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Hollywood's Urban Cleansing
Patrick Range McDonald January 3, 2013
In the 1960s, Mercedes Cortes arrived in Hollywood after fleeing her homeland of Guatemala, which was roiled by bloody unrest. After moving around a bit, she and her husband and their three sons settled in a two-bedroom apartment on Eleanor Avenue, a community of run-down apartment buildings and old Craftsman-style houses, which is a short walk from Paramount Pictures and Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where many stars are buried.
A decade later, Cortes' world was shattered again — when gang violence and drug dealing hit her beloved neighborhood. This time, the affable, soft-spoken housekeeper bravely stood her ground as Hollywood was engulfed in the wave of bloodletting that gripped Los Angeles from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. A small, unimposing woman, she became a visible member of Neighborhood Watch, walking the dark streets in candlelight vigils to confront the thugs.
And it worked. Cortes and her neighbors slowly won back Eleanor Avenue. She never dreamed that she'd be evicted — for being too poor to live in her improved, more livable community.
But in 2002 her apartment building changed hands during the real estate bubble, a particularly frenzied phenomenon in Hollywood, where the taxpayer-subsidized, nearly $1 billion Hollywood Redevelopment Project Area helped fueled a Wild West of land speculation, building flipping, profit-seeking — and skyrocketing rents. In 2003, projects such as the stylish face-lift of the Cinerama Dome were completed. In 2004, Cortes' new landlord told her she had to go.
“I was working and doing good things for my neighborhood and they treated me like that,” Cortes says. “For what? They wanted more money.”
A gracious, churchgoing woman, Cortes represents a Latino diaspora of working families priced out of Hollywood and East Hollywood, a mass departure that has fueled an unexpected — and, for City Hall, increasingly embarrassing — net population plunge of 12,878 people in those two neighborhoods between 2000 and 2010.
Hollywood, defined here as the huge flatlands roughly bounded by La Brea, Melrose, Western and Franklin avenues, has lost one in every 12 of its residents. Latinos are streaming out, as a much smaller number of higher-income whites takes their place. The Latino population plummeted 17 percent, about 6,000 adults and children gone.
East Hollywood, roughly bounded by Western, Beverly, Hollywood and Hoover, has seen a net loss of more than 5,000 Latinos.
Hollywood-area City Councilman Eric Garcetti, who is running for mayor in the March 5 primary and has for 12 years avidly led the urban renewal in Hollywood, won't discuss the census data, the outflow of Latinos or the area's net population loss, none of which were foreseen by his office. But Larry Gross, executive director of the Coalition for Economic Survival, a tenants' rights advocacy group, says, “It was an economic tsunami that pushed low-income people out. There was massive displacement.”
Representing more than 8 percent of Hollywood and East Hollywood's population, the exodus of nearly 13,000 mostly Latinos is believed to be the largest mass departure from an L.A. neighborhood since “black flight,” between 1980 and 1990. In that demographic upheaval, 50,000 residents fled the violence and shattered neighborhoods of South Central and South Los Angeles.
Garcetti and other L.A. politicians have insisted that growth is as inevitable as summer tourists, and that City Hall is merely facilitating Hollywood's unavoidable, denser future with smart planning. But census data and the stories of those who have fled suggest that city planners and political leaders are facilitating what some criticize as the urban cleansing of Hollywood.
Father Michael Mandala, who was pastor at the landmark Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church on Sunset Boulevard from 1998 to 2011, repeatedly saw landlords drive out Latino families of three or four in order to rent the same space to one or two white tenants. “I'm wondering if the policymakers are on the mark with fixing Hollywood,” Mandala says, “or are they clearing out what they don't want?”
In mid-July, the Los Angeles City Council approved a new Hollywood Community Plan championed by Garcetti, which wipes out height limits in parts of Hollywood to allow skyscrapers, some of which would obscure the Hollywood Sign. At tense public hearings, hundreds of residents decried the plans for a Century City skyline in their community. Business owners, led by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, were among those who cheered the City Council's decision.
Three neighborhood groups have sued the city over the new skyscraper zoning. Brad Torgan, an attorney at The Silverstein Law Firm, which represents one of the groups, describes the Hollywood Community Plan as Garcetti's personal “vision for Hollywood — good and bad.” But, Torgan says, “There's a perception that the plan was created for the development community at the expense of the residents.”
Garcetti, the brainy, Ivy League–educated mayoral hopeful, revealed some of his thinking in a 2010 interview with Hollywood Patch: “We staged seminars in which we brought the New York banks to Hollywood and showed them the opportunities,” Garcetti said. “Whatever the project's size, my philosophy is to let the creative entrepreneurs in.” He added that “what we did was to use the nightlife to bring back the day life” — restaurants such as Beso, 25 Degrees, Cleo and Katsuya and night spots such as the Sayers Club, Drai's, My Studio and Eden.
Garcetti's chief of staff, Yusef Robb, waves off the flight of Latino families and individuals as a sign of their own good fortune, arguing that Hollywood's Latinos did so well during the past decade that they bought homes in “the suburbs.”
“We looked into the population shift in Hollywood,” Robb says, “and the situation tended to be people making choices to their own advantage.”
Robb could not provide L.A. Weekly any data to back up his claim. In fact, it appears that Garcetti and his sizable staff — about 20 full-time personal aides — are unprepared to explain what is unfolding.
The hollowing out of Latinos in Hollywood is particularly dramatic in the dense, L-shaped chunk of six U.S. census tracts at the heart of Hollywood — tracts 1908.01, 1908.02, 1909.01, 1909.02, 1918.10 and 1918.20 — bordered by Western Avenue on the east, Seward Street on the west, Melrose Boulevard on the south and Sunset on the north.
Tracts 1909.01 and 1909.02 between Western, Gower, Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevard saw a net loss of 664 Latinos. Far fewer Latinos moved into than out of the neighborhood's increasingly costly apartments, condos and bungalows, resulting in a steep population decline. The same thing occurred in tracts 1908.01 and 1908.02 between Gower, Seward, Sunset and Santa Monica, where a net loss of 896 Latinos created a sharp overall population drop.
Just south of there, in tracts 1918.10 and 1918.20 bordered by Gower, Seward, Santa Monica and Melrose, a net 1,402 Latinos took off. Having lost 2,962 Latinos, the historically affordable housing in these six flatland census tracts is now a thing of the past, creating ground zero in Hollywood's working-class diaspora.
In 2000, about 80,000 people lived in Hollywood, and L.A.'s Department of Planning announced that 85,489 would live there by 2008. By 2010, only 72,000 did.
What's going on is clear enough to USC demographer Jared Sanchez. He says the data show “significant” gentrification, with wealthier households moving in — which inevitably contain fewer people than working-class households — while others get squeezed out.
Many will cheer this turn of events. Hollywood, the neighborhood, is richer, flashier and more attractive than at any time since its golden era. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce president Leron Gubler says, “We've made significant strides in cleaning up Hollywood, restoring community pride and creating a vibrant economy here in Hollywood.”
Longtime Hollywood resident and Garcetti ally Ferris Wehbe says, “There has been big change in the area. Hollywood is going to soar.”
The L.A. City Council in 1986 approved a 1,100-acre “redevelopment project area” with the aim of remaking Hollywood into a livable community. The nearly $1 billion Hollywood Redevelopment Plan was one of the most heavily subsidized projects in California, with taxpayers underwriting such items as a $32 million parking garage at the pricey Cinerama Dome and ArcLight Theaters and $98 million for Hollywood & Highland. Los Angeles County transportation officials broke ground in 1986 on the Red Line subway with stops along Hollywood Boulevard, at that time the haunt of heroin dealers and prostitutes.
In 1992, Leron Gubler, a soft-spoken, determined power broker, became president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which supervises the Walk of Fame and is one of the most influential champions of redevelopment. Politicians rarely run afoul of the Chamber, which counts among its members top executives from Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, real estate developer Millennium Partners, The CW television network, the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel and Hollywood & Highland.
At first, Gubler says, “We had a lot of homeless. The sidewalks were dirty. Businesses were closing left and right. … People had given up on Hollywood.”
In 1993, Jackie Goldberg was elected to represent Hollywood on the City Council, and she pushed hard for redevelopment. Gubler told her that first they should focus on “nuts-and-bolts” issues, which Gubler narrowed down to “crime and grime.” The Chamber and Goldberg's office launched much-publicized efforts to make Hollywood's streets cleaner and safer.
But beyond the headlines, Mercedes Cortes and her neighbors were already on the job, creating a successful Neighborhood Watch that teamed up with the Los Angeles Police Department. So were many other Spanish-speaking residents, including Manny Romero, who worked as a youth organizer in unstable El Salvador, escaped that country's violent civil war, which took the lives of his family and friends in the 1980s, and moved to Los Angeles.
Romero eventually became the popular and well-respected groundskeeper at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, built in 1928, an important community center for Hollywood's Latino population.
In 1978, Romero moved with his wife and two children into a cheap bungalow on Las Palmas Avenue just south of Sunset. It was a few blocks west of De Longpre Park, which became a notorious cesspool of drug dealers and junkies in the late '80s and early '90s.
Romero suddenly faced a new kind of war. He went to incredible lengths to save his community, joining a neighborhood patrol group called the Hollywood Sentinels, whose members put their lives on the line by running drug dealers and gang members off of street corners. Criminals threatened to kill Romero and his family.
“I was scared of the gang members,” Romero recalls, “but it didn't stop me from doing my citizen's duties.”
The Chamber's Gubler and many journalists credit the 2001 opening of the concrete elephant–bedecked Hollywood & Highland mall, where the Academy Awards are held, for initiating Hollywood's turnaround. But low-income working folks like Cortes and Romero were key figures in first steadying the community's foundation.
Romero was treated like anything but a hero. In 1996, his landlord sold the cluster of bungalows on Las Palmas Avenue, and the new owner doubled Romero's rent from $600 a month to $1,200. Romero was forced to abandon his dramatic but unsung quest to create a livable community. He and his family moved to then-affordable North Hollywood.
Five years later, in 2001, Garcetti took over from Goldberg on the City Council. He was 30, fresh-faced and eager to move forward with a new kind of politics that would put residents, not big-moneyed special interests, first.
Community activist Ferris Wehbe, who spearheaded the unsuccessful Hollywood secession movement in the early 2000s, supported Garcetti then and backs him today. “Eric played a big role” in turning around Hollywood, Wehbe says. “He saw that good changes took place. You need good leaders to make decisions and not try to please everyone.”
By the mid-2000s, land speculation in Hollywood turned into a frenzy. In 2003, Ralph Horowitz and developer Larry Worchell bought historic Columbia Square on Sunset Boulevard, the West Coast home of CBS, for a reported $15 million. Three years later, Horowitz and his partner sold the property to Las Vegas–based developer Molasky Pacific for $66 million. That land flipping, and the breathtaking $51 million profit for Horowitz and Worchell, were fed by the widely held belief that Garcetti, now the powerful arbiter of what could and couldn't be built, would let developers ignore the neighborhood's longtime height limit of a few stories to build a skyscraper.
About the same time, Mercedes Cortes' landlord sold her building to Prime West Management chief executive officer Mercedes Anaya. In 2004, when the eviction notice arrived, Cortes was paying $450 a month. Although she had divorced, her three adult sons still lived with her and she enjoyed a vibrant social life as an active member of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church.
She drove each day to clean houses in West Hollywood or Beverly Hills. At 61, she fought eviction. She eventually won a settlement that paid her some “relocation” expenses, and she and two of her sons found a place far from home, in North Hollywood.
About 20 of her Latino friends and acquaintances were similarly pushed out of Hollywood, she says. A neighbor still living in the flatlands recently told Cortes that her old $450 rental now goes for $1,200.
In the legal battle that ensued, Anaya claimed in 2004 that Cortes' sons were heavy-drinking gang members and nuisances. When that didn't work, says Cortes' lawyer Marty O'Toole, Anaya's lawyers claimed that Cortes didn't respond to a three-day notice that demanded she pay her rent or vacate. The landlord did not respond to emails requesting comment.
During the six-month legal battle to keep her apartment, Cortes formed a prayer group with her friends at Blessed Sacrament. “I was asking for justice,” she recalls. “Because if I lost the case, I would've been in the streets.”
Her prayers were partly answered. Just before the trial, Anaya's lawyers offered Cortes five months of free rent and several thousand dollars if she moved out. Emotionally drained, she took the deal.
Not long after her battle, several blocks away, Roy Maule and his Latino neighbors faced their own war against eviction on tree-lined Camerford Avenue in a quaint bungalow complex built in 1912 for actors working at Paramount Pictures.
Many of Maule's neighbors — mostly Latino families — had lived on the quiet block, near tony Larchmont Village, for decades. “It was great,” says Maule. “Everyone knew each other.”
They traditionally closed the street to celebrate Fourth of July, with adults lighting fireworks and kids running around. One day, a young man walked up to Maule's mailbox and snatched a package sticking out of it. Maule's neighbors, he recalls, “gave chase, got the package and beat up the guy. … The poor guy didn't know he was in a neighborhood like that.”
But the property was sold, and around 2006, the landlord made clear he wanted the families gone. Neighbors from Mexico and Central America told Maule that the landlord had threatened to make calls to federal immigration officials. Other tenants were offered money to leave.
But Maule hired a lawyer to fight his eviction and wrote to Garcetti's office for help. He did his own homework, finding in a title search that Santa Monica-based developer Watt Genton Associates owned the property.
Maule says Garcetti “did nothing,” and at least 150 people were displaced from the bungalows and adjacent apartment units. In 2007, Maule was paid relocation money to leave, and the city put its political weight behind the developer, with the City Planning Commission and Garcetti backing his demolition of the historic bungalows and newer apartment buildings to create luxury condos for affluent professionals.
Today, the corner property stands barren, a victim of the economic disaster that struck the nation, and the historic bungalows are long destroyed. A new plan calls for a luxury apartment complex with ground-floor retail. Developer Jonathan Genton and Watt Commercial Properties executives declined to take questions from the Weekly.
“Here it is five years later,” Maule says. “There's nothing.”
Manny Romero says it's a maddening scenario he has seen over and over in Hollywood: “There are many, many people like us.”
At 41, having served as Hollywood's councilman and the area's chief land-use visionary and community policymaker for nearly 12 years of his life, Eric Garcetti wants to become the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles. He is clearly proud of Hollywood's turnaround and its bustling nightlife scene. In fact, Garcetti has publicly said that he wants to replicate Hollywood's style of urban renewal across communities in Los Angeles.
Driving out thousands of Latino working and poor families in favor of affluent residents and high-end restaurants is not part of his pitch.
“L.A. is full of bad planning,” Garcetti said at a recent mayoral debate in Hollywood with rival candidates Wendy Greuel, Jan Perry and Kevin James. “You look at places where there are four jobs for every one unit of housing, and wonder why they're stuck in traffic. Hollywood has become a template for a new Los Angeles.”
Except Hollywood's traffic is immeasurably worse than when Garcetti was elected to represent the area, even though one-twelfth of the population has left. For all their planning, the City Council, Los Angeles Planning Department and Garcetti have brought mass congestion to a residential community that is shrinking, not growing.
Gary Slossberg, a public-interest attorney who represents low-income clients and who ran for City Council against Garcetti in 2009, says, “A lot of his policies don't match what's best for the people in Los Angeles, but a lot of people are getting rich.”
Garcetti has raised nearly $3 million for his mayoral bid by promising “bold, new ideas” and calling for the need to create more jobs for working families.
The urban cleansing some see unfolding in Hollywood puts Garcetti in an awkward position with activists like Ziggy Kruse. Kruse became an expert on fighting City Hall when, as a waitress at Hollywood Star Lanes in 2001, she stood up to the Los Angeles Unified School District's eminent-domain plans to destroy the bowling alley where she worked.
Now a well-known whistleblower who tracks the sweetheart deals often granted to developers, Kruse sees Garcetti as a cold figure who is in denial about the high-end development he embraces.
There's palpable resentment among Kruse and other activists toward Garcetti, who was raised in an upper-class household in Encino and whose life has been eased by a bequest of property that provided him thousands of dollars in annual income starting when he was a young man.
Kruse says Garcetti “has gone more times against the community than with the community,” backing zoning variances and other exceptions that let developers ignore protective zoning laws, and supporting what Kruse sees as too-generous taxpayer subsidies. “The only time he goes with the community,” she says, “is when it's a politically smart move.”
Now, Garcetti is wooing Latinos to elect him as mayor, even controversially claiming that he is a Latino candidate. Garcetti is half-Jewish, part Latino and part Italian. His great-grandfather was Italian and immigrated from Europe to Mexico, where Garcetti's paternal grandparents were born and raised. Three great-grandparents on his father's side were Latino. [Editor's note: This paragraph has been corrected. Please see correction at end of story.]
Romero, the groundskeeper at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, has found the councilman to be “a nice person to talk to but different when you want to solve a problem.”
Such sentiments could pose a problem for Garcetti in the mayoral race. But he still has a deep well of voter support in Hollywood, having been easily re-elected more than once.
Many people welcome the changes Garcetti has pushed through.
“Development has been great for Hollywood,” says Laurie Goldman, president of Friends of the Hollywood Central Park, a nonprofit that's pushing an effort to build a park over the 101 Freeway. The neighborhood has improved so much, Goldman says, that she wants to move back to where she once lived, but “it's too expensive. My rent is cheaper in Beverly Hills.”
Wehbe, a longtime resident who walked the streets with the Hollywood Sentinels in the early 1990s, is more than happy with Garcetti's policies. Of Hollywood's transformation, he says, “It's day and night. It's amazing. You can walk around at any given time. Back then, you couldn't get out of your house.”
Manny Romero chuckles when he hears such talk, repeating an old saying: “El saluda con sombrero ajeno.” The church groundskeeper, who faced down violent gang members on Hollywood street corners before Garcetti's time, says the phrase essentially means that “someone else does the job and the person who's the opportunist takes the credit.”
Hollywood historian Greg Williams also gives voice to residents who are not pleased with Garcetti's sleek vision. “It's really bad development,” says Williams, who was born and raised in the community. “There's no variety. It's the same mixed-use with retail on the bottom floor and condos on top.” He's come to see Garcetti as “totally in the developers' pockets. He's not for the preservation of old Hollywood.”
Robb, the aide speaking on behalf of the unavailable Garcetti, strongly disputes that notion. “What developers tell us is that community activists have too much of a say” in Garcetti's decision making. Robb says his boss completely supports preserving old Hollywood, while looking to the future. “It's always been about taking what Hollywood offers,” Robb says, “and enhancing it.”
But when asked by the Weekly, Garcetti's staff could not provide basic figures that might shed light on what their enhancement efforts have produced. Garcetti's team does not know how many “affordable” housing units have been built in Hollywood, or the total amount of housing built or lost, since 2001. Nor could Garcetti's aides, whose salaries and overhead cost L.A. taxpayers about $1.5 million a year, provide the Weekly even a ballpark figure for how much taxpayer money has subsidized Hollywood's makeover since 2001.
Robb says one of Garcetti's top priorities has always been affordable housing. Yet Barbara Schultz, the directing attorney of the housing unit at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, which helps working-class and poor people in disputes involving housing rights and landlord-tenant disagreements, says Garcetti hasn't stood out. In fact, Schultz says, “There's not any top council member whose top priority is affordable housing.”
Dennis Frenchman, a well-regarded professor of urban design and planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says smart policymakers always know how their planning strategies are playing out in communities. “They should have a sense of demographic changes and what's been happening,” says Frenchman, one of the world's leading experts on building and maintaining a sustainable city. “They should know if people have been pushed out.”
Father Mandala knows what is happening at the neighborhood level. He has seen his mostly Latino parishioners leave Hollywood, while the Latino population grew in the rest of the city. He has seen parents take their kids out of Blessed Sacrament Elementary School. Between 2000 and 2010, student enrollment at that grade school plummeted from 250 to 100.
Contrary to Yusef Robb's claim, Mandala says these people did not want to leave. “If they could have bought a home in Hollywood,” says the priest, “they would have. … It's bad for Hollywood because if your goal is to have a mixed-income community, you're losing tax-paying citizens. These are the teachers, the contractors, the furniture makers of the community.”
Wehbe argues that Garcetti is very connected to what's happening, declaring, “I bet you anything there isn't a single councilmember who walks the neighborhoods every month and knocks on doors like Eric. To me, that's saying something.”
But Dowell Myers, a demographer and urban planning professor at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, who researched Los Angeles County's shrinking youth population, predicts that Hollywood's schools will drop in enrollment and Hollywood will become less family-oriented, with more of an emphasis on nightlife. That means fewer families will be around to keep an eye on the neighborhood. “They help to keep streets safer,” Myers says.
Garcetti aide Robb said in a recent L.A. Weekly story reporting on the rise of Koreatown that Garcetti is not necessarily interested in duplicating Hollywood's urban-renewal template in Koreatown. Robb warned, “A robust nightlife is good for the economy, but too many night spots in a neighborhood can create dead spots during the day” and community “balance” is needed.
Myers says L.A. political leaders and planners have already gone too far to draw a high-end crowd to Hollywood. “We don't need more condos,” he says. “We need more rentals. Rentals are where you house lower-income and poor people.”
Frenchman has a similar message for Los Angeles' leaders: “Diversity is the key to long-term sustainability. … Density without diversity makes things worse.”
Mercedes Cortes sits in a back room of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church on Sunset while trumpets in a mariachi band sound off for a mass celebrating the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Like some parishioners, Cortes still drives in from the Valley to Hollywood to worship, and the church is jammed with Latino parents and children.
But not everyone returns to Hollywood. “That's why we lost so many members of the church,” Cortes says. “They moved to Palmdale, North Hollywood and Burbank” — but not because they were better off. Instead, many doubled up with relatives as the recession bore down.
Hollywood's business community often says that the catalyst that really set off development in Hollywood was Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg's pet project, the Hollywood & Highland mall, which houses the Kodak Theatre (now Dolby Theater), home to the Academy Awards show.
But Cortes says the glitzy, architecturally unloved mall has had a more complex long-term effect on the bigger neighborhood around it: “Once the Kodak Theatre was built,” Cortes says, “we started seeing the rents going higher and higher.”
Cortes generally likes Eric Garcetti, but she noticed a difference between him and his predecessor, Goldberg. Goldberg at least got involved in the community without prodding or protest, she recalls.
Garcetti, according to Cortes, did not seek out members of her activist group but waited for them to complain.
As if talking directly to Garcetti, the grandmother and retired house cleaner delivers up one of their complaints, still unanswered after all these years: “When they start to build something, why does the middle class have to suffer for that?”
Reach the writer at pmcdonald@laweekly.com.
[Correction: The original version of this story erroneously stated that Eric Garcetti has no Latino ancestry. His father, Gil Garcetti, is Latino and a number of his father's ancestors were Latino. Further, Garcetti's great-grandfather moved from Italy to Mexico alone, not with family members as originally reported.]


Special Force: Anarchy is a heist series with a difference
Hazique Zairill
The cast and director at the launch of the series. – ADIB RAWI/THESUN
LOCAL police drama series Special Force: Anarchy is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. The seven-episode series follows a courageous policewoman Iman (Puteri Aishah), as she investigates a planned bank heist in the fictional country of Tenggara and unexpectedly comes face to face with a dangerous underground group, uncovering a secret along the way that could change everything if exposed.
Directed by Syafiq Yusof and produced by Skop Productions, the series also stars legendary singer, composer, and actor Dato’ M. Nasir as Umar, the mastermind behind the planned Bank Tenggara heist and the leader of the group Anarchy.
Rounding off the star-studded cast is Hasnul Rahmat, Alvin Wong, and Johan As’ari as well as Fify Azmi (winner of the 31st Malaysian Film Festival’s Most Promising Actress award), Chacha Maembong, Yusuf Bahrain, Anas Ridzuan, Elizabeth Tan, Dynas Mokhtar, and Steve Yap.
In a recent press conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Syafiq stated that he got the inspiration for the series from his own 2018 action film, KL Special Force, which stars Fattah Amin and Datuk Rosyam Nor.
“The performance pattern in this drama can also be said to be more or less the same as the film,” Syafiq said.
Director Syafiq Yusof. – ADIB RAWI/THESUN
Syafiq also has dismissed the notion that his new series is the Malaysian version of Netflix’s hit Spanish series Money Heist.
“Undoubtedly, if you make a drama or series with a robbery theme, people will definitely compare it with the renowned Money Heist. It has no similarity at all. But, what I can say is that it was inspired by the movie KL Special Force which was released in 2018,” he said.
Speaking further, the son of producer Datuk Yusof Haslam and younger brother of award-winning director Syamsul Yusof, added that he faced challenges when he wanted to produce a show that was set in a fictional country.
“It was quite difficult to [replicate] another country. Because the filming was carried out in the capital, so many Malaysian logos and iconic buildings can be seen.”
He added: “A lot of footage looks like it’s in Kuala Lumpur. So, what we do is use visual special effects (VFX) to change the atmosphere.”
The director, whose movies include Abang Long Fadil, Desolasi, Misteri Dilaila, and Penunggang Agama, said: “I hope it will be received well.
“This is a reboot of sorts of KL Special Force on the small screen, and if the reception is great, we will continue and expand on this with Disney+ Hotstar.”
Special Force: Anarchy is now available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar, with new episodes every Saturday.
US economic growth slows in 2022 but beats expectations
1.US economic growth slows in 2022 but beats expectations


Briefed research to guide the way to well-being
Mind-Body Link
Interpersonal Well-Being
Life Research
Grit Relates to Higher Well-Being
Grit refers to the motivation to keep persevering towards one’s goals despite difficulties. Its components are perseverance of effort, (the tendency to continue working toward a goal despite difficulties), and consistency of interest, (having a stable knowledge of one’s interests over the long-term). Grit has been studied as a predictor of high achievement in various aspects of life (Duckworth et al., 2007). For instance, it has been shown to predict success over the effects of IQ, self-control and conscientiousness, among others (Duckworth et al., 2007; Duckworth 2006; Reed et al. 2013).
Researcher Mia Vainio hypothesized that higher grit would relate to higher levels of well-being. She divided well-being in 3 aspects: psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and harmony in life.
To test this, she conducted a simple experiment: participants would complete an online survey which measured their grit, psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and harmony in life, as well as their sense of coherence (or consistency of self) and authenticity, which were thought to be possible mediators of the relationship between grit and well-being.
*Sense of coherence= the sense that the world and oneself in the world are comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful (Antonovsky, 1987).
The grit scale that was used includes 2 subscales: one that measures the component of perseverance of effort, through items such as “I have overcome setbacks to conquer an important challenge”; and another one that measures consistency of interest, through items such as “I often set a goal but later choose to pursue a different one” (this item is reverse coded).
396 participants aged 20-68 completed this survey online after receiving information and providing consent.
The results of the statistical analyses revealed that grit was strongly related to psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and harmony in life. That is, participants who displayed more grit also displayed higher levels of well-being.The mediators of sense of coherence and authenticity also showed strong positive correlations with all three aspects of well-being.
Sense of coherence and authenticity significantly mediated the relationships between grit and all three aspects of well-being: partially in the case of grit and psychological well-being, fully in the case of grit and life satisfaction, and fully in the case of harmony in life.
Regarding these mediators, the author reflects that "grittiness in goal pursuits requires both a sense that the world is coherent and an authentic connection with the self in order for it to fully benefit well-being" (Vainio & Daukantaite, 2015).
Both sense of coherence and authenticity seem likely to develop over time. Authenticity in particular, the author notes, most likely grows as one's self-concept becomes more consistent with maturity.
Mia Vainio approached the topic of this investigation and understood its results through the organismic valuing process theory, which suggests that "people are naturally motivated to grow towards their highest potential" (Vainio & Daukantaite, 2015).
Carl Rogers, the father of this theory, viewed well-being as self-actualization and suggested that:
"Fully functioning individuals are motivated to move towards their ‘true self’ (authenticity), can be in touch with their own emotions, direct themselves towards meaningful goals and pursuits, and uphold prosocial values encouraging a harmonious existence with themselves and others" (Rogers 1961, 1964 cited in Vainio & Daukantaite, 2015).
In this way, grit is understood as a natural growth motivation towards one's higher potential (Vainio & Daukantaite, 2015).
It has been shown that grit increases with age, and that grit can be learnt and practiced.
In their recent paper Enhancing Grit: Possibility and Intervention Strategies, Hwang & Nam (2021) shed light on cognitive, behavioral and emotional intervention strategies that have the potential to increase grit. These include:
Teaching grit, reflecting on one's grit, adopting a growth mindset, setting long and short term goals, promoting brain development, increasing deliberate practices, preventing the overuse of media, overcoming negative emotions such as stress and frustration in the process of exercising grit, and promoting interest discovery through flow experiences (Hwang & Nam, 2021).
Grit can make a huge impact in your life. As Vainio states, in reference to a motivational study conducted by Von Culin et al., "a gritty person may be motivated to pursue their highest potentials through perseverance and engagement in personally meaningful goals over a long period".
Main Source:
Vainio, M. & Daukantaitė, D. (2015). Grit and Different Aspects of Well-Being: Direct and Indirect Effects via Sense of Coherence and Authenticity. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17: 2119-2147
Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(6), 1087–1101.
Duckworth, A. L. (2006). Intelligence is not enough: Non-IQ predictors of achievement. Dissertation Abstracts International, 67(3-B), 1741.
Reed, J., Pritschet, B. L., & Cutton, D. M. (2013). Grit, conscientiousness, and the transtheoretical model of change for exercise behaviour. Journal of Health Psychology, 18(5), 612–619.
Hwang, M. & Nam, J. K. (2021). Enhancing Grit: Possibility and Intervention Strategies. In book: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Grit, Contemporary Theories, Assessments, Applications and Critiques (pp.77-93).
Von Culin, K. R., Tsukayama, E., & Duckworth, A. L. (2014). Unpacking grit: Motivational correlates of perseverance and passion for long-term goals. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(4), 1–7.
Article written by Maggie Stilman.
The Considerable Journal's mission is to bring relevant scientific findings closer to people who seek evidence-based paths to integral well-being, by providing briefed, straightforward expositions of scientific research regarding mental and physical health, relationships, finances, habits, and more.
Journaling About Our Goals and Procrastination Habits Helps Reduce Procrastination
Feeling Connected to Nature Relates to Higher Well-Being
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Before Social Media, the Most Popular Portrait Belonged to Queen Elizabeth II
At just eight years old, former Princess Elizabeth’s face was printed on Canada’s twenty-dollar bill. As time went on, Queen Elizabeth II would cover more than a hundred pieces of currency across the world — the true meaning of world-famous. Story by LX News storyteller Peter Hull.
Updated on September 9, 2022 at 7:16 pm


Sofia Reyes De Veyra
Sofia Reyes De Veyra (b. Sept. 30, 1876 - d. 1953) was one of the outstanding women civic leader and social worker who stood out in her pioneering work and zeal to make the Philippines gain international recognition. She was a leader of the "Kilusang Sibiko at Adhikain Pangkababaihan", an organization aiming to develop the emotional and intellectual foundations of students. In 1934, she became the vice president of the Centro Escolar University.
1 Formative Years
2 Career Woman
Formative Years
Born in Arevalo, Iloilo City, Sofia was the daughter of Santiago Reyes and Eulalia Tiaozon. She was a student of the late Chief Justice Ramon Avancena's sister who operated a private school in their town. Despite the fact that she had not had formal schooling after the latter, Sofia remained to be an avid learner - acquiring all the knowledge she missed in school through her various experiences. She was able to get a bargain from an American lady teacher who came to the Philippines whom she tutored Castillian language in exchange of an English lesson. Soon, she learned enough English to study arithmetic and other subjects which the said language was involved. In 1902, she became the first appointed teacher of English in Saravia, Negros Occidental. Later became the appointed dean of the first dormitory for girls in Bacolod, and after which, was made assistant dean of women of Normal Hall, and the dean of the Philippine Normal School dormitory in Manila.
Career Woman
In 1907, Sofia and Mary E. Coleman founded the first training school for nurses in the archipelago. In the same year, she got married to Jaime de Veyra who was the provincial governor of Leyte at that time. In 1917, the governor was appointed as resident commissioner to Washington D.C., and Sofia accompanied her husband to the United States where she played the role of an exemplary commissioner's lady to the U.S. capital's diplomatic community. She disseminated accurate information about the Philippines and the Filipino to the American people, who had been falsely fed with disparaging remarks about the course of the recent Filipino-American War. She was often invited to speak before the women's club on matters about the Philippines.
In 1925, upon their return in the Philippines, she organized the Manila Women's Club. It was the first of its kind in the country, which soon spread nationwide and was later known as the National Federation of Women's Clubs (NFWC). She was the first vice-president, and after some time, the president of the said prestigious club. Being steadfast in principle, Sofia was made one of the leaders in the movement for women's right to vote. She became the president of La Protection de la Infracia in 1917; represented the Philippines in the Pan-Pacific conference held in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1922; worked as social secretary of the late first lady Aurora Aragon-Quezon during the Commonwealth period.
Sofia de Veyra died at the age of 77, leaving a distinguished heritage of service to country and the Filipino people.
Member, Catholic Women's League
Non-resident member, U.S. Congressional Club
Member, executive committee of the American Red Cross
Member, Indeterminate Sentence Board and Parole Office
Member, Board of Censors for Moving Pictures
Member, National Councils of Education
Chairman, women's section at the first Independence Congress (1929)
Ancheta, Hermina M. and Michaela Beltran-Gonzales. Filipino Women in Nation Building. A compilation of Brief Biographies. Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House, 1984.
"National Historical Institute. Historical Markers: Regions V-XII. Manila: National Historical Institute, 1993.
de Guzman,Jovita V.,Vicente A. Santiago,Remedios T. de Leon and Teresita E. Erestain. Women Of Distinction; Biographical Essays on Outstanding Filipino Women of the Past and the Present. Philippines: Bukang Liwayway, 1967
Original content from WikiPilipinas. under GNU Free Documentation License. See full disclaimer.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Sofia_Reyes_De_Veyra&oldid=5718"
Great Philippine Women
Philippine Women
Articles aggregated from Wikipilipinas


<New Chris Craddock adaptation Irma Voth a coming-of-age story
Lots to uncover in Bone Wars>
Irma Voth a quick-paced examination of the resiliency of core values
jennamarynowskion April 23, 2017 /1 comment
Kristi Hansen & Andréa Jorawsky in Irma Voth, adapted by Chris Craddock from Miriam Toews’ novel of the same name. Photo credit: Ian Jackson/ EPIC Photography.
“Do you feel we can rebel against our oppressors, without losing our love and our tolerance and our ability to forgive?”
It’s a question that lies at the centre of Irma Voth, adapted by Chris Craddock from the novel of the same name by Miriam Toews, now running at Theatre Network until May 7.
In the case of the title character, the more specific question is more like, can one leave the strict and insular Mennonite community and abusive father they’ve grown up with, and still greet the world with the same joy and curiosity they had before?
Irma Voth is a coming-of-age story of the title character, as she marries someone her father disapproves of, works as a translator for a film crew whose presence on the Mennonite colony is barely tolerated, and eventually decides to run away from her home with her two younger sisters in tow. In doing so, Irma and her sister Aggie leave the structure of their religion and their father that has framed their life, in the hopes of giving themselves and baby Ximena a life with more self-determination and freedom.
Directed by Bradley Moss, this world première is a fun, fast-paced and sweet production. At about 2 1/2 hours (including intermission), this is one of the longer shows I’ve seen at Theatre Network, but it covers a lot of ground. The story is dense, and the pacing is fast, with quick, efficient scenes that give a snapshot into the story Irma is telling and then move on. This is not a show that allows the actors to pause for a beat, especially given four of the five actors are constantly changing between about two dozen characters that surround Irma on her journey. There’s a sense of fun to the quick character changes – whether it’s right on stage or a quick costume change behind the set, a sense of playfulness is infused through the many hats most of the actors wear in this story. The script is also very tongue in cheek, with the characters frequently explaining to the audience what’s going on — “we’re speaking in low German now, but to you, it’ll sound like English.”
This sense of fun is also infused into the set itself (designed by Megan Koshka), which starts out seeming like an imposing wall of variously placed windows that brings the playing space forward right to the audience, but as the play progresses, the set becomes almost like a dollhouse, with the actors using it in increasingly new and surprising ways. Complementary to the set is Ian Jackson’s media design, which uses the set as a background for a number of projections that help the play travel between the various locales it takes place in.
Irma Voth is a story about escaping an abusive situation and opening oneself up to the world, with a complimentary theme of art and its importance in the world serving to frame the idea of opening oneself up to the world beyond one’s former boundaries. Without having read the book the play is based upon, it’s obvious the cast and crew have stressed putting fun and levity into this show. Without that emphasis on fun, I think the dark situation Irma is running from would have overwhelmed the show, although, I do wish there was a bit more of a struggle in the show. Empathising with the characters, it’s fair to say it would be incredibly hard to step into a world that you have been isolated from in every way – physically, culturally, and educationally. Yet, I didn’t feel that come through from the characters, who mostly treated their transition from the colony to Mexico City with a sense of adventure and frivolity. I think it would have been possible to maintain the overall lightness of the play while adding more depth to the characters by showing moments of uncertainty or doubt that they must have been feeling, being in such an unfamiliar situation. One of the most beautiful scenes in Irma Voth is where Aggie is in a museum completely overcome by seeing a Diego Rivera mural, saying she didn’t know it was possible for humans to be capable of reflecting the world back in such a way. That moment was a beautiful intersection of the oppression of her father (who says art is a lie) being combined with insight into her newfound freedom that really put the situation the characters are experiencing into perspective. I think adding more moments like this, interspersed with the sweet, joyful moments that are already at the heart of this production, would have added even more depth to the production.
As the title character, Andréa Jorawsky is the picture of a kind-hearted, genuine and curious teenager in the midst of transforming into an adult. She is matter-of-fact and completely open to the world and what it brings, walking the line between naivety and active exploration.
As Irma’s younger sister Aggie (as well as a number of other characters), Kendra Connor is the emotional firecracker, actively pushing the constraints and rules she sees in front of her. She’s a delight to watch through Irma’s eyes – an eager and passionate preteen who doesn’t know much of the world, other than she wants to soak as much of it in as possible.
Todd Houseman, Kristi Hansen & Chris Craddock in Irma Voth. Photo credit Ian Jackson/EPIC Photography.
Just between the characters listed on the playbill, Chris Craddock, Kristi Hansen, and Todd Houseman play 18 named characters, plus a host of unnamed characters Irma and Aggie encounter.
I really enjoyed the contrast in Chris Craddock’s characters of Mr Voth and Wilson in the first act – the first a strict, abusive head of household who demands total control over his family, the other a gentle soul who introduces Irma to the beauty of art.
As Diego, the director of a film being shot at the colony, you can tell that Kristi Hansen’s portrayal of Diego’s philosophies on art come from a genuine place and helps frame the theme in the play of the importance of art.
Todd Houseman’s youth lends an exuberance to the play in his portrayal of the characters of Jorge (Irma’s husband), members of the film crew, and a young student Irma meets in Mexico – these characters are all around Irma’s age, and yet unburdened by the with the rigour Irma has growth up with.
By the honesty and joy that’s infused from the start to the finish in Irma Voth, I think the answer to Diego’s question of Irma, “Do you feel we can rebel against our oppressors, without losing our love and our tolerance and our ability to forgive?”, is a resounding yes, if those traits are at the core of who you are. Irma Voth is a testament to the resilience of one’s core values, despite difficult circumstances.
The world première of Irma Voth, based on Miriam Toews’ novel of the same name and adapted by Chris Craddock, is April 18 – May 7 at the Roxy on Gateway. Tickets are $24 – $30 through Theatre Network’s Box Office. Tickets are two-for-one on April 25 and May 2.
The cast of Irma Voth is Kendra Connor, Chris Craddock, Kristi Hansen, Todd Houseman, and Andréa Jorawsky.
Irma Voth is directed by Bradley Moss, with set & costume design by Megan Koshka, lighting design by Scott Peters, media design by Ian Jackson, sound design by Aaron Macri, and stage management by Rachel Dawn Woods.
Tagged: Andréa Jorawsky Bradley Moss Chris Craddock Ian Jackson Irma Voth Kendra Connor Kristi Hansen Megan Koshka Miriam Toews Theatre Network Todd Houseman
Edmonton downstage | 05.01.2017 | After the House Lights May 1, 2017 at 10:32 AM
[…] Chris Craddock’s adaptation of Miriam Toews’ novel Irma Voth is last in Theatre Network’s 2017 mainstage series. Irma Voth runs until May 7. I had a chance to see it early in the run, and posted my thoughts here. […]


Pol Espargaro happy with Honda's start, but wants more: 'It has to be much better for Qatar'
© Honda Racing Corporation
Pol Espargaro ended pre-season testing in Malaysia with the tenth fastest time on sunday, 0.289s off Enea Bastianini (Gresini/Ducati) who was the fastest. An encouraging start for the Repsol Honda man who, however, is of the opinion that the bike has a lot to improve for the Qatar GP.
The spaniard told the press that he considers that the performance at Sepang cannot be considered negative considering that the RC213V is new: 'Yesterday was a good day because we tested a lot, but I was not entirely happy because in the time of one lap there was a lot of distance between us and the first place. We also didn't ride any soft tyres to make the time. That's why, but it pissed me off. But today we tried a little harder in the morning, we put two soft tyres to try to make the time and we finished two tenths of the first. For me, a lap here in Malaysia on a brand new bike is not too bad'.
That said, Espargaró recognized that there is still room for improvement, trusting Honda to do so: ‘There is certainly still a lot, a lot to improve. The japanese know what they need to do to make the bike faster and better. And we riders need more laps to understand the bike and its limits a little more. But I think we did a good test, a good job'.
In terms of pacing, the #44 said he was satisfied: 'Everything else seems to be fine. Takeo [Yokoyama] asked for all day long distance, like a race simulation, and I was doing it, but it started to rain. But until that moment we were riding very well. On lap ten I think I did a 1m59.0s, which means the pace is fast and the bike – I don't mean it's ready for Qatar – but it's a good start. It's a brand new bike and we're fine. But it has to be much better for the first race'.
Pol Espargaro
Repsol Honda Team
Sepang tests


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Henderson, NC (27536)
A mix of clouds and sun. High 49F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..
Police seek why 72-year-old gunman shot up LA dance hall
By AMY TAXIN, STEFANIE DAZIO, TERRY TANG and BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press
MONTEREY PARK, Calif. — The search for the motive behind the shooting massacre that killed 11 people at a Los Angeles-area dance hall led police to a mobile home community as they probed the past of the 72-year-old suspect Monday and his relationship to the ballroom.
Sheriff’s deputies from Los Angeles County searched the home in a gated senior community where Huu Can Tran lived in the town of Hemet, an hour’s drive from the scene of the crime in Monterey Park, Hemet police spokesperson Alan Reyes told The Associated Press.
Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese said he wasn't aware of the search results or if Tran, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, left behind any note indicating what drove him to shoot up the dance hall.
“We all want answers to questions that we may never have answers to,” Wiese said. “That’s kind of the enigma of this. I know that my individual officers would like to know why. I know the families want to know why. The why is a big part of this. The problem is, we may never know the why.”
Tran had visited Hemet police twice this month to report he was the victim of fraud, theft and poisoning by family members a decade or two ago in the LA area, Reyes said. Tran said he would return to the station with documentation but never did.
He was found dead Sunday in the van that he used to flee after attempting to attack a second dance hall, authorities said. The mayor of Monterey Park said Tran may have frequented the first dance hall that he targeted, and his ex-wife told CNN she had met him there and he offered her free lessons.
The death toll rose to 11 Monday after health officials announced that one of the 10 people wounded had died, the LA County Department of Health Services said.
Officials did not disclose any information about the 11th fatality, but all except one of the others were 60 or older, according to information released Monday by the Los Angeles coroner’s office providing the first identifications.
My Nhan, 65, and Lilian Li, 63, were the first two women named. Two other women were in their 60s, and one was in her 50s. Three men were in their 70s, and two in their 60s were also killed.
Nhan's family said in a statement that she was a loving person whose kindness was contagious, and was a regular at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio.
“It’s what she loved to do. But unfairly, Saturday was her last dance," the family said. "We are starting the Lunar New Year broken. We never imagined her life would end so suddenly.”
Authorities have shared little about Tran.
Los Angeles Superior Court records show he was married in 2001 and divorced five years later, citing irreconcilable difference. The couple did not have children, said they had no community property and neither side had to pay alimony.
In the uncontested case, Tran noted in a filing that he could not get away from work to attend any court hearings, though he did not disclose where he worked or what he did.
His ex-wife told CNN that they married soon after they met at the dance hall. While she is named in court papers, she asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the case.
She said he would become upset if she missed a step dancing, but was never violent toward her.
Tran eventually moved from the San Gabriel Valley, a melting pot for Asian immigrants, and settled in Hemet, a low-income community of many retirees 75 miles (120 kilometers) east of Los Angeles in Riverside County.
Tran lived in The Lakes at Hemet West, a gated community off a busy road with a view of snow-covered mountains. The development boasts of amenities including a 9-hole golf course, a shuffleboard court and a dance floor. Properties listed for sale ranged from $45,000 to $222,000.
Hemet police had no records of any incidents involving Tran in the community or calls for service at his home, Reyes said.
The shootings during Lunar New Year celebrations sent a wave of fear through Asian American communities and cast a shadow over festivities nationwide.
The massacre was the nation’s fifth mass killing this month, and it struck one of California's largest celebrations of a holiday observed in many Asian cultures, dealing another blow to a community that has been the target of high-profile violence in recent years.
It was also the deadliest attack since May 24, when 21 people were killed in an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
“We do understand that he may have had a history of visiting this dance hall and perhaps the motivation has to do with some personal relationships. But that’s something that I think investigators are still uncovering and investigating,” said Monterey Park Mayor Henry Lo. Public records show Tran once had addresses in the city and neighboring ones.
The mayor and LA County Sheriff Robert Luna stressed that the motive for the attack remained unclear. No other suspect was wanted, according to the sheriff.
The suspect was carrying a semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine, and a second handgun was discovered in the van where Tran died, Luna said.
Tran is the second-oldest mass killer in the U.S. over the last nearly 20 years according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University. The only older mass killer was a 73-year-old who murdered five people in Yuma County Arizona in 2011 before killing himself. The database tracks every mass killing — defined as four dead not including the offender — committed in the U.S. since 2006.
Within three minutes of receiving the call, officers arrived at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, according to Monterey Park Police Chief Scott Wiese.
There, they found carnage inside and people trying to flee through all the doors.
“When they came into the parking lot, it was chaos,” Wiese said.
About 20 minutes after the first attack, the gunman entered the Lai Lai Ballroom in the nearby city of Alhambra.
Brandon Tsay was in the lobby at the time, and he told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that he thought he was going to die.
“Something came over me. I realized I needed to get the weapon away from him, I needed to take this weapon, disarm him or else everybody would have died," Tsay said. “When I got the courage, I lunged at him with both my hands, grabbed the weapon and we had a struggle.”
Once Tsay seized the gun, he pointed it at the man and shouted: “Get the hell out of here, I’ll shoot, get away, go!”
The assailant paused, but then headed back to his van, and Tsay called the police, the gun still in his hand.
While Luna told reporters on Sunday that two people wrested the weapon away from the attacker, Tsay, who works a few days a week at the dance hall his grandparents started, security footage shown on “Good Morning America” showed only the two men struggling for the gun.
Conference title games are most evenly matched in 25 years
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Goldman Sachs signals partial retreat from consumer banking (copy)
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Mast Drug robbed at gunpoint; reward offered for info on assailants
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Local activist appears at Raleigh anti-fentanyl event
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Science Chemistry Redox
The quantity of antimony in ore can be determined by an oxidation-reduction titration with an...
The quantity of antimony in ore can be determined by an oxidation-reduction titration with an oxidizing agent. The ore is dissolved in hot, concentrated acid and passed over a reducing agent so that all the antimony is in the form {eq}Sb_3(aq) {/eq}. The {eq}Sb_3(aq) {/eq} is completely oxidized by an aqueous solution of {eq}BrO_3(aq) {/eq}. Complete and balance the equation for this reaction in acidic solution.
{eq}BrO_3^- + 3Sb_3 \rightarrow Br^- + 3Sb^{5+} {/eq}
Balancing Redox Reactions
Balancing redox reactions is not always as simple as balancing other types of reactions. This is because there is a transfer of electrons that takes place and these reaction can be quite complex. One method of balancing the reaction equation involves separating the reaction into two parts. These parts contain the reduction reaction and the oxidation reaction. These half reactions can be balanced individually and then added together to form the overall reaction equation.
The first step is to write out the oxidation and reduction half reactions.
The oxidation half reaction is
{eq}3Sb_3 \rightarrow 9Sb^{5+} {/eq}
Balancing Redox Reactions and Identifying Oxidizing and Reducing Agents
Chapter 10 / Lesson 13
Learn about oxidizing and reducing agents, how to find them, and how to identify them in redox reactions. Learn about the different types of redox reactions and how to identify a redox reaction.
The quantity of antimony in an ore can be determined by an oxidation-reduction titration with an oxidizing agent. The ore is dissolved in hot, concentrated acid and passed over a reducing agent so tha
The quantity of antimony in an ore can be determined by oxidation-reduction titration with an oxidizing agent. The ore is dissolved in hot, concentrated acid and passed over a reducing agent so that a
The quantity of antimony in an ore can be determined by an oxidation-reduction titration with an oxidizing agent. The ore is dissolved in hot, concentrated acid and passed over a reducing agent so that all the antimony is in the form Sb^{3+} (aq). The Sb^
The quantity of antimony in a sample can be determined by an oxidation-reduction titration with an oxidizing agent. A 9.51 g sample of stibnite, an ore of antimony, is dissolved in hot, concentrated H C l ( a q ) and passed over a reducing agent so that
The quantity of antimony in a sample can be determined by an oxidation-reduction titration with an oxidizing agent. A 5.75-g sample of stibnite, an ore of antimony, is dissolved in hot, concentrated H
The quantity of antimony in a sample can be determined by an oxidation-reduction titration with an oxidizing agent. A 6.35 g sample of stibnite, an ore of antimony, is dissolved in hot, concentrated H
The quantity of antimony in a sample can be determined by an oxidation-reduction titration with an oxidizing agent. A 7.99-g sample of stibnite, an ore of antimony, is dissolved in hot, concentrated HCl(aq) and passed over a reducing agent so that all the
A quantity of antimony in a sample can be determined by an oxidation-reduction titration with an oxidizing agent. A 9.62 gram sample of stibnite, an ore of antimony, is dissolved in hot, concentrated HCl (aq) and passed over a reducing agent so that all t
The quality of antimony in an ore can be determined by an oxidation-reduction titration with an oxidizing agent. The Ore dissolved in hot, concentrate acid and passed over a reducing agent so that all
The quantity of antimony in a sample can be determined by an oxidation-reduction titration with an oxidizing agent. A 9.59-g sample of stibnite, an ore of antimony, is dissolved in hot, concentrated HCl solution and passed over a reducing agent so that al
The amount of Fe in a 2.0008 g sample of iron ore was determined by a redox titration with K 2 Cr 2 O 7 . The sample was dissolved in HCl and the iron brought to a +2 oxidation state. Titration requir
A 9.11-g sample of stibnite, an ore of antimony, is dissolved in hot, concentrated HCl(aq) and passed over a reducing agent so that all the antimony is in the form Sb3+(aq). The Sb3+(aq) is completely oxidized by 35.7 mL of a 0.145 M aqueous solution of K
Manganese in an ore can be determined by treating the ore with a measured, excess quantity of sodium oxalate ( N a 2 C 2 O 4 ) to reduce M n O 2 ( s ) to M n C l 2 ( a q ) followed by determination of the unreacted sodium oxalate by titration with pot
A sample of iron ore weighing 916 mg was dissolved in acid and pretreated to oxidize all of the iron to F e 3 + . After removing any remaining oxidizing agent, an excess of K I was added to the solution. The liberated iodine required 22.9 mL of 0.0934
The iron content of iron ore can be determined by titration with a standard KMnO4 solution. The iron ore is dissolved in HCl, and all the iron is reduced to Fe2+ ions. This solution is then titrated with KMnO4 solution, producing Fe3+ and Mn2+ ions in
The iron content of iron ore can be determined by titration with a standard KMnO4 solution. The iron ore is dissolved in HCl, and all the iron is reduced to Fe^2+ ions. This solution is then titrated with a KMnO4 solution, producing Fe^3+ and Mn^2+ ions i
A 6.39-g sample of an ant-control preparation was decomposed by wet ashing with H2SO4 and HNO3. The arsenic in the residue was reduced to the trivalent state with hydrazine. After the excess reducing agent had been removed, the arsenic(III) was oxidized
A 0.446-gram sample of iron ore is dissolved in HCl and the iron (Fe solid) is reduced to Fe2+. The solution is then titrated by 38.6 mL of 0.105 N KMn4. Calculate the percentage of Fe in the iron ore
An iron ore sample weighting 0.5453 g is dissolved in HCl(aq), treated with a reducing agent to convert all the iron in sample to Fe2+(aq), and then titrated with exactly 32.77 mL of 0.02726 M K2Cr2O7
The iron content of ores can be determined by titrating a sample with a solution of KMnO_4. The ore is dissolved in HCl forming iron (II) ions, which react with MnO_4^-: 5Fe^{2+} (aq) + MnO_4^-(aq) + 8H^+(aq) \rightarrow 5Fe^{3+}(aq) + Mn^{2+} (aq) + 4H_
An 8.00 g sample of an iron ore was dissolved in an acid solution and the iron converted to the +2 oxidation state. The resulting solution took 75.0 mL of 0.200 M KMnO_4 solution to titrate to a light pink color.
A sample of 0.6805 g iron ore was dissolved in concentrated HCl. After the reduction of all Fee to Fe^{3+} with SnCl_2, the solution needed 45.50 ml of 0.515 M K_2 Cr_2O_7 to reach the endpoint. What is the % Fe in the ore? 6Fe^{2+} + Cr_2O_7^{2+} + 14H
Assume that the iron in iron ore (a mixture of iron and other substances) is in the form of Fe3+. The iron content of iron ore can be determined by dissolving the iron ore in HCl. The dissolved Fe3+ (aq) from the iron ore is then reduced to Fe2+. e- + Fe3
The amount of sodium hypochlorite in a bleach solution can be determined by using a given volume of bleach to oxidize excess iodide ion to iodine because the reaction goes to completion. The amount of iodine produced is then determined by titration with s
A solution of potassium permanganate is standardized with iron metal, a primary standard. The iron is dissolved in acid, reduced to Fe(II), and titrated with permanganate. 5Fe^2+(aq) + MnO_4^-(aq) + 8H^+(aq) to 5 Fe^3+(aq) + Mn^2+ + 4H_2O(l) 33.17 mL of p
Magnetite is a mineral having the formula Fe3O4 or FeOFe2O3. A 1.1324-g sample of a magnetite ore was dissolved in concentrated HCl to give a solution that contained a mixture of Fe^{2+} and Fe^{3+}. Nitric acid was added and the solution was boiled for a
A 1.362 g sample of an iron ore that contained Fe3O4 was dissolved in acid and all the iron was reduced to Fe2+. The solution was then acidified with H2SO4 and titrated with 39.42 mL of 0.0281 M KMnO4
A 2.0 g sample of silver alloy was dissolved in nitric acid and then precipitated as AgBr. After drying, the sample of silver bromide weighed 2.0 g. Calculate the percentage of silver in the alloy.
The sulfur content of an ore is determined gravimetrically by reacting the ore with concentrated nitric acid and potassium chlorate, converting all sulfur to sulfate. The excess nitrate and chlorate is removed by reaction with concentrated hydrochloric ac
A sample of a tin ore weighing 0.3550 g was dissolved in an acid solution and all the tin in the sample was changed to tin(II). In a titration, 7.90 mL of 0.0401 M KMnO_4 solution was required to oxidize the tin(II) to tin(IV). (a) What is the balanced
A sample of 0.6805 g iron ore was dissolved in concentrated HCl. After reduction of all Fe^(3+) to Fe^(2+) with SnCl2, the solution needed 45.50 ml of 0.515 M K2Cr2O7 to reach the end point. What is the % Fe in the ore? 6Fe^(2+) + Cr2O_(7)^(2-) + 14H^(+)
Stainless steel is an alloy of iron, chromium, and nickel, having approximately 15.5% chromium. In an assay to discover how much chromium is present, the steel is oxidize in acid to form chromate ion. The resulting solution is treated with excess lead(II)
Twenty dietary iron tablets with a total mass of 21.232 g were ground and mixed thoroughly. Then 2.898 g of the powder were dissolved in HNO_3 and heated to convert all iron into Fe^{3+}. Additional of NH_3 precipitated Fe_2O_3. xH_2O which was ignited to
A taconite ore consisted of 35.43% Fe_3O_4 and the balance of siliceous impurities. How many tons of the ore must be processed in order to recover 1 ton of metallic iron?
The concentration of manganese in steel can be determined spectrophotometrically by dissolving the steel in acid and oxidizing Mn to MnO_4?. The resulting solution is purple and the absorbance at 525
Extraction of metal from the ore cassiterite involves: (A) carbon reduction of an oxide ore. (B) self-reduction of a sulphide ore. (C) removal of copper impurity. (D) removal of iron impurity.
Antimony is obtained by heating pulverized stibnite (Sb 2 S 3 ) with scrap iron and drawing off the molten antimony from the bottom of the reaction vessel. Sb 2 S 3 + 3Fe 2Sb + 3FeS Suppose that 0.600
Thermite is a composition of metal powder and metal oxide. In this reaction, iron oxide solids, Fe_2O_3, and aluminum powder, Al, react exothermically to release a large large amount of heat. Aluminum
Using the following results, prepare a single table of relative strengths of oxidizing and reducing agents. Reaction 1: Cu (strongest reducing agent) I^- Ag Br^- (weakest reducing agent) Reaction 2: Zn(strongest reducing agent) Pb Cu Ag(weakest ...
A quantity of ore consist of 90% (by weight) chalcopyrite mineral with a composition of CuFeS_2. The rest is inert quartz, SiO_2. The ore is roasted by heating it in oxygen at 800 degree C. This pr
A 0.855 g sample of ore of iron is dissolved in acid and converted to Fe(II). The sample is oxidized by 36.50 mL of 0.161 M ceric sulfate, Ce(SO4)2, solution; the cerium(IV) ion, Ce4+, is reduced to Ce3+ ion. What is the percent of iron in the ore?
Estimate the temperature at which Fe_2O_3 can be reduced to iron, using hydrogen gas as a reducing agent (assume H_2O(g) is the other product).
An iron ore was analyzed by dissolving a 1.1324 g sample in concentrated HCl. The resulting solution was diluted with water, and the iron (lI) was precipitated as the hydrous Fe_2O_3-xH_2O by the addition of NH_3.
The concentration of a hydrogen peroxide solution can be conveniently determined by titration against a standardized potassium permanganate solution in an acidic medium. (a) Balance this redox equation (in acidic solution) by inserting coefficients, H^+
An important source of silver is its recovery as a byproduct in the metallurgy of lead. The percentage of Ag in the lead is determined as follows. A 1.050 g sample is dissolved in nitric acid producing Pb^{2+} (aq) and Ag^+ (aq). The solution was diluted
Magnesium metal is placed in contact with an underground steel storage tank to inhibit the corrosion of the tank because: a. magnesium has a higher reduction potential than iron. b. magnesium has a lower oxidation potential than iron. c. magnesium is chea
Water is always present in aqueous solutions, and it can act as both an oxidizing agent and a reducing agent. How good of an oxidizing agent and reducing agent is water?
You are looking to reduce chromate (CrO42-) to Cr(OH)4- in a basic solution (E = -0.14 V). You are trying to decide between the following commonly used reducing agents: zinc metal (E = -0.762 V for Zn2+|Zn), magnesium metal (E = -2.360 V for Mg2+|Mg), a f
Solder is an alloy, or mixture, of the metals tin and lead. A 1.50 g sample of solder is dissolved in acid and all of the Sn is oxidized to Sn^{2+}. The Sn^{2+} is reacted with a 0.0525 M solution of sodium dichromate according to the following net ionic
Rank these species by their ability to act as an oxidizing agent. Na^+, I_2, Cr^{3+}, F_2. Put best oxidizing agent first and continue to have best reducing agent last.
In the experiment of the reduction of camphor to isoborneol, how is the percent yield calculated? 0.1038 g of camphor is initially used. 0.0447 g of NaBH4 is the reducing agent. 0.0524 g of product
A sample of 1.55 g of iron ore is dissolved in a acid solution in which the iron is converted into Fe^{2+}. The solution formed is then titrated with KMnO_4 which oxidises Fe^{2+} to Fe^{3+} while the
The concentration of manganese in steel can be determined spectrophotometrically by dissolving the steel in acid and oxidizing M n to M n O 4 . The resulting solution is purple and the absorbance at 525 nm can be monitored. A standard solution contai
The active agent in many hair bleaches is hydrogen peroxide. The amount of H_2O_2 in 14.5-g of hair bleach was determined by titration with a standard potassium permanganate solution: 2 MnO_4^-(aq) + 5 H_2O_2(aq) + 6 H^+(aq) to 5 O_2(g) + 2 Mn^{2+}(aq) +
To determine the Ksp value of Hg2I2, a chemist obtained a solid sample of Hg2I2 in which some of the iodine is present as radioactive 131I. The count rate of the Hg2I2 sample is 5.0x10^11 counts per minute per mole of I. An excess amount of Hg2I2(s) is p
A 2.80-g sample of haematite ore containing Fe3+ ions was dissolved in a concentrated acid and the solution was diluted to 250 mL. A 25.0 mL aliquot was reduced with Sn2+ to form a solution of Fe2+ ions. This solution of Fe2+ ions required26.4mL of a 0.02
A 0.5962 g sample of iron ore is dissolved in acid, producing Fe3+. Through a series of reactions, the iron precipitates as the Fe(OH)3. The precipitate is heated, forming solid Fe2O3. What is the mas
A 0.8552g sample of copper alloy is treated with 8 molars nitric acid and filtered and the precipitate is ignited giving a residue of 0.0632g of SnO_2. The zinc is determined in one half of the filtra
1. Cu^2+/Cu, Zn^2+/Zn, Fe2+/Fe, H+/H2, I2/I- a. Arrange the oxidizing agents in order of their oxidizing strength. b. Arrange the reducing agents in order of their reducing strength. c. Compare the tr
An iron ore sample is analyzed for iron content by dissolving it in acid, converting the iron to Fe^+2 and then titrating with standard 0.0150M K_2Cr_2 O_7 solution. If 32.05 mL is required to titrate
Liquid elemental iron is produced in the thermite reaction because enough heat is generated to melt the iron : 2 Al (s) + Fe_2O_3 (s) rightarrow Al_2O_3 (s) + 2 Fe (l). (a) What mass of aluminum
A 0.5962g sample of iron ore is dissolved in acid-producing Fe^{3+}. Through a series of reactions, the iron precipitates as the Fe(OH)_3. The precipitates is heated, forming solid Fe_2O_3. What is th
A potassium permanganate solution is titrated with an acidified tin(II) chloride solution. The species present in the solution are: K+(aq), MnO4-(aq), H+(aq), Sn2+(aq), Cl-(aq), and H2O(l) What are the strongest oxidizing and reducing agents?
For the following reactions, identify the limiting and excess reagents. Give reasons for choices. a) wood burning in a campfire b) subdue in the air with silver flatware to produce tarnish, or silver sulfide
State whether a physical process or a chemical reaction is involved in the separation of: Iron is produced from an iron ore that contains the substance iron(III) oxide.
Much lead ore is PbS in rock. The higher the percentage of lead in the rock, the better the ore. Suppose 9.543 grams of ore is heated, allowing the sulfur to burn off and the lead to melt and be separated from the rock, and 5.270 grams of lead is recovere
An alloy of iron and carbon was treated with sulfuric acid, in which only iron reacts. 2Fe(s) + 3H_2SO_4(aq) to Fe_2(SO_4)_3(aq) + 3H_2(g) If a sample of alloy weighing 2.358 g gave 0.1067 g of hydrogen, what is the percentage of iron in the alloy?
A sample weighing 0.0123 g was dissolved in concentrated nitric acid to convert all of the arsenic to arsenate. The solution was diluted 10 times and excess silver added to precipitate silver arsenate (Ag_3 \cdot AsO_4), which was collected, dried, and we
A total charge of 96.5 kC is passed through an electrolytic cell. Determine the quantity of substance produced in each of the following cases. (a) the mass (in grams) of silver metal from a silver nit
Zinc is more active chemically than is silver; it can be used to remove ionic silver from solution. The concentration of a silver nitrate solution is determined to be 1.330 mol/L. Pieces of zinc totaling 100.0 g are added to 1.000 L of the solution; 90.0
An excess amount of chlorine was passed over hot iron fillings. The experiment yielded the following data: weight of crucible: 26.3821 g Weight of crucible plus iron fillings: 26.8511 g Weight of cruc
Sample of silver metal is suspected to be contaminated with zinc. A 0.2365 g portion of this metal is dissolved in nitric acid and the silver ions precipitated with excess aqueous NaCl. After filterin
Arrange the reducing agents in the list below in order of increasing strength. Do the same with the oxidizing agents.(Chapter 4 has definitions of reducing and oxidizing agents) Cr_2O_7^-2, Fe^2+, AgB
A 0.6505 g sample of ferrite ore is dissolved in nitric acid. All of the iron present is oxidized to iron(III). The solution is filtered and made basic with addition of ammonium hydroxide. The iron precipitates as the iron(III) hydroxide hydrated solid. T
Tarnished silver is coated with a layer of Ag2S(s). The coating can be removed by boiling the silverware in an aluminum pan, with some baking soda or salt added to make the solution conductive. Explain this from the point of view of electrochemistry.
The iron in a 6.675 g sample containing some Fe_2O_3 is reduced to Fe^{2+}.The Fe^{2+} is titrated with 14.53 mL of 0.2456 M K_2Cr_2O_7 in an acid solution. Find the percentage of Fe in the sample.
The chief ore of zinc is the sulfide, ZnS. The ore is concentrated by flotation and then heated in air, which converts the ZnS to ZnO. 2ZnS + 3O_2 \to 2ZnO + 2SO_2 The ZnO is then treated with dilute H_2SO_4 to produce an aqueous solution containing the
An electrolytic cell is used to separate copper from the impurities, that is, zinc, iron, silver, gold, and platinum. Can this process be used to separate the metals left after the copper has been removed?
Estimate the fraction of unoccupied atomic sites in lead at a temperature of 10 K below its melting point.
The protecting power of lyophilic colloidal sol is expressed in terms of: a) critical micelle concentration. b) oxidation number. c) coagulation value. d) gold number.
For a melting point determination, if the compound is less pure, then the melting point will generally be higher or lower and why? (a) Lower, impurities may react to form gasses which dissipate at room temperature (b) Lower, because defects in a crystal l
When we are studying wine oxidation, we need to establish the linearity of a spectrophotometric method for the analysis of iron (molar mass 55.845 g/mol) using the complexing agent ferrozine.
A 10.0-mL sample of aqueous NaOCl is treated with excess KI in an acidic solution. The quantity of iodine that is liberated is such that 28.02 mL of 0.0250 M Na_2S_2O_3 solution must be added to cause the disappearance of the dark blue color due to the st
The active ingredient in hair bleaches is hydrogen peroxide, H 2 O 2 . The amount of H 2 O 2 in 14.8 g of hair bleach was determined by titration with a standard potassium permanganate ( K M n O 4 ) solution. Treat this reaction as you would an acid-ba
In Part A, you found the amount of product (3.80 mol P 2 O 5 ) formed from the given amount of phosphorus and excess oxygen. In Part B, you found the amount of product (3.40 mol P 2 O 5 ) formed from the given amount of oxygen and excess phosphorus. No
One method for determining the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in solution is through a redox titration with potassium permanganate under acidic conditions. In this procedure, the hydrogen peroxide reduces the pink permanganate ion. a. What is the oxi
Substances A, B, and C can all act as oxidizing agents. In solution the neutral substance A is green, B is yellow and C is red. In reactions in which they participate, they are reduced to A^1-, B^1-",
In the analysis of an ore sample for Ni using an acidic dichromate solution, 0.04256 liters of dichromate titrant were required. If the sample contained exactly 2.5000 grams of ore, the final oxidatio
Copper(II) oxide, CuO, may be formed when copper metal is gently heated in air or oxygen gas. Copper metal surfaces that have been tarnished by a layer of black CuO can be cleaned by treating the surface with dilute solutions of hydrobromic acid, HBr(aq).
A 0.2250 g of sample of a mixture containing only of iron and ferric oxide (Fe_2O_3) was brought into solution and the iron was reduced to the divalent state and titrated with permanganate.
All of the chromium in a 0.750 gram sample of ore is converted to K_2CrO_4. The K_2CrO_4 is dissolved in acid and the CrO_4^{-2} (aq) is titrated with a 0.0200 M solution containing Sn^{+2} ions. The skeleton reaction is below. CrO_4^{-2} + Sn^{+2} right
104g sample of impure was acidified and analysed using excess iodine ion. The reaction is . Then is titrated with 0.300M
The nitrate anion is ________. A) Strong base B) amphoteric C) Strong acid D) Strong reducing agent E) Strong oxidizing agent.
For a steel alloy, it has been determined that a carburizing heat treatment of 15 h duration will raise the carbon concentration to 0.35 wt% at a point 2.0 mm from the surface. Estimate the time necessary to achieve the same concentration at a 6.0-mm ...


Capital Gains planning
Readers may have noted that the Chancellor announced a significant reduction in the annual Capital Gains Tax allowance, currently £12,300, from April 2023.
It is reducing to £6,000 from April 2023 with a further reduction to £3,000 from April 2024.
Taxpayers who are contemplating the disposal of a chargeable asset next year, which will create significant chargeable gains, should consider organising these disposals before, rather than after, 5 April 2023; unless they have already crystalised gains during 2022-23 and fully used their £12,300 tax-free allowance.
And don’t forget, married couples and civil partners both qualify for the £12,300 allowance in which case organising joint ownership of these assets before disposal may be beneficial.
HMRC app is a gift for Christmas workers and employers
Green opportunities boosted by Government investment


This Division I college football coach hasn't signed his contract. He's still getting paid. What's up?
Brent Schrotenboer
Nearly a year since his hiring was announced at New Mexico State, head football coach Jerry Kill still has not signed an employment contract with the university, the school confirmed this week.
As of Friday, he hadn’t even signed the university’s initial offer letter dated Nov. 21, 2021 – a two-page document that spells out the basic financial terms of his job but also states that he is on probation for a year like other new employees there.
It’s an unusual situation. Kill, 61, is still coaching at one of the most difficult jobs in major college football. He also is still getting paid at a rate of $550,000 annually, an athletics department official said. But without a signed contract – or even a signed initial offer letter – Kill’s situation delves into a precarious realm that carries significant risk for both sides and sometimes has created awkward situations and headlines that have raised the eyebrows of fans. Once, it became a federal case at Kentucky after men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie went two years without signing his contact before being fired in 2009.
“This is a strange one,” said Martin Greenberg, an attorney and sports law professor at Marquette who has represented coaches in contract negotiations but is not involved in the Kill case.
USA TODAY Sports inquired about it in October as part of its annual survey of college football coaches’ compensation. NMSU deputy athletics director Braun Cartwright said on Oct. 10 that the university expected Kill’s contract to be signed “in the next few days.” The reason he said it wasn’t signed was “we’ve been going through a few things (in the contract)” but that “nothing on coach’s part” was causing the delay.
Kill didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment through a school spokesman.
His team is 4-5 this year after starting the season with four consecutive losses.
“There were a couple of extra changes that needed to be made,” Cartwright said in an e-mail Nov. 9. “Although we are close, it is still unsigned.”
Formal contract signings in college sports sometimes can be delayed for months after a coach’s hiring is announced, simply because it takes time to work out the various clauses and language in a document that can run 24 pages or more. In the meantime, before a formal contract is signed, coaches typically work under a two- or three-page memorandum of understanding (MOU) or offer letter that at least spells out basic pay terms.
In Kill’s case, he hadn’t even signed the latter letter, which is rare. And it’s been nearly a year since he was hired, which also is quite uncommon.
“This is a dangerous area for colleges,” Greenberg said.
The reason for that is it creates legal risk for both sides when there is no signed employment agreement, especially in the event of a termination. In effect, a signed contract serves as a prenuptial agreement, spelling out detailed terms of a potential separation and how much each is owed in the event of a firing or resignation. Without those terms spelled out in writing, it can lead to ugly and expensive disputes after separation, much like a contentious divorce between spouses who failed to sign a prenup beforehand.
For example, Kill’s unsigned offer letter obtained by USA TODAY Sports doesn’t outline what he or the university would owe if he resigned or got fired. In his case especially, he arguably has a heightened interest in securing such terms with signatures, given his history of kidney cancer and seizures, in addition to the fact that NMSU is one of the most difficult places to win in major college football.
In its history dating to 1894, only two NMSU head coaches out of 35 have won more than 25 games at the school. Since 1972, NMSU also has had 10 non-interim head coaches before Kill, nine of whom were fired. The other coach – DeWayne Walker – quit to take an assistant coaching job in the NFL in January 2013 after posting a 10-40 record in four seasons.
“At the time I just felt like my career possibly was at stake if I had stayed there another three years,” Walker told USA TODAY Sports in 2020.
And yet here is Kill, fighting that tide of history without a signed and sealed deal to protect him. It probably didn’t help that Kill’s previous agent, Jordan Bazant, left the agent business late last year. It’s unclear who is representing him now in contract negotiations.
What could go wrong in the meantime?
The Kentucky dispute
The Gillispie affair at Kentucky shows how low it can go. Gillispie signed a three-page MOU at Kentucky when hired in April 2007, but he never signed a formal contract as the two sides fought over issues in it, including deferred compensation and how to define termination terms, according to court records.
Then after he got fired in March 2009, it became a federal case.
Since there was no signed contract, each side sued the other in federal court over what Gillispie was owed after his firing.
“An actual and justifiable controversy has arisen between the parties as to whether the MOU constitutes a long-term contract of employment,” the university said in its lawsuit against him.
Gillispie, who finished with a 40-27 record at UK, asserted he was fired without cause and therefore was entitled to $6 million to buy out his contract according to his interpretation of the MOU. Kentucky stated in court records it owed him nothing, because the MOU was “unenforceable” and the parties had not signed a long-term agreement.
The university “asserts that the MOU was expressly intended by the parties to be only a letter of intent or agreement to agree, and does not constitute either a fully-integrated writing or a final expression of the parties’ entire agreement,” the university said in its lawsuit.
The litigation dragged on until October 2009, when the two sides settled, with Gillispie getting about $2.9 million, about half of what his MOU stipulated.
“This is not an area where colleges want to be,” Greenberg said. “They don’t want to be making law in this area. They don’t want to be in the courts. Gillispie settled out and most of these things settled out because of dirty laundry (being used as leverage against the other in legal disputes).”
Greenberg once had his own issues with an unsigned contract when he represented then-Utah men's basketball coach Rick Majerus in the early 1990s.
The Utah and Georgia cases
Greenberg said Majerus didn’t sign a contract for more than a year because Majerus did not want a moral turpitude clause in his contract, simply because it was not clearly defined. In the meantime, Majerus was a hot coach and became a candidate for a job at UNLV.
“I went to the athletic director (at Utah) and said, `We do not have a contractual relationship. We’re simply an employee at-will. You’re free to terminate, and we’re free to terminate. And we’re going to terminate,’ ” Greenberg said.
Utah ended up dropping its desire to add a moral turpitude clause in Majerus’s contract, Greenberg said. Majerus, who died in 2012, didn’t take the UNLV job and stayed at Utah.
Other coaches generated headlines in recent years when they went several months without signing formal contracts, causing fans to wonder if one side or the other was having second thoughts.
In January 2015, Georgia announced a two-year contract extension and $800,000 raise for coach Mark Richt, boosting his annual compensation to $4 million. But he never signed it. After his team struggled on the field later that year, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution even published a story about it November 2015.
“Mark Richt still hasn’t signed contract, but UGA will honor $4M deal,” the headline said.
The newspaper said the delay was caused in part by disagreement over a conduct and ethics clauses in the new contract.
Richt then was fired later that month and had to rely on the university honoring a handshake agreement to get his new $4.1 million severance.
“Just because somebody hasn’t signed it doesn’t mean we’re not going to honor it,” then-Georgia athletics director Greg McGarity said in the article.
In another case, Texas A&M announced in early December of 2017 that it had hired coach Jimbo Fisher from Florida State. Six months later, the Texas Tribune published a story with a headline that said, “Texas A&M promised Jimbo Fisher a 10 year, $75 million contract five months ago. Here's why it hasn't been signed yet.”
Texas A&M cited tax code changes and Fisher’s busy schedule as reasons for the delay. Fisher then signed his contract on Aug. 17, 2018, more than eight months after his hiring was announced.
Kill also received attention from the local news media in 2011 after he went several months without a signed contract at Minnesota. Kill was hired there as head coach in early December 2010, but by April 2011, he still had no signed contract, prompting the Star Tribune to take note.
Kill finally signed his contract at Minnesota on Oct. 21, 2011, more than 10 months after his hiring was announced, according to the copy obtained by USA TODAY Sports. He then abruptly retired in October 2015, citing health issues.
At NMSU, Kill’s current unsigned offer letter makes his situation seem especially risky for him.
“The specific terms and conditions of your position may be changed without the necessity of a written addendum to this letter of offer,” the letter from November 2021 states.
By contrast, signed formal contracts generally require any changes to be made through bilateral written agreements. But Kill doesn’t have that or even a signed term letter.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. E-mail: bschrotenb@usatoday.com


Counties Renew Call for Federal Aid to Local Governments at Fall Meeting of County Leaders
Counties Would See $3 Billion in Aid from Updated HEROES Act
New York's county leaders today renewed their call for the White House and Congressional leaders to reach an agreement that would provide local governments with direct federal Coronavirus stimulus assistance. The leaders met this morning to close the New York State Association of Counties' (NYSAC's) virtual Fall Seminar.
“Every day that passes without a deal on direct aid to local governments, the deeper the economic hole that is being dug in our communities,” said NYSAC President John F. Marren. “Local governments stepped up and expended great resources to stop the spread of the virus and now, with state aid being withheld and revenue collection down, counties are being forced to cut services and lay off employees, which only depresses the economy further. It's time for Washington to get behind a plan and get this done for the American people.”
“We are in the middle of a national emergency that is impacting every community in New York and across the country. The federal government has provided emergency assistance to businesses and individuals, now it must do the same for the local governments who have been most impacted by this public health crisis so we can continue to battle COVID-19 and prevent further damage to our economy,” said Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, president of the NYS County Executives' Association.
According to NYSAC's analysis of the HEROES Act, which was moved by leaders in the House of Representatives this week, counties across the state would receive nearly $3 billion in federal stimulus from the modified HEROES Act. Through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, entitlement communities across New York State–municipalities over 50,000 in population–would receive about $2.4 billion. Other, smaller cities and localities across the state, would receive $2.2 billion. New York City, which is home to more than half of the state's 19 million people, would receive $5.35 billion.
During the meeting, leaders were briefed by White House Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Affairs William Crozer on the Trump administration's response to COVID-19 and the administration's support for an addition $250 billion to states and localities across the country. Crozer applauded NYSAC's economic analysis, saying that it was the most comprehensive COVID-19 revenue impact report from any state in the nation.
“Counties appreciate the continued partnership and open dialog that we've had with the White House as they've led the local response to the global pandemic, but the time as come for all parties in Washington to come together and reach an agreement on direct aid to local governments,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario.
The county leaders acknowledged the support they have from the bi-partisan state congressional delegation and called on them to press leaders from both parties to agree on a plan that will provide federal funding to states and local governments.