-third of its electricity from wind. DDT ridiculed the state for its wind energy, indicating that people will have no electricity when the wind doesn’t blow and complaining about wind turbines “killing all the birds.” Cell phone towers killed 6.8 million birds a year, and glass buildings do away with one billion. Climate change can finish off the rest of them. Last fall DDT proudly announced that he had saved jobs because Ford wouldn’t be expanding its production in Mexico. The corporation is centralizing its small-car production in China. Ford has said it will cut as many as 1,400 jobs in less than a year. General Motors has cut production at four U.S. assembly lines, costing 4,400 workers their jobs. Fiat Chrysler laid off another 1,300 workers at their assembly line in Detroit. The 600 Carrier jobs that DDT bragged about saving last year are going to Mexico, and Boeing is pink-slipping an unknown number of employees. As Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said, American leadership was better under President Obama than under DDT. [Note: My apologies for being late with the 22nd week. Look for the 23rd week in a few days. DDT keeps making news!] Senate Trumpcare: ‘Mean and Meaner’ Filed under: Health Care — trp2011 @ 10:14 PM Tags: Affordable Care Act, healthcare bill, income redistribution, Medicaid, protesters, reconciliation bill, TrumpCare After weeks of secrecy, the Senate version of Trumpcare is out, and police dragged protesters from the hall outside from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) door. Many of them were disabled in wheelchairs and on respirators. Over 40 people were attacked and arrested, and photographs showed blood on the floor of the hall. Photographs and video here. These protesters aren’t alone: Trumpcare has only a 17 percent approval rate in the country and no majority in any of the 50 states. SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) GOP senators said that their bill would not be as cruel as the House bill passed last month, but it is more “mean,” to use a word from Dictator Donald Trump (DDT). Republicans said that they had to pass a repeal of “Obamacare” to keep their promise, but it leaves most of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) bones while taking away the flesh. Four senators have criticized Trumpcare because it doesn’t do enough damage to most of the people in the United States. The sole purpose of the bill was to take money out of health care for women, the poor and low income, the elderly, the sick, and any health person who becomes injured in order to give massive tax cuts to the wealthy, the health care companies, and the pharmaceutical corporations. People with incomes over $200,000 are the ones who benefit. The rich get over $600 billion while people on Medicaid lose over $800 billion. Forty percent of the tax cuts go to the top one percent: multi-billionaire Warren Buffet said that his tax bill would drop about $680,000 with the bill, a 17 percent reduction on his taxes. The top 20 percent will gain 64 percent of the cuts. No date is listed for the giveaway to the wealthy, but it’s retroactive to last December. The pharmaceutical industry would gain $28 billion from Trumpcare to add to its massive profits, $83 billion last year alone. These companies are also among the biggest offshore tax dodgers; Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Merck are three of the top ten U.S. corporations avoiding U.S. taxes. In essence, Trumpcare is only an income-distribution plan. The bill will meet the requirement of lowering the deficit by a few billion because people will no longer have the benefits of the ACA. Like the House bill, the senate Trumpcare will take insurance from tens of millions of people, remove guarantees for pre-existing conditions, and force massive increases in premiums and deductibles. Bill highlights: No ACA mandates. Elimination of taxes for wealthy and corporations. Disappearance of Medicaid expansion throughout the next few years. In eight states—Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Washington—phasing out Medicaid automatically ends any expansion and cuts off currently enrolled people. Limits on Medicaid spending with per capita caps or block grants for states, allocating a specific amount of money no matter what the actual costs of care are. Caps are tied to general rate of inflation, meaning a smaller percentage of the actual cost of care each year. States can also use this funding for purposes other than health care. Waivers allowing states to sell insurance without the Ten Essential Benefits that include hospitalization, emergency care, mental health, lab tests, maternity and pediatric care, etc. People can pay lower premiums to get minimum health care from insurance, leaving them with much higher medical costs. Low- and middle-income Americans will spend significantly more for less coverage. Elimination of tax credits by 2020. Repeal of ACA’s cost-sharing subsidies by 2019. Until then subsidies are reduced to 350 percent of the poverty line from 400 percent, providing help to fewer people. People would have to spend as much as 16.2 percent of their income on premiums instead of no more than 9.5 percent. Reduction of covered medical costs to 58 percent, down from the ACA 75 percent. Shift to Medicaid spending growth to general inflation rate, much lower than medical costs inflation. Work requirement for Medicaid recipients except elderly, pregnant women, and people with disability. Elimination of Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood. Limitations on insurance for abortions, making it almost impossible to purchase. Most of the 13 senators on the committee who supposedly wrote the 142 pages of Trumpcare were not aware of its contents during the process. [These 13 white men average over 60 years of age and more than $1 million in assets.] One member, Sen. Mike Lee (UT), said on Tuesday that he had not seen the bill that is “apparently being written by a small handful of staffers for members of the Republican leadership in the Senate.” Trumpcare must get a vote by the end of next week, according to McConnell. He will allow no testimony from experts and no input from the public. The debate will be limited to ten hours. Republican senators claim that their bill stops denial of insurance for people with pre-existing conditions. In reality, premiums will be too high for people to afford. An analysis of the bill shows that older people could see their premiums increase by more than 700 percent. Women will suffer from Trumpcare with lack of birth control to maternity coverage. Medicaid now pays for half of all births in the United States, including two-thirds of unplanned births. Women in the U.S. have some of the worst maternal health and mortality outcomes in the industrialized world, and life expectancy for women is going down. Trumpcare allows the nation to return to the days when only 11 states required maternity coverage on individual and small-group markets. At that time, 88 percent of individual plans failed to provide maternity coverage. Another highly vulnerable population is disabled and elderly people living in nursing homes who depend on Medicaid. With federal spending reduced by 25 percent, states will be able to cover millions of fewer people. Medicaid also pays for opioid treatment in the current epidemic. Trumpcare allocates $2 billion in 2018 for treatment and recovery services but nothing beyond. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) have requested $45 billion over the next ten years, and experts say that $19 billion a year is needed for the addiction crisis that results in hepatitis C, HIV, and bacterial endocarditis. Rural people will be hard hit with Trumpcare. Their hospitals are partly keep afloat by Medicaid funds because hospitals are required to care for people whether they have insurance or not. At least 79 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, and another 700 are at risk. Trumpcare wants to remove $834 billion in Medicaid, and DDT takes another $610 billion cuts with his budget. The loss of hospitals means not only less health care but also fewer jobs and lowered property values. Republicans complained about the secrecy of passing the Affordable Care Act when the ACA had over 100 hearings and involved hundreds of interested parties during more than a full year. Both the House and the senate bills for Trumpcare were more secret than the Russian hacking. Democrats always clearly stated the purpose for the law, but Trumpcare supporters can’t even come up with a logical reason for the bill. They just repeat that they want to repeal “Obamacare.” Hopefully, senators will have to face constituents during the summer recess. Twenty GOP senators represent 14 states that accepted Medicaid expansion. Over 30 percent of people in Sens. John Kennedy’s Louisiana, John Boozman and Tom Cotton’s Arkansas, and Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul’s Kentucky are Medicaid beneficiaries. More than one-fifth of those living in eight of the other states with Republicans senators are enrolled in Medicaid. In explaining the House Trumpcare bill, used as a pattern for the senate bill, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) said: “It will allow insurance companies to require people who have higher health care costs to contribute more to the insurance pool that helps offset all these costs, thereby reducing the cost to those people who lead good lives, they’re healthy, they’ve done the things to keep their bodies healthy. And right now, those are the people who have done things the right way that are seeing their costs skyrocketing.” Using Brooks’ statement as a guideline, he should tell Rep. Steve Scalise (R-SC) after he was received at least three surgeries from the recent shooting in Alexandria (VA) that he should have done a better job keeping his body healthy. Scalise now has at least one pre-existing condition—and probably many more—from the shooting. Fortunately, however, the people losing health care are paying for his health insurance. The Republicans have trapped themselves. They can’t pass a repeal of the ACA if it needs 60 votes in the senate so they put it into a reconciliation process that requires only 50 votes. They can’t pass a reconciliation measure if it doesn’t have the budgetary savings as the House bill so they cut hundreds of billions of dollars that have helped people. They can’t “add some money to it,” as DDT suggested. So they end up with another bill that, added to the House bill, is “mean and meaner,” as Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said. [Right: Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaking on the floor of the senate.] The 142-page bill is available on line. DDT: Week Twenty-One, Any Success Elusive Tags: Cabinet meeting, climate change denial, Dakota Access Pipeline, Emoluments Clause, foreign policy, Jay Sekulow, Marc Kasowitz, Michael Flynn, Philippines, Qatar, Russian collusion, Tangier (VA), travel ban Two years ago yesterday, a New York businessman rode down an escalator to become the president of the United States who is under investigation for criminal charges. Supporters didn’t believe an article about investigating Dictator Donald Trump (DDT) for obstruction of justice, but he angrily tweeted that he is being investigated. Much has been said about DDT invoking executive privilege, but the U.S. Supreme Court blocked Nixon from using the privilege to withhold evidence in a criminal investigation in 1974. The investigation is also looking into money laundering by DDT associates and the business affairs of DDT’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Russian hackers breached voting systems in 39 different states, according to a new report. This number is almost twice what was previously reported. Russians tried to delete or alter voter data, accessed software for poll worker use on Election Day, and breached a campaign finance database. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and NSA director Adm. Michael Rogers refused to talk about DDT’s involvement with Russia in a hearing, but Coats told his colleagues in March that DDT asked both him and Rogers to stop former FBI director James Comey in a probe into Michael Flynn. DDT asked Coats in front of CIA Director Mike Pompeo. DDT’s lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, has clients with Russian connections include Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch who is close to President Vladimir Putin and Sberbank, Russia’s largest state-owned bank. Kasowitz also represented one of Deripaska’s companies for years in a civil lawsuit in New York and was scheduled to argue on the company’s behalf May 25, two days after news broke that Trump had hired him. Jay Sekulow, with a specialty in “religious liberty” case, is now the television face of DDT’s legal team. Sekulow claims that the president is a “unitary executive” with unlimited national security powers. Former VP Dick Cheney expanded this theory when George W. Bush’s White House Counsel John Yoo justified using torture. The U.S. Constitution does not provide unchecked power for any of the three branches of government. A Few DDT Failures: A federal judge has ruled that DDT failed to conduct an adequate environmental review of the Dakota Access pipeline. Judge James Boasberg requested further briefings to see if the pipeline should be shut down until a full review of impacts of potential oil spills. The Senate voted 97-to-2 to stop DDT’s power to unilaterally scale back sanctions on Russia. Mike Lee and Rand Paul didn’t like the idea, and Secretary of State is not happy about tying “the administration’s hands.” The ethics office refused a “retroactive” waiver to exempt white supremacist Steve Bannon for all of his infractions since he came to the White House. The “waiver” to nullify ethics claims was neither signed nor dated, raising the question of whether DDT knew anything about it. The three-judge unanimous panel ruling against DDT’s travel ban in the 9th Circuit Court decided that he didn’t comply with federal immigration law. DDT failed to offer justification to stop the entry of over 180 million people into the U.S. basing its ban on nationality. Judges cited DDT’s tweets as an “authority.” In a case about the ban before the 4th Circuit Court, lawyers want judges to ignore DDT’s statements as president and rule only on the executive order and DDT’s official actions. If the Supreme Court hears the case, it will have to address both this questions and early constitutional issues from the 4th Circuit ruling. Comey might have been fired earlier if he had refused to meet with DDT. Former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said he was fired the day after he refused a call from DDT because he saw direct contact between the president and a law-enforcement official. He reported the call to AG Jeff Sessions on March 9 and was fired “twenty-two hours later.” Congress is putting the heat on DDT about releasing tapes of his conversations with Comey after DDT accused him of lying under oath. DDT’s Attempts at Foreign Policy: In the week since eight Middle East countries have blockaded Qatar, a country that DDT had supported only days before, the U.S. has crossed from one side to another. DDT called the country extremist, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called for diplomacy, and the United States completed a sale of 36 fighter jets for $12 billion that President Obama had initiated. Iran, Kuwait, and Turkey have declared themselves on the side of Qatar, and the blockading countries have broken up families. U.S. incompetence can put either Russia or Turkey as broker in the Middle East crisis, and Turkey is already deploying troops to help Qatar The Philippines military has confirmed that the U.S. will provide “technical support” to fight ISIS in that country, but President Rodrigo Duterte says he doesn’t want the help. If that’s true, it means that the military may have gone rogue, and the U.S. could be in the middle of the mess. After dumping 194 countries by rejecting the Paris climate agreement, DDT made the United States into a footnote with the G7 group of industrialized nations. The other six reconfirmed a commitment to reducing carbon emissions in a statement after its environment meeting that EPA Secretary Scott Pruitt left early. “G6” countries are already meeting with California in a beginning to work with some states in slowing down climate change. A German fact check of DDT’s speech about saving $3 trillion shows he didn’t account for massive savings in fiscal benefits of avoiding massive climate changes. DDT is afraid to go to Britain if there are large-scale protests. He told current prime minister Theresa May that he’ll wait until the British public supports a visit. UK will save lot of money in not having to break out the gold coach for him. And a Few Other Pieces: D.C. and Maryland are suing DDT because of the millions in payments he is receiving in his Washington hotel that violate the Emoluments Clause of the constitution. Government lawyers content that this prohibition doesn’t count for DDT. If a federal court decides whether the case can continue, the plaintiffs will request that DDT’s personal tax returns be publicly revealed. Another 196 congressional Democrats are suing DDT for the same reason. DDT is blocking more people from his Twitter account, including VoteVets.org, a group representing over 500,000 veterans, family members, and civilian supporters. A record of his more notable blocks, including famous novelist Stephen King, is available here. DDT’s climate quote of the week: “You’ve got one heck of an island there. Your island has been there for hundreds of years, and I believe your island will be there for hundreds more.” The statement was made to Mayor James “Ooker” Eskridge of Tangier (VA) on an island that has about 25 years left before sea-level rise from climate change puts it under the water. Of the 450 population in the town first settled in the 17th century, about 87 percent voted for DDT in the place that is sinking 15 feet each year. DDT’s wife Melania has reported that she officially moved into the White House with their son Barron. Anyone watching comedy shows or news have seen clips of DDT’s Cabinet meeting where members and attendees were forced to suck up to the fragile DDT. Former CIA member Ned Price compared the fawning to what could be seen around North Korea’s Kim Jung-Un. Best headline: “Roomful of Pussies Purrs Its Praise At Feral Orange Tomcat.” Only Defense Secretary James Mattis didn’t play the game, instead praising the members of the military. Lesser noticed, however, is the parody that came from Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Well worth watching! The article is also a detailed debunking of DDT’s claims. If you really want to read the comments …. Being president makes a lot of money for DDT, and not just from his salary. His recent financial disclosure shows tens of millions of dollars in income from his “Trump” golf courses and resorts that get the biggest boosts from places he personally visits. One of these is Mar-a-Lago that doubled its 2016 incoe to $29 million. DDT visited at least one of his own properties in one-third of his first 108 days in office, 36 times. Details here. Republican approval of how things are going in the U.S. dropped 17 points from 58 percent last month to 41 percent. For the first time in his 22 weekends, DDT is not spending time at one of his golf courses or resorts. Instead, he has gone to the presidents’ retreat of Camp David. It may not be a common practice. DDT called Camp David “rustic” and said, “You know how long you’d like it? For about 30 minutes.” This facility does not require millions of dollars per visit like DDT’s time at his personal business places such as Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster (NJ). DDT should be okay: he’s only going overnight. Right-Wing Refuses to Accept Blame for Their Rhetoric, Policies Filed under: Guns — trp2011 @ 10:00 PM Tags: gun violence, political rhetoric Front-page headlines today featured dual news reports: the president of the United States is under criminal investigation for obstruction of justice; and a U.S. representative is in critical condition after being shot at a baseball practice. The second item dominated talk shows as Republicans blame Democrats because of political hate rhetoric from the left. Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) blames the media because “they keep inciting, as opposed to informing.” Almost 63 million people voted for a man who called for violence against people who didn’t support him and bragged about his wanton sexual assaults. Dictator Donald Trump (DDT) continually made calls against Clinton to “lock her up” and encouraged his supporters when they threatened to kill Clinton. He even told his supporters that he would pay their legal fees for attacking protesters so that they would have to be “carried out on stretchers,” and his supporters cheered when he said that he wouldn’t lose any voters if he shot someone in the “middle of Fifth Avenue.” When his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, was arrested for physically attacking a Breitbart reporter, DDT defended him. The serious escalation of violence developed in the 21st century after George W. Bush attacked Iraq without provocation in a “conflict” that has eaten away at U.S. resources, put millions into poverty, and enriched the wealthiest in the nation. For almost a decade, white male Tea Partiers carried guns, invoked a Thomas Jefferson quote about watering the “tree of liberty” with blood, and threatened President Obama’s life. Former VP candidate Sarah Palin posted online graphics with cross hairs on House districts, including that of former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) who was then shot in the head in a massacre that also killed six people. Other GOP candidates, such as Nevada’s Sharron Angle, have promised that they would enact Second Amendment “cures” if they didn’t get their way. A year ago, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) tweeted that the purpose of the Second Amendment is “to shoot at the government when it becomes tyrannical!” Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) called for bloodshed if Hillary Clinton were elected, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) joked about shooting reporters at a gun range. The day before his successful election, Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-MT) body-slammed a reporter to the floor and punched him for asking a question before lying about having done it. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) said, “It’s not appropriate behavior. Unless the reporter deserved it.” Other GOP congressional members covered for Gianforte’s attack on the reporter and laughed about it. Newt Gringrich joined others about calls to assassinate DDT but never complained when Republicans publicized materials for eight years to lynch President Obama. People objected to comparing DDT to Adolf Hitler but never spoke up about the narrative and visuals showing Barack Obama as Hitler. Much of the rhetoric against the GOP is legitimate: Since the inauguration of a GOP president in January, the senate has confirmed Cabinet members and other officials who failed to submit materials before hearings and then blatantly lied under oath. When the Democrats questioned this process, the GOP senators changed the rules and met without Democrats to confirm nominees. Secretary of Education DeVos clearly stated that she condones discrimination against some students, doesn’t plan to help all students in the nation, and her vouchers will go to religious and/or wealthy schools. OMB director Mick Mulvaney tries to pass off inexcusable budget cuts against the poor and elderly as “compassionate.” EPA Secretary Scott Pruitt committed criminal acts by concealing emails and taking bribes from members of the fossil fuels industry. HHS Secretary Tom Price introduced and encouraged legislation that raised the price of his personal stocks. Every confirmed agency director is in direct opposition to the agencies’ missions. Currently, 13 white men are meeting in secret to prepare a draconian version of health care that even DDT calls “mean.” The chamber’s fast-tracked process allows the bill to be available for only two days before a vote with no democratic process of testimony and debate. The sole goal of the bill, affecting one-sixth of the economy and destroying jobs and people’s lives if passed, is to leave people without health insurance by giving billions of dollars to already wealthy people. Republicans want to put more billions of dollars into the military while leaving the safety net, education, health care, and infrastructure bereft. Massive gerrymandering and punitive laws have created voter suppression for women, minorities, and low-income people throughout the nation. GOP senators ignored a nominee for the Supreme Court for almost a year and then rapidly moved to confirm a GOP-nominated justice so far right of the other justices that they unanimously overturned one of his rulings at the same time as his confirmation hearings. Other DDT-nominated justices for lifetime appointments equate the 19th-century Dred Scott case upholding slavery with Roe v. Wade, legalizing abortion. Nominees have histories of discrimination against minorities and LGBT people as well as misogynist attitudes exhibited through their court arguments. John Bush, nominee for the 6th Circuit Court, used a blog to posted citations of white supremacist conspiracy theories and other false information, such President Obama not being born in the U.S. Kevin Newsome, nominee for the 11th Circuit Court, wants juveniles executed but doesn’t want to provide legal counsel to death-row prisoners. Congress makes a sham of hearings, such as confirmations and other in the past few weeks to examine the involvement of Russia in U.S. elections and political activities, by suppressing questioning. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was stopped in Jeff Sessions’ confirmation hearing for AG and told she could no longer speak, and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) was blocked in her questioning of Sessions this week when he stonewalled the Senate Intelligence Committee, the second time in a week that she was stopped. Members of state and federal legislatures are purchased, usually by wealthy conservatives. The intent of every piece of legislation overturning President Obama’s executive orders is to defraud people, take away salaries, and make life worse for the vast majority. DDT’s entire MO is dismantling anything that President Obama created—no matter its value—in an act of petty revenge after the man inaugurated last January was ridiculed at a White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2011. The GOP members of Congress are supporting him every inch of the way. GOP members of Congress consistently enable DDT and his family. DDT consistently flouts the constitution, and 70 percent of his personal real estate deals are to “shell companies,” allowing the purchaser to be hidden. The percentage is up from four percent in the previous two years. He and his daughter are obtaining trademarks in China by meeting with Chinese officials, and he’s made business deals with other world leaders. Now investigated for fraud and embezzlement charges, DDT’s sons Donald Jr. and Eric are following in their father’s footsteps of cheating people. The business affairs of DDT’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are also being examined as part of the Russian investigation. Calling talk about gun control after shootings as politicizing the tragedy, Republicans are politicizing the Alexandria shooting, referring to the shooter as “anti-GOP” and “pro-Sanders.” They ignore his history of domestic and gun violence while blaming Democrats’ “rhetoric.”Republicans use the excuse of “rhetoric” to avoid talking about the culture of gun violence in the United States and remain indifferent to gun violence in the nation. The same day as the shooting in Alexandria, four people died in a shooting at a UPS facility, but no GOP politicians commented on the tragedy—or the other eight mass shootings in the last ten days. Mass shootings have increased 54 percent since that same period of time in 2014. The first five and a half months of 2017 have seen at least 13,400 gun injuries and almost 7,000 gun deaths. (See map.) Anti-Muslim hate crimes were up 67 percent in 2015, the first year of the presidential campaign, and then tripled last year. The number of white supremacist groups grew to 917 by the beginning of 2017, but DDT has stopped investigation of white domestic terrorism. David Frum, former speech writer for George W. Bush, tweeted: No background checks No licensing No permit req’d for concealed carry of long guns Open carry long guns & handguns Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) said, “What makes us great is that we are Americans.” Nationality doesn’t bestow greatness. Greatness must be earned by support and respect for all, rapidly disappearing in the United States. Eric Trump summarized the GOP position when he said that Democrats aren’t even people. The United States needs a seismic shift in policy toward transparency, ethics, and a democratic policy that protects all—not just the privileged. Suppressing voting, protests, media, and public opinion is not a solution. Jailing and physically attacking journalists for reporting the news, a practice increased since the GOP took over the country, cannot be a solution. The GOP is accustomed to attacking everyone except the wealthy, and they are astonished and outraged when a man with a history of violence shoots one of their own, a politician who voted against Martin Luther King Jr. Day and against punishing hate crimes. The right-wing never talked about their rhetoric being responsible for the shooting of Gabby Giffords; now one person from the left has committed violence against a Republican. Abstraction is hard for Republicans; they understand only those issues that affect them personally. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) voted against bipartisan legislation to expand the criminal background checks after a mass shooting in 2014, but now he wants a background check on the shooter of his colleague. It’s a start—background checks for shooters after they are killed. Media Consumed by Sessions’ Testimony, Emoluments Clause Lawsuits Filed under: Judiciary — trp2011 @ 12:33 AM Tags: Donald Trump, Emoluments Clause, Ivanka Trump, Jeff Sessions, Justice Department, Senate Intelligence Committee The most transparent—in some ways—action in Congress this week was the testimony of AG Jeff Sessions when he complained about “scurrilous” allegations, waffled on some answers, and claimed that “only the president can claim executive privilege.” The head of the Department of Justice doesn’t even know the law: both presidents and members of their administration can refuse to answer questions or even respond to subpoenas. Sessions passed along an erroneous perspective of executive privilege that Brian Williams falsely confirmed on MSNBC. The AG found himself in a pickle with his false claim. John McCain (R-AZ), a guest at the hearing because he is on another committee, complained about Kamala Harris (D-CA) who tried to keep Sessions from limiting her questions by talking nonstop. A notable Sessions quote to her is that being rushed “makes me nervous.” Chair Richard Burr allowed Sessions to take up time by grandstanding Harris’ (left) questions, the same way that he did last week in testimony by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Sessions smirked when he was able to avoid her last “yes or no” question. He had preceded his stalling by vigorously stating, ”I am not stonewalling.” (It’s not good when a person has to deny this!) People being questioned know that senators have a finite number of minutes, and they can avoid embarrassing questions by stalling. Sessions insisted that he didn’t answer questions because DDT may want to declare executive privilege any time in the future. Sessions declared that he was “following the historic policies of the Department of Justice” by not answering questions, but he could not cite any of these policies when Harris asked him about specifics. Other senators brought up former AG Eric Holder’s refusal to discuss conversations with President Obama as precedent for Sessions’ refusals to answer questions, not a good idea because he was held in contempt. As Sessions pointed out, however, he was testifying in front of his “colleagues” so there probably won’t be a problem of that sort. The male senators have a history of reprimanding only female senators. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) silenced Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) during confirmation hearings for Sessions and then complained, “Nevertheless, she persisted.” Much of Sessions’ testimony was “I can’t answer that” and “I can’t recall.” But other parts were more revealing than that from James Comey, who released his information the day before the hearing. Sessions claimed at the beginning of the hearing that he had no third meeting with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak but he started to hedge his answers about the issue throughout his testimony. Sessions claimed that he had recused himself from all DDT ties to Russia the day after he was sworn into office, but there is a question why no one—not the public and not his associates—knew about the recusal for another month. Sessions said he doesn’t know if Russia was involved with the presidential election because he didn’t read anything about the possibility except in the media. Sessions covered for DDT by disclaiming Comey’s testimony, finally exploding into calling it a “secret innuendo.” GOP senators may have covered for Sessions in the hearing, but Burr did request—very politely—further information and documents from him. On the same day that Sessions gave his weak testimony, at least 196 Democrats in Congress sued DDT for violating the Emolument Clause, the part of the U.S. Constitution that prevents presidents from taking gifts from foreign nations without the approval of Congress. Like other lawsuits against DDT in connection with the Emoluments Clause, this one will ask that DDT reveal his business affairs and put his holdings in a blind trust or sell them. A court ruling for these members of Congress to proceed would make history as the first since the U.S. became a country. Other lawsuits come from owners of businesses in Washington, D.C. competing with DDT’s hotels and restaurants and the states of D.C. and Maryland represented by their attorneys general because businesses are at a disadvantage. Soon after DDT’s inauguration, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) sued DDT on the same basis of the other lawsuits. There is no precedent for the suit, now pending in New York, but an argument for dismissing the case is lack of standing for the plaintiffs. Several examples of DDT profiting are listed in the lawsuit, including the lease for the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China that is due to expire during DDT’s term. Favorable terms for the rental could be a financial gift to the president. Government lawyers contend that this prohibition doesn’t count for DDT. If a federal court decides whether the case can continue, the plaintiffs will request that DDT’s personal tax returns be publicly revealed. Another media concern for the week is whether DDT plans to fire the special investigator selected by Rosenstein to investigate Russia–and probably DDT. Technically, he cannot do that, but he can fire Rosenstein and keep replacing him until he finds someone for the Justice Department who will then fire the investigator. Sessions has no control because he has recused himself, but he may violate the recusal as he has in recommending that James Comey be fired. At this time, the White House claims that there are no plans to get rid of the investigator because staffers begged him to do it, but DDT’s decision depends on who he talked with last. Last week, DDT’s declaration of “Infrastructure Week” failed to draw attention from James Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee. He tried the same thing this week with a focus on workplace development. At the same time, people are learning more about the workplaces that provide clothing for daughter Ivanka Trump’s business. Ivanka’s claim of “women’s empowerment” and “paid child care” rings hollow with the revelation that the women working in the factory manufacturing Ivanka-branded clothing make so little that they cannot afford to live with their children. Employees at the factory in Subang (Indonesia) earn $173 a month, the lowest legal wage in the entire country. The factory does give them an extra $10.50 if they don’t take time off for menstrual periods. Workers making Ivanka’s clothes in China earned about $62 per week, below the legal minimum wage, and sometimes work 86 hours overtime a month with the legal limit at 36 hours. Since April, Ivanka has said that they no longer buy clothes from that factory—maybe because Indonesia is cheaper. That was the rationale for moving Ivanka’s shoe factory from China to Ethiopia last year: five Ethiopians at the Addis Ababa are paid the same as one Chinese worker. Spearheaded by Ivanka Trump, the week focuses on promotion of expansion of apprenticeship programs. Will this allow lower pay than minimum wage so that Ivanka’s and DDT’s business purchases can come to the U.S.? The media has paid almost no attention, however, as Jeff Sessions, Russia, and lawsuits are swallowing up the news. Remembrance, Celebration Filed under: LGBTQ Issues — trp2011 @ 9:52 PM Tags: Kate Brown, Loving v. Virginia, Marriage equality, Orlando (FL), Pride Month, protet march, Pulse Two anniversaries make this a bitter-sweet day. Fifty years ago, the Supreme Court made interracial marriage the law of the United States in its ruling in Loving v. Virginia. The 1967 unanimous decision came nine years after Mildred Jeter, a black woman who later identified as Native American, married Richard Loving, a white man, and the couple was threatened with prison if they didn’t leave Virginia. Justice Anthony Kennedy cited Loving v. Virginia in the Supreme Court ruling that legalized marriage equality, a case in which four of the nine justices—John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia, and Clarence Thomas—supported bigotry. On the 40th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia, one year before Mildred Loving died in 2008, she talked about her support for marriage equality: “I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights. I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard’s and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about.” One year ago, 49 LGBT people were slain in a hate crime at the Orlando (FL) club, Pulse. Those deaths brought the total of murdered LGBT people in the United States to 77 last year, making 2016 the deadliest year ever for that community. Even without the 49 people killed at Pulse, the number of LGBT homicides rose from 24 in 2015 to 28 in 2016, a 17 percent increase. Of the 28, 19 were transgender and gender non-conforming people—68 percent—and 17 were transgender women of color. Joining those commemorating the horrific event at the location at Pulse were 49 “angels” who formed a protective circle like they did after the slaughter. With LGBT rights under attack from the current administration, over 50 LGBT Pride Parades in the nation came full circle last weekend back to resistance and equality marches , designed to urge politicians to support LGBT rights. It was the 54th “pride” parade since gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny organized the first one on the Fourth of July in Philadelphia. Yesterday, people gathered for the Equality March for Unity and Pride in Washington, D.C. For pure joy, watch Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) dancing through the streets in a parade. June is Pride Month. I would like to extend thanks to the governor of Oregon who sent this message about the tragedy in Orlando and marriage equality: “Every year in June, the LGBTQ community and allies come together to celebrate Pride. It is a month-long public celebration of love and embracing each other for who we are — inside and out. That has been the LGBTQ community’s message from the very first Pride celebrations: love and equality. “One year ago today, we woke up to a heartbreaking reminder that our values are not shared by everyone. As details unfolded about the tragedy at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, we were painfully reminded not only of senseless gun violence in our country, but the countless hate crimes that have targeted LGBTQ people for generations. “What happened in Orlando was an attempt to make people afraid and ashamed of who they are. This should not happen anywhere, or for any reason. Every one of us has the right to live openly, safely, and with dignity. “As governor, I will not tolerate acts of hatred and discrimination in the state of Oregon. We are still mourning the loss of two brave men who stood up to hate on a train in Portland. As a state, we must embrace a culture of inclusion — and celebrate our diversity — because when we open the doors of opportunity to everyone, we thrive together. “I’m proud that Oregon continues to be a leader in policies that protect LGBTQ individuals. Our state prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, or public accommodations based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Since I became governor, we’ve banned gay conversion therapy, and just a few weeks ago, expanded rights for transgender Oregonians. “The LGBTQ community is stronger and more resilient today than ever before. As we remember the 49 lives cut short one year ago today in Orlando, we recommit ourselves to marching forward. We stand together, stronger than ever, with our message of love and equality. “Be who you are. Love whom you wish. Together, we won’t let hate win. On this day, during this month, and all through the year, I give thanks to people like the Lovings, the Supreme Court, Kate Brown, and millions of others who have paved the way for me to marry my love as we look forward to our 48th anniversary on June 25, 2017. GOP Senators Work to Take Health Care from Millions of People Tags: abortion, Claire McCaskill, Mitch McConnell, reconciliation, TrumpCare While millions of people in the United States were focused on the Senate testimony of former FBI director James Comey, the Republicans were sabotaging health care for a large percentage of people in the nation. Dictator Donald Trump (DDT) announced this goal at the annual Road to Majority conference organized by Ralph Reed and the Faith and Freedom Coalition. Amidst a drum beat of calling Democrats obstructionists, DDT said that restoring freedom means taking away health care from millions of people. A 13-senator group has been planning in secrecy, hoping to push a vote by July because, according to Sen. Roy Blount (R-MO), “I don’t think this gets better over time.” In other words, they know it stinks. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is desperate because the bill has to meet the approval of both House and Senate by September 30 in order to use the process of reconciliation, allowing a simple majority vote instead of a possible 60 votes in a filibuster. A vote on the bill by June 30 requires that it go to the Congressional Budget by the end of this week. Unlike the House, the Senate cannot vote on a bill that has not received CBO scoring. Because the bill will be voted on under the “reconciliation” process, it cannot require any revenue. Because of the possible tax cuts for the wealthy, a leaked version of the bill shows that it includes waivers for states to the ten essential items—including hospitalization—from insurance coverage and enlarges the ratio of what older people can be charged relative to younger customers, greatly increasing premiums for many people. McConnell implemented Senate “Rule 14” last week, the day before Comey’s testimony, to fast-track it by skipping the committee process—and a full senate debate. During a Senate Finance Committee hearing on the Health and Human Services 2018 budget request on Thursday, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) expressed her concern with McConnell’s invoking Rule 14. She said that the senate health care bill was being written by “group of guys in the back room making all the decisions” and asked Chair Orrin Hatch (R-UT) if there would be a public hearing on the health bill which has been secret until now. (Hatch is a member of the gang of 13 health care killers.) After a painfully long pause, an aide said into Hatch’s ear, “They’re invited to participate in this process and we’re open to their ideas and suggestions.” Hatch, helped by an aide talking into his ear, said he didn’t know. As McCaskill commented, “But we have no idea what’s being proposed.” Republicans complained about her “rants and raves,” perhaps because she said that the Republicans were trying to pass the bill with 50 votes and one from the vice president. McConnell plans to make the bill public for only two days before the vote. One glitch to the bill comes from a ban on people using new refundable tax credits for private insurance plans that cover abortion. Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough pointed out that the Byrd Rule might prevent that provision for reconciliation because it covers policy and not budget, not permitted under reconciliation. With the anti-abortion provision, the bill may not be allowed under reconciliation, and without that provision it might not pass. David Christensen of the far-right evangelical Family Resesarch Council, said, “Abortion is not healthcare.” A precedent for MacDonough’s position was in a 1995 ruling about attempting to block abortion in a reconciliation bill. The GOP senators are already divided into factions, three in opposition to the 13 white men devising the plan. Bill Cassidy (LA) and Susan Collins (ME), not members of the deciding 13 senators, oppose the House bill and co-sponsored their version called the Patient Freedom Act. Led by Rob Portman (OH), another group wants Medicaid expansion. Ted Cruz (TX) and Mike Lee (UT) are part of the group that wants the House bill. The abominable baker’s dozen of murderers on the Senate health care plan has an average age of over 60 and an average worth of over $1 million each. (They look very much like the people above celebrating the ending of health care of millions of people in the U.S. after the House bill passed.) Almost half of the 13, six senators, are from three states—Texas, Utah, and Wyoming, and Wyoming’s total population of under 600,000 represents less than 0.002 percent of the U.S. population of 321,000,000. Utah isn’t much better with under one percent of the U.S. population. These are the men deciding health care for everyone, including women, minorities, and the poor. The average net worth of the bottom 40 percent of people in the U.S. is almost zero because of heavy losses during the George W. Bush era. These 13 men of wealth are writing and pushing through a bill for health care that 140 million people in the U.S. directly rely on and one that comprises one-sixth of the nation’s GDP, one that 140 million people in the United States. This comes from the same party that complained for eight years that Democrats passed health care on a party-line vote and falsely asserted that Republicans weren’t involved in the process. And they admit what they’re doing: Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) said that there was no reason for a committee hearing because Democrats won’t support their bill. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said that the bill will go up for a vote without floor debate as soon as there’re 51 votes for it. The senate has 52 Republicans. The senate promised a kinder version of health care than the House approved, but states would still be forced to end expanded Medicaid programs because of lost federal funds, and poor and near-poor adults losing Medicaid couldn’t afford private coverage. Eight Medicaid-expansion states have laws immediately dropping the program without federal funding, the year 2020 if the bill passes, and other states would see significant increases in costs which they may not be able to afford. Eighty-four percent of the public, including 71 percent of Republicans, support continued current federal funding for Medicaid expansion. With the philosophy of “kill the ump,” OMB Director Mick Mulvaney wants to do away with the Congressional Budget Office because it scored the House bill as removing health insurance from 23 million people as well as either raising premiums or reducing health care coverage—or both—for tens of millions more people. He used this information to claim that the CBO is partisan, despite the fact that his own department’s evaluation matched that of the CBO. In addition, the GOP chose CBO’s director, Keith Hall, praised by DDT’s cabinet member Tom Price because of Hall’s “impressive level of economic expertise.” In addition to telling Christians at the conference that he wants to strip health care for tens of millions of people, DDT is also sabotaging the existing health care plan. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has impacted 10,500 consumers by pulling out of the federal exchange in Ohio; the company blamed DDT, citing “the lack of certainty” about the federal government funding cost-sharing subsidies. Since DDT was inaugurated Ohio’s governor, John Kasich has warned that insurance markets are “slipping into crisis.” DDT is pushing for the health care system to collapse by making the exchanges less stable and discouraging companies from offering plans. DDT supporters are big losers with Trumpcare. The more likely people were to vote for DDT, the greater they will lose. Those losing more than $1,000 favored him by seven points, and those losing at least $5,000 in tax credits supported DDT by 59 percent to 36 percent. The largest number of losers from voting for DDT are older people and those who live in rural areas. All the benefits of two tax hikes go to people earning $200,000 or more; only ten percent of that demographic voted for DDT. North Carolina resident Martha Brawley, 55, cast her first ballot in her lifetime for DDT because he said he would bring down the cost of healthcare. “I might as well have not voted,” she said after she discovered that Trumpcare would give her $3,500 to buy insurance instead of the $8,688 subsidy she gets from Obamacare. Gone with Trumpcare will be any hope for retirement. Tea Partiers who turned the government into one of cruelty almost eight years ago are the same people who are getting too old to find jobs now and won’t have health insurance if they aren’t old enough for Medicare. Before the Affordable Care Act, people were forced to stay in jobs to keep health insurance; “Obamacare” freed many of them. Trumpcare will force people back into a pattern of working long into old age, even those with serious medical issues like cancer. Trumpcare may force people out of their homes. In 2009, medical bills caused 1.5 million people in the U.S. to declare bankruptcies. Medical bills stressed at least 20 percent of all families. By 2013, medical bills put over ten million people into poverty. During the first year of the ACA, over four million fewer people, including one million children, were in poverty. The 50+ senators who may vote for Trumpcare go home on recess immediately after the vote. Let’s hope that they all have town hall meetings with their constituents who lose the health care.

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You are here: Home / Business / Jobs / Unemployment Rate in Nigeria: Detailed Statistics Unemployment Rate in Nigeria: Detailed Statistics Nigeria’s unemployment rate had been on a consistent rise and in recent times, it rose for the seventh straight month to the highest it had been in recent years. The Nigerian employment rate was at 13.9 percent in the third quarter of 2016. The data for the 4th quarter of the year is yet to be released for public perusal. Before arriving at this rate, the unemployment rate was at 13.3 percent in the previous period. The recent economic downturn is said to be responsible for this consistent rise in the Nigerian unemployment rate. Many companies in Nigeria sacked their workers and they left these workers adrift without any employment. Many of these companies claimed that doing business in Nigeria was becoming unprofitable and they had to leave for other countries. Nigeria’s unemployment rate was at its highest level in the third quarter of 2016 and this was the highest ever recorded since 2009. The number of unemployed individual in Nigeria rose by 5.2 percent to a figure as high as 11.2 million. Employment rate, on the other hand, rose at a much slower 0.6 percent to 69.5 million Also, the labour force in Nigerian got increased by just 1 percent to a total of 80.7 million. Meanwhile, reports also showed that the rate of youth unemployment in Nigeria was increased to 25 percent from 24 percent, which was the figure that prevailed in the previous quarter. A year earlier, the unemployment rate in Nigeria was recorded at 9.9 percent. Unemployment Rate in Nigeria was pegged at 9.52 percent in accordance with data collated over ten years, which are from year 2006 to year 2016. At the end of the day, the rate reached an all time high of 19.70 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009 and also a record low of 5.10 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010. Top Richest Presidents In Africa How to Travel Out Of Nigeria In Nigeria, the unemployment rate is the criteria for measuring the total number of people that are actively in search of one form of job or the other. It is also recorded as a percentage of the labour force obtainable all across the Nigerian nation. The Nigerian Bureau of Statistics is responsible for gathering data related to the rate of unemployment across the length and breadth of Nigeria. This is a government body. They are also involved in gathering data about other issues in Nigeria. This is the last data resort and any data presented by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics can be considered as being reliable. This government body provides the latest reported value for Nigeria Unemployment Rate plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. This data combination ensures that Nigerians are properly informed about data collation and several happenings in the country. Nigeria Unemployment Rate actual data, historical chart and calendar of releases was last updated on December of 2016 and it is available for direct viewing and downloading on their website. You will equally come by loads of helpful and informative data on the website. Stella Damasus: Biography, Career, Movies & More Tony Elumelu: Net Worth, Investments, and Biography Nigerian Wedding Websites: Top 10 10 Most Beautiful Cities in Nigeria Entry Level Salaries of Nigerian Companies and Agencies 10 Things to Do In Lagos Nigeria JOKE: 21 Surest Ways to Annoy Other People Airtel Android Bundles and Subscription Codes Money Rain: See How Money Was Spent Lavishly at This Wedding Online Shopping Sites in Nigeria: The Ultimate List How to Make Ikeja Electric Payment Online

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Left: Arthur Kinoy Center: Ralph Nader Right: Stanley Van Ness NJA is part of a multi-state network of similar public interest justice centers that respond to local needs and opportunities for positive change–and sometimes join forces on collaborative projects–under the auspices of the national Appleseed organization. Consumer advocate Ralph Nader, the driving force behind the creation of the national group, graduated from Princeton University in 1955 and Harvard Law School in 1958. He believed that those who are fortunate enough to attend such elite institutions have the ability and the obligation to give back by not only utilizing their own power, privilege and wealth to help society but also by tapping their alumni networks for that same purpose. Nader acted on this principle in founding a number of public interest organizations, including the Center for the Study of Responsive Law, the Public Interest Research Group, the Center for Auto Safety, Public Citizen, Clean Water Action Project, and the Project for Corporate Responsibility In 1989, he joined with his undergraduate classmates to establish Princeton Project 55. Now known as Princeton AlumniCorps, it provides new Princeton graduates with fellowships at public interest organizations around the U.S. Fellows are matched with alumni mentors and attend regular seminars organized by local committees. There have been more than 1,500 fellows thus far, working in sectors such as urban policy, healthcare, mass incarceration, climate change, educational equity, and civil rights, Four year later, at his 35th Harvard Law reunion in 1993, Nader and several fellow alums created the Appleseed Foundation, a national organization whose purpose was to establish and guide state-based public interest law centers to work for systemic reforms. It is now known as the Appleseed Network. Co-founder Richard Medalie reported to classmates that the name “Appleseed” was chosen “because our concept is to plant a seed from which a public service activity involving lawyers, young and old, can grow and develop across the country.” Medalie, a prominent Washington, D.C. attorney, was the foundation’s first executive director. Another founder, the distinguished legal scholar Arthur Miller, a longtime Harvard Law professor now at New York University School of Law, has written: “I don’t think any of us in that original group–in our wildest optimism–could have anticipated Appleseed would have developed this way. It was a group of friends who had an idea of how to utilize the talents of accomplished lawyers for the public good.” Appleseed’s “task-force” approach is to pursue system-wide reform through independent centers that utilize differing mixes of various tools—litigation, legislation, rulemaking, policy analysis and research and networking with community groups—on issues that vary from center to center based on local needs, priorities, resources and opportunities. Some do no litigation whatsoever. The first centers were set up in D.C and Boston. NJA was the third, and the first of the Appleseed centers that was not created by the Appleseed Foundation but chose to affiliate with it. And it had its own iconic founding figure: civil rights lawyer Arthur Kinoy, who also helped found the Center for Constitutional Rights. Kinoy is perhaps best known as the appellate lawyer for the Chicago Seven—–protesters against the Vietnam War who faced federal charges of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National convention in Chicago—and for representing victims of McCarthyism—individuals summoned to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities during the anti-Communist “Red Scare” of the 1950s and 60s. Kinoy was famously removed from a committee hearing in a 1966 incident pictured on the cover of his autobiography, Rights on Trial: The Odyssey of a People’s Lawyer. His subsequent conviction for disorderly conduct was overturned on appeal in 1968. Kinoy, also a Harvard Law graduate, class of 1941, lived in Montclair and taught at Rutgers Law School in Newark from 1964 until 1992. During that time, he won several landmark U.S. Supreme Court victories establishing that: federal judges can stop enforcement of laws that have a chilling effect on free speech; President Richard Nixon had no ‘inherent power’ to wiretap domestic political organizations; and U.S. Senate committee counsel were not immune from suit for violation of citizens’ civil rights. After Kinoy was forced to retire at 70 on account of his age, his colleagues on the Rutgers Law faculty passed a resolution to establish a public interest center that he would head. At the request of Appleseed board member Bertrand Pogrebin, Kinoy agreed that the new center would be part of the nascent Appleseed network. Renee Steinhagen, then practicing labor and employment law with the Nutley firm of Ball Livingston and assisting with Kinoy’s rights seminar at Rutgers, helped him launch the new public interest center, drafting its incorporation papers. She became the founding Executive Director in 1998 and continues in that role. Over the years, the New Jersey Appleseed board has counted among its members such prominent lawyers as Robert DelTufo, a former New Jersey Attorney General and U.S. Attorney; Stanley Strauss, whose family business, Skinder-Strauss, owns the New Jersey Lawyer’s Diary & Manual, and, at one time owned the New Jersey Law Journal; William Buckman, the civil rights attorney who exposed racial profiling by the New Jersey State Police; and Bernard Bressler, founder of the Bressler, Amery & Ross firm. In its early years, NJA established the Stanley Van Ness Leadership Award in Public Interest and bestowed it initially on the man after whom it was named. Van Ness was New Jersey’s first Public Advocate, a cabinet-level position that was the first such office created in the nation. From 1974 to 1982, Van Ness directed a program that sparked health care, environmental, energy, employment and educational reforms and was involved in issues such as zoning for low-income housing, public access to the beaches of shore towns and conditions in state mental hospitals. Prior to that, as state Public Defender, one of Van Ness’s accomplishments was helping convince the New Jersey Supreme Court to strike down the state death penalty as unconstitutional. Other recipients of the Van Ness Award include U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Judith Wizmur and state Senator Richard Codey, who took over as governor after James McGreevey resigned in 2004. Another NJA award, the Eric Neisser Public Service Award, honors civil liberties lawyer Neisser, who at various times was legal director of the ACLU-NJ, acting dean at Rutgers School of Law in Newark and dean of Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, N.H. He helped set precedents that limited random drug testing of employees, restricted police power to look up personal information through license plate searches and barred police stops of motorists absent reasonable suspicion. Among others, the Neisser Award has been bestowed upon Strauss and NJA board member Sue Lederman, a now retired Kean University professor and League of Women Voters president.

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Momentary Cinema Fleeting posts about film Projection Booth Midnight Movies, Part 1 – The Acid Adventures of El Topo There has always been an appetite for provocative subject matter in movies. Whether that comes principally from the will of the audience or the will of the creator is a matter of debate. When I say provocative subject matter, I mean anything that intentionally veers from the mainstream path and entices the viewer into challenging territory. These may be classified as B movies, arthouse films, indie films or even exploitation flicks. Whatever. It’s about what’s cool at the moment, man…or woman…or man-woman. Whatever floats your boat really! Countless movies over time have attempted to corral the viewer into a pen of specific tropes and niche styles, e.g. Blaxploitation (Shaft, Super Fly), car-sploitation (Death Race 2000, Race with the Devil), creature features (Jaws, Alligator), Giallo horror (Deep Red, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage), revenge fantasies (The Last House on the Left, I Spit on Your Grave) or even Spaghetti Westerns (the ‘Dollars Trilogy’). Some have worked out excellently, others have failed miserably. But regardless of the success, it is about the cult status in the end. I mean look at The Room (2003). It basically re-ignited a genre of film for the Millennials – the ‘so-awful-it’s-hillarious’ genre. How subversive is that? If a high-profile Oscar-nominated film is made about the making of your terrible film (i.e. The Disaster Artist), high fives are due all around I think! But on a more serious note, and to get back to exploitation movies, there was a time when provocative material was shunned from the populace by the conservative powers that be – the alleged corruption of the mind was being kept out of the mainstream’s gaze. This, even though it was being produced in the bag-fulls. In the 1950s and 60s, films that were perceived as provocative, exploitative, or even just ‘un-Christian’ were not allowed to be shown at all. They were either banned outright or the reels just never even seen the light of God’s creation. But thanks to mavericks like Kenneth Anger who pioneered an underground filmmaking scene in 1950s America, and the rise of popular Hammer Horror films in the UK (which prompted the allowance of an X-rated certificate by the censors), the concept of the ‘Midnight Movie’ was inevitably spawned. It wasn’t until the 1970s, that it literally became a thing in the US, with theatres around the country starting to screen X-rated films late at night. Alejandro Jodorowsky’s El Topo is widely recognised as the first ‘Midnight Movie’. Made in Mexico in 1970, the film was never treated to a full-blown official release. It was instead picked up by the Elgin Theater in New York City who ran it on a late night roster every night for several months throughout 1971. It slowly and steadily earned its status as a cult favourite. John Lennon and Yoko Ono were huge fans and thus convinced the former manager of The Beatles, Allen Klein, to purchase its distribution rights and get it shown around the world. It was, however, never officially released on any home-video or disc format until 2007, when it was then re-released in cinemas throughout Europe and Asia. The reason for it being a ‘Midnight Movie’ are very obvious to anyone who has seen it. It is a highly controversial work and mainly serves out dishes of distasteful and ultra-violent content in the same way that Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange did a year before. Whereas Kubrick’s notorious opus is an obvious lead-in to El Topo in the grand overview of cinema history, Jodorowsky clearly sought more inspiration from the then trending Spaghetti Western genre (obvious parallels can be made to The Wild Bunch and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly). But don’t get me wrong, even as El Topo may be classified as a Spaghetti Western, it is a whole lot fucking more besides. The film is absolute bonkers in totality. It follows the desert-set journey of a violent but self-reflective gunslinger called ‘El Topo’ (translates as The Mole), who is played with a certain egocentric self-proclamation of his own madcap genius by Jodorowsky. The story is focuses on a man’s overwhelmingly nightmarish sojourn through the worse aspects of the Wild West, or more specifically, the Mexican frontier. El Topo (the man) unforgettably enters the film on horseback dressed ominously in black, his head covered by a dark, woolly beard and a cowboy hat. His young son, who is starkers with the exception of a sun-hat, clings onto his back. The bizarro-world elements come thick and fast beyond this iconic first scene. The journey continues, fused with symbolic imagery from Eastern influences but also from Western movie tropes. Everything is mythical and mystical. But as much it dwells on symbolism, Jodorowsky keeps us under no illusions – he is making a movie to be recognised. He amps up the sex, guts and ‘heads-will-roll’ to eleven! In 1970, I can only imagine how shocking this must have been. Sure, pornographic films existed by then, but this is raw, visceral, many times nasty, and sometimes just shamelessly wrong. But look, it would not compare to anything we see on-screen nowadays (I mean the recent series of Stranger Things has shocking amounts of extreme body horror and it’s a TV show made with a teenage audience in mind!) El Topo‘s violence and wilful disregard for censorship accounts for all of the justified controversy it received upon its release – some critics questioned its artistic merits, and some enthusiastically fell over themselves about it, while others (like myself when I first watched it) were trying hard to put a finger on its purpose. It gleefully wallows in a circus-like presentation of deformed humans, presenting dwarfs and quadriplegics as freaks, and it also depicts women and other minor characters with a wanton shallowness. But having said that, Jodorowsky does seem to be legitimately and unabashedly presenting the ugliness and depravity of power abuse. Even the titular El Topo himself is no stranger to the depravities. His journey is front and centre and it is his redemption that very much shapes the denouement of the film. On a whole, at over two hours long, the film is not easy to digest, and is at times very sickening. But it does have a structure that eventually tracks in a rightful direction. The main focus is on El Topo and his son Hijo. Hijo’s role as sidekick to his father’s gun-slinging is effectively sidelined earlier in the film after El Topo saves a woman from slavery to a hideous general and takes her into the desert with him. After several years, Hijo returns as a monk with the blood-thirsty intention to kill his now born-again father. The deaths and massacres all appear very symbolic and deeply intertwined with religious and biblical imagery – monks are humiliated and shot in the head, El Topo is stigmatised, there are immolations, and there are rivers of blood. But the narrative is never straight-forward and there is minimal dialogue so it is hard to figure out where we are most of the time. It would have all seemed so easy in Jodorowsky’s head but because he is a complete nutter, we are left scratching our own quite often. The story of Mara, the woman El Topo saves from slavery, then rapes and treats awfully, is quite trite. A mysterious women with a man’s voice, and seemingly a spirit (but who knows for sure?), turns up in the desert to seduce Mara. They have some sexy time in an oasis, and eventually ride off together away from El Topo. Good for her I suppose. Then there is the little, and never fully explained, matter of El Topo and his quest to kill four of the greatest gun masters in the whole of the land. Who the hell are these people? Why are they just hanging out in the Mexican desert? Although they are talked up from earlier on, their physical introductions are terribly underwhelming, and the anticipated duels that are set up with El Topo are just long-winded and very dull. But the real impressive thing about El Topo is its filming and cinematography. Shot across the beautiful deserts and Pueblos of Mexico, the sun and the scenery is truly enveloping. Combined with symbolic and meaningful imagery, it has a great effect on the viewer. I would assume that for a pot-smoking enthusiast, this is the ideal film to oogle at whilst getting high. It is no surprise that Jodorowsky’s inspiration comes from scenery-heavy Westerns that he grew up watching and admiring – particularly Sergio Leone’s and Sam Peckinpah’s films of the 1960s. Jodorowsky grew up in Chile the son of Jewish-Ukrainian parents, and is an extremely intriguing figure. He used to write poetry and worked in a theatre troupe before getting into film. He made comics and was part of the avant-garde Panic Movement in Paris in the 1960s. The style he would later incorporate into his films was all over the place, almost anarchist. And this was always his intention. It comes to the fore in El Topo, his third feature film, which eventually gave him worldwide recognition as a revered auteur and led to another surrealist western The Holy Mountain in 1973. Apart from the horror Santa Segre in 1989, Jodorowsky never made another film of note, but he did return to the zeitgeist in Frank Pavich’s 2013’s documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune, which marvelously recounted his failed (and hilariously over-the-top) attempt to adapt Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel, Dune, in the mid-70s (eventually achieved by David Lynch but now regarded as a sublime failure). A completely kooky but always terribly interesting person, Jodorowsky has often provoked the wider public with his movies (including his deeply troubling comments on how he filmed the rape scene in El Topo), and he has also become renowned for his spiritual teachings. Notably, he has had a huge influence on many modern-day artists, given the visual imagery explored in El Topo and The Holy Mountain, as well as his work in comics. El Topo is up there with the most enigmatic films ever made, and rightfully sits as the first true ‘Midnight Movie’. Posted in: Art, cinema, Classics, Fantasy, Film, Surrealism, Uncategorized, Western | Tagged: 1970s, Acid Movies, Alejandro Jodorowksy, Arthouse, B-movie, cinema, Cult Classic, El Topo, Film, Mexico, Midnight Movies, Movies, Spaghetti Western, Western Published by JJ McDermott View all posts by JJ McDermott Saturday Afternoon Movies, Part 6 – The Hunted (2003 William Friedkin) Saturday Afternoon Movies, Part 7 – Hell and High Water (1954 Samuel Fuller) Alan Matthews Saturday Afternoon Movies, Part 5 – Hell Drivers (1957 Cy Endfield) Saturday Afternoon Movies, Part 4 – Push (2009 Paul McGuigan) Saturday Afternoon Movies, Part 3 – Split Second (1992) and Deep Rising (1998) JJ McDermott The Most Underrated Films of the Past Decade 2010-19 Review of the Year 2019 in Film Kelly Reichardt: A Filmmaker of This Time Midnight Movies, Part 4 – The King is Alive in Bubba Ho-Tep Midnight Movies, Part 3 – Warren Oates as the Cockfighter Annabelle Davis A short look into Stephen King’s influence on cinema The Two Reviews: The Mule and Velvet Buzzsaw The Two Reviews: Green Book (2018 Peter Farrelly) Forty Years of Terror: Halloween (1978) vs Halloween (2018) The Two Reviews: First Man and The Girl in the Spider’s Web The Two Reviews: Late Night and Joker The Two Reviews: Ophelia and Midsommar The One Review: Once Upon A Time in Hollywood (2019 Quentin Tarantino) Review Special: The Cure Anniversary – 1978-2018 – Live in Hyde Park London Review Special: SCINEMA 2019 – International Science Film Festival About Momentary Cinema My name is JJ McDermott and I’m a film enthusiast! This is my blog based on the films I have seen. Regular contributors Alan Matthews, Robin Stevens, and newcomer Annabelle Davis are also very passionate about film and you will find many of their entertaining posts on this blog. If any of these blog posts interest you or you would like to add something further, leave a note on the contact page and we’ll go from there.

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The Economics of Writing (And Why Now Is the Best Time to Do It) Published on September 11, 2019 by Lawrence Yeo I’m a bit sheepish when it comes to writing about writing. There’s so much that’s already been said about the topic, and once you remove all the bells and whistles, all advice on writing comes down to one main point: To be a writer, you have to consistently show up and write. That’s all it really comes down to – nothing more, nothing less. The rest of the advice that is packaged through ebooks, blog posts, and mailing lists is about setting up productivity schedules, beating procrastination, and overcoming doubt to ensure that you show up everyday. While there’s value in that type of advice, I find that most of these writing-about-writing folks are saying the same thing over and over again. In a field so crowded, one would think that there’s nothing more to add here. However, one recurring theme on this blog is to zoom out and try to understand what is happening underneath the hood of today’s conventions and norms. When many people are championing variations of the same idea, it’s important to ask why they think that, and how that idea came to be in the first place. Without asking these questions, you are prone to getting swept up by the mob, blindly trusting the wisdom of the herd without developing your own intuitions. The questions of “why” and “how” will drive this post as we explore the mechanics of the show-up-everyday-to-write narrative. What about today’s landscape makes consistent writing so promising, how can this translate to a career for a writer, and why is now the best time to do it? A good place to start would be the most well-known essay on the topic of content creation in the internet era, Kevin Kelly’s 1,000 True Fans. An Overlooked Insight of 1,000 True Fans If you’re a content creator of any kind, you have likely read (or heard of) the thesis behind the 1,000 True Fans essay. The common takeaways come down to these two points: (1) In order to earn a living as a creator, you don’t need millions of fans. You just need 1,000 true fans that will pay you $100 a year (which amounts to $100,000 a year – a comfortable living). Having someone pay you $100 a year may sound like a lot, but a “true fan” will buy anything you put out. (2) You must have a direct relationship with your fans, keeping all of their support. There’s no intermediary between you and the fan taking sizable chunks of money; no publisher, music label, studio, retailer, etc. This type of direct support has been made possible by the internet. Kelly’s message is both informative and hopeful. The number one concern creators have is how they can earn a living doing what they love, and Kelly offers an answer that feels attainable. If you can thrive in a small, original niche, you may not be a millionaire, but you can certainly have a sustainable career. The power of the small is illustrated in the concept of “The Long Tail,” where the total sum of all the lesser-known, obscure products is just as large as the total sum of all the very popular, best-selling products. In other words, the area of the green section is equal to the area of the red section: Prior to the internet, being in the red section was the only way to make good money as a creator. You needed the proper intermediaries to reach a critical mass of people, and it was only through the sheer volume of fans that a decent return was possible. However, in today’s digital era, this landscape has fundamentally shifted. This is where the most interesting yet overlooked part of Kelly’s essay shows up. It appears only in his revised version (emphasis mine): “So a creator in Bend, Oregon can sell — and deliver — a song to someone in Katmandu, Nepal as easily as a New York record label (maybe even more easily). This new technology permits creators to maintain relationships, so that the customer can become a fan, and so that the creator keeps the total amount of payment, which reduces the number of fans needed. This new ability for the creator to retain the full price is revolutionary, but a second technological innovation amplifies that power further. A fundamental virtue of a peer-to-peer network (like the web) is that the most obscure node is only one click away from the most popular node. In other words the most obscure under-selling book, song, or idea, is only one click away from the best selling book, song or idea.” Essentially, going from here… …can happen instantaneously. This may seem like common sense today, given that things “go viral” all the time. The takeaway here, however, is not to aim for viral content, but to understand why this type of move is even possible. The two mechanisms that allow for an obscure node to be one click away from a popular one are especially interesting when it comes to text, and illustrates why there’s no better time than now to be a writer. Mechanism #1: The marginal cost of creating and reproducing your work is zero. If you were a writer in the pre-PC or pre-internet era (aka most of human history), your words needed to be distributed via a tangible canvas. Paper was the dominant medium here, meaning that printing and distributing your work was pretty expensive. Not only did it require significant upfront costs to start (printing equipment, shipping logistics, staff salaries), the additional costs required to serve an additional reader were also high (more raw materials, more shipping costs, etc.). In economics, the costs required to produce or serve an additional user are called marginal costs. In the pre-internet era, having more readers meant that you needed more magazines, newspapers, or books to print and distribute. Where your readers were located mattered greatly; serving a reader in a faraway city vs. someone in your city of residence could amount to a 2-3x difference in marginal costs. This meant that the amount of readers I could reach was constrained by the supply of product I could afford to make. There could be 10,000 people across the world interested in reading my work, but if I only had 100 books on hand, 9,901 of them wouldn’t have access to my stuff. This type of supply restriction is no longer the case with the internet. The internet has digitized media, and of all mediums, text is the easiest (and cheapest) to produce and replicate infinitely. With the exception of some small server expenses, there will be no difference if something I write reaches 10 readers, 10,000, or 100,000. Obscure works are just one click away from the popular ones because of this; the moment my work is shared, it has the potential to reach a significantly broader audience for free. Demand, not supply, is what makes my work accessible, and the fact that my work can be infinitely replicated means that its reach is exponential. Zero marginal costs are a huge deal, and are one of the fundamental reasons why the internet has changed media. Music has now moved to the streaming model as a result of it, and video has moved from TV to platforms like YouTube and Netflix, where the content can be shared and viewed at any time. But text is different in that it is essentially free to create, host, and distribute. Music is still largely controlled by labels, and video is still pretty expensive to create and host. As a writer though, you can create a post, publish it, and send it out to your readers at no real cost to you. And thanks to zero marginal costs, the amount of work you put in will be the same, whether your post reaches 100 people or 100,000. So this then begs the question… if you’re able to publish and distribute everything yourself, how much value does the traditional publisher add in all of this? Well, as it turns out, not much. Mechanism #2: The traditional publishers, or the gatekeepers of writing, are no longer necessary. Prior to the internet, spreading written ideas was expensive. Marginal costs were high, so writers needed publishers (the New York Times, Newsweek, Time Magazine, etc.) to put up that capital for printing and distributing their work. Of course, publishers needed to make money too, so they would bundle their writers’ articles with paid advertisements into a newspaper or magazine, which would then be sold to readers: The internet has changed this entire model, thanks to its neat quality of enabling zero marginal costs. A writer’s reach is no longer restricted to the number of physical canvases her work is printed on, as anyone with a computer or smartphone can access and share any article/post. Distribution has been democratized, and tools like WordPress and Mailchimp provide writers with tools to build their own blogs and reach their readers without any traditional publishers involved. This type of direct access allows a writer’s body of work to live on its own, independent of the bundle of advertisements and articles that it previously needed to rely on. This ability for readers to follow a writer’s work directly is just one side of the equation. On the other side is how readers discover new content, which they previously had to do through buying a newspaper or magazine and coming across work they enjoyed. The brand of the publication was of utmost importance, as the reader would start their discovery process through the publication, and find new writers from there. Well, Facebook, Google, and Twitter have changed all that. Much of content discovery now happens through these platforms, and when a reader checks out a link, it’s not because the publication it’s hosted on is compelling; the snippet of content he sees is what’s important. On top of that, if he actually finishes and enjoys the article, his enjoyment will be attributed to the author, thus diminishing the importance of the publication even further. What this means is that in today’s landscape, value flows to the content creators (writers) and the content discovery platforms (Facebook, Google, Twitter), and away from the content distributors (publications). This is illustrated wonderfully in this graph from Ben Thompson’s post, Publishers and the Smiling Curve (I’ve recreated it below for formatting purposes): This dismantling of the publisher’s value is the second mechanism that enables an obscure node to be “one click away” from a popular one. The internet has made things permission-less; as a writer, you no longer need permission from publishers to run a piece that may lift your work out of obscurity. There’s no one’s ass you need to kiss, no one you need to rely upon for distribution. You can spend less time pitching stories, and more time doing the only thing that adds value in this chain: writing great content. Readers – not publishers – determine how far and wide your work is spread, and the only way to accomplish that is by writing awesome things that people find compelling, entertaining, or insightful. How Consistent Writing Fits Into the Picture It’s true that an obscure node is just a stone’s throw away from a popular one, but hoping that your first blog post catches fire isn’t the takeaway here. You will have to put in many reps, and the only way to do that is to have a consistent writing practice. “Show up and write everyday” is not just a cheesy motivational quote, it’s the most sensible strategy given the economics of publishing today. The internet’s enabling of zero marginal costs means that writing is more of an iterative process than it’s ever been. It won’t cost you anything to publish an additional piece of content, and it won’t cost you anything if your work is shared with another person as well. This means that you can experiment with your writing in as many ways as you want, and receive instantaneous feedback as you go (and if something does happen to spread like wildfire, you can sit back and enjoy it). With this freedom, though, comes a deep authenticity that is now expected from independent writers. If you’re a More To That reader, you know that what you read on this site is coming directly from me, and not from the mouthpiece of a publication that may have some bias or agenda. You are here to access my unique take on things, and it is this authenticity that allows niches to develop around writers that we follow. The writer holds the sole responsibility for articulating his/her thoughts clearly, and quality is an absolute must if we’re asking readers to bypass reputable publications and give their attention to us instead. This is where consistent writing is the most poignant. I find that writing is essentially the space between what you want to say, and how you end up saying it. The only way to narrow this gap is to write as much as you can, refining your voice and better structuring the thoughts that will turn into your next post. The best part of this process is that you are not alone; the internet has enabled an immediate feedback loop that will give you a good idea of where you are throughout the journey. Keep in mind, though, that writing alone doesn’t complete this feedback loop. If you want to spread ideas through your writing (and build a career in it), it’s equally important that you publish often as well. To use a soccer analogy, writing is the series of moves that get the ball to an optimal position in front of the goal, and publishing is the shot that is ultimately taken. The more shots on goal you take, the more you can figure out what works, and the more data points you have to iterate and make better decisions. Thanks to the internet, the distribution of ideas is cheap, but the attribution of value is exponential. Publishing is the only way for that value to begin its accumulation. It really is amazing. We could have been born at any moment in human history, but here we are, in this tiny window of time where long tails have been empowered, zero marginal costs have been enabled, and smiling curves have lowered the barrier to entry. Never before have writers had the opportunity to build an audience out of nothing, and to do so on their own accord. With this freedom comes a lot of work, but the rewards and connections that can come from them are boundless. I’m reminded of an ancient Chinese proverb that goes something like this: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” This is probably true for most things, but when it comes to writing, I’d argue that the best time isn’t 20 years ago, but now. If you have something to say, this is the time to say it; our chances of reading it are better than they’ve ever been. If you liked this post, consider joining the More To That email list. We’ll treat your inbox/digital home with the respect it deserves, and will only send you emails when a new post goes up. More To That posts are a labor of love. If you want to support the many, many hours that go into making these posts, you can do so at our Patreon page here. For another post on content creation and hitting your creative stride: For a stark reminder to do what you’ve always wanted to do now:

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MUSEO TEXTIL de OAXACA-PRESENTION BY LAURA ANDERSON BARBATA Laura Anderson Barbata in corrobation with the Museo Textil de Oaxaca’s current show (8 Dec 2012 to 12 April 2013) is “Transcomunalidad: Intervenciones y colaboraciones con comunidades de Zanqueros”. Address: Hidalgo 917, Historico Centro, Oaxaca, Mexico. All photos by Alan L. Goodin http://www.lauraandersonbarbata.com/news/upcoming_exhibitions.php. http://www.lauraandersonbarbata.com/. Posted in Art, Photography, WHO AND WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OAXACA. CAPULALPAM de MENDEZ, OAXACA-“PUEBLO MAGICO” Capulalpam de Méndez: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Capulalpam de Méndez is a town and municipality in the Sierra Juárez in Oaxaca in south-western Mexico. It is part of the Ixtlán District in the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca region. The name “Capulalpam” in Nahuatl means “Land of the chokecherry tree” – a common type of tree in the area.[1] All photos by Alan L. Goodin, Copyright. The municipality covers an area of 19.14 km² of rugged mountainous terrain. The town is at an altitude of 2,040 meters above sea level in a high mountain valley. The climate is predominantly cool and wet. Common flowers include Gladiolus, geraniums, roses, bougainvillea, tulips and calla lilies. Trees include ash, aguilar, ayacahuite, oak, and Madrano ocotal, as well as fruit-bearing walnuts, pears, quince, apple, peach, plum and chokecherry.[1] Common birds are the eagle, hawk, crow, owl, dove, vulture, bat, swallow, sparrow, lark, quail, pheasant, picocanda and magpie. Wild animals include fox, coyote, badger, armadillo, wild boar, deer, tlacomixtle, opossum, cougar, skunk, jaguar, panther, rabbit and paca. The area also has lizards, coral snakes, rattlesnakes, tarantula and scorpion.[1] As of 2005, the municipality had 326 households with a total population of 1,313 of whom 89 spoke an indigenous language. About 10% of the population is engaged in jewelry manufacture and another 10% work in a stone aggregate plant. Most others are engaged in agriculture.[1] The town has a beautiful 16th century church dedicated to St. Matthew. The church interior is lined by 15 large, ornate, hand-carved religious scenarios that date from the 16th and 17th centuries.[2] In February 2008 Capulalpam was officially designated a “Pueblo Magico” (magical town), Oaxaca’s first and Mexico’s 33rd such town. The government also announced plans to construct a traditional healing center. The new designation and the healing center were expected to boost tourism.[2] The center, now open, employs traditional healers who provide medicinal plant therapy, massages, temazcal and herbal baths. The center has a herbal pharmacy and offers basic training courses about a great variety of medicinal plants.[3] The ‘temazcal’ is a type of sweat lodge that gives physical and spiritual purification using the four elements of fire, air, water and earth to give relief from the stresses of daily life. Participants may reach a level of consciousness similar to that of meditation.[4] Posted in Art. Tagged Alan Goodin, photography, tourism STAR OF INDIA-All Photos Copyright, Alan L. Goodin All photos in this article, “Star of India” were taken at the ex-convento Cuilapan de Guerrerro, Oaxaca, Mexico. Cuilapan de Guerrero: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cuilapan de Guerrero is a town and municipality located in the central valley region of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. It is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the south of the capital city of Oaxaca on the road leading to Villa de Zaachila, and is in the Centro District in the Valles Centrales region.[1] Cuilapan, originally called Sahayuca,[2] has been a permanent settlement since at least 500 BCE. It developed into a city state but was absorbed by Monte Alban until between 600 and 900 CE. After this, Cuilapan returned to being an independent city-state, equal to a number of other important city states in the area.[3] After the Spanish conquest, Cuilapan had a population of over 40,000 people with formidable social, economic and cultural institutions.[4][5] For this reason, a major monastery dedicated to James the apostle was established there in the 1550s in order to evangelize the Mixtec and Zapotec populations.[2] However, the area underwent decline of its native population in the 16th and early 17th century[6] and the extravagant monastery complex would later deteriorate in the 19th century.[7] Today, the town is quiet place with a fraction of its former population and prestige.[4][5] The ruins of the monastery complex remain mostly as a national monument administered by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia.[2] Posted in Models, Photography. Tagged Alan Goodin, Models, Oaxaca, photography HIERVE EL AGUA (Spanish for “the water boils) All photos by Alan Goodin Hierve el Agua: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hierve el Agua (Spanish for “the water boils”) is a set of natural rock formations in the Mexican state of Oaxaca that look like waterfalls. The site is located about 70 km east of Oaxaca city (a 2 hour drive from the Centro), past Mitla,[1] in the municipality of San Lorenzo Albarradas, with a narrow, winding unpaved road leading to the site (There is a new highway now, cutting 20 minutes off the drive). The site consists of two rock shelves or cliffs which rise between fifty and ninety metres from the valley below, from which extend nearly white rock formations which look like waterfalls. These formations are created by fresh water springs, whose water is over-saturated with calcium carbonate and other minerals. As the water scurries over the cliffs, the excess minerals are deposited, much in the same manner that stalactites are formed in caves. One of the cliffs, called the “cascada chica” (small waterfall) or the Amphitheatre, contains two large artificial pools for swimming as well as a number of small natural pools.[3][4] One of the artificial pools is very near the edge of the cliff.[1] The site is located in a very isolated region with rough terrain, dominated principally by holm oak forest, cactus and other semi desert vegetation.[2][3][4] The “waterfalls” or rock formations are on cliffs of mountains that rise abruptly from the narrow valley floor below.[5] It is located in ethnic Mixe territory,[3] with the two closest and most populous communities being San Lorenzo Albarradas and San Isidro Roaguia with populations of 1403 and 320 respectively (2005).[6][7] The springs that produce the rock formations are one of the few water sources in the area.[3] “Waterfall” rock formations and springs Rock formation as it “goes over” the cliff at the Amphitheater The site consist of two waterfall-like rock formations which have been formed over thousands of years.[4] Both cliffs rise over fifty meters from the valley floor,[8] with one rock formation reaching down twelve metres and the other reaching down thirty metres.[1] The twelve foot one is called “cascada chica” (small waterfall) and “flows” off a base which is about sixty metres wide. The other, “cascada grande” (large waterfall), extends down from a base with which is about ninety metres wide and eighty metres above the valley floor.[3] Rock formations of Hierve el Agua from the west and landscape The rock formations are often described as “cascadas de sal” (salt waterfalls), “cascadas petrificadas” (petrified waterfalls)[2] and “cascadas pétreas” (rock waterfalls) .[6] The falls are formed by relatively small amounts of water which is oversaturated with calcium carbonate and comes to the surface through cracks or figures on the mountainside. The water has a temperature of 22 to 27C. As the water runs down the rock face, it forms large stalactites similar to those found in caves. The flow of water from the spring varies significantly between the dry and rainy seasons.[2][9] 95% of the surface rock formations are of calcium carbonate; however, lower layers of both rock and water currents are little known as they are sealed by the above layers. The calcium carbonate gives the formations a white or near white appearance, but other minerals that can be present in the water, such as silver, barium and iron can also be found and determines the color of a particular stalactite. The calcium carbonate in the water is due to rainwater which passes underground. First it absorbs carbon dioxide, and forms molecules of carbonic acid. This acid comes into contact with underground marble and partially dissolves creating calcium bicarbonate. When the water runs above ground, the excess minerals fall out.[3] The waters, with their high mineral content, are reputed to have healing qualities.[3] Natural and lower artificial pool The more easily accessible and more often visited of the two waterfalls is the “cascada chica,” also called the Amphitheatre.[2][3] This cliff rises over fifty metres above the valley floor, where there is a natural platform about sixty meters wide.[3] This platform has four springs. The water from three of the four springs is captured by a number of small natural pools and two large artificial pools in which visitors can swim. The lower of the two pools is very close to the cliff edge and was built in 2007.[1] In these pools, the water appears a turquoise green due to the mineral concentration.[1][2] The fourth spring is located closest to the edge and responsible for most of the waterfall rock formation.[1][2] Two of the four springs on the Amphitheatre side rise from the level floor and appear to bubble up, which is the source of the name.[4] The bubbling action of these and some other springs is thought to occur due to construction of underground water currents.[3] This bubbling action leads to the name of the area, Hierve el Agua (the water boils). Water constantly flows out of the springs and the process of depositing the calcium carbonate is ongoing, which can be seen on the walls of the artificial pools.[2] Trails lead from the cascada chica to the cascada grande, the valley floor and other areas in the vicinity.[1] The cascada grande is just to the south of the cascada chica and easily visible from it. This waterfall rock formation is more vertical than the cascada chica.[4] Similarly, it is a rock shelf from which flows mineral laden water over the side. This self is ninety metres above the valley floor, eighty metres wide with the waterfall extending down for about thirty metres. This self does not have artificial pools.[3] Ancient canals The area is also of archeological interest because of the extensive system of irrigation and terraces built by the Zapotecs as many as 2,500 years ago.[1] It was also most likely a sacred site to the ancient peoples of the Oaxaca valley.[8] The canals are part of an irrigation system which was created more than 2,500 years ago, most of which extend from the Amphitheatre side.[4] Researchers have studied the terraces and canals which have been cut into the sides of the mountains these cliffs are on and have concluded that there were an irrigation system, unique in Mexico.[8] Only vestiges of these irrigation canals remain; however, the archeological area has not been completely explored.[5] These irrigation canals are considered to be unique in Mesoamerica,[4][10] not only because irrigation was not common in pre-Hispanic Mexico but because they are the only example of lined irrigation canals.[11] It is not known why canal lining does not appear outside of the Hierve el Agua area, and here the lining develops naturally. While seepage and bank erosion were indeed problems with irrigation farming in other parts of Mesoamerica, the nearest example of anything similar is with the Hohokam of southern Arizona in 650 C.E.[11] The tourist attraction Part of Turis Yu’u In addition to the artificial pools on the Amphitheatre side, a number of other services have been built for visitors such as food stands, small markets, cabins and a regular swimming pool.[4] The cabin area, called “Turis Yu’u,” with its pool was built in the 1990s and offer areas to change clothes, shower, eat in an open air restaurant and for overnight stays although the accommodations are very basic.[1][3][4][12] This complex, as well as many of the other stalls are owned by residents of the Roeguia community.[10] However, despite the development, the nearby communities of San Lorenza Albarradas and San Isidro Roaguia still suffer from poverty. One reason for this is that visitors are charged between fifty and sixty pesos each by the state of Oaxaca to enter the site. Entrance fees can bring in anywhere from $1000 to $5000 pesos per day depending on the season. Another is that there is a dispute between the two nearby communities as to who should administer it. Disputes over administration and income led to the closing of the site between 2005 and 2007. Since then, promises by state officials were made to invest the money earned at the site to raising living standards in the area, but residents claim that this has never happened. The disputes have also lead to tourists being charged twice to access the site, once on the road and once at the entrance to the park. Posted in Art. Tagged Alan Goodin, Hierve de Aqua, photo, tourism LINDA MARTIN-FIFTY WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY Photo by Alan Goodin Fifty Ways to Leave Your Country by Linda Martin Several years ago Linda Martin started an interesting and amusing project about what ex-pats brought, missed, wished they could obtain, etc., etc. when they moved to Oaxaca. Questionaires were handed out. Below are some of her questions and the answers she got to them. What did you bring to Oaxaca of sentimental value? Liz Bell answered, “My children.” Some brought a handful of photos of dead relatives for their Day of the Dead altars. Jae Warren brought the complete works of Nabakov, her meditation pillow, two big stuffed antique Chinese dolls and a set of paper dolls called Jill and Bill like the ones she had had when she was 7 or 8 that she had recently bought on E Bay. One brought a decorative broken tile she pilfered once from a junk heap next to a monastery on a Greek island. What did you bring of practical value? Joan Harmon listed kitchen stuff, knives, pots and pans and her favorite measuring spoons. Dave Rooney listed Swiss Army knife, water colors, my best attitude, my sense of adventure, my love of meeting new people, and most importantly, my adaptability. What did you sell or give away that you now miss? Paul Stanley answered “Nothing.” One missed her washer and dryer which were more costly to replace here. Jae Warren misses her vintage Martini shaker with matching glasses and stirrers, her chefs’ knives and rice cooker. Patty Jungk misses her books. What did you ship here but then never use? One woman wrote, “My husband.” Another: My winter coat. Many declared “Nothing.” What do you ask friends to bring you from abroad? Topping the list was Earl Gray Tea, moisturizers and products from the Body Shop and crossword puzzle books. Jae Warren asks for plastic lemons full of real lemon juice, chili powder, tahini and ingredients for Indian, Chinese and Japanese food. Also pined for were tootsie rolls and mail ordered underpants, shoes and catnip. Some salivate over the arrival of requested eletronic gagets. What did you buy here to replace things you gave up and how did the prices compare? Rustic furniture is cheaper here. Knives are cheaper but not as good. A TV was 200 USD more. Beds were cheaper by about $200. Small appliances and a washing machine cost much more here. One couple replaced the TV, CD player and some furniture. The replacement cost was less than the cost to ship it. Don Jungk wrote, “We set aside a few thousand dollars to replace things. By far the most difficult to replace was the language. We went to Spanish school until the budget money was used up.” When outside Mexico, what do you bring back? Roberta Christie answered: CDs and DVDs, of opera, mostly. I miss access to live performances.” Of course that was written in 2008. Now we have Live from the Met on high definition big screen at the Opera House. What kitchen gadgets or clothes or drug store items could you not find here? Ibuprophin in quart jars. A decent pepper grinder that does not break. Bill Pumphrey rememered when he got here in 2002 that there were many things he could not find here. “But everyday I see a wider selection of goods. There is not anything for the house which I cannot find here now, although I may have to go to Puebla to Costco”. How did you ship your things to Mexico? Many expats never shipped. Just brought down things in suitcases on various trips. Paul and Janet Stanley brought only what fit in their car. They shipped nothing. They furnished their charming Oaxaca home with all things Mexican. On the other end of the scale, Bill and Billy paid $6000 US to ship all their possessions here. Bill’s dream house of glass walls and steel beams, new to Oaxaca builders, never became habitable. The whole rainy season was spent mopping up puddles under the glass walls, and watching birds fly into the unfamiliar glass walls and kill themselves. Billy had to wear sunglasses in her own living room to cut the glare. Before long, Bill’s health required they move to sea level, and again, thousands of dollars was spent shipping things back to the States. Not all expat’s dreams come true. What do new friends in Mexico want to see from your past? Old famiy photos? Momentos from your career? Perhaps your bank balance? An almost unanimous answer to this was “Nothing.” Roberta Christie saw this as a good thing. “People judge you on what you are now, not what you might have been, your positon, or past status.” One aging gringa said her younger Zapotec lover would periodically ask to see photos of her in her prime. What do you look forward to the most when you visit the States or Canada? Joan Harmon answered, “Shopping, visiting friends, and family, not in that order (well, maybe in that order). Gloria Asbel looks forward to flushing toilet paper and using tap water. David Rom listed scenery. Dave Rooney: seeing his grandson. And one confessed what she looks forward to the most is “coming back to Oaxaca.” What aspects of the way of life in your home country are you glad to leave behind? Although this quetionaire has focused mainly on things—buying, shipping, and missing things, most expats are thrilled to leave the enormous consumption. Geri Anderson wrote, “Everybody in the U.S. seems to need to buy, buy, buy.” Jae Warren gladly left the retail therapy she was falling into. David Romm left the yuppie money culture. Roberta Christie wrote, “Here non-accumulation is more the norm, even among most ex-pats that I know.” Bill Pumphrey was glad to leave the stress, high cost of living, politics, extreme seasons, and American superiority behind. Joan Harmon listed “the hustle and bustle, NY metro area, old friends (they were getting a little boring), work, and weather, for sure.” Harsh winters was reason enough for many to come South. Don Jungk remembers people who were angry and rushed all the time. And one listed “Loneliness. I had to phone my best friend a week in advance and make an appointment to hang out.” What do you like about living in Oaxaca? Jae Warren said, “The pace. It suits me. I thrive on manana time”. Many appreciated not needing a car, thriving on being able to walk everywhere. Climate was tops for many. And the people. Many have friendships with Zapotec and Mixtes and find them very kind and loveable. Others love the arts and all the cultural events going on. The festive street life. The music in the Zocalo. Many love living in a restored Colonial City. “It’s like going back in time. And because earthquakes prohibit them from building sky scrapers, from my porch I can see the sun setting gorgeously behind Monte Alban.” One expat mentioned the cultural differences, the fun of figuring out where to find things, the new friends—gringos and Mexicanos alike. This was the closest anyone came to saying “adventure”. Perhaps the most famous expat to have ever stayed in Oaxaca was Malcolm Lowry. He stayed for long periods of time in room 40 of the Hotel Francia on the 20th of November. Paid for by his rich daddy, and only half a block from the Farolito Bar, where he did his two favorite things: drink and write. His best seller, Under the Volcano, was made into a movie starring Albert Finney as the Brit who came to Oaxaca and drank himself to death on Day of the Dead. Ten years later, back in England, Malcolm died at the age of 47. On the coroner’s report: “Death by Misadventure.” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted in Art. Tagged Alan Goodin, Linda Martin, OLL Newletter KEELA KEELLY-ARTIST OF WALL ART IN OAXACA KEELA is an artist in Oaxaca who specializes in Wall Art. Keëla Keëllÿ SëvënKaeela is also on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/PiikUuLtss?fref=ts. All photos by Alan L. Goodin (el Jaguar) Copyright 2012 Posted in Art, Models, Photography. Tagged Art, Models, photography THE BEAUTY OF INDIA IN OAXACA She lives in Oaxaca, but is from India. I have chosen to photograph her at the pressa in Xochimilco, also known as International Park. All photos copyright Alan L. Goodin Posted in Art, Models, Photography. Tagged Alan Goodin, Models, Oaxaca, photography

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A Famous Architect Has Designed a Museum in France That’s Tailor-Made for Private Collectors The Musée des Collectionneurs in Angers could be the first in an international network of collectors' museums. Naomi Rea, March 22, 2018 Rendering ©Steven Holl – Franklin Azzi Architecture - Paul Arene/ XO3D for Compagnie de Phalsbourg. Are you a major collector who wants to show off your art, but aren’t interested in bankrolling your own museum (or loaning or donating to a public one)? Now, you have a third option: The Musée des Collectionneurs, a kind of joint exhibition space for private collectors. The first such space is now taking shape in France—with heavyweight backing. New York-based Steven Holl Architects and the developers Compagnie de Phalsbourg are building the first Musée des Collectionneurs in Angers, at the edge of the Loire Valley. The space will be devoted to making “premier” private collections accessible, a spokesperson for Holl’s firm told artnet News. “It’s an answer to collectors who cannot build their own museum, but want to share what they have with the public.” (The scheme isn’t the first to offer a less pricey alternative to a full-blown private museum: Last year, collector and developer Robbie Antonio announced plans to produce prefabricated, modular museums designed by starchitects.) Rendering of the museum entrance. Courtesy of Steven Holl Architects, Compagnie de Phalsbourg and XO3D. Jean-Jacques Aillagon is a consultant on the Angers project. A former minister for culture, Aillagon advises the billionaire collector François Pinault and famously brought Takashi Murakami to Versailles when he was in charge of the palace outside Paris. The designers believe the innovative concept is the first of its kind, and while the exact details are still to be announced, we are told there will be no more than four collector shows a year. Compagnie de Phalsbourg hopes to deploy the concept internationally and forge a worldwide network of collectors’ museums, artnet News understands. The project in Angers includes a boutique hotel alongside the new museum. A call for cutting-edge designs was first launched last year as part of the “Imagine Angers” initiative, a public appeal for submissions geared towards transforming the city on the western edge of the Loire Valley into a cultural hub. The competition stressed that proposals should work with the city’s architectural and historical quirks and offer environmental sustainability. It generated 48 proposals for several emblematic sites owned by the city. The museum and hotel will be on the river Maine opposite Angers’ historic castle. Rendering of the museum’s entrance from the inside. Courtesy of Steven Holl Architects, Compagnie de Phalsbourg and XO3D. Holl impressed the jury with his design of a geo-thermally powered museum. According to a statement from the firm, the design for the more than 5,000-square-foot museum was inspired by the historic Chateau d’Angers, which was built by King Louis IX in the 13th century on the foundation of an even older fortress from the ninth century. The museum, which neighbors the city’s biggest theater, Le Quai, will include gallery space for both permanent and temporary exhibitions, education and storage facilities, as well as an atrium for events. Rendering of the hotel. Courtesy of Steven Holl Architects, Compagnie de Phalsbourg and XO3D. The design for the adjacent hotel, which is connected to the museum by a rooftop restaurant, was apparently inspired by a 14th century tapestry known as the “Apocalypse Tapestry,” which is on show across the river at the Chateau d’Angers. Naomi Rea Associate Editor, London Power Collector Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Just Gave More Than 200 Latin-American Artworks to Six Museums By Henri Neuendorf , Jan 10, 2018 The Gray Market: Why Museums Can’t Compete With Private Collectors (and Other Insights) By Tim Schneider , Oct 9, 2017 Starchitecture for a Steal: This Developer Is Selling Prefabricated Private Museums By Eileen Kinsella , Apr 25, 2017 Turner Prize-Winning Artist Jeremy Deller Has Launched a Campaign to Help People Quit Facebook By , Mar 22, 2018 Art Industry News: Has Banksy Brought London’s Graffiti War to Brooklyn? + More Must-Read Stories

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SPOKANEVALLEYONLINEus Spokane Valley GUIDE SPOKANEVALLEYONLINE Popular in Spokane Valley Spokane Valley News EY Announces Jordan Allen, Founder and CEO of Stay Alfred, Named Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2019 Award Winner in the Pacific Northwest Region Allen joins ranks of exceptional entrepreneurs in Consumer Service Spokane, WA, June 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EY announced that Jordan Allen, Founder and CEO of Stay Alfred, the nation’s largest provider of travel apartments, received the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2019 Award in the Consumer Service category in the Pacific Northwest. As the world’s most prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs, Entrepreneur Of The Year recognizes individuals who are excelling in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities, while also transforming our world. Allen was selected by an independent panel of judges, and the award was presented at a special black-tie gala event at King Street Ballroom & Perch in Seattle on June 14, 2019. “Receiving this honor is a testament to the vision and hard work of the entire Stay Alfred team over the last eight years,” said Allen. “As the pioneer in the travel apartment space, we’ve created a unique offering that redefines alternative accommodation options for travelers. The market is showing us there’s plenty of room for innovation where hospitality, multifamily real estate and technology intersect. We’re energized by this win, and we’re pushing full steam ahead to do even better.” Prior to raising $67 million in outside capital in 2017-2018, Allen, a former Army Ranger, bootstrapped Stay Alfred to $25 million in revenue. Since 2011, Allen has expanded Stay Alfred into 33 cities with over 2,500 units in only the best walkable downtown neighborhoods so guests can experience the city like a local. The 300-person company, which has hosted more than 800,000 guests, leases partial to entire buildings and operates them as travel apartments. “This is a well-deserved win for Jordan and Stay Alfred,” said Steve Helmbrecht, Stay Alfred’s new President and CFO. “Jordan’s leadership and impressive growth record is punctuated by the fact that the company is based in Spokane, while every other contender was from Portland or Seattle. This recognition proves that with dedication, great work culture and strong leadership, you can cultivate an industry-leading organization in any market. Stay Alfred’s humble origins and hard-working, heads-down rigor are etched into the company’s DNA. It comes from the top.” Now in its 33rd year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program, sponsored by Ernst & Young and SAP America, has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities and more than 60 countries. As a Pacific Northwest award winner, Allen is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2019 National Awards. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 16, 2019. The awards are the culminating event of the Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. About Stay Alfred Established in 2011, Spokane, Washington-based Stay Alfred pioneered the concept of the travel apartment by providing travelers with the space and comforts of an upscale apartment with the consistency and reliability of a hotel stay. The company has grown to over 2,500 units in 33 walkable cities and has hosted more than 800,000 guests. Founded and built by a former Army Ranger, Stay Alfred lives to offer travelers "your place in the city." For more information, visit StayAlfred.com. About Entrepreneur Of The Year® Entrepreneur Of The Year®, founded by EY, is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for entrepreneurs. The program makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global awards program of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities and more than 60 countries. For more information on the Pacific Northwest program, visit ey.com/us/eoy/pnw. EOY19-JordanAllen_StayAlfred Elise Szwajkowski Marino PR eszwajkowski@marinopr.com Read More About spokanevalleyonline.us

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News From The Past Stories from the newspaper archives that are news to you. Richard Tisdale @richiet1892 dickiet1892 September 14, 2018 November 7, 2018 News From The Past 1861: Marrying your dead brother’s wife – sinner or saviour? When Richard James, a hard working haulier died unexpectedly, his wife and children were plunged into abject poverty, facing starvation and death in the isolated rural town of Bishop’s Castle. When younger brother Edward heard that his sister-in-law and her children were facing utter devastation he had to act – but in trying to do the right thing he ended up on the wrong side of the law and facing a lengthy brutal prison sentence. Richard had married Jane Roberts in 1843, in her home county Montgomeryshire. He was 36 at the time, 10 years older than her. they went to live in the Shropshire town of Bishop’s Castle. Edward, who was 21 at the time, was living with his mother Mary and working as a farm labourer at nearby Hopesay where he was born. By 1851 Richard and Jane had had 3 children. One girl and 3 boys: Francis James – 6 Jeremiah James – 4 Thomas James – 2 Richard James – 6 months Edward however had made his way to Shrewsbury where he was working as a bricklayer. Over the next few years Richard and Jane had more children, until tragedy struck. Richard James, the head of the family and only breadwinner of the household died. I don’t know exactly why or when, but it happened at some point in the 1850s – and it left the family facing utter catastrophe; they needed someone to come to their aid, and fast, before they were hit by homelessness, starvation and death . Edward heard about what had happened, and the fate that was awaiting his family. He moved to Bishops Castle, moved in, and helped raise the children as if they were his own. Love blossomed between him and Jane but it was a forbidden love in the eyes of the law. So what landed him in trouble? In those days a brother-in-law or sister-in-law was seen as closely related as a blood relative in the eyes of God – something that wouldn’t change for many years (find out how and why later). The story of what happened is revealed by delving into the British newspaper archives. At the end of March 1861 Edward appeared in court in Shrewsbury on a very serious charge. The Clare Journal, and Ennis Advertiser takes up the story – Monday 01 April 1861 Edward James surrendered at the Shrewsbury Assizes, before Mr. Justice Blackburn, to take his trial upon a charge that, on the 19th of January, 1861, he made a certain false notice of marriage, before the registrar of marriages at Shrewsbury, for the purpose of procuring his marriage with one Jane James, who was his brother’s widow. It goes on to tell the story of the lengths Edward went to to marry Jane. The prisoner’s brother, [David] James, some years ago married a woman named Jane Roberts, but he died a few years ago, leaving his wife a widow with seven children, residing at Bishop’s Castle, in Shropshire. After the husband’s death the defendant went to live with his brother’s widow, and assisted in managing the farm, and early in 1859 he applied to the Rev. Mr. Rowland, the Vicar of Bishop’s Castle, to marry him and the widow. The clergyman refused to do this, and told the prisoner it would unlawful, and, to satisfy him upon this score, pointed out to him the table of prohibited degrees in the Book of Common Prayer. The prisoner then applied to the registrar of Bishop’s Castle, but he, knowing the circumstances, also refused, and told the prisoner the marriage would be void. After being turned away a second time, but still determined, he tried again, this time heading out of the town and bending the truth… The prisoner then applied to the registrar at Shrewsbury, and on the 19th of January, 1861, gave a notice of his intended marriage, in which he described his intended as a “widow,” but with her maiden name of “Jane Roberts,” and falsely stated that she had lived seven days in Roushill, Shrewsbury, and that he himself had lived in the same place for 14 days. The authorities found out about his plan and he was summoned to court. Bang to rights he was advised to plead guilty. Although a criminal in the eyes of the law he had much sympathy from his community and the judge. The prisoner, by the advice his counsel, pleaded guilty. Mr. Sergeant Pigott, on the part of the prosecution, intimated that there was no wish to press for punishment. All that was wished for was that the law should be made known and vindicated. Mr. Best said he had great many witnesses to the defendant’s good character, and that a memorial in his favour had been signed by nine-tenths the inhabitants of Bishop’s Castle. So in view of the support and sympathy for Edward, who’d saved the family from destitution, it was decided he should be given a “light sentence” – although by today’s standards you might raise an eyebrow. Why was he so desperate to defy the law and marry Jane? Let’s take a look at the 1861 census taken on the 7th April. Jane is still there with a greatly expanded family and a visitor. Jane James – Wife – Married Female 45 1816 Farmers Wife 1. Frances James – Daughter Unmarried Female 16 – b.1845 Farmers Daughter Shropshire, 2. Jeremiah James – Son aged 14 – b.1847 Farmers Son Shropshire 3. Thomas James – Son aged 12 – b.1849 Scholar 4. Richard James – Son aged 10 – b.1851 Scholar 5. William James – Son aged 8 – b.1853 Scholar 6. Jane James – Daughter aged 5 – b.1856 Infant 7. Sarah A James – Daughter aged 1 – b.1860 Infant And a visitor.. 8. Euan (or Evan) Roberts -Visitor Unmarried Male aged 51 b.1810 Farmer There’s no sign of Edward as he’s in prison and presumably the visitor is a relative of Jane James (nee Roberts) who’s helping out in Edward’s absence. Now remember that the newspaper article, published in 1861, said that Edward first attempted to marry Jane in 1859, and that he’d come to look after his brother’s seven children? This must mean that Richard had died before this date – and yet the 1861 census shows the 7th child was born about 1860 meaning Sarah A James was most likely Edward’s daughter. And indeed a search in the 1871 census shows this to be the case. So it wasn’t just Edward’s love for Jane that proved to be the motivation to get married, but the love for that of his daughter too. Having a ‘bastard child’ was heavily frowned upon in Victorian times and remained so for many more years. Presumably he wanted the best for her and didn’t want her her growing up with that awful stigma. A child born outside marriage, or ‘out of wedlock’, was regarded as ‘illegitimate’, without full legal status, and this was a serious stigma until the mid-20th century. It was recognised in the 19th century that illegitimate children were half as likely to survive compared to children with married parents. They and their mothers were victims of discrimination. Ruth Richardson writing for the British Library But when did the law change on marrying in-laws? People had been marrying their in-laws for years following the death of a spouse. But a law from 1533 meant these marriages could declared null and void on the basis that it was deemed incestuous according to the bible; “Genesis 2 states that husband and wife “became one flesh,” therefore your wife’s sister was really your own sister” (Arika Okrent) This changed slightly in 1835 when a new bill was introduced saying any of these marriages that had already happened could no longer be declared void. This was done to protect children who could technically be declared illegitimate during their parents lifetime. The bill was introduced by the English Lord Chancellor Lyndhurst. (Nancy F. Anderson) But as for after this date – the law strengthened its previous position making any marriage of this type absolutely void. List of forbidden marriages in an 1860’s bible. This was a period when many mothers would die in childbirth and there was an argument to say that if she had a younger unmarried sister it made sense for her to take the place of her older sister and help out with the family. So in 1842 a new bill was introduced to make it legal that you could marry your dead wife’s sister. That too proved controversial with fears it would encourage in-laws to lust after each other while spouses were still alive! It wasn’t until 1907 that finally changed when the Deceased Wife’s Sister’s Marriage Bill was introduced making it legal to marry your dead wife’s sister.. But hang on! That would would mean Edward James would still not have been able to marry his dead brother’s wife Jane. But why? This bizarre oversight was explained 1921 when a new bill to correct the inequality was introduced.. Lord Newton proposed the Deceased Brother’s Widow’s Marriage Bill and said this in the house of Lords; The first comment which, I think, any impartial person would make upon the proposal is to ask why this anomaly was not dealt with in 1907 when the Deceased Wife’s Sister’s Marriage Bill was passed. I am not in the secrets of the promoters of that Bill. I had nothing to do with it, beyond voting for it, when it came here, and I do not know what their motives were, but I presume that they were animated by the usual view that it is desirable to overweight a Bill as little as possible, and to obtain one thing at a time. So why was it only now, in 1921, that he decided to propose the Bill. As with many other laws and social changes at that time – it was brought about by the First World War.. I will further admit that in 1907 there was very little demand for the Bill, and that that may possibly have had something to do with the omission. But circumstances have now changed, and, as in many other respects, they have changed in consequence of the war. When the war took place many men, when they were called up, left their wives and families in the charge of their brothers. Some of these men were killed, and in many instances an affection developed between the brother in-law and the widow, and many marriages of this kind have taken place I believe that there are a number of cases in connection with the Ministry of Pensions Which are awaiting decision as the result of this Bill. I wish to make it plain that I am not basing the case for this Bill upon the number of people who want it. I am basing it simply and solely upon logic and common sense Historic Hansard So what ultimately happened the Edward and Jane? Well they’re still there in the 1881 census with much of the family in a cottage next door and grandchildren running around. Edward, Jane, William and their daughter Sarah are still there. But move ahead another decade to the 1891 census and the James family have grown massively. But no sign of Edward or Jane. And much like Richard James, who died in the 1850s, there appears to be no record of their deaths (although I’m still searching). There’s also no sign their daughter Sarah A James in the 1891 census and I haven’t been able to find out what happened to her either (again, still searching). But I do know what happened to at least one of the children, the second child of Richard and Jane – Jeremiah . He married in Jane Syass in 1873 and went on to have 6 children, dying in 1924 according to one source on Ancestry (grandmanonahowsmon) But what’s more exciting is that if you check all the following censuses up to 1911, and the 1939 register (below) there are descendants of the James family who are still at The Fields.. 1939 Register – wrongly labeled as Jones – often a pain when researching family history A brief search reveals others have moved away, and some went to London. The means there’s an exciting and very strong chance that there will be direct descendants of the family, still alive, that Edward James came to the rescue of and saved more 160 years ago – and possibly descendants of Edward himself if we can find out what happened to his daughter Sarah. Without Edward they probably wouldn’t be around today – but you can bet they know nothing of the story, and of the forbidden love between him and Jane! The search to find the descendants is on…watch this space. The church where Edward and Jane had hoped to get married in Bishops Castle. Shrewsbury Chronicle – Friday 22 March 1861 Clare Journal, and Ennis Advertiser – Monday 01 April 1861 Sources links. http://mentalfloss.com/article/49722/65-year-battle-over-deceased-wifes-sisters-marriage-act https://twitter.com/@ArikaOkrent (https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1921/jun/28/deceased-brothers-widows-marriage-bill) bishop's castle Published by News From The Past BBC Producer. Works in current affairs. History and science lover. View all posts by News From The Past Previous 1861: “Hard up for a new suit; or, an Irishman in a sack” Next 1894 The Terrific Storm That Blew Down The Steeple of St Mary’s Church Peter James Everall says: I was most interested to read your article 1861 – Marrying your dead brother’s wife. The Richard who died unexpectedly was my great-great grandfather. My grandmother was Lucy Maria, the daughter of Jeremiah James. There is an extensive Family Tree of the James family in Vol X of the 4th Series of the Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological Society in Shropshire Archives. I have visited The Field on two or three occasions and I think that the family left there in the mid 1900s. I attended the funeral there of one of Jeremiah’s daughters, Frances, in the 1950s when her sister Laura, was living in Woodbine Terrace, the lane below Field Lane. Another daughter, Edith, married a Mr. Campbell and moved to Canada. I met her g/daughter in Victoria, Vancouver Island in 1997 News From The Past says: Thanks for getting in touch. It’s an amazing story. Where do you live ? 1841: Last Man Hanged for Attempted Murder – his final hours January 8, 2020 1862: Shocking Execution of a Heartbroken Mother November 22, 2019 1862 World Record Balloon Attempt Nearly Ends in Disaster as Pigeons Perish! November 12, 2019 1987 Ghost pinches men’s bums October 13, 2019 1899 The Pipe Gate Child Killer October 8, 2019 1911 Women’s Terror at Britain’s First Underground Escalator October 4, 2019 1892 Thomas Cook Dies – His Life Story September 23, 2019 US Soldier visits Shrewsbury 1919 September 18, 2019

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Contributor. Jeffrey Ashe Jeffrey Ashe was the Director of the PISCES studies between 1979 and 1984 which led to the spread of solidarity group lending throughout Latin America and later around the world. He was Accion International’s Senior Associate Director at the time. Leaving Accion in 1986 Jeffrey consulted to microfinance institutions in 35 countries, launched Working Capital in the United States and in 2000 learned about savings groups as he evaluated Pact’s Women’s Empowerment program in Nepal. Studying similar programs in India and Zimbabwe he joined Oxfam America and launched Saving for Change in 2005 in Mali and later in Senegal, Cambodia, El Salvador and Guatemala. SfC was carried out in partnership with Freedom from Hunger. Leaving Oxfam America in March 2013, Ashe became a Fellow at the Carsey Institute for Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire. He is leading an initiative to promote savings groups in the USA, facilitating the introduction of savings groups to conditional cash transfer programs and studying how groups evolve and replicate once they are left on their own. Articles by Jeffrey Ashe NexThought Monday – Second Chances in Global Development: How savings and lending groups can achieve what microcredit hasn’t Jeffrey Ashe’s early research on behalf of USAID helped make microfinance a global development phenomenon. He now believes that savings and lending groups could have an impact that’s just as profound, but with a key difference: while microfinance struggles to reach the very poor, he says, savings and lending groups are expressly designed to meet their needs. microcredit, microsavings, NexThought Monday, savings

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Silicon Valley City Has a Plan for Nearly 10,000 New Units of Housing Rachel Dovey December 14, 2017 Google bikes at the company’s Mountain View campus (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Mountain View City Council approved a residential plan update Wednesday that paves the way for an influx of housing in a housing-strapped region. Berkeley, California, Plans for a Transit-Oriented Future Housing in Brief: Facebook to Spend $1 Billion to Address Housing Crisis More Private Companies Putting Big Money Into Housing Philanthropy Big Tech’s Affordable Housing Push Doesn’t Let Them off the Hook The move will allow employers and developers to build residential units in the primarily industrial-zoned area of North Bayshore, where a number of high-profile tech companies — Google, LinkedIn and Samsung, among others — are located. The plan outlines a goal of four unique districts and at least 20 percent affordable units (with floor area ratio incentives backing up those affordability goals). According to the San Francisco Chronicle, it will expand the region’s housing by nearly 10,000 units, most of them apartments. “Mountain View has stepped up and we’re doing our part to increase the (housing) supply,” City Councilwoman Patricia Showalter said, according to the Chronicle. “I sincerely hope that many neighboring communities will also step up because that’s what really needs to happen.” Google has publicly discussed building housing in the area, the Chronicle reports, and the company owns more than half of the land slated for development, but nothing is certain. A Google spokeswoman “declined to comment on how much housing the company aims to build,” according to the paper. The region’s desperation for housing was on stark display at a Tuesday night meeting, the Mercury News reports, with pro-development residents and advocates packing City Council chambers and holding signs that read “9,850 homes, #SayYesNBS.” Google is well-aware of that desperation. In September, Fortune reported that the company was using housing to win approval for more square footage in its “Charleston East” campus. Google “threatened to block the construction of nearly 10,000 housing units if the city [didn’t] approve its request” according to Fortune. However, the company later wrote in a letter to City Council: “We apologize that this came out as a demand, when the intent was to open a conversation to address a potential issue,” according to the Mercury News. In 2015, Mountain View City Council disappointed the tech giant by approving far less construction in the North Bayshore area than Google had hoped for. Instead, it voted in favor of a an expansion proposal by LinkedIn, which had fewer community benefits attached, as Susie Cagle wrote for Next City at the time. The overriding message of that decisive meeting was that Mountain View did not want to be a company town. “I think economic diversity is important,” then-City Council member Michael Kasperzak said at the time. “I’ve lived through two corporations in Mountain View that were masters of the universe and are no longer with us.” EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was updated to reflect changes to the Mercury News article and a statement from the city. Tags: affordable housing, bay area, tech hubs, google

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2012/2/3 Abstract: From oath to pledge of loyalty Juristical, sociological and ethical reflections of high relevance to the present E. Frank/K.-R. Trauner When Austria decided to re-establish armed forces by declaring permanent neutrality in 1955, this happened under the premise of general compulsory military service and of an order of state standing in deliberate equidistance to all religions and denominations. This new self-confidence and national self-assurance was expressed, among other things, in the swearing-in wording. The contents of this swearing-in wording, as it was created in 1955, is an outcome of the social and political experiences made in the five turbulent decades before that. Certainly the final consolidation of the Second Republic of Austria by means of the State Treaty of 1955 was influenced superficially by the ten years of occupation for a while, but more thoroughly it lived in the shadow of the Third Reich, which had been supposed to last thousand years, and lasted seven years in Austria after all. Six of those seven years had been years of war, and before them lay a failed First Republic and the Corporative State. Those few officers lucky enough to have been in the service of the army continuously from the last years of the Monarchy until the end of the Second World War (and afterwards maybe in the newly established Second Austrian Armed Forces), experienced these turning points outwardly alone in their changing uniforms. Thus, within a period of only one generation, the pledges of loyalty changed as rapidly as the uniforms. Against a backdrop of such an eventful history, the decision for a swearing-in ceremony instead of an oath, which has scarcely changed since the establishment of the Austrian Armed Forces in 1955, is more than just a traditional action. It not only expresses the new democratic national philosophy and its ideological neutrality, but also the national political desire for a new beginning. Thus, the swearing-in wording represents the outstanding expressing of the national identity of the new Austrian Nation with its defence system. With her decision against an oath and for a pledge of loyalty was and still is in a long traditional history. Oaths are records of final validity. Already during the pre-Christian era the oath was an instrument for protesting honesty. The cannon law has laid down that an oath can only be sworn if it is determined by truth, consideration, and justice, as god is appealed as a witness of its truth. For this reason, only a nation based on religious foundations, where human order takes its origin from divine order, can demand an oath. The present pledge of loyalty, on the other hand, expresses virtues such as loyalty and obedience, and here the term loyalty stands for the quality of a relationship which must never be understood unilaterally. Neither the conscription act, which puts missions abroad last, nor the neutrality act, nor the wording of the pledge of loyalty has been adapted to the latest developments.

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Off The Beaten Page Travel About Terri Terri’s Books Tag Archives: UNESCO Arizona, Kansas, New York City, travel inspiration, Wisconsin Four Favorite Frank Lloyd Wright Destinations December 12, 2019 Terri Peterson Smith 1 Comment Frank Lloyd Wright’s Allen House, Taliesin, Taliesin West and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum are just a few of the places to see Wright’s all-American architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright has been having a big year. Sixty years after his death in 1959, both his life and his architecture continue to fascinate, influence and inspire. So much so that the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recently named a group of his great works World Heritage Sites.* Spanning 50 years of Frank Lloyd Wright’s career, these buildings represent the first modern architecture designation in the U.S. on the prestigious list. Here, I cover one of my favorite Wright sites, the Allen House in Wichita, Kansas, and three of the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in the UNESCO list —Taliesin in Wisconsin, Taliesin West in Arizona, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. The prolific architect built more than 400 buildings so you can find examples of his work all across the country. There’s even a fantastic Wright-designed gas station in Cloquet, Minnesota. But to really enjoy the experience, I recommend a little reading to”find Mr. Wright” before you visit his buildings. Reading the Wright Stuff Even if you’re not an architecture buff or a design maven, you should add a Frank Lloyd Wright site to your itinerary when you’e traveling—for two reasons. First, Wright’s Prairie Style is considered the first uniquely American style of architecture. Before Wright, prominent American architects followed the more ornate style of European designers, like the Beaux-Arts style that dominated the “White City” buildings and monuments at the Chicago World’s Fair. Wright hated that. Instead of piling on the classical embellishments, he sought to make buildings blend with the landscape. Interior of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Allen House in Wichita, Kansas If your house has an open floor plan, wide expanses of windows or an attached garage, you can thank Frank. These are his among many ideas that were considered radical at the time but are common now. Wright embraced new technologies, designs and materials ,to push the boundaries of architecture, sometimes resulting in failure or really expensive repairs for those trying to maintain his buildings. If you talk to people who live in Frank Lloyd Wright houses, you’ll seldom hear stories of cozy comfort. They’re drafty. And take a look some of the angular furniture and you’ll see why form doesn’t always follow function. Nonetheless, he had a huge impact that continues today. and most of the currently trendy mid-century modern style bears a remarkable resemblance to Wright’s designs. To better understand his design philosophy see, The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright by Neil Levine. The second reason to visit Wright buildings isn’t quite so intellectual. He was simply a fascinating character. Not exactly a paragon of virtue, he left his first wife and six children for Mamah Borthwick, the spouse of a client. That tragic story is the subject of Nancy Horan’s fictionalized work, Loving Frank. Even his fans admit he was an arrogant self-promoter and a flawed genius. I suggest Meryle Secrest’s book, Frank Lloyd Wright: A Biography by Meryle Secrest for the whole story. for the whole story. Now for some exploration: Allen House, Wichita, Kansas exterior of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Allen House in Wichita Kansas At the Allen House, located in Wichita’s historic College Hill neighborhood, you’ll find all the traits of Wright’s Prairie Style residential architecture in one lovely home . Named after its first owners, newspaper publisher Henry Allen and his wife, Elsie, it was the last of Wright’s famous Prairie Houses. Outside you’ll see Wright’s distinctive long, low horizontal lines with low-pitched roofs, deep overhangs, and long rows of casement windows. Explore a bit of the area around Wichita and you that see how that horizontal theme and earth tones of the house match the landscape. Said Wright, “In organic architecture then, it is quite impossible to consider the building as one thing, its furnishings another and its setting and environment still another,”…“The spirit in which these buildings are conceived sees all these together at work as one thing.” The Allen house is one of the best examples I’ve seen in which spaces open to the outdoors. And it retains.more than 30 pieces of Wright-designed furniture, all of its original art glass and several new-for-their-time innovations, such as wall-hung toilets and an attached garage. Taliesin—Spring Green Wisconsin Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio, Taliesin, in Spring Green, Wisconsin As a child Wright spent summers on his uncle’s farm in the rolling farmland of southwest Wisconsin’s Driftless Region. There he witnessed the patterns and rhythms of nature that came to influence his work. He returned to this valley to build his home and studio called Taliesin (Welsh for “shining brow”) on an 800-acre estate outside Spring Green. Wright said of the area, “I meant to live, if I could, an unconventional life. I turned to this hill in the Valley as my grandfather before me had turned to America – as a hope and haven.” A view of the valley from Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio in Spring Green, Wisconsin Strolling outside Wright’s home, with its dramatic horizontal lines and limestone construction that seems to rise straight from the land, it’s easy to understand how his architectural philosophy developed. A house, he said, should be “of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together each the happier for the other.” Inside, Wright’s starkly simple interior spaces offer commanding views of the valley. The tours downplay it, but many stories from Wright’s own life add to the drama of Taliesin as described in Loving Frank. For example, 1914, while Wright was away, a worker at the estate murdered seven people including Borthwick and her children, and set the house on fire. Taliesin West—Scottsdale, Arizona Angles on the exterior of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona The rugged desert foothills of the McDowell Mountains in Scottsdale, Arizona, are a stark to the lush rolling hills of Wisconsin. Yet, after several bouts of illness, Wright built Taliesin West for greater winter comfort. He called it his desert laboratory with buildings that were largely experimental and always changing and expanding. Taliesin West grew to include a drafting studio, dining facilities, two theaters, a workshop, Wright’s office and private living quarters, and residences for apprentices and staff. Each building is connected through a series of walkways, terraces, pools and gardens that meld with the surroundings. Still experimenting with geometric shapes and volumes, Wright designed much of the interior furniture and decorations. He convinced young architecture students to not only pay for a Taliesin apprenticeship but also to build some of the furniture and appear in plays in the Taliesin West theater. Taliesin West is now the home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and the School of Architecture at Taliesin where you can see students at their drafting tables.. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum—New York City The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, New York by Architect Frank Lloyd Wright (Photo by David Heald, courtesy of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation) The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Wright’s last building celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2019. It opened in 1959, the year he died. It’s a complete departure from his Prairie Style days of the Allen House and shows the evolution his thinking over a long career. With the Guggenheim, the low-slung buildings with sharp angles and earth tones are gone, replaced by soaring circular white spaces. At the time, critical opinions varied from “the most beautiful building in America . . . never for a minute dominating the pictures being shown,” to “less a museum than it is a monument to Frank Lloyd Wright.” After a three-year restoration of its interior, the Guggenheim reopened to great acclaim. Now the entire Wright building is open to the public for the first time with spaces that had been used for storage and offices converted into galleries. As a capper to his long career, it seems just fine that the Guggenheim is a monument to Frank Lloyd Wright and his “unconventional life.” The circular interior of the Guggenheim Museum stands in stark contrast to Frank Lloyd Wright’s early work at the Allen House. (Photo by David Heald, courtesy of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation) * The Frank Lloyd Wright buildings listed as UNESCO World Heritiage Sites are Unity Temple (Oak Park, IL), Frederick C. Robie House (Chicago, IL), Hollyhock House (Los Angeles, CA), Fallingwater (Mill Run, PA), Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House (Madison, WI), Taliesin West (Scottsdale, AZ), and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York, NY). Allen HousearchitectureArizonaFrank Lloyd Wrightfrank lloyd wright biographyGuggenheimKansasmid-century modernreadingScottsdaleTaliesinTaliesin WesttravelUNESCOwichitaWisconsinworld heritage site Travel to the places you read about. Read about the places you travel. Literary Destinations Children and reading Ideas for Book Clubs Lit Travel for Kids Subscribe to "Off The Beaten Page Travel" via Email Follow Off The Beaten Page Travel on WordPress.com Send me an email at tsmith952@comcast.net Love reading? Love travel? Buy “Off the Beaten Page: The Best Trips for Lit Lovers, Book Clubs, and Girls on Getaways” Click on the image to order Terri Peterson Smith's new book. Click on the image to purchase Unique Eats and Eateries of the Twin Cities. © Off The Beaten Page Travel, 2018. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Off The Beaten Page Travel with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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Check here again at 5 p.m. (EST) for the next update from the conference March 23, 5 p.m. Conference points to missed opportunities for dialogue CIA's Dulles wanted Cuba to ask for Soviet Bloc arms in 1959 Former adversaries meet to discuss Bay of Pigs Index of Declassified Cuban Documents CIA Oral History Transcripts U.S. Delegation Bios Bay of Pigs Declassified: The Secret CIA Report by Peter Kornbluh Politics of Illusion: The Bay of Pigs Invasion Reexamined by James G. Blight and Peter Kornbluh Read the most recent press release, March 23, 5 p.m. March 23, 2001, 10 a.m. BAY OF PIGS DOCUMENTS SHOW CIA EXPECTED UPRISING AGAINST CASTRO, OR MILITARY SUPPORT CUBANS EXPECTED BEACHHEAD PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT WOULD CALL IN U.S. INVASION, SO RUSHED TO WIPE IT OUT Havana, Cuba: Documents discussed on the second day of an historic meeting of former adversaries in Havana show that CIA officials believed that the Cuban people would welcome a U.S.-sponsored invasion and spontaneously rise up against the Castro regime. CIA officials also expected that Cuban military and police forces would refuse to fight against Brigade 2506, the CIA's 1400-man mercenary invasion force. The document is one of several released today on the National Security Archive's website <http://www.nsarchive.org/bayofpigs>. The National Security Archive at George Washington University is co-sponsoring the event along with the University of Havana and several Cuban government agencies. Another document, culled from the Russian archives, records a conversation between Soviet Ambassador S. M. Kudryavtsev and Ernesto "Che" Guevara on April 14, 1961 - the day before the first B-26 air strikes on the Cuban air force - in which Guevara asserts that Kennedy Administration efforts to establish "large beachheads of the external counterrevolutionary forces . . . would be doomed to failure." The conference - involving former officials of the Kennedy Administration, the CIA, members of Brigade 2506, and Cuban government and military officials - convened yesterday in Havana for three days of discussion on one of the most infamous episodes of the Cold War - the April 1961 invasion at the Bay of Pigs. In an unprecedented declassification, the Cuban government has also declassified some 480 pages of records relating to the invasion, including intelligence reports on U.S. preparations and Fidel Castro's directives during the battle - records that "shed substantial light on Cuba's ability to repel the invasion," according to National Security Archive Senior Analyst Peter Kornbluh. Four of the Cuban documents - Fidel Castro's handwritten notes during the battle with the invastion force - are included in today's release, along with translated copies. Documents from the first day of the conference - including newly declassified records from the United Kingdom - were posted on the Archive's website on March 22. The Archive has also released transcripts of CIA oral history interviews with Richard Bissell and Jacob Esterline, two of the operation's key participants. Other documents released today include: Copies of two organizational charts of the CIA task force in charge of the Cuban operation. An "After Action Report on OPERATION PLUTO" from the report of President Kennedy's special commission to investigate the Bay of Pigs invasion, chaired by Gen. Maxwell Taylor. The summary conclusion of the CIA Inspector General's report on the operation, in which he blames CIA officials for "failure at high levels to concentrate informed, unwavering scrutiny on the project and to apply experienced, unbiased judgment to the menacing situations that developed." Minutes from a March 16, 1962 White House meeting in which President Kennedy is briefed on guidelines for OPERATION MONGOOSE, the CIA's covert effort to destabilize and topple the Castro regime. CIA, Information Report, Signs of Discontent among the Cuban Populace; Activities of the Government to Strengthen Regime, April 6, 1961, 3 pp. Diary of S. M. Kudryavtsev, Record of Conversation with Minister of Industry of the Republic of Cuba Ernesto Guevara, April 14, 1961, [English translation], 3 pp. Russian language original of above document, 4 pp. CIA, Chart, SECRET, Chart of Command Organization for Plans and Training, ca. April 1961. 1 p. CIA, Chart, SECRET, Chart of Command Organization for Operations, ca. April 1961, 1 p. Taylor Commission Report, SECRET, After Action Report on OPERATION PLUTO, May 4, 1961, 21 pp. Handwritten Order from Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro to Captain Jose R. Fernandez, April 17, 1961, 1 p. [Original document in Spanish, 2 pp.] Handwritten Message from Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro to Julio (Flavio Bravo Pardo), April 18, 1961, 1 p. [Original document with Spanish transcription, 3 pp.] Handwritten Order from Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro to Captain Roger Garcia, April 19, 1961, 1 p. CIA, Report, SECRET, Inspector General's Survey of the Cuban Operation [excerpt], December 1961, 3 pp. White House, Memorandum, TOP SECRET, Meeting with President, March 16, 1962, 4 pp. Check here on Friday, March 23 at 10 a.m. (EST) for the next update from the conference Click here to join the Archive's Electronic Mailing List and receive E-mail notification when the Bay of Pigs documents are posted and also about other website updates.

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PARENT COMPANY OF: About Nsight Patrick D. Riordan Pat serves as chairman of the board, president and chief strategy officer(CSO) of Nsight, focused on strategy for the family of companies in the rapidly changing technology industry. Pat's involvement with the company spans four decades, and during this time he has successfully guided Nsight through its expansion from a local telephone company to a premier telecommunications provider in the Midwest. Pat's extensive industry knowledge has earned him many key positions in various organizations. Some of his involvements include: past chairman, current board and member of the officers group for CTIA, past board member and executive committee member for the USTelecom Association, past president and board member of the Competitive Carrier Association (CCA), past president and board member for the Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association, past board member of the Associated Carrier Group and past president of the Eastern Rural Telecommunications Association. Pat received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Rural Carriers Association (RCA), now known as CCA in 2008 and Outstanding Service Award from RCA in 2010. Additionally, he recieved the first ever Lifetime Achievement award from CCA in 2018. He also serves on the board for Ha Ha's Hero Foundation. Pat has five children, five grandchildren and four stepchildren and resides in Green Bay with his wife, Karen Van Gemert. He is a graduate of St. Norbert College and the Advanced Telephone Management program through the University of Kansas. Robert H. Riordan Rob Riordan, executive vice president for Nsight, is a dynamic speaker and lively commentator on emerging technologies in the telecommunications world. His knowledge combined with his more than 30 years of telecom experience allows Rob to speak on a number of subjects. As a Competent Toastmaster, he has traveled the globe for speaking engagements during the last ten years. In addition to various state telecommunications meetings, Rob has spoken on behalf of the Wireless Communications Association, Broadband Wireless Forum, OPASTCO, Telecoms and IT Brand Building and Development Forum in London, UK the Broadband Fixed Wireless Access World Congress in Rome, Italy, Femtocells Asia, 5th Global CDMA Operation & Development Forum in Shanghai and Femtocells World Summit, just to name a few. In 2011, Rob was accepted as a professional member of the National Speaker's Organization. His community involvement includes currently serving on the board of directors for the historical Meyer Theatre, Relevant Radio and the Natiaonal Railroad Museum. He is on the the technical advisory board of Interdigital, which advises the the company's senior management team on strategic technical priorities and direction, potential new markets and product opportunities and product, service and technology program initiatives and additional technology matters. He has also served as chairman for the City of Green Bay Chamber of Commerce board of directors. In addition to being past Chairman of OPASTCO, he has served on and chaired industry committees for USTA, WSTA, CTIA, RCA and WCA. Rob has four children and three grandchildren and lives in Green Bay with his wife, Cathy. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Platteville. Mark M. Naze Mark is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Nsight, and oversees the day-to-day operations for Nsight and its subsidiaries. Mark is a certified public accountant and graduate of St. Norbert College and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC). He has been with the company for more than 30 years. Mark is currently secretary and treasurer for the Associated Carrier Group (ACG) and on the board of directors for the Competitive Carrier Association (CCA). He was the recipient of the NWTC Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. Mark has held various roles in numerous organizations, including serving on the board of directors for the Civic Symphony of Green Bay and Greater Green Bay Habitat for Humanity, member of the St. Willebrord Parish finance council, president of the Packerland Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants, president of the Tri-County Optimist Club and chairperson of the WSTA Accounting Committee. He is a member of the Greater Green Bay Chamber's CFO Roundtable and Financial Executives International (FEI) - Northeastern Wisconsin. Mark is also a graduate of the Leadership Green Bay program. He and his wife, Elizabeth, reside in Hobart. Ray J. Riordan Ray is a semi-retired attorney whose primary area of practice is telecommunications law. Born into the telecom industry, Ray has remained involved over the years. He served as executive director for the Eastern Rural Telecom Association from 2004-2008, and was executive vice president of the Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association from 1979 - 2002. Ray was a partner at the Riordan and Sorenson Law Offices from 1969 - 1979, and served as assistant district attorney and assistant corporation counsel for Green Lake County from 1968-1969. In addition, Ray's involvement in the telecommunications industry includes serving as president of the National Association of State Telecommunications and secretary-treasurer of WSTA Foundation, and participation in Wisconsin Legislative Committees on Telecommunications. Other professional activities include past president of the Wisconsin Society of Association Executives, Director for Community Banks Incorporation - Bank of Middleton, and past president for the Ripon Chamber of Commerce. Ray obtained his bachelor's degree from Marquette University, and received his law degree from UW-Madison Law School. He has three adult children and four grandchildren. He enjoys being active and spending time with family and friends, traveling, boating, exercise, playing bridge and poker, photography and art. Charles E. Baker Chuck, a certified public accountant, is a retired partner from Ernst & Young. Chuck retired in 2005 after 38 years. As a partner in Ernst & Young’s Professional Practice Group, Chuck was the technical reviewer for all SEC filings for more than 30 companies, was involved in more than 50 initial public offerings with the SEC and was also the technical reviewer for the financial statements for more than 50 private companies including several larger ones. Chuck spent three years in Ernst & Young’s National Office and also was assigned to the Tokyo office for six months. In addition to serving on Nsight’s Board of Directors since 2006, Chuck is also on the Board of Directors of CIB Marine Bancshares, Inc. and was formerly on the Board of Directors of Aurora Health Care, Inc. He serves on several committees and is Chairman of certain ones. Chuck and his wife, Dottie have four children and five grandchildren. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Michael D. Harper Michael is a lead global relationship manager at CenturyLink in Minneapolis, MN. He has more than 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry and previously worked at Nsight Telservcies, a subsidiary of Nsight, as key account executive from 1999-2001. Michael graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Minnesota and a Master’s degree in telecommunications management from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. Michael and his wife, Mara, live in Savage, MN with their two children, Claire and Andrew. In his free time Michael volunteers with Dads Of Great Students, Parent Teacher Child Committee, and as a youth baseball coach. Michael is part of the fourth generation of the Riordan family to be actively involved in the Nsight family of companies. Fredric D. Tannenbaum Fred Tannenbaum became an Nsight board member in 2011. Currently a managing partner at Gould & Ratner in Chicago, Fred was identified by the well-known business publication Crain's Chicago Business as a top expert on family-owned businesses. Fred was also recognized by the Illinois Venture Capital Association as a leading expert on private equity and venture capital. He has written extensively on business and legal topics, including a book and over 90 articles, and frequently speaks worldwide on these subjects. Among other things, Fred serves on the board of directors of a next-generation, leading-edge provider of core messaging, mobile device management, and connectivity gateway solutions to the global telecom and broadband industry, particularly involving SMS and MMS. He is also on the executive committee and is a past president of Law Exchange International, a network of 20 law firms in Europe, India, China, Australia, Asia, South America and North America with more than 34 other correspondent firms throughout the world. Fred also serves on the boards of many charities. Fred received his law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School (cum laude) and obtained his undergraduate degree from Ohio Wesleyan University (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa). Nsight History Request a sponsorship or donation Nsight Telservices Nsight News Why Work at Nsight? 450 Security Blvd. © 2000 - 2020 Nsight.com

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State education commissioner, in first speech, emphasizes collaboration The state’s new education commissioner has been on the job just over a week, and she’s been traveling the state on a listening tour to reach out to teachers, school boards and others who’ve been buffeted by an intense political climate during the most recent legislative session. Commissioner Mary Ellen Elia attended a meeting of the Rural Schools Association in Cooperstown. Commissioner Elia, who began her job on July 6th, was not really prepared to give a full address at the Rural Schools Association, but she gamely offered her remarks, after spending the day attending sessions and meeting school board members and administrators at their summer gathering. Elia, a Western New York native, began her teaching career in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst, before eventually becoming the superintendent of a large school district in Florida. She comes back to New York at a time when parents are so upset over what top politicians say was the botched roll out of the new Common Core learning standards that they allowed their children to boycott the tests. Around one fifth of students statewide did not take the math and English tests required for third through eighth graders. To add to that, the teachers union is feuding with Governor Cuomo, and school boards are worried about the implications of a property tax cap that’s been extended for another four years. Perhaps as a way to ease the strife, Elia says she intends to take everyone’s views into consideration and work with them. She says there’s one word to describe her style. “Collaborative,” Elia said. “We worked with our union.” Elia received credit for working with teachers in her previous job in Florida. She was asked to leave, though, last February, after some new school board members were elected. The commissioner says New York teachers who are seeking more input into standardized tests that will be used to rate their performance, will get more chances to design tests going forward, under a new contract signed with testing company Questar. It was chosen over Pearson, which previously held the contract and became a lightning rod for complaints. “I’m going to work very hard to have teachers be part of the agenda to support students,” Elia said. “That will go a long way for teachers to feel like they have a voice in what’s happening.” Elia also says schools may be granted one year waivers to delay new teacher evaluations championed by Governor Cuomo and passed during the state budget, if they can demonstrate that they are working with their teachers unions towards designing new reviews. The waivers were created by the state Board of Regents, following complaints by schools that a deadline of this November was not enough time. “If they show that there is good progress being made, or that there’s strong attempt to make progress, then they’ll be in a strong position to access a waiver,” Elia said. Governor Cuomo has said he hopes the waivers are granted as exceptions, and not the rule. David Little, executive director of the Rural Schools Association, says the one year waiver option eases some of the pressure. “The waivers help with an incredibly doctrinaire law that didn’t recognize the realities of the situation,” said Little. But he says the law is fundamentally flawed. “The real solution is to change the law, not to have everybody exempted from the law and then have you be over a barrel with the union in order to get it done on time,” Little said. Little says he hopes that under the new education commissioner, the adults will stop “bickering” and get back to figuring out what’s best for the kids. Hochul: 'I don't harbor higher ambitions' A look at the new Tappan Zee Bridge

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Nuclear power plant deal draws ire from both ends of the political spectrum • Published on December 7, 2016 • Last modified on October 9, 2019 A long-term energy plan by the Cuomo Administration that includes a nearly $8 billion dollar subsidy to two upstate nuclear power plants is being challenged from both ends of the political spectrum, and a lawsuit has been filed to try to stop the deal. Governor Cuomo’s Public Service Commission plans to convert 50% of the state’s power sources to renewable energy over the next decade and a half. A controversial part of that program includes a $7.6 billion dollar state-financed subsidy to a company that now runs two New York nuclear power plants , Nine Mile Point in Oswego, Ginna near Rochester, and is taking over a third plant, FitzPatrick, also in Oswego. That has angered environmental groups, who filed a lawsuit, saying the PSC “acted improperly when it mandated a massive subsidy to prop up New York’s aging, failing nuclear power plants as part of the State’s Clean Energy Standard.” Other progressive leaning groups, including the New York Public Interest Research Group, also object to the deal. “In some ways, it’s a straight up rate payer issue,” said Blair Horner, NYPIRG’s legislative director. He says the deal will result in $2.3 billion dollars in increased payments for residential utility customers, and even more for businesses. That’s in a state that already has among the highest utility rates in the nation. “Roughly 800,000 New Yorkers are already having a hard time paying their existing electric bills,” said Horner. “This isn’t going to make it any better.” It’s not only left-leaning groups who oppose the deal. Fossil fuel companies like Shell and BP have objected, filing complaints with the PSC. Oil and gas companies would have to essentially, help subsidize the deal through the price of zero-emission tax credit bought and sold in New York. Phil Kerpen, with the Washington, D.C. based free market advocacy group American Commitment, calls the plan an “expensive green fantasy”. He says no one should get public money, including wind and solar power. “The idea that ‘well, other energy sources have subsidies, so our solution is to go raid the rate payer for ourselves’ is the worst kind of solution.” Kerpen said. “It actually just replicates the problem.” He says “actual economics” should drive which types of energy sources make sense. Kerpen says he doesn’t find it odd, though, that groups on both the traditional left and the right are opposing the governor’s plan. “We’re seeing a different fault line in a lot of the major political and policy fights that are happening in this country right now,” said Kerpen. “It’s becoming much less about right versus left and much more about insiders, cronies, special interests, versus the people at large.” He says people across the political spectrum simply believe it’s “wrong” for ratepayers to pay a surcharge to benefit one specific corporation. Governor Cuomo has argued that nuclear power is cleaner than fossil fuels, and is a needed bridge fuel during a transition to wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources. The decision is also partly about saving jobs, as Cuomo told power plant workers at the Fitzpatrick nuclear plant in Oswego during a visit over the summer. “There’d be 615 lost jobs, average wage $120,000,” Cuomo said on August 9th. A spokesman for Cuomo calls the latest attempts to derail the energy plan through a lawsuit an “absurd publicity stunt." No deal yet on special session Repealing Obamacare would have big financial consequences for New York

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Teaching Associate Professorship in Arabic The School of Culture and Society, Department of the Study of Religion invites applications for a teaching associate professorship in Arabic. The position is affiliated with the Arab and Islamic studies programme, and involves teaching modern standard Arabic (MSA) and at least one Arabic dialect. The teaching associate professorship is a permanent position dedicated to full-time teaching, including professional development. The appointment begins on 1 September 2020 or as soon as possible thereafter. Place of employment: The Department of the Study of Religion, Jens Chr. Skous Vej 3-7, Denmark. The university wants its staff to reflect the diversity of society, and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their personal background. We are seeking an innovative and dedicated candidate who can teach MSA and at least one Arabic dialect at all university levels. For more information on the position, please contact Professor Mark Sedgwick (mjrs@cas.au.dk). Employment as a teaching associate professor requires a Master’s degree in teaching Arabic as a foreign language (TAFL) or in Arabic, or similar academic qualifications. Applicants are also expected to document: Fluency in Arabic (native-speaker standard) Relevant experience of teaching MSA and Arabic dialects at all levels Experience of student supervision Strong oral and written communicative skills Experience in teaching in English or a Scandinavian language Theoretical qualifications in language pedagogy and foreign language teaching as well as knowledge of technology-based language courses will also be important assets. The applicant must submit a teaching portfolio including a list of courses taught, representative or sample course outlines, and representative student evaluations. Please see further below under the headline 'Formalities'. The application must be uploaded in English. For more information about applications, please contact HR supporter Marianne Birn, email mbb@au.dk The position is open to applicants of any citizenship. If the successful applicant is not fluent in Danish, he or she will be expected to learn Danish within a period of approximately two years of appointment, and appropriate support will be given for this purpose. References or recommendations should not be included with the application. Applicants who are selected for a job interview may be asked to state professional references. Arab and Islamic studies Both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes in Arab and Islamic studies are offered. The MA is taught in English, but much of the BA programme is usually taught in Danish. However, teaching will be conducted in English if the successful applicant does not know a Scandinavian language. The Arabic language plays a significant part in all programmes, and knowledge of Arabic is required for admission to the Master’s degree programme. For a more detailed description of the degree programmes, please refer to these websites: http://bachelor.au.dk/en/arab-and-islamic-studies and https://kandidat.au.dk/en/arabandislamicstudies/ School of Culture and Society At the School of Culture and Society the object of research and teaching is the interplay between culture and society in time and space: From the traditional disciplines of the humanities and theology to applied social research From Antiquity to the issues facing contemporary societies From familiar Danish cultural forms to other very different worlds From local questions to global challenges. The school’s goal is to produce compelling research with an international resonance, as well as offering teaching and talent development of high quality. The school has a broad cooperative interface with society, both in Denmark and abroad, and contributes to social innovation, research communication and further and continuing education. For a more detailed description of the School of Culture and Society, please see this website: http://cas.au.dk/en/. Faculty of Arts refers to the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Danish Universities (the Appointment Order). Appointment shall be in accordance with the collective labour agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations . Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities. Further information on the application and supplementary materials may be found in Applicant Guidelines. The application must outline the applicant's motivation for applying for the position, attaching a curriculum vitae, copies of relevant degree certificates, and (if relevant for the position) a teaching portfolio. Please upload this material electronically along with your application. In the absence of any statement to the contrary, applications must be submitted in English. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. The Faculty of Arts is one of four main academic areas at Aarhus University. The faculty contributes to Aarhus University's research, talent development, knowledge exchange and degree programmes. With its 500 academic staff members, 260 PhD students, 10,500 BA and MA students, and 1,500 students following continuing/further education programmes, the faculty constitutes a strong and diverse research and teaching environment. The Faculty of Arts consists of the School of Communication and Culture, the School of Culture and Society, the Danish School of Education, and the Centre for Teaching Development and Digital Media. Each of these units has strong academic environments and forms the basis for interdisciplinary research and education. The faculty's academic environments and degree programmes engage in international collaboration and share the common goal of contributing to the development of knowledge, welfare and culture in interaction with society. Read more at arts.au.dk/en Aarhus University offers Relocation service to International researchers. You can read more about it at https://international.au.dk/ The application must be submitted via Aarhus University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aarhus University's website. Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,000 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 885 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/ Ansøgningsfrist: 19.02.2020 Placering: Aarhus Nordre Ringgade 1 https://nyuddannet.dk/job/1451964/aarhus-universitet-au/teaching-associate-professorship-in-arabic Matematik, Fysik & Nano Sprog, Media & Kommunikation

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Mr. Custer Declassified Mr. Custer, an ambitious and kind-hearted man, who is a globetrotter to say the least. Having lived in seven countries has taught him to be open minded and accepting of all cultures. He has taught in five schools before ISKl, also pursuing a short career in music, which is one that he definitely won’t forget. When asked about what influences him when he is teaching, he states “I think that all of my experiences as a teacher influence me as a person”. This further shows the dedication to the school community that he retains. Most of his teaching career took place in East Asia. Mr.Custer has always been interested in learning new things, as he is always seeking new information and education to share with his students. “I like the building of relationships or… learning or growing with the students.” As a physical education teacher, Mr. Custer has large amounts of knowledge on varying sports, such as football, rugby, but specifically Gaelic football. Gaelic football is a combination of football, basketball, and a few other sports. He is a talented guitarist, and his vocals accompany his guitar. His music career was pursued in Ireland, where he would sing to transient crowds as he sung covers of the most popular hits. He is a gifted cook, enjoying cuisines of the different countries that he lives in. To conclude, Mr. Custer is a man that you definitely want to meet. He is a man of many talents and someone that loves to grow and learn together with his peers! Is Less More? A Librarian’s Life

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Heather Richardson 500 Days to Pyeongchang: Five athletes to watch By Seth RubinroitSep 27, 2016, 4:21 PM EDT Today marks 500 days until the Opening Ceremony of 2018 Winter Olympics. Below are five U.S. athletes to get to know before February 9, 2018: Ryan Bailey (Bobsled): Bailey, who finished fifth as a sprinter in the London Olympic 100m, is attempting to compete at the 2018 Olympics as a bobsledder. On Sept. 21, just weeks into his bobsled career, he won the men’s push athlete national title. The last male Summer Olympian to make a U.S. Olympic bobsled team was Willie Davenport in 1980. MORE: Converted sprinter Ryan Bailey wins bobsled national title Brittany Bowe and Heather Richardson (Speed Skating): Bowe and Richardson have been trading world records in recent years. Last November, Bowe broke her own women’s 1000m world record, only to have Richardson lower it just three minutes later. A week later, Bowe broke the world record in the event once again. MORE: Dan Jansen explains recent flurry of world records Meryl Davis and Charlie White (Figure Skating): The future is uncertain for Davis and White, who became the first U.S. couple to win an Olympic ice dance title in Sochi. They have not competed since the 2014 Olympics, but they have also not announced their retirement. MORE: Where Meryl Davis, Charlie White stand on possible comeback Chloe Kim (Snowboarding): Kim mathematically qualified for the 2014 U.S. Olympic team in halfpipe, but at 13, she was not old enough to be eligible to compete in Sochi. A U.S. woman has won gold in the event at three of the past four Olympics, but Kaitlyn Farrington, who won halfpipe gold in Sochi, retired after being diagnosed with a spinal condition. MORE: Kaitlyn Farrington retires from snowboarding Mikaela Shiffrin (Alpine Skiing): Shiffrin became the youngest Olympic slalom champion at the 2014 Games, when she was 18. Four years later, she is hoping to become the first Alpine skier — man or woman — to repeat as slalom gold medalist. She also could become the first U.S. women’s Alpine skier to win gold medals in multiple Olympics. Follow @srubinroit Tags: 2018 Winter Olympics, 500 days, Brittany Bowe, Charlie White, Chloe Kim, Heather Richardson, Meryl Davis, Ryan Bailey, Brittany Bowe, Charlie White, Chloe Kim, Heather Richardson, Meryl Davis, Ryan Bailey Shani Davis out of the medals at World Championships for first time By Nick ZaccardiFeb 13, 2016, 10:59 AM EST More: Speed Skating Michel Mulder, Olympic speed skating champion by .01, retires at 33 Brittany Bowe breaks record shared with Bonnie Blair, Heather Bergsma Brittany Bowe’s win streak eclipses one year Shani Davis finished fifth in his two best events, missing the podium at the World Single Distance Championships for the first time in his career. Davis, a two-time Olympic 1000m champion and two-time 1500m silver medalist, finished 2.36 seconds behind Russian winner Denis Yuskov in the 1500m on Friday in Kolomna, Russia. On Saturday, Davis was .68 behind Russian winner Pavel Kulizhnikov in the 1000m. Full competition results are here. Davis, 33, is the world-record holder in both events and won a surprise World 1000m title last season, after contemplating retirement during a campaign in which he had one World Cup podium finish (a third place). He is older than any previous World Championships men’s medalist in a distance shorter than 5000m, according to SchaatsStatistieken.nl. “I’m not a middle-type-of-the-pack skater,” Davis said last year. “If I’m not competitive with the rest of the world, and I’m sixth and seventh and eighth, whatever, then it’s not for me. I can happily move on.” This season, Davis also has one World Cup podium finish (a third place from Nov. 20). He struggled at the Sochi Olympics, taking eighth in the 1000m and 11th in the 1500m as part of an overall disappointing performance by U.S. speed skaters. Later Saturday, Brittany Bowe earned her second Worlds medal in as many days, silver in the 500m behind South Korean Lee Sang-hwa, the two-time Olympic champion and world-record holder. U.S. Olympian Heather Richardson-Bergsma was fifth. Richardson-Bergsma and Bowe were first and second in the 500m at Worlds last year and second and third in the 1000m on Friday. Earlier Saturday, Sven Kramer captured his 19th career World Single Distance Championships gold medal and second in as many days. The Dutchman won his ninth Olympic or World title in the 5000m. Kramer hasn’t been beaten in that race at an Olympics or Worlds since Chad Hedrick topped him at the 2006 Olympics. MORE: Two years to Pyeongchang: Updates on Sochi Olympic medalists Tags: Brittany Bowe, Heather Richardson, Lee Sang-hwa, olympics, shani davis, speedskating, Sven Kramer, winter olympics, World Single Distance Championships, Brittany Bowe, Heather Richardson, Lee Sang-hwa, Shani Davis, Sven Kramer Brittany Bowe, Heather Richardson-Bergsma upset at World Championships Brittany Bowe and Heather Richardson-Bergsma are the two fastest women’s speed skaters in the 1000m all time, but the Netherlands’ Jorien ter Mors was faster on Friday. Shani Davis, a two-time Olympic 1000m champion, also finished fifth in the 1500m, behind Russian winner Denis Yuskov. Ter Mors, the Olympic 1500m champion, upset the Americans in the shorter event at the World Single Distance Championships in Kolomna, Russia. Ter Mors clocked 1:14.73 in an early pair and then nervously watched, her hands gripping her face, as Richardson-Bergsma and Bowe skated in the final two pairs. Richardson-Bergsma, the world-record holder for eight days until Bowe snatched it Nov. 22, crossed the finish line in 1:14.94 in the penultimate pair. Then came Bowe, winner of four of the last five World Cup 1000m races. The former Florida Atlantic University basketball player clocked 1:15.01. Richardson-Bergsma and Bowe earned silver and bronze, respectively. In 2015, Bowe took gold and Richardson-Bergsma silver. Full results are here. Bowe and Richardson-Bergsma, who combined to sweep the 500m, 1000m and 1500m World titles last year, could share the podium again in the 500m on Saturday and the 1500m on Sunday. Bowe and Richardson-Bergsma were part of a disappointing, medal-less U.S. speed skating showing at the Sochi Winter Olympics. The best individual finish between the two was seventh in Sochi. They’ve dominated since. In the 1000m alone, the Americans combined to win 10 of the last 11 World Cup races. On the first day of Worlds on Thursday, the Netherlands’ Sven Kramer took the 10,000m and the Czech Republic’s Martina Sablikova captured the 3000m. Kramer, 29, earned his 16th career World Single Distance Championships title, doubling the number of the No. 2 man all time, Davis. All 17 World champions in the 10,000m have been Dutch. Sablikova, who reportedly qualified for the Rio Olympics in road cycling, earned her 11th career World Single Distance Championships title. She’s one behind retired German Anni Friesinger-Postma for the women’s record. Tags: Brittany Bowe, Heather Richardson, Jorien ter Mors, Martina Sablikova, olympics, shani davis, speedskating, Sven Kramer, winter olympics, World Single Distance Championships, Brittany Bowe, Heather Richardson, Jorien ter Mors, Martina Sablikova, Shani Davis, Sven Kramer 500 Days to Pyeongchang: Five athletes to watch September 27, 2016 4:21 pm Shani Davis out of the medals at World Championships for first time February 13, 2016 10:59 am Brittany Bowe, Heather Richardson-Bergsma upset at World Championships February 12, 2016 10:40 am Olympic Year in Review: Winter Sports December 21, 2015 2:17 pm Dan Jansen explains recent flurry of world records November 25, 2015 1:01 pm Brittany Bowe wins 1000m; sets world record November 22, 2015 3:48 pm Heather Richardson takes another world record from Brittany Bowe November 21, 2015 9:26 pm Brittany Bowe, Heather Richardson trade 1000m world records November 14, 2015 6:55 pm Brittany Bowe sweeps at World Sprint Championships (video) March 2, 2015 10:21 am U.S. betters Netherlands at speed skating World Championships February 15, 2015 10:45 am Tearful Shani Davis returns to the top at World Championships February 14, 2015 11:34 am Brittany Bowe, Heather Richardson go one-two at World Championships February 13, 2015 1:07 pm Shani Davis leads U.S. speed skating team for fall World Cups October 29, 2014 9:35 am U.S. speed skaters excel at first post-Olympic World Cup March 9, 2014 10:47 am Shani Davis wins in first race since Olympics, says he’s ‘still really depressed’ March 8, 2014 10:56 am U.S. speed skaters bounce back in first post-Olympic races March 7, 2014 11:52 am WATCH LIVE: Women’s speed skating 1500m gives Heather Richardson and Brittany Bowe another shot February 16, 2014 8:43 am What to watch on Day 9 of Sochi Olympics February 15, 2014 11:25 pm UPDATE: U.S. Speedskating gets permission to change suits February 14, 2014 4:45 pm What to watch on Day 6 of Sochi Olympics February 12, 2014 11:30 pm What to watch on Day 4 of Sochi Olympics February 10, 2014 11:35 pm Cheering for Dutch speed skater was easy for Team USA’s Heather Richardson February 8, 2014 3:58 pm Shani Davis, Heather Richardson make podium at World Sprint Championships January 19, 2014 8:44 am Shani Davis, Heather Richardson sweep again at U.S. Olympic Trials (video) December 31, 2013 7:35 pm Davis, Richardson win 1000m at speed skating trials; redemption for Garcia December 29, 2013 4:13 pm Strange DQ as Heather Richardson, Shani Davis qualify for Sochi (video) December 28, 2013 4:19 pm U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Trials preview December 26, 2013 1:04 pm Heather Richardson, Brittany Bowe go 1-2 at Berlin World Cup December 8, 2013 12:51 pm Shani Davis, Heather Richardson win bronze at Berlin World Cup December 7, 2013 10:40 am Joey Mantia wins Berlin 1500m; Shani Davis 8th December 6, 2013 12:04 pm Heather Richardson, Brittany Bowe go 1-2 in Astana 1000m December 1, 2013 7:07 am Brittany Bowe breaks world record at Salt Lake City (video) November 17, 2013 7:48 pm Shani Davis wins again as more world records fall in Salt Lake City (video) November 16, 2013 8:01 pm Heather Richardson, Tucker Fredricks close Calgary World Cup with wins (video) November 10, 2013 4:22 pm Shani Davis takes second in first race of speed skating season November 8, 2013 3:56 pm Speed skating World Cup storylines November 7, 2013 2:43 pm

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- Reprint I wrote this text as a commission from Risa Puleo for the catalog of her 2019 exhibition Walls Turned Sideways: Artists Confront the Justice System at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. It was edited with great care by Jillian Steinhauer, and published by the Miami-based non-profit [NAME] Publications, under the editorial direction of Natalia Zuluaga, Lucie Steinberg, and Gean Moreno. Walls Turned Sideways “featured work by artists from across the nation that addresses the criminal justice system, mass incarceration, and the prison-industrial complex.” I was to consider the relationship between HIV, incarceration, and art. I had worked with Risa before, on "Curation will not save us: Wrestling with the spaces between analysis and action,” a published conversation for the exhibition Cell Count, curated by Kyle Croft and Asher Mones for Visual AIDS. Risa and I built upon her curatorial thesis, which explores connections between prisons and museums. Additionally, this text was also part of A Structural Crisis in an Emotional Landscape, a work by artist Kenneth Pietrobono, in which the artist commissioned writers to create with great political care. See the bottom of the article for more information. - by Theodore (ted) Kerr In 2017, Brooklyn-born, Atlanta-based activist Shyronn Jones worked with the Georgia Coalition to End HIV Criminalization to create one of six postcards. On the front is a photo collage by Jones, the foreground of which shows a single light bulb on a string—an image that evokes the work of Félix González-Torres, ideas around “shedding light” on a issue, and as Jones puts it, a scene all too easy to imagine in which “detectives aggressively interrogating people living with HIV based on a mixture of false accusations, propaganda, speculations and stigma.”[1] The background features Jones, who is the founder of the HIV/AIDS awareness firm iknowAwareness, wearing a red T-shirt that declares: “HIV IS NOT A CRIME.” Shyronn Jones, HIV IS NOT A CRIME, 2017. Photograph by: Shymere Jones. Courtesy of the artist. Produced by: GEORGIA COALITION TO END HIV CRIMINALIZATION The text of the T-shirt is, of course, wrong—at least for now. Having HIV is a crime, especially if you are also a sex worker, a drug user, black or brown or queer, living in poverty, homeless, experiencing mental health issues, or at the intersection of any of these ways of being alive.[2] Depending on how and where you live, having the virus can land you in jail, solitary confinement, on a sex offender registry, outed on the nightly news, or with your kids, job, housing, and support system taken away. Across the U.S., 34 states have laws that are used to punish people living with HIV, with prosecutors positioning positive folks as deadly weapons due to their status and as murderously inclined if they are unable to prove that HIV disclosure occurred before a consensual intimate encounter.[3] In response to these laws, people living with HIV have been building organizations and a movement to turn the spirit of the “HIV IS NOT A CRIME” T-shirt into a reality.[4] They have been working within their own communities and with the media to generate awareness about criminalization.[5] They have also been working with state politicians to abolish or modernize HIV-specific laws.[6] Many of those laws were put into place in the late 1980s and amended or intensified throughout the 1990s.[7] Having HIV today means that, on top of addressing the ramifications of an incurable virus living in one’s body, one must negotiate how to be seen as positive in order to stay out of jail, while also dealing with the stigma that comes with disclosure. But within the history of the epidemic, navigating optics to stay alive is nothing new. Before 1983, when the virus did not even have a name, people dealing with a then mysterious illness began using visibility as a tactic to combat silence, neglect, apathy, and the unknown. Since criminalization laws were passed, visibility has become a state-enforced demand. Becoming Visible Against the Silence With her postcard, Jones joins a long tradition of people who have lived with the virus and centered themselves in a blend of art and propaganda, working to be seen while also asking for help, sharing available information, and creating community in a call for care and justice. One of the first AIDS awareness posters was put up in the fall of 1981 in the window of the Star Pharmacy in the Castro in San Francisco. Nurse and activist Bobbi Campbell (1952–1984) created a flyer using photos of the Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) lesions on his body under text that read “GAY CANCER.” At the bottom, Campbell called on people with similar-looking marks to see a doctor.[8] Five years later and across the country, a group of men in New York City formed a consciousness-raising group to deal with life in the dawning age of AIDS. The guys did not know what would come of their time together, but over the course of the gray winter and spring of 1986–87, they created the iconic “SILENCE = DEATH” poster.[9] With loss all around them, they understood that the lack of public dialogue was making the crisis worse. People were not getting the information they needed. The collective hoped the poster would send the message that no one should feel alone in the epidemic, that AIDS was an emergency, and that action must be taken. Several years later, Alexandra Juhasz, a student in the Whitney Independent Study Program, brought together a group of women who were caring for people living with HIV. They gathered for months to talk about the challenges of the epidemic, exasperated by the culture’s bias against black women and women of color. The group named itself the Women’s AIDS Video Enterprise (WAVE), with a goal of creating activist videos dealing with HIV. In 1991, they released We Care (1991), a thirty-minute resource aimed at women and other caregivers. Thanks to a distribution grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, WAVE members were given $50 for each We Care screening they hosted within their own communities, followed by frank and vulnerable conversations about health and sexuality.[10] In our age of social media, it can be hard to imagine that the work of Campbell, the Silence = Death collective, and WAVE was created not for online likes or shares, nor for influencers, patrons, critics, or curators, but rather for people in need, in the hopes of creating communities. These activists aimed to reach the public wherever its attention could be grabbed: in the streets, store windows, church basements, neighbors’ living rooms, and community centers. In a matter of years, information started to go viral, circulating in magazines and newspapers, on flyers in health centers, on the nightly news, and, in time, within classrooms and even via sitcoms and the movies. This visibility brought with it treatment and care, but also stigma and discrimination. For communities deeply impacted by HIV and AIDS, such as the activist and art worlds of New York City in the 1980s and ’90s, the urgency that had manifested in early posters and videos turned into a deep consideration of the power and purpose of art and culture in the face of suffering, apathy and death. Gregg Bordowitz, a member of the advocacy group ACT UP, a chronicler of the beginnings of the epidemic, and the director of many films exploring personal and systemic dimensions of the crisis, recently revisited these questions and the contexts in which they were originally considered. His 2011 book explores the Canadian collaborative General Idea’s Imagevirus, a multiform project that generated much controversy among the AIDS and artist communities in its time. A generation older than most of the ACT UP members, General Idea (AA Bronson, Felix Partz [1945–1994], Jorge Zontal [1944–1994]) took Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE image and reimagined it to read “AIDS.” The group made a 1987 painting for a benefit in support of amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, and would soon after circulate the updated image on billboards, subway ads, screens, and in sculpture. For Bordowitz and others involved with ACT UP, Imagevirus was a logo that failed to give direction for action—a wasted opportunity that undermined the power of what they thought art about HIV should do. What Bordowitz and others didn’t see in the moment was that, while Imagevirus may have seemed empty in the activist enclaves of New York, for others in mainstream places where denial of the existence of AIDS dominated the discourse, the work was a much-needed intervention. Imagevirus addressed populations across a spectrum of Western countries, each with their own distinct yet related issues. Rooted in replication, the transmission of the image crossed language barriers. “Indiana's LOVE logo is what communicates in the end,” said Bronson recently. “Even teenagers in small German towns knew that AIDS should have read LOVE.”[11] In the first decade of the epidemic, the visuality of the virus was propelled primarily by an urgency caused by desperation and death. Getting AIDS on people’s agenda—cutting past hatred and fear to care and action—was a core goal that was achieved with profound success. In the years to follow, with the introduction of life-saving medication in 1996 and the newfound ubiquity of the disease, one might have assumed that visibility for a person living with HIV would become less fraught. But, as the ongoing story of AIDS reminds us, that has not been the case. Dealing with the Dis-ease of Disease At the turn of the millennium, Jones moved to Atlanta from Albany, where she had lived for ten years after leaving Brooklyn, the place where she was born and raised. She had recently been diagnosed with HIV and needed a change of scenery to figure out her new reality. Since moving, she has been able to make a home for herself and her daughter. She stays busy with a social life, work, and commitments to the Georgia Coalition and the local chapter of the Positive Women’s Network – USA. Yet even in a city where she has lived for more than 15 years , she never feels entirely at ease. “The concrete wall in front of my apartment building for low to moderate income people looks like a prison cell block, a reminder of both criminalization and my entrapment in housing inequality,” she says. “I look at it and I just know that prison is the worst place for people living with HIV, because treatment, prevention, and support are limited on the inside. We deserve healthcare, not incarceration.”[12] Jones is aware that her life would be much different had she been diagnosed a few years earlier. In 1996, highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) was released, and it meant that being told you had HIV was no longer a notice of impending death. With medication and access to housing and care, people now have the chance to live long and happy lives with the virus. In addition to saving millions of lives, HAART has introduced methods of curbing new cases of HIV. Treatment as prevention (TasP) is a strategy that uses antiretrovirals to reduce the risk of transmission by medicating people with and without the virus.[13] For HIV-negative people, TasP consists of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) or pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a regimen of meds taken before or after possible exposure that works to prevent the virus from taking hold in the body.[14] For HIV-positive people, TasP refers to HAART’s ability to suppress someone’s viral load to an undetectable level, making transmission impossible. With this big change has come a host of questions, including: Who is and isn’t seen as the “public” in public health? Before TasP, people with the virus and their doctors spoke of T cells and CD4 counts, measurements of the body’s capacity to fight infection. Now those numbers often take a backseat to viral load, a metric that indicates the amount of virus in the blood and thus the potential for transmission. A patient’s adherence to their medication is tracked—a form of surveillance—to the point where their ability to suppress the virus becomes as much about self-care as it is about public health. The contours of visibility for people living with HIV changed under TaSP. They’re now held to a higher standard of responsibility than any other group with an illness in our culture. Managing the risk of contact, the labor of achieving good health, and the burden of disclosure all fall on their shoulders. And even though this work by HIV-positive people serves to reduce an HIV-negative person’s chances of getting the virus, it may do little to convince someone not to press charges after the fact if something goes awry. As activists have pointed out, talk of viral load sometimes never enters the court, since it’s beyond the understanding of many lawyers and often deemed inadmissible by judges who, like the laws themselves, are not up to date on the science.[15] Others, question whether it should be used at all, since medical access issues prevent many people from reaching an undetectable viral load, thus putting them at further risk for criminalization.[16] In the face of all this, people scramble to furnish evidence of their disclosure. Some women freeze condoms to prove that protection was used; others bring potential partners to the doctor’s office or have them sign a form acknowledging that a conversation occurred. Still others screenshot text messages in which personal HIV information is shared. People must go to great lengths to appease out-of-touch lawmakers who make assumptions and regard them with mistrust. “Disclosure happens more than lawmakers and/or the general public would like to admit,” says Jones, “and it should be no surprise that disclosure happens more often in safe, empathetic and educated environments.”[17] The extraordinary burden of living with HIV is often keenly felt when the opportunity arises for intimacy with someone new. Artist and writer Jordan Arseneault explored this in a 2012 work titled The New Equation, created for the public art campaign PosterVirus by AIDS ACTION NOW. Arseneault’s project riffs on the aforementioned “SILENCE = DEATH” poster, but with a new mutation: “SILENCE = SEX.” Arseneault created his poster, text, and performance to work though the pitfalls of making oneself visible as living with HIV and to probe the questions and feelings that come up when the possibility of sex is on the horizon: It’s that awkward moment where you look up at the SILENCE = DEATH poster On his cluttered bedroom wall And say the words I AM HIV POSITIVE Only to see him freeze, lose his boner, sigh, And explain trippingly that he has an anxiety disorder And “just can’t take it right now.”[18] In the face of rejection after disclosure, Arseneault contemplates how, in the future, maybe silence could be an option. He takes the iconic poster and swaps out the old equation for his new one. But he doesn’t stop there. At the bottom of the original work, a set of lines questioned the lack of structural response to the crisis and encouraged lesbian and gay viewers to act, ending with: “Turn anger, fear, grief into action.” For his update, Arseneault writes: “The criminalization of HIV+ people perpetuates stigma and prevents preventions. HIV+ people are often caught in a ‘Catch 22,’ wherein disclosure is required by law but often leads to immediate rejection. Inform yourself: overcome stigma and get laid!”[19] Because of the law and prevailing stigma, even in the face of treatment as prevention, intimate encounters are fraught. Arsenault’s poster highlights how, when the possibility of pleasure arises, people living with HIV are forced to decide between intimacy and the threat of Jones’s bright light bulb of visibility. With shunning, isolation, false accusations, and jail sentences as possible outcomes, is there space for nuance? How can sharing something about oneself move from obligation to mutual discovery? How can the person living with illness be situated in a place of care, protection, and consideration rather than one of suspicion? Artist Camilo Godoy, who is HIV-negative, is also grappling with the inequality of criminalization. For the 2013 Visual AIDS exhibition Not Over, he collaborated with people living with HIV on a series of performances in which criminalization statutes and punishments were written in a book using blood containing HIV instead of ink.[20] That same year he made a print that reads, "HIV: no longer a death sentence, today it is a prison sentence.” The text appears on a piece of 8.5" x 11" newsprint and is hung using only two pins at the top, making it vulnerable. It flutters, shivers, and is always at risk of falling or being torn as people move through the space and building systems impact the flow of air. Art historian Kate Hallstead sees the work as a success for the clarity of its message and its connection to the world when on view: “It is obvious that HIV criminalization cannot be abstracted into anything but pure, simple discrimination. The piece pins the options of death and prison against each other in public.”[21] In Arseneault’s and Godoy’s art, as with Jones’s postcard, the physical surface plays an important role, becoming a stand-in for some notion of neutral ground where facts about HIV disclosure and criminalization can be exchanged. The works trouble ideas of impartiality, highlighting the fraught nature of any discussion platform when inequality is present and exposing the fragility of reason and visibility when it comes to HIV. The Demands of Being Undetectable yet Seen In 1983, a group of people living with HIV came together at a health conference to draft and then release the Denver Principles, a document that called on news outlets to cease using the word “victim” and instead employ the phrase “People With AIDS.”[22] Decades later, a group of people living with HIV also came together, this time to create something less directed at the media and more aimed at educating each other and the public. In 2016, the Prevention Access Campaign published its Consensus Statement, an attempt to eliminate ignorance of what TaSP means for transmission. In the process, the slogan “U = U” was born, a meme-friendly way to convey that if someone is “undetectable,” then their virus is “untransmittable.”[23] Activists and advocates began to use it, and soon enough it caught on, resulting in everything from a Housing Works comic book series based on the idea to people posting it on social media as a status. Log into Scruff or Grindr and, along with barebacker, bear, and bottom, you’ll find someone self-identifying as undetectable. Check out enough Facebook profiles and you’ll come across someone whose avatar includes the U = U logo. Even the CDC has been getting into the identity game. Since 2000 the agency has been running a campaign rooted in the message that TaSP and personal responsibility on the part of people with the virus can end the crisis. A 2014 set of ads features portraits of people living with HIV cut in half: On one side, under the label “DETECTABLE,” they’re black and white; on the other, under the label “UNDETECTABLE,” they’re in color. Beneath the picture on the color side is the person’s name and the year they were diagnosed. Bridging the halves is the campaign slogan, “HIV Stops With Me.”[24] The message is clear: Take on the individual work of ending the crisis by choosing to become undetectable, and your life will be more vibrant, your identity legible. Be detectable, and not only will you not end the crisis; your life will be drab, and your sense of self will be disconnected from who you are. Nowhere on the images is there mention of what the CDC itself calls “social determinants of health,” that is, the ways in which economic stability, education, community context, access to care, and the built environment impact a person’s health. Since the Denver Principles, a lot of work has been done to encourage people to embrace their positive HIV status. And at first glance, this reclamation of a stigmatized body seems to be on view in the “HIV Stops With Me” campaign. The people in the posters are spokesmodels living with the virus, carrying on the tradition started by Bobbi Campbell of sharing a part of themselves with the hope of shaping the public’s attitude toward HIV. But what else is going on? Who is behind the camera? “HIV Stops With Me” traffics in self-representation yet is mediated by a state-funded PR agency that does not help promote a holistic or systemic understanding of the virus, putting the burden of the epidemic instead on the people who are already most affected by it. In this way, the optics of self-representation are being used as a form of self-incrimination. In 2015, artist Kia LaBeija brought her voice to the undetectable conversation with a contribution to PosterVirus. In her work, multiple images of LaBeija as a sexy, 1950s-inspired siren with green hair fill the frame as the hashtag #undetectable fades in repetition. Voguing is central to LaBeija’s art—she is the mother for an iconic house in the ball scene—and with this poster she serves reclaimed jezebel and bombshell realness. The result is LaBeija as a familiar yet alien femme fatale, haloed by a ring of Day-Glo curls—a woman visible in her difference. In the poster, LaBeija imbues the word undetectable with a lot of meaning, not only linking it to a status available for people living with HIV, but also using it to signal the ways in which black women go unseen except through tropes. Most subtly yet powerfully, the word refers to the history of when women were undetectable within the AIDS response. Not until 1993 did the CDC expand its definition of AIDS beyond men, a process started by Katrina Haslip (1952–1993), a black woman who was incarcerated at the time.[25] Before the change, women living with HIV could not get treatment or qualify for state support. Gran Fury made a poster that read, “Women Don’t Get AIDS. They Just Die from It.” LaBeija continues the conversation. Undetectable is a sharp piece of social navigation, at once an awareness poster and a means of highlighting history, as well as the ongoing impacts of erasure. What does undetectable mean for people who have already experienced being illegible, discarded, unnoticed, and underserved by society? What can laying claim to an identity, idea, or goal do when uncertainty or worse might be the only thing one can count on? In thinking about her “HIV IS NOT A CRIME” postcard, Jones was well aware of the gulf between the message and reality. Her work is the bell hooks quote in practice: “The function of art is to do more than tell it like it is—it’s to imagine what is possible.”[26] Like LaBeija, she is using her self-image to generate conversation, while also drawing a connection between the criminalization of those with HIV and of black people. On Jones’s T-shirt, the V in HIV is replaced by a black silhouette seen from behind, with hands raised in a posture often accompanied by the chant, “Hands up, don’t shoot!” and made famous by activists protesting the police murder of Michael Brown (1996–2014) in Ferguson, Missouri. Jones echoes the stance in her own image: Her legs are grounded, with one hip popped out in defiance and her arms up, reaching beyond obstacles, past the threat of prison and over the limitations put on her body. The only difference between her and the silhouette is that Jones faces the viewer. As a black cis straight woman living with HIV in the southern United States, Jones invites the viewer to see her, consider her life, and understand that she will not be disappeared into systems of incarceration or turned into another faceless statistic. She will be seen on her own terms. The text she wrote for the back of the postcard reads: “I’m not armed or dangerous. I RESIST the unjust criminalization of people living with HIV who know their status and are proactively taking action to not transmit HIV to others!”[27] Jones and LaBeija refuse to decry who they are or their status. This is in direct opposition to the intention of HIV criminalization, in which the state tells HIV-positive people to both announce and denounce their bodies. Whether through the promotion of undetectability or through laws that imprison, the state positions people living with HIV as the sole problem and puts the bulk of the burden of solving the crisis on them, rather than addressing the systemic and social determinants of health. Jones and LaBeija take on the specter of threat that surrounds them in a culture afraid, dismissive, hateful, and ignorant of black women living with HIV, and they turn it into strength. Jones claims her role as a powerhouse who will live to end HIV criminalization, and LaBeija dismisses any easy narrative of what it means to be undetectable. They use their visibility as a tactic to push back against the demands placed upon them. Navigating Visibility in the Museum In the earliest days of what would become an epidemic, there were people suffering, questions, and fear. There weren’t tests, treatment, or even a known cause (HIV was not identified until 1983). In the face of silence, the unknown, and a mix of apathy and discrimination, images and words about living with the illness started to be shared, serving as a way forward. This legendary activist response led the public and politicians to take the fate of people living with HIV/AIDS seriously. Personal visibility was marshaled to damn premature death. But being visible as someone living with the virus is no longer a strategic choice, as it was for a brief period. Instead, because of criminalization, announcing oneself as HIV-positive is now a state-enforced expectation. Activists and artists have always been at the forefront of navigating these shifts of being seen—from activist survival tactic to government demand—exploring them in explicit and nuanced ways. In his book After Silence, Gran Fury and Silence = Death collective member Avram Finkelstein considers the impact of visual culture made in the face of death and despair. In talking about The Government Has Blood on Its Hands, a poster created by Gran Fury, he writes, “Posters such as this one, made during times of crisis, are a call to action. They are an advertisement for individual agency and have a completely different set of goals. Activism is not necessary culture production. A community in crisis is not art.” There is a danger, Finkelstein argues, of works made for activist purposes being understood primarily as art, thus missing the totality of their visual reach and impact. This type of reading, Finkelstein says, strips them of their potential as gestures of resistance, deactivating an entire set of functions. That’s not to say their only meaning is political and they may never be explored as artifacts. I am saying that once the echo of the movement dissipates, all that remains is how we talk about this work, and any canon that elevates the “art of dissent” simultaneously domesticates it by privileging its contribution as cultural production over the critiques that generated it.[28] What he’s talking about here is how, as illness became epidemic, activists claimed materials and public space and deployed them to expose the storm hanging overhead. Visibility was less of an option and more of an imperative, a shedding of powerlessness using whatever means were available. Decades later, however, WAVE’s videos, General Idea’s images, and the posters by Campbell and the Silence = Death collective have ended up circulating in the art world, through exhibitions, scholarship, and even this essay. This poses a danger to the works—the possibility of erasing the social conditions under which they were made. If these objects are visible only in an art context, they run the risk of becoming related more to ideas of collection, obsession, and nostalgia than to fear, emergency, and death. What does it mean for such objects to be seen, but to have the urgent circumstances of their creation become undetectable? Art-only visibility also impacts how we read the work that follows in a similar vein. If our understanding of “SILENCE = DEATH” comes primarily from a museum or gallery, we may miss the impetus of Jones’s work and the way her choices about representation and disclosure represent a tactical shift. Seeing the poster and postcard in connection with each other reminds us that neither was created for the museum, nor for passive engagement. They are rebel yells made to echo in public, addressing life and death, intimacy and desire. While they may be viewed on white walls or pages, it is not necessarily there that their visibility is best understood. Jones’s postcard, like the “SILENCE = DEATH” poster, is a gesture of pushback, as well as an invitation. It is not an artwork to be collected or contained. She wants it addressed, stamped, and activated. She has already spent so much of herself in making it. The least we can pay for her visibility is our action. The text is part of an artwork, A Structural Crisis in an Emotional Landscape, by Kenneth Pietrobono, in which its author, Theodore Kerr, agreed, for compensation, to refrain from using the following words: capital/capitalist/capitalism, Fascist/Fascism, neoliberal/neoliberalism, populist/populism, political/politician/politics, divide/division/divisive, establishment, global/globalizing/globalization, nation/national/nationalism, government, conservative/conservatism, liberal/liberalism, party/partisan/partisanship, country/countries, Right, Left/leftist, progressive, -phobic, Republican/republic, Democrat/democratic/democracy, America/American, colonial/colonialism, corporate/corporation/corporatism, racist, elite/elitism, sexist, resist/resistance. At the discretion of the author, the quotes of others were unaffected. 1 Shyronn Jones, email to author, February 14, 2018. 2 To read more about the intersection of identity and HIV criminalization, see the forum edited by Ryan Conrad that brings together text and images to further explore the issue in the present. Included is a letter by Michael Johnson, who was initially sentenced to thirty-plus years on HIV criminalization felony charges in Missouri and now, due to advocacy and a plea deal, will be out in 2019. Ryan Conrad, ed., “HIV Criminalization Forum,” QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking 3, no. 3 (Fall 2016): 174–200, https://www.academia.edu/31266635/HIV_Criminalization_Forum. 3 For a detailed list of different states’ related laws, see the Center for HIV Law and Policy’s “Chart: State-by-State Criminal Laws Used to Prosecute People with HIV,” August 2017, https://www.hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/chart-state-state-criminal-laws-used-prosecute-people-hiv-center-hiv-law-and-policy-2012. 4 The Sero Project was founded in 2011 with the goal of building a broad network of activists living with HIV and their allies to end HIV criminalization. One of the group’s largest undertakings is the biennial HIV Is Not a Crime conference and training academy. Along with the Georgia Coalition, other organizations doing work on this issue on the state and federal levels include (but are not limited to) the Center for HIV Law and Policy, Positive Women’s Network USA, Empower Missouri, and Texans Living with HIV. 5 See Making Media Work for HIV Justice: An Introduction to Media Engagement for Advocates Opposing HIV Criminalization, HIV Justice Worldwide, accessed May 16, 2018, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nBPqa90C5DQjKSpwE-cp9nU5qEDxyXRJ/view. 6 While stigma and discrimination seem to make it impossible to abolish HIV criminalization laws altogether, modernization is a tactic by which some activists work with politicians to update existing laws to better reflect scientific and medical advances. In 2016, Colorado passed a law that repealed two HIV criminalization statutes and reformed another, while also updating language about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. The passage of the bill was achieved through the collaboration of activists living with and impacted by HIV with a state representative and his office. Since then, similar modernization efforts have been introduced in Florida and California, with the latter’s assembly passing a bill in September 2017 that, if made into law, will reduce HIV criminalization from a felony to a misdemeanor. 7 Many have suggested that the introduction of the Ryan White CARE Act in 1990 intensified the call for criminalization, but sociologist Trevor Hoppe argues that this logic is overplayed, since so many legislatures were already drafting and considering such bills. Kenyon Farrow, “What’s the Future of HIV Criminalization Activism? An Interview with Trevor Hoppe,” The Body, December 12, 2017, http://www.thebody.com/content/80680/whats-the-future-of-hiv-criminalization-activism-a.html. 8 In his book Victory Deferred: How AIDS Changed Gay Life in America, John-Manuel Andriote suggests that Campbell’s was the first AIDS awareness poster. In 1982, the San Francisco–based Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence put out a brochure called Play Fair, which addressed growing concerns about “unusual incidents” of illness within the community. A year later, Richard Berkowitz and Michael Callen, with the help of Dr. Joseph Sonnabend, published How to Have Sex in an Epidemic: One Approach, a brochure that suggested condom use and other methods to reduce the transmission of what would come to be known as HIV. 9 The Silence = Death collective members were Avram Finkelstein, Brian Howard, Oliver Johnston (1952–1990), Charles Kreloff, Chris Lione, and Jorge Socarrás. For more on Silence = Death, see Finkelstein’s After Silence: A History of AIDS through Its Images (Oakland, CA: University of California Press, 2017), 27–57. 10 A more in-depth account of WAVE and its activities can be found in Alexandra Juhasz’s AIDS TV: Identity, Community, and Alternative Video (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1995), which discusses how the group grew out of her PhD dissertation work. WAVE participants included Marcia Edwards, Alexandra Juhasz, Aida Matta, Juanita Mohammed, Sharon Penceal, Glenda Smith, Carmen Velasquez. 11 AA Bronson, email to author, February 19, 2018. 12 Shyronn Jones, email to author, February 13, 2018. 13 According to UNAIDS, 47 percent of people living with HIV were not receiving antiretroviral treatment in 2016. “Fact sheet - Latest statistics on the status of the AIDS epidemic,” UNAIDS, accessed May 16, 2018, http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet. 14 The CDC states that “PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) means taking antiretroviral medicines (ART) after being potentially exposed to HIV to prevent becoming infected. PEP should be used only in emergency situations and must be started within 72 hours after a recent possible exposure to HIV.” See “HIV Basics: PEP,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accessed May 16, 2018, https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/pep.html. In 2012, the CDC approved Truvada for “daily use as PrEP to help prevent an HIV-negative person from getting HIV from a sexual or injection-drug-using partner who’s positive.” See “HIV Basics: PrEP,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accessed May 16, 2018, https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/prep.html. 15 JD Davids, “Undetectable Viral Load and HIV Prevention: What Do Gay and Bi Men Need to Know?” The Body, October 10, 2017, http://www.thebody.com/content/78721/undetectable-viral-load-and-hiv-prevention-what-do.html. 16 See “What is the Consensus Statement on HIV ‘Treatment as Prevention’ in Criminal Law Reform?” The Consensus Statement on HIV “Treatment as Prevention” in Criminal Law Reform, accessed May 16, 2018, https://www.hivtaspcrimlaw.org/. 17 Shyronn Jones, “Georgia’s Fight to Modernize HIV Criminalization Laws,” Positive Women’s Network, March 29, 2017, https://www.pwn-usa.org/georgias-fight-to-modernize-hiv-criminalization-laws/. 18 Jordan Arseneault, The New Equation, PosterVirus, November 18, 2012, http://postervirus.tumblr.com/post/35974194219/silence-sex-the-new-equation-by-jordan. 19 Arseneault, The New Equation. 20 Not Over: 25 Years of Visual AIDS, curated by Kris Nuzzi and Sur Rodney (Sur) for Visual AIDS, at La MaMa La Galleria, June 1–30, 2013. 21 Kate Hallstead, email to author, February 12, 2018. 22 “The Denver Principles,” ACT UP New York, 1983, http://www.actupny.org/documents/Denver.html. 23 “Consensus Statement,” Prevention Access Campaign, issued July 21, 2016, updated January 28, 2018, https://www.preventionaccess.org/consensus. 24 For an in-depth read of the “HIV Stops With Me” campaign, see chapter two in Trevor Hoppe, Punishing Disease: HIV and the Criminalization of Sickness (Oakland, CA: University of California Press, 2017). 25 Two helpful resources offering more information on the role of women in AIDS activism are “Women of ACT UP NY History,” panel at the New York Public Library, April 1, 2014, video, posted by John Riley, 1:48:32, April 19, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLNrFy982vQ; and Nothing Without Us: The Women Who Will End AIDS, directed by Harriet Hirshorn (2017), http://womanatthereel.com/the-film/. 26 bell hooks, Outlaw Culture: Resisting Representations, (New York: Routledge, 1994), 281. 27 Shyronn Jones, postcard for #HIVIsNotACrime Georgia Postcard Project, 2017, Georgia HIV Justice Coalition. 28 Finkelstein, After Silence, 136.

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Plural Pasts the cultural politics of historicisation Conferences and Symposia Pasts without History Short Bios The Futures of History Seminar Series HomePosts tagged 'Rosenstone' Rosenstone Robert Rosenstone September 12, 2016 September 12, 2016 clairenorton Centre for the Philosophy of History, Future of History seminars film, HIstory, home-made cake, postmodernism, Rosenstone, seminar, theory, visual media As a new academic year begins so too do the Futures of History seminars. This year Robert Rosenstone will be giving the first seminar. Robert Rosenstone Adventures of a Postmodern Historian: Living and Writing the Past. Robert will discuss his evolving historiographical development over the last fifty plus years in relation to the wider cultural environment, changing notions of the “historical,” and his own life experiences undertaking research in Franco Spain, the Soviet Union, Japan, and Hollywood. He will illustrate some of these experiences and larger cultural shifts with brief readings from his new book. The larger point is not just to show how the historian is inevitably a creature of the times, but to more specifically suggest how notions of what we consider to be “history” can and have changed significantly in the last half century, and how those macro changes can strongly impact the micro level of the individual historian. Everyone is welcome and there will be home-made cake. Hope to see you there. Friday 30th September 1-3pm, St Mary’s University, Twickenham, Senior Common Room Robert A. Rosenstone, Professor of History Emeritus at the California Institute of Technology is one of the most prominent names in the fast-growing subfield of history in the visual media. He has written works of history, biography, criticism, and fiction. His historical writings include Crusade of the Left: The Lincoln Battalion in the Spanish Civil War (1969), Romantic Revolutionary: A Biography of John Reed (1975), and Mirror in the Shrine (1988), while his books on the media include Visions of the Past (1995) and History on Film / Film on History (2006), and two edited collections, Revisioning History (1995) and A Blackwell Companion to Historical Film (2013). His fiction includes a book of stories, The Man Who Swam into History (2002), and two novels, King of Odessa (2003) and Red Star, Crescent Moon (2010). Rosenstone has worked as a consultant on several documentaries and feature films, including the Academy Award-winning Reds (1982). He has served on the editorial boards of the American Historical Review and Reviews in American History, and is a founding editor of Rethinking History: The Journal of Theory and Practice. If you have any questions please email Claire or Mark. claire.norton@stmarys.ac.uk mark.donnelly@stmarys.ac.uk Email: mark.donnelly@smuc.ac.uk Claire Norton Email: claire.norton@smuc.ac.uk St_Marys_Hist Centre for the Philosophy of History (15) Future of History seminars (9) History and Education (2) IHR seminars (6) Other Philosophy of History Centres and Networks (1) St Mary's University (12) Symposia and Conferences (4)

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Pizza Hounds Sniffing Out The Midwest's Best Pizzerias Meet the Hound! Farther Afield Perry’s Pizza Joynt – Northlake, IL April 27, 2018 September 20, 2018 / Pizza Hounds / 1 Comment On a cold Saturday evening in mid November, Ernie encouraged me to dig a little deeper to find Chicagoland’s pizza treasures. And with good reason: of the hundreds of choices scattered across the region, there are all kinds of gems easily overlooked, some in relative plain sight. So he pointed us not to a far off and almost hidden place (to us) like Hegewisch, but instead to a destination much closer: the suburban community of Northlake, Illinois. This was a relatively short and easy trip for us, with very few of the twists and turns we’re used to, because Northlake is essentially located just ten or so miles directly west of our Logan Square apartment. To get there, all we had to do was hop on North Avenue, drive through Chicago’s West Side neighborhoods, then just a few miles past the city limits through a few medium-sized western suburbs. We had been to a couple of places in the West Suburbs, such as Jake’s in Franklin Park and County Line in Elmhurst. Still, much of the area remained unknown to us. So we settled in the car for the trip, looking forward to learning as much as we could about western Chicagoland and Northlake. The light snow did not deter us, either; in fact it helped me announce to the world that royalty was riding with me. The fact that our destination was relatively close should not diminish the complexities of world through which we were about to travel; a world with not only a fascinating social and cultural history but also one that possessed a remarkable pizza scene that has almost completely disappeared. You can certainly find pizza on the West Side today, just as you can just about any place in America, but it is more likely to be Little Caesar’s Hot ‘N’ Ready $5 pepperoni rather than a long-running Mom & Pop shop. That said, traveling past many different businesses proudly serving today’s Latino and African American communities, one might not realize that the West Side has a very stellar pizza past. Our first of very few turns was off of Kedzie onto North Avenue in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. There we passed one of the city’s oldest businesses and one of our favorites in all of Chicago, Roeser’s Bakery. Holding the title of Chicago’s oldest family-owned bakery (with Pompeii leading the overall oldest category), the still-excellent Roeser’s served as a connecting point between our trip and North Avenue’s lost economy. And we found out there’s even more reason to like Roeser’s. Any basset hounds? When we read this ad, we thought, “Roeser’s used to make pizza?” But then we remembered where we were: this was Father & Son country. But it was not always just Father & Son or even Mama Luna territory. Located at 3251 West North Avenue between Sawyer and Spaulding (!) Avenues, Johnnie Q’s Pizzeria served Humboldt Park in the 1950s and ’60s, just about a block west of Roeser’s. Occasionally, the name would pop up as “Johnny Q’s,” such as this example from a listing of local businesses participating in a local promotional event. Source: The Garfieldian, December 19, 1962. Business must have been good for original owner John Quentere, too. Fourteen cars, Johnny? Source: Chicago Tribune, August 27, 1956. But it appears that, according to paid advertisements, “Johnnie Q’s” was the perferred spelling. As the West Side neighborhoods became increasingly car-centric (the Humboldt Park L line was abandoned and torn down in the 1950s), pizza delivery became an easier and more popular option. Johnnie Q’s obliged. Source: Austin News, March 17, 1965. Quentere sold pizzeria was sold to the Martinez family in 1959, who continued to operate it as both a delivery and dine-in spot. Source: Austin News, April 21, 1965. A lot has changed. Is this the old Johnnie Q’s dining room? Source: Zomato. Today, the storefront is home to La Perla Tapatia, a Mexican restaurant. About five and a half blocks west of the old Johnnie Q’s, Blackie’s No. 2 was located at 3800 West North Avenue at Hamlin Avenue in the early 1960s. Through the rounded corner entrance the beautiful three-story brick building, square pizzas were a specialty and “all pizzas on a cheese base.” Sausage, of course, was listed as the first topping and it was even cheaper than the mushroom pizza and the green pepper pizza. Also of note the high billing given to to anchovies and shrimp. No pepperoni, as we have yet to investigate if it was even a common topping at the time. The Blackie’s Special was the classic Chicago special with the addition of anchovies! And as a nod to the working-class culture of some West Side areas, the Blackie’s ad noted “Yes, We Deliver To Factories Also.” Source: The Garfieldian, August 8, 1962. A Blackie’s Pizzeria–likely Blackie’s No. 1–was located on Ogden in the West Side neighborhood of Tri-Taylor and run by Anthony Basilo. Source: The Garfieldian, January 6, 1965. Today, the space is home to Latin Grocery & Liquor, which claims “Donde Se Vende La Cerveza Mas Fria De Chicago.” As we continued to travel west, we considered the current and historical economic landscape on streets just off of North Avenue, as well. For instance, Steve’s Pizza, operated by Steve Stramaglia, was located in a one-story brick building just a few blocks south of North Avenue 1255 N. Pulaski Road, not far from the iconic Jimmy’s Red Hots. A contemporary eatery located on Grand Aveune and Pulaski, Jimmy’s opened in 1954 and exists to this day. Steve’s later became Humble-Pie Pizzeria and included a complete Mexican menu, a mix that is not uncommon in certain neighborhoods in the city today. Source: News Journal, June 12, 1975. Today, the space is occupied by El Sitio Caribbean Cuisine, a Dominican restaurant. Source: Google Street View. Back on North Avenue we learned that one could find Vito’s Pizza a couple of blocks west of Pulaski, at Karlov, in the mid 1970s. Comedian Horatio Sands apparently grew up in this area and would have been about five years old at the time. Source: News Journal, December 18, 1974. The North-Pulaski business district has long been a very active commercial area. Today, most businesses aim to serve the large Hispanic population now living in the area, with restaurants (independent and fast food chains), clothing stores, and banks. However, a few decades ago there was an even greater of variety of goods and services available to the community, including theatres, bowling alleys, and record stores. In what we believe could be–though we not completely sure–the Vito’s Pizza location, another business called Guy’s Pizza took over the space occupied by Que Padre! and briefly occupied the storefront at 4107 West North Avenue around 2010 or so. Opened in 1967 on Armitage Avenue, Guy’s Pizza was later located at 3948 West North Avenue and was the unfortunate home base of two drivers that were shot and killed on a deliveries, one in 1987 and one in 2002. That building was demolished sometime in the last decade. This, the last location of Guy’s, was gone just a few years later. Followed by a succession of restaurants, including La Isla Pequena Puerto Rican restaurant, briefly Cemitas y Taqueria Puebla, and, most recently, Braseritos Restaurant, the storefront at 4107 West North Avenue demonstrates the remarkable dynamic evolution of the urban landscape over just a few years. Continuing west past Cicero Avenue, we passed the former location of Gloria’s Real Italian Pizza, which occupied the space at 5112 West North Avenue near Leclaire Avenue in the 1960s. Source: The Garfieldian, May 27, 1964. In addition to a fun radio giveaway-style “first phone call gets a free pizza” gimmick, Gloria’s subscribed to the coupon gig, offering a free pizza after eight purchases, an incredible deal considering that some places today offer five dollars off after about twenty coupons. The North Austin pizzeria also offered 25 cent off coupons in the local paper. Catering, too, by Chef Virgilio! Meat and fowl was available, but there everyday business must have tied up their pizza ovens Source: The Garfieldian, October 31, 1962. Most recently, a salon known as Daba African Hair Braiding occupied the storefront of the one-story brick building today. That business has since moved next door while the old Gloria’s storefront awaits a new tenant. Meanwhile, a food and liquor two doors west, Lil Vegas, has proprietary signage–and an Old Style sign–that may date to the Gloria’s era, or at least just a few years later. Pizza Master had two locations in the North Austin neighborhood. Pizza Master No. 1, was located in one of the storefronts a large three-story yellow brick building at the corner of North Avenue and Latrobe. Source: Chicago Tribune, July 24, 1977. The business was sold at auction in 1977, and So Much Style barber and beauty shop occupies the pizzeria’s old space at 5233 West North Avenue today. Practically across the street in a smaller, two-story brown brick building at 5252 West North Avenue, Pizza Master No. 2 stayed opened until 1 a.m. and offered free delivery, suggesting that it may have been the smaller carryout and delivery wing of Pizza Master No. 1. But Pizza Master No. 2 also had a dining room of some sort, as want ads for waitresses were published. Today, the space is occupied by Pickett’s Barber and Beauty Salon. One independent pizza shop still open on North Avenue. Victor’s Pizza, which has served North Austin since 1974 at 5418 West North Avenue, in the L cross streets. Source: Victor’s Pizza. A Fauld’s oven is visible on business’s nicely-maintained Facebook page, as are photos and simply statements about serving the community. Victor’s definitely sounds like a good choice for the Pizza Hound to visit in the future. We hope we get to. In the meantime, you should check it out and keep the West Side pizza tradition alive. North Austin had even more options that pre-dated Victor’s, including Tower Pizza, a pizzeria located about a block and a half east of Central Avenue in the 1960s. Leaning Tower of. . .Pizza? Umberto Borini purchased the pizzeria in 1959. After remodeling and expanding the business, he added an “Italian menu” with popular chicken and veal dishes, as well as an “American menu” with steaks and chops. The Garfiedian, a local promotional newspaper, noted “A new innovation will be the introduction of five different pizza sizes, an accommodation for patrons making us of the free delivery service.” (April 1, 1959) Source: The Garfieldian, April 1, 1959. It is possible business changed hands once again, as just a few years later the business was advertised as Alberti Tower Pizza. Offering free delivery in a 20 block area, the business claimed to “Specialize in Pizza. . .,” perhaps backing away from the wider menu Borini had developed a few years earlier. Now, only three sizes were listed instead of the previous five. Sausage, of course, was listed near the beginning of the topping list, following cheese only. Shrimp and anchovies were there, as was pepperoni, a topping apparently present though much less ubiquitous in Chicago than as it is today. Source: Austin News, May 22, 1963. Rather than a tower, the building looks more like a castle wall (but then again today’s Pizza Castle is located in a one-story strip mall). Nevertheless, the storefront at 5517 West North Avenue recently appeared to be occupied by a church. We also learned that in the 1960s P&P Pizzeria could be found just a little off our current path, a few blocks north of, well, North Avenue. Pete Liadis and Pete Vacca opened the business in the early 1960s. Many of their advertisements used the popular Rodgers & Hammerstein song “Getting to Know You” from the musical The King & I to emphasize their quality and customer service focused efforts to break into the lucrative local pizza market. Source: The Garfieldian, September 19, 1962. Pete Liadis ran into some trouble at his old business, the Walnut Tap at 3958 West Ferdinand in the West Humboldt Park area in the early 1960s. His business was bombed several times resulting in thousands of dollards in damage. This story is quite strange. Did Liadis have business or personal enemies in the neighborhood? Did he support–or oppose–labor unions and get caught in the middle of a contract fight? The tavern bordered an industrial area, after all, and was likely patronized by local workers. Racial tensions in the neighborhood? A lone, serial bomber years before that sort of thing was even recognized? What about troubles with the mob? Did Liadis owe money to some dangerous people? Did he not pay off crooked cops for protection? Unfortunately, we never discovered any conclusion to this story, and as far as we know, the culprits were never caught. But we have to wonder if Liadis and the folks inside the Walnut Tap knew exactly who was causing the trouble. Today, a state-owned parking lot occupies the address. Source: Chicago Tribune, April 6, 1962. Pizza may have given Liadis a fresh start, because just a few later in 1962 he appeared in the local paper with Vacca happily holding a large P&P Pizzeria wall menu. Note the top billing for anchovies on the menu! Times sure have changed. P&P closed long ago, and its former home at 1744 North Central Avenue–a one-story building fronted by a handful of parking spaces–appears to be a bar called Carolyn’s Lounge, which has been painted a striking shade of pink and possibly stuccoed. Back on our regular route for the evening, we learned that Ann’s Pizza was located at 5743 West North Avenue at Menard Avenue, directly between Central Avenue and Austin Boulevard, in a large three-storefront, two-story brown brick building adorned with masonry. Owner Ann Aloia probably wasn’t too happy when Johnny Quentere, who had sold off his first pizzeria in Humboldt Park in 1959, returned to the West Side to open Q’s Restaurant. The new Q’s, was located in the storefront of a three-story brown brick building on North Avenue, after all, basically across the street from her business. Source: The Garfieldian, November 11, 1964. Both Ann’s and the new restaurant, often marketed as The Original Q’s, though, likely found enough business to share in the heavily populated–and still growing–Austin section of the West Side. There certainly was money to be made, and Quentere invested in advertising and dining room improvements accordingly, while Aloia appeared to not focus on promoting her business quite as much. Q’s was a family operation, from the kitchen to the dining room. Source: Austin News, September 10, 1964. The restaurant served thin crust tavern-style pizza–with sausage, of course–baked in a Fauld’s oven. In many Chicago neighborhood pizzerias, on this front, little has changed. Victor’s Pizza uses one just like it. Source: The Garfieldian, August 26, 1964. Q’s also had a number of loyal local customers. Some came for cheesecake and coffee. Others came for the pasta. There’s no pizza visible here, but one can see spaghetti, a table jukebox, and a pack of smokes. Joseph Rago, one of the diners, was no doubt familiar with two different businesses with shared roots and similar names. Through the grainy black and white of a digitized 1960s newspaper, we can only imagine how delicious John Quentere’s pizza was. Quentere continued to advertise his establishment widely despite the fact that his old buisness, Johnnie’s Q’s, was still open in Humboldt Park, run by the Martinez family. Q’s closed its doors on North Avenue in late 1980s and the storefront has been consistently vacant in the last ten years. The mid-century rise in automobile ownership, the spreading out of Chicago’s population into all corners of the city and suburbs, and the overall increase in disposable income helped lead to the pizza delivery. Many West Side pizzerias, including Q’s, advertised fast–and often free–delivery to one’s doorstep. A sign very similar to the one pictured–and likely the exact sign–stands outside the landmark business in Hillside, the third incarnation of Q’s, opened by Theresa Quentere and her son, Al Quentere. We look forward to trying it someday. Like the second incarnation of Q’s, Ann’s did not last, either. By 1968, the “centrally located, long established” pizzeria was for sale. The classified notes “owner deceased,” so unless the business had previously changed hands, Ann Aloia had passed away. The seller, it seems, wanted to unload the business quickly stating “will sacrifice” and “make an offer.” Source: Chicago Tribune, January 25, 1968. The old space has been home to beauty salons for many years and is currently one known as Walk By Faith. In the Galewood neighborhood, one of the westernmost neighborhoods of the city, North Avenue serves as the borderline between Chicago and the suburb of Oak Park. There we learned of one of the more interesting West Side pizza legacies. The story starts with Jack’s Shrimp Boat and Restaurant. Apparently taking its name from the popular song performed by Jo Stafford Jack’s Shrimp Boat opened in 1955 serving not only shrimp but pizza, as wel. In fact, the increasingly popular pizza appeared to have just as much or more focus than the restaurant’s original namesake food. Keeping remarkably late hours (closing at 1 a.m. during the week, and Fridays and Saturdays until 3 a.m.) Jack Whittington and Fran Pizzo ran for at least three years serving thin pizzas. Diners could enjoy music from table jukeboxes. Customers received a free pizza after collecting ten of the yellow slips that came with each delivery order. Source: The Garfieldian, October 8, 1958. Shirley Eastman, a waitress at the Shrimp Boat, got some attention in gossip column of the local Garfieldian newspaper in the fall of 1958. Hmm. . .”voted most likeable waitress in town. . .”? There was a vote? Was there a happy discussion around a Shrimp Boat table? Did the writer or someone else have a romantic interest in Ms. Eastman? We’re not sure. Nonetheless, Eastman’s excellent service got her mentioned in the same column as the legendary Empire Room at the Palmer House. Enzo Matteis took over the Shrimp Boat restaurant in 1962, now under the name Amato’s Shrimp Boat Pizza and Restaurant. Did Matteis buy it from someone named Amato? Source: The Garfieldian, November 6, 1963. For some reason, we can’t find clear evidence that anyone named Amato ever owned the business, but it is a logical connection. The earliest appearance of the Amato’s name that we could find was a classified from December of 1962. Source: Chicago Tribune, December 8, 1962. Matteis added steak, chops, veal, and ribs to the menu, as well as various pasta dishes such as spaghetti, mostaccioli, and lasagna. Source: Austin News, November 6, 1963. Reporting and promoting that “Amato’s Shrimp Boat Finally Landed. . .,” the Austin News stated “. . .the true Italian style of living can be found at one West-Northwest Side pizzeria and restaurant–even if it is way out in Austin.” (October 16, 1963) Source: The Garfieldian, December 4, 1963. Victor Recchia and his father, Vince, bought the growing Shrimp Boat from Matteis. Immigrants who came to the United States in 1958 from Bari, Italy, Victor stated, in a 1984 Tribune profile, that “We thought America was a place to go live a better life [. . .] That’s what we always believed.” Victor started gaining pizza experience early, working first as a busboy at a pizzeria on Exchange Avenue at the age of 13. A couple of years later, he took a job as a pizza maker at Tony’s Pizza (later Tony’s Steak House) on Fullerton, where he agreed work for free until he mastered the job. Soon he was managing, and within a year he a had saved up enough money to buy Amato’s sometime in either later 1963 or early 1964 (though one article two decades later says 1962 and later. . .memory and reporting are funny things). Despite Matteis’s earlier menu expansion– even “Green Noodles”–and Recchia running a chicken special, the business increasingly focused on the main draw: pizza. Thin crust, not deep dish, was the star, just like in most Chicago neighborhood pizzerias to this day. Source: Austin News, October 23, 1963. Still, just as many neighborhood pizzerias do today, Amato’s also served fried chicken. With other members of the family involved, including brothers Vito and Frank and their father, Vince, Amato’s grew even more successful, apparently with a strong delivery business. Source: The Garfieldian, February 9, 1966. The Recchias, even with fried chicken on the menu, focused on their main draw and renamed the business Amato’s Pizzeria, at least in advertisements, by 1966. Hey, isn’t the that the Pizza Master guy? Source: The Garfieldian, January 26, 1966. Still, despite being referred to as “Amato’s Pizzeria,” the Shrimp Boat name persisted into the late ’60s. Source: The Garfieldian, February 25, 1968. Victor sold the business and in 1971 he and his brother, Lou, purchased the defunct Calo Pizzeria at 5402 North Clark Street in the Far North Side Andersonville neighborhood, right next to the Calo Theatre and later the Calo Bowl. The Recchias moved Calo just a few steps away to the current location at 5343 North Clark in 1979. Today’s Calo sign notes “Since 1963,” a curious date. It is possible that it was the year that the previous owners actually opened Calo Pizzeria, as we can find no evidence of the business existing prior to around 1964 or 1965, and then all we found were classifieds. It is possible, though, that the date traces back not to the beginning of the Clark Street Calo restaurant, but the Recchias first business, Amato’s Shrimp Boat Pizzeria on North Avenue. Either way, it appears that Victor Recchia has taken to stating that he opened Calo in 1963. It’s probably just easier than explaining the whole Shrimp Boat and Calo Pizzeria stories. The old Shrimp Boat business evolved into more of fine dining experience when Domenic Parato, a former Shrimp Boat dishwasher, took to over bought it some time in the late ’60s or early ’70s. Vic Recchia claimed to have sold it for five times what he and his father had paid just a few years before. Parato had dreams for the business and was determined to make his large investment worth it. He expanded in the establishment into adjoining buildings giving the restaurant three separate dining rooms and enough space for banquets. Source: Chicago Tribune, September 16, 1982. A “lavish salad and antipasto bar” was a part of the dining experience at Amato’s Advertisements changed from the folksy, working-class utility of the Shrimp Boat and Amato’s Pizzeria to ones emphasizing elegance, romance, and, most of all, “Outstanding Italian Cuisine.” Source: Austin News, June 8, 1977. Thin crust and deep dish pizzas were still noted, and carryout and delivery was still available, but photographs of the proud Parato, dubbed “Your host Domenic,” decked out in a nice suit and tie emphasized the more intimate atmosphere the restaurant now hoped to convey. Source: Chicago Tribune, November 10, 1979. Amato’s run as a fine Italian restaurant lasted at least into the 1980s, but the vast change witnessed across the West Side following deindustrialization, suburbanization, and the 1968 riots also came to the business. In a either a remarkably apt coincidence or bizarre irony, the building that once housed the original Shrimp Boat/Amato’s Pizzeria was demolished (as were the adjoining buildings), while today, a Kentucky Fried Chicken/Long John Silver’s fast food restaurant–parking lot and drive-thru included–occupies the spot. More than anything, the change can be viewed a the evolution of the local North Austin economy and as well as the larger American economy in the last five or six decades. As for what happened to Amato’s, we originally were not sure if it closed for good or just moved somewhere else, and we’re not sure when any of that happened. There’s an Amato’s Pizza on North Harlem about two blocks north of North Avenue that claims to have been in business since 1966. Source: Amato’s Pizza. Despite this date, we wondered if the two businesses somehow connected. The first instance of we’ve seen our particular business of interest advertised as Amato’s Pizzeria and not Amato’s Shrimp Boat was late 1965, so the timeline doesn’t match up based on our evidence. A new owner in 1966, then a move to North Harlem Avenue sometime later, perhaps? We know the Recchias owned Amato’s until at least 1966 based on photographs in the local paper. But a later Tribune profile states that they sold Amato’s in 1971, so again the dates don’t match conveniently. The Fauld’s oven at today’s Amato’s definitely connects it to at least the 1960s. Then we found the key: the phone number used at Amato’s Pizza on Harlem is the same phone number used at Amato’s Pizzeria in the 1960s. And that phone number was considered central to the success of the business, according to a 1965 lawsuit. After selling the Shrimp Boat to the Recchia family, Matteis, essentially held the phone number for a $5,000 ransom over the original $12,500 purchase price of the business. Evidence suggests that the number in question is 622-4333, which replaced the original number with a lettered prefix, MErrimac 7-9499, in advertisements as early as 1963. And perhaps this incident was the genesis of the second phone number, 237-3233, sometime thereafter. Both seven digit phone numbers, now with the 773 area code, are still in use to this day. Source: Austin News, January 13, 1965. Today, the business, owned by brothers Santo and Mario Gariti, seems to have refocused as a branded small local chain of carryout, delivery, and casual dining, with a location in Aurora that also serves Naperville, and another in Lincoln Park right at Clybourn and Sheffield. This fits with the historical migration of the Shrimp Boat’s clientele and their descendants: move slightly farther west to the near suburbs, then maybe their children move even farther west to Naperville, then their grandchildren move to trendy Lincoln Park and stay after attending DePaul University. Through the changes, chances are the tavern-cut thin crust pizza at today’s Amato’s is very close to what you could get at Jack’s Shrimp Boat, Amato’s Shrimp Boat, and the first Amato’s Pizzeria. We hope so. Continuing west just about a block west of Shrimp Boat, Capizzi Cocktail Lounge Restaurant served pizza, likely in a dimly lit setting with live entertainment, in the 1970s. Source: News Journal, March 22, 1970. Recently, the building housed a day care and preschool, but today is home to Textile Restoration. Present day pizza options start to pick up, as well. Still in Galewood, we learned one could enjoy a carryout pizza at Grand Slam Pizza from the mid 1960s until just the last few years. Grand Slam, located in one-story mid-century modern storefront with large front windows at 6856 West North Avenue, was known for its butter crust pan pizza. They offered a six pack of Coca-Coca with any family size pizza. Perhaps RC Cola had yet to make the inroads it would later. Would love to buy this menu, but at $75 we’ll have to pass. Just as today, cheese and sausage is listed near the top of the pizza menu, almost a default choice. Next on the ingredient list? Mushrooms. This seems to hold true today. Grand Slam next listed peppers. “What kind of peppers?” “Come on, you know. Peppers.” After that, “Anchovy” remarkably is ahead of “Peperoni.” The latter was listed at a higher price only matched by shrimp and salami, suggesting it was a newer product less readily available than sausage. The “Vito Super Deluxe Pizza,” named for owner Vito Casola, was the same deluxe found almost everywhere in Chicago. Fried chicken, shrimp, pasta, Italian beef sandwiches, Italian sausages, and pizzaburgers were available, too. Casola operated the beloved restaurant until selling it around 2006. The space was thereafter briefly home to Don Chico’s Mexican grill, and has been home to Nick Jr.’s Grill for about the last decade, with the original diner bar and swivel stools intact. You can still get pizza nearby: a location of Edwardo’s Natural Pizza, a chain known for their massive stuffed pizzas, is practically across the street. At Harlem, North Avenue crosses the city’s edge and moves into Elmwood Park. From here the architectural landscape changed noticeably from an urban to one significantly more suburban: from tall buildings close the street fronted by sidewalks to interspersed one- and two-story structures mostly built in the mid- to late-twentieth century when the automobile dominated city development. There were pockets of newer structures in between, of course, but overall a gradual change was noticeable. There are Italian–and pizza–options through here, too, reflecting the historical Italian heritage of the area. Long ago, there was a place called Victory Pizza in the northern portion of town on Grand Avenue. Source: Chicago Tribune, June 3, 1952. This site eventually became home to a legendary Chicagoland pizza institution. Friends Michael Caringella and Armand Christopher purchased the Victory Pizzeria in 1956, which contained six booths and, like Jack’ Shrimp Boat, a diner counter with stools. Apparently, they flipped a coin to see who their acquisition would be named after. Caringella won, but chose to name the business after Christopher to push off any complaints to his partner. Thus, the business was named Armand’s Victory Tap. The owners expanded the business grew more and more successful, adding a full bar as well as room for 300 customers, while the name was shortened to simply Armand’s. According to Claire Vartabedian of the Daily Herald, at one point the business needed 40 delivery drivers on the weekends to meet local demand. Nothing lasts forever, it seems, and sadly the original location of Armand’s closed for good around 2009. While the recipes live on in several other Armand’s locations in both Chicago and the suburbs, the longtime building in Elmwood Park has since been demolished. With it, a link to Chicagoland’s storied pizza past was destroyed. Today, the site at 7402 West Grand–long home to pizza traditions and memories–is simply a parking lot for a banquet center next door. A least the hall in question, Elmcrest, proudly run by the Biancalana family, is an even older business with roots in serving first ice cream during Prohibition, then, as Biancalana’s Restaurant from the 1940s through the 1990s, beer, Italian dishes, and. . .pizza. Even if pizza is not on the current menu, the Elmcrest holds onto tradition while highlighting the demographic evolution of the near West Suburbs by offering quinceañera packages for the growing local Latin America population. Still, pizza abounds in the west surburban area: there’s the aforementioned Amato’s; Vito’s Old Italian, a new incarnation of the old Danny’s on 15th Avenue in Melrose Park; Capri Italian Foods market; Massa Cafe Italiano; and Trattoria Peppino. (Don’t forget to check out Johnnie’s Beef, Russell’s Barbecue, and New Star Restaurant, a Chinese eatery in business since 1954!) And pizzas are still available at Old World Pizza, located at 7230 West North Avenue in a long brick strip mall that fronts North 72nd Court. And the area’s pizza past keeps giving. For instance, in the 1970s Elmwood Park was also home to Nick & Son’s Home Chef Pizza at 7700 West North Avenue. The original building appears to have been demolished and replaced by a multistory condominium building. Nick & Son’s was just across the street from the current location of one of our favorites, Jim & Pete’s. Serving near-perfect Chicago-style thin crust pizzas since 1941, the west suburban institution was originally located on the Chicago’s West Side at 802 N. Crawford, today’s Pulaski Road, at Chicago Avenue. We actually passed Jim & Pete’s second location at 7315 West North Avenue in River Forest on our westward trip . Continuing west on North Avenue, also known as Illinois route 64, we left Elmwood Park and passed through the Huppert and Thatcher Woods, briefly on the border for the city of River Grove, and crossed the Des Plaines River, inching closer and closer to our destination. We had been in the suburbs for a few miles when we arrived in Melrose Park. Crossing first 1st Avenue, the massive Maywood Park racetrack loomed on the south side of North Avenue. The park, which closed after nearly seven decades horse racing in 2015, is not actually located in the city of Maywood, as the name suggests, but instead located in (well, officially surrounded by) Melrose Park, while the Maywood community is instead a couple of miles to the south. Source: The Garfieldian, September 8, 1960. Melrose Park, a city of 25,000 people with a traditionally strong Italian heritage (not to discount the German, Polish, Irish, and other ancestries of residents, including in recent decades a growing Hispanic community), has a number of pizza options, particularly on Division Street. One of the first pizza places were saw was a suburban-style location of the legendary Home Run Inn. From there, North Avenue served the as the dividing line between the corporate limits of Melrose Park (with the main section of that city actually already in the rear view) and neighboring Stone Park (another town once heavily populated by Italians but now majority Hispanic) increasing from four lanes of traffic to six. All in all we passed a variety of structures: single-story and two-story mid-century commercial buildings, strip malls, a number of big box stores and services, some railroad tracks, and some older industrial complexes. In some ways, it had been a very short trip, but considering how much we had seen and learned, we had come a long way, even from the edge of the city into the West Suburbs. So our very quick tour of North Avenue suggested to us there was much more to learn about the pizza history of the West Side and the West Suburbs; a history certainly worth revisiting later. Who is this pizza hero? But we had still had a stop down the road, and after just a couple of more minutes driving through the wet snow we had arrived in Northlake. ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ Located also at the westernmost edge of Cook County, Northlake is apparently so named for its two prominent east-west thoroughfares, North Avenue and Lake Street, which (after the latter makes a slight turn to the northwest) intersect at the city’s western border. To the west, the community is bounded by the DuPage County city of Elmhurst and the Tri-State Tollway (Interstate 294), Bensenville to the northwest, Franklin Park to the north, and, to the east of Mannheim Road, the communities we had just traveled through, Stone Park and Melrose Park. Like many of Chicago’s suburban communities, Northlake grew up rather quickly in the post-World War II era. Prior to the war, the area was comprised mostly of farmland, but railways routed nearby positioned the area with sufficient transportation to support heavy industry. Originally built in 1912 on swampland filled with slag from Chicago’s steel mills (we wonder if this included the great Southeast Side mills) and named for the township in which they were located–the vast Proviso Yards helped spur this development. Dubbed in the press “the finest yards west of Pittsburg (sic)” and expanded in the late 1920s, these classification yards for the Chicago and North Western Railroad were constructed along the west and south of the present-day city, and connected the then-rural area to the massive city of Chicago and the rest of the continent. Source: Chicago Tribune, November 2, 1912. It was one of the largest rail yards in the Chicago region and provided numerous jobs. Source: Jack Delano, 1942, Library of Congress.. The Proviso Yards, in use to this day, border several communities including Melrose Park, Stone Park, Bellwood, Elmhurst, Berkeley, and even Franklin Park. And, of course, Northlake. Source: Chicago Tribune, May 27, 1954. In spellbinding color, photographer Jack Delano masterfully captured a wide picture of the Proviso Yards for the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information in 1942 and 1943. The slides, available through the Library of Congress, bring to life a crucial point in the history of Northlake and surrounding communities, as well as a bygone era of American industrialism. Hard work was conducted outside. And inside, as well, especially within the roundhouse. As in most of Chicago, the biting cold of winter wind and snow did stop not work at the Proviso Yards. Nor did regular shifts. Like the city’s steel mills, the yard ran at all hours of the day and night. Some workers, ranging from clerks to skilled operators to foremen to educated professionals, could to varying degrees avoid most of the yard’s grinding physical labor. For most at the Proviso Yards, however, each day was filled with hard, dirty, and often dangerous work. And for many, the job took an obvious toll. Since these images were photographed seven and a half decades ago, the American economy has changed drastically. Backbreaking work of this type is experienced by fewer and fewer Chicagoans as each year passes. The descendants of these men instead may work in an office, in a restaurant, in a tire shop, or possibly in trucking or light manufacturing. They may live even farther out in the Chicago suburbs or back in some of the city’s more fashionable neighborhoods. The Chicago area may not even be home anymore; they could just as likely live in Florida. Source: Jack Delano, 1942. Library of Congress. Despite these economic changes, Delano’s photographs express a timeless sense of vulnerable, yet resilient humanity. We can almost imagine these guys transported to the early 21st century coming into a Northlake pizzeria wearing polos or t-shirts after a day at a local auto dealership or maybe an office in the Loop. In the first decades of the Proviso Yards, though, far fewer people commuted from the not yet heavily-populated area to downtown Chicago. Instead, many workers commuted to the yard, located in relative countryside, from Chicago and other parts of the region. Eventually, some would choose to build a life nearby, filling the surrounding emptiness with streets and homes. By the early 1940s, Melrose Park and Maywood were home to a number of industries, though very few aside from the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad were located along or near North Avenue. This focused economic development (stores, taverns, and other services) farther south along other corridors. (Diamond Jubilee of Melrose Park, a book published in 1940 by that city’s chamber of commerce, available online from the Melrose Park Library, provides an illuminating window onto this period of local history.) But with construction of the massive Buick defense plant on North Avenue in Melrose Park, this section of Proviso Township, as well as the adjacent Leyden Township, changed dramatically. The plant, in which aircraft engines were produced, became a landmark industry in the area and helped spur population growth in Melrose Park and in surrounding areas, including the unincorporated area’s just to the west. The defense plant viewed from near North Avenue in Melrose Park. Source: Buick City. We passed the building, still standing today, as we rolled through Melrose Park. Completed just in time for America’s entry into World War II in late 1941, the factory spurred economic and population growth west of Chicago. Source: Daily Herald, December 12, 1941. Photographer Ann Rosener captured these images workers producing aircraft engines for the war effort in 1942 for the United States Office of War Information. Source: Ann Rosener, 1942. Library of Congress. Thousands of workers from different backgrounds and numerous parts of the Chicago came to work at the plant. While African Americans are visible in the pictures, their presence at the Buick plant was a relatively recent occurrence. According to historian Andrew Edmund Kersten, author of Race, Jobs, and the War: The FEPC in the Midwest, 1941-46, despite a labor shortage and pressure coming from the Chicago Urban League, General Motors, parent company of Buick, had resisted attempts to integrate the facility. In January 1942, no African Americans were included among the 2,300 company workers. A month later, the rolls had doubled to 4,600, but only 52 were African American. Even when the company ranks swelled in July of that year, African Americans only comprised 350, or 4.37% of the plant’s 8,015 workers. By December of 1943, the plant employed 15,233 total workers, though no figures are available for black workers. Rosener’s captions at times attempt to highlight the plant’s racial disparities while still focusing on the supposed unifying aspects of the war. And as the the number of workers at that plant exploded so did the population of the surrounding communities, including the future community of Northlake. Source: Ann Rosener. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017700703/ Yes. Very good. Right about there. Source: Ann Rosener 1942. Library of Congress. To meet this new demand, developers began advertising and building “semi-finished” or “shell” houses surrounding the plant. Many blue-collar plant workers purchased the homes and improved them with their own labor. Source: Chicago Tribune, October 3, 1948. Northlake thus grew up as a working-class industrial suburb, a reputation it held for decades, as a 1991 Chicago Tribune profile entitled “If You Carry a Lunch Bucket, You’ll Feel at Home Here” suggested, almost sentimentally. Homes marketed and built there by the Midland Development and Improvement Company there were charming, but purposefully bare bones. New owners “. . .had to paint the exterior and install partitions, plumbing, heating and electrical fixtures.” Municipal utilities were minimal or virtually non-existent. There were no paved roads or curbs, as this scene from Westward Ho Drive, just about a block north of North Avenue, in 1947. Source: Edgar Gamboa Navar, Northlake, via Northlake City Hall. The company turned what the houses lacked into positives, suggesting that “For the man who wants to install his own heating plant, the house is built without a furnace.” Midland, as reported in the Tribune, had other shell options, as well. “Midland eliminates decorating in case the man would like to do his own. A plumber–professional or amateur–may decide he’d like to install his own bathroom. That house will be decorated, have a furnace, but no bathroom fixtures.” (Chicago Tribune, October 3, 1948) Years later in 2014, Mayor Jeff Sherwin reflected on the city’s early development history and stated that “Northlake was built backwards.” Still, development in the late 1940s was rapid, and it did not go unnoticed by public officials. In 1949, the older and more-established Melrose Park, incorporated since 1882, attempted to annex the growing community in 1949, but residents who had purchased the area’s modest homes, perhaps recognizing the rapidness with which the suburb was growing, resisted the attempt. Northlake incorporated that same year. No longer just a farming community, Northlake was by 1950 a small suburb of 4,361 people. Just three years later, the population reached approximately 9,000 residents. Now comprised of substantial freight lines and a rapidly growing workforce that increasingly lived in the area, Northlake and the West Suburbs became an industrial powerhouse in the postwar era. International Harvester purchased the Melrose Park defense plant to produce tractor and diesel engines, ensuring that jobs would remain as the area’s population continued to grow. During the Korean War, the factory once again switched to defense production, rolling army personnel carriers off the line. Workers were in great demand, and labor unions became an increasingly powerful force. Northlake was still growing, but small town enough for a runaway from the West Side to be noticed. Even more industry–and people came–following the construction of the tollway later in the decade. Automatic Electric, a company that manufactured telephone-switching equipment, built a massive plant in 1957 on a high-end golf course and club, and became the largest industry in the Northlake area. In his book, Northlake, Edgar Gamoa Navar notes that the plant employed over 11,000 people, while Marilyn Elizabeth Perry notes in the Encyclopedia of Chicago, employed around 14,000 at its peak in the early 1970s. Large manufacturing firms such as Rauland, a division of Zenith radio and television, and Alberto-Culver, also located in nearby Melrose Park after the war, This strong base of jobs and suburbanization of the Chicago region helped the population of Northlake swell to 12,318 in 1960, reaching its peak numbers in 1970, with 14,191 residents. Through it all, work continued at the Proviso Yards. Chicago & North Western offered good blue-collar railroad jobs veterans returning from Vietnam, and Zenith was a source of many technical manufacturing jobs. Though some had time to. . .whittle. We kid, of course. Mr. Kohout no doubt spent many hard days and nights working up to the foreman position. Pizza showed up in great numbers sometime after the war, too, we’re just not sure when. If one did not get a job at the railyards or one of the big companies or wanted to make some extra cash (and was lucky enough to own a car). At this point, most delivery jobs were still in the city, such as this one for Millie’s at 5359 W. Madison in the South Austin neighborhood, as the ’60s progressed, more and more “pizza man” jobs were available in the West Suburbs. In the following decades, Northlake’s population dipped and rose slightly as industries either came, went, or evolved. Some industries left the area, such as Zenith did in the late ’80s. Other industries evolved into smaller operations such as logistics. The space long-occupied by International Harvester was taken over by Navistar, though truck-producing jobs there were phased out and the plant converted into a technical and testing center after our trip in 2017. Zenith closed its Melrose Park tube factory in 1998, costing 2,000 workers their jobs. Source: Suburban Trib – November 19, 1982. Unlike places like Southeast Chicago, where the steel industry’s collapse upended the local economy and a tightly-ingrained way of life, the relative diversification of industry–and the fact that large companies like Alberto-Culver and Jewel retained their nearby facilities–helped Northlake and the West Suburbs avoid widespread dereliction. Today, Northlake is home to approximately 12,300 residents, while the populations of the surrounding communities, despite some slight dips in the last decade or so, have remained similarly stable. Northlake in fact happens to be the home of a Chicago business institution, Empire Today. Founded by Seymour Cohen as a plastic cover business in 1959, Empire is now a carpet and flooring company with a nationwide reach. One likely wouldn’t guess by looking at the company’s homebase– a non-descript one-story building partially flanked by parked tractor trailers in the western section of Northlake right by the Tri-State Tollway, just steps from the old Zenith facility–that they were looking at the home of one the most recognized businesses in Chicagoland and maybe the country. Cohen’s Empire–which already possessed a name poised for market dominance–managed to transcend any mundane status as just another local carpet company by investing clever and near-constant advertising. Beginning in 1973, Empire debuted a character that would have a ubiquitous presence on local television for the next four-plus decades, the Empire Man, played by Lynn Hauldren. The 51-year-old Hauldren created the character after several years of independently producing work for a few larger, more well-known firms in the broadcast advertising industry. According to Hauldren himself, several actors auditioned to play the Empire Man before Cohen asked him to take over the role. (Chicago Tribune, December 1, 1997) Hauldren’s calm, plainspoken demeanor was an instant–and long-lasting–hit with customers. While many local advertisers used a loud, aggressive approach to drum up business, the working-class Empire Man instead talked to customers like a friendly, trustworthy uncle or neighbor. The approach was a massive success, and considering the context of the time, it makes sense. The country was in the throes of the Watergate scandal, and President Richard Nixon’s increasingly-apparent duplicity shook the faith many had in the country’s strongest institutions. American manufacturing and the labor unions that supplied it with workers started to feel the effects of deindustrialization, globalization, and political change, a moment detailed by historian Jefferson Cowie in his incisive Stayin’ Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working Class. The common workingman, one could argue, became a source of nostalgia, particularly in the decades that followed the Empire Man’s debut as more and more American factories moved or closed for good. Still, Chicago was much more a blue-collar town in the 1970s than it is today, and upward mobility for the working class was still viewed as attainable. Even with the continued decline of blue-collar jobs, the American Dream ideal persisted, at least anecdotally, even in the way the public viewed the Empire Man character. For instance, in a 1997 profile in the Chicago Tribune, Hauldren stated that was constantly stopped on the street by many people assumed he at least worked as a carpet installer and some even thought he owned the company. With fairness and hard, honest work, the Dream suggests, one too could even their own small business. Hmm. . .that tune is getting stuck in our heads. For decades, Hauldren was near-omnipresent in the carpet company’s advertising. Occasionally some other friendly Empire folks would show up, though. No doubt some of these guys started their morning with doughnuts and baked goods from the old Burny Brothers Bakery at 300 W. North Avenue, around the corner from the Empire facility. Burny Bros. used to supply dozens of company-owned retail stores in the Chicago area. Whereas Roeser’s single location endeavored to serve a dense urban neighborhood, Burny’s worked on a much larger scale. The company’s new 145,000 square foot facility, built in 1960, reflected the industrial scale of Northlake businesses, as well as broader mid-twentieth century trends of mass production and consumption. Despite the fact that Burny tried make their stores seem like a local bake shop–in a 1973 commercial, “It is like finding a neighborhood bakery your favorite food store,” the company was more subject to market forces than neighborhood economic stability. Entenmann’s purchased the company and facility in 1979 and closed in 2004, while the rarely-changed Roeser’s continues to serve Humboldt Park on North Avenue to the this very day. Still, doughnuts or no doughnuts, no matter who showed up to install your flooring. . . The company made it completely clear that every employee was struck from the Empire Man’s mold. A point they stressed for decades. The commercials were even subject of a Son of Svengoolie send-up. How Chicago is that? “You know the number, right?” Years later, the bit was acknowledged by the company with the help of Rich Koz. “Umpire carpets?” In addition to Hauldren’s sensible approach, Empire invested in giveaway gimmicks such as Michael Jordan-endorsed Wilson basketballs, no doubt a hit in the 1990s during the team’s six championship dynasty. Hmm. . .did Bulls announcer and Northlake native Tom Dore broker this deal between the two Chicago institutions? Or did this deal help him get his job? Bissell shampooers were the most commonly advertised giveaway, appearing in numerous commercials. Cohen fully believed in Hauldren’s selling power. And he had proof, too. Cohen was quoted in 1997 saying that the commercials were so successful that “We went through 10,000 Bissell rug shampooers like that, and I think we’ve given out between 90,000 and 100,000 Chicago Bulls basketballs.” A former competitor in the carpet business stated that “If they don’t pay Lynn $300,000 a year, it’s not enough. Because Lynn Hauldren made Empire Carpets. Without Lynn they don’t do those numbers.” Born in 1922, Hauldren spent his early life in St. Louis. Listed here in the 1940 census is an 18-year-old Hauldren living with his grandparents, mother (a department store salesperson), and siblings in a $75-a-month apartment at 4939 West Pine Boulevard, in the city’s Central West End. The building, now demolished, was located about right where this parking lot is today. After serving in the Army during World War II, and Lynn and his wife moved in Wilmette, and later in Evanston. Source: St. Louis Star-Times, November 19, 1943. Despite these apparent North Shore white-collar connections, the character Hauldren created managed to encapsulate the hardworking, rooted dependability of folks from more blue-collar places in the region such as Northlake. As then-40-year resident Bob Staerkel stated in 1991, “What brought me here [to Northlake]? We came out and we were looking for a place we could afford. We considered moving as the income grew, but the family said no. The schools are nice, so we decided to stay. It’s not Lake Forest, but as I say, what are you looking for in life? We’re looking for a comfortable place to put on our hat and coat, and this is it.” As another resident, 66-year-old Frank Novak, who owned an aluminum siding business, said the area’s original stock of cheap, unfinished homes allowed for new residents to save money as they made repairs themselves. “We were all together looking for a better life.” Hauldren’s success in advertising likely helped him fit comfortably in the more well-to-do North Shore suburbs. On the other hand perhaps his Midwestern working-class experience of living in with six other people in a cramped apartment at the tail end of the Depression also influenced his worldview in a way that informed the believability of the Empire Man character. Again, he may have been shrewd at marketing, but his wholesomeness was clearly not just an act: Hauldren also performed in a barbershop quartet called Chordiac Arrest. Very few Chicagoans can claim to have never heard the Empire’s famous jingle. According to owner Seymour Cohen, Hauldren was the one who came up with the extremely catchy “588-2300, Empire!” tune, which was first launched in 1977. Chicago in many ways was a jingle capital. Writers like Dick Marx (writer of the famous Doublemint jingle for Chicago-based Wrigley chewing gum company, and father of 1980s music star Richard Marx), Dick Reynolds,(whose Com/Track jingle publishing house, founded with William Young was an advertising force), and Dick Boyell (check out his sought after 1960 album for Allied Van Lines, Music to Move Families By) were extremely successful at using clever music to sell products, soundtrack local newscasts, and support sports teams. (Can we include one-time Chicago resident Dick Noel, at least the jingle performing category?) Hauldren built on this local tradition and created advertising gold. Empire’s jingle was perfect: simple, catchy, and unforgettable. Originally performed by the Fabulous 40s, Hauldren’s vocal group at the time, the jingle is now so famous that it has warranted historical analysis. Among transcriptions of works by Igor Stravinsky and Steve Reich, YouTube user mead1955, suggests the jingle is a musically rich work of art that stands with some of the greatest. A lot of hard work appears to have gone into the listening and transcription process: mead1955 apparently viewed over 100 Empire commercials! Wow, that short-lived version from 2003 was strange. In the early 2010s, Empire Today acquired another local flooring company. . .and another famous jingle. We have no idea how many times Luna Carpet’s “773-202. . .(beep, beep, boop, boop) Luna! (ding)” was sung–and riffed upon–around our household. (Luna in the 1990s and early 2000s also aired commercials with a very different Spanish language jingle in Chicago.) Galaxie, a home remodeling company with another catchy jingle, later became part of the Empire family, as well. Somebody in that company loves jingles. (Perhaps the Frederic Roofing jingle from Hauldren’s St. Louis birthplace is the next acquisition. But if you’re buying jingles and you want to diversify the portfolio, Maull’s, billed as America’s oldest barbecue sauce, is for sale. While there’s an outside chance Hauldren may have been vaguely aware of both companies, we cannot confirm it. We’re not sure when the Frederic jingle first aired, and the Maull’s jingle did not debut until 1974, just after the Empire one. It’s fun to consider the possibility of some sort of connection, though.) A private investment firm purchased Empire in the late 1990 and took the brand nationwide. Despite its success, by 2016 Empire Today went up for sale and was later purchased by a large private equity firm. Hauldren, an icon of Chicago advertising, passed away in 2011. Through all of these changes Empire, the famous jingle and even the Empire Man live on. But weren’t in the market for carpet; we were renters after all. Pizza, though, we could do that. Traveling west on North Avenue, we were essentially on the main street of Northlake. There’s no typical downtown as one might expect and there’s a general sense of placelessness, with notable landmarks that tip off the brain to specific location. Northlake, after all, developed in the 1940s and ’50s, too late for a dense main street with two- and three-story commercial buildings. This was the land of the automobile. Thus, North Avenue reflects, boasting six lanes for vehicular traffic. Surrounding homes in the community, reflective of their “semi-finished” status when they were originally built and purchased, were still on the modest side–single family Cape Cods and small ranches, but typical of the era, the yards are larger than the ones found throughout the city of Chicago, with spacious front and back lawns. Many commercial structures–most located along North Avenue–are modest, as well, and they generally reflect the automobile culture of the 1950s and 1960s during which Northlake truly grew up. For instance, a drive-in called Quick-Chek was once located at 322 E. North Avenue. A strip mall currently occupies the site. (There was also a place called the Friendly Pup somewhere in Northlake, too. Where? Sounds like something Ernie would like.) Source: Chicago Tribune, June 19, 1960. In one of these one-story structures–an early strip mall–just about a mile west of the old defense plant, we noticed a small business with a few parking spaces called Anthony’s Pizzeria. A small (by today’s standards) sign announced carry out and delivery, and the building was embellished with red and white awning–itself emblazoned with large block letters. Both the sign and the awning listed a seven digit phone number (and no 312, 773, or 708 area code) which suggested the business had been around for at least a couple of decades, though not as old as the old West Side places that used the two-letter prefix followed by four digits. Source: Google, 2014. According to a menu available online, Anthony’s, located at 216 East North Avenue “Across from the American Legion,” has indeed been around for three decades, extending back closer to some of Northlake’s most well-known pizzerias. (There is also an Anthony B’s Pizza on Broadway in Melrose Park which opened in 1991. Are the two pizzerias related? Did this lead the menu proclamation for the Northlake restaurant as “The Orignial #1”?) Source: Yelp. Meet Jim Spata: Northlake pizza pioneer. A native of Rochester, New York, and early Northlake resident, the Italian American Spata worked for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, likely at the Proviso Yards. He was listed in 1936 in company records as an “office boy” and later as a clerk in the 1940 census. His son Paul was listed as a “locomotive fireman” for the company in the mid 1950s and was still on the company rolls in the mid ’60s. Source: Edgar Gamboa Navar, Northlake via Northlake City Hall. While working for teh Chicago and North Western Railroad, likely at the Proviso Yards, as a “messenger boy” (company records three years later in 1936 call him an “office boy”), the nineteen-year-old James Spata spent his free time as a competitive lightweight boxer. Source: Chicago Tribune, February 11, 1933. He then operated a shoe store and barber shop at 149 East North Avenue in Northlake. Later, he opened Spata’s Pizza across North Avenue from this building with his son, James Jr., who was a few years younger than Paul and also worked, as a clerk, for the Chicago & North Western Railroad in the mid 1950s. We’re not sure if Paul and his mother, Grace, were involved in the pizza venture. Spata’s Pizza is well-remembered by Northlake residents of the era. It appears the carryout and delivery business opened around 1962 and was apparently for sale in 1968. Whether Spata’s Pizza closed or not–or was even sold to a new buyer–we can’t say for sure. Source: Chicago Tribune, May 2, 1968. In 1973, Jim Jr. and his wife opened Valeo’s Pizza in Kenosha, Wisconsin, a business they operated for the next 40 years in a mid-century building that looked like it could be on North Avenue, surrounded by modest homes and even some open fields, in Northlake. In the early 2010s, they sold the business to their son, Eric, and his wife, Christal. The new owners opened a second location soon after, and Christal was named a finalist as young entrepreneur of the year in 2018. The team is very active in keeping the Spata pizza tradition alive. It’s interesting to learn that a Kenosha pizza tradition has its roots in one born in Northlake. Next door the old Spata’s shoe store and barber shop–and across North Avenue from Spata’s Pizza–the revered Tiritilli’s Restaurant stood just about a block or so west of Anthony’s at 151 E. North Avenue. I think I see a jukebox! “Shrimp Boats?” Perhaps “Getting to Know You?” Ever heard of a guy named Roc-co Gre-co? Source: Craig’s Lost Chicago. Natives of the bungalow-lined streets of Maywood, brothers Bernard and Joel Tiritilli first opened a pizzeria in 1952, right around the time they graduated from Proviso Township High School, later known as Proviso East. Bernard was a member of the Class of ’52. As a member of the Class of ’54, Joseph, or Joel, must have joined on later. Their parents Margaret and Anthony, a salesman for Peoples Gas, also had an interest in the business until Anthony’s death in 1958 at the age of 49. Perhaps Bernard and Joel enjoyed eating at Boezio’s so much that they wanted to give the pizza a try for themselves. Source: Forest Park Review, June 13, 1957. Tiritilli’s was a family-run place. Source: Chicago Tribune, January 4, 1976. “The Tiritilli boys, Bernie and Joel” got a lot of help from the rest of the family. All for local Northlake and West Surbanan diners to enjoy with their own families and good friends. Source: The Roselle Register, August 30, 1968. While Spata’s focused on carryout and delivery, Tiritilli’s was more of a dine-in operation with artwork-adorned wood-paneling, tablecloths, and candles. Source: Chicago Tribune, April 19, 1970. But they delivered, too. Working at the restaurant could be a good job. Source: Chicago Tribune, March 24, 1971. Pizza was a specialty at Tiritilli’s, but a number of Italian entrees were very popular, as well, including many pasta dishes. Source: Need date Bernard’s wife, Barbara, wrote a cookbook containing recipes for the restaurant’s popular dishes called Garlic By Candlelight. Are there any copies out there? Source: Los Angeles Times, September 17, 1970. But again, feeding families was a main focus of Tiritilli’s. As well as the hardworking folks of Northlake. Bernard and Joel ran the Tiritilli’s Restaurant until Bernard tragically lost his life in a car accident in 1986. Joel Tiritilli sold his interest in the business in the late 80s, though we’re not sure if that was end of the famous restaurant. Joel and his wife, Rita, however then opened a new cafe in Willowbrook, affectionately named Bernard’s in honor his late brother, and it too was a family affair. Joel and Rita’s nephew, Jeff Mauro, currently hosts Sandwich King on the Food Network and even visited Bernard’s to film an episode. While the original Tiritilli’s is now the site of yet another AutoZone, Bernard’s in Willowbrook is still in business today. Source: Bernard’s Cafe & Deli. While the suburbs remain heavily-populated economic engines of Chicagoland and most cities across the country (and continue to grow), in years many younger generations of have returned to the central cities attracted by culture, diversity, and opportunity. This is certainly true in the Chicago region where many neighborhoods draw twenty- and thirty-somethings often looking for life different than the suburban one’s of their youth. Accordingly, Susan and Kristin Tiritilli, daughters of Bernard and Barbara, operated the popular Tilli’s not in Northlake, Melrose Park, or anywhere else out west, but instead in North Side of Chicago neighborhood of Lincoln Park beginning around 1996. The restaurant was a success and considered a neighborhood staple. The Tiritillis and the restaurants regulars were met with shock when the owners experienced a brief loss of its lease in 2009. Tilli’s hung on for a couple of more years, though, until officially closing in October 2011. The tide of gentrification is rapid in Chicago, and Tilli’s run was a good one considering many new businesses come and go within just a couple of years. Signage remained on the vacant storefront on Halsted at Armitage for almost a year until the building was demolished in 2012 and replaced about a year later with a business that could afford the area’s ever-increasing rent. Since then the Tiritillis continue to cook, keeping family tradition alive. Both Spata’s and Tiritilli’s are remembered very fondly current and former Northlake residents, with common discussions regarding both places on Facebook. Some other former pizza options in Northlake and the surrounding area included Johnny’s Pizzeria was located on Wolf Road at Doyle Drive across from St. John Vianney High School, Pete’s Pizzeria on Grand in Franklin Park (now the site of Gianna’s), Tony’s in Stone Park, and Armando’s on Mannheim Road. What are these places? Here’s a place on Mannheim Road for sale in 1956, though we can’t figure what town it was located. This tavern and pizzeria was for sale in 1977. The ’80s particularly had a noticeable number of pizza ventures. These two places were for sale in 1980 and 1981, respectively. This ad comes from 1985. Newly remodeled and lots of parking. . .is this the future Anthony’s? A menu for Anthony’s online dating probably to before 2018 says that they’ve been around years, but online records suggest the business was started in 1989. So this may be a few years too early to be that establishment. The answer to this likely lies with longtime Northlake residents. With each of those local pizzerias gone, Anthony’s remains one local establishment to carry on their legacy. We strongly considered stopping at Anthony’s, but made the decision to continue chasing down our current order instead. As we continued west, the commercial landscape became more and more late-century suburban, with a number of chain restaurants and stores with parking lots, such as a large Menard’s (a company with an amazing Empire-worthy jingle). Just past Wolf Road in a one-story story brick building relatively older the much newer Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and Sam’s Club–which comprise the site of the old Northlake Shopping Center–located behind it, we found what we had been looking for all along. After traveling through a world of historical pizza, we arrived at Perry’s Pizza Joynt. Perry’s parking lot was mostly full. We managed to find a spot, but it appeared that patrons to come here and stay for a bit, not just pick up a pizza and head home, especially on a wintry night like tonight. The sign–with an old-timey font that was popular in the 1970s and early ’80s–indicated to us that we might be in store for a pizza parlor of that era, similar to Barnaby’s, a classic restaurant that once used to many locations in Chicagoland. Source: Hammond Times, May 21, 1976. Or possibly the once well-known Shakey’s, which had a nationwide collection of franchise locations. Source: Arlington Heights Daily Herald, June 30, 1966. The Northlake Pizza Joynt is not the only the place in Chicagoland that goes–or has gone–by the name of Perry’s, either. There’s the longstanding Perry’s Pizza in Park Ridge (which offers a “Gutbuster” pizza), and there used to be one in the Kane County (and partially still in Cook County) community of East Dundee. As far we know, though, both places are unrelated to the Joynt. Source: Cardinal Free Press, March 22, 1967. In the 1950s there was even a Perry’s Restaurant & Lounge in the Harvey, Illinois, right in the Posen/Dixmoor area, not too far from Frank’s Pizza. The business evolved from Perry’s Dinette to Perry’s Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge over the course of the decade. Reportedly “Ideal for bowling banquets,” it looks like they featured some loungey entertainment, too. Of course, Perry isn’t an uncommon name. We’re just trying to cover our bases in case there is a connection, though. But as far we know, this pizza joint is singular venture. Through these doors. . . We were promised. . . But before we got to the pizza, though, just inside a second set of door’s gave us a choice: a door marked “Restaurant” and another one to the right marked “Lounge.” We chose the restaurant, of course, and what an incredible sight it was. Though I hoped not to show it to the locals dining in, my eyes were wide with wonder at what I was witnessing. Lots of illuminated stained glass, colorful carpet, and dark wood-paneled walls covered with signs and photographs. There were several long tables perfect for large groups or families with kids. This must have been what Pizza Hut was going for in the 1970s and ’80s, though standardized, watered-down version (no judgement here; that’s one place where we learned to love pizza and pizzerias). Why, yes, Pizza Hut’s red carpet and candlelight do make for a romantic dining atmosphere. Source: The Herald, February 20, 1973. Despite going for dining elegance on one level, pizza parlors had to appeal to all members of a family. Like Shakey’s, Pizza Hut had a cartoon character, Pizza Hut Pete, to appeal to children. Source: Belvidere Daily Republican, November 30, 1973. But we would argue that real, classic family pizza parlors like this are disappearing. Neon signs and a few TVs, but not too much of the latter to be distracting. Unfortunately there wasn’t an “8-by-“10 glossy nor a theatrical release poster signed by Friday the 13th: A New Beginning and Return of the Living Dead co-star Mark Venturini, the fondly-remembered Northlake native and local West Leyden High School graduate, though we hope there’s one there somewhere. We also didn’t notice a photo of Northlake’s arguably most successful musical product, Frankie Sullivan. Born in 1955–the same year Jack’s Shrimp Boat opened for business on the West Side–the Northlake native’s music would be heard around the world, but had humble roots in the West Suburbs of Chicago. Is Frank M. Sullivan, 1961 Northlake mayoral candidate, Frankie Sullivan’s father? His grandfather, perhaps? The full name of Survivor’s Frankie Sullivan is Frank Michael Sullivan III, after all. Note the cameo by our famed James Spata, who then also served as treasurer for the Northlake Chamber of Commerce. Numerous candidates including Sullivan were looking to unseat Mayor Henry Neri. Frankie Sullivan attended West Leyden High School several years before Mark Venturini. He even played football and basketball. After playing local garage bands, he joined Chicago-based 1970s rock band Mariah, who recorded an album for United Artists in 1975, at the age of 19. Mariah was short-lived, and it was a few years later that he achieved his greatest fame as founder, writer, and longtime guitarist for AOR rock band Survivor. Sullivan co-wrote and produced many of the band’s track’s with fellow founder Jim Peterik (below, far left), the Chicago suburbanite previously famous as a member of the Ides of March. Following the breakup of that band, Peterik worked writing commercial jingles (!), including one for basically-only-popular-in-Chicago Old Style beer. According to Peterik, the money he made from writing jingles paid for the original Survivor demos. Unbelievable. Jingles may be the unseen economic engine of Northlake and the West Suburbs. While not always a favorite of critics–Rolling Stone backhandedly deemed the band “faceless”. . .in the introduction to an interview with Sullivan–we think it’s time for a reevaluation of the band’s work. If not a Lennon and McCartney or a Mick and Keith of the West Suburbs, Sullivan and Peterik were at least a Perry and Schoen (and Rollie and Cain, etc.) of the West Suburbs, writing, producing, and performing a number of wonderfully rocking–and often overlooked–tracks. The band’s self-titled debut is pretty typical workmanlike arena rock, that moves on the spectrum from largely unmemorable to fairly solid. Songs like “Can’t Getcha Offa My Mind,” “Freelance,” and even “Somewhere in America,” the local hit, could be easily confused with Foreigner, Kansas, or a less dramatic Journey from the same period. Moodier tracks like “Whatever It Takes,” “Nothing Can Shake Me (From Your Love),” and “Whole Town’s Talkin'” is cut from a similar cloth but contends that the band has a more interesting side. The follow-up, Premonition, is a noticeable improvement over its predecessor, with the band closer to finding its own voice. “Chevy Nights,” the opener, may draw from the same well as the Ides of March’s “Vehicle” but is tuneful, catchy, and memorable in its own right (With sole songwriting credit going to Peterik–and the brand mention–one wonders if this song about nights in a Chevrolet actually grew out of a jingle to sell Chevys). “Summer Nights” and especially “Heart’s a Lonely Hunter” hint at–though stop short of–the band’s future bread and butter, the power ballad. Standouts include “Poor Man’s Son,” a tale of love across class lines (after growing up working-class Northlake? Or perhaps Peterik’s native Berwyn?), and “Runway Lights,” a track highlighting ever-growing distance between one’s dreams and home, between change and stasis, between a new life and the loved ones left behind. Still, those great tracks express a few standard ’70s rock cliches about life on the road and on the stage. Of course, we say “cliche” now, but we suppose if we were a suburban Chicago kids (or hounds) in the ’70s and our mom and dad worked at Automatic Electric or International Harvester (for instance) while we lived in a house that our grandparents had to install everything, then we might have a different–more romantic–perspective about rock ‘n’ roll. No matter how cool local industries tried to make the old hometown sound. But with Eye of the Tiger, Survivor slicked things up a bit and hit their stride, moving closer to the sound that would define the band. Straddling the world between rock and pop–as was the rule of the day at the time–the band’s 1982 album, their third, was one of their biggest hits. As with the first two albums, the LP featured original vocalist Dave Bickler, one-time Naperville resident who sang in the band Jamestown Massacre–the breezy made-for-AM radio “Summer Sun” was one of their hits. Bickler met Peterik while working on a jingle (!!) for an airline. Post-Survivor he even recorded the Anheuser-Busch Real American Heroes/Real Men of Genius jingles. “Jim, Dave. . .meet our good friend, Lynn.” On the Eye of the Tiger, Bickler’s notes glide through his impressive vocal range. Sullivan’s guitar work really begins to take off, lifting pretty standard songs like “Feels Like Love” to greater heights. “Ever Since the World Began” is Survivor in full power ballad mode, while the minor key synth songs like “American Heartbeat” bring them very close to being perfect additions to the then-upcoming All the Right Moves soundtrack. Of course, this album probably sounds best coming the deck of a Trans Am or Camaro Z28. Almost all of these tracks pale in comparison excellent riff-heavy, harmony laden “Children of the Night,” a classic rock classic that never was. It was with the title track, though, that the band graduated from local clubs and mid-size auditoriums to filling arenas across the world. Featured to dramatic effect in the third installment of the blockbuster Rocky series starring Sylvester Stallone and iconic stars Mr. T and Hulk Hogan, the song became such a massive success that Survivor’s fortunes were changed forever. Taking a life of its own, it lives forever in sports montages and live events, somehow encapsulating all the pressure–all the drama–that makes the present contest seem like the most important contest ever in all of mankind. Indeed, “Eye of the Tiger” has a special quality that few songs have and stands as a classic that seems to only improve with age. Early in its incarnation, Survivor played the suburban club circuit, including at the locally-famous Thirsty Whale in River Grove (just about about three miles from Northlake). By mid 1982, the band had fully graduated from small clubs. Meanwhile, other suburban heroes like The Kind could never break through any farther. (But, hey, THE GRASS ROOTS played the Thirsty Whale stage the very next night, so they had good company.) “Eye of the Tiger” is great, of course, but always preferred the massive back beat and lyrically blunt drama of Rocky IV‘s “Burning Heart,” though. Sullivan produced and co-wrote both tracks. “Burning Heart” featured second Survivor lead vocalist Jimi Jamison, with whom the band would find continued success especially with dramatic power ballads and smooth mid-tempo rockers. In the 1980s, my older brother had a bunch of ’80s rock cassettes (Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Night Ranger, Foreigner, Cinderella, Poison, and the like), and even a 45 of “Can’t Drive 55” by Sammy Hagar. He had only two LPs on his huge stereo system that I remember, though: a copy of Chicago 17, and a copy of Survivor’s 1984 slick, AOR-defining Vital Signs, Jamison’s first appearance on record with the band. While I definitely remember Steve Perry’s “Oh Sherrie” broadcasting from the floor-level television tuned to MTV–not mention Peter Cetera sitting in that big chair singing “You’re the Inspiration”–no doubt the cheesy video for the very similar “I Can’t Hold Back” played in the same rotation. Our favorite from the album has to the undeniably catchy “First Night” featuring Jamison’s powerful, perfect-for-mainstream-radio vocals. Sandwiched in between Eye of the Tiger and Vital Signs, 1983’s Caught in the Game is by far our favorite Survivor album. Sullivan served as the production mastermind while also earning an engineering credit. On Caught in the Game, the band’s playing grew tighter, their melodies more tuneful, and their videos artier. The result is near AOR perfection. Sullivan and Peterik’s songwriting is vastly improved over previous efforts, and Sullivan’s guitar work is impeccably tight. Featuring Bickler just before his exit from the band, the title track is a true earworm that sticks almost like an unforgettable jingle. Other excellent tracks like the desperate “Jackie Don’t Go”, the hurtling, urgent “It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way,” and the Side 1 closing “Ready for the Real Thing,” (not to mention “Half Life” and “Slander”) propel Caught in the Game into lost masterpiece territory, or at least lost in plain site masterpiece territory. On sentimental note, the mature “I Never Stopped Loving You” stands as one of the most overlooked tear-inducing power ballads of the era. You can almost see Rosie and Dan Conner type of folks, recalling the sincere innocence of their high school prom and all the struggles since, swaying in the kitchen to the words “When the money was short, and dreams were shattered, we’ve been through all. . .” Pure, beautiful emotion that transcends melodrama. Speaking of drama, Survivor has a history of personal and legal disagreements that led to multiple line-up changes, departures, and returns, particularly after their 1980s peak. Still, we like to imagine Sullivan and the rest of band coming into the Pizza Joynt for some pizza–maybe even with their kids–letting all pressures, annoyances, and disagreements drift aside allowing them to plan the next album or conquer the next tour. After all, they had “pizza experience,” apparently playing early gigs in the upstairs bar at the original My Pie on Sheridan Road in Rogers Park, and a lot of rocker guys like Sullivan and Peterik (including contemporary Dennis DeYoung of Styx and Richard Marx, the extremely successful son of jingle king Dick Marx) have been known to prefer Chicagoland suburban living that places like Northlake (and places even farther out) have to offer, whether they’re getting along. . . The Chicago burbs are accessible enough to meet up and play in a band with your friends. . .and big enough to hide out and avoid bumping into your nemeses. One can potentially even hide out in one of the Pizza Joynt’s many corners. Brass rails, split levels, and low lighting also encouraged more private dining and maybe a chance to get away from the kids. Cozy red elevated booths with low-hanging stained glass lamps made a more secluded experience. I imagine a lot of awkward first dates here. The kids could always run off to the small arcade area and play some video games. The Pizza Joynt appeared to be simply a classic Midwestern pizzeria, one that was built exclusively for that purpose, and one that likely has not changed much in the few decades since the building was constructed. Or was there more to the story? We soon found out the building had an even more interesting history. We were tipped off by an unusual comment in the carryout menu. Turns out the Pizza Joynt’s location in Northlake was previously home to The Prime Cut Restaurant & Show Lounge, which had been established at least five years prior to the pizzeria in 1974. This fact put the restaurant’s decor into better perspective. While the interior had transitioned very easily to a family-style pizza parlor, a ’60s and ’70s suburban steakhouse and nightclub vibe is unmistakable. A few decades ago, those separate doors at the front gave patrons choices, as well: sit down for a nice meal, or enjoy a drink and listen to the night’s entertainment. Split levels likely made seeing the musical performance or comedy act that much easier, or at least, since the show was over in the lounge, made dining a little more private. There were probably few, if any, televisions, as well. The Prime Cut likely fit the definition of a supper club. While the term most-famously refers to a beloved and timeless facet of the Wisconsin and Upper Midwestern culture (of which a few books and documentary films have been recently produced), Chicago once had its own version of the culture; a version that is near extinct today. But in the 1950s through the 1970s, places like The Prime Cut were once all over the city and suburbs. Some were located in the city’s neighborhoods, like Johnnie Held’s famous Brown Bear Restaurant on North Clark Street. Source: Chicago Tribune, October 27, 1966. And some were located way out of the city, likely reminding one more of Wisconsin or Upper Midwest-style supper clubs. There was variety, for sure, but the main takeaway is that either your seat at the dinner table or at your local bar included live entertainment. Areas closer to downtown Chicago featured the city’s hottest jazz acts like Ahmad Jamal, Ramsey Lewis, and Don Shirley (whose once popular LPs have sadly been related to the dusty bins of Chicago’s many thrift stores, while the other are remain hip), as well as nationally-recognized performers, at places like the London House. Sometimes you could see a big jazz star like Billy Taylor and local ones like Jackie & Roy (courtesy of Mister Kelley’s) in the same night. Gene Krupa, former South Chicagoan and Bowen High School grad (though he’s often associated with the West Side-focused “Austin High School Gang”), thrilled audiences at the London House. At supper clubs, one could “party [. . .] with a steak.” Places like The Drake Hotel’s Camellia House had the hottest singing stars, while Honolulu Harry’s Wakiki reflected the postwar tiki craze. At the Sherman House’s College Inn, “Chicago’s First Supper Club,” one could see a nationally-recognized comedian like Charlie Manna with former Northwest Sider Timi Yuro. The Cloister Inn at the Maryland Hotel on Rush Street brought in major stars (and was the site of an infamous event in the 1970s.) Esquivel at Scotch Mist must have been incredible! Early in his career, king of jingles Dick Marx honed his skills by performing in downtown clubs. You could even see jingle writer and impresario Dick Reynolds at the keys at Mister Kelley’s on Rush Street or jingle master Dick Boyell perform at the legendary Pump Room. He also for a time played with bandleader Danny Cassella in the Balinese Room at the Blackstone Hotel. Some were more restaurants with minimally-invasive live entertainment while others were closer to nightclubs where musical or comedy acts were the main attractions. At the Gay Dragon cocktail lounge, located at 4801 West Chicago Avenue at Cicero–“the Crossroads of the Great West Side”–the Hammond organ was helmed by Elsa Louise. Later, the club featured the “Swing Styles” of Bernice Anderson. At Pedicone’s in Lyons, one could enjoy Italian cuisine while listing to the beautiful sounds of “the pride of Rockford,” Mary Jane Oar. North Avenue, a major thoroughfare the traversed the West Side, had many dining and entertainment options, too. As just one example, William Tell, a supper club located at 5711 West North Avenue, offered piano and accordion music, as well as zither sounds by Fritz Stiens, in the restaurant’s “intimate piano bar.”

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When Truth Goes Hyperbolic Veronique de Rugy · Sep. 5, 2019 In his book “The Art of the Deal,” President Donald Trump described his communication style as “truthful hyperbole.” Hyperbole, sure. Truthful, questionable. Take Trump’s recent speech in Pennsylvania where he declared that his tariffs had turned things around for the domestic steel industry. He also claimed the unratified United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement — USMCA or the new NAFTA — and his steep Chinese tariffs would also bring jobs back to the United States. Are the Trump trade policies bringing about a manufacturing revival? Over the course of the last year and a half, the administration has imposed tariffs on metals, along with many other intermediate and final goods. Part of the USMCA would require that more auto parts be made in the United States and more compensation be subjected to higher minimum wages in order to benefit from the zero tariff rate between Mexico, the United States and Canada. When faced with a steep penalty for buying foreign goods, the belief is that consumers and both foreign and domestic companies producing goods in the United States will have no choice but to buy everything they need here at home. That’s unlikely. There’s a reason why businesses set up their supply chains globally instead of domestically. It allows them to get the highest quality parts for the lowest prices. When production becomes more expensive in the United States, businesses raise their prices and are less competitive. Consider the automobile industry. When and if the USMCA becomes the law of the land, automakers will face higher costs. That’s on top of the metal price hikes thanks to Trump’s tariffs. Some auto producers might change their supply chains to conform to the new trade deal, but others might decide instead to pay the current 2.5% tariffs on imported parts. Either option raises production costs as well as prices in showrooms. And fewer automobiles are produced in the United States. As in many other industries, the auto industry’s future is in exporting. Raising U.S. auto-production costs makes it more difficult for companies producing cars here to export them to countries where consumers can choose not to buy Trump-induced expensive cars. This reduction in the U.S. automobile industry’s competitiveness may force some domestic and foreign companies to increase offshoring certain sectors of the auto industry, likely to Asia. Over time, the U.S. auto sector will shrink. Admittedly, this offshoring may take a while if the U.S. economy is still strong, especially compared to the rest of the world. Partial credit for this strength goes to the Trump administration, which passed tax reform including a cut in the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. That triggered an increase in capital investment and a hike in wages. However, this effect is winding down. The tax cut also prompted a few U.S. companies to move their corporate address back to the United States, but that didn’t create new jobs. While the Trump administration is always happy to brag about anecdotal cases of companies relocating to the United States, the actual overall numbers tell a different story. For instance, Toyota recently announced a large U.S. investment, though the rate of foreign investment here — including investment from Japan — has slowed under Trump. Constant uncertainty about the trade war, new Chinese tariffs, the threat of additional auto tariffs and the global slowdown played a prominent role in this decline. Chinese tariffs have also failed to bring back jobs. The data show that in most cases, when firms move out of China, they aren’t relocating to the United States, but to Southeast Asia. Even the U.S. Commerce Department acknowledges that tariffs are a “challenge” for companies wanting to move production to the United States. More troublesome for Trump is the fact that the manufacturing sector is showing signs of a slowdown. The latest U.S. jobs report showed manufacturing employment rose by “an average of 8,000 jobs per month so far in 2019,” compared to an increase of 22,000 jobs per month in the sector during 2018. A recent survey shows manufacturing contracting in August. Even the heavily protected steel and aluminum sectors have started to see a decline in jobs this year. So while Trump’s hyperbolic communication style may be entertaining, it certainly shouldn’t be taken as factual. COPYRIGHT 2019 CREATORS.COM Don't miss Veronique de Rugy and other great columnists. Subscribe today! Read the most current opinion listed below The War to Liberate Iraq Was Just, Even if It's No Longer Popular to Say So When going to war against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was popular, Joe Biden was for going to war. World's Tiniest Surviving Preemie Shows Abortion Isn't in Line With Science or Common Sense Last summer the nation's imagination was captivated by a beautiful newborn baby girl called Saybie, who left the hospital weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces. Doctors said she was born in December only 23 weeks into her mother's pregnancy and was just about the size of an apple, weighing less than 9 ounces. Penny Nance Daniel Webster: 'The Constitution Has Enemies, Secret and Professed' Considered one of the five greatest Senators in U.S. history, Daniel Webster's statue stands in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall, placed there by the State of New Hampshire. William Federer No Entangling Alliances It was none other than George Washington who, in his farewell address before retiring to Mount Vernon, advised future presidents to pursue a policy of "Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none." 'I'm Afraid Too... but Aren't We Supposed to Fix This?' Tony Perkins

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News | Philanthropy › Individual giving Forrests set Australian donation record… again Tuesday, 7th May 2019 at 4:51 pm Australian philanthropists Andrew and Nicola Forrest hope a record $655 million donation to their Minderoo Foundation will help inspire a culture of philanthropy in the Asia-Pacific region. Tuesday, 7th May 2019 The Forrest’s gift is the largest ever living donation by any Australian philanthropist – surpassing the couple’s previous record donation of $400 million in 2017 ­– and takes their total contribution to the foundation to $1.5 billion. Andrew Forrest announced the donation in Singapore on Monday, and said the Asia-Pacific region was the couple’s home and had given them so much. But he said it faced tremendous challenges. “Our oceans are under threat from plastic pollution and overfishing, forced labour exists at a higher rate than anywhere else in the world, and cancer continues to be one of our biggest killers,” Forrest said. “I believe that through innovative research, authentic collaboration and significant pooled capital we can find solutions to these challenges.” The Forrest’s donation will be used on new initiatives and also to expand the existing work of the Minderoo Foundation in areas including cancer research, early childhood development, ocean health, and eliminating modern slavery. Forrest said while the Minderoo Foundation was committed to driving new solutions, it could not do it alone. He called on other high-net-worth individuals in the region to show leadership with their giving. “The Asia-Pacific region is home to more high-net-worth individuals than anywhere else in the world. I call on them to join us in committing the same leadership, enthusiasm and purpose that created their wealth, to the causes they are passionate about,” he said. “It is time we came together humbly and courageously to build a culture of philanthropy in the Asia-Pacific region and collaborate for change.” Asia Philanthropy Circle CEO Laurence Lien said he was very encouraged by the Forrest’s commitment to philanthropy. “The Forrests not only inspire with their generosity but serve as role models, in a region where there are few, with their strategic approach to achieve impact and desire to collaborate to multiply efforts,” Lien said. “I especially hope more will learn and replicate their systems approach to tackling complex issues, like human trafficking.” This call to action comes as recent research found the Chinese philanthropy sector has quadrupled in value over the last decade. The study found total giving in China had grown to US$23.4 billion (A$32.8 billion) in 2017, with registered foundations increasing by 17 per cent since 2009. It also said the opportunity for the sector to further grow was highlighted by the fact China has 819 billionaires – the highest number in the world. The Minderoo Foundation was founded by the Forrests in 2001 and has since supported more than 280 projects globally. Nicola Forrest said this number would only continue to grow with this latest funding injection. “[It] will bolster the foundation’s existing work, allow it to continue to grow under the leadership of chief executive Andrew Hagger and see us collaborate on more projects that hopefully leave the world in a better place,” she said. Sarah Davies, the CEO of Philanthropy Australia, told Pro Bono News the Forrest’s willingness to be public about their giving and their desire to set an example to other wealthy Australians was vital to building a culture of giving in Australia. But she said what she found particularly exciting about their giving was not just the volume, but their approach to change. “Their work focuses on understanding and addressing the root causes and system failures across their focus areas,” Davies said. “This approach, coupled with the scale of their giving and the partnerships they create, gives us great optimism for what can be achieved. It will be really exciting to see the impact of this significant contribution over the years.” Luke Michael | Journalist | @luke_michael96 Luke Michael is a journalist at Pro Bono News covering the social sector. Tags : Andrew Forrest, asia-pacific, Minderoo Foundation, Nicola Forrest, Philanthropic giant steps up for bushfire crisis Thursday, 9th January 2020 at 3:15 pm Philanthropy powerhouses go public with donation to save WA reefs Monday, 27th May 2019 at 4:35 pm ‘Helping Others Is the Most Satisfying Thing You Can Do in Life’: Nicola Forrest Nicole Richards Greens Warn of ‘Agenda’ to Broadly Roll Out Cashless Welfare Card Wednesday, 30th May 2018 at 4:44 pm

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C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger & Don Young Compare the voting records of C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and Don Young in 2017-18. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger Represented Maryland's 2nd Congressional District. This is his 8th term in the House. Represented Alaska's 1st Congressional District. This is his 23rd term in the House. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and Don Young are from different parties and disagreed on 64 percent of votes in the 115th Congress (2017-18). Dec. 21, 2018 — National Flood Insurance Program Competition and Extension Act of 2018 Dec. 12, 2018 — Providing for consideration of the conference report to accompany H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, and for other purposes July 18, 2018 — McHenry of North Carolina Amendment No. 87 July 18, 2018 — O’Halleran of Arizona Amendment No. 27 May 23, 2018 — Polis of Colorado Amendment No. 50 Feb. 15, 2018 — ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017 Nov. 8, 2017 — Rush of Illinois Amendment No. 4 Sept. 13, 2017 — Walberg of Michigan Amendment No. 173 Sept. 13, 2017 — Pocan of Wisconsin Amendment No. 134 Sept. 7, 2017 — Providing for further consideration of the bill (H.R. 3354) making appropriations for the Department of the Interior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, and for other purposes March 16, 2017 — Walz of Minnesota Part A Amendment No. 2 March 1, 2017 — Moore of Wisconsin Amendment No. 11

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Kyrsten Sinema & Steve Stivers Compare the voting records of Kyrsten Sinema and Steve Stivers in 2017-18. Represented Arizona's 9th Congressional District. This is her 3rd term in the House. Steve Stivers Represented Ohio's 15th Congressional District. This is his 4th term in the House. Kyrsten Sinema and Steve Stivers are from different parties but agreed on 52 percent of votes in the 115th Congress (2017-18). It is unusual for two members of different parties to agree on so many votes. Out of 1008 votes in the 115th Congress, they agreed on 523 votes, including 17 major votes. Sept. 28, 2018 — Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act of 2018 Feb. 6, 2018 — Further Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 Jan. 11, 2018 — Amash of Michigan Substitute Amendment No. 1 Dec. 21, 2017 — Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign Authorization Act of 2017 Dec. 7, 2017 — Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes Nov. 3, 2017 — Community Health and Medical Professionals Improve Our Nation Act of 2017 Feb. 2, 2017 — Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Social Security Administration relating to Implementation of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 Sept. 27, 2018 — American Innovation Act of 2018 Sept. 27, 2018 — Family Savings Act of 2018 Sept. 26, 2018 — Recognizing that allowing illegal immigrants the right to vote devalues the franchise and diminishes the voting power of the United States citizens Sept. 26, 2018 — Providing for consideration for the conference report to accompany H.R. 6157, making appropriations for the Department of Defense for FY ending September 30, 2019; and H.Res. 1071, recognizing allowing illegal immigrants the right to vote devalues the franchise and diminishes the voting power of U.S. citizens Sept. 13, 2018 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 3798, the Save American Workers Act of 2017; and the conference report to accompany H.R. 5895, making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and for other purposes; and for other purposes Sept. 7, 2018 — Community Safety and Security Act Sept. 6, 2018 — Ensuring Small Scale LNG Certainty and Access Act July 25, 2018 — Increasing Access to Lower Premium Plans and Expanding Health Savings Accounts Act of 2018 July 24, 2018 — Providing for consideration for H.R. 184, the Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2017; and H.R. 6311, the Increasing Access to Lower Premium Plans and Expanding Health Savings Accounts Act of 2018 July 24, 2018 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 6199, the Restoring Access to Medication and Modernizing Health Savings Accounts Act of 2018; providing for proceedings during the period from July 27, 2018, through September 3, 2018 July 19, 2018 — Expressing the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to the United States economy July 18, 2018 — Meadows of North Carolina Amendment No. 84 July 18, 2018 — Supporting the officers and personnel who carry out the important mission of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement July 12, 2018 — Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 6237) to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2018 and 2019 for intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States Government, Community Management Account, and the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System, and for other purposes June 27, 2018 — Providing for further consideration of the bill (H.R. 6157) making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and for other purposes, and providing for proceedings during the period from June 29, 2018, through July 9, 2018 June 26, 2018 — Providing for consideration of the bill H.R. 6157, making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and for other purposes; and the bill H.R. 2083, the Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act. June 15, 2018 — Thornberry of Texas Part A Amendment No. 4 June 14, 2018 — THRIVE Act June 13, 2018 — Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2851) Stop the Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Analogues Act; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5735) THRIVE Act; and providing for consideration of (H.R. 5788) Securing the International Mail Against Opioids Act June 8, 2018 — Making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, and for other purposes May 9, 2018 — Standard Merger and Acquisition Reviews Through Equal Rules Act May 9, 2018 — Citizens’ Right to Know Act May 9, 2018 — Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3053) to amend the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, and for other purposes April 26, 2018 — DeFazio of Oregon Part A Amendment No. 42 April 25, 2018 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 4, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018; and providing for consideration of H.R. 3144, to provide for operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System pursuant to a certain operation plan for a specified period of time April 18, 2018 — Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5444) Taxpayer First Act, and providing for consideration of the (H.R. 5445) 21st Century IRS Act April 12, 2018 — Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States April 11, 2018 — Stress Test Improvement Act April 11, 2018 — Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4790) to amend the Volcker rule to give the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System sole rulemaking authority, to exclude community banks from the requirements of the Volcker rule, and for other purposes, and providing for motions to suspend the rules March 22, 2018 — Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to H.R. 1625, Consolidated Appropriations Act and the TARGET Act; and providing for proceedings during the period from March 23, 2018, through April 9, 2018 March 15, 2018 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 4061, the Financial Stability Oversight Council Improvement Act of 2017; and providing for consideration of H.R. 4293, the Stress Test Improvement Act of 2017 March 15, 2018 — Regulation At Improvement Act of 2017 Feb. 27, 2018 — Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4296) to place requirements on operational risk capital requirements for banking organizations established by an appropriate Federal banking agency, and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4607) the Comprehensive Regulatory Review Act Feb. 27, 2018 — Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1865), the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 Feb. 15, 2018 — Langevin of Rhode Island Part A Amendment No. 2 Feb. 8, 2018 — Providing for consideration of the Senate Amendment to the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1892, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 Feb. 6, 2018 — Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 1892) to amend title 4, United States Code, to provide for the flying of the flag at half-staff in the event of the death of a first responder in the line of duty Feb. 6, 2018 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 772, the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2017; H.R. 1153, the Mortgage Choice Act of 2017; H.R. 4771, the Small Bank Holding Company Relief Act of 2018; and for other purposes On Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendments with an Amendment Jan. 30, 2018 — Child Protection Improvements Act of 2017 Jan. 30, 2018 — Providing for consideration of the Senate amendments to H.R. 695, the Child Protection Improvements Act of 2017 Jan. 20, 2018 — Waiving a Requirement of Clause 6(A) of Rule XIII with Respect to Consideration of Certain Resolutions Reported from the Committee on Rules, and Providing for Consideration of Motions to Suspend the Rules Table Appeal of the Ruling of the Chair On Ordering a Call of the House Jan. 17, 2018 — World Bank Accountability Act of 2017 Dec. 20, 2017 — Corporate Governance Reform and Transparency Act Dec. 14, 2017 — Strengthening Oversight of Iran’s Access to Finance Act Dec. 13, 2017 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 2396, the Privacy Notification Technical Clarifications Act; and providing for consideration of H.R. 4015, the Corporate Governance Reform and Transparency Act of 2017 Dec. 13, 2017 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 1638, the Iranian Leadership Asset Transparency Act; and providing for consideration of H.R. 4324, the Strengthening Oversight of Iran’s Access to Finance Act Nov. 14, 2017 — 21st Century Flood Reform Act Nov. 2, 2017 — Providing for consideration of the bill H.R. 849, Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act. Nov. 1, 2017 — Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017 Oct. 24, 2017 — Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act Oct. 24, 2017 — Conyers of Michigan Part B Amendment No. 6 Oct. 24, 2017 — Cicilline of Rhode Island Part B Amendment No. 5 Oct. 24, 2017 — Jackson Lee of Texas Part B Amendment No. 4 Oct. 24, 2017 — Johnson of Georgia Part B Amendment No. 3 Oct. 24, 2017 — Cohen of Tennessee Part B Amendment No. 2 Oct. 11, 2017 — Providing for consideration of S. 585, the Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017; providing for proceedings during the period from October 16, 2017, through October 20, 2017; and providing for consideration of motions to suspend the rules Oct. 5, 2017 — Yarmuth of Kentucky Substitute Amendment No. 4 Sept. 28, 2017 — Control Unlawful Fugitive Felons Act of 2017 Sept. 25, 2017 — Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act Sept. 14, 2017 — Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act Sept. 8, 2017 — Carbajal of California Amendment No. 57 Sept. 7, 2017 — Jayapal of Washington Part B Amendment No. 84 July 27, 2017 — Making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, and for other purposes July 26, 2017 — Norcross of New Jersey Amendment No. 39 July 26, 2017 — Castor of Florida Amendment No. 38 July 26, 2017 — Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3219) making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, and for other purposes July 24, 2017 — To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit an annual report regarding performance awards and bonuses awarded to certain high-level employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs July 20, 2017 — Grijalva of Arizona Part C Amendment No. 3 July 19, 2017 — Promoting Interagency Coordination for Review of Natural Gas Pipelines Act July 19, 2017 — Tsongas of Massachusetts Part A Amendment No. 1 July 19, 2017 — Tsongas of Massachusetts Part B Amendment No. 2 July 18, 2017 — McNerney of California Amendment No. 5 July 18, 2017 — Beyer of Virginia Amendment No. 3 July 18, 2017 — Tonko of New York Amendment No. 2 July 13, 2017 — Aguilar of California Part B Amendment No. 10 July 13, 2017 — Blumenauer of Oregon Part B Amendment No. 8 July 13, 2017 — Jayapal of Washington Part B Amendment No. 5 June 22, 2017 — Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act June 22, 2017 — Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2842) to provide for the conduct of demonstration projects to test the effectiveness of subsidized employment for TANF recipients, and providing for consideration of motions to suspend the rules. June 21, 2017 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 1873, the Electricity and Reliability and Forest Protection Act; and H.R.1654, the Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act June 7, 2017 — Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico Amendment No. 1 May 24, 2017 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 1973, Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse Act of 2017; providing for consideration of HR 1761, Protecting Against Child Exploitation Act of 2017; providing for proceedings during the period from May 26, 2017, through June 5, 2017 May 23, 2017 — Providing for consideration of H. R. 953, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2017 April 28, 2017 — Providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 99) making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2017, and for other purposes April 27, 2017 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 1694, the Fannie and Freddie Open Records Act of 2017; providing for consideration of motions to suspend the rules; and waiving a requirement of clause 6(a) of rule XIII with respect to consideration of certain resolutions reported from the Committee on Rules April 5, 2017 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 1219, Supporting America’s Innovators Act of 2017 April 4, 2017 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 1343, the Encouraging Employee Ownership Act of 2017 April 4, 2017 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 1304, the Self-Insurance Protection Act March 30, 2017 — EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2017 March 16, 2017 — Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act March 16, 2017 — Takano of California Part A Amendment No. 9 March 2, 2017 — Regulatory Integrity Act March 2, 2017 — Farenthold of Texas Part A Amendment No. 2 March 1, 2017 — OIRA Insight, Reform, and Accountability Act March 1, 2017 — Young of Iowa Part B Amendment No. 3 March 1, 2017 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 1004, the Regulatory Integrity Act of 2017; and H.R. 1009, the OIRA Insight, Reform, and Accountability Act March 1, 2017 — SCRUB Act Feb. 28, 2017 — Plaskett of Virgin Islands Amendment No. 4 Feb. 28, 2017 — Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 998) SCRUB Act, and providing for consideration of (H.J.Res. 83) disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to “Clarification of Employer’s Continuing Obligation to Make and Maintain an Accurate Record of Each Recordable Injury and Illness” Feb. 7, 2017 — Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to teacher preparation issues Feb. 7, 2017 — Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior relating to Bureau of Land Management regulations that establish the procedures used to prepare, revise, or amend land use plans pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 Jan. 12, 2017 — Commodity End-User Relief Act Jan. 12, 2017 — SEC Regulatory Accountability Act Jan. 12, 2017 — Al Green of Texas Part A Amendment No. 3 Jan. 11, 2017 — Grijalva of Arizona Part A Amendment No. 14 Jan. 11, 2017 — Providing for consideration of H.R. 78, the SEC Regulatory Accountability Act; H.R. 238, the Commodity End-User Relief Act; and for other purposes Jan. 10, 2017 — Clay of Missouri Part B Amendment No. 2 Jan. 10, 2017 — Velazquez of New York Part B Amendment No. 1 Jan. 4, 2017 — Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2017

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Quwa Premium Excerpt Dec 10, 2019 Bilal Khan - Why the JF-17 Block 3 Matters to the Pakistan Air Force The JF-17 Block-III is the first major iterative upgrade to the JF-17: it will introduce an active-electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, an integrated electronic warfare (EW) and electronic countermeasures (ECM) suite, updated avionics suite, three-axis/all-digital fly-by-wire (FBW) flight-control system, a single-panel multi-function display (MFD)-based cockpit and helmet-mounted display and sight (HMD/S) system.[1] As per the previous PAF CAS, the JF-17 Block-III is slated to enter production in 2019 or 2020.[2] Speaking to Quwa, retired PAF officer and now historian and commentator Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail views the Block-III as a promising qualitative boost for the PAF fighter fleet: “With AESA radar, the JF-17 should be able to resist enemy jamming [via its] many small transmit-receive modules (TRM), making it a much more survivable platform. The aircraft’s BVR capability is also expected to be greatly enhanced, especially in an environment increasingly beset with EW advances. Assuming the AESA radar works as expected, the JF-17 would have a more advanced radar than that of the F-16, thus becoming the PAF’s preferred platform in the air-to-air role.” Indeed, the implication of the JF-17 assuming the leading qualitative position ahead of the F-16, especially as the ‘preferred’ air-to-air platform, would be significant. Frankly, a cursory look of the facts on paper in terms of what the Block-III will include compared to what the PAF’s F-16s have will aptly illustrate that the Block-III will be the qualitatively superior platform. Note: this is all in reference to the F-16s in PAF service, for which there is no tangible upgrade path – e.g. F-16V – due to end-user restrictions from the US… Returning to the Block-III’s AESA radar. Generally speaking, the availability of multiple TRMs for tracking and scanning (wherein each can do so through a different frequency) enables the JF-17 to continue its air-to-air operations in dense EW/ECM environments. In practical terms, this is important of the PAF seeing the growth of EW/ECM-equipped assets in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy (IN). Should these manifest as threats over Pakistani airspace, the PAF will have to rely on its best – in terms of defensibility and capability – to counter them, and the Block-III would be the best equipped to do so (notwithstanding the inclusion of another platform, though increasingly unlikely to occur prior to Project Azm)… End of Excerpt (376/1,541 words) You can read the complete article by logging in (click here) or subscribing to Quwa Premium (click here). If you are already logged in, you can access the article by clicking here. For More on Pakistan’s Fighter Aircraft Development Efforts, Check Out: Pakistan Makes Progress on Next-Gen Fighter Development Pakistan Inches Closer to Inducting the JF-17 Block 3 Pakistan Seeking ‘Data Link Items’ for Indigenous MALE UAV [1] Alan Warnes. “JF-17 Thunder: Pakistan’s multi-role fighter.” 2015. Note: a special publication released by the Pakistan Air Force during the Paris Air Show of 2015. Note: the inclusion of a single-panel MFD and three-axis fly-by-wire (FBW) was directly revealed to Quwa by a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) official. [2] PTV interview with Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force, on 23 March 2017.

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Two messages for Hanukkah Hanukkah begins tomorrow night. I came across two pieces which offer differing explanations for the festival of Hanukkah. The first is from an op-ed in the WSJ from Jon Levenson. The eight-day festival of Hanukkah, which Jews world-wide will begin celebrating Tuesday night, is one of the better known of the Jewish holidays but also one of the less important. The emphasis placed on it now is mostly due to timing: Hanukkah offers Jews an opportunity for celebration and commercialization comparable to what their Christian neighbors experience at Christmas, and it gives Christians the opportunity to include Jews in their holiday greetings and parties. What’s more, the observances associated with Hanukkah are few, relatively undemanding, and even appealing to children. The story of Hanukkah also fits the political culture of the United States. Its underlying narrative recalls that of the Pilgrims: A persecuted religious minority, at great cost, breaks free of their oppressors. It wasn’t separatist Protestants seeking freedom from the Church of England in 1620, but Jews in the land of Israel triumphing over their Hellenistic overlord in 167–164 B.C., reclaiming and purifying their holiest site, the Jerusalem Temple. Examined too casually, the stories of Plymouth Colony and Hanukkah seem to show heroes fighting for universal religious freedom. But the heroes of the Jewish story fought not only against a foreign persecutor. They also fought against fellow Jews who—perhaps more attracted to the cosmopolitan and sophisticated Greek culture than to the ways of their ancestors—cooperated with their rulers. The revolt begins, in fact, when the patriarch of the Maccabees (as the family that led the campaign came to be known) kills a fellow Jew who was in the act of obeying the king’s decree to perform a sacrifice forbidden in the Torah. The Maccabean hero also kills the king’s officer and tears down the illicit altar. These were blows struck for Jewish traditionalism, and arguably for Jewish survival and authenticity, but not for religious freedom. Over time, the stories of the persecutions that led to this war came to serve as models of Jewish faithfulness under excruciating persecution. In the most memorable instance, seven brothers and their mother all choose, successively, to die at the hands of their torturers rather than to yield to the demand to eat pork as a public disavowal of the God of Israel and his commandments. To the martyrs, breaking faith with God is worse than death. In one version, their deaths are interpreted as “an atoning sacrifice” through which God sustained the Jewish people in their travail. The tone here isn’t the lightheartedness of the Christmas season. The Christian parallels lie, instead, with Good Friday and the story of Jesus’s acceptance of his suffering and sacrificial death. In both the Jewish and the Christian stories, the death of the heroes, grievous though it is, is not the end: It is the prelude to a miraculous vindication and a glorious restoration. The Roman Catholic tradition honors these Jewish martyrs as saints, and the Eastern Orthodox Church still celebrates Aug. 1 as the Feast of the Holy Maccabees. By contrast, in the literature of the Rabbis of the first several centuries of the common era, the story lost its connection to the Maccabean uprising, instead becoming associated with later persecutions by the Romans, which the Rabbis experienced. If the change seems odd, recall that the compositions that first told of these events (the books of Maccabees) were not part of the scriptural canon of rabbinic Judaism. But they were canonical in the Church (and remain so in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox communions). And so we encounter another oddity of Hanukkah: Jews know the fuller history of the holiday because Christians preserved the books that the Jews themselves lost. In a further twist, Jews in the Middle Ages encountered the story of the martyred mother and her seven sons anew in Christian literature and once again placed it in the time of the Maccabees. “Hanukkah” means “dedication.” Originally, the term referred to the rededication of the purified Temple after the Maccabees’ stunning military victory. But as the story of the martyrs shows, the victory was also associated with the heroic dedication of the Jewish traditionalists of the time to their God and his Torah. If Hanukkah celebrates freedom, it is a freedom to be bound to something higher than freedom itself. Mr. Levenson, a professor of Jewish studies at Harvard Divinity School, is co-author with Kevin J. Madigan of “Resurrection: The Power of God for Christians and Jews” (Yale University Press, 2008). Compare this with the piece from R. Marc Angel. Hanukkah and Religious Freedom By mdangel Created 12/18/2011 – 7:42am By Rabbi Marc D. Angel Hanukkah is widely observed as a holiday that celebrates religious freedom. The persecuted Jews of ancient Israel waged battle against their Syrian/Hellenistic oppressors, and won the right to rededicate the Temple and to restore Jewish worship and religious practices. Religious freedom is a wonderful thing. It allows us to worship God freely, without being coerced or intimidated by others. Religious freedom is not a self-evident fact of life. As Jews, we have experienced many circumstances in which we did not enjoy this basic right. Medieval Iberia expelled Jews and Muslims, believing that only Catholics have truth and that “infidels” must not be tolerated. Saudi Arabia of today does not tolerate non-Muslims to practice their religions freely. Indeed, throughout history (including our own times), various groups have not granted religious freedom to “outsiders”. Only the faithful had rights in this world; and only the faithful would be blessed in the world to come. The infidels were deprived of rights in this world, and were doomed to perdition in the world to come. The great 19th century Rabbi Eliyahu Benamozegh of Livorno pointed out an obvious—but startling—fact. In his book “Israel and Humanity,” he noted that historic Christianity and Islam claimed to be universal religions—and yet, they were not universal at all. They only made room for fellow believers; “infidels” were persecuted, even murdered. Those of other religions were not granted equal rights in this world, and were deemed to be unworthy of blessing in the world to come. Judaism—which is often depicted as a small, parochial tradition—is actually the religion that is the most universal. It teaches that all who accept the basic Noahide laws of morality are beloved by God. The righteous of all nations have a place in the world to come. While not condoning outright idolatry, Judaism leaves much theological space for non-Jews to achieve spiritual happiness and fulfillment. All humanity is created in the image of God. When we light the Hanukkah candles, we need to remember the value of religious freedom. We also need to remind ourselves—and others—that religious freedom is a two-way street. It allows us to claim the right to practice our religion freely; but it also entails that we grant this same freedom to others who do not share our religious beliefs and practices. Religious freedom is a problematic concept for those who are sure that they, and only they, have the absolute Truth. Such people tend to be extreme and intolerant. Since only they have the Truth, they have no patience for those who have other beliefs; indeed, they don’t see the need to grant rights to others. They feel compelled to crush the “opposition”, either by converting them, by coercing them, by oppressing them, or even by murdering them. For the single-minded bigots, religious freedom exists only to serve their interests and to guarantee their freedoms; but it doesn’t involve a mutual commitment to religious freedom for others. Even within the Jewish community, we have those who take this extreme view of religious freedom. They are happy to enjoy the benefits of freedom; but they disdain those Jews whose beliefs and observances are different from theirs. Those who see themselves as the only Torah-True Jews do not think they should make religious space for others; on the contrary, they feel that the others should be brought into line with them even by means of coercion. They discredit those who are not in their camp. In Israel, where such extremists exert political power, they initiate coercive action and legislation that impinge on the freedom of others. Since they are convinced that they alone have Truth, they feel warranted in coercing others to follow in their ways. Their mentality is similar to extremists of other religions who find it difficult or impossible to let others enjoy religious freedom. Religious freedom is not such a simple concept, after all. While it protects each of our rights to practice religion freely, it also demands that we respect the rights of others to do likewise. Religious freedom is the hallmark of a tolerant and wise nation and community. It is a lofty ideal to which all should aspire. As we celebrate Hanukkah, let us seriously celebrate the value of religious freedom. Let us serve God with purity, with commitment, with spiritual heroism. And let us appreciate that all human beings also deserve the right of religious freedom. When extremists seek to deprive others of this freedom, all society suffers a loss of freedom and dignity. The Hanukkah lights remind us that we can bring light into a dark world. We can hope that our lights will inspire others and bring them closer to the Almighty. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit said the Lord of hosts.” (Zekharia 4:6) In reading these two pieces, I found it most interesting that two people can look at the same holiday and find almost completely contrasting views as to the message of Hanukkah. For me, I find R. Angel most troubling because the historical account does not lend itself to the notions of religious freedom. Jewish holidays, Judaism, Spiritual thinking Hanukkah, Jewish holidays, judaism, Macabbees, spirituality Welcoming The Charedi Spring – Um, excuse me!!

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Search results for "Edward Norton" A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground “fight clubs” forming in every… An aging thief hopes to retire and live off his ill-gotten wealth when a young kid convinces him into doing one last heist. Genre: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller Keeping the Faith (2000) Best friends since they were kids, Rabbi Jacob Schram and Father Brian Finn are dynamic and popular young men living and working on New York’s Upper West Side. When Anna… The Italian Job (2003) Charlie Croker pulled off the crime of a lifetime. The one thing that he didn’t plan on was being double-crossed. Along with a drop-dead gorgeous safecracker, Croker and his team… Country: France, Italy, UK, USA Red Dragon (2002) Former FBI Agent Will Graham, who was once almost killed by the savage Hannibal ‘The Cannibal’ Lecter, now has no choice but to face him again, as it seems Lecter… Genre: Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller In New York City in the days following the events of 9/11, Monty Brogan is a convicted drug dealer about to start a seven-year prison sentence, and his final hours… The Painted Veil (2006) A British medical doctor fights a cholera outbreak in a small Chinese village, while also being trapped at home in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful wife. The Illusionist (2006) With his eye on a lovely aristocrat, a gifted illusionist named Eisenheim uses his powers to win her away from her betrothed, a crowned prince. But Eisenheim’s scheme creates tumult… Country: Czech Republic, USA Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Thriller Kingdom of Heaven (2005) After his wife dies, a blacksmith named Balian is thrust into royalty, political intrigue and bloody holy wars during the Crusades. Country: Germany, Morocco, Spain, UK, USA Leaves of Grass (2009) An Ivy League professor returns home, where his pot-growing twin brother has concocted a plan to take down a local drug lord. Genre: Comedy, Crime Scientist Bruce Banner scours the planet for an antidote to the unbridled force of rage within him: the Hulk. But when the military masterminds who dream of exploiting his powers… Pride and Glory (2008) A saga centered on a multi-generational family of New York City Police officers. The family’s moral codes are tested when Ray Tierney, investigates a case that reveals an incendiary police… Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller Parole officer Jack Mabry has only a few weeks left before retirement and wishes to finish out the cases he’s been assigned. One such case is that of Gerald ‘Stone’… Moonrise Kingdom (2012) Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret… Isle of Dogs (2018) In the future, an outbreak of canine flu leads the mayor of a Japanese city to banish all dogs to an island that’s a garbage dump. The outcasts must soon… Birdman (2014) A fading actor best known for his portrayal of a popular superhero attempts to mount a comeback by appearing in a Broadway play. As opening night approaches, his attempts to… Retreating from life after a tragedy, a man questions the universe by writing to Love, Time and Death. Receiving unexpected answers, he begins to see how these things interlock and…

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Making a Bequest Awards and Medals Brisbane CBD Historic Precinct RHSQ Bulletin Welsby Library About the Queensland History Journal 2019 John Douglas Kerr medal of distinction goes to Dr Margaret Kowald by RHSQ Administration | Jun 27, 2019 | News At the medal presentation L-R: Ruth Kerr, Stephen Sheaffe, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, Governor of Queensland, Margaret Kowald, Timothy Roberts The Royal Historical Society of Queensland and the Professional Historians Association (Qld) Inc are pleased to award the 2019 John Douglas Kerr Medal of Distinction to Dr Margaret Kowald. Dr Kowald has demonstrated an enthusiastic and rigorous approach to preserving Queensland’s history, most notably in the areas of organizational, environmental and pastoral history. Kowald’s first major work The Queensland Police Force 1895-1910, a thesis prepared for the University of Queensland’s Master of Arts program, awarded in 1989, demonstrated Kowald’s assiduous research techniques and excellent skill for identifying appropriate primary source information. In 1992, Kowald collaborated with Professor W. Ross Johnston on You Can’t Make It Rain: the story of the North Australian Pastoral Company, an expanded version of which is to be published later this year. In 1993, Kowald and Helen Gregory published Women on the Course: the McLeod Country Gold Club 1968-1993, before embarking on several research projects connected to environmental history, the most significant of which, the Historical Overview of the South East Queensland Biogeographic Region with particular reference to forested areas, provided a contextual basis for cultural heritage assessment of forested lands. In a career spanning over 30 years, Kowald has authored dozens of research papers, conference presentations and published articles. She has worked as an oral historian for the Northern Territory Archives Service, a Cultural Heritage Assessor, a lecturer and tutor for tertiary students, and a consultant historian. Dr Kowald is an ardent advocate for academic rigor and critical analysis within the history profession. Her thoughtful paper, Commissioned History: is there a future?, published in the Queensland History Journal in 1993, reflected on challenges and opportunities facing historians in contemporary society. Other seminar papers, including Archivists and Historians, presented in 1991 and Local History Societies and the Historian, presented in 1993, highlight Kowald’s keen interest in examining the history profession and identifying opportunities that further the voice of historians in the wider community. In 1990, Dr Kowald joined the newly incorporated Professional Historians Association (Qld), and has remained a member of the organisation to the present. She was the first editor of the Association’s newsletter, and served as President of the Association 1997 to 1999. She is highly regarded among her peers for her conscientiousness, analytical skills, and project management acumen. This is demonstrated most effectively in her leadership of the research and editing team for two publications, Lost Brisbane and Surrounding Areas 1860-1960, published in 2014, and Lost Brisbane 2 and Surrounding Areas: the later years, published in 2016, and in her service as Honorary Editor of the Queensland History Journal since 2008, regarded as the most authoritative journal on Queensland history. She was awarded The Royal Historical Society of Queensland’s Centenary Medal in 2013, and was appointed a Fellow of The Royal Historical Society of Queensland in 2016. Throughout her career, Margaret has always brought her approachable and collegiate personality to her work. She freely shares information with fellow historians; and in various professional roles as editor, project manager, and academic lecturer and supervisor, has supported professional development and cross-generational learning by providing constructive insights to her colleagues. Testament to her many valued relationships within Queensland and Australia’s community of historians, Margaret presented a eulogy for John Douglas Kerr – this award’s namesake – at his funeral in 2003. The John Douglas Kerr Medal of Distinction acknowledges excellence in historiography, historical research and writing. Dr Margaret Kowald is indeed a most deserving recipient of this year’s award. Call for nominations KERR MEDAL OF DISTINCTION “110 years of life saving”competition winners Somerset, Cape York From the Archives: Maroochy Air Crash From the Archives: Early Banana Growing in North Queensland Brisbane Historic Precinct RHSQ Updates RHSQ Administration 10am - 4pm Tuesday to Friday 115 William St, Brisbane, 4000 Postal address: PO Box 12057, George St, Brisbane, 4003 Manager: Ilona Fekete info@queenslandhistory.org.au 10am – 4pm Tuesday to Friday

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Bob Glidden C. Vollrath Jackson M. Kayla Patrick Olivia Wik Randy Smith Festivals/jams Regular jams RememberMyShow RememberMyShow.com If you have any information on events that should be listed here or contact information, I'd be glad to have it. I will get the information posted as quickly as possible. VILNA COWBOY FEST 2014 Vilna Cowboy Fest 2014 promises to be another outstanding week-end of fun! For our 4th annual event we have rounded up a star-studded group of performers for your entertainment pleasure. We hope you will also learn something about what cowboys have contributed to our western history. If you have not attended before, there are a few details we would like to share with you. Cowboy Fest is where we share songs, stories and poems about the cowboy life, past and present, visit with real cowboys of today, treat our ears to great country music from way back all the way to the present and treat our eyes to the Princesses of the Rodeo. Sometimes the stories and poems are historical accounts, sometimes they’re colorful cowboy lore about things like the great cattle round-ups, and sometimes all that’s left is the bull. You sort it out! Vilna Cowboy Fest 2014, brought to you by the Vilna & District Ag Society and sponsored by Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Travel Alberta and CFCW Radio, is held July 18 – 20 at the Vilna Cultural Center, located at 5431 – 50 St. (Main Street) in Vilna, Alberta. Doors open at 5:30 on Friday the 18th so you can have supper before the main show at 7. A complete schedule of events will be posted as soon as we have it completed. Attendance can be reserved by e-mailing the Vilna & District Ag Society at info@vilnaagsociety.com or by leaving a message at 780.636.3960. Payment can be made at the door upon arrival. Admission can also be purchased at the door. If you need to talk to someone in person, please call Jackson at 780.260.0222. Admission prices are as follows: FREE for all shows and dance if you are 17 or under $59 for a 3 day adult pass, which includes all shows and the Sat. evg. dance $10 for the Saturday evening dance only 10 pm – midnight $15 for Friday evening only $39 for all day Saturday, including the dance $15 for Sunday only Our range cooks serve breakfast at 8:30 am and the kitchen stays open for food and snacks throughout the event. Please bring cash or visit a local bank machine at the hardware store or liquor store. We do not take buttons, unwanted children (not even first born) or road apples. No credit cards, debit or cheques either. On-site RV and tent camping is $5 per night, payable to our local Citizens On Patrol (COP) group, who will assist you in selecting your site and will collect your payment. Reservations are not necessary. On the poster you will see a list of our week-end performers, some new and some returning. Please continue reading and you will learn more about these fascinating entertainers. Click here for the Vilna & District Ag Society website: Vilna Ag Society The LOUISIANA HAYRIDE Established in 1948, the Louisiana Hayride was a show performed at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium and broadcast live over KWKH Radio. It was similar to the Grand Ole Opry, however, where the Opry preferred to feature only established artists, the Louisiana Hayride was happy to give unknown artists a chance, artists such as Hank Williams, Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash and even Elvis Presley! With extraordinary vocal ability and superb musicianship, the cast of this Louisiana Hayride show will transport you back in time to that wonderful era. This unique live music extravaganza will bring you back to the days when music really meant something. Music that will bring back wonderful memories from the past. When Loretta Lynn steps out, you’ll know why she was a country superstar! Oh yes, and there’s Willie Nelson, Marty Robbins and Patsy. The cast of multi-talented players includes William Brookfield on double keyboard, guitar and vocals, Mike Melnichuk on stand-up bass, electric guitar & vocals and Gil Risling on guitar, banjo, vocals and portraying the characters of Hank Williams and Willie Nelson. In addition to these talented musicians, Andrea Anderson appears as Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn. The show is written, produced and hosted by Lori Risling. This incredible ensemble recreates one of the most influential shows in music history, transporting you back to that magical time when these giant legends performed. “People love this type of music and they love the stories we tell,” says Gil Risling. Don’t miss this extraordinary evening as the atmosphere of those early days in country music is brought back to life by the exceptionally gifted singers and musicians of The Louisiana Hayride. This show will take you on a magical journey, a delight from start to finish, overflowing with great stories and great songs! In this show you will enjoy the great classic music the Louisiana Hayride Show is known and loved for. You will also be treated to a bit of the ‘next generation’ of stars, those who became popular in the 1960’s. This show is unlike anything else out there and a must-see! Ed Brown is a former bronc rider and a founding member of the Manitoba Rodeo Association (M.R.C.A.). In 1997 Ed was inducted into the M.R.C.A Hall of Fame. In addition to ten years as a rodeo cowboy and seven years working with racehorses, Ed has worked as a trapper, commercial fisherman, musician and wildlife artist. This diversity of occupations, along with a sense of humor developed through a life-long association with cowboys, trappers and various other colorful characters, is reflected in his exclusively original poems, songs and stories. Some of Ed's accomplishments to date include being featured on several TV documentaries such as Cowboys, Heroes and Horses That I've Known & Minstrels of The West. He has appeared in several magazine articles and done guest spots on a variety of TV and radio shows including Spirit of The West and more recently Canadian Cowboy Country TV. Ed has headlined at almost all of the major cowboy poetry gatherings and festivals in Western Canada and in 2005 was named Manitoba's Cowboy Poet of The Year. Recently, Ed's third CD , Cowboy Collaboration a joint project between Ed and fellow poet Bj Smith, was honored by the Academy of Western Artists in Dallas Texas receiving the coveted Will Rogers Award for Cowboy Poetry CD of The Year. When not touring in Alberta, Ed resides near Oak Lake Manitoba where he makes his living as a wildlife sculptor and cowboy performer. Click here for Ed's web page: Ed Brown DORIS DALEY Born and raised in Southern Alberta ranch country, writes cowboy poetry that celebrates the humour, history and way of life of the west. Doris has been an emcee and featured performer at every cowboy festival in Canada as well as several in the United States, including Texas, California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Montana and Oregon. In 2004 she was named Best Female Cowboy Poet in North America by the Academy of Western Artists, the first time any Canadian, male or female, has won the cowboy poetry category. In 2007, 2008 and 2009 she was named one of the Top 5 cowgirl poets in North America by the Western Music Association, with other Top 5 nominations for best collaboration and best cowboy poetry CD. At the November, 2009 WMA Awards Show, Doris won top honours for Best Female Cowboy Poet and best cowboy poetry CD. As with her AWA Will Rogers Awards, she's the first Canadian to bring home top honours in the cowboy poetry categories. Click here for Doris Daley's website: Doris Daley JOHN GLAWSON (OL’ UGLY) The best in wild and wacky tales of western life with brother Blue, Aunt Tillie and Creaky Olsen, Ol’ Ugly is a laugh a second. Twisted yarns that will have you rolling in the aisles. John Glawson has taken his character, Ol’ Ugly, to virtually every cowboy gathering and cattle conference in the west. I reckon that’s ‘cause they don’t have these things anywhere else. Comedy and hilarious storytelling like they laughed at in the days when the Grand Ole Opry was grand. Those days when Red Skelton, Jerry Clowers and Stringbean held the centre stage of comedy. "Barnyard Clean" cause there ain't no intentional dirt, but every once in a while some fertilizer will hit the stage that'll paint a picture in your head. Click here for Ol' Ugly's website: Ol' Ugly A 5 time Eastern Canada dobro champion, Bob excels as an instrumentalist, masterfully playing the flat top & electric guitars, pedal & laptop steel guitars, mandolin, banjo, upright, electric & Mexican bass as well. Should I even mention that he also plays fiddle & keyboard? When asked if there is anything he doesn’t play, he replied “Around”. His wife was standing nearby. Click here for Bob Glidden's website: Bob Glidden SUE HARRIS Sue Harris is a folksinger from Phoenix, a native Arizonan with a great sense of Arizona's heritage and history and the things that make Arizona unique. She sings about cowboys and trail rides, quests for treasure, quail, Kokopelli, country dances, and mule rides at the Grand Canyon. Raised in Arizona, she "has a masterful touch with 'true western music'. She conveys the feeling of what this music is supposed to be about - wide open spaces, a type of life style and a particular type humor indigenous to the west" (Mark Bridge, PhD, Lone Hand Western). When not in Canada, Sue tours the western United States, performing at festivals, concerts and schools; and has been honored as a nominee for the Arizona Culturekeepers Award. ADELE & RALPH JOHNSON Ask her what she values most in this life and the answer will always be: Faith, Family, and Friends... in that order. For as long as she can remember, Adele has loved to write songs, with melodies naturally flowing to the words she pens. A full length independent CD, Light of Love, in December, 1999, was nominated at ARIA 2000 in four categories: Best New Artist, Best Gospel Artist, Best Country Artist, and Songwriter of the Year for "The Melody". Adele joined the Country Gospel Music Association in 2006, where she received the Silver Heart Award for Canadian Songwriter of the Year and again in 2007 and 2008, qualifying her to be on the international ballot. Along with the privilege of travelling to Branson for this international convention, she was offered an opportunity to record her third CD. "What Love" was recorded at "Studio 14A" in Hollister (Branson), Missouri, in October 2008, and so a new adventure begins! Click here for Adele Johnson's website: Adele Johnson JACKSON MACKENZIE As a child, in the cattle country of central British Columbia, Jackson grew up “country”. He was a cowboy or an Indian on any given day and proud to be either or both. That’s the beauty of childhood. You can be what you want. Now in his second childhood, he’s at it again, entertaining as a cowboy & country & western singer and as an Indian cowboy poet. Keep yer eyes peeled for the twinkle in his eye and the horse pucky in his tales. Click here for Jackson Mackenzie's web page: Jackson Mackenzie RANDY & RAI SMITH Randy and Rai were married in 1995, have 3 children and 3 grandchildren. They have been performing on stage together since 2008. They both come from musical families and started singing around the age of 5. Randy’s grandparents band ‘Allan Smith and the Serenaders’, with father Glenn, were based out of Innisfail, AB. Rai grew up surrounded by cowboy and western music for most of her childhood. Being the daughter of a fulltime ranch-hand, weekends were always full of music. One of Rai’s favorite smells is “eau’d de horse barn”. Randy and Rai sing and write traditional country and western music where a song tells a story. They unfortunately don’t live the cowboy lifestyle, but they definitely show their respect by performing their versions of some of the most beautiful classic western songs. They believe, ‘The Cowboy Way’ is not just a lifestyle, it’s an attitude. Randy and Rai currently have 2 CD’s available for sale: ‘all that i am’ and ‘frickin’ awesome’. CASSIDY ZAHAR Cassidy Zahar is 16 yrs. old and hails from Bellis, Alberta. She has been playing guitar and singing the old Country Classics since the age of 9. Giving back to her community is of great importance to Cassidy. She enjoys entertaining in local lodges and nursing homes. Some of her most memorable performances include: Performing the National Anthem for the 2013 Tim Horton’s Brier, winning the Northern Star Talent Search Jr. Division in July 2010 and performing at the Arden Theater in St. Albert as part of the 2012 Annual Global Country Concert. In May of 2013, Cassidy was awarded the Alberta Men & Women of Country Music’s “Rising Star Award”. In June 2013 Cassidy placed 2nd in the Ponoka Stampede’s Talent Search, bringing home a beautiful custom made guitar. In March of 2013, Cassidy travelled to Nashville and Pigeon Forge, TN with the Global Country group. There she took part in The North American Country Music Association International (NACMAI) music competition. She was successful in bringing home 3 trophies…Int’l. Female Vocalist of the Year, Int’l. Female Entertainer of the Year and Int’l. Video of the Year in the 13-16 yr. old age group. In July 2011 Cassidy was thrilled to record her first ever CD with the help of fellow musician Ky Babyn. Click here for Cassidy Zahar's website: Cassidy Zahar Vilna Cowboy Fest schedule 2014: Doors open at 5:30 pm for supper. We will have supper music until 6:45. 7:00 - 9:00 pm Campfire style round robin with all the performers in attendance, plus a few open mic opportunities 9:00 - 10:00 Feature Show with dobro champion Bob Glidden Doors open at 8:30 am for breakfast. We will have breakfast music until 9:45. 10:00 - 10:45 Jackson Mackenzie 11:00 - noon Adele & Ralph Johnson Noon - 1:00 Lunch 1:00 - 1:45 Cassidy Zahar 2:00 - 2:45 Bob Glidden 3:00 - 3:45 Ed Brown & Sue Harris 4:00 - 4:45 Randy & Rai Smith 5:00 - 6:00 Doris Daley & Ol' Ugly 6:00 - 7:00 Supper 7:00 - 7:25 Ed Brown & Doris Daley 7:30 - 10:00 Louisiana Hayride Show 10:00 - midnight dance to Louisiana Hayride 10:00 - 11:30 Cowboy Church led by Doris Daley with a couple of numbers from each performer, whether songs or poems 12:30 - 2:00 Round-up Show with Doris Daley (20 min.), Ol' Ugly (20 min.), Randy & Rai Smith (20 min.), Ed Brown & Sue Harris (20 min.)

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Book Review: Grant R. Osborne, Revelation: Verse by Verse Osborne, Grant R. Revelation: Verse by Verse. Osborne New Testament Commentaries; Bellingham, Wash.: Lexham Press, 2017. 417 pp.; Pb. $19.99 Link to Lexham Press This short commentary on Revelation by Osborne is part of his series published by Lexham Press in both print and Logos Library editions. As of December 2017, six of the commentaries have been published. I have also reviewed Osborne’s Romans, Galatians, and Prison Epistle commentaries. Osborne wrote the Baker Exegetical Commentary on Revelation (Baker 2002) and his interpretive methodology to Revelation is similar in this shorter commentary. In the 2002 commentary he stated on the first page of the introduction his approach would use elements of both preterism and futurism. Preterism takes the symbols of Revelation as referring to events in the recent past or present of the original readers. Futurism takes most of the symbols in Revelation as predictions of events in a coming tribulation period just prior to the return of Jesus. Idealism interprets the symbols as referring to the general struggle between good and evil and the ongoing challenge for the church in society. For example, Revelation is talking about the Roman Empire, but it is also talking about the future judgment the ultimate Roman Empire. In his exegetical commentary, Osborne defined apocalyptic as “the present is addressed through parallels with the future” (p. 22). But Osborne also sees value in a third approach to Revelation which interprets the symbols generally as referring to the ongoing struggle of Christians in an evil world (usually called “idealism”). By combining all three of these interpretive strategies to Revelation Osborne demonstrates Revelation had a clear application to the original readers as well as readers who live closer to the Second Coming of Christ, but also to all Christians in any historical and cultural context. With respect to other often debated issues in Revelation, Osborne accepts the traditional view that the John of Revelation is the apostle, John the son of Zebedee. He dates the book to the reign of Domitian (A.D. 81-96) rather than to the reign of Nero. The earlier date has become more popular in recent years, especially among preterists who argue Revelation refers to the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. During the reign of Domitian the province of Asia Minor experienced a surge of pro-Roman sentiment as well as further development of the imperial cult. As with his earlier commentary, Osborne sees this as background for many of the symbols in Revelation. As with the other volumes in this Verse-by-Verse Commentary series, Osborne provides an outline in the introduction which becomes the chapters for the rest of the book. In general, this works out to one short chapter of commentary for each chapter of Revelation. He then works through the chapter commenting briefly on each verse. Although his comments certainly reflect an understanding of the Greek text, he limits his comments to the English text of Revelation. Likewise, he has certainly read secondary literature, but there are no footnotes to other commentaries on Revelation. When he contrasts several views he does so generally. For example, commenting on the 1000-year kingdom in Revelation 20, he contrasts premillennialism with post- and a- millennialism. His brief explanation is clear and does not need to be supplemented with citations of representatives of each view. This makes for a very readable commentary for the layperson using the book as a supplement to personal Bible study or in a small group context. There are many symbols in Revelation which generate extensive discussion and debate. For the sake of this review, I will use an example drawn from Revelation 13, the mark of the beast. Osborne explains the practice of using letters for numbers and offers four possibilities for interpreting the number 666. In the 2002 exegetical commentary he offered five options, in the shorter he omits taking the number as chronological, linked to some future empire. He suggests the number refers to a world leader, likely Nero Caesar in Hebrew, but he is not dogmatic in the issue since there is merit to the view 666 is a repetition of a number symbolizing man’s failure. With respect to interpretation, Osborne points out John’s original readers would have seen the name and number of the beast as an allusion to the imperial cult (a preterist view), but all Christians ought to be warned against false teachers (“antichrists”) are remain vigilant as the world turns against the church (an idealist view). But he also says this will “culminate in a final ‘great tribulation’ (7:14) at the close of human history when the antichrist appears and establishes an ‘unholy Roman Empire’ with the false prophet the head of a ‘one-world religion’” (p. 236). This is a clear statement of a futurist interpretation of the mark of the beast. This blending of approaches will not satisfy everyone. Interpreters of Revelation who are entrenched preterists will reject Osborne’s futurism, but futurists (especially classic dispensationalists) may find Osborne’s references to the Roman Empire or Imperial Cult distracting. In the end I think Osborne balances the three approaches to Revelation in a way which grounds the book in the real world of first century Asia Minor with clear application to the present experience of the church. This avoids dangers of a thoroughgoing futurism which makes the book irrelevant for the church today. Conclusion. As with the other commentaries in this series, Osborne’s Verse-by-Verse Commentary will serve pastors and teachers as they prepare sermons on the text of the Bible. Osborne’s goal for this book is “to help pastors faithfully exposit the text in a sermon.” Osborne achieves his goal of providing a scholarly yet readable commentary on Revelation. NB: Thanks to Lexham Press for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did not influence my thoughts regarding the work. Book Reviews, Revelation book of Revelation, Book Review, Revelation ← Jude and His Sources: Non-Canonical Books Biblical Studies Carnival 145 (March 2018) → 5 thoughts on “Book Review: Grant R. Osborne, Revelation: Verse by Verse” apocalypse2blog History is the only thing you can trust when it comes to interpreting the Apocalypse Pingback: Book Review: Grant R. Osborne, Revelation: Verse by Verse — Reading Acts | James' Ramblings Pingback: Biblical Studies April Carnival | Ayuda Ministerial/Resources for Ministry Pingback: Book Review: Grant R. Osborne, John: Verse by Verse | Reading Acts Pingback: Book Review: Grant Osborne, Acts: Verse by Verse | Reading Acts Acts 13:6-17 - The Blinding of Bar-Jesus

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Whoever Controls the Land will Control the Nations Whoever Controls the Food will Control the People By SUSANNE POSEL | OCCUPY CORPORATISM | MAY 15, 2012 Whoever controls the land controls the nation. Corporations and foreign governments have been “ land-grabbing” from third world nations to control agriculture. “What is missing the most in terms of land grabbing is a clear condemnation of this practice. That was one of the baseline demands of civil society,” Stephane Parmentier from aid agency Oxfam. “It was impossible to include it, because it was too sensitive and too controversial for quite a lot of member states.” Nations like Ethiopia, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone, in Africa have “voluntarily” signed agreements with multi-national corporations and foreign investors, allowing them to control agricultural land. The nation’s leaders believe that giving access to their resources will benefit their people; however this is just another manipulative ploy to coercively acquire control over land, food production and securitization. The world’s governments have agreed to follow UN dictated guidelines over land, and who controls the fate of land. The United Nations (UN) has enacted global guidelines on purchasing agricultural land from developing nations like Africa and Asia. The UN claims that to secure equality for the poor and disadvantaged, this international body must control their lands through the allowance of mutli-national corporations and governments who will develop the land for agriculture and securitize the crop yields; thereby giving the UN control over the global food supply. The document entitled “ The UN Global Compact and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises” outlines through “voluntary” means, the UN will implement their international guidelines with respect to corporate conduct, standards and abilities. The UN decries that their voluntary code of conduct promotes equal rights for women by securitizing title to land. They also claim that they will give poor people access to their own land once they own and control it. And once the UN controls the land, they will enact “legal help” to settle disputes. This document requires governments and local communities to adhere to UN rules with respect to business practices. The UN asserts that the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development; and the United Nations Convention against Corruption and subtle Agenda 21 initiates will allow their Global Compact principles to facilitate universal consensus. To create this document and the guidelines within it, the UN collaborated with non-governmental groups, members of the global Elite within the private sector, and multi-national corporations. “It’s a starting point that will help improve the often dire situation of the hungry and poor,” the head of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Jose Graziano da Silva, said at a news conference in Rome. Grazino da Silva said the guidelines should prompt revisions of national and international law. Once agreements are signed, the land and the people are indebted to the UN for slave labor to work the land and watch their resources being reallocated to other countries for consumption. The promise of investment and technological advancement are just the hook to convince leaders to sign away the rights of their people and their land. Over the last decade, the UN has “acquired” an area of land in Africa and Asia the size of Great Britain. The World Bank, FAO and other UN agencies are meeting to create a new document to expand on the current guidelines. Certain acquisition of Africa through the guise of “investments” is a usurpation of land rights over a people who cannot say no or fight back. Corporations like Cocoa-Cola have descended upon Africa by an $11 million dollar project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “Africa is now the last frontier in terms of arable land,” said James Nyoro, the Rockefeller Foundation’s managing director for Africa. “With the population growing to 9 billion, the rest of the world will have to depend upon Africa to feed it.” Cocoa-Cola Corporation are employing 50,000 Kenyan and Ugandan small holders to produce fruit for Minute Maid, a subsidiary for Cocoa-Cola, to utilize their land in the hopes that crop yields will boost their profit margins. “I have no doubt whatsoever that Africa can feed itself and that Africa can be a major contributor to world food security,” Namanga Ngongi, the former president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). It is also no coincidence that researchers for the British Geological Survey (BGS) and the University of London have uncovered underground aquifers of water in Africa that are 100 times the amount found on the surface of the continent. Andrew Mitchell, the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for International Development is delighted by this find. Considering the plethora of natural resources in Africa, it makes perfect sense why the UN and multi-national corporations are now usurping this continent for their own use. The UN is currently allowing corporatism through aggressive international law to claim governance over crop production, privatization of water, disbursement of food stores and the eventuality of securing control over the world’s food supply. Filed under Africa, Asia, English Tagged with africa, asia, corporatism, indebtedness, land-grabbing, natural resources, new world order, united nations European Bankers Readying to Ransack Greek Treasure An ‘orderly default’ of Greece means bankers will finally collect what they fraudulently acquired through indebtedness. By Jonathan Sibun Philipp Roesler, Germany’s economy minister, said an “orderly default” for Greece could no longer be ruled out and branded the country’s deficit-reduction measures “insufficient”. The warning is likely to spook financial markets further and comes despite Greece yesterday announcing a fresh €2bn (£1.7bn) of budget cuts and the introduction of a country-wide real estate tax. Evangelos Venizelos, the finance minister, said the cuts and tax measure were necessary to allow Greece to meet obligations demanded by the European Union and IMF in exchange for bail-out funds. Writing in the Die Welt newspaper, Mr Roesler said: “To stabilise the euro, we must not take anything off the table in the short run. That includes as a worst-case scenario an orderly default for Greece if the necessary instruments for it are available.” He said such a default would mean “re-establishing the affected state’s ability to function, perhaps with a temporary restriction of its sovereign rights”. Mr Roesler’s comments come as Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine said finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble had ordered preparations be made for a Greek bankruptcy. The report claimed the German government is preparing for two eventualities under that scenario – Greece staying in the euro or the country exiting and reintroducing the drachma. Despite the speculation, the European Commission said it was sending a team to Athens “in the next few days” tasked with finalising the payment of a new tranche of loans for Greece by the end of the month. EU economy commissioner Olli Rehn said the team – which represents the troika of the Commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF – would “provide technical support to the Greek authorities”. The previous team was pulled out of Athens earlier this month because of a lack of progress by the Greek government in reducing its deficit. Mr Rehn on Sunday praised Greece’s new cuts, saying they would “go a long way to meeting the fiscal targets” for 2010 and 2011. “Greece needs to meet the agreed fiscal targets and implement the agreed structural reforms to fulfil the conditionality and ensure funding from its partners,” he said. G7 finance ministers late on Friday vowed to “take all necessary actions to ensure the resilience of banking systems and financial markets”. However, underlining the difficulties facing German authorities, a survey showed 53pc of Germans oppose further aid for Greece and would not save the country from default should it fail to fulfil loan criteria. Filed under World Tagged with bankers ready to split greek treasure, country-wide real estate tax, debt, deficit reduction, ECB, financial markets, greece, greek bankruptcy, greek default, greek economy, IMF, indebtedness, orderly default of greece, restriction to sovereign rights U.S. National Debt at $214 Trillion not $14 Trillion When Standard & Poor’s reduced the nation’s credit rating from AAA to AA-plus, the United States suffered the first downgrade to its credit rating ever. S&P took this action despite the plan Congress passed this past week to raise the debt limit. The downgrade, S&P said, “reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan that Congress and the administration recently agreed to falls short of what, in our view, would be necessary to stabilize the government’s medium-term debt dynamics.” It’s those medium- and long-term debt problems that also worry economics professor Laurence J. Kotlikoff, who served as a senior economist on President Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisers. He says the national debt, which the U.S. Treasury has accounted at about $14 trillion, is just the tip of the iceberg. “We have all these unofficial debts that are massive compared to the official debt,” Kotlikoff tells David Greene, guest host of weekends on All Things Considered. “We’re focused just on the official debt, so we’re trying to balance the wrong books.” Kotlikoff explains that America’s “unofficial” payment obligations — like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits — jack up the debt figure substantially. “If you add up all the promises that have been made for spending obligations, including defense expenditures, and you subtract all the taxes that we expect to collect, the difference is $211 trillion. That’s the fiscal gap,” he says. “That’s our true indebtedness.” We don’t hear more about this enormous number, Kotlikoff says, because politicians have chosen their language carefully to keep most of the problem off the books. “Why are these guys thinking about balancing the budget?” he says. “They should try and think about our long-term fiscal problems.” According to Kotlikoff, one of the biggest fiscal problems Congress should focus on is America’s obligation to make Social Security payments to future generations of the elderly. “We’ve got 78 million baby boomers who are poised to collect, in about 15 to 20 years, about $40,000 per person. Multiply 78 million by $40,000 — you’re talking about more than $3 trillion a year just to give to a portion of the population,” he says. “That’s an enormous bill that’s overhanging our heads, and Congress isn’t focused on it.” “We’ve consistently done too little too late, looked too short-term, said the future would take care of itself, we’ll deal with that tomorrow,” he says. “Well, guess what? You can’t keep putting off these problems.” To eliminate the fiscal gap, Kotlikoff says, the U.S. would have to have tax increases and spending reductions far beyond what’s being negotiated right now in Washington. “What you have to do is either immediately and permanently raise taxes by about two-thirds, or immediately and permanently cut every dollar of spending by 40 percent forever. The [Congressional Budget Office’s] numbers say we have an absolutely enormous problem facing us.” Filed under World Tagged with AA, AAA, credit downgrade, credit rating, debt deal, fiscal consolidation, indebtedness, long-term fiscal problems, S&P, spending obligations, US debt at 214 trillion dollars

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Focuses mainly on fiction and meets on the third Tuesday of the month (except December) at 7 p.m. in the Dayton Program Room. Adult Services Librarian Dorothy Pawlowski facilitates the discussions. Reads books that explore the many ways that food expresses, affects, and enriches our lives. Discussions are usually held on the third Friday of every month (except December). The group meets in the Randolph Room on the Upper Level. AM Book Group Gets together on the fourth Wednesday of every month (except December) at 10 a.m. The group meets in the Randolph Room on the Upper Level. Poetry Discussion Group Meets monthly on the last Friday of the month (except July and August) at 1 p.m. in the Randolph Board Room. Discussions are led by Dr. Alan Holder, a poet and retired English professor. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library. The Library also organizes book discussions for members of Founders Hall New readers are always welcome at the Library’s book groups. Copies of the books are made available at the library through inter-library loan. Copies of the books also may be purchased at Books on the Common at a 15% discount. Many titles are also available as downloadable e-books or audiobooks from OverDrive or Hoopla. A monthly informal gathering where Library staff and fellow booklovers share information about favorite books over coffee and refreshments. Visit our Events for upcoming Books and Breakfast meetings to see upcoming Books and Breakfast meetings. Author Talks and Book Signings Authors give an inside look at their work through lectures and discussions. Many of these events are co-sponsored by Ridgefield’s independent bookstore, Books on the Common. Find out about upcoming Author Talks and register for programs. Scholarly Series The Ridgefield Library regularly presents scholarly book discussion series. Over the past few years, these have included Still Alive! 200 Years of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, All About Jane: Celebrating 200 Years of Jane Austen, Celebrating Shakespeare, The Big Read: The Great Gatsby, Dipping Into Proust, What the Dickens!, The Big Read: The Grapes of Wrath, and Enjoying Joyce. View Past Special Adult Events Programs The Library also presents many other programs that will appeal to lovers of literature, such as a popular lecture by Dr. Mark Schenker called Give It a Rest: A Brief Survey of the Literary Portrayal of Sloth, which was presented at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. Give It a Rest: A Brief Survey of the Literary Portrayal of Sloth by Dr. Mark Shenker /wp-content/uploads/audio/Give%20It%20a%20Rest%20Lecture%20Dr%20Mark%20Schenker.mp3 Books Building Bridges Each fall the Ridgefield Library and Ridgefield High School choose one book from the curriculum for an intergenerational exploration, including book chats led by high school students, lectures, and more. Choices have included The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Gatsby, The Cather in the Rye, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Pride and Prejudice. Recorded Lectures from the Series Sensibility and Sense: How the 18th Century Meets the 19th Century in Jane Austen’s Novels /wp-content/uploads/audio/Jane%20Austen%20Lecture%20Dr%20Schenker.mp3 /wp-content/uploads/audio/Cuckoos%20Nest%20Lecture%20Dr.%20Mark%20Schenker.mp3 Is There a Catch in the Catcher in the Rye /wp-content/uploads/audio/Catcher%20in%20the%20Rye%20Lecture%20Dr.%20Mark%20Schenker.mp3 The Ridgefield Library anticipates and meets the evolving needs of our community. We are an essential partner and the place where people go to discover, question, learn and connect.

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Canadian artist Roy Henry Vickers is best known around the world for his limited edition prints. He is also an accomplished carver, design advisor of prestigious public spaces, a sought-after keynote speaker, and publisher and author of several successful books. In addition, he is a recognized leader in the First Nations community, and a tireless spokesperson for recovery from addictions and abuse. Roy has received many awards and honours for his art and community involvement. Among them are a hereditary chieftainship and several hereditary names he has received from Northwest Coast First Nations. In 1994, Maclean's magazine included Roy as the first artist ever in its Annual Honour Roll of Extraordinary Canadian Achievers. In 1998, the Province of British Columbia appointed Roy to the prestigious Order of B.C. and in 2003, Roy received the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal. In 2003, a video featuring Roy was part of the successful Vancouver 2010 Olympic Bid. In 1987, at the Commonwealth Summit in Vancouver, the original of Roy's painting A Meeting of Chiefs was the official gift of the Province of British Columbia to Queen Elizabeth II. Limited edition prints of the painting were presented to the 48 Commonwealth Heads of State. During their Vancouver Summit in 1993, former Soviet Union leader Boris Yeltsin and former U.S. president Bill Clinton received artist's proofs of Roy's print The Homecoming as the Province's official gift. Roy's work can be found in private and public collections and galleries around the world including the National Museum of Man (Ottawa, Ontario), University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology (Vancouver, British Columbia), the McMichael Canadian Art Collection (Kleinburg, Ontario) and the National Museum of Japan (Osaka). Roy Henry Vickers was born in June 1946 in the village of Greenville, in northern British Columbia. Roy has stayed on the northwest coast of British Columbia ever since, residing at various times in Hazelton, Kitkatla, Tofino and Victoria. Roy's love and respect of the magnificent natural beauty of this area is clearly evident in his art. His boldly colourful sunsets, subdued misty rivers and peaceful winter scenes reflect the essence of the west coast of Canada. Roy's father was a fisherman with the blood of three northwest coast First Nations' Tsimshian, Haida and Heiltsuk flowing in his veins. Roy's mother was a schoolteacher whose parents had immigrated to Canada from England. This unusual mixed heritage has had a strong influence on Roy's art. Roy studied traditional First Nations art and design at the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art in Hazelton. Using these building blocks Roy, through hard work and intensive research, created his authentic and personal style of expression - a harmonious fusion of traditional and contemporary, old and new, personal and universal. In many of his pieces, Roy uses superimposed 'shadow images' that add another layer of depth, history and myth to his clear, clean images. His signature Eagle Moon and various suns appear on many pieces as well. The resulting art touches deeply and is accessible to people all over the world regardless of their background, age, beliefs or traditions. Success and Diversity The success of Roy's gallery is a remarkable example of the universal appeal of his art. The Gallery is a traditional northwest coast longhouse Roy built in 1986 in the village of Tofino, on the extreme west coast of Vancouver Island. An artist-owned gallery was - and still is - a rarity and at best a risky business, let alone one built far away from the media and the art-buying public. Today, Roy Henry Vickers Gallery welcomes more than 500,000 visitors a year from around the world and it is one of the area's main attractions. Also in 2004, Roy returned with his family to Hazelton, where he now lives and works by the majestic Skeena River. Roy has completed more than 26 totem poles including the 10-metre (30-foot) Salmon Totem for the 1994 Commonwealth Games' aquatic centre near Victoria. In addition, Roy was the artistic advisor to the architects and designers of the entire venue. In 1987-1995, Roy was the artistic advisor for the Vancouver International Airport's new terminal. He was also commissioned to create retail storefronts at both the domestic and international terminals. Roy's designs and carvings can also be found in luxury hotels and private homes, on airplanes and motorcycles, canoes and paddles, glass pieces and even on food packaging. Roy is the author/illustrator of Solstice: The Art of Roy Henry Vickers (1988), The Elders Are Watching (1990), Spirit Transformed: A Journey from Tree to Totem (1996), Copperman – The Art of Roy Henry Vickers (2003), Raven Brings the Light (2013), Cloudwalker (2014), Orca Chief (2015), Peace Dancer (2016), Hello Humpback! (2017), One Eagle Soaring (2018), Sockeye Silver, Saltchuck Blue (2019) and Voices from the Skeena (2019). In 2014, Roy published his long-awaited third milestone book Storyteller - The Art of Roy Henry Vickers, which is a substantial retrospective of his work and images of the past 10 years. Roy Henry Vickers is a prolific artist who in addition to his many other artistic endeavours and community interests creates a steady flow of new limited edition prints each year. Many are sold out within months to regular collectors and fans who feel a personal connection with not only the art but with the artist.

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NNews News / Obama lifts economic curbs on Sudan after two decades Obama lifts economic curbs on Sudan after two decades 11:33 AM, 14 Jan 2017 File photo of US President Barack Obama. A week before US President Barack Obama steps down to make way for President-elect Donald Trump, the outgoing President took the controversial step of easing some economic sanctions that were imposed against Sudan om 1997. On Friday, Obama informed the US Congress that he will lift trade and investment sanctions against Khartoum, although Sudan will still be designated a state sponsor of terrorism. In his letter Obama cited “a marked reduction in offensive military activity, culminating in a pledge to maintain a cessation of hostilities in conflict areas in Sudan.” He also recognized “steps toward the improvement of humanitarian access throughout Sudan, as well as cooperation with the United States on addressing regional conflicts and the threat of terrorism.” Obama’s move is aimed at trying to improve relations with the country whose leader is accused of war crimes and past links to terror. Sudan too welcomed the move. “The Sudanese ministry of foreign affairs welcomes the decision taken by President Barack Obama…This step represents a positive and important development for the course of bilateral relations between the United States of America and Sudan, and is the natural result of joint efforts and long and frank discussions” ministry spokesman Ghariballah Khidir said in a statement. Khidir said Khartoum was “determined to pursue its cooperation with the United States until Sudan is removed from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism”. Sudan was labelled a state sponsor of terrorism in 1993 and has been subject to a US trade embargo since 1997 over its support for Islamist groups. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996. The US government believes those ties have ebbed, but sanctions have remained amid the government’s scorched earth tactics against ethnic minority rebels in Darfur. According to the United Nations, 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million were displaced since that conflict began in 2003. The country’s long-time leader President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for War Crimes. Obama’s announcement prompted outrage from rights groups. “The Obama administration’s decision to ‘ease’ sanctions is inexplicable,” said Leslie Lefkow of Human Rights Watch. “Sudan’s government has failed to make progress on core benchmarks, from its ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur and other conflict zones, to its extensive repression of independent voices.” The measures mean that Sudanese assets will be unblocked and business transactions will now be permitted. “Treasury’s sanctions are aimed at encouraging a change in behavior, and in the case of Sudan, our sanctions were intended to pressure the government of Sudan to change the way it treats its people,” said the Treasury Department’s Adam Szubin, noting progress. (With inputs from agencies)

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RT.com / RT projects / Russiapedia / Of Russian origin / Avos Of Russian origin: Avos Vladimir Kremlev for RT In Avos’ We Trust Russian Avos’ is one of the most crucial elements of the Russian mentality and national character; it is the habit of relying totally on chance, on good luck, on good fate in the hopes that everything will turn out well, even if there is no reason for that to happen. It is to hope that negative consequences will somehow be avoided and things will sort themselves out. In the Avos’ philosophy life as something unpredictable and predestined – and a person is unable to change anything no matter what he does. This concept is close to the idea of predetermination, or destiny – something also believed to be intrinsic to the Russian character. As a particle, "Avos'" is close in meaning to "hopefully" or “let's hope to God.” When used as a noun, "Avos’" means "hit or miss," "hope against hope" or "something done under risk and in hopes of a good result.” But usually, the word Avos’ is used as a part of an expression, such as “set all hopes upon Avos’,” “let’s hope we’ll be able to escape that” (while talking about something negative) or “let’s hope we’ll be lucky” (while talking about something positive). Divine origin As a particle Avos’ resembles a masculine name, in ancient Russia people started writing it with a capital A and seeing Avos’ as a pagan deity symbolizing a lucky chance - something which boosted its popularity. Pro and contra But while there are many who claim “Avos’ is all our hope,” skeptics warn “Avos’ will not lead to anything good” or “Avos’ – is a fool, he will give you away.” In “Cancer Ward,” a novel by Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhentszin, a 16-year old patient, Dyoma, refuses an operation saying, “Hope it’ll be resolved on its own” with Avos’ in the original text. His more realistic friend opposes him claiming, “It’s stupid to think that you can build a bridge on Avos’.” Today’s status In today’s Russia the word Avos’ is not as popular as it used to be; people use it rarely and usually – with a nuance of a self-irony. Some say this is a sign that Russian society is becoming more realistic and more self-confident. Written by Maria Finoshina, RT correspondent The Wanderers An itinerant is a nomad. In Russian culture one very particular group of 19th century artists called themselves the Peredvizhniki, meaning the Wanderers or Itinerants. Vareniki Dumplings filled with anything savoury or sweet excluding meat. Russian Duma In 1991 many hoped that a new legislative assembly would replace the puppet parliament of the USSR. Ironically, it is that exact body that proved to be a major obstacle to political reform in the country. Udarnik An “Udarnik” is a Soviet word for an overproductive worker. The udarnik movement was launched and supported by the government to intensify the industrial development of the country. Koromyslo For centuries, women in Russia’s rural areas have depended on yokes - U-shaped wooden devices called koromyslo to haul heavy buckets of fresh water. Sitro Sitro is a non-alcoholic carbonated drink that smells of lemons, tangerines and oranges.

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ROBBIES WORLD BLOG Category Archives: ASIA Sinan, the Ottoman Empire’s Master Architect Posted on September 17, 2018 by rolyred National Geographic Creative/Alamy Between the 13th and 16th centuries the Ottoman state grew from a small Turkish principality in Anatolia into a sprawling empire that controlled territory in eastern Europe, western Asia, and North Africa. This transformation was accompanied by the development of a distinctively Ottoman style of architecture. Across the diverse territories that had been gathered under Ottoman rule—and that had little in common in terms of language, religion, or culture—monumental buildings featuring massive domes and soaring pencil-thin minarets were instantly recognizable manifestations of Ottoman grandeur. The individual most responsible for developing and refining the classical Ottoman architectural style was a builder named Sinan (1491–1588), who served as the empire’s chief architect from 1539 until his death in 1588. During that time he designed hundreds of buildings, including mosques, palaces, baths, tombs, and caravansaries, and oversaw the construction of hundreds more. Sinan was born to a Christian family in southeast Anatolia. When he was 21 he was drafted into the Jannisary corps, an elite Ottoman infantry force who were recruited as adolescents or young men from the Christian territories of the empire and converted to Islam. He participated in the military campaigns of Suleyman the Magnificent, both as a combatant and as an engineer—the latter allowed him to develop the building expertise that he would put to use later in life. When Sinan was 47, Suleyman appointed him as the chief architect in Istanbul. Sinan embarked on a series of increasingly impressive buildings. His first large mosque was the Sehzade Mosque in Istanbul, dedicated to the memory of Suleyman’s son and heir who died at the age of 22. Another of Sinan’s most important works is the Süleymaniye Mosque complex, which remains an essential feature of Istanbul’s skyline. It is almost as large as the Hagia Sophia, a Byzantine church that was converted into a mosque in Ottoman times. The core of the building is a vast dome flanked by two semidomes, which combine to form an awe-inspiring interior space. The ground on which the Süleymaniye complex was constructed slopes toward the Bosporus strait; one of Sinan’s architectural talents was his ability to build on challenging terrain. The Selimiye Mosque, built in Edirne between 1569 and 1575, is considered Sinan’s masterpiece. In this building, Sinan managed to build a dome roughly as large as the dome of the Hagia Sophia, both having a diameter of about 31 meters. The dome sits on eight piers in an octagon, rather than the usual four larger piers, giving the central space a feeling of openness and weightlessness that is enhanced by the light that filters in from hundreds of small windows. After completing the Selimiye Mosque, Sinan continued to design smaller buildings until his death in 1588. Posted in Africa, ART, ASIA, Europe, History, Travel, World | Tagged Eastern Europe, Ottoman Empire, Sinan, Turkey | Leave a reply Malana: A Himalayan village shrouded in myth India’s Parvati Valley is well known among travellers for its psychedelic parties and free-flowing hashish that originates from the ancient village of Malana in North India’s Himachal Pradesh region. But if you look beyond the haze, you’ll find a treasure trove of legends, intrigue and unanswered questions. Nestled in the peaks of the Himalayas, Malana is surrounded by steep cliffs and snow-capped mountains. Travellers have long been drawn to this village of nearly 1,700 inhabitants, staying for days on end amid the cold gushes of wind and rows of dark green deodar trees to consume what locals consider the holy herb and what outsiders see as a way to free the mind: the famed and award-winning Malana cream. This cannabis resin or hashish is renowned both for the hand rubbing-technique used to produce it and for its reportedly remarkable intoxicating effects. But I’d come to Malana to try to make sense of the myths surrounding the village. The ancient village of Malana in India’s Himachal Pradesh is known to outsiders for its hashish (Credit: © Sauriêl Creative | Samantha Leigh Scholl/Alamy) Legend has it that some of Alexander the Great’s army took shelter in this isolated village in 326BC after they were wounded in a battle against Porus, a ruler in India’s Punjab region. These soldiers are often said to be the ancestors of the Malani people. Artefacts from that period have been found in the village, such as a sword that reportedly rests inside the temple. However, genetic ties to the soldiers have not been studied or established. In fact, many of the locals I spoke to had no idea where this myth originated. “The big claim that Malani people have descended from Alexander the Great’s army has become a widely accepted truth, but I have not found any real backing to it. There are some weapons and other things that can be found that have raised these links, but I am certain that there is no evidence to this story,” said Amlan Datta, a filmmaker who has spent a decade working in Malana. But these theories are fuelled by locals’ noticeably different physical features and their language, which are unlike that of any other local tribe, adding to the enigma surrounding the Malanis and their identity. They speak Kanashi, which is considered sacred and is not taught to outsiders. It is also spoken nowhere else in the world. During my visit, I referred to some of the men I met as ‘Bhaiji’ (a polite way of saying brother), which is a fairly common way to address men in Himachal. Though locals understood when I spoke to them in Hindi, their responses in Kanashi were incomprehensible to me. The residents of Malana are said to be descendants of Alexander the Great’s army (Credit: © Sauriêl Creative | Samantha Leigh Scholl/Alamy) A study of Kanashi is currently being undertaken by Uppsala University in Sweden, led by professor of linguistics, Anju Saxena. “Kanashi qualifies as a definitely endangered, as an unwritten and almost undescribed language,” Saxena told me. “It belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family, and in all the surrounding villages, Indo-Aryan languages are spoken, which are completely unrelated to Kanashi. This raises interesting questions concerning its prehistory and its linguistic structure.” Even getting to Malana was a journey into the unknown. There are no motorable roads to the village, and it took me about four hours to trek there from the village of Jari at the bottom of the Parvati Valley. The approach was steep yet breath-taking. It wasn’t long before I started passing Malani people – distinguishable by their light brown hair, light brown eyes, long noses and a distinct wheatish or a golden-brownish complexion of skin – most of whom were traditionally dressed in light brown robes, caps and hemp shoes. To me, they looked more Mediterranean than Himachali. Malanis speak Kanashi, a language that is considered sacred and is not spoken anywhere else in the world (Credit: © Sauriêl Creative | Samantha Leigh Scholl/Alamy) As I entered the village, I came to a group of teenagers who casually inquired whether I was interested in buying some hashish. Though cannabis has long been the backbone of this small village’s economy, it has led to a host of socio-cultural issues, such as young children being involved in the drug trade. This is perhaps why, one year ago, the village deity Jamdagni Rishi – who is locally nicknamed the Jamlu Devta and is a great sage in Hindu mythology – decreed through his spiritual spokesperson (the Gur) that all guesthouses across the village would be shut, leaving the village open to outsiders only during the day. Jamlu Devta is an important figurehead in village governance, a political set-up that has long baffled researchers and visitors who cannot comprehend how such an advanced form of governance exists in this quaint and remote Himalayan village. Malana’s unique democratic system is said to be among the oldest in the world, and, similar to the Ancient Greek system of democracy, it consists of a lower house and upper house. However, it has a uniquely spiritual twist to it: ultimate rulings rest on the upper court, which includes three important figures, of which one is the representative of the local deity, Jamlu Devta. “Devta is the ultimate word and we have a set-up of a council and three political figures of sorts, one of whom – the Gur, or the vessel who is possessed by Jamlu – communicates to us the decisions of Jamlu Devta,” explained Rohan, one of the hashish-dealing teenagers. Malanis’ distinct physical characteristics are reminiscent of those seen in Mediterranean populations (Credit: Jenny Matthews/Alamy) Datta had told me about a local legend that said Jamlu Devta once inhabited Malana, which he was gifted by the Hindu god Shiva. There are two temples in the village, one dedicated to him and the other, to his wife, Renuka Devi. As I walked through the narrow passageways of this ancient village, dotted with wooden and brick houses, I entered the large courtyard, where the lower court gathers, and a temple dedicated to Jamlu Devta. It was sight to behold against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains. The temple, with wide wooden pillars, intricate doors and a host of bones, skulls and other sacrificial animal parts on one wall looked intriguing. But there was a warning sign outside demanding INR 3,500 ‘On touching of this holy place of Jamdagni Rishi’. This sign is an outward demonstration of another tradition that is very apparent in Malana: a quest to preserve the ‘purity’ of the village. People across Himachal Pradesh will tell you that the Malanis are known to restrict contact with outsiders, particularly in terms of direct physical contact. I personally had been warned to keep my distance by the driver who had brought me to Jari earlier that day. Malana’s unique democratic system is said to be among the oldest in the world (Credit: © Sauriêl Creative | Samantha Leigh Scholl/Alamy) Although I did see some of the younger generations hugging or shaking hands, most people here still strongly hold the taboo of touching outsiders. When I went to pay for a bottle of water, the shopkeeper asked me to leave the notes on the counter instead of handing them to him directly. I also learned that marriages must take place within the village; transgression of this norm invites social boycott. Well aware that outsiders aren’t welcome here, I felt like an intruder as I kept probing people to find out more information about the village. Himachali people in general are warm and chatty, and they love to share stories and meals with visitors; in Malana, however, long conversations with locals were rare. Malanis are known to restrict contact with outsiders (Credit: © Sauriêl Creative | Samantha Leigh Scholl/Alamy) Descending from the hills and coming down from this otherworld, I acknowledged my position as a traveller who would forever be on the outside of this mysterious Himalayan hamlet. Whether I liked it or not, the locals hadn’t taken me in, and I needed to respect their culture. But now, weeks later, as I look back on my quest to unfold the legends of Malana, I have come to the realisation that the very beauty of my experience was based on the essence of mystery, the unknown. Cherishing that very quality of Malana finally has led me to a newfound appreciation of this strange, cold land of enigmatic people. By Mehk Chakraborty 22 August 2018 Posted in ASIA, History, India, Science, Travel, World | Tagged ASIA, Cultural Traditions, India | Leave a reply Ibn Baṭṭūṭah MUSLIM EXPLORER AND WRITER Ibn Baṭṭūṭah, in full Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Lawātī al-Ṭanjī ibn Baṭṭūṭah, (born February 24, 1304, Tangier, Morocco—died 1368/69 or 1377, Morocco), the greatest medieval Muslim traveler and the author of one of the most famous travel books, the Riḥlah (Travels). His great work describes his extensive travels covering some 75,000 miles (120,000 km) in trips to almost all of the Muslim countries and as far as China and Sumatra (now part of Indonesia). Early Life And Travels Ibn Baṭṭūṭah was from a family that produced a number of Muslim judges (qadis). He received the traditional juristic and literary education in his native town of Tangier. In 1325, at the age of 21, he started his travels by undertaking the pilgrimage(hajj) to Mecca. At first his purpose was to fulfill that religious duty and to broaden his education by studying under famous scholars in Egypt, Syria, and the Hejaz (western Arabia). That he achieved his objectives is corroborated by long enumerations of scholars and Sufi (Islamic mystic) saints whom he met and also by a list of diplomas conferred on him (mainly in Damascus). Those studies qualified him for judicial office, whereas the claim of being a former pupil of the then-outstanding authorities in traditional Islamic sciences greatly enhanced his chances and made him thereafter a respected guest at many courts. Ibn Baṭṭūṭah’s voyagesThe voyages of Ibn Baṭṭūṭah. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. That renown was to follow later, however. In Egypt, where he arrived by the land route via Tunis and Tripoli, an irresistible passion for travel was born in his soul, and he decided to visit as many parts of the world as possible, setting as a rule “never to travel any road a second time.” His contemporaries traveled for practical reasons (such as trade, pilgrimage, and education), but Ibn Baṭṭūṭah did it for its own sake, for the joy of learning about new countries and new peoples. He made a living of it, benefitting at the beginning from his scholarly status and later from his increasing fame as a traveler. He enjoyed the generosity and benevolence of numerous sultans, rulers, governors, and high dignitaries in the countries he visited, thus securing an income that enabled him to continue his wanderings. From Cairo, Ibn Baṭṭūṭah set out via Upper Egypt to the Red Sea but then returned and visited Syria, there joining a caravanfor Mecca. Having finished the pilgrimage in 1326, he crossed the Arabian Desert to Iraq, southern Iran, Azerbaijan, and Baghdad. There he met the last of the Mongol khans of Iran, Abū Saʿīd (ruled 1316–36), and some lesser rulers. Ibn Baṭṭūṭah spent the years between 1327 and 1330 in Mecca and Medinaleading the quiet life of a devotee, but such a long stay did not suit his temperament. Embarking on a boat in Jiddah, he sailed with a retinue of followers down both shores of the Red Sea to Yemen, crossed it by land, and set sail again from Aden. This time he navigated along the eastern African coast, visiting the trading city-states as far as Kilwa (Tanzania). His return journey took him to southern Arabia, Oman, Hormuz, southern Persia, and across the Persian Gulf back to Mecca in 1332. There a new, ambitious plan matured in his mind. Hearing of the sultan of Delhi, Muḥammad ibn Tughluq (ruled 1325–51), and his fabulous generosity to Muslim scholars, he decided to try his luck at his court. Forced by lack of communications to choose a more indirect route, Ibn Baṭṭūṭah turned northward, again passed Egypt and Syria, and boarded ship for Asia Minor (Anatolia) in Latakia. He crisscrossed that “land of the Turks” in many directions at a time when Anatolia was divided into numerous petty sultanates. Thus, his narrative provides a valuable source for the history of that country between the end of the Seljuq power and the rise of the house of Ottoman. Ibn Baṭṭūṭah was received cordially and generously by all the local rulers and heads of religious brotherhoods (ākhīs). His journey continued across the Black Sea to the Crimean Peninsula, then to the northern Caucasus and to Saray on the lower Volga River, capital of the khan of the Golden Horde, Öz Beg (ruled 1312–41). According to his narrative, he undertook an excursion from Saray to Bulgary on the upper Volga and Kama, but there are reasons to doubt his veracity on that point. On the other hand, the narrative of his visit to Constantinople (now Istanbul) in the retinue of the khan’s wife, a Byzantine princess, seems to be an eyewitness record, although there are some minor chronological discrepancies. Ibn Baṭṭūṭah’s description of the Byzantine capital is vivid and, in general, accurate. Although he shared the strong opinions of his fellow Muslims toward unbelievers, his account of the “second Rome” shows him as a rather tolerant man with a lively curiosity. Nevertheless, he always felt happier in the realm of Islam than in non-Muslim lands, whether Christian, Hindu, or pagan. After his return from Constantinople through the Russian steppes, he continued his journey in the general direction of India. From Saray he traveled with a caravan to Central Asia, visiting the ancient towns of Bukhara, Samarkand, and Balkh, all of those still showing the scars left by the Mongol invasion. He took rather complicated routes through Khorāsān and Afghanistan, and, after crossing the Hindu Kush mountain range, he arrived at the frontiers of India on the Indus River on September 12, 1333, by his own dating. The accuracy of that date is doubtful, as it would have been impossible to cover such enormous distances (from Mecca) in the course of only one year. Because of that discrepancy, his subsequent dating until 1348 is highly uncertain. Time In India And Later Journeys By that time Ibn Baṭṭūṭah was already a man of some importance and fame, with a large train of attendants and followers and also with his own harem of legal wives and concubines. India and its ruler, Muḥammad ibn Tughluq, lived up to Ibn Baṭṭūṭah’s expectations of wealth and generosity, and the traveler was received with honours and gifts and later appointed grand qadi of Delhi, a sinecure that he held for several years. Though he had apparently attained an easy life, it soon became clear that his new position was not without danger. Sultan Muḥammad, an extraordinary mixture of generosity and cruelty, held sway over the greater part of India with an iron hand that fell indiscriminately upon high and low, Muslim and Hindu alike. Ibn Baṭṭūṭah witnessed all the glories and setbacks of the sultan and his rule, fearing daily for his life as he saw many friends fall victim to the suspicious despot. His portrait of Muḥammad is an unusually fine piece of psychological insight and mirrors faithfully the author’s mixed feelings of terror and sympathy. Notwithstanding all his precautions, Ibn Baṭṭūṭah at last fell into disgrace, and only good fortune saved his life. Gaining favour again, he was appointed the sultan’s envoy to the Chinese emperor in 1342. He left Delhi without regrets, but his journey was full of other dangers: not far away from Delhi his party was waylaid by Hindu insurgents, and the traveler barely escaped with his life. On the Malabar Coast of southwestern India he became involved in local wars and was finally shipwrecked near Calicut (now Kozhikode), losing all his property and the gifts for the Chinese emperor. Fearing the wrath of the sultan, Ibn Baṭṭūṭah chose to go to the Maldive Islands, where he spent nearly two years; as a qadi, he was soon active in politics, married into the ruling family, and apparently even aspired to become sultan. Finding the situation too dangerous, he set out for Sri Lanka, where he visited the ruler as well as the famous Adam’s Peak. After a new shipwreck on the Coromandel Coast of southeastern India, he took part in a war led by his brother-in-law and went again to the Maldives and then to Bengal and Assam. At that time he decided to resume his mission to Chinaand sailed for Sumatra. There he was given a new ship by the Muslim sultan and started for China; his description of his itinerary contains some discrepancies. He landed at the great Chinese port Zaytūn (identified as Quanzhou, near Xiamen [Amoy]) and then traveled on inland waterways as far as Beijing and back. That part of his narrative is rather brief, and the itinerary, as well as the chronology, presents many problems and difficulties, not yet surmounted, that cast shadows of doubt on his veracity. Equally brief is his account of the return voyage via Sumatra, Malabar, and the Persian Gulf to Baghdad and Syria. In Syria he witnessed the ravages of the Black Death of 1348, visited again many towns there and in Egypt, and in the same year performed his final pilgrimage to Mecca. At last he decided to return home, sailing from Alexandria to Tunisia, then to Sardinia and Algiers, finally reaching Fès, the capital of the Marīnid sultan, Abū ʿInān, in November 1349. But there still remained two Muslim countries not yet known to him. Shortly after his return he went to the kingdom of Granada, the last remnant of Moorish Spain, and two years later (in 1352) he set out on a journey to the western Sudan. His last journey (across the Sahara to Western Africa) was taken unwillingly at the command of the sultan. Crossing the Sahara, he spent a year in the empire of Mali, then at the height of its power under Mansa Sulaymān; his account represents one of the most important sources of that period for the history of that part of Africa. Toward the end of 1353 Ibn Baṭṭūṭah returned to Morocco and, at the sultan’s request, dictated his reminiscences to a writer, Ibn Juzayy (died 1355), who embellished the simple prose of Ibn Baṭṭūṭah with an ornate style and fragments of poetry. After that he passes from sight. He is reported to have held the office of qadi in a town in Morocco before his death, details of which remain uncertain. It has been suggested that he died in 1368/69 or 1377 and was buried in his native town of Tangier. The claim of Ibn Baṭṭūṭah to be “the traveler of Islam” is well founded: it is estimated that the extent of his wanderings was some 75,000 miles (120,000 km), a figure hardly surpassed by anyone before the age of steam power. He visited, with few exceptions (central Persia, Armenia, and Georgia), all Muslim countries, as well as many adjacent non-Muslim lands. While he did not discover new or unknown lands, and his contribution to scientific geography was minimal, the documentary value of his work has given it lasting historical and geographical significance. He met at least 60 rulers and a much greater number of viziers, governors, and other dignitaries; in his book he mentioned more than 2,000 persons who were known to him personally or whose tombs he visited. The majority of those people are identifiable by independent sources, and there are surprisingly few errors in names or dates in Ibn Baṭṭūṭah’s material. His Riḥlah, as his book is commonly known, is an important document shedding light on many aspects of the social, cultural, and political history of a great part of the Muslim world. Ibn Baṭṭūṭah was a curious observer interested in the ways of life in various countries, and he described his experiences with a human approach rarely encountered in official historiography. His accounts of his travels in Asia Minor, East and West Africa, the Maldives, and India form a major source for the histories of those areas, whereas the parts dealing with the Arab and Persian Middle East are valuable for their wealth of detail on various aspects of social and cultural life. On the whole, Ibn Baṭṭūṭah is reliable; only his alleged journey to Bulgary was proved to be invented, and there are some doubts concerning the East Asian part of his travels. A few grave and several minor discrepancies in the chronology of his travels are due more to lapses in his memory than to intentional fabrication. A number of formerly uncertain points (such as travels in Asia Minor and the visit to Constantinople) have since been cleared away by contemporary research and the discovery of new corroborative sources. Another interesting aspect of the Riḥlah is the gradual revealing of the character of Ibn Baṭṭūṭah himself; in the course of the narrative the reader may learn the opinions and reactions of an average middle-class Muslim of the 14th century. He was deeply rooted in orthodox Islam but, like many of his contemporaries, oscillated between the pursuit of its legislative formalism and an adherence to the mystic path and succeeded in combining both. He did not offer any profound philosophy but accepted life as it came to him, leaving to posterity a true picture of himself and his times. Ivan Hrbek Posted in Africa, ART, ASIA, India, Middle East, Science, Travel, World | Tagged Afreica, ASIA, Morocco, Muslim, Travel | Leave a reply Dragon Lore: Origins of the Fire-Breathing Beast Posted on September 9, 2018 by rolyred From ancient Greek myths to Game of Thrones, the legend of the dragon is one of the most enduring and romanticized throughout history. It has been traced back as far as 4000 BC and exists in all parts of the world. In and around Europe dragons are viewed mostly as monsters of evil intent. In ancient Rome, the army used dragons as symbols of strength. During the Renaissance, fear of sea monsters kept sailors from venturing too far from known waters, and the edges of their maps would read “Here be dragons.” The Oxford English Dictionary explains the etymology of the word dragon, which it says entered the English lexicon in around 1220 and was used in English versions of the Bible from the early 14th century. Dragon derives from Old French, the language used by nobles and law courts following the Norman conquest of 1066. This in turn stems from the Latin draconem or draco meaning “big serpent,” which was derived from ancient Greek δράκων (drakon). In Greek mythology, the Hesperian Dragon named Ladon was a hundred-headed serpent that guarded the golden apples in the garden of the Hesperides. Historically, European dragons were viewed as being evil, jealous, and greedy hoarders of treasure. In the stories, they were generally treated as violent monsters who must be slain by heroes and saints. European dragons could have four legs, two legs, or none, and often had wings. In Asia, and especially China, the view of these creatures was very different. Dragons were thought to live under the ocean in the winter, arising in the spring with a clap of thunder to bring the rain needed for their crops, according to the American Museum of Natural History. They breathed clouds and moved the seasons. The dragon was the symbol of the Chinese Emperor, and the Imperial throne was called the Dragon Throne. Known as the Dragon, the emperor ruled in harmony, and brought peace and prosperity to all. Chinese dragons are depicted as being more serpent-like, with long, snaking bodies and usually had four legs. They are generally seen as wingless. How people view them and what they believe about them varies widely, but the idea is too widespread not to think there are some common roots. What made people from cultures that may have never met all come up with the idea of dragons? There are several theories about what creatures could have been the source of the dragon myths, any or all of them may be true. Ancient Origins discusses a number of potential roots. The first one is crocodiles. Saltwater and Nile crocodiles are the two largest living reptiles on earth today. Currently, saltwater crocodiles live in the eastern Indian Ocean region, and Nile crocs in the rivers, marshes, and lakes of Sub-Saharan Africa. But 1,000 years they had a much larger habitat range, and could have been encountered by people living in Greece, Spain, and Southern Italy. Bizarre Blue Dragon-Like Creatures Wash Up on Beach, Experts Warn Not to Touch https://rumble.com/embed/udla9.v1s7hn/ Nile crocodiles can grow to 20 feet in length, and have the ability to lift much of their bodies off the ground. This may be a hint about why European dragons are often described as rearing up. Many archaeologists believe that ancient people envisioned dragons when they found the fossils of certain sorts of dinosaurs, specifically, the types that had very long necks. Having no explanation for the lengthy fossils, they would have imagined a beast that seemed to fit what they were seeing. There is evidence to suggest that there were discoveries of dinosaur fossils being uncovered in China as early as the 4th century BC. Fossils belonging to flying dinosaurs, such as pterodactyl or pteranodons, could very well be part of why some cultures envision dragons as having wings. Another, similar, theory is that people imagined dragons when the skeletons of whales washed on shore near early coastal dwellings. Because early people didn’t have suitable sailing and navigation technology, they would most likely only have seen the immense whales from a distance when the creatures were living. This could certainly be the root of sailor’s fear of “dragons” in the waters, as well as the ocean-dwelling Asian view. This could also be one of the reasons that some dragons are pictured as having wings. Snakes are also thought to be a basis for the dragon myth. Although even very large snakes are much smaller than dragons are said to be, humankind has a deeply embedded instinct to fear them. In ancient Egypt, for example, Apep was a deity known as the Serpent of the Nile. He was viewed as the lord of Chaos, and opposed to light and truth. Each of these theories show some echo of what we think about when we think of dragons. All of them together show a more complete picture of the huge beasts that feature in so many stories and myths. Aug 30, 2018 Ian Harvey Posted in ART, ASIA, Egypt, Greece, History, Science, Travel, World | Tagged ART, Greece, History, Places, Travel | 1 Reply Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft reaches cosmic ‘diamond’ Posted on June 27, 2018 by rolyred Image copyright JAXA ET AL. Image caption Scientists will map Ryugu with a view to choosing the best location to sample A Japanese spacecraft has arrived at its target – an asteroid shaped like a diamond or, according to some, a spinning top. Hayabusa 2 has been travelling toward the space rock Ryugu since launching from the Tanegashima spaceport in 2014. It is on a quest to study the object close-up and deliver rocks and soil from Ryugu to Earth. It will use explosives to propel a projectile into Ryugu, digging out a fresh sample from beneath the surface. Dr Makoto Yoshikawa, Hayabusa 2’s mission manager, talked about the plan now that the spacecraft had arrived at its destination. “At first, we will study very carefully the surface features. Then we will select where to touch down. Touchdown means we get the surface material,” he told me. A copper projectile, or “impactor” will separate from the spacecraft, floating down to the surface of the asteroid. Once Hayabusa 2 is safely out of the way, an explosive charge will detonate, driving the projectile into the surface. “We have an impactor which will create a small crater on the surface of Ryugu. Maybe in spring next year, we will try to make a crater… then our spacecraft will try to reach into the crater to get the subsurface material.” “But this is a very big challenge.” Image copyright JAXA / AKIHIRO IKESHITA Image caption Hayabusa 2 will use a projectile to excavate fresh material from beneath Ryugu’s surface Why is this story important? Scientists study asteroids to gain insights into the origins and evolution of our cosmic neighbourhood, the Solar System. Asteroids are essentially leftover building materials from the formation of the Solar System 4.6 billion years ago. It’s also thought they may contain chemical compounds that could have been important for kick-starting life on Earth. They contain water, organic (carbon-rich) compounds and precious metals. The last of those has tempted several companies to look into the feasibility of asteroid mining. ‘Dumpling’ space rock comes into view Image caption From far away, the asteroid seemed to resemble a Japanese dango dumpling… Image caption…but now we have close-up images, scientists are comparing its shape to that of a spinning top Dr Yoshikawa, who is an associate professor at Japan’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), said Ryugu’s shape was unexpected. He said asteroids with this general shape tended to be fast-rotating, completing one revolution every three or four hours. But Ryugu’s spin period is relatively long – about 7.5 hours. “Many scientists in our project think that in the past the spin period was very short – it rotated very quickly – and the spin period has slowed down. We don’t know why it slowed down, but this is a very interesting topic,” he told BBC News. Hayabusa 2 will spend about a year and a half surveying the 900m-wide space rock, which is about 290 million km (180 million miles) from Earth. During this time, it will aim to deploy several landing craft to the surface, including small rovers and a German-built instrument package called Mascot (Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout). Image copyright DLR Image caption Hayabusa 2 is carrying a German-built lander called MASCOT Ryugu is a so-called C-type asteroid, a kind that is thought to be relatively primitive. This means it may be rich in organic and hydrated minerals (those combined with water). Studying what Ryugu is made from could provide insights into the molecular mix that contributed to the origin of life on Earth. The surface of the asteroid is likely to have been weathered – altered by aeons of exposure to the harsh environment of space. That’s why Hayabusa 2’s scientists want to dig down for as fresh a sample as possible. The onboard Lidar (light detection and ranging) instrument is used partly as a navigation sensor for rendezvous, approach, and touchdown. It illuminates the target with pulsed laser light to measure variable distances between the two objects. On Tuesday, scientists successfully used the Lidar to measure the distance from Hayabusa to the asteroid for the first time. The mission will depart from Ryugu in December 2019 with the intention of returning to Earth with the asteroid samples in 2020. The first Hayabusa spacecraft was launched in 2003 and reached the asteroid Itokawa in 2005. Despite being hit by a series of mishaps, it returned to Earth in 2010 with a small amount of material from the asteroid. An American asteroid sample return mission, Osiris-Rex, will rendezvous with the object 101955 Bennu in August. By Paul Rincon Science editor, BBC News website Posted in ASIA, Japan, World | Tagged Hayabusa 2 spacecraft, Ryugu, Science, Space | Leave a reply Is it really healthier to live in the countryside? Posted on June 1, 2018 by rolyred Whether you’re worried about pollution or stress, you may wonder if leaving your town or city for the countryside may boost not only your happiness, but your health. But evidence-based research that can help us identify the healthiest environments to live is surprisingly scant. As scientists begin to tease apart the links between well-being and the environment, they are finding that many nuances contribute to and detract from the benefits offered by a certain environment – whether it be a metropolis of millions or a deserted beach. “What we’re trying to do as a group of researchers around the world is not to promote these things willy-nilly, but to find pro and con evidence on how natural environments – and our increasing detachment from them – might be affecting health and well-being,” says Mathew White, an environmental psychologist at the University of Exeter Medical School. White and other researchers are revealing that a seemingly countless number of factors determine how our surroundings influence us. These can include a person’s background and life circumstances, the quality and duration of exposure and the activities performed in it. Generally speaking, evidence suggests that green spaces are good for those of us who live in urban areas. Those who reside near parks or trees tend to enjoy lower levels of ambient air pollution, reduced manmade noise pollution and more cooling effects (something that will become increasingly useful as the planet warms). The research shows that green spaces are good for urban dwellers, which should be welcome news to residents of Wellington, New Zealand (Credit: Getty Images) Natural spaces are conducive to physical and social activities – both of which are associated with myriad benefits of their own. Time in nature has been linked to reduced physical markers of stress. When we are out for a stroll or just sitting beneath the trees, our heart rate and blood pressure both tend to go down. We also release more natural ‘killer cells’: lymphocytes that roam throughout the body, hunting down cancerous and virus-infected cells. Researchers are still trying to determine why this is so, although they do have a number of hypotheses. “One predominate theory is that natural spaces act as a calming backdrop to the busy stimuli of the city,” says Amber Pearson, a health geographer at Michigan State University. “From an evolutionary perspective, we also associate natural things as key resources for survival, so we favour them.” This does not necessarily mean that urban denizens should all move to the countryside, however. City residents tend to suffer from more asthma, allergies and depression – but they also tend to be less obese, at a lower suicide risk and are less likely to get killed in an accident City residents tend to suffer from higher levels of asthma, allergies and depression. But they also tend to be less obese, at a lower risk of suicide and are less likely to get killed in an accident. They lead happier lives as seniors and live longerin general. (Read more aboutfive of the world’s healthiest cities). City-dwellers live longer than their countryside counterparts and are happier as seniors (Credit: Getty Images) Although we tend to associate cities with pollution, crime and stress, living in rural locales may entail certain costs as well. Disease-carrying insects and arachnids can detract from the health factor of that otherwise idyllic cabin in Maine, for example. In other cases, rural pollution poses a major threat. In India, air pollution contributed to the deaths of 1.1 million citizens in 2015 – with rural residents rather than urban ones accounting for 75% of the victims. This is primarily because countryside dwellers are at greater risk of breathing air that is polluted by burning of agricultural fields, wood or cow dung (used for cooking fuel and heat). Indonesia’s slash and burn-style land clearing likewise causes a blanket of toxic haze that lasts for months and sometimes affects neighbouring countries, including Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Meanwhile, smoke pollution from fires lit in South America and southern Africa has been known to make its way around the entire southern hemisphere. (That said, the air in the southern hemisphere is generally cleaner than in the northern hemisphere – simply because there are fewer people living there). Because of practices like agricultural clearing, pollution can kill more people in the countryside than even in cities (Credit: Getty Images) It’s not just developing countries, either: wildfires in the western US are wreaking havoc on air quality, while pollution from fertilizers used on farms are detracting from air quality in Europe, Russia, China and the US. What about the idea of that pure mountain air? It’s true that black carbon aerosols and particulate matter pollution tends to be lower at higher altitudes. But trying to move above air pollution may cause other issues. While people who live in in places 2,500m or higher seem to have lower mortality from cardiovascular disease, stroke and some types of cancers, data indicate that they also seem to be at an elevated risk of death from chronic pulmonary disease and from lower respiratory tract infections. This is likely at least in part because cars and other vehicles operate less efficiently at higher altitudes, emitting greater amounts of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide – which is made even more harmful by the increased solar radiation in such places. Living at a moderate altitude of 1,500 to 2,500 meters, therefore, may be the healthiest choice. It’s not always true that the higher the altitude, the healthier the place (Credit: Getty Images) There is a strong argument to be made for living near the sea – or at least near some body of water On the other hand, there is a strong argument to be made for living near the sea – or at least near some body of water. Those in the UK who live closer to the ocean, for example, tend to have a better bill of health than those who live inland, taking into account their age and socioeconomic status. This is likely due to a variety of reasons, White says, including the fact that our evolution means we are attracted to the high levels of biodiversity found there (in the past, this would have been a helpful indicator of food sources) and that beaches offer opportunities for daily exercise and vitamin D. Then there are the psychological benefits. A 2016 study Pearson and her colleagues conducted in Wellington, New Zealand found that residents with ocean views had lower levels of psychological distress. For every 10% increase in how much blue space people could see, the researchers found a one-third point reduction in the population’s average Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (used to predict anxiety and mood disorders), independent of socioeconomic status. Given that finding, Pearson says, “One might expect that a 20 to 30% increase in blue space visibility could shift someone from moderate distress into a lower category.” Pearson found similar results in a follow-up study conducted near the Great Lakes in the US (currently in review), as did White in an upcoming study of Hong Kong residents. Researchers found that the more ‘blue space’ people saw in their everyday life, the less distress and anxiety they experienced (Credit: Getty Images) Not everyone can live on the coast, however. So Simon Bell, chair of landscape architecture at the Estonian University of Life Sciences and associate director of the OPENspace Centre at the University of Edinburgh, and his colleagues are testing whether restoring neglected bodies of water throughout Europe can help. They are interviewing residents before and after restoration, including at a rundown beach outside of Tallinn, Estonia and an industrial canal near a Soviet bloc-style apartment complex in Tartu, also Estonia, among other places in Spain, Portugal, Sweden and the UK. The team’s second analysis of nearly 200 recently redeveloped water sites will allow them to tease out how factors such as climate, weather, pollution levels, smells, seasonality, safety and security, accessibility and more, influence a given water body’s appeal. The ultimate goal, Bell says, is to find “what makes a great blue space.” Once the results are in, he and his colleagues will develop a quality assessment tool for those looking to most effectively restore urban canals, overgrown lakes, former docklands, rivers and other neglected blue spaces to make residents’ lives better. How much we benefit from even a single visit to the coast depends on a variety of factors (Credit: Getty Images) Still, when it comes to wellbeing, researchers do not know how lakes compare to oceans or how rivers compare to seas. Nor have they compared how beaches in, say, Iceland measure up to those in Florida. What they do know is that complex factors including air and water quality, crowding, temperature and even high and low tides affect how something as seemingly simple as a visit to the beach can influence us. “There might be a million other important things besides weather and daylight that influence someone in Hawaii versus Finland,” White says. People who live in less regularly sunny places, like Vermont or Denmark, tend to have higher rates of skin cancer In terms of health, data also suggest that, counterintuitively, people who live in more intermittently rather than regularly sunny places – Vermont and Minnesota in the US, for example, and Denmark and France – tend to have higher rates of skin cancer, likely because sunscreen is not part of daily routines. (Read more aboutfive countries where people live the longest). Just as some green and blue spaces may be more beneficial than others, researchers are also coming to realize that the environment’s influence on well-being is not evenly distributed. People living in lower socioeconomic conditions tend to derive more benefits from natural spaces than wealthy residents, White says. That’s likely because richer people enjoy other health-improving privileges, such as taking holidays and leading generally less stressful lives – a finding with important real-world implications. “Here in the UK, local authorities have a legal obligation to reduce health inequalities. So one way to do that is to improve the park system,” White says. “The poorest will benefit the most.” A clean, oceanside city like Sydney may be one of the best options (Credit: Getty Images) It’s also important to point out that simply moving to a relatively pristine coast or forest will not solve all of our problems. Other life circumstances – losing or gaining a job, marrying or divorcing – have a much greater impact on our health. As White puts it, no matter what environment you’re in, “It’s more important to have a house than to be homeless in a park.” Bell adds that proximity to nature actually tends to rank low on people’s lists of the most important factors for selecting a place to live, after things like safety, quietness and closeness to key locations like schools and work. But while the benefits of green and blue spaces should not be overplayed on an individual level, they are important for the scale at which they work. And even so, one takeaway seems obvious: those living in a clean, oceanside city with ready access to nature – think Sydney or Wellington – may have struck the jackpot in terms of the healthiest places to live. By Rachel Nuwer 1 June 2018 Posted in ASIA, Australia, England, Health, History, Pacific, Travel, World | Tagged Australia, Health, New Zealnd, Travel, World | Leave a reply Follow ROBBIES WORLD BLOG on WordPress.com BBC NEWS BUSINESS HS2: Give me the facts, says Shapps January 20, 2020 ‘I turned down 50,000 francs to rent my shop during Davos’ January 20, 2020 New York Public Library?s top ten checkouts January 13, 2020 Multi-authorship and research analytics December 10, 2019 The Internet and Jurisdiction Policy Network releases its first-ever Global Status Report November 29, 2019 Goodbye, gas furnaces? 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Grafton, MA Town Information Single Family homes for sale in Grafton, MA Multi Family homes for sale in Grafton, MA Condos for sale Grafton, MA Rentals for sale in Grafton, MA Land for sale in Grafton, MA Commercial Properties for sale in Grafton, MA Foreclosures for sale in Grafton, MA Open Houses in Grafton, MA Grafton, MA Community Info As of the census[18] of 2000, there had been 14,894 people, 5,694 households, and 3,951 families residing in the town. The population density was 655.0 inhabitants per square mile (252.9/km2). There were 5,828 housing units at an average density of 256.3 per square mile (99.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.92% White, 1.25% African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.45% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race composed 1.91% of the population. There were 5,694 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.07. In the town the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $56,020, and the median income for a family was $66,396. Males had a median income of $48,016 versus $32,347 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,952. About 2.3% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over. Image: Grafton Common - Grafton, MA - DSC04575" by Daderot - Daderot. Licensed under CC0 via Wikimedia Commons

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Weekly Calendar: December 7 — December 17, 2017 Needlepointing Christmas ornaments, a workshop for senior citizens sponsored by the Senior Smarts Program. 9:30 a.m. to noon, Senior Center. $5. Space is limited, register a (631) 268-5723. Pearl Harbor Day Dinner, by Freddy Ogar. 6 p.m., American Legion Hall. $20 ticket reservation preferred. Call (631) 749-1180. Friday Night Dialogues, a panel of Island residents share unique holiday memories. 7 p.m., library. (631) 749-0042. “Polar Express” pajama party, for families. Watch the movie and enjoy cocoa and cookies afterwards. 1 to 3:30 p.m. Youth Center. $2 per person. (631) 749-0309. Mashomack Holiday Reception, at Bass Creek Cottage with caroling. 2 to 5 p.m. Mulled cider, eggnog, and good cheer amid festive decorations. Nature craft activity for kids. Reserve at [email protected] or (631) 749-4219 Christmas tree lighting, benefits Historical Society. Bake sale, refreshments, ornament and cookie decorating, carolers, photo booth with Santa. 4 to 6 p.m. The Chequit. Celebration and retrospective, featuring the abstract paintings of Harald Olson. On view from 7 to 9 p.m. at the studio of David Rankin, 126 South Midway. 65th annual “Tea & Tree” celebration, for Sylvester Manor Educational Farm members, donors, volunteers and sponsors. Traditional tea service and holiday treats accompanied by lively music. 1 to 3 p.m. Sylvester Manor. Call (631) 749-0626 for details. PTSA Holiday Boutique, family shopping for school kids, Shelter Island School during school hours. Virtual reality workshop, adults learn to use computer, headset and sensors to become immersed in a virtual 3-D world. Noon. Library. Register at circulation desk. (631) 749-0042 Holiday concert, grades 8 to 12. 7:30 p.m. Shelter Island School auditorium. Holiday concert, grades Pre-K to 7. 7 p.m. Shelter Island School auditorium. “Paint by Sticker”, create calendar of masterpieces, one sticker at a time. 10 a.m. Library. $5 materials fee. Sign up at circulation desk. (631) 749-0042 Holiday Extravaganza, with visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. 1 p.m. Library. Coffee and coloring for adults, color away stress while enjoying complimentary refreshments. 1 p.m. Library. (631) 749-0042 Christmas with Santa, Shelter Island Fire Department. 1 p.m. Center firehouse. Annual holiday concert, presented by the Shelter Island Community Chorus. 3 p.m., Shelter Island Presbyterian Church. All are welcome. Free. (At Town Hall unless otherwise noted) December 7: Water Quality Improvement Advisory Board, 6 p.m. December 8: Town Board meeting, 4:30 p.m. December 11: Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board, 8:30 a.m. December 11: Library Board, 7 p.m., library community room December 11: Conservation Advisory Council, 7:30 p.m. December 12: Election of fire commissioner, 6 to 9 p.m., Center firehouse December 12: Town Board, work session, 1 p.m. December 12: Planning Board, 7:30 p.m. December 13: Town ZBA, hearing, 7:30 p.m. Adult coed drop-in basketball, Mondays and Thursdays, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Shelter Island School gym. After school arts and crafts, for grades K-5. One Friday per month, 3 to 4:30 p.m. American Legion/Youth Center. $10. (631) 749-0309. Call for dates. After school fun zone, for grades K-6. Mondays through Wednesdays, 2:45 to 5 p.m. Children accompanied by a recreational aid from school to the American Legion/Youth Center. $10. (631) 749-0309. Alcoholics Anonymous, Fridays, beginners meeting, 7:30 p.m., Presbyterian Church. Open discussion Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. St. Mary’s; Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Al-Anon, Saturdays, 10 a.m., library, St. Mary’s. Alateen, for ages 11 to 18, Tuesdays, 3 p.m., Presbyterian Church, downstairs. Alignment & Base Exercise, Wednesdays with Callie Atkins, 5:30 p.m., Recreation Department, Legion Hall, $5. American Legion, Friday night dinners with Stephanie Tybaert, Tuesdays with Michelle Beckwith, 6 p.m. For legionnaires, auxiliary members and boosters. (631) 749-1180. Art Barnett Poetry Roundtable, Tuesdays, 4 p.m., library. English as a New Language, Thursdays, 4 p.m., library. For adults. Free. Essentrics with Laury, low-impact exercise. Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m., American Legion/Youth Center. $5. Family story time, Mondays, 11:15 a.m., library. (631) 749-0042. Call for dates. Functional Fitness, with Maggie Davis. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:15 a.m. American Legion/Youth Center. $5/class. Gatehouse at Sylvester Manor, Fridays 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Kids yoga, Thursdays, 10:15 a.m., library. (631) 749-0042. Call for dates. Knitting club, Thursdays, 5 p.m., library. Mah-jongg club, Mondays, 10 a.m., library lower level. Instruction available. Stephanie Zinger (631) 749-8805. Metropolitan Opera live at Guild Hall, tickets available at library circulation desk, $15. Call (631) 749-0042 for dates. Open gym, for students in grades 6 through 12, Fridays and Saturdays, 7 to 10 p.m., Shelter Island School. (631) 749-0309. Pickle Ball, for all ages and levels, Mondays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to noon. American Legion/Youth Center. Free. PiYo, Pilates/yoga based exercise with Julie Romanchuk-Weisenberg. Thursdays, 6:30 p.m.; Tuesdays, 6 p.m. American Legion/Youth Center. $5. (516) 659-9155. Poker table, Thursdays, 1:30 to 5 p.m., Senior Activity Center. (631) 749-1059. Preschooler and parent drop-in gym, Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., Tuesdays 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. American Legion/Youth Center. $3.25. (631) 749-0309. Senior Mah-jongg, Fridays and Mondays, 1:30 to 5 p.m., Senior Activity Center, SCAC. (631) 749-1059. Senior yoga, Fridays and Mondays, 10 a.m., Senior Activity Center, Fridays $5, Mondays free. (631) 749-1059. Sensory exploration, young children play at multiple stations. Wednesdays, 11:15 a.m., library. Call (631) 749-0042 for dates. Shelter Island All-Faith Youth Group, grades 8 to 12. Wednesdays 6 to 7:30 p.m., Camp Quinipet’s welcome center. Silver Circle Social Club, Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Senior Activity Center. Call (631) 749-1059 for details. Snack Attack, young adults bring after school snacks and play games or make crafts. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., library. (631) 749-0042. Story and a craft, Saturdays, 11 a.m., library. (631) 749-0042. Call for dates. Teen Yoga, for ages 13 and up. Thursdays, 4 to 5 p.m. American Legion/Youth Center. $5. (631) 749-0309. Yoga, with Kelci McIntosh. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. All levels. American Legion/Youth Center. $5/class. Yoga, with Dawn Hedberg. Thursdays, 5 p.m. American Legion/Youth Center. Free in December with a non-perishable food item for the food pantry. $5/class beginning in January. Yoga story time, for children. One Saturday per month, 11 a.m. Call (631) 749-0042 for dates. Youth Yoga, for ages 7 to 12. Thursdays, 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. American Legion/Youth Center. $5. (631) 749-0309. Zumba, with Susan Binder, and Melanie Matz. Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. and Mondays, 5:30 p.m. American Legion/Youth Center. $5/class. Zumba Gold, with Susan Binder. Fridays, Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. American Legion/Youth Center. $5/class. “Tea & Tree” Bass Creek Cottage Friday Night Dialogues Harald Olson Mashomack Preserve Pearl Harbor Day Senior Smarts Program Shelter Island Community Chorus Shelter Island Library Sylvester Manor The Chequit A breath of spring coming to the library for next Friday Night Dialogues Winter may still have us in its tight grasp, but Tim Purtell will be giving us a glimpse of... Shelter Island Community Chorus to host annual Messiah Sing Sunday The Shelter Island Community Chorus invites one and all to the Fifth Annual Handel’s Messiah Sing, on Sunday, Jan.... Get ready to learn ‘The History of Taylor’s Island’ with P.A.T Hunt If you’re like many Shelter Islanders, you may not know where Taylor’s Island is or what role it has... Friday Night Dialogues: Jenifer Maxson to Read Dickens in a special holiday treat Fans of Tiny Tim, Ebenezer Scrooge and the rest of the timeless characters in “A Christmas Carol,” won’t want... Things to do on Shelter Island the week of Jan. 2, 2020 THIS WEEK BIRDING The Mashomack Preserve birding club will gather at the Mashomack Manor House for birding on Saturday,... Damn Tall Buildings headline bluegrass show Sylvester Manor’s 2020 Concert Series kicks off with the annual January Bluegrass show on Jan. 18 featuring Brooklyn’s Damn...

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Pioneers of the West Explainer Cards What is Saving the West? Podcast Team Get the News Report Outdoors, Policy Zinke's Flimsy Teddy Roosevelt Aspirations If he truly respects Roosevelt, why is he trying to tear down the former president's legacy? Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke compared himself to Teddy Roosevelt and talked about his love for public lands when he first announced that he was reviewing national monuments and their designations. Now, after the review has been completed and Zinke has recommended the shrinking of six existing monuments, it’s hard to take his words seriously. After all, Teddy Roosevelt’s signing of the Antiquities Act (which is what allows presidents to create national monuments in the first place) is one of his most important legacies. Zinke’s recommendations only serve to weaken that: National Monuments are, of course, an outgrowth of the Antiquities Act, which was signed into law on June 8, 1906, by President Theodore Roosevelt. The idea was simple: To preserve public lands for cultural, scientific and/or natural reasons. Roosevelt’s intention was to protect the land from private concerns, like extractive industries. Since 1906, 16 U.S. presidents have designated 157 National Monuments under that Act. The monuments have been a boon to the nation’s sportsmen because most of them allow hunting and fishing, something that fit right into the worldview of the 26th president, who was an avid sportsman. Zinke came into his office—literally, on a horse—promising to fight for public lands. That promise has not been kept. “Zinke said he was a Teddy Roosevelt guy, and he needs to be held accountable,” says Land Tawney, the president and CEO of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA). Can new bus lines chart a course to better travel options in the West? The Count Begins Mountain Lion Sighting Rare video shows 5 mountain lions together in California Sign the West Show me more... Rural Policy Urban Food Housing Air & Water Quality

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Labor Participation Rate Drops To Fresh 38 Year Low; Record 92.9 Million Americans Not In Labor Force Another month, another attempt by the BLS to mask the collapse in the US labor force with a goalseeked seasonally-adjusted surge in waiter, bartender and other low-paying jobs. Case in point: after a modest rebound by 0.1% in November, the labor participation rate just slid once more, dropping to 62.7%, or the lowest print since December 1977. This happened because the number of Americans not in the labor forced soared by 451,000 in December, far outpacing the 111,000 jobs added according to the Household Survey, and is the primary reason why the number of uenmployed Americans dropped by 383,000. Report: Baltimore Ravens team bus gets in fender-bender with Providence taxi A Baltimore TV sports reporter has tweeted that the Ravens team bus got into a minor accident with a taxi in downtown Providence. Mark Viviano, a reporter with WJZ-TV Channel 13 in Baltimore, said there we no injuries, and team members didn't even realize it had happened. President Scott Walker? Unions Start Panicking in 5…4…3… Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is rightfully feared by labor unions and the left that so heavily relies upon the deep pockets of the professional extortion rackets that, too often, serve as America’s labor unions. The Wisconsin Republican successfully stripped unions of substantial power in his state and though the left mounted a fiery recall effort, the effort failed and Gov. Walker emerged a hero of the right: a man who took on the powerful unions and won. The strong-willed Republican has long been rumored to be considering a 2016 presidential run and on Thursday, those rumors became stronger. Credit Card Debt Tumbles Most In 1 Year As US Households Resume Deleveraging Once upon a time the health of the US consumer was gauged by one simple thing: how much credit card debt did US households take on in any given month. Which makes sense: American consumers would not go out and spend on credit unless they felt strongly about their future job, income and overall wealth prospects. In simple terms, rising credit card debt was synonymous with confidence and prosperity. In recent years, however, this metric has quietly fallen out of favor with the punditry, for one simple reason: that reason is shown on the chart below, which very likely also shows where the S&P would trade if it weren't for $11 trillion in central bank liquidity injections. Country Music Star Slams Left’s Pro-Muslim Agenda AND DEFENDS Gun Owners in One AWESOME Tweet It was sadly all-too-predictable. Before the gunsmoke had cleared in Paris and as 12 brave Parisians laid dead because they refused to bend to demands to censor their speech, the left got to work to try and highlight the historical violence that has occurred on all sides of various religions. What they so often neglected to mention, however, is the fact that while the Christian crusades are over, the Muslim world’s jihad against the Western “infidels” is happening. The terrorist attack in Paris is indicative of Islam’s pattern of violent intolerance. Payday Lenders Find Loopholes in Law to Gouge Troops Payday loan firms have been exploiting loopholes in the Military Lending Act capping interest rates at 36 percent to gouge troops and their families, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) charged in a report released Monday. "The current rules under the Military Lending Act are akin to sending a soldier into battle with a flak jacket but no helmet," said Richard Cordray, the bureau's director. "To give our troops full-cover protection, the rules need to be expanded." The 36-percent rule of the legislation, which is implemented by the Defense Department and enforced by the bureau, doesn't currently apply to payday loans with initial terms in excess of 91 days, or to auto title loans in which the covered duration is less than 181 days. "This means creditors can easily avoid the Act's interest rate cap by simply making the initial term of a payday loan longer than three months," the report said. Unscrupulous lenders can also get around the auto loan provisions of the Act by making the contract term for an auto title loan longer than 181 days. HARRIS, RUBIO FIGHT TO PREVENT TAXPAYER BAILOUT OF OBAMACARE WASHINGTON, DC: Today, Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) and Senator Marco Rubio (FL) introduced the “Obamacare Taxpayer Bailout Prevention Act” in the House and Senate, which will repeal section 1342 of the President’s health care law to stop bailouts of insurance companies. Section 1342 of Obamacare allows the President to use taxpayer dollars to bailout insurance companies if they lose money on the sale of insurance plans to Americans through the Obamacare exchanges. “The American people should not have to shoulder the burden of the President’s failed health care plan and bailout insurance companies, while millions across the country have lost their coverage and seen increased health care costs. President Obama continues to sit back and force taxpayers to foot the bill for a law that is crippling the economy, killing jobs, and weakening health care in the United States,” said Dr. Harris. “Section 1342 is just another example of presidential overreach and the President’s complete disregard for the Constitution. Its repeal will protect taxpayers from future costs brought on by his disastrous law.” Stewart Mocks NYPD Slowdown: ‘To Protect and Serve’ Now ‘To Chill and Reflect’ Jon Stewart tonight addressed the tension between NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD. And he couldn’t resist making fun of the NYPD slowdown, or as he put it, “a public safety staycation.” In fact, Stewart said, “to serve and protect” has now been changed to “to chill and reflect.” Then correspondent Jason Jones took to the streets to show off “the new New York,” where you can drink outside, park wherever the hell you want, make a drug deal just feet away from a cop, and even sell illegal DVDs on the street or punch the crap out of a dude in an Elmo suit. All of which he did. Watch the video below, via Comedy Central: California newspaper office vandalized over use of 'illegal' immigrant label A California newspaper will continue to use the term "illegals" to describe people who enter the U.S. without permission, despite an attack on its building by vandals believed to object to the term. The Santa Barbara News-Press's front entrance was sprayed with the message "The border is illegal, not the people who cross it" in red paint, sometime either Wednesday night or early Thursday, according to the newspaper's director of operations, Donald Katich. The attack came amid wider objections to a News-Press headline that used the word "illegals" alongside a story on California granting driver's licenses to people in the country illegally. "It is an appropriate term in describing someone as “illegal” if they are in this country illegally." - Statement from Santa Barbara News-Press Pres. Admin. Attempting to 'Redistribute' Teachers President Obama is attempting to redistribute high quality teachers to low-income neighborhoods. States will be required to submit plans to address teacher distribution by April of 2015 in exchange for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waivers. Of 41 states approved for NCLB waivers, 35 are currently eligible to request extensions. There is new data out from the Education Department that shows differences in children’s access to fully qualified and experienced teachers. In Pennsylvania, for instance, more than 20 percent of teachers are unlicensed in the schools with the largest concentration of minority students. In largely white schools, just 0.2 percent of teachers lack a license, the data show. In New York, students in high-poverty schools are nearly three times more likely to have a rookie teacher and 22 times more likely to have an unlicensed teacher than their peers in more affluent schools, according to Politico. Whether one agrees or disagrees with this initiative, there are reasons why it's unlikely to be successfully implemented. Worcester County Briefs 01/09/2015 The Worcester County Commissioners also discussed the following issues during their most recent regular meeting. Solid waste overview EA Consulting provided the commissioners with a snapshot “state of the union” presentation highlighting the county’s solid waste program. The overview explained how the current system operates and what measures will need to be taken in the short and long term to sustain it. Did You Visit One of These 6 Major Websites Last Week? If So, You Might Have a Virus The Huffington Post, along with several other major websites, displayed advertisements laced with malware in late December through early January, according to an Internet security company. According to cyber-security firm Cyphort, their labs detected an infection on Huffington Post Canada on Dec. 31 that was confirmed on the main U.S. edition of the news website on Jan. 3. The ad, from an AOL ad-network, was displayed and ultimately directed users to an “exploit kit” that deployed a trojan virus. Md. Falls From Top Of School Rankings But Leads Mid-Atlantic A new report says Maryland fell two spots from leading the nation in school performance, though it's still ahead of the rest of the Mid-Atlantic region and most of the country. Education Week's Quality Counts report ranked Maryland No. 3, down from its spot at No. 1 between 2009 and 2013. Massachusetts and New Jersey topped the list. Citing state officials and Education Week, The Baltimore Sun reports that Maryland's downgrade is because of a change in the ranking criteria, not a performance dip. ISIS HACKER GROUP ‘CYBER CALIPHATE’ UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR HACKING US NEWS ORGANIZATIONS A hacking collective that goes by the name “Cyber Caliphate” and claims to be affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS, ISIL, IS) terrorist group has hacked two news organizations in the United States–one in Maryland and one in Albuquerque–and threatens many more similar breaches of privacy in coming months. The New York Daily News reports that the group hacked into the Twitter accounts of both news organizations, the Albuquerque Journal and Maryland’s WBOC 16 television stations, posting private information on Tuesday morning. The hackers replaced the Twitter backgrounds with jihadist designs with their name on it and published what the newspaper described as “several confidental [sic] documents including driver’s licenses, corrections records and spreadsheets with hundreds of names and addresses.” The art on the Albuquerque paper’s Twitter page read, “I love you ISIS.” Investigator: NFL Should Have Sought More Info In Rice Case Former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III conducted a four-month long investigation in which he found no evidence that the NFL received the in-elevator video before its public release. “We found no evidence that anyone at the NFL had or saw the in-elevator video before it was publicly shown. We also found no evidence that a woman at the NFL acknowledged receipt of that video in a voicemail message on April 9, 2014," Mueller said in a statement. “We concluded there was substantial information about the incident – even without the in-elevator video – indicating the need for a more thorough investigation. The NFL should have done more with the information it had, and should have taken additional steps to obtain all available information about the February 15 incident.” Judge in Jesse Matthew case won't let cameras in courtroom FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) - A judge has rejected a request from news organizations to allow cameras at the upcoming attempted murder trial of Jesse Matthew in Fairfax County. Matthew is also charged in Charlottesville with the abduction of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, whose remains were found last year after an extensive search. In Fairfax, Matthew is charged in connection to a 2005 sexual assault. Boston chosen over D.C. as U.S. candidate for 2024 Summer Olympics DENVER, Colo. (AP) - The U.S. Olympic Committee chose Boston to bid for the 2024 Games in an attempt to bring the Summer Olympics to America after a 28-year gap. During a daylong meeting at the Denver airport, USOC board members chose Boston over Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, all of which have been lobbying to become the American choice for more than a year. Boston joins Rome as the only other city that has officially decided to bid. Germany will submit either Hamburg or Berlin, with France and Hungary among those also considering bids. The International Olympic Committee will award the Games in 2017. Powellville Vol. Fire Co. Annual Bull and Oyster Roast UNA ANNOUNCES DEADLINE FOR LISS GRANT “ROUND TWO” APPLICATION ASSISTANCE SALISBURY, MD. The Low Intensity Support Services grant, better known as “LISS”, are grant funds made available from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene with oversights from the Developmental Disabilities Administration. The application period for the 2nd round of funds available is from January 1 – 31, 2015. United Needs & Abilities has been allocated $532,000 in LISS grants to Maryland residents with intellectual developmental disabilities. Funds will be distributed based on a lottery system. Completed applications must be received at United Needs & Abilities by January 31, 2015. For more information about this program or to obtain an application, call Anita Disbrow, Support Program Specialist/LISS Coordinator at 410-543-0665 ext.118. Applications may be mailed or hand delivered to UNA, 688 East Main Street, Salisbury, MD 21804 but must be received by January 31, 2015. SFD Calls For Service 1-8-15 Thursday January, 8 2015 @ 23:13Nature: Medical EmergencyCity:Salisbury Thursday January, 8 2015 @ 21:13 Nature: Flood With Electrical HazardsAddress: 203 Kinsdale Ct Salisbury, MD 21801 Ohio museum apologizes for gunman figure in Lego model city A central Ohio art museum has apologized after a visitor examining a Lego model of Columbus noticed it included a Lego figure with a gun pointing at the front door of the model police station. It wasn't part of the design for the exhibit at the Columbus Museum of Art, and it upset the Columbus firefighter who spotted it a week after two New York policemen were gunned down in their patrol car. Teaching Children How to Think Instead of What to Think Right now our education system is doing more to indoctrinate our children than to educate them. In fact, that has been the case for quite some time. Our young minds are being told to accept authority as truth instead of truth as authority, and teachers talk at the students instead of with them. Teachers have become repeaters of information. They are merely regurgitating everything they once learned from their own teachers, and perpetuating the recycling of information; information that has managed to evade scrutiny for generations. Children are no longer the masters of their own learning, and instead, their minds are being treated as storage containers. You're more likely to be murdered, raped or robbed in ALASKA than any state The latest national crime statistics show there's more to fear than just bears in Alaska. The Land of the Midnight Sun tops the country as the state with the most violent crimes, according to the FBI's recently-released Unified Crime Report for 2013. Violent crimes include murder, rape, aggravated assault and robbery and they happen at a much higher rate in Alaska than the bustling city of Los Angeles. Though the violent crime rate dropped an extraordinary 4.4 per cent across the country in 2013, the top 10 most dangerous states remained pretty much the same - with Arkansas replacing Oklahoma to enter the list. 'Every single French Jew I know has left Paris' says editor Jews are fleeing terror-hit Paris because of growing anti-Semitism in France, one of Britain's most influential Jewish journalists said today. Stephen Pollard, editor of the Jewish Chronicle, spoke out after an Islamic terrorist took six people hostage and held them captive in a Kosher supermarket in the French Capital. Mr Pollard says the current terror attack in Paris, linked the the massacre of 12 people at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, will force more French Jews to flee the country. Many are moving to Britain or to Israel, according to a report published in the newspaper last year. He said the fact that a terrorist had chosen to target a Jewish store was no 'fluke'. BREAKING NEWS: Paris hostage situations end, 3 terrorists dead, reports of fatalities among hostages French police kill 2 Islamic terrorists wanted for massacre of 12 people at Paris satirical magazine, hostage freed; Islamic terrorist holding hostages at Paris kosher deli also killed by police, conflicting reports say three -- maybe four -- hostages dead. Martin Armstrong Asks "Are We Headed Into Fascism?" Banks in the USA now are required to report any wire of $3,000 or more and any cash withdraw as well. If you want to withdraw $5,000 in cash, you have to now fill out a form. Your money is no longer yours. Big Brother and his entire Family is now here to stay. Little by little, government needs money so desperately to keep funding their pensions at the expense of the people that they have now put in place a stranglehold on the global economy. This is setting the stage for the worst economic decline since the birth of Capitalism during the 14th century. It does not get any worse than this. They are destroying everything that has been built in a fraction of the time it took to create it. This is what happens when lawyers control the state. They know how to write laws, but not run a country. Our crisis is simply Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand. Government also acts only in its self-interest and therein lies the problem. They are INCAPABLE of even contemplating that what they are doing is killing the world economy. Maryland Public Schools Salary Schedules 2013-2014 Police, probation officials heighten security after suspected gang threat Law enforcement officials in Baltimore moved Wednesday to increase protection of officers and others who work in the city's police stations. They suspended a program that brought violent offenders into police facilities, and they put armed officers at the front desks of every station. They ordered the measures a day after police said officers wrestled a loaded gun from a man who had come to the Northeastern District station for a meeting with a probation agent. The man told detectives that Black Guerrilla Family gang leaders had ordered him to bring the gun in to test police security. Jason Armstrong, 29, faces several gun and drug charges. He remained in a Baltimore City jail without bail Wednesday. Why do McDonald's and Taco Bell meals appear 'fresh' after YEARS in the open air? A doctor's office left a McDonald's cheeseburger and fries along with a Taco Bell chicken taco in the open-air for two years to monitor what happened. The answer? Not a lot. As the fast-food approaches its two-year anniversary on the counter of the chiropractors' surgery in Waterford, Michigan, the meals appear weirdly unchanged - with no decay and no funky smells. Dr Jacqueline Vaughn, of Vaughn Chiropractic, told Daily Mail Online on Wednesday that she hoped to make people think about what they were putting in their bodies - especially her fast-food loving younger patients. Rutherford Institute Defends 4-Year-Old Pre-Schooler Who Was Handcuffed, Shackled and Transported to Police Station for Allegedly Acting Up in Class STANARDSVILLE, Va. — The Rutherford Institute has come to the aid of a four-year-old Virginia student who, after allegedly acting up in class, was turned over to police, who handcuffed and shackled the preschooler and transported him to the sheriff’s office. While at the sheriff’s office, the police forced C.B., the four-year-old, to speak with prison inmates in an apparent attempt to “scare straight” the preschooler. The child was left in handcuffs or shackles for about 20 minutes. Pointing out that handcuffing and shackling a four-year-old is excessive, unwarranted, and unnecessarily traumatizing, attorneys for The Rutherford Institute have asked that public school officials take steps to assure the child’s family and the rest of the community of parents and concerned citizens that what happened to C.B. will not happen again to him or other students of similar age. Specifically, Institute attorneys have asked that protocols be established to guide school personnel and allow them to deal more appropriately with students who are acting up or have become upset, preventing such incidents from escalating to the point where use of law enforcement is considered an option. “That it was a sheriff’s deputy and not a public school official who handcuffed and shackled this four-year-old does not detract from the fact that this mother entrusted her son to the care of school officials, trusting them to care for him as she would, with compassion, understanding and patience,” said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and author of A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State. “That such extreme restraints would even be contemplated in a case such as this points to a failure by those in leadership to provide the proper guidance to school personnel in what forms of restraint and force are appropriate when dealing with students, especially the youngest and most vulnerable.” Study: Mideast Immigrants to US Pose Huge Security Threat A new study shows that the number of immigrants in the United States jumped 3 percent in three years — to a record 41.3 million in 2013 — and that the nearly 300,000 who came from Muslim countries pose a major national security threat, the report's co-author told Newsmax on Thursday. "All of that does raise national security concerns, and I don't think there has been any consideration of that," said Steven Camarota, research director for the Center for Immigration Studies. The Washington-based nonprofit organization released the study on Thursday. It is based on an analysis of Census data from 2010 to last year. Camarota conducted the study and co-authored it with CIS demographer Karen Zeigler. "The primary threat from a group like ISIS to the homeland is through our immigration system," Camarota said, referring to the Islamic State terrorist group that has beheaded three Westerners in recent weeks. "No one's suggesting that they're going to launch a missile and hit New York, but rather they're going to board an airliner and blow it up," he added. "They're going to park a car in a public place, they're going to go on a shooting spree, or any one of those things. When Rebuilt, Berlin Library Will Relocate To Nearby Site Purchased By County For $430K BERLIN – Planning is underway for a new Berlin library to be built on Harrison Avenue. Mark Thomas, director of the Worcester County Library, said land for the new building has been purchased and an architect has started putting together details of the building and its features. “It’s the basic planning of the building and where it sits on the site,” Thomas said. Worcester County purchased a 6.11-acre piece of land on Harrison Avenue for $430,000 last year, according to Kim Moses, the county’s public information officer. In the fall, county officials accepted a proposal from architect Jeff Schoellkopf and JSD Inc. of The Design Group to perform pre-design services at a cost of $39,000. Thomas said that work was expected to last another month or two, after which library officials will seek funding for a complete building design. Troopers Arrest Georgetown Woman for 6th Offense DUI Georgetown, DE - The Delaware State Police have arrested a Georgetown woman after she was found to be operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol for the 6thtime. The incident occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m. Thursday January 8, 2015 as a trooper parked stationary in the parking lot of the Delaware State Police Federal Credit Union observed a red Chevrolet Trailblazer completely stopped facing northbound on Donovans Road north of North Bedford Street. The trooper observed the vehicle accelerate rapidly causing the tires to spin before a traffic stop was initiated on the SUV in a private driveway a short distance away. Contact was then made with the operator, Ginger L. Velasquez,34 of Georgetown, and an odor of alcohol was detected. A DUI investigation ensued and Velasquez was taken into custody and transported back to Troop 4. A computer check revealed she had five previous DUI convictions (01/18/02, 07/18/05, two convictions on 09/20/11, and 02/01/12); this arrest would make #6. Ginger Velasquez was charged with 6th Offense Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Driving While Suspended or Revoked, and Spinning Tires. She was arraigned at JP3 and committed to Delores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution on $5,600.00 cash bond. BREAKING NEWS: Gunfire, explosions at site where Paris massacre suspects holding hostage Gunfire and explosions have been heard at the print plant northeast of Paris where police have cornered two Paris massacre suspects holding hostage. New York family left homeless after 18 police agencies destroy entire home while serving DUI warrant A New York family has been left homeless after law enforcement agencies effectively destroyed their entire house in the process of serving a warrant for a DUI. The Ithaca Journal reported this week that 36-year-old David M. Cady Jr. had died after being barricaded in his home for three days. After Cady missed court dates for a DUI over the summer, a warrant had been issued, and the Tompkins County Sheriff Ken Lansing said that the suspect was convinced that he would go to jail. Authorities said that they had reason to believe that Cady had been traveling to Pennsylvania to purchase ammunition so he would be ready when deputies arrived. Deputies attempted to serve the warrant at around 7 p.m. on Dec. 30, which led to a three day standoff with Cady. Autopsy results later indicated that Cady died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The suspect’s wife, Melissa, and two sons were not harmed. Video that began circulating on Tuesday showed the damage caused to the Cady home when the 18 law enforcement agencies decided to go in after the suspect. Additional Document - 01/12/15 - Council Meeting - Ordinance No. 2310 Good afternoon all, Please see the attached document, *REVISED ORD. NO. 2310 (COUNCIL CHANGES REDLINED) FOR 1/12/15 PUBLIC HEARING,* which should be reviewed in conjunction with Ord. No. 2310 that was approved by the Planning Commission on 12/22/14 and included in the Agenda Packet. Salisbury City Council Meeting Agenda and Packet For 1-12-15 Fire And Multiple Explosions At A Delaware Storage Facility This Morning Post by Lower Delaware Breaking News. Soldiers Die in Vain “In 1814 we took a little trip Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip. We took a little bacon and we took a little beans And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans.” The Battle of New Orleans ended with an American victory on January 8, 1815. The last major battle of the War of 1812, it made former congressman and future president Andrew Jackson a national hero. The United States had declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812. Of the five occasions when the United States issued a declaration of war (the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, & World War II), it was the closest vote in Congress to declare war. The only thing that most Americans know about the War of 1812 is that the British burned the White House and Capitol building in August of 1814. I shudder to think how few Americans know that “The Star-Spangled Banner” was written by Francis Scott Key during the British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. The Battle of New Orleans will no doubt be commemorated on this its 200th anniversary. But there is just one problem with the Battle of New Orleans: the War of 1812 was already over. Strange metal found in shipwreck may be proof of Atlantis A mythical metal said by ancient Greeks to be found in the lost city of Atlantis has been recovered from a ship that sunk 2,600 years ago off the coast of Sicily. Marine archaeologists found 39 ingots of what they believe is 'orichalcum' on the sandy seabed among the wreck of a trading vessel that sank 1,000 feet off the coast of the town of Gela, in sourthern Sicily. The wreck is the fifth ancient ship to be recovered off the coast of the town. There Are No Limits on Government A British author, residing in the United States for the past 30 years, created a small firestorm earlier this week with his candid observations that modern-day Americans have been duped by the government into accepting a European-style march toward socialism because we fail to appreciate the rich legacy of personal liberty that is everyone’s birthright and is expressly articulated in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Os Guinness, the author of more than a dozen books defending traditional Judeo-Christian values and Jeffersonian personal liberty, argued that we should embrace individual liberty and personal dignity and reject the “no givens, no rules, no limits” government we now have. He went on to opine that the government today is not the constitutionally restrained protector of personal freedoms the Framers left us, but rather has become the wealth-distributing protector of collective interests the Founding Fathers never could have imagined. Yet the problem is a deep one. The Framers believed in the presumption of liberty, which declares that we are free to make personal choices, and the government cannot interfere with our liberties unless we violate the rights of others. Stated differently, the federal government cannot interfere with our personal choices by writing any law it wants; it can only regulate behavior or spend money when the Constitution authorizes it to do so. 2015: Everything Can Be Fixed By Printing More Money To question money-printing as the one-size-fits-all solution to every economic problem is to question the power structure of the status quo. It is tiresomely obvious that we live in an era dominated by the idea that virtually all economic difficulties can be fixed by printing more money. There are various means of distributing the new money, but the dominant ideology is really very simple:whatever the problem might be, the solution is to print more money and/or issue more credit. If the problem persists, clearly, we didn't print enough money/credit. That such a simplistic formula might not work cannot be questioned, as money-printing is the source of all political and financial power. To question money-printing as the one-size-fits-all solution to every economic problem is to question the power structure of the status quo. And that, of course, is not allowed. Today's essay on money-printing and power was written by longtime contributor/essayist Jeff W. Jeff titled his commentary How You Can Tell If You Are Living under the Rule of Money Printers. How You Can Tell If You Are Living under the Rule of Money Printers by Jeff W. Touch Screen Votes No More For Md. SNOW HILL — With the 2014 mid-term election in the books and preparations for the 2016 General Election already underway, voters in the state will have to adjust to another change in the voting system the next time around. Late last month, the State of Maryland inked a $28 million-plus contract with a Nebraska company to replace the existing touch-screen voting system with an innovative and secure paper ballot scanning and vote tabulation system. After concerns were raised with security and accuracy of the paperless touch-screen system following the election in November, the state has contracted with Elections Systems and Software LLC to switch back to a paper ballot system for 2016 and beyond. As a result, jurisdictions all over the state including Worcester County will make the switch back to a paper ballot system. Worcester County Board of Elections Director Patti Jackson said this week her department is already preparing for the change. Activist critical of police undergoes use of force scenarios PHOENIX (KSAZ) - We've seen protests all across the country after police officers have been accused of shooting people who aren't armed. But what would happen if one of those protesters looked at what it's like to wear a badge, and be put in a life or death situation. Jarrett Maupin has been very vocal during the recent protests, leading marches on the Phoenix Police headquarters after officers shot an unarmed man who reportedly fought with them. He agreed to go through a force on force training with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and went through three scenarios where you have to decide to shoot, or not to shoot. Scenario one is a call of a man casing cars in a parking lot. Maupin approached the man and started asking questions. The suspect in the drill shot Maupin, who was asking him what kind of car he drove. It happens that fast. FOX 10 asked him when he thought it was time for him to address the scenario with the use of force. "When he came to the back of the vehicle and started hiding, I could sense something was wrong," said Jarrett Maupin. Scenario two is a call of two men fighting. "What's going on today gentlemen, what are you doing?" he said. He fired at the suspect in the scenario. FOX 10 asked him why he shot the suspect. "Hey, he rushed me... I shot because he was in that zone, I didn't see him armed, he came clearly to do some harm to my person," said Maupin. "It's hard to make that call; it shakes you up." Sean Renfro hailed by black family as ‘guardian angel’ after he died helping them DENVER — It didn’t matter to Chauncey and Kenneth Tate that Sgt. Sean Renfro was white, just like it didn’t matter to him that they weren’t. What matters is that Jefferson County Sheriff’s Sgt. Renfro, 40, gave his life Saturday to help rescue the Tate siblings and Chauncey’s 9-month-old son Angus after their SUV slid into the side of a mountain during a Colorado snowstorm. The juxtaposition of Sgt. Renfro’s death and national news coverage depicting officers as threats to the black community wasn’t lost on the Tates’ father, Derwood Tate, pastor of the Upper Room Church in Lakewood, Colorado. “There’s been a lot of bad publicity lately,” Mr. Tate told The Washington Times. “Sgt. Renfro was Caucasian and we’re African-Americans, but he died protecting my kids.” Mr. Tate is black and his wife, Nancy Tate, is Hispanic. Their children, one of whom is adopted, are both black and Hispanic. Teenager Pleads Guilty in Beating Death of WWII Veteran A 17-year-old pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder in the beating death of 88-year-old Delbert Belton, a World War II veteran who survived the battle of Okinawa but was killed in a robbery outside a Washington state bar in 2013. Kenan Adams-Kinard pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in exchange for two lesser charges being dropped. He faces a standard sentence of 20 to 27 years in prison when he is sentenced at a later date. Adams-Kinard and Demetruis Glenn were both 16 when they were charged with severely beating Belton in his car on Aug. 21, 2013, during a robbery. The veteran died of his injuries the next day. Forensic Pathologist Cyril Wecht SHUTS DOWN All Nonsense in Michael Brown Case Man Gets One Year In Jail For 11th DUI Arrest SNOW HILL — A Selbyville man, characterized by prosecutors this week as “perhaps the most dangerous driver” in Worcester County, was found guilty of driving while impaired this week and sentenced to one year in jail for his 11th drunk-driving arrest. A Worcester County Circuit Court jury deliberated for about a half an hour on Wednesday before returning a guilty verdict for driving while impaired for Gerald Lusby, 42, of Selbyville. The jury had the option of convicting Lusby on the lesser driving while impaired charge or driving under the influence, a more serious offense that carries stiffer penalties in terms of jail time, fines and probation. What the jury did not know and could not have known when it went back to deliberate is that it was Lusby’s 11th drunk-driving arrest in a span dating back to 1991. After the jury returned the guilty verdict for driving while impaired, Executive Assistant State’s Attorney William McDermott made that information available just prior to the sentencing phase. BREAKING NEWS: SECOND HOSTAGE SITUATION IN PARIS Paris police are responding to dual hostage situations: one at a kosher market in eastern Paris where five hostages were being held by a gunman, and a second at a printing facility about 25 miles from the city where the suspects in the Charlie Hebdo magazine attack are surrounded by police. Thank God Its Friday 1-9-15 What will you be doing this weekend? Sony Password Hogan Taps Former Rival For Cabinet There are some familiar names in the latest list of cabinet picks by Governor-elect Larry Hogan. Hogan named the four appointments at a news conference today. David Craig served from 2005-2014 as Harford County Executive, and he finished second to Larry Hogan in last year's Republican primary. Craig is Governor-elect Hogan's choice to be the secretary of the Department of Planning. Wouldn't it be great if we could put ourselves in the dryer for ten minutes, come out wrinkle-free and three sizes smaller? Last year I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven't met yet... I don't trip over things, I do random gravity checks! I don't need anger management. I need people to stop pissing me off! Old age is coming at a really bad time! When I was a child I thought Nap Time was a punishment... now, as a grown up, it just feels like a small vacation! The biggest lie I tell myself is... "I don't need to write that down, I'll remember it." Lord grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can & the friends to post my bail when I finally snap! I don't have gray hair. I have "wisdom highlights". I'm just very wise. My people skills are just fine. It's my tolerance to idiots that needs work. Teach your daughter how to shoot, because a restraining order is just a piece of paper. If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would've put them on my knees. The kids text me "plz" which is shorter than please. I text back "no" which is shorter than "yes". I'm going to retire and live off of my savings. Not sure what I'll do that second week. When did it change from "We the people" to "screw the people"? I've lost my mind and I'm pretty sure my wife took it! Even duct tape can't fix stupid... but it can muffle the sound! Why do I have to press one for English when you're just gonna transfer me to someone I can't understand anyway? Of course I talk to myself, sometimes I need expert advice. Oops! Did I roll my eyes out loud? At my age "Getting lucky" means walking into a room and remembering what I came in there for. Chocolate comes from cocoa which is a tree... that makes it a plant which means... chocolate is Salad!!! Now don't you feel better with all this new wisdom? Video: Wicomico County Council Meeting 1-6-15 Video Courtesy of Pac14 First Steps in Starting Your Own Business When: January 21, 2015 5:30-7:00 p.m. Where: One Stop Job Market, Conf. Room #025 31901 Tri-County Way Salisbury, MD 21804 Registration: Pre-registration is required. To pre-register or for more information regarding this course or other general inquiries, please contact Lisa Twilley, Outreach Coordinator Of Maryland Capital Enterprises by telephone: 410-546-1900 or via email: ltwilley@marylandcapital.org. Sign up Online at www.marylandcapital.org Course Fee: FREE Decide if entrepreneurship is for you. Find out about pros and cons of small business ownership, what skills and resources are needed, State of Maryland requirements to start a business, why is the credit important, why a business plan is needed. *This class is offered every third Wednesday of the month at the same location and time. Hoosiers and Michiganders See Gains Since Roll Back of Union Bosses’ Special Privileges As the National Right to Work Newsletter reports in detail elsewhere in this issue (see the article starting on page eight), state public officials who helped pass the two most recent Right to Work laws in Indiana and Michigan and/or promised to help keep these laws on the books were rewarded by voters on November 4. Many of the Hoosiers and Michiganders who lobbied for enactment of their state Right to Work laws and continue vigilantly fighting to protect them from Big Labor attacks have always believed their states would benefit economically from rolling back union bosses’ special privileges. And more and more data are now coming out that indicate Right to Work is indeed furnishing much needed boosts for employees and businesses in the two Midwestern states. One compelling example pertains to manufacturing employment. Want an Easy Way To Feel Better? If you are still searching for a great health related New Year’s resolution, consider giving up white flour and products made from it. You might be amazed at how much better you feel.White flour made from refined wheat is one of the most common food allergens today. Almost everybody who lives in the United States has some sensitivity to white flour and / or wheat. Wheat used to be considered the staff of life, but now, thanks to processing, it is a dead and detrimental food. When you compare white flour to the wheat berry, processing removes 66 percent of the B vitamins, 70 percent of the minerals, 79 percent of the fiber, and 19 percent of the protein. What is left is a “food” that forces the body to rob itself of essential minerals in order to be digested. Once these mineral stores are depleted, the “food” will ferment into the perfect environment for yeast, bacteria and parasites to grow, leading to indigestion, gas and bloating. One of the biggest reasons to not eat white flour and products made from white flour is that it tends to cause inflammation in the intestinal tract which leads to a condition known as leaky gut. Leaky gut is the precursor to many of the autoimmune disorders that are becoming more common. These include chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia – both of which have been shown to improve when wheat is excluded from the diet. Arthritis and acid indigestion are some other conditions that can improve greatly when wheat is removed from the diet. Allergies from airborne substances such as pollen, dust and pet dander also benefit from restricting wheat as do conditions such as eczema and diverticulitis. MCE Women's Business Center hosts 2nd Annual Women in Business Conference 2015 Swap & Shop Ladies Night! Tuesday, January 20th at 6:30pm... SoBo's is bringing back the SWAP & SHOP! Only $45* per person, Reservations Required. Four Course Dinner w/ Wine & Cocktails... 1) "Meatless" Antipasto Cheese Dip (Roasted Red Peppers, Olives, Artisan Bread, Grilled Asparagus, Pickles) 2) Endive Salad (Winter Salad) - Apples, Pecans, Tomatoes, Lemon-Pepper Vinaigrette 3) Grilled Portabella w/ Chimichurri & Shaved Parm, Cauliflower Mash w/ Cheddar Cheese, Roasted Brussels, & Potato Hash 4) "Whole" Apple Pie ala Mode w/ Local Ice Cream Don't miss out on our SWAP SHOP NIGHT... Bring 1-3 items for trade... new or gently used. Purses, Jewelry, Scarves, Giftware & Accessories! "Swap" your unwanted items, for something new! Call today for reservations... 410.219.1117 www.SobosWineBeerstro.com *Tax & Gratuity Not Included. First haunting pictures emerge of AirAsia plane on the sea floor Eerie photographs have shown the wreckage of AirAsia flight QZ8501 lying on the bottom of the Java Sea. Images show pieces of the jet including what appears to be the tail fin showing the AirAsia logo and possibly an interior section of the cabin. Divers and an unmanned underwater vehicle spotted the missing plane's tail. It's here that also usually houses the 'black box' flight data recorders which will be crucial to determining the cause of the crash. The haunting pictures revealed on Wednesday come as Indonesian aviation authorities denied officials took bribes to allow airlines to alter their flight schedules amid allegations some were paid to approve unscheduled take-offs, including that of crashed AirAsia flight QZ8501. ABC News reported that Bambang Soelitsyo, the chief of Basarnas, Indonesia's search and rescue agency, confirmed that recovery teams found the tail of the plane in the Java Sea. 'We have successfully obtained part of the plane that has been our target. The tail portion has been confirmed found,' he said. ▼ January (1859) Labor Participation Rate Drops To Fresh 38 Year Lo... Report: Baltimore Ravens team bus gets in fender-b... President Scott Walker? Unions Start Panicking in ... Credit Card Debt Tumbles Most In 1 Year As US Hous... Country Music Star Slams Left’s Pro-Muslim Agenda ... Payday Lenders Find Loopholes in Law to Gouge Troo... HARRIS, RUBIO FIGHT TO PREVENT TAXPAYER BAILOUT OF... Stewart Mocks NYPD Slowdown: ‘To Protect and Serve... California newspaper office vandalized over use of... Pres. Admin. Attempting to 'Redistribute' Teachers... Did You Visit One of These 6 Major Websites Last W... Md. Falls From Top Of School Rankings But Leads Mi... ISIS HACKER GROUP ‘CYBER CALIPHATE’ UNDER INVESTIG... Investigator: NFL Should Have Sought More Info In ... Judge in Jesse Matthew case won't let cameras in c... Boston chosen over D.C. as U.S. candidate for 2024... Powellville Vol. Fire Co. Annual Bull and Oyster R... UNA ANNOUNCES DEADLINE FOR LISS GRANT “ROUND TWO” ... Ohio museum apologizes for gunman figure in Lego m... Teaching Children How to Think Instead of What to ... You're more likely to be murdered, raped or robbed... 'Every single French Jew I know has left Paris' sa... BREAKING NEWS: Paris hostage situations end, 3 ter... Martin Armstrong Asks "Are We Headed Into Fascism?... Maryland Public Schools Salary Schedules 2013-2014... Police, probation officials heighten security afte... Why do McDonald's and Taco Bell meals appear 'fres... Rutherford Institute Defends 4-Year-Old Pre-School... Study: Mideast Immigrants to US Pose Huge Security... When Rebuilt, Berlin Library Will Relocate To Near... Troopers Arrest Georgetown Woman for 6th Offense D... BREAKING NEWS: Gunfire, explosions at site where P... New York family left homeless after 18 police agen... Additional Document - 01/12/15 - Council Meeting -... Salisbury City Council Meeting Agenda and Packet F... Fire And Multiple Explosions At A Delaware Storage... Strange metal found in shipwreck may be proof of A... 2015: Everything Can Be Fixed By Printing More Mon... Activist critical of police undergoes use of force... Sean Renfro hailed by black family as ‘guardian an... Teenager Pleads Guilty in Beating Death of WWII Ve... Forensic Pathologist Cyril Wecht SHUTS DOWN All No... Hoosiers and Michiganders See Gains Since Roll Bac... MCE Women's Business Center hosts 2nd Annual Women... First haunting pictures emerge of AirAsia plane on...

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Madeleine A. Ball Nerf This: Copyright Highly Creative Video Game Streams as Sports Broadcasts Since the 1980s, video games have grown exponentially as an entertainment medium. Once relegated to the niche subcultures of nerds, video games are now decidedly mainstream, drawing over 200 million American consumers yearly. As a result, the industry has stepped up its game. No longer simply a diversion to be enjoyed individually, Americans are increasingly watching others play video games like they might watch television. This practice, where enthusiastic gamers broadcast their video game session online to crowds of viewers, is called “live streaming.” While streaming has become lucrative and popular, American copyright law currently nerfs this nascent industry. Streams are considered unauthorized derivative works, mere adaptations of whichever video game the streamer plays. Therefore, little copyright protection is typically extended to video game streams. As a result, game developers can wield take-down notices with impunity, erasing a streamer’s online content and, with it, their income. However, a potential remedy lies in finding streamers the independent authors of their original online videos, affording them full copyright protection. No court has directly addressed the novel, twenty-first-century issue of copyrighting video game streams, meaning the possibility hangs in a grey area of insufficient legal precedent. For example, the last time the courts considered authorship in video game performance, the games in question were simple, two-dimensional arcade games. Today, many modern, competitive video games have little in common with those simplistic games, featuring infinite play combinations or algorithm-generated worlds that are virtually limitless. As such, the legal analysis of authorship and originality in those 1980s cases would be entirely inapplicable to today’s video game technology. Additionally, while the courts have held video game player performances to be uncopyrightable (based upon those 1980s arcade games), the courts have not looked at video game streams from a modern, twenty-first-century perspective: as broadcasts. Broadcasts are copyrightable audiovisual works that contain player performances, made protectable by originality in the camera work. Initially only discussed in the context of traditional sports broadcasts, there are compelling arguments that video game streams resemble sports broadcasts more than arcade performances in the eyes of copyright law. Viewed from such a lens, streamers could be considered as making their own sports broadcast, dictating what their viewers see—effectively becoming the cameramen for their own “sports” player performances. This Note proposes that video game streams are copyrightable audiovisual works and, as full-fledged original works of authorship, should be afforded protection under the Copyright Act of 1976. Part I of this Note will review the current state of the streaming industry and esports, as well as the case law most applicable to video game copyright disputes. Part II will argue in favor of the copyrightability of streams as audiovisual works, or, more specifically, as original broadcasts containing copyrightable player performances. Finally, Part III will address potential counterarguments such as that Midway Manufacturing Co. v. Artic International, Inc. bars stream copyright, or that streams are classified as merely derivative works or public performances of preexisting video games. Madeleine A. Ball, Nerf This: Copyright Highly Creative Video Game Streams as Sports Broadcasts, 61 Wm. & Mary L. 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« Height of emission of OLR and DLR Heat Transfer Basics and Non-Radiative Atmospheres » Convection, Venus, Thought Experiments and Tall Rooms Full of Gas – A Discussion August 16, 2010 by scienceofdoom During a discussion about Venus (Venusian Mysteries), Leonard Weinstein suggested a thought experiment that prompted a 2nd article of mine. Unfortunately, it really failed to address his point. In fact, it took me a long time to get to grips with Leonard’s point and 500 comments in (!) I suggested that we write a joint article. I also invited Arthur Smith who probably agrees mostly with me, but at times he was much clearer than I was. And I’m not sure we are totally in agreement either. I did offer Leonard the opportunity to have another contributor on his side, but he is happy to write alone – or draw on one of the other contributors in forming his article. The format here is quite open. The plan is for me to write the first section, and then Arthur to write his, followed by Leonard. The idea behind it is to crystallize our respective thoughts so that others can review them, rather than wading through 500+ comments. What was the original discussion about? It’s worth repeating Leonard Weinstein’s original thought experiment: Consider Venus with its existing atmosphere, and put a totally opaque enclosure (to incoming Solar radiation) around the entire planet at the average location of present outgoing long wave radiation. Use a surface with the same albedo as present Venus for the enclosure. What would happen to the planetary surface temperature over a reasonably long time? For this case, NO Solar incoming radiation reaches the surface. I contend that the surface temperature will be about the same as present.. Those who are interested in that debate can read the complete idea and the many comments that followed. During the course of our debate we each posed different thought experiments as a means to finding the flaws in the various ideas. At times we lost track of which experiment was being considered. Many times we didn’t quite understand the ideas that were posed by others. And therefore, before I start, it’s worth saying that I might still misrepresent one of the other points of view. But not intentionally. Introductory Ideas – Pumping up a Tyre This first section is uncontroversial. It is simply aimed at helping those unfamiliar with terms like adiabatic expansion. Unfortunately, it will be brief with more Wikipedia links than usual.. (if there are many questions on these basics then I might write another article). So let’s consider pumping up a bicycle tire. When you do pump up a tire you find that around the valve everything can get pretty hot. Why is that? Does high pressure cause high temperature? Let’s review two idealized ways of compressing an ideal gas: isothermal compression – which is so slow that the temperature of the gas doesn’t rise adiabatic compression – which is so fast that no heat escapes from the gas during the process Pressure and volume of a gas are inversely related if temperature is kept constant – this is Boyle’s law Isothermal compression, Thermal Physics - Schroeder Imagine pumping up a tire very very slowly. Usually this isn’t possible because the valve leaks. If it was possible you would find that the work done in compressing the gas didn’t increase the gas temperature because the heat increase in the gas would equalize out to the wheel rims and to the surrounding atmosphere. Now imagine pumping up a tire very quickly. The usual way. In this case, you are adding energy to the system and there is no time for the temperature to equalize with the surroundings, so the temperature increases (because work is done on the gas): Adiabatic Compression, Thermal Physics - Schroeder The ideal gas laws can be confusing because three important terms exist in the one equation, pressure, volume and temperature: PV = nRT or PV = NkT where P = pressure, V = volume, T = absolute temperature (in K), N = number of molecules and k = Boltzmann’s constant So the two examples above give the two extremes of compression. One, the isothermal case, has the temperature held constant because the process is very slow, and one, the adiabatic case, has the energy leaving the system being zero because the process is so fast. In a nutshell, high pressures do not, of themselves, cause high temperatures. But changing the pressure – i.e., compressing a gas – does increase the temperature if it is done quickly. Introductory Ideas – The “Environmental Lapse Rate” and Convection Equally importantly, adiabatic expansion reduces the temperature in a gas. If you lift air up in the atmosphere quickly then it will expand and cool. In dry air, some simple maths calculates this expansion as a temperature drop of just under 10K per km. In very moist air, this temperature drop can be as low as 4K per km. (The actual value depends on the amount of moisture). Imagine the (common) situation where due to pressure effects a “parcel of air” is pushed upwards a small way, say 100m. Under adiabatic expansion, the temperature will drop somewhere between 1K (1°C) for dry air and 0.4K for very moist air. Suppose that the actual atmospheric temperature profile is such that the temperature 100m higher up is 1.5K cooler. (We would say that the environmental lapse rate was 15K/km). In this case, the parcel of air pushed up is now warmer than the surrounding air and, therefore, less dense – so it keeps rising. This is the major idea behind convection – if the environmental lapse rate is “more than” the adiabatic lapse rate then convection will redistribute heat. And if the environmental lapse rate is “less than” the lapse rate then the atmosphere tends to be stable against convection. Note – the terminology can be confusing for newcomers. Even though temperature decreases as you go up in the atmosphere the adiabatic lapse rate is written as a positive number. Just imagine that the temperature in the atmosphere actually decreases by 1K per km and think what happens if the adiabatic lapse rate is 10K per km – air that is lifted up will be much colder than the surrounding atmosphere and sink back down. Now imagine that the temperature decreases by 15K per km and think what happens if the adiabatic lapse rate is 10K per km – air that is lifted up will be much warmer than the surrounding atmosphere (so will expand and be less dense) and will keep rising. All of this so far described is uncontentious.. The Main Contention Armed with these ideas, the main contentious point from my side was this: If you heat a gas sufficiently from the bottom, convection will naturally take place to redistribute heat. The environmental “lapse rate” can’t be sustained at more than the adiabatic lapse rate because convection will take over. This is the case with the earth, where most of the solar radiation is absorbed by the earth’s surface. But if you heat a gas from the top (as in the original proposed thought experiment) then there is no mechanism to create the adiabatic lapse rate. This is because there is no mechanism to create convection. So we can’t have an atmosphere where the environmental lapse rate is greater than the adiabatic lapse rate – but we can have one where it is less. Convection redistributes heat because of natural buoyancy, but convection can’t be induced to work the other way. Well, maybe it’s not quite as simple.. The Very Tall Room Full of Gas Leonard suggested – Take an empty room 1km square and 100km high and pour in gas at 250K from the top. The gas doesn’t absorb or emit any radiation. What happens? The gas is adiabatically compressed (due to higher pressure below) and the gas at the bottom ends up at a much higher temperature. Another way to think about adiabatic compression is that height (potential energy) is converted to speed (kinetic energy) because of gravity – like dropping a cannon ball. We all agree on that – but what happens afterwards? (And I think we were all assuming that a lid is placed over the top of the tall room and the lid effectively stays at a temperature of 250K due to external radiation – however, no precise definition of the temperature of the room’s walls and lid was made). My view – over a massively long time the temperature at the top and bottom will eventually reach the same value. This seemed to be the most contentious point. However, in saying that, there was a lot of discussion about exactly the state of the gas so at times I wondered whether it was fundamental thermodynamics up for discussion or not understanding each other’s thought experiments. In making this claim that the gas will become isothermal (all at the same temperature), I am assuming that the gas will eventually be stationary on a large scale (obviously the gas molecules move as their temperature is defined by their velocity). So all of the bulk movements of air have stopped. Conduction of heat is left as the only mechanism for movement of heat and as gas molecules collide with each other they will all eventually reach the same temperature – the average temperature of the gas. (Because external radiation to and from the lid and walls wasn’t defined this will affect what final average value is reached). Note that temperature of a gas is a bulk property, so a gas at one temperature has a distribution of velocities (the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution). The Tall Room when Gases Absorb and Emit Radiation We all appeared to agree that in this case (radiatively-absorbing gases) that as the atmosphere becomes optically thin then radiation will move heat very effectively and the top part of the atmosphere in this very tall room will become isothermal. Heating from the Top The viewpoint expressed by Leonard is that differential heating (night vs day, equatorial vs polar latitudes) will eventually cause large scale circulation, thus causing bulk movement of air down to the surface with the consequent adiabatic heating. This by itself will cause the environmental lapse rate to become very close to the adiabatic lapse rate. I see it as a possibility that I can’t (today) disprove, but Leonard’s hypothesis itself seems unproven. Is there enough energy to drive this circulation when an atmosphere is heated from the top? I found two considerations of this idea. One was the Sandstrom theorem which considered heating a fluid from the bottom vs heating it from the top. More comment in the earlier article. I guess you could say Sandstrom said no, although others have picked some holes in it. The other was in Atmospheres (1972) by the great Richard M. Goody and James C. Walker. In a time when only a little was known about the Venusian atmosphere, Goody & Walker suggested first that probably enough solar radiation made it to the surface to initiate heating from below (to cut a long story short). And later made this comment: Descending air is compressed as it moves to lower levels in the atmosphere. The compression causes the temperature to increase.. If the circulation is sufficiently rapid, and if the air does not cool too fast by emission of radiation, the temperature will increase at the adiabatic rate. This is precisely what is observed on Venus. Venera and Mariner Venus spacecraft have all found that the temperature increases adiabatically as altitude decreases in the lower atmosphere. As we explained this observation could also be the result of thermal convection driven by solar radiation deposited at the ground, but we cannot be sure that the radiation actually reaches the ground. What we are now suggesting as an alternative explanation is that the adiabatic temperature gradient is related to a planetary circulation driven by heat supplied unevenly to the upper levels of the atmosphere. According to this theory, the high ground temperature is caused, at least in part, by compressional heating of the descending air. In the specific case of the real Venus (rather than our thought experiments), much more has been uncovered since Goody and Walker wrote. Perhaps the question of what happens in the real Venus is clearer – one way or the other. What do I conclude? I’m glad I’ve taken the time to think about the subject because I feel like I understand it much better as a result of this discussion. I appreciate Leonard especially for taking the time, but also Arthur Smith and others. Before we started discussing I knew the answers for certain. Now I’m not so sure. By Arthur Smith First on the question of convective heat flow from heating above, which scienceofdoom just ended with: I agree some such heat flow is possible, but it is difficult. Goody and Walker were wrong if they felt this could explain high Venusian surface temperatures. The foundation for my certainty on this lies in the fundamental laws of thermodynamics, which I’ll start by reviewing in the context of the general problem of heat flow in planetary atmospheres (and the “Very Tall Room Full of Gas”). Note that these laws are very general and based in the properties of energy and the statistics of large numbers of particles, and have been found applicable in systems ranging from the interior of stars to chemical solutions and semiconductor devices and the like. External forces like gravitational fields are a routine factor in thermodynamic problems, as are complex intermolecular forces that pose a much thornier challenge. The laws of thermodynamics are among the most fundamental laws in physics – perhaps even more fundamental than gravitation itself. I’m going to discuss the laws out of order, since they are of various degrees of relevance to the discussion we’ve had. The third law (defining behavior at zero temperature) is not relevant at all and won’t be discussed further. The first law of thermodynamics demands conservation of energy: Energy can be neither created nor destroyed. This means that in any isolated system the total energy embodied in the particles, their motion, their interactions, etc. must remain constant. Over time such an isolated system approaches a state of thermodynamic equilibrium where the measurable, statistically averaged properties cease changing. In our previous discussion I interpreted Leonard’s “Very Tall Room Full of Gas” example as such a completely isolated system, with no energy entering or leaving. Therefore it should, eventually at least, approach such a state of thermodynamic equilibrium. Scienceofdoom above interpreted it as being in a condition where the top of the room was held at a given specific temperature. That condition would allow energy to enter and leave over time, but eventually the statistical properties would also stop changing, and then energy flow through that top surface would also cease, total energy would be constant, and you would again arrive at an equilibrium system (but with a different total energy from the starting point). That would also be the case in Leonard’s original thought experiment concerning Venus if the temperature of the “totally opaque enclosure” was a uniform constant value. The underlying system would reach some point where its properties ceased changing, and then with no energy flow in or out, it would be effectively isolated from the rest of the universe, and in its own thermodynamic equilibrium. However, Leonard allows the temperature of his opaque enclosure to vary with latitude and time of day which means that strictly such a statistical constancy would not apply and the underlying atmosphere would not be completely in thermodynamic equilibrium. I’ll look at that later in discussing the restrictions imposed by the second law. In a system like a planetary atmosphere with energy flowing through it from a nearby star (or from internal heat) and escaping into the rest of the universe, you are obviously not isolated and would not reach thermodynamic equilibrium. Rather, if a condition where averaged properties cease changing is reached, this is referred to as a steady state. Under steady state conditions the first law must still be obeyed. Since internal statistical properties are unchanging, that means the system must not be gaining or losing any internal energy. So in steady state you have a balance between incoming and outgoing energy from the system, enforced by the first law of thermodynamics. If such an atmospheric system is NOT in steady state, if there is, say, more energy coming in than leaving, then the total energy embodied in the particles of the system will increase. That higher average energy per particle can be measured as an increase in temperature – but that gets us to the definition of temperature. The Zeroth Law The zeroth law essentially defines temperature: If two thermodynamic systems are each in thermal equilibrium with a third, then they are in thermal equilibrium with each other. Here thermal equilibrium means that when the systems are brought into physical proximity so that they may exchange heat, no heat is actually exchanged. A typical example of the zeroth law is to make the “third system” a thermometer, something that you can use to read out a measurement of its internal energy level. Any number of systems can act as a thermometer: the volume of mercury liquid in an evacuated bulb, the resistance of a strip of platinum, or the pressure of a fixed volume of helium gas, for example. If you divide a system “A” in thermodynamic equilibrium into two pieces, “A1” and “A2”, and then bring those two into physical proximity again, no heat should flow between them, because no heat was flowing between them before separating them since neither one’s statistical properties were changing. I.e. Any two subsystems of a system in thermodynamic equilibrium must be in thermal equilibrium with each other. That means that if you place a thermometer to measure the temperature of subsystem “A1”, and find a temperature “T” for thermal equilibrium of the thermometer with “A1”, then subsytem “A2” will also be in thermal equilibrium with “T”, i.e. its temperature will also read out as the same value. That is, the temperature of a system in thermodynamic equilibrium is the same as the temperature of every (macroscopic) subsystem – temperature is constant throughout. The zeroth law implies temperature must be a uniform property of such equilibrium systems. This means that in both “Very Large Room” examples and for my version of Leonard’s original thought experiment for Venus (with a uniform enclosing temperature), the thermodynamic equilibrium that the atmosphere must eventually reach must have a constant and uniform temperature throughout the system. Temperature in the room or in the pseudo-Venus’ atmosphere would be independent of altitude – an isothermal, not adiabatic, temperature profile. The zeroth law can actually be derived from the first and second laws – this is done for example in Statistical Physics, 3rd Edition Part 1, Landau and Lifshiftz (Vol. 5) (Pergamon Press, 1980) – Chapter II, Thermodynamics Quantities, Section 9 – “Temperature” – and again the conclusion is the same: Thus, if a system is in a state of thermodynamic equilibrium, the [absolute temperature] is the same for every part of it, i.e. is constant throughout the system. The Second Law The first and zeroth laws tell us what happens in the cases where the atmosphere can be characterized as in thermodynamic equilibrium, i.e. actually or effectively isolated from the rest of the universe after sufficient period of time that quantities cease changing. Under those conditions it must have a uniform temperature. But what about Leonard’s actual Venus thought experiment, where there are constant fluxes of energy in and out due to latitudinal and time-of-day variations in the temperature of the opaque enclosure? What can we say about the temperatures in the atmosphere below given heating from above under those conditions? Here the second law provides the primary constraint, and in particular the Clausius formulation: Heat cannot of itself pass from a colder to a hotter body. A planetary atmosphere is not driven by machines that move the air around, there are no giant fans pushing the air from one place to another. There is no incoming chemical or electrical form of non-thermal energy that can force things to happen. The driving force is the flux of incoming energy from the local star that brings heat when it is absorbed. All atmospheric processes are driven by the resulting temperature differences. Thanks to the first law of thermodynamics each incoming chunk of energy can be accounted for as it is successively absorbed, reflected, re-emitted and so forth until it finally leaves again as thermal radiation to the rest of the universe. In each of these steps the energy is spontaneously exchanged from a portion of the atmosphere at one temperature to another portion at another temperature. What the second law tells us, particularly in the above Clausius form, is that the net spontaneous energy exchange describing the flow of each chunk of incoming energy to the atmosphere MUST ALWAYS BE IN THE DIRECTION OF DECREASING TEMPERATURE. Heat flows “downhill” from high to low temperature regions. The incoming energy starts from the star – very high temperature. If it’s absorbed it’s somewhere in the atmosphere or the planetary surface, and from that point it must go through successfully colder and colder portions of the system before it can escape to space (where the temperature is 2.7 K). There can be no net flow of energy from colder to hotter regions. And that means, if the atmosphere below Leonard’s “opaque enclosure” is at a higher temperature than any point on the enclosure, heat must be flowing out of the atmosphere, not inward. The enclosure, no matter the distribution of temperatures on its surface, cannot drive a temperature below it that is any higher than the highest temperature on the enclosure itself. So even in the non-equilibrium case represented by Leonard’s original thought experiment, while the atmosphere’s temperature will not be everywhere the same, it will nowhere be any hotter than the highest temperature of the enclosure, after sufficient time has passed for such statistical properties to stop changing. The thermodynamic laws are the fundamental governing laws regarding temperature, heat, and energy in the universe. It would be extraordinary if they were violated in such simple systems as these gases under gravitation that we have been discussing. Note in particular that any violation of the second law of thermodynamics allows for the creation of a “perpetual motion machine”, a device legions of amateurs have attempted to create with nothing but failure to show for it. Both the first and second laws seem to be very strictly enforced in our universe. Approach to Equilibrium The above results on temperatures apply under equilibrium or steady state conditions, i.e. after the “measurable, statistically averaged properties cease changing.” That may perhaps take a long time – how long should we expect? The heat content of a gas is given by the product of the heat capacity and temperature. For the Venus case we’re starting at 740 K near the surface and, under either of the “thought experiment” cases, dropping to something like 240 K in the end, about 500 degrees. Surface pressure on Venus is 93 Earth atmospheres, so in every square meter we have a mass of close to 1 million kg of atmosphere above it. [Quick calculation: 1 earth atmosphere = 101 kPa, or 10,300 kg of atmosphere per square meter, or 15 pounds per square inch. On Venus it’s 1400 pounds/sq inch.] The atmosphere of Venus is almost entirely carbon dioxide, which has a heat capacity of close to 1 kJ/kgK (see this reference). That means the heat capacity of the column of Venus’ atmosphere over 1 square meter is about one billion (109) J/K. So a temperature change of 500 K amounts to 500 billion joules = 500 GJ for each square meter of the planetary surface. This is the energy we need to flow out of the system in order for it to move from present conditions to the isothermal conditions that would eventually apply under Leonard’s thought experiment. Now from scienceofdoom’s previous post we expect at least an initial heat flow rate out of the atmosphere of 158 W/m² (that’s the outgoing flow that balances incoming absorption on Venus – since we’ve lost incoming absorption to the opaque shell, this ought to be roughly the initial net flow rate). Dividing this into 500 GJ/m² gives a first-cut time estimate for the cooling: 3.2 billion seconds, or about 100 years. So the cool-down to isothermal would be hardly immediate, but still pretty short on the scale of planetary change. Now we shouldn’t expect that 158 W/m² to hold forever. There are four primary mechanisms for heat flow in a planetary atmosphere: conduction (the diffusion of heat through molecular movements), convection (movement of larger parcels of air), latent heat flow (movement of materials within air parcels that change phases – from liquid to gas and back, for example, for water) and thermal radiation. The heat flow rate for conduction is simply proportional to the gradient in temperature. The heat flow rate for radiation is similar except for the region of the atmospheric “window” (some heat leaves directly to space according to the Planck function for that spectral region at that temperature). Latent heat flow is not a factor in Venus’ present atmosphere, though it would come into play if the lower atmosphere cooled below the point where CO2 liquefies at those pressures. For convection, however, average heat flow rates are a much more complex function of the temperature gradient. Getting parcels of gas to displace one another requires some sort of cycle where some areas go up and some down, a breaking of the planet’s symmetry. On Earth the large-scale convective flows are described by the Hadley cells in the tropics and other large-scale cells at higher latitudes, which circulate air from sea level to many kilometers in altitude. On a smaller scale, where the ground becomes particularly warm then temperature gradients exceeding the adiabatic lapse rate may occur, resulting in “thermals”, local convective cells up to possibly several hundred meters. If the temperature difference between high and low altitudes is too low, the convective instability vanishes and heat flow through convection becomes much weaker. So as temperatures come closer to isothermal in an atmosphere like Venus’, except for the atmospheric “window” for radiative heat flow, we would expect all the heat flow mechanisms to decrease, and convection in particular to almost cease after the temperature difference gets too small. So we might expect the cool-down to isothermal conditions to slow down and end up much longer than this 100-year estimate. How long? Another of the thought experiment versions discussed in the previous thread involved removing radiation altogether; with both radiation and convection gone, that leaves only conduction as a mechanism for heat flow through the atmosphere. For an ideal gas the thermal conductivity increases as the 2/3 power of the density (it’s proportional to density times mean free path) and the square root of temperature (mean particle speed). While CO2 is not really ideal at 93 atmospheres at 740 K, using this rule gives us a rough idea of what to expect – at 1 atmosphere and 273 K we have a value of 14.65 mW/(m.K) so at 93 atmospheres and 740 K it should be about 500 mW/(m . K). For a temperature gradient of 10 K/km that gives a heat flux of 0.005 W/m². 500 GJ would then take about 1014 seconds, or 3 million years. So the approach to an isothermal equilibrium state for these atmospheres would take between a few hundred and a few million years, depending on the conditions you impose on the system. Still, the planets are billions of years old, so if heating from above was really the mechanism at work on Venus we should see the evidence of it in the form of cooler surface temperatures there by now, even if radiative heat flow were not a factor at all. The View From a Molecule Leonard in our previous discussion raised the point that an individual molecule sees the gravitational field, causing it to accelerate downwards. So molecular velocities lower down should be higher than velocities higher up, and that means higher temperatures. Leonard’s picture is true of the behavior of a molecule in between collisions with the other molecules. But if the gas is reasonably dense, the “mean free path” (the average distance between collisions) becomes quite short. At 1 atmosphere and room temperature the mean free path of a typical gas is about 100 nanometers. So there’s very little distance to accelerate before a molecule would collide with another; to consider the full effect you need to look at the effect of collisions due to gas pressure along with the acceleration by gravity. An individual molecule in a system in thermodynamic equilibrium at temperature T has available a collection of states in phase space (position, momentum and any internal variables) each with some energy E. In the case of our molecule in a gravitational field, that energy consists of the kinetic energy ½mv² (m = mass, v = velocity) plus the gravitational potential energy = gmz (where z = height above ground). The Boltzmann distribution applies in equilibrium, so that the probability of the molecule being in a state with energy E is proportional to: e(-E/kT) = e(-(½mv² + gmz)/kT). So the Boltzmann distribution in this case specifies both the distribution of velocities (the standard Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution) and also an exponential decrease in gas density (and pressure) with height. It is very unlikely for a molecule to be at a high altitude, just as it is very unlikely for a molecule to have a high velocity. The high energy associated with rare high velocities comes from occasional random collisions building up that high speed. Similarly the high energy associated with high altitude comes from random collisions occassionally pushing a molecule to great heights. These statistically rare occurences are both equally captured by the Boltzmann distribution. Note also that since the temperature is uniform in equilibrium, the distribution of velocities at any given altitude is that same Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution at that temperature. Force Balance The decrease in pressure with height produces a pressure-gradient force that acts on “parcels of gas” in the same way that the gravitational force does, but in the opposite direction. At equilibrium or steady-state, when statistical properties of the gas cease changing, the two forces must balance. That leads to the equation of hydrostatic balance equating the pressure gradient force to the gravitational force: dp/dz = – mng (here p is pressure and n is the number density of molecules – N/V for N molecules in volume V). In equilibrium n(z) is given by the Boltzmann distribution: n(z) = c.e(-mgz/kT); for the ideal gas pressure is given by p = nkT, so the hydrostatic balance equation becomes: dp/dz = k T dn/dz = k T c (-mg/kT) e(-g m z/kT) = – mg c e(-mgz/kT) = – m n(z) g I.e. the Boltzmann distribution for this ideal gas system automatically ensures the system is in hydrostatic equilibrium. Another approach to this sort of analysis is to look at the detailed flow of molecules near an imaginary boundary. This is done in textbook calculations of the thermal conductivity of an ideal gas, for example, where a gradient in temperature results in net flow of energy (necessarily from hotter to colder). In our system with gravitational force and pressure gradients both must be taken into account in such a calculation. Such calculations are somewhat complex and depend on assumptions about molecular size and neglecting other interactions that would make the gas non-ideal, but the net effect must always satisfy the same thermodynamic laws as every other such system: in thermodynamic equilibrium temperature is uniform and there is no net energy flow through any imagined boundary. In conclusion, after sufficient time that statistical properties cease changing, all these examples of a system with a Venus-like atmosphere must reach essentially the same isothermal or near-isothermal state. The gravitational field and adiabatic lapse rate cannot explain the high surface temperature on Venus if incoming solar radiation does not reach (at least very close to) the surface. By Leonard Weinstein Solar Heating and Outgoing Radiation Balances for Earth and Venus The basic heating mechanism for any planetary atmosphere depends on the balance and distribution of absorbed solar energy and outgoing radiated thermal energy. For a planet like Earth, the presence of a large amount of surface water and a relatively optically transparent atmosphere to sunlight dominates where and how the input solar energy and outgoing thermal energy create the surface and atmospheric temperatures. The unequal energy flux for day and night, and for different latitudes, combined with the planet rotation result in wind and ocean currents that move the energy around. Earth is a much more complex system than Venus for these reasons, and also due to the biological processes and to changing albedo due to changes in clouds and surface ice. The average energy balance for the Earth was previously shown by Science of Doom, but is shown in Figure 1 below for quick reference: From Kiehl & Trenberth (1997) The majority of solar energy absorbed by the Earth directly heats the land and water. Some water evaporation carries this energy to higher altitudes, and is released by phase change (condensation). This energy is carried up by atmospheric convection. In addition, convective heat transfer from the ground and oceans transfers energy to the atmosphere. It is the basic atmospheric temperature differences from day and night and at different latitude that creates pressure differences that drive the wind patterns that eventually mix and transport the atmosphere, but the buoyancy of heated air from the higher temperature surface areas also aids in the vertical mixing. This energy is carried by convection up into the higher levels of the atmosphere and eventually radiates to space. The combination of convection of water vapor and surface heated air upwards dominates the total transported energy from the ground level. In addition, some of the ground level thermal energy is radiated up, with a portion of the thermal radiation passing directly from the ground to space. Water vapor, CO2, clouds, aerosols, and other greenhouse gases also absorb some of this radiated energy, and slightly increase the lower atmosphere and ground temperatures with back radiation effectively adding to the initial radiation, resulting in a reduced net radiation flux. This results in a higher temperature atmosphere and ground than without these absorbing materials. Venus, however, is dominated by direct absorption of solar energy into the atmosphere (including clouds) rather than by the surface, so has a significantly different path to heat the atmosphere and ground. Venus has a very dense atmosphere (about 93 times the mass as Earth’s atmosphere), which extends to about 90 km altitude before the tropopause is reached. This is much higher than the Earth’s atmosphere. Very dense clouds, composed mostly of sulfuric acid, reach to about 75 km, and cover the planet. The clouds have virga beneath them due to the very high temperatures at lower elevations. The clouds and thick haze occupy over half of the main troposphere height, with a fairly clear layer starting below about 30 km altitude. Due to the very high density of the atmosphere, dust and other aerosol particles (from the surface winds and possibly from volcanoes) also persist in significant quantity. The atmosphere is 96.5% CO2, and contains significant quantities of SO2 (150 ppm), and even some H2O (20 ppm), and CO (17 ppm). These, along with the sulfuric acid clouds, dust, and other aerosols, absorb most of the incoming sunlight that is not reflected away, and also absorb essentially all of the outgoing long wave radiation and relay it to the upper atmosphere and clouds to eventually dump it into space. A sketch is shown in Figure 2, similar to the one used for Earth, which shows the approximate energy transfer in and out of the Venus atmosphere system. It is likely that almost all of the radiation out leaves from the top of the clouds and a short distance above, which therefore locks in the level of the atmospheric temperature at that location. The surface radiation balance shown is my guess of a reasonable level. The top portion of the clouds reflects about 75% of incident sunlight, so that Venus absorbs an average of about 163 W/m², which is significantly less than the amount absorbed by Earth. About 50% of the available sunlight is absorbed in the upper cloud layer, and about 40% of the available sunlight is captured on the way down in the lower clouds, gases, and aerosols. Thus an average of solar energy that reaches the surface is only about 17 W/m², and the amount absorbed is somewhat less, since some is reflected. The question naturally arises as to what is the source of wind, weather, and temperature distribution on Venus, and why is Venus so hot at lower altitudes. Venus takes 243 days to rotate. However, continual high winds in the upper atmosphere takes only about 4 days to go completely around at the equator, so the day/night temperature variation is even less than it would have otherwise been. Other circulation cells for different latitudes (Hadley cells) and some unique polar collar circulation patterns complete the main convective wind patterns. The solar energy absorbed by the surface is a far smaller factor than for Earth, and I am convinced it is not necessary for the basic atmospheric and ground temperature conditions on Venus. Since the effect on the atmospheres of planets from absorbed solar radiation is to locally change the atmospheric pressure that drive the winds (and ocean currents if applicable), these flow currents transport energy from one location and altitude to another. There is no specific reason the absorption and release of energy has to be from the ground to the atmosphere unless the vertical mixing from buoyancy is critical. I contend that direct absorption of solar energy into the atmosphere can accomplish the mixing, and this along with the fact that the top of the clouds and a short distance above is where the radiation leaves from, is in fact the cause of heating for Venus. We observed that unlike Earth, which had about 72% of the absorbed solar energy heat the surface, Venus has 10% or less absorbed by the ground. Also the surface temperature of Venus (about 735 K) would result in a radiation level from the ground of about 16,600 W/m². Since back radiation can’t exceed radiation up if the ground is as warm or warmer than the atmosphere above it, the only thing that can make the ground any warmer than the atmosphere above it is the ~17 W/m² (average) from solar radiation. The ground absorbed solar radiation plus absorbed back radiation has to equal the radiation out for constant temperature. If the absorbed solar radiation were all used to heat the ground, and the net radiation heat transfer was near zero (the most extreme case of greenhouse gas blocking possible), the average temperature of the ground would only be about 0.19 K warmer than the atmosphere above it, and the excess heat would need to be removed by surface convective driven heat transfer. The buoyancy would be extremely small, and contribute little to atmospheric mixing. However, the net radiation heat transfer out of the ground is almost surely equal to or larger than the average solar heating at the ground, from some limited transmission windows in the gas, and through a small net radiation flux. The most likely effect is that the ground is equal to or a small amount cooler than the lower atmosphere, and there is probably no buoyancy driven mixing. This condition would actually require some convective driven heat transfer from the atmosphere to the ground to maintain the ground temperature. Since the measured lower atmosphere and ground temperature are on the dry adiabatic lapse rate curve projected down from the temperature at the top of the cloud layer, the net ground radiation flux is probably close to the value of 17 W/m². This indicates that direct solar heating of the ground is almost certainly not a source for producing the winds and temperature found on Venus. The question still remains: what does cause the winds and high temperatures found on Venus? The main point I am trying to make in this discussion is that the introduction of solar energy into the relatively cool upper atmosphere of Venus, along with the high altitude location of outgoing radiation, are sufficient to heat the lower atmosphere and surface to a much higher temperature even if no solar energy directly reaches the surface. Two simplified models are discussed in the following sections to support the plausibility of that claim. This issue is important because it relates to the mechanism causing greenhouse gas atmospheric warming, and the effect of changing amounts of the greenhouse gases. The Tall Room The first model is an enclosed room on Venus that is 1 km x 1km x 100 km tall. This was selected to point out how adiabatic compression can cause a high temperature at the bottom of the room, with a far lower input temperature at the top. This is the type of effect that dominates the heating on Venus. While the first part of the discussion is centered on that room model, the analysis is also applicable for part the second model, which examines a special simplified approximation of the full dynamics on Venus. The conditions for the tall room model are: 1) A gas is introduced at the top of a perfectly thermally insulated fully enclosed room 1 km x 1 km x 100 km tall, located on the surface of Venus. The walls (and bottom and top) are assumed to have negligible heat capacity. The walls and bottom and top are also assumed to be perfect mirrors, so they do not absorb or emit radiation. 2) The supply gas temperature is selected to be 250 K. The gas pours in to fill all of the volume of the room. Sufficient quantity of gas is introduced so that the final pressure at the top of the room is at 0.1 bar at the end of inflow. The entry hole is sealed immediately after introduction of the gas is complete. 3) The gas is a single atom molecule gas such as Argon, so that it does not absorb or emit thermal radiation. This made the problem radiation independent. I also put in a qualifier, to more nearly approximate the actual atmosphere, that the gas had a Cp like that of CO2 at the surface temperature of Venus [i.e., Cp=1.14 (kJ/kg K) for CO2 at 735 K]. Cp is also temperature independent. The room height selected would actually result in a hotter ground level than the actual case of Venus. This was due to the choice of a room 100 km tall. The height to 0.1 bar for Venus is only about 65 km, which would give a better temperature match, but the difference is not important to the discussion. A dry adiabatic lapse rate forms as the gas is introduced due to the adiabatic compression of the gas at the lower level. The value of the lapse rate for the present example comes from a NASA derivation at the Planetary Atmospheres Data Node: http://atmos.nmsu.edu/education_and_outreach/encyclopedia/adiabatic_lapse_rate.htm The final result for the dry adiabatic lapse rate is: Γp = -dT/dz|a = g/Cp (1) In the room at Venus, this results in: TH =Ttop +H * 8.9/1.14 (2) Where H is distance down from the top. Ttop remains at 250 K since it is not compressed (not because it was forced to be at that temperature by heat transfer), and Tbottom=1,031 K due to the adiabatic compression. Two questions arise: 1) Is this dry adiabatic lapse rate what would actually develop initially after all the gas is introduced? 2) What would happen when the system comes to final equilibrium (however long it takes)? The gas coming in would initially spread down to the bottom due to a combination of thermal motion and gravity, but the converted potential energy due to gravity over the room height would add considerable downward velocity, and this added downward velocity would convert to thermal velocity by collisions. Once enough gas filled the room to limit the MFP, added gas would tend to stay near the top until additional gas piled on top pushed it downwards, and this would increasingly compress the gas below from its added mass. The adiabatic compression of gas below the incoming gas at the top would heat the gas at the bottom to 1,031 K for the selected model. The top temperature would remain at 250 K, and the temperature profile would vary as shown by equation (2). Thus the answer to 1) is yes. Strong convection currents may or may not be introduced in the room, depending on how fast the gas is introduced. To simplify the model, I assume the gas flows in slowly enough so that the currents are not important. It is quite clear that the temperature profile at the end of inflow would be the adiabatic lapse rate, with the top at 250 K and bottom at 1,031 K. If the final lapse rate went toward zero from thermal conduction, as Arthur postulated, even he admits it would take a very long time. The question now arises- what would cause heat conduction to occur in the presence of an adiabatic lapse rate? i.e., why would an initial adiabatic lapse rate tend to go toward an isothermal lapse rate if there is no radiation forcing (note: this lack of radiation forcing assumption is for the room model only). The cause proposed by Arthur and Science of Doom is based on their understanding of the Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics. They say that if there is a finite lapse rate (i.e., temperature gradient), there has to be conduction heat transfer. This arises from not considering the difference between temperature and heat. This is discussed in: http://zonalandeducation.com/mstm/physics/mechanics/energy/heatAndTemperature/heatAndTemperature.html (difference between temperature and heat) When we consider if there will be heat conduction in the atmosphere, we need to look at potential temperature rather than temperature. This is discussed at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potential_temperature The potential temperature is shown to be: This term in (3) is general, and thus valid for Venus, if the appropriate pressures are used. A good discussion why the potential temperature is appropriate to use rather than the local temperature can be found at: https://courseware.e-education.psu.edu/simsphere/workbook/ch05.html This includes the following statements: “if we return to the classic conduction laws and our discussion of resistances, we note that heat should be conducted down a temperature gradient. Since we are talking about sensible heat, the appropriate gradient for the conduction of sensible heat is not the temperature but the potential temperature. The potential temperature is simply a temperature normalized for adiabatic compression or expansion” “When the environmental lapse rate is exactly dry adiabatic, there is zero variation of potential temperature with height and we say that the atmosphere is in neutral equilibrium. Under these conditions, a parcel of air forced upwards (downwards) will stay where it is once moved, and not tend to sink or rise after released because it will have cooled (warmed) at exactly the same rate as the environment”. The above material supports the claim that there would be no movement from a dry adiabatic lapse rate toward an isothermal gas in the room model. If the initial condition was imposed– that the lapse rate was below the dry adiabatic lapse rate, it is true that the gas would be very stable from convective mixing due to buoyancy, and the very slow thermal conduction, which would drive the temperature back toward the dry adiabatic lapse rate, could take a very long time (in the actual case, it would be much faster due to even small natural convection currents generally present). However, there is no reason for any lapse rate other than the dry adiabatic lapse rate to initially form, as the problem was posed, so that issue is not even relevant. The final result of the room model is the fact that a very high ground temperature was produced from a relative cool supply gas due to adiabatic compression of the supply that was introduced at a high altitude. This is actually a consequence of gravitational potential energy being converted to kinetic energy. Once the dry adiabatic lapse rate formed, any small flow up or down stays in temperature equilibrium at all heights, so this is a totally stable situation, and would not tend toward an isothermal situation. If there were present a sufficient quantity of gas in the present defined room that radiated and absorbed in the temperature range of the model, the temperature would tend toward isothermal, but that was not how the tall room example was defined. Effect of an Optical Barrier to Sunlight reaching the Ground The second model I discussed with Science of Doom, Arthur, and others, relates to my suggestion that if an optical barrier prevented any solar energy from transmitting to the ground, but that the energy was absorbed in and heated a thin layer just below the average location of effective outgoing radiation from Venus, in such a way that the heat was transmitted downward through the atmosphere, this could also result in the hot lower atmosphere and surface that is actually observed. The albedo, and the solar heating input due to day and night, and to different latitudes, was selected to match the actual values for Venus, and the radiation out was also selected to match the values for the actual planet. This problem is much more complicated than the enclosed room case for two reasons. The first is that it is a dynamic and non-uniform case. The second is due to the fact that the actual atmosphere is used, with radiation absorption and emission, and the presence of clouds. The lower atmosphere and surface of the planet Venus are much hotter than for the Earth, even though the planet does not absorb as much solar energy as the Earth. It is closer to the Sun than Earth, but has a much higher albedo due to a high dense cloud layer composed mostly of sulfuric acid drops. The discussion will not attempt to examine the historical circumstances that led up to the present conditions on Venus, but only look at the effect of the actual present conditions. In order to examine this model, I had postulated that if all of the solar heating was absorbed near the top of Venus’s atmosphere, but with the day and night and latitude variation, the heat transfer to the atmosphere downward would eventually be mixed through the atmosphere and maintain the adiabatic lapse rate, with the upper atmosphere held to the same temperature as at the present. Since the atmosphere has gases, clouds, and aerosols that absorb and radiate most if not all of the thermal radiation, this is a different problem from the tall room. However, it appears that the radiation flux levels are relatively small, especially at lower levels, so the issue hinges on the relative amount of forcing by convective flow compared to net radiation up (which does tend to reduce the lapse rate). I use the actual temperature profile as a starting point to see if the model is able to maintain the values. Different starting profiles would complicate the discussion, but if the selected initial profile can be maintained, it is likely all reasonable initial profiles would tend to the same long-term final levels. The assumption that the solar heating and radiation out all occur in a layer at the top of the atmosphere eliminates positive buoyancy as a mechanism to initially couple the solar energy to the atmosphere. However, the direct thermal heat-transfer with different amounts of heating and cooling at different locations causes some local expansion and contraction of different locations of the top of the atmosphere, and this causes some pressure driven convection to form. The pressure differences from expansion and contraction set a flow in motion that greatly increases surface heat transfer, and this flow would become turbulent at reasonable induced flow speeds. This increases heat transfer and mixing to larger depths. The portions cooler than the local average atmosphere will be denser than local adiabatic lapse rate values from the average atmosphere, and thus negative buoyancy would cause downward flow at these locations. As the flow moved downward, it compressed but initially remains slightly cooler than the surrounding, with some mixing and diffusion spreading the cooling to ever-larger volumes. At some level, the flow down actually passes into a surrounding volume that is slightly cooler, rather than warmer, than the flow, due to the small but finite radiation flux removing energy from the surrounding. At this point the downward flow stream is warming the surrounding. The question arises: how much energy is carried by the convection, and could it easily replace radiated energy, so as to maintain a level near the dry adiabatic lapse rate? A few numbers need to be shown here to best get an order of magnitude of what is going on. Arthur has already made some of these calculations. The average input energy of 158 W/m² applied to Venus’s atmosphere would take about 100 years to change the average atmospheric temperature by 500 K. This means that to change it even 0.1 K (on average) would take about 7 days. Since the upper atmosphere at low latitudes only takes about 4 days to completely circulate around Venus, the temperature variations from average values would be fairly small if the entire atmosphere were mixed. However, for the model proposed, only a very thin layer would be heated and cooled under the absorbing layer. Differences in net radiation flux would also help transfer energy up and down some. This relatively thin layer would thus have much higher temperature variation than the average atmosphere mass would (but still only a few degrees). The pressure variations due to the upper level temperature variations would cause some flow circulation and vertical mixing to occur throughout the atmosphere. The circulating flows may or may not carry enough energy to overcome radiation flux levels to maintain the dry adiabatic lapse rate. Let us look at the near surface flow, and a level of radiation flux of 17 W/m². What excess temperature and vertical convection speed is needed to carry energy able to balance that flux level. Assume a temperature excess of only 0.026 K is carried and mixed by convection due to atmospheric circulation. Also assume the local horizontal flow rate near the ground is 1 m/s. If a vertical mixing of only 0.01 m/s were available, the heat added would be 17 W/m², and this would balance the lost energy due to radiation, thus allowing the dry adiabatic lapse rate to be maintained. This shows how little convective circulation and mixing are needed to carry solar heated atmosphere from high altitudes to lower levels to replace energy lost by radiation flux levels in the atmosphere, and maintain a near dry adiabatic lapse rate. It is the solar radiation that is supplying the input energy, and adiabatic compression that is heating the atmosphere. As long as the lapse rate is held close to the adiabatic level with sufficient convective mixing, it is the temperature at the location in the atmosphere where the effective outgoing radiation is located that sets a temperature on the adiabatic lapse rate curve and adiabatic compression determines the lower atmosphere temperature. Since the exact details of the heat exchanges are critical to the process, this optically sealed region near the top of the atmosphere is a poorly defined model as it stands, and the question of whether it actually would work as Arthur and Science of Doom question is not resolved, although an argument can be made that there are processes to do the mixing. However, the real atmosphere of Venus absorbs almost all of the solar energy in its upper half, and this much larger initial absorption volume does clearly do the job. I have shown the ground likely has little if any effect on the actual temperature on Venus. Some Concluding Remarks The initial cause for this discussion was the question of why the surface of Venus is as hot as it is. A write-up by Steve Goddard implied that the high pressure on Venus was a major factor, and even though some greenhouse gas was needed to trap thermal energy, it was the pressure that was the major contributor. The point was that an adiabatic lapse rate would be present with or without a greenhouse gas, and the major effect of the greenhouse gas was to move the location of outgoing radiation to a high altitude. The outgoing level set a temperature at that altitude, and the ground temperature was just the temperature at the outgoing radiation effective level plus the increase due to adiabatic compression to the ground. The altitude where the effective outgoing radiation occurs is a function of amount and type of greenhouse gases. Steve’s statement is almost valid. If he qualified it to state that enough greenhouse gas is still needed to limit the radiation flux, and keep the outgoing radiation altitude near the top of the atmosphere, he would have been correct. Thus both the amount of atmosphere (and thus pressure and thickness), and amount of greenhouse gases are factors. Any statement that greenhouse gases are not needed if the pressure is high enough is wrong (but this was not what Steve Goddard said). Another issue that came up was the need for the solar energy to heat the ground in order for the hot surface of Venus to occur. I think I made reasonable arguments that this is not at all true. While there is a small amount of solar heating of the ground, the ground is probably actually slightly cooler that the atmosphere directly above it due to radiation, and so there is no buoyant mixing and no heating of the atmosphere from the ground other than the small radiated contribution. The main part of solar energy is absorbed directly into the atmosphere and clouds, and is almost certainly the driver for winds and mixing, and the high ground temperature. The final issue is what would happen if most (say 90%) of the CO2 were replaced by say Argon in Venus’s atmosphere. Three things would happen: 1) The adiabatic lapse rate would greatly increase due to the much lower Cp of Argon. 2) The height of the outgoing radiation would probably decrease, but likely not much due to both the presence of the clouds, and the fact that the density is not linear with altitude, and matching a height with remaining high CO2 level would only drop 10 to 15 km out of the 75 to 80, where outgoing radiation is presently from. If in fact it is the clouds that cause most of the outgoing radiation, there may not be any drop in outgoing level. 3) The radiation flux through the atmosphere would increase, but probably not nearly enough to prevent the atmospheric mixing from maintaining an adiabatic lapse rate. Keep in mind that Venus has 230,000 times the CO2 as Earth. Even 10% of this is 23,000 times the Earth value. The combination of these factors, especially 1), would probably result in an increase in the ground temperature on Venus. Posted in Atmospheric Physics, Basic Science | 169 Comments on August 16, 2010 at 10:31 am | Reply Nick Stokes LW: “However, it appears that the radiation flux levels are relatively small, especially at lower levels,” DeWitt and I discussed that here. A characteristic absorption length of about 10m at the Venus surface seems reasonable, in which case the IR flux induced by the lapse rate is about 8.5 W/m2 – not much less that downward insolation (before we blocked it). My view continues to be that this is an irreversible flow from hot to cooler, which is a constant loss of free energy (gain of entropy). It is an inevitable consequence of a lapse rate. If there were to be a steady state, this free energy would have to be replaced from an external process, since it is no longer supplied by insolation (as it was). This is equivalent to saying that there must be a heat pump, which would set up a counter flux. Forced convection in the stable lapse rate regime (lapse less than dry adiabat) can do that, but again needs some kind of heat engine to do the forcing. In here I did some rough estimates of power available from diurnal and latitude differences, but they aren’t large enough. on August 16, 2010 at 11:44 am | Reply diessoli Thank you all for the effort of writing this up and providing some interesting food for thought. Leonard: “[…] it is the temperature at the location in the atmosphere where the effective outgoing radiation is located that sets a temperature […]” seems to imply that you assume that the ‘heating layer’ is always at the effective temperature, i.e. the temperature at the height where the effective outgoing radiation is located and further that this is the height as we find it for the actual Venus. Is that correct? on August 16, 2010 at 1:27 pm | Reply Leonard Weinstein Nick Stokes, The thin shell at the top is probably not a good model, but look at the actual atmosphere of Venus. Keep in mind that most (>90%) of the solar energy absorbed is absorbed in the upper half of the atmosphere. Look at the actual case and consider what would happen if all of the input was absorbed before it reaches the ground. The day/night and different latitude variation of direct solar atmospheric heating and cooling is the cause of the high speed upper atmosphere wind and that is enough by itself to mix the atmosphere all the way to the surface. Since the lapse rate is very close to the dry adiabatic lapse rate, it takes very little energy for flow to be convected downward as well as upward. I showed how little delta T and vertical mixing was needed to compensate for the small radiation flux (your heat flux is even lower than the 17 W/m2 I stated). The heat pumping is due to the pressure driven atmospheric circulation caused by temperature differences. I have a pdf (I don’t know how to put it in here) describing so called tidal circulation, which is what happens on Venus. The tidal circulation does mix vertically as well as horizontally. dessoli: Yes to your question. The point of outgoing radiation determining an effective height is in fact approached the following way. The radiation level out needed to match incoming radiation is used to calculate a black body temperature, and the location in the atmosphere where that temperature occurs is then called the effective location of outgoing radiation. The effective location is used as a single point on the environmental lapse rate curve, and if the ground temperature is the extension of that curve to the ground. If the environmental lapse rate is in fact the dry adiabatic lapse rate, the ground temperature is the temperature at the effective outgoing radiation altitude plus the increase due to adiabatic compression, and the ground is hotter. The transport of energy to maintain the energy lost by radiation comes from solar energy heating the upper atmosphere and the excess energy being brought through the entire atmosphere by induced circulation from day/night and latitude variation. I would like to point out that it is not necessary to compress or expand a gas quickly to obtain effective adiabatic compression or expansion. It is only necessary that conduction that occurs through the edges of the vertically moving gas stream is limited. In large scale convective flows, there is some mixing and thermal conduction around the edges, but if the flow scale is large enough, the edge effects do not necessarily dominate the flow, and adiabatic heating and cooling effects can occur over significant atmospheric distances. I also want to point out that differences in atmospheric density occur from cooling cause negative buoyancy, which is also a vertical forcing along with positive buoyancy from heating. on August 16, 2010 at 6:49 pm | Reply Nullius in Verba This is truly excellent! I’m so pleased! It will take me a little while to digest this properly. One question. Thought experiment… We have a box containing a heat pump, like a refrigerator in reverse, that pumps heat from the room-temperature exterior or the box to the cavity inside. So long as power is supplied to the pump, the inside will settle at a temperature warmer than the room. The heat pump is powered by a thermally isolated heat engine, also inside the box, that is itself powered by two small patches on the outside of the box, one maintained at room temperature, and the other at close to absolute zero. (Say, a fast flow of liquid helium pumped past it. We assume very high thermal conductivity/capacity at both patches.) The only energy flows across the outer boundary of the box are thermal. The outside of the box is at room temperature or absolute zero. The inside of the box is warmer than room temperature. Clearly, this contradicts “The enclosure, no matter the distribution of temperatures on its surface, cannot drive a temperature below it that is any higher than the highest temperature on the enclosure itself.” So what goes wrong? Or is that the wrong question? on August 16, 2010 at 9:49 pm | Reply Arthur Smith If I understand your question – the issue is the introduction of mechanical and electrical devices into the situation. Those *are* capable of subverting the thermal constraints – obviously, we’re able to create extremely high temperatures (billions of degrees) in particular accelerators powered by electrical devices that in turn receive their power via steam turbines at no more than a few hundred degrees. So yes, it’s possible – but under very restricted conditions. The strictest form of the second law is not the thermal one, but the entropy one – the total entropy of the universe always increases. If you create a mechanical or electrical or chemical process that does something of the sort mentioned, it is reducing the entropy of the parcel of energy concerned, and therefore there must be an accompanying *increase* (the same or larger in total) in the entropy of an accompanying parcel of energy. In the case of a steam turbine, or a heat pump, you are splitting the input thermal energy into two parts – one which has low or zero entropy (the portion that goes to the higher temperature room or the portion that becomes electrical energy) and another with high entropy (the portion that ends up as low temperature “waste heat”). So, under the conditions of such a mechanical engine, a device that can split input heat into low-entropy and high-entropy components, then yes, the strict “downward” flow of energy can be at least briefly averted. In a sense you are pushing a bunch more energy way down, in order to bump a bit of energy higher up (lower entropy, higher temperature). Humans have developed many devices to do this sort of thing. Life itself also is in essence a bucking of entropy’s relentless upward trend (the process of photosynthesis is the essential engine there). But there are no non-living natural processes that behave in that fashion, that I’m aware of. At least not within traditional planetary atmospheres… It is a good question though. Thanks. That’s clear enough. What is the fundamental difference between “mechanical and electrical devices” and atmosphere that makes one capable of subverting thermal constraints and the other not? A heat pump is simply a means by which a gas/fluid cycles round a loop in which it is compressed and expanded, condensed and evaporated, and exchanges heat with warm and cold reservoirs. If this could be achieved by non-mechanical means… on August 17, 2010 at 8:21 pm Arthur Smith It’s a good question. I think an analogous question would be, what’s the difference between living and non-living matter? It’s not something with a straightforward answer, but I believe what’s required is some degree of internal organization and differentiation and partitioning (the various pipes and insulation of a heat pump etc). The sort of organization and differentiation needed for an efficient engine like that doesn’t seem to arise in the non-living natural world, at least not readily. Thinking about it, there are actually at least two components of Earth’s system that act a bit as (inefficient) mechanical devices of this sort: wind, and the water cycle. A small fraction of incoming solar energy turns into pressure differences that drive winds, and those in turn drive waves. A considerably larger fraction of incoming solar energy evaporates water and brings that vapor pretty high up; the falling rain, the rivers and high lakes, the waves and the wind itself can be used as mechanical power sources, and we use some of this already of course. But the second law (strict entropy form) still rules – while some incoming energy is diverted into mechanical power, the bulk of the energy has to go to lower temperature thermal so that total entropy increases. What Leonard is proposing would require an atmosphere to act not as such an inefficient engine that sends most of its energy to low-temperature waste, but as a tremendously super-efficient engine that somehow keeps powering lower (and exponentially denser!) layers of the atmosphere up higher and higher on the temperature and internal energy curve. That’s just not possible. on August 18, 2010 at 12:44 am Mike Ewing “If this could be achieved by non-mechanical means…” I suppose if you had a big moon, expanding the space on its side o a planet, and the atmosphere being compressed on the far side, it could kinda do that…. but the gains on the compression would be exactly equal to the loses on expansion. I dont know if atmospheric tides could perhaps achieve some form of mixing, of higher energy gas at higher altitude gas with lower altitudes, i would assume not… I suppose with the likes of venus, where you have the direct interaction of the solar winds on its upper atmosphere, this could also cause a planetary atmospheric pressure differential.. with the lee ward side o the planet at a lower pressure vrs altitude than the bow shocked side. Im sure this would have been documented if it had a substantial effect. And it would also basically work the same as the moon, with gains equaling loses. on August 18, 2010 at 4:05 am Nullius in Verba If you’re right that there isn’t enough (negative) entropy to drive the formation of an adiabatic lapse rate, then surely it would mean there wasn’t enough to drive wind and evaporation? The wind moves huge masses of air halfway across the globe. Evaporation lifts trillions of tons of water high into the air each day. They all sound equally impressive. There is also the thing that convection does not have to recreate the adiabatic lapse rate anew each day. If it adds a little at a time, building the circulating loops up in size, the resulting adiabatic lapse is stable against an immediate collapse. (Especially if you ignore radiation, as in the thought experiment here.) Like rainwater filling a lake in the mountains – the potential energy is built up (and maintained) gradually. And in many cases there are counterweights. Compressing air in one place requires letting it expand in another, and the entropy released by the latter can supply a large proportion of the entropy reduction inherent in the former. If your crane has a counterweight on the other side of the pivot, you can lift a ton into the air with one hand. Or to put it another way, the high pressure at ground level compared to altitude is, when considered alone, another massive embodiment of lowered entropy – do we need a constantly supplied external source of negative entropy to maintain it? To push air around a cycle (like a Hadley cell), all the internal forces of compression and expansion balance, and you only have to worry about the dissipative ones. So it isn’t immediately obvious to me that tremendous efficiency is required. For Venus, with its super-rotation, perhaps. (Although in that case I wonder which is cause and which effect. Does super-rotation merely drive the heat pump faster?) But generally speaking, the forces inherent in the weather seem large enough to me to accomplish the task. on August 16, 2010 at 7:53 pm | Reply Sam Yates “If the initial condition was imposed- that the lapse rate was below the dry adiabatic lapse rate, it is true that the gas would be very stable from convective mixing due to buoyancy, and the very slow thermal conduction, which would drive the temperature back toward the dry adiabatic lapse rate, could take a very long time (in the actual case, it would be much faster due to even small natural convection currents generally present).”–From Leonard Weinstein’s portion of the post, in the discussion of the “tall room” thought experiment. It’s likely that I’m confused about the adiabatic lapse rate and why it exists, but I don’t understand why, in the example given, the lapse rate would eventually shift towards the adiabatic lapse rate. That would involve an increase in the lapse rate, in seeming defiance of the 2nd law of thermodynamics. I would have thought that, in the conditions given (and assuming that the gas column is not heated from below), the entire column would eventually become isothermal due to conduction between colliding molecules. There doesn’t seem to be any mechanism that would lead to an increased temperature gradient. Perhaps I’m missing something. If so, though, what? Is there some portion of the system whose entropy is increasing, to counteract the decrease in entropy brought about by the approach to the adiabatic lapse rate? I agree. If you only have a single heat reservoir, then conduction would eventually render the air column isothermal. Potential temperature only applies when air masses are moving and carrying the heat vertically. (Although I am not quite sure – conduction in a gas is by diffusion, which is still a mass flow on a microscopic scale. Does this count?) Where it gets interesting is when you have two very tall rooms stood next to each other, one heated at the top to a different temperature to the other, and the two rooms connected at top and bottom by narrow pipes. With the pipes closed off, two rooms approach isothermal, but at different temperatures, and hence different pressures. (Even if you specify the same 0.1 atm at the top, the pressures at the bottom are unequal.) So when you open the valves on the pipes, air will circulate. Heated from the top in one room, it rises. Cooled from the top in the other, it descends. So long as the temperature difference at the tops is maintained, the air will circulate, rising and descending, compressed and expanded. Is there any limit to how small a temperature difference is required to maintain circulation? (However slow.) Under the conditions stated, with no radiation and perfectly insulated walls and floor, I can only see one: that the mass rate of flow has to be faster than diffusive conduction. (When heat will diffuse through stationary gas from one heat reservoir to the other.) Given even such a slow circulation, would the adiabatic lapse rate still apply? on August 16, 2010 at 9:58 pm M My gut tells me that the cold equilibrium will dominate. I think my gut might be wrong, though. Similar thought experiment: 1 Pipe with a top which is split in half, one half maintained at a colder temperature than the other half. At the very top of the pipe, there will be a temperature gradient: warmest at the far end of the warm half, coldest at the far end of the cold half. I think that much is straightforward. However, at the bottom of the pipe, I feel that the temperature has to be uniform: if there was a colder side, it would inexorably flow/conduct into the warm side. If the whole pipe was isothermally equal to the coldest air at the cold side of the top, except for a tiny, ramp-shaped warmish layer at the very top with a horizontal gradient, and a fast vertical gradient*, it seems to me that the system could be stable. I think the only way to have constant convection is to have the hotter plate at a lower altitude than the colder plate. Not only that, but the hot-cold differential would have to be greater than the adiabat, otherwise you just get an constant, non-convecting gradient. *Okay, when I start thinking about “how fast is fast”, my theory might run into problems: if the vertical layer is more than infinitesimal, then it isn’t obvious that it can’t be equal to the whole height of the pipe. And yet, I feel like it should be greater than negligible, and yet very small. But in that very small vertical space, it seems like there would be some amount of horizontal convection/conduction… hrm… complicated thought experiments. We should do some computational modeling of all these problems to better explore our intuitions… pull up a text book that talks about the most basic of climate models based on the equations of state, and make a model with a bunch of boxes… on August 16, 2010 at 9:14 pm | Reply Nick Stokes There is a mechanism for restoring the lapse rate, which I’ve talked about here. When the lapse rate is below the adiabat, the air is stable to convection. That means that it actually takes work to move air up or down – an amount proportional to the difference between actual lapse rate and adiabat. That work does something – it pumps heat against the gradient. The stability reduces, and the heat pump weakens, as the adiabat is approached. However, it takes energy, which in Nature comes from the general heat engine processes of the atmosphere – heat flowing toward the poles, for example. If there’s no motion, there’s no pump. on August 16, 2010 at 9:36 pm | Reply M “The final issue is what would happen if most (say 90%) of the CO2 were replaced by say Argon in Venus’s atmosphere. ” Leonard: what if you were to do the thought experiment of replacing 90%+ of the CO2 with a magic-gas replacement, with exactly equivalent properties to CO2 except for a total lack of absorption of longwave radiation. What would happen then? My intuition is that temperatures would have to drop, a lot. I agree that Venus is an odd case in that solar radiation is being absorbed in the mid-atmosphere rather than the surface, but… hrm… I need to think about this. I remember having an argument on RealClimate ages ago with Fred Staples about what would happen if an atmosphere were replaced with its radiatively transparent doppleganger, but given his lack of sanity it wasn’t really a very fruitful discussion. I ran into many of the same issues that people are struggling with here, with half of me wanting the adiabat to remain dominant and the other half arguing for an isothermal atmosphere, and a third half trying to think about the diurnal cycle and concluding that there would be weird thing where you’d get daytime surface heating which would set the adiabat at high noon*, and then in the evening the surface would cool due to radiation along with a tiny layer of atmosphere adjacent to the surface that would cool by conduction… leaving the rest of the nighttime atmosphere at its old daytime adiabat. But any argument about atmospheric adiabats for magic non-radiative atmospheres would run into boundary problems: what happens at high altitudes? In the earth system, we have a tropopause, above which temperatures rise because of O3 absorption of incoming radiation.** But in the magic atmosphere, I can’t come up with a reason for a tropopause to exist. So the atmosphere should keep cooling at the adiabat until… well, until it can’t cool at the adiabat any longer. Depending on the exact profile, perhaps there’s an altitude at which the pressure and temperature of the magic gas would be appropriate for it to liquify, or perhaps it just asymptotes towards absolute zero??? Anyway, those are my, not completely formed thoughts… *Technically, the adiabat would be set by the highest possible surface temperature, which would be some time after high noon as determined by the heat capacity of the surface. **Hey… you need to make sure your theory is compatible with a system that can switch directions at the tropopause, thermopause, etc… the O3 layer is warmer at higher altitudes than lower altitudes – of course, part of this behavior may require CO2 to be around to turn hot O3 into cooling radiation… but this kind of suggests that a pure O3 atmosphere would be hottest at the some high altitude, and cool both below and above that point… on August 16, 2010 at 9:43 pm | Reply DeWitt Payne Leonard, It is not physically possible for the Venusian surface to be colder than the atmosphere directly above it. That would mean that the surface would absorb not only solar radiation, but also excess radiation from the atmosphere and sensible heat transfer from the atmosphere. Where does all this heat then go? I gave you my argument on this in the other thread. I have seen nothing but hand waving in reply. Show me the numbers that justify your conclusion. They certainly aren’t in your Figure 2 where the surface is clearly warmer than the atmosphere above it. I did a multilayer atmosphere calculation using absorption data from SpectralCalc. If you replaced half the CO2 with a transparent gas (VMR reduced from 0.96 CO2 to 0.48), the surface temperature would have to drop by about 9 K to restore radiative balance. The net radiative flux from the surface to the atmosphere is about 5 W/m2. The rest of the 17 W/m2 of solar radiation that isn’t reflected must be transferred to the atmosphere by sensible heat transfer. Both these facts require the surface to be warmer than the atmosphere above it. So yes, the thickness of the atmosphere is important. If you think about this in sensitivity per doubling, even if you reduced the total amount of CO2 in the Venusian atmosphere to the level in the Earth’s atmosphere for a VMR of about 0.000004, the surface temperature of Venus would still be several hundred degrees hotter than the surface of the Earth. This implies that if one started out with a perfectly transparent atmosphere with a surface pressure of 93 bar, the rate of change of surface temperature with the addition of even a small amount of CO2 would be very large. The behavior would be quite different if the mass of the atmosphere weren’t constant. If one removed half the CO2 from the Venusian atmosphere and didn’t replace it with a transparent gas, the surface temperature would drop a lot more than 9 K, although I haven’t actually done that calculation. on August 16, 2010 at 9:53 pm | Reply Joe Born I hesitate to comment because (1) I’m a non-scientist and (2) I’ll have to read all comments through several more times before I come to my own conclusion. But at this stage in my struggle with the material Weinstein’s explanation strikes me as more compelling. The reason is that his opponents make statements such as that the thermodynamic laws may be more fundamental than gravity, whereas to this layman it more plausible that the zeroth and second laws are merely the results of statistics applied to large numbers, so analysis at the single-molecule level should guide our determination of their applicability. Particularly troubling is his opponents’ basing dismissal of gravitational deceleration on the shortness of a molecule’s mean free path. True, the amount of deceleration sustained in a few nanometers is small. But the collision that thereafter occurs is with a molecule that on average has similarly suffered deceleration to reach the collision height. And there are many, many mean free paths between the bottom and the top of the room. They are small individually, but the minuscule velocity losses add up over a large number indeed. Or that’s how this layman sees it. Now I’ll shut up and read it all again. on August 23, 2010 at 11:32 am | Reply Joe Born Siince I haven’t read anything I’ve been able to recognize as a satisfactory answer to my criticism above of the short-mean-free-path argument for uniform tall-room temperature, I’ll attempt my own. True, you can’t ignore gravitational acceleration just because it acts over a short mean free path; the molecular travel times are short, but there are a lot of them. Therefore, gravity implies a significant impulse (force time time) collectively on the molecules. But, since no bulk downward momentum results (once steady state is reached), the molecules must on average be subjected to a contrary upward force–and they are, since the concentration gradient results in their encountering more collisions from below than from above. It can probably be shown that this contrary force is the same per molecule at high altitudes as low–and that it exactly counters gravity. If so, gravity is a wash as far as affecting molecular velocities: it doesn’t make temperatures lower at higher altitudes. Another way of saying that is that the mean impulse applied by gravity between collisions is the mean (net-upward) impulse applied by a collision and that this is true independently of height. That’s the plausibility argument. I haven’t tried to put math to it. on August 16, 2010 at 10:01 pm | Reply Leonard Weinstein Sam and Nullius, Nick is correct. Also please reread my write up, as I addressed these issues. Especially note: The only question is if the induced convection mixing from day/night and latitude differences in heating is large enough to do the heat pumping needed. It is on Venus. The adiabatic lapse rate is the no conduction heat transfer condition, not constant temperature. Even diffusion causes the lapse rate to move toward the adiabatic lapse rate. The pressure gradient due to gravity causes rising molecules or globs of gas to cool as they rise and heat as they fall (movement due to diffusion or convection), and this exactly is the cause of the adiabatic temperature lapse rate. The only reason any heat pumping is needed at all is to replace energy lost from a small radiation flux upwards and thus the pumping from convective mixing maintains the adiabatic lapse rate. on August 16, 2010 at 11:10 pm | Reply Nullius in Verba I agree with Nick, and I definitely agree more with you over SoD and Arthur, with a few tweaks. (Although with the greatest respect to you all.) Have you also considered temperature inversions and the lapse rate of the stratosphere? Are they stable? on August 16, 2010 at 10:16 pm | Reply M Yet another real-world temperature gradient (in addition to the temperature gradient above the tropopause) that should be explained by whatever theory is arrived at: The ocean. Warm at the surface, cold at the depths. A lecture I found (http://earth.geology.yale.edu/~avf5/teaching/ResourcesGG535/Lecture5.PotTemp.Thermodyn.LapseRate.pdf) suggests that below about 4500 m, potential temperature is fairly constant, and the ocean warms at the adiabat. However, above this altitude, temperature warms quickly. Why? I would argue it is because there is a heat source at the top of the ocean, and that the temperature of the top of the ocean does not propagate downwards at the adiabat: rather, what we see at 4500 m is (and I’m wildly hypothesizing here) the altitude where the adiabat determined by the temperature at the ocean floor and the temperature that is convected/conducted from the surface are equal: above this height, ocean water is getting its heat from the surface. Below this height, ocean water is getting its heat from the ocean floor. Now, of course, the ocean is complicated because the Arctic and the Antarctic are busy pumping cold water down into the depths… and here I think we approach Nullius in Verba’s model: what happens when you have a cold and a warm top to your system? And given that Venus has poles, and a nightside, and based on the ocean example, I might suggest that a top warmed system would mostly be isothermal with the coldest part of the opaque enclosure, with a temperature gradient below the warm parts of the enclosure but cooling with depth… Water is not particularly compressible, so you don’t get quite the same temperature gradient, and of course water is most dense above freezing point (ice floats). But even then, as you note, you get the thermohaline circulation driven by the large scale ‘convection’ due to hot tropical and cold polar waters, with all the heat driving it coming from on top. An interesting example, and one I hadn’t considered before. My thanks! DeWitt, Venus does have some solar radiation reaching the ground and being absorbed. The exact level is not known but the average is almost certainly less than 17 W/m2. I would guess about half of this is absorbed. The hot ground radiates a huge amount of radiation, but the hot atmosphere radiates a nearly equal back radiation, so the net radiation flux is small (a few watts). For this reason, the absorbed solar energy is a very small fraction of the energies involved. If the radiated flux is more than the absorbed solar energy, the ground will be cooler than the atmosphere above it, and the atmosphere will conduct heat down to make up the difference. If the radiated flux is less than solar plus back radiated, the ground would be slightly warm, and would conduct some to the moving atmosphere above it. The ground CAN be cooler than the atmosphere. If there were no solar energy reaching the ground, the ground would clearly be cooler than the atmosphere directly above it, but again a small convective heat transfer would replace radiated net flux up (again just a few watts). Please re read my writeup. If some magic gas replaced CO2 with exact same other properties, the height of outgoing radiation would change, depending on how much is replaced,and if clouds are an issue. In general, even replacing most but not all of the CO2 would lower the resulting temperature DUE TO THE LOWER HEIGHT OF OUTGOING RADIATION, NOT DUE TO LOWERING THE LAPSE RATE. on August 17, 2010 at 2:42 am | Reply Leonard Weinstein I want to expand on the cold ground issue. The radiation from the ground is unique from the absorption and re radiation in the atmosphere. It is from a solid body, probably with a distinct emissivity which may be close to but not exactly black body. The atmosphere to atmosphere is specific bands of CO2 and other gases, and likely has some small wavelength regions with greater and lesser absorption. It is easy to see that back radiation would be smaller if the ground is hotter (from absorbed solar radiation), but it is possible and almost certain that even if the ground is slightly cooler than the atmosphere, it could still have slightly more forward radiation due to the added wavelengths. In that case, convective heat transfer is needed to make the balance up. Since the difference is likely very small, the local reversal should be possible. The ground roughness could cause enough turbulence to overcome the slight inversion with down mixing. on August 17, 2010 at 3:41 am | Reply gallopingcamel Using Leonard’s numbers, let’s imagine digging a hole 1 km square and 100 km deep, lined with perfect insulation. Instead of digging the hole on Venus, let’s imagine that it is located on Earth. Assume that the hole starts at sea level at a place where the temperature is a chilly 250 K. Gravity will look after filling the hole with air. Convection with some (minor) help from conduction and radiation will establish an equilibrium state. The temperature at the bottom of the hole will be 250 K plus (9.8 times 100) = 1,230 Kelvin. You may argue that this estimate is too high because Earth’s atmosphere has water vapor that reduces the adiabatic lapse rate to as low as 5 K/km. However, once the temperature exceeds 300 K the effect of water vapor on the lapse rate fades rapidly so even with very moist air the temperature at the bottom will exceed 1,150 Kelvin. gallopingcamel, That would be correct except that the small amount of water vapor and CO2 are sufficient quantities of greenhouse gas so they would radiate excess heat up and drop the lapse rate. In addition, the ground itself is not a perfect mirror or of small heat capacity, which would also tend to radiate and absorb, and drop the excess temperature more. The initial temperature would be high, but after a while it would drop much lower. There would be no internal large scale vertical circulation to maintain adiabatic lapse rate even if no losses were encountered. The compressibility of water is extremely low so one can ignore the effect of pressure on density. Temperature on the other hand has a significant effect causing the density to rise as temperature falls. The effect of gravity is to cause the denser (=cooler) water to descend. This effect causes the observed temperature gradients versus depth in our oceans. Unlike most liquids, water reaches a maximum density at 4 degrees Celsius and then expands until it freezes at 0 degrees Celsius. As a consequence of water’s anomalous behavior, the temperature at depths below 1,000 meters is ~4 degrees Celsius. If water behaved like most liquids, ice would sink and our oceans would fill up with ice. I wonder how that would effect global climate! Probably Leonard Weinstein, DeWitt Payne or SOD can tell us. At great depth, water temperatures do drop below 4 degrees C, and at even greater depths water temperatures do increase adiabatically. (mind you, saline water has different maximum density/temperature than fresh water) eg. “Bottom temperature varied between 1.16°C at station 3 in the Kermadec Trench at 6007 m and, with the evidence of slight adiabatic heating with depth, 1.78°C at 9729 m (station 8) ” (http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/276/1659/1037.long). Or “If we are studying intermediate layers of the ocean, say at depths near a kilometer, we cannot ignore compressibility.” (http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/ocng_textbook/chapter06/chapter06_05.htm) Leonard Weinstein, This is a “Thought Experiment” so it is OK to assume perfectly insulated, perfectly reflecting walls to the pit, like an ideal Dewar flask. on August 17, 2010 at 6:23 am | Reply Nick Stokes You’d have to assume absolutely zero emissivity walls. Well, OK, you can, but I don’t think there’s any real solid like that. It’s a balance. Motion pumps heat down; radiation and conduction bring it up. If radiation is zero, conduction very small, then a little motion is all it needs to establish the lapse rate. But even that little motion needs a small energy source to keep it going. Incidentally, the geothermal gradient is about 3x the lapse rate. Apparently I have not convinced you that conduction is only zero for adiabatic, not constant temperature. Why is that still so given my discussion on the zeroth law? on August 18, 2010 at 12:28 pm | Reply Nick Stokes Oops, you noticed! Yes, I’ve become agnostic on the question of conduction. Your argument is persuasive, but it seems Arthur has consensus science on his side. I haven’t resolved it in my mind because I think in any conceivable real situation radiative transfer will always outweigh molecular conduction – even if it’s argon there will always be dust etc. And radiative transport clearly is conduction-like independent of gravity. So I think in any realistic situation the lapse rate will be determined by the balance of motion transport (turbulent convection) and radiative transfer (and also phase change, if any). If motion subsides, IR will ensure lapse close to isothermal. Maximum density of water is at 4 C only for pure water. The salinity (~35) of sea water causes the maximum density to be below the freezing point, which is also depressed by the salinity. Ice will still be less dense than sea water. …the density maximum is above the freezing point for salinities below 24.7 but below the freezing point for salinities above 24.7 http://www.es.flinders.edu.au/~mattom/IntroOc/lecture03.html The temperature profile of the ocean tends to be stable on average because the heat conducted downward by eddy diffusion is balanced by the cold water forced upward by the cold water that descends at the poles ( http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/ocng_textbook/chapter08/chapter08_05.htm ). That reference may also be applicable to the general problem of heating from the top. I’ve done the calculations. The surface of Venus sees an almost perfect black body spectrum from the atmosphere. There is no window for surface radiation to escape directly to much higher altitudes. The surface cannot be cooler than the atmosphere above it because there is no mechanism to remove the heat to maintain a lower surface temperature. You only get that sort of temperature inversion on Earth on clear nights with low humidity where the ground can radiate on the order of 100 W/m2 more than it receives from the atmosphere. Changing the VMR for CO2 at constant surface pressure from 0.96 to 0.48 changes the net radiative flux at the surface by less than 0.5 W/m2. A reduction of surface temperature of 9 K is necessary to restore the same net flux. From this reference ( http://www.planetary.brown.edu/pdfs/542.pdf Table 1.), the surface albedo of Venus is estimated to be in the range 0.02 to 0.12. That means that at least 88% of the 17 W/m2 average of incident solar radiation at the surface is absorbed by the surface. That heat has to go somewhere. Arthur Smith, Wouldn’t an isothermal atmosphere violate equipartition? I haven’t tried to do the calculation, but off the top of my head, it would seem that an isothermal atmosphere would have too much gravitational potential energy compared to kinetic energy. No – the Boltzmann distribution guarantees that almost all the atmosphere is at low altitude. The “high gravitational potential energy” portion of the atmosphere is a very small (exponentially small – see the equations above) fraction of the total. on August 17, 2010 at 4:15 pm | Reply Chris G There are lot’s of details here to ponder, but I’d like to go back to the opaque enclosure thought experiment. Let’s imagine what happens above the enclosure. If the enclosure acts as a black body with the same albedo as the surface of the planet, then, effectively, what happens above the enclosure is the same as if the surface had been raised to that altitude at the same time as the the atmosphere below that altitude had been removed. Short wave energy reflected remains the same. (Let’s ignore the fact the diameter of the planet is effectively just a little more than it used to be.) At equilibrium, LW energy from the enclosure would have to equal SW energy not reflected. Whatever amount of radiative energy that had been emitted from below the enclosure is now emitted at the enclosure. There is less atmosphere above the enclosure to recapture or otherwise delay the outward progress of the energy than there had been with the depth of atmosphere below it included. With less retention of energy (and less atmosphere), the energy within the planet as a whole will move closer to the state it would be in with no atmosphere than it had been before. At this point I am going to jump ahead and say that I think the surface temperature would be less with an enclosure than it would be without. From my post above: “At equilibrium, LW energy from the enclosure would have to equal SW energy not reflected.” That’s not correct. See the PVC sphere thought experiment in an earlier post. Nonetheless, the average point of emission of LW has been raised in altitude. Perhaps this is better. At equilibrium, LW energy from the enclosure would have to equal SW energy not reflected, plus whatever LW energy was absorbed and re-emitted above it to become DLR. Chris G, The thin enclosure was not a good choice for a model. It was used to show that it was not necessary for solar energy to reach the ground to have the actual temperature on Venus. Too many unrealistic restrictions had to be placed on it to come close to getting the energy balance desired. I want to leave that model for a better version. A better model that satisfies that energy balance requirement and that is very close to the real Venus would assume all solar energy is absorbed in the atmosphere before it reaches the ground, but the absorption is through most of the atmosphere. This version of a model actually shows what happens (winds, mixing, etc.) and only has a different effect due to solar energy not reaching reaching the ground. This would result in the ground being slightly cooler than the gas immediately above it, and the lapse rate would probably be a bit lower near the ground, but the overall result would probably be very close to present levels. I would like to note here that, having discussed this at length with Leonard on the previous thread, I don’t intend to try to convince him here on the points he is wrong. I’ve made my main explanations above, and suggest referring to what I wrote here which I entirely stand by. Leonard does seem to have moderated his views on things here slightly, and I largely agree with his discussion of real-life Venus above, at least as regarding the issues of absorption within the atmosphere – this is certainly an important point. Nevertheless, the direction of heat motion from the second law of thermodynamics, which is really fundamental here (particularly in its entropic form) has to be from hot to cold, that is from lower atmosphere to upper, so all the net heat flows must be in that direction. I will just note here a few specific points below of continuing disagreement, and leave it at that. Leonard quotes several sources on potential temperature – that’s fine as far as it goes, but it is an approximation associated with rapid motion only, the adiabatic approximation, which Scienceofdoom explained right at the start of this whole post. When things slow down, the adiabatic approximation becomes invalid, and real temperature, not potential temperature, is key. In particular, Leonard’s claim that … thermal conduction, which would drive the temperature back toward the dry adiabatic lapse rate is false. Conduction drives to constant real temperature, not potential temperature. The rate of heat flow by conduction is proportional to the gradient of temperature, not the gradient of potential temperature. And the zeroth law ensures that the equilibrium state, which is the ultimate state of any closed system with many degrees of freedom of this sort, must have a constant uniform temperature (not uniform potential temperature). These laws apply regardless of any external fields like gravity or internal interactions between the molecules. Even if some portion of the atmosphere liquefies, so we have a lake condensed at the bottom of our “room” and a gas of molecules above that, the zeroth law ensures that, once this system reaches equilibrium, the temperature must be the same, bottom to top. Potential temperature is a simplification associated with the adiabatic approximation. Leonard points out the adiabatic approximation is pretty good when you have large parcels of atmosphere moving – the heat exchange is only at the edges of the parcels. But actual motion of air is complex and chaotic; turbulence intervenes, and the large motions devolve into eddies of smaller and smaller dimensions. Motion of air is necessarily resisted by the surrounding air; real atmospheres have viscosity. Convection is dissipative, and the energy of motion must eventually turn into heat. The convection will slow down and eventually cease, unless there is something driving it; energy flux from the sun directly to the planetary surface (or to low levels of the atmosphere at least) is essential. “it is an approximation associated with rapid motion only” What you need here is the Rayleigh number. High Ra means convective transport dominates diffusive. Ra goes up very fast with length scale. In atmospheres, it’s generally huge. However, for the atmosphere to absorb all the solar radiation, it has to take on the characteristics of a black body. Otherwise there will be wavelengths that are not absorbed. It will do this at a sufficient depth or density, but in that case, you have merely substituted a black body with a clearly defined surface for one with a fuzzy surface. If no radiative energy can get in below the surface boundary, then none can get out as well. My understanding is that without there being more energy below than above, convection will not happen. If there is no external energy that penetrates to the lower levels, there is no external energy to power convection. If so, then below this level of total absorption of radiation, there is no transfer of energy through radiation and there is almost none through convection. I suppose there will exist lateral movements, but outside of turbulence effects, and convection powered by decay or tidal forces from below, I don’t imagine there is much vertical mixing. That leaves mostly conduction. Within an almost exclusively conductive body, whether solid or fluid, I can’t imagine an interior region cooler than an exterior region which entirely encapsulates it. I believe that DeWitt has said the same thing in more numeric terms. I suspect that your model relies on there being a boundary layer where incoming radiation is entirely blocked and outgoing is not. I went back and read Toth’s note ( http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/1002/1002.2980v2.pdf ) about the Virial theorem and planetary atmospheres. The Virial theorem applies as long as local thermal equilibrium (LTE) applies, whether the temperature varies with altitude or not. Collisions and mean free path are not important in the derivation except as applies to LTE being valid. He also supports your position that thermal equilibrium = isothermal. For a tall room with opaque real surfaces (emissivity = 1) at the top and the bottom with only the top surface maintained at a constant temperature and the bottom surface perfectly insulated, for an initial temperature gradient increasing from top to bottom in the absence of absorbed solar radiation or some other source of energy to the bottom surface, the bottom surface will emit more energy than it receives because it’s a more perfect black body than the atmosphere above it. That means it will cool and cool the atmosphere above it. In the fullness of time, the temperature of the top and bottom of the room will become equal, the same as would apply if there were no gas, or a perfectly transparent gas, in the room. Small as it is, the solar flux at the Venusian surface is what maintains the high surface temperature. You could start from the other direction with the bottom surface at absolute zero and all the gas in a layer on the bottom. The bottom surface temperature would never exceed the temperature at the top whether the gas were transparent or opaque in the IR. The atmosphere of Venus is known to absorb over 90% of the solar radiation. This is probably closer to 95% with reflection from the surface back up. This is already a very small fraction of the absorbed solar energy heating the ground. Kicking it up some more in a model to effectively 100% is not a big deal. Note the fact that incoming solar energy is mostly different wavelengths than the thermal outgoing energy, and the thermal energy is almost fully absorbed and re radiated in just a few meters (see DeWitts comments). The solar radiation is mostly absorbed by the clouds and aerosols (and some by CO2), and this energy is converted to thermal energy, so it is not necessary to invoke a diffuse black body. I stated that the walls and top and bottom were perfect mirrors, i.e., not absorbing or emitting. This was to keep radiation out of the point I was making. FWIW, clouds, aerosols, and the atmospheric gases themselves are what I’m thinking of as a diffuse black body. on August 18, 2010 at 1:51 am | Reply John Millett Thanks to scienceofdoom for making his site available for this innovative and hugely useful format and to his colleagues for making it possible. A simple question for Arthur Smith: Why do use the term “net heat” in your discussion of the 2nd law of thermodynamics after introducing it with the Clausius definition which deals only with “heat” ? Joe Born claims he is not a scientist. However, he seems to be the responder that gets it. Please read his comment Aug 16, 9:53 pm, as it makes the critical point you seem to be missing. Keep in mind that the adiabatic lapse rate is order of 0.01 K/m. This is a very small gradient. Most problems look at many orders of magnitude larger gradients, and small physical distances, so conduction in gases in normal gradients don’t have to consider the gravity effects. Speed of change is NOT the defining feature of adiabatic compression or expansion, conduction through confining boundaries is. In many cases a slow change does allow conduction through the boundary, but not always. I also went back and read Toth’s note ( http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/1002/1002.2980v2.pdf ) about the Virial theorem and planetary atmospheres. I did not see him demonstrate a position that thermal equilibrium = isothermal. He seemed to imply that with “We assume that the gas is in thermal equilibrium (the real atmosphere isn’t, but that’s another story), so its temperature is constant”, but with no supporting material. He may have only meant that in the absence of convection, that radiation would drive it to isothermal. I agree with that, and since the gas he referred to was diatomic, it would radiate. However, that is not the point I was making, and would not be true for a single atom molecule. on August 18, 2010 at 5:56 am | Reply DeWitt Payne I didn’t say demonstrates, I said supports. In a perfectly reflecting container starting with an adiabatic lapse rate, if the gas radiates at all, and all real gases at significant pressure will radiate by collisional induction if nothing else, then the gas at the bottom of the room will radiate more energy upward than it receives and will cool. The top, OTOH will see more radiation than it emits and will warm. The end result will be no temperature gradient. A perfectly transparent gas in a perfectly reflecting container is getting rather far from reality but somehow I don’t think that in the limiting case of perfect transparency the gas will suddenly be able to maintain a temperature gradient. on August 18, 2010 at 5:53 am | Reply Mait A question to SoD, Arthur, Leonard and others who might want to answer: If we started the room with isothermal gas that is evenly distributed (mass wise – that is density is the same everywhere) would you agree that at first, the temperature on the top of the room would start falling and on the bottom the temperature would start rising. Disclaimer (just in case): I’m aware that the initial reaction of the system doesn’t say much about the final equilibrium state. Just trying to get some footing which way stuff goes under certan circumstances. A temperature gradient would certainly develop if gravity were suddenly switched on. The initial conditions are somewhat similar to a diffuse gas cloud in space that undergoes gravitational collapse. If the cloud is mostly hydrogen and large enough, the temperature at the center will be high enough for a fusion reaction to start and form a new star. I may have asked this on the other thread but I can’t remember the answer. If your tall room started out with an isothermal atmosphere, do you maintain that a temperature gradient equal to the adiabatic lapse rate would form? on August 18, 2010 at 10:12 am | Reply A random man @Arthur Smith You ignored planet’s gravity variation with altitude. For the concentration of molecules n at a distance r from the center of a planet the Boltzmann law gives then: n(r)=no*exp[G*M*m/(k*T*r)] G – gravitational constant M – planet’s mass m – molecule’s mass k – Boltzmann constant T – temperature of the atmosphere At infinity, we would obtain a finite value for the concentration of n, namely n = no. This is nonsense. Therefore, the Boltzmann formula in general does not apply to the planetary atmosphere. @DeWitt Payne Based on my comment, an isothermal atmosphere is not an equilibrium state of a planet’s atmosphere and therefore a temperature gradient will appear. on August 18, 2010 at 11:46 am | Reply Arthur Smith Well – yes, of course, under the full gravity field planetary atmospheres are not stable, they decay gradually, so strictly speaking there can be no full thermodynamic equilibrium in such a system (in the long run it all goes away). Which I did point out in a comment lost in the other original thread. For asteroids and even our Moon, the ratio of n(surface) to your n0 is low enough that most of the atmosphere decays in millions of years or less (actually that decay is accelerated by solar wind ionization effects in the upper atmosphere, so the Boltzmann statistics underestimates the true loss rate). For Earth that formula is why we have no hydrogen or helium in our atmosphere – the planet didn’t have sufficient gravity to keep that n(surface)/n0 ratio high enough. But for oxygen and nitrogen in our atmosphere the ratio is high enough to retain the atmosphere for many billions of years. The approximation of a constant g is pretty close to true out to 100 km from the surface (the change in g is about 1.5%), which is all we’ve been talking about in the examples here. Let us be clear what we are referring to. A gas in gravity, and not radiating, would always tend toward adiabatic, since that lapse rate is the condition of no heat transfer. However if the gas also radiates, this radiation energy is not gravity dependent, so will decrease the lapse rate. The final result depends on whether convection driven by sources and sinks can mix the atmosphere enough to overcome the radiation flux. The conduction alone would drive any non adiabatic gradient toward adiabatic, but conduction alone is very slow, and even a very small level of radiation would dominate it. Note that I was careful to define the gas in the tall room as non radiating, as single atom molecules such as Argon would be. If the room of non radiating gas were initially forced to be isothermal, it would take millions of years for conduction alone to force it to an adiabatic lapse rate, but it would go that way. Real atmospheres are radiating, so the tall room example was to show the effect of adiabatic compression as a cause of heating, nothing more. Mait, Yes, and in fact it would go to the adiabatic lapse rate. I think there are only two basic issues where those here are disagreeing on. 1) The need to have a non trivial amount of solar radiation reach the surface of Venus in order to have the high temperature vs. not needing any. 2) The issue of whether the adiabatic lapse rate or isothermal is the condition where there is no conduction heat transfer (in the absence of radiation). I think we all agree that radiation tends to lower the lapse rate, and convective mixing tends to restore it. Does anyone disagree on these statements? If we agree, is there any argument that supports or refutes the two points that has not been made? I don’t think we can add much to this argument if we can’t resolve those points. on August 19, 2010 at 3:30 am | Reply Chris G I think we are not understanding what the other considers to be key points. It does not matter to me whether the boundary layer of a black body is a millimeter thick or kilometers thick; what I am saying is that, below that boundary layer, it is not possible for there to be an interior region that is cooler than a more exterior region which entirely encloses it. That was intended to be a counter to your assertion that the ground, or area near the ground, could be cooler than the atmosphere above it, when the atmosphere is thick enough to absorb all radiation. There will be convection above this layer, but I don’t see that it matters if we are talking about what happens below the point of complete absorption. I’m not sure what you mean by “to have the high temperature”. High relative to what? It takes a lot of atmosphere for the density to reach levels where the gas acts as a black body. In your model, there has to be at least this much atmosphere or there will be solar radiation reaching the surface. (Even if it has to go through some absorb-emit cycles to get there.) That also implies that there is a lot of atmosphere above the region where the atmospheric gases take on black body characteristics. (I suspect it implies more gas above the boundary layer than actually exists on Venus because we agree that some solar radiation gets through, but no matter, this is a thought experiment.) Since a lot of the atmosphere is some variety of GHG, it’s going to be _hot_ at the boundary layer. And it is not going to get any cooler the further in you go. I don’t know if it is going to get any hotter, but it isn’t going to get any cooler. If the atmosphere is thick enough to absorb as a black body, it is thick enough to emit as a black body. No? And if it emits as a black body, then it will fairly quickly achieve LTE with the surface. Science of Doom, do you have any comments at this point? If the atmosphere absorbs 100% of the ground radiation in a short distance, I agree that even if it received no solar radiation, it would not be significantly cooler than the lower atmosphere, but would be about the same temperature rather than warmer as it is with absorbed solar radiation. This does not change my basic point that no absorbed solar radiation to the ground is needed for the surface and lower atmosphere to be hot. I also agree that greatly reducing the CO2 concentration and replacing it with equivalent other gas would still result in a hot ground, although the level might change some. I have repeatedly said that the issue of conduction being zero with adiabatic or isothermal gradients is not important in real cases due to radiation and convection dominating the issue. It is a fundamental issue, not a practical one. I would like it resolved, but it actually is not important to the specific problems. The formation of an adiabatic lapse rate from an isothermal gas creates a perpetual motion machine of the second kind. Put a thermopile in the room with the hot junctions at the bottom and the cold junctions at the top (or maybe it’s the other way around).. For an isothermal system, there is no voltage generated and no energy can be extracted. The formation of a temperature gradient will create a voltage that can be used to do work. The average temperature in the room will then drop over time. You are then extracting energy from a single thermal reservoir. That’s perpetual motion of the second kind. If you start with a temperature gradient, you can extract energy, but the process will cause the bottom to cool and the top to warm and eventually eliminate the gradient. Conversely, you can create a temperature gradient from an isothermal system with the same thermopile or some other form of heat pump, but only by doing work on the system. On a planet, that work comes from the temperature difference between the poles and the equator. There is no such temperature difference in your example so no work can be done without violating the Second Law by reducing the temperature of the system. A temperature gradient can’t form. That also implies that any gradient that exists will go away over time. I suspect that the formation of a temperature gradient from an isothermal gas also reduces the total entropy of the system, which violates the Third Law. on August 18, 2010 at 6:30 pm | Reply Mike Ewing I kinda disagree about the perpetual motion machine… if the sole mechanism was gravity, id agree. But say with a slow rotating planet such as Venus. With high atmospheric absorption at altitude on the day side, causing the super rotation with the differential caused by the loses on the night side, this could conceivably be the engine performing the work… it not really creating energy, but using solar energy to run the engine, exhausting to space. Now if the super rotation is able to cause mixing o the layers, by say simple displacement of the molecules at the lower/boundary levels to the high winds, it could cause mixing o the molecules across the altitudes, which would lead to what Leonard has been saying? Yes ? No? But really speaking, there are mechanisms available to do the work, and plenty o energy available from the sun. Without needing to rely on free energy. on August 18, 2010 at 4:59 pm | Reply Alexandre It´s rare to see such depth and engagement in blog debates. Congratulations to you all. I read your post above, and I think I understood most of it. It´s beyond my reach to argue for either side, though. But I´d like to understand your sentence below. What would be the consequences of your reasoning being the correct one? What would change in the accepted projections about future emissions and warming, for instance? This issue is important because it relates to the mechanism causing greenhouse gas atmospheric warming, and the effect of changing amounts of the greenhouse gases. I did not follow the whole discussion. Please feel free to direct me to somewhere else if you explained this already. If either radiation or a device such as a thermocouple changed the lapse rate, obviously there would have to be something to drive the lapse rate back. This takes energy (Nick’s heat pump). There is no free lunch or violation of any laws by the lapse rate being the no conduction case. If there were no external drivers, and no radiation, the effect of the thermocouple would be to lower the lapse rate and lower the energy of the entire system. Slow conduction back would eventually reestablish the lapse rate if the thermocouple were removed (and no radiation), but the entire curve would have shifted to a slightly lower temperature corresponding to the lower energy state. It is like having a level of water at elevation going through a generator to a lower level. You have to pump it back up to repeat and there is no free energy, just the initial gravitational potential energy. Alexandre, There was initial discussions on why greenhouse gases raise ground temperatures, and specifically why Venus is hot at lower levels. Statements were made that solar input is the source of energy, but the location of outgoing radiation coupled to the adiabatic compression in the atmosphere is the cause of greenhouse heating. The function of the greenhouse gas was to move the location of outgoing radiation by absorbing and re radiating through several layers. This resulted in a limited energy flux from layer to layer through the atmosphere. If convective mixing from circulation and turbulence (from day/night and latitude variations) is able to force the atmosphere to maintain the adiabatic lapse rate in the presence of this flux (atmospheric pumping), the only factors that determine ground temperature are the location of the radiation to space, and the adiabatic lapse rate. This is not the commonly accepted model of what happens. One major issue is the need for some solar energy to directly heat the ground. Another is quantity of greenhouse gas needed. You need to read the details again to better see the arguments. It is difficult to completely answer you in a short space. If you re read and have specific questions I will try to answer best I can. I understand the basic principles of the greenhouse effect (as commonly accepted), with GHG raising the location of OLR emission. This height would be (AFAIK) somewhere near the Earth’s tropopause in the case of the main CO2 absorption band. I do not understand how these principles conflict with your sentence below: If convective mixing from circulation and turbulence (from day/night and latitude variations) is able to force the atmosphere to maintain the adiabatic lapse rate in the presence of this flux (atmospheric pumping), the only factors that determine ground temperature are the location of the radiation to space, and the adiabatic lapse rate. This is not the commonly accepted model of what happens. In the mainstream understanding, adiabatic lapse rate and the height of radiation are relevant to surface temperature, as both change the amount of OLR. Other factors are important too, like the amount of incoming shortwave. But I don’t think this is disputed here. I assume your discussion is far beyond these basics. Where does your view conflict with the commonly accepted model? I understand you don’t reject the relevance of GHG, as suggested by the end of the first paragraph in your Concluding Remarks above. With higher concentration of, say, CO2, IR photons will have a greater likelihood of encountering a CO2 molecule and will raise the OLR emission to a thinner and higher layer of the atmosphere. Where do you disagree, then? on August 19, 2010 at 12:52 am Leonard Weinstein The discussion was on why Venus is hot. The common accepted view is that solar radiation reaching the surface is trapped by the greenhouse gases, heating the lower atmosphere and ground. The buoyancy from atmosphere heated to slightly above the adiabatic lapse rate by the hot ground is also required to mix the lower atmosphere to maintain the adiabatic lapse rate. My position, and that of several others, is that the radiation does not have to reach the ground. It can be absorbed in the atmosphere well above the ground, and as long as it can induce circulation and mixing, the adiabatic lapse rate assures the lower atmosphere and ground will be just as hot as if the solar radiation reached the ground. There is also no requirement for positive buoyancy since the large circulation currents mix the atmosphere sufficiently. An additional difference comes from discussions on the effect of reducing the amount of greenhouse gas but replacing it with a non greenhouse gas to maintain total mass. You can’t extract free energy from a gravitational field. You can drop weights, but you have to lift them up first. Filling the room from the top is dropping weights. How much energy did it take to lift all that gas to the top of the room? If we’re talking Venus with g = 8.87 m/s2, a 100 km tall room and a surface pressure of 93 bar, that’s 93*101,300 Pa/8.87 m/s2 or 1.062E6kg. Lifting that mass to 100 km against g of 8.87 m/s requires 8.87E5 J/kg. No wonder it gets hot when it’s dropped into the room. The entropy of a system with a temperature gradient is always lower than an isothermal system. Creating an adiabatic lapse rate from an isothermal gas creates free energy and lowers entropy. Therefore it can’t happen in a closed system. The entire point of the tall room model was to point out that you can get a higher ground temperature from a lower (but selected value) temperature gas supplied at the top, just from adiabatic compression, if the gas filled the room enough to retain a useful pressure at the top (which required that it would be massive enough). This was just to demonstrate adiabatic compression could do the heating. I made this model for a limited reason as a prelude to the main discussion. This point feeds into the actual case of Venus as shown next. Now we look at the atmosphere of Venus. The GHG raises the location of OLR emission from the surface. The effective height of the OLR (average) has the gas at the temperature required to match the OLR to input. We thus have a fixed temperature at a fixed height as in the room model. The objective here was to demonstrate that solar energy going into and heating the upper atmosphere and this upper atmosphere being transported down by convection (and being adiabatically heated as it goes down) could result in the high temperature at the bottom. Notice no solar energy was required to go deep into the atmosphere or any to heat the ground directly. The temperature at the outgoing height is sustained by solar input energy, but this is a much lower temperature than below. This upper level temperature plus convection to sufficiently mix the atmosphere to maintain the adiabatic lapse rate even in the presence of radiation flux losses does the lower level heating. The only question is whether a limited depth of penetration of solar heating is sufficient to cause the large scale mixing. Keep in mind that over 90% of the absorbed solar radiation was absorbed on Venus by the top half of the height of the atmosphere. The fact that the atmosphere has radiation means that some forcing has to be added to maintain the adiabatic lapse rate in the presence of the lost energy in the radiation (unlike the room model). This forcing comes from unequal solar heating of the atmosphere (day/night and latitude variation) causing large scale circulation currents. The large atmospheric tidal mixing does the rest. Thus it is not the trapping of solar radiation that reached the ground and lowest level that caused heating, but trapping anywhere in the atmosphere, even all near the top, plus mixing to maintain adiabatic lapse rate. I hope this makes clear why I used the room model as a background. on August 18, 2010 at 9:01 pm | Reply diessoli I would like to throw this into the mix: “Gibbs (1928) applied the entropy maximization principle to an isolated, heterogeneous mass under the influence of gravity and proved that an isothermal profile has greater entropy than any other possible profile having the same static energy, and will therefore be the equi- librium temperature profile.” http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/JAS3906.1#h3 This seems to say support Arthur, except that for the qualifying statement about static energy, which I am not able to resolve. diessolli, I read the paper and can’t find any reason to disprove it, so I am less sure on the no conduction issue. I also am not able to resolve the static energy point. I do know that if a tall enough gas column is stirred enough it will form the adiabatic profile. Since thermal conductivity is so small in gases compare to any reasonable convective mixing, this would result whether isothermal or adiabatic were the maximum entropy state. One point bothers me. It is clear that if parcels of gas are moved up and down it drives the profile toward adiabatic. The size of the parcels can be reduced until we are talking about molecular motion. Where does the size of the parcel enter the analysis? on August 19, 2010 at 2:16 am Leonard Weinstein I also made the point earlier and repeat it, that it does not matter to my overall analysis which profile is the case of no conduction since that conductivity is so small that it is not a player compared to radiation and convection. However, if the case of no conductivity is isothermal, I would be wrong on my 1:32 pm point 2), and only point one would be the main issue. on August 19, 2010 at 9:03 am diessoli I would say that when you go down to that level thermodynamic concepts like heat and even temperature are no longer meaningful. You can use the microscopic viewpoint to look at the problem of conduction though. To demonstrate that an isothermal gas column develops an adiabatic temperature profile you would have to show that the vertical exchange of molecules prefers the down ward direction. Whilst I agreed that the answer does not really matter when looking at the real atmosphere, I think it’s an interesting exercise, and I admit that it feels somewhat frustrating to not be able to answer this conclusively and simply write down what profile the column would develop. on August 19, 2010 at 9:51 am Nick Stokes As Arthur says, “adiabatic” has a built-in notion of timescale. The timescale is relative to the length scale, as indicated by the Rayleigh Number (which must be large). As parcels shrink, the timescale over which you can speak of adiabatic shrinks faster (Ra goes down as L^3). The adiabatic pump becomes like a bicycle pump with a very leaky washer. on August 19, 2010 at 12:11 am | Reply Mike Ewing I gotta ask, it seems everyone “kinda” agrees when it comes to a planet, its “possible” to get a adiabatic lapse rate from upper atmosphere solar absorption, through atmospheric mixing, being driven by the night/day differential? And everyone has come to the conclusion that the room will settle to an isothermal equilibrium, lacking the differential in energy input/exhaust to power the molecular mixing? Or is there still an impasse here 😉 The first is in fact the point of main contention and not agreed to by all. The second is a basic physics issue, and not yet fully resolved, but is not critical to the main issue. Sorry, I read and I argued several times over, and only now do I come to the point of realizing that this whole argument does not really matter. Leonard argues the point that it is largely pressure that drives surface temperature and that changing the concentration of greenhouse gases only changes the altitude at which incoming energy is balanced with outgoing energy. This is very close to what David Archer says in _Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast_. OK, maybe that is a book targeted at climate change for dummies, but I believe the concept has validity. However, my point is that humans are changing the radiative properties of the earth a lot more than we are changing the pressure of the atmosphere. Under conditions where pressure does not change in any significant way, changing the radiative properties has a lot more effect than changes in pressure. That’s kind of a no-brainer for anyone. So, I think I’m going to leave off that I simply disagree with Leonard when he says, “This issue is important…” on August 19, 2010 at 5:19 am | Reply Mike Ewing I dont really see what this has to do with earth…. We know what earths surface absorbs. Of this theory of Leonards, i would be thinking, it should result in uniform temperatures at all altitudes below the “tropopause” irrespective of day or night, where as there should be a noticeable difference in a pure GHG driven profile…. But im guessing 🙂 Let me rephrase this. The discussion has been very interesting. However, since some solar radiation penetrates to the surface on both Earth and Venus, the question of what the temperature by altitude would be if it did not is immaterial to what is happening on Earth or Venus. Maybe we should start talking about Jupiter. I’m thinking of Hadley cell circulation, or something similar. If all the incoming energy were absorbed at some altitude, whatever that altitude is, and regardless of whether it is absorbed in a thin layer or a thick one, there will be upward convection from that layer to some tropopause layer above it. So, if there is upward movement at some location, there has to be some downward movement elsewhere. But how far down will the movement be? The sinking mass of air will gain in temperature on the way down. At some point, the energy it lost through radiation at altitude will be balanced through the energy it gains from falling. When it does, it will quit falling. If it fell further, it would get hotter than what would be required to make it buoyant. I suspect the balancing point for this will not be below the altitude from where the upward movement was started. So, it isn’t clear that this convective movement would deliver energy the surface if the layer of total absorption were above it. The change in radiative properties of Earth’s atmosphere is the more important issue. However, although we know CO2 is a greenhouse gas, direct calculations show that doubling it’s concentration and assuming that is the only change, would only raise average temperatures a bit over 1 degree C. The main issue in the AGW issue is the effect of feedback. The warmers say the water vapor positive feedback would increase that effect to 3 to 6 degrees C. The facts seem to indicate that is wrong, and a negative feedback may be more likely, although this is not conclusive yet. The result is that either there is no problem or there is a big problem. Data so far seems to be heading toward the no problem conclusion. If we get several years of cooling in the immediate future, as is now expected, the AGW issue is dead. on August 19, 2010 at 2:49 pm Chris G We are drifting off topic. However, there are many feedbacks, both positive and negative. The geologic record seems to indicate that the climate system is not strongly self-stabilizing as you suggest, and that under present conditions, positive feedbacks will be stronger than the negative ones until some higher mean temperature is reached. There is no indication that global temperatures are decreasing (especially not in the oceans), and even if they do decrease for several years, that would not mean that the long-term trend is not still upward. For instance, there are several downturns in the graphs available here: http://woodfortrees.org/plot/ None of the downturns are strong enough to remove the overall upward trend. on August 19, 2010 at 11:29 am | Reply scienceofdoom Even though it’s perhaps not so important in a real atmosphere, I’d like to get the fundamental physics right. In the “tall room” thought experiment with no radiatively-absorbing gas (and no convection) I believe that the temperature will end up isothermal (of equal temperature). I believe Leonard thinks that it will end up following the adiabatic lapse rate. Conduction equalizes temperature not potential temperature. At least, I can’t find an atmospheric text book with a different point of view. And I can’t find a fundamental thermodynamic explanation for temperature not equalizing – whether that takes millions or billions of years isn’t important. With the radiatively-absorbing gas (in the tall room) we seem all in agreement. I believe that the adiabatic lapse rate is reached once convection – bulk movements of air – takes place. If no convection takes place, there will be no adiabatic lapse rate. I also would like to get the physics right, and I have read different sources with different conclusions. However, it is not required for the basic argument I made. If there is radiation, and there is no convection, there will be no adiabatic lapse rate. This is true whether the case of no conduction is isothermal or adiabatic, since the conduction is so small compared to any significant radiation. We agree on that. However, there will be convection due to solar heating variation. The only issue on Venus, and for my argument is related to the need for that solar energy to reach the lower atmosphere and ground. If the convection can maintain the adiabatic lapse rate when heated only from the upper level of the atmosphere, that will heat the lower level and ground. In that case, it is only the level where outgoing radiation effectively leaves from and the adiabatic lapse rate that determines the ground temperature. This also shows what the effect of changing greenhouse gas concentration would be. It would only change the altitude of outgoing radiation, and that would be the cause of any decreased temperature. Having many time the greenhouse concentration is not as big a factor as having a taller (higher pressure) atmosphere once the greenhouse concentration is already fairly high. on August 19, 2010 at 1:55 pm scienceofdoom I agree with all of your points, noting the “ifs”. on August 19, 2010 at 12:05 pm | Reply scienceofdoom The area that I still don’t feel I know for sure is the effect in a real Venusian atmosphere of the rotating planet and differential solar heating. This supplies energy – perhaps enough to create the convection needed. Perhaps not. Note that the fact that the real Venus has a lapse rate matching the theoretical adiabatic lapse rate doesn’t prove the theory that the differential heating and rotating planet causes it – the alternative theory is that enough solar energy reaches low enough in the atmosphere to initiate convection. The question for the real Venus is what causes the convection? However, I expect that the question of whether differential heating and planetary rotation can cause sufficient convection is a soluble problem, I just I don’t know how to solve it. So I can’t say that Leonard is wrong on this point – but equally – I’m not sure how he can be so sure that he is right. I think some equations with numbers are needed. And these equations aren’t the derivation of the adiabatic lapse rate. Why? Because we all agree that moving air vertically generates adiabatic cooling (for lifting), or adiabatic heating (for lowering). But what causes the huge convective motions on the real Venus? In place of equations could be the results of some numerical analysis that model convective flows. I want to make one additional point. If, as on Venus, the greenhouse concentration is so high that the radiation flux in the lower atmosphere is very low (DeWitt concludes about 8 W/m2), the convective energy requirement to replace it is also very low. The end point of a perfectly absorbing gas is no radiation energy flux, so very small convection would maintain the adiabatic lapse rate. If this gas absorbed solar energy very near the top (but deep enough to induce a small circulation), that would be enough to heat the surface, and the temperature would be the temperature at the location of OLR, plus the adiabatic lapse rate time altitude. Science of Doom, I would like to see a calculation also, but I am not able to do one myself. However, I used existing literature to get an idea of what drives atmospheric circulation. It is clear that getting different amounts of energy into different locations in the atmosphere causes the circulation and mixing. On Earth, the ground and water absorb most of the energy, so a method to couple that to the atmosphere was needed. On Venus, the solar energy mainly goes directly into the atmosphere, so that coupling was not needed. The small portion that reached the ground did need to be coupled, but it was a small component. Why do you feel that the known absorption of over 90% of the solar energy in the top half of Venus’s atmosphere is not the main driver of the atmospheric convection, but the less than 10% absorbed by the surface is possibly important? on August 19, 2010 at 2:10 pm | Reply scienceofdoom Leonard Weinstein: Why do you feel that the known absorption of over 90% of the solar energy in the top half of Venus’s atmosphere is not the main driver of the atmospheric convection, but the less than 10% absorbed by the surface is possibly important? To answer that satisfactorily would require solving the radiative transfer equations for the solar flux absorbed through the atmosphere along with the equivalent calculations for longwave. And do we know enough about Venus to really do these calculations? Still, a strongly absorbing atmosphere can provide a high amplification of the temperature expected from only solar energy received in the lower part of the atmosphere. That part is simple to demonstrate qualitatively, e.g., in Venusian Mysteries – noting that the atmospheric absorption is more complex than that model due to “windows” in the absorption. There is the study I cited in the original Venus article – The Recent Evolution of Climate on Venus, Mark Bullock and David Grinspoon, Icarus (2001) – where their solution to the RTE using the radiative-convective model gave a close match to the actual. Well, you do get the prize for making me think.. scienceofdoom, I really do not think that we need to solve the radiative equations. DeWitt has shown that the typical absorption path of LWR is only a few m at low elevations, and the flux at lower levels is about 8 W/m2. Several source show that over 90% of the solar absorbed radiation is absorbed by the upper half of the atmosphere. This would then be converted to LWR. It seems to me the only issue is the ability of the unequal solar heating in the upper atmosphere to generate the convection needed to maintain the adiabatic lapse rate. I really do not think that we need to solve the radiative equations. DeWitt has shown that the typical absorption path of LWR is only a few m at low elevations, and the flux at lower levels is about 8 W/m2. Several source show that over 90% of the solar absorbed radiation is absorbed by the upper half of the atmosphere. This would then be converted to LWR.. We absolutely would need to solve those equations. Otherwise we can’t make any prediction about the surface temperature and whether high enough temperatures are generated via radiative effects to generate “natural” convection. The diffusive (Rosseland) model is a very good approximate solution in these circumstances of high opacity. It’s Eq (1) in Ramanathan and Coakley. That’s what the 8 W/m2 is based on. on August 20, 2010 at 12:27 am | Reply Leonard Weinstein It would seem that with all the recent progress in modeling, that there would be someone able to examine the points of issue. I do not have any contact with the modelers. If you or anyone you know has contact, would you encourage them to do a cut at this. I don’t know if a result either way would change any minds, but I think it would be useful. I think the present format has been very useful. It has not made all come to a single position, but it has allowed open and detailed back and forth in an open and friendly discussion, and clarified the positions on remaining differences on the Venus issue. I think there are more agreements than differences, and the differences are mainly on a basic physics issue and on details if a process can be actually done with certain limitations. I would like to see more discussions of this level, on other selected topics if possible, here or or on other sites. on August 20, 2010 at 4:59 am | Reply scienceofdoom I think the present format has been very useful. It has not made all come to a single position, but it has allowed open and detailed back and forth in an open and friendly discussion, and clarified the positions on remaining differences on the Venus issue.. I agree. I appreciate your contribution, it has made me think a lot and I feel like I understand the subject better as a result. I hope we have many more discussions like this one. on August 20, 2010 at 9:22 am | Reply cohenite DeWitt @ Aug 18, 6:41pm says: “The entropy of a system with a temperature gradient is always lower than an isothermal system”. My initial reaction was that would depend on whether the [enclosed] isothermal system had a temperature higher than the maximum of the temperature gradient. However the true measure would be a comparison of the total energy in the 2 [enclosed] areas. The temperature gradient area would have, assuming, that the gradient was the total energy, energy expressed as Et [top of the gradient]*Et-1*Et-2….Etb[bottom gradient]; the energy in the isothermal area would be the energy in a unit of area x total area. But this assumes that the temperature of the isothermal system is above zero; if the temp is not or just above zero so that there is little molecular motion, in effect no conduction and radiation the DeWitt’s statement holds true. The interesting thing is what would happen if both the gradient and isothermal areas had gravity introduced. The gradient area would tend to a isothermal condition but the isothermal area would have a gravity induced gradient and the other bells and whistles of conduction, convection and radiative transfer. I don’t know if this chicken and the egg scenario holds up but doesn’t it suggest that gravity [and therein pressure] is an [the] initiating factor? I should have specified that the total energy of both systems was the same. diessoli’s post above referenced Gibbs’ calculation in 1928 that the entropy of an isothermal system was higher than for any system with the same energy with a temperature gradient. That should be: …an isothermal heterogeneous system under the influence of a gravitational field was…. on August 22, 2010 at 5:07 am | Reply kamilian I apologise if this is going too far off topic, however, I think it’s still relevant considering this post involves convection and Arthur Smith has contributed to it (I assume to be the same Arthur Smith as the author of this paper: http://arxiv.org/abs/0802.4324). The paper I mentioned claims to be a proof of the atmospheric greenhouse effect, I say claims as I believe it’s fundamentally wrong. The error, I believe, is with Equation 10 on Page 2, which describes the change in energy at the surface of a planet in purely radiative terms for a planet without an atmosphere, or with an atmosphere that doesn’t absorb radiation to any significant degree. This is only valid in the case with no atmosphere, as an atmosphere (whether it can absorb radiation or not) would most likely be capable of other forms of heat transport (this is not explicitly defined one way or another in the paper). The Equation begins with: E(dot) = E(absorbed) – E(emitted) However, I believe it should be: E(dot) = E(absorbed) – E(emitted) – E(atmosphere) Where E(atmosphere) is 0 for a planet without an atmosphere, and is rather complicated for one with an atmosphere. From what I can tell, this (possible) error is carried throughout the paper. I think it raises an interesting thought experiment though, involving two Earth-like planets which only differ in that one has an atmosphere that can absorb radiation, while the other can’t. If they started at an equilibrium temperature without a source of radiation (i.e. no Sun), then when a radiation source is introduced (the Sun): a) Which would reach a new equilibrium temperature first? b) Which would reach the higher equilibrium temperature? c) What would be the difference between equilibrium temperatures? The answer to the first question, I think, would be the atmosphere which can absorb radiation would reach a new equilibrium temperature first. However, the answers to the second and third questions I think are more complicated. In one case, the atmosphere can transfer energy via conduction/convection and radiation, but it can also lose energy to space. In the other, it can only transfer energy via conduction/convection, however, it can only lose energy back to the surface. I’m not sure if this has been discussed elsewhere, but I’d be interested to know if my interpretation is correct and if the corresponding equations still show greenhouse gases account for ~33 K warming above radiative equilibrium (without getting in to a long discussion about whether an average temperature is realistic!). I would have also thought a (relatively) simple model with appropriate simplifications could illustrate this. kamilian: It is the same Arthur Smith who contributed here and in the paper you cite. I’m sure Arthur would be delighted to answer you himself as well. You might find these posts relevant: The Hoover Incident and the update (just written), Heat Transfer Basics and Non-Radiative Atmospheres. I haven’t studied Arthur’s paper but have had a quick look. In simple terms, the energy transfer between the surface of the planet and the atmosphere has no actual impact on the energy balance of the planet. You could also argue that the equation was incomplete because it didn’t cover the energy transfer between the surface and the core. As there is no mechanism for the atmosphere or the core to lose energy to space both of these are not necessary in the “total climate” energy balance. (If 10^25J moves from the surface to the atmosphere it is still in “the climate system”. If 10^25J moves back to the surface it is still in “the climate system”). What you maybe thinking is that the dynamic energy transfer between the planet’s surface and atmosphere does affect the transient response of the planet. This is true of course and noted in The Hoover Incident. I also noted in The Hoover Incident that the interaction with the atmosphere can affect the equilibrium response. This is because there will be more ice – therefore more solar radiation reflected – and also a change to cloud cover which also affects the albedo of the planet. So any climate response which affects albedo will affect the equilibrium temperature. on August 22, 2010 at 11:04 am | Reply kamilian Hi SOD, Thanks for your response, however, I think you’ve missed the point I’m trying to raise. I read some of the posts you linked to and at first thought they were completely wrong! However, the more I read, the more I realised what you were trying to say, and believe that you have incorporated a similar problem to the one I believe I’ve highlighted in the Arthur Smith paper, from the other direction (which I’ll explain further in a minute). The issue that I mentioned in the paper is that Equation 10 effectively uses the total planet energy budget (E(absorbed) – E(emitted)) and applies it to the surface of the planet. If a planet has no atmosphere, then it’s valid, as the total energy budget will be equal to the surface energy budget. However, if a planet has an atmosphere then it’s no longer valid. The Trenberth energy budget illustrates this, as you’ve already mentioned in the “Heat Transfer Basics and Non Radiative Atmospheres” post, energy is transferred to the atmosphere by conduction/convection and evaporation. To ignore this and suggest that the energy budget of the surface of a planet with an atmosphere is only based in radiative transfer is, I believe, invalid. The paper starts from scratch and attempts to prove that the greenhouse effect contributes ~33 K warming above the radiative equilibrium of ~255 K. Your posts effectively assume that this is correct, and if you remove the greenhouse effect from the atmosphere (by “hoovering” the gases that can absorb radiation emitted from the surface and remove the ability from water vapour) there’ll be a cooling effect (which there may or may not be, and the magnitude may or may not be ~33 K). In the “Hoover Incident” post I don’t find any real reference to conduction/convection/evaporation, you’ve based the surface temperature change purely in radiative terms. In the “Heat Transfer Basics and Non Radiative Atmospheres” post you suggest that ~102 W/m^2 of sensible heat is added to the ~150 W/m^2 (difference between 240 W/m^2 and 396 W/m^2) to give a surface cooling of ~252 W/m^2 at t = 0. I don’t believe this is correct as the sensible heat transfer didn’t change at t = 0 (i.e. it’s not an additional cooling effect), and again, the ~150 W/m^2 cooling assumes that the greenhouse effect caused the ~33 K above radiative equilibrium. A big thanks to Leonard Weinstein and Arthur Smith for their contribution in writing this joint article/discussion. What was most useful was everyone’s willingness to let their ideas be tested. That was why so many thought experiments were posed in the discussion that followed the earlier article. These thought experiments allowed us to isolate what was causing the differences of opinion. My thinking about some of the subject matter was quite confused before we started the original discussion. Because we all took the time I think I gained some clarity. ..It’s easy to trade blows on blogs. It’s harder to understand a new point of view. Or to consider that a different point of view might be right.. kamilian, But it is an additional cooling effect. At the current steady state (K&T 1997), the surface sees 168 + 324 = 492 W/m2 of incoming radiation from the sun and the atmosphere but only radiates 390 W/m2. The rest, 102 W/m2, is lost by convection to the atmosphere. Without that heat transfer, the atmosphere would cool because it would be radiating more heat than it received. The atmosphere balance is 350 W/m2 from the surface and 67 from sunlight for 417 W/m2 absorbed. Radiation up from the atmosphere and cloud tops is 195 W/m2 up and 324 W/m2 down for 519 W/m2 total and a difference of 102 W/m2, the amount supplied from the surface by convection. If you suddenly removed the absorption and emission of radiation by the atmosphere (but maintained the same albedo), the surface would see 235 W/m2 of incoming radiation but, at t=0, would still be losing 390 W/m2 by radiation and 102 W/m2 by convection for a net difference of 257 W/m2. The surface would then cool and the atmosphere would warm until convection shut down, which would happen quickly. on August 22, 2010 at 4:05 pm | Reply kamilian DeWitt Payne, I realised I made mistakes after posting it. However, the surface does not absorb 235 W/m^2 as there’s been no mention of changes in surface or cloud albedo. The surface would be expected to still absorb 168 W/m^2, while the system would be expected to absorb 235 W/m^2. As you said though, there will be a net reduction in energy lost from the atmosphere and an increase in energy lost from the surface. Anyway, this is now going away from what I was trying to illustrate and I shouldn’t have replied to it in the first place! on August 23, 2010 at 4:09 pm DeWitt Payne In K&T97, the incoming solar flux is 342 W/m2, not 235 W/m2. Clouds, aerosols, etc. in the atmosphere reflect 77 W/m2 and the surface reflects 30 W/m2 leaving 235 W/m2 to be absorbed. The atmosphere absorbs 67 W/m2, mostly in the near IR by water vapor and the rest in the UV in the stratosphere, and the surface absorbs 168 W/m2. In the thought experiment, we make the atmosphere transparent but don’t change the total albedo. That means that the atmosphere cannot absorb that 67 W/m2 because it’s transparent. Therefore all that energy reaches the surface and the surface absorbs all 235 W/m2 because we have said in the definition of the experiment that total albedo doesn’t change. kamilian – Yes, that was my article. However, you left out something in your transcription of my eq. 10 – E(dot) is actually subscripted – E_planet(dot) – i.e. the rate of change in time of the total energy of the entire planet. That means it includes the energy of the atmosphere and the core, oceans, whatever else, not just the surface. The point is the subsequent paragraph that describes why, in the long run, on average, E_planet(dot) should be zero. Do you have some reason to think it shouldn’t be? In particular, energy flow from surface to atmosphere by convection would not change E_planet at all, it’s just a redistribution of energy among components of the planet. It doesn’t enter into that equation at all. Thanks for the response, to answer your question, no, I have no reason to think that E(dot)_planet should be non-zero. on August 25, 2010 at 1:32 am | Reply Clouds and Water Vapor – Part Two « The Science of Doom […] As air rises it cools via adiabatic expansion (see the lengthy Convection, Venus, Thought Experiments and Tall Rooms Full of Gas – A Discussion). […] on November 8, 2010 at 4:34 pm | Reply Mait Bumping a bit of an old thread, but I came up with a question for the top heated part of the problem. More specifically – shouldn’t we consider thermal diffusivity instead of conductivity when looking at how fast equilibrium is achieved in this case (thermal diffusivity should be quite high for air and I imagine it should be quite similar for gases with the same weight particles). on November 13, 2010 at 7:44 pm | Reply Venusian Mysteries – Part Two « The Science of Doom […] Update – New article – Convection, Venus, Thought Experiments and Tall Rooms Full of Gas – A Discussion […] on November 13, 2010 at 7:46 pm | Reply Venusian Mysteries « The Science of Doom […] Update – New articles – Convection, Venus, Thought Experiments and Tall Rooms Full of Gas – A Discussion […] on January 21, 2012 at 10:53 pm | Reply Frank SOD, Leonard and Arthur: This subject has come out elsewhere in the blogosphere recently and has provoked what might be some interesting ideas. I didn’t follow your earlier discussion. Figure 3.4 in Arthur’s section shows the standard reasoning for how pressure varies with height in a thin layer of atmosphere. We integrate this expression to show how pressure changes with altitude over longer distances. However, applying the molecular theory of gases, the pressure difference between the top and bottom surface of a thin layer MUST be the result of different velocities of the molecules moving up and down. The difference in velocity is caused, of course, because kinetic energy is being converted into potential energy in the molecules that are moving upward (and cooling them when we consider a large enough group). The opposite is true for the molecules moving downward. In the standard discussion of the relationship between pressure and molecular motion (in a laboratory setting), we assume that molecular motion and pressure are the same in all directions. The molecules rising have the same kinetic energy as those falling. In a column of atmosphere at equilibrium, the same number of molecules move up and down past any particular height and we assume they carry (on the average) the same amount of kinetic energy. However, whenever there is a pressure gradient – a difference between the impulse conveyed upward and downward by molecular collisions, there must be an accompanying difference in the kinetic energy conveyed upward and downward. The standard deviation of the adiabatic lapse rate tells us how potential energy change (and PV work) with height is converted into a temperature change with height. So the existence of a pressure gradient with height automatically implies the existence of a temperature gradient with height; both phenomena are produced by molecular motion. on January 21, 2012 at 11:40 pm | Reply DeWitt Payne This isn’t the right thread. What you want is the exchange between Neal J. King and willb and others on the Paradigm Shifts in Convection and Water Vapor starting here: https://scienceofdoom.com/2011/06/12/paradigm-shifts-in-convection-and-water-vapor/#comment-12688 on January 22, 2012 at 12:37 am Frank DeWitt: Unfortunately I remembered this post. The title of the post you linked had little to do with their discussion, which I had forgotten. I’ve been reading the discussion with some difficulty. Did they ever reach an useful conclusion? Should I paste these comments over there? on January 22, 2012 at 12:21 am | Reply Frank Some of the ideas above came from considering a thought experiment that might be more illuminating than filling a tall room with gas. Imagine a perfectly-insulated, opaque, horizontal cylinder 1 m2 in diameter and 20 km tall, filled with 10^4 kg of ideal gas. These numbers are chosen to model the earth’s surface atmospheric pressure and the height of 99% of the atmosphere. We will place this cylinder 10 km above the surface of the earth and then rotate it into a vertical position on a frictionless pivot placed at the center of mass (so no work is done during rotation). The starting temperature of the gas will be the temperature at 10 km, which will then determine the pressure inside the cylinder. To avoid problems that might develop during rotation, we could postulate an instantaneous rotation or a series of removable barriers of negligible volume every meter. If we want to force what happens in response to rotation to be reversible, we could imagine that these barriers slowly move as the system responds before they are removed. After rotating the cylinder to a vertical position, most of the gas is going to fall to the bottom of the cylinder and warm because of the kinetic energy it gains. The gas at the top will expand and cool due to reduced pressure (and we could also say that the gas at the bottom has warmed due to compression). The result should be a temperature and pressure gradient much like that present in our atmosphere, but without the involvement of all of the other factors that complicate our atmosphere: surface heating, convection, and radiation. If we fill the cylinder with a mixture of inert gases with the same density as our atmosphere (which don’t have the vibrational or rotational energy levels need to emit or absorb radiation), we can even eliminate internal energy transfer by radiation. Notice that this temperature gradient will develop spontaneously, so simplistic assumptions that the 2LoT forbids spontaneous development of a temperature gradient shouldn’t apply here. There are equations that show how the entropy of a gas varies with temperature and pressure, but I’m not sure how to apply them to this situation. It don’t know if the gravitation field enters into such calculations. When the cylinder is vertical, we calculate the pressure in the cylinder from the weight of the overlying gas. When the cylinder is horizontal, the weight of the overlying gas is irrelevant. That can’t be right, the same physical principles must apply in both situations. This led to the realization that any pressure gradient in the vertical position must arise from molecular motion, which is what determines pressure when the cylinder is horizontal. on January 23, 2012 at 5:23 pm | Reply DeWitt Payne You may also be interested in these posts: A Matter of Some Gravity and Perpetuum Mobile and the extensive comment threads at WUWT. They’re both about the idea that even with a transparent atmosphere and a planet with an isothermal surface, the atmosphere will have a lapse rate close to the dry adiabatic rate. The author, Willis Eschenbach, disagrees. I agree with Willis. Your column experiment is relevant because Willis argues (correctly, IMO) that if the equilibrium state isn’t isothermal, one could create a perpetual motion machine of some kind by using the temperature difference either between the top and bottom of the column or between the tops of two columns filled with gases with different atomic or molecular weights (helium and xenon, e.g.) that would have different lapse rates. The problem is that one must rely on Second Law arguments as nobody seems to have come up with a proof based on statistical mechanics, including Boltzmann. Second Law arguments are unsatisfying or unconvincing to many. The willb, Neal King discussion fizzled out, as I remember. on January 23, 2012 at 10:51 pm Frank DeWitt: Thanks for the references. I read the Willb and Neal King discussion and King’s reference to Feynman Vol I, Chapter 40. I comment at SOD to learn (and shouldn’t preach) and I appreciate the help. I now know where I made my mistake. I was correct in recognizing that a pressure gradient must – at a molecular level – be produced by a gradient in the impulse being conveyed upwards and downward (which was ignored by WIllis, who started me thinking). However, there are two ways to produce a gradient in the impulse: 1) By different upward and downward molecular speeds (and therefore temperatures) as described by me above OR 2) By a gradient in the number of molecules colliding. Temperature is the average kinetic energy PER MOLECULE, so temperature won’t decrease if the pressure decrease is caused only by a decrease in the density of molecules. Feynman says: P2 – P1 = n2kT2 – n1kT1 = dP = -nmg.dh IF T2 = T1, then: kT.dn = -mg.dh and dn/dh = (-mg/kT)*n and n(h) = n(0)*exp(-mg/kT) isothermal substituting gives: P(h) = P(0)*exp(-mg/kT) isothermal The pressure and the density of molecules will both decrease at the same rate in an isothermal system, so different upward and downward molecular speeds are not required to create a pressure gradient and different speeds will not perturb an isothermal system. Willb objected that Feynman had assumed an isothermal system. Neal King said (and I agree) that Feynman has shown that the lapse rate isn’t driven away from isothermal by the kinetic theory of gases; the lapse rate is not constrained by the kinetic theory of gases. A sensible next step might be to start with a 1 km column containing 10,000 isothermal layers with an overall adiabatic profile and computationally discover whether such a system spontaneously evolves to isothermal by simple thermal diffusion or whether it gets stuck somewhere. As you point out, two insulated columns of gas with different heat capacities (and therefore two different adiabatic lapse rates (g/Cp)) in thermal contact with the ground would have different temperatures on top and this temperature difference could be used to drive perpetual motion. Therefore an adiabatic lapse rate won’t develop spontaneously. Unfortunately, Willis didn’t put this “elevator speech” in his opuses and he seemed to make other mistakes in his discussion. on January 24, 2012 at 12:55 am Joe Born Dewitt Payne: “The problem is that one must rely on Second Law arguments as nobody seems to have come up with a proof based on statistical mechanics, including Boltzmann. Second Law arguments are unsatisfying or unconvincing to many.” Actually, statistical mechanics is precisely the basis for the Velasco et al and Román et al. papers I cited in that thread. The former of those critiqued a Coombes & Laue paper, also based on statistical mechanics, that purported to establish that such an isolated gas column in a gravitational field would be isothermal. Velasco et al. demonstrated a flaw in that conclusion, demonstrating the gas would exhibit a nonzero lapse rate, although one that approaches zero as the number of molecules approaches infinity. One can readily test Velasco et al.’s quantitative result in a thought experiment in which there is but a single gas molecule in the “column.” It would be interesting to see the perpetual-motion-machine argument applied to the single-molecule gas column. on January 23, 2012 at 2:26 pm | Reply Bryan Since the centre of mass has fallen on rotation PE must change to KE. This results in an increase in internal energy of the gas as a whole. The increase in temperature in a fixed volume will increase the pressure. Restoring the cylinder to the horizontal will require external work equal to the loss of PE on falling. On repeating the cycle the temperature and pressure inside the cylinder increases with each cycle. Since heat cannot enter or leave the cylinder the external work done is continually changed into internal energy of the gas. Byran: I placed hypothetical, temporary barriers inside the cylinder so nothing would happen as the cylinder was rotated. However, if you omitted the barriers and tipped the cylinder just slightly, the weight of the falling gas might drive rotation somewhat like a pendulum. Momentum could drive the cylinder past vertical (with a temperature gradient) and restore nearly isothermal conditions when the system was near horizontal. These thoughts didn’t seem to be taking me anywhere useful. on July 23, 2012 at 12:35 am | Reply How the “Greenhouse” Effect Works – A Guest Post and Discussion « The Science of Doom […] who have been around for a while will remember the interesting discussion Convection, Venus, Thought Experiments and Tall Rooms Full of Gas – A Discussion in which myself, Arthur Smith and Leonard all put forward a point of view on a challenging […] on October 9, 2012 at 9:30 am | Reply clivebest I have been fascinated by the arguments in this post and the previous 2 concerning Venus. Leonard has 90% convinced me that convective mixing by differential solar heating directly in the atmosphere pumps heat down to the surface. I am not yet convinced that an isolated tall room would maintain an adiabatic lapse rate indefinitely. However this comment is not trying to argue one way or the other. Instead, I propose a possible way that all of these hypotheses could actually be tested experimentally in a laboratory. Gas centrifuges (such as those used for Uranium isotope separation) can spin at well over 1000 revs/sec simulating huge gravitational fields. For a gas chamber with radius R and an inner bore of radius ‘a’ spinning at an angular velocity Omega, the effective gravitatonal acceleration at a distance z inwards from the outer rim is g(z) =Omega^2(R-z). This gives a lapse rate Omega^2(R-z)/Cp. see diagram The outer rim of the centrifuge is held in a heat bath at some temperature To and then the inner core filled with a vacuum. An IR sensor is placed in the core of the centrifuge, and thermocouples placed at distances of say 1 cm inwards from the rim. The gas inside the centrifuge can be varied from as needed air, Co2, Argon. Integrating the adiabatic lapse rate gives temperature distribution of T(z)= T0 +Omega^2/Cp(z^2/2 -Rz) Taking a centrifuge with an outer radius of 10cm and an inner radius of 1 cm spinning at 100 rev/sec, the predicted temperature gradient is shown in here, where the centrifuge is surrounded by a heat bath held at 15C and that the inner bore is a vacuum. By varying gas mixtures, surface temperatures, gas pressure, external gas heating, these scenarios could probably actually be tested. An IR detector in the core could also measure the outgoing IR from greenhouse gases. I am not aware of any such experiments being done previously – so please correct me if I am mistaken. The cost would not be excessive and likely within the budget of a university physics department. on May 13, 2013 at 11:47 pm | Reply Is there a Greenhouse Effect? « Another View on Climate […] Convection, Venus, Thought Experiments and Tall Rooms Full of Gas – A Discussion […] on October 31, 2014 at 8:28 am | Reply Frank There has been much speculation about whether a temperature gradient will spontaneously develop in an isolated column of gas. You can experiment with an online molecular dynamics simulation of a 2-D box with and without gravity here: http://physics.weber.edu/schroeder/md/InteractiveMD.html The atoms are colored according to their kinetic energy. In the presence of gravity, a density gradient develops and one can see that the frequency of collisions with the wall (ie pressure) is greater near the bottom than the top. When the Temperature is about 3 and Gravity is 0.1, there is a nice distribution of colors. 300 Atoms in the largest box (Volume = 10000) is a good place to start. Time step 0.003. 25 Steps per frame. As best I can tell, a temperature gradient doesn’t spontaneously develop, but someone will have to abstract quantitative information (density, kinetic energy, pressure) from the simulation to be convincing. The temperature is raised by clicking on the faster and slower buttons (or more gradually with the -1% and +1% buttons). When you turn on or up the gravity, molecules begin falling – which increases their kinetic energy and temperature. Starting with zero gravity and E=1.2, will equilibrate to a useful distribution of speeds when gravity is turn up to 0.1. If you increase the temperature using “Faster”, the temperature goes up immediately and then falls off as some kinetic energy is converted to potential energy. If you start with gravity = 1 and E=5, the molecules will expand into empty space with a useful spectrum of speeds. One can watch one or a few atoms. You can also add bonds. on October 31, 2014 at 11:29 am | Reply Joe Born The correct analysis was provided some years ago by three Spanish physics teachers in a paper Velasco et al, which suffered from (1) being introduced into the blogosphere through a site known for speculative theories and (2) being written by non-native speakers of English who assumed that their readers were more versed in statistical mechanics than the typical visitor to sites such as this. My (ultimately unsuccessful) attempt to get an explanation of that paper posted at Watts Up With That is described here: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/08/18/monday-mirthiness-spot-the-troll/#comment-1711550. In short, however, that paper and the one on which it depends demonstrate analytically, without approximation, that gravity would cause the equilibrium lapse rate to differ from zero, but only immeasurably. That is, the lapse rate would be zero for all practical purposes, but the reasoning that DeWitt Payne, Robert Brown, and others employed to prove that proposition was faulty. on October 31, 2014 at 7:43 pm | Reply Frank Joe: I happen to agree with the reasoning of the same people you cite, but a post from Clive Best cites two scientific publications suggesting that there could be some real scientific controversy behind the hot air in the blogosphere. Further experiments may be appropriate. http://clivebest.com/blog/?p=4101 Chemists routinely use molecular dynamics simulations to determine the (thermodynamic) behavior of molecules that is hard to study in the laboratory. In an earlier discussion with Pekka, I noted that molecular dynamics experiments could tell us what the laws of physics actually predict about the behavior of a gas in a gravitational field. I later found the above website, which is relatively new. Having done some simple molecular dynamics, I personally find it fascinating to “turn on” gravity, watch the molecules “fall” and heat up at the bottom of the container, and then see that kinetic energy distributed upward. Aside from the perpetual motion argument, I find this demonstration far more illuminating than all of the words (including my own) written about this subject. In this post, Leonard imagines “pouring argon into a “perfectly thermally insulated fully enclosed room 1 km x 1 km x 100 km tall, located on the surface of Venus. The walls (and bottom and top) are assumed to have negligible heat capacity.” He can do something similar at this site! By selecting Figure 3d under presets and suddenly turning gravity up to 4, he can drop a chunk of frozen argon into something equivalent to his room and watch what happens! on October 31, 2014 at 9:12 pm Joe Born I’m not a scientist, so the Velasco et al. paper (or, rather, the Roman et al. paper on which it was based) was a tough slog for me, but I found it compelling because it started from the first principles of statistical mechanics. For instance, it didn’t even assume the Boltzmann distribution. Consequently, unless there was some calculus error that I missed (and that’s entirely possible, since they used an integration identity I didn’t verify myself), it’s hard to see how they could have gone wrong. I’ll mention, though, that Clive Best’s proposed experiment should theoretically (all of these effects are actually too small to measure experimentally) come to a conclusion different from what the experiments proposed above would, since his setup is immersed in a heat bath, so it would exhibit the set of possible microstates that I’m told is called a “canonical ensemble” rather than the “microcanonical ensemble” of microstates that Velasco et al. say a system not so immersed would exhibit. Statistically, the latter arrangement would exhibit an unimaginably small but nonzero lapse rate, whereas the former’s rate actually would be zero. As I said, I found the statistical mechanics needed to reach the ultimate answer to be daunting–but more convincing than the arguments set forth above or at WUWT, which in my view are based on a faulty sense of thermodynamics’ range of applicability. None of the PhDs to whose attention I brought Velasco et al. betrayed an ability to make anything more than conclusory arguments against Velasco et al.’s reasoning. I’m under no illusion that this comment will get anyone to pay attention to Velasco et al. and Roman et al. But, if you really have a burning desire to find the real answer–and you have the time–I’m convinced that those papers are where it lies. on October 31, 2014 at 8:32 pm | Reply Pekka Pirilä I don’t know, what the paper of Velasco et al claims more specifically (I haven’t seen any full reference to it). Thus I cannot be sure on it’s correctness. From the second law it follows that a fully isolated volume of gas is exactly isothermal in thermal equilibrium also in gravitational field, but being exactly isothermal does not mean that the average kinetic energy of the molecules must be exactly the same, if the molecules are interacting. Thus the molecular interaction might explain the claimed result of Velasco et al. The Roman et al. paper on which Velasco et al. is based is here: https://tallbloke.wordpress.com/2012/01/04/the-loschmidt-gravito-thermal-effect-old-controversy-new-relevance/comment-page-1/#comment-13301. The Velasco et al. paper itself is here: https://tallbloke.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/s-velasco.pdf. “From the second law it follows that a fully isolated volume of gas is exactly isothermal in thermal equilibrium also in gravitational field.” This is the kind of statement I find conclusory. The Roman et al. paper shows that it’s correct only in the limit of an infinite number of particles. Of course, if the number of particles is on the order to 10^23, that’s pretty darn close to infinite in this context–but not quite there. on October 31, 2014 at 10:01 pm Pekka Pirilä After you gave a second author’s name I succeeded already in finding both those papers by Román, Velasco and White from 1995 and 1996. Both papers confirm that they agree fully on the validity of the standard conclusion of isothermality in the thermodynamic limit of infinite number of particles. Whether there’s a correction due to the finite number of particles is really irrelevant for virtually all practical cases. There might perhaps be some very special cases of microscopic dimensions, where the number of particles is so small that the number makes a difference, but it seems impossible that a case will ever be brought up, where at the same time gravity plays a role and the number of particles is so small. In addition it’s not possible to create microcanonical ensembles in practice. Thus even that issue is of interest only as a discussion of some fundamentals of statistical mechanics. (There are also other issues of that type that have not been fully resolved.) Both paper agree with Maxwell and Boltzmann and reject the ideas of Loschmidt, which are discussed in that thread. There’s neither any contradiction between these papers ant the argument that you appear to not like. on October 31, 2014 at 10:21 pm Joe Born Mr. Pirilä: Yes, yes, yes, the difference is indeed too small to be measured, as I’ve said repeatedly for a couple of years now. If you think about it, though, your comment about not being able to make a perfect microcanonical-ensemble-exhibiting system doesn’t prove much; you can’t make a perfect canonical-ensemble-exhibiting system, either–and that’s the only way you get a value exactly equal to zero. The real point is that it is only through arguments of Velasco et al.’s type, not the mere plausibility arguments made elsewhere, that one can rigorously arrive at the answer–which is indeed that the lapse rate is essentially zero. The reason I bring it up is that it shows the arguments of the type given here to be bad physics: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/01/19/perpetuum-mobile/#comment-873227. Specifically, Velasco et al. show that there is indeed an (again, minuscule) lapse rate but that, contrary to what Dr. Brown contends, perpetual motion does not result. Therefore, although his conclusion is virtually correct, his argument in support is not. This shows why we laymen need to take what scientists say with a grain of salt. Joe Born, All thermodynamical ensembles are idealizations, they cannot be realized in practice. They are useful concepts in deriving results that are as accurately true as thermodynamics describes real world as Classical Thermodynamics is also an idealization, and actually an ad hoc idealization that was originally justified only by it’s agreement with observations at the level the measurements could determine. The same is true of most other detailed theories and calculations that physicists make. In this case the issue is not the behavior of the real system. Román, White, and Velasco studied properties of the idealization, not properties of the real world. It seems clear from the paper that they had no problems with the standard understanding of the properties of the real world. On that they agreed fully with other physicists, who agree with Maxwell and Boltzmann, and reject Loschmidt on this issue. As a side remark I can tell that my notes from 2011 (the notes are not dated, but that’s when I wrote them and made them available) contain essentially same arguments as the 1996 paper of Velasco et al, presents referring to Coombes and laue but formulated mathematically somewat differently. on November 1, 2014 at 2:13 am Joe Born I believe that I am in agreement with you as far as all the paragraphs of your last comment–with the possible exception of the last. In particular, yes, Velasco et al. agree that in the limit Maxwell-Boltzmann applies and that Loschmidt et al. have it wrong. But my point, as it has been for some years, is that it is only through statistical-mechanics reasoning such as that of Velasco et al. that we can creditably arrive at the correct answer. Most explanations that I have seen the scientists give arrive at essentially the right answer, but for the wrong reasons. Now, since I’m a layman (who is at the moment somewhat pressed for time), I can’t say that I have completely assessed your paper referred to in your last missive’s final paragraph. I will merely mention that I need to look more carefully at the following excerpt: “According to the kinetic gas theory every component of the velocity is distributed in accordance to the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution.” My current suspicion is that such a result follows only in the limit of an infinite number of particles. If you consider the M-B distribution’s derivation, I think you will see it assumes an infinite-heat-capacity heat bath, which in reality is only approached in the limit. My point is that the alternative arguments I’ve seen for for isothermality fail in the absence of such a heat bath. I do not disagree with the proposition that as a practical matter the lapse rate would be zero. My point is, and always has been, that the arguments I’ve seen in the blogosphere for that proposition are flawed. on November 2, 2014 at 2:14 am | Reply Joe Born Dr. Pirilä: Having returned home and taken the time to read your 2011 notes more carefully, I can’t say it’s clear to me that they “contain essentially same arguments as the 1996 paper of Velasco et al.” To me it appears that instead you do the same as Coombes and Laue, i.e., show that a uniform-temperature Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution is consistent with particles’ losing speed as they rise. What Velasco et al. show instead is that such a distribution is correct only in the limit: they show that a minuscule temperature gradient instead prevails if the number of particles is finite. Your notes don’t seem to say that. on November 2, 2014 at 9:19 am | Reply Pekka Pirilä That’s what I tried to say, when I wrote: .. essentially same arguments as the 1996 paper of Velasco et al, presents referring to Coombes and Laue .. I didn’t mean that my argument covers everything they say, but that they did include in their text also discussion similar to mine, and that this discussion was based on Coombes and Laue. Two very different issues come up in the papers of Velasco, Román, and White: 1) The observable physical phenomena that can be derived both using the microcanonical and the canonical ensemble. 2) How microcanonical ensemble leads to deviation from the results based on canonical ensemble, when considered with full mathematical accuracy? As I already wrote, there are further complex issues that come up, when statistical mechanics is considered with full mathematical rigor. Such questions continue to be discussed in scientific literature, but these issues are of no significance for typical applications of statistical mechanics or thermodynamics. What they have done may have some pedagogical value as it allows for determining, how rapidly the results based on microcanonical ensemble approach the asymptotic behavior, when the number of particles increases. What’s important for physical analysis of the atmosphere is that the concept of local thermodynamic equilibrium can be used making no significant error. That requires that we can divide atmosphere in subvolumes that are at the same time large enough to assure that each volume behaves like a member of grand canonical ensemble following laws of thermodynamics and small enough to have pressure and temperature to be very close to constant over it’s dimensions. One more requirement for many considerations is that the dimensions of the volume are large relative to the mean free path of the molecules. In most relevant considerations these requirements are satisfied with safe margins, but problems may arise near the surfaces of liquids and solids, and at extremely high altitudes (far above the stratosphere). on November 2, 2014 at 10:26 am | Reply Joe Born Exactly. The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution is approached so rapidly that Velasco et al.’s refinement of Coombes and Laue could never make any difference experimentally. The only reason I have harped on Velasco et al. is that it shows that, although the conclusion of isothermality is essentially correct, proofs of the type introduced here http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/01/19/perpetuum-mobile/#comment-873227 (under “fourth”) and expanded upon here: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/01/24/refutation-of-stable-thermal-equilibrium-lapse-rates/ are based on bad physics. Such “proofs” essentially say that if any mean-molecular-velocity gradient did occur at equilibrium in a thermally isolated gas column, and if such gradients were different for two isolated gas columns, then bringing those gas columns into thermal communication would result in perpetual motion. Hence their conclusion that no gradient could exist at equilibrium. So that “proof” purports to rule out any nonzero gradient at all, no matter how minuscule. That reasoning is faulty because an inference to be drawn for Velasco et al. is that bringing the two erstwhile-isolated gas columns into communication would instead result in the thus-created composite body’s assuming a common, lower gradient and thus avoiding the perpetual motion that the proponents of that type of “proof” would attribute to it. on November 2, 2014 at 11:23 am Pekka Pirilä I don’t agree that the arguments are bad physics. The idealization used in the argument is almost perfect, and the result is exact in this idealization. That’s good physics by all standards of physics. Some mathematicians who study mathematical foundations of physics, and perhaps some philosophers of physics worry about this kind of details, but from the persistence of such activities does not follow that there’s anything wrong in the physics. on November 22, 2014 at 1:29 pm Joe Born The B-E Law contemplates two thermally isolated systems that are initially at equilibrium and for the sake of argument exhibit different lapse rates in the presence of gravity. Consequently, at least one of them has a non-zero thermal-equilibrium lapse rate. If those erstwhile-isolated systems are then thermally coupled at two different altitudes, the B E Law says that net heat flow between them would last forever (or, apparently, at least until their temperatures decay to absolute zero if they are coupled through heat engines) as the two systems attempt to maintain their pre-coupling lapse rates. But I know of no law of physics that says this would be the result. What law of physics says the net heat flow would not be zero instead or at least decay to zero as the now-coupled systems approach a common, composite-system equilibrium lapse rate? Unless there is one, Dr. Brown’s “proof” is invalid. This was the point of my initial comment: one would be better advised to rely on Velasco et al. for proof of (near) isothermality than to adopt Dr. Brown’s reasoning. on November 2, 2014 at 12:06 pm | Reply Joe Born Well, I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree. To a layman, when a scientist says a particular situation will result in perpetual motion when in fact it won’t, that’s bad physics. Perhaps you scientists are privy to ineffables we layman are not granted to grasp. But I don’t think so. on November 2, 2014 at 12:59 pm Pekka Pirilä The issue is not, whether a situation will result in perpetual motion or not. It is, whether certain concepts are well defined or whether the velocity distribution of molecules follows exactly the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. In the case discussed by Velasco et al defining temperatures at all levels with the precision required by that approach is one problem and the velocity distribution is (very slightly) different from Maxwell-Boltzmann. That the velocity distribution differs from Maxwell-Boltzmann can be seen by considering systems that have only a two or few more molecules even without going through their derivations. Two molecules divide their combined kinetic energy differently from the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution with or without gravity. What they derive is just an extension of that observation. It’s analogous to the difference between binomial distribution and normal distribution. on November 2, 2014 at 2:39 pm Joe Born It was probably obscure of me to refer to perpetual motion. But here is what I do think is bad physics: “Two different columns of gas with different lapse rates. Place them in good thermal contact at the bottom, so that the bottoms remain at the same temperature. They must therefore be at different temperatures at the top. Run a heat engine between the two reservoirs at the top and it will run forever, because as fast as heat is transferred from one column to another, (warming the top) it warms the bottom of that column by an identical amount, causing heat to be transferred at the bottom to both cool the column back to its original temperature profile and re-warm the bottom of the other column. The heat simply circulates indefinitely, doing work as it does, until the gas in both columns approaches absolute zero in temperature, converting all of their mutual heat content into work.” I think that the two columns would assume a new, lower lapse rate and not go to absolute zero. on November 2, 2014 at 4:18 pm Pekka Pirilä The assumption that’s contradicted is that the equilibrium lapse rates differ. One of the columns and the heat engine can also be replaced by a thermoelectric pair that generates electric power when a temperature difference is maintained between the two junctions. Thus the only alternative consistent with the second law is that the equilibrium lapse rate is zero. Velasco et al. say otherwise. If you check out their Eq’n (8), you’ll see that two different-size, same-average-molecular-kinetic-energy islolated columns will indeed have different lapse rates, because their respective values of E differ: there would indeed be different lapse rates. And thereafter bringing the erstwhile-isolated columns into thermal communication will result in their assuming a new, lower, common lapse rate dictated by the sum of the two E’s. This can be seen by carefully studying Roman et al’s math. You should take into account that what breaks down in their case is the connection between temperature and the average molecular kinetic energy. Temperature can be defined only for a local thermodynamic equilibrium, but their results deviate from the more standard ones only as much as they lead to deviation from local thermodynamic equilibrium. If we have only one particle in the box, the sum of the kinetic energy and the potential energy must be constant. Thus the velocity depends uniquely on the temperature. With two particles the results for the relation between the average kinetic energy and altitude is somewhat weaker, but still strong, etc. This has, however, absolutely no relevance for thermodynamics, and almost no relevance for statistical mechanics of realistic systems. I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you mean. I’ve told you why coupling two erstwhile-isolated columns of different lapse rates wouldn’t cause their temperatures to fall to zero, as Dr. Brown contended and you apparently agreed. Your response is the vague, conclusory statement that something (what, I’m not sure) has almost no relevance to statistical mechanics. That statement is too impressionistic to pass any information. But Velasco et al.’s paper really is statistical mechanics, unlike the blog arguments I’ve otherwise encountered. So saying it has almost no relevance is just wrong. And talking about one or two particles also is a non starter. That’s not enough particles? Tell me how many you’d like. The gradient applies to any number you pick. Velasco et al. say that (1) a thermally isolated column of monatomic particles will have a gradient in average kinetic energy and (2) the gradient it exhibits will depend on the column’s total energy. Therefore two such columns can have different gradients. Question 1: Do you agree with Velasco et al. on this? Question 2: If so, take two semi-infinite columns of identical-molecular-mass monatomic gases that have the same average energy per molecule, but one has only half the particles the other has, so their average-kinetic-energy gradients differ in accordance with Velasco et al.’s Eq’n (8). What do you think happens if those two columns are tthen brought into thermal communication? Question 3: If you think they would drive themselves to zero kinetic energy, as Dr. Brown contended, what mechanism would cause that to happen, and how would it differ from the result that would follow if the columns’ numbers of particles were instead the same? Let me give you a hint. Given that both columns have the same average energy per unit molecule (but, having different numbers of molecules, different total energies), what, over a long time, would the average rate of energy transfer per unit time between the two columns be after they are brought into thermal communication? on November 3, 2014 at 9:04 am Pekka Pirilä The argument of Brown and others requires that the columns contain different molecules. It implies also that the argument being falsified tells that the equilibrium lapse rate would be different for different molecules. Their argument cannot be made without the above assumptions. Therefore I added the alternative of using thermoelectric pairs, which are obviously not affected significantly by gravitation. Laws of thermodynamics apply only in the thermodynamic limit. The argument of Brown is a thermodynamic argument. Velasco et al agree on the conclusion in the thermodynamic limit. The difference in the gradient in the average kinetic energy that Velasco et al derive cannot even in principle be used to drive a heat engine. Coupling thermally two otherwise isolated columns at bottom and top leads probably to the same difference in resulting average kinetic energies between the top and bottom as would be obtained by putting all the gas in the same column, because it would be a microcanonical system again. I have not tried to study this question so carefully that I would be sure of this conclusion. Microcanonical systems have a fixed energy. As a whole they do not have any temperature. Small subvolumes within a large microcanonical volume of gas form ensembles that are very close to grand canonical ensembles, but not exactly such. The minuscule deviations from grand canonical ensembles are of the same order of magnitude as the dependence of the average kinetic energy on the height. For this reason temperature is not perfectly defined for any such subvolume. Again the lack of perfectness is of the same order of magnitude. The results of Velasco et al does not contradict to the least the argument of Brown. Their results apply to a different problem. Canonical and grand canonical ensembles apply better to the consideration of systems that interact with the surrounding. What happens within a totally isolated “black box” inherent in the definition of the microcanonical ensemble is of little practical interest. For anyone who happens upon this page, the preceding colloquy is a good example of why many of us laymen feel that science is too important to be left to scientists. A lot of them can parrot statements they’ve learned in school that are true if understood properly, but they use them inappositely. The truth is, they often don’t understand what they think they know. Dr. Pirilä hides behind the contention that an assembly exhibiting a microstate in a microcanonical ensemble does not have a temperature. Although there is a sense in which that can be argued to be true–it depends on definitional differences I won’t go into here–that sense is irrelevant to Dr. Brown’s thesis, in which the lapse rate he was talking about was clearly a gradient in mean translational kinetic energy, because he had elsewhere explicitly said his definition of temperature was mean molecular kinetic energy (I believe he assumed monatomic molecules). Velasco et al. clearly says that this quantity exists and has a value at equilibrium that is nonzero in a gravitational field, and Dr. Brown clearly says that, if that such a nonzero quantity were to prevail–and he explicitly said it didn’t matter how small it was–coupling two columns would so drive a heat engine as to cool the columns to absolute zero. Dr. Pirilä rambles on with a lot of irrelevancies and then says Velasco et al.’s conclusions are not inconsistent with Dr. Brown’s “proof.” I’m sure there are indeed scientists somewhere who can grasp the concepts well enough to see this isn’t true, but I have so far encountered none in the blogosphere. So I am very cautious about accepting a proposition merely because it’s what scientists say. That’s too bad, because it requires laymen to spend more time investigating this stuff than we’d have to if we could rely on scientists. on November 5, 2014 at 6:28 am DeWitt Payne You’re completely missing the point. If the kinetic energy distribution does not follow exactly the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, then the average kinetic energy is NO LONGER EXACTLY EQUIVALENT TO TEMPERATURE. If you could put perfect thermocouples in the top and bottom of the column, they would have exactly the same potential, i.e. you couldn’t extract energy from the system. Nothing in the papers you cite disagree with this. There may be a miniscule kinetic energy gradient. There is no temperature gradient. It’s more essential that you cannot couple anything to a microcanonical system without losing its microcanonical nature. It’s possible, in principle, to couple two microcanonical systems together to form a larger microcanonical system. Coupling the system in any way to the outside world, as any heat engine or thermoelectric couple does by definition of the new system, changes what was previously microcanonical to canonical and removes the whole effect Joe Born has been discussing. An idealized heat engine discussed in terms of statistical mechanics would be disturbed by external fluctuations and would operate alternatively as heat engine and heat pump on the microscopic scale of the thermal fluctuations. A totally isolated column is just that, it can never influence it’s surroundings without losing its nature as totally isolated. Such columns cannot be observed at the level required to see that difference in average kinetic energy without causing much larger changes to the system and thus without losing the signal. on November 5, 2014 at 3:33 pm DeWitt Payne So one shouldn’t even talk about temperature in a micro-canonical system? One can’t measure temperature without some connection to the outside world. If you can’t measure something, it might as well not exist. That would also imply that the concept of a temperature lapse rate in a micro-canonical system is meaningless. That’s right at least when the required precision is considered. A microcanonical ensemble as a whole has a fixed energy, not a distribution of energy that corresponds to a temperature. Thus definition of temperature does not apply to it. Small parts of a large isolated (microcanonical) system may have properties close to those of (grand) canonical ensemble and thus have temperatures, but that’s only approximate and fails totally, when a great accuracy is required as in this argument. The older paper of Román et al presents various average quantities as function of height for systems of a few particles. From those curves we can see, how the average kinetic energy decreases with height, and how the density of gas does not fall as fast as the standard barometric formula tells. Thus we have more molecules of lower energy at the top than we would have in the case of canonical ensemble. This explains, how the combined effect does not correspond to a lower temperature at the level a temperature can be considered. Anyway all these effects are really, really tiny. The effects are comparable to the influence of a single molecule. Any interaction with anything external disturbs the system with such an amount (or much more). The whole consideration is purely academic as the walls of the column must also be totally non-interacting for the calculation to be valid. Not a single molecule not part of the system considered is allowed to exchange energy with it. In some sense this whole discussion is irrelevant, but it’s actually nice be forced to think this kind of basics every now and then. Precisely my thought as well. Actually, the point is whether Dr. Brown’s proof is valid. In that context, the thermodynamic definition of temperature makes no sense, and the statistical-mechanical definition is at least problematic. But the gas-law definition, i.e., mean molecular translational kinetic energy, is consistent with the proof’s opening assumption: a non-zero lapse rate at equilibrium. Therefore, since Dr. Payne persists in straddling the thermodynamic and statistical-mechanical definitions, I believe it is he who missed the point. Unfortunately, this site rejected my attempt to post a comment that explained this in greater detail. So I’ve been forced to leave the discussion maddeningly incomplete. on November 21, 2014 at 4:09 pm DeWitt Payne The ideal gas law does not apply to a microcanonical system. The fundamental definition of temperature is that when no heat flows between two connected objects, they are at the same temperature. A microcanonical system, as Pekka pointed out, cannot be connected to anything else and remain a microcanonical system. There is no temperature lapse rate in a microcanonical system because it doesn’t have a defined temperature, only a total energy. DeWitt Payne: “The fundamental definition of temperature is that when no heat flows between two connected objects, they are at the same temperature.” True, that is one of the definitions of temperature, namely, the thermodynamic one. If Dr. Brown had been using that definition, though, his proof would have been as follows. The isolated gas column is at equilibrium. By definition, that means no net heat flows. The temperature definition I choose to use is the thermodynamic one, in accordance with which temperature is equal if no net heat flows. Equal temperature means zero temperature gradient, i.e., zero lapse rate. Q.E.D. That would have been a valid proof (of no thermodynamic-definition lapse rate at equilibrium). But his proof instead relied on what I’ve dubbed the “Brown-Eschenbach Law of Lapse-Rate Conservation” (the “B-E Law”). So his proof necessarily used the gas-law, or kinetic-theory, definition. DeWitt Payne: “There is no temperature lapse rate in a microcanonical system because it doesn’t have a defined temperature, only a total energy.” Here Dr. Payne implicitly employs the statistical-mechanical definition of temperature, which equals mean molecular kinetic energy exactly only for the canonical ensemble, not the microcanonical ensemble. (I might note in passing that no real-world system is characterized by the canonical ensemble any more than by the microcanonical ensemble.) But if Dr. Brown had been using that definition, his proof would have been the following. Take a thermally isolated gas column in a gravitational field. Its microstates constitute a microcanonical ensemble. But, according to the statistical-mechanical definition of temperature, such a system has no defined temperature. Therefore, that column has no lapse rate—zero or non-zero—if you use the statistical-mechanical definition of temperature. Q.E.D: it has no non-zero lapse rate. That would have been a valid proof of no non-zero statistical-mechanical-temperature-definition lapse rate. But that’s not what Dr. Brown did. What he did was rely on the B-E Law, of which I am aware of no proof. My apologies for a duplicate post, but I previously entered this in the wrong place: DeWitt Payne: “A microcanonical system, as Pekka pointed out, cannot be connected to anything else and remain a microcanonical system.” To the extent that’s true, it’s irrelevant to Dr. Brown’s proof. And, to the extent that it’s relevant to Dr. Brown’s proof, it isn’t true. It is true that an ideal-gas column whose possible microstates constitute a microcanonical ensemble when the column is thermally isolated will, upon thermal communication with another, erstwhile-isolated column, have a vastly expanded ensemble of microstates which is different from that microcanonical ensemble. But how does that fact validate Dr. Brown’s proof or establish the B-E Law, on which his proof is based? On the other hand, the resultant composite system’s microstates themselves constitute a microcanonical ensemble—with its own non-zero kinetic-energy gradient in the presence of gravity and thus its own non-zero kinetic-theory lapse rate. It is only if we use the kinetic-theory definition of temperature that Dr. Brown’s initial assumption—a non-zero lapse rate at equilibrium in an isolated gas column—makes any sense. And, under that definition, Velasco et al. show that coupling two different-lapse-rate columns (say, columns having different amounts of the same-molecular-weight ideal gas) would simply result in a new, (also isolated) composite system having a lower but still non-zero kinetic-theory-temperature-definition lapse rate. Nothing requires the perpetual motion in which the B-E Law says such a coupling would result. By the way, I paraphrased the B-E Law. Here’s how Dr. Brown introduced it: One final note. I see little point in arguing about which definition of temperature is most fundamental. I would only suggest contemplating the following thought experiment. Take a thermally isolated gas column and a negligible-thermal-mass thermometer that initially is thermally isolated from everything. Then bring the thermometer into thermal communication with the column at a high altitude so that the mean translational kinetic energy of the thermometer’s molecules equals that of the gas’s at that altitude. Return the thermometer to isolation and, in that isolated state, bring it to a lower altitude, where, as Velasco et al. say, the mean molecular translational kinetic energy in the gas column is higher—but in accordance with the thermodynamic definition the temperature is the same. What happens to the thermometer’s mean molecular kinetic energy when the thermometer is brought into thermal communication with the column at the lower, higher-mean-kinetic-energy altitude? Although I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions, I’ll confess that the question is more complicated than it may seem to at first. True, Velasco et al. do say there’s a mean-kinetic-energy difference between altitudes. But that difference is an over-time mean that for any significant number of molecules is no doubt only a minuscule fraction of the that difference’s variance. At any time instant, that is, the mean molecular kinetic energy in one altitude range is only slightly more likely to be less than in a lower altitude range than it is to be higher. And that doesn’t even take into account quantum mechanics, which for all I know so smears the “time instant” as to make that all meaningless; in this I’m venturing beyond what I understand. But I do understand logic, and I remain convinced that Dr. Brown’s proof is invalid. on January 29, 2015 at 9:20 am Pekka Pirilä Remember that the whole difference between the average total kinetic energies of a subvolume in a canonical and in a microcanonical ensemble is of the order of the variation in the potential energy of a single molecule. That minuscule energy is distributed among all molecules. Any thermometer has a huge thermal capacity in comparison to a single molecule. Therefore any measurement of the temperature disturbs the system much more than the difference to be measured. Therefore all measurements of the nature you propose are impossible. This is not only a practical limitation, but it’s fundamental and cannot be circumvented even in theory – or in any physically meaningful thought experiment. on November 22, 2014 at 6:15 pm | Reply Pekka Pirilä Dr. Brown’s proof is for the thermodynamics of for the thermodynamic limit of statistical mechanics. It dies not apply to the imagined finite microcanonical ensemble. It’s not right or wrong for that, as it’s not at all about that. As far as I know, nobody has claimed that it would apply to that idealized case. on January 28, 2015 at 2:59 pm | Reply Joe Born I may have erred when I wrote above that “an inference to be drawn from Velasco et al. is that bringing the two erstwhile-isolated gas columns into communication would instead result in the thus-created composite body’s assuming a common, lower gradient and thus avoiding the perpetual motion that the proponents of that type of ‘proof’ would attribute to it.” Yes, perpetual motion would be avoided, but I’m not sure the two systems’ gradients would necessarily end up being equal. In a proof by contradiction a premise is refuted by showing that it leads logically to a false conclusion. The proof is faulty if its reasoning is based on something inconsistent with the premise, or if the effective premise actually differs from that which is to be refuted. My objection to Robert G. Brown’s silver-wire proof was that its actual premise differed from the one he attempted to refute. The one he attempted to refute was that at equilibrium an ideal-gas column disposed in a gravitational field would exhibit a non-zero lapse rate. But his actual premise, I objected, was a combination of that proposition and the proposition that thermally coupling the gas column to another system would not affect the gas column’s equilibrium lapse rate. So, I implied, he actually proved only that a gas column’s equilibrium lapse rate couldn’t be non-zero IF it were unaffected by thermal coupling. However, I’m no longer sure he proved even that. Dr. Brown assumed that thermal coupling would—as we infer from our observations of the zero-equilibrium-lapse-rate world—impose a common lapse rate on the coupled systems; he assumed that at equilibrium the two systems’ mean kinetic energies per molecule are required to be equal at each thermal-coupling point. Frankly, I assumed that, too. As a result of a discussion on another site, though, I realized that I wasn’t so sure that under the non-zero-equilibrium-lapse-rate premise—which must prevail throughout the proof—such an assumption is consistent with the proof’s premise. To extrapolate to conditions that would prevail under the non-zero-equilibrium-lapse-rate premise of Dr. Brown’s proof, let’s drastically reduce the gas column’s number of molecules to two, and let’s give those two molecules different masses. Note that at any given altitude the mean kinetic energy of the more-massive molecule is less than that of the less-massive one; when they have equal kinetic energies and collide, the less-massive molecule always gains energy at the more-massive one’s expense. If we look at the two molecules as two thermally coupled systems, we see that at equilibrium such systems’ mean kinetic energies per molecule are not necessarily equal. Yes, yes, I know. A single molecule is not a gas. What it’s undergoing is ballistic motion, not thermal motion. The effect I just pointed out is attenuated as the number of molecules increases. I’ve heard all those arguments. But they describe differences only in degree. True, the effect is attenuated, but it is not extinguished entirely. So the fact remains that, to the extent that a non-zero equilibrium lapse rate does prevail—as it must according to the premise of Dr. Brown’s proof—thermal coupling may not necessarily imply equal mean kinetic energies per molecule. And Dr. Brown’s proof may therefore include another unfounded assumption, another difference between his proof’s ostensible premise and its actual premise. Again, I don’t disagree with the essence of Dr. Brown’s overall equilibrium-isothermality conclusion; in fact, his conclusion was my reaction to Velasco et al. from the very start. But I remain convinced that proofs such as Dr. Brown’s based on finding perpetual undriven heat flow are invalid. Pekka Pirilä: “This is not only a practical limitation, but it’s fundamental and cannot be circumvented even in theory – or in any physically meaningful thought experiment.” So what? The premise of Dr. Brown’s thought experiment is a non-zero equilibrium lapse rate. Is that physically meaningful? The issue is whether Dr. Brown’s logic is valid, and to test whether it is we have to deal with the world that his proof’s premise assumes, physically meaningful or not. Pekka Pirilä: “Therefore all measurements of the nature you propose are impossible.” But I didn’t propose any measurements. I took note of the value that theory gives an unmeasurable quantity, and I used it to test an assumption, on which Dr. Brown’s silver-wire proof is based, about what would happen in the perhaps physically unrealizable world of his proof’s ostensible premise. Pekka Pirilä: “Therefore any measurement of the temperature disturbs the system much more than the difference to be measured.” I have never contended otherwise. In fact, I said from the beginning that the incredible smallness of that gradient’s magnitude—which in most cases is probably orders of magnitude smaller than even the fluctuations in the gradient—shows that Velasco et al. essentially establish the ultimate conclusion of Dr. Brown’s proof. My problem is not his ultimate conclusion but his logic. Please try to focus on the issue. The issue is not whether any physically measurable non-zero equilibrium lapse rate exists. The issue is whether Dr. Brown successfully refuted that proposition, i.e., whether he successfully established that non-zero equilibrium lapse rates necessarily imply that net heat could flow undriven perpetually. I know you have contended that “The issue is not, whether a situation will result in perpetual motion or not.” But you’re wrong. Or, rather, the precise issue is perpetual heat flow; Dr. Brown’s whole proof depends on such a result’s following logically from the non-zero-equilibrium-lapse-rate premise to be refuted. Unless you can see that it does, we have nothing to discuss. on January 29, 2015 at 10:58 pm | Reply Pekka Pirilä In physics values that are not measurable even in principle are usually not considered worth any attention. Therefore the calculated very small difference in the average kinetic energy is not of physical significance. Thus it does not contradict anything Dr. Brown wrote. on January 30, 2015 at 2:50 am | Reply DeWitt Payne Assuming that this is the article to which Joe Born refers, an insulated silver wire thermally connects the top and bottom of the gas column. Any calculations related to a microcanonical ensemble are therefore irrelevant. on January 30, 2015 at 8:11 am | Reply Pekka Pirilä The issues Joe Born has raised are interesting in the way that pondering such questions reveals something about physics. In this case perhaps most about the nature of microcanonical ensembles, but also more generally about statistical physics. What I don’t like in his texts is the criticism he presents on Brown’s comment. The comment is, unavoidably, simplifying, but not in a way that could be considered wrong in any sense. Leave a Reply to Leonard Weinstein Cancel reply

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Posts Tagged ‘TPP’ The Good Things Trump Has Done (update 12-31-18) Posted: December 23, 2018 in Evangelicals, Livin' in the USA, Politics Tags: AIPAC, Barack Obama, Democratic Party, Donald Trump, Duterte, Erdogan, Fascism, Healthcare, Hillary Clinton, Howard Zinn, Immigration, ISIS, Israel, Jerusalem, Kurds, Military spending, NAFTA, Naomi Klein, Neo-Nazis, Obamacare, Palestinians, Putin, Racism, Religious Right, Republican Party, Saudi Arabia, The Intercept, TPP, USMCA, YPG (This is an update of a post I wrote about 18 months ago, and have updated a couple of times since.) No, I’m not kidding. Trump has actually done a number of good things. First, let’s list only the unalloyed positives: Trump has armed the Kurdish YPG (People’s Protection Units) fighting ISIS in northern Syria, much to the annoyance of Turkish Islamist would-be dictator and ISIS enabler Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Update: As of January 2018, the U.S. is planning to keep 30,000 troops in northern Syria — the Kurdish part of Syria — and is promising to help the Kurds builda protective border wall on the Syrian-Turkish border, where for once a wall will be a good thing.) As for the Kurds themselves, the YPG, a major part of the Syrian Democratic Forces, is the most effective military entity fighting ISIS in Syria. It’s also the only secular, democratic, libertarian (with a small “l”) force in the region in which gender equality is actively promoted. (There are all-women YPG units.) It’s worth noting that to appease Islamist thug Erdogan, Hillary Clinton, had she won, would probably not have armed the YPG. All of the facts noted above have been obvious for years, yet Obama refused to arm the YPG. It’s a good bet that former Obama Secretary of State Clinton wouldn’t have, either. Update 12-23-18: Trump, as was predictable, just betrayed the Kurds by announcing a US pullout from Syria. There were only 2,000 US troops there, but they served as a trip-wire preventing invasion by Ergoghan’s, Assad’s, Putin’s, and the Iranian ayatollah’s thugs. Trump just betrayed the only real allies the U.S. has in the region, the only ones effectively fighting ISIS. God help the Kurds. And god help the people in the region once ISIS comes surging back, like a virulent case of syphilis after an inadequate course of antibiotics. (For more info, see “The Anarchists vs. the Islamic State.“) Trump killed the TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a “free trade” pact and mutant descendant of NAFTA. (I won’t even get started on NAFTA here; for now, suffice it to say that it screwed American industrial workers and Mexican small farmers — spurring a wave of jobless workers across the border, desperate to provide for their families — while vastly benefiting transnational corporations.) Among other things, the TPP would have a allowed commercial “courts” to overrule U.S. laws, would have made the already atrocious copyright situation even worse, strengthening the hold of the media conglomerates, would have allowed U.S. pharmaceutical firms to force companies in signatory nations to stop producing affordable versions of life-saving drugs, and would have allowed foreign firms to sue the U.S. and U.S. state governments over “loss” of projected profits caused by environmental regulations. Clinton was in favor of the TPP abomination, calling it the “gold standard” of trade agreements. Until she wasn’t in favor of it. If she’d won, there’d likely have been a few cosmetic changes to it which would have made it “acceptable” to her. And we’d have been further screwed. Trump just did her one better by denouncing NAFTA and then delivering . . . . . NAFTA. Update: Trump just delivered the rather gay-sounding USMCA. (He even mimed “YMCA” in celebrating it.) It’s essentially NAFTA with minor tweaks and a few minor provisions thrown in from the TPP. Its $16-an-hour provision might, might, serve as a very minor brake to the export of jobs overseas. (Check out what just happened with GM if you believe this.) At the same time, it contained a provision screwing Canadian and Mexican patients in favor of big pharma by increasing the length of time before generic drugs are available. Trump is reportedly going to crack down on H-1B visa abuse. This type of visa allows employers to hire foreign workers for jobs for which there supposedly aren’t enough qualified American applicants. In practice, this program provides employers with indentured servants working for half the prevailing wages (often in the computer industry). Even worse, some “employers” have been more slave traders than job creators, hiring H-1B workers and then renting them to actual employers while taking part of their wages. (Ironically, in 2017 Trump took advantage of the closely related H-2B program to hire 70 low-skilled workers [cooks, maids, food servers] for his Mar-a-Lago resort.) Update: Nothing has changed. Trump, almost certainly out of personal pique against CNN, has opposed the ATT-Time-Warner merger, which would have further consolidated media control into fewer and fewer hands. Update: The merger went through. Trump, through his defeat of Clinton, has partially broken the hold of the corporate Democrats on the Democratic Party — the Republicans’ junior partner in the looting of the American working class — and made it at least possible that the “democratic wing of the Democratic Party” will ascend. For decades, the corporate Dems have had a stranglehold on the party as they’ve catered to the corporate elite (e.g., Obama’s refusal to prosecute any of the banksters responsible for the financial crash), taken massive amounts of money from the corporate elite, and refused to advance policies (most notably “Medicare for all”) favored by a large majority of Americans, and an even larger majority of Democrats. At the same time, the corporate Democrats have been chasing the chimera of the “center” (the maybe 10% of eligible voters who are so poorly informed that they can’t make up their minds until the last minute) while ignoring the vastly higher number of those eligible to vote who don’t even bother to do it (41% in 2016), largely because of disillusionment, largely because they can’t see any real differences between the parties (at least in terms of economics). Next, a mixed but overall positive move: Trump has been pressuring U.S. allies to increase their military spending to bring it more in line with U.S. spending and thus, in theory, relieve financial pressure on U.S. taxpayers. Thus far he seems to have had some success with Canada, which will increase its military spending by 70% over the coming decade. This would be far more impressive if the U.S. didn’t already account for 43% of world military spending, and if Trump didn’t want to drastically increase that spending. Trump recently signed a judicial sentencing-reform bill. It doesn’t go nearly far enough but it’s a good first step in ending America’s mass-incarceration nightmare (under 5% of world population; 25% of the world’s prisoners). As for other good things Trump has done deliberately, none come to mind. But he has also inadvertently done some good: He’s laid bare the hypocrisy of the Republican Party on healthcare. Republicans had seven years in which to prepare a replacement for Obamacare, and, after they unexpectedly won the presidency in 2016 (plus both houses of Congress), they had to scramble to come up with a nightmarish mishmash of cuts and half-measures that would have cost 23 million Americans healthcare coverage. Trump has laid bare the hypocrisy of American foreign policy rhetoric. For decades, American “leaders” have been spewing the same line about “defending democracy,” while they’ve been supporting many of the world’s most barbaric dictators and authoritarian regimes. Trump’s praise for Putin, Erdogan, mass murderer Duterte, and our war-criminal, Islamist Saudi “allies” brings out in the open America’s support for dictators and authoritarianism. He’s laid bare the racism of the Republican Party. For half a century Republicans have catered to racists — restricting voting rights of blacks and latinos, persecuting undocumented immigrants, promoting the war on drugs that has devastated black and latino communities, promoting “tough on crime” (tough on poor people) laws, and promoting outright slavery of the incarcerated — while at the same time hypocritically hiding behind code words and insisting that they aren’t racist. Under Trump, Republican racism is out in the open. (Unfortunately, that racism sometimes takes physical form; the assaults and murders it produces are a hideous byproduct of it.) By acting as an apologist for neo-Nazis in the wake of Charlottesville, and by pointing out that Washington and Jefferson were slaveholders, he’s put a spotlight on a seamy side of American “revolutionary” history that virtually no one talks about. (For more info on this see “A People’s History of the United States, by Howard Zinn.) Trump, by announcing the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, has ended the sick charade of the U.S. government’s pretensions of being an “honest broker” in the Middle East. In regard to Middle East policy, for decades the government has been hostage to the extreme right wingers in AIPAC, and to a lesser extent the religious right (some of whom want Armageddon), and has actively aided, abetted, and financed the Israeli oppression of the Palestinians. Trump just tore away the “honest broker” mask. Trump has interrupted the creeping fascism that has been strangling America since at least the time of Truman, in favor of galloping fascism. The good news is that Trump is so repulsive and so inept — good only at manipulating and swindling the fearful, desperate, uninformed, and angry — that he likely won’t succeed in destroying what’s left of our freedoms. Had Clinton won in 2016, creeping fascism would have continued; nothing would have fundamentally changed; popular discontent and resentment would have continued to fester; even while they controlled both the House and Senate, Republicans would have blamed everything that’s going wrong on the “liberal” (she isn’t) Clinton; and an overt, more competent Republican theofascist would probably have taken power in 2020, which, had Clinton won in 2016, could have meant “game over” for American democracy. Without intending to do it, Trump has spurred a wave of political activism in the U.S., the like of which hasn’t been seen in nearly half a century. This is a good thing for American democracy. Contrary to popular belief, Trump’s victory in 2016 hasn’t been a total disaster, and in the end might turn out to be a good thing — assuming he doesn’t start a nuclear war or crash the economy. In the long run, a Clinton victory could (in my view would) have turned out a whole lot worse. Of course, things could and probably will, for now, get worse under Trump. He and his minions will continue to degrade the environment, abet the banksters and other corporate thugs in the looting of the economy, and will continue to impose the evangelical theofascist social agenda on all of us. Still, they’re probably too inept to stage a Reichstag Fire and get away with it. But god help us if there’s a major terrorist attack. Naomi Klein at The Intercept offers a cogent analysis of this possibility in “The worst of Donald Trump’s toxic agenda lies in wait — a major U.S. crisis will unleash it.” For now, just be glad that Hillary Clinton isn’t in the White House, and let’s hope for a wave of new social movements; let’s also hope that in the meantime the “democratic wing of the Democratic Party” will at least temporarily stave off the corporate-lackey Democrats and the theofascist Republicans until there’s an opening for real social change.

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Get your daily scoop of what State of the Union is watching today, April 9, 2014 1. Obama at Fort Hood. President Obama returned to Fort Hood to attend a memorial service for soldiers killed in a gun rampage last week. He first visited the army base nearly five years ago after a similar tragedy. "I'm determined that we will continue to step up our efforts to reach our troops and veterans who are hurting. To deliver to them the care that they need and to make sure we never stigmatize those who have the courage to seek help," Obama told family, friends and service members who attended the service. Fort Hood officials say Army Specialist Ivan Lopez opened fire on the base on April 2, killing three fellow soldiers and wounding 16 others before turning the gun on himself. Authorities say Lopez had been undergoing treatment for mental health issues. 2. Closing in on Flight 370? Searchers picked up two new underwater pulse sounds that are giving them hope they may be closer to finding the missing Malaysian jetliner. The Australian ship Ocean Shield picked detected a pair of pulse sounds Saturday and a second set Tuesday. All four signals were within 17 miles of each other. "I believe we are searching in the right area, but we need to visually identify wreckage before we can confirm with certainty that this is the final resting place of MH370," said Australian Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, who is coordinating the search. Flight 370, which was carrying 239 passengers and crew, vanished without a trace 33 days ago. 3. Pay gap politics. A bill to even the wage gap between men and women has stalled in the Senate. Republicans blocked the Democrat-backed measure, saying laws to against pay discrimination are already on the books. GOP lawmakers attempted to offer several amendments but Democrats refused to allow votes on them. The so-called paycheck equity is one of several economic issues Democrats hoping will help them in this year's midterm elections. Democrats won the women's vote by an 11-point margin in 2012, while Republicans narrowly won women by 49%-48% in the 2010 congressional races.

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Spectacular Bid Bud Delp Ron Franklin The Meyerhoffs Spectacular Bid: One of the Greatest Ever? When I was 10, I saw Spectacular Bid win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes with ease. When he finished third in the Belmont Stakes, I was crushed. But life went on; I heard something about a safety pin, but I brushed Bid aside and looked for the next Kentucky Derby winner in 1980. Little did I know that Bid would go on to have a stellar career – perhaps one of the best ever. Here are some facts about “the greatest horse ever to look through a bridle”: Spectacular Bid raced 30 times and won 26 of those races. He finished second twice, third once, and fourth in the other race. (He was a 2-year-old and didn’t like the slop at Monmouth Park.) That’s an 86.1% winning percentage, third only to Native Dancer and Man O’ War among the top tier of horses of the 20th century, according to the Blood-Horse magazine. If you take away his 2-year-old season – a year in which many colts and fillies are still maturing and learning the ropes of racing – he won 19 of 21 races. He had winning streaks of 12 and 10 races, including an undefeated 4-year-old season in which he won all 9 of his races. He raced on 15 different tracks, winning at 14 of them, and traveled over 10,000 miles during his career. He set seven track records and equaled another. In preparation for the Hutcheson Stakes early in his 3-year-old season, he tied a track record during a workout. In the 1980 Strub Stakes, he set a world record for 1 1/4 miles on dirt- 1:57 4/5. The record still stands today. In their book A Century of Champions, authors John Randall and Tony Morris, using Timeform figures, places Spectacular Bid ninth in the world during the 20th century – third in the United States, even ahead of Man O’ War. He won 2-Year-Old Colt of the Year, 3-Year-Old Colt of the Year, and 1980 Horse of the Year. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982. In a fantasy horse race conducted by the Louisville Courier-Journal staff involving the greatest horses of all time, writers chose Spectacular Bid winning the race over Citation. Secretariat finished third. Former Washington Post columnist Andrew Beyer said of Spectacular Bid: “I think Spectacular Bid could reasonably be rated as a close number two on the all-time list, after Secretariat, and he deserves extra credit for his great consistency.” In perhaps the ultimate show of respect for the horse, Spectacular Bid won the 1980 Woodward Stakes in a walkover – no other horse dared to face him. He ran unopposed and clocked the 1 1/4 miles in 2:02 2/5 – the same time as his Kentucky Derby win. It was the first walkover since Coaltown in 1949, and the last one to occur in a stakes race. The main knock against Spectacular Bid is that he never won at 1 1/2 miles. But he was injured by the infamous safety pin in the Belmont Stakes, and was narrowly defeated by a stronger, more mature Affirmed in the Jockey Club Gold Cup in 1979. He probably would have won the 1980 Jockey Club Gold Cup, but an injury forced him to be scratched and retired. Still dubious? Perhaps it’s given you food for thought and made you reconsider Spectacular Bid’s place in history. I personally have Bid third all-time behind Man O’ War and Secretariat. Who’s in your top 3? standardOctober 14Peter LeeBlog2 Comment ← Visiting Spectacular Bid’s Grave Myrin Roberts Seattle Slew Triple S’s Nice alliteration! 🙂 Spectacular Bid: The... 2018 October 20 2017 by Peter Lee - All rights reserved.

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Tag Archives: Dr. James Bernat Recent Brain Death Cases: My Interview With Dr. James Bernat Earlier this week I published a post regarding the differences between brain death, coma, and vegetative state: https://sleephelpdesk.com/2014/01/12/the-differences-between-brain-death-coma-and-vegetative-state/ In it I aimed to clarify terms that are often used incorrectly or even casually by the public and the media. Numerous recent news stories–such as that of the passing of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon–have invoked these clinical terms. Among the most gut-wrenching of these recent stories are the Marlise Muñoz case from Fort Worth, Texas, and the Jahi McMath case from Oakland, California. I have received a lot of feedback regarding my January 12th post, so I’d like to expand on this important subject further. In today’s post, I briefly review the background of these two cases and bring in the expertise of a world-renowned medical ethicist to weigh in on how brain death and our understanding of it may affect their courses and outcomes. The Muñoz case involves a pregnant 33 year-old woman who collapsed following a blood clot in the lungs. Reportedly Muñoz is now brain-dead, though as of this writing I have been unable to find documentation of a physician or hospital spokesperson officially and publicly announcing that she has been declared brain-dead. The health status of the fetus is not clear. Muñoz’s husband, Erick, has requested that mechanical ventilation be terminated, in keeping with what he strongly believes her wishes would be (both he and his wife worked as paramedics, and he states that she had made her wishes very clear to him regarding what she would want in such a clinical setting). However, the hospital where Muñoz resides has declined to do so, citing a Texas law prohibiting the withholding of “life-sustaining treatment” from a pregnant woman. As I understand it, this Texas law is intended for pregnant women who are comatose, not brain-dead. Muñoz’s husband has now filed a lawsuit against the hospital. The central issues in this case are whether Muñoz is in fact brain-dead, and the degree to which a hospital may or may not have the right to operate against the wishes of the spouse given the pregnancy. The McMath case involves a 13 year-old girl who underwent nasal and throat surgery–including a tonsillectomy–as surgical management for sleep apnea. She suffered cardiac arrest post-operatively, and according to hospital spokespeople she subsequently has been declared brain-dead–and therefore clinically dead–by several independently-evaluating physicians. As such, the hospital released Jahi’s body to the coroner, who then released the body to Jahi’s mother. At the center of this impassioned debate is the question of whether or not Jahi is dead. The McMath family’s attorney, Christopher Dolan, reportedly said in an interview that Jahi “has not passed. Her kidneys function, she regulates her temperature and her body moves now more than ever. This is a real human being, not a dead body.” Jahi’s uncle, Omari Sealey, reportedly has told interviewers that he hopes “to have her come back home with 100% full recovery.” These are heartbreaking situations, clearly, with no simple answers or methods of resolution. So yesterday I spoke with my former teacher and mentor, Dr. James Bernat, professor of neurology and medicine and the Louis and Ruth Frank Professor of Neuroscience at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Dr. Bernat is a well-respected clinician with a scholarly interest in ethical and philosophical issues in neurology. He is extensively published in the discipline of medical ethics; his textbook, Ethical Issues in Neurology, is widely considered a seminal publication in the field. He has particular expertise in impaired consciousness, including brain death and the vegetative state, and has provided guidance, testimony, and consultation for many organizations regarding these topics over the years. On a more personal level, Jim is just a great guy, one of the most caring, compassionate instructors I’ve ever had. It’s an honor to call him my mentor and friend. (Here’s a grainy old photo of us at an Academy meeting, back in the day.) Dr. Bernat was kind enough to provide his thoughts and expertise regarding these two complex cases. MC: Jim, do you get a sense that people in general have a firm understanding of what “brain death” really is and what it means? JB: Most people do not understand the concept of brain death. They regard it as a metaphor for severe brain damage causing coma but fail to understand its totality and irreversibility, and particularly do not realize that it represents a medical and legal standard for death determination in the United States. The public press compounds the confusion when journalists who also do not understand the concept discuss “brain death” incorrectly and confuse it with coma and the vegetative state. MC: As a neurologist, my concern is the confusion that may arise when the public hears in the media terms like “life-sustaining treatment” and “life support” when referring to a brain-dead patient receiving mechanical ventilation and medications. Could you speak to this concern, and are there better, more accurate terms you would suggest the media use? JB: In the context of the brain-dead patient, the use of the term “life support” to refer to tracheal positive-pressure mechanical ventilation is seriously misleading and further confounds the question of whether such patients are alive or dead. The medical and legal standard of brain death means that the patient is dead so the ventilator or other treatments should not be referred to as means of “life support.” I prefer the term “physiological support” or simply that the dead patient’s respiration is being provided entirely by a machine which thereby permits their heartbeat and circulation to continue. MC: Every American state has its laws defining death. As I understand it every American state defines death as either complete and irreversible cessation of cardiac and breathing functions or complete and irreversible cessation of brain and brainstem function. Therefore, state law defines brain death as equivalent to the actual death of an individual. What can be done and recommended in situations in which one’s individual opinions or religion differ from state law? JB: Your understanding of state law is correct. Each country adopts a unique perspective to this problem. In the United States, where our traditions emphasize respect for religious beliefs, enforce the rights of the individual, and promote the value of a pluralistic society, we allow states to amend their death statutes or their department of health administrative regulations to provide a religious exemption to declaring brain death. Currently, New Jersey and New York have chosen this route. In these states, in the presence of a qualifying religious exception, physicians must use the circulatory-respiratory tests for death. Some scholars have advocated even more personal choice over the standards for death determination but I fear that this proposal would yield chaos in hospitals. MC: The news reports pertaining to these two tragic cases often refer to state law and hospital policies. If you could communicate directly with state officials and physicians caring directly for these two individuals, what clarification would you ask for to assist in a better public understanding of their situations? JB: Hospitals are constrained about how much specific patient medical data they release to the public by HIPAA regulations and by their internal risk management-legal advice. The dearth of specific information complicates the role of commentators because they lack a clear and complete understanding of the facts of the case. Additionally, when hospitals’ every decision or statement is exposed to public scrutiny by an interested press, it is understandable that they become cautious in their decisions and public statements. Despite these constraints, the public relations aspects of the cases require optimal management to provide sufficient facts and clarity for commentators and the public to understand the reason for their actions. These facts include the diagnosis, how the diagnosis was made, whether brain death was formally determined, and the reasons for the hospital’s actions in each case. MC: What else can be done to ease the suffering of the families of these two unfortunate people? JB: These are both tragic cases of young people who died from massive brain damage. As a parent, I cannot imagine the extent of suffering that these tragedies caused to their loving families. In addition to taking every measure to inform and comfort such families, I strongly recommend offering the opportunity for organ donation. Although some may criticize this approach as a predatory action, organ donation offers transcendent meaning to the families of brain dead patients. Numerous studies have demonstrated that families later emphasize how important and meaningful they found the donation process because it helped mitigate their suffering by creating good for the organ recipients from an otherwise senseless tragedy. Leave a comment Posted in Interviews, Media, Medical Problems, Patient Vignettes Tagged Ariel Sharon, brain death, clinical death, coma, death, Dr. James Bernat, Erick Munoz, ethicist, Fort Worth, Jahi McMath, James Bernat M.D., Jim Bernat, Marlise Munoz, McMath family, medical ethics, Oakland, organ donation, state law

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Yahoo Sports Experts Shop Team Gear Tacko Fall reflects on development as a basketball player: 'I was terrible' Jacob Camenker August 13, 2019, 12:34 AM UTC Tacko Fall has become one of the city of Boston's hottest names in recent weeks. Since signing with the Boston Celtics as an undrafted free agent out of UCF, the 7-foot-7 center he has become a fan-favorite and has done quite a bit to insert himself into the battle for a spot on the Celtics' roster. But things weren't always easy for Fall. When he first came over to the United States from Senegal during his high school days, he was just learning how to play the sport. And by his own admission at the Basketball Hall of Fame's 60 Days of Summer program, he wasn't very good. "I was terrible," Fall said. "I was terrible when I had first started. But obviously, when you start a new sport, there is going to be a learning curve. That doesn't mean you're bad, it just means you need to learn how to play the game. So, I went through that, but I just put my head down and knew I was on a mission over here. And thankfully, I had a lot of people helping me with my game mentally and I just never gave up. I just kept pushing." Fall's hard work paid off, as he was able to develop into a solid high school player and was heavily recruited by colleges because of his size and performance. He would eventually go on to play at UCF and spend four years at the school. Tacko Fall has "really awesome" workout with Joel Embiid Fall credited his development to having a chance to learn from Hakeem Olajuwon, who helped to mentor Fall during his early days in Texas, and the UCF coaching staff. But additionally, he credited another unlikely source for helping him in basketball. And that was soccer, a sport that he had played frequently while growing up in Senegal. "What soccer does is it really helps you with your footwork," Fall said. "That's the main thing. And as you may have seen, a lot of guys that played soccer before and made the transition to basketball really have a different type of footwork and really can move pretty well. So, I feel like that's what soccer really helped me with." And Fall's footwork was one of the things that he wanted to show off during his time in the Las Vegas Summer League. Despite Fall's great senior season at UCF -- he averaged 11.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game in 2018-19 -- he went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft. He was scooped up by the Boston Celtics soon after the draft and was ready to prove himself in the summer league. Why Tacko Fall isn't playing for Senegal at the 2019 FIBA World Cup In Vegas, Fall would become one of the biggest stars because of his ability to make easy standing dunks and impact shots on the defensive end. The fan-favorite averaged 7.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in just over 12 minutes per game. And when he reflected on his experience there, he was very grateful for the fan support he received early in his NBA career. "I'm thankful," Fall said of the support he received during the summer league. "I feel really blessed to be in the position that I am. I didn't expect what happened in Vegas, but whenever I stepped on the court and looked around and I saw all these people cheering for me - like I said, where I came from - it really inspired me to keep pushing. Thank you for your support, I really appreciate it and it doesn't go unnoticed." The next step in Fall's inspirational story will be fighting for a spot on the Celtics roster. He will have a chance to compete for one of 15 roster spots and two two-way contracts over the course of the Celtics' training camp and the NBA preseason. But it's certainly safe to say that fans will be rooting for him in that pursuit. BLAKELY: Must-see Celtics game during the 2019-20 NBA season>>> Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device. Tacko Fall reflects on development as a basketball player: 'I was terrible' originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

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Virginia Williams's Height Virginia Williams's height is 5 feet and 7 inches. That's 67 inches tall. Or in metric units, Virginia Williams is 171 centimetres. That's 1 metre and 71 centimetres. Virginia Williams is exactly the same height as the average celebrity height (the average is 171 centimetres, 5 feet 7 inches or 67 inches tall). Virginia's Name Did you know that the name Virginia was the 551st most popular girl's name in 2013 and that around 3 in every 10,000 baby girls were named Virginia at their birth. People The Same Height As Virginia Williams There are 470 people the same height as Virginia Williams: How tall is Virginia Williams compared to the average person?

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The SS Winnipeg, Pablo Neruda, and A Long Petal of the Sea By LAZARO MONTEVERDE — VARPARAISO, Chile — Not many radicals from the U.S. know of the Winnipeg and the great poet Pablo Neruda’s role in the event, which is a shame. It is one of many instances of heroism and direct action on the part of the left before and during World War II. Pablo… September 25, 2019 in Books, Immigration, Latin America. U.S. moves to entrap Venezuela By LAZARO MONTEVERDE Like a chess master who move by move crushes a weaker opponent, the U.S. is again moving against Venezuela. At the urging of Washington., 12 of the 19 nations who are part of the Treaty of Rio, known by its Spanish acronym TIAR [Tratado Internacional de Asistencia Reciproca], voted to invoke the… September 17, 2019 in Latin America. The Amazon forest burns By LAZARO MONTEVERDE — VALPARAISO, Chile — It has been the driest winter in the central valley of Chile in 60 years. June, July, and August are winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and also the rainy season in Chile. Water shortages have been declared in 50 communities and agricultural emergencies in an additional 100 communities.… September 12, 2019 in Environment, Latin America. Interview: Rising hopes for Puerto Rican independence By ERNIE GOTTA “Every day, folks now more than ever wake up daily with a new notion of politics that is not bound to a vote every four years but to direct action.” The recent protests in Puerto Rico, taken in the context of uprisings across the globe in Sudan, Hong Kong, and Algeria, paint… August 28, 2019 in Caribbean, Latin America. The defense of the Amazon is a fight for the future of the earth STATEMENT FROM MEXICO “I don’t want flowers at my funeral, because I know they will be taken from the forest.” — Chico Mendes The defense of the Amazon is a fight for the future of the earth. Although the destruction of the Amazon rainforest was already an alarming issue for decades, with the acceleration of… August 26, 2019 in Environment, Latin America. Puerto Rico defiant! By WYATT MUND The island of Puerto Rico has been the site of massive unrest and protest for over the past two weeks. Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets in the largest demonstrations in the island’s history. After a fierce struggle, the initial call from the streets for the resignation of Ricardo Rossello… August 1, 2019 in Caribbean, Latin America. Two Venezuelan embassy protectors speak out By MARTY GOODMAN “We denounce these arrests, as the people inside were there with our permission, and we consider it a violation of the Vienna Conventions” — Venezuelan Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Ron. I was in Washington, D.C., most of the time between May 7 to May 19 to support the Venezuela solidarity activists of… June 1, 2019 in Anti-War, Latin America.

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Norma Releases HEXAGON – High Performance Competition Ammunition by The Loadout Room Jan 25, 2019 Norma® has announced the release of HEXAGON – a match grade line of handgun ammunition available in 9mm, 357 Mag and 45 Auto. For applications that require maximum precision, HEXAGON is the right choice to optimize the accuracy out of any handgun. Featuring a unique, HEXAGON bullet design and an aerodynamic shape with six stabilizing grooves, HEXAGON delivers maximum accuracy and performance. It’s also loaded with high-performance powders for extremely consistent velocities with each and every round. “In an era where firearms manufacturers are advancing the accuracy capabilities of modern handguns year after year, our mission has been to deliver a line of match grade handgun ammunition that brings out their maximum performance,” said Paul Lemke, General Manager for RUAG Ammotec USA. “With HEXAGON, we’ve achieved this goal hands down. In our testing, groups of one inch or less at 25 yards is now a realistic expectation when using HEXAGON ammunition.” Norma HEXAGON is available in the following configurations: 9mm Luger 124gr HEXAGON 357 Magnum 180gr HEXAGON 45 Auto 200gr HEXAGON NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 07: Local Pearl Harbor survivors Armando “Chick” Galella, 97, (left) and Reverend James Blakely, 99, prepare to throw a wreath off of the USS Intrepid at an event marking the 77th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 07, 2018 in New York City. Japanese bombers attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 resulting in the deaths of 1,177 crew members on the US Arizona. The attack prompted the United States to declare war on Japan and shortly after Germany. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Norma is a registered trademark of RUAG Ammotec, a RUAG Group Company. Established in 1902 and based out of Amotfors, Sweden, Norma has built a reputation world-wide for its dedication to quality, precision and reliability. Norma’s commitment to delivering trustworthy ammunition for hunters and shooters has been the driving force in the continual growth and expansion of Norma’s product line-up and manufacturing capabilities. For more information on Norma ammunition and components, please visit Norma-ammunition.com. Based in Tampa, Florida, RUAG Ammotec USA, Inc. is a division of Europe’s leading manufacturer of small arms ammunition and OEM components, RUAG Ammotec GmbH. RUAG Ammotec USA, Inc. not only introduces Swiss, German, Swedish and Hungarian hi-tech offerings to the U.S. marketplace, but also leverages European offerings known for precision, reliability and innovation and combines them with disruptive U.S. components, know-how and partnerships to manufacture and deliver world-class small arms ammunition solutions for use by sports shooters, law enforcers and warfighters in the United States and abroad. RUAG Ammotec markets commercial product offerings under the Norma, Geco, Swiss P and Inceptor brands. RUAG Ammotec belongs to the Swiss technology corporation RUAG Holding AG, which is headquartered in Bern. RUAG develops and sells internationally renowned technology applications in the field of aerospace along with safety and defence technology for use on land, sea and in space. A total of 57% of RUAG’s products and services are for civilian use, and 43% are intended for the military market. Its corporate headquarters are in Bern (Switzerland). Production sites are located in Switzerland and in 13 other countries in Europe, the USA, and the Asia-Pacific region. Around 8,700 employees – 430 of them trainees – represent 48 nationalities and generate revenue of around CHF 1.86 billion. Norma Introduces Personal Defense Handgun Ammunition with New Monolithic Hollow Point (MHP) Norma Releases BONDSTRIKE Extreme: A New Line of Long-Range Hunting Ammunition Norma Releases ECOSTRIKE – Lead-Free and High Impact Hunting Ammunition Norma Introduces New .17 HMR V-MAX Norma Introduces TIPSTRIKE – A New Line of Hunting Ammunition with Unique Game-Stopping Power M17 9mm +P Ammunition from SIG SAUER

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ENROLLED AGENT TRIVIA The position of Enrolled Agent was created as a reaction to fraudulent war loss claims in the wake of the American Civil War with roots tracing back to the "Horse Act of 1884.” After the Civil War, many citizens faced difficulties in settling claims with the government for property confiscated for use in the war effort. As a result, Congress endowed Enrolled Agents with the power of advocacy to prepare claims against the government. From 1884 through the early 20th century, this statute remained largely unchanged. When the Revenue Act of 1913 was passed the scope of the Enrolled Agent was expanded to include claims for monetary relief for citizens whose taxes had become inequitable. As income, estate, gift and other sources of tax collections became more complex, the role of the Enrolled Agent increased to include the preparation of the many tax forms that were required. As a result of this complexity, audits became more prevalent and the Enrolled Agent role evolved into taxpayer representation. Unlike enrolled agents of today, the first enrolled agents were appointed with little or no qualifications other than a minimal background in bookkeeping. Today’s Enrolled Agents have to obtain a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN), pass a 300 question 10.5 hour examination, pass background and tax compliance checks, and take a minimum of 16 hours of Continuing Education each year. Enrolled Agents are also sometimes called Federally Authorized Tax Practitioners or FATPs. Yes, someone thought it was a good idea to use the initials FATP. That’s “fat” with a “p” on the end. (If you refer to Andrew as a “Fat P” then you will probably be asked to leave.) IRS Trivia The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has its origins based in the U.S. Civil War. In July 1862, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln and Congress created the office of Commissioner of Internal Revenue and enacted a temporary income tax to pay war expenses (Revenue Act of 1862). The position of Commissioner exists today as the head of the Internal Revenue Service. The Revenue Act of 1862 was passed as an emergency and temporary war-time tax. It copied a relatively new British system of income taxation, instead of trade and property taxation. The first income tax rates were as follows: The initial rate was 3% on income over $800, which exempted most wage-earners. In 1862 the rate was 3% on income between $600 and $10,000, and 5% on income over $10,000. In 1864 the rate was 5% on income between $600 and $5,000; 7.5% on income $5,000–10,000; and 10% on income $10,000 and above. However, in 1872, seven years after the war, lawmakers allowed the temporary Civil War income tax to expire. In 1906, with the election of President Theodore Roosevelt, and later his successor William Howard Taft, the United States saw a populist movement for tax reform. This movement culminated during then candidate Woodrow Wilson's election of 1912 and in February, 1913, the ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution: The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

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Posted by: James Wapotich | June 23, 2012 Trail Quest: Hurricane Deck Hurricane Deck is not a trail to be taken lightly. It is in the vernacular of ski trails a black diamond trail. Not because it’s steep, or overgrown, or without water and shade, but because it is a mix of all of the above. The Hurricane Deck Trail runs east to west along the ridge line that separates the Manzana Creek and Sisquoc River watersheds. The trail is both rugged and challenging and at the same time offers some incredible views of the surrounding area. The trail connects White Ledge Camp at its eastern end with Manzana Schoolhouse at its western end. The entire length of the trail is roughly 15.5 miles, however this can be misleading in the context of our local backcountry, where one’s pace can easily slow to a mile or less an hour because of trail conditions. There is no water or shade along the entire length of Hurricane Deck and no places to camp. In fact the best way to visit Hurricane Deck is to hike a portion of the trail as part of a loop trip. The trail can essentially be broken into three sections, and so one can craft a loop along the eastern section of Hurricane Deck making use of the Lost Valley Trail or the western section making use of the Potrero Trail. The best time to go is in the spring when it’s still cool out. The lack of water and shade along Hurricane Deck cannot be understated. Regardless of what kind of shape you’re in, how good of a backpacker you are, hiking overgrown trails always takes more time and energy than one expects. Add to that heat and too much sun and the problem only becomes compounded. In June 2008 a hiker died of heat stroke while trying to hike along Hurricane Deck. He and his friend had run out of water by mid-afternoon and the hiker collapsed from heat exhaustion. His friend went to get help but by the time help arrived it was too late. In addition to this tragedy there have been reports of people getting lost, running out of water, and having to spend the night on the trail. The lessons that can be taken here are be familiar with the trails you’re hiking and do not underestimate the terrain and conditions or over estimate your abilities. Starting from White Ledge Camp, the Hurricane Deck Trail heads west climbing its way out of the White Ledge Canyon watershed. This first portion of the trial was burned in the 2007 Zaca Fire and much of the trail along the eastern slope is dominated by salt brush and other regrowth. The trail then transitions to the north facing side of the ridge, which did not get burned. Here the trail traverses its way through mostly scrub oak, often becoming a narrow lane through the chaparral and requires some route finding. Recent trail work by volunteers through this section have helped some parts to be less confusing. The trail then climbs on top of the ridge, which is also overgrown, but does make it easier to follow. At about the 4.5 mile mark the trail arrives at the junction with the Lost Valley Trail. From here one can take the Lost Valley Trail 7.5 miles down to Manzana Creek as part of a loop hike along the eastern portion of Hurricane Deck. For this loop one would start at Nira, hike east along the Manzana Trail to Manzana Narrows, and then along the White Ledge Trail to White Ledge Camp returning along Hurricane Deck and the Lost Valley Trail for a loop of about 25 miles. From Hurricane Deck the Lost Valley Trail follows an old dirt road much of the way. The first the quarter mile has been washed out over the years but after that takes on more of the characteristics of a long, overgrown road. The road dates back to the 1930s when a network of roads were being built in the Santa Barbara backcountry to aid in fire suppression. The road originally was intended to continue along Hurricane Deck east towards South Fork and upstream along the Sisquoc River, but was set aside when access became available to complete the Sierra Madre Road. From the Lost Valley Trail juncture, the Hurricane Deck trail continues west through the middle section of Hurricane Deck. This is the least traveled section of the trail and in some ways the most challenging. As the trail continues it becomes even more overgrown and difficult to follow, and requires pushing through brush in some places. The trail then starts to alternate between overgrown chaparral and open grassy stretches, which offer some relief. However it is also through this same section that the terrain becomes more varied as it climbs up and down hills along the ridge. In fact it is this variation that can make the trail more tiring as each transition can require readjusting ones pace and create confusion around which route to take. For example there is a section of trail above Miller Canyon that is so overgrown as to literally require crawling through brush. Here most folks have bypassed the trail following instead the ridge line which in some places is more open as the ridge through this section is often grassy to the south and brushy to the north. This middle section also offers some of the most dynamic views of the area as one is rewarded with stunning views of Lost Valley, the San Rafael Mountains stretching from San Rafael Mountain to Figueroa Mountain, as well as the Sierra Madre Mountains and Hurricane Deck itself. At the 10.5 mile mark from White Ledge the Hurricane Deck Trail arrives at the Potrero Trail and offers some great views of nearby Bald Mountain and its grassy hillside. The Potrero Trail leads roughly 3.5 miles back down to Manzana Creek and offers another loop opportunity. In this case one would start at the trail head at Nira, hike down the Manzana Trail to the Potrero Trail and follow Hurricane Deck to Manzana Schoolhouse and then return along the Manzana Trail to Nira for a loop of about 18 miles. The Potrero Trail also does not have much shade, and is overgrown in places, but is followable. From the Potrero Trail junction continuing west the Hurricane Deck trail does improve somewhat in that much of the trail is dominated by either wild grasses or less dense chaparral and follows the ridge line most of the way, making hiking and route finding a little easier. As one continues Castle Rock to the southwest begins to come into view, here the trail starts to transition off of the ridge and does again become more overgrown, but does also offer some great views of the Sisquoc River Valley. The trail then returns to the ridge briefly before making its final descent down towards the Sisquoc River. In some ways this last section can be the trickiest. Even though the trail switchbacks its way down to the river, it is overgrown with wild grasses and can be a little confusing as it threads its way through the pines and oaks. The trail then levels out and joins the Sisquoc River Trail and a quarter mile later arrives at Manzana Schoolhouse. And while it’s rare that one would hike the entire length of the trail, Hurricane Deck although not for everyone, does offer opportunities to create some interesting loop hikes and take in some great scenery. And as with any trip into our local backcountry it is best to check on conditions, as water can be unreliable, trail conditions can change and temperatures can vary dramatically between the coast and the backcountry. Take the time to plan accordingly and know and respect your own limits. This article originally appeared in section A of the June 23rd, 2012 edition of the Santa Barbara News-Press. Posted in Back Country Trails, San Rafael Wilderness, Trail Reports « Trail Quest: Sisquoc River, Part 2 Trail Quest: Santa Barbara County Search and Rescue »

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TCS is raising notice period to three months from March to curb attrition TCS has said it will take steps to bring down its attrition rate. At the end of third quarter, TCS reported an attrition rate of 15.9 per cent.Jochelle Mendonca | February 20, 2016, 21:23 IST MUMBAI: Tata Consultancy Services, India’s largest IT services company, is raising the notice period for its Indian employees to three months starting March, from just a month previously, at a time with the Indian IT sector is grappling with higher attrition. "The company has reviewed the Notice Period policy and based on employee feedback and prevailing practices decided to revert to the earlier notice period of 90 days served with effect from March 1, 2016. This will be applicable to India-based employees," Ajoyendra Mukherjee, executive vice president and global head – HR at the company, said in a post on the company’s internal site. TCS has well over 300,000 employees, the overwhelming majority of whom are in India. Mukherjee added that the notice period was three months until October 2007, when the company decided to change it. ET has seen a copy of the memo. A TCS spokesperson confirmed the change but declined to comment. "We do not comment on internal company matters," the spokesperson said in response to ET’s call for comment. As new technologies like digital have fewer employees sufficiently skilled in them, the proportion of lateral hires, and therefore, attrition has been climbing across the Indian IT sector. TCS has said it will take steps to bring down its attrition rate. At the end of third quarter, TCS had reported an attrition rate of 15.9 per cent, significantly higher than the 12-13 per cent rate it had been operating at two years ago. Tags : Enterprise, Enterprise Services, TCS, Tata Consultancy Services, notice period, IT, feedback, Employees

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View Obituary Republican & Herald Obituaries Marian R. Miller Marian R. Miller, 82, of Pottsville, who made us laugh, who walked the bike path, who sported a tan, who loved the beach and the sand, went to her eternal rest on Sunday, Sept. 1, in the comfort of her home. She was born Nov. 13, 1936, at Pottsville Hospital to the late Walter and Doris Michael Hurst. She attended the Pottsville schools and graduated from Pottsville High School in 1954. Marian worked for 38 years as a legal secretary to several judges of the Court of Common Pleas of Schuylkill County, retiring in 1992. She was married for 57 years to the former Gurney Miller, who died April 6, 2015. They had two children, Elaine Hafer, wife of Greg, and Gurney R. Miller, all of Pottsville. Marian was an active member of Evangelical United Methodist Church, Pottsville, where she served as Sunday school superintendent, Sunday school teacher, president of the United Methodist Women and past president and member of the administrative board. She also served on the conference and district levels of the United Methodist Church. She served as a member of the conference Board of Lay Ministry, where she was chairperson of the Lay Academy for six years and received training to be a certified Lay Speaker. She spoke in many local churches. She and her husband hosted vacation bible school at their home for 27 years and also several Bible study groups. Marian went on four mission trips to Homestead, Fla., Albany, Ga., and Buffalo, N.Y., to help clean up after hurricanes, floods and to restore homes in depressed areas. She claimed those trips to be one of the high-lights of her life. Her mission in life was to help others. Marian enjoyed walking, swimming, bicycle riding, her visits to the shore at Ocean City, N.J., going on trips and spending time at her Florida home in Tropicana Park, Fort Myers, Fla., where she had many good friends. She loved her grandchildren and was known as "Mimi" to them and others. Preceding her in death were her husband, Gurney, and her sister, Jean Dilcher, in 2013. In addition to her children, she is survived by four grandchildren, Jade, Luke, Mariah and Hannah; sister, Lois Lowthert; two brothers, Edward "Ned" Hurst, married to Gayle, and Kenneth Hurst; nieces and nephews whom she adored; great-nieces and -nephews; great-great-nieces and -nephews. A memorial service celebrating the life of Marian will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Evangelical United Methodist Church, Pottsville, with the Rev. John Wallace and the Rev. Greg Hafer officiating. Family and friends are invited to a visitation from 9 to 11 a.m. at the church. The family would prefer contributions in memory of Marian be made to Evangelical United Methodist Church, 305 S. Centre St., Pottsville, PA 17901, or Department of Surgery, Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund, 1015 Walnut St., Curtis Bldg., Suite 620, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Arrangements are under the care of James B. Humphrey, F.D., James E. Humphrey Funeral Home, Pottsville. Please share your memories and condolences with Marian's family by signing the guest book at www.jehumphreyfuneralhome.com . Sign the guest book at republicanherald.com James E. Humphrey Funeral Home - Pottsville Pottsville, PA 17901 Evangelical United Methodist Church 305 S. Centre St., Pottsville, PA 17901 All arrangements are locally delivered to James E. Humphrey Funeral Home - Pottsville by a local Pottsville, PA florist.

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Street Culture: Humility and Good Conversations at Instacart October 23, 2015 October 23, 2015 by April Nowicki Instacart entered 2015 with about 95 employees. It’s on track to end 2015 with around 400 employees. Instacart just opened a new office in Minneapolis in September, making the Twin Cities the 18th location where the company’s grocery shopping and delivery services are offered. Order volume has been increasing three to four percent week-over-week for about the last year and the company hopes some current projects will stimulate that growth even more. Mathew Caldwell, vice president of people at Instacart, said one of the things that made him most excited to be joining the company about one year ago was how its values were reflected in the culture. “I interviewed last summer, and during the interview I found out they had already defined founding core values,” Caldwell said. “There were maybe 60 employees at the time. Having defined core values, values they want to foster, at that stage is unique. It’s because they are so passionate about making sure culture is one of most important aspects of our success.” Instacart has eight core values, and Caldwell didn’t even bother listing six of them — he said it’s the first two that really matter. For potential new hires, passing the test on the first two core values can make or break their job candidacy. “The first one is customer focus,” he said. “Everything everybody does is focused on the customer. It’s so important to us that we named our last retreat after our number-one non-corporate customer. We want to make sure we understand our customer and that we reflect that in our culture. Employees really have to demonstrate that everything they do is focused on the customer.” The second core value that Instacart promotes is humility. “I don’t have to define that,” Caldwell said. “One policy we’ve implemented at Instacart is that every employee, from the engineers up to our CEO, goes out shopping once a quarter to get an understanding of being a shopper and how our service affects the customer. Everybody here does it, I do it. And it’s not just one customer. You’ll work a two- or three-hour shift.” Nobody is allowed to skirt the “shopper shift” policy, he stressed. Only so much information can be gleaned from data on orders and app use, and employees value participating in the processes that are making the company so successful. “Recently, I’m sure people didn’t realize they had orders delivered to them by our CEO and founder, Caldwell said. “That’s the unique thing about the company. We’re so committed to our customer, and the employees love it. A lot of really good conversations come out of it.” Good conversations are a valued commodity at Instacart, and they happen all over the place: in meetings, via instant messaging tools to connect the different remote offices, and at midday picnics for random groups of employees. The “random people picnics” help employees get to know each other, which Caldwell said makes decisions happen faster and improves efficiency. “It happens at all different levels,” he said. “I have to partner with the head of engineering and our CFO on some business decisions for things we’re doing. Having worked with this engineer before, I know there are certain things that he’ll have questions on. I come prepared. I don’t have time to go to the meeting, hear his questions, go back and get answers, and then go back to him. Because I know him well, I come to those meetings with those answers ready. We don’t have time to be slow.” The teams are passionate about getting things done quickly, solving problems, growing fast, and not lowering the bar. Kelsey Glass, administrative assistant, went on a picnic recently, and said they did talk about work a lot, but for a good reason: People are genuinely excited about the company and about their jobs. “I always find it really interesting to hear stories of how the company has progressed over the years from some of our more senior team members,” Glass said. “We have really come a long way in three years.” Training is currently on the priority list as the company works to inspire its employees and cultivate good leaders. The initiative is planned to transition into ongoing learning sessions where managers are continually given tools and information to help them be better people leaders. “We’re disrupting a $1.7 trillion industry,” Caldwell said. “People go to grocery store usually once a week and it takes two to three hours. They want that time back. We recognize this is a huge opportunity to make customers happy.” April Nowicki is a contributor at Street Fight. Tags: company culture delivery grocery shopping grocery store Instacart Mathew Caldwell office culture shopping street culture Street Fight Daily: Uber Seeks to Raise Another $1B, Is Amazon Building Its Own Shipping Network? Openings and New Hires at Thumbtack, Polar, and Yodle

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Author of the Perveen Mistry and Rei Shimura Mystery Series Archive for maps A Road Map of Bombay Lately, my work in progress has been dragging its feet. Maybe it’s because I’m writing from my home in Baltimore, while I long to revitalize myself with a walk through Fort, the historic Bombay neighborhood I write about in the Perveen Mistry novels. Even though I’ve been there in person, I feel like I need to be led along the streets again. If I could step into an old map, it would fix everything, wouldn’t it? Maps inside a book are like sugar in dessert. You don’t need it, but it’s so much nicer when it’s there. Philip Schwartzberg’s map created for Widows My relationship with maps did not start out well. I used to be terrified of when my parents were driving, and we got lost. The driving parent would call out for someone (the spouse or eldest child in the car—yours truly) to study a large, cumbersome road map and discern the correct way back. It seemed I could never read the map fast enough nor could I orient myself in a direction other than the printed paper. Because of the way my brain processes direction, I was not a natural fit with maps—though I need them, because I have a terrible instinct for misdirection. I began feeling less overwhelmed by maps when I lived in Japan. This was the era when I was a foreigner in Japan doing groundwork for a first novel. I wanted to write a mystery that felt real; and for me, that meant naming actual streets and train stations. The little line maps on the back of every shop or restaurant’s business card were my salvation in cities like Tokyo and Yokohama where many streets didn’t have names, just numbered buildings. After publication of my first book, The Salaryman’s Wife, I learned how attentive readers are to details of place. If I located a known building on the wrong corner, I would hear about it. But just as quickly as people catch errors, they also delight in hearing the names for almost-forgotten places. In India, many city and street names have changed due to political progress—and here I am, sounding like an old person, talking about “Bombay” instead of Mumbai and “Bruce Street” instead of Homi Modi Street. I search out the oldest-looking places and commit them to my camera, and my heart. On the way to Crawford Market Apollo Bunder, with the Taj Hotel After independence in 1947, Indians refused to continue speaking of streets named for men who were the enforcers of its colonial past. Many city and street names on maps officially changed from English government officials to Indian heroes, although verbally, the English names are often still used in spoken directions by locals. Ironically, there is at least one area renamed after a British person: Horniman Circle. Benjamin Horniman was a progressive British journalist who was thrown out of the country in the early 1900s for writing supportively of Mahatma Gandhi. The handsome driving circle in South Mumbai framed by offices and shops had previously been named in honor of the 13th Lord Elphinstone, one of Bombay’s governors. If I hadn’t learned who Mr. Horniman was, I might have mistakenly misnamed the circle in my novel. Interestingly, there still is an Elphinstone College in Bombay (named after the second Lord Elphinstone) as well as Wilson College, named for the Scottish Presbyterian missionary educator who founded it. Horniman Circle (once Elphinstone Circle) For quite a few years, I have been gathering such arcane details from old guidebooks and maps. Some of my key sources are huge, vintage reference books like the Imperial Gazetteers of British India, and old city guidebooks, especially if they have maps. The best place in the United States I know to find such wonders is the Ames Library within the University of Minnesota. Rare antique travel guides to Bombay at Ames Library The newly translated vintage guide Karl S. Baedeker was the famous publisher of 19th and early 20th century travel guides that originated in Germany, a country with people still passionate about travel. The Baedeker guides were meant to help Westerners see marvelous places beyond their imaginations, all the while in comfort and security. Baedeker guides were often translated into English. However, Baedeker’s only guide to India was published in 1914, and due to hostilities between Germany and Britain, never found an English language publisher. Not until 1985 was the guide translated into English by Michael Wild. I was grateful to be able to buy the modern translation and picked up from it some interesting details about the city from an early 20th century German viewpoint. Because old maps are very helpful, I was tempted when I discovered a 1967 Bombay folding map being auctioned on eBay by a seller in England with a starting price of 49 pounds. Once airmail delivery was included, the map would run me about $77 US dollars. I’ve bought moisturizers that cost more, but I hesitated. My worry was this mysterious map on eBay would be focused exclusively on tourism venues. I knew it also would have plenty of Indian street names, so I would continue to need to cross-reference street names. The seller had posted some photos of the map booklet that looked promising, so I pressed the button to bid. It was the last day of the auction, and it turned out I was the only person on earth interested in a Tej Brothers 1967 Bombay Street Map. Two weeks later, a neat little package in a sturdy, waterproof envelope arrived from England. The map booklet had traveled safely between two pieces of cardboard inside the package. It was just the right size to put inside a handbag, yet it was utterly fresh, as if it had never been opened up and read. To say this map is in perfect condition is an understatement. Some of the booklet pages unfold into very large, easy to read maps which are rich in color and landmarks. The booklet also has listings of popular name of restaurants and hotels, movie houses and shops. I can’t wait to show it to my stepfather, who was a young man-about-town during the map’s prime. In the week that I’ve been studying it, the map’s provenance has intrigued me. Because there is absolutely no smell of mold or deterioration from moisture, I believe the map probably left India many years ago and was kept in a cool, dry location. I wonder: was the map’s first owner someone who meant to use it while exploring Bombay, but instead relied on the directions of a human companion? Or did the planned trip to Bombay get cancelled? Could it be the map never had a real owner, but just resided for decades in a travel agent’s file cabinet? I’ve come to realize that a map can offer much more than geographic placement or inspiration for story; it can be a mystery unto itself. Categories : Bombay, India history, maps

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4 Comments September 6, 2011 at 9:05 am Partying In Rob Ford’s Mom’s Backyard A night out at Ford Fest 2011. By Steve Kupferman Ford Fest, on Friday night. Image courtesy of {a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Toronto-Mayor-Rob-Ford/142577519126992?sk=info"}Rob Ford's Facebook page{/a}. Rob Ford holds a free party, generally known as Ford Fest, for his supporters each summer, behind his mother’s large Etobicoke home. This wasn’t particularly odd when he was a councillor—all of them hold community events from time to time—but now that he’s mayor of the entire city, one might have expected him to call the event off, or at least move it to a larger venue. He did neither. And so here is what it was like to party in Rob Ford’s mom’s backyard on Friday night. Two of us arrived together at the North Etobicoke bus stop nearest the Ford residence, and we walked down a suburban street lined with medium-sized homes until we came to the front lawn. We could tell it was the right one because there was a line of about 30 people there, snaking into the rear. It was not immediately clear what they were queuing up for, but we joined them. We talked amongst ourselves while the line moved, slowly. “Did you see the Globe and Mail article about his personal phone bank? The flunkies who answer all his personal phone calls from constituents?” “Er. He’s right in front of you.” It turned out the line was a line to shake Rob Ford’s hand. “Hello,” I said to him. “Thank you,” he said. (No, thank you!) He gripped my hand. An assistant gave us each Ford’s business card, and a fridge magnet with the words “ROB FORD MAYOR” on it. Rob Ford’s mom’s house is fairly large and has three storeys, but much like Ford himself it greets the public with an attempt at humility. Only two storeys are visible from the front, the top storey windows set into the shingles of a roof with sloped sides and a flat top, which gives the whole place the appearance, from the street, of a high-end steakhouse. The backyard is an intricately landscaped pleasure garden, large enough to accommodate hundreds of visitors at once. It has stone paths, an in-ground pool, and a diverse menagerie of bronze animal statues (a baboon, a kangaroo). Its centrepiece is a fountain, perhaps 10 feet tall, held aloft by three nude, bronze women. Two bronze turtles vomit jets of water into its basin. What appears to be a bronze heron perches on top. By the pool was a large shed with a kitchen inside, where caterers were busy preparing free food for guests. A banner on the shed’s roof read: “WELCOME FORD NATION.” The entire area was thronged with at least 500 people, most of them middle-aged, and all wearing Sharpied nametags, us included. On a stage in one corner of the backyard, different dignitaries gave speeches to the crowd. Tim Hudak, the provincial PC leader, gave the most impassioned one of the night, part of what has been interpreted as a risky bid to ride what remains of Rob Ford’s coattails to electoral victory in October. Then Ford himself gave a speech in which he reminded attendees of the various campaign promises he’s fulfilled since taking office. “We said we were going to do things,” he said. “We are doing ’em, ladies and gentlemen. We are doing ’em.” He promised the crowd that if there was a property tax increase in 2012, “I will guarantee that tax increase won’t be higher than two-and-a-half per cent.” Some of his council allies took the stage next to him, everyone wearing black Ford Fest–branded t-shirts. TTC chair Karen Stintz, who is rumoured to be on the outs with Ford’s administration, was notably not there. The party began in earnest when Gently Bent, a band whose drummer is right-leaning Councillor Gary Crawford (Ward 36, Scarborough Southwest), took the stage and began playing covers of hits from the ’60s and ’70s. A fog machine shrouded them in mist, and coloured stage lighting pulsed in rainbow hues. The night began to seem like a hallucination. Was there LSD on that business card? No wait, Rob Ford wouldn’t know where to buy that stuff. He couldn’t even score oxycontin. We lined up for food and a chef gave us each a grilled hamburger on a white bun. We ate those, and drank plastic cups of free beer and wine while Gently Bent played Beatles songs. Doug Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North) waded into the crowd in front of the stage and spent the better part of an hour shaking hands and having his picture taken with smiling fans. Rob Ford spent most of the party out of sight. The Ford family is pretty trusting of their constituency. There were no off-limits areas in the yard. The shades on the house’s windows hadn’t even been drawn. We glimpsed a wood-paneled living room with a giant-sized HDTV, next to a mantle with what looked like an elephant tusk on it. A second-floor dining room had stained-glass windows, tall and peaked like those in a cathedral. Every spare shelf held an expensive-looking figurine. Down below, on the deck, visitors lounged on the Fords’ patio furniture. It was like a family picnic, but enormous. Nobody misbehaved. There were private security guards on duty, though. A little after 10 p.m. (by which point Gently Bent was a-little-more-than-gently bent and the songs were sounding less and less like we remembered them), a voice on the PA announced last call. In the front yard, someone set off fireworks that bathed the whole party in a colourful glow. We had enjoyed ourselves at Rob Ford’s party. As we walked to the street, we happened to come upon Doug Ford shaking one last hand on his way inside the house. “Thanks a lot,” I said. “Take care, folks!” he replied. And there we were, all just folks. This is evidently how municipal elections are won. Filed under doug ford, ford fest, city hall, etobicoke, events, news, politics, rob ford      Report error · Send a tip Follow @torontoist

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Sandra Bullock Gives $1 Million To Doctors Without Borders for Haiti Relief Award-winning actress and producer Sandra Bullock said Friday she donated $1 million toward Haitian earthquake relief. Bullock’s contribution went to Doctors Without Borders’ emergency operations in Port-Au-Prince, where three of the organization’s existing facilities were damaged by the magnitude 7.0 quake. “I wanted to ensure that my donation would be used immediately to meet the needs of the Haitian people affected by this catastrophic event,” said Bullock in a statement. “I urge all of my friends and fans around the world to join me collectively to match my contribution or give in any way you can,” she said. “We must act now.” Earlier Friday, Not On Our Watch, an advocacy and grantmaking group founded by George Clooney, Brad Pitt and others, donated $1 million to Partners in Health. Madonna also announced she gave $250,000 toward the effort as celebrity aid continued to pour into the devastated country. The international Red Cross estimates 45,000 to 50,000 people were killed in the earthquake, which devastated the Caribbean nation on Tuesday. Filed under Charity, Children, Countries, Culture, Disaster, Earthquake, Entertainment, Haiti, Health, Hollywood, Hope for Haiti Telethon, Media and Entertainment, Medicine, Money, Movies, Networks, News, Philanthropy, Pop Culture, Port au Prince, Uncategorized, United States, US, Volunteerism, Women's Issues, World Tagged as $1, Actor, actress, au, Borders, brad, bullock, celebrity, clooney, contribute, contribution, country, cross, doctors, earthquake, for, gave, george, Gives, Haiti, Health, In, madonna, million, organization, partners, pitt, port, Port-au-Prince, Prince, Producer, Red, relief, sandra, To, without Wyclef Jean Joins George Clooney To Lead MTV’s ‘Hope For Haiti Now’ Telethon Two-hour global telethon will air Friday, January 22 Wyclef Jean will join George Clooney and CNN’s Anderson Cooper in hosting MTV Networks’ “Hope for Haiti Now,” the global two hour telethon to air commercial-free across ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, The CW, HBO, MTV, VH1, and CMT plus CNN International, National Geographic and MTV on Friday, January 22, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. “Hope for Haiti Now” will feature performances and celebrity appearances to be announced in the coming days, as well as live news reports from CNN. Clooney will host from Los Angeles, Wyclef Jean will be in New York and Anderson Cooper will be live from the devastation, with the Hollywood actor lining up a who’s who of guests to drop by and perform on the night. All proceeds will be split evenly among five relief organizations who are on the ground helping the people of Haiti: Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF and Yele Haiti Foundation. Both Facebook and MySpace have signed on as official social-media partners to help steer viewers to the telethon and drive donations. Celebrities across the fame spectrum have harnessed social-networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook to rally support for the Haitian people, announcing their personal donations or directing their fans to contribute to deserving aid groups. Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean has become the unofficial face of this celebrity humanitarian movement. More than $1 million has flooded in to Jean’s Yéle Haiti since Tuesday, according the charity’s fund-raising organizers. The Hollywood Foreign Press announced it would donate $100,000 to Yéle, while figures such as Lindsay Lohan, MC Hammer, and Haitian-born soccer star Jozy Altidor have tweeted their support for Jean’s cause. Producing the telethon will be Joel Gallen, who produced the 9/11 telethon “America: A Tribute to Heroes” that aired 10 days after that tragedy. The Christian Science Monitor reports that several other celebrities are using their social clout and talent to direct attention to Haiti. Cyclist Lance Armstrong announced to his 2.3 million Twitter followers that his Livestrong foundation had pledged $250,000 to two humanitarian aid groups. Actors-turned-philanthropists Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have donated $1 million to the Doctors Without Borders organization; Oprah began her talk show Wednesday by asking viewers to contribute to the Red Cross; Coldplay front man Chris Martin is urging his fans to donate to Haiti via Oxfam; and even Paris Hilton promoted the efforts of the Red Cross via Twitter. Meanwhile, magician David Blaine is taking a slightly more hands-on approach. At 9 a.m. Friday, Blaine started what will be a 72-hour, nonstop “Magic Marathon” in Times Square. Benefits of the event and all proceeds from his online store will be given to the Red Cross. But George Clooney isn’t the only celeb tapping his golden connections. East Coast nightlife guru Unik Ernest, whose Edeyo Foundation supports community-building projects in Haiti, has begun organizing a telethon and benefit concert. While the date of the event is yet to be released, celebrities said to be featured include: Rihanna, Usher, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Mark Wahlberg, Jay-Z, Susan Sarandon, Leonardo DiCaprio, and others, according to Tonic.com. Celebrity support of the Haitian people has contributed to the success of this week’s aid efforts. The American Red Cross reported Wednesday evening that in the 48 hours following the quake some $35 million in donations had poured in – more than it had received in the two days following Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunamis. more about "Wyclef Jean Joins George Clooney To L…", posted with vodpod</div Filed under ABC, Anderson Cooper, Art, Barack Obama, Charity, Children, CMT, CNN, Comedy Central, Countries, Culture, Dancing, Disaster, Earthquake, Entertainment, Facebook, Haiti, HBO, Health, History, Hollywood, Hunger, Los Angeles, CA, Media and Entertainment, Medicine, Military, Movies, MSNBC, MTV, Music, Musicals, MySpace, Networks, New York, NY, News, Philanthropy, Pop Culture, Presidents, San Francisco, CA, Technology, Television, Twitter, Uncategorized, United Nations, US, VH1, Video/YouTube, Volunteerism, Women's Issues, World Tagged as abc, American, and CMT, Anderson, Angelina Jolie, Armstrong, BET, blaine, Brad Pitt, CBS, celebrity, celebrity-studded, Chris, christian, clooney, CNN, coldplay, cooper, cross, CW, Cyclist, david, Doctors Without Borders, donations, facebook, for, foundation, Fox, fundraiser, Gallen, Geographic, george, hbo, hilton, Hollywood, hope, Hope for Haiti, hour, hurricane, Indian, international, Jean, Joel, Katrina, lance, Livestrong, magic, magician, marathon, martin, millions, Monitor, MTV, myspace, National, NBC, ocean, online, oprah, oxfam, paris, people, philanthropists, Red, science, square, star, stars, studded, support, telecast, Telethon, the, times, tsumamis, tube, Twitter, two, UNICEF, vh1, video, worldwide, Wyclef, Yele, you A Letter to Rush Limbaugh from Roger Ebert Rush Limbaugh blowing smoke... To: Rush Limbaugh From: Roger Ebert You should be horse-whipped for the insult you have paid to the highest office of our nation. Having followed President Obama’s suggestion and donated money to the Red Cross for relief in Haiti, I was offended to hear you suggest the President might be a thief capable of stealing money intended for the earthquake victims. Here is a transcript from your program on Thursday: Justin of Raleigh, North Carolina: “Why does Obama say if you want to donate some money, you could go to whitehouse.gov to direct you how to do so? If I wanted to donate to the Red Cross, why do I have to go to the White House page to donate?” Limbaugh: “Exactly. Would you trust the money’s gonna go to Haiti?” Justin: “No.” Rush: “But would you trust that your name’s gonna end up on a mailing list for the Obama people to start asking you for campaign donations for him and other causes?” Justin: “Absolutely!” Limbaugh: “Absolutely!” That’s what was said. Unlike you and Justin of Raleigh, I went to Obama’s web site, and discovered the link there leads directly to the Red Cross. I can think of a reason why anyone might want to go via the White House. That way they can be absolutely sure they’re clicking on the Red Cross and not a fake site set up to exploit the tragedy. But let me be sure I have this right. You and Justin agree that Obama might steal money intended for the Red Cross to help the wretched of Haiti. This conversation came 48 hours after many of us had seen pitiful sights from Port au Prince. Tens of thousands are believed still alive beneath the rubble. You twisted their suffering into an opportunity to demean the character of the President of the United States. This cannot have been an accident.A day earlier, a sound bite from your show went viral, in which you said “this will play right into Obama’s hands. He’s humanitarian, compassionate. They’ll use this to burnish their, shall we say, ‘credibility‘ with the black community — in the both light-skinned and dark-skinned black community in this country. It’s made-to-order for them.” Setting aside your riff on Harry Reid, consider what you imply. Obama will aid Haiti to please African-Americans. Haiti has lost untold thousands of lives. One third of the population has lost its homes. Countless people are still buried in the rubble. Every American president would act quickly to help our neighbor. You are so cynical and heartless as to explain Obama’s action in a way that unpleasantly suggests how your mind works. You have a sizable listening audience. You apparently know how to please them. Anybody given a $400 million contract must know what he is doing. That’s what offends me. You know exactly what you’re doing. Filed under Barack Obama, Charity, Children, Countries, Creepy right-wing antics, Disaster, Earthquake, Haiti, Media and Entertainment, News, Partisan Politics, Politics, Port au Prince, Presidents, Rush Limbaugh, Uncategorized, United States Tagged as au/prince, audience, Barack, blowing, carolina, critic, cross, donations, earthquake, ebert, exploiting, Film, from, Haiti, House, justin, letter, limbaugh, listening, north, obama, page, port, president, raleigh, Red, relief, roger, rush, smoke, States, text, To, tragedy, united, victims, white First Lady Michelle Obama: ‘We Can All Do Something’ First Lady Michelle Obama has released a public service announcement telling people what they can do to help the situation in Haiti. (Jan. 15) more about "First Lady Michelle Obama: ‘We Can Al…", posted with vodpod Filed under Barack Obama, Charity, Countries, Culture, Disaster, Earthquake, Facebook, First Lady Michelle Obama, Haiti, Health, Media and Entertainment, Medicine, Military, News, Philanthropy, Politics, Pop Culture, Presidents, Technology, Twitter, Uncategorized, United Nations, United States, US, Video/YouTube, Volunteerism, Women's Issues, World Tagged as america, American, asks, Can, cross, earthquake, first, flotus, for, Haitian, hati, help, Heroism, History, How, humanitarian, humanity, In, lady, michelle, obama, organizations, Red, relief, responds, send, States, text, the, To, tribute, tube, united, us, video, Volunteerism, Watch, you Red Cross: Indonesia quake death toll reaches 450 Indonesia official: Quake death toll hits 777 **44-Update** —Indonesia earthquake toll rises as survivors await relief A second Indonesian earthquake struck near the city of Padang Thursday as the death toll rose to at least 529. Some residents, fearing aftershocks, sought safety outside despite monsoon rains. Read more here: Wednesday's earthquake was centered in Indonesia's West Sumatra province. CNN—A major earthquake in Indonesia killed at least 75 people Wednesday, according to a Red Cross disaster report, citing an official report from the country’s vice president. Earlier in the day an official said the quake toll was at least 21, with hundreds more injured. Thousands may be trapped by collapsed buildings and houses, said Rustam Pakaya, the head of Ministry of Health’s crisis center. He said 75 people were seriously injured. The quake caused widespread power and phone outages, making it difficult to assess the scope of the damage. It struck at around 5 p.m. local time, about 33 miles (53 kilometers) from Padang, the capital city of West Sumatra. Padang is home to more than 800,000 people. The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.6, according to the U.S Geological Survey, caused widespread power and phone outages, making it difficult for authorities and aid organizations to evaluate damage. “The situation is quite devastating,” said Amelia Merrick, the operations director for World Vision Indonesia. “Bridges have gone down, phone lines are in total disrepair; it’s difficult for us to assess the situation,” she said. The organization had said it would send assessment teams to the area Thursday morning. “We know there’s no electricity tonight… many of the families will be spending the night outdoors, in pitch black. I’m very afraid of what might happen next,” she said, referring to the possibility of aftershocks. State-run Antara news agency cited Pakaya as saying he had received reports that part of a hospital had collapsed and that people were buried under the debris. More @ CNN Latest Video; Filed under News, Uncategorized Tagged as 75., American, cross, death, earthquake, indonesia, quake, reaches, Red, samoa, sumatra, toll, west by audiegrl | September 30, 2009 · 1:58 am Mad as Hell Doctors: Will be in Washington Today Press Release—Frustrated with the health care ‘options’ coming out of Washington, D.C., six “Mad as Hell” Oregon physicians are taking an unprecedented road trip across America to lobby Congress for a single-payer health care system. A big part of their plan is to take the entire country with them. Called a “Care-A-Van,” these road-tripping Oregon physicians will leave in a used motor home from Portland, Oregon on September 8th, inviting doctors and ordinary citizens from other states to join them on their twenty-city tour across the country. Their journey will culminate in a D.C.-based event on September 30th, scheduled to take place on the steps of Congress. Demonstrating with the doctors will be thousands of fellow ‘Mad as Hell’ single-payer advocates, all adorned with the movement’s new symbol – the white ribbon. Their demand: Single-Payer Now! Coming to a city near you! “We’re mad as hell because our health care system is run by people who profit from illness” says Dr. Paul Hochfeld, lead Mad As Hell Doctor and producer of the documentary Health, Money and Fear. “The rest of the civilized world has test driven single payer and it works. But elected officials in America won’t even allow a discussion.” “The public option is a trap.” Hochfeld continues. “It sounds very reasonable, but the problem with it, no matter what the final bill looks like, is that it will continue to allow private medical insurance companies to dictate America’s public health policies. And that’s just plain wrong.” Several national, single-payer advocacy organizations including Physicians for a National Health Program, Health Care Now, Single Payer Action, and even groups like Progressive Democrats of America and Jobs with Justice are supporting the Oregon physicians by setting up Mad as Hell Town Halls across the country in anticipation of their arrival. “People need to understand what single-payer is–and isn’t,” says Dr. Mike Huntington, a radiologist from Corvallis, Oregon and fellow Mad As Hell Doctor. “It isn’t Socialism, any more than police and fire are Socialism. And it doesn’t require any more money. Simply put, single-payer is a way to take the current premium payments that go to a thousand different private insurance companies, and redirect them into a single, public fund that insures everyone. That’s all it is. But when we do this, lots of wonderful things happen, not the least of which is to save Americans 500 billion dollars a year starting day one. That’s billion – with a ‘b.’ America needs this information. That’s why we’re taking the tour.” Click here for their website. Check out a Mad As Hell Doctor on MSNBC’s The Ed Show more about "mad as hell", posted with vodpod Filed under Civil Protest, Democrats, Medicine, Politics, Uncategorized Tagged as as, care, country, cross, doctors, Health, hell, home, mad, motor, oregon, payer, physicians, single, tour, used

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Karen Baetzel | BattleAxe Consulting (Episode 505) Karen Baetzel (@BattleAxe57) started BattleAxe Consulting to sharpen leaders — for work and for life — through experiential and multi-channel training using military aviation principles. The Cheat Sheet: Learn about military aviation culture and what helpful tips it can teach us about attention and respect. Understand the crucial difference between procedure and technique. Why are precision language habits necessary? If you aren’t doing your leadership “dirty work,” then who is? Find out what this self-described “battleaxe” wishes civilians knew about leadership and service. Everyone can benefit from clearer objective identification, knowing how to plan and decide, figuring out how to execute, and upping presence and ability to “command.” These skills build extreme equity in the workplace, but also in every aspect of life. In this episode of The Art of Charm, we talk to BattleAxe Consulting’s Karen Baetzel. She has a unique background of military, non-profit, and corporate leadership, and dedicates her efforts to sharing the lessons of servant leadership and inspired living — both to pay it back and pay it forward. (Direct Download Episode Here) More About This Show Captain Karen Baetzel retired from the United States Navy after 30 years of service, and she’s one of the few naval aviators qualified as an aircraft commander in fly helicopters and propeller and jet aircraft, amassing over 2,000 military flight hours in six aircraft types and serving aboard seven ships. So if you think of her as just another self-appointed leadership coach, you’re missing the point. “I am not a leadership coach,” she says. “I don’t even know what that means! I am a practitioner. This is 30 years of military experience and then another eight years in the corporate world; I learned it through a lifetime of service to this country.” Karen has found that so many leadership skills she learned in the military transfer quite readily into the civilian world, and that’s how BattleAxe Consulting (taking its moniker from Karen’s Navy nickname) got its start. Karen tells us that the military — no matter what service, and no matter what era — is excellent at teaching people, first and foremost, to be a part of a team. To become a leader of such a team, you have to learn how to follow. The focus isn’t on the individual, but on how individuals work together to get a job done. “That doesn’t mean that you’re a kiss-butt or that you’re a mindless drudge, despite what you might see in Hollywood,” says Karen. “It means you know how to play your role as part of a team. And when your leader falls in a hole somewhere, you know what’s expected of you.” Procedure Vs. Technique As a young aviator learning the ropes, Karen quickly discovered the difference between procedure and technique. Procedure: A standardized, non-optional regulation that can’t be changed on a whim. It’s consensually arrived at, written down, and consistently applicable. It’s a must-do. Karen gives the example of landing procedure for an airplane, with a very specific criteria. The crew knows a whole litany of procedures backwards and forwards to avoid any unwelcome surprises. Technique: The way an individual complies with a procedure. “The problem is when people confuse the difference between a procedure and a technique,” says Karen. “It is at the base of so many arguments, and this applies outside the cockpit, in the workplace, and in personal relationships. I see it all the time. And I always go back to that convention and say: are we arguing about procedure, or are we arguing about a technique?” In the military, adherence to procedures is reinforced by regular inspections. But in a civilian office, for example, various techniques employed by different leaders over the years may have replaced the original procedures, blurring their initial intent. “They’re living on an oral history and passed-down technique and they can’t understand why they’re not delivering the product they want,” says Karen. So it’s important to keep procedural manuals handy and regularly consulted instead of letting them gather dust in some forgotten closet. Precision Language Habits “When you’re in a low-context environment like the cockpit,” says Karen, “where there’s not a lot of subtlety, you have to use the right words. Not only so people will understand you, but so they cannot misunderstand you — which are two different things. Aviation teaches us to be very precise in our language. You’re competing on a tactical frequency with other military entities, so you have to be precise. The precision and the acuity of the words is critical.” Karen gives us the example of a plane that crashed when it ran out of fuel — simply because the crew didn’t properly convey the severity of the situation when applying for clearance to land. In another example, countless lives were endangered on landing when a subordinate in the know was instructed by the captain to simply follow orders and shut up. Now, there are specific words and phrases in place that allow free communication between crew members of any rank to avoid crisis without disturbing protocol. Leadership Dirty Work “If you are doing your job as a leader,” says Karen, “and you are doing your mission of any consequence, it is not possible to keep everybody happy. And if you try and do that, Colin Powell once said famously, ‘The quickest way to mediocrity is to please everybody.’ “But there are times when, as a leader, you have to do what I call the dirty work of leadership. If you weren’t the leader, you wouldn’t have to make the decision. For example, let’s say you’re managing a project in the civilian world and you’re over hours and over budget and somebody’s hours are going to get cut or you’re going to have to lay somebody off. It’s not possible for you to make everybody happy in that circumstance, but you still have to do your duty. “I think we need to tell people and shape people’s expectations of being a leader, from time to time, is going to require that. And that’s what a good leader does. Sometimes they have to make the hard call and people are going to be unhappy. You do it with sensitivity and you’ve communicated, and there are ways to do it well, but there’s really no honest way to avoid it. If you’re not doing the dirty work, one of two things are happening: first, it’s not getting done at all, which means you’re failing your duty to your boss, or somebody else is doing it for you, and that’s not fair. You can’t delegate your dirty work to other people — not if you’re a good leader.” Listen to this episode of The Art of Charm in its entirety to learn more about how a superior officer earned Karen’s loyalty before they’d even met, the difference between military and civilian training, what Karen wishes civilians knew about leadership and service, and lots more. THANKS, KAREN BAETZEL! Resources from this episode: BattleAxe Consulting Services page Karen Baetzel at Facebook Karen Baetzel at YouTube Karen Baetzel at Twitter The Art of Charm Bootcamps The Art of Charm Toolbox Best of The Art of Charm Podcast On your phone? Click here to write us a well-deserved iTunes review and help us outrank the riffraff! in Business, Lifestyle, Podcast

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More bridges, fewer walls. Recent , Social J. Thorn July 20, 2019 I had one of those moments recently. One that makes you pause and think, one that hits you right in the chest with a mix of emotional responses. “I learned from him,” Chris said, pointing at me. We were standing around and talking to fellow authors at The Sell More Books Show Summit after Chris Fox gave an incredible presentation on finding your audience. Chris is always a crowd-pleaser, and he is so generous with his time and expertise. When I heard Chris say this to the person who had approached him, all I could do was smile and look down awkwardly at the tops of my shoes. I feel like an imposter compared to Fox. He’s sold hundreds of thousands of books and is on track to make a million dollars (and more) as a writer and publisher. I’m not in his league. Not even in the same sport. But Chris was referring to the fact that before his entry into self-publishing around 2014, he was listening to The Horror Writer’s Podcast, my first show on writing and publishing. Chris and I then ended up in a mastermind together and have remained friends ever since. Early on, while Chris was still a software developer in Silicon Valley, he had been listening to my advice. Fast forward five or six years and now Chris’s sales are exponentially better than mine, which could have led me down a dark path. I could have been envious. It would be easy to claim outrage on behalf of my ego and add a comment to what Chris said, some excuse as to why the guy giving the advice wasn’t as financially successful as the guy who had received it. My other choice was to celebrate Chris’s success and acknowledge his gratitude with grace and dignity. Outwardly, I don’t think I did either. I kept staring at my shoes until the attendee asked Chris a question, and the subject of the conversation changed. But internally, I was proud of what Chris had accomplished and happy that I’d played some role in it, however small it seemed to me. To Chris’s credit, he continues to support our live author events, and he always answers my emails when I ask him a question. I’m sure (and I hope it’ll be true) one of the students Chris is helping now will someday eclipse him in sales. And when that happens, I know Chris will be ecstatic for that author because that’s the kind of guy he is. We’re all here to help each other, to lift each other up. I’m investing in a future filled with cooperation, collaboration, and universal benefit. Selfish motives driven by fear and hate will die. Each week in this blog series, I’ll discuss what it means to live the author life, delving into topics about mindset, craft, audience, finance, publishing, self-improvement, spirituality, technology, and more. Making friends. I couldn’t even get rejected.

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Jan 27, 2016 by ~☯thed4rkestrose✪~ The Lone Gunmen (Review) This October/November, we’re taking a trip back in time to review the eighth season of The X-Files and the first (and only) season of The Lone Gunmen. The Lone Gunmen seemed destined to be an oddity. When it arrived in March 2001, it must have felt like a throwback. The production team had consciously modelled the series on the classic episodic spy and adventure shows of the sixties, seventies and eighties. Mission: Impossible and The A-Team served as cultural touchstones, with both The Pilot and Eine Kleine Frohike making visual references to Brian dePalma’s cinematic adaptation of Mission: Impossible while Maximum Byers featured an extended discussion of the pros and cons of Pros and Cons, an early first season episode of The A-Team. In terms of structure and tone, The Lone Gunmen seemed to hark back to the golden age of two-knuckled action adventure television shows like This entry was posted in N/A.

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The Liberian Connection - Africa (1996 - 2020) - An Internet Magazine that Connects Liberians at home and abroad TLC Africa Looking for a job in Liberia? Have property to lease, rent or sell? List in our Real Estate section Contact TLC Africa Website: Email:ciatavictortlc@gmail.com "Ambassador Kemayah urges Ambassadors to the United Nations to continue working for sustained global peace and security during Diplomatic Mission to Israel and Poland" President Rivlin with Ambassadors to the UN and their Spouses (New York, January 7, 2020) Liberia's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, His Excellency Ambassador Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr., joined Twenty-two (22) Ambassadors to the United Nations to participate in a recent one-week Diplomatic Mission to Israel and a Holocaust Remembrance Program in Poland. The Diplomatic Mission and Remembrance Program organized by the American Zionist Movement and International March of the Living in collaboration with the Government of Israel is an annual event that provides Ambassadors to the United Nations an understanding of Israel's national political landscape and geo-strategic concerns. The President of Israel, His Excellency Mr. Reuven Rivlin, welcomed the delegation of Ambassadors to the United Nations to Israel. In a meeting with the Ambassadors, President Rivlin disclosed that over the last Seventy-two (72) years, Israel has been transformed from a developing state into a start-up nation and innovation hub and was ready to share its expertise with all nations for the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. During the Diplomatic Mission to Israel, Ambassador Kemayah and other members of the United Nations Ambassadorial delegation met with other Israeli Government officials, hi-tech and business leaders, and representatives of Civil Society; and were opportune to tour several facilities including the City of David, the Southern Border of Israel, Tel Aviv and Yafo, the Israeli Innovation and Technology Center, the Israel National Cyber Directorate, Via Dolorosa and Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Western Wall, Masada and the Dead Sea and the Old City of Jerusalem including Christian Quarter. At an event in the Hall of Remembrance, at the Yad Vashen Museum in Jerusalem, commemorating the mass murder of six million Jews killed during the Second World War, Ambassador Kemayah and Ambassador Pawel Radomski of Poland, on behalf of the United Nations Ambassadors and Diplomatic delegation on the visit, laid a wreath on a stone slide under which the ashes of six million victims are buried. A moment of silence was observed by Ambassador Kemayah and the Ambassadorial delegation. Earlier in Poland, Ambassador Kemayah, along with with His Excellency Ambassador Sven Jürgenson of Estonia and His Excellency Ambassador Ion Jinga of Romania, as part of a special Holocaust Remembrance Program, laid a wreath at the Majdanek Concentration Camp, where Two hundred thirty thousand (230,000) people, including One hundred eighty thousand (180,000) Jews were gassed to death. Also in Poland, the Ambassadorial Delegation visited the Polin Museum and were taken on a sightseeing tour of Warsaw. In an interview with journalists in Israel during the visit to the Southern Border of Israel, Ambassador Kemayah described the visit as an opportunity to gather first-hand information on the socio-political conditions in the region and stressed that the visit reinforced the resolve of Ambassadors to the United Nations to continue to work towards the sustenance of global peace and security. Said Ambassador Kemayah: "What we've seen reinforces our resolve as Ambassadors at the global body--the United Nations, to work towards the sustenance of global peace and security; ensuring that all humans live together in peace. We, as the United Nations, need to ensure that the world, which is now a global village, is a safer place for our children's children-- a safer world than what we have now. Fortunately, I come from a Country--the Republic of Liberia, where our President His Excellency Dr. George Manneh Weah is a world symbol of peace. He's an Ambassador of peace who wants to see all humans live in peace." On Liberia-Israel relations, Ambassador Kemayah asserted that there subsists very good ties between the two countries--Liberia and Israel, evidenced by the recent visit of His Excellency Dr. George Manneh Weah, President of the Republic of Liberia to Israel. Ambassador Kemayah expressed the hope that the relationship between Liberia and Israel will be further strengthened to continuously benefit both nations nationally and globally. Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the visit, Ambassador Kemayah chatted with the Chairman of the Shomron Regional Council Yossi Dagan and informed him of opportunities for investments in Liberia. Ambassador Kemayah also explored the possibility of establishing sister city relations between the Shomron region and major cities in Liberia and invited Chairman Dagan to visit Liberia along with investors from his region to explore investment opportunities. The Shomron region provides municipal services for the Thirty-five (35) Israeli settlements in the Samarian hills. In response, Chairman Dagan accepted Ambassador Kemayah's invitation and instructed the Head of International Relations and Advisor to the Mayor of Shomron Mr. Chen Ben-lulu to work out the modalities for a possible visit to Liberia in 2020 with Ambassador Kemayah. The Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, His Excellency Ambassador Danny Danon expressed willingness to accompany the delegations to Liberia. In more chats, Ambassador Kemayah spoke with the Chairman of the Mountain top Production Hezi Bezalel, the President of Berexco LLC Oil and Gas explorations, Mr. Adam Beren, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Global Partnership Forum, Mr. Amir Dossal, and informed them that Liberia is ready for business and investments in all sectors. Ambassador Kemayah was accompanied to Israel and Poland by his wife Reverend Mrs. Dialokai Golanyon-Kemayah. The visit to Israel and Poland by Ambassador Kemayah and his wife was at the invitation and expense of the American Zionist Movement and the International March of the Living, organizers of the annual Diplomatic Mission in collaboration with the Government of Israel.

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What It Feels Like... To Get 50,000 Fans Screaming Go, Tech, Go Every football game, they’re out there on the field, as much a part of pregame ceremonies as the Goin’ Band, the Masked Rider and maybe the team itself. Written by Cory Chandler Every football game, they're out there on the field, as much a part of pregame ceremonies as the Goin' Band, the Masked Rider and maybe the team itself. Jonathan Merritt, serving his second term as president of the Saddle Tramps, talks about what it's like to form a bell circle in the middle of the field and get a stadium full of fans screaming for the game. When do we start running? After the Masked Rider is off, we wait for every team member to clear the tunnel. You can't see all that well because of the smoke and chaos down there, but once we think that everyone's gone, we just take off. We get our thing going. Running out there in front of 50,000-plus, there's nothing you can compare it to - nothing like it in the world. The energy: once we form the circle, it's amazing. You're feeding off the guy next to you; you're feeding off the fans - 50,000 people in the stands and our goal is to get them screaming with us. You're a little nervous for that first Go, Tech, Go - you want to make sure you're on cue. But once the crowd gets involved, it's just, wow ... you're all jazzed up and the rest of the chants are so easy. You're ready to go. It's a high like you don't feel again until the end of the game - until we win. Absolute excitement: that's the only way I can describe it. See, when you're in the stands, you can hear the people next to you, maybe the people around you. But down on the field, you can hear the crowd from all angles. It's so loud. Just amazing. Each time, I'm overwhelmed with a sense of pride for the university; just knowing you're a part of that - maybe in the smallest way - but you're a part of it, you have such a tie to Texas Tech. What's your story? Contact Cory Chandler Photo by Artie Limmer. Updated: Jun 24, 2016 4:00 PM

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Walmart Recognizes a Local Partnership ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ROCHESTER FIRST, MARK GRUBA / News / Published: June 25, 2019 A new nationally televised Walmart commercial is recognizing Victor-based The Perfect Granola and its effort to help the House of Mercy feed Rochester’s homeless population. Michele Liddle, owner of The Perfect Granola, House of Mercy founder Sister Grace Miller and House of Mercy Director of Development and Communications Stephanie Buchbinder discussed the commercial and their collaboration Tuesday during News 8 at Noon. “We’ve been selling into Walmart for a couple of months,” said Liddle. They really love our story and what we do in our community with our proceeds. So they reached out to us and asked if we would want to star in a commercial that they were going to broadcast on national TV. So, of course, we said yes!” One of Liddle’s employees at The Perfect Granola volunteers her time at the House of Mercy. “Through The Perfect Granola, we offer our employees paid community service days. So, Ashlie Jones has chosen House of Mercy to go in and donate her time.” Jones is featured in the one-minute commercial produced by the retail giant. When word of the Walmart opportunity reached the House of Mercy, it was met by disbelief. “I was shocked,” Buchbinder said. “They invited us to L.A. I mean it was first class all the way. They flew us to L.A., we shot the commercial, they put us up in a hotel. And everything was very secretive because it had to be a surprise for Ashlie. But it was really an amazing opportunity for the House of Mercy.” The finished product reflects the spirit of The Perfect Granola’s support of the House of Mercy. “It was touching,” said Buchbinder. “Everybody that’s seen it has said the same thing. They were so moved by it. And my whole goal was to just inspire other people to be able to do the same as what Michele is doing – to be able to give back to the community.” Copy this link into your browser to view the full commercial: https://bit.ly/2XcqODT For Sister Grace, the commercial is a wonderful opportunity to draw attention to the ongoing work of the House of Mercy. “Oh it’s essential because we feed over 460 people a day,” she said. “We have three meals a day; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We feed our homeless, and we have over 100 homeless coming every night, and a hungry neighborhood. And so we have a huge dining room and every time they’re eating, there are huge crowds there. And people really appreciate the meals that we get. So we’re very grateful to The Perfect Granola. They gave us 1,000 pounds of granola and granola bars and our people loved it. And it’s a great help to us because feeding that many people, we need donations from the community. We need food and monetary donations. So it’s a tremendous help to us. We have hungry people in our city. And many of them come and all three meals are really packed. So we’re very grateful.” Liddle added, “It makes me feel inspired because to watch Sister Grace in what she’s been doing in the shelter for years and years and years and dedicated her life to it, it makes me want to do more which is why we’ve started this company and why we do what we do. And if we can shed light on what they are doing, and inspire other people to help out and volunteer their time, or make donations, that’s what it’s all about. We can’t do it alone. So we want to make sure that everybody rallies together to help.” For more information about The Perfect Granola, visit theperfectgranola.com. For more information about the House of Mercy, visit houseofmercyrochester.org. The original story can be found: here The Perfect Granola | PubGPS Podcast $3 million in prizes handed out at Grow-NY Food and Ag Summit Stacy’s limited-edition bags spotlight Women’s Entrepreneurship Day © 2020 The Perfect Granola .

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Boxing champion looks to ‘bring belt back to Vallejo’ Photo by Kali Persall/The Pioneer Kali Persall, At 8 p.m. last Thursday night, 28-year-old Ryan “Rhino” Bourland — Global Boxing Organization light heavyweight champion — was at the Pro-Faction Martial Arts and Fitness gym in Benicia training his last student of the night. The champion has been training for the past eight weeks in preparation for his first title defense fight at the Doubletree Hotel in Sacramento on March 17. This will be his first time defending the belt since his win over Gilberto Rubio on Nov. 11, which he won by technical knock out, or TKO, when the referee stopped the fight in the sixth round. His routine varies day-to-day, but he typically starts training at 7 a.m., runs five times a week, spars several times a week and trains with his strength and conditioning coaches two to three times a week. On top of that, he meets with his boxing coaches six times a week for boxing training. Bourland aims to be well-prepared for the upcoming six-round fight. When he’s not training, the 28-year-old Vallejo native occasionally puts in hours at Wickens Construction, his uncle’s construction company in Vallejo, where he used to work 14-hour days and made “good money” before he decided to cut his hours and focus on boxing two years ago. “It was a huge sacrifice,” said Bourland. “I believe that one day I’m gonna get to the top and make more money. Right now everything goes into my gas tank.” Bourland, who started coaching at Pro-Faction Martial Arts and Fitness in Benicia in December 2015, never passes up a chance to be in the ring. “I can be in Oakland in the morning and Sacramento at night; I’m all over the place training,” said Bourland. “I’m trying to train with the best people in boxing.” Bourland trains with four coaches: he trains with two boxing coaches five or six times a week and with two strength and conditioning coaches four times a week. His main boxing coach is Mario L’Esperance, a retired boxer with a 18-6-1 record who was inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame November 2016. L’Esperance, who has trained fighters like Leslie Smith, Jake Shields, Jesse Reid and sparred with Floyd Mayweather’s uncle Roger when he was champion from 1983 to 1985, became Rhino’s full-time trainer about a month ago and is in the process of moving from Pleasant Hill back to his hometown of Vallejo in order to be closer to his student. L’Esperance, who met Bourland through his uncle, believes the champion has the potential to earn a world title. “He has the heart of a lion,” said L’Esperance. “He pushes and pushes and pushes; if I say do 50 situps, he’ll do 150. If I say do 500, he’ll do 750. He’s a hard worker; he’ll do everything you ask and a little extra.” Bourland, or “Rhino,” which his friends, family and trainers call him, was given his nickname by his grandfather when Bourland was a baby. The name stuck when he got into boxing because it fit his aggressive fighting style and ability to take a punch. Bourland went professional approximately three years ago and with a 11-1 record, is ranked 160 in the world, according to BoxRec, a database that calculates professional boxing records. However, his ascension to the championship was rocky, having joined boxing as an “at-risk youth.” Growing up in Vallejo, Bourland frequently got into fights. When he was in sixth grade, his parents decided to put him into boxing as a way to help him channel his aggression. Bourland’s father Cary said he was a boxing fan and thought the sport would teach his son discipline. When he began to land amateur fights, Cary switched him to a different gym in Vacaville, where he drove him everyday after work and school. “I’ve never missed a fight,” said Cary. However when Bourland was 14, his parents divorced and Cary said he started “acting up.” He quit boxing, got involved with drugs and alcohol, gained weight and landed in juvenile hall 15 to 16 times by the time he was 18. Cary said Rhino frequently “got into it with the cops” and was tased several times. It was during his six-month stint in rehab at age 20 that Bourland reconnected with boxing due to an unlikely coincidence: the owner of the facility had a sticker on his car of the gym that Bourland trained at previously. Bourland said the rehab owner saw his potential after talking to his coach and gave him the opportunity to get back into boxing. After making him run a track every day for a month to prove himself, he told him that if he promised to do well, he’d let him sneak out every night to go to the gym. Every night he walked to the gym and trained, cutting over 100 pounds during his six-month stint at the facility. “Rhino is like a rhino, he works hard, he’s someone that doesn’t stop,” L’Esperance said. “He’s very aggressive and I love that, that’s what fighting’s about. You want to watch Rocky [Balboa]? Come watch Rhino.” After getting out of rehab and fighting two more amateur fights, his coach suggested that he “go pro.” Bourland signed up to go professional through the California State Athletic Commission, the entity that regulates amateur and professional boxing. He paid to get his license and obtained the necessary medical check-ups, which are extensive and include eye, heart and brain evaluations, according to Bourland. “Looking back I think I hopped in a little early,” he said. “A lot of guys get amateur fights before they turn pro, sometimes hundreds.” Bourland had only 12. “It’s a whole different level [than amateur]. Some of these guys don’t work, all they do is train all day for years. It’s serious.” Experience is an advantage Bourland anticipates his opponent Alfredo Contreras, 13-19-2, according to BoxRec, will have over him at the March 17 fight. “This is a pretty tough fight,” said Bourland. “It’s a big step up for me; I’m ready for a step up.” Contreras has nearly 40 professional fights and has fought five world championships, according to Bourland. Allie Warnshuis, Bourland’s girlfriend of more than two years said she’s nervous for the upcoming fight. Despite the fact that he’s only lost one, Warnshuis finds it hard to watch his competitions because she doesn’t want to see Bourland disappointed. “You see someone working their ass off and to see it come crashing down with one little decision is tough,” she said. While mixed martial arts fights seemingly dominate the airwaves, Bourland doesn’t watch MMA, which he compares to street fights with few rules. L’Esperance believes there is room for both boxing and MMA in the industry. “It’s like changing the kind of food you eat,” he said. “It’s a different kind of fighting.” Bourland has noticed an uptick in fighting opportunities but said it can still be difficult to line up fights for some, an opportunity that depends on who you know in the industry. Bourland has become a local celebrity in his hometown of Vallejo. He appeared with the championship belt on a float in the city’s December “Mad Hatter” holiday parade and over the past week has been stopped several times by fans asking for photos and autographs, which he found surreal. “I never thought I would get this far,” said Bourland. “There’s a lot of people that never thought I’d get this far either and I proved a lot of people wrong. I’ve sacrificed everything, quit my job and everything. I believe that if I just keep working hard, I’ll make it. I’ve got to bring this belt back to Vallejo.” Alfredo Contreras California State Athletic Commission Gilberto Rubio Global Boxing Organization light heavyweight Mario L'Esperance Pro-Faction Martial Arts and Fitnes Ryan Bourland Sex trafficking hits the Black Community Harley-Davidson’s sales run out of gas Geoengineering no longer a conspiracy theory A DECADE OF NEWS Disney+ shakes up streaming competition Streaming services eliminates video stores How diverse are picture books? Netflix’s unknown selection of food dramas Balling on a budget for the holiday season Victims remember the tragic events of the Camp Fire

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Hearts of Oak’s treble winners of 2000: a team and manager that dominated African football 19/11/2019 by Emmanuel Ayamga The year 2000 was one of the most memorable in terms of sporting successes: Venus Williams won her first championship at Wimbledon after defeating Lindsay Davenport, Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe historically won five medals at the Sydney Summer Olympics, the New York Yankees beat the New York Mets in five games in the first ‘Subway Series’ since 1956, and St. Louis Rams saw off Tennessee Titans to win the Super Bowl XXXIV. The story was no different in football, where there were many notable against-the-odds triumphs for Lazio (Serie A winners), AS Monaco (champions of Ligue 1), Deportivo (conquerors of LaLiga) and Galatasaray (victors in the UEFA Cup). Among all these, though, Hearts of Oak’s treble-winning campaign flew under the radar. The Ghanaian giants mastered the art of winning with style, verve and fervour. If their racking up of consecutive wins was sportingly illusory, the cheeky ease with which they dismantled opponents made them even more endearing. For the average football fan, this Hearts team represented in totality what football should be about and how it should be played. Indeed, the Phobians themselves have had some very good teams in the past – like the one that won the Ghana Premier League with a record 78 points, or even the group that went unbeaten in the 2003 league season. However, Cecil Jones Attuquayefio’s class of 2000 was on a totally different level. For they remain the greatest of all. Bolstered by a squad of depth and immense quality, Hearts made light work of every opponent, both domestically and on the continent, as the romped to the league, FA Cup and CAF Champions League titles. Nicknamed the 64 Battalion, this Hearts team had it all. They were a team of talent and eminence, fighters and leaders, brawns and brains. The agility and awareness of Sammy Adjei made him unstoppable in goal; Yaw Amankwah Mireku and Jacob Nettey brought composure and comportment to the full-back positions; Agyeman Duah and Sannie Wahab were fierce and feisty at the heart of defence; Charles Allotey, Joe Ansah and Adjah Tetteh were wily and tidy in midfield; while the trio of Charles Taylor, Emmanuel Osei Kuffour and Ishmael Addo were attacking royalty. Their bench was equally skilled, with the likes of Stephen Tetteh, Edmund Copson, Daniel Quaye and Emmanuel Adjogu all rising to the occasion whenever called upon. In a flawless season that is unlikely to be repeated for many decades, Hearts won 18 of 30 league games, went unbeaten in the CAF Champions League from the group stages and lost just seven matches in all throughout the campaign. “We were a team of very committed players,” Charles Taylor, who was a key member of the 64 Battalion, tells These Football Times. “Nothing mattered more than winning. Not even money. Our focus was to improve in every game.” Hearts’ unprecedented treble success, though, came largely thanks to the influence and genius of Cecil Jones Attuquayefio. For if this winning machine of a team was the gold, Attuquayefio was the skilled miner who oversaw its digging and refinery. When the gentle, bald-headed Attuquayefio was appointed coach of Hearts in 1998, his main task was to transform the team into one capable of competing on the continent. Despite being the most successful side in the county, it was somewhat embarrassing that the Accra giants had not won any African title in their 87-year history. Attuquayefio would, however, go on to lead the club to the most successful spell in its history. He had achieved commendable feats with Great Olympics, Okwawu United, Stade Abidjan and Ghana’s under-17 side, but the pinnacle of his coaching career was now about to unfold. Read | Inside the Liberty academy: the talent factory that shaped Ghana’s finest talents Attuquayefio was usually spotted with a white handkerchief tied to his wrist – a gesture symbolic of victory in Ghanaian parlance. He was a man of few words, but whenever he spoke he had a philosophical tone which epitomised his winning mentality. “History is still being written and I would never stop writing my name in gold any time the opportunity beckons,” he famously declared during one of his press conferences. But despite all the optimism that greeted Attuquayefio’s arrival, the challenge ahead wasn’t going to be easy. A club of great history, Hearts were by far the best Ghanaian side from the 1950s through to the 1980s. However, a massive power shift saw them overtaken by their rivals at the turn of the 90s. The Phobians had won 11 league trophies and six FA Cup titles before 1990, but the following years weren’t as generous. A series of underwhelming results, coupled with a six-year league drought, left the club in a damning situation. Despondent fans, an aged squad and a lack of technical direction meant the turmoil at Hearts was fast approaching a crisis. While Hearts were on the decline, their rivals took centre stage. Sworn rivals Asante Kotoko emerged as the dominant force in the country in the early-90s. With brutish dominance, the Porcupine Warriors won three successive league titles at the turn of that decade. Even worse for Hearts, by 1994, they had been pushed further down the pecking order, with Goldfields – now known as Ashanti Gold – also winning the league three times on the bounce. In the six seasons that Kotoko and Goldfields dominated the league, Hearts finished second twice, third once and then slumped to fifth in three of those campaigns. For the thousands of fans affiliated with the Rainbow club, this was unacceptable. In 1995, the Hearts hierarchy made its first contact with Attuquayefio, having identified him as the right man to overturn the club’s fortunes. They desperately wanted him to replace Petre Gavrila, who had just been sacked for failing to return the Phobians to the glory days. Gavrila had been in charge from 1991 – winning just one FA Cup – but the Romanian’s failure to bring major silverware proved to be his undoing. His departure looked to have cleared the way for Attuquayefio to step in, until the 51-year-old’s past scuppered the move. Having previously played for, and managed, Accra Great Olympics, the Hearts fans found it unacceptable that a son of the enemy would manage their club. Those were the days when the Mantse derby – played between city rivals Hearts of Oak and Great Olympics – was one of the biggest games in Africa. To make matters worse, Attuquayefio had a chequered history with Hearts. In 1960, he rejected a move to the Rainbow club before, rather egotistically, declaring that he would never play for Hearts. He is also said to have made several spiteful comments against the Phobians during his playing days. So, while he was an Accra boy, there was still plenty of resentment towards him in some parts of the city. On one occasion when the Hearts hierarchy tried to manage issues and hire him, the result was near-fatal. Such was the level of resentment towards Attuquayefio, the fans charged at him when he was invited to observe one of the club’s training sessions. The move, therefore, had to be called off. Amid growing criticism over the club’s years of underperformance, the Hearts hierarchy quickly began a massive overhaul, albeit without their preferred choice of manager. Between 1994 and 1998, they uncharacteristically changed coaches four times. Hearts’ thirst for league glory finally ended in the 1996/97 season, when they won the title under the managerial guidance of E.K. Afranie. But despite the league returning to Accra, Afranie was replaced before the start of the next campaign. Hearts would, however, go on to win another league title. With their 90th anniversary fast approaching, conquering Africa became the ultimate goal. Having been formed on 11 November 1911, Hearts’ best run in the Champions League had been runner-up finishes in 1977 and 1979. Desperate to win a continental title before their 90th anniversary, Hearts once again looked the way of Attuquayefio in 1998. This time both the fans and management were in agreement that he was the right person to lead the club to continental glory. Rivalries and resentments aside, Attuquayefio was finally appointed. Read | Kevin-Prince Boateng: the gifted, abused and unpredictable star who forged a unique path through the game Little did each party know that this was going to be the most fruitful union in Ghanaian football history. Attuquayefio took over a team of champions; now he had the unenviable task of turning them into continental conquerors. Where every other manager before him had failed, he had to find a way. But Attuquayefio was ready for the challenge. As a player, he was part of the Black Stars team that won the 1965 Africa Cup of Nations. As a coach, though, he was yet to win major silverware, despite the visible progress he had made at his previous clubs. That made Attuquayefio, a coach looking to take his career to the next level, and Hearts, a club looking to conquer Africa, the perfect match. Attuquayefio quickly set out to overhaul the squad. However, his first two attempts at the Champions League didn’t go according to plan, Hearts exiting the competition at the group stage in the 1998 and 1999 seasons. In the old format of the CAF Champions League, the two sides that finished top of Group A and B automatically advanced to the final. These disappointments dealt Attuquayefio a reality check, but he swiftly began placing his fingerprints on the team with key signings. For a man looking to conquer Africa, he surprisingly turned to youth. His choices were cut out by the fact that he was combining the Hearts job with his role as coach of Ghana’s under-17 team. Therefore, it became easier for him to lure the best talents from the Black Starlets to join Hearts. Sammy Adjei was quickly drafted in to become Hearts’ first-choice goalkeeper, replacing the aged Eben “Dida” Armah. Ishmael Addo and Stephen Tetteh, also members of the Black Starlets’ 1999 squad, joined the ranks of the Phobians. Adjei was the most promising Ghanaian goalkeeper at the time, Tetteh was already a regular with Great Olympics, while Addo was top-scorer in the 1999 FIFA Under-17 World Cup. All three players, although young, were joining with great reputation. Gradually Attuquayefio was getting his team in shape. If these signings were not warning enough, a 4-1 drubbing of Afienya United in the opening game of the 1999 season sent shivers down the spines of opposition teams. Hearts and Attuquayefio left all other teams in their wake, winning the league with 62 points, nine clear off second-place Ebusua Dwarfs. Their failures in Champions League, though, weren’t all forgotten, especially in 1999, when Hearts finished third in a group containing Raja Casablanca, Al Ahly and Shooting Stars. There was, however, consolation as Attuquayefio led the Phobians to the FA Cup at the end of the season after a 3-1 win over city rivals Great Olympics. Although Hearts couldn’t cut it on the continent, Attuquayefio had done enough to keep his job by winning the double, the club’s first since 1990. Determined to still “write his name in gold”, Attuquayefio sought further reinforcements ahead of the 2000 season. Despite scoring over 70 goals the previous season, he wasn’t content. Despite boasting the league’s top-scorer in Ishmael Addo, who netted 19 times in 1999, Attuquayefio went all out to acquire the signature of the intuitive Charles Taylor. Having established himself as one of the league’s best young strikers, Taylor joined as the final piece in the jigsaw. All was now in place to chase that elusive continental title. Attuquayefio assembled a lethal frontline led by Taylor, Addo and the goal-hungry Emmanuel Osei Kuffour. Initially, there were doubts over whether the three would gel when played in the same line-up. Such fears were, however, quickly banished once the season began. The trio became the deadliest attacking unit on the continent, tearing opposition defences apart. “We had a very good team,” Taylor reckons, “and the coach [Attuquayefio] made sure it was never about individuals. We helped each other and covered up for each other’s deficiency. Unity was our biggest weapon to glory.” Read | Nii Lamptey: the next Pelé whose life descended into turmoil The Phobians started that season like an angry Mother Confessor, ‘confessing’ every opponent before them. They ruthlessly dominated and battered opposition sides into submission. Hearts won each of their first seven games of the 2000 league season, including a 4-0 rout of bitter rivals Asante Kotoko. Their winning run was finally halted on matchday eight when they drew 1-1 at Power FC. The 64 Battalion, however, went unbeaten in the first round of the league, winning 14 out of 15 games, scoring an impressive 39 goals, conceding just eight. The league was virtually won at this point, with Goldfields trailing by 16 points in second-place and Kotoko further behind by a whopping 18 points. Still unbeaten going into August, Attuquayefio and his charges wrapped up the title after matchday 20 when they beat Hasaacas 3-1. Such was the efficiency of this Hearts team, many believe they could’ve gone unbeaten had they not taken their foot off the gas after winning the league. Having wrapped up the title in record time, Hearts won just one of their remaining ten league games. This was, however, understandable as they now had their eyes set on the FA Cup and the Champions League. Although a rotational Hearts team was underperforming in the league, the story was totally different in the cup competitions. Attuquayefio and the 64 Battalion recorded narrow wins over Hasaacas, BA United and Dawu Youngsters, to set up an exciting final in the FA Cup against Okwawu United. In Africa, too, Hearts were crashing all before them. They defeated Guinea’s AC Haroya and DC Motema Pembe from DR Congo to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League. Paired in Group B with Lobi Stars, Jeanne d’Arc and Egyptian giants Al Ahly, the Phobians finally navigated their way to the final of the Champions League. And they did it in style: Hearts were unbeaten in the group, securing 14 from 18 points, scoring 12 goals and conceding just five. With this, they set up a mouthwatering final against Tunisian heavyweights Esperance. With two crucial finals to come in the space of 28 days, there couldn’t have been a better moment for Attuquayefio and his charges to finally write their names in gold. On 19 November, Hearts won a second successive double under Attuquayefio, recording a hard-fought 2-0 win over Okwawu United in the FA Cup final, Addo and Osei Kuffour getting the goals. There was, however, no time for overblown celebrations, as the club immediately shifted focus to the Champions League final, where Esperance awaited. The first leg was played in Tunis on 2 December. Despite Hearts’ reputation as the side that usually bullies the opponent, Esperance proved to be a tougher nut to crack. Backed by a charged home crowd, the Tunisian giants took the game to them and deservedly drew first blood in the 36th minute through winger Ali Zitouni. The hunter became the hunted. Hearts were overwhelmed at this point. As confidence was sapping, diffidence was heightening. Wayward passes, sloppy defending and a lack of urgency characterised their play. A look at Attuquayefio’s face depicted to a man out of his depths. The moment was slowly slipping away and the half-time whistle was the only thing that could save the situation. And it did. Some say Esperance were complacent; others also hold that Hearts just needed an awakening. Whatever the situation was, things began to take a different turn after the break. Rather than try to match Esperance’s intensity, as they had unsuccessfully done throughout the first half, Attuquayefio set his side to slow things down, take the sting out of the game and play on the counter. It was a complete departure from his philosophy, but in that moment it was never going to matter. The conservative approach turned out to be a masterstroke. Seven minutes after the restart, Hearts pulled level thanks to a swift counter-attacking move which ended with Addo prodding the ball home. The equaliser rattled Esperance. The Ghanaian club completed the turnaround in the 79th minute, against the run of play, when Osei Kuffour and substitute Emmanuel Adjogu combined beautifully, the latter going past the goalkeeper before setting up the former to tap home from close range. Read | How heroism and heartache shaped Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan In a game that many gave Hearts no chance, where they lost talisman Amankwah Mireku to a 65th minute red card, where they had to come from a goal down, survive an intimidating home crowd and abandon their attacking philosophy, Attuquayefio and his 64 Battalion managed to pull off a surprise 2-1 win, far away in Tunisia, at a ground where Esperance hadn’t lost in over 30 years. That was drama, but the real theatre was reserved for the second leg in Accra. Just like in Tunis, Esperance opened the scoring when they visited the Accra Sports stadium on 17 December. Playing at home, Attuquayefio threw everything at his opponents, but Esperance held firm. The usually lethal Addo and Osei Kuffour were having a hard time, while Taylor was completely marked out. By the 73rd minute, Attuquayefio had desperately made all three changes, bringing on Emmanuel Adjogu, Edmond Copson and Osmanu Amadu for the struggling Charles Allotey, Adjah Tetteh and Charles Taylor, respectively. Esperance’s narrow lead meant the scoreline was 2-2 on aggregate heading into the final ten minutes. It would turn out to be the most animated ten minutes in the history of any CAF Champions League final. There were riots, goals, a red card, brawls and blood. An ostentatious spectacle for the fans, this was a highly tempestuous and arduous encounter for the players involved, one which demanded they give everything on the pitch. Minutes earlier, there had been a long break in play – almost 20 minutes – after a police officer lobbed teargas into the crowd, nearly marring the occasion. Then there was Esperance goalkeeper Chokri El-Ouaer, who in the midst of the melee, cut himself in the face with a bottle in a bid to fool the referee. There were numerous brawls within that period, with Esperance defender Walid Azaiez consequently receiving his marching others. Although the home side was technically on course to win the cup due to their 2-1 win in the first-leg, the tension in the stadium was palpable. Hearts left it late, but the three substitutes had the desired impact, freeing up Addo and Osei Kuffour to wreak havoc at the other end. And it was the latter who eventually pulled Hearts level, volleying home with the outside of his boot in the 83rd minute. Six minutes later, the stadium was sent into a frenzy, rainbow colours flying in every corner after Osei Kuffour struck again to make it 2-1. At this point, it was evident that the Champions League was finally coming to Accra. However, the celebrations had barely started when Addo added a third in the 90th minute to seal the result and end Hearts’ thirst for continental glory. Attuquayefio and his 64 Battalion had finally completed an improbable treble, thanks to a 5-2 aggregate win over Esperance. And it came just before the club’s 90th anniversary. Unmatched domestically and insurmountable on the continent, Hearts proved to be a Thanos in their own galaxy. Such was the greatness of this team, many believe they would have won the Club World Cup had the competition not been cancelled that year. A fourth major trophy, however, immediately followed when the Phobians defeated Zamalek 2-0 to win the CAF Super Cup. Hearts were subsequently rated the eighth best club in the world by CNN/World Soccer in its weekly chart, while Attuquayefio was named CAF Coach of the Year. As Hearts of Oak marks another anniversary this year, trying to describe Attuquayefio and the 64 Battalion with words alone doesn’t do justice to how good they were. Those who watched them play are unanimous in declaring that they are beyond even the most exaggerated superlatives. For this was a team and a manager of a generation. By Emmanuel Ayamga @EmmanuelAyamga_ Tags: africa, ghana, hearts of oaks Emmanuel Ayamga 19/11/2019 Billy Liddell: the war hero, visionary and gentleman who became Liverpool’s darling of the Kop Jeff Goulding 17/01/2020 Florist, battering ram and late bloomer: how Dick Nanninga rose to score in the World Cup final Gary Thacker 16/01/2020 Remembering Martin Peters: the total midfielder “a decade ahead of his time” Brian Penn 16/01/2020 How Jürgen Klopp’s focus on psychology has evolved Liverpool’s players into “mentality monsters” Dan Billingham 15/01/2020 Juan Sebastián Verón: the witch who cast a spell on football Callum Rice-Coates 15/01/2020 SUBSCRIBE: WEEKLY CONTENT X OFFERS A-Z of the 2000s Duology Names of the Nineties The Football Italia Years Improbable Triumphs A World of Ultras A Tale of One City Hot Bovril and Cold Terraces Diego Maradona: The World Cup Diaries Copyright © 2019 These Football Times

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Minecraft Earth is Now Available in the U.S. Microsoft announced earth early access Minecraft Earth. The new Minecraft Earth has been two years in the making is now available on Android and iOS in the United States. The augmented reality (AR) game debuted previously in Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and the UK. Microsoft announced as well that their pop-up event “Mobs in the Park,” will be available in New York City, London and Sydney starting Nov. 16 – Dec. 1 Microsoft announced on the Minecraft blog “It’s been more than two years since we began our journey to make Minecraft Earth a reality. Following a steady rollout in select markets around the world, today we’re thrilled to announce that Minecraft Earth early access can be downloaded on iOS and Android in another major market – the United States.” going on to say “if Minecraft Earth isn’t available in your country yet, it will be soon. We expect the game to be available worldwide by the end of this year.” MicrosoftMinecraftMinecraft Earth - by admin Microsoft begins rolling Windows 10 1909 Github Is Coming To Mobile

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Fashion Interviews Straight Ups i-D Meets The Fifth Sense TheVICEChannels alma har'el's jellywolf A hypnotic mythological tale following a young woman who experiences scents in the form of visions and visuals inspired by CHANEL Nº5 L'EAU. A feminine-spiritual coming of age story by Alma Har'el for The Fifth Sense. Alma Har’el is an Israeli-American film-maker whose luscious, dreamy stories sit in an unexplored space between imagination and reality; her alternative take at documentary making has inspired a film that shows CHANEL Nº5 L'EAU as a conduit to experiencing visions. Steeped in the senses, her untethered journeys of light, music and dance are saturated with richness and texture. JellyWolf, her film for The Fifth Sense, takes place in a world where reality is blurred with fantasy, where the abstract becomes tangible experience, where saturated colours sit with expansive spaces and intimate close ups: A young woman enters an occultist shop on a mundane strip mall in LA wanting to undergo a visionary experience – sneezing her way into another world, one inhabited with palpable manifestations of lemons, roses and burnt wood, the notes of CHANEL Nº5 L'EAU. In the film we are invited to see the girl in the film’s vision of CHANEL Nº5 L'EAU, which is a similar experience to synaesthesia… The experience the girl is buying in the store is inspired by synaesthesia. It’s the idea that certain scents can evoke images, and that our senses cross paths. People who have synaesthesia experience many things, for instance sounds as colour and scents as images. My friend Dexter told me one night over dinner that she always experienced the words “white house” as a cake she can taste and seen days of the week as a circle suspended in the air. When I told her about the condition suddenly everything made sense to her; it’s a really dope condition, your senses take creative licence with reality. Was it instinctive to you to tell a story this way? I love thinking in images and in subconscious logic. I can also lucid dream and to me that's the ultimate directing challenge. You need to think fast and direct the dream while not alarming your mind and causing yourself to wake up. You can do incredible things. You can turn emotions into liquid and taste them or make gender experiments on yourself. It feels very real. But the challenge on this project was to explain my logic and make it coherent in the context of The Fifth Sense. To what extent is scent important to you, and in your work? I use scent a lot in order to remember things or states of mind. If you smell something at a certain moment it can create a map in your brain to a very complex state of being and a full sensory memory. I know actors that do that too. They have certain scents that remind them of something positive or traumatic in their past and they smell it before they need to bring those emotions to the screen. The senses are a very direct path to your intuition and to remembering what moves you and feels truthful to you My generation is one of the most interesting generations... we grew up in a relatively analogue world then got fully immersed into a digital world, so we've experienced both our senses and our digital consciousness as part of our identity As a director do you think you experience senses in a different way from other people? As a director you need to be in tune with your senses because they're a direct path to your intuition and to remembering what moves you and feels truthful to you. I can always tell when I see directors that started out connected to their emotional core and have somehow drifted into doing what they "think" is cool or what they think people expect of them. It's very easy to fall into that. Your senses can help get you grounded and remember yourself. Is there a particular sense that is more important to your work than the others? It really depends on the project. Lately I've been actually trying to incorporate more of them by painting some of my concepts so they're not just on the computer. I think my generation is one of the most interesting generations because we grew up in a relatively analogue world then got fully immersed into a digital world in our teens and our 20s, so we've experienced both our senses and our digital consciousness as part of our identity. The prior generations were thrusted into the digital world late in life and the next ones were born into a completely digital world. I really cherish that intersection and attribute a lot of my sensibilities to it. I'm totally digital and fragmented but I have a romantic analog heart. You didn't go to film school – in what ways has this been advantageous? It made it possible for me to discover my voice without anyone telling me what's right and wrong. I didn't have to negotiate who I am with teachers who had nothing to do with my life and who I am. I was released from the Israeli army on the fault of "Not being able to take orders" and I see myself as a soldier of cinema by choice. Not going to film school allowed me to keep an uncensored and wild connection to art. I stay away from anyone that thinks they know everything. I like to respect history and people's work and learn from them without feeling like there's only one answer to anything. Do you feel that learning your craft organically gave you a freedom to control the process your way? Absolutely. But process is something that always changes for me, especially for instance, on a project like this, which has one leg rooted in my ideas and the other in CHANEL’s long heritage. I think that every step of what I learn informs the next one by necessity. I hardly ever learn something I don't need. It's something I used to be ashamed of because I always failed at school on almost every exam and didn't really graduate high school. I have a lot of learning disabilities but over the years I learned to appreciate the constraints of what information my brain responds to and what it glosses over. How did growing up in Israel influence the way you shape a narrative? Israel is a place full of contrasts. I think it made me see the value of juxtaposition when it comes to capturing reality. Is this partly why words aren't the main currency in a lot of your work? Yes. Because the most important things in life can not be said in words. Not going to film school made it possible for me to discover my voice without anyone telling me what's right and wrong What is the connection you feel when you are looking for a story or an idea? Being an immigrant in America and growing up in the middle east I'm always more attracted to stories of people who struggle and fight for their identity and their right to love and be loved. I'm also interested in the idea that we're all wearing a mask biologically. It's such a symbolic set up. I see it as if we have our brain behind a skull and our face is the mask that covers it. So I'm interested in stories that allow us to recognize our mask and our story so we can tread more lightly with our identity and see each other in a more loving light. There's so many stories that only try to glorify the mask. I think that our collective imagination and our dreams can liberate us so I try to bend and shift perceptions of the psyche and reality. How do you find your stories and the people you feature? Destiny is a great casting director. In my two films [2011's Bombay Beach and 2017’s LoveTrue] I've made sure to get lost just enough to find the people I was looking for. I physically have to be in the place and walk around or drive around until I meet them. It is very similar to falling in love only the kind of love you feel through the camera has its own rules of attraction. Soft as Jelly, Wild as a Wolf It's time to glow in the dark together Do you find that this experience happens outside of you looking for it. Yeah. The day after the inauguration I went to the Women's March and got lost. My phone's battery died from the cold temperature, I was wondering through the crowd trying to figure out how to get to the backstage area. Suddenly a few women started singing around me. I took out my phone in frustration and it suddenly sprung to life... As I filmed them I got overwhelmed with emotions by their lyrics... "I can't keep quiet...". I started to cry and walked away. Later that night I uploaded the video on the plane back to LA and in the next three days it got 15 million views – women all around the world called it the Women's March anthem. I feel like that's a very condensed version of what happened to me on both of my films. Getting lost, finding people that touch me deeply and then telling their story so they can connect to people who need to hear them. Victory who is the street musician who sings in my new film LoveTrue got signed with Jay Z’s label Roc Nation after he heard her in my film and I think her music will deliver a very important message to many people. If I'm not invested and attracted to the people I film in an emotional and spiritual way it's very hard for me to film them. My work has to be rooted in love and kinship. Sometimes I wish it could have been other wise but it can't. Your work has been noted as an innovative fresh take on documentary work – because of the way you weave in flashbacks, imagined scenes, and work with actors. How did this become the way you chose to tell a story? It just grew organically out of being interested in all of the above and not putting any restrictions on my filmmaking. When Bombay Beach came out [in 2011] it was part of a defining moment in a new dawn of documentary filmmaking. I was using choreographed dance to tell three stories of people from the poorest county in California that surrounds the Salton Sea. They weren't dancers or had anything to do with dance. A year earlier a film called The Arbor by Cleo Barnard used lip synced sound and actors to tell the [tragic] story of the late playwright Andrea Dunbar. There were many more creatively liberating films like that and now we see how important it was because that's the direction documentary filmmaking took. At the time there was a big discussion about the legitimacy of telling real stories like that: "The form" was bothering some people and making them feel cheated because they weren't judging the truthfulness of the filmmakers but the form of their filmmaking, the documentary journalistic form of talking heads and supposedly "fly on the wall" approach was more important to them then the intentions of the filmmaker and the so called poetic truth the films carried. What was your response to that? I was saying forget the fly on the wall, I'm the elephant in the room – and what I mean by that is that we can't pretend we're not making a movie and if we're going to make one: I want to make it artistic and with the awareness and artistic collaboration of the people I'm filming. It is up to the viewer to recognise what he or she is consuming; they can't do it based on "form" anymore but based on the source that's giving it to them. The truth is, that it has always been like that... Most documentaries are manipulated and so are news stories but now everyone can make a film and report news so we can see the intentions are what matters. It's important to me to tell stories like this because I want to urge the viewer to confront the suspension of disbelief and his idea of truth. I also want to urge my subjects to take ownership of their stories. I wanted to capture a sense of wonder that scent holds and a feminine identity that isn't ties to a male gaze I can lucid dream and to me that's the ultimate directing challenge. You need to think fast and direct the dream while not alarming your mind and causing yourself to wake up Music is obviously a key part of your film making process – do you have music in mind when you are directing or does it come after? How do you make the music and the image gel? My musician friends are a big part of everything I do and I try to involve them as early as possible. Sometimes I get obsessed with a musician I don't know and feel only they can do the music to something. When I directed LoveTrue I looked for Flying Lotus for a year until I got connected to him. I tried so many things that didn't work and once he did the music everything fell into place. My early work with moving images was as a VJ, I used to make video art and cut loops of videos then play them on stage in music concerts and clubs along side musicians. I wanted to be in a band but for my instrument to be a moving image. I think those years of playing images live in front of an audience gave me a special connection to the musical nature of images. Your work combines the ordinary with fantasy, what is your earliest memory of this love of juxtaposition? I remember being three years old in Tel Aviv and seeing my father dancing naked in my mother's skin coloured pantyhose on the living room table. He was very manly and very drunk, the music was loud, my mom and me were laughing and cheering for him. As you can imagine it wasn't always laughter but moments like that, as dysfunctional they might sound, brought a lot of magic and openness into my life. After you deal with all the pain from your childhood the magic stays with you. When I was 12 I asked him to do it again and filmed him this time. It was probably the first thing I ever filmed. So that image has really stayed with you… I guess so because my first film had grown men dancing in it. And at least two of them were very drunk. That's the therapeutic beauty of art... I never thought about that connection until this moment. Finally, what would you like The Fifth Sense viewers to feel while they watch your work? This film is a trippy little love letter to women. I wanted to capture a sense of wonder that scent holds and a liberated feminine identity that develops from getting connected to what scares you. I think the one thing that I like most about my work is that it speaks to people that are my kindred spirits. You meet someone miles away from where you grew up and they experienced something deep from your work without you ever talking to each other, or having any shared experience. That's dope to me. But at the end of the day I do my work because I have to. There's nothing else I can do that keeps me as sane and happy. Interview - Jodi Bartle Main Photography - Alma Har'el Behind the scenes Photographer - Logan White interview eva wiseman 23 October 2016 playwright theresa ikoko is shifting the way stories are told Born and raised in the London borough of Hackney, Theresa Ikoko’s unique perspective on life has given her the insight to write an award winning debut play Girls. interview Sophie Heawood 08 July 2017 eileen myles: she must be living twice We sat down with the iconic poet, author and one-time presidential candidate to chat the whirlwind of her life from the 60s to today. think piece Cathy Xu 27 December 2016 10 things you need to know about digital artist yuyi john Discover 10 things about Yuyi John, the multidisciplinary artist with an imagination that knows no bounds. lucy hardcastle's intangible matter A digital journey to make the invisible, visible. Inspired by CHANEL Nº5 L’Eau. Explore the physical and virtual elements of scent by deconstructing its unseen elements, combining the scientific yet emotive components of fragrance in a digital space. Each individual journey is unique to the user through the interactions and tasks of each space, creating a visual and sonic world of discovery. Please note this project contains flashing images. making images: behind the scenes Take another look behind the scenes at photographer Harley Weir’s journey in capturing five women from around the world and get to know some more creators who are defining the image of today in documentary filmmaker Chelsea McMullan’s Making Images video. es devlin's mirror maze Es Devlin explores the powerful experience of scent in Mirror Maze, an interactive video sculpture created in support of the new immersive installation she has created in Peckham, South London. © All Content i-D Magazine 2020

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Ryan Murphy will receive a GLAAD Media Award for promoting LGBTQ visibility in the media. The openly gay screenwriter, producer, and director will be awarded the Vito Russo Award, which is presented to an op... ‘Judy’ and ‘Rocketman’ Snubbed in Oscar Nominations Renee Zellweger and Elton John both received nominations for the 2020 Academy Awards, but neither of their films, Judy and Rocketman, respectively, received a nod for Best Picture in what some are calling a snu... Judi Dench Criticized for Saying Her “Cats” Character is Trans 85-year-old actress Judi Dench has been criticized for saying in an interview with Out that her character in the 2019 adaptation of the 1981 musical Cats is transgender. Dench plays Old Deuteronomy, an old c... This Year in LGBTQ Cinema As tends to be the case so often, LGBTQ fare wasn’t as plentiful as it should be this year in cinema but there were some bright spots in this year’s offerings. The best LGBTQ film of the year – by a country ... Dolly Tugs at Gay ‘Heartstrings’ in New Netflix Series When it comes to diversity in general, and LGBT representation in particular, two recent debuts on Netflix show how to get the job done right. Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, the gripping “Marriage St... SAG Award Noms Recognize LGBTQ Content The Screen Actors Guild has announced the nominees for its 2019 awards presentation, and like the Golden Globes nominations earlier this week, there are multiple nods for projects with LGBTQ-relevant content an... J.J. Abrams Hints at LGBTQ Representation in ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ Queer Star Wars fans may have something to look forward to, as director J.J. Abrams has hinted that the final film in the Skywalker trilogy will feature some LGBTQ representation. In an interview with Variet... No LGBTQ for the Holidays Like me, I'm sure you're beginning to think about the holidays. The Hallmark Channel and Lifetime are already running holiday romance movies 24/7. This year, not only do they have holiday movies for the Black c... Gay-themed Films Look to Oscars 2020 Two gay-themed films with Oscar nominations on their minds have just opened in the ATL – “Pain and Glory” and “Where’s My Roy Cohn?” A smash at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, “Pain and Glory” is the lates... UPDATE: Billy Porter Confirmed to Play Fairy Godmother in “Cinderella” Remake Pose actor Billy Porter has confirmed rumors that he will be portraying the iconic Fairy Godmother in an upcoming modern rendition of Cinderella, reported People. Over the weekend, Porter confirmed he would ... Billy Porter May be Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother in New Musical Pose star Billy Porter is reportedly in talks to portray Cinderella’s iconic fairy godmother in a modern-day musical rendition of the classic fairy tale. Porter, who recently took home the Emmy for Outstandi...

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Cop allegedly told Latino boys 'welcome to the white man's world' after beating them By Emily Birnbaum - 11/01/18 10:30 AM EDT A Massachusetts police officer told a group of Latino teenagers "welcome to the white man's world" after beating them and kicking them in the face, according to a federal indictment obtained by The Washington Post. Springfield officer Gregg Bigda allegedly subjected the boys, one of whom was 15 at the time, to abusive interrogation and violence after they were jailed on suspicion of car theft, according to videos of the incident recorded on surveillance cameras. The indictment describes his conduct as "so abusive it shocks the conscience," the Post reported. Bigda and and fellow officer Steven Vigneault were arrested on Wednesday, accused of using excessive force against the teenagers during their arrest and detention. The boys were accused of stealing Vigneault's car in 2016. In the lawsuit, they claim they were bitten by dogs and kicked in the face by the officers once they were tracked down. Surveillance footage shows Bigda threatening to kill and beat two of the boys once they were jailed. “I’m not hampered by the ... truth because I don’t give a f---!” Bigda reportedly told one of them. “People like you belong in jail ... I’ll stick a ... kilo of coke in your pocket and put you away for ... 15 years.” The Justice Department began investigating the police department after footage of the incident was released, according to the Post. “Don’t even ... speak to me if you’re going to lie to me, because I’ll f---ing kill you in the parking lot,” Bigda told the teenagers. Bigda has been accused of misconduct 24 times since 2000, but none of the complaints have been upheld, the newspaper reported. He has been suspended without pay. One of the boys had to visit the hospital after the beatings, according to the indictment. He had a fractured nose, two black eyes and head contusions. Tags police brutality Massachusetts

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Dodd-Frank architect goes to law firm By Megan R. Wilson - 01/29/14 05:10 PM EST An Obama Administration alum joined the government controversies and public policy litigation practice at the law firm Jenner & Block. Timothy A. Karpoff spent five years with the administration, most recently serving as the head Treasury Department's Office of Financial Institutions Policy, where he led the rollout of the Dodd-Frank financial reform. Before his tenure at the Treasury Department, Karpoff spent more than two years as counsel to the former head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Gary Gensler. In that role, he created “what would become Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act,” which gave the CFTC authority over financial products called “swaps.” He also helped to implement the rules and oversee the regulator’s enforcement actions under the provisions. Jenner & Block, in announcing Karpoff’s hire, said it is a great “value-add” for the firm. "Tim's experience in the Obama administration will offer clients the counsel they seek in cutting-edge areas such as regulatory reform of [over-the-counter] OTC derivatives markets, banks and bank holding companies, asset managers, and high-frequency and algorithmic trading," said David W. DeBruin, managing partner of the firm's Washington office, in a statement. Thomas J. Perrelli, the chair of the firm’s government controversies and public policy litigation practice, said clients are requesting ways to comply with the increase in financial regulations. "There is a large—and growing—demand for regulatory advice," he said in a statement. “Tim's arrival allows us to offer hedge funds, private equity funds, and futures and commodity market participants counseling and representation in regulatory/compliance matters and enforcement actions.” Perrelli, himself a veteran from the Obama administration, returned to the firm in 2012 after serving at the top of the Justice Department. As the associate attorney general of the United States, he “led the Government’s efforts to negotiate a $25 billion settlement to resolve claims against financial institutions for servicing of mortgages and negotiated the creation of a $20 billion fund to compensate victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill,” according to his biography on the firm’s website.

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Most anticipated albums of 2016: Hip-hop By Ru Johnson Jan 5, 2016, 9:01 am Last year, hip-hop gave us albums from Drake, Future, Diddy, Rick Ross and of course, Kendrick Lamar. Some were surprises (“If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late”); others we waited on like Christmas (Future’s “DS2”). While we saw a few standout moments from artists like Kanye West and TI in 2015, the year didn’t yield the full-length projects we expected from those rap stars. Even Drake’s surprise mixtape/album came when we thought we were getting his massively anticipated “Views From the 6.” With the new year, a whole slew of rap music is set to rile the masses. Below, we’ve compiled a list of the albums slated to come out in 2016 that we’re most excited about in the genre. 10) TI, TBA Release Date: TBA TI released a bit of a preamble to whatever full-length project will see the light of day ins 2016 with “Da Nic.” The short mixtape was impressive for what it was, made mainly of songs too good to leave on the cutting room floor but not good enough to make an album. Like old times, TI was back on his drug talk and swagger on “Da Nic.” Look for him to make some waves with a new album this year. 9) Iggy Azalea, “Digital Distortion” Iggy Azalea is a perfect example of when thinking you’re keeping it real goes terribly wrong. She’s fought publicly with TI, who was her biggest champion, and has largely been dismissed from conversations on true hip-hop talent. “The New Classic” catapulted her to contrived stardom and a world of criticism and harsh critique. Since then, Iggy’s given her public profile a break in order to work on “Digital Distortion,” an album that’s meant to restore some authenticity to the Aussie. We’ll see. 8) Gwen Stefani, TBA Gwen Stefani is like the big sister most girls want. She gives good advice but keeps her secrets close until it’s time for a big reveal. While most are concerned with whom she’s dating, the masses are ready for that distinct voice paired with the lyrics that have always seemed to tell each of our stories as much as her own. 7) D’Angelo, TBA When D’Angelo released “Black Messiah” in 2014 the masses rejoiced after more than a decade of his musical absence. When he revealed late in 2015 that he was writing a companion piece to “Black Messiah” it seemed almost too good to be true. He’s been touring with his band “The Vanguard” all over the world and presumably writing, too, so it’s likely we’ll hear new music from R&B’s savior this year. 6) Lil Wayne, “Tha Carter V” Lil Wayne has been forced to release two “practice” albums ahead of “Tha Carter V,” a franchise he’s turned into a cult following with its storyline. We don’t know what’s happening with Cash Money Records and the release of Weezy’s new music, but the fans are certainly willing to wait for new music from Wayne in if he can recapture some of his old magic with “Tha Carter V.” Free Weezy. 5) Meek Mill, “Dream Chasers 4” Meek Mill had a rough 2015. When it came to rap beef, he tried and failed to take on everyone’s hip-hop sweetheart, Drake. Then, “Back 2 Back” and “Charged Up” came, ostensibly putting an end to Meek Mill. Right? Not so fast. The Philly rapper’s been putting pen to pad in the meantime, and is rumored to have remixed “Back 2 Back” for “Dream Chasers 4,” his upcoming 2016 album. If Meek Mill’s starting his engine, we’ll all be paying attention. 4) Rihanna, “ANTI” Rihanna does what she wants, when she wants. When she’s not selling-out magazines with her face on the cover and enjoying her status as a fashion darling, she’s been working on “ANTI,” the latest in her pop repertoire. We’re expecting this one to be a surprise, and the guaranteed talk of the town for weeks in 2016. 3) Kanye West, “Swish” / “So Help Me God” Kanye West has been teasing new music since “Yeezus.” On New Year’s Day, he released “Facts” as an appetizer. The song details Yeezy’s major beef with Nike, a conversation that’s not surprising since Kanye’s foray into the fashion world has been lukewarm at best. “Swish” or “So Help Me God,” depending on what he titles it, is creating a rap fervor we haven’t experienced since his sophomore release. He’s set a high bar for himself, but if anyone can put-Kanye Kanye, it’s Kanye. 2) Drake, “Views From the 6” Drake’s been working on “Views From the 6” while selling out arenas, dropping collaborative projects with Future and continuing a steady climb to the top of the rap game. “Views From the 6” is easily the most anticipated release from the Toronto star since he stepped in the game. We can’t wait to see how he outdoes himself once more. 1) Frank Ocean, “Boys Don’t Cry” If you scroll around social media on any given day it’s easy to find someone lamenting the long-awaited release of Frank Oceans’ new album. He promised it back in July of 2015, but we’ve yet to hear any new sounds from the crooner. Don’t be surprised if the Internet does indeed crash when he finally releases this insanely anticipated project. Bring it on, Frank. Post tags: Drake, Frank Ocean, hip-hop, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Lists Ru Johnson Ru Johnson is a writer, creative consultant and nail polish enthusiast living in Denver, Colorado. When she isn't admiring her manicure, Johnson runs Roux Black, a creative idea firm and produces highly attended events. Last hit: Coachella announces 2016 lineup Up next: This is happening: LCD Soundsystem prep new album, tour for 2016 “Hamilton” Denver tickets: On-sale date, buying limits and more details for 2020 Colorado’s 13 most iconic, historic restaurants and what to order when you’re there Get to know Park Hill

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ExxonMobil, Saudi Arabia In Discussions To Develop A Petrochemical Complex Along The US Gulf Coast -- July 25, 2016 I normally don't post these stories this early in the "cycle" -- but this helps understand Prince Salman's strategic plan for Saudi Arabia. Oil & Gas Journal is reporting that ExxonMobil and SABIC (Saudi Arabian Basic Industries) are in discussions to develop a jointly-owned "grassroots" petrochemical complex to be built along the US Gulf Coast, either in Texas or Louisiana. Update On CBR -- July 25, 2016 The Wall Street Journal has an update on declining CBR. It has a fair number of data points for the archives, and is probably a human interest story, certainly for many on the east coast, but regular readers probably won't find much new in the article. The changes are evident in North Dakota, once the epicenter of the crude-by-rail trend. Oil output from the state’s Bakken Shale formation has fallen by 180,000 barrels a day from its 2014 peak. Meanwhile, pipeline takeaway capacity has more than doubled since 2010. EOG Resources Inc., one of the first oil companies to see the potential for trains to relieve pipelines, opened its first rail loading terminal in Stanley, N.D., in 2009. But that terminal hasn’t loaded a train in more than a year, according to Genscape, a data provider that tracks activity at U.S. rail terminals. “New pipeline infrastructure has been put in place to move significant volumes of oil to market,” an EOG spokeswoman said. Enough pipeline capacity is coming online to replace all of the current volume BNSF Railway Co. is shipping out of North Dakota, said David Garin, the railroad’s group vice president of industrial products. BNSF used to transport as many as 12 trains daily filled with crude primarily from North Dakota’s Bakken Shale, carrying about 70% of all rail traffic out of the area. Now it is down to about five a day. And along with the decline in coal shipping volumes, this is probably not a good-news story for Warren Buffett who owns BNSF. But this data point is very interesting: Even at its height in 2014, crude-by-rail accounted for less than 2% of total rail volumes, according to Association of American Railroads data. But its decline threatens what was once viewed as a sizable driver of growth for the railroad industry, one that many rail companies, along with oil and gas producers, made investments to support. Between 2010 and 2015, 89 terminals were built or expanded in the U.S. and Canada to load crude on trains, and nearly as many to offload it, according to consulting firm RBN Energy LLC. Back to the Bakken: There could soon be more than enough space to carry away all Bakken oil through pipelines now in the works. Phillips 66 is partnering with pipeline company Energy Transfer Partners LP to develop a pair of pipelines that will bring North Dakota crude to Illinois and then down to Texas. The endeavor, which will cost close to $5 billion, is expected to take a major bite out of oil train traffic, even though the pipelines will ultimately bring oil to the Midwest and the Gulf of Mexico, rather than to the East and West coasts, where trains have primarily taken it. Phillips 66 said earlier this year it may still be cheaper to take that oil and put it on a barge for delivery by sea to the coasts than to send it directly there by train. Something tells me this rail and these loading terminals in North Dakota won't go unused. Labels: CBR, CBR_Slowdown Eight Permits Renewed; Only One New Permit -- July 25, 2016 Wells coming off confidential list Tuesday: 32011, TASC, MRO, McMahon USA 14-34H, Reunion Bay, no production data, 32092, 1,503Three Forks B1, 32 swell packers proposed , t6/14; cum -- One new permit: Operator: North Range Resources Field: Rough Rider (McKenzie) Whiting (2): two P Bibler permits in Williams County Hess (2): two EN-Jeffrey permits in Mountrail County Petro-Hunt (2): two Kostelnak permits in Dunn County BR: a Ranvan permit in McKenzie County Crescent Point Energy: a Legacy et al Berge permit in Bottineau County Market Down 100+ Points On WTI Pullback -- July 25, 2016 The market is down because of the pullback in the price of WTI, now under $44/bbl. Even though the market is down 100+ points in mid-day trading, there are 225 new 52-week highs on the NYSE, including: Murphy USA New 52-weeks lows on the NYSE: 9 Going Bonkers I used to think the Christian Science Monitor was a reputable publication. But it appears they, too, have gone a bit bonkers. It's bad enough the UN sponsored this research but it goes beyond the pale that the CSM would actually publish the results and the conclusions. The UN now blames "agriculture" for rising "emissions" that contribute to global warming. [Yes, I understand their "reasoning" -- the fact that forests are being cut down.] Food production accounts for approximately 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, 21 percent of these emissions come from deforestation and land use changes that are a result of agriculture. The report concludes: The report concludes with words of caution: “If we depend on current yield trends alone to meet future demand for food, we will need the entire global emissions allowance for keeping global average temperatures below two degrees Celsius. That would leave virtually no emissions for all other sectors, including energy production, industry, and transport.” As Don has noted: we're all going to have to quit eating if we want to stop global warming. But look at that conclusion again. Remember, this was written by really smart people: "We will need the entire global emissions allowance for keeping global average temperatures below two degrees Celsius." Obviously they did not mean that, and this report would have been proofread a gazillion times before publication. If we get the average global temperature down to below two degrees Celsius it's going to be awfully cold. Unless things have changed, I believe water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius at one atmosphere pressure. But regardless, we're doing all this to prevent an average increase of only two degrees. Over the next century. Yesterday it was air conditioners; today, it's agriculture. Tomorrow it will be cattle farting. Oh, we already had that one. As Queen says: "When the temperature outside rises ... I'm Going Slightly Mad, Queen Bakken DUCs Rise To Nearly 1,000 -- July 25, 2016 The Emergent Group is reporting today that Bakken DUCs rise to nearly 1,000. See graph and data at this link. A reminder: CLR said fracking operations would resume when oil returned to $50 to $55. Not only is oil back in the mid-$40s, oil is a) now below $43; b) trending down; and, c) talk on the street suggesting the price of oil could go significantly lower (again). The tea leaves certainly suggest we won't see $60 oil by the end of the year, and there is even question whether we will get into "CLR's fracking range." In the July, 2016, Director's Cut (May, 2016, data), the NDIC reported that after falling a bit earlier this year, DUCs in the Bakken did increase slightly, by 39 from last report, up to 931. LUCA: The Ancestor Of All Living Things This story was a front page story over at the on-line edition of The New York Times. A surprisingly specific genetic portrait of the ancestor of all living things has been generated by scientists who say that the likeness sheds considerable light on the mystery of how life first emerged on Earth. This venerable ancestor was a single-cell, bacterium-like organism. But it has a grand name, or at least an acronym. It is known as Luca, the Last Universal Common Ancestor, and is estimated to have lived some four billion years ago, when Earth was a mere 560 million years old. Genes that do the same thing in a man and a mouse are generally related by common descent from an ancestral gene in the first mammal. So by comparing their sequence of DNA letters, genes can be arranged in evolutionary family trees, a property that enabled Dr. Martin and his colleagues to assign the six million genes to a much smaller number of gene families. Of these, only 355 met their criteria for having probably originated in Luca, the joint ancestor of bacteria and archaea.Genes are adapted to an organism’s environment. So Dr. Martin hoped that by pinpointing the genes likely to have been present in Luca, he would also get a glimpse of where and how Luca lived. “I was flabbergasted at the result, I couldn’t believe it,” he said. The 355 genes pointed quite precisely to an organism that lived in the conditions found in deep sea vents, the gassy, metal-laden, intensely hot plumes caused by seawater interacting with magma erupting through the ocean floor. Deep sea vents are surrounded by exotic life-forms and, with their extreme chemistry, have long seemed places where life might have originated. The 355 genes ascribable to Luca include some that metabolize hydrogen as a source of energy as well as a gene for an enzyme called reverse gyrase, found only in microbes that live at extremely high temperatures, Dr. Martin and colleagues reported in Monday’s issue of Nature Microbiology. Until the book comes out (which I am sure will happen), this is a great book that will bring you up to speed regarding LUCA: The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life, Nick Lane, c. 2015. Bill Martin figures prominently in Nick Lane's book. Labels: DUCs, FrackingBacklog Update On CAFE Standards -- Forbes -- July 25, 2016 This is kind of cool. On July 19, 2016, I noted that meeting the US CAFE standard of 55 mpg by 2025 was "impossible." Today, from Forbes: a hard truth revealed from fuel efficiency upset: government can't predict consumer preferences. The biggest news in energy policy circles this week was the release by federal regulators of a mid-term report on U.S. fuel-economy standards. The report delivered a bit of bad news: Instead of achieving the original, headline-grabbing efficiency target of 54.5 miles per gallon (mpg), the fleet of new vehicles sold in 2025 is likely to clock-in at more like 50 mpg. And even that target depends on fuel prices over the next decade—with oil prices needing to approach $100 per barrel by 2025 to keep efficiency above 50 mpg. The shortfall came as a shock to many analysts and observers who had long operated under the assumption that U.S. vehicle efficiency targets were effectively written in stone. But those watching recent trends closely were not surprised. In fact, I explained why vehicles might not meet their targets in an earlier post, citing a nearly 30% gap between the levels of efficiency achieved and the target in 2016. Rightly so, administration officials underscored this week that the projected 54.5 mpg was just that, a projection. As one official said, “54.5 isn’t a standard, never was a standard, and isn’t a standard now. 54.5 is what we predicted, in 2012, the fleet-wide average could get to, based on assumptions that were live back then about the mix of the fleet.” This underscores an important reason why the target won’t be met, and why achieving future emissions reductions in transportation could be exceedingly difficult: The standards are tied to consumer preferences. As preferences deviate from the forecasts, the target falls short. That’s what has happened over the last few years as consumers went out and bought more pick-ups and SUVs than predicted. Having said that, it will be hard to complain about 50 mpg if gasoline continues to cost less than $2.00/gallon. Also from the linked article: Instead of representing 43% of the U.S. market, SUVs and pick-up trucks have accounted for nearly 60% of auto sales this model year. Meanwhile, sales of hybrid electric vehicles in the first half of this year hit their lowest levels in five years, implying that in addition to a shift toward trucks, consumers may be purchasing less efficient vehicles within each given class. Labels: CAFE_Standards, EVs The Big Energy Picture: 2015 Data Starting To Trickle Out -- July 25, 2016 Note: this is for my own use. The data comes from EIA but there will be typographical and factual errors in my data. This just helps me get the "big picture" with regard to the energy sector in the US. Do not quote me on any of this. If this information is important to you, go to the source. The US Energy Flow for 2015 at this link: http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/pdf/flow/total_energy.pdf. Domestic production and imports (in quadrillion BTUs): the US produces: 88.63 the US imports: 23.61 US exports and misc: (in quadrillion BTUs): 14.59 Total US consumption (in quadrillion BTUs): 97.65 US production + imports - exports (in quadrillion BTUs): coal: 15.73 (in 2014: 17.92) natural gas: 28.32 (in 2014: 27.51) petroleum: 35.38 (in 2014: 34.78) nuclear: 8.34 (in 2014: 8.33) renewable: 9.68 (in 2014: 9.63) Elsewhere (twitter, EIA) renewable is broken down (again, in quadrillion BTUs): hydroelectric: 25% of 9.68 = 2.42 wood: 21% of 9.68 = 2.03 biofuels: 22% of 9.68 = 2.13 biomass waste: 5% of 9.68 = 0.48 wind: 19% of 9.68 = 1.84 solar: 6% of 9.68 = 0.58 geothermal: 2% of 9.68 = 0.19 1.84 / 97.65 = 1.9% (wind) [in 2014: 1.77%] 0.58 / 97.65 = 0.6% (solar) [in 2014: 0.4%] Note: in the US, a quadrillion is a thousand-trillion. I think over time, one will see a "drag" on the energy sector as more and more solar / wind is added to the mix. "Drag" will be seen in the following: increased utility expenses for all consumers increased non-dispatchable energy requiring increased / redundant / otherwise unnecessary natural gas plants I still think natural gas will be the natural winner as more and more non-dispatchable energy is added to the mix. The Midcontinent fossil fuel industry is going to thrive in a non-dispatchable energy environment. Think about it. All things being equal, electricity supply/demand has been fairly stable / flat over the past few years, I assume. Coal and natural gas "growth" might have flat-lined over the past decade -- I don't know -- but with the addition of non-dispatchable energy, albeit very, very, very little, the US will require additional natural gas plants for "back-up." That "back-up" is not going to come from nuclear power or coal. In fact, hydroelectricity could also be impacted negatively. I don't think there is any energy less expensive than existing hydroelectric power but with political mandates, some states like California will displace hydroelectricity for solar energy (see RBN Energy). Labels: SolarEnergy, Wind Tesla Races To Finish Giga-Battery-Factory -- July 25, 2016 July 25, 2016: from today's print edition of The Wall Street Journal: But Tesla’s lofty market valuation depends in large part on a successful Model 3 launch, set for late next year. And the factory’s readiness for mass production is unclear. Tesla had spent less than one-fifth of a planned $2 billion on Gigafactory capital outlays through March 31. This is perhaps the most interesting article in The Wall Street Journal today: Tesla races to finish 'Gigafactory' in time for Model 3 rollout. Elon Musk anticipates the new plant could be capable of producing a total of 105 gigawatt hours of battery cells by 2020. SPARKS, Nev.— Tesla Motors Inc. is scrambling to finish building its massive $5 billion battery factory here years ahead of schedule to meet demand for its coming cheaper sedan and provide power for new types of vehicles Chief Executive Elon Musk says are under development. Tesla has doubled the amount of people constructing the “gigafactory,” which sits on more than 3,000 acres near Reno. Now, 1,000 workers build seven days a week on two shifts in an effort to start churning out lithium-ion cells by early 2017. The goal is to have the factory operational before the launch next year of the $35,000 Model 3 sedan, which is about half the base price of the Model S. Tesla opened reservations for the Model 3 earlier this year, and strong demand led Mr. Musk to pull a 500,000 sales target ahead two years to 2018. He also raised $1.7 billion through a stock offering in hopes of speeding up battery production expected to lower the cost of the batteries for electric vehicles. As of now, the gigafactory’s structure is less than one-sixth the size of what the final building is expected to occupy. Most exterior walls are temporary and can be relocated. Already finished is a four-story rectangular portion of the facility, housing 1.9 million square feet of floor space. Once completed, Mr. Musk anticipates the new plant could be capable of producing a total of 105 gigawatt hours of battery cells by 2020, or enough to power 1.2 million Model S sedans—though up to one-third of those batteries are slated for stationary battery storage. About 50,000 Model S sedans were built in 2015. Close association with SolarCity: Mr. Musk in recent weeks has laid out aggressive expansion plans for Tesla, including heavier vehicles and an energy-storage business that marries Tesla’s battery business with SolarCity Corp. ’s solar panels. Mr. Musk, chairman and largest shareholder of both companies, has proposed a $2.8 billion merger of Tesla and SolarCity. The roof of the new factory will be covered in SolarCity’s panels. A solar-panel field will be constructed nearby to provide additional power to the factory. I sincerely hope Tesla meets its goal. If they can, again it will show what American workers can accomplish, all the way up and down the line, from the engineers who designed this to the welders in the trenches. Labels: Tesla, TeslaBattery What A California Duck Looks Like -- RBN Energy -- July 25, 2016 From RBN Energy: This spring, as Californians enjoyed their famously pleasant sunny weather, implied heat rates averaged below 4.0. With heat rates that low, the Pacific Northwest and Desert Southwest reduced the power being sent to California. During the summer months, however, the load profile is high enough during the middle of the day that both imports and less expensive natural gas units within California are needed to balance the grid. That means that the impact on gas demand can really swing widely during the day, depending on the season. There are so many story lines here. I see them as great news for natural gas; the Midcontinent fuel fossil story; and, investors if they pay attention. I see really, really bad news for utilities if they don't get a handle on this, and hydroelectricity. Nuclear energy in California is already dead. Labels: Ducks_California, Ducks_NG, Ducks_Solar Update On Radical Shifts In California's Power And Gas Markets -- RBN Energy -- July 25, 2016 RBN Energy: great read. Part 2 in this series -- radical shifts in California's power and gas markets. After averaging more than a nickel below Henry Hub all this year, the California Border natural gas price spiked to 66 cents/MMbtu above Henry on Friday. This kind of price volatility is no surprise to anyone following the radical shifts in California energy markets, starting five years ago when the state legislature enacted its 33%-by-2020 renewable portfolio standard (RPS) law. By mid-2015, more than 14,000 MW of new solar and wind power had pulled down gas demand in California to the point that natural gas prices at the SoCal Border were averaging a negative basis to Henry Hub. Still not satisfied, last year California legislators voted to establish a 50% renewables target for 2030. On top of it all, the West Coast was coming up on a La Niña year that would bring more rain –– and hydroelectric generation –– to the Pacific Northwest and eventually into California. With all that renewable power (solar, wind and hydro), California seemed headed for an unprecedented period of low gas prices, but it did not turn out to be so simple. In today’s blog, we continue our look at California’s power and gas markets with the events and drivers that shaped late 2015 and the first six-plus months of 2016, and consider what’s to come. In the first episode of California Sunset we discussed the events that transpired between 2011 and mid-2015 that reshaped the Golden State’s energy markets. Not long after the RPS law was passed, California shut down the nuclear generating plants at San Onofre, regulators expedited the build-out of new transmission lines to move more solar and wind power to market, and the state implemented a carbon cap-and-trade program. The market responded by building new solar projects and wind farms, which displaced the need for gas generation, especially through the middle of most days. It's an incredibly good read; I've archived it. This episode ends with this: Looking at the longer term, there are a lot of moving parts that will impact the displacement of natural gas in the West, specifically California. To comply with the updated RPS goals of 50% renewable-sourced generation by 2030 mentioned above, solar capacity will need to continue to grow by roughly 2,000 MW/y, with behind-the-meter rooftop solar growing by roughly 500 MW/y. The rule of thumb for solar output across the heavy load hours is to use a 50% capacity factor (heavy load average output/capacity), which would imply a year-on-year increase of 1,250 MWa (2,000+500)/2). Using the same conversion mentioned above of 0.15 Bcf per 1,000 MW, that is an incremental annual decline of 0.187 Bcf/d. So over the next 10 years, at that rate the California market will reduce its need for gas by almost 2.0 Bcf/d. Consequently, by 2026 environmentally minded Californians should achieve some of the goals of the state’s aggressive RPS. What’s more, their ambitious renewables program has shifted the entire landscape for West Coast gas as all of that displaced gas will likely be backed up into the Desert Southwest/West Texas, Midcontinent and the Pacific Northwest/Canada. As RBN regulars are familiar, such profound changes in one energy market can cascade through others like falling dominoes, leading to unintended consequences. Too Good Not To Post Reading To Georgie I'm not sure what book Sophia is reading to Georgie, but I do see that Sophia has her favorite book to her right: Llama, Lama Red Pajama. Llama, Lama Red Pajama Labels: Bakken101, NotesToTheGranddaughters CLR Reports Its Record Well In The Meramec, STACK -- July 25, 2016 Later, 6:49 a.m. Central Time: I misread the CLR press release. A reader noted it (see first comment). The original post has been updated to reflect my mistake. I hope I got it right this time. A big "thank you" to the reader for catching this. I highlighted the pertinent changes in bold. The STACK story in Oklahoma is getting fairly interesting. Harold Hamm was the first to really talk about it, along with SCOOP. Then Mike Filloon picked up on it. Right now, the onshore tight oil plays in order of excitement: the STACK, the Permian, maybe the Niobrara is in the mix, the Bakken, and finally, the Eagle Ford. On July 19, 2016, Devon reported its record Meramec well in STACK: In the overpressured oil window in southwest Kingfisher County, the Pony Express 27-1H well, drilled with a 5,000-ft lateral, recorded a 30-day average rate of 2,100 boe/d, 70% oil. I suppose, 0.7 x 2,100 = 44,000 bbls of oil / over the first month (30 days). EOG, others have reported similar wells in the Bakken but generally it seems the better Bakken wells are running 12,000 to 20,000 bbls oil / month in the first two or three months of production. Now CLR is reporting its record Meramec well in STACK (I assume the story / link will disappear over time). On May 17, 2016, CLR announced .... the completion of an industry record well in the over-pressured oil window of Oklahoma's STACK play. The Verona 1-23-14XH flowed at an initial 24-hour test rate of 3,339 barrels of oil equivalent per day, comprised of 2,345 barrels of oil, or 70% of production, and 6.0 million cubic feet of 1,370-Btu natural gas (British thermal units). The Verona is producing from the Meramec reservoir through a 9,700-foot lateral at a flowing casing pressure of approximately 2,400 psi, on a 34/64-inch choke. the Devon well was a short lateral, a 5,000-ft lateral: 2,100 boepd over 30 days, first month the CLR well was a long lateral, a 9,700-ft lateral: 3,339 boepd -- 24-hour IP rate Unfortunately we can't compare the monthly production between the CLR well and the Devon well. The Devon press release reported a 30-day average. The CLR press release reported a 24-hour IP rate. Interestingly enough, going back to the press release, it turns out CLR actually reports the cost of this well: "The Verona is another example of the exceptional results we are getting from wells drilled in the over-pressured oil window of STACK," said Harold Hamm, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We couldn't be more pleased with the performance of our wells in STACK and the addition of this outstanding asset to our portfolio. Our STACK team also completed the Verona at a cost of approximately $9.0 million, which is $500,000 less than our year-end 2016 target cost for two-mile lateral wells in the over-pressured oil window. This is the Company's lowest cost completion in STACK to date." The Verona is the Company's ninth well completed in the over-pressured oil window of STACK, and all have been strong producers. The Company is in the process of completing four additional Meramec wells. Continental currently has 11 operated rigs drilling in STACK, with six targeting the Meramec zone and five targeting the Woodford zone. Located in Blaine County, Oklahoma, the Verona is immediately east of the Company's Ludwig unit, where Continental is currently drilling an eight-well density pilot, its first in the STACK play. The density pilot consists of seven new wells in the Upper and Middle Meramec reservoirs, as well as an additional well in the Woodford reservoir underlying the Meramec. Results from the Ludwig density pilot are expected to be announced by the Company's third quarter 2016 earnings release. As announced earlier in the month, at March 31, 2016 Continental had approximately 171,000 net acres of leasehold in the STACK play, 95% of which is in the over-pressured window. The "thing" that might be most surprising regarding this story. I follow the "Bakken revolution" pretty closely. I follow CLR pretty closely. I follow Filloon pretty closely. I get a lot of input from readers. And here it is, July 25, 2016, and this press release is dated May 17, 2016, and I didn't see it until now. And I just stumbled upon it. This tells me one thing: folks have become so "numb" or so accustomed to record wells in tight US plays they no longer get headlines. Unfortunately, one wonders if Wall Street analysts / experts are missing these stories, also. Whatever. Stumblin' In, Chris Norman & Suzi Quatro Labels: Records, Staggering ExxonMobil, Saudi Arabia In Discussions To Develop... Eight Permits Renewed; Only One New Permit -- July... Market Down 100+ Points On WTI Pullback -- July 25... Update On CAFE Standards -- Forbes -- July 25, 201... The Big Energy Picture: 2015 Data Starting To Tric... Tesla Races To Finish Giga-Battery-Factory -- July... What A California Duck Looks Like -- RBN Energy --... Update On Radical Shifts In California's Power And... CLR Reports Its Record Well In The Meramec, STACK ...

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Tag: belief systems Progressive Capitalism Torn dollar bill image source and license. We’ve been looking at economic winners and losers in the zero-sum economy — particularly in the context of higher education, where cultural belief in the importance of college and post-graduate degrees on upward mobility and success in the job market is driving behavior that harms both parents (the college admissions scandal) and the economic and mental health of their children (student loan debt, general anxiety disorder, depression, suicide). This series of blog posts is now in its third year — throughout, we’ve seen how hyper-competitive capitalism and its staunch faith in the implicit justice of the “free” market is causing other economic loses. For example: the stagnation of middle class real incomes; the rise of the numbers of statistically poor people in the U.S.; the dismantling of compassionate social safety nets in favor of expensive, counterproductive, and humiliating replacements; the rise of the “rentier” economy in which formerly public benefits have been privatized, making them accessible only to those who can afford them through the payment of economic “rents”; the end of the American ideal of upward social and economic mobility; the high cost of housing and the death of the American dream of home ownership; the elimination of “normal” jobs through off-shoring, outsourcing, and the delegation of productivity to intelligent machines; the advent of the short-term, contract-based “gig economy” with its lack of fringe benefits and its precarious prospects for sustainable income; economic inequality that favors the wealthiest of capitalists at the expense of the bottom 90% (or 99%, or 99.9%, depending on your data and point of view); the creation instead of an insular top-level “meritocrat” socio-economic class; the new state of “total work” and the “monetization” of goods and services; rising rates of career burnout, mental illness, and suicide resulting from social isolation and the vain struggle to find meaning and purpose at work; the rise of corporate nation-states with economic and policy-making power that dwarfs that of many governmental nation-states; the private (non-democratic) social policy-making initiatives of the wealthiest elites; and much, much more. Nobody meant economic policy to do this, but it has, for roughly the past 30-40 years. Good intentions; unplanned results. We’ve seen that both plutocrats and progressives advocate for systemic change, while status quo inertia weighs in on the side of those who don’t see what all the fuss is about, since capitalism is undeniably the best economic option and always has been, and besides it’s still working just fine, thank you very much. Instead of meaningful discourse, we have a predominant nostalgic, populist doubling down on the neoliberal socio-economic cultural ideology that jet-propelled post-WWII recovery but finished running its course in the 1970s, while the retrenchers and the media slap those who beg to differ with the kiss-of-death label “progressive.” As a result, we’re left with incessant lobbing from one end of the polarized spectrum to the other of ideological bombs that originate in data and analysis skewed by cognitive biases, intentional blindness, and fake news . Economic policy-making resembles WWI trench warfare — a tactical grinding down of the opposition and the numbing and dumbing of everyone else. It was a bad idea then, and it’s still a bad idea now. I had no idea this is what I was getting into when I decided three years ago to research and write about the new economy and the future of work. It’s in the context of this toxic environment that Economics Nobel Laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz, offered his “progressive capitalism” alternative, based on “the power of the market to serve society.” Progressive Capitalism Is Not an Oxymoron: We can save our broken economic system from itself, New York Times (April 19, 2019). His article, like virtually all of the economics books and articles I read these days, begins with a long parade of evils and ends with a handful of policy ideas. His version of the former is by now quite familiar: “Despite the lowest unemployment rates since the late 1960s, the American economy is failing its citizens. Some 90 percent have seen their incomes stagnate or decline in the past 30 years. “This is not surprising, given that the United States has the highest level of inequality among the advanced countries and one of the lowest levels of opportunity — with the fortunes of young Americans more dependent on the income and education of their parents than elsewhere. “There is a broader social compact that allows a society to work and prosper together, and that, too, has been fraying. America created the first truly middle-class society; now, a middle-class life is increasingly out of reach for its citizens. “We confused the hard work of wealth creation with wealth-grabbing (or, as economists call it, rent-seeking). “Just as forces of globalization and technological change were contributing to growing inequality, we adopted policies that worsened societal inequities. “Even as economic theories like information economics (dealing with the ever-present situation where information is imperfect), behavioral economics and game theory arose to explain why markets on their own are often not efficient, fair, stable or seemingly rational, we relied more on markets and scaled back social protections. “Politics has played a big role in the increase in corporate rent-seeking and the accompanying inequality. “Markets don’t exist in a vacuum; they have to be structured by rules and regulations, and those rules and regulations must be enforced. “We are now in a vicious cycle: Greater economic inequality is leading, in our money-driven political system, to more political inequality, with weaker rules and deregulation causing still more economic inequality. “If we don’t change course matters will likely grow worse, as machines (artificial intelligence and robots) replace an increasing fraction of routine labor, including many of the jobs of the several million Americans. “The prescription follows from the diagnosis: It begins by recognizing the vital role that the state plays in making markets serve society. “Progressive capitalism is based on a new social contract between voters and elected officials, between workers and corporations, between rich and poor, and between those with jobs and those who are un- or underemployed. “Part of this new social contract is an expanded public option for many programs now provided by private entities or not at all “This new social contract will enable most Americans to once again have a middle-class life. “The neoliberal fantasy that unfettered markets will deliver prosperity to everyone should be put to rest. “America arrived at this sorry state of affairs because we forgot that the true source of the wealth of a nation is the creativity and innovation of its people.” His point seems to be that merely reciting litanies of economic woes won’t bring about systemic relief — for that, we need to embrace an essential factor: Paradigms only shift when culture shifts: new ideas require new culture to receive them, and new culture requires new belief systems. Systemic change requires cultural change — remodeled institutions and revised social contracts that tether ideas to real life. Trying to patch policy ideas into the existing socio-economic system is like what would happen if a firm were to abruptly change its products, services, and strategic and marketing plans without bothering to change its mission statement, values and beliefs, and firm culture. Like that’s going to work. Coming up, we’ll look beyond policy bombs to the higher ground of revised cultural beliefs, starting with next week’s search for the “public” that’s gone missing from the Republic. Author Kevin RhodesPosted on October 31, 2019 October 30, 2019 Categories The New Economy, Work, Jobs, CareerTags belief systems, Capitalism, career, college admission scandal, competitive, competitive capitalism, cultural belief systems, culture, economic inequality, economic policy, economic rents, economics, gig economy, inequality, jobs, Neoliberal capitalism, Neoliberal Economics, Neoliberalism, populism, populist, progressive, student loans, upward mobility1 Comment on Progressive Capitalism

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Tag: social class The Great Gatsby Lawyer How okay are we, really, with the right of everyone (a) to make as much money as they want, and (b) to spend it any way they like? If we would limit (a) or (b) or both, then how and why? Consider for a moment what your (a) and (b) responses have been to the upward mobility stories we’ve looked at so far: Richard Reeves, Matthew Stewart, Steven Brill. Travie McCoy. David Boies, Eric and I. Now consider this story from an article in Above the Law: “[P]ersonal injury attorney Thomas J. Henry threw a lavish bash to celebrate his son, Thomas Henry Jr.’s, 18th birthday. And the price tag for the Gatsby-mixed-with-burlesque-themed fête? A cool $4 million. “To rack up such a hefty bill, the event had lots of performers which included showgirls, aerial performers, art installations, and contortionists (oh my!). Plus, there were musical performances and celebrity guests. “And don’t think the over-the-top party was the only gift the birthday boy received: “The star of the party, who sat on a throne-like chair when he wasn’t dancing, was given a fully loaded blue Ferrari, an IWC Portugieser Tourbillion watch and a custom-made painting from Alec Monopoly. “Henry’s work as a trial attorney is obviously pretty lucrative. The big payouts he’s been able to secure for his clients have made him a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.[1] “Henry is known for throwing giant parties. Just last year, he spent $6 million for his daughter’s quinceañera. I guess we know which one is really daddy’s favorite.” The writer telegraphs her attitude about the story with the article’s tone and with the understated lead line, “this seems extreme.” Apparently she would cast a vote for limitations on (b). When I’ve shared the story with friends, the response is usually stronger than “this seems extreme.” I wonder why. Maybe it’s because this looks like a case of conspicuous consumption, which never goes down well. Economist/ sociologist Thorstein Veblen coined the term in his 1889 book, The Theory of the Leisure Class, to describe how the newly prosperous middle class were buying things to communicate their move up the social ladder. The neighbors were rarely impressed — that is, until they made their own purchases, and then the game turned into keeping up with Joneses. The conspicuous consumption shoe might fit here: Mr. Henry’s website tells a bit of his upward mobility story — German immigrant, raised on a farm in Kansas, etc. Or maybe there’s something going on here that transcends his personal story. In that regard, the term “affluenza” comes to mind. “The term “affluenza” was popularized in the late 1990s by Jessie O’Neill, the granddaughter of a past president of General Motors, when she wrote the book “The Golden Ghetto: The Psychology of Affluence.” It’s since been used to describe a condition in which children — generally from richer families — have a sense of entitlement, are irresponsible, make excuses for poor behavior, and sometimes dabble in drugs and alcohol.” From an article by Fox News. See also these descriptions from CNN and New York Magazine. Definitions of the term come loaded with their own biases, judgments, and assumptions. This is from Merriam-Webster: Affluenza: the unhealthy and unwelcome psychological and social effects of affluence regarded especially as a widespread societal problem: such as a : feelings of guilt, lack of motivation, and social isolation experienced by wealthy people b : extreme materialism and consumerism associated with the pursuit of wealth and success and resulting in a life of chronic dissatisfaction, debt, overwork, stress, and impaired relationships And this is from the popular PBS series that came out shortly after The Golden Ghetto: Af-flu-en-za n. 1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Joneses. 2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by dogged pursuit of the American Dream. 3. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth. Affluenza made quite a splash in the estate planning world where I practiced, spawning a slew of books, CLE presentations, and new approaches to legal counseling and document design. Affluenza went mainstream in 2014 with the highly-publicized trial of Ethan Couch, the “Affluenza Teen,” when a judge reduced his sentence on four counts of intoxicated manslaughter and two counts of intoxicated assault after an expert witness testified that his wealthy upbringing had left him so psychologically impaired that he didn’t know right from wrong. For a great number of my clients, that their kids might catch affluenza was their worst nightmare.[2] Their fear suggests this consensus to Thomas Henry’s partying habits: (a) it’s okay to make all the money you want, (b) but it’s not okay if you use your money to make your kids a danger to themselves and to others. I wonder — would it temper our rush to categorize and judge Mr. Henry if we knew his philanthropic history and philosophy? This is from his website: “Mr. Henry’s overall philosophy is that helping others when you have the good fortune of being successful is not an elective decision but a mandatory decision. People who achieve success have a duty to help others.” That statement closely mirrors the beliefs of Robber Baron Andrew Carnegie. We’ll look at that next time, along with the perceptions of other 0.01 percenters about the social responsibilities of wealth. [1] The Forum’s website says that “fewer than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members,” which appropriately signals Thomas Henry’s position in the economic strata. [2] I used to tell my clients that if I had a dime for every time a client said, “I don’t want my money to ruin my kids,” I would have been a rich man. That was hyperbole, of course: a dime each time wouldn’t have made me rich. On the other hand, a million dollars each time might have made me a billionaire. A billion is a BIG number. Author Kevin RhodesPosted on September 6, 2018 September 2, 2018 Categories The New EconomyTags Affluenza, Affluenza Teen, conspicuous consumption, economic inequality, economics, inequality, rags to riches, social class, upward mobilityLeave a comment on The Great Gatsby Lawyer

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Flyer Pitch First Round in Dayton Winners Announced Two University of Dayton seniors tied for first place in the Flyer Pitch competition first round with business ideas to improve the design of public sinks and offer drivers with electric cars easier access to solar-powered charging stations. Entrepreneurship students Ben Pfeifer and Dallas DeBruin are among the 11 U.S.-based teams that will advance in the business plan contest. The international competition — among the largest at the collegiate level — awards $100,000 in cash prizes and $150,000 of in-kind support during six rounds in three cities. DeBruin’s Sink 2.0 combines washing and drying to reduce environmental waste and improve sanitary conditions in public restrooms. Pfeifer’s Park-N-Plug, which also won the $2,500 sustainability/green technology idea prize, connects drivers to charging stations through a shared services app. Other prizes from Saturday’s Shark Tank-style event included the $2,500 top social enterprise award, which went to senior Scott Stoermer for STAR, a refrigerator designed through the University’s ETHOS program to store medicine and vaccines for long durations in remote areas without reliable power grids. And the $2,500 Entrepreneur's Center tech transfer award went to senior Kaitlyn Roberts for PlenaCare, an idea that utilizes technology developed by Ascend Innovation in Dayton along with sensors to provide people more accurate health profiles. “This was a very competitive round as students from all over campus and every academic unit pitched their ideas,” said Vincent Lewis, director of the L. William Crotty Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. “We expect more than 200 teams to participate in Dayton, China and Vietnam this year. We look forward to supporting these budding businesses and building on the competition’s track record of success.” The first round continues Saturday in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Sunday in Suzhou, China. The second round will be held Nov. 18 in Dayton for U.S.-based teams and Jan. 8 in China for teams from Asia. The final round is set for March 24 in Dayton. The grand prize winner will receive $25,000 cash and $25,000 in support from Dayton’s Entrepreneur's Center. The competition, now in its 11th year, has helped launch 30 new ventures, which have raised more than $15 million in capital. More information on Flyer Pitch is available online.

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A brief history of ideology: The origins of the terms left and right-wing The Origin of the Political Terms Left and Right - Fact / Myth - factmyth.com The terms ‘left-wing’ and ‘right-wing’ are used often in politics but where did they originate from and how have they evolved? Politics is abundant with different ideologies from the traditional socialism, liberalism and conservatism to the extremes of left-wing and right-wing ideologies of communism and fascism. There are also newer ideologies such as neoliberalism, neoconservatism, libertarian plus many more. This often creates issues for those who aren’t involved politically all the time because the labels and ideologies often don’t encompass the beliefs of the individuals who identify in that manner. Society has been dividing itself for centuries and those divisions have increased in the last 100 years or so. But why do left and right-wing labels even exist and why are they allowed to flourish in the manner they do? Each ideology is becoming increasingly polarised as divisions deepen. The brief history of the left and right-wing ideologies The Terms left-wing and right-wing first came into use during the French Revolution of 1789, after members of the National Assembly divided themselves, with the supporters of the king sitting to the right of the president and supporters of the revolution sitting to left. The supporters of the king (the right) opposed the seating arrangement because they believed that deputies should support private or general issues and not form factions or political parties. The press occasionally referred to each side using the terms left or right. After the National Assembly was replaced with the Legislative Assembly, the tradition continued with “innovators” sitting on the left, “moderates” in the centre and “conscientious defenders of the constitution” on the right. However, the method of seating was abolished in 1794 with the creation of the new constitution to break up party groups. It wasn’t until the Restoration in 1814-1815 that political clubs were formed, with the ultra royalists sitting on the right side, “constitutionals” sitting in the centre and “independents” sitting on the left. This is when nuances such as extreme-right, extreme-left, centre-right, and centre-left came to be used. The UK didn’t start using the terms left-wing and right-wing until debates on the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s. It was noted in ‘The Web of Government’, written by Scottish sociologist, Robert M. MacIver, “The right is always the party sector associated with the interests of the upper or dominant classes, the left the sector expressive of the lower economic or social classes, and the centre that of the middle classes.” Modern ideology Within the modern society ideology cannot be simplified into these brackets anymore and the separation of human ideology just promotes divisions within society. If you look at the working-class background, traditionally poorer and more exploited within society by those higher up the hierarchal system. However, the ideology within the working-class differs drastically, there are those who support left-wing socialist agendas and those who support right-wing nationalist agendas. The idea of left and right wing has been blurred and those who have traditionally stood on one side, may not now. People such as Nigel Farage and Katie Hopkins push what is a far-right agenda, bordering on fascism but the very people who would be severely affected by such an agenda have often supported these ideas because of the way they are presented. Maajid Nawaz presents a liberal agenda but often attacks those slightly left of himself as far-left. It is apparent that each ideology is becoming more polarised than ever but presented as flexible. We have socialism on the left, liberalism in the centre and conservatism on the right. Ideology has been used to divide society into separate groups, this makes it easier for a ruling elite to continually market to specific groups and send a message that they want to hear. These kinds of divisions make it easier to do this on mass. But most people have stances that vary from each subject matter to the next, for example someone could be socially liberal but economically conservative. Ideology has significantly evolved over the years but continues to be exploited and polarised.

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Wimbledon 2016: why Nick Kyrgios could be the real winner from this tournament Wimbledon 2016: Nick Kyrgios looked lost at moments in his match yesterday - thesun.co.uk Looking at why his embarrassing defeat to Andy Murray could be the making of the Australian into a Grand Slam contender. by Yashas Mudumbai Ever since the draw for the tournament was made on 24th June, every sports pundit and fan would realise that Andy Murray had an excellent chance of making the final on the 10th July. He had escaped from facing Roger Federer in the semi-finals, like he did in 2015 and he is quite clearly the best player on his side of the draw. However, one particular match was eagerly anticipated, even from the first day of the tournament. Nick Kyrgios, the 21-year-old Australian, the guy who had beaten Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2014, was scheduled to meet Andy in the fourth round. Commentators and legends of the game like John McEnroe and Jim Courier had expected that this was going to be Murray’s toughest match in his potential route to the final. However, as the sun settled on a cool Monday evening, Kyrgios was calmly swatted away by the world number 2 and the way he played in the second and third set of the match, it was “pathetic”, as Nick stated himself. Kyrgios lacking intensity? The first set was extremely competitive and just like fans and commentators had predicted, there were some wonderful rallies and the crowd was entertained thoroughly. However, as Andy stepped up his level at 6-5, Nick was unable to cope with the Scot and lost the first set. As all great champions do, Andy realised that if he was able to get an advantage early in the second set, that would ruffle Kyrgios even further and dampen his hopes of mounting a comeback. Even as Murray’s level of play became better and better as the match went on, people would hope that Nick would continue fighting and not throw in the towel. You would expect him to continue to try different tactics and styles of play in order to find some way back into the match. In spite of that hope from the public, it did seem as if Nick became soft and simply did not perform to his best level. After the match, it seemed like the Australian had quite a lot of soul-searching to do. The lack of intensity and apparent carelessness was evident, even to the casual sports follower. John McEnroe did not hold back in his criticism of Nick, stating that he simply “doesn’t understand” what it takes to be a Grand Slam winner. Kyrgios quickly realised in the press conference as well that his performance wasn’t up to the required standard. Even Andy Murray felt that Nick had “lost his focus” after the first set of the match. This begs the question as to whether the Australian will ever realise his immense potential and deliver victories on the biggest stage at the most important time. While this could be a crushing defeat, he should look at this as one of the most important moments of his career. On the greatest stage in his sport, he did not give it his all and left the court embarrassed. But, there are many other champions who have faced this type of adversity in their careers. Roger Federer, arguably the greatest champion the sport has had, lost in the first round in 2002. This was a year after he dethroned the king, Pete Sampras at the exact same stage. But, a year later, after realising all the hard work he has to put in, he got the rewards by becoming Wimbledon champion. After reaching the semi-finals as an 18-year-old, John McEnroe won 3 matches in 2 years at SW19. However, after winning the US Open, he reached two finals on the grass and finally realised his dream in 1981, defeating his great rival Bjorn Borg. Therefore, while this may be a disappointing loss for Nick, hopefully he know knows how much more effort he has to put into his game mentally, because he has all the shots. This crushing loss in front of millions may be the making of Kyrgios and next year, he may come back with a vengeance to show the world how great he is. Yashas Mudumbai A writer who loves anything and everything about sports. Keep visiting here because I will be writing regularly on the biggest sporting stories in the world and what is so important about them. Follow yashas on Facebook Follow yashas on Twitter Follow yashas on Linkedin Read more on the same topic from Yashas Mudumbai: England vs India: Can the surprise finalists shock the hosts? Premier League: Manchester United show they are back to where they belong Premier League: Can Liverpool and Manchester City deliver a stunning game?

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September 14, 2019 / 7:01 PM / 4 months ago Egypt's Sisi rebuffs videos alleging corruption CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Saturday allegations of corruption within the army and government were “lies and slander”, in his first public response to graft accusations that have gone viral online. FILE PHOTO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends the opening ceremony of floating bridges and tunnel projects executed under the Suez Canal in Ismailia, Egypt May 5, 2019. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh “I swear to God, these are lies and slander,” Sisi told a youth conference in Cairo, referring to the accusations made by Mohamed Ali, a businessman and actor turned political activist who accuses Sisi and some army generals of squandering billions of Egyptian pounds. Sisi, a former army chief who took power after the overthrow of the former Islamist president Mohamed Mursi in 2013, strongly defended the army and said he tolerated no corruption. “The army is a ...very sensitive institution towards any inadequate behaviour, especially if it was attributed to its leaders,” he said. Ali, whose contracting company used to carry out civilian projects for the Egyptian army, has posted a series of videos from exile in Spain. In them he accuses Sisi of wasting money on presidential palaces and the army on spending billions of Egyptian pounds on projects like a luxury hotel in a Cairo suburb. At a time when many Egyptians are struggling with austerity measures as part of reforms agreed with the International Monetary Funds, Ali’s videos have drawn a huge online following. His first video on Sept. 2 garnered 1.7 million views on his Facebook page alone. The popularity of Ali’s videos have turned him into a public figure. In Egypt dozens of cartoons have been made pitting him against Sisi, as well as images depicting Ali in the likeness of another Mohamed Ali, an Ottoman-era commander who ruled Egypt in the 19th century. The military’s economic might has expanded since Sisi became president, and companies owned by the military have flourished, causing concern amongst local businessmen and foreign investors. Sisi, however, defended the building of presidential palaces. “Are they for me? I am building a new state. Do you think when you speak falsehood I will be frightened? No, I will keep building and building, but not for myself,” he said. Reporting by Omar Fahmy and Mahmoud Mourad, Additional reporting by Nadine Awadallh, Editing by Ulf Laessing and Christina Fincher

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Category Archives: –DODGE COUNTY GA– Georgian Cottage, Circa 1870s, Dodge County This house once anchored a farm on the edge of Eastman. It’s in the Georgian Cottage style and typical of middle class farms that began to prosper in the years following the Civil War. While it has not been identified or dated as yet, its architecture indicates it was likely built in the decade following the war. The ruins of a tobacco barn on the driveway leading to the main house, as well as a tenant houses at the end of a row of pecan trees, indicate that this was an active farm well into the 20th century. It appears to have been abandoned for many years and is located on private property. I’m lucky to have been given the opportunity to document it and am grateful to the owner for granting permission facilitated by David Bray. David was a great host in showing the property, which ultimately the owner would like to see moved and saved. Unfortunately, it may be too far gone. The wraparound porch is thought to be a later addition. It features hand-carved porch posts that give it a bit of a Folk Victorian appearance. The four interior rooms have been “updated” but still retain wainscot chair rails and what are thought to be the original mantels. The mantels reflect a middle class owner, who used spindles to add ornamentation. The rear of the house is a mirror image of the front. I hope the house can be moved and saved, but it would need to happen soon. The owner will give it to someone who will move it; if you know someone with a serious interest, please contact me. Filed under --DODGE COUNTY GA--, Eastman GA Tagged as --DODGE COUNTY GA--, © Brian Brown/Vanishing Media, Endangered Places in South Georgia, Historic Georgia Farms, South Georgia Architecture, South Georgia Farmhouses, South Georgia Landmarks, South Georgia Tobacco Barns Jay Gould Williamson House, Circa 1915, Dodge County Jay Gould Williamson was the nephew and adopted son of A. G. Williamson, one of the leading businessmen of early Eastman. He is the child depicted on the iconic marble mausoleum in the nearby Orphans Cemetery. Mr. Williamson spent his formative years in Dodge County but later moved to St. Simons Island. The house is presently owned by Mrs. Elizabeth Burch, who has done a wonderful job of maintaining and preserving it. Filed under --DODGE COUNTY GA-- Tagged as --DODGE COUNTY GA--, © Brian Brown/Vanishing Media, South Georgia Farmhouses, South Georgia Landmarks, South Georgia Restorations, South Georgia Vernacular Architecture Breitung-Peacock-Fitzgerald House, 1886, Eastman Perhaps the finest Queen Anne house in Eastman, this beautifully restored landmark is now an event space and bed and breakfast known as Peacock Place. It has connections to Eastman’s founder, William Pitt Eastman, who sold lots from his “Eastman Home Field” property which became the most fashionable neighborhood in town in the 1880s. Eastman sold this particular lot to Edward Breitung of Negaunee, Michigan, on 3 August 1886. Breitung was a railroad millionaire who chose to build a winter retreat in Eastman after making an acquaintance with Judge James Bishop while a guest of the Millionaire’s Club on Jekyll Island. Sadly, Breitung never lived in the house, as he died the night before he had planned to move in. His widow and son returned to Michigan and never lived in the house. The house sat empty until 1902, when it was purchased by Mrs. Estelle B. Bullock, who owned it for eight years. W. H. Coleman and Mrs. Carolyn B. Bush were short-term owners before it was purchased by the C. H. Peacock family in 1917. Julia Peacock Fitzgerald inherited the house in 1929 and owned it until her death in 1980. Her daughter, Idolene, was the next owner and it remained in the family until 1992. Tagged as --DODGE COUNTY GA--, © Brian Brown/Vanishing Media, Eastman GA, South Georgia Houses, South Georgia Landmarks, South Georgia Victorian Architecture Wynne-Stuckey House, 1903, Eastman Andy Hall writes: [This house] was built by Mather Wynne and his wife Nancy Almeda McRae, my 2nd great-aunt. Aunt Nannie and Uncle Mather were Telfair County natives, married in 1882. Members of the Stuckey family were later owners. Tagged as --DODGE COUNTY GA--, © Brian Brown/Vanishing Media, Eastman GA, South Georgia Architecture, South Georgia Houses, South Georgia Landmarks Children’s Monuments, Woodlawn Cemetery, Eastman My great-grandmother was from Eastman and while living there, she lost a baby, Mary Elizabeth Browning, in 1923. Over the years we visited Woodlawn Cemetery on numerous occasions to tend to the grave and pay respects to others. Just inside the gates of Woodlawn, two monuments marking children’s graves always caught my attention for their solemnity and the skills of their sculptors/carvers. (Above: Mathew T. Clark (1896-1901), son of Harlow & L. D. Clark) This monument marks the final resting place of Cora Weaver (1884-19 October 1885), daughter of Mr. & Mrs. D. W. Weaver. Children’s monuments, so common in older cemeteries, are a sad reminder of the high rates of infant mortality before the advent of modern medicine. Tagged as --DODGE COUNTY GA--, © Brian Brown/Vanishing Media, Eastman GA, South Georgia Cemeteries, South Georgia Monuments Folk Victorian House, Eastman Tagged as --DODGE COUNTY GA--, © Brian Brown/Vanishing Media, Eastman GA, Endangered Places in South Georgia, South Georgia Folk Victorian Architecture, South Georgia Houses, South Georgia Landmarks Site of the Original Stuckey’s, 1937, Eastman This structure, located on the site of Williamson S. Stuckey, Sr.’s (1909-1977) original roadside stand, has the familiar teal blue roof that was a beacon to tourists throughout America from the 1940s until the 1970s. I’m not sure as to the date of this structure, but it’s probably from the 1940s or 1950s. The Stuckey’s Candy Factory, built in 1948, is located on the property, as well. In 1937, Mr. Stuckey had a bumper crop of pecans and opened a roadside stand to sell them to the many tourists who passed through town on busy US 23. His wife, Ethel Mullis Stuckey (1909-1991), concocted a rolled pecan confection which quickly became Stuckey’s most iconic treat, the Pecan Log Roll (some love them, some not so much, but their impact on the business can’t be understated). While pecans and pecan-based treats were always the focus, Mr. Stuckey realized that travelers wanted more, and soon added other confections, a restaurant, souvenirs, and gasoline service. By the late 1960s, there were over 350 Stuckey’s franchises throughout the United States, and their teal blue roofs were as iconic then as McDonald’s golden arches are today. The family sold the business to Pet Milk in 1967, but the focus became more corporate and less personal and changing travel patterns saw the rise of other roadside businesses that were quite competitive. From 1967-1977, Williamson (Billy) Stuckey, Jr., served five terms in the U. S. Congress. In 1985, determined to see his family name return to national prominence, Mr. Stuckey and a group of investors bought back the family business from Pet Milk. Though the familiar Stuckey’s locations of yesterday are no longer in operation, the brand remains strong and store-within-store locations are once again found throughout the eastern United States. In 2019, Stephanie Stuckey took over as CEO with plans of expanding even more, insuring the Stuckey’s name will be known well into the 21st century. Tagged as --DODGE COUNTY GA--, © Brian Brown/Vanishing Media, Eastman GA, Famous Georgians, Georgia Pecans, South Georgia Commercial Architecture, South Georgia Landmarks, South Georgia Restaurants

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New Dragon Ball Series Announced for 2015 Goku goes Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods 20th Century Fox/Everett By Jonathon Dornbush / Entertainment Weekly Start practicing your best Kamehameha, because Dragon Ball is returning. Toei Animation announced today that production has begun on Dragon Ball Super, the first Dragon Ball television series to debut in 18 years. The series will follow the events of the film Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection “F” and is set to debut in Japan sometime this July. Super will follow up on Goku’s battle with Majin Buu as he “attempts to maintain Earth’s fragile peace,” according to Toei. The series will be overseen by Dragon Ball’s original creator Akira Toriyama and produced by Fuji Television. Little else is known about the series so far, but it will bring the first new ongoing series in the Dragon Ball world since Dragon Ball GT in the mid 90s. Dragon Ball Kai was first broadcast in 2009, but it was a revised version of Dragon Ball Z. No details about how Super will make its way to American television have been provided. This article originally appeared on EW.com.

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Victory at Yorktown George Washington Series (Volume 3) Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen; Contribution by Albert S. Hanser READ AN EXCERPT → New York Times bestselling authors Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen present the triumphant conclusion to their George Washington series—a novel of leadership, brotherhood, loyalty, and the victory of the American cause. It is 1781, and Washington and his army have spent three years in a bitter stalemate, engaging in near constant skirmishing against the British. The enemy position in New York is far too strong, and all approaches covered by the Royal Navy. At last two crucial reports reach Washington. The first is that the French have briefly committed a fleet to the American coast to engage the British. The second is that British General Cornwallis, driven to distraction by the protracted warfare in the Carolinas, has decided to withdraw into Yorktown to establish a new base. Washington decides to embark on one of the most audacious moves in American military history. He will take nearly his entire army out of New Jersey and New York, and force march it more than three hundred miles in complete secrecy. He must pray that the French navy is successful in blockading Chesapeake Bay, so that he can fall upon Cornwallis, lay siege to him, and capture his entire force. It is a campaign laden with "Ifs" but the stalemate must be broken, otherwise the American spirit, after six long years of war, will crumble. Sergeant Peter Wellsley is tasked with "paving the way" for the rapid movement of the army, and above all else neutralizing any loyalists who might slip off to provi… More… Sergeant Peter Wellsley is tasked with "paving the way" for the rapid movement of the army, and above all else neutralizing any loyalists who might slip off to provide warning. The entire operation is predicated on complete, total surprise, a near-impossible task for an army moving through areas that harbor strong loyalists. On the other side, Allen Van Dorn, still mourning the loss of his friend Major Andre, receives bits and pieces of reports from civilians that something is afoot across New Jersey and is tasked to find out what. When one of the former friends is captured, both must decide where their true loyalties lie during the heat of the Battle of Yorktown as Washington's professional army, once a "rabble in arms," executes the war's most decisive contest. With Victory at Yorktown, critically acclaimed authors Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen have reached the pinnacle of their talents in a tour de force narrative of one of America's most important heroes. NEAR TAPPAN, NEW YORK Despite the sun shining brightly through the autumn leaves on the Hudson Valley, he felt cold, cold and weary. They had given him a mission, and it was almost a curse... READ THE FULL EXCERPT → Listen to an Excerpt from the Audiobook https://images.macmillan.com/folio-assets/audio-excerpt/9781466802506.mp3 Download MP3 Praise for Victory at Yorktown “The novel colorfully and accurately portrays Washington and other figures as they struggle with tactics, logistics, intelligence, meddling politicians, and petty rivalries… Exciting historical fiction, offering insight into just how close George Washington and the Americans came to losing the war.” —Publishers Weekly “Augmented with character sketches of lesser-known patriots, the book brings Washington to life as a resolute and bold general. The authors shine brightly in describing the depth of his emotion flowing from the victory at Yorktown.” —Kirkus “Although Gingrich and Forstchen's military sagas are always popular, count on increased interest in America's first--and only truly bipartisan--president this election season.” —Booklist “Grim, gritty, realistic, accurate, and splendid, this is a soaring epic of triumph over almost unimaginable odds.” —Library Journal on To Try Men's Souls NEWT GINGRICH, recent Presidential Candidate and former Speaker of the House, is the bestselling author of Gettysburg and Pearl Harbor and the longest serving teacher of the Joint War Fighting Course for Major Generals at Air University and is an honorary Distinguished Visiting Scholar and Professor at the National Defense University. He resides in Virginia with his wife, Callista, with whom he hosts and produces documentaries, including their latest, A City Upon A Hill. WILLIAM R. FORSTCHEN, Ph.D., is a Faculty Fellow at Montreat College in Montreat, North Carolina. He received his doctorate from Purdue University and is the author of more than forty books. He is the New York Times best selling author of One Second After. He resides near Asheville, North Carolina, with his daughter, Meghan. Callista Gingrich Mindy Clinard Tweetsby @stmartinspress {{/if}} {{#if imprint}} {{imprint}} {{/if}} {{#if publisher}} {{/if}} {{#if isbn13}} ISBN: {{isbn13}} {{pages}} Pages {{#if ages}}, Ages {{ages}}{{/if}} {{/if}} {{#if audio_run_time}} Audio Run Time: {{audio_run_time}} {{/if}} {{#if retailers}} {{#each retailers}}

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<< Previous TITLE 42 / CHAPTER 51 / § 4151 Next >> 42 USC 4151: "Building" defined Text contains those laws in effect on January 19, 2020 From Title 42-THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARECHAPTER 51-DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS TO ACCOMMODATE PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED Jump To: Source CreditReferences In TextAmendmentsShort Title §4151. "Building" defined As used in this chapter, the term "building" means any building or facility (other than (A) a privately owned residential structure not leased by the Government for subsidized housing programs and (B) any building or facility on a military installation designed and constructed primarily for use by able bodied military personnel) the intended use for which either will require that such building or facility be accessible to the public, or may result in the employment or residence therein of physically handicapped persons, which building or facility is- (1) to be constructed or altered by or on behalf of the United States; (2) to be leased in whole or in part by the United States after August 12, 1968; (3) to be financed in whole or in part by a grant or a loan made by the United States after August 12, 1968, if such building or facility is subject to standards for design, construction, or alteration issued under authority of the law authorizing such grant or loan; or (4) to be constructed under authority of the National Capital Transportation Act of 1960, the National Capital Transportation Act of 1965, or title III of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Regulation Compact. ( Pub. L. 90–480, §1, Aug. 12, 1968, 82 Stat. 718 ; Pub. L. 91–205, Mar. 5, 1970, 84 Stat. 49 ; Pub. L. 94–541, title II, §201(1), Oct. 18, 1976, 90 Stat. 2507 .) The National Capital Transportation Act of 1960, referred to in par. (4), is Pub. L. 86–669, July 14, 1960, 74 Stat. 537 , which enacted sections 651, 652, 661 to 665, and 671 of former Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works, and enacted provisions set out as notes under section 651 of former Title 40 and which was repealed by Pub. L. 91–143, §8(a)(1), Dec. 9, 1969, 83 Stat. 322 . The National Capital Transportation Act of 1965, referred to in par. (4), is Pub. L. 89–173, Sept. 8, 1965, 79 Stat. 663 , as amended. Section 1 of the Act, which was classified to a note under section 681 of former Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works, was repealed by Pub. L. 107–217, §6(b), Aug. 21, 2002, 116 Stat. 1304 . Section 2 of the Act, which was classified to section 681 of former Title 40, has been omitted from the Code. Sections 3 and 4 of the Act, which were classified to sections 682 and 683, respectively, of former Title 40, were repealed by Pub. L. 91–143, §8(a)(2), Dec. 9, 1969, 83 Stat. 323 . Sections 5(a) (no subsec. (b) was enacted) and 6 of the Act, which were classified to sections 684 and 685, respectively, of former Title 40, were repealed by Pub. L. 107–217, §6(b), Aug. 21, 2002, 116 Stat. 1304. Section 7 of the Act amended provisions classified to section 662 of former Title 40, which was repealed by Pub. L. 89–774, §5(b), Nov. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 1353 . Section 8 of the Act, which was classified to a note under section 681 of former Title 40, has been omitted from the Code. 1976-Pub. L. 94–541 inserted in parenthetical text "not leased by the Government for subsidized housing programs" after "structure" and struck out from par. (2) ", after construction or alteration in accordance with plans and specifications of the United States" after "August 12, 1968". 1970-Par. (4). Pub. L. 91–205 added par. (4). Pub. L. 90–480, Aug. 12, 1968, 82 Stat. 718 , which enacted this chapter, is popularly known as the "Architectural Barriers Act of 1968". Applicability of 1976 Amendment to Leases Entered Into Before, On, or After January 1, 1977 Pub. L. 94–541, title II, §202, Oct. 18, 1976, 90 Stat. 2508 , provided that: "The amendment made by paragraph (1) of section 201 of this Act [amending this section] shall not apply to any lease entered into before January 1, 1977. It shall apply to every lease entered into on or after January 1, 1977, including any renewal of a lease entered into before such date which renewal is on or after such date."

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Desert Sun: Palm Springs voters will decide the fate of short-term vacation rentals in June posted by Brad Hover | 2sc One way or another, the Palm Springs short-term vacation rental debate will be over in less than four months. The City Council voted 4-0 on Wednesday to put the matter to the voters at during an already scheduled statewide election on June 5...The vote came after a lengthy discussion of an economic impact report, conducted by international tourism consulting company Tourism Economics, which painted a bleak picture of how the city would be impacted if the measure were adopted. The greater Palm Springs area could lose $199 million annually–a number questioned by Council members and residents–tallying together direct and indirect revenue losses from fewer people flying through Palm Springs International Airport and filling up at local gas stations to decreased spending at local shops and restaurants, according to the 24-page report… The issue drew commentary from people who support and oppose short-term rentals, but both sides seemed to support putting the matter to the voters in June, so the issue could finally be resolved. Aftab Dada, president of the Palm Springs Hospitality Association, said he was worried about the economic implications of getting rid of a majority of the city’s short-term rentals. “My question to the folks that are putting this on the ballot is how are we going to substitute or replace that kind of revenue?” he said. Peter MacFarlane, who said he operates short-term rental properties, said he sometimes asks people staying at his properties if they would return to Palm Springs if they had to stay in a hotel, and they said no. He said banning rentals in residential neighborhoods would be akin to “starting a bakery and not carrying cakes and cupcakes.”

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Church of St Mary Magdalene, Valletta Artist & artwork at this venue: Kyung-Jin Cho Swing Jam, 2017 Activated by a rotating mechanism, three wooden pieces navigate the space between a series of ceramic bowls manually shaped by the artist, creating wonderful vibrating sounds. Image pages: Kyung-Jin Cho & Saskia Calderón Valletta boasts numerous churches and chapels that were built during the time of the Knights of the Order of St John. The church dedicated to St Mary Magdalene was commissioned by Grand Master Antoine de Paul and constructed between 1623 and 1636. It was built for the cloistered nuns of St Mary Magdalene, whose monastery once stood next to the church, being the largest and richest of Valletta’s nunneries. The Magdalene nuns of Valletta enjoyed a history of 203 years affiliated to the Order of St John, until it was abolished by the French authorities who must have keenly aware of their wealth. During the WW2, the church and monastery suffered great damage, and eventually fell into a bad state of neglect. The church has been recently restored, bringing its Baroque interior to life once again, and opening up its use as a cultural venue. Merchants Street, Valletta Tue - Sun 10 am - 6 pm Tour through the venues with information and photos about the sites and exhibited artworks, as well as interactive geolocations. Fort St. Elmo Nat. Museum of Archaeology © Photos: Courtesy Valletta 2018 Foundation © Photo on top: Darren Agius

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How Much Money Does a Caregiver Make? by Gregory Hamel Caregivers prepare meals in accordance with any dietary requirements the patient has. 1 What Is the Salary of a Speech Pathologist? 2 Job Recruiter Salary 3 The Salaries of Motorcycle Mechanics 4 Elderly Caregiver Salary As the baby boomer generation enters retirement, the need for personal caregivers who provide services like housekeeping and meal preparation to the elderly and disabled is stronger than ever, as of 2012. The number of jobs for caregivers is expected to increase 70 percent between 2010 and 2020, a rate that far outpaces most other occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The job of caregiver generally does not require a formal education, and it is possible to become one without a high school diploma. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average annual income of personal care aides was $20,560 in May 2011 and that workers in the occupation earned an average $9.88. The median income of caregivers was $19,730, which means that half of workers made less than $19,730 and half earned more. Workers with more experience, education and specialized skills often earn more than peers working in the same job field. The top 10 percent of caregivers in terms of annual income made more than $26,590 in May 2011, while those in the bottom 10 percent earned less than $16,240, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fifty percent of all workers in the occupation earned between $17,590 and $22,850 a year. Many types of companies and organizations hire personal care aides, and income can vary from one industry to the next. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that caregivers engaged in individual and family services made an annual average of $20,650 in May 2011, while workers engaged in home health care services earned $19,190. Workers involved in vocational rehabilitation earned $21,690; those employed by elementary and secondary schools earned $27,090; and workers employed by state governments earned $30,540. Alaska was the top paying state for caregivers in May 2011, with workers earning an average annual salary of $28,770. Workers employed in New Jersey, Massachusetts, North Dakota and the District of Columbia earned at least $24,650. Texas employed the most personal care aides of any state, and workers in the state earned $17,640, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Home Health and Personal Care Aides U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: 39-9021 Personal Care Aides Gregory Hamel has been a writer since September 2008 and has also authored three novels. He has a Bachelor of Arts in economics from St. Olaf College. Hamel maintains a blog focused on massive open online courses and computer programming. Hamel, Gregory. "How Much Money Does a Caregiver Make?" Work - Chron.com, http://work.chron.com/much-money-caregiver-make-1641.html. Accessed 20 January 2020. Hamel, Gregory. (n.d.). How Much Money Does a Caregiver Make? Work - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://work.chron.com/much-money-caregiver-make-1641.html Hamel, Gregory. "How Much Money Does a Caregiver Make?" accessed January 20, 2020. http://work.chron.com/much-money-caregiver-make-1641.html The Average Salary of a Masseuse Average Salaries of Automobile Mechanics The Average Salaries of Professional Tax Preparers Expected Salary of a Hair Stylist Responsibilities of a TSS Worker Live-In Home Health Care Salaries The Average Salary of a Non-Medical Care Provider How Much Do House Cleaners Make? What Is the Income of a Florist? The Hourly Salary of a Light Truck Driver The Average Salary of a Senior Care Provider

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Knesset Opposition leader urges emergency immigration for US Jews Jewish Agency head Isaac Herzog. (Flash90/Miriam Alster) (Flash90/Miriam Alster) WhatsApp Email https://worldisraelnews.com/knesset-opposition-leader-urges-emergency-immigration-for-us-jews/ After calling for an emergency program to absorb a wave of immigrants from the US, Herzog is confident that the US government “will do all it can” to fight a recent surge in anti-Semitism. Knesset Opposition leader Isaac Herzog, chairman of the Zionist Union political alliance, called for the establishment of an “emergency national program” to absorb a large number of immigrants from the United States in light of a recent significant uptick in anti-Semitic attacks. “I call on the government to urgently prepare and establish an emergency national program to enable a wave of Jewish immigration for our brethren,” Herzog said at a meeting with his faction. At least nine Jewish community centers (JCCs) and Jewish day schools in the US got bomb threats on Monday, making it the fifth wave of such threats against Jewish institutions in the US since the beginning of January. Most recently, approximately 100 headstones in the Mount Carmel Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia were vandalized and toppled on Saturday night, only a week after a similar incident occurred at the Chesed Shel Emeth Jewish cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri. “I wish to express my shock and vociferous condemnation of the outbreak of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States, France and other places around the world,” Herzog stated. “I am sure that the US government will do all it can to put an end to this phenomenon with all its might.” For his part, Vice-President Mike Pence took it upon himself to help clean up the Chesed Shel Emeth cemetery after it was vandalized. President Donald Trump has referred to the recent jump in anti-Semitic bomb threats against Jewish community centers and institutions across the US as “horrible” and “painful.” By: Jonathan Benedek, World Israel News Aliyahanti-semitismBomb threatHerzogPenceTrumpVandalism I found a very interesting article on World Israel News! Click to read this: --> https://worldisraelnews.com/knesset-opposition-leader-urges-emergency-immigration-for-us-jews/

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To bridge Peru’s digital divide, these researchers are taking Wikipedia offline By Ed Erhart• 18 February 2019 Columbia University researchers trialed a pilot project in the Quechua-speaking regions of Peru to bring Wikipedia to areas with little to no access to the internet. For many years, the Wikimedia Foundation’s vision statement has asked us to imagine how the world would be changed if every single person on Earth had access to the “sum of all knowledge”—but because Wikipedia is a web project, only those with internet access could reach that knowledge. That’s left billions behind. Anne Nelson, who teaches at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in New York City, is looking for ways to bridge this digital divide. Nelson was one of the first professors at Columbia to use Wikipedia in her classes, and quickly became intrigued by its potential for spreading knowledge within emerging nations. Last year, Nelson and a team of graduate student researchers partnered with the Peruvian Ministry of Education and educators in Cusco—the historical capital of the Inca Empire, now at the heart of the Quechua-speaking region of Peru—to connect students with offline versions of Wikipedia. Located high in the Andes Mountains, many people in and around Cusco have poor access to the internet. The forbidding terrain blocks cell signals, and even if they didn’t, most people lack the resources to pay for a large data plan. The ground and remote location also makes it cost prohibitive to install the infrastructure required for wired internet service. Photo via Anne Nelson, CC BY-SA 4.0. Facing this challenge, a member of Nelson’s team visited Peru in 2017, where she introduced so-called “Internet-in-a-box” devices to officials at the Ministry of Education. These are essentially Wi-Fi hotspots that use Kiwix to serve up pre-loaded content instead of internet web pages. One year later, a new team traveled to Cusco and other remote regions at the invitation of the education ministry to introduce the devices on a local level. The students worked alongside Peruvian educators, studying the needs and user behaviors of the local populations. Many of their schools, for instance, emphasize vocational education, and one runs a small educational farm with an area set aside for raising cuy, a breed of guinea pigs and an important source of food in the region. The Columbia group found that the teachers here were excited to trial new educational materials that could help their students learn more about these animals and their cultivation. This experience led Nelson to realize that the Internet-in-a-box devices needed to host videos on the best ways of cultivating cuy (and other agricultural activities) that could help the students learn how to grow an ever-greater variety of foods. In the summer of 2018, Harold Cardenas Lema, a Columbia graduate student, packed up five of those Internet-in-a-box devices and deployed them in some of the most remote schools around Cusco. The results were exciting, to say the least. “It was a transformative experience,” Nelson says, and points out that the Internet-in-a-box are still in use today. One of the major reasons why is the content changes implemented after the spring 2018 test case, which have proven to be some of the most popular content on the devices. It’s a point for Nelson, who told me that “one problem with educational technology is the one-size-fits-all approach, [even though] different populations have different needs that are only discovered by field research and ongoing communication. I wish every Wikipedian could see the faces of the Quechua teachers light up when they first see Wikipedia articles on cuy in Spanish, and the history of the Incas in Quechua.” Nelson’s graduate students have also worked with Dr. Sam Zidovetski, the Mount Sinai Global Health team, and Dr. James Heilman of the Wiki Project Med Foundation to trial similar Internet-in-a-box devices in the Dominican Republic. These hotspots were filled with medical articles in Spanish and Creole. (Dr. Heilman is also a current member of the Wikimedia Foundation’s Board of Trustees.) I asked Nelson about her inspiration for the project, and she said that it extends back to one of her first jobs: I began my career as a journalist covering the wars in El Salvador and Guatemala in the early 1980s. I spent a lot of time in the countryside with indigenous people and peasants and saw how deprived they were of information and educational resources (along with other basic needs). That experience stuck with me. When I began to teach journalism and digital media at Columbia, I always kept the focus on what could be done working with developing countries. Fast forward almost forty years, and I’m leading a Columbia graduate research project on digital media in Cuba. Our team observed that the Cubans, desperately poor in infrastructure, had devised some clever and economically efficient ways to share information offline through an USB distribution system they called el paquete (“the packet”). When I presented our research at [the 2016] WikiConference North America in San Diego, [Wikimedia community member] Lane Rasberry told me “You have to meet Adam Holt!” This led to a collaboration with Holt’s Internet-in-a-Box project. The lead researcher on the Cuba project was Mariela Machado, a Venezuelan telecommunications engineer. Mariela and I partnered to oversee another Columbia team the next year in the Dominican Republic, with friends at the Mount Sinai Global Health team. That led to the invitation from the Ministry of Education in Peru to test it in Quechua schools in the Cusco region. The summer extension of that research was conducted by Harold Cardenas Lema—whom I had recruited for Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) when I met him in Havana the first year of the research. As an educator, I believe that sharing the values of cooperation and supporting the careers of brilliant young people like Mariela and Harold are vitally important. I firmly believe in putting them in problem-solving situations in the field, face-to-face with our local collaborators. Everyone benefits. Looking forward, Nelson is eager to see the dissemination of research related to this pilot project, which she hopes will generate interest in expanding the project. “As academic field researchers,” she explains, “we can provide information and contacts to leverage projects, but we’re not set up to be implementers.” Cardenas Lema will likely be exploring a similar project in his native Cuba after his graduation from Columbia in a few months. All of the material from the three years of research will be available under a free Creative Commons license. One way they’re spreading these results is through the a video with SIPA’s Picker Center Digital Education Group. Produced by Adam Stepan, formerly of PBS and the Discovery Channel, the video was shot by student teams on mobile phones with cheap stabilizers. It premiered at WikiConference North America 2018, held in Columbus, Ohio. “This video will allow us to share our findings with a wide variety of people, including our Quechua partners in Peru, and hope that it will encourage others to build on our findings,” Nelson says. You can watch it now at the bottom of this post. Nelson is also eager to study the educational benefits of the Internet-in-a-box devices compared to consistent access to the internet. “I’ve realized how profligate our use of digital resources is,” she told me, likening it to leaving a sink running 24 hours per day on the chance that you’ll want to drink from it. “Educators at every level, including graduate school, struggle with students who are distracted by the internet and social media, both in and out of the classroom. The ‘closed environment’ of the Internet-in-a-Box project means that if the students are connected, they are connected to educational material instead of the distractions of social media.” Ed Erhart, Senior Editorial Associate, Communications The Wikimedia Foundation supported this research with travel grants, and you can learn more about how we support pilot projects like this in our 2018–19 annual report. The video below comes from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and is freely licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Internet_in_a_Box.webm Anne Nelson Related — 有關 Kiwix is connecting the unconnected Community Wikipedia In Eritrea or Cuba, people routinely buy Wikipedia for one dollar.[1] Wait, what? Isn’t Wikipedia free? Of course it is—Wikipedia, in fact, is entirely free and very easy to reach if you are not one of four billion people who still do not have internet connectivity. If you are, however, having problems to access your…. 21 December 2018 By Stéphane Coillet-Matillon Don’t panic! Build your own Hitchhiker’s Guide with Wikipedia Community From the archives Technology Wikipedia Enter Kiwix, the offline Wikipedia reader. 14 June 2018 By Stéphane Coillet-Matillon Connect — 連接 Peru research 2 via Anne Nelson Kiwix page view Zack McCune/Wikimedia Foundation David Strine

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Pocono Dome Christian Essentials Sabbath Day The Soul Exists Woman’s Veil Feasts of God Feast of Trumpets Christ Ahnsahnghong Savior and the New Name Second Coming Christ Coming in the Clouds and the Judgment The Sign of Second Coming Christ Second Coming Christ from South Korea Heavenly Mother God the Mother The Heavenly Family System Elohim God Abraham’s Family ASEZ Working Together for World Peace Concert Activities, ASEZ / By wmscog Working Together for World Peace For the first time ever, ASEZ held a concert, titled Working Together for World Peace. The concert took place at the World Mission Society Church of God in New Windsor, NY. In a world where opinions and values often clash, music has an uncanny ability to penetrate cultural barriers and unite otherwise unlikely acquaintances. The World Mission Society Church of God and its university student volunteer group, ASEZ, are perfect examples of this. Over the course of its existence, the Church of God has spread to 175 countries around the world. In the United States, the members of the church are as diverse as it gets, accounting for a number of different backgrounds. Now, ASEZ volunteers, who are just as diverse, are taking the lead in shaping a bright and hopeful tomorrow as the leaders of future generations. As ASEZ’s goals align very closely with those of the United Nations, the volunteers have taken the initiative to put the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into action. For example, ASEZ’s “Reduce Crime Together” movement molds perfectly with SDG #16 of establishing “peace, justice and strong institutions.” With this serving as the main theme, ASEZ and the Church of God held Working Together for World Peace, bringing friends, family and community leaders together. Inspiring Peace and Love Through Music The audience enjoyed an array of spectacular performances by the New York Church of God Choir and Orchestra. The musical pieces ranged from American, Christian anthems like “Amazing Grace” and “Since Christ My Soul from Sin Set Free” to popular movie soundtrack songs such as “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt and “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman. The choir and orchestra also performed original pieces composed and written by members of the World Mission Society Church of God. These songs included “O Eternal Eden” and “All You, Pass Through the Red Sea.” Consequently, all of the songs, despite being from different genres, had a single commonality—peace and love. Following the intermission, audience members learned about ASEZ’s volunteer program through a presentation. The presenter explained how cleaning and sprucing up communities where there are visible signs of crime can actually produce a reverse effect of reducing crime. In this way, ASEZ student volunteers take care of their college campuses and nearby communities through organized cleanup campaigns. The presenter also explained the connection between peace and music. The audience watched a single video of sea creatures two times. The first time they watched the video, it was accompanied by heart-pounding music reminiscent of Jaws. However, the second time around, the video was accompanied by relaxing, slow-paced music. Though they watched the same video twice, depending on the music, an entirely different scene and feeling emerged. Thus, music has the power to bring peace into our lives despite the circumstances around us. The night ended with a grand finale of a finish, as the choir and orchestra performed the Church of God’s very own piece, “Our Mother Saves the World.” The song was followed by a roar of an applause and a standing ovation. Guests commented on the concert saying that it was “some of the best music I’ve ever heard” or “I didn’t see an orchestra, I saw love.” Concert attendees included professors, teachers, government officials, CEOs, professional musicians, and family and friends. Pledging Support for ASEZ Afterwards, the attendees were invited for a reception in the church fellowship to enjoy refreshments. Additionally, during the reception, a number of prominent guests signed ASEZ MOUs in support of the student volunteers’ activities. Those who pledged their support for ASEZ included Jana Herzen, CEO of Motema Music as well as an artist and musician; Patrick Bandanaa, CEO & President of African Youth Justice; George Monteverdi, Engineer at Unitex Textiles; Marion McClary, PhD, Professor of Biology at Farleigh Dickinson University; Long Feng Chen, PhD, Secretary of New Century Institute; Dimitri Tomboris, CEO & President of Commerce Electrical Contracting Corporation; and Charnett Moffet, a composer and recording artist. “I have been to many concerts in my lifetime, but this one took it to another level,” said George Monteverdi of Unitex. “I liked the whole thing. It was well put together, worthwhile to see. I hope that it grows bigger. I think it will grow bigger because it really inspired me, enough to where I am seriously thinking of joining.” To see activities carried out by ASEZ, visit wmscog.com/asez or contact us to learn how to volunteer with ASEZ or the Church of God. Copyright © 2018 | World Mission Society Church of God | All Rights Reserved | All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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Experts advise sensitive approaches to food screening Lori O’Keefe Correspondent By all appearances, a well-dressed family living in an upscale neighborhood should be able to afford the food required to meet the dietary needs of their child’s medical condition. However, a job loss led the family to spend all of their savings, and they can’t find the money for the food. This family is among the 17.5 million households who are food insecure. But visibly determining who lacks access to food because of financial or other resource limitations can be difficult, said Sarah Jane Schwarzenberg, M.D., FAAP, a lead author of the 2015 AAP policy statement Promoting Food Security for All Children (http://bit.ly/1KV27KL). Roughly 17.5 million households are food insecure. Therefore, pediatricians should question all families about food security, said Dr. Schwarzenberg, a member of the AAP Committee on Nutrition. Routine part of health history The Academy recommends asking the following two screening questions at health maintenance visits or sooner, if indicated: 1. “Within the past 12 months, we worried whether our food would run out before we got money to buy more.” Yes or no? 2. “Within the past 12 months, the food we bought just didn’t last, and we didn’t have money to get more.” Yes or no? The tool, called the Hunger Vital Sign, was developed in 2010 by Children’s HealthWatch from the U.S. Household Food Security Scale. It also includes the following statement to “frame” the screening: “A lot of people have been telling me they are having trouble getting enough food for their families.” “Parents feel worried and ashamed talking about food insecurity, so I always preface my conversations with patients by saying, ‘Food is important to health. I want to make sure you have the food you need and the right types of food, so I ask all of my patients these questions,’” said Hilary Seligman, M.D., M.A.S., senior medical adviser and lead scientist with Feeding America, associate professor at University of California San Francisco School of Medicine and board member of a California food bank. Despite pediatricians’ best efforts, however, some parents will be reluctant to reveal their food insecurity issues, fearing further scrutiny or possible reprisals from outside agencies. They also might be hesitant to seek services. Families usually feel more comfortable disclosing information about hardships when the screening is presented in the context of health care, said Diana Cutts, M.D., FAAP, a pediatrician at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, which operates an onsite food pantry and a feeding program for children during summer months. Children who live in households that are food insecure get sick more often and are at risk for lasting negative effects on health, behavior and development, according to the policy statement. “The more we ask families about food insecurity, the more they will understand that this issue matters to their children’s health because a lot of families don’t make that connection,” said Patricia J. Flanagan, M.D., FAAP, a co-author of the policy statement and vice chair of the AAP Council on Community Pediatrics Executive Committee. Dr. Flanagan advises performing hunger screening at least once a year, since a family’s circumstances can change. If the patient population is low income, screening should be done more often since about 45% of low-income families are food insecure. Some pediatricians may prefer to screen for food insecurity with a questionnaire rather than verbally. Have resources available Pediatricians should be familiar with federal and local hunger relief resources for families who screen positive. Resources include: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), National School Lunch and National School Breakfast programs, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program, and local food pantries and soup kitchens. “It’s important to recognize that this is a screening tool, not a diagnostic tool, and it is not our intention for pediatricians to have to deal with this issue themselves when they uncover it,” Dr. Schwarzenberg said. “Our hope is that they will use the information to offer families referrals to organizations that can help them.” Partnering with local organizations that initiate contact with families can be more effective than expecting families to be proactive about getting help, added Dr. Seligman. Hennepin County Medical Center has partnered with local food banks using an electronic medical record-based referral system. Families who screen positive for food insecurity are electronically referred to food banks, which contact them to provide food, as well as help determine eligibility and complete applications for federal food assistance. About 1,000 referrals have been made since the system was launched just over a year ago. Some clinics have emergency food onsite or employ financial counselors to assist families with SNAP applications. “Anything you can do to help food-insecure patients find resources is going to help families feel less stressed, and that’s really important for both quality of life and taking care of health conditions,” Dr. Seligman said. WIC income eligibility requirements Income eligibility requirements for school meal programs SNAP benefits Summer Meal Site Finder AAP News article “Identifying food insecurity: Two-question screening tool has 97% sensitivity” AAP FACE poverty campaign for pediatricians-in-training You are going to email the following Experts advise sensitive approaches to food screening

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Free Hamlet Essays: Finding Fault Finding Fault in Hamlet The old English is difficult enough to understand when it is clearly spoken in a direct manner, but it is even more difficult when Hamlet, Prince of Denmark speaks so sarcastically and indirectly. Throughout Shakespeare' play, Hamlet is very indirect and speaks in a way that is not easily interpreted by the other characters. It seems as though he never speaks in an honest manner, never disclosing his true thought to anyone. Even if Hamlet ever says something that sound sincere, the audience is not sure of whether it is yet another of Hamlet's games, or if he is really telling the truth. The ambiguous way that he speaks is however, not the cause of his downfall; the actions of all those involved is what causes everyone to either kill or be killed. In numerous scenes throughout the play, Hamlet uses sharp wit and sarcasm to speak in a way, that confuses the other characters. For example, in Act 2 and Scene 2, with Polonius and Hamlet, Hamlet is speaking in a very sarcastic and confusing manner to Polonius, but he in turn doesn't notice the meaning of Hamlet's words because he just assumes that Hamlet has gone crazy, resulting in his awkward speech. In a scene with Hamlet and Ophelia, Hamlet tells her that he never really loved her and that she should "get to a nunnery". She believes him, because Hamlet speaks in an honest way; however, later at Ophelia's funeral we discover that he had lied to her, and that he did really love her. In his famous "to be or not to be" silioque, Hamlet is, again, very ambiguous. In this speech, he seeks as though he is contemplating suicide or weather to just keep living. He makes himself look like a confused and crazy young man; however, he tells Horatio that he is truly not crazy. No one knows what to believe from whom. Hamlet always says two things at once, and he then acts in a way, that is completely unpredictable. I think he played crazy to confuse Claudius and Polonius in order to avenge for his father's death. At the same time that he is playing the mad man, to Claudius, Polonius and his mother, he plays the untruthful and confused boyfriend to Ophelia. No one ever knows what Hamlet's true intentions are. "Free Hamlet Essays: Finding Fault." 123HelpMe.com. 20 Jan 2020 <https://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=7590>. William Shakespeare 's ' Hamlet ' Essay - Claudius’ prayer was very important in Hamlet because of the emotional language used and the biblical references with allegories tied into his prayer. This prayer is a very vital part of the play because it is when Claudius admits to killing his brother and the ghost’s insight is proven true. In act three scene three, we see Claudius finding it very difficult to pray because of his lack of guilt and overwhelming guilt which flip-flop back and forth for his brother’s murder. He utters a prayer where he verbally admits to all his crimes and also realizes that he is not ready to give up all that he’s gained from his brother’s death.... [tags: Hamlet, Prince Hamlet, Characters in Hamlet, KILL] Free Hamlet Essays: Use of Deception in Hamlet - Use of Deception in Hamlet Hamlet is a play by William Shakespeare about a prince named Hamlet who was spoken to by the ghost of his dead father telling Hamlet to kill his uncle Claudius (the new king) because Claudius killed him. The story revolves around Hamlet's dillema of how to kill his uncle while being deceptive enough so that no one finds out about the ghost. This essay will prove how deception is often used in Hamlet for many reasons. Claudius uses deception to protect himself from being prosecuted for his crime of killing the King.... [tags: GCSE English Literature Coursework] Free Will : William Shakespeare 's ' Hamlet ' And ' Oedipus ' Essay - Free Will: A response to Hamlet and Oedipus The absence or presence of fate and free will is as controversial as religion and science. The question of whether one can exist without the other is purely a matter of perspective, but the amount of evidence for both is vast. Like all topics of this magnitude, the fate or free will influence reaches all aspects of life. In literature, whether knowingly or unknowingly, works are subjective to the author’s ideals, but the interpretation of the works by the reader is a product of his or her ideals.... [tags: Hamlet, Characters in Hamlet, Oedipus, Free will] Free Will in Shakespeare's Hamlet Essay - The Free Will of Hamlet Choices made by Hamlet, which ultimately lead to his death, are all guided by his own free will. In mourning his father's death, Hamlet chooses to do so for what others consider to be an excessive amount of time. “But to persever/ In obstinate condolement is a course/ Of impious stubbornness”(I.ii.99-100), according to Claudius. During this period of mourning, Hamlet meets his father’s spirit and promises to avenge his father’s death. However, upon reflection, he questions the validity of the ghost’s message. At this point he carefully goes about choosing a plan of action that will inevitably show that “the king is to blame” (V.ii.340) In following his plan, Haml... [tags: Free Hamlet Essays] Hamlet: Finding Courage to Die Essay - Hamlet: Finding Courage to Die In William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" we see a young man paralyzed with grief over his father. So much so that he is believed to have gone mad. Hamlet is such a complex character that one must look deeply to find what drives him. Did he really have the courage to kill the king or was it madness. Hamlet's character will be illuminated by explaining both soliloquies and finally Hamlet himself. "To be, or not to be, that is the question," (Beaty, 1348) is one of the most famous and well known excerpts from the play "Hamlet." What most people do not realize is the significance it has in the portrayal of the character Hamlet.... [tags: Shakespeare Hamlet] Long Point Fault Essay - Area of the Long Point Fault The Long Point Fault is located in Harris County, which covers 83,450 square miles located with in Houston, Teaxas City Limits. Research specifies that there are three sections of the Long Point fault that appear to be active; some sections of the Long Point fault have averaged more than 2 cm per year of vertical offset over the last 20 years. Evidence of the faults concludes it is a natural fault. The reason for activity is not caused by man, even though man’s activities are not helping the issues, but clearly humans are not the initial cause, biological activity can be in fact an adiitional cause for its movement.... [tags: Fault Damage, Geology, Biology] Free Essays - Asides in Hamlet - Free Essays - Asides in Hamlet Asides... what is an asides. Unlike a soliloquy that is spoken when the speaker is the only actor onstage, an aside is spoken by an actor when there are other actors present on the stage. The aside is also meant for the audience, but sometimes an aside is spoken to an actor(s) on the stage, but not to all of the actors on the stage. How do the asides in “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare effect the dynamics of the play.... [tags: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays] Free Hamlet Essays: The Perspective of Aristotle on Hamlet - Custom Written Essays - The Perspective of Aristotle on Hamlet One of the foremost Elizabethan tragedies is Hamlet by William Shakespeare and one of the earliest critics of tragedy is Aristotle. One way to measure Shakespeare's work is to appraise it using the methods of classical critics and thereby to see how if it would have retained its meaning. Hamlet is one of the most recognizable and most often quoted tragedies in the all of English literature. Aristotle, is concerned with the proper presentation of tragic plays and poetry.... [tags: GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Hamlet] Free Hamlet Essays: Teaching Deception and Selfishness in Hamlet - Teaching Deception and Selfishness in Hamlet The Tragedy of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, illustrates the disintegration of not only a family but a society. In a play riddled with greed, manipulation and dishonesty, the end result is the demise of all the main characters. ?It is clear that the theme of vengeance is merely a vehicle used by Shakespeare in order to articulate...themes central to humanity: relationships between father and son, mother and son, and Hamlet and his friends...youth and age.... [tags: GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Hamlet] The Foils in Hamlet Essay examples - Foils in Hamlet A foil is a minor character that helps the audience better understand a major character. A foil may exist as a comparison character, with similarities between the two, as well as differences that bring to light an important contrast between the foil and the main character. A foil may also just be someone for the main character to talk to, so we can know and understand their thoughts and feelings. Foils help us understand the obvious as well as the arcane. In the classic tragedy Hamlet, we see William Shakespeare employ foils to illustrate both examples.... [tags: Free Hamlet Essays] Fault Hamlet Prince Of Denmark Other Characters Sure Discover Sharp Crazy Sarcasm Polonius Symbols and Symbolism in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie Essay About Love in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby Deception in Tartuffe, Phaedra, and The Marriage of Figaro A Feminist Analysis of Perceval, Tristan and Isolt, and Aucassin and Nicolette Toni Morrison's Sula - The Fire Within Sula The Peary Expedition as Allegory in Ragtime While Hamlet's indirect and blurry speech is the reason for much chaos and commotion at the castle, Elsinore, it is the actions of all the involved that cause the tragedy. The emotions that are sparked within all the other characters by Hamlet's unpredictable actions and cryptic remarks are what cause drastic and unrational actions from Ophelia, Leartes, and Claudius. Leartes and Claudius' hate for Hamlet is increased by his vague language, causing both to go to drastic measures to kill him. All the misunderstanding between Hamlet and Ophelia is what may have driven her to madness, but it was Polonius' murder at the hands of Hamlet that drove her to suicide. Hamlet does speak very sarcastic and cryptic, but it is not his indirect speaking that causes his downfall. It is the assumptions and misinterpretations that cause emotions to arise, these in turn cause crazy actions by all characters that result in this dramatic end. It is not only Hamlet, but all the other characters that are equally responsible for the tragic story.

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Shared Value 21 Invest Italy 21 Invest France 21 Concordia 21 Concordia to partner with Adesso 21 Concordia, the Polish private equity firm of 21 Partners, acquired 25% of Adesso S.A, the second largest player in the general fashion discount store segment in Poland, from the Redan S.A. group, one of the leading Polish branded fashion retailers. Founded in 1989, Adesso S.A. operates a leading Polish chain of discount clothing stores under the TextilMarket brand. The Company has over 300 shops and offers a wide range of fashionable clothing for the entire family at very attractive prices. In 2013, Adesso S.A. generated sales in excess of €M 55. Alongside the management team, 21 will foster the company's growth strategy, based on the following drivers: organic growth through increase in national coverage, with the opening of approximately 30 new stores in Poland every year, combined with further dynamic development of the e-commerce channel, and international expansion of the network in neighbouring countries of Central and Easter Europe, namely Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania, for which the first locations are have already been opened. The objective is to reach a network of approximately 650 stores, including some 150 locations abroad. Dariusz Górka, Managing Partner of 21 Concordia commented: “Adesso is one of the leading players in its market. The diversified business model, combined with the growing segment of discount clothing retail, including the Internet distribution channel, constitute a very attractive investment opportunity for our Fund. The Company has an established country-wide store network, offers broad range of inexpensive SKUs and has a diversified supplier base. We are glad that we can support the Company and the professional Management team in its further development in Poland and abroad.” “We are very happy to welcome 21 Concordia in Adesso. The new shareholder offers professional support in Adesso’s development and financing of its operations. While working with 21 Concordia we can benefit from the extensive experience and competences of the 21 Partners group in the textile and retail industry abroad.” – commented Bogusz Kruszyński, Vice President of the Management Board of Redan S.A. 21 Partners has become 21 Invest: a story that renews itself alongside its companies 21 Partners has become 21 invest: a story that renews itself alongside its companies. The investment firm shares its new logo and corporate identity to keep growing 21 Concordia invests in VGL 21 Concordia, a private equity fund from 21 Partners group, acquired a 40% stake in the leading Polish freight forwarding and logistics operator – VGL Group Sp. z o.o. 21 Concordia invests in Sare 21 Concordia, a private equity fund from the 21 Partners group, acquired a 65.45% stake in the leading internet marketing group listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange ─ SARE SA. Fail to load posts. Try to refresh page. © 2020 21 invest. All rights reserved.

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The research in this area produced evidence and actionable recommendations on how to foster the adoption of intermittent renewable energytechnologies in Africa, in order to increase energy access and the delivery of quality power to consumers. The research was conducted in Ghana, Ethiopia and South Africa. Africa has a huge and largely untapped renewable energy potential, while at the same time over 640 million Africans lack access to electricity. Renewable energy technologies are in many cases able to generate power at a lower cost compared to fossil fuels, and are particularly suited to provide energy in rural areas far from the grid. However, the fact that most widespread renewable energy sources (solar and wind) are intermittent increases costs and limits a more wide-spread diffusion in the absence of storage solutions, “hybridization” or adequate grid infrastructure. Exploring hybrid models for universal access to basic solar energy services in informal settlements: Case studies from South Africa and Zimbabwe Research partners: The Sustainability Institute (SI) (South Africa) in collaboration with Shack Dwellers International (SDI). In order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7, innovative approaches will be required to deliver affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy to Africa’s poor. Solar Home Systems (SHSs) are an increasingly affordable and reliable option for low-income urban households to access electricity in a manner that bypasses the legal, financial and practical barriers that often impede grid electrification in urban informal settlements. Adaptive hybrid models have been emphasized as a solution for delivering and scaling access to SHSs so that synergies between government- donor- or market-led approaches can be harnessed to achieve truly universal, and thus equitable, access. This research looks at two case studies of SHS delivery models that could, if combined, embody some of the envisaged benefits of the hybrid idea. Results brief The use of renewable, off-grid technologies, such as SHSs can drastically speed up the process of upgrading informal settlements. However, the recent proliferation of SHSs in rural SSA has contributed to some negative perceptions about the technology, especially when sales are not backed-up with a high quality after-sales maintenance support. Also, the high entry costs of SHSs that are priced and financed for profit (i.e. not subsidised) means that commercial ventures are limited in their impact on the poorest of the poor. Conversely, subsidised government-led projects can crowd out positive competitive elements that drive growth and innovation, and can stifle private investments in longer-term energy services. Thanks to rapid technical advances, the capital and maintenance costs of SHSs are now relatively modest in comparison to the operations and maintenance costs of grid electricity. Thus, SHSs are now a cost-effective way for the state to start contributing to universal energy access in line with the growing international consensus on basic energy as a right and with the SDGs. Together with an operational subsidy from local government, affordable end-user co-payments can ensure the long-term sustainability and maintenance of a basic energy service using SHSs. This then provides a solid basis upon which the service can later be incrementally upgraded. By delivering such a subsidised energy service via flexible and adaptive partnerships between the state, enterprises (for-profit and/or not-for-profit) and civil society organisations, each household’s voluntary opt-in can help to establish political buy-in from target communities who might otherwise collectively object to the service as an inferior alternative to grid connection. Furthermore, end-users are more likely to keep using and paying for the service if pricing and payment options are flexible and convenient, and if payment defaults can, to some extent, be intermediated at community level via well-established social processes and networks (e.g. savings and loan groups). Such social processes are likely to reinforce a sense of social contract and responsibility amongst users. This socially-mediated financial resilience can be further enhanced through the implementation of efficient business-orientated operating systems to ensure that costs are minimized and therefore affordability maximized. The social processes can, in turn, reduce costs by relieving the enterprise of the need to invest heavily in marketing, technical literacy and default debt collection. These synergies should translate to lower overall running costs and hence lower product pricing and improved access to the service. The iShack and Dzivarasekwa projects share a common goal of universal access to basic, clean electricity in poor, under-served urban communities. The reciprocal strengths and weaknesses of these two projects brings into relief the opportunity for symbiotic partnerships in future. Research Paper: Exploring hybrid models for universal access to basic solar energy services in informal settlements: Case studies from South Africa and Zimbabwe Universal Electrification Development Strategies for Ethiopia Research partners: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Water, Irrigation & Electricity of Ethiopia. This project provides evidence-based policy recommendations for optimal use of Ethiopian energy resources to improve electricity access, promote energy security and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions to contribute to mitigating climate change. It contributes to the design of policies and strategies that minimize investment risk for scaling up clean technologies for power generation in Ethiopia for both on-grid and off-grid systems. The project involves: 1) assessing alternative energy development pathways using a regional (Ethiopia-Egypt-Sudan) TIMES model for “on-grid” electricity generation plans, 2) optimization and cost-benefit assessment of hybrid power systems for off-grid rural electrification in Ethiopia, and 3) national capacity development on energy planning models for both on-grid and off-grid systems. On-grid system planning The results presented from the TIMES model have important policy implications. Alternative energy development pathways can meet different policy priorities or policy goals, such as providing electricity for all (universal electrification), decreasing fossil fuel use to improve energy security, and promoting reliable and affordable energy sector development through the optimal use of renewable energy sources. Each of these policy choices affects total systems cost of power generation to meet demand and has differing environmental impacts. Notably, the results show that across all the developed alternative policy options, the current supply of energy sources to generate electricity will need to diversify from hydropower to a mix of hydro, solar, and wind. The potential contribution of natural gas- and coal-based power plants for electricity generation is limited. Model results suggest that initial investments in renewable energy-based power generation capacity can be paid back over the long term. Expansion of electricity access to the entire population entails large investments in power generation capacity and substantial increases in total system costs (a 40.6%-increase compared to the Reference option) of electricity production. The results support the feasibility of investing in alternative technologies for power generation in Ethiopia to meet projected electricity demand. Solar PV and wind power have significant potential to supply Ethiopian power as investment costs of these technologies are slated to decline dramatically in the future. Off-grid system planning A study of a hybrid system to electrify a remote rural village in Ethiopia was also undertaken. The HOMER model was used to assess primary data for a load profile to identify optimal least-cost system options. Primary data were gathered to develop the load profile for modeling analysis using a questionnaire, focus group discussions and on-site observation. The HOMER model results show that a hybrid system with a combination of PV array, wind turbine, battery and diesel generator proved the most economically viable option for off-grid electrification. To meet the study village’s daily peak demand of 19.6 kW, the model estimates cost of energy at USD 0.207/kWh and net present cost at USD 82,734. The optimal system allows for a reduction of 37.3 tons of CO2 emissions per year compared with diesel-only electricity generation. Two capacity building events on energy planning were completed under this project. Research paper: Optimization and cost-benefit assessment of hybrid power systems for off-grid rural electrification in Ethiopia Training workshops and stakeholder/policy workshops The role of renewable energy-based off-grid mini-grid systems and service delivery schemes in isolated communities in Ghana Research partners: Kumasi Institute of Technology, Energy and Environment (KITE), Ghana The overall objective of the study is to gather evidence and provide insights as to the extent to which the GEDAP renewable energy-based mini-grid systems have addressed the energy access challenge in 4 communities in Ghana, their reliability and cost-effectiveness and the potential for upscaling. The specific objectives are: To examine the extent to which the renewable energy based mini-grids have improved access to energy; To examine the reliability and cost-effectiveness in power supply using the renewable-based technologies; To examine carbon savings that are actually being made; and, To propose actionable recommendations, a framework of policies, business models or a scheme to be developed in order to define how renewable energy technologies (RETs) can be effectively incorporated in energy plans of rural communities and local government development plans where these RET potentials are identified. Policy Brief and Paper and still to be delivered.

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Economic growth was 2.1% in 2016 due to the ongoing electricity crisis, but thanks to the new government’s efforts to resolve and clean up public finances, growth is projected to reach 3.4% in 2017 and 4.1% in 2018. The 2016 elections led to political change: the new President of the Union and the three island governors were all elected from the opposition. With a narrow economic base and a predominantly informal economy, the islands remain under-industrialized (10% of GDP), and the country is looking to adopt a regional strategy to address this issue. Growth recovered slightly in 2016, at 2.1% (up from 1.0% in 2015), but was below the rate of population growth (2.4%). It is projected to rise to 3.4% in 2017 and 4.1% in 2018 thanks to efforts by the new government to sort out the electricity crisis and improve public finance management. The country made the electricity sector a priority in June 2016, improving the production capacity of the national water and electricity company MAMWE. The industrial sector is the main driver of growth, followed by services and agriculture. The most dynamic sub-sectors include fisheries, energy, information and communication technologies, and other services. The economic outlook is promising for 2017 and 2018 for two reasons. First, a second telephone company (Telma) began operating in December 2016 and, most importantly, the government officially opened a new power station in February 2017 to deal with the electricity crisis once and for all. Since taking office in June 2016, the new government has also shown that it is determined to clean up public finances. It has taken strict measures to reduce the size of the civil service and improve domestic tax collection to finance its public investment policy. The 2017 Finance Act seeks to double the tax burden from 11.1% to 22.1%. Investment spending for 2017 is projected at 33.0% of GDP, up from 14.6% two years earlier. Budgetary difficulties in recent years caused the Public Investment Program to contract from 26% to 14.6% of GDP between 2012 and 2015. The industrial sector is still at the embryonic stage, contributing less than 10% to GDP. In 2013, the authorities launched a strategy to improve the business environment by strengthening the rights and remedies of investors and creditors, creating structured public-private dialogue and training entrepreneurs in management software by Business Edge. Despite these efforts, investment is low and viable entrepreneurial initiatives are rare, indicating that many other obstacles remain, especially at the institutional level. Other hurdles include the high cost of production factors, difficult market access, weak economic governance and the state’s role in economic activity. Aware that the private sector can create jobs and make growth more inclusive, the government is continuing its efforts in to improve the business environment in order to encourage structural transformation and diversification of the economy.

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