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instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: I have just moved onto the next page of this website and realise i cannot go any further as i have no credit card. My apologies. Eighty year old women treated for urinary infection for number of years then severe abdominal pain then series of tests to find cause 1. bowel specialist gave the ok although 15 years ago diagnosed bowel cancer was removed. 2. thyroid test came back positive 3. next specialist looks at Cyst on ovary as scan discovers this who now wants to do a biopsy as he said thickening of uterus needed to be investigated. Oops pain much more severe at night. Has also lost stone in weight last three months while pain and investigations take place. What does all this mean Regards very worried relative ps i am only looking to understand what is happening and the thinking of the drs. as this is a close relative i also wonder about heredity diseases. I have been diagnosed with hyper and now hypo thyroid. Daughter has been treated for fibroid which has been 18cm in length and appeared to compete with baby in womb for both pregnances. I suppose i was also wondering with all these problems associated with three generations what measurements can be taken to avoid the 80 year old plight ie food, vitamins etc not thinking of long term medication just lifestyle changes to avoid certain scenarios
er abdominal pain. Diagnosed bowel cancer. Treated for fibroid. Help? output: Hi and welcome to HCM. This isn easy to answer. I am afraid i didnt understand the question but as I see you are woried about 80year oold woman and possibilityof cancer development in her relative including you. Well, affinity to certain cancers(especially breast, ovarian, uterine and colorectal) is associated with genetic predispositions. There is no doubt about it but it shouldnt concern you and make your life insecure.This is still small possibility,it is impossible to calculate it. All you need to do is to look for sign and symptoms more carefuly then the others and do often examinations and preventive tests especially after 40.year. Your doctor will know about these tests. This patient hasserious symtpoms and cancer in history so it definitely needs to be investigted and treted. All you can do is to live healthy, eat healthy food, avoid alcohol and smoking. You cant change your genetics but can change life habits and think positively. Every human can get cancer no matter about his genetic potential and it is apsurd to be concerned about this possibility because someone in our family has it. WIsh I ve been helpful... |
The car was like a toy compartment divided into three rows, and the interior was rather spacious. The passenger seat to the right, which Ai was sitting on, was extremely comfortable, with excessive space even as she stood up. There was space between the driver and passenger seat, and she could walk to the back seat.
And thus, Julie and Ai were peeking through this space, staring into the back.
The scene at the back was extremely complicated.
One would have to look in from the surroundings. First, there were lights and star stickers made of fluorescent materials. The seats were brown, and were glossy like very aged leather. The interior was damaged all over, with signs of bumps and scattered fluids.
Most of the belongings on the car were of unknown purposes, it did. This one probably was a tent. That large one was probably a sleeping bag. A pot, bottle, frying pan, fishing rod, boots, dolls, all the belongings in the car were arranged in a completely illogical manner, but there was some joy looking at this scene.
So Scar beamed as she remained surrounded by the many belongings, seated in the middle of the backseat as she lowered her eyes at this object with affectionate eyes.
If not for Scar mentioning the word ‘boy’, Julie and Ai would not have realized there was a person there.
It was a trash bag lying next to Scar, made from torn canvas, stone grey in color. If anyone was really inside it, it would be cramped and unbearable.
Ai moved.
She pulled the shovel from the passenger seat, and gently prodded at the trash bag. She looked extremely serious, her action akin to a prankster of a brat however.
“Unnnn…” The trash bag groaned, and rolled about.
Ai and Julie exchanged looks.
“Mr-Mr Julie, there’s someone in the car! Wh-what do we do? He might be the owner!?”
“I was too careless…Ai, get ready to disembark any time.”
Julie said as he frisked for the revolver.
“Why are you pulling out a gun?”
“We never met. Who knows what kind of person he is?”
Realizing what was going on, Ai agreed.
“I guess…now that you mention it, it’s dangerous to meet a stranger for the first time.”
“You get it?”
“Yes. I’ve been meeting many people for the first time recently, and everyone pointed a gun at me, or used me as a hostage.”
“…No, it’s different from what I’m expecting here…”
The person woke up.
The trash bag slowly got up, the hole slipping down, revealing what was inside.
The boy is so pretty, so Ai thought.
And then, she was reminded that the boy was the first person she met in the outside world. She panicked, unable to prepare herself mentally.
Julie, and even Scar looked rather dire.
The boy did not care about the tense atmosphere around him however, and with a dazed look, appeared as though he had just woken up. The black eyes were drifting afar, the light blue hair messy like whipped cream. His lower body remained in the bag, and one could only see the green sweater on him
He scratched his head, and in order, looked at the revolver, the smile, and the shovel.
Ai looked towards her companions, giving a ‘what do we do now’ look, but it seemed neither of them had decided on what to do next.
The boy suddenly lowered his head to greet, leaving Ai flabbergasted, but she felt she had to respond..
“”Good morning (to you).””
The other two seemed to feel the same, and everyone greeted in their own way.
The boy then said,
“…Now then…”
He laid down like a worm, brought the bag to his head, and said,
He went to sleep.
“Hold on a minute. Don’t sleep again~~~~~~~~~!”
Ai yelled, hopping over from the passenger seat with cat-like nimbleness.
“How are you able to do this!? How can you be sleeping again right now!?”
She had no concerns of courtesy or consequences, and smacked hard at the boy in the trash bag.
“No…well…I-I’m rather, sleepy…”
“Don’t sleep even if you feel like it! Hey! Look how dirty this bag is! Get up!”
Ai tugged at the trash bag like it was a kid cooped in his bed. The boy never resisted as he rolled to the bottom of the chair, his shirt ruffled as he bared his belly.
Finally, there were the hands that were hidden behind.
There were handcuffs.
The steel shackles were upon the boy’s twig-like hands.
“So sleepy…”
And despite that situation, the boy remained groggy.
Calm had returned within the car, and Ai, with her hands raising the trash bag, immediately realized something was amiss.
“Wh-what’s with you!? What happened!?”
“That’s not important…so sleepy…”
“How’s that not important! It is very important!”
“Ai, wait. Something’s not right.”
Julie reeled in his massive body, and went to the front row of the back seats. The space exceedingly sufficient for three was cramped immediately.
“Looks like…someone drugged him.”
He held the body’s neck and head like a baby, and had him lie down. He then checked the eyes, hands, and smelled the mouth.
“Probably had some False Spring sprouts…”
“? Is it the delicious one? With red fruits…?”
“The fruit’s like that, but dried sprouts can be made as psychedelics.”
Julie held up the boy’s head, and fed him lots of water. Scar had swapped positions, and became his assistant.
“Damn bastards…”
The rage Julie was exuding left Ai shivering.
“They drugged a brat so heavily. Who knows if there will be aftereffects…”
Julie had much rage for what this boy went through, and Ai was immediately influenced by that sense of justice, snorting.
“Feels like there’s something bad going on.”
Of course, so Julie retorted offhandedly as he continued to care for the body. He undid the buttons of the boy’s shirt, loosened the belt, and made sure the boy was not nauseous as he laid the boy down. Scar continued to provide assistance.
Ai too wanted to help.
“…Is there anything I can help with?”
Julie’s response was really aloof.
“I see…none…”
Ai felt ostracized, and went to a corner dejectedly.
“Ahh…no, wait.”
“Okay！ I’ll do anything！”
“No, this isn’t what I’m talking about.”
I got a good idea, so Julie clapped.
“Now that we have a chance, let’s ask him what he knows. Hey kid! Where are you from? What’s your name? Why are you here? Who did this to you?”
“You big meanie——!!”
Ai yelled while they were in the wilderness.
“There’s a bad man here! A naturally bad man here！”
So the lizards turned around, giving a look that practically exclaimed, “Oh, is that so?”
“Hey！ Don’t make it sound that bad！”
“But you’re a bad person！”
Ai shooed Julie aside, protecting the boy.
“…Hmmm…I’m a resident of Ortus, my name is…”
The boy was seemingly sleeptalking as he answered,
“You don’t have to answer.”
But the boy ignored Ai, saying,
“My name is…Kiriko…Pox…Wreck…Diva…Aureus…Velera…Ul…Helios…Melzar…Gog…Digg…”
The boy was not done finishing his name.
“…Amita…Barz…Geiauf…Elsesboff…Setsafwa…”
This long spiel of spell-like words did not feel like a person’s name.
Ai was flabbergasted to hear that, not knowing the meaning of these words.
“…Did you mention your country?”
But Julie seemed to have an idea.
“Mr Julie, you know something?”
His expression clearly was stating that he said the wrong words, yet he was brazenly attempting to misdirect her.
Ai wanted to continue asking, but the boy’s words this time became a struggle,
“…I…was captured…by them…”
“You don’t have to force yourself to answer, and we don’t understand what you’re saying at all.”
“Heh…you haven’t changed at all…still the same old…”
“How rude. He said I haven’t changed at all！”
“Probably recognized the wrong person. Don’t mind him.”
“Ku…kukuku…”
The boy finally started laughing, giving a ‘really happy’ look. His smile was as earnest as a child.
“Princess…you seem rather energetic today.”
Princess?
“Eh? Me? No, it’s impossible to be called Princess.”
“Relax. He’s not talking about you.”
“And…Princess, you seem…a little smaller?”
“Hmph. How rude.”
“Hahaha…that’s disrespectful.”
The boy’s probably about 14, 15, but he was smiling innocently as though he was younger than Ai.
“Doesn’t seem right even if he reverts back to being a baby.”
“Yes, he’s very immature, but it’s weird how polite his tone is.”
“…You’re saying that?”
“? Is there a problem?”
Julie courteously kept mum.
“Hahaha, Princess.”
The boy continued to address Ai in a familial manner, so Ai could only answer reluctantly,
“Right right right, I’m the princess. What is it?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Then why are you calling for me?”
“Just wanted to do it..”
“Hmph. Princess is getting angry.”
“Woah, how scary…”
The boy exclaimed that he was terrified, but his face looked otherwise.
“It’s going to be troublesome if you’re angry now, Princess…everyone’s going to be really troubled, really sad…this is going to be troublesome.”
The boy continued with a gentle smile,
“So Princess, please don’t be angry.”
“…………Really, I’m not.”
Ai sighed as she said these words,
The boy showed a childish smile, saying,
“Thank you, Princess……………………Princess?”
His smile suddenly got gloomy.
The dazed expression was masked with an element of intellect, like a white canvas marked with red.
“…………Who are you lot?”
The black eyes instantly reverted to the sharpness a boy of his age should have, and he cautiously glared at them.
He was no longer showing the bliss of a fed kitten, and instead was filled with the strong distrust of a stray cat.
The boy tried to get up, but the handcuffs on his wrists stabbed into his flesh, causing him to fall over in pain.
“Ah, don’t move——”
His hands were cuffed, and he was intoxicated, but he remained defiant as he yelled.
“Who are you!? Where did those guys go !?”
“Who are the two you speak of?”
“?…The ones who saved me, the owners of this car…”
“Well…I guess they’re dead…”
“I know that! I’m asking what happened after they died！?”
Ai widened her eyes, but she answered his question,
“They’re…probably buried there…”
With a sliding sound, the door opened, and she pointed at the two graves slightly afar.
“…Fools…they got buried by gravekeepers…”
The boy lowered his head dejectedly, sounding condescending.
Ai looked up at Julie, who was next to him.
“I have no idea what is going on.”
“Sorry, you mind explaining what’s going on clearly?”
“…………………What…are you…”
“Ah, sorry that I didn’t say this earlier. I’m Ai——Ai Astin.”
The boy widened his eyes immediately, and with that old innocent expression, he said,
“Kiriko﹒Zubreska.”
The name he gave was different from before.
“A resident of the city of millions, Ortus.”
On Monday, God created the World.
On Tuesday, God defined Order and Chaos
On Wednesday, God fine tuned the numerals of the World.
On Thursday, God permitted time to flow.
On Friday, God looked into every corner of the Earth.
On Saturday, God rested.
And on Sunday, God abandoned the World.
15 years ago, God suddenly appeared Mankind, and said,
“The netherworld is completely filled. This world will soon be finished. Ahh, I have failed.”
So God said this, before vanishing without a trace. Back then, Mankind had been waxing lyricals of the Spring of this world, and were naturally shocked. They as a species had yet to live for a hundred million years, and witnessed God for the first time, but the first words God said to them were words of farewell.
Ever since that day, Mankind could not die.
Even when their hearts stopped, their flesh rotted, the Dead continued to wriggle, unable to stop.
Ever since that day, Mankind stopped giving birth.
It was as though a factory had fallen to fire, and no new humans were produced.
After God left the world behind, Mankind screamed. Millions of them yelled, even to the brink of death, sputtering blood. The Living soon dwindled in numbers. The Dead roamed the world.
Later, the gravekeepers appeared.
These gravekeepers were the last miracle God gave to Mankind.
They built graves, burying the wandering Dead, protecting the peace of the Living.Finally, people could sleep in peace.
Children were no longer born, the Dead wandered, the gravekeepers ran about.
This truly was the image of the Apocalypse.
Ai was a gravekeeper, and she had a dream.
She dreamed that she would save the world.
Her mother built Heaven, her father purged Hell. She inherited their dreams, and prayed to save the world.
She had yet to know any method that could fulfill this dream, but she did not want to give up.
For the journey had just begun.
The car raced on. This simple fact alone had Ai overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions. The rattling of the car had her terrified, the passing scenery as they proceeded far beyond sprinting speed had her jolted, and the endless wilderness before them even as they continued to move so quickly had her a little worried,
Ai had the window of the co-passenger seat completely opened, ignoring Scar’s muted protests as she merely cared about yelling into the wilderness. No matter how long she waited, she got no echoes, and it was truly an intriguing experience to her.
She savored everything as much as she could, the car, the scenery, the breeze of the wilderness all being her first experiences.
She poked her head out from the car she sat for the first time in her life, and earned herself a punch to the head from Julie for the first time, “Don’t you put your head out of the window.”
So Ai massaged the blunt trauma as she continued to look into the horizon.
The wilderness was so wide, it could only be felt as endless.
“If you had enough, close the window.”
She really wanted to refuse.
“…It’s not good for him.”
Ai reeled back after hearing that, and hurriedly closed the window. The rubber was a little sticky, so she had much difficulty closing the window, but she finally managed to shut it with a thud.
Without the gales blowing, the noisy car became abnormally quiet. Ai’s ears, already used to the noise of the car quickly, naturally filtered it out.
“…Mr Kiriko, you awake?”
“Nope. He’s still sleeping.”
Ai glanced behind at the middle seat, and found Kiriko filling the space entirely, sleeping soundly.
After he gave his name, Kiriko collapsed weakly, and lost consciousness. It appeared his sudden soberness and agitation truly was bad for his body.
Ai sighed in relief, and stared at the sleeping boy.
Kiriko’s face was pale, his breathing was light, and clearly he was grimacing from a nightmare. He was frowning, and there was none of the frivolous kindness he showed before. Ai started to wonder, which was the real Kiriko? The soft fluffy Kiriko? Or the porcupine-like Kiriko?
“…Ms Scar, if anything happens to Mr Kiriko, please tell us.”
So Scar, seated at the back seat, answered. Once she was done caring for Kiriko, she went to the back seat, clearing up the items on the car. At this point, she was having a staring contest with a ceramic piggy bank. Ai quietly swore never to disturb her.
Julie continued to drive silently, as though he had become part of the car.
And Ai obediently sat on the passenger seat, watching him.
There was silence.
Julie sensed a pothole far away, and was wondering if he should dodge right or left.
Ai looked around at the facilities in the car, and had no idea what the two sticks before the windshield were for.
Finally, Julie decided to evade right.
Ai had nothing to do, and could only look forward.
It appeared the wilderness would last forever.
“Eh!? Are we going to continue on like this?”
“…What are you saying out of a sudden?”
Eh…but, with her index finger, Ai pointed at the wilderness, and then at herself.
“But I’m feeling really bored.”
Julie’s face was clearly plastered with the words “Who cares?”
“…What’s the point of grumbling at me?”
“But! But! It feels like something’s going to happen! Like, it’s going to keep going, that kind of feeling, righ!?”
So Julie stepped on the brakes.
Ai’s forehead slammed into the windshield.
“That hurts!”
“Sorry. There was a pothole hidden there.”
They stopped slowing down, and began accelerating again. The scenery passed by again in a blur.
“Well, travelling by itself is full of nothing.”
Julie answered honestly. However, Ai had other ideas
“Ehhh. Don’t think so.”
“…Since you’re so bored, I hope you can start driving.”
“Eh? Can I!?”
Ai was full of vigor. However, Julie immediately doused her enthusiasm.
“…Can you reach the pedal?”
A cruel silence beckoned.
The car was domineered by silence, and Ai did not muster the word ‘bored’.
“It appears Mr Kiriko is about to waken.”
A few moments passed since then before Scar said these words.
Ai took out the pocket watch, and though it felt an eternity, it was merely noon.
“Fuuahh…”
Ai yawned a little, and looked back, finding Kiriko to be still asleep, though looking a little better.
“He’s still sleeping though.”
“Yes, so I said he is about to wake…his breathing rhythm has changed. I believe he will regain consciousness soon.”
And within a few seconds, Scar’s words came true.
Kiriko, wrapped in a blanket, widened his eyes slightly, and looked around blankly.
“Ah, you awake?”
“…You are?”
So he said while concealing his troubled look, instead giving a wary expression.
“…Have I passed out until now?”
“Yeah, right after you gave your name.”
It seemed Kiriko’s body refused to obey him, his eyes were restlessly swimming around, inspecting every nook and cranny of the car.
“You don’t have to be so careful now…”
“I’ll decide for myself whether I need to be careful.”
Ai made a little sigh. It seemed this very wary Kiriko was his usual self. So Ai stared at him, recalling a hurt red wolf she picked up in the mountain.
“…Where are you driving to?”
Kiriko noticed the outside scenery, and asked.
“To Ortus.”
Ai answered.
“What are you planning…”
Halfway through, Kiriko tried to sit up, only to realize something.
He tried to get up, and naturally stretched his arms to support his weight.
“Ah, we couldn’t remove your handcuffs, so we broke the chain first.”
Kiriko raised his hands, as though he was about to receive, and found the chain snapped, the cuffs devoid of the ability to restrain.
Kiriko asked the same question again.
“We’re not planning anything .”
“…I’m being honest.”
Ai sighed.
Julie said while holding the wheel.
“I know you’re being honest, but telling that to a stranger will only leave him confused. Don’t give him too much headache.”
Kiriko held up his heavy head with his arms, and sat up.
“Better not ask that question.”
Julie firmly deflected this question.
“…Ah, you’re right. How rude of me.”
Though he was rejected, Kiriko apologized in a relieved manner.
“…Looks like you’re a sensible one.”
But naturally, Ai was fuming
“………You’re saying I’m unreasonable?”
“Ai, when outdoors, honesty isn’t a virtue–forget it. Just sit back and watch.”
Julie said, and began talking to Kiriko without looking at the latter in the eyes.
“First, a self-introduction. Julie Sakuma Dmitriyevich, nice to meet you. This one here is Scar. Hands are full, and you better lie down. We’ll leave the handshakes for later.”
“Kiriko Zubreska. Thank you for your concern…and for saving me.”
“Don’t forget to thank them. They’re worried about you the entire time.”
“I see——thank you. I was saved because of you two.”
Ai looked shocked, and accepted his thanks. Their conversation went so smoothly, it seemed rehearsed, and was completely unlike her attempts to talk.
“So why are you like this?”
“Sorry, this involves the state of the city. Please restrain from asking that…and I shall not ask about your past.”
Kiriko’s eyes were as sharp as an eagle.
“…You have quite the cast here…all appearing over there…a lady, and a lazy generation girl…and since you don’t look like family…now then……”
He politely dispensed with such threatening words, but Julie ignored him.
“How’s your homeland?”
“…………What did you just say?”
Kiriko showed a troubled look.
“You don’t have to answer, since it’s not something I need to know, and I don’t want to.”
“But I determine that it’s best to tell us why you’re captured. This information might bring us immediate danger.”
“Or are you not planning to reveal that much?”
I might need to have a different decision, so Julie hinted.
“…No, you’re right. I shall inform you.”
Kiriko apologized, and started off explaining how everything started.
Everything went smoothly, but Ai was a little irritated by their interaction.
Kiriko lived in a city called Ortus, working as an apprentice. Their main job was being a runner boy, delivering items or messages all over Ortus. There were times his job scope would take him out of the city, and he would have to ride a bike to the neighboring towns. This time, he was bringing letters, running all day in the wilderness.
He said he was abducted by bandits while delivering letters.
“…I don’t think I have the right to say this, but they were truly amateurish in equipment and thoughts…”
His memory hazy from sniffing the drug, Kiriko was certain on this part, that there were ten of them, brazenly set traps on the road, and toppled his bike over.
Their actions thereafter seemed strange however. It seemed there was infighting between them, and before he knew it, Kiriko was thrown into this car.
The two car owners were once Living.
Using the past tense here was correct, for they died saving Kiriko.
“They had fun causing such a ruckus, and died happy…they didn’t really want to save me. They did it all for themselves.”
That was why they were quickly buried by the gravekeepers.
“…They’re really troublesome.”
Kiriko finished his narration thusly.
“…I don’t think you should describe your saviors like that…”
Ai said unhappily.
“You’re right…I went overboard.”
He simply retracted his words, leaving Ai all the more flabbergasted.
“…You really think so?”
“Since I say so, it is what it is.”
Sparks flew between them.
“Hm, then there should be danger near Ortus…”
Julie ignored the kids as he delved into his own thoughts.
“Fine, we’re not going to Ortus.”
“”Ehhh!?””
The glaring pair hurriedly looked over at Julie.
“It-it’s different from what we agreed on!”
“Hold on hold on. Just calm down for now.”
Julie said as he parked the car.
And then, he pulled out a map from his clutches, explaining to them,
“Didn’t you want to go to this town in the first place?”
“RIght, so I’ll send you here.”
“…I see. That’ll be better for me…what about you?”
“We’ll head back and go our separate ways.”
“Eh? Eh? Eh? Why?”
Ai was the only one who could not accept this.
“So, Ai, you tell me. Why do you want to go to Ortus?”
Julie asked with incredulity.
“Of course it’s because I want to.”
“So I ask, why do you want to go?”
“What why…I just want to go.”
“…Ahh, I see. So you just want to go? In that case…”
Julie appeared to be suffering through a headache.
“Whatever. We’ll get another chance to go back anyway.”
Julie said, and stepped on the pedal. Ai was very peeved at his attitude, but was unable to say anything.
She got carsick.
What went wrong…so Ai wondered. Should she be worrying about the future, or should she assist Scar at the back seat, wiping that strange fox-shaped stone statue? Or should she count the teeth of the gear-shaped windows to 800…?
Ai did not know the truth, but it appeared she had caused trouble for everyone. She swapped places with Kiriko, and laid down on the middle row.
Half her face was covered with a towel, her eyes still staring blankly forward.
She could see Kiriko and Julie at the front seat looking at the map, exchanging murmurs. She felt repulsed just focusing at a point on the map, and averted her eyes.
“Ahh, you woke up?”
Kiriko noticed her stare.
“…I’ve been awake the entire time.”
Ai answered, but her reply was less than convincing. For some reason, the tremors she felt had greatly eased, and her nausea was a lot milder. She slowly sat up, looked out towards the road, and found the road to be a lot more even. it appeared she fell asleep without knowing, and looked at her watch, the hour hand had advanced by two hours. The weather was not as bright as the clear noon, now cloudy. The grey clouds appeared solid like rock, and nowhere did it look soft.
Far away, she could see lightning flashing, and thunder could not be heard.
And near the lightning, there was a rumbling white dragon.
“…Is that a tornado?”
Kiriko asked with a grim look, looked far at where Ai pointed, and finally heaved a sigh of relief, saying,
“So it’s that far…it’s amazing that you spotted it.”
Both of them peered outside through the window, and little raindrops appeared on the glass, having a cute dance as the car jolted. Rain fell from the hard looking clouds, lightning, and the tornados. Everywhere else was sunny, a rainbow could be seen linking the sky and the earth.
A clear day, rain, tornado, thunderstorm, such distinct things blended in the same scenery, forming an inexplicable painting.
“…It’s the first time I’m seeing a tornado.”
A scenery completely different from the mountaintop was up close .
“…I want to see it from a closer place…”
“I’ll advise you not to.”
Kiriko answered with a serious expression.
“It looks small and thin, but it’s able to lift cars and even houses. Humans aren’t different from leaves when it comes to that.”
“Really. That’s why they have underground shelters in every house on this plain.”
“Heh? Do you have one too, Mr Kiriko?”
“No. I should say Ortus itself doesn’t experience any, The hills redirect the winds south.”
Kiriko said as he tapped at the panel, switching the radio on. There was a channel featuring a weather report with lots of noise, warning travellers of a tornado.
“Wha-what is this!”
“What do you mean? It’s a radio…you don’t know this?”
“It’s my first time seeing this, or rather, hearing it.”
“…………You’re weird.”
Then, there was a deliberate cough interrupting their conversation.
“I see it.”
Julie pointed with his chin. Kiriko checked the map, and Ai chewed on the back of the driver seat, glaring at the windshield.
They could see structures lying on the horizon.
“What kind of place is that?”
“…Just a classic town. Has hotel, gas and repair services to earn tourist money. Those selling lunch boxes will rush onto the road without care. Better be careful.”
“I welcome the lunch boxes and the Dead.”
“? Ahh? No, I don’t think there are any Dead here. This is a town for the Living.”
This time, Julie coughed brazenly, trying to stop Ai from saying something she should not have.
But this wasn’t effective against Ai.
“Mr Julie, you caught a cough? Please be careful.”
The car stopped, and the door to the driver seat opened. Julie got off the car, grabbed Ai by the collar, and pulled her out from the middle seats, walking 17 steps north.
“Wh-what are you doing? You’ll tear my collar…”
“Please conceal your identity as a gravekeeper as much as possible.”
Ai raised a finger, neither flinching nor caring that she was dragged around like a kitten,
“To be precise, a mixed blood between Man and gravekeeper.”
“…Keep that a secret. It’ll be a huge help to us if you can agree.”
Julie appeared to have given up as he raised the item in his right hand a little further.
“Ai, don’t be hurt about what you hear from me now.”
“You’re telling me not to be hurt when you’re the one saying that? That’s not kind of you, but that’s to be expected, Mr Julie.”
“Are you a genius at riling others?”
“But I’m hurt now.”
“Really? Then buck up…Ai, listen to me.”
He said, glancing aside at Kiriko. The boy remained in the car politely, not looking at them.
Julie suddenly let go, and had Ai stand on the ground.
“Right now, Mankind and gravekeepers are enemies.”
“Think about it, the Living and the gravekeepers don’t care about each other, so that’s fine…but the Dead…the Dead still wandering are mostly those ‘who don’t want it to end’. If you tell them that you’re a Gravekeepers, they’ll slaughter you.”
Ai was wide mouthed once she heard that, and lifted her head towards Julie.
“…Look over there.”
Julie pointed at a land, and there was a handle stick shoved there.
“A gravekeeper’s grave.”
On a closer look, the stick was a shovel stabbed into the ground.
“A gravekeeper’s grave…”
“Most likely murdered by the Dead, and buried.”
“How’s that…”
Ai fell weakly to the ground.
“That’s the opposite of what should happen.”
Julied nodded in confirmation.
“But that’s how things turned out to be. Mankind has evolved into such a species…little by little since that day 15 years ago, until now.”
Ai did not answer.
Julie insisted that she answer. With a gloomy expression, she grabbed the sand, got up, and threw it aside.
“…I do, but I can’t accept this…”
“I’m not asking you to do this much…just that you need to know.”
Ai continued, her resisting eyes were glaring up at Julie’s blue eyes.
“But Mr Julie, I feel that when I need to, I’ll have to do so.”
She was practically looking upwards, her eyes widened, ignoring the fact that there was a cliff-like height difference between them,
“I definitely can’t stop myself from saying that.”
“…Do as you please until then, when you feel the need to.”
Both of them returned to the car. On the way back, Julie took 2 steps, and Ai took 3…
“Mr Julie.”
“It hurts.”
Both of them took 15 and 30 steps respectively. “Welcome back.” So Kiriko said, and did not question anything.
Julie pulled the side lever, and stepped on the pedal.
The town approached.
“Right, this is where we should say goodbye…lots of things happened, but I have to thank you.”
There was a white building before them, seemingly rising from the horizon.
“…Well, that seemed quick…”
Julie narrowed his eyes skeptically.
“It’s not like anything unpleasant happened.”
That building?
“Hmph. However you please.”
Julie yelled.
“Wh-what?”
“Check out that town for me. Ahh whatever, I can see it. Damn it! What the hell is that thing!?”
The town was shaped like a sandwich. THe ‘buildings’ were the bread, the ‘road’ was the filling. The buildings were lined on both sides, the main road before them leading to the horizon. The colors of the bread were a lot more vibrant than the filing, every building had different colors, looking really radical.
And the bread was in tatters.
Every single one of them gasped. None of the houses crumbled before them had been repaired, the entire town was trampled upon, the walls and pillars reduced to wood.
“A tornado…”
Kiriko muttered in a daze.
“It got swept completely…”
The car slowed down as it entered the town. The remaining debris was far too little considering the many houses that were destroyed. There were shattered planks and furniture everywhere, magazines scattered like petals, giving a strange festive-like atmosphere.
Ai tugged at Julie’s sleeve,
“Mr Julie, please stop…”
“No, it’s too dangerous.”
“There might still be some living…”
“And it’s dangerous because they’re living.”
“But then…”
“…It’s strange. There’s little debris on the road, it’s like they’re inviting people through…”
Ai crept away from the front seats, and slithered to the back seats where a leisurely looking Scar was,
“…Ms Scar, is there any Dead here?”
“No, or I would not have waited obediently here.”
“…I guess…then the Living?”
“I do not know about this. After all, we can only detect the wandering and buried Dead, along with other nearby gravekeepers.”
There were no signs at all.
Ai wondered if she was overthinking it, or that they had fallen into a trap, but the car just drove off.
They just drove off while avoiding the scattered planks, stoves, trampled carpets and crushed mugs. Various things that should not exist on a road passed by in hundreds, brewing a nightmarish tension.
They evaded a lion statue held in a bathtub of mudwater, evaded lots of basins, and Julie discovered a scene he had always been worried about.
There was a barricade formed out of debris.
Upon seeing that, Julie stepped on the gas..
The explosive acceleration had everyone sticking into the backrest, the car charging forth at mesmerizing speed. Julie controlled the wheel delicately as he made slight adjustments to the twitching car, having it move through the path where the barricades were weakest.
Closing in before them were severed plant pots, wreckage of baking ovens, and a signboard of ‘car repairs’ before them.
The car drove by.
The impacts shook the car, but it managed to pass through the town. planks of red, white and yellow flew in the air, lots of latrine bowls slowly rising in the air, before crashing hard onto the ground.
At that moment, Ai saw silhouettes among the crowd. There were men armed with guns running out, yelling, some who were more rash shooting away, though the bullets missed greatly. They shook off the gunmen with speed, the town soon vanishing before their eyes as they returned to the wasteland once again.
The blue car continued down the horizon at top speed.
The car kept going West until the sky was dyed red, and ultimately, they had to spend the night outdoors. While there was some sunlight left, everyone hastily set up a tent. Ai and Scar laid out the beds, while it appeared Kiriko and Scar intended to sleep in the back seat and the driver seat.
They set a fire when the sun set, the fuel obtained from the planks of the barricade they had barged through, caught between the bonnet and the engine. The car shielded the fire from the East, preventing anyone there from seeing the flames.
“How is it?”
“Not good, The suspension’s gone.”
Kiriko, having snuck beneath the car, climbed out and responded.
The car had been having problems ever since they broke through the barricade, the car clearly wobbly. The impacts from driving over the potholes were not cushioned, hitting the passengers.
But they could not stop. The blue car kept driving on, until the engine finally burst into flames.
“Managed to get it stabilized, for now.”
Julie went to the back to check on the engine, getting his hands black in the process. The sharpnel flew into the pipes, affecting the cooling. The shaking caused the engine oil to leak, resulting in it burning.
“We better get it fixed fully, otherwise it’s going to get troublesome.”
Ai took some bread, jerky and tea to the two men who finished working, and all of them were gathered to eat, munching away.
“Let’s go to Ortus.”
Julie took a sip of tea as he said.
“…There’s no other choice.”
Kiriko swallowed the bread in his mouth, agreeing.
“I can make some agreements. Repairs and lodging should be free.”
“That’ll help us out, but is that really fine?”
“The city has a policy of assisting those in need of emergency aid. I think we can supply some necessities, but I can’t guarantee that…”
“That’s more than enough. Thanks.”
Ai was exceptionally quiet.
“What’s wrong, Ai? You’ve been quiet the entire time.”
Her usually talkative mouth remained pursed, except when delivering food into her mouth. Naturally, she finished dinner earlier than the others, the tea in her mug downed.
“Mr Julie……”
Ai’s face was illuminated by the flickering flames as she said,
“Could we have saved them…?”
Julie gave a troubled look as he scratched his head,
“Can’t do it.”
There was no room of discussion. Not ‘no’, but ‘can’t do it’, which showed how adamant he was.
“You want to know why? There are many reasons? Most importantly, the basic reason is that we don’t have the means to save them.”
Hundreds of them had no place to live, and it’s not a problem a mere few could resolve.
“Second, they’re already bandits. Third, they’re trying to save themselves in their own way. The second reason I speak of is that way, and even if we can’t ferry them all, it’s not like an entire town doesn’t have a car or vehicle. Am I right, Kiriko?”
Kiriko, who had not been talking, nodded upon being prompted,
“…They probably have cars in the underground garage…and probably contacted the other villages or towns…just not Ortus however. I guess they just don’t want to rely on Ortus no matter what…”
“Was it them who captured you?”
Kiriko cupped his knees together and bit on his fingernails, sinking into thought as he answered,
“…Thinking about it now, I guess that’s the only answer.”
The blue flames engulfed the wood, and Kiriko’s gloomy expression gave a silent vibe.
“They probably want to use me as a hostage, a bargaining chip…the Living really have inscrutable plans. We assisted them lots in the past, but to think they were ungrateful, even vengeful.”
“…A dispute between city and town?”
“Not really, Just the town causing a ruckus.”
“Guess it’s better to coexist peacefully.”
“…We feel the same.”
Both sighed in unison.
“Whatever. At least we’ll get intel from Ortus, we’ll figure out something. We don’t have to worry about that.”
“Hmm~~”
“Something you’re still unhappy about? And why do you want to save them even though you aren’t related?”
“Of course it’s because…”
Julie immediately froze, and tried to shuush Ai’s mouth.
“Of course it’s because I’m an envoy of justice.”
Kiriko looked troubled, wondering what she meant, so he shot Julie a look, who muttered with a grimace, “She said that…”
“Well, if there’s people in the West in trouble, we should help. If there’s people in the East looking for trouble, we’ll fix them! That’s my journey to save the world.”
“R-really?”
“Yes—and actually, it started three days ago.”
“Too recent! That just started!”
“So I want to save them…”
Ai cupped her legs together, putting her chin on her knees, looking really gloomy.
Kiriko had his hand under his chin as he looked at her, the meaningless metal rings on his wrists clicking away.
“一That’s quite a stupid dream.”
“Th-that’s blunt…”
“Am I wrong? I’m not going to ask why you have such a big, crazy dream…but a dream that can’t be fulfilled is just stupid.”
“No matter how big your dream is, no matter how many good deeds you want to do, you’re just powerless right now.”
“I know this…”
“They’re not hoping for you to save them. They’ll figure out a way themselves.”
“I said I know this…”
And because she knew that, Ai was being so depressed, so gloomy.
“…I’m going to sleep.”
Saying that, Ai stood up.
She turned around, and found darkness and a starry sky there.
“…As for me…”
The darkness was cold and big, almost swallowing the little fire.
“I’m really small…”
“…You’re a pipsqueak after all.”
“Truly a pipsqueak.”
Ai stomped at the calves of the two men, and went towards the tent.
Nobody woke them up, but once dawn broke, everyone woke up.
A thin layer of ice gathered above the wilderness was swept aside by the sunlight, the bonnet of the blue car giving off clear steam, absorbed into the lower clouds.
They kept the tents, dealt with the fire, started the engine to warm the car.
They boiled water over the steam, and had tea and bread for breakfast.
They packed their belongings, and boarded the car. Ai popped some sweets into her mouth to counteract the carsick.
She had the lemon flavored sweet roll right to left in her mouth, before it stopped on her tongue. They were ready to leave, and once the car was done heating, its pulse started to accelerate, slowly ripping through the morning air.
Ai remained seated in the rear, looking towards the town far behind as she sank into thought.
She probably was thinking that it would be great if everyone could be happy.
After noon or so, Kiriko was the on driving instead. “You can drive?” So Ai asked in shock. And the response was, “Anyone can as long as they can step on the pedal.” Kiriko did not really mean anything, but Ai was incensed by these words, and laid at the middle row, sleeping in a grimace.
The car stopped at lunch, and they rested another three times to cool the overheated engine. It was long past noon.
The first to realize something was amiss was Scar.
“There are still unburied Dead.”
“…………Eh? That was kind of…………”
“Ai, please wake up.”
Scar leaned over from the back seat, whispering,
“……Eh? Ah, no, I wasn’t sleeping…not at all…yes, I wasn’t sleeping yesterday either…fuahh…”
“I sense the unburied Dead in the direction we are headed.”
The gravekeepers possessed various superpowers to bury the Dead, and one of them was to detect their existence. Through many various senses, they could find the Dead they should bury, but the conditions of what they should bury were complex. Most of it was to approach the closest Dead, there were a few exceptions, and some gravekeepers had problems with this function. Ai herself had no such function, and it was said that even of the pure-blooded gravekeepers, some would wander around the Dead, unable to find them. It was because of this nature however that people called the gravekeepers“kings of the corpses”.
Back on point.
Ai looked forward.
Logically, that was the direction Ortus was at.
“…Things really happen one after another, don’t they? Miss Scar, how many are there? 1? 2? 10? 100?”?”
“At least…a million, I suppose.”
“Oh, a million…wait, a million?”
Once again, Ai looked forward, and exclaimed. The cloudless distant horizon seemed so ominous, and she found it really stupid that they were driving there.
“I suppose there should be a lot more of them…but that because they are too clustered, I cannot sense the numbers.”
“Clear enough！Mr Kiriko! Stooppp！”
“Eh? What? Why?”
“Why, you ask? There’s a million Dead before us…”
Kiriko remained unperturbed, as though it was to be expected.
“The city I live in is the ‘Country of Death’, Ortus, the world’s largest population of the Dead.”
Ortus was a city built over a massive plateau.
It was located at 48° 5’ 2” N 109° 2’ 58 (Elzalgo Standard Latitude and Longitude经纬度), right in the middle of the continent, cold and dry, a population of 1.2 million, all Dead.
The origin of this country was a Nomadic tribe that had a monarchy, lasting 1000 years. 14 years ago, when the world changed, there was an organization of Dead gathering. Some of them, the Dead used force against persecution, defeating countless gravekeepers, and grew in masses.
Finally, 9 years ago, they built the city they dreamt of on this land.
A city popular of merely 20,000 instantly exploded, and every successive king harbored ambitions far and wide, gathering every single person into the city. Once they knew their role was over, they simply handed authority over to the city, abdicating.
All except for a certain ‘Princess’.
When it came to Ortus, Kiriko started rattling off a spiel of history like a machine gun, excitedly even. He just had to comment on every segue, like,“All the enemies at the battle of Nusword became one of us, and that really changed things.”,“The people of Ortus were just nomads, and it’s a miracle that they had such ambitions.””It is amazing how the ruler abdicated. He used a delegated dictatorship to declare rules for Human Rights (Calnadeh Code) nobody agreed to. It was truly riveting”.
Ai did not listen to the vast majority, and merely stared at the looming massive wall.
Ortus was a walled city, the wall separating the worlds of the Living and the Dead. The tall walls made of sturdy red bricks rejected gravekeepers from invading, nor anyone from escaping.
Looking to the right, there was an endless horizon of red bricks. to the left, there was still an endless horizon of red bricks.
Ai started to be a little afraid.
But the car simply drove to the gates, without care for her fear.
It appeared the gates had to be pulled by massive winch. They were covered in masses of anti-hex spells, hundreds of demons lined in rows, glaring at the wilderness.
“…The gates look really scary.”
“Yeah…can’t deny that…even I find it a little terrifying.”
There were various curses from the ancient ages written on the gates, and looked no different from the gates to Hell.
“…There’s too many meanings added…when it’s supposed to be just a gate. Curses, intimidation against external forces. And a monument of solace…”
“A monument of solace?”
“…Yeah. For the gravekeepers.”
“It is also a large cemetery. There are a million Dead in Ortus, and various gravekeepers would arrive…these gravekeepers were murdered by soldiers, and no matter how skilled they are, they can’t surmount the wall, yet there are always gravekeepers running over…”
There was an awkward mood lingering in the car.
Kiriko seemed to have realized it, for he pointed to a corner of the gates, saying,
“Over over there.”
At the highest point of the gates was an elegant looking statue akin to a ship’s figurehead, its hands outstretched as it sang to the world, giving a kind smile.
“That’s the Princess?”
“Ah, no…that’s…”
The Idol of Murder.
Such were the words inscribed beneath the statue.
“That’s quite a terrifying name…”
“…It’s the guardian god of Ortus, who possesses the power to kill all Life.”
“Now that’s beyond my expectations…”
Well, that’s to be expected. Kiriko muttered.
“…Ortus’ history is one full of persecution…and everyone wanted such a God”
There were also such words beneath the statue.
‘ Those eyes were the eyes of death. Those words were the words of death. That body was brimming with death. No living thing could escape. None shall escape the Idol of Murder. ’
‘I, King of Man, shall crush all outsiders who come with violence. I am the guardian of all Dead.’
“God of the Dead…never heard of that.”
“Well of course. The old God’s there for the Living, but don’t you think that’s too selfish? So the Idol of Murder chose to be the guardian of the Dead…she’s really a kind God…”
“She kills them, and is willing to protect them. It’s perfect..”
“Isn’t that matchfixing now!? How mean!”
So they continued to talk, and the car arrived before the gates. Kiriko parked the car by the road shoulder, and before them, there was an outpost made of bricks, like the wall. On the signboard of the entrance were the words ‘Ortus’ East Gate inspection’.
“Right. Wait here.”
Kiriko said as he got off the car, the sentry soldier immediately running over, asking him to fill some documents.
Ai viewed this scene from the passenger seat. The sentry was wearing a deep blue uniform, wielding a rifle, wearing a steel mask without expression.
“Miss Scar, erm…are they…well…”
“They’re the Dead.”
The sentry seemed to have recognized Kiriko, for they patted him on the shoulder, joking around.
The Dead was clearly commonplace.
“Ai, I want to bury them.”
“Please resist for now.”
“Understood. Then do tell me, how long is this now?”
How long will that be? So Ai wondered.
Until when should they bury him for being glad his compatriot had returned safely?
Until when should they bury the million of Dead beyond this massive wall before them?
“…Until I say it’s fine.”
“Understood.”
Scar answered tersely. Kiriko returned.
“We got permission. Follow me first.”
They got off the car, and followed Kiriko, who led them into the outpost.
The outpost did not seem like a place for defenses, but more for an administrative office. In the middle of the room was a counter, the window used for questioning.
Kiriko glanced at the counter, spotted a face, “Geh.” and blurted out.
And once Kiriko was spotted, the chair was kicked aside, followed by hollers,
“Kiriko!”
“Kiri! Good thing you made it back safely!”
So the attendant leapt over the counter, lurching toward Kiriko, who tried to avoid the embrace with a disgusted look, only to be caught and until to break free.
“Wh-why are you at this place?”
“What’s with that tone, Kiriko? We were worried about you.”
The woman to the left of them said.
“Of course, Kiri! Are you hurt? Did you protect your chastity? I had much trouble keeping the Princess out from the loop.”
The man to the right side, and they finally let go.
Ai was dumbstruck by this scene.
The lady to the left seemed to have noticed Ai’s stare, and turned around, giving a half smile,
“Kiriko, are they the ones who saved you? If you don’t mind, do introduce them to us, no?”
The duo then took a step forever, and Kiriko muttered,“Will this be okay…” he glanced aside at Ai worriedly.
Ai remained dumbfounded, rooted.
“Everyone, this is the vice-commander of the Ortus Imperial Guard, Pox.”
The woman to the left winked. She was between 25 to 35, had a pale face and a slender body, but the trained body was not weak in any case.
“And this is the special special foreign affairs ambassador, Wreck.”
“Nice to meet you.” So the man to the right said, grinning. He was smaller, about the height of a girl, similarly lank and dry, but a strong frame with bulging muscles.
They were of similar heights, dressed in similar shirts, pants and cyan jackets. Nothing seemed amiss thus far.
Really, nothing seemed really amiss.
Other than the fact that the man and the woman were too close.
“Errm…mind if we say something?”
So the left said,
“Ahhh Pox, everyone’s shocked by your appearance.”
So the right said.
“You’re really rude, Wreck. They’re just speechless seeing your terrifying appearance.”
Both of them bickered at zero distance.
The duo were a person.
The middle of the body was a divide, the right half was female, the left half was male.
“E-erm.”
Ai summoned her courage, and asked,
“Ho-how…did you end up like this?”
“Of course, it’s because when two people crash together at an unbelievable speed…’
“Wreck, stop teasing, but Missy, I have to apologize. This isn’t something convenient to talk about.”
The right half spoke tentatively, ambiguously.
“Ah, no…I was being rude…I’m Ai Astin.”
So Ai reached her right hand out without thinking, and Pox looked a little terrified as she grabbed her hand. After withdrawing her hand, “Ah, I see.” Ai thought of something, and reached her left hand forward instead.
“Nice to meet you, Mr Wreck.”
“Forgive me for using my left.”
So the trio shook hands. Julie and Scar too followed up with their introductions.
So this pair of people folded their arms nimbly.
“Quite the cordial bunch.”
And patted Kiriko on the back.
“Normally, even the Dead find us disgusting, calling us ‘monsters’.”
“There are no monsters in this world.”
Ai said with conviction.
“No matter what shape their hearts take, humans are humans.”
“………………Ohhh.”
Pox suddenly let out a squeal, on the verge of fainting, and it was Wreck on the left half holding her up.
“H-hey, partner, what’s wrong?”
“Oh dear…she’s really cute.”
Pox’s eyes were dazzling, and she was shrieking, while Wreck looked completely devastated, having had enough. The same body was giving such a stark contrast in emotions, so much so that one could have mistakenly found themselves in such a dissonance.
“I really love obedient and wise kids! Ahhh…how good…so cute…how do I deal with these feelings…”
Dig a hole and bury yourself in, so Wreck retorted, but Pox did not seem to listen. The right half dragged the resisting left, patting Ai’s head and hugging her firmly.
“Just say whatever you need. Well, you’re Kiriko’s savior, so it’s fine no matter how difficult the reject may be. I don’t think you’re wandering travelers, so do you need gas? Or food? We can handle everything from repairs, parts changes, or medical checkups.”
The right half pointed at the left half, saying,
“Might have half a face, but this scary face’s pretty capable around here. He’ll do whatever he’s asked.”
“…Bud, you sure are being kind here for a freeloader…”
Hearing that, Ai said,
“I want to go in then.”
The duo and Kiriko were stunned to hear these words.
But the one with the most obvious reaction was Julie.
“Excuse us a moment.”
He tugged at Ai’s collar with his right hand, waving for Scar with his left, and the trio gathered to talk,
“Why do you want to go into the country?”
“? I want to ask you that, Mr Julie. You don’t want to?”
Julie hushed his voice further,
“You saw those gates, didn’t you? If they know you’re gravekeepers, who knows…”
“If, that is.”
She was not exactly wrong. At the very least, gravekeepers had no obvious difference in physical appearance from humans.
“…But we should try to avoid danger as much as possible.”
“Even if there’s danger…”
Ai added emphasis to her words.
“Even if there’s danger, I want to see this country. Now that I know there’s a city of Dead other than my own village, I want to see it no matter what.”
Her green eyes were staring at Julie with fiery passion.
“If you don’t want to go in, that’s fine, Mr Julie. I want to go in, even if I’m on my own.”
“…I didn’t want to come here because I knew this would happen.”
Julie sighed.
“…You made up your mind?”
“I see…well, it’s your journey. We’ll do as you say.”
Julie then asked Scar of her plans.
“There’ll be more danger if you come along. If possible, I want you to wait at another town.”
“No, I have to enter this time.”
It was rare to see Scar show such enthusiasm. Ai and Julie were taken aback.
“……Miss Scar, you can’t bury the Dead even if you go in, you know that?”
“Yes, I understand.”
“? Then why…”
“A voice is calling for me.”
“Someone is calling for me.”
Scar said as she looked over at Ortus.
Ai and Julie exchanged looks, and murmured softer than before,
“…Is she tired?”
“…I don’t know. I can’t tell.”
“…Not sure if we should worry…”
They turned towards Scar, who continued to stare far away in a daze.
“…Ah whatever. Damn it, everyone’s reason to act is getting ridiculous.”
Julie cupped his head in frustration. He had been mastering this gesture ever since they grouped together, his form looking good.
“Is this really fine?”
“What’s wrong about that?”
The trio strode forth, and Julie, leading the way, returned to the counter.
“…You done with your meeting?”
“Can you hurry? We’re bored to tears.”
The duo teased.
“Now, as for why you want to visit, mind telling us the reason?”
“We want to sightsee.”
Julie answered exasperatedly.
“Oh. I see. Understood. You are permitted.”
So they simply answered.
“What? That simple?”
“Oh, simple, you say?”
“Isn’t that a waste of your scary face now? Don’t you agree, Kiriko?”
The duo giggled, and Kiriko, who was asked, answered unhappily,
“…Well, you see it. Ortus is a city for the Dead, and there’s limited access for the Living…only ambassadors or merchants are usually allowed…there’s no Living who’s actually allowed in just for sightseeing.”
“Eh? Then why…”
“As thanks, of course. Didn’t we say so?”
Pox and Wreck hunched forward,
“Thank you once again…for saving Kiriko.”
“As representative of the guardian, you have our sincere thanks.”
Both of them bowed deeply.
“Well, we did say we can agree to anything, no matter how difficult it is, but we never thought you would request to enter. Please fill in some documents.”
“Eh, where are the papers? Heyy, Kiriko. Mind telling us?”
So the duo muttered as they went to the counter, drew out dozens of documents from the drawer, and handed it to the trio. They then opened the ink bottle, prepared the quilt pens, and with their separate brains controlling them, their two hands got to work in a manner no musician could aspire to imitate.
Ai then exchanged three signatures for a card, and brought it to her eyes. It contained her name, age (15, but that was a lie), and her hair and eye colors.
For some reason, she was really elated.
Right in the middle of the card was the date, along with the day they were supposed to leave.
“7 days, probably.”
Ai did not know if it was too long or too short a time to stay in a city.
“Right, now that we’re done with the procedures——everyone——”
Wreck clicked his fingers, putting the hand on the counter, scanning the gang. Pox raised her right hand, putting it on her chest.
Both bowed in unison,
“”Welcome to Ortus.””
3 thoughts on “[Kamiinai V2] Chapter 1”
ARQ632 says:
Thank u so much for tl this ln
Ougi says:
If you need raws for kaminai lmk as I would definitely be willing to pay for them if you don’t already have them
sarunii says:
Thank you so much! I love this series! Long time i was looking this light novel and i have hope you will be post new chapter. You are my hero! |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Hi, for nearly a year now I've been feeling extremely nervous and panicky and I often (4 or 5 times a week) get very down and worried about everything. I get very shaky and breathless and sometimes feel sick and dizzy. I had a very tough year last year (2013) and it was very hard for me to cope with everything that happened and although I have moved on and started fresh I still cannot let go of my past and I feel as if it constantly haunts me which makes me feel even worse about myself. I'm not very confident and am always worrying about gaining weight. I've tried so many times to talk to someone about it all but I just can't bring myself to and keeping this to myself for over a year now is becoming unbearable. Any advice or help on why I'm feeling so panicky and worried all the time would be very helpful.Thanks
t causes extreme nervous, sick, panic, shaky, dizzy and breathless? output: DearWe understand your concernsI went through your details. I suggest you not to worry much. You are very detailed. From the look and feel of your condition, it is almost clear that You have an anxiety disorder which is called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Don't go by the used words. This condition arises after some body goes through intense stress. Throughout the stress period, our body produces some hormones which neutralizes stress factors. But when the stress condition stops, the hormones takes its toll. Means, once the body get used to these hormones, it cannot go without them. This condition needs practice. Training to overcome addiction. Just like substance abuse. It is possible with the help of relaxation, psychotherapy and other such techniques, without the help of medication. You can post a direct question to me in this website. Include every detail as much as you can. I shall prescribe some psychotherapy techniques to control your condition. I am sure that the techniques should be a success.Hope this answers your query. Available for further clarifications.Good luck... |
by inkedrainbowreviews | February 17, 2016 · 2:00 pm
5 Star Review for So Into You (The PI Guys #2) by S. E. Harmon #MM #Romance
Title: So Into You (The PI Guys #2)
Author Name & Publisher: S.E. Harmon (Dreamspinner Press)
Publication Date & Length: January 4, 2016 – 326 pgs
Screenwriter Noah Ashley has a few four-letter words for his agent when she suggests he improve his script by shadowing a PI. Still, because he’s an artist dedicated to his craft and she knows where the bodies are buried, he agrees. Then he spends a little time with the gorgeous PI, and suddenly it seems like a really good plan. The PI doesn’t seem to entirely love the idea, but Noah has never been afraid to go after what he wants.
PI Drew Rodriguez is used to people depending on him. He’s the classic rock for his family. Responsible. Dependable. The classic rock would never succumb to the borderline sleazy temptation of friends with benefits, no matter how sexy that temptation is. Drew is looking for something enduring.
Despite Drew’s misgivings, it’s not long before they’ve got all the requisites for friends with benefits going. Friendly, good conversation? Check. Fun times in and out of bed? Check. Hot, electrolyte-sapping sex? Double check. Falling in love? Yeah. About that….
Screenwriter Noah shadows PI Drew to help him write his next script. Well the instant these two men meet there is a attraction between them that Drew tries to fight as much as he can… But eventually he gives in and when he does, lets just say it was so incredible hot!
I thought this author did such a amazing job with the characters in this book and the story. The banter between these two men was hilarious and the way they were together was just so sweet. Drew has a lot going on with his family besides his work so when he feels that draw to Noah he fights it but as they start getting closer as the story progresses there is just no way he can fight it anymore.
The steam in this book was so damn hot! You also meet so many different characters in this book.
So I will leave this review with…. I really loved this book and would recommend it!
Tagged as erotic, Funny, M/M, romance
by inkedrainbowreviews | January 8, 2016 · 2:00 pm
THREE 5 and 4 Stars for Breakaway (Scoring Chances #1) by Avon Gale #MM #Sports @Avongalewrites
Title: Breakaway (Scoring Chances #1)
Author Name & Publisher: Avon Gale (Dreamspinner Press)
Drafted to play for the Jacksonville Sea Storm, an NHL affiliate, twenty-year-old Lane Courtnall’s future looks bright, apart from the awkwardness he feels as a gay man playing on a minor league hockey team. He’s put his foot in his mouth a few times and alienated his teammates. Then, during a rivalry game, Lane throws off his gloves against Jared Shore, enforcer for the Savannah Renegades. It’s a strange way to begin a relationship.
Jared’s been playing minor league hockey for most of his career. He’s bisexual and doesn’t care if anyone knows. But he’s determined to avoid another love affair after the last one left him devastated. Out of nowhere a one-nighter with rookie Lane Courtnall gives him second thoughts. Lane reminds Jared why he loves the game and why love might be worth the risk. In turn, Jared hopes to show Lane how to be comfortable with himself on and off the ice. But they’re at different points in their careers, and both men will have to decide what they value most.
I loved this. A hockey story about a barely professional league in the American Deep South was always going to be funny. What I didn’t expect were the complex characters, a passionate love story and a completely angst-free m/m romance.
At the start of the story, Lane is a talented, arrogant new NHL draft pick starting his career with a farm team two divisions below the NHL. Socially awkward verbal diarrhea doesn’t exactly endear him to his teammates. Jared is a washed up goon at the end of his career. He’s still playing hockey because someone pays him and he doesn’t know anything else to do. They meet when Lane decides to win over his team by picking a fight with Jared.
These are two wonderful, perfectly developed characters. I love Lane’s awkwardness and his growth over the course of his first professional season. His relationship with Zoe and his relationship with his parents add warmth and depth to a brilliant story. The author doesn’t devote quite as much time to Jared, but his past and his relationship with his family are beautifully developed. I love the deft descriptions of the men Lane and Jared play with. And I really love Zoe. Not many m/m writers add well developed unique female characters, but I had a massive girl crush on Zoe from the first moment we meet her.
As the author points out, Hockey is a serious religion in Canada and I thoroughly enjoyed the clash of cultures between the Canadian and Northern American players and their new Southern home. So much is lost in cultural translation. I’m not sure if you need to be Canadian to understand the humour, but it helps.
I loved how the author circumvented the tired coming out angst common to most m/m professional sports stories. This author just acknowledges that most of the players are Canadian and they’ve had gay marriage and social justice stuff for years up there. So instead of the usual secrets, lies and stress, we get a really fun sports story. It feels modern and realistic.
I’m not a sports fan. Never have been. Imagine my surprise when after reading a few pages I found myself liking this book.
One of the things I really liked about this book is that it did not contain a lot of pages describing a hockey game or hockey players talking about hockey. I really appreciated that. This book is more about the relationship between the main characters and Lane and his friend Zoe.
I loved the main characters in this story, I especially loved Lane. He is a character with so many facets to his personality. He is hilarious and quirky and, like, has his own language, which made him really entertaining.
Below is one of my favorite quotes. Zoe and Lane are talking and Zoe says,
“What the hell are you doing?”
He looked up at her. “Looking for the button that turns on your closed captioning, because your accent is really thick when you’re mad.”
I really liked the budding relationship of the main characters. How the strange way that Lane speaks is what drew Jared in. That was so unique and funny.
I do recommend this book. This is a great story for sport lovers and ones who don’t care for sports. Don’t let the hockey scare you. Its not loaded with it. You will love the relationship between the main characters and the way Lane talks is so hilarious it makes the book a really fun read.
Lane has just been drafted to the NHL Sea Storms. Jared plays for the opposing team the Savannah Renegades. He also happens to be bi so when he meets Lane there is a instant attraction between these two men.
So I have to say it did take me awhile to warm up to Lane.. The way he acted and talked to everyone took a little bit to get used.Other than that I did like these two men together and thought this was a sweet, but very steamy book filled with a lot of hockey and two men who grow closer together as the time goes by. The way they talked to each other was honestly so funny but at the same time so sweet. Then there was also the ending which I loved.
I really liked the authors pretense of this story and the way these characters were written even Lane who took a little bit to get used to and eventually grew on me so much that by the end of this book I ended up loving his character!
All together I really liked this story!
I would recommend this book!
~Kara
Let me start by saying that I enjoyed this book thoroughly. I liked that the main characters had supporting characters throughout the story and that those secondary characters added to the story rather than took away from it.
Then, I would also like to add that this book had much more about hockey and the ins and outs of a team than the romance of the main characters, despite their chemistry being very hot.
Lane is a somewhat awkward hockey player – he knows how to play, knows how to relate to his teammates, as long as the game is involved, but other than that, he is incredibly naive and immature. The narration that went on in this story was sometimes over the top and Lane easily got on my nerves. While I appreciated his innocence at times, during other sections, I just wanted to roll my eyes and shake my head.
Then you have Jared. All I can say is yum. He is a hockey player through and through and knows that his life, while not in the pros, has been full of the game he loves. I really enjoyed how Gale was able to create the magic again for Jared’s character – he was able to reinvent himself and I loved that he wasn’t afraid to take that chance.
While their romance is not typical, Gale was able to write a story that encompassed both love of the game of hockey as well as finding your true partner in crime. The connection between Lane and Jarod is both instantaneous and explosive both on and off the ice.
I am so very looking forward to Riley’s story, because he is both intriguing and mysterious all wrapped in to an awesome goal keeper.
Filed under 4 Star, 5 Star, Ariel, AvidReader, Kara, M/M, New Release, Review, Sarah
Tagged as Bisexual, Funny, Hockey, M/M, romance, Sports
by inkedrainbowreviews | September 29, 2015 · 12:00 pm
5 Stars for The Shearing Gun by Renae Kaye #MM #Romance
Title: The Shearing Gun
Author Name & Publisher: Renae Kaye (Dreamspinner Press)
Publication Date & Length: September 19, 2014 – 214 pgs
At twenty-five, Hank owns a small parcel of land in Australia’s rural southwest where he supplements his income from the property with seasonal shearing. Hank is a “shearing gun”—an ace shearer able to shear large numbers of sheep in a single day. His own father kicked him out when his sexuality was revealed, and since no one would ever hire a gay shearer, Hank has remained firmly closeted ever since.
Elliot is the newbie doctor in town—city-born and somewhat shell-shocked from his transplant to the country. When a football injury brings Hank to Elliot’s attention, an inappropriate sexual glance and the stuttered apology afterward kickstarts their friendship. Romance and love soon blossom, but it’s hard for either of them to hope for anything permanent. As if the constant threat of being caught isn’t enough, Elliot’s contract runs out after only a year.
What can I say about this book other then this book was so good!!!
Hank is a gay man trying to hide that he is in Australia’s Rural southwest. He has is own farm and is a sheep shearer, which with that kind of work is were his fear of being found out stems from. He does not want to lose his job and friends which is his greatest fear. He was doing a good job of it too until he meets Elliot the new doctor in his town. He soon realizes he is attracted to Elliot, which in time steadily moves to love.
Elliot what can I say about him other then he was such a sweetheart who just wants to help people and get closer to Hank.
This book has low angst but so much sweet when it comes to the two of them building as a couple. There are also some funny moments and some moments where you hold your breath hoping everything is okay.
Hank’s family slowly starts to accept him as he is and he will soon find out that all his fear of his town finding out may be for not.
I really loved this book and would definitely recommend it!
Publisher’s Website Continue reading →
Tagged as Australia, erotica, Family, Funny, M/M, romance
by inkedrainbowreviews | September 19, 2015 · 10:00 am
3 Stars for Bad Idea (Itch #1) by Damon Suede #MM #Romance @dreamspinners @damonsuede
Title: Bad Idea (Itch #1)
Author Name & Publisher: Damon Suede (Dreamspinner Press)
Publication Date & Length: October 21, 2013 – 333 pgs
Some mistakes are worth making.
Reclusive comic book artist Trip Spector spends his life doodling super-square, straitlaced superheroes, hiding from his fans, and crushing on his unattainable boss until he meets the dork of his dreams. Silas Goolsby is a rowdy FX makeup creator with a loveless love life and a secret streak of geek who yearns for unlikely rescues and a truly creative partnership.
Against their better judgment, they fall victim to chemistry, and what starts as infatuation quickly grows tender and terrifying. With Silas’s help, Trip gambles his heart and his art on a rotten plan: sketching out Scratch, a “very graphic novel” that will either make his name or wreck his career. But even a smash can’t save their world if Trip retreats into his mild-mannered rut, leaving Silas to grapple with betrayal and emotions he can’t escape.
What will it take for this dynamic duo to discover that heroes never play it safe?
Okay while I liked this book.. I just did not love it…
I think it was all the comic book references. I will admit I was so lost with everything they were talking about. Now Trip and Silas together I am indecisive on how I felt about them also. Their sexy times were very hot!! But them together as a couple I am not sure how I felt about that. I just did not get those vibes off them you know. It is hard to explain but for some reason I just do not know how I felt about them.
I really liked Trip’s character because I can relate to the not being a fan of social situations where you need to be around a lot of people, the awkwardness he felt.
Silas was funny but came a across as a player a little bit. So this is another one of those times where I am not really sure how I feel about his character.
I did really enjoy parts of this book. There was just so many times I felt lost on what they were talking about. You get you jerk boss with this one and your player friend who tries to talk you out of relationship due to his commitment phobia. Then you get a lot of comic book references in this book which made me sad because I wish I knew more about that now. You get your misunderstandings and some angst also.
So all together it was not a bad book. I did like it, I was just a lost mess through some of it..
Tagged as Funny, M/M, romance
by inkedrainbowreviews | August 31, 2015 · 10:00 am
5 Stars for The Lightning-Struck Heart by T.J. Klune #MM #Fantasy @dreamspinners
Title: The Lightning-Stuck Heart
Author Name & Publisher: T.J. Klune (Dreamspinner Press)
Publication Date & Length: July 20, 2015 – 400 pgs
Once upon a time, in an alleyway in the slums of the City of Lockes, a young and somewhat lonely boy named Sam Haversford turns a group of teenage douchebags into stone completely by accident.
Of course, this catches the attention of a higher power, and Sam’s pulled from the only world he knows to become an apprentice to the King’s Wizard, Morgan of Shadows.
When Sam is fourteen, he enters the Dark Woods and returns with Gary, the hornless gay unicorn, and a half-giant named Tiggy, earning the moniker Sam of Wilds.
At fifteen, Sam learns what love truly is when a new knight arrives at the castle. Sir Ryan Foxheart, the dreamiest dream to have ever been dreamed.
Naturally, it all goes to hell through the years when Ryan dates the reprehensible Prince Justin, Sam can’t control his magic, a sexually aggressive dragon kidnaps the prince, and the King sends them on an epic quest to save Ryan’s boyfriend, all while Sam falls more in love with someone he can never have.
Or so he thinks.
Okay this book had me laughing so hard my sides were hurting and I had tears running down my face. I just can’t even put into words how funny this book was! There was Gary the Gay Unicorn which I should probably feel more wrong about loving his character so much but I don’t. The part in the woods with Gary and Kevin had me laughing so hard I had to stop reading to catch my breath. Then there was Sam the main character, the wizard’s apprentice. I just can’t put into words how much I loved his character. Ryan the Knight who most of the time you wanted to reach through the book and slap a couple of times to wake him up. Yes this is a long book but it keeps a hold on you until the end when you are left wanting another book with all your now favorite characters because you just don’t want to let them go. All the humor in the book, then the sweet moments just made this book so good! I would go into a lot more detail about everything I loved about this book but I don’t want to ruin this book for anyone else. There is a lot of dirty humor in this book also which some may not like or some will love like I did. So I will leave this review with I would defiantly 100% Recommend this book!
Tagged as Fantasy, Funny, M/M
by inkedrainbowreviews | August 15, 2015 · 12:00 pm
**Audiobook Review**
I think my biggest issue with this book has to be the pacing. Things would go incredibly fast, so fast I could hardly keep up with all the people and situations being slung at me to going so slow I could’ve easily skipped pages and not missed a single important thing.
While I understood that the main character was a comic guy… I didn’t expect there to be quite so much comic speak in the book. Sure some of the talk about the things people did and some of the events were interesting, but it got to be quite heavy and boring to someone like me who isn’t really into all of that.
I also could have greatly done without the sound imitations… Pretty sure we didn’t need them. I did find some of the similes and metaphors quite funny and silly since that was sort of the overall theme of the book… However, I found them distracting from any connection or character development that could’ve been happening at that time.
As for the narration, I will give mad props for getting the right feel for the mania that the book itself had and then slowing down in the right places. I will say WHEW, he can read a naughty scene unlike any other and really got in to it, which is kind of fun and different than most narrators because it feels like its more of a show than something you are listening to. However, that being said, there were numerous words pronounced wrong and that really was sad because otherwise I would’ve said he’d done a great job, instead I’ll give Narration a 4 star and the book a 3 star rating.
Filed under 3 Star, M/M, Renee, Review |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: I was cutting my pubic hair with scissors and i accidently cut my scrotum. I washed it with soap and put dettol on the cut both today and yesterday. The cut is very small and bleeds a little bit but it is a bit red around the area of the cut. Is it infected?
can i stop bleeding after i accidentally cut my scrotum? output: hello, since you say that the cut is small, it will heal itself in 48hrs and form a small scar in 4 days, in the meantime clean your wound with antiseptic lotion and apply antibiotic ointment like soframycine, don't forget to wash your hands before that. also you should get tetanus and gas gangrene prophylaxis done. and if you are a smoker avoid smoke as smoking delays wound healing.the redness that you see is due to inflammation, which is a natural process of wound healing, so eat healthy and have a lot of fruits rich in vitamin C ( vit C helps in healing) do note that if you are a diabetic or taking steroids then you wound will heal slow, so its advised to take antibiotic for prophylaxis.. |
The Pros and Cons of Working Remotely
An episode of The Geek In Review
By Greg Lambert & Marlene Gebauer
www.geeklawblog.com/podcast
Welcome to The Geek In Review, where podcast hosts, Marlene Gebauer and Greg Lambert discuss current events in legal information.
Tom Gaylord on SCOTUS Taking Up Georgia's Copyright Claim Over Its Statutes
The law is the law, and should be in the public domain, right?? Well, you'd think so, but it may be up to the US Supreme Court to make that determination in its next session when it takes up The State of Georgia v. Public.Resources.org. We talk with Tom Gaylord, Faculty Services & Scholarly Communications Librarian at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, about his thoughts on why the Court granted cert. on an issue that hasn't been on its radar, and how he thinks a minimum of five justices may align on the issue. Tom breaks down possible arguments and what could happen if the Court rules in favor of Georgia's claim of copyright of its statues, or if it creates a bright line rule that statutes are not copyrightable. This is going to be one interesting case to follow. Information Inspirations Marlene discusses Carolyn Elefant's article on Whose Data Is It Anyway? and brings up the age old question of just because we can, doesn't mean we should, when it comes to data collection of client information. Lawyers have a special relationship with their clients and must be careful not to damage that relationship through the use of data collection (even if that collection is ethical, and with client consent. Greg's first inspiration is from Patrick DiDominico and James Lee's article First Our Books, And Now Our Jobs? Paradigm shifts within the legal information profession isn't new, but how we adjust to those shifts can change with each shift. DiDominco and Lee say that there are ample opportunities for professionals who leverage AI to make them individually more valuable to their organization. Is that really true? Maybe... Maybe not. It's bad enough to have your phone hacked through something called a SIM Swap... but to make matters worse, some phone and data companies don't come to their customer's assistance when they need them most. Marlene discusses two stories where things go from bad, to worse. Greg's last inspiration this week brings us back to Georgia, where the state court system is totally Nyuk'ed. That's the name of the ransomware software that has infected the state court system and shut it down. One village in Florida had to pay $460,000.00, it's probably going to cost Georgia many times that to unlock their computers. Listen, Subscribe, download Jerry’s music, and Send Us Tweets and Voicemails, Too!! Remember that you can contact us anytime by tweeting us at @gebauerm or @glambert. Or, you can call The Geek in Review hotline at 713-487-7270 and leave us a message. We’d love to hear any ideas you’d like us to cover in future episodes. As always, the great music you hear on the podcast is from Jerry David DeCicca, thanks Jerry!
It seems that the current workforce is looking for more flexibility in where they work, and how often that means in an office setting, a home office, or in some other remote location. We conducted a semi-Elephant Post episode this week and asked our listeners to call in and leave their stories about the pros and cons of remote working. We have a diverse group of 13 stories ranging from marketers, librarians, attorneys, techies, and more from North America and even from Europe. Key factors are trust, transparency, flexibility, and a fast Internet connection. Walk with us as we celebrate The Geek in Review's first anniversary of podcasts by listening to a baker's dozen of stories of why working remotely works, or doesn't work for people. Information Inspirations By popular demand, we bring back the Information Inspirations to the beginning of the episode. Free the Statutes!! Marlene points out that the US Supreme Court is taking up the issue of whether states have the right to copyright their statutes. Carl Malamud's PublicResource.ORG is arguing that the law should be outside the restrictions of copyright against the State of Georgia. We are hoping that the Supreme Court frees state statutes out from under the copyright restrictions. As does the Editorial Board of the New York Times. Video Manipulation is a Problem! The Washington Post has created "The Fact Checkers" in order to try to identify manipulated videos that are posted online. They created a guide to video manipulation as well as a way for the public to identify videos which they believe are manipulated. This is going to be a huge problem in society, and Marlene and Greg think that there is definitely opportunities for law librarians to play a role in identifying harmful manipulated videos. Listen, Subscribe, download Jerry’s music, and Send Us Tweets and Voicemails, Too!! Remember that you can contact us anytime by tweeting us at @gebauerm or @glambert. Or, you can call The Geek in Review hotline at 713-487-7270 and leave us a message. We’d love to hear some (Elephant Post) ideas you’d like us to cover in future episodes. As always, the great music you hear on the podcast is from Jerry David DeCicca, thanks Jerry!
Matt Homann Says Binders of Strategy are Useless... And You Should Listen to Him!
There's more to strategy than having a shelf full of binders labeled "Strategy [Insert Year]." That's what this week's guest, Matt Homann from Filament, tells us. Matt's influence in the legal market goes back a couple of decades, and he's been a voice in the blogging sphere for a number of years. At Filament, he works with legal, as well as other industries (like the St. Louis Cardinals) to help leaders better relate and guide their organizations. As he puts it, "we help smart people think together better." Matt believes that the way we tell our stories will help people join in on the overall efforts and strategies of the organization. It's easy to tell our stories to like-minded people, but we also have to tell (and sell) our story to those who are opposed to the strategies. More importantly, we have to reach those in the middle, who could go either way. If you convince that 50-80% of people willing to join you if you give them the right motivation, it can change the entire momentum of your organization's efforts. Information Inspirations We flip this week's episode and try something new. Our information inspirations segment will come after the interview. Let us know (@gebauerm or @glambert or call 713-487-7270) and let us know if you like or hate this new setup. Why isn't data privacy a bigger deal? There's a great episode of Make Me Smart which discusses Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996. That section is responsible for the social media and overall Internet that we have today. What caught Greg's ear on this show was that co-host, Molly Wood, went on an absolute rant about how private and government entities are still not taking our privacy data as seriously as they should. Just this week there was a breach at US Customs where facial recognition data was hacked. With things like DNA databases, and other personal data out there in unsecured databases, and with penalties being relatively light, Molly was not a happy camper. Are states stepping up for consumer information? Marlene points out that while California's Consumer Privacy Act starts in 2020, Nevada has leaped ahead with their own privacy laws. Even New York is looking to join the list of states requiring more protection of consumer data. Is the path to protection going to be through individual state laws? Marlene contributes to Casetext's special report Casetext has released a new special report called "Evaluating and Adopting Legal Technology in 2019." Our very own Marlene Gebauer is a contributor to the report. You can download it for free. Listen, Subscribe, download Jerry’s music, and Send Us Tweets and Voicemails, Too!! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and comment. Let us know about flipping the information inspirations and the interview. Like it? Hate it? Are you in the middle? (Di we need to tell you our story to win you over?) You can tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert to reach out. Call us at 713-487-7270 with suggestions. And, thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for the music!
Brad Blickstein on Legal Operations and #CLOCAfterDark
Brad Blickstein, Principal at the Blickstein Group, a research and advisory firm for both in-house and outside law firms, joins us to talk about legal operation, and his recent experiences at the 2019 CLOC Institute in Las Vegas. As with many great conferences, the programming between 9 AM and 5 PM is good... but the conversations from 5 PM to 9 PM (or 5 AM, this was Vegas), are what makes the gathering really special. We're calling it #CLOCAfterDark. There's a lot going on in Legal Operations, and the Blickstein Group has put out a Law Department Operations survey for over a decade. He gives some great insights on the relationships between in-house counsel and outside law firms. While there's a big difference between the business operations in a company versus a law firm, the attorneys tend to be cut from the same cloth. Groups like CLOC are positioned perfectly to help lawyers understand the roles they need to play to protect their organizations. Blickstein stresses that Legal Operations is a broad topic, and that CLOC is part of that movement, but is not all there is within the movement. There's a lot going on, and the opportunities are pretty expansive these days. Information Inspirations Copyright is not something to LOL about. The Houston Independent School District was slapped with a $9.2 Million copyright violation for copying study guides. Even though they cleverly blocked out the warning on the guides that "copying of these materials is strictly prohibited." Be careful out there when it comes to thinking it's okay to copy and distribute materials which have copyright protection. It can cost you millions. AI Sharecroppers. We all know that data is king these days, but not all data can be automatically gathered. At least not effectively. There is an underclass of labors out there who are being used to help gather and identify data needed to power AI programs, known as "human labeling." As the name "sharecropper" might imply, they do a lot of work... but don't make a lot of money. Algorithm Problems creates Human Liabilities. We rely upon automation, AI, machine learning, and other technology to advance our society, but when those fail, it's not the automation that takes the blame. It's usually the human that is around at the time. MIT Technology Review talks about how we have a 21st Century tech problem that's being adjudicated under 20th Century morals and laws. Smile. You're on the London Metro Facial Recognition Program. The London Metro is using facial recognition to identify criminals. They say that this program has resulted in multiple criminal prosecutions. Watchdog organizations claim that the program has a 90% error rate. Can those two facts exist together? Listen, Subscribe, download Jerry’s music, and Send Us Tweets and Voicemails, Too!! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and comment. You can tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert to reach out. Call us at 713-487-7270 with suggestions. And, thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for the music! view more, including transcript of the interview
Erin Levine on the Efficiency of Divorce as a Service
In our 40th Episode, Greg and Marlene interview Erin Levine, an attorney and founder/CEO of Hello Divorce, a service that makes divorce more human and accessible by offering legal help and wellness support throughout the process of dissolving a marriage. Offered in California, Hello Divorce offers access to resources and tools and different service levels, from basic to concierge to a la carte access to independent fixed fee attorneys. Erin highlights that the legal process can be confusing, dis-empowering and expensive and that Hello Divorce is a necessary guide to help people navigate the system in a way that doesn't destroy them financially and emotionally. While divorce representation is a consistent legal need, Erin highlights that there are many other parts of the process that are also necessary which don’t require attorney skills. She leverages various forms of process improvement including outsourcing, automation, smart contracts to make the service application scalable. Part of what is interesting about the discussion (and there are lots of interesting parts) is that Erin stands the idea of aggressive and hostile divorce action on its head. While Erin has critics, she maintains the benefit of taking down level of tension and fear between the parties. In fact, 92% of divorces started with hello Divorce have concluded without having to refer out to full rep attorneys. (10:17 mark) Information Inspirations According to Aliqae Geraci from Cornell and Shannon L. Farrell from University of Minnesota wrote an article entitled “Normalize Negotiations!" we teach librarians a lot about management skills, but we've lacked in teaching them basic skills like salary and promotion negotiation skills. There is a place for the American Library Association (ALA) and the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) to teach their members these skills. (4:05 mark) For the small price of a European vacation for a family of four (AKA expensive), you can own your very own AI powered robot who cleans your house for you while you sleep… and can remember to bring you your favorite beer, hopefully when you're awake. (5:59 mark) From MIT, we get " Every Leader’s Guide to the Ethics of AI." Ep. 31's guest, Vishal Agnihotri suggested we look at this, and it ties in with our last episode on algorithmic governance. As AI becomes more and more integrated into business activities, the authors suggest that we treat it, as well as our employees, customers, and the public, with the respect we all deserve. An "AI Mishap" can destroy a company or its reputation. (side note: AI Mishap is the name of Marlene's new Country Band.) (6:56 mark) With all the talk about mental health in the legal industry, the NPR report on Where’s Masculinity headed? is perfectly timed. (8:51 mark) Listen, Subscribe, download Jerry’s music, and Send Us Tweets and Voicemails, Too!! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and comment. You can tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert to reach out. Call us at 713-487-7270 with suggestions. And, thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for the music!
Ep. 39 - Hannah Bloch-Wehba on Who is Governing the Algorithms?
When you think of algorithmic governance, you may go right to things like predictive law enforcement, or risk assessment of setting bail or prison sentences for those in the criminal justice system. However, algorithms have a much broader application in the legal system, far beyond those criminal justice aspects. Drexel law professor, Hannah Bloch-Wehba walks us through number examples of other areas which algorithm governance is being used. Broad areas which she labels as "typical poverty law settings" of welfare… medicaid… child protective services for example, and those area are continuing to expand. Court systems, administrative law departments, and other government agencies are relying upon algorithms to help with larger and larger caseloads. Algorithms, in and of themselves, are not inherently bad. In fact, it can be very helpful in streamlining processes and alleviate the burden on different government agencies in how to handle these issues. But is it fairer than what we have now? We don't have a good way of demonstrating that. Professor Bloch-Wehba sees the overall effect of algorithms as creating a newer playing field that is bumpy in different ways than the old one. There's still a human element in algorithms, not just in the creation of the algorithms, but also in the acceptance of algorithmic outcomes by those who are tasked to apply them. Add to this, the "black box" which some algorithms live, and how governments are relying upon private industries to create these processes, and an inability for the government to be able to discuss how they work. Can governments give up their duty to be transparent in the name of algorithmic efficiency? How far will a democratic society tolerate with algorithms which it may not fully understand, or trust? We cover all of these questions and discuss Professor Bloch-Wehba's upcoming Fordham Law Review article, "Access to Algorithms," which will be published later this year. Information Inspirations Archive and Delete are not the same. Garry Vander Voort of LexBlog writes about a disturbing trend he is seeing on apps where you might think you are archiving a magazine or a podcast, but in reality, you're deleting it. He has a few suggestions on how developers can use better descriptors, including some good ol' library terms. Business Intelligence and Data Analytics are not the same. Rob Saccone published and excellent article on Medium a few days ago that is worth reading. We may be looking for unicorns when it comes to having someone who understands the importance of analysis as well as the comprehension of the business model. Saccone has some excellent suggestions of what businesses can do, besides seeking that elusive unicorn. Being a Leader of a Firm and Understanding What is Going on in the Market is not the same. Tom Clay from Altman Weil suggests that all leaders at law firms take 15 minutes a day to focus on the evolution of their practice and firm. Being at CLOC, and Reading #CLOC2019 Tweets are not the same... but, we'll take it! Thanks to Jason Barnwell and others who are keeping us connected this week. (more...)
Jim Hannigan - SALI Alliance and Why Matter Standards … Really Matter
Jim Hannigan, the Director of Legal Project Management at Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP and a member of the leadership team and standards committee at SALI Alliance walks us through the importance surround data standards when it comes to legal matters. Creating standards is the first step in allowing those of us in the legal services industry to speak the same language, and create ways of comparing apples to apples when it comes to marketing pitches, prior experience, or matter pricing. Hannigan discusses why SALI was created, the release of the first set of matter standards in January of this year, and what to expect at the LMA P3 Conference next month. We also discuss the current situation with Wolters Kluwer experiencing a ransomeware attack which shut down most of it's online resource tools. WK has been very open about what happened, and is keeping a public statement page open as they begin to bring services back online. Just another reason to watch out for those phishing emails! Information Inspirations "Legal innovation needs to learn some new tricks." Rae Digby-Morgan at Wilson Fletcher, tells us that you can't just slap "legal" or "law" onto a process and think that it makes it special. In fact, the legal industry may be a bit too much insular and should open up to non-legal experts to come in and advise us on how to improve our processes. She also reminds everyone that process improvement does not equal innovation. The value-add results of process improvements are expected by our clients… and is the floor, not the ceiling. If you want to separate yourself from the competition, being truly innovative will help. How a Google Street View image of your house predicts your risk of a car accident. Standford University and the University of Warsaw in Poland have tested Google's Street View images of individual's houses to determine how likely they will be to file an auto insurance claim. Reportedly, they improved predictability by 2%. Scary! Marlene wonders what are the next factors in determining future actions? If you run 5K's, or donate to non-profits? Kim Kardashian and Legal Team Help Free 17 Prisoners in 90 Days. Although neither Greg nor Marlene watch KUWTK, or follow Kim on Instragram, they have nothing but good things to say about her work to help free 17 people who were imprisoned and drug related charges. Some serving life sentences. If you're going to have power and fame and a platform, using it for social justice is a great way to use it. Listen, Subscribe, download Jerry’s music, and Send Us Tweets and Voicemails, Too!! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and comment. You can tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert to reach out. Call us at 713-487-7270 with suggestions. And, thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for the music!
Advice for Law Students - From Reducing Stress to Nailing Your Time as a Summer Associate
Welcome to a mini-episode of The Geek In Review. Shot on location in Scottsdale, Arizona. Law School Stress?? No Kidding! This week, we continue our discussion on how law students can have a stressful time in the three years they are in law school. We can't change what happens during law school, but we've asked some experts to tell us what they do to help law students reduce stress as they prep for finals, and what they can do to be successful as summer associates in law firms. We finish our series about how law schools are reducing stress by hearing from the following schools: Howard University University of Hawaii University of Houston University of Wisconsin Georgia State University University of Texas We appreciate these schools (and the ones from last week) taking the time to tell us what all they are doing to help students deal with finals. Hey Summer Associates... Listen Up! We also talk with a number of AmLaw 100 firms about what their expectations are for how summer associates can have a successful tour of duty at their firms. Greg and Marlene were at a conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, and they asked a number of their fellow attendees what they do to help summer associates succeed, or what their expectations are for how law schools should prepare them for this work, and what they allow from outside vendors in regards for training as assistance during the Summers' time at the firm. We will say this to any law students who is listening...make friends with the law librarian. They will help guide you to success. This Episode brought to you by... Greg's iPhone We recorded this entire episode on Greg's iPhone. Thanks to all of the law schools and law firm librarians who took the time to talk with us as we were traveling in the desert. This has been a fun one, and we hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we did recording it. Listen, Subscribe, download Jerry’s music, and Send Us Tweets and Voicemails, Too!! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and comment. You can tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert to reach out. Call the Geek in Review hotline at 713-487-7270, and let us know if you have ideas on topics we should cover in future episodes. As always, thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for his original music.
David Whelan on Sole Provider or No Provider. Plus, How Law Schools are Reducing Student Stress During Finals
David Whelan, the Director of Legal Information & the Great Library Society of Ontario, discusses his recent article "The No Legal Research Provider Landscape," and how lawyers, law librarians, and the legal industry looks at legal information services. Do you need to have multiple resources like Westlaw, LexisNexis, Bloomberg or others, or can you get by with just going with one (AKA "Sole Provider.") Do you even really need to go with one of the big services, or can you survive off of the resources provided by the local bar association? Or are there even fewer options for solo small firm environments? David covers this, plus when things are "good enough" for some lawyers to feel comfortable in their practice. And, how that usually runs counter to law librarians and other practitioners who would never be satisfied with "good enough." De-Stressing the Law Students During Finals We skip Information Inspirations this week to have a little fun. Anyone who has gone to law school knows that finals time can be stressful. We reached out to a number of law schools to ask them what they do to help students reduce their stress levels during this time. We get some great answers from: The University of Georgia University of San Diego University of Illinois Tulsa University University of Arkansas Little Rock Villanova Richmond Yale Thanks to all of these schools for sharing. There's some great programs going on at all of these schools. We have a few more who left us messages today, and we'll make sure to get those on the next show. If your school is doing something to reduce the stress levels of law students, call us on the Geek in Review hotline at 713-487-7270 and leave us a brief (30 seconds or so) voice memo, and we'll get it on next week's show. One of the things we learned from Yale's Law Library Director, Teresa Miguel-Sterns, is that New Haven apparently does have excellent pizza. Marlene, with her New Jersey skepticism says that she's going to have to try that out first hand. So look out Connecticut... Government Action on Legal Information Emily Feltren, Director of Government Relations at the American Association of Law Libraries, gives us a monthly update on what the government is doing in regards to advancing access to legal information. Listen, Subscribe, download Jerry’s music, and Send Us Tweets and Voicemails, Too!! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and comment. You can tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert to reach out. Call the Geek in Review hotline at 713-487-7270, and let us know if you have ideas on topics we should cover in future episodes. As always, thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for his original music.
Brian Powers on the Entrepreneur Lawyer
One of the best things about the legal industry is that there are multiple pathways to success. We are all trained issue spotters, and our guest on this episode identified an issue and founded a new company to fix that issue. Brian Powers is the CEO and co-founder of PactSafe, a high-velocity contract acceptance platform used by such major companies like Angie's List, UpWork, BMC, TIVO, and others to handle large volumes of clickthrough agreements. We talk with Brian about what motivated him to take on this challenge, and how he sought out to change the way businesses approach these types of contacts, and bring efficiency to the market place, and the legal industry through technology and process improvements. Brian is just one more example of those in the legal field who has found an alternative path through identifying inefficiencies, and finding ways to correct them. Hat tip to Kristin Hodgins for her tweet this week when she saw that someone said that if law firms are going to us AI, we need ways to collect structured data. Hodgins tweet reply was spot on when she said “Guess who are experts at structured data? Librarians. Google didn’t destroy us; it help us by reducing low-value work like rote retrieval from our duties & allowed us to focus on high-order skills. AI will do the same.” Well said! Information Inspirations: We're doing AI Wrong Zach Warren interviewed Brad Blickstein in a law.com article this week about how law firms are looking at AI the wrong way. When it comes to AI and law firms, Blickstein says that “[AI has] become a top-down thing: What are we doing about AI? It’s like asking, what are we doing about databases? It’s a crazy question. The question should be, what problems do we have, how do we solve them, and is AI or some semblance of AI a potential solution for that?” Brad's company, Blickstein Group, is producing a Legal AI Efficacy report that is due out this summer. We're Communicating Wrong This will come as a surprise to no one, but there can often be communications issues between executives and technologists. In a Harvard Business Review article, a scenario is set up between executives and data scientists, and we are walked through some examples on how to improve the communications between the two personalities. The article suggests you have a variety of projects and you build a team based on a variety of skill sets (and goes on to list them-data wrangling, data analysis, project management, subject expertise, storytelling, design)- so that the team can focus on what they do well but you have all the skills needed for a strong data science team. (We have a little fun with the data wrangling job.) We're Podcasting Wrong Check out Jared Corriea's latest episode of the Legal Toolkit podcast. Former law librarian, and podcast enthusiast, Tim Baran, has a number of suggestions for those of you who might be considering starting your own podcast. It turns out that Marlene and Greg are violating a few of the suggestions. more...
Dr. Carla Rydholm on the Value of Legal Data Analytics
Not many people can make the transition from Ph.D. in Genetics and Genomics, and then to the legal analytics field, but Dr. Carla Rydholm is someone who did just that. For nearly the past decade, Dr. Rydholm has been leading the charge of data analytics at Lex Machina. She is charged with not only acquiring the data large amounts of data but also maintaining that data as it is updated. Dr. Rydholm stopped by Greg's Houston office, along with episode 10's guest, Kyle Doviken to tell us about transitioning from pure scientist, to her current role, and what drives her passion for data analytics, and how the data is used to tell the story, and help attorney's understand what's previously happened, and use that as a guide to better understand where they may be headed. It's a very insightful conversation. Marlene WIns an Award! The Private Law Librarians and Information Professionals (PLL-IP) of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) is giving Blogger of the Year status to our very own Marlene Gebauer for her outstanding work on this podcast. Congrats Marlene!! Speaking of AALL, there is a new State of the Profession Survey publication that is of great value to any organization that has legal information professionals. You can find out more, and order your copy at the AALL website. Information Inspirations: Marlene points out a recent article called “The Value of Inconvenient Design.” The author uses a case study of assembling IKEA furniture (with that single allen wrench) and how people place value on things where there is a challenge (friction) in producing the end result, versus having something that is just handed to you. There's a need to solve a problem, in order to earn the reward. She ties this back to the theme in many of our shows centering around design thinking--you have to identify what is actually a problem and work backwards from that. Simply making something easier because we can through improved process or tech may actually de-value the experience and make the people involved more unhappy. There's a lot of mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances going on recently in the legal information field. The recent acquisition of Justis by vLex creates a powerful international and foreign law database. The combination of vLex's Colin Lachance, and Justis' Masoud Gerami is sure to be a winning combination. Ed Walter's of Fastcase hinted at more things to come for his legal information service when he talked with us a few weeks ago. Fastcase is collaborating with two expert witness platforms, JurisPro and Courtroom Insight. Fastcase is already punching above its weight class against the big players in the industry. With this latest collaboration, it seems to be punching even harder. Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and comment. You can tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert to reach out. Call the Geek in Review hotline at 713-487-7270, and let us know if you have ideas on topics we should cover in future episodes. As always, thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for his original music.
Stephen Embry - The Passion Behind Legal Blogging
On this episode of The Geek in Review Podcast, we have a wonderful conversation with Steve Embry of the TechLaw Crossroads blog. Embry walked away from his AmLaw 200 partnership almost a year ago to follow his passion to become a full time legal blogger. He discusses how there is an art to storytelling, and as a lawyer, there are different ways to present those stories. Storytelling is a skill which needs to be honed, whether that is through legal blogging, or through leveraging technology to present your story in a courtroom environment. Embry's passion in this new phase of his life is palatable throughout this interview and even inspires those of us who have been blogging for years to remember why it is we do it. Information Inspirations: Ernst and Young is poised to swoop in and acquire Thomson Reuters' managed legal services company, Pangea3. Marlene wonders what this means for the future of both the Big 4 entering the legal market, and what the future objectives of Thomson Reuters in the legal industry. There is an art to a quality April Fool's joke. Greg points out that the Artificial Lawyer's "Post-It Note Shortage" story was an instant masterpiece. Marlene is going with a collaboration theme this episode. First up, Legal Design Lab, in partnership with Stanford Codex’s Jameson Dempsey is proposing a Data Commons for Law to advance access to justice, legal tech and legal design. And, secondly, six Big Law firms have recently signed up to Reynen's Court to collaborate and support development and ultimate launch of its service automation platform. When it comes to the concept of "fail fast," Google seems to be taking that to heart... perhaps, far too often. In the first three months of 2019, Google has shutdown, or announce the discontinuation of multiple platforms. Greg is still feeling the pain of Google shutting down Google Reader some six years ago. Many think that Google's constant failure in projects may eventually harm their brand. Listen, Subscribe, download Jerry’s music, and Send Us Tweets and Voicemails, Too!! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and comment. You can tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert to reach out. Call the NEW Geek in Review hotline at 713-487-7270. Thanks to our first caller, Crawford Appleby of Rulings.law. If you have a product you'd like us to see, or a comment on a topic you'd like us to cover, give us a call, tweet, or even comment below. As always, thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for his original music.
Joe Lawson on How a 3% Increase in Lawyer Efficiency Can Solve a Pro Se Problem
On this episode of The Geek In Review, we talk with Joe Lawson, Deputy Director of the Harris County Law Library in Houston, Texas. With Harris County being the third largest county in the United States, there is a large number of attorneys, judges, and citizens who use the law library for various reasons. In 2018, there were over 24,000 filings of self-represented petitioners. That is a lot. Dallas County, by comparison, had 6,000 in the same time period. Lawson believes that there is a duty of the law library to help train lawyers, not to just be more efficient in their personal practices, but to help them have more capacity to help assist pro se litigants. Lawson's calculation is that a 3% increase in capacity, through advancements in technology usage, could help eliminate a majority of the pro se issues in the county. Back from South By Southwest (SXSW) Greg returned this week from SXSW and a trip to Northern California. Although the music was great, it was the educational sessions which took up most of his time in Austin. Panels on Gen Z, and the art of Storytelling where two of the topics that caught his attention. INFORMATION INSPIRATIONS Washburn Law School in Kansas allows their 3L students to finish their last year of law school actually working in the industry. In their "Third Year Anywhere" program, students receive first-hand experience working with mentor lawyers in one of six different areas. They complete their educational portion of the curriculum through online courses. Is this an outlier in legal education, or a potential trend for other schools to follow? Marlene likes the recent 3 Geeks' post by Shashi Kara. In addition to discussing how not all flops are failures, Shashi also wins the marketing award for putting "sex" in the title of his post. There are failures, and there are lessons learned which make future projects successes. It's important to know the differences. Matt Homann gives presenters ten tips for impressing their audiences. Number one is having a passion about the topic which you are presenting. If you don't feel that passion, neither will those listening to you. That's just the first tip... there are nine more to help you be a better presenter. The subscription based model is infiltrating the legal industry. Marlene has some suggestions on how lawyers and firms can bring value-added services to improve that model, and keep in line with bar rules as well. Bonus II's: Clippy returns... only to be assassinated. The NY Law Institute is having a National Library Week Peep Diorama Contest. Comic book databases leave a lot to be desired. Perhaps Marlene could head up R&D?? Listen, Subscribe, download Jerry’s music, and Send Us Tweets and Voicemails, Too!! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and comment. You can tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert to reach out. Call the NEW Geek in Review hotline at 713-487-7272 and let us know, preferably in English, if you want us to start producing video promotions of upcoming episodes, or if you have an idea for the show. As always, thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for his original music.
Vishal Agnihotri on Legal Hackathons and her 'Femme LeGALs' team
It only took us 31 episodes, but Marlene decided that what the show lacked was a phone number for listeners to call in. So, we now have one, and we have a question for you to vote on. "Should The Geek In Review create a video promo for upcoming episodes?" (Greg says he has the face for radio, so vote no... Marlene says it's a great idea, so vote yes. Call 713-487-7270 and leave your voicemail of "YES" or "NO" and what other ideas you may have for the show. This week we have a great guest, Vishal Agnihotri, who recently returned from a world wide Legal Hackathon session, and she and her team (called the Femme LeGALs) created over 180 ideas and concepts. Besides idea generation at a phenomenal pace, Vishal is also the Chief Knowledge Officer at Hinshaw Culbertson in New York. She walks us through her journey through Knowledge Management and where she sees opportunities in law firm KM through data security. Greg is spending the week in Austin at SXSW, and is live-blogging as much as he can here. Wish him luck, as he's taken to riding those electric scooters through the streets of Austin. INFORMATION INSPIRATIONS: Marlene asks if you'd rather have a Good Boss in a Bad Work Environment... or a Bad Boss in a Good Work Environment? Sounds like a lose/lose, but Marlene does have her preference if she were in that bad situation. The American Association of Law Libraries has a complimentary snapshot of the brand new State of the Profession.report. Check it out and share it with a friend. Caroline Hill sat down and talked with six women across a variety of roles in legal technology to discuss how far (or not far) the industry has come when it comes to gender roles. Our Data Scientist (with a cape), Jennifer Robert, had a recent article out called "It's Time for Law Firms to Place Bolder Bets on Their Data." Okay firms... ante up! Listen, Subscribe, Download Jerry's music, and Send Us Tweets and Voicemails, Too!! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and comment. You can tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert to reach out. Call the NEW Geek in Review hotline at 713-487-7270 and let us know if you want us to start producing video promotions of upcoming episodes, or if you have an idea for the show. As always, thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for his awesome music.
Chicago-Kent's Debbie Ginsberg on the Value of Women in Legal Tech
On the 30th episode of The Geek In Review, we talk with Debbie Ginsberg, Educational Technology Librarian at the Chicago-Kent Law Library. Debbie was recently quoted in law.com's "Where Are All the Women in Legal Tech?" So we cut right to the chase and ask that question to Debbie. She says that there are lots of women in legal tech, but that those putting on tech conferences need to take more action toward actively recruiting women for speaker and presenter opportunities. One profession where women are a majority, and are heavily involved in legal tech, is law librarians. The American Association of Law Libraries is approximately 75% women, and with the push toward knowledge management, analytics, competitive intelligence, and advancing the legal research and information tools, law librarians are an excellent resource when it comes to professionals in the legal tech market. Ginsberg also talks about the Women in Legal Tech Summit, held right before TechShow in Chicago. She mentions that there is an effort to expand the boundaries of women in legal tech beyond just women lawyers who are working in legal tech, and begin looking for other opportunities. Dovetailing nicely with that effort is Janders Dean, who is putting out a list of 180 highly qualified women speakers for legal tech on their Twitter page. And, Sarah Glassmeyer's crowdsourcing list of underrepresented people in legal tech and innovation. INFORMATION INSPIRATIONS Self-care isn’t selfish and can actually help your performance - Author Jenna Cho interviews one of Jackson Walker's partners, Stephanie Sparks, who discusses how she was always waiting until the right time to take care of herself, and eventually realized that there was never a "right time" and she understood that she just had to make that time. Cho's article reminds us that we all need to take some time to listen to your body and mind, and remember that you can't take care of others if you don't first take care of yourself. Jason Barnwell gets a shout out from Marlene this week on his interview of Kate Ross. This Business of Law Podcast hits all the right buttons on the need for attorneys to collaborate and be transparent, not just with the good things, but how we need to show the warts and all. Greg points out Jason's comment that when it comes to culture in a legal environment, people shouldn't feel that they have "inherited someone else's shoes." This is a must listen for those looking at collaboration and better experiences for your organization. Marlene talks about how Zena Applebaum reminds us Humans are the Decision Makers… Data Isn't. And finally, Greg (and most librarians, historians, and researchers) aren't too happy with the Obama Presidential Library's plan to be an all-digital library. Subscribe Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and comment. You can tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert to reach out. Thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for his original music.
Episode 29: Ed Walters - Bringing Sexy Back… To Legal Publishing
The rumor that "print is dead" may have been a bit premature. In this episode we talk with Fastcase CEO and co-founder, Ed Walters about his vision of why print titles are a vital component of a legal publishers arsenal and how Fastcase is using its new Full Court Press imprint to make his company even more competitive. Walters also reveals that Fastcase 7 will soon be making its journey through space, and move from its beta "Mercury" release, and progress to the beta "Venus", and is making its way toward the fulling functioning "Earth" release this summer. And if your were curious… Pluto is a planet. Fastcase is also looking to leverage its 2018 acquisitions of Docket Alarm and Law Street Media to push the company into the future of legal analytics and advancing legal news reporting. If geeky and nerdy are the new sexy… Walters and his group at Fastcase are bringing it back. We also talk with American Association of Law Libraries Director of Government Relations, Emily Feltren, about the status of making PACER free to all users. The bills are filed in the US Congress, and the amici briefs are filed (including one by Fastcase and Ed Walters) to bring down the price of PACER, or make it completely free. Feltren teaches us more on that topic. Information Inspirations Greg had traveling difficulties last week and couldn't make it to the ARK conference on law libraries. Well, he couldn't make it physically. He did, however, get to use zoom to make his presentation to the roughly 100 attendees. And, of course, it couldn't be just any old video presentation. Greg found a way to bring in some green screen action through zoom's background features. Not sure if that counts a sexy, but it was definitely geeky. Without Fail Podcast - Alex Blumberg, who recently sold Gimlet Media to Spotify for $200M, has a podcast where he interviews entrepreneurs not only about their successes, but also about their failures. On a recent interview with brand revitalizer, Sharon Price John, the CEO and President of Build-A-Bear Workshops, she discusses the vision that change agents need to bring brands back to life. If you're going to turn things around, you have to accept the problems that come with it. You need to embrace that "it might not not be your fault, but it is now your problem." Herbert Smith Freehills gives its employees ten days which they may focus entirely on innovation. Marlene discusses what that means, and that while this is a great concept, it is important that the employees be given the flexibility to be creative everyday. Perhaps that should also mean more flexibility in when and where they work, and that they be encouraged and supported in traveling more often. Gen Z's are in college, in law schools, and are entering the workforce. We've talked about them before, but we're not sure that previous generations are really ready to work side-by-side with this "brutally" honest generation. Are Lawyers Ready to be Managed by Metrics? (American Lawyer) - If you think that legal work is so unique that it cannot be measured, analyzed, predicted, and have a value metric placed upon it… then your days may be numbered. (more…)
Episode 28: Jennifer Roberts - Data Science Superhero
Not all Data Scientists wear lab coats to work. Intapp's Jennifer Roberts wears a cape! On the latest episode of The Geek in Review, Marlene and Greg dive into the wonderfully geeky world of data science and its application within law firms and the legal industry. Jennifer Roberts, Manager, Strategic Research at Intapp, discusses exactly what it means to be a data scientist, and why law firms are leveraging them to help run their legal operations. When it comes to "the business of law," Roberts says this is where the results of data science steps in and shows its value. Data science can help answer questions like, "how can we predict the price of legal services?" "How can we predict the scope of a matter?" "How can we help with legal project management?" And even "how can we predict what a client's needs are?" Or, "what will these clients buy from us in the future?" Data science and analytics help uncover the facts that not all lawyers and not all legal matters are totally unique. Roberts also helps us answer those naysayers who claim that they do not have enough data, or that they have Filthy Data™. We finish our LegalWeek question of "how are you changing the legal industry" with our final four responses. This week we hear from: Michael Boggia - Lookup Damian Jeal - Hubshare Kevin O’Keefe - LexBlog Martin Goulet - Wolters Kluwer Information Inspirations For anyone following the happenings (and large fines resulting from) the EU's GDPR, Marlene thinks perhaps this is something that may make its way across the pond. In a recent Corporate Counsel magazine article entitled, "Cisco's Chief Legal Officer Expresses Support for American Version of GDPR" (subscription needed), Mark Chandler of Cisco supports the need for more regulation on privacy. Greg talks with Emily Feltren of the American Association of Law Libraries, about recent legislation submitted that might finally move PACER from behind a paywall. Marlene's second information inspiration is about "Why People Still Don’t Buy Groceries Online." Americans buy almost everything online these days, so why hasn't online grocery shopping taken off? Is this one of the last "tactile" experiences that we are holding on to, or have we just not had the "aha!" moment yet with online grocery shopping experiences? The final information inspirations talks about what it really means to have access to justice. In the New York Times opinion piece, "Everyone Needs Legal Help. That Doesn’t Mean Everyone Needs a Lawyer," . Look for us at the ARK Library Conference in NYC this week. Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and comment to The Geek in Review on your favorite podcast platform. If you comments, compliments, or suggestions, you can tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert to reach out. Thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for his original music.
Episode 27: Heather Ritchie on Marketing, BD, KM, and Library Collaboration
"All Problems Are Communications Problems." This is Greg's go-to phrase when it comes to working with and leading others. Marlene actually beats Greg to the punch this week when they talk with this week's guest, Heather Ritchie. Heather is the Chief Knowledge and Business Development Officer at Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP in Toronto, and as her title suggests, she wears multiple leadership hats at her firm. In her recent ILTA KM article, "12 Ways Marketing & Business Development Can Leverage Library & Knowledge Management Teams," Ritchie walks us through the value of collaborating between the Marketing/Business Development, Knowledge Management, and Library operations of a law firm. Knowing who brings what talent to the table is key to creating stable and successful environment which results in wins for the law firm. How Is Your Business Changing the Legal Industry? In part two of our three part series, we hear from four more providers of legal industry products on how they are changing the industry. This week we hear from: Ben Shelley - Intelligent Voice Rick Merrill - Gavelytics Serena Wellen - LexisNexis Context Matt Spiegel - Lawmatics Information Inspirations: Warning: Greg goes to a bit of a dark place this week after a dreadful morning of social media experiences. Whether it was reviewing "memories" in Facebook, or the Twitter arguments of how LegalWeek and alt.legal are echo chambers for the elites (or are they?), or how racists Tweets from well known political leaders caused one of Greg's favorite podcast hosts to break down in a recent episode.... It's been interesting. Will Greg leave Twitter? (Vegas says "not likely.") Marlene goes total "Geek" this week with her inspiration of "Conversations with Robots: Voice, Smart Agents & the Case for Structured Content." She explains where we are with our current web interactions, where we were supposed to be by now, and where we are going. If you are a fan of understanding how information is structured, searched, accessed, and enhanced on the web... this geektacular explanation is for you. Greg and Marlene, as well as Toby Brown and other 3 Geeks' members will be at the ARK Library conference in New York next week. Ron Friedmann wrote a preview of his talk on "Information is Power + Profit" on how the old adage of "Information is Power" also brings about profit. We hope to see you there on the 21st! Registration and information is located here. see more...
Episode 26: Cat Moon on Legal Problem Solving for the 21st Century
Vanderbilt Law School Professor, Cat Moon, doesn't just have one of the coolest names in the legal industry, she also brings insights and a perspective on the human element of legal project management. Human centered design thinking is a core function of her teaching. It all goes back to the fact that you can teach law students, lawyers, and legal managers all the concepts in the world, but it's all for naught if you leave out the human element. Professor Moon also gives a brutally honest view of why women in the legal field tend to leave law firms in order to pursue their creative and life passions outside the firms. Marlene and Greg are recently back from Legalweek in New York. While there, they went around to a number of vendors to ask a simple, but relevant question, "what are you doing to change the legal industry?" This week, we get the perspective of four vendors: Christina Rosas - Reorg Research Shmuli Goldberg - Lawgeex Matt Kroll and Andrew Moeller - PwC David Kamien - Mind Alliance It is a fairly easy question, but one company that had a hard time answering? Thomson Reuters. Information Inspirations James Goodnow interviews American Lawyer Editor Gina Passarella Fennemore Craig, PC Managing Partner, James Goodnow asks AmLaw Editor Gina Passerella what she observed from the panels at Legalweek. Passerella notes that clients are craving data analytics, but that law firms are not producing them. Perhaps because it is not in the firm's best interest to do so?? Legalweek had a KM Managers' Day Legalweek isn't just for e-discovery (although, there's a lot of that!) There was an entire day, and multiple discussions on the value of knowledge management in the legal industry. SALI Releases Version 1 of Legal Matters Standards The mission of SALI (Standards Advancement for the Legal Industry) is to help define exactly what services the legal industry provides by creating a standard language surrounding legal matter types. It's an ambitious, but important step in helping law firms and clients to have a common language to speak so that they understand each other. Alternative Legal Service Providers have a distinct advantage over law firms... Capital investment in tech. Marlene listened to a recent episode of Legal Speak called "Move Over Big Law. It's Time for an Alternative." Once again, Jae Um discusses how lawyer's value isn't defined in six-minute increments. . Even the New York Times wants Free PACER - but what would that mean for the courts? The call for FREE PACER even reaches the pages of the New York Times. We all want it to be free, but Greg puts on his Devil's Advocate hat (complete with horns) and takes a view from the unpopular side of what does FREE PACER mean for the courts and its technology? Who is actually benefiting from FREE PACER? Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and comment to The Geek in Review on your favorite podcast platform. If you comments, compliments, or suggestions, you can tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert to reach out. Thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for his original music.
Episode 25: Ivy Grey on Curiosity and Creativity's Role in Business
On our 25th episode of The Geek In Review, Marlene Gebauer and Greg Lambert sit down and talk with Ivy Grey, Director of Business Strategy for WordRake. Ivy's recent Above the Law article, “Curiosity Is The Foundation For Innovation” discusses the disconnect between employers who think they promote creativity in their employees, versus employees who think that their bosses actually stifle creativity in the workplace. Ivy breaks down the nuances between creativity and innovation. Ivy points to law firms like Reed Smith, who are actually giving their attorneys and others (approved) time to come up with creative processes, and letting the employees build upon these ideas. The key is to allow people to think and be creative, and imagine possibilities that don't even exist. On that note, we'd like to point out that Baker McKenzie announced the hiring of a couple of creative and curious rock stars, fellow geek, Casey Flaherty as their new Director of Legal Project Management, and Geek in Review interviewee Jae Um, as their Director of Pricing Strategy. Hope they are ready for long memos filled with emojis! Greg flew through Dallas Love Field this week during a Herb Kelleher celebration. Southwest's original CEO was well known for creative marketing, and Greg was a little disappointed that he didn't get a free bottle of Chivas when we got off the plane. For a great story of how Southwest got its start, check out the Business War's Podcast on Clearing the Runway. Information Inspirations Microsoft Assistant General Counsel, Jason Barnwell, wrote a timely piece called "Bricklayers and Architects." His own experiences on being able to come up with a creative process to streamline and M&A deal back when he was an associate at a BigLaw firm, dovetails nicely with Ivy Grey's discussion. That great idea which would have saved a lot of time in creating the closing binders??? Stifled. Why? The billable hour. We are all way too familiar with the phrase Fake News, but what do you know about Deepfakes? Pew Research discusses how well fake videos, created with artificial intelligence, are causing issues with understanding what is real, and what is fake. Check out more at "Looks Can Be Deceiving: Deepfakes" on the Pew podcast. Marlene likes gamification ideas, so the collaboration between Stanford and Suffolk law schools on the Learned Hand game is right up her alley. It's not just a game, however, it is used to train the Natural Language Processor of machine learning algorithms. Read more at the Pew Research website, or at the Lawyerist. Don’t forget to subscribeto The Geek in Review on your favorite podcast platform. If you comments, compliments, or suggestions, you can tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert. Thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for his original music.
Episode 24: What Does the Federal Government Shutdown Mean for Legal Information?
With the partial government shutdown approaching one month, Marlene and Greg attempt to make some sense of what this means for those of us who rely upon the information produced by the US Government. On this episode, we have an extended talk with Emily Feltren, to uncover what's working and what's shutdown. While the federal courts are still functioning, they are running on borrowed time, and are scheduled to run out of funds on January 25th. The Pew Research Center has listed a number of data sources which are not being updated during the shutdown. The OMB also has a list of agency shuddered at this time, and assume that the libraries are also closed. If you're hoping to submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request... good luck. Agencies my accept them, but they may not have anyone to process them. Basically, it's a cluster-fudge right now in D.C. Joel Lytle, Director of Information Security at Jackson Walker, talks with Greg about the issue of .gov sites which are unable to renew their security certificates during the shutdown. It may not be all that bad... for now. Information Inspirations: The law library world lost a legend this month with the passing of Eileen Searls. In addition to being an influencer in the law library world, she is also the aunt of Eve Searls, who along with Jerry David DiCicca, performs the music you hear on The Geek In Review. It's been six years since the information world lost Aaron Swartz to suicide. Check out the documentary, The Internet's Own Boy, to learn more. Do you have $29 and a grudge? A recent Forbes article talks about the dirty world of social media influencing and how individuals are using The Spinner to make people quit their jobs, have sex, and even convince spouses how playing video games is a good thing. It's National Pizza Week. Kudos to recent Florida Attorney, Haley Moss, for passing the bar. That might not sound like something that would warrant congratulations, but when you learn that Moss was diagnosed with autism early in life. Not only did she pass... she's also already employed. And finally, Marlene covers BOTS and the automation of client-facing, and back-office operations. Tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert to reach out. Thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for his original music.
Episode 23: The Technology Twilight Zone
On this mini-episode of The Geek In Review, Greg talks about three eerie/interesting/scary instances where the technology seems to be ahead of us humans. Can Amazon be tracking us in a craft store? Are automated computer game players AI? Should guidance apps like WAZE, create a dangerous situation? Well, all three happened. Is it purely happenstance, or is it the technology going beyond our understanding. Probably happenstance... but still eerie. Marlene explored a number of unique holiday drinks, music, and customs. So, if you're still in the holiday mood... check out ¿Donde Esta Santa Claus? by the Gusters, Bloodshot Records 13 Days of XMas, particularly, The Pagans Had it Right, by Devil in a Woodpile, and How to Make Gravy by All Our Exes Live in Texas. If you need a drink, try the Puerto Rican holiday drink of Coquito. Speaking of how to make gravy... Greg discussed the Southern delicacy of Chocolate Gravy over your breakfast biscuits. It's not for everyone. Information Inspirations Must listen to podcast from This American Life called The Room of Requirements. The second of three stories covers the tale of The Brautigan Library, a fictional place where unpublished manuscripts went to live forever. Based on the book, The Abortion: An Historical Romance a 1966 novel by Richard Brautigan. Someone decided to make that place a reality, and it was fascinating to listen as the librarian makes it happen, watches it collapse, and then reborn. Librarians, and lovers of librarians should listen to all three stories. Librarians really do create magical places to fit the needs of their communities. Greg thinks the Brautigan Library stories parallels the Knowledge Management world. Where information goes... waiting until someone needs it. Marlene discusses a number of year-end podcasts which discuss design theory, innovation, project management, CI, and many of the other concepts and practices that we live with everyday while trying to administer large law firms. Whether it is the design process behind drawstring trash bags, in spite of all the naysayers, how the first draft is always bad, or the sage advice of "things want to be bad. Your job is to keep trying to make them good." Comments, Compliments, and Thank You's As we prepare for more episodes and interviews for 2019, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and comment to The Geek in Review on your favorite podcast platform. We are even on Amazon's Alexia... which might explain one of Greg's eerie stories. If you comments, compliments, or suggestions, you can tweet @gebauerm and/or @glambert to reach out. Thanks to Jerry David DiCicca for his original music. Law Librarians should make an effort to check out his latest album, as a fellow member of the American Association of Law Libraries, Eve Searls, is the backup singer, and piano/organ player on the album. Support your fellow law librarian! We also wish fellow law librarian, David Whelan, a safe return of his brother who was detained in Russia over the holida
Episode 22: Marcie Borgal Shunk on Teaching Leadership Skills to Leaders
Just because someone is a really good lawyer, doesn't necessarily mean they are ready for the leadership positions of a large law firm. Marcie Borgal Shunk, President and Founder of The Tilt Institute Inc., talks with us this week about how she helps partners and others in law firms understand the leadership roles they take on. Whether it is a seasoned equity partner, or a newly christened associate just starting out, everyone should have a strong understanding of what it means to lead others. A good succession plan can help ease people into the role, rather than thrusting everything on them when they take over. Marcie discusses what it means to be a leader, and how she helps train them to take on that responsibility. Emily Feltren, Director of Government Relations for the American Association of Law Libraries, joins us for her monthly update on government actions on legal information. Emily gives us a year in review report of the wins, losses, and draws of the 115th Congress and the upcoming changes she sees in the 116th... besides investigations. There will be some old friends leaving at the end of 2018. Luckily, Emily is working to make new friends in 2019 so that access to justice and access to government information expands. Information Inspirations: Marlene Gebauer reviews the first article in the new ILTA KM White Paper. Taking on the article of "What Legal KM Professionals Can Learn from KM in the Big Four," from Cindy Thurston Bare of Foundation Software, and Vishal Agnihotri of Hinshaw and Culbertson. The article discusses the KM streams that the Big Four accounting firms use, and how those parallel to the legal KM structure. In this day and age of alternative legal providers, it helps to understand how the competition is looking to gain a competitive edge over how you work. Cindy and Vishal give a good outline of some of the processes that are happening in the Big Four, so that you do not fall behind the curve. Greg remembers back when the Internet was newish, there was a thought that as copyrighted material fell into the public domain, the Internet was going to be an ocean of open access materials. Well... the Digital Millennium Copyright Act put a twenty year hiatus on items falling into the public domain. That comes to an end at the end of this year. Items from 1923 will become public domain materials come January 1st. Granted, we're twenty years behind (and Google Books may have taken a bite out of the DMCA), but the flow of information begins again come the first of the year. Don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or Google (or where ever you listen to your podcasts) so that you automatically get the latest episodes. Comments can be sent to @glambert or @gebauerm. Also, if you like our new theme music, check out Jerry David DeCicca’s new album on Spotify, or iTunes.
Episode 21: Courtney Selby on Beer Law
It's the episode of The Geek In Review that Greg has dreamed about. Beer law! Courtney Selby, Associate Dean for Information Services, Director of the Law Library, and Professor of Law at Hoftra University Law School, walks us through the strange and interesting topic of beer laws. Selby has immersed herself in the topic for years, and has an upcoming publication with W.S. Hein on Brewery Law including a national survey of state laws on the topic. Not only does Courtney Selby explain some of the more bizarre rules around beer, ciders, and other alcohol laws, she also give some great suggestions on different beers to try. https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-selby-069b5652/ The Geek In Review is now available on Spotify and Stitcher platforms. That brings us up to over a dozen platforms. So make sure that you subscribe on whatever your favorite platform is. Chances are, we're there. https://open.spotify.com/show/53J6BhUdH594oTMuGLvANo?si=XeoRDGhMTjulSEIEYNtZOw https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/anchor-podcasts/the-geek-in-review Information Inspirations: Rob Saccone's article, Fractal dysfunction and the mathematics of #biglaw innovation, discusses moving your innovation ideas off of the drawing board and into measurable actions. Saccone brings out his inner-math nerd to walk us through the fractals and the vectors of making innovation more than just an abstract concept. Shout out to Jae Um for her inspiration on this article. https://medium.com/@robsaccone/fractal-dysfunction-and-the-mathematics-of-biglaw-innovation-bb71abcde145 Tom Idles' article, Want to create a diverse and inclusive workplace? AI might not offer the solution you hope it could, discusses the desire that some have for using AI to help with issues like inclusion and diversity, but Marlene thinks we still might need to get the "human" part of the process cleaned up a bit more before turning it all over to the robots. https://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/diversity-and-ai-workplace Charles Duhigg's article, The Real Roots of American Rage, is out in the Jan/Feb issue of The Atlantic. If you think that anger doesn't have a purpose in society, you'd be wrong. In fact, anger can drive change better than many of our other emotions. The problem is, when the purpose of anger moves away from trying to leverage it to make something better, over toward the area of revenge, where the purpose is to try to cause harm to others. Duhigg takes us on a journey from an angry little town in Massachusetts in the 1970s to the modern-day political anger we see in America. This is a must read. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/01/charles-duhigg-american-anger/576424/ Cordell Parvin's LinkedIn article, 25 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was a Young Lawyer, is a great list of things that every young (or even old) lawyer should think about when using their non-billable time. Marlene jokes that one thing that Parvin omitted was "make friends with your information professional." There were a number of items on the list which a librarian, KM, CI, or business development professional could help you set up. So before you start checking things off the list, go see your librarians! https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lawyers-25-things-i-wish-someone-had-told-me-when-young-parvin/ Don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or Google (or where ever you listen to your podcasts) so that you automatically get the latest episodes. Comments can be sent to @glambert or @gebauerm. Also, if you like our new theme music, check out Jerry David DeCicca’s new album on Spotify, or iTunes. https://open.spotify.com/artist/2zK20J4miKH4eF6LW1HyGq?nd=1 https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/jerry-david-decicca/874638238
Ep. 20 - Ryan McClead, CEO of Sente Advisors - Legal Innovation is not a One-Stop Shop
This week, we talk with CEO and Principle of Sente Advisors, Ryan McClead. Ryan is also a frequent contributor to 3 Geeks. His new venture into consulting and solution building is unique, in that his team builds across multiple platforms to find creative solutions for the problems we all face in the legal industry. Just as in life, very few solutions to our problems are found in one place. Ryan discusses what Greg refers to as Legal Jazz Innovation - the combining of things which have never been combined before. Listen as Ryan takes us through the twists and turns of how he uses his experience as a legal technology innovator, musician, writer, and consultant to creatively weave together a solution. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rmcclead/ https://www.senteadvisors.com/ In addition to Ryan's Jazzfest... there is going to be a Geekfest in NYC on February 21st, 2019. Marlene, Greg, and 3 Geeks' own, Toby Brown, are going to be speaking at the Ark Group conference on Best Practices & Management Strategies for Law Firm Library, Research & Information Services. (Which is a mouthful to say.) https://www.ark-group.com/event/best-practices-management-strategies-law-firm-library-research-information-services-1#.XA1Yx2hKiUl Marlene reminds American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) members to take the time to fill out the State of the Profession survey. AALL extended the deadline to December 14th, so go fill that survey out and help your fellow legal information professionals by sharing your knowledge. Check out Caren Luckie’s post on Legal Competitive Intelligence. It’s a great primer to help explain what CI is in the legal field. https://ripslawlibrarian.wordpress.com/2018/11/27/competitive-intelligence-in-a-nutshell/ Greg has two words for Thomson Reuters following the news this week that they are laying off 3200 employees... "NOT HAPPY!" You can learn more details from Jean O'Grady's post, including the potential for TR reducing services and products. https://www.deweybstrategic.com/2018/12/thomson-reuters-layoffs-to-continue-along-with-office-closings-and-elimination-of-products.html Marlene has a follow-up on her hopes that CIVIL Media Company would help shift the world of Journalism through blockchain and its cryptoeconomic system. Unfortunately, the Initial Coin Offering was a flop, and CIVIL is giving refunds for those who invested. All is not lost, however. There may be a more simplified offering in the making, and Marlene still holds out hope. http://civil.co/ Don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes or Google (or where ever you listen to your podcasts) so that you automatically get the latest episodes. Comments can be sent to @glambert or @gebauerm. Also, if you like our new theme music, check out Jerry David DeCicca’s new album on Spotify, or iTunes. https://open.spotify.com/artist/2zK20J4miKH4eF6LW1HyGq?nd=1
Episode 19 - LexisNexis' Jeff Pfeifer on Being Like a Startup
Marlene and Greg went to Raleigh, North Carolina to visit the LexisNexis Technology Center. While there, they got a tour of the facilities and introduction to some of the business techniques implemented by the Lexis team. Jeff Pfeifer sat down and explained Lexis' new rapid development techniques, including Sprint Design Thinking, and Agile Development Principles. This type of development processes means things move quickly, and problems are broken down into small chunks to solve. It also means that Lexis looks for developers who can collaborate and work directly with the customers to identify issues, and create solutions in days and weeks, rather than months or years.
E18 - Nicholas Alexiou - Professional Development Needs for Law Students
The Geek In Review - Episode 18 is ready just in time for your Thanksgiving travel enjoyment. Don't forget to subscribe on iTunes or Google (or where ever you listen to your podcasts) so that you automatically get the latest episodes. Comments can be sent to @glambert or @gebauerm. Also, if you like our new theme music, check out Jerry David DeCicca's new album on Spotify, or iTunes, https://jerrydaviddecicca.bandcamp.com/ Nicholas Alexiou, Director of LL.M and Alumni Advising at Vanderbilt University Law School joins us for an in-depth discussion of what law schools are teaching students in the three years they have them. In an environment where students only care about things which are on the final, or on the bar exam, should professional development programs be required or affect GPA's? While 1Ls and 2Ls get lots of attention from the professional development course, 3Ls are left to their own devices. Greg thinks there is room for improvement with 3Ls professional development from the law schools, law firms, and vendors. Marlene points out an MIT answer to "What is AI?" Sometimes a complicated concept can be explained on a napkin with a flowchart. This explanation is so simple, even Marlene's Mom can understand it. Now, if MIT would come up with a flowchart to explain to Greg's Mom what it is he actually does with a law degree and a masters degree in Library Science. https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612404/is-this-ai-we-drew-you-a-flowchart-to-work-it-out/ Emily Feltren, Director of Government Relations at the American Association of Law Libraries, breaks down the post-election results and the upcoming lame duck and new Congressional sessions. It's never dull in DC, and Emily confirms that the action continues through the transition.
Episode 17 - Scott Mozarsky on Litigation Financing and Its Ties to Knowledge Management
Sometimes when you drop by Greg's office, he will ask if you'll sit down for an interview for the Geek In Review Podcast. This week, Scott Mozarsky, Managing Directory for North American at Vannin Capital fell into that trap, and even Marlene jumped in on Skype and joined the conversation. Scott was the former President of Bloomberg Law and has been in the legal media industry for decades. During the discussion, Mazarsky talks about how the Knowledge Management skills found in law firms can be applied to some of the same analytics and processes found in Litigation Finance. He also walks us through how Litigation Finance is changing, and that a lot of business is being driven by the needs of large law firms... not just plaintiff work. In the segment that Marlene and Greg are now calling Information Inspiration, Greg discusses how, even after multiple years of security training, it took a episode of the Reply All podcast to finally scare him straight and up his security game. Hackers are no joke, and using strong passwords, encryption, and password managers are a must in today's scary... scary world. Marlene and Greg also listen to the new AI newscaster that China's media just launched. Neither of them were all that impressed, but perhaps this is the wave of the future for disseminating information. Marlene discusses the gig economy in law that wast covered in the latest Think Like a Lawyer podcast. Joe Patrice interviewed two leaders from the new Lawclerk company which provides on-demand lawyers for projects. It's much more complex than you're probably thinking it is. Is it the future of lawyers? It's probably part of the future. Thanks again to Jerry David DeCicca for allowing us to use his original music. Go check out Jerry's songs on Spotify, iTune, or at his website. Let us know what you think about the show. You can tweet us at @gebauerm or @glambert. Find links at www.geeklawblog.com
Podcast Episode 16 - New AALL Executive Director Vani Ungapen
On this episode of The Geek In Review, we talk with the new Executive Director of the American Association of Law Libraries, Vani Ungapen. Vani discusses her initiation into AALL and having to learn all of the different acronyms that Law Librarians like to use. Greg was inducted into the College of Law Practice Management as a Fellow. While at the CoLPM meeting, former Harvard Law School President, Martha Minnow discussed her mission as the Vice-Chair of the Legal Services Corporation, and the need to help those who cannot afford legal services to not fall through the cracks. To dovetail with Martha Minnow's topic, check out the work that is going on with The Bail Project, which created a rotating bail fund to help those who are sitting in jail, primarily because they cannot post bail. Greg ponders if there is something that legal associations could do to support these types of projects in support of access to justice issues. Marlene went to the latest Ark Group KM meeting (apparently there was a Fortnight dance involved?) While she was there, she asked Vivian Liu-Somers, Ron Friedmann, Phil Rosenthal, Phil Bryce, and Meredith Williams-Range about how does Knowledge Management impact innovation. Perhaps the most exciting change this week is that we have new music from Jerry David DeCicca. Jerry is a well-known Americana musician and former lead singer of The Black Swans. There is a law library link in this music in that AALL member, Eve Searls, sings back up, and plays keyboard and Wurlitzer on Jerry's latest album, Burning Daylight. We are very excited that Jerry is letting us use his fabulous music on the Podcast. Check out his Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/artist/2zK20J4miKH4eF6LW1HyGq?nd=1), and iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/jerry-david-decicca/874638238) channels. If you have comments or suggestions, please tweet us at @gebauerm or @glambert.
Episode 15 - Brandi Hester and the Modern Role of a Legal Applications Developer
Brandi Hester, Applications Development Manager for Hunton Andrews Kurth, discusses how the modern Applications Development team focuses less on actually developing applications from scratch to providing a services, security, access, and connecting the dots on all that data. She walks us through the plethora of “AAS” (as a service) options which law firm IT departments use, and she talks about “Shadow IT” groups found in law firm departments and practice areas. Brandi also shares some great insights on being a woman in a field that historically has favored men in app dev roles. Marlene (@gebauerm) and Greg (@glambert) enjoyed their week off from the podcast and discuss their individual travels to Chicago, and across Texas. Greg also got to present (virtually) at the University of Oklahoma and discovered that many other law firms are struggling to promote their professional development programs due to the issue of “if it ain’t on the final, or the bar exam… students won’t make the effort to attend.” This was an issue discussed recently in an Above the Law article. Professional Development For Law Students: How can students best take advantage of their school’s professional development programming? https://abovethelaw.com/2018/10/professional-development-for-law-students/ Marlene found a new podcast called Women in Law, On the Record, from Greenberg Traurig’s Allison Stewart. Stewart was featured in a recent Law.com article. https://www.law.com/americanlawyer/2018/10/19/greenberg-traurig-associate-launches-podcast-for-women-in-law/ Women in Law, On the Record (iTunes) https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/women-in-law-on-the-record/id1437819781?mt=2 Filed under the topic of “did it, or didn’t happen??” is the recent Bloomberg report on China’s alleged hacking of Apple, Amazon, as well as US Military and other government computers through a computer hardware chip smaller than a “small grain” size of rice. Everyone is denying that it happened, but Marlene and Greg wonder how this is going to affect cloud-based projects within law firms?
Episode 14 - Jeff Marple and the Art of Incremental Change; Plus "Free PACER"?
On this episode we will talk with Jeff Marple, Director of Innovation, Corporate Legal at Liberty Mutual Insurance company. Plus, we have our monthly update on government action in legal information from AALL’s Director of Government Relations, Emily Feltren. So, it’s an action packed episode, so grab a drink of your choice and settle in for a good one. 15:13 - Jeff Marple, Director of Innovation, within Corporate Legal at Liberty Mutual discusses what it is like to be the innovations guru within a large corporate legal environment. The key is incremental change, lots of communications, having the customer in the room, and publicly executing poor performing processes or projects in the town square. 07:22 - Emily Feltren, Director of Government Relations at American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), gives us her monthly update on happenings in the legal information field in regards to government actions. There are a number of bills at the federal level focusing on opening up access to PACER (the backbone of the federal court docket system.) Is free access to PACER on the horizon? Seem that there are a number of politicians looking to do just that. 00:45 - Marlene (@gebauerm) walks us through how "Thinking Like a Lawyer" might be exactly what we need in this highly polarized environment we live in. https://www.law360.com/articles/1089175/ 03:00 - Greg (@glambert) discusses his "book report" from Kim Cameron's leadership book, "Positive Leadership: Strategies for Extraordinary Performance," on Positive Communications and how high performance teams interact and communicate. https://amzn.to/2BZHKBq Please feel free to Tweet us at @gebauerm or @glambert with any comments you have about this episode of The Geek In Review. Please take a moment to subscribe, comment, and rate us so that others can find us.
Episode 13 - Laurent Wiesel on Litigation Analytics
Laurent Wiesel, Founder and CEO of Justly, talks with us about leaving his BigLaw partnership to create a startup focused on litigation analytics. Wiesel discusses how he saw that there was a growing gap between what clients were asking on issues of pricing and process, and what law firms were able to deliver. (https://justly.com) Greg (@glambert) talks about his ability to post an actual written blog post this week about who is the customer (https://bit.ly/2OXZIIc) If you haven't checked out Jason Barnwell's podcast "The Business of Law" yet (https://bit.ly/2xXDCOO), Marlene (@gebauerm) suggests that you do. Jason has an extended interview our episode 11 guest, Jae Um. Marlene also suggests checking out Gimlet Media's "Casting Call" (https://castingcallshow.com/). Casting Call is a reality audio series that chronicles the search for the next great podcast host. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review!
Ep.12 - Augmented Eternity, Engineered Epiphany, and Alameda
On this episode, we interview Alameda County Law Library Director, Mark Estes, and get his insights on how modern county law libraries support their communities, and how their communities support them. Marlene and Greg were interviewed for The Digital Edge Podcast (https://is.gd/VtMVi5) Marlene (@gebauerm) discusses the creepy ideas behind Augmented Eternity (https://is.gd/YlI7uS), as well as the proper methods behind YouTube apology videos (https://is.gd/9f4q9z). Greg (@glambert) recommends listening the CBC's new podcast, Undercover: Escaping NXVIM (https://is.gd/nkPHFw), and the ideas behind a manipulation process called "Engineered Epiphanies." Plus, why you shouldn't name buildings after people who are still alive. (https://is.gd/cOHopa) Added feature … Marlene struggles with pronouncing Alameda.
Episode 11 - Jae Um on Innovation, Emotions, and Emojis
Marlene (@gebauerm) and Greg (@glambert) talk with Legal Rebel, Jae Um (@jaesunum), Founder & Executive Director at Six Parsecs, about her unique writing style (it involves the use of emojis), and her ideas behind her series on Legal Innovation Woes. Greg breaks down a conversation which amplified the idea of why it's important to be seen as a driver for the firm's bottom line, and how he deleted Facebook and twitters apps from his phone, as well as how didn't melt while in Arizona over the weekend. Marlene talks about CIVIL, a new cryptocurrency model helping to rebuild trust and integrity in journalism. Marlene also needs some suggestions on multi-player mobile games. Ones in which she can win. Links: Jae Um's Legal Innovation Woes: https://bit.ly/2wQbddH CIVIL: https://bit.ly/2NbcpCw
Episode 10 - Lex Machina, Kira Systems, and Gov't Updates
This episode has it all. We talk with Kyle Doviken, Senior Director at Lex Machina about their analytics tool, and about Kyle’s passion for helping out in the Austin community through substantial Pro Bono efforts. Greg disturbs a recent third-time father, Noah Waisberg, CEO of Kira Systems to see how the acquisition of $50 million in minority funding will help Kira expand its reach into the legal market and, according to Waisberg, well beyond the legal market. We are adding a new (hopefully) installment of updates on government actions, public policy, and other actions affecting the legal information profession. Emily Feltren, Director of Government Relations at the American Association of Law Libraries fills us in on potential actions coming before the midterm elections, and AALL’s push to fill the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. Marlene recommends a Netflix movie called American Animals —warning for librarians… rare books are stolen! And, Greg discusses buy vs build.
Episode 9 - Getting Law Students Familiar with Legal Tech
Marlene (@gebauerm) and Greg (@glambert) talk with the University of Oklahoma School of Law’s Director of Technology Innovation, Kenton Brice. Kenton discusses how OU is leveraging the advances in technology to expand upon the university’s commitment to not only teach students how to think like a lawyer, but to also have a grasp of some of the skills needed to practice law efficiently. The Geek In Review also received a nod from The Legaler Blog (bit.ly/2wvelLg) as one of the best legal podcasts right now. Of course, #ILTACon18 was a smashing success for those who attended. Checkout the tweets for some of the ideas shared at the conference. Also, congrats to David Hobbie for pulling together a great show. Just when you thought you figured out the Millennial Generation… get ready for Gen Z. This new generation is now old enough to start law school. The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be in adjusting to this well connected, vocal, and empowered generation. bit.ly/2wsiu2s
Episode 8 - Emily Rushing Covers CI, CRM, and Collaboration
On this episode of The Geek In Review, Marlene (@gebauerm) and Greg (@glambert) talk with long time friend and colleague Emily Rushing, Competitive Intelligence Director at Haynes and Boone in Dallas, Texas. In Emily's decade at Haynes and Boone, she has implemented a stellar competitive intelligence process and has found a method of encouraging partners to share information and to build trust among throughout the firm. In addition to traditional CI tools, Emily has leveraged her firm's CRM tool in ways that would make most of us in other firms envious. Once again, Marlene and Greg get to record this week's podcast together while Marlene is visiting Texas. Greg also "triple-dog dared" Marlene to reach out to one of their podcasting heroes, "Make Me Smart's" Molly Wood while Marlene was in Austin. With ILTACon wrapping up this week, they also cover a couple of items they saw on social media about law firm websites, as well as teaching law firm management skills to law students.
Episode 7 - Tom O'Connor Wonders What's Going on at ILTA
On this episode of The Geek In Review, Tom O'Connor, Independent Litigation Technology Consultant, talks to us about his recent blog post, What in the Wide World of Sports is Going on at ILTA? bit.ly/2Bi3FVM In addition to ILTA's woes, Tom covers other issues regarding member associations, and how new entries into the legal vendor market are changing the vendor-customer relationship… and not for the better. Greg discusses his role as the "World's Okayist Dad" and his inability to find his rental car's gas door release switch while in New Jersey. Marlene is on a trip to Texas, so the podcasting duo actually get to sit in the same room and record this episode. Marlene also has a speaking engagement coming up at the Ark Group's 14th annual Knowledge Management in the Legal Profession, entitled "Game On! Using 'Gamification' to Engage Your KM Users. bit.ly/2Pj1GmX
Episode 6 - Law Librarian Helps Streamline a Texas Court
On this week’s episode, Greg speaks the couple of words of French he learned on vacation. Marlene talks about mentor/mentee relationships and Sheryl Sandberg’s discussion on how the #MeToo era places an external strain on promoting these relationships. Marlene touches on the three founders of Black Women Talk Tech, Esosa Ighodaro, Regina Gwynn, and Lauren Washington, as well as Sophia Amouruso and others on the importance of mentoring. Greg also covers the “psychological safety” of having trust between team members (https://is.gd/a0ZBYk), and somehow connects airport malls to Bob Ambrogi’s recent interview (https://is.gd/wbWBeQ) of LegalZoom’s Chaz Rampenthal. (Listen to follow that line of thinking.) This week’s guest is Lisa Rush, Director of the Travis County Law Library in Austin, Texas. She is on the frontline of Access to Justice issues by streamlining processes within the civil, and criminal courts. Lisa’s work is solving a huge issue many courts face.
Episode 5 - AALL Conference, Vendors, Privacy, & John Waters
Marlene Gebauer (@gebauerm) and Greg Lambert (@glambert) review the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) Conference in Baltimore, along with a review of products launched at the conference, privacy concerns surrounding mega-information vendors and the government, and the wonderful filthiness of keynote speaker, John Waters.
Episode 4 - Understanding How to Place the Focus on Others
Marlene Gebauer interviews Ayelette Robinson about her transition from KM Attorney to award-winning actress and voice-over specialist. Ayelette discusses how acting isn't about "pretending" but rather it's about showing our real selves and injecting our own unique perspectives. Marlene discusses the five training modules on security awareness. Technology and security all go hand-in-hand. But it wasn't all work. Somehow Marlene discusses not one, but two articles regarding technology, ethics, and individuality. Both straight out of fashion magazines. Greg recaps his conversation with LexisNexis in Chicago last week, and about the harmful affects that tying unrelated products together has on the legal industry, and how Lexis' lack of disclosure should make for an interesting law library conference in Baltimore. Links: https://www.geeklawblog.com/2018/07/podcast-episode-4-understanding-place-focus-others.html
Episode 3 - Let’s Discuss Impact-Conscious Design
Greg Lambert and Marlene Gebauer talk with Duke Law School's Cas Laskowski about software and applications designers moving away from simple User-Centered Design, and think more about Impact-Conscious Design models. This is a follow up to Cas' 3 Geeks' blog post back in April. Marlene also discusses new games for the summer, and flexible space utilization in libraries. Her dog, Georgie, also makes a guest appearance. Greg went to Alabama over the weekend and got a lesson in leadership from his brother-in-law on being a leader and letting the experts be the experts. He is also finishing up his AALL presidency and looking forward to Baltimore. More Links Here: http://www.geeklawblog.com
Episode 2 - Being a Legal Information Startup
Marlene Gebauer and Greg Lambert interview Casetext's Chief Legal Research Officer and co-founder, Pablo Arredondo. Pablo describes his beginnings as a Kirkland & Ellis attorney who thought his research tools should do much more than they did... and then he went out and created those tools. Greg and Marlene discuss their busy weeks and a few things that caught their attention. For Greg, it was mainly serving on a jury, and drinking a beer (or two) with LexBlog's Kevin O'Keefe. Not at the same time, of course. Marlene made her way into Brooklyn and caught up with the NYC law librarian crowd. One of her friend's gave her a mic to help with her new podcasting career. And, it was her "Birthday Week." Here are some links discussed in the podcast this week: Emerging Trends Webinar: goo.gl/S1GbHU Greg's Facebook Live Talk with Kevin O'Keefe: goo.gl/PB1QrE Training the 21st Century Lawyer: Envisioning a Legal Industry Alliance: goo.gl/hQeZ5y Original Music by Kevin MacLeod: goo.gl/xp4mf
Episode 1 - Living the "Non" Life in Law Firms
Marlene Gebauer and Greg Lambert launch The Geek in Review with a discussion of legal information publisher's push to kill print and make a de facto operating system where you have to go to get your legal information. Marlene also discusses her attendance at a legal management conference. Plus, Greg celebrates his 10th anniversary on Twitter. Zena Applebaum also joins in and discusses her recent article about "My Non Life." Life working inside of law firms as a "non-lawyer" and how it is actually good to be a "non" and the diversity and experience that comes along with it. Zena's blog post can be found at https://www.geeklawblog.com/2018/06/my-non-life.html |
10.4236/pp.2017.87015
Cerebrolysin Effects on Cardiac Neuropathy in Diabetic Rats
Enedina Zurita1, Maribel Huerta2, Luis De Jesús2, Fidel De La Cruz1, Rocio Ortiz-Butron1, Gonzalo Flores2, Ma De Jesús Gómez-Villalobos2*
1Depto. de Fisiología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, IPN, Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos (Zacatenco), Wilfrido Massieu S/N. Col. Nueva Industrial Vallejo, Delegación Gustavo A. Madero. CP 07700., Cd. De México, Mexico
2Instituto de Fisiología, 14 Sur, 6301, Col. San Manuel. CP 72570, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico
Autonomic innervation of heart is abnormal in diabetes and produces altered cardiovascular parameters. Cerebrolysin is a neurotrophic factor that improves the dendritic tree and synapses in the central nerve system after brain damage. The aim of this study was to evaluate if cerebrolysin can improve the cardiac neuropathy generated in diabetic rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats two months old were injected with streptozotocin (70 mg/Kg/, ip). Hyperglycemia and altered cardiac rate were confirmed after eight weeks of STZ injection, and cerebrolysin treatment was started in control and diabetic rats for two months (1 ml/kg/day, ip). Body weight, heart rate, heart rate variability, arterial blood pressure, and blood glucose levels were measured. Also heart weight and levels of nitrites, NGF and VEGF were measured in left ventricle homogenates. The results show that body weight was reduced and blood glucose levels were increased significantly in diabetic rats. Cerebrolysin treatment produced no significant changes in body weight either in blood glucose level in control and diabetic rats. Cerebrolysin treatment in diabetic rats shows an improvement in the altered basal cardiac rate (306 ± 6.5 lat/min) compared to diabetic saline group (272 ± 8.9 lat/min: P < 0.05), without changes in control rats. Levels of nitrites, VEGF, and NGF in the left ventricle increased in diabetic cerebrolysin treated rats. In conclusion, the results show that cerebrolysin improves some abnormalities observed in the diabetic cardiac neuropathy in rats and suggest that could be considered an additional treatment to prevent or reduce the cardiac autonomic alterations generated in diabetes.
Autonomic Innervation, Heart, Hyperglycemia, Cerebrolysin, Rats
Cardiac neuropathy is an early and common complication of diabetes mellitus and is characterized by abnormalities in the structure and function of sensory and autonomic nerves [1] [2] [3] [4] . Alteration in basal cardiac rate and heart rate variability is often reported in experimental diabetic rats, changes associated with altered diastolic and systolic cardiac functions, and related to abnormal heart innervation that is present after four weeks of induced diabetes for streptozotocin injection in rats [5] [6] [7] . Heart sympathetic and parasympathetic innervations are abnormal in diabetic rats and the magnitude of the deterioration is related to the progression time and severity of hyperglycemia [8] [9] . Histological studies have reported that sympathetic and parasympathetic innervations are altered in the heart after two months of hyperglycemia in rats [10] [11] [12] . Nerve growth factor (NGF) is an essential protein for the development and maintenance of function of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system. A role of NGF in the regulation of sensory and sympathetic neurons has been established and is considered a marker to evaluate sensory innervation [13] [14] [15] . NGF levels are reduced significantly in the hearts of diabetic rats [16] [17] . The administration of NGF in diabetic rats shows evidence of sympathetic reinnervation and regression of cardiac neuropathy that is associated with an improvement in the cardiac functions [18] [19] .
Cerebrolysin (CBL) is a neurotrophic factor that has been used in patients as neuroprotection to limit brain damage after strokes [20] . In experimental models of degenerative brain diseases, CBL is able to promote the generation of new functional synapses, improving the integrity of neural circuits in diverse brain structures, which result in the improvement of the cognitive functions, memory, and learning [21] [22] [23] . Recent studies report that cerebrolysin reduces the central and peripheral neuropathy secondary to chronic hyperglycemia induced by streptozotocin in mice and rats [24] [25] [26] . CBL action mechanisms are unclear; however as a compound of many active neuropeptides fragments, it has similar effects of diverse endogenous neurotrophic factors; also a modulation of the pro-NGF/NGF balance was associated with a protective effect on cholinergic neurons in a model of Alzheimer disease in mice [23] [27] .
The aim of this study was to determine the beneficial effect of the chronic administration of CBL in rats with established autonomic cardiac neuropathy secondary to diabetes. The effect of cerebrolysin was evaluated in cardiovascular parameters in the integral rats and in the levels of nitrite, nerve growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor in left ventricle homogenates of control and diabetic rats.
2. Material and Methods
Experimental animals were housed in a temperature and humidity controlled environment on a 12-hour light-dark cycles with free access to food and water. All procedures described in this study are in accordance with the “Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals” of the Mexican Council for Animal Care as approved by the BUAP Animal Care Committee. All available measures were taken to minimize animal suffering.
Male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 190 ± 14 g (two months old), were administered by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin diluted in saline solution 0.9%, (70 mg/Kg/, ip, n = 26). Other animals matched in age and weight were injected only with the vehicle (n = 14). After 3 days of streptozotocin administration, the glucose level in a fasting state was determined with capillary blood obtained from a minimum section in the distal portion of the tail of the rat using a digital glucometer (Accutrend GC. Roche). The animals were divided into two groups according to glucose blood level; control (glucose concentration, less than 150 mg/dl) and diabetic groups (more than 300 mg/dl). The groups were followed for two months, after this period, abnormal cardiovascular parameters related to autonomic cardiac neuropathy in rats has been reported. Values of blood glucose in a fasting state were determined again to confirm hyperglycemia, and in accordance with the results animals in both experimental groups were assigned to saline 0.9% or cerebrolysin treatment. CBL and saline doses were 1 ml/Kg/day, ip; for two months [23] [25] . Four experimental groups were generated; control plus saline (C-S), control plus cerebrolysin (C-CBL) and diabetic plus saline (D-S) and diabetic plus cerebrolysin (D-CBL) groups. CBL was purchased from EVER Neuro Pharma, GmbH, 4866 Unterach, Austria. Body weight (BW), heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure (SABP, DABP), and blood glucose levels in fasting state were determined and recorded in basal conditions (before STZ or saline injection), at two months of hyperglycemia evolution (after STZ or saline injection), and after four months of hyperglycemia evolution and two months of CBL or saline treatment. At the end of the protocol, the rats were deeply anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital (40 mg/Kg, ip) and the hearts were quickly removed and washed with Krebs solution. Hearts were quickly frozen in cooled alcohol methane and then stored at −80˚C, until use.
2.1. Cardiovascular Parameters
Systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure and heart rate and heart rate variability were determined in conscious animals through the tail-cuff plethysmography method with the XBP-1000 Kent Scientific system. Briefly, the rat was collocated in an acrylic restrainer box, in which the tail is outside. Occlusion cuff and sensor volume pressure (plethysmography) were positioned in the tail. The signals were acquired and processed with a limited AD-100 PC oscilloscope, PICO Technology. A minimum of six cycles of inflation and deflation for each determination were made. Systolic arterial blood pressure (SABP) corresponds to the beginning of the arterial pulse recording, after the release of occlusion pressure, and diastolic arterial blood (DABP) to the nadir of the volume curve [28] . Systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure are reported in mm Hg. Arterial pulse intervals (P-P intervals) were measured in msec in 30 consecutive arterial pulses in each rat separately, and after mean, standard deviation and standard error were determined with Grad Pad software system. The heart rate was obtained through a mean P-P interval in each rat, the mean interval P-P was divided between 1000 and then multiplied by 60. The mean heart rate was determined in each experimental group and reported in beats/min. The standard deviation values from 30 consecutive P-P intervals in each rat and then averaged in each experimental group was considered as a great estimation of the heart rate variability.
2.2. Tissue Homogenates
Samples were taken from frozen hearts, weighing 100 mg from the left ventricle, and processed for protein quantitation, biochemical and immunoassay studies. Briefly, tissues were homogenized in cold phosphate buffer (three sessions of 10 seconds at 30,000 rpm) and centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 5 minutes at 4˚C. The supernatant was centrifuged at 20,000 rpm for 20 minutes at 4˚C. The pellet was resuspended in cold phosphate buffer and centrifuged again at 20,000 rpm for 20 minutes at 4˚C. Pellets were used for protein quantification and biochemical and immunoassay studies. Protein content was made through the BCA assay protocol from Pierce. The standard curve was made with bovine serum albumin.
2.3. Nitrite Levels
Nitrite levels were measured in homogenates from the left ventricle to assess the nitric oxide (NO) production in hearts. The reaction was made with 50 µl aliquots of the sample and 50 µl of Griess reagent (from SIGMA-ALDRICH, Cat number G4410), in a 96-well plate. Samples were incubated at 22˚C for 10 minutes. Absorbance was measured at 570 nm in a Synergy HT-Bioteck spectrophotometer. The standard curve was made with sodium nitrite (NaNO2).
2.4. Immunoassays Studies
The ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) was made for the quantitative measurements of diverse proteins in left ventricle homogenate samples from the different experimental animal groups. Neural growth factor (NGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were measured using commercial ELISA Kits and processed according to manufacturer instructions. Beta-NGF-Elisa Kit Rab0381-lot 70213 and Rat VEGF-Elisa kit Rab0512-lot number 0423B0713 were from SIGMA-ALDRICHTM. Briefly, we used a specific capture antibody coated on the 96-well plate. Standards and samples were placed in duplicate into the wells, covered and incubated overnight at 4˚C. Afterward, the solution was discarded and the wells were washed with a wash buffer four times. Samples were incubated with biotinylated detection antibody specific, for two h at 22˚C with shaking. Wells have washed again with a wash buffer four times. After washing away unbound biotinylated antibody, HRP-conjugated streptavidin was applied to the wells, during one h at 22˚C with shaking. The washing periods were done again and then, a TMB substrate solution was added to the wells and incubated for 30 minutes at 22˚C, with shaking in a dark room. Excess of the volume was discarded and the stop solution was added, changing the color from blue to yellow, and the intensity of the color was measured immediately at 450 nm for NGF and VEGF. The optical density was measured, in a Synergy HT- Bioteck microplate reader. Calculation of mean absorbance was made for each set of duplicate standards and samples subtracting the average 0 of standard optical density. The standard curve was plotted with Graph-Pad Prism 6 software, and concentration in the samples was estimated with a linear regression.
3. Data Analysis
The data are expressed in absolute values as a mean ± standard error. Differences between experimental groups were determined using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by the Newman-Keuls Multiple Comparison Test, with Graph Pad Prism 6. P < 0.05 was considered significantly different.
3.1.1. Body Weight and Blood Glucose Measurements
Basal values in the body weight (g) and blood glucose levels in mg/dl, at the beginning of the protocol and before streptozotocin injection were similar in the control and diabetic rats (Table 1). After two months of streptozotocin injection and before the saline and cerebrolysin treatment, body weight was significantly reduced in the diabetic rats compared to the control rats (body weight in g: 394 ± 5, and 251 ± 10.61 in control and diabetic rats respectively, P < 0.05) (Table 1). The reduced body weight in the diabetic rats persisted after two months of cerebrolysin and saline treatment, compared to treated control rats (body weight in g: 460 ± 14.82, and 471 ± 9.21 in C-S and C-CBL rats and 268 ± 11.79, and 254 ±
Table 1. Different parameters in control and diabetic rats, in basal conditions at two months old before and after streptozotocin administration where the rats were four months old. Changes observed in the parameters are secondary to the hyperglycemia induced by the streptozotocin administration.
Data are expressed as mean ± SE. *P < 0.05 between control and diabetic rats. C: control. D: diabetic. SD: standard deviation. SABP: systolic arterial blood pressure. DABP: diastolic arterial blood pressure.
10.12 in D-S and D-CBL rats respectively, P < 0.05). No significant changes in the body weight were observed according to the saline or cerebrolysin treatment in the control and diabetic groups (Table 2).
Blood glucose levels significantly increased in diabetic rats compared to the control rats after two months of streptozotocin injection and before the vehicle and CBL treatment (blood glucose levels in mg/dl: 138 ± 7.53, and 498 ± 29.78 in control and diabetic rats respectively, P < 0.05) (Table 1). After vehicle and CBL treatment during two months, and before sacrifice of the experimental animals, blood glucose levels were normal and similar in the control-saline and control-cerebrolysin treated groups (blood glucose levels in mg/dl: 151 ± 5.86, and 156 ± 5.71 in C-S and C-CBL rats respectively, NS (Table 2), whereas in the diabetic-saline and diabetic-cerebrolysin treated groups, significant increases in blood glucose levels were found (blood glucose levels in mg/dl: 466 ± 31.21, and 461 ± 26.19 in D-S and D-CBL rats respectively, NS (Table 2). No difference in blood glucose levels was found, in accordance with the vehicle or CBL treatment in the experimental groups.
3.1.2. Cardiovascular Parameters
Basal values of cardiovascular parameters at the beginning of the protocol and before streptozotocin injection were similar in the experimental groups (Table 1). After two months of streptozotocin injection and before the vehicle or CBL treatment, heart rate showed a significant decrease in diabetic rats compared to
Table 2. Different parameters in control and diabetic rats showing the effect of cerebrolysin treatment. Rats were 6 months old, with four months of hyperglycemia, and CBL or saline treatment in the last two months. Results show significant differences between the control and diabetic groups in all the parameters evaluated, except for the standard deviation of the P-P interval. However, in accordance with the treatment saline or CBL in the diabetic group, there was a significant difference in the heart rate and in the duration of the P-P interval between saline and CBL treated diabetic rats.
Data are expressed as mean ± SE. *P < 0.05 between control and diabetic rats, in the independent form of the treatment. ¨P < 0.05 between saline or cerebrolysin treated rats. C: control. D: diabetic. S: saline. CBL: cerebrolysin. SABP: systolic arterial blood pressure. DABP: diastolic arterial blood pressure.
the control rats (heart rate in beat/min: 387 ± 11.6 and 307 ± 8.16; control against diabetic rats, P < 0.05). According to the changes observed in the basal heart rate, the P-P interval duration also showed significant changes in the diabetic rats compared to the control rats (P-P interval in msec: 151 ± 0.86 against 191 ± 0.75; control against diabetic rats, P < 0.05) (Table 1, Figure 1(a)). These values were preserved and accentuated after two months of saline treatment in the diabetic rats, however in the diabetic-CBL treated rats, there was a significant increase in the heart rate compared to the diabetic-saline treated rats (heart rate in beat/min: 272 ± 7.99 in D-S and 306 ± 6.51 in D-CBL rats; P < 0.05) (Figure 1(b), Table 2). Also, the changes were observed in the P-P interval duration in the diabetic-saline rats compared to the diabetic-cerebrolysin treated rats (P-P interval in msec: 220 ± 0.68 in D-S and 192 ± 0.82 in D-CBL rats; P < 0.05) (Table 2, Figure 1(b)). Heart rate variability evaluated throughout standard deviation of the average of P-P interval in each experimental group show significant changes only in the diabetic rats compared to the control group before the saline or CBL treatment (HRV in msec: 16 ± 0.55 against 10 ± 2.48; control against diabetic rats, P < 0.05) (Table 1). In this study, CBL or saline treatment during two months did not generate significant changes in the heart rate variability in the experimental groups (Table 2). Systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure showed a significant increase in the diabetic rats, compared to the control rats only after two months of streptozotocin injection (SABP in mmHg: 146 ± 8.42 in control group and 164 ± 4.94 in diabetic group; P < 0.05). DABP in mmHg: 89 ± 6.2 in control group and 114 ± 4.47 in diabetic group; P < 0.05 (Table 1). These differences were sustained after two months of saline or cerebrolysin treatment, showing no significant differences between saline and cerebrolysin treated groups (Table 2).
Figure 1. Arterial pulse interval and their variability in control and diabetic rats before and after the saline or CBL treatment. (a) shows the changes in the duration of interval P-P expressed as mean ± SE, in rats 4 months old with two months of hyperglycemia and without any treatment; (b) shows the changes in the duration of interval P-P expressed as mean ± SE, in 6-month-old rats with four months of hyperglycemia and with saline or CBL treatment during the last two months. Arterial pulse interval duration was significantly increased in the diabetic rats compared to the control rats. It was clear that CBL treatment decreased these changes in the hyperglycemic rats. *P < 0.05 between control and diabetic rats, in the independent form of the treatment.
3.1.3. Heart Weight and Ratio Body Weight/Heart Weight
Wet heart weight was reduced in the diabetic rats compared to control rats (wet heart weight in g: 1.45 ± 0.11, and 1.5 ± 0.10 in C-S and C-CBL rats and 1.18 ± 0.07, and 1.16 ± 0.05 in D-S and D-CBL rats respectively, P < 0.05 between control and diabetic rats). However, the heart weigh/body weight ratio was higher in the diabetic rats compared to control rats (heart weight/body weight ratio in %: 0.315 ± 0.011, and 0.318 ± 0.010 in C-S and C-CBL rats and 0.430 ± 0.07, and 0.450 ± 0.05 in D-S or D-CBL rats respectively, P < 0.05 between control and diabetic rats). No significant changes in the wet weight heart either in the heart weigh/body weight/ratio were observed according to the saline or cerebrolysin treatment in the experimental groups (Table 2).
3.1.4. Nitrite Levels
Nitrite levels in the left ventricle homogenates from the diabetic saline treated rats were increased compared to the control saline group (C-S: 8.56 ± 0.24 and D-S: 15.95 ± 1.58, in µM/L; P < 0.05). However, nitrite levels also increased in the control and diabetic CBL treated rats (C-CBL: 17.4 ± 2.27 and D-CBL: 19.13 ± 2.56), without significant changes between them (Figure 2(a)).
3.2. Immunoassay Results
3.2.1. Neural Growth Factor Levels
Levels of NGF were reduced in diabetic saline treated rats compared to the control saline treated rats (C-S: 3.58 ± 0.142 versus D-S: 2.30 ± 0.106 in ng/g w∙ weight, P < 0.05). However, the NGF levels increased significantly in the diabetic CBL treated rats compared to the levels in the diabetic saline treated rats, (D-S: 2.30 ± 0.106 versus D-CBL: 4.102 ± 0.187 ng/g w∙weight, P < 0.05). Also in the control, CBL treated rats, there was an increase in the NGF levels compared to the control saline rats (C-S: 3.58 ± 0.142 against C-CBL: 4.33 ± 0.395 ng/g w∙ weight, NS) (Figure 2(b)).
3.2.2. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Levels
VEGF levels in left the ventricle homogenates were reduced in diabetic saline treated rats compared to the control saline treated rats (C-S: 0.159 ± 0.013 versus D-S: 0.113 ± 0.010, in ng/g w∙weight; P < 0.05). However, VEGF levels significantly increased in the diabetic CBL treated rats compared to the diabetic saline treated rats (D-S: 0.113 ± 0.010, versus D-CBL: 0.207 ± 0.007 ng/g w∙weight, P < 0.05). Also in the control-CBL treated group there was a small but not a significant increase in the levels of the VEGF (C-S: 0.159 ± 0.013 against C-CBL: 0.182 ± 0.006 ng/g w∙weight. NS) (Figure 2(c)).
The results show that cerebrolysin administration in rats with findings of established cardiac neuropathy reduces the alterations in cardiovascular parameters and some biochemical markers generated after four months of hyperglycemia
induced by streptozotocin injection in rats, suggesting that cerebrolysin has
(a) (b) (c)
Figure 2. Graphs show the results related to the effect of CBL treatment on the levels of nitrites, NGF and VEGF, in left ventricle homogenates in control and diabetic rats. (a) Effect of the CBL on nitrites levels in left ventricle homogenates in the experimental groups. Nitrite levels were increased significantly in diabetic-saline rats compared to control-saline rats. However, an increase in nitrite levels was also observed in the control and diabetic groups treated with the cerebrolysin; (b). CBL treatment on NGF levels in left ventricle homogenates in the experimental groups; (c). BL treatment on VEGF levels in left ventricle homogenates in the experimental groups. The CBL treatment in diabetic rats increased significantly the levels of NGF and VEGF compared to diabetic rats plus vehicle. Four rats in each group. *P < 0.05 between control and diabetic rats, in the independent form of the treatment. ¨P < 0.05 between saline or cerebrolysin treated rats.
beneficial effects on cardiac neuropathy associated with diabetes.
Chronic hyperglycemia induced by streptozotocin produces a significant decrease in the body weight of the experimental animals [5] [6] [7] . In our study, we also found a significant decrease in the body weight of diabetic rats compared to control rats. The changes in the body weight were confirmed at two and four months of hyperglycemia and no changes were generated with the saline or cerebrolysin treatment in the experimental groups. Heart weight at the end of the protocol also was significantly different between the control and diabetic rats; however, there was no change in according to the saline or cerebrolysin treatment in the experimental groups. These results suggest that in diabetic rats, four months after streptozotocin injection, CBL administration at a dose of 1 ml/kg does not induce a significant change in the body weight and heart weight. Blood glucose levels were high as expected after streptozotocin injection and sustained until the end of the protocol. The results show no significant changes in the blood glucose levels with the administration of saline or cerebrolysin in the control and diabetic treated groups. These results demonstrate that cerebrolysin does not generate changes in blood glucose levels neither control nor diabetic rats. However, it has been reported that CBL is able to increase the expression of glucose transporter (Glut1) in the blood-brain barrier in rats and then could improve the use of glucose for the cells [29] .
Diabetic neuropathy is a frequent and early complication of diabetes, and evolution time of diabetes and a lack of glycemic control are major risk factors for neuropathy [8] [9] . More than half of all individuals with diabetes eventually develop neuropathy, and neuropathy increases mortality [1] [2] [3] [4] . Neuropathy in diabetes affects selectively sensory and autonomic neurons. The neuropathy of the heart in diabetes is associated with a reduction in axon number, swollen mitochondria, accumulation of neurofilaments and microtubules, and glycogen and vacuoles [3] . Longer autonomic nerves, such as vagus that determine 75% of parasympathetic activity, could be affected early in diabetes. Vagal impairment seen in early diabetes leads to a relative predominance of sympathetic activity in sympatho-vagal balance [8] [12] . In the early stages of chronic hyperglycemia, an increase in release and in the heart content of noradrenaline is reported, with the opposite changes in the late stages [9] [10] [11] . Then it is currently accepted that cardiac autonomic neuropathy is associated with parasympathetic withdrawal, sympathetic dominance in early stages and a decreased sympathetic and parasympathetic tone in late stages.
Basal heart rate is a functional parameter that depends on the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic discharge. Several studies have reported that after two months of hyperglycemia there is structural and functional evidence of cardiac neuropathy in streptozotocin rats, such as a reduced basal cardiac rate, altered cardiac rate variability, and decreased stores of catecholamines in the heart, some alterations that we confirmed in our study [5] - [12] . It is very well documented that a resting heart rate in diabetic rats is decreased compared to control rats and a loss of autonomic balance is the main mechanism involved [5] [6] [7] . In the present study, the basal heart rates, and heart rate variability were significantly reduced in the diabetic group compared to the control group, before saline or cerebrolysin treatment. In addition, systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure was significantly higher in the same group compared to the control group. The changes observed in arterial blood pressure and heart rate variability in diabetic rats are compatible with an increased sympathetic tone, whereas the reduced basal heart rate suggests a predominant parasympathetic tone influenced on heart rate. In conclusion at this stage, the experimental group injected with streptozotocin developed cardiac neuropathy. Once cardiac neuropathy was established, the rats were treated with cerebrolysin.
The altered basal heart rate was persistent after four months of hyperglycemia in diabetic rats with the saline administration, whereas in the diabetic-CBL treated rats an improvement in the basal cardiac rate was observed. Basal heart rate in diabetic-CBL treated rats was significantly higher compared to the diabetic-saline treated rats (heart rate in beat/min: 272 ± 7.99 against 306 ± 6.51; P < 0.05, diabetic-saline against the diabetic-CBL group). Cerebrolysin treatment during two months did not generate significant changes in the heart rate variability, in neither systolic nor diastolic arterial blood pressure in the experimental groups. Failure to find differences in heart rate variability at this stage may have been because the HRV was determined only with 30 consecutive arterial pulses and it has been reported that a minimum must be for 5 minutes in rats. The results suggest that CBL could partially reduce the autonomic imbalance produced in cardiac diabetic neuropathy, probably through an improvement in heart sympathetic innervation. Additional studies focused on sympathetic innervations are necessary to confirm these results.
Recently, changes in the heart autonomic innervation have been related to changes in the expression and levels of neurotrophic factors. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a protein that promotes survival and differentiation of nerve cells not only in the central nervous system but also in the autonomic and the sensory nervous system [13] [16] [19] . NGF belongs to the neurotrophin family and their effects on the cells are through the activation of TrkA receptors. TrkA is a receptor tyrosine kinase and p75, a low-affinity neurotrophin receptor, which mediates the NGF effects on the cells. NGF is expressed in the heart, particularly on the surface of sympathetic neurons [16] . NGF regulates growth and synapses and differentiation in sympathetic neurons and enhances neuritic growth and target innervations. It also has acute effects, modulating the sympathetic synapses in the heart and producing a long-term enhancement of synaptic transmission in cultures of sympathetic neurons and cardiac myocytes [16] . Levels of NGF in the heart are considered a marker of the integrity of sympathetic nerve cells into the heart [16] [19] . NGF levels in a normal heart have been reported from 0.34 ± 0.02 to 10 ± 0.6 ng/g w.weight. Differences in values are related to the time of hyperglycemia evolution and the cardiac chamber studied [14] [15] [16] [17] . Abnormal NGF, expression, levels, and transport have been reported in experimental models of diabetes in mice and rats [1] [18] . Levels of NGF have been reported to be decreased in diabetic cardiac neuropathy and the alterations of cardiac sensory innervation in the diabetic heart are explained by decreases in NGF [17] . Furthermore, restitution of NGF levels through gene transfer of NGF or administration of synthetic NGF in mouse and rats with cardiac diabetic neuropathy was associated with an improvement in the impaired sensory innervation and improved the function of diabetic hearts [18] [19] . The results suggest the ability of NGF to promote regeneration of noradrenergic nerves that is lost in diabetes. In association with the results described, in the present study, we found similar findings related to the levels of NGF in the left ventricle from the hearts of diabetic rats. In the left ventricle homogenates from rats with four months of hyperglycemia evolution, the NGF levels were reduced compared to the NGF levels in the control group. Interestingly the administration of CBL during two months increased NGF levels significantly in the left ventricle homogenates from the diabetic rats, and then we could suggest that sympathetic innervation is also improving in the heart of hyperglycemic rats since an improvement in the cardiac rate was observed.
Vascular endothelial dysfunction is an early and common alteration in diabetes and one mechanism involved is the abnormal stimulated and basal production of nitric oxide (NO) [30] [31] . One of the most important functions of vascular endothelium is related to the production of NO to regulate the vascular tone. NO is generated in endothelial cells by activation of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and diffuses into the smooth muscle to activate the soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), producing an increase in the intracellular cyclic guanonosine-3’, 5’-monophosphate concentration, leading to relaxation [30] [31] [32] . There are three NOS isoforms, endothelial (eNOS), inducible (iNOS), and neuronal (nNOS), which are involved in the production of NO [30] [31] [32] . Cardiac levels of nitrite, an indirect parameter of the NO concentration, have been reported to be normal, increased or decreased in hearts from diabetic rats. The different results are related to the evolution time and severity of hyperglycemia. In rats with 4 - 8 weeks of hyperglycemia, increased nitrite levels have been reported [32] [33] . However, decreased levels are found in the long time evolution of diabetes [32] . Alteration in the expression of the isoforms of nitric oxide synthases (NOS) has been also reported in the hearts of diabetic rats. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was found increased and associated with an increase in the nitrite levels in left ventricle homogenates from the hearts of diabetic rats [32] [33] [34] [35] . However, a decrease in the content of nNOS and a decrease in the nNOS immunostaining were found in sections of peripheral nerve bundles from diabetic rats [31] . In the present study nitrite levels in left ventricle homogenates from diabetic rats were increased in the hyperglycemic saline and CBL treated rats. An increase in nitrite level in the hyperglycemic saline treated rats could be explained by an upregulation of iNOS reported previously in diabetic rats [33] [34] . Mechanisms that explain the increase of nitrite levels with CBL administration could be explained through the direct effect on iNOS of cerebrolysin. Further studies must be done to confirm the present results.
Micro and macro vascular angiopathy is a constant pathological finding in humans and animals with diabetes [30] [34] . The microangiopathy also impairs nerve perfusion and could contribute to neuropathy or nerve degeneration. VEGF is a main signal derived from endothelial vascular cells that stimulate the formation of new blood vessels [36] [37] . Downregulation of VEGF expression preceded the onset of microvascular endothelial cell apoptosis and a subsequent cascade of events that produce systolic and diastolic heart failure in diabetic hearts [36] [37] . Levels of VEGF, VEGF mRNA levels and expression of VEGF receptors (VEGF-R1 (Flt-1) and VEGF R-2 (KDR) are reduced in the hearts of diabetic rats [36] [37] . Plasma VEGF levels also were reduced in diabetic rats (71.3 ± 13 pg/ml), compared to nondiabetic rats (86 ± 13 pg/ml) [37] . In addition, restitution of VEGF in diabetic rats through gene therapy, administration of VEGF, or endothelin antagonist drugs, produces an increase in the capillary density, reduces cardiomyocyte apoptosis, prevents the impairment of sensory nerves by restoration of neural vascularity and the cardiac function is improved [38] [39] . In this study, we found a close correlation with the levels of NGF, similar changes in the levels of VEGF. VEGF levels were reduced significantly in the heart from diabetic rats with saline treatment, however in the cerebrolysin treated diabetic rats there was a recovery in the VEGF levels.
Cerebrolysin is a complex mix of peptides. It has been reported that CBL contains 630 peptides, the main component fragments being of tubulin-alpha and beta chain, actin, and myelin basic protein [21] [23] . Although it appears that CBL does not produce changes in glucose blood levels in normoglycemic and hyperglycemic conditions and in consequences, it does not improve insulin production; there is some evidence that suggests that CBL could improve the utility of glucose for the cells. Previous studies report that CBL improves the expression of Glut 1 in cells and this could be a mechanism through which CBL appears to improve glucose metabolism [29] . In one study where CBL was administered after four weeks of hyperglycemia-induced by streptozotocin to rats in doses of 2.5 ml/Kg/day, CBL reduced the levels of serum TNF-α, and nitrites in diabetic rats and preserved the neuronal cells in the hippocampus [24] . A reduced level of nitrites in the brain is explained by an inhibition of the iNOS [24] . The previous reports show that CBL is able to partially reverse the nerve cell damage secondary to hyperglycemia, particularly in the hippocampus [24] . CBL improves the survival of grafted neural stem cells into the hippocampus, in a murine model of Alzheimer disease. The mechanisms proposed are by a reduced number of caspase-3 and tunnel positive cells, with an increase of BDNF [23] . Recent studies in experimental models of diabetes in mice and rats also report an improvement in function and structures of central and peripheral nerve system with the cerebrolysin administration [25] [26] . The neuroprotective effects of CBL may involve multiple mechanisms, including signal regulation and expression of proteins, neurotrophic factors; a reduction of oxidative stress, inflammation, abnormal neurotransmission, and apoptosis [23] [24] [39] [40] . Action mechanisms proposed are related mainly to the peptides that simulate the action of neural growth factors [21] [23] [27] . Recent reports demonstrate that CBL increases the levels of neurotrophins as BDNF (Brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and NGF in several regions from the brain [23] [27] . In the present study, administration of CBL was able to increase the levels of NGF and VEGF in the hearts from diabetic rats, values that were reduced in heart of diabetic rats with the saline administration. The cerebrolysin mechanisms involved could be related to their capacity to work as neurotrophic factor generating a cascade of events that could improve heart innervation. Further studies must be done to confirm the mechanisms involved in the described effects of cerebrolysin in the diabetic cardiac neuropathy.
In conclusion, cerebrolysin administration improved the basal heart rate and restored the levels of NGF and VEGF that were reduced in the left ventricle homogenates from rats with established diabetic cardiac neuropathy. Taken together, the results suggest that cerebrolysin is able to reduce some abnormalities observed in the cardiac autonomic neuropathy secondary to diabetes, and then could be considered as an additional therapeutic approach in diabetes mellitus, focused on patients with cardiac autonomic neuropathy.
The financial support for this study was with VIEP-BUAP grants (GOVM- SAL12-14). We are grateful to Professor Robert Simpson for editing this English-language text.
Zurita, E., Huerta, M., De Jesús, L., De La Cruz, F., Ortiz-Butron, R., Flores, G. and De Jesús Gómez-Villalobos, M. (2017) Cerebrolysin Effects on Cardiac Neuropathy in Diabetic Rats. Pharmacology & Pharmacy, 8, 215-230. https://doi.org/10.4236/pp.2017.87015
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https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.00591.2005
35. Khanna, S., Singh, G.U. and Khullar, M. (2014) Nitric Oxide Synthase and Diabetic Cardiomyopathy. Nitric Oxide, 43, 29-34.
36. Han, B., Baliga, R., Huang, H., Giannone, P.J. and Bauer, J.A. (2009) Decreased Cardiac Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Redox Imbalance in Murine Diabetic Cardiomyopathy. American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 297, H829-H835.
37. Chou, E., Suzuma, I., Way, J.K., et al. (2002) Decreased Cardiac Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Its Receptors in Insulin-Resistant and Diabetic States. A Possible Explanation for Impaired Collateral Formation in Cardiac Tissue. Circulation, 105, 373-379.
https://doi.org/10.1161/hc0302.102143
38. Yoon, Y., Uchida, S., Masuo, O., et al. (2005) Progressive Attenuation of Myocardial Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression Is a Seminal Event in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy. Restoration of Microvascular Homeostasis and Recovery of Cardiac Function in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy after Replenishment of Local Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor. Circulation, 111, 2073-2085.
https://doi.org/10.1161/01.CIR.0000162472.52990.36
39. Jesmin, S., Zaedi, S., Shimojo, N., et al. (2007) Endothelin Antagonism Normalizes VEGF Signaling and Cardiac Function in STZ-Induced Diabetic Rat Hearts. American Journal of Physiology—Endocrinology and Metabolism, 292, E1030-E1040.
40. Patockova, J., Krsiak, M., Marhol, P. and Tumova, E. (2003) Cerebrolysin Inhibits Lipid Peroxidation Induced by Insulin Hypoglycemia in the Brain and Heart of Mice. Physiological Research, 52, 455-460.
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Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)
This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2023)
The insurgency in the Maghreb refers to the Islamist insurgency in the Maghreb region of North Africa that followed on from the end of the Algerian Civil War in 2002 to the present day.[44] The Algerian militant group Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) allied itself with al-Qaeda to eventually become al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).[45] The Algerian and other Maghreb governments fighting the militants have worked with the United States and the United Kingdom since 2007, when Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara began.[5][46] While the 2011 Arab Spring affected support for the insurgency, it also presented military opportunities for the jihadists.[17][45][47][48][49] In 2012, AQIM and Islamist allies captured the northern half of Mali, until being fought back less than a year later following a French-led foreign intervention, which was succeeded by the Sahel-wide Operation Barkhane.[2][17] In Libya, the ISIL/ISIS/IS/Daesh was able to control some limited territory during the Second Libyan Civil War, amid allegations of local collaboration between the rival AQIM and ISIL.[50][17][51]
Islamist insurgency in the Maghreb
Part of the War on terror
Map showing GSPC area of operations (pink), member states of the Pan Sahel Initiative (dark blue), and members of the Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Initiative (dark and light blue).
11 April 2002 – present
(20 years, 9 months)
Maghreb, Sahara desert[2]
Insurgency in Algeria spreads through the Maghreb and in the Sahel
US-led Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara initiated in 2007
Islamists capture northern Mali in 2012, engaging in a civil war
Chaambi Operations and IS insurgency in Tunisia
IS captures territory in the Second Libyan Civil War, largely fought back by 2016
Belligerents
Morocco[1]
International Missions:
MINUSMA[2] (from 2013)
AFISMA[3] (from 2013)
France[4]
United States (AFRICOM)[2][5][6]
United Kingdom[5][7][8]
Sweden[9]
Netherlands[10]
Germany[5]
Denmark[11]
Czech Republic[12]
Russia[13]
AQIM (from 2007)
Ansar al-Sharia (Tunisia) (from 2011)[14]
Uqba ibn Nafi Brigade (2012-14)[15]
GSPC (until 2007)
Ansar al-Sharia (Libya) (2012–17)
Salafia Jihadia[1]
ISIL (from 2014)
Libyan Provinces
Wilayat al-Jazair
Greater Sahara Province
Uqba ibn Nafi Brigade (from 2014)[16]
Commanders and leaders
Abdelmadjid Tebboune
(from 2019)
Aymen Benabderrahmane
Mohamed Ould Ghazouani
Mohamed Ould Bilal
Kais Saied (from 2019)
Najla Bouden (from 2021)
Mohamed al-Menfi
Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh
Assimi Goïta (from 2021)
Choguel Kokalla Maïga
Mohamed Bazoum
Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou
Mahamat Deby Itno
Jean Castex (from 2020)
King Mohammed VI
Aziz Akhannouch
Joe Biden (from 2021)
Amari Saifi (POW)
Nabil Sahraoui †
Abdelmalek Droukdel †
Abu Ubaidah Yusef al-Annabi
Abdelhamid Abou Zeid †[17]
Mokhtar Belmokhtar
Ahmed al Tilemsi †[18]
Seifallah Ben Hassine †
Mohamed al-Zahawi †
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi † (Leader of ISIL)
Abu Nabil al-Anbari †
Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi †
Total armed forces (unless specified):
Algeria: 520,000
Mauritania: 15,870
Tunisia: 45,000; 6,000 deployed in Chaambi[19]
Libya: 35,000
France: 5,100 deployed in the Sahel[20][21]
United States: 1,325+ advisors, trainers[22][23]
AQIM (former GSPC): 1,000[2][24][25]–4,000[26]
Ansar al-Sharia (Tunisia): 1,000[27]
Ansar al-Sharia (Libya): 5,000+[28]
Salafia Jihadia: 700+[29]
Libyan Provinces: 5,000[30][31][32]–10,000[33]
Wilayat al-Jazair: <30[34][35]
Casualties and losses
Major conflict casualties:
2002: 1,100+ killed in Algeria[36][37][38]
2003: 1,162 killed in Algeria[39]
2004: 429 killed in Algeria[39]
Algeria: 3,502+ total killed (2002–06)
Libya: 10,071+ killed (2014–18),[40][41][42]
20,000+ wounded (as of May 2015)[43]
2.1 Insurgency in Algeria
2.2 Broadening of conflict
2.3 Mauritania
2.4 Tunisia
2.5 Libyan Civil War
2.6 Mali conflict and Sahel spillover
3 Timeline of events
BackgroundEdit
Main article: Algerian Civil War
With the decline of the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA), the GSPC was left as the most active rebel group, with about 300 fighters in 2003.[52] It continued an assassination campaign of police and army personnel in its area, and also managed to expand into the Sahara, where its southern division, led by Amari Saifi (nicknamed "Abderrezak el-Para", the "paratrooper"), kidnapped a number of German tourists in 2003, before being forced to flee to sparsely populated areas of Mali, and later Niger and Chad, where he was captured.
Some believe that el-Para actually works for the Algerian government. By late 2003, the group's founder had been supplanted by the even more radical Nabil Sahraoui, who announced his open support for al-Qaeda, thus strengthening government ties between the U.S. and Algeria. He was reportedly killed shortly afterwards, and was succeeded by Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud in 2004.[53]
The GSPC has declared its intention to attack Algerian, French, and American targets. It has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. Department of State, and similarly classed as a terrorist organization by the European Union.
Insurgency in AlgeriaEdit
The conflict with the GSPC continued to result in a significant number of casualties in Algeria, with over 1,100 killed in clashes with Islamist rebels in 2002.[36][37][38] In 2003, a total 1,162 were killed in clashes in Algeria, followed by 429 killed in 2004, 488 killed in 2005, and 323 killed in 2006.[39] In early 2006, the head of the Algerian national police claimed that terrorism had nearly been eliminated in the country, but significant attacks continued,[39] and 2007 would eventually mark a height of suicide bombings and terrorist attacks in Algeria.[2]
Broadening of conflictEdit
In order to improve recruiting and funding, the GSPC aligned itself with al-Qaeda, and on 11 September 2006, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri announced a union between the groups.[2] The GSPC rebranded itself as al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in January 2007, signaling the broadened aspirations of the group.[2]
The group now aimed to overthrow all North African governments deemed apostate, including those of Algeria, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.[2] Operations were shifted into two broader "sectors", Northern Algeria and Tunisia allocated a "central emirate", and northern Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Libya a "Sahara emirate" led by Djamel Okacha.[54] The strategic leadership of AQIM continued to be headquartered in the mountainous region of Kabylie east of the Algerian capital Algiers, headed by a 14-member Shura council leadership.[54]
As the Algerian counterterrorism campaign became largely successful in pushing AQIM out of the country, the group established new bases in Sahel countries such as Niger, Mauritania, Chad and Mali.[2] Attacks against government and military installations were frequently underreported by Western media.[54] In 2007, the United States and United Kingdom launched the Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara in support of governments in the region.[5][46]
Frequent kidnappings of foreigners in 2008 led the Dakar Rally to be cancelled and permanently moved to South America.[54]
MauritaniaEdit
In the earliest major attack as direct spillover of the Algerian conflict, the Mauritanian army base at Lemgheity was attacked by the GSPC in June 2005, killing 17 soldiers (and nine jihadists), and wounding another 17.[54][55] The attack in part led to a coup d'état in October 2005 by Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who made a campaign against jihadists a major part of his rule.[55] Attacks continued in Mauritania until it was largely successful in thwarting attacks since 2011 following a major military boost and political openings for Islamists.[55] AQIM has however continued to remain active in the eastern border-regions with Mali, with active support systems for logistics and information.[56] A lack of military resources, often due to turmoil and having little population in a very large country, caused Mauritania to rely on support from France, Morocco, and Algeria in order to defeat the AQIM.
TunisiaEdit
In December 2006 and again in January 2007, Tunisian security forces engaged in clashes with a group linked to the GSPC that had established training camps in mountainous areas near the capital Tunis, killing more than a dozen people.[57][58][59] According to French daily Le Parisien at least 60 people were killed in the clashes.[60] The clashes were the most serious terrorist activity in Tunisia since the Ghriba synagogue bombing in 2002.[60]
Starting in 2012, AQIM along with Ansar al-Sharia and the Uqba ibn Nafi Brigade active in the mountainous Jebel ech Chambi region outside Kasserine near the Algeria–Tunisia border have been targeted by the Tunisian Army in the Chaambi Operations.[15][61] In 2014, Uqba ibn Nafi Brigade militants attacked two Tunisian military checkpoints, killing fourteen Tunisian soldiers and injuring twenty-five in what was the deadliest military skirmish in Tunisia since its independence in 1956.[62][63] Since 2015, Tunisia has simultaneously been targeted by an ISIL terrorist campaign. In March 2016 over 50 militants were killed when ISIL attempted to seize Ben Guerdane near the Libya–Tunisia border.[64]
Libyan Civil WarEdit
Since the Libyan Civil War in 2011, south-western Libya has offered sanctuaries to AQIM which has dispatched cells to be established in the region.[54] On 11 September 2012, members of Ansar al-Sharia and AQIM were responsible for coordinated attacks against two United States government facilities in Benghazi, and Ansar al-Sharia was later involved in clashes in Benghazi in 2013. Drawing defectors from AQIM,[65] the rival Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was later able to control some limited territory in the north in the renewed civil war from 2014. After initial official support from AQIM, allegations have continued of local collaboration between the otherwise rivalling groups.[50][17][51] After being pushed out of Derna, the remaining ISIL stronghold of Sirte was captured in late 2016. Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamists led by Ansar al-Sharia have at the same time continued to exert control in other places.
Mali conflict and Sahel spilloverEdit
Main articles: Mali War and Islamist insurgency in the Sahel
The fullest extent of rebel-held territory in January 2013, before it was re-taken by Malian and French forces.
In 2012 Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré was ousted in a coup d'état over his handling of the Tuareg rebellion. The AQIM and allied Islamist groups Ansar Dine and Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA) were able to capture the northern half of Mali after effectively overrunning the state of Azawad, led by former Tuareg fighters from the Libyan Civil War.[2] After Ansar Dine attempted a push into the south of the country, Mali requested France to launch a military intervention in January 2013 which successfully pushed rebels out. The military intervention was followed by an ongoing Sahel-wide French-led military operation with around 4,000 French soldiers actively deployed.[2][17][54]
Small pockets of armed Islamists have remained active in northern Mali,[2][66] and attacks have continued against the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSMA, which has become one of the UN's deadliest international missions.[54]
Timeline of eventsEdit
Algerian Civil War with the GIA is considered to have ended in February 2002, GSPC continues insurgency.
April 11 – Ghriba synagogue bombing killed 22 (14 German tourists, 5 Tunisians, and 2 French nationals and the suicide bomber).
May 5 – 15 government soldiers are killed in an ambush near Tizi Ouzou, in the Kabylie region of northern Algeria. About 50 members of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) were blamed for the assault.[67]
June 23 – Militants killed 6 civilians in an attack on youths playing football near a bus station in Zéralda in suburban Algiers.[68]
July 17 – Militants killed 7 civilians in Ouled Allal, Bouira Province. Bringing the death toll of the previous three days to 22.[69]
September 13 – Militants killed 11 civilians on a road in Ain Defla Province, northern Algeria. The previous month, according to a toll compiled from press reports and official accounts, an estimated 140 people were killed in extremist violence, bringing the number of people who had been killed since the beginning of the year to 1,070.[38]
September 19 – 15 people are reported to have been arrested in Kabylie under suspicion of providing money and logistical help to the GSPC.[70]
October 2 – Militants killed 13 civilians in a remote village in Ain Defla Province, western Algeria.[71]
January 6 – Militants ambushed a military convoy in north-east Algeria killing 43 soldiers and wounding 19 others. Also militants attacked families near the capital, Algiers, killing 13 people.[72]
Between February 22 and March 24 – The Free Salafist Group (GSL), a splinter group of the GSPC led by Amari Saïfi (Abderrazak "El Para"), allegedly captures 32 European tourists in southern Algeria.
On May 13, 17 hostages are released and 2 militants are killed in a gun battle in the Algerian desert. The remaining fighters, with 15 hostages, flee to northern Mali. After receiving a purported €5 million ransom paid by the German government,[73] the GSL/GSPC releases the 14 remaining hostages on August 19.[74] The fifteenth hostage, a German, died of heat exhaustion.[75]
May 16 – 2003 Casablanca bombings killed 45 including 12 suicide-bombers.
September – Nabil Sahraoui was reported to have replaced Hassan Hattab as leader of the GSPC but other media reports have denied that any change has taken place.[76]
November 27 – In Messad, Djelfa Province, Algeria, a well-known poet and member of the extended Royal Saudi family was killed and 4 others were injured in an apparent terrorist attack, according to press reports.[77]
May 2 – It was reported that in the previous two days 7 members of the security forces, 6 civilians and 2 militants were killed in several locations: near Algiers and in the provinces of Medea, Bouira and Relizane.[78]
May 18 – 2 bombs exploded, killing 2 soldiers and wounding 13 people, including 4 soldiers, in Setif in eastern Algeria.[79]
June 2 – Fighters ambushed an Algerian military convoy in Béjaïa in eastern Algeria, killing 10 soldiers and wounding 45 others.[80]
June 28 – The army killed three Islamic extremists in a raid near the capital, Algiers.[81]
September 20 – Militants killed 4 people at a roadblock they set up near Kalous in Bouira Province.[82]
September 29 – Militants attacked a civil defense post near the city of Ain Defla, killing 6 members of the civil defense force.[83]
October 22 – Militants attacked a vehicle near Médéa carrying fans to a football match in the capital Algiers killing 16 people.[84]
April 9 – Militants killed 14 people at a mock roadblock near Algier. In addition another 36 people, including 15 security force members have been killed since the start of March.[85]
May 15 – Fighters ambushed an army convoy in the region of Khenchela killing 12 soldiers.[86]
June 13 – An explosive device kills 3 soldiers and 3 civilians west of Tipaza.[87]
June 18 – An explosive device killed a policeman during a police raid in El-Djer.[88]
June 23 – An explosive device kills 11 policeman on the road linking Azzefoune and Aghrib in the province of Tizi Ouzou.[89]
July 18 – Islamist militants killed 5 policemen in an ambush in Ain Defla in western Algeria.[90]
September 25 – Militants killed 5 members of the security forces. Three days before, 7 soldiers and 3 civilians were killed in two other attacks. Since the beginning of the month, another 16 soldiers, 12 civilians and 1 policeman were killed. The attacks took place in Boumerdes Province and close to Saida.[91][92]
February 1 – The Algerian daily Liberté reports that spiritual leader Ahmed Abou al-Baraa (real name Ahmed Zarabib) has been killed by Algerian government forces in the mountains near Toudja on January 17.[93]
March 30 – Hassan Hattab, a founder of the group, is reported to have called on its remaining members to accept an amnesty offered by the Algerian government.[94]
April 7 – Fighters ambushed a government convoy in the desert region of Ghardaïa in Algeria carrying customs agents killing 31 people.[95]
April 26 – A suicide bomber attacked the base of the Multinational Forces and Observers at al-Jura wounding two members of the force.[96]
June 21 – The Algerian army killed 10 Islamists in Ghzerwal, near Boumerdes.
June 26 – The Algerian army killed 19 Islamists in the eastern region of Khenchela, bringing the number of people killed since the start of the latest unrest in Algeria to 53, including 36 suspected Islamists. Among the dead were also 7 soldiers killed on June 21 and 5 civilians killed on June 20.[97]
July 20 – Fighters killed 4 government municipal guards near Ain Defla. The attack followed a similar one on July 12 when 5 guards were killed near Tipaza.[98]
August 29 – Fighters attacked a checkpoint in El-Kseur in Béjaïa Province, killing 2 policemen and 1 civilian.[99]
September 14 – al-Qaeda announced it will join the GSPC in their fight against France. They plan to attack France, the United States, and their allies.[100][101]
September 2 – In separate clashes 6 soldiers were killed in the regions of Béjaïa and Medea.[102]
October – A series of truck bombs exploded in Algiers killing 3 and wounding 24.[103]
November 3 – 15 militants ambushed an army patrol in the Ain Defla region killing 8 soldiers.[104]
November 9 – Militants ambushed an army patrol in the Bouira region killing 7 soldiers and wounding 13.[104]
December 10 – A bomb tore apart a bus carrying foreign oil workers in Algiers, killing 4 and wounding 18.[103]
Further information: 2007 Algiers bombings (disambiguation), 2007 Dellys bombing, and Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara
January – Tunisia said it killed 12 GSPC militants while losing two security men. The militants allegedly planned to attack the U.S. and British embassies in Tunis.[105]
January 5 – Fighters killed 18 soldiers in an ambush in the region of Biskra.[106]
January 21 – A roadside bomb exploded under an army vehicle near Jijel in eastern Algeria killing a soldier and wounding another 8.[107]
January 30 – 5 soldiers and 10 Islamists were killed in fighting in the eastern region of Batna.[108]
February 6 – The United States began Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara in partnership with the United Kingdom and a number of partner states in the Sahel region.
February 13 – 7 bombs exploded at 7 police stations in the Kabylie region killing 2 policemen and 4 civilians.[103]
March 3 – A bomb hits a convoy of Russian pipeline workers between the towns of Médéa and Ain Defla, killing 4 Russians and 7 Algerians.[109]
Between March 11 and April 14 – The 2007 Casablanca bombings killed 8.
April 7 – 13 soldiers and 19 Islamists were killed in fighting in a wooded area in the Ain Defla Province.[110]
April 11 – A suicide attack at the entrance of the Ministry of Interior killed more than 24 people and wounded 300.[111]
May 11 – In various incidents 6 Islamists, 1 soldier and 1 policeman were killed near Tizi Ouzou, Saida and Jijel.[112]
May 13 – A bomb exploded at a police checkpoint in Constantine, Algeria, killing a policeman and wounding 2.[113]
May 14 – 20 militants were killed in clashes near the capital.[114]
July 11 – A suicide truck bomber attacked a military barracks near Bouira, killing 10 soldiers and wounding 45.[115][116]
September 3 – During clashes in the Tebessa region 5 security forces members and a civilian were killed.[117]
September 5 – 7 militants were killed when the army bombed a suspected militant hideout in the Tebessa region.[117]
September 12 – A US C-130 plane was attacked by a machine gun emplacement. The plane reached its destination in Mali and nobody was injured.[118] Since the beginning of OEF-TS, 100 AQIM members have been killed by security forces with 261 noncombat fatalities.[119]
September 15 – A bomb exploded in front of a police compound in Zemmouri, near Boumerdes, killing 3 people and wounding 5 others.[115]
September 22 – A suicide bomber wounded 9 people, including 2 Frenchmen and an Italian, in an attack in Lakhdaria, in the Bouira Province.[116]
October 9 – In clashes in Kabylie 3 militants, including the GSPC deputy leader, were killed.[120]
October 15 – In fighting in the Tizi Ouzou province 3 militants were killed.[121]
November 16 – Algerian forces killed the treasurer of al-Qaeda in Algeria, Abdelhamid Sadaoui, also known as Abou el Haythem, near Tizi Ouzou.[120]
December 11 – 2 suicide truck bombers attacked U.N. offices in Algiers, killing 37 people and injuring 171. The United Nations Security Council officially condemned this attack.[122]
December 25 – 4 French tourists were killed by gunmen in Mauritania and a fifth seriously injured. The victims were all part of the same family. See 2007 French tourists killing in Mauritania.
Al Qaeda's wing in north Africa claimed to have killed 120 Algerian soldiers and wounded 530 in clashes in its eastern stronghold, where the army has launched a campaign against the rebels. In an Internet statement posted on March 8, 2008, the group denied a newspaper report that 25 of its fighters had been killed and played down reports its leader had been surrounded.[123]
June 6 – A roadside bomb killed six soldiers and wounded four in Cap Djenat. The bombing came a day after a suicide bomber targeted a military barracks in an eastern Algiers suburb but killed only himself.[124]
June 8 – 2 bombs in quick succession rocked a train station in Beni Amrane, about 100 kilometres (60 mi) east of Algiers. The first bomb killed a Frenchman working on a renovation project at the station along with his driver. The second bomb came about five minutes later hitting the first responders and killing 8 soldiers and 3 firefighters.
June 11 – A Moroccan court convicted a cell of 29 recruiters and sentenced them to prison.[125]
July 2 – Moroccan forces arrested 35 Al Qaeda recruiters.[126]
July 14 – A leader of Al-Qaida in Algeria was killed in a security forces raid.
August 19 – A suicide car-bomber attacked a police academy in Les Issers as recruits lined up in front of the building, 43 people were killed, only one of them a policeman. This attack was officially condemned by the United Nations Security Council.[127]
August 20 – 2 car bombs exploded at a hotel in Bouira killing 11 civilians a day after the car bomb attack in Les Issers.[128]
September 15 – 12 Mauritanians were captured and later beheaded in northern Mauritania.[129]
January 19 – The bubonic plague infected and killed at least 40 members of AQIM in a training camp.[130]
January 22 – Gunmen abducted a Swiss couple, a German woman, and a British man in Niger. In February, Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb claimed to have abducted the four tourists as well as Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler in December.[131] Fowler and three others were released in April while the British man, Edwin Dyer, was executed in June.[132]
February 22 – Militants attack a gas installation at the Ziama Mansouriah commune in the coastal province of Jijel, killing 9 security guards in the deadliest strike since August.[133]
June 17 – 18 gendarmerie troops and a civilian were killed in an attack on a military convoy near Bordj Bou Arréridj, about 200 kilometres (125 mi) southeast of Algiers. Local sources said that the soldiers were returning after escorting to base a group of Chinese workers building the future motorway intended to cross the whole of the north African country from east to west.[134]
July 30 – At least 14 Algerian security guards were killed in an ambush by alleged Islamic fighters.[135]
August 9 – 2009 Nouakchott suicide bombing.
October 8 – 2 brothers suspected of links to AQIM were arrested in France. One of the two was a CERN researcher.[136]
November 26 – Frenchman Pierre Camatte was kidnapped in Ménaka, Mali by al-Qaeda.[137]
November 29 – Spanish aid workers Roque Pascual, Albert Vilalta, and Alicia Gamez were kidnapped on a coastal road in Mauritania.[137] Gamez was released in March 2010, while Pascual and Vilalta was released in August 2010.[138]
December 19 – An Italian and his wife from Burkina Faso were kidnapped in eastern Mauritania.[139] They were released on April 19, 2010.[140]
December 28 – 3 Saudi tourists were killed and 3 others injured in an attack near Djambala, Niger.[141] A fourth Saudi died two days later.[142]
January 29 – A bomb exploded at the passage of a freight train loan Timezrit. Nobody was injured.[143]
March 8 – At least 5 soldiers were killed close to Niger's border with Mali, in a sunrise ambush in which rebels attacked a convoy with rockets and machine gun fire at an isolated border post.[144]
March 21 – 3 militants were killed by security forces near El Ma Labiod, 35 km from Tebessa.
March 25 – 2 soldiers were killed and five others wounded in an attack in the city of Kadiria.[145]
March 26 – 3 militants were killed while another was captured by security forces in Ait Yahia Moussa, 30 km from Tizi Ouzou.
April 1 – A bomb attack against a taxi killed 2 people in Tizi-Ouzou. Another attack against a police patrol resulted in no injuries.[146]
April 3 – 7 security officers and a soldier were killed in a double bomb attack in the region of Béjaïa. 2 other soldiers were wounded in the second explosion.[147]
April 14 – According to Algerian officials, at least 10 militants were killed since a counter-terrorist operation started in Bordj Bou Arreridj raion. The operation is ongoing. Top militant Abdelmalek Droukdel could be surrounded with other militants, a military spokesman said.
April 23 – At least 9 policemen were killed and another was slightly wounded when a bomb exploded in Irraguern (between Béjaïa and Jijel) while they were passing by. No other details have been reported.
April 28 – A fierce gunbattle between Algerian army and a group of militants occurred near Tidjellabine (2 km from Boumerdes). It is known that one soldier was killed, but the counter-terrorist operation was still going on according to Algerian officials.
May 2 – One militant was killed in a clash with Algerian forces in a forest between Akfadou and Adekar. "He was wearing an old military jacket (...) he was killed on the spot" a military spokesman said. "The counter-terrorist operation is still going on" he added. This heavily forested area is often the scene of clashes between militants from Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM, former GSPC) and Algerian army.
May 4 – 3 militants, including the emir of "Takhoukht Jamaat" Zakaria Abdelkahar, were killed by security forces in Draa El Mizen (45 km from Tizi-Ouzou). It was reported that the authorities demanded them to stop their car and to surrender, but they refused and were killed. Several weapons and a large amount of ammunition were discovered in the car. No other details have been reported.
May 9 – 2 people including a child were killed in an ambush in Kabylie. Another person is missing.[148]
June 7 – 2 people were killed and a third critically injured in a bomb attack near Derguina.[149]
June 11 – A suicide car bomb directed by a suicide bomber against a fixed barrier of the gendarmerie in Ammal resulted in 8 dead, including 3 policemen, four civilians and a Chinese national. Thus a score of wounded including 10 policemen and 10 civilians. At least three terrorists were killed during the violent clash that occurred after the blast.[150]
June 24 – 5 people were killed and one wounded by gunfire during a wedding at douar Ghrab near Tébessa.[151]
July 1 – 11 policemen were killed in an ambush in the city of Tinzaouatine. This attack was claimed by AQIM.[152]
July 4 – 3 policemen killed by a bomb on a road near Jijel by suspected Islamists.[153]
July 14 – 4 soldiers were killed and 13 others wounded in several bomb attacks.[154]
July 25 – Six militants were killed in a Franco-Mauritanian raid against a camp of Al-qaeda in Mali to try to free the hostage Michel Germaneau. At the same time one person was killed and 10 wounded in a suicide attack against a police brigade in Tizi-Ouzou, Algeria.[155][156]
July 26 – A few days after AQIM claimed he was executed in reprisal against the French-Mauritanian raid, the French president confirms the death of 78-year-old French volunteer aid worker Michel Germaneau, who had been kidnapped on April 21.[157] It cannot be ruled out that he died as a result of running out of heart drugs.[158]
August 7 – The mayor of the town of Baghlia, Mohammed Idir, was murdered when he went to the mosque.[159]
August 20 – An attack against a military convoy near Baghlia killed 13 people and injured at least two.[160]
August 22 – A former terrorist was assassinated by bullets in the town of Baghlia in Algeria.[161]
August 24 – An attempted suicide attack wounded 7 in Mauritania. The bomber's vehicle exploded before reaching its target, a military barracks in Néma.[162]
August 30 – A suicide car bomb against a military convoy left 3 dead and at least 20 wounded in the town of Zemmouri in Kabylie.[163]
September 16 – Gunmen abduct five Frenchmen, a Togolese, and a Malagasy from a uranium mine in northern Niger.[164]
September 18 – A battle between Mauritanian army and members of Al-Qaeda killed at least 6 members of the army and 12 militants.[165]
October 3 – Five soldiers were killed and ten others injured in a bomb attack against their convoy in Zekri, a town of Kabylie, during a search operation.[166]
October 12 – A departmental head in public works, his two collaborators and two contractors were killed in a bomb attack in Tlidjene.[167]
October 25 – 1 soldier was killed and four others wounded by a bomb explosion in the passage their patrol in the Boumerdes region.[168]
January 4 – An attack against the embassy of France in Mali's capital Bamako resulting in 1 injuries. This is the first such attack on Malian territory.[169]
January 7 – Two French citizens were kidnapped in Niamey, Niger and died in Mali while French troops were attempting to rescue them.[170] AQIM declared on 15 January that it had executed one of them while the other one was killed by the French military.[171] A post-mortem examination established that one of them received a direct shot, while the other one was killed by the "thermal effects of fire".[171]
January 29 – A member of the municipal guard was killed and three others wounded in an attack against the headquarters of the communal guard in the southwest of Tizi Ouzou.[172]
February 3 – The Mauritanian army has detonated a vehicle filled with explosives 12 km south of Nouakchott killing its three passengers and wounding eight soldiers. The attack was to assassinate the President of Mauritania Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. That attack was claimed by AQIM.[173]
March 9 – An attack near Djelfa left 5 dead, in what appeared to be a response to the death of Abou Tourab, a leader of AQIM.[174]
April 17 – 20 Algerian soldiers were killed and twenty-two injured in three attacks claimed by Al Qaeda. Eleven militants were also killed.[175][176][177]
April 28 – 2011 Marrakesh bombing. A remote controlled bomb explode in Argana café, on Jemaa el-Fnaa square. Amongst the dead are 7 French national, 2 Canadians and a Dutch.
April 29 – The explosion of a bomb in the town of Oued Djemaa has killed five communal guards who went to their place of work.[178]
May 6 – A bomb that exploded at the passage of a military convoy killed five soldiers and wounded five other in a region of Jijel. Since April 15 and the address to the nation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika there were fifty deaths in Islamist attacks.[179]
May 4 – Four policemen were killed in a bomb attack on the road between Tizi-Ouzou, the main town of Kabylie, in Algiers the capital of the country.[180]
May 6 – Three soldiers were killed and two others wounded by gunmen in the region of Jijel. One was initially killed by firing a gun, the others were killed by a bomb attack.[181]
May 12 – Seven soldiers were killed and three terrorists killed in an attack against a military outpost in the region of Jijel, Algeria. An eighth member is missing and two were wounded in the attack with machine guns and Assault rifles, perpetrated in Tizrarane.[182]
July 5 – Al-Qaida claims to have attacked a Mauritanian army base in Mali claiming to have killed 20 soldiers and destroyed 12 vehicles. they also say he lost two of their men. The Mauritanian army for its part says it killed 15 militants and lost two men.[183]
July 16 – Four people were killed and twenty injured in attacks, including two attacks by suicide bombers in the east of Algiers. In addition near the Tunisian border, two gunmen were killed.[184]
August 14 – A suicide bombing against a police station injured more than 30 in the city of Tizi Ouzou, Similarly, two people were killed in a double bomb attack targeting a police station in Bordj Menaiel.[185]
August 17 – A soldier was killed and five injured in a bomb attack in the town of Thenia.[185]
August 22 – A soldier was killed and two others wounded in the explosion of a roadside bomb in Taourga. In addition, two officers from the Hasnaoui were murdered and a young civilian was hit by bullets.[186]
August 24 – One militant was wounded and policemen recovered two Kalashnikovs in a clash near Tizi-Ouzou.[187]
August 27 – A suicide attack against the Military Academy Cherchell, a hundred kilometers west of Algiers, killed 18 people, 16 officers and two civilians and wounded 20 others. The attack occurred less than ten minutes after breaking the fast of Ramadan.[188]
September 27 – 5 men suspected of funding AQIM were arrested by Spanish police. Since 2004, over 400 suspected AQIM members have been arrested by Spain.[189]
October 23 – Two Spaniards and an Italian were abducted near Tindouf in western Algeria. The Spaniards were identified as Ainhoa Fernandez de Rincon, a pro-Sahrawi activist, and Enric Gonyalons, a member of the Basque non-profit group Mundubat. The Italian was named as Rossella Urru from Rome-based Comitato Italiano Sviluppo dei Popoli. The three were freed on July 18, 2012.[190]
November 23 – Gunmen kidnapped two French workers in Hombori, Mali.[190]
November 25 – Gunmen killed a German tourist and kidnapped a Swede, a Dutchman and a British/South African in Timbuktu, Mali.[190][191]
January 16 – The start of the Mali Civil War.
January 16 – In Aménas hostage crisis in Algeria.
April 19 – AQIM militants killed eleven soldiers in the Tizi Ouzou region of Algeria, east of Algiers. It was one of the deadliest attacks on the Algerian military in several years.
September 14 – Jund al-Khilafah leader Khaled Abu-Suleiman announces the group's split from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and pledges allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
September 21 – Hervé Gourdel is abducted by Jund al-Khilafah in the Djurdjura National Park in Algeria.
September 22 – Jund al-Khilafah releases a video showing Hervé Gourdel being held captive. The group stated that the kidnapping was in response to France conducting Airstrikes against "Islamic State" and threatened to behead him if France continued to carry out airstrikes against ISIL.
September 24 – The group releases a video purporting to show the beheading of Hervé Gourdel. The militants shown stated that the beheading was in response to the order of ISIL spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, in which he called on followers to attack citizens of member nations of the anti-ISIL coalition.
October – One of the Jund al-Khilafah militants responsible for the beheading of Hervé Gourdel was killed in an Algerian military operation in October.[192]
December 11 – The Algerian justice ministry states that Algerian soldiers had killed two Jund al-Khilafah members believed to have been involved in the murder of Hervé Gourdel.[193]
December 20 – Algerian soldiers kill three Jund al-Khilafah members in the mountains near Sidi Daoud.[193]
December 22 – Jund al-Khilafah leader Abdelmalek Gouri and two other militants were killed by the Algerian army in a military operation in Issers. Afterwards, troops recovered two automatic rifles, explosive belts, and a large amount of ammunition and mobile phones.[193]
March 19 – The Bardo National Museum attack in Tunis killed 21, mostly foreign tourists.[194]
March 28 – Tunisian Special Forces killed Khaled Chaieb, leader of Okba Ibn Nafaa Brigade along with 8 more militants in Sidi Aïch, Gafsa Governorate south west of Tunisia.[195]
April 28 – The Algerian military killed 5 Jund al-Khilafah militants, in an ambush in the region of Tizi Ouzou, east of Algiers.[196]
May 20 – Algerian security forces ambushed a Jund al-Khilafah meeting east of Algiers, killing at least 21 fighters and capturing two others.[197]
June 26 – The Sousse attacks at the resort at Port El Kantaoui killed 39 European tourists, mostly British citizens.[198]
July 17 – At least 9 Algerian soldiers were killed in an ambush by AQIM militants in the south of Aïn Defla province, southwest of Algiers.[199][200]
November 25 – ISIS has claimed responsibility for bombing a bus carrying members of Tunisia's presidential guard killing 12.[201]
January 4 – 7 Libyan guards were killed and 25 wounded at the oil port of Es Sider.[202]
January 7 – 47–70 People are killed and dozens more injured when explosions were set off at a Libyan Coast Guard training camp in the city of Zliten.[203]
February 20 – Jund al-Khilafah claimed to have killed three Algerian soldiers in Mount Shakshut in Bouira in late February. This claim was denied by the Algerian government.[204]
March 7 – Morocco's Interior Ministry says it dismantled a five-member ISIS group cell planning to detonate explosives in crowded public spaces.[205] Also 43 militants, one soldier and four citizens they killed and six militants arrested after ISIL in Libya Jihadists attacked a border town in Libya-Tunisia border.[64][206][207][208]
March 9 – 10 militants and 1 soldier killed in the ongoing raid of Libyan-Tunisian border.[209] Also, the African Union confirmed that will send a mission to northern Mali in the next of the months to look into setting up a counter-terrorism force to support vulnerable U.N. peacekeepers.[210][211]
March 10 Three ISIL fighters are killed in Libya-Tunisia border during ongoing classes.[212]
March 18 – A gas facility in the Algerian desert has been attacked by AQIM, though no one was hurt, Norwegian oil giant Statoil has said.[213][214]
March 24 – Morocco captured 9 ISIL in Libya operatives inside the Moroccan territory.[215]
March 28 – 18 Algerian soldiers killed in an airplane crash in the Tamanrasset region. It is unknown if the crash was because of terrorist attack or a technical problem.[216]
March 31 – AQIM in Tunisia, has claimed an attack on Tunisian border guards near the town of Bouchebka on the Algerian border, wounding some soldiers.[217] A Mali intelligence spokesman says special forces have arrested a jihadi leader close to Islamic extremist group Ansar Dine in southern Mali.[218]
April 5 – 4 AQIM soldiers killed in Algeria near the Tunisian border.[219]
April 18 – Spanish police said they had detained a Moroccan man in the Mediterranean island resort of Palma de Mallorca suspected of recruiting militants for ISIS.[220]
April 29 – Algerian government said that it killed five AQIM fighters in two separate raid in eastern Algeria.[221][222]
May 6 – Tunisian forces capture 9 AQIM militants in the Tunisian countryside.[223]
May 7 – Brother of Abdelhamid Abaaoud jailed by Morocco court over terrorist accusations.[224]
May 11 – Two suspected ISIL members killed along with four Tunisian soldiers after a raid on Tunisian capital.[225]
August 29 – In Atlas Mountains nearby Algeria 3 Tunisian soldiers were killed and 7 others wounded by AQIM militants[226]
October 9 – In Tamalous, Algeria ISIS militants detonated an explosive device adjacent to the army convoy as it passed near Tamalous town in northeastern Algeria. It was not immediately clear whether the explosion caused any casualties.[227]
October 28 – A police officer was killed by three assailants while eating in a restaurant in the Constantine District in Constantine Province, around 390 kilometres (240 mi) east of Algiers. Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack.[228]
November 5: A Tunisian soldier has been killed in his home in Governorate Kasserine, Tunisia by extremists.[229]
December 2 – Several women committed suicide bombings that killed four Libyan soldiers and two other women. The victims had previously granted them safe passage to leave buildings under the control of Islamic State militants in Sirte, Libya.[230]
December 5 – Terrorists launched two suicide vehicles towards army lines. 9 soldiers were killed in Benghazi, Libya .[231]
December 7 – Terrorists launched a "double-tap" car bombing outside the Benghazi headquarters of Saiqa Special Force. The two blasts appear to have killed nobody outright but left 22 people injured.[232]
December 18 – At least seven people were killed and eight wounded when a suicide bomber targeted forces loyal to Libya's eastern government in Benghazi.[233]
January 1 – A bomb killed a child and injured 7 others in Blida, Algeria.[234]
January 20 – A car bomb exploded on Friday near a mosque in Libya's second city of Benghazi, killing one person and wounding 13 people including a former interior minister, medical and security sources said.[235]
January 21 – A car bomb exploded in Tripoli. The blast, which left at least two people dead, struck near the recently re-opened Italian embassy.[236]
February 26 – Police killed a suicide bomber heading for their commissariat in Constantine, Algeria. The explosion of the explosive belt caused two wounded.[237]
March 12 – A police officer and two militants were killed in a shootout at a checkpoint in southern Tunisia that left three other officers injured.[238]
May 7 – Two fighters from Third Force of Libya were killed and three others were wounded in an IS attack.[239]
May 18 – Brak al-Shati Airbase raid: At least 141 soldiers and civilians were killed in an attack in Southern Libya.[240]
May 19 – The head of eastern Libya's largest tribe and other man were killed on Friday when a car bomb exploded outside a mosque on the outskirts of Benghazi, according to a Libyan security official.[241]
January 20 – A Tunisian special operations unit ambushed and killed two commanders of Okba Ibn Nafaa, AQIM's Tunisia branch, in the mountains outside Sbeitla, near the Algerian border. Tunisian authorities identified the men as Bilel Kobbi and Bechir Ben Neji.[242]
January 26 – Algerian special forces killed eight AQIM commanders in the rugged mountainous area of Chechar in the eastern region of Khenchela. The men were said to have been en route to meet other jihadist leaders, including AQIM leader Abdelmalek Droukdel.[243]
July 14 – Five people were arrested by the Algerian army during counterterrorist raids in Batna. Those arrested were accused of plotting attacks on the recent protests in the country.[244]
October 14 – An Islamist stabbed to death a French tourist while wounding a Tunisian soldier in Bizerte, Tunisia.[245]
October 20 – A leader of AQIM's Tunisian branch Okba Ibn Nafa'a was killed in the Kasserine region of Tunisia, on the border with Algeria.[246]
February 9 – A suicide car bomb attack in Timiaouine, Algeria, left one Algerian soldier dead.[247]
March 6 – Two militants on a motorbike blew themselves up outside the US embassy in Tunisia, killing a policeman and injuring five more.[248]
June 21 – A security operation in Algeria's central region of Aïn Defla left one Algerian soldier dead following an ambush.[249]
June 27 – A bomb exploded during a sweep operation by the Algerian military in Médéa Province, south of Algiers, killing two soldiers, including an officer.[250]
December 17 – Algerian authorities captured Rezkane Ahcene, known as 'Abu Dahdah', who joined terrorist groups in 1994, in Jijel Province.[251]
January 2 – Two Algerian military personnel and four militants were killed in a clash in Tipaza province.[252]
January 8 – Tunisian authorities arrested five members including a senior leader from the Okba Ibn Nafaa brigade, part of al Qaeda.[253]
January 14 – Five civilians were killed in the Telidjane district, Algeria when their car was hit with an IED and destroyed.[254]
February 3 – Four Tunisian soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit a landmine near Mount Mghila on the Algerian border.[255]
Boko Haram (or ISWAP) insurgency
Insurgency in Cabo Delgado
Islamist insurgency in the Sahel
Sinai insurgency
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^ "L'Expression – Le Quotidien – Tizi-Ouzou : un terroriste blessé, deux Kalachnikovs récupérées à Souamaa". Lexpressiondz.com. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
^ "Attentat suicide en Algérie : 18 morts, selon le dernier bilan officiel". Leparisien.fr. 27 August 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
^ "Police in Spain Arrest 5 Suspected of Financing Terrorists". CNN. 27 September 2011.
^ a b c "Foreigners attacked in Africa". Reuters. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
^ "N.African Al-Qaeda warns against hostage rescue bid". Modern Ghana. AFP. 12 January 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
^ "Algerian army kills suspect in beheading of Frenchman Hervé Gourdel". France 24. 26 October 2014. Archived from the original on 30 November 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
^ a b c "Algerian army 'kills top jihadist'". BBC News. 23 December 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
^ "The Latest: French President Mourns Tunisia Victims". The New York Times. 18 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
^ "'Lead suspect' behind Tunisia museum attack killed". Aljazeera. 29 March 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
^ "Algerian army kills five militants: ministry". Reuters. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
^ "Algerian forces kill '21 ISIL-linked fighters'". Al Jazeera. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
^ "Gunman kills 39 at Tunisian beachside hotel, Islamic State claims attack". Reuters. 27 June 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
^ "Al-Qaeda affiliate claims killing of 14 Algerian soldiers". 19 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
^ Chikhi, Lamine (19 July 2015). "Algeria says nine soldiers killed in attack claimed by al Qaeda". Reuters. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
^ Houda Zaghdoudi, Sara Sidner, Greg Botelho and Ed Payne, CNN (24 November 2015). "ISIS claims Tunisia bomb attack that killed 12". CNN. Retrieved 16 March 2016. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ al-Warfalli, Ayman; Ireland, Louise; Lewis, Aidan (January 5, 2016). "More guards killed in Islamic State attacks on Libya's oil ports". World News. Reuters. Benghazi, Libya. Reuters. USKBN0UJ0WE20160105. Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
^ "ليبيا.. عشرات القتلى بمعسكر للشرطة في زليتن" (in Arabic). Sky News. 7 January 2016.
^ "Islamic State claims killing Algerian soldiers". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
^ "Morocco says it has dismantled 5-member ISIS cell". Al Arabiya English. 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
^ "Tunisia kills militants near Libya border". BBC News. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
^ "Tunisian forces kill jihadi assailants near Libyan border". the Guardian. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
^ "Over 50 dead as Tunisia foils 'emirate' bid on Libya border". Yahoo! News. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
^ "Two militants, Tunisian soldier killed in clashes". english.alarabiya.net. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ Emma Farge (9 March 2016). "Exclusive: African Union considers Mali counter-terrorism force". Reuters. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
^ "New clashes hit Tunisia town as thousands mourn". Yahoo News. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
^ "Three jihadists killed near Tunisia's Ben Guerdane: ministry". News24. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
^ "AQIM claims attack on Algerian gas plant". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
^ "Algeria gas facility comes under rocket attack". BBC News. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
^ Reuters Editorial (24 March 2016). "Morocco says arrests nine suspected Islamist militants with Libya ties". Reuters. Retrieved 13 May 2016. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
^ "Algeria military helicopter crash in Tamanrasset region". BBC News. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
^ "Tunisian Al Qaeda battalion claims ambush near Algerian border". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
^ "Mali special forces arrest jihadi leader – World News – US News". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
^ "Algerian army kills four Islamists near Tunisian border". english.alarabiya.net. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ "Spain arrests Moroccan in Mallorca 'linked' to ISIS group". english.alarabiya.net. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ "KUNA : Army kills five "terrorists" belong to Al-Qaeda E. Algeria – Security – 29/04/2016". Retrieved 13 May 2016.
^ "Algeria says three Islamists killed by troops". english.alarabiya.net. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ "Tunisia breaks up two Qaeda-linked cells". english.alarabiya.net. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ "Moroccan court jails brother of suspected Paris attack planner". english.alarabiya.net. 7 May 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ "Four police, two militants killed in Tunisia raids: ministry". english.alarabiya.net. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
^ "Militants kill three Tunisian soldiers in ambush near Algerian border: army". Reuters. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
^ "Islamic State launches first operation in Algeria". ARA News. Archived from the original on 2016-10-13. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
^ "IS claims killing of Algerian police officer". Associated Press. 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2016-10-28.
^ "La Araucanía: Tres ataques incendiarios se registran en distintos sectores de Collipulli – Nacional – 24horas". 24horas.cl. 2016-10-24. Retrieved 2016-11-05.
^ "Women bombers emerge from Islamic State redoubt to attack Libyan forces". Reuters. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
^ "Car bombs and nine soldiers die as army advances in Benghazi". Libya Herald. 5 December 2016. Retrieved Oct 17, 2019.
^ "Terrorists launch "double-tap" car bombings in Benghazi". Libya Herald. 7 December 2016. Retrieved Oct 17, 2019.
^ "Suicide bomber kills seven in Libya's Benghazi: officials". Reuters. 2016-12-18. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
^ "ALG24 – Toute l'actualité de l'Algérie 24/24h – Un enfant tué et 7 autres blessés dans une explosion à Blida (Actualisé)". Archived from the original on 2017-01-31. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
^ "Car bomb wounds minister among 13 in Libya's Benghazi". 21 January 2017.
^ Elumami, Ahmed (January 26, 2017). "Tripoli force suspects eastern military backers in car bomb blast". Reuters – via www.reuters.com.
^ "Algérie : l'EI revendique la tentative d'attentat-suicide à Constantine". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2017-02-27. ISSN 1950-6244. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
^ "Policeman killed in checkpoint attack in southern Tunisia – officials". Reuters. 12 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
^ "IS militants attack Third Force fighters, kill two – The Libya Observer". libyaobserver.ly.
^ "More than 100 killed in attack on southern Libya airbase – France 24". 20 May 2017.
^ "Car bomb kills tribal leader in Libya's Benghazi". Anadolu Agency.
^ "Tunisia fears over Al-Qaeda regrouping in the country". Middle East Monitor. Feb 8, 2018. Retrieved Oct 17, 2019.
^ "Joint operation deals blow to al-Qaeda affiliate on Tunisia, Algeria border | Lamine Ghanmi". AW. Retrieved Oct 17, 2019.
^ "Algerian army arrests five on suspicion of planning 'attacks' on protesters". Al Arabiya. July 14, 2019.
^ "French tourist stabbed to death in Tunisia". XinhuaNet. 19 October 2019. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
^ "Tunisia says extremist leader killed in anti-terror raid". Al Arabiya. 20 October 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
^ "Suicide attack kills Algerian soldier near Mali border". Al Arabiya. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
^ "Blast targets US Embassy in Tunisia, policeman dead". Al Arabiya. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
^ "Algeria says soldier killed in clash with 'armed terrorist group'". Al Arabiya. 21 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
^ "Bomb kills two Algerian soldiers in north, says defense ministry". Al Arabiya. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
^ "Algeria Says Captures Dangerous 'Terrorist'". Barron's. 17 December 2020.
^ "4 militants, 2 soldiers killed in clashes in northern Algeria – Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com.
^ "Tunisia nabs senior al Qaeda member". The North Africa Post. 8 January 2021.
^ "Five civilians killed in Algeria roadside bomb blast". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved Feb 3, 2021.
^ AFP-Agence France Presse. "4 Tunisian Soldiers Killed In Landmine Blast: Ministry". www.barrons.com. Retrieved Feb 3, 2021.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Insurgency_in_the_Maghreb_(2002–present)&oldid=1135318243" |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: What is the explanation for blood and physiology?
There is no grammatical error in the original sentence. However, it could be rephrased to sound more natural, such as:
Can you explain the relationship between blood and physiology? output: Blood cells are produced in the bone marrow; this process is termed hematopoiesis. The proteinaceous component (including clotting proteins) is produced overwhelmingly in the liver, while hormones are produced by the endocrine glands and the watery fraction is regulated by the hypothalamus and maintained by the kidney and indirectly by the gut.
Blood cells are degraded by the spleen and the Kupffer cells in the liver. The liver also clears some proteins, lipids and amino acids. The kidney actively secretes waste products into the urine. Healthy erythrocytes have a plasma half-life of 120 days before they are systematically replaced by new erythrocytes created by the process of hematopoiesis.
Blood oxygenation is measured in several ways, but the most important measure is the hemoglobin (Hb) saturation percentage. This is a non-linear (sigmoidal) function of the partial pressure of oxygen. About 98.5% of the oxygen in a sample of arterial blood in a healthy human breathing air at normal pressure is chemically combined with the Hb. Only 1.5% is physically dissolved in the other blood liquids and not connected to Hb. The hemoglobin molecule is the primary transporter of oxygen in mammals and many other species (for exceptions, see below).
With the exception of pulmonary and umbilical arteries and their corresponding veins, arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart and deliver it to the body via arterioles and capillaries, where the oxygen is consumed; afterwards, venules and veins carry deoxygenated blood back to the heart.
Differences in infrared absorption between oxygenated and deoxygenated blood form the basis for realtime oxygen saturation measurement in hospitals and ambulances.
Under normal conditions in humans at rest, hemoglobin in blood leaving the lungs is about 98-99% saturated with oxygen. In a healthy adult at rest, deoxygenated blood returning to the lungs is still approximately 75% saturated. Increased oxygen consumption during sustained exercise reduces the oxygen saturation of venous blood, which can reach less than 15% in a trained athlete; although breathing rate and blood flow increase to compensate, oxygen saturation in arterial blood can drop to 95% or less under these conditions. Oxygen saturation this low is considered dangerous in an individual at rest (for instance, during surgery under anesthesia): "As a general rule, any condition which leads to a sustained mixed venous saturation of less than 50% will be poorly tolerated and a mixed venous saturation of less than 30% should be viewed as a medical emergency."
A fetus, receiving oxygen via the placenta, is exposed to much lower oxygen pressures (about 21% of the level found in an adult's lungs) and so fetuses produce another form of hemoglobin with a much higher affinity for oxygen (hemoglobin F) in order to function under these conditions.
Substances other than oxygen can bind to the hemoglobin; in some cases this can cause irreversible damage to the body. Carbon monoxide for example is extremely dangerous when absorbed into the blood. When combined with the hemoglobin, it irreversibly makes carboxyhemoglobin which reduces the volume of oxygen that can be carried in the blood. This can very quickly cause suffocation, as oxygen is vital to many organisms (including humans). This damage can occur when smoking a cigarette (or similar item) or in event of a fire. Thus carbon monoxide is considered far more dangerous than the actual fire itself because it reduces the oxygen carrying content of the blood.
In insects, the blood (more properly called hemolymph) is not involved in the transport of oxygen. (Openings called tracheae allow oxygen from the air to diffuse directly to the tissues). Insect blood moves nutrients to the tissues and removes waste products in an open system.
Other invertebrates use respiratory proteins to increase the oxygen carrying capacity. Hemoglobin is the most common respiratory protein found in nature. Hemocyanin (blue) contains copper and is found in crustaceans and mollusks. It is thought that tunicates (sea squirts) might use vanabins (proteins containing vanadium) for respiratory pigment (bright green, blue, or orange).
In many invertebrates, these oxygen-carrying proteins are freely soluble in the blood; in vertebrates they are contained in specialized red blood cells, allowing for a higher concentration of respiratory pigments without increasing viscosity or damaging blood filtering organs like the kidneys.
Giant tube worms have extraordinary hemoglobins that allow them to live in extraordinary environments. These hemoglobins also carry sulfides normally fatal in other animals.
When systemic arterial blood flows through capillaries, carbon dioxide diffuses from the tissues into the blood. Some carbon dioxide is dissolved in the blood. Some carbon dioxide reacts with hemoglobin and other proteins to form carbamino compounds. The remaining carbon dioxide is converted to bicarbonate and hydrogen ions through the action of RBC carbonic anhydrase. Most carbon dioxide is transported through the blood in the form of bicarbonate ions.
Some oxyhemoglobin loses oxygen and becomes deoxyhemoglobin. Deoxyhemoglobin has a much greater affinity for hydrogen ion (H +) than does oxyhemoglobin so it binds most of the hydrogen ions.
Blood circulation transports heat through the body, and adjustments to this flow are an important part of thermoregulation. Increasing blood flow to the surface (e.g. during warm weather or strenuous exercise) causes warmer skin, resulting in faster heat loss, while decreasing surface blood flow conserves heat.
The restriction of blood flow can also be used in specialized tissues to cause engorgement resulting in an erection of that tissue. Examples of this would occur in a mammalian penis, clitoris or nipple.
Another example of a hydraulic function is the jumping spider, in which blood forced into the legs under pressure causes them to straighten for a powerful jump.
In humans and other hemoglobin-using creatures, oxygenated blood is bright red. This is due to oxygenated iron-containing hemoglobin found in the red blood cells. Deoxygenated blood is a darker shade of red, which can be seen during blood donation and when venous blood samples are taken.
The blood of most molluscs, and some arthropods such as horseshoe crabs, is blue. This is a result of its high content of copper-based hemocyanin instead of the iron-based hemoglobin found, for example, in mammals. While mammalian blood is never blue, there is a rare condition (sulfhemoglobinemia) that results in green blood. Skinks in the genus Prasinohaema have green blood due to a buildup of the waste product biliverdin. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Dear sir, I am aged 33 years, recently i went for a medical check up In which My sgot is 90 and sgpt is 134 & S.Triglycerides 305mg/dl. could you please help me how I can reduce this sgot & sgpt to the normal level. what could be the reason for the above damage ?
to reduce sgot and sgpt? output: Hi and welcome to Healthcaremagic. Thank you for your query.AST (SGOT) and ALT (SGPT) are reasonably sensitive indicators of liver damage or injury from different types of diseases or conditions, and collectively they are termed liver tests or liver blood tests. So the next step is to look for certain liver damage and most common casue is fatty liver disease. It should be confirmed by ultrasound. Other causes are viral hepatitis,cirrhosis, medications, alcohol intake or autoimmune diseases. To verify exact cause, US, bilirubin levels and tumor markers should be additionaly done Then appropriate treatment can be started.I hope I have answered you query. If you have any further questions you can contact us in every time.Kindly regards. Wish you a good health... |
Veteran’s Day Coverfolk:
Even more songs for soldiers past and present
More Tributes and Cover Compilations:
Shannon Whitworth and Barrett Smith, Reid Jamieson, The Big Bright & more!
Category: The Beatles
The State of Folk: A Post-Fest Preamble Plus EXCLUSIVE live Beatles covers from Falcon Ridge 08!
July 30th, 2008 — 10:08 am
Gee, but it’s great to be back home. And bearing gifts, including an exclusive live Beatles tribute concert, recorded this past Friday in a sunny field in Hillsdale, NY, which you’ll find just down below.
But first, the weather report:
Regular readers may remember that I’d hoped to have a Utah Phillips tribute set to share today. Unfortunately, a freak hurricane-force thunder-and-hailstorm and torrential downpour mid-afternoon on Sunday brought several major event-sized tents down, flooding roads and washing away tentsites, soaking sound equipment, and generally turning the encampment into something just shy of a post-apocalyptic landscape, bringing an early end to the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival just a few hours before that eagerly awaited set could take place.
Here’s a video taken from the storm (by Coriform). If you look to the left as the camera pans, you’ll see a golf cart parked in front of a white lump — that lump is actually the flattened remains of the site crew/ice/information tent, which collapsed on me and a couple of dozen others in high wind and heavy lightning, driving us out into the hailstorm. Scary. You can also read first-hand accounts from multiple festgoers at this livejournal thread.
It is, genuinely, a miracle that no one was seriously hurt, and a tribute to all the site organizers and volunteers that we managed to get everyone out safely, and with their sense of humor fully intact. And it says what it needs to, I think, that I’m already looking forward to next year’s fest.
And now, the news: something big is happening to folk music. Despite the rocky ending, spending time at both a major bluegrass festival and a major folk festival in rapid succession over the past two weeks provided no small insight into the ways in which the musical landscape is changing, and why. I saw and heard plenty which helped me understand why many folk bloggers have recently started “going bluegrass”, for example…and plenty, too, which shed light on the funny relationship between americana and alt-country and indie music and other folk forms, something which we have spent no small amount of time describing over our few months here at Cover Lay Down.
More broadly, a look at label-run merch tables, and at other festival and coffeehouse line-ups via fest-posted programs and tour schedules, provided a decent sense of the full circuit — since who’s recording, who’s touring, and who’s headlining, is a pretty good indicator of what people are going to perceive as the core of currency in folk when the festival season dries up in late Autumn. I’ve fallen in love with the work of multiple newcomers, garnered new respect for a few more familiar faces I had previously underestimated, and decided that I still do like the narrative-laden one voice, one guitar singer-songwriter folk music which has, for the last few decades, been at the core of American folk, even if it is no longer so central as to be definitive.
In trying to identify this shift, I am especially indebted to fellow ‘casters and fans, promoters and musicians, who took the time to help me groupthink the modern folkworld, most especially Kristin Andreassen (of Uncle Earl and Sometymes Why), Lindsay Mac, and Joe Crookston, all of whom made time to chat with me about the state of music and the music business from the performer and songwriter’s perspective. You’ll hear those names come up again as, over the next few weeks, we use our continued journey together here at Cover Lay Down as a platform for exploring the current state of folk music, and how covers can help us both understand and anticipate the near future of folk.
Right now, thought, I’m still a bit shaken from the storm and its aftermath. So while I try to organize my thoughts a bit, here’s the majority of the Beatles tribute workshop, taped by yours truly on a little iPod with Belkin voice-recorder attachment from the foot of the Falcon Ridge workshop stage late Friday afternoon. I haven’t trimmed the tracks yet, so intros may be a bit long…but if you want to get a sense of what it was like to be there in the moment, this is about as good as it gets.
I’ve starred my favorites, for those who just want a sample: Anthony da Costa’s gorgeous, torn rendition of I’m Looking Through You; Joe Crookston’s mystical banjo-led take on Norwegian Wood; Randall Williams’ powerful, soaring version of Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds. I’d have starred Lindsay Mac’s incredible rendition of Blackbird, too, if the bass notes of her cello had not fuzzed out my admittedly low-tech recording; I’ve included her live take here anyway, as a teaser, but keep an eye open for Lindsay’s upcoming sophomore album (release date Sept. ’08) for what promises to be a beautiful, pristine version of the song.
Beatles Tribute Workshop
Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, July 2008
The Strangelings: A Day In The Life
Nerissa and Katryna Nields: If I Fell
Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams: With A Little Help From My Friends
Joe Crookston: Junk
Anthony Da Costa: Get Back
Lindsay Mac: Blackbird
Randall Williams: Come Together
Tracy Grammer and Jim Henry: Till There Was You
Nerissa and Katryna Nields: Lovely Rita Meter Maid
Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams: All You Need Is Love
Joe Crookston: Norwegian Wood*
Anthony Da Costa: I’m Looking Through You*
Randall Williams: Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds*
Tracy Grammer and Jim Henry: Eleanor Rigby
Thanks to all my guest posters, who shared such powerful words, perspectives, and song in my absence; it’s a truly wonderful thing to come home and find the place in better shape than you left it. We’ll be back Sunday with the first of several subgenre- and artist-focused posts from this year’s festbest and brightest.
958 comments » | Anthony Da Costa, Festival Coverfolk, Gandalf Murphy, Joe Crookston, Lindsay Mac, Nerissa and Katryna Nields, Randall Williams, The Beatles, The Strangelings, Tracy Grammer
Covered In Folk: The Beatles, Part 2 (Signature Songs and Solo Projects)
December 10th, 2007 — 02:39 am
John Lennon died 27 years ago, on December 8th, 1980; I was seven, and the event was meaningless. But since then, like every one of you, I’ve absorbed the Beatles canon — which means, among other things, recognizing the loss of musical potential and statesmanship that marks Lennon’s passing.
Mostly, it’s the statesmanship I recognize. Though each Beatle — both the still-going and the dearly departed — went on to a fruitful solo career after the band broke up, for me, the Beatles as a cultural phenomenon are as much more a sum of their parts as they are musically. I mean, I know the music blogosphere is full of powerful Lennon tributes tonight, but by definition music blogs promote that which you haven’t really heard yet. Ask the average non-audiophile to sing a Beatles song, and the odds are they know dozens; ask them to sing a post-Beatles song, and they might be able to mangle their way through the first verse and chorus of a radio hit or or two.
Of course we know Beatles songs; it’s not like we have much choice. Over three centuries past their break-up, it remains a cultural rite of passage to grow familiar with the works of the Beatles. But their solo work has credibility on a smaller scale. As a member of the first post-Beatles generation, I never really took to the work of Paul or Ringo, with or without bands and mates, and my sense of the genius of Harrison and Lennon was mostly a peripheral awareness that there was more there than I was seeing from a distance, that some day I might like to listen to their work a little more closely.
In many cases, it was covers that brought me to to appreciate the continued later-in-life talents of the Beatles boys for what they were: individual talents, still powerful without each other. Great songwriters live forever, in the coverworld. That there are so many wonderful folk covers of the songs of the Beatles boys, both pre- and post-breakup, says what it needs to about their individual talents.
Today, in memory and in honor, over twenty coversongs from the fringes of the folkworld, our largest post ever here at Cover Lay Down. Including stellar folkversions of songs from the solo careers of Paul, George, and John, and some signature Beatles songs generally acknowledged as primarily a product of a single Beatlesboy. Plus a second set of select covers sung by a few of the boys themselves, as a little bonus.
The Songs of John Lennon
Alison Crowe, Imagine (orig. Lennon)
Keb’ Mo’, Imagine (orig. Lennon)
Rosie Thomas, Love (orig. Lennon)
Damien Rice, Happy Christmas (War is Over) (orig. Lennon)
Harry Nilsson, You Can’t Do That (Lennon; orig Beatles)
The Subways, You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (Lennon; orig. Beatles)
The Songs of George Harrison
Girlyman, My Sweet Lord (orig. Harrison)
Tanya Donelly, Long, Long, Long (Harrison; orig. Beatles)
The Bacon Brothers, If I Needed Someone (Harrison, orig. Beatles)
Jake Shimabukuro, While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Harrison; orig. Beatles)
Nils Okland, While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Harrison, orig. Beatles)
The Songs of Paul McCartney
Ron Sexsmith, Listen To What The Man Said (orig. Wings)
Jem, Maybe I’m Amazed (orig. McCartney)
Dust Poets, Veronica (orig. Costello/ McCartney)
Mark Erelli, I’ll Follow The Sun (McCartney, orig. beatles)
The Songs of Ringo Starr
George Harrison, It Don’t Come Easy (orig. Starr, poss. w/ Harrison)
Sufjan Stevens, What Goes On (Lennon/McCartney/Starr, orig. Beatles)
I’ve thought long and hard about how to direct you to purchase and support today’s coverartists, but ultimately, I decided that today is about George, Ringo, Paul, and most especially John. If, after you hear these incredible covers, you want more information about the recent and universally awesome albums of the artists covering these songs, ask me about them in the comments, or head on over to good old google, type in an artist’s full names in quotation marks, and hit “I feel lucky” to buy direct from any artist’s website.
Today’s Bonus coversongs: The Beatles Boys Cover…
George Harrison, Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (orig. Arlen/Koehler)
Ringo Starr and Stevie Nicks, Lay Down Your Arms (orig. Harry Nilsson)
Harry Nilsson w/ John Lennon, Many Rivers to Cross (orig. Jimmy Cliff)
previously: Covered In Folk: The Beatles, Part 1.
517 comments » | Allison Crowe, Covered in Folk, Damien Rice, Dust Poets, Elvis Costello, George Harrison, Girlyman, Harry Nilsson, Jem, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ron Sexsmith, Tanya Donelly, The Beatles
Rani Arbo Covers: The Beatles, Springsteen, Holiday Songs and more!
November 28th, 2007 — 11:45 am
Rani Arbo knows good music. As sole female member of New England’s premier folkgrass roots combo Salamander Crossing, she was the stunning, crystal-clear voice behind some of my absolute favorite originals and interpretations of songs from the traditional to the popular. She was also founding member of honkytonk act Girl Howdy, where she lent her crisp fiddle-playing to a fun, authentic group of women that moved on without her before recording a lick. And, since the turn of the century, as the leader of Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, she’s been consistently blowing the minds of those who thought folk-tinged bluegrass was nothing more than country music in disguise.
I’ve been lucky enough to have seen this amazing artist in small venues in all three of her musical incarnations. Over that time, I’ve seen Arbo — who originally presented herself as just one vocalist/instrumentalist among several in Salamander Crossing’s first release — grow into a powerful vocalist, arranger, and bandleader, first tentatively, and then with the kind of easy, grinning confidence and control that brings her name to the front of the marquee.
There’s a reason why reviewers compared Salamander Crossing’s later work favorably to that of Alison Krauss and Union Station. But since then, as leader of Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem — a band which also features fellow ex-Salamander Crossing member Andrew Kinsey and Arbo’s husband, percussionist Scott Kessel — Rani and her cohorts have gone far beyond the simple genre-work of Krauss. From their first release, each Daisy Mayhem album has spanned an incredibly broad spectrum of style, from honkytonk to folk to blues to bluegrass to swing — and with the support of her powerful bandmates, each of whom contributes to authorship, arrangement, and leadership, Rani makes it all work exquisitely.
Rani Arbo’s life hit a snag a few years ago when she was diagnosed with cancer just around the time she and Kessel became parents. During that time, Rani stopped touring much, and we moved away from the Northern Massachusetts region that Rani calls home; I haven’t seen her live in a while, with or without her incredible band of musical cohorts. But now, after a four year gap between albums, Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem are back in swing. Critics love their newest release Big Old Life, which like their previous ventures, is a solid mix of up- and down-tempo traditional songs, originals, and just plain fun. (It also includes some sweet covers of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen songs.) I think you’ll love it, too.
Today, a history in covers — both in the hopes that you’ll support Rani and the rest by picking up their catalog, and in celebration of an artist that, like the beautiful and ever-changing musical phoenix that she is, keeps rising from the ashes to shine once again. Listen for a range of musical styles, the playful stretching of a still-evolving musician comfortable in every mode from slow ballad to acoustic swing to the familiar bluegrass style made popular by Alison Krauss. Then listen again. Then buy. And repeat, ad infinitum.
One note before we get to the tuneage. There’s a lot of music here today, but only because it was damn hard to keep from posting every song on every album. Instead of just going for the “popular” covers, why not try ‘em all for once? I promise your ears will thank you.
Salamander Crossing, Things We Said Today (orig. The Beatles)
(from Salamander Crossing)
Salamander Crossing, Two Faces Have I (orig. Bruce Springsteen)
(from Passion Train)
Salamander Crossing, Five Days in May (orig. Blue Rodeo)
Salamander Crossing, Ain’t Gonna Work Tomorrow (trad.)
(from Bottleneck Dreams)
Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, Limo To Memphis (orig. Guy Clark)
Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, I Do My Cryin’ At Night (orig. Lefty Frizzel)
(from Cocktail Swing)
Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, O, Death (trad. / Bessie Jones)
Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, Turtle Dove (trad.)
(from Gambling Eden)
Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, Oil in My Vessel (trad.)
(from Big Old Life)
Rani Arbo, I Saw Three Ships (trad.)
Waters, Moore, and Arbo, Nowell Sing We (trad.)
(from Wonderland: A Winter’s Solstice Celebration)
Still wavering? To make purchasing easy, I’ve linked each album mentioned above directly to a purchase page at long-time Pioneer Valley folklabel Signature Sounds, which is currently offering their yearly artist sampler free with any purchase. This years sampler includes Winterpills, Crooked Still, new work from previously featured folkartist Peter Mulvey, unreleased Erin McKeown and more!
Today’s bonus coversongs:
Electric bar-blues band the Tarbox Ramblers cover O, Death
Mountain music pioneer Ralph Stanley covers O, Death, too
Yesterday’s bonus coversongs:
Salamander Crossing covers Shawn Colvin’s Shotgun Down the Avalanche
Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem cover John Carson’s The Farmer Is The Man
746 comments » | Bruce Springsteen, Guy Clark, Holiday Coverfolk, Lefty Frizzel, Ralph Stanley, Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, Salamander Crossing, The Beatles
Covered In Folk: The Beatles, Part 1 "More popular than Jesus"
October 26th, 2007 — 10:34 am
Is there really anything left to say about the Beatles? Given the covercontext, perhaps only this:
The Beatles canon is etched indelibly on the popular psyche. On one level, these are all folk songs, if only by their memetic virtue. Sooner or later they are played on every busker’s corner. And every one of us smiles and sings, faintly, under our breath as they pass by.
And one reason the songbook sticks so well in the brainpan is how simple, how elegant, how open the pages are to interpretation. Chords, lyric, tone and timbre, their mutability in the hands of even a single genre is astounding.
I have almost as many folk covers of Beatles songs as I do covers of Dylan songs. Most are excellent. Today, I’ll be using our first of what promises to be a very fruitful Covered In Folk series on the Fab Four to introduce a few deserving folksingers and coversources we just plain hadn’t heard from yet. For some reason, today’s songs all begin with the letter I.
Sam Phillips, I Wanna Be Your Man
Alison Krauss, I Will
The Paperboys, I’ve Just Seen A Face
Allison Crowe, In My Life
Nellie McKay, If I Needed Someone
That last cut, at least, is from This Bird Has Flown: A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles’ Rubber Soul. You need this record; happily, the folks who made it want to sell it to you.
The Sam Phillips cover is from a recent all-covers soundtrack to Crossing Jordan; the soundtrack is so amazing, it almost makes me wish we had television in my house. You’ll be hearing more of this disk here over the next few years, but get it now, because CD Universe has it for under 8 bucks!
Now That I’ve Found You, a collection of Alison Krauss covers and B-sides, is available direct from the Rounder Records label; it’s a great CD to start with if you don’t own any of her work.
Songwriter and mistress of coversongs Allison Crowe beat out Johnny Cash, Ben Lee, Chantal Kreviazuk and Shawn Colvin covers of In My Life at the last minute. Buy or download all Crowe’s albums via Rubenesque – her own label – and you’ll know why this Canadian youngster is one to watch for the next half-century.
The Paperboys bring in da Canadian Celtic folk-rock via CD Baby so you can bring it on home. They do a great All Along The Watchtower, too.
Today’s bonus coversong beginning with I:
Keb’ Mo’ covers Lennon’s Imagine
963 comments » | Alison Krauss, Allison Crowe, Covered in Folk, Keb' Mo', Nellie McKay, Sam Phillips, The Beatles, The Paperboys
Peter Mulvey: Ten Thousand Mornings (Los Lobos, The Beatles, U2, and more)
I first encountered Peter Mulvey at the 2003 Green River Festival, where he appeared as part of lo-fi folk covergroup Redbird along with folk blues artist Jeffrey Foucault and his recent bride, the full-voiced Kris Delmhorst. Though at the time I was more impressed with the others, it is Mulvey’s interpretations I keep coming back to — though Delmhort’s work is sweet simplicity, and Foucault can play the blues like nobody’s business, it is Mulvey who has the versatility of the true cover artist, and the knack of bringing new meaning to a wide breadth of song.
Peter Mulvey fans speak mostly of his songwriting and guitarplay, which play off the similar strings but equally defined style of his constant sideman and collaborator David “Goody” Goodrich to create a rich slackstring sound; Mulvey’s voice falls more into the Tom Waits and Dylan camps, full of feeling but hardly melodic. As a member of Redbird, this lends a rough edge to harmonies. As a solo cover artist, though, the spare voice recasts lyrics powerfully.
Nowhere is this more evident than in Ten Thousand Mornings, a 2002 album of covers — the up-and-coming folksinger’s bread and butter — recorded live in Mulvey’s old stomping grounds: the Davis Square subway station just outside of Boston. It’s a neat concept, designed to call to his roots as a struggling busker, and it works exceptionally well: the echoes of the brick and tile underground lend an air of realism, and the trains and passersby screech and shuss, becoming part of the music, making the experience — and the songs — truly live.
It’s hard to pick just two cuts from this album, both because there’s so many gems and because there’s a surprising diversity among them, given that most are just a guy and his guitar (and his guy, and his guitar). In the end, I decided to save his best covers of folk artists for other posts, so you’ll have to wait for his amazing interpretation of Dar Williams’ The Ocean, and his Elvis Costello, Gillian Welch, and Dylan covers. Two of my remaining favorites from the subway series, the second with backup from Jennifer Kimball Anita Suhanin (thanks, anonymous fact-checker!):
Peter Mulvey, Two Janes (orig. Los Lobos)
Peter Mulvey, For No One (orig. The Beatles)
Ten Thousand Mornings is one of many fine Peter Mulvey records from folk label Signature Sounds; Mulvey sells them directly through his website, so you know where he prefers that you buy them. And now you know why you should, too.
Peter Mulvey unplugs and overhauls U2′s The Fly
Mulvey croons 1930s classic You Meet The Nicest People In Your Dreams
Redbird make Moonglow their own
1,036 comments » | Los Lobos, Peter Mulvey, Redbird, The Beatles, U2 |
The red deer’s rut of the September of 2018 will remain engraved within our memories. The excessive heat (more than 30 degrees Celsius during the day, or 86 degrees Fahrenheit) delayed the deer’s rut. The lack of water in Charente-Maritime (more than two months without rain) did not permit the ferns or the trees to develop themselves correctly during the summer.
Nevertheless, all 6 photographers were successful in realizing some very beautiful photographs including red deer and wild boars. These exceptional weather conditions did not hinder their enthusiasm or obstinacy in creating beautiful photographs in a realm of nature which remains above all else exceptionally beautiful and unique.
The participants to the wildlife photo workshop dedicated to the rut of the red deer in France in 2018 : Annik, Jean-Philippe, Pierre, James, Dominique and Pascale.
Charente-Maritime did not escape the phenomenon which has impacted every region of France where the deer’s rut can be photographed. The elevated and abnormal temperatures did not allow the doe to go into heat. The bucks did not get excited. They did not experience the habitual increase and rise in testosterone. The deer’s rut was more discrete than those preceding years in Haute-Saintonge.
Each and every morning, we placed a photographer in a strategic position for their stakeout. It’s just about the only moment in time where the deer come out of the forest in order to rut a bit and feed themselves. Next, as the temperatures would rise, sometimes even reaching some 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), the bucks and does would return back into the forest in search of both coolness and shade. They would but reemerge at around 1800 hours (6 p.m.) as the temperatures descended with the approach of night.
When the bucks aren’t crying out, it is difficult to locate them. In addition, the locations of the event in question have changed. We’ve had to go over our entire strategy once again as well as focus on the usual locations where we’ve tended to position our blinds and plan our stakeouts.
Despite these issues, the photographers were able to adapt to these unusual conditions in order to create beautiful wildlife photographs with very beautiful decors.
Another strange phenomenon from this year of 2018 concerns the abundance of wild boars and especially their young piglets.
Normally, when the deer’s rut begins, the wild boars hide themselves amongst the neighboring forests and undergrowths. As to be expected, throughout this period bucks become violent and do not hesitate to lash out and throw passing kicks, hits and glances to the woods around them. The wild boars whom usually inhabit these parts prefer to from thereon stick to the said undergrowths, there where the trees act as a sort of barrier to the deer by bothering them and getting in their way.
Yet Autumn is also the season of acorns and chestnuts. Wild boars love to feast upon these by eating those having fallen down unto the forest floors.
Yet this year of 2018 during which everything is strange, the wild boars were quite many in number to roam back out into the open prairies so as to dig up wads and packs of dirt in search of earthworms and other large insects.
The most extraordinary part of all this however was the sheer mass proliferation of very young wild boar piglets whom still sported their spots and stripes. Truth be told, the year of 2017 was abundant with food. Certain young sows grew fat quite late within the mating season as nuts were abundant. They gave birth to piglets even later down the line. It is for this reason that we observed so many young wild boar piglets.
The rendezvous point was preordained as a group in Charente-Maritime just before noon to meet up and prepare ourselves a hearty lunch in the typical and local flavor of cuisine. It was undoubtedly the occasion for us to better get to know each other and present our plans for this photography workshop.
Once each individual had had their rooms and bunking arrangements worked out, we set off in a Land Rover in a reconnaissance mission of some 800 hectares (~1977 acres) of forests, undergrowths, woods, ponds and prairies that would, for the following six days, serve as our photographic playing field. Each participant was equipped with a map to inform them of the various pedestrian roads and tracks, the important locations marked so as to provide orientation at their discretion.
At around 5 p.m., once the sun had started to fall slowly back down towards the horizon, it was time to put things into motion. We divided up our sandbox into large geographic zones, with each of these said divisions encompassing some 150 hectares (~370 000 acres) to themselves.
For this first outing and day, we take two of the participants for a unique and specialized training session. This act repeats itself every day of the workshop’s duration. The photography trip begins in earnest. The rendezvous time is set for dinner at 8:30 p.m.
This year we changed things up a little regarding the workshop’s organization.
Usually, we drop off photographers in different zones in order for them to do their stakeouts. Following that, they can then wander and hunt at their leisure should the animals be lying low or making themselves scarce at the time.
Near the end of each photo session which lasts around 4 hours, each intern would then have to reach a rally point in order to be picked up via a 4x4. It was simpler as none of us otherwise knew where the others had gone. The region is vast, so not always accessible by car. Yet this technique was tiring for the photographers and took away from some of the time that could have otherwise been spent on continued observation and photography.
This year, each intern would send us an SMS (text message) to indicate their exact position and we would come and pick them up no matter where they were. The interns appreciated it as they could now make best use of the available lighting all the way ‘till each session’s end.
Every day followed the same ritual. A filling breakfast is expected at 5:30 a.m. every morning. The departure time, either on foot or by Land Rover, is previewed by 6 a.m. Certain areas are rather far off from the house. The most effective method we could come up with was to drop off the photographers at predetermined locations to have them endure unnecessary two-hour long walks. Next, they would either set up shop with their blinds or continue on walking and attempt an approach by stealth.
Every session we accompany a lone photographer to teach him new techniques and their section’s terrain and topography. In reality, the ability to achieve good images and wildlife photographs necessitates an almost perfect knowledge of the surrounding environment in question. We show them the locations of the most favored ponds for animal bathing, mud baths for wild boars, bushes for bucks and brambles in whence roe deer find shelter. Only the day’s chosen photographer has a camera. We bring only our pair of binoculars. We have not come along to take photos but to teach how to take them.
The time of return in the morning is set at 11 a.m. at the latest. We from thereon engage in a quick image review so as to ascertain our progress, answer questions and offer suggestions and ideas in order to improve the next batch of images. Throughout this stay, every participant has presented us with some five images daily.
From a technical standpoint, as the photographers’ level of expertise was elevated, we chose to broach the subject of artistic animal and wildlife photography. These somewhat new concepts have encountered great success among the participants. This proves yet again our profound interest and trust in our ACAPN method to realize photos based on nature.
Following a very hefty and very rich lunch as the physical expenditures are intense, comes the so eagerly awaited midday nap for rest and recuperation.
At around 3 p.m., we meet up once more within the auditorium for an informational expose. Wildlife and animal photography require specific settings and adjustments in terms of software. Every day, we have developed new subjects so as to approach subjects including trimming, the reduction of noise pollution, all the whilst broaching issues such as pixel quality and image definition. All forms of technical subjects are taken into account, even the exporting of photos with added watermarks.
This year of 2018 really isn’t a good year for the deer’s rut. The deer didn’t cry out all that much. It doesn’t have the same amount of energy or activity as the previous years did. It’s too hot. The lighting is present, but the vegetation is not a beautiful as it usually is. However, there is always something with which to occupy oneself. The animals are very skittish as they cry out less often. When deer rut, they pay less attention to us. This year isn’t an easy one as the herds are spread out all over the place. You’ve got to search through a lot of forest.
I didn’t capture as many snapshots and images as usual, but I think I realized some excellent ones. Notably, I realized one whilst in a blind one morning. There’s a pond in the background. The lighting is beautiful. There are gorse bushes in the foreground. It’s the kind of photo you know will pan out well when you press the trigger. It’s a superbly satisfying type of sensation.
The ambiance this year, once again, was truly sympathetic. We had a riot of laughter.
Concerning the organization, the fact that this year you come and pick us up at a location of our choice is a real boon. I’m all for it to the max. I think it’s superb. The act of sending you an SMS (text message) to tell you where we are, avoiding having to walk back towards a rally point, this saves time. We can stick around longer to conduct actual photography.
It’s really comfortable. For example, at the end of the day accompanied by some beautiful lighting conditions we can stick around longer.
I’ll keep in mind that this year there were a lot of young wild boar piglets. They’re still wearing their ‘pajamas’. They come up real close to the blinds. It’s incredible. I had a feast concerning the wild boars.
Despite the somewhat difficult conditions in this year of 2018 due to the excessive heat and that the deer’s rut was only just beginning, this workshop went along smoothly. I realized some very beautiful photos.
This year as opposed to the last, it was difficult locating the deer as we couldn’t hear them. Yet in the end it was a real challenge as we needed to find them. Despite these very peculiar conditions, I am very happy.
This year, you accentuated your artistic approach in terms of the wildlife amongst your exposes. I adored it. I’m completely convinced. However, it is not an easy thing to apply while out on the field. Yet I also learned that I needed to apply this creative aspect during the development of my images. With every workshop I participate in along with yourself, my level of expertise increases a notch. I really appreciated your method for defining each individual’s artistic profile.
This year, I found that the deer were even more powerful than they were last year. They seemed bigger, taller, larger. I photographed an enormous number of does but especially wild boar piglets. We can find them everywhere. I happened to find myself nose to snout with some piglets on the various small forest paths.
The ambiance throughout this workshop was the best that I’d ever known. Is it because I was more receptive? We laughed a lot. Everyone had their own style. It was enriching.
This year, I found the fact that you could come and pick us up at the location of our choice to be more practical. We didn’t have to come to a rally point. Once on the terrain, we focus on nothing but our photographs. That’s all. It’s superb. At most we walk some 50 meters and you come back to pick us up. It’s complete and total liberty and freedom.
If I had to conserve a nice moment from this workshop it would be from yesterday afternoon. First of all, you helped me find a nice spotting location. It’s not always evident as you have to know how to handle the lighting and the wind. Finally, we succeeded in photographing the deer. The preceding day I’d taken only 3 photos. Yesterday I shot an enormous number of pictures. It was awesome.
This year was bizarre due to the excessive heat. The herds did not completely form themselves. I saw for example a herd composed of three bucks and some fifty or so does. The bucks tolerated each other. It’s not normal. The rut has begun but it’s rather timid. This year it’s really difficult. It’s too hot. In France’s Vercors Mountains there’s the same problem.
Despite these peculiar conditions, the rut in the region of Charente-Maritime is superb. The decors are magnificent. Yet I have not yet accomplished those photographs that I wanted to create.
I came to Haute-Saintonge for the birth of the fawns during the summer. I awaited the fall season with impatience. Yet it has not yet begun. The colors are not yet present. The lack of water renders the present colors strange. Really a bizarre year.
Your technical exposes on artistic wildlife photography were very interesting. They opened new doors for me. I’ve begun to reflect upon my approach in terms of a professional photographer. I will put into practice everything which you explained to us. Yet on this type of terrain it’s difficult. But I’ll hold on. My job has changed. Your technical exposes are a real plus. Without them, we’d be doing basic, normal photos.
The ambiance as is the habit was excellent. We had a good laugh. The photographers are perfect.
The organization surrounding this rut of the deer was perfect as usual. Everything is going well. We let ourselves get carried away. We focus on nothing but our photos.
If I had to preserve a good memory from this week, it would be that of Monday’s afternoon. I had the chance at 1800 hours or 6 p.m. to see a buck cry out some 6 meters (~20 feet) ahead of me. The observation was exceptional. Yet the week’s ambiance was great as well.
I am delighted by having participated in this workshop. I am someone who’s really connected and plugged in. I spend a lot of my time on the internet. I’d discovered your workshops. I told myself that by coming along with yourself, I’d certainly be able to concentrate uniquely on the deer’s rut. I’d read the previous photographers’ comments and testimonies. I came with complete confidence. It also happens that among my acquaintances, I knew someone who’d been along on one of your workshops.
My general impressions of this workshop are very good. The welcoming was sympathetic. The cadre of people were enchanting. The house which you rent was very nice. The beds are comfortable. It’s very important. During this workshop, we spend a lot of time in the field. It’s important that everything be comfortable.
By coming on this workshop centered around the deer’s rut, I wanted to see some deer. I’m from Alsace. Encounters with deer are not guaranteed. I also wanted some nice decors. Here the oaks and gorse bushes are magnificent. I would have liked photographing the deer whilst they were in water. It will be difficult to do during this workshop. This workshop answered all of my wishes. There was always something to photograph.
The ambiance during this workshop was very nice. I wanted to encounter new photographers to discuss technique. The participants mingled amicably and got along well.
The organization is very good. I find you very close to your photographers. You’re a really cool person, chill too. Being with you is a fun experience.
If I had to preserve a good memory from this week, it would be your exposes pertaining to artistic photography. I really appreciated them. I learned that a photographer must make use of his feelings and being when creating his images. It’s very important to me.
The deer’s rut is a bit of a break during the year. It’s a beautiful break as the forest is magnificent. The animals are beautiful. It really is an occasion to realize beautiful photos.
I’ve already come along with you multiple times on your workshops. This year was particular. The weather is magnificent with copious sunlight and lots of heat. We don’t hear the bucks crying out. It’s too hot. I didn’t realize that many photos. But that’s okay as I’d also come along for the ambiance, for the forest, the stay and the friends.
Your workshops are very open and accepting. Ideally, they would also be for creating nice photos. This year, there will be fewer but very beautiful.
The ambiance this year was perfect. I’d known only one photographer. Everyone was very friendly.
This year with your patrolling system where you come pick us up from our stakeout positions was practical. When we’re dropped off rather deep within the forest, we can stay there without having to come back towards a rally point. This avoids us having to sometimes walk several kilometers or miles.
If I had to conserve a nice memory from this workshop centered around the deer’s rut, it would be that of a small red fox who came to see me as I was doing a stakeout in a ditch. He passed by and in front of me by some 10 meters (~33 feet). As I wasn’t moving, he didn’t get scared. Thereafter, a wild boar passed by running. When using blinds, the advantage is that the animals can come rather close without getting scared.
Due to conditions pertaining to the weather, I have not yet been able to photograph a deer rutting (even if I could hear them doing so). On the other hand, however, I did witness, and photograph bucks locked in combat. The workshop was very welcoming and friendly. We all ate to our hearts’ contents. The ambiance was excellent. |
(Paper for a Humanist Philosophers’ Group seminar on 3 June, 2010: a revised version of a paper I gave at a European Humanist Federation side-meeting at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw in September 2009.)
International human rights instruments endorse the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Manifestation of religion or belief is to be restricted only when necessary “in the interests of public safety, for the protection of public order, health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others”. The OSCE’s Guidelines for Review of Legislation pertaining to Religion or Belief state that:
It is important . . . that specific statutory exemptions be drafted and applied in a way that is fair to those with conscientious objections but without unduly burdening those who do not have such objections.
I want to explore that borderline between being fair to those with conscientious objections and unduly burdening those who do not have such objections.
Now, our consciences are a concomitant of our existence as moral beings – they are of the essence of our being human. Conscientious behaviour is the foundation of society, and in a liberal society under rule of law consciences will generally prick us into cooperative and mutually beneficial behaviour. They will clash with the social norms and laws of the society only at the margins. But the fundamental importance of conscience to our humanity is such that society should as a rule seek to accommodate the minority whose consciences point in different directions from those of the majority.
Laws dealing with conscientious objection originated with war.(1) Noone can be in doubt that recognising the legitimacy of conscientious objection in wartime was an advance in civilised values. How barbarous it was for the state to force people to kill other human beings against their innermost feelings of moral revulsion. So it must be welcome that we now allow conscientious objectors to appeal to official tribunals that are charged with assessing whether each objection is based on genuine religious or moral principles.
When laws to legalise abortion in defined circumstances were introduced it seemed a logical extension of this principle that a right was usually included for doctors and nurses not to take part if they had conscientious objections.
But in recent years there have been claims that the principle should be extended in many ways that are much less obviously justified. These claims have come almost entirely from religious – mainly Christian – sources. Real or plausible examples – which go far beyond the fairly narrow range of cases cited in the OSCE Guidelines – include the following.
• In Britain recently a magistrate claimed the right not to preside over cases involving laws of which he disapproved: specifically, dealing with the legal adoption of children by lesbian and gay couples.
• Some nurses refuse to take part in IVF (in vitro fertilisation) on the grounds that it involves creating and discarding ‘spare’ embryos, which they regard as the murder of other human beings.
• Some pharmacists – Christian and Muslim – refuse to dispense the so-called ‘morning after’ contraceptive pill on the (disputed) grounds that it brings about an abortion (it prevents implantation, which is abortion only if you regard life as starting with fertilisation).
• Soon, maybe, some doctors will refuse to provide treatments developed with the use of foetal tissue or embryonic stem cells. (This and much more were proposed for legal recognition in a Bill in the US state of Wisconsin a few years ago – see BMJ 2006; 332;294-297).
• Plymouth(2) and Exclusive Brethren parents refuse to allow their children to use computers or the Internet in school on the ground that they are diabolical inventions.
• Some Muslim parents on grounds of religious conscience refuse to allow their children to take part in art classes at school if they have to draw human figures – or indeed anything from nature, or (similarly) to take part in physical education unless in single-sex groups and unless the girls especially are swathed in modesty-protecting garments.
• Some people employed as cooks have claimed a right not to work with pork, or with non-halal or non-kosher meat or with alcohol.
• Some people refuse to work on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays, depending on their religion.
• Back in the health field, medical students may refuse to undertake parts of their training – say about contraception or abortion or about embryonic research – on conscientious grounds.
• Again, people who let rooms in their own houses already have the right to refuse gays as lodgers: they say their consciences would be offended by having homosexual acts happening on their premises. Now there is a religious lobby to extend this right to hotels run as businesses – and then to allow all businesses – “Christian” garages, “Muslim” printers and so on – to pick and choose whom they will and will not do business with.
• And – in a further extension of the sensitive religious susceptibility – there are those doctors whose consciences cannot be satisfied merely by refusing to undertake (say) abortions but who claim the right not to reveal the reasons why they are refusing and not to refer their patients to another doctor. Similar provisions were written into the recent timid Bill from Lord Joffe to allow assisted dying for the terminally ill – a Bill nevertheless massively opposed by religious interests.
Are all these claims for conscientious objection acceptable? Many of us would think not. In past ages, far less respect was paid to people’s conscientious feelings, and they had unenviable tough decisions to make about the extent to which they took the risk of obeying their own principles. That might seem undesirable to our more tender age, but we need to examine the consequences of allowing unlimited appeal to conscience.
Let me leave aside the question whether it might lead to cynical manipulation of the privilege for personal advantage – although this is a serious risk and was of course the reason for tribunals being brought in to deal with wartime claims of conscientious objection.
The real issue is: what would it mean for other people and for society as a whole? Obviously it usually means that someone else has to do the work – perhaps bear a greater burden. But it is not just co-workers who are involved, for one person’s right to opt out of a duty is too often another’s loss of a right to access a service. Alternatively or in addition it may mean that other people are conspicuously singled out for discriminatory, unfair treatment.
As for society, it depends on people’s behaviour being to a large extent predictable and reliable – the more so when public officials and public services and laws are involved. This could be threatened if conscientious objection became so widespread that the reliability of public services and the fairness of official behaviour became unpredictable. Ultimately, it would be impossible to run reliable public services. Some doctors would not be fully trained. It might be impossible to get some prescriptions dispensed. Courts would fail to administer the law decided by Parliament. Women seeking abortions would be advised against it by their doctors without being told that the advice was not medical but an expression of the doctor’s religious beliefs. Religious organisations would compete to demonstrate their power by pressurising their followers to exercise their rights of conscientious objection. (The Roman Catholic church is organising concerted campaigns in Italy at this moment to persuade pharmacists to refuse to dispense the ‘morning after’ pill despite its being legal.) And when that happens the question becomes political – conscientious objections are generated artificially.
How to tell the difference between a conscientious objection and a prejudice? Is there in the last analysis a difference? Was it religious principle that led the Christians in the Dutch Reformed Church in apartheid South Africa to treat blacks as an inferior species – or sheer race prejudice? If people’s baser instincts or culturally induced hatreds can be dressed up as matters of principle, religion or conscience, where shall we end up? – with a society that offers legitimacy under certain conditions to discrimination that would otherwise be illegal, against gays or divorcees or single mothers (and their children), other ethnic groups, other races (in a recent case a Jewish school pleaded religious exemption from the laws against race discrimination) or religions (remember how, for example, the Roman Catholics suffered in some countries including England over centuries). A society might result where conscientious objection is accepted as a legitimate reason for people to opt out of fulfilling the duties of their employment or position. Conscientious objection in that case, one might decide, is a luxury that society cannot always afford to indulge!
But the other end of this spectrum, opposite this carte blanche for prejudice and dereliction of duty, is an enforced uniformity that does not accommodate deeply held principles of pacifism, or religious duty, or other deep conscientious beliefs.
Lines have to be drawn. But where? Criteria are needed by which we can decide which exercises of conscientious objection are acceptable and should be accommodated in our laws and procedures – and which not. What would those criteria be? Or at least, without defining them in detail, what would they be about? We need to examine the problems involved in each case and the way that plausible criteria would work out in practice, what the logic of each would be and how each could be justified and what objections to it might be raised.
So, what criteria should inform our laws? [See at the annex to this paper a list of distinctions that it may be useful to bear in mind in considering this complex topic of the individual wishing to behave in a non-conforming way on the basis of conscientious (mainly religious) beliefs. They take in claims to be allowed to wear religious symbols, which I have not dealt with in the body of the paper.]
One possible criterion, of course, is that the claimed conscientious objections should be genuine, not pretended. But that does not get us far.
Is the right criterion, then, to do with the strength of the conscientious feeling itself? One might well imagine that the revulsion someone feels against being forced to kill might be greater and more compelling than someone else’s objection to dispensing a medicine. But the criteria we adopt need to be capable of objective administration. The strength of internal feelings is not in that class. Besides, it would be odd if one person’s objection was ruled legitimate and another person’s identical objection was rejected because his feelings were judged less profound.
Or is it that religious objections should carry more weight since they are based on heavenly commands and immortal souls are at stake? But religious objections are not the only or even the most profound ones at stake: non-religious people have as strong consciences as the religious. Albeit they are more aligned in general to the patterns of liberal democratic societies, some non-religious people have very strong ethical objections to euthanasia, some to abortion in particular circumstances. Moreover – as mentioned – religious objections are to some extent learnt before being felt – formulated and generated outside the individual’s conscience – whereas typically a non-religious conscientious objection is very strictly personal, arising from freestanding deep feelings or principles. Besides, new religions can be created all too easily and might well be created to provide ‘cover’ for prejudiced behaviour.
One might argue therefore that the acceptability of a conscientious objection is to do with comparatively objective criteria: for example –
∙ whether the person claiming the right of objection is in a public or private role
∙ the centrality of the principle at stake to a recognised religion or lifestance
∙ the proximity of the action the person refuses to perform to the matter to which conscientious objection is taken
∙ the social consequences of the objection being accepted
∙ the effects on other individuals involved.
Let me look at each of these in turn.
Should the criterion be whether the person claiming the right of conscientious objection is in a public or private role? Certainly there is something odd about someone taking on a public official role – as a magistrate, for example – and then objecting to performing the required duties. Should people with objections to carrying out the duties of a public position take it on in the first place – especially if dispensation of the law is involved? In fact, the magistrate in England who wanted to be able to stand down whenever he was asked to oversee an adoption by a gay couple had instead to resign. Otherwise he would have been seen as an agent of the state casting doubt on the laws of the state – an anomalous and basically unacceptable situation. Similarly, in the days of capital punishment, judges with personal objections to the death penalty had to decide either nevertheless to impose it as being part of the law of the land or to direct their careers into areas of the law where the question did not arise.
So we could certainly say that a pick-and-choose attitude to official duties is unacceptable. But does that mean that conscientious objection should be unfettered in the “private” realm? Is discriminatory behaviour based on religion or conscience to be acceptable in commerce and trade, in social relations? Should we allow hotel chains that proclaim “no gays” or “no unmarried couples” – or “no blacks” – to plead religious principles and get away with it? What of the British railway boss who is notoriously anti-gay – should he be allowed, if he wished to risk his commercial interests (which he does not), to ban gays from his trains? How different would that be from saying “No Jews”?
So there may be a difference between public and private roles – especially where “private” means domestic private life, not just “not involving public office” – but it does not provide a clear criterion of what is or is not acceptable conscientious objection.
Is it an adequate criterion then to require that the principle at stake should be central to a recognised religion or lifestance? This may seem logical at first sight but it raises unresolvable questions. It would require on the face of it that the conscientious objection related to a wider framework of belief. If you simply held as a matter of conscience that vivisection was wrong, without rationalising your feeling or fitting it into a wider explanatory framework of belief, you might find that your conscientious objection was overruled. Again, it would require official or judicial inquiry into what was or was not central to a religion or lifestance. Are judges to be required to become theologians?
Anyway, most religions do not have the central authoritative direction of the Roman Catholic church – one of the subsidiary objections to any official endorsement of sharia law is its uncertainty; and Humanism allows wide personal discretion in the application of its basic principles and shades off on all sides into various non-Humanisms that may be equally moral in nature.
Beyond that, it would open the way for religious authorities to become legal authorities, being called in to adjudicate on the authenticity or centrality to their religion or belief of an essentially personal conscientious objection. This would give powerful backing to religious authorities in any attempt they made to regulate the behaviour of their followers, imposing a group-think on moral and religious matters that would quickly become itself a denial of personal consciences.
My next suggestion was that the criterion might be the proximity of the action the person refuses to perform to the matter to which conscientious objection is taken. You might feel more sympathy with a doctor refusing to carry out an abortion than with one refusing to recognise that an abortion is a possibility – and more with the latter than with one who refuses to admit to his patient that his own conscientious objection is involved and to refer her to another doctor. One might be readier to accommodate a doctor who refused to take a post which involved in vitro fertilisation treatment than with a hospital administrator concerned with the efficiency of an IVF department. In such a case the agency involved is very remote and certainly not final or definitive. So this is a sensible distinction to make – but it still raises big difficulties for those with absolutist principles. After all, the contention that “if you will the means, you will the end” does have some logical force.
Besides, this will never be an adequate criterion in itself, since it would give carte blanche to all conscientious objections of any nature that were based on first-hand involvement. Even so, it may have a contributory role to play in our formulation of sensible criteria.
Next on my list was the social consequences of the objection being accepted. This would include the practicality of society coping with it – such as the possibility of someone else taking on the role – and the effects on social cohesion of any widespread incidence of such conscientious objections.
With this criterion we begin to find some solid ground. If the conscientious objection is exceptional and can be accommodated, little damage may be done to society’s fabric and arrangements – services will generally be provided by others taking the place of the conscientious objector. If one nurse will not assist at an abortion or in IVF treatment and another is available to take on the work, then surely this is acceptable? It amounts to something like the “reasonable accommodation” which is found in some legal frameworks for employment.
But it too is problematic. The same person with the same conscientious objection may at one time find that he is accommodated, at another not but instead (perhaps) liable for disciplinary action, simply because of the extraneous circumstance that at one time a substitute is available, at another not. And this is not just a black and white question – if the substitute can be found only by complex juggling of duties or of work schedules in a large workforce, then there is a cost in making a substitution and it is borne by the employer or institution – and therefore ultimately by the public through prices or taxes – not by the conscientious objector. It also means that the more common a conscientious objection is, the less likely it is that it can be accommodated so that the necessary work can be done.(2) A Christian commentator on an earlier version of my paper suggested that where the demand for exemption was more common – for example in Italy over abortion – a tougher line might be needed so as to ensure the availability of the service than in liberal countries where few doctors would seek exemption.(3)
More important even is the effect on the rule of law: if one person’s conscientious objection to obeying a law or fulfilling a lawful duty prevents someone else from exercising a lawful right it is not acceptable: nobody should be above the law.
Moreover, there is likely to be an effect on the cohesion of the whole society – on the commitment of its members to maintaining its institutions – if a group within the society is seen to have arrogated to itself a privileged position, standing apart from the whole and not contributing on the same basis.
Lastly, I suggested the criterion might be the effects on other individuals involved. Maybe such people would have problems accessing services to which they were entitled or not receive them at all; maybe they would suffer demeaning treatment, being discriminated against despite legal guarantees against it. Or maybe – a special case – children are involved because of their parents’ conscientious objections.
With this we confront the crux of the matter. We need to have regard not only to the feelings of those with conscientious objections to some duty or obligation but also to those others who will be personally affected if the conscientious objection is indulged. These will variously be: ∙ patients not receiving treatment they are entitled to – abortion, IVF – or medicines they have been prescribed – the morning-after pill – or having to go to special trouble to obtain such services ∙ citizens not being treated in the fair or non-discriminatory way to which they are entitled by law but receiving demeaning treatment from public institutions or from individuals in official positions – as with gays seeking to have a marriage or civil partnership registered or to have their adoption of a child formalised by the family court ∙ patients finding that the health professionals they rely on are not fully competent because they refused owing to a conscientious objection to undertake part of their training – a conscientious objection that they may no longer feel at a later stage in their lives ∙ fellow employees being expected to take on extra duties or to work more weekend shifts or otherwise suffer some cost as a result of accommodating other people’s conscientious objections ∙ people being subjected to demeaning discrimination that would otherwise be illegal but is permitted when in fulfilment of some religious conscientious objection – having some aspect of their identity held up to moral opprobrium as a demonstration of the conscientious feelings of someone whose views neither they nor society at large shares.
The price of accommodating the conscientious objections of the few is paid, in other words, not by the conscientious objector (who may instead receive a moral uplift from his conspicuous virtue) but by random members of society at large who are unhappy enough to encounter such strong upholders of what they consider virtue.
There is a special case where the third parties involved are children, notably the children of parents whose consciences will not allow them to receive the full education that their contemporaries receive (incidentally being made awkwardly “different” from their friends) or (worse) to receive the medical treatment they need. Children of the Amish in the USA are allowed to leave school to work on the land before completing statutory education: the authorities condone it or at least do nothing about it, and as a result these children go through life lacking the basic qualifications they need for employment – a substantial disincentive to leaving their isolated communities or a substantial disadvantage if they do decide to seek a new life in the city . Some fundamentalist Christians, as mentioned, seek to prevent their children being taught to use computers, which would leave them at a major disadvantage in the modern world. Children of Jehovah’s Witnesses who need blood transfusions may even die unless society steps in and through the courts overrules their parents’ conscientious objection.
Where does all this leave us? It leaves me feeling that there is a need for a lot more hard thinking about the problems and that there is no easy solution. Conscientious objection sounds virtuous but its effects are by no means wholly benign. A free-for-all unregulated endorsement of conscientious objection cannot be allowed, even on the unlikely assumption that all alleged conscientious objections are based on genuine beliefs and feelings. If a free-for-all is ruled out, then criteria are needed for deciding what is acceptable. The European Convention on Human Rights gives us some broad pointers when it talks of public safety, protection of public order, health or morals, and (especially) protection of the rights and freedoms of others – but that is too broad a formulation to be sufficient in itself.
Let me venture some tentative and interim suggestions. Conscientious action is the basis of social functioning and conscientious objections arise from the same consciences that produce altruistic and self-sacrificing behaviour based on principles and beliefs. The obligation on society to look indulgently on conscientious objection is strong, but it is not unconditional. Among the conditions placed on it might be the following:
∙ the conscientious objection should be deeply felt and preferably the conscientious objector should be able to give a coherent account of it;
∙ the conscientious objection should be to a proximate action and not to some remoter or associated matter;
∙ society should not in accommodating conscientious objections put at risk the rule of law or its social cohesion by seeming to favour one group over another;
∙ holders of public office, representing the state, the law or the community, should have less or no rights to conscientious objection, their acts being not their own but those of the public authorities or the state;
∙ the rights of others involved must have at least equal regard – the right not to suffer discrimination, to be able to access facilities and services (especially public services);
∙ children in particular must be protected from damage to their education to their health: there must be limits to their parents’ power over them.
The price of accommodating conscientious objection should be paid or at least shared by the conscientious objector himself. It may mean restricted career options or choosing between overcoming moral objections and accepting penalties such as disciplinary measures or dismissal. In wartime, after all, conscientious objectors were not let off to continue their normal lives but were assigned to alternative war work – and if they were unwilling to do that, they went to jail.
Conscientious objection may be a luxury that society can sometimes afford – but it is also a luxury that must carry a price to the conscientious objector which he may choose sometimes not to pay.
Note 1: This I now know is not accurate: the first appearance of conscientious objection in English law was to accommodate objectors to compulsory vaccination in the late 19th century.
Note 2: Another correction: this is untrue of most or all Plymouth Brethren.
Note 3: Of course, sometimes the objective of the conscientious objector may be to bring about that the work cannot be done – but that goes beyond conscientious objection, which is an individual matter, into political action, which may be a defiance of democratic decision-making about the availability of services or about guarantees of non-discrimination.
Note 4: Similarly one might argue that (for example) specialised adoption agencies serving the needs only of gays or of Christians might be acceptable if they were marginal to the mainstream service and did not purport to provide a mainstream service. But such exceptions can only be safely accepted in a context of general and undisputed equality and non-discrimination.
SOME POSSIBLY USEFUL DISTINCTIONS
Below is a list of distinctions that it may be useful for any consideration of individuals wishing to behave in a non-conforming way on the basis of conscientious (mainly religious) beliefs. Some may be fundamental and some mere distractions.
∙ the basis of the claim:
Is the claim based on
∙ religion or belief / conscience (e.g., a religious duty)
∙ something else (e.g., freedom – to dress as one wishes, wear ‘message’ badges)
∙ the context:
Is the person concerned in the circumstances
∙ a private citizen (e.g., a woman in the street or – a different matter for the French – in a public building)
∙ an employee of a private concern without a religion or belief character (e.g., a check-in clerk for BA)
∙ an employee of a private concern with a religion or belief character (e.g., of a church or religious charity)
∙ a public employee, in particular one who deals directly with the public (e.g., a registrar)
∙ a public office holder, again in particular one who deals directly with the public (e.g., a magistrate).
∙ the action:
Is the person concerned seeking the right
∙ to do something (e.g., to say prayers for a patient or wear a cross)
∙ not to do something (e.g., not to conduct civil partnership registrations)
∙ to compel others to do something (e.g., to be present at prayers – maybe in a hospice)
∙ to compel others not to do something (e.g., not to ‘defame’ religion)
∙ the nature of the claim
Is the claim based on:
∙ an established mandate or obligation of a religion or belief (e.g., do not eat pork, do say prayers five times a day)
∙ a communal custom, albeit closely associated with a religion or belief (e.g., wear the veil)
∙ a voluntary wish, albeit motivated by religion or belief (e.g., evangelise at every opportunity)
∙ the penalty
Is the person concerned at risk of suffering a more-than-nugatory religious or social penalty if denied the exemption?
∙ the consequences for others
∙ Will allowing the claim have consequences for other individuals? (e.g., needing to work disproportionately at weekends to allow for sabbath observance)
∙ Will there be foreseeable, maybe undesirable, consequences for society at large? Is the individual being ‘used’ as a stalking horse, as is arguably the present situation, with the Christian Legal Centre and other bodies seeking to make a political impact by way of individual grievances? (e.g., non-availability of morning-after pills in areas where all the pharmacists are Muslim; halal-only school meals as an economy measure to avoid two-stream kitchens). |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: hi I am a 14 year old girl who has been sucking her fingers since she was in her mums tummy.. i cant seem to stop and i have tried everything.. no creams can make me stop because i just seem to suck the stuff off. and hugging pillows or blankets doesnt give me the satisfaction of my fingers.. im really worried for my teeth .A dentist has told me before that the way i suck my teeth isnt harming the way they are.. but i still want to stop and i just dont know how. My fingers sooth me and keep me calm so i can sleep in a way nothing else can. i only do it at night and when im really tired.. please help
year old with finger sucking habit. Concerned about the teeth output: hi and welcome, Finger sucking and thumb sucking habit is very injurious as dental health is concerned. Although thumb sucking is a normal habit it causes serious teeth problems if it continues long after the eruption of permanent teeth. Prolonged finger sucking can create crowded, crooked teeth and bite problems. You may also develop speech problems or problems with swallowing properly. Protrusion and displacement of front teeth are usual results of thumb sucking. This can affect your facial appearance and cause further emotional problems. you can follow few steps to avoid the habit : Ask your family member to carefully remove your fingers from mouth during sleep Don't be in anxiety or fear. If you have any emotional problems, or under stress and you need comforting, you may need to resolve those issues first before successfully stoping the habit. Use a finger sucking guard. - your dentist might suggest the use of special devices to stop thumb sucking, called finger guards. A finger or thumb guard is a device with a plastic cover of the thumb that is attached to wrist. . Treatment with thumb guards usually lasts four weeks and helps to stop thumb sucking succesfully. i hope this helps , take care.. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: How does trazodone compare to other antidepressants in terms of efficacy and side effect profile? output: Trazodone is a serotonin receptor antagonist and reuptake inhibitor (SARI) used in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Its efficacy and side effect profile have been compared to other antidepressants, including tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
Efficacy: Trazodone has demonstrated comparable antidepressant activity to TCAs, SSRIs, and SNRIs. Clinical studies have shown that trazodone is effective in reducing depressive symptoms and promoting remission, similar to other antidepressants like sertraline and venlafaxine. Notably, trazodone may have a faster onset of action, with significant improvements in depressive symptoms observed within the first week of treatment.[1-5]
Side Effect Profile: Trazodone is generally well-tolerated with a favorable side effect profile. It has a lower risk of anticholinergic side effects, weight gain, and sexual dysfunction compared to TCAs and SSRIs. Common adverse effects include drowsiness (somnolence/sedation), headache, dizziness, and dry mouth. Orthostatic hypotension, QT interval prolongation, and rare occurrences of priapism have also been reported. Trazodone's sedative properties make it particularly useful for patients with MDD who also suffer from insomnia.[1-3][6-7]
In summary, trazodone is an effective antidepressant with a side effect profile that may be more favorable than some other antidepressants, particularly in terms of lower risks of anticholinergic effects, weight gain, and sexual dysfunction. Its sedative properties can be beneficial for patients with comorbid insomnia. |
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instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: hey my girlfriend and me are trying to have a baby but theres this thing in her vagina its like a lumpy thing i can move it round and push it also feels like theres a hole on the end! Weve tried many of times to have the baby but its just not happening, would this be the probelem? output: Hi, dairy have gone through your question. I can understand your concern. Lump in vagina can be due to some cyst or tumor. But it will not cause infertility. If you have problems in having baby then first you should go for your semen analysis. If IR is ok then go for ultrasound abdomen of your wife and then hormonal study if required. First search the cause of infertility and take treatment accordingly. Vaginal lump has no relation. Hope I have answered your question, if you have doubt then I will be happy to answer.. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Just in the past two years I ve been having a few strange problems, including shortness of breath, excessive dizziness and strange discolouration and pain in my legs. I saw many doctors who checked my blood, heart and lungs but nothing has come up, I even saw an internist. Just last night I was laying on my side and I was just started to get tired when suddenly my heart jumped and seemed to this against my ribs. It felt like it was twisting and grinding against the left side of my ribcage. It continued for a few beats and then it seemed like it stopped beating altogether. I got scared and felt for my pulse and couldn t feel it for at least a second or two. But then it started to beat steady again. After it returned to normal, I felt a wave of heat come over me and I started feeling flushed and kinda sweaty. I kind of want to tell my parents but they think I m being a wimp because the doctors haven t found anything.. Any ideas on what is wrong with me? Thanks output: Hi, After going through your question, I would suggest you must consult cardiologist because this it could be due to paroxysmal supra ventricular tachycardia (PSVT) or premature atrial or ventricular contraction or ectopic beat or LBBB/ BBB. Above terms are medical terms,maybe you won't be able to understand but if you are facing this symptoms then you must rule out above causes first. As I said first thing is to rule out cardiac causes then consult accordingly since you have consulted many doctors already.. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: can clarithromycin be given together with children advil to reduce fever (39.6). My son is 5 years old and is been running fever of 39.6 for the last 3 days. I have been giving him advil for fever. I have noticed dark circles arround his eyes and swallen eyes. Is there any and what are side effects when this medicine taken together or shortly after?Thank you very much. worried mom
Clarithromycin be given alongwith Advil to reduce fever? output: Hi...Fever of 3 days without any localizing signs could as well a viral illness. Usually rather than fever, what is more important is the activity of the child, in between 2 fever episodes on the same day. If the kid is active and playing around when there is no fever, it is probably viral illness and it doesn't require antibiotics at all. Once viral fever comes it will there for 4-7 days. So do not worry about duration if the kid is active.Paracetamol can be given in the dose of 15mg/kg/dose (maximum ceiling dose of 500mg) every 4-6th hourly that too only if fever is more than 100F. I suggest not using combination medicines for fever, especially with Paracetamol.. |
Jeff Goldblum rises from the grave on The Colbert Report...
For reasons unknown the embedding code isn't working, so the best I can do is provide a direct link. Regardless, this is a gem.
Paramount finds $2 million under a mattress, so Transformers 2 gets its $200 million five-day gross after all.
Well, the final numbers are out, and Transformers 2's three-day take was only $109 million. Yet they are still claiming that the five-day total was $200 million. How say you? Well, since he sums it up so well, I'll just borrow Brandon Gray's exposition from Box Office Mojo.
* Note: Revenge of the Fallen's weekend gross fell $3 million short of Paramount's Sunday estimate, which would have put the five-day opening at $198.2 million. Though shy of $200 million, it would have still ranked second among the all time five-day starts. However, Paramount revised its grosses from Wednesday and Thursday upward, and that's what pushed the total past $200 million. Wednesday went from $60.6 million to $62.0 million, and Thursday went from $28.6 million to $29.1 million. Paramount reported that the differences came from unreported showings from the movie's midnight openings on Wednesday night, which went from the previously reported $16 million at around 3,000 theaters to $16.8 million at close to 3,300 theaters, as well as late reports from institutional IMAX locations and theaters in Puerto Rico and some Caribbean islands (which the studio counts in its domestic numbers), which accounted for $1.1 million of the difference.
Uh... right. I'm sure that's EXACTLY what happened. I'm sure there's um, 'more than meets the eye' to this would-be box office correction.
Labels: Box Office Misc
Yes, box office write-ups are easier/better when the news is good...
Random thought for the morning: At the end of yesterday's weekend box office roundup, I decided to link to my previous Dark Knight box office columns that were tangentially related to the Transformers 2 five-day box office blowout. As I usually do when I link to an old column, I decided to read them. I discovered something amusing. The Dark Knight pieces are better written, wittier, livelier, more info-packed, and just plain more fun to read. It's obvious in retrospect, but I'm a lot happier, and thus the words and trivia flow easier, when I'm writing about the box office triumph of something I love (The Dark Knight and the Batman franchise in general) than when I'm writing about the box office triumph of something I hate (Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen). Heck, even though I didn't care much for the new Star Trek, I was enough of a fan of the franchise to be happy for its success.
Yes, box office analysis is supposed to be a subjective medium, with writers like myself making subjective conclusions based on objective numbers. But it's interesting to note how much my own feelings about a given box office champion seeps through in a given column.
Because girls only go to movies with romance in them...?
Apparently, once again, women are being told that they only go to movies for the mushy stuff. Check out this quote from David Germain's AP box office rundown:
"The sequel broadened the franchise's fan base. Females accounted for just 40 percent of the audience for the first "Transformers" but 46 percent for the sequel, (Paramount vice chairman Rob) Moore said. Much of that was due to the on-screen romance for the characters played by Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, who were relative unknowns when the first movie came out.
Really? You really think that any more than a handful of women went to see Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen because of the thirty-seconds of romantic bantering between Megan Fox and Shia LeBeouf? Right, just like the only reason women saw 300 was because of the five-minute subplot involving the queen's attempts to rally support for her husband's army. And, don't forget Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace, which drew females only because of a female-friendly subplot involving Anakin having to say goodbye to his mother in order to run off to become a Jedi. And of course, the only reason any girl would ever go to a horror film like Scream is because they enjoy the ten-minute finale where the 'last victim' empowers herself, escapes certain death and slays/stops the murderer. No, it's not that women like getting scared and/or they enjoy blood and gore too, it's purely about female empowerment fantasy if you're a female.
All the examples above were actually punditry offered in the wake of those movies' successful box office runs (all but Scream were offered on opening weekend). God forbid we acknowledge that women often see loud, violent action adventure films and intense, gruesome horror films for the same reason that guys stereotypically see them. Some women like watching stuff get blown up. Some women like laser guns, space ships, and lightsaber sword fighting. Some women like getting scared and/or watching teenagers getting hacked to death. And yes, some women love the idea of hundreds of ripped, half-naked warriors hacking each other to pieces with swords. Some women of course like that for prurient reasons, but others still just enjoy the hack/slash carnage. On that note, just as many guys saw Transformers 2 partiallyto ogle Megan Fox, I'm sure more than a few women, young and old, went to Revenge of the Fallen in part to stare at Shia LeBeouf.
It's long since time to retire the sexist notion that women only go to movies that have 'womens' issues' or have 'feminine-friendly' subplots. Women go to movies for all kinds of reasons, many of them gender-neutral. True, some women go to movies like Transformers 2 or X-Men Origins: Wolverine because their romantic partner wants to go. And yes, some women go to such movies because they find the lead actors attractive. But it should be all-too obvious that many, if not most women who go to such movies go because they like them. They go to action films for the action, scary films for the scares, and science fiction fantasy for the science fiction fantasies. It's a pretty simple idea, but the pundits and executives still haven't figured that out.
For more essays involving gender and the movies, try "Sex and the City and the differences between male and female escapist fantasy", "Yes, Twilight is sexist, but...", and "Chick Flicks that aren't" at Mendelson's Memos.
Labels: Essays
Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen does $112 million for the weekend, $201 million for the five-day opening. Second-biggest five-day of all time.
It's close, but no cigar. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen ended up $2 million behind The Dark Knight for that much-desired five-day box office record. While I'd wager that Paramount may try to bump up that 'estimate' for tomorrow's finals, the estimate itself implies that Transformers 2 only dropped 14% from Saturday to Sunday, which is a bit optimistic. The finals were be interesting, as if the number is up $2 million, Paramount gets that five-day record, but if it drops by about $2 million, it'll lose the bragging rights for the $200 million five-day gross.
Anyway, the days for Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen -
Wed - $60.6 million (biggest Wednesday ever)
Thurs - $28.6 million (biggest non-opening Thursday ever)
Friday - $36.8 million (biggest non-opening Friday ever)
Saturday - $40.6 million (awfully swell, but no records here)
Sunday - $34.6 million (also terrific, but no records broken)
Three day opening - $112 million; five-day opening - $201 million.
For the record, that makes a five-day multiplier of 3.32x. This puts it in the lower-rungs of five-day opening weekends, but it's nothing to panic about quite yet (it's smack-dab in between Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and The Matrix Revolutions). Regardless of the long-term playability, the Michael Bay sequel is the second film in history to cross $200 million in five-days. It has the second-largest five-day, six-day, and seven-day totals in history after five days. It has three days to make it to $250 million to match The Dark Knight and five days to match Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Can they tie The Dark Knight's eight-day sprint? To paraphrase the immortal words of Barack Obama and/or Bob the Builder, "No, they can't!". The Dark Knight's eighth-day was the Friday of its second opening weekend, while Transformers 2's eight-day will be July 1st, where it will face the double-whammy of Public Enemies and Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if Ice Age 3 supplants Revenge of the Fallen as number one over the long Fourth-of-July weekend.
Despite my distaste for the movie, and the somewhat predictable nature of its performance, this is a truly huge set of numbers we're dealing with here. And, make no mistake, this is exactly the kind of opening sprint that Paramount is praying for when their eventual Star Trek sequel hits theaters in a few years. We have a solid-opening original that ends up being better-liked than expected by audiences and critics, then has a sequel that EXPLODES out of the gate over its opening weekend. Sound familiar? That's the Batman/Pirates/Bourne/Transformers pattern and Paramount can settle for nothing less as it follows up the successful but way over budget Star Trek film. Of course, the word of mouth on this sequel has been less than stunning, but even the loathed Spider-Man 3 avoided anything larger than a 62% drop (although that was partially due to a complete lack of second-weekend competition). The sheer size of the five-day figure means it'll play better than Spider-Man 3 and/or X-Men: The Last Stand (domestic totals about 2.2x the 3-day opening, which Transformers 2 will equal with a mere $45 million more). We won't know the long-term picture until next weekend is complete, but pay close attention to the earliest weekday numbers. Anything below 10% of the three-day figure for Monday and Tuesday respectively is troubling. Anything approaching 5% or below is a recipe for disaster.
Meanwhile, the rest of the top ten did about as expected. The other opener, My Sister's Keeper ended up being shockingly frontloaded, as it could only parlay a $5 million opening Friday into a $12 million weekend gross (2.35x multiplier). Still, considering the super low profile and withering competition, Warner Bros should be thankful that it opened at all. The Proposal dropped a large, but not fatal, 45% and ended weekend two with a solid $69 million, guaranteeing that this will be Bullock's fifth $100 million grossing picture (and Ryan Reynold's second and second-consecutive $100 million+ grosser after X-Men Origins: Wolverine). The Hangover dropped only 35% in the face of Transformers 2, which pretty much guarantees that the popular comedy will end up in the top ranks of all-time grossing comedies (as well as the front runner at next year's MTV Movie Awards). At $183 million, it's already the 10th highest grossing R-rated film of all time, just $4 million below Gladiator (for R-rated comedies, it's at number 3 behind The Wedding Crashers and Beverly Hills Cop). In less pleasant news, Year One dropped a shocking 70% for a second weekend gross of $5.8 million. In ten days, the critically reviled Harold Ramis 'comedy' has earned only $32 million against a cost of $60 million.
In other news, Pixar's Up passed Star Trek for the (temporary) title of 2009's highest grossing film. It crossed the $250 million mark and will be Pixar's second-highest grossing title by next weekend's end. Of course, it will lose most if not all of its 3D screens to Ice Age 3 on Wednesday (if you recall, this loss was a fatal blow to the still popular Coraline earlier this year). So next weekend will be the one to decide if it's a near $300 million grosser, or a legitimate contender for Finding Nemo's $339 million all-time animated runner-up box office crown (behind Shrek 2's $441 million). Finally, the critically acclaimed Iraq-War action thriller The Hurt Locker opened with $144,000 on four screens ($36,000 per screen). It's a scorching limited-release debut, which is meaningless unless Summit has the money and skill to sell this to a national audience. It's awfully good, but it's not as easily marketable as The Kingdom, and even that only opened to $18 million. Of course, the new ten-Best Picture nominees Oscar ruling means that Summit might just want to save its money for the Oscar campaign.
That's the main news that's fit to print. Tune in next time for the box office fate of Ice Age 3 and Public Enemies, as well as the long-term prognosis for the rock-em sock-em robots sequel (time to be determined since I'm moving during the week and I'll be with in-laws over the holiday weekend). For a recap of The Dark Knight's record three day run (and a general history of the record breaking opening weekend), go here. For a recap of The Dark Knight's $203 million five-day sprint, go here. For previous Transformers 2 box office columns, read about Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in Mendelson's Memos.
Labels: Box Office (Weekend Rundown)
Inglorious Bastards gets an official trailer...
On the surface, this looks like an absolute blast. It appears to be a violent, mean-spirited, wish-fullfillment fantasy that has several big stars (Brad Pitt, Mike Myers) relishing the campy, B-movie cocktail that is Quentin Tarantino's current game plan. While I wish that Tarantino would go back to making movies with character and thematic content (Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown), I cannot deny that this looks like a whacked-out little pleasure. Having said all that, Death Proof looked terrific too, and that turned out to be one of the dullest cinematic experiences of recent years.
I've avoided most reviews coming out of Cannes, especially as the theatrical cut will likely be shorter anyway (the festival cut was 165 minutes). I'm sincerely hoping that this will not be another case of Tarantino making another picture that's 80% verbal masturbation and 20% actual exciting action and/or character development. Whatever the case, this film is The Weinstein Company's last hope to stay in business. So it figures that they'd open it just one week before their other remaining big-money-picture, Rob Zombie's Halloween II.
Labels: Trailers
Transformers does $36 million for Friday...
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen got a solid 28% Friday bump, starting out the Fri-Sun portion of its opening weekend with $36.7 million. In just three days (Wed-Fri), the truly terrible robot sequel has amassed a whopping $125.9 million. This will sadly place the movie at number four for the biggest three-days in history. Ahead of it are only The Dark Knight ($158.4 million), Spider-Man 3 ($151.1 million), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($135.6 million), and just ahead of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith ($124.2 million).
It's increasingly likely that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will come frighteningly close to the $200 million five-day total that it's been chasing. If it can pull in $36 million today, it will beat out Spider-Man 3's $161 million four-day gross for the second-highest four-day total of all time. Word of mouth is seemingly having little effect, even as everyone I've talked to seems to hate it as much as I did. Heck, the word is so lousy that Paramount has seemingly taken to sending out mass fake-Twitter blurbs raving about the film. At the very least, it will all but certainly end Sunday as the third of fourth-highest grossing film of 2009, behind Up and Star Trek, and possibly Monsters Vs. Aliens.
As front loading became more and more prevalent over the years, we've seen the 'quick kill blockbuster' reach bigger and bigger heights. We've gone, in 1994, from a $100 million+ blockbuster that no one liked (The Flintstones) to now, a likely $400 million+ blockbuster that no one actually enjoyed. What this means is that, as big as these numbers are, this really isn't much of a story in the grand scheme of things. When summer 2009 ends, people will be talking about Star Trek, Up, The Hangover, and a few others that open in the next two months (Bruno, Funny People, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, etc). This is not the first time that the summer champ was not the most-liked film. At the end of summer 2000, people were remembering not the box office champion Mission: Impossible 2, but rather Gladiator, Scary Movie, and X-Men.
Her Sister's Keeper, the official counter programming for the weekend, opened with about $5 million, so that's somewhat good news for the Nicholas Sparks-written, Cameron Diaz-starring weepie. Anyway, I'll talk about the other movies when the weekend numbers roll in. By tomorrow (if not today), Up will have surpassed Star Trek as the year's highest grossing movie (a title it will keep until Wednesday at the latest), and The Hangover will have surpassed There's Something About Mary. So there's that going for us. Sigh...
For a detailed analysis of the previous box office days for Transformers 2, go to the Wednesday report and the Thursday report at Mendelson's Memos.
Labels: Box Office (Friday Numbers)
Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter gets a poster all for himself...
It looks like we'll be seeing character-centric posters for all of the main characters in this Tim Burton-directed Alice In Wonderland quasi-sequel (think Return To Oz). I'm assuming we'll see an official high-res version soon enough. Enjoy...
Labels: Posters
Richard Kelly's The Box gets a trailer...
Warning, this trailer appears more spoilerish than I appreciated. View at your own risk...
This looks like a trashy, B-movie good time. The premise is a simple and compelling one, although I wonder how they'll maintain a full-length feature from what I'm betting had its origins as a short story. I've always been a James Marsden fan, and the idea of Frank Langella as the evil dude who controls everything is all-but irresistible (dig that half-missing face). All that, plus my favorite untrustworthy character actor, James Rebhorn. Cameron Diaz's southern accent is a bit distracting at first, but if the movie is any good, that will pass almost immediately. I was never a hardcore Donny Darko fan and I never saw Southland Tales, but this clearly looks like Richard Kelly's attempt to break out with a more mainstream, star-driven potboiler. It should be fun.
Posted by Scott Mendelson at 12:50 AM
Daybreakers get a trailer...
Intriguingly, the plot looks like it used a giant deleted subplot from the first Blade movie as a taking off point. If you recall, Stephen Dorff's evil plot involved turning the whole world's humans into vampires. A deleted scene answered the puzzling plot hole, 'what will the vampires eat if everyone is a vampire?'. In that moment (which I cannot find on YouTube), we are shown a gigantic tank of imprisoned humans who will be continuously harvested for a permanent blood supply. Other than that interesting nugget, I know nothing about this movie, but the cast (Sam Neill, Ethan Hawke, and Willem Dafoe) inspires a token amount of confidence. I never saw the Spierig Brothers' previous film, Undead, but I've heard good things about it. The trailer certainly looks ambitious and artistically inclined. We'll see...
Tranformers 2 does $28.6 million on Thursday...
Before today, the current record-holder for a non-opening Thursday was $23 million, for Spider-Man 2 (the biggest opening Thursday is Revenge of the Sith's $50 million). Transformers 2 seems to have pasted that one with $28.6 million (down 53%), just as it crushed the previous Wednesday record the day before. It's still hard to tell where the film is going by weekend's end. It seems to be playing a little better than Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. That one dipped 59% from $44 million on Wednesday to $18 million on Thursday. Granted, that was a hardcore fanbase franchise where the die-hards had to see it right away, while the rest could just wait until Friday. That picture had a Wednesday to full-five day multiplier of 3.15x. That's easily the lowest multiplier of recent Wednesday tentpole openers. For example, the 'disappointing' opening of The Matrix Revolutions had a 3.44x ($24m opening day and $83m five-day total). Just for fun, if Transformers 2 followed the five-day path of Shrek 2's opening weekend ($11.7 million opening, $128.9 million finish), it would have ended Sunday with $698 million.
So, heading into the weekend, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has already amassed $89 million, earning in two days a bigger gross than the year's highest three-day opening weekend (X-Men Origins: Wolverine's $85 million). This is the fourth-biggest two-day total in history, behind The Dark Knight ($114 million), Spider-Man 3 ($111 million), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($100 million). The Dark Knight's five-day record ($203.7 million) may be in jeopardy, and the five-day opening weekend record (Spider-Man 2's $152 million) is likely as good as dead. Yes, the word of mouth could be so poisonous as to affect the weekend traffic (see - Superman Returns). The death of Michael Jackson could cause people to stay home and watch the news (not likely, but Eyes Wide Shut did take a hit when JFK Jr's plane went down over the Kubrick film's opening weekend). But in all likelihood, a near-$200 million five-day figure is a pretty sure thing at this point. Obviously, the tea leaves will be easier to read on Saturday morning, once the Friday numbers come in.
The Invention of Lying trailer.
This looks like an uncommonly clever concept, although the plot strands seem to become a bit generic. Still, what a cast... I might see this one just for the countless worthwhile people in it. On the plus side, the 'everyone tells the truth' premise means that even the women (Jennifer Garner, Tina Fey, and Stephanie March) will be allowed to be just as funny as the men, which is occasionally a problem in mainstream comedies. And, at some point, I really do need to see Ricky Gervais's last picture, the allegedly charming Ghost Town. Come what may, this looks like quite a bit of stupid fun.
RIP - Michael Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)
I have no great obituary, no epic essay on his career. There are other places for that. I was just a fan as a young child of the 1980s, like so many others. I have no profound words other than the sad sting of inevitability (the speed in which the feature articles went up implies that the news magazines and newspapers have been planning this for awhile). Obvious condolences to his friends and his children. So here's to one of the greatest albums of all time, Thriller (still and likely always to be the biggest selling original album of all time). Here's to Bad, a vastly underrated effort that's almost as good. And here's to the great comeback album that will never be. You have no idea how much I wanted one last good album from the King of Pop...
The thing that comes to mind is that famous Elton John refrain, sung about another living icon who died suddenly and prematurely. "Your candle blew out long before. Your legend never did."
Hilary Swank plays Amelia Earhart in Amelia...
As always, if the YouTube video goes dead, go here for the official version.
I'm not sure if this seemingly straightforward biopic will have any original insights to it, but it is certainly well-cast and looks handsome as all hell. Swank is one of those actresses who is still hungry, so she'll take any real role and knock it out of the park (I even liked her in the goofy B-movie blast The Core). I do like how a seemingly unbilled Ewan McGregor shows up in several key moments, and it's always good to see Richard Gere playing his age. I've heard good things about director Mira Nair's previous picture, The Namesake, so as always, we'll see.
Transformers 2 does $60 million on opening Wednesday...
The official numbers are in, and it appears that Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen did $16 million in midnight showings (behind only The Dark Knight and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith), and then an additional $44 million during normal Wednesday business hours. That's a second-best day of all-time $60.6 million. First of all, unless the film completely collapses today (ie - does less than $25 million, a 59% drop from the inflated Wednesday total), it will have passed the year's highest three-day opening (X-Men Origins: Wolverine's $85 million) before it even gets to the Fri-Sun portion.
Of course, we'll see if the Godzilla Rule applies in this situation, and the general word of mouth is not good in the least. Will the poor audience reception make an impact by Friday? We'll know soon enough. For the record, the previous Wednesday record was the $44 million that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix grossed two years ago. Since Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will not have the IMAX advantage that Harry Potter 5 and Transformers 2 have, it's doubtful this record will be broken anytime soon.
On a final note, we've only had five $50 million+ opening days, all since May 2005 (Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Spider-Man 3, The Dark Knight, and now Transformers 2). And now we have two $60 million days (number one is The Dark Knight, which opened to $67 million last year). Remember when $50 million in a weekend was astounding? Ah, the good old days...
M Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender gets a teaser...
There is next to no footage in this one, but that's why they call it a teaser. I really ought to try and watch the three seasons of the original cartoon sometime in the next year. I hear it's terrific and I'm usually a sucker for anything that Andrea Romano does voice casting for. The film comes out on July 2nd, 2010, so it has more than a year to explain away the controversy involving the 'whitewashing' of its cast (ie - casting white actors to play Asian heroes). Granted, Mark Wahlberg aside, M. Night's casting is second to none, but it almost seems like the producers went out of their way to inflame racial animosity and/or piss off the hardcore fan base that this film will need to survive. We'll see...
Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo gets a trailer...
This looks oddly like a distillation of DC Comic's Aquaman. I'm assuming there's more to this, but this looks like visually gorgeous fun regardless. Spirited Away and Princess Mononokeke are undisputed masterpieces, so Miyazaki's earned the benefit of the doubt. The English-dubbed version will be released by Disney on August 14th. It actually closes the Los Angeles Film Festival, so we should be hearing some official word pretty soon. Although it's getting a decent US release (Disney apparently handles overseas distribution as well), it's already racked up $182 million worldwide.
Review: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: IMAX Experience (2009)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: The IMAX Experience
by Scott Mendelson
There's a little fast-food chicken joint called Star Chicken right next to the Bridge Theater in the Howard Hughes Promenade. I had never been there before, but for less than ten bucks I got a decent baked potato, a soda, and a rather large chicken Caesar wrap. It was a hell of a sandwich... tons of tasty white meat chicken, rich Caesar dressing, large tomato chunks, plenty of real romaine lettuce, fresh cheese, and yes, actual croutons. Should you decide to see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, I suggest you make a point to either try a new restaurant or eat at a beloved favorite. That way, your evening won't be a total loss.
A token amount of plot - The Autobots have spent the last two years working side by side with the US military to track down remaining Decepticon forces that got away after Megatron perished. But an increased number of Decepticon attacks, plus an ominous warning, has Optimous Prime (Peter Cullen) and the military worried about a coming invasion. Meanwhile, human savior Sam Witwicky (Shia Lebeouf) is off to college, but he immediately stumbles upon a lost sliver of the 'AllSpark'. Contact with the artifact causes a flood of Earth and Cybertron knowledge into his head, once again making Sam a target for the Decepticons.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen represents a shocking amount of effort and skill going into a product of little entertainment value and even less significance. The plot is both insanely complicated and absolutely beside the point. The film is as long as The Dark Knight or Sex and the City but contains a full middle act where nothing of consequence occurs. Director Michael Bay once again, possibly out of budgetary constraints, keeps the focus on the human characters while giving them almost nothing interesting to say. While there is a token amount of increased robot on robot fighting this time around, it is so randomly edited and the characters are so poorly defined, that we never know who is fighting who and who is winning.
Ironically, the three most annoying characters in the first film, John Tuturro, Kevin Dunn and Jule White (the latter two as Shia LeBeouf's parents), provide the sole entertainment this time around. Sam's climactic scenes with his parents provide the only genuine emotional content in the film. Megan Fox returns as Shia's girlfriend, bringing new meaning to the term 'token love interest'. She plays absolutely no role in the story and is there only because the target demo thinks she's the hottest thing since Marilyn Monroe. The army is relatively bland, existing only to get massacred at every given opportunity. For someone who rants about how much he loves the military and how good he makes them look onscreen, Michael Bay sure loves showing our fighting men and women getting slaughtered wholesale.
Barack Obama is seemingly slandered as well, as he is name checked as the current president and the appointer of the wrongheaded bureaucrat who shows up, questions everyone, and then interferes whenever possible (yes, Bush was gently mocked in the first film, but he wasn't named and his underlings were shown as competent). Obama is also indirectly blamed for a second-act executive action that hinders the heroes' ability to save the world. Most inexplicable is the first-act debate that the evil Theodore Galloway (John Benjamin Hickey) and Optimus Prime engage in, which ends up becoming a justification for why the US should stay in Iraq forever. Though to be fair, despite resembling his cartoon counterpart (who was a good guy), Galloway ends up closely resembling a young Donald Rumsfeld.
And the only remotely interesting robot, Optimus Prime, has far less screen time than you'd think, giving the spotlight instead to Mudflap and Skids (both voiced by Tom Kenny), two bickering robots who look like monkeys, talk in the most stereotypical Ebonics jive possible, and apparently can't read. To say that these two are the most astonishingly racist caricatures that I've ever seen in a mainstream motion picture would be an understatement. The rest of the robots make little impression. Starscream is once again a vehicle for abuse. The Devestator is a speechless giant of a robot, whose sound effects are apparently voiced by Frank Welker (the cartoon voice of Megatron). Ah, poor Frank Welker. Not only did he lose out on voicing Megatron to Hugo Weaving, but Tony Todd was hired to voice the new villain, The Fallen, and apparently instructed to do his very best Frank Welker as Dr. Claw impression.
What of the robot action? Well, there are two genuinely stunning bits, both shot on IMAX film (fair warning, there are about ten minutes of IMAX scenes in this film, compared with over 40 minutes in The Dark Knight). The highlight of the film occurs at the hour mark, as Optimus Prime faces off against a pointlessly resurrected Megatron and two other Decepticons in a forest. In IMAX, the fighting robots are apparently shown to scale, and the richness of the visuals, plus the overall coherency of the fight, makes this a tour de force sequence. The only other action scene of note is the arrival of the Devastator, as he shows up in Egypt during the finale and proceeds to suck everything in sight into his giant robot mouth (much of this is also shot in IMAX film). The rest of the action suffers from the same problems as the first film. It's either impossible to follow and comprehend, or the action is overly comprised of military men shooting at off-screen targets.
Other minor and major problems abound in this mess of a movie. Sam is saddled with a completely unnecessary college roommate, who inexplicably tags along until the end of the film. The comparative absence of Optimus Prime leaves the film hollow at its core, since he was the only robot who had any kind of dramatic impact and/or character (think of it as a Batman film where Batman was sidelined and the film then showcases Robin and Batgirl). To be fair, the humans are much less campy and overtly comical this time around, but now the robots are completely 'off the wall zany', which again robs the film of any drama. And what little IMAX footage the film contains is so stunningly rich and visually gorgeous that it makes the surrounding moments look cheap and ugly in comparison.
I don't know why I thought this film would be any better than the original Transformers. My false hope was akin to investigating a murder and failing to notice the burglar standing over the body with a smoking gun. I'd imagine that the many critics who inexplicably gave the original Transformers a pass will now question their tolerance of that equally terrible film. We may not have gotten the Transformers sequel we wanted, but we got the one we deserved. But, hey, the evening wasn't a total loss. That chicken Caesar wrap was fantastic.
Trasnformers 2 - Less than Meets the Eye...
A full review will be coming soon. It is quite clear that Michael Bay has violated the 'Godzilla Rule'.
Yet another Halloween II trailer...
Nothing much to say here, there is certainly an effort to differenciate this sequel from the original film, as well as the original franchise itself. I hated the original, and even my wife is hesitant on this one. Is it just me, or is that about-to-be murdered cop (at 32 seconds in) noted character actor Jeff Kober? Just curious, as I'm always happy to see him getting a paycheck (he was recently on Burn Notice). The biggest question is which horror film, this or The Final Destination, will blink first and move away from the mutual August 28th release date. I'm guessing the cash-strapped Weinstein Company sequel will flinch, and use a new release date that's closer to Halloween as an excuse. We'll see.
June 23rd, 1989 - twenty years later, how Batman changed the movie business.
Believe it or not, Tim Burton's Batman turns twenty-years old tomorrow. First of all, the sheer number of 'I can't believe this movie is twenty-years old' conversations only reminds us what a gloriously good year for movies that 1989 really was. A sampling of 'important' movies celebrating their twentieth anniversary - Field of Dreams, Do the Right Thing, Glory, Lonesome Dove, The Little Mermaid, When Harry Met Sally, and The Killer. The year's highest grossing film was arguably the most important. Not in terms of quality of course; it remains one of my favorite films but I'm not going to pretend that it was robbed at the Oscars. It left an indelible mark on the industry for the next twenty-years, in ways both very good and very bad. In the truest sense, Batman was a game-changer.
1) It made opening weekend king.
Most people don't realize this, but the opening weekend record was actually broken three times in a single month in the summer of 1989. The summer kicked off over Memorial Day weekend with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which grossed $29.3 million over the Fri-Sun portion of its five-day opening. Just three weeks later, Ghostbusters II just barely edged past with $29.4 million over its maiden days. But it was one week after that where Batman all but redefined just how much money a film could make over its first three days. It ended the weekend with a $40.4 million. It was the first mega-opening weekend for an industry that would eventually concentrate almost exclusively on those first three days as the cornerstone for a movie's success. Pure opening Fri-Sun insanity didn't completely take hold until summer 2001 (where three only somewhat anticipated movies - The Mummy Returns, Planet of the Apes, and Rush Hour 2 - opened north of $60 million), but Batman was the first to already be an unqualified smash hit after those first days. It surpassed its $35 million budget by Sunday. It crossed $100 million in ten days, crossed $150 million in nineteen days, and told Hollywood that short-term profitability was a possibility. Eventually, it would become the only goal.
2) It shortened the theater-to-video window.
The shocking record-breaking opening weekend had pundits predicting that it would overtake ET: The Extra Terrestrial ($399 million before the 2002 rerelease) as the highest-grossing movie of all time. But it was not to be, as it ended its run with $251 million - good enough for number 5. While the film had what today would be considered a leggy run (it dropped an average of 25% over its first six weekends), the film was played out quickly enough for Warner Bros. to announce its home video release for November 18th, 1989 (less than five months after the theatrical release). In an age where sell-through cassette tapes were still somewhat of a rarity, Warner Bros. made a point to rush out its theatrical champion onto the home video market well in time for the Christmas blitz. This set a pattern for the ever shortening window, which has been a key factor in declining theater attendance, a pattern that also effectively killed the second-run market less than a decade later. Ironically, this trend-setting experiment was a failure in this case. The videotape of Batman actually sold below expectations, and even the R-rated Lethal Weapon 2 (another Warner title, and possibly the first R-rated priced to buy VHS tape) outsold it. But the damage was done, and the theatrical release would eventually become a glorified marketing tool for the DVD release. That became even more of a problem when DVDs became so cheap to rent that consumers stopped buying them, leaving studios desperately in search of a new revenue stream.
3) It redefined the modern screen villain.
This honor must be shared with Die Hard, as they both helped rescue the screen villain from decades of general blandness. While there were exceptions here and there (Robocop, Star Wars), most onscreen antagonists were relatively generic punching bags and/or target practice for our stalwart heroes. Quick - name the villains from Lethal Weapon, The French Connection, or Beverly Hills Cop. But Die Hard and Batman made the iconic screen villain all the rage. Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber was every bit the superior of Bruce Willis's John McClane, and for the first time since Goldfinger, the modern-day villain was arguably cooler than the hero. A year later, Batman took the next logical step and crafted a villain who was more memorable than the hero, and one who got top-billing above the protagonist and exceeded him in screen time. Jack Nicholson's Joker made it cool for major actors to take villain roles in popcorn genre adventures.
As I wrote in a prior piece on comic book movie villains, Jack Nicholson broke the mold. Some may carp that it was just Jack being Jack in makeup, but we forgot how shocking this performance really was. There had never been a true comic book villain that was this over-the-top in cinema before. The nonstop cackling, the completely random and wholesale slaughter, and the genuinely perverse pathology, this was all new terrain for cinema. While his campier moments recall The Shining or The Witches of Eastwick, his quieter, subtler scenes actually resemble the work he did as Eugene O'Neil in Warren Beatty's Reds. Unlike Heath Ledger's deliberate, proselytizing anarchist, Jack Nicholson's Joker just committed mass murder purely for the hell of it. The success of Batman and the critical raves/popularity of Jack Nicholson's Joker ushered in a whole slew of scene-stealing villains, sometimes portrayed by actors who theoretically wouldn't be caught dead in a comic book or action adventure film. These days, when high-profile genre pictures are green lit, audiences expect, nay demand, that high-caliber actors like Jeff Bridges (Iron Man) and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) be on hand to attempt to steal the film away from our stalwart heroes.
4. Against type-casting is now cool.
It seems like an insane argument today, but the casting of Michael Keaton lit a firestorm of controversy that lasted right up until opening day. Hardcore Bat-fans, afraid that the film would be more like the 1960s Adam West TV show, howled in protest at the idea of Mr. Mom/Beetlejuice being cast as the Caped Crusader. Of course, Michael Keaton was also a capable dramatic actor, having just wrapped Clean and Sober. Once the first preview premiered (January 12th, 1989 on Entertainment Tonight), most fears were allayed as the 90-second clip showed both a viciously brutal Batman and a wantonly murderous Joker doing battle in a pitch-black Gotham landscape. Tim Burton's reasoning, that he wanted an ordinary-looking Bruce Wayne to become an extraordinary Batman, makes sense in hindsight and now is the norm for comic book casting (see - Toby McGuire as Peter Parker and Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark). Thanks to Batman (and yes, Die Hard), modern-day action heroism was no longer reserved for tree-trunk muscle men and monosyllabic bodybuilders. By the time the 90s were in full-swing, it was cool for 'serious actors' like Nicolas Cage to try their hand in action/adventure properties. By the 2000s, it was absolutely commonplace for Matt Damon to be a razor-sharp CIA assassin or for Keanu Reeves to save the bus and then the world with his understated wit and befuddled exacerbation.
5. Merchandise and Hype rules the day.
Not since Star Wars had we seen such an avalanche of merchandising tie-ins for a single film (and much of the Star Wars merchandise came after the film's release). For about sixth months prior to the release, Bat-Mania was in full swing. Hundreds of T-shirts, action figures, collectors’ cups, and the like were on every shelf in every store. One cannot overestimate the sheer amount of tie-in merchandise or free media that this movie received prior to the release date. In many ways, it was the first preordained non-sequel blockbuster. It was the first modern film that everyone was told that they should see and that they would like. That's the norm today, with pre-sold concepts are arguably the only thing being made by Hollywood for much of the year. Although, to be fair, that's as much to blame on the corporatization of studios and the growing importance of overseas box office. Jaws and Star Wars were the first modern blockbusters by any plausible standard. But Batman was the first film that was absolutely expected to become a blockbuster.
6. It made the PG-13 into the must-have rating.
The PG-13 was only four years old in 1989, and summer 89 was its first test. License to Kill was the first James Bond film not to be rated PG. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ended up with a PG-13, which was appropriate since the gruesome, but PG-rated Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was primarily responsible for creating the rating in the first place. But Batman was the movie whose PG-13 received the most scrutiny. Why should a film based on a beloved superhero be so dark and violent as to not be appropriate for young children? Pundits wondered whether the violence and darkness would affect the movie's take, or whether its 'hardcore' content would actually help it overcome the stigma attached to the campy television show. In the end, Batman became the highest-grossing PG-13 movie of all time, a ranking it kept for four-years until Jurassic Park in 1993. In the years that followed, the all-inclusive rating became so popular over the next twenty years that the R-rated and/or PG-rated genre picture have since become an endangered species. Of course, the FCC rule changes in 2001 (spearheaded by Joe Lieberman) didn't help, mandating that R-rated films could only be advertised at certain times on television and certain ways online and on billboards. Today, alas, every studio all but forces filmmakers to squeeze into that PG-13 bracket whenever possible.
7. Finally, it made strip-mining the way to go.
Unfortunately, the last twenty-years have climaxed with an avalanche of adaptations of every conceivable preexisting property. Batman was one of the first presold properties that turned into a full-on franchise (Superman had tried it ten years earlier, to mixed success). Batman made it cool and theoretically profitable to adapt preexisting comic books for feature-film adaptation. The genie was out of the bottle and studios were soon digging for treasure in their archives. Classic TV shows (The Addams Family, The Fugitive), classic video games (Tomb Raider, Mortal Kombat), and even actions figures (Transformers) were all the rage. Recycling became and now remains the dominant form of big screen entertainment. Now, thanks to a lack of imagination, as well as the sheer expense of making and marketing single feature film, studios are all but completely averse to anything that isn't theoretically presold. It's not Tim Burton's fault, anymore than Spielberg and Lucas are to blame for starting the blockbuster rush. But the 'so much money in so little time' performance of the first Batman created a whole new mentality that today grips the industry. The lessons learned included the ability to make money quickly, the ability to cash in on a presold property, and the importance of the opening weekend. Originality in Hollywood is all but dead, consumed by the allure of the preexisting franchise and the convenience of the presold product and preordained blockbusterdom that Batman first delivered. For better or for worse, Tim Burton's Batman changed the movie business forever.
For more Batman-related essays of this nature, including a detailed character analysis of Bruce Wayne in the first four Batman pictures, an artistic defense of the 1960s TV show, and a debunking of the 'Dark Knight endorses Bush/Cheney' myth, go to Batman at the Movies at Mendelson's Memos.
Labels: Batman In The Movies, Essays
Moneyball strikes out
I'd comment at length on the Moneyball fiasco, but much of what I'm thinking has already been said by David Poland over at The Hot Blog. I still think that adult dramas would be fine and dandy if studios would stop spending $60-80 million on them. But the idea that the recession/strike/shrinking DVD market is leading studios to gut anything that isn't a preordained event film is a scary concept. Gee, a preordained blockbuster based on an existing property... that sounds an awful lot like... something that will celebrate its twentieth anniverary tomorrow. Regardless, any healthy studio would be foolish not to snap this project up. Worst case scenario, you have a $60 million Brad Pitt baseball movie (even if it should cost no more than $45 million). The film may be more about statistics and less about the glory of the game, but audiences won't know that until after opening weekend. Pitt is one of the true absolute movie stars, and even his domestic underperformers make it up overseas. This is a tiny bet, as opposed to the huge tentpole bets that studios seem so much more confident in making.
Labels: News Commentary
The Proposal opens with $33.6 million, Year One opens with $20 million. Hangover and Up still going strong. Weekend box office for 06/20/09.
Not much new to report here. The Proposal had a decent 2.65x multiplier, ending the weekend with $33.6 million. That makes this film the ninth-biggest romantic comedy opening of all time. This nearly doubles the previous opening weekend peak for Sandra Bullock, as her prior record holder, Premonition, opened to $17.5 million. Bullock has always been less of a sprinter and more of a marathon runner, so it'll be interesting to see how this fast out of the gate film holds up over the long haul. On the plus side, the word of mouth is solid and there is little competition until The Ugly Truth arrives on July 24th.
Just how much credit Ryan Reynolds deserves for this opening is certainly worth discussing, but for now I'll simply chalk it up to putting two popular stars in a winning concept. Reynolds certainly gains more than Bullock, since he has been quietly doing solid work in films as varied as The Amityville Horror, The Nine, and Definitely Maybe. I still think that the Deadpool spin off is a terrible idea (especially if it's expensive), and a waste of his talent, but an opening like this is just the thing to get it on the fast track. The ads highlighting a foul-mouthed Betty White didn't hurt either, although she's been doing that shtick since Lake Placid ten years prior.
In second place was The Hangover, which fell just 18% for a $26.7 million. This is starting to play like The Sixth Sense of R-rated comedies. I can only guess that the film is continuing to expand beyond the frat-boy core, a theory which will be tested when Transformers 2 steals each and every frat boy away next weekend. The film has already reached $152 million, and it should surpass the $175 million gross of There's Something About Mary by the end of next weekend. If it can weather the onslaught of Revenge of the Fallen, the R-rated comedy champ (Beverly Hills Cop at $234 million) is in serious peril. It's too early to predict whether or not the film will threaten Home Alone's $281 million for the all-time comedy crown, but it is definitely going to be the second-choice for moviegoers for the rest of the summer. Random question... how much is an R-rated phenomenon like this a boon to all the other non-R rated films in the marketplace? IE - how much of the grosses of the competition is just kids buying tickets to other stuff and sneaking into The Hangover?
Third place went to Pixar's Up, which lived up to its name as it powered up the all-time animated chart. Now at $226 million, it has surpassed Wall-E and Ratatouille and now sits at #10 on the top-grossing toons list. It's still dragging just a bit behind Finding Nemo (which had $228 million at this point), and it will lose many of its 3D screens when Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs opens on July 1st, but this one is so far playing like a $300 million+ earner. I must say, if it does make it to $300 million, it'll be the quietest such earner in memory. No one I know is really talking all that much about it. The excellence of Pixar is so taken for granted that no one needs to go out of their way to rave about it. Fourth place goes to the new comedy Year One. Despite the prevalence of well-reviewed films succeeding (Star Trek) and poorly reviewed films tanking (Terminator: Salvation), it bares well to remember that critics usually don't have much of an impact on opening weekend. Hence the solid $19.6 million opening for the Jack Black and Michael Cera vehicle shouldn't be that much of a surprise. Yes, the reviews were putrid, but the core Jack Black fans and general fans of stupid comedy didn't care less. Nothing to see here folks.
In other news, The Taking of Pelham 123 dropped a poor 48.5%, meaning that the core older audience is either drawn to other fare (The Proposal, The Hangover, etc) or they already saw the original in 1974 and had no interest in this redo. Just a thought, maybe they should have just tinkered with the script just enough so that they could call it something else and sell it as an original Denzel Washington/John Travolta action vehicle. Star Trek is now at $240 million, while Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian has surpassed its $150 million budget. Globally, domestic underperformers Terminator Salvation and Angels & Demons are (as expected) making up for it overseas. T4 is approaching $300 million global sales while Da Vinci Code 2 is just below $450 million (still far and away the year's highest grossing film overall). Land of the Lost has out grossed Speed Racer, and Drag Me to Hell is just below $40 million.
That's all that's fit to print. I'll do periodic updates for the Wednesday debut of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen (barring the variables of life, a review will arrive on Monday night or Tuesday morning). We'll know a lot more about the long term end points of several major titles (Up, The Hangover, etc) once we see how hard the robots hit and how the holdovers react. Cue the dramatic Hans Zimmer music... now.
New GI Joe: Rise of Cobra trailer...
Or...they could have shown THIS on the MTV Movie Awards a couple weeks ago... just saying. It still looks insanely dumb, but this actually looks like a decent amount of fun. Of course, there's a bare minimum of dialogue, and quite a bit of the action cuts is stuff we've seen before. But this still looks almost old school with its emphasis on human to human combat and (CGI-enhanced) stunt work right alongside the newfangled vehicles (and such planes and cars were always a part of the GI Joe terrain). The new trailer (to premiere with Transformers 2 on Wednesday) basically seems like a direct response to those rumors from early last week involving turmoil on the set (allegedly, director Stephen Summers was fired and locked out of the editing room, with famous re-editor Stuart Baird called in to save the day).
This has the kind of stuff I want to see in such a film - ninjas flying out of planes and sword fighting with other ninjas, mortal combat over a vast chasm in an evil lair, etc. I still think its stupid to have your end-trailer button be a scene where the Joes basically endanger innocent bystanders to save their own butts, but that's just me. I'm not saying the movie isn't going to be garbage (after all, the second trailer for The Avengers is still an action-film classic), but this does look like harmless fun. We'll know the score in a few weeks when Paramount decides how soon to start screening this thing. If they end up waiting till the last minute (like Transformers 2, which I'll be seeing Monday night), then we'll all walk onward in fear. Either way, like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, there remains potential for a wonderfully entertaining commentary track.
Sandra Bullock doubles her best? Proposal defeats Hangover, but Year One hangs on. Friday box office in review...
I wrote last week that, while Sandra Bullock's movies often show solid long-term playability, that they don't have boffo opening weekends. Up until today, her biggest opening weekend was Premonition, which opened with $17.5 million back in March, 2007. In general, Bullock's pictures just stuck around for awhile, which is how The Lake House opened to $13 million and made it to $53 million, or Two Weeks Notice opened with $14 million and made it to $94 million. I'll have to wonder what kind of legs The Proposal will display, since it's about to become Bullock's first boffo opening weekend.
Armed with a national sneak preview, a lack of romantic comedies, and an easy-to-explain premise, The Proposal opened with $12.5 million last night. That nearly doubles her previous opening day-best, the $6.5 million that Premonition opened to two years ago. Whether or not The Proposal can make it to a weekend total of $34 million+, hence doubling her previous opening weekend best, is an open question. I can't imagine much front loading on this one, so we'll see. Either way, this is a massive win for Disney, for Sandra Bullock, and for continually rising star Ryan Reynolds. Anything over $31 million will put it in the top-ten romantic comedy openings of all time, and it should clear its $40 million budget by the start of next weekend at worst. More to come when the weekend figures roll in.
Bruised but not beaten was The Hangover. While it will likely not three-peat at the top of the box office, it still did another $8.4 million for its third Friday. That's a mere decline of 17% and follows a full week of $5 million+ days. Among other achievements, it will have likely outgrossed Knocked Up by the weekend's end. It's getting a little redundant to again praise both the movie and its box office performance, so let's just pat it on the back, wait for it climb further up the all-time R-rated list, and move on.
Shocking pretty much everyone with taste, Harold Ramis's critically ravaged Year One pulled in $8.5 million on opening night. Apparently the star-driven marketing campaign offset the dreadful buzz and hideous reviews (I know, that's business as usual...). I'm guessing that The Hangover will end up number two by weekend's end regardless. This is a serious blow to box office analyst Scott Mendelson, who expected to take advantage of the empty early afternoon theaters to take his daughter Allison to a movie, expecting the film to be just the thing to put her to sleep. I can only assume that it's playing to pure Jack Black fans and/or very young audiences, which may actually allow said film blogger to take advantage of the noisy children and thus blend in with his blabbermouth toddler.
Pixar's Up dropped a mere 30% from last Friday, for $6.1 million. It crossed the $200 million mark on Thursday and it passed Ratatouille today. Now it's just a question of how quickly it can surpass the rest of the non-Nemo Pixar films (second place is The Incredibles with $261 million). It's still pacing at about $5 million behind Finding Nemo, so it might just have to settle for merely grossing $300 million. Oh, and at this pace, it will surpass Star Trek by mid-July, if not July 4th weekend to take the 'top film of 2009' crown, which will only be threatened by Transformers 2 and Harry Potter 6.
Speaking of Star Trek, it just surpassed the adjusted-for-inflation figure for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. At $235.9 million, it today sits as the most successful Star Trek film of all time, no matter how you slice it. In other news, The Taking Of Pelham 123 dropped a stunning 61%, for a Friday gross of $3.2 million. It opened just fine last weekend, but it seems that the core adult audience has been siphoned off by The Hangover, Up, and The Proposal. Oh well, it will rent like gangbusters and both stars will be just fine in the long run.
That's pretty much all that's fit to print. I'll try to update tomorrow or Monday when the weekend numbers come in.
The trailer for the remake of The Stepfather...
Warning, DO NOT WATCH this trailer if you have not seen the original version of The Stepfather. It gives away one of the best moments of that Terry O'Quinn classic.
The original film was more than a slasher film, it was a character driven satire of the longing for the 1950s Father Knows Best idealized patriarchal family structure (Terry O'Quinn should have gotten an Oscar nomination). Since said nostalgia rears its head every twenty-five years or so, I suppose now is as good a time as any for an update. Whether it not it retains the social commentary of the original, this seems like a serviceable PG-13 variation of a film that just barely earned its R-rating back in 1987. I'm thrilled to death about this film. Not because I think it will be any good, but rather there's a good chance that this remake will cause whomever owns the rights to the original film to put out a decent special edition DVD in order to tie into this new version.
The trailer for the remake of Fame...
The adult cast, Kelsey Grammar, Bebe Neuwirth, Charles S. Dutton, and Megan Mullally, is surprisingly promising. Still, with that 'there is a school' opening, didn't you wish that this turned into a remake of Suspiria halfway through?
Roland Emmerich's next, 2012, gets a trailer...
If you were thrilled by Independence Day... if you were terrified by The Day After Tomorrow... then you will be scared shitless by... 2012!
Did Roland just take out the White House again? I'm pretty sure the USS John F. Kennedy takes out the Oval Office in the closing moments of this apparent feature-film adaptation of "That's Armageddon!". This is a rare trailer that is almost completely composed of 'money shots'. From the narrative, I'm willing to guess that most of the worldwide carnage takes place in the first half, with the bulk of the second half comprised of whatever airplane John Cusack and his family find themselves in and/or the would-be survivors trying not to drown after said airplane crashes into the sea.
Amanda Peet appears along for the ride, and it's nice to see a Martian Child reunion with her, Cusack, and favored character actor Oliver Platt. Heck, Mr. Cusack apparently again plays a science-fiction novelist in this one too. Also onboard are Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, George Segal, and another beloved character actor, the unpronounceable Chiwetel Ejiofor (he apparently plays the 'empathetic minority in middle management'). Last but not least, we have Danny Glover as The President. Between The Fifth Element, Deep Impact, and now this, must the president be black every time the world is about to end? On a related note, is it too much to ask to hope that Mr. Glover delivers his grim speeches and platitudes with the same ill-fitting dentures that he apparently used in Shooter?
I will admit that the onscreen destruction on display is quite impressive, so I suppose this is worth seeing once on a big screen (if Sony has a brain, they would have already secured at least a limited IMAX release for this). Despite that, I'm not particularly thrilled to see this sure-to-be epically stupid Irwin Allen throwback (I love Independence Day, but I've been burned by Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow, and the unwatchable 10,000 BC). But, if you've read my blog or know me well enough by now, you know darn well that I'll be there opening night regardless. Because, of course, this is the movie that my wife most wants to see this fall. Sigh... I'm sure 'it'll be great!'
David Scott: the man behind those 'Literal Translation' 80s music videos.
If you got a kick out of that 'literal version' of the music video for "Total Eclipse of the Heart", you might want to check out this brief interview by Simon Owens with David Scott, the man behind the cult phenomenon. It's a bit short, but well, it's been a pretty hectic work week and I wanted something up here for those that check this column on a daily basis.
Michael Moore - Save the CEOs...
As I mentioned the other day, after the teaser for Michael Moore's untitled financial crisis film aired, theater ushers walked around the auditorium with donation cans. Needless to say, audiences were amused. Here's a sample of what went down.
"Optimus... be my victim." Tony Todd to voice 'The Fallen' in Transformers 2.
Apparently this was a big secret on the fan sites, but Variety's review just let it out of the bag. Tony Todd, long ago cast as 'the voice of a robot' in Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, will actually be voicing the title villain of the piece. Not a major deal, but I've always been a fan of his and am always happy when he's able to snag mainstream work (I actually started watching Chuck because I saw him in commercials for the pilot). Anyway, I suppose it was either going to be him or Keith David. Gosh how I'd love to see the two of them in some kind of dueling-banjos-type Dr. Seuss reading contest. And, on that note, I'd love to see some kind of (possibly horror-centric) variation on Grumpy Old Men, with Tony Todd costarring with Robert Englund. Both are better actors than their filmography suggests and both are almost old enough to try such an offbeat concept (Englund just turned 62 and Todd is 54).
The most amazing invention since the Snuggie - The Comfort Wipe!
The main draw for Transformers 2: Megan Fox?
Has anyone else noticed that pretty much every piece about Transformers 2 is basically about Megan Fox? The film premiered in various places around the world. People have seen it and only a token amount of reviews have just today popped up on Rotten Tomatoes. We've had a bit from Michael Bay himself discussing the IMAX version of the picture, as well as a feature interview of Shia Lebouf in Parade Magazine. Pretty much everything else is Megan Fox-related.
We get vague stories about the red-carpet events, which are all basically excuses to show a picture of whatever outfit Ms. Fox is wearing. We get stories about her bouts with depression over her looks, and we get articles that are both creepy and stupid concerning the hormonal urges of the actor playing her father in the second film (I'm pretty sure that's a normal reaction of many actors who play fathers to attractive young women). While she certainly is a worthwhile interview, as she's remarkably blunt about her career and the role of the actress in Hollywood, it's fascinating that the public relations push for a $200 million+ summer tentpole film is centered around the token love interest.
Could it be that the main variable of interest for the young-male demographic is not the whole 'giant robots beating each other up'? Could we have one of the, if not the, biggest movies of the summer where the main draw is the lure of oogling a particular actress for 140 minutes? I've always said that women will see a mainstream film just because a guy in it is cute, but that men rarely did the same for actresses. Ms. Fox, in the right project, could be the exception that proves the rule. And if indeed she ends up being one of the main draws for this second film, how much does she dare ask for to appear in the inevitable third picture?
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Review: Pontypool (2009) |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: my boy child of 3+ years had 3 times fever within 40 days duration ,1st for a period of 3days 2nd time fever for 1day and 3rd time fever yesterday night, and he is having sometime extream / mild caugh & nose block throught these period ,he used to get fits if the temp goes beyond 100 degree earlier and now also we fear so, please suggest what is the indication - 0000 output: Hi...by what you quote I feel that your son might be having a recurrent viral illness. To relieve your distress I will suggest you how a viral illness behaves. Fever of few days without any localizing signs could as well a viral illness. Usually rather than fever, what is more important is the activity of the child, in between 2 fever episodes on the same day. If the kid is active and playing around when there is no fever, it is probably viral illness and it doesn't require antibiotics at all. Once viral fever comes it will there for 4-7 days. So do not worry about duration if the kid is active. Regards -. |
'So frustrating': Grave missteps seen in US coronavirus response
By MATT SEDENSKY and MIKE STOBBE, Associated Press
WISCONSIN HOSPITALS HAVE MORE COVID-19 PATIENTS THAN EVER AND THERE’S FEAR THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM WILL BE OVERWHELMED. >> THE THING THE WILL STRESS OUR SYSTEM IS STAFFING. >> LIKE MOST HOSPITALS IN OUR REGION, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN HOSPITAL IN MADISON HAS A RECORD HIGH NUMBER OF COVID-19 PATIENTS. NEARLY A THIRD WIND-UP IN INTENSIVE CARE. >> IT CHANGED RAPIDLY. NOW OUR COVID UNIT, WE ARE NOW USING ALL THREE WINGS. WE HAVE EXCEED CAPACITY IN ICU. WE ARE CONVERTING TO A COVID I SEE YOU. - ICU. >> ACCORDING TO THE LATEST WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE REPORT OBTAINED BY ABC NEWS, WISCONSIN HAS THE FOURTH HIGHEST CORONAVIRUS RATE IN THE COUNTRY. IT SHOWS HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS SOARING INCREASING EVERY WEEK SINCE LATE AUGUST HITTING 3500 ADMISSIONS LAST WEEK ALONE. AN AVERAGE OF 299 CONFIRMED COVID-19 PATIENTS AND ANOTHER 217 SUSPECTED CASES ARE ADMITTED PINTO WISCONSIN HOSPITALS EVERY DAY. DR. POTHOF SAYS THEY MAY REACH OUT TO RECENT ICU RETIREES FOR HELP AND IT MAY BE TIME FOR HOSPITALS IN THE STATE TO LIMIT NON-COVID MEDICAL CARE. >> SOME PROCEDURES ARE ELECTIVE, NOT URGENT, THAT WE COULD POSTPONE FOR A D
Video above: Surge in new coronavirus cases could overwhelm Wisconsin hospitalsA president who downplayed the coronavirus threat, scorned masks and undercut scientists at every turn. Governors who resisted or rolled back containment measures amid public backlash. State lawmakers who used federal COVID-19 aid to plug budget holes instead of beefing up testing and contact tracing.As a powerful new wave of infections sweeps the U.S. just ahead of Election Day, the nation's handling of the nearly 8-month-old crisis has been marked by what health experts see as grave missteps, wasted time and squandered opportunities by leaders at all levels of government.The result: The country could be looking at a terrible winter.“The inconsistency of the response is what’s been so frustrating,” said Dr. Irwin Redlener of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University. “If we had just been disciplined about employing all these public health methods early and aggressively, we would not be in the situation we are in now.”Though Redlener sees some of the new wave as inevitable, he estimates at least 130,000 of the nation's more than 227,000 deaths could have been avoided had the country more widely embraced masks and social distancing.Even if a Chinese-style lockdown wasn’t possible, Redlener said, a more modest approach like Canada’s, with a strong central message of caution in reopening and widespread mask-wearing and distancing, would have saved lives over the state-by-state and widely partisan approach.Now the U.S. is seeing cases spike, especially in the Midwest and the Plains, with the country posting a record high number of new infections last week of nearly a half-million.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, likewise pointed to states’ varied responses to reopening for the rocketing case numbers.“It was like a free-for-all,” Fauci said in an online forum Wednesday.The handling of the crisis has emerged as a central issue in the race between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has mocked Biden's mask-wearing and repeatedly assured the country that it is “rounding the corner” on the outbreak. Biden has hammered the president for downplaying the virus and undermining scientists.Governors in many of the hard-hit states have been under fierce political pressure that has made it difficult to enact the kind of measures public health officials say are necessary to stop the spread of the virus and keep hospitals from being overwhelmed.Video: White House report shows Iowa in red zone for coronavirus positivity rateIn the early days of the outbreak, governors were nearly universal in enacting aggressive restrictions to try to flatten the curve. But they quickly faced backlash from residents who were irate over the economic devastation and what they saw as an infringement on their constitutional freedoms.At the same time, many states were snapping up millions of doses of hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug that Trump touted as a remedy but was later dropped by the Food and Drug Administration as a COVID-19 treatment. Utah alone spent $800,000 to build up its stockpile of the drug.States also started receiving a flood of federal dollars from the CARES Act, in part to help local governments deal with COVID-19. But many states have been criticized for spending the money on efforts completely unrelated to public health, like the $16 million North Dakota is doling out to support fracking at a time the state has become one of the worst hot spots for the virus. Iowa has spent millions on information technology projects in state agencies.In Utah, state epidemiologist Angela Dunn called for restrictions to be reinstated in June to avoid overwhelming hospitals, warning: "This might be our last chance for course correction.” Republican Gov. Gary Herbert did not heed the advice and refused to impose a statewide mask requirement.Utah’s hospitals are now treating more COVID-19 patients than ever before even as the state remains open for business, most high school students are attending class in person, and football and other sports have gone on.“This response to this third wave has been very half-hearted,” said Dr. Andrew Pavia, chief of pediatric infectious disease at University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City. “Everyone in health care from the ED tech to the ICU doc is just really going: ‘C’mon, people, help us out here.' The frustration, the fatigue, the disappointment is really palpable.”In neighboring Idaho, Republican Gov. Brad Little has also resisted a mask mandate even as hospitals are in a crisis and having to airlift patients to Seattle and other locations.As Little added small restrictions this week such as limits on crowd sizes, his lieutenant governor and a few GOP lawmakers released a video denouncing such measures as unconstitutional.“This pandemic has been more politicized than any pandemic I’ve ever experienced or worked on or studied, and that’s a lot of pandemics,” said Dr. Howard Markel, a public health historian at the University of Michigan.While some of the blame goes to local leaders and their supporters, Markel said a large share belongs to Trump and other administration officials who have not supported governors taking tougher steps, have undercut and insulted infectious-disease experts, and have themselves refused to wear masks.“That sets an example, whether you recognize it or not,” he said.Redlener, too, questioned how it was that Trump “didn’t understand how many people followed his advice” and said the president has “blood on his hands.”Cooler weather driving more people indoors where the virus is more easily spread are now combining with fatigue and anger over virus restrictions for a dangerous new stage.“When you put those three together, we shouldn’t be surprised what we’re seeing,” said Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases and pandemic preparations.Some of the same factors are playing out in Europe, which is also seeing a surge.“We lost control of the epidemic,” Dr. Eric Caumes, head of infectious and tropical diseases at Paris’ Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital, told broadcaster Franceinfo. Though infections rose in France over the summer, the government didn’t impose additional restrictions, encouraging people to return to work and school.Italy, the one-time European epicenter of the pandemic, has seen days of protests over new restrictions that have forced bars and restaurants to close at 6 p.m., shuttered theaters, gyms and pools, and required high school students to transition to 75% distance learning.Italy is averaging over 20,000 cases a day, and hospital COVID-19 wards are filling up.At Rome’s Gemelli hospital, few beds remain in the intensive care unit, while one of the country’s leading virologists, Andrea Crisanti, has blistered the government’s response to the surge. He said he submitted a proposal Aug. 20 calling for ramped-up testing and never got a response.“Three months later they’re passing new decrees,” he wrote in an essay published by the Lettera 150 online think tank. “They continue in the error of not asking themselves how, once the contagion levels are reduced via progressively more restrictive measures, they’re going to keep them low.”In Britain, the government has tried to strike a balance between saving lives and protecting the economy and has been widely accused of getting it wrong on both fronts. Britain has Europe’s highest coronavirus death toll, at more than 45,000, and one of its deepest economic slumps.After locking down the country in March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson eased restrictions in June. By August, the government encouraged people back into restaurants with an “Eat Out to Help Out” discount scheme.When a new surge came, the government clamped down again.___Sedensky reported from Philadelphia. Contributing to this report were Sophia Eppolito and Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City; Nicole Winfield in Rome; Jill Lawless in London; and Raf Casert in Brussels, Belgium.
Video above: Surge in new coronavirus cases could overwhelm Wisconsin hospitals
A president who downplayed the coronavirus threat, scorned masks and undercut scientists at every turn. Governors who resisted or rolled back containment measures amid public backlash. State lawmakers who used federal COVID-19 aid to plug budget holes instead of beefing up testing and contact tracing.
As a powerful new wave of infections sweeps the U.S. just ahead of Election Day, the nation's handling of the nearly 8-month-old crisis has been marked by what health experts see as grave missteps, wasted time and squandered opportunities by leaders at all levels of government.
The result: The country could be looking at a terrible winter.
“The inconsistency of the response is what’s been so frustrating,” said Dr. Irwin Redlener of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University. “If we had just been disciplined about employing all these public health methods early and aggressively, we would not be in the situation we are in now.”
Though Redlener sees some of the new wave as inevitable, he estimates at least 130,000 of the nation's more than 227,000 deaths could have been avoided had the country more widely embraced masks and social distancing.
More than 40 states are reporting increase in COVID-19 cases; Midwest seeing record hospitalizations
Even if a Chinese-style lockdown wasn’t possible, Redlener said, a more modest approach like Canada’s, with a strong central message of caution in reopening and widespread mask-wearing and distancing, would have saved lives over the state-by-state and widely partisan approach.
Now the U.S. is seeing cases spike, especially in the Midwest and the Plains, with the country posting a record high number of new infections last week of nearly a half-million.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, likewise pointed to states’ varied responses to reopening for the rocketing case numbers.
“It was like a free-for-all,” Fauci said in an online forum Wednesday.
The handling of the crisis has emerged as a central issue in the race between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has mocked Biden's mask-wearing and repeatedly assured the country that it is “rounding the corner” on the outbreak. Biden has hammered the president for downplaying the virus and undermining scientists.
Governors in many of the hard-hit states have been under fierce political pressure that has made it difficult to enact the kind of measures public health officials say are necessary to stop the spread of the virus and keep hospitals from being overwhelmed.
Video: White House report shows Iowa in red zone for coronavirus positivity rate
In the early days of the outbreak, governors were nearly universal in enacting aggressive restrictions to try to flatten the curve. But they quickly faced backlash from residents who were irate over the economic devastation and what they saw as an infringement on their constitutional freedoms.
At the same time, many states were snapping up millions of doses of hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug that Trump touted as a remedy but was later dropped by the Food and Drug Administration as a COVID-19 treatment. Utah alone spent $800,000 to build up its stockpile of the drug.
States also started receiving a flood of federal dollars from the CARES Act, in part to help local governments deal with COVID-19. But many states have been criticized for spending the money on efforts completely unrelated to public health, like the $16 million North Dakota is doling out to support fracking at a time the state has become one of the worst hot spots for the virus. Iowa has spent millions on information technology projects in state agencies.
In Utah, state epidemiologist Angela Dunn called for restrictions to be reinstated in June to avoid overwhelming hospitals, warning: "This might be our last chance for course correction.” Republican Gov. Gary Herbert did not heed the advice and refused to impose a statewide mask requirement.
Immunity to coronavirus lingers for months, study finds
Utah’s hospitals are now treating more COVID-19 patients than ever before even as the state remains open for business, most high school students are attending class in person, and football and other sports have gone on.
“This response to this third wave has been very half-hearted,” said Dr. Andrew Pavia, chief of pediatric infectious disease at University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City. “Everyone in health care from the ED tech to the ICU doc is just really going: ‘C’mon, people, help us out here.' The frustration, the fatigue, the disappointment is really palpable.”
In neighboring Idaho, Republican Gov. Brad Little has also resisted a mask mandate even as hospitals are in a crisis and having to airlift patients to Seattle and other locations.
As Little added small restrictions this week such as limits on crowd sizes, his lieutenant governor and a few GOP lawmakers released a video denouncing such measures as unconstitutional.
“This pandemic has been more politicized than any pandemic I’ve ever experienced or worked on or studied, and that’s a lot of pandemics,” said Dr. Howard Markel, a public health historian at the University of Michigan.
While some of the blame goes to local leaders and their supporters, Markel said a large share belongs to Trump and other administration officials who have not supported governors taking tougher steps, have undercut and insulted infectious-disease experts, and have themselves refused to wear masks.
“That sets an example, whether you recognize it or not,” he said.
COVID-19 survivor lost husband, father-in-law to virus while in a monthlong coma
Redlener, too, questioned how it was that Trump “didn’t understand how many people followed his advice” and said the president has “blood on his hands.”
Cooler weather driving more people indoors where the virus is more easily spread are now combining with fatigue and anger over virus restrictions for a dangerous new stage.
“When you put those three together, we shouldn’t be surprised what we’re seeing,” said Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases and pandemic preparations.
Some of the same factors are playing out in Europe, which is also seeing a surge.
“We lost control of the epidemic,” Dr. Eric Caumes, head of infectious and tropical diseases at Paris’ Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital, told broadcaster Franceinfo. Though infections rose in France over the summer, the government didn’t impose additional restrictions, encouraging people to return to work and school.
Italy, the one-time European epicenter of the pandemic, has seen days of protests over new restrictions that have forced bars and restaurants to close at 6 p.m., shuttered theaters, gyms and pools, and required high school students to transition to 75% distance learning.
Italy is averaging over 20,000 cases a day, and hospital COVID-19 wards are filling up.
At Rome’s Gemelli hospital, few beds remain in the intensive care unit, while one of the country’s leading virologists, Andrea Crisanti, has blistered the government’s response to the surge. He said he submitted a proposal Aug. 20 calling for ramped-up testing and never got a response.
“Three months later they’re passing new decrees,” he wrote in an essay published by the Lettera 150 online think tank. “They continue in the error of not asking themselves how, once the contagion levels are reduced via progressively more restrictive measures, they’re going to keep them low.”
In Britain, the government has tried to strike a balance between saving lives and protecting the economy and has been widely accused of getting it wrong on both fronts. Britain has Europe’s highest coronavirus death toll, at more than 45,000, and one of its deepest economic slumps.
After locking down the country in March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson eased restrictions in June. By August, the government encouraged people back into restaurants with an “Eat Out to Help Out” discount scheme.
When a new surge came, the government clamped down again.
Sedensky reported from Philadelphia. Contributing to this report were Sophia Eppolito and Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City; Nicole Winfield in Rome; Jill Lawless in London; and Raf Casert in Brussels, Belgium. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: hi, my baby is 25 days old, he was crying a lot so we gave him colimex drops, 6 drops, and now i find that he is sleeping a lot and not even getting up for feed since 4 hours. i find reduced reflexes .... is it possible? ...... what r the probable side effects and remedy...
my baby having side effects of Colimex drops? output: Hi, welcome to healthcaremagic. A baby of 25days old knows only one language to express his or her feelings. That is crying. Usually, the newborns sleep for lot of time throughout the day and they only cry when they are hungry. All babies of this age usually get hungry every 2-3hours. Other reaason of crying will be not able to sleep due to some abnormality like pain. The drug colimex is given when there is colicky pain in the abdomen because of abnormal motility of the intestines which is rarely seen in newborns until something is grossly wrong. Also, the side effect of this medicine is drowsiness and excess sleep. I would advice you not to give this medicine to the newborn kid. Only breast milk at regular intervals should be given. From each breast, the milk has to be given for at least 20-25 min before switching to the other breast. If after that also child is crying, please show the child to a neonatologist or a paediatrician, they will help you. Motherhood is a hard but very special gift. Take care of your kid... |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: What does the internal carotid artery refer to? output: The sympathetic trunk forms a plexus of nerves around the artery known as the carotid plexus. The internal carotid nerve arises from the superior cervical ganglion, and forms this plexus, which follows the internal carotid into the skull. |
Resurrection of Christ
Note of the Day (Easter Monday)
For the second day of Easter (Easter Monday) I will be discussing the second of three passages in the Gospel of John where Jesus is associated with the power of resurrection. The previous note for Easter Sunday dealt with John 5:19-29; today’s note will look at one specific area of the Bread of Life discourse in Jn 6:35-58. For some background on this passage, I would recommend reading the earlier note I posted during Holy Week. There I demonstrated something of the parallelism that exists between verses 35-50 and 51-58. Today the focus will be upon one key phrase where Jesus states “…and I will stand {him} up in the last day”. This phrase appear four times in vv. 35-58, but they can be consolidated into two main sayings:
Verses 39-40—a dual formulation, where it appears twice and then is restated in v. 44.
John 6:39-40:
tou=to de/ e)stin to\ qe/lhma tou= pe/myanto/$ me, i%na pa=n o^ de/dwke/n moi mh\ a)pole/sw e)c au)tou=, a)lla\ a)nasth/sw au)to\ [e)n] th=| e)sxa/th| h(me/ra|
tou=to ga/r e)stin to\ qe/lhma tou= patro/$ mou, i%na pa=$ o( qewrw=n to\n ui(o\n kai\ pisteu/wn ei)$ au)to\n e&xh| zwh\n ai)w/nion, kai\ a)nasth/sw au)to\n e)gw\ [e)n] th=| e)sxa/th| h(me/ra|
“This is the will of the (one who) sent me: that all which he has given me, I should not have perish (anything) out of it, but I will stand it up in the last day.
“This is the will of my Father: that every (one) th(at) observes the Son and trusts into him should have life of-the-Age, and I will stand him up in the last day.”
Several points should be noted in this pair of closely related sayings:
The ultimate fate of believers—that of being raised—is expressed as the will or wish (qe/lhma) of God.
God is referred to with the parallel expressions most commonly used by Jesus in John: (a) “the one who sent me”, and (b) “my Father”.
Here there is the important theological idea, expressed on numerous occasions in the Gospel of John, of the Son receiving from the Father, i.e., the Father has given (dedwken, from didwmi); the Son, in turn, gives (what he received from the Father) to believers. In this instance, believers as a collective, are what was given to the Son.
The connection between salvation (that is, “life of the Age[s]”, i.e. “eternal life”) and not “perishing” (a)po/llumi) occurs elsewhere in the Gospel (Jn 3:16; 10:28; 17:12; cf. also 6:12; 12:25).
The motif of “seeing/beholding” the Son (and thereby seeing the Father) is a frequent and most important one in the Gospel—here using the verb qewre/w (Jn 2:23; 6:2, 62; 12:45; 14:17, 19; 16:10, 16-19; 17:24).
“Seeing” is intimately connected (being virtually synonymous) with “trusting/believing”, with the usual expression, lit. “trusting into (the Son)”
The theme of trusting/believing in Jesus is primary to the section 6:35-50, as is indicated in the main “Bread of Life” saying in verse 35:
“I Am the bread of life: the (one) coming toward me, no he should not hunger; and the (one) trusting into me, no he should not thirst ever.”
Coming to(ward) Jesus is described in terms of eating, while trusting/believing in Jesus is described in terms of drinking. If we add the statement of verse 44 to that in vv. 39-40, then the motif of coming to Jesus is connected with trusting in Jesus there as well.
“No one is powered [i.e. is able] to come toward me if the Father (who) sent me does not draw/drag him, and I will stand him up in the last day“
And, again in verse 44, the will (implied) of the Father is emphasized as the source cause. If we arrange the central actions of vv. 39-40, 44 in order, one sees the thematic thread of vv. 35-50 spelled out:
Given (by the Father) to the Son, v. 39
Trusts in the Son (as a result of seeing/beholding), v. 40
Comes to the Son (drawn by the Father), 44
John 6:54:
o( trw/gwn mou th\n sa/rka kai\ pi/nwn mou to\ ai!ma e&xei zwh\n ai)w/nion, ka)gw\ a)nasth/sw au)to\n th=| e)sxa/th| h(me/ra|
“The (one) chewing [i.e. eating] my flesh and drinking my blood has life of-the-Age [i.e. eternal life], and I will stand him up in the last day“
Just as vv. 39-40 (+ 44) connect with the theme of the main Bread of Life saying in v. 35, so here verse 54 connects with the main saying in v. 51:
” I Am the living bread th(at) came down out of Heaven: if (any) one should eat out of this bread he will live into the Age; and the bread which I will give is my flesh over [i.e. on behalf of] the life of the world”
Instead of coming and trusting (the theme of vv. 35-50) we have eating [and drinking] (the theme of vv. 51-58 [but also implicit in the saying of v. 35]). Note the use of the verb trw/gw (“grind, crunch”, i.e. “chew/gnaw”) in v. 54 rather than the more general verbs (fa/gw/e)sqi/w) signifying eating. This seems intended to bring out the concrete sense of eating Jesus’ flesh in rather graphic fashion; whether this also is meant to stress the physical eating of the sacrament (Eucharist) is difficult to say. In any event, the image of eating/drinking Jesus is closely related to that of coming to him and believing in him. Verses 60-65 tie together both themes under the presence and life-giving power of the Spirit (v. 63).
The common expression “and I will stand him up in the last day” reflects a standard Jewish belief in resurrection, as would have been prevalent at the time. The only difference is that the Jewish belief would be stated as “and God will stand him up in the last day”. Here Jesus is claiming the power of resurrection (that is, of giving life [to the dead]). In Jn 5:21, 26 this power comes to Jesus by way of his relationship to the Father. Jn 6:63 indicates that the same power belongs to the Spirit as well—note the use of the verb zwopoie/w (“make alive”) in both 6:63 and 5:21. In the case of the resurrection power of Jesus, however, the formula “and I will stand him up in the last day” in chapter 6 is clearly eschatological—that is, it relates to the future (even if understood as the imminent future), to the Judgment and the end of the age. In this respect it differs from the resurrection power of Jesus in chapter 11, which I will discuss in the next Easter note.
Note of the Day (Easter Sunday)
For the three days of Easter (Sunday-Monday-Tuesday), I will be looking at three passages in the Gospel of John (Jn 5:19-29; 6:35-58; 11:17-27ff) where Jesus is associated (and identified) with the power of resurrection. Of the Gospels, it is only John which specifically treats this as a theological motif, though, interestingly, not within the Resurrection narrative itself; the passages discussed here all come from the first half of the book—the so-called “Book of Signs” (chapters 2-12).
First a note on vocabulary.—There are two main verbs related to resurrection:
e)gei/rw (egeírœ), “rise/raise”, often in the sense of rising/awakening from sleep. In the New Testament, it is the word regularly use to refer to rising/raising from the dead (as in Jn 2:19-20, 22; 5:21; 12:1, 9, 17; 21:14), but it also occurs in the simple concrete sense of “get up” (Jn 5:8; 11:29; 13:4; 14:31), or abstractly (“appear”, “become prominent,” etc, Jn 7:52).
a)ni/sthmi (aníst¢mi), “stand up”. In the Gospels and Acts, this verb is mainly used in the general sense (“stand/get up”); however, occasionally, it refers to resurrection (“stand up [out of the dead / in the last day]”), as in Mark 8:31; Luke 16:31; 24:7, 46. In John, too, it is primarily used in the sense of resurrection (Jn 6:39, 40, 44, 54; 11:23-24; 20:9). The related noun a)na/stasi$ (anástasis, “standing-up”) came to be the technical Greek term in Judaism (and Christianity) for bodily resurrection, in John (5:29; 11:24-25) and throughout the New Testament.
One should also mention the verb zwopoie/w (zœopoiéœ), “make alive” (i.e., give/bring life), which is used in Jn 5:21; 6:63, and in several New Testament epistles (Rom 4:17; 8:11; 1 Cor 15:22, 36, 45, etc). In addition, there are two other verbs in John which carry a special meaning related to the idea of Jesus’ ascension/exaltation, and where an association with the Resurrection is probably to be included: a)nabainw (“step up”), u(yo/w (“lift high”).
This passage is part of the extensive discourse (Jn 5:19-46) which follows the miracle of Jesus’ healing the lame man at the pool of Bethesda/Bethzatha (Jn 5:1-8). In the narrative context, the miracle occurs on the Sabbath, and results in one of the Gospel “Sabbath Controversies”—this controversy is the main stimulus for the discourse, especially Jesus’ saying in v. 17 (“My Father works until now, and I also work”). Jesus’ identity, and his relationship to God the Father, is the dominant theme of the discourse. Verses 19-29 can be broken into three sections, each beginning with the expression “Amen, amen, I say/relate to you…”, and containing a principal saying followed by exposition; the middle section being much more succinct, limited to a single saying.
Verses 19-23: “Amen, amen, I say to you…”
“…the Son does not have power [i.e. is not able] to do anything if not [i.e. except] what he sees the Father doing; for whatever That (One) does, these (things) the Son also does likewise” (v. 19)
This is a familiar theme in the Gospel of John: the Son only does and says what he sees (and hears) the Father doing (and saying). It stems from the basic image of family business and training, where the child (son) learns to follow the trade or occupation of his father, gaining skill, knowledge and expertise. In the verses which follow (20-23), this relationship is described in more detail:
The works which the Father shows the Son are due to the Father’s love (file/w) for him, and, as a result, the Son’s work will be great and marvellous (v. 20)
The Father gives the Son the power to raise (e)gei/rw) the dead and make them alive (zwopoie/w) (v. 21)
The Father gives the Son the power of (the final) Judgment—i.e. to judge all people/things (v. 22)
The Son therefore deserves the same honor as the Father who sent him (v. 23)
Note here especially the eschatological thrust of vv. 21-22 which emphasizes the resurrection of the end-time—the power of which belongs to Jesus (the Son).
Verse 24: “Amen, amen, I say to you…”
“…the (one who) hears my word, and trusts the (one who) sent me, has life of-the-Age [i.e. eternal life] and does not come into (the) Judgment, but has stepped (from) out of death into life”
Here a number of Johannine words and motifs are present:
The specific association of “hearing” and “trusting/believing”—in particular, to hear (a)kou/w) has a special theological emphasis in John (Jn 3:29, 32; 5:24-25, 28, 30, 37; 6:45; 8:26, 38-47; 10:3, 27; 11:41-42; 12:47; 14:24; 15:15; 16:13; 18:37).
One hears the Word[s] and Voice of Jesus, and thus the Word/Voice of God. Here of course “word” is lo/go$, as in Jn 1:1ff.
The important teaching that Judgment depends on trust/belief (or lack thereof)—namely, trusting in Jesus, that he has come from the Father (thereby trusting in the Father who sent him); cf. especially Jn 3:16-21.
The theological use of compound verbs derived from bai/nw (“step, walk”): in particular, a)nabai/nw and katabai/nw (“step up” and “step down”) are frequently used to refer to the Son ascending/descending to/from the Father in Heaven. Here, metabai/nw has the sense of stepping from one place to another. There is frequent theological import to these prepositions e)k/ei)$ (“out of”/”into”) as well—”out of” death and “into” life.
The dualistic juxtaposition of life and death, as well as the specification of “eternal life” (“life of the Age[s]”)
Again, an association with resurrection is implied by the eschatological coupling of “Life of the Age” and “Judgment”. To see the association more clearly, it may be useful to compare Jn 3:16-21 with Jn 11:25-26.
“…the hour comes—and now is—when the dead (ones) will hear the voice of the Son of God and the (one)s hearing will live” (v. 25)
Once again hearing (a)kou/w) is emphasized, joining with the saying in v. 24. There is also a clear thematic parallel with vv. 20-22 in the first section—the relation between Father and Son is demonstrated twofold:
The power to give life (i.e. resurrection/eternal-life), v. 26 [par. in v. 21]
The power (authority) for (the) Judgment, v. 27 [par. in v. 22]
The reciprocal phrasing of verse 26, so common in the Johannine discourses, is especially worth noting here:
“For just as the Father has life in himself, thus also he gave life to the Son to have in himself”
The relationship between Father and Son is intimately connected to the power of Life. The extension of the relationship (to include believers), stated clearly in other passages, has to be implied here. It could be rendered something like:
…so too the Son has the power to give life to those whom he wishes
The phrasing at the start of verse 25 is significant in framing this entire section:
The hour comes (e&rxetai w&ra)—eschatological imminence is here implied (i.e., “the day is coming [about to come]…”)
And now is (kai\ nu=n e)stin)—the present moment, with the presence/appearance of Jesus
Present and future are joined together in a way that is unique to the discourses of Jesus in John. Jesus will give life in the resurrection at the last day, but also gives life now to those who hear, believe and come to him. The power of resurrection will be demonstrated concretely in the present at the raising of Lazarus (ch. 11), and in Jesus’ own resurrection, but there is deeper spiritual significance as well, which I will touch on more in the next two posts. For now, it may be worth concluding with Jesus’ dramatic words in verses 28-29:
“Do not wonder (at) this: that (the) hour comes in which all the (one)s in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out…“
Note of the Day – April 12
At the close of the previous day’s note, I presented the three passages in the Gospel of John which are, in some respects, parallel to the three Passion predictions by Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels. Today I will examine them in more detail.
The passages are: John 3:13; 8:28; 12:32. They all involve the “Son of Man” (o( ui(o\$ tou= a)nqrw/pou), as do the Synoptic predictions (see the prior note for more on the expression “Son of Man”). They also each use the verb u(yo/w (hupsóœ, “lift/raise high”). In the Gospels, this verb primarily appears in two contexts: (1) as a contrast with “making low[ly]”, i.e., humbling oneself, the ideal of humility expressed by Jesus in the Synoptics (Lk 14:11; 18:14; Matt 23:12; cf. also Matt 11:23 par. and Lk 1:52); and (2) in the context of these three passages in John. In the fourth Gospel, the references to “the Son of Man” usually have to do with the heavenly nature or exaltation/glorification of Jesus, often involving ascent/descent (Jn 1:51; 3:13-14; 6:27, 53, 62; 8:28; 12:23, 34; 13:31). Only in Jn 5:27 and (probably) 9:35 is the expression used in the way it commonly is in the Synoptics. The three verses to be discussed below are each embedded in one of the famous discourses of Jesus which make up the bulk of the Gospel. Generally, these discourses follow a pattern: (a) Jesus makes a provocative statement, (b) those who hear him respond with a question which reflects misunderstanding and a failure to grasp the deeper sense of Jesus’ words, (c) Jesus responds in turn with an exposition of profound theological/christological significance. Often two or more sets of question-response are involved. Critical scholars continue to debate the origin, nature, and composition of these great discourses, which are not quite like anything we find in the Synoptic Gospels, and contain language and expressions often similar to that of, for example, the Johannine Epistles.
Kai\ kaqw\$ Mwu+sh=$ u%ywsen to\n o&fin e)n th=| e)rh/mw|, ou%tw$ u(ywqh=nai dei= to\n ui(o\n tou= a)nqrw/pou
“And according as [i.e. just as] Moses lifted high the serpent in the desert, thus it is necessary (that) the Son of Man be lifted high”
This is part of the discourse with Nicodemus which comprises John 3:1-21. I would outline it as follows:
Narrative introduction (Jn 3:1-2)
Statement by Jesus: “If one does not come to be (born) from above, he is not able [lit. powered] to see the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:3)
First question by Nicodemus: “How is a man able to come to be (born when) he is aged? he is not able to go into his mother’s belly and be (born) a second (time, is he)?” (Jn 3:4)
Jesus’ Response—regarding coming to be born out of [i.e. from] the Spirit (Jn 3:5-8)
Second question by Nicodemus: “How are these (things) able to come to be [i.e. how are these things possible]?” (Jn 3:9)
Jesus’ Response—regarding the witness of the Son of Man (Jn 3:10-15)
Further teaching by Jesus—regarding the Son of God sent into the world (Jn 3:16-21)
The saying under consideration here is part of the response by Jesus to Nicodemus’ second question, which may be divided in this way, according to a kind of step-parallelism:
The witness of what we have seen and known (which people do not accept)—v. 11
Contrast between witness of earthly and heavenly things—v. 12
Only the Son of Man ascends/descends to/from heaven (to give witness concerning heavenly things)—v. 13
The Son of Man will be lifted high (so people can see his witness)—v. 14
Those who see him and trust/believe have Life of-the-Ages [i.e. eternal life]—v. 15
We see embedded in this sequence examples of the well-known dualistic imagery in the Gospel of John: earthly/heavenly, above/below, etc. The verbs used in verse 13 for ascent/descent are a)nabai/nw and katabai/nw, literally “step up” and “step down”; they are common narrative verbs (Jesus and others “step up”, that is, “go up” to Jerusalem for the feasts, etc.), but have a deeper significance in the Gospel—they relate to Jesus’ heavenly/Divine nature, and the nature of his mission: to his being sent from, and returning to, the Father. As such, they are closely tied to the verb u(yo/w (“lift high”) in verse 14, which leads to a second sort of dualism, or two-fold aspect to Jesus as the Son of Man—namely, to his suffering and glorification (or, to put it in classical theological terms, his humiliation and exaltation). Being “lifted up” foreshadows Jesus’ death on the stake [i.e. his crucifixion], but it also suggests his ascension and exaltation: his return (“stepping up”) to the Father in Heaven.
The parallel to the symbolism of Moses lifting up the serpent in the desert is noteworthy, for it relates to a range of Exodus/Passover motifs in the Gospel. The episode referred to in Numbers 21:4-9 is a curious one: when the Israelites had complained of the lack of food and water, in response God sent poisonous snakes among them and many died; Moses interceded and prayed to God for the people, and was instructed to fashion a snake-image and set it upon a pole, so that all who looked upon it would be healed and live. Underlying the symbolic action is an ancient pattern of thought which might be described as therapeutic and sympathetic magic: the image represents the ailment and serves to draw it away in hope of healing. That God in the Old Testament frequently works through many apparently (from our viewpoint today) superstitious elements of the ancient world is an important principle of Biblical theology. However, already by the time of the New Testament, this passage was being interpreted at a deeper theological level. The book of Wisdom (16:6-7) makes the point that the saving symbol (the serpent-image) served to direct people’s attention to the person of the Savior (God). The Jewish Targums, too, interpret the looking on the serpent-image as turning (one’s heart) to the living and dynamic (hypostatic) Word/Name (Memra) of God. Cf. Brown, John (Anchor Bible 29), p. 133.
o%tan u(yw/shte to\n ui(o\n tou= a)nqrw/pou, to/te gnw/sesqe o%ti e)gw/ ei)mi, kai\ a)p’ e)mautou= poiw= ou)de/n, a)lla\ kaqw\$ e)di/dace/n me o( path\r tau=ta lalw=
“When you should lift high the Son of Man, then you will know that ‘I Am’, and from myself I do nothing, but (rather) according as the Father taught me, these (things) I speak”
This saying is part of the long, multi-faceted discourse (or series of discourses) set during Jesus’ appearance in Jerusalem at the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles, Sukkoth), covering chapters 7 and 8 (excluding 7:53-8:11). The specific discourse here involves Jn 8:21-30, which I outline this way, according to the pattern indicated above:
{There is no narrative introduction; just a connecting phrase “therefore he said again to them…”}
Statement by Jesus: “I go under [i.e. away] and you will seek me, and (yet) you will die away in your sins; (the place) where I go under, you are not able to come” (Jn 8:21)
First question of the Jews: “He will not some(how) kill himself(, will he)?” failing to understand “where I go…you are not able to come” (Jn 8:22)
Jesus’ Response—emphasizing the nature of their unbelief; dualistic contrast (“above/below”, “not of this world / of this world”) highlights Jesus own identity (Jn 8:23-24)
Second question of the Jews: “Who are you?” (Jn 8:25a)
Jesus’ Response—emphasizing his identity and witness in two main aspects: (1) judgment, and (2) representing the one who sent him (the Father). (Jn 8:25b-26) There is also here an interesting wordplay in the difficult phrase in v. 25b which begins the response, and which I render literally “(from) the beginning that which even I have spoken to you”—cf. Jn 1:1-2; 8:43.
Further teaching by Jesus—clarification of Jesus’ relationship (and identity) with the Father (Jn 8:28-29)
The saying under consideration comes from this final pair of verses, which I arrange (and translate) together:
“When you should lift high the Son of Man then you will know that ‘I Am’
and from myself I do nothing, but according as the Father taught me, these (things) I speak”
“And the (one) sending me is with me [cf. Jn 1:1-2], he did not leave me alone
(in) that I always do the (things) pleasing to Him”
The first portion of each verse emphasizes the ontological/existential relationship; the second portion reflects the familiar Johannine theme of the Son (Jesus) doing and saying just those things he sees and hears the Father doing.
In Jn 3:14, lifting up the Son of Man was a sign and symbol of the salvation God would bring about through the Son; now in Jn 8:28, lifting up the Son of Man reveals God the Father himself. This, too, is a common refrain by Jesus in the Fourth Gospel (cf. especially Jn 14:8-14). For the identification of Jesus with God the Father (YHWH) as “I Am”, see the culmination of the last discourse in this series, Jn 8:52-59.
ka)gw\ e)a\n u(ywqw= e)k th=$ gh=$, pa/nta$ e(lku/sw pro\$ e)mauto/n
“And I, if I should be lifted high out of the earth, I will drag all (people) toward myself”
This third and final passage comes from a discourse (Jn 12:20-36) that is set following Jesus Entry into Jerusalem. It does not follow the same pattern as the previous two discourses examined above. Here is an outline:
Narrative introduction (Jn 12:20-22)
Statement by Jesus (Jn 12:23-28a)—there are several portions to it:
“The hour has come so that the Son of Man should be glorified” (v. 23)
Parable of the kernel of wheat, illustrating the generative power of Jesus’ impending death (v. 24)
A saying on discipleship, similar to Mark 8:35 and pars. (v. 25)
A saying reflecting the familiar theme in the Gospel of the relationship Disciple-Jesus-Father (v. 26)
“Now my soul is troubled…” (v. 27)—another statement on the coming of the “hour” which serves as a parallel and inclusio with verse 23.
“Father, glorify your name!” (v. 28a)—the climax and conclusion to his words.
Voice from Heaven: “I have glorified (it) and again I will glorify” (Jn 12:28b)
Reaction by the Crowd: they heard the voice as thunder, and did not understand it (v. 29); note the apparent allusion to the Sinai Theophany (cf. Exodus 20:18-21)
Jesus’ Response (Jn 12:30-32)—he expounds and explains the voice with two sayings:
(1) “Now is the judgment of this world, now the chief of this world will be cast out outside” (v. 31)
(2) “And I, if I should be lifted high, will drag all (people/things) toward myself” (v. 32)
Additional narrative explanation (Jn 12:33)
Question from the crowd: “Who is this Son of Man?”—expressing confusion between the Anointed One (Messiah) and the “Son of Man”, apparently understanding “being lifted up” as related to death or going away.
Jesus’ Response—teaching using dualistic imagery of light/darkness: trust/believe in the light while it is here (Jn 12:35-36)
This is probably the most complex and difficult of the three discourses presented here, with wide-ranging and dramatic shifts in emphasis, as the Gospel narrative as a whole builds toward the Passion. The discourse begins with a powerful declaration regarding the Son of Man (v. 23), emphasizing his glorification. Underlying this statement is the teaching on the purpose and effect of Jesus’ impending death (v. 24), and the way in which it connects with the one who follows and believes in him (v. 25-26). The saying in verse 32 does not specifically mention “Son of Man”, but it is clearly implied in Jesus’ use of the pronoun “I” (e)gw). Indeed, the question by the crowd (v. 34) could be understood to relate to all three of the sayings being discussed here (Jn 3:14; 8:28; 12:32). Even for believers today, the challenge remains to grapple with these two aspects of the incarnate Christ’s identity, his revelatory message and saving work, as expressed in the Gospel: suffering and glorification, brought together in one extraordinary symbol of the Son of Man being “lifted high”. The power of this symbol is so great that it will draw [literally, “drag”] all people (or all things) to him.
Wednesday of Holy Week is traditionally associated with Mary Magdalene and the Anointing of Jesus at Bethany. Three different figures came to be united in Christian tradition: (1) the woman who anointed Jesus at Bethany some days before his death (Mark 14:3-9; Matt 26:6-13; John 12:1-8), identified in John as Mary sister of Martha and Lazarus; (2) the ‘sinful’ woman who anointed Jesus in Luke 7:36-50; and (3) Mary Magdalene, from whom Jesus exorcised seven demons (according to Lk 8:2). In popular tradition, Mary Magdalene had been a prostitute who repented upon encountering Jesus, her repentance being demonstrated in the anointing scene. It is doubtless her presence in the Resurrection narratives which served to strengthen her association with the anointing scene in Holy Week. For more on Mary and anointing episodes in the Gospels, see my note from Wednesday in Holy Week last year.
In the previous day’s note, I looked at the three main predictions by Jesus of his Passion—his suffering, death and resurrection—in the Synoptic Gospels (Mark 8:31 / Matt 16:21 / Luke 9:22 | Mark 9:31 / Matt 17:22-23 / Luke 9:44 | Mark 10:33-34 / Matt 20:18-19 / Luke 18:31-33). Today I will be exploring them together in a bit more detail.
As a way to proceed, it will be helpful to highlight some of the common elements:
The Son of Man—this expression (in Greek, o( ui(o$ tou= a)nqrwpou, ho huios tou anthrœpou) occurs numerous times in the Gospels, and is almost exclusively used by Jesus himself. It is extremely rare elsewhere in the New Testament (Acts 7:56; Hebrews 2:6; and in Revelation 1:13; 14:14 where the anarthrous form ui(o$ a)nqrwpou is used). While it makes sense as a Greek construction (“the son of [the] man”, “the man’s son”), in the New Testament it corresponds to the Hebrew <d*a*Á/b# (ben-°¹d¹m) and Aramaic vn`a$Árb^ (bar-°§noš). In writings prior to (or contemporary with) the New Testament, this Hebrew/Aramaic expression is used three ways:
With the simple meaning of “human being” or “mortal (person)”. It is used in this sense virtually everywhere it occurs in the Old Testament (Num 23:19; Job 16:21; 25:6; 35:8; Ps 8:4; 80:17; 144:3 [vwna /b]; 146:3; Isa 51:12; 56:2; Jer 49:18, 33; 50:40; 51:43). In nearly all of these instances it is used in (poetic) parallelism with other common words signifying “man” (vya!, vona$, rb#G#), and always in the second place (cf. Ps 8:4 [Heb v. 5]). This is also the meaning of the expression in extra-biblical Hebrew and Aramaic prior to the New Testament (8th cent. Sefire inscription III.16-17; 1QapGen 21:13; 11QtgJob 9:9; 26:2-3; 1QS 11:20; 1QH 4:30). For these references and a good discussion of the subject, cf. J. A. Fitzmyer, A Wandering Aramean: Collected Aramaic Essays (Scholars Press: 1979), pp. 143-160.
In the context of Divine address to a human messenger (Prophet). Here, too, it has basic meaning of “mortal”, but the situation is distinctive and unique—a human being who receives entry into the heavenly realm or is vouchsafed revelatory information through a heavenly vision (such as the situation in 1 Kings 22:19-22). “Son of Man” is used this way throughout the book of Ezekiel (more than 90 times) and in Daniel 8:17.
Used of a heavenly figure in Daniel 7:13: “and see! with the clouds of heaven (one) like a Son of Man was coming…” Again, the basic meaning remains “human being, mortal”—the idea being that this (heavenly) messenger looks like, or appears (in the vision) in the form of, a human being. However, this occurrence of the expression in Daniel proved to have an enormous influence on subsequent eschatological thought. The figure of a heavenly (pre-existent) Redeemer (or “Messiah”) came to be associated with the title “Son of Man” in Apocalyptic literature at the time of the New Testament—cf. in the so-called “Similitudes” of the Book of Enoch (esp. chap. 48), where he is identified with the “Righteous/Elect One”.
One should also mention use of “Son of Man” as a circumlocution or substitute for the personal pronoun “I”. This is not so clearly attested in Aramaic (or Hebrew) at the time of the New Testament; however, there is some indication that Jesus may have used it this way (see, for example, Mark 8:27; 10:45; Matt 5:11; 10:32 and pars.). On the other hand, Jesus certainly has an exalted, heavenly figure in mind—with whom he identifies himself (certainly the Gospel writers so understood it)—who will appear to judge the world in the end-time: cf. Mark 8:38; 9:9; 13:26; 14:62; Matt 10:23; 12:40; 13:41; 16:28; 19:28; 24:27, 30, 37, 39, 44; 25:31; Luke 12:8; 17:22, 30; 18:8; 21:26 (and pars).
It is, however, Jesus’ use of “Son of Man” in the context of his suffering, death and resurrection which is of most interest here. In addition to the three main passion predictions under discussion (“Son of Man” occurs in all of them except Matt 16:21), see Mark 9:12; 14:21, 41 and pars; Matt 26:2; Luke 22:48; 24:7. Note also the usage in John (Jn 1:51; 3:13-14; 6:27, 53, 62; 8:28; 9:35; 12:23, 34; 13:31, and see below), where the emphasis is more on exaltation/glorification/ascension of the Son of Man. I do not think it misplaced to consider the title “Son of Man” in the theological/Christological sense of incarnation—that is, of Jesus taking on the form, flesh and blood of a human being. A number of “Son of Man” sayings relate to his suffering, humility and sacrificial service to others (cf. Mark 10:45; Matt 8:20; 11:19; Luke 6:22).
It is necessary—Greek dei= (dei), this verbal form (from de/w, “to bind”) is syntactically connected with an accompanying infinitive (“it is necessary to…”). It is used in only the first Passion prediction, but is implied in the Lukan form of the third (with the added phrase of “all things written through the Prophets…will be completed”). We find this same emphasis in other references by Jesus to his suffering and death, especially in Luke (Lk 17:25; 22:37; 24:7, 26, 44; cf. also Matt 26:54)—that it was necessary in order to fulfill Scripture. Note also the occurrence of dei= in John 3:14 (see below).
Be given over—This verb (paradi/dwmi, paradídœmi) occurs in all three forms of the second and third Passion predictions. It has the basic meaning of “give along”, “pass (someone or something) along”, but with a wide range of application. The related noun para/dosi$ (parádosis) is usually translated “tradition”, that is, something passed along (from generation to generation). It can also be used in the sense of “giving over” or “handing over” someone to the authorities (or one’s enemies, etc); in such instances, it is often translated “betray”, and, indeed, it carries this specific meaning throughout the Passion narratives.
Into the hands of…—This expression only occurs in the second prediction; however, in all three predictions specific groups are designated to whom Jesus will be “given over (into their hands)”. In the first and third predictions, Jewish religious leaders are indicated: “Elders, Chief Priests [Sacred-officials], and Scribes [lit. Writers]” in the first, and “Chief Priests and Scribes” in the third (except for Luke, who omits this phrase). These three groups make up the Jewish ruling Council in Jerusalem—the “Sanhedrin” (transliteration of the Greek term sune/drion, i.e., a place where people sit together in assembly). It is they who will interrogate Jesus and bring him to the Romans for judgment. The third prediction also mentions “the nations/peoples” (ta e&qnh), by which is meant non-Jews or non-Israelites (i.e., “Gentiles”); in the context here, of course, the terms refers to the Roman government. All three forms of the second prediction use the expression “into the hands of men”—here “men” certainly refers both to the Jewish and Roman administrations, and may be used in a pejorative sense.
Kill/Be killed—All three predictions mention Jesus’ being put to death, using the verb a)poktei/nw (apokteínœ) (except for Matt 20:19 which uses stauro/w, “put to the stake”, i.e. “crucify”). This verb is an intensive form of ktei/nw (kteínœ, “kill, slay”), emphasizing the violent, negative character of the act. However, in a legal context, it can also mean “condemn/sentence to death”. In order to preserve something of this sense, I have translated it literally (and somewhat awkwardly), “set forth (or send away) to be killed”.
Third day…will be raised—All three predictions (except the shortened Lukan second) mention the resurrection in relation to “three days”. Mark uses “after three days” (meta\ trei=$ h(me/ra$) and “he will stand up” (a)nasth/setai), while Matthew and Luke use “on the third day” (th=| tri/th| h(me/ra| or th=| h(me/ra| th=| tri/th|) and “he will be raised” (e)gerqh/setai). Matthew and Luke have the more standard early Christian phrasing (cf. 1 Cor 15:4).
It may be worth looking at these passages overall from a critical standpoint; this can be done at three interpretive levels:
1. The Historical. Some critical commentators have questioned whether the historical Jesus would have uttered predictions of this sort. These questions are, to a great extent, simply the product of doubts regarding Jesus’ possession and use of divine foreknowledge. A stronger argument can be made on the basis of the form and style of the predictions in the Gospels, which is suggestive of early Christian credal formulae, particularly the use of expressions such as “after three days / on the third day… he will be raised”, etc. At the very least, there is evidence of literary shaping of this material, including possible (intentional) additions and/or omissions by the Gospel writers. On the whole, however, the versions of each prediction are close enough that one could reconstruct a (hypothetical) Greek (or Aramaic) original for each. The similarity to early Christian phrasing and formulae could just as well be explained by positing that the traditions being preserved and memorized stem from Jesus himself. One other argument in favor of historical veracity is the use of “Son of Man”, which, apart from its frequent occurrence in the Gospels (the words of Jesus), hardly appears in the New Testament at all. Early Christians preferred “Anointed [Christ/Messiah]”, “Lord”, or “Son of God” as titles for Jesus; passion predictions ‘created’ by the early Church are perhaps more likely to read “it is necessary for the Anointed/Christ…” rather than “it is necessary for the Son of Man…”
2. The Traditional. Here the main question is: are we dealing with three separate predictions, or three variations of one underlying prediction. This same critical question has been applied, for example, to the separate miraculous feeding episodes (the 5000 and 4000), and to the different scenes of a woman who anoints Jesus. The feeding miracles are especially relevant in this regard, since they both appear together (as separate episodes) in Mark/Matthew, even though the similarity in overall structure and many details have led most critical scholars to see them as deriving from a single historical tradition. Ultimately it is impossible to answer this question on purely objective grounds. Certainly the Gospel writers would have understood them as three separate predictions uttered by Jesus on different occasions. For further reading on this issue in particular, from a (moderate) critical viewpoint, I would recommend the appendix in R. E. Brown, The Death of the Messiah (Anchor Bible Reference Library, 1994), pp. 1468-91 (in the second volume).
3. The Gospel Context. As mentioned in the previous note, in all three Synoptic Gospels these three Passion predictions occur in the same position—between the confession of Peter and the Entry into Jerusalem. Was this placement and structure the creation of one Gospel writer (i.e. Mark, according to the general Markan-priority hypothesis), or was it inherited already as a fixed arrangement of traditional material at the pre-Gospel level? The answer to this question depends, in part, on what one makes of the second question above. Luke has given the clearest narrative structure to the material by inserting a large block of teaching (sayings and parables)—Lk 9:51-18:14—and framing it all specifically as occurring during the journey to Jerusalem. This emphasis heightens the significance of the Passion predictions (see also the poignant lament for Jerusalem in Lk 13:34-35, which similarly foreshadows Jesus’ suffering and death). Luke also has included (or added?) in the third Passion prediction (Lk 18:31ff) the phrase “all the things written through the Prophets… will be completed”—an important theme which will be repeated (by Jesus) several more times in the Passion/Resurrection narratives (Lk 22:37; 24:44, cf. also 17:25; 24:7, 26) and again in the book of Acts.
As I previously indicated, there is nothing in the Gospel of John which corresponds with these Passion predictions by Jesus in the Synoptics; however, upon examination, one does find a parallel of sorts—namely, a set of three statements about the “Son of Man” which involve the use of the verb u(yo/w (hupsóœ, “raise/lift high”). Here are the three passages:
“And accordingly as Moses lifted high the serpent in the desert, thus it is necessary (that) the Son of Man be lifted high”
John 12:32:
Some manuscripts read pa/nta (“all [things]”) instead of pa/nta$ (“all [people]”).
The expression “Son of Man” is only implied here; it is used previously in verse 23 and again in v. 34.
I will discuss these Johannine passages in more detail in the next daily note.
Note of the Day – January 21
This is the concluding portion of an extended note on the “Cleansing of the Temple” narrative in John 2:13-22, posted on Jan 19 and 20. Here I will discuss the Temple saying in vv. 19ff:
“Loose [i.e. dissolve] this shrine and in three days I will raise it (up again).”
Connection to the question in verse 18. There is a parallel structure between the two verses:
Introduction: “Therefore the Judeans judged from (this) [a)pekri/qhsan] and said [ei@pan] to him”
Question: “What sign are you showing that you (should) do these (things)?” (v. 18)
Introduction: “Jesus judged from (this) [a)pekri/qh] and said [ei@pen] to them”
Answer: “Loose this shrine and in three days I will raise it” (v. 19)
The verb a)pokri/nomai indicates responding back to something one has considered (“judged”); in simple narrative, as here, we would say “answered/responded and said…”. Previously I mentioned the possibility that the saying in verse 19 was originally separate from the “cleansing” episode, and that the Gospel writer has joined the two traditions together. Whether or not this is the case, the parallelism indicated above demonstrates precise, careful handling of the material; one might extend the structure, by considering v. 18-19a as a chiasm introducing the saying:
The Judeans answered/responded and said
“What sign are you showing…?”
Jesus answered/responded and said…
It is a bit difficult to determine just how the saying relates to the Judeans’ question (whether at the historical level or in the Gospel narrative). In spite of the different (Johannine) vocabulary, the question would be similar to that in Mark 11:28 par (“in what authority are you doing these things?”). Jesus’ response could then be paraphrased as “I have authority/power even to (destroy and) rebuild the Temple”. The imperative lu/sate seems to put the challenge to the Judeans—i.e. “(Even) if you were to destroy/dissolve this Temple…” or perhaps “Go ahead and destroy this Temple…”—but there is some uncertainty that this represents the original form of the saying (see below).
Relation of this Saying to the later ‘charge’. The saying in Jn 2:19 is similar to that presented at Jesus’ ‘trial’ before the Sanhedrin, as recorded in the Synoptic Gospels (Mark and Matthew). Here are the three sayings:
We heard him saying that
“I will loose down [katalu/sw] this shrine th(at is) made-with-hands and through [i.e. by/within] three days I will build another (house) made-without-hands”
This (man) said
“I have power [i.e. am able] to loose down [katalu=sai] the shrine of God and through [i.e. by/within] three days to build (it again).”
Jesus answered and said to them
“Loose [lu/sate] this shrine and in three days I will raise it (up again).”
Even though the account in Mark/Matthew states that these were false and/or contradictory witnesses, most critical scholars would hold that Jesus made some declaration or prophecy along these lines. The charge was reasonably widespread (cf. also Mark 15:30 par, and Acts 6:14), and all three Synoptics record a prediction that the Temple would be destroyed (Mark 13:1-3 par.). And, of course, it would seem to be confirmed by the saying in Jn 2:19. What is the relationship between the Johannine saying and the Synoptic (false) saying? There are several possibilities:
They reflect separate sayings or traditions
It is the same saying—John records the exact form, the Synoptics show how it was misrepresented at the ‘trial’
It is the same saying, recorded by the Synoptic ‘witnesses’ with general accuracy, and modified slightly in John
The second option is probably closer to being correct, though critical arguments could be (and have been) made for the third. What do the Synoptics (Matthew/Mark) mean when they state that the saying as reported is “false” witness (Mk 14:57; Matt 26:60 [Luke omits the incident])? Do they deny that Jesus ever made such a statement (contrary to Jn 2:19)? Or is it a matter of misrepresenting what Jesus said? How then was it misrepresented? There are only a few ways this could have been done:
Altering the saying so that Jesus said he would destroy the Temple (“I will destroy/dissolve…”). By comparison, in John the imperative is used, directed at the Judeans (“[Go ahead and] destroy/dissolve…”). Interestingly, the version in Matthew (“I have power to destroy/dissolve…”), while differing in vocabulary, is not so different in meaning from the saying in John.
The reference to destroying the Temple that is made with hands (xeiropoi/hto$) and building in its place one made without hands (a)xeiropoi/hto$). These qualifiers are absent from the versions of the saying in Matthew and John. However, the sort of spiritual replacement of the Temple suggested by the terms is consonant with later New Testament theology, and could have originated with Jesus. For a somewhat comparable interpretation in the Gospel of John itself, see below.
There are two other small differences between the Synoptic and Johannine sayings: (1) the trial witnesses use the phrase “dia/ [through, i.e. by/within] three days”, while Jesus says “e)n [in] three days”; and (2) the trial witnesses use the verb oi)kodome/w (“build [a house]”), while Jesus uses the verb e)gei/rw (“raise”). It is hard to know how far these differences alter the meaning, other than that the language in John better fits the interpretation of the saying given in Jn 2:21 (see below).
The Reaction to the Saying in v. 20. One common element of the references to the Temple saying (with the possible exception of Mark 14:58) is that those who heard it assumed that Jesus meant he would destroy the actual (Herodian) Temple. The Synoptic Gospels record that Jesus, in fact, did predict its destruction (Mk 13:1-2 par). How people understood the second half of the saying is not as clear: the Markan version presented at the ‘trial’ indicates that Jesus would build a Temple “made without hands”, by which probably was meant a real (physical) building, but one produced miraculously (possibly coming down out of Heaven). In John, the Judeans naturally question how Jesus could rebuild something comparable to the Herodian Temple (which took “forty-six years to build”) in just three days. This is an example of the wordplay, and theme of misunderstanding, which appear frequently in the Fourth Gospel—Jesus’ audience takes his words at the (superficial) level of their apparent meaning, and miss their deeper (true, spiritual) significance. This is clear from the Johannine interpretation which follows in vv. 21-22.
It is worth noting that many critical scholars believe that (the historical) Jesus meant the words literally (more or less as presented in the Synoptic ‘trial’ narrative)—that he said he would destroy (or that God would destroy) the Herodian Temple, and a new (miraculous) Temple would rise in its place. A new/rebuilt Temple was certainly part of the exilic/post-exilic prophecies (already found in so-called Deutero-Trito-Isaiah [cf. Isa 44:28; 56:1-8; 60:3-14; 66:18-24], and see especially in Ezek 40-48), tied to the idea of the restoration of Israel and, in post-exilic Jewish writings, to the dawn of the Messianic age (e.g., Tobit 14:5ff; 1 Enoch 89-90; and the Qumran Temple Scroll). It is also certain that the Herodian Temple was far from the idealized Temple of the new age—witness the critiques of the Qumran sectarians, and the “Cleansing” by Jesus—and, therefore, the coming of the Messiah would require the rebuilding of a pure new Temple. While some of Jesus’ followers may have expected this of him, there is precious little evidence for such a conventional “Messianic” emphasis in the Gospel narratives as they stand. Indeed, by the time the later New Testament books were written (including, it would seem, the Gospels of Luke and John, c. 75-90 A.D.), there is hardly a trace to be found of expectation for a rebuilt Temple.
The Johannine Interpretation (vv. 21-22). These verses, by the Gospel writer, finally determine how one must interpret the saying in the text as it stands. This interpretation is summarized first in v. 21—
But that one [i.e. Jesus] related/spoke about the shrine [nao/$] of his body
and then is expounded (parallel with verse 17) in v. 22—
Therefore when he was raised [h)ge/rqh] out of [i.e. from] the dead (ones), his learners [i.e. disciples] remembered that he had said/related this, and they trusted in the Writing and the account [i.e. word] which Yeshua {Jesus} had said.
The Temple saying as recorded by the Synoptics (at the ‘trial’) also uses the word nao/$ (“shrine”), presumably for the Temple as a whole (also in v. 20 here), even though the word more properly applies to the inner Sanctuary (“Holy Place”). Similarly the term i(ero/n (“sacred-place”), though it also could be used for the entire Temple (precincts), in the “cleansing” episode almost certainly it refers to the outer court (i.e. of the Gentiles). By bringing these two traditions together, the Gospel writer here creates an important juxtaposition between i(ero/n and nao/$—the nao/$ Jesus was speaking of was the (inner) sanctuary/shrine of his body. In this regard, the significance in his use of e)gei/rw (“raise”) in v. 19 is obvious. Here, too, we see the Johannine theme of Jesus replacing, or fulfilling, the Old Testament religious types and symbols—the focus moves away from the physical Jerusalem Temple (both sacred-precincts and shrine) to the Person of Jesus. This theme will recur, in various forms, throughout chapters 3-12, as Jesus appears in Jerusalem during the various feasts and holy days (Sabbath, Passover [twice more], Sukkoth/Tabernacles, and Dedication/Hanukkah). Ultimately, Jesus will be depicted as the sacrificial (Paschal) Lamb slain (on the cross) on the eve of Passover (Jn 19:14, 31-36).
This diminishing of the Temple’s importance, of priority given to the Spirit over the physical/material, is reflected elsewhere in the Gospel of John (see esp. Jn 4:21-24; 6:63). In the Johannine book of Revelation, the Heavenly Temple of God is mentioned (Rev 7:15; 11:19; 14;15-17; 16:1, 17), virtually to the exclusion of the earthly (11:1-2). In the final vision of the Heavenly Jerusalem, it is stated that there is no Temple [nao/$] in it—for the Lord God Almighty is its Temple [nao/$], along with the Lamb (21:22).
Where Did Jesus Go? — Critical Notes on the Ascension, Part 3
By Steve Heil | Biblical Criticism, Note of the Day | No Comments
In the first two parts of this article, I discussed the main passages dealing with the Ascension of Jesus in Luke-Acts (Luke 24:50-53 and Acts 1:1-11). Here I will briefly explore several additional New Testament passages, followed by a treatment of some key critical questions related to the Ascension.
This is the most straightforward account of the Ascension, presented in traditional, credal terms:
o( me\n ou@n ku/rio$ )Ihsou=$ meta\ to\ lalh=sai au)toi=$ a)nelh/mfqh ei)$ to\n ou)rano\n kai\ e)ka/qisen e)k deciw=n tou= qeou=
“therefore the Lord Jesus, after speaking to them, was taken up into the heaven and sat out of the ‘right-hand’ of God”
decio/$ is literally the hand/side “that takes” (or gives), the favored or auspicious side. The “right hand” (/ym!y`) of God occurs frequently in the Old Testament (Exodus 15:6, 12; Psalm 16:11; 17:7, etc; Isaiah 41:10; 48:13; 62:8; and others), usually as a symbol of God’s faithfulness and power. It is also the most common image of Jesus’ exaltation in the New Testament (Matthew 22:44; 26:64; Mark 12:36; 14:62; Luke 20:42; 22:69; Acts 2:25, 33-34; 5:31; 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22)—all of these passages seem to have been influenced by Psalm 110:1 (many are direct citations). Even though this account in Mark is probably not original to the Gospel (part of the so-called “long ending”, 16:9-20), it no doubt here preserves an ancient tradition.
There is another reference to the ascension/exaltation of Jesus, in an unusual variant, earlier in the chapter. In verse 4, the Old Latin MS k begins: “but suddenly at the third hour of the day there was darkness over the whole circle of the earth, and angels descended from the heavens, and as he [the Lord] was rising [surgente eo] in the glory of the living God, at the same time they ascended with him; and immediately it was light. Then the women went to the tomb…” (translation from Meztger/UBS Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 2nd edition, pp. 101-102). This represents a description of the actual resurrection of Jesus, similar to that found in the Gospel of Peter §35-40. However, it also reflects the principal manner in which the “Ascension” was understood in the early Church—that is, as an extension of the resurrection (on this, see below).
The only specific reference in John to anything like the traditional “Ascension” in Luke-Acts, occurs during the first resurrection appearance (to Mary Magdalene). Here Jesus says to her: mh/ mou a%ptou, ou&pw ga\r a)nabe/bhka pro\$ to\n pate/ra, “do not touch me, for I have not yet stepped up toward the Father”; and, following the instruction to go to the other disciples (“my brothers”), tells her to say to them, a)nabai/nw pro\$ to\n pate/ra mou kai\ pate/ra u(mw=n kai\ qeo/n mou kai\ qeo\n u(mw=n (“I step up toward my Father and your [pl.] Father, and [toward] my God and your [pl.] God”). The chronology of this statement is difficult, for it does not seem to fit with the wider record of resurrection appearances in the Gospel tradition, nor with the ‘older’ view of an ascension as an immediate climax of the resurrection/exaltation. It is complicated even further by John’s highly symbolic use (primarily as presented in the Discourses of Jesus) of going/lifting up. For other similar uses of a)nabai/nw: John 3:13; 6:62; 1:51 (also the references of “going up” to the feast may involve an intentional wordplay); for u(yo/w (“lift high”) see John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32, 34. Throughout the last discourses (John 13-17), Jesus also makes numerous references to going/returning to the Father (John 13:3, 33; 14:2, 4, 13, 28; 16:5, 7, 10, 17, 28). Since these are generally made in context of the coming/sending of the paraclete (lit. “one called alongside”, identified with the Holy Spirit [14:26]), it is almost certainly Jesus’ ‘final’ departure that is in view; however, other references to his return (14:18-20; 16:16-23) seem to fit better an immediate post-resurrection appearance.
I have discussed some of the symbolic and theological nuances of the appearance to Mary in a previous post. With regard to the authentic tradition that underlies this narrative, it is perhaps best to distinguish clearly between: (a) Jesus’ exaltation to the right-hand of the Father (as part of the resurrection), and (b) his final (earthly) departure from the disciples. Since “ascension” language can be used to describe both of these, one must be careful not to confuse them (on this, see in more detail below).
Here Paul (or the author of the epistle) cites Psalm 68:18a [MT 19a], which, early on in Christian tradition, seems to have been understood as referring to the ascension and exaltation of Christ. It quickly became embedded as part of the liturgy celebrating the ascension. However, as is often the case with scriptural citations in the New Testament, both the original text and context have been altered:
Hebrew (MT)
<d*a*B* tonT*m^ T*j=q^l* yb!V# t*yb!v* <orM*l^ t*yl!u*
“You have gone up to the heights, you have led captive captivity, you have taken gifts by man”
LXX (67:19a)
a)ne/bh$ ei)$ u%yo$ h)|xmalw/teusa$ ai)xmalwsi/an e&labe$ do/mata e)n a)nqrw/pw|
“You have stepped up into (the) height, you have led captive captivity, you have taken/received gifts among man”
a)naba\$ ei)$ u%yo$ h)|xmalw/eusen ai)xmalwsi/an e&dwken do/mata toi=$ a)nqrw/poi$
“Stepping up into (the) height, he led captive captivity, he gave gifts to men”
The LXX is a faithful rendering of the Hebrew. However, the citation in Ephesians differs markedly:
The first verb (a)naba\$) is a participle, which is not all that significant; this also occurs as a variant (MS B) in the LXX
The verbs have all been changed from 2nd person to 3rd person, which is a natural adaptation to the context in Ephesians (from a hymn addressing God, to a description of the work of Christ).
The collective “man” (<dah) has been changed to the plural “men”
The last verb has been changed from “take/receive” (jql, lamba/nw) to “give” (di/dwmi)
This last is most notable, for it entirely alters the sense of the passage. In the original Psalm, the justice and power of God are celebrated. Yahweh has gone out before His people, leading them in power and glory (vv. 7-18, also 21-23)—kings and armies flee before His might (v. 12, 14). He is depicted as going up into His mountain, leading captives from battle, and taking/receiving gifts (even from the rebellious [the ones who have “turned aside”], v. 18b). Verses 24-31 present the liturgical picture of peoples offering gifts to God. While all of this, of course, could fit the image of Christ being exalted to the right-hand of God, Ephesians has turned the image inside out: now God/Christ is the one offering gifts to believers.
It now remains to address several key questions related to the Ascension:
Where did it occur?
When did it occur?
What is its exact nature?
1. Where Did the Ascension Occur?
This is part of a larger question related to the provenance of the resurrection appearances. If one takes all the Gospel narratives as they currently stand, it is actually quite difficult to harmonize them in detail, though of course many have attempted to do so. There are two fundamental differences in the accounts:
a) In one line of tradition, the Messenger tells the women at the tomb to relate to the disciples (and Peter) that “he leads (the way) before you into Galilee; there you will see him, even as he said to you” (Mark 16:7, par. Matthew 28:7). The implication is that Jesus is going ahead to Galilee, and it is there that the disciples (including Peter) will (first) see him. This is confirmed even more clearly by Jesus in Matthew 28:10, declaring that the disciples “should go from (here) into Galilee”. There is no suggestion that they should remain in Jerusalem; in fact, that could be said to contradict Jesus’ command. In Matthew, the subsequent appearance in Galilee (vv. 16-17), however brief, gives every indication that this is the first appearance to the disciples (note their “wavering” in v. 17, indications of doubt common to the other appearances in Luke and John).
By all accounts, the original ending of Mark has been lost (this is not certain, but I think it remains the best explanation); the so-called “long ending” (16:9-20), though added relatively early (it is known by the mid-2nd century), seems very much to be a secondary (scribal?) addition. While doubtless containing ancient/authentic traditions, I think it possible that an attempt has also been made to harmonize with the account in Luke. In any event, the resurrection appearance (and ascension, v. 19) seems to take place in Jerusalem (though this is not specified), which would be ‘contrary’ to the message in v. 7.
b) The second line of tradition (preserved in Luke 24 and John 20) clearly has the resurrection appearances occurring in and around Jerusalem. In the Lukan account, Jesus actually commands the disciples to remain (kaqi/sate, “sit” or “dwell”) in the city (presumably Jerusalem) “until the (moment) in which you should be set in power out of (the) height” (24:49). The implication is that they should stay in Jerusalem for the approx. fifty days until Pentecost (when the Spirit comes upon them). There is no mention of going to Galilee; in fact, similar to the (opposite) situation in Matthew-Mark, that would contradict Jesus’ explicit command. It is interesting that, if Luke has made use of Mark (as scholars commonly believe), then he has quite altered the angelic announcement: in Luke 24:6 the two messengers still mention Galilee (cf. Mark 16:7), but in a very different context.
In John, too they are apparently in Jerusalem when Jesus appears and they receive the Spirit from him (20:19-23); similarly the appearance to Thomas eight days later (vv. 26-29) would presumably still be in Jerusalem. John 21 complicates the picture: for there (in verses 1-14 at least) we have a resurrection appearance in Galilee. However, since this chapter follows what seems to be the conclusion to the Gospel (20:30-31), many scholars would view it as a kind of “appendix”, possibly composed/included by a different author (though this is much disputed). Its exact origins and relation to the events recorded in chapter 20 are also uncertain, with a wide range of opinions on all sides.
Of course, according to Acts 1:1-11 and Luke 24:50-53 (assuming the longer reading), the Ascension of Jesus—that is, his final departure from the disciples—clearly takes place on the Mount of Olives, about 2000 cubits (or just over 1000 yards) east of Jerusalem (Acts 1:12). If the reference in Luke 24:50 is meant to be specific, then the Ascension might have occurred on the eastern slope somewhere near Bethany.
2. When Did the Ascension Occur?
This question, in relation to the seemingly divergent chronologies in Luke 24:50-53 and Acts 1:1-11, has been dealt with to some extent in the first two parts of this article. The basic question is, did it take place on Easter day as is (apparently) indicated in Luke 24 and the Markan “long ending”, or did it take place between 40 and 50 days later as narrated in Acts? My view is that the “separate” accounts in Luke-Acts probably describe the same event, but that in the Gospel the narrative has been greatly compressed, so that events which may have occurred days apart seem to take place on the same day. The same could perhaps be said of the Markan “long ending”, especially since everything seems to wrap up quickly in the last two verses.
However, a proper answer to the question also must address exactly what one means by the “Ascension”.
3. What Is the Nature of the Ascension?
As indicated above, there seem to be two separate traditions at work:
a) The first describes the “Ascension” in terms of Jesus’ resurrection—his being raised and glorified to the “right hand” of the Father.
b) The second relates it in terms of Jesus’ final (earthly) departure from his disciples.
One must be careful, I think, not to confuse or conflate the two traditions—for, both doctrinally, and even historically, they can be said to have quite different meanings. However, if one wishes to systematize or harmonize the scriptural details, it could possibly be done as follows:
Jesus’ being raised from the dead (evidence of the empty tomb and the angelic announcement[s])
His ascension to the Father is part of the resurrection/exaltation, which climaxes with his presence at the right hand of God (where also he receives the Spirit to give to his disciples)
From a temporal point of view, Jesus’ appearance to the women (cf. Matthew 28:9-10; [Mark 16:9]; John 20:11-18) could perhaps be seen as taking place prior to this ascent to the Father (John 20:17-18)—but this is not entirely clear.
Resurrection appearances of the glorified Christ, during which he instructed and commissioned the disciples (in John [20:22] he gives them the Spirit as well)
His final departure, recorded only in Luke-Acts, described as a visible Ascension
Mark 16:19 may represent a conflation of the two traditions (in a credal formula?), indicated above
Note of the Day: Easter Week, concluded
Jesus’ appearance to Thomas (along with the other Disciples) is the last of three Resurrection appearances which I am discussing over Easter week (you can find the first two here and here). Commentators have been puzzled by this episode (John 20:24-29), unique to the Fourth Gospel. Critical scholars tend to regard it as a creation of the Evangelist, perhaps to personify the disciples’ doubt—note that in the earlier appearance (John 20:19-20ff) there is no mention of any doubt or surprise (compare Mark 16:13-14 [long ending]; Luke 24:11, 25, 37-38, 41; but note the odd juxtaposition of John 20:8-9). Traditional-conservative commentators, naturally, take the text at face value, as a second appearance which took place eight days later. However, the sequence does present certain chronological difficulties, particularly when one tries to harmonize the passage strictly with the Synoptic accounts. For what it’s worth, I suspect that, at the historical-chronological level, the sequence here in John perhaps should read: 20:19-20, 24-29, 21-23. But clearly, this sort of rearrangement would not be appropriate; for there is a definite purpose to the current placement of verse 24-29—they join the appearance and apostolic commission of vv. 19-23 to the concluding statement of vv. 30-31, “…but these (things) have been written so that you might trust that Jesus is the Anointed (One), the Son of God, and so that trusting you might have life in his name”.
There are two primary themes or motifs which divide this passage: (1) “seeing” and (2) “trusting”, along with an intermediate theme of the presence of Christ.
1. Seeing (vv. 24-25)
a) The other Disciples tell Thomas “we have seen (e(wra/kamen) the Lord!” This 3rd person plural perfect form (of o(ra/w) is only found in the Gospel (cf. also 3:11) and First Epistle of John (1:1-3), and is virtually a credal formula of faith and witness in the early Christian (Apostolic) community. For this reason, some scholars have found its use in John 3:11 (Jesus’ discourse with Nicodemus) to be suspicious—is it from the early Community rather than the historical Jesus? Certainly in Johannine theology, the two are united: the Community speaks what they hear Jesus say (through the Spirit), just as Jesus speaks what he hears from the Father. The 1st person singular form also occurs almost exclusively in John, including the parallel exclamation of Mary “I have seen (e(w/raka) the Lord!” (20:18; cf. also 1:34; 8:38). The verb implies more than the simple act of seeing (i.e., “look at, perceive”, etc)—in the context of John’s Gospel, there is perhaps also a revelatory quality involved: “to see clearly/truly”.
b) Thomas responds, “if I should not see (i&dw) in his hands the tupos of the nails and cast my finger into the tupos of the nails and cast my hand into his side, no I shall not trust (pisteu/sw)!” Note the different manner of “seeing”—a different verb, and use of the subjunctive (“should/might see”) vs. the perfect indicative (“have seen”) along with the negative condition (“if I do not…”), also governing “trust/believe”. The combined negative particle (ou) mh) + aorist subjunctive indicates an extremely strong asseveration or denial, with a prohibitive quality: “by no means shall I trust!” I have left the word tupo$ untranslated above; it generally refers to a deep mark, as left when something is stamped or struck, but is used more commonly in the New Testament in a more abstract sense (“form, pattern”). There is some textual variation here: a few manuscripts read topo$ (“place”) or the plural form of tupo$/topo$.
c) Consider what it was that the Disciples saw (and which Thomas demanded to see): in vv. 19-20, when Jesus first appeared to the disciples, upon greeting them, he immediately (cf. the literary context, “and saying this…”) showed (e&deicen) them (his) hands and side. This actually takes place between his two-fold greeting “peace to [or with] you” (ei)rh/nh u(mi=n), repeated in verse 21. The verb deiknu/w/dei/knumi seems to have a special significance in the Gospel of John: everywhere else it is used in the context of revealing something of the Father (5:20; 10:32; 14:8-9). In the original tradition it may simply indicate a demonstration of Jesus’ identity and real body (see the similar account in Luke 24:40 [absent in key Western MSS]); but, in the Gospel of John, I would say it has a deeper meaning as well.
John makes a good deal of Jesus’ side, a detail not found in the other Gospels (in Luke 24:40 Jesus shows them his hands and feet, but see the textual variant [interpolation?] at Matthew 27:49). It is possible that here the piercing (“pricking”) of the side (John 19:34-37) has been emphasized merely for the purposes of introducing the prophecy from Zechariah 12:10 (v. 37); however, I do not think this is the case. The emphatic authorial/editorial aside (v. 35) seems to refer specifically to the piercing and the “blood and water” which came out. The exact force of this reference is not entirely clear; it could be: (a) apologetic, that is to demonstrate that Jesus died a true physical death; (b) sacramental, symbolic of the Eucharist; (c) spiritual, symbolic of life or the life-giving Spirit [found in Christ]; or some combination of these. I should say that (c) is closest to the mark. Blood only occurs in John within the most difficult portion of the Bread of Life Discourse (6:53-56), which probably also has eucharistic significance (but note the qualification in vv. 62-63). Water also is connected with the Spirit (the life-giving presence and power of Christ, “living water”) in the great Discourses (3:5ff; 4:7-15; 7:38), but again not without a possible sacramental meaning as well (at least in 3:5).
2. Trusting (vv. 27-29)
This theme is prefaced by Thomas’ declaration in verse 25 (“if I do not see…no I shall not trust [pisteu/sw]!”)
a) Jesus responds to Thomas, directing him to “touch” the hands and side. Scholars have sometimes been puzzled at this, since previously in the appearance to Mary Magdalene he ordered her not to touch him, and, according to the chronology of the Synoptic Gospels (and Acts), Jesus still has not ascended (cf. John 20:17). Any number of attempts to explain or harmonize these details have been made, most of which are highly questionable at best. It should be noted that, apart from the fact that the appearances to Mary and Thomas may stem from entirely separate traditions, both the context of the scenes and the language Jesus uses is very different. Mary, it would seem, is responding in a natural human way to her recognition of Jesus (her exclamation “Rabbi/Teacher!”), perhaps with the attempt to embrace him (see Matthew 28:9, where the women grasp his feet). In my prior notes on this scene, I discussed the possible significance of the verb a%ptomai (“bind, attach to, touch”) as well as Jesus “going up” (a)nabai/nw). In the context of John’s Gospel, a proper understanding of Jesus’ return/ascent to the Father must center on the discourse[s] of chapters 14-17 (and earlier references), rather than the Ascension narratives in Luke-Acts. Thomas, however, does not respond with the limited emotional/visceral trust exhibited by Mary (who “sees” Jesus); his is a lack of trust in the witness “we have seen the Lord”. Jesus puts Thomas to the test (note the use of imperatives in v. 27), with the disciple’s own formulation: “carry [fe/re] your finger here and see [i&de] my hands, and carry your hand and cast (it) [ba/le] into my side…” It is not indicated whether Thomas took up the challenge; perhaps in an early tradition he did, but the lack of any detail here is significant in the Gospel context, for it leads directly to the statements which follow—”…and do not be untrusting, but trusting.”
The Greek in 27b is rather obscured in many translations (“stop doubting” [NIV], “do not doubt” [NRSV]. “do not disbelieve” [ESV]). Literally, it reads kai\ mh\ gi/nou (“and do not come to be”) a&pisto$ (“untrusting”) a)lla\ pisto/$ (“but trusting”). However, this too is a bit misleading, for the present tense of gi/nomai (“become”) is probably durative—the negative + imperative would then have the sense of “do not continue to be”. As for pisto/$, it is typically translated “faithful, believing”, just as the noun pi/sti$ and verb pisteu/w are translated in terms of “faith” or “belief”. However, I feel that the English word “trust” is a better fit for the primary sense, although in most instances little harm is done to the meaning if one uses “belief/faith”. The adjective pisto/$ could also be rendered “trust-worthy”, but I think it is important here to emphasize the act/condition of trusting (or “believing”, if one prefers). a&pisto$ is the opposite, or negation, of pisto/$: un-trusting (or un-trustworthy). Jesus’ command here (“do not come/continue to be untrusting, but trusting!”) overrides decisively the earlier imperatives.
b) Thomas responds to Jesus in a most extraordinary fashion, with the exclamation o( ku/rio/$ mou kai\ o( qeo/$ mou (“My Lord and my God!”), v. 28. This is unquestionably a theological exclamation, and perhaps the most exalted in the all the Gospels; for o( kurio$ and o( qeo$, in the Jewish context, both refer to the one true God (YHWH). It also represents, arguably, the first time in the Gospels that Jesus is identified directly with the arthrous o( qeo$. (the God, as opposed to being “God, divine” more generally). In John 1:1, we do not find the article (kai\ qeo\$ h@n o( lo/go$ “and the logos was God”); both the article and the word qeo$ are textually uncertain in John 1:18. There can be no doubt, however, that in the Gospel of John, Jesus identified himself with God the Father (cf. esp. 8:58), and that even his opponents understood the implication (5:18, etc). And yet, Christians of a later time, influenced by Trinitarian doctrine, were very sensitive to this point—Christ (the Son) and the Father may have both been God (qeo/$), but they were not the same person. It is not surprising then, that a few MSS of John 20:28 omit the article. Such Christological issues are largely foreign to the Gospel; one need not look any further than Philip’s request to Jesus in 14:8 (“Lord, show [dei=con] the Father to us…”), to which Jesus responds o( e(wrakw\$ e)me\ e(w/raken to\n pate/ra (“the [one] having seen me has seen the Father”, v. 9).
c) This exclamation would seem to be a supreme testament to faith and trust; however, Jesus, without contradicting Thomas’ statement, responds in turn with an interesting question (assuming it is a question): “(now) that [i.e. because] you have seen (e(w/raka$) me you have trusted (pepi/steuka$)?” (verbs both perfect). Many commentators interpret it as a rebuke of Thomas; possibly, but I am not so convinced of this. Certainly, the disciple was rebuked earlier (v. 27) for his lack of trust; but, Jesus’ statement to him here should not be understood as a simple comparison of his trust (only after seeing) with a superior level of trust from those who have not seen. The conclusion of the statement: “happy the (one) not seeing (i)do/nte$) and trusting!” (verbs both aorist participles). It is tempting to insert “yet” (i.e., “not seeing and yet trusting”); this may be the sense intended. However, this happy state (maka/rio$) is not so much a blessing due to greater trust, but a result of the greater power and witness which will occur (through the disciples) by the Spirit after Jesus returns to the Father. To make the sense clear in English, I might translate Jesus’ words as follows: “you trust because you have seen me—how happy, then, will they be who trust without seeing!”
3. The intermediate appearance of Jesus (v. 26)
In between these two episodes of seeing (emphasizing lack of trust) and trusting (emphasizing lack of seeing), Jesus himself appears suddenly in the midst of the disciples. This repeats (pa/lin, “again”) the earlier appearance (vv. 19-20); in fact, the appearance itself is recorded in almost identical wording: the doors being closed, Jesus came and “stood in the middle and says/said to them, ‘Peace to you'” However, there are two small but significant points of difference:
a) In the first appearance, the doors were closed, where the disciples were, “through fear of the Jews”. Now, however, there is no mention of fear.
b) In this second appearance, it states that the disciples were (h@san) within (e&sw). Now, in the simple context of the narrative, this would mean nothing more than that the disciples were inside the room. However, in about half of the instances where the adverb e&sw is used in the New Testament (including all non-narrative uses in the Epistles [Rom 7:22; 1 Cor 5:12; 2 Cor 4:16; Eph 3:16]), the reference is to inward (spiritual) rather than outward (external) matters. Is it too much to understand something of that connotation here? The rest of the disciples, who have already seen (and trusted), are now within.
In conclusion of these Easter-season notes, I would like to suggest a possible chiastic outline, indicating certain thematic parallels in the appearances of Jesus to Mary and Thomas:
Exclamation (title of Jesus)—”Rabbi (Teacher)!” 20:16
“Do not touch…I am going up to my God (and your God)” (Jesus’ rebuke of the disciple) v. 17
Disciple’s exclamation—”I have seen (e(w/raka) the Lord!” v. 18
Disciples’ exclamation—”We have seen (e(wra/kamen) the Lord!” v. 25a
“If I do not place my finger…my Lord and my God!” (Disciple untrusting/trusting, with Jesus’ rebuke in between) v. 25b, 27-28
Exclamation (title of Jesus)—”My Lord and My God!” v. 28
The spear that pierced Jesus’ side (John 19:34ff, see above) found an interested place in subsequent tradition and legend. In the West, the soldier with the spear was given the name Longinus (from lo/gxh, “spear/lance”) and identified with the centurion who made the confession of faith (Mark 15:39 par.). A story popularized in the Golden Legend is that Longinus had been blind, but that in piercing Jesus, blood fell upon his eyes and he regained his sight. The spear, along with the cup from the Last Supper, was central to many Grail Legends—the spear made the wound, while the cup caught the blood that poured out (both objects were blended together with earlier pagan [Celtic] symbols).
In the Eastern (Syrian) Church, we find a novel and charming parallel between the spear and the sword guarding paradise (Gen 3:24). At the mystical-spiritual level, the spear that pierces Christ effectively removes the angel’s sword, and opens the way to paradise. This theme is most notable in the works of Ephrem the Syrian (cf. esp. his Commentary on the Diatessaron 21:10-11; Hymn 8 on the Nativity st.4; Hymn 9 on the Crucifixion st.2; and many others). The imagery of “entering” into the side of Jesus can also by found in Western mystical tradition as well.
March 31 — Easter Week, continued
This is the second of three Resurrection Appearances I will be discussing during the octave of Easter, and is perhaps the most well-known and beloved of all those recorded in the Gospels: the appearance to the disciples on the road to Emmaus (centerpiece of the liturgical Officium Peregrinorum). The extraordinary narrative—one of the longest such narratives in the Gospels—is unique to Luke (24:13-35), although there is presumably a reference to it in the so-called “long ending” of Mark (16:12-13). While Luke may well have expanded and dramatized the core tradition, it remains thoroughly convincing and lived-in; on every objective ground, the basic historicity of the event, would be difficult to question. However, there is no doubt that, as a literary work, Luke has given to the narrative a careful interpretive structure. There are probably any number of ways this section could be outlined, but here is one that I offer (arranged chiastically, to indicate parallel scenes and details):
A [vv. 13-14] The two disciples are
a) travelling from Jerusalem (a)po\ )Ierousalh/m) and
b) conversing with each other (pro\$ a)llh/lou$) about all the things that had “come together”
B [vv. 15-16] As the disciples are conversing and inquiring with each other
a) Jesus comes near to them, but
b) their eyes are “held” and they cannot recognize [lit. “know upon”] him
C [vv. 17-18] The exchange:
a) Jesus acts: He draws them out (asking “what are these logoi….?”)
b) The disciples [one, Cleopas] ask
** about Jesus’ as a stranger [“one who houses along”] ** mentioning the things coming to be in these days
c) Jesus acts: He draws closer into their conversation (asking “what [things]?”)
D [vv. 19-24] What things?
a) the recent events of Jesus’ death and (reports of his) resurrection
b) they hoped he was the Anointed One [“the one about to ransom/redeem Israel”] (v. 21)
a) all that Moses and the Prophets said of his death (suffering) and resurrection (coming into glory)
b) what they say about him [the “Anointed One”]
a) Jesus acts: He draws them out (making toward travelling further)
b) The disciples ask
** for Jesus to come into their house as guest [“remain with us”] ** mentioning that now the day has bent down [i.e. is almost over] c) Jesus acts: He draws closer, going in to “remain with them”
B´ [vv. 30-31] The disciples are reclining (at meal) together with Jesus
a) Jesus takes (blesses and breaks) bread and gives to them
b) their eyes are “opened” and they recognize [“know upon”] him
[b´) Jesus comes to be invisible from them]
A´ [vv. 32] The disciples
b) say to each other (pro\$ a)llh/lou$) “was not our heart burning in us as…?”
a) standing up immediately they return to Jerusalem (ei)$ )Ierousalh/m)
In a straightforward (linear, dramatic) reading of the passage, one might naturally view the recognition of Jesus during the breaking of bread as the climactic point. There is certainly truth to this (the sacramental symbolism is noteworthy and clear). However, as indicated in the outline above, I feel it is rather the exposition of Scripture (v. 25-27), in relation to the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection (vv. 19-24), which is the central moment of the narrative. This would seem to be confirmed by the disciples ultimate response—they refer not to the revelatory moment at the breaking of bread, but to the earlier exposition: “was not our heart burning in us as he spoke with us in the way…?” (v. 32).
A few brief notes on this verse in particular:
(1) Instead of kaiome/nh (“burning”), other (primarily Western) witnesses read (or translate) kekalumme/nh (“covered”), bradei=a (“heavy”) or words indicating “hardened”, etc. However, kaiome/nh is almost certainly correct. The verb can indicate the condition (or process) of being burned (up), or it can have a causative meaning—i.e., to kindle, set on fire. The passive form here would seem to indicate a fire being kindled, but also the process—ongoing action, as indicated by the progressive periphrastic construction (kaiome/nh h@n).
(2) A few key early manuscripts (Ë75 B D) and versions do not include e)n u(mi=n (“in us”). This would be a natural addition, and possibly not original, though it is probably best to retain it in the text.
(3) It is said that Jesus “opened” (dih/noigen) the Writings [Scriptures] to them. This same verb (an intensive form of a)noi/gw) is used for the opening of the disciples’ eyes to recognize Jesus at the breaking of bread. Luke uses it again in v. 45, in a very similar context, where it is stated that he “opened” the mind (or understanding) of the disciples so as to understand the Scriptures. Earlier in the Emmaus narrative here (v. 27), a different verb is used: it says that Jesus “interpreted” (diermh/neusen) the things concerning himself in all the Writings (e)n pa/sai$ tai=$ grafai=$). This verb is an intensive form of e(rmhneu/w, rendered literally “explain through”, that is, to explain from one reference point (or language) to another.
(4) There may be a symbolic import to the phrase “in the way” (e)n th=| o)dw=|): “as he spoke with us in the way”. In the narrative context this simply means that Jesus spoke to them while they were travelling; however, “the way” appears also to have a been a (short-lived) term for the early Christian Community (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 12; cf. also the testimony of John the Baptist, Luke 1:76; 3:4; 7:27 and par.).
The major text-critical question in the Resurrection Narratives involves the so-called “Western Non-Interpolations” in the Gospel of Luke. This rather awkward term stems from the analysis by Westcott & Hort (principally Hort) in their landmark The New Testament in the Original Greek (1881, vol. II pp.175-177), regarding situations where, despite superior manuscript evidence to the contrary, the Western Text may have the original reading. In general, the “Western Text” (as represented by Codex Bezae [D], key Old Latin [and Old Syriac] MSS, and other versional witnesses), was deemed inferior to the so-called “Neutral Text” (exemplified esp. by Codex Vaticanus [B])—this view, with some modification (and different language), continues to be held by most critical scholars today. Particularly in Luke-Acts, the “Western Text” tends to have longer readings at key variation-units—expanding or adding clarifying detail to the text. It is all the more noticeable, then, on those rare occasions when D (and other Western witnesses) happen to contain a shorter reading. When this fact (cf. the principle lectio brevio potior, “the shorter reading is preferrable”) is combined with intrinsic or transcriptional probability in favor of the shorter text, one must then contend with the possibility that the Western reading is original. Hence the term “Western Non-Interpolation”: i.e., the majority text contains an interpolation (an added verse or phrase), contrary to the shorter (original) Western text.
Westcott & Hort identified 27 shorter Western readings of note: six were deemed unlikely to be original, twelve others considered possibly (but probably not) original, and nine regarded as “probably original”. These nine (the “Non-Interpolations”) are: Matthew 27:49; Luke 22:19b-20; 24:3, 6, 12, 36, 40, 51, 52. For some time, critical scholars tended to favor this approach; however, in recent decades, with the discovery of the Bodmer Papyri (esp. Ë75), the pendulum has swung decidedly in the opposite direction—the majority of scholars, on the whole, now reject these shorter Western readings. Indeed, Ë75 (early 3rd century?) contains the longer (majority) reading for all 8 Lukan “Non Interpolations”, greatly strengthening the already impressive external evidence for them. On the other hand, the strongest argument in favor of the shorter readings is one of transcriptional probability—no one has really been able to offer a good explanation as to how (or why) the longer readings, if original, would have been deleted. Moreover, nearly all of the majority readings in these instances involve (possible) harmonizations to other portions of the New Testament (see notes below) as well as significant Christological details, both of which are more likely to represent scribal additions than details scribes would have ever deleted. For a fairly thorough defense in favor of the Lukan “Non-Interpolations”, see B. Ehrman, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture Oxford:1993, pp. 197-232.
There is the problem: on the one side, the external manuscript evidence is decidedly in favor of the longer readings, internal transcriptional evidence seems clearly to favor the shorter. Interestingly, all of the nine “Non-Interpolations” are from the Passion and Resurrection narratives (8 from the Lukan), and all but two (7) from the Resurrection/Ascension accounts in Luke 24 (common to virtually the same set of manuscripts). This cannot be coincidental, nor do I think it can be accidental. In other words, whichever set of readings (longer/shorter) is correct, the changes seem to have been both deliberate and consistent in Luke 24. Either scribes added text (interpolations), perhaps to harmonize with John’s account (see below) etc. and/or enhance the Christological portrait, or they deleted the text, for reasons that are as yet not entirely clear.
Here is a translation of the majority text of vv. 1-4, with the words in question italicized:
1And on (day) one of the week, of deep dawn [i.e. early at dawn], upon the memorial [i.e. tomb] they came carrying spices which they had made ready. 2And they found the stone having been rolled (away) from the memorial, 3but going into (it) they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4And it came to be in their being without a way-through [i.e. as they were at a loss] about this, and see!—two men stood upon [i.e. next to] them in flashing clothes…
Manuscripts D a b d e ff2 l r1 do not include the words tou= ku/riou )Ihsou=. They may have been added to specify and make clear what would otherwise be implied: that it was truly Jesus’ body missing from the tomb. If the words did not drop out by accident, it is hard to explain why a scribe (on orthodox one, at least) would have removed them. A few manuscripts (579 1241 pc syrs, c, p bohms) read simply tou= )Ihsou=.
The same group of Western manuscripts (along with Georgian MS B) do not include the words ou)k e&stin w!de a)lla\ e)ge/rqh from the angelic announcement. Here is a translation of the majority text (with italicized words):
5And at their [i.e. the women] coming to be afraid and bending th(eir) faces into the earth, they [i.e. the men/angels] said to them, “(For) what [i.e. why] do you seek the living amid the dead? 6He is not here, but he has risen! Remember how he spoke to you…”
Almost the same group of Western MSS (along with several Syriac witnesses [and Marcion?]) do not include verse 12 at all. The majority text reads:
o( de\ Pe/tro$ a)nasta\$ e&dramen e)pi\ to mnmei=on kai\ paraku/ya$ ble/pei ta\ o)qo/nia [kei/mena] mo/na, kai\ a)ph=lqen pro\$ e(auto\n qauma/zwn to\ gegono/$
But Peter, standing up, ran upon [i.e. ran to] the memorial [i.e. tomb] and bending alongside he saw the cloths [laying] alone, and he went from (there) toward his own (home), wondering at the (thing which) had come to be [i.e. what had happened]
This is of course quite similar to the account in John 20:4-5f, enough that scholars who favor the shorter reading view the verse as a harmonizing interpolation. The word kei/mena (not in Ë75 a B W etc) is probably a simple harmonization; however, otherwise, there are enough differences (including all of 12b), that this is less likely for the verse as a whole. On the other hand, the sequence from verse 11 to 13 reads smoother without v. 12:
11and these words [i.e. the women’s report] shined in their face [i.e. appeared to them] as if idle-talk, and they [i.e. the apostles] did not trust them [i.e. the women]. 13And see—two of them [i.e. disciples/apostles] in the self(-same) day were travelling unto a village…
It is also much more effective dramatically without v. 12, leading up to the revelation at Emmaus; it can be argued that the announcement in v. 34 (“the Lord has been seen by Simon!”) is more dramatic this way as well. That being said, what of the (internal) evidence—the intrinsic or transcriptional probability—for inclusion/exclusion of the verse? I find the argument for simple harmonization with John to be weak; I am also unconvinced by the idea that the verse was added to make better sense of v. 34. A much stronger argument is that the verse was added (whether from John, or more likely a separate tradition) to soften the image of the unbelieving apostles in v. 11—not all of them mistrusted the women, Peter responded aggressively to see for himself! What of reasons for scribes’ deleting the verse? Apart from the fact that the narrative reads better without v.12 (the plural pronoun and copulative kai arguably connect more readily with v.11), it is hard to come up with a good explanation.
Here the opening of Jesus’ introduction—kai\ le/gei au)toi=$: ei)rh/nh u(mi=n—is not included by the same group of Western manuscripts (D a b d e ff2 l r1). Again, let us examine the context in translation (disputed words italicized):
36And as they spoke this, (Jesus) himself stood in the middle of them and says to them: “Peace to you”. 37But being terrified and coming to be in fear, they seemed to gaze at a ‘spirit’. 38And he said to them, “(For) what [i.e. why] are you disturbed…?”
The scene makes more immediate sense without the words—Jesus suddenly appears in their midst and they are terrified (presumably not recognizing him, cf. v. 16ff). There would seem to be less reason for such sudden, extreme fear, after the words of greeting (“Peace to you”). In this instance, a harmonization with John (20:19) is perhaps more likely than in Luke 24:12. As for omission, if the words did not fall out accidentally, why would they have been deleted? Again, it is hard to come up with a reason.
Here, as at 24:12, and entire verse is missing from (the same group) of Western manuscripts, along with the Curetonian and Sinaitic Syriac. The verse reads:
kai\ tou=to ei)pw\n e&deicen au)toi=$ ta\$ xei=ra$ kai\ tou\$ po/da$
“and having said this, he showed them the hands and the feet”
A harmonization with John 20:20 is certainly possible. On the other hand, I would say that there is at least a plausible reason for scribes omitting the words, as they may have appeared superfluous or redundant directly following v. 39.
These two variations units are, in some ways, even more controversial, and are better left to an (upcoming) article on the Ascension.
One of the reasons earlier scholars more readily favored the “Non-Interpolations” of vv. 12, 36, and 40, was the understandable assumption that these were scribal harmonizations (of a sort all too common in the manuscripts) with the parallel passage in John. However, commentators today tend to prefer the view that Luke and John (in the Passion and Resurrection narratives, at least) both draw from a common tradition, which explains their sharing certain details not found in Matthew-Mark.
From a text-critical point of view, however, it should be reiterated that the internal evidence favors all of the Lukan “Non-interpolations” (in chapter 24). The two overriding arguments:
Scribes are more likely to have harmonized the text (to another Gospel passage) by adding to it, than to eliminate a harmonization by deleting the text.
Scribes are more likely to add details enhancing or expanding the portrait of Christ, than to delete them. One indisputable fact is that for all seven instances in Luke 24, the longer (majority) text adds vivid or significant detail related to the reality of Jesus’ resurrection not found in the corresponding Western text.
All things considered, it is safest to defer to the overwhelming external evidence in favor of the longer readings. Yet, in studying and meditating upon the Resurrection accounts in Luke, I would urge care and consideration—if we wish to understand the inspired original text, such significant textual variants must be given their due.
March 27 — Easter Sunday (Easter Week)
For the three days of Easter, I will be discussing three Resurrection Appearances of Jesus: (1) to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18), (2) to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and (3) to Thomas. Interestingly, these persons are hardly even mentioned elsewhere in the Gospels. As for Mary Magdalene, her presence at the tomb, with Jesus’ early appearance to her, is a fixture in Gospel tradition—indeed, it is one of the indisputable facts in the Resurrection Narratives. And, while the basic outline may be the same in all four Gospels, how different are the precise details! John’s account is perhaps the best known, but is complicated by the presence of Peter and the Beloved Disciple (20:2-10)—the narrative makes more sense (and is more consistent with the Synoptics) if one reads 20:1 followed by vv. 11-18.
Looking at the episode in vv. 11-18, I highlight three principal motifs: First, an initial lack of recognition of the risen Jesus (vv. 14-15)—a motif which occurs in other Appearance stories (Luke 24:13-35; John 21:1-14). However, in John we also find repeatedly the motif of the audience misunderstanding what they see or hear Jesus saying or doing; in this instance, it is Jesus himself that Mary misunderstands (“…supposing that he is the gardener”). The verb here is doke/w, which has a fairly wide range of meaning: “think, consider, seem, appear, recognize”; a derived word is do/ca (usually translated “glory”), but which has the general sense of “thought, consideration, what seems (to be), what appears (to be)” (only secondarily does one speak of do/ca as “reputation, honor, glory, etc”). In the context of the Person of Christ, one naturally also relates the word to “docetic/docetism”—that Christ only appeared or seemed to be fully human. So, the word may have a deeper meaning here than it appears at first glance. It is only when Mary hears Jesus say her name, that she recognizes him.
This leads to the second Johannine motif of seeing and hearing. These appear frequently in both the narratives (miracle stories) and the discourses, and are often a source of misunderstanding (cf. 9:39-41, etc) for the audience. Jesus stresses repeatedly that he only says (and does) what he sees and hears the Father saying/doing (5:19-20, 30; 12:49-50, etc); similarly, believers will see and hear what Jesus says and does (5:24; 8:47; 12:47-49; 14:10, 24; 17:24, etc), which leads to the experience of (eternal) life in Christ (5:25, 28; 6:63, 68; 8:51; 12:50; and cf. the raising of Lazarus, 11:1-44). So, when Mary hears Jesus say her name, and recognizes his voice, it is not merely a dramatic narrative detail: one may say she is herself coming out of the tomb at the sound of his voice (5:25, 28); for she truly hears his voice (10:3-5, 16, 27; 18:37 [“all who are of the truth hear my voice”]). She also sees, that is, she recognizes Christ; just as only those who belong to the truth can hear God’s voice, so only those who are “born from above” can see the kingdom of God (3:3).
However, Mary’s understanding is not complete. This brings me to the third motif of ascension. Perhaps the most famous (and controversial) part of this narrative is in verse 17. Upon recognizing Jesus, Mary turns to him and calls to him (“Rabbi/Teacher”); Jesus’ response is: mh\ mou a%ptou ou&pw ga\r a)nabe/bhka pro\$ to\n pate/ra, “do not touch me, for not yet have I gone up toward the Father”. The verb a%ptw generally means “connect, fasten, bind”, or, more figuratively, “touch”; in this regard, one may “touch” either lightly or strongly (“handle, cling to”, etc). The exact context and meaning of Jesus’ words here remain in dispute, with any number of suggested interpretations (many exotic or implausible); however, since the precise action is not specified, I believe they should be taken in a more symbolic fashion. Mary responds to Jesus in a natural, human way (addressing him as “Teacher”); whether or not she might actually try to embrace or “cling to” him physically, that would seem to be the underlying reality—she seeks to “touch” Jesus at the physical, rather than spiritual, level. So we have Jesus’ answer: “I have not yet gone up [i.e. ascended] to the Father”. This image of going up, taking up, lifting up, etc. occurs in Jesus’ teaching throughout the Gospel, related to both his death and resurrection, and to his return to the Father. Particularly, in the last Discourses, does he refer to this “going away” (13:33-36; 14:2-4, 16-19, 26-31; 16:5-16, 19-24, 28; 17:11-13), back to the Father, which, in many instances at least, Jesus connects directly with the sending of the Spirit/Paraclete. It is by the Spirit that we are able to “touch” and “cling to” Christ, and only by the Spirit (being born from the Spirit, “from above”) that we can see and enter into the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom is also reflected in the powerful language of union/unity expressed by Jesus throughout the Gospel (see especially chapter 17), and, I think, stated clearly again in Jesus’ closing words to Mary: “but go toward my brothers and say to them, ‘I go up to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God‘”. |
The $25,000 Jaw
by Richard Connell
"Rather thirsty this morning, eh, Mr. Addicks?" inquired Cowdin, the chief purchasing agent. The "Mister" was said with a long, hissing "s" and was distinctly not meant as a title of respect.
Cowdin, as he spoke, rested his two square hairy hands on Croly Addicks' desk, and this enabled him to lean forward and thrust his well-razored knob of blue-black jaw within a few inches of Croly Addicks' face.
"Too bad, Mr. Addicks, too bad," said Cowdin in a high, sharp voice. "Do you realize, Mr. Addicks, that every time you go up to the water cooler you waste fifteen seconds of the firm's time? I might use a stronger word than 'waste,' but I'll spare your delicate feelings. Do you think you can control your thirst until you take your lunch at the Waldorf-Astoria, or shall I have your desk piped with ice water, Mr. Addicks?"
Croly Addicks drew his convex face as far away as he could from the concave features of the chief purchasing agent and muttered, "Had kippered herring for breakfast."
A couple of the stenographers tittered. Croly's ears reddened and his hands played nervously with his blue-and-white polka-dot necktie. Cowdin eyed him for a contemptuous half second, then rotated on his rubber heel and prowled back to his big desk in the corner of the room.
Croly Addicks, inwardly full of red revolution, outwardly merely flustered and intimidated, rustled among the piles of invoices and forms on his desk, and tried desperately to concentrate on his task as assistant to the assistant purchasing agent of the Pierian Piano Company, a vast far-flung enterprise that boasted, with only slight exaggeration, "We bring melody to a million homes." He hated Cowdin at all times, and particularly when he called him "Mr. Addicks." That "Mister" hurt worse than a slap on a sunburned shoulder. What made the hate almost beyond bearing was the realization on Croly's part that it was impotent.
"Gawsh," murmured the blond stenographer from the corner of her mouth, after the manner of convicts, "Old Grizzly's pickin' on the chinless wonder again. I don't see how Croly stands it. I wouldn't if I was him."
"Aw, wadda yuh expeck of Chinless?" returned the brunette stenographer disdainfully as she crackled paper to conceal her breach of the office rules against conversation. "Feller with ingrown jaws was made to pick on."
At noon Croly went out to his lunch, not to the big hotel, as Cowdin had suggested, but to a crowded basement full of the jangle and clatter of cutlery and crockery, and the smell and sputter of frying liver. The name of this cave was the Help Yourself Buffet. Its habitués, mostly clerks like Croly, pronounced "buffet" to rhyme with "rough it," which was incorrect but apt.
The place was, as its patrons never tired of reminding one another as they tried with practiced eye and hand to capture the largest sandwiches, a conscience beanery. As a matter of fact, one's conscience had a string tied to it by a cynical management.
The system is simple. There are piles of food everywhere, with prominent price tags. The hungry patron seizes and devours what he wishes. He then passes down a runway and reports, to the best of his mathematical and ethical ability, the amount his meal has cost--usually, for reasons unknown, forty-five cents. The report is made to a small automaton of a boy, with a blasé eye and a brassy voice. He hands the patron a ticket marked 45 and at the same instant screams in a sirenic and incredulous voice, "Fawty-fi'." Then the patron passes on down the alley and pays the cashier at the exit. The purpose of the boy's violent outcry is to signal the spotter, who roves among the foods, a derby hat cocked over one eye and an untasted sandwich in his hand, so that persons deficient in conscience may not basely report their total as forty-five when actually they have eaten ninety cents' worth.
On this day, when Croly Addicks had finished his modest lunch, the spotter was lurking near the exit. Several husky-looking young men passed him, and brazenly reported totals of twenty cents, when it was obvious that persons of their brawn would not be content with a lunch costing less than seventy-five; but the spotter noting their bull necks and bellicose air let them pass. But when Croly approached the desk and reported forty-five the spotter pounced on him. Experience had taught the spotter the type of man one may pounce on without fear of sharp words or resentful blows.
"Pahdun me a minute, frien'," said the spotter. "Ain't you made a little mistake?"
"Me?" quavered Croly. He was startled and he looked guilty, as only the innocent can look.
"Yes, you," said the spotter, scowling at the weak outlines of Croly's countenance.
"No," jerked out Croly. "Forty-five's correct." He tried to move along toward the cashier, but the spotter's bulk blocked the exit alley.
"Ain't you the guy I seen layin' away a double portion of strawb'ry shortcake wit' cream?" asked the spotter sternly.
Croly hoped that it was not apparent that his upper lip was trembling; his hands went up to his polka-dot tie and fidgeted with it. He had paused yearningly over the strawberry shortcake; but he had decided he couldn't afford it.
"Didn't have shortcake," he said huskily.
"Oh, no!" rejoined the spotter sarcastically, appealing to the ring of interested faces that had now crowded about. "I s'pose that white stuff on your upper lip ain't whipped cream?"
"It's milk," mumbled Croly. "All I had was milk and oatmeal crackers and apple pie. Honest."
The spotter snorted dubiously.
"Some guy," he declared loudly, "tucked away a double order of strawb'ry shortcake and a hamboiger steak, and it wasn't me. So come awn, young feller, you owe the house ninety cents, so cut out the arggament."
"I--I----" began Croly, incoherently rebellious; but it was clear that the crowd believed him guilty of the conscienceless swindle; so he quailed before the spotter's accusing eye, and said, "Oh, well, have it your own way. You got me wrong, but I guess you have to pick on little fellows to keep your job." He handed over ninety cents to the cashier.
"You'll never see my face in this dump again," muttered Croly savagely over his shoulder.
"That won't make me bust out cryin', Chinless," called the spotter derisively.
Croly stumbled up the steps, his eyes moist, his heart pumping fast. Chinless! The old epithet. The old curse. It blistered his soul.
Moodily he sought out a bench in Madison Square, hunched himself down and considered his case. To-day, he felt, was the critical day of his life; it was his thirtieth birthday.
His mind flashed back, as you've seen it done in the movies, to a scene the night before, in which he had had a leading rôle.
"Emily," he had said to the loveliest girl in the world, "will you marry me?"
Plainly Emily Mackie had expected something of the sort, and after the fashion of the modern business girl had given the question calm and clear-visioned consideration.
"Croly," she said softly, "I like you. You are a true friend. You are kind and honest and you work hard. But oh, Croly dear, we couldn't live on twenty-two dollars and fifty cents a week; now could we?"
That was Croly's present salary after eleven years with the Pierian Piano Company, and he had to admit that Emily was right; they could not live on it.
"But, dearest Emily," he argued, "to-morrow they appoint a new assistant purchasing agent, and I'm in line for the job. It pays fifty a week."
"But are you sure you'll get it?"
His face fell.
"N-no," he admitted, "but I deserve it. I know the job about ten times better than any of the others, and I've been there longest."
"You thought they'd promote you last year, you know," she reminded him.
"And so they should have," he replied, flushing. "If it hadn't been for old Grizzly Cowdin! He thinks I couldn't make good because I haven't one of those underslung jaws like his."
"He's a brute!" cried Emily. "You know more about the piano business than he does."
"I think I do," said Croly, "but he doesn't. And he's the boss."
"Oh, Croly, if you'd only assert yourself----"
"I guess I never learned how," said Croly sadly.
As he sat there on the park bench, plagued by the demon of introspection, he had to admit that he was not the pugnacious type, the go-getter sort that Cowdin spoke of often and admiringly. He knew his job; he could say that of himself in all fairness, for he had spent many a night studying it; some day, he told himself, they'd be surprised, the big chiefs and all of them, to find out how much he did know about the piano business. But would they ever find out?
Nobody, reflected Croly, ever listened when he talked. There was nothing about him that carried conviction. It had always been like that since his very first day in school when the boys had jeeringly noted his rather marked resemblance to a haddock, and had called out, "Chinless, Chinless, stop tryin' to swallow your face."
Around his chinlessness his character had developed; no one had ever taken him seriously, so quite naturally he found it hard to take himself seriously. It was inevitable that his character should become as chinless as his face.
His apprenticeship under the thumb and chin of the domineering Cowdin had not tended to decrease his youthful timidity. Cowdin, with a jut of jaw like a paving block, had bullied Croly for years. More than once Croly had yearned burningly to plant his fist squarely on that blue-black prong of chin, and he had even practiced up on a secondhand punching bag with this end in view. But always he weakened at the crucial instant. He let his resentment escape through the safety valve of intense application to the business of his firm. It comforted him somewhat to think that even the big-jawed president, Mr. Flagstead, probably didn't have a better grasp of the business as a whole than he, chinless Croly Addicks, assistant to the assistant purchasing agent. But--and he groaned aloud at the thought--his light was hidden under a bushel of chinlessness.
Someone had left a crumpled morning edition of an evening paper on the bench, and Croly glanced idly at it. From out the pages stared the determined incisive features of a young man very liberally endowed with jaw. Enviously Croly read the caption beneath the picture, "The fighting face of Kid McNulty, the Chelsea Bearcat, who boxes Leonard." With a sigh Croly tossed the paper away.
He glanced up at the Metropolitan Tower clock and decided that he had just time enough for a cooling beaker of soda. He reached the soda fountain just ahead of three other thirsty men. By every right he should have been served first. But the clerk, a lofty youth with the air of a grand duke, after one swift appraising glance at the place where Croly's chin should have been, disregarded the murmured "Pineapple phosphate, please," and turned to serve the others. Of them he inquired solicitously enough, "What's yourn?" But when he came to Croly he shot him an impatient look and asked sharply, "Well, speak up, can't yuh?" The cool drink turned to galling acid as Croly drank it.
He sprinted for his office, trying to cling to a glimmering hope that Cowdin, despite his waspishness of the morning, had given him the promotion. He reached his desk a minute late.
Cowdin prowled past and remarked with a cutting geniality, harder to bear than a curse, "Well, Mr. Addicks, you dallied too long over your lobster and quail, didn't you?"
Under his desk Croly's fists knotted tightly. He made no reply. To-morrow, probably, he'd have an office of his own, and be almost free from Cowdin's ill-natured raillery. At this thought he bent almost cheerfully over his stack of work.
A girl rustled by and thumb-tacked a small notice on the bulletin board. Croly's heart ascended to a point immediately below his Adam's apple and stuck there, for the girl was Cowdin's secretary, and Croly knew what announcement that notice contained. He knew it was against the Spartan code of office etiquette to consult the board during working hours, but he thought of Emily, and what the announcement meant to him, and he rose and with quick steps crossed the room and read the notice.
Ellis G. Baldwin has this day been promoted to assistant purchasing agent.
(Signed) SAMUEL COWDIN C. P. A.
Croly Addicks had to steady himself against the board; the black letters on the white card jigged before his eyes; his stomach felt cold and empty. Baldwin promoted over his head! Blatant Baldwin, who was never sure of his facts, but was always sure of himself. Cocksure incompetent Baldwin! But--but--he had a bulldog jaw.
Croly Addicks, feeling old and broken, turned around slowly, to find Cowdin standing behind him, a wry smile on his lips, his pin-point eyes fastened on Croly's stricken face.
"Well, Mr. Addicks," purred the chief purchasing agent, "are you thinking of going out for a spin in your limousine or do you intend to favor us with a little work to-day?" He tilted his jaw toward Croly.
"I--I thought I was to get that job," began Croly Addicks, fingering his necktie.
Cowdin produced a rasping sound by rubbing his chin with his finger.
"Oh, did you, indeed?" he asked. "And what made you think that, Mr. Addicks?"
"I've been here longest," faltered Croly, "and I want to get married, and I know the job best, and I've been doing the work ever since Sebring quit, Mr. Cowdin."
For a long time Cowdin did not reply, but stood rubbing his chin and smiling pityingly at Croly Addicks, until Croly, his nerves tense, wanted to scream. Then Cowdin measuring his words spoke loud enough for the others in the room to hear.
"Mr. Addicks," he said, "that job needs a man with a punch. And you haven't a punch, Mr. Addicks. Mr. Addicks, that job requires a fighter. And you're not a fighter, Mr. Addicks. Mr. Addicks, that job requires a man with a jaw on him. And you haven't any jaw on you, Mr. Addicks. Get me?" He thrust out his own peninsula of chin.
It was then that Croly Addicks erupted like a long suppressed volcano. All the hate of eleven bullied years was concentrated in his knotted hand as he swung it swishingly from his hip and landed it flush on the outpointing chin.
An ox might have withstood that punch, but Cowdin was no ox. He rolled among the waste-paper baskets. Snorting furiously he scrambled to his feet and made a bull-like rush at Croly. Trembling in every nerve Croly Addicks swung at the blue-black mark again, and Cowdin reeled against a desk. As he fell his thick fingers closed on a cast-iron paperweight that lay on the desk.
Croly Addicks had a blurred split-second vision of something black shooting straight at his face; then he felt a sharp brain-jarring shock; then utter darkness.
When the light came back to him again it was in Bellevue Hospital. His face felt queer, numb and enormous; he raised his hand feebly to it; it appeared to be covered with concrete bandages.
"Don't touch it," cautioned the nurse. "It's in a cast, and is setting."
It took long weeks for it to set; they were black weeks for Croly, brightened only by a visit or two from Emily Mackie. At last the nurse removed the final bandage and he was discharged from the hospital.
Outside the hospital gate Croly paused in the sunlight. Not many blocks away he saw the shimmer of the East River, and he faced toward it. He could bury his catastrophe there, and forget his smashed-up life, his lost job and his shattered chances of ever marrying. Who would have him now? At best it meant the long weary climb up from the very bottom, and he was past thirty. He took a half step in the direction of the river. He stopped; he felt a hand plucking timidly at his coat sleeve.
The person who plucked at his sleeve was a limp youth with a limp cigarette and vociferous checked clothes and cap. There was no mistaking the awe in his tone as he spoke.
"Say," said the limp youth, "ain't you Kid McNulty, de Chelsea Bearcat?"
He? Croly Addicks? Taken for Kid McNulty, the prize fighter? A wave of pleasure swept over the despondent Croly. Life seemed suddenly worth living. He had been mistaken for a prize fighter!
He hardened his voice.
"That's me," he said.
"Gee," said the limp youth, "I seen yuh box Leonard. Gee, that was a battle! Say, next time yuh meet him you'll knock him for a row of circus tents, won't yuh?"
"I'll knock him for a row of aquariums," promised Croly. And he jauntily faced about and strolled away from the river and toward Madison Square, followed by the admiring glances of the limp youth.
He felt the need of refreshment and pushed into a familiar soda shop. The same lofty grand duke was on duty behind the marble counter, and was taking advantage of a lull by imparting a high polish to his finger nails, and consequently he did not observe the unobtrusive entrance of Croly Addicks.
Croly tapped timidly with his dime on the counter; the grand duke looked up.
"Pineapple phosphate, please," said Croly in a voice still weak from his hospital days.
The grand duke shot from his reclining position as if attached to a spring.
"Yessir, yessir, right away," he smiled, and hustled about his task.
Shortly he placed the beverage before the surprised Croly.
"Is it all right? Want a little more sirup?" inquired the grand duke anxiously.
Croly, almost bewildered by this change of demeanor, raised the glass to his lips. As he did so he saw the reflection of a face in the glistening mirror opposite. He winced, and set down the glass, untasted.
He stared, fascinated, overwhelmed; it must surely be his face, since his body was attached to it, but how could it be? The eyes were the mild blue eyes of Croly Addicks, but the face was the face of a stranger--and a startling-looking stranger, at that!
Croly knew of course that it had been necessary to rebuild his face, shattered by the missile hurled by Cowdin, but in the hospital they had kept mirrors from him, and he had discovered, but only by sense of touch, that his countenance had been considerably altered. But he had never dreamed that the transformation would be so radical.
In the clear light he contemplated himself, and understood why he had been mistaken for the Chelsea Bearcat. Kid McNulty had a large amount of jaw, but he never had a jaw like the stranger with Croly Addicks' eyes who stared back, horrified, at Croly from the soda-fountain mirror. The plastic surgeons had done their work well; there was scarcely any scar. But they had built from Croly's crushed bones a chin that protruded like the prow of a battleship.
The mariners of mythology whom the sorceress changed into pigs could hardly have been more perplexed and alarmed than Croly Addicks. He had, in his thirty years, grown accustomed to his meek apologetic face. The face that looked back at him was not meek or apologetic. It was distinctly a hard face; it was a determined, forbidding face; it was almost sinister.
Croly had the uncanny sensation of having had his soul slipped into the body of another man, an utter stranger. Inside he was the same timorous young assistant to the assistant purchasing agent--out of work; outside he was a fearsome being, a dangerous-looking man, who made autocratic soda dispensers jump.
To him came a sinking, lost feeling; a cold emptiness; the feeling of a gentle Doctor Jekyll who wakes to find himself in the shell of a fierce Mr. Hyde. For a second or two Croly Addicks regretted that he had not gone on to the river.
The voice of the soda clerk brought him back to the world.
"If your drink isn't the way you like it, sir," said the grand duke amiably, "just say the word and I'll mix you up another."
Croly started up.
"'Sall right," he murmured, and fumbled his way out to Madison Square.
He decided to live a while longer, face and all. It was something to be deferred to by soda clerks.
He sank down on a bench and considered what he should do. At the twitter of familiar voices he looked up and saw the blond stenographer and the brunette stenographer from his former company passing on the way to lunch.
He rose, advanced a step toward them, tipped his hat and said, "Hello."
The blond stenographer drew herself up regally, as she had seen some one do in the movies, and chilled Croly with an icy stare.
"Don't get so fresh!" she said coldly. "To whom do you think you're speaking to?"
"You gotta crust," observed the brunette, outdoing her companion in crushing hauteur. "Just take yourself and your baby scarer away, Mister Masher, and get yourself a job posing for animal crackers."
They swept on as majestically as tight skirts and French heels would permit, and Croly, confused, subsided back on his bench again. Into his brain, buzzing now from the impact of so many new sensations, came a still stronger impression that he was not Croly Addicks at all, but an entirely different and fresh-born being, unrecognized by his old associates. He pondered on the trick fate had played on him until hunger beckoned him to the Help Yourself Buffet. He was inside before he realized what he was doing, and before he recalled his vow never to enter there again. The same spotter was moving in and out among the patrons, the same derby cocked over one eye, and an untasted sandwich, doubtless the same one, in his hand. He paid no special heed to the renovated Croly Addicks.
Croly was hungry and under the spotter's very nose he helped himself to hamburger steak and a double order of strawberry shortcake with thick cream. Satisfied, he started toward the blasé check boy with the brassy voice; as he went his hand felt casually in his change pocket, and he stopped short, gripped by horror. The coins he counted there amounted to exactly forty-five cents and his meal totaled a dollar at least. Furthermore, that was his last cent in the world. He cast a quick frightened glance around him. The spotter was lounging against the check desk, and his beady eye seemed focused on Croly Addicks. Croly knew that his only chance lay in bluffing; he drew in a deep breath, thrust forward his new chin, and said to the boy, "Forty-five." "Fawty-fi'," screamed the boy. The spotter pricked up his ears.
Summoning every ounce of nerve he could Croly looked straight back into the spotter's eyes.
"No," said Croly loudly.
For the briefest part of a second the spotter wavered between duty and discretion. Then the beady eyes dropped and he murmured, "Oh, I beg pahdun. I thought you was the guy that just got outside of a raft of strawb'ry shortcake and hamboiger. Guess I made a little mistake myself."
With the brisk firm step of a conqueror Croly Addicks strode into the air, away from the scene he had once left so humiliated.
Again, for many reflective minutes he occupied one of those chairs of philosophy, a park bench, and revolved in his mind the problem, "Where do I go from here?" The vacuum in his pockets warned him that his need of a job was imperative. Suddenly he released his thoughtful clutch on his new jaw, and his eyes brightened and his spine straightened with a startling idea that at once fascinated and frightened him. He would try to get his old job back again.
Inside him the old shrinking Croly fought it out with the new Croly.
"Don't be foolish!" bleated the old Croly. "You haven't the nerve to face Cowdin again."
"Buck up!" argued back the new Croly. "You made that soda clerk hop, and that spotter quail. The worst Cowdin can say is 'No!'"
"You haven't a chance in the piano company, anyhow," demurred the old Croly. "They know you too well; your old reputation is against you. The spineless jellyfish class at twenty-two-fifty per is your limit there."
"Nonsense," declared the new Croly masterfully. "It's the one job you know. Ten to one they need you this minute. You've invested eleven years of training in it. Make that experience count."
"But--but Cowdin may take a wallop at me," protested the old Croly.
"Not while you have a face like Kid McNulty, the Chelsea Bearcat," flashed back the new Croly. The new Croly won.
Ten minutes later Samuel Cowdin swiveled round in his chair to face a young man with a pale, grim face and an oversized jaw.
"Well?" demanded Cowdin.
"Mr. Cowdin," said Croly Addicks, holding his tremors in check by a great effort of will, "I understand you need a man in the purchasing department. I want the job."
Cowdin shot him a puzzled look. The chief purchasing agent's countenance wore the expression of one who says "Where have I seen that face before?"
"We do need a man," Cowdin admitted, staring hard at Croly, "though I don't know how you knew it. Who are you?"
"I'm Addicks," said Croly, thrusting out his new chin.
Cowdin started. His brow wrinkled in perplexity; he stared even more intently at the firm-visaged man, and then shook his head as if giving up a problem.
"That's odd," he muttered, reminiscently stroking his chin. "There was a young fellow by that name here. Croly was his first name. You're not related to him, I suppose?"
Croly, the unrecognized, straightened up in his chair as if he had sat on a hornet. With difficulty he gained control over his breathing, and managed to growl, "No, I'm not related to him."
Cowdin obviously was relieved.
"Didn't think you were," he remarked, almost amiably. "You're not the same type of man at all."
"Do I get that job?" asked Croly. In his own ears his voice sounded hard.
"What experience have you had?" questioned Cowdin briskly.
"Eleven years," replied Croly.
"With what company?"
"With this company," answered Croly evenly.
"With this company?" Cowdin's voice jumped a full octave higher to an incredulous treble.
"Yes," said Croly. "You asked me if I was related to Croly Addicks. I said 'No.' That's true. I'm not related to him--because I am Croly Addicks."
With a gasp of alarm Cowdin jumped to his feet and prepared to defend himself from instant onslaught.
"The devil you are!" he cried.
"Sit down, please," said Croly, quietly.
Cowdin in a daze sank back into his chair and sat staring, hypnotized, at the man opposite him as one might stare who found a young pink elephant in his bed.
"I'll forget what happened if you will," said Croly. "Let's talk about the future. Do I get the job?"
"Eh? What's that?" Cowdin began to realize that he was not dreaming.
"Do I get the job?" Croly repeated.
A measure of his accustomed self-possession had returned to the chief purchasing agent and he answered with as much of his old manner as he could muster, "I'll give you another chance if you think you can behave yourself."
"Thanks," said Croly, and inside his new self sniggered at his old self.
The chief purchasing agent was master of himself by now, and he rapped out in the voice that Croly knew only too well, "Get right to work. Same desk. Same salary. And remember, no more monkey business, Mr. Addicks, because if----"
He stopped short. There was something in the face of Croly Addicks that told him to stop. The big new jaw was pointing straight at him as if it were a pistol.
"You said, just now," said Croly, and his voice was hoarse, "that I wasn't the same type of man as the Croly Addicks who worked here before. I'm not. I'm no longer the sort of man it's safe to ride. Please don't call me Mister unless you mean it."
Cowdin's eyes strayed from the snapping eyes of Croly Addicks to the taut jaw; he shrugged his shoulders.
"Report to Baldwin," was all he said.
As Croly turned away, his back hid from Cowdin the smile that had come to his new face.
The reincarnated Croly had been back at his old job for ten days, or, more accurately, ten days and nights, for it had taken that long to straighten out the snarl in which Baldwin, not quite so sure of himself now, had been immersed to the eyebrows. Baldwin was watching, a species of awe in his eye, while Croly swiftly and expertly checked off a complicated price list. Croly looked up.
"Baldwin," he said, laying down the work, "I'm going to make a suggestion to you. It's for your own good."
"Shoot!" said the assistant purchasing agent warily.
"You're not cut out for this game," said Croly Addicks.
"Wha-a-at?" sputtered Baldwin.
Croly leveled his chin at him. Baldwin listened as the new Addicks continued: "You're not the buying type, Baldwin. You're the selling type. Take my advice and get transferred to the selling end. You'll be happier--and you'll get farther."
"Say," began Baldwin truculently, "you've got a nerve. I've a good notion to----"
Abruptly he stopped. Croly's chin was set at an ominous angle.
"Better think it over," said Croly Addicks, taking up the price list again.
Baldwin gazed for a full minute or more at the remade jaw of his assistant. Then he conceded, "Maybe I will."
A week later Baldwin announced that he had taken Croly's advice. The old Addicks would have waited, with anxious nerves on edge, for the announcement of Baldwin's successor; the new Addicks went straight to the chief purchasing agent.
"Mr. Cowdin," said Croly, as calmly as a bumping heart would permit, "shall I take over Baldwin's work?"
The chief purchasing agent crinkled his brow petulantly.
"I had Heaton in mind for the job," he said shortly without looking up.
"I want it," said Croly Addicks, and his jaw snapped. His tone made Cowdin look up. "Heaton isn't ripe for the work," said Croly. "I am."
Cowdin could not see that inside Croly was quivering; he could not see that the new Croly was struggling with the old and was exerting every ounce of will power he possessed to wring out the words. All Cowdin could see was the big jaw, bulging and threatening.
He cautiously poked back his office chair so that it rolled on its casters out of range of the man with the dangerous face.
"I told you once before, Addicks," began the chief purchasing agent----
"You told me once before," interrupted Croly Addicks sternly, "that the job required a man with a jaw. What do you call this?"
He tapped his own remodeled prow. Cowdin found it impossible not to rest his gaze on the spot indicated by Croly's forefinger. Unconsciously, perhaps, his beads of eyes roved over his desk in search of a convenient paperweight or other weapon. Finding none the chief purchasing agent affected to consider the merits of Croly's demand.
"Well," he said with a judicial air, "I've a notion to give you a month's trial at the job."
"Good," said Croly; and inside he buzzed and tingled warmly.
Cowdin wheeled his office chair back within range again.
A month after Croly Addicks had taken up his duties as assistant purchasing agent he was sitting late one afternoon in serious conference with the chief purchasing agent. The day was an anxious one for all the employees of the great piano company. It was the day when the directors met in solemn and awful conclave, and the ancient and acidulous chairman of the board, Cephas Langdon, who owned most of the stock, emerged, woodchucklike, from his hole, to conduct his annual much-dreaded inquisition into the corporation's affairs, and to demand, with many searching queries, why in blue thunder the company was not making more money. On this day dignified and confident executives wriggled and wilted like tardy schoolboys under his grilling, and official heads were lopped off with a few sharp words.
As frightened secretaries slipped in and out of the mahogany-doored board room information seeped out, and breaths were held and tiptoes walked on as the reports flashed about from office to office.
"Old Langdon's on a rampage."
"He's raking the sales manager over the coals."
"He's fired Sherman, the advertising manager."
"He's fired the whole advertising department too."
"He's asking what in blue thunder is the matter with the purchasing department."
When this last ringside bulletin reached Cowdin he scowled, muttered, and reached for his hat.
"If anybody should come looking for me," he said to Croly, "tell 'em I went home sick."
"But," protested Croly, who knew well the habits of the exigent chairman of the board, "Mr. Langdon may send down here any minute for an explanation of the purchasing department's report."
Cowdin smiled sardonically.
"So he may, so he may," he said, clapping his hat firmly on his head. "Perhaps you'd be so good as to tell him what he wants to know."
And still smiling the chief purchasing agent hurried to the freight elevator and made his timely and prudent exit.
"Gawsh," said the blond stenographer, "Grizzly Cowdin's ducked again this year."
"Gee," said the brunette stenographer, "here's where poor Mr. Addicks gets it where Nellie wore the beads."
Croly knew what they were saying; he knew that he had been left to be a scapegoat. He looked around for his own hat. But as he did so he caught the reflection of his new face in the plate-glass top of his desk. The image of his big impressive jaw heartened him. He smiled grimly and waited.
He did not have long to wait. The door was thrust open and President Flagstead's head was thrust in.
"Where's Cowdin?" he demanded nervously. Tiny worried pearls of dew on the presidential brow bore evidence that even he had not escaped the grill.
"Home," said Croly. "Sick."
Mr. Flagstead frowned. The furrows of worry in his face deepened.
"Mr. Langdon is furious at the purchasing department," he said. "He wants some things in the report explained, and he won't wait. Confound Cowdin!"
Croly's eyes rested for a moment on the reflection of his chin in the glass on his desk; then he raised them to the president's.
"Mr. Cowdin left me in charge," he said, hoping that his voice wouldn't break. "I'll see if I can answer Mr. Langdon's questions."
The president fired a swift look at Croly; at first it was dubious; then, as it appraised Croly's set face, it grew relieved.
"Who are you?" asked the president.
"Addicks, assistant purchasing agent," said Croly.
"Oh, the new man. I've noticed you around," said the president. "Meant to introduce myself. How long have you been here?"
"Eleven years," said Croly.
"Eleven years?" The president was unbelieving. "You couldn't have been. I certainly would have noticed your face." He paused a bit awkwardly. Just then they reached the mahogany door of the board room.
Croly Addicks, outwardly a picture of determination, inwardly quaking, followed the president. Old Cephas Langdon was squatting in his chair, his face red from his efforts, his eyes, beneath their tufts of brow, irate. When he spoke, his words exploded in bunches like packs of firecrackers.
"Well, well?" he snapped. "Where's Cowdin? Why didn't Cowdin come? I sent for Cowdin, didn't I? I wanted to see the chief purchasing agent. Where's Cowdin anyhow? Who are you?"
"Cowdin's sick. I'm Addicks," said Croly.
His voice trembled, and his hands went up to play with his necktie. They came in contact with the point of his new chin, and fresh courage came back to him. He plunged his hands into his coat pockets, pushed the chin forward.
He felt the eyes under the bushy brows surveying his chin.
"Cowdin sick, eh?" inquired Cephas Langdon acidly. "Seems to me he's always sick when I want to find out what in blue thunder ails his department." He held up a report. "I installed a purchasing system in 1913," he said, slapping the report angrily, "and look here how it has been foozled." He slammed the report down on the table. "What I want to know, young man," he exploded, "is why material in the Syracuse factories cost 29 per cent more for the past three months than for the same period last year. Why? Why? Why?"
He glared at Croly Addicks as if he held him personally responsible. Croly did not drop his eyes before the glare; instead he stuck his chin out another notch. His jaw muscles knotted. His breathing was difficult. The chance he'd been working for, praying for, had come.
"Your purchasing system is all wrong, Mr. Langdon," he said, in a voice so loud that it made them all jump.
For a second it seemed as if Cephas Langdon would uncoil and leap at the presumptuous underling with the big chin. But he didn't. Instead, with a smile in which there was a lot of irony, and some interest, he asked, "Oh, indeed? Perhaps, young man, you'll be so good as to tell me what's wrong with it? You appear to think you know a thing or two."
Croly told him. Eleven years of work and study were behind what he said, and he emphasized each point with a thrust of his jaw that would have carried conviction even had his analysis of the system been less logical and concise than it was. Old Cephas Langdon leaning on the directors' table turned up his ear trumpet so that he wouldn't miss a word.
"Well? Well? And what would you suggest instead of the old way?" he interjected frequently.
Croly had the answer ready every time. Darkness and dinnertime had come before Croly had finished.
"Flagstead," said Old Cephas Langdon, turning to the president, "haven't I always told you that what we needed in the purchasing department was a man with a chin on him? Just drop a note to Cowdin to-morrow, will you, and tell him he needn't come back?"
He turned toward Croly and twisted his leathery old face into what passed for a smile.
"Young man," he said, "don't let anything happen to that jaw of yours. One of these bright days it's going to be worth twenty-five thousand dollars a year to you."
That night a young man with a prodigious jaw sat very near a young woman named Emily Mackie, who from time to time looked from his face to the ring finger of her left hand.
"Oh, Croly dear," she said softly, "how did you do it?"
"Oh, I don't know," he said. "Guess I just tried to live up to my jaw."
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Age is very important in jury service it brings with it great experience of life that no 18year old can ever do( they think they know and have experienced everything -remember?) and be sensitive to any differences in crime great or petty sympathy and understanding but with a determination to take thugs of the streets if they continue and have not learned the lesson from earlier encounters with the law.
Perhaps we should have professional jurors, who are selected at random for each case. Jurors that have been on courses to understand why we get miscarriages of justice and are confident enough to challenge 'expert' witness evidence even in high profile cases.
Even if jurors were selected by age, there would still be those who have no experience of crime except from watching television dramas or just don't want to be there.
Posted by: Wesley Crosland 23 June 2009 at 07:34 PM.
As usual Mr Crosland you choose to misquote and misrepresent me. Firstly, as an aside, I suggest you read the Sherlock Holmes short story, 'The Mazarin Stone' as it contains an excellent description of how one should address one's fellows. When you have read and absorbed it, I suggest you start putting it into practice.
The sole purpose of Government is to protect us from invasion and to ensure that citizens of this country may go about their business unmolested, for this purpose they are entitled to raise revenue. The minute we start asking them to do other things the more they will interfere with everything we do. Is that clear now?
I am appalled, but not surprised, by the changes that have been made to criminal law over the past thirty years or so. If this continues there will soon be a presumption of guilt where the accused will be required to prove his innocence and, if he by some fluke is not convicted the first time, then he will be retried for the same crime until he is.
The police state is here, it only needs a few more changes to be formally integrated.
If anyone still needs any convincing that a society with even a modest claim to having just laws must presume its inhabitants innocent, unless and until proven guilty, that person need only recall recently televised scenes of appalling and seemingly hysterical lynch-mob-style behaviour by some of the public attending a court appearance (in Plymouth, if I remember right) in which a person had been charged with forms of child abuse; and, arguably more dangerous yet, the growing habit amongst journalists - and especially those in radio and television - to report such charges in such a way as to suggest that the question of innocence or guilt had already been decided.
Why, for example, do some journalists - and their number is growing through habit - offer charged but not convicted persons the discourtesy of denying them such titles as Mr, Mrs or Miss, titles which they would not dream of denying to any other private person they had occasion to cite in their reports, and titles to which anyone not being publicly reprimanded is entitled?
To charge a person with a crime or offence does not - or perhaps not yet - under British law in any way imply that the charged person be guilty.
Recent episodes of the British judicial process seem to me to demonstrate a reluctance on the part of the authorities either to pursue or prosecute the would-be lynch-mobsters or even to see any reason to rebuke journalists of that type. And yet both factions in their own way are, I maintain, liable to charges of seeking to pervert the course of justice.
Some offences are. it seems, seen as so wicked even in our do-as-you-please society that the public, emotions duly 'orchestrated' by sensation-seeking and copy-hungry media organisations, is permitted with little more than an officially raised eyebrow to dispense with judicial niceties and vent its disapprobation any defenceless scapegoat available.
In the matter of certain offences hysterical public anger is so readily aroused and so little officially rebuked that, unless our news media are either forbidden to report alleged instances of them or allowed to do so only after any persons charged have been either convicted or acquitted, there is a grave risk of the presumption of innocence being further undermined to the point of being in all but name abolished.
We are unconsciously beginning, it seems to me, to embrace the ethos of the show trial.
Let's not stop at an intelligence test to qualify for jury service. Let's have it to enable one to have the right to vote. And have children. And maybe to post suggestions on blogs.
There is no existing absolute right to jury trial. Never has been never will be. Magistrates have been banging people up since time immemorial. Many criminals have so much faith in their fellow man that they elect for trial by magistrate, when the choice is offered.
Those of us with longer memories than yours will also know there have been Diplock courts in Northern Ireland for years. Established by the Tories in 1972 (?)to err........ ensure the rule of law in the face of serious jury intimidation in trials of paramilitaries.
Not saying its right or wrong. Just that the 'threat' you fear so much is not without precedent and is certainly not a party political issue.
I disagree wholeheartedly with what you say about jury selection.
"...headed by a monarch with powers derived from God was what makes Great Britain what it is, rather than democracy."
Some might say, in respect of 'what it is', the country is one dreadful mess.
But, at least I can relax in the knowledge that this is only your 'belief''. Were it 'fact', I might be tempted to ask if you feel both parties involved have been meeting your expectations. And whether, in godly republican America, God plays a lone role or simply adapts to a change of partners every few years. Or is it just in England where this unique arrangement prevails?
You often hear this argument from older people (generally 50+) that young people shouldn't be allowed in parliament, juries etc because they are 'inexperienced' - in that case I think they should raise the voting age to whatever age they feel is an appropriate level of 'experience' - what's the point in offering universal suffrage if the people between 18 and 30 aren't allowed a voice?
I cannot express my agreement in stronger terms. As a law student, I similarly perceive that many of the ancient and accepted practices of the common law are quietly being done away with on the pretenses of 'promoting efficiency' and 'streamlining' the legal process.
In reality, however, I fear the quiet erosion of established codes of legal practice really represents nothing more than an increasing level of interference by the state in legal affairs.
The fundamental constitutional principles of equality before the law, trial by jury, and the presumption of innocence are simply too important to have a price tag place upon their observance.
Well done, sir. Well done indeed. An excellent piece.
The slow creeping take over by the Soviet European Union.
why another Soviet Union would want to be created.
In cases heard in the magistrate court the percentage of people convicted is about 90%--In the crown court the conviction rate is a little over 50%. The evidential rules favour the accused to such an extent that I guess for every 100 guilty people who are acquitted there are fewer than 1 innocent person who is convicted.Having sat on a jury and heard the juries interpretation of the judges directions etc.and the reason why they thought a person should be acquitted i am not surprised at the statistics.My view is that with a judge taking the decision guilty or not then i would be surprised if the conviction rate in the crown did not go up but would be very surprised if there was an increase in innocent people being found guilty. Overall I believe that the jury system should be retained except in exceptional cases as it gives the public confidence in the judicial system.
Ah, but does jury trial generate a profit?! I hear Williamson cry. No doubt he supports the circumscription of jury trial on this basis.
But your last paragraph sums it up. The way they drivel about cost is one of their biggest lies. Honestly, the sheer chutzpah of these people defies belief.
But, pray, how is it that they can raise billions to rein down missiles on Iraqi children, and millions for the construction of an utterly pointless monument to the Blair cretin's vanity, but not for the protection of twelve men and women?
Then there is the laughable and embarrassing (at least to those who still consider themselves British, anyway, which I don't), rickety rail system, shambling along and constantly plagued by mysterious technical faults, cancellations and delays. How much is really spent on this? Because I'm damned if I can see the results of the much-trumpeted "investment".
The truth is that the odious swindlers in Westminster, captivated by the election of some oleaginous fake Tory and would-be turncoat, shower oceans of cash on pointless policies and schemes when THEY want to.
The whole political class need to go, otherwise this country will simply collapse and implode before too long.
Peter Hitchens agreed the property qualification ought to have been erased, but, as with all other changes, nobody gave any thought to what might replace it. The old law may have discriminated against some potentially able jurors, but,under the new system that has replaced it, we often have poorly-educated, irresponsible teenage jurors, with no life experience, who may have spent their whole lives living off the taxpayer, and have never proven they have any sense of responsibility, or benefited from a good education. Would you want the outcome of your trial to be in their hands?
Such people are capable of making very poor decisions, when presented with complex evidence, particularly since the introduction of majority verdicts means a few well-educated, responsible and mature jurors, can easily be over-ridden by a majority of ill-educated state dependents with no stake in society.
Pete Brant laughably suggests we "all have a stake in society". Can he be serious? Is he referring to the repeat benefit claimants, who live in perpetual dependence on the state and happily have large families in order to claim more benefits, or the ill-educated, immoral teenage louts you frequently encounter on the streets?
We plainly are not all well-educated, and do not all have a major stake in society, nor any sense of responsibility towards society. The only question is how jury selection procedures should employ to measure someone's aptitude for this monumentally serious task, upon whose success our ancient civil liberties depend. The poor standard of juries since the abolition of the property qualification has led to miscarriages of justice, and is being used as an excuse to abolish jury trial altogether.
The solution, as Peter Hitchens said, is introduce an educational test, to ensure jurors are of a reasonably high calibre. Raising the age limit, (particularly in a time when so many young people do not leave home or get proper jobs or responsibilities at an early age, but get pregnant and claim flats, or languish on benefits or enroll on worthless "Mickey Mouse" college courses) is the only means of ensuring that jurors are responsible, mature adults, who have experienced life, and not depended on others to cocoon them from reality.
I agree with the majority verdict bit. A few years ago my mum's boyfriend was called for jury service. He was worried about getting a parking ticket so voted with the majority purely so that he could get out of there as soon as possible. Yes we need educational tests, minimum age- the system is not good enough.
I am now 79 and I have never been called for jury service. Was this because I was a Civil Servant or was I just lucky?
"But as long as they've been carefully selected and they show they can be impartial, discerning and wise, and have the intellectual capacity to understand difficult cases and judge correctly."
Blimey, there's not many on my world like that!
But if you are serious (and not suggesting we need somebody like a..Judge), just how would that work? As most people are very reluctant to spend what may be several weeks in court, and 'tests' are very easy to 'fail', and your qualifications will in their own right be very limiting, securing the services of twelve jurors might take an awfully long time.
And would the property qualification include inherited properties? I don't know how many homes there are in the country, but I do know many millions of people are in line for one. Think again, fellows.
And if Mr Hitchens' Liverpool experience suggests intimidation is 'widespread' (and it will be where there is any history of gang culture), how can the cost of defending our freedom just be a mere £6m - the said cost of the case in question? Hundreds of £m's more likely.
And a few moments thought on the subject of proving intimidation suggests it's pretty well impossible. I mean, the juror is not likely to get a signed letter from one of the accused, is he?
Thanks for the many replies to my post.
Of course I can appreciate the points both of you have made. However, I would struggle to reconcile differing levels of responsibility according to age. Someone is either responsible and culpable for their decisions or they aren't, and whilst I agree, that life experience is a valuable commodity, it is by no means a prerequisite to telling right from wrong.
With regards to points about drinking etc; I can guarantee you there are far more over 18 year olds drinking than than 18 year olds, and in far larger quantities. Bank and building societies do give out mortgages and credit cards etc to anyone over able to satisfy financial criteria.
The fact is, that when you hit 18 you are an adult. You can go to prison, you can go to war, you can drive, you can vote. Are we really saying that the one thing you cannot do is tell right from wrong?
With regards to "tests" and the like, I am not sure intelligence is a measure of the ideal juror, but perhaps some other selection test could be found.
Peter Preston concentrates more on property ownership being evidence of some one best positioned to be a juror. And whilst I do see some of the logic in what he is saying, I do not buy into what a property qualification says, i.e.; Someone that does not own their own property is unable to make a judgement, especially given that home ownership is likely to diminish as a fall out from the irresponsible home ownership drive from successive Tory and Labour governments.
As Mr Hitches notes, we were told that majority verdicts were introduced to combat jury tampering, but now the jury can be ditched altogether, the case for them fails on its own terms. Either the government must restore unanimity or admit that Roy Jenkins' original argument was a lie. Since majority verdicts apply to all cases, this has long been obvious, but it would be good to have the people who lionize Jenkins admit it.
The number of mistrials due to hung juries stood at 4% in the 1960s, hardly an impractical proportion. If a single unreasonable juror was the problem we could have introduced a system of alternate jurors to replace a juror who refused to deliberate.
Majority verdicts have always been about the state railroading people through the courts to save money. But it's false economy. The inevitable appeals cost thousands more. Check miscarriages of justice and you usually see a 10-2 vote. I doubt a penny has been saved, and many lives needlessly ruined. The case for unanimity is overwhelming.
Why is Liberty, so vocal about disarming the police and preventing people on community service wearing uniforms, so silent about this civil liberties scandal?
I agree with a lot of what you say but disagree about jury composition - I think the old qualifications were anachronistic and were beginning to cause people to lose respect for the system - and I think the change to a majority verdict is sensible.For every Twelve Angry Men example you give me I will give you one back,like in the recent horrific murder of the two French students the defendant Dano Sonnex was only convicted on a majority of 11 - 1.
"With regards to the property qualification; we are far, far beyond the point where owning a property, is a measure by which you have a stake in society. All walks of life, property owning or not..... have a stake in society."
Maybe they have but quite a lot of them behave - and seem to think - as if they had no such stake. Indeed not a few 18 year-olds seem reluctant to jettison the carefree, reduced responsibility of children.
People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones and - in my experience - seem only too aware of their increased social vulnerability. People who own - even if via a mortgage - any kind of dwelling plainly have more of a stake in preserving their environment than those who don't, amongst other reasons because buying even a modest dwelling normally demands either a lot of money or a lot of personal conservative commitment to the environs of the dwelling in question.
Non-owners of real estate may also have such a commitment but actual owners either have it or they fail in a big way.
You offer the information that "given the choice between a 18 year old in university, and a middle aged bigot, I know which I would rather face if I were in the Dock"
But what if the 18 year-old turned out also to be a bigot? Admission to a university is no guarantee of freedom from bigotry.
I agree wholeheartedly with what you say. The issue of property qualification should never have been removed, nor should majority verdict have been imposed. However, I think it is worth noting that going back half a century or more, people who owned property had in general worked hard for it. Nowadays in our pervasive celebrity and welfare culture, there seems to be plenty of people who either live/own property without lifting a finger.
Without trial by jury and the presumption of innocence, a society quickly falls into tyranny.
I agree though that owning a property, being middle class, or having a university degree shouldn't qualify someone to be a juror. A jury should represent all walks of life, yes, but as long as they've been carefully selected and properly tested and they showed that they can be totally impartial, discerning, wise, and that they do have the intellectual capability to understand difficult cases and judge correctly.
(for a jury in a court of law, of course, not as a general rule, otherwise we wouldn't be able to decide on anything in life) and I think the accused should always have the right to choose between trial by jury or in front of judges.
Sewing the seed of destruction ?
Let's see if we've all got this straight.
Insofar as quality is cherished long after price is forgotten; freedom and justice insured by jury trials may not be 'cheap', but are well worth the price.
And - it is worth noting that revolutions have been fomented and fought over far more trivial issues.
Pete Brant. I don't see that your argument holds water. Many 18 year olds are a menace behind the wheel, many smoke because at 18 you are invincible and lung cancer etc. will never get you, how about binge drinking? That seems to be a teenage hobby. How many married 18 year olds do you know? They may be legally allowed to marry, but how many actually do it? And if they do, how long do they stay married? I wonder how many banks or building societies would give an 18 year old a mortgage. Any 18 year olds joining the police or fire service will be well trained before they are let loose on the public. The right to die for his country is the only one that really stands up and is the saddest.
People called for jury service should be at least 25 years old with some real experience of life behind them, but far more worrying is the gradual erosion of rights we have taken for granted for centuries. How many people actually know anything about the Criminal Justice Act 2003? Anyone who did notice it at the time will probably have forgotten about it now, 6 years later, so it's safe enough to start introducing trial without jury, slowly at first, of course, but before we know it we'll have the Continental system.
I don't much like the country my grandchildren will live in. |
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The Deputies of the Imam of the Age Hazrat Hujjat ibnil Hasan al-Askari (a.t.f.s.)
Allah’s mercy is infinite. None else is more gracious than the Almighty to His creatures. Even the vast love of a mother for her child is just a minor ray of endless love which the Creator has for His creatures. When a mother can never see her offspring in any trouble, then how can the immense mercy of Allah see His creatures punished in Hell?
The Best Creation
Allah created man as his best creation. He made man the most balanced and granted him superiority over every other creation. He provided for all his requirements. He granted the power of “Freewill” to man, and also gifted him “Intelligence” so that he may use the bounty of “Freewill” most appropriately.
He gave man “Physical instincts” and also decorated him with comprehensive inclinations towards “True guidance”. As the Satan undertook the task of igniting the physical instincts, Allah set up the system of guidance through the Divine Messengers, Leaders and Imams (a.s.).
As Allah is thoroughly acquainted with man He has made a comprehensive arrangement for his guidance right from the very first person who was sent on this earth as His Prophet and Guide. The people can thus never have an excuse for their deviation. One who treads the path of error does so of his very willingness.
Man is Free
Allah has created man free. Freedom is meaningful only if one has options to choose. That is, select between the good and the evil. In absence of choice when one is forced to tread a particular path, freedom becomes totally meaningless. The Holy Quran mentions about this reality thus:
وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ
“And We guided him to the two ways”[1][1]
إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا
“Surely We have guided him to the way either: he may be thankful or ungrateful.”[2][2]
فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا. قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا. وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا
“Then He inspired it to understand what is right and wrong for it; He will indeed be successful who purifies it, And he will indeed fail who corrupts it.”[3][3]
Allah has granted man great bounties that He has not given anyone else. These are intelligence, wisdom and capacity to think. Among men are some who have been endowed with caliphate, messengership, prophethood and divine leadership. Consequently man will also be tested in the same proportion. One who succeeds in this test will then be granted unimaginable rewards.
An Examination
Bestowals are accompanied by free-will and a test. The test is followed by either a great elevation or an infinite lowliness caused by the incorrect application of one’s free-will.
Allah had granted innumerable bounties to Satan. He accorded him a high status among the angels due to his excessive worship. A creature made from the fire thus moved around with creatures made from light. This enhancement of the status was followed by a test. Allah commanded him to prostrate before a creature made from soil. The angels were the perfect servants of the Lord.
They carried out His every command. Without paying attention to the earthly creature they focused on the divine command and immediately prostrated. They succeeded and were declared His nearest attendants. The Satan on the other hand focused on the apparent and ignoring the divine command refused to prostrate. Allah then expelled him from His attendance and the company of the angels. From the lofty heights he was disgraced to the lowest of depths.
At that moment the Satan exceeded all limits of decency and his misbehavior in divine presence is recorded thus in the Holy Quran:
قَالَ يَا إِبْلِيسُ مَا لَكَ أَلاَّ تَكُونَ مَعَ السَّاجِدِينَ. قَالَ لَمْ أَكُن لِّأَسْجُدَ لِبَشَرٍ خَلَقْتَهُ مِن صَلْصَالٍ مِّنْ حَمَإٍ مَّسْنُونٍ. قَالَ فَاخْرُجْ مِنْهَا فَإِنَّكَ رَجِيمٌ. وَإِنَّ عَلَيْكَ اللَّعْنَةَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ. قَالَ رَبِّ فَأَنظِرْنِي إِلَى يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ. قَالَ فَإِنَّكَ مِنَ الْمُنظَرِينَ. إِلَى يَومِ الْوَقْتِ الْمَعْلُومِ. قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَآ أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأُزَيِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ. إِلاَّ عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ. قَالَ هَذَا صِرَاطٌ عَلَيَّ مُسْتَقِيمٌ. إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانٌ إِلاَّ مَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَ
“He said: O Iblis! What excuses have you that you are not with those who make obeisance? He said: I am not such that I should make obeisance to a mortal whom Thou hast created of the essence of black mud fashioned in shape.
He said: Then get out of it, for surely you are driven away: And surely on you is curse until the Day of Judgment. He said: My Lord! Then respite me till the time when they are raised. He said: So surely you are of the respited ones Till the period of the time made known. He said: My Lord! Because Thou hast made life evil to me, I will certainly make (evil) fair-seeming to them on earth, and I will certainly cause them all to deviate Except Thy servants from among them, the devoted ones. He said: This is a right way with Me: Surely as regards My servants, you have no authority, over them except those who follow you of the deviators.”[4][4]
In Surah Sad after recording this incident in some other words, it is mentioned that:
قَالَ فَبِعِزَّتِكَ لَاُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ
“He said: Then by Thy Might I will surely make them live an evil life, all”[5][5]
The Satanic Conspiracy
These verses amply clarify that the Satan desires to deviate everyone and make them his companions in hell.
Deviating someone means to take him away from his Lord, his divine religion and his divine leaders. It implies non adherence to divine laws and considering the permitted as prohibited and vice-versa.
It leads to man’s deprivation from divine guidance. Deviation entails the non-establishment of divine government in this world, preoccupation of Allah’s creatures in oppression - instead of righteousness - and opposing divine commands. It is the involvement in polytheism instead of Divine Unity, denial instead of submission and hypocrisy in place of sincere belief.
Swearing on divinity itself the accursed Satan has firmly decided to misguide all men. He aims to spread deviation in every corner of the earth. Such is the scheme of Satan
The Arrangement of Allah
Consequently, Allah made a comprehensive arrangement for man’s guidance. Regarding the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.a.), the Holy Quran declares:
قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا
“Say: O people! Surely I am the Apostle of Allah to you all”[6][6]
وَأُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ هَذَا الْقُرْآنُ لِأُنذِرَكُم بِهِ وَمَن بَلَغَ
“This Quran has been revealed to me that with it I may warn you and whomsoever it reaches”[7][7]
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلاَ رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ
“And We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds”[8][8]
هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ
“He it is Who sent His Apostle with guidance and the religion of truth, that He might cause it to prevail over all religions, though the polytheists may be averse.”[9][9]
Likewise, there are many more verses. Hence, it is clear that while the Satan desires deviation for all, Allah plans for the preeminence of the religion of Islam throughout the world. The Satan considers all means permissible for achieving his nefarious aims. Homicides, plundering, falsehood, accusations, and slander -he is capable of anything.
The Divine representative on the other hand does not budge even slightly from the boundaries of the holy law for achieving his divine goals. He is steadfastly attached to the divine commandments in attaining his objectives. He always maintains the highest standards of morals and ethics in all his dealings.
Thus, on one hand there are all possible modes of achieving the reprehensible intentions and on the other along with a holy aim there is also self-discipline in limiting the means to only what has been divinely permitted.
The Final Victory is for the Virtuous
In addition there is another glaring difference due to which the Divine Representative is always content even in the worst of the circumstances and the Satan and his allies are always agitated despite accessing all means to achieve their evil intentions. This difference is in the following Quranic declaration:
وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ
“And the final end is for the pious”[10][10]
Thus, finally success will be for those who are pious and virtuous. The outcome of the age old battle of guidance and deviation will result in the evident victory of guidance.
Apparently the Satan has got an upper hand until now. This is so because; the Divine Representatives have always invited the people towards the religion with a freedom of choice. They desire that the true religion should be accepted by all exercising their own free-will and preference without the involvement of any force or duress.
For the people to consciously choose guidance and totally hand over their emotions to the will of Allah is undoubtedly a difficult but an extremely rewarding task. If man could only fathom the greatness of this, he would certainly consider these difficulties a great bounty.
The Absence of Compulsion
The world is a collection of causes and effects. Everything runs its own course like a seed which gradually matures into a tree. The world is not governed by miracles. If it was so none would ever be deviated. Allah has destined that man should traverse the path of guidance as well as deviation by his own intent.
Satan adopted the path of rebellion right from the beginning. If he would have felt any remorse for his action and sought forgiveness, it was possible that the merciful Lord may have excused him. Jettisoning the approach of seeking forgiveness he adopted the path of opposition and conflict. He started creating problems for the divine representatives right from the start.
He ignited the fire of jealousy in the heart of Qaabeel provoking him to kill Haabeel. He continued his rebellious approach inciting Firaun, Hamaan, Namrud, Qarun, Abu Lahab, Abu Jahl, Akramah, Abu Sufiyan, Bani Ummayah, Bani Abbas ….and so on. All of them had a common agenda: “Extinguish the light of Allah”. If the sun of guidance were to set, the darkness of misguidance would spread. The enemies of Guidance would then get a free hand to popularize deviations.
The divine representatives were one after the other killed by them. Finally the chain of divine prophets concluded in the most beloved and illustrious persona of the Holy Prophet of Islam, Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (s.a.w.a.).
Satan tried his level best to extinguish this illustrious light of guidance in Mecca itself. All the tribes jointly schemed to assassinate the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). However Allah foiled all their plans. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) escaped from the devious disbelievers who had besieged him just as the moon emerges from behind the clouds. He (s.a.w.a.) had hardly settled down in Medina, that he was confronted with a series of battles. This sequence continued till the very end of his earthly life.
Bravely despite all odds the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) continued his efforts which culminated in his (s.a.w.a.) declaring the mastership and absolute leadership of Hazrat Ali (a.s.) after him (a.s.) at Ghadeer al-Khumm. This declaration marked the completion of his efforts in the propagation of guidance.
The verse of “completion of religion” in the Holy Quran is a living testimony to the fact that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) completed his job of conveying Allah’s message to the people. Divine messenger-ship was now concluded. The announcement of the mastership of Hazrat Ali (a.s.), in addition to completing the religion also became a guarantee for its protection till the day of Judgment.
This announcement crushed the hopes of Satan and all the enemies of Allah and His religion. This was more severe than the announcement of prophethood as then they had hoped that with the conclusion of Holy Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) life even his message will be gradually forgotten. The proclamation of Hazrat Ali’s (a.s.) leadership dashed all their schemes.
They now restlessly started awaiting the demise of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). Purposefully they ignored the clear and forceful instructions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) for joining the army of Usama. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) had informed Hazrat Ali (a.s.) about the conspiracies which will occur after his death. Hazrat Ali (a.s.) was well aware of the series of suppression that will follow the demise of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.).
The hidden hatred will manifest itself. It was however crucial to make the people submit to guidance with their own free-will. Hence forcing himself upon them was totally ruled out. The people ignoring the clear instructions of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) embraced the decorated worldly pleasures offered to them by the accursed Satan. Then for the sake of these material benefits they martyred Allah’s divine proofs one after another.
The Neglect of Divine Guides
For the purpose of continuing divine guidance after the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) Allah had destined only 12 guides till the Day of Judgment. The first of whom is Hazrat Ali (a.s.) and the last is Hazrat Mahdi (a.t.f.s.). The enemies of Allah and his religion never allowed anyone of these to live freely. Allah had appointed 12 Imams (a.s.); however these worldly worshippers and enemies of divine light martyred eleven of them. The moment destined for the Day of Judgment was still to arrive. Hence, Allah protected the last guiding sun from His enemies by placing him in occultation.
Allah does not desire compelling in matters of religion. Also it is not His practice to use miracles every time. Hence it was necessary to protect the divine guide to exhaust the enemies and gradually prepare the people to support the Universal Government.
This idea can also be elaborated as follows:
1. Allah revealed the religion of Islam for the guidance and success of mankind.
2. He declared the Universal and Final Messenger-ship of the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.a.).
3. The deputation of Prophets (a.s.) and the promulgation of divine laws were with the aim of establishing justice throughout the world so that no one is oppressed. A person does not oppress his own self by adhering to satanic ideologies or others by oppressing them.
4. In light of His divine wisdom Allah has made Hazrat Hujjat ibnil Hasan al-Askari (a.t.f.s.) responsible for the establishment of a system of justice by fully eradicating all forms of oppression. Hence we find traditions mentioning about him (a.t.f.s.) thus:
يَمْلَأُ الْاَرْضَ قِسْطًا وَ عَدْلاً بَعْدَ مَا مُلِئَتْ ظُلْمًا وَ جَوْرًا
“He will fill the earth with equity and justice as it would be fraught with oppression and tyranny.”
5. It is the divine will that the people are not forced to accept true guidance but they accept it voluntarily.
6. In the last 1400 years Allah sent 12 Muhammads or 12 Alis or 12 Hasans or 12 Husains…..for the guidance and prosperity of mankind. All of them were alike in their superiority, knowledge and understanding. They were the evident chiefs of the entire creation. However none was given his due by the people!
Had they been cared for, then during the battle of Siffeen when victory was just round the corner, Hazrat Ali (a.s.) would not have been forced to ask his commander Janab Malik al-Ashtar (r.a.) to return. Had they been cared for, Hazart Ali (a.s.) would not have been forced to been isolated. Had they been cared for Hazrat Imam Hasan (a.s.) would not have signed a treaty with Mu’awiyah.
Had they been cared for, an incongruous person like Yazid would never become the Caliph leading to the merciless martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Husain (a.s.). Had they been cared for, the tyrant Haroon Rashid would never be able to arrest Hazrat Imam Musa Kazim (a.s.). Had they been cared for, Hazrat Imam Ali Naqi (a.s.) and Hazrat Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) would not be exiled from Medina and lived under governmental scrutiny in Samarra.
Had these arks of salvation, true guides, protectors of true religion, pointers to the straight path and the equivalent of the Holy Quran been cared for, and had they been accorded the status and respect due to them by the people, the oppressors would never have dared to execute them. But alas!
7. Allah in the light of His divine wisdom decreed the number of guides after the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) to be only twelve. Eleven of these were martyred due to the carelessness of the people.
8. The promise which Allah had made to His beloved Prophet (s.a.w.a.) that He would make his religion supreme over all others in the world was still not fulfilled.
9. Hence, the available options now were:
a. Either this last Imam (a.s.) should also be made apparent for the people to oppress him and get him martyred as they had done with the previous eleven Imams (a.s.).
b. Or the system of this world should be changed for the sake of this last Proof. Then if the people attack him with the sword it would cause him no harm. If he is poisoned it would be futile. If arrows are thrown towards him they will be in vain. Such a change in the universal system would render the free-will of the people ineffective is against the practice of Allah.
c. Or this last proof should be taken out of this world. Then the entire system of the world would become inside out, as the presence of a Divine Proof on the face of the earth is a must for its continued existence.
d. Or this Proof continues his abode on the earth. The Divine system will therefore be protected. The Proof lives in Occultation without being recognized by the people. He would continue to stay among the people and meet them but his identity would remain unknown to them. This arrangement should continue till the people out of their own free-will are not ready to accept his commands. This arrangement is called “occultation” (غيبت).
Janab Khawaja Nasir at-at-Tusi (r.a.) in his book ‘Tajrid ul-Itiqad’ mentions this reality very subtly as follows:
وُجُوْدُهُ لُطْفٌ، و تَصرُّفُهُ لُطْفٌ آخِرُ وَ غَيْبَتُهُ مِنَّا
“His existence is Allah’s grace, his sovereignty is another grace and his occultation is due to us”
Hence, Occultation of Hazrat Wali Asr (a.t.f.s.) was a need of the situation. Since, Allah’s knowledge is all encompassing, He knew that a sudden occultation would put the people in doubt. Hence on account His vast mercy, He decreed the mention of Occultation along with the Imamat of the last Proof. This would ensure the acceptance of occultation by the believers. Therefore, traditions mention abundantly about his (a.s.) Imamat as well as Occultation and even the conditions during Occultation.
These traditions also clarify the two types of Occultation:
1. The minor Occultation and
2. The major Occultation.
The minor occultation is remembered as ‘Gaibat al-Sughra’ and the major occultation is called ‘Gaibat al-Kubra’.
The specialty of the minor occultation is that though the common people could not have direct access to the Imam (a.s.), some special deputies were appointed by Imam (a.s.) who were mediators between Imam (a.s.) and the people. A more detailed discussion about them follows in the forthcoming pages. The period of the minor Occultation was for 69 years, from 260 A.H. till 329 A.H.
The Major Occultation started in 329 A.H. when the last special deputy Ali ibn Muhammad Samari (r.a.) expired, which continues till today.
We sincerely pray that our good deeds contribute to the reduction in the length of Major Occultation and Hazrat (a.t.f.s.) reappears.
In this Major Occultation though Hazrat (a.t.f.s.) is hidden from our eyes but he does neglect us. He protects us despite our deficiencies in fulfilling his rights.
Hazrat (a.t.f.s.) has not left us unattended in this major Occultation. He (a.t.f.s.) has entrusted us to the religious scholars of the religion of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). This is discussed more in detail under the heading “The Protectors of Wilayat”.
Ultimately a day will definitely come when the Major Occultation concludes. The descendent of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), Hazrat Hujjat (a.t.f.s.) will reappear. Brave and sincere companions will assist him in establishing the government of Allah on this earth. “Polytheism” will be demolished.
Tyranny will finally end. Truth and Justice will be widespread. No one will have to bear even an iota of oppression. The true religion will triumph over all other religions and school of thoughts.
Centuries of efforts of Satan and his companions will become worthless. All the schemes of Satan will fail. The truth will be victorious. The Islam of Ghadeer will prevail. The Satan will finally be executed. People will then realize the true Divine promise.
“In the hope of that enlightened day whose dawn is near, tell the heart- don’t fear”
This book is a collection of articles from the previous Sha’ban issues of “Al-Qa’im: Al-Muntazar”. Though there were a number of representatives of Imam az-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) in the minor Occultation, only four of them were privileged with a special status. These were the most reliable in front of Imam az-Zaman (a.t.f.s.).
They are referred to as the “Nuwwab al-Arbaa’”- The Four Special Representatives. Their brief biography are presented in this book. These highlight their pure service in the way of their master Hazrat Imam az-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) and also the benevolence and respect granted to them by Hazrat Imam az-Zaman (a.t.f.s.).
The Major Occultation began after the demise of the fourth representative Janab Ali ibn Muhammad as-Samari (r.a.). In the Major Occultation Imam az-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) does not have any special representative. In this period Hazrat Imam az-Zaman (a.t.f.s.) has delegated this responsibility to the respected and learned “Fuqaha” and “Mujtahids”. Thus, today it is our imperative responsibility to respect and honor these “Fuqaha” and “Mujtahids”. The last article titled “Protectors of Wilayat” expounds this responsibility in detail.
May Allah send His vast and innumerable blessings upon the Holy Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), as only He can send. May He enumerate us among the slaves of the slaves of the Holy Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). May He grant us the great opportunity of contributing towards the preparation of the reappearance of Hazrat Qa’im Ali Muhammad (a.t.f.s.).
[11][1] Surah Balad (90): Verse 10
[12][2] Surah Dahr (76): Verse 3
[13][3] Surah Shams (91): Verses 8-10
[14][4] Surah Hijr (15): Verses 32-42
[15][5] Surah Sad (38): Verse 82
[16][6] Surah A’raaf (7): Verse 158
[17][7] Surah An’aam (6): Verse 19
[18][8] Surah Anbiya (21): Verse 107
[19][9] Surah Tauba (9): Verse 33
[20][10] Surah A’raaf (7): Verse 128
Characteristics and Qualities of the Imam Mehdi (A.S)
Tawheed and Imamate of Imam Mahdi (A.S.)
The Twelfth Imam, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan (Al-Mahdi-Sahibuz Zaman) (as) (The hidden Imam who is ...
Sayings of Imam Mahdi (A.T.F.)
A Supplication from Imam Mahdi (A.T.F.)
Saviour of Humanity
Imam Mahdi (A.S.), the Twelfth Imam, the Great Leader and Peace-Maker of the World
Imam Mahdi (A.J.)
A brief biography of Imam Al-Mahdi (pbuh) |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Hi I had been pruning our robolini palms and went to throw away the frond and was punctured in the forearm and in the primary joint of the index finger. I have seen no remnant of the thorn or was there any evidence of any protruding thorn remaining. However, they felt deep as I was throwing them when it occurred. I have swelling and soreness at both sites. I have tried putting Ichthammol ointment on both sites trying to withdraw any potential remainder. Soreness in movement of the forearm and flanges. This occurred on Friday P.M. Good advice would be appreciated. I thank you in advance. Mike
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instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: hellooo my first iui failed this month i become very sad and took a break form treatment after discussing with my doctor.He said i am having chances of becoming pregnant naturally.Pls help me to increase the chances of becoming pregnant naturally output: Hi, I think you can track your follicles' growth by repeated ultrasound and when your follicles is more than 17 to 18 mm, take injection for rupturing the follicles. Be in contact with your husband every 2 to 3 days after your periods stop. It will increase chances of your pregnancy. Take progesterone for next 2 weeks. Do a urine pregnancy test at home after that. Hope I have answered your question. |
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'This historic vote demonstrates support to advance a public safety strategy beyond incarceration to include treatment and prevention.'
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End Racism and Discrimination
"These disasters drag into the light exactly who is already being thrown away," notes Naomi Klein
How about some good news? Kansas Democratic Representative advances bill for Native Peoples.
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NYPD Officer Indicted In Death Of Akai Gurley, According To Reports
Written by Christopher Mathias | The Huffington Post
A makeshift memorial to Akai Gurley at the Louis Pink Houses in Brooklyn, New York. Gurley was shot dead by NYPD officer Peter Liang. Photograph: Zuma/Rex
A New York City police officer has been indicted in the shooting death of 28-year-old Akai Gurley, law enforcement sources told both NY1 and The New York Daily News on Tuesday.
A bullet fired by rookie officer Peter Liang killed Gurley inside the darkened stairwell of the Louis Pink housing project in East New York, Brooklyn, on Nov. 20.
Although New York Police Department Commissioner William Bratton initially characterized the shooting as an “accidental discharge,” Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson announced in December that he was convening a grand jury to investigate Gurley’s death.
A spokeswoman for district attorney Thompson on Tuesday declined to confirm the indictment to The Huffington Post, saying the office was “precluded by grand jury secrecy.” According to WNYC, Liang is facing charges of criminally negligent homicide, manslaughter, assault and official misconduct.
For months, protesters in New York City have called for an indictment in Gurley’s death, even as a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict the officer who put Eric Garner into a fatal chokehold and as a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, declined to indict the officer who shot and killed Michael Brown.
On the night of Nov. 20, Gurley and his girlfriend, 27-year-old Melissa Butler, left Butler’s seventh-floor apartment inside the housing project. The pair tried to take the elevator but it wasn’t working, so they entered the building’s stairwell. The building’s superintendent had requested that the New York City Housing Authority fix the lights in the stairwell months earlier, but when Gurley and Butler entered, it was still dark.
Just as they entered the stairwell, two first-year police officers -- Liang and his partner, Shaun Landau -- entered from the eighth floor. The two cops were conducting a “vertical patrol,” in which officers walk the stairs of public housing buildings in an attempt to prevent crime.
According to multiple reports, Liang was carrying his gun in one hand and a flashlight in another, when he opened the door to the stairwell. At that moment, a bullet was fired from Liang’s gun, striking Gurley in the chest. Gurley managed to get down two flights of stairs before collapsing on the fifth floor, where a neighbor called 911 and Butler tried to administer first aid.
Gurley, who had a 2-year-old daughter, was pronounced dead at the hospital. He had been planning to surprise his mother in Florida for Thanksgiving the following weekend.
According to the Daily News report from December, both a commanding officer and an emergency operator frantically tried to reach Liang and Landau after the 911 call, but the two officers didn’t respond to the calls for six and a half minutes. During that time, according to the paper, Liang was texting his police union representative.
The Daily News also reported that the pair’s commanding officer had explicitly instructed them not to conduct vertical patrols inside the Pink Houses.
“This officer deserves the same due process afforded to anyone involved in the accidental death of another," said Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, the city's largest police union. "The fact that he was assigned to patrol one most dangerous housing projects in New York City must be considered among the circumstances of this tragic accident.”
This post has been updated to specify the charges against Liang.
Link to original article from The Huffington Post
Published in End Mass Criminalization of Black and Brown Youth
Louis Pink Housing Project
Peter Liang
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Data security and GDPR
It is essential to draw a distinction between the security of the data stored by the customer and the security of the infrastructures that store the information.
Security of the data stored by the customer: the customer is solely responsible for ensuring the security of the resources and application systems that they use with OVH’s services. OVH offers tools to help customers secure their data.
Security of infrastructures: OVH is committed to ensuring optimal security for its infrastructures. This includes implementing a security policy for information systems, and meeting the requirements for multiple standards and certifications (PCI-DSS certification, ISO/IEC 27001 certification, SOC 1 TYPE II and SOC 2 TYPE II certificates, etc.). -
You can find all these certifications and their exact scope in OVH's certification section.
The security of OVH infrastructures
OVH takes all necessary precautions to maintain the security and confidentiality of the personal data it processes, to prevent it being corrupted, damaged or accessed by third parties.
OVH is committed to implementing the following:
Compliance and certification
Customer audits
System and application development policy
Monitoring services and infrastructures
Natural and environmental risks
General security measures for physical sites
Access to OVH sites
Area access management
Managing physical access for third parties
Awareness and training for personnel
Managing logical access to the OVH IT system
Managing administrative access to the production platforms
Access control to the Control Panel
Security for workstations and mobile equipment
1. Security management system
Commitments made by OVH in its capacity as a hosting provider
An IT systems security policy (ISSP) is put in place that sets out all the provisions we take in this regard. Our ISSP is updated every year, at the minimum, or every time there is a major change that has ramifications for its content. The security of our solutions is assured by formal information security management systems.
Various roles coordinate our actions with regard to the security of the perimeter:
the IT system security manager (ISSM);
the security manager, responsible for processes and projects associated with the security of the perimeter;
the data protection officer (DPO), who is in charge of preserving personal data;
the risk manager, who coordinates the management of security risks and the associated action plans;
the security measures manager, who implements and applies the provisions pertaining to the risks identified.
To ensure that compliance is maintained and to evaluate the performance of our systems, security audits are carried out on a regular basis. There are five types of security audit:
external audits (certifications, attestations, customers);
internal audits, carried out by internal or external auditors;
technical audits (intrusion tests, vulnerability scans, code reviews), carried out by internal or external auditors;
audits of the activities of third parties, carried out by the person responsible for managing third parties;
datacentre audits, carried out by internal auditors. The nature and frequency of the audits carried out will depend on the solutions and the perimeters. Whenever non-compliance is identified, a corrective measure is applied and added to the action plans. All these measures are covered by a formal, tracked follow-up, as well as a regular review, where their effectiveness is reexamined.
3. Customer audits
Recommendations for the customer in charge of processing
Customers can carry out technical audits (intrusion tests) on services hosted for them, as well as on service management blocks. The terms and conditions for carrying out audits are set out in each contract, or handled on an ad hoc basis, on request.
The terms and conditions for carrying out audits are set out in each contract, or handled on an ad hoc basis, on request.
Customers must ensure that the security measures applied by OVH are relevant to the risks associated with the manner in which they use the infrastructure.
A formal methodology for risk management is put in place. This is reviewed annually at the minimum, or in the event of a major change. It also concerns personal information and sensitive data (health, payments, etc.).
This methodology formalises the analyses carried out. It identifies assets, critical industry processes, threats and vulnerabilities.
It is based on the ISO 27005 standard. A plan for handling any risks identified is devised following each analysis. This plan is then implemented within a maximum of 12 months. It documents the analysis in detail and sets out the order of priority for the actions to be taken. Each corrective measure is added to the action plans and is covered by a formal, tracked follow-up, together with a regular review to reexamine its effectiveness.
5. Change management
Customers must ensure that their contact information is accurate, so that OVH can notify them of any changes that could potentially have an impact on their solutions. Where appropriate, customers are responsible for making the necessary modifications to the configuration of their services in order to take these changes into account.
A formal change management procedure is put in place:
roles and responsibilities are clearly defined;
criteria for classification are set out in order to identify the steps to follow as part of implementing the change;
priorities are managed; the risks associated with the changes are analysed (if a risk is identified, the security manager and risk manager work together to validate the change);
intrusion tests may be carried out (where applicable); the change is planned and scheduled with the customers (where applicable);
the change is rolled out gradually (1/10/100/1000) and, if there is a risk, a rollback procedure must be planned for;
a retrospective review of the various assets concerned by the change is carried out;
all steps are documented in the change management tool.
6. System and application development policy
Processes for OVH developers are set up and documented. These processes contain the principles of secure development, “privacy by design” measures, and a code review policy (vulnerability detection, error processing, managing access and entry and protecting storage and communications).
Code reviews are also carried out on a regular basis:
new features are validated prior to launch, tested in a validation environment (where applicable) and rolled out gradually (1/10/100/1000);
a distinction is drawn in terms of roles and responsibilities between developers and the persons responsible for launching production.
7. Monitoring services and infrastructures
A monitoring infrastructure is implemented for all OVH services. This has several objectives:
to detect production and security incidents;
to monitor critical features, with any alerts being escalated to the monitoring system;
to inform the persons responsible and trigger the appropriate procedures;
to ensure continuity of service in the performance of automated tasks;
to ensure the integrity of the resources monitored.
8. Incident management
Customers must ensure that their contact information is accurate, to enable OVH to notify them in the event of an incident. They must also implement incident management processes for incidents affecting their IT system, that include OVH as a potential source of alerts.
An incident management process is set up. This process is used to prevent, detect and solve issues in the service and its management infrastructures. The process includes:
a guide for classifying security events;
handling security events;
simulation exercises for the crisis unit;
tests for incident response plans;
customer communication as part of a crisis unit.
These procedures are covered by a continuous improvement process for the monitoring, assessment and overall management of incidents and their corrective actions.
Customers must ensure that their contact information is accurate, to enable OVH to notify them in the event that a vulnerability is detected in their IT system.
Technological monitoring for new vulnerabilities is carried out by the security manager and their teams. These vulnerabilities are identified via:
public information sites;
alerts from the manufacturers and publishers of the solutions deployed;
incidents and observations escalated by our operations teams, third parties or customers;
internal and external vulnerability scans performed on a regular basis;
technical audits, and code and configuration reviews.
If a vulnerability is detected, it is analysed by dedicated teams in order to determine its impact on the systems and the potential operating scenario.
Mitigation measures are implemented, where necessary, and a corrective plan is then defined.
Each measure taken is added to the action plans and is covered by a formal, tracked follow-up, together with a regular review to reexamine its effectiveness.
10. Business continuity management
Customers are responsible for the continuity of their own IT systems. They must ensure that the standard provisions implemented by OVH, the options they choose, and any additional provisions they implement will enable them to achieve their objectives.
Continuity of activity for the infrastructures (availability of equipment, application and operating processes) is assured by various provisions:
continuity of water- and air-cooling,
continuity and redundancy of the electricity supply,
managing the capacity of the equipment for which OVH is responsible,
technical support for the service,
and the redundancy of the equipment and servers used for system administration.
Alongside this, other mechanisms ensure the resumption of service in the event of an incident, such as backup of network equipment configurations.
Depending on the Service, OVH may propose, as part of the standard package, or as an option, backup and restoration features that may be used by the Customer.
11. Natural and environmental risks
Measures are implemented to prevent natural and environmental risks:
lightning rods are installed to reduce the concomitant electromagnetic radiation;
OVH offices are set up in zones not subject to flooding or the risk of earthquakes;
uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) of a sufficient capacity and emergency transformers with automatic load-switching;
automatic switching to electricity generators with a minimum autonomy of 24 hours;
a water-cooling system is used for servers (98% of our hosting rooms have no air conditioning);
heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) units are used to maintain temperature and humidity at constant levels;
a fire detection system is in operation (fire drills are run every six months in datacentres).
12. General security measures for physical sites
Physical access to OVH sites is based on a restrictive perimeter security system, which applies from the entrance area onwards. Each site is divided up as follows:
private traffic areas;
offices accessible to all employees and to registered visitors;
confidential offices, for authorised personnel only;
areas containing datacentre equipment;
confidential areas in datacentres;
areas in datacentres hosting critical services.
Security measures are taken to regulate access to OVH’s physical sites:
an access permissions policy;
walls (or equivalent dispositions) between each area;
cameras located at the entrances and exits to installations, as well as in the server rooms;
secure access, controlled by badge readers;
laser barriers in the car parks;
a motion detection system;
burglary prevention systems at the entrances and exits to datacentres;
intrusion detection mechanisms (security guards 24 hours a day and video surveillance);
a permanent surveillance centre monitoring when the entrance and exit doors are opened.
14. Access to OVH sites
Physical access control operates using a system of badges. Each badge is linked to an OVH account, which, in turn, is linked to an individual. This system makes it possible to identify all persons within the installation and to authenticate the control mechanisms:
every individual entering an OVH site must have their own individual badge associated with their identity;
the identity of every person must be verified before any badge is issued;
within the installations, badges must be worn in a visible location;
badges must not show the name of their owner or the name of the company;
badges must makes it possible to identify the categories of persons present (employees, third parties, persons with temporary access, visitors);
badges are deactivated as soon as their holders are no longer authorised to access the installations;
OVH employees’ badges are active for the duration of their employment contracts; for the other categories of person, badges are deactivated automatically after a defined period;
any badge that is not used for a period of three weeks is automatically deactivated.
15. Area access management
Door access via badge
This is the standard form of access control at OVH:
doors are connected to a centralised access rights management system;
people have to badge in using a dedicated badge reader in order to unlock the doors;
access rights are verified when the badge is read, to ensure that the person in question has the required entry rights;
if the centralised access rights management system goes down, the rights configured at the time of the incident will remain valid for its entire duration;
door locks are protected against power cuts and will remain locked if there is no power.
Door access via key
Some areas or items of equipment are locked using key locks:
the keys are stored in a centralised, access-restricted location on each site, with a reference document;
each key is identified via a label; an inventory of the keys is kept;
any use of the keys is traceable, via a delivery mechanism or a paper journal;
the reference document for the keys is checked against the inventory every day.
Access to datacentres via single-person airlocks
Our datacentres are accessed exclusively via single-person airlocks:
each airlock has two doors and a delimited area between the checks, to ensure that only one person gets through at a time;
each door will not open unless the other door is closed (mantrap);
the airlocks use the same system of badges as the other doors, and the same rules apply to them;
detection mechanisms verify that there is only one person in the airlock (anti-piggybacking);
the system is designed to make sure badges cannot be used more than once in the same direction (anti-passback);
a camera placed next to the airlock means that people entering can be monitored.
Access to the goods airlocks
Access to the datacentres for goods is exclusively via dedicated walkways:
the delivery vestibule is configured in the same way as a single-person airlock, larger in area and with no verification of volume or weight, and with badge readers on the outside only;
only the item being delivered passes via the vestibule - accompanying personnel must enter via the single-person airlocks;
there is a camera in the vestibule, with no blind spot.
16. Managing physical access for third parties
OVH never carries out interventions on its customers’ premises. Customers are therefore responsible for the security of their offices.
The movements of visitors and ad hoc service providers is strictly supervised. These persons are logged as soon as they arrive on site and are issued with a visitor or a service provider badge:
all visits must be announced ahead of time;
third parties are the responsibility of an employee and must be accompanied at all times;
all identities are verified prior to granting access to the site;
each third party is issued with a staff badge, allocated to them for the day, which they must return before leaving the site;
all badges must be worn in a visible manner;
badges are automatically deactivated at the end of the visit.
17. Awareness and training for personnel
OVH personnel follow security awareness training and are trained in compliance rules for personal data processing:
training sessions on these topics are organised annually for the teams concerned;
training sessions on carrying out audits are organised annually for the teams concerned;
training sessions on the technical services are organised annually for the teams concerned;
awareness training in IT system (IS) security is organised for new employees when they join the company;
messages about security are regularly sent to all personnel;
test campaigns are organised to ensure that employees know how to act in the event of a threat.
18. Managing logical access to the OVH IT system
A strict policy of logical access rights management for employees is applied:
authorisations are issued and monitored by managers, following the principle of least privilege and the principle of gradually gaining trust;
to the greatest extent possible, all authorisations should be based on roles rather than unit rights;
the access rights and authorisations granted to a user or to a system are managed based on a procedure of logging, modification and delogging that involves the managers, internal IT and human resources;
all employees use nominative user accounts;
connection sessions systematically have an expiry period suited to each application;
users’ identities are verified prior to any change in authentication methods;
if a user forgets their password, only their manager and the security manager are authorised to reset it;
user accounts are automatically deactivated if the password is not renewed after 90 days;
the use of default, generic and anonymous accounts is prohibited;
a strict password policy is applied;
users use automatic password generators rather than choosing their own passwords;
the minimum length for passwords is 10 alphanumeric characters;
passwords must be renewed every three months;
storing passwords in unencrypted files, on paper or in web browsers is prohibited;
the use of local password management software, which has been approved by the security teams, is mandatory;
any remote access to the OVH IT system (IS) must be via VPN, using a password known solely to the user and a shared secret configured on the workstation.
19. Managing administrative access to the production platforms
A policy for managing administrator access rights for platforms is applied:
all administrator access to live systems is realised via a bastion host;
administrators connect to the bastion hosts via SSH, using individual and nominative pairs of public and private keys;
connection to the target system is realised either via a shared service account or via a nominative account and bastion hosts; using default accounts on systems and equipment is prohibited;
dual-factor authentication is mandatory for remote administrator access and for any employees accessing sensitive areas of the system, with such access being fully traced;
administrators have an account exclusively devoted to administration tasks, in addition to their standard user account;
authorisations are granted and monitored by managers, in accordance with the principle of least privilege and the principle of gaining trust;
SSH keys are protected by a password that meets the requirements of the password policy; access rights are reviewed on a regular basis, in collaboration with the departments concerned.
20. Access control to the Control Panel
Customers are responsible for managing and ensuring the security of their methods of authentication. Customers wishing to give their account added protection can: activate two-factor authentication in their OVH Control Panel; only allow connections from a list of IP addresses, defined ahead of time.
Customers can manage their OVH services from their Control Panel or the API. Customers can manage their OVH services from their Control Panel or the API. Default access is via a nominative account (NIC handle) and a password:
the password is chosen by the customer and must meet the complexity criteria imposed by the interface;
only the hashes of the passwords are stored on OVH’s servers;
OVH offers the option of activating dual-factor authentication via the Control Panel, using a system of one-time passwords (OTP) sent by SMS, a mobile application, or a U2F-compatible key.
Customers may restrict access to their Control Panel to certain predefined IP addresses;
the API’s access tokens are usable for as long as they remain valid, and no specific subsequent verifications need to be applied;
all customer activity in the Control Panel or the API is logged;
customers can choose to handle the technical and administrative tasks associated with the management of their services separately.
21. Security for workstations and mobile equipment
Customers must ensure that their workstations and mobile equipment are secure in order to enable the administration of their service and the systems.
Protection of standard workstations
Measures to protect the standard workstations of OVH personnel are in place:
updates are managed automatically;
antivirus software is installed and updated, and regular scans are carried out; only those applications contained in an approved catalogue may be installed;
hard drives are systematically encrypted;
employees do not have administrator rights on their workstations;
potentially compromised workstations are handled according to a specific procedure;
equipment is standardised;
there is a procedure for deleting sessions and resetting workstations when employees leave the company.
Protecting mobile terminals
Measures to ensure the security of mobile terminals, whether belonging to personnel or supplied by OVH, are in place:
terminals must be registered in a centralised management system before they are granted access to internal resources (WiFi, email, calendars, people directory, etc.);
the security policy used on the terminal is verified (unlock code, lock time, storage encryption);
procedures are in place for wiping the terminal remotely if it is lost or stolen.
22. Network security
The Customer is solely responsible for encrypting the content to be communicated through the OVH network.
OVH manages a high-performance fibre optic private network, connected to numerous operators and forwarding agents. OVH manages its own backbone internally, that distributes connectivity to each datacentre’s local networks and connects the datacentres to each other.
All this equipment is secured using the following measures:
an inventory is kept within a configuration manager database;
a tightening process is in place, featuring guides that describe which parameters need to be modified in order to ensure a secure configuration;
access to the administrator features for equipment is reserved to staff listed on control lists;
all equipment is administered via a bastion host, applying the principle of least privilege;
all configurations for network equipment are backed up;
the logs are collected, centralised and monitored on a permanent basis by the network operations team;
configurations are deployed automatically, based on validated templates.
A backup policy is in place for the servers and equipment used by OVH to provide its services:
all systems and data necessary for continuity of services, reconstructing the IT system, or analysis purposes following an incident is backed up (technical and administrative database files, activity logs, source codes for applications developed internally, configurations for servers, applications and equipment, etc.);
the intervals, conservation periods and manner of storing backups are defined in accordance with the requirements of each asset backed up; the backup process is covered by a monitoring process, and by an alert and error management process.
24. Logging
The Customer is solely responsible for the logging policy of their own systems and applications.
A logging policy is in place for the servers and equipment used by OVH to deliver its services:
logs are backed up and centrally conserved;
logs are consulted and analysed by a limited number of authorised personnel, in accordance with the authorisation and access management policy;
tasks are divided up between the teams responsible for operating the monitoring infrastructure and the teams responsible for operating the service. The list of activities that are logged includes the following:
logs of storage servers hosting customer data;
logs of the machines managing the customer’s infrastructure;
logs of the machines monitoring the infrastructures;
logs of the antivirus software installed on all equipped machines;
integrity checks of logs and systems, where appropriate;
tasks and events carried out by the customer on their infrastructure;
network intrusion detection logs and alerts, if appropriate;
logs of network equipment;
logs of the infrastructure of the surveillance cameras;
logs of administrator machines;
logs of time servers;
logs of badge readers;
logs of bastion hosts.
OVHcloud and data protection
Find out more about the GDPR
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instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Doctor, I've been experiencing shortness of breath, drainage in my throat, weakness in my wrist, and I've been coughing up blood. What could be the problem? output: Based on the symptoms you've described, it's possible that you have an abscess in your lung. We need to perform a chest X-ray and take a sample of your sputum to confirm the diagnosis. We'll also need to start you on antibiotics immediately. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Hello doctor, I have multiple small cysts in both ovaries (PCOS). Our family friend suggested me to consume Kalarchikai medicine, powdered mixed with pepper and honey to have it for one mandalam (48 days). I have completed nearly 44 days by consuming one small ball of the mixture every morning and before two weeks I got my periods. Then I had checked whether the cysts were dissolved by having an abdomen scan. But still, small multiple follicules have been seen in it with both ovaries enlarged. Kindly suggest me what I can do further. I got married before one and a half years and I am much worried about my pregnancy. I have gallstones as well.
Will Kalarchikai cure multiple ovarian cysts in PCOD? output: Hello. I just read your query. See Kalarachi Kai choornam is helpful in amenorrhea. As far as small cysts are concerned they are unmatured eggs which failed to induce menstrual cycle previously, as a result, they got collected in the ovary and they will remain in the ovary. Now, you have got your periods you can start trying for conception. But I advise you to do it under the supervision of a nearby gynecologist because egg size is important while conception and that you can know by ovulation study. Ovulation study is performed under the supervision of a gynecologist. For gall stones, surgical intervention is required generally. Medicine is not of much help... |
In end-to-end encryption, doesn't the server need to be trusted?
Applications like WhatsApp use end to end encryption. WhatsApp says that only the users share a specific key and no third party can view the messages. But I do not understand how the two users agree on the shared key. It must have been transferred via WhatsApp servers. In that way, WhatsApp would know the shared key right? Please help me understand how keys are shared in end to end encryption.
encryption public-key key-exchange
AV94AV94
$\begingroup$ Do the participants require a "shared key"? I would expect they would each only require the other one's public key. $\endgroup$ – Omni Dec 19 '17 at 15:10
$\begingroup$ Typically for things like this users exchange a shared secret using asymmetric encryption and then use that shared key for all subsequent communication. Reason being that shared key encryption/decryption is typically faster. $\endgroup$ – Monica Apologists Get Out Dec 19 '17 at 17:41
$\begingroup$ My question is regarding how the shared key is transfered initially. How does the recipients agree on the key in the first place? $\endgroup$ – AV94 Dec 20 '17 at 9:08
$\begingroup$ What research have you done? The google keyword share keys already points towards the Wikipedia article key distribution. Also: The title does not reflect the question. Key agreement is just a tiny part of creating a secure protocol (there's a difference between safety and security, you mean secure). $\endgroup$ – tylo Dec 20 '17 at 14:06
$\begingroup$ Given that this question is in the context of WhatsApp, in addition to the existing security/abuse concerns regarding Facebook, who owns WhatsApp, I think the article WhatsApp ordered to stop sharing user data with Facebook is likely to be relevant. $\endgroup$ – code_dredd Dec 21 '17 at 3:48
End-to-end encryption over a channel with an eavesdropper, like the WhatsApp server, works by using a mathemagical spell called Diffie–Hellman key agreement. What follows is not actually how WhatsApp works,* but explores some of the high-level ideas to concretely answer the question without getting lost in the full gory details of everything about the protocol, which defends against many more threats than what you asked about.
Alice and Bob agree on public parameters $p$ and $g$,† say $$p = 2^{2048} - 2^{1984} - 1 + 2^{64} (\lfloor2^{1918}\pi\rfloor + 124476)$$ and $g = 2$. When Alice wants to have a conversation with Bob, she picks an integer $a$ with $0 \leq a < (p - 1)/2$ uniformly at random, computes the remainder after dividing $g^a$ by $p$,‡ written $g^a \bmod p$, and transmits $g^a \bmod p$ over the channel. Bob does similarly: picks $b$ uniformly at random in the same range, computes $g^b \bmod p$, and transmits $g^b \bmod p$ over the channel.
By a remarkable feat of mathematics, when Alice receives $g^b \bmod p$, she can compute $(g^b \bmod p)^a \bmod p$, and it turns out to be the same as $g^{ab} \bmod p$. Bob does the same: given $g^a \bmod p$, computes $(g^a \bmod p)^b \bmod p$, and obtains the same number as $g^{ab} \bmod p$.
Nobody has figured out the remarkable feat of mathematics that would allow someone who knows $g^a \bmod p$ and $g^b \bmod p$ but not $a$ or $b$ themselves to also compute $g^{ab} \bmod p$.
Thus can Alice and Bob share a secret, $g^{ab} \bmod p$, over a channel without revealing to an eavesdropper what the secret is. They will then hash this into a short secret key, say the 256-bit $k = \operatorname{SHA3-256}(g^{ab} \bmod p)$, perhaps with SHA3-256, and proceed to use it for symmetric-key encryption such as AES-CTR.
But that's not all. What if it's not just an eavesdropper, but our friend Mallory who, aside from having an annoyingly ungendered name, actively intercepts messages in transit? Mallory could pretend to be Bob to Alice, and Alice to Bob, and do a pair of Diffie–Hellman key agreements, and establish shared secrets with Alice and Bob, and then eavesdrop on all the messages they exchange. The WhatsApp server is in a position to do this.
To thwart this subterfuge of per-conversation shared secrets, Alice and Bob use long-term authentication in addition. Alice generates a number $\alpha$ just like $a$, and puts $g^\alpha \pmod p$ in the telephone book, or shows it to Bob on her phone screen; Bob does likewise with $\beta$. Thus they have a long-term shared secret $\kappa = \operatorname{SHA3-256}(g^{\alpha \beta} \pmod p)$. Now when Alice wants to have a conversation with Bob, she does the per-conversation protocol—but instead of transmitting just $g^a \bmod p$, she transmits $(g^a \bmod p, \operatorname{KMAC256}_\kappa(g^a \bmod p))$.
When Bob receives a candidate message $(A, t)$, he first checks whether $t = \operatorname{KMAC256}_\kappa(A)$ before processing it. If not, he drops the message on the floor and ignores it. Only Alice and Bob can compute the function $\operatorname{KMAC256}_\kappa$, because only Alice and Bob know the secret $\kappa$.
Next, instead of just encrypting their actual conversation with $k = \operatorname{SHA3-256}(g^{ab} \bmod p)$ using AES-CTR, they encrypt and authenticate their conversation using AES-GCM. The WhatsApp server can flip bits in messages encrypted using AES-CTR without either Alice or Bob being any the wiser even though only Alice and Bob know the secret key, but without knowing the secret key, the WhatsApp server cannot change anything in messages encrypted and authenticated using AES-GCM without Alice and Bob noticing.
What if Alice and Bob can't exchange $g^\alpha \bmod p$ and $g^\beta \bmod p$ on their phone screens because they've never actually met in person? They have to consult the telephone book—which WhatsApp publishes. When Alice consults WhatsApp for Bob's long-term public identity key $g^\beta \bmod p$, WhatsApp could spoof it and lie about it, and if Alice ever later checks Bob's phone screen she will detect the subterfuge because it won't match the key that the WhatsApp server handed out.
On the other hand, if WhatsApp does not spoof Bob's long-term public identity in the telephone book, then Alice will remember it in her personal address book. If the WhatsApp server ever tries to impersonate Bob when Alice tries to start a conversation, Alice will detect that. This model of authentication is sometimes called TOFU, or trust on first use. You will also find it in the ssh protocol.
There's a catch: Sometimes Bob's identity key changes, like when he gets a new phone. What should Alice do in that case? In Signal, the app won't send any new messages on behalf of Alice; it will notify her that something is amiss and ask her what to do. In WhatsApp, by default,§ the app will automatically retry with the Bob's new identity key, in an attempt to reduce usability hurdles for users who don't understand this, which led to an enormous kerfuffle about mainstream media reporting of the choice, which somehow dwarfed a much worse vulnerability in the app leaking the text of what you were typing if it looked like a URL.
In the end, since WhatsApp—part of Facebook—provides the software and doesn't let you scrutinize it, they certainly have the power to read and impersonate your messages, which they probably think very earnestly they won't ever abuse. That's better than letting everyone on the internet route between Alice and Bob, like the stalker who is sitting a few tables down at the coffee shop on the same wifi network as Alice, which is why it was so harmful for the Guardian to report breathlessly in a back door in WhatsApp the way it did.
Even if your phone spoke TLS to the WhatsApp servers with a pinned certificate, it's still easier to engineer audit trails for malicious changes to the telephone book than it is to engineer audit trails for eavesdropping by the WhatsApp servers—whether by a technical attacker exploiting a software vulnerability, by a LOVEINT disgruntled employee, or by a court-ordered wiretap.
So, can third parties read your WhatsApp messages? No, not likely, and it would take an active attack by WhatsApp itself—similar to the kind that Apple refused to do for the FBI—for them to read your messages.
* WhatsApp claims to use the Signal protocol (technical documentation).
† Technical details: $p$ is a safe prime, meaning it is a prime of the form $p = 2q + 1$ where $q$ is also prime. $g$ is a quadratic residue modulo $p$, and thus has order $q$, meaning there are $q$ distinct possible remainders of $g^x$ when divied by $p$ for any integer $x$. The powers of $g$ modulo $p$ form a subgroup of the multiplicative group of integers $(\mathbb Z/p\mathbb Z)^\times$. None of this is important for you to understand how to share secrets over a public channel, but I provide the keywords for you to follow if you want to study further.
‡ Alice does not actually compute, e.g., 2^13805771959684693407656077397889219317288456747119690312451189306384849479687628613222950288427889322679415500741971589068616989911210949597114445259398229588157002772876797268276100622563299377498600497546320786879884333079126581727906347769889606788799518360227168951984468071470187490408276074397578464837282521956615118563389889631151319459158126320262667606793413409480951816493115818911703426164912115254095626026747790743791560327229116656590818054138360168383331595495242709153295834514181328053967320381842712608527965926684083141420258332671624779764031721576291538707703835661166957458717002972300906725181, and then divide the result by $p$; instead she uses a modular exponentiation algorithm so that it is possible to get an answer before the universe burns itself out.
§ Some of this is configurable: conscientious users who must use WhatsApp, like a journalist whose only contact with a source is WhatsApp, should study WhatsApp's privacy and security options.
Squeamish OssifrageSqueamish Ossifrage
$\begingroup$ Obnit: I believe the specific prime $p$ you give isn't actually safe for DH; the reason is that special form primes like that tend to be vulnerable to SNFS, which runs considerably faster than the standard NFS (GNFS) that we would use against most primes. This is not meant to detract from your otherwise excellent answer $\endgroup$ – poncho Dec 19 '17 at 16:30
$\begingroup$ Do you have a reference for that? I don't disbelieve you—I just obviously haven't kept up with finite-field DH for anything other than glib quips about mathemagical spells, because it's so full of sharp edges in practice. $\endgroup$ – Squeamish Ossifrage Dec 19 '17 at 16:40
$\begingroup$ TOFU is usually expanded to Trust On First Use. If you had a good reason to give a different expansion I suggest explaining it, otherwise I suggest correcting it. $\endgroup$ – tialaramex Dec 19 '17 at 17:26
$\begingroup$ @SqueamishOssifrage The prime you use here, is actually used by Samuel Neves in his answer as an example for a prime that heavily favours SNFS. $\endgroup$ – SEJPM♦ Dec 19 '17 at 17:42
$\begingroup$ From the little I know of WhatsApp , the receiver is not online when the sender sends a message. Therefore the principle used must be quite distant from DH. $\endgroup$ – fgrieu♦ Dec 20 '17 at 6:56
There are different types of encryption.
Symmetric encryption
This is where one key is used for encrypting and decrypting, often called a shared secret. This is what many of us are familiar with from our time playing with codes (technically ciphers) as kids.
To use symmetric encryption (e.g. AES), we need to agree on the key beforehand, which is the catch.
Asymmetric encryption
One key is used for encrypting, and another corresponding key is need for decryption. The matching keys are referred to as a keypair, the encryption key as a public key and the decryption key as a private key.
When Alice wants to communicate to Bob secretly, she retrieves Bob's public key (which can be posted on the internet) and only Bob with his corresponding private key can read it. This solves the problem of symmetric encryption of having to agree on secret first without anyone eavesdropping.
PGP uses asymmetric encryption to encrypt a random secret key used for symetic encryption of the message. This hybrid use also avoids to problem of securely establishing a share secret first.
There are also Key Agreement Schemes
These are similar to asymmetric encryption. Instead of en and decryption however, they allow 2 users to establish a shared secret over an insecure channel (even if someone is eavesdropping).
The most common is Diffie–Hellman-Merkle. The math involved on how and more importantly why it works is a bit heavy but have a look at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffie%E2%80%93Hellman_key_exchange#Cryptographic_explanation .
Now, if WhatsApp used symmetric encryption alone, you'd be quite right in thinking that the key must have been sent over their server first and that it's not secure. However, WhatsApp uses the signal protocol, which basically uses Diffie–Hellman to establish a shared secret session key which is then used for symmetric encryption (AES if I'm not mistaken). This allows secure end-to-end communication.
PetePete
$\begingroup$ Aren't you missing a step where WhatsApp server may man-in-the-middle into DH? $\endgroup$ – Cthulhu Dec 22 '17 at 15:47
$\begingroup$ @Cthulhu The signal protocol prevents MITM attacks using long term signing keys IINF. I provided a very simplified answer based on my interpretation of the OP's current state of knowledge. Great username by the way :-) $\endgroup$ – Pete Dec 23 '17 at 15:52
Public-key cryptography allows precisely the sort of thing that's puzzling you: two parties can, over a public channel that eavesdroppers listen on, come up with a shared secret key. “Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange” in plain English provides a few simplified explanations of this. What this comes down to is that if you and your contact really do have each others' public key (which doesn't need to be confidential), then you can communicate over a public channel without being subject to eavesdroppers or message manipulation.
But that requires you and your contact to actually have each others' public key, a problem that WhatsApp can't completely solve on its own. What WhatsApp provides in that front is what they call security codes, a mechanism that you and your contact can use to independently verify that you do have each other's correct public key, and not an impersonator's. Using these security codes and a trusted communications channel outside of WhatsApp (critical!), you and your contact can verify that your devices have the correct key for each other.
From the WhatsApp site:
What is the "Verify security code" screen in the contact info screen?
Each of your chats has its own security code used to verify that your calls and the messages you send to that chat are end-to-end encrypted.
Note: The verification process is optional and is used only to confirm that the messages you send are end-to-end encrypted.
This code can be found in the contact info screen, both as a QR code and a 60-digit number. These codes are unique to each chat and can be compared between people in each chat to verify that the messages you send to the chat are end-to-end encrypted. Security codes are just visible versions of the special key shared between you - and don't worry, it's not the actual key itself, that's always kept secret.
To verify that a chat is end-to-end encrypted
Open the chat.
Tap on the name of the contact to open the contact info screen.
Tap Encryption to view the QR code and 60-digit number.
If you and your contact are physically next to each other, one of you can scan the other's QR code or visually compare the 60-digit number. If you scan the QR code, and the code is indeed the same, a green checkmark will appear. Since they match, you can be sure no one is intercepting your messages or calls.
[...] If you and your contact are not physically near each other, you can send them the 60-digit number. Let your contact know that once they receive your code, they should write it down and then visually compare it to the 60-digit number that appears in the contact info screen under Encryption. For Android, iPhone and Windows Phone, you can use the Share button from the QR code/60-digit number screen to send the 60-digit number via SMS, email, etc.
WhatsApp describes this verification process as "optional," but if you don't verify your contacts' security codes (and do it outside of WhatsApp), then you are indeed trusting the server as you surmise. What they offer is, broadly, the best that they can offer: a tool that you can use to independently verify they are doing what they claim. But they can't actually force you to do that verification, that you have to do on your own. The best they can do is make it easier to use (which they do with, e.g., the QR codes).
If this is something that bugs you in the least bit, you should get into the habit of verifying your contacts' security codes when you do meet them. One of the principles of the Signal protocol (the protocol that WhatsApp uses, which it adopted from the Signal Messenger application) is that we need a minority of users to be vigilant about security codes in order to defend the bulk of users against indiscriminate mass surveillance. If enough users do their part from time to time we can be confident that WhatsApp's servers are, at worst, being used only for targeted surveillance against narrow sets of users.
Luis CasillasLuis Casillas
End to End encryption is secure even if the channel is not secure, that is kind of point. You can also negotiate a key over an insecure channel. WhatsApp uses the well reviewed https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Protocol And it uses internally Diffi Hellman key exchange. So if the clients implement the protocol correctly someone listening in can not get the negotiated key.
However we still need authentication. So we know who we are talking to. We still rely on Whatsapp for that, they hold public keys. Whatsapp also provides the software for the clients and we need to trusr it did a compotent and honest job. And the worst part is that on many devices the messages are encrypted in transit, stored in clear on the device which is then backed up to a Google or Apple servers. So even if WhatsApp can't read your messages. Google or Apple probably can.
Meir MaorMeir Maor
$\begingroup$ Do you have a source of this storing of messages unencrypted and automatically backed up unencrypted? $\endgroup$ – physicalattraction Dec 22 '17 at 20:19
$\begingroup$ Looking for a source, I see things changed a few months ago. So currently things aren't as bad as they used to be. There are still some issues with the backup encryption but at least it isn't as trivial as it used to be: google.co.il/amp/s/techcrunch.com/2017/05/08/… $\endgroup$ – Meir Maor Dec 23 '17 at 5:51
End to end encryption safety depends on two elements (two of which were described above):
The security of the encryption on each end device
and the security of the key exchange algorithm
I suspect that the end devices are the weakest.
Billal Begueradj
10722 gold badges22 silver badges77 bronze badges
Jonathan RosenneJonathan Rosenne
$\begingroup$ This doesn't answer the question at all. Did you mean to comment on an answer (whichever answer you're referring to by “above”)? $\endgroup$ – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil' Dec 21 '17 at 22:17
End to end encryption(etee) works in such that Whatsapp is NOT involved. If it were that would be Point to Point (ptpe) encryption. In etee both parties establiah an mutual agreement on algos and such based on the lower common supported/allowed options, not too much unlike how you browser does with a webserver.
linuxdev2013linuxdev2013
$\begingroup$ I suspect that you might need to go into how "mutual agreement algorithms" work, and how a man in the middle cannot listen in - I suspect AV94 doesn't understand that yet... $\endgroup$ – poncho Dec 19 '17 at 14:55
$\begingroup$ OP: i'll assume you do but if not i'll gladly link to info as @poncho alluded to. $\endgroup$ – linuxdev2013 Dec 19 '17 at 15:08
Not exactly the server, but the overall software system you're using has to be trusted. Sure, the data may be encrypted and you might be able to verify that, but there is no way you can prove that the key isn't being leaked or deliberately communicated to some third party.
ddyerddyer
$\begingroup$ the point of end-to-end encryption is that the server need not be trusted at all, which answers the main question. in end-to-end encryption, the client needs to be trusted. as you say, a bad client can leak the keys. but if it's correct end-to-end, the server can't leak your keys because it just doesn't have them. $\endgroup$ – Rob Dec 22 '17 at 21:53
It is impossible to communicate securely if all communication goes through an untrusted intermediary, as the intermediary could just pretend towards each party that it is the other party (the man-in-the-middle attack). So assuming that the parties cannot / don't want to communcate directly, even to the extent of swapping keys, the server does need to be trusted somewhat.
On the other hand, there are various asymmetric encryption schemes (described in detail in the other answers) which are secure as long as the intermediary does not actively interfere in the communication (ie. secure under the assumption that the server might eavesdrop on the messages but will forward them faithfully). Since interference can easily be detected if the parties do talk directly, so it is risky for an attacker to attempt, it is not too much of a concern in practice.
TgrTgr
What you really need is to make sure your public key and the other partys is actually transmitted correctly. The only way to make this sure is to hand over the public key personally and physically on a device you trust, preferrably analog . The technology clearly exists (as in I could do it technologically speaking if I wanted to) to adaptively in transit over the open internet switch public keys for fake ones to allow for MITM attacks, if you just manage to bribe the right people.
And once you become a parent you will be very susceptible to bribes. Also most of the worlds voting population are parents, so good luck in changing any of that within the frames of democracy.
$\begingroup$ This doesn't answer the question. It's also wrong. Look up public key infrastructures. $\endgroup$ – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil' Dec 21 '17 at 22:19
$\begingroup$ You are right it does not answer the question. But how is it wrong? You don't need a public key infrastructure to do public key encryption. But if you do, stuff needs be transferred from and to the different RA, CA, VA in the diagram of the wikipedia page. What stops someone sitting on that wire to exchange what is being sent? You know there are several in-betweens on those black arrows on the internet, right? $\endgroup$ – mathreadler Dec 22 '17 at 7:48
$\begingroup$ With a suitable PKI, each node needs to start off with one public key, and everything else is protected from man-in-the-middle. In the case of WhatsApp, this bootstrap public key typically comes bundled with the phone (actually several public keys: the root CA keys for SSL, and maybe some keys built into the app installer). Then the trust propagates to the WhatsApp app, and from there to WhatsApp users. $\endgroup$ – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil' Dec 22 '17 at 9:33
$\begingroup$ @Gilles The public keys must be transmitted somehow to become publicly known. If they are transmitted publicly without encryption they could be altered in flight. You can never protect from such a man in the middle. You have to trust that (presumably unencrypted) channel where the public keys are made public. The only completely safe alternative is to physically exchange public keys with the person you want to communicate with so you know you get the right one. $\endgroup$ – mathreadler Dec 22 '17 at 10:09
$\begingroup$ Encryption is useless to transport public keys unless you want privacy. What's needed is authentication, and public-key cryptography lets you do that, with the confidence that nothing is altered in flight. As soon as you have the public key of one entity whom you trust to give you the public key of other entities, you can bootstrap trust. Man-in-the-middle attacks are a solved problem. PKI isn't, but the problem is who to trust, not how to communicate with whom you trust. $\endgroup$ – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil' Dec 22 '17 at 11:36
If it's not end-to-end encrypted, it's not really encrypted at all! Writing a ciphertext right next to a plaintext is equivalent information-wise to just writing the plaintext and deleting the ciphertext. ie: Don't decrypt anything if it's decoded right in front of you. Writing the keys next to the ciphertext is only a little better. They will just combine the two to get the plaintext. Encrypt-At-Rest is a little better in that the key isn't sitting on disk; but it usually means that the key does pass through that machine, and that machine could have written the key off somewhere (ie: to an S3 bucket of crypto keys). End-To-End means that the machine has never seen the key, and does not perform encrypt/decrypt... that must hapen on a user's machine.
If you think about it, end-to-end is the only scenario in which you obeyed the first rule of crypto... to not give the key to somebody that isn't supposed to decrypt. Encrypt-At-Rest that did have the key at some point relies on a gentleman's agreement to not simply remember the key or the ciphertext.
$\begingroup$ whoever thinks this comment is wrong somehow needs to explain how you actually know that, AWS for instance, isn't storing every key that you plug in to an S3 request header - or remembering decrypted ciphertexts that are sent back. You DONT know this. Most of the time they aren't. But giving your key to an untrusted system "for a short while" is, cryptographically speaking, nonsense. There is no guarantee that the system will forget the key. Therefore, the security is reduced from an argument about entropy; to whether the gentleman's agreement is being honored. $\endgroup$ – Rob Dec 22 '17 at 12:58
$\begingroup$ The answer is very unclear. There is some system you have in your mind that is not communicated in the answer, it just seems to be a disconnected stream of consciousness. Who are the actors. Ex: what does this mean: "Don't decrypt anything if it's decoded right in front of you." (no downvote—yet) $\endgroup$ – zaph Dec 22 '17 at 20:10
$\begingroup$ "In end-to-end encryption, doesn't the server need to be trusted?" - if the server needs to be trusted, then that's because it's seeing the key. I am suggesting that if the server is able to decrypt your stuff; it isn't actually encrypted in the server. So, I am asserting that end-to-end is another word for just "properly encrypted". In the real world, people are letting AWS perform encrypt/decrypt, which gives AWS the key. This is ok under the assumption that AWS forgets the key. If AWS gets a national security letter, they have to comply with it. Not doing E2E provides the break. $\endgroup$ – Rob Dec 22 '17 at 21:39
$\begingroup$ a file being "encrypted" really means that the plaintext is absolutely unavailable to the unauthorized party; not that a ciphertext exists. people store ciphertext in servers, and then write summaries of the ciphertext in plaintext right next to it. they think it's encrypted because the ciphertext exists. but it's not encrypted, because the plaintext is sitting right next to it in a slightly different form. $\endgroup$ – Rob Dec 22 '17 at 21:41
$\begingroup$ If someone gains unauthorised access to a AWS file server, or the server it-self is say stolen, the data is still encrypted and not readable without the key. An email which is sent over TLS/StartTLS (by both outgoing and receiving mail host) is still encrypted and cannot be read by an eavesdropper on the network. Now, end-to-end encryption is indeed the best method for security and privacy. However, statements like "If it's not end-to-end encrypted, it's not really encrypted at all" are hyperbole and incorrect. Thus downvote. $\endgroup$ – Pete Dec 23 '17 at 23:18
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First published in the Australian School Library Association’s journal ACCESS, June 2016, Vol 30, No. 2, p. 18.
Considering its humble beginnings in 1995, with just a small number of judges and a ceremony held in a local bookshop in Melbourne, it is perhaps surprising to learn that Young Adult fiction (both novel length and short stories) have been recognised in the annual Aurealis Awards, Australia’s premier speculative fiction awards, since the first year, with Garth Nix’s Sabriel and Brian Caswell’s Deucalion sharing top honours for novel and Isobelle Carmody’s “Green Monkey Dreams” winning the short story award. While the Children’s category was not introduced until 2001, and has been through several iterations, including long and short form, fiction told primarily through words and fiction told primarily through pictures, before becoming a single award for Children’s Fiction as it is today, the shortlists for these categories showcase a fascinating range of talent and quality work for young readers.
In 2016, the Aurealis Awards celebrated its twenty-first birthday in lavish style, with a sit-down dinner for 100 guests at an event in Brisbane, hosted by two well-known and beloved Queensland speculative fiction authors, Rowena Cory Daniells and Marianne de Pierres, and attended by writing luminaries from across Australia. Attendees frocked up and made the most of the chance to mingle and chat in a relaxed and entertaining evening. Creators at the beginning of their careers rubbed shoulders with distinguished alumni of the field, readers and fans got the chance to speak casually with their literary heroes, and judges sat back and enjoyed the looks of surprised delight on the faces of the winners in attendance. In an interesting turn of events, local author Trent Jamieson took home two trophies, and co-host Rowena Cory Daniells also won a prize. Sean Williams collected four awards, though only one was on his own behalf, and Glenda Larke was a popular recipient for the inaugural Sara Douglass Book Series Award, having being shortlisted eight times for her work over the years, but never taking home the trophy. Ever popular favourite Garth Nix took out two categories, and relative newcomers Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff’s Illuminae won the Science Fiction Novel gong. Small presses held their own, with the Anthology category and several short story categories won by authors from this background, as well as the Convenors’ Award for Excellence with the non-fiction collection Letters to Tiptree from Twelfth Planet Press. It was a night that showcased the very best of the speculative fiction field, and really demonstrated how very far things have come, in many different ways.
Speculative fiction, as with most “genre” types, is often seen as the poor cousin of the more capital-L Literary awards. Observationally, it could be inferred that judges for larger awards (such as the Children’s Book Council Book of the Year, Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, and the various state-based Premier’s literary prizes) are rarely aficionados of science fiction, fantasy and horror and all the sub-genres associated with speculative fiction, and thus may feel less comfortable awarding such work due to both lack of knowledge of and lack of affection for the style. However, proponents of the field will attest that speculative fiction can not only punch above its weight in terms of literary merit, but is also an excellent venue for exploring some of the trickier societal themes of the day. This is particularly true of Young Adult and Children’s literature.
Consider, for example, the winner of the 2015 Young Adult category, In the Skin of a Monster by Kathryn Barker (Allen & Unwin). A powerful story of identity, mental health issues and grief, told through the use of a slip-stream world and imagination. Few books dealing with mass shootings of young people can be explored in such a way as to examine the issue without didacticism or preaching a perspective, but through the use fantasy elements, Barker manages just this.
And again, the winner of the Children’s Fiction section, Meg McKinlay’s A Single Stone, which crosses boundaries of genre and readership to stretch the reader, to take them on a journey into a place that empowers and yet constrains (in more ways than one) female characters, while at the same time exploring the darkness which can underpin and ultimately undermine a society. Yes, in a children’s book.
While there is occasional crossover between the finalists and winners of the Aurealis Awards and other major Australian awards (in 2015, Marlee Jane Ward’s novella “Welcome to Orphancorp” won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards for Young Adult Fiction, as well as being shortlisted for the Best YA Short Story in the Aurealis Awards, as just one recent example), it is not a common occurrence, and that is why the Aurealis Awards are so important. As Scott Westerfeld noted in his MC speech at the 2012 Awards ceremony (in May 2013), speculative fiction is big business, in film, in television and in literature, and yet goes frequently unrecognised in the “serious” awards. It is not, as some readers and viewers would have you think, because the quality is lower, but because of ingrained prejudices regarding genre (and this applies equally to romance, crime, thrillers and the like as much as speculative fiction): consumers in the main enjoy the genre work, but for whatever reason don’t consider it “proper” fiction/film/television of an acceptable type. It can be hoped this perception is shifting, somewhat, but until media of this type is regularly recognised at the Oscars in Best Picture and Best Director rather than only in the technical fields, until “realist” novels stop dominating the Miles Franklin and Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, the “populist vs proper” issue isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
This means that awards like the Aurealis Awards, World Fantasy Awards, Hugo Awards, British Science Fiction Awards and the like are so important, for work that does not fit the “capital-L Literature” form and yet is of an intrinsically high standard, exploring themes and ideas that mainstream fiction often simply cannot. Some authors have deliberately distanced themselves from genre in order to find mainstream critical success. Margaret Atwood, whose hugely popular novel The Handmaid’s Tale sits squarely within a dystopic science fiction genre designation, at one point insisted the book was not science fiction (although interestingly, she did claim it to be speculative fiction, probably not under the same definition as we think of spec fic today). In the intervening years, she has now become more comfortable with the designation of her work as genre, which can only be of good to others in the field. It’s always fascinating as a reader to find horror novels by Stephen King in the “Fiction” section of a bookstore, yet horror novels by Clive Barker are in the “Science Fiction/Fantasy” area. There is little, if any, difference in the quality of writing or elements of genre between these writer, yet one is considered (these days at least) Literature and mainstream. Does it indicate that King no longer pushes the boundaries in the same way as genre writers do? Not necessarily. Too often, genre designations are purely publisher-based, as they seek to make the most money from their books as possible, which, while understandable, is disappointing in some ways. Because if George R.R. Martin can dominate the bookstore shelves and have readers of all ages and types howling for the next in the series, it’s unclear why Fantasy still takes a back seat to non-speculative fiction.
This is not to argue that popular necessarily equals quality, by any stretch. But it’s concerning to think that sometimes judging panels seem sometimes that is is the opposite effect — if a book is popular, then it can’t possibly have the hallmarks of “quality literature”. Which is a fallacy.
…literary merit is of paramount importance in selecting the shortlisted works. Genre elements should not be enough to see a book on the shortlist; the Aurealis Awards is first and foremost a literary award. However, neither should a problematic definition of what makes a work of a particular genre bar an excellent book that contains appropriate elements of that genre, and the Aurealis Awards prefers an inclusive view of what genre markers may include.
The organisers of the Awards recognise that the definitions of speculative fiction genres are constantly evolving, have always done so, and will almost certainly continue to do so. No longer is science fiction solely defined as (for example) frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets. That doesn’t mean it will not include such elements, merely that it is no longer necessarily expected to, as dystopian, and near-future, set-on-earth stories have become popular. Fantasy does not have to take place in an imagined world, or include magic, or dragons, or elves… Horror need not include supernatural elements to be part of the genre. In terms of bending and twisting genre, Australian authors are right up there with the best of them, and it often shows in the shortlists.
In the 2015 judging period, nearly 40 judges across 16 panels (plus the Convenors’ Award for Excellence) read over 750 entries in the regular categories; in addition, the inaugural Sara Douglass Book Series Award judges considered almost 200 books in 55 series. The smallest number of entries in any category was 12 books, while some short story categories had over 100 submissions. Aurealis Awards judging is not a job for the faint-hearted.
Over the years, hundreds of Australian creators have been recognised in the shortlists. Luminaries in the genre have won many times, but it’s not unusual for relative unknowns to take out the prize, and in recent years, several self-published works have been shortlisted and even won in various categories. That the Aurealis Awards accept self, small and independently published material makes them somewhat of a standout on those grounds alone; that they actively encourage electronic submission of entries in all categories (although still accepting print if that is the entrant’s preference) possibly makes them unique. Being run by volunteers (no one involved in organising or judging the Awards is paid for their efforts) is very unusual, and although the Aurealis Awards is overseen by an incorporated body (at least since Fantastic Queensland took over the event organisation in 2004, subsequently managed by SpecFaction NSW, Conflux Inc., and most recently, the Western Australian Science Fiction Foundation), they rely completely on the goodwill of the community to step up and take part.
Each year, the organising team call for expressions of interest in judging for the Awards. Judges come from all over Australia, and from widely varied backgrounds. Librarians, booksellers, authors, illustrators, publishers, editors, reviewers and readers — anyone with an interest in and love of speculative fiction — are encouraged to apply, bringing with them a breadth of experiences and knowledge each year. Judging panels of between three and five judges (including a panel convenor) are put together, and once finalised, entries are opened for that year (usually around May or June).
The Aurealis Awards has instigated the addition of a Novella category in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, distinct from the existing Short Story sections in these areas. This change was made in response to a growth in the field, partially due to e-publishing, where novellas are rising in prominence. It can be difficult to judge a longer story (7,500 to 39,999 words) against shorter pieces, and this addition has been greeted with much positivity by creators and publishers.
Another new category implemented in 2015 is the Sara Douglass Book Series Award, named for the flagship HarperVoyager author Sara Douglass, who died in 2011, but who left the legacy of a strong fantasy publishing domain in Australia, and one that has, quite unusually for the genre when one looks internationally, been particularly focussed on female writers. This award is designed to recognise that there are book series that are greater as a whole than the sum of their parts — that is, the judges look for a series that tells a story across the series, not one that just uses the same characters and setting across loosely connected books. Shortlisted works are best enjoyed read in succession, with an arc that begins in the first book and is completed in the last. This idea is something completely different for literary awards in any country, certainly in Australia, and is somewhat idiosyncratic to the genre — while there are other literary classifications which do run to long series (crime/thriller and some romance books spring to mind), rarely are these encapsulating a story arc that completes over a set number of books. Indeed, the judges discovered that even within the broader umbrella of speculative fiction, most of the strongest series were of a distinctly fantasy flavour.
The Aurealis Awards celebrates Australian literary speculative fiction in as many ways as possible. In 2008, in addition to the Children’s section, the Illustrated Work / Graphic Novel, Anthology and Collections categories were created, to celebrate an even greater range of works not previously recognised. From the original eight categories, there are now seventeen (if one includes the Sara Douglass, which will not be awarded annually due to the nature of the entries). For school librarians and teachers, the annual shortlists are a treasure trove of quality speculative fiction, which, as already discussed, tends to be far more popular by nature than other awards celebrating literary work. With distinct categories to Young Adult and Children’s, teacher librarians and other staff buying for schools can be assured that (within reason), work shortlisted in these categories will be suitable for most readers of the age groups (Children’s covers up to 12 years, Young Adult from approximately 12-18 years). Other divisions may also yield great additions to any reading list; the winners of the Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction Novel categories for 2015 were both also finalists in the Young Adult shortlist, for example. The Deep, a graphic novel by internationally renowned comics writer Tom Taylor (illustrated by James Brouwer) which won the Illustrated Work / Graphic Novel category in 2011, is for young audiences, and was recently transformed into an animated television series. Not bad for an independent comics publisher in Perth.
For many of these works, the publishers have created teaching materials to be used in conjunction with the books; one example is the anthology which won the Best Anthology category in 2014, Kaleidoscope from Twelfth Planet Press. A collection of young adult stories with an overarching theme celebrating of diversity, the book lends itself to teaching and learning opportunities in many ways, and the teaching notes suggest opportunities for discussion and explicit activities to use with the text. For other books, simply adding them to library collections, or even using as a class set, increases the richness of reading opportunities for students. A display encompassing the finalists in any given year (or even the winners of a particular category over several years) can draw attention to a range of Australian books that may not otherwise come to the attention of readers, and may pique a lifelong love of reading in a genre that permeates modern media in so many ways.
The annual Aurealis Awards are an excellent example of what can happen when a community comes together to showcase the achievements of those in their field. From small beginnings, a flourishing and respected set of Awards has grown, one that is national in scope and international in quality.
For more information, visit aurealisawards.org or follow the Awards on Facebook or Twitter to stay up to date.
Applications are now open for the 2014 Aurealis Awards judging panels.
We are seeking expressions of interest from people who would like to judge for the 2014 Aurealis Awards. Judges are volunteers and are drawn from the Australian speculative fiction community, from diverse professions and backgrounds, including academics, booksellers, librarians, published authors, publishing industry professionals, reviewers and enthusiasts. The only qualification necessary is a demonstrated knowledge of and interest in their chosen category. All judges must be willing and able to read electronic entries in either mobi or epub format, which we accept in all categories.
Being an Aurealis Awards judge involves reading entries in one field (which may comprise two categories), which may consist of several dozen novels and/or more than a hundred short stories in the process of evaluating the year’s entries. The reading load can become quite heavy at the end of the judging period although we endeavour to obtain works as soon as they are published. Judges may keep their reading copies of entries. There will potentially be a change to the Awards ceremony next year, which may mean we are unable to continue to offer judges complimentary tickets to the ceremony. However, judges will be eligible for one discounted ticket to the Awards ceremony.
Categories are: Science Fiction Novel, Science Fiction Short Story, Fantasy Novel, Fantasy Short Story, Horror Novel and Horror Short Story, Young Adult Novel and Young Adult Short Story, Children’s Fiction, Collection, Anthology, Illustrated Book/Graphic Novel. Because fantasy and science fiction are the largest categories, they have been split into two separate judging panels, one for novels and one for short stories.
The Aurealis Awards accepts electronic entries in all categories. Judges of short fiction must be willing to accept and read entries in this format. Willingness and ability to read electronically is an essential aspect of the judging role.
Entries to the awards close in December, with all work published between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014 eligible for entry. Shortlists from each panel will be required by early March 2015 (firm dates will be advised), and prospective judges should be aware that this may be an intensive process.
Please provide the following information to Judging Coordinator Tehani Wessely at aajudges@gmail.com, by 30 April, 2014.
6. Preferred e-file format – all judges must nominate either mobi for Kindle or epub (with the understanding that files may also be occasionally received in PDF or rtf).
2013 Aurealis Awards are open for entry!
I’m judging co-ordinator for the third year, and working with new management team Conflux Inc (Canberra)! Looking forward to a great year. Feel free to share the details below with your networks, and enter early!
Conflux Inc. are delighted to announce that the 2013 Aurealis Awards are now open to entries.
The Aurealis Awards, Australia’s premier awards for Speculative Fiction, are for works of speculative fiction written by an Australian citizen, or permanent resident, and published for the first time between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2013.
“We’re delighted to be able to bring the Awards to Canberra for the first time,” Ms Murphy added.
Entries close on 07 December 2013, and all entries must be physically received by 31 December 2013. Finalists will be announced in March 2014 and winners announced at a special presentation evening in Canberra in April 2014. For more information on the awards or to register your entry, visit the Aurealis Awards website at www.aurealisawards.com.
For more information contact the Awards convenor, Nicole Murphy at president.conflux@gmail.com or judging co-ordinator Tehani Wessely at aajudges@gmail.com.
Applications are now open for the 2013 Aurealis Awards judging panels.
We are seeking expressions of interest from people who would like to judge for the 2013 Aurealis Awards. Judges are volunteers and are drawn from the Australian speculative fiction community, from diverse professions and backgrounds, including academics, booksellers, librarians, published authors, publishing industry professionals, reviewers and enthusiasts. The only qualification necessary is a demonstrated knowledge of and interest in their chosen category. In 2013, all judges must be willing and able to read electronic entries, which we will accept in all categories.
Panel sizes may vary among categories – and from year to year – depending on the perceived workload required and the availability of judges for a particular category. However, each panel will consist of at least three judges, one of which will be the panel convenor. Being an Aurealis Awards judge involves reading entries in a single category, which may comprise several dozen novels and/or more than a hundred short stories in the process of evaluating the year’s entries. Judges may keep their reading copies of entries.
Categories are: Science Fiction Novel, Science Fiction Short Story, Fantasy Novel, Fantasy Short Story, Horror Novel and Horror Short Story, Young Adult Novel and Young Adult Short Story, Children’s Fiction, Collection, Anthology, Illustrated Book/Graphic Novel. Because fantasy and science fiction are the largest categories, they have been split into two separate judging panels, one for novels and one for short stories. In 2013, all Children’s entries will be judged in a single category, to maintain the integrity of the award.
As of 2013, the Aurealis Awards accepts electronic entries in all categories. Judges of short fiction must be willing to accept and read entries in this format. Willingness and ability to read electronically is an essential aspect of the judging role.
Entries to the awards close in December, with all work published between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013 eligible for entry. Shortlists from each panel will be required by early February 2014 (firm dates will be advised), and prospective judges should be aware that this may be an intensive process.
All discussions are confidential between the judges in each panel and the judging co-ordinator and/or the Aurealis Awards management team, as required. The Aurealis Awards judging co-ordinator will have no input into these decisions unless a panel of judges is unable to reach a consensus.
Each judge receives one complimentary ticket (non-transferable) to the Aurealis Awards ceremony.
Please provide the following information to Judging Co-ordinator Tehani Wessely at aajudges@gmail.com, by 17 May, 2013. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: My chest is sore and itchy. I went to the er about a month ago. They did a ekg, chest exrays and blood work. Said everything came back normal. But i still have pain in my chest. I am a smoker trying to quit but not to successful. I just turned 30 and im paranoid something is still wrong. output: Since your ECG is normal, no need to worry about cardiac cause. You are mostly having lung inflammation because you are smoker. Cigarette smoke causes persistent inflammation and irritation in the airways. These cause soreness and itching in the airways. So better to quit smoking as soon as possible. Get done PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) to rule out bronchitis as this can also cause similar symptoms. If PFT is normal, then only smoking cessation is needed to treat your problem. You should enroll in dead diction center. Start psychological counselling about dead diction. Don't worry, you will be able to quit smoking. Hope I have solved your query. Wish you good health. Thanks.. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: What are the common symptoms associated with Group A Streptococcus (Pyogenes) infection? output: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a type of bacteria that can cause a range of infections, including strep throat, skin infections, and more serious conditions such as necrotizing fasciitis. When it comes to strep throat specifically, the most common symptoms associated with GAS infection include a sore throat, swollen tonsils with purulent exudate (white or yellowish pus-like substance), anterior lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes in the neck), and a lack of cough or rhinorrhea (runny nose). Other possible symptoms may include fever, headache, and body aches. It is important to seek medical attention if you suspect you have a GAS infection, as prompt treatment with antibiotics can help prevent complications and the spread of the infection to others. |
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was merlin real
[19] Myrddin/Merlin also shares similarities with the shamanic bard figure of Taliesin, alongside whom he appears in the Welsh Triads and in Vita Merlini. The 15th-century Scotichronicon tells that Merlin himself underwent a triple-death, at the hands of some shepherds of the under-king Meldred: stoned and beaten by the shepherds, he falls over a cliff and is impaled on a stake, his head falls forward into the water, and he drowns. Key Events in the History of the English Language, Power Couples of the Dark and Middle Ages. [2] Later writers in France and elsewhere expanded the account to produce a fuller image, creating one of the most important figures in the imagination and literature of the Middle Ages. Later medieval works also deal with the Merlin legend, including through unusual stories such as Le Roman de Silence. The real legend is *slightly* different than the one you see on TV. [39] Malory's telling of this episode would later become a major inspiration for Romantic authors and artists of the 19th century. Merlin was born sometime during the medieval era. [17] If so, the hypothetical Merlin would have lived about a century after the hypothetical historical Arthur. An ancient time in history, when the old laws of Yahweh under the Old Testament were succeeded by the new laws of the New Testament under the rule of Jesus Christ through the Universal Church (Catholic). Geoffrey's account of Merlin Ambrosius' early life is based on the tale of Ambrosius in the Historia Brittonum. Now, Merlin is a family show, so for those eagerly awaiting the racy or naughty moments between Merlin and Arthur (or Morgana and Gwen): not gonna happen.The subtext is not sexually charged. Monmouth appears to have been aware of Ambrosius Aurelianus and this figure was influential in the development of the character, who was the mentor of Arthur. 2. There, he is often visited by his sister Ganieda (based on Myrddin's sister Gwenddydd) who has become queen of the Cumbrians and is also endowed with prophetic powers. In the first, Merlin creates Stonehenge as a burial place for Aurelius Ambrosius, bringing the stones from Ireland. Merlin was probably born in the town of Carmarthen. [note 6] While Merlin does share his magic with them, his prophetic powers cannot be passed on. Robert lays great emphasis on Merlin's power to shapeshift, on his joking personality, and on his connection to the Holy Grail, the quest for which he foretells. Gill is a Latinist, writer, and teacher of ancient history and Latin. While Merlin the Wizard was a very prominent character in the stories of Camelot, that is not where he originated. The name of Merlin's mother is not usually stated, but is given as Adhan in the oldest version of the Prose Brut. Inspired by Wace's Roman de Brut, an Anglo-Norman adaptation of Geoffrey's Historia, Merlin was originally a part of a cycle of Robert's poems telling the story of the Grail over the centuries. What follows is a new episode of the young Arthur's drawing of the sword from the stone,[22] an event orchestrated by Merlin. 12 comments. However, this appears to still be apparent in the novelisation. The earliest English verse romance concerning Merlin is Of Arthour and of Merlin, which drew from the chronicles and the Vulgate Cycle. He went on to add new episodes that tie Merlin with King Arthur and his predecessors. Arthur conquered the Romans, or defeated them at least, and took over a goodly part of Gaul...."- from (www.britannia.com/history/arthur2.html) Basic Arthur, by Geoffrey Ashe. [29] As the Arthurian myths were retold, Merlin's prophetic aspects were sometimes de-emphasised in favour of portraying him as a wizard and an advisor to the young Arthur, sometimes in struggle between good and evil sides of his character, and living in deep forests connected with nature. [32][33] But fate cannot always be changed: the Post-Vulgate Cycle has Merlin warn Arthur of how the birth of his other son will bring great misfortune and ruin to his kingdom, which then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. [4] Later authors have Merlin serve as the king's advisor and mentor until he disappears from the story after having been bewitched and forever sealed or killed by his student known as the Lady of the Lake after falling madly in love with her. (Andy/ CC BY ND 2.0 ) Merlin and Ambrosius . Possibly based on a real person. When brought before the king, Ambrosius revealed that below the foundation of the tower was a lake containing two dragons, battling into each other. share. Merlin (also known as Myrddin, Merlinus) is the great wizard of the Arthurian Legends best known from Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur (1469 CE). An Introduction to Ancient (Classical) History, M.A., Linguistics, University of Minnesota, There may have been a real Merlin, such as the one Nikolai Tolstoy describes in. Eventually, long after Merlin is gone, his advice to dispose of the baby Mordred through an event evoking the Biblical Massacre of the Innocents leads leads to the deaths of many, among them Arthur. [46] Besides evoking the final scenes from Vita Merlini, this one shares similarities with reverse scenarios in other works, where either Merlin himself is an object of one-sided desire by an amorous sorceress who plots to trap him or it is him who traps an unwilling lover. [5] Other purported sites of Merlin's burial include a cave deep inside Merlin's Hill (Welsh: Bryn Myrddin), outside Carmarthen. [8][9], Clas Myrddin or Merlin's Enclosure is an early name for Great Britain stated in the Third Series of Welsh Triads. [note 13] The fulfilment of another prophecy, ascribed to Thomas the Rhymer, came about when a spate of the Tweed and Pausayl occurred during the reign of the Scottish James VI and I on the English throne: "When Tweed and Pausayl meet at Merlin's grave, / Scotland and England one king shall have. The 9th-century monk Nennius, described as "inventive" in his history writing, wrote about Merlin, a fatherless Ambrosius, and prophecies. Similarly, appearing to Conn, Lug reveals the succession of the kings of Ireland. However, while he was a fictional writer it does appear that he did base Arthur’s magician, on a historical figure. Does King Arthur Belong to the Middle Ages? As Merlin went to lift the rock a slew of monstrous rocks collapsed on top of Merlin, thus dooming Merlin to the grave. [24] In some texts, including in Le Morte d'Arthur, she then replaces Merlin in the role of Arthur's court mage and adviser as a Lady of the Lake (the chief Lady in case of Malory's Nimue) following the 'last enchantement'. But we do have a reference in the Annales Cambriae to someone name Merlin (or Myrddin) living in the 6th Century. The 12th-century cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth provides us with our earliest information on Merlin. The story of King Arthur and Merlin is the allegorical tale of an actual real life epic religious battle, that is playing out to this very day. Eventually, it was directly incorporated into the Vulgate Cycle as the Estoire de Merlin, also known as the Vulgate Merlin or the Prose Merlin. Merlin is a masculine name of Welsh origin. [note 10] In the Prophéties de Merlin version, his tomb is unsuccessfully searched for by various parties, including by Morgan and her enchantresses, but cannot be accessed due to the deadly magic traps around it,[44] while the Lady of the Lake comes to taunt Merlin by asking did he rot there yet. It is said that Merlin's wand was of English oak (though his grave has never been found, so this cannot be proven).Either while or after he attended the school, Merli… Gefoffrey included the prophet in his next work, Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136). The Prophéties de Merlin (c. 1276) contains long prophecies of Merlin (mostly concerned with 11th to 13th-century Italian history and contemporary politics), some by his ghost after his death, interspersed with episodes relating Merlin's deeds and with assorted Arthurian adventures in which Merlin does not appear at all. [5], The name "Merlin" is derived from the Welsh Myrddin, the name of the bard who was one of the chief sources for the later legendary figure. Transformation of Celtic Mythology in Arthurian Legend. [14] The story of Vortigern's tower is the same; the underground dragons, one white and one red, represent the Saxons and the Britons, and their final battle is a portent of things to come. Merlin: Real or Fiction? 86% Upvoted. A Wiltshire mound where the legendary wizard Merlin was purported to be buried is found to date back to 2400 BC. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Was Merlin real? Here, Merlin survives Arthur, marries a woman named Guendoloena (inspired by the male Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio),[4]:44 and eventually spends his time observing stars from his esplumoir [fr] with seventy windows, in the remote woods in the land of Rhydderch. He does not tutor and advise Arthur as in later versions.[4]. King Arthur’s most trusted advisor, prophet, magician, and friend, Merlin was almost certainly the creation of Geoffrey of Monmouth, who writes extensively about Merlin in his twelfth century work The History of the Kings of Britain.Geoffrey combined tales and stories of a bard and wizard named Myrddin, who was created by a ninth century mystic named Nennius. Merlin's wanted poster depicts her as a young woman with long dark-colored hair. [26][27] The Prose Lancelot further relates that, after growing up in the borderlands between Scotland (Pictish lands) and Ireland (Argyll), Merlin "possessed all the wisdom that can come from demons, which is why he was so feared by the Bretons and so revered that everyone called him a holy prophet and the ordinary people all called him their god."[28]. In Math, the Son of Mathonwy, from the classic collection of Welsh tales known as the Mabinogion, Gwydion, a bard, and magician, performs love spells and uses cunning to protect and help an infant boy. In truth, it is impossible to say; especially if we are to look for the Merlin described in legend. He told two further tales of the character. He is popularly said to be buried in the magical forest of Brocéliande. People who were certainly real and important are no better attested.". (The stones, in actuality, came from the Preseli Hills in south-west Wales. Certainly, the legend of King Arthur's court started in the Middle Ages but the putative figures on which the legends are based, appear to come from before the Fall of Rome. [6] Other suggestions are that 'Merlin' is an adjective, from the French merle meaning 'blackbird',[7]:79 or that the 'many names' deriving from Myrddin stem from the Welsh: myrdd: myriad. Notably, the Post-Vulgate Suite (along with an earlier version of the Prose Merlin) was the main source for the opening part of Thomas Malory's English-language compilation work Le Morte d'Arthur that formed a now-iconic version of the legend. Her Seven Deadly Sins tattoo is located on the left side of her neck and is colored red, hence her nickname as the \"Crimson Pig\".Ten years afterwards, Me… 3. In American literature and popular culture, Merlin is perhaps the most frequently portrayed Arthurian character. [note 12] Another site associated with Merlin's burial, in his 'Merlin Silvestris' aspect, is the confluence of the Pausalyl Burn and River Tweed in Drumelzier, Scotland. More than once, the tower collapsed before completion. He supplemented his characterisation by attributing to Merlin stories concernig Aurelius Ambrosius, taken from Nennius' Historia Brittonum. For other uses, see, The young Merlin reading his prophecies to, According to Alan Lupack, "Merlin plays many roles in Arthurian literature, including bard, prophet, magician, advisor, and warrior. In Robert's account, as in Geoffrey's Historia, Merlin was created as a demon spawn, but here explicitly to become the Antichrist who is to reverse the effect of the Harrowing of Hell. Merlin matures to an ascendant sagehood and engineers the birth of Arthur through magic and intrigue. "[45] In a version with a happier ending, contained within the Premiers Faits section of the Livre du Graal, Niniane peacefully confines him in Brocéliande with walls of air, visible only as a mist to others but as a beautiful yet unbreakable crystal tower to him (however Merlin's disembodied voice can escape his air prison, as he does speak to Gawain[42]), where they then spend almost every night together. The character was created by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his History of the Kings of Britain (1136 CE) where he first appears as a wise and precocious youth with prophetic powers. Archived. [31][note 5] In the Perceval en prose (also known as the Didot Perceval and too attributed to Robert), where Merlin is the initiator of the Grail Quest, he eventually retires by turning himself into a bird. Close. In the Vulgate Cycle's version of Merlin, his acts include arranging consummation of Arthur's desire for "the most beautiful maiden ever born," Lady Lisanor of Cardigan, resulting in the birth of Arthur's illegitimate son Lohot from before the marriage to Guinevere. [25] Conversely, Merlin seems to be inherently evil in the so-called non-cyclic Lancelot, where he was born as the "fatherless child" from not a supernatural rape of a virgin but a consensual union between a lustful demon and an unmarried beautiful young lady, and was never baptized. It was a time of civil war and plague -- which helps explain the lack of contemporary information. Geoffrey Ashe says: "In dark age Britain we have to recognize various adverse factor, such as the loss and destruction of manuscripts by invading armies; the character of the early material, oral rather than written; the decline of learning and even literacy among the Welsh monks who might have kept reliable records. Apparently worried that the Anglo-Norman audience would take offense at the similarity between the name Merdinus and merde, Geoffrey changed the prophet's name. In an example of Merlin's interventions, the Vulgate version has him conjure a magical mist that causes the forces of Arthur's enemy King Amant to clash with the Saxon army at Carmelide. Geoffrey of Monmouth Latinised the name to Merlinus in his works. A late version of the Annales Cambriae (dubbed the "B-text", written at the end of the 13th century) and influenced by Geoffrey,[18] records for the year 573, that after "the battle of Arfderydd, between the sons of Eliffer and Gwenddolau son of Ceidio; in which battle Gwenddolau fell; Merlin went mad." Only a few lines of the poem have survived, but a prose version became popular and was incorporated into Arthurian chivalric romance literature. Geoffrey kept this new character separate from Aurelius Ambrosius and stated that Ambrosius was also called "Merlin", therefore Ambrosius Merlinus. Though usually a figure who supports Arthur and his vision of. Since we don't have the necessary fifth and sixth-century records, it's impossible to say absolutely that Merlin did or did not exist. Decades after, Robert de Boron retold and expanded on this material in his influential Old French poem Merlin. Ambrosius was rumoured to be such a child. 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instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Hi doctor, I am a 30-year-old woman. I am having OCD since I was 12 years old. I have a strong fear of an event that happened a couple of years ago when a psychiatrist told me that I have a borderline disorder and have no fantasy. I was trying to ask her for years to say me the opposite as a compulsion. She refused to do that, I am not sure if it is because she did not want to change her opinion or it is because she did not want to satisfy my compulsion. My mother was encouraging me to do these kinds of compulsions as she thought it is going to get worse. It was a bad thing as she was validating my fears in this way. I just realized these things now so I started to confront my fears about what the psychiatrist said to me. But I ran into another one which is about what if my mother is right and if I am confronting my fears it is going to get worse. What do you think?
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White Fragility Reader’s Guide
By Robin DiAngelo
Category: Nonfiction
READERS GUIDE
White Fragility
Written by Özlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo
Before You Begin: Suggestions for Discussion
This reading guide is intended to support formal and informal group discussions of White Fragility. We offer the following pedagogical tips as you organize your discussion.
On size:
Small group discussions work best when the size of the group is large enough to advance discussion but not so large that any member of the group can avoid sharing or, conversely, wants to share, but cannot find airtime to do so. For this reason, it is recommended that groups target a size of five to seven members. If you are part of a larger study group, just organize yourselves into smaller sub groups of approximately five people.
On composition:
There can be strategic advantages to organizing yourself into what are sometimes called affinity groups, wherein people with a shared identity (such as cis-men, or Asian women, or Indigenous people) work through issues particular to them, in a closed group. If your group is diverse, discuss how you want to organize yourselves (in a mixed group or an affinity group for all or part of various chapter discussions).
On monitoring the group:
If you are self-monitoring your group, discuss how you will assign a facilitator for each session. This can be a rotating responsibility if you plan to meet over multiple sessions. The task of the facilitator will include keeping the discussion on topic, ensuring shared airtime, and note-taking (if part of a formal discussion group), as well as ensuring that the group’s time is monitored.
On facilitating:
Tips for facilitators of white discussion groups
Based on the following patterns, it is highly recommended that a facilitator or team of facilitators be assigned when primarily white groups discuss racism. Facilitators should think of themselves as guides rather than as teachers. This means the overall task of the facilitator is to keep the group focused and on track, with equitable sharing of the airtime. This will be easier to do if at the start of the discussion you tell the group that this is your task. You could even name the patterns ahead of time and ask group members to watch out for these themselves.
1. Distancing: Identifiable via expressions including “People should just ____,” “Society is _____,” “How do I tell my coworker _____,” “What about all the people who aren’t here today who should be _____,” “The executive team at my workplace _____,” and “My family member _____”
Response techniques: “Can you speak to how you see this in your own behaviors/thoughts/beliefs in life/work?” “What part do you see yourself playing?” “What might you do…?” “How is the most effective way for someone to talk with you about your racism?”
2. Checking out: Identifiable via behaviors including texting, working on laptop, engaging in side conversations.
Response techniques: At the start, ask participants to put phones/laptops away. Explain that effective discussion on racism often causes disequilibrium for those of us who are white and that technology functions as a way to check out. Further, when people of color are present, the distraction of technology sends a problematic message. Someone who has an emergency or is expecting a text or call should leave the room at that time. Regarding side conversations, the facilitator might say, “I am having trouble hearing. Please give your attention to the speaker.”
3. Dominating the discussion: The same person or people speaking first, at length, immediately, and/or several times while others sit back in silence.
Response techniques: “Who haven’t we heard from?” “Let’s wait a little longer to make space for people who need more time.” “I’m going to ask that if we have spoken twice already, we wait until everyone else has had a chance before we speak again.” “Let’s go around the table and check in.” “Does anyone else want to share their perspective?” “We all have a responsibility to share our thoughts so others in the group know where we’re coming from or what we’re struggling with.”
4. Positioning themselves as already getting this/Giving evidence for why this discussion doesn’t apply to them: “I already know all this.” “I come from ___ and I can’t believe how white it is here.” “I realized many years ago that___.” “I am married to/have children who are ___,” followed by distancing (rather than insight and recognition that this doesn’t exempt them and their learning is not finished).
Response techniques: “The book poses an important question, ‘How do we know how well we are doing?’ “Where do you see your current learning edge?” “DiAngelo states that nothing exempts us from the forces of racism. How are situations that are unique to us still informed by racism?” “How does being white shape one’s sense that they are ‘beyond’ this discussion?” “Can you name three actions in the last month that demonstrate your awareness in practice?”
5. Hopelessness: “Racism is never going to end.” “I can’t do anything.” “What are we supposed to do?” “This is just about making us feel guilty.” “We have been doing this for years now and nothing changes.” “The administration are the ones that need this and they just don’t care.”
Response techniques: “The author speaks to the question of guilt. What points does she make?” “If we apply the question the author asks, How does our discouragement function? how would we answer?” “What concrete actions have you attempted thus far? What books have you read? What antiracism networks have you joined? The perception that nothing can be done often keeps the existing system in place.”
6. Expecting people of color to teach us (white people) about race: Turning to people of color for answers or to go first: “I grew up in a sheltered environment, so I don’t know anything about race.” “Sharon, tell me about the racism you have experienced.” “Sharon, you go first.”
Response techniques: If you are in a multiracial reading group, don’t assume that the people of color will speak first. If uncertain, ask them what they prefer. “While those of us who are white need to listen to people of color, in this context let’s take some risks and go first.” “People of color and Indigenous people have spent a lot of time thinking and speaking out about white supremacy and against racism. This is the time for white people to step up to the conversation.” “Mainstream society often has us focus on the targets of oppression rather than the agents. In this setting, focusing on people of color can let white people off the hook for naming their participation in racist systems.” “How have you managed thus far not to know the answers to your questions on racism?”
7. Claiming this discussion doesn’t apply to them because they are not from the US: “I’m from Germany and we don’t have these issues there.” “Canada is a multicultural society.” “It’s completely different where I am from because everyone is the same.”
Response techniques: “At what age were you aware that black people existed? Where did they live? If in Africa, what were your impressions of Africa? Where did you get your information about Africa?” “Did you watch Hollywood movies? If so, what impressions did you get about African Americans from US movies? What about Disney movies and cartoons?” “What was your relationship to Asian heritage people? What were Asian people like, in your mind?” and so on.
Countering Common Patterns via Silence Breakers
These sentence starters, termed “silence breakers,”[1] are suggested openings intended to address two common challenges for white people in cross-racial discussions: First, the fear of losing face, making a mistake, or not being able to manage impressions that often prevent white people from authentic engagement. Second, the lack of humility we often have when discussing racism. The silence breakers can help engender a stance of curiosity and humility that counters the certitude many white people have regarding our racial perspectives. In doing so, they tend to open, rather than close, discussion and connection.
Silence Breakers
1. I’m really nervous/scared/uncomfortable saying this and/but …
2. From my experience/perspective as [identity] …
3. I’m afraid I may offend someone, and please let know if I do, but …
4. I’m not sure if this will make any sense, and/but …
5. I just felt something shift in the room. I’m wondering if anyone else did.
6. It seems as though some people may have had a reaction to that. Can you help me understand why?
7. Can you help me understand whether what I’m thinking right now might be problematic?
8. This is what I understand you to be saying: ____ Is that accurate?
9. I’m having a “yeah but.” Can you help me work through it?
10. I’m engaged but just needing time to process this. What I am working on processing is _____.[2]
Additional Tips for a Productive Discussion
As DiAngelo notes, white people addressing white fragility surfaces several dilemmas. First, it requires that white people be centered in the conversation about racism. This can be problematic because it reinforces the white centering that is taken for granted in society at large (it is the author’s hope, however, that it is a centering that exposes, rather than protects, the workings of white supremacy). Second, it positions white people—yet again—as the experts. Based on these dilemmas, the following points are important to keep in mind:
1. This book and its arguments build on antiracism scholarship and activism that people of color have written for generations. That scholarship has been fundamental to the ability of the author to explicate white fragility. Use this text as the starting point—rather than the ending point—to educate yourself on racism. There are many suggestions for engaging with the work of people of color in the Resources for Continuing Education section of this book.
2. The primary goal for white people working to understand racism is not to learn how racism impacts people of color. The primary goal is to recognize how the system of racism shapes our lives, how we uphold that system, and how we might interrupt it.
3. For people of color, multiracial, and Indigenous peoples who are part of an informal or formal discussion group, the book and this guide will hopefully validate your lived experiences and offer some helpful insight into the challenges of trying to talk to white people about racism. Like the book, this guide is primarily focused on raising the consciousness and increasing the cross-racial skills of white people. In so doing, many of the questions will be specific to them. Yet while the work of this text is primarily focused on the role that white people play within the system of racism, people of color are exposed to the same messages and must also consider how those messages have impacted them and the resultant role they may play. This dynamic is colloquially described as “assimilation” (or “acting white”) and is described in scholarship as “collusion.” These terms refer to people of color upholding values and behaviors that negatively impact their own and other groups of color and ultimately support white supremacy. There are many pressures to collude, the foremost of which is that there are rewards for conformity with the system. If we behave in ways that the dominant group finds favorable, we will likely receive benefits (or at least minimize penalties) in our daily interactions with them. As you study the dynamic of white fragility, consider your role and responsibilities in relation to collusion and adapt questions accordingly and as needed.
Note for those using this guide outside of the US context
The dynamics of white fragility are familiar in all societies in which white people hold institutional power and/or have a white settler colonial history, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and South Africa. While the book focuses on the specific sociopolitical context of the US, it is for you to reflect on how these dynamics manifest in your specific sociopolitical context. For white people who did not grow up in the US but live in the US now, consider how US-based racial dynamics (and globally circulating US cultural stories and images) shape your current ideas about race, your life, and cross-racial relationships.
For all readers
The chapter questions are intended to deepen your reflection and understanding of the chapters and constructively inform your response to white fragility.
Keep the following principles in mind. You may need to return to them on occasion, so consider posting them in the room or having them available on cards:
1. A strong opinion is not the same as informed knowledge.
2. There is a difference between agreement and understanding. When discussing complex social and institutional dynamics such as racism, consider whether “I don’t agree” may actually mean “I don’t understand.”
3. We have a deep interest in denying the forms of oppression that benefit us. We may also have an interest in denying forms of oppression that harm us. For example, people of color can deny the existence of racism and even support its structures. This denial may keep them from feeling overwhelmed by the daily slights or protect them from the penalties of confronting white people on racism. However, regardless of the reason, this denial still benefits whites at the group level, not people of color.
4. Racism goes beyond individual intentions to collective group patterns.
5. We don’t have to be aware of racism in order for it to exist.
6. Our racial position (whether we identify as white, a person of color, or multiracial) will greatly affect our ability to see racism. For example, if we swim against the “current” of racial privilege, it’s often easier to recognize, while it’s harder to recognize if we swim with the current.
7. Putting our effort into protecting rather than expanding our current worldview prevents our intellectual and emotional growth.
Before you begin discussing chapter by chapter, spend some time reviewing the guidelines above.
[1] Adapted from Anika Nailah and Robin DiAngelo
[2] Excerpted from Robin DiAngelo and Ozlem Sensoy, “Calling In: Strategies for Cultivating Humility and Critical Thinking in Antiracism Education,” Understanding & Dismantling Privilege 4, no. 2, (2014), http://www.wpcjournal.com/article/view/12101
About the Guide Authors
Robin DiAngelo is an academic, lecturer, and author of White Fragility. She has been a consultant and trainer on issues of racial and social justice for more than twenty years. She formerly served as a tenured professor of multicultural education at Westfield State University.
Özlem Sensoy is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University in Canada. She is the co-author (with Robin DiAngelo) of the award–winning book, Is Everyone Really Equal?: An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education (Teachers College Press).
The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality.
In this “vital, necessary, and beautiful book” (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.
Questions and Topics for Discussion
1. Chapter 1: The Challenges of Talking to White People About Racism
1. Identify a passage from chapter 1 that invokes any sense of discomfort. Highlight this passage and return to reading it periodically as you work through the book. What does this passage reveal about your socialization into the white racial frame? Does your discomfort shift over time? If so, what supported that shift?
2. If you are working through these questions as part of a white discussion group, how will you keep the discussion on track (focused on ourselves and our own participation)? How will you ensure that when common white patterns surface (distancing, intellectualizing, rationalizing), you will work to identify and challenge them rather than ignore or avoid them?
3. How do so many white people feel so confident in their opinions on racism, even as they live their lives in segregation?
4. How can we make generalizations about what it means to be white when we don’t know each person’s individual story?
5. What are some constructive ways to use your emotional reactions when your opinions on racism are challenged?
6. Explain in your own words the author’s critique of the ideology of individualism.
2. Chapter 2: Racism and White Supremacy
1. What does it mean to say that race is “socially constructed”?
2. What is the difference between racial prejudice, racial discrimination, and racism?
3. What does the author mean when she says that there is no such thing as reverse racism?
4. How does the birdcage metaphor illustrate oppression?
5. What is scientific racism? Give some examples of how scientific racism is conveyed today.
6. What does Cheryl Harris mean when describing whiteness as a form of property?
7. What is problematic about the idea of the U.S. as a great “melting pot”? How did the melting pot actually work?
8. Discuss Coates’s statement that race is the child of racism, not the father.
9. The author cites Ruth Frankenberg’s description of whiteness as “a location of structural advantage, a standpoint from which white people look at ourselves, at others, and at society, and a set of cultural practices that are not named or acknowledged.” Explain each of these dimensions in your own words.
10. How is the author using the term “white supremacy”?
The White Racial Frame
1. Explain the concept of the white racial frame. What are some examples?
2. Take a few minutes to share some of your answers to the reflection questions on pp. 35-37. What surprised you? (These questions can be downloaded as a handout from www.robindiangelo.com.)
3. What patterns in the answers to the reflection questions do you notice within the group?
4. What insights do the answers give you on implicit aspects of our racial socialization?
5. What are some ways in which racism is “deeply embedded in the fabric” of society? Provide some examples.
3. Chapter 3: Racism After the Civil Rights Movement
1. What is the impact of white people not knowing our racial history?
2. What is color-blind racism and why is it problematic?
3. How did racism change and adapt after the civil rights era? Consider attitudes as well as behaviors.
4. Why does the author say that white progressives cause the most daily harm to people of color?
5. Why does the author consider young white people today to be no less racist than white people in the past?
6. How would you respond to someone who says, “Doesn’t it all come down to what your parents taught you?”
4. Chapter 4: How Does Race Shape the Lives of White People?
1. The author traces some of the specific ways that her life has been shaped by racism. Consider your own socialization. In what specific ways has your life been shaped by racism? (If you are white, try to answer this question without mentioning people of color).
2. Identify at least three ways that white racial belonging has been conveyed to you in the last week (you might start by opening your wallet and looking at the bills there).
3. What are the earliest racial messages you can recall? Try to move beyond what you were openly told and work to identify implicit messages.
4. In what settings have you experienced the expectation of white solidarity/racial silence? How has that expectation been communicated to you? How have you responded? What consequences have you faced or fear you will face by breaking with white solidarity?
5. The author describes the power of segregation. She argues that this segregation is “active.” What does this mean?
6. Discuss how various patterns of segregation across your lifespan shape your racial frame.
7. If you are white, which of the patterns discussed in this chapter have you seen in yourself? Which of the patterns challenge you the most? Why?
8. Consider some aspects of your identity other than race (i.e., gender, sexuality, religion, class, ability, nationality, age). How does race shape how you experience these identities? For example, how might being white shape how you experience disability? Poverty? Gender identity and expression?
9. If you are a person of color, how have you witnessed white people enacting white solidarity?
10. The author states that white ignorance is not simply a matter of not knowing; it is a highly effective response that protects white investments in racism and thus is actively maintained. Discuss this statement.
11. What does the author mean when she says that white people are not, in fact, racially innocent? How can we know much about race if we have lived separately?
5. Chapter 5: The Good/Bad Binary
1. What does it mean to say that racism is “a structure, not an event”?
2. The author suggests that one of the most effective barriers to talking about racism with white people is the good/bad binary. How have you seen this binary underlying common white responses to charges of racism? How might you respond when the binary surfaces in discussions about racism?
3. If you are white, share some examples of the good/bad binary in your own responses to suggestions that you are complicit with racism.
4. When the author challenges the idea that we are all unique and therefore cannot be generalized about, what thoughts and feelings come up for you? How might these thoughts and feelings function?
5. The author lists two types of narratives that are commonly used by white people to deny complicity with racism: color-blind and color-celebrate (p. 77). Which narratives have you used yourself, or still use? If you could speak back to yourself with the voice of the author, how would you counter the narrative?
6. How can a white person still enact racism in a close relationship with a person of color? Doesn’t the close relationship itself prove that the person is not racist? Explain how and why enacting racism in a close relationship with a person of color is not only possible but inevitable.
7. If you are white, when was the last time someone challenged you to look at an aspect of yourself related to racism? How did you feel? How did you respond? What insights did/can you gain from the exchange? If no one has ever challenged you (or not in a very long time), what might that tell you about how whiteness shapes your life?
6. Chapter 6: Anti-Blackness
1. The author claims that in the white mind, black people are the ultimate racial other. What does this mean?
2. What does it mean to say that anti-blackness is present across all communities of color, even within black communities?
3. How does the author make the case that the construction of white identity and white superiority was in fact dependent upon the simultaneous creation of a particular idea of blackness? How are these ideas sustained?
4. What are some of the misunderstandings about affirmative action and what do these misunderstandings reveal about anti- blackness?
5. Why haven’t affirmative action programs changed our racial outcomes?
6. What does the author mean when she suggests that causing pain and suffering for black people rests on a sense of white righteousness?
7. Return to the reflection questions on the white racial frame on pp. 34-36 and answer them while replacing the term “people of color” with the term “black people.” What do you notice?
8. The author states that the film The Blind Side is “insidiously anti-black.” Using the framework of the book, explain how a viewer can not notice the anti-black messages yet still be shaped by them.
9. Consider the bulleted list following the author’s analysis of The Blind Side. In which other films have you seen these racial scripts?
7. Chapter 7: Racial Triggers for White People
1. Discuss the social taboos mentioned on p. 100. Give examples of each from your own life.
2. Explain the triggers listed in this chapter in your own words and share examples of each in daily life.
3. The author writes that white people have limited information about what racism is and how it works, while at the same time they have very strong opinions about racism. Explain how both of these can be true at the same time. In your own words, practice stating the difference between having information about what racism is and having opinions about what racism is.
4. The author shares the story of Mr. Roberts and lists the ways that the two teachers in the story dismissed what they did not understand. Discuss this example. How have you seen or participated in these forms of dismissal?
5. How does the author challenge the idea that our intentions are “what count”?
6. Discuss Bourdieu’s concept of habitus as a way to understand the racial disequilibrium that leads to white fragility. In what ways is this concept helpful in explaining how racial disequilibrium works?
8. Chapter 8: The Result: White Fragility
1. What is the “discourse of self-defense”? Have you ever used it yourself? If so, thinking about it now, how did it function in the interaction?
2. Share a time that you experienced your own white fragility or witnessed another white person’s.
3. What strategies do white people use to reset white racial equilibrium?
4. As a white colleague, how would you explain to Karen (p. 107) what is problematic about her response? If you are a person of color, what strategies could you use to address Karen’s white fragility?
5. Why are questions such as “What is the right thing to say?” or “What am I supposed to say?” the wrong questions? How might you respond the next time you hear these questions?
6. The author claims that white fragility functions as a form of bullying. How so?
7. What is meant by the statement that white fragility is “white racial control.” How does white fragility function as racial control?
8. The author ends this chapter by sharing an interaction with a man of color who, when asked what it would be like for white people to be open to feedback, replied, “It would be revolutionary.” She asks white readers to consider the profundity of this man’s reply. What feelings did you have when you read that response?
9. How might this man’s reply inform how you respond to feedback from people of color, going forward?
9. Chapter 9: White Fragility in Action
1. Why are white people more receptive to other white people (rather than people of color) educating them on race? What does this say about the role white people must play in addressing systemic racism in society broadly and specifically in our homes, with our friends and family members, and in our workplaces with our colleagues?
2. What are the opportunities and dilemmas of white people educating each other on racism?
3. Discuss the claims on pp. 119-120. Have you ever made any of these claims yourself?
4. Now consider the assumptions underlying those claims on p. 121. Which ones have you held? Do you still hold some of these? If so, how do they function for you and what would it mean to you to shift them (what do you see yourself as having to “give up”)?
5. In your group, take turns speaking back to the assumptions your group members shared in question 4. Which speak backs were the most effective for you?
6. What is the language of self-defense and why is it problematic?
10. Chapter 10: White Fragility and the Rules of Engagement
1. The author presents a set of eleven “cardinal rules” (pp. 123-24) when giving feedback to white people regarding racist assumptions and patterns. For each rule of engagement, provide an example of the rule in action.
2. What assumptions do these rules rest on?
3. DiAngelo presents these rules in a language of critique in order to reveal how they function. Of course the “rules” are rarely explicitly expressed this way. Consider what you hear white people say that communicates “do not give me feedback under any circumstances” etc.? Go through each of the eleven rules and share how you have heard these rules expressed in practice.
4. How would you rewrite these rules from an antiracist framework? (A worksheet for rewriting the rules of engagement can be downloaded from robindiangelo.com/resources.)
5. In your own words, what is problematic about common guidelines for building trust in discussions about racism (e.g., “don’t judge”)? How do these guidelines function? Who are they for? Whose comfort do they protect?
6. The rules of engagement around white fragility have at least three parts: those giving feedback, those receiving feedback, and those witnessing these exchanges. Practice some language for each by preparing your own “sentence starters” such as the silence breakers above. How might you begin to give feedback? How might you respond to feedback given to you? What might you say as you witness an exchange of feedback?
11. Chapter 11: White Women’s Tears
1. The author opens this chapter with the story of a woman of color in a multiracial group stating that she did not want to be subjected to white women’s tears. Why were white women asked not to cry in the group?
2. The author argues that emotions are political. How are emotions political?
3. There have been social media critiques of white feminism. What are some examples of “white feminism”?
4. What does it mean to take an “intersectional” approach? Provide some examples.
5. Throughout the book the author reinforces the idea that we “bring our histories with us.” What does this mean and why is it so important?
6. White women often assume a shared sisterhood with women of color. What is problematic about this assumption?
7. Discuss some of the ways in which white men’s fragility manifests. What is important for white men to understand about the impact of each of these behaviors?
8. The author writes, “Since many of us have not learned how racism works and our role in it, our tears may come from shock and distress about what we didn’t know or recognize. For people of color, our tears demonstrate our racial insulation and privilege” (pp. 135-36). Discuss this passage and the ways that white emotional distress and shock (tears, defensiveness, anger, grief) shape conversations on racism. What do these dynamics reveal about the sociopolitical function of emotions?
9. Consider how emotions function in public space. For instance, how do white people often read the emotions of women of color, and peoples of color generally? Consider how emotions are read racially by white people with cultural figures such as Serena Williams, Nicki Minaj, Cory Booker, Maxine Waters, and Mazie Hirono, as well as the way that institutions (like media) respond to emotions in racialized ways. Conversely, how are the emotions of white people read (and the intersections between race and gender in all readings)? Consider cultural figures such as Christine Blasey Ford, Elizabeth Warren, Brett Kavanaugh, Lindsey Graham, and Donald Trump.
12. Chapter 12: Where Do We Go from Here?
1. Using an antiracist framework, how would you respond to a white person who said, “You just want me to feel bad and guilty about something that I had nothing to do with”?
2. Very little if anything in society at large supports us to persist in the work of antiracism. In fact, much pressures us not to continue the work. Because of this, we need to set up support for ourselves to continue. How will you set up support for yourself to stay on the journey? How will you resist complacency? Consider both in-group support and racially mixed group support networks. How will both settings be important in different ways?
3. The author states that it isn’t enough for white people to be nice and that, in fact, racism depends on white people simply being nice. Discuss this statement. How does niceness alone uphold the racial status quo?
4. If we accept that racism is always operating, the question becomes not “Is racism taking place?” but rather “How is racism taking place in this specific context?” How does awareness of that change how we think about our lives and our actions?
5. Why must white people resist cynicism and remain hopeful? At the same time, what are the pitfalls of hopefulness? What is the difference between hope and denial?
6. The author shares a time that she perpetrated racism toward a coworker and the steps she took to repair the damage. Identify the underlying antiracist assumptions listed on pp. 142-143 that are demonstrated in these steps.
7. Discuss the suggestions for continuing the work of antiracism. Which are the most challenging? How can you meet those challenges?
Robin DiAngelo is an academic, lecturer, and author and has been a consultant and trainer on issues of racial and social justice for more than twenty years. She formerly served as a tenured professor of multicultural education at Westfield State University.
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Outside Detroit
Brewster-Douglas housing projects
Home/Buildings/Brewster-Douglas housing projects
Brewster-Douglas housing projects dap 2018-04-10T05:52:02+00:00
The Brewster-Douglas housing projects towers were built in in 1952 and designed by noted Detroit architects Smith, Hinchman, and Grylls. The towers were built as an addition to the Frederick Douglass Homes, which were low-rise apartment block as and small rows of apartments that were first built in 1938. At the height of its peak, the Brewster-Douglass Projects were Detroit’s largest residential housing establishment. It was five city blocks long and housed almost 10,000 residents. The Breswter-Douglass Projects was located at 2700 St. Antoine, in Detroit’s east side neighborhood of Brush Park. The Brewster-Douglass Projects were named after Frederick Douglass, who was a famous African-American slave abolitionist and author.
The Brewster-Douglass Towers, as well as the entire Brewster-Douglass Projects, gained a lot of attention over the years for a variety of different things. Most famously, the complex was home to musicians Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard. Actress Lilly Tomlin was also raised in the Brewster-Douglass Projects. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, the Brewster-Douglass Projects became a huge problem for crime and drugs. It is said that the Brewster-Douglass were so feared that Detroit Police wouldn’t even go into the complex. They became such an issue for the City of Detroit that they decided to shut down all operations at the entire Brewster-Douglass Projects, including the Brewster-Wheeler Recreation Center that Detroiter and pro basketball star, Chris Webber, had recently donated money to build a new basketball court. The residents of the Brewster-Douglass Projects did not go quietly nor without a fight. In a sort of last ditched protest effort, many of the remaining residents refused to leave their homes. The City of Detroit was forced to shut off the water and cut the power to the projects. Even after the power and water were gone, some of the people still stayed behind. By 2009, the entire Brewster-Douglass Projects were completely abandoned and it looked like an eerie urban ghost town. In 2013, the City of Detroit announced that they were going to demolish the Brewster-Douglass Projects.
In 2014, the Brewster-Douglass Projects were finally demolished (except for the rec center).
A look from the rooftop of the Whittier Hotel.
The suites also featured intricate woodwork in some of the rooms.
The suites on the top floor of the Whittier Hotel featured unique fireplaces.
A look at one of the suites on the top floor of the Whittier Hotel.
The “WHITTIER” sign atop of the hotel roof.
A look at the organ from the pulpit of the church.
A look at the beautiful pulpit area inside the church.
A look at the pulpit area from the upper balcony.
The gorgeous organ inside the church.
The elegant organ was truly a sight too see.
A look at the sanctuary from the upper balcony.
The piano and baptismal pool area.
The drum kit and choir area inside the church.
The sanctuary inside the church was truly beautiful.
The exterior of the church before the fire.
A landscape mural adorns an office wall, as a refrigerator serves as a time capsule.
A “PRIVATE” office in the Farwell Building.
A look at the iron hand-rails of the octagon skylight inside the Farwell Building.
One of the hallways inside of the Park Avenue Building.
Old medical equipment left behind inside the Park Avenue Building.
A supply room full of old chemicals and outdated supplies.
A look at the former laboratory inside the Park Avenue Building.
A desk and typewriter sit inside the Park Avenue Building.
Old books inside a former classroom inside the Park Avenue Building.
Auditorium seating and a ton of plastic block letters still sit in a former office.
The first floor of the Park Avenue Building featured a restaurant.
An antique television still sits inside an office at the Park Avenue Building.
The former restaurant featured beautiful Pewabic Pottery tile work.
A view from the rooftop of the Park Avenue Building.
A look at an old exam table inside of a former doctor’s office.
Old medical supplies and equipment inside the laboratory at the Park Avenue Building.
More outdated equipment inside the former doctor’s office inside the Park Avenue Building.
An old television sits inside a vintage looking office.
A look down the hallway of rooms inside the Park Avenue Building.
Beautiful detail surrounds the entrance into the former restaurant area at the Park Avenue Building.
A look toward the former entrance inside the Park Avenue Building.
The gorgeous ceiling of the lobby inside the Park Avenue Building.
The stunning detailed ceiling in the main entrance hallway of the Park Avenue Building.
An exam table still sits inside a former doctor’s office.
The exterior of Michigan Central Station at night.
The exterior of Michigan Central Station.
Coatroom and classroom at St. David School.
Entrance to gymnasium at St. David Catholic School
Hallway at St. David Catholic School,
Chalkboard in a classroom at St. David School.
The alley behind St. David Catholic School.
Student desks sit empty in one of the classroooms at St. David Catholic School.
The gymnasium and auditorium at St. David School.
Coat room for children’s belongings at St. David School.
Another chalkboard in a classroom at St. David School.
Boys bathroom at St. David School.
A classroom missing a wall at St. David School.
Classroom and hallway at St. David School.
Left over chairs and desks at St. David School.
School supplies at St. David School.
An exterior archway at St. David Catholic School.
chalkboard, desk and record player in a classroom at St. David School.
Girls bathroom at St. David School.
A view inside the Highland Park Fire Station #3
An exterior view of Highland Park Fire Station #3.
The exterior of the GAR Building.
The exterior and “GO & GO CO” smokestack of Goddard & Goddard Company.
The exterior of Goddard & Goddard Company.
The main entrance detail of Goddard & Goddard Company.
The main entrance of Goddard & Goddard Company.
A close up of the iron, hand-railing in the lobby at Goddard & Goddard Company.
A look at the iron, hand-railing that was still in the lobby at Goddard & Goddard Company. You can also see the original ceiling and wall detail behind the drop-ceiling.
Most of the administration office floor at Goddard & Goddard Company was in bad shape.
A look inside the administration office and “INFORMATION” area at Goddard & Goddard Company.
A close up of the machine products that was left behind at Goddard & Goddard Company.
A look at one of the machinery rooms inside Goddard & Goddard Company.
An old wheel-cart sits in the former main production area at Goddard & Goddard Company.
The “GO & GO CO” smokestack at Goddard & Goddard Company.
A look at the original, round-circular, concrete-sinks in the bathroom at Goddard & Goddard Company.
A look at the stairway going from the main floor up to the second floor at Goddard & Goddard Company.
A look at the main production floor at Goddard & Goddard Company.
A look at one of the original, metal doors in the factory of Goddard & Goddard Company.
The main production area at Goddard & Goddard Company.
A look inside the main production area at Goddard & Goddard Company.
A view of the ornate chandelier, upper balcony, and lower level pews from the pulpit stage.
A close up of the hand-painted, ceiling detail in the pulpit at First English Evangelical Lutheran Church.
The sanctuary from the lower level pews at First English Evangelical Lutheran Church.
A look at the rows of pews in the sanctuary at First English Evangelical Lutheran Church.
A look at the wooden-bordered, arched doorways that lead from the sanctuary to the stairway.
A look into the sanctuary from one of the adjacent rooms at First English Evangelical Lutheran Church.
A look at the pulpit and the pews in the seating area from the upper balcony at First English Evangelical Lutheran Church.
A look at an arched-window and another chandelier that was also still hanging above the pews at First English Evangelical Lutheran Church.
A look at the ornate chandelier that was hanging above the sanctuary at First English Evangelical Lutheran Church.
A drinking fountain is in the midst of being scrapped.
A look at a bent rim on one of the gymnasium basketball hoops.
A clock still hangs above an original, wooden, display case in the main hallway at Foch Intermediate School.
A drafting board in one of the classrooms at Foch Intermediate School.
A wooden bench sits in the administration office at Foch Intermediate School.
The exterior of the Fowler Building.
The exterior of Friendly Missionary Baptist Church.
A look at the beautiful, cross-carved pews and the pulpit area inside of Friendly Missionary Baptist Church.
The “CHURCH COVENANT” still hangs on the wall above the organ in the sanctuary at Friendly Missionary Baptist Church.
A couple of arm-chairs sit in the raised pulpit-area at Friendly Missionary Baptist Church.
A look at the pews and seating inside Friendly Missionary Baptist Church.
A look at a deteriorating stage in the music classroom at Douglass High School Academy.
The gymnasium at Douglass School. All of the basketball hoops have been scrapped.
The “FD” auditorium at Fredrick Douglass School has seen better days. The stage is falling apart and the graffiti “tagging” has gotten worse.
Many of the walls in the library, as well as throughout Douglass School, have been smashed and busted for scrap.
The walls of the library have fallen over, but the modern lights still hang proudly in the library at Douglass School.
The former main entrance into Douglass School.
A look at the chandeliers and detail of the auditorium.
A view of the auditorium seating from the stage at Foch Intermediate School.
A TV still hangs in a rather blue-ish classroom at Foch Intermediate School.
A camera still hangs in the middle of the main entrance and hallway at Foch Intermediate School.
A look at one of the other classrooms at Foch Intermediate School.
Portraits of some famous African-Americans were painted on the wall in the main entrance into Foch Intermediate School.
A display case and a clock hangs in the main hallway at Foch Intermediate School.
Paintings of a arrows, a car, and a computer adorn the walls in the former computer lab at Foch Intermediate School.
Murals of purple shapes adorn the wall inside the tool and dye classroom.
A look at the tool and dye classroom at Foch Intermediate School.
The fashion and cosmetology classroom at Foch Intermediate School.
A look at the home-economics classroom at Foch Intermediate School.
A look at the original, beautiful, wood-paneled bookshelves in the library.
A look at the library inside of Foch Intermediate School.
A look at the original, beautiful fireplace in the library at Foch Intermediate School.
The student lockers for the “ROTC” program at Foch Intermediate School.
A look down the hallway of lockers at Foch Intermediate School.
The exterior of Faith Deliverance Ministries Church.
A look at the pulpit from the seating at Faith Deliverance Ministries Church.
A look down one of the hallways at Foch Intermediate School.
A look at the details in the interior of the auditorium.
The auditorium form the lower level.
A look at the design details in the interior of the auditorium at Foch Intermediate School.
A side view of the auditorium at Foch Intermediate School.
A view of the chandeliers and window detail inside the auditorium at Foch Intermediate School.
A view of the auditorium at Foch Intermediate School.
A view of the auditorium from the upper balcony at Foch Intermediate School.
The swimming pool at Foch Intermediate School. It still had the power on back then.
“DEPTH 4 FEET”
A look at the swimming pool at Foch Intermediate School.
A look at the two-level style gymnasium at Foch Intermediate School.
The gymnasium at Foch Intermediate School was a two-level style with a track around the second level.
A look at the basketball hoops in the gymnasium at Foch Intermediate School.
The gymnasium at Foch Intermediate School.
A look inside the cafeteria at Foch Intermediate School.
The cafeteria at Foch Intermediate School.
The north entrance detail at Foch Intermediate School.
The south entrance detail at Foch Intermediate School.
The exterior of Foch Intermediate School.
The façade detail of the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 36.
The exterior of the main entrance into the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 36.
The exterior of the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 36.
A look at the original wood-paneled entrance into the dormitory area at Detroit Fire Department Engine 36.
The Detroit Fire Department emblem is centered on the door window of the dormitory entrance at Detroit Fire Department Engine 36.
The sinks and mirrors of the bathroom at Detroit Fire Department Engine 36.
A look at the dormitory room in the upstairs of Detroit Fire Department Engine 36.
A fan still hangs from the ceiling and a clock still hangs above the doorway in the kitchen/dining area at Detroit Fire Department Engine 36.
The two garage doors at Detroit Fire Department Engine 36 that was used for the fire trucks to pull in and out of.
The chief’s office at Detroit Fire Department Engine 36 had been cleaned out.
The main garage at Detroit Fire Department Engine 36.
A look at inside the main garage at Detroit Fire Department Engine 36.
A look at the beautiful fire place that was in one of the offices at Detroit Fire Department Engine 36.
A mural is painted above the doorway and a gorgeous, brick fireplace in this office at Detroit Fire Department Engine 36.
The exterior of Detroit Fire Department Engine 27.
A beautiful, wooden door with hand-carved, fire-shields is barely hanging in the doorway leading upstairs at Detroit Fire Department Engine 27.
A make-shift hockey arena in the attic of Detroit Fire Department Engine 27.
The fire fighters of the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 27 had made the attic into a make-shift gymnasium and a hockey arena.
An old fire alarm still hangs in the doorway at Detroit Fire Department Engine 27.
The office at Detroit Fire Department Engine 27.
A pool table still sits in the recreation room at Detroit Fire Department Engine 27.
A painting still hangs above a leather chair and above the gorgeous, wood-paneling in the upstairs of Detroit Fire Department Engine 27.
Hand written notes and names of fire fighters adorn the wall from the “LAST 24 DAY” for Detroit Fire Department Engine 27. The last day was October 1, 2006.
File folders still hang on the wall in the entrance to the kitchen at Detroit Fire Department Engine 27.
The two garage doors for fire trucks at Detroit Fire Department Engine 27.
The red “DETROIT FIRE DEPARTMENT” door at Detroit Fire Department Engine 27.
A look at one of the original, red, wooden, French-doors at Detroit Fire Department Engine 27.
The auditorium at Dixon Elementary School.
The library at Dixon Elementary School.
A painting of “WELCOME TO DIXON” was on the wall in the main hallway at Dixon Elementary School.
The student lockers at Dixon Elementary School still had dinosaurs and reptiles painted on them.
The curved-wooden bench in the kindergarten classroom at Dixon Elementary School.
A look at the curved-wooden bench in the kindergarten classroom at Dixon Elementary School.
The exterior of Dixon Elementary School.
A look at the exterior Art Deco design of Dixon Elementary School.
A view of the auditorium seating from the stage at Dixon Elementary School.
The student lockers were painted with murals of children playing. Above the lockers, a mural of Egypt, musicians, and more children playing adorns the wall.
A mural of a scroll with the description of the “LIVING THE AFRICAN-AMREICAN EXPERIENCE” was hand-painted above the classroom entrance at Dixon Elementary School.
A look in the gymnasium/cafeteria at Dixon Elementary School. It seems that vandals have gotten into the paint…
The basketball hoop is missing in the gymnasium/cafeteria at Dixon Elementary School.
A painting of “WELCOME TO DIXON” adorns the wall in the main hallway at Dixon Elementary School. The drinking fountain has been scrapped and is laying on the ground.
At one time, we had to climb up and through that opening in the atrium/greenhouse and then up and through this broken window because the door was actually nailed shut. It was fun, but a real pain in the…
At one time, we had to climb up and through this opening in the atrium/greenhouse and then up and through a broken window because the door was actually nailed shut. It was fun, but a real pain in the…
A mural of “WELCOME TO DIXON” was also painted on the exterior wall at Dixon Elementary School.
The Art Deco details on the entrance exterior at Dixon Elementary School.
A look at the Art Deco exterior details at Dixon Elementary School.
A look at some of the chemistry supplies that were left behind in the science laboratories at Detroit Urban Lutheran School.
The exterior of the former McKerrow Elementary School.
A look at the textbooks that were left behind in the bookstore at Detroit Urban Lutheran School.
A globe sits on the back table and in the foreground of all the art supplies in the art room at Detroit Urban Lutheran School.
A globe sits on a table, a clock still hangs on the wall, school posters still stick to the wall, and a projection screen is ready to go in a classroom at Detroit Urban Lutheran School.
A look down the main hallway at Detroit Urban Lutheran School. A painting of some students was in the entrance to one of the classrooms.
A look at the librarian desk and the library at Detroit Urban Lutheran School.
A look at the desks and chairs that were still in the library at Detroit Urban Lutheran School.
A look shelves of books and a pile of reading books on a table that were all left behind at Detroit Urban Lutheran School.
The library card catalog at Detroit Urban Lutheran School.
A look at the “NON-FICTION” section in the library at Detroit Urban Lutheran School.
A look at all of the books that could have been re-used.
A look at the library at Detroit Urban Lutheran School.
A look at the chemistry laboratory at Detroit Urban Lutheran School. Most of the chemicals and supplies were left behind.
Anatomy dummies still sit on the teacher’s desk, as more science equipment and supplies sit on the shelves behind it.
The exterior of East Grand Nursing Home.
A mural of some “old-school” gangsters adorns a door at East Grand Nursing Home.
A pink waiting area and medication window at East Grand Nursing Home.
A statue of Lady Liberty is painted on the wall in the doorway to the recreation room at East Grand Nursing Home.
Chairs still sit in the former recreation/television room at East Grand Nursing Home.
A look at the nurses station inside of East Grand Nursing Home.
A hand-painting of Jesus Christ was on one of the offices at East Grand Nursing Home.
A choo-choo train was painted on the wall in the main stairway at East Grand Nursing Home.
Air Jordan was also one of the many murals and paintings that could be found throughout East Grand Nursing Home.
A smashed piano sits in pieces near the stairway in the main lobby at East Grand Nursing Home.
This circular-room at East Grand Nursing Home featured a rainbow bench, mattresses, and a dresser.
A hand-painted tribute to 9/11 adorns the door in the main entrance and lobby at East Grand Nursing Home.
A bench still sits in the main lobby at East Grand Nursing Home. The stairway was still the original wood, but had suffered scrapping damage. The fireplace had also been scrapped.
A look at the main entrance and lobby at East Grand Nursing Home. You can still see some of the original detail along the ceiling molding.
A look at a rainbow-colored bench and a mural of “DOG HEREOS” in this pro America-themed room at East Grand Nursing Home.
A look at some of the original, wooden-detailed, closet doors that had been painted with an American-Indian.
A mural of Martin Luther King Jr. was in this room at East Grand Nursing Home.
This office at East Grand Nursing Home had an American flag and portraits of Dr. King.
The original, detail can be seen in the crown molding inside this office at East Grand Nursing Home.
An arched-doorway leads to a little porch-area at East Grand Nursing Home. You can again see some more original detail in the crown-molding here.
A wooden, saloon-style door still sits on the stall in the bathroom at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 38.
A look at the locker room and weight room for fire fighters at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 38.
A look at the original, Pewabic Pottery glazed-tiles that were used in the gorgeous design of Detroit Fire Department Engine 38.
A painting still hangs in this bedroom, but the sink has been damaged by scrappers.
A fire hydrant and a “lady photo” still hang in this porch-area at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 38.
The main garage at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 38.
A look at the famous “watching eyes” posters for arson fire that still hang in the windows at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 38.
A look at the main garage at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 38.
The side entrance and exterior detail of the former McKerrow Elementary School.
A bulletin board with photos of “fallen heroes” still hangs in the conference room at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 38.
The auditorium at Detroit Open Elementary School.
A look at the Detroit Open logo at center-court in the gym.
A look at the gymnasium/cafeteria at Detroit Open Elementary School.
A cafeteria bench-seat sits in the middle of the gym floor at Detroit Open Elementary School.
A look at a mural of a rainbow that was in the main entrance to Detroit Open Elementary School.
The kindergarten room at Detroit Open Elementary School featured a brick fireplace, a curved wooden-bench, and a climbing platform.
The missing VPS panel was the way into Detroit Open Elementary School…..at one time.
The exterior of Detroit Open Elementary School.
The demolition of the Luben in 2010.
A view inside of Tiger Stadium during the demolition.
The United Artists Theater in 2006.
A look inside the Luben.
A view of the exterior of the Senate Theater.
A view of the Farwell Building and Capitol Park.
A view of the back exterior and the ghost sign from the building’s last days as the Meyer Jewelry Co. Building.
The exterior of Harvard Square Centre.
The exterior of the National Theatre.
The exterior of the former Meyer Jewelry Company Building.
A look down Woodward Avenue from the from the front of the former Meyer Jewelry Co.
The exterior of the former Wright-Kay Jewelry Company Building.
The exterior of the Detroit Fire Department Engine 8 fire station.
A Detroit city boundary map still hangs near the stairwell inside of the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 8.
A look inside the garage of the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 8.
The garage of the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 8.
A fire fighting mural was painted in the recreation area at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 8.
The exterior of the former Wright-Kay Jewelry Co. Building.
The exterior of the Broderick Tower during the 2012 renovation.
Pictures of fires still hang on the walls in the recreation area inside the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 8 station.
A look at back at the boarded-up Woodward Avenue entrance at the Whitney Building.
The recreation area inside of the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 8 station.
A log book to keep track of all the fire runs for the former Engine 8.
A 2012 view of the two “Davids,” as in the David Whitney and the David Broderick Tower.
A view of some of the books and paperwork left behind in the office at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 8 station.
A look at the pool table in the recreation area at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 8 station.
A close up of the mural of firefighters in action that adorned the recreation area wall at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 8 station.
A view of the Film Exchange Building from Cass Avenue.
A view of the demolition of Midland Elementary School.
A look at the 2012 renovations of the GAR Building.
A view of the GAR Building during the renovations in 2012.
An exterior view of the former Seventh Precinct Detroit Police Station.
The exterior of the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 10 station.
A look at Herman Kiefer Hospital in 2012.
A look at the recreation room in the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 10 station.
A world map still hangs on the wall in the recreation room at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 10 station.
A look at the pool table in the recreation room at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 10 station.
The tile-work in the entrance that was made to represent Engine 10.
A look at the stairway inside the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 10 station.
A look at the original iron hand-railed stairwell and the original wooden doors inside the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 10 station.
A look inside the garage at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 10 station.
The arched, tiled doorway leading from the office into the garage at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 10 station.
A “DANGER” sign that was announcing the closing of Engine 10 sits in the middle of the garage floor.
A look at the “DANGER” sign from when Engine 10 closed. The sign was laying on the ground in the middle of the garage for some odd reason.
The garage at the former Detroit Fire Department Engine 10 station.
The swimming pool at Cooley High School.
A look at the gymnasium in Cooley High School.
A look at the gymnasium floor from the track above the gymnasium.
A view of the Cooley High School gymnasium from the track above.
The gymnasium and track above the gymnasium at Cooley High School.
The hallway lockers at Coolidge Elementary School.
The wooden bookshelves of the library at Coolidge Elementary School.
The auditorium at Coolidge Elementary School.
A few smiley faces were painted above the lockers at Coolidge Elementary School.
A view of the “OFFICE” entrance in the main hallway at Coolidge Elementary School.
The library fireplace at Coolidge Elementary School.
A view of a fireplace in one of the classrooms at Coolidge Elementary School.
The drafting board in the art classroom at Coolidge Elementary School.
A view of the hallway and lockers at Coolidge Elementary School.
A row of lockers is in the midst of being scrapped at Coolidge Elementary School.
Some textbooks fill the cabinetry in a classroom at Coolidge Elementary School.
The Detroit “D” adored the gymnasium wall at Coolidge Elementary School.
Paintings of the different sporting balls was on the wall in the Coolidge Elementary School gym. Some of the gymnasium lockers have been scrapped.
A basketball hoop still hangs in the gym at Coolidge Elementary School.
A look at the Coolidge Elementary School gymnasium.
The exterior of Coolidge Elementary School.
The stairway and hallway at Coolidge Elementary School.
The gymnasium at Coffey Elementary School.
A look down the hallway and classrooms at Coffey Elementary School.
The home-economics classroom at Coffey Elementary School.
A look at the drawers in the art classroom at Coffey Elementary School.
A television monitor hangs in the art classroom at Coffey Elementary School.
A look at the television monitor that was still hanging in the art classroom at Coffey Elementary School.
The “BOY’S LAVATORY” at Coffey Elementary School.
A look inside a classroom at Coffey Elementary School.
The “MAIN OFFICE” at Coffey Elementary School.
A look inside the library at Coffey Elementary School.
A television monitor still hangs in the library at Coffey Elementary School.
A view of the basement auditorium at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The auditorium at Coffey Elementary School.
A view of the auditorium seating at Coffey Elementary School.
A view of inside the turret at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A view of the auditorium seating from the stage at Coffey Elementary School.
A stained-glass window in the stairway of the Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church parish house.
A look at the arched entrances in the Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church parish house.
A view of the main stairwell at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A Disney “BATH TIME” mural in the daycare at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A mural of children playing in the classroom at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The auditorium at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A view of the sanctuary from the upper balcony at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A close up view of one of the chandeliers at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A line of chandeliers in the sanctuary at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A look at the chandeliers that were still hanging from the ceiling in the sanctuary.
A view of the stained-glass windows and details of the upper balcony at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A close up view of the upper balcony stained-glass windows and chandeliers at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A look at the intricate, brass door handles at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The confessional booth at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A look at the stained-glass windows and the pews inside the sanctuary at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A view of the upper balcony at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A look at the stained-glass windows in the corner seating of Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A stone structure on the alter at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
Chandeliers still hang in the side area of the pulpit at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A look at the seating area to the side of the pulpit at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A look at the stained-glass that was above the pulpit side seating area.
The exterior of Cooley High School.
A view of the sanctuary from the pulpit at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The sanctuary from the pulpit at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A mosaic-tile shrine next the alter at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The beautiful, mosaic-tile shrine at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A view of the sanctuary from the alter at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A look at the alter at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A view of the upper balcony in the sanctuary of Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A look at one of the confessional booths at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A view of the sanctuary stained-glass windows and the upper balcony at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A view of the pews in the sanctuary at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The different types of stained-glass windows at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The confessional booths at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A flyer from the church’s last days as “FOUNTAIN OF LIFE CHURCH.”
The exterior entrance at Coffey Elementary School.
The exterior of Coffey Elementary School.
A view of the lights and pews inside Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The pews inside the sanctuary at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The sanctuary at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The main lobby and entrance into the sanctuary at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The exterior of Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A close up of the mosaic-tiled shrine near the alter at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A side view of the sanctuary.
A view of the sanctuary from the pulpit and alter at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The pulpit and alter at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A look at the upper balcony and the chandeliers at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The side pews that were tucked into a corner in the sanctuary at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The corner pews at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The back of the sanctuary.
A look at the sanctuary from the middle of the pews at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
A view of the sanctuary from the back of the church.
A view of the sanctuary from the back corner of the church.
A view of one of the confessional booths at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The sanctuary from the corner of the church.
The stained-glass window I one of the offices at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The main entrance into the sanctuary at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The main lobby at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The main entrance exterior of Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
One of the exterior side entrances at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The main entrance and lobby at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The columned-entrance into the office at Our Lady Gate of Heaven Catholic Church.
The auditorium at Courville Elementary School.
The Pewabic Pottery glazed-tile backsplash in the stairwell at Courville Elementary School
The small gymnasium at Courville Elementary School.
A view of the basketball hoop in the gymnasium at Courville Elementary School.
Alphabet letters still hang in the library at Courville Elementary School.
The main hallway at Courville Elementary School. The “COURVILLE” banner has fallen to the ground.
At one time, this window was the way into Courville Elementary School.
A view of the auditorium at Coolidge Elementary School.
A view of the auditorium seating inside Coolidge Elementary School.
A brick fireplace in one of the classrooms at Coolidge Elementary School.
The gymnasium at Coolidge Elementary School.
Murals in the hallway of Cooley High School.
The swimming pool at Crockett Technical High School.
One of the gymnasiums at Crockett Technical High School.
One of the gyms inside Crockett Technical High School.
The basketball court in the gymnasium at Crockett Technical High School.
The gymnasium at Cooley High School.
The Industrial Arts classroom at Cooley High School.
An open window at Cooley High School.
A close up view of one of the entrances at Cooley High School.
A close up of the stone-detailed entrance at Coolidge Elementary School.
A view of the jungle cartoon mural in the hallway at Cooley High School.
A view of the murals in the Media Center at Cooley High School.
Murals of wildlife and nature were painted above the bookshelves in the Media Center at Cooley High School.
A view of the auditorium from upper balcony at Courville Elementary School.
A mural of wildlife, science, and nature adorns the Media Center wall.
A view of the auditorium from the upper balcony at Courville Elementary School.
The original, beautiful woodwork in the library at Cooley High School.
The interior of the media center at Cooley High School.
The auditorium seating from the stage at Courville Elementary School.
A look at the jungle mural above the “MEDIA CENTER” entrance in the hallway at Cooley High School.
The climbing ropes still hang in the large gymnasium at Courville Elementary School.
A jungle-scenery painting above the entrance to the “MEDIA CENTER” at Cooley High School.
A cartoon of a painting of some jungle scenery in the hallway at Cooley High School.
A mural of different cultures was in between some lockers at Cooley High School.
The Pewabic Pottery mosaic-tiled backsplash in the stairwell of the hallway at Courville Elementary School.
A close up of Thomas Cooley mural that was painted above the bookshelves in the library.
A close up view of the gorgeous, woodwork and upper balcony in the library at Cooley High School.
A look at the bookshelves in the library at Cooley High School.
The mural of Thomas Cooley was painted in the library at Cooley High School.
The interior of library at Cooley High School.
At one time, this bent metal VPS was the way into Courville Elementary School.
The hallway entrance into the “LIBRARY.”
A look at a basketball hoop with a Cooley Cardinal painted on it in the gym.
A mural of a stone bridge and nature was painted on the wall at Cooley High School.
A mural of famous African-American men adorns the wall above the display cases in the hallway at Cooley High School.
The gymnasium at Cooley High School. The power was still on at this point.
At one time in the past, this was the way into Cooley High School.
At one time, this broken window was the way into Cooley High School.
The front exterior of Crockett Technical High School.
A view of the auditorium seating from the stage.
The auditorium from the upper balcony at Crockett Technical High School.
The clock still hangs on the wall above the fireplace in the library at Crockett Technical High School.
The library at Crockett Technical High School.
The science lab at Crockett Technical High School.
The auditorium at Cooley High School, back when there was still power.
A look at one of the gymnasiums at Crockett Technical High School. Crockett Technical High School had two gymnasiums to separate the boys and the girls.
The way into Crockett Technical High School…..at one time anyway.
The gymnasium at Crockett Technical High School.
The auditorium at Crockett Technical High School.
The exterior of Crockett Technical High School.
The auditorium at Carstens Elementary School.
The children’s playground in the back of Carstens Elementary School.
A look down the hallway of student lockers at Carstens Elementary School.
A look inside the science room at Carstens Elementary School.
A look at the “WELCOME TO CARSTENS” mural that was painted in the main entrance at Carstens Elementary School. The mural showed portraits of famous Detroit Public Schools students, among other random people.
The light shines perfectly on the hand-painted mural at Carstens Elementary School.
A look at the hand-painted portraits of former and famous Detroit Public Schools students. The mural was on display in the main entrance at Carstens Elementary School.
A look at the mini-lockers in one of the classrooms at Carstens Elementary School.
A mural of children playing in the grass is on display on the wall leading to the auditorium at Carstens Elementary School.
A look down one of the hallways of student lockers at Carstens Elementary School.
The exterior of Cadillac Middle School.
The sign and main entrance exterior at Cadillac Middle School.
The main entrance into Carstens Elementary School.
A look inside a wallpapered classroom at Burton Elementary School.
The library at Burton Elementary School.
A clock still hangs in the hallway at Burton Elementary School. Note the power was still on back then.
A look at a television that still hangs above the chalkboard inside a classroom at Burton Elementary School.
Some of the books were still left on the bookshelves, but most had been thrown to the ground in the library at Chandler Elementary School.
The library at Chandler had gotten trashed and ransacked by 2012.
The auditorium was also trashed inside of Chandler Elementary School.
The mural-covered hallway at Chandler Elementary School. Note that the locker doors have been scrapped.
A look at “THE CHANDLER RANBOW OF PRIDE” that adorned the wall above the space where lockers and a drinking fountain used to be.
A look at the basketball hoop inside the gymnasium at Burton Elementary School.
The gymnasium at Burton Elementary School.
A look at the center of the gymnasium at Burton Elementary School.
A look at the basketball hoop that still hangs in the gym at Burton Elementary School.
A look at the anatomy dummy that was still hanging out in the science classroom at Chandler Elementary School.
A look at the school supplies that still were on the shelves in the cabinetry at Chandler Elementary School.
A look at the cafeteria inside of Burton Elementary School.
The cafeteria also featured a basketball hoop…..for some reason, at some point it seemed that Burton Elementary School had two gymnasiums.
The auditorium at Burton Elementary School.
A look at the fireplace and the colored-diamond pattern on the floor in one of the classrooms at Burton Elementary School.
This classroom at Burton Elementary School also featured patterns of multi-colored diamonds and circles. The window to the right (with board underneath and on the ground) was our way into Burton Elementary School back then.
The exterior main entrances at Burton Elementary School.
A look at the façade detail at one of the main entrances into Burton Elementary School.
The exterior of Burton Elementary School.
A look at the trashed main hallway at Chandler Elementary School. Note the lockers have all been removed and scrapped.
A look inside one of the classrooms at Chandler Elementary School. The pictured alphabet cards still hang in the classroom.
A close up view of textbooks that were still in the storage room at Chandler Elementary School.
A look at the door-less lockers inside the main hallway at Chandler Elementary School.
A green chair, without it’s legs, sits in the basement hallway at Chandler Elementary School.
The gymnasium at Chandler Elementary School still showed the signs of fire damage, as the floor is still buckling.
The blue and yellow Chandler “C” at the center court of the gymnasium.
A look at the gymnasium at Chandler Elementary School. The gym was in terrible shape by 2012.
A look at the children’s books that were still on the shelves of this little bookcase in a classroom at Chandler Elementary School.
The lights were on, as a clock still hangs in the hallway at Burton Elementary School.
The stone and Pewabic-tiled fireplace in a classroom at Burton Elementary School.
The student lockers and a drinking fountain in the main hallway at Burton Elementary School. Note the power was still on back then.
A look inside the auditorium at Burton Elementary School.
A look inside the library at Campbell Elementary School.
The auditorium at Campbell Elementary School.
A mural of people’s faces adorns the wall in the hallway at Campbell Elementary School.
A mosaic-tiled mural of an early explorer that is sailing in a boat, adorns the wall in the main lobby at Campbell Elementary School. The power was still on during our first visit to Campbell.
A look down the main hallway at Brady Elementary School.
A look at the auditorium seating from the stage inside Brady Elementary School.
Ceiling tiles have fallen tot he ground in the gymnasium at Brady Elementary School.
A look at the basketball hoop inside the gymnasium at Brady Elementary School.
A look at the gymnasium inside of Brady Elementary School.
The library at Brady Elementary School featured a Pewabic Pottery tiled-fireplace with brick and tile columns, as well as gorgeous wooden details.
A look at the stairway and main hallway at Brady Elementary School.
Brady Elementary School featured a gymnasium and cafeteria combination.
A beautiful, brick fireplace in one of the classrooms at Brady Elementary School.
This was the way into Brady Elementary School at one time.
A look at the Pewabic glazed-tiles that were featured above the doorway at Brady Elementary School.
A closer look at the exterior of Brady Elementary School.
The façade detail at Burbank Middle School.
The exterior of Burbank Middle School.
Many of the medical supplies at the Arnold Home were left behind when they closed, such as these bottles of “SODIUM CHLORIDE.”
An old oil painting has fallen to the ground in the patient hallway at the Arnold Home.
A look at the nurses station at the Arnold Home. Note the once, gorgeous Pewabic tiled-fountain on the left side of the hallway.
A leather chair sits in the hallway at the Arnold Home. The windows that used to lie this corridor have been scrapped.
A close up view of the brass railings at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
An arm chair sits in front of the window inside one of the former residential rooms at the Arnold Home.
The television and security desk in the lobby at American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A look at the marble stairway and columns inside the lobby at American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
The chandelier still hags in the main lobby at American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
The chandelier hangs over the metal detectors and vestibule entrance at American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A look at an old “incident report” write up that happened when a patient/resident would hurt themselves, fall ill, or pass away.
The lobby at American Motors Corp. Headquarters featured a gorgeous, marble staircase and columns, as well as intricate, iron railings.
The main lobby at the Arnold Home. The ceiling is deteriorating badly and the couch has seen better days.
A side profile of the beautiful, marble staircase and the iron hand-rails that lined the stairs. Note the intricate, brass grilles for the vents and the “NO CAMERAS PERMITTED” sign.
The recreation room/ballroom at the Arnold Home. It featured mirrored-walls and prop designs.
A look at the main entrance vestibule from the marble staircase.
The piano inside the former recreation room/ballroom at the Arnold Home had been smashed and had fallen apart. Note the beautiful, modern, concrete-block wall in the background.
A look at the Arnold Home piano that was on it’s last leg….literally.
A look at the former recreation room/ballroom inside the Arnold Home. The room featured a piano, a dance floor, and tables for games.
A chandelier still hangs from a barreled-ceiling at the top of the staircase in the American Motors Corp. Headquarters. Note the marble bordered doorway.
A look through the marble-bordered doorway on the second floor at American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
The marble-bordered doorway and barreled-ceiling of the second floor lobby inside of American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A close up view of the brass chandelier and the marbled-bordered doorway in the second floor lobby area.
A look at the gorgeous details of the second floor lobby area at American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
The chandelier and detailed, crown-molding in one of the former offices inside American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A look at a hidden door in the conference room at American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A look at the beautiful, crown molding and chandelier that were in on of the offices at American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
The exterior of the Ancient Free Masons Lodge.
A view of the auditorium and meeting hall at the Ancient Free Mason Lodge.
Tables were still in the meeting hall that was located inside the auditorium at the Ancient Free Mason Lodge.
A look at the beautiful, detailed vent grilles and some of the intricate, stage bordering at the Ancient Free Mason Lodge.
A look at the security desk and main lobby.
The auditorium from the balcony at the Ancient Free Mason Lodge.
A look at the magnificent details of the main lobby. Included are the marble columns and staircase, the intricate iron hand-rails, and the brass chandelier.
Some of the chandeliers still hang in the auditorium and stage inside the Ancient Free Mason Lodge.
A close up view of the brass chandelier, the iron hand-rails, and the marble stairs inside the main lobby.
A look from inside the main entrance vestibules in the main lobby of the AMC Headquarters.
A look at the vestibules and push-doors that were used as an entrance and exit to the main lobby at the AMC Headquarters.
Lights still hang in the former fitness/exercise room at the American Motors Corporation Headquarters.
Televisions still hang in the former fitness room at the American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A look at the work out equipment that was still in the exercise/fitness room at the American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
The scoreboard still hangs at center court in the gymnasium at Burbank Middle School.
The newer auditorium at Burbank Middle School.
The swimming pool at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
A look at the swimming pool at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
The auditorium at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
A view of the auditorium seating from the stage at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School. Note the clock still hanging on the balcony wall.
A view of the stage inside the auditorium at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
A mural of students is painted on the wall in the hallway at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
A mural of “EXPLORE THE WORLD” adorns the wall next to the student lockers.
A look at center court of the gym at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
The basketball hoops were still hanging in the gymnasium at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
A look inside the gymnasium of the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
A look at the arched-windows and plaster details of the library at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
The library at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School featured a mirrored-ceiling and extraordinary crown molding and plaster detail.
A classroom at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School that featured natural skylights. Unfortunately, they were covered up at some point.
A look down the main hallway of lockers at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
A look at the auditorium stage inside of Burt Elementary School.
A view of the auditorium from the upper balcony at Burt Elementary School.
A lunch table lays broken in the gymnasium/cafeteria at Burt Elementary School.
A look at the school’s logo at center court inside the gym at Burt Elementary School.
The basketball hoops and climbing ropes still hang in the gymnasium at Burt Elementary School.
The door was ajar and that is how we used to get into Burt Elementary School.
The exterior details at Burt Elementary School.
The exterior of Burt Elementary School.
The exterior of Apostolic Faith Church of Love.
The cafeteria inside of the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
A look at the mirrored-ceiling and arched windows in the library at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
A look at the sanctuary inside of the Apostolic Faith Church of Love.
A look at the pulpit and alter inside of the Apostolic Faith Church of Love.
The lights still hang from the beautiful detailed ceiling inside the library of at former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
A view of the library inside the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
The auditorium at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School also featured gorgeous arches and plaster detail.
A mural of students was painted on the main entrance wall at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School, last used as Finney High School.
The exterior of the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
A look at the façade details of the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
A look at the exterior of the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
The swimming pool still had some stagnant, chlorinated-water left in it from the school’s last days. Note the radiators are lined up and ready to be scrapped away.
“HOMEWORK” on the chalkboard inside one of the classrooms at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
The power was still on inside the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School. The “PREPARE” mural of studying students was on full display with the hallway lighting.
A look at the “PREPARE” and “EXPORE THE WORLD” mural that was painted on the wall next to the student lockers.
The basketball hoop’s rim was dunked on too many times.
The large gymnasium at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
The light were still on inside the school back then. The gymnasium was all lit up for this shot.
The lights were on and helped to illuminate the gymnasium at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
The cafeteria at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School.
A clock still hangs in the main hallway at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School. Note the power was still on back then.
The pool at the former Andrew Jackson intermediate School. Note the radiators are ready to be hauled away for scrap.
A mural of some children playing around a tree was on one of the walls inside a former classroom at Best Academy.
The “BEST ACADEMY BULLDOGS” used a section of the former Detroit Osteopathic Hospital as a school, but it was short lived and quickly abandoned as well.
The secretary and reception desk at Best Academy, formerly Detroit Osteopathic Hospital.
A superman mural was on display on the main hallway wall at Best Academy.
“THEY ALSO HAD A DREAM. YOU CAN TOO!!!”
A look at a mural of famous faces that was painted on the main hallway wall at Best Academy.
A look at the famous faces painting that adorned the wall inside the main hallway at Best Academy, which used to be Detroit Osteopathic Hospital.
Former cubicles in the office section at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
The marble-detailed, doorway border and barreled-ceiling of the second floor lobby area at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
The administration office inside of Biddle Elementary School.
The second floor vestibule at the top of the marble staircase inside of the former AMC Headquarters.
A look down the hallway of lockers at Biddle Elementary School.
A look inside one of the classrooms at Biddle Elementary School.
A look at one of the classrooms at Biddle.
Basketball hoops still hang in the gymnasium at Biddle Elementary School.
A brass chandelier still hangs in the stairwell at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A look at the cafeteria and gymnasium combination room at Biddle Elementary School.
A look at the auditorium/gymnasium/cafeteria at Biddle Elementary School.
The brass chandelier still hangs from the barreled-ceiling in the main stairwell.
A view of the marble staircase and iron hand-rails at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters. Note the beautiful, vent grilles had been scrapped by 2012.
A look at the bras chandelier in the main entrance to the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A view of the vestibule entrance and main staircase at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A look at the iron hand-rails that lined the marble staircase at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
The security desk and monitor still sit in the main lobby at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A television monitor still hangs in the main lobby at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A look at the marble details of the staircase and columns in the main lobby.
Exercise equipment was still in the fitness center at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A look at the treadmills inside the fitness center at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A look at all of the equipment that was left behind in the fitness center/exercise room at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A close up view of the weight machines in the fitness center area at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
Leg-press machines were also left behind in the fitness area at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A look inside one of the offices at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
This used to be the way that we had to get into the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters. It was NOT as easy as it looks!
One of the wood-paneled, executive offices at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
The wood-paneled walls inside one of the former executive offices at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A chandelier still hang from the beautiful detailed ceiling in one of the former office.
The lobby of the Broderick Tower during the renovations.
The magnificent details of the Broderick Tower lobby.
A semi-circular, sun-dial in the details of the lobby at the Broderick Tower.
The lobby of the Broderick Tower during the renovations in 2012.
The arched, barreled-ceiling in the hallway at the Broderick Tower.
The elevator lobby at the Broderick Tower.
A look at the granite walls, the barreled-ceiling, and the brass elevator inside the Broderick Tower.
The mailboxes in the lobby of the Broderick Tower.
A chandelier hangs from the barreled-ceiling in the main corridor at the Broderick Tower.
Red, leather couches were added to the lobby of the Broderick Tower in 2012, shortly before re-opening it’s doors to the public.
A look at the main entrance in the lobby of the Broderick Tower.
The auditorium inside of Burt Elementary School.
A look at some rather interesting drawers in one of the classrooms at Burt elementary School.
The gymnasium/cafeteria at Burt Elementary School.
Paintings above the bookshelves in the library at Burt Elementary School.
Hand-paintings of animals and a kid riding a bike adorn the walls of the library at Burt Elementary School.
A painting of zebras in the safari adorns the wall above the student lockers at Burt Elementary School.
A look inside the tower of the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
Climbing this ladder in the tower portion of the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters was not fun!
A look at the old gymnasium in Burbank Middle School that had been converted into a “Industrial Technology” or a “shop” classroom.
A look at the small windows in the tallest portion of the tower at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
The beautiful, woodwork in the library at Bethune Elementary School.
A blue, range, and yellow mural was painted on the chalkboard in one of the classrooms at Bethune Elementary School.
A fireplace in one of the classrooms at Bethune Elementary School.
A look down one of the main hallways at Bethune Elementary School.
A look out of the tower window at the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
A look at the skylights in the gymnasium at Bethune Elementary School.
A basketball still sits on the floor in the gymnasium at Bethune Elementary School.
A look at the natural skylight in the gymnasium at Bethune Elementary School.
The auditorium at Bethune Elementary School. Note the power was still on back then.
The cafeteria at Bethune Elementary School.
A look at the original, wooden cabinetry inside a classroom at Bethune Elementary School.
The exterior of the former American Motors Corporation Headquarters.
Note the last window on the right is ajar. This is how we first entered Bethune Elementary School.
A look at the façade detail at the former AMC Headquarters.
The side exterior of Bethune Elementary School.
The façade detail at the American Motors Corporation Headquarters.
The school sign and exterior of Bethune Elementary School.
The exterior of the former American Motors Corp. Headquarters.
The main entrance exterior at Bethune Elementary School.
The exterior at Bethune Elementary School.
The exterior of the AMC Headquarters.
A look at the ceiling tiles that have fallen to the ground in the former art classroom at Burbank Middle School.
A clock still hangs in the main hallway at Burbank Middle School.
A Burbank “B” adorns the stage curtain in the auditorium at Burbank Middle School.
A view of the auditorium from the upper balcony at Burbank Middle School.
A look inside the former “shop” or “Industrial Tech” classroom at Burbank Middle School. This was the original gymansium for Burbank Middle School.
The auditorium stage at Brewster-Wheeler Recreation Center in 2012.
The graffiti-covered basketball hoops still hang in the gymnasium at the Brewster-Wheeler Rec Center in 2012.
A look at the beautiful, Pewabic Pottery tiles in the swimming pool area at the Brewster-Wheeler Rec Center. You can see by 2011, the scrappers started chiseling away at them to try and remove them.
The swimming pool at the Brewster-Wheeler Rec Center in 2012. Note all the ugly graffiti “tags.”
A 2012 view of the pool fromt eh upper balcony, where the bench seating used to be. You can see the little “stubs” that were left from the scrappers removing the metal railings and metal benches.
Terrible graffiti “tags” surround the basketball hoop in the gymnasium at the Brewster-Wheeler Rec Center in 2012.
A look at the gymnasium that Detroit’s own Chris Webber had donated just a few years prior to closing.
The basketball hoops in the gymnasium at the Brewster-Wheeler Rec Center. The Brewster-Wheeler Rec Center had gotten so disgraced by supposed “graffiti artists” that thought it was a genius idea to spray paint a historic landmark.
The center court of the gymnasium had Chris Webber’s “C-WEBB” signature and his logo in 2012.
A look at the semi-circular room in one of the classrooms at Brady Elementary School.
The library at Bethune Elementary School.
The “THIS COURT WAS DONATED BY DETROIT’S OWN CHRIS WEBBER” sign on the wall has been completely ruined and covered by ugly graffiti by 2012.
A look down the natural skylights on the second floor hallway of Brady Elementary School.
Chairs and tables were still in the cafeteria at Bethune Elementary School.
The auditorium at Brady Elementary School.
A look down the main hallway at Bethune Elementary School. Note the drinking fountains have been scrapped.
A look at the auditorium at Brady Elementary School.
The gymnasium at Bethune Elementary School featured skylights that would allow the sunlight to naturally light up the gym.
The ceiling tiles in the gymnasium at Brady Elementary School have fallen to the ground.
The gymnasium at Bethune Elementary School.
A fire at an abandoned Detroit church.
The swimming pool at the YMCA Western Branch.
“NO RUNNING” at the YMCA Western Branch.
The locker room of the YMCA Western Branch.
The weight room of the YMCA Western Branch.
A look at the weight room inside the YMCA Western Branch.
The YMCA “Y” at center court.
Target practice in the gymnasium of the YMCA Western Branch.
A basketball hoop hangs in the gymnasium of the YMCA Western Branch.
A look at the gymnasium inside the YMCA Western Branch.
The basketball hoops inside the gym at the YMCA Western Branch.
The gymnasium at the YMCA Western Branch.
The handball court inside the YMCA Western Branch.
A mural of a kid going fishing was on the wall leading to the gymnasium.
A mural of a sunny day on the wall inside the hallway at the YMCA Western Branch.
The main conference hallway at the YMCA Western Branch.
The dining room at the YMCA Western Branch.
The arched ceiling of the porch at the YMCA Western Branch. The skylights had been covered up at sometime.
A look at the arched porch inside the YMCA Western Branch.
The empty swimming pool at the YMCA Western Branch.
A view of downtown Detroit from the rooftop of the Southwest Detroit Hospital.
A hospital bed and a television in one of the former hospital rooms at the Southwest Detroit Hospital.
A look at the nurses station inside of Southwestern High School.
The former patient/nurse chart sill hangs on the wall in one of the nurse’s station inside of Southwest Detroit Hospital.
A look at the nurse’s station and hallway of patient rooms inside Southwest Detroit Hospital.
The lobby of Southwest Detroit Hospital had been cleaned out at some point by 2012.
The administration offices had been trashed by vandals.
A look inside one of the former ER operating rooms at Southwest Detroit Hospital.
Many of the stainless steel fixtures and equipment at Southwest Detroit Hospital had been scrapped and stolen.
The “FILM FILE ROOM” had x-rays of former patients still on the shelves at Southwest Detroit Hospital.
The x-ray table and equipment was still in some of the operating rooms inside the Southwest Detroit Hospital.
The patients files and x-rays that were left behind at the Southwest Detroit Hospital.
A look at the former x-ray table inside the Southwest Detroit Hospital.
An examination table still sits in one of the exam rooms at the Southwest Detroit Hospital.
The courtyard at Southwest Detroit Hospital.
A look at the patient waiting room of the “COMMUNITY CARE CENTER” inside the Southwest Detroit Hospital.
A look inside one of the patient waiting rooms at Southwest Detroit Hospital.
The receptionist desk and hallway leading to the “PATIENT CARE AREA” at the Southwest Detroit Hospital.
A look at an original, wooden cabinetry inside one of the offices at the abandoned Detroit church.
A look at one of the offices at the abandoned Detroit church.
The confessional booths in the abandoned Detroit church.
The gorgeous ceiling in the main entrance to the abandoned Detroit church.
The hand-painted ceiling and iron gates that led into the side office at the abandoned Detroit church.
The pews of the balcony at the abandoned Detroit church.
A close up of the organ at the abandoned Detroit church.
The organ overlooked the sanctuary at the abandoned Detroit church.
A view of the organ that overlooked the sanctuary inside the abandoned Detroit church.
A view of the sanctuary from the upper balcony at the abandoned Detroit church.
The chandeliers still hang in the sanctuary of the abandoned Detroit church.
The organ had started to fall victim to the scrappers.
A close up of one of the chandeliers at the abandoned Detroit church.
The organ was located on the upper balcony and overlooked the sanctuary.
The chandeliers still hang from the ceiling at the abandoned Detroit church.
The sanctuary from the upper balcony at the abandoned Detroit church.
The organ and the balcony at the abandoned Detroit church.
The sanctuary from the upper balcony.
A look at the chandeliers that were still hanging from the sanctuary ceiling.
The sanctuary at the abandoned Detroit church.
A look at the beautiful ceiling details in the main entrance into the abandoned Detroit church.
The view of the church sanctuary.
The iron gates in a side room at the abandoned Detroit church.
The view of the sanctuary from the pulpit stage at the abandoned Detroit church.
A view of the pulpit and the alter at the abandoned Detroit church.
A view of the surrounding mosaic walls, iron gates, and granite details of the church’s pulpit and alter.
A close up of the granite alter at the abandoned Detroit church.
A view of the pulpit and alter at the abandoned Detroit church.
The sanctuary, looking toward the main entrance and balcony.
A view of the rows of pews at the abandoned Detroit church.
A view of some bookshelves inside one of the former offices in the church’s parish house.
A view of the top of the stairwell at the parish house.
The kitchen inside the parish house of the abandoned church.
The granite shrine of the abandoned Detroit church.
The rows of pews and the confessional booths of the abandoned Detroit church.
The granite pulpit and alter at the abandoned Detroit church.
The side of the pulpit and sanctuary.
A close up of the granite alter.
The iron gate detail of the office that was connected to the pulpit.
The chandeliers hang over the pulpit at the abandoned Detroit church.
A look at the church pews and seating of the abandoned church.
A center shot of the pews and the balcony at the abandoned church.
A shot of the sanctuary from the back of the church.
The main lobby of the abandoned Detroit church.
The auditorium ad gymnasium at St. Rita School had been scrapped and had started to fall apart by 2013.
A look at the buckled floor in the gymnasium/auditorium of St. Rita School in 2013.
The main sanctuary had fallen hard to scrappers and weathering damage.
The main entrance lobby area started to show some signs of graffiti “tags” inside of St. Agnes Church.
More immature graffiti tags of on the Pewabic Pottery glazed-tiles were still located in the lobby area at St. Agnes Church. It’s sad that these “taggers” have to ruin such beauty.
The arched stone details had been stolen ad scrapped from St. Agnes Church.
The western window confessional booth at St. Agnes Church.
A look back toward the balcony and main entrance from the pulpit at St. Agnes Church.
The chairs were stacked in the hallway at Wilkins Elementary School.
A mural of Rosa Parks in the hallway above the student lockers at Wilkins.
A look at the science laboratory at Purdue Educational Center.
Original, wooden drawers in the science laboratory at Purdue Educational Center.
Moss grows on the floor inside a classroom at Purdue Educational Center.
A look inside the English classroom at Purdue Educational Center.
A look down the main hallway at Purdue Educational Center.
Books pile up on the floor at Purdue Educational Center.
The auditorium at Purdue Educational Center.
A view of the upper balcony seating in the auditorium of the former Eastern Junior High School/Purdue Educational Center.
The auditorium stage and seating at the former Eastern Junior High School/Purdue Educational Center.
The locker room for the gymnasium at the former Eastern Junior High School/Purdue Educational Center.
The basketball court in the gymnasium at the former Eastern Junior High School/Purdue Educational Center. The former school acutally had two gymnasiums.
The basketball hoops still hang in the gymnasium at the former Eastern Junior High School/Purdue Educational Center. The former school acutally had two gymnasiums.
A look at the basketball court at the former Eastern Junior High School/Purdue Educational Center.
One of the gymnasiums at the former Eastern Junior High School/Purdue Educational Center.
The auditorium seating from the stage.
A look at the stage and seating in the auditorium.
The cafeteria at the former Eastern Junior High School/Purdue Educational Center.
The exterior of Webster Elementary School.
Children toys still sit in one of the classrooms at Webster Elementary School.
A look down the main hallway and classroom entrances at Webster Elementary School.
Many of the school supplies and furnishings were left behind at Webster Elementary School.
A look a the former computer lab at Webster Elementary School.
A classroom full of old, broken printers?
Chairs line up at the front of this classroom.
A look at the cafeteria tables inside the auditorium and gymnasium at Webster Elementary School.
Chairs are stacked on a table in the gymnasium at Webster Elementary School.
The auditorium/gymnasium combination room at Webster Elementary School.
The cafeteria was located on a raised platform that surrounded the gymnasium/auditorium.
Webster Elementary School had an auditorium and gymnasium combination room.
A look at a climbing net in the gymnasium at Webster Elementary School.
A piano and the climbing net that was in the gym.
A look at the chairs and other school supplies that were left behind in the gymnasium/auditorium at Webster Elementary School.
A look through the climbing net in the auditorium/gym.
A look down toward the entrance into the gymnasium/auditorium at Webster Elementary School.
The arched-doorways in the main entrance into Webster Elementary School.
A close up of the original, wooden arches in the main entrance into Webster Elementary School.
Student art work still hangs in a classroom at Webster Elementary School.
An exterior stone, flower pot at Webster Elementary School.
The exterior of Parkman Elementary School.
The hand-painted ceiling and magnificent detail in the lobby of the Fox Theater.
The main entrance stairway leading to the auditorium of the Fox theater.
The gorgeous plaster faces that overlook the auditorium at the Fox Theater.
The chandelier at the Fox Theater.
The famous artists signature wall backstage at the Fox theater.
The podium on the Fox Theater stage.
The “AUDITORIUM” entrance at Gethsemane Lutheran School.
The auditorium and gymnasium inside Gethsemane Lutheran School.
The chandelier hangs above the auditorium seating at the Fox Theater.
The auditorium had started to show some ugly graffiti “tags” at Southwestern High School by 2013.
The stone detailed faces and lions in the Fox Theater.
The swimming pool had started to show graffiti and ugly “tags” by 2013.
The gorgeous auditorium of the Fox Theater.
The biology laboratory at Southwestern High School.
The science classroom at Southwestern High School.
A supply case in the science classroom at Southwestern High School.
The chandelier hangs from the ceiling at the Fox Theater.
The interior walls of the auditorium at the Fox Theater.
The balcony seating in the auditorium of the Fox theater.
The “TELEPHONE” booths inside the Fox Theater.
The detailed fireplace at the Fox Theater.
The gorgeous fireplace and Pewabic Pottery glazed-tiles in the lounge and restroom area at the Fox Theater.
A look inside one of the classrooms at Wilkins Elementary School.
The ticket booth and attraction advertisements in the entrance to the Fox Theater.
Some musicians adorn the auditorium wall at Wilkins Elementary School.
The “W” for Wilkins Elementary School on the curtain of the auditorium stage.
A mural of Michel Jackson and other famous musicians was painted on the auditorium wall at Wilkins Elementary School. |
Cozy Candler Park mainstay draws crowds with its Southern-tinged breakfast menu, served all day long.
Hi! Sign in to let us know how Flying Biscuit Cafe was?
haziim s. Oct 10 .
Must be a southern thing cause I do not get it. Lines out the door and food is like a Pillsbury on steroids.
so this is not my style.
by nhilogonzalez119 at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I love it's interior, felt at home and not to mention me and my friends had a wonderful breakfast here at Flying Biscuit. A must try place!
by bvetter at Citysearch Nov 10 .
One of my favorite places to eat in Atlanta and now OTP. Great food at a reasonable price.
by sunlightfarmer at Citysearch Nov 10 .
After visiting their website and reading about them in the Atlanta guestbook, I was sure I had found a delicious vegetarian friendly restaurant. However all their vegetarian products (i.e. tofu scramle, garden patties, even potatoes) were cooked in the same pan or shared on the grill with their meat products!
Lastly, it took over an hour to be seated after being told that it was about a 20 minute wait.
by Chronic12 at Citysearch Nov 10 .
by lisa3686 at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I am a huge breakfast lover and I love the omlettes at The Flying Biscuit! The wheat biscuits are better than the white ones! But....my favorite thing is the grits! White cheddar and whipping cream----you can't beat it!
Pros: Healthy food with great taste!
by Citysearch Grodi at Citysearch Nov 10 .
The atmosphere is always the same at Flying Biscuit........Cozy, eclectic, and inviting.....The biscuits and apple butter furher stamps this place a must have to your dining portfolio.
by MMelner at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I am completely in love with this place. I eat at the biscuit 3-4 times per month, but would happily eat breakfast at this local favorite every day if I could. The french toast is incredible, and the biscuits are the best I have tasted, possibly because of the incredibly addictive apple butter served with them. Dont worry, no matter what you order on the breakfast menu, you get a biscuit and apple butter, so no one misses out! Food is very consistent from day to day and month to month. Service is attentive and quick, but as friendly as can be considering the work load these poor servers have on a busy morning. Beware, bacon and sausage lovers- they only have chicken sausage and turkey bacon, but in my opinion they are far better than their pork counterparts. Go check it out on a weekday morning if you want a shorter wait. Ill probobly be the guy sitting at the counter!
Some of the best breakfast on earth!
by martius at Citysearch Nov 10 .
No more BISCUIT with salad entree! That's the new economical policy at flying BISCUIT!!!
Cons: Restaurants getting frugal and chain-like ambiance!
by bskinne at Citysearch Nov 10 .
Food is good, kinda weird sometimes. Black Bean cakes are awesome. The service can be bad, hard to get seated.
by lagirl3000 at Citysearch Nov 10 .
lets start with the delicous grits! smooth and flavorful with just the right seasoning. I lovegrits that are not grainy in texture and these just melt in your mouth. absolutely everything is an eclectic spin off of basic southern breakfast fair yet the subtle twists make you feel that you are eating healthy while over endulging in gloriously rich sumptous food.
yum to everything on the menu!
by getoffmylawn at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I love the food here. The biscuits are tremendous, as are the sandwiches. I usually get the 3B chicken sandwich, and it's what I recommend to everyone else. It's a good thing I don't live very close, or I'd be fat off of these biscuits and sandwiches. I have tried some of the casseroles and was less impressed, and some things I just didn't like at all. They have some good choices on the menu, but just be aware that not everything is as good as the best items on the menu. We regularly get the fried green tomatoes appetizer as well, and it's a good start to the meal. The only drawback at this location is the lackluster service. It can take a while to get your order taken. We've had two negative dining experiences there at the hands of a waitress named Olive. The first time she delivered our food to the wrong table, who ate it (and made us wait another 30 minutes for food without explanation). The second time, it just took forever to get our order, food, and check. I know that Flying Biscuit was bought out by Raving brands, but at locations like this they really need to focus on friendly and attentive service. Frankly I will continue to get takeout here but will probably avoid dining in. Nothing ruins my appetite like poor service.
by islandgoddess at Citysearch Nov 10 .
A couple of my girl friends went to the flying biscuit last weekend, for a girl?s brunch. It was the weekend when it was snowing in Atlanta, so it was freezing. We get to the location and there were people lining the street and sidewalk waiting to be seated. It was COLD!!! Briefly, my girl friends and I considered leaving but we had heard so many great things about the restaurant we decided to stick it out. I AM SO GLAD WE DID!! The food was great. I am actually not a breakfast person but I really enjoyed the food. I ordered the piedmont omelet! Spectacular!!!!!! The portions were large and the food was fresh. I like my biscuits a bit sweet, which these are not, but they were good. It was so good we made plans to go back and try their lunch.
Jane P. Feb 16 .
the food was pretty good. the biscuits however were not what they were all made out to be. the wait was really really long, and when we finally got a table, it took the server forever to get our order!
by MrNYC10 at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I used to go to the Flying Biscuit in L5 in the late 90s...loved the food. Everything tasted so fresh, unique, and just plain ol good. But over the last couple of years I have been there sparingly, and each time, I left disappointed. Now the food didn't taste as good and I think the place was just surviving off of its reputation. The Moon Dusted Potatoes just didn't taste all that good and the biscuits were okay. And now they are expanding into a decent size chain. I guess its the inevitable...with more business comes drop in quality. I say go try it once just so you can say that you have been to the Flying Biscuit.
S S. Jan 26 .
The biscuits are very delicious. Small space. Sometimes long waits, but it's worth it. Great healthy alternatives for usual breakfast choices. Great for Sunday Brunch.
by highwaysofgold at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I would highly recommend The Flying Biscuit to anyone who can appreciate friendly and attentive service and a great big, delicious breakfast! I ordered the French toast and a side of grits when I went. The biscuit was tasty, as were the grits and the heaping pile of French toast. The service was great too.
by sillyjilly1103 at Citysearch Nov 10 .
This restaurant is the place to go when you have visitors. It has a very unique, fun atmosphere and delicious food. The french toast is drizzled with a raspberry sauce & honey creme anglais and is amazing. Their portions are very large and a biscuit w cranapple butter come with practically every meals...so yummy!
Best french toast, long lines but worth it!
by msdee30ga at Citysearch Nov 10 .
Always Always Always Packed.....Wait was a long one I would recommend them expand. But food always taste good. wouldn't recommend for a large group but if you and your mate wants to go out I say go for it.
by highwattage at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I've eaten at two different locations, several times and I will not be back. If you're going to put the word biscuit in your name, learn to cook one properly. All the funky kitsch in the world cannot hide the fact that the food is mediocre at best. The new location in East Cobb is no better, the Shrimp and Grits including undercooked (raw) shrimp and overcooked (dry) grits. Looking around, I got the feeling that most were there because it is the cool place to be. Not if you like good food. Service is abysmal at both locations I have visited, the hiring guidelines seem to have nothing to do with competence or experience.
Stay away and spend you money somewhere else.
by levans1 at Citysearch Nov 10 .
The immediate impression is one of charm. Wait was around an hour, and this was a Sat. afternoon at 2:00. We mainly had to wait because the hostess(es) apparently called our name outside, but since we were sitting inside, we never heard them. The hostess on duty never bothered apologizing, even though it added 20 minutes to our wait. Average wait appears to be around 35 minutes.
The food is unexceptional and the biscuits hard and unappetizing. It is not "traditional" Southern no matter what people say. I discovered they do not even serve jelly with their "famous" biscuits...which were tasteless, or tasted of baking soda, depending on your opinion. They were served with a spicy apple butter that some people may love, but I found to be too spicy.
Breakfast combos are served with chix sausage or overcooked turkey bacon. They do not have biscuits and gravy, either. They do serve grits. Their breakfast potatoes are roasted to a crisp, and have too strong a rosemary flavor for my taste. My turkey burger was overcooked and bland. The only bright spot was an OK Tomato Basil soup. The meatloaf or baked chicken might be the way to go if you absolutely have to eat at this place. We got the famous chocolate bread pudding, but unfortunately I found it to be bland, packy, and totally without character. If you would like to try a good chocolate bread pudding, please try the one at Pappasito's.
My final view on this place: don't go. Take my advice, and if you need to eat breakfast, please eat at J. Christopher's, which is further up Johnson's Ferry towards Roswell Road, in the shopping center for the Fresh Market. I know that there are many glowing reviews of the Flying Biscuit, but I feel that I was gypped out of my $30. I know that Rachel Ray has recommended it, but it truly is all hype. Just compare this place to places like Another Broken Egg Cafe in Destin, FL (also a small breakfast chain) which sends Flying Biscuit out of the water.
Flying Biscuit - Marietta - not recommended!
Cons: Disgusting, overpriced food, bad service, long wait!
by purtypenny at Citysearch Nov 10 .
when you hear flying biscuit, you'd expect the best biscuits you've ever tasted. this place i tell ya, has got to have the worst biscuits ever, hard AND dry. the worst combos for the worst biscuits. i've been here a total of 5 times hoping that each time the biscuits would be better then before, but no, it's the same ole hard and dry. plus the lines are too long, and for what? the food is just extremely mediocre, you can get better breakfast at greasy, not-so-clean waffle house. it seems flying biscuit is more of an egg based restaurant rather then biscuits. advice for flying biscuit... you should change the restaurant name to flying eggs.
by kookywalleye at Citysearch Nov 10 .
Long wait, bad service, dry biscuits, don't quite get why people wait and wait and wait. I've eaten there a few times and each time hoping to be enlightened to why everyone loves it -- ok, the black bean "love cakes" but, here's a tip, have the cook book, thought mine were better! Now that it's a corporate Raving Brands restaurant, eh, skip it.
Pros: Black bean "love cakes"
by dandgray at Citysearch Nov 10 .
First, I would like to say this is my FIRST time every writing such a constructively critical letter and that my experience at The Flying Biscuit was not a horrible one. I didn?t love it, I didn?t hate it; at best it was mediocre. However, the one experience, or better stated, the one person who caused much disharmony and nausea for me is the general manager, Heather Chisoln. Ms. Chisoln has to be the most unprofessional, ethically and morally handicapped person that I?ve had the displeasure to meet, not only from my employment history but in my entire life. She is the epitome of what a manager should not be and I find it extremely mind boggling that anyone would designate Ms. Chisoln as the leading manager, as the face of professionalism for the Buckhead location (which I might add the location itself speaks sophistication) of The Flying Biscuit, let alone any restaurant.
Her lack of people skills is not only blatantly obvious but loathsome and detestable at all accounts. She masquerades in a rehearsed faux smile that even a 10 year old can detect, to conceal her unhappy life and the vastly diverse insecurities she possesses, secreting all of her negative energy upon her staff while creating discord throughout the ?harmonious? reputation of the Flying Biscuit. With her infinite inappropriate condescending remarks, ranging from ?Well, it?s kind of a common sense thing?, to ?wait, you graduated from high school?, one must question how she acquired employment period! Although meant to be a joke, I for one took her comment regarding my high school education rather seriously and offensively. I am a college graduate with knowledge, skills, and experience beyond her wildest dreams. I also have the common courtesy to filter out what may be socially or personally offensive to a person, an attribute she does not possess.
by dmitial at Citysearch Nov 10 .
Salute! I was one of the many patrons that waited over half an hour after the scheduled opening time to dine in on Thursday morning, May 17th, 2007. We were told that it would originally open up no later than 7:15am but it wasn't until 7:37 approx. that it actually did. Upon opening, a tall, short cut, red -headed young man blandly greeted us. There was a customer standing in front of the door with her hands filled with bags. He rudely pushed it, and let it close back on her. When other patrons addressed him, he dismissed us as if what we were saying was of no importance. Then once my guest and I picked a seat, he threw the menus down on the table in the most disrespectful way and I know that it was intentional because he made absolutely no attempts to pick it up. I come here all the time and the customer service I experienced today was absolutely unacceptable. No customer or person for that matter should ever be treated that way. I would really like to remind you guys that no matter how popular you may be right now, it is in fact the customers who make it so. The same way word of mouth spreads singing your praises, it can also do you harm. I really suggest that your establishment reevaluates the importance of keeping the guest happy.
WILL NEVER GO BACK AGAIN!!!
We've been a fan of the orginal Flying Biscuit in Candler Park, since the beginning, when it was birthed by the Indigo Girls. Had not been in several years, but went back recently. The lines and wait, were not as long as previous times. But once inside, the familiar was back in focus. Loved our tatooted server, with her casual flair. I ordered my fave, eggs over easy/ atop black bean cakes. And of course that wonderful signature biscuit. And they still had the homemade apple/butter on the table. We really enjoyed ourselves. But will "Success Spoil Rock Hunter", we mean the Biscuit. Plans to turn this into a chain, bother us. Time will tell, we hope not. We've never liked dinner here, stick to the Breakfast!
Still Good For Breakfast! But Will Corporate Spoil The Funkiness?
Pros: Breakfast & Biscuits Still Good! Funky Service!
Cons: Ready To Become A Chain!
by drdj at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I've had friends rave about this place for years. They were wrong. There were only guests at 3 tables when we arrived, yet it took over an hour to get our food. I haven't eaten white bread in over 30 years, and that's exactly what their biscuits taste like. Ugh. The chicken sandwich was dry and tasteless. The waitress couldn't answer ANY of our questions. Six of us were squeezed into a space for four even though only three other tables were being used in the whole place. The vegetable soup was terrible. Cold air (38 degrees outside) was leaking through the cracked windows. I don't get it. I will never ever ever be back.
by thesouthinyourmouth at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I really have a heart for this place. The people are great (a little snotty but that's cool for their locations), the helpings are unmatched, and other than brunch on Sat or Sun - faster than some.
They present to us eaters a healthier variety of their take on soul food. I love the idea and I am just unnerved that for as long as they have been in buisness, and the owners involved, they have not quite mastered their own technique. Everything is a hair too starchy even with the provided greens, the handmade yet cardboardy cookies, and the great menu of juice & liquids.
Of course as always I enjoyed the burrito for breakfast and the potatoes are o.k. too.
by peachesandcream at Citysearch Nov 10 .
This spot is good for people who eat healthy and especially good for vegetarians. Since I am a meat eater I was somewhat overwhelmed by the oatmeal pancakes which I tried but didn't like. However my vegetarian friend loved all the meals because they all catered to him.
A cozy place but on the weekend expect a long wait.
by chappy_kawaii at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I used to hate this place but now I am converted and I love Flying Biscuit. Not only their biscuit is great, everything on the menu tast great. Just please dont go to the one in midtown but go to the one in candler park. Midtown location is terrible and thats the reason why I was against this place.
by mkivals at Citysearch Nov 10 .
No breakfast is worth 1 hour wait. But their food was good, especially their pancakes! Try to go on weekday.
by deelite at Citysearch Nov 10 .
Tasty, healthy food at reasonable prices! Sure, the weekend brunch is crowded - and that's why I work my meal in after the rush! Go weekday nights or weekend late afternoon (breakfast is always available, but dinner, drinks and desserts are great, too.) The bakery is next door and convenient for take-out. Service is decent and the atmosphere is eclectic. You have to eat there at least once!
by superparty at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I have only eaten there a couple of times but both times the food was delicious. One time I had a very flavorful salad with lots of interesting and tasty greens. The dressing was very good too. The next time I had a big biscuit for breakfast and that was outstanding. I highly recommend a visit to the Flying Biscuit.
Cons: Prices a little high.
by reneeextensiondiva at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I wish less people had discovered thisplace. It's delish but I don't go there because it is so crowded...I wish they would relocate to a larger space...Plus service when it's not crowded is still just so-so...though the food is amazing!
by liannestewart at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I have been several times and the food is always great. They are know for their biscuits but that isn't why I go back...the meals are great and filling!
by atlfoody at Citysearch Nov 10 .
But still ok for breakfast - at least for now.
Avoid the crowds and get takeout. Piedmont omelet rocks.
by pigwilly at Citysearch Nov 10 .
probably the healthiest meal you can get downtown. everything here is meant to be organic, and fairly nutritious. the food isn't quite as great as some people claim, but it is good, and more than enjoyable. the biscuits are fresh, and very tasty. they go well with the jam/jelly that they make themselves. try to avoid during prime lunch hours because it is very busy.
by alwayseating at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I think this place is great. Breakfast is always good, but I think many of the lunch and dinner dishes are even better. If you have only been for breakfast, avoid the weekend wait and go for lunch or dinner. The Flying Biscuit regularly gets voted "best biscuits" by the people of Atlanta; however these are hands down the hardest, driest, worst biscuits out there. Unfortunate for a place with "biscuit" in the name. Biscuits aside, this is normaly a 'can't miss' place to eat, and at a reasonable to good price. In the future when the Raving Brands copycat franchises start popping up around the countryI am sure the quality will nosedive, except at the two original locations (Candler Park and Midtown) which as I understand it will remain under control of the original owner(s).
by aboelter at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I just LOVE the Warm Chicken Salad and the Love Cakes!!! They taste so GREAT, yet healthy and good for you at the same time.... who doesn't love that!
by hwhitley at Citysearch Nov 10 .
Went to the Flying Biscuit for the first and last time last evening with my wife and daughter. Host was very friendly, but that is where the good ended. All of the wait staff were in halloween dress so we thought we were in for a good time. Had to wait a long time before we were waited on; when we were brought water, it was in plastic cups. Did not get the brie appetizer that we ordered. The coffee I ordered was only lukewarm and did not get asked if I wanted a refill. My wife's meal was to include a salad that she never received. Oh yeah...Flying Biscuit....we had to ask them for our biscuits and almost wished we never got them. Very hard and dry. Trying to pay to get out was another ordeal. Save your money and go to the Waffle House. The entertainment and food will be just as good.
by mfeinberg at Citysearch Nov 10 .
It's too bad the place has gone to portion control and things are steadily getting worse as a new corporate entity takes over. Everything good must come to an end and this is the end of something really good.
Johnnie T. Jun 18 .
As an Atlanta native, I have been dining at the Flying Biscuit for years. Up until the beginning of 2006 the quality had begun to slip. Biscuits were sinking (like a brick) instead of flying, soysage was dry and tight and the creamy, dreamy grits had become a bland nightmare. Ever devoted to local restaurants, I decided to give them one more chance. Thank goodness I did. There was a complete turn around in the quality of the food. As always, the service was friendly and quick. This is again one of my favorite local spots.
by chef_omega at Citysearch Nov 10 .
The recent Red Snapper over creamed basmati topped with lemons , capers and onion was so intoxicating ; basmati scented with lavender and fennel with capers , pine-nuts and golden raisins ! And the Chi wilted spinache ! Need I say more ? Astounding.
A second feature was a beautiful Yellow Fin tuna steak sandwich drizzled with their signature tamari aioli ; medium rare and beyond perfect!
The Flying Biscuit may have always been the place for breakfast , brunch or lunch but dropping in at night to sample some of the dinner fare is more than worth the trip.
It's Only Getting Better !
Laura L. Feb 08 .
Flying Biscuit has an interesting well varied menu. There are items that are vegetarian, vegan, and more. We went there for dinner. My beau had the turkey meatloaf and I had the warm chicken salad. We both enjoyed the food and the ambiance. Even more than that, my beau loves stopping at the bakery side and buying biscuits and sweet treats to take home.
CONS: Small restaurant, parking can be a problem.
by iloveyouhoney at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I will go back again if there is no waiting line!!
by mollyfoodie at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I like the Flying Biscuit but I do not think it is worth the wait for brunch on the weekends. There are other places that nearby that have tastier food and faster service. If you want to try the Flying Biscuit, go there for dinner instead. As for brunch, I recommend skipping it and going somewhere else.
by atlbriguy at Citysearch Nov 10 .
Very friendly service, healthy food & amazingly cheap prices! The weekend brunches are crowded, but there's a reason for that! Go to the Biscuit at night-- you can still get the same breakfast items, or a 3 course meal (app, entree, dessert), complete with 3 diiferent wines for $25! Anywhere else in ATL the wine alone would cost you that much. Check out their bakery next door-- take home dozen biscuits, a latte, some muffins, cookies and T-shirts. Cool people, cool space- highly recommended.
by midtowneater at Citysearch Nov 10 .
I think this place is packed because there is not much breakfast places in town. We could not get the right food to our table in 45 min. We were served the wrong food three times. The server did not fill our coffee even once. OJ was bad and srever was fighting with the kitchen employee in front of us, food was below average and why should I go back?
If you've been to or used Flying Biscuit Cafe, leave a review. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: 33 year old male..... Went this morning for pre-opp blood/lab work. Im having a lump/mass removed from my left breast. The doctor called and told me that my blood glucose level was 42 and I needed to come back in for more blood work. What could be the reason behind the low glucose level? Is it related to the lump in my chest? Non-diabetic. Thanks for your help output: Hi, dear. I have gone through your question. I can understand your concern. You are suffering from hypoglycemia. Your low sugar level is not related to your breast lump. Their are some other causes for your hypoglycemia. You should go for investigation. After your sugar level become normal then only you should go for surgery. Hope I have answered your question, if you have doubt then I will be happy to answer.. |
/* Includes ------------------------------------------------------------------*/
#include "usbh_ioreq.h"
#include "usb_bsp.h"
#include "usbh_hcs.h"
#include "usbh_stdreq.h"
#include "usbh_core.h"
#include "usb_hcd_int.h"
/** @addtogroup USBH_LIB
* @{
*/
/** @addtogroup USBH_LIB_CORE
* @{
*/
/** @defgroup USBH_CORE
* @brief TThis file handles the basic enumaration when a device is connected
* to the host.
* @{
*/
/** @defgroup USBH_CORE_Private_TypesDefinitions
* @{
*/
uint8_t USBH_Disconnected (USB_OTG_CORE_HANDLE *pdev);
uint8_t USBH_Connected (USB_OTG_CORE_HANDLE *pdev);
uint8_t USBH_SOF (USB_OTG_CORE_HANDLE *pdev);
USBH_HCD_INT_cb_TypeDef USBH_HCD_INT_cb =
{
USBH_SOF,
USBH_Connected,
USBH_Disconnected,
};
USBH_HCD_INT_cb_TypeDef *USBH_HCD_INT_fops = &USBH_HCD_INT_cb;
/**
* @}
*/
/** @defgroup USBH_CORE_Private_Defines
* @{
*/
/**
* @}
*/
/** @defgroup USBH_CORE_Private_Macros
* @{
*/
/**
* @}
*/
/** @defgroup USBH_CORE_Private_Variables
* @{
*/
/**
* @}
*/
/** @defgroup USBH_CORE_Private_FunctionPrototypes
* @{
*/
static USBH_Status USBH_HandleEnum(USB_OTG_CORE_HANDLE *pdev, USBH_HOST *phost);
USBH_Status USBH_HandleControl (USB_OTG_CORE_HANDLE *pdev, USBH_HOST *phost);
/**
* @}
*/
/** @defgroup USBH_CORE_Private_Functions
* @{
*/
/**
* @brief USBH_Connected
* USB Connect callback function from the Interrupt.
* @param selected device
* @retval Status
*/
uint8_t USBH_Connected (USB_OTG_CORE_HANDLE *pdev)
{
pdev->host.ConnSts = 1;
return 0;
}
/**
* @brief USBH_Disconnected
* USB Disconnect callback function from the Interrupt.
* @param selected device
* @retval Status
*/
uint8_t USBH_Disconnected (USB_OTG_CORE_HANDLE *pdev)
{
pdev->host.ConnSts = 0;
return 0;
}
/**
* @brief USBH_SOF
* USB SOF callback function from the Interrupt.
* @param selected device
* @retval Status
*/
uint8_t USBH_SOF (USB_OTG_CORE_HANDLE *pdev)
{
/* This callback could be used to implement a scheduler process */
return 0;
}
/**
* @brief USBH_Init
* Host hardware and stack initializations
* @param class_cb: Class callback structure address
* @param usr_cb: User callback structure address
* @retval None
*/
void USBH_Init(USB_OTG_CORE_HANDLE *pdev,
USB_OTG_CORE_ID_TypeDef coreID,
USBH_HOST *phost,
USBH_Class_cb_TypeDef *class_cb,
USBH_Usr_cb_TypeDef *usr_cb)
{
/* Hardware Init */
USB_OTG_BSP_Init(pdev);
/* configure GPIO pin used for switching VBUS power */
USB_OTG_BSP_ConfigVBUS(0);
/* Host de-initializations */
USBH_DeInit(pdev, phost);
/*Register class and user callbacks */
phost->class_cb = class_cb;
phost->usr_cb = usr_cb;
/* Start the USB OTG core */
HCD_Init(pdev , coreID);
/* Upon Init call usr call back */
phost->usr_cb->Init();
/* Enable Interrupts */
USB_OTG_BSP_EnableInterrupt(pdev);
}
/**
* @brief USBH_DeInit
* Re-Initialize Host
* @param None
* @retval status: USBH_Status
*/
USBH_Status USBH_DeInit(USB_OTG_CORE_HANDLE *pdev, USBH_HOST *phost)
{
/* Software Init */
phost->gState = HOST_IDLE;
phost->gStateBkp = HOST_IDLE;
phost->EnumState = ENUM_IDLE;
phost->RequestState = CMD_SEND;
phost->Control.state = CTRL_SETUP;
phost->Control.ep0size = USB_OTG_MAX_EP0_SIZE;
phost->device_prop.address = USBH_DEVICE_ADDRESS_DEFAULT;
phost->device_prop.speed = HPRT0_PRTSPD_FULL_SPEED;
USBH_Free_Channel (pdev, phost->Control.hc_num_in);
USBH_Free_Channel (pdev, phost->Control.hc_num_out);
return USBH_OK;
}
/**
* @brief USBH_Process
* USB Host core main state machine process
* @param None
* @retval None
*/
void USBH_Process(USB_OTG_CORE_HANDLE *pdev , USBH_HOST *phost)
{
volatile USBH_Status status = USBH_FAIL;
/* check for Host port events */
if ((HCD_IsDeviceConnected(pdev) == 0)&& (phost->gState != HOST_IDLE))
{
if(phost->gState != HOST_DEV_DISCONNECTED)
{
phost->gState = HOST_DEV_DISCONNECTED;
}
}
switch (phost->gState)
{
case HOST_IDLE :
if (HCD_IsDeviceConnected(pdev))
{
phost->gState = HOST_DEV_ATTACHED;
USB_OTG_BSP_mDelay(100);
}
break;
case HOST_DEV_ATTACHED :
phost->usr_cb->DeviceAttached();
phost->Control.hc_num_out = USBH_Alloc_Channel(pdev, 0x00);
phost->Control.hc_num_in = USBH_Alloc_Channel(pdev, 0x80);
/* Reset USB Device */
if ( HCD_ResetPort(pdev) == 0)
{
phost->usr_cb->ResetDevice();
/* Wait for USB USBH_ISR_PrtEnDisableChange()
Host is Now ready to start the Enumeration
*/
phost->device_prop.speed = HCD_GetCurrentSpeed(pdev);
phost->gState = HOST_ENUMERATION;
phost->usr_cb->DeviceSpeedDetected(phost->device_prop.speed);
/* Open Control pipes */
USBH_Open_Channel (pdev,
phost->Control.hc_num_in,
phost->device_prop.address,
phost->device_prop.speed,
EP_TYPE_CTRL,
phost->Control.ep0size);
/* Open Control pipes */
USBH_Open_Channel (pdev,
phost->Control.hc_num_out,
phost->device_prop.address,
phost->device_prop.speed,
EP_TYPE_CTRL,
phost->Control.ep0size);
}
break;
case HOST_ENUMERATION:
/* Check for enumeration status */
if ( USBH_HandleEnum(pdev , phost) == USBH_OK)
{
/* The function shall return USBH_OK when full enumeration is complete */
/* user callback for end of device basic enumeration */
phost->usr_cb->EnumerationDone();
phost->gState = HOST_USR_INPUT;
}
break;
case HOST_USR_INPUT:
/*The function should return user response true to move to class state */
if ( phost->usr_cb->UserInput() == USBH_USR_RESP_OK)
{
if((phost->class_cb->Init(pdev, phost))\
== USBH_OK)
{
phost->gState = HOST_CLASS_REQUEST;
}
}
break;
case HOST_CLASS_REQUEST:
/* process class standard contol requests state machine */
status = phost->class_cb->Requests(pdev, phost);
if(status == USBH_OK)
{
phost->gState = HOST_CLASS;
}
else
{
USBH_ErrorHandle(phost, status);
}
break;
case HOST_CLASS:
/* process class state machine */
status = phost->class_cb->Machine(pdev, phost);
USBH_ErrorHandle(phost, status);
break;
case HOST_CTRL_XFER:
/* process control transfer state machine */
USBH_HandleControl(pdev, phost);
break;
case HOST_SUSPENDED:
break;
case HOST_ERROR_STATE:
/* Re-Initilaize Host for new Enumeration */
USBH_DeInit(pdev, phost);
phost->usr_cb->DeInit();
phost->class_cb->DeInit(pdev, &phost->device_prop);
break;
case HOST_DEV_DISCONNECTED :
/* Manage User disconnect operations*/
phost->usr_cb->DeviceDisconnected();
/* Re-Initilaize Host for new Enumeration */
USBH_DeInit(pdev, phost);
phost->usr_cb->DeInit();
phost->class_cb->DeInit(pdev, &phost->device_prop);
USBH_DeAllocate_AllChannel(pdev);
phost->gState = HOST_IDLE;
break;
default :
break;
}
}
/**
* @brief USBH_ErrorHandle
* This function handles the Error on Host side.
* @param errType : Type of Error or Busy/OK state
* @retval None
*/
void USBH_ErrorHandle(USBH_HOST *phost, USBH_Status errType)
{
/* Error unrecovered or not supported device speed */
if ( (errType == USBH_ERROR_SPEED_UNKNOWN) ||
(errType == USBH_UNRECOVERED_ERROR) )
{
phost->usr_cb->UnrecoveredError();
phost->gState = HOST_ERROR_STATE;
}
/* USB host restart requested from application layer */
else if(errType == USBH_APPLY_DEINIT)
{
phost->gState = HOST_ERROR_STATE;
/* user callback for initalization */
phost->usr_cb->Init();
}
}
/**
* @brief USBH_HandleEnum
* This function includes the complete enumeration process
* @param pdev: Selected device
* @retval USBH_Status
*/
static USBH_Status USBH_HandleEnum(USB_OTG_CORE_HANDLE *pdev, USBH_HOST *phost)
{
USBH_Status Status = USBH_BUSY;
uint8_t Local_Buffer[64];
switch (phost->EnumState)
{
case ENUM_IDLE:
/* Get Device Desc for only 1st 8 bytes : To get EP0 MaxPacketSize */
if ( USBH_Get_DevDesc(pdev , phost, 8) == USBH_OK)
{
phost->Control.ep0size = phost->device_prop.Dev_Desc.bMaxPacketSize;
/* Issue Reset */
HCD_ResetPort(pdev);
phost->EnumState = ENUM_GET_FULL_DEV_DESC;
/* modify control channels configuration for MaxPacket size */
USBH_Modify_Channel (pdev,
phost->Control.hc_num_out,
0,
0,
0,
phost->Control.ep0size);
USBH_Modify_Channel (pdev,
phost->Control.hc_num_in,
0,
0,
0,
phost->Control.ep0size);
}
break;
case ENUM_GET_FULL_DEV_DESC:
/* Get FULL Device Desc */
if ( USBH_Get_DevDesc(pdev, phost, USB_DEVICE_DESC_SIZE)\
== USBH_OK)
{
/* user callback for device descriptor available */
phost->usr_cb->DeviceDescAvailable(&phost->device_prop.Dev_Desc);
phost->EnumState = ENUM_SET_ADDR;
}
break;
case ENUM_SET_ADDR:
/* set address */
if ( USBH_SetAddress(pdev, phost, USBH_DEVICE_ADDRESS) == USBH_OK)
{
USB_OTG_BSP_mDelay(2);
phost->device_prop.address = USBH_DEVICE_ADDRESS;
/* user callback for device address assigned */
phost->usr_cb->DeviceAddressAssigned();
phost->EnumState = ENUM_GET_CFG_DESC;
/* modify control channels to update device address */
USBH_Modify_Channel (pdev,
phost->Control.hc_num_in,
phost->device_prop.address,
0,
0,
0);
USBH_Modify_Channel (pdev,
phost->Control.hc_num_out,
phost->device_prop.address,
0,
0,
0);
}
break;
case ENUM_GET_CFG_DESC:
/* get standard configuration descriptor */
if ( USBH_Get_CfgDesc(pdev,
phost,
USB_CONFIGURATION_DESC_SIZE) == USBH_OK)
{
phost->EnumState = ENUM_GET_FULL_CFG_DESC;
}
break;
case ENUM_GET_FULL_CFG_DESC:
/* get FULL config descriptor (config, interface, endpoints) */
if (USBH_Get_CfgDesc(pdev,
phost,
phost->device_prop.Cfg_Desc.wTotalLength) == USBH_OK)
{
/* User callback for configuration descriptors available */
phost->usr_cb->ConfigurationDescAvailable(&phost->device_prop.Cfg_Desc,
phost->device_prop.Itf_Desc,
phost->device_prop.Ep_Desc[0]);
phost->EnumState = ENUM_GET_MFC_STRING_DESC;
}
break;
case ENUM_GET_MFC_STRING_DESC:
if (phost->device_prop.Dev_Desc.iManufacturer != 0)
{ /* Check that Manufacturer String is available */
if ( USBH_Get_StringDesc(pdev,
phost,
phost->device_prop.Dev_Desc.iManufacturer,
Local_Buffer ,
0xff) == USBH_OK)
{
/* User callback for Manufacturing string */
phost->usr_cb->ManufacturerString(Local_Buffer);
phost->EnumState = ENUM_GET_PRODUCT_STRING_DESC;
}
}
else
{
phost->usr_cb->ManufacturerString("N/A");
phost->EnumState = ENUM_GET_PRODUCT_STRING_DESC;
}
break;
case ENUM_GET_PRODUCT_STRING_DESC:
if (phost->device_prop.Dev_Desc.iProduct != 0)
{ /* Check that Product string is available */
if ( USBH_Get_StringDesc(pdev,
phost,
phost->device_prop.Dev_Desc.iProduct,
Local_Buffer,
0xff) == USBH_OK)
{
/* User callback for Product string */
phost->usr_cb->ProductString(Local_Buffer);
phost->EnumState = ENUM_GET_SERIALNUM_STRING_DESC;
}
}
else
{
phost->usr_cb->ProductString("N/A");
phost->EnumState = ENUM_GET_SERIALNUM_STRING_DESC;
}
break;
case ENUM_GET_SERIALNUM_STRING_DESC:
if (phost->device_prop.Dev_Desc.iSerialNumber != 0)
{ /* Check that Serial number string is available */
if ( USBH_Get_StringDesc(pdev,
phost,
phost->device_prop.Dev_Desc.iSerialNumber,
Local_Buffer,
0xff) == USBH_OK)
{
/* User callback for Serial number string */
phost->usr_cb->SerialNumString(Local_Buffer);
phost->EnumState = ENUM_SET_CONFIGURATION;
}
}
else
{
phost->usr_cb->SerialNumString("N/A");
phost->EnumState = ENUM_SET_CONFIGURATION;
}
break;
case ENUM_SET_CONFIGURATION:
/* set configuration (default config) */
if (USBH_SetCfg(pdev,
phost,
phost->device_prop.Cfg_Desc.bConfigurationValue) == USBH_OK)
{
phost->EnumState = ENUM_DEV_CONFIGURED;
}
break;
case ENUM_DEV_CONFIGURED:
/* user callback for enumeration done */
Status = USBH_OK;
break;
default:
break;
}
return Status;
}
/**
* @brief USBH_HandleControl
* Handles the USB control transfer state machine
* @param pdev: Selected device
* @retval Status
*/
USBH_Status USBH_HandleControl (USB_OTG_CORE_HANDLE *pdev, USBH_HOST *phost)
{
uint8_t direction;
static uint16_t timeout = 0;
USBH_Status status = USBH_OK;
URB_STATE URB_Status = URB_IDLE;
phost->Control.status = CTRL_START;
switch (phost->Control.state)
{
case CTRL_SETUP:
/* send a SETUP packet */
USBH_CtlSendSetup (pdev,
phost->Control.setup.d8 ,
phost->Control.hc_num_out);
phost->Control.state = CTRL_SETUP_WAIT;
break;
case CTRL_SETUP_WAIT:
URB_Status = HCD_GetURB_State(pdev , phost->Control.hc_num_out);
/* case SETUP packet sent successfully */
if(URB_Status == URB_DONE)
{
direction = (phost->Control.setup.b.bmRequestType & USB_REQ_DIR_MASK);
/* check if there is a data stage */
if (phost->Control.setup.b.wLength.w != 0 )
{
timeout = DATA_STAGE_TIMEOUT;
if (direction == USB_D2H)
{
/* Data Direction is IN */
phost->Control.state = CTRL_DATA_IN;
}
else
{
/* Data Direction is OUT */
phost->Control.state = CTRL_DATA_OUT;
}
}
/* No DATA stage */
else
{
timeout = NODATA_STAGE_TIMEOUT;
/* If there is No Data Transfer Stage */
if (direction == USB_D2H)
{
/* Data Direction is IN */
phost->Control.state = CTRL_STATUS_OUT;
}
else
{
/* Data Direction is OUT */
phost->Control.state = CTRL_STATUS_IN;
}
}
/* Set the delay timer to enable timeout for data stage completion */
phost->Control.timer = HCD_GetCurrentFrame(pdev);
}
else if(URB_Status == URB_ERROR)
{
phost->Control.state = CTRL_ERROR;
phost->Control.status = CTRL_XACTERR;
}
break;
case CTRL_DATA_IN:
/* Issue an IN token */
USBH_CtlReceiveData(pdev,
phost->Control.buff,
phost->Control.length,
phost->Control.hc_num_in);
phost->Control.state = CTRL_DATA_IN_WAIT;
break;
case CTRL_DATA_IN_WAIT:
URB_Status = HCD_GetURB_State(pdev , phost->Control.hc_num_in);
/* check is DATA packet transfered successfully */
if (URB_Status == URB_DONE)
{
phost->Control.state = CTRL_STATUS_OUT;
}
/* manage error cases*/
if (URB_Status == URB_STALL)
{
/* In stall case, return to previous machine state*/
phost->gState = phost->gStateBkp;
}
else if (URB_Status == URB_ERROR)
{
/* Device error */
phost->Control.state = CTRL_ERROR;
}
else if ((HCD_GetCurrentFrame(pdev)- phost->Control.timer) > timeout)
{
/* timeout for IN transfer */
phost->Control.state = CTRL_ERROR;
}
break;
case CTRL_DATA_OUT:
/* Start DATA out transfer (only one DATA packet)*/
pdev->host.hc[phost->Control.hc_num_out].toggle_out = 1;
USBH_CtlSendData (pdev,
phost->Control.buff,
phost->Control.length ,
phost->Control.hc_num_out);
phost->Control.state = CTRL_DATA_OUT_WAIT;
break;
case CTRL_DATA_OUT_WAIT:
URB_Status = HCD_GetURB_State(pdev , phost->Control.hc_num_out);
if (URB_Status == URB_DONE)
{ /* If the Setup Pkt is sent successful, then change the state */
phost->Control.state = CTRL_STATUS_IN;
}
/* handle error cases */
else if (URB_Status == URB_STALL)
{
/* In stall case, return to previous machine state*/
phost->gState = phost->gStateBkp;
phost->Control.state = CTRL_STALLED;
}
else if (URB_Status == URB_NOTREADY)
{
/* Nack received from device */
phost->Control.state = CTRL_DATA_OUT;
}
else if (URB_Status == URB_ERROR)
{
/* device error */
phost->Control.state = CTRL_ERROR;
}
break;
case CTRL_STATUS_IN:
/* Send 0 bytes out packet */
USBH_CtlReceiveData (pdev,
0,
0,
phost->Control.hc_num_in);
phost->Control.state = CTRL_STATUS_IN_WAIT;
break;
case CTRL_STATUS_IN_WAIT:
URB_Status = HCD_GetURB_State(pdev , phost->Control.hc_num_in);
if ( URB_Status == URB_DONE)
{ /* Control transfers completed, Exit the State Machine */
phost->gState = phost->gStateBkp;
phost->Control.state = CTRL_COMPLETE;
}
else if (URB_Status == URB_ERROR)
{
phost->Control.state = CTRL_ERROR;
}
else if((HCD_GetCurrentFrame(pdev)\
- phost->Control.timer) > timeout)
{
phost->Control.state = CTRL_ERROR;
}
else if(URB_Status == URB_STALL)
{
/* Control transfers completed, Exit the State Machine */
phost->gState = phost->gStateBkp;
phost->Control.status = CTRL_STALL;
status = USBH_NOT_SUPPORTED;
}
break;
case CTRL_STATUS_OUT:
pdev->host.hc[phost->Control.hc_num_out].toggle_out ^= 1;
USBH_CtlSendData (pdev,
0,
0,
phost->Control.hc_num_out);
phost->Control.state = CTRL_STATUS_OUT_WAIT;
break;
case CTRL_STATUS_OUT_WAIT:
URB_Status = HCD_GetURB_State(pdev , phost->Control.hc_num_out);
if (URB_Status == URB_DONE)
{
phost->gState = phost->gStateBkp;
phost->Control.state = CTRL_COMPLETE;
}
else if (URB_Status == URB_NOTREADY)
{
phost->Control.state = CTRL_STATUS_OUT;
}
else if (URB_Status == URB_ERROR)
{
phost->Control.state = CTRL_ERROR;
}
break;
case CTRL_ERROR:
/*
After a halt condition is encountered or an error is detected by the
host, a control endpoint is allowed to recover by accepting the next Setup
PID; i.e., recovery actions via some other pipe are not required for control
endpoints. For the Default Control Pipe, a device reset will ultimately be
required to clear the halt or error condition if the next Setup PID is not
accepted.
*/
if (++ phost->Control.errorcount <= USBH_MAX_ERROR_COUNT)
{
/* Do the transmission again, starting from SETUP Packet */
phost->Control.state = CTRL_SETUP;
}
else
{
phost->Control.status = CTRL_FAIL;
phost->gState = phost->gStateBkp;
status = USBH_FAIL;
}
break;
default:
break;
}
return status;
}
/**
* @}
*/
/**
* @}
*/
/**
* @}
*/
/**
* @}
*/
/************************ (C) COPYRIGHT STMicroelectronics *****END OF FILE****/
|
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Im currently having extreme lower back pain. Ive had this pain for the past 3 months and I cant bring myself to sit in the doctors office. I am a dance teacher and I have had extreme limitations in my normal classes. Sometimes I have to stay seated the entire class because I cant stand up. The pain keeps me up at night and Im having trouble getting around. Help? output: Fellow backache may be due to many reasons like musculoskeletal reasons, pelvic pathology etc. You need proper clinical examination and routine investigations. Investigations include routine hologram, random blood sugar, liver function test, renal function test, urine RE/ME, ultrasound of abdomen, X-ray L/S spine (AP/Lateral view), Thyroid profile, serum calcium and vitamin D level. MRI of L/S spine can be done after evaluation. Pain may be due to intervertebral disc prolapse in lumbosacral region. Proper treatment depend upon findings. You may need to take few medicines and physiotherapy. Get well soon. |
Love is so much more than words. Though words can build up and encourage, the tangible evidence of love in action tends to last far longer than something that is simply spoken. Despite the tremendous value I hold in both spoken and written words, I find myself overwhelmingly assured of the truth of love spoken when everyday actions align. It is in the small and simple faithful gestures done in love, that truth is demonstrated over time. We can say whatever we wish, but if our actions do not align, the words are meaningless. However, when we choose love, again and again, through the things that we say and do, the recipients of our words and deeds cannot help but begin to believe the truth that they are loved. May we reach out and love others with the things that we do, just as God so graciously and generously loves each of us, so that all may know that love is not just an idea, but rather a reality intended for us all.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You call us to a life of love – not just with our words, but with everything that we do. Thank You that You have shown us what it is to live a life of love through Your Son. Forgive us for the times that we have chosen to do anything that was less than loving. Teach us to trust You more, so that our words and deeds would be an extension of Your heart and hands to those around us. Show us how to love those around us with our very lives, making Your love tangible to all. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we rely on Your love and grace to love others with our every word and deed. Amen.
This entry was posted in Awe, Blessing, Comfort, Community, Courage, Faith, Forgiveness, Gentleness, Grace, Gratitude, Healing, Hope, Humility, Kindness, Love, Obedience, Offering, Peace, Poetry, Praise, Serve, Strength, Surrender, Trust, Voice, Worship and tagged 1 John 3, act, actions, align, all things, assured, believe, build up, call us, cannot help, children, choose, choose love, chosen, command, dear, deeds, demonstrated, display, done in love, encourage, everyday actions, everything, extension, faithful, follow through, forgive, generously, gestures, glorified, God, grace, gracious love, graciously, great love, heart and hands, idea, last, less, live in the pattern, love, love each other, love in action, loved, loves, merely, more than words, open door, our love, over time, reach out, real, reality, received, recipients, say, say and do, show, shown us, simple, small, Son, speak more, spoken, talk, tangible, tangible evidence, teach, theory, things we do, true way of life, trust, truth, value, with love, word and deed, words, words matter, written words. Bookmark the permalink.
One week from today, I will be waking to wed the one whom my heart loves. This morning, I am in awe of the blessings bestowed upon me as I am overwhelmed with gratitude for another year of life and all that God has done. Like with anyone, there have been trials and triumphs. The more I learn to trust, the clearer the Lord’s nearness becomes through it all. Grace and strength and peace have been given anew each day, and He has shown me the depth of His love, as I am loved well by those whom He has placed in my life. This great love propels me to trust all the more, as He is faithful each time I turn to Him in faith. May we ever trust in the Lord above, as He blesses those who place their trust in Him.
We learn of our worth.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the gifts of life, light, goodness and grace that You give to those who trust in You. Thank You for the overwhelming blessings that You pour out upon us. Thank You that You are always near. Forgive us for not always trusting or placing our all before You. Continue to show us how trustworthy You truly are. Show us how to share Your love with all the ones that You have brought into our lives to extend Your goodness and grace. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we trust You for all of our days and recognize the abundant blessings that You pour out upon us. Amen.
This entry was posted in Awe, Blessing, Community, Courage, Faith, Forgiveness, Gentleness, Grace, Gratitude, Hope, Joy, Kindness, Love, Mercy, Obedience, Peace, Poetry, Possibilities, Praise, Purpose, Strength, Surrender, Trust, Voice, Worship and tagged above, all, anew, another year of life, awe, bestowed, blessed, blesses, blessings, catch us, clearer, Commander of heaven's armies, continue, depth of His love, done, each day, each time, Eternal One, extend, faith, faithful, fall, forgive, fortunate, gifts, give, given, glorified, God, goodness, grace, gratitude, great love, heavenly father, help, in you, learn, life, light, Lord Almighty, lord god, Lord of heavenly forces, love, love us, loved well, more, my heart loves, near, nearness, One, one week, overwhelmed, peace, placed, pour out, propels, share, show, shown, strength, thank you, trials and triumphs, truly happy, trust, trusting, trusts, trustworthy, turn, valued, waking, wed, worth. Bookmark the permalink.
This is a timely reminder for me. Though I pray, I do worry too. It is a challenge to push pause, and immediately pray, every time that worry begins to enter in. So often worry starts as simple wonderings about things that lie before us, and when we fix our eyes on the wonder rather than on He who is the solution, worry walks right into our hearts and minds. May we boldly go before God and present our needs, as He hears our every request. Let us forget not to give Him thanks for all that He has done, as He is faithful to answer as we call on His Name.
Bring all to our King.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are faithful to hear us and meet us in our need. Thank You that we need not worry, but rather we are meant to pray about all things. Forgive us for allowing our minds to wander to the “what-ifs“ that cause worry, instead of fixing our eyes on You, our solution. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would seek You and tell You all that we need and give You thanks for all that You have done. Show us how to love those around us well, so that we extend an attitude of gratitude toward You and all that You have done and bring peace and assurance when all seems worrisome. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we pray about everything rather than worry, and give You thanks for all of the answers that You have so faithfully provided. Amen.
This entry was posted in Blessing, Comfort, Community, Courage, Faith, Forgiveness, Gentleness, Grace, Gratitude, Healing, Hope, Humility, Joy, Kindness, Love, Mercy, Obedience, Offering, Peace, Poetry, Possibilities, Praise, Purpose, Strength, Surrender, Trust, Voice, Worship and tagged answer, answers, anything, assurance, attitude, battle won, boldly go, bring, bring peace, call, cause, challenge, choose, Christ, don't forget, don't worry, done, draw near, enter in, everything, extend, faithful, fix our eyes, forget, forgive, give thanks, glorified, God, gratitude, great love, have, hears, heart and mind, His Name, instead, King, lie before us, love, made alive, need, pause, Philippians 4, pray, present, provided, provides, push, remember, reminder, request, rich in mercy, seek, show, simple, solution, starts, teach, tell, thank, timely, trust, walks in, what ifs, wonder, wonderings, worrisome. Bookmark the permalink.
Can I be really raw and real right now? Though I know this is true and I trust Him, I am struggling in my current circumstance. Yesterday, I went to what I thought would be a fairly routine check back for my fractured fibula, but as the appointment unfolded, the orthopedist had some concerns about the swelling that was still present in my lower leg. She sent me to ultrasound to have imaging done to be certain there were no blood clots, as occasionally a clot could cause swelling such as mine. As it turned out, her suspicion was confirmed, and I do indeed have a blood clot in my calf. I was promptly whisked from one doctor to the next to the next, until I ultimately ended up in the ER for bloodwork so that they could start me on blood thinners immediately. Now, here is the space of struggle… I know that God, in His great love for me, gave the doctor the wisdom to check for a blood clot. Additionally, each next door I was meant to walk through to work toward solutions, opened rapidly. The difficulty that I am having in all of this is the loss of my mobility due to the fracture, and now knowing that I will be on blood thinners for a season and not allowed to partake in contact sports. After having trained with my football team since the fall, I am deeply disappointed. Likely, my difficulty sleeping at night is further fueling my frustration. At the end of the day, I know God is good and that He will meet me and comfort me, as His presence is promised forever. May we ever be open to receive the comfort conveyed by our Creator, and trust that His promises are always true.
As each cry He hears.
As He walks us through.
Your path You’ve laid out.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that Your unfailing love is present to comfort us, just as You promised. Forgive me for allowing my frustration to compete with my gratitude in the good that You do and how You make Your mercy known. Teach me to trust You more, so that I would lay hold of Your unfailing love and find comfort in Your promised presence forever. Show me how to love those around me with love that comforts and remains present through difficulties. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we give You praise for Your unfailing love and trust in Your promises that we know are true. Amen.
This entry was posted in Awe, Blessing, Comfort, Community, Courage, Faith, Fear, Forgiveness, Gentleness, Grace, Gratitude, Healing, Hope, Kindness, Loss, Love, Mercy, Obedience, Offering, Peace, Poetry, Possibilities, Praise, Strength, Surrender, Trust, Voice, Worship and tagged allowing, appointment, blood clots, comfort, comfort me, compassionate, compete, concerns, confirmed, conveyed, Creator, current circumstance, deeply disappointed, difficulty, doctor, doubt, each cry, each door, end of the day, ended up, faithful love, fall, fear, find comfort, forever, forgive, frustration, fueling, gave, God, God is good, good, gracious, gratitude, great love, hears, immediately, kind, knowing, laid out, lasting relationship, lay hold, lead us, let, Lord, loss, meet me, mercy, mercy known, more, near, needed, now, open, opened, path, presence, present, promised, promised presence, provides, Psalm 119, raw, real, receive, rich in love, routine, season, send, slow to anger, solutions, space, struggle, struggling, surround, suspicion, swelling, teach, team, trained, true, trust, ultrasound, unfailing love, unfolded, walks us through, whisked, wisdom, Your servant. Bookmark the permalink.
God is good. He is full of mercy and comforts us through our hardships and trials. His goodness and grace are not dependent on how we feel, and His mercy knows no end. I am one who craves constant activity. When I am utilizing my body as it was designed, be it to run or hike or partake in my sport of the season, it is in these that I feel free and most alive. Sadly, with the injury I sustained last week, I am unable to do anything that requires weight-bearing on my leg with the fracture and am at a loss for what to do to truly move as my body craves to move. Incredibly, His mercy has been my comfort, and so far, my heart has held hope that the healing process for a fracture is far shorter than that of a more severe sort of injury. This morning I will see the orthopedist and know more about the specific plan for healing and recovery and have a better idea of timeline. As I go, I hold hope that He is my strength and comfort and will be with me. May we ever trust in He who is our Source of mercy, and our generous Provider of comfort and strength through every hardship and trial.
All hope is but gone.
Strength to all things face.
Dear Heavenly Father, all praise to You, the Father of our Lord Jesus. Thank You that You are full of mercy and that You comfort us and strengthen us in the midst of our hardships and trials. Forgive us for either allowing our circumstances to overwhelm us, or for attempting to power through our trials on our own. Teach us to trust You more, as You are the One who provides all that we need to navigate every difficulty that we face and You cover us with Your love and Your grace. Show us how to love those around us in the same way, so that they too, would know Your comfort, grace, strength, mercy and love in the midst of every trial faced. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we give You all praise for who You are and how You love us in tangible ways in the midst of our struggles. Amen.
This entry was posted in Awe, Blessing, Comfort, Community, Courage, Faith, Forgiveness, Gentleness, Grace, Gratitude, Healing, Hope, Kindness, Loss, Love, Mercy, Peace, Poetry, Possibilities, Praise, Strength, Surrender, Trust, Voice, Worship and tagged 2 corinthians 1, alive, all praise, allowing, at a loss, body, comfort, constant activity, craves, dependent, designed, every difficulty, every mercy, face, far shorter, Father, feel, feel free, forgive, fracture, full of mercy, glorified, God, gone, good, goodness, grace, great love, hardships, healing, healing process, heart, held hope, hike, incredibly, injury, Jesus Christ, knows no end, leg, life, Lord, love, made alive, Merciful Father, mercy, mind, navigate, need, One, overwhelm, partake, power through, press on, provider, provides, recovery, restores, rich in mercy, rise, run, season, severe, show, Source, specific plan, sport, strengthens, sustained, tangible, teach, timeline, trials, truly move, trust, unable, upheld, utilizing, weight-bearing, wonderful. Bookmark the permalink.
God is our help and our hope, and we have reason to rejoice and be glad regardless of our circumstances because He is always good. It is the great love of the Lord that saves us, as He holds us in the hollow of His hands. The more we seek God, the more we come to know Him, and cannot help but rejoice and be glad for the salvation that He brings. May we ever seek the Lord and rejoice in Him, for He is mighty to save and loves us throughout all of our days.
He shows us His plans.
For He grants us grace.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are faithful to hear and help us as we seek You. Thank You that we have reason to rejoice and be glad, for You are mighty to save as You love. Forgive us for not seeking You in our spaces of need, or for not rejoicing in who You are and how You love. Teach us to trust You more, so that we would remember that You hold us in Your hands and that You are greater than anything that we face. Show us how to love those around us in a way that offers strength and hope and light where there is need. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we seek You with gladness and give You praise for Your saving ways that You extend to each of us who seek You. Amen.
This entry was posted in Awe, Blessing, Comfort, Community, Courage, Faith, Forgiveness, Gentleness, Grace, Gratitude, Hope, Kindness, Love, Mercy, Obedience, Offering, Peace, Poetry, Possibilities, Praise, Purpose, Strength, Surrender, Trust, Voice, Worship and tagged all, all of our days, all who love, always good, be glad, cannot help, cause, celebrate, circumstances, come to know, extend, face, faithful to help, find, forgive, give You praise, gladness, glorified, God, goodness, grants us grace, great, great love, greater, held, help, His hands, His plans, holds, hope, how You love, leads, light, long, Lord, love, mighty, need, offers, on the hunt, pass, passing fad, reason, regardless, rejoice, remember, saves, saving help, saving way, saving ways, say, seek, seek His face, show, sing, spaces of need, strength, teach, trust, who You are. Bookmark the permalink.
Though the world can begin to feel quite dark at times, His good is always greater. Even after the darkest night, a new day dawns and there is light and life again. Everything good comes from Him, as He is light and life and love. God will not change, and the good gifts He has for us, remain. I have known darkness, yet even so, I held fast to the light of His love. His good gifts continue to amaze me as I willingly walk forward in the direction to which I am called. May we ever remember the Source of every good gift, and trust in Him who consistently gives light and love and hope in all things.
That floods us with love.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that every good and perfect gift comes from You. Thank You that You are the same yesterday, today and forever. Thank You that we can trust in the light of Your love, as You illuminate the darkness and fill us with Your love. Forgive us for fearing the shadowy spaces and teach us to trust You more to bring Your light and love where it seems far off. Show us how to love others in the light of Your love, so that they too may recognize the good gifts that come from You. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we give You praise for every good and perfect gift that You give and thank You that You are always the same. Amen.
This entry was posted in Awe, Beauty, Blessing, Comfort, Community, Courage, Faith, Fear, Forgiveness, Gentleness, Grace, Gratitude, Healing, Hope, Joy, Kindness, Love, Mercy, New, Peace, Poetry, Possibilities, Praise, Strength, Surrender, Trust, Voice, Worship and tagged above, again, alive with Christ, all things, amaze, begin, bestowed, bring, called, character, come down, consistently, courtesy, Creator, darkenss, darkest night, darkness, dawns, direction, directs our course, done, each day, even so, everything, far off, Father, Father of lights, fearing, feel, fill, floods, forever, forgive, forward, gives, glorified, God, good, good gifts, great love, greater, heavenly lights, held fast, His love, illuminate, James 1, known, life, light, light and life and love, lights in the sky, love, never changes, new day, perfect gift, praise, quite dark, received, recognize, remain, remember, rich in mercy, same, seems, shadows, shadowy spaces, show, Source, teach, thank, today, trust, will not change, willingly walk, world, yesterday. Bookmark the permalink. |
Underwater Photography by Don Silcock
Big Animals
Location Guides
Grey Nurse Sharks
Giant Cuttlefish
Leafy Seadragons
Diving Timor Leste
Diving Atauro Island
Diving Papua New Guinea – The Guide
Tonga Humpback Whales – The Guide
Tongan Humpback Whale – Encounters
Japan – The Ogasawara Islands
Japan – Giant Salamanders
South Africa – Protea Banks
Mozambique – Tofo Megafauna
Diving the Azores
Florida – Crystal River Manatees
Bahamas – Tiger Beach
Bahamas – Oceanic Whitetip Sharks
Bahamas – Great Hammerhead Sharks
Mexico – Chinchorro Crocodiles
Mexico – Isla Mujeres Whale Sharks
Diving Socorro
Diving Nelson Bay
Diving Nelson Bay… Every region seems to have at least one… In Indonesia it would have to be the Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi. And in Papua New Guinea it’s either Dinah’s Beach or Samarai Jetty in Milne Bay. While over in Florida it is West Palm Beach’s Blue Heron Bridge.
Here in New South Wales, it’s Nelson Bay. The wonderfully picturesque town located on the southern shore of Port Stephens. About an hour north of Newcastle on the state’s central coast.
We are talking renowned critter sites… Where the smaller, colorful, and incredibly photogenic creatures of the oceans seem to gather. And concentrated in a relatively small area along Nelson Bay’s foreshore are a couple of exceptional sites that showcase the wonderful temperate and tropical marine diversity of eastern Australia.
Eastern Red Scorpionfish at Fly Point
Diving Nelson Bay – Port Stephens 101…
Located some 220km north of Sydney. Port Stephens is a large, drowned-valley, estuary that covers a total area of some 134 km2. Almost 2.5 times larger than Sydney Harbor!
There are many things that are special about Port Stephens, but let’s start with its geomorphology… The shape and structure of the two large lobes, or ports, that make up the bay area.
Together with the relatively narrow and shallow mouth of the estuary where it discharges into the Tasman Sea. The bay is divided roughly in to two by the Soldiers Point peninsular.
And the inner, western port is the immediate catchment area for the large fresh-water Karuah River. Which rises in the Barrington Tops National Park and means the west port has a mainly estuarine ecology.
While the outer, eastern port receives most of its water from the twice-daily incoming tides from the Tasman Sea. And has a predominantly marine ecology.
With a maximum depth of just 40m, abundant sunshine and a benign, sheltered location. Port Stephens provides a superb environment for biodiversity to thrive. With studies showing that it is home to over 400 species of fish, 200+ species of nudibranchs plus numerous cuttlefish, octopus and squid. Together with rich sponge gardens and temperate water soft corals. But the real key to understanding why Port Stephens has some incredible biodiversity hotspots are those incoming waters from the Tasman Sea…
Eastern Shovelnose Ray at Fly Point
The EAC MixMaster!
Usually referred to by its acronym, the EAC forms in northern Queensland where the Pacific Ocean’s Southern Equatorial Current (SEC) meets the continental shelf and splits into two.
With the southern split becoming the Eastern Australian Current and then surging down the east coast of the continent.
The EAC is both the largest and strongest movement of water in Australia. And, at times, is up to 100km wide, 500m deep and reaches speeds of almost 4 knots. Although not particularly rich in nutrients, it does however transport huge quantities of warm water from the north.
And where those waters meet the colder ones from the south, it creates the basic mechanism that enables rich biodiversity – upwellings…
Virtually everything that dies in the sea descends to the bottom. Where it decomposes and creates a dense, rich layer of phosphorous and nitrogen-based nutrients. When warm surface waters are displaced by wind or currents, they are replaced with cold water rising from the depths, which suck up those rich nutrients.
The Tasman Sea between south-east Australia and New Zealand is where the warm waters of the EAC meet the cold waters from the south. Creating “eddy fields” which are at their most active offshore from northern NSW.
Placing Port Stephens right in the eye of an incredible hydrodynamic phenomenon. And those twice daily incoming tides deliver a potent brew of nutrients from the deep. Mixed with the northern tropical and southern temperate larvae of eastern Australia.
Nelson Bay 101…
If you stand on Nelson Head, with the old lighthouse behind you and look down at the east port of Port Stephens. The wonder of this special part of NSW is displayed before you in all its scenic splendor!
Fly Point on the headland and Nelson Bay in the Background
Port Stephens Tidal Flows and Currents (Arrows to Scale)
But look closer, down at the waters flowing into the east port. And you will start to understand why certain parts of Nelson Bay have such incredible biodiversity.
The bathymetry (underwater landscape) of Port Stephens is a complex thing. With large areas of shallow sand banks and deeper channels. Those rich tidal waters will always follow the path of least resistance through the channels and the deepest one is right in front of you…
Because of its huge size, complex bathymetry and relatively narrow and shallow estuary mouth. The tidal flows in and out of Port Stephens are fierce and positively dangerous if underestimated.
Viewed at their peak, as they surge around Nelson Head. Those tides are an awesome sight to behold.
And after rounding Nelson Head those waters flow along the southern shore of the east port.
Past the small bays that are home to the biodiversity hotspots Nelson Bay is renowned for. That flow of tidal water creates eddies which deliver the rich nutrients and larvae to the hotspots enabling them to thrive and pulse with biodiversity!
Diving Nelson Bay – The 2021 Floods
Tidal Flow in the Maib Channel
Over a period of several days in March this year NSW experienced some of the heaviest rainfall on record.
In the Port Stephens area 457mm fell in just three days. The highest total recorded since records were first taken in 1889.
Such a massive volume of fresh water, carrying with it large amounts of pesticides and herbicides, dramatically changed both the chemical composition and salinity of the water flowing through Port Stephens.
The result was an almost “neutron bomb-like” destruction of all marine life down to about 6m depth! Thankfully the marine life down deeper was not severely impacted. As the lighter fresh water floated as a layer on top of the denser sea water…
Initially, at least there was great concern that the damage was so bad recovery was out of the question.
But nature is a powerful thing, and the signs are very positive that the balance will be restored. And by next year much of that marine growth will have returned.
Diving Nelson Bay – Halifax Park
There are three well-known hotspots along that southern shore – Halifax Park, Pipeline and Fly Point.
Halifax Park site was generally considered as one of the very best shore dives in Australia. Because of its stunning sponge gardens and the extraordinary amount of marine life to be found there.
Then sadly from around 2005 the sand came… Divers noted increasing amounts of sand being deposited on the shallower parts of the site. And then over a number of years much of those incredible gardens.
Rarely dived these days, Halifax is a distant shadow of its former self.
The whole topic of where the sand came from is a very emotive subject in Nelson Bay.
One school of thought being that the over-development along the southern shore is causing it.
The alternate view being “shifting sands” are a natural phenomenon in estuaries like Port Stephens. Which is why dredging is often required.
The best information I could find on-line about the actual movement of sand was the Halifax Park/Fly Point Sand Accumulation Study.
This report was authored by David Wainwright for BMT WBM and was commissioned by the Great Lakes Marine Park.
It made (for me…) interesting reading, but I will let you form your own judgement.
One thing is very clear though… Those shifting sands have effectively decimated one of the underwater wonders of Nelson Bay!
Diving Nelson Bay – Pipeline
Located near the breakwall of the Nelson Bay marina. This site takes its name from the disused former sewerage pipe which extends well out into the east lobe of Port Stephens.
It enjoys a stellar reputation as great place to see and photograph an incredible number of critters. Such as numerous species of nudibranchs, pipefish, seahorses, eels and the occasional weird and wonderful tropical critters!
Blue Ring Octopus at Pipeline
Dawn in residence at Pipeline…
Concrete steps and a handrail have been provided about 25m to the east of the disused sewer pipe. Making entry and exit to the site much safer and easier.
Once in the water, swimming over to the pipe provides an excellent way to initially navigate around the extended area.
The pipe heads out straight north into the east port for some 250m, to a depth of about 18m. So following it out and back again will ensure you don’t get lost as you get to know the lay of the land!
There is a great selection of macro subject along the full length of the pipeline.
Pipeline was also home to Dawn – the oldest known White’s seahorse (Hippocampus whitei) in Australia. Typical lifespans for these creatures are believed to be between 3-5 years.
But Dawn managed almost 8 years, with most of them spent in the same spot at Pipeline! Interestingly, she also had the same partner for a number of years, who was christened Dusk…
Her age was known because she was marked with three small, red elastomer tags on the 8th March 2014. When, based on her size, her age was estimated at approximately 320 days.
She was last seen on the 19th April 2021 when her age would have been 7 years and 7 months. A period during which she enjoyed a degree of fame in the marine science community.
You can read more about Dawn in this paper by Nelson Bay based marine scientist David Harasti: Getting Old: An Endangered Seahorse (Hippocampus whitei) lives for up to 7 years in the wild.
Diving Nelson Bay – Fly Point
Opinions vary on whether this is the best site in Nelson Bay, but for me there is no argument… It’s the best because of it has a really special combination of macro life and superb sponge gardens!
Sponge Garden at Fly Point
Fly Point “Mudmap” – Image Courtesy of Tom Davis and www.divingnelsonbay.weebly.com
Fly Point is located at the northern end of Little Nelson Bay. And the main area of the site is around the rocky point and in the small bay just to the east.
There are a few ways to dive Fly Point, but they all involve the same initial swim straight north past the 4m wall at about 20m out. And then over the second slightly deeper wall another 20m on.
At this point you will be in about 6m of water, and you can either turn left and head west along that ledge which will take you to the tip of the rocky point. On the way there is much to explore in the kelp and the nooks and crevices along the wall.
This is definitely the best option if you have not dived Fly Point before. The navigation skills required are minimal and yet there is still a great deal of marine life to see.
Eastern Toadfish at Fly Point
Or you can take the more adventurous option and keep going north till you are in 12m. Then turn left to head west towards the rocky point.
On the way you will find series of ledges, also in about 12m, where there is almost always a lot of fish patrolling mid-water. While under the ledge are a plethora of bethnic species plus shy creatures like Toadfish and Pineapplefish.
Just north of those ledges and in about 16m of water is my favourite part of Fly Point… The rich and incredibly beautiful sponge gardens!
While the sponges themselves are prolific and very photogenic, they are also host to a great variety of fish and critters and spending time there is basically why I like Nelson Bay so much!
When to Dive Nelson Bay
Nelson Bay is a year-round diving location, although conditions can and will vary throughout the year.
Visibility: On a really good day, in-water visibilities of up to 15m have been known, but generally good for Nelson Bay is around 7-8m and bad is less than 1m. A great deal depends on the tide and recent rainfall and while it is possible to dive at low tide, it means the water will be full of the discharge from the Karuah River as it makes its way down the estuary…
Whereas a high tide means in-coming, much cleaner water from the Tasman Sea, particularly so when there is a southerly wind. Heavy recent rain almost guarantees terrible visibility because of the greatly increased particulate in the river discharge, and it can take several days for that to be flushed out to sea by the tides. So, as a general rule, plan your dive for the high tide because it provides the best chance of good visibility in Nelson Bay.
Water Temperature: As you would expect, the temperature varies through the year, falling as low as 16oC in late winter and early spring, from July through to September and rising to around 23 oC in February and March.
Marine Life: Studies by Reef Life Survey (RLS) have shown a strong correlation between warmer water and the amount of marine life. That is particularly so with the number and diversity of fish species which peak in later summer and early autumn as those temperatures also peak.
How to Dive Nelson Bay
All the main sites in Nelson Bay are shore dives with easy entry and exits. Especially at Fly Point and the Pipeline where there are excellent steps and railings provided.
Fly Point at low tide
The main danger when diving Nelson Bay are the tides. And the only real option being to dive at high tide as trying to do so on a rising tide exposes you to the strong risk of being swept into the busy main channel and taken into the bay.
Worse still would be diving on a falling tide and the very real risk of being taken out to sea!
Most of the local divers opt for Sydney’s Fort Denson tide tables. Because of the time a time lag with the Port Stephens table and gets you in the water before the peak, giving you the optimum time in the water.
There are two local dive shops – Let’s Go Adventures and Feet First Dive. Both of which know the area extremely well and can provide all the support you might need.
Nelson Bay is for me a really special place. Relatively close to Sydney, but far enough away to have its own personality. The whole Port Stephens area is wonderfully scenic and very photogenic. Add in the great diving and it’s very easy to see why it is so popular.
Dived at high tide, both Pipeline and Fly Point offer some of the best shore diving in NSW!
Mentioned in Dispatches…
Special thanks to Meryl Larkin and Tom Davis of the DPI, along with Tim Austin of UNSW for helping me to better understand the complexity of Port Stephens!
Tom Davis also runs the Diving Nelson Bay website which contains a lot of useful information and is well worth checking out. As is Dave Harasti’s site www.daveharasti.com
Diving Nelson Bay – Scuba Diver Article
The Australian edition of Scuba Diver magazine recently published my five page Diving Nelson Bay article and you can use the link to download a PDF copy.
Back to: Scuba Diving in Australia
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Home » Special Treatment for Jews
The Trump Effect? – New Jersey authorities expose 'Special Treatment for Jews' in welfare fraud investigation
Published by carolyn on Sat, 2017-07-01 15:21
By Carolyn Yeager
AS i SAID IN MY PREVIOUS POST, "Stop Special Treatment for Jews", examples of Jewish special privilege are easy to find. They are ubiquiitous. And indeed, an excellent example appeared immediately after I posted that article. I mentioned it in the comments, and now am giving it fuller treatment - special treatment, if you will.
The following are quotes from two news articles by New Jersey 101.5 about the reaction of the good citizens of Lakewood, NJ to the news of the fraudulent activity, which many have been aware of all along. The quoted material is indented; my comments are not.
June 28, 2017, by Adam Hochron
LAKEWOOD – They were warned.
Two years ago, before state and federal authorities arrested 14 people this week on charges of scamming welfare benefits, prosecutors held a public meeting to warn township residents about avoiding this type of crime.
Rabbi Moshe Zev Weisberg, a member of the Lakewood Vaad, a local orthodox Jewish council serving as a bridge to other government agencies [welfare assistance], said close to a thousands people attended a meeting in 2015 with representatives of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.
“They wanted to alert the community that they've come across certain issues that are of concern for us and just want everyone to be extremely careful when you're dealing with these programs, Weisberg said. “If information is misrepresented or fraudulent or something like that, there are penalties to it. [In other words, authorities knew in 2015 – 2 years ago - that the fraud and theft was going on, but gave the “Jewish community” a heads up to stop it!]
Weisberg said in the years since that meeting, leaders in the community have continued to reinforce the message.
“We knew for awhile that there were issues out there, and as far as the community leadership has gone, we've always encouraged people that […] whatever programs they're getting involved with, they should certainly be honest and forthright and transparent and all of that.”
Authorities have not explained why they had focused on Lakewood, a municipality known for its large concentration of orthodox Jewish residents.
Three more couples arrested on Tuesday, June 27, two of whom had earned millions of dollars in annual income as of 2014.
But years later, an investigation involving a multitude of state and federal agencies resulted in the high-profile arrests Monday of four couples, including a rabbi, and the arrests on Tuesday night of three couples on charges that they collected Medicaid, food stamps, housing subsidies and other benefits from 2009 to 2015. Two of the couples who collected these benefits as late as 2014 had earned millions of dollars in annual income, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Monday.
Law enforcement officials say even more people may face charges.
The rabbi, according to form, criticized the criticism expressed by Lakewood residents against “his community.”
“Don't talk about 'they' or 'them' or 'those people.' That is offensive. That is hate speech and that's what really concerns us really, that the genie is out of the bottle and it's extremely difficult to control.”
Oh, yeah, the genie is out of the bottle for sure. What to do? As always, blame the white folks and social media for “antisemitism.”
In a time of social media, Weisberg said the news of the past week “is a catalyst for people that are basically haters, anti-Semitic, have other chips on their shoulders. They come out of the woodwork in all kinds of forms and just blast the whole Jewish community.” […] “If there are individuals that fell short then we need to deal with that, but painting the community as being immoral is unforgivable.” He added, “I'm not justifying or apologizing for any wrongdoing, [but[ if there are people that did take advantage of the system, we certainly feel it was shameful and they shouldn't have done it.” [Avoids saying there should be legal repercussions, doesn't he.]
Here he seeks to spread the blame around:
Weisberg said government bureaucracy also plays a role in issues the community is facing when it comes to government benefits.
“I only have the highest praise for the Ocean County Board of Social Services and other agencies involved, [but] gien the resources and responsibilities they have, they don't have the staff of the training to go into very intricate questions from thousands of people with all kinds of complicated financial situation.”
“We don't look at them as the enemy, we look at them as our partners and our friends.”
Ha, I'll say - partners and friends. He also brings up the “complicated rules and regulations” that his community should be forgiven for “not getting right the first time.”
In the second article: Why did prosecutors warn Lakewood about avoiding welfare fraud?
Unnamed couple who were charged in 2015 with collecting government benefits to which they were not entitled have still not been sentenced, their case still unresolved.
June 30, 2017 by Adam Hochron
LAKEWOOD – Authorities in Ocean County are defending a 2015 meeting they held to warn hundreds of residents against scamming welfare.
The meeting was prompted after a Lakewood couple {pictured above) and others in the county were charged with collecting government benefits to which they were not entitled.
Two years later, authorities arrested 14 more people in this community after an investigation into the owner of a beeper store, who pleaded guilty to running an unlicensed money-transmitting business that transmitted millions of dollars, revealed ties to some suspects charged this week, officials said.
After announcing the first round of arrests on Monday, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato pointed out that the community had been warned in 2015 about abusing welfare services. This prompted readers to question why prosecutors would give potential scammers a head's up.
Below are some of the comments that appeared at the New Jersey 101.5 story and at Facebook, selected by me as the most interesting. Not a single comment excused or defended “the community” for its actions. They are worth reading – Gentiles are mad and fed up.
Karen Ann Campbell Seriously! They warned there would be more "raids" this week, allowed the people they were arresting to call babysitters for their children before they took them in. Always special treatment.
Anna Hackett That's the whole point of doing a investigation to get as many people possible without warning. So they warned them 2 years ago and are still warning them .Federal needs to handle this. .and tell all the people who warned this community who works for the county their resignations are due.
ChrisnLori Morrison The point of the meeting 2 years ago was to inform the large influx of people who were being encouraged to move to Lakewood, I believe the term was "Pioneers" Most of the elected officials in Lakewood are Jewish. There are 35,000 school age children but only 5000 attend public school. The reports of more arrests came from a source who was not allowed to give information. Time to make people accountable for their actions, starting at the top.
Tom Lanzano If the public knew this was going on for years, why did it take so long for the authorities to figure it out!! How about that community not getting marriage licenses and claiming they are single parents with 6,7 or 8 kids. How about the school board having only people from this community on it, meanwhile not one child from this community is in the public school system!! I can go on and on!!!!
Joe Mufalli This is a systemic problem in this community. And it's generational. The real story here is what finally got the authorities to say "game over"?
Christine Randazzo D'Onofrio It's about time The residents of Lakewood in the Jewish Community are audited. How do they afford all those oversized houses and how do they afford all the things they have and yet Lakewood is bankrupt? The town is a crowded mess. After working there a few years, I hope all the questions are being answered and all the cheats are found out.
Jane Herron Now saying 'they" to refer to a collective group of accused scammers is hate speech. Give me a break.
George Worthington My friend who is Jewish told me over 30 years ago how the Ultra Orthodox or Hasidics were abusing the welfare system, my question is, why did it take the state and Feds so long to do something?
Chris Kisseberth Here is a clue... if a home is owned under an L L C then in my opinion that's a red flag. The reason for LLC and not "John Smith" is to hide the assets
Laura McHale So anyone that criticizes that is outside their faith is automatically anti- Semitic...people are standing up and saying something because this has been known, there has been a blatant abuse of the system...unbelievable. When you lie, cheat, and steal from people...you do not get to play the "victim" card because they criticize you for doing it!
John Farese Might be the changing of the guard finally with the abuse of the system !! Let's see them start getting honest jobs and join their community instead of isolating themselves and ruining towns !!!
John Currie You wouldn't need as much assistance if you just stopped producing children like an assembly line.
JoAnne Hanvey Granato Are you kidding, they were warned?! Explain this, why won't orthodox live with people other than their own, why won't they send their 15 children to public school? Why is this even allowed? Every single one of them knew what they were doing and they would do it again. I hope they go to federal prison and have their assets seized, because they have plenty. If they want to live this way, go to israel.
Elizabeth Ann Don-Trainor Thank God the FBI is coming down on this group. Tip of the iceberg and I swear 90% of this group has defrauded the govt. . All who defrauded the govt should be punished full extend of the law. Put them in jail, no special treatment---they will have to eat what is supplied, wear prison clothes----etc.. There should be given no breaks [...] All of us regular hardworking people do not owe these people anything who are healthy able bodied people who can work.
Donald Peter Didn't take long for the "anti-Semitic" card to be thrown around, did it. When the same group of people continue to be "persecuted" all throughout history and everywhere you go it's time to acknowledge that it's not EVERYONE else, it's YOU ! Even the Israeli citizens in Israel are fed up with your group.
Jeff W Wienaker OK, its wrong , very wrong... but as I understand the scam, where they get married under their religion but no marriage license, then therefore its not a valid marriage. ... then technically according to the law, applying for section 8 housing and assistance as a single unemployed mother is not lying. Don't get me wrong, these people need to repay the system because that system is designed for people who really need the assistance.
Hasidic Orthodox community, scamming the system, Welfare fraud, welfare cheats
Jews, Non-White on White Crime, Special Treatment for Jews
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Jett Rucker (not verified)Sat, 01/07/17
Lying, Cheating and Stealing
The people this article is about are said to have lied, cheated and stolen.
The difference between these people and those truly qualified beneficiearies is that the latter group isn't lying. They're still cheating and stealing - with the government's knowing assistance.
carolynSat, 01/07/17
Of course, there are a lot of
Of course, there are a lot of non-Jewish people in this country who lie, cheat and steal. The difference between those people and these people, in my book, is the size and scale of their cheating but also all the other harmful stuff they do at the same time.
If you read the linked news articles, you know that Lakewood is the fastest growing town in New Jersey ... because of the influx of Hasidic Orthodox Jews who are forming (have formed) an influential electoral bloc there. Everyone agrees they dominate the seats on the Public School Board even though none send their children to public school. They all send their many children to private Jewish schools, which apparently is very expensive for them. Why then do they want to sit on the public school board??
For control. Their intention is to control the town government and agencies so they can be used for their community's benefit. Right?
Not only are there a lot of these orthodox Jews in the town - they have a lot of children which means they expand faster than other groups do. This is a form of occupation. If I lived in Lakewood NJ, had an investment in a home and a family there, I certainly wouldn't like it and many of the residents appear not to like it.
What to do? From the photos, these people look, and no doubt feel, repulsive to the regular American residents of Lakewood. They are a foreign and unassimilated element. Their intentions are not good. So there are multiple problems with them. It isn't a matter of "live and let live" when you're dealing with people like this. They are your enemy, but they put on a pose of holding you to a moral standing regarding them that they don't live up to themselves.
In short, these are not your normal folks and they will never be true Americans. There is only one place they belong and that is in Israel.
carolynSun, 02/07/17
Half of Lakewood children receive government aid
Guess which half.
http://www.app.com/story/news/investigations/watchdog/2017/06/30/lakewood-welfare-half-children-get-assistance-families-panic-after-arrests/438839001/
LAKEWOOD - Welfare is so widespread in the township that half of all children live in homes that receive some form of government aid, an Asbury Park Press analysis of census data found.
But one statistic stands out among all other municipalities in the state. There are 10,000 more children in households with married couples in Lakewood receiving food, income or state aid than the next closest town.
Of the 43,600 children under 18 years of age in Lakewood, 18,200 with married parents receive government assistance. Newark, the largest city in the state, is second with 7,800 children with married parents receiving aid, according to the Census Bureau's 2015, 5-year average American Community Survey. Newark has a total of 70,669 children, and 37,965 children in households receiving public assistance, the data show.
That poverty indicator is telling in two ways: Lakewood has a strong family tradition with many of it residents living in a two-parent household with young children, yet most of those families can't make ends meet without government help.
This is all due to the orthodox Jews who live there, with more coming. They are not good citizens.
[Rabbi] Weisberg said that many young Jewish families collect public assistance as their families grow.
The men are often studying in yeshivas and have moderate incomes, if any income at all, he said. Census data shows that 3,302 people in Lakewood between the ages of 25 and 34 – 21.8 percent of everyone in that age range – are enrolled in school, most of those likely being yeshiva students.
"The average family feels it an absolute necessity to send their children to private schools," Weisberg said, adding that large families are also a part of Jewish culture. "They really want to build a large family with lots of happy children.
"Financial considerations come second," he said.
To make ends meet, many of these families rely on public assistance, Weisberg said.
Oy vey. Whatever they want they should have, right? They expect to be subsidized by the Gentile taxpayers. Considering their "poverty" (while living in large new homes and having high child-care expenses), they don't pay taxes either.
Half of Lakewood's 100K residents are Orthodox Jews
This is a news report from March by the Jewish Telegraph Agency:
NEW YORK (JTA) – The mayor of a town adjacent to the Orthodox Jewish stronghold of Lakewood, New Jersey, says a comment he made about Jewish home buyers invading his town does not make him anti-Semitic.
Thomas Kelaher, the mayor of Toms River, was quoted in a recent Bloomberg News story as saying that Orthodox Jews are trying to buy homes in his town and warning local homeowners that if they don’t sell, they will be the only non-Orthodox left.
“It’s like an invasion,” Kelaher told Bloomberg. “It’s the old throwback to the 1960s, when blockbusting happened in Philadelphia and Chicago with the African-American community — ‘I want to buy your house. You’ll be sorry if you don’t [sell].’ It scares the hell out of people.”
Kelaher later told the Asbury Park Press that his remark was taken out of context, and that if he indeed used the word “invasion,” it was to denote how Toms River residents feel.
“To suggest that I am anti-Semitic is ridiculous,” Kelaher told the Asbury Park Press. “We have a lovely relationship with the Jewish community in Toms River.” [Oh sure.]
Lakewood is home to one of America’s largest yeshivas, Beth Medrash Govoha, and is among the fastest-growing Jewish communities in the United States. It also has the highest birthrate in New Jersey at 44 births per 1,000 residents. More than half of Lakewood’s 95,000 residents are Orthodox Jews, locals say.
With the town bursting at the seams, Orthodox Jews are seeking to buy homes in nearby areas, including the North Dover neighborhood of Toms River. Last month, the Toms River Town Council enacted an ordinance creating a five-year “cease-and-desist” zone to bar door-to-door solicitations. The town already had a no-knock registry, but locals said it was failing to keep real estate agents away.
Annie Getturgeun (not verified)Wed, 05/07/17
Why not RICO charge? Can you
Why not RICO charge? Can you imagine if these were blacks, hispanic, Mexican or even Italian, would they get a warning? No they would get thrown under the bus by every newspaper. I've gone to major supermarket in Borough Park, where houses are worth a good deal, pricey cars. I was shocked to see how many Hasidics paid with EBT card. I go to regular supermarkets in my predominantly black neighborhoods, some near projects, and mostly see cash, credit or debit. I can't even name 2 people that I know get food stamps and most people I know are low-income and struggle. I have friend living next to "LLC" house. They purposely gutted house and is letting house rot with mold and disrepair so my friend can get tired and sell his house to them. I love and respect Jews, but these are organized crimes by many in a particular religious group.
carolynFri, 07/07/17
Thanks for your comment, Annie. You're right that what they're doing is "organized." Then they call it "a few bad apples" and "antisemitism" when light is shined on it. No one from that community ever turns another one in, or even tells them to stop. The rabbis are the worst offenders of all. But this is one religion the government won't go after along organized crime lines.
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Ask HN: How would you teach teens to code in 2019?
82 points by evolve2k 29 days ago | hide | past | web | favorite | 86 comments
My son and daughter are growing up and after setting them up with Linux machines and kids coding activities (Scratch, Coding Minecraft w Java, Shoes.rb and more) a few years back I think it’s time to teach them to code proper.
I have experience in ruby and react and currently work as a Digital Media Designer.
What resources would you suggest? A. As a curriculum To run a small code club with them and a friend or two with homework in between
B. Self directed online resources they can use to level up themselves?
I’ve always loved ruby but am aware that JS is king and also want them to have exposure to functional languages also.
smt88 29 days ago
Agreed that they should show an interest before you embark on this. Finding joy in general education is more important than job skills for that age.
That said, Ruby and JS are not great languages for teaching fundamentals. They (especially JS) have a lot of weird design decisions that don't translate to other languages and don't map neatly onto problem spaces.
If you insist on JS, start with TypeScript at least. But maybe D, Kotlin, Go, or Dart would be better to teach general concepts.
Python would be a good add-on because they could actually use it to write quick utility scripts and, eventually, data analysis.
Instead of linear programming exercises, it may be easier to find problems they find interesting and help them Google their way through solving them. Maybe they have some tedious homework they could learn to automate.
The problem you'll find is that kids don't do much work, so programming (i.e. making a computer do work for you) isn't necessarily that exciting yet.
lkCbdBclE 29 days ago
When first learning it's more enjoyable to see an idea translate quickly to reality.
JS is great for that purpose. It's very easy to make animations and other fun effects in the DOM or build an extension on top of their favorite site. Once invested they might start research and discover CS fundamentals. Immediately throwing them at typescript without understanding JS could lead to frustration/confusion.
They also might learn an appreciation for things like type safety by not having them. For that reason dynamic languages like Ruby /Python are great. They can execute an idea faster, and if they get frustrated by those types of issues then introducing them to those other languages. Kotlin is cool, but it makes a lot more sense if you have had to deal with null pointer errors before.
It's easier to use Kotlin to make fun animations than JavaScript, because Kotlin has better autocomplete. The DOM is neither the only (nor the easiest) presentation layer when you want quick results.
> Immediately throwing them at typescript without understanding JS could lead to frustration/confusion.
I don't understand why you think this would be the case. They could write plain JavaScript in a .ts file and get better error messages. There's no downside.
It's also frustrating to constantly have to check docs for JS libs instead of using autocomplete. A good static type system makes coding much faster and require less memorization of things like parameter order or return types in libraries.
stevewodil 29 days ago
I finally learned Javascript after hating two compsci classes that used Java. I really like Javascript or Python for beginners, I think other languages are too strict and are not "fun" to learn for beginners
Java's strictness used to be tedious and redundant. Don't assume all strict languages work like Java. Type inference in Kotlin, for example, is fantastic.
Strictness with good error messages is much better for beginners. That's why I use the strictest possible language in professional work: if the compiler can do a bunch of work for you, why not let it?
Strictness is like bumper lanes or training wheels.
duxup 29 days ago
>They (especially JS) have a lot of weird design decisions that don't translate to other languages and don't map neatly onto problem spaces.
As someone who started with JS, I feel like this is a valid point, but also ... not really a big hurdle to overcome later down the line.
It's one of those things that is really apparent when comparing languages, but I'm not sure matters as far as learning goes. No doubt someone has run into someone who can't do anything outside JS, but I'm not sure that is all that common.
I feel like if you're at all capable, it's almost no hurdle, and the benefits of being easy to start, can do some front and back end work, are pretty big.
noxToken 29 days ago
>Agreed that they should show an interest before you embark on this. Finding joy in general education is more important than job skills for that age.
Thank you for including this in your comment. So many people are trying to force programming down kids' throats when the child may not even have an interest in it.
Programming is the future! Everyone needs to know how to code! Nearly everyone can write some piece of code for use in their every day life to make it easier! I disagree. Code is good for kids who have an interest in it, because after so many months of not doing it, the kids that didn't refresh the knowledge will be nearly at square one.
dahart 29 days ago
Very much agree on kids showing interest. I didn’t even have much choice, when my kids weren’t interested, they wouldn’t do it. Now that they’re interested, they’re self-motivated, exploring and begging me to help them.
As far as language choice goes, I’ve tried to teach my son Python and a couple other languages, but he’s not that interested. He’s choosing JS and is self-motivated to learn because he can share his creations with his friends super easily, and because he can edit JS files directly on his website that doesn’t need to run a back-end. That’s not really built-in to any other language. TypeScript is closest, of course, but for a kid the prerequisite of learning npm and a transpiler and installing them on a server are huge hurdles.
Personally, having worked in Python, C++, and JavaScript professionally for a couple decades, I’m not in the least bit worried about my son learning JavaScript and being able to use what he learns in other contexts, not even a little. All languages have oddities, and IMO JS doesn’t have more than any other language, they’re just different. JS is really great for asynchronous thinking and quick to prototype interactive web pages and games.
tmaly 28 days ago
I have been teaching my 5 year old daughter Scratch. But we make animated stories and add funny sounds. She has a blast doing it. I am gradually teaching her more complexity but keeping it fun and interesting. I will try to make a course out of it at some point.
This by far beats the maze games I would program in basic back in the 80s.
timje1 29 days ago
Seconding the idea of finding them problems that they can solve or things they can build that they find interesting.
Programming to make their homework easier? Great.
Programming a game they can show their friends, that lets them compete to get a high score? Great.
Programming some interesting scripts into minecraft? Great.
Programming to learn to how to reorder a red black tree? ="programming is boring"
stronglikedan 29 days ago
I don't think waiting for obvious interest is a good idea. I believe in putting as much as possible in front of children as soon as you think they are ready. If they show interest in something, then foster that interest, but don't force them if they don't. I never had an interest in coding before it was put in front of me, and I know many others in the same boat.
simonw 29 days ago
Glitch is amazing. It solves the development environment problem better than anything else I've ever seen - you can spin up a new environment entirely from your web browser without installing anything, and seconds later you have a dynamic website that other people can visit.
It's also a really great learning community, thanks to their "remix" feature (like forking on GitHub).
opencl 29 days ago
I also really appreciate that you can get started playing around without making an account.
IloveHN84 29 days ago
Do they have also C++?
hluska 29 days ago
When I was quite young, I started 'programming' by copying code out of magazines. I would run home from school, open up a magazine, write code until dinner, run downstairs after and write code until I had to go to bed. If I repeated that often enough, I would eventually (if I was lucky) be able to compile my code, fix the 14,000 missing pieces of punctuation and then have a (very primitive) game to play and share with my friends.
I don't recall learning much, but I was at an age where I was more concerned with getting Nario to jump over a bucket than with actually learning. I likely did learn something, maybe even just a passion for sitting in front of a computer and making it do cool things. I'm sure I also learned that if you really want something, just put in the hours and jfgid. For me though, the operative part was games. I wanted to play games and at some level, I wanted to learn how other people built amazing games for my Tandy.
The point of all that (other than 7:30am nostalgia) is that, for me at least, I had to be motivated. I had to want the end result enough to push through the grueling bullshit of it all. To this day, I believe that the only way to learn to code is to fall in love with a project to such an extent that you can't stop yourself. Whether that's a good lesson for teenagers will have to wait...my kid is only three, so I have a decade of self doubt to interfere. :)
yoz-y 29 days ago
I fear that this kind of passion is now harder to achieve, because kids are shown that computers can do amazing stuff from very young age but anything that you can produce yourself will be woefully behind. Back in the day a game copied from a magazine was worse than what one could buy, but not _that_ much worse.
This is why, I think, we see people "coding" in Minecraft and Roblox. They have all of the environment set up for them and can do cool stuff which they can immediately appreciate.
That’s an excellent point that time had kind of glossed over for me. When you mentioned that, I remembered playing a couple of commercial games. You’re right - they were better, but not that much better.
Thanks for the comment and helping my memories! This has been a great thread.
RandomInteger4 28 days ago
While I agree to a certain extent with the point you made in your first paragraph, I'm not sure why you doubt quoted coding with regard to Minecraft and Roblox. Both games have Turing complete languages. Roblox uses Lua.
Minecraft uses javascript on Bedrock, but also has a command block scripting language along with redstone, which together form a unique and mentally stimulating coding environment.
This isn't even mentioning mods which add different languages (Forth or Lua) or modding the game itself, which isn't that difficult to stumble into these days.
Oh, I did not know that (I was only familiar with redstone).
kenni 29 days ago
I've been volunteering to teach high school kids how to program for the past decade and it's been my job for the past two. As many of the other comments recognise, finding the joy in programming should be your number one goal. Having peers to bounce off of and push each other forward is a great way to do this!
One of the programs we run at work is an online 5 week competition where you learn to code (either with Blocky or Python) at the same time. It's called the NCSS Challenge http://ncss.edu.au/challenge . It's aimed at Australian students, but you can give it a go from anywhere in the world.
Teachers often run the Challenge in their classes and we have had a few code clubs run it too. It works really well having a group of kids be able to compete and encourage each other to solve problems.
There are multiple levels, but it increases in difficulty each week at a challenging but achievable rate. At the hardest levels it gets quite competitive with students making programs to compete at playing games (last year was Big2) against each other.
I'd recommend clicking the "Try demo" button at the bottom of http://ncss.edu.au/challenge . Even if you don't sign up, you can get an idea of what kind of problems we see kids getting hooked by. I think there's a lot you could "steal" in terms of how to pose interesting yet simple and informative problems for teenagers to solve.
floren 29 days ago
I started with BASIC programs written on my TI-86 to automate math problems; they may find that a useful way to get started, and learning a little BASIC shouldn't be much more brain-damaging than learning Javascript.
I kind of have a problem with training people to "code" rather than teaching computer science; feels sorta like comparing a "wine and painting night" to a course in oil painting, in that you might shortcut to something acceptable-looking but with little understanding of how or why you did it. But they're kids and will probably quickly tune out during Dad Explains Linked Lists :)
Ideally I'd suggest starting off with some smaller guided exercises to get them familiar with the language, then work with them to spec out and implement a more interesting project. In my CS courses in college we implemented the minimax algorithm for tic-tac-toe and checkers, starting with a tic-tac-toe engine which just printed out its desired move and evolving along until we were displaying a checkerboard as it played along. Could be a good project for you since it's implementing something they're familiar with (board games), doesn't use anything weird like networking, and can introduce concepts such as recursion and complexity ("if we have it calculate the next move, how many possible moves are there? What if we calculate the next two moves? The next three?")
aphextim 29 days ago
I remember geometry in 9th grade. I ended up programming my TI for all the formulas so it would prompt for the variables then you hit enter and viola, perfect answer every time.
We had a test where I ended up finishing in about 10 minutes. The second person to finish took 30 minutes +. In hindsight I should have went slower because it was obvious no one could have finished as fast as I had.
After the class was dismissed the teacher obviously asked me to stay after class and asked me if I had downloaded all the formulas I had used.
I explained that I did not download/transfer from someone and that I had programmed the calculator to do it for me.
Teacher called me out (probably not believing it) and asked me to program the volume of a cylinder.
Took about 10 minutes to write it up quick, showed it worked and rather than reprimand me the teacher did something amazing.
She said something along the lines of, "If you understand the formula enough to write a program to do it for you, that shows you understand it at a higher level. Rather than punish you, I will still give you a 100% and you are allowed to use your calculator for the remainder of the class as long as you do not share your program(s) with anyone else."
I never had many friends (loner nerd type) so that was easy and it was the easiest 100% I had ever gotten.
Hah, it was geometry class for me too. Lots of plug-and-chug arithmetic, no logic required, translated perfectly into simple calculator programs.
MH15 28 days ago
I had a calculus teacher in 11th grade who followed the same principle. Best math teacher I've ever had. Didn't give us 100%, but the calculator programs were worth extra credit.
nvusuvu 29 days ago
Good teacher.
rspoerri 29 days ago
You should differentiate between the different aspects programming involves. I sure do see logical thinking as the most important aspect of development. Also Algebra is important, but well above the understanding of a younger child. If you look for example into Game Design you get a lot bigger area of interest that is combinable with programming, such as UI, Art, 3d, Sound, Story, Mechanics and Level-Design, etc.
Getting them directly into programming directly will likely be the wrong attempt, because (in my opinion) programming requires a lot of frustration tolerance and if done the wrong way will spoil it for them. Also combining an existing interest with development, such as using their painted characters in a game might create interest in content creation.
In our Game Design BA, we also give a summer school course for kids (12-18 years), that teaches them to develop a game in GameMaker during 2 weeks. Other visual development systems such as GameMaker might be good as well. Afaik lego also has a visual programming system for it's mindstorms system.
If you you insist on classical programming languages i'd suggest python with some ui based libraries (for example pygame, not because of gaming, but because of graphics, sound and interaction aspects) or processing.
I also consider gaming as an important aspect of learning. But the game has to change often, othervise it's just enjoyment to get perfect in a system that you already mostly understand. I usually reach this point after 2 to 8h in a game, because i want to understand the logic of the game. If you enjoy the story, you have to go trough the whole game usually. To reflect on the things you played and experienced is good to learn as well, but usually spoils the fun. There are a lot of games that teach logic thinking and often contain logical structures systems or train logic thinking. (minesweeper, sudoku, kerbal space programm, bridge builder games, lots of construction games (minecraft)...)
randomvectors 29 days ago
I'm super grateful that my first exposure to programming (high school in Eastern Europe, 10+ years ago) was in C++. I don't think we even did a lot of C++ specific stuff so it was probably closer to C but using cout instead of printf. Covered things from if-statements and loops to sorting and tree-searching algorithms. It doesn't sound flashy and it somehow goes against the trend to try to make learning exciting, but it lays a really nice foundation in your learning.
LandR 29 days ago
I learned programming from doing C, and man am I glad I did. I thinm if my first language had been something like JS it would have been a major impediment.
Yeah, the nice thing about C is that it really doesn't take much to start writing and running C. A text editor and a compiler is all you need, and unlike say Java there's not a ton of boilerplate you need to handwave when writing "hello world".
kickscondor 29 days ago
First one is Beaker Browser. I know this isn’t a popular technology - but that’s not important to a teenager. I have been teaching some teenagers how to build little JavaScript apps in Beaker (no npm or git yet) and it has completely caught on for most of them. These are kids familiar with Scratch but not text-based languages.
The nice thing about Beaker is:
* They can write dynamic apps without needing to write server code. (We are working on note-taking apps and home pages that save to the file system.)
* They can share their stuff and link to each other without needing to publish anywhere. This also makes it a kind of private network, so it feels like a safe place to make mistakes.
* Has a built-in text editor and file manager. Eventually they will learn more - but let’s start with just the HTML, CSS and JS - that’s already a lot to take on.
* Concept of versioning is built-in, so hopefully this will make it easier to teach source control.
Other good tools that I have enjoyed using to teach elementary-age kids: Twine is amazing. And Scratch (as well as Scratch Jr on touch devices) are good preparation.
To determine interest level, I like to have them watch over my shoulder while I build something small for five or ten minutes. (Don’t go too long.) I start by just showing how HTML tags work. This will excite many of them - they may even start to conjure up ideas right away - if it doesn’t excite them, then perhaps the interest isn’t there. (Or they might not understand something like HTML yet and need something simpler.)
ktpsns 29 days ago
Teens/Childs quickly loose interest in something. Find out what they find "hip" or cool, don't expect it to be what you find cool. I would rather support them to program their own Instagram app then to propose them to some hardware programming environment (thinking of educational boards) if they don't like it.
Also, learning programming was applied autodidactics for most of us, isn't it? My feeling is that this is the only really working way of learning programming (have worked 10y in university, teaching programming: Doesn't work well).
It really depends on your kids and on your relationship to them. Maybe you should present them a vast amount of programmable devices and interfaces to explore together interesting projects.
rchaud 29 days ago
It's the content on IG that's fun, not the app itself. Take it from me, someone who half-learned JS and PHP through extremely tedious "build your own FB" tutorials that took 2 hours of setup work (VirtualBox, MAMP, MySQL DB setup, etc etc) before you even started "coding".
At best they will end up with something not much more than a static website that can accept image uploads. Forget about live video, stories and the stuff people actually use on IG.
I think a simple game would be better. Easier to see results early on, at which point you can dive deeper into the mechanics of what's happening.
You nail it: I find "Instagram" as an application interesting, because it can be approached really easy (file upload and viewer). That even you don't find it interesting anymore supports my point that it should be the kids who decide what to code. I never had an interest in developing games. When I learned JS and PHP (~15yrs ago), I created tons of dynamical websites which nobody used, but which were fun to code.
joe202 29 days ago
I have taught programming in schools in the UK. It's not necessarily that easy. If your kids are beyond Scratch and Minecraft, I would teach them Python - I think it's the best teaching language and it's also real world useful. I've mostly used Code Club resources but what I'd really like to do if I could would be to teach programming robots. Although really getting into coding will only happen if coding or a project grabs their interest, I think it is super useful for every child to have programming experience. It introduces them to a different way of thinking and teaches them that they can do at least some simple coding for themselves.
febeling 29 days ago
Start with purpose. My son only really went for it with Java, because he needed it for Minecraft plugins.
Attempts before with Scratch weren't too successful, but once the Why was there, setting up Eclipse and all kinds of silly things Java makes you do weren't a lasting obstacle.
ArtWomb 28 days ago
High schoolers are so innately passionate about tech today. May be best to let them figure out where their own passion lies. And just be there to sign off on the purchase orders.
In the past year I've witnessed:
Student run AR / VR clubs producing award winning interactive digital content
OS development in Rust for a robotics competition
Computational cinematography for programmable drone swarms to produce short form content for a YouTube channel
Functional design in CAD of a Martian habitat
CV object recognition and tracking app using Core ML
And an automated burrito making machine!
VR edtech content is particularly effective in classroom settings, with near 100% interaction rates. I'd say producing 3D VR / AR content is probably the skill they are most anxious to acquire. And it involves not just getting Oculus type hardware into classrooms and training instructors. But also Blender skills, narrative voice for the new medium, and thinking about localization for global distribution. There's no downside to being able to express one's embodied teenage reality in an immersive imagined world.
mikorym 29 days ago
If I had to teach a class right now, I'd teach them on Raspberry Pi's and with some command line / terminal capability that includes SSH. I would probably bring in mathematics, taking care to separate the two pedagogically. I think the rest of the details would depend on the age of the kids in the class.
beenBoutIT 28 days ago
Exactly. Command line /terminal should be the first step in any learning that takes place on a computer.
quintes 29 days ago
Do they show an interest? Same as playing an instrument you can get them one, teach them a few tricks, send them to classes and then, well, they either want to pursue it or not.
xtiansimon 28 days ago
I agree to the extent that a hands-on person might not care for or see the value to learn programming. I had arguments with my younger brother about learning software programming, whereas he liked building computers and building out networks (I’d jibe, ‘pulling cable’).
That said, I don’t think music education is a good analogy, unless you’re working at Guitar Center. I’d say it’s more like learning Spanish, if you want to be a food service manager. It’s not your job to speak nor write in Spanish for Spanish speakers, but it’s damn useful.
So what I’m saying is you don’t have to become a programmer to realize the value of doing a data analysis task in a fraction of the time it takes in Excel. Especially how business likes to pile on work (now you have one more thing to do every week) in a way that design and project-based work does not.
gnode 29 days ago
For direction of learning, I'd recommend finding challenging projects with them which they have a strong interest in, and can feel a sense of ownership over, then let their curiosity and creativity drive the teaching. The teaching should reward them by solving problems they are perceptive of and value.
I think for a language, Javascript is a great choice. It's convenient because it can be used in the browser, or CLI / server with Node. It has powerful and user-friendly tools for debugging and profiling. NPM has a wealth of libraries for graphics, robotics, machine learning, and pretty much anything else you might want.
For functional programming, with interoperability with Javascript, there's Elm: https://elm-lang.org/
inpooling 28 days ago
Initial interest is very important but not enough. The best way to teach teens (not just today) would be by making something simple and interesting together with them. It can be as simple as a "tic-tac-toe". Then add on complications little by little. The language itself doesn't really matter. It's always evolving but the concept is similar through all common languages. Here is my story: I was born in the mid 80' and was curious about computer science. Unfortunately all my computer science classes turned to be super boring at that moment...I decided to switch to economics and finance. Occasionally I used python/sql for some basic scripts at work. But I never understood "the magic" of coding... till recently I started learning coding with a bootcamp. I was so surprised that I really enjoyed it. I loved the problem-solving aspect, the strong logic and the power to create something simply by coding! Now I look back my experience at school. Most old classmates doing well at CS started exploring coding by themselves thru gaming projects. They were so passionate about doing projects, but so much the theories, while I was worn out by most computer science classes filled with blablas. I wish I had done the fun projects with my classmates instead taking boring theory classes at that moment. Coding is such a practical material - different with other STEM subjects. We should teach people first about how to code, then how to code better with all theories behind that.
JustSomeNobody 29 days ago
I would not focus just on programming but on projects. I would get a few Raspberry PIs and some electronic components and let them build and program devices. Build a simple weather lab for temp, humidity, etc. Build a silly traffic light that is triggered by a motion sensor. Have a lamp that can be controlled from a web page.
Programming isn't just about web apps and mobile games, so teach them how to build simple projects. Their eyes will open up to all the things computers control all around them. That way they get to decide what they like, hardware, software, both, neither.
shawtyshawty 23 days ago
Give them each a raspberry pi, pre install it with risc os, configure it so the start up language is BBC basic 5.
Then have a search on places like 8bs.com and download some of the "type your own xxx xxx game" books, or have a look for "Marshall Cavendish input magazine" if you search around you can find all 52 issues as pdfs.
Have the kids work through the books, and the practical exercises in the magazines.
In the 1980s and 1990s this produced some of the best UK developers and coders around, and inspired an entire generation to write their own softwate, to explore the machine, to tinker about under the hood with things like assembler language, and really understand what's happening inside.
Once they grasp that, change the config of the rPIs and install desktop c, get them writing desktop software and designing guis for their apps so they start to learn high level languages, and how they relate to the low level, use your skills to teach them how users will interact with their gui.
When they start mastering that, jump up higher, compiled vs interpreted, script languages, presentation languages (such as html).
It never did me any harm, I make a pretty good living, I'm an 80s back bedroom developer and proud of it.
Before I submit this though, I know there are going to be many who will cry "we don't need low level knowledge anymore", "what on earth do you want assembler for" or "you old hippy grey beard, bigger off and leave us kids alone", to which I say.....
Trust your gut, it's not about learning assembler, or low level, it's about encouraging exploration, it's about getting them to discover how fascinating the journey they are about to embark on, and not just cramming their minds with syntax and turning them into code monkeys.
Even now, nearly 40 years later, I still love what I do, I'm not afraid to take the lid off windows/linux/macos and break things, because you learn so much more when you learn how to fix your screw ups.
Good developers are born out of passion for what they do, not from nessecity or a sense of future preperation.
braindouche 29 days ago
If your kids get into coding and if they're doing Javascript (which I think is a good place to start for lots of reasons, but python might be better) I can personally recommend Free Code Camp for learning basics and intermediate topics in javascript web development. The interface is thoroughly gamified and it's very effective for people who are, but ONLY after they're enthusiastically hacking away at web dev. They'll be much more successful at learning the basics once they realize that they want and need the basics.
huis 29 days ago
For me the 'magic' of BASICs line function helped me a lot to start coding because I could 'see' the results and was blown away by the graphics.
Therefore I would go for Processing, which is a kind of Java. Or even the online version https://p5js.org/ which integrates the HTML DOM.
And ofcourse follow The Coding Train with Daniel Shiffman. Fun to watch and he has video's for starters and experienced coders.
marsantwo 29 days ago
I did not see this comment and added a similar one and looks like there are 2 Coding Train fans on here. this. rocks !!!
I’m thinking about this for my niece--topics, ideas, pedagogy.
First, I’d say data storage and retrieval. I created my first DB on a Macintosh and FileMaker. Super useful. I still use a DB I started 20 years ago filled with every book I read. Make a project for quickly designing a database and using it. Someday they'll find a use for the skill.
Second, flip the script. Instead of cool projects, teach them what computers are great at. I think algorithms and models/simulations are really on-point. Team that up with learning Jupiter Notebooks, wow.
Finally, maybe you could teach them strategies on how to learn, and mix some computing solutions into it. Audit some Coursera or Edx classes. I recommend Charles Severance [1] and the Guttag and Grimson [2]. The whole course may be over their head, but there are a few really accessible lessons that are super interesting.
Good luck. Whatever it takes.
[1]: https://www.coursera.org/learn/python-network-data
[2]: https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-to-computer-science-...
xhgdvjky 29 days ago
code for code's sake is usually boring. using code to do something you already want to do can be fun.
so start by finding a project. even better if they find the project on their own...
Theodores 29 days ago
So true. I think that finding a project involves listening to the child/young adult and listening is a bit of a skill!
I think trust is also important. So if you can do a collaborative project where you do your bits and they do their bits then it should all work out.
Then you need some imagination. To think of a project. It should satisfy a personal itch. Or a neighbour's problem.
A good breakdown of roles is for adult person to do some hardware, even if the computer interface is just a switch and a relay and then the computer bits can be done by the young person.
I would say that listening is important, particularly if you want the young person to be owning the project.
I would direct them to a game style coding session as gaming can be a stepping stone for some.
For me gaming led to wanting to mod the games, which led me learning how mods were created and learning to 'break' the game.
I am not affiliated with them however I did stumble across a DApp programming 'game'
https://cryptozombies.io/
If they like the above at that point I would direct them to other programming languages.
bgorman 29 days ago
You could look into Turtle graphics and Clojure. This is a modern take on "Logo" - a language designed for children, but the learnings can be applied directly to Clojure/Clojurescript.
http://timothypratley.github.io/power-turtle/ (try in browser)
Thanks for sharing this , I think its a interesting approach to learning Clojure and I am a going to use this. Using a LISP as your first language may be too abstract to effectively teach and use. I would consider it a risky approach . IMHO it is better suited as a second programming language for someone who already codes and wants to expand on his/her programming skills. I would like to here from someone who started with a LISP ( as opposed to the 99% of us who start with imperative languages)on their learning experience.
gameswithgo 29 days ago
I did a video series with this in mind: gameswithgo.org
Teaching programming fundamentals via game projects. Things mostly from scratch, no engines.
michaelbuckbee 29 days ago
This is more "resource" than "curriculum" but have you seen Glitch.com? It's a combination hosting service/dev environment/playground that has lots of example projects that can be forked and modified, many of which are things that they might find interesting (messing around with Spotify playlists, etc.).
I would highly recommend this channel Coding Train on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/user/shiffman/
The instructor Daniel Shiffman explains coding from the ground up and is easy to follow along. The kids can use the web based editor http://editor.p5js.org/ and all you need is a browser. This is usable from a tablet but using any laptop or desktop will provide a better experience.
Start with the playlist Coding with P5.js https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRqwX-V7Uu6Zy51Q-x9tM...
This channel starts with the basics and goes all the way to machine learning !!!
iraldir 29 days ago
If they have interest in it, by all means. Programming is a very slow learning curve, which can be frustrating for most people. I would personally start with very highly specialised / abstracted programming environments. If they like video games, using things like construct or, harder, Unity might be a good inbetween. Because of scenes editor and such, you can create something nice just with a series of drag and drop, and just write a few simple scripts to make it a bit more alive. It's also good to start on existing tutorial and try to customise them.
If they aren't interested in video games, it might be harder to sell programming as a hobby. I guess there is something a bit more magical to "hey, I managed to make this cube move when you press the joystick, and then when you press A it jumps" vs "hey, I have a sign-in form for my app".
parentheses 29 days ago
If I had the time to construct exercises I would use a very primitive game engine to teach these things. Depending on the students math level you could focus on the interactions and their logic or the math of physics (in a simple way).
This idea is biased to my own experience.
The benefit of this approach is that it teaches that computer science on its own is great. If you add an understanding of science and math, it can be even more powerful.
I think working with numbers is something programming "snaps to" easily.
The weakness of this approach is that anyone who thinks they're weak at math or logical thinking ends up possibly feeling left out.
- if Mario touches an enemy, he should loose a life
- if Mario has a power up active he should go back to original form
- implement Mario's jump
- implement Mario's movement
- make it inertial
- implement gravity
- implement momentum
- etc..
logari 29 days ago
I assume by "Code Proper" you mean the ability and knowledge to use computer science to program. If so, focusing on programming only would be like focusing on the HOW, the procedure, whereas focusing only on CS would be akin to focusing on the WHAT and WHY, the rules and purpose. These two complement each other.
In this case, your kids should learn the language that teaches them CS at meaningful and deep level, so that they can see what is the soul of programming. You would need Scheme language, the text being one by Friedman (sorry, not a fan of Wizard book for the reason that it is very MIT-centric and elitist in that sense).
Once they know enough CS and Scheme to find their way in the map of programming (in the scheme of things, pun intended), then I suggest at least two programming languages that differ from each other in how they solve problems and what kinds of problems. One of these is without doubt Python, because it is connected to all sorts of fine things like web dev, AI, general purpose programming etc, and is programmer-friendly enough to not cause mild and chronic masochistic psychosis like certain languages (not naming names, because this is highly subjective).
After your kids are experts in Python, they should learn Javascript because of its utility, but also how different it is from Python. These two languages for operational, utilitarian purposes that also nicely supplement what they did with Scheme.
Once they have a good grasp of Py and Js, they should build proficiency in Haskell so that they can appreciate programming from a completely different angle; Haskell is going to be more useful later, so it has more than just didactic value.
After Haskell, some Julia for computational programming would be nice, since Julia does things efficiently and differently.
At last, they should also master C, for historical and low access purposes (and to not to fail "can you C" question).
With these languages under the belt, and the basics of CS1, they should move on to CS2, and try real world programming. John Zelle's book teaching Python and C++ for a second course in programming is very nice.
waltbosz 29 days ago
I learned to code on GW Basic in the 1990s. My first programs were simple games like: try to guess which random number the computer picked, you'd input a guess, and the computer would respond with higher, lower, or correct (IF-THEN-ELSE). You'd get to keep guessing until you win (LOOP).
Those might be mundane coding examples for teenagers, but it taught me the basics of logic.
Functions is one thing I wish I had learned about a lot earlier than I did. Also how to commenting out lines of code, rather than deleting them. And how to use the debugger. These are no-brainier concepts now, but I was 10-years-old and self learning from books with some guidance from my dad and brother.
Liveanimalcams 29 days ago
I think it would be good to try something different. First I would get them good at typing code. This way they will not have to think about typing and thinking, they can just think. Second I would figure out a way to get them used to the concepts of programing, like for loops, variables, ect.. by doing other tasks. For example run a soccer drill like a for loop so they are learning secondly. I think this might help with some kids giving up early since its hard. It should be a little easier since they will have some experience with the concepts since they have run the drill before. Hope this makes sense, good luck!
ilaksh 27 days ago
Show them how Google works. Try to give them some kind of motivation to learn to code. Make sure they know how to read. Demonstrate that you can make money doing it (i.e. by programming yourself and earning money from a product or job.) If they are smart and they are actually interested in coding, they will use online resources to teach themselves. If they are not motivated enough then you can give them projects and pay them for accomplishing them. But they aren't going to get very far if you have to do that.
jerome-jh 29 days ago
Well it is difficult because there are so many distracting things and programming environments are not very engaging for kids. My two daughters had great fun assembling Lego Mindstorms and Robotis Bioloid kids (with the smallish metal screws). We then downloaded the examples programs to which I did a few changes in front of them, and tried to explain stuff. But clearly they showed no interest in the programming activity. So I did not insist. I may try some time later with an Arduino: I think it is by far the less sucking programming environment for young people, and it basically works (and is text based).
a-saleh 28 days ago
Code-club sounds great.
I can say from my memory:
I received computer in 1999, on my ~10 birthday.
I don't remember if I had big drive for learning programming, but my mom found me a programming course for kids.
It was once a week for two hours?
We used Visual Basic For Applications (because it was present in every office install)
We mostly did simple cli-like applications, composed of strings of input and message boxes, i.e. quizzes, simple calculators, poem generators, maybe even simple interactive fiction? It took as a year to go through all of the basic primitives.
Later we used form-designer and made simple games with the Timer object.
tluyben2 29 days ago
Like the rest, if they are interested. I think, again like others, that something with better fundamentals than JS would be good as then JS won't be hard to take up. I learnt coding in the early 80s by programming games. But when it came to making money I used those skills to build business applications. And I liked that as well (I like the feeling of creating something that works 'out of nothing').
brixon 29 days ago
Something fun to start in might be GreasyMonkey kind of stuff were they can manipulate existing sites. That could introduce them into a lot of programming areas while still allowing small changes to have big results.
kerrsclyde 29 days ago
This. My 12 year old son was never very interested in school coding (Scratch mainly), but when shown how to manipulate existing web pages using Inspect in Chrome that really caught is imagination.
souprock 28 days ago
JS is not king. It doesn't self-host. It is just scripting.
C and assembly are fundamental. If you want to get fancy: Rust, and https://ispc.github.io/
Ghidra is a good learning tool. Use it to decompile executables back to C, and to look at the assembly.
tmm84 27 days ago
A. Check out archive.org and look for old basic computer game books. Your kids can tackle all the games in JS, Ruby or whatever. Plenty of code to "look" at and it gets them thinking on how xyz work in language A and B.
B. Leveling up will happen naturally when they see a problem and want a solution for it.
Havoc 29 days ago
I'd go with turtle initially as suggested by another. Until they can wrap their heads around concepts like loops and the basic cause and effect of code = an output. Wrong code wrong output etc.
Then python. Though keeping that interesting for kids is going to be a challenge I think. Maybe if they can control some sort of LCD array or a motor or robot of sorts?
roland35 28 days ago
Arduino is a great tool and language to start out with coding! It is easy to start out blinking an LED, and from there you can do lots of very cool things with servos, speakers, and sensors with a lot of available parts, tutorials, and code libraries.
It requires a little hardware but I think that is what makes it more fun!
jerkstate 29 days ago
when I was learning programming as a kid it was all about video games. Quake was a new game and it had an embedded language called QuakeC that controlled the game logic. That was hugely fun for making Quake mods. That set me up to do programming in Perl and C.
I would probably play to their interests with projects that are more concrete than abstract. If they are into video games, lots of games have mod languages and they can start by giving themselves more health, more power, different weapons etc. If they are into social media maybe javascriptlets to edit the DOM on a website to change peoples tweets and take a screenshot, twitter or insta bot that automatically responds to certain types of posts, etc.
Teenagers should be able to grasp non-toy languages and the concept of searching StackOverflow for how to do stuff :)
lallysingh 29 days ago
I think it depends on what kinds of problems they're interested in solving.
It's not my favorite either, but you'll probably get better traction in Python. Everything from Arduino to algo trading runs in Python. JS if they really like in-browser, but that's it.
mft_ 29 days ago
Python is the closest in experience to the BBC Basic I grew up with, I think.
The only challenge/disappointment vs. BBC Basic is that you need additional modules (and complexity) to output any sort of graphics; if this is of particular interest, I would highly recommend checking out processing [1].
[1] https://processing.org
sheepybloke 29 days ago
I really like getting people started with IOT projects! They can be simple, often with a Raspberry Pi, Python, some wires, and a sensor, but they are very rewarding to finish and expose them to a lot of different areas: embedded, web, etc.
password4321 29 days ago
Game Builder: Create 3D games with friends, no experience required
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20179820
enriquto 29 days ago
yes, definitely. My father teaching me to code as a kid was a very happy time!
Today, I would start by playing a bit with the browser developer tools, and then move straight to shadertoy to produce cool opengl demos.
depr 29 days ago
How to teach programming to your loved ones: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BleOgPhsdfc
sn9 29 days ago
CS50x on edx followed by the CS50 sequel focused on game development and/or How to Design Programs followed by Realm of Racket.
getaclue 29 days ago
Personally, I would think twice and instead help them find what they are good at (or have interest in). Future will include content creation of sorts.
beijingjim 29 days ago
I would definitely say stay in the web development area of programming. It's really expanding at an incredible rate. HTML, JavaScript (All the frameworks), CSS, PHP, etc.
quickthrower2 28 days ago
Those TRS80-100's look fun.
Verdex 29 days ago
Step 1) Buy a lot of paper. Too many ideas, concepts, and problems in programming are really really big and we have no idea how to effectively tackle them. Being able to take notes, write down your thoughts, create diagrams and pictures, etc is invaluable in being able to learn. Being able to go back and checkout your thoughts in the past helps a lot.
Step 2) You'll want to check out these videos and pass them along as you feel they are appropriate: John Cleese on creativity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb5oIIPO62g
Philip Wadler on the beginnings of computer science: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PJ_DbKGFUA
Rich Hickey's Simple Made Easy: https://www.infoq.com/presentations/Simple-Made-Easy/
Types and why you should care: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0arFPIQatCU
80-20 rule and software: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXRxsRgLRZ4
Jonathan Blow complains about software: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k56wra39lwA
I've got a list of videos and other links that is much longer than this. Start paying attention and building your own list. Pass on the links as they become relevant to things your kids encounter.
Step 3) I spent a decade learning effectively every programming language (at some point new languages just become a set of language features that you haven't seen batched together before, but don't otherwise add anything new). You can take it from me, all the programming languages suck. The good news is, though, that you can find a language that clicks well with the way you think about things and approach problem solving. The language that works for you might not work for your kids. Here's a list to try iterating through: Some Dynamic Scripting (Lua, Python, Javascript, etc); Some Lisp (Common Lisp, Racket, Clojure); C; Some Stack (Forth, Factor); Some Array (R, J, APL); Some Down To Earth Functional (Ocaml, ReasonML, F#); Some Academic Functional (Idris, Haskell, F*); C#; Go; Rust
Step 4) Listen to everyone, but remember that software development is on pretty tenuous ground right now. We've been building bridges for thousands of years, but the math for CS has only been around for about 100 years and we've only been doing programming and software development for decades at most. Everyone who is successful will have some good ideas, but there will be an endless list of edge cases where their ideas are worthless at best. Help your kids take the ideas that work for them and not get hung up on ideas that cause them to get lost and frustrated.
liaonet1 28 days ago
Www.coderdojo.org is free
100100010001 29 days ago
C and an arduino
Post that, it would make sense to become mathematically involved in programming. For instance learning enough good mathematics to understand concrete mathematics for CS by Knuth et al. The best book to do that is the Rozov, Potapov, Dorofeeov text called "elementary mathematics" which was written in 80's when people when authors had very high IQs.
After they finish the Knuth Concrete Mathematics, they could develop real-world software to further hone their skills and decide what to learn next.
The most important thing however, is to let your kids gravitate towards it if they feel like it. I used to hate Piano, but not because I disliked piano per se, but because I had a bad teacher and it appeared harder than it actually was. So make sure your kids like it, but if they dislike it, it could also be due to factor x (some other reason other than sheer dislike).
Finally, good luck and hope my humble opinion has not offended anyone here. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Doctor, I just started my new cycle of birth control medicine. I have taken every pill correctly for almost ten days now. My boyfriend and I had unprotected sex the night before I was about to take the seventh pill to stop my ovulation. he did not ejaculate inside me, or at all throughout the whole encounter, but he did pull out because he thought he was about to. What are my chances of being pregnant? output: It was quite risky sexual intercourse. In this case, you have LOW to MINIMUM chance of pregnancy as it was close to your fertile days. You should continue those pill regularly on scheduled time. Do home pregnancy test if you miss next period. Practice safe sex in the future. Good luck.. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: my gf pregnant 5 weeks ....... where can we go for her abortion........... a place where it will be safe and our privacy will be maintained...... can she take abortion pills to terminate pregnancy......... is it safe...... can u suggest some gynocologist who can suppervise her on this... we stay in bangalore.... so please suggest some clinics here
t is the best medicine for abortion? output: Hallow Dear,At five weeks of gestational period, you can definitely terminate the pregnancy safely and successfully by medicines. Tab. Mifepristone 200 mg followed by Tab. Misoprostol 800 microgm 24-48 hours later are very effective in terminating pregnancy up to 9 weeks duration. These medicines are very successful no doubt; however, if occasionally they fail, they have ill effects on the development of the baby. Hence if these medicines fail to effect abortion, the decision should not be reverted to the continuation of pregnancy. In such event, the pregnancy should be terminated by evacuation of the uterus. At this stage, uterus can be aspirated by Karman's cannula and MVA syringe to effect and complete the abortion. These medicines are not over the counter medicines and should be obtained only by Obstetrician's prescription and taken under supervision. It is advisable to report to the Obstetrician 7 days after taking the medicines irrespective of the success or failure of the medicines. I always feel it safer to get the ultrasonography done after 7 days to confirm the completeness of the abortion. I hope you get the message and proceed for the termination of pregnancy only with the help of an Obstetrician.. |
Spring Bank Holiday and Whitsun Half Term 2021: Accommodation Availability in Hostels and Bunkhouses
Availability at other peak timesPerfect for you EnglandScotlandWales
Spring bank holiday, at the end of the may, will take place on a Monday 31st May in 2021. The week following it Whitsun Half Term in many schools across the UK. Read on to see hostels and bunkhouses which have accommodation still available for these peak holiday times.
Accommodation available over Whitsun Half Term and Spring Bank Holiday
Craignure Bunkhouse
Craignure Bunkhouse, Craignure, Isle Of Mull, Argyll And Bute, PA65 6AY
Craignure, a superior eco-sensitive bunkhouse, purpose built in 2014, is the perfect base for your Mull adventure. Set on the water's edge close to the ferry port, there's the Craignure Inn next door for traditional island hospitality. The 4 well-appointed bunkrooms have en suite showers and there's a spacious well appointed communal area with kitchen, ample dining and relaxing space.
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Ackers Adventure
Ackers (ARC), Waverley Canal Basin, Small Heath, Birmingham, B10 0DQ
Ackers Residential Centre (ARC) is a purpose built accommodation centre set in 70 acres of semi rural land just 2 miles from the centre of Birmingham. Perfect for The Sea Life Centre, Cadbury World, Thinktank, The Bull Ring shopping centre, National Motorcycle Museum & the NEC. With 9 sleeping rooms, a fully equipped self-catering kitchen, dining area and a rec room with TV, DVD, games and comfy seating. Ackers Adventure provide instructor led outdoor activities on site which can be incorporated into your stay.
Castle Rock Hostel
15 Johnston Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2PW
In a wonderful location, facing south with a sunny aspect and panoramic views over the city, Castle Rock Hostel is just steps away from the city centre. The historic Royal Mile, the busy pubs, the late-late nightlife of Grassmarket and Cowgate are all only a short walk away. Then, of course, there is the famous Edinburgh Castle. Most of the rooms have no traffic noise and there are loads of great facilities, 24-hour reception and no curfew.
Rookhow Bunkbarn
Rookhow, Rusland, nr Grizedale, Ulverston, South Lakeland, Cumbria LA12 8LA
Set in 12 acres of its own ancient woodland, Rookhow provides a simple and comfortable retreat for families, friends and groups. A small, cosy hostel converted from stables of the nearby Quaker Meeting House (available as an extra space for group activities). Near Coniston, Windermere & Grizedale Forest. Rookhow is the perfect base for walking, mountain biking or for workshops or training events.
Ye Old Ferrie Inn Bunkhouse
Ferrie Lane, Symonds Yat West, Herefordshire HR9 6BL
This beautiful riverside pub has been standing on the banks of the River Wye since the 15th century. With charming traditional features, warming open fires and stunning views across the valley, Ye Old Ferrie Inn is the ideal base for your exploration of the Wye Valley. Ye Old Ferrie Inn Bunkhouse, adjoining the inn, is the perfect place for you to hang up your rucksack, kick off your walking boots and relax. Popular with canoeists, walkers and climbers. If you don’t fancy self-catering there is B&B in the inn.
Heb Hostel
25 Kenneth St, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, HS1 2DR
The Heb Hostel is a family-run backpackers hostel in the heart of Stornoway on the enchanting Isle of Lewis. It is an ideal stop/stay for travellers visiting the Hebrides. Cyclists, walkers, surfers, families and groups are all welcome. Clean, comfortable, friendly and relaxed, Heb Hostel aims to provide you with a quality stay at budget prices. There are many facilities, including a common room with peat fire, free WiFi, local guides and information.
Great Langdale Bunkhouse
Great Langdale Bunkhouse, Great Langdale, Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 9JU
Great Langdale Bunkhouse is situated amidst some of the finest mountain scenery in England with access to mountain biking, cycling, walking, fell running and climbing. The bunkhouse has 18 single beds divided into 3 twin rooms and 2 rooms of six (all bunk beds). The rooms are simple but comfortable and each room has a double plug socket. The bunkhouse has biomass central heating throughout so its toasty warm with an endless supply of hot water and powerful showers.
PubLove The Crown
PubLove@The Crown,102 Lavender Hill,London, SW11 5RD
A hip hangout for locals and travellers, The Crown at Battersea has easy-going vibes. Check in and find your bed, then lounge on the cosy sofas with a tipple or get involved with some board games. Newly refurbished in 2018 The Crown is in south-west London on the lively Lavender Street. Hostel beds are in mixed dormitories, with WiFi, fresh linen, duvet and pillow, 24hr bar, reception and security all included. With food and drink discounts for hostel guests, experience the fun and lively atmosphere of PubLove culture in London.
Earby Hostel
9-11 Birch Hall Lane, Earby, Lancashire, BB18 6JX
Cosy, historic hostel with large kitchen & dining room which can seat all 21 people in one room. Lounge with log burner. Secure cycle storage for 20 bikes. Large wildlife garden with BBQ. Private parking for 6 cars. Great local pub. Medium sized Coop supermarket open 7 days 6am to 10pm. Food available with prior request. Good public transport links.
Thornbridge Outdoors offers excellent flexible group accommodation. With its superb location in the heart of the Peak District you have access to wonderful countryside, quaint villages, stately homes, and the traffic free Monsal Trail, popular with walkers and cyclists.
Astor York Hostel
124 Holgate Road, York, YO24 4BB
Astor York is set in a beautiful Grade II listed building just minutes’ walk to the historic centre! With a huge cosy lounge & dining areas, free WiFi throughout the building and every room en suite, Astor York is the perfect base for exploring the incredible historic centre of York. There is also a bar on the property if you fancy a drink with friends, or to meet fellow travellers, and a kitchen where you can cook your own food if you are on a budget!
Elterwater Hostel
Elterwater, Ambleside LA22 9HX
Located in the peaceful village of Elterwater, in the Langdale valley, 15 mins’ drive from Ambleside. The area has many walks for people of all abilities, from gentle riverside meanders to the challenge presented by the Langdale Pikes, Bowfell and Scafell. Pubs, shops and other amenities are nearby. The area is popular for both on and off-road cycling, rock climbing and other outdoor activities. An ideal overnight stop on the Cumbria Way.
Ballater Hostel
Ballater Hostel, Bridge Square, Ballater, AB35 5QJ
Ballater Hostel lies in the centre of Ballater, near Balmoral, on the east side of the Cairngorms National Park. Traditional dorms & private rooms, along with a large open plan kitchen/dining/communal area make a great space to relax . Drying room and cycle storage available. Either book the whole hostel, a room or just a bed with no minimum stay. Excellent facilities, comfortable beds and a warm and friendly welcome awaits you - the kettle is always on!
Tyncornel Hostel
Llanddewi Brefi, Tregaron, Ceredigion, SY25 6PH
Tyncornel is a former farmhouse set in stunning Cambrian Mountain scenery at the head of the beautiful Doethie Valley. It is one of the most remote hostels in Wales, favoured by walkers, cyclists, and bird watchers. It is on the Cambrian Way long distance footpath. The hostel has 16 places. There is a cosy common room with wood-burning stove, two dormitories with built-in bunk beds and a self-catering kitchen.
Callander Hostel
6 Bridgend, Callander, FK17 8AH
Situated in the town of Callander at the start of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, Callander Hostel is a great location for tourists and outdoor enthusiasts alike. With outstanding views over Ben Ledi this Visit Scotland 5* Hostel has comfortable beds, en suite rooms and a fully equipped self-catering kitchen. Everything you need for the perfect retreat. On the Rob Roy Way, Heart200 and NCR 7.
Corran House
1-3 Victoria Cres, Corran Esplanade, Oban, Argyll, PA34 5PN
A warm welcome & great value accommodation in Oban for singles, couples, families & groups. Enjoy a large self-catering kitchen, spacious lounge, comfortable rooms & big beds. Corran House is perfect for exploring Argyll & the inner Hebrides & is close to the bus, train & ferry. Downstairs try Markie Dans bar for tasty meals, live music & Highland hospitality.
Colonsay Backpackers Lodge
Colonsay Estate Cottages, Isle of Colonsay, Argyll, PA61 7YP
Come to Colonsay Backpackers Lodge and savour the idyll of this Inner Hebridean island. Explore the magnificent sandy beaches, ancient forests and beautiful lochs. Wildlife abounds; spot dolphins, seals, otters and many rare birds. The pub, café & shop are 3 miles away. Or buy fresh lobster, crab and oysters from the fishing boats. The lodge is a refurbished former gamekeeper’s house with bothies. Centrally heated, it has 2 twin, 3 twin bunk and 2 three-bedded rooms. Free WiFi.
Wayfarers Independent Hostel
19 Brunswick Square, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 7LR
Close to Penrith town centre and perfect for the C2C cycle route. Excellent value accommodation to those visiting Penrith, the Eden Valley and the North Lake District National Park. Bike cleaning and maintenance facilities and bike hire on site. Full kitchen and dining facilities, en suite rooms with made up beds, lockers, bedside lights. Individuals, small parties and groups welcome.
Waterfront Bunkhouse
The Old Inn, Carbost, Isle of Skye, IV47 8SR
Feet from the edge of Loch Harport, Isle of Skye, with breathtaking views of the Cuillins, this purpose built, stylish & comfortable bunkhouse is an ideal base for hill walkers or sightseers. There is spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife in the surrounding hills and glens. The bunkhouse has a kitchen and common room with a balcony overlooking the loch and 5 bunkrooms, one en suite. The Old Inn, a traditional highland pub provides breakfast, lunch and dinner if required.
All Stretton Bunkhouse
Meadow Green, Batch Valley, All Stretton, Shrops, SY6 6JW
All Stretton Bunkhouse offers comfortable, cosy, self-catering accommodation for individuals and groups of up to 10. It has easy access to the Long Mynd with walks and bike rides for all levels. It is within easy reach of the busy town of Church Stretton and just 10 minutes' walk from the local pub. There's a well equipped kitchen, a shower, two toilets and a tumble dryer. Sole use bookings may bring dogs.
Anglesey Outdoor Centre
Porthdafarch Road, Holyhead, Anglesey, LL65 2LP
Anglesey Outdoors is an ideal base for groups, individuals or families. It is just a mile from Porthdafarch Beach & the coastal path and only 2km from Sustrans Cycle Route 8. It has four self contained areas each with their own self-catering & bathroom facilities. These can be hired individually or together. Full catering an option and there’s an on-site bar/bistro. Yurts and cabans also available.
Woodside Lodges Bunkhouse
Woodside Lodges, Falcon Lane, Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 2JN
Woodside Lodges Bunkhouse sits in a landscaped park with pools & wild flower meadows, along with Scandinavian self-catering lodges, a campsite and camping pods. The bunkhouse offers 5 self-catering units. Guests enjoy private rooms but share the campsite shower block. Close to the Herefordshire Trail, Malvern Hills & the Forest of Dean it's ideal for walkers, cyclists & nature lovers.
The Chapel House
18 Chapel Street, Mumbles, SA3 4NH
Opened in summer 2019, The Chapel House is Swansea’s only boutique hostel. Catering for travellers from around the world, it is nestled between the Castle and the Lighthouse, in the heart of the Mumbles. Just 5 minutes away from Swansea centre and The Wales Coast Path. Within walking distance of great surf, walking and climbing. The perfect base for those seeking adventure on the Gower!
PubLove The White Ferry
The White Ferry House, 1 Sutherland Street, London, SW1V 4LD
The White Ferry House is a stunning Victorian flat-iron building steeped in history. It provides accommodation in central London, close to Victoria, The Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. In the traditional pub atmosphere you can enjoy chilling out and playing board games, locally sourced drinks and award-winning burgers. There's a 24 hour reception, free WiFi, individual power sockets and guest food & drink discounts. Publove@The White Ferry offers a classic night out and a great location for exploring London by day.
Kirk Yetholm Friends of Nature House
Friends of Nature House ,Waukford, Kirk Yetholm, Kelso,Roxburghshire, TD5 8PG
Kirk Yetholm Friends of Nature House is perfectly located at the start/end of the Pennine Way. It is also close to St. Cuthbert's Way, the Borderloop Cycle Route and Sustrans Route 84. It's a great base too for local day hikes, ideal for individuals, families and small groups. Recently upgraded, the house offers a comfortable, friendly and peaceful retreat. Evening meals and breakfast are available in the adjacent hotel.
Ledgowan Lodge Hotel and Bunkhouse
Ledgowan Lodge Hotel, Achnasheen, Ross-shire, Scottish Highlands, IV22 2EJ
Ledgowan Lodge bunkhouse is adjacent to the hotel. Perfectly located, it is within easy driving distance of the Torridon and Fannich Mountain ranges while Fionn Bheinn Mountain is on the doorstep. The bunkhouse sleeps five in five private rooms. There are cooking facilities for self-catering in the bunkhouse. Guests are welcome to use the hotel facilities when available.
Preseli Venture Eco Lodge
Preseli Venture, Parc-y-nole Fach, Mathry, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, SA62 5HN
Situated just a short walk to a stunning beach, this 5* Eco Lodge offers catered accommodation & a range of outdoor activities to individuals, families & groups of all sizes. Popular with schools, clubs & hen/stag groups it boasts great communal areas including a bar, outside picnic area, fire pit & games field. Just 1 mile from the Wales Coast Path & right on the Sustrans Celtic Trail.
Dolgoch Hostel
Dolgoch, Tregaron, Ceredigion, SY25 6NR
Experience the peace of the remote Tywi valley in an era before electricity at this 17th century farmhouse. Dolgoch is a traditional simple hostel owned by the Elenydd Wilderness Trust. It has hot showers, log burner, self-catering kitchen, dormitories & private rooms. The Lôn Las Cymru and the Cambrian Way pass nearby and there are many mountain tracks to explore. Ideal for bird-watchers and lovers of the solitude of the scenic Cambrian Mountains.
Thorney How
Thorney How, Off Helm Close & Easedale Rd, Grasmere, Cumbria, LA22 9QW
Thorney How offers clean, comfortable accommodation in Grasmere. Family-run and welcoming it provides en suite, simple B&B and self-catering. Close to the Coast to Coast path, local village and lake.Your perfect Lake District base. A bar, restaurant and spacious grounds complete the experience.
Viking Centre
Pelham Road, Claxby, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire LN8 3YR
Situated in the village of Claxby in the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this low cost hostel has a well equipped kitchen and good sized communal area. Within easy reach of Lincoln, Gainsborough, Scunthorpe and Grimsby. The perfect location for: walking, cycling, field studies, outdoor pursuits, educational activities and conservation projects. Popular with family groups, schools, scouts, guides, walkers, cycling groups and other organisations. Ideal for groups wanting a break in beautiful rural surroundings.
Llangollen Hostel
Berwyn Street, Llangollen, LL20 8NB
Llangollen Hostel, in the Dee Valley is perfect for walking, cycling, canoeing & white water rafting. Families will love visiting the steam railway, horse drawn canal boats & Pontcysyllte Aqueduct - a World Heritage Site. The town has a great choice of restaurants/pubs. It is home to a fringe music & arts festival & the International Eisteddfod. Llandegla, Chester, Wrexham & Offa’s Dyke Path are all nearby. A warm welcome awaits!
The Walrus Hostel
The Walrus Bar and Hostel, 172 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7RW
The Walrus is a multi-award-winning hostel above a bar, with staff who are famous for their genuine friendliness and humour. It has a fantastic location only a short 10 minutes' walk from Big Ben and the House of Parliament and all-inclusive hostel prices. It consistently ranks among the top 5 hostels in London. The bar is a crossroads of local and international guests with a laid back atmosphere, a quirky cocktail menu and real ales on tap.
Cohort Hostel
The Stennack, St Ives, Cornwall, TR26 1FF
Located in the centre of St Ives, Cohort is sytlish and comfortable. Great facilities include a hot shower in the courtyard for surfers, through to a laundry & dry room. The on-site bar is cheap; there’s a big guest kitchen; free super fast WiFi, a TV room & comfortable pod beds - all with USB ports, lights, curtains & under-bed storage. Free tea & coffee before 10am. Walk outside to find cafés, bars, galleries, Tate St Ives and four spectacular beaches. The SW Coast Path is 5 minutes from the front door.
Kyle of Tongue Hostel and Holiday Park
Kyle of Tongue Hostel & Holiday Park, Tongue, By Lairg, Sutherland, IV27 4XH
The Kyle of Tongue Holiday Park is a stone lodge and campsite, magnificently situated on the shores of a sea loch on the Scottish North Coast. Furnished, like a boutique hotel, but with all the friendliness of a hostel. There are comfortable private bedrooms, roomy dormitories and relaxing communal areas. The campsite is well equipped and has panoramic views of Castle Varich, Ben Hope & Ben Loyal. Holiday cottage and static caravan also available.
Butterton Camping Barns Waterslacks and Wills Barns
Fenns Farm, Wetton Road, Butterton, Leek, Staffordshire, ST13 7ST
Fenns Farm Accommodation can offer guests accommodation to suit all budgets. It consists of four properties, Waterslacks Camping barn sleeping 15, Wills ‘Glamping’ Barn sleeping 6 and two holiday cottages, Fenns & Foggs’ Barn both sleeping 7. All the accommodation is situated on the edge of the Peak District village of Butterton, in walking distance of the local pub and the Manifold Valley.
Ayres Rock Hostel
Ayre, Coo Road, Sanday, Orkney KW17 2AY
Sanday is the perfect place to take time out, with long stretches of unspoilt sandy beaches, an abundance of birds, seals and other wildlife, glittering seas, clear air and spectacular skies. Those lucky enough to live here enjoy a rare quality of life in a small, friendly and safe community. Enjoy the views over the Holms of Ire from the conservatory in this 4* hostel.
The Lochside Hostel
Alltsigh, Inverness. IV63 7YD
Perched right on the banks of Loch Ness, the Lochside Hostel has fantastic views up and down the loch and can give you direct access to the water’s edge. Why not go for a dip in Scotland’s largest water body? Take a walk to watch for wildlife? Or even hunt the elusive Nessie? The Great Glen walking route passes the front door, and the End to End cycle route is nearby. Drumnadrochit is just 12 miles away by boat.
Inveraray Hostel
Dalmally Road, Inveraray, Argyll, PA32 8XD
The historic town of Inveraray, on the western shore of Loch Fyne, is a superb location for exploring Scotland’s Southern Highlands and Islands. Inverarary Hostel is perfect for independent holidaymakers who enjoy socialising. The hostel offers simple, comfortable accommodation in private rooms & shared dorms, an excellent self-catering kitchen, communal dining area and a cosy wee lounge.
Southsea Rocks Hotel
4 Florence Rd, Portsmouth, Southsea PO5 2NE
Southsea Rocks Hotel has a variety of rooms from great value hotel rooms with en suite options to cool hostel dorms. There are social areas, an outdoor courtyard to sit in the sun and space for guests to enjoy take outs from local restaurants. It is within walking distance of the castle, common and aquarium and is a great base for exploring other attractions including Portsmouth’s historic dockyard, Charles Dickens’ birthplace and The Mary Rose Museum.
The Bunker Portland
The Bunker, Victoria Square, Portland, Dorset, DT5 1AL
The Bunker is on the South West Coastal Path, with Chesil Beach on its doorstep and world class sport climbing, diving sites and water-sports a short distance away. Sleeping up to 18 in 6 private bunk rooms, each with a shower and sink, The Bunker offers bunk & breakfast and self-catering accommodation for groups and individuals. It has a large communal area, kitchen with tea and coffee making facilities and free WiFi. Packed lunches and evening meals available on request.
Hoy Centre
Hoy, Orkney, KW16 3NJ
Surrounded by magnificent scenery, the Hoy Centre is ideally situated for a peaceful and relaxing holiday. It's also an ideal venue for outdoor education, weddings, workshops, clubs or family gatherings. Offering high quality, 4* accommodation, the centre has a well equipped kitchen, comfortable lounge & a large dining hall. All rooms are en suite with twin beds and one set of bunks. Hoy is an RSPB reserve comprising 3,500ha of upland heath and cliffs with a large variety of wildlife including arctic hares.
Florries Bunkhouse
Florrie's on the Wall, Kingbank, Walton, Cumbria, CA8 2DH
Located right on the Hadrian’s Wall National Trail this newly converted bunkhouse is aimed at walkers or cyclists. With drying room and cycle storage this is the perfect stop-over on the trail. Open for individuals from April to October, Florrie’s provides a comfortable bed, breakfast and evening meals plus the opportunity to socialise with other guests at the bar. From October 2020 the bunkhouse will be open to groups in the winter season with self-catering.
Old Brooder Bunkhouse
The Hall, Milden, Lavenham, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 9NY
Comfy, farm self-catering in rural Suffolk. Sleeps 22 in five bedrooms, including a restored Shepherd’s Hut. Mix of oak bunks/conventional beds. Relax in cosy sitting room; BBQ, ping-pong, croquet & badminton; explore the farm, picnic in a meadow. 20 bikes included in hire or kayak down the River Stour. Go Ape, visit castles, coast, historic towns & houses. Larger groups can also book the Tudor Barn (also in this guide).
Derwentwater Independent Hostel
Barrow House, Borrowdale, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 5UR
Family run and friendly, Derwentwater Independent Hostel is a Georgian mansion in 17 acres of grounds with stunning mountain views. Just 2 miles from Keswick, close to the Coast to Coast route and the delights of Borrowdale, it makes a great base for individuals, families, groups and conferences. The hostel has plenty of space in & out for you to use and relax in. Home-made food is available.
Tudor Barn
The Tudor Barn offers unique group accommodation on an environmentally friendly working farm in rural Suffolk. Sleeping 23 (singles/doubles/4 posters & truckles) in 4 private rooms + the huge space of the Tudor Barn where you can also feast & relax. The perfect base for group celebrations, reunions or activity breaks. Bikes and Tudor costumes are included. Larger parties can also stay at the Old Brooder Bunkhouse on the same site (also in this guide).
Morags Lodge Loch Ness
Bunoich Brae, Fort Augustus, PH32 4DG
A multi-award winning 4* hostel with a range of rooms to meet all needs and budgets in the bustling village of Fort Augustus on the banks of Loch Ness. Your perfect base to explore the Loch Ness area and an ideal stop off on the Great Glen Way. Surrounded by stunning mountain scenery and set in wooded grounds the hostel boasts 24 hour self-catering facilities, excellent home-made cheap meal options, a rustic bar, free WiFi, bike hire and ample car parking.
Ingleton Yha Greta Tower
Greta Tower, Sammy Lane, Ingleton, North Yorkshire, LA6 3EG
On the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, surrounded by magnificent countryside with caves, waterfalls and mountains, Ingleton is dominated by Ingleborough, the best known of Yorkshire’s Three Peaks (this is a great base for The Challenge). Known for its walking routes and waterfall trail, the area has plenty for walkers, climbers, mountain bikers and cavers. Licensed and serving tasty meals there is also a self-catering kitchen. Perfect for families and school trips.
Alstonefield Camping Barn
Gateham Grange, Alstonefield, Ashbourne, Derbys. DE6 2FT
Close to Dovedale, the Manifold Valley Cycle Trail, Carsington Water, AltonTowers and the Roaches Rocks (great for climbers). Ideal for quiet group get-togethers/parties, families, cyclists, walkers, DofE, Scouts, school groups and team building. Camping in the comfort of a remote cosy barn with log burning stove, fully plumbed in toilet and hand wash basin. No electric and no distractions, it is the perfect place to switch off from the hassles of a hectic life. BYO all camping equipment.
Yarde Orchard
Yarde Orchard, East Yarde, Petersmarland, Torrington, Devon, EX38 8QA
Yarde Orchard provides accommodation and refreshments to those using the Tarka Trail with good access to the great North Devon beaches and Dartmoor. The bunkhouse has an en suite double room with its own entrance, a bunk room sleeping four and a campsite. You can enjoy home cooked meals and the relaxed café atmosphere on the terrace.
Bunkorama
Gwastad Agnes Off Panorama Road, Barmouth, Gwynedd, LL42 1DX
Whether you’re a lone cyclist or a group of walkers you will love discovering this cosy, clean and comfortable accommodation with breathtaking views of Cader Idris and Cardigan Bay. Handy for Cycle Route 8, the Cambrian Way & Mawddach Trail and at only £15 per night Bunkorama is an ideal place to make a stopover or spend a few days exploring the mountains, rivers and beaches of the Cambrian Coast.
Cholderton Stonehenge Youth Hostel
Beacon House, Amesbury Road, Cholderton, Salisbury, Wilts, SP4 0EW
Situated on a delightful family owned farm, this 4* youth hostel provides family/child friendly accommodation for groups or individuals. The hostel is 8 miles from Salisbury & 5 miles from Stonehenge. Cooked breakfasts are available as are packed lunches & evening meals which can be pre-booked. Guests receive free admission to the Rare Breeds Farm. With our Vineyard on site why not also book a vineyard tour & purchase a bottle of our English sparkling wine, from the grapes grown on our Vineyard? Guests need their own transport.
The Wild Wool Barn
Routen Farm Cot, Ennerdale, CA23 3AU
Nestled in the peace of the Ennerdale Valley, overlooking Ennerdale Water, The Wild Wool Barn provides luxury bunkhouse accommodation for 6 (plus 6 camping). Traditional wood-burning stove, electric heating, cooker and shower marry tradition with luxury. With no mobile signal or WiFi The Wild Wool Barn is a true chance to get away and explore the rarely visited Western Lakes.
Palace Farm Hostel
Down Court Road, Doddington, Sittingbourne / Faversham, Kent, ME9 0AU
Palace Farm Hostel is a relaxing, flexible 4* hostel on a family run farm. Situated in the village of Doddington, (which has a pub!), in the North Kent Downs AONB, the area is great for walking, cycling & wildlife. There are ten fully heated en suite rooms sleeping up to 39. Duvets, linen and continental breakfast included.
High Street Hostel
8 Blackfriars St., Edinburgh, EH1 1NE
The High Street Hostel is one of Europe’s best regarded and most atmospheric hostels. It is hugely popular with world travellers. Located just off the historic Royal Mile in a 470 year old building, it is your perfect base for exploring all the city’s many attractions and of course its wonderful nightlife. Providing excellence in location, ambience and facilities, the hostel is highly recommended by more than ten of the world’s top backpacker travel guides. Come along and see for yourself!
PubLove The Green Man
The Green Man, 308 Edgware Road, Paddington, London W2 1DY
Spend your night above a pub, 5 mins from Paddington Station & experience the real & exciting local London. PubLove@The Green Man, has great transport connections to all the famous sites, 24 hour reception & bar, free WiFi, personal power sockets, bed screens & guest food & drink discounts. You can book by the bed or book a private room. There are friendly bar-staff who like to chat, so ask about places to go and the events happening because there’s nothing better then advice from a local.
Carrshield Camping Barn
Near Blue Row Cottages, Carrshield, Hexham, NE47 8AR
Surrounded by the fells & valleys of the North Pennines, Carrshield Camping Barn offers basic accommodation for 18 across 3 rooms, each with a wood-burner and a wooden sleeping platform. There’s a separate cooking area & a composting WC. BYO stove, utensils & sleeping bag/mat. Perfectly located it’s on the Isaac’s Tea Trail, C2C cycle route and close to a number of mountain bike routes. Camping may be available.
Mid Wales Bunkhouse
Woodhouse Farm, St Harmon, Rhayader, LD6 5LY
Mid Wales Bunkhouse has a superb unspoilt rural location, close to the Elan Valley, for any activity or occasion with a stunning natural garden. Explore or swim in the river. There's walking and biking from the door, even accommodation for your horse. Fully equipped for self catering or meals provided. Authentic tipi and camping. Available for groups of up to 26 or individuals.
Snowdon Lodge Group Hostel
Lawrence House, Church Street, Tremadog, Nr Porthmadog, Gwynedd, Snowdonia, LL49 9PS
Stay in the birthplace of Lawrence of Arabia! Snowdon Lodge provides self-catering group accommodation. Located in the village of Tremadog, Snowdon Lodge is perfect for family reunions or groups wanting to explore Snowdonia and the Llyn Peninsula. It has 10 rooms (twins, doubles and small dormitories), an additional lecture room and a large car park leading to woodland walks.
Publove Rose and Crown
65 Union St., London SE1 1SG
The Rose and Crown, close to London Bridge in central London provides everything you need for your adventure. There is a double rooms and a choice of well designed bunkrooms. Enjoy the atmosphere and history of this great British pub with a wide selection of ales and spirits and an full English/Irish breakfast available in the morning.
PubLove The Steam Engine
PubLove@The Steam Engine, 41-42 Cosser Street, London, SE1 7BU
Book a bed upstairs, then relax on one of the snug Chesterfield sofas in this classy British pub in the heart of Waterloo. Everything you need is on hand, 24 hour reception, a beer garden for summer evenings, free WiFi, hand crafted burgers & the best of London’s beers & gins. Publove@The Steam Engine is a short walk from London’s main attractions. Head to the river to see London in all its glory, Big Ben and the London Eye. Enjoy a classic night out in central London in the heart of British pub culture.
PubLove The Exmouth Arms
PubLove @The Exmouth Arms, 1 Starcross Street, London, NW1 2HR
Five minutes’ stroll from Euston Station and just 15 minutes’ walk from the Eurostar at St Pancras, with The British Museum, Madame Tussauds, Regents Park and many of London’s attractions an easy stroll away. PubLove@The Exmouth Arms not only gives you a bed for the night, but also the great atmosphere of a British pub. Complete with pub quizzes every Tuesday, hand crafted burgers and a wide range of drinks including local gins and ales. Explore London by foot in the day with a night of cracking PubLove ahead.
Exmoor Bunkbarn
Week Farm, Bridgetown, Dulverton TA22 9JP
Formerly a granary on a working farm, this eco-friendly bunkbarn is close to Winsford Hill and Wimbleball lake. Perfect for exploring Exmoor on foot, bike or canoe. Hot water, central heating & WiFi included in price. Well equipped, open-plan kitchen/dinning with seating for all. Large drying room. Outside BBQ area and small field with campfire. BYO bedding & towels. Sleeps max 25 - sole use only. Free logs for the stove and camp fire. Enjoy Exmoor’s dark skies.
Northcombe Camping Barns
Hollam, Dulverton, Somerset, TA22 9JH
A mile outside the town of Dulverton on Exmoor, Northcombe Camping Barns nestle in the Barle river valley with good canoeing, walking and bridleways. A perfect base for groups on Exmoor. The barns sleep 16 and 28 in partitioned dormitories. Smaller groups can be catered for. Heated by wood-burning stoves with a well equipped kitchen, you just need to bring your own pillows, sleeping bags or duvets.
Eastern Slade Barn
Eastern Slade Farm, Oxwich, Gower, Swansea, SA3 1NA
Eastern Slade Barn is a luxury farmhouse conversion on a working farm on the Gower Peninsula. The Gower has glorious beaches, castles & a network of traffic free lanes, ideal for mountain bikes. The Coastal Path passes through the farm. Port Eynon seaside village is a 30 min walk, while Oxwich Bay with its castle, beach & hotel serving tasty meals is just a 20 min walk. Camping is also available and weddings/birthdays can be accommodated.
Rackwick Hostel
Rackwick Hostel, Rackwick, Hoy, Orkney, KW16 3NJ
In the scenic Rackwick Valley in the north of Hoy, the 3* hostel overlooks Rackwick Bay considered one of the most beautiful places in Orkney. It sleeps 8 across 2 rooms of 4 beds. There’s a small kitchen with a good range of utensils, and a separate dining area. Singles, families and groups are welcome for private room or whole hostel bookings. Car parking and bike storage behind the hostel. Walkers and Cyclist Welcome
With all of the Peak District National Park within easy access, the centre is an ideal location for activities and tourism and it welcomes a wide range of groups. 31 or 52 bed configurations can be booked. The spacious centre includes; a large lounge with library, TV and wood burning stove, well equipped kitchens & dining areas. An extensive network of paths give access to the countryside. Adventure activities available, great for team building & courses.
Coll Bunkhouse
Arinagour, Isle of Coll, Argyll, PA78 6SY
Coll Bunkhouse 5* self-catering hostel accommodation is a mile from the ferry terminal & close to local amenities. Ideal for groups or individuals, short or longer stays. A half hour from the mainland by plane, under 3 hours by ferry. This beautiful Hebridean island is ideal for walking, stargazing, wildlife, cycling, water sports or chilling amidst stunning scenery. Visit quiet and beautiful spaces and beaches and enjoy fine island hospitality. A warm welcome awaits you.
Next to an award winning Peak District country pub, The Royal Oak Bunkbarn is perfectly situated with direct access onto the High Peak and Tissington Trails (disused railways for easy off-road cycling). The area is also very popular with climbers and walkers with limestone gorges and stone circles to explore. The bunkbarn offers comfortable, clean bunk bed style rooms ideal for groups of 1 to 34. The five separate bunk rooms are all heated and lockable. Campsite and holiday cottages also available.
Orcades Hostel
Muddisdale Road, Kirkwall, KW15 1RS
Orcades Hostel in Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney, is an excellent base for exploring the Isles. Accommodation is in doubles, twins, 4 & 6 bedded rooms. Each bedroom has en suite toilet/shower rooms. TVs and all bedding is provided. There is a stylish kitchen, a lounge with DVD & games and WiFi throughout the building. A warm and friendly welcome awaits you at this comfortable 4 star hostel.
Argyll Backpackers
Loch Fyne Lodge, Inverneil, Ardrishaig, Argyll, PA30 8ES
If you enjoy spectacular views and watching wildlife in modern comfortable self-catering accommodation then you’ll love Argyll Backpackers! Located on the banks of Loch Fyne, just minutes from Cycle Route 78 in the hamlet of Inverneil, it’s perfect for island hopping to Arran and Islay. You’ll be able to stock up on supplies from Tarbert or Ardrishaig / Lochgilphead, depending on your route.
Comrie Croft, By Crieff/Comrie, Perthshire, PH7 4JZ
Comrie Croft is a perfect rural retreat for mountain bikers, hikers, families & backpackers, just over an hour from Edinburgh & Glasgow. The 4* hostel offers cosy, home style rooms which are also available for sole use & weddings. On-site facilities include café, bike shop, lots of mountain bike trails, family-friendly valley routes and a farm shop. A footpath takes you to the vibrant village of Comrie & gives access to stunning glens and mountains.
Ocean Backpackers
29 St James Place, Ilfracombe, Devon, EX34 9BJ
Close to the picturesque Ilfracombe Harbour, this clean and friendly hostel offers fantastic facilities for walkers, cyclists, surfers, families, schools and activity groups. Providing self-catering accommodation with great facilities including, communal lounge (free WiFi), bike/surfboard storage, drying area and free parking. Ilfracombe is full of cafés, galleries, shops and restaurants and is home to Damien Hirst's statue, Verity.
Close to Hathersage and 2 miles west of Stanage Edge, the bunkhouses are on a family-run dairy farm. Popular areas for climbing, walking from meadows to moorland with fantastic views & mountain biking. Each bunkhouse is heated and has a living room, kitchen, bathrooms with toilets, showers and washbasins. Sleep in dorms with bunks or the Hayloft has mattresses on the gallery floor. Camping is available. Secure bike storage and free parking.
Caldbeck Glamping Barns
Caldbeck, Lake District, Cumbria, CA7 8EA
Caldbeck Glamping accommodation is in the centre of Caldbeck Village close to Wainwright's Northern Fells. Opposite The Odd Fellows pub and close to the village store. The self contained barns sleep 8 and 5. Three people can sleep in the Bothy and there is space for a small tent or two. Caldbeck is a 25 minute drive from M6 and right on The Cumbria Way walk and The Reivers Cycle route. Sit back and enjoy everything this hidden Lake District gem of a village has to offer. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Hi doctor , my boy baby is now on almost 6 months.. Giving dexolac and also breast feeding..started solid foods..now he s weight 8.8 KGS..his birth weight s 4 KGS..is this over weight,. Also wat are all the healthy foods to feed him..give me s sample schedule please..thank you... output: So it's not overweight. Now start giving him your family food gradually with breastfeeding. Start with liquid and semisolid foods. Give him very small frequent meals. Give him mashed potato, banana, milk with very small piece of ROTC, oatmeal etc. Please please continue breastfeeding and make habits of washing hands and vessels. Take care.... |
Tag Archives: greensboro
Until 11 years ago I’d lived my entire adult life in Northern Virginia and had spent my time commuting to work in some of the worst traffic the United States has to offer. When we moved to the Winston-Salem area it felt like I’d gone to traffic heaven because rush hour literally didn’t exist. We kind of have a “rush quarter hour” but even that doesn’t feature the gridlock you find in most metro areas. Still, it’s all relative and I would regularly hear locals complain about the busy highways and I’d just shake my head and mutter to myself, “You have no idea how good you have it.”
That’s why I felt vindicated by this article relaying the news that our area has the second-best traffic experience (behind only Phoenix) according to data from Google’s WAZE traffic app. Here’s an excerpt:
You’re not just getting there, Friend. You are having a world-class automotive experience — at least according to a newly released study that suggests Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point offer some of the best driving scenarios on the planet.
The metropolitan area finished second, just behind Phoenix, Ariz., in overall driving satisfaction in the study by analysts for Google’s WAZE travel app who compared driving experiences in 32 nations and 167 of the globe’s most mobile communities…
The Triad finished first among the various metros for minimal traffic delays.
Motorists in the region average less than a half hour on the road in a commute that averages about 26 miles, the WAZE study found. A pittance compared to some places in the United States where commuters average more than an hour each way,
Interesting that it ends up my commute is almost exactly the average.
This entry was posted in Piedmont-Triad, Travel, Winston-Salem and tagged greensboro, piedmont triad, traffic, waze, winston-salem on October 20, 2015 by Jon Lowder.
Cool Recognition for Some Greensboro Folks
The excerpt below is from a press release from Gov. McCrory’s office announcing the 2016 North Carolina Heritage Award winners. Many folks in Greensboro are familiar with the Montagnard community, but it’s probably a safe bet that folks outside of Greensboro would be surprised to learn about how large the community actually is. I need to make a note to myself to try and see some of the work of the award recipients – it really looks stunning.
H Jue Nie and H Ngach Rahlan
Calling themselves Dega, more Vietnamese Montagnards settled in North Carolina than in any other state, due to their fellowship with Special Forces units during the Vietnam War. Dega weavers H Jue Nie and H Ngach Rahlan of Greensboro mastered the ancient spinning, dying and weaving traditions of their people while growing up in the central highlands of Vietnam. Once a part of every highland woman’s knowledge and practice, women wove to clothe their families, decorate homes and altars, and to keep everyone warm at night. Originally Montagnard weavers grew their own cotton, spun their thread by hand, and used dyes from the indigo plant and other natural sources. Decorative elements such as beads were once made from plant materials that grew in their rice fields. War and displacement has reduced the numbers of skilled weavers remaining in Vietnam. H Jue Nie and H Ngach Rahlan moved to Greensboro 20 years ago, bringing their backstrap looms and an immeasurable knowledge of the designs and techniques that make their weaving traditions unique.
Explore the work:
Montagnard Weaving: The Women
Backstrap Weavers
Montagnard Weaving: Overview
Montagnard Weaving: BacksStrap Loom
This entry was posted in Greensboro, North Carolina and tagged greensboro, heritage award, montagnard, north carolina on September 4, 2015 by Jon Lowder.
The Guilty Mumble and Run
The Greensboro News & Record’s Joe Killian had an interesting interaction in downtown Greensboro last week:
As I was handing it to him and he was thanking me, a guy walked past who was dressed basically as I was — dark, pressed suit; button-down collar; well-shined shoes. He looked at me and at this homeless man and stopped in front of us suddenly.
“You really shouldn’t do that,” he said to me.
“I really shouldn’t do what?” I said.
“You really shouldn’t buy them food,” the guy said, speaking to me as if the homeless man wasn’t there.
“If you give them money, they buy drugs,” he told me. “If you buy them food, then they spend the money they’d spend on food on drugs.”
“OK,” I said. “Thanks for the input. Have a nice day.”
I began to tell the homeless man good luck and to take care when the other guy broke in again.
“No, really,” he said, more insistently now. “You don’t know how they are. Giving them food isn’t your smartest option.”
Finally, I just ran out of patience.
“Your smartest option is to mind your own business and get out of my face,” I said to him.
Apparently surprised that one guy in a suit would speak to another like that over — you know, just this homeless guy — he looked spooked and quickly moved on.
The homeless guy thanked me and went on his way.
This is the kind of story that will strike a cord with everyone, but not in the same way. Most, if not all of us have had to make the decision on whether or not to help a person who is asking for help. Personally it used to be a lot easier for me: if I had money, I gave some and if I was buying a meal I would just add an item for the person who said she was hungry. It never occurred to me that the person asking might not need it and that I might be getting taken for a ride.
As I got older that changed. Partly that was the result of bad experiences, like the multiple times I was asked for money, offered to buy the person food and was told in no uncertain terms that I could keep my f***ing food if I didn’t have any money for him. Then there are the incredible number of times I’ve been approached at a gas station by someone with the same sob story we’ve all heard about needing to borrow a dollar or two to help buy “just enough gas to get home to <fill in the blank city about 100 miles away>.” Some of the change was the result of hearing from multiple sources, including experts who deal with the homeless, that giving them money was a bad idea because it just enabled their addictions. The end result is that I became hesitant and that hesitance has often led me to do what I call the Guilty Mumble and Run.
The Guilty Mumble and Run is exactly what it sounds like in that when I’m asked for help I divert my eyes, say something like, “Sorry, got nothing on me” and then speed up my walk to escape the situation. The guilty part is the following time period where I feel guilty about it, but it’s not for not giving them anything, but for not having the guts to just say I don’t want to or don’t feel I should and instead lying to the person and not giving them the common courtesy to look them in the eyes.
Quite frankly this didn’t use to bother me that much because I let myself believe that my actions were justified, that I didn’t owe these people anything, and that they were actually being rude to me by coming up unbidden and asking me for something. But that changed over the last few years when I started doing things that brought me into contact more often with people who had hit hard some hard times, but who had an incredibly difficult time asking for or accepting help. It made me realize that as hard as it was for me to handle being asked for help it had to be infinitely harder for the person asking for help to find themselves in that position.
So that’s what has sealed the deal for me. Sure there are the folks out there running a scam like the folks at the gas station, and there are those who are on the street who will take whatever I give them and turn it into their next fix, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t at least do the right thing for me. That is to help those I can and look the others in the eye and tell them exactly why I can’t. At least then I can live my life without ever having to do the Guilty Mumble and Run again.
This entry was posted in Greensboro, Society and tagged current affairs, greensboro, homelessness, society on April 27, 2015 by Jon Lowder.
Where the Buck Stops
A big part of being a good leader is doing the right thing when things don’t go right. Today I’d say the chief of the UNC-Greensboro campus police department is providing a small example of how to react when things go wrong. Here’s the story from my particular point of view:
Last night there was a shooting at an off-campus student apartment community. My son happens to attend UNCG and lives in an off-campus apartment, but not in the community where the shooting occurred. Knowing that his parents might hear about it and might be concerned for his safety he sent me a text saying that a shooting had happened near his apartment, but that it wasn’t in his particular apartment community and that he was fine. We definitely appreciated it, but it also caused me to start monitoring the news about the shooting. As always I turned to Twitter because that tends to be where I get news the earliest, including from the various local news outlets, and sure enough that’s where all the freshest info was coming from.
That’s why I was able to see these Tweets from UNCG:
See that top Tweet that includes a suspect description of “B/M, 6′-6’2″, Red Shirt, Red hat, Goatee and a large bottom lip”? Well that predictably struck many as a racist description and generated the responses you’d expect online. So what did the chief do? Well, among other things he sent a message to the UNCG community which my son received by email and forwarded to me:
To the UNCG Community,
On behalf of the UNCG Police Department, I want to apologize for what many considered a racially insensitive description included in one of the alerts last night. We give our staff a great deal of latitude in crafting emergency messages because safety often depends on timeliness. Sometimes that means just repeating descriptions provided to us, as we did in this case. However, we know our community and should be able to filter information in a way that reflects our values but still provides the information you need to stay safe. One of our core values is Accountability, and, ultimately, I am the head of this agency, and I am accountable for the actions of those who serve you at the Police Department. For that reason, I apologize to those who were offended. We can do better, and we will.
Jamie Herring
UNCG Police Department
I truly can’t tell you anything about the department or the chief outside of this event because I haven’t had cause to pay any attention to them, but I can tell you that this is a very good response to a screw up that happened on his watch. It’s nice to see a leader accept the buck instead of passing it along.
This entry was posted in Current Affairs, Greensboro, Leadership and tagged greensboro, leadership, police, uncg on April 13, 2015 by Jon Lowder.
The Friendship 9
For those of us who live or work in Greensboro, NC the story of the Woolworth sit-in, an event that is generally considered the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, is very familiar. Subsequent events in the movement may not be as familiar to those of us who aren’t experts on the movement so it’s always interesting to read or hear about them. That’s why this story about The Friendship 9 caught my attention:
Fifty-four years ago this week, nine young black men sat down at the whites-only counter of McCrory’s five-and-dime store on Main Street in the town of Rock Hill, South Carolina. After ordering burgers and cokes, the men were asked to leave; after they refused to leave, they were arrested for trespassing.
The Civil Rights Movement was, relatively speaking, in its infancy at the time. Less than a year after the sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Friendship 9 were arrested on the same day that James Meredith submitted his college application to then-segregated Ole Miss.
On Wednesday, the eight surviving members of the Friendship 9⎯most of the nine men had been students at nearby Friendship College in 1961⎯were back in a Rock Hill courthouse to see their sentences vacated and their convictions overturned. “We cannot rewrite history, but we can right history,” Circuit Court Judge John C. Hayes III told the courtroom to high applause as he threw out the cases⎯a poignant flourish given that Hayes’ uncle had originally sentenced the men in 1961.
As NBC News noted, the men “were represented in the hearing by Ernest A. Finney Jr., the same man who defended their case 54 years ago,” who later served as South Carolina Supreme Court’s first black chief justice since Reconstruction.
Quite frankly it was refreshing to read this story because, of late, the news in Greensboro has been about the managerial and financial problems faced by the International Civil Rights Museum which is housed in the former Woolworth building where the sit-in occurred. At least one of the museum’s principal players has accused the city, which basically holds the financial future of the museum in its hands and has proposed taking over management of the museum, of wanting to whitewash history:
Earl Jones, one of the founders of the museum, said he was “outraged” by an offer from Mayor Nancy Vaughan on Monday to have the city operate the museum. Jones called the offer “disrespectful.”
“It’s my speculation that there’s a part of the mayor’s group that would like to see the museum taken over so the history and integrity of the civil rights movement can be undermined and whitewashed,” Jones said. “I think that’s what it’s about.”..
Vaughan said she and the City Council just want to be sure the museum stays open. That will require more professional management, she said.
Given the context of what Judge Hayes said – “We cannot rewrite history, but we can right history.” – it seems ironic that Greensboro’s history continues to be one in which color divides people. In this case green.
This entry was posted in Current Affairs, Greensboro and tagged civil rights, civil rights movement, greensboro, the friendship 9 on January 30, 2015 by Jon Lowder.
News and Record’s Weak Pricing Logic
The Greensboro News & Record announced a new digital subscription model that its editor explained in a front page piece of today’s paper. After explaining that all 7-day print subscribers will get digital access for free he described the digital subscription model:
After a special introductory period with rates as low as $9.99 per month, a digital-only subscription will cost slightly more than a seven-day print subscription.
The reason for that variance? A print subscription permits us to subsidize the cost of content by providing access to your home or business for preprinted advertising circulars. A digital-only subscription lacks that advertising subsidy.
Readers who have no subscription may view up to 20 articles or photo galleries every 30 days at no charge. There is no limit on viewing selected content, such as many wire service stories and classified ads.
Here’s the thing: consumers don’t give a sh** why you’re pricing your digital subscription at whatever level it’s priced, they only care that the product is worth the price. What matters to them is whether or not they are getting bang for their buck. Is the content that the N&R is producing worth the price of admission? If so then people will gladly pay it, if not then they’ll find what they need elsewhere or just go without.
I’m willing to bet that part of the thinking is that people will just decide to get the print subscription, and thus opt in to the advertising subsidy, if they price the digital-only higher than the print+ option. That’s logical in a way, but ignores the reality that they have to produce content that’s compelling enough for people to pay for it whether it’s print or digital. They might think they’ve lost a ton of subscribers because those subscribers believe they can get the N&R’s content at the N&R website, but it’s more likely that they lost subscribers because much of the content readers used to get exclusively from the paper – stuff like syndicated columns, wire reports, classified ads, national news, etc. – is now available from a variety of sources. That means the N&R’s only unique product offering is local news/data/information and the last time I looked they hadn’t expanded their local coverage or deepened their editorial bench, which makes it hard to imagine the product being perceived as worthy of the price they’re asking.
This entry was posted in Greensboro, Media, Web, Web/Tech and tagged digital news, greensboro, greensboro news & record, local news, newspaper, piedmont triad news on July 22, 2014 by Jon Lowder.
The Blogfather
Ed Cone was blogging before "blogger" became a pejorative. The Greensboro dead tree product carries a story about his decision to quit the blogging scene.
From his office three floors above South Elm Street — where he has an action figure perched on his window and a framed handwritten response from gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson on his wall — Ed wrote about it on Word Up.
Will it return? Who knows? Ed doesn’t. But there is this story I heard once about Ed’s great-grandfather, about how he used to row out to the middle of a lake in Maine and sit.
I ask Ed about it. He tells me he understands it now. It’s that need for quiet, for some contemplation. That’s what Ed is doing. For now.
This entry was posted in Greensboro, Weblogs and tagged blogging, ed cone, greensboro, word up on March 27, 2013 by Jon Lowder.
Blogageddon
In the span of 18 hours I learned that my RSS manager of choice, Google Reader, is going dark as of July 1, 2013 and that the Godfather of Blogging in the Triad is shutting down his blog for a while. I understand Ed's motivation – I long ago morphed into a leisurely poster here because I just didn't have the time or energy to manage an ongoing dialogue like he has for 12 years – but I'm still really bummed to see him pull the plug. It will be interesting to see if anything fills the online void in Greensboro.
A serious hat tip to Ed for providing a valuable online forum for the Greensboro community. I hope he enjoys the peace and quiet.
This entry was posted in Greensboro, Media, Web/Tech, Weblogs and tagged blog, edcone.com, google reader, greensboro, rss on March 14, 2013 by Jon Lowder.
Why No Trader Joe’s in GSO?
The Triad Business Journal explores why there won't be a Trader Joe's in Greensboro in the near future. In addition to all of the reasons cited in the article – Greensboro not being on TJ's 2-year plan, the attorney involved in the proposed project last year no longer being involved, and nothing happening on the development front – they might want to add that no one in Greensboro (that I know of) made a video to try and woo Trader Joe's. Some folks in Winston-Salem did a couple of years ago and now we have a TJ's in Thruway. So, folks in GSO here's a helpful hint from your neighbors in Camel City.
This entry was posted in Greensboro, Piedmont-Triad, Winston-Salem and tagged greensboro, trader joe's, winston-salem on February 1, 2013 by Jon Lowder.
Just Do Your Job
Greensboro blogger Roch Smith, Jr. has been taking local CBS affiliate WFMY to task for passing off press releases or stories from other outlets as having been written by WFMY staffers. Roch calls it plagiarism, which I don't agree with IF the other parties are in agreement that it's okay for WFMY to do it. On the other hand it's incredibly lazy on the part of WFMY and it likely diminishes their reputation as a news outlet.
There's also a hidden danger to the practice of simply regurgitating press releases with the station's imprimatur: mistakenly giving credence to an organization, or even missing a story, because the station didn't bother to do any background on what it was sent. Today Roch found a perfect example of this at WFMY's website:
Here's why. When WFMY vomits up a glowing press release that touts a local sheriff heading off to some "border training" sponsored by Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) without any of their own investigation, they miss the rather important fact that FAIR is tied to white supremacy and bigotry.
WFMY not only gives their poor audience the impression that everything is just peachy with the sheriff's trip — just as the press release promises and just as they've affirmed by putting a staff person's name to it — but they also fail to see the news right under their nose and ask the obvious question which is why the hell are local sheriffs attending a "training" event sponsored by this group?
So here's a lesson for you kids: laziness in your work almost always comes back to bite you. It will be interesting to see what happens with this.
This entry was posted in Greensboro, Media and tagged greensboro, roch smith jr., wfmy on September 20, 2012 by Jon Lowder. |
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"Soon... all will be lost..."
Inspired by RPGs like OFF, Undertale and Earthbound, BLANK is a role-playing game that puts you in control of Veta the Harbinger, a young female warrior born with black eyes. Life within her home of Finima Village is peaceful enough. But when a dark and twisted curse begins to corrupt the land and its people, she finds herself travelling across the world of Transech seeking a cure. Will she succeed in her mission, or is there more to this "corruption" than this story lets on?
BLANK includes a notable selection of features, including:
Approachable and straightforward user interface systems. One of the core foundations for BLANK's design was to allow almost anyone to jump in and play the game, even if they aren't necessarily RPG fans.
Weapon and Armor rarities, going in the order of Normal, Rare, Unique and Legendary. Key Items themselves are labelled as their own rarities.
An original soundtrack composed by the excellent Adam Halpin (StygianWhite). BLANK features over 45+ songs, all completely original for the game.
BLANK 1.3 is released!
KingSangos
After much time has passed, the wait is finally over. BLANK Patch 1.3. has been released and can be found on the game's Downloads Tab. Now in the past, I would usually post a list of all the significant changes that are to be found in the newest patches, but Patch 1.3 is different.
Because of how many changes were added into Patch 1.3., it was almost impossible to list them all down for you without missing entire lines of code changes and/or filling up your poor webpages with unreadable jargon. So ultimately, I have chosen to leave the details BLANK (get it?) and allow you, the players, to find out what's what in the new patch.
I thank you all for waiting this long for a new update and I hope you enjoy this new version of the game. Don't worry, because as of now, I will be hard at work on The Spirits Within and the adventure that awaits Veta in the mysterious land of Sanctaros.
As always, have a great day and if you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to leave a response under this Blog Post or the game's profile.
King Sangos
BLANK Logo
Menus (Duh...)
Developer KingSangos
Engine RPG Maker VX Ace
Genre RPG
Date Updated 12/30/2018 01:25 AM
Date Completed 02/20/2016
Pages: first 12 next last
silenthilllz
silenthilllz View games View playlists Close
This looks good, but I'm really stupid for the keycode puzzle at the temple
KingSangos View games View playlists Close
author=silenthilllz
I apologise for the late response, but my advice to you would be to go to the rooms where you find the number tiles and read the stone tablets. Hopefully you'll figure the order the numbers are written from the story of the tablets.
Arisa View games View playlists Close
the floor means part of the pass code, and the tablet says where it goes? (3 is first, 4 is second...) Do the top AND bottom room have to do with the puzzle? I have tried every combination I can think of (9331, 9313...) and it isn't working.../hide]
@Arisa
Sorry for taking a while to respond. This message didn't pop until a little while ago, so you'll have to forgive me.
Anyway, the story of the Tablets is split off into four sections. Now I've improved the clarity of the tablets in the newest version of the game (TBR), but the story of the tablets goes in chronological order. So if you count the order of the tablets' story and match it with the number tiles, you'll get this answer.
I'm very sorry if this puzzle prevented you from continuing. I've fixed the clarity of it and hopefully now you should be able to move ahead with the answer.
Dragnfly
Beta testers!? No, this game needs a goddamn exorcist!
Dragnfly View games View playlists Close
I played some of this today (right up to the boss before meeting the mage). Here's some first impressions-
I love it when games have the NPC dialogue be a conversation with the party rather than just a comment. It gives a chance for both to develop. Good choice there.
I kept hearing the guards' voices as Cyclonis from Transformers and the Chieftan as the Magister from Freedom Planet. Yay for subliminal voice casting.
Encounter rate seems ok.
Graphics = not bad. Reminds me of the CGA era. Veta's sprite looks more like she has sleepy eyes than no eyes.
music = not bad. Fitting, actually.
Odd things:
Veta's dialogue with townies is an odd mix of pessimistic and reassuring depending on which townie she's talking to. So this makes me think that she just doesn't like some of them.
"The victim's grazes were sharp and deep" Can a graze be deep? I thought that once it's deep it's no longer a graze.
The photo in the chieftan's place says it's "a picture of me when I was younger" but the one in your room says "it's a picture of you." jumping between 1st and 3rd person.
When you go to leave town the guards don't just get out of the way, they go on a hike. LOL
Add a door to the Chieftan's room. 1-tile-wide passages when the rest of the hall is 3 tiles wide looks like it's missing a door.
Signs/chests only being able to be accessed from the front is supposed to be a joke. If there's nowhere in the game where you have to puzzle out a way to get to the front, make at least the chests accessible from all four sides. Otherwise it's really annoying.
Is there a fast forward for battle? I tired Z, X, CTRL and Shift and they didn't seem to do it. If you don't have one, add one. Seriously, it's one of those conveniences that gamers will thrash you for if you don't allow.
Since going into the house with the iron sword is optional, it'd be a good scare to have enemies prowling downstairs after you take the sword. Still avoidable but it'd give players some worries.
Book "Faith Tested", page 2 has errors.
The guy by the 1st floor table in the guard house when returning to town has the weird line "recollect my thoughts." Usually people say "collect my thoughts". It's one of those things that's not inaccurate but sounds like it is. http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/collect+thoughts
In the last cutscene of Chapter 1 Dad says "I'm asking you of this because I know you are the only person I know who is capable enough to complete this task.". apart from the mixed up words at the start the rest of the line is clunky too.
Anyway so far good enough.
@Dragnfly
Thanks for the feedback on the game. A lot of the suggestions you made are really good ideas and implementing them should be a piece of cake. (Especially the sword enemy encounter. How did I not think of that?).
I'm also gonna look for any battle speed up scripts, lessons, etc. I've tried using SHIFT before and that has worked in the past, but I think that's only because I was testing the game through VX ACE.
But again, thank you very much for the feedback. I really appreciate it.
You're magical to me.
unity View games View playlists Close
Hello! :D I've been playing the game, and I'm stuck at a point. I'm at Serah's manor, and I go see Liam, then Serah tells me to go back to the manor, and it teleports me to my room, and then I have a dream and wake up, and when I head downstairs, Serah talks to me like I just came back, and then the screen goes black. I can access the menu, but when I close it, the screen is still black, and I can't see anything.
I think the scenes are out of order, as it seems like Serah is welcoming me back after I've already returned and slept ^^;
author=unity
That's probably the case. I think I may have screwed up some of the switches relating to that particular scene. I'll fix it when I can, but for the meantime, just go straight towards the manor rather than going to see Liam. That may work.
For speeding up the combat, I think the first game I ever played with it was vgperson's English translation of Hero & Daughter by Tachi. Sadly I can't seem to find how to trigger the end credits since all my saves are in post-post-post-game or I'd just tell you which script he used. vgperson's readme doesn't have the detailed credits in it. Sorry.
author=Dragnfly
That's okay!
I'll think if I have a good search around, I'll eventually find one that's suitable. : >
Hi again! I think I beat the game (but got a bad end)? Spoilers:
I was called the overseer, I think? And told that my curiosity will get the better of me? And then the game returns to the title.
If there's something I can do to get a better ending, I'm not sure what it is. Do I need to start the game over? Or do I need to wait for the next build of the game?
I must say, this is quite an amazing game, and if there's any more of it that I'm missing, I would totally love to play more! ^_^
Awesome! You actually completed the game from start to finish. But... there's still something left to be done. I'll give you a hint. Restart the game and go through it until you reach Castle Lumenax. Then return to Finima Wilds and the Temple of the Displaced.
After that, defeat the Lightbringer and only then will you be able to conquer your vanity...
Then simply return to the Temple and the Grave after defeating the abomination and confront the Songweaver himself...
author=KingSangos
Hmmm, something seems to be amiss. I got right before entering Castle Lumenax, then I returned to the wilds and the Temple...
I entered the dream world and woke up Angeral, and then returned to Lumenax and beat the Lightbringer, yet when I fought T later on, they said I still hadn't overcome my vanity. I'm stumped at this point >.<;;
@unity
Oh snap, did you also beat King Atevius as well in the Temple of Displaced (before fighting Lumenax). You can find King Atevius in the room behind Vivizec's boss room. Because when you beat both Angeral and Atevius, you unlock an item called Jewel of Vanity. And that allows you to fight V. If you DID beat both Atevius and Angeral and DIDN'T get the Jewel of Vanity, that could mean the event's bugged and you'll sadly have to wait until the final release of the game to get the True Ending. :S
Ooops, I didn't do that. I may still have a save from back then. I'll go back and give that a try.
I ran into a problem.
I got the Jewel of Vanity, fought V, got the Prologue. Then I went through the game, fought T, and, even though it says I got the Epilogue, it gave me the prologue again.
And when I beat/got killed by the last boss, the game said I hadn't overcome my vanity.
Okay, so that's definitely a bug and because I don't have access to RPGMaker.net right now, I can't actually fix the problem until the game's near release date. So sadly I think that's all you can play with the game for now, which is a real darn shame that a bug like that exists.
Hopefully when the game gets its full release, you'll be able to unlock the True Ending, which is where that path was taking you.
So sorry about that! : <
That's fine! I can wait to see the true ending ^_^
I figure I may as well give my complete thoughts on the game, or what I've played so far, which I'm guessing is most of it XD
I took a look at this game as it has some of the same inspirations as the current project I'm working on (Earthbound and OFF) and I'm glad I did, as I really enjoyed this. It resonated with me a heck of a lot more than I expected, which is why I was willing to put in so many hours to try to see the true ending ^_^
The storyline has a very nice feel of OFF mixed with a more broad fantasy. The mystery of the corruption along with the lore of the world keeps you guessing, and much like the strangeness of the world in OFF, kept me intrigued and wanting to continue. Veta's not a super complicated character or anything, but she's pretty relatable and the further I went, the more invested I became. The Songweaver battle and the events thereafter were especially potent, and I love all of that.
Some of the villains seemed a bit similar to each other. The conflicts can be broken down into either/or "No I won't help you and in fact you should be destroyed so I'm going to destroy you" and "I'm doing horrific things, you see, and now that you've discovered this, you have to die." This isn't a huge problem, as it works for the setting and the story, but I did feel like it was a tad repetitive.
There was also an issue where plot-important characters would have the same faces as NPCs but with something small to differentiate them. While I felt that this added to the game's charm, it was a bit of an odd choice. I'm not sure if it's good or bad, but it felt different, for sure.
The weakest part of the game is the battle system. This is one of those games where part of me was going PLEASE LET ME TAKE THIS AND COMPLETELY REDO THE BATTLE SYSTEM because there is a lot of promise and good ideas, but the way they're used leaves a lot to be desired. A lot of the battles are just spam attack or the same select few skills. That's a shame as there's a lot of cool ideas you could explore with the characters' battle skills as far as strategy goes. OFF had a similarly attack-mashing battle system, but I don't think that means you shouldn't try for a bit more.
Your spirit companions liven things up, combat-wise, but while some of their abilities are useful, many are not. I found Contasma the biggest disappointment here, as her (or his, I kinda assumed her for some reason XD;) theme has a bunch of potentially awesome battle ideas. Silence the Sky, for example, is wonderful, as it's powerful but silences her, which really gives a risk/reward choice the whole thing, but I can't give that same praise to a lot of her other skills. A skill that paralyzes an enemy but boosts their stats is odd when we already have another spirit with a skill that just paralyzes them, and Complication, which cures all status effects but confuses the ally you use it on, was almost useless as I find confusion is often worse than the ailments you're curing! These problems left Contasma feeling particularly useless, which is a shame, because she could be really interesting in battle!
Another thing that was odd was the game's lack of healing spots or inns, which a few exceptions. Instead, you heal when you level up. This had an odd effect of me checking when a character was about to level up, and then spamming their best special moves, because I knew I was about to get their MP back. You level up often enough that this isn't a huge problem, but it certainly was a little weird in my opinion. Soon after I reached Decillia, my characters started reaching their max level of 20, and no more level-ups meant no more level-up healing, but at that point, there was a place to backtrack to heal to, so no biggie.
The in-game economy, especially, mid and late game, felt really broken. Equipment you can buy past mid-game isn't all that expensive and doesn't boost you up all that much. In contrast, you've put stat-upping consumables for sale in every shop. Early in the game, buying them isn't feasible, but by the late game, you can pretty much break the game by buying them in bulk. On my first playthru, I gave Veta so many Shards of Might that one Shadow Strike could trigger more than one dialog exchange during boss battles! After fighting all the random encounters and Cultists on Mount Orsus, I had enough extra cash to just load up on shards!
On my second playthrough, I did the same, except with the shards that raise DEF and MDF, and made Veta immune to a lot of enemy attacks! So I very much feel like that's a definite problem that needs addressing.
Adding on to that, I didn't notice much in the way of health-restoring special moves, aside from adding Regen to the party. You heal by chugging potions, which, thanks to the broken economy, means you can buy more than you'd ever need.
Bosses felt a little weird, as well. They had some moves that put the pressure on the party, but others that felt a little useless, so it was a bit of a gamble on how difficult any one boss battle would be. I didn't start feeling the pressure until the endgame (but, again, I had boosted my stats with the Shards, so that doesn't help). It still felt like battles hadn't been overly tested and fine-tuned.
Also, this part is spolierific, so I'll put it in a hide-tag:
I would never have found the path to the true ending if I hadn't asked you. It seems very obscure. The message you get at the ending doesn't tell you anything about how to get the true ending, just that it exists.
Contrast this with something like Undertale, that gives you pretty good hints about what you need to do to get the best ending after you beat it. If you had a hint like "Seek the dreamer in the land where this all began and the king who waits in the ruins of the displaced, only then will you be able to overcome your vanity when you see the light" or something, people would at least have a clue. Otherwise, replaying the game blindly, and having to comb through every nook and cranny to try to get the true ending seems like a bit much.
Okay, I know I've been rambling on and listing a bunch of flaws with the game, but please don't get me wrong. I love this game. That's why I've got so much to say about it, and why I poured hours of playtime in it to try to find the real ending. The strange and engaging story. The simple yet nostalgic tilesets. The cool freaky enemy battlers. The amazing and perfectly fitting music. The intrigue of Veta's journey and the secrets within. It's all fantastic, and I felt very invested in the world and the characters by the end. I enjoyed it all and can't wait to see the ending. You should be proud of what you've accomplished.
That said, I feel like you'd get a lot more people playing with a fun battle system and more balance.
Thanks, and sorry for ranting for so long XD I look forward to seeing the true ending :DDDDDDDDDD
PS: Here's an error I found:
If you approach the statue from the rightmost square, instead of the leftmost, it freezes the game.
No-no, your critiques and comments are welcomed. I initially had my concerns with the battle systems, mainly because I don't have a lot of experience working with things like that. In fact, I was hoping Contasma would spice up the gameplay with its risk/reward battle mechanics, but I think I'll have to sit down one day and start really adjusting some of the abilities and items.
Nevertheless, your comments have been very insightful and I'm ecstatic that you feel that way about the game. Hell, even critiquing it feels good for me, consisting criticism can only help something improve.
So I guess I'll just end things off here and say thank you very much. :)
You're very welcome and I'm very glad I could help ^_^
Best of luck! I'll be cheering for you! |
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Newsletter > First Amendment
New Hampshire Law Infringes on Voting Rights
Tim Burke, Manley Burke LPA, tburke@manleyburke.com On behalf of two Dartmouth College sophomores, the ACLU has filed suit in United States District Court to block a New Hampshire state law that would require college students who register to vote in...
Update: Court Agrees with DOJ, Rules Against the University of Iowa
Ilana Linder, Manley Burke LPA, ilana.linder@manleyburke.com In the January 2019 Newsletter, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) intervention in a case against the University of Iowa was high- lighted. Specifically, the DOJ took the position that the University had engaged in...
Who is Discriminating Against Whom?
Ilana Linder, Manley Burke, ilinder@manleyburke.com Over a year ago, a small student group that was deregistered by its university filed a lawsuit against the school. Just last month, the U.S. Department of Justice intervened, filing a brief in support of...
Two Lawsuits Filed Against Harvard
Tim Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com On December 3, 2018, two separate lawsuits, one in federal court and one in state court, were filed against Harvard by several Fraternities and Sororities. The suits challenge Harvard’s controversial decision to penalize students who...
USC Deferred Recruitment Case Now in Court of Appeals
Tim Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com The constitutionality of the ability of public universities to require deferred rush has long been discussed but not yet tested in court. That is, until now. But that test has been brought against the University...
Update on USC Deferred Recruitment Case
Tim Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com The June 2018 issue of Fraternal Law reported that five of the Greek Chapters at the University of Southern California filed suit in state court challenging the University’s imposition of deferred recruitment. The lawsuit relied...
New Lawsuit Challenges Deferred Recruitment at USC
Tim Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com On June 22nd the chapters of Kappa Alpha Theta, Sigma Chi, Beta Theta Pi, Theta Xi and Tau Kappa Alpha at the University of Southern California (USC) filed suit against the University.1 The suit seeks...
GUILTY! A National Fraternity Criminally Convicted
Tim Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com “AND NOW, this 21st day of November, 2017, the defendant, Pi Delta Psi Fraternity, Inc., having been found guilty of Count III, Involuntary Manslaughter, County IV, Aggravated Assault, Count V, Criminal Conspiracy, County VI, Hindering...
Even the Unpopular Have Associational Rights
Tim Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com In the late 1960s, campuses across the country were tense places. The free speech movement had grown from the steps of Sproul Hall at Berkeley into protests against the war in Southeast Asia on virtually...
Are Schools Abusing Interim Suspensions?
Micah Kamrass, Manley Burke, mkamrass@manleyburke.com Lately, we at Fraternal Law Partners have noticed a troubling trend. Public colleges and universities seem increasingly willing to impose interim suspensions on fraternities and sororities without providing any justification or a timeframe for an...
Deaths, Assaults, and Injuries Lead to Campus-Wide Bans on Greek Life
Daniel McCarthy & Micah Kamrass, Manley Burke, mkamrass@manleyburke.com In just the last few months, a number of universities have experienced terrible tragedies on their campuses. Many of these schools, both public and private, have responded by indefinitely banning some or...
Publisher’s Note on Associational Rights
Tim Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com Greg Lukianoff makes his point in the accompanying article in a harsh and potentially upsetting way. But it has great validity. Those chapters that lose track of the purpose for which their national organization was...
Beware of Unconstitutional Social Media Policies
Daniel McCarthy, Manley Burke Facebook, Twitter and other forms of social media are growing in popularity and importance on a daily basis. The advances in technology are moving at the speed of light but schools are not as quick to...
Wise Use of Free Speech
Tim Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com Two recent events demonstrate the ability of national fraternities and sororities to deal with conduct that is inappropriate but may not constitutionally be treated as a violation of the policies of state universities. A few...
SUPREME COURT ISSUES IMPORTANT FREE SPEECH CASE
Daniel McCarthy The United States Supreme Court just decided a highly controversial First Amendment Free Speech case. The case, Snyder v. Phelps,1 involved protests that the Westboro Baptist Church frequently conducts at military funerals. This specific case involved a protest...
U.S. SUPREME COURT LIMITS FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION
James Harvey Freedom of association, as applied to student organizations, took a significant step back as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Christian Legal Society vs. Martinez.1 The case may or may not have far-ranging implications, but...
ARGUMENT HELD IN U. OF FLORIDA CHRISTIAN FRATERNITY APPEAL
Daniel McCarthy, Manley Burke The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held oral argument on December 10th in Beta Upsilon Chi v. Machen.1 The case involves whether the University of Florida must recognize the Christian fraternity as an official student...
JUICYCAMPUS.COM CREATES QUESTIONS, AND HEADACHES
Daniel McCarthy, Manley Burke A relatively new website is generating increasing concerns on campuses across the country. Juicycampus.com, officially launched on October 24, 2007, states that its seemingly harmless “simple mission” is “enabling online anonymous free speech on college campuses. ...
CHI IOTA COLONY V. CSI: WHAT HAPPENED AND WHY
Gregory Hauser, Wuersch & Gering, LLP The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued an opinion on September 13, 2007, that poses a potential problem for social fraternities and sororities asserting freedom of association rights against public...
SAM AND CHAPMAN U. SETTLE FIRST AMENDMENT DISPUTE
Tim Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com As reported in the November 2007 issue of Fraternal Law, Chapman University in California was recently threatened with litigation by the California Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The complaint arose because a...
SECOND CIRCUIT REVERSES FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION CASE
Daniel McCarthy, Manley Burke The Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently handed down its decision in Chi Iota Colony of Alpha Epsilon Pi v. City University of New York,1 one of the more important cases for Greeks in years. The...
Dan McCarthy, Manley Burke Updates on three recent cases recently reported on in Fraternal Law: The University of Iowa has appealed the trial court’s decision in Phi Delta Theta House Assn. and Iowa Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta...
JUDGE DENIES PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION MOTION
Dan McCarthy, Manley Burke As previously reported in the November, 2006 issue of Fraternal Law, the Omicron Chapter of Sigma Chi, located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and comprised of students attending Dickinson College, recently filed suit against the College.1 The primary...
FIRE STUDY BLASTS USE OF SPEECH CODES
Tim Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com On December 6, 2006, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) issued a scathing report criticizing American colleges and universities for their continued use of “speech codes.” Their recent report, entitled “Spotlight on Speech...
INSULTS AND STUPIDITY LEADS TO SUSPENSION
Tim Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com Sophomoric humor at the expense of racial or cultural minorities has enormous opportunity to bring disrepute to fraternal organizations whose members engage in it. Such was the case when the Sigma Chi Chapter at John...
BALANCING UNIVERSITY NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICIES AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT: THE CLASH BETWEEN UGA AND BYX
Elizabeth Hutton At numerous universities across the country, heated conflicts have arisen between universities that have adopted nondiscrimination policies and fraternal and other organizations that on the one hand wish to restrict membership to those who hold specific religious beliefs...
APPEAL FILED IN AEPI FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION CASE
Dan McCarthy, Manley Burke The City University of New York, College of Staten Island (“CSI”) recently appealed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals the August 11, 2006 opinion from the United States District Court that granted the Chi Iota...
UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT SPEAKS FOR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS
A recent controversy at Northern Kentucky University is worth noting for the statements by the University President, James C. Votruba. A campus Right to Life organization chose to make its position on abortion known, after going through proper University channels,...
FRATERNITIES PROTECTED AS INTIMATE ASSOCIATIONS
“For the reasons set forth above, the court grants Plaintiff’s Motion for a Preliminary Injunction on the basis of their intimate association claim” -- with those words, United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry upheld the right of Alpha Epsilon...
THE NIC AND NPC FILE BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF SINGLE-SEX ORGANIZATIONS
Dan McCarthy, Manley Burke As previously reported in Fraternal Law, Alpha Epsilon Pi (“AEPi”) is fighting to protect the First Amendment Freedom of Association rights of its members at the City University of New York College of Staten Island (“CSI”). ...
FIRST AMENDMENT VICTORIES
Tim Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com The Center for Law and Religious Freedom has engaged in a series of lawsuits intended to protect the rights of private student organizations to maintain membership selection practices which deny membership to those who do...
ALPHA EPSILON PI FIGHTS FOR FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION
Robert Manley, Manley Burke Alpha Epsilon Pi has recently initiated two lawsuits to defend the freedom of association of undergraduates who want to join their Fraternity. One is against City University of New York in connection with its branch campus...
A RELIGIOUS FOUNDATION AND EXPRESSIVE ASSOCIATION RIGHTS
Tim Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com The right of religious-oriented student groups to enforce their religious principles on the organization’s officers and members is coming under increasing national debate. Many universities have policies that prohibit campus organizations from discriminating based upon...
IS THERE STILL SPEECH FREEDOM?
Robert Manley, Manley Burke A professor at Rhode Island College, a tax supported institution in Providence, survived an institutional witch hunt. Professor Church volunteered her time as a coordinator for Rhode Island College’s Cooperative Preschool Program. While she was not...
PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR FRATERNITIES CAUGHT IN THE BATTLE FOR FREE SPEECH ON CAMPUS
Greg Lukianoff* & Matthew Vasconcellos I. Introduction While there is no shortage of free speech battles on college campuses, fraternities have the dubious honor of being at the center of many of the least sympathetic controversies. From Halloween parties where...
NEW YORK SUIT SEEKS TO PROTECT FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION RIGHTS
Tim Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com In December, a local fraternity in Alfred, New York, and several students of Alfred University, brought suit against Alfred University and the State University of New York (SUNY). The suit challenges the actions of Alfred...
NATIONAL RESOLUTION SUPPORTS FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS
On March 22nd, the Association of Student Judicial Affairs (ASJA) will complete voting on a resolution designed to encourage a recognition of the First Amendment Freedom of Association Right of America’s college students. The resolution, already approved by the Association’s...
SPEECH CODE ENJOINED
As reported briefly in the September 2003 edition of Fraternal Law, Shippensburg University, a public university, was enjoined from enforcing parts of its speech code until a trial on the merits challenging the constitutionality of the speech code is held.1...
SPEECH CODES REMAIN UNDER ATTACK
Tim Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has launched a campaign to eliminate campus speech codes. While acknowledging that few universities today maintain what they label as “speech codes,” FIRE defines speech codes as...
FIRST AMENDMENT BATTLE WAGES IN COURT
Mackenzie Becker First Amendment battle between a religious student group and university officials just began in the United States District Court of New Jersey. On December 30, 2003, the Philadelphia-based Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) filed a lawsuit...
BLACK FACE CONTROVERSY REDUX
Timothy M. Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com Two of the University of Virginia's oldest fraternities - Zeta Psi and Kappa Alpha - hosted a Halloween party in 2002 at which at least three costumed students painted their faces black or brown....
FIRST AMENDMENT PERMITS MUSLIMS TO EXCLUDE WOMEN
Timothy M. Burke, Manley Burke, tburke@manleyburke.com The Nation of Islam held a "Men's Meeting on Black on Black Crime, Violence and Drugs in Communities of Color" in the City of Boston-owned McCormick Center. Louis Farrakhan was the principal speaker. Women...
KLAN COSTUMES OR BLACK FACE - THE AFTERMATH
Tim Burke, Manley & Burke The January 2002 issue of Fraternal Law, which reported on fraternities whose Halloween parties had included members dressed in Ku Klux Klan costumes, black face and Afro wigs was primarily intended to discuss the abilities...
YALE STUDENTS LOSE CLAIM UNIVERSITY VIOLATED THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
Timothy M. Burke, Manley & Burke The challenge by four Orthodox Jewish students to Yale University's policy requiring freshman and sophomores to live on campus ended in defeat recently when the United States Supreme Court declined to hear their appeal....
THE CONTINUING CONTROVERSY OVER MANDATORY STUDENT FEES
Timothy M. Burke, Manley & Burke As reported in Fraternal Law in September 2000, the University of Wisconsin has unsuccessfully struggled attempting to defend the constitutionality of its mandatory student fee system. In 1996, a group of conservative students and...
FIRST AMENDMENT GOVERNS KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY
Robert E. Manley, Manley & Burke The First Amendment Rights of Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Association are so complexly intertwined, that if they are withdrawn from any student group, the action harms all student groups and everyone else...
DUE PROCESS DENIED AT PUBLIC UNIVERSITY
Timothy M. Burke, Manley & Burke A new decision1 by a federal court in Cincinnati stands in stark contrast to the recent decision by the Supreme Court of Massachusetts in the Brandeis case. The Brandeis court refused to recognize the...
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instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Our 3 yr old has chicken pox and is showing signs dehydration. Not wanting to drink a lot. Goes in and out of a blank stare with fever. Gave coll bath to bring the fever down and has drank some water. Is Tylenol Ok with chicken pox for fever management? How much water should she be drinking?
gest remedy for chicken pox output: Hello,Welcome to Healthcare Magic,Hello,Welcome to Healthcare Magic,Chicken pox is a highly communicable 1-2 days before the appearance of rash and 4-5 days thereafter. After which virus tends to die out and looses the capacity to transmit disease to normal individuals. The scabbing usually begins 4-7 days after the rash and completed by 30 days. During the scabbing period you are child will be sterile and will not transmit disease to others.The disease will cause dehydration because of fever, the symptoms will come down once the rashes starts fading off. Your child should drink water as much as possible atleast 100ml/kg body wt./day.Thank you... |
Category: Artists
Alexandra Popescu-York Returns to Couture Fashion Week with “Mystic” Collection
Designer and artist Alexandra Popescu-York will present her latest collection at Couture Fashion Week at 4 pm on Saturday February 16, 2019. The highly-anticipated fashion show will be held at the 4W43 Building, 4 West 43rd Street, New York City.
With an instinct for composition and color, Alexandra Popescu-York, the Romanian-born designer now based in New York, is bringing back the old Hollywood extravagance to transform it into a contemporary line of luxury dresses with a twist of avant garde.
Every piece from “Mystic”, her new collection, tells a story about authenticity and also reflects the designer’s own bold and eclectic character. Ms. Popescu-York is the only designer in the world that presents artworks of different genres at the same show, at the same time: a collection of fashion couture and a painting exhibition.
Alexandra Popescu-York has been painting since the age of three and studied fashion design and plastic arts at the University of Arts in Bucharest. Now settled in the USA for over ten years, she has built an impressive record of national and international fashion shows and exhibitions. She is a regular favorite of Couture Fashion Week audiences in New York.
Click for tickets and more information.
by Couture Fashion Week
fashion week tickets
Designer Alexandra Popescu-York’s Latest Collection “Desire” at Couture Fashion Week NY
Top Romanian designer Alexandra Popescu-York, based in New York, will introduce her new luxury collection “Desire” on September 9, 2018 at 6:00 pm during the 28th season of Couture Fashion Week New York. The highly-anticipated runway show will be held at the Crowne Plaza Times Square, 1605 Broadway in New York City.
“Desire” tells the story of a refined, modern woman and it was created to be worn wherever she goes. The collection blends sophisticated accessories and uncommon materials, through which the creator conveys emotion and astounds every time. This is Alexandra Popescu-York’s 10th consecutive season showing athe prestigious New York Fashion week event. She is so far the only artist and designer in the world who has presented both a fashion couture collection and a painting exhibition during the same event.
During the event, the public will be able to see two amazing paintings by Ms. Popescu-York. The first is entitled “Desire” after her couture collection, and the second was made for CFW founder and producer Andres Aquino, one of her biggest fans.
The influence of entire centuries and art movements will be seen in the articles and costumes created by Alexandra Popescu-York, all part of a creative process where originality is the primary driving force. Her fashion collections, as well as her canvases, are imaginative and original, unconstrained in both their expressiveness and choice of materials. Elegance in fashion is seen as an act of simplification, renunciation and finally, elimination. When fashion becomes part of a show, as is the case of Ms. Popescu-York’s work, the appeal is cumulative.
Alexandra Popescu-York has been painting since the age of three and studied fashion design and plastic arts at the University of Arts in Bucharest. Now settled in the USA for over ten years, she has an impressive record of both national and international fashion shows and exhibitions. Among her many awards and accolades are her inclusion in the presentation of “Couture Fashion Week’s Best Designers” line-up of September 2016 and the inclusion of her paintings in the Art Exhibition at the 70th Anniversary of the United Nations in New York. What defines Alexandra Popescu-York as a fashion designer is the interplay between plastic arts and fashion. Her dresses are inspired by famous Romanian paintings, but also by the works of great masters and modern artists.
Unique Fashion Designs by Rebeca Deak Justh Feature Silk, Glass, Gold and Platinum
Designer Rebeca Deak Justh will present her latest creations during the upcoming 26th season of Couture Fashion Week New York. Part of the 12th Annual Slovak Fashion Night, in partnership with CFW, the fashion show will be held at 8 pm on Saturday September 9, 2017 at the Crowne Plaza Times Square, Manhattan, during the Fall 2017 New York Fashion Week.
Rebecca Deak Justh is a successful director, writer and fashion designer. Her latest perfectly integrated group of designs is entitled “The Golden Collection”. Though created for the Spring – Summer 2017 season, it is timeless. The collection reflects the richness of spirit, philosophy and the designer’s intention. Highly original outfits combine the finest quality silk fabrics with a unique gold-plated design created for the “Hot Couture Italy” collection and hand crafted corsets made out of an amazing glass material. The designer personally designed and made all the outfits. Glass corsets were created as real castings, hand crafted and decorated with gold and platinum by glass maker Achilles Sdoukos. These unique outfits embody originality, excellence, and a brilliant sense of happiness, wealth and precious value.
rebeca deak justh
Slovak Fashion Night
Designs by Laura Sporerova Blend Art and Fashion
photo: reefe | www.reefe.sk
Slovakian artist and fashion designer Laura Spörerova will present her latest creations during the upcoming 26th season of Couture Fashion Week New York. Part of the 12th Annual Slovak Fashion Night, in partnership with CFW, the fashion show will be held at 8 pm on Saturday September 9, 2017 at the Crowne Plaza Times Square, Manhattan, during the Fall 2017 New York Fashion Week.
A native of Slovakia, Laura Spörerova currently lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She is a painter, photographer and stylist / customizer artist.
“Painting is what I love the most, but in time I felt close with the world of photography and the creation of crazy masks,” says Ms. Spörerova. “In 10 minutes of the fashion show, I’d like to share and enjoy with the people a blend of different kinds of artistic expression, paintings, fashion styling and crazy customs. All these things are rolling in my head since early in my life and I guess will never stop.”
Ms. Spörerova’s recent career successes include a collaboration with Italian Playboy magazine editor Nicole Lustolin in an interview and photos of her work, as well as presentations of models in alternative fashion shows. She has cooperated with numerous artists at events and exhibitions throughout Europe including Hippie Market-Den Haag (The Netherlands), Unleashed, Wasteland, Club bizzare-Boudoir bizzare, Kimera’s World, Peter Diablow, Hank Janmahomed, Hans Rietbergen, Lucia Palsovic, Lubica Cintulova, Guendalina Danelutti and Nereida Lopez. She has participated in exhibitions such as Mien koffie en brood-Den Haag and Cremers-Den Haag (The Netherlands), Slovakian events Tryskáč (Bratislava), Hotel Enchanté (Prešov), Galeria v Caraffovej väznici (Prešov), and International Fashion Night 2017 (Bratislava), as well as an exhibition of her models in “Angel” during French Film Week.
Laura Sporerova
Opera Recycles Presented by Opera Carolina is Eco-Friendly Fashion
Opera Recycles presented by Opera Carolina will show a special eco-friendly fashion collection during Couture Fashion Week New York‘s 26th season. The highly anticipated runway show will be held at 4:00 pm on Saturday September 9, 2017 in the Broadway Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan, 1605 Broadway, New York City.
Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Opera Carolina has been a prestigious community institution for over 40 years. In 2015 Opera Carolina launched a new recycling initiative, Opera Recycles, with the intent to put outdated and extraneous printed marketing collateral to a creative and beautiful use. Since the initiative launched, more than 10,500 items of marketing material have been converted into eco-friendly fashion pieces. Through this initiative, Opera Carolina demonstrates its commitment to environmental consciousness and creative thinking. This innovative and strategic effort fosters interest and awareness in Opera Carolina as a cultural Charlotte institution and encourages creative and out-of-the-box thinking in regards to environmental problems facing organizations today.
Designers for the Opera Recycles initiative include both local and non-local artists. Keeping local artists engaged is an important part of the Opera Recycles initiative as it provides cross-promotional opportunities for the designers as well as Opera Carolina. The Opera Recycles initiative generates excitement for the upcoming Opera season as well as creative solutions to environmental problems. Last year, Opera Recycles participated in Couture Fashion Week during New York Fashion Week, featuring a dress designed by Garbage Gone Glam. This year, Opera Recycles was invited back to CFW to produce its very own fashion show featuring its whole collection. Opera Recycles will also be partnering again with local fashion organization, Charlotte Seen, and feature its dresses for 2017/18 at the Charlotte Fashion Week in September.
opera carolina
opera recycles
Alexandra Popescu-York Returns to Couture Fashion Week with Modern Warrior Queen Collection
Returning to Couture Fashion Week New York for her seventh consecutive season, Manhattan-based top designer and artist Alexandra Popescu-York will present her latest collection entitled “Modern Warrior Queen.” Part of CFW’s 25th season, the Fall-Winter 2017 collection will be shown on the runway at 6:00 pm on Sunday February 12, 2017 in the Broadway Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan, New York City.
Ms. Popescu-York’s latest audaciously-named collection pays dazzling tribute to today’s equally bold female figure who graciously reveals her barrier-breaking spirit with each conquest, made by her strong and generous soul, sensitive heart and inquisitive mind. This dramatic new couture collection, exclusively made in New York, seamlessly brings together the worlds of design and art. Ms. Popescu-York herself embodies the modern warrior queen spirit, through her talent, her striking, positive and modern designs, as well as her career accomplishments.
A native of Romania, Alexandra Popescu-York is a world-class creative force, acknowledged by the industry’s best early in her career. Among the numerous accolades she has garnered is Couture Fashion Show’s Best Designer title in September 2016 and the recent inclusion of her paintings in the United Nations’ 70th Anniversary International Art Exhibition in New York. Ms. Popescu-York’s humanitarian efforts have earned her the title “Ambassador of Good Hearts and Romanian Culture.” Ms. Popescu-York is also known as Alexandra Suciu in her double role as wife and mother.
Ms. Popescu-York’s creations are characterized by each piece’s symbolic depiction of finely selected themes. Recent themes include the capsule wardrobe collection of timeless essentials “Tour du Monde”; “Unleashed” (a rich collection of garments and accessories with a glamorous avant-garde look that is as edgy and unique as the emblematic New Yorker); “Âme de l’artiste” (soul of the artist); “Phoenix – The Legend”; “Metropolitan” (inspired by art, history and civilization highlights from the Metropolitan Museum of Art); and “GranD’Or”, a collection based on Ms. Popescu-York’s own artistic creations.
Artist-Designer Alexandra Popescu-York Takes Couture Fashion Week on a World Tour
Acclaimed artist-designer Alexandra Popescu-York will make her sixth appearance at Couture Fashion Week New York with her Spring-Summer 2017 clothing collection entitled “Tour du Monde” (World Tour). A CFW must-see, Ms. Popescu-York’s fashion show will be held at 6:00 pm on Sunday September 11, 2016 in the Broadway Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan, 1605 Broadway in New York City.
“Tour du Monde” is a capsule-type collection that never goes out of fashion. It is as timeless and stirring as the memories of one’s soul-enriching travels around the world, from the iconic Côte d’Azur and Saharan sunsets to the centuries-old cathedrals, boulevards and royal gardens.
As has become customary in the past few seasons, two of Alexandra Popescu-York’s latest monumental (140 square feet) paintings will serve as background pieces for the “Glamour Rush” fashion show by Couture Fashion Week producer and designer Andres Aquino, a great aficionado of Ms. Popescu-York’s art. That show will be held at 8:00 pm on Saturday September 10, 2016.
A native of Bucharest, Romania, Alexandra Popescu-York is a New York City-based designer and artist, a world-class power acknowledged by the industry’s best early in her career. Among the numerous accolades she has garnered is the recent inclusion of her paintings in the United Nations’ 70th Anniversary International Art Exhibition in New York. Ms. Popescu-York’s humanitarian efforts have earned her the “Ambassador of Good Hearts and Romanian Culture” title. Ms. Popescu-York is also known as Alexandra Suciu in her double role as wife and mother. Her sons Alexander Julian and Ralph have walked the Couture Fashion Week runway.
Ms. Popescu-York’s fashion creations are characterized by each piece’s symbolic depiction of finely selected themes. Recent themes include “Unleashed” (a rich collection of garments and accessories with a glamorous avant-garde look that is as edgy and unique as the eponymous New Yorker), “Âme de l’artiste” (soul of the artist), “Phoenix – The Legend”, “Metropolitan” (inspired by art, history and civilization highlights from the Metropolitan Museum of Art), and “GranD’Or”, a collection based on Ms. Popescu-York’s own artistic creations.
VIVRE Canvas Couture: Designer and Artist Join Forces to Create Wearable Art
These pieces of art are designed to go from your wall to your wardrobe
Palm Beach designer Kristen Alyce and Florida native artist Sarah LaPierre, have partnered their skill and passion to launch VIVRE Canvas Couture, a luxurious new high-end collection of handmade, hand painted couture gowns and accessories. The debut release for the Palm Beach Collection, and the brand as a whole, will be during Couture Fashion Week New York. The fashion show will be held at 4:00 pm on Saturday September 10, 2016 in the Broadway Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Times Square New York. Models will be draped in genuine hand painted artwork as they walk the catwalk.
The line is based in the famously beautiful city of Palm Beach on the South Florida coast. In this debut collection each handmade gown, cocktail dress, bow tie, purse, and pair of shoes represents the life and experience on the luscious tropical island of Palm Beach. Each item is carefully crafted of fine artist canvas and linen and entirely hand painted. Each garment, made from 100% canvas and covered in thick bodied acrylic paint, requires a minimum of 5 fittings, and takes anywhere from 8 to 80 hours to create from start to finish.
“No matter the weather, always bring your own sunshine,” is the inspiration for this collection. The Palm Beach paradise portrayed on these garments is breathtaking. Not only because you wish to be sitting among the lush palm trees and blue waters this autumn as the northern leaves fall, you can truly admire and bask in the bright turquoises, yellows, and pinks in the depth of the paintings themselves. The collection is already turning heads of the world’s elite. With prestigious clients from both the designer and artist, this line is already on its way to the top.
About VIVRE Canvas Couture
VIVRE Couture is an organic partnership between a designer and an artist, founded in April 2016. Kristen Alyce and Sarah LaPierre, both from West Palm Beach, Florida, came together with a vision for an inspired line of wearable original paintings with the highest quality elements of art, design, and construction. VIVRE Couture pieces are worthy of any art collection or gallery exhibition, and excitingly wearable for those premier life moments. Accessories of each collection are suitable to complement a full VIVRE ensemble, as well as the perfect statement piece to define a well curated look.
kristen alyce
sarah lapierre
vivre canvas couture
Artist Kevin Berlin’s New York Top Hats to Shine at GSF Awards Gala in Cannes
Internationally renowned artist Kevin Berlin will show original, artist-designed luxury top hats during the Global Short Film Awards Gala in Cannes, France. Several hats will be worn by models as part of the Andres Aquino couture fashion show at the event on Saturday May 21, 2016 at the Intercontinental Carlton Cannes. The gala evening program will include a red carpet, fashion shows, awards presentations, world-class entertainment and auction. Tickets are available online.
Part of Kevin Berlin New York’s “Classic” Top Hat collection, these contemporary Top Hats are ‘unisex,’ perfect for both men and women and for ‘everyday’ wear. The handmade creations are of the world’s finest quality and come in three heights: X, XX and XXX. The North American launch will take place in New York in July 2016.
“Large Cup of Coffee” by artist Kevin Berlin.
Kevin Berlin’s art is found in the collections of Kim Basinger, Luciano Pavarotti, Quincy Jones, Bill and Hillary Clinton, President George W. Bush, and Ron Rice founder of Havana Sun, among many other prominent art collectors. Mr. Berlin has been featured in The New York Times Magazine, Shanghai Daily, Tokyo Television, BBC Radio and over 40 television stations across the United States. Mr. Berlin was honored by President Reagan at The White House, and his recent solo exhibitions include New York, Miami and London.
In addition to the presentation of his beautiful top hats at the Cannes event, Mr. Berlin will also offer one of his original, signed, silk screen prints for auction. “Large Cup of Coffee” is almost five feet tall and features the New York skyline, the Empire State Building and New York’s famous ‘We Are Happy To Serve You’ coffee cup. Even if you are not a New Yorker you probably recognize this cup from movies and television shows including Brooklyn 99, Nurse Jackie, Men in Black, Mr. Robot and many others. The print retails for $10,000. A portion of the auction proceeds will be donated to charity.
Click for tickets and more information on the Cannes event.
cannes film
Global Short Film Awards
Kevin Berlin
Jay Santos to Debut New Single at GSF Awards Gala in Cannes
European singing sensation Jay Santos will perform at the upcoming Global Short Film Awards gala. The event, which will include fashion shows and awards presentations in addition to world-class entertainment, will be held on Saturday May 21, 2016 at the Intercontinental Carlton in Cannes, France.
A native of Bogota, Colombia, Jay Santos moved with his family to Rome, Italy at age 11. Soon after, he started building his music career, learning to play piano, guitar and drums. Influenced by Italian music and his Latin roots, Jay Santos created an original and unique rhythm with his music. At age 17, Jay moved to Madrid, Spain, where he continued to pursue his music career, writing songs, playing instruments and recording at small studios. In 2012 Jay debuted his first single Noche de Estrellas featuring Jose De Rico and Henry Mendez, produced by Roster Music. The song immediately rose to the top of the Spain singles charts and won a “Golden Record.” It now has more than 20 million views on YouTube. In 2013 Jay released Caliente, his first solo single produced by the Blanco y Negro company. In less than a month Caliente became the most watched video on YouTube in Spain, the top selling song on iTunes Spain, and the “summer hit” in many countries such as France, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Chile. To date, the song has over 60 million views on YouTube around the world. At the end of 2013, the artist founded his own record label Envimusic. By this time he had established himself as an entrepreneur, without leaving his music career behind. Jay Santos has performed at more than 200 concerts worldwide and is widely considered to be the #1 Latin/Dance artist in Europe.
In April 2015 Jay Santos released Dale Morena, another instant hit with a lot of rhythm that differs from other “Electro dance” songs. In November 2015 he released Ya te olvidé, his first Reggaeton song that impressed all of his fans with an explosion of rhythm combined with Latin sounds. In May 2016 Jay will release his brand new single Tu Y Yo. According to Stefano Pugnali, the artist’s manager, the new single features lots of rhythm, sensual lyrics, and a catchy vibrant melody in Reggaeton style. It will be premiered at the GSF Awards gala in May 2016, and is sure to soon be heard on dance floors everywhere.
Click for tickets to the GSF Awards Cannes gala.
jay santos |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: hi, sir...iam facing a big problem of lack of confidence....in me due to inferiority complex with in me....i dnt knw how to overcome my problem.... output: It makes our social interactions poor. Evaluate yourself what makes you feel inferior. Personal reason like, overweight, not looking good, feeling that you are unattractive might make you feel inferior. You may feel that people are thinking you unattractive. Do not think you have poor image. Talk to the close people and discuss your feeling. They might suggest whether your feelings are right or wrong. Do not expect to be perfect and be thankful to the GO's with what He has given. There are plenty of books on personality growth and especially on how to improve self-esteem. These are helpful. You can even get Psychologist help and discuss your feeling and he/she will motivate, and you tell you the tips.. |
<div style="float: right"><img src="http://sunsetlakesoftware.com/sites/default/files/GPUImageLogo.png" /></div>
<a href="https://zenodo.org/record/10416#.U5YGaF773Md"><img src="https://zenodo.org/badge/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10416.png" /></a>
Brad Larson
http://www.sunsetlakesoftware.com
[@bradlarson](http://twitter.com/bradlarson)
contact@sunsetlakesoftware.com
## Overview ##
The GPUImage framework is a BSD-licensed iOS library that lets you apply GPU-accelerated filters and other effects to images, live camera video, and movies. In comparison to Core Image (part of iOS 5.0), GPUImage allows you to write your own custom filters, supports deployment to iOS 4.0, and has a simpler interface. However, it currently lacks some of the more advanced features of Core Image, such as facial detection.
For massively parallel operations like processing images or live video frames, GPUs have some significant performance advantages over CPUs. On an iPhone 4, a simple image filter can be over 100 times faster to perform on the GPU than an equivalent CPU-based filter.
However, running custom filters on the GPU requires a lot of code to set up and maintain an OpenGL ES 2.0 rendering target for these filters. I created a sample project to do this:
http://www.sunsetlakesoftware.com/2010/10/22/gpu-accelerated-video-processing-mac-and-ios
and found that there was a lot of boilerplate code I had to write in its creation. Therefore, I put together this framework that encapsulates a lot of the common tasks you'll encounter when processing images and video and made it so that you don't need to care about the OpenGL ES 2.0 underpinnings.
This framework compares favorably to Core Image when handling video, taking only 2.5 ms on an iPhone 4 to upload a frame from the camera, apply a gamma filter, and display, versus 106 ms for the same operation using Core Image. CPU-based processing takes 460 ms, making GPUImage 40X faster than Core Image for this operation on this hardware, and 184X faster than CPU-bound processing. On an iPhone 4S, GPUImage is only 4X faster than Core Image for this case, and 102X faster than CPU-bound processing. However, for more complex operations like Gaussian blurs at larger radii, Core Image currently outpaces GPUImage.
## License ##
BSD-style, with the full license available with the framework in License.txt.
## Technical requirements ##
- OpenGL ES 2.0: Applications using this will not run on the original iPhone, iPhone 3G, and 1st and 2nd generation iPod touches
- iOS 4.1 as a deployment target (4.0 didn't have some extensions needed for movie reading). iOS 4.3 is needed as a deployment target if you wish to show live video previews when taking a still photo.
- iOS 5.0 SDK to build
- Devices must have a camera to use camera-related functionality (obviously)
- The framework uses automatic reference counting (ARC), but should support projects using both ARC and manual reference counting if added as a subproject as explained below. For manual reference counting applications targeting iOS 4.x, you'll need add -fobjc-arc to the Other Linker Flags for your application project.
## General architecture ##
GPUImage uses OpenGL ES 2.0 shaders to perform image and video manipulation much faster than could be done in CPU-bound routines. However, it hides the complexity of interacting with the OpenGL ES API in a simplified Objective-C interface. This interface lets you define input sources for images and video, attach filters in a chain, and send the resulting processed image or video to the screen, to a UIImage, or to a movie on disk.
Images or frames of video are uploaded from source objects, which are subclasses of GPUImageOutput. These include GPUImageVideoCamera (for live video from an iOS camera), GPUImageStillCamera (for taking photos with the camera), GPUImagePicture (for still images), and GPUImageMovie (for movies). Source objects upload still image frames to OpenGL ES as textures, then hand those textures off to the next objects in the processing chain.
Filters and other subsequent elements in the chain conform to the GPUImageInput protocol, which lets them take in the supplied or processed texture from the previous link in the chain and do something with it. Objects one step further down the chain are considered targets, and processing can be branched by adding multiple targets to a single output or filter.
For example, an application that takes in live video from the camera, converts that video to a sepia tone, then displays the video onscreen would set up a chain looking something like the following:
GPUImageVideoCamera -> GPUImageSepiaFilter -> GPUImageView
## Adding the static library to your iOS project ##
Note: if you want to use this in a Swift project, you need to use the steps in the "Adding this as a framework" section instead of the following. Swift needs modules for third-party code.
Once you have the latest source code for the framework, it's fairly straightforward to add it to your application. Start by dragging the GPUImage.xcodeproj file into your application's Xcode project to embed the framework in your project. Next, go to your application's target and add GPUImage as a Target Dependency. Finally, you'll want to drag the libGPUImage.a library from the GPUImage framework's Products folder to the Link Binary With Libraries build phase in your application's target.
GPUImage needs a few other frameworks to be linked into your application, so you'll need to add the following as linked libraries in your application target:
- CoreMedia
- CoreVideo
- OpenGLES
- AVFoundation
- QuartzCore
You'll also need to find the framework headers, so within your project's build settings set the Header Search Paths to the relative path from your application to the framework/ subdirectory within the GPUImage source directory. Make this header search path recursive.
To use the GPUImage classes within your application, simply include the core framework header using the following:
#import "GPUImage.h"
As a note: if you run into the error "Unknown class GPUImageView in Interface Builder" or the like when trying to build an interface with Interface Builder, you may need to add -ObjC to your Other Linker Flags in your project's build settings.
Also, if you need to deploy this to iOS 4.x, it appears that the current version of Xcode (4.3) requires that you weak-link the Core Video framework in your final application or you see crashes with the message "Symbol not found: _CVOpenGLESTextureCacheCreate" when you create an archive for upload to the App Store or for ad hoc distribution. To do this, go to your project's Build Phases tab, expand the Link Binary With Libraries group, and find CoreVideo.framework in the list. Change the setting for it in the far right of the list from Required to Optional.
Additionally, this is an ARC-enabled framework, so if you want to use this within a manual reference counted application targeting iOS 4.x, you'll need to add -fobjc-arc to your Other Linker Flags as well.
### Building a static library at the command line ###
If you don't want to include the project as a dependency in your application's Xcode project, you can build a universal static library for the iOS Simulator or device. To do this, run `build.sh` at the command line. The resulting library and header files will be located at `build/Release-iphone`. You may also change the version of the iOS SDK by changing the `IOSSDK_VER` variable in `build.sh` (all available versions can be found using `xcodebuild -showsdks`).
## Adding this as a framework (module) to your Mac or iOS project ##
Xcode 6 and iOS 8 support the use of full frameworks, as does the Mac, which simplifies the process of adding this to your application. To add this to your application, I recommend dragging the .xcodeproj project file into your application's project (as you would in the static library target).
For your application, go to its target build settings and choose the Build Phases tab. Under the Target Dependencies grouping, add GPUImageFramework on iOS (not GPUImage, which builds the static library) or GPUImage on the Mac. Under the Link Binary With Libraries section, add GPUImage.framework.
This should cause GPUImage to build as a framework. Under Xcode 6, this will also build as a module, which will allow you to use this in Swift projects. When set up as above, you should just need to use
import GPUImage
to pull it in.
You then need to add a new Copy Files build phase, set the Destination to Frameworks, and add the GPUImage.framework build product to that. This will allow the framework to be bundled with your application (otherwise, you'll see cryptic "dyld: Library not loaded: @rpath/GPUImage.framework/GPUImage" errors on execution).
### Documentation ###
Documentation is generated from header comments using appledoc. To build the documentation, switch to the "Documentation" scheme in Xcode. You should ensure that "APPLEDOC_PATH" (a User-Defined build setting) points to an appledoc binary, available on <a href="https://github.com/tomaz/appledoc">Github</a> or through <a href="https://github.com/mxcl/homebrew">Homebrew</a>. It will also build and install a .docset file, which you can view with your favorite documentation tool.
## Performing common tasks ##
### Filtering live video ###
To filter live video from an iOS device's camera, you can use code like the following:
GPUImageVideoCamera *videoCamera = [[GPUImageVideoCamera alloc] initWithSessionPreset:AVCaptureSessionPreset640x480 cameraPosition:AVCaptureDevicePositionBack];
videoCamera.outputImageOrientation = UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait;
GPUImageFilter *customFilter = [[GPUImageFilter alloc] initWithFragmentShaderFromFile:@"CustomShader"];
GPUImageView *filteredVideoView = [[GPUImageView alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectMake(0.0, 0.0, viewWidth, viewHeight)];
// Add the view somewhere so it's visible
[videoCamera addTarget:customFilter];
[customFilter addTarget:filteredVideoView];
[videoCamera startCameraCapture];
This sets up a video source coming from the iOS device's back-facing camera, using a preset that tries to capture at 640x480. This video is captured with the interface being in portrait mode, where the landscape-left-mounted camera needs to have its video frames rotated before display. A custom filter, using code from the file CustomShader.fsh, is then set as the target for the video frames from the camera. These filtered video frames are finally displayed onscreen with the help of a UIView subclass that can present the filtered OpenGL ES texture that results from this pipeline.
The fill mode of the GPUImageView can be altered by setting its fillMode property, so that if the aspect ratio of the source video is different from that of the view, the video will either be stretched, centered with black bars, or zoomed to fill.
For blending filters and others that take in more than one image, you can create multiple outputs and add a single filter as a target for both of these outputs. The order with which the outputs are added as targets will affect the order in which the input images are blended or otherwise processed.
Also, if you wish to enable microphone audio capture for recording to a movie, you'll need to set the audioEncodingTarget of the camera to be your movie writer, like for the following:
videoCamera.audioEncodingTarget = movieWriter;
### Capturing and filtering a still photo ###
To capture and filter still photos, you can use a process similar to the one for filtering video. Instead of a GPUImageVideoCamera, you use a GPUImageStillCamera:
stillCamera = [[GPUImageStillCamera alloc] init];
stillCamera.outputImageOrientation = UIInterfaceOrientationPortrait;
filter = [[GPUImageGammaFilter alloc] init];
[stillCamera addTarget:filter];
GPUImageView *filterView = (GPUImageView *)self.view;
[filter addTarget:filterView];
[stillCamera startCameraCapture];
This will give you a live, filtered feed of the still camera's preview video. Note that this preview video is only provided on iOS 4.3 and higher, so you may need to set that as your deployment target if you wish to have this functionality.
Once you want to capture a photo, you use a callback block like the following:
[stillCamera capturePhotoProcessedUpToFilter:filter withCompletionHandler:^(UIImage *processedImage, NSError *error){
NSData *dataForJPEGFile = UIImageJPEGRepresentation(processedImage, 0.8);
NSArray *paths = NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains(NSDocumentDirectory, NSUserDomainMask, YES);
NSString *documentsDirectory = [paths objectAtIndex:0];
NSError *error2 = nil;
if (![dataForJPEGFile writeToFile:[documentsDirectory stringByAppendingPathComponent:@"FilteredPhoto.jpg"] options:NSAtomicWrite error:&error2])
{
return;
}
}];
The above code captures a full-size photo processed by the same filter chain used in the preview view and saves that photo to disk as a JPEG in the application's documents directory.
Note that the framework currently can't handle images larger than 2048 pixels wide or high on older devices (those before the iPhone 4S, iPad 2, or Retina iPad) due to texture size limitations. This means that the iPhone 4, whose camera outputs still photos larger than this, won't be able to capture photos like this. A tiling mechanism is being implemented to work around this. All other devices should be able to capture and filter photos using this method.
### Processing a still image ###
There are a couple of ways to process a still image and create a result. The first way you can do this is by creating a still image source object and manually creating a filter chain:
UIImage *inputImage = [UIImage imageNamed:@"Lambeau.jpg"];
GPUImagePicture *stillImageSource = [[GPUImagePicture alloc] initWithImage:inputImage];
GPUImageSepiaFilter *stillImageFilter = [[GPUImageSepiaFilter alloc] init];
[stillImageSource addTarget:stillImageFilter];
[stillImageFilter useNextFrameForImageCapture];
[stillImageSource processImage];
UIImage *currentFilteredVideoFrame = [stillImageFilter imageFromCurrentFramebuffer];
Note that for a manual capture of an image from a filter, you need to set -useNextFrameForImageCapture in order to tell the filter that you'll be needing to capture from it later. By default, GPUImage reuses framebuffers within filters to conserve memory, so if you need to hold on to a filter's framebuffer for manual image capture, you need to let it know ahead of time.
For single filters that you wish to apply to an image, you can simply do the following:
GPUImageSepiaFilter *stillImageFilter2 = [[GPUImageSepiaFilter alloc] init];
UIImage *quickFilteredImage = [stillImageFilter2 imageByFilteringImage:inputImage];
### Writing a custom filter ###
One significant advantage of this framework over Core Image on iOS (as of iOS 5.0) is the ability to write your own custom image and video processing filters. These filters are supplied as OpenGL ES 2.0 fragment shaders, written in the C-like OpenGL Shading Language.
A custom filter is initialized with code like
GPUImageFilter *customFilter = [[GPUImageFilter alloc] initWithFragmentShaderFromFile:@"CustomShader"];
where the extension used for the fragment shader is .fsh. Additionally, you can use the -initWithFragmentShaderFromString: initializer to provide the fragment shader as a string, if you would not like to ship your fragment shaders in your application bundle.
Fragment shaders perform their calculations for each pixel to be rendered at that filter stage. They do this using the OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL), a C-like language with additions specific to 2-D and 3-D graphics. An example of a fragment shader is the following sepia-tone filter:
varying highp vec2 textureCoordinate;
uniform sampler2D inputImageTexture;
void main()
{
lowp vec4 textureColor = texture2D(inputImageTexture, textureCoordinate);
lowp vec4 outputColor;
outputColor.r = (textureColor.r * 0.393) + (textureColor.g * 0.769) + (textureColor.b * 0.189);
outputColor.g = (textureColor.r * 0.349) + (textureColor.g * 0.686) + (textureColor.b * 0.168);
outputColor.b = (textureColor.r * 0.272) + (textureColor.g * 0.534) + (textureColor.b * 0.131);
outputColor.a = 1.0;
gl_FragColor = outputColor;
}
For an image filter to be usable within the GPUImage framework, the first two lines that take in the textureCoordinate varying (for the current coordinate within the texture, normalized to 1.0) and the inputImageTexture uniform (for the actual input image frame texture) are required.
The remainder of the shader grabs the color of the pixel at this location in the passed-in texture, manipulates it in such a way as to produce a sepia tone, and writes that pixel color out to be used in the next stage of the processing pipeline.
One thing to note when adding fragment shaders to your Xcode project is that Xcode thinks they are source code files. To work around this, you'll need to manually move your shader from the Compile Sources build phase to the Copy Bundle Resources one in order to get the shader to be included in your application bundle.
### Filtering and re-encoding a movie ###
Movies can be loaded into the framework via the GPUImageMovie class, filtered, and then written out using a GPUImageMovieWriter. GPUImageMovieWriter is also fast enough to record video in realtime from an iPhone 4's camera at 640x480, so a direct filtered video source can be fed into it. Currently, GPUImageMovieWriter is fast enough to record live 720p video at up to 20 FPS on the iPhone 4, and both 720p and 1080p video at 30 FPS on the iPhone 4S (as well as on the new iPad).
The following is an example of how you would load a sample movie, pass it through a pixellation filter, then record the result to disk as a 480 x 640 h.264 movie:
movieFile = [[GPUImageMovie alloc] initWithURL:sampleURL];
pixellateFilter = [[GPUImagePixellateFilter alloc] init];
[movieFile addTarget:pixellateFilter];
NSString *pathToMovie = [NSHomeDirectory() stringByAppendingPathComponent:@"Documents/Movie.m4v"];
unlink([pathToMovie UTF8String]);
NSURL *movieURL = [NSURL fileURLWithPath:pathToMovie];
movieWriter = [[GPUImageMovieWriter alloc] initWithMovieURL:movieURL size:CGSizeMake(480.0, 640.0)];
[pixellateFilter addTarget:movieWriter];
movieWriter.shouldPassthroughAudio = YES;
movieFile.audioEncodingTarget = movieWriter;
[movieFile enableSynchronizedEncodingUsingMovieWriter:movieWriter];
[movieWriter startRecording];
[movieFile startProcessing];
Once recording is finished, you need to remove the movie recorder from the filter chain and close off the recording using code like the following:
[pixellateFilter removeTarget:movieWriter];
[movieWriter finishRecording];
A movie won't be usable until it has been finished off, so if this is interrupted before this point, the recording will be lost.
### Interacting with OpenGL ES ###
GPUImage can both export and import textures from OpenGL ES through the use of its GPUImageTextureOutput and GPUImageTextureInput classes, respectively. This lets you record a movie from an OpenGL ES scene that is rendered to a framebuffer object with a bound texture, or filter video or images and then feed them into OpenGL ES as a texture to be displayed in the scene.
The one caution with this approach is that the textures used in these processes must be shared between GPUImage's OpenGL ES context and any other context via a share group or something similar.
## Built-in filters ##
There are currently 125 built-in filters, divided into the following categories:
### Color adjustments ###
- **GPUImageBrightnessFilter**: Adjusts the brightness of the image
- *brightness*: The adjusted brightness (-1.0 - 1.0, with 0.0 as the default)
- **GPUImageExposureFilter**: Adjusts the exposure of the image
- *exposure*: The adjusted exposure (-10.0 - 10.0, with 0.0 as the default)
- **GPUImageContrastFilter**: Adjusts the contrast of the image
- *contrast*: The adjusted contrast (0.0 - 4.0, with 1.0 as the default)
- **GPUImageSaturationFilter**: Adjusts the saturation of an image
- *saturation*: The degree of saturation or desaturation to apply to the image (0.0 - 2.0, with 1.0 as the default)
- **GPUImageGammaFilter**: Adjusts the gamma of an image
- *gamma*: The gamma adjustment to apply (0.0 - 3.0, with 1.0 as the default)
- **GPUImageLevelsFilter**: Photoshop-like levels adjustment. The min, max, minOut and maxOut parameters are floats in the range [0, 1]. If you have parameters from Photoshop in the range [0, 255] you must first convert them to be [0, 1]. The gamma/mid parameter is a float >= 0. This matches the value from Photoshop. If you want to apply levels to RGB as well as individual channels you need to use this filter twice - first for the individual channels and then for all channels.
- **GPUImageColorMatrixFilter**: Transforms the colors of an image by applying a matrix to them
- *colorMatrix*: A 4x4 matrix used to transform each color in an image
- *intensity*: The degree to which the new transformed color replaces the original color for each pixel
- **GPUImageRGBFilter**: Adjusts the individual RGB channels of an image
- *red*: Normalized values by which each color channel is multiplied. The range is from 0.0 up, with 1.0 as the default.
- *green*:
- *blue*:
- **GPUImageHueFilter**: Adjusts the hue of an image
- *hue*: The hue angle, in degrees. 90 degrees by default
- **GPUImageVibranceFilter**: Adjusts the vibrance of an image
- *vibrance*: The vibrance adjustment to apply, using 0.0 as the default, and a suggested min/max of around -1.2 and 1.2, respectively.
- **GPUImageWhiteBalanceFilter**: Adjusts the white balance of an image.
- *temperature*: The temperature to adjust the image by, in ºK. A value of 4000 is very cool and 7000 very warm. The default value is 5000. Note that the scale between 4000 and 5000 is nearly as visually significant as that between 5000 and 7000.
- *tint*: The tint to adjust the image by. A value of -200 is *very* green and 200 is *very* pink. The default value is 0.
- **GPUImageToneCurveFilter**: Adjusts the colors of an image based on spline curves for each color channel.
- *redControlPoints*:
- *greenControlPoints*:
- *blueControlPoints*:
- *rgbCompositeControlPoints*: The tone curve takes in a series of control points that define the spline curve for each color component, or for all three in the composite. These are stored as NSValue-wrapped CGPoints in an NSArray, with normalized X and Y coordinates from 0 - 1. The defaults are (0,0), (0.5,0.5), (1,1).
- **GPUImageHighlightShadowFilter**: Adjusts the shadows and highlights of an image
- *shadows*: Increase to lighten shadows, from 0.0 to 1.0, with 0.0 as the default.
- *highlights*: Decrease to darken highlights, from 1.0 to 0.0, with 1.0 as the default.
- **GPUImageHighlightShadowTintFilter**: Allows you to tint the shadows and highlights of an image independently using a color and intensity
- *shadowTintColor*: Shadow tint RGB color (GPUVector4). Default: `{1.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f}` (red).
- *highlightTintColor*: Highlight tint RGB color (GPUVector4). Default: `{0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f}` (blue).
- *shadowTintIntensity*: Shadow tint intensity, from 0.0 to 1.0. Default: 0.0
- *highlightTintIntensity*: Highlight tint intensity, from 0.0 to 1.0, with 0.0 as the default.
- **GPUImageLookupFilter**: Uses an RGB color lookup image to remap the colors in an image. First, use your favourite photo editing application to apply a filter to lookup.png from GPUImage/framework/Resources. For this to work properly each pixel color must not depend on other pixels (e.g. blur will not work). If you need a more complex filter you can create as many lookup tables as required. Once ready, use your new lookup.png file as a second input for GPUImageLookupFilter.
- **GPUImageAmatorkaFilter**: A photo filter based on a Photoshop action by Amatorka: http://amatorka.deviantart.com/art/Amatorka-Action-2-121069631 . If you want to use this effect you have to add lookup_amatorka.png from the GPUImage Resources folder to your application bundle.
- **GPUImageMissEtikateFilter**: A photo filter based on a Photoshop action by Miss Etikate: http://miss-etikate.deviantart.com/art/Photoshop-Action-15-120151961 . If you want to use this effect you have to add lookup_miss_etikate.png from the GPUImage Resources folder to your application bundle.
- **GPUImageSoftEleganceFilter**: Another lookup-based color remapping filter. If you want to use this effect you have to add lookup_soft_elegance_1.png and lookup_soft_elegance_2.png from the GPUImage Resources folder to your application bundle.
- **GPUImageSkinToneFilter**: A skin-tone adjustment filter that affects a unique range of light skin-tone colors and adjusts the pink/green or pink/orange range accordingly. Default values are targetted at fair caucasian skin, but can be adjusted as required.
- *skinToneAdjust*: Amount to adjust skin tone. Default: 0.0, suggested min/max: -0.3 and 0.3 respectively.
- *skinHue*: Skin hue to be detected. Default: 0.05 (fair caucasian to reddish skin).
- *skinHueThreshold*: Amount of variance in skin hue. Default: 40.0.
- *maxHueShift*: Maximum amount of hue shifting allowed. Default: 0.25.
- *maxSaturationShift* = Maximum amount of saturation to be shifted (when using orange). Default: 0.4.
- *upperSkinToneColor* = `GPUImageSkinToneUpperColorGreen` or `GPUImageSkinToneUpperColorOrange`
- **GPUImageColorInvertFilter**: Inverts the colors of an image
- **GPUImageGrayscaleFilter**: Converts an image to grayscale (a slightly faster implementation of the saturation filter, without the ability to vary the color contribution)
- **GPUImageMonochromeFilter**: Converts the image to a single-color version, based on the luminance of each pixel
- *intensity*: The degree to which the specific color replaces the normal image color (0.0 - 1.0, with 1.0 as the default)
- *color*: The color to use as the basis for the effect, with (0.6, 0.45, 0.3, 1.0) as the default.
- **GPUImageFalseColorFilter**: Uses the luminance of the image to mix between two user-specified colors
- *firstColor*: The first and second colors specify what colors replace the dark and light areas of the image, respectively. The defaults are (0.0, 0.0, 0.5) amd (1.0, 0.0, 0.0).
- *secondColor*:
- **GPUImageHazeFilter**: Used to add or remove haze (similar to a UV filter)
- *distance*: Strength of the color applied. Default 0. Values between -.3 and .3 are best.
- *slope*: Amount of color change. Default 0. Values between -.3 and .3 are best.
- **GPUImageSepiaFilter**: Simple sepia tone filter
- *intensity*: The degree to which the sepia tone replaces the normal image color (0.0 - 1.0, with 1.0 as the default)
- **GPUImageOpacityFilter**: Adjusts the alpha channel of the incoming image
- *opacity*: The value to multiply the incoming alpha channel for each pixel by (0.0 - 1.0, with 1.0 as the default)
- **GPUImageSolidColorGenerator**: This outputs a generated image with a solid color. You need to define the image size using -forceProcessingAtSize:
- *color*: The color, in a four component format, that is used to fill the image.
- **GPUImageLuminanceThresholdFilter**: Pixels with a luminance above the threshold will appear white, and those below will be black
- *threshold*: The luminance threshold, from 0.0 to 1.0, with a default of 0.5
- **GPUImageAdaptiveThresholdFilter**: Determines the local luminance around a pixel, then turns the pixel black if it is below that local luminance and white if above. This can be useful for picking out text under varying lighting conditions.
- *blurRadiusInPixels*: A multiplier for the background averaging blur radius in pixels, with a default of 4.
- **GPUImageAverageLuminanceThresholdFilter**: This applies a thresholding operation where the threshold is continually adjusted based on the average luminance of the scene.
- *thresholdMultiplier*: This is a factor that the average luminance will be multiplied by in order to arrive at the final threshold to use. By default, this is 1.0.
- **GPUImageHistogramFilter**: This analyzes the incoming image and creates an output histogram with the frequency at which each color value occurs. The output of this filter is a 3-pixel-high, 256-pixel-wide image with the center (vertical) pixels containing pixels that correspond to the frequency at which various color values occurred. Each color value occupies one of the 256 width positions, from 0 on the left to 255 on the right. This histogram can be generated for individual color channels (kGPUImageHistogramRed, kGPUImageHistogramGreen, kGPUImageHistogramBlue), the luminance of the image (kGPUImageHistogramLuminance), or for all three color channels at once (kGPUImageHistogramRGB).
- *downsamplingFactor*: Rather than sampling every pixel, this dictates what fraction of the image is sampled. By default, this is 16 with a minimum of 1. This is needed to keep from saturating the histogram, which can only record 256 pixels for each color value before it becomes overloaded.
- **GPUImageHistogramGenerator**: This is a special filter, in that it's primarily intended to work with the GPUImageHistogramFilter. It generates an output representation of the color histograms generated by GPUImageHistogramFilter, but it could be repurposed to display other kinds of values. It takes in an image and looks at the center (vertical) pixels. It then plots the numerical values of the RGB components in separate colored graphs in an output texture. You may need to force a size for this filter in order to make its output visible.
- **GPUImageAverageColor**: This processes an input image and determines the average color of the scene, by averaging the RGBA components for each pixel in the image. A reduction process is used to progressively downsample the source image on the GPU, followed by a short averaging calculation on the CPU. The output from this filter is meaningless, but you need to set the colorAverageProcessingFinishedBlock property to a block that takes in four color components and a frame time and does something with them.
- **GPUImageLuminosity**: Like the GPUImageAverageColor, this reduces an image to its average luminosity. You need to set the luminosityProcessingFinishedBlock to handle the output of this filter, which just returns a luminosity value and a frame time.
- **GPUImageChromaKeyFilter**: For a given color in the image, sets the alpha channel to 0. This is similar to the GPUImageChromaKeyBlendFilter, only instead of blending in a second image for a matching color this doesn't take in a second image and just turns a given color transparent.
- *thresholdSensitivity*: How close a color match needs to exist to the target color to be replaced (default of 0.4)
- *smoothing*: How smoothly to blend for the color match (default of 0.1)
### Image processing ###
- **GPUImageTransformFilter**: This applies an arbitrary 2-D or 3-D transformation to an image
- *affineTransform*: This takes in a CGAffineTransform to adjust an image in 2-D
- *transform3D*: This takes in a CATransform3D to manipulate an image in 3-D
- *ignoreAspectRatio*: By default, the aspect ratio of the transformed image is maintained, but this can be set to YES to make the transformation independent of aspect ratio
- **GPUImageCropFilter**: This crops an image to a specific region, then passes only that region on to the next stage in the filter
- *cropRegion*: A rectangular area to crop out of the image, normalized to coordinates from 0.0 - 1.0. The (0.0, 0.0) position is in the upper left of the image.
- **GPUImageLanczosResamplingFilter**: This lets you up- or downsample an image using Lanczos resampling, which results in noticeably better quality than the standard linear or trilinear interpolation. Simply use -forceProcessingAtSize: to set the target output resolution for the filter, and the image will be resampled for that new size.
- **GPUImageSharpenFilter**: Sharpens the image
- *sharpness*: The sharpness adjustment to apply (-4.0 - 4.0, with 0.0 as the default)
- **GPUImageUnsharpMaskFilter**: Applies an unsharp mask
- *blurRadiusInPixels*: The blur radius of the underlying Gaussian blur. The default is 4.0.
- *intensity*: The strength of the sharpening, from 0.0 on up, with a default of 1.0
- **GPUImageGaussianBlurFilter**: A hardware-optimized, variable-radius Gaussian blur
- *texelSpacingMultiplier*: A multiplier for the spacing between texels, ranging from 0.0 on up, with a default of 1.0. Adjusting this may slightly increase the blur strength, but will introduce artifacts in the result. Highly recommend using other parameters first, before touching this one.
- *blurRadiusInPixels*: A radius in pixels to use for the blur, with a default of 2.0. This adjusts the sigma variable in the Gaussian distribution function.
- *blurRadiusAsFractionOfImageWidth*:
- *blurRadiusAsFractionOfImageHeight*: Setting these properties will allow the blur radius to scale with the size of the image
- *blurPasses*: The number of times to sequentially blur the incoming image. The more passes, the slower the filter.
- **GPUImageBoxBlurFilter**: A hardware-optimized, variable-radius box blur
- *texelSpacingMultiplier*: A multiplier for the spacing between texels, ranging from 0.0 on up, with a default of 1.0. Adjusting this may slightly increase the blur strength, but will introduce artifacts in the result. Highly recommend using other parameters first, before touching this one.
- *blurRadiusInPixels*: A radius in pixels to use for the blur, with a default of 2.0. This adjusts the sigma variable in the Gaussian distribution function.
- *blurRadiusAsFractionOfImageWidth*:
- *blurRadiusAsFractionOfImageHeight*: Setting these properties will allow the blur radius to scale with the size of the image
- *blurPasses*: The number of times to sequentially blur the incoming image. The more passes, the slower the filter.
- **GPUImageSingleComponentGaussianBlurFilter**: A modification of the GPUImageGaussianBlurFilter that operates only on the red component
- *texelSpacingMultiplier*: A multiplier for the spacing between texels, ranging from 0.0 on up, with a default of 1.0. Adjusting this may slightly increase the blur strength, but will introduce artifacts in the result. Highly recommend using other parameters first, before touching this one.
- *blurRadiusInPixels*: A radius in pixels to use for the blur, with a default of 2.0. This adjusts the sigma variable in the Gaussian distribution function.
- *blurRadiusAsFractionOfImageWidth*:
- *blurRadiusAsFractionOfImageHeight*: Setting these properties will allow the blur radius to scale with the size of the image
- *blurPasses*: The number of times to sequentially blur the incoming image. The more passes, the slower the filter.
- **GPUImageGaussianSelectiveBlurFilter**: A Gaussian blur that preserves focus within a circular region
- *blurRadiusInPixels*: A radius in pixels to use for the blur, with a default of 5.0. This adjusts the sigma variable in the Gaussian distribution function.
- *excludeCircleRadius*: The radius of the circular area being excluded from the blur
- *excludeCirclePoint*: The center of the circular area being excluded from the blur
- *excludeBlurSize*: The size of the area between the blurred portion and the clear circle
- *aspectRatio*: The aspect ratio of the image, used to adjust the circularity of the in-focus region. By default, this matches the image aspect ratio, but you can override this value.
- **GPUImageGaussianBlurPositionFilter**: The inverse of the GPUImageGaussianSelectiveBlurFilter, applying the blur only within a certain circle
- *blurSize*: A multiplier for the size of the blur, ranging from 0.0 on up, with a default of 1.0
- *blurCenter*: Center for the blur, defaults to 0.5, 0.5
- *blurRadius*: Radius for the blur, defaults to 1.0
- **GPUImageiOSBlurFilter**: An attempt to replicate the background blur used on iOS 7 in places like the control center.
- *blurRadiusInPixels*: A radius in pixels to use for the blur, with a default of 12.0. This adjusts the sigma variable in the Gaussian distribution function.
- *saturation*: Saturation ranges from 0.0 (fully desaturated) to 2.0 (max saturation), with 0.8 as the normal level
- *downsampling*: The degree to which to downsample, then upsample the incoming image to minimize computations within the Gaussian blur, with a default of 4.0.
- **GPUImageMedianFilter**: Takes the median value of the three color components, over a 3x3 area
- **GPUImageBilateralFilter**: A bilateral blur, which tries to blur similar color values while preserving sharp edges
- *texelSpacingMultiplier*: A multiplier for the spacing between texel reads, ranging from 0.0 on up, with a default of 4.0
- *distanceNormalizationFactor*: A normalization factor for the distance between central color and sample color, with a default of 8.0.
- **GPUImageTiltShiftFilter**: A simulated tilt shift lens effect
- *blurRadiusInPixels*: The radius of the underlying blur, in pixels. This is 7.0 by default.
- *topFocusLevel*: The normalized location of the top of the in-focus area in the image, this value should be lower than bottomFocusLevel, default 0.4
- *bottomFocusLevel*: The normalized location of the bottom of the in-focus area in the image, this value should be higher than topFocusLevel, default 0.6
- *focusFallOffRate*: The rate at which the image gets blurry away from the in-focus region, default 0.2
- **GPUImage3x3ConvolutionFilter**: Runs a 3x3 convolution kernel against the image
- *convolutionKernel*: The convolution kernel is a 3x3 matrix of values to apply to the pixel and its 8 surrounding pixels. The matrix is specified in row-major order, with the top left pixel being one.one and the bottom right three.three. If the values in the matrix don't add up to 1.0, the image could be brightened or darkened.
- **GPUImageSobelEdgeDetectionFilter**: Sobel edge detection, with edges highlighted in white
- *texelWidth*:
- *texelHeight*: These parameters affect the visibility of the detected edges
- *edgeStrength*: Adjusts the dynamic range of the filter. Higher values lead to stronger edges, but can saturate the intensity colorspace. Default is 1.0.
- **GPUImagePrewittEdgeDetectionFilter**: Prewitt edge detection, with edges highlighted in white
- *texelWidth*:
- *texelHeight*: These parameters affect the visibility of the detected edges
- *edgeStrength*: Adjusts the dynamic range of the filter. Higher values lead to stronger edges, but can saturate the intensity colorspace. Default is 1.0.
- **GPUImageThresholdEdgeDetectionFilter**: Performs Sobel edge detection, but applies a threshold instead of giving gradual strength values
- *texelWidth*:
- *texelHeight*: These parameters affect the visibility of the detected edges
- *edgeStrength*: Adjusts the dynamic range of the filter. Higher values lead to stronger edges, but can saturate the intensity colorspace. Default is 1.0.
- *threshold*: Any edge above this threshold will be black, and anything below white. Ranges from 0.0 to 1.0, with 0.8 as the default
- **GPUImageCannyEdgeDetectionFilter**: This uses the full Canny process to highlight one-pixel-wide edges
- *texelWidth*:
- *texelHeight*: These parameters affect the visibility of the detected edges
- *blurRadiusInPixels*: The underlying blur radius for the Gaussian blur. Default is 2.0.
- *blurTexelSpacingMultiplier*: The underlying blur texel spacing multiplier. Default is 1.0.
- *upperThreshold*: Any edge with a gradient magnitude above this threshold will pass and show up in the final result. Default is 0.4.
- *lowerThreshold*: Any edge with a gradient magnitude below this threshold will fail and be removed from the final result. Default is 0.1.
- **GPUImageHarrisCornerDetectionFilter**: Runs the Harris corner detection algorithm on an input image, and produces an image with those corner points as white pixels and everything else black. The cornersDetectedBlock can be set, and you will be provided with a list of corners (in normalized 0..1 X, Y coordinates) within that callback for whatever additional operations you want to perform.
- *blurRadiusInPixels*: The radius of the underlying Gaussian blur. The default is 2.0.
- *sensitivity*: An internal scaling factor applied to adjust the dynamic range of the cornerness maps generated in the filter. The default is 5.0.
- *threshold*: The threshold at which a point is detected as a corner. This can vary significantly based on the size, lighting conditions, and iOS device camera type, so it might take a little experimentation to get right for your cases. Default is 0.20.
- **GPUImageNobleCornerDetectionFilter**: Runs the Noble variant on the Harris corner detector. It behaves as described above for the Harris detector.
- *blurRadiusInPixels*: The radius of the underlying Gaussian blur. The default is 2.0.
- *sensitivity*: An internal scaling factor applied to adjust the dynamic range of the cornerness maps generated in the filter. The default is 5.0.
- *threshold*: The threshold at which a point is detected as a corner. This can vary significantly based on the size, lighting conditions, and iOS device camera type, so it might take a little experimentation to get right for your cases. Default is 0.2.
- **GPUImageShiTomasiCornerDetectionFilter**: Runs the Shi-Tomasi feature detector. It behaves as described above for the Harris detector.
- *blurRadiusInPixels*: The radius of the underlying Gaussian blur. The default is 2.0.
- *sensitivity*: An internal scaling factor applied to adjust the dynamic range of the cornerness maps generated in the filter. The default is 1.5.
- *threshold*: The threshold at which a point is detected as a corner. This can vary significantly based on the size, lighting conditions, and iOS device camera type, so it might take a little experimentation to get right for your cases. Default is 0.2.
- **GPUImageNonMaximumSuppressionFilter**: Currently used only as part of the Harris corner detection filter, this will sample a 1-pixel box around each pixel and determine if the center pixel's red channel is the maximum in that area. If it is, it stays. If not, it is set to 0 for all color components.
- **GPUImageXYDerivativeFilter**: An internal component within the Harris corner detection filter, this calculates the squared difference between the pixels to the left and right of this one, the squared difference of the pixels above and below this one, and the product of those two differences.
- **GPUImageCrosshairGenerator**: This draws a series of crosshairs on an image, most often used for identifying machine vision features. It does not take in a standard image like other filters, but a series of points in its -renderCrosshairsFromArray:count: method, which does the actual drawing. You will need to force this filter to render at the particular output size you need.
- *crosshairWidth*: The width, in pixels, of the crosshairs to be drawn onscreen.
- **GPUImageDilationFilter**: This performs an image dilation operation, where the maximum intensity of the red channel in a rectangular neighborhood is used for the intensity of this pixel. The radius of the rectangular area to sample over is specified on initialization, with a range of 1-4 pixels. This is intended for use with grayscale images, and it expands bright regions.
- **GPUImageRGBDilationFilter**: This is the same as the GPUImageDilationFilter, except that this acts on all color channels, not just the red channel.
- **GPUImageErosionFilter**: This performs an image erosion operation, where the minimum intensity of the red channel in a rectangular neighborhood is used for the intensity of this pixel. The radius of the rectangular area to sample over is specified on initialization, with a range of 1-4 pixels. This is intended for use with grayscale images, and it expands dark regions.
- **GPUImageRGBErosionFilter**: This is the same as the GPUImageErosionFilter, except that this acts on all color channels, not just the red channel.
- **GPUImageOpeningFilter**: This performs an erosion on the red channel of an image, followed by a dilation of the same radius. The radius is set on initialization, with a range of 1-4 pixels. This filters out smaller bright regions.
- **GPUImageRGBOpeningFilter**: This is the same as the GPUImageOpeningFilter, except that this acts on all color channels, not just the red channel.
- **GPUImageClosingFilter**: This performs a dilation on the red channel of an image, followed by an erosion of the same radius. The radius is set on initialization, with a range of 1-4 pixels. This filters out smaller dark regions.
- **GPUImageRGBClosingFilter**: This is the same as the GPUImageClosingFilter, except that this acts on all color channels, not just the red channel.
- **GPUImageLocalBinaryPatternFilter**: This performs a comparison of intensity of the red channel of the 8 surrounding pixels and that of the central one, encoding the comparison results in a bit string that becomes this pixel intensity. The least-significant bit is the top-right comparison, going counterclockwise to end at the right comparison as the most significant bit.
- **GPUImageLowPassFilter**: This applies a low pass filter to incoming video frames. This basically accumulates a weighted rolling average of previous frames with the current ones as they come in. This can be used to denoise video, add motion blur, or be used to create a high pass filter.
- *filterStrength*: This controls the degree by which the previous accumulated frames are blended with the current one. This ranges from 0.0 to 1.0, with a default of 0.5.
- **GPUImageHighPassFilter**: This applies a high pass filter to incoming video frames. This is the inverse of the low pass filter, showing the difference between the current frame and the weighted rolling average of previous ones. This is most useful for motion detection.
- *filterStrength*: This controls the degree by which the previous accumulated frames are blended and then subtracted from the current one. This ranges from 0.0 to 1.0, with a default of 0.5.
- **GPUImageMotionDetector**: This is a motion detector based on a high-pass filter. You set the motionDetectionBlock and on every incoming frame it will give you the centroid of any detected movement in the scene (in normalized X,Y coordinates) as well as an intensity of motion for the scene.
- *lowPassFilterStrength*: This controls the strength of the low pass filter used behind the scenes to establish the baseline that incoming frames are compared with. This ranges from 0.0 to 1.0, with a default of 0.5.
- **GPUImageHoughTransformLineDetector**: Detects lines in the image using a Hough transform into parallel coordinate space. This approach is based entirely on the PC lines process developed by the Graph@FIT research group at the Brno University of Technology and described in their publications: M. Dubská, J. Havel, and A. Herout. Real-Time Detection of Lines using Parallel Coordinates and OpenGL. Proceedings of SCCG 2011, Bratislava, SK, p. 7 (http://medusa.fit.vutbr.cz/public/data/papers/2011-SCCG-Dubska-Real-Time-Line-Detection-Using-PC-and-OpenGL.pdf) and M. Dubská, J. Havel, and A. Herout. PClines — Line detection using parallel coordinates. 2011 IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR), p. 1489- 1494 (http://medusa.fit.vutbr.cz/public/data/papers/2011-CVPR-Dubska-PClines.pdf).
- *edgeThreshold*: A threshold value for which a point is detected as belonging to an edge for determining lines. Default is 0.9.
- *lineDetectionThreshold*: A threshold value for which a local maximum is detected as belonging to a line in parallel coordinate space. Default is 0.20.
- *linesDetectedBlock*: This block is called on the detection of lines, usually on every processed frame. A C array containing normalized slopes and intercepts in m, b pairs (y=mx+b) is passed in, along with a count of the number of lines detected and the current timestamp of the video frame.
- **GPUImageLineGenerator**: A helper class that generates lines which can overlay the scene. The color of these lines can be adjusted using -setLineColorRed:green:blue:
- *lineWidth*: The width of the lines, in pixels, with a default of 1.0.
- **GPUImageMotionBlurFilter**: Applies a directional motion blur to an image
- *blurSize*: A multiplier for the blur size, ranging from 0.0 on up, with a default of 1.0
- *blurAngle*: The angular direction of the blur, in degrees. 0 degrees by default.
- **GPUImageZoomBlurFilter**: Applies a directional motion blur to an image
- *blurSize*: A multiplier for the blur size, ranging from 0.0 on up, with a default of 1.0
- *blurCenter*: The normalized center of the blur. (0.5, 0.5) by default
### Blending modes ###
- **GPUImageChromaKeyBlendFilter**: Selectively replaces a color in the first image with the second image
- *thresholdSensitivity*: How close a color match needs to exist to the target color to be replaced (default of 0.4)
- *smoothing*: How smoothly to blend for the color match (default of 0.1)
- **GPUImageDissolveBlendFilter**: Applies a dissolve blend of two images
- *mix*: The degree with which the second image overrides the first (0.0 - 1.0, with 0.5 as the default)
- **GPUImageMultiplyBlendFilter**: Applies a multiply blend of two images
- **GPUImageAddBlendFilter**: Applies an additive blend of two images
- **GPUImageSubtractBlendFilter**: Applies a subtractive blend of two images
- **GPUImageDivideBlendFilter**: Applies a division blend of two images
- **GPUImageOverlayBlendFilter**: Applies an overlay blend of two images
- **GPUImageDarkenBlendFilter**: Blends two images by taking the minimum value of each color component between the images
- **GPUImageLightenBlendFilter**: Blends two images by taking the maximum value of each color component between the images
- **GPUImageColorBurnBlendFilter**: Applies a color burn blend of two images
- **GPUImageColorDodgeBlendFilter**: Applies a color dodge blend of two images
- **GPUImageScreenBlendFilter**: Applies a screen blend of two images
- **GPUImageExclusionBlendFilter**: Applies an exclusion blend of two images
- **GPUImageDifferenceBlendFilter**: Applies a difference blend of two images
- **GPUImageHardLightBlendFilter**: Applies a hard light blend of two images
- **GPUImageSoftLightBlendFilter**: Applies a soft light blend of two images
- **GPUImageAlphaBlendFilter**: Blends the second image over the first, based on the second's alpha channel
- *mix*: The degree with which the second image overrides the first (0.0 - 1.0, with 1.0 as the default)
- **GPUImageSourceOverBlendFilter**: Applies a source over blend of two images
- **GPUImageColorBurnBlendFilter**: Applies a color burn blend of two images
- **GPUImageColorDodgeBlendFilter**: Applies a color dodge blend of two images
- **GPUImageNormalBlendFilter**: Applies a normal blend of two images
- **GPUImageColorBlendFilter**: Applies a color blend of two images
- **GPUImageHueBlendFilter**: Applies a hue blend of two images
- **GPUImageSaturationBlendFilter**: Applies a saturation blend of two images
- **GPUImageLuminosityBlendFilter**: Applies a luminosity blend of two images
- **GPUImageLinearBurnBlendFilter**: Applies a linear burn blend of two images
- **GPUImagePoissonBlendFilter**: Applies a Poisson blend of two images
- *mix*: Mix ranges from 0.0 (only image 1) to 1.0 (only image 2 gradients), with 1.0 as the normal level
- *numIterations*: The number of times to propagate the gradients. Crank this up to 100 or even 1000 if you want to get anywhere near convergence. Yes, this will be slow.
- **GPUImageMaskFilter**: Masks one image using another
### Visual effects ###
- **GPUImagePixellateFilter**: Applies a pixellation effect on an image or video
- *fractionalWidthOfAPixel*: How large the pixels are, as a fraction of the width and height of the image (0.0 - 1.0, default 0.05)
- **GPUImagePolarPixellateFilter**: Applies a pixellation effect on an image or video, based on polar coordinates instead of Cartesian ones
- *center*: The center about which to apply the pixellation, defaulting to (0.5, 0.5)
- *pixelSize*: The fractional pixel size, split into width and height components. The default is (0.05, 0.05)
- **GPUImagePolkaDotFilter**: Breaks an image up into colored dots within a regular grid
- *fractionalWidthOfAPixel*: How large the dots are, as a fraction of the width and height of the image (0.0 - 1.0, default 0.05)
- *dotScaling*: What fraction of each grid space is taken up by a dot, from 0.0 to 1.0 with a default of 0.9.
- **GPUImageHalftoneFilter**: Applies a halftone effect to an image, like news print
- *fractionalWidthOfAPixel*: How large the halftone dots are, as a fraction of the width and height of the image (0.0 - 1.0, default 0.05)
- **GPUImageCrosshatchFilter**: This converts an image into a black-and-white crosshatch pattern
- *crossHatchSpacing*: The fractional width of the image to use as the spacing for the crosshatch. The default is 0.03.
- *lineWidth*: A relative width for the crosshatch lines. The default is 0.003.
- **GPUImageSketchFilter**: Converts video to look like a sketch. This is just the Sobel edge detection filter with the colors inverted
- *texelWidth*:
- *texelHeight*: These parameters affect the visibility of the detected edges
- *edgeStrength*: Adjusts the dynamic range of the filter. Higher values lead to stronger edges, but can saturate the intensity colorspace. Default is 1.0.
- **GPUImageThresholdSketchFilter**: Same as the sketch filter, only the edges are thresholded instead of being grayscale
- *texelWidth*:
- *texelHeight*: These parameters affect the visibility of the detected edges
- *edgeStrength*: Adjusts the dynamic range of the filter. Higher values lead to stronger edges, but can saturate the intensity colorspace. Default is 1.0.
- *threshold*: Any edge above this threshold will be black, and anything below white. Ranges from 0.0 to 1.0, with 0.8 as the default
- **GPUImageToonFilter**: This uses Sobel edge detection to place a black border around objects, and then it quantizes the colors present in the image to give a cartoon-like quality to the image.
- *texelWidth*:
- *texelHeight*: These parameters affect the visibility of the detected edges
- *threshold*: The sensitivity of the edge detection, with lower values being more sensitive. Ranges from 0.0 to 1.0, with 0.2 as the default
- *quantizationLevels*: The number of color levels to represent in the final image. Default is 10.0
- **GPUImageSmoothToonFilter**: This uses a similar process as the GPUImageToonFilter, only it precedes the toon effect with a Gaussian blur to smooth out noise.
- *texelWidth*:
- *texelHeight*: These parameters affect the visibility of the detected edges
- *blurRadiusInPixels*: The radius of the underlying Gaussian blur. The default is 2.0.
- *threshold*: The sensitivity of the edge detection, with lower values being more sensitive. Ranges from 0.0 to 1.0, with 0.2 as the default
- *quantizationLevels*: The number of color levels to represent in the final image. Default is 10.0
- **GPUImageEmbossFilter**: Applies an embossing effect on the image
- *intensity*: The strength of the embossing, from 0.0 to 4.0, with 1.0 as the normal level
- **GPUImagePosterizeFilter**: This reduces the color dynamic range into the number of steps specified, leading to a cartoon-like simple shading of the image.
- *colorLevels*: The number of color levels to reduce the image space to. This ranges from 1 to 256, with a default of 10.
- **GPUImageSwirlFilter**: Creates a swirl distortion on the image
- *radius*: The radius from the center to apply the distortion, with a default of 0.5
- *center*: The center of the image (in normalized coordinates from 0 - 1.0) about which to twist, with a default of (0.5, 0.5)
- *angle*: The amount of twist to apply to the image, with a default of 1.0
- **GPUImageBulgeDistortionFilter**: Creates a bulge distortion on the image
- *radius*: The radius from the center to apply the distortion, with a default of 0.25
- *center*: The center of the image (in normalized coordinates from 0 - 1.0) about which to distort, with a default of (0.5, 0.5)
- *scale*: The amount of distortion to apply, from -1.0 to 1.0, with a default of 0.5
- **GPUImagePinchDistortionFilter**: Creates a pinch distortion of the image
- *radius*: The radius from the center to apply the distortion, with a default of 1.0
- *center*: The center of the image (in normalized coordinates from 0 - 1.0) about which to distort, with a default of (0.5, 0.5)
- *scale*: The amount of distortion to apply, from -2.0 to 2.0, with a default of 1.0
- **GPUImageStretchDistortionFilter**: Creates a stretch distortion of the image
- *center*: The center of the image (in normalized coordinates from 0 - 1.0) about which to distort, with a default of (0.5, 0.5)
- **GPUImageSphereRefractionFilter**: Simulates the refraction through a glass sphere
- *center*: The center about which to apply the distortion, with a default of (0.5, 0.5)
- *radius*: The radius of the distortion, ranging from 0.0 to 1.0, with a default of 0.25
- *refractiveIndex*: The index of refraction for the sphere, with a default of 0.71
- **GPUImageGlassSphereFilter**: Same as the GPUImageSphereRefractionFilter, only the image is not inverted and there's a little bit of frosting at the edges of the glass
- *center*: The center about which to apply the distortion, with a default of (0.5, 0.5)
- *radius*: The radius of the distortion, ranging from 0.0 to 1.0, with a default of 0.25
- *refractiveIndex*: The index of refraction for the sphere, with a default of 0.71
- **GPUImageVignetteFilter**: Performs a vignetting effect, fading out the image at the edges
- *vignetteCenter*: The center for the vignette in tex coords (CGPoint), with a default of 0.5, 0.5
- *vignetteColor*: The color to use for the vignette (GPUVector3), with a default of black
- *vignetteStart*: The normalized distance from the center where the vignette effect starts, with a default of 0.5
- *vignetteEnd*: The normalized distance from the center where the vignette effect ends, with a default of 0.75
- **GPUImageKuwaharaFilter**: Kuwahara image abstraction, drawn from the work of Kyprianidis, et. al. in their publication "Anisotropic Kuwahara Filtering on the GPU" within the GPU Pro collection. This produces an oil-painting-like image, but it is extremely computationally expensive, so it can take seconds to render a frame on an iPad 2. This might be best used for still images.
- *radius*: In integer specifying the number of pixels out from the center pixel to test when applying the filter, with a default of 4. A higher value creates a more abstracted image, but at the cost of much greater processing time.
- **GPUImageKuwaharaRadius3Filter**: A modified version of the Kuwahara filter, optimized to work over just a radius of three pixels
- **GPUImagePerlinNoiseFilter**: Generates an image full of Perlin noise
- *colorStart*:
- *colorFinish*: The color range for the noise being generated
- *scale*: The scaling of the noise being generated
- **GPUImageCGAColorspaceFilter**: Simulates the colorspace of a CGA monitor
- **GPUImageMosaicFilter**: This filter takes an input tileset, the tiles must ascend in luminance. It looks at the input image and replaces each display tile with an input tile according to the luminance of that tile. The idea was to replicate the ASCII video filters seen in other apps, but the tileset can be anything.
- *inputTileSize*:
- *numTiles*:
- *displayTileSize*:
- *colorOn*:
- **GPUImageJFAVoronoiFilter**: Generates a Voronoi map, for use in a later stage.
- *sizeInPixels*: Size of the individual elements
- **GPUImageVoronoiConsumerFilter**: Takes in the Voronoi map, and uses that to filter an incoming image.
- *sizeInPixels*: Size of the individual elements
You can also easily write your own custom filters using the C-like OpenGL Shading Language, as described above.
## Sample applications ##
Several sample applications are bundled with the framework source. Most are compatible with both iPhone and iPad-class devices. They attempt to show off various aspects of the framework and should be used as the best examples of the API while the framework is under development. These include:
### SimpleImageFilter ###
A bundled JPEG image is loaded into the application at launch, a filter is applied to it, and the result rendered to the screen. Additionally, this sample shows two ways of taking in an image, filtering it, and saving it to disk.
### SimpleVideoFilter ###
A pixellate filter is applied to a live video stream, with a UISlider control that lets you adjust the pixel size on the live video.
### SimpleVideoFileFilter ###
A movie file is loaded from disk, an unsharp mask filter is applied to it, and the filtered result is re-encoded as another movie.
### MultiViewFilterExample ###
From a single camera feed, four views are populated with realtime filters applied to camera. One is just the straight camera video, one is a preprogrammed sepia tone, and two are custom filters based on shader programs.
### FilterShowcase ###
This demonstrates every filter supplied with GPUImage.
### BenchmarkSuite ###
This is used to test the performance of the overall framework by testing it against CPU-bound routines and Core Image. Benchmarks involving still images and video are run against all three, with results displayed in-application.
### CubeExample ###
This demonstrates the ability of GPUImage to interact with OpenGL ES rendering. Frames are captured from the camera, a sepia filter applied to them, and then they are fed into a texture to be applied to the face of a cube you can rotate with your finger. This cube in turn is rendered to a texture-backed framebuffer object, and that texture is fed back into GPUImage to have a pixellation filter applied to it before rendering to screen.
In other words, the path of this application is camera -> sepia tone filter -> cube -> pixellation filter -> display.
### ColorObjectTracking ###
A version of my ColorTracking example from http://www.sunsetlakesoftware.com/2010/10/22/gpu-accelerated-video-processing-mac-and-ios ported across to use GPUImage, this application uses color in a scene to track objects from a live camera feed. The four views you can switch between include the raw camera feed, the camera feed with pixels matching the color threshold in white, the processed video where positions are encoded as colors within the pixels passing the threshold test, and finally the live video feed with a dot that tracks the selected color. Tapping the screen changes the color to track to match the color of the pixels under your finger. Tapping and dragging on the screen makes the color threshold more or less forgiving. This is most obvious on the second, color thresholding view.
Currently, all processing for the color averaging in the last step is done on the CPU, so this is part is extremely slow.
|
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Hi doctor,I am a 21-year-old mother of a 10-month-old. I have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, borderline personality disorder, and major depression. I have been experiencing what sounds like my voice telling me horrible things about myself and the people around me for quite some time now but in the past year, this voice tells me to do horrible awful things to myself and others. The other night it felt like something completely took over my mind and body and did something terrible that could have effected my whole life. Have I been wrongly diagnosed? output: I can understand your concern. You seem to be suffering from psychotic symptoms which is more common in patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. But since you have not mentioned any such history, so I would advise you to consult a psychiatrist who will examine you and treat you accordingly. Hope it helps. Take care.. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: I m seeing my doctor family doc now u is giving me 10-325 its not strong enough for me. but he can not rescribe any thng stronger cause not that kind of doc, I did take one of my friends 30 mg and gave me so much relief. my back gives out I fall brakes foots and ankels. please doc I just want some thing to make me comfy, I did the elec machine did not help I sat in spys did not hely. the med does cause it gives me more movement and less pain can u call and where are u located at thank u where r u located would like to call in an talk
t is the treatment for back pain? output: Ok, this site is not for finding a doctor, and certainly not for scoring narcotics. This illustrates several issues connected to the development of narcotic existence so very well I question if it is a plant or a fake.1) the drugs decrease effectiveness over time.2) Taking narcotics at one level of pain then isn't enough when the pain goes up (like broken foot and ankle) and then one gets stuck if one is already at the highest dose that is going to be given.Then3) doing progressively more illegal things which make one more likely to do more illegal things.4) with progressively more drug one can get drug withdrawal which sets up for serious consequences, etc.So, drug treatment centers offer more narcotic effect and more monitoring... |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Hello. I had a leg surgery two months ago. I have a rod placed in my lowed left leg. The screws seem to aggravate my ankle and it hurts really bad. I want it removed. When is the soonest that I can do that since my bones are healing well. I can t do anything because of the pain.
gest remedy for problem in ankle output: Hello,I have studied your case and I think there seems to be some infection or extra long screws which are hurting you because usually these implants are not painful. If there is any discharge is coming then it is surely an infection.I would suggest you to follow these steps.1.Get x ray and either share it with me or some other surgeon. If there is enlarge screw then it can be changes. If there is infection then you might need antibiotics for it.2.I would also suggest you to get your blood sugar status because Diabetes can also cause such symptoms.3.If there is every thing normal then screw removal possible after three months after fracture union but it depends on many factors like bone comminution or fracture pattern or type of screw.I hope this answer will be useful for you. Let me know if there is any other followup questions.thanks.. |
A Black Consciousness
November 15, 2013 by sn154501
“Well, in the first place, I had been working all day on the job. I was quite tired after spending a full day working. I handle and work on clothing that white people wear. That didn’t come in my mind but this is what I wanted to know: when and how would we ever determine our rights as human beings? … It just happened that the driver made a demand and I just didn’t feel like obeying his demand. He called a policeman and I was arrested and placed in jail….” – Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks questioned if black people would ever receive the equality that they were waiting for. Her simple act of disobedience caused a wave of boycotts and violent uproars in Montgomery, Alabama. These persistent boycotts were successful as the segregation on local bus lines was outlawed. These boycotts led to a bigger protest movement in the South. Zinn speaks of a “new black consciousness being born” towards the end of the chapter. This black consciousness was the realization that they could speak out and revolt. They had the right to protest against their discrimination. The outlaw of segregation was not enough. New uprisings were taking place and being led by activists like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
The heart of the civil rights history
November 14, 2013 by MIRZOMUHSIN QODIROV
“. . . This is what they did with the march on Washington. They joined it… became part of it, took it over. And as they took it over, it lost its militancy. It ceased to be angry, it ceased to be hot, it ceased to be uncompromising. Why, it even ceased to be a march. It became a picnic, a circus. Nothing but a circus, with clowns and all. . .” – Malcolm X
During the years 1950’s and 1960’s, black Americans arose as one “big family” led by racial equality and unfair civil rights. The movement was characterized by major campaigns of civilresistance. Between 1955 and 1968, acts of nonviolent protest and civildisobedience produced crisis situations between activists and government authorities.For almost 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans in Southern states still experienced “unequalness,” disenfranchisement, segregation and great volume oppressions towards blacks. In the following, civil rights activists extensively continued to protest for their freedom and whites, on the other hand, were fierce because the whole community of blacks marched boycotting on the streets in a either violence or nonviolence way depending on a leader. Many leaders from within the African American community and beyond rose to prominence during the Civil Rights era, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Andrew Goodman and etc. Two arising leader powers such as Malcolm X who was a black male activist leader fighting for blacks’s present and past where as Martin Luther King who also was a black male who fought the idea of “peacefulness” and solving any conflict with love and care. Even thought they had totally different approach towards civil rights movement, white privilege and racial inequality, they both centered the question to where is respect for humanity disappear. A key factor in the success of the civil rights movement was the choice that radicalized African-American organizations offered to cautiously slow-moving governmental policy-makers: the rhetoric of “Black Power” or the pacifism of Martin Luther King Jr. Policy makers chose the leader representing peaceful change.
You better not X with the X
November 14, 2013 November 14, 2013 by in156719
“You’ll get freedom by letting your enemy know that you’ll do anything to get your freedom; then you’ll get it. It’s the only way you’ll get it. When you get that kind of attitude , they’ll label you as a “crazy Negro,” or they’ll call you a”crazy nigger”-they don’t say Negro. Or they’ll call you an extremist or a subversive, or seditious, or a red or a radical. But when you stay radical long neigh and get enough people to be like you, you’ll get your freedom.” (461)
Malcolm X believed in a different way of attaining equality. Passive resistance was a pipe dream that the white man would not respect. The Black Panthers showed intimidation with their guns and call for self-defense. The March on Washington was artificially made by whites. Government leaders were scared of the march and endorsed the march. “They controlled it so tight, they told those Negroes what time to hit town, where to stop, what signs to carry, what song to sing, what speech they could make, and what speech they couldn’t make, and then told them to get of town by sundown…”Post March on Washington, there was a continuation of bombings and lack of civil rights improvements. An alternative action and route must’ve been taken. When a black church is bombed, African Americans are not thinking of showing passive resistance but are filled up with rage they wish to release. Howard Zinn is puts emphasis on the different forms of protesting and shows the response it received. Zinn understands the rough edginess of Malcolm X being that passive resistance wasn’t very impactful.
“…we are always on the threshold of a new dawn.“
November 14, 2013 by sp157036
“If we are arrested every day, if we are exploited every day, if we are trampled over every day, don’t ever let anyone pull you so low as to hate them. We must use the weapon of love. We must have compassion and understanding for those who hate us. We must realize so many people are taught to hate us that they are not totally responsible for their hate. But we stand in life at midnight, we are always on the threshold of a new dawn.“
– Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King was a preacher. He fought with words, motivation and respect. This angered some of the black community, as “respect” didn’t satisfy their desires. Zinn explains that many blacks thought Kings’ methods were “naïve”, which made sense in regards to how the white community was treating the blacks. King however was able to convey his message to the majority of the black community, which was monumental. He conveyed to his followers the principles of civil disobedience and the importance of respecting the hate that was shown against them. By constantly doing so King was able to motivate his people by emphasizing that change was coming, for example like stated above; “we are always on the threshold of a new dawn.” His speeches were full of powerful messages and intellectual statements that were used to rally up supporters. Zinn explains that Martin Luther King acted as a catalyst in motivating blacks into standing up for their rights, however further argues that people like Malcolm X and other radical black leaders were what caused people into using violence as opposed to methods of civil disobedience.
Negligence and Consequences
November 14, 2013 by gr156728
“… it’s inevitable that we’ve got to bring out the question of the tragic mix-up in priorities. We are spending all of this money for death and destruction, and not nearly enough money for life and constructive development… when the guns of war become a national obsession, social needs inevitably suffer.” – Dr. Martin Luther King
During the era of the Civil Rights movement, another troubling issue was at hand that wasn’t just equality for Americans. The Vietnam War also occupied much of America’s mind. These two significant issues, however, were not being dealt properly by the United State’s government. Part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 included that the government was able to put anyone in prison for up to five years if they are related in some way to a riot (which was defined as “three or more people involving threats of violence”). This shows the government’s feeble attempt to quell civilian unrest while still not directly dealing with it. Much of the focus was instead shifted towards the war. With King’s quote, it demonstrates how much the domestic problems that were not being prioritized were affecting the people. Zinn talks about this because of how much inner turmoil the country was going through and how little it was being focused upon by the government. In a way, it links to the title of the whole chapter, “Or Does it Explode?” There’s only so much something can put pushed to the backseat, or suppress an issue without really focusing on it, before it bursts. With this, Zinn shows the government’s neglect on the matter and its consequences.
“Nothing but a circus, with clowns and all…”
November 13, 2013 by sm156522
“It ceased to be angry, it ceased to be hot, it ceased to be uncompromising. Why, it even ceased to be a march. It became a picnic, a circus. Nothing but a circus, with clowns and all. . .”
“…they told those Negroes what time to hit town, where to stop, what signs to carry, what song to sing, what speech they could make, and what speech they couldn’t make, and then told them to get out of town by sundown….”
-Malcolm X
Zinn uses these quotes to show how different Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.’s ideologies were. King thought the march was still a success, or at least a step in the right direction, even when he had to follow rules set by white people. Which Malcolm X completely shuts down, saying that this was just another example of black submission to white government. Malcolm believed a fight like this had to be fought hard and with passion, and emotion, and most importantly, without submission. Without passion, and anger, the march was a joke, completely pointless. Malcolm believed King completely gave up the fight by obliging by the rules of the people responsible for segregation. Zinn’s use of direct quotes helps him paint the picture of the different characters of both men. King, was very calm and patient; while Malcolm X was very angry, opinionated, and passionate.
Radical Rationalizing
November 13, 2013 November 13, 2013 by ao162232
“A new mood has sprung up among Negroes, particularly the young, in which self esteem and enhanced racial pride are replacing apathy and submission to the ‘system'” (460)
1967 was the time of the greatest riots in American History. This quote, taken from a Commission Report blamed white racist as the cause of such explosive radical behavior. The initial purpose of the commission report was to get people to face the rebellion and hopefully alleviate some of the tension; however, in Howard Zinn’s eyes, this wasn’t entirely achieved. “Black Power” became the new slogan of radical blacks and black activists. Among these were Malcolm X; who Zinn regards as “the most eloquent spokesman for (Black Power).” X was a vital component in the radical movement and extremely influential throughout the black youth. His speeches,encouraging self defense and somewhat subversive acts, were heard all through out the country. To some , the black revolts came as a surprise; but not to Zinn. He argues that the memory of the terrible acts of hatred were too much for blacks to suppress.
In response to the radical rioters the Civil Rights Act of 1969 was passed, which prohibited violence against blacks. Blacks were now allowed to go to fancy restaurants and hotels. They were allowed to attend universities as well as medical and law schools…if and only if, they could afford it.
Posted in: A People's History, Chapter 17, Course Information |
Malcolm X: An Inspiration
November 13, 2013 November 13, 2013 by mr153683
“You’ll get freedom by letting your enemy know that you’ll do anything to get your freedom; then you’ll get it. It’s the only way you’ll get it. When you get that kind of attitude, they’ll label you as a “crazy Negro,” or they’ll call you a “crazy nigger” — they don’t say Negro. Or they’ll call you and extremist, or a subversive, or seditious, or a red or a radical. But when you stay radical long enough and get enough people to be like you, you’ll get your freedom” (Malcolm X 461).
Malcolm X, a prominently important figure in the Civil Rights Era, is truly an inspiration and a hero. His statement strongly emphasizes the attitude blacks needed to have in order to get their freedom. In addition, his extremely radical behavior is what captures the imagination of young black people and encourages them to stand firmly against racism and racist white people. Many blacks believed that Malcolm X’s passionate rage and anger truly captured the idea of fighting for their rights and freedom more than Martin Luther King Jr.’s attitude did. This is because Malcolm X advocated for violence when it comes to self-defense and the establishment of a separate black community while Martin Luther King was more passive and peaceful. Malcolm X’s messages and speeches were the driving force behind young blacks wanting to fight back against racists. If I were a black student in 1964 listening to Malcolm X’s powerful speech, I would be entirely persuaded to support him and endure the extremities in order to get my freedom. Overall, his compelling pride and influential passion gave blacks the motivation and inspiration to fight for their freedom once and for all.
When Will It Explode?
November 12, 2013 by do156063
“No, it was a sellout. It was a takeover . . . They controlled it so tight, they told those Negros what time to hit town, where to stop, what signs to carry, what song to sing, what speech they could make and what speech they couldn’t make, and then told them to get outta town by sundown . . . ”-Malcolm X (458)
The 1950s and 1960s were a very turbulent two decades for a number of reasons, however Zinn asks “-or does it explode” referring to the second civil war that took place across the country. The diversity of perspectives is a motif that Howard Zinn presents in every paragraph. Here, Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I have a dream” speech during the “March on Washington” is experienced from a different angle. Malcolm X expresses the plight of an honest and uncompromising African-American population, following the anti-climatic culmination of their efforts. Zinn includes this testimony to legitimize the claim that: there is more truth to be told. A militant, educated and very angry African consciousness has been omitted from the conversation. Contrary to the broadcasted opinion the “March on Washington” was not unanimously received as a success, but rather the organized circumvention and obstruction of a battle against oppression.
Government for some
November 12, 2013 by ko138349
”I feel that the federal government have proven that it don’t care about poor people. Everything that we have asked for through these years had been handed down on paper. It’s never been a reality. We the poor people of Mississippi is tired. we’re tired 0f it so we’re going to build for ourselves, because we don’t have a government that represents us.”
These are the words of Mrs. Unita Blackwell, A local woman. After seen and witnessing the reluctance of Congress to passed laws against civil rights time after time. However, after war world 2, racism was denounced but segregation was still present in the military between blacks and white service men. President Harry Truman either by necessity or expediency in 1946 appointed a committee on civil Rights, which recommended that laws to be passed against lynching, and to end voting discrimination and racial discrimination in jobs. Even in the present of convincing argument that passing civil Rights laws wasn’t just for moral reasons but for economic reasons as well, congress did nothing to enact the legislations proposed by the committee. With these kinds of inaction, congress became a stumbling block against civil right in that era of the struggle.
More so, Blackwell’s words could have been as a result of witnessing the no enforcement position taken by the FBI or the police in the present of violent against black during the civil Right era. Is it not the duty of the FBI or Police to protect all against the commission of crime? or were members of some group excluded from that protection in the constitution? Furthermore, with the kind vehement and aggression the FBI went against the civil Right activists, especially Dr. Martin Luther King, one is left with no other theory but to conclude that there was a hidden motive by the government to undermine the effort of the civil Right advocates. Is the government turning to murder and terror because all else has failed to suppress the voices of the suppressed?
Zinn in this chapter shows among other things how the laws against segregation, Lynching was not enforced by the branch of government that is charged to do so. And that if Congress had acted sooner, much killing would have been avoided, especially that of the three civil rights workers James Chaney, a young black Mississippian, and two white volunteers, Andrew Good and Michael Schwerner. That killing would have been prevented if the a law that barred discrimination in interstate transportation in 1887 was enforced. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: My 71 yr old mother has had a persistent cough for about 4 years. Three years ago she had a chest x-ray that said she had mild bilateral bronchitis. She had another chest x-ray just six months ago and again in says she has bilateral bronchitis. The doctor said the cough could be from her blood pressure medicine, so they prescribed something different. Shouldnt they be treating her for bronchitis? output: Blood pressure medications like beta blockers can worsen OAD symptoms, but stopping them doesn't mean bronchitis will get treated. She definitely needs to be treated for her bronchitis or OAD with inhalers and tablets. For that we have to establish baseline lung function by doing a pulmonary function test. This will show if she has obstructive airways and the severity of obstruction. On basis of above information by PFT she can be started on medications. Please do a PFT and revert with the results. Wishing you good healthRegards.. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: My sister is taking Galantamine ER 16. She has been taking this for the past 4 years. It seems to be working well. The only problem is lately, I have noticed that sometimes the galantamine is not dissolving in her system-it is coming out whole in her stool. I don t know why. I can not tell that it is happening enough to throw her behavior or memory off. What should I do?
does not the Galantamine ER 16 does not dissolve sometimes? output: Hello!Welcome on HCM!Regarding your concern, I would explain that as her clinical situation seems to be improved there is nothing to worry about. The drug has showed good effects on her clinical situation. Regarding her stool could you please specify why you think that the drug is not being absorbed? Does she have diarrhea? This could be a possible adverse effect related to Galantamine. I would recommend consulting with her prescribing doctor for a physical check up and some cognitive tests. If her situation is evaluated to be improved there is nothing to worry about. In case of diarrhea she may need to switch to another drug because of intolerance.. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: I have soreatic artheritis and my legs are very full of fluid and feet, they are very sore to touch or walk and they are very red and hot, I am on fluid pilss but i only go a couple times a day. I am very tired and no appetite, and the pain is unbearable, my urine test was good and the blood work was ok also, so I am still in agony what do you think?Sorry I have no money, did not mean to bother you, I will lay here and suffer it out like I have been doing, Thanks
t causes edema in the legs and excessive fatigue while having psoriatic arthritis? output: It would be better if you send pictures of your inflamed joints too. But as you say that you have been told that you are suffering from Psoriatic Arthritis, you need to control your pain and inflamation in joints. What medication you are using?One you should use NSAID (Tab.Diclofen 50mg three times a day) that you have to use for reducing pain and as you have to use it for a long time you should take Cap.OMEPRAZOLE to reduce acidity in stomach. Vit. D supplement, you should take, but of some good company. Second is that you have to use Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug but that you can only purchase on prescription, so you should see a doctor. You should not suffer, because with proper care and management this disease can be well controlled, otherwise it can cause permanent joint disability and that will not be curable. However, you should start doing following things immediately and on regular basis:-1) Give light movements to joints by walks and take warm water bath, reduce your stress level, reduce your weight; if you are over weight,2) Take massage that soften up your muscles and joints, have warm stockings over joints like sportsman wear after mild injury, 3) Take sunlight exposure as VitaminD is essential for you... Take one good multi-vitamin tablet per day... |
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West Lafayette Products Liability Lawyers
Paul S. Kruse
Lebanon, IN Products Liability Attorney with 54 years of experience
Products Liability, Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home and Personal Injury
Indiana University School of Law--Indianapolis
For over 35 years, Mr. Kruse has represented injury victims in over 50 counties across the State of Indiana, as well as Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan. He has resolved thousands of personal injury claims, through settlements, court trials, and jury verdicts in nearly every type of personal injury matter, including motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, product liability, and medical malpractice.
Since 1988, he has been a board member for the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association. He serves as a faculty member for the Annual Litigation Skills Workshop for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), training younger litigation attorneys. He has...
John M. McLaughlin
Free ConsultationProducts Liability, Insurance Claims, Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury
John McLaughlin graduated magna cum laude from Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis before joining Parr Richey Frandsen Patterson Kruse LLP as an attorney. He has focused his practice on representing personal injury victims since joining the firm. John primarily has experience handling automobile and trucking accident cases involving serious injuries, and he also handles all other areas of the firm’s injury practice including medical malpractice.
John has enjoyed working with his clients in reaching numerous settlements and jury trial verdicts since his first year of practice, including working to obtain compensation on behalf of victims injured in the Indiana...
Tony W. Patterson
Indiana University Maurer School of Law
Tony Patterson has extensive experience representing personal injury victims and wrongful death survivors throughout Indiana and the Midwest. He has worked hard for victims with serious injuries, including brain injury and spinal cord damage. Mr. Patterson’s personal injury practice includes diverse concentrations in areas such as automobile and trucking accidents, medical malpractice mass torts and all other areas of the firm’s injury practice. Mr. Patterson has obtained numerous million dollar verdicts and settlements on behalf of his clients, including working to obtain compensation on behalf of the victims of the Indiana State Fair Sugarland Stage Collapse, litigation in which he...
Louis Buddy Yosha
Indianapolis, IN Products Liability Attorney with 59 years of experience
(317) 648-5063 9102 N Meridian St.
Free ConsultationProducts Liability and Personal Injury
Louis Buddy Yosha, widely known as “Buddy” Yosha, is a personal injury litigation trial attorney with a stellar nationwide reputation among his peers for his courtroom success, prevailing against corporate giants in insurance and other industries. Buddy’s cases have generated national acclaim in well-known national publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Fortune magazine, and numerous others, including legal journals. Buddy has focused his practice on helping those seeking civil justice for physical and financial injury. Representing people from all walks of life, Buddy takes cases on a contingency fee, in an...
Brandon A. Yosha
Indianapolis, IN Products Liability Lawyer with 2 years of experience
(317) 751-2856 9102 N Meridian St
Free ConsultationProducts Liability, Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury
Brandon is a former Division I student-athlete who played college football at the University of Miami (FL) and Lehigh University. He was a letterman for both programs and was the starting tailback for Lehigh University as a sophomore. Due to athletic injuries, he was unable to finish his collegiate career and completed his undergraduate studies at Indiana University. Brandon graduated from Indiana University with high distinction, earning a 3.7 cumulative GPA, majoring in Sport Marketing and Management. Upon graduation, Brandon wanted to follow in his father, Louis “Buddy” Yosha’s, footsteps and become a trial lawyer. Brandon immediately applied to law school...
Todd C. Barsumian
Fishers, IN Products Liability Attorney with 24 years of experience
(844) 268-7775 14074 Trade Center Dr.
Free ConsultationProducts Liability, Medical Malpractice, Nursing Home and Personal Injury
Todd C. Barsumian was selected by Indiana Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and a Super Lawyer in 2018 and 2019. Todd has been selected to The National Trial Lawyers Association: Top 40 under 40 for the State of Indiana and to the Top 100 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Indiana. He is a recipient of the Top 100 Attorneys Lifetime Achievement Award in Indiana and has been selected to the National Association of Distinguished Counsel Nation's Top 1 Percent.
After spending 12 years at the Evansville law firm of Kahn,...
Jon Noyes
Indianapolis, IN Products Liability Attorney with 9 years of experience
Free ConsultationProducts Liability, Asbestos, Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury
Jon Noyes earned his J.D., cum laude, from the Indiana University—Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 2013. Prior to moving to Indianapolis, Jon graduated from Millikin University in Decatur, IL with a degree in political science. Jon is originally from Clearwater, FL, but spent a majority of his life in St. Louis, MO. In his free time, Jon enjoys murder mystery dinners, biking, jogging, cooking and kayaking/canoeing.
Jonathan Armiger
Fishers, IN Products Liability Lawyer with 11 years of experience
(844) 268-7775 14074 Trade Center Dr #202
Free ConsultationProducts Liability, Health Care, Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury
Jonathan Armiger of Barsumian Armiger Injury Lawyers is an Indiana personal injury and medical malpractice lawyer. He represents individuals who have been injured and those who have experienced the wrongful death of a spouse, parent or child. He handles claims arising from car, truck and motorcycle accidents, premises liability, medical malpractice, and nursing home neglect. Jonathan has worked on behalf of victims of personal injury and medical malpractice for more than ten years. He received his undergraduate degree from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 2007. He graduated cum laude from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law...
Indianapolis, IN Products Liability Lawyer with 19 years of experience
(800) 525-8028 2859 N. Meridian Street
After graduating from Purdue University’s flight program, Chris Stevenson began his professional career flying as a commercial pilot. As an associate attorney, Chris now focuses his efforts on the firm’s aviation and product liability case load, using his technical and engineering background as an invaluable resource in litigation. In Chris’ free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and kids and also working on his farm, with the help of his 5 sons, of course. He also enjoys horseback riding and is involved with 4-h.
John G Shubat
(317) 269-3500 1311 West 96th Street
Indiana University School of Law Indianapolis
John is a lifelong resident of Zionsville, where he has been an active member of the community. He has served on the school board of Zionsville Community Schools, as well as the school board for Traders Point Christian Academy. He is a founding member of the Zionsville Education Foundation and, as an attorney, he has represented local civic organizations in various legal matters.
John graduated from the Kelly School of Business at Indiana University and then worked in the medical and dental industry. After gaining experience in the business world, he decided he wanted to combine his business background with a...
David Holub
Merrillville, IN Products Liability Attorney with 40 years of experience
(219) 736-9700 8403 Merrillville Road
Products Liability, Insurance Claims, Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury
Our firm concentrates in personal injury cases of all types, medical malpractice, and wrongful death litigation. We concentrate our practice in Northwest Indiana.
Stephen L. Williams
Terre Haute, IN Products Liability Lawyer with 50 years of experience
(812) 232-0107 646 Walnut St
Free ConsultationProducts Liability, Business, Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury
Indiana University School of Law
Jason Reese
West Lafayette, IN Products Liability Lawyer with 25 years of experience
101 Foundry Drive
Suite 1200-14
Free ConsultationProducts Liability, Legal Malpractice, Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury
Jason Reese represents victims of personal injury, medical malpractice and wrongful death. Over the past 25 years, the Wagner Reese law firm has established a track record of unparalleled success and a reputation as the preeminent personal injury firm in Indiana. Jason's peers recognize him one the best lawyers in Indiana. In 2019, Jason was named a "Distinguished Barrister" by the Indiana Lawyer. Prior to that, he was named “Forty Under Forty” by the Indianapolis Business Journal as one the most dynamic business and community leaders in the Indianapolis metro area. From 2004-2022, Jason has been repeatedly...
Kerri Farmer
(888) 599-2640 8900 Keystone Crossing
Born and raised in Kokomo, Indiana, Kerri Farmer obtained a management degree from Krannert School of Management at Purdue University in 2001. She then received her J.D. from Indiana University School of Law in Indianapolis. Kerri began working with Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC before she earned her law degree. Once she was admitted to the bar in 2004, she immediately began taking on cases and zealously pursuing justice for personal injury victims throughout Indiana. She expanded her scope in 2005 with admission to practice in Kentucky. Kerri takes pride in helping clients fight back against insurance companies who seek...
Stephen Wagner
West Lafayette, IN Products Liability Lawyer
Free ConsultationProducts Liability, Civil Rights, Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury
Mr. Wagner has taken numerous cases to a jury trial in Indiana and across the country, including auto and truck accident cases, medical malpractice cases, civil rights cases and premises liability cases, and has obtained multiple 7-figure and several 8-figure recoveries for clients. Frequently sought out by the media for his commentary in high profile legal cases involving police brutality, jail deaths, daycare negligence, and fraternity hazing, Mr. Wagner relishes representing the “little guy” and helping David defeat Goliath. Described by his clients as compassionate, confident and determined, Mr. Wagner takes a personal interest in each case, relishing the opportunity...
Timothy Devereux
Free ConsultationProducts Liability, Construction and Personal Injury
University of Denver College of Law
Attorney Timothy Devereux has more than 30 years of legal experience under his belt, and he focuses his practice on personal injury cases. Although he takes a wide variety of cases, he centers primarily on motor vehicle accidents, catastrophic injuries, and product liability. Attorney Devereux has taken cases throughout the United States, including Indiana, Illinois, Texas, Colorado, the U.S. Supreme Court, along with the 7th and 10th Circuit Courts of Appeals. During his time in practice, Attorney Devereux has served on the Executive Committee for the Litigation Section of the Indianapolis Bar Association, served as a Vice President for the Indianapolis...
James Keller
Indianapolis City (Balance), IN Products Liability Attorney with 31 years of experience
Indianapolis City (Balance), IN 46208
Products Liability, Nursing Home and Personal Injury
Trust, Experience, Success and Results At Keller & Keller, we understand choosing the right attorney is important for an accident or wrongful death case. You want an attorney with experience, one who will work hard to get you results, and someone you can trust. Trust. Unlike most law firms, Keller & Keller only represents accident victims and we've been doing that Since 1936, we have represented countless families and ensured that they received the recovery they deserve. Our clients call on us for direction and advice that they can trust. Experience. Keller & Keller has helped injured people and their...
Holly S. C. Wojcik
(800) 873-0889 8750 Broadway
Michael S. Miller, a native of Indianapolis, graduated from North Central High School, after which he attended Hanover College, receiving his B.A. in 1969. Following two years of military service, he attended Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law on the G.I. bill, graduating in 1974. After his admission to the Bar, Mr. Miller served as a law clerk for the Indiana Court of Appeals and for four years as a Marion County Deputy Prosecutor.
Mike’s practice includes all categories of civil litigation involving medical malpractice, personal injury and wrongful death.
Mike is a Fellow of the American College of Trial...
Matthew Shipman
Columbia City, IN Products Liability Attorney with 24 years of experience
Columbia City, IN 46725
Products Liability, Business, Insurance Claims and Personal Injury
Matt is a 1990 graduate of Columbia City High School. He received his Bachelors Degree from Indiana University in 1994 and graduated from the Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis in 1998 where he was a member of the Indiana International & Comparative Law Review. Prior to joining Bloom Gates & Whiteleather, LLP, Matt practiced in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Indiana as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Matt concentrates his practice in real estate, litigation, corporate law, and represents multiple governmental entities and sewer districts throughout Northeast Indiana. Matt has litigated cases in both federal and state courts in...
Barry D. Rooth
Merrillville, IN Products Liability Lawyer with 41 years of experience
Jeffrey Wrage
Valparaiso, IN Products Liability Lawyer with 28 years of experience
(800) 921-2824 56 Washington Street
Jeffrey S. Wrage, Attorney/Partner, devotes 100% of his practice to litigation. As a plaintiffs’ advocate, Mr. Wrage represents individuals and families in state and federal courts in all types of personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, complex civil litigation, and employment litigation.
With more than 35 civil jury trials to his credit, Jeff’s trial experience includes motor vehicle and semi-truck cases, medical malpractice, slip and fall, premises liability, insurance, and employment cases. His civil trial experience includes numerous multi-million dollar results. Mr. Wrage’s previous experience defending these types of cases serves him well in counseling his clients regarding what...
Jeffrey JJ Shaw
Noblesville, IN Products Liability Attorney with 33 years of experience
52 S 9th St
Free ConsultationProducts Liability, Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury and Workers' Comp
Let's face it. We've been doing this a long time. And we love what we do. The lawyers of Shaw Law Offices -- the Indiana Slip and Fall Attorneys. See us at "slipandfall.com." That's right, we own the cause of action in our website. That's how much we love what we do. Like Muhammad Ali the boxer famously said, "It's Not Bragging if You Can Back it Up." And with age and experience comes a little bit of "know-how." So, here's 5 things we do to help you in the often-confusing path of a personal injury lawsuit: 1. We Visit the Site...
Brian Custy
(844) 287-8952 4004 Campbell Street, Suite 4
Brian was accepted to and attended the prestigious Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College in 2016. The Trial Lawyers College was established by legendary trial lawyer Gerry Spence to train attorneys who represent the interests of people and not insurance companies, the government or large corporations.
Brian has handled federal and state court cases involving: commercial, rental, and employment contracts; trade secrets; torts including wrongful death, product liability, serious personal injury and malpractice; consumer fraud; federal criminal defense; class actions; employment discrimination; business disputes; construction disputes; fraudulent conveyances; judgment collection; and appeals of such matters including presentation of oral argument to appellate...
Edward B. Mulligan V.
(317) 636-6481 One Indiana Square
Ned is a member of Cohen & Malad, LLP’s Mass Tort/Products Liability, Personal Injury, and Business Litigation teams. Ned has experience representing the victims of dangerous drugs and medical devices, aviation disasters, automobile and tractor trailer accidents, drownings, day-care negligence, and medical malpractice. Ned has also represented individuals and organizations in a variety of business disputes.
Ned has served on multiple trial teams, secured favorable decisions from multiple state and federal trial courts, and served in leadership roles in several multi-district litigations and class actions, including:
- Co-Lead of Narrative Committee; discovery and law & briefing committees, In Re: Zofran (Ondansetron)...
Nathan Miller
Free ConsultationProducts Liability, Construction, Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury
Ohio Northern University
Nathan Miller, an Indianapolis native, graduated from Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in 1994. He received his B.A. degree from Stetson University, DeLand, Florida in 1998 and his J.D. degree from Ohio Northern University Law School in 2002.
Nate serves clients with needs in the areas of complex medical malpractice, personal injury litigation, product liability and wrongful death.
Mr. Miller is a member of the Indianapolis Bar Association, Indiana State Bar Association, Indiana Trial Lawyers Association and the American Association of Justice.
Gregory Garrison
(317) 842-8283 9795 Crosspoint Blvd., #101
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Greg Garrison was admitted to the bar in Indiana in 1973. His undergraduate and law degrees were obtained from Indiana University in 1970 and 1973, respectively.
An experienced litigator, Greg has sat on both sides of the courtroom and has prosecuted a number of high profile criminal cases. Currently, his practice is concentrated on personal injury law, business and commercial trial work, and general litigation. In addition, he served for 20 years as a talk radio host on local WIBC.
William Winingham
I was formerly an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Marion County deputy prosecutor and have worked for over 25 years in private practice representing people harmed by others. Wilson Kehoe Winingham deals in a wide range of personal injury law including automobile & truck collisions, aviation disasters, medical malpractice, brain and spinal cord injuries, birth injuries, bad faith insurance, pharmaceutical litigation, fires and explosions and premises liability. Our firm focuses on complex litigation and we are frequently called upon by other attorneys to assist with cases on a referral basis. Please give us a call at...
Carol Nemeth
Indianapolis City, IN Products Liability Attorney with 29 years of experience
(844) 828-8535 301 Massachusetts Ave
Indianapolis City, IN 46204
Products Liability, Business, Civil Rights and Legal Malpractice
Carol Nemeth Joven’s practice focuses on plaintiffs’ complex civil litigation, including antitrust and other business disputes, professional malpractice, civil rights, and personal injury. She has extensive experience as a litigator, having tried cases and argued appeals in state and federal courts. Carol formerly served as a Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the Attorney General of Indiana, where she represented the state, its agencies and employees in trial and appellate litigation, including over two hundred appeals. Carol also previously served as a Judicial Law Clerk for Judge John Baker of the Indiana Court of Appeals. Carol is actively involved...
Stephanie Cassman
West Lafayette, IN Products Liability Attorney
Stephanie Cassman is an experienced attorney at Wagner Reese. An aggressive and seasoned litigator, Ms. Cassman has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of matters. With every case she takes on, Ms. Cassman seeks to fully understand her clients’ situations so that she can better prepare their cases and fight for the maximum recovery they are owed. She is a frequent speaker and author on jury selection and trial advocacy and a faculty member at the Trial Advocacy Skills College. She has been named in the Top 50 Attorneys and Top 25 Women by Indiana Super Lawyers®.
J. Brad Kallmyer MD, JD
J. Brad Kallmyer, was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In high school he became an Eagle Scout and participated in an exchange program in Germany. He studied chemistry at Earlham College and graduated in 1984. He obtained his MD from Indiana University School of Medicine in 1988. He remains Board Certified in Family Medicine and a licensed physician, is a Fellow in the American Academy of Family Practice, and has additional training in Occupational and Environmental Medicine from the University of Cincinnati. Brad sought training in providing care to the underserved in tropical...
James Barth
South Bend, IN Products Liability Lawyer with 6 years of experience
(574) 272-2870 53600 N. Ironwood Dr
Free ConsultationProducts Liability, Insurance Claims and Personal Injury
Mr. James Barth graduated magna cum laude from Valparaiso Law School in 2016. He is an attorney at the law offices of Pfeifer Morgan & Stesiak, focusing his practice in the area of personal injury and advocating for clients who have suffered an injury or loss. Having clerked for both Federal and State trial courts, Mr. Barth gained valuable knowledge and experience in a courtroom setting. He is a valued asset to the firm, using his experiences from time served in the Marine Corps helping junior Marines through the issues they faced to make the law relatable to his clients.
William Theodoros
Daniel Buba
Carmel, IN Products Liability Lawyer with 29 years of experience
(317) 844-9999 600 East 96th Street
Dan Buba is a partner at the Indiana personal injury law firm of Doehrman Buba. Mr. Buba has represented victims of accidents and negligence for over 20 years. In his 20 years as a trial lawyer in Indiana, Mr. Buba has been named to the Best Lawyers in Indiana and name as a SuperLawyer.
Robert E. Feagley II
(800) 781-5151 151 N. Delaware St., Suite 1500
Free ConsultationProducts Liability, Appeals, Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury
Supervising Litigation Counsel at LEE & FAIRMAN, LLP. Supervises the litigation team, and maintains an active file load focused on Plaintiffs personal injury claims including serious personal injuries and wrongful death claims. Attorney Feagley is also a Court approved Civil Mediator for the State of Indiana.
Jeff S. Gibson
Free ConsultationProducts Liability
Matthew M Golitko
(317) 566-9600 9450 N. Meridian St.
Free ConsultationProducts Liability, Construction, Personal Injury and Workers' Comp
Matthew Golitko focuses his practice on work injury cases only! He is experienced in areas of Workers' Compensation and all types of work injuries, as well as, any serious injuries involving paralysis and death. Mr. Golitko has handled several million dollar work injury cases and has experience in complex work injury cases. All cases are reviewed for free and you only pay attorney fees if there is a successful recovery on your behalf. Visit us at golitkolegal.com or indianaworkers.com for more information.
Vernon Petri
Indianapolis City (Balance), IN Products Liability Lawyer
(317) 780-6610 2124 E Hanna Ave
"Mr. Petri handled a personal injury case for me several years ago. His investigators gathered the relevant evidence within hours after the accident. He fought like a tiger for me, and the insurance company settled shortly after he presented the evidence. Vern and his team did a super job.. " For more than 40 years, the legal team of Vernon J. Petri and Associates P.C. have successfully represented thousands of accident victims suffering catastrophic injuries including brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and broken bones. We handle Medical Malpractice, birth injury, truck crashes, construction machinery and equipment that causes injury or death....
Kelly A. Sheets
Jeffrey R. Kooi
(866) 569-1335 742 S. Rangeline Road
Free ConsultationProducts Liability, Animal, Asbestos and Personal Injury
Products Liability Attorneys in Nearby Cities
Products Liability Attorneys in Nearby Counties
Tippecanoe County
The Oyez Lawyer Directory contains lawyers who have claimed their profiles and are actively seeking clients. Find more West Lafayette Products Liability Lawyers in the Justia Legal Services and Lawyers Directory which includes profiles of more than one million lawyers licensed to practice in the United States, in addition to profiles of legal aid, pro bono and legal service organizations. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Hi doctor, My son is 2.5 years old. For a week, he is complaining of stomach pain. After farting he is fine. Our family doctor recommended one antibiotic for five days and a medicine to avoid vomiting. He had small vomits twice, but later it was fine. Now, after completing the course of medicine he again complaints the same. His diet is almost nothing and he is not ready to take any food. He just has few mL of milk. He does not have fever. His stool was watery, but it is normal now. Can you provide any recommendation on diet and medicine? Please give me a solution to the problem. Thank you.
2. 5 year old suffering from stomach ache. Which medicine has to be given? output: Hi. I can understand your concerns. Complain of abdomen pain with vomiting suggests that your child probably has acute gastroenteritis or food poisoning. Since, antibiotic is already given and now there are no loose stools or vomiting, there is no need to give antibiotic again. For abdomen pain, you can give syrup Cyclopam (Dicyclomine hydrochloride and Paracetamol) 5 mL on SOS basis (as and when required) that is when abdomen pain occurs. Whenever a child becomes sick, there is decrease in his appetite which improves as child recovers. Now, you should give him all the foods that you were giving him earlier. If he is not eating then you can start Glucon-D in water thrice a day for one or two days. Start a multivitamin like syrup Bevon 5 mL once a day for 15 days. Keep patience. Child will eat properly now as he has recovered from illness... |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Is loneliness bad for your health? output: Loneliness, characterized as perceived social isolation, is associated with a range of negative health outcomes.
It is a predictor of all-cause mortality and is linked to both mental and physical health disorders.[1]
Loneliness has been shown to be associated with poor physical health, mental health, and health risk behaviors such as physical inactivity and underweight.[2]
It acts as a chronic stressor, leading to neuroendocrine dysregulation and immunometabolic consequences that manifest in disease, including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular dysfunction, and mental health conditions like major depressive disorder and insomnia.[1][3]
The impact of loneliness on health extends to brain-body interactions, with evidence suggesting that loneliness can increase the risk of morbidity and mortality, particularly in the presence of chronic health conditions, mental health issues, and cardiovascular problems.[4]
Furthermore, loneliness has been implicated in heightened stress responses and inadequate physiological repair activity, which can affect immune and metabolic regulation.[3]
Longitudinal studies have also demonstrated that loneliness is associated with mental ill-health, physical ill-health, lifestyle factors, and increased mortality risk.[5]
These associations persist even when controlling for various confounders, indicating that loneliness may be an independent risk factor for poorer health outcomes and decreased longevity.[6-8]
In summary, loneliness is not merely a psychological phenomenon but a significant public health issue with substantial implications for morbidity and mortality.
Addressing loneliness through targeted interventions may be a critical component of improving health outcomes and quality of life.[9-10]
Chronic loneliness has been associated with a variety of physical health impacts.
It is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including stroke and angina, as well as physical injury and difficulties with Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL).[1]
Additionally, loneliness has been found to be associated with multi-morbidity, which includes the co-occurrence of two or more chronic medical conditions.[1]
Furthermore, loneliness has been implicated in the development of hypertension, kidney disease, osteoporosis, and ADL disability.[2]
It is also associated with physical inactivity and underweight, which are risk factors for various health conditions.[1]
The relationship between loneliness and systemic inflammation, as indicated by elevated levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), suggests that loneliness can lead to slowed gait and potentially other adverse health outcomes.[3]
Loneliness has also been characterized as an "immunometabolic syndrome," affecting immune and metabolic regulation, which can have wide-ranging effects on health, including alterations in inflammatory cytokines, growth factors, and immune cell activity.[4] |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: I recently started experiencing tingleing / pins and needles in lower right abdominal area around where the lower colon or appendix is located. This began a couple days ago. In the weeks prior to this I had been drinking a lot more soda (coca cola and mexican coca cola), Redbull energy drink and coffee because I have been working a lot and need the caffeine to work long hours. Also been drinking a couple beers after work to help me go to sleep after all the caffeine during the day. Also, I hadnt exercised much over the past year until a month before this started happening. In the month prior to this Id been working out five times a week. 90 minute aerobic 1 day a week, 60 minutes aerobic exercise 1 day a week, 10 minute strength training 3 days a week. any idea what it is / could be? output: Hello, Pain on the right side if the abdomen, could be because of any Gastric related issues or any local issues, as u have had a change in food habits over a couple of weeks with high coffee/ sugary fluid intakes, could be probably Gastric related issues, its better firstly to get back to your normal lifestyle and try to avoid coffee/ fatty meals, keep eating at regular intervals with adequate water intake, and please consult your Gastroenterologist so that you can be examined and get a USG abdomen and an Upper GI endoscopy to rule out the same. Hope I could help you. Thank you.. |
Indian Army History Thread
Re: Indian Army History Thread
Postby Rakesh » 25 Jan 2017 01:21
A Pakistani M4A1E6 Sherman that was destroyed by the Indian Army during the 1965 Indo-Pak War
https://twitter.com/tankfeed/status/820614016829636609
Army Day Celebrations: Why We Are Proud of Our Men In Uniform
https://www.thequint.com/news-videos/20 ... ll_article
On New Year’s day, Fazilka to dish out a cafe to pay tribute to Indian Army
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities ... y-4453866/
jamwal
BR Mainsite Crew
Contact jamwal
Postby jamwal » 27 Jan 2017 14:00
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2017/01/26 ... mg00000001
EXCLUSIVE: In 2002, India's Fighter Jets Hit Pakistan In A Surgical Strike You've Never Been Told About
The untold story of an incredible Indian Air Force secret mission during Operation Parakram.
It was about 2 am on 31 July, 2002. Flight Lieutenant Rajiv Mishra, a 29-year-old fighter pilot, was woken up at his living quarters at the Ambala Air Force Station. Leave for Srinagar immediately with laser designation equipment, he was told. A transport aircraft was ready and waiting at the base.
He didn't know it then, but he had been drafted for one of the most sensitive missions carried out by the Indian Air Force, the details of which had never been revealed to the outside world, until now.
Fighter pilot using a laser guidance system from ground on border. Must Read article and highly for multiple reasons if true.
AdityaM
Location: New Delhi
Postby AdityaM » 27 Jan 2017 14:30
as per the article:
The initial plan was to send in the India Army to attack the Pakistani positions. But the plan was changed after quick consultation with the then Army Chief, General Sundararajan Padmanabhan. Instead of a ground assault, it was decided to soften Pakistani positions using the IAF
Can a major initial plan be made without looping in the Army chief. the fact that it was changed on "quick consultation" implies what
rohitvats
Location: Jatland
Postby rohitvats » 27 Jan 2017 14:33
^^^The whole story has been written in an atrocious manner.
Lalmohan
Postby Lalmohan » 27 Jan 2017 14:52
rohitvats wrote: ^^^The whole story has been written in an atrocious manner.
with many holes in it... and therefore not very credible as it stands. I am happy to accept that targets were laser designated and bombed, but not quite in the way described
Lalmohan wrote:
This is what possibly happened -
1. India decides to take-out some important node across LOC in the given sector. For whatever reason, it could not be silenced with artillery or mortars.
2. Powers-that-be decide to call in the IAF - which means there was some major operation underway and this particular target across LOC was hampering us meeting our objective. India was willing to up the ante to ensure we get what we want.
3. Of course, since the target was on another side or very close to LOC, normal bombing run was not possible. That would mean flying towards the target and then releasing the bomb. IAF would've realized that even with best of effort, the strike package would cross the LOC. A strict 'No-No'.
4. So, we decide to use ground based lasing to target the Pakistanis.
By all means, this is the Loonda Post incident in the Machal Sector which was first broken by Praveen Swami.
Here is a 2009 post which has very good details. http://vayu-sena.tripod.com/other-loonda-kargil-ii.html
So much for exclusive details!
Aditya G
Contact Aditya G
Postby Aditya G » 27 Jan 2017 23:59
The details from huff post tie in well with what we know till date about the air strike down to date and time. so to that extent the piece is credible enough.
To his credit The reporter is cautious about not revealing any classified info, though he could have been a bit relaxed had he simply researched on the internet and read the vayu-sena article
There were gallantry awards given esp the CO as mentioned.
I believe this incident may have partly motivated the creation of garud commando force.
Celebrating Cariappa: 1st Indian to take charge of the Indian Army
https://www.thequint.com/india/2017/01/28/celebrating-km-cariappa-field-marshal-first-indian-chief-of-the-army-british-high-commissioner-army-day-anniversary
Postby Rakesh » 13 Feb 2017 02:44
Come to Pakistan and I will make you Army Chief
https://twitter.com/majorgauravarya/sta ... 5302925312
Postby Rakesh » 02 Mar 2017 04:52
Defence Minister India should not have had
http://www.indiandefencereview.com/defe ... -have-had/
Postby Rakesh » 03 Apr 2017 21:42
https://majorgauravarya.wordpress.com/2 ... /the-unit/
Some fond memories of 17 Kumaon, my unit.
Officers Training Academy, Madras. Summer of 1993.
Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw's via radio message to Pak Army
in Bangladesh, prior to surrender at Dacca, 1971
https://twitter.com/Leopard212/status/8 ... 2951350273
Remembering the one and only Field Marshal Sam "Bahadur"
Manekshaw, MC, on his 103rd birth anniversary today
https://twitter.com/FlagsOfHonour/statu ... 1746723840
SBajwa
Location: Attari
Postby SBajwa » 08 May 2017 19:53
Akshay D
Postby Akshay D » 06 Jun 2017 03:43
Visited Ypres, Belgium today. I had only heard that a lot of WW1 battles were fought around the area - also known as Flanders Fields. One of the monuments in the city is an arch / gate with a list of all the men and officers who died in the war, but whose bodies were never found and cremated or buried. This is one of the few gates (or maybe the only one) where the last post is sounded every evening at 8PM.
Turns out, some of the men were from the BIA, fighting for the British empire. There is an Ashok Stambh on a field next to the gate commemorating the Indian soldiers and their contribution in both the wars. Here are some pictures.
I did a quick search on the different regiments listed. Interesting history and most of them were allocated to the Pakistan Army after partition.
Postby ramana » 08 Jun 2017 01:06
AkshayD, Thanks for the pictures. A very good commemoration for our soldiers.
I bet a lot of old timers of those regiments will take pride in those pictures from Flanders Fields.
Postby ramana » 06 Jul 2017 02:33
An old interview with Gen. V.P. Malik and Lt. Gen Jacobs on Indian Army
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/indi ... 37623.html
Something to think about.
Postby Rakesh » 16 Jul 2017 07:33
Indian Army Tanks
Subcontinental Armour: The PT-76
http://tejasmrca.weebly.com/land-system ... -the-pt-76
Subcontinental Armour: The nifty M3/5 Stuart Light Tank
http://tejasmrca.weebly.com/land-system ... light-tank
Subcontinental Armour: The AMX-13 -Punching above its weight
http://tejasmrca.weebly.com/land-system ... its-weight
Pakistan Army Tanks
Subcontinental Armour: The Deadly Pakistani M-36 Jackson
http://tejasmrca.weebly.com/land-system ... 36-jackson
Subcontinental Armour: The Pakistani M-24 Chafee
http://tejasmrca.weebly.com/land-system ... 24-chaffee
Subcontinental Armour: The Fearsome M-47 Patton
http://tejasmrca.weebly.com/land-system ... m47-patton
Subcontinental Armour: The M-48 Patton
The Battle of Asal Uttar: Critical Appraisal
http://tejasmrca.weebly.com/orbat/the-b ... -appraisal
Battle of Rezang La
http://tejasmrca.weebly.com/orbat/battle-of-rezang-la
Tribute to Indian Army war dead is long overdue
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/t ... due_quot_/
jayasimha
Postby jayasimha » 27 Jul 2017 14:58
Remembering The sacrifice
Centenary commemoration of the Gallantry & Sacrifice of Indian Soldier in Worl War One
http://sainiksamachar.nic.in/WW1_E-Brochure.pdf
srinebula
Postby srinebula » 28 Jul 2017 11:03
https://www.facebook.com/Indianarmy.adg ... 47923399:0
27th July 1998.Lance Naik Prem Pal was in one of the LC posts in J&K. when one of the adjoining post came under heavy enemy fire. To relieve pressure his post retaliated. Since the ammunition of Automatic Grenade Launcher was depleting, he volunteered to replenish it despite withering enemy artillery fire and while doing so was hit by a splinter in his thigh. At about 1345, hrs the kerosene barrels in the post were hit by a shell due to which a fire started spreading towards ammunition bunkers. Preempting impending danger, he ran out in the open to extinguish the fire and was hit by a burst from machine gun. Undeterred, he was finally able to assist in putting off the fire. While crawling back to his shelter, he was again hit directly by an artillery shell killing him instantaneously. Lance Naik Prem Pal exhibited unparalleled sense of commitment, exceptional presence of mind, selfless devotion to duty and was posthumously awarded Vir Chakra.
Kancha wrote: https://twitter.com/CestMoiz/status/890578419930415104
#ObituaryOfTheDay
Non Combatant. Yet did enough to earn a Vir Chakra.
Wonder what his story might have been..
Aditya_V
Postby Aditya_V » 28 Jul 2017 14:05
I think the period from 1988 to 2003 when there was open artillery fire from Pakis to be calleed peace is a real misnomer. They used to through everything they got and thansk to Larry presseler didnt use thier F-16's
World War I: Role of Indian Army in Britain's victory over Germany
Postby Rakesh » 09 Aug 2017 04:56
No, India’s Army Did Not Play a ‘Significant Role’ at Dunkirk
http://thediplomat.com/2017/08/no-india ... t-dunkirk/
When discussing India’s role in World War II, let’s stick to the historical facts.
Postby ramana » 07 Sep 2017 21:43
X-post...
sum wrote: China is teaching South Indian languages such as Tamil and Malayalam to wireless radio operators of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA
China is teaching South Indian languages such as Tamil and Malayalam to wireless radio operators of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The move is to understand intercepts of communication signals of the Indian armed forces deployed along the 3,500 km Line of Actual Control and the international border.
The PLA’s emphasis is more on the spoken aspects of these two South Indian languages, which help facilitate faster communication by the Indian Army. “No coding or decoding of cipher is required with the script and pronunciation of South Indian languages being extremely difficult for any person to comprehend without a working knowledge of these languages,” officials privy to the inputs said.
The Pakistani experience, according to sources, has taught China to learn to understand Tamil, Malayalam and a few other South Indian languages. “During the 1971 India-Pakistan war, our radio operators passed messages and commands on open channels in Tamil, which was Greek to the Pakistani forces. The Pakistanis were foxed by our Tamil and Malayalam-speaking radio operators,” said an official.
“China does not want to repeat the mistake by its all weather friend Pakistan during the 1971 war,” said an intelligent official.
PLA operatives’ understanding of South Indian languages will additionally help Beijing in gathering intelligence from Tamil-dominated pockets in Northeastern Sri Lanka, where the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had a considerable sway till 2009 before being decimated by the forces of the island nation. China has a deal with Sri Lanka for majority control of Hambantota port in its southeast.
Indian forces such as the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, which guards the Indo-China border, is also training its new troops in Mandarin, the language of mainland China.
Changing Frequency Chinese wireless radio operators are learning Tamil and Malayalam to understand intercepts of the Indian Army
During the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, Indian radio operators passed messages and commands on open channels in Tamil, which was Greek to the Pakistani forces
dinesh_kimar
Postby dinesh_kimar » 11 Sep 2017 20:08
On This day, fifty years ago, the GOC of 17 Mountain Division, Lt. Gen. Sagat Singh (then a Major General) disobeyed orders and refused to vacate the strategic Nathu La pass in Sikkim, as demanded by the Chinese......and agreed to by certain Indian "higher ups".
At the time, India was not a nuclear power (though China was !), and had recently suffered a humiliating defeat in Chinese hands.More importantly, Gen. Sagat Singh did not have support from his Corps Commander. Undeterred, he carefully positioned his Infantry and artillery assets, ensured proper communication of his various field units (VK's excellent Blog),briefed and mobilized the men under his command...............and hit the Chinese!!!
The Chinese soon joined in an ugly battle.However in the face of the well prepared and brave Indian Soldiers of 17th Mountain Division (Jats, Rajputs and Gurkhas) , the Chinese suffered about 300 causalities and eventually called a cease fire. They realized that the Indian Army was no push over.
For his tenacity, stubbornness, and for doing the right thing for his country though his bosses did not support him, a thousand pranams from me to the great soul, one of India's boldest and most innovative soldiers', Lt. Gen. Sagat Singh.
Please read about this Centurion Gunner
http://m.hindustantimes.com/punjab/worl ... K_amp.html
Manish_P
Postby Manish_P » 29 Sep 2017 09:48
What a family..
Postby kancha » 03 Nov 2017 20:28
Folks, today is the martyrdom anniversary of Maj Somnath Sharma and 70 years since the Battle of Budgam. Have put out a blog on the same. Do have a look.
At 0800Hr on 03 Nov 1947, Maj Somnath Sharma, 4Kumaon & Capt Ronnie Wood, 1Kumaon reported to HQ 161 Brigade to discuss the day’s patrol pgme. Consequent to the discussions, 2 Companies of 4Kumaon moved out on a patrol towards Badgam, followed shortly by another company of 1 Kumaon.
The Company of 1Kumaon subsequently moved on towards Magam and thereafter returned to the airfield at about 1 pm. That done, Maj Somnath was also ordered to start thinning out. At 2pm, one Company of 4 Kumaon moved back. Maj Somnath reported that all was quiet with villagers going about their daily business.
Little did he know that there was a huge force of raiders was gathering in the vicinity, trying to skirt the Pattan route blocked by 1 Sikh. Had the 2nd Company too moved back at 2pm, route to airfield would have been unguarded.
Too bad for the enemy, it wasn’t so.
By the time the epic Battle of Badgam was over,less than 100 Kumaonis had held back nearly 700 raiders & saved the airfield. The Kumaonis lost 15 killed, including Maj Somnath Sharma and 26 wounded. 1 ammo truck too was looted by enemy but they failed their objective,losing many more than they killed.
This was the closest they would get to the Airfield. EVER
Hereafter, the raiders would ‘advance’ in only one direction – BACK to where they came from, i.e Westwards.
In evening, 1 Punjab moved double quick to take up more blocking positions to secure the airfield. Now at night,they waited. The airfield was still vulnerable. Another determined attack by the enemy, and it could still fall .. especially at night.
Yet the enemy failed to make good this opportunity of a lifetime.
Reason? Khurshid, the leader of that party was injured in the leg by a bullet. Leaderless, the Pathans dithered on further course of action.
Postby deejay » 09 Nov 2017 10:08
Folks, I am sharing an interesting WhatsApp forward on one of our heroes. Keeping the format and text as shared.
My father, the Param Vir Chakra Hero
In spite of being wounded in battle, Lieutenant Colonel A B Tarapore fought for six days before meeting a hero's death on the battlefield in the 1965 war.
A legend in the Indian Army, he is the highest ranking officer to be awarded the Param Vir Chakra.
His daughter Zarine M Boyce, who was 16 when her father died, remembers an extraordinary soldier and a father she lost too soon.
Archana Masih met the hero's daughter at her Pune home(2015).
"I remember so well the night they got their orders to move. I was 16. The Poona Horse (Lieutenant Colonel A B Tarapore's regiment) had won an inter regimental tournament and there was a celebratory party in the Officer's Mess.
It was the first time I was allowed into a party. I remember dancing with my father when his adjutant, Captain Surinder Singh, tapped him on the shoulder and my father went in.
Captain Jasbir Singh came and took his place. Unfortunately he too died in the same shell attack that killed my father.
Soon after, we were told that the party was over and we should go home. This must have happened at 10 pm. Around 2, 3 in the morning, we heard the tanks moving out.
They were given orders to load and leave, but there was a wall blocking the route to the road and if they circumvented it, they could have missed their boarding time.
So my dad gave instructions to go through the wall as the objective was to get to the station in time. Of course they reached on time.
The next day we went to the train station. Earlier, my mother had gathered all the women at the mess and told them 'Don't you cry!'
I can never forget the scene with the officers and their tanks on the station. My father came out to one of the flats (wagons in the train carrying the tanks) and Captain Ajai Singh, who later became general and then governor of Assam, was with him, along with Captains Jasbir Singh and Surinder Singh.
Just at the whistle blew, my father gave my mother a salute. And all the soldiers saluted us. That's my last memory. I never saw him again."
Zarine Mahir Boyce breaks down as she remembers that day 50 years ago when her father left to fight a war, never to return.
A legendary tank commander who led from the front; he died in the tank that he loved, surrounded by men that adored him.
During our conversation, Mrs Boyce's eyes well up several times as one tries to grasp the pain of a teenager's loss that hasn't ebbed in half a century.
Now in her mid 60s, she lives in her mother's family home in Pune and says not a day passes when she hasn't thought of her father.
Next week, she has been invited by the Poona Horse for a commemorative ceremony of the 1965 war. "The respect they have given me over the years is unsurpassable," she says. "They treat me better than the Queen of England!"
She has also been invited for tea by the President for a felicitation of the 1965 veterans at Rashtrapati Bhavan on September 22, 2015.
"My father had not told anybody but on the night we were celebrating, he had got a message from the military secretary that as soon as his tenure was over, which would have been another couple of months, he would be posted as military attache to the USA, where he would pick up his brigadier pips.
I was excited as a young girl that I would do my college in America. Of course, it never happened.
When my father was at the front we got news only through letters. We received his last letter after his death.
In that he wrote 'I could not have had finer and better men to lead.'
They say that the command that my father had on the wireless in keeping the whole regiment together was unsurpassable. They destroyed 60 enemy tanks against our 9 and not only that -- they were one regiment against a brigade which comprised three regiments with Patton tanks.
We had the old Centurions tanks that were heavier and not as fast, but he did it. He did it like they did it in the old cavalry charges. It was just sure, sheer guts. His courage was such that inspired his men.
One of the boys told me that all he said on the wireless was '
Come on gentlemen, let's go and get them' -- and he charged at full speed, followed by his men.
The young men who came to see my mother after my dad died, told us that after the battle started, the colonel opened the cupola of his tank and stood up courageously, in spite of all the firing.
They said seeing him do that gave them courage. General Ajai Singh (who was a captain then) always says that no matter what part of the battle it was, Colonel Tarapore was always there.
With no disrespect to anybody, it was the first real battle that we went into. China was bad, we couldn't help it. But in '65 even if we lacked in resources what we did not lack was courage."
In 1965, the Pakistan army's armour strength was superior to that of the Indian Army. Pakistan had 765 tanks against India's 720, writes Nitin Gokhale in his book 1965 -- Turning the Tide.
India was in no position to wage another war in 1965, having suffered a morale-shattering defeat in 1962. The three services were in the middle of a modernisation and expansion phase and therefore not fully trained or battle-ready.
"At some stage of the battle, my father's tank was blasted. He jumped out, helped his wireless officer Captain Amarjit Bal, who eventually became a general.
After they were injured and they came out of the tank, my father realised that Captain Bal was still inside the tank, so he jumped in, pulled him to safety, gave him his morphine injection and asked him to be evacuated.
A little later in that operation a shrapnel riddled my father's arm. He was told to evacuate but he didn't want to leave his men. He said he would not leave his boys and continued to fight with his hand in a sling for the next two days.
Many of the officers say that if he had not taken that stance at that time, maybe we wouldn't have been in Pakistan. And for that, the regiment treat him like God.
One of his jawans who had come to see my mother after my father passed away told my mom: 'Colonel Tarapore was Arjun.'
He wanted to be cremated on the battlefield, so they did it. Even the enemy respected him. They called his regiment Fakhr-e-Hind, the Pride of India. This is unprecedented.
The biggest tank battle since World War II was fought in the Sialkot sector of Pakistan in 1965. Under Colonel Tarapore's leadership, 60 enemy tanks were destroyed in fierce tank battles that are part of military folklore.
Leading from the front and unmindful of being wounded, the colonel continued to fight for six days before he died a hero's death on the battlefield. The fearless commanding officer and his men had gone into Pakistan and captured Phillora, Chawinda, Wazirwali, Jassoran, Buttar Dograndi.
In the battle of Chawinda, he led the tanks twice into the middle of the enemy's killing ground. In the battle of Phillora, 23 enemy tanks lay scattered, mauled and burning.
On the evening of September 16, his tank was hit by a shell. He and his intelligence officer Captain Jasbir Singh along with two jawans died in the attack.
Colonel A B Tarapore was cremated on the battlefield in Jassoran at 0930 on September 17, 1965. His ashes were brought back to Pune.
For his valour he was decorated with the highest war-time gallantry medal, the Param Vir Chakra posthumously. Among the places where his valour is remembered is in the Golden Temple in Amritsar where his name is etched on a plaque. His presence also graces two building complexes in Andheri, suburban Mumbai, named after him: Tarapore Gardens and Tarapore Towers.
"When my mother was dying of cancer, it was her wish that his Param Vir Chakra be given to his regiment.
Today it is in the Quarter Guard and every young officer who joins the regiment has to go to the portrait of my father and of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetrapal (the 21-year-old awarded the Param Vir Chakra in the 1971 war, also from Poona Horse) and then join the regiment.
When we went to give the Param Vir Chakra in 1982, there was a tank parade and my mother went up and gave the medal to General Hanut Singh, who was commanding the regiment. (Decorat
ed with the Mahavir Chakra in the 1971 war, General Hanut Singh was a military legend and sadly passed away in April this year.)
I will never forget what General Hanut said. He said, 'As long as there is a Poona Horse and as long as there is a Tarapore, we will be at their service.'
You don't get this loyalty and respect anywhere. Jawans who fought under him brought their little grandchildren to my mom and said, 'Mataji aap iske sir par haath rakh dengi toh yeh bhi veer ho jayega. (Mother, if you put your hand on his head, he too will become as brave as your husband).'
I am going to give the last jacket he wore in action to the regiment. They will put it up in the Quarter Guard with love and respect."
Six days after Colonel Tarapore's death, the United Nations called for a ceasefire by India and Pakistan. The war ended on September 23, 1965. India held 518 square kilometres of Pakistan territory in the Sialkot sector, that was returned in keeping with the Tashkent Treaty.
The Poona Horse, the regiment to which Colonel Tarapore belonged, is one of the most decorated regiments in the Indian Army. It has been awarded two Param Vir Chakras and two Victoria Crosses.
In the 1965 war, it was also awarded two Vir Chakras and five Sena Medals. In respect for the regiment's achievement on the battlefield, the Pakistani army conferred it with the title 'Fakhr-e-Hind.'
"There is never a day that goes by when I don't think of him. I suppose all of us who have famous fathers are daddy's girls. There are always people who take his name with a lot of respect.
His regiment was the be all and end all of his life. It was his family. His soldiers were his children. We were also rans. He loved us, he adored us, but he had one very, very strong trait which made his men adore him.
He was commanding his regiment in Babina, near Jhansi. His jeep had got stuck in a nullah and three of them -- the wireless operator, my father and driver -- tried to push the jeep out.
When he came home covered in slush, a civilian guest visiting us asked him why didn't he get the men to push the jeep since he was the commanding officer.
I will never forget what my father said. He said, 'I am not made of sugar or salt. I am not going to melt. I can do whatever my men can do.'
'As long as there is a Poona Horse and as long as there is a Tarapore, we will be at their service.'
Zarine Boyce's mother, Perin Tarapore, was only 40 when her husband died. Mrs Boyce herself lost her husband when she was 32. She has two daughters, one of whom will accompany her to the regiment's commemorative function next week.
Mrs Tarapore received Rs 10,000 and a transistor set from Indira Gandhi, then the information and broadcasting minister.
When P V Cherian, then the governor of Maharashtra, discovered this when he visited Mrs Tarapore in Pune, he intervened with the defence minister until she was given a plot of land in Koregaon Park with the stipulation that she should build a house in two years.
Since Colonel Tarapore's last pay was Rs 3,000 and his pension hardly amounted to around Rs 1,000, the Parsi community stepped in and built a house at no profit. Mrs Tarapore rented out this house and that's where her main income came from.
"We managed because her father was comfortably off but we always wonder about people who aren't," says Mrs Boyce. "But now things have improved."
"I don't feel bitter. My father had a job to do and he did it. As much as he died, somebody else may have died too.
Students at the school he went to and was head boy don't know about him. The road outside the school is named after him, but once when I was there, I asked the students about him, and they didn't know.
What he did was for the country. In the north of India, people appreciate sacrifice and valour because they have been at the receiving end for a long time.
In Maharashtra and South India not so much because they have never had to face threats to their homes because the enemy has never come down that far.
"I do not expect people to appreciate it (a soldier's s
acrifice) when they themselves have not been through it. But awareness is creeping in now.
Anywhere in Punjab, the name Tarapore or the name Abdul Hamid means a lot because they themselves have been through this trauma of invasion.
‘My mother was in this house when we got news of his passing. Those days after his passing were terrible. My mother's younger brother became like a surrogate dad. Nothing can tide over for your loss.
Not only was my father an astounding soldier, he was also a kind human being. He did not have any shades of grey. For him it was this or that, never a maybe. He would have been a failure in civilian life.
He was always very brave. It was in his DNA.
There is a book in Pakistan by a soldier who was fighting in the same sector and he mentions my father's courage. His courage came for the love of his men.
He would often say to me, 'If only god would give me the privilege of leading them into battle, I will think my life is worth it.' And it did happen."
Source-Rediff
#LadyMaverick
manjgu
Postby manjgu » 09 Nov 2017 11:11
thanks deejay...i heard this lady on TV ..she said when Lt Col Tarapore boarded the tanks and train steamed out the whole regiment shouted "Har Har Mahadev " .. made my hair stand and tears in eye. What a man !! its a shame that his deeds and of others are not taught in schools and we have to learn about Akbar the great !! .
Postby JayS » 09 Nov 2017 12:45
Indian Army issues RFI for Future Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV):
https://indianarmy.nic.in/writereaddata ... v%2017.pdf
The Ministry of Defence, Government of India, has decided to procure a new generation, contemporary State-of-the-Art Combat Vehicle Platform, approximately 1770 Armoured Fighting Vehicles (in various kit combinations) in a Phased Manner, along with 10 Years Performance Based Logistics, Transfer of Technology Engineering Support Package, Personnel Training, Training Aggregates including Technical Training Simulators, Documentation and spares Package for replacing a part of its ageing Armoured Fighting Vehicle fleet as part of the Modernisation Plan. This vehicle, which will be called the Future Ready Combat Vehicle (FRCV), will form the base platform for the Main Battle Tank. It is also planned to subsequently develop other need-based Family of Variants on this platform. The Future Ready Combat Vehicle is planned to be procured under the provisions of the Armoured Fighting Vehicle segment of ‘Strategic Partnership’ route as per Chapter - VII of Defence Procurement Procedure -2016. The Indigenous Manufactured Portion of the procurement is to be manufactured in India, based on design to be provided by the foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer to the selected Strategic Partner.
2. The Ministry of Defence, Government of India seeks information from the Armoured Fighting Vehicle Original Equipment Manufacturers/authorised agencies for participation in Future Ready Combat Vehicle Project in accordance with Chapter-VII of Defence Procurement Procedure - 2016. The Request for Proposal for the acquisition is likely to be issued by Mid-2018.
Essential Parameters. The Future Ready Combat Vehicle will be a tracked fighting vehicle of Medium Weight Class (All up combat weight not to exceed 50Tons ± 15%) and should present a small target signature. It should be capable of all weather, day and night operations. All systems should be able to operate in an ambient temperature range of minus 300C to plus 500C.
All tech specs mentioned in the doc. Looking at them it seems difficult for anyone to make such tank with weight 50 ton or less unless perhaps 3-crew + autoloader concept is used, though the RFI doesn't specify such requirement. Can anyone compare the specs with those of Arjun MK1/MK2..? Looks very similar to that of MK2 to my noob eyes.
VinodTK
Postby VinodTK » 18 Nov 2017 22:33
Indian WW1 soldiers laid to rest after French mystery
The discovery of human remains near a small town in northern France last year sparked a search that quickly spread half-way across the globe. The two men, it turned out, were Indian soldiers who died on French battlefields more than 100 ago during World War One.
They were finally laid to rest this month, in a ceremony especially poignant for the Indian diaspora in France.
A crowd gathers quietly at a small cemetery in Laventie. Many of them are of Indian origin and have travelled from across France, undeterred by the cold weather and distance - both physical and from events that took place so many years ago.
A Hindu priest chants prayers in front of two flag-draped coffins, as Indian and French military personnel stand in respect.
For Indians who now call France home coming here wasn't just about honouring those who gave their lives in war. It is about their own place in history.
"This is very important for the Indian diaspora, because it gives us a link to history," says Ranjit Singh, a proud member of the French-Sikh community.
"It reminds us that a century ago - some soldiers came here [from India]. It isn't just something written in the books. We can feel it, we can see it today."
Some 1.3 million Indian soldiers served in the World War One and more than 70,000 died in places like northern France - where decisive battles were fought.
A few kilometres away from Laventie, in Neuve Chapelle, a memorial lists the names of many Indian soldiers who died fighting for the British Empire.
Nalinee Goojha, who lives in Paris, told me she was thinking of the soldiers' mothers, "whose children came to fight a war here in France, where I now live, and they never saw their children again".
Remarkably, the soldiers were identified by badges found on their bodies. After a century buried in the French mud, the number "39" was still legible when the bodies were found.
That stands for the 39th Royal Garhwal Rifles - an infantry regiment raised during the time of the British Raj. Its history goes back to 1854.
The regiment was one of few in the Indian army to have two battalions, and both were sent to Europe with the Garhwal Brigade - part of the 7th (Meerut) Division - in the early part of the World War One where they fought on the Western Front.
Later they took part in the Mesopotamia campaign in the Middle East.
The Garhwal Rifles - as they are now called - were incorporated into the Indian army after independence and the regiment was contacted by the French authorities after the remains were found and their origins identified.
Brig Indrajit Chatterjee, Commandant of the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre, travelled from India for the ceremony. Two bagpipers from the regiment also played.
The fallen soldiers were being cremated and laid to rest with full honours, Brigadier Chatterjee said.
The Indian soldiers saw some of their fiercest fighting in the battle of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915. The troops, both Indian and British, were commanded by Sir Douglas Haig.
Rifleman Gabbar Singh Negi won the Victoria Cross and his grandson, who is now a serving Indian Army officer, was present at the ceremony in Laventie.
Laventie Military Cemetery and other graves in the area are maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
"What we try to do always is to reunite the men that are found today with the men they fought alongside 100 years ago. In this case, more than 100 years ago," says Liz Sweet from the commission.
"In the cemetery where they were buried today, there was a sizable pocket of Indian men commemorated and they were placed alongside those men."
Before leaving France, the Indian army representatives filled two urns with soil from the area - a piece of the ground on which so many of their regiment fought and died.
Bishwa
Postby Bishwa » 23 Nov 2017 05:52
In Central school/CBSE we were taught about CHM Abdul Hamid PVC. I dont remember if we were taught about Lt. Col Tarapore PVC. Others may remember
Postby Mukesh.Kumar » 24 Nov 2017 04:19
Just finished India's Most Fearless by Rahul Singh and Shiv Aroor in one sitting. Request to all BRFITES, if you habe a nephew, niece, son or daughter please consider sharing this book. Not very expensive. Easy read. We need more books like this to spread the story of our armed forces in the mainstream.
Postby ramana » 12 Dec 2017 23:39
Thanks to Akshay Kapoor.
Evolution of Rashtriya Rifles
LINK: Rashtriya Rifles: Evolution
Rashtriya Rifles: The Story Of Independent India’s Finest Military Experiment
by Syed Ata Hasnain
- Jul 23, 2017, 12:06 pm
The RR is well known as a specialist organisation created to fight terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, but how much do people know about India’s finest military experiment since Independence.
Here’s a peep into an organisation, which is barely 25 years in being, yet has risen to become an icon in itself.
For a soldier the heart normally is where he has served with honour and where he has gained great experience. Thus for me, one of the organisations closest to the heart remains the Rashtriya Rifles, commonly referred as the RR. Within the Army, the RR is well known as a specialist organisation created to fight terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), but this knowledge is mainly in layman terms. People outside the Army may have just heard of it and brushed it aside as something too detailed to know about the Army. Yet, when an organisation, barely 25 years in being, rises to become an icon in itself, there must be something about it which is worth knowing. This story is all about that organisation to which the Indian people owe much; an organisation about which little is known and much needs to be written.
It may pay dividends in terms of capturing the reader’s mind if I commence this piece with a single statement, which actually says it all. The RR is India’s finest military experiment in 70 years of existence as an Independent nation. I never fail to repeat this wherever I go, ad nauseum.
There is nothing official about it, but it is a conjecture that the origins of the RR go back to the days of Operation Pawan, in the perceived botched experiment of India’s first out of area (OOA) operations in Sri Lanka. Four frontline divisions were involved in the OOA insurgent situation in Sri Lanka leaving behind an adversely affected force structure to respond to the ongoing insurgency in the North East and none too stable situation on the western borders. Immediately thereafter the Army was again involved in holding the periphery to boost the confidence of the Punjab Police while the Punjab militancy raged in 1990-91.
With the continuous deployment of the Army in OOA operations and counter insurgency (CI) duties, even as conventional threats loomed large in the form of the unpredictable Pakistan Army exercise Zarb-E-Momin, it became clear that a special force was required to deal with India’s turbulent internal security situation; a credible force which would prevent frequent deployment of the Army’s frontline formations and units on internal security. Raised with the Punjab situation in mind, the changeover to Kashmir and then the Jammu region was quick. Lending credence to this theory that it was never J&K which triggered the idea of RR, is the fact that Headquarters (HQ) 8 Sector RR along with its three units, 18 RR, 32 RR and 33 RR was initially deployed in the North East and moved to its current location in the Lolab Valley only in 1999, at the height of the Kargil crisis.
RR was raised as a specialised CI/Counter Terrorist (CT) Force in 1990 to relieve the regular Army of its CI/CT commitments, so as to ensure its ready availability at all times for its primary task. It was originally planned to constitute RR with personnel on deputation from the Army, along with lateral inductees for permanent absorption and suitable ex-servicemen volunteers. It was however, later decided that the entire manpower would comprise serving personnel on deputation from the regular Army. The RR was thus raised with hundred per cent personnel on deputation from all Arms and Services of the Army.
The first few units which were raised had no regimental orientation or links but someone in authority (and to him we owe much) decided that one of the strengths of the Indian Army, its regimental system, also needed to be infused into this force. Thus came about the unique experiment of basing an RR unit on an Infantry Regiment as the core with another Arm (Armoured Corps, Artillery, Engineers and Air Defence) providing supplementary manpower; the logistics and support elements were provided by the Services.
A look at a typical RR unit’s organisation will explain this little better to a layman. One of the high achieving units, 36 RR, is organised with a little over 50 per cent manpower from The Garhwal Rifles, 30 per cent from the Artillery and rest of the elements coming from Engineers (one Engineer platoon), Signals (a communication platoon), EME (one Field Repair Increment – FRI), ASC (one Mechanical Transport Platoon), Ordnance (storemen) and AMC personnel. The total manpower comes to about 1,200 all ranks (against 840 of an Infantry unit) but the capability to have six RR companies is a definite plus.
This affords an ideal six point deployment i.e. occupation of six company operating bases (COBs) with one of the companies being co-located with the battalion HQ. The logistics is kept to the bare minimum with specialists available in each field thus obviating any training of general duties personnel in specialist fields involving logistics. The Engineers complement is a major asset because it can be employed for anti-Improvised Explosive Device (IED) role, bomb disposal, demolition tasks in CT operations and very importantly for electrification, construction of habitat and maintenance tasks. Similar is the case with Signals.
In many ways an RR represents a battalion group which can be reorganised for tailor made tasks because of the inherent flexibility. It can latch on to any logistics node or specialist logistics establishment for its logistics needs and is completely self-contained in transport.
Two other aspects need to be known. First, that RR budget is additional to Army budget under a separate head. The budget operates on Payment Book Debit System. All financial rules as applicable to the regular Army are also applicable to the RR budget. Second, the manpower is supplementary to the authorised manpower of the Army and thus comes under Composite Table II. It means that it requires a special approval of its mandate for a fixed period after which the mandate has to be approved again and that too at the highest level. This has sometimes caused problems in functioning as such approvals are known to get delayed with resultant effects on the budget.
The initial organisational concept was based upon two to three RR units functioning under a Sector HQ (equivalent to a Brigade HQ). This was supplemented in 1994 with the raising of the two HQ Counter Insurgency Forces (CIF); Victor for the Kashmir Valley and Delta for Doda in Jammu region. The CI/CT grid came under the two Force HQ which too were lean and mean, devoid of all the add on supporting units associated with a division HQ. In fact, the first ‘light division’ concept in India had thus taken birth. With the expanding arc of militancy through the nineties, it was not possible to execute the CI/CT role over the large swathe of areas North and South of the Pir Panjal with these two Forces alone. The 8 Mountain Division (from North East) became a permanent asset in the Kashmir Valley (before its move to Kargil) with the Rajouri based division and another reserve Infantry Division doing service in Jammu region.
The void created by move of 8 Mountain Division to Kargil and the increasing pressure of counter infiltration and LoC management in the Jammu region forced the raising of the additional Force HQ for the Valley and south of Pir Panjal. Kilo, Uniform and Romeo Force HQ thus came into existence. That is where it rests today with the strength of units going up from 36 in 1999 to 63 by 2003. There are 15 Sector HQ to control these, along with the five Force HQ. The Directorate General of Rashtriya Rifles (DGRR), located as part of the Integrated HQ of the MoD (Army) at Delhi, controls the non-operational part of the management of the Force.
The Ethos And Mode Of Functioning
Keeping the North East model as the backdrop, interoperability between the RR and the regular Army was ensured. Thus RR units form part of regular Infantry formations just as an RR Sector HQ can have regular Infantry units placed under it.
The CO is mostly an Infantryman from the same regiment as the Infantry troops. While an officer may have his core competence based on his Arm or Service, no one denies him an operational role in the command of troops. This gives huge fillip to the self-esteem of officers who proudly wear the RR badge, shoulder titles and lanyard, temporarily casting aside their original embellishments. The Military Secretary’s branch has done its bit by ensuring that service in RR (usually 30 months) fetches the qualitative requirements (QRs) for consideration for foreign postings and career courses of instruction. While many an old timer from the Infantry may consider CI/CT operations as a purely Infantry domain based upon core competence of Infantry officers, the RR experience has proved beyond doubt that ultimately it is an officer’s personal involvement, willingness to learn and bond with troops from all Arms and Services and flexibility of the mind which makes him a competent CI/CT leader. I can say with confidence that besides numerous Infantry officers who perform outstandingly, there are an equal number of officers from Armoured Corps, Artillery, Air Defence, Engineers or Signals who perform exceptionally well under the most stressful conditions. Equally, I have found officers from the ASC who go about the operational task most competently. A Regimental Medical Officer (RMO) is a must, considering the fact that casualties are frequent and the rule of Golden Hour applying in most cases, necessitating the presence of an RMO at the site of operations.
The organisational ethos has refined over time with every effort to ensure that each RR unit has a fixed number of Infantry and other Arm units to subscribe the manpower. RR companies are a proportional mix of Infantry and the main Arm which provides the manpower. It should be noted that the Indian Army’s concept of service in an operational area is quite different to that of Western armies where a single tour of duty of its servicemen is no more than six months. Officers and jawans in RR units serve for approximately 30 months during which there is no absence for training, temporary duties etc; the only time an officer or jawan may not be present is during the period of his authorised leave. Every effort is made to ensure that these personnel proceed home on leave at least once in three months. There are no training courses or promotion cadres in the RR, which can keep jawans away from operations. The central government’s decision to provide two free railway warrants to personnel in operational areas has paid dividends in terms of morale. The various chartered flights to Srinagar have also contributed towards this.
A senior DG of a Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) once after spending a day with an RR unit at his request, expressed his perception. In his view it was the regimental system which was the glue which had the right portion to give these units a high. Of course, he had volumes to speak about the professionalism of the RR officers and men, the flexible yet firm control that the Sector and Force HQ ensured over all operational activities, the readiness to learn from mistakes and very importantly the continuity of presence in a given area of deployment where the unit gelled with the local population. He also observed how much importance was being given to intelligence gathering, briefings and debriefings.
A word on continuity. An RR unit turns over almost 50 per cent of its manpower every year, which means 600 men come and 600 go, making it an average of 50 a month. An RR CO may see as many as 2,000 personnel through his command tenure. At any time, there is transition which is on, but the fact that the unit remains static except for minor tactical redeployment contributes to its hold over its area. The terrain is well known, the sources are more loyal, the SOPs are easier to follow and lessons of the past are always applicable to the same ground. Besides a very simple direction is followed; no man can operate unless he undergoes pre induction training at the Corps Battle Schools (CBS) of either 15 or 16 Corps. These are very important institutions where the continuity factor is also ensured. Commonality of understanding the mission, the force ethos and the ramifications of various actions have to be starkly brought to the mind of every man. General Officers and Sector Commanders have to ensure they address their men right there at the CBS. It makes a world of a difference when you have such a focused command.
Operational Aspects
The RR has evolved over a period of time confronting first the hard core cadres of the Ikhwan (later a counter group), Hizbul Mujahideen, JKLF and Harkatul Ansar and then confronting the foreign terrorists who started to enter the Valley in droves. As cadres of the Lashkar e Taiba (LeT), Al Badr and Jaish-e-Mohommad (JeM) started to emerge in greater strength the degree of coordination from across the LoC enhanced exponentially. Operational concepts had to rely on large scale cordon and search operations (CASO) of urban areas bringing the RR into direct contact with the people. There was then little need for intelligence, so intense and dense was the presence of the terrorists. They employed IEDs at will and even confronted the RR troops frontally in encounters in the jungles of Rajwar, Hafruda and Rafiabad. It needed diligence and a degree of risk to move for operations. The terrorist cadres then used simple VHF radio for communications. This moved on to mobile technology before resting on satellite phones (Thuraya). The emergence of the jihadi radical as a modern technical whiz kid (4th Generation Warrior) employing social media and Skype for communication forced the RR to technicalise both with authorised equipment and a lot of jugaad. The RR today reflects the technical savviness of the modern generation. A major challenge that any RR unit faces today is the absolute need to ensure minimum collateral damage during an operation. The kinetic aspect of disproportionate use of force of which CI/CT units are often blamed remains a critical component of execution and operations may be delayed for long only for this need.
The RR has also travelled through the transforming conflict with aplomb. It is now also doing service in counter infiltration in the vicinity of the LoC in various areas and is optimised to be available for conventional role too. Its primary role in conventional conflict remains Rear Area Security. However, it has gone on to train and be ready for confrontation at the LoC itself. The transforming internal conflict scenario has also left many in a quandary about understanding the RR’s role in conflict stabilisation and conflict termination. For a professional, it is important to realise that with derived clarity of the continuously changing role of the RR this one aspect will remain constant. This is the original task; the mainstreaming of the people of J&K with mainstream India. It has never been articulated, but is the intellectually evolved role which should have been spelt out at the outset. Thus, while many may bemoan the fact that today in some areas in Jammu division there are very few terrorists for the RR to eliminate and the romanticised and gung ho role may be over, the more difficult task starts now; the task of continuity of stability. No organisation is better suited for this than the RR. With intimate knowledge of the socio-cultural landscape and sensitivities this Force now needs the right orientation to hold the periphery and assist in the integration effort which must be undertaken by the central and state governments in earnest. Its quasi-military experience of executing the hearts and minds game most innovatively over the years should give confidence to the various stake holders.
Last, the RR has the experience, the organisational capability and the leadership like no other organisation in India. If J&K has to be fully mainstreamed in mind and spirit a long continuation of the RR’s mandate is an absolute must.
(Adapted from the original in South Asia Defence & Strategic Review, by the author who wrote the original piece too)
The writer is a former GOC of India’s Srinagar based 15 Corps, now associated with Vivekanand International Foundation and the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.
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Find Trails > Massachusetts > Cambridge Trails
Cambridge, MA Trails and Maps
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Explore the best rated trails in Cambridge, MA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Spicket River Greenway and Bridge Street Bike Trail. With more than 89 trails covering 528 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Alfred J. Lima Quequechan River Rail Trail
Amesbury Riverwalk
Ashburnham Rail Trail
Assabet River Rail Trail
Barker Road Trail
Bay Colony Rail Trail
Blackstone River Greenway
State: MA, RI
Asphalt, Boardwalk, Crushed Stone, Dirt
Border to Boston Trail
Boxford Rail Trail
Bradford Rail Trail
Bridge Street Bike Trail
Bridle Trail
Dirt, Sand
Bruce Freeman Rail Trail
Burrillville Bike Path
State: RI
Center Trail
Charles River Bike Path
Clipper City Rail Trail & Harborwalk
Cochituate Rail Trail
Concord River Greenway
Derry Rail Trail
East Bay Bike Path
East Boston Greenway
Fred Lippitt Woonasquatucket River Greenway
Fresh Pond Bikeway
Gloria Braunhardt Bike Path
Goffstown Rail Trail
Dirt, Grass, Gravel, Sand
Granite Town Rail-Trail
Ballast, Cinder, Dirt, Grass, Gravel, Sand
Haggetts Rail Trail
Hanover Branch Rail Trail
Heritage Trail (Manchester)
Independence Greenway
JAYCEE Arboretum & Senator Roch Riverwalk
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass, Gravel, Woodchips
Jay McLaren Memorial Trail
Dirt, Grass, Gravel
Londonderry Rail Trail
Lowell Canal System Trails
Malden River Greenway
Marblehead Rail-Trail
Asphalt, Dirt, Gravel, Sand
Martin H. Burns Wildlife Management Area Trail
Dirt, Gravel, Sand
Mason Railroad Trail
Ballast, Gravel, Sand
Methuen Rail Trail
Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass
Minuteman Commuter Bikeway
Mystic River Greenway
Narrow-Gauge Rail-Trail
Nashua Heritage Rail-Trail
Nashua River Rail Trail
State: MA, NH
Neponset River Greenway
North Bank Bridge
North Central Pathway
Northern Strand Community Trail
Norwell Pathway
Old Eastern Marsh Trail
Peanut Trail
Pine Tree Brook / Popes Pond Path
Asphalt, Dirt, Woodchips
Piscataquog Trail
Province Lands Bike Trail
Quarries Foot Path
Reformatory Branch Trail
Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail (Fremont Branch)
Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail (Portsmouth Branch)
Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass, Gravel, Sand
Roland Bergeron Bike Path
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway
Salem Bike-Ped Corridor
Salem-Beverly Canal Path (Grand Wenham Canal Path)
Salisbury Beach State Reservation Trail
Salisbury Point Ghost Trail
Salisbury Rail Trail Connector
South Bay Harbor Trail
Asphalt, Boardwalk, Brick, Concrete
South Manchester Rail Trail
Southern New England Trunkline Trail
Asphalt, Ballast, Crushed Stone
Southwest Corridor Park (Pierre Lallement Bike Path)
Spicket River Greenway
Stillwater Scenic Walkway
Ten Mile River Greenway
Tri-Community Greenway
Upper Charles Trail
Upper Falls Greenway
Ware River Rail-Trail
Ballast, Dirt, Grass, Gravel
Warren Bike Path
Washington Secondary Bike Path
Watertown-Cambridge Greenway
Wellington Greenway
Whitney Spur Rail Trail
Windham Rail Trail
World War II Veterans Memorial Trail
The Alfred J. Lima Quequechan River Rail Trail, which was formally known simply as Quequechan River Rail Trail travels along the northern shore of scenic South Watuppa Pond. The project created a...
The Amesbury Riverwalk (also known as the Powwow Riverwalk) carries visitors between a resurgent waterfront district on the Powwow River to a modern shopping center on the outskirts of this historical...
More than a mile of the Ashburnham Rail Trail opened in 2015 from a point just south of Ashburnham's center to Turnpike Road. The rustic route, planned to be paved in the future, offers a...
MA 1.3 mi Dirt
The Assabet River Rail Trail connects five old mill towns that owe their revitalization to present-day high-tech industries. A midpoint gap splits the 8.6-mile paved trail, though long-range plans...
Barker Road Trail begins on the town line between North Andover and Boxford in northern Massachusetts, not far from the New Hampshire border. From there, the pathway continues through dense woodlands...
MA 0.9 mi Dirt, Grass
The Bay Colony Rail Trail will one day span 7 miles connecting the Boston suburbs of Newton, Needham, Dover, and Medfield along tracks once used by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. In May...
Throughout history, the Blackstone River has been an important waterway, from its use by American Indians who fished its once-abundant salmon to its role as a major artery for the transportation of...
MA, RI 26.6 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk, Crushed Stone, Dirt
The Border to Boston Trail connects the communities of West Peabody, Peabody, Danvers, Topsfield, and Boxford in northeastern Massachusetts. The long-term goal for the trail is to continue it north to...
MA 10.7 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt
The Boxford Rail Trail is a short, rustic pathway open on a former rail corridor in rural Essex County. Now home to overhead electric wires owned by National Grid, the trail is open via a license...
The Bradford Rail Trail occupies a former Pan Am rail corridor, beautifying an area that once lay strewn with garbage and weeds. The city and numerous dedicated volunteers created the mile-long path...
The Bridge Street Bike Trail begins near Curtis Park and travels south through downtown Salem, closely following the Bridge Street Bypass. The short trail runs through residential, retail and...
MA 1 mi Asphalt
Marshfield's Bridle Trail follows a former railroad bed through a tree-lined corridor. It begins at the town's Dandelion Park and heads north. Its compacted dirt surface is best suited for walking,...
MA 3 mi Dirt, Sand
Bruce N. Freeman was a Massachusetts state representative from 1969 to 1986. Beginning in 1985, he championed the creation of a bike path that would run along the former Penn Central railroad line...
MA 11.7 mi Asphalt
Burrillville Bike Path runs for just over a mile through its namesake rural community in northwest Rhode Island. It connects the villages of Pascoag and Harrisville through a corridor that once...
RI 1.2 mi Asphalt
The Center Trail runs for less than a mile from Hopkinton's downtown to its high school and middle school, providing a safe route to school for thousands of students. The wooded trail, which once...
The Charles River Bike Path, also referred to as the Charles River Greenway, offers a paved, 22-mile route from Boston to its western suburbs. The trail is also part of a larger, developing network...
The Clipper City Rail Trail is part of the Coastal Trails Coalition, which is developing in the four towns of Amesbury, Newbury, Newburyport, and Salisbury along the Merrimack River and will...
MA 3.9 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk
The Cochituate Rail Trail (CRT) is a developing, multi-use trail that will run from the Village of Saxonville in Framingham to Natick Center, a distance of 4 miles. Currently, its northernmost mile in...
MA 1.1 mi Asphalt, Concrete
The health and fortunes of Lowell have been intimately tied to the Concord River for hundreds of years. This tributary of the more well-known Merrimack River continues to be at the heart of the local...
This exquisitely maintained trail slices through forested areas and wetlands for a wonderful experience in southern New Hampshire. The trail will eventually be part of the Granite State Rail Trail,...
NH 3.6 mi Asphalt
With spectacular maritime views and an abundance of coastal wildlife, the East Bay Bike Path offers a spectacular New England experience. Inducted into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame in 2009, the route...
RI 14.3 mi Asphalt
More and more, airport lands near previously under-used rail corridors are being transformed from largely neglected vacant lands into urban greenways. These new vibrant spaces are used not only by...
The Fred Lippitt Woonasquatucket River Greenway provides a valuable crosstown connector of nearly 7 miles from downtown Providence to the city’s western neighborhoods and the nearby town of Johnston....
The Fresh Pond Bikeway runs through Fresh Pond Reservation, a park in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The bikeway winds around the east edge of the Fresh Pond Reservoir. Part of the trail is on a road...
Although short, the scenic Gloria Braunhardt Bike Path travels through forests and pastures full of birds and wildlife. The asphalt pathway parallels the eastern side of the present-day Interstate 95...
MA 1.2 mi Asphalt, Dirt, Grass
The year 2017 marks 20 years since a rails-to-trails project was first mentioned in the Goffstown Master Plan, and thanks to work by the Friends of the Goffstown Rail Trail and support throughout the...
NH 5.5 mi Dirt, Grass, Gravel, Sand
Mile 0.0 - DPW Garage Cross the bridge in the parking area, the trail starts behind the fence, crossing over Great Brook on a old dam. Mile 0.53 - After crossing Union St. you will come to a...
NH 3 mi Ballast, Cinder, Dirt, Grass, Gravel, Sand
The Haggetts Rail Trail is a short, but sweet unpaved trail located on the periphery of Haggetts Pond, the local reservoir for the nearby town of Andover. Built on part of the former line of the...
MA 2 mi Crushed Stone
In the southeastern outskirts of Boston, the Hanover Branch Rail Trail connects the communities of Abington and Rockland. (Locally, the trail’s east and west halves are sometimes referred to as the...
MA 2.6 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The Heritage Trail is managed by the state of New Hampshire to provide access to recreational and historical attractions across the state. Eventually, the north-south route along the former Boston and...
The 5.3-mile Independence Greenway makes for a pleasant ride, providing access to lakes, parks, and nature preserves. The paved pathway is located in the town of Peabody (pronounced by locals as...
Riverpoint Park sits nestled into a bend of the Pawtuxet River in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The park accommodates the 400-ft arboretum which leads to 1.3-mile riverside path known as the Senator...
RI 1.3 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass, Gravel, Woodchips
Nestled in the woodlands on the northern end of Merrimac in the far northeastern corner of Massachusetts, lies the beautiful Jay McLaren Memorial Trail. The town, once known as West Amesbury, had a...
MA 2 mi Dirt, Grass, Gravel
The smooth paved surface of the Londonderry Rail Trail offers a pleasant, tranquil 3.3-mile adventure for trail users in south-central New Hampshire. Its route follows a corridor once used by the...
Lowell's Canal System Trails are part of Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell, Massachusetts. The park preserves some of America's industrial past: its 19th-century textile mills formed the first...
The Malden River Greenway is part of the Mystic Greenways trail system, which also includes the Wellington Greenway and the Mystic River Greenway. When completed, it will run along the Malden River...
The Marblehead Rail-Trail appears on maps as a Y resting on its side, connecting Marblehead and Salem in the north and the city limits of Swampscott in the west. The 4-mile trail knits together a...
MA 4 mi Asphalt, Dirt, Gravel, Sand
The rail-trail through the Martin H. Burns Wildlife Management Area begins at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) commuter rail station near downtown Newburyport, a coastal...
MA 3.4 mi Dirt, Gravel, Sand
The Mason Railroad Trail runs for nearly 7 miles from near the New HampshireMassachusetts border (nr. Townsend, MA) to Greenville, NH. The trail follows a heavily wooded corridor through Russell...
NH 6.7 mi Ballast, Gravel, Sand
Methuen Rail Trail connects three communities in northeastern Massachusetts as it follows the route of the former Manchester and Lawrence Branch of the Boston and Maine Railroad. The rail-trail's...
Mine Falls Park in Nashua is a 300-acre-plus urban park with a network of approximately 9.7 miles of a variety of trail types. This forested park offers an extraordinary nature experience in the heart...
NH 9.7 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass
Many commuters choose the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway for freedom from congested traffic in the northwest Boston suburbs. For others, the 10.1-mile paved trail between Cambridge and Bedford serves as a...
The Mystic River Greenway is part of the Mystic Greenways trail system, which also includes the Wellington Greenway and the Malden River Greenway. When completed, the trail will connect the...
MA 4 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk
Even though the Narrow-Gauge Rail-Trail traces the nation’s first narrow-gauge railroad for 3 miles from Bedford toward Billerica, the mostly crushed-stone path is plenty wide enough now to...
MA 3 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone, Dirt
The Nashua Heritage Rail Trail begins adjacent to City Hall on Main Street in downtown Nashua. It is a short trail that takes you through one of the first neighborhoods that was planned and built in...
The Nashua River Rail Trail stretches from southern Nashua, New Hampshire, to downtown Ayer, Massachusetts, connecting to the towns of Pepperell and Groton. The trail is built on the former rail...
MA, NH 12.3 mi Asphalt
The Neponset River Greenway is a south Boston jewel, utilizing the best in design and construction standards as it winds through the Neponset River valley, offering a low-stress, high-quality...
The North Bank Bridge, which opened in 2012, provides a safe and convenient pedestrian and bicycle connection between Cambridge's North Point Park and Paul Revere Park in Charlestown. Spanning 690...
MA 0.5 mi Concrete
The North Central Pathway is envisioned as a trail network connecting points of interest through and between Winchendon and Gardner. Several completed sections of trail make for a lovely ride or walk...
The Northern Strand Community Trail is part of the visionary and almost-complete Bike to the Sea plan to link Boston and the Mystic River to the seashore in Lynn, north of Boston. It currently runs...
MA 8 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
Norwell is a suburb about 30 minutes' drive south of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Norwell Pathway, a 2-mile non-motorized trail that was constructed to give residents an alternative way to...
The Old Eastern Marsh Trail (a.k.a the Salisbury Rail Trail) runs for 1.4 miles between the north bank of the Merrimack River and Mudnock Road in Salisbury. The beautifully landscaped trail was built...
The Peanut Trial is a distinct trail in the town of Newton that spans one-mile. This rail-trail was meant to connect to the Jay McLaren Memorial Trail. However, due to a controversial lawsuit by land...
NH 1.5 mi Cinder
The Pine Tree Brook Trail travels alongside the brook in Milton, Massachusetts. The path travels through woods and residential neighborhoods for a distance of about 1.8 miles, and it connects to the...
MA 2 mi Asphalt, Dirt, Woodchips
The Piscataquog Trail, though only about 2 miles long, provides a vital off-road link between the communities on the western side of the Merrimack River (the West Side of Manchester) to several parks...
Constructed in 1967, the Province Lands Bike Trail is the first bike trail ever built by the National Park Service. The trail, located at the northern tip of Cape Cod, features steep hills, sharp...
The Quarries Foot Path offers a wooded 1-mile hiking route in western Quincy, about 10 miles south of Boston. Begin your adventure on the south side of Ricciuti Drive, which borders Quincy Quarries...
MA 1 mi Dirt
The Reformatory Branch Trail connects the historical towns of Bedford and Concord along a nearly 4-mile dirt path through wildlife refuges that ends where soldiers witnessed “the shot heard round the...
Crossing through wooded areas and featuring magnificent wetland vistas, the Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail (Fremont Branch) offers an 18.3-mile trail adventure from Epping to Windham. The northern...
NH 18.3 mi Dirt, Sand
The Rockingham Recreational Rail Trail brings at least two superlatives to mind: it’s one of New Hampshire’s longest rail-trails at just more than 28 miles, and it begins in Manchester, the state’s...
NH 28.1 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass, Gravel, Sand
The Roland Bergeron Bike Path runs about 6 miles alongside nearly the entirety of Albuquerque Avenue in Litchfield, NH. Completed in 2010, the 8-ft wide asphalt path averages about 5 yards in from...
NH 6 mi Asphalt
Boston's Rose Kennedy Greenway may not be very long, but it's jam-packed with attractions. Along the paved pathway, you can access five parks, be wowed by public art, stop to smell the flowers in...
When complete, the Salem Bike-Ped Corridor will run for more than 5 miles on a former Boston and Maine Railroad corridor from connections with the Windham Rail Trail (north) and Methuen Rail Trail...
NH 1.15 mi Asphalt
Although only a grassy, hard-packed dirt pathway, the route along the Salem-Beverly Canal (also known as the Grand Wenham Canal), is scenic and peaceful. The old canal, built in 1917, lies between two...
MA 2 mi Dirt, Grass
Although less than a mile, the trail running through Salisbury Beach State Reservation offers lovely views of the beaches off the northeastern coast of Massachusetts, just a few miles south of the New...
MA 0.6 mi Crushed Stone, Grass
Currently 1.8 miles, the Salisbury Point Ghost Trail provides a peaceful walk or bike ride through the woods on a well-maintained stone-dust trail. The route is one part of the larger Coastal Trails...
The Salisbury Rail Trail Connector, also known as the Gillis Rail Trail Connector, is a 0.3-mile link between two rail-trails: Salisbury's Old Eastern Marsh Trail and Newburyport's Clipper City Rail...
The South Bay Harbor Trail connects several Boston neighborhoods—Lower Roxbury, the South End, Chinatown, and Fort Point Channel—to the Boston Harbor. The trail spans nearly 4 miles from Ruggles...
MA 3.8 mi Asphalt, Boardwalk, Brick, Concrete
The South Manchester Rail Trail is a proposed bike/pedestrian path that would connect the downtown Millyard area of Manchester to the Town on Londonderry. The South Manchester Rail Trail will utilize...
The Southern New England Trunk Line Trail (aka the "SNETT") was designated as a National Recreation Trail in 1994. It is built upon a segment of the former right-of-way of the New Haven Railroad's...
MA 22 mi Asphalt, Ballast, Crushed Stone
The Southwest Corridor Park (Pierre Lallement Bike Path) knits together neighborhoods in southern Boston from the Back Bay to Jamaica Plain. Popular as a route for commuters as well as casual walkers,...
The Spicket River begins in Derry, New Hampshire, through Methuen and Lawrence, Massachusetts, before draining into the Merrimack River. Like many mill towns of the late 19th and 20th centuries, the...
The Stillwater Scenic Walkway is a short trail that follows an old railroad bed between Capron Road and State Route 104 (Farnum Pike) south of Smithfield. The trail passes through a wooded area along...
RI 1 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt
Ten Mile River Greenway, named for the waterway it parallels and not its length, runs 3 miles through a serene and green corridor connecting the City of East Providence and Pawtucket. The southern end...
RI 3 mi Asphalt
The Tri-Community Greenway follows the route of the Boston and Lowell Railroad and its Stoneham Branch, originally built to serve Stoneham’s shoe factories and provide passenger service. The trail...
The developing Upper Charles Trail will one day total 24 miles, linking the communities of Milford, Ashland, Sherborn, Holliston, Framingham, and Hopkinton along a former railroad bed. As of 2018,...
MA 13.2 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The Upper Falls Greenway is a short rail-trail that cuts through the charming village of Newton Upper Falls in Newton, Massachusetts. The trail occupies the same former rail corridor as the developing...
This unpaved state-owned trail is open for public use from Coldbrook to Baldwinville. An on-road detour is necessary through the village of Baldwinville, but the right-of-way is open for public use on...
MA 12 mi Ballast, Dirt, Grass, Gravel
The pleasantly tree-lined Warren Bike Path, built along the former Warren-Fall River Railroad, runs just under a mile from Long Road west to the Kickemuit River. The trail ends in an 18-acre park...
The Washington Secondary Bike Path offers just over 19 miles of paved trail from Cranston (Providence’s southwestern neighbor) to Coventry. The rail-trail, Rhode Island’s longest, follows the former...
The Watertown-Cambridge Greenway runs along the former corridor of the B&M Railroad’s Watertown Branch. The trail begins in a busy shopping area on the site of a former U.S. Army arsenal. Trees...
The Wellington Greenway is a section of the Malden River Greenway in Medford, Massachusetts. Eventually, the Wellington Greenway will be connected to the other sections of the Malden River Greenway in...
The Whitney Spur Rail Trail runs from just north of the MBTA’s Cohasset Station through dense woodlands to the edge of Wompatuck State Park. The corridor was originally a spur off the Old Colony...
The Windham Rail Trail passes through the woodsy periphery of Windham in southern New Hampshire, but it sits in the heart of the future cross-state Granite State Rail Trail. Its connections to the...
The World War II Veterans Memorial Trail opened in Mansfield in 2004 after several decades of advocacy by local rail-trail supporters. The trail rests on an abandoned corridor once served by the Old...
MA - 13.2 miles
RI - 3 miles
NH - 6 miles
NH - 1.15 miles
NH - 9.7 miles
MA - 1 miles
RI - 1.2 miles
RI - 19.2 miles
More Cambridge bike trailsView Fewer Cambridge bike trails
MA,RI - 26.6 miles
More Cambridge walking trails View Fewer Cambridge walking trails
More Cambridge running trailsView Fewer Cambridge running trails
October, 2019 by richardbrancato
A short but nice trail. Pretty much a straight shot with no hills. Similar to the World War II Veterans Memorial trail in Mansfield, but with no benches and in need of a bit more TLC. The trail is made of crushed stone and in one or two places it is a bit too loosely packed which can make steering your bike a bit challenging. Also, there is some encroaching brush on either side of the trail, but it is minor and does not get in the way too much. Not too busy. You can go back and forth and probably see 2 or 3 other bikers, walkers, etc. The parking lot is located across the street from where the trail begins. Overall, a nice trail if you are looking for a quick ride through the woods.
Very nice trail within Wompatuck State Park. There is free parking and plenty of it at the Cohasset MBTA station. The trail is listed as 1.6 miles, but it is actually longer than this as my TrailLink map was showing me as being off the trail but with still some trail to be had. The trail is nicely paved and alternates from the narrow and woodsy to the wide and open. On the day I went there were a few people on the trail with me such as walkers, joggers, fellow bikers, dog-walkers, moms with strollers, etc., but it was not crowded at all.
Hudson, Marlborough great for all riders
October, 2019 by bbuddy64
I've ridden this trail several times. Most recently today with my wife. Good workout if you start at Rte. 85 by McDonald's and push hard to Lincoln Street in Marlborough then head back and ride to the terminus in Hudson by Riverside Gun Club. Good 10.2 mile run that can be done in an hour after work.
Excellent Ride Through History
October, 2019 by llkamitchell
We rode from Bedford towards Boston and then returned via Lexington and Concord. Trail was an excellent pathway into Boston and had we had more time we would have continued into the city. Historically this trail is a gem waiting to be discovered.
Still Large Gaps
October, 2019 by gfoote
The section from Route 122 in Woonsocket to Fox Run Rd in Bellingham is still undeveloped, rough, and even impassable in some sections. I'd advise to avoid unless you have a mountain bike and don't mind walking it.
I concur to the rough state of the trail just west of Route 146 too. Wet and walkable-only in some sections too.
Beautiful water view trail
September, 2019 by nwironen_tl
Park in Glenallen St. parking lot in Winchendon. Ride trail towards Gardner. On the way you will see rivers and wetlands, and starting now, beautiful foliage. After riding that stretch, head toward downtown Winchendon. This is a short section but worth the little side trip as it skirts a pond that reflects the colorful foliage.
September, 2019 by dmcguire55
This trail has been well-maintained recently and there are so many great side-paths and conservation areas to explore. Good for walking, biking, dogs, and has a nice mix of dirt/gravel options.
Excellent Ride
September, 2019 by llkamitchell
We started in Milford and first rode to Holliston. The trail starts paved and then turns into a crushed stone but is well maintained throughout. Returning to Milford we then rode the other side of the trail which is paved throughout. Overall the trail is quite nice and a great option for two shorter rides or one long ride. Road crossings were easy and the traffic was quite kind. We have ridden in 33 states now and can easily give this trail a 9 out of 10. I will be posting a YouTube video of our ride using the username PedalPushin AK.
Great Walk
September, 2019 by nelsonp2518
Great location and scenery, would recommend this to anyone.
E Hudson lot next to Gun Club to Marlboro line
September, 2019 by mxi2002
Too many street crossings and too many hills. The ride back was a better. Next time, we'll park at Advanced Auto Parts, 157 Washington St to avoid all the street crossings in Hudson
September, 2019 by janrogthebees
The only thing missing on this beautiful trail are markers. The Goffstown trail has markers starting at 0 mile on 1 side and on the other side it indicates 5.5 MI to the end, and then a marker every .5 mile EX: .5 MI, 1 MI., 1.5 MI. 2 MI. 2.5 MI. etc all the way to the end at 5.5 MI.
Acushnet, MA
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Blackstone, MA
Brewster, MA
Charlton, MA
Chicopee, MA
Clinton, MA
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Dracut, MA
Dudley, MA
East Longmeadow, MA
Easton, MA
Fairhaven, MA
Falmouth, MA
Fitchburg, MA
Gardner, MA
Groton, MA
Hanson, MA
Harwich, MA
Hingham, MA
Holbrook, MA
Holden, MA
Holliston, MA
Hopkinton, MA
Hull, MA
Ipswich, MA
Lakeville, MA
Lawrence, MA
Lunenburg, MA
Marblehead, MA
Marshfield, MA
Mashpee, MA
Maynard, MA
Medway, MA
Methuen, MA
Middleton, MA
Milford, MA
Newburyport, MA
Norfolk, MA
North Adams, MA
North Reading, MA
Northborough, MA
Norton, MA
Norwell, MA
Oxford, MA
Palmer, MA
Pembroke, MA
Pepperell, MA
Pittsfield, MA
Randolph, MA
Reading, MA
Rehoboth, MA
Sharon, MA
Somerset, MA
South Hadley, MA
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Yarmouth, MA |
Tabulation
Childhood and Youth in Zurich
Neuhofyears
Burgdorf and Münchenbuchsee
The last years of Pestalozzi's life
Fundamental ideas
Letters on early education
The Nature and the Function of the State
Legitimation of the State
When he was young, Pestalozzi had already decided that he would work for the people of his own country, and throughout his life he tried to understand the nature of an ideal state and how it works.
Pestalozzi sees the state as an institution that can be understood by looking into the nature of humankind. He believes that humans are full of contradictions. This is based on the fact that humans develop through three different states of being, the natural, the social and – if the person wants it – the moral. In order to understand the meaning of the State, the connection between the natural state and the social state must be understood.
The ‘natural’ (not yet ‘moral’) human’s problem is egoism. Egoism is important for self-preservation and leads to the increase of one’s own well being but it also brings human beings into conflict with each other. Egoism also leads humans to socialisation, with all of its pains and contradictions, because a human expects his needs to be more easily satisfied if he participates in the social process. The collective satisfaction of needs requires ownership of property. Ownership of property can only be maintained if all individuals agree not to touch their fellow humans’ property and only for as long as everyone follows this agreement. Likewise with the safety of humans – humans must agree not to do anything which may hurt another human. These agreements lay the foundations of rights and duties: the right to have possessions and to enjoy life in safety, and the duty not to appropriate other people’s property and not to threaten the lives of other humans.
Pestalozzi believes that any obligation creates an unreasonable demand on the social man because the need to fulfil an obligation means a human cannot be led by his egoism and egoism cannot be removed merely by socialisation. An individual, led by egoism, believes in his rights but at the same time finds it a nuisance to have to fulfil any duties. Therefore conflict is inevitable. In the social state of being conflict is to be settled not with the fist, as in the natural state of being, but within the framework of the law, to which all humans in the social state are subordinated. This means that the state has a legitimate function. The state makes laws and makes sure that these laws are followed, so that the individual, when in conflict, does not revert to physical violence with everyone fighting everyone else (‘the spoilt natural state’). The contents of state legislation concern the safety of the individual’s life and limb and the protection of his property.
Power of the State
As mentioned above, the fact that a human becomes socialised (or is in ‘the social state’) does not necessarily mean that he loses his egoism. This means that time and again there will be people or groups who threaten others physically or who want to seize the property of others. The only way to prevent this is by use of the stronger counterforce of the state, which is responsible for the safety of others. The state, however, can only guarantee to protect individuals as long as it is in possession of power and uses it in such a way that the individual members neither want to, nor are able to, settle their conflicts by force. For this reason, Pestalozzi does not want the state to be weak. Only if the state really indisputably holds power, can it be capable of meeting the tasks, the fulfilment of which actually found and justify its existence.
Power and Law
Pestalozzi knows from experience that power can be misused by those who hold the power of the State and that it can be used for the subjugation and exploitation of the people instead of for their welfare. This is why Pestalozzi believes that those in power must never rule in a high-handed way, but always themselves be bound by law.
But what is law? Pestalozzi believes that the fact that a decree is enacted by the state and is enforced by the power of the state is not enough to ensure that the decree is truly ‘legal’. He demands more of the law; that it should follow the true ‘spirit of law’. Only then can it be considered truly ‘legal’. The law is truly legal when the statute enacted is in agreement with the essence of human nature and with the basic purpose of socialisation. This can only be the case if the law is not understood as the individual human being’s egotistical right, but as being for the protection of everyone against any form of egoism, created to provide care for everyone.
Pestalozzi states that just because a human has ‘rights’, it does not mean he should be allowed to do everything that is not forbidden. In Pestalozzi’s opinion, a human’s ‘rights’ is above all the legal protection of each individual citizen against arbitrary encroachments of the state as well as the legal protection of each individual against being forced to do anything which contradicts the essence of human nature. A human also has the right to have legal protection against the possibility of others exploiting or suppressing him. A human’s ‘right’ is not an end in itself, but it is a means for a humane existence.
Power is needed to enforce such ‘rights’. If power is tied to law, so that justice, safety and the welfare of the people come first, then it is, to use Pestalozzi’s own term, ‘holy’, but power used in an arbitrary way can be cruel and bring ruin. Pestalozzi believes that power and its outcomes are ‘holy’ if the person holding power recognises the rights of the people and abides by those rights. Ruination comes about not because of power but because of the person who holds the power. Power and law depend on one another: without power, law is ineffectual; without law, power is brutal.
Ensuring the Satisfaction of Needs
According to Pestalozzi, enactment of laws and ensuring that the law is observed so that humans and their property are safe, are direct tasks of the state, which it must fulfil by itself. There are other tasks of no less importance, which the state itself does not have to carry out, but for the fulfilment of which it has to work out the necessary legal framework.
Foremost among these indirect tasks is to safeguard the satisfaction of needs. Pestalozzi does not consider it to be the task of the state to relieve the individual of the necessity to satisfy his own needs, but believes that the state should enable the individual to satisfy his own needs without loss of dignity. The state helps by protection of the individual’s property. Furthermore the state must recognise that a property owning individual tends to expand his property at the expense of the weaker individuals and in the process the weaker are made poorer. This is exactly what Pestalozzi wants to prevent. Social justice cannot be said to be just if the individual is allowed to increase the size of his property and in the process bring harm to other humans. Therefore the state does not only have to protect property, but must also intervene in the economy.
Pestalozzi, however, never considered abolishing private property, because then the duty of the individual to look after himself and his relatives as well as possible could not be fulfilled. Pestalozzi considered this ‘care for oneself’ to be an essential foundation for the self-realisation of a human being because it compels the individual to exert himself and, in using his powers, to develop them. Pestalozzi believes that it is not necessary to abolish the free availability of property, but that it is necessary to restrict ownership of it. In Pestalozzi’s experience the owners of larger properties always make a large number of people dependent on them. Consequently the increasingly large property owner should be responsible for the needs of the weaker in order to stay socially legitimate. The state, by means of wise legislation, should compel the propertied classes to use their property in such a way that it works for the advantage of the weaker.
Freedom in the State
With the question concerning the free availability of an individual’s property, the problem of the ‘freedom’ of the individual citizen also becomes an issue. To lay claim, within the state or as an individual, to the right to be allowed to do or not to do anything in order to serve one’s own egotistic desires is, according to Pestalozzi, an expression of the spoilt natural state. He calls such freedom ‘natural freedom’ and considers it to be in contradiction to socialisation. No state can or should allow absolute natural freedom to any individual, but on the contrary must restrict the individual’s freedom, wherever there is the danger of the individual using his freedom to the disadvantage of his fellow human beings and of society.
How much an individual’s freedom should be restricted depends on the prevailing social circumstances. According to Pestalozzi, however, the individual’s freedom should be restricted as little as possible; only sufficiently to enable governmental justice to ensure the general welfare of the people.
So the state must allow the individual the highest degree of freedom possible while protecting the individual’s freedom from encroachments by other citizens. The clear expression of this social freedom is the independence of the citizen. Pestalozzi's ideal image of a citizen is not of an individual directed by the state like a puppet, but of an independent person, who is able and willing to make his contribution to the satisfaction of his own needs and those of his relatives, but also to the positive shaping of social and public life.
Thus for Pestalozzi social freedom is never an end in itself but is always a means to an end. It involves giving up a certain amount, which is worthwhile to the individual if ‘domestic prosperity’, seen by Pestalozzi as the ‘chief blessing of mankind’, is the outcome.
Freedom, like the State, does not exist for itself but should always contribute to the humane life of the individual. To simply do anything that is not forbidden cannot be considered to be the right of the individual. The demand for freedom means that the legislator leaves the individual as much freedom as possible, not for the individual to fulfil his greed, but to perfect himself as a human being.
To Guarantee Education
The demands for a fair handling of power and for a wise use of social freedom remain wishful thinking if man acts only out of egoism, if the higher nature of the individual is not also developed. Therefore the government has to be educated to the able to govern and the citizens to be able to live in freedom. If this does not happen, law degenerates to the mere letter of the law, a situation which the socially stronger take advantage of in order to prevail over the weaker. The State can at best keep up the appearance of a state, but can never fulfil its inner task, if it does not also attend to the education of humankind. The state must create the social framework necessary to make education possible; the success of which then depends on the moral influence of individuals over others.
The Holder of Power
Thus, in Pestalozzi's opinion the state can only fulfil its duties – the guarantee of safety, the protection of property, the guarantee of free scope for the independence of the citizen, the guarantee of fair satisfaction of needs and education, the provision of corresponding legislation – if it holds power controlled by law.
Another question follows - Who should hold the power? Until shortly before the French Revolution, Pestalozzi believed that the power of government should not be in the hands of the people, but in the hands of outstanding, educated men. (Political codetermination for women was hardly a topic of discussion at that time, at least not within the reach of Pestalozzi). He interpreted the principle of aristocracy literally; the best of people really ought to be found among those at the top. Direct democracy, which allows the answers to many individual questions to be made by the majority, was suspect to him, for he saw that the people were not educated, and in his opinion education was an indispensable condition for codetermination and for the exercise of the power of government in the state. Pestalozzi was a democrat in so far as he demanded over and again that it should be possible for the people to elect their own government. But if someone was elected for government, then he should be able to govern for the welfare of the people as a whole, with power which is controlled by and laid down in law, and which is undisputed. Pestalozzi shows this in ‘Leonard and Gertrude’ through squire Arner, who resolutely puts his reformatory plans into action.
Pestalozzi's belief in an aristocratic form of government was not because he wanted to ensure that the hereditary aristocrats retain their personal privileges; rather, it is connected with the idea that the good comes ‘from above’, from God to man, from father to child, from prince to subject. Pestalozzi's belief in democracy grew in the same measure as he saw the possibility that by means of the right education the good comes ‘from within’, from the mind of every single educated person. Indeed, Pestalozzi had always recognised that the bad can also come ‘from above’ - he recognised the failure of the upper class to fulfil its duties to be the main cause of the ruination of the lower classes and he wrote the second version of ‘Leonard and Gertrude’ (1790/92) with the intention of rousing the princes and reminding them of their obligations. His hope, however, that the aristocrats would muster the strength for an inner renewal and thus be capable of averting the revolution, was disappointed. Because of this he put his faith in revolutionary France, whose national assembly, in 1792, appointed him as the only Swiss ‘French honorary citizen’. But shaken by the horrors of the murders of September 1792, he again mentally turned his back on France. When in 1798 the Swiss Confederation fell, he sided with the innovators and actively supported the reformatory efforts of the new Helvetic government.
His experiences with the French Revolution brought back Pestalozzi’s old reservations about democracy. That he considered democracy to be justified only in conjunction with very constitutive educational efforts has already been mentioned. When he saw the rage of the masses before him he could not see how they could govern themselves. He believed that only the citizens of small, easily surveyed communities, which could easily communicate with each other, were capable of taking on responsibility and choosing the appropriate individuals to govern them. Within a small state the people can develop the political maturity necessary to fulfil this task. In the case of large states, however, Pestalozzi saw the danger that the individual in the uniting mass loses his sense of personal responsibility and becomes easier to manipulate in the hand of clever operators. It follows logically that he saw the power of the large state necessarily being held by the enlightened educated aristocrat, one who is bound to the public interest.
Individual Existence and Collective Existence
The question about the nature of the state always brings up the question about the relation between the individual and the collective. In the social state of being a person is seen as a member of a collective but in the moral state of being a person’s ‘existence as an individual’ is called upon.
In the ‘existence of man as a member of a collective’ Pestalozzi sees firstly a person’s concrete participation in personal collectives (the people, the inhabitants of a village, a club, a public authority); secondly the collective aspect of the individual in the sense of roles (father, wife, taxpayer, nurse, voter); and thirdly a person in the concrete dynamic of a real multitude (the human being), where he runs the risk of losing his personal conscience and of delegating his personal responsibility to the dull will of the active and unscrupulous masses.
Pestalozzi is convinced that in none of these collective existences is the innermost nature of the individual expressed. This can only happen when the ‘existence of man as an individual’ takes effect. Then he is not realised in his social aspects but in his unique individuality and in his spiritual-moral relations to his fellow beings, to the world, to God and to himself.
Collective existence in the social state is a means to the end of achieving individual moral existence; the state is there for humans and not vice versa.
In giving preferential position to individual existence over collective existence, Pestalozzi does not, however, feel that anyone should evade their social and public duties. For, according to Pestalozzi, a person should not lay claim to pure morality nor – accordingly – to the exclusive realisation of his individual existence. A person’s collective existence is a part of his existence that cannot be shaken off. The individual, therefore, must recognise that he will time and again be seen and called upon as a collective being by state and society and must be happy to fulfil duties as a member of the social state. Moreover the person who strives towards morality, can elevate his collective duties to the level of morality. This can be achieved by the ability to realise the meaning of his collective duties and their necessity for the public welfare and by sacrificing personal advantage to a social motivation for the good of others.
With this differentiation between the collective and the individual existence of a human, politics has to decide which fields the State should deal with as part of the collective existence of humans and which it should deal with as a matter of individual existence. According to Pestalozzi the State is not in a position to guarantee equality before the law on the one hand and on the other hand to always consider each being as a unique individual. Thus it has no choice but to look upon a human, for example in the fields of public order, legislation, finance and the army under the collective aspect. However there are other fields which have to be considered to be, and dealt with as, primarily a matter of humankind’s individual existence. Pestalozzi mentions religion and formal and cultural education as well as care for the poor. These are the fields where the perfecting of things and systems is not under discussion, but the care for and the development of humankind is. Here the state cannot act itself, but can only make possible what is desirable: by providing a framework of legislation which supports self-initiative, personal responsibility and the morality of individuals.
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Information maintained by the Legislative Reference Bureau
(725 ILCS 5/) Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963.
725 ILCS 5/113-6
(725 ILCS 5/113-6) (from Ch. 38, par. 113-6)
Sec. 113-6. Effect of failure to arraign and irregularity of arraignment.
Neither a failure to arraign nor an irregularity in the arraignment shall effect the validity of any proceeding in the cause if the defendant pleads to the charge or proceeds to trial without objecting to such failure or irregularity.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 2836.)
(725 ILCS 5/113-8)
Sec. 113-8. Advisement concerning status as an alien. Before the acceptance of a plea of guilty, guilty but mentally ill, or nolo contendere to a misdemeanor or felony offense, the court shall give the following advisement to the defendant in open court:
"If you are not a citizen of the United States, you are hereby advised that conviction of the offense for which you have been charged may have the consequences of deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization under the laws of the United States.".
725 ILCS 5/Art. 114
(725 ILCS 5/Art. 114 heading) ARTICLE 114. PRE-TRIAL MOTIONS
Sec. 114-1. Motion to dismiss charge.
(a) Upon the written motion of the defendant made prior to trial before or after a plea has been entered the court may dismiss the indictment, information or complaint upon any of the following grounds:
(1) The defendant has not been placed on trial in
compliance with Section 103-5 of this Code.
(2) The prosecution of the offense is barred by
Sections 3-3 through 3-8 of the Criminal Code of 2012.
(3) The defendant has received immunity from
prosecution for the offense charged.
(4) The indictment was returned by a Grand Jury which
was improperly selected and which results in substantial injustice to the defendant.
acted contrary to Article 112 of this Code and which results in substantial injustice to the defendant.
(6) The court in which the charge has been filed does
not have jurisdiction.
(7) The county is an improper place of trial.
(8) The charge does not state an offense.
(9) The indictment is based solely upon the testimony
of an incompetent witness.
(10) The defendant is misnamed in the charge and the
misnomer results in substantial injustice to the defendant.
(11) The requirements of Section 109-3.1 have not
been complied with.
(b) The court shall require any motion to dismiss to be filed within a reasonable time after the defendant has been arraigned. Any motion not filed within such time or an extension thereof shall not be considered by the court and the grounds therefor, except as to subsections (a)(6) and (a)(8) of this Section, are waived.
(c) If the motion presents only an issue of law the court shall determine it without the necessity of further pleadings. If the motion alleges facts not of record in the case the State shall file an answer admitting or denying each of the factual allegations of the motion.
(d) When an issue of fact is presented by a motion to dismiss and the answer of the State the court shall conduct a hearing and determine the issues.
(d-5) When a defendant seeks dismissal of the charge upon the ground set forth in subsection (a)(7) of this Section, the defendant shall make a prima facie showing that the county is an improper place of trial. Upon such showing, the State shall have the burden of proving, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the county is the proper place of trial.
(d-6) When a defendant seeks dismissal of the charge upon the grounds set forth in subsection (a)(2) of this Section, the prosecution shall have the burden of proving, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the prosecution of the offense is not barred by Sections 3-3 through 3-8 of the Criminal Code of 2012.
(e) Dismissal of the charge upon the grounds set forth in subsections (a)(4) through (a)(11) of this Section shall not prevent the return of a new indictment or the filing of a new charge, and upon such dismissal the court may order that the defendant be held in custody or, if the defendant had been previously released on bail, that the bail be continued for a specified time pending the return of a new indictment or the filing of a new charge.
(f) If the court determines that the motion to dismiss based upon the grounds set forth in subsections (a)(6) and (a)(7) is well founded it may, instead of dismissal, order the cause transferred to a court of competent jurisdiction or to a proper place of trial.
(Source: P.A. 100-434, eff. 1-1-18.)
Sec. 114-2. Motion for a bill of particulars.
(a) A written motion for a bill of particulars shall be filed before or within a reasonable time after arraignment and shall specify the particulars of the offense necessary to enable the defendant to prepare his defense.
(b) A bill of particulars may be amended at any time before trial subject to such conditions as justice may require.
Sec. 114-3. Motion to discharge jury panel.
(a) Any objection to the manner in which a jury panel has been selected or drawn shall be raised by a motion to discharge the jury panel prior to the voir dire examination. For good cause shown the court may entertain the motion after the voir dire has begun but such motion shall not be heard after a jury has been sworn to hear the cause.
(b) The motion shall be in writing supported by affidavit and shall state facts which show that the jury panel was improperly selected or drawn.
(c) If the motion states facts which show that the jury panel has been improperly selected or drawn it shall be the duty of the court to conduct a hearing. The burden of proving that the jury panel was improperly selected or drawn shall be upon the movant.
(d) If the court finds that the jury panel was improperly selected or drawn the court shall order the jury panel discharged and the selection or drawing of a new panel in the manner provided by law.
Sec. 114-4. Motion for continuance.
(a) The defendant or the State may move for a continuance. If the motion is made more than 30 days after arraignment the court shall require that it be in writing and supported by affidavit.
(b) A written motion for continuance made by defendant more than 30 days after arraignment may be granted when:
(1) Counsel for the defendant is ill, has died, or is
held to trial in another cause; or
(2) Counsel for the defendant has been unable to
prepare for trial because of illness or because he has been held to trial in another cause; or
(3) A material witness is unavailable and the defense
will be prejudiced by the absence of his testimony; however, this shall not be a ground for continuance if the State will stipulate that the testimony of the witness would be as alleged; or
(4) The defendant cannot stand trial because of
physical or mental incompetency; or
(5) Pre-trial publicity concerning the case has
caused a prejudice against defendant on the part of the community; or
(6) The amendment of a charge or a bill of
particulars has taken the defendant by surprise and he cannot fairly defend against such an amendment without a continuance.
(c) A written motion for continuance made by the State more than 30 days after arraignment may be granted when:
(1) The prosecutor assigned to the case is ill, has
died, or is held to trial in another cause; or
(2) A material witness is unavailable and the
prosecution will be prejudiced by the absence of his testimony; however this shall not be a ground for continuance if the defendant will stipulate that the testimony of the witness would be as alleged; or
caused a prejudice against the prosecution on the part of the community.
(d) The court may upon the written motion of either party or upon the court's own motion order a continuance for grounds not stated in subsections (b) and (c) of this Section if he finds that the interests of justice so require.
(e) All motions for continuance are addressed to the discretion of the trial court and shall be considered in the light of the diligence shown on the part of the movant. Where 1 year has expired since the filing of an information or indictments, filed after January 1, 1980, if the court finds that the State has failed to use due diligence in bringing the case to trial, the court may, after a hearing had on the cause, on its own motion, dismiss the information or indictment. Any demand that the defendant had made for a speedy trial under Section 103-5 of this code shall not abate if the State files a new information or the grand jury reindicts in the cause.
After a hearing has been held upon the issue of the State's diligence and the court has found that the State has failed to use due diligence in pursuing the prosecution, the court may not dismiss the indictment or information without granting the State one more court date upon which to proceed. Such date shall be not less than 14 nor more than 30 days from the date of the court's finding. If the State is not prepared to proceed upon that date, the court shall dismiss the indictment or information, as provided in this Section.
(f) After trial has begun a reasonably brief continuance may be granted to either side in the interests of justice.
(g) During the time the General Assembly is in session, the court shall, on motion of either party or on its own motion, grant a continuance where the party or his attorney is a member of either house of the General Assembly whose presence is necessary for the full, fair trial of the cause and, in the case of an attorney, where the attorney was retained by the party before the cause was set for trial.
(h) This Section shall be construed to the end that criminal cases are tried with due diligence consonant with the rights of the defendant and the State to a speedy, fair and impartial trial.
(i) Physical incapacity of a defendant may be grounds for a continuance at any time. If, upon written motion of the defendant or the State or upon the court's own motion, and after presentation of affidavits or evidence, the court determines that the defendant is physically unable to appear in court or to assist in his defense, or that such appearance would endanger his health or result in substantial prejudice, a continuance shall be granted. If such continuance precedes the appearance of counsel for such defendant the court shall simultaneously appoint counsel in the manner prescribed by Section 113-3 of this Act. Such continuance shall suspend the provisions of Section 103-5 of this Act, which periods of time limitation shall commence anew when the court, after presentation of additional affidavits or evidence, has determined that such physical incapacity has been substantially removed.
(j) In actions arising out of building code violations or violations of municipal ordinances caused by the failure of a building or structure to conform to the minimum standards of health and safety, the court shall grant a continuance only upon a written motion by the party seeking the continuance specifying the reason why such continuance should be granted.
(k) In prosecutions for violations of Section 10-1, 10-2, 11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40, 11-1.50, 11-1.60, 12-13, 12-14, 12-14.1, 12-15 or 12-16 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012 involving a victim or witness who is a minor under 18 years of age, the court shall, in ruling on any motion or other request for a delay or continuance of proceedings, consider and give weight to the adverse impact the delay or continuance may have on the well-being of a child or witness.
(l) The court shall consider the age of the victim and the condition of the victim's health when ruling on a motion for a continuance.
(Source: P.A. 96-1551, eff. 7-1-11; 97-1150, eff. 1-25-13.)
Sec. 114-5. Substitution of judge. (a) Within 10 days after a cause involving only one defendant has been placed on the trial call of a judge the defendant may move the court in writing for a substitution of that judge on the ground that such judge is so prejudiced against him that he cannot receive a fair trial. Upon the filing of such a motion the court shall proceed no further in the cause but shall transfer it to another judge not named in the motion. The defendant may name only one judge as prejudiced, pursuant to this subsection; provided, however, that in a case in which the offense charged is a Class X felony or may be punished by death or life imprisonment, the defendant may name two judges as prejudiced.
(b) Within 24 hours after a motion is made for substitution of judge in a cause with multiple defendants each defendant shall have the right to move in accordance with subsection (a) of this Section for a substitution of one judge. The total number of judges named as prejudiced by all defendants shall not exceed the total number of defendants. The first motion for substitution of judge in a cause with multiple defendants shall be made within 10 days after the cause has been placed on the trial call of a judge.
(c) Within 10 days after a cause has been placed on the trial call of a judge the State may move the court in writing for a substitution of that judge on the ground that such judge is prejudiced against the State. Upon the filing of such a motion the court shall proceed no further in the cause but shall transfer it to another judge not named in the motion. The State may name only one judge as prejudiced, pursuant to this subsection.
(d) In addition to the provisions of subsections (a), (b) and (c) of this Section the State or any defendant may move at any time for substitution of judge for cause, supported by affidavit. Upon the filing of such motion a hearing shall be conducted as soon as possible after its filing by a judge not named in the motion; provided, however, that the judge named in the motion need not testify, but may submit an affidavit if the judge wishes. If the motion is allowed, the case shall be assigned to a judge not named in the motion. If the motion is denied the case shall be assigned back to the judge named in the motion.
(Source: P.A. 84-1428.)
Sec. 114-6. Change of place of trial.) (a) A defendant may move the court for a change of place of trial on the ground that there exists in the county in which the charge is pending such prejudice against him on the part of the inhabitants that he cannot receive a fair trial in such county.
(b) The motion shall be in writing and supported by affidavit which shall state facts showing the nature of the prejudice alleged. The State may file counter-affidavits. The court shall conduct a hearing and determine the merits of the motion.
(c) If the court determines that there exists in the county where the prosecution is pending such prejudice against the defendant that he cannot receive a fair trial it shall transfer the cause to the circuit court in any county where a fair trial may be had.
(d) In all cases of change of place of trial the clerk of the court from which the change is granted shall immediately prepare a full transcript of the record and proceedings in the case, and of the petition, affidavits and order for the change of place of trial, and transmit the same, together with all papers filed in the case, including the indictment and recognizances of the defendant and all witnesses, to the proper court. If the change is granted to a part but not all of several defendants, a certified copy of the indictment or information, and of the other papers in the case, shall be transmitted to the court to which the change of place of trial is ordered, and such certified copies shall stand as the originals. Such transcript and papers may be transmitted by mail, or in such other way as the court may direct.
(e) When the applicant is in custody or confined in jail, the court shall enter an order directed to the sheriff or other officer having custody of the applicant, to remove his body to the common jail of the county to which the place of trial is changed, and there deliver him to the keeper of the jail, together with the warrant by virtue of which he is confined or held in custody, not more than 3 days next before the day upon which the trial is to commence in the court; and the sheriff shall obey such order and shall endorse on such warrant of commitment the reason of the change of custody, and shall deliver such warrant, with the body of the prisoner, to the keeper of the jail of the proper county, who shall receive the same and give to the sheriff a receipt therefor, and shall take charge of and keep the prisoner in the same manner as if he had originally been committed to his custody.
(f) When the place of trial is changed in any criminal case, the parties and witnesses, and all others who may have entered recognizances to attend the trial of such cause, having notice of the change of place of trial, must attend at the time and place at which the trial is to be had according to such change, and a failure to do so shall operate as a forfeiture of the recognizance.
(g) When the place of trial is changed the State's attorney shall have all the witnesses on the part of the prosecution recognized to appear at the court to which the change is ordered on the day upon which the trial is to commence.
(h) Upon the termination of any trial, when a change of place of trial has been obtained, the clerk of the court in which the trial is had shall submit a certified statement of all costs, fees, charges, claims and expenses resulting from such change of place of trial and necessarily incurred in connection with or incident to the trial of the case, or any appeal therefrom, or required in executing any and all orders of the court made in the case, but shall not include charges for the use of the courtroom or the facilities thereof, nor shall it include fees or salaries paid to employees of the county in which the trial is held, unless it is made necessary by reason of such trial, and when so certified, the items thereof shall be paid by the county in which such indictment or information was found to the officers and persons entitled thereto. All fines imposed and collected in the county where the trial is had, shall be paid over to the county in which the indictment or information was found.
(Source: P.A. 82-280.)
Sec. 114-7. Joinder of related prosecutions.
The court may order 2 or more charges to be tried together if the offenses and the defendants could have been joined in a single charge. The procedure shall be the same as if the prosecution were under a single charge.
Sec. 114-8. Motion for severance.
(a) If it appears that a defendant or the State is prejudiced by a joinder of related prosecutions or defendants in a single charge or by joinder of separate charges or defendants for trial the court may order separate trials, grant a severance of defendants, or provide any other relief as justice may require.
(b) In the case of a prosecution of multiple defendants for criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, criminal sexual abuse, or aggravated criminal sexual abuse arising out of the same course of conduct, the court, in deciding a motion to sever the charges and try the defendants separately, must consider, subject to constitutional limitations, the impact upon the alleged victim of multiple trials requiring the victim's testimony.
Sec. 114-9. Motion for a list of witnesses.
(a) On motion of the defendant the court shall order the State to furnish the defense with a list of prosecution witnesses and their last known addresses, except the home address of any peace officer witness shall not be required to be so furnished, the address of his assignment station being sufficient for the purposes of this statute.
(b) The court may permit witnesses not named in an original or amended list to testify when the names of the additional witnesses were not known and could not have been obtained by the exercise of due diligence prior to trial.
(c) The requirements of subsection (a) of this Section shall not apply to rebuttal witnesses.
725 ILCS 5/114-10
(725 ILCS 5/114-10) (from Ch. 38, par. 114-10)
Sec. 114-10. Motion to produce confession.
(a) On motion of a defendant in any criminal case made prior to trial the court shall order the State to furnish the defendant with a copy of any written confession made to any law enforcement officer of this State or any other State and a list of the witnesses to its making and acknowledgment. If the defendant has made an oral confession a list of the witnesses to its making shall be furnished.
(b) The list of witnesses may upon notice and motion be amended by the State prior to trial.
(c) No such confession shall be received in evidence which has not been furnished in compliance with subsection (a) of this Section unless the court is satisfied that the prosecutor was unaware of the existence of such confession prior to trial and that he could not have become aware of such in the exercise of due diligence.
Sec. 114-11. Motion to Suppress Confession.
(a) Prior to the trial of any criminal case a defendant may move to suppress as evidence any confession given by him on the ground that it was not voluntary.
(b) The motion shall be in writing and state facts showing wherein the confession is involuntary.
(c) If the allegations of the motion state facts which, if true, show that the confession was not voluntarily made the court shall conduct a hearing into the merits of the motion.
(d) The burden of going forward with the evidence and the burden of proving that a confession was voluntary shall be on the State. Objection to the failure of the State to call all material witnesses on the issue of whether the confession was voluntary must be made in the trial court.
(e) The motion shall be made only before a court with jurisdiction to try the offense.
(f) The issue of the admissibility of the confession shall not be submitted to the jury. The circumstances surrounding the making of the confession may be submitted to the jury as bearing upon the credibility or the weight to be given to the confession.
(g) The motion shall be made before trial unless opportunity therefor did not exist or the defendant was not aware of the grounds for the motion. If the motion is made during trial, and the court determines that the motion is not untimely, and the court conducts a hearing on the merits and enters an order suppressing the confession, the court shall terminate the trial with respect to every defendant who was a party to the hearing and who was within the scope of the order of suppression, without further proceedings, unless the State files a written notice that there will be no interlocutory appeal from such order of suppression. In the event of such termination, the court shall proceed with the trial of other defendants not thus affected. Such termination of trial shall be proper and shall not bar subsequent prosecution of the identical charges and defendants; however, if after such termination the State fails to prosecute the interlocutory appeal until a determination of the merits of the appeal by the reviewing court, the termination shall be improper within the meaning of subparagraph (a) (3) of Section 3-4 of the Criminal Code of 2012 and subsequent prosecution of such defendants upon such charges shall be barred.
(Source: P.A. 97-1150, eff. 1-25-13.)
Sec. 114-12. Motion to Suppress Evidence Illegally Seized.
(a) A defendant aggrieved by an unlawful search and seizure may move the court for the return of property and to suppress as evidence anything so obtained on the ground that:
(1) The search and seizure without a warrant was
illegal; or
(2) The search and seizure with a warrant was illegal
because the warrant is insufficient on its face; the evidence seized is not that described in the warrant; there was not probable cause for the issuance of the warrant; or, the warrant was illegally executed.
(b) The motion shall be in writing and state facts showing wherein the search and seizure were unlawful. The judge shall receive evidence on any issue of fact necessary to determine the motion and the burden of proving that the search and seizure were unlawful shall be on the defendant. If the motion is granted the property shall be restored, unless otherwise subject to lawful detention, and it shall not be admissible in evidence against the movant at any trial.
(1) If a defendant seeks to suppress evidence because
of the conduct of a peace officer in obtaining the evidence, the State may urge that the peace officer's conduct was taken in a reasonable and objective good faith belief that the conduct was proper and that the evidence discovered should not be suppressed if otherwise admissible. The court shall not suppress evidence which is otherwise admissible in a criminal proceeding if the court determines that the evidence was seized by a peace officer who acted in good faith.
(2) "Good faith" means whenever a peace officer
obtains evidence:
(i) pursuant to a search or an arrest warrant
obtained from a neutral and detached judge, which warrant is free from obvious defects other than non-deliberate errors in preparation and contains no material misrepresentation by any agent of the State, and the officer reasonably believed the warrant to be valid; or
(ii) pursuant to a warrantless search incident to
an arrest for violation of a statute or local ordinance which is later declared unconstitutional or otherwise invalidated.
(3) This amendatory Act of 1987 shall not be
construed to limit the enforcement of any appropriate civil remedy or criminal sanction in actions pursuant to other provisions of law against any individual or government entity found to have conducted an unreasonable search or seizure.
(4) This amendatory Act of 1987 does not apply to
unlawful electronic eavesdropping or wiretapping.
(c) The motion shall be made before trial unless opportunity therefor did not exist or the defendant was not aware of the grounds for the motion. If the motion is made during trial, and the court determines that the motion is not untimely, and the court conducts a hearing on the merits and enters an order suppressing the evidence, the court shall terminate the trial with respect to every defendant who was a party to the hearing and who was within the scope of the order of suppression, without further proceedings, unless the State files a written notice that there will be no interlocutory appeal from such order of suppression. In the event of such termination, the court shall proceed with the trial of other defendants not thus affected. Such termination of trial shall be proper and shall not bar subsequent prosecution of the identical charges and defendants; however, if after such termination the State fails to prosecute the interlocutory appeal until a determination of the merits of the appeal by the reviewing court, the termination shall be improper within the meaning of subparagraph (a)(3) of Section 3-4 of the Criminal Code of 2012 and subsequent prosecution of such defendants upon such charges shall be barred.
(d) The motion shall be made only before a court with jurisdiction to try the offense.
(e) The order or judgment granting or denying the motion shall state the findings of facts and conclusions of law upon which the order or judgment is based.
Sec. 114-13. Discovery in criminal cases.
(a) Discovery procedures in criminal cases shall be in accordance with Supreme Court Rules.
(b) Any public investigative, law enforcement, or other public agency responsible for investigating any homicide offense or participating in an investigation of any homicide offense, other than defense investigators, shall provide to the authority prosecuting the offense all investigative material, including but not limited to reports, memoranda, and field notes, that have been generated by or have come into the possession of the investigating agency concerning the homicide offense being investigated. In addition, the investigating agency shall provide to the prosecuting authority any material or information, including but not limited to reports, memoranda, and field notes, within its possession or control that would tend to negate the guilt of the accused of the offense charged or reduce his or her punishment for the homicide offense. Every investigative and law enforcement agency in this State shall adopt policies to ensure compliance with these standards. Any investigative, law enforcement, or other public agency responsible for investigating any "non-homicide felony" offense or participating in an investigation of any "non-homicide felony" offense, other than defense investigators, shall provide to the authority prosecuting the offense all investigative material, including but not limited to reports and memoranda that have been generated by or have come into the possession of the investigating agency concerning the "non-homicide felony" offense being investigated. In addition, the investigating agency shall provide to the prosecuting authority any material or information, including but not limited to reports and memoranda, within its possession or control that would tend to negate the guilt of the accused of the "non-homicide felony" offense charged or reduce his or her punishment for the "non-homicide felony" offense. This obligation to furnish exculpatory evidence exists whether the information was recorded or documented in any form. Every investigative and law enforcement agency in this State shall adopt policies to ensure compliance with these standards.
(Source: P.A. 93-605, eff. 11-19-03.)
725 ILCS 5/114-13.5
(725 ILCS 5/114-13.5)
Sec. 114-13.5. Evidence deposition; elder abuse. In a prosecution for abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation of an eligible adult as defined in the Adult Protective Services Act, the eligible adult may give testimony in the form of an evidence deposition and not be required to appear in court to testify.
(Source: P.A. 98-49, eff. 7-1-13.)
(725 ILCS 5/114-15)
Sec. 114-15. Intellectual disability.
(a) In a first degree murder case in which the State seeks the death penalty as an appropriate sentence, any party may raise the issue of the defendant's intellectual disabilities by motion. A defendant wishing to raise the issue of his or her intellectual disabilities shall provide written notice to the State and the court as soon as the defendant reasonably believes such issue will be raised.
(b) The issue of the defendant's intellectual disabilities shall be determined in a pretrial hearing. The court shall be the fact finder on the issue of the defendant's intellectual disabilities and shall determine the issue by a preponderance of evidence in which the moving party has the burden of proof. The court may appoint an expert in the field of intellectual disabilities. The defendant and the State may offer experts from the field of intellectual disabilities. The court shall determine admissibility of evidence and qualification as an expert.
(c) If after a plea of guilty to first degree murder, or a finding of guilty of first degree murder in a bench trial, or a verdict of guilty for first degree murder in a jury trial, or on a matter remanded from the Supreme Court for sentencing for first degree murder, and the State seeks the death penalty as an appropriate sentence, the defendant may raise the issue of defendant's intellectual disabilities not at eligibility but at aggravation and mitigation. The defendant and the State may offer experts from the field of intellectual disabilities. The court shall determine admissibility of evidence and qualification as an expert.
(d) In determining whether the defendant is a person with an intellectual disability, the intellectual disability must have manifested itself by the age of 18. IQ tests and psychometric tests administered to the defendant must be the kind and type recognized by experts in the field of intellectual disabilities. In order for the defendant to be considered a person with an intellectual disability, a low IQ must be accompanied by significant deficits in adaptive behavior in at least 2 of the following skill areas: communication, self-care, social or interpersonal skills, home living, self-direction, academics, health and safety, use of community resources, and work. An intelligence quotient (IQ) of 75 or below is presumptive evidence of an intellectual disability.
(e) Evidence of an intellectual disability that did not result in disqualifying the case as a capital case, may be introduced as evidence in mitigation during a capital sentencing hearing. A failure of the court to determine that the defendant is a person with an intellectual disability does not preclude the court during trial from allowing evidence relating to mental disability should the court deem it appropriate.
(f) If the court determines at a pretrial hearing or after remand that a capital defendant is a person with an intellectual disability, and the State does not appeal pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 604, the case shall no longer be considered a capital case and the procedural guidelines established for capital cases shall no longer be applicable to the defendant. In that case, the defendant shall be sentenced under the sentencing provisions of Chapter V of the Unified Code of Corrections.
725 ILCS 5/Tit. VI
(725 ILCS 5/Tit. VI heading) TITLE VI. PROCEEDINGS AT TRIAL
(725 ILCS 5/Art. 115 heading) ARTICLE 115. TRIAL
Sec. 115-1. Method of Trial. All prosecutions except on a plea of guilty or guilty but mentally ill shall be tried by the court and a jury unless the defendant waives a jury trial in writing.
725 ILCS 5/115-1.5
(725 ILCS 5/115-1.5)
Sec. 115-1.5. Waiver of counsel by persons under 17 years of age prohibited. A person under 17 years of age may not waive the right to the assistance of counsel in his or her defense in any judicial proceeding. This Section does not apply to a minor charged with an offense for which the penalty is a fine only. Except for violations of Sections 11-401, 11-402, 11-501, and 11-503 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, this Section does not apply to proceedings involving violations of the Illinois Vehicle Code.
Sec. 115-2. Pleas of Guilty and guilty but mentally ill. (a) Before or during trial a plea of guilty may be accepted when:
(1) The defendant enters a plea of guilty in open court;
(2) The court has informed the defendant of the consequences of his plea and of the maximum penalty provided by law which may be imposed upon acceptance of such plea.
Upon acceptance of a plea of guilty the court shall determine the factual basis for the plea.
(b) Before or during trial a plea of guilty but mentally ill may be accepted by the court when:
(1) the defendant has undergone an examination by a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist and has waived his right to trial; and
(2) the judge has examined the psychiatric or psychological report or reports; and
(3) the judge has held a hearing, at which either party may present evidence, on the issue of the defendant's mental health and, at the conclusion of such hearing, is satisfied that there is a factual basis that the defendant was mentally ill at the time of the offense to which the plea is entered.
Sec. 115-3. Trial by the Court.
(a) A trial shall be conducted in the presence of the defendant unless he waives the right to be present.
(b) Upon conclusion of the trial the court shall enter a general finding, except that, when the affirmative defense of insanity has been presented during the trial and acquittal is based solely upon the defense of insanity, the court shall enter a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity. In the event of a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity, a hearing shall be held pursuant to the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code to determine whether the defendant is subject to involuntary admission.
(c) When the defendant has asserted a defense of insanity, the court may find the defendant guilty but mentally ill if, after hearing all of the evidence, the court finds that:
(1) the State has proven beyond a reasonable doubt
that the defendant is guilty of the offense charged; and
(2) the defendant has failed to prove his insanity as
required in subsection (b) of Section 3-2 of the Criminal Code of 2012 and subsections (a), (b) and (e) of Section 6-2 of the Criminal Code of 2012; and
(3) the defendant has proven by a preponderance of
the evidence that he was mentally ill, as defined in subsections (c) and (d) of Section 6-2 of the Criminal Code of 2012 at the time of the offense.
Sec. 115-4. Trial by Court and Jury.)
(a) Questions of law shall be decided by the court and questions of fact by the jury.
(b) The jury shall consist of 12 members.
(c) Upon request the parties shall be furnished with a list of prospective jurors with their addresses if known.
(d) Each party may challenge jurors for cause. If a prospective juror has a physical impairment, the court shall consider such prospective juror's ability to perceive and appreciate the evidence when considering a challenge for cause.
(e) A defendant tried alone shall be allowed 20 peremptory challenges in a capital case, 10 in a case in which the punishment may be imprisonment in the penitentiary, and 5 in all other cases; except that, in a single trial of more than one defendant, each defendant shall be allowed 12 peremptory challenges in a capital case, 6 in a case in which the punishment may be imprisonment in the penitentiary, and 3 in all other cases. If several charges against a defendant or defendants are consolidated for trial, each defendant shall be allowed peremptory challenges upon one charge only, which single charge shall be the charge against that defendant authorizing the greatest maximum penalty. The State shall be allowed the same number of peremptory challenges as all of the defendants.
(f) After examination by the court the jurors may be examined, passed upon, accepted and tendered by opposing counsel as provided by Supreme Court rules.
(g) After the jury is impaneled and sworn the court may direct the selection of 2 alternate jurors who shall take the same oath as the regular jurors. Each party shall have one additional peremptory challenge for each alternate juror. If before the final submission of a cause a member of the jury dies or is discharged he shall be replaced by an alternate juror in the order of selection.
(h) A trial by the court and jury shall be conducted in the presence of the defendant unless he waives the right to be present.
(i) After arguments of counsel the court shall instruct the jury as to the law.
(j) Unless the affirmative defense of insanity has been presented during the trial, the jury shall return a general verdict as to each offense charged. When the affirmative defense of insanity has been presented during the trial, the court shall provide the jury not only with general verdict forms but also with a special verdict form of not guilty by reason of insanity, as to each offense charged, and in such event the court shall separately instruct the jury that a special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity may be returned instead of a general verdict but such special verdict requires a unanimous finding by the jury that the defendant committed the acts charged but at the time of the commission of those acts the defendant was insane. In the event of a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity, a hearing shall be held pursuant to the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code to determine whether the defendant is subject to involuntary admission. When the affirmative defense of insanity has been presented during the trial, the court, where warranted by the evidence, shall also provide the jury with a special verdict form of guilty but mentally ill, as to each offense charged and shall separately instruct the jury that a special verdict of guilty but mentally ill may be returned instead of a general verdict, but that such special verdict requires a unanimous finding by the jury that: (1) the State has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty of the offense charged; and (2) the defendant has failed to prove his insanity as required in subsection (b) of Section 3-2 of the Criminal Code of 2012 and subsections (a), (b) and (e) of Section 6-2 of the Criminal Code of 2012; and (3) the defendant has proven by a preponderance of the evidence that he was mentally ill, as defined in subsections (c) and (d) of Section 6-2 of the Criminal Code of 2012 at the time of the offense.
(k) When, at the close of the State's evidence or at the close of all of the evidence, the evidence is insufficient to support a finding or verdict of guilty the court may and on motion of the defendant shall make a finding or direct the jury to return a verdict of not guilty, enter a judgment of acquittal and discharge the defendant.
(l) When the jury retires to consider its verdict an officer of the court shall be appointed to keep them together and to prevent conversation between the jurors and others; however, if any juror is deaf, the jury may be accompanied by and may communicate with a court-appointed interpreter during its deliberations. Upon agreement between the State and defendant or his counsel the jury may seal and deliver its verdict to the clerk of the court, separate, and then return such verdict in open court at its next session.
(m) In the trial of a capital or other offense, any juror who is a member of a panel or jury which has been impaneled and sworn as a panel or as a jury shall be permitted to separate from other such jurors during every period of adjournment to a later day, until final submission of the cause to the jury for determination, except that no such separation shall be permitted in any trial after the court, upon motion by the defendant or the State or upon its own motion, finds a probability that prejudice to the defendant or to the State will result from such separation.
(n) The members of the jury shall be entitled to take notes during the trial, and the sheriff of the county in which the jury is sitting shall provide them with writing materials for this purpose. Such notes shall remain confidential, and shall be destroyed by the sheriff after the verdict has been returned or a mistrial declared.
(o) A defendant tried by the court and jury shall only be found guilty, guilty but mentally ill, not guilty or not guilty by reason of insanity, upon the unanimous verdict of the jury.
(725 ILCS 5/115-4.1) (from Ch. 38, par. 115-4.1)
Sec. 115-4.1. Absence of defendant.
(a) When a defendant after arrest and an initial court appearance for a non-capital felony or a misdemeanor, fails to appear for trial, at the request of the State and after the State has affirmatively proven through substantial evidence that the defendant is willfully avoiding trial, the court may commence trial in the absence of the defendant. Absence of a defendant as specified in this Section shall not be a bar to indictment of a defendant, return of information against a defendant, or arraignment of a defendant for the charge for which bail has been granted. If a defendant fails to appear at arraignment, the court may enter a plea of "not guilty" on his behalf. If a defendant absents himself before trial on a capital felony, trial may proceed as specified in this Section provided that the State certifies that it will not seek a death sentence following conviction. Trial in the defendant's absence shall be by jury unless the defendant had previously waived trial by jury. The absent defendant must be represented by retained or appointed counsel. The court, at the conclusion of all of the proceedings, may order the clerk of the circuit court to pay counsel such sum as the court deems reasonable, from any bond monies which were posted by the defendant with the clerk, after the clerk has first deducted all court costs. If trial had previously commenced in the presence of the defendant and the defendant willfully absents himself for two successive court days, the court shall proceed to trial. All procedural rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution, Constitution of the State of Illinois, statutes of the State of Illinois, and rules of court shall apply to the proceedings the same as if the defendant were present in court and had not either forfeited his bail bond or escaped from custody. The court may set the case for a trial which may be conducted under this Section despite the failure of the defendant to appear at the hearing at which the trial date is set. When such trial date is set the clerk shall send to the defendant, by certified mail at his last known address indicated on his bond slip, notice of the new date which has been set for trial. Such notification shall be required when the defendant was not personally present in open court at the time when the case was set for trial.
(b) The absence of a defendant from a trial conducted pursuant to this Section does not operate as a bar to concluding the trial, to a judgment of conviction resulting therefrom, or to a final disposition of the trial in favor of the defendant.
(c) Upon a verdict of not guilty, the court shall enter judgment for the defendant. Upon a verdict of guilty, the court shall set a date for the hearing of post-trial motions and shall hear such motion in the absence of the defendant. If post-trial motions are denied, the court shall proceed to conduct a sentencing hearing and to impose a sentence upon the defendant.
(d) A defendant who is absent for part of the proceedings of trial, post-trial motions, or sentencing, does not thereby forfeit his right to be present at all remaining proceedings.
(e) When a defendant who in his absence has been either convicted or sentenced or both convicted and sentenced appears before the court, he must be granted a new trial or new sentencing hearing if the defendant can establish that his failure to appear in court was both without his fault and due to circumstances beyond his control. A hearing with notice to the State's Attorney on the defendant's request for a new trial or a new sentencing hearing must be held before any such request may be granted. At any such hearing both the defendant and the State may present evidence.
(f) If the court grants only the defendant's request for a new sentencing hearing, then a new sentencing hearing shall be held in accordance with the provisions of the Unified Code of Corrections. At any such hearing, both the defendant and the State may offer evidence of the defendant's conduct during his period of absence from the court. The court may impose any sentence authorized by the Unified Code of Corrections and is not in any way limited or restricted by any sentence previously imposed.
(g) A defendant whose motion under paragraph (e) for a new trial or new sentencing hearing has been denied may file a notice of appeal therefrom. Such notice may also include a request for review of the judgment and sentence not vacated by the trial court.
Sec. 115-4.5. Death of defendant. Whenever the prosecuting attorney learns of the death of the defendant prior to the entry of a final and appealable judgment in a criminal case, he or she shall promptly notify the other party and file a certificate of notice of the defendant's death with the circuit court before which the case is pending. Upon filing of the certificate, the court shall enter an order abating the proceedings ab initio.
Sec. 115-5. Business records as evidence.
(a) Any writing or record, whether in the form of an entry in a book or otherwise, made as a memorandum or record of any act, transaction, occurrence, or event, shall be admissible as evidence of such act, transaction, occurrence, or event, if made in regular course of any business, and if it was the regular course of such business to make such memorandum or record at the time of such act, transaction, occurrence, or event or within a reasonable time thereafter.
All other circumstances of the making of such writing or record, including lack of personal knowledge by the entrant or maker, may be shown to affect its weight, but such circumstances shall not affect its admissibility.
The term "business," as used in this Section, includes business, profession, occupation, and calling of every kind.
(b) If any business, institution, member of a profession or calling, or any department or agency of government, in the regular course of business or activity has kept or recorded any memorandum, writing, entry, print, representation or combination thereof, of any act, transaction, occurrence, or event, and in the regular course of business has caused any or all of the same to be recorded, copied, or reproduced by any photographic, photostatic, microfilm, micro-card, miniature photographic, optical imaging, or other process which accurately reproduces or forms a medium for so reproducing the original, the original may be destroyed in the regular course of business unless its preservation is required by law. Such reproduction, when satisfactorily identified, is as admissible in evidence as the original itself in any proceeding whether the original is in existence or not and an enlargement or facsimile of such reproduction is likewise admissible in evidence if the original reproduction is in existence and available for inspection under direction of court. The introduction of a reproduced record, enlargement, or facsimile does not preclude admission of the original. This Section shall not be construed to exclude from evidence any document or copy thereof which is otherwise admissible under the rules of evidence.
(c) No writing or record made in the regular course of any business shall become admissible as evidence by the application of this Section if:
(1) Such writing or record has been made by anyone in
the regular course of any form of hospital or medical business; or
(2) Such writing or record has been made by anyone
during an investigation of an alleged offense or during any investigation relating to pending or anticipated litigation of any kind, except during a hearing to revoke a sentence of probation or conditional discharge or an order of court supervision that is based on a technical violation of a sentencing order when the hearing involves a probationer or defendant who has transferred or moved from the county having jurisdiction over the original charge or sentence. For the purposes of this subsection (c), "technical violation" means a breach of a sentencing order but does not include an allegation of a subsequent criminal act asserted in a formal criminal charge.
(d) Upon request of the moving party and with reasonable notice given to the opposing party, in a criminal prosecution in which the defendant is accused of an offense under Article 16 or 17 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012, the court may, after a hearing, for good cause and upon appropriate safeguards, permit live foundational testimony business records as evidence, subject to cross-examination, in open court by means of a contemporaneous audio and video transmission from outside of this State.
Sec. 115-5.1. In any civil or criminal action the records of the coroner's medical or laboratory examiner summarizing and detailing the performance of his or her official duties in performing medical examinations upon deceased persons or autopsies, or both, and kept in the ordinary course of business of the coroner's office, duly certified by the county coroner or chief supervisory coroner's pathologist or medical examiner, shall be received as competent evidence in any court of this State, to the extent permitted by this Section. These reports, specifically including but not limited to the pathologist's protocol, autopsy reports and toxicological reports, shall be public documents and thereby may be admissible as prima facie evidence of the facts, findings, opinions, diagnoses and conditions stated therein.
A duly certified coroner's protocol or autopsy report, or both, complying with the requirements of this Section may be duly admitted into evidence as an exception to the hearsay rule as prima facie proof of the cause of death of the person to whom it relates. The records referred to in this Section shall be limited to the records of the results of post-mortem examinations of the findings of autopsy and toxicological laboratory examinations.
Persons who prepare reports or records offered in evidence hereunder may be subpoenaed as witnesses in civil or criminal cases upon the request of either party to the cause. However, if such person is dead, the county coroner or a duly authorized official of the coroner's office may testify to the fact that the examining pathologist, toxicologist or other medical or laboratory examiner is deceased and that the offered report or record was prepared by such deceased person. The witness must further attest that the medical report or record was prepared in the ordinary and usual course of the deceased person's duty or employment in conformity with the provisions of this Section.
Sec. 115-6. Appointment of Psychiatrist or Clinical Psychologist. If the defendant has given notice that he may rely upon the defense of insanity as defined in Section 6-2 of the Criminal Code of 2012 or the defendant indicates that he intends to plead guilty but mentally ill or the defense of intoxicated or drugged condition as defined in Section 6-3 of the Criminal Code of 2012 or if the facts and circumstances of the case justify a reasonable belief that the aforesaid defenses may be raised, the Court shall, on motion of the State, order the defendant to submit to examination by at least one clinical psychologist or psychiatrist, to be named by the prosecuting attorney. The Court shall also order the defendant to submit to an examination by one neurologist, one clinical psychologist and one electroencephalographer to be named by the prosecuting attorney if the State asks for one or more of such additional examinations. The Court may order additional examinations if the Court finds that additional examinations by additional experts will be of substantial value in the determination of issues of insanity or drugged conditions. The reports of such experts shall be made available to the defense. Any statements made by defendant to such experts shall not be admissible against the defendant unless he raises the defense of insanity or the defense of drugged condition, in which case they shall be admissible only on the issue of whether he was insane or drugged. The refusal of the defendant to cooperate in such examinations shall not automatically preclude the raising of the aforesaid defenses but shall preclude the defendant from offering expert evidence or testimony tending to support such defenses if the expert evidence or testimony is based upon the expert's examination of the defendant. If the Court, after a hearing, determines to its satisfaction that the defendant's refusal to cooperate was unreasonable it may, in its sound discretion, bar any or all evidence upon the defense asserted.
Sec. 115-6.1. Prostitution; affirmative defense.
(a) In prosecutions for prostitution, when the accused intends to raise at trial the affirmative defense provided in subsection (c-5) of Section 11-14 of the Criminal Code of 2012 and has reason to believe that the evidence presented in asserting that defense may jeopardize the safety of the accused, courtroom personnel, or others impacted by human trafficking, the accused may file under seal a motion for an in camera hearing to review the accused's safety concerns. Upon receipt of the motion and notice to the parties, the court shall conduct an in camera hearing, with counsel present, limited to review of potential safety concerns. The court shall cause an official record of the in camera hearing to be made, which shall be kept under seal. The court shall not consider the merits of the affirmative defense during the in camera review.
(b) If the court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the assertion of an affirmative defense under subsection (c-5) of Section 11-14 of the Criminal Code of 2012 by the accused in open court would likely jeopardize the safety of the accused, court personnel, or other persons, the court may clear the courtroom with the agreement of the accused, order additional in camera hearings, seal the records, prohibit court personnel from disclosing the proceedings without prior court approval, or take any other appropriate measure that in the court's discretion will enhance the safety of the proceedings and ensure the accused a full and fair opportunity to assert his or her affirmative defense.
(c) Statements made by the accused during the in camera hearing to review safety concerns shall not be admissible against the accused for the crimes charged.
Sec. 115-7. a. In prosecutions for predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, criminal sexual abuse, or criminal transmission of HIV; and in prosecutions for battery and aggravated battery, when the commission of the offense involves sexual penetration or sexual conduct as defined in Section 11-0.1 of the Criminal Code of 2012; and with the trial or retrial of the offenses formerly known as rape, deviate sexual assault, indecent liberties with a child, and aggravated indecent liberties with a child, the prior sexual activity or the reputation of the alleged victim or corroborating witness under Section 115-7.3 of this Code is inadmissible except (1) as evidence concerning the past sexual conduct of the alleged victim or corroborating witness under Section 115-7.3 of this Code with the accused when this evidence is offered by the accused upon the issue of whether the alleged victim or corroborating witness under Section 115-7.3 of this Code consented to the sexual conduct with respect to which the offense is alleged; or (2) when constitutionally required to be admitted.
b. No evidence admissible under this Section shall be introduced unless ruled admissible by the trial judge after an offer of proof has been made at a hearing to be held in camera in order to determine whether the defense has evidence to impeach the witness in the event that prior sexual activity with the defendant is denied. Such offer of proof shall include reasonably specific information as to the date, time and place of the past sexual conduct between the alleged victim or corroborating witness under Section 115-7.3 of this Code and the defendant. Unless the court finds that reasonably specific information as to date, time or place, or some combination thereof, has been offered as to prior sexual activity with the defendant, counsel for the defendant shall be ordered to refrain from inquiring into prior sexual activity between the alleged victim or corroborating witness under Section 115-7.3 of this Code and the defendant. The court shall not admit evidence under this Section unless it determines at the hearing that the evidence is relevant and the probative value of the evidence outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice. The evidence shall be admissible at trial to the extent an order made by the court specifies the evidence that may be admitted and areas with respect to which the alleged victim or corroborating witness under Section 115-7.3 of this Code may be examined or cross examined.
Sec. 115-7.1. Court may not order mental examination of sex victim. Except where explicitly authorized by this Code or by the Rules of the Supreme Court of Illinois, no court may require or order a witness who is the victim of an alleged sex offense to submit to or undergo either a psychiatric or psychological examination.
Sec. 115-7.2. In a prosecution for an illegal sexual act perpetrated upon a victim, including but not limited to prosecutions for violations of Sections 11-1.20 through 11-1.60 or 12-13 through 12-16 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012, or ritualized abuse of a child under Section 12-33 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012, testimony by an expert, qualified by the court relating to any recognized and accepted form of post-traumatic stress syndrome shall be admissible as evidence.
Sec. 115-7.3. Evidence in certain cases.
(a) This Section applies to criminal cases in which:
(1) the defendant is accused of predatory criminal
sexual assault of a child, aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, criminal sexual abuse, child pornography, aggravated child pornography, criminal transmission of HIV, or child abduction as defined in paragraph (10) of subsection (b) of Section 10-5 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012;
(2) the defendant is accused of battery, aggravated
battery, first degree murder, or second degree murder when the commission of the offense involves sexual penetration or sexual conduct as defined in Section 11-0.1 of the Criminal Code of 2012; or
(3) the defendant is tried or retried for any of the
offenses formerly known as rape, deviate sexual assault, indecent liberties with a child, or aggravated indecent liberties with a child.
(b) If the defendant is accused of an offense set forth in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a) or the defendant is tried or retried for any of the offenses set forth in paragraph (3) of subsection (a), evidence of the defendant's commission of another offense or offenses set forth in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of subsection (a), or evidence to rebut that proof or an inference from that proof, may be admissible (if that evidence is otherwise admissible under the rules of evidence) and may be considered for its bearing on any matter to which it is relevant.
(c) In weighing the probative value of the evidence against undue prejudice to the defendant, the court may consider:
(1) the proximity in time to the charged or predicate
offense;
(2) the degree of factual similarity to the charged
or predicate offense; or
(3) other relevant facts and circumstances.
(d) In a criminal case in which the prosecution intends to offer evidence under this Section, it must disclose the evidence, including statements of witnesses or a summary of the substance of any testimony, at a reasonable time in advance of trial, or during trial if the court excuses pretrial notice on good cause shown.
(e) In a criminal case in which evidence is offered under this Section, proof may be made by specific instances of conduct, testimony as to reputation, or testimony in the form of an expert opinion, except that the prosecution may offer reputation testimony only after the opposing party has offered that testimony.
(f) In prosecutions for a violation of Section 10-2, 11-1.20, 11-1.30, 11-1.40, 11-1.50, 11-1.60, 12-3.05, 12-4, 12-13, 12-14, 12-14.1, 12-15, 12-16, or 18-5 of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012, involving the involuntary delivery of a controlled substance to a victim, no inference may be made about the fact that a victim did not consent to a test for the presence of controlled substances.
(Source: P.A. 97-1109, eff. 1-1-13; 97-1150, eff. 1-25-13; 98-160, eff. 1-1-14.)
Sec. 115-7.4. Evidence in domestic violence cases.
(a) In a criminal prosecution in which the defendant is accused of an offense of domestic violence as defined in paragraphs (1) and (3) of Section 103 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, or first degree murder or second degree murder when the commission of the offense involves domestic violence, evidence of the defendant's commission of another offense or offenses of domestic violence is admissible, and may be considered for its bearing on any matter to which it is relevant.
(b) In weighing the probative value of the evidence against undue prejudice to the defendant, the court may consider:
(c) In a criminal case in which the prosecution intends to offer evidence under this Section, it must disclose the evidence, including statements of witnesses or a summary of the substance of any testimony, at a reasonable time in advance of trial, or during trial if the court excuses pretrial notice on good cause shown.
(d) In a criminal case in which evidence is offered under this Section, proof may be made by specific instances of conduct, testimony as to reputation, or testimony in the form of an expert opinion, except that the prosecution may offer reputation testimony only after the opposing party has offered that testimony.
Sec. 115-8. A defendant may waive his right to be present during trial. However, upon motion of the State's Attorney made prior to or during trial, the court shall order the defendant to present himself in open court for the purpose of identification.
Sec. 115-9. (a) In a prosecution for theft, retail theft, deceptive practice, robbery, armed robbery, burglary or residential burglary, the court shall receive as competent evidence, a photograph of property over which the accused is alleged to have exerted unauthorized control or to have otherwise obtained unlawfully, if the photograph:
(1) will serve the purpose of demonstrating the nature of the property; and
(2) is otherwise admissible into evidence under all other rules of law governing the admissibility of photographs into evidence. The fact that it is impractical to introduce into evidence the actual property for any reason, including its size, weight, or unavailability, need not be established for the court to find a photograph of that property to be competent evidence. If a photograph is found to be competent evidence under this subsection, it is admissible into evidence in place of the property and to the same extent as the property itself.
(b) A law enforcement agency that is holding as evidence property over which a person is alleged to have exerted unauthorized control or to have otherwise obtained unlawfully, shall return that property to its owner if:
(1) the property has been photographed in a manner that will serve the purpose of demonstrating the nature of the property, and if these photographs are filed with or retained by the law enforcement agency in place of the property;
(2) receipt for the property is obtained from the owner upon delivery by the law enforcement agency;
(3) the prosecuting attorney who is prosecuting a case that involves the property furnishes the law enforcement agency with a written request for return of the property to its owner; and
(4) the property may be lawfully possessed by the owner.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b) of this Section a court may, if a motion so requesting is filed by defendant before expiration of the time period specified in subsection (d) of this Section, order the law enforcement agency to hold such property as evidence pending completion of trial.
(d) The time period during which the defendant may file a motion with the court for retention of the property as evidence shall be as follows:
(1) if the property was being displayed, held, stored or offered for sale to the public by a person or entity holding a Retailers Occupation Tax Number issued by the State of Illinois, the time period shall expire 14 days after the arrest of the defendant;
(2) for all other property, the time period shall expire 30 days after the filing of an information or indictment, or in the case of misdemeanor charges within 30 days after the filing of a complaint.
Sec. 115-9.2. Currency used in undercover investigation.
(a) In a prosecution in which United States currency was used by a law enforcement officer or agency or by a person acting under the direction of a law enforcement officer or agency in an undercover investigation of an offense that has imprisonment as an available sentence for a violation of the offense, the court shall receive, as competent evidence, a photograph, photostatic copy, or photocopy of the currency used in the undercover investigation, if:
(1) the photograph, photostatic copy, or photocopy
will serve the purpose of demonstrating the nature of the currency;
(2) the individual serial numbers of the currency are
clearly visible or if the amount of currency exceeds $500 the individual serial numbers of a sample of 10% of the currency are clearly visible, and any identification marks placed on the currency by law enforcement as part of the investigation are clearly visible;
complies with federal law, rule, or regulation requirements on photographs, photostatic copies, or photocopies of United States currency; and
(4) the photograph, photostatic copy, or photocopy is
otherwise admissible into evidence under all other rules of law governing the admissibility of photographs, photostatic copies, or photocopies into evidence.
(b) The fact that it is impractical to introduce into evidence the actual currency for any reason, including its size, weight, or unavailability, need not be established for the court to find a photograph, photostatic copy, or photocopy of that currency to be competent evidence.
(c) If a photograph, photostatic copy, or photocopy is found to be competent evidence under this Section, it is admissible into evidence in place of the currency and to the same extent as the currency itself.
(Source: P.A. 99-685, eff. 1-1-17; 100-201, eff. 8-18-17.) |
Vendor Interview December 2005
W9XE/Project777
Jonathan Richardson of Project Magenta
MyCockpit has decided to do an interview in a unique and unusual manner. Rather then throwing out a bunch of questions to the interviewee at one time, we'll do one at a time. Perhaps one every few days, and maybe by surprise some daily. We want to go a step further and give you, the readers an opportunity to participate. You have the opportunity to send you're question to mailto:vendor@mycockpit.org Depending on the quantity/quality of the questions, yours may be used. We'll continue this for up to 30 days. Then we’ll seek another vendor and start over.
MyCockpit: Jonathan, I've watched you're progress at http://www.projectmagenta.com for the last several years. You're work has been impressive. We've watched a change from not only as a Software developer but now, building cockpits. This is a flight-sim builders dream, getting paid for doing something he loves to do.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of you and Project Magenta, let's find about Jonathan Richardson as a person. Would you tell us a little about your background and how you got involved with Project Magenta?
Jonathan: My family are entwined in aviation, and as such I grew up with aeroplanes and the types that fly them. I was fortunate in this regard, and fell quite naturally into flying, in fact I could fly before I could drive. My interest in flight simulators came from a slightly different shelf. I visited a 737-200 simulator at Heathrow Airport in 1982. I was much less interested in the flying on that brief visit but more the psychological illusion the simulator managed to create, it felt so real yet you knew it wasn't. That fascinated me. I started to look into the history of simulators and how they worked. That was the first hook which sparked a long term interest. My professional career path took me into the film & television industry, in which I spent 18yrs. Working in special effects units, moving up the ladder from tea boy to things as diverse as computer animation/editing and directing. Much of what I learnt in that time is directly drawn on with the work I now do at Project Magenta. There are many cross overs. When I first discovered PM it was not even PM at that stage. I came across an early version of the PFD whilst surfing the net. That was my second hook. After that, I replied to a request for help, and it all grew from there.
MyCockpit: That’s very interesting. It amazes me how so many stories, of how we got into flight simulation, are somewhat similar; although yours is unique with your experiences as a young pilot. Would you share with us, what aircraft(s) you've piloted, and perhaps an interesting pilot story of yours?
Jonathan: Aircraft types I have flown are mainly piston engine aircraft and a lot of full motion sim time on heavy transports . My own aircraft which is a group share is a Piper Archer II 181. Other types are the, Aztec, Grumman, Aerostar, Seneca, Tomahawk, Dove amongst others.
A pilot story, if you mean a kind of "incident" I have only thankfully had one in a light aircraft. Myself and an instructor who was monitoring me for a check ride had just flown in from Fairoaks Airport (EGTF) to Shoreham Airport (EGKA) on the south coast of England. The weather was quite bad and there was no need for fog goggles to simulate IMC conditions. The outbound trip was uneventful. We did a normal NDB let down and landed at Shoreham with a cloud base of about 1000ft, drizzle and a 15 to 18kt headwind. Knowing that the weather was only going to get worse, we had a brief cup of tea at the club house and we started our return before the conditions worsened to a point were it was unsafe to fly. Everything was normal with the aircraft prior to take-off, power checks showed no indication of engine problems, and our own briefing was that soon after take-off we would be in IMC almost immediatly. Just as the aircraft rotated the engine started to run rough which caused (much to my surprise) the whole airframe to shake quite violently, at first there was a brief moment of not knowing what was actually going on, I remember thinking perhaps we had picked up ice and the wings were trying to stall or something but the aircraft was going up. The departure was out over the sea, had it been in the other direction direction we would have been flying towards high ground and our options would have been more limited. I took the power off a little, and momentarily the engine seemed to recover, but then it started to run rough with accompanied vibration a second or two later. As there were only a few seconds left before we would enter the cloud base a decision had to be made to continue the climb and see what was going on at a higher altitude, or return to the airfield and keep low over the sea. Flying into instrument conditions with a faulty engine is not a good idea, if it failed or was failing then the instruments would quickly become unreliable and with a low cloud base it would have been extremely difficult to make an effective emergency landing. I levelled the aeroplane to maintain about 400ft whilst my Instructor made a Mayday call to the tower indicating we had an engine problem. They cleared other traffic and gave us a priority. We suspected one of the Magnetos was failing causing the rough running and vibration, but there is no way on a Warrior to determine which mag is faulty, without risking the selection of the faulty mag as you turn the key through the mags and possibly creating an even worse situation. We had a 15kt/18kt head wind for the take off and the runway was wet, it was reasonably long but even so it was going to be marginal to land with a tail wind on a wet runway and as I put the aircraft into a turn back towards the field we were high. To do a full procedure let down for the NDB approach would have meant going into cloud and positioning for that let down which would take us over high ground rather than flat sea. I was still the handling pilot and I recall my instructor asking me what my intensions were. I think I said something like, "to get down on the ground" - (I'll let you fill in the blanks). We decided to do a 180 and land downwind. With the power off for the descent we were high, and we used full flap and tried to lose height side slipping. This just brought us down a little long from the threshold, the tail wind certainly made a big difference, but we were able to stop in time. It is difficult to say what I learnt from it, perhaps just that it is not necessarily the actual thing causing the problem that is going to cause you great harm, but more your actions thereafter in dealing with it. The aircraft went into the hanger and I returned home on British Rail !
MyCockpit: That certainly put a knot in my stomach, you can hardly just pull over, open the hood and see what the problem is. Thank you for sharing that hair raising experience.
Back to simming; prior to your current Project Magenta cockpit building project, were there any cockpit projects you worked on? If so what were they and what type of equipment did you build, such as making original parts or fabricated parts work. Builders I talk to, always like tell me stories of their determination to make things work, even though there were obstacles and frustrations. In the end, they're proud of their accomplishments. If you have such a story would you share it with us?
Jonathan: I have built a few simulators now. But this dates back quite some time and the end results of the early ones were shall we say a learning curve. I made a half cockpit 747-400, all the I/O was done via torn apart keyboards and using their encoders (until I discovered you could by encoders for just this purpose) all switches were thus momentary. Panels were backlit, I made the light plates myself, using translucent white plastic plates, different widths of model makers masking tape and letterset. Spraying them Boeing brown, pealing away the tape leaving the clear lines and then using sticky tape to gradually remove the letterset thus leaving behind the clear texts that light could pass through. It took forever, had a high failure rate, but in the end I completed all the 747 light plates including the overhead. A lot of eye candy and not much functionality. I then made my first attempt at a 737, which I soon shelved, as I was not happy with my approach six months into it. I started again from scratch, this time using the very first (I think) A320Project (at that time) 737 light plates. That sim was based in London/UK, it served me well for about four years, all the time being upgraded, it was once featured in "Pilot" magazine and we actually had several UK based airlines visit it. It was made entirely out of wood, with a wooden shell, very thin marine ply skin, and the I/O side of things had moved on a bit, and after some major revisions it was reasonably functional. Then there wad a small GA trainer semi enclosed, a great deal of fun to fly and very useful for instrument practice. That just about takes me to the present time when I started planning about two years ago the current much higher fidelity simulator. The process of making a simulator and all we learn from doing it is creative, I think anything creative is going to present problems and challenges that have to be overcome. I guess I do like that part of it, I suspect that is why most people get into doing this stuff apart from the satisfaction of flying your simulator at the end of the day. I especially like it when through this process we get fresh ideas and the whole software side dove tails with the hardware side of things. The benefits are sometimes difficult to see, especially when you are in the thick of it but when they do appear it is incredibly rewarding.
MyCockpit: You’re building experience has such a familiar ring as I am sure my fellow builders will agree. I’d like to go back, regarding when you started with Project Magenta (PM). You mentioned your introduction with Project Magenta was in responce to a request for some help. Obviously it has evolved, could you tell us about your first official project and some of it’s challenges?
Jonathan: It is difficult to name anything specific. Apart from starting to help with the support side of things which was mainly Katy's area, my input started with helping on the logics of the MCP (747 and then 737) and flying side of things. Then a big task was re-inventing all the front face graphics of the software. That was perhaps one of the biggest challenges to begin with, I think that was six or seven years ago now but is still a smaller but on-going area. This required becoming competent with Photoshop and various tools which were new to me, and then actually coming up with a style for the graphics. Enrico and I discussed it at length. What we wanted was a clean professional look, after a few concept styles I set to work in that area. It was actually quite a big job and could not be done in one hit but over a few months, it was not only about drafting images, there is a lot to comprehend with what the programming side requires at the end of the day as well. It was enjoyable work, and I was pulling on skills that I had not used in a while at that time and of course the more you work in this area you learn the tricks to make things look better and you also work faster. Then of course we took this further with programs such as the GAIFR and Enrico developed new ways of handling the graphics side so we could produce truly amazing high resolution images - in fact I had to get a new PC to cope with the size of memory the GAIFR development images required, of course this is not apparent in the software itself as we conform everything to have minimal load on your graphics card, only when making the graphics which have many hundreds of open layers in them. This was just one area of growing tasks that I got involved with. This type of work also spread into the website, you may have noticed at one point we changed the logo and general look. Plus documentation, (we just finished a completely new set of docs) these will be released soon to help new users and hopefully the old hands as well. I also did a few videos to help people get a feel for what can be achieved with the software - with a little imagination.
MyCockpit: Jonathan you’ve been intricately involved with different projects, would tell us which one(s) you consider to be the most challenging and rewarding.
Jonathan: I think one of the most challenging was probably the development of the current 737 simulator. The reason is mainly because we are aiming at a device that shows the software and everything we as Project Magenta can represent in a type specific aircraft. I have tried to leave no stone unturned in this venture. A lot of hardware had to be developed from scratch, and certainly this was not only down to me but incredibly talented people we are lucky enough to be surrounded by. Areas we had not envisaged cropped up like directly driving I/O hardware via pmsystems. Lots of things have fed back into the main software because of this work. To be honest one of my own most personal challenging parts of this was the final lifting and placing of the collimated display system. Unfortunately the place we work in is not like a simulator bay where they have hoists and height / room enough for cranes and lifting equipment. We had to improvise with a structure to lift the glass mirrors into position. This sounds possibly like it should not be rocket science, but it actually turned into a big challenge, because the structure has not only to lift the displays (they are incredibly heavy) it has also to move them exactly into place over the nose section within a few millimetres. The whole process involved making sure we had the loads correct on the beams (you are limited because the nose gets in the way of where you would just love to place extra supports) and as such we were right on the limits of what we could do. I asked a structural engineer to check the loads. At one stage during the lifting process the steel cross beams were bending so much I was convinced they would fracture and if they had, well, the simulator would have been quite literally squashed. The images the displays produce are fantastically good having originally come from an old full motion simulator.
MyCockpit: You’ve had the opportunity to travel and see and fly many Cockpit Projects. Would you share some of your experiences and impressions, particularly when you see your work in action?
Jonathan: Recently I was presented with a real 757 nose section for a feature film in which PM software was going to be used. Whilst I initially went to the studios to supervise the software installation, I ended up getting a very old 757 working again (mostly eye candy) but it was certainly a messy business as anyone who deals with old aeroplanes can testify to. I expect you will see the film next year - I'm afraid I can't expand on it any more than that re the film itself. But seeing the end result of the work and the software, with two real 757 pilots flying it was a thrill. In a more professional environment, when confronted by real training captains and training organisation, it really does simply become a work thing. Of course, there have been times when I have been invited to see some cockpits builders work - that is often a time when you can just relax and get the pure enjoyment from it all.
MyCockpit: Now that you are so deeply enrooted in Flight-Sim Building and cater to the quite a bit to us amateurs; what is your impression of how the Amateur Flight-Sim Building community will evolve?
Jonathan: I think and hope that cockpit building will continue to grow and just continue to get more impressive. Technology will and has already moved forward so much in such a short time, and hopefully vendors will come with products that offer choices between the less plug and play solutions for the die hards who love to get into the thick of wiring up every switch and light to the more plug and play solutions where you might have a series of overhead panels (for example) that arrive ready to go. I think only the market will dictate these things, if it grows then companies will be able to offer products at a reasonable cost, if it remains small then such offerings will be difficult to produce for budget projects. I have a feeling though it will simply grow and more and more (as we have already seen) will become available and perhaps more different types of people will be less intimidated by the technical side of it all. We receive so many e-mails of this nature, people who are very interested but quite concerned about that side of things. Sometimes it is less about hardware and more about software, but it can be both or vice versa. As I say, I hope more choice comes and as such more people can get involved.
MyCockpit: Jonathan, it’s been a wonderful experience, having the opportunity to interview you. I have so many more questions, perhaps leave those for another time. In behalf of my fellow flight-sim builders I want to thank you for participation. Are there any last comment you’d like to make?
Jonathan: It has been my first interview when I think about it! I was never asked before and as such it has also been a pleasure. From my point of view, most of this started from dreaming about what was almost the impossible - building a full flight simulator, and now so many different people from all corners of the world have shown that it is possible and gained so much enjoyment from the process. I hope the community continues to grow, and the people involved share their own experiences which help others to step into this area, that I think has been the key in the past and I think is the key to the future.
Finally, seasons greetings to everyone and a Happy 2006.....
Jonathan Richardson
mailto:jonathan@projectmagenta.com
waynegretzky
lab2393
roydeforrest
ct5jj9
cazipal
vibsy
BTSeven7
WMOEmile2
mrreisdo |
Wesley Family Hymnwriting Workshop
Susanna : ......so, that's not bad, John. I always say you can't go far wrong, translating the works of Martin Luther into English. Obviously, there's only so much of yourself you can put into it. It's not all you, is it? Still, technically correct and theologically sound. Whereas Charles... Charles, how are you getting on?
Charles : Well, Mother, I've been working on "Come, and let us Sweetly Serve", but I've got a bit of writer's block here, I reckon...
Susanna: : OK, Charles. Well, obviously, it can be hard to start on a hymn. Sometimes getting it out of the blocks can be quite tricky. Where are you? Verse one? Two?
Charles: Verse seventeen.
John : Seventeen? What - verse seventeen? Not word seventeen or line seventeen?
Charles : Yes, It's a real nuisance. I really got into it, and then just as I thought I was really hitting my stride - it's come to a complete halt. It's a real train wreck. Whatever a train wreck is going to be.
Susanna : Come on, Charles. Read it out....
Charles : OK - here it goes. It's line four I have the problem with.....
Let us join, (’tis God commands)
Let us join our hearts and hands
Help to gain our calling’s hope,
Build we.... something something something....
Susanna : Mmm. You know, before we get to line four.... obviously, the whole thing's great and everything, but.... just a little thought. Obviously you've crow-barred the second half of the first line in to get a rhyme. But you've rhymed "commands" with "hands".
Charles : Yes?
Susanna : Well, it works round here, obviously. But think, Charles. We spent a lot of money to get you to Christ Church, and we don't expect you to come back speaking like a coal miner. Did you notice anyone at Oxford rhyming "commands" and "hands"?
Charles : Maybe some of the northern students.
John : Which ones, exactly? They were all from MGS, and just as posh as us.
Charles : Well. Maybe not. But the Yanks will think it's fine.
John : The thing is, Chazza....
Susanna : Don't call him Chazza. Did we raise you to call your brother Chazza?
John : No. Sorry, Charles.
Charles : No worries, Jonners. It's cool.
John : Anyway, the thing is - this is the seventeenth verse of what looks set fair to be a thirty-two verse hymn. No chorus, no bridge, no middle-eight. Just thirty-two verses in a strict 7-7-7-7 metre.
Charles : Yep. So far, so normal.
John : Well, I reckon nobody's going to care what the rhyme is. Frankly, you'll be lucky if they've not all completely zoned out by verse twelve. You could rhyme "Archangel Gabriel" with "spanner" by verse seventeen. Let's assume "hands" and "commands" will pass muster.
Charles : Sounds reasonable.
John : In which case, frankly, you might as well finish it:
Build we each the other up.
Charles : It doesn't rhyme,. does it?
John : My hypothesis being that it really doesn't matter by now.
Charles : And in order to make it fit and scan, you appear to have invented your own form of word-order. "Build we each the other up"? Who do you think I'm writing this for? Yoda?
Susanna : Who?
Charles : An old friend from Oxford, mother.
Susanna : Well, I think it sounds rather lovely. You should thank your brother for helping you finish your verse.
Charles : Thanks, Jonners.
John : No worries, bruv.
Susanna : Now, Charles, about this carol you've been writing. What on earth is a "welkin"?
A Brief and Illogical Philosophical Diversion
I was thinking about the silly "you can't disprove an invisible unicorn" argument today. I must admit I've never had the slightest urge to disprove invisible unicorns. Not least because it strikes me that they would probably be rather charming creatures.
But when you think about it, there's all sorts of non-existent creatures that we can't prove don't exist. Giant invisible winged toads, stripy stealth badgers with radar deflection, Martian invisible rock hobbits and the Nestene Consciousness, to name but - hypothetically - trillions. And we're still unable to disprove the existence of tribbles, though we think we're so clever.
In fact, by definition the imaginary things we can't disprove vastly outnumber the things we can - as for everything that we know exists we can hypothesise invisible versions - included giant, pygmy and green spotted versions.
And so, it seems to me, the universe may teem with invisible imaginary creatures - one or more of which may be looking over my shoulder as I write. Maybe they're the source of all the extra mass we can't find in the universe.
Is it me or does it feel a bit crowded in here? I'd have a cup of tea to calm myself down, but I seem to have left my invisible cup in orbit again
More Exciting Prayer Coming Right Up
A certain buzz around the breakfast table this morning. I don't know who worked out the rota, but the group leading the prayers tomorrow morning is the "Wednesday Coffee and Biscuit Hour". A group dedicated to finding out the ins and outs of everybody else's business.
So judging by the discussion this morning there should be some really juicy items of prayer for tomorrow. A number of prayers for conditions whose sufferers will be really grateful are out in the open. They will be relieved they don't need to keep those secrets any more. Especially Dora. Who'd have thought it? I shall be more careful during the Hug of Peace in future.
When the Embodiment of Evil Depends on your Perspective
We're deluding ourselves when we look at a pond or lake.
We look at that still water - perhaps shimmering on a hot summer's day - and think peace, perfect peace.
But under the surface it's a teeming world of life and death struggles. Could you tune your ears to the right frequency all you would hear, in the immortal words of Norman Clegg, would be the same of small creatures munching on small creatures.
In April, tadpoles are small, delicate and vulnerable. To a tadpole, the dragonfly nymph is a vicious, munching monster - a miniature incarnation of all of Dr Who's worst nightmares. To a baby tad, a baby dragonfly is evil incarnate.
By late June, the tales are turning. The remaining tads have been munching on algae, duckweed and other tadpoles. They are now beautifully tuned killing machines. The dragonfly larvae, on the other hand, ain't changed much. The predator is now the prey. The odds are about even, but increasingly weighted towards the tad
By the following summer, the change is complete. The tadpole is now a beautiful, green and brown, perfectly formed one ounce frog. The dragonfly has changed to its adult form - if things have so worked out, it may have mated, passing on the genes that got it past that under-pond apocalypse. But now it's a battered, bruised, failing flying machine - its wings wrecked by weather and exertion. When it comes across its old adversary, it's simply lunch.
Sometimes, the embodiment of evil depends upon your perspective.
Some Random Preaching Tips
You know, people often come up to me and say,
"Eileen, that sermon today spoke to me so strongly, I have completely lost my faith. I no longer fear God's judgement on me, and I'm going to run off with the milkman. Thank you."
Which just goes to show that sermons can still be effective, even in this multi-social-media world. But I know other people never get this kind of feedback. So, in the latest of this occasional series, here's a few more of my hints and tips for dynamic speaking.
1) There's nothing so boring as a sermon illustration about how the preacher bested someone in an argument. Unless the person whose suppositions and beliefs you so ruthlessly destroyed is in the congregation. At which point the gloves are off. You can say what you like, safe in the knowledge that you're the one on the stage / behind the lectern, and they are sat with the punters unable to respond. If they start arguing you can have them exorcised. Never forget who's the one wearing the pointy hat (or whatever the non-Beaker equivalent is).
2) There's nothing wrong with attacking straw men. They're much safer than real ones.
3) If you don't believe something but think other people might, say "in a very real sense." This gives the impression that you have deeper mystic knowledge, while simultaneously distancing you from whatever preposterous idea you're putting forward.
4) Sometimes you feel you have to explain something you don't really understand. The best bet is to do so by analogy with something that you do understand but most other people won't. I often compare things to the second law of thermodynamics, as if Entropy is a real force rather than a statistical description. Failing that, draw analogies with Quantum Theory. Nobody really understands that.
5) If while preaching you start to feel your line of reasoning is weak, then you've already fallen into the trap of trying to present a coherent argument. You should have stuck to being uplifting and jolly. But if you're now stuck, don't try and dig your way out of it by doing theology on the hoof. That's what led to all the early-Modern burning. Instead, stick with what you've written - but speak - very - slowly - and - quietly. People don't generally get coherent arguments, but they like sincerity.
6) If people are drifting off, SHOUT!! If, on the other hand, they're all actually asleep - sneak out and get first dibs on the biscuit. If you find the congregation's snoring is waking you up, then frankly you need a better guide to preaching than this one.
Lonely Old People Need Not Be a Problem
What can be done about the one in five old people facing loneliness, asks the BBC.
Well, it's a tricky one, isn't it? The normal BBC response would be for the Government to hire a massive army of people who would go to old people's houses and ask them what it was like during the war. But i suspect that the national coffers won't support that.
Likewise my own idea of rolling back the entire discredited "Enlightenment" project, reversing the elevation of the autonomous individual over the family, and re-instilling the idea of "duty" is more a long-term scheme. Also it may involve the invention of time travel so we can take out several leading lights of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Here's a modest proposal however. For those older people who are relatively physically active, yet lonely - and there are many - perhaps they could go to church?
Many of them will remember the old churches of their youth, when the ministers were terrifying, god-like creatures who were beyond question, and people were required to pass highly rigorous exams in New Testament Greek - and pledge allegiance to all 39 Articles before being allowed to run the Bingo Committee.
Well things have changed. These days, older people are likely to find that the mystique of the vicar has gone forever. The minister could well be a jolly woman, or a disco diva, and likely to be grateful to see someone in church at all - rather than hedging themselves about with undeserved divinity. And we'll accept anyone regardless of what they believe. And there's all sorts of stuff with no religion dragged in at all - coffee mornings and all-age services.
Obviously if this idea is to have wings, the church will have to rethink its strategy. All age services that mean what they say . And they will have to include songs like "The old Rugged Cross" as well as "Great, great, brill, brill." But it can be done. One church I know runs an over-50 holiday club. Obviously, like the over-50s insurance ads that run during UK Gold breaks, over 50 is a euphemism for "over 75". Or at least, as I progress relentlessly towards that milestone myself, I hope so.
But increasingly older people are physically quite active, possessing large amounts of free time, and maybe only too keen to meet people. I think maybe we've worshipped youth too much.
A Delicate little flower, but you'd be distressed by his Impudence
Burton's been down to the wine tasting in Bow Brickhill. I wish he'd not do it.
He's come rolling back, singing "roll out the barrel."
He always goes to these things meaning to do it properly, assessing the bouquet, mouth-feel, all that rubbish wine tasters talk. He gives points to each wine for these features carefully, rationally and maturely. And, from what I can gather from Young Keith, he manages that for about an hour.
The next three hours he spends awarding random marks, regardless of any given wine's qualities. I'm told that this evening he gave a Merlot π/10 for body. Now that's what I call creative accountancy.
Of course, this kind of riotous living is not without its dark side. Apart, that is, from all the rest of us who have to put up with him wandering round the Great House, singing Depeche Mode songs and walking into walls. In the morning he will find that, because he awarded imaginary numbers to that Muscat, he can't come up with a meaningful total for his sum enjoyment of the evening.
And then he's going to hate himself.
The Fable of the Blind Men and the Elephant
Once there were four blind men. And encountering an elephant, each described the elephant according to what he could feel.
And the man who took the trunk said "an elephant is like a snake."
The one who felt its side said "no - it is like a wall. "
One grabbed a leg, and said "it's like a tree."
And the one who took its tail said"No - it is like a riding crop."
And so all these men thought they had the truth. But in fact each had only a partial truth.
The one who had the whole truth was the coach driver who had taken them on their trip to the zoo in the first place. And he got six months for recklessly endangering their lives by getting them into the elephant enclosure.
The zoo received a heavy fine for Health and Safety breeches that made it so easy to get at the elephant.
The author of the fable was much maligned on Twitter, partly for only including men in the story and partly for assuming that blind people are so ignorant they don't know what an elephant is.
But the one who came off worse was the man who grabbed the tail. It took weeks for the smell to wear off. But how was any one to know that the elephant had eaten a bad cabbage earlier?
The Pluto Exclusion Principle
Not many people know about the Pluto Exclusion Principle. I only found out about it the other day, while talking to a friend who used to work for Disney.
People who have, at some point in their lives, worked for Disney have a profound sadness. This is caused by spending their lives having other people make jokes about their working for a Mickey Mouse organisation. But they do know about the Pluto Exclusion Principle. I didn't know about it myself, but when you hear about it, it makes perfect sense.
The Pluto Exclusion Principle states that, at any one time, outside of the official parks, there can only be one of each Disney character "in play" at any one time. So, if Mickey Mouse is opening a nursery in Yokahama, he cannot be simultaneously glad-handing at a film premier in San Salvador. If Goofy is goofing around in Nanking, he can't be nanking around in Sydney.
Now, you'd think this is a mere marketing ruse - part of the magic. But in fact, it's all pure physics. The danger is that, due to a double-booking, two of the same character end up in the same place at the same time. This would be a disaster - with the same polarity, spin and charm, if two of the same character met, they would create a singularity that could destroy the entire fabric of creation.
Don't call Disney Corp a "Mickey Mouse organisation". They might sue, they've heard it all before, and it's only due to their constant vigilance that the universe remains in existence.
Godly Myers Briggs Play
"That's Moses, isn't it?
I wonder why Moses is looking so sad?
That's right. It's because he's an INFJ, isn't it? He's very keen on God's righteousness. And when he sees an Egyptian oppressing one of his fellow-Israelites he expresses his murderous extrovert. But he's not a natural talker. And he's talking to God, isn't he? We've not got a model for God, because if we did have that would make Moses really angry. And we know how that brings out his genocidal extroversion.
But God's talking to Moses, and God's got a plan. Oh, look - it's Aaron. Do you think Aaron's able to talk to Pharaoh?
Aaron's talking to Pharaoh now. Surely being an ESTJ, Aaron can get Pharaoh to let the people go?
Oh no. Pharaoh's not listening to Aaron. Pharaoh's an ISTJ with extroverted living deity. They're never happy being told what to do.
I tell you what, shall we put the pieces back in the box and have some juice? When all those insects start crawling around the place, and the river turns to blood, that might be quite Messy. And that's a different Fresh Expression altogether."
The Church of England News Headline Generator
It's already been a big summer for the Church of England in the press - the vicar who works for Sainsburies, Rev Kate Bottley's Flashmob Wedding, and the alleged Pagan Church of England.
But if the stories are drying up, and you don't have the imagination to mess around with the facts like that Telegraph article on Pagans and the C of E, why not just make the whole thing up?
That's where our new Church of England News Headline Generator comes in. Just press the button below and get your earth- shattering new C of E story - all crisp and ready for the silly season.
at 7:26 pm 13 Thoughtful Pebbles
By our modern way of judging things, John would be a one hit wonder.
He came out of nowhere and was suddenly the biggest draw in town. He was the number one. "Baptistmania" was all the rage.
And then, as is the way with sudden rising stars, he was supplanted. Just as his birthday is celebrated on the edge of the equinox - as the days get less - he was overtaken by another who was waxing strong.
And he could have struggled by, bashing out the same hits, playing to smaller crowds - like the remnants of Manfred Mann playing The Stables instead of the Hammy Odeon. Waiting for a "30s revival" to break out, and troll around small-town Palestine with three failed Messiahs, a soothsayer and a bloke who thought he was the prophet Enoch.
But John was true to himself, whatever. He had something still to say - a challenge to authority. And even if he couldn't count on the crowds to protect him he was going to tell Herod where he stood.
And, alone in a cell, wondering if it had been worth it - if the One who he'd heralded was the one he thought - he got the message ---the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.
And then he received two rewards - one from that useless, craven, vicious king, so brave towards his people and yet a crawling worm to Rome. And the far greater one from the real King - a crown to sit on his precious head forever.
On Liturgical Uses for a Sundial
Simply because it's that time of year, I've been asked to say a few words about the Sundial in liturgical usage.
Now, the sundial is a perfect Beaker worship focus. At least in the summer, it can be used to great effect outdoors. In the winter, inside to stay out of the weather, it's frankly a bit pointless. Not least because of the effort involved in dragging it in from the croquet lawn, and all the mud you get everywhere. And, obviously, the fact that it doesn't work.
But a sundial in the summer, on a sunny day if at all possible, is a thing redolent with spiritual insight and power.
A working sundial
First up, it's a poignant reminder of the human condition. Once the sun has gone round once, that's another day gone. Or is it half a day? How does it fit in with 12 versus 24 hour clock? Or am I thinking about the tides? Anyway - whatever. Once the sun has gone round, that's either 12 or 24 hours you'll never get again. Gone forever - like thistledown blown on the wind of fate, the moving finger writes and having writ moved on.
Also, the sundial in the picture above is, you will notice, casting its own shadow. By putting stakes in the ground around a sundial, you can use the sundial itself as a gnomon, to the better use of all kinds of concepts including the prefix meta-. And you can't beat a concept that begins with the prefix meta-.
And then, the way in which the sundial brings the circles of the earth into our domestic setting - the great circles of sun, moon and stars, the universal wheel, the wheel of fortune and the Giant's circle that we call Stonehenge - all these combine to tell us that we must dance around the sundial. Preferably while wearing tie-dye or voile, and almost inevitably to the song "Teach me to dance".
Yes, it's a world of power, is a sundial. Unfortunately, we thought that the best place to put ours was in the "Mediterranean gravel garden", which all the gardeners and weather forecasters told us would be so sensible when Global Warming made us as hot as the Algarve. Which means that the sundial is currently laying on its side, in a pile of glacial murrain that used to be the gravel garden, surrounded by saturated lavender and frost-bitten yukkas, at the bottom of the slope where the melting snow carried it in April. Just as soon as the water level has gone down, we'll be retrieving it. Still, the rhubarb is doing well.
A Midsummer Night's List of Instructions
A few instructions on the Eve of St John. Please can you all note:
Filling-up of Beakers at 6 pm is according to the standard ritual. I will not be attempting to emulate Kate Bottley. I haven't got those moves. Or, if it turns out I have, I will probably inflame the old arthritics.
Running-into-the-woods is at 8pm.
Running-back-into-the-woods-when-we-realise-it's-wet will take place at 8.10pm.
The time from 9pm to 11pm will be spent arguing over which St John is which. For avoidance of doubt, this is St John the Baptist's Eve. He also gets the Lamb and Flag in Oxford and the colleges. So there you go. All your answers on a plate.
Anyone looking up at the Super Moon and making the joke "well, it don't look that super to me," will get a beaker of water thrown at them. Including the beaker.
Throwing apple-peel to discover your future husband, for those few female Folk who fulfil the criteria of being unwed virgins, is a silly 18th century revival. If you do it, please don't try and claim it's a pagan rite. There is, as nearly always, practically no evidence of that. In these days of serial monogamy, we will of course be providing plenty of apples. Please can you avoid sowing Parsley seed - this alternative ritual will nearly always result in Drayton Parslow demanding we throw the practitioner in the duck pond to see of she floats.
Please note that the Midsummer bonfire is not lit with real bones. I know it's traditional, but we're trying to respect the views of our vegetarian, vegan and gluten-allergic folk. Not that the last ones need to worry about bones, but they get upset if we forget they exist. Could anyone planning to jump over the bonfire ensure they wear safety goggles. Also - remove your hi-viz first. I got them cheap, and I'm not convinced they're flame proof. That kite mark looks like it was drawn on with crayon. Which means next time I need to get Burton a proper stencil.
Now that the nights are drawing in, please can you make sure you lock the door after 10pm. This ensures security, and also really annoys the Beaker Fertility Folk. The weather now being only moderately horrible, they are planning to stay out celebrating their unsavoury beliefs until the small hours, and the least we can do is lock them out in the rain.
The Super Moon - Your Questions Answered
Q - What exactly is the Supermoon?
A - It's when the Moon suddenly becomes much larger than normal. This makes it considerably brighter and more massive..
This Supermoon has a chunk missing, and so is less frightening.
Q - Doesn't that defy the 1st Law of Thermodynamics?
A - Not at all. The Supermoon effect is caused by quantum vacuum fluctuations. Or, to put it in simple terms, whenever there is a Supermoon, there is another satellite on the other side of the universe that becomes much smaller.
Q - Does it have any effect on the Earth?
A - Yes. The additional gravitational pull - "supergravity" - of Supermoons has been associated with tidal waves, increased volcanic activity, unusual squirrel migration patterns and the release of David Hasselhoff singles. In extreme cases, gravitons can actually fall from the sky and roll around on the ground.
Q - So what you're saying is, we're all going to die, aren't we?
A - In a word, probably.
Q - Do Supermoons appear in ancient writings?
A - Not real ancient history. Not like the Chinese, or Caesar, or anything. But in some pagan lore which we've just invented, it is said that the world will end whenever there is a Supermoon. Followed by clouds clearing and the wind falling light and westerly. The Egyptians had a good of Supermoons, who was universally feared as the bringer of hay fever.
Q - What is the best way to view the Supermoon?
A - We normally advise you take a 5" reflecting telescope, and cover the open end with a thick green vinyl filter. Then leave the telescope in the garage, just go outside and have a look at the moon. It should be the big white thing in the sky. Obviously, this implies you're trying to see it at night. It's not so striking during the day.
Q - Shouldn't I wear safety clothing or something?
A - If it makes you feel better, yes.
Q - What about these gravity waves I've heard about?
A - If struck by a gravity wave, just lay on your back and float. If you feel like it's part of a gravity rip tide, swim sideways to get out of the gravity current.
Q - Do you think it's a good idea to dance around a bonfire naked?
A - Not in your case, no.
Coping with Burnout
We've been running our very successful "Coping with Burnout" course for the last couple of months. To accommodate busy people with full working weeks, we've bee running the course all day Saturday and Sundays.
Not this week, though. All the delegates have phoned in sick. I dunno. Some people have no stamina.
Snorbens Day
Can I be the first to wish you a happy feast day of St Albany? Patron saint of in feasibly small cities, Waitrose customers and museums.
Liturgy for the Day after the Summer Solstice (Again)
Archdruid: Nights are drawing in.
All: Soon be Christmas.
Parking our 4x4 on Uther Pendragon's Lawn
A very poor piece of journalism by the Telegraph on an alleged attempt by the Church of England to recruit pagan members. So bad, I suspect it will be corrected some time in the next day or two.
Mostly it's just obviously drivel - just literally doesn't make sense. Most of the people who have commented on the piece have followed the "Christianity stole the Pagan festivals" line, and that's drivel, as well. Drivel that has been repeated on TV by Stephen Fry with respect to Mithraism, so people assume that it's true, but that just makes it posh, smoothly-delivered drivel. So mostly there's a lot of drivel about.
In fact, the piece does not actually go far enough. What the Telegraph has not discovered - but I am now at liberty to reveal - is that the Church of England has secretly been training its crack missional priests, in combined exercises with the Beaker Folk, to enable them to mingle with the Stonehenge Solstice devotees. The plan was to spread the Anglican word undercover.
It all started when a representative of the Church of England hierarchy - whom I shall identify only by their "pagan name", Raven Aurora - came to me and said,
"Eileen, there's 50 million people in this country don't go to Church. And several thousand of them are neo-pagans. It's pretty obvious where our priorities lie."
And so we embarked on "Operation Greenwood". The training has been gruelling:
We encouraged them to reject Tonsure Collars, and move towards flowery skirts / trousers and tie-dye T-shirts. Although, to be fair, that had happened before we got our hands on most of them. It was only the female Anglo-Catholics who took some persuasion. They're a tough bunch. They've got to be.
It took six months of gestalt therapy to crack their tendency to wear socks with sandals. Eventually, we got them wearing trainers without socks as a compromise.
We trained them to resist the urge to respond to "Peace, Man" with "And also with you."
We realised that raising your arms to salute the sun, looks rather like the action many of them were already adopting at the altar. So this was just mostly a matter of wearing a different colour of robe. It was just the Charismatics needed calming down. Last thing the people at Stonehenge wanted, was some people waving their arms around and being over-enthusiastic. They'd have stuck out like a sore thumb.
We encouraged them to change their beliefs. Or, in some cases, to adopt a few. We realised some of the "Sea of Faith" crowd were in danger of coming over as dangerous liberals to the neo-pagans.
They had to learn that eggs are for putting on standing stones at astronomically important times of the year - not for coming up with silly illustrations as to why they might relate to Easter.
They adopted names like "Daisy", "Moonflower" and "Marigold". This wasn't particularly to blend in - it was just something some of the Anglo-Catholics were doing already, and they thought everybody else might like to try it.
Everyone left shortly after Fr Willow started his sermon on "Parallels between neo-paganism and the Psalmic rituals of the 2nd Temple, with particular reference to the work of Jurgen Moltmann".
The result of our training was that, this morning, and without anyone noticing, fully 25 percent of those present at Stonehenge were card-carrying members the Church of England. One in particular is currently the joint favourite with Jeffrey John to be the next Bishop of Durham. You could recognise him by the bald head, multiple piercings and the way his whole body is covered in tattoos. No, not Jeffrey - the other one.
We hid a full-size canon of Salisbury Cathedral in the Heel Stone.
Members of the Wiltshire Constabulary on duty this morning were heard to remark that there was a different variety of weed being smoked this morning. Well, that smell would be unfamiliar. It was Fr Aloysius, of St Sebastian's, with some rather nice Prinknash Abbey. You can take the priest out of Oxford, but you can't take Oxford out of the priest.
QUAERITUR - Should an Archdruid Carry a Cricket Bat?
Yer Actual Solstice Celebration
The Beaker Folk storm back into the Meadow, frightening the wits out of the Piper at the Gates of Dawn, who's been trying to get the rain out of his pipes for the last hour.
The Little Pebbles (in unison): Are we nearly there yet? Are we nearly there yet? Are we nearly there yet?
Archdruid: Behold! The Solstice is upon us! The sun kisseth the Tropic of Cancer, blessing us with his warmth and light.
All: No sign of warmth or light round here, you sure you got the right Solstice?
Archdruid: Let us do our Solsticial Dance!
The Beaker People hop around in their wellies, trying to feel a bit summery. They fail.
Herne the Hunter: Don't say I'm late again.
Piper at the Gates of Dawn: You always are, Antler-Head.
Herne the Hunter: Who you calling Antler-Head, Antler-Head?
Piper at the Gates of Dawn: Well you have got an Antler-Head.
Herne the Hunter: So have you. Oi! Stop pushing!
Piper at the Gates of Dawn: You started it. Here, take this. (He smacks Herne with his pipes - breaking them on Herne's antlers)
Herne the Hunter - Oh, you're right. I have got antlers.
Archdruid: Strewth, it was never like this in Wind in the Willows. Keith, can you shove these pre-Christian relics in the van and chuck 'em out in Cranfield? They might get a grant or something.
Better than Stonehenge - Summer Solstice Sunrise
A gray, miserable dawn. A huddle of Beaker Folk face east through the rain.
The Little Pebbles (in unison): Are we nearly there yet? Are we nearly there yet?
Archdruid Eileen: Behold the wonder of the Solstice Dawn!
Young Keith: It's too early and it's pouring down.
Archdruid: It's better than Stonehenge, though.
Young Keith: In what way?
Archdruid: If we were at Stonehenge, we'd have driven 120 miles, we'd be surrounded by hippies, and it would still be pouring down.
All: Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and I said it's all right....
Martston mucks up the tricky bit on the guitar
The Piper at the gates of dawn turns up, late as usual. Unusually for the decayed folk-memory of a nature god, he carries an umbrella.
The Lord of the Dance Risk Predictor
It's a new church, and you're looking around nervously. What are the odds they will sing 'Lord of the Dance' at some point in this service? Well, worry no more. Now, simply by checking some visual clues, you can estimate your risk, using our exciting new Lord of the Dance Calculator.
What denomination is it? Anglican Catholic Methodist Baptist URC Other Evangelical Orthodox
Roughly how old is the pastor? 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+
Where are most of the songs coming from? The Redemption Hymnal An Overhead Projector A Data Projector Mission Praise Combined Singing the Faith Hymns and Psalms Hymns Ancient and Modern Sounds of Living Waters Junior Praise A printed sheet Methodist Hymn Book Laudate Gracewing Hymns Old and New Something else
Roughly how old is the organist? No organist Below 30 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+
How many accoustic guitars are there in the music group? 0 1 2 3 4
How many flutes are there in the music group? 0 1 2 3 4
How many beards are there in the music group/choir? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
How many tea lights can you see? None 1-5 6-15 16-30 30-50 50-100 100-200 Countless
Any sign of a bodhran? No Yes Actually, it's a tabor.
The Sermon Discomfort Rating Chart
Dear Readers, the Archdruid is "temporarily indisposed1" at the moment, so I have taken over the Blogging apparatus. I've been doing some particularly interesting research, and I'd love to share it with you.
What I've done is devise a Sermon Discomfort Rating system, wire up the Sermonometer to a number of willing guinea pigs at numerous churches It is quite a complex apparatus, with the least said, soonest mended when it comes to the probes, as you will see when you consider the things that are rated for the Sermon Discomfort Rating. And I have to ask people to fit the apparatus themselves - as many, seeing me approaching with the "fundament firmness tactileometer", tend to hit me with any large objects that are handy.
In any case, the Sermon Discomfort Rating index scores from 0 to 10, as follows:
0 - Happy with life, and looking forward to an exposition of God's holy scripture.
1 - Mildly irritated with the preacher, inclined to fidget.
2 - Slightly more irritated with the preacher, starting to tap foot.
3 - Moderately irritated. Shuffling in seat.
4 - Really quite bored now. Alpha waves start to shut down.
5 - Bottom completely numb. Shuffling between buttocks to restore blood flow.
6 - Really quite angry at the thought that you could be watching telly.
7 - Peripheral organs starting to shut down.
8 - Blood supply removed from hands, feet, bottom and brain.
9 - As brain encounters oxygen starvation stage, imagine you are walking up a bright tunnel towards a bright light.
10 - All previous states eclipsed by overwhelming realisation that you need to go to the loo.
As I say, I tested this rating system on a number of people, across a number of denominations. And I discovered that for some reason - maybe training, maybe an evolutionary affect caused by the natural selection imposed by people sitting in drafty chapels for hundreds of years - the onset of each stage happens at a different time for each denomination. I attach the results below.
The results are fairly clear, I believe. Certainly we should learn that nobody should preach for more than 20 minutes in an Anglican village church with no toilet. Additionally, I note that after 60 minutes, Pentecostal discomfort starts to decline again. I believe this is because they are starting to realise they will be able to boast to all their friends from other Pentecostal churches about how seriously they take the Bible, if the sermon is well into its second hour.
I would like to stress that no preachers were harmed in the preparation of this experiment.
1 Drank a pint of Pimms neat at Hnaef's 94th barbecue of the year, and is currently dreaming dreams and seeing visions.
at 11:08 pm 12 Thoughtful Pebbles
Project Management Issue
OK, so it's a Health and Safety issue. But I can't help thinking the Agile methodology compounded the problem.
And Young Keith was so pleased with himself at writing the "putaway" routine for our new automated warehouse. It's an exciting new venture - when it goes live, we will have the most advanced lights-out doilies, tea lights and souvenir pebble operation in Western Europe.
But then Keith found out that Charlii was looking for him, to find out where the heck he was last night. In a panic, he jumped into a tote on the"large stones" conveyor and got himself put away in the racking.
Charlii has wandered off to look for him elsewhere. Now Young Keith's just got to wait a week for the next planning session, to find out if we decide a retrieval program is the next "must-have".
Keeping Your Promises
I'm terribly in two minds about the new Guide promise.
Obviously it's a shame if the atheist children of atheist parents can't join. After all, they've got to find friends somewhere, and goodness knows having parents like that isn't going to help them.
But that promise - I mean, in the first place, it's not exactly republican-friendly. What do we do for young women who want to belong to a paramilitary organisation but don't approve of a hereditary quasi-ecclesiastical nominal ruler?
And then there's the line about "be true to myself and develop my beliefs". I mean, to be fair, it's inclusive. There's nothing there an atheist, Muslim or a Christian couldn't say. Or, for that matter, a Satanist, a member of the Junior Wing of the Klu Klux Klan, or somebody whose other hobby is pulling the legs off moths. All could promise that, whatever else they do, they'll be true to themselves. And by definition they'll be right. Whatever they do - that's what they're like.
So, if the Guides want something which doesn't disappear up its own inoffensive asininity in future, can I suggest the promise that the Little Pebbles say? It has deep roots in popular culture, yet is somehow at the same time both profound and deeply inclusive.
"I promise that I will just be myself,
that I will totally nail it,
go on an incredble journey
and that I will completely own my membership of this organisation.
Although I'm seven years old, this is my last opportunity.
I'm what this is all about.
I feel like my whole life has been leading up to this,
and it's been the best day of my life."
Doug's Moved Again
Maybe it's because he's got itchy feet, maybe it's becomes he wants to leave an electronic trail so complicated even the American secret service couldn't follow it, but Doug Chaplin's blog has moved again. He's always thoughtful, occasionally quite punchy and he now rejoices in the blogname of "Catholicity".
I have updated the blogroll again. Updating the blogroll has three basic functions: Add, Delete, and "Doug's Moved Again".
A Pew with a View
Of course when I was in my Twenties, I was much more evangelical. In fact, I used to run a House Church.
In many ways I was glad when it all broke up, though. For starters, the font was right in front of the telly. And it was a great relief to chuck out the pews and replace them with a couch. But worst of all was the way the smell of incense used to hang around.
Cats - A Corrective
I realise this is going to shock some people. But it has to be said. Although the picture shown here is of a cat being cute and attractive - this is an impression they like to give. They're only too happy to be photographed while playing with string, laying on their backs, or hilariously falling off things and pretending not to be embarrassed.
This cat may look like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. But he is preparing for a quick left-paw dip into the pond to remove a shubunkin.
The thing you don't realise (and I'm hoping to get this post out before they notice) is that cats own the Internet. They control it. They are using it to make you think they are friendly, sociable animals. All this stuff about the NSA monitoring web traffic - the NSA are amateurs compared to a decent British Domestic Shorthair, when it comes to playing with its prey (us) before administering a quick bite to the back of the neck. They're having you on, luring you in until they can get enough of their friends round to make you the next course.
This cat is carrying out musocide in another dimension - which is why she is a little blurry. Note that the room is littered with cat toys - a sign of who is in charge of the establishment.
Cats scream all night, fighting and mating. They massacre the wildlife for miles around. They leave stray organs of former rodents laying around on your floor. They make your house smell of cat wee.
Catz iz not nize.
Revised Ritual for the Death of Somebody Who was Famous in the 1970s
Archdruid: Well, I see x has just died.
All: Yep, true enough.
Archdruid: In the old days, when we were - did we but realise it - quite innocent, we'd have had a liturgy featuring x's catchphrases, famous song lyrics and so forth.
All: Yep, we would.
Archdruid: Can't risk that sort of thing now. So - x has just died. And we pray that God will receive x according to God's own mercy, and not according to anything x may have done that we don't know about yet, but will do shortly. Not that we want to cast aspersions.
All: Too right, Eileen. Pious, well-meaning, but safe.
Archdruid: I think that's quite enough of that.
All: Least said soonest mended.
All may disperse, to keep an eye on Twitter for the revelations that may - or may not - come out.
Rules for Men in the Beaker Folk
Yes, I know. We've struggled by with the informal arrangements for too long. It was time to sort it out - especially after I caught Burton trying to explain that, in modern economic conditions, the Parable of the Talents should have the servants going bankrupt and demanding that their master bail them out by floating themselves on the Stock Market. We've got to get a grip on the role of men in the Beaker Folk.
Look, I'm not saying that men should keep completely quiet. Who would be without their charming prattle about the 4-4-2 system? And their odd belief, in discussions between themselves, that much younger women might consider them to be attractive is quite humorous in its surreal self-delusion. But on matters of doctrine, you've got to be more careful. After all, while women are creative and productive of life, men are associated with destruction - natural, with all that testosterone and those Y-chromosomes. So it's pretty obvious who really needs to keep things under control round here.
So these are the new rules:
No man is to give an opinion on anything except football or real ale, if there are any women present.
Actually, no man is to give an opinion on real ale if there are women present. They may know what they're talking about, but it's a very, very dull subject.
Men may teach other men about spiritual matters. They'll probably get it wrong, but at least if it's only with other blokes they'll not do too much harm. If there's a woman around, it would be best that she either doesn't listen, or ideally takes over.
Men may not fill up beakers, but they may pour them out. You've got to have a system, haven't you?
Any man suggesting a course of action will be advised to have a sit and a calm down while the wiser gender work out precisely what is wrong with it.
Hnaef is allowed to carry out his duties as Executive Arch-Assistant Druid, as he's very posh, so people don't take him so seriously.
The Archruid's decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into.
Cross, Pollinated
We're all, rightly, getting worried about the state of the nation's bees. In my opinion, banning neonicotinoids couldn't have happened quickly enough. And I do worry about the way their decline has paralleled the covering of our green and yellow land with oilseed rape and mobile phone masts. You can't tell me they've not been involved.
But it was lovely today to see an absolute swarm of bees, busily working the flowers on our Rosemary.
Rosemary herself is livid, mind you. But it's her own silly fault for wearing such an absurdly large button hole.
The Origins of Father's Day
Today, Father's Day is one of the cycle of Christian festivals, held on the 3rd Sunday of June. And just like Mothering Sunday, Harvest Festival, Children in Need and the like, nobody would ever dream that it was anything other than a celebration passed straight down from the Bible itself.
But in fact Father's Day has an origin that goes, like everything that anybody ever celebrates anywhere, back to Pagan times.
The pre-Christian Germanic races held a feast called "VatersDag" in the middle of June every year. Although we know little about it, we can assume that it was held at the point in the year when the menfolk were sent off for six weeks to slay the neighbouring tribes and steal their chinchillas (a notable delicacy in Teutonic times). They had to get back for the feast of Lammas (or LaefandaLagerPleaseHansMass, as it was called in the original Old Proto-Saxonian) so they could get the crops in.
Although the feast was in the midst of ancient and unwritten times, the little German children would make clay models of Odin and Thunor, and hang them in their World Ash trees as a gift to the gods, in the hope that their dads would be home soon, with some really juicy chincillas to eat.
With the coming of Christianity to Britian, St Boniface and St Wilibrord decided to impose the same kind of Christianisation on pagan festivals that Augustine had applied to Christmas, Easter and St Gandalf's Day (Jan 3rd). But all the other pagan festivals had already been taken in England, and so they had to travel all the way to Holland and Germany just to find VatersDag, which had been overlooked. Landing at Wassenaar, Wilibrord was going to be killed by the locals for not wearing clogs and a pointy hat. But he got away with it by turning to the local lord and saying "Coming to meet me on this cold day in wooden shoes? You must be Frisian!" Being of Germanic blood, they assumed that this play on words was some kind of miracle, and were instantly converted.
Wilibrord and Boniface originally converted the feast to being "Our Father's Day", a celebration of the giving of the Lord's Prayer. But Pope Leo III, when introduced to the new observance, had another idea. Having crowned Charlemagne, he was in a mood for aggressively expanding the influence of his rule, and declared the festival to be "Il Papa's Day".
Throughout the Midldle Ages, the faithful would remember the Pope on that 3rd Sunday in June, buying him bottles of beer, cheap aftershave and handkerchiefs and sending them to Rome. But as time went by, the great stashes of these gifts built up. When Luther visited Rome in 1510, he was shocked to see entire warehouses full of Brut and socks - although the monks made sure none of the beer went to waste. It is a little-known fact that when he nailed 95 theses to the Wittenberg door, he had written them on hankies and nailed them with a pair of cufflinks that had been intended for Rome.
Luther was always a moderate reformer. He replaced Il Papa's day with Father's Day as we more-or-less know it today. In England, Henry VIII tried to make it a feast day when everybody sent the king gifts as the father of the country. Like most of Henry's ideas, this wasn't terribly popular until the hangings started, after which it really caught on quite well.
The Puritans banned Father's Day, along with everything else. But when they had fallen from power, Charles II became a great fan of the day. He received many gifts every year - although his mistresses' husbands would sometimes wonder where the whisky and neckties they had seen in the shopping had got to, by Sunday morning.
But it was the Victorians who popularised Father's Day in the rest of Britain - Albert introducing the concept at Balmoral, from Germany where it had originated. Having nine children, he was never short of socks as long as he lived. In the 20th century, when it started to be popular in America, card-makers and other commercial operations became interested in it. And so we have the festival that we celebrate today - a Christian festival that, shamefully in my opinion, has been quite blatantly commercialised. And beyond it all, an innocent memory of those young Saxon men, kissing their children goodbye before going off to steal their neighbours' rodents.
Ms Eileen explains Evolution and Creation to the Little Pebbles
Well, children. It's nice for Miss Holsworth to ask me to come and talk to you on the subject of Evolution and Creation. They're two very long words, aren't they? But Mr Gove thinks you should all be able to explain one, and to read about the other in Jacobean English.
No, Angelika. Adam and Eve weren't monkeys. And the Snake wasn't actually a plesiosaur, Jazmin. Because they lived in the sea, not in gardens. And dinosaurs had died out before there were any human beings. I don't care what Mr Parslow told you, Jazmin. He is untrustworthy on matters of science. And, in my opinion, Biblical interpretation.
So evolution is very simple. There were very small things living in the sea, and then dinosaurs happened. And living among the dinosaurs were some very small shrew-like creatures. And these evolved into monkeys. And monkeys evolved into apes, which evolved into humans and chimps and gorillas.
And that is science. You can test it. No, not by pushing chimpanzees out of trees, Rodrick. That experiment is no longer licensed. And it wasn't very useful when it was allowed. No, you can test it with viruses, or dog breeds, or moths that change colour. So it's true.
And Adam and Eve are also true. But they're true more like Harry Potter is. No, Rodrick, Voldemort isn't going to attack the Little Pebbles Academy. He's dead. And he never existed. He is an allegory of evil - and when he kills Harry, in the process he weakens himself. So there is truth there, even though it is not literally true. And so Adam and Eve represent all of us. They are human beings who can make choices like us - an yet although they know what God wants, they do it wrong - the same way we do. Which is why we also need Harry Potter. No, not Harry Potter. Hang on, I'll get there in a minute....
No, Chesney. Michael Gove is not an allegory like Voldemort. He has a nose.
I can see we're into deep waters. Like the plesiosaur, yes, Sigourney. No, Adam and Eve didn't live in a garden in Bikini Bottom and have face masks like the squirrel in Sponge Bob. Let's start again.
In the beginning God created the earth. There was a big lightning bolt and then fish evolved out of protozoa. Dinosaurs roamed the earth, as did cattle, squirrels (land-based, not aquatic) and kangaroos. All the kangaroos were later dropped off in Australia after the flood by Noah before he went back to Turkey. God created Adam and Eve, they saw the apple, a plesiosaur was washed up in the Garden of Eden by a freak water spout. It was a talking, evil plesiosaur, which talked Adam and Eve into eating the apple. When he had the power of knowledge, Adam realised the dinosaurs were a danger on account of their enormous droppings - good for the garden, not so good on your head. So he killed them all.
God made clothing out of the dinosaur skins for Adam and Eve. Eve was particularly fond of her T-rex-skin trousers, making her the first fashion icon in history. People spread across the earth, and modern history happened.
And that's how we reconcile Creation and Evolution. Any questions?
Half Vicar, Half Dolphin
Not really "dolphin", but it makes for a nice title.
I'm indebted to the always-hopeful Charlie Peer for linking me to this Daily Mail article about the part-time vicar who works 19 hours a week for J Sainsbury. It is, in many ways, a non-story. St Paul made tents around the Mediterranean- Revd Martyn drives Sainsbury's groceries around Cornwall.
But it's Revd Martyn I find myself worrying about, quite apart from him posing in clerical dress and hi-viz like a wannabe Beaker Person. "People ring me up when I'm driving", he says. Well, maybe they do. I hope he'd deal with that by switching his mobile off when he's working. "It's hard to juggle two jobs", he says. Well, it is. But many people do it - either between two paid jobs, or between being paid and being a parent or a carer. And, like being a priest, you don't stop being a parent when you're at work.
But if he's working 2 days a week, he needs to block that out. Ideally he needs to take those evenings off, because he won't be doing simple 9 hour days the rest of the week. And he needs to block his day off. And he wants to explain to the people of his benefice about the concept of "Sabbath". He'll be a better priest and a safer driver if he can avoid being a shattered, guilty wreck. After all, our Hnaef is a Self-Supporting Druid, and he runs an archery school for people with no thumbs. If he lost interest while wondering about a particularly tricky part of the Creed while doing his other job, he could end up doing a King Harold at Hastings impression. And nobody wants that.
And then he can rejoice that he takes his "other" job to the altar, and he shares the experiences of so many people who balance time, play a number of roles, and have their Christian faith running through it all like the letters through a stick of rock.
But if the diocese really wants a full-time clergy in that benefice - if it wants somebody who is set free to serve and pray all the time - I suggest it works out how to pay for it.
Again-rising
This morning's ramblings on language were actually caused by the reading Hnaef chose this morning for Pouring-out of Beakers.
Now we often have Bible reading in languages other than modern English. Gives us that feeling Peter Gabriel must get when playing authentic World Music with authentic worldlings. You know, I often feel really envious of people who don't speak English. It must be great, always having the Bible sound so exotic like that.
But as you may know, Hnaef is an expert in Old English and other archaic Germanic tongues. And today, though he was reading from something comprehensible and in a form of Modern English, the Bible from which he was reading 1 Corinthians 15 was Wycliffe's version.
It's the chapter in which Paul lists the witnesses to the resurrection. Except Wycliffe didn't say "resurrection", did he? Wycliffe and his mates translated it into English as "again-rising". (I think it's written " ayenrisyng", but Hnaef was kind).
Hit me right between the eyes, did that. That the concept of Jesus's again-rising has hidden itself behind a Latin word all my life has kind of made it a technical term. I believe in the Resurrection, but that use of Latin kind of distances it a bit. Makes it a subject of study, rather than the earthy, English "again-rising". That suddenly roots it in my world - in the everyday English in which I express the things that matter most, because they're closest to me. And I know that we talk about Jesus' "rising again" but having it the other way round, as a compound noun, just made it so new - and yet familiar.
And if that one unexpected compound word hit me like that, then imagine the shock that a whole Bible in English must have given its readers. The whole lot - originally written in the everyday languages of its world - rendered into the language that English people dug while speaking, asked for their dinner in, haggled over the price of a coat in, expressed their love in - swore in. What a shock - and what a discovery. The Word becomes flesh, and lives among us, and we can hear the Word's earthly story in our own words.
When Wycliffe receives his own again-rising, it will be from the clay and lime of the Swift - not from the marble of Rome, nor even the dust of Jerusalem. And he'll find that people all over the world have heard God speaking to them in their own language, too. That's the thing about having good ideas. They catch on.
(And Wycliffe Bible Translators are here, by the way)
How the Future was Invented
There's a scene in Chapter 51 of Thomas Hardy's "Far from the Madding Crowd", in which Bathsheba Everdene remarks that it is hard for women to express themselves, in language that was invented by men.
Hardy was a creature of his modernist times, and as such would have thought like a conventional dualist, with the idea that men made the world while women were the passive acceptors of the world that Man was marking. So I wonder whether Bathsheba's words are right here.
It seems to me that, in the depths of evolutionary time, the invention of language would have been dependent on the context of the inventor. Huddled round a fire for warmth and safety, nursing the infants while the more expendable half of the species were off hunting triceratops, mothers might have had more time for developing the reflective side of language in serious conversation.
So in my hypothesis, women would have been responsible for the development of words of hope, aspiration, comfort and, when the hunters were consumed by a T Rex, consolation. Meanwhile the hunters - either jogging through the primaeval forest after a velociraptor or actually in the process of beating a pterodactyl to death - would have developed words like "quick", "run" and "look out for that tiger".
If my idea is right, then I believe it was probably women who invented the future tense - and with it the whole world in which human dreamers live, with their hopes and aspirations for a new world. Imagine the scene as Stig returns with a brace of supersauruses, while Jasmine has been sitting cooking berries and roots with the women, and nursing little Ug and Rosemary:
Jasmine: Two! Well done!
Stig: We catch them. You cook them?
Jasmine: I'm washing the trilobites. But I will cook you some lizards tomorrow.
Stig: Tomorrow? What tomorrow?
Jasmine: Oh, I forgot. While you were off hunting, Heather and I invented the concept of the future.
Stig: Future? What the future?
Jasmine: It's really simple. Let me explain. Tonight the sun will go down.
Stig: Sun go down? No. Sun up there.
Jasmine: Thinking about it, Stig, you don't need verbs much at all in your personal continuous present tense, do you? Just "hit", 'hide" and "run". Stig? Where are you going?
Stig: Run! Run! Hide! Jasmine hit!
And so was opened a linguistic gap that has never really been closed.
Privatisation of the Church of England
Clearly in my position I'm privy to a lot of secret stuff. And normally I keep it pretty quiet. But this is dynamite, so I'm going to have to leak it.
Civil Service lawyers have been checking the Act of Supremacy pretty carefully, and they reckon they're on solid ground. And they're setting up for the announcement in the next Queen's Speech, that they're going to float the Church of England on the Stock Market.
Now this is a much-loved institution, woven into the fabric of English history and culture that we're talking about here. So you can't just flog it off. Oh no. First you've got to break it up into dysfunctional parts with tricky commercial relationships. In the case of the C of E, this fundamentally means separating estates, property and operations.
Operations - congregations, dioceses, food banks, street pastors, visiting the sick, weddings and evangelism - are a generally cash-generative division. Each diocese will be floated as a separate company. Since the Government's watchdog, OfMitre, has identified a lack of entrepreneurship as a weakness, congregations on the edge of dioceses will be able to open branches in other companies' areas.
Additionally there will be three national operations. Two will offer services to traditional Anglo-Catholics and Evangelicals respectively, and their boardrooms- sorry, Bishops' palaces - will be fitted with special glass ceilings. The third, EasyCleric, will be a no-frills operation, allowing people to know the joy of Church without all that cost of discipleship. In contrast, the Anglo-Catholics will offer a high-frills operation.
Estates - a lot of Church of England real estate is tied up in low-return fixed assets. Or, to put it another way, graves. The job of Godsacre plc will be to scour the graveyards of the country, looking for unused bits that can be flogged off to the developers of executive homes. Where the presence of dead people makes this difficult, the spin-off Church of Entertainment will be developing niche attractions such as wildlife walks, weekend breaks in rectories during interregnums, and ghost hunts.
Godsacre will be looking actively at the reintroduction of bone crypts and ossuaries*; these will free up more prime village development land, formerly known as "churchyards". And the storage fees that will be payable to BildChurch will be returned a hundredfold in real estate values.
Plant - Finally we turn to the loss-making area of buildings. The new not-for-profit organisation, BildChurch, will be responsible for the maintenance of places of worship, and for raising money to keep them standing through the arms-length fundraising organisation, OfTherm.
BildChurch will be trying to charge a market rent for these buildings. Although in the short term this may result in a number of branch closures, there will be a welcome cash boost when any spare capacity is sold off to the Godsacre company. This rationalisation will also generate a number of high-end country properties which can all be sold to new holding company, Old Rectories plc.
In a complete lack-of-monopoly like the British religious world, there is no real need for an Ombudsman or oversight board. But you've got to find jobs for the right sorts of people. So the HouseBish organisation will be responsible for ensuring that the new church companies are charging reasonable fees for weddings, and not engaging in uncompetitive practices with respect to funerals.
Floating the Church of England brings with it some risks. Concerns have been raised that, after privatisation, the British water and power companies ended up in foreign ownership. Already it is believed that an Italian operation may be interested in taking over some branches. American churches may be interested in some more profitable evangelical congregations. And Richard Branson has indicated that, given sufficient State subsidy, he will be able to guarantee three-hour conversions. It's going to be an exciting new world.
* Thanks to @metalvicar for this piece of insight.
(Late edit: It would appear that Eccles got a whiff of this last year. Albeit he missed out on the organisational details above. Truly nothing new under the sun, and of the writing of satire there is no end.)
Liturgy for St Anthony's Day
Archdruid: Peace be with you.
All: Sorry, Eileen, we've lost our service sheets. Any ideas?
Archdruid: Nah, forget it. They'll probably turn up when we least expect it.
Those Obvious Scams in Full
They started in the days of folklore, and went on to faxlore. And now they're Facebook lore. I refer, of course, to those scare stories that tell us to be careful of stuff that isn't really a threat.
The trouble is, they're so plausible. You read them, and they sound about right - so you resolve never to open an email that has the subject "Dear Mum, why on earth are you not reading my messages?" because they might be from your Son, trying to con you out of twenty quid to go to the White Horse.
But here's a quick roundup of all those current scams. Don't be fooled!
People are running around Milton Keynes carrying dustbins. They ask if you can check your hat size. If you take your hat off, they shove the dustbin over your head and run off with your hat. This happened to a friend of my cousin's in Furzton. Don't lose your hat!
If you take out a mortgage with a bank, they will expect you to pay the interest every month. They are trying to make a profit. They are not, as they pretend, just there to help you own a house.
If you see a large thermometer outside a church, they will be trying to raise money to keep the building up. They are not telling you the temperature - it's not that cold.
When vicars say in sermons that something is true "in a very real sense", they don't really mean it. It's not true at all. Or, at least, not in a real sense. If you're not careful you could end up believing in things that the vicar doesn't.
The line "over the mountains and the sea, your river runs with love for me" was written by global-warming scientists trying to panic the public. There are no rivers running over the mountains and the sea. There may be a river running through the valleys and over the fields, but this is less alarming - at least in a rainy winter.
When somebody phones up, giving large number of details about your upbringing, knowing all about you and saying they're your mother - it's probably your mother. Be very careful.
Anyone who says "that's how I roll" is unlikely to be capable of rotary motion. They are almost certainly square.
People standing in the town centre with a sign saying "Can we pray for you?" will pray for you if you ask them to. They're ruthless like that.
An insurance company is going round, cleverly getting money out of people who think they are contributing to bereaved Caledonian woman. Don't be fooled into thinking Scottish Widows are a charity.
Don't let the poor spelling deceive you. Stationery shops never go anywhere.
If you see a man with a shiny face telling you his banks have lost all their money and you have to help pay it back, he's the Prime Minister. You have little choice for the time being.
The CIA is spying on all of us through listening devices cunningly hidden as daffodils. Take no chances. Dig up all your daffodils. I did, and I know the CIA aren't bugging me in the spring anymore. Because they were all, in fact, daffodils. But I feel much safer knowing that.
If you are approached in the street by somebody saying he's a Freemason, and can he take a photograph of your bottom - run away. He just wants to take a photograph of your bottom, and the freemasonry is a diversion.
If you come across a large building called "Tesco", they will lure you in with shelves full of food. But you will be expected to pay for it when you leave. Do not be suckered in.
Don't let so-called "postmen" put letters through your letter box. They're doing it for the money.
If you receive an email from me, saying I've got a load of money from a Nigerian dictator, please send the cheque to "Archdruid Eileen, The Great House, Husborne Crawley, Beds."
If you receive an email from someone saying that they're a conman, and can they steal your money, don't reply. There's a good chance they're a conman who wants to steal your money.
(And try not to fall for this scam that John the Lutheran has noted)
The whole series inspired by this from @TlfTravelAlerts
And here are some real scams, from the nearly-always-reliable Snopes.com
Quick "Rebecca" Joke
Last night, I dreamed of Mandalay again.
Due to a mis-reading of the brochure, that was the worst Cornish holiday I ever had. Burmese clotted cream is rubbish. And there's a limit to how much entertainment you can get out of watching flying fish.
The Apocalypse Unfolds on Social Media
People are inviting their friends to play the new "Armageddonville" game. Others wonder if they'll ever reach the last level of Candy Crush.
The #suppersready hash tag is popular among formerly long-haired clergy in their 50s.
Many people wonder what Michael Fish would be forecasting now
The "CityofBabylon" commerce website is showing a holding page. The merchants of the earth weep, for their courier networks are no more.
Police tweet - "Please do not report outbreaks of pestilence on Twitter."
The #uklocusts web page gets a record number of visits.
A picture of a sad cat in front of an exploding litter tray goes viral.
Richard Dawkins is telling us that it's still more likely to be a hallucination.
Spoof 4square accounts for Jesus are checking in all over the place.
It's generally agreed that the End of All Things isn't as impressive as the Opening Ceremony.
There is a Twitter storm as people demand the use of the correct term, "Equestrians of the Apocalypse".
The lower teenage reaches of an atheist teenage subredit is full of sniggers that "Whore of Babylon" sounds a bit rude.
#itoldyouso is trending.
John Prescott tweets to blame David Cameron, and says we'd have had 1,000 years of peace under Labour.
Ricky Gervais tweets respect for the One person who's clearly got a bigger ego than he has.
Numerous "God" and "Jesus" accounts are deleted. The owners wonder whether the heavenly cache will last longer than Google's.
Someone on Facebook posts a photo of herself and her family, afflicted with boils. It gets 87 "likes".
On Google Plus, someone wonders whether this is more like a Postmillennial or Amillennial of the Apocalypse. Nobody responds.
This is the way the world ends - not with a bang, but a Twitter.
Eating Mythical Apples
To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your labor pains; with pain you will give birth to children. You will want to control your husband, but he will dominate you.”
But to Adam he said, “Because you obeyed your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground thanks to you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life."
(Gen 3:16-17)
See, to me there's a bit of a problem with blaming all the destructive, apparently random stuff in the world on the Fall. If I were a Creationist, I'd not have this problem. But I want to have my 14 billion year old cake and eat its moral icing.
So you can't blame the physical and very historical matters of earthquakes and volcanoes and exploding stars on human disobedience, without dragging in some kind of retrospective quantum catastrophe which rewrote everything. And what kind of fool would do that?
But if that's the case, then what do we take from the story of the Fall? Because it's definitely a story worth working through. It has all those ingredients that are so popular in film and television in these troubled times - naked people, power struggles and talking animals. What's not to like?
I would like to note, in passing, this article which postulates that it was maybe the Fall that cost humans their ability to synthesize Vitamin C. If we imagine the Eden story as factual historically and scientifically, I'd suggest the opposite - if Adam and Eve had working Vitamin C genes, they'd not have needed to eat any fruit in the first place, especially that fruit.
I guess I prefer to have a play with the idea of choice, human intelligence and the HPtFTU (let the reader understand). See, i reckon we had nettles, thistles and all other kinds of woe before any mythological First Lady was conned into eating any apples. Likewise earthquakes, tidal waves and - let's say it - death.
But something happened to us in evolution. Dunno when precisely - whether before Cro-Magnon or at the time the valley of the Neander was full of its eponymous folk. Our brains got big, and our hearts gained the ability to be warm, soft or hard according to how we decided. We found we could eat apples, or not according to choice. And if God told us not to, we could do it regardless - and then try and hide from God later. And if we decided to kill one another, it wasn't just one of those unfortunate natural skirmishes. We'd deny it, or try and excuse it - I never did it. That herdsmen deserved it. He was different. Smug so and so.
And it wasn't that there were no nettles and thistles before, either. But to an animal, they're problems at just that one point in time - when you're pushing your way painfully through them. It's only we naked apes who worry about them in advance - who can feel anticipated pain. And of course, being naked apes, we knew all about it when pushing through thistles and brambles. And we're the ones who can anticipate the terrors of death, fear the pain of it before we know it for real, and wonder with hope and trembling what lies beyond it. It's not just that work is hard - what animal doesn't have a hard life? But we're the ones going to bed, knowing we've got to get up and face it again in the morning. We're the ones that can go home from work on a Friday, regretting that it all starts again on Monday.
But these amplified pains come with our unique joys - it's a package deal. Hope for years - and an eternity - to come. Pleasures we can work for - and the work itself can be a pleasure.
It was a double-edged sword, eating that apple - giving us the ability to use metaphors, but also to mix them. And those big brains that gave us choice and strategy came at a cost; as those upgraded skulls squeezed through the previous release of birth canal.
And always at the end of that glorious riot of choice, happiness and fear was death and futility - the waste of dreams and dissolution of those big brains. And those brains that let us love, also let us fear and mourn. And the snake - symbol of the eternity into which we are launched - looks like he's won.
But isn't that where God's other judgement comes in?
"And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; her offspring will attack your head, and he will crush your head." (Gen 3:15)
But that's another whole story of choices, isn't it?
Quotations from the NET Bible
A deeper Logic behind the Experiment
In the Beginning was the Word.
And that Word was Logos in Greek. Which gives us the word Logic.
And the Logos created the earth, and everything else that goes with it, and holds it in place and goes on and on sustaining it. And the existence of this Logos isn't provable. And the reasonably decent fit of the universal constants that keep us all hanging around here instead of flying apart or smashing together isn't a proof of that Logos - but it's consistent with it. And the fact that it happens if there were a small Universe we would never be here, and if there much more Universe we'd never be here, and there's just about the right amount of Carbon and Oxygen knocking around to enable organic life - and the way things keep on going just the way they're going and it's all kind of predictable and comprehensible - that's not a proof of the Logos, but it's consistent with it.
And this universe may be predictable, but it's not totally nice. There's a chunk of sadness in a creation where to produce carbon-base lifeforms, a star has to die. There's a chunk of cosmic irony in the way that the origins of life on our little blue-green planet depend on the cataclysmic events of the earth - volcanoes, lightning and earthquakes - which deal both life and death. But all, still, with that coherent, faithful logic that holds the universe together and holds the stars in their courses.
And if that were that, as humans evolved the sense to ask the question - why is there something here, not nothing? - then the answer would probably be pretty stark. We are the lab rats of a cold, doomed universe - or, as Frankie Boyle put it, we're a bunch of monkeys clinging to a dying rock. We're the thrown-off debris of a cosmic experiment in beauty and terror. We're here to run through out mazes, while the one who set up the Great Experiment, the one who makes the rules, inspects the notes on his clipboard and decides that the ones in the middle of the earth don't respond well to a lack of water.
But there's a story that goes, that the Word that holds the Universe together, decided to join the party. That the Logic behind the laws of nature made the rather odd decision to become subject to those laws. In a human body, the Logos joined those of us who grow, wonder at the world, try to understand it, suffer from some unexpected cataclysm - or just fall apart in the normal way. Not in the way that the Olympian gods would prance around, untouched and unharmed by the world. Not even the way Frankie and Benjy mouse hang around the lab, taking notes. No, the great Scientist became a genuine part of the experiment - the observer became the observed - a part of the trial.
And when that decision had been made, and the One who provides all logic became subject to the ones whose logic is all about power and fear, and he'd been in pain like we are, and thirsted like we do, and died like we do - that Logos showed us that there is a deeper logic. And it's a strange logic, that says that against all the one-way signs of entropy that show our world going from order to chaos, from Big Bang to long, slow, fizzle-out - while all nature dies, there's a hope beyond hope. One that says "Catch hold, and I'll pull you up. Cling on and I'll never let you go. Have patience, and I'm coming soon."
I've no idea how that final resolution will be - in this world when it is scoured by fire, folded like paper and laid out anew - when the dark, empty spaces and terrifying depths become the rolling plains of Eden. But it's enough for now to know that the Word's in it here with us - subject to his own deep logic, taking it all on and yet somehow holding it all up. And I'll wait for the day when the lion and the lamb lie down, and the light with which our faces shine is the light of reborn suns, shining with the light of the true Sun.
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ERROR: type should be string, got "https://drpandatv.weebly.com/\nNebulized Peroxide A Simple Treatment for COVID-19\nDr. Mercola Interviews the Experts\nThis article is part of a weekly series in which Dr. Mercola interviews various experts on a variety of health issues. To see more expert interviews, click here.\nDr. David Brownstein, who has a clinic just outside of Detroit, Michigan, has successfully treated over 200 patients with what has become my favorite intervention for COVID-19 and other upper respiratory infections, namely nebulized hydrogen peroxide.\nA peer-reviewed consecutive case series of 107 COVID-19 patients treated with nebulized peroxide and other remedies, including oral vitamins A, C and D, iodine, intravenous hydrogen peroxide and iodine as well as intravenous (IV) vitamin C, along with intramuscular ozone, was published in the July 2020 issue of Science, Public Health Policy, and the Law.1 All patients survived.\nNebulized Peroxide and Iodine\nAt the time of this interview, the number of patients successfully treated with these all-natural strategies exceeds 230, and he has now published a book describing his approach, titled “A Holistic Approach to Viruses.”\n“[Among] our [COVID-19] patients, we've had no deaths,” he says. “We've had a couple of hospitalizations, but much smaller than should be for the reported statistics. And we're still using the same protocol we've been using for 25 plus years for flu and flu-like illnesses.\nA patient I called over the weekend told me ‘There are two things out of what you gave me that I could tell really made me feel better.’ I gave him the whole protocol of oral vitamin A, C, D and iodine and nebulized peroxide and iodine.\nHe said, ‘I forgot to use the iodine the first day or two. When you asked me about it, I re-added it back in orally. That made the difference. My mucus thinned out, my breathing was better. I forgot to put the iodine in the nebulizer [too], and [when] I did both at the same time — the oral iodine and the nebulized hydrogen peroxide with iodine — everything cleared up …’\nHis breathing was 80%, 90% better shortly after the first or second dose of iodine. He's another success story that we've had, which is supporting people's immune systems during these viral illness times … I would implore my colleagues to add iodine into whatever regimen you're using to treating patients who are ill with flu-like illnesses such as COVID-19.”\nEarly Treatment Virtually Eliminates Long-Haul Syndrome\nIn my recent interview with Dr. Vladimir Zelenko, in which we discuss hydroxychloroquine treatment, he pointed out that none of the patients treated within the first five days of symptom onset went on to develop long-haul syndrome.\nThis has by and large been Brownstein experience as well. Of the initial 107 patients included in his case report, 2% developed long-haul syndrome. This is in stark contrast to the 20% to 40% reported elsewhere, he notes.\n“The huge disaster of COVID-19 that history will tell someday is the powers that be telling us there's nothing we can do. Just stay home, lock yourself in your basement, quarantine yourself from your family, wear your mask, social distance — that's it. No therapies, no nothing, just wait till the vaccine comes out.\nThis has resulted in over 400,000 deaths. Maybe the death numbers are exaggerated, but a lot of people have died because the governments and the powers that be, the AMA and everybody else out there, have said ‘There's nothing you can offer’ and ‘Don't offer anything because it hasn't gone through randomized, double blind, placebo controlled studies … and if doctors do it, we're going to censor them and hold them accountable.’ That's been the biggest disaster of this whole thing,” Brownstein says.\nMost Are Deficient in Basic Immune Boosters\nIt’s important to recognize as long as your immune system is up to par, your body can overcome most if not all viral invaders. And, your immune system function is dependent on proper nutrition, not drugs or vaccines. Brownstein’s use of nutritional supplements and other immune boosting strategies goes back decades, well before there were antiviral drugs available.\nHe points out that a vast majority of people have low levels of vitamin C, for example, which helps both your innate and adaptive immune systems. About 90% of his patients are also deficient in vitamin D, which is another crucial immune regulator. You have vitamin D receptors in both your innate and adaptive immune systems. Vitamin D deficiency is also associated with sepsis.\nMany are also deficient in vitamin A. Here, the devil’s in the details. Beta carotene is a water-soluble form of vitamin A that does not provide the immune boosting benefits of vitamin A. For that, you need the fat-soluble form. So, make sure you’re taking emulsified vitamin A.\n“Beta carotene does not provide the immune system affects vitamin A does,” Brownstein says. “Vitamin A helps minimize cytokine storm. It helps minimize the inflammatory factors … It helps to lower TNF alpha. And the white blood cells need vitamin A as an integral part of their functioning. So, it helps both the innate and the adaptive immune systems fight back.”\nVitamins A, C, D and Iodine\nFor decades now, Brownstein has prescribed vitamins A, C and D to his patients, and at the first signs of illness, he instructs them to jack up the dosages to 100,000 units of vitamin A and 50,000 units of vitamin D3 per day for four days, along with 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C per hour during waking hours until symptoms recede.\n“Those were the first three things I did,” he says. “What I found was that when people got the flu or flu-like illness, and they started taking these three things immediately they would get better in 24 hours. It was amazing.\nA few years later, I learned about iodine and started testing, and found 97% of people are deficient in iodine. The vast majority markedly deficient, meeting WHO standards of severely deficient in iodine. So, I added iodine into that protocol.\nMy average dose of iodine for most people is — if they don't have glandular problems like problems with the breasts, prostates, thyroid, pancreas, ovaries, uterus — about 12.5 milligrams a day. If they have problems with those glands, it would be more.\nThe average dose of iodine over the years that I've had my patients on is 25 milligrams a day. And it's a combination of iodine and iodide, which is found in Lugol's solution. That was quickly added into that four-part regimen, and that made a huge difference. People liked that. They felt better with it.”\nAs time went on, he discovered case histories describing the treatment of pneumonia, bronchitis and other lung problems with nebulized iodine. As a result, he added that into his antiviral regimen as well.\nIf you’re using 5% Lugol’s solution, simply add one drop to your nebulizer after filling it with the diluted peroxide solution. If you’re using 2% Lugol’s solution, which is available over the counter, add two drops. Of course, this should be done with a doctor’s consultation.\nIV Peroxide, Vitamin C and Ozone\nA few years after that, he came across hydrogen peroxide, which can be used both intravenously and in a nebulizer. The fact that your body naturally produces huge amounts of hydrogen peroxide in all cells can clue you in to its importance.\n“I started using IV and nebulized peroxide, and I mixed the nebulized peroxide with a nebulized iodine in one solution. For people developing lung problems, pneumonia, lung cancer or COPD, if they were coughing, couldn’t breathe, if they were wheezing and things like that, adding nebulized hydrogen peroxide at 0.04% dilution and one drop of 5% Lugol's solution, which supplies 6.25 milligrams of iodine, really helped a lot of people out.”\nEventually, he started adding in IV vitamin C, hydrogen peroxide and ozone therapy. When COVID-19 broke out the winter of 2020, Brownstein decided to try this basic antiviral protocol, finding it worked just as well against SARS-CoV-2 infection as any other viral infection.\nDuring the first wave in March and April 2020, none of the staff that continued working fell ill. Eventually, one staff member got sick, triggering a cascade of infection among the staff. All were treated and all successfully recovered. “Now we have a herd immunity office,” Brownstein says. “Eighty-seven percent of us have antibodies to COVID-19.”\nNebulized Peroxide Basics\nI've embraced nebulized peroxide since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and have received many anecdotal reports from people who have successfully used it, even at more advanced stages. Based on Brownstein’s experience, I now also recommend adding iodine when nebulizing, as it appears to make it even more effective.\nKeep in mind that the peroxide needs to be diluted with saline. I recommend diluting it down to 0.1%. Brownstein recommends diluting it to 0.04%. Tom Levy recommends 3% and higher. Ideally, use food grade hydrogen peroxide, as it does not have any harmful stabilizers. If you pre-dilute to 0.04%, it will stay potent for about three months when kept refrigerated. If you do a 0.1% dilution, it may stay potent a bit longer.\nIf you don’t have access to saline, you could make your own by mixing one teaspoon of unprocessed salt (such as Himalayan salt, Celtic salt or Redmond's real salt) into a pint of water. This will give you a 0.9% saline solution, which is about the concentration found in body fluids. Using that saline, you will then dilute the hydrogen peroxide as described in this chart.\nDo not mix the peroxide with straight distilled water, as this could potentially cause physiological damage. You need the salt in there. You can, however, make your saline using distilled water.\nUsing small amounts of peroxide, either IV or nebulizer, only has a good clinical effect. I do not see negative effects with it. ~ Dr. David Brownstein\nAlso, to optimize your benefits, be sure to buy an electric tabletop jet nebulizer. The battery-driven handheld versions simply aren’t as effective. As Brownstein points out, in nearly all cases where patients were not getting better, they were using a handheld nebulizer. Once they got a more powerful version that can drive the peroxide deep into the lungs, the treatment started working as it should.\nI strongly recommend buying everything you need beforehand, so that you can treat yourself or your family at a moment’s notice. You don’t want to wait days for your order to arrive before starting treatment.\nMechanisms of Action\nWhat is it about hydrogen peroxide that makes this nebulizing treatment work so well? Obviously, regular peroxide is a topical disinfectant that kills viruses on contact. But it also seems to have a secondary messenger effect. Brownstein explains:\n“It's an oxidative therapy. We're kind of all conditioned that antioxidants are good and oxidants are bad, but really, you need a balance of them. It's called a redox. It's like a teeter-totter. You need oxidants to stimulate the breakdown of old cells, old and injured tissue, and you need antioxidants to stimulate the repair of those old cells and old tissues.\nSo, the oxidants do have a benefit. They stimulate the redox pathway, and what I think we're getting with hydrogen peroxide, ozone and high-dose vitamin C is that you're stimulating this redox pathway to move electrons around.\nWhen you move electrons around you can make energy molecules, ATP, you can stimulate repair cells and STEM cells and get things moving again. The human body produces a tremendous amount of peroxide. It's produced all over the body in every cell. If this was an oxidant therapy that's dangerous, why would we produce so much of it?\nUsing small amounts of peroxide, either IV or nebulizer, only has a good clinical effect. I do not see negative effects with it. [Vitamin C also] stimulates peroxide production when you use high doses.”\nAside from having antiviral effects, nebulizing peroxide will also improve oxygenation and breathing in general, and can be very helpful for smokers. This makes sense as peroxide breaks down in your body into water and oxygen. Brownstein believes it also has a detoxifying effect on the lungs.\nIt’s interesting to note that Brownstein and his colleagues never used any of the drug regimens that many doctors swear by, such as ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine.\nWhile he has looked at the scientific literature, noting there’s ample evidence to support their use and safety, all of his patients recovered without them, so he never resorted to prescribing either of them. Brownstein didn’t even use zinc, which is a staple nutritional intervention for viral infections.\nFor patients who travel and worry about contracting COVID-19, he simply reminds them to bring their nebulizer, properly diluted hydrogen peroxide and iodine. That way, they can nebulize when they get to their destination, which should effectively kill off any pathogens they might have been exposed to during their travels.\nRemedies to Avoid\nAside from knowing what to take and what to do, it’s also important to know what to avoid. Examples include Tamiflu which, when it works, may reduce symptomatic illness for only a couple of hours at best, while having significant side effect risks. Brownstein also advises against Tylenol and other antipyretics such as aspirin and ibuprofen. The reason for this is because you don't want to suppress your body's ability to mount a fever. Brownstein explains:\n“Fever is there for a purpose. We were designed perfectly to survive viral illnesses, to live to old age and have a good brain function into old age. If we support the body, if we give it the basic nutrients it needs and the basic raw materials and support that it needs, it can do really cool things.\nThe problem is, in the toxic world we live in, enzymes are poisoned and receptors are blocked. We take all these drugs that poison enzymes and block receptors. Fever is your friend and the fever's there for a reason. Bacteria and viruses don't like a raised body temperature. That's why the body raises the temperature during an infection.\nIt's trying to make the environment inhospitable for a pathogen. So, the worst thing you can do in that situation, unless the fever is too high — a fever over 103 degrees Fahrenheit, maybe 103.5 104 F., can cause brain problems and seizures and you can die from a fever.\nBut most people don't get fevers up that high when they're sick. They get low grade fevers, 99.5 to maybe 101, 102 F. I tell patients, don't take anything for that. Just support the body and let it do its thing.\nYou can control your temperature much better than using antipyretics like Tylenol or ibuprofen by taking a tepid bath or sponge bathing with tepid water. A bath with Epsom salts was very helpful for my COVID patients, and it's been helpful for other viral illnesses over the years.”\nThe Problem With Tylenol\nTylenol in particular is also problematic for other reasons. Importantly, it poisons the enzyme that makes glutathione, a very potent antioxidant that your body produces intracellularly. When you’re dealing with a bacterial or viral infection, you want your body to make more glutathione to support affected cells. If you take Tylenol, you block that process.\n“Tylenol also has a very narrow window of toxicity, meaning that if you go over the recommended dose on the label, but not by much, you can get Tylenol toxicity. The liver starts to break down and people die from this,” Brownstein warns.\n“The treatment for Tylenol toxicity is intravenous N-acetylcysteine (NAC), which is the precursor to making glutathione. So, I tell my patients to avoid taking Tylenol. I really made a point of it with COVID-19, because they needed glutathione production.\nAnd as far as Motrin and ibuprofen and aspirin goes, at the beginning of the crisis, I saw three patients who told me when they took the first dose of Motrin for a fever, they collapsed, their system went to hell, they had trouble breathing. Everything got worse an hour or two after that first dose of ibuprofen.\nThere was an early article that hypothesized taking ibuprofen and NSAIDs might make COVID-19 worse because it can affect the ACE2 receptor and make the virus more likely to latch onto it. That hasn't really been proven. I think it's more [because] you're blocking the body's natural fever response and it's just not a good thing to do.”\nBrownstein stresses that it’s not just about taking certain supplements or nebulizing when you’re ill. You also need to clean up your diet. The best treatment is prevention, which you’ll achieve through proper diet and a healthy lifestyle on a daily basis.\nThat said, when you do get acutely ill, if you haven’t already eliminated processed foods, which are loaded with sugar and harmful fats, omega-6 linoleic acid (LA) in particular, that’s the time to do it.\nResearch actually suggests hydrogenated LA can radically increase your risk for COVID-19 because the LA is part of the strategy the SARS COV-2 virus uses to infect your cells. I describe this in “The Type of Fat You Eat Affects Your COVID Risk.” So, you’ll want to dramatically limit vegetable oils and other sources of LA and focus on organic whole foods.\nTogether, eating “clean” and addressing any nutritional deficiencies you may have (and testing is the best way to go about determining that) can go a long way toward preventing severe infections. As noted by Brownstein:\n“You have to have a strong immune system. A better immune system is going to fight whatever you're confronted with. And look, SARS COVID-2 is here now. There's going to be SARS-CoV-3, CoV-4 or CoV-5 or some other illness that's out there, so, we got to have a strong immune system.”\nTo learn more, be sure to pick up a copy of “A Holistic Approach to Viruses.” You can also find more information about iodine, ozone therapy and much more on his website, www.DrBrownstein.com.\nfrom https://ift.tt/3emMIM1\nCheck out https://drpandatv.weebly.com/\nThank you so very much! Love, Peace, and Blessings.\nI'm new to nebulizing. I see the dilutions above, but how much, how long, and how often?\nCynthia Saab\nwant to know how often to nebulize with hydrogen peroxide for covid\ngodelieve m danker link\nI have erythrodermic psoriasis and take a biologic for it for about 3 years now and it has kept the disease in remission. I fear getting a vaccine. I don't know which I fear more - erythrodermic psoriasis or covid-19l The last time that I was extremely ill with this disease, along with all it's horrible symptoms, it gave me congestive heart failure and worsened my lung conditions. As an autoimmune disease it attacks my skin cells and the vaccine lowers my immune system even more. What am I to do. My dermatologist tells me it is a very rare condition and that he has gone his whole career without every coming across another person who has. Apparently, only 2 % of people with psoriasis have it. He frankly tells me that the choice is mine but that there really is not enough know about this topic. Would hydrogen peroxide be a safe alternative for me given my history> Thank you Godelieve Danker\nHerna Linda\nI want to say a very big thank you to Doctor Patrick for helping with natural cure medicines for epilepsy, I used the medicines for one month only and I was cured totally from epilepsy and its over eight months now, I haven't experienced or had any seizure, I wantto say thank you once more again Doctor Patrick for what you have done for me, his email contact is herbalmedicalhome@gmail.com +2348021312463\nGrace Allday\nI want to say a very big thank you to Doctor Patrick for helping with natural cure medicines for epilepsy, I used the medicines for one month only and I was cured totally from epilepsy and its over eight months now, I haven't experienced or had any seizure, I want to say thank you once more again Doctor Patrick for what you have done for me, his email contact is herbalmedicalhome@gmail.com +2348021312463\nThanks for the very detailed information....very helpful.\nLeslie Strobel\nHow many nebulizer treatments of the peroxide and iodine are you to take daily, if you have Covid ?\nROBIN C JOHNSON link\nI read it says every hour the first day then 3 hours then 6 and so on I'm going to have my friend do it every hour he's awake for the first day or 24 hours, then every 3 the second day and then 6hours until he feels better.\nwhat about the iodine, what's the name and where do you get it from.? my friend is very sick, he's run out of the tubes for the nebulizer, so I'm going to try the H202 as I've heard of this before..\nI used J Crow's Lugol\"s Iodine. When I googled it just now it showed Walmart carrying it, but I sent away for it several months ago.\nI finally found some Lugol,s at the Vitamin shop. Thank you so much\nAnn Morton\nwhere do you get the iodine and saline\nSara Ritter link\nCan you please tell me exactly how many teaspoons or American measurement of 3% food grade peroxide to add to 1 cup of saline for nebulizing? I don’t understand the table above. Dr Mercola mentions precise measurement for sea salt and water to make saline, , but the peroxide ratio to add to this is never clear to me." |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Hi My Mother is 57 years old and she has breathing problem i mean difficult breathing. Carried out some tests, in Renal function test Blood urea is 126 mg/dl and serum Creatinine is 2.1 mg/dl also Serum Electrolytes sodium is 118 mmol/L and Potassium is 6.9 mmol/L what i can do best plz help i am too much worried?
t to do for breathing problem? output: Thanks for your question on HCM. I can understand your mother 's situation and problem. By her reports, in my opinion she is having breathing difficulty due to renal (kidney) failure. All the reports, high urea, high creatinine, low sodium and high potassium, favour possibility of renal failure. In renal failure, ability of kidneys to excrete water and other harmful substance is reduced. So there is metabolic acidosis and fluid retention in the body. This fluid can accumulate in lungs and pleural cavity. These causes Pulmonary edema and pleural effusion respectively. Both these cause breathing difficulty. So better to consult nephrologist and start appropriate treatment for her renal failure. Hyperkalemia (high potassium) can be fatal due to cardiac side effects, so immediate treatment is required for this. Hope I have solved your query. I will be happy to help you further. Wishing good health to your mother. Thanks... |
Secondary Library Highlights - November 2019
Secondary Library Highlights - November 2019: Home
This is a small selection of books that have arrived in the library in the past month. The UWCSEA Community should login to Destiny to locate the books in the library and check availability. All reviews are written by the publishers.
For complete lists of new arrivals check out the November- New Arrivals.
Middle Years Books
No Place Like Here by Christina June
Call Number: S\June
Life leads you to unexpected places. Love brings you home.
Ashlyn Zanotti has big plans for the summer. She's just spent a year at boarding school and can't wait to get home. But when Ashlyn's father is arrested for tax evasion and her mother enters a rehab facility for "exhaustion," a.k.a. depression, her life is turned upside down. The cherry on top? Ashlyn's father sends her to work with a cousin she doesn't even know at a rustic team-building retreat center in the middle of nowhere. With a dangerously careless camp manager doling out grunt work, an overbearing father trying to control her even from prison, and more than a little boy drama to struggle with, the summer is full of challenges. And Ashlyn must make the toughest decision of her life: keep quiet and follow her dad's marching orders, or find the courage to finally stand up to her father to have any hope of finding her way back home.
Click by Kayla Miller
Call Number: S\GB Miller
For fans of Smile and Real Friends comes a debut graphic novel about friendship and finding where you "click" in middle school.
Olive wants to get in on the act . . . . . . Any act! Olive "clicks" with everyone in the fifth grade--until one day she doesn't. When a school variety show leaves Olive stranded without an act to join, she begins to panic, wondering why all her friends have already formed their own groups . . . without her. With the performance drawing closer by the minute, will Olive be able to find her own place in the show before the curtain comes up? A heartfelt and insightful story about navigating friendships, leaning on family, and learning to take the stage in the most important role of all.
Free Lunch by Rex Ogle
Call Number: S\ 362.70 Ogle
A distinctive new voice: Rex Ogle's story of starting middle school on the free lunch program is timely, heartbreaking, and true.
Rex Ogle recounts his first semester in sixth grade in which he and his younger brother often went hungry, wore secondhand clothes, and were short of school supplies and he was on his school's free lunch program. Grounded in the immediacy of physical hunger and the humiliation of having to announce it every day in the school lunch line, Rex's is a compelling story of a more profound hunger -- that of a child for his parents' love and care.
The Toll by Neal Shusterman
Call Number: S\SERIES ARC #3
The explosive conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Arc of a Scythe series.
Citra and Rowan have disappeared. Endura is gone. It seems like nothing stands between Scythe Goddard and absolute dominion over the world scythedom. With the silence of the Thunderhead and the reverberations of the Great Resonance still shaking the earth to its core, the question remains: Is there anyone left who can stop him?
The answer lies in the Tone, the Toll, and the Thunder.
A Place Called Perfect by Helena Duggan
Call Number: S\ Duggan
They've got their eyes on you: a quirky, creepy and unforgettable adventure, perfect for fans of Roald Dahl, Neil Gaiman and Tim Burton.
Violet never wanted to move to Perfect. Who wants to live in a town where everyone has to wear glasses to stop them going blind? And who wants to be tidy and perfectly behaved all the time? Violet quickly discovers there's something weird going on - her mam is acting strange and her dad has disappeared. When she meets Boy, she realises that her dad is not the only person to have vanished and that the mysterious Watchers are guarding a creepy secret.
Pennies for Hitler by Jackie French
Call Number: S\French
The companion book for Hitler's Daughter, Pennies For Hitler examines the life of a child during World War 2, from a different perspective.
Georg is the son of an English academic living in Germany when Hitler comes to power. When the Second World War breaks out, and his father is killed, Georg is smuggled to London and then sent across the ocean to safety in Australia. Living in the country with an Australian family, Georg becomes George, and tries to forget his past in order to survive.
The Dog Runner by Bren MacDibble
Call Number: S\ MacDibble
A compelling adventure that underlines the depth of ancient knowledge and the human ingenuity which will ultimately give tomorrow's generations hope of averting ultimate global disaster.
Ella and her brother Emery are alone in a city that's starving to death. If they are going to survive, they must get away, upcountry, to find Emery's mum. But how can two kids travel such big distances across a dry, barren, and dangerous landscape? Well, when you've got five big doggos and a dry-land dogsled, the answer is you go mushing. But when Emery is injured, Ella must find a way to navigate them through rough terrain, and even rougher encounters with desperate people.
The Battle of Hackham Heath by John Flanagan
Call Number: S\ Flanagan (EAR #2)
John Flanagan, author of the bestselling Ranger's Apprentice fantasy adventure epic, delivers a second prequel to Ruins of Gorlan, the novel that started it all, with Halt and Crowley preparing for war against a near-unstoppable enemy
When Baron Morgarath escaped to avoid punishment for treason, an uneasy peace fell on Araluen. But the Rangers know Morgarath will be planning his next move. King Duncan must prepare for war. Halt volunteers for a seemingly impossible task - climbing the deadly cliffs of the Mountains of Rain and Night and venturing deep into enemy territory to spy on Morgarath. Meanwhile, Crowley must ensure the Queen's safety as she undertakes her own perilous journey for the sake of her unborn child. Morgarath's force of savage, inhuman Wargals seems unstoppable against Duncan's depleted army. One wrong move could mean defeat. At the Battle of Hackham Heath, the fate of a Kingdom will be decided.
Rebels With a Cause by James Patterson
Call Number: S\ Patterson (MAX #2)
The second book in the Max Einstein series by James Patterson. Just a day in the life of the Change Makers Institute's top agent!
A village outside Mumbai is having a water crisis that only a group of kid geniuses can fix - so Max and her friends travel to India. But it's hard to save the world when you're trying not to be kidnapped by a greedy corporation that profits when others suffer - and seems to know your every move. It's almost like the bad guys have a spy inside the Change Makers...
The Royal Rabbits of London by Santa Montefiore; Simon Sebag Montefiore; Kate Hindley (Illustrator)
Call Number: S\ Montefiore (ROY #1)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH meets Warriors in this charming novel that proves that even the smallest rabbit can be the biggest hero
Shylo has always been the runt of the litter, the weakest and quietest of all of his family. His siblings spend their days making fun of him for not being like the rest of them. But when Shylo stumbles across a band of ratzis and overhears their evil plan to take a photo of the Queen in her nightie, it's up to this unlikely hero to travel to London and inform the Royal Rabbits of London about the diabolical plot! The Royal Rabbits of London have a proud history of protecting the royal family and now the secret society need to leap into action to stop the ratzis... But can a rabbit as feeble and shy as Shylo convince them that Queen is in danger?
Unstoppable by Dan Freedman
Call Number: S\Freedman
Fourteen-year-old twins, Roxy and Kaine, have only one thing in common.They HATE each other.Can they come together before it's too late?
Fourteen-year-old twins, Kaine and Roxy, used to be close, but now they can hardly bear to be in the same room. Roxy hates the way her brother behaves - Kaine might be brilliant at football but he's always in trouble and cares nothing about his family. And Kaine despises the way his supposedly-perfect sister, dominates their parents in her ambition to reach Wimbledon. But the twins are both hiding dangerous secrets of their own, secrets that could destroy everything they are working towards - and both Roxy and Kaine's survival hangs precariously in the balance.
The Way Past Winter by Kiran MIllwood Hargrave
Call Number: S\ Hargrave
A story of eternal winter based on a Slavic folktale.
When Mila's brother disappears, she believes he's been taken by the Bear, a hooded stranger of legend who sought shelter at their home. Mila and her sisters follow his trail into the frozen north, determined to find a way past winter and bring their brother home.
Reckoning by Barry Jonsberg
Call Number: S\ Jonsberg (PAN #3)
The third book in the hugely compelling Pandora Jones series. Pan and her friends face off against the might of The School as the final pieces fall into place.
Pandora Jones's problems appear insurmountable. She must convince her team that nothing is as it seems and that they must escape and expose The School to save the world from the plague she unwittingly inflicted on it. The only things Pan has on her side are her gift of intuition, and her belief in the people she cares about. But with the clock ticking, can she find a way to stop the plague, and should she do it at any cost?
Rebel by Marie Lu
Call Number: S\SERIES LEG #4
Marie Lu creates another fantastic world of Legend for an unforgettable finale.
As Day and Eden struggle with who they've become since their time in the Republic, a new danger creeps into the distance between them, and Eden finds himself drawn into Ross City's dark side, where his legendary brother may not be able to save him.
All Summer Long by Hope Larson
Call Number: S\GB Larson
A coming-of-age middle-grade graphic novel about summer and friendships.
Thirteen-year-old Bina has a long summer ahead of her. She and her best friend, Austin, usually do everything together, but he's off to soccer camp for a month, and he's been acting kind of weird lately anyway. So it's up Bina to see how much fun she can have on her own. At first, it's a lot of boredom, bad TV and guitar practice. Things look up when Bina finds an un-likely companion in Austin's older sister, Charlie--they like the same music, and Charlie actually seems to think Bina is cool. But then Austin comes home from camp acting weirder then when he left.
Darkness on the Edge of Town by Adam Christopher
Call Number: S\ Christopher (STR #2)
For fans of the popular television show Stranger Things.
Chief Jim Hopper reveals long-awaited secrets to Eleven about his old life as a police detective in New York City, confronting his past before the events of the hit show Stranger Things.
Kelly and the Krumps by Ken Kwek
Call Number: S\ Kwek
In his second children’s novel, Ken Kwek takes a hard—and funny—look at teens beset with academic pressures and technology overload.
Kelly Mao has got quite the headache: her tiger mum is threatening to ground her, her tuition timetable barely gives her time to eat, and she suspects her twin brother is up to something. On top of everything, the PSLE is looming! When the pressure gets too intense, Kelly decides to secretly join a dance crew called the Krumps, but slowly she gets entangled in her brother’s troubles with an evil genius named Fang Boy.
The Tyrant's Bomb by Rick Riordan
Call Number: S\SERIES TRI #4
You will get to the Tiber alive. You will start to Jive.
The former God Apollo is having a pretty rough time of it. Well, for one thing, he's called Lester. But being an awkward mortal teenager is the least of his worries. Though he and his friends (some of them) have emerged from the Burning Maze, they still have a triumvirate to defeat, oracles to rescue, and prophecies to decipher, so that the world may be saved, and Lester can become Apollo once again. But, right now, Caligula is sailing to San Francisco to deal with Camp Jupiter personally, and they have to get their first. Or risk its destruction . . .
Rated by Melissa Grey
Call Number: S/Grey
The ratings are real. One number, 0 to 100, determines your place in society. Earn a high rating, and the world is yours for the taking. But fall to zero, and you may as well cease to exist.
For the students at the prestigious Maplethorpe Academy, every single thing they do is reflected in their ratings, updated daily and available for all to see. But when an act of vandalism sullies the front doors of the school, it sets off a chain reaction that will shake the lives of six special students -- and the world beyond.
Young Adult and Mature Books
Frankly in Love by David Yoon
Call Number: S\ Yoon (FRA #1)
Two friends. One fake dating scheme. What could possibly go wrong?
Frank Li has two names. There's Frank Li, his American name. Then there's Sung-Min Li, his Korean name. No one uses his Korean name, not even his parents. Frank barely speaks any Korean. He was born and raised in Southern California. Even so, his parents still expect him to end up with a nice Korean girl--which is a problem, since Frank is finally dating the girl of his dreams: Brit Means. As Frank falls in love for the very first time, he's forced to confront the fact that while his parents sacrificed everything to raise him in the land of opportunity, their traditional expectations don't leave a lot of room for him to be a regular American teen. Desperate to be with Brit without his parents finding out, Frank turns to family friend Joy Song, who is in a similar bind. Together, they come up with a plan to help each other and keep their parents off their backs. Frank thinks he's found the solution to all his problems, but when life throws him a curveball, he's left wondering whether he ever really knew anything about love--or himself--at all.
Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson
Call Number: S\ Jackson
Three Brooklyn teens plot to turn their murdered friend into a major rap star by pretending he's still alive.
Brooklyn, 1998. Biggie Smalls was right: Things done changed. But that doesn't mean that Quadir and Jarrell are cool letting their best friend Steph's music lie forgotten under his bed after he's murdered--not when his rhymes could turn any Bed Stuy corner into a party. With the help of Steph's younger sister Jasmine, they come up with a plan to promote Steph's music under a new rap name: the Architect. Soon, everyone wants a piece of him. When his demo catches the attention of a hotheaded music label rep, the trio must prove Steph's talent from beyond the grave. As the pressure of keeping their secret grows, Quadir, Jarrell, and Jasmine are forced to confront the truth about what happened to Steph. Only, each has something to hide. And with everything riding on Steph's fame, they need to decide what they stand for or lose all that they've worked so hard to hold on to--including each other.
18 Walls by Xue Shen Teo
Call Number: S\ Teo
This action-packed Singapore Lit thriller follows a squad of 18-year-olds who must fight an army of Savages in a war they did not choose.
Ren is an elite fighter who feels no emotions. That makes him the perfect soldier to battle the Savages, a feral army of half-animal, half-human species prowling outside the 18 walls protecting the city...at least that’s what the propaganda machine will have him believe. He and his motley squad are armed with genetic enhancements before venturing beyond the walls. They come to learn more about themselves and their enemies than they could have ever imagined.
80/20 Running by Matt Fitzgerald
Call Number: S\ 613.71 Fitzgerald
Learn how to transform your workouts to maximise your results without burnout.
Running and fitness expert Matt Fitzgerald explains how the 80/20 running program--in which you do 80 percent of runs at a lower intensity and just 20 percent at a higher intensity--is the best change runners of all abilities can make to improve their performance. With a thorough examination of the science and research behind this training method, 80/20 Running is a hands-on guide for runners of all levels with training programs for 5K, 10K, half-marathon, and marathon distances
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
Call Number: S\ Lee
A powerful novel about identity, betrayal, and the meaning of family.
By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address some of society's ills, but she's not prepared for the backlash that follows when her column challenges fixed ideas about race and gender. While her opponents clamor to uncover the secret identity of Miss Sweetie, a mysterious letter sets Jo off on a search for her own past and the parents who abandoned her as a baby. But when her efforts put her in the crosshairs of Atlanta's most notorious criminal, Jo must decide whether she, a girl used to living in the shadows, is ready to step into the light.
Call Number: S\ Emezi
An extraordinary debut novel, Freshwater explores the surreal experience of having a fractured self.
Ada has always been unusual. Her parents prayed her into existence, but something must have gone awry. Their troubled child begins to develop separate selves and is prone to fits of anger and grief.When Ada grows up and heads to college in America, a traumatic event crystallises the selves into something more powerful. As Ada fades into the background of her own mind, these 'alters' - now protective, now hedonistic - take control, shifting her life in a dangerous direction.
Hello Girls by Brittany Cavallaro; Emily Henry
Call Number: S\ Cavallaro
Two teenage girls who have had enough of the controlling men in their lives take their rage on the road to make a new life for themselves.
Winona has been starving for life in the seemingly perfect home that she shares with her seemingly perfect father, celebrity weatherman Stormy Olsen. No one knows that he locks the pantry door to control her eating and leaves bruises where no one can see them. Lucille has been suffocating beneath the needs of her mother and her drug-dealing brother, wondering if there's more out there for her than disappearing waitress tips and a lifetime of barely getting by. One harrowing night, Winona and Lucille realize they can't wait until graduation to start their new lives. They need out. Now. One hour later, they're armed with a plan that will take them from their small Michigan town to Chicago. All they need is three grand, fast. And really, a stolen convertible can't hurt. Chased by the oppression, toxicity, and powerlessness that has held them down, Winona and Lucille must reclaim their strength if they are going to make their daring escape--and get away with it.
Homeless by Liyana DHamirah
Call Number: S\BIOGRAPHY 921 Dhamirah
Ten years ago, Liyana Dhamirah was in a precarious situation: at 22, she was heavily pregnant and had no place to call home in Singapore.
For Liyana, home was often unstable. Once a bright teenager full of optimism, she faced uncertainty and found no support from family, government agencies and welfare groups. She had nowhere to go, no one to turn to. When she started living on a beach in Sembawang, she discovered a community of people — families — who were homeless just like her. They stuck together and watched out for each other, even when there were raids. She learned that in prosperous Singapore, the homeless are not always identifiable by appearance alone. Months later, journalists eventually uncovered Liyana’s story and how she navigated a bureaucracy of obstacles. Today she is a successful entrepreneur and this is her memoir.
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell
Call Number: S\GB Rowell
a smart and swoony Rainbow Rowell romance in full colour graphic novel form, about two teens discovering what it means to leave behind a place - and a person - with no regrets.
Deja and Josiah are seasonal best friends. Every autumn, all through high school, they've worked together at the world's best pumpkin patch. They say good-bye every Halloween, and they're reunited every September 1. But this Halloween is different. Josiah and Deja are finally seniors. It's their last season at the Patch, their last shift together--their last good-bye. Josie's ready to spend the whole night feeling melancholy about it. (He's the melancholy type.) But Deja has a plan: What if, instead of moping and instead of the usual--slinging lima beans down at the Succotash Hut--they went out with a bang? They could see all the sights! Taste all the snacks! Maybe Josie could even talk to that cute girl he's been mooning over for three years ... What if their last shift was an adventure?
The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert
Call Number: S\ Colbert
For fans of Nina LaCour and Nicola Yoon comes a novel about first love and secrets from Stonewall Book Award winner Brandy Colbert.
Dove "Birdie" Randolph works hard to be the perfect daughter and follow the path her parents have laid out for her: She quit playing her beloved soccer, she keeps her nose buried in textbooks, and she's on track to finish high school at the top of her class. But then Birdie falls hard for Booker, a sweet boy with a troubled past...whom she knows her parents will never approve of. When her estranged aunt Carlene returns to Chicago and moves into the family's apartment above their hair salon, Birdie notices the tension building at home. Carlene is sweet, friendly, and open-minded--she's also spent decades in and out of treatment facilities for addiction. As Birdie becomes closer to both Booker and Carlene, she yearns to spread her wings. But when long-buried secrets rise to the surface, everything she's known to be true is turned upside down.
Wires and Nerve by Marissa Meyer; Douglas Holgate (Illustrator)
Call Number: S\GB Meyer (WIR #1)
In her first graphic novel, bestselling author Marissa Meyer extends the world of the Lunar Chronicles with a brand-new, action-packed story about Iko, the android with a heart of (mechanized) gold.
When rogue packs of wolf-hybrid soldiers threaten the tenuous peace alliance between Earth and Luna, Iko takes it upon herself to hunt down the soldiers' leader. She is soon working with a handsome royal guard who forces her to question everything she knows about love, loyalty, and her own humanity. When rogue packs of wolf-hybrid soldiers threaten the tenuous peace alliance between Earth and Luna, Iko takes it upon herself to hunt down the soldiers' leader. She is soon working with a handsome royal guard who forces her to question everything she knows about love, loyalty, and her own humanity. With appearances by Cinder, Cress, Scarlet, Winter, and the rest of the Rampion crew.
Last of Her Name by Jessica Khoury
Call Number: S\ Khoury
A gripping story of royalty and rebellion, coursing across a far-away star system like a trail of jewels.
Sixteen years ago, rebellion swept the galaxy known as the Belt of Jewels. Every member of the Leonov royal family was murdered--down to their youngest child, Princess Anya--making way for the Union government to seize power. But Stacia doesn't think much about politics. She spends her days half-wild, rambling her father's vineyard with her friends, Clio and Pol. That all changes when a Union ship appears burning through the sky, bearing the leader of the Union, the Direktor Eminent himself, who declares that Stacia's sleepy village is a den of empire loyalists. Even more shocking, the Direktor claims that Princess Anya Leonova is alive--and Stacia is the lost princess As their home explodes into chaos, Pol smuggles Stacia to a hidden escape ship, leaving Clio in the hands of the Union. With everything she knows threading away into the stars, Stacia sets her heart on a single mission: She will find and rescue Clio, even with the whole galaxy on her trail.
Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz
Call Number: S\Gratz
critically acclaimed author Alan Gratz returns with another gripping World War II story, this time about a spy in the Hitler Youth.
Infiltrate. Befriend. Sabotage. World War II is raging. Michael O'Shaunessey, originally from Ireland, now lives in Nazi Germany with his parents. Like the other boys in his school, Michael is a member of the Hitler Youth. But Michael has a secret. He and his parents are spies. Michael despises everything the Nazis stand for. But he joins in the Hitler Youth's horrific games and book burnings, playing the part so he can gain insider knowledge. When Michael learns about Projekt 1065, a secret Nazi war mission, things get even more complicated. He must prove his loyalty to the Hitler Youth at all costs -- even if it means risking everything he cares about. Including... his own life.
How to Be and Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Call Number: S\ 305.80 Kendi
Not being racist is not enough. We have to be antiracist.
In this rousing and deeply empathetic book, Ibram X. Kendi, founding director of the Antiracism Research and Policy Center, shows that when it comes to racism, neutrality is not an option: until we become part of the solution, we can only be part of the problem.
Using his extraordinary gifts as a teacher and story-teller, Kendi helps us recognise that everyone is, at times, complicit in racism whether they realise it or not, and by describing with moving humility his own journey from racism to antiracism, he shows us how instead to be a force for good.
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
Call Number: S\ Lim
Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars.
Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job. Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill.
The Swallows by Lisa Lutz
Call Number: S\ Lutz
A timely tale shows us what can happen when silence wins out over decency for too long--and why the scariest threat of all might be the idea that sooner or later, girls will be girls.
What do you love? What do you hate? What do you want? It starts with this simple writing prompt from Alex Witt to her students at Stonebridge Academy. When their answers raise disturbing questions of their own, Ms. Witt knows there's more going on at the school than anyone will admit. She finds the few girls who've started to question the school's `boys will be boys' attitude and incites a resistance that quickly becomes a movement. As the school's secrets begin to trickle out, the skirmish turns into an all-out war, with deeply personal - and potentially fatal - consequences for everyone involved.
Last Updated: Feb 19, 2020 10:06 PM
URL: https://research.uwcsea.edu.sg/eastlibsec/secondarylibraryhighlightsnovember2019 |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Hi, I had a lap band put in last tuesday..8-28-12. I started having these horrific sharp, stabbing pains about 3 days after surgery. Pain is on my left side, feels like right under the edge of my ribs. It only stops when I lay flat on my back. Any ideas what this could be? Thank YYYY@YYYY output: In my opinion, you are mostly having musculoskeletal pain due to recent chest surgery. During Chest surgery, ribs and intercostal muscles tend to pulled. Anderson they cannot cause sharp, stabbing pain post operative. So apply warm water pad on affected areas. Avoid movements causing pain. Avoid bad postures in sleep. Avoid heavyweight lifting and strenuous exercise. If you fail to improve after 1 week then consult your operating surgeon. Hope I have solved your query. I will be happy to help you further. Wish you good health. Thanks.. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: I am female, 30y. There is an itch inside my left knee, inside the joint, not on the skin, and only in the left knee. It occurs mostly night, but also sometimes during the day when I sit or relax. It only goes away for a while when I overstrech my knee to the point where it hurts and it s driving me insane. Sometimes I have it for sevral days, sometimes not at all for weeks, and it seems to get worse when my leg feels warm. Might this be restles leg syndrome? output: Hi, I had gone through your question and understand your concerns. and It's hard to tell without further examination of your knee. I suggest you to discuss your concerns with your primary care Doctor. Hope this helped. If you have further questions feel free to ask.. |
The use of logical fallacies / Nessie craps out
Re: The use of logical fallacies
Postby hermod » 6 years 4 months ago (Sat Aug 23, 2014 6:05 pm)
Werd wrote: And when it comes to deciding whether or not reports about what went on in the Aktion Reinhardt camps are accurate or not, Nessie clearly cherry picks himself and pretends that absurd atrocity tales do not exist, or if they do, they are the result of an honest accident that can be successfully explained away to placate the revisionists who have inquiries. To admit otherwise, the existence of outright atrocity lies, would be to admit lies have taken place and therefore one has an epistemic duty to continue further research in an attempt to seperate the nonsense from the rest. And once that happens, revisonism is justifed on scientific grounds as opposed to being just blind Jew hatred for the sake of Jew hatred. And the gas chamber mongers simply can't have revisionism being justified on scientific grounds.
I wonder what Nessie thinks about the Polish wartime 'report' which said there was a mobile gas chamber that traveled along the mass graves and unloaded the corpses into them at Treblinka.
"But, however the world pretends to divide itself, there are ony two divisions in the world to-day - human beings and Germans.” – Rudyard Kipling, The Morning Post (London), June 22, 1915
Postby Werd » 6 years 4 months ago (Sat Aug 23, 2014 6:25 pm)
Do you mean gas vans like the ones claimed to have been used by the Einsatzgruppen in the Russian territories or in Chelmno? Or like a huge mobile shed on the back of a truckbed that gets driven along by a truck? I bet if I go back through my Belzec excavators thread and found the link to where Roberto Muehlenkamp posted that report of 30 meter deep pits at Treblinka, I would find that report as well.
Yes. I am going to copy and paste the relevant parts soon.
Some early reports of the Aktion Reinhard camps
http://holocaustcontroversies.yuku.com/ ... _kjRKO6XXR
Man, there are some real howlers in there.
2. Chaim Kaplan diary, excerpts from http://www.jewishgen.org/yizkor/terribl ... er003.html Scroll of Agony
We tremble at the mention of Lublin. An entire community of 44,000 Jews was plucked out by the roots and slaughtered or dispersed. Thousands of Jews were rounded up and led where? Nobody knows. According to rumour they were taken to Rawa Ruska and were electrocuted there.
(7 April 1942)
3. Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld, on staff of Oberfeldkommandantur Warschau:
Warschau, 23. Juli 1942. Gegenwärtig läuft eine Vernichtungsaktion der Juden, die zwar seit der Besetzung der Ostgebiete Ziel der deutschen zivilen Verwaltung unter Zuhilfenahme von Polizei und der G.Sta.Po war, aber jetzt scheinbar großzügig und radikal gelöst werden soll.
Es wird glaubhaft von verschiedenen Leuten berichtet, daß man das Ghetto in Lublin ausgefegt hat, die Juden daraus vertrieben, sie massenweise ermordet, in die Wälder getrieben und zu einem kleinen Teil in einem Lager eingesperrt hat. Vom Litzmannstadt, von Kutno wird erzählt, daß man die Juden, Männer, Frauen und Kinder, in fahrbaren Gaswagen vergiftet, den Toten die Kleider auszieht, sie in Massengräber wirft und die Kleider zur weiteren Verwendung den Textilfabriken zuführt. Entsetzliche Szenen sollen sich abspielen. Jetzt ist man dabei, das Warschauer Ghetto, das etwa 400.000 Menschen zählt, auf ähnliche Weise zu leeren.
25. Juli 1942 In dieser Woche sollen schon 30.000 Juden aus dem Ghetto herausgeführt sein, irgendwohin nach Osten. Was man mit ihnen macht, ist trotzt aller Heimlichkeit auch schon bekannt. Irgendwo, nicht weit von Lublin, hat man Gebäude aufgeführt, die elektrisch heizbare Räume haben, die durch Starkstrom ähnlich wie ein Krematorium geheizt werden. In diese Heizkammern werden die unglücklichen Menschen hineingetrieben und dann bei lebendigem Leibe verbrannt. An einem Tag kann man so Tausende umbringen.
6. September 1942 es gelingt immer mehreren, zu entfliehen, und durch sie kommen die Wahnsinntaten an die Oeffentlichkeit. Der Ort heißt Treblinka, im Osten des Generalgouvernements. Dort werden die Wagen ausgeladen, viele sind schon tot, das ganze Gelände ist mit Mauern abgesperrt, die Wagen fahren hinein und werden entladen Die nach Tausend zählenden Frauen und Kinder müssen sich entkleiden, werden in eine fahrbare Baracke getrieben und werden da vergast So geht das nun schon lang. Aus allen Teilen Polens holt man die unglücklichen Menschen zusammen, einen Teil tötet man gleich an Ort und Stelle, weil nicht genügend Laderaum zur Verfügung steht. Wenn sie zuviel sind, transportiert man sie ab. Ein furchtbarer Leichengeruch liegt über der ganzen Gegend
[Bogdan Musial, Deutsche Zivilverwaltung und Judenverfolgung im Generalgouvernement. Eine Fallstudie zum Distrikt Lublin 1939-1944, Wiesbaden, 1999, citing Auszüge aus dem Tagebuch von Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld, in Wladyslaw Szpilman, Das wunderbare Überleben. Warschauer Erinnerungen 1939-1945. Düsseldorf, 1998, p.193ff, 197ff]
My (Roberto Muehlenkamp) translation:
Warsaw, 23 July 1942 Currently an extermination action against the Jews is going on. While this was the goal of the German civilian administration assisted by the Gestapo since the occupation of the eastern territories, it seems that a generous and radical solution is now being sought. There are credible accounts from different people that the ghetto in Lublin has been swept empty, that the Jews have been expelled from there, murdered in masses or driven into the forests, and that a small part has been locked in a camp. From Litzmannstadt and from Kutno it is told that the Jews, men, women and children, are poisoned in mobile gas vans, the dead are undressed and thrown into mass graves and the clothes are delivered to textile factories for further use. It is said that horrible scenes happen. Now they are in the process of emptying the Warsaw ghetto, which counts about 400,000 people, in a similar manner.
25 July 1942 This week already 30,000 Jews are said to have been taken out of the ghetto, to somewhere in the east. What they do with them is also known already, despite all secrecy. Somewhere, not far away from Lublin, they have erected buildings with rooms that can be electrically heated and are heated by strong current similarly to a crematorium. In these heating chambers the unfortunate people are then burned alive. This way one can kill thousands in a day.
6 September 1942 there are always several who manage to escape, and through them the mad deeds become public. The place is called Treblinka, in the east of the General Government. There the wagons are unloaded, many are already dead, the whole area is sealed by walls, the cars enter there and are unloaded. The women and children, in their thousands, must undress, are herded into a mobile barracks and gassed there. This has now been going on for long. From all parts of Poland they are gathering the unfortunate people, a part of them are killed right on site because there is not enough loading capacity available. When there are too many of them, they are transported away. A terrible stench of corpses lies over the whole area.
Here's another one about Treblinka just below.
4. Bund newspaper Oif der Vach (On Guard), 20 September 1942
The Jews of Warsaw Are Killed in Treblinka
During the first week of the deportation Aktion Warsaw was flooded with greetings from the deported Jews. The greetings arrived from Bialystok, Brest-Litovsk, Kosov, Malkinia, Pinsk, Smolensk. All this was a lie. All the trains with the Warsaw Jews went to Treblinka, where the Jews were murdered in the most cruel way. The letters and greetings came from people who succeeded in escaping from the trains or from the camp. It is possible that in the beginning, from the first transports, some of the Warsaw Jews were sent to Brest-Litovsk or Pinsk, in order that their greetings would mislead, deceive, and provoke false illusions among the Jews in Warsaw. Actually, what was the fate of the deported Jews? We know it from the stories of the Poles and of those Jews who succeeded in escaping from the trains or from Treblinka
The size of Treblinka was one-half square kilometer. It was surrounded by three fences of barbed wire. After unloading the train of the living and the dead, the Jews were led into the camp During the descent from the train, shots were fired on those who were slow or even for no reason. Those who died en route or were shot on the spot were buried between the first and the second fence.
The women and children from the arriving transport were divided into groups of 200 each and were taken to the baths. They had to take off their clothes, which remained on the spot, and were taken naked to a small barrack called the bath, which was located close to the digging machine. From the bath nobody returned, and new groups were entering there constantly. The bath was actually a house of murder. The floor in this barrack opened up and the people fell into a machine. According to the opinion of some of those who escaped, the people in the barrack were gassed. According to another opinion, they were killed by electrical current. From the small tower over the bath, there were constant shots. There was talk that the shots were aimed at the people inside the barrack and those who survived the gas. The bath absorbs 200 people every fifteen minutes, so in twenty-four hours the killing capacity is 20,000 people. That was the explanation for the incessant arrival of people in the camp, from where there was no return, except a few hundred who succeeded in escaping during the whole time. During the daytime women and children were liquidated and during the nights, the men.
The escape from the camp was difficult and dangerous, but there were people who tried to do it, in spite of the fact that the camp was strongly illuminated during the night Why wasn’t a mass escape organised? There were rumours in the camp that it was surrounded by a strong guard and the fences were electrified. The people were broken from their experiences at the Umschlagplatz, on the train and in the camp. The general depression influenced also those who were, by nature, more active
An SS man gave a speech before each of the arriving transports and promised that all of them would be sent for work in Smolensk or Kiev.
The night between August 19 and 20, when Warsaw was bombarded, there was a blackout in the camp for the first time. An SS man addressed the assembled Jews. He told them that an agreement had been reached between the German government and Roosevelt about the transfer of European Jews to Madagascar. In the morning they would leave Treblinka with the first transport. This announcement aroused a great joy among the Jews. As soon as the all-clear signal was given, the extermination machine started its normal activity. Even inside the camp, the Nazis continued to mislead the Jews until the last moment
There were three such camps: one in the vicinity of Pinsk for the eastern area, another in the area of Lublin at Belzec, and the third, the largest, was Treblinka near Malkinia.
[Arad, pp.244-6]
Oh so we had electrocution in Treblinka too? I thought it was just in Belzec. Colour me surprised.
http://www.whale.to/b/mind_control.html
Postby Hannover » 6 years 4 months ago (Sat Aug 23, 2014 6:37 pm)
hermod wrote: I wonder what Nessie thinks about the Polish wartime 'report' which said there was a mobile gas chamber that traveled along the mass graves and unloaded the corpses into them at Treblinka.
Here are the specifics, plus there was the more casual option of exiting the 'gas chambers', strolling to the mass graves, and jumping in.
Gas chambers on wheels in Treblinka, which dumped their victims directly into burning pits; delayed-action poison gas that allowed the victims to leave the gas chambers and walk to the mass graves by themselves;[11]
[11] Reports of the Polish underground movement, Archiv der Polnischen Vereinigten Arbeiterpartei, 202/III, v. 7, pp. 120f., quoted in: P. Longerich, op. cit.(note 271), p. 438.
Fallacies Nessie?
The 'holocaust' storyline is one of the most easily debunked narratives ever contrived. That is why those who question it are arrested and persecuted. That is why violent, racist, & privileged Jewish supremacists demand censorship. Truth needs no protection from scrutiny. The tide is turning.
Nessie.
Postby Nessie. » 6 years 4 months ago (Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:31 am)
Picking out what is accurate and discarding what is not after checking is not cherry picking. The same is true with lies. If checks find someone is lying they are either not used as evidence at all or the part they lied about is disregarded. Sorry, but cherry picking is not the same thing as fact checking and research.
Hannover wrote:
No, not fallacies. Instead they are mistakes in intelligence reports.
Postby Werd » 6 years 4 months ago (Sun Aug 24, 2014 3:12 pm)
Your continued refusal to explain Wiernick's claim of yellow corpses being poisoned from CO and what possible number in Polish could have been confused for 30 in terms of depth of pits in Belzec AND Treblikna proves to me you know deep down inside places you don't talk about on this board that the Polish Underground and other forces were engaged in atrocity lies in revenge against Germany, and that Wiernik was lying when he said he saw yellow skin. Either provide a better explanation, or else it will be clear that the rational thing to be will admit he never saw yellow skin from CO poisoning because he is not an eyewitness. If he was an eyewitness to a real atrocity like gassing a bunch of people by CO, he would not have said yellow. I have checked not only all the literature that you pulled together at rodoh over the last few weeks, but other and have found NO REFERENCE TO YELLOW SKIN. There is no mention of it in your own sources you use in debates. THAT SHOULD TELL YOU SOMETHING OBVIOUS. Claiming red is a symptom but occurs very little because that's what it says in your sources, but then to claim yellow is possible even though it is never mentioned as possible is a HYPOCRITICAL, DOUBLE STANDARD USE of your sources. This is why moderators and posters are irrirated with you, among other reasons. Anyone who uses double standards has to in order to maintain something they otherwise can not when acting consistently. You have one last chance on this Wiernick issue. Now, FOR THE LAST TIME...AFTER WEEKS AND WEEKS...if you don't explain how either a mistake could have been made because yellow is possible, or he was colourblind, or give some other probable explanation for that given phenomenon (his claim of yellow), then you concede that Wiernick is not telling the truth. Follow the rules of debate that you are so fond of. PUT UP OR SHUT UP.
Furthermore, you pull the same modus operandi for this Treblinka problem hannover made note of and refuse to explain HOW the mistake occured. If someone says in English to another English speaking person, "give me thirty dollars" and they get thirteen, this MISTAKE is EASILY EXPLAINED because someone did not pronounce the word clearly and/or they were too far away to hear what was really said. So now the question is (and apparently you keep piling them on yourself Nessie - not our fault) what was it in actuality that they mistook for mobile gas chambers? Why did they think they were mobile gas chambers? Can you do something like find a witness testimony talking about thing A or thing B that could conceivably have been misinterpreted? Saying, "Mistake" and walking away does nothing, Nessie. Sorry. Mistakes require explanations. Something you are clearly not forthcoming with. You are only digging your hole that much deeper by dodging. The moderators have warned you so when you eventually get banned for dodging, running back to skepticsforum or rodoh and claiming oppression will get you nowhere. Your actions, or rather inactions, are your own fault. Your failure to heed warnings to cease and desist dodging is on you. Not us.
Will you also soon forward an explanation as to how an "honest mistake" about super hot electrical plates inside wooden structures in Belzec and apparently now Treblinka could have occured? What was the misinterpreted phenomenon? Just give a credible explanation that would either have been photographed or mentioned in a testimony...something!
Will you also soon explain how an "honest mistake" occured about people claiming Jews in Belzec went into a big room that was filled up with water (and tell us how THAT was done too please) that was then filled with electrical current (tell us how THAT was done too please)? Do you have an explanation as to how an "honest mistake" like that occured? That they were dunking Jews in chambers filled with water that was electrified like a deep fryer? What was the real thing that caused a misperception in THAT instance? Are you willing to give one to us since you assumed a burden of proof and claimed it was an honest mistake? Or are you going to admit it was an atrocity propaganda lie? We are tired of you dodging. We are tired of you saying, "mistake" and just walking away without a proper explanation for a certain phenomenon. We are tired of your bad, lazy science.
Atigun
Postby Atigun » 6 years 4 months ago (Mon Aug 25, 2014 7:08 pm)
I don't think that we can expect any more replies from Nessie. I was curious if Nessie was simply taking a break so went to the RODOH site to see if he had any activity there. Indeed he does. There's a link to "Skeptic" where he is pouring out a tale of woe to a more congenial audience. Hannover is the chief bugaboo of course, but you and I were given honorable mention.
Postby Werd » 6 years 4 months ago (Mon Aug 25, 2014 9:09 pm)
His replies are contained here.
http://www.skepticforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=24162
Yellow is most commonly associated with jaundice and liver or digestive system complaints and neither fits death by CO or starvation. Nor does it fit those he said died from suffocation in the crammed chambers. I have never claimed yellow is possible, I have shown Berg's claims about obvious bodies being red is wrong.
So, as before I do not know why Wiernik said yellow to either and I cannot provide a medical explanation. What I will say is that he exhibits the same issues many other witnesses do to traumatic large scale events which will have cause him PTSD. Witnesses get details wrong, they exaggerate, they make mistakes. To dismiss Wiernik as a liar ignores evidence which corroborates his narrative of events at TII as it functioned as a death camp. So unlike you, I will not dismiss him as a lair.
This pathetic explanation ignores how Wiernik and other people are apparently so good with details they can remember the sizes of pits, the numbers of Jews on transports, entire gassing prodedures, the names of brutal nazis and Jewish sonderkommandos to the finest detail, but they still mix up red and yellow? HAHAHAHAHA. Nessie is trying to salvage the unsalvageable.
Furthermore, he claims TII was a death camp. "Refutations" of Eric Hunt aside, nobody on the other side of the debate, including Nessie, can bring themselves to admit that Jews went various places via these camps and therefore did not die. The transportation system was in fact in order because the Germans changed the railway gague as far east as they need to to get the job done. As that last hyperlink to my post with a topic on codoh and one on rodoh shows, nobody denies what the Germans did to change the railway system. Which would in fact enable mass transports of Jews further east than even David Cole wants to admit.
Much more proof of where these living Jews ended up during and after the war is locked up in archives we have not gotten to yet. Although a few examples have leaked out.
Werd @ J. Graf and the illogical canard: 'Where did Jews go then?'
Who knows how many more were seperated from relatives thought to be dead but were in fact not? Thanks to Putin's outlawing of revisionism in Russia though, we may never know how many more cases of seperated brothers like the Hollander brothers may have occured. So claiming TII was a death camp is wrong. Therefore, Wiernick is wrong on that front as well.
When it comes to my bit about 13 and 30 in Polish and how they sound nothing alike and how not even the smaller numbers, which would be reasonable depths of burial pits sound NOTHING like 30 in Polish, he refuses to admit I am correct linguistically speaking about the Polish numbers and instead offers this...
Again, please bear in mind not all of my posts appear when you try to accuse me of dodging. Mistakes are made by human error caused by a whole host of factors. The ones I would associate with being a victim of the Holocaust are; fear, stress, fatigue and pressure at the time. Recalling events afterwards there will be survivor guilt, pride, trauma.
http://www.rootcauselive.com/PowerPoint ... lysis3.pdf
"Exposure to these stresses leads to reduced sensory capacity, fatigue,
and reduced mental alertness. These to reduced sensory capacity, fatigue,
and reduced mental alertness. These are all manifestations of human fatigue
and all greatly increase the chances that the people concerned will make
a slip, lapse or mistake."
All I asked was how stress can cause someone to mishear a statement about the depths of pits? Has it happened before that stress can alter a person's hearing? Why argue such if people under normal situations can mishear a 13 for a 30 in English due to bad pronounciation or a fair distance between the two parties? Hello.........
How can Jews under stress remember the most minute details about pit sizes, numbers of Jews per railway car or transport, names of cruel nazis and jewish sonderkommandos but not the colour of corpses? Do you not see your intellectual hypocrisy, Nessie? Do you not realize the games you are playing with your own source? This is classic cherry picking.
First of all these statements about fatigue DO NOT EXPLAIN why in one specific instance the Polish underground would write that pits in Belzec were thirty meters deep...information they CLAIMED to have gotten from a German on the inside. Was the German suffereing stress too? When I mention the absurd stories about murder in Belzec, he replies with this.
Such information came from Polish intelligence from second, third hand reports from people who saw stuff but did not know what was actually going on.
http://holocaustcontroversies.blogspot. ... _8672.html
"It is unknown by which means the Jews are liquidated in the camp. There are three assumptions: (1) electricity; (2) gas; (3) by pumping out the air.
With regard to (1): there is no visible source of electricity; with regard to (2): no supply of gas and no residue of the remaining gas after the ventilation of the gas chamber were observed; with regard to (3): there are no factors to deny this [possibility]. It was even verified that during the building of one of the barracks, the walls and floors were covered with metal sheets (for some purpose)."
The report admits the exact cause is unknown and it makes mistakes, like the metal sheeting, just like many intelligence reports make mistakes. You seem to think that witnesses and intelligence should be far more accurate and mistake free than they actually are. Hence I cannot and do not need to tell you how rooms were filled with water or mass electrocutions took place because those reports are wrong about those means of death.
Try giving a more accurate source, Nessie. Tell us what it is. It is straight from the Arad quotation I gave on this board before.
http://holocaustcontroversies.yuku.com/ ... _v2JKO6XXR
"Reports on the Situation in Occupied Poland" were published in London periodically by the Polish Ministry-of-Interior-in-Exile. Some of these publications were retained in the Underground archives in Poland and the archives of the Government-in-Exile in London. In the report of the Delegatura for April 1942, Belzec was mentioned:
[SKIP 1-10]
11. "Jews arrived in Belzec (the township) looking for a witness who would testify that Jews are being killed there. They were ready to pay 120,000 zloty. They did not find a volunteer. It is unknown by which means the Jews are liquidated in the camp. There are three assumptions: (1) electricity; (2) gas; (3) by pumping out the air.
With regard to (1): there is no visible source of electricity; with regard to (2): no supply of gas and no residue of the remaining gas after the ventilation of the gas chamber were observed; with regard to (3): there are no factors to deny this [possibility]. It was even verified that during the building of one of the barracks, the walls and floors were covered with metal sheets (for some purpose). "
So it is Arad himself which is saying this report is bogus? So the Polish undeground he writes about is peddling lies or honest mistakes, Nessie? Let's read those reports again shall we, Nessie? Let's look at that APRIL 1942 report. Mattogno quoted some of it on page 11 of his book.
Werd @ Question re Mattogno's Belzec book
The first reports of Belzec appeared on April 8, 1942, a few weeks after the opening of the camp:16
“Among the Jews terrible desperation. We now know that every day there is a train arriving at Belzec from Lublin and one from Lvov, each with twenty cars. The Jews must get off, are taken behind a barbed-wire fence and murdered by an electric current[17] or poisoned with gas[18] and then the corpses are burnt[19]
16 Z. Klukowski, Dziennik z lat okupacji, Lublin 1959, p. 254.
17 “pradem elektrycznym”
18 “gazami”
19 “zwloki pala”
Page 12-13.
On November 15, 1942, Dr. Ignacy Schwarzbart, a member of the Polish National Council, made a declaration, in which he paraphrased the above report:24
“The methods applied in this mass extermination are, apart from executions, firing squads, electrocution and lethal gas-chambers. An electrocution station is installed at Belzec camp. Transports of settlers arrive at a siding, on the spot where the execution is to take place. The camp is policed by Ukrainians. The victims are ordered to strip naked ostensibly to have a bath and are then led to a barracks with a metal plate for floor. The door is then locked, electric current passes through the victims and their death is instantaneous. The bodies are loaded on the wagons and taken to
a mass grave some distance from the camp.”
24 Jacob Apenszlak (ed.), The Black Book of Polish Jewry, American Federation for Polish
Jews, New York 1943, p. 131.
And how, as Arad claimed, was it verified that the 'chambers' in Belzec had metal on the floors and walls? For what purpose? If the intenet is to gas them, why are metal floors AND WALLS needed by the nazis in gas chambers? Arad never explains and neither do you Nessie.
You seem to think that witnesses and intelligence should be far more accurate and mistake free than they actually are.
Why would a German lie about pits being thirty meters deep in Belzec? How could be possibly be mistaken? Was he blind or something? Come on, Nessie. If the Poles are supposed to be telling the truth about where they got this information from, these questions deserve to be asked. Why would the Poles say this about pit depth anway? Stress and fatigue? Was the German suffering from fatigue and the Poles believed him? Or were the Poles who published these oral reports so stressed at their typewriters that they mixed up 30 with some other number in Polish that sounds nothing like 30? Or did they too simply write down the oral report without questioning the depth of the pits? Is that really the best you have? Claiming every mistake is an honest one that can be easily explalined? Get real. Unless you can give examples of stress causing people who AREN'T COLOURBLIND or in need of glasses as was already established about Wiernick, to mistake one colour for another, while simultaneously being able to remember other more difficult, more intricate and detailed things (cherry picking hypocrisy with a source as I explained above) then I don't buy your theory Wiernick did make an honest mistake about the corpse colour. Unless you can show proven examples of others before or after him did it for reasons you claimed, there is no HARD EVIDENCE for you to claim Wiernick honestly made such an error. Try actually strengthening your inductive argument, Nessie like a proper scientist!
Last edited by Werd on Mon Aug 25, 2014 10:28 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Postby hermod » 6 years 4 months ago (Mon Aug 25, 2014 10:07 pm)
If Holohoaxers want to call every untenable allegation from "survivors" a mistake due to trauma, guilt, pride or anything else, maybe we could call their allegations about gas chambers mistakes due to trauma, guilt, revenge, anti-German hatred, typhus (causing hallucinations), mental disorders (very common among Jews), the desire for their 15 minutes of fame or anything else. Let's see if Nessie likes seeing his weapon used against him and his beloved 'witnesses'...
borjastick
Postby borjastick » 6 years 4 months ago (Tue Aug 26, 2014 2:31 am)
Excuses excuses they always have excuses galore to explain this and explain that. They twist and turn.
The witness statements have always been a source of frustrating argument. When it suits them we are supposed to bow down and worship people like Wiesel, Zisblatt et al and never question the mad stories they spew out. Yet when it suits Nessie we are supposed to give the witnesses room for wiggling away from accuracy because they were a little bit tired or fatigued or had a stress fracture of the brain...
But when we ask questions about the killing methods as claimed above such as electrified floors and incineration rooms we are told it was just bad intelligence.
I have been having a ding dong with a person on youtube about the big H on one of Spielberg's witness interviews. For every counter point I advanced this person responded that there are thousands of witnesses and so I must be wrong. When I told them that there are many witnesses who survived transportation through Treblinka and those who never saw or heard of gas chambers and mass deaths, this person then got aggressive and accused me of being monumentally stupid, uneducated and a far right nazi.
They've got all the bases covered, the game's up chaps, we're done for!
'Of the four million Jews under Nazi control in WW2, six million died and alas only five million survived.'
'We don't need evidence, we have survivors' - israeli politician
Postby Nessie. » 6 years 4 months ago (Tue Aug 26, 2014 3:51 am)
Taking witness errors and intelligence report mistakes and then dismissing them as incredulous is throwing the baby out with the bath water. The denier/revisionist aim is to dismiss all witness evidence by concentrating on a few who have lied or made unexplainable comments or clear mistakes. That is a different subject to the use of fallacies.
Werd, hermod, borjastick your desire to discuss that issue about witnesses is a red herring fallacy.
Postby Werd » 6 years 4 months ago (Tue Aug 26, 2014 6:44 am)
by Nessie » Tue Aug 26, 2014 9:53 am
Reply posted after here
The use of logical fallacies
Right on cue. I predicted in another topic, in another post, he would go this route.
Nessie, you misunderstand by accident, or on purpose. The revisionist aim is not to dismiss all witness statements because we quote witness statements all the time who say they never heard of gas chambers after the war. We do not consider Paul Rassinier and Joseph Burg to be liars. We consider authors of the Polish Underground reports to be liars with their claims of pits thirty meters deep and others like . Get it straight and knock off the strawman.
If the holocaust is held up partially by witness statements, then you can't claim to have proof without witness statements. This means witness statements have been analayzed and accepted as true by some people. So when someone claims something, then have an onus probandi, a burden of proof. So by making clamis, they open themselves up to criticism. And if we find some reports to be incorrect, those witnesses can be dismissed as lacking credibility. If you want to salvage any of their testimony, you have to look elsewhere to see if others who don't make incredible claims that violate the laws of physics are able to prove these other parts of testimony that are possibly salvagable.
How's that for deductive logic, Nessie?
By the way you still haven't answered my questions in my last post. Let me remind you...
1. How is it that fatigue and trauma prevents Wiernick, a non blind, non colour blind man from seperating yellow and red, but doesn't prevent him from remembering other intricate, more complex details such as ones already mentioned by me? Can can give examples of stress causing people who AREN'T COLOURBLIND or in need of glasses as was already established about Wiernick, to mistake one colour for another, while simultaneously being able to remember other more difficult things? Show me how this is possible, or even THAT it is possible and has happened. Give me some evidence to show this has happened before if you expect me to believe you. Try actually strengthening your inductive argument, Nessie like a proper scientist! If none of the gassings stories make sense, then gassing clearly didn't happen. Beatings and shootings, sure. NOBODY DENIES THAT EITHER. But everyone in world war two did that.
2. Was the German suffering from fatigue and the Polish Underground believed him without question? Or were the Poles who published these oral reports in paper form so stressed at their typewriters that they mixed up 30 with some other number in Polish that sounds nothing like 30? Or did they too simply write down the oral report without questioning the depth of the pits? Is that really the best you have? When a mistake occurs, an explanation is available for how the causal chain worked. You still have not given said required explanation. You made a claim, now justify it. Fulfill your onus probandi. Be a good little debater.
3. How, as Arad claimed, was it verified that the 'chambers' in Belzec had metal on the floors and walls? For what purpose? If the intenet is to gas them, why are metal floors AND WALLS needed by the nazis in gas chambers? Arad never explains and neither do you Nessie.
4. RE: Your statement. "Taking witness errors and intelligence report mistakes and then dismissing them as incredulous is throwing the baby out with the bath water." is yet ANOTHER STRAWMAN. Nobody holds to that argument. If none of the gassings stories make sense, then gassing clearly didn't happen. Beatings and shootings, sure. NOBODY DENIES THAT EITHER. But everyone in world war two did that.
Now the key phrase is Witness errors. How can an eyewitness make an error? Explain to me the Wiernick thing in #1 as an example please. And then answer the rest of my questions. STOP DODGING. You can't call it a mistake or an error WITHOUT EXPLAINING HOW IT TOOK PLACE. Oh yeah, wait a minute. Let me back up. You said, trauma and stress, but as I showed here already you are confusing apples and oranges.
Werd wrote: It wasn't a lie. It was an honest mistake due to trauma and fatigue.
Okay, what was the real thing, they mistook this non-real thing for?
I don't have to answer since we already admit it was false.
But to know it is false is to be able to seperate truth from falsity. So what was it that was true that they based this mistake on? What was the source of this misinterpretation?
Trauma and fatigue.
I'm asking about the source thing itself, not the mental process of the human interpreting the source thing. Don't confuse the two. You said 'trauma and fatigue' already but this doesn't answer the most basic question...
FALLACY! FALLACY!
And on and on ad Nessieum.
You can't claim to want to discuss the holocaust without wanting to discuss witness testimonies. All of it is open to discussion, Nessie. Your special pleading is a type of fallacy, as well as your strawman illustrated earlier.
Postby Hannover » 6 years 4 months ago (Tue Aug 26, 2014 7:36 am)
Nessie. wrote: Taking witness errors and intelligence report mistakes and then dismissing them as incredulous is throwing the baby out with the bath water. The denier/revisionist aim is to dismiss all witness evidence by concentrating on a few who have lied or made unexplainable comments or clear mistakes. That is a different subject to the use of fallacies.
I challenge Nessie to give us statements by / from 'witnesses and intelligence reports' which he feels are factual. Be specific and precise as to what is said, what is claimed. You will be asked to prove the content. No dodging at this forum.
Also, I challenge Nessie to tell us which 'few witnesses and intelligence reports' it is that Revisionists 'concentrate on'. Be specific and precise as to what it is that Revisionists say about these. No dodging at this forum.
Postby hermod » 6 years 4 months ago (Tue Aug 26, 2014 7:44 am)
Nessie. wrote: Werd, hermod, borjastick your desire to discuss that issue about witnesses is a red herring fallacy.
And define any inconvenient counter-argument as a fallacy is a childish behavior.
You look like a group of children playing Harry Potter with the leader telling his comrades which magic spells and supernatural powers are allowed and which ones are forbidden.
Keep cool, Nessie Fallacy...
Postby Bob » 6 years 4 months ago (Tue Aug 26, 2014 8:17 am)
I would say the topic should be concentrated on the use of logical fallacies as per opening comment, not on witnesses, reports etc. unless they are directly connected with the topic of this thread.
Hence Nessie should answer this post in the first place as he still did not provide requested examples leaving aside dodging of other points:
Moderator wrote: If you are able, please give our readers specific examples of these as used by Revisionists when discussing the various issues within the 'holocaust' debate. As it stands now you are just stating that fallacies generally exist ... which no one argues.
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Coetzee, J.M. "Waiting for the Barbarians"
Coetzee, J.M. "Waiting for the Barbarians" - 1980
We read this in our international online book club in January 2023.
No names or places are mentioned in this novel. So, the story could take place in any corrupt country, in any dictatorship. Since the author is South African, I suppose that's where it takes place.
The description of the protagonist, the magistrate in a small post on the border of "the Empire" is very good. We see how he goes from thinking he is a loyal servant of a fair government to the discovery that the so-called barbarians are oppressed by the regime and those who think they are better than others for whatever reason.
As with so many novels that tell us about these situations, it is quite frightening to think how it is living in such a situation, where already your thoughts are a sin and nobody is supposed to know about it. And beware of helping others, especially if they are on the list of "enemies", "terrorists", "barbarians", whatever they are called in the respective countries.
This book might be more than fifty years old, but it's still as contemporary as ever. I can think of a few countries that are still in a similar situation, and I bet you can, as well.
"For decades the Magistrate has been a loyal servant of the Empire, running the affairs of a tiny frontier settlement and ignoring the impending war with the barbarians. When interrogation experts arrive, however, he witnesses the Empire's cruel and unjust treatment of prisoners of war. Jolted into sympathy for their victims, he commits a quixotic act of rebellion that brands him an enemy of the state. J. M. Coetzee's prize-winning novel is a startling allegory of the war between opressor and opressed. The Magistrate is not simply a man living through a crisis of conscience in an obscure place in remote times; his situation is that of all men living in unbearable complicity with regimes that ignore justice and decency."
J.M. Coetzee "who in innumerable guises portrays the surprising involvement of the outsider" received the Nobel Prize in 2003 and the Booker Prize for this novel in 1999.
Posted by Marianne at 11:11 1 comment:
Labels: Africa, Nobel Prize, Novella, South Africa
Gillard, Joe "The Little Book of Lost Words"
Gillard, Joe "The Little Book of Lost Words. Collywobbles, Snollygosters, and 86 Other Surprisingly Useful Terms Worth Resurrecting" - 2019
I found this book through Lisa's blog Captivated Reader (here). The title was so amusing, I just had to have a look.
And the title keeps what it promises. There are lots of forgotten words, or words you never knew. Some of my favourites are "betweenity" (being in the middle, or between two things), "namelings" (people who possess the same name), "slugabed" (a person who sleeps in later than is appropriate) and "ultracrepidarian" (a person with opinions on subjects beyond their knowledge). Arnet' they all fantastic?
I wasn't too keen on the pictures, even though they stem from some famous classic artists. But I didn't buy the book for the pictures.
A great book for any lover of words. Thank you, Lisa.
"The founder of History Hustle presents a handy guide for expressing yourself with history's best words.
This collection features scores of unique words from history that deal with surprisingly modern issues like sleeping in and procrastination - proving that some things never change! The Little Book of Lost Words presents each term that's ready to be brought back into modern-day use, complete with definition, hilarious sample sentence, and cheeky historical art. You'll learn new words for the cozy room where you like to Netflix and chill (snuggery), for a dishonest politician (snollygoster), and for a young person who sleeps through the day and doesn't work (dewdropper). If you like Lost in Translation, Shakespeare Insult Generator, Drunk History, and Roald Dahl - and you delight in the way words like blatteroon and flapdoodle roll off the tongue - then you're the word lover this book was written for. Want to know what a fizgig or groke is? Read this book!"
Posted by Marianne at 10:42 9 comments:
Labels: Humour, Language, Non-fiction, Writing
Ulitzkaja, Ljudmila "Medea and Her Children"
Ulitzkaja, Ljudmila "Medea and Her Children" (Russian: Медея и её дети/ Medeja i eë deti) - 1996
This book was suggested to us by a book club member. It was said that Ukrainian history would be presented here through a family from Crimea. Well, after the description I had imagined something else and was glad to have read "Ukraine verstehen" [Understanding Ukraine: History, Politics and Struggle for Freedom] by Steffen Dobbert beforehand. I had heard a lot about the Ukraine, including the problems with Russia, long before they first annexed Crimea and then invaded the country, but it was good to hear more details that also helped to understand this book.
Medea is the good soul of the Sinopli family. She lives in Crimea, where her ancestors came from, and every summer the family comes to visit. Not only are they now scattered all over the Ukraine and other former Soviet Union countries, they also all have different problems and motives, as is usual in large families, which lead them to Aunt Medea. The family also has many different origins. While she would probably describe herself primarily as Greek, her ancestors come from many other places as well.
At the beginning of the book we are shown a family tree, which I think could have been a bit more detailed, especially since surnames, patronyms, nicknames, etc. are used again and again, which can lead to confusion. Also, the author mentions in the foreword that she is talking about her family, but I think this is more of a novel based on her family.
The various characters are described very well, you feel somehow in the middle of the family. In that respect it is an excellent book. I had already read "The Green Tent" by Ljudmila Ulitzkaja and found it simply remarkable. I probably also put too much expectation into this book, or was misprepared, but I didn't have the same feeling as I did with the first book. And most book club members had the same opinion. But that won't stop me from reading more books by this author.
"Medea Georgievna Sinoply Mendez is an iconic figure in her Crimean village, the last remaining pure-blooded Greek in a family that has lived on that coast for centuries. Childless Medea is the touchstone of a large family, which gathers each spring and summer at her home. There are her nieces (sexy Nike and shy Masha), her nephew Georgii (who shares Medea’s devotion to the Crimea), and their friends. In this single summer, the languor of love will permeate the Crimean air, hearts will be broken, and old memories will float to consciousness, allowing us to experience not only the shifting currents of erotic attraction and competition, but also the dramatic saga of this family amid the forces of dislocation, war, and upheaval of twentieth-century Russian life."
Labels: Family Saga, Multi-Culture, Russia, Translation, Ukraine
#ThrowbackThursday. Herta Müller
Müller, Herta "The Appointment" (German: Heute wär ich mir lieber nicht begegnet) - 1997
In this novel, Herta Müller describes the way of a Romanian woman to an appointment with the "Securitate", the secret police. The whole book takes place in the 90 minutes she needs to get there. While driving on the tram, she reflects on her life and what has happened before.
We were lucky to be able to discuss this book with our Romanian book club member who could give us some firsthand information.
We discussed this in our international book club in December 2010.
Read my original review here.
Müller, Herta "The King Bows and Kills" (German: Der König verneigt sich und tötet) - 2003
This book is a collection of several essays and it draws a picture of a life in a dictatorship. It is probably the closest to an autobiography that the author has written.
Herta Müller grew up in the German speaking part of Romania. She left for Germany in 1987 but her books were not published in Romania at the time.
Herta Müller "who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed" received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2009.
Labels: ThrowbackThursday
Ondaatje, Michael "The English Patient"
Ondaatje, Michael "The English Patient" - 1992
I have read "Anil's Ghost" and "Warlight" by Michael Ondaatje both of which I really liked. I had been looking forward to reading this one for ages, so when I came across the book lately, I decided it was finally time to read it.
There might have been a reason why I didn't tackle it before. I was not as happy with it as I had been with the others. Maybe I should have stayed away from it because it received the Booker Prize, I rarely like those, and I have no idea why.
It was quite confusing at times. Who is the author talking about? At what time is he talking? Before the war? During the war? After the war? Are they in Italy or in Egypt, in Canada or India? And why is that English couple in the story? I know, I know, they met the English patient before but it still is weird, somehow it doesn't fit.
I saw a review where someone said the people in the book were not speaking like people in the 1940s. That might be one of the reasons, as well.
But what really bothered me was that you didn't really get to know the people very well, they remain shallow, trivial, superficial.
I might have enjoyed this more, had I not read and loved his other books and therefore expected a brilliant novel. This is an okay novel but that's all. So, I might wait a while until I read the next book by this author.
"With unsettling beauty and intelligence, Michael Ondaatje's Booker Prize-winning novel traces the intersection of four damaged lives in an abandoned Italian villa at the end of World War II. The nurse Hana, exhausted by death, obsessively tends to her last surviving patient. Caravaggio, the thief, tries to reimagine who he is, now that his hands are hopelessly maimed. The Indian sapper Kip searches for hidden bombs in a landscape where nothing is safe but himself. And at the center of his labyrinth lies the English patient, nameless and hideously burned, a man who is both a riddle and a provocation to his companions - and whose memories of suffering, rescue, and betrayal illuminate this book like flashes of heat lightning."
Posted by Marianne at 08:49 12 comments:
Labels: Booker, Canada, Egypt, Historical Fiction, India, Italy, Love, Oscar, War: WWII
Top Ten Tuesday ~ Authors I Found Last Year
"Top Ten Tuesday" is an original feature/weekly meme created on the blog "The Broke and the Bookish". This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at "The Broke and the Bookish". It is now hosted by Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl.
Since I am just as fond of them as they are, I jump at the chance to share my lists with them! Have a look at their page, there are lots of other bloggers who share their lists here.
This week, our topic is a New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2022.
I found far fewer new authors that I really liked last year. I listed five in my Statistics: Sara Nisha Adams, Julia Alvarez, Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz, Mariana Leky, Maren Uthaug. But there are a few others I also liked, so here we go.
Adams, Sara Nisha "The Reading List" - 2021
Alvarez, Julia "In the Time of the Butterflies" - 1994
Boschwitz, Ulrich Alexander "The Passenger" aka "The Fugitive" (GE: Der Reisende) - 1939
Fallada, Hans "Every Man Dies Alone" (GE: Jeder stirbt für sich allein) - 1947
Greywoode, Josephine (ed.) "Why We Read. 70 Writers on Non-Fiction" - 2022
Leky, Mariana "What You Can See From Here" (GE: Was man von hier aus sehen kann) - 2017
Menasse, Robert "The Capital" (GE: Die Hauptstadt) - 2017
Schroeder, Steffen "Was alles in einem Menschen sein kann. Begegnung mit einem Mörder" [What can be in a person. Encountering a murderer] - 2017
Shaw, Karl "Royal Babylon: The Alarming History of European Royalty" - 1999
Uthaug, Maren "Before there were Birds" (DK: Hvor der er fugle/Hannahs Lied) - 2017
📚 Happy Reading! 📚
Labels: Top Ten Tuesday
Suttner, Bertha von "Lay Down Your Arms"
Suttner, Bertha von "Lay Down Your Arms" or "Down with Weapons!" (German: Die Waffen nieder!) - 1889
This is my eleventh Classic Spin and we were given #6.
A present from a dear friend who knows what I appreciate. On the German cover, the description says: "Der Roman für den Frieden" - "The Novel for Peace."
And that's what it is. Bertha von Suttner inspired Alfred Nobel to add the Nobel Peace Prize to the different categories in 1901. Four years later, she was the first woman to receive it. And well deserved.
The name of the protagonist is different from the author, yet the book is always described as an auto-biography. Bertha von Suttner grew up in a similar environment as her Martha Althaus. And at the same time. She lived during a time where war was something people not just accepted but rejoiced about, a lot of the men in her surroundings, nobility like herself, were soldiers, many of the women wives of soldiers. And it was clear in the society, that children should be raised to become soldiers and fight for their country, as well.
Bertha von Suttner lived from 1843 to 1914, so she died just a month before the outbreak of WWI. It was probably good that she didn't live to see this anymore though I am sure she knew what was coming. I have only just read a book about 1913 (illies) and most people didn't have a clue though I am sure she did.
In her book, she writes about the horrors of war, not just what the soldiers have to go through but mainly what their loved ones have to suffer. Her book was a huge success, she didn't seem to be the only one who thought this world would be better off without wars. I totally agree with her but we still haven't learned.
Bertha von Suttner was probably one of the first pacifists. Leo Tolstoy compared of her novel to that of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the same result to war than to slavery. I wish he had been right.
She also founded the German Peace Society.
"Lay Down Your Arms! (novel), English title of the 1889 novel "Die Waffen Nieder!" by the Austrian pacifist activist Bertha von Suttner, who received the 1905 Nobel Peace Prize for it. 'We English-speaking people, whether in England, in the Colonies, or in the United States, being ourselves in no immediate danger of seeing our homes invaded, and our cities laid under contribution by hostile armies, are apt to forget how terribly the remembrance of such calamities, and the constant threat of their recurrence, haunt the lives of our Continental brethren.' - T. Holmes
Austrian novelist Bertha von Suttner was one of the first notable woman pacifists. She is credited with influencing Alfred Nobel in the establishment of the Nobel Prize for Peace, of which she was the recipient in 1905. Her major novel, Die Waffen nieder! (1889; Lay Down Your Arms!), has been compared in popularity and influence with Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.
The daughter of an impoverished Austrian field marshal, she was a governess to the wealthy Suttner family from 1873. She became engaged to Baron Arthur Gundaccar von Suttner (1850-1902), an engineer and novelist, seven years her junior. The opposition of his family to this match caused her, in 1876, to answer Nobel's advertisement for a secretary-housekeeper at his Paris residence. After only a week she returned to Vienna and secretly married Suttner."
Bertha von Suttner received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905 "for her audacity to oppose the horrors of war."
Here are all the books on my original Classics Club list.
And here is a list of all the books I read with the Classics Spin.
Labels: Austria, Biography, Classic, Classics Club, German book, Nobel Prize, Non-fiction, War: Others
Sankovitch, Nina "Tolstoy and the Purple Chair"
#ThrowbackThursday. Five Quarters of the Orange
Wordless Wednesday ~ Moin
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi "We Should All Be Femini...
Hislop, Victoria "Maria's Island"
Spell the Month in Books ~ January 2023
Reading Challenge - Chunky Books 2023
#ThrowbackThursday. The Collector of Worlds
Buck, Pearl S. "A Bridge for Passing"
Illies, Florian "1913: The Year before the Storm"
Clinton, Hillary Rodham & Chelsea "The Book of Gut...
Six Degrees of Separation ~ From Beach Read to Thi...
Happy January! |
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https://www.the-american-interest.com/2020/06/14/the-poet-of-social-distancing/
(Wikimedia Commons)
Shropshire Calling
The Poet of Social Distancing
Why the work of A.E. Housman resonates in a time of enforced isolation.
In Tom Stoppard’s The Invention of Love, a 41-year-old Oscar Wilde is smoking a cigarette, drinking brandy, and reading aloud of a young man’s suicide in a poem he doesn’t much care for. Before him stands the poet, A.E. Housman, now forced to defend one of the more morbid pieces of verse in his collection A Shropshire Lad on the grounds of verisimilitude. The suicide, Housman tells Wilde, was based on a real Woolwich cadet who blew his brains out rather than bring shame to his family, and whose inquest was written up in The Evening Standard. But that’s precisely the problem, Wilde replies—the poem’s fidelity to mere fact, which must never be mistaken for truth. “Still, if he hadn’t shot himself before reading your poem,” the Irish aesthete says, “he would have shot himself after.”
Wilde then proceeds to a larger disquisition about the true purpose of art, which is to deal in exceptions to facts, and the true purpose of the artist, which is to make his life as close an approximation to those exceptions as possible. Housman, the repressed and curmudgeonly classicist, stands accused of having confused poetry with journalism. Channeling Wilde’s tendency for lyric self-aggrandizement, Stoppard imagines the following exchange between these two eminent Victorians:
Wilde: But the artist is the secret criminal in our midst. He is the agent of progress against authority. You are right to be a scholar. A scholar is all scruple, an artist is none. The artist must lie, cheat, deceive, be untrue to nature and contemptuous of history. I made my life into my art and it was an unqualified success. . . . I had genius, brilliancy, daring, I took charge of my own myth. I dipped my staff into the comb of wild honey. I tasted forbidden sweetness and drank the stolen waters. I lived at the turning point of the world where everything was waking up new—the New Drama, the New Novel, New Journalism, New Hedonism, New Paganism, even the New Woman. Where were you when all this was happening?
AEH: At home.
Thus Wilde, the Decadent ironist who delighted bourgeois audiences only to become a martyr to the very vices he satirized in them, meets the pedantic Professor of Latin, who was too busy fussing over mistranslations of Horace to even bother to go outside.
Up until this scene Wilde has maintained a strictly off-stage presence, mentioned (as he’d no doubt have preferred) solely by reputation, first as the witty and flamboyant dandy of Oxford, which he attended at the same time as Housman; then as the toast of the London theatre and salon; and then as the fallen idol. The scene takes place in 1897, a year after A Shropshire Lad’s publication, when Housman was 37 and Wilde was just out of Reading Gaol, living in exile in the south of France. Theirs is an imagined encounter, a weighing-up of lived experience and philosophy conjured by the shade of the now-dead Housman. Wilde himself hasn’t got long to live, and we soon see him being ferried down the River Styx by Charon—entering eternity reciting his most well-remembered epigrams, characteristically making even his afterlife into his art.
The Invention of Love is about Housman’s unrequited desire for Moses Jackson, his lifelong friend, sometime roommate, and indefatigably heterosexual muse. But it is also a case study in what might be called the creative dividends of social distancing. If it is necessary for the artist to burn with a gem-like flame, standing foursquare at the center of his age the better to speed progress, then what to make of those of quieter sensibilities who capture the way we live now by steering clear of other people and retreating inward?
Wilde lost his fame, fortune, and family by keeping bad company. Housman became the unlikely bard of Englishness—an ethos we might define as proud, pained, and provincial—by not seeking any of the above and by failing to keep the company of the only person he ever loved. The first has been credited with inventing the future: modernism, sexual emancipation, camp, celebrity culture, even glam rock. But it was the second who conjured the present by invoking the past, a feat made more impressive by his refusal to idealize either.
Loneliness and disconnectedness are Housman’s emotional comfort zones, and his geography is the countryside, where every prospect pleases and only man is vile. Perhaps it’s the constant reading about how big cities of America will never be the same again, combined with the gloomier aspects of A Shropshire Lad, which explains why I’ve lately been drawn back into this poet’s melancholic world. But there’s also how and when I was first introduced to Housman.
The Invention of Love had a brief run on Broadway in the spring of 2001, when the world seemed to be living more on the Wilde side of the ledger. A contentious American election had led to demonstrations in the streets, but those had soon evaporated, giving way to a woozy political hangover. The new President promised prosperity and security at home, rather than nation-building abroad. Recently concluded wars in Europe and the Middle East felt more like the aftershocks of a seismic century coming to an end than augurs of a new one. History still seemed to be pulling into the station, at least if our frivolous headlines had anything to say about it. What did Gary Condit do to his intern? What would Monica and Chandler’s wedding be like? Was that a snake wrapped around Britney? The Onion zeroed in on this zeitgeist more ably than the press it lampooned ever could: “A Shattered Nation Longs To Care About Stupid Bullshit Again.” That was two weeks after 9/11, when everyone was asking if it wasn’t “too soon” to be joking about any of this.
It’s strange now to recall the mood of that period, stranger still to realize that many Americans wearing surgical masks in the street today weren’t even in nurseries back then. Irony was pronounced dead and eulogized in literal-minded fashion. We were all huddled close around television screens, surveying the dust of the Financial District and the rubble of the received wisdom. Was it safe to fly on airplanes or travel abroad or even leave the house? Why were we so hated by people we’d never met in faraway lands? Suddenly there appeared a writer who seemed to speak to our collective consciousness, a mostly unknown novelist from flyover country who shot to literary stardom and then shot right back down for the crime of insulting a daytime television talk show host, becoming part of the very cycle of bullshit we’d now agreed was the indulgence of a bygone era.
Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections was published just ten days before the Twin Towers were struck. The book was heralded instantly as having anticipated the mass anxiety and alienation that followed. I can’t remember the plot almost 20 years on, but I can remember that its author was said to have written the novel in a pitch-black room, wearing a blindfold and earplugs. How was that for suffering for one’s art? (Franzen’s follow-up collection of essays was no less gregarious: How to Be Alone, it was called.) A reclusive and prickly snob, it was decided, not only explained the here and now but also prefigured coming tragedy. A Shropshire Lad did the same thing, but left a more lasting mark.
The book consists of 63 short poems set to the rhythms and registers of the English countryside, as experienced by a young man growing up there or reminiscing about it as a much older man in a state of unhappy exile in London.
A Shropshire Lad is a sort of anti-pastoral in which the beauty of the landscape contends with the violent misfortunes of its inhabitants, most of whom wind up jilted or dead or both. Yet rather than wallow in their misfortunes, they are resigned to them. There are fratricides, doomed and slain soldiers, bleached-white corpses, unrequited or unconsummated loves, duplicitous lovers, hangmen, and the condemned swinging from their nooses. And there is self-slaughter—so many suicides, in fact, in one poem that we seem to be in Jonestown, not Shropshire.
Housman’s contrast between the promise and melancholy of nature is best expressed by lines that have implanted themselves in the language as firmly as anything out of Shakespeare or Donne. “Blue remembered hills” is one, but also “into my heart an air that kills” and “blood’s a rover.” Even if you haven’t read these in the original, you’ve still likely come across them as inheritances from popular culture, especially music. England’s Musical Renaissance in the early 20th century is simply unimaginable without A Shropshire Lad, which was set by nearly every major composer of that period, from George Butterworth to Vaughan Williams to Arthur Somervell.
Housman’s text has traveled well, too, even into my own scruffy burg of Forest Hills, New York. Simon and Garfunkel’s “Leaves That Are Green,” which likens the decay of foliage to the love of a girl who “faded in the night / Like a poem I meant to write” opens with a couplet that echoes Housman’s “When I was one-and-twenty.” The British socialist folk singer Billy Bragg subsequently borrowed from “Leaves That Are Green” verbatim for the beginning of his song “A New England.” Pretty much all of Morrissey’s discography can be in one way or another traced back to the Shropshire gestalt, as the Pope of Mope concedes in his autobiography. “It’s easy for me to imagine Housman,” he writes, “sitting in a favorite chair by a barely flickering gas fire, the brain grinding long and hard, wanting to explain things in his own way, monumental loneliness on top of him, but with no one to tell.” Mon semblable, mon frère.
The allusions in literature are even more plentiful and revealing. Kingsley Amis ranked Housman as a poet close to Matthew Arnold and much favored his solid, conventional form over what he felt were the pretentious experiments of Eliot or Pound. Amis even hilariously repurposed a strophe of Housman’s later verse as a curative for premature ejaculation in his novel One Fat Englishman, forcing his eponymous protagonist Roger Micheldene to literally lie back and think of England. Amis’s friend Philip Larkin once referred to Housman’s “temperamental sunlessness” and certainly seemed to model his own oeuvre after it. Larkin wrote the novelist Barbara Pym that he thought of himself as “A.E. Housman without the talent, or the scholarship, or the soft job, or the curious private life.” Actually, Larkin only lacked the scholarship and it’s easy to read “Vers de Société,” in which he weighs RSVPing to a party invitation against the benefits of staying home with his tormented thoughts, as a tribute to the Housman condition. Note, too, Larkin’s violent lunar metaphor, which strikes me as a nod to Housman’s favored symbolism:
Funny how hard it is to be alone.
I could spend half my evenings, if I wanted,
Holding a glass of washing sherry, canted
Over to catch the drivel of some bitch
Who’s read nothing but Which;
Just think of all the spare time that has flown
Straight into nothingness by being filled
With forks and faces, rather than repaid
Under a lamp, hearing the noise of wind,
And looking out to see the moon thinned
To an air-sharpened blade.
For W.H. Auden, no other English poet of his generation “seemed so perfectly to express the sensibility of a male adolescent.” Leaving aside Auden’s much-disliked sonnet about Housman (“Deliberately he chose the dry-as-dust, / Kept tears like dirty postcards in a drawer”), I think I can detect the cadences of “The True Lover” in “Lullaby,” one of Auden’s more famous poems from the thirties. Both are about two unevenly matched lovers embracing in the middle of the night in a hopeless race against the dawn and its severing and denaturing effects. “But in my arms till break of day / Let the living creature lie,” runs the Auden, very similarly to Housman’s “So take me in your arms a space / Before the east is grey.” Both poems also refer to hearts that “knock,” or, in Housman’s version, “knocked,” because his lad—the one being embraced—has slit his own throat and is bleeding all over the poor woman doing the embracing.
Such hardboiled schoolboy noir has been amply parodied, not least by Housman himself in the penultimate poem of A Shropshire Lad. There, all the foregoing stanzas are ridiculed by a listener as stomach-churning, and the poetic persona “Terence,” now the older Salopian living in London, proffers beer as a better palliative than verse for those looking for happy endings. The “essential business of poetry, as it has been said,” Housman wrote, “is to harmonise the sadness of the universe.” Well, that’s one way to put it. “I never read such a book for telling you you’re better off dead,” the journalist and editor Frank Harris says in The Invention of Love. That’s another way.
Roughly half of A Shropshire Lad was written over a five-month period of intense productivity in 1895 when Housman was badly missing Jackson, then stationed in India as a civil servant with his wife and rapidly expanding brood (Housman would later become godfather to one of Jackson’s sons). Jackson never returned permanently to England; he died in Canada as a failed farmer in 1923. Housman was also in something of a transitional professional mode. He had flunked out of Oxford in 1879 mainly because he’d shown absolutely no interest in the ideas or philosophies of the ancients and refused to comment on these in his final exam in his second year. When queried about Plato’s Republic, he focused exclusively on the accuracy—or better say inaccuracies—of the prevailing translations. From such philological niggles sprang a brilliant career.
Like Einstein, Housman made his reputation after hours while working as a patent clerk; like Marx, he became a fixture of the British Museum’s reading room, poring over esoteric texts and fashioning original commentaries on them. His essays were published in specialist journals and eventually the failed classics student was appointed Chair of Latin at the University College London in 1892; then ultimately Kennedy Professor of Latin at Cambridge in 1911.
He must have occasionally left the house, too, because he dreamt up most of A Shropshire Lad on long, solitary rambles through Hampstead Heath. Housman later claimed he’d also been ailing from what he called “a relaxed sore throat,” and the psychological linkage between his yearning for Jackson and a persistent illness— what Freud would later identify as the competition between Eros and Thanataos—is perhaps hinted at in poem “30”:
More than I, if truth were told,
Have stood and sweated hot and cold,
And through their reins in ice and fire
Fear contended with desire.
Housman liked to describe himself as a pejorist rather than a pessimist, someone who believes that the world is only getting worse. Implicit in this notion is a stoicism which holds that there’s nothing you can do to stop the decline and so you’d better get on with it. Sadness may be the universal norm, but despair is pointless because it only denies the natural order of things. The cynicism here, as Peter Parker observes in his superb book Housman Country, is really a disappointed romanticism. Nonetheless, the evanescence of youth and beauty has its upside: Clocking out early means not sticking around to see everything go to hell or the love of your life slip through your fingers or your accomplishments bettered. “To an Athlete Dying Young,” for instance, celebrates the demise of a race runner who dies before he can see his record broken. Byron would have appreciated the sentiment, lamenting only that that the runner, like so many of Housman’s lads, never managed to get laid before giving up the ghost.
As to any alleged devotion to fact or conflation of verse with journalism, the irony, for once, was at Wilde’s expense. To begin with, Housman never lived in Shropshire and he barely even visited it, which lay westward from his childhood birthplace of Worcestershire. Inhabitants of Shropshire and Housman acolytes, including Willa Cather and E.M. Forster, both of whom made pilgrimages to this immortalized landscape, soon realized just how badly he botched the topography and architecture. Hughley Church doesn’t have a steeple and couldn’t be considered a “far-known sign” because it was situated in a valley. Nor was the north side of the church a shadow-bathed resting place for a mass of suicide cases. Housman’s brother Laurence made a tour of Shropshire not long after the book came out and reported back anti-climactically that this was a burial ground of “respectable churchwardens and wives of Vicars, all in neatly tended graves.”
For all the inconsistencies, the evocative place-names can easily be swapped for those of other rustic areas, as can allusions to remote conflicts. Soldiers from all over the British Empire marched off to the Somme or Gallipoli with cheaply produced editions of A Shropshire Lad tucked away in their jacket pockets because of lines such as these:
To skies that knit their heartstrings right,
To fields that bred them brave,
The saviours come not home to-night:
Themselves they could not save
It dawns in Asia, tombstones show
And Shropshire names are read;
And the Nile spills his overflow
Beside the Severn’s dead.
And these:
Come you home a hero,
Or come not home at all,
The lads you leave will mind you
Till Ludlow tower shall fall.
And you will list the bugle
That blows in lands of morn,
And make the foes of England
Be sorry you were born.
Housman’s reference point in 1895 would have been Britain’s wars in South Africa, but these stanzas rang just as true to servicemen in 1914 as they did to those in 1939, to say nothing of 2001, 2004, or 2014. Parker makes a strong case that even though Housman was by no means a war poet and never saw a battlefield, he can be counted as a forerunner of the genre.
Wilfred Owen, who actually was from Shropshire, worshipped him. So did Owen’s mentor Siegfried Sassoon and so did Robert Graves, who had all of A Shropshire Lad committed to memory when he shipped off to the trenches and wasn’t shy about demonstrating his familiarity with it when he published Fairies and Fusiliers, his second volume of poems, in 1917.
Writing in 1940, at the start of the Second World War, George Orwell recalled that at 17 he, too, likely knew all 63 poems of Housman’s book by heart, as did most of his contemporaries who recited them “in a kind of ecstasy, just as earlier generations had recited Meredith’s ‘Love in a Valley,’ Swinburne’s ‘Garden of Proserpine.’” What was it about Housmania, which Orwell dated precisely from 1910 to 1925? Partly it was the snobbishness of the British middle classes reared within sight of a farm and now confined to the town or city and nostalgic for what they assumed to be a more authentic, close-to-the-soil experience. Orwell also realized, however, that the rustic element was mere background music. A Shropshire Lad spoke at once to two bitterly divided generations for different reasons:
What was left of the war generation had crept out of the massacre to find their elders still bellowing the slogans of 1914, and a slightly younger generation of boys were writhing under dirty-minded celibate schoolmasters. It was to these that Housman appealed, with his implied sexual revolt and his personal grievance against God. He was patriotic, it was true, but in a harmless old-fashioned way, to the tune of red coats and ‘God save the Queen’ rather than steel helmets and ‘Hang the Kaiser.’
The implicit contrast here with Kipling is even more noteworthy for how Housman was used as propaganda to try to lure the United States into joining Britain’s war against fascism. Julius Harrison’s musical composition Bredon Hill, set to A Shropshire Lad, was broadcast in America in September 1941 on the BBC’s Empire Service, just months before Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and a year after Orwell’s essay “Inside the Whale” closed the window on a supposedly outmoded obsession with Housman.
Parker also tells the story of another Salopian who fought in the Pacific and was taken prisoner by the Japanese, then put to work on the Burmese railway. Like Orwell and Graves, this POW had all of Housman’s book committed to memory and took minor comfort during bouts of stone-breaking for Hirohito’s army by translating the poems into Latin. Anthony Chenevix-Trench later became headmaster of Eton. One of his fellow internees during the war, Geoffrey Ipgrave, was asked to forfeit his copy of A Shropshire Lad so that its pages could be used as rolling papers for cigarettes. Ipgrave declined and sacrificed a Bible instead. That would have amused Housman, but it’d have delighted Orwell, whose book-wallah in Burmese Days declines to sell the sahib’s much-proffered “black book” because he assumes it contains “Some evil, undoubtedly.”
Any volume that offers such solace to those in grim states of confinement or hard labor can be said to have contributed something worthwhile to humanity. Which brings me back to Oscar Wilde.
Shot? so quick, so clean an ending?
Oh that was right, lad, that was brave:
Yours was not an ill for mending,
’Twas best to take it to the grave.
Oh you had forethought, you could reason,
And saw your road and where it led,
And early wise and brave in season
Put the pistol to your head.
The Woolwich cadet who inspired Housman was named Henry Clarkson Maclean; he killed himself in the Charing Cross Hotel on August 6, 1895. The timing of the suicide, in addition to the hints contained in the letter he addressed to his coroner (“I am not what is commonly called ‘temporarily insane,’” and “I have not morally injured—or ‘offended,’ as it is called in the Bible— any one else”) go some distance in explaining the reason Maclean took his own life. Three months earlier, Wilde had been convicted and sentenced to two years’ incarceration for homosexuality at the Old Bailey, following disclosures from his disastrous libel suit against the Marquess of Queensberry. The judgment and penalty prompted what was thought to be a mass exodus of gay men from Britain. Where were you standing? runs the popular refrain for major events in history. “At home,” answered Housman, who sublimated his own fear and loathing into his art.
They never met in real life, Wilde and Housman, not even at Oxford, where they were at separate colleges. But we do know that Housman was greatly exercised by the shaming and pillorying of the playwright because he composed a poem (unpublished until after his death) about a handcuffed prisoner being carted off “for the colour of his hair”—as euphemistic a portrayal of the “love that dare not speak its name” as Housman was ever capable. We also know that Wilde was familiar with A Shropshire Lad because his friend, executor, and sometime lover Robbie Ross memorized several of the poems and recited them to him on a visit to Reading Gaol. Housman also dispatched a copy of the book to Wilde upon his release from prison and Wilde later wrote Housman’s brother Laurence to say that A Shropshire Lad, along with Laurence’s own recently published volume, a collection of Christian fantasy stories, had given him “a few moments of that rare thing called happiness.”
Wilde likely wasn’t being sardonic or paradoxical in his usual way here, crediting poems for which sadness was the unifying theme as a source for happiness. A profound transformation had taken place in him during his years of confinement, as he relayed to the principal actor responsible for his misfortunes, Lord Alfred Douglas.
De Profundis, Wilde’s lengthy prison letter to Bosie, which only dribbled out into print over the course of 60 years after Wilde’s death in 1900, is many things at once. It is a confession, not of immorality but of the suffering he brought upon himself and his family by failing to sever ties with an accident waiting to happen. It is a furious indictment of a spoiled brat’s narcissism and callowness commingled with an almost Dickensian attention to the details of accountancy: Wilde can recall to the very penny what he pissed away on an ungrateful Bosie, who also consumed his precious time and energy at the expense of his literary output. It is a love letter, which seeks reconciliation with its rotten addressee even while chastising him for the worst vices. But it is also a re-evaluation of artistic philosophy. Sorrow, not pleasure, Wilde now realizes, is “the supreme emotion of which man is capable,” and “at once the type and test of all great Art.” While he can’t quite bring himself to regret a life lived for hedonism, he recognizes that his past was always incomplete. Stoppard obviously had the high-flown rhetoric of De Profundis in mind when he gave his Wilde that hectoring speech to deliver, but I can only wonder at how Housman’s poems may have influenced the real Wilde who wrote this:
My only mistake was that I confined myself so exclusively to the trees of what seemed to me the sun-gilt side of the garden, and shunned the other side for its shadow and its gloom. . . . There was no pleasure I did not experience. I threw the pearl of my soul into a cup of wine. I went down the primrose path to the sound of flutes. I lived on honeycomb. But to have continued the same life would have been wrong because it would have been limiting. I had to pass on. The other half of the garden had its secrets for me also.
It was the other half of the garden that Housman cultivated. Lucky for us.
Appeared in: Volume 16, Number 1 | Published on: June 14, 2020
Michael Weiss is Editor-at-Large at The Daily Beast. He is currently writing a book on the history of Russian military intelligence. |
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Asia Pac J Clin Trials Nerv Syst Dis 2019, 4:90
Date of Submission 18-Sep-2019
Date of Decision 20-Sep-2019
Date of Acceptance 15-Oct-2019
Background and objectives: Multiple sclerosis affects young adults resulting in dependency after 15 years of disease. Treatments are time-consuming, expensive and do not provide full protection. The purpose of this study is to assess the therapeutic effects of rational therapy on multiple sclerosis in patients from a tertiary centre, India.
Subjects and methods: This retrospective case series study included 23 patients treated with a very cost-effective protocol that was practiced for three decades in a government medical college setting in a population of 250 patients. All rational options were explained to the patients who were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis according to modified Mc Donald criteria. The patients who were willing to undergo the scheduled regime were followed up. Multiple sclerosis relapse, lesion load, and Expanded Disability Status scale (EDSS) scores were evaluated at 1 and 3 years and thereafter in a need based way. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board, National Institute of Mental Health And Neurosciences (NIMHANS), India.
Results: The mean duration of illness of 23 patients with multiple sclerosis was 6.8 ± 5.23 years and the mean remission period was 4.09 ± 3.5 years. The mean EDSS score was 3.83 ± 0.78 at onset and it was 1.15 ± 0.5 after treatment. Thirteen (22%) patients had replaces during the above period of illness but were managed well with a pulse of 5 g methyl prednisolone.
Conclusion: The treatment protocol for multiple sclerosis designed for patients from an Indian rural medical center is cost-effective and has very good effects on the control of relapse and progression.
Keywords: atorvastatin; azathioprine; methotrexate; multiple sclerosis; oral penicillin; relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
Chandra SR, Chakravarthula NR, Issac TG, Philip M. Long-term follow-up of patients with multiple sclerosis treated with a cost-effective protocol from a rural medical center in India: a retrospective case series. Asia Pac J Clin Trials Nerv Syst Dis 2019;4:90-3
Chandra SR, Chakravarthula NR, Issac TG, Philip M. Long-term follow-up of patients with multiple sclerosis treated with a cost-effective protocol from a rural medical center in India: a retrospective case series. Asia Pac J Clin Trials Nerv Syst Dis [serial online] 2019 [cited 2020 Jan 23];4:90-3. Available from: http://www.actnjournal.com/text.asp?2019/4/4/90/271802
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a recurrent demyelinating disease of white matter of the central nervous system, a medical curiosity in the 19th century and recognized as one of the common disease of young people which starts with episodic symptoms and signs and later becomes progressive (Murray, 2006; Schultz et al., 2019; Yu et al., 2019). Patients usually become dependent for activities of daily living (ADL) after 15 years of illness. Diagnosis can be made with 100% certainty only by histopathology. The McDonald Criteria was first established in 2001 and revised in 2010 (Polman et al., 2011). If two lesions are evident in first attack, it indicates dissemination in both time and space and qualifies for initiation of disease-modifying therapies. The Schumacher Criteria (1965) formulated clinical criteria. The Poser Criteria (1983) standardized the use of diagnostic tests such as evoked potentials and a spinal tap. The signs and symptoms depend on the location of the pathology and severity. MS affects the people aged between 15 and 60 years. Women have a twofold risk of developing MS compared with men. A family history further increases the risk. Virus infections are linked to MS such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). White people, particularly those of Northern European descent, are at highest risk of developing MS (Kingwell et al., 2013). People living in temperate climate and Asian, African or Native American descent have the lowest risk. It presents as relapsing-remitting type, primary progressive type, secondary progressive type and progressive relapsing type. There is a need to carefully exclude the differential diagnosis which includes vasculitis, secondary demyelination, infections and leukoencephalopathy associated with metabolic diseases. Treatment options are both disease modifying and symptom oriented. Most patients are forced to discontinue the standard recommendations due to unaffordability as duration of treatment is several years to lifetime (Goldberg et al., 2009). In this pilot study, we reported the efficacy of a cheap oral protocol we prescribed to patients based on level three recommendations in literature for azathioprine, methotrexate clubbed with atorvastatin for its role in neurogenic inflammation. Oral penicillin 800 mg a day was added based on our previous observation that even bacterial infections can precipitate a relapse by elevated antistreptolysin O titers found in our patients during relapse (Gray et al., 2004; Casetta et al., 2007; Noyes et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2011).
Subjects and Methods
This is a retrospective case series study. It was conducted at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Karnataka, India. Institutional review board approval was not obtained as these data were generated from a large sample of patients who opted for this regime based on literature evidence as they could not afford the usual drugs [Additional file 1] [Additional file 1]. Informed consent of the study procedure was obtained from all patients [Additional file 2] [Additional file 2].
The data was obtained from patients who were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis according to the modified Mc Donald’s criteria (Polman et al., 2011). After providing informed consent, the patients who were willing to participate in this study were given the new regimen as maintenance treatment for prevention of MS relapses with either azathioprine for patients who showed a relapsing trend or methotrexate for patients who had a progressive course (Goldberg et al., 2009) after detailed discussion with patients and their caregivers.
Sample size and follow-up
The need for prevention of factors like infections, need for sunlight exposure, stopping smoking, shifting to plant based diet, antioxidant rich foods, and trauma was explained to the included patients (Sibley et al, 1985; Hayes et al., 1997; Martinelli, 2000; Jafari et al., 2009). Though the treatment protocol had been practiced for three decades in more than 250 patients spreading over several medical colleges in Kerala state government, in this study, we only included the results of 23 consecutive patients who came for follow-up in the last 3 months in the NIMHANS from October 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018 and whose complete data was available as a pilot report on long-term effects.
The included participants were followed up regularly over a period of 10 years from 2008 to 2018 at the NIMHANS. The illness was also confirmed radiologically by characterization of the lesion patterns and identification of lesion load and the location of lesions. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was also collected to confirm the markers specific for MS. CSF anti-aquaporin-4 antibody assessment was also done to rule out cases of neuromyelitis optica. Clinical, radiological and serological data which were obtained were input into Excel sheet and analyzed by SPSS 21.0 software (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA).
Twenty-three patients were identified during the period of data collection. The mean age of the study population was 34.74 ± 10.76 years (range, 17–55 years). The mean duration of illness was 6.8 ± 5.23 years and the mean duration of remission was 4.09 ± 3.5 years respectively. Vasculitis examination (to rule out secondary demyelination) results were negative in all patients. Among these 23 participants, 61% were females and 39% were males. 43.5% of the patients had associated pyramidal symptoms and none of the patients had extra pyramidal symptoms. Cerebellar symptoms and signs were present in 14 patients (61%), Lhermitte’s sign in 19 patients (83%). Cranial nerve involvement was present in 15 patients (65%). Cognitive decline was seen only in 2 patients (9%) and the remaining 21 patients (91%) had no features clinically suggestive of cognitive impairment. Cerebellar signs were present in 83% of included participants and cord signs appeared in > 90% of the population. CSF oligoclonal bands were positive in 20 patients (87%) and CSF neuromyelitis optica was negative in all patients except for one patient who had weakly positive titers of anti-neuromyelitis optica antibody in addition.
Magnetic resonance imaging was done for patients (56.5%) with cerebellar signal change and patients (91%) with spinal cord signal changes. About 25% (6) patients had parenchymal loss in brain imaging (black holes) prior to the initiation of treatment. 43.5% of the included patients did not suffer from any relapse during the treatment with the novel regimen, 26.7% of them having a single relapse which was managed with parenteral methylprednisolone 1 g daily for 5 days, and all of them recovered uneventfully. Multiple relapses (2 or more) were observed in only about 30% of the population. The provisional diagnosis of MS subtype made for the patients is depicted in the histogram below [Figure 1].
Figure 1: Percentage of MS subtypes.
Note: MS: Multiple sclerosis; PPMS: primary progressive multiple sclerosis; RRMS: relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis; SPMS: secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.
There were 19 patients in the azathioprine group (82.6%) and 4 patients in the methotrexate group (17.4%). Expanded Disability Status scale (EDSS) was applied prior to and after treatment initiation and the difference in EDSS score between prior to and after treatment initiation was compared using Wilcoxon Sign Rank test as the sample size was relatively small. There was significant difference in disability rating between prior to and after treatment initiation (P < 0.001). The mean EDSS score was 3.83 ± 0.78 and 1.15 ± 0.5 prior to and after treatment initiation, respectively. This suggests an improvement from moderate disability in one functional system to no disability with minimal signs in one functional system. The patients treated with azathioprine regimen showed significant improvement compared with that in patients receiving methotrexate regimen (P < 0.001). There was also significant difference in the disability scores measured by EDSS between patients who had no relapses and those who had relapses (P = 0.005). Patients having no relapses showed a better outcome with lesser disability compared with those having relapses. About 45% of patients had no relapses after receiving the new regimen during the follow up period studied. The magnetic resonance imaging evidence of lesion load reduction was seen in all patients at the end of 1 year and 3 years. But complete resolution of lesions was not seen even in patients who were clinically in good remission (see [Figure 2] for typical cases). None of the patients in this group had bone marrow suppression or tumors.
Figure 2: Magnetic resonance images of a 25-year-old male patient (A) and a 29-year-old female patient (B) at onset of multiple sclerosis (A1, B1) and 3 years after treatment (A2, B2).
Note: (A1) Axial flair images with multiple periventricular white matter changes and spine showing hyperintensity in cervical region with bulkiness. (A2) Images show very minimal lesions and atrophic spinal cord. (B1) Both sagittal and axial images show extensive T2 hyperintense lesions. (B2) Images show considerable reduction in lesion load.
In this pilot report, we analyzed the data of 23 patients who came for follow up with the mean illness duration of 6.8 ± 5.23 years and the mean remission duration of 4.09 ± 3.5 years respectively. There was significant reduction in EDSS scores. Statistical data rejected the null hypothesis with a significance level of 0.5. The cost of the regime is approximately 5000 INR (Indian Rupees) per year. Azathioprine used at 1 mg/kg had no side effects in any of the included patients. Statins interfere with production of several proinflammatory mediators including inducible nitric oxide synthase, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), and inducible major histocompatibility complex (interferon gamma) (Weber et al., 2005). MHC class II genes are concerned with susceptibility to MS being at the core of the destructive cascade (Chow, 2009). Statins bind to lymphocyte functional antigen (LFA-1), inhibit mevolonate pathway, and exhibit neuroprotective effects in the long run (Stalker et al., 2001; Schramm et al., 2007; van der Most et al., 2009). Azathioprine inhibits cell proliferation by inhibiting purine synthesis (Yudkin et al., 1991). It has been tried alone or in combination with other therapies with variable results. Methotrexate inhibiting dihydrofolate reductase in rapidly multiplying cells and the underlying benefits were reported in studies in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis (Goodkin et al., 1996; Billups et al., 2000). Cost is an important factor in patients receiving long term treatment and it has to be taken into consideration in countries where there is no uniform insurance coverage and patients have to spend for treatment when their role as active breadwinners is hampered by disease. This is all the more relevant when the popular regimes are also able to give only partial protection against relapses and progression (Leppert et al., 1996).
There are limitations in this study. Even though a large number of patients are successfully treated in this regime, this pilot report included only patients who came for follow up in the last 3 months of 2018 due to practical problems as this is a non-funded study and has no personnel to support the evaluation. The patients who were on other regimes were not used as controls.
Taken together, this pilot report of patients who were randomly recruited for evaluation reveals the combination of azathioprine 1 mg/kg, atorvastatin 10 mg/day, and oral penicillin 800 mg/day used in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis significantly reduced clinical disability at a very cost-effective way that is most suited for resource limited nations. Methotrexate 7.5 mg/week was used in place of azathioprine in patients with progressive course with good results with reference to relapses, disability, and safety. Radiological reduction of lesion load at 1-year and 3-year follow-up was partial. There were no serious side effects in any patient. The regime is relatively safe during pregnancy as most patients are young females. This regime should be tried in low income patients with confidence as no regime currently available either completely prevents relapses or lesion load in imaging.
Additional file 1: IRB Approval.
Additional file 2: Model consent form.
We express our gratitude to the patient and families for the faith they kept in us.
Study conception: SRC, MP. Study design: NRC. Definition of intellectual content, clinical and experimental studies, and guarantor: SRC. Literature retrieval: SRC, TGI. Data acquisition: NRC, TGI, MP. Data analysis, statistical analysis, manuscript preparation, editing, and review: TGI, MP. All authors approved the final manuscript for publication.
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Institutional review board statement
Institutional review board approval was not obtained as these data were generated from a large sample of patients who opted for this regime based on literature evidence as they could not afford the usual drugs. This study was performed according to the Declaration of Helsinki, and informed consent of the study procedure was obtained from all participants.
The authors certify that they have obtained all appropriate patient consent forms. In the forms, the patients have given their consent for their images and other clinical information to be reported in the journal. The patients understand that their names and initials will not be published and due efforts will be made to conceal their identity.
Reporting statement
This study followed the STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement.
Biostatistics statement
The statistical methods of this study were reviewed by the biostatistician of National Institute of Mental Health And Neurosciences (NIMHANS), India.
Copyright license agreement
The Copyright License Agreement has been signed by all authors before publication.
Data sharing statement
Individual participant data that underlie the results reported in this article, after deidentification (text, and tables), will be available upon request. Data will be available immediately following publication, no end date for anyone who wishes to access the data. In order to gain access, data requestors will need to sign a data access agreement. Proposals should be directed to drchandrasasi@yahoo.com.
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instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Hi, I had a cortisone injection in my left Shoulder about 3 hours ago and my doctor tried to manipulate my arm (I have frozen shoulder and rotator cuff tendonitis) and Im in absolute agony in my shoulder, arm and injection site. Im in tears and wondering when the numbness kicks in and the pain eases output: Frozen shoulder also called adhesive capsulitis, in which range of movement are restricted, I think after injection your doctor manipulated your shoulder for release of some adhesiveness which will increase your range of movement. And by the nature of illness you fell pain due to stretching effects of capsule. My advice is change your shoulder joint position and find the comfortable position in which capsule remain relax. It can ease your pain.Also, you can take analgesic like ketotolac, or ibuprofen along with omeprazole or omeprazole. If no improvement occur then please consult with your treating doctor. Hope it will help you. Wish your good health. Regards. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: HiI have had pain in the left side of my face for a week now. I have been to my dentist who put me on a 5 day course of Amoxicillin 500. I feel quite sick and periodically feel as if I have a temperature. Today the pain is just in front of the ear in the top jaw. Also my head feels really fuddled.Any ideas?Linda
t could be the reason for having pain in the left side of my face and in front of ear in the top jaw? output: Hello, thank you for consulting with healthcaremagic. As you are mentioning that you have pain in the left side of the jaw in front of the ear, then there can be two possibilities for it-First is there can be any infected tooth in the upper jaw which is causing this problem. -Second is may be your joint of jaws (Temporomandibular joint ) of left side is creating the problemIf the problem is of tooth the the dentist must treat the tooth as only antibiotic will not solve the problem. And if the problem is arising from your joint then antibiotic have no role in it, as it will be relieved by some muscle relaxant. But for both the conditions you should visit your dentist again and get it confirmed with detailed examination with x - ray of the tooth and joint, Hope it will help you... |
Albrecht Haushofer
Albrecht Haushofer, the son of Karl Haushofer, was born in Munich on 7th January, 1903. His mother, Martha Mayer Doss, was the daughter of a Jewish merchant from Mannheim.
Albrecht studied at Munich University under his father, who taught geopolitics. Karl Haushofer developed the theory that the state is a biological organism which grows or contracts, and that in the struggle for space the strong countries take land from the weak.
A fellow student was Rudolf Hess, who became a leading figure in the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP). Hess wrote a prize-winning essay: How Must the Man be Constructed who will lead Germany back to her Old Heights? It included the following passage: "When necessity commands, he does not shrink from bloodshed... In order to reach his goal, he is prepared to trample on his closest friends."
In 1920 Rudolf Hess heard Adolf Hitler speak at a political meeting. Hess remarked: "Was this man a fool or was he the man who would save all Germany." Hess was one of the first people to join the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) and soon became a devoted follower and intimate friend of Hitler, who was also influenced by the teachings of Karl Haushofer.
In November, 1923, Rudolf Hess took part in the failed Beer Hall Putsch. Hess escaped and sought the help of Karl Haushofer. For a while he lived in Haushofer's home, Hartschimmelhof, in the Bavarian Alps. Later he was helped to escape to Austria. Hess was eventually arrested and sentenced to 18 months in prison. While in Landsberg he helped Adolf Hitler write My Struggle (Mein Kampf). According to James Douglas-Hamilton (Motive for a Mission) Haushofer provided "Hitler with a formula and certain well-turned phrases which could be adapted, and which at a later stage suited the Nazis perfectly".
Albrecht Haushofer visited Rudolf Hess and Adolf Hitler in Landsberg Prison. After leaving university Albrecht became Secretary General of Germany's Society for Geography, and later editor of the Periodical of the Society of Geography. He also taught political geography in Berlin.
In 1931, Hess asked Haushofer to become his advisor on foreign affairs. He accepted the position but did not play an active role in the Nazi Party. Haushofer believed that it was vitally important that Germany avoided becoming involved in a European war. He wrote: "The peoples of Europe are in a position in which they have to get on together lest they all perish; and although one realises that it is not commonsense but emotional urges which govern the world, one must try to control such urges."
Albrecht Haushofer with Sven Hedin of Sweden
Rudolf Hess gradually worked his way up the Nazi hierarchy and in December 1932 Adolf Hitler appointed him head of the Central Political Committee and deputy leader of the party and minister without portfolio. As a result Haushofer became an important figure in Hitler's government.
Although Adolf Hitler had the support of certain sections of the German population he never gained an elected majority. The best the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) could do in a election was 37.3 per cent of the vote they gained in July 1932. When Hitler became chancellor in January 1933, the Nazis only had a third of the seats in the Reichstag.
After the 1933 General Election Hitler proposed an Enabling Bill that would give him dictatorial powers. Such an act needed three-quarters of the members of the Reichstag to vote in its favour.
All the active members of the Communist Party, were in concentration camps, in hiding, or had left the country (an estimated 60,000 people left Germany during the first few weeks after the election). This was also true of most of the leaders of the other left-wing party, Social Democrat Party (SDP). However, Hitler still needed the support of the Catholic Centre Party (BVP) to pass this legislation. Hitler therefore offered the BVP a deal: vote for the bill and the Nazi government would guarantee the rights of the Catholic Church. The BVP agreed and when the vote was taken, only 94 members of the SDP voted against the Enabling Bill.
Adolf Hitler was now dictator of Germany. His first move was to take over the trade unions. Its leaders were sent to concentration camps and the organization was put under the control of the Nazi Party. The trade union movement now became known as the Labour Front.
Once in power Hitler began to express anti-Semitic ideas. Based on his readings of how blacks were denied civil rights in the southern states in America, Hitler attempted to make life so unpleasant for Jews in Germany that they would emigrate. The campaign started on 1st April, 1933, when a one-day boycott of Jewish-owned shops took place. Members of the Sturm Abteilung (SA) picketed the shops to ensure the boycott was successful.
The hostility of towards Jews increased in Germany. This was reflected in the decision by many shops and restaurants not to serve the Jewish population. Placards saying "Jews not admitted" and "Jews enter this place at their own risk" began to appear all over Germany. In some parts of the country Jews were banned from public parks, swimming-pools and public transport.
Germans were also encouraged not to use Jewish doctors and lawyers. Jewish civil servants, teachers and those employed by the mass media were sacked. On 7th April 1933 the Nazi government passed the Civil Service Laws which excluded those of non-Aryan origin from public office within the Reich.
Albrecht Haushofer now became a second-class citizen because of his mother's Jewish father. However, in June 1933, Rudolf Hess intervened personally and issued a protective letter to Haushofer. Now an "honorary Aryan" this enabled him to continue working for the Nazi government.
Haushofer had serious doubts about continuing to work for the Nazi regime. He wrote to his parents on 27th July: "I sometimes ask myself how long we shall be able to carry the responsibility, which we bear and which gradually begins to turn into historical guilt or, at least, into complicity."
Adolf Hitler knew that both France and Britain were militarily stronger than Germany. However, he became convinced that they were unwilling to go to war. He therefore decided to break another aspect of the Treaty of Versailles by sending German troops into the Rhineland. Haushofer wrote a report warning of the dangers of expanding the Third Reich through the use of armed force.
The German generals were also against the plan, claiming that the French Army would win a victory in the military conflict that was bound to follow this action. Adolf Hitler ignored their advice and on 1st March, 1936, three German battalions marched into the Rhineland. The French government was horrified to find German troops on their border but were unwilling to take action without the support of the British. The British government argued against going to war over the issue and justified its position by claiming that "Germany was only marching into its own back yard." Hitler's gamble had come off and, full of confidence, he began to make plans to make Austria part of Germany (Anschluss).
In 1936 Albrecht Haushofer was sent by Joachim von Ribbentrop, Hitler's foreign minister, on a mission to Japan. The following year, Ribbentrop was given a similar task in China. Haushofer's reports argued that Ribbentrop should preach moderation to the Japanese.
Haushofer also attended the Olympic Games in Berlin in August 1936 and made contact with several members of the House of Commons including Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, Kenneth Lindsay and Jim Wedderburn. On 13th August, 1936, Albrecht Haushofer introduced Douglas-Hamilton to Herman Goering and General Erhard Milch, Chief of Staff of the German Air Force. During their discussion Milch told Douglas-Hamilton: "I feel we have a common enemy in Bolshevism."
In early 1937 Douglas Douglas-Hamilton wrote to Haushofer suggesting getting together. This took place on 23rd January, in Munich. His father, Karl Haushofer, also attended the meeting where they discussed the political situation. Haushofer told Douglas-Hamilton that "Hitler understands Churchill, but he will never understand Chamberlain."
In April 1938 Haushofer visited Britain and stayed with Douglas-Hamilton at his home Dungavel House in Scotland. Douglas-Hamilton attempted to arrange for Haushofer to meet with Lord Halifax, the British Foreign Secretary. However, Halifax was unavailable as he was on a visit to France.
On 26th June, 1938, Haushofer sent a report of his meetings with British politicians to Joachim von Ribbentrop stating that: "Britain has still not abandoned her search for chances of a settlement with Germany... A certain measure of pro-German sentiment has not yet disappeared among the British people; the Chamberlain-Halifax government sees its own future strongly tied to the achievement of a true settlement with Rome and Berlin (with a displacement of Soviet influence in Europe.)"
Adolf Hitler and Joachim von Ribbentrop had become very disillusioned with Haushofer's attempts to obtain a peace agreement with Britain and in July, 1938, he ceased to work for the government. However, he remained close to Rudolf Hess and continued to meet with those sympathetic to the Nazi government.
In September 1938, Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister, met Adolf Hitler at his home in Berchtesgaden in Germany. Hitler threatened to invade Czechoslovakia unless Britain supported Germany's plans to takeover the Sudetenland. After discussing the issue with the Edouard Daladier (France) and Eduard Benes (Czechoslovakia), Chamberlain informed Hitler that his proposals were unacceptable.
Hitler was in a difficult situation but he also knew that Britain and France were unwilling to go to war. He also thought it unlikely that these two countries would be keen to join up with the Soviet Union, whose communist system the western democracies hated more that Hitler's fascist dictatorship.
Benito Mussolini suggested to Hitler that one way of solving this issue was to hold a four-power conference of Germany, Britain, France and Italy. This would exclude both Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union, and therefore increasing the possibility of reaching an agreement and undermine the solidarity that was developing against Germany.
The meeting took place in Munich on 29th September, 1938. Desperate to avoid war, and anxious to avoid an alliance with Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union, Neville Chamberlain and Edouard Daladier agreed that Germany could have the Sudetenland. In return, Hitler promised not to make any further territorial demands in Europe.
On 29th September, 1938, Adolf Hitler, Neville Chamberlain, Edouard Daladier and Benito Mussolini signed the Munich Agreement which transferred the Sudetenland to Germany. When Eduard Benes, protested at this decision, Chamberlain told him that Britain would be unwilling to go to war over the issue of the Sudetenland.
The German Army marched into the Sudetenland on 1st October, 1938. As this area contained nearly all Czechoslovakia's mountain fortifications, she was no longer able to defend herself against further aggression.
From their meetings with Neville Chamberlain, the Nazi government had discovered that he would do anything to avoid military conflict. Chamberlain was aware of the appalling destruction that would take place during a modern war. He also feared that a large-scale war in Western Europe would weaken the countries involved to the point where they would be vulnerable to a communist takeover. Adolf Hitler told Albrecht Haushofer: "This fellow Chamberlain shook with fear when I uttered the word war. Don't tell me he is dangerous."
The pressure on Jews to leave Germany intensified. Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels and Reinhard Heydrich organized a new programme designed to encourage Jews to emigrate. Crystal Night took place on 9th-10th November, 1938. Presented as a spontaneous reaction of the German people to the news that the German diplomat, Ernst vom Rath, had been murdered by Herschel Grynszpan, a young Jewish refugee in Paris, the whole event was in fact organized by the NSDAP.
During Crystal Night over 7,500 Jewish shops were destroyed and 400 synagogues were burnt down. Ninety-one Jews were killed and an estimated 20,000 were sent to concentration camps. Up until this time these camps had been mainly for political prisoners. The only people who were punished for the crimes committed on Crystal Night were members of the Sturm Abteilung (SA) who had raped Jewish women (they had broken the Nuremberg Laws on sexual intercourse between Aryans and Jews).
Albrecht Haushofer told his friend Fritz Hesse that "Hitler is now convinced that he can afford to do anything. Formerly he believed that we must have the maximum armaments because of the warlike menaces of the Powers striving to encircle us, but now he thinks that these Powers will crawl on all fours before him!" Haushofer added: "It's true that Hitler does not want war, but he is ready to risk it, and this, in my opinion, is a guarantee of disaster... We shall probably slither into the catastrophe we thought we had averted."
Haushofer continued to work behind the scenes in an attempt to persuade the British to accept a peace agreement. On 16th July, 1939, Haushofer wrote again to Douglas Douglas-Hamilton suggesting a way to avoid a war. Haushofer showed this letter to several members of the government including Winston Churchill. He replied that it was too late and that a war with Germany was inevitable.
In August 1939, a group of concentration camp prisoners were dressed in Polish uniforms, shot and then placed just inside the German border. Hitler claimed that Poland was attempting to invade Germany. On 1st September, 1939, the German Army was ordered into Poland.
Hitler, who wanted a series of localized wars, was surprised when Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany. Even after it happened he found it difficult to believe that during the first few months of the war he genuinely believed that Britain would still negotiate a peace settlement.
In 1940 Albrecht Haushofer gave up his job as Secretary-General of the Berlin Society for Geography but continued teaching at the University of Berlin. According to his friend, Fritz Hesse: "Haushofer called Hitler and his circle scum, his collaborators gangsters."
On 8th September, 1940, Albrecht Haushofer, wrote to the Duke of Hamilton: "You... may find some significance in the fact that I am able to ask you whether you could find time to have a talk to me somewhere on the outskirts of Europe, perhaps in Portugal." Haushofer also referred to people who the German government believed wanted an "German-English agreement." This included Samuel Hoare and Rab Butler.
Two days later, Haushofer sent a letter to his father, Karl Haushofer. The letter discussed secret peace talks going on with Britain. Karl talked about “middlemen” such as Ian Hamilton (head of the British Legion), the Duke of Hamilton and Violet Roberts, the widow of Walter Roberts. The Roberts were very close to Stewart Menzies (Walter and Stewart had gone to school together). Violet Roberts was living in Lisbon in 1940. Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland were the four main places where these secret negotiations were taking place.
On 19th September, 1940, Haushofer wrote to Rudolf Hess about his letter to the Duke of Hamilton. He explained that Hamilton would find it difficult to fly to Portugal without the permission of Lord Halifax, the British Foreign Secretary and Archibald Sinclair, the Secretary of State for Air. Haushofer suggested that it would probably be better to work through Samuel Hoare but planned to send the letter via an old friend.
The letter was intercepted by MI5 and Hamilton was persuaded to work as a double-agent. Hamilton agreed to go to Lisbon to meet Haushofer. Colonel Tar Robertson, head of MI5's double agent section, wrote in April 1941: "Hamilton at the beginning of the war and still is a member of the community which sincerely believes that Great Britain will be willing to make peace with Germany provided the present regime in Germany were superseded by some reasonable form of government... He is a slow-witted man, but at the same time he gets there in the end; and I feel that if he is properly schooled before leaving for Lisbon he could do a very useful job of work."
In 1959, Heinrich Stahmer, Albrecht Haushofer’s agent in Spain, claimed that meetings between Samuel Hoare, Lord Halifax and Rudolf Hess took place in Spain and Portugal between February and April 1941. The Vichy press reported that Hess was in Spain on the weekend of 20/22 of April 1941. The correspondence between British Embassies and the Foreign Office are routinely released to the Public Record Office. However, all documents relating to the weekend of 20/22 April, 1941 at the Madrid Embassy are being held back and will not be released until 2017.
Karl Haushofer was arrested and interrogated by the Allies after the war. The British government has never released the documents that include details of these interviews. However, these interviews are in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) archive. Karl told his interviewers that Germany was involved in peace negotiations with Britain in 1940-41. In 1941 Albrecht was sent to Switzerland to meet Samuel Hoare (Lord Templewood) the British ambassador to Spain. This peace proposal included a willingness to “relinquish Norway, Denmark and France”. Karl goes onto say: “A larger meeting was to be held in Madrid. When my son returned, he was immediately called to Augsburg by Hess. A few days later Hess flew to England.”
On 10th May, 1941, Rudolf Hess flew a Me 110 to Scotland. When he parachuted to the ground he was captured by David McLean, of the Home Guard. He asked to be taken to Duke of Hamilton, the “middleman” mentioned in the earlier letter. In fact, Hamilton lived close to where Hess landed (Dungavel House). If Hamilton was the “middleman” who was he acting for. Was it George VI or Winston Churchill? Shortly afterwards Sergeant Daniel McBride and Emyr Morris, reached the scene and took control of the prisoner. Hess’s first words to them were: “Are you friends of the Duke of Hamilton? I have an important message for him.”
After the war Daniel McBride attempted to tell his story of what had happened when he captured Hess. This story originally appeared in the Hongkong Telegraph (6th March, 1947). “The purpose of the former Deputy Fuhrer’s visit to Britain is still a mystery to the general public, but I can say, and with confidence too, that high-ranking Government officials were aware of his coming.” The reason that McBride gives for this opinion is that: “No air-raid warning was given that night, although the plane must have been distinguished during his flight over the city of Glasgow. Nor was the plane plotted at the anti-aircraft control room for the west of Scotland.” McBride concludes from this evidence that someone with great power ordered that Hess should be allowed to land in Scotland. This story was picked up by the German press but went unreported in the rest of the world.
According to Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm Scott, Rudolf Hess had told one of his guards that “members of the government” had known about his proposed trip to Scotland. Hess also asked to see George VI as he had been assured before he left Nazi Germany that he had the “King’s protection”. The authors of Double Standards, believe the Duke of Kent, the Duke of Hamilton, Samuel Hoare and Lord Halifax, were all working for the king in their efforts to negotiate with Adolf Hitler.
Karlheinz Pintsch, Hess adjutant, was given the task of informing Hitler about the flight to Scotland. James Leasor found him alive in 1955 and used him as a major source for his book, The Uninvited Envoy. Pintsch told Leasor of Hitler’s response to this news. He did not seem surprised, nor did he rant and rave about what Hess had done. Instead, he replied calmly, “At this particular moment in the war that could be a most hazardous escapade.”
Adolf Hitler then went onto read the letter that Rudolf Hess had sent him. He read the following significant passage out aloud. “And if this project… ends in failure… it will always be possible for you to deny all responsibility. Simply say I was out of my mind.” Of course, that is what both Hitler and Churchill did later on. However, at the time, Hitler at least, still believed that a negotiated agreement was possible.
The following day Adolf Hitler knew that Winston Churchill had refused to do a deal and then the cover-up began. Pintsch was now a dangerous witness and he was arrested and was kept in solitary confinement until being sent to the Eastern Front in 1944. He was captured by the Soviets and kept alive until being released in 1955. (James Leasor, The Uninvited Envoy, page 69).
Adolf Hitler now issued a statement pointing out that "Hess did not fly in my name." Albert Speer, who was with Hitler when he heard the news, later reported that "what bothered him was the Churchill might use the incident to pretend to Germany's allies that Hitler was extending a peace feeler."
According to his friend, Rainer Hildebrandt, Haushofer became very distressed when he discovered that the Hess peace initiative had ended in failure. As Haushofer knew the true details of the operation, he feared for his life and expected the same fate as Karlheinz Pintsch. He was right, and on 11th May, 1941, Adolf Hitler ordered the arrest of Haushofer.
The following day he was taken to Berchtesgaden and ordered to write a full report on what he knew about the reasons for Rudolf Hess flying to Scotland. Haushofer also outlined his contacts with people like the Duke of Hamilton, Samuel Hoare (Viscount Templewood), Lord Halifax and Alec Douglas-Home (Lord Dunglass) during these peace negotiations.
After reading Haushofer's report Hitler ordered that he should be sent to the Prince Albrecht Strasse Gestapo Prison in Berlin to be interrogated by Heinrich Mueller, the head of the Gestapo. Haushofer was released in July 1941. The reason for this is that Hitler believed that Haushofer could still play a key role in any future peace negotiations with Britain. Haushofer was kept under surveillance and Martin Bormann sent a letter to important figures in the media that: "Professor Albrecht Haushofer should no longer be given any publicity".
Irmegard Schnuhr, one of Haushofer's favourite students, was recruited by Heinrich Mueller to spy on him. However, she remained loyal to her tutor and only gave the Gestapo information that was first cleared by Haushofer. However, she was not the only spy used and it soon became clear that Haushofer was in contact with other opponents of the Nazi government including Ulrich von Hassell, Ludwig Beck, Helmuth von Moltke, Peter von Wartenburg and Carl Goerdeler.
On Sunday, 7th December, 1941, 105 high-level bombers, 135 dive-bombers and 81 fighter aircraft attacked the the US Fleet at Pearl Harbor. In two hours 18 warships, 188 aircraft and 2,403 servicemen were lost in the attack. Luckily, the navy's three aircraft carriers, Enterprise, Lexington and Saratoga, were all at sea at the time. The following day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and a united US Congress declared war on Japan.
Soon afterwards, Irmegard Schnuhr was summoned by Adolf Hitler and asked her to discover what Haushofer's views were on the possibility of negotiating a peace with Britain. Haushofer told Schnuhr that Hitler's foreign minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, would make it impossible for any negotiations to get off the ground. Hitler replied that it "would be easy to sack Ribbentrop" if the British first sacked their Foreign Minister, Anthony Eden.
Irmegard Schnuhr was married to a senior figure in the Schutzstaffel (SS). In April 1942 she discovered that Richard Heydrich was plotting against Heinrich Himmler. Schnuhr gave this information to Haushofer who passed it onto Himmler via Carl Langbehn. Before any action could be taken against Heydrich he was assassinated by members of the Free Czechoslovak Forces.
A group of anti-Nazis, including Claus von Stauffenberg, Wilhelm Canaris, Carl Goerdeler, Julius Leber, Ulrich Hassell, Hans Oster, Peter von Wartenburg, Henning von Tresckow, Friedrich Olbricht, Werner von Haeften, Fabian Schlabrendorff, Ludwig Beck and Erwin von Witzleben decided to assassinate Adolf Hitler (the July Plot). Haushofer was opposed to any attempt on Hitler's life because he did not believe it would bring an end to the war.
At least six attempts were aborted before Claus von Stauffenberg decided on trying again during a conference attended by Adolf Hitler on 20th July, 1944. It was decided to drop plans to kill Herman Goering and Heinrich Himmler at the same time. Stauffenberg, who had never met Hitler before, carried the bomb in a briefcase and placed it on the floor while he left to make a phone-call. The bomb exploded killing four men in the hut. Hitler's right arm was badly injured but he survived the bomb blast.
Albrecht Haushofer immediately went into hiding but was arrested by the Gestapo on 7th December 1944. He was taken to Moabit Prison in the Lehrterstrasse, Berlin. For the next few weeks Haushofer was interrogated constantly. However, unlike the other conspirators, Haushofer was not executed.
A fellow prisoner, Eberhard Bethge, later claimed that this was because Hitler had the "intention to make use of Haushofer at a later date." Hitler and Himmler were both still hoping that they could use Haushofer to negotiate a peace deal with Britain and the United States. Haushofer was given special privileges and during this period he wrote what became known as the Moabite Sonnets.
Irmegard Schnuhr approached Karl Haushofer about the possibility of using his influence to get his son released from prison. He replied: "Why should I do that? He has betrayed his country and his people and deserves no help from me."
In February 1945, Heinrich Himmler explored the possibility of doing a deal that involved capitulating to the Western Allies but not to the Soviet Union. Winston Churchill and Harry Truman considered this offer but with the Red Army advancing on Berlin, it was not a realistic option. On 21st April 1945, Himmler instructed Heinrich Mueller to execute Albrecht Haushofer. This was carried out two days later.
It was decided not to prosecute Karl Haushofer at Nuremberg because it was decided that his role had only been "academic and advisory". On 11th March 1946, Karl and his wife committed suicide.
(1) Albrecht Haushofer, letter to Karl Haushofer (26th October 1929)
For years now Western German policy was made with sacrifice after sacrifice in order to get a free hand in the East one day - now, in the few weeks since Stresemann's death, our last means of pressure in the Poland negotiations has been thrown overboard...
Everybody who sails under the direct flag of the Right is not even listened to owing to the anxiety psychosis into which Hugenberg and Hitler have plunged the people...
I must confess that four weeks ago I could not have considered how deep the desire for Stresemann's return must be. He was certainly not a great man, but among the blind he was certainly one-eyed.
(2) Albrecht Haushofer, letter to Karl Haushofer (30th July 1930)
So my first impression of Russia is one of terrible poverty and oppression, a partly purposeless, partly systematic cultural decline of enormous proportions. On the other side the accumulation of sinister power and growing economic strength (partly through ruthless exploitation of large natural resources, partly however, through an undeniably systematic large scale reconstruction) in a few entirely or nearly barbaric hands.
The national character however has not changed. The Russian is still indolent, lazy, dull, unclean and unpunctual. Many things may be recognised in many fields; and the danger must not be underestimated.
To make common cause with Moscow is according to my impressions completely out of the question as long as the entire structure of our political mentality remains unchanged.
(3) Albrecht Haushofer, letter to Karl Haushofer (9th November 1930)
And now London. General impression: envy for the country which still has so many men to steer her history. I have at last seen almost all important leaders, to many of them I have spoken personally: e.g., Lord Allenby with whom I had a brilliant conversation for an hour without knowing who he was....
Splendid the old Earl of Crawford and Balcarres, a Scot of ancient descent - one of the wisest men I ever met ... Chamberlain who actually makes a less distinguished impression: Churchill, who has become fat and who looks more like a clever clown than a Statesman.... The German Embassy with the young Count Bernstorff and the young Prince Bismarck makes in comparison a rather paltry impression - the welcome was exceedingly cordial.
(4) Albrecht Haushofer, letter to his mother (7th May 1933)
I am glad about the optimism of father and of Heinz, although I do not understand it.... The way our German world develops I see no possibilities of activity for myself....
But these are only the external things. Internally it looks like this: I now stand on a narrow strip of land which remains when one becomes indifferent to one's own existence, and when on the other hand there is no compelling reason for taking an active step towards non-existence.
I cannot really say very much regarding father's political letter. I am glad that he sees possibilities of activity for himself to a certain extent - in the same state which disqualifies his sons from the Civil Service ( I have very carefully read the new Ordinance to the Civil Servants' Act, I do not notice much relaxation in them). But we judge matters too differently for me to be able to say anything in respect of this attitude, in respect of his standing up or not standing up for people.
You cannot plane wood without producing shavings is a very fine proverb; but when some of the shavings are personally known to you, things look very different. I only do not know whether I should envy or admire the blindness which does not see how near to us already is the blade of the plane.
(5) Albrecht Haushofer, letter to his parents about the reasons why he decided to work for Adolf Hitler and the Nazi government (June 1933)
Inhibitions:
Lack in me of National Socialist philosophy of life. Lacking faith in the ability to teach and to find contact with the young generation. Compulsion to make a whole series of compromises in questions of opinion; loss of a good deal of both inner and external freedom.
Incentives:
Increased possibility of practical activity: improvement of my position in the sense of external prestige and of middle class significance of titles.
Compulsion to be active:
In a certain sense increase and safety of external freedom of movement, both financially as well as in respect of freedom to travel, which one must grant to the holder of this position.
You see, it is all rather muddled up, but it is, after all, a fact that the incentives are all on the side of my worldly vita activa - while the inhibitions are just inhibitions of my character. That I could accomplish many things better than others, that in this position a tolerably reasonable person is better than an unreasonable one, that I probably possess the necessary skill to create for myself further influence from this activity, that (and this is said really more for you than for myself, because your external need for my prestige is greater than my own) the then existing combination of external position would for quite a number of years serve as an absolutely satisfactory basis - all that I know of course. The question is whether I could manage to jump over the internal shadow, and if I do, how it will end.
(6) Albrecht Haushofer, letter to his parents (27th July, 1934)
I sometimes ask myself how long we shall be able to carry the responsibility, which we bear and which gradually begins to turn into historical guilt or, at least, into complicity.... But all of us are, after all, in a situation of conflicting obligations, from which at best fate can find a way out, and we have to carry on working, even when the task has become completely hopeless.
And now I must try to finish my geopolitics report. How, I do not know. In the evening of the day before yesterday I heard father's radio talk; I must admit it was very sinister to me to hear his sarcastic remark on Dolfuss's accumulation of offices while on the adjoining wave-length it was announced that he was dead.... There will be much violent dying and nobody knows when lightning will strike one's own house.
(7) Albrecht Haushofer, report for Joachim von Ribbentrop (26th June, 1938)
Britain has still not abandoned her search for chances of a settlement with Germany (perhaps on the basis of German leadership, but not conquest, in South-east Europe, frontier revisions through plebiscites, West African colonies, four-power pact, armaments restriction).
A certain measure of pro-German sentiment has not yet disappeared among the British people; the Chamberlain-Halifax government sees its own future strongly tied to the achievement of a true settlement with Rome and Berlin (with a displacement of Soviet influence in Europe)...
But the belief in the possibility of an understanding between Britain and Germany is dwindling fast. A new imperialism is suspected behind the pan-German programme of National Socialism (with which one has become more or less reconciled). Here the Czech question assumes the significance of a decisive test case. A German attempt to solve the Bohemian-Moravian question by a military attack would under present circumstances present for Britain (and in British opinion also for France) a casus belli.
In such a war the British Government would have the whole nation behind it. It would be conducted as a crusade for the liberation of Europe from German militarism. London is convinced that such a war would be won with the help of the U.S.A. (whose full participation, within days, not weeks, is anticipated) at the cost, of course, of an incalculable expansion of Bolshevism outside the Anglo-Saxon world.
(8) Albrecht Haushofer, letter to his mother (16th November 1938)
That I am alive is evident from our telephone conversations. If I were physically ill, I would let you know. Should there be essential changes in the external order of my existence or should such be in the immediate offing, I would write about it, although such changes nowadays occur so quickly that often there remains no time for thinking or even for writing.
But on what else should I otherwise write? I no longer have a private life, and if I had I would not write about it. One never knows, after all, who else reads one's letters. One cannot write about things which move one. And when one can write about them once in a while like today, when I can send the letter by my brother - what is the point of making life even more difficult for each other?
You know very well yourselves that we live in medieval circumstances, which are an insult to the gallantry of our Middle Ages; that our spiritually possessed great leaders are enraged over their failure with their nice little war (with the result that all those who in the last minute pleaded for settlement and peace are now highly unpopular), that they endeavour as far as possible to frustrate a German-English settlement. And if you do not know it, it is perhaps better for Father's peace of mind...
It will be soon enough to realise what is going on, when we are all robbed or hanged. The disappointed fury over the missed war is now raging internally. Today it is the Jews. Tomorrow it will be other groups and classes.
The financial advice I gave to you yesterday is based on the contingency that perhaps as early as next Saturday, but perhaps only later, a partial capital levy will be imposed also for Aryans the financial consequences of which cannot be assessed, but which can very easily lead to a lowering of purchase power so that one may suddenly become non-liquid. The exact amount of the confiscation, which is to go by the name of `Thank Offering' is not yet known. It will be unavoidable because public coffers are empty.
(9) Albrecht Haushofer, letter to the Duke of Hamilton (16th July, 1938)
I have been silent for a very long time - partly from outside, partly from inside reasons. The outside reasons are easily and quickly stated: having told some very unpopular truths after my last return from England, and having pulled my full weight with the forces of moderation on our side during the weeks before Munich, I had to move very carefully afterwards. I did not want to find myself waking up one morning with an appointment as Consul General to Paramaribo (I dare say such a place exists somewhere in South America).
The inside reasons are less easily put down. But I think I can make them clear at least to you. We have had more than one talk on the Versailles Treaty and its aftermath. You know how I feel about it. I have always regarded it as a failure on the side side of British farsightedness - to put it mildly - (but you may blame the French!) that concessions and revisions mostly came too late. I fully admit that the critical years were 193I/32 One third of the concessions to Germany that you allowed to be taken later on without agreement, offered in 1932 - and Germany would never have taken the revolutionary plunge she took in 1933. But that is old history.
After the National-Socialist advent to power there remained one hope: that - after having done away with most (if not all) of the Versailles grievances by rather violent and one-sided methods -the great man of the regime would be prepared to slow down, to accept an important (though not an alldominating) position in `the Concert of Europe'. It may have been an unreasonable hope -knowing the man as we know him - but - realities being what they were - it was the only hope one could act upon. Now - I cannot entertain that hope any longer; and that is my reason for writing and posting this letter somewhere on the coast of Western Norway, where I am taking a few short weeks of rest.
I just want to give you a sign of personal friendship - I do hope that you will survive whatever may happen in Europe - and I want to send you a word of warning. To the best of my knowledge there is not yet a definite time-table for the actual explosion, but any date after the middle of August may prove to be the fatal one. So far they want to avoid the `big war'. But the one man on whom everything depends is still hoping that he may be able to get away with an isolated `local war'. He still thinks in terms of British bluff, although the Prime Minister's and Lord H's [Halifax's] last speeches have made him doubt - at least temporarily; the most dangerous thing is that he is racing against time: in more than one sense.
Economic difficulties are growing, and his own feeling (a very curious and remarkable one) that he has not a very long time of life ahead of him, is a most important factor. I could never adapt myself to the idea that any war might be inevitable; but one would have to be blind not to realise that war may be very near.
So the question: what can be done? gets all the more important. But perhaps I should have added a few things about the psychological position in the mind of the German people before trying to answer that question. On the merits of their present government, the Germans are less united than at any date since 1934. But if war breaks out on the Corridor question, they will be more solidly behind their present leader than over any case that might have led to war in these last years. The territorial solutions in the East (Corridor and Upper Silesia) have never been accepted by the German nation, and you will find many and most important Englishmen, who never thought them to be acceptable - and said so ! A war against Poland would be not unpopular.
World war of course is quite another thing: but few people in Germany realise that they would be up against a world war. I should just mention one more point: 'encirclement' has proved to be a most efficient weapon of inside propaganda. Pre-war memories (and war-blockade experiences) have risen in many minds - and the idea that England wants to `hem in' Germany on every side has got very deep into the German mind (even there, where it is not `Nazi'). Of course there are difficulties. That hateful South Alpine deal is making a big, though naturally subterranean, stir.
But war against Poland would - for the first weeks at least - unite, not disintegrate the German nation. And that is - at least to my feeling - all-important; not because I might hope that an united German nation might win the war: I am very much convinced that Germany cannot win a short war and that she cannot stand a long one - but I am thoroughly afraid that the terrific forms of modern war will make any reasonable peace impossible if they are allowed to go on for even a few months. Therefore we simply have to stop the explosion. Another European war, another Treaty of Versailles, another total revolution all over Europe - well - I need not say what it would mean for Europe as a whole.
Now to the core of the question: what can be done? Very little from inside Germany. Even now at least something from England.
Something on the tactical side: Your `inside' people know how to put a certain amount of pressure on the big man in Rome: they ought to start that pressure fairly soon. Something of the more general type: It is not enough for England to advertise herself as the big boss in the fire brigade, or to organise a fire insurance company with other nations (some of them - viz. Poland - not quite above playing with fire themselves) : What Europe needs is a real British peace plan on the basis of full equality and with considerable (but strictly mutual) safeguards on the military side. I realise to the full that a strong system of safeguards will be necessary if your people are to be persuaded to meet even the slightest German wishes regarding European or colonial territory. But as long as your Government has not lost sight of the second part of their original programme - full security and peaceful change through negotiation - they might be able to test the second part early enough to secure a positive effect. I cannot outline what might be an acceptable compromise in detail.
I cannot imagine even a short-range settlement without a change in the status of Danzig and without some sort of change in the Corridor. Possibly a long-range settlement between Germany and Poland would have to be based upon considerable territorial changes combined with population exchanges on the Greek-Turkish model (people in England mostly do not know that there are some 600,000-700,000 Germans scattered through the inner (formerly Russian) parts of Poland!) - but if there is to be a peaceful solution at all, it can only come from England and it must appear to be fair to the German public as a whole.
Even now - after the present rulers of Germany have given ample provocation - your people would be wise not to forget that they refused a plebiscitarian solution in the Corridor (and that subsequently the Poles drove some 900,000 Germans out of their former German provinces!) and that they prevented one in Upper Silesia.
(10) Albrecht Haushofer, document written in about June 1940.
For an understanding with Britain the evacuation of the Western and Northern territories under German occupation must be accepted as a basis.
The German-French frontier, in the event of Alsace-Lorraine remaining within the German Reich's territory, should be moved further West than before 1914. ... This problem should form the topic of a joint German-French discussion....
Having regard to the fact that for Britain the way to India must be unconditionally secured, Britain's special interests in the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East would have to be recognised....
Germany would have to be guaranteed, on the other hand, her special interests in the south-east European sphere....
The regulation of her eastern frontier is regarded by Germany as a special problem which should be settled by the states directly concerned alone....
There should, however, be no doubt that the occasion of a peace conference must be used for a basic reorganisation of Europe since the proposals would otherwise offer no guarantee for a permanent solution.
It is proposed that Europe should be enlarged into one economic region in which her peoples are led to a joint economic co-operation under the control of an Economic Council to which all European nations would send their representatives.... Each state should declare its willingness to contribute towards the creation of an European police force which could carry out, jointly, all military and security measures.
The German navy, like all other European naval units, would be placed under British command for safeguarding Europe's military co-operation, and would be available for the protection of British interests in the Indian Ocean...
The foundation of a joint European colonial association would appear to be necessary. It would be the task of this association to ensure a joint and equitable distribution of all African economic goods in an all-European market and of the corresponding counter-supplies (exports).
(11) Albrecht Haushofer, report for Joachim von Ribbentrop (15th September, 1940)
On 8 September, I was summoned to Bad Godesberg to report to the Deputy of the Fuehrer on the subject discussed in this memorandum. The conversation which the two of us had alone lasted two hours. I had the opportunity to speak in all frankness.
I was immediately asked about the possibilities of making known to persons of importance in England Hitler's serious desire for peace. It was quite clear that the continuance of the war was suicidal for the white race. Even with complete peace in Europe Germany was not in a position to take over the inheritance of the Empire. The Fuehrer had not wanted to see the Empire destroyed and did not want it even today. Was there not somebody in England who was ready for peace?
First I asked for permission to discuss fundamental things. It was necessary to realise that not only Jews and Freemasons, but practically all Englishmen who mattered, regarded a treaty signed by the Fuehrer as a worthless scrap of paper. To the question as to why this was so, I referred to the ten-year term of our Polish Treaty, to the Non-Aggression Pact with Denmark signed only a year ago, to the `final' frontier demarcation of Munich. What guarantee did England have that a new treaty would not be broken again at once if it suited us? It must be realised that, even in the Anglo-Saxon world, the Fuehrer was regarded as Satan's representative on earth and had to be fought.
If the worst came to the worst, the English would rather transfer their whole Empire bit by bit to the Americans than sign a peace that left to National Socialist Germany the mastery of Europe. The present war, I was convinced, shows that Europe has become too small for its previous anarchic form of existence; it is only through close German-English co-operation that it can achieve a true federative order (based by no means merely on the police rule of a single power), while maintaining a part of its world position and having security against Soviet Russian Eurasia. France was smashed, probably for a long time to come, and we had opportunity currently to observe what Italy is capable of accomplishing. As long, however, as German-English rivalry existed, and in so far as both sides thought in terms of security, the lesson of this war was this: every German had to tell himself: we have no security as long as provision is not made that the Atlantic gateways of Europe from Gibraltar to Narvik are free of any possible blockade. That is: there must be no English fleet. Every Englishman, must, however, under the same conditions, argue: we have no security as long as anywhere within a radius of 2,000 kilometres from London there is a plane that we do not control. That is: there must be no German Air Force.
There is only one way out of this dilemma: friendship intensified to fusion, with a joint fleet, a joint air force, and joint defence of possessions in the world -just what the English are now about to conclude with the United States.
Here I was interrupted and asked why, indeed, the English were prepared to seek such a relationship with America and not with us. My reply was: because Roosevelt is a man who represents a Weltanschauung and a way of life that the Englishman thinks he understands, to which he can become accustomed, even where it does not seem to be to his liking. Perhaps he fools himself - but, at any rate, that is what he believes.
A man like Churchill - himself half-American - is convinced of this. Hitler, however, seems to the Englishman the incarnation of what he hates that he has fought against for centuries - this feeling grips the workers no less than the plutocrats.
In fact, I am of the opinion that those Englishmen who have property to lose, that is, precisely the portions of the so-called plutocracy that count, are those who would be readiest to talk peace. But even they regard a peace only as an armistice.
I was compelled to express these things so strongly because I ought not - precisely because of my long experience in attempting to effect a settlement with England in the past and my numerous English friendships - make it appear that I seriously believed in the possibility of a settlement between Adolf Hitler and England in the present stage of development.
I was thereupon asked whether I was not of the opinion that feelers had perhaps not been successful because the right language had not been used. I replied that, to be sure - if certain persons, whom we both knew well, were meant by this statement - then certainly the wrong language had been used. But at the present stage this had little significance.
I was then asked directly why all Englishmen were so opposed to Herr von Ribbentrop. I suggested that in the eyes of the English, Herr von Ribbentrop, like some other personages, played the same role as did Duff Cooper, Eden and Churchill in the eyes of the Germans. In the case of Herr von Ribbentrop, there was also the conviction, precisely in the view of Englishmen who were formerly friendly to Germany that - from completely biased motives - he had informed the Fuehrer wrongly about England and that he personally bore an unusually large share of the responsibility for the outbreak of the war.
But I again stressed the fact that the rejection of peace feelers by England was today due not so much to persons as to the fundamental outlook above.
Nevertheless, I was asked to name those whom I thought might be reached as possible contacts. I mentioned among diplomats, Minister O'Malley in Budapest, the former head of the South Eastern Department of the Foreign Office, a clever person in the higher echelons of officialdom, but perhaps without influence precisely because of his former friendliness towards Germany; Sir Samuel Hoare,t who is half-shelved and half on the watch in Madrid, whom I do not know well personally, but to whom I can at any time open a personal path; as the most promising, the Washington Ambassador Lothian, with whom I have had close personal connections for years, who as a member of the highest aristocracy and at the same time as a person of very independent mind, is perhaps best in a position to undertake a bold step - provided that he could be convinced that even a bad and uncertain peace would be better than the continuance of the war - a conviction at which he will only arrive if he convinces himself in Washington that English hopes of America are not realisable. Whether or not this is so could only be judged in Washington itself; from Germany not at all.
As the final possibility I then mentioned that of a personal meeting on neutral soil with the closest of my English friends: the young Duke of Hamilton who has access at all times to all ment - then certainly the wrong language had been used. But at the present stage this had little significance.
Nevertheless, I was asked to name those whom I thought might be reached as possible contacts.
I mentioned among diplomats, Minister O'Malley in Budapest, the former head of the South Eastern Department of the Foreign Office, a clever person in the higher echelons of officialdom, but perhaps without influence precisely because of his former friendliness towards Germany; Sir Samuel Hoare,t who is half-shelved and half on the watch in Madrid, whom I do not know well personally, but to whom I can at any time open a personal path; as the most promising, the Washington Ambassador Lothian, with whom I have had close personal connections for years, who as a member of the highest aristocracy and at the same time as a person of very independent mind, is perhaps best in a position to undertake a bold step - provided that he could be convinced that even a bad and uncertain peace would be better than the continuance of the war - a conviction at which he will only arrive if he convinces himself in Washington that English hopes of America are not realisable. Whether or not this is so could only be judged in Washington itself; from Germany not at all.
As the final possibility I then mentioned that of a personal meeting on neutral soil with the closest of my English friends: the young Duke of Hamilton who has access at all times to all.
(12) Albrecht Haushofer, report written for Adolf Hitler (12th May, 1941)
The circle of English individuals whom I have known very well for years, and whose utilisation on behalf of a GermanEnglish understanding in the years from 1934 to i938 was the core of my activity in England, comprises the following groups and persons:
1. A leading group of younger Conservatives (many of them Scotsmen). Among them are: the Duke of Hamilton - up to the date of his father's death, Lord Clydesdale - Conservative Member of Parliament; the Parliamentary Private Secretary of Neville Chamberlain, Lord Dunglass; the present Under Secretary of State in the Air Ministry, Balfour; the present Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Education, Lindsay (National Labour); the present Under Secretary of State in the Ministry for Scotland, Wedderburn.
Close ties link this circle with the Court. The younger brother of the Duke of Hamilton is closely related to the present Queen through his wife; the mother-in-law of the Duke of Hamilton, the Duchess of Northumberland, is the Mistress of the Robes; her brother-in-law, Lord Eustace Percy, was several times a member of the Cabinet and is still today an influential member of the Conservative Party (especially close to former Prime Minister Baldwin). There are close connections between this circle and important groups of the older Conservatives, as for example the Stanley family (Lord Derby, Oliver Stanley) and Astor (the last is owner of The Times). The young Astor, likewise a Member of Parliament, was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the former Foreign and Interior Minister, Sir Samuel Hoare, at present English Ambassador in Madrid.
I have known almost all of the persons mentioned for years and from close personal contact. The present Under Secretary of State of the Foreign Office, Butler, also belongs here; in spite of many of his public utterances he is not a follower of Churchill or Eden. Numerous connections lead from most of those named to Lord Halifax, to whom I likewise had personal access.
2. The so-called `Round Table' circle of younger imperialists (particularly colonial and Empire politicians), whose most important personage was Lord Lothian.
3. A group of the 'Ministerialdirektoren' in the Foreign Office. The most important of these were Strang, the chief of the Central European Department, and O'Malley, the chief of the South Eastern Department and afterwards Minister in Budapest.
There was hardly one of those named who was not at least occasionally in favour of a German-English understanding.
Although most of them in 1939 finally considered that war was inevitable, it was nevertheless reasonable to think of these persons if one thought the moment had come for investigating the possibility of an inclination to make peace. Therefore when the Deputy of the Fuehrer, Reich Minister Hess, asked me in the autumn of iqq.o about possibilities of gaining access to possibly reasonable Englishmen, I suggested two concrete possibilities for establishing contacts. It seemed to me that the following could be considered for this:
A. Personal contact with Lothian, Hoare, or O'Malley, all three of whom were accessible in neutral countries.
B. Contact by letter with one of my friends in England. For this purpose the Duke of Hamilton was considered in the first place, since my connection with him was so firm and personal that I could suppose he would understand a letter addressed to him even if it were formulated in very veiled language.
Reich Minister Hess decided in favour of the second possibility; I wrote a letter to the Duke of Hamilton at the end of September 1940 and its despatch to Lisbon was arranged by the Deputy Fuehrer. I did not learn whether the letter reached the addressee. The possibilities of its being lost en route from Lisbon to England are not small, after all.
(13) James Leasor, Rudolf Hess: The Uninvited Envoy (1962)
According to his brother, Albrecht Haushofer was furious when he heard that Hess had flown off on his mission without informing him of his intention to fly on that particular day. `And to think that one is forced to conduct politics with such fools,' he exclaimed bitterly. Thereafter, he referred to Hess as `the motorized Parsifal'taking the name of the fool in Wagner's opera.
His bitterness at Hess's impetuosity was increased by the fact that on the evening of May io-when Hess was actually on his way to Scotland and beyond all hope of contact or recall-Haushofer received a telegram from Herr Stahmer, Secretary of the German Embassy in Madrid.
"The pre-arranged wording ... indicated that Stahmer in Madrid had been able to contact the British Ambassador, then Sir Samuel Hoare, and that Haushofer's venture, to which Hess had eventually agreed, was apparently a success. But it was too late."
It was all far too late.
On May 12, the Monday following Hess's departure, the Gestapo flew Albrecht Haushofer to Bad Godesberg in a special aeroplane. There he was interrogated, and despite the lateness of the hour at which he had arrived, he was forced to write a full account of `the kind and extent of his English connections, destined for Hitler'. As Haushofer was already the principal adviser to Hitler's Foreign Office on British affairs, and since Hitler already knew of the previous attempts to reach some form of compromise armistice with Britain, it is not likely that the Fuhrer discovered much that he did not know. This exercise was purely a means to cloak and cover Hitler's own prior knowledge of these attempts.
After the interrogation, an enemy of the Haushofer family, envious of their standing, their estate and their intellectual capabilities, remarked to Himmler: "This is the right moment to finish off all the Haushofers."
(14) Albrecht Haushofer, Guilt: the 38th Sonnet of Moabit (1945)
I lightly carry what the judge calls my guilt
Guilt in planning and caring
I would feel guilty had I not from inner duty
Planned for the people's future
But I am guilty other than you think:
I should have sooner seen my duty
I should have sharper condemned evil
I have too long delayed my judgement.
I now accuse myself
I have long betrayed my conscience
I have lied to myself and to others.
I soon foresaw the evil's frightful path;
I have warned,
But my warnings were too feeble.
I know today wherein lies my guilt
(15) James Douglas-Hamilton, Motive for a Mission (1971)
No prosecution was made against Karl Haushofer at Nuremberg because the American prosecuting team regarded his role as being academic and advisory. He was taken to Nuremberg merely to see Hess who was alleged to be suffering from amnesia and who refused to recognise him. He was also asked to prepare a last statement on German geopolitics, which he agreed to do. On his way back to his lodgings, Karl Haushofer said that Hess was completely sincere in his fanatical support of Hitler, that his flight to Britain was characteristic of him, and that at no other time had Hess concealed his plans from him. Whilst being driven back he could see the ruins of the bombed city and he was dismayed.
He had always been in favour of setting aside the Versailles Treaty; now he saw Germany occupied and with far less territory than she had had under the Treaty of Versailles. He did not want to live in a Germany which had been defeated for the second time in a world war. In 1943 he had quarrelled with Albrecht and had told him that if the war was lost as Albrecht thought, he would kill himself, and his mind kept reverting to this theme.
Only the presence of his family kept him from putting his threat into action. At the end of 1945 after the return of his son Heinz, although his health was deteriorating, he did not wish to escape a confrontation regarding his life's work. Once he had completed his last defence of German geopolitics in which he claimed that his teachings had been misunderstood, and once he had discovered that Hess's counsel did not require him as a defence witness at the Nuremberg war trials he felt freed from all obligations. He told Heinz `You no longer need me' and again and again emphasised the right of the stoic to put an end to his life, once he had fulfilled all his duties.
Throughout his life Karl Haushofer had been an admirer of the ancient Greek stoics and on 11 March 1946 he carried his admiration to its logical conclusion. On that Monday Karl and Martha Haushofer set out for their last walk through the woods. They stopped about half a mile from their house in a hollow by the stream under a willow tree. There they took poison. Martha was also hanged from the tree; the General was not strong enough to follow suit as the poison took effect. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Sir. MY name is Vijendra singh Gehlot .I am 50 years . I had kidney transplant before 5 years but from 1 year I am suffering from.loose.motion and continue weight lose and weakness.I am also suffering from hydrocil with harnia .My present creatine is 2.2.I take tacrograph 1 mg OD,MFT 360 mg OD and Omna-10mg..I had taken G. and sportlac but not effrctiveArr harnia and diahrea and harnia realated? Please suggest something how to cure it? output: Hi, Following the renal transplant, diarrhea can happen due to many reasons. One of the immunosuppressants you are taking can also cause such symptoms. Keep checking your serum creatinine every 2 months and see if there is a rise or not, this is to make sure the kidney graft is functioning properly. You can try taking over the counter probiotics. Hopefully, it helps. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.. |
instruction: You are a doctor, please answer the medical questions based on the patient's description. input: Hello doctor, I have been dealing with severe lower back pain, hip pain, butt and leg pain, fatigue, insomnia, hot and sweaty, pain in wrist and fingers, foot pain (left foot my toes are curved down and one is curved to the left). I do not know if this has anything to do with arthritis but there are occasional lesions in my nose and occasional neck pain. I am currently taking Cymbalta. I have had Arnold Chiari malformation and underwent decompression surgery.
I have severe low back pain with fatigue and leg pain. Are the symptoms related to arthritis? output: Hello. I am sorry you are having these symptoms. Have you had any laboratory workups done before? How about imaging studies? There are many causes of your current symptoms and this makes it more complicated since you have Arnold-Chiari malformation. This includes autoimmune condition, degenerative condition and metabolic conditions. I would recommend that you do further testing to understand your condition. I would recommend that you check your CBC (complete blood count), RF (rheumatoid factor), SGPT (serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase) and SGOT (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase), BUN (blood urea nitrogen), creatinine, ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate), CRP (C-reactive protein), thyroid function test and FBS (fasting blood sugar) as initial tests. In the meantime, I recommend that you undergo a physical therapy program to include ultrasound, TENS (transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation), William's flexion exercise, Myofascial release, joint conservation techniques, range of motion exercises within pain-free range, endurance exercise as tolerated. I would also recommend you take Naproxen three times a day for pain and Ibuprofen twice a day for breakthrough pain. Once you have the results of the tests, please do follow up. I hope this helps. Follow up with lab results... |