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NCIS: LOS ANGELES' Eric Christian Olsen on humor, his hybrid hit and whether Deeks and Kensi are this year's Brangelina. Standing on the back lawn of the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills amid a sea of silly implements—a Wiffle bat, a plastic gun that blows bubbles, a croquet mallet—Eric Christian Olsen is multitasking, whacking away at a wicket while cracking up the Watch! crew. The center of our attention, he eases any awkwardness by calling out to looky-loos in the windows above. "What's up? Just doing a photo shoot. Don't make it weird." The real-life scene shows how Olsen fits perfectly into his series, NCIS: LOS ANGELES, which also manages to accomplish two things at once, serving up nail-biting action scenes while somehow also making us laugh. The 36-year-old actor joined CBS' Tuesday hit at the end of its first season and his character, the troubled yet wisecracking former LAPD Detective Marty Deeks, quickly became a fan favorite. During hiatus, Olsen can often be found at his home outside Jackson Hole, Wyo., where last June, in a converted barn, he married his longtime girlfriend, Sarah Wright, with whom he appeared in the 2012 indie film Celeste and Jesse Forever. Watch!: How did you decide to go for this career? Eric Christian Olsen: I grew up in Iowa, and the improv comedy club Comedy-Sportz across the river in Illinois held auditions. They took me even though I was only 16—you really had to be 18, but they never checked me for ID. Everyone else was in their 30s to their 50s, and would make references to Glenn Miller, and I would have no idea who that was. It was an energy rush, knowing you had nothing prepared, but you had to entertain for two hours. It gave me confidence more than any other schooling I've ever had. Watch!: Were you a class clown? How did you know you were funny? Eric: All my buddies were funny. We were all on a hockey team, and went mountain biking. They mostly were jocks. I had done some acting in middle school, but none of the others did any kind of theater. Watch!: So where NCIS: LOS ANGELES is this hybrid of two worlds that don't normally meet, so are you. Eric: That comes from my dad. He's the last of the true Renaissance men. He's an English professor who teaches African-American literature and Holocaust remembrance. He's also a track and cross-country coach—and he took a sabbatical to tour high schools to get kids excited about poetry. So there are no boundaries to anything. You pursue what you love, and if you find beauty or truth, you go with that. My brother is the same way. He studied science all through college, and then became a Navy SEAL. Watch!: What does your Navy SEAL brother think of NCIS: LOS ANGELES? Eric: He's out of the SEALs now and has five other jobs, including working on the show. He does stunts and some technical advising. Anytime you see a building explode and a person in a fireball, that's my brother. Watch!: What was your first big gig as an actor? Eric: I was at Pepperdine University in Malibu, and during my sophomore year, I played a dying burn victim on ER. The makeup artist put burn makeup all over my body and I couldn't move or eat for 12 hours. I lost 8 pounds that week. Watch!: You've made quite a few movies. Any favorite memories? Eric: When I was in the gunner's bubble of a B25 bomber, taking off from an aircraft carrier 100 miles off the coast of San Diego, I remember saying to myself how amazing it was to get the chance to do that. And I still have those moments. There are times when I'm sitting across from LL COOL J, shooting an action scene for a show that 20 million people in the U.S. watch. How amazing! I was a kid who grew up rolling up one pant leg and singing "Mama Said Knock You Out"! Watch!: So you were a big LL COOL J fan? Eric: Huge! And usually, you meet people you've idolized and are deeply disappointed. But Todd is one of the few people who has exceeded my expectations. He's one of the most intelligent, compelling human beings I've ever worked with. Watch!: And Chris O'Donnell? Eric: He's like an additional older brother. There are such similarities—he's Midwestern, with a similar kind of upbringing. He was a superstar early on, and has had life experiences that would have ruined so many other people. But instead, he has a beautiful family. Both of these guys are true success stories not only in their art but also in life. To get to go to work with them every day, I couldn't be happier. Watch!: All this well-adjustment and admiration … frankly, it's boring. Please tell me you have daily verbal smackdowns with Linda Hunt or something. Eric: [Laughs.] She's my favorite to do scenes with! As much as I love Chris and Todd, there's a gravitas about Linda that commands your attention, and a different kind of interaction, because you can't read her at all. Watch!: Speaking of that B25 bomber, you often get cast as a military guy. Why do you think that is? Certainly not the haircut. Eric: I think they've got the clean-cut military guy in spades. They needed someone to come in and play against that type. Deeks uses comedy to defuse situations, which is what makes him such a contrast to Sam and G. Callen. Watch!: Before NCIS: LOS ANGELES, these kinds of procedural shows didn't really integrate humor. Eric: I've had multiple conversations with buddies of my brother and with cops who say that that it's your instinct to use humor when things get that crazy. We've had a lot of cops tell us that's the part of this show they really love, because that's the truth. Watch!: What do you like best about Deeks? Eric: The writers have created a great character. He kind of raised himself, put himself through college and got his law degree. And I think the relationship we've developed for Deeks and Kensi is fantastic. People have found such an attachment to them. On YouTube there are literally thousands of videos that people have made with these two characters. Watch!: Correct me if I've missed something, but they're still not officially an item, right? Eric: They're not an item. They just have that banter, and they've got great chemistry. The show has come up with great scenes for them that walk that very fine line. Watch!: Speaking of mixing things together, do you think you two should have a Brangelina-like couple name? Eric: We have two! "Densi" and "Keeks." And there's a battle between the two factions. Watch!: Which are you on, Team Densi or Team Keeks? Eric: That's not for me to decide. Watch!: That is way too tactful an answer. Eric: It's the truth! I should be so lucky that people are watching the show, let alone that they're so moved by this relationship. Watch!: I think you should pick the name that uses more letters of Marty's name versus hers. Like actors who count lines. Eric: "Densi" has just the "D." But in "Keeks," I get 4 out of the 5 letters. Watch!: I knew I could trick you into being petty. Eric: But I think I actually like "Densi" better, if that makes any difference. So really, I think I just foiled your whole plot. By Jim Colucci Photography by Adam Secore Stylist: Ilaria Urbinati. Photographed at Four Seasons hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills Check out Eric's Watch! Magazine photoshoot.
International Business Programs The Department of Business and Economics offers a major in international business. Minors are available in business, accounting and economics. Those interested in the study of international business may also look into the following disciplines offered at Baker University’s Baldwin City undergraduate campus: Major in International Business All students majoring in accounting, business or international business must complete a common core of classes emphasizing fundamental concepts in business and economics. The following common core courses are required: - AC 141 Introduction to Financial Accounting - AC 142 Managerial Accounting I - BS 141 Introduction to Business - BS 230 Quantitative Analysis for Business and Economics I - BS 251 Business Law I - BS 271 Principles of Marketing - BS 330 Quantitative Analysis for Business and Economics II - BS 331 Business Information Systems - BS 353 Fundamentals of Management - BS 381 Corporate Finance - BS 456 Business Policy - EC 242 Principles of Economics: Micro - EC 243 Principles of Economics: Macro - At least 3 semester hours of credit in AC/BS 390 Business Internship with a faculty sponsor from among the department faculty. The major in international business provides students with a solid foundation in business and economics fundamentals common to all countries and cultures while emphasizing the importance of cultural, linguistic, institutional and legal differences that are encountered when business is conducted on a global scale. The following courses are required: - BS 361 International Management - BS 462 International Marketing - BS 463 International Finance - EC 347 International Trade - 9 semester hours of studies in international culture, politics, history, literature or economics as approved by the department chair. All majors in international business must meet the University’s world language requirement for the Bachelor of Arts degree. Candidates for the B.A. in international business must complete an additional 3 hours in a world language. International business majors also have the option of substituting an internship for one of the international business concentration classes. Undertaking an internship or coursework outside the United States is highly encouraged. This program information has been taken from the current College of Arts and Sciences catalog. This information is subject to change and is updated with each academic year.
American Studies at Eastern Connecticut State University What Can I Do with American Studies? American Studies is a flexible BA program that allows you to pursue interests in American history, culture, literature, and the arts while preparing for a career. The History/American Studies or English/American Studies options are ideal companion majors for students seeking certification in Elementary, Middle School, and Secondary Education. American Studies options should be coordinated carefully to meet certification requirements. See the Coordinator for American Studies and an Education Department advisor to plan out a suitable program. History/American Studies provides excellent, broad-based preparation for law school, especially when course options in political science, economics, and sociology are included. The multidisciplinary approach of American Studies makes it ideal preparation for graduate work in a wide variety of fields related to the study of American history and culture, including American Studies, History, English, Anthropology, Art History, Material Culture, Museum Studies Librarian or Archivist American Studies provides the solid liberal arts background needed as preparation for study toward a master’s degree in library science (MLS), the basic degree for getting a professional level librarian’s position. Government and Public Service American Studies combines study in history, political science, sociology, and related fields, ideal for a career in public service, state and national government, and the foreign service. American Studies focused on history and art provides an ideal background for a career in museum work. Professional-level jobs usually required advanced training in material culture, art, or museum studies. Journalism and Publishing The study of American society and culture, including a strong English component, is ideal preparation for a career in writing and editing.
Handbook of Financial Econometrics, Vol 2 - Yacine Ait-Sahalia - Lars Hansen Applied financial econometrics subjects are featured in this second volume, with papers that survey important research even as they make unique empirical contributions to the literature. These subjects are familiar: portfolio choice, trading volume, the risk-return tradeoff, option pricing, bond yields, and the management, supervision, and measurement of extreme and infrequent risks. Yet their treatments are exceptional, drawing on current data and evidence to reflect recent events and scholarship. A landmark in its coverage, this volume should propel financial econometric research for years. University, research, and major public libraries with finance and economic holdings, academics in finance and economics, finance and economics professionals.
The English Department holds a biennial symposium focusing on literature, race, ethnicity, and other topics. Each symposium features a variety of distinguished guests—writers, professors, journalists, and others well recognized in their fields—who speak and lead discussions during the course of the three day event. Several book volumes have been published based on papers given during the symposia. Please consult the menu on the left to read more about each volume and to see the list of Past Symposia. The 31st Symposium will take place March 5-8, 2015. The theme is "Literature of Status / The Status of Literature". It will include a keynote address from Marshall Brown, Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Washington and editor of Modern Language Quarterly. Visit the 2015 Symposium website here. The CFP deadline is Monday, November 3rd, 2014.
When I learned that Erin Blakemore, fellow blogger, twitter friend and author of the forthcoming book, The Heroine's Bookshelf: Life Lessons, from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder was attending this year's first-ever LauraPalooza, a celebration of all things Laura Ingalls Wilder, I begged her to write me a guest post. One bribe of a Betsy-Tacy tote bag later and she said yes! Read on for the 5 things she learned at Laurapalooza (which I think has to be the best name for a literary conference yet.) A double-take-inducing name. A droolworthy topic. A weekend where academics and fans alike could commune over some of the most iconic subject matter in children’s literature. LauraPalooza 2010, which was organized by the Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association and hosted by Minnesota State University, Mankato from July 13-17 turned out to be all of these things and much more. Here are five things I learned along the way: 1. Laura fans are not messing around. Fellow Laurati (Laurata?) and panelist Wendy McClure recently posited that Betsy-Tacy fans are hardcore, and I agree. But LAURA FANS ARE NOT MESSING AROUND. These are people who will happily crisscross the country and circumnavigate the globe for a glimpse of soil tread by members of the Ingalls and Wilder clans. They talk semiotics, gender construction, local history, cultural criticism. And yes, they sew a mean quilt square. 3. There’s room for every flavor of Laura fan. Fans of the TV show swooned over Dean Butler, TV’s Almanzo Wilder. Crafters were able to discuss needlecraft heritage. Physicists and meteorologists found their voices in two AMAZING discussions of The Long Winter (seriously – check out Sarah S. Uthoff’s YouTube videos of the event…never in my life did I think I’d want to stand up and cheer for a science lecture). People like me got to discuss their favorite book mispronunciations (turns out “Almanzo” was one – put the emphasis on the MAN and you’ve got it right). The most heartwarming thing? All were welcome, all belonged. 4. It's all about context. To me, the most valuable thing about LauraPalooza and my subsequent travels to De Smet and Walnut Grove was the context. Armed with new information and new perspectives, my childhood (and adult) comfort reading is even more meaningful. The conference helped refresh the sense of discovery and fun I had while researching and writing The Heroine’s Bookshelf while reminding me that there’s always more to learn. Why is this image freakout-worthy, you ask? Because it’s an image of the five cottonwoods on the Ingalls homestead, complete with prairie grass (video) the Ingalls themselves tread! 5. You don’t need a crack in the floor to win a spelling bee. That’s what I learned in my DECISIVE SPELLING BEE VICTORY in the first-ever LauraPalooza Spelling Bee! Okay, so the rules weren’t quite as strict as I’d have liked, and I almost flubbed “dialogue,” and I have a feeling one of my competitors was robbed by a homonym, but neither these facts nor the lack of a crack in the floor to put my toes on can dull the thrill of spelling down a long line of contenders. I look forward to defending my title at LauraPalooza 2012! Erin Blakemore (left, in pre-LauraPalooza days) learned to hate Nellie Oleson and love the prairie in suburban San Diego, California. These days, her inner heroine loves roller derby, running her own business, and hiking in her adopted hometown of Boulder, Colorado. Her debut book, The Heroine’s Bookshelf, will be published by Harper Collins this October. Follow Erin on Twitter, and learn more about The Heroine's Bookshelf.
Darwinist or Darwinian, They're One and the Same The Seattle Weekly is one of those free newsprint advertisers that you find in bins on street corners in most major U. S. cities. Their editorial boards usually consist of people too far to the left even for the establishment media, and as sources of news they're probably about as reliable as Minju Choson, the official organ of the Democratic People's Republic of [North] Korea. But homeless people make good use of them. The August 29, 2007 issue of The Seattle Weekly features an article quoting Eugenie Scott, Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education (NCSE). Despite its name, the NCSE is not about teaching science but indoctrinating students at public expense in Darwinism, the creation myth of modern secularism. Whenever critics of Darwinism raise their heads, the NCSE rushes in to bop 'em, kind of like a carnival game. Except that when the NCSE bops someone on the head it usually means the end of that person's career in science teaching. Scott is quoted in The Seattle Weekly as saying that "a real follower of modern science would never call himself a 'Darwinist'," because "evolutionary biology has advanced way beyond Darwin's 19th-century tracts." It's true that the word "Darwinist" is seldom used by defenders of Darwin's theory, though "never" is too strong a description. In 2005, the NCSE's own blog praised biologist Lynn Margulis for being "definitely a Darwinist." In 2006 Niles Eldredge, curator of paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History and an ardent defender of evolutionary theory, called himself "a true Darwinist" in The Virginia Quarterly Review. "Darwinian" is the name preferred by modern evolutionary biologists, who use it widely in the scientific and popular literature. Yet this is a distinction without a difference. Whether such people call themselves Darwinists or Darwinians, they apparently haven't heard the news that "evolutionary biology has advanced way beyond Darwin's 19th-century tracts." Could Scott be following the lead of Harvard sociobiologist Edward O. Wilson, who claims that the word "Darwinism" was coined by creationists to make Darwin look bad? "It's a rhetorical device to make evolution seem like a kind of faith, like 'Maoism'," said Wilson in Newsweek in November 2005. "Scientists," he added, "don't call it Darwinism." Nice try, but Wilson's revisionist approach to the history of biology doesn't fit the facts. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Thomas Henry Huxley (Darwin's most famous defender in Britain) used "Darwinism" in 1864 to describe Charles Darwin's theory. In 1876, Harvard botanist Asa Gray (who was Darwin's most ardent scientific defender in America) published Darwiniana: Essays and Reviews Pertaining to Darwinism, and in 1889 natural selection's co-discoverer Alfred Russel Wallace published Darwinism: An Exposition of the Theory of Natural Selection. Two of Wilson's former Harvard colleagues, evolutionary biologists Ernst Mayr and Stephen Jay Gould, used the word extensively in their scientific writings, and recent science journals carry articles with titles such as "Darwinism and Immunology" and "The Integration of Darwinism and Evolutionary Morphology." The reason that "Darwinism" and "Darwinian" -- even "Darwinist" -- are used by modern evolutionary biologists is that they are more precise than "evolution" and "evolutionist." The latter have many meanings, most of them uncontroversial. For example, "evolution" can refer simply to change over time, something no sane person would deny. Or it can refer to minor changes within existing species, which breeders have known about for centuries. No, Darwin went much further. He claimed that all living things are descendants of a common ancestor, modified by unguided natural processes such as random variation and survival of the fittest. Darwinian descent with modification -- as a comprehensive explanation for what we see in living things -- is scientifically controversial, because it doesn't fit the evidence. So what's the easiest way to persuade people that they should accept something so controversial? Word play. Eugenie Scott makes it her business to misuse words to confuse people about Darwinism and evolution. On a web site maintained (at public expense) by the University of California at Berkeley, she recommends: "Define evolution as an issue of the history of the planet: as the way we try to understand change through time. The present is different from the past. Evolution happened, there is no debate within science as to whether it happened, and so on... I have used this approach at the college level." Of course, no college student -- indeed, no grade-school dropout -- doubts that "the present is different from the past." Once Scott gets them nodding in agreement, she gradually introduces them to what she calls "The Big Idea" that all species -- including monkeys and humans -- are related through descent from a common ancestor, modified by unguided natural processes. "Darwin called this 'descent with modification'," she writes, "and it is still the best definition of evolution we can use." Since logic is no longer a standard part of the curriculum, students might not notice that this is the time-worn fallacy of equivocation -- changing the meaning of a term in the middle of an argument. Equivocation can make anything imply anything else. As a result, rational thought disappears. So rather than learn Scott's word games, biology students should begin by learning to distinguish "evolution" from "Darwinism" and "evolutionist" from "Darwinist." Or "Darwinian" -- it's one and the same. Scott was quoted by Nina Shapiro in The Seattle Weekly, August 29, 2007. Available at http://www.seattleweekly.com/2007-08-29/news/rural-school-board-candidate-hasn-t-been-forthcoming-about-his-intelligent-design-agenda.php Pim van Meurs, "Lynn Margulis 'Definitely a Darwinist'," The Panda's Thumb, September 5, 2005. Available at http://www.pandasthumb.org/archives/2005/09/lynn_margulis_d.html Niles Eldredge, "Confessions of a Darwinist," The Virginia Quarterly Review, Spring 2006. Available at http://www.vqronline.org/articles/2006/spring/eldredge-confessions-darwinist/ Wilson was quoted by Jerry Adler in "Evolution of a Scientist," Newsweek (November 28, 2005), pp. 50-58, esp. p. 53. J. A. Simpson and E. S. C. Weiner, The Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989), Vol. IV, p. 257. Asa Gray, Darwiniana: Essays and Reviews Pertaining to Darwinism (New York: D. Appleton, 1876). Alfred Russel Wallace, Darwinism: An Exposition of the Theory of Natural Selection, With Some of Its Applications (London: Macmillan, 1889). Ernst Mayr, The Growth of Biological Thought (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1982), pp. 116-117, 505. Stephen Jay Gould, The Structure of Evolutionary Theory (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2002), passim. A. M. Silverstein, "Darwinism and Immunology," Nature Immunology 4 (2003): 3-6. G. S. Levit, U. Hossfeld, and L. Olsson, "The Integration of Darwinism and Evolutionary Morphology," Journal of Experimental Zoology B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution 302 (2004): 343-354. Eugenie C. Scott, "Dealing with Anti-Evolutionism," University of California (Berkeley) Museum of Paleontology web site. Available at http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/fosrec/Scott2.html
Our Top 10 Evolution-Related Stories: #6, Peer-Reviewed Science Supports Intelligent Design Editor's note: Back in February, to celebrate Darwin Day, we published our updated list of specifically pro-ID peer-reviwed scientific papers, 50 by the end of last year. Below is our announcement of that milestone. In the meantime, we have documented a growing list of new research results that support the conclusions of intelligent design. For examples from 2012, see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Darwin Day and Evolution Weekend overlap this year, providing an extra special opportunity to celebrate Charles Darwin's 203rd birthday on February 12 and promote Darwinian theory in a variety of venues, including colleges and universities, churches and synagogues. We wanted to do something appropriate to add our own note to the hallelujah chorus. What do you give to an exhausted relic of antique 19th-century scientific materialism that has everything but genuine credibility? How about a revised and updated list of pro-intelligent design peer-reviewed scientific papers, showing among other things that the 50th such paper was published in 2011? In a series of upcoming articles, we've asked Casey Luskin to note some highlights. While intelligent design research is a new scientific field, recent years have been a period of encouraging growth, producing a strong record of peer-reviewed scientific publications. New publications continue to appear, now listed at our updated page. The current boom goes back to 2004, when Discovery Institute senior fellow Stephen Meyer published a groundbreaking paper advocating ID in the journal Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. There are multiple hubs of ID-related research. Biologic Institute, led by molecular biologists Doug Axe and Ann Gauger, is "developing and testing the scientific case for intelligent design in biology." Biologic conducts laboratory and theoretical research on the origin and role of information in biology, the fine-tuning of the universe for life, and methods of detecting design in nature. That's Dr. Gauger at the Biologic lab pictured above. Another ID research group is the Evolutionary Informatics Lab, founded by senior Discovery Institute fellow William Dembski along with Robert Marks, Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Baylor University. Their lab has attracted graduate-student researchers and published multiple peer-reviewed articles in technical science and engineering journals showing that computer programming "points to the need for an ultimate information source qua intelligent designer." Other pro-ID scientists around the world are publishing peer-reviewed pro-ID scientific papers. These include biologist Ralph Seelke at the University of Wisconsin Superior, Wolf-Ekkehard Lönnig who recently retired from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Germany, and Lehigh University biochemist Michael Behe. Researchers have published their work in a variety of relevant technical venues, including peer-reviewed scientific journals, peer-reviewed scientific books from mainstream university presses, trade-press books, peer-edited scientific anthologies, peer-edited scientific conference proceedings and peer-reviewed philosophy of science journals and books. These papers have appeared in scientific journals such as Protein Science, Journal of Molecular Biology, Theoretical Biology and Medical Modelling, Journal of Advanced Computational Intelligence and Intelligent Informatics, Quarterly Review of Biology, Cell Biology International, Rivista di Biologia/Biology Forum, Physics of Life Reviews, Annual Review of Genetics, and many others. At the same time, pro-ID scientists have presented their research at conferences worldwide in fields such as genetics, biochemistry, engineering, and computer science. This body of research is converging on a consensus: complex biological features cannot arise by unguided Darwinian mechanisms, but require an intelligent cause. Despite ID's publication record, we note parenthetically that recognition in peer-reviewed literature is not an absolute requirement to demonstrate an idea's scientific merit. Darwin's own theory of evolution was first published in a book for a general and scientific audience -- his Origin of Species -- not in a peer-reviewed paper. Nonetheless, ID's peer-reviewed publication record shows that it deserves -- and is receiving -- serious consideration by the scientific community. The purpose of ID's research program is not to convince the unconvincible, critics and naysayers who repeat over and over in the media that there is no such thing as ID research, that ID has not produced a single peer-reviewed paper. (And they call us "science deniers"!) Rather, ID research seeks to engage open-minded scientists and thoughtful laypeople with credible, persuasive, peer-reviewed, empirical data supporting intelligent design. And this is happening. ID has already gained the kind of scientific recognition you would expect from a young (and vastly underfunded) but promising scientific field. The scientific progress of ID has won the serious attention of skeptics in the scientific community, who engage in scientific debate with ID and attend private scientific conferences allowing off-the-record discussion with ID proponents. As noted, the new revised and updated listing of pro-ID peer-reviewed papers can be viewed here. We provide an annotated bibliography of technical publications of various kinds that support, develop or apply the theory of intelligent design. The articles are grouped according to the type of publication. Happy Darwin Day!
Tuesday, September 28, 2004 Philanthropy and "Seed Money" Like all public agencies, it’s chronically underfunded, since econ 101 teaches us that anything ‘underpriced’ (i.e. subsidized) will be overused. Since our mission is to provide access to students who might not otherwise have access to higher education, we have to shoulder a wide range of programs while keeping costs as low as possible, without sacrificing too much quality. To call it a balancing act would be generous. As a chronically-underfunded institution, we are drawn like moths to philanthropic donations. One of the hats I’m wearing now is co-chair of one of the larger grants we’re using. Between the vagaries of government funding and the vagaries of donor taste, I’m beginning to realize that there’s a giant hole in the funding schemes that support us. In a nutshell, we have two main budgets: capital (fixed assets – buildings, computers, etc.) and operating (salaries, office supplies, etc.). The government likes to fund buildings and, to a lesser extent, computers. You know, Things. Governors, state senators, and the like love to stand in front of buildings at ribbon-cutting ceremonies. They don’t want any part of paying the people who work in those buildings. Donors come in three flavors: those who like buildings, those who like scholarships, and those who like events. The ones who like buildings, (who I think are more common at the research-university level) like to be immortalized in brick. The ones who like scholarships at least understand the importance of sustaining funding over time, even if the criteria they select are often maddeningly arbitrary (must be flute majors of Irish ancestry, from one of the following boros…). The ones who like events see themselves as entrepreneurs of ideas, distributing seed money and walking away, always keen that whatever they started with their money is sustained later with ours. None of these comes without severe issues for the college. The ones who like buildings tend to prefer cutting-edge, sexy buildings, which may or may not be what is needed at the time. (I’ve never heard of the Big Muckety-Muck Memorial Snowplow Shed.) The ones who like scholarships undoubtedly accomplish some good for some students, but most of those students would have come here otherwise anyway, so from an institutional perspective, they’re largely a wash. The ones who like events, such as the one I’m dealing with now, may actually do some long-term harm. The problem with Events is that they require the time and effort of full-time staff to pull off, they establish expectations and precedents, and then they go away. There’s a special circle of hell reserved for whoever coined the term ‘seed money.’ Events donors like the idea of starting something, but hate the idea of sustaining it. They want whatever they helped create to outlast their donation, which means that, once the initial grant expires, it becomes yet another drag on operating expenses. That’s not to say that many of the events lack merit; obviously, some of them are quite wonderful. That’s not the point. The point is that over time, operating budgets become laden with the overhang of long-ago funded projects, at the expense of our core operations. We can build new student centers, buy computers by the gross, and stage a never-ending series of Events celebrating All Fashionable Good Things, but we can’t hire faculty or buy toner cartridges. (Maybe we need to develop the Muckety-Muck Memorial Toner Cartridge.) Politically, this is understandable. Donors like to see ‘results,’ which means, roughly, enduring commitments to continue to hollow out our core to gratify their tastes. Politicians like Big Ticket Items that look good on camera and sound good in speeches; saying “I made possible the hiring of three new history professors” just doesn’t have the oomph of cutting the ribbon at the new computer center. Different levels of government also sometimes make “matching funds” available for construction – I’ve never heard of matching an increase in operations. Even if, somehow, some exceedingly insightful and generous donor were to set aside an endowment to fund continued operations, the legislature would simply reduce its contribution accordingly. We can’t win for losing. Educationally, this is a disaster. Whatever else we do, at the core is the interaction of student and professor. That’s the one thing I can’t get money for. Wednesday, September 22, 2004 Some instructors videotape themselves in the classroom, then watch the tapes later as a form of self-critique. I think I’d rather be doused with honey and tied to an anthill. It took several years of teaching to get past a paralyzing self-consciousness; my not watching tapes of myself is sort of like an alcoholic not drinking. I’m much too prone to self-consciousness as it is; seeing myself on tape would take it to a whole new level. Maybe some people can get away with it, but I suspect no good would come from it. I try to be the kind of observer I’d want to have – big picture, forgiving of small quirks, couching criticism (when it exists) as suggestions for improvement – and I’ve been lucky in my own teaching that those are the observers I’ve had. Still, it’s not hard to understand why teachers recoil in horror from the idea of ‘merit’-based pay. Justice Potter Stewart famously said of pornography, “I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it,” which is pretty close to my notion of good teaching. I can define elements of it (subject matter knowledge, organization, projection, addressing multiple learning styles, exemplifying critical thinking, not being unspeakably boring, etc.), but there have been cases where I could check off every box on my mental list, but somehow the class didn’t work. (The converse is also true – the instructor made some basic technical mistakes, but it worked anyway.) There’s just too much art involved. An observer more attuned to the checklist than to the art is every teacher’s nightmare. That’s probably part of what is behind the movement for ‘outcomes assessment’ – since it can be so difficult to measure inputs, let’s measure outputs. If students succeed, we should assume the instructor is doing something right. This approach has a certain common-sense appeal, but it overlooks what any good teacher can tell you, which is that some students could learn from a rock, and others resemble rocks. I’ve had students so bright and driven that all I had to do was throw some assignments at them and jump out of their way; others, I’ve wondered how they feed themselves. To blame or credit the teacher for either just doesn’t make sense. I do what I can – look for obvious no-no’s, praise obvious successes – acutely aware that these judgments are, at some basic level, intuitive. I know there’s a literature out there about how the gender and race of the instructor affect student perceptions of the professor’s performance, and I try not to fall into that, but there’s just no way to be sure. (From what I recall, students punish instructors who don’t fit the role that students like to assign – female professors are supposed to be nurturing classroom Moms, male professors are supposed to be intimidating authorities. As Dr. Seuss put it, everything’s fine when a moose dreams of moose juice, and nothing goes wrong when a goose dreams of goose juice, but when mooses go dreaming of juices of gooses…) There’s also a basic question of motivation. In an institution with a unionized and tenured faculty, and without merit pay, how much do observations really mean? If someone with tenure and union protections does a merely workmanlike job, there’s really nothing I can do about it, other than look vaguely disappointed. Some have enough pride that that’s enough, but some don’t. Thirty observations in the next thirty days. Ugh. Friday, September 17, 2004 Wit and Wisdom of The Boy Dad: Eat your veggies and you will grow up to be a big boy, just like Daddy. T.B.: You're not a boy, you're a daddy. T.B.: How was your day at work, Daddy? Dad: I had a good day, thanks. I had a committee meeting, but we got a lot done. T.B.: What's a committee? Dad: A committee is a bunch of people who sit down and talk about things, and sometimes even do things. T.B.: Yeah, like you shouldn't eat macaroni and cheese in the bathtub. Actually, that would be a better decision than many made by committees I've seen.
Beginning in 1972 as A Beka Book's first writer and editor, Dr. Laurel Hicks was key in the development of A Beka Book. She managed the growing editorial staff for 25 years. Character training is one of the supreme goals of Christian education. God says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Children must be faithfully trained, line upon line, precept upon precept, day after day after day. It is not enough to merely present a list of character traits and definitions for students to memorize and then suppose that the job of character training has been accomplished. To train means to exercise, to discipline, to teach and form by practice. When a person is trained, it becomes part of his character to do what he has been taught. It is built into his spirit, and he has to go against his own spirit to do the wrong thing. Training builds habits that are right, and training must take place all through the day, not merely in a “character lesson” taught once a day or once a week. Every subject area, every teaching method, every attitude, every action of student or teacher is a means of training character. Character training is taking place throughout the day, no matter what else is being taught. The sobering question each teacher must ask is, “Am I teaching right character or wrong character?” The teacher who maintains an orderly, structured classroom and expects the students to work hard to learn content, whether they feel like it or not, is teaching them to There may be a place in the curriculum for teaching character traits in the abstract, and it is certainly important to give students a wealth of reading material in which good character traits are acted out, but it is not enough to simply talk about doing right. The child must be expected to do right, and even, so to speak, be forced to do right time and time again by means of godly discipline until the time comes that he has learned to choose the right on his own based on right teaching, common sense, and the Word of God. A teacher who is faithfully teaching by the traditional methods of lecture, reading, memorization, drill, recitation, and oral and written examination will be doing much to build habits of good character. A school that emphasizes respect for authority trains the student to hearken wisely unto counsel (Proverbs 12:15) so that in time he may be a just authority for future generations. A curriculum that teaches the traditional subject matter of language (correct reading, writing, and speaking), content (Bible, history, literature, science, and mathematics), and biblical character training strengthens and enriches the child’s character through every word, every thought, every example, as the child learns that all truth is God’s truth and that for the Christian there is no difference between the secular and the sacred. (To see how character is taught in every subject throughout the day in the A Beka Book curriculums and texts, see chart below.) Traditional teaching methods, Biblical discipline, excellence of content—all work together in the Christian school to produce students with outstanding character. The most important area of the curriculum for character development is, of course, actual study of the Bible itself. It cannot be stressed enough that Bible study is the main means of building character—not the study of some man’s distillation of the Scriptures by means of notebooks, workbooks, or systematic theology—but a study of the Bible itself in the way that God wrote it. Such study should begin in the lower grades with the concrete stories of the Old and New Testaments. In high school it should gradually progress to the somewhat more abstract statements in the New Testament epistles and the wisdom books. Doctrines should also be taught at appropriate times. The teacher should clearly teach the students that it is not enough to merely hear the Bible taught in school and in church, but that it is their privilege and responsibility to read the Scriptures for themselves that God may speak directly to them through His Word. Indeed, the principle of each person reading the Bible for himself is the core, the essence, the key to individual liberty, responsibility, and character. The final aim of Christian education is the production of individuals who will habitually choose to do right because it is right to do right. Christians have a standard of right and wrong, the Word of God, and we must train students to habitually choose to act upon the teachings of that standard. This goal is accomplished by carefully and clearly laying down rules and principles, and through biblical discipline, getting the students to 1) act in accordance to these principles time after time and 2) learn how to carefully think about the principles and consciously choose to apply them. Finally, by force of habit, each student will on his own be able to deliberate and choose to do right because the faithful training of his teachers and parents has allowed him to choose the dictates of reason rather than the dictates of the passions. It is at this point that God, through Christ, enables the individual to serve the law of God rather than the law of sin (Romans 7:25). God does the work, but it is the responsibility of the parents and teachers to lay the foundation, and it is the responsibility of the individual to choose to do right. The following guidelines were used for the selection of the stories in the A Beka Book readers: Traditional Christian textbooks and traditional Christian teaching methods work together as one important means of building traditional Christian character traits. The teacher who faithfully teaches the traditional subjects in an orderly, structured way will be training students in the following character-building habits and attitudes. “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon, line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” —Isaiah 28:10 Reading and Literature “Thy words were found, and I did eat them: and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.” —Jeremiah 15:16 “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” Grammar, Spelling, Vocabulary, and Composition “How forcible are right words!” —Job 6:25 “Let all things be done decently and in order.” —I Corinthians 14:40 “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.” History and Geography “The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s, but the earth hath he given to the children of men.” —Psalm 115:16 Laurel Hicks, Director of Textbook Development, A Beka Book Publications Copyright © 1981, A Beka Book Publications. All rights reserved. A Beka ESL is excellent for homeschool parents to support their child’s language arts program! Try a 48-hour free trial subscription—or 100 lessons for only $99.
Campbell University Course Descriptions You may view all of Campbell University’s course descriptions in our Undergraduate Course Catalog. (Note: Course Descriptions begin on page 98) North Carolina Community College Course Equivalencies The following link will provide a list of North Carolina Community College courses and the exact equivalent here at Campbell University. Take a look at the academic outlines for each of our Majors, Degrees, and Programs here. These will provide you with an overview of the current major requirements for each undergraduate program offered at Campbell University. Use these outlines, along with the Undergraduate Course Catalog or the Equivalencies for the North Carolina Community College General Curriculum , to help select your current institution's most most pertinent courses for transfer. Please email us at email@example.com if you have any questions. Campbell University General College Curriculum (GCC) All degrees offered at Campbell University require completion of the General College Curriculum. Though all majors require the GCC, each major may have different requirements when it comes to specific subject areas. The subject areas that will vary by major are Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Foreign Language. Be sure to view the academic outlines and the notes herein, to find the requirements for your intended major. • English Composition: 6 semester hours (2 courses) • English Literature: 6 semester hours (2 courses) • Religion: 6 semester hours (2 courses) • Fine Arts Appreciation: 3 semester hours (1 course in Art, Music, or Theatre Appreciation) • Western Civilization: 6 semester hours (2 courses) • PE: 3 semester hours (2 semester hours must be equivalent to PE 185) • Mathematics: 4-6 semester hours (Calculus I can be replaced with two courses College Algebra and higher) • Natural Sciences: 8 semester hours • Social Sciences: 6 semester hours (2 courses in Criminal Justice, Economics, Geography, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion or Sociology may be used to complete this requirement) • Foreign Language: 6-12 semester hours * * Note: Students pursuing the BS or BSW degree must pass either our 201-level course in a specified Foreign Language or attain a satisfactory score on an examination approved in advance by the Chair of the Foreign Language Department. Students pursuing the BA degree must pass either our 202-level course in a specified Foreign Language or attain a satisfactory score on an examination approved in advance by the Chair of the Foreign Language Department. Students pursuing the BBA degree are required to complete two foreign language courses. This requirement may be met by presentation of two or more high school units (years) in the same language. Comprehensive Articulation Agreement Campbell University has partnered with the North Carolina Department of Community Colleges in the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA). This agreement addresses the transfer of credits in the core curriculum between institutions in the North Carolina Community College system for students who wish to transfer to Campbell University. North Carolina Community College students who have completed the 44 general core hours of the Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree programs will be considered to have fulfilled the institution-wide, lower division of the Campbell University General College Curriculum. Note: The Campbell University General College Curriculum requirements of Religion and Foreign Language will not be granted credit through the CAA, unless the equivalent courses were completed as part of the student’s community college curriculum. Additionally, students may be required to complete additional subject matter if they did not meet the major specific GCC requirements upon transfer.
Here is a really sharp 1958 Corvette that was sold at the 2008 Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The selling price was $75,000 + the 10% buyers commission of 10% for a total price of $82,500. Lot #728 was the first C1 Corvette to cross the block at the 2008 auction. The Corvette’s exterior is Snowcrest White with Inca Silver coves and comes appointed with a Pebble Black interior. Powered by a 283 ci 270 hp dual quad small block V8, the sales literature lists the mileage at an incredible 30,500 miles. There is kind of a funny aside to this story. The seller is John Howard, car collector and legendary cycling and triathlon star. Howard set the bicycle land speed record of 152 mph back in 1985 at the Bonneville Salt Flats, traveling at a speed greater than his 1958 Corvette is capable of in its stock form. No word on whether or not the bike was modded. For a list of Corvettes going through the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction, check out our Corvette auction preview.
By Sealubber at 11:48 on 16/09/10, 0 replies Sealubber commented on the Story "'Super Summer Time' could..." at 12:12 on 23/06/10 By Sealubber at 14:12 on 09/06/10, 0 replies Sealubber has not created any groups. Events, restaurants and brewery news. Get the latest news, community information and general goings on in Saltash For anyone involved with or interested in the education sector or education in general! Discussion group for arts, culture, literature etc and related events. Advancing the cause of the GENUINE Cornish Pasty, now protected by PGI (Protected Geographical Indication Status) When the sun is out there is no better place to be in cornwall, with plenty of things to do from art galleries to an Irish pub. When the rain pours I am reminded of visits to the King harry ferry as my parents struggled to entertain my brother and I...
Polish physician; born at Warsaw; son of David Rosenthal; studied medicine at Berlin and Warsaw. In 1870 he became physician in ordinary to the Jewish Hospital, Warsaw, devoting himself to gynecology. Owing to his efforts a section for the diseases of women was established in 1894; and this department has been directed by him up to the present time (1905). In "Historyi Szpitali w Krel Polskiem," a history of the hospitals in the kingdom of Poland, edited by Girsztow in 1870, Rosenthal published a description of the Warsaw Jewish hospital. Further, he translated Bock's "Buch vom Gesunden und Kranken Menschen" (1872), and published a medical hand-book for women, entitled "Paradnik Lekarski dla Kobiet" (1874). Since 1895 he has published in the periodicals several reviews of Polish medical literature. - S. Orgelbrand, Encyklopedja Powszechna, xiii. 31.
Technical Resources on Watershed Management This is a well-written and engaging book. The author has a pervasive enthusiasm for the pollution of waterways from a different perspective, as the subtitle says, “a paleoenvironmental perspective.” Readers will be introduced to a topic not commonly addressed in most environmental disciplines. This well-referenced book will expose the reader to a valuable cache of literature for environmental studies. New York City (NYC) Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Environmental Protection Commissioner Cas Holloway unveiled a new plan to use “green” infrastructure to improve the quality of waterways around the city by capturing and retaining stormwater to reduce sewer overflows, according to a NYC news release. The Missouri River doesn’t carry enough sediment anymore for some native birds and fish. According to a report by the U.S. National Research Council (NRC), current efforts to restore habitats along sandbars and shallow waters in the Missouri River cannot substantially re-establish historic volumes of sediment that were transported downstream to the Mississippi Delta in Louisiana. Since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated nutrient criteria for Florida’s fresh waters on Nov. 14, the rest of the country has been watching. This is the first time EPA has stepped in to set numeric criteria for a state. Study findings indicate that streams with diminished flow contained aquatic communities that prefer slow-moving currents characteristic of lake or pond habitats. The study also found that flow alteration differed in severity and type among regions because of natural landscape features, land practices, degree of development, and water demand. Elinor Ostrom of Indiana University (Bloomington), who in 2009 became the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in economics, has done pioneering research on collaborative approaches to resources management around the world. In her 1990 book Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action, she demonstrated that user management of fish stocks, pastures, woods, lakes, and groundwater basins, in many countries and cultures, is able to establish norms of behavior, sophisticated rules for decision-making, and even enforcement mechanisms. This book facilitates transferring online data from governmental and scientific sources to practicing hydrologists and students. Instructors who teach courses on hydrology may find it an excellent textbook. This book also can serve as a valuable reference for practicing engineers for hydrologic principles, flood frequency analysis, floodplain analysis, computer simulation, and hydrologic stormwater design. For resources from previous years go to WEF technical resources archives >> U.S. EPA Resources (all are PDF documents)
Review by David Munro NATHANIEL Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is an attack on ethical bigotry and hypocrisy. It is a long and sprawling novel, better known, I suspect, on the other side of the Atlantic than here so condensing it for the stage is quite One I fear that was too much for the dramatist / director Phyllis Nagy. What appears on the Chichester Minerva’s stage is very much a potted version which loses a lot of the power and passion of the novel. What is more, it is confusing as to the relationship between the characters and I had to explain to my companion who had not read the book that the doctor who appears in the first act is, in fact, the husband of Hester Prynne, the 'heroine' of the play, as this fact is not made clear until well into the second act. The plot, for those of you who like my companion are unversed in American Literature, concerns Hester Prynne, a married woman who, in the absence of her husband, has given birth to an illegitimate daughter and is forced as a result to wear a red “A” for adultery on her dress for the rest of her life (the Scarlet Her husband returns and, in the guise of a doctor, sets out to discover and punish the father of the child who is, in fact, the local vicar, Arthur Dimsdale. Hester begs her husband to relinquish his quest for vengeance and is humiliated by him. The vicar goes mad and dies and Hester devotes herself to good works and is re-established in the community. Phyllis Nagy uses the dramatic device of the daughter, Pearl (Katherine Tozer), narrating as an adult her mother’s story, which is re-enacted by the cast in a series of set rather comic-book The establishment is represented by the Governor (brilliantly played by Martin Duncan, the artistic director of the theatre) and a Mistress Hibbins, vindictively portrayed by Zoe Waites. The common folk are represented by Barry McCarthy as Master Brackett who carries out whatever role is required of him - gaoler, sexton, vox poluli, etc. The main protagonists, Elizabeth McGovern, as Hester Prynne, Jo Stone-Fewings, as Arthur Dimsdale, and Alan Williams, as the “Doctor” Roger Chillingsworth, carry the weight of the production on their shoulders. The first act did not work for me, I found it discursive, scrappy and unhelpful in setting the scene for the dénouements in the second act. There, however, the cast came into their own with some very strong and moving scenes making up for what had gone before. Elizabeth McGovern made Hester a powerful figure, undeterred by her punishment and powerful in her relationships with her husband She was particularly effective when required by her husband to humiliate herself before him proving that despite his cruelty, her pride and spirit were unconquered. A moving and very telling Similarily, Jo Stone- Fewings avoided what could have been a caricature of the hypocritical parson, and created a sad and distraught man torn between his desires and his religion and in the end defeated by both. His physical and mental breakdown, where he scrabbles like a dog in the graveyard which could in other hands have been ludicrous, was made by him believable and tragic. Mr Stone-Fewings is certainly an actor I shall look out for in the future if he continues to give as good a performance as he did in this flawed play. Roger Chillingworth’s enigmatic part in the tragedy was ambivalent and not helped by the obscurity of the character as delineated by Ms Nagy. Nonetheless Roger Williams, again in the second act, made him a twisted and malevolent being whose moral defeat at the hands of Hester was inevitable, another powerful performance re-creating Hawthorne’s character persuasively. Pearl is a thankless role and Katherine Tozer had to overcome a costume and make-up which made her look like a 20th Century punk. An unnecessary anachronism in a play which depended on its historical Bostonian puritanical setting for its credibility. Despite this handicap, Miss Tozer makes Pearl an unhappy girl whose nature is adversely affected by the cruelties inflicted on her mother. The rather nebulous supporting characters do what they can to flesh out the tale. As I have already indicated, Martin Duncan’s governor made his presence felt with the minimum of assistance from the script and I hope his standing down as artistic director will not prevent us from seeing him on the stage again in the Zoe Waites makes the voice of puritanical disapproval resound and Barry McCarthy makes the common man suitably sympathetic. All in all, as you would expect from this company, the acting makes the play. I was not all that impressed by Ms Nagy’s direction of her own script as it tended to be oddly lit and strangely noisy, emphasising the comic book aspect of her treatment of the novel and she must thank her cast for the overall pleasure I found in this production. If you can weather the first act, the rest is plain sailing and well worth the trip. I am glad I saw it and I think you will be The Scarlet Letter, adapted from the novel of Nathaniel Hawthorne by Phyllis Nagy. Director - Phyllis Nagy. Designer – Peter McKintosh. Lighting - Paul Pyant. Sound - Gareth Fry. CAST: Elizabeth McGovern; Katherine Tozer; Jo Stone Fewings; Allan Williams; Zoe Waites; Martin Duncan; Barry McCarthy. In Repertory until September 8, 2005. Chichester Festival Theatre, Oaklands Park, Chichester, West Sussex, Box Office: 01243 781312 Related Chichester 2005 reviews: Six Pictures of Lee Miller How To Succeed...
Sociology and Social Research University of Trento Year of completion 2011 language of dissertation Italian - knowledge workers - management consultan \|Areas of Research\| - Professional Groups \|In contemporary sociological debate, the concept of knowledge work is becoming popular and it is quite often used to address a series of new professionals belonging mostly to advanced business services. Some scholars (such as Butera 2008, Chicchi, Ruggero 2009 and Bologna 2011) have already faced the issue of knowledge in the advanced business services in Italy, but only one study has focused on the consequences of knowledge work on identity and on how people live their own job (Bologna, 2011). This PhD dissertation positions itself in this debate by attending to the actors directly involved in such change. Specifically, the research relies on the analysis of narratives and biographies of professionals using a narrative approach. The study's main aim is to discuss the systemic transformations introduced by knowledge work on the economy, as well as to discuss who falls into the category of a knowledge worker, how many knowledge workers there are in Italy and how they perform and present their own identities as professionals. The concept of organizational professionalism is used as the main theoretical framework (Evetts, 2011; Noordegraf, 2011); this allows the study of knowledge workers through the lens of the sociology of professions, even if most of the professionals in advanced business services are still in their own way to professionalize. The issue of professional identity of knowledge workers will be investigated by using the case study of management consultancy, which the existing literature has already considered to be relevant example of advanced business professionals (Merilšinen et al, 2004; Muzio et al, 2008; Donnelly, 2009; Bologna, 2011). The services offered by management consultants are paradigmatic forms of the contemporary model of work organising, as long as they are based on projectification (Hodgson, 2008), on immateriality (Corsani et al, 1996), on the globalisation of the biggest corporation of the sector (Berrebi-Hoffman, 2006), and on the strategic use of knowledge (Kipping, 2011). This dissertation is based on 55 in-depth interviews with management consultants, conducted in Italy between 2009 and 2010. The analysis is based on the triangulation of different qualitative techniques: I used the methodology of biographical trajectories (Olagnero, Saraceno, 1993) and of positioning (Bamberg, 1997) for creating a typology of management consultant trajectories that are revealed through exemplary narrations (Gherardi, Poggio, 2007). Stemming from individual and institutional factors, the data reveals the contemporaneous presence of conflicting identities (the SELF-Employed, the unwilling consultant, the yuppie and the professional consultant), depending on their main positioning reference (managers vs. professionals) and the direction of their professional project (persistence vs. transition in management consultancy). The four exemplary narrations explain organisational professionalism by showing how organization becomes the privileged space in which the informal community of management consultants exchange ideas among peers and socialize new members into the profession. Professionalism is not anymore opposed to managerialism: performed within the organisations, the organized professionalism claims the need for autonomy in its own job, applying managerial and commercial principles in performing professional activities.
On this Earth Day, we must to commit to the challenge of supporting a growing global population while preserving precious soil, air and water resources. As President Gerald Ford said during his proclamation of the first Earth Day, "The earth will continue to regenerate its life sources only as long as we and all the peoples of the world do our part to conserve its natural resources." Recent United Nations reports give a snapshot of the challenges confronting us in 2003: * The U.N. Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) expects the world's population to grow to more than eight billion in 2030. * The FAO report, World Agriculture: Towards 2015/30, projects that global food production must increase by 60 percent to accommodate the estimated population growth, close nutrition gaps, and allow for dietary changes over the next three decades. * A U.N. World Water Development report released this year shows that reserves of clean, fresh water are quickly diminishing, and that as many as seven billion people in 60 countries could face a water shortage by 2050. How can we confront these challenges? One way is by placing the best possible resource management tools in the hands of farmers around the world. Farmers, after all, are stewards of millions of acres of precious land. The decisions they make with regard to agricultural production influence surface and ground water, air quality, and soil health. Unfortunately, farmers are often caught in a web of political and ecological controversies that fail to recognize the crucial role they play in preserving air, water and soil while still providing safe and abundant food. Rather than penalizing and blaming farmers, we should take the opportunity this Earth Day to acknowledge the fine conservation work done on tens of millions of acres worldwide and enable these farmers to acquire the technologies and tools they need to make best use of their land. Agricultural biotechnology is one such tool. Currently, wealthier countries such as the United States and Argentina make greatest use of seeds enhanced to resist pests and herbicides. Contrary to some reports about potential environmental hazards associated with the use of biotech seeds, farmers planting these crops have actually witnessed profound environmental improvements on their land and A report published by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) in 2002, found that biotechnology-derived crops promote the adoption of conservation tillage practices, resulting in substantial environmental gains: * 37 million tons of topsoil preserved * 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from farm operations * 70 percent reduction in herbicide run-off * 90 percent decrease in soil erosion * 4-7 gallons of fuel per acre saved The CAST literature review, conducted by a team of top researchers and scientists, revealed that, through biotechnology, there has been a steady increase in the use of no-till farming practices, which help reduce soil erosion, improve soil health and reduce impacts on surface and ground water. Such benefits are essential to the renewal of arable lands; a necessary step in resolving an impending global food crisis. These environmental benefits also mean economic benefits, not just for large farming operations, but for the smaller farmer too, both in the West and in developing countries. The National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy found that biotechnology-derived plants-soybeans, corn, cotton, papaya, squash and canola-increased U.S. food production by four billion pounds, saved $1.2 billion in production costs, and decreased pesticide use by about 46 million pounds in While biotechnology provides one answer, additional actions are necessary as well. As the water and land needed to produce food become more and more limited, it is essential to examine all the opportunities that will renew the resources that keep our earth strong, thriving and plentiful. This Earth Day, we should all commit to making personal changes that can help the environment, and also thank farmers for the work they do. S. Prakash, Reprinted from AgBioView, April 22, 2003. http://www.agbioworld.org/ C.S. Prakash is a professor at Tuskegee University, AL and president of Agbioworld Foundation, http://www.agbioworld.org
I have this theory (in the prosaic, not scientific, sense of the word) that religion is what people did for entertainment before mass media. The history of theater (the tragedy né tragōidia, or "goat song") rising up from religious ritual suggests the same, and the development of theater into other dramatic forms like satire roughly corresponds with the decline of myth evolution in Greek culture; even Aeschylus, officially considered the father of drama and the earliest playwright, whose extant oeuvre consists of serious, fairly reverent plays, announces the end of the Gods' rule in THE ORESTEIA, as Orestes, fleeing from the Furies' rage for having murdered his mother (who murdered his father), is saved from divine retribution by Athena, who convenes the first court (it exonerates Orestes of all wrongdoing) and hands law and justice over from the implacable Gods to manipulable mortals, thus instituting corruption as a feature of earthly jurisprudence. (Let's face it, Orestes was guilty as sin.) The previously fearsome Erinyes, or Furies, accept the courts decision and transform on the spot from bloodthirsty she-devils into doddering old Eumenides, or "Kindly Ones," who thereafter watch over humanity, or at least Athens, with granny love; taint the heart, it's the Eumenides. (The play also firmly establishes the man is far more important in a marriage than the woman, setting up the specious argument that gets Orestes off.) At any rate, though Orestes' plays legendarily evoked the Gods so vividly that patrons freaked out like viewers of the 1903 silent film THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY supposedly did when confronted by the sight of an iron horse rolling at the breakneck pace of 20 mph right for them, it wasn't long before the Greeks were having lots of fun with this newfangled theater thing, inventing irony and various other literary techniques in the process. I don't recall offhand whether there were any direct clashes between theater and the temples of the day, but by the time of Aristophanes playwrights were getting pretty damn powerful, terrorizing movers and shakers with threat of ridicule, so we can also assume theater was immensely popular. We know the printing press, print being the advent of modern mass media, turned out rather badly for the Catholic Church, which found its traditional standing as interpreter of scripture (and, by extension, intermediary with God) demolished by the sudden easy availability of bibles to a hoi polloi quickly becoming educated enough to read them. Literacy was a cornerstone of the Protestant Reformation, but the Protestants pretty quickly discovered what the Catholic Church learned the hard way some 14 centuries earlier in the heyday of Gnosticism: when you let people do their own interpreting, they go off in all sorts of unexpected directions; soon you've got sects denouncing royalty as the usurpation of God's rightful place and condemnation of private property as sin. Mix all this in with literacy, a smidgen of disposable income and the printing press, and voila! The novel is born. It's no coincidence that The Novel, as birthed in the era of the printing press, was denounced by churches of all stripes as roadmaps to the Devil, because certainly that's what they were, commemorating all manner of human vice and depredation; that's drama, baby! Churches also continued their longstanding feuds with theater and art, frequently condemned as idolatry, while simultaneously employing both, absolving them of their sins where they served religion's purposes. It's not surprising that movies, TV, magazines and comics also had their battles with religion when their time came around. (Don't think newspapers in general did, and not sure about radio; if churches ever had a basic problem with it, they quickly fell in love with the ability to broadcast The Word in all its crazy variations – see Father Coughlin or Garner Ted Armstrong – though protests against broadcasts of rock'n'roll and "race music" were hardly unknown.) Now ministers regularly preach about the evils of the Internet, video games, etc., and y'know what? Pretty much no one cares, because they're too busy enjoying the Internet and, until recently, videogames. But in each case, the new media became effectively competition for people's time and attention, generating what amounted to alternative narratives. If you spend your life in a cabin without electricity or running water, with your nearest neighbor ten miles away, little human contact besides your immediate family and the Bible the only book in the house, your daily entertainment options, assuming your life has left you a single moment of energized free time (and don't forget: idle hands are the Devil's playground) are pretty sleep, sex, alcohol if you have any, and reading the Bible. Under those conditions, going to church on Sunday is a pretty good deal. It breaks up the monotony, especially if the preacher/priest is a good orator. At this point, religion is in tentative détente with media like radio and TV, whose content strives for an audience-hooking balance of smutty and puritanically chaste, frequently in the same show. (ABC's THE BACHELORETTE, for example, whose heroine is routinely portrayed as nobly and pureheartedly only seeking true love as she necks and, it's teased, sleeps her way through more than a dozen producer-handpicked stereotypical hunks on a game show.) But TV, dependent (at least in the USA) on sales, sales, sales, is built to undermine any values it might pretend to preach; the only value sacred to TV is drawing those eyeballs. What draws eyeballs isn't chaste material, suggesting that no matter how much Americans might make a show of faith, they no longer consider religion-supportive material an entertainment option. Movies and comics, especially movies, have periodically paid lip service to religion. There was that whole Hayes Code thing, supposedly ensuring the wholesome, spiritually uplifting purity of movies for almost 40 years, and I remember the Catholic Legion Of Decency lists, categorizing all films in circulation according to their spiritual desirability and stating which films, if viewed, would put your soul in jeopardy, and whose viewing would constitute mortal sin. (Those, of course, were the ones we all, as kids, wanted to see, and I don't think the Legion even acknowledged porn.) Comics, of course, were considered soul-crushing almost from their inception, prompting companies like DC to list religious leaders among trumped-up boards of directors. There were odd attempts to do religious comics, like the long-running TREASURE CHEST and MC Gaines' short-lived PICTURE STORIES FROM THE BIBLE, and occasional homages to the power and mercy of the Almighty popped up in other stories from time to time (especially on occasions when the hero needed a supernatural miracle to escape certain doom, and got one, though the exact nature of the intervention was commonly a matter of highly weighted interpretation), but if comics of the '40s promoted any religion in force, it was paganism, especially once Billy (Captain Marvel) Batson uttered "SHAZAM!" and opened the floodgates to mythology/magic-connected superhero origins. It seems to me, though, that comics took a serious wrong turn when it comes to religion. At some point – Stan Lee & John Buscema's SILVER SURFER, with all its heavy-handed weepy Christ symbolism? Jack Kirby's NEW GODS? Jim Starlin's version of WARLOCK or maybe shorts pieces about God, Death & Destiny in STAR*REACH? Or maybe it was the Guardians Of The Universe... – someone decided that comics were a profoundly suitable place for religious/metaphysical speculation, despite culture moving in the opposite direction, with mass media slowly supplanting religion for the population. (Yeah, yeah, I know, never going to happen; you just go ahead and believe that.) With the twin appeals of Imbued Significance and cosmological speculation, the idea caught on like wildfire, generating a plague of religious conjecture unparalleled since Gnosticism turned every nutjob with an imagination and a scribe into a prophet. Not that this stuff can't be fun, or that it isn't sometimes well and cleverly done (Grant Morrison's wild, frustrating THE INVISIBLES, for example), but when it turns into vast cosmologies "answering" questions that have puzzled philosophers for centuries like how evil can exist in a universe created by a benign God, it all gets a bit silly, not to mention pompous. (Not that the question doesn't have a ridiculously simple answer that's not remotely religious in nature.) Religiously speculative stories can be fun, but I've met my share of talents convinced they had The Answer and eager to use comics to spread The Word. But if people want religion, they already know where to find it. But all readers really want from comics is what they really want from most media: works that in some way mean something to them. We've got nearly 40 years of religion-themed comics (more if you count Jack Chick) under our belts now, some good and some spectacularly bad, some intensely arcane and some almost pedantically populist. Shy of a spectacularly good idea it's time we gave God a rest. It doesn't take a genius to spot that's the direction history and culture are going in anyway. Ended up at Disneyland for a couple days last week. (Don't ask.) A few quick observations on the Magic Kingdom: 1) Happiest place on Earth or ocean of half-blind shambling lardasses? 2) Thunder Mountain Railroad is a better rollercoaster than Space Mountain, as the latter provides no spatial context. I understand that some people are terrified of falling through virtual darkness, but I've had acid trips scarier than Space Mountain. 3) The best deal on food in the parks is Tortilla Joe's in Downtown Disney. Not the overpriced restaurant; the Taqueria, which produces an overstuffed burrito at fair market value. 4) There's something oddly satisfying about sitting outside Pooh Corner listening to Leonard Cohen singing "The Future" on mp3 player and earphones. 5) While there isn't that much to do in California Adventure, it contains the best two things in either park. The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror was the only thing in either park that had me laughing outright; it's great fun and people were getting off the ride then getting right back in line for another go. I can see why. The live-action Aladdin show, based on the cartoon movie from awhile back, is worth seeing for the exceptional choreography alone. 6) We could use a really good adult theme park. (I know Las Vegas has been called a Disneyland for adults, but that's hyperbole. It doesn't fit the bill.) What Disneyland did better than anyone else was build a theme park around existing, established trademarks; in most other theme parks, like Six Flags, the trademarks are instead imposed, and peripheral to the experience.) (This does happen in Disneyland too, as with Tower Of Terror, derived from the mock-TWILIGHT ZONE series GOOSEBUMPS, with "Twilight Zone" a late addition to the ride's name, or Johnny Depp suddenly popping up throughout the long-running Pirates Of The Caribbean ride.) (Hey, how's that Marvel amusement park in Dubai going these days?) My candidate for a brand name to base a theme park around: HBO. Just imagine what the OZ ride might be? How about shooting it out with Al Swearengen's enforcers in the DEADWOOD ride, or dodging assassination in THE SOPRANOS? An all-you-can-eat & drink orgy in a purgatorium from ROME? Or a robotic Flight Of The Conchords singing their "Robots" song? Dozens of great shows, endless possibilities. Shouldn't someone be pursuing this, as an antidote to Disney? 7) I kept wondering what I could do to get myself permanently expelled from Disneyland that wouldn't result in civil or criminal charges. (I considered looking back over my shoulder on Thunder Mountain Railroad – reportedly that makes them very tense – but, seated in the last seat of the last car, I quickly figured out I was already in danger of breaking my back and didn't want to add breaking my neck to the risk factor.) In the end, it was left to me. I won't be going again. So I wake up one morning (in Disneyland) to news stations local and national in a frothy panic over 88 year old ex-con White Supremicist James Von Brunn shot up the Holocaust Museum and killed a security guard who moments earlier had held the door for him. While I'm sure there are a few out there gloating over the blow against ZOG or whatever (in the PROTOCOLS OF THE ELDERS OF ZION-drenched fantasies of the "Aryan Resistance" – my term – the US government is dominated by freedom-hating Zionists who've stolen democracy from the American people, but the hardcore Zionists to be found in government these days are more likely to be fundamentalist Christian than Jewish, Rahm Emmanuel notwithstanding) I'm also sure no one with an ounce of human decency would deny the shooting was a terrible, stupid incident. Nonetheless, I'm even more appalled at the sight of liberals, or newly-minted liberals, suddenly lining up to repeat some of the worst mistakes of the last ten years, but with a new focus. Since the "news" networks of all stripes are little more than punditfests these days, it was easy to switch from station to station and hear "expert" after "expert" outline the drastic measures we, as a nation, must take to crush the White Supremicist "threat." Among things suggested: mass roundups, special detention centers, shutting down neo-Nazi Internet websites, outlawing "hate speech," new "spy on your neighbor" schemes of the sort attempted and excoriated during the Ghost regime, and extending prison sentences of known White Supremicists already convicted of this crime or that to keep them imprisoned. All of which amounted to the same thing: imprisonment on the basis of "thought crime," not criminal activity, further expansion of police powers, and fundamental changes in the way Americans deal with each other. In other words, Patriot Act III. In fact, the reaction to what by all indications is an isolated event perpetrated by a crazy old man (as if it were instead the trigger event for Day X, the moment in Richard Butler's crazed Aryan Nations science fiction novel about the White Man suddenly rising up to retake America for racial purity) suggests a replay of the Patriot Act, where an isolated though horrific incident (9-11) was used as a rationale to shove through a pre-existing laundry list of police powers and Constitutional bypasses long sought by government agencies, most of which could now easily be applied to any the government pegged as "terrorists." The new laundry list also smacks of pre-existence, an agenda waiting for a excuse, especially in the light of recent ploys to popularly redefine "terrorism" so domestic, not foreign, terrorists are considered the primal issue. This isn't without reason, since virtually all acts of terror on American soil were the work of Americans, but when the Border Patrol starts recruiting among Boy & Girl Scouts with war games where they get to take down a "disgruntled Iraq War veteran" perpetrating terrorist acts of anti-government revenge – itself an eyebrow-raising designation; aren't these the same troops who we've been constantly told merit our unwavering support? What the hell's the agenda there? – there's clearly some other undercurrent at work. Which isn't to suggest anyone pushed Von Brunn into the shooting. No need. While not exactly commonplace, White Supremicist crime is hardly unknown, so it was always just a waiting game. But laws already exist to deal with Von Brunn's situation, just as existing laws are more than enough to cover bank robberies, kidnapping and murders by White Supremicist, just as they cover those acts by anyone. A week on, and Von Brunn's assault on the Holocaust Museum hasn't triggered any Aryan crime sprees; if anything, that bunch have gone to ground, more eager to dodge the fallout than anything else. (It's been fun also watching ultra-right wing Republicans scramble to dissociate themselves from ultra-ultra-right terrorism, despite the party platform increasingly promoting over the years the same "states rights" programs the Racist Right has always strongly endorsed, and virtually none of them condemning as terrorism the murder of Dr. George Tiller two weeks earlier, though terrorism it clearly was; most entertaining was Rush Limbaugh, fumbling to "prove" that Von Brunn is really an ultra-leftist, presumably in the belief that his audience has been trained to such depths of gullibility they'll swallow anything.) After 9-11 I stated there was no need for drastically increased police powers to ward off terrorism, or any reason to expect imminent new terrorist acts, since they hadn't happened by the time I wrote that column. Because this is how the mechanism works: someone finds a hole in the system and commits a terrorist act, the act exposes the hole, then we plug the hole, making further acts of terrorism considerably more difficult. This doesn't mean no further terrorism will ever happen, nor should we never expect more, but it means would-be terrorists have to reach new heights of determination if they want to go forward. At the moment, there's simply no reason to expect vast new waves of Aryan "resistance" nor to enact broad laws to ward it off, and focused repression of such groups (really, isn't ridicule a much more useful weapon?) will only make them feel, and look, more justified, the same way grand crackdowns on Muslims increased sympathy for al-Qaeda and spread suspicion their views might not be unfounded after all; repression is the best recruitment tool fringe groups have. Don't think for a second the FBI aren't already keeping tabs on these groups, as they have since the '40s; while a single nut might slip past their notice, they'd be on an "uprising" in a hot New York minute, unless an "uprising" played to some unknown FBI agenda. (And don't imagine for a moment the government doesn't play footsie with these guys, as when the FBI infiltrated and abetted the Klan on orders from J. Edgar Hoover, eager to use them as a bulwark against what he saw as a dangerous civil rights movement, at the same time Attorney General Bobby Kennedy ordered the FBI to monitor and hinder the Klan to protect that same movement, or when parties in the Reagan administration proposed deputizing "state militias" as peacekeeping forces in the event of widespread public unrest over a proposed but ultimately aborted invasion of Nicaragua.) Above all, it's time for America to get the hell out of panic mode, and to stop leaping to the notion that gutting Constitutional protections, even in the best causes, is a way to protect anything. Even the best motives result in very bad precedents, and anyone who has bothered looking even vaguely at the behavior of law enforcement will note that any police power, no matter how "safeguarded" and "restricted" by regulations, will end up being used in as wide a manner as imaginable. Some may consider it a reasonable risk that a few powers might be abused, but that's a small price to pay for a greater good, but history shows that long after good causes are abandoned, forgotten or disavowed, the abuses continue on, and the police powers we grant to be used against other parties can just as easily be used against us as political winds shift. 1000 reviews in 1000 days (days 143-149): From Avatar Press: ABSOLUTION #0 by Christos Gage & Roberto Viacava ($1.99; comic book) A superhero, scarred by his battles with absolute scum of the earth sociopaths, harbors a dark secret as he pursues a higher justice. Have to say this is pretty familiar territory by now, and there aren't many signs so far of surprises in the offing. While Gage's writing and Viacava's art are both toothsomely clean, I pray there's more to this than what's presented in the preview book, because the "secret," revealed by the preview's end and transparently obvious from the instant it's referred to, isn't weighty enough to keep things interesting on its own. If this is the concept, this did a good job of introducing it but a bad job of teasing us back for more. If the concept is more involved, giving some indication of that couldn't have hurt. As far as it goes, it's not bad, but it should've gone further. From Marc Sobel: THE RED STILETTO by Marc Sobel ($4; mini-comic) We really have to come up with a term other than "mini-comic" for the "standard sheet of paper folded in half" format. More illustrated story and straight prose than comic, it's an interesting experiment, blending a remembrance of lost love with story written by a character with intentionally childish drawings offsetting the somewhat slicker art of the core work. The main problem with placing an intentionally amateurish short story in the piece is that no clear line is drawn between the character's somewhat clumsy prose and Sobel's, leaving the reader to judge whether the text in the rest of the work demonstrates his true skill, the way the two art styles contrast, or if he's just more comfortable with comics. I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. From Marvel Comics: BETA RAY BILL: GODHUNTER #1 by Keiron Gillen & Kano ($3.99; comic book) Okay, we're really stretching for dark superheroes here. Beta Ray Bill, the horsefaced alien Walt Simonson created to demonstrate others might be "worthy" of the power of Thor (per the rarely mentioned inscription in the first Thor story), now has a jones for Galactus' hide (I presume Bill's home planet got eaten somewhere or other) and is determined to wipe him out. Cutting deals with Osborn flunkies to get what he wants, Bill eventually realizes (or, rather, remembers) that Galactus dwarfs him in size and might alike, so he opts for plan #2: wipe out any planet Galactus is about to eat. Several problems with that. 1) Isn't Galactus (who's now apparently the object of worship for some intergalactic cult) powerful enough to squash Bill like a bug? (Come to think of it, for decades we've been told what a mighty guy Galactus is, but no one ever really shows it, do they? 2) Since Galactus specializes in scarfing down inhabited planets, doesn't that plan make Bill a, um, genocidal maniac? 3) Wouldn't genocide automatically render him unworthy of the power of Thor? Not that I really care (or that anyone's going to view this mini as more a throwaway, since there's not a chance in hell they'd actually kill Galactus, meaning this series can't be much more than an exercise in fight scenes and genocide) but aren't these the sorts of questions editors are supposed to ask before series go into production? Read okay and looks decent, though, if you're willing to overlook everything else. From TwoMorrows Publishing: ALTER EGO 87 ed. Roy Thomas ($6.95; magazine) I somehow missed pointing out #86 and its wonderful look at the influence of Harvey Kurtzman & MAD on comics and culture. (My bet is it's still available, and worth ordering.) #87 likewise suggests a shift in editorial winds at the ALTER EGO office, subtly throwing gasoline on the brewing new war over Marvelman/Miracleman by interviewing the character's excluded creator, Mick Anglo, about his adventures in the post-war English comics trade and his impending attempt to reclaim the character. The rest of the issue is standard AE fare, delving into the minutiae of '40s comics and interviewing generally ignored artists (like this issue's piece on one of my all-time least liked artists, Frank Bolle) and odd little bits like TwoMorrows' running alternate universe history of DC Comics. Quirky but charming, it helps to share the magazine's obsessions, but even if you don't, the Anglo interview is worth the read. From Image Comics: OLYMPUS #1 by Nathan Edmundson & Christian Ward ($3.50; comic book) Who exactly declared open season on mythology recently? (Like I'm one to talk, right?) Suddenly the stands are crawling with Greek and Norse gods alive in modern times, and no one has yet done it better than Neil Gaiman's AMERICAN GODS. I would argue that few pantheons are as applicable to modern life as the Greek, but that's as irrelevant as logic to Edmundson's story. (In one sequence that's little more than a long chase scene, a criminalized Hermes dismisses the Gemini twins as mere mortals, then moments later asks one "What do you know of life and mortality?") There's really no story in this first issue, just the standard set of proto-Vertigo fantasy tough guy cliches. What saves the book is okay art amped to the max by really nice coloring derived more from fine art and advertising than comics. Maybe next issue we can get some real plot to go with it, or at least some reason to think of any of these characters as gods. From McSweeney's Books: MAPS & LEGENDS: Reading & Writing Along The Borderlines by Michael Chabon ($24; prose hardcover) Literary criticism isn't most people's idea of a good time, but Chabon, pleasantly seeking to kick down the barricades between pop fiction and literature, has a good time with his observations and arguments about everything from Sherlock Holmes and golems to Neil Gaiman, Will Eisner and Howard Chaykin to Cormac McCarthy's THE ROAD to his battles with his own novels, and slowly outlines a theory of how we live in what we read/watch/listen to, and deriding one influence or medium for not being like another, or assuming innate superiority due to medium or marketing strategy, is missing the point. Whether you accept Chabon's arguments (his dissertation on Sherlock Holmes made the character a lot more interesting for me than Conan Doyle's stories ever did, and he also fully delineates why Norse mythology always appealed to me in a way Lee & Kirby's watered-down "reformatted for Americans" version never could), the fact remains that Chabon is one of those prose stylists whose work can be enjoyed not only for its ideas but for its feel; it's a pleasure to roll his words over your mind's tongue and revel in his occasional use of unusual words or structures or his rhythms, metaphors and phrasing. That he throws in lots of interesting ideas is almost gravy. From Slave Labor Graphics: CAPTAIN BLOOD #1 by Matthew Shepherd & Michael Shoyket ($3.50; comic book) More pirate comics, and the first part of an adaptation of the famous (presumably now public domain) novel. As Shepherd notes in his afterword, Blood is an atypical pirate, a well-educated doctor brought low by circumstances and his own compassion who raises himself back up as a champion against the merciless injustice of crowns and their law. Its throwbackiness is kind of nice, and Shepherd does a good job of capturing the novel's feel. The art, reproduced from pencils, is only good-average, but it grows on you after a bit. What really crimps the readability, though, is panel after panel of banter that ends up sounding like bickering kids, as when Blood confronts an overseer on the plantation where he's enslaved. (OS: Do not take that tone with me, Blood – lest I remind you of your station with the lash. Blood: But if you beat me, who will treat the governor's gout? The doddering sycophants who call themselves doctors here? The governor knows I'm the only competent physician on this island. OS: You abuse your talents, slave. One day the governor will see things my way. Blood: Not while gout inflames him, sir. I may be your slave. But we both serve at his pleasure. OS: The governor won't be governor forever, Blood! Blood: But for today, sir, he is.) Gah. By the end of that exchange you just want to strangle them both and Shepherd pulls the same bit over and over. There are some traditions in antediluvian novels that don't bear replicating. Notes from under the floorboards: It's mid-June, but here in Las Vegas my air conditioner is turned off and the windows are open. Indicating something has gone seriously wrong with the universe, but I like it. A recent study indicates Internet social networking is a good way to stay in touch with distant friends, and a terrible way to sell things. Can't say this surprises me. Must be bad news for the swamp of business social networks that claim to enhance the "networking" that's apparently now considered a necessary aspect of all great business ventures. The one I joined experimentally, LinkedIn, has been overall pretty useless; it seems less about "networking" than every pitching their services to everyone else, which gets pretty irritating. So I tend to believe the study's accurate... Meanwhile, other studies indicate customers increasing prefer online stores to their bricks'n'mortar counterparts, which also isn't very surprising... Apparently in Georgia it's now okay for kids to meet their divorced parent's gay & lesbian friends. Which reminds me: did they ever get that onerous sodomy law off the books? Nobody got last week's Comics Cover Challenge so I'm repeating it. Don't get flustered, stay composed, whistle up some courage if you need it, and take a look at the new clue. For those who came in late, almost every week I run a Comics Cover Challenge: the covers of seven seemingly unrelated comics (thanks to The Grand Comic Book Database for the covers) from throughout comics history are spread, usually not in any particular order, down the column. But a secret theme – it could be a word, a design element, an artist... anything, really - binds them together, and the first one to e-mail me with the correct solution can promote the website of their choice, subject to my approval. IMPORTANT NEW RULE: PLEASE INCLUDE WITH YOUR GUESS THE WEBSITE YOU'D LIKE TO PROMOTE IF YOU WIN. As in most weeks, a secret clue is cleverly hidden somewhere in the column, so groove to the cosmic harmony and zero in on it. Good luck. Those wishing to comment should leave messages on the Permanent Damage Message Board. You can also e-mail me but the chances of a reply are next to nil these days, given my workload, though I do read all my e-mail as long as it's not trying to sell me something. IMPORTANT: Because a lot of people apparently list it in their e-address books, this account has gotten a slew of virus-laden messages lately. They're no real threat but dealing with them eats up time I don't really have, to the extent I can no longer accept unsolicited e-mail with attachments. If you want to send something via attachment (say, art samples) ask me first. If I say okay, then send. Unsolicited e-mail with attachments will be wiped from the server without being read. IMPORTANT PUBLIC NOTICE OF COLUMN POLICY: any email received in response to a piece run in this column is considered a letter of comment available for printing in the column unless the author specifically indicates it is not intended for public consumption. Unless I check with you or the contents of your e-mail make your identity unavoidably obvious, all letters are run anonymously. Please don't ask me how to break into the business, or who to submit work to. The answers to those questions are too mercurial for even me to keep up with. The WHISPER NEWSLETTER is now up and running via the Yahoo groups. If you want to subscribe, click here. I'm reviewing comics sent to me – I may not like them but certainly I'll mention them – at Steven Grant c/o Permanent Damage, 2657 Windmill Pkwy #194, Henderson NV 89074, so send 'em if you want 'em mentioned, since I can't review them unless I see them. Some people have been sending press releases and cover proofs and things like that, which I enjoy getting, but I really can't do anything with them, sorry. Full comics only, though they can be photocopies rather than the published version. Make sure you include contact information for readers who want to order your book.
morning after George W. Bush's re-election, I became a secessionist. It's a matter of instantaneous revelation, like looking at the face of God. All of a sudden, I see the solution to all the irreconcilable differences that have divided the nation: We need a constitutional divorce. And where better to start than here at home? So I begin to riff on running for governor on a secession ticket. I'll be a single-issue candidate, a referendum in human form. Even Governor Arnold, I joke, will secretly support me, for California will be a nation of the foreign born of which he could eventually be president. I may not like Arnold, but one of the few bright spots on the political landscape is how, in the last year, he's had to govern as a moderate, pushing for stringent environmental standards, as well as a sweeping stem-cell research initiative that stands in direct opposition to the faith-based policies of his president. Anyway, if I'm going to spearhead a secession movement, I need all the support I can get. My resolve only strengthens when, a few days later, I pick up my son at a birthday party and one of the moms there mentions that she thinks we should secede. She's smart, this woman, sharp and witty and political, but she's always struck me as practical also, which gives her comment added resonance. "That's funny," I say. "I've been thinking the same thing." We talk about statistics, about how California has the fifth largest economy on the planet a Gross State Product of $1.4 trillion, more than Italy, France or Brazil. We talk about our population, which is bigger than Canada's, our ethnic and cultural diversity, the way we reflect a changing world. We talk about our history of progressive politics, from Llano to Upton Sinclair's 1934 End Poverty in California campaign to the free speech movement to gay rights. But most of all, we talk about a feeling, how the balance has shifted, how there seems to be no place for us anymore. It's an emotion I can't quite articulate, until a few days later, when someone I know sends me the following e-mail: "It's their country, I wrote to a friend Wednesday morning, expressing my feeling of statelessness. She countered with an idea that cheered me: California is our country, she said." Of course, the idea of California as its own country is as old as the idea of California itself. As early as 1822, we split off from an increasingly fractured Spanish empire to join newly independent Mexico. Twenty-four years later, American settlers captured the presidio in Sonoma and declared California a sovereign nation, the Bear Flag Republic celebrated on our flag. The Republic may have lasted only a month (although it wasn't until 1848 that we were annexed by the U.S.), but it offers an angle of perspective, a psychological creation myth. California's independence, after all, differentiates it from the rest of the union; of the other 49 states, only Texas was a nation of its own. Interestingly, the independence theme continues to appear in literature: William Gibson and Bruce Sterling's novel The Difference Engine posits an alternate 19th century in which the California Republic flourished, while Ernest Callenbach's Ecotopia imagines a green utopia carved out of Northern California, Oregon and Washington. Callenbach's fiction may even have a historical precedent, for in the late 1920s, a small region along the California-Oregon border sought to secede from the United States and become an independent country called Jefferson. Identity aside, California has plenty of reasons to rethink its relationship to the federal government. "In 2002," claims a California Institute for Federal Policy Research report, "Californians sent in excess of $58 billion more to Washington in federal taxes than the state received back in federal spending." Like all statistics, such numbers can appear circumstantial or conspiratorial, depending on your perspective. "Our incomes are above average," says Tim Ransdell, the institute's director, "so we pay a higher percentage of income tax, and because we're a young state we have the sixth lowest percentage of population over 65 we get less money for Social Security and Medicare." Either way, it puts the lie to the notion that we're out of step with America, since it's America we support. As for politics, the Tax Foundation notes that 11 of 14 states "receiving the least federal spending per dollar of federal taxes paid" are blue states, while 17 of 20 states "receiving the most federal spending per dollar of federal taxes paid" are red. Considering that the country's highest divorce rates are in Bush states (Nevada, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Wyoming, Indiana, Alabama, Idaho, New Mexico, Florida, Arizona, Kentucky) the lowest, ironically, is in Massachusetts, home of John Kerry and gay marriage we are looking at a new demographic, where the traditional values argument falls apart. "California people, California values," declares the Web site of Move On California, which launched six days after the election to encourage secession debate. "The only boundaries are in your mind." Yet here's the thing about secession: The more I think about it, the more it feels like a capitulation, like walking away from a necessary fight. (There are other issues, starting with the fact that states have no constitutional right to leave the Union, but let's set those aside for now.) Partly, this has to do with my desire for confrontation I don't want to turn my back on the red states; I want to battle it out. Even more, it gets at the essence of patriotism and identity or my sense of what they mean. For me, such values come loaded: I wince when I see the flag wave from a car window, and I sit out the National Anthem at baseball games. But that's not because I stand against America, just those who have corrupted our most basic symbols and ideals. No, I love America, love that tolerance is written into the law here, love the notion that democracy is something you have to work at, that it's a process as opposed to set in stone. I love being part of a lineage that goes back to Thomas Paine and John Peter Zenger, and includes Eugene V. Debs, Jack Kerouac and Martin Luther King Jr. This is not a statement I make easily; I'm too mad, at Republicans and Democrats, at the voters who cast their lot against gay marriage and for a misbegotten war. I'm not interested in church especially not as a place for politics and I don't trust anyone who says, Besides, if it's change we're after, we can create more from the inside than we ever could by breaking away. As for how, I get an inkling from Rebecca Solnit, author of River of Shadows: Eadweard Muybridge and the Technological Wild West and as astute a thinker as we have. California, Solnit says, is already independent, if only philosophically. As evidence, she cites the conservation movement, which got its start in the 1890s with the founding of the Sierra Club, then mentions bioregionalism, noting that, when Mendocino outlaws the growing of genetically engineered food, it starts a ripple effect nationwide. She argues that electoral politics are just one part of the dynamic, and that we must push for change from the bottom up. I'm not sure I agree, completely at least not about electoral politics but over the long term, I think she has a point. It's true: California does help set policy, albeit in an indirect sense. Our stem-cell research will draw scientists from all over the U.S., and what they learn here will seep back into society at large. Our emissions standards will become, by necessity, national standards, if only because we buy so many cars. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, California will continue to be a haven for safe abortions, because of the Reproductive Privacy Act. We are, in other words, setting an agenda, one that cannot help but influence the rest of the United States. So reluctantly, I leave off my gubernatorial ambitions and resign myself to four more years. I think about traditional forms of protest, like not paying my taxes, or organizing my neighborhood. History, I console myself, is cyclical, and millions of kids growing up in red states will be ripe for rebellion, if we can wait until they come of age. After all, there are many ways to fight a revolution. Or, as Thomas Jefferson wrote in response to the Sedition Act: "A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles."?
Subject: Bodhisattva (Non-iconic) Bodhisattva (Non-iconic) \| Bodhisattva Main Page There are two types of depictions of bodhisattva (full definition of term), non-iconic and iconic. The non-iconic derive from the Buddhist Mahayana literature (sutra) and the iconic, or iconographic, derive from the Buddhist Vajrayana literature (tantra). The images of bodhisattva below are non-iconic and follow the artistic traditions of the time, art school, and choices of the artist. Non-iconic means they do not have fixed body colour, posture or hand attributes. Later traditions, artistic and religious, began to mix Tantric iconography with the non-iconic imagery of the Mahayana Sutra bodhisattva. For example Manjushri would be depicted as orange in colour and holding a sword, seated in a variety of relaxed postures. Avalokiteshvara would be white in colour and holding a white lotus flower, etc. Tantric depictions of the bodhisattva are derived from specific Tantra literature and are iconographic which means strict as to colour, posture, number of limbs and heads, hand attributes, surroundings, etc. All aspects of the form of the iconographic bodhisattva relate to symbolic or mnemonic meaning which cannot be changed or altered by an artist or donor. Jeff Watt 9-2004
Still hanging onto their summer tans and beach weather, most people dread that time of year when the big, red “BACK TO SCHOOL” signs appear plastered on the doors of CVS, Staples, and Walgreens. I was never of that ilk; I’ve always loved the opportunity to buy school supplies, and start my year off fresh […] I try to read quality new picture books to my Pre-K students, often using Horn Book recommendations as a guide (shameless plug). That being said, classic stories and characters are still highly popular among the children and thus get read frequently as well. Often we find things in classic literature that we don’t come across […] “What?! You can’t stop reading there!” bellowed one of my second graders as I shut our read-aloud book and left the main character, Annie Taylor, sealed in a barrel and about to reach the precipice of Niagara Falls. I smiled at his uncontainable outburst and began soliciting predictions about whether Annie would survive her madcap […] >Twitter is atwitter with responses to Richard Peck’s remark in Notes that “over and over [kids are]telling me that the books I wrote for them to read are being read to them by their teachers. And hearing a story read doesn’t seem to expand their vocabularies. If a teacher is going to take limited classroom […] >has been announced today by the Association of Booksellers for Children: for picture books, the winner is When Dinosaurs Came with Everything by Elise Broach and David Small (Simon & Schuster) and for older readers, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (Little, Brown). Congrats to all. I would personally like to give a […] >Claire has compiled a list of recommended bedtime stories perfect for these cooling nights. Allow me to add one–Jonathan Bean’s At Night (FSG), which received a starred review from Jennifer Brabander in the September/October issue but whose perfection I only realized when I read it aloud in Vermont last week. >I’ve been taking this singing class–oh, let’s just get it all the gay out there and say I’ve been taking this cabaret singing class, and at each session we begin with vocal warm-ups and some kind of improvisational exercise. Last night one of the members, a teacher, suggested a game of assassin, saying she played […]
- Expatica countries - editor's choice Index Last Var.(%) BEL 20 3083.51 0.32 DAX 9605.08 0.17 IBEX 30 10058.5 -1.04 CAC 40 4387.61 -0.20 FTSE 100 6806.86 -0.05 AEX 397.5 -0.20 DJIA 16272.65 0.46 Nasdaq 4318.933 0.63 FTSE MIB 20298.33 -0.11 TSX Composite 14214.35 0.18 ASX 5415.4 -0.10 Hang seng 22836.96 0.04 Straits Times 3110.78 0.45 ISEQ 20 836.3 0.23 EUR / USD 1.37976 0.67 EUR / GBP 0.82571 0.59 USD / GBP 0.598544 -0.10 Gold 1329.6 -0.13 Oil 108.9 -0.76 Silver 21.28 0.08 21/09/2011Ask our German teacher: Going to... the doctor Language is the last thing you want to worry about when you are ill and need to see a German doctor. Expatica's resident German teacher Renate Grasstat gives you all the German you need to get yourself treated.Going to the doctor can be a challenge. As with everything else in Germany, you'll have to follow quite a lot of rules. I know some people who almost became friends with their symptoms, no matter how severe, just to avoid a constantly nagging medical assistant asking questions they could not understand on the phone. But once you get through to the doctor, things are quite often not half as difficult as they seemed at the front desk. Let's start with some basics. First of all, there are many different kinds of physicians. A general practitioner (G.P.) is usually called Arzt für Allgemeinmedizin or Praktischer Arzt. People usually go there first and receive an "Überweisung" (referral) to a specialist (Facharzt) if necessary. But it is also possible to see only the specialist, without seeing a GP first - you simply phone or visit the specialist's office to make an appointment. For most doctors you need an appointment (Termin). If you see "Termine nur nach Vereinbarung", announced on a sign or in the A-Z Listings, it means you have to call before you go there. If you don't have an appointment, you can also simply turn up during the Sprechstunden (consulting hours) and wait to see the doctor. But be warned--if you don't come early, you may not get to see the doctor at all. After you've said that you need an appointment, you will probably be asked: "Waren Sie schon einmal bei uns?” ("Have you been here before?") The usual answer is: "Nein, das ist das erste Mal." (Or: "Ja, im Juli", or whenever...) When you have made your appointment, you will probably be asked: "Wie war der Name nochmal?" ("What was your name again?") Here it is really helpful to use the spelling alphabet, which is very popular in German – especially if your name is not easy for German speakers. Anton Berta Cäsar Dora Emil Friedrich Gustav Heinrich Ida Julius Kaufmann (or Konrad) Ludwig Martha Nordpol Otto Paula Quelle Richard Samuel (or Siegfried) Theodor Ulrich Viktor Wilhelm Xanthippe Ypsilon Zeppelin Try and learn the names used for the letters of your surname (or both names) by heart, it will sound as follows: Theodor Anton Ypsilon Ludwig Otto Richard (Taylor) Don't worry if you think this sounds silly (as it really does…) - everybody in Germany understands this alphabet and it is standard to use it when spelling. Usually a reference to your insurance card will follow: "Bitte vergessen Sie Ihre Versichertenkarte nicht." If you don't have one, please tell them that you are "privat" or "privat versichert" - which is not that common in Germany and can even cause confusion as to how to pay the fee. In some cases you might even be asked to leave EUR 50 in cash as a kind of deposit. When you are coming to see the doctor, the secretary or assistant (Arzthelferin) will ask you for your insurance card and for some details like your telephone number etc. And (s)he will most probably ask for the Praxisgebühr of EUR 10 - a fee you have to pay every quarter to the insurance companies just for seeing a doctor. Patients with private insurance do not have to pay the Praxisgebühr, however. Here are some words and phrases that you may need during your consultation with the doctor: Schmerzen (Pl.) pain …….tut weh (Plural: tun weh) ........... hurts, aches e.g. Mein Halz tut weh. My throat hurts. Erkältung (die) cold Grippe (die) flu Husten (der) cough Fieber (das) high temperature Durchfall (der) diarrhea Verstopfung (die) constipation Erbrechen (das) vomiting Spritze (die) injection Betäubung (die) anaesthetic Bohren (das) drilling Blut abnehmen, die Blutabnahme taking of a blood sample Kommen Sie bitte nüchtern! Please don't eat (or even drink) anything before you come! Untersuchung (die) examination Röntgen (das, can be noun or verb!) x-ray Ultraschall (der) ultrasound Some sentences might cause misunderstandings, like "Machen Sie sich bitte frei" This means you would have to take off your clothes – at least in the area where you need to be examined. If the doctor gives you a Rezept (prescription) it means you have to go to the Apotheke (pharmacy) to get your medicine, and you will most likely have to pay EUR 5 or more for it. If you are privately insured, you may have to pay for the medicine yourself in advance and then claim back the money from your insurance company. And then you made it! Everything else is not a matter of language. We wish you good health and, if possible, no visits to the doctor at all! To read more about Renate Graßtat, you can click on Education- Language Instruction under Expatica's business directory. Do you have questions about the German language? Write to Expatica and Renate Graßtat may use your question in a future column. Renate is currently offering new classes on "Survival German", Business Language, Understanding the Media, German Literature and Exam Preparation 2006. Visit http://www.learn-german.de/ or call +49 (0) 30 615 26 35 for more information. Renate Grasstat / Expatica - Discussion Forums Social Security Taxes for U.S. Citizens Luxembourg's International Comedy Club, Sat, Nov 15 Study abroad? Book now on Studybooking.com UK Craft Beer Moving from anywhere - To anywhere. CWVerhuizingen - Inside Expatica Since 2008, the work permit and the residence permit (for third country national workers) have been merged into a single permit, the Autorisation de séjour. Since 2009, dual or multiple citizenship has been permitted. Whether you decide to buy or rent in the Grand Duchy, here is our short housing guide, including a look at some of the areas you might want to live in. Whether it’s finding a doctor or figuring out how to fill your prescription, we give you the basics you need to stay healthy in Luxembourg. Here is a list of some of the many banks based in Luxembourg.
(1947 - ) David Alan Mamet is a Jewish American playwright, screenwriter and film director. Mamet was born on November 30, 1947, in Flossmoor, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Mamet attended Goddard College, in Vermont, where he studied literature and theatre. He began working at the Neighborhood Playhouse and experimented with playwriting. He was a founding member of the Atlantic Theatre Company. His breakthrough came first in Chicago with 1974's Sexual Perversity in Chicago, which won the Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Award for outstanding play of the year. He first gained national acclaim, however, for a trio of off-Broadway plays in 1976, The Duck Variations, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and American Buffalo. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for Glengarry Glen Ross, which received its first Broadway revival in the summer of 2005. Was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award as author of a Best Play nominee: in 1984 for “Glengarry Glen Ross,” and in 1988 for “Speed-the-Plow.” Mamet has a famous ear for dialogue was in evidence from the start, creating dialogue crafted for maximum poetic effect. His work has developed over the years, then, primarily in his skill at sustaining longer plots, using tantalizing and even playful surprises. Much of his writings deal with the concerns of the loss of the American Dream and corruption of society by greed, comfort, and conformity. He expresses these themes through profane language which captures the American culture of the time. Mamet’s first screenplay was the 1981 production of The Postman Always Rings Twice. He won an Academy Award nomination for his next script, The Verdict. In 1987, Mamet made his film directing debut with House of Games. Mamet funds his own films with the pay he gets from credited and un-credited rewrites of big-budget films. In 1991, he wrote and directed the motion picture Homicide, a film about a Jewish police detective. Mamet has also published three novels, The Village in 1994, The Old Religion in 1997, and Wilson: a Consideration of the Sources in 2000. He has also written several non-fiction texts as well as a number of poems and children’s stories. Mamet was also the creator, producer and frequent writer of the television series The Unit. Sources: American Jewish Desk Reference, pg. 541; Wikipedia
The Mission of the Columbia Orchestra is to foster lifelong appreciation of, enthusiasm for, and participation in music. This is accomplished by: • Providing the community with high-quality musical performances by a locally-based symphony orchestra • Providing area students, teachers, and educational institutions with a classical music resource •Providing local classical musicians with an opportunity to explore and perform great orchestral literature and chamber music The Columbia Orchestra is dedicated to serving local audiences, musicians, and students. It provides an increasingly rare opportunity for direct participation in a priceless cultural heritage.
Those who study English believe that an intense concern for words, ideas and images helps people understand who they are and who they can become. Writing helps all of us clarify and share our thoughts. Literature helps us contemplate the pains and joys of human existence. Through the study of English, we see life’s complexity, experience life as others do and understand better the world in which we live and work. It is not an exaggeration to state that one of the surest marks of an educated person is the ability to handle the English language with grace and precision. The English supporting program develops these skills and it offers these rewards.
Today is Saturday, August 30, the 242nd day of 2014. There are 123 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On August 30, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, which was intended to promote private development of nuclear energy. On this date: In 1861, Union Gen. John C. Fremont instituted martial law in Missouri and declared slaves there to be free. (However, Fremont’s emancipation order was countermanded by President Abraham Lincoln). In 1862, Confederate forces won victories against the Union at the Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia, and the Battle of Richmond in Kentucky. In 1905, Ty Cobb made his major-league debut as a player for the Detroit Tigers, hitting a double in his first at-bat in a game against the New York Highlanders. (The Tigers won, 5-3.) In 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Japan to set up Allied occupation headquarters. In 1963, the “Hot Line” communications link between Washington and Moscow went into operation. In 1967, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1983, Guion S. Bluford Jr. became the first black American astronaut to travel in space as he blasted off aboard the Challenger. In 1984, the space shuttle Discovery was launched on its inaugural flight. In 1986, Soviet authorities arrested Nicholas Daniloff, a correspondent for U.S. News and World Report, as a spy a week after American officials arrested Gennadiy Zakharov, a Soviet employee of the United Nations, on espionage charges in New York. (Both men were later released.) In 1987, a redesigned space shuttle booster, created in the wake of the Challenger disaster, roared into life in its first full-scale test-firing near Brigham City, Utah. In 1989, a federal jury in New York found “hotel queen” Leona Helmsley guilty of income tax evasion, but acquitted her of extortion. (Helmsley ended up serving 18 months behind bars, a month at a halfway house and two months under house arrest.) In 1991, Azerbaijan (ah-zur-by-JAHN’) declared its independence, joining the stampede of republics seeking to secede from the Soviet Union. Ten years ago: Republicans opened their national convention in New York, with speakers belittling Democratic Sen. John Kerry as a shift-in-the-wind campaigner unworthy of the White House and lavishing praise on President George W. Bush as a steady, decisive leader in an age of terrorism. President Bush ignited a Democratic inferno of criticism by suggesting on NBC’s “Today” show that an all-out victory against terrorism might not be possible. Five years ago: Voters in Japan ousted the country’s conservatives after more than a half century of rule and put the untested Democratic Party of Japan in control. The space shuttle Discovery docked at the international space station, delivering a full load of gear and science experiments. Chula Vista, California, came up big late to win the Little League World Series, defeating Taoyuan, Taiwan, 6-3. One year ago: Indonesia’s highest court upheld a death sentence for Lindsay Sandiford, a British woman convicted of smuggling $2.5 million worth of cocaine into the resort island of Bali. Seamus Heaney, 74, who won the Nobel Prize for literature and gained a global reputation as Ireland’s greatest poet since William Butler Yates, died in Dublin. Actor Bill Daily is 87. Actress Elizabeth Ashley is 75. Actor Ben Jones is 73. Cartoonist R. Crumb is 71. Olympic gold medal skier Jean-Claude Killy is 71. Actress Peggy Lipton is 67. Comedian Lewis Black is 66. Actor Timothy Bottoms is 63. Actor David Paymer is 60. Jazz musician Gerald Albright is 57. Actor Michael Chiklis is 51. Music producer Robert Clivilles is 50. Actress Michael Michele is 48. Country musician Geoff Firebaugh is 46. Country singer Sherrie Austin is 43. Rock singer-musician Lars Frederiksen (Rancid) is 43. Actress Cameron Diaz is 42. Rock musician Leon Caffrey (Space) is 41. TV personality Lisa Ling is 41. Rock singer-musician Aaron Barrett (Reel Big Fish) is 40. Actor Michael Gladis is 37. Rock musician Matt Taul (Tantric; Days of the New) is 36. Tennis player Andy Roddick is 32. Rock musician Ryan Ross is 28. Actor Cameron Finley is 27 Thought for Today: “Walk on air against your better judgement.” — Seamus Heaney (1939-2013).
\|Join Nairaland / Login / Trending / Recent / New\| Stats: 1273426 members, 1748654 topics. Date: Monday, 24 November 2014 at 01:25 PM \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by EfemenaXY: 3:50pm On Dec 10, 2012\| The shrill beep from her oven timer jolted Amaka back to the present. She glanced briefly at the wall clock above her. 7:15pm. Not bad at all. Should be done in the next ten minutes, with a little over thirty minutes to spare. Enough time to take a quick shower and get dressed before the arrival of our guests at 8pm, she thought to herself. She had prepared an assortment of different dishes for their guests: Jollof rice with fried chicken to be served with corned beef moi-moi, green peas, salad and deep fried crabs. She had also made some pounded yam with Egusi soup, Salmon, prawns and stock fish, as she had a sneaky feeling the male guests might want something "heavy" and "true African" as Uche fondly called their native foods. Some peanuts, cashew nuts, light sandwiches and sticks of lightly peppered tomato and onion suya lay on the adjacent table covered with transparent cling film. Opening the refrigerator, she checked on drinks she had purchased earlier from the stores. A few bottles of chilled wine sat on ice buckets in the main compartment of the fridge. An assortment of non-alcoholic drinks - Orange, Apple and Pineapple juices were also ready and waiting on adjacent racks. A large glass bowl of pink punch which she got as an afterthought also sat on the kitchen worktable. She opened the oven and checked on the temperature of her coconut cakes topped with single red cherries. Yes, they had turned out well. Coconut cakes or Hagen Daz Vanilla ice cream for dessert should do very nicely for those with the sweet tooth, she thought mischievously to herself. Standing upright, she cast one final look around her kitchen and smiled in satisfaction to herself. Perfection at it's best, she said to herself as she took off her oven gloves and apron before going upstairs to ready herself for their visitors. Back in the well fitted and spacious master bedroom, Amaka idly studied the endless array of designer clothes in her wardrobe, undecided on which to settle for. She had barley worn most of the clothes in there, and more than half of them still had their price tags attached to them. Sighing deeply, she absent mindedly rubbed her finger tips over her forehead. Sometimes, she wondered if Uche's over generosity was to make up for the lack of children in their marriage. Closing her eyes, she ran her fingers through the soft fabrics, enjoying the coolness against her skin. Money does not bring happiness but it certainly makes life more comfortable, she thought to herself. What was it that Ngozi, Uche's sister had said to her the last time she and her husband came visiting? Yes ... marriage is like a race and every one in it tries to stay on the track, not only so they can run to the end, but also, to emerge as a winner. As it is now, you are almost off the track. Those words uttered six months ago had cut her deeply, more than Ngozi would ever know, she recalled painfully. Just remembering them brought tears to her eyes. She angrily brushed them away, determined not to let what happened in the past spoil the otherwise perfect evening she had worked so hard for. Ngozi's aloofness towards her had always baffled Amaka. She couldn't quite place her finger on why Ngozi disliked her so much, but what she did know, was that no matter what happened today, she would forget the past and be the perfect hostess. Sighing once more, she selected a halter neck, short black number which she knew would cling to her softly in all the right places, accentuating her curves. She held up the dress by its hanger, as she twirled in front of the dressing mirror, with it pressed against her body. Yes, this should do very nicely, she thought to herself as she carefully laid the dress out on the super king-sized bed she and Uche shared. Wrapping her hair up in a soft towel, she headed for the shower humming quietly to herself. Ten minutes later, a freshly scrubbed and relaxed Amaka stepped out of the shower. Wrapping her towelling robe about her, walked back into the room to find Uche sprawled nonchalantly on his back watching her. They smiled at each other as Amaka greeted him cheerfully. "I almost thought you'd forgotten about coming home on time today." "What? And miss that sumptuous meal down there? No way woman, you can't get rid of me that easily." "Who says I want to get rid of you?" Amaka asked, smiling coyly at him as she walked towards him, standing between his parted legs. Sitting up on the bed, Uche reached out an arm and pulled her down towards him. "I should hope not lady. Remember I've got my very special surprise for you under the sheets?" He teased, winking at her. "Uche!" She half-heartedly admonished him. "We've got guests arriving shortly". "Do you think it's possible to reschedule the dinner?" He asked, suddenly engrossed with untying the sash of her robe. "What?" She asked in pretended shock. "And have me cook for an army in vain?" She responded, unsuccessfully trying to fight off his prying fingers. "I should think not good sir!" With a low growl, Uche undid the fastening, slowly circling her waist with his arms, as he pulled her closer to him. Amaka could feel her legs go weak at the knees as she succumbed to the warmth of Uche's hands on her, pulling her ontop of him on the bed. Suddenly he rolled over, pinning her gently underneath him. "Now, give me one good reason why I shouldn't ravish my delectable and beautiful wife right here, right now, madam?" He asked, as he playfully nibbled the back of her ears, brushing his face against hers. Amaka rubbed the side of her face on his, enjoying the feel of his day old stubble on her cheeks. "Er, because...your sister would be here soon with her husband? And so would the Komolafe's?" She answered, placing her arms around his neck as she arched her body upwards towards him. His eyes darkened with passion as he stared longingly at his wife, enjoying the softness of her skin underneath his. With a low groan, he kissed her deeply on the lips before trying to pull himself away from her. "Woman. You're such a temptress", he growled at her while trying to unclasp her arms from the back of his neck. "Hmmm...temptress?" She asked smiled mischievously as she tightened her hold on him. "Ah, but even Adam enjoyed the temptation from Eve, don't you think?" She winked at him. Uche threw back his head and laughed heartily. "Woman I must warn you not to play with fire. You'll get burned", he teased as he turned her on her side, playfully smacking her on her rump, before tickling her on her sides. Amaka broke into giggles. "That's cheating Uche!" She laughed, as her hold on him loosed and he broke free and dashed towards the shower, ducking from the pillow she threw at him. "I know, life's unfair darling", he called back dodging another pillow aimed at him. \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by Ice4jez(m): 12:08am On Dec 11, 2012\| advice for u still read dis thread .GO AND GET URSELF A COMPLETE NOVEL COS THIS STORY WILL NEVER END.weeping \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by EfemenaXY: 3:34am On Dec 12, 2012\| Thirty minutes later, Amaka and Uche were downstairs awaiting the arrival of their guests. "My, my...you do look ravishing my darling wife", Uche commented as he looked approvingly at the soft black dress she wore. Amaka had deliberately chosen the dress as its knee length showed off her silky, smooth well shaven legs. The rich velvety fabric clung teasingly to her, accentuating her curves and model looks. The darkness of her dress contrasted with her very fair skin, giving her an air of class, mystery and self confidence. Her naturally long, silky, shoulder length her swung softly around her making her look years younger. "Looks like the saloon did a good job on your hair too", Uche added. "I'm glad you like it", she replied, basking in her husband's compliments of her look. "You also look really good too Uche", she added. He had put on a pair of black denim jeans and dark top which showed off his well toned muscles. "Infact, I think you're quite a catch sir. You most definitely are", she said as Uche wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head. "Thanks wifey", he smiled gently at her, just as the doorbell buzzed. "Ah, I think our guests have arrived". Opening the door, Dr Kemi Komolafe and her husband Donatus (or Dotun as his close friends called him) stepped in. The couple greeted each other, exchanging pleasantries as Uche and Amaka led them to the sitting room. "It's been a while, Amaka. But you do look just as good as ever", Kemi complimented her. "Thank you Kemi", Amaka responded "I must say you look just as good too, Kemi. How have you been all this while?" "Yeah, I'm sorry about the infrequency of my calls. You know how it is as a doctor. I'm always on call and even when not, find that there are a million and one things to get through", she smiled. "No rest for the wicked eh?" "You bet!", Amaka laughed. She had always liked Kemi - calm, level headed and an easy to approach disposition. "It's a tough world out there", she added. "Don't I just know that!", Kemi laughed. "You know, sometimes it pays just to sit back and let things flow naturally", she added. "True that." Amaka replied just as the doorbell went off again. Excusing himself from Donatus, Uche strode quickly to the door to let in his older sister Ngozi and her husband Effiong Bassey. "Ah! My sister you've been busy, haven't you?" Uche teased as he looked at her well rounded bump. Amaka felt a pang in her heart as she beheld Ngozi's very pregnant frame. "Congratulations to you both. Do you know what the sex of the baby is?" She asked. "It's a girl", they responded in unison, while watching Amaka intently. "So it's two boys and a girl. Perfect. Well done to you both again", Amaka responded genuinely. "I'm really happy for you", she added as she led the guests to the sitting room, where she introduced them to the already seated Komolafe's. With the guests chatting happily amongst themselves, Amaka excused herself to the kitchen to set the dinning table. A couple of minutes later with the guests all seated round the table, she served out the starters and then the main course. Just as she expected, the men chose to have Pounded yam with the fish and vegetable soup. The ladies giggled coyly as the men descended on the meal like a pack of hungry lions. "Oh my goodness! Donatus, anyone seeing how you attack this food would think I starve you at home!" Kemi lauged. "Ah! It's not a problem O!" Effiong interjectecd with a mouthful of food. "A man doesn't have or need to tell a woman she cooks well. It'll make her head swell if you tell her the truth." Kemi stared unbelievably at the statement uttered by Effiong. Amaka felt herself cringe inwardly at his obvious lack of table manners and crassness. How on earth does Ngozi put up with this man? she wondered to herself. Although they had only just started eating, Effiong already had food particles that had dropped from his open mouth, on the table in front of him. He even a soup stain his white shirt. "You know the saying, keep 'em mean to keep 'em keen" he continued crudely as a few morsels from his mouth hit Kemi on the face. She wrinked her face in disgust and picked up a tissue to wipe the offending food particle off her well powdered face. Uche smiled in amusement at the scene unfolding before him, without uttering a word. He was more interested in his pounded yam than running, to rescue Dr Kemi from the very vocal Effiong. "I've always said a woman should know her place. Her office should be no other than the kitchen, where she resides pregnant, barefooted and chained to the sink", he added leering at Amaka and Kemi. "As long as you the man, provides her financial needs, then you're okay...just like my pregnant Ngozi here", he continued rubbing her bump. "What about her emotional needs?" Donatus queried. "Or don't those count in a union?" "Not really", Effiong retorted stubbornly. "You'll discover my friend, that the more money you make and bring home for her to spend, the least emotional she becomes". "Career wise?" Donatus pressed on. "Don't you think in this day and age, it helps the home if the woman has a career of own?" "Not every woman needs to go out to work...jump on the band wagon of it ladies." Ngozi interjected, casting a poisonous glance at Amaka. "Some of us choose to get our priorities straight first. Like looking after our husbands and bearing their kids", she added venomously. Once more, Amaka recalled Ngozi veiled statement: Marriage is like a race and every one in it tries to stay on the track, not only so they can run to the end, but also, to emerge as a winner. As it is now, you are almost off the track. Suddenly, Amaka could feel her skin crawl as she felt something hot and fleshy rub against her smooth legs. She sat frozen with rage, as she glared at Effiong across the table. He grinned back at her, while rubbing his pregnant wife's huge bump. She looked across at Kemi who had suddenly gone very quite, with pure rage written across her face. As Amaka pretended to pick up a piece of cutlery which she had deliberately dropped on the floor, she saw that Effiong had taken his cheesy feet out of his sandals, had spread them apart, one rubbing Dr Kemi's shin whilst the other circled frantically in circles underneath the table, aiming for Amaka's leg. The cheek of that man! What a dog!! She fumed inwardly as she bent her knee backward, and delivered a well aimed kick from the pointed end of her sharp silvery shoe on his shin bone. Amaka smirked as he suddenly sat up in his chair, yelping in pain. "Is everything okay?" Uche asked, with a puzzled expression on his face. "Ah! Nothing. It's just my way of appreciating Amaka's excellent culinary skills". When Amaka got up the clear the dishes, Kemi jumped up offering to help ignoring Amaka's pleas not to. Alone in the kitchen, Kemi turned on her. "Can you believe what just happened out there, Amaka?" Kemi asked. "I was this close to strangling that man. Despite having a heavily pregnant wife at his side, he still finds time to fool around! What a primitive man!" "I know, Kemi. But somehow, I don't think he'll be foot massaging anyone for a long, long time." "How so?" Kemi asked. "Let's just say, that shout from him had absolutely nothing, to do with my cooking... but everything to do with my pointed heels." "Haha! Serves the animal right. That man belongs to the stone ages. Surely, Ngozi can't be blind to his indiscretions?" "Oh she isn't. She just prefers to be a wealthy madam in an unhappy marriage, than a poor madam in a happy marriage." Amaka responded. "Lord knows I've tried my best with that woman but she doesn't like me. I've given up on her a long time ago", she added rubbing the tips of her fingers on her forehead. "A first class dog, a first class cheat, a bully and real wife beater too. It's little wonder he's nicknamed Numero Uno" "Yes, and those facial bruises covered up with layers of make-up, only go to prove the hell she lives in." Kemi responded, looking sharply at Amaka. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, just that I've got this niggling headache that won't go away. Been having it for the last couple of days and no amount of painkillers seem to ease the pain." Kemi stared thoughtfully at her friend. "When was the last time you saw your period, Amaka?" "A couple of weeks ago. Why?" "Because, my dear friend...I think you might be pregnant." \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by EfemenaXY: 3:36am On Dec 12, 2012\| Ice4jez: advice for u still read dis thread .GO AND GET URSELF A COMPLETE NOVEL COS THIS STORY WILL NEVER END.weeping Ah, don't be like that now....See, I'm working hard here for our readers naw \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by maclatunji: 9:46am On Dec 12, 2012\| If he wants a novel, he can go and buy one. This is a collaborative work by aspiring writers of fiction. The story will get its conclusion in its own time. Pay him little attention. \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by An0nimus(m): 10:38am On Dec 12, 2012\| \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by EfemenaXY: 4:04am On Dec 14, 2012\| Ah..ah! Mac abeg ease up on him naw. Ice4jez actually posted that comment before the two updates I provided...but yeah, I get where you're coming from Anyway, I think it's a good thing if your readers request constant updates...just shows that you're on the right path and they love the write up. @Ice, what Mac means is that it's a never ending story...but thanks for your comments. They actually spurred me on to write something down, here. I just wish others would pick up their pens (so to speak and contribute also) - or you might consider contributing? It doesn't have to be anything major. It could even be just 1 paragraph, if that's what you're comfortable with. \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by maclatunji: 8:03am On Dec 14, 2012\| ^Sorry ice for coming across as unfriendly. @Efemena, I think people feel intimidated to write. That is a little bit disappointing. I acknowledge that it is not easy to continue a story you are not in control of but this can be fun. \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by Ice4jez(m): 10:11am On Dec 14, 2012\| no offence taking but some times it help if u know how ur readers re feeling .this story is one hell of a gud story n waiting kind of hurts.u guys mind re wonderful.keep up the good work \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by An0nimus(m): 10:19am On Dec 14, 2012\| Ice4jez: no offence taking but some times it help if u know how ur readers re feeling .this story is one hell of a gud story n waiting kind of hurts.u guys mind re wonderful.keep up the good workIce let's write na...i shallenge you. Even if na one paragraph \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by EfemenaXY: 1:58pm On Dec 14, 2012\| maclatunji: ^Sorry ice for coming across as unfriendly. You know, I've been thinking...maybe it might be easier for others intending to contribute, if contributions are short and not more than a few paragraphs. You know, like MacAnthon, Iceblue's, Fyngal and even Oluchi's contributions? I know I tend to write a lot, but it's just that when I start, my creative juices get going and it's hard to stop midway / halfway... @all, what do you think? Should the contributions be shorter? Ice4jez: no offence taking but some times it help if u know how ur readers re feeling .this story is one hell of a gud story n waiting kind of hurts.u guys mind re wonderful.keep up the good work *Dancing Azonto here...* That is such an encouraging statement Ice, cheers! No, no...don't do that pls. Let there be no pressure on this thread abeg. It's all light-hearted fun. People should be left to contribute (if they so wish), in their own time... Oya question for all readers of this story, now that nominations are over and the real thing has started... Are you guys 'n girls in favour of the story being continued? ~ If yes, vote for Efe here: http://www.nairaland.com/1131064/official-literature-writing-section-poster/1 ~ If no, also vote for Efe here: http://www.nairaland.com/1131064/official-literature-writing-section-poster/1 \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by nikinash(f): 3:51pm On Dec 14, 2012\| Efemena_xy: Thirty minutes later, Amaka and Uche were downstairs awaiting the arrival of their guests. Amaka stared at Kemi as if she had just spoken Greek. "Yes Amaka, you could be pregnant. Tell me, how are your energy levels, have you been feeling tired lately?" Kemi looked at her, thoughtfully. "Ermm, I have been feeling a bit tired lately, but I just thought it was work related, you know." Amaka said, still contemplating the very idea of her being pregnant. She was simply finding it hard to believe that after all this time, she could be pregnant. "Anyway before we run ahead of ourselves, maybe you should come by the hospital tomorrow so we can run the test?" Dr Komolafe reiterated "Oh Kemi, could this be it?" Amaka asked, looking at her friend, apprehension and fear eminent in her eyes. "Don't worry, let’s just run test tomorrow to confirm." Kemi said, holding her friend's hand. Amaka was in the hospital reception waiting for the test result. Kemi had been busy when she came in but she had asked her to go to the laboratory to have her blood taken whilst she concluded with the patient with her. The laboratory technician had taken some blood from her wrist. She was so nervous as she waited. Amaka's mind drifted back to the events of yesterday night..... She had woken up with a start. She had been momentarily disoriented, where was she? She slowly realised she was in their bed and her husband's left arm was slung over her and he was snoring softly. She had had a nightmare. It had been horrific. She had been holding a baby but someone had put a gun to her head and threatened to kill the baby if she didn't hand him over. She had cried and begged but the person had snatched the baby from her and had started running away, she was running after the person whose identity she could not determine when she had woken up. She had been quite withdrawn after the guests left and Uche had asked her what the problem was, but she had been unable to tell him. She didn't know whether to tell him or not. She wanted to tell him but again she was so scared that she might be raising his hope for nothing. What if she wasn't pregnant? What if she was just tired after the long day she had had? Maybe it was the combination of Ngozi's insults and her flea of a husband's disgusting roaming under the table that set off her headache. It was a long time before she had finally drifted off to sleep. And then the nightmare. "Amaka, please come in." Kemi interrupted her reminiscing. Kemi was standing by the bed. "Please lie down, and let me take a look at you. You will need to pull down your skirt and pant. I need to do an ultrasound." Kemi told her as she came in to the office. "Ok." Amaka said apprehensively. She removed her underwear as the doctor asked and laid on the examination table. She watched as Kemi brought out a long, whitish probe-like thing with a rounded tip. Kemi proceeded to put a condom over the tip and applied some kind of transparent gel. The long probe-thing was attached to a computer and Kemi turned the screen so that they were both looking at it. "Amaka lift your knees up and part your legs," she said. Amaka does as she is asked, thankful that it was her friend conducting this very intrusive examination. "Now relax, I'm going to insert this into you, ok? It will be over soon" Kemi says, looking at Amaka. Kemi inserts the probe slowly and gently and she turns it around as she does, looking at the screen as she does. All Amaka can see is a grainy black and white screen. After a few seconds, Kemi points to the screen and with a smile on her face she turns to Amaka, pointing to something on the screen, "There, that is your baby Amaka." Amaka stares at the screen and is unable to differentiate any part of the screen. She definitely sees nothing that looks like a baby. "Where"? She asks in bewilderment. Kemi laughs, and then she explains the screen to Amaka. Finally, Amaka is able to identify a slightly darker roughly pea shaped area on the screen. "That's my baby"? She asks in a whisper. "Yes Amaka, you are pregnant. Congratulations, my friend". Kemi says quietly. Amaka begins to sob. After all this time, she was finally pregnant. \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by An0nimus(m): 4:10pm On Dec 14, 2012\| ^^^ Wow, I love you niki :* \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by maclatunji: 4:10pm On Dec 14, 2012\| ^Oh dear, I see the problem why people haven't been posting. @Nikinash, #Sweetheart #Friend #Co-writer. I salute your courage in writing again on this thread (I believe) but (I am so sorry) you jumped from the narrator being a third person that is different from the characters in the story and we the readers to the first person which in this case is Amaka. Kindly re-read the story and make this change and run-it on Microsoft word for grammatical errors. It will make your contribution much better. I hope you understand. \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by EfemenaXY: 4:35pm On Dec 14, 2012\| I love you even MORE Nikinash! Where've you been hiding all this time girl?? \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by nikinash(f): 4:46pm On Dec 14, 2012\| Sorry Maclatunji, It was actually a lazy, half-hearted attempt in the middle of a very busy hamper packing, relaxation badly needed day. \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by nikinash(f): 4:47pm On Dec 14, 2012\| Efemena and An0nimus, thx. \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by nikinash(f): 4:49pm On Dec 14, 2012\| Mac, I hope it reads better now. I didnt even finish it well. maybe tomorrow (while in the middle of another hamper packing day!) \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by maclatunji: 4:56pm On Dec 14, 2012\| nikinash: Mac, I hope it reads better now. I didnt even finish it well. maybe tomorrow (while in the middle of another hamper packing day!) Even me self no get time to read your edit, I have to run. *Literally runs out of thread. \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by Ishilove: 7:52pm On Dec 14, 2012\| Efemena_xy:Tsk tsk tsk, Efe. . . \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by EfemenaXY: 10:09am On Dec 16, 2012\| maclatunji: Kingsley opened the door of his flat and pressed the switch to put on the lights. What he saw as the lights came on put him in shock for a few seconds- there seating on his sofa was a dark handsome young man in his mid-twenties wearing a baseball jersey and black jeans, he smiled at Kingsley and flaunted his impeccably white teeth. He said to Kingsley, “Welcome Dr. Ogbor, I have been expecting you”. Kingsley was flabbergasted, not only was this intruder in his sitting room which he had locked before heading-out to work in the morning, but he actually knew his name! Amidst his surprise, he managed to garner composure and asked- “who are you and what are you doing in my flat?” Lola had woken up feeling relaxed and a whole lot better than she been, for a long time. The soft rays of the early morning sunshine filtered through the slight parting of her curtain, casting her room in a soft yellow glow. Her bed felt soft and warm to her skin, a stark contrast to the cold, hard mattress of the hospital bed she had occupied during her stay there. Burrowing further into the softness of her bed and under the sheets, she could feel her mouth water in anticipation, as she inhaled the mouth watering smell of fried bean cakes, (traditionally known as akara) which wafted in from her mother's kitchen. As she lay snuggled in bed, she could hear Sandra's constant chatter to her parents. As she lazed idly in bed, she knew she had to get up soon. There were a couple of things she had lined up for the day, which she planned to undertake. For starters, she had to get in touch with Kingsley. There was so much water that had flowed underneath the bridge between them both, that she didn't even know where to start from. Three years. Three long years had gone between them, during which time, quite a lot had happened in their lives. She wasn't sure how she was going to broach the subject of Sandra to him, but what she did know was that she couldn't keep him or Sandra in the dark anymore. She would rather he heard about Sandra's paternity directly from her, than from anyone else. She had an inkling that her parents or more precisely, her mother suspected anyway. Thankfully, she hadn't asked her yet, but knowing her mother, she knew it was just a matter of time before she would start probing for answers. She also had to get her phone from her mother. Now she felt a lot stronger and was well on her way to full recovery, she saw little reason why her mother would keep her phone away from her. She was yet to read the contents of her email from Mrs Omojobi-Clark too...that had been delayed long enough and whatever the outcome of her interview was, she just wanted to get it over and done with. Two weeks was a very long time. Funny though, she thought to herself. Two weeks ago, her main concern was to try and sort out her finances while keeping Sandra in at school. Now she had Kingsley thrown into the equation. A factor she had not foreseen, not even in her wildest dreams. With a regretful little sigh, she turned over on her bed, reaching for her watch on the bedside cabinet. 9:30am. Jeez!! It was a lot later than she thought! Sitting upright, the kicked her covers aside as she got out of bed. Pushing her feet into her slippers, she walked out of her room into the living room. "Eka-ro, papa", she greeted her father in Yoruba, while kissing the side of his cheek. Lowering the newspaper he had been reading, her father responded to her greetings. "Did you sleep well my daughter?" he asked, looking at her fondly. "And how do you feel today?" "Yes, I slept very well papa and I feel so much better. Actually, a lot better than I've felt in a long, long while", she added. "I just wish either you or mama woke me up earlier. It's mid morning now and I should be helping mama with breakfast and Sandra." "No, you shouldn't", came her mother's voice from the kitchen doorway. "You've only just returned home from hospital and you needed that rest." "Exactly", agreed her father. "You've been away for a couple of days and we're not going to risk you having a relapse" he continued. "Besides, it's the doctor's orders". "Eka-ro, mama", Lola greeted her mother, going up to her to give her a warm hug. "Now when both of you gang up against me, I haven't got much choice except to back down", she laughingly joked at both her parents. "Two against one...not fair o!". "Me too mummy, me too..." her daughter came bounding out of the kitchen into her mother's arms. "Ah! Okay O! Three-against-one", Lola smiled, picking up the child and kissing her oil stained cheeks. "Mummy do you want some Akara?" Sandra asked, offering her mother a half eaten ball of Akara. "Hmmm....yummie, yummie!" Lola pretended to take a bite, making Sandra giggle. "But I think mummy's own is in the kitchen, don't you?" "Yes mummy...mama made a big, big bowl of akara for you in the kitchen", Sandra responded, demonstrating with her hands widely outstretched. "Oh goodie! How many akara balls did mama make for mummmy?" Lola teased the child. "A hundred!" Lola smiled as both her parents laughed at Sandra's description. "Lola, now you're up, come let's serve serve breakfast. I've also got some yellow akamu (pap) for you, just the way you love it", her mother added. Five minutes later, with the family seated around the table, her parents asked her what her plans were for the day. "I've been thinking of giving Kingsley a call today", she responded "Just to thank him for what he's done for me". Her parents looked at each other and smiled but didn't say anything. "I'd also like to take Sandra out with me today and pop over to the internet cafe. I need to read the email I got from Mrs Clark nearly two weeks ago", she added. "I don't know whether it's good or bad news, but either way, the sooner I find out, the better for me. I don't think I can wait any further..." "It's okay, my daughter. We understand and hopefully, everything will turn out fine", said her father soothingly to her. "You've come a very long way and hopefully, things will turn out for the better for you and us all", he added. "Yes o! I believe everything happens for a reason. Just keep your faith in the Lord and all will be well my daughter", added her mother. "In the meantime, I've charged your phone for you. PHCN has been very good for the last two days, so maybe that's a sign." "PHCN?" Her father asked. "Nothing good ever comes from that lot. They're no better than the corrupt government we have residing in power..." Lola and her mother exchanged glances with each other, rolling up their eyes to the heavens. The knew better than to oppose her dad when he got into full mode of political attack. "Yes, yes, you are right Baba. Afterall, that's why they're called Power Holding Company", they said in unison laughing at the shared joke. One hour later with Sandra on her lap, Lola stared incredulously at the screen in front of her. Dear Ms Lola, We are pleased to inform you that you have been successful at the first stage of the Interview Selection process for the post of a Personal Assistant within the company's Fashion and Textile line business. As a result, we would appreciate it if you could confirm your attendance to an informal interview with our Human Resources representative, to discuss your salary expectations, remuneration and company benefits associated with this role. This is set for exactly three weeks from the date of this letter. Please bring along copies of your credentials and references with you to the interview. In the meantime, if you have any questions regarding this letter, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. Director of OJC International Businesses. Lola shut her eyes tightly, expecting this to be some sort of weird dream, a nasty trick from the powers that be. Me, Lola?? Getting this job? Me?? After the cruel hands dealt me by fate? She asked herself incredulously. She dared not open her eyes, in case it all disappeared before her eyes. No. This is too good to be true. Such good luck doesn't happen to people like me! Sandra's restless wriggling on her lap forced her to open up her eyes and look at the screen again. Yes, it was there all right. She had passed! "I passed!" She lept off her seat for joy, clutching Sandra tightly in her arms. The nearby users in the internet cafe smiled amusedly at her. "Madam, na JAMB you pass so?" The owner of the cafe smilingly asked her. "Well done o!" "Thank you, sir", Lola responded, suddenly feeling embarrassed as she remembered where she was. Sitting back on her chair, she sent a silent prayer to God, thanking him for her good fortune. That letter was sent on the same day she had her interview. That was over two weeks ago, meaning she was expected to attend the final stage of the selection process in just a couple of days time. She had paid for an hour's usage of the computer at the Cafe. With a little over half an hour left, she quickly printed out the invitation letter, copies of her credentials and references, which she had stored in her email folder. With the documents safely encased in a folder in her handbag, she then switched to Youtube to play a thirty minute epsiode of Sandra's favourite Teletubbies programme. Whilst her daughter watched with rapt attention, Lola tried to collect her thoughts together in some semblance of order. This was really, really good news. There was indeed light at the end of the very dark tunnel she had been in. Much later in the afternoon, Lola knocked on the door of Kingsley's flat. She had tried calling him on his mobile several times that morning, shortly after she had received the good news. For some unexplainable reason, she had wanted to share this with him. Maybe, he's on call and had either switched off his phone or it was on silent mode, she had thought to herself. Although not in her nature to do what she did next, she went to the hospital where he worked, with Sandra hoping to meet him there. She had been disappointed to hear that he had finished off his call for that day by late morning and gone home. Biting her lower lip, she decided to take the plunge and visit him at his home. Luckily, Kingsley had given her father his home address too on the night he had dropped her home, from the hospital. This is walking into uncharted territory, Lola thought to herself...but, she was on a high and she knew that if she didn't bite the bullet know, her reserved nature would take over and she would never get herself to go see him of her own accord. They really needed to talk and she felt the time was right to tell him about his daughter. Raising her hand to knock on his door again, she stopped in mid air as the door suddenly swung open from the inside. Looking at Kingsley in a pair of navy blue jeans and top-less, She suddenly felt unsure if she was doing the right thing. As he stood looking at her, with a damp cloth to his nose, Lola greeted him falteringly as she held on tightly to Sandra. "Can I help you?", he asked her coldly. "I'm done with the hospital for the day but if you require medical assistance, my colleagues are more than capable to be of help to you", he added. Lola was taken aback by his response. It felt like a slap on her face. A slap of rejection. She suddenly felt very small, very embarrassed and she sorely wish the ground would open up just this once to swallow her up. Anything, anywhere than to be here, having him stare at her with something amounting to dislike? Repulse? Disgust? "I'm sorry to disturb you. I was hoping we could talk, away from the hospital or prying eyes, but I see that this was a mistake on my part", she added sadly, as she turned around to leave with Sandra. "Wait!" He suddenly felt remorseful for being mean to her. "Lola please come back. Don't go", he added as he went after her holding her gently by the wrist. "I'm sorry about what I said to you. I've not had a very good day, but shouldn't have taken it out on you. Please come inside", he persuaded her. "You'll always be more than welcome to my home", he added gently. Lola looked at his face searchingly, trying to discern whether he meant it or not. Seeing that he was genuinely remorseful, she nodded and let him lead her and Sandra back into his home. As he closed the door behind them, he asked her what they would like to drink. "I'll just have some cold water please, if you don't mind". "I want orange juice!" Sandra chirped in. "Manners Sandra," Lola gently admonished her daughter. "What's the magic word?" "Okay. Please can I have some orange juice, please, please, please?" She asked Kingsley, bouncing up and down besides her mother. "Yes, orange juice it is, little lady. You most certainly shall have that!", he laughed as he went to go fetch the drinks. Seated comfortably on his rich leather sofa, with Sandra engrossed in a Teletubbies DVD, he asked Lola how her day had been and what brought her there. "It's a bit of a tale, which I'll get to...but first of all, what happened to your nose? It looks really sore." She asked. The smile suddenly left Kingsley's face as he stared at her, responding in even tones. "I was attacked earlier this morning here, in my flat". "Oh my goodness! Was it by someone you know? Have you reported it yet?" She asked, feeling suddenly concerned about him. "No, I wasn't attacked by someone I know, and neither have I reported it to the police either. I was attacked by someone YOU know, Lola". "Someone I know??!!" She asked in amazement. "What on earth are you talking about Kingsley?" Kingsley stared at her grimly. The coldness she saw in his eyes earlier on had returned. "Exactly what I said Lola, someone YOU know. Someone who sees me as a threat and has warned me to stay away from you, if I know what's good for me!" "Lola, who is Sandra's dad?" He asked her in a deadly quiet voice. Lola took a deep sigh. "Sandra, come over here daraling", she called out to her daughter. "Not so fast!" Kingsley quickly reached out an arm, holding her back. "You aren't going anywhere till I get some answers from you today, Lola!" "And so you shall, Kingsley", she responded quietly. "I'm not going anywhere. Come with me please", she added. Kingsley quietly conceded, letting Lola hold him by her right hand, while she held her daughter by the left hand. Standing in front of his dressing mirror, she brought Kingsley and Sandra together. "Look into the mirror, Kingsley. Tell me what you see", she gently prodded. Kingsley swallowed hard. His throat felt constricted as words seemed to fail him. His heart thudded so loudly within his chest, he felt it might explode any minute soon. "She's mine? He asked incredulously. "Sandra, say hello to your daddy", Lola added, with tear filled eyes. \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by Ishilove: 10:45am On Dec 16, 2012\| I am lost... where I wan start from sef...? \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by EfemenaXY: 11:02am On Dec 16, 2012\| Don't be lost babes You missed the last addition. Was still working on it when your post came in \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by maclatunji: 1:23pm On Dec 16, 2012\| Efemena, is the BBC paying you to promote the Teletubbies on this thread? \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by EfemenaXY: 1:28pm On Dec 16, 2012\| Nah, I wish...it was actually introduced by Iceblue on the first page - so I've just flowed with the idea! Besides, they're aren't that bad na! \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by maclatunji: 1:39pm On Dec 16, 2012\| Lala and Po are sweethearts \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by EfemenaXY: 1:43pm On Dec 16, 2012\| On a more serious note Mac, what do you think of my latest updates? D'you think the recent addition ties well with the main story? Or is it just too long? \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by maclatunji: 1:55pm On Dec 16, 2012\| ^I think you are doing a very good job of tying the loose ends together. What we are managing to achieve here is not easy at all. \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by EfemenaXY: 2:04pm On Dec 16, 2012\| And yeah, you are right. This story is really expanding. By the way, do you not think this should be copyright protected before some aspiring cowboy nollywood script writer nicks our stuff? I know many writers have contributed here, but how can one ensure that although this work remains in the public domain, it's not open for personal gain(s)? \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by EfemenaXY: 2:06pm On Dec 16, 2012\| I see you Ice! \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by maclatunji: 2:11pm On Dec 16, 2012\| Efemena_xy: ^^ Cheers! I think you have expertise in that regard, I support any step you take to copyright it for all contributors here. This might mean we have to call a meeting to reach agreement. \|Re: Continue The (Lola) Story by EfemenaXY: 2:17pm On Dec 16, 2012\| ^^ Not really. Especially on a Nigerian forum. But yeah, I'm all up for discussing this at a meeting. Hopefully the attendants might be able to show / point out a thing or two... \|Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health \| religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2014 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See Nairalist and How To Advertise. 311
Luther College students Emma Lofthus, Maddy Kofoed and Callie Mabry presented their work at Streamlines: An Undergraduate Conference Celebrating Language, Literature, and Writing, Saturday, Nov. 10, at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. Streamlines, hosted by Loras, Clarke University and the University of Dubuque, gives undergraduate students at colleges and universities the opportunity to share their scholarship and creativity. The conference's mission is to encourage the students to use their intellectual, spiritual, imaginative and emotional development to grow as a person. Students gain a new appreciation of themselves and their heritage through language, literature, culture and writing. Emma Lofthus, Luther junior from Edina, Minn., presented "Socio-Political Implications in Hugos 'Le Roi S'Amuse' and Verdi's 'Rigoletto.'" Maddy Kofoed, Luther junior from Apple Valley, Minn., presented her writing "Victimas de Violencia Estatal y Construccion de Memoria Colectiva," which translates to "Victims of State Violence and the Construction of Collective Memory." Callie Mabry, Luther junior from Fort Collins, Col., presented "Naturaleza, Sufrimiento y Muerte Inminent en Juan Rulfo," which translates to "Nature, Suffering and Iminent Death in Juan Rulfo."
William Dean Howells 1837-1920 Born Martin’s Ferry, Ohio William Dean Howells visited Ben-Yusuf’s studio in the fall of 1899, just weeks before embarking on a lengthy North American lecture tour. Despite a backbreaking travel schedule, Howell’s lectures were a triumph with both critics and audiences and another professional coup for one of American literature’s most celebrated writers. Like his friend Samuel Clemens, Howells was fascinated by the American character; he doted on mavericks, seeing them as validations of democracy, and detested what he saw as overly conventional, Europeanized Americans. In such famous novels as The Rise of Silas Lapham and A Hazard of New Fortunes, he examined the conflict between these two groups. A leading champion of literary realism, Howells wrote more than seventy books during his lifetime. He also supported numerous political and social causes, including the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909. Platinum print, 1899 National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- ISSN : - 1993-9019 (online) - DOI : This series is designed to make available to a wider readership selected studies drawing on the work of the OECD Directorate for Education. Authorship is usually collective, but principal writers are named. The papers are generally available only in their original language (English or French) with a short summary available in the other. Using Student Test Results for Accountability and Improvement A Literature ReviewClick to Access: - Morten Anstorp Rosenkvist1 - Author Affiliations - 1: Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, Norway - Publication Date - 22 Nov 2010 - Bibliographic information This report discusses the most relevant issues concerning using student test results in OECD countries. Initially the report provides an overview of how student test results are reported in OECD countries and how stakeholders in these countries use and perceive of the results. The report then reviews the literature relating to using student test results for accountability and improvement purposes. Two general findings can be drawn from the literature: (1) accountability based on student test results can be a powerful tool for changing teacher and school behaviour, but it often creates unintended strategic behaviour, and (2) no test can be a perfect indicator of student performance. Drawing from these findings the report discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using student test results for accountability and improvement. The discussion touches upon four themes: (1) assessment design, (2) the use of test results, (3) stakeholder involvement, and (4) implementation.
Optimizing the Fashion Supply Chain The debate in fashion over inventory as an asset or a liability may never see an end. Only a few years ago, the CEO of one the largest fashion retailers in the United States said, “I’d rather lose sales than carry (risky) inventory.” What an incredible statement. The head of a major retailer willing to lose sales before taking a risk on inventory – which frankly seems to be pretty fundamental to the traditional retail model. It’s often said, “You can’t sell what you don’t have” – but you also can’t sell what consumers don’t want. The answer to the inventory challenge is not whether or not it’s an asset or liability. The reality is that you can’t be in retail if you have no inventory. The secret is to move from the current western fashion model of design, source, sell, to an emerging model of design, sell, source. A model that shares the inventory commitment throughout the value chain – and the key to success lies in the ability to deliver from the closest point in the value chain to the purchaser. In today’s omni-channel sales and distribution environment, those organizations that have most fully embraced this model only commit to inventory as it’s sold to the end consumer. The biggest inventory commitment they hold is shipping bags, boxes, and literature – all stored at various producer locations or intermediate shipping consolidation points. The fashion industry is fueled by change, and in today’s market where trends are short-lived and consumers are fickle, apparel organizations have two choices: keep up with consumer demands or throw in the towel. Inexpensive prices, combined with the omni-channel assault, add in social networking and you have now put the power to dictate the market into the hands of the consumer. The entire value chain focus has to be shifted, from cutting production costs to meeting the consumer requirements. No matter how full a store’s shelves may be, profits are only achieved once an item is in the consumer’s hands – or better yet – in their closet. One way to ensure that the items consumers want to buy are available when they want them is to develop methods for intelligent segmentation of products that allow manufacturers to fast-track trendy items that need to hit the shelves quickly, and develop strong replenishment logic, processes, and systems that cut costs by using more efficient processes for basic products that their stores always carry, and only refresh on a periodic basis. Once products have been segmented, companies can determine the quantities of each item to produce at a time based on demand forecasting. All this has to be supported by linking a lean retail environment to a lean supply network – a network that can replenish required inventories as they are needed. Consumer demand is the key – let it lead the way. Design, develop, and engineer products for efficient manufacturing. Listen to the consumer and collaborate with the supply chain.
Good morning all, I recently heard about the site I am featuring today via Twitter user David Kapuler. It’s called Fuzzwich and it’s a free website that makes it easy to create short (20 second) animated movie clips that can be customized with uploaded faces, customized text, music, movement and more. Here’s a shot of a movie during playback. The interface is very simple, just three steps. First, choose a setting: Next, add your characters (you can replace their heads with your own photos – fun!) Then, add motion and text for each. The results can be viewed on the web via unique URL, and embed codes are provided for posting to a blog or other online service. Like many “open” systems, Fuzzwich does not moderate content in any way, so it’s possible that users might enter (or encounter) inappropriate text. There is a “Flag as inappropriate” button on each video, which is great, but there is no way to know how quickly those flags are acted upon. So keep that in mind as you and your students browse the site. That said, there are many classroom applications here, from learning about dialogue to recreating famous scenes from literature, movies or history, to just relaxing and having fun as the last days of school meander by. Check out Fuzzwich and explore for yourself! Hope this helps,
1. But as it is not sufficient, in the discussion of matters of such importance, to entrust the decision to the human senses and to the human understanding, and to pronounce on things invisible as if they were seen by us, we must, in order to establish the positions which we have laid down, adduce the testimony of Holy Scripture. And that this testimony may produce a sure and unhesitating belief, either with regard to what we have still to advance, or to what has been already stated, it seems necessary to show, in the first place, that the Scriptures themselves are divine, i.e., were inspired by the Spirit of God. We shall therefore with all possible brevity draw forth from the Holy Scriptures themselves, such evidence on this point as may produce upon us a suitable impression, (making our quotations) from Moses, the first legislator of the Hebrew nation, and from the words of Jesus Christ, the Author and Chief of the Christian religious system. For although there have been numerous legislators among the Greeks and Barbarians, and also countless teachers and philosophers who professed to declare the truth, we do not remember any legislator who was able to produce in the minds of foreign nations an affection and a zeal (for him) such as led them either voluntarily to adopt his laws, or to defend them with all the efforts of their mind. No one, then, has been able to introduce and make known what seemed to himself the truth, among, I do not say many foreign nations, but even among the individuals of one single nation, in such a manner that a knowledge and belief of the same should extend to all. And yet there can be no doubt that it was the wish of the legislators that their laws should be observed by all men, if possible; and of the teachers, that what appeared to themselves to be truth, should become known to all. But knowing that they could by no means succeed in producing any such mighty power within them as would lead foreign nations to obey their laws, or have regard to their statements, they did not venture even to essay the attempt, lest the failure of the undertaking should stamp their conduct with the mark of imprudence. And yet there are throughout the whole world— throughout all Greece, and all foreign countries— countless individuals who have abandoned the laws of their country, and those whom they had believed to be gods, and have yielded themselves up to the obedience of the law of Moses, and to the discipleship and worship of Christ; and have done this, not without exciting against themselves the intense hatred of the worshippers of images, so as frequently to be exposed to cruel tortures from the latter, and sometimes even to be put to death. And yet they embrace, and with all affection preserve, the words and teaching of Christ. 2. And we may see, moreover, how that religion itself grew up in a short time, making progress by the punishment and death of its worshippers, by the plundering of their goods, and by the tortures of every kind which they endured; and this result is the more surprising, that even the teachers of it themselves neither were men of skill, nor very numerous; and yet these words are preached throughout the whole world, so that Greeks and Barbarians, wise and foolish, adopt the doctrines of the Christian religion. From which it is no doubtful inference, that it is not by human power or might that the words of Jesus Christ come to prevail with all faith and power over the understandings and souls of all men. For, that these results were both predicted by Him, and established by divine answers proceeding from Him, is clear from His own words: You shall be brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. And again: This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached among all nations. And again: Many shall say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not eaten and drunk in Your name, and in Your name cast out devils? And I will say unto them, Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity, I never knew you. If these sayings, indeed, had been so uttered by Him, and yet if these predictions had not been fulfilled, they might perhaps appear to be untrue, and not to possess any authority. But now, when His declarations do pass into fulfilment, seeing they were predicted with such power and authority, it is most clearly shown to be true that He, when He was made man, delivered to men the precepts of salvation. 3. What, then, are we to say of this, which the prophets had beforehand foretold of Him, that princes would not cease from Judah, nor leaders from between his thighs, until He should come for whom it has been reserved (viz., the kingdom), and until the expectation of the Gentiles should come? For it is most distinctly evident from the history itself, from what is clearly seen at the present day, that from the times of Christ onwards there were no kings among the Jews. Nay, even all those objects of Jewish pride, of which they vaunted so much, and in which they exulted, whether regarding the beauty of the temple or the ornaments of the altar, and all those sacerdotal fillets and robes of the high priests, were all destroyed together. For the prophecy was fulfilled which had declared, For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king and prince: there shall be no victim, nor altar, nor priesthood, nor answers. These testimonies, accordingly, we employ against those who seem to assert that what is spoken in Genesis by Jacob refers to Judah; and who say that there still remains a prince of the race of Judah— he, viz., who is the prince of their nation, whom they style Patriarch — and that there cannot fail (a ruler) of his seed, who will remain until the advent of that Christ whom they picture to themselves. But if the prophet's words be true, when he says, The children of Israel shall abide many days without king, without prince; and there shall be no victim, nor altar, nor priesthood; and if, certainly, since the overthrow of the temple, victims are neither offered, nor any altar found, nor any priesthood exists, it is most certain that, as it is written, princes have departed from Judah, and a leader from between his thighs, until the coming of Him for whom it has been reserved. It is established, then, that He has come for whom it has been reserved, and in whom is the expectation of the Gentiles. And this manifestly seems to be fulfilled in the multitude of those who have believed on God through Christ out of the different nations. 4. In the song of Deuteronomy, also, it is prophetically declared that, on account of the sins of the former people, there was to be an election of a foolish nation—no other, certainly, than that which was brought about by Christ; for thus the words run: They have moved Me to anger with their images, and I will stir them up to jealousy; I will arouse them to anger against a foolish nation. We may therefore evidently see how the Hebrews, who are said to have excited God's anger by means of those (idols), which are no gods, and to have aroused His wrath by their images, were themselves also excited to jealousy by means of a foolish nation, which God has chosen by the advent of Jesus Christ and His disciples. For the following is the language of the apostle: For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men among you after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble (are called): but God has chosen the foolish things of the world, and the things which are not, to destroy the things which formerly existed. Carnal Israel, therefore, should not boast; for such is the term used by the apostle: 5. What are we to say, moreover, regarding those prophecies of Christ contained in the Psalms, especially the one with the superscription, A song for the Beloved; in which it is stated that His tongue is the pen of a ready writer; fairer than the children of men; that grace is poured into His lips? Now, the indication that grace has been poured upon His lips is this, that, after a short period had elapsed— for He taught only during a year and some months — the whole world, nevertheless, became filled with His doctrine, and with faith in His religion. There arose, then, in His days righteous men, and abundance of peace, abiding even to the end, which end is entitled the taking away of the moon; and His dominion shall extend from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. There was a sign also given to the house of David. For a virgin conceived, and bare Emmanuel, which, when interpreted, signifies, Gentiles, and remain as a kind of spoils of His victory, who have subjected our necks to His grace. Even the place of His birth was predicted in the prophecies of Micah, who said, And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, art by no means small among the leaders of Judah: for out of you shall come forth a Leader, who shall rule My people Israel. The weeks of years, also, which the prophet Daniel had predicted, extending to the leadership of Christ, have been fulfilled. Moreover, he is at hand, who in the book of Job is said to be about to destroy the huge beast, who also gave power to his own disciples to tread on serpents and scorpions, and on all the power of the enemy, without being injured by him. But if any one will consider the journeys of Christ's apostles throughout the different places, in which as His messengers they preached the Gospel, he will find that both what they ventured to undertake is beyond the power of man, and what they were enabled to accomplish is from God alone. If we consider how men, on hearing that a new doctrine was introduced by these, were able to receive them; or rather, when desiring often to destroy them, they were prevented by a divine power which was in them, we shall find that in this nothing was effected by human strength, but that the whole was the result of the divine power and providence—signs and wonders, manifest beyond all doubt, bearing testimony to their word and doctrine. 6. These points now being briefly established, viz., regarding the deity of Christ, and the fulfilment of all that was prophesied respecting Him, I think that this position also has been made good, viz., that the Scriptures themselves, which contained these predictions, were divinely inspired,— those, namely, which had either foretold His advent, or the power of His doctrine, or the bringing over of all nations (to His obedience). To which this remark must be added, that the divinity and inspiration both of the predictions of the prophets and of the law of Moses have been clearly revealed and confirmed, especially since the advent of Christ into the world. For before the fulfilment of those events which were predicted by them, they could not, although true and inspired by God, be shown to be so, because they were as yet unfulfilled. But the coming of Christ was a declaration that their statements were true and divinely inspired, although it was certainly doubtful before that whether there would be an accomplishment of those things which had been foretold. If any one, moreover, consider the words of the prophets with all the zeal and reverence which they deserve, it is certain that, in the perusal and careful examination thus given them, he will feel his mind and senses touched by a divine breath, and will acknowledge that the words which he reads were no human utterances, but the language of God; and from his own emotions he will feel that these books were the composition of no human skill, nor of any mortal eloquence, but, so to speak, of a style that is divine. The splendour of Christ's advent, therefore, illuminating the law of Moses by the light of truth, has taken away that veil which had been placed over the letter (of the law), and has unsealed, for every one who believes upon Him, all the blessings which were concealed by the covering of the word. 7. It is, however, a matter attended with considerable labour, to point out, in every instance, how and when the predictions of the prophets were fulfilled, so as to appear to confirm those who are in doubt, seeing it is possible for everyone who wishes to become more thoroughly acquainted with these things, to gather abundant proofs from the records of the truth themselves. But if the sense of the letter, which is beyond man, does not appear to present itself at once, on the first glance, to those who are less versed in divine discipline, it is not at all to be wondered at, because divine things are brought down somewhat slowly to (the comprehension of) men, and elude the view in proportion as one is either sceptical or unworthy. For although it is certain that all things which exist in this world, or take place in it, are ordered by the providence of God, and certain events indeed do appear with sufficient clearness to be under the disposal of His providential government, yet others again unfold themselves so mysteriously and incomprehensibly, that the plan of Divine Providence with regard to them is completely concealed; so that it is occasionally believed by some that particular occurrences do not belong to (the plan of) Providence, because the principle eludes their grasp, according to which the works of Divine Providence are administered with indescribable skill; which principle of administration, however, is not equally concealed from all. For even among men themselves, one individual devotes less consideration to it, another more; while by every man, He who is on earth, whoever is the inhabitant of heaven, is more acknowledged. And the nature of bodies is clear to us in one way, that of trees in another, that of animals in a third; the nature of souls, again, is concealed in a different way; and the manner in which the diverse movements of rational understandings are ordered by Providence, eludes the view of men in a greater degree, and even, in my opinion, in no small degree that of the angels also. But as the existence of divine providence is not refuted by those especially who are certain of its existence, but who do not comprehend its workings or arrangements by the powers of the human mind; so neither will the divine inspiration of holy Scripture, which extends throughout its body, be believed to be non-existent, because the weakness of our understanding is unable to trace out the hidden and secret meaning in each individual word, the treasure of divine wisdom being hid in the vulgar and unpolished vessels of words, as the apostle also points out when he says, We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the virtue of the divine power may shine out the more brightly, no colouring of human eloquence being intermingled with the truth of the doctrines. For if our books induced men to believe because they were composed either by rhetorical arts or by the wisdom of philosophy, then undoubtedly our faith would be considered to be based on the art of words, and on human wisdom, and not upon the power of God; whereas it is now known to all that the word of this preaching has been so accepted by numbers throughout almost the whole world, because they understood their belief to rest not on the persuasive words of human wisdom, but on the manifestation of the Spirit and of power. On which account, being led by a heavenly, nay, by a more than heavenly power, to faith and acceptance, that we may worship the sole Creator of all things as our God, let us also do our utmost endeavour, by abandoning the language of the elements of Christ, which are but the first beginnings of wisdom, to go on to perfection, in order that that wisdom which is given to them who are perfect, may be given to us also. For such is the promise of him to whom was entrusted the preaching of this wisdom, in the words: Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect; yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, who will be brought to nought; by which he shows that this wisdom of ours has nothing in common, so far as regards the beauty of language, with the wisdom of this world. This wisdom, then, will be inscribed more clearly and perfectly on our hearts, if it be made known to us according to the revelation of the mystery which has been hid from eternity, but now is manifest through the Scriptures of prophecy, and the advent of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever. Amen. 8. These particulars, then, being briefly stated regarding the inspiration of the sacred Scriptures by the Holy Spirit, it seems necessary to explain this point also, viz., how certain persons, not reading them correctly, have given themselves over to erroneous opinions, inasmuch as the procedure to be followed, in order to attain an understanding of the holy writings, is unknown to many. The Jews, in fine, owing to the hardness of their heart, and from a desire to appear wise in their own eyes, have not believed in our Lord and Saviour, judging that those statements which were uttered respecting Him ought to be understood literally, i.e., that He ought in a sensible and visible manner to preach deliverance to the captives, and first build a city which they truly deem the city of God, and cut off at the same time the chariots of Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; that He ought also to eat butter and honey, in order to choose the good before He should come to know how to bring forth evil. They think, also, that it has been predicted that the wolf— that four-footed animal— is, at the coming of Christ, to feed with the lambs, and the leopard to lie down with kids, and the calf and the bull to pasture with lions, and that they are to be led by a little child to the pasture; that the ox and the bear are to lie down together in the green fields, and that their young ones are to be fed together; that lions also will frequent stalls with the oxen, and feed on straw. And seeing that, according to history, there was no accomplishment of any of those things predicted of Him, in which they believed the signs of Christ's advent were especially to be observed, they refused to acknowledge the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ; nay, contrary to all the principles of human and divine law, i.e., contrary to the faith of prophecy, they crucified Him for assuming to Himself the name of Christ. Thereupon the heretics, reading that it is written in the law, A fire has been kindled in Mine anger; and that I the Lord am a jealous (God), visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation; and that it repents Me that I anointed Saul to be king; and, I am the Lord, who make peace and create evil; and again, There is not evil in a city which the Lord has not done; and, Evils came down from the Lord upon the gates of Jerusalem; and, An evil spirit from the Lord plagued Saul; and reading many other passages similar to these, which are found in Scripture, they did not venture to assert that these were not the Scriptures of God, but they considered them to be the words of that creator God whom the Jews worshipped, and who, they judged, ought to be regarded as just only, and not also as good; but that the Saviour had come to announce to us a more perfect God, who, they allege; is not the creator of the world—there being different and discordant opinions among them even on this very point, because, when they once depart from a belief in God the Creator, who is Lord of all, they have given themselves over to various inventions and fables, devising certain (fictions), and asserting that some things were visible, and made by one (God), and that certain other things were invisible, and were created by another, according to the vain and fanciful suggestions of their own minds. But not a few also of the more simple of those, who appear to be restrained within the faith of the Church, are of opinion that there is no greater God than the Creator, holding in this a correct and sound opinion; and yet they entertain regarding Him such views as would not be entertained regarding the most unjust and cruel of men. 9. Now the reason of the erroneous apprehension of all these points on the part of those whom we have mentioned above, is no other than this, that holy Scripture is not understood by them according to its spiritual, but according to its literal meaning. And therefore we shall endeavour, so far as our moderate capacity will permit, to point out to those who believe the holy Scriptures to be no human compositions, but to be written by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and to be transmitted and entrusted to us by the will of God the Father, through His only-begotten Son Jesus Christ, what appears to us, who observe things by a right way of understanding, to be the standard and discipline delivered to the apostles by Jesus Christ, and which they handed down in succession to their posterity, the teachers of the holy Church. Now, that there are certain mystical economies indicated in holy Scripture, is admitted by all, I think, even the simplest of believers. But what these are, or of what kind they are, he who is rightly minded, and not overcome with the vice of boasting, will scrupulously acknowledge himself to be ignorant. For if anyone, e.g., were to adduce the case of the daughters of Lot, who seem, contrary to the law of God, to have had intercourse with their father, or that of the two wives of Abraham, or of the two sisters who were married to Jacob, or of the two handmaids who increased the number of his sons, what other answer could be returned than that these were certain mysteries, and forms of spiritual things, but that we are ignorant of what nature they are? Nay, even when we read of the construction of the tabernacle, we deem it certain that the written descriptions are the figures of certain hidden things; but to adapt these to their appropriate standards, and to open up and discuss every individual point, I consider to be exceedingly difficult, not to say impossible. That that description, however, is, as I have said, full of mysteries, does not escape even the common understanding. But all the narrative portion, relating either to the marriages, or to the begetting of the children, or to battles of different kinds, or to any other histories whatever, what else can they be supposed to be, save the forms and figures of hidden and sacred things? As men, however, make little effort to exercise their intellect, or imagine that they possess knowledge before they really learn, the consequence is that they never begin to have knowledge or if there be no want of a desire, at least, nor of an instructor, and if divine knowledge be sought after, as it ought to be, in a religious and holy spirit, and in the hope that many points will be opened up by the revelation of God— since to human sense they are exceedingly difficult and obscure— then, perhaps, he who seeks in such a manner will find what it is lawful to discover. 10. But lest this difficulty perhaps should be supposed to exist only in the language of the prophets, seeing the prophetic style is allowed by all to abound in figures and enigmas, what do we find when we come to the Gospels? Is there not hidden there also an inner, namely a divine sense, which is revealed by that grace alone which he had received who said, But we have the mind of Christ, that we might know the things freely given to us by God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Spirit teaches? And if one now were to read the revelations which were made to John, how amazed would he not be that there should be contained within them so great an amount of hidden, ineffable mysteries, in which it is clearly understood, even by those who cannot comprehend what is concealed, that something certainly is concealed. And yet are not the Epistles of the Apostles, which seem to some to be plainer, filled with meanings so profound, that by means of them, as by some small receptacle, the clearness of incalculable light appears to be poured into those who are capable of understanding the meaning of divine wisdom? And therefore, because this is the case, and because there are many who go wrong in this life, I do not consider that it is easy to pronounce, without danger, that anyone knows or understands those things, which, in order to be opened up, need the key of knowledge; which key, the Saviour declared, lay with those who were skilled in the law. And here, although it is a digression, I think we should inquire of those who assert that before the advent of the Saviour there was no truth among those who were engaged in the study of the law, how it could be said by our Lord Jesus Christ that the keys of knowledge were with them, who had the books of the prophets and of the law in their hands. For thus did He speak: Woe unto you, you teachers of the law, who have taken away the key of knowledge: you entered not in yourselves, and you hindered those who wished to enter in. 11. But, as we had begun to observe, the way which seems to us the correct one for the understanding of the Scriptures, and for the investigation of their meaning, we consider to be of the following kind: for we are instructed by Scripture itself in regard to the ideas which we ought to form of it. In the Proverbs of Solomon we find some such rule as the following laid down, respecting the consideration of holy Scripture: And do, he says, describe these things to yourself in a threefold manner, in counsel and knowledge, and that you may answer the words of truth to those who have proposed them to you. Each one, then, ought to describe in his own mind, in a threefold manner, the understanding of the divine letters—that is, in order that all the more simple individuals may be edified, so to speak, by the very body of Scripture; for such we term that common and historical sense: while, if some have commenced to make considerable progress, and are able to see something more (than that), they may be edified by the very soul of Scripture. Those, again, who are perfect, and who resemble those of whom the apostle says, We speak wisdom among them that are perfect, but not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, who will be brought to nought; but we speak the wisdom of God, hidden in a mystery, which God has decreed before the ages unto our glory; — all such as these may be edified by the spiritual law itself (which has a shadow of good things to come), as if by the Spirit. For as man is said to consist of body, and soul, and spirit, so also does sacred Scripture, which has been granted by the divine bounty for the salvation of man; which we see pointed out, moreover, in the little book of The Shepherd, which seems to be despised by some, where Hermas is commanded to write two little books, and afterwards to announce to the presbyters of the Church what he learned from the Spirit. For these are the words that are written: And you will write, he says, two books; and you will give the one to Clement, and the other to Grapte. And let Grapte admonish the widows and orphans, and let Clement send through all the cities which are abroad, while you will announce to the presbyters of the Church. Grapte, accordingly, who is commanded to admonish the orphans and widows, is the pure understanding of the letter itself; by which those youthful minds are admonished, who have not yet deserved to have God as their Father, and are on that account styled orphans. They, again, are the widows, who have withdrawn themselves from the unjust man, to whom they had been united contrary to law; but who have remained widows, because they have not yet advanced to the stage of being joined to a heavenly Bridegroom. Clement, moreover, is ordered to send into those cities which are abroad what is written to those individuals who already are withdrawing from the letter—as if the meaning were to those souls who, being built up by this means, have begun to rise above the cares of the body and the desires of the flesh; while he himself, who had learned from the Holy Spirit, is commanded to announce, not by letter nor by book, but by the living voice, to the presbyters of the Church of Christ, i.e., to those who possess a mature faculty of wisdom, capable of receiving spiritual teaching. 12. This point, indeed, is not to be passed by without notice, viz., that there are certain passages of Scripture where this body, as we termed it, i.e., this inferential historical sense, is not always found, as we shall prove to be the case in the following pages, but where that which we termed spirit can only be understood. And this, I think, is indicated in the Gospels, where there are said to be placed, according to the manner of purification among the Jews, six water-vessels, containing two or three firkins a-piece; by which, as I have said, the language of the Gospel seems to indicate, with respect to those who are secretly called by the apostle Jews, that they are purified by the word of Scripture,— receiving indeed sometimes two firkins, i.e., the understanding of the spirit, according to our statement as above; sometimes even three (firkins), when in the reading (of Scripture) the bodily sense, which is the historical, may be preserved for the edification of the people. Now six water-vessels are appropriately spoken of, with regard to those persons who are purified by being placed in the world; for we read that in six days— which is the perfect number— this world and all things in it were finished. How great, then, is the utility of this first historical sense which we have mentioned, is attested by the multitude of all believers, who believe with adequate faith and simplicity, and does not need much argument, because it is openly manifest to all; whereas of that sense which we have called above the soul, as it were, of Scripture, the Apostle Paul has given us numerous examples in the first Epistle to the Corinthians. For we find the expression, You shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the grain. And afterwards, when explaining what precept ought to be understood by this, he adds the words: Does God take care for oxen? Or says He it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written; that he who ploughs should plough in hope, and he that threshes, in hope of partaking. Very many other passages also of this nature, which are in this way explained of the law, contribute extensive information to the hearers. 13. Now a spiritual interpretation is of this nature: when one is able to point out what are the heavenly things of which these serve as the patterns and shadow, who are Jews according to the flesh, and of what things future the law contains a shadow, and any other expressions of this kind that may be found in holy Scripture; or when it is a subject of inquiry, what is that wisdom hidden in a mystery which These things happened to them in a figure, and they are written on our account, on whom the ends of the ages have come. Now, an opportunity is afforded us of understanding of what those things which happened to them were figures, when he adds: And they drank of that spiritual Rock which followed them, and that Rock was Christ. In another Epistle also, when referring to the tabernacle, he mentions the direction which was given to Moses: You shall make (all things) according to the pattern which was showed you in the mount. And writing to the Galatians, and upbraiding certain individuals who seem to themselves to read the law, and yet without understanding it, because of their ignorance of the fact that an allegorical meaning underlies what is written, he says to them in a certain tone of rebuke: Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons; the one by a bond-maid, the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bond-woman was born according to the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants. And here this point is to be attended to, viz., the caution with which the apostle employs the expression, You who are under the law, do you not hear the law? Do you not hear, i.e., do you not understand and know? In the Epistle to the Colossians, again, briefly summing up and condensing the meaning of the whole law, he says: Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of holy days, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath, which are a shadow of things to come. Writing to the Hebrews also, and treating of those who belong to the circumcision, he says: Those who serve to the example and shadow of heavenly things. Now perhaps, through these illustrations, no doubt will be entertained regarding the five books of Moses, by those who hold the writings of the apostle, as divinely inspired. And if they require, with respect to the rest of the history, that those events which are contained in it should be considered as having happened for an ensample to those of whom they are written, we have observed that this also has been stated in the Epistle to the Romans, where the apostle adduces an instance from the third book of Kings, saying, I have left me seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal; which expression Paul understood as figuratively spoken of those who are called Israelites according to the election, in order to show that the advent of Christ had not only now been of advantage to the Gentiles, but that very many even of the race of Israel had been called to salvation. 14. This being the state of the case, we shall sketch out, as if by way of illustration and pattern, what may occur to us with regard to the manner in which holy Scripture is to be understood on these several points, repeating in the first instance, and pointing out this fact, that the Holy Spirit, by the providence and will of God, through the power of His only-begotten Word, who was in the beginning God with God, enlightened the ministers of truth, the prophets and apostles, to understand the mysteries of those things or causes which take place among men, or with respect to men. And by men, I now mean souls that are placed in bodies, who, relating those mysteries that are known to them, and revealed through Christ, as if they were a kind of human transactions, or handing down certain legal observances and injunctions, described them figuratively; not that anyone who pleased might view these expositions as deserving to be trampled under foot, but that he who should devote himself with all chastity, and sobriety, and watchfulness, to studies of this kind, might be able by this means to trace out the meaning of the Spirit of God, which is perhaps lying profoundly buried, and the context, which may be pointing again in another direction than the ordinary usage of speech would indicate. And in this way he might become a sharer in the knowledge of the Spirit, and a partaker in the divine counsel, because the soul cannot come to the perfection of knowledge otherwise than by inspiration of the truth of the divine wisdom. Accordingly, it is of God, i.e., of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, that these men, filled with the Divine Spirit, chiefly treat; then the mysteries relating to the Son of God— how the Word became flesh, and why He descended even to the assumption of the form of a servant— are the subject, as I have said, of explanation by those persons who are filled with the Divine Spirit. It next followed, necessarily, that they should instruct mortals by divine teaching, regarding rational creatures, both those of heaven and the happier ones of earth; and also (should explain) the differences among souls, and the origin of these differences; and then should tell what this world is, and why it was created; whence also sprung the great and terrible wickedness which extends over the earth. And whether that wickedness is found on this earth only, or in other places, is a point which it was necessary for us to learn from divine teaching. Since, then, it was the intention of the Holy Spirit to enlighten with respect to these and similar subjects, those holy souls who had devoted themselves to the service of the truth, this object was kept in view, in the second place, viz., for the sake of those who either could not or would not give themselves to this labour and toil by which they might deserve to be instructed in or to recognise things of such value and importance, to wrap up and conceal, as we said before, in ordinary language, under the covering of some history and narrative of visible things, hidden mysteries. There is therefore introduced the narrative of the visible creation, and the creation and formation of the first man; then the offspring which followed from him in succession, and some of the actions which were done by the good among his posterity, are related, and occasionally certain crimes also, which are stated to have been committed by them as being human; and afterwards certain unchaste or wicked deeds also are narrated as being the acts of the wicked. The description of battles, moreover, is given in a wonderful manner, and the alternations of victors and vanquished, by which certain ineffable mysteries are made known to those who know how to investigate statements of that kind. By an admirable discipline of wisdom, too, the law of truth, even of the prophets, is implanted in the Scriptures of the law, each of which is woven by a divine art of wisdom, as a kind of covering and veil of spiritual truths; and this is what we have called the body of Scripture, so that also, in this way, what we have called the covering of the letter, woven by the art of wisdom, might be capable of edifying and profiting many, when others would derive no benefit. 15. But as if, in all the instances of this covering (i.e., of this history), the logical connection and order of the law had been preserved, we would not certainly believe, when thus possessing the meaning of Scripture in a continuous series, that anything else was contained in it save what was indicated on the surface; so for that reason divine wisdom took care that certain stumbling-blocks, or interruptions, to the historical meaning should take place, by the introduction into the midst (of the narrative) of certain impossibilities and incongruities; that in this way the very interruption of the narrative might, as by the interposition of a bolt, present an obstacle to the reader, whereby he might refuse to acknowledge the way which conducts to the ordinary meaning; and being thus excluded and debarred from it, we might be recalled to the beginning of another way, in order that, by entering upon a narrow path, and passing to a loftier and more sublime road, he might lay open the immense breadth of divine wisdom. This, however, must not be unnoted by us, that as the chief object of the Holy Spirit is to preserve the coherence of the spiritual meaning, either in those things which ought to be done or which have been already performed, if He anywhere finds that those events which, according to the history, took place, can be adapted to a spiritual meaning, He composed a texture of both kinds in one style of narration, always concealing the hidden meaning more deeply; but where the historical narrative could not be made appropriate to the spiritual coherence of the occurrences, He inserted sometimes certain things which either did not take place or could not take place; sometimes also what might happen, but what did not: and He does this at one time in a few words, which, taken in their bodily meaning, seem incapable of containing truth, and at another by the insertion of many. And this we find frequently to be the case in the legislative portions, where there are many things manifestly useful among the bodily precepts, but a very great number also in which no principle of utility is at all discernible, and sometimes even things which are judged to be impossibilities. Now all this, as we have remarked, was done by the Holy Spirit in order that, seeing those events which lie on the surface can be neither true nor useful, we may be led to the investigation of that truth which is more deeply concealed, and to the ascertaining of a meaning worthy of God in those Scriptures which we believe to be inspired by Him. 16. Nor was it only with regard to those Scriptures which were composed down to the advent of Christ that the Holy Spirit thus dealt; but as being one and the same Spirit, and proceeding from one God, He dealt in the same way with the evangelists and apostles. For even those narratives which He inspired them to write were not composed without the aid of that wisdom of His, the nature of which we have above explained. Whence also in them were intermingled not a few things by which, the historical order of the narrative being interrupted and broken up, the attention of the reader might be recalled, by the impossibility of the case, to an examination of the inner meaning. But, that our meaning may be ascertained by the facts themselves, let us examine the passages of Scripture. Now who is there, pray, possessed of understanding, that will regard the statement as appropriate, that the first day, and the second, and the third, in which also both evening and morning are mentioned, existed without sun, and moon, and stars— the first day even without a sky? And who is found so ignorant as to suppose that God, as if He had been a husbandman, planted trees in paradise, in Eden towards the east, and a tree of life in it, i.e., a visible and palpable tree of wood, so that anyone eating of it with bodily teeth should obtain life, and, eating again of another tree, should come to the knowledge of good and evil? No one, I think, can doubt that the statement that God walked in the afternoon in paradise, and that Adam lay hid under a tree, is related figuratively in Scripture, that some mystical meaning may be indicated by it. The departure of Cain from the presence of the Lord will manifestly cause a careful reader to inquire what is the presence of God, and how anyone can go out from it. But not to extend the task which we have before us beyond its due limits, it is very easy for anyone who pleases to gather out of holy Scripture what is recorded indeed as having been done, but what nevertheless cannot be believed as having reasonably and appropriately occurred according to the historical account. The same style of Scriptural narrative occurs abundantly in the Gospels, as when the devil is said to have placed Jesus on a lofty mountain, that he might show Him from thence all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. How could it literally come to pass, either that Jesus should be led up by the devil into a high mountain, or that the latter should show him all the kingdoms of the world (as if they were lying beneath his bodily eyes, and adjacent to one mountain), i.e., the kingdoms of the Persians, and Scythians, and Indians? Or how could he show in what manner the kings of these kingdoms are glorified by men? And many other instances similar to this will be found in the Gospels by anyone who will read them with attention, and will observe that in those narratives which appear to be literally recorded, there are inserted and interwoven things which cannot be admitted historically, but which may be accepted in a spiritual signification. 17. In the passages containing the commandments also, similar things are found. For in the law Moses is commanded to destroy every male that is not circumcised on the eighth day, which is exceedingly incongruous; since it would be necessary, if it were related that the law was executed according to the history, to command those parents to be punished who did not circumcise their children, and also those who were the nurses of little children. The declaration of Scripture now is, The uncircumcised male, i.e., who shall not have been circumcised, shall be cut off from his people. And if we are to inquire regarding the impossibilities of the law, we find an animal called the goat-stag, which cannot possibly exist, but which, as being in the number of clean beasts, Moses commands to be eaten; and a griffin, which no one ever remembers or heard of as yielding to human power, but which the legislator forbids to be used for food. Respecting the celebrated observance of the Sabbath also he thus speaks: You shall sit, everyone in your dwellings; no one shall move from his place on the Sabbath day. Which precept it is impossible to observe literally; for no man can sit a whole day so as not to move from the place where he sat down. With respect to each one of these points now, those who belong to the circumcision, and all who would have no more meaning to be found in sacred Scripture than what is indicated by the letter, consider that there should be no investigation regarding the goat-stag, and the griffin, and the vulture; and they invent some empty and trifling tales about the Sabbath, drawn from some traditional sources or other, alleging that everyone's place is computed to him within two thousand cubits. Others, again, among whom is Dositheus the Samaritan, censure indeed expositions of this kind, but themselves lay down something more ridiculous, viz., that each one must remain until the evening in the posture, place, or position in which he found himself on the Sabbath day; i.e., if found sitting, he is to sit the whole day, or if reclining, he is to recline the whole day. Moreover, the injunction which runs, Bear no burden on the Sabbath day, seems to me an impossibility. For the Jewish doctors, in consequence of these (prescriptions), have betaken themselves, as the holy apostle says, to innumerable fables, saying that it is not accounted a burden if a man wear shoes without nails, but that it is a burden if shoes with nails be worn; and that if it be carried on one shoulder, they consider it a burden but if on both, they declare it to be none. 18. And now, if we institute a similar examination with regard to the Gospels, how shall it appear otherwise than absurd to take the injunction literally, Salute no man by the way? And yet there are simple individuals, who think that our Saviour gave this command to His apostles! How, also, can it appear possible for such an order as this to be observed, especially in those countries where there is a rigorous winter, attended by frost and ice, viz., that one should possess neither two coats, nor shoes? And this, that when one is smitten on the right cheek, he is ordered to present the left also, since everyone who strikes with the right hand smites the left cheek? This precept also in the Gospels must be accounted among impossibilities, viz., that if the right eye offend you, it is to be plucked out; for even if we were to suppose that bodily eyes were spoken of, how shall it appear appropriate, that when both eyes have the property of sight, the responsibility of the offense should be transferred to one eye, and that the right one? Or who shall be considered free of a crime of the greatest enormity, that lays hands upon himself? But perhaps the Epistles of the Apostle Paul will appear to be beyond this. For what is his meaning, when he says, Is any man called, being circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. This expression indeed, in the first place, does not on careful consideration seem to be spoken with reference to the subject of which he was treating at the time, for this discourse consisted of injunctions relating to marriage and to chastity; and these words, therefore, will have the appearance an unnecessary addition to such a subject. In the second place, however, what objection would there be, if, for the sake of avoiding that unseemliness which is caused by circumcision, a man were able to become uncircumcised? And, in the third place, that is altogether impossible. The object of all these statements on our part, is to show that it was the design of the Holy Spirit, who deigned to bestow upon us the sacred Scriptures, to show that we were not to be edified by the letter alone, or by everything in it—a thing which we see to be frequently impossible and inconsistent; for in that way not only absurdities, but impossibilities, would be the result; but that we are to understand that certain occurrences were interwoven in this visible history, which, when considered and understood in their inner meaning, give forth a law which is advantageous to men and worthy of God. 19. Let no one, however, entertain the suspicion that we do not believe any history in Scripture to be real, because we suspect certain events related in it not to have taken place; or that no precepts of the law are to be taken literally, because we consider certain of them, in which either the nature or possibility of the case so requires, incapable of being observed; or that we do not believe those predictions which were written of the Saviour to have been fulfilled in a manner palpable to the senses; or that His commandments are not to be literally obeyed. We have therefore to state in answer, since we are manifestly so of opinion, that the truth of the history may and ought to be preserved in the majority of instances. For who can deny that Abraham was buried in the double cave at Hebron, as well as Isaac and Jacob, and each of their wives? Or who doubts that Shechem was given as a portion to Joseph? or that Jerusalem is the metropolis of Judea, on which the temple of God was built by Solomon?— and countless other statements. For the passages which hold good in their historical acceptation are much more numerous than those which contain a purely spiritual meaning. Then, again, who would not maintain that the command to honour your father and your mother, that it may be well with you, is sufficient of itself without any spiritual meaning, and necessary for those who observe it? Especially when Paul also has confirmed the command by repeating it in the same words. And what need is there to speak of the prohibitions, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, and others of the same kind? And with respect to the precepts enjoined in the Gospels, no doubt can be entertained that very many of these are to be literally observed, as, e.g., when our Lord says, But I say unto you, Swear not at all; and when He says, Whosoever looks upon a woman to lust after her, has committed adultery with her already in his heart; the admonitions also which are found in the writings of the Apostle Paul, Warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient towards all men, and very many others. And yet I have no doubt that an attentive reader will, in numerous instances, hesitate whether this or that history can be considered to be literally true or not; or whether this or that precept ought to be observed according to the letter or no. And therefore great pains and labour are to be employed, until every reader reverentially understand that he is dealing with divine and not human words inserted in the sacred books. 20. The understanding, therefore, of holy Scripture which we consider ought to be deservedly and consistently maintained, is of the following kind. A certain nation is declared by holy Scripture to have been chosen by God upon the earth, which nation has received several names: for sometimes the whole of it is termed Israel, and sometimes Jacob; and it was divided by Jeroboam son of Nebat into two portions; and the ten tribes which were formed under him were called Israel, while the two remaining ones (with which were united the tribe of Levi, and that which was descended from the royal race of David) was named Judah. Now the whole of the country possessed by that nation, which it had received from God, was called Judea, in which was situated the metropolis, Jerusalem; and it is called metropolis, being as it were the mother of many cities, the names of which you will frequently find mentioned here and there in the other books of Scripture, but which are collected together into one catalogue in the book of Joshua the son of Nun. 21. This, then, being the state of the case, the holy apostle desiring to elevate in some degree, and to raise our understanding above the earth, says in a certain place, Behold Israel after the flesh; by which he certainly means that there is another Israel which is not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. And again in another passage, For they are not all Israelites who are of Israel. 22. Being taught, then, by him that there is one Israel according to the flesh, and another according to the Spirit, when the Saviour says, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, we do not understand these words as those do who savour of earthly things, i.e., the Ebionites, who derive the appellation of poor from their very name (for poor in Hebrew ); but we understand that there exists a race of souls which is termed Israel is interpreted to mean a man seeing God. The apostle, again, makes a similar revelation respecting Jerusalem, saying, The Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. And in another of his Epistles he says: But you have come unto mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, and to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, and to the Church of the first-born which is written in heaven. If, then, there are certain souls in this world who are called Israel, and a city in heaven which is called Jerusalem, it follows that those cities which are said to belong to the nation of Israel have the heavenly Jerusalem as their metropolis; and that, agreeably to this, we understand as referring to the whole of Judah (of which also we are of opinion that the prophets have spoken in certain mystical narratives), any predictions delivered either regarding Judea or Jerusalem, or invasions of any kind, which the sacred histories declare to have happened to Judea or Jerusalem. Whatever, then, is either narrated or predicted of Jerusalem, must, if we accept the words of Paul as those of Christ speaking in him, be understood as spoken in conformity with his opinion regarding that city which he calls the heavenly Jerusalem, and all those places or cities which are said to be cities of the holy land, of which Jerusalem is the metropolis. For we are to suppose that it is from these very cities that the Saviour, wishing to raise us to a higher grade of intelligence, promises to those who have well managed the money entrusted to them by Himself, that they are to have power over ten or five cities. If, then, the prophecies delivered concerning Judea, and Jerusalem, and Judah, and Israel, and Jacob, not being understood by us in a carnal sense, signify certain divine mysteries, it certainly follows that those prophecies also which were delivered either concerning Egypt or the Egyptians, or Babylonia and the Babylonians, and Sidon and the Sidonians, are not to be understood as spoken of that Egypt which is situated on the earth, or of the earthly Babylon, Tyre, or Sidon. Nor can those predictions which the prophet Ezekiel delivered concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt, apply to any man who may seem to have reigned over Egypt, as the nature of the passage itself declares. In a similar manner also, what is spoken of the prince of Tyre cannot be understood of any man or king of Tyre. And how could we possibly accept, as spoken of a man, what is related in many passages of Scripture, and especially in Isaiah, regarding Nebuchadnezzar? For he is not a man who is said to have fallen from heaven, or who was Lucifer, or who arose in the morning. But with respect to those predictions which are found in Ezekiel concerning Egypt, such as that it is to be destroyed in forty years, so that the foot of man should not be found within it, and that it should suffer such devastation, that throughout the whole land the blood of men should rise to the knees, I do not know that anyone possessed of understanding could refer this to that earthly Egypt which adjoins Ethiopia. But let us see whether it may not be understood more fittingly in the following manner: viz., that as there is a heavenly Jerusalem and Judea, and a nation undoubtedly which inhabits it, and is named Israel; so also it is possible that there are certain localities near to these which may seem to be called either Egypt, or Babylon, or Tyre, or Sidon, and that the princes of these places, and the souls, if there be any, that inhabit them, are called Egyptians, Babylonians, Tyrians, and Sidonians. From whom also, according to the mode of life which they lead there, a sort of captivity would seem to result, in consequence of which they are said to have fallen from Judea into Babylonia or Egypt, from a higher and better condition, or to have been scattered into other countries. 23. For perhaps as those who, departing this world in virtue of that death which is common to all, are arranged, in conformity with their actions and deserts— according as they shall be deemed worthy— some in the place which is called hell, others in the bosom of Abraham, and in different localities or mansions; so also from those places, as if dying there, if the expression can be used, do they come down from the upper world to this hell. For that souls of the dead are conducted from this world, is, I believe, on account of this distinction, called the lower hell by Scripture, as is said in the book of Psalms: parents, or parents who are not religious; so that it may sometimes happen that an Israelite descends among the Scythians, and a poor Egyptian is brought down to Judea. And yet our Saviour came to gather together the lost sheep of the house of Israel; and as many of the Israelites did not accept His teaching, those who belonged to the Gentiles were called. From which it will appear to follow, that those prophecies which are delivered to the individual nations ought to be referred rather to the souls, and to their different heavenly mansions. Nay, the narratives of the events which are said to have happened either to the nation of Israel, or to Jerusalem, or to Judea, when assailed by this or that nation, cannot in many instances be understood as having actually occurred, and are much more appropriate to those nations of souls who inhabit that heaven which is said to pass away, or who even now are supposed to be inhabitants of it. If now anyone demand of us clear and distinct declarations on these points out of holy Scripture, we must answer that it was the design of the Holy Spirit, in those portions which appear to relate the history of events, rather to cover and conceal the meaning: in those passages, e.g., where they are said to go down into Egypt, or to be carried captive to Babylonia, or when in these very countries some are said to be brought to excessive humiliation, and to be placed under bondage to their masters; while others, again, in these very countries of their captivity, were held in honour and esteem, so as to occupy positions of rank and power, and were appointed to the government of provinces—all which things, as we have said, are kept hidden and covered in the narratives of holy Scripture, because the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hid in a field; which when a man finds, he hides it, and for joy thereof goes away and sells all that he has, and buys that field. By which similitude, consider whether it be not pointed out that the very soil and surface, so to speak, of Scripture— that is, the literal meaning— is the field, filled with plants and flowers of all kinds; while that deeper and profounder spiritual meaning are the very hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge which the Holy Spirit by Isaiah calls the dark and invisible and hidden treasures, for the finding out of which the divine help is required: for God alone can burst the brazen gates by which they are enclosed and concealed, and break in pieces the iron bolts and levers by which access is prevented to all those things which are written and concealed in Genesis respecting the different kinds of souls, and of those seeds and generations which either have a close connection with Israel or are widely separated from his descendants; as well as what is that descent of seventy souls into Egypt, which seventy souls became in that land as the stars of heaven in multitude. But as not all of them were the light of this world— souls to be an important people, and as the sand by the sea-shore innumerable. (The translation from the Greek is designedly literal, that the difference between the original and the paraphrase of Rufinus may be more clearly seen.) 1. Since, in our investigation of matters of such importance, not satisfied with the common opinions, and with the clear evidence of visible things, we take in addition, for the proof of our statements, testimonies from what are believed by us to be divine writings, viz., from that which is called the Old Testament, and that which is styled the New, and endeavour by reason to confirm our faith; and as we have not yet spoken of the Scriptures as divine, come and let us, as if by way of an epitome, treat of a few points respecting them, laying down those reasons which lead us to regard them as divine writings. And before making use of the words of the writings themselves, and of the things which are exhibited in them, we must make the following statement regarding Moses and Jesus Christ—the lawgiver of the Hebrews, and the Introducer of the saving doctrines according to Christianity. For, although there have been very many legislators among the Greeks and Barbarians, and teachers who announced opinions which professed to be the truth, we have heard of no legislator who was able to imbue other nations with a zeal for the reception of his words; and although those who professed to philosophize about truth brought forward a great apparatus of apparent logical demonstration, no one has been able to impress what was deemed by him the truth upon other nations, or even on any number of persons worth mentioning in a single nation. And yet not only would the legislators have liked to enforce those laws which appeared to be good, if possible, upon the whole human race, but the teachers also to have spread what they imagined to be truth everywhere throughout the world. But as they were unable to call men of other languages and from many nations to observe their laws, and accept their teaching, they did not at all attempt to do this, considering not unwisely the impossibility of such a result happening to them. Whereas all Greece, and the barbarous part of our world, contains innumerable zealots, who have deserted the laws of their fathers and the established gods, for the observance of the laws of Moses and the discipleship of the words of Jesus Christ; although those who clave to the law of Moses were hated by the worshippers of images, and those who accepted the words of Jesus Christ were exposed, in addition, to the danger of death. 2. And if we observe how powerful the word has become in a very few years, notwithstanding that against those who acknowledged Christianity conspiracies were formed, and some of them on its account put to death, and others of them lost their property, and that, notwithstanding the small number of its teachers, it was preached everywhere throughout the world, so that Greeks and Barbarians, wise and foolish, gave themselves up to the worship that is through Jesus, we have no difficulty in saying that the result is beyond any human power, Jesus having taught with all authority and persuasiveness that His word should not be overcome; so that we may rightly regard as oracular responses those utterances of His, such as, You shall be brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles; and, Many shall say unto Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not eaten in Your name, and drunk in Your name, and in Your name cast out devils? And I shall say unto them, Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity, I never knew you. Now it was perhaps (once) probable that, in uttering these words, He spoke them in vain, so that they were not true; but when that which was delivered with so much authority has come to pass, it shows that God, having really become man, delivered to men the doctrines of salvation. 3. And what need is there to mention also that it was predicted of Christ that then would the rulers fail from Judah, and the leaders from his thighs, when He came for whom it is reserved (the kingdom, namely); and that the expectation of the Gentiles should dwell in the land? For it is clearly manifest from the history, and from what is seen at the present day, that from the times of Jesus there were no longer any who were called kings of the Jews; all those Jewish institutions on which they prided themselves— I mean those arrangements relating to the temple and the altar, and the offering of the service, and the robes of the high priest having been destroyed. For the prophecy was fulfilled which said, The children of Israel shall sit many days, there being no king, nor ruler, nor sacrifice, nor altar, nor priesthood, nor responses. And these predictions we employ to answer those who, in their perplexity as to the words spoken in Genesis by Jacob to Judah, assert that the Ethnarch, being of the race of Judah, is the ruler of the people, and that there will not fail some of his seed, until the advent of that Christ whom they figure to their imagination. But if the children of Israel are to sit many days without a king, or ruler, or altar, or priesthood, or responses; and if, since the temple was destroyed, there exists no longer sacrifice, nor altar, nor priesthood, it is manifest that the ruler has failed out of Judah, and the leader from between his thighs. And since the prediction declares that the ruler shall not fail from Judah, and the leader from between his thighs, until what is reserved for Him shall come, it is manifest that He has come to whom (belongs) what is reserved— the expectation of the Gentiles. And this is clear from the multitude of the heathen who have believed on God through Jesus Christ. 4. And in the song in Deuteronomy, also, it is prophetically made known that, on account of the sins of the former people, there was to be an election of foolish nations, which has been brought to pass by no other than by Jesus. For they, He says, moved Me to jealousy with that which is not God, they have provoked Me to anger with their idols; and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people, and will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. Now it is possible to understand with all clearness how the Hebrews, who are said to have moved God to jealousy by that which is not God, and to have provoked Him to anger by their idols, were (themselves) aroused to jealousy by that which was not a people— the foolish nation, namely, which God chose by the advent of Jesus Christ and His disciples. We see, indeed, our calling, that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble (are called); but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and base things, and things that are despised, has God chosen, and things that are not, to bring to nought the things which formerly existed; and let not the Israel according to the flesh, which is called by the apostle flesh, boast in the presence of God. 5. And what are we to say regarding the prophecies of Christ in the Psalms, there being a certain ode with the superscription For the Beloved, whose tongue is said to be the pen of a ready writer, who is fairer than the sons of men, since grace was poured on His lips? For a proof that grace was poured on His lips is this, that although the period of His teaching was short— for He taught somewhere about a year and a few months— the world has been filled with his teaching, and with the worship of God (established) through Him. For there arose in His days righteousness and abundance of peace, which abides until the consummation, which has been called the taking away of the moon; and He continues ruling from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth. And to the house of David has been given a sign: for the Virgin bore, and was pregnant, and brought forth a son, and His name is Emmanuel, which is, God with us; and as the same prophet says, the prediction has been fulfilled, heathen have been overcome and vanquished, we who have been taken by the grace of His teaching. The place also of His birth has been foretold in (the prophecies of) Micah: For you, Bethlehem, he says, land of Judah, art by no means the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler, who shall rule My people Israel. And according to Daniel, seventy weeks were fulfilled until (the coming of) Christ the Ruler. And He came, who, according to Job, has subdued the great fish, and has given power to His true disciples to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and all the power of the enemy, without sustaining any injury from them. And let one notice also the universal advent of the apostles sent by Jesus to announce the Gospel, and he will see both that the undertaking was beyond human power, and that the commandment came from God. And if we examine how men, on hearing new doctrines, and strange words, yielded themselves up to these teachers, being overcome, amid the very desire to plot against them, by a divine power that watched over these (teachers), we shall not be incredulous as to whether they also wrought miracles, God bearing witness to their words both by signs, and wonders, and various miracles. 6. And while we thus briefly demonstrate the deity of Christ, and (in so doing) make use of the prophetic declarations regarding Him, we demonstrate at the same time that the writings which prophesied of Him were divinely inspired; and that those documents which announced His coming and His doctrine were given forth with all power and authority, and that on this account they obtained the election from the Gentiles. We must say, also, that the divinity of the prophetic declarations, and the spiritual nature of the law of Moses, shone forth after the advent of Christ. For before the advent of Christ it was not altogether possible to exhibit manifest proofs of the divine inspiration of the ancient Scripture; whereas His coming led those who might suspect the law and the prophets not to be divine, to the clear conviction that they were composed by (the aid of) heavenly grace. And he who reads the words of the prophets with care and attention, feeling by the very perusal the traces of the divinity that is in them, will be led by his own emotions to believe that those words which have been deemed to be the words of God are not the compositions of men. The light, moreover, which was contained in the law of Moses, but which had been concealed by a veil, shone forth at the advent of Jesus, the veil being taken away, and those blessings, the shadow of which was contained in the letter, coming forth gradually to the knowledge (of men). 7. It would be tedious now to enumerate the most ancient prophecies respecting each future event, in order that the doubter, being impressed by their divinity, may lay aside all hesitation and distraction, and devote himself with his whole soul to the words of God. But if in every part of the Scriptures the superhuman element of thought does not seem to present itself to the uninstructed, that is not at all wonderful for, with respect to the works of that providence which embraces the whole world, some show with the utmost clearness that they are works of providence, while others are so concealed as to seem to furnish ground for unbelief with respect to that God who orders all things with unspeakable skill and power. For the artistic plan of a providential Ruler is not so evident in those matters belonging to the earth, as in the case of the sun, and moon, and stars; and not so clear in what relates to human occurrences, as it is in the souls and bodies of animals,— the object and reason of the impulses, and phantasies and natures of animals, and the structure of their bodies, being carefully ascertained by those who attend to these things. But as (the doctrine of) providence is not at all weakened (on account of those things which are not understood) in the eyes of those who have once honestly accepted it, so neither is the divinity of Scripture, which extends to the whole of it, (lost) on account of the inability of our weakness to discover in every expression the hidden splendour of the doctrines veiled in common and unattractive phraseology. For we have the treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power of God may shine forth, and that it may not be deemed to proceed from us (who are but) human beings. For if the hackneyed methods of demonstration (common) among men, contained in the books (of the Bible), had been successful in producing conviction; then our faith would rightly have been supposed to rest on the wisdom of men, and not on the power of God; but now it is manifest to everyone who lifts up his eyes, that the word and preaching have not prevailed among the multitude by persuasive words of wisdom, but by demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Wherefore, since a celestial or even a super-celestial power compels us to worship the only Creator, let us leave the doctrine of the beginning of Christ, i.e., the elements, and endeavour to go on to perfection, in order that the wisdom spoken to the perfect may be spoken to us also. For he who possesses it promises to speak wisdom among them that are perfect, but another wisdom than that of this world, and of the rulers of this world, which is brought to nought. And this wisdom will be distinctly stamped upon us, and will produce a revelation of the mystery that was kept silent in the eternal ages, but now has been manifested through the prophetic Scriptures, and the appearance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 8. Having spoken thus briefly on the subject of the divine inspiration of the holy Scriptures, it is necessary to proceed to the (consideration of the) manner in which they are to be read and understood, seeing numerous errors have been committed in consequence of the method in which the holy documents ought to be examined; not having been discovered by the multitude. For both the hardened in heart, and the ignorant persons belonging to the circumcision, have not believed on our Saviour, thinking that they are following the language of the prophecies respecting Him, and not perceiving in a manner palpable to their senses that He had proclaimed liberty to the captives, nor that He had built up what they truly consider the city of God, nor cut off the chariots of Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, nor eaten butter and honey, and, before knowing or preferring the evil, had selected the good. And thinking, moreover, that it was prophesied that the wolf— the four-footed animal— was to feed with the lamb, and the leopard to lie down with the kid, and the calf and bull and lion to feed together, being led by a little child, and that the ox and bear were to pasture together, their young ones growing up together, and that the lion was to eat straw like the ox: seeing none of these things visibly accomplished during the advent of Him who is believed by us to be Christ, they did not accept our Lord Jesus; but, as having called Himself Christ improperly, they crucified Him. And those belonging to heretical sects reading this (statement), A fire has been kindled in Mine anger; and this, I am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation; and this, I repent of having anointed Saul to be king; and this, I am a God that makes peace, and creates evil; and, among others, this, There is not wickedness in the city which the Lord has not done; and again this, Evils came down from the Lord upon the gates of Jerusalem; and, An evil spirit from the Lord plagued Saul; and countless other passages like these— they have not ventured to disbelieve these as the Scriptures of God; but believing them to be the (words) of the Demiurge, whom the Jews worship, they thought that as the Demiurge was an imperfect and unbenevolent God, the Saviour had come to announce a more perfect Deity, who, they say, is not the Demiurge, being of different opinions regarding Him; and having once departed from the Demiurge, who is the only uncreated God, they have given themselves up to fictions, inventing to themselves hypotheses, according to which they imagine that there are some things which are visible, and certain other things which are not visible, all which are the fancies of their own minds. And yet, indeed, the more simple among those who profess to belong to the Church have supposed that there is no deity greater than the Demiurge, being right in so thinking, while they imagine regarding Him such things as would not be believed of the most savage and unjust of mankind. 9. Now the cause, in all the points previously enumerated, of the false opinions, and of the impious statements or ignorant assertions about God, appears to be nothing else than the not understanding the Scripture according to its spiritual meaning, but the interpretation of it agreeably to the mere letter. And therefore, to those who believe that the sacred books are not the compositions of men, but that they were composed by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, agreeably to the will of the Father of all things through Jesus Christ, and that they have come down to us, we must point out the ways (of interpreting them) which appear (correct) to us, who cling to the standard of the heavenly Church of Jesus Christ according to the succession of the apostles. Now, that there are certain mystical economies made known by the holy Scriptures, all— even the most simple of those who adhere to the word— have believed; but what these are, candid and modest individuals confess that they know not. If, then, one were to be perplexed about the intercourse of Lot with his daughters, and about the two wives of Abraham, and the two sisters married to Jacob, and the two handmaids who bore him children, they can return no other answer than this, that these are mysteries not understood by us. Nay, also, when the (description of the) fitting out of the tabernacle is read, believing that what is written is a type, they seek to adapt what they can to each particular related about the tabernacle,— not being wrong so far as regards their belief that the tabernacle is a type of something, but erring sometimes in adapting the description of that of which the tabernacle is a type, to some special thing in a manner worthy of Scripture. And all the history that is considered to tell of marriages, or the begetting of children, or of wars, or any histories whatever that are in circulation among the multitude, they declare to be types; but of what in each individual instance, partly owing to their habits not being thoroughly exercised— partly, too, owing to their precipitation— sometimes, even when an individual does happen to be well trained and clear-sighted, owing to the excessive difficulty of discovering things on the part of men—the nature of each particular regarding these (types) is not clearly ascertained. 10. And what need is there to speak of the prophecies, which we all know to be filled with enigmas and dark sayings? And if we come to the Gospels, the exact understanding of these also, as being the mind of Christ, requires the grace that was given to him who said, But we have the mind of Christ, that we might know the things freely given to us by God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Spirit teaches. And who, on reading the revelations made to John, would not be amazed at the unspeakable mysteries therein concealed, and which are evident (even) to him who does not comprehend what is written? And to what person, skilful in investigating words, would the Epistles of the Apostles seem to be clear and easy of understanding, since even in them there are countless numbers of most profound ideas, which, (issuing forth) as by an aperture, admit of no rapid comprehension? And therefore, since these things are so, and since innumerable individuals fall into mistakes, it is not safe in reading (the Scriptures) to declare that one easily understands what needs the key of knowledge, which the Saviour declares is with the lawyers. And let those answer who will not allow that the truth was with these before the advent of Christ, how the key of knowledge is said by our Lord Jesus Christ to be with those who, as they allege, had not the books which contain the secrets of knowledge, and perfect mysteries. For His words run thus: Woe unto you, you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge: you have not entered in yourselves, and them that were entering in you hindered. 11. The way, then, as it appears to us, in which we ought to deal with the Scriptures, and extract from them their meaning, is the following, which has been ascertained from the Scriptures themselves. By Solomon in the Proverbs we find some such rule as this enjoined respecting the divine doctrines of Scripture: And portray them in a threefold manner, in counsel and knowledge, to answer words of truth to them who propose them to you. The individual ought, then, to portray the ideas of holy Scripture in a threefold manner upon his own soul; in order that the simple man may be edified by the flesh, as it were, of the Scripture, for so we name the obvious sense; while he who has ascended a certain way (may be edified) by the soul, as it were. The perfect man, again, and he who resembles those spoken of by the apostle, when he says, We speak wisdom among them that are perfect, but not the wisdom of the world, nor of the rulers of this world, who come to nought; but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God has ordained before the ages, unto our glory, (may receive edification) from the spiritual law, which has a shadow of good things to come. For as man consists of body, and soul, and spirit, so in the same way does Scripture, which has been arranged to be given by God for the salvation of men. And therefore we deduce this also from a book which is despised by some— The Shepherd— in respect of the command given to Hermas to write two books, and after so doing to announce to the presbyters of the Church what he had learned from the Spirit. The words are as follows: You will write two books, and give one to Clement, and one to Grapte. And Grapte shall admonish the widows and the orphans, and Clement will send to the cities abroad, while you will announce to the presbyters of the Church. Now Grapte, who admonishes the widows and the orphans, is the mere letter (of Scripture), which admonishes those who are yet children in soul, and not able to call God their Father, and who are on that account styled orphans—admonishing, moreover, those who no longer have an unlawful bridegroom, but who remain widows, because they have not yet become worthy of the (heavenly) Bridegroom; while Clement, who is already beyond the letter, is said to send what is written to the cities abroad, as if we were to call these the disciple of the Spirit himself being enjoined to make known, no longer by letters, but by living words, to the presbyters of the whole Church of God, who have become grey through wisdom. 12. But as there are certain passages of Scripture which do not at all contain the corporeal sense, as we shall show in the following (paragraphs), there are also places where we must seek only for the soul, as it were, and spirit of Scripture. And perhaps on this account the water-vessels containing two or three firkins a-piece are said to lie for the purification of the Jews, as we read in the Gospel according to John: the expression darkly intimating, with respect to those who (are called) by the apostle spiritual sense; and sometimes three firkins, since some have, in addition to those already mentioned, also the corporeal sense, which is capable of (producing) edification. And six water-vessels are reasonably (appropriate) to those who are purified in the world, which was made in six days— the perfect number. That the first sense, then, is profitable in this respect, that it is capable of imparting edification, is testified by the multitudes of genuine and simple believers; while of that interpretation which is referred back to the soul, there is an illustration in Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians. The expression is, You shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the grain; to which he adds, Does God take care of oxen? Or says He it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this was written: that he that ploughs should plough in hope, and that he who threshes, in hope of partaking. And there are numerous interpretations adapted to the multitude which are in circulation, and which edify those who are unable to understand profounder meanings, and which have somewhat the same character. 13. But the interpretation is spiritual, when one is able to show of what heavenly things the Jews according to the flesh served as an example and a shadow, and of what future blessings the law contains a shadow. And, generally, we must investigate, according to the apostolic promise, none of the princes of this world knew. And the same apostle says somewhere, after referring to certain events mentioned as occurring in Exodus and Numbers, that these things happened to them figuratively, but that they were written on our account, on whom the ends of the world have come. And he gives an opportunity for ascertaining of what things these were patterns, when he says: For they drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. And in another Epistle, when sketching the various matters relating to the tabernacle, he used the words: You shall make everything according to the pattern showed you in the mount. Moreover, in the Epistle to the Galatians, as if upbraiding those who think that they read the law, and yet do not understand it, judging that those do not understand it who do not reflect that allegories are contained under what is written, he says: Tell me, you that desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written, Abraham had two sons; the one by the bond-maid, the other by the free woman. But he who was by the bond-maid was born according to the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants, and so on. Now we must carefully observe each word employed by him. He says: You who desire to be under the law, not You that are under the law; and, Do you not hearthe law?— hearing being understood to mean Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a festival, or of a new moon, or of Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come. Moreover, in the Epistle to the Hebrews, discoursing of those who belong to the circumcision, he writes: who serve for an ensample and shadow of heavenly things. Now it is probable that, from these illustrations, those will entertain no doubt with respect to the five books of Moses, who have once given in their adhesion to the apostle, as divinely inspired; but do you wish to know, with regard to the rest of the history, if it also happened as a pattern? We must note, then, the expression in the Epistle to the Romans, I have left to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal, quoted from the third book of Kings, which Paul has understood as equivalent (in meaning) to those who are Israelites according to election, because not only were the Gentiles benefited by the advent of Christ, but also certain of the race of God. 14. This being the state of the case, we have to sketch what seem to us to be the marks of the (true) understanding of Scriptures. And, in the first place, this must be pointed out, that the object of the Spirit, which by the providence of God, through the Word who was in the beginning with God, illuminated the ministers of truth, the prophets and apostles, was especially (the communication) of ineffable mysteries regarding the affairs of men (now by men I mean those souls that make use of bodies), in order that he who is capable of instruction may by investigation, and by devoting himself to the study of the profundities of meaning contained in the words, become a participator of all the doctrines of his counsel. And among those matters which relate to souls (who cannot otherwise obtain perfection apart from the rich and wise truth of God), the (doctrines) belonging to God and His only-begotten Son are necessarily laid down as primary, viz., of what nature He is, and in what manner He is the Son of God, and what are the causes of His descending even to (the assumption of) human flesh, and of complete humanity; and what, also, is the operation of this (Son), and upon whom and when exercised. And it was necessary also that the subject of kindred beings, and other rational creatures, both those who are divine and those who have fallen from blessedness, together with the reasons of their fall, should be contained in the divine teaching; and also that of the diversities of souls, and of the origin of these diversities, and of the nature of the world, and the cause of its existence. We must learn also the origin of the great and terrible wickedness which overspreads the earth, and whether it is confined to this earth only, or prevails elsewhere. Now, while these and similar objects were present to the Spirit, who enlightened the souls of the holy ministers of the truth, there was a second object, for the sake of those who were unable to endure the fatigue of investigating matters so important, viz., to conceal the doctrine relating to the previously mentioned subjects, in expressions containing a narrative which conveyed an announcement regarding the things of the visible creation, the creation of man, and the successive descendants of the first men until they became numerous; and other histories relating the acts of just men, and the sins occasionally committed by these same men as being human beings, and the wicked deeds, both of unchastity and vice, committed by sinful and ungodly men. And what is most remarkable, by the history of wars, and of the victors, and the vanquished, certain mysteries are indicated to those who are able to test these statements. And more wonderful still, the laws of truth are predicted by the written legislation;— all these being described in a connected series, with a power which is truly in keeping with the wisdom of God. For it was intended that the covering also of the spiritual truths— I mean the bodily part of Scripture— should not be without profit in many cases, but should be capable of improving the multitude, according to their capacity. 15. But since, if the usefulness of the legislation, and the sequence and beauty of the history, were universally evident of itself, we should not believe that any other thing could be understood in the Scriptures save what was obvious, the word of God has arranged that certain stumbling-blocks, as it were, and offenses, and impossibilities, should be introduced into the midst of the law and the history, in order that we may not, through being drawn away in all directions by the merely attractive nature of the language, either altogether fall away from the (true) doctrines, as learning nothing worthy of God, or, by not departing from the letter, come to the knowledge of nothing more divine. And this also we must know, that the principal aim being to announce the spiritual connection in those things that are done, and that ought to be done, where the Word found that things done according to the history could be adapted to these mystical senses, He made use of them, concealing from the multitude the deeper meaning; but where, in the narrative of the development of super-sensual things, there did not follow the performance of those certain events, which was already indicated by the mystical meaning, the Scripture interwove in the history (the account of) some event that did not take place, sometimes what could not have happened; sometimes what could, but did not. And sometimes a few words are interpolated which are not true in their literal acceptation, and sometimes a larger number. And a similar practice also is to be noticed with regard to the legislation, in which is often to be found what is useful in itself, and appropriate to the times of the legislation; and sometimes also what does not appear to be of utility; and at other times impossibilities are recorded for the sake of the more skilful and inquisitive, in order that they may give themselves to the toil of investigating what is written, and thus attain to a becoming conviction of the manner in which a meaning worthy of God must be sought out in such subjects. 16. It was not only, however, with the (Scriptures composed) before the advent (of Christ) that the Spirit thus dealt; but as being the same Spirit, and (proceeding) from the one God, He did the same thing both with the evangelists and the apostles—as even these do not contain throughout a pure history of events, which are interwoven indeed according to the letter, but which did not actually occur. Nor even do the law and the commandments wholly convey what is agreeable to reason. For who that has understanding will suppose that the first, and second, and third day, and the evening and the morning, existed without a sun, and moon, and stars? And that the first day was, as it were, also without a sky? And who is so foolish as to suppose that God, after the manner of a husbandman, planted a paradise in Eden, towards the east, and placed in it a tree of life, visible and palpable, so that one tasting of the fruit by the bodily teeth obtained life? And again, that one was a partaker of good and evil by masticating what was taken from the tree? And if God is said to walk in the paradise in the evening, and Adam to hide himself under a tree, I do not suppose that anyone doubts that these things figuratively indicate certain mysteries, the history having taken place in appearance, and not literally. Cain also, when going forth from the presence of God, certainly appears to thoughtful men as likely to lead the reader to inquire what is the presence of God, and what is the meaning of going out from Him. And what need is there to say more, since those who are not altogether blind can collect countless instances of a similar kind recorded as having occurred, but which did not literally take place? Nay, the Gospels themselves are filled with the same kind of narratives; e.g., the devil leading Jesus up into a high mountain, in order to show him from thence the kingdoms of the whole world, and the glory of them. For who is there among those who do not read such accounts carelessly, that would not condemn those who think that with the eye of the body— which requires a lofty height in order that the parts lying (immediately) under and adjacent may be seen— the kingdoms of the Persians, and Scythians, and Indians, and Parthians, were beheld, and the manner in which their princes are glorified among men? And the attentive reader may notice in the Gospels innumerable other passages like these, so that he will be convinced that in the histories that are literally recorded, circumstances that did not occur are inserted. 17. And if we come to the legislation of Moses, many of the laws manifest the irrationality, and others the impossibility, of their literal observance. The irrationality (in this), that the people are forbidden to eat vultures, although no one even in the direst famines was (ever) driven by want to have recourse to this bird; and that children eight days old, which are uncircumcised, are ordered to be exterminated from among their people, it being necessary, if the law were to be carried out at all literally with regard to these, that their fathers, or those with whom they are brought up, should be commanded to be put to death. Now the Scripture says: Every male that is uncircumcised, who shall not be circumcised on the eighth day, shall be cut off from among his people. And if you wish to see impossibilities contained in the legislation, let us observe that the goat-stag is one of those animals that cannot exist, and yet Moses commands us to offer it as being a clean beast; whereas a griffin, which is not recorded ever to have been subdued by man, the lawgiver forbids to be eaten. Nay, he who carefully considers (the famous injunction relating to) the Sabbath, You shall sit each one in your dwellings: let no one go out from his place on the seventh day, will deem it impossible to be literally observed: for no living being is able to sit throughout a whole day, and remain without moving from a sitting position. And therefore those who belong to the circumcision, and all who desire that no meaning should be exhibited, save the literal one, do not investigate at all such subjects as those of the goat-stag and griffin and vulture, but indulge in foolish talk on certain points, multiplying words and adducing tasteless traditions; as, for example, with regard to the Sabbath, saying that two thousand cubits is each one's limit. Others, again, among whom is Dositheus the Samaritan, condemning such an interpretation, think that in the position in which a man is found on the Sabbath day, he is to remain until evening. Moreover, the not carrying of a burden on the Sabbath day is an impossibility; and therefore the Jewish teachers have fallen into countless absurdities, saying that a shoe of such a kind was a burden, but not one of another kind; and that a sandal which had nails was a burden, but not one that was without them; and in like manner what was borne on one shoulder (was a load), but not that which was carried on both. 18. And if we go to the Gospel and institute a similar examination, what would be more irrational than (to take literally the injunction), Salute no man by the way, which simple persons think the Saviour enjoined on the apostles? The command, moreover, that the right cheek should be smitten, is most incredible, since everyone who strikes, unless he happen to have some bodily defect, smites the left cheek with his right hand. And it is impossible to take (literally, the statement) in the Gospel about the offending of the right eye. For, to grant the possibility of one being offended by the sense of sight, how, when there are two eyes that see, should the blame be laid upon the right eye? And who is there that, condemning himself for having looked upon a woman to lust after her, would rationally transfer the blame to the right eye alone, and throw it away? The apostle, moreover, lays down the law, saying, Is any man called, being circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. In the first place, anyone will see that he does not utter these words in connection with the subject before him. For, when laying down precepts on marriage and purity, how will it not appear that he has introduced these words at random? But, in the second place, who will say that a man does wrong who endeavours to become uncircumcised, if that be possible, on account of the disgrace that is considered by the multitude to attach to circumcision. All these statements have been made by us, in order to show that the design of that divine power which gave us the sacred Scriptures is, that we should not receive what is presented by the letter alone (such things being sometimes not true in their literal acceptation, but absurd and impossible), but that certain things have been introduced into the actual history and into the legislation that are useful in their literal sense. 19. But that no one may suppose that we assert respecting the whole that no history is real because a certain one is not; and that no law is to be literally observed, because a certain one, (understood) according to the letter, is absurd or impossible; or that the statements regarding the Saviour are not true in a manner perceptible to the senses; or that no commandment and precept of His ought to be obeyed—we have to answer that, with regard to certain things, it is perfectly clear to us that the historical account is true; as that Abraham was buried in the double cave at Hebron, as also Isaac and Jacob, and the wives of each of them; and that Shechem was given as a portion to Joseph; and that Jerusalem is the metropolis of Judea, in which the temple of God was built by Solomon; and innumerable other statements. For the passages that are true in their historical meaning are much more numerous than those which are interspersed with a purely spiritual signification. And again, who would not say that the command which enjoins to honour your father and your mother, that it may be well with you, is useful, apart from all allegorical meaning, and ought to be observed, the Apostle Paul also having employed these very same words? And what need is there to speak of the (prohibitions), You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness? And again, there are commandments contained in the Gospel which admit of no doubt whether they are to be observed according to the letter or not; e.g., that which says, But I say unto you, Whoever is angry with his brother, and so on. And again, But I say unto you, Swear not at all. And in the writings of the apostle the literal sense is to be retained: Warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient towards all men; although it is possible for those ambitious of a deeper meaning to retain the profundities of the wisdom of God, without setting aside the commandment in its literal meaning. The careful (reader), however, will be in doubt as to certain points, being unable to show without long investigation whether this history so deemed literally occurred or not, and whether the literal meaning of this law is to be observed or not. And therefore the exact reader must, in obedience to the Saviour's injunction to search the Scriptures, carefully ascertain in how far the literal meaning is true, and in how far impossible; and so far as he can, trace out, by means of similar statements, the meaning everywhere scattered through Scripture of that which cannot be understood in a literal signification. 20. Since, therefore, as will be clear to those who read, the connection taken literally is impossible, while the sense preferred is not impossible, but even the true one, it must be our object to grasp the whole meaning, which connects the account of what is literally impossible in an intelligible manner with what is not only not impossible, but also historically true, and which is allegorically understood, in respect of its not having literally occurred. For, with respect to holy Scripture, our opinion is that the whole of it has a spiritual, but not the whole a bodily meaning, because the bodily meaning is in many places proved to be impossible. And therefore great attention must be bestowed by the cautious reader on the divine books, as being divine writings; the manner of understanding which appears to us to be as follows:— The Scriptures relate that God chose a certain nation upon the earth, which they call by several names. For the whole of this nation is termed Israel, and also Jacob. And when it was divided in the times of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the ten tribes related as being subject to him were called Israel; and the remaining two, along with the tribe of Levi, being ruled over by the descendants of David, were named Judah. And the whole of the territory which the people of this nation inhabited, being given them by God, receives the name of Judah, the metropolis of which is Jerusalem,— a metropolis, namely, of numerous cities, the names of which lie scattered about in many other passages (of Scripture), but are enumerated together in the book of Joshua the son of Nun. 21. Such, then, being the state of the case, the apostle, elevating our power of discernment (above the letter), says somewhere, Behold Israel after the flesh, as if there were an Israel according to the Spirit. And in another place he says, For they who are the children of the flesh are not the children of God; nor are he a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is that 'circumcision' which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew who is one 'inwardly;' and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter. For if the judgment respecting the Jew inwardly be adopted, we must understand that, as there is a bodily race of Jews, so also is there a race of Jews inwardly, the soul having acquired this nobility for certain mysterious reasons. Moreover, there are many prophecies which predict regarding Israel and Judah what is about to befall them. And do not such promises as are written concerning them, in respect of their being mean in expression, and manifesting no elevation (of thought), nor anything worthy of the promise of God, need a mystical interpretation? And if the spiritual promises are announced by visible signs, then they to whom the promises are made are not corporeal. And not to linger over the point of the Jew who is a Jew inwardly, nor over that of the Israelite according to the inner man— these statements being sufficient for those who are not devoid of understanding— we return to our subject, and say that Jacob is the father of the twelve patriarchs, and they of the rulers of the people; and these, again, of the other Israelites. Do not, then, the corporeal Israelites refer their descent to the rulers of the people, and the rulers of the people to the patriarchs, and the patriarchs to Jacob, and those still higher up; while are not the spiritual Israelites, of whom the corporeal Israelites were the type, sprung from the families, and the families from the tribes, and the tribes from some one individual whose descent is not of a corporeal but of a better kind—he, too, being born of Isaac, and he of Abraham—all going back to Adam, whom the apostle declares to be Christ? For every beginning of those families which have relation to God as to the Father of all, took its commencement lower down with Christ, who is next to the God and Father of all, being thus the Father of every soul, as Adam is the father of all men. And if Eve also is intended by the apostle to refer to the Church, it is not surprising that Cain, who was born of Eve, and all after him, whose descent goes back to Eve, should be types of the Church, inasmuch as in a pre-eminent sense they are all descended from the Church. 22. Now, if the statements made to us regarding Israel, and its tribes and its families, are calculated to impress us, when the Saviour says, I was not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, we do not understand the expression as the Ebionites do, who are poor in understanding (deriving their name from the poverty of their intellect— poor in Hebrew), so as to suppose that the Saviour came specially to the carnal Israelites; for they who are the children of the flesh are not the children of God. Again, the apostle teaches regarding Jerusalem as follows: The Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. And in another Epistle: But you have come unto mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and to the Church of the first-born which are written in heaven. If, then, Israel is among the race of souls, and if there is in heaven a city of Jerusalem, it follows that the cities of Israel have for their metropolis the heavenly Jerusalem, and it consequently is the metropolis of all Judea. Whatever, therefore, is predicted of Jerusalem, and spoken of it, if we listen to the words of Paul as those of God, and of one who utters wisdom, we must understand the Scriptures as speaking of the heavenly city, and of the whole territory included within the cities of the holy land. For perhaps it is to these cities that the Saviour refers us, when to those who have gained credit by having managed their pounds well, He assigns the presidency over five or ten cities. If, therefore, the prophecies relating to Judea, and Jerusalem, and Israel, and Judah, and Jacob, not being understood by us in a carnal sense, indicate some such mysteries (as already mentioned), it will follow also that the predictions concerning Egypt and the Egyptians, Babylon and the Babylonians, Tyre and the Tyrians, Sidon and the Sidonians, or the other nations, are spoken not only of these bodily Egyptians, and Babylonians, and Tyrians, and Sidonians, but also of their spiritual (counterparts). For if there be spiritual Israelites, it follows that there are also spiritual Egyptians and Babylonians. For what is related in Ezekiel concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt does not at all apply to the case of a certain man who ruled or was said to rule over Egypt, as will be evident to those who give it careful consideration. Similarly, what is said about the ruler of Tyre cannot be understood of a certain man who ruled over Tyre. And what is said in many places, and especially in Isaiah, of Nebuchadnezzar, cannot be explained of that individual. For the man Nebuchadnezzar neither fell from heaven, nor was he the morning star, nor did he arise upon the earth in the morning. Nor would any man of understanding interpret what is said in Ezekiel about Egypt— viz., that in forty years it should be laid desolate, so that the footstep of man should not be found thereon, and that the ravages of war should be so great that the blood should run throughout the whole of it, and rise to the knees— of that Egypt which is situated beside the Ethiopians whose bodies are blackened by the sun. 23. And perhaps as those here, dying according to the death common to all, are, in consequence of the deeds done here, so arranged as to obtain different places according to the proportion of their sins, if they should be deemed worthy of the place called Hades; so those there dying, so to speak, descend into this Hades, being judged deserving of different abodes— better or worse— throughout all this space of earth, and (of being descended) from parents of different kinds, so that an Israelite may sometimes fall among Scythians, and an Egyptian descend into Judea. And yet the Saviour came to gather together the lost sheep of the house of Israel; but many of the Israelites not having yielded to His teaching, those from the Gentiles were called....And these points, as we suppose, have been concealed in the histories. For the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hid in a field; the which when a man has found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. Let us notice, then, whether the apparent and superficial and obvious meaning of Scripture does not resemble a field filled with plants of every kind, while the things lying in it, and not visible to all, but buried, as it were, under the plants that are seen, are the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge; which the Spirit through Isaiah calls dark and invisible and concealed, God alone being able to break the brazen gates that conceal them, and to burst the iron bars that are upon the gates, in order that all the statements in the book of Genesis may be discovered which refer to the various genuine kinds, and seeds, as it were, of souls, which stand nearly related to Israel, or at a distance from it; and the descent into Egypt of the seventy souls, that they may there become as the stars of heaven in multitude. But since not all who are of them are the light of the world— souls as the sand that is beside the sea-shore innumerable. 24. This descent of the holy fathers into Egypt will appear as granted to this world by the providence of God for the illumination of others, and for the instruction of the human race, that so by this means the souls of others might be assisted in the work of enlightenment. For to them was first granted the privilege of converse with God, because theirs is the only race which is said to see God; this being the meaning, by interpretation, of the word Egypt was scourged with ten plagues, to allow the people of God to depart, or the account of what was done with the people in the wilderness, or of the building of the tabernacle by means of contributions from all the people, or of the wearing of the priestly robes, or of the vessels of the public service, because, as it is written, they truly contain within them the shadow and form of heavenly things. For Paul openly says of them, that they serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things. There are, moreover, contained in this same law the precepts and institutions, according to which men are to live in the holy land. Threatenings also are held out as impending over those who shall transgress the law; different kinds of purifications are moreover prescribed for those who required purification, as being persons who were liable to frequent pollution, that by means of these they may arrive at last at that one purification after which no further pollution is permitted. The very people are numbered, though not all; for the souls of children are not yet old enough to be numbered according to the divine command: nor are those souls who cannot become the head of another, but are themselves subordinated to others as to a head, who are called God; but they alone are numbered who are called men, by which it might be shown that the women could not be counted separately, but were included in those called men. Those, however, especially belong to the sacred number, who are prepared to go forth to the battles of the Israelites, and are able to fight against those public and private enemies whom the Father subjects to the Son, who sits on His right hand that He may destroy all principality and power, and by means of these bands of His soldiery, who, being engaged in a warfare for God, do not entangle themselves in secular business, He may overturn the Kingdom of His adversary; by whom the shields of faith are borne, and the weapons of wisdom brandished; among whom also the helmet of hope and salvation gleams forth, and the breastplate of brightness fortifies the breast that is filled with God. Such soldiers appear to me to be indicated, and to be prepared for wars of this kind, in those persons who in the sacred books are ordered by God's command to be numbered. But of these, by far the more perfect and distinguished are shown to be those of whom the very hairs of the head are said to be numbered. Such, indeed, as were punished for their sins, whose bodies fell in the wilderness, appear to possess a resemblance to those who had made indeed no little progress, but who could not at all, for various reasons, attain to the end of perfection; because they are reported either to have murmured, or to have worshipped idols, or to have committed fornication, or to have done some evil work which the mind ought not even to conceive. I do not consider the following even to be without some mystical meaning, viz., that certain (of the Israelites), possessing many flocks and animals, take possession by anticipation of a country adapted for pasture and the feeding of cattle, which was the very first that the right hand of the Hebrews had secured in war. For, making a request of Moses to receive this region, they are divided off by the waters of the Jordan, and set apart from any possession in the holy land. And this Jordan, according to the form of heavenly things, may appear to water and irrigate thirsty souls, and the senses that are adjacent to it. In connection with which, even this statement does not appear superfluous, that Moses indeed hears from God what is described in the book of Leviticus, while in Deuteronomy it is the people that are the auditors of Moses, and who learn from him what they could not hear from God. For as Deuteronomy is called, as it were, the second law, which to some will appear to convey this signification, that when the first law which was given through Moses had come to an end, so a second legislation seems to have been enacted, which was specially transmitted by Moses to his successor Joshua, who is certainly believed to embody a type of our Saviour, by whose second law— that is, the precepts of the Gospel— all things are brought to perfection. 25. We have to see, however, whether this deeper meaning may not perhaps be indicated, viz., that as in Deuteronomy the legislation is made known with greater clearness and distinctness than in those books which were first written, so also by that advent of the Saviour which He accomplished in His state of humiliation, when He assumed the form of a servant, that more celebrated and renowned second advent in the glory of His Father may not be pointed out, and in it the types of Deuteronomy may be fulfilled, when in the kingdom of heaven all the saints shall live according to the laws of the everlasting Gospel; and as in His coming now He fulfilled that law which has a shadow of good things to come, so also by that (future) glorious advent will be fulfilled and brought to perfection the shadows of the present advent. For thus spoke the prophet regarding it: The breath of our countenance, Christ the Lord, to whom we said, that under Your shadow we shall live among the nations; at the time, viz., when He will more worthily transfer all the saints from a temporal to an everlasting Gospel, according to the designation, employed by John in the Apocalypse, of an everlasting Gospel. 26. But let it be sufficient for us in all these matters to adapt our understanding to the rule of religion, and so to think of the words of the Holy Spirit as not to deem the language the ornate composition of feeble human eloquence, but to hold, according to the scriptural statement, that all the glory of the King is within, and that the treasure of divine meaning is enclosed within the frail vessel of the common letter. And if any curious reader were still to ask an explanation of individual points, let him come and hear, along with ourselves, how the Apostle Paul, seeking to penetrate by help of the Holy Spirit, who searches even the deep things of God, into the depths of divine wisdom and knowledge, and yet, unable to reach the end, so to speak, and to come to a thorough knowledge, exclaims in despair and amazement, Oh the depth of the riches of the knowledge and wisdom of God! Now, that it was from despair of attaining a perfect understanding that he uttered this exclamation, listen to his own words: How unsearchable are God's judgments! And His ways, how past finding out! For he did not say that God's judgments were difficult to discover, but that they were altogether inscrutable; nor that it was (simply) difficult to trace out His ways, but that they were altogether past finding out. For however far a man may advance in his investigations, and how great soever the progress that he may make by unremitting study, assisted even by the grace of God, and with his mind enlightened, he will not be able to attain to the end of those things which are the object of his inquiries. Nor can any created mind deem it possible in any way to attain a full comprehension (of things); but after having discovered certain of the objects of its research, it sees again others which have still to be sought out. And even if it should succeed in mastering these, it will see again many others succeeding them which must form the subject of investigation. And on this account, therefore, Solomon, the wisest of men, beholding by his wisdom the nature of things, says, I said, I will become wise; and wisdom herself was made far from me, far further than it was; and a profound depth, who shall find? Isaiah also, knowing that the beginnings of things could not be discovered by a mortal nature, and not even by those natures which, although more divine than human, were nevertheless themselves created or formed; knowing then, that by none of these could either the beginning or the end be discovered, says, Tell the former things which have been, and we know that you are gods; or announce what are the last things, and then we shall see that you are gods. For my Hebrew teacher also used thus to teach, that as the beginning or end of all things could be comprehended by no one, save only our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, so under the form of a vision Isaiah spoke of two seraphim alone, who with two wings cover the countenance of God, and with two His feet, and with two do fly, calling to each other alternately, and saying, God, and over His feet, we venture to declare as meaning that neither the hosts of holy angels, nor the holy seats, nor the dominions, nor the principalities, nor the powers, can fully understand the beginning of all things, and the limits of the universe. But we are to understand that those Son of God and from the Holy Spirit— and they will certainly be able to learn very much, and those of higher rank much more than those of a lower— nevertheless it is impossible for them to comprehend all things, according to the statement, The most part of the works of God are hid. Sirach 16:21 And therefore also it is to be desired that every one, according to his strength, should ever stretch out to those things that are before, forgetting the things that are behind, both to better works and to a clearer apprehension and understanding, through Jesus Christ our Saviour, to whom be glory for ever! 27. Let every one, then, who cares for truth, be little concerned about words and language, seeing that in every nation there prevails a different usage of speech; but let him rather direct his attention to the meaning conveyed by the words, than to the nature of the words that convey the meaning, especially in matters of such importance and difficulty: as, e.g., when it is an object of investigation whether there is any substance in which neither colour, nor form, nor touch, nor magnitude is to be understood as existing visible to the mind alone, which any one names as he pleases; for the Greeks call such ἀσώματον, i.e., incorporeal, while holy Scripture declares it to be invisible, for Paul calls Christ the image of the invisible God, and says again, that by Christ were created all things visible and invisible. And by this it is declared that there are, among created things, certain substances that are, according to their peculiar nature, invisible. But although these are not themselves corporeal, they nevertheless make use of bodies, while they are themselves better than any bodily substances. But that substance of the Trinity which is the beginning and cause of all things, from which are all things, and through which are all things, and in which are all things, cannot be believed to be either a body or in a body, but is altogether incorporeal. And now let it suffice to have spoken briefly on these points (although in a digression, caused by the nature of the subject), in order to show that there are certain things, the meaning of which cannot be unfolded at all by any words of human language, but which are made known more through simple apprehension than by any properties of words. And under this rule must be brought also the understanding of the sacred Scripture, in order that its statements may be judged not according to the worthlessness of the letter, but according to the divinity of the Holy Spirit, by whose inspiration they were caused to be written. 28. It is now time, after the rapid consideration which to the best of our ability we have given to the topics discussed, to recapitulate, by way of summing up what we have said in different places, the individual points, and first of all to restate our conclusions regarding the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Seeing God the Father is invisible and inseparable from the Son, the Son is not generated from Him by prolation, as some suppose. For if the Son be a prolation of the Father (the term prolation being used to signify such a generation as that of animals or men usually is), then, of necessity, both He who prolated and He who was prolated are corporeal. For we do not say, as the heretics suppose, that some part of the substance of God was converted into the Son, or that the Son was procreated by the Father out of things non-existent, i.e., beyond His own substance, so that there once was a time when He did not exist; but, putting away all corporeal conceptions, we say that the Word and Wisdom was begotten out of the invisible and incorporeal without any corporeal feeling, as if it were an act of the will proceeding from the understanding. Nor, seeing He is called the Son of (His) love, will it appear absurd if in this way He be called the Son of (His) will. Nay, John also indicates that God is Light, and Paul also declares that the Son is the splendour of everlasting light. As light, accordingly, could never exist without splendour, so neither can the Son be understood to exist without the Father; for He is called the express image of His person, and the Word and Wisdom. How, then, can it be asserted that there once was a time when He was not the Son? For that is nothing else than to say that there was once a time when He was not the Truth, nor the Wisdom, nor the Life, although in all these He is judged to be the perfect essence of God the Father; for these things cannot be severed from Him, or even be separated from His essence. And although these qualities are said to be many in understanding, yet in their nature and essence they are one, and in them is the fullness of divinity. Now this expression which we employ— that there never was a time when He did not exist— is to be understood with an allowance. For these very words never have a meaning that relates to time, whereas the statements made regarding Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are to be understood as transcending all time, all ages, and all eternity. For it is the Trinity alone which exceeds the comprehension not only of temporal but even of eternal intelligence; while other things which are not included in it are to be measured by times and ages. This Son of God, then, in respect of the Word being God, which was in the beginning with God, no one will logically suppose to be contained in any place; nor yet in respect of His being Truth, or the Redemption: for all these properties do not require space to be able to act or to operate, but each one of them is to be understood as meaning those individuals who participate in His virtue and working. 29. Now, if any one were to say that, through those who are partakers of the Word of God, or of His Wisdom, or His Truth, or His Life, the Word and Wisdom itself appeared to be contained in a place, we should have to say to him in answer, that there is no doubt that Christ, in respect of being the Wisdom, or all other things, was in Paul, and that he therefore said, Do you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me? and again, I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me. Seeing, then, He was in Paul, who will doubt that He was in a similar manner in Peter and in John, and in each one of the saints; and not only in those who are upon the earth, but in those also who are in heaven? For it is absurd to say that Christ was in Peter and in Paul, but not in Michael the archangel, nor in Gabriel. And from this it is distinctly shown that the divinity of the Son of God was not shut up in some place; otherwise it would have been in it only, and not in another. But since, in conformity with the majesty of its incorporeal nature, it is confined to no place; so, again, it cannot be understood to be wanting in any. But this is understood to be the sole difference, that although He is in different individuals as we have said— as Peter, or Paul, or Michael, or Gabriel— He is not in a similar way in all beings whatever. For He is more fully and clearly, and, so to speak, more openly in archangels than in other holy men. And this is evident from the statement, that when all who are saints have arrived at the summit of perfection, they are said to be made like, or equal to, the angels, agreeably to the declaration in the Gospels. Whence it is clear that Christ is in each individual in as great a degree as the amount of his deserts allows. 30. Having, then, briefly restated these points regarding the nature of the Trinity, it follows that we notice shortly this statement also, that by the Son are said to be created all things that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him; and He is before all, and all things consist by Him, who is the Head. In conformity with which John also in his Gospel says: All things were created by Him; and without Him was not anything made. And David, intimating that the mystery of the entire Trinity was (concerned) in the creation of all things, says: By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the Spirit of His mouth. After these points we shall appropriately remind (the reader) of the bodily advent and incarnation of the only-begotten Son of God, with respect to whom we are not to suppose that all the majesty of His divinity is confined within the limits of His slender body, so that all the word of God, and His essential truth, and life, was either rent asunder from the Father, or restrained and confined within the narrowness of His bodily person, and is not to be considered to have operated anywhere besides; but the cautious acknowledgment of a religious man ought to be between the two, so that it ought neither to be believed that anything of divinity was wanting in Christ, nor that any separation at all was made from the essence of the Father, which is everywhere. For some such meaning seems to be indicated by John the Baptist, when he said to the multitude in the bodily absence of Jesus, There stands one among you whom you know not: He it is who comes after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose. For it certainly could not be said of Him, who was absent, so far as His bodily presence is concerned, that He was standing in the midst of those among whom the Son of God was not bodily present. 31. Let no one, however, suppose that by this we affirm that some portion of the divinity of the Son of God was in Christ, and that the remaining portion was elsewhere or everywhere, which may be the opinion of those who are ignorant of the nature of an incorporeal and invisible essence. For it is impossible to speak of the parts of an incorporeal being, or to make any division of them; but He is in all things, and through all things, and above all things, in the manner in which we have spoken above, i.e., in the manner in which He is understood to be either wisdom, or the word, or the life, or the Son of God, then, desiring for the salvation of the human race to appear unto men, and to sojourn among them, assumed not only a human body, as some suppose, but also a soul resembling our souls indeed in nature, but in will and power resembling Himself, and such as might unfailingly accomplish all the desires and arrangements of the wisdom. Now, that He had a soul, is most clearly shown by the Saviour in the Gospels, when He said, No man takes my life from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it again. And again, My soul is sorrowful even unto death. And again, Now is my soul troubled. For the Word of God is not to be understood to be a sorrowful and troubled soul, because with the authority of divinity He says, I have power to lay down my life. Nor yet do we assert that the Son of God was in that soul as he was in the soul of Paul or Peter and the other saints, in whom Christ is believed to speak as He does in Paul. But regarding all these we are to hold, as Scripture declares, No one is clean from filthiness, not even if his life lasted but a single day. But this soul which was in Jesus, before it knew the evil, selected the good; and because He loved righteousness, and hated iniquity, therefore God anointed Him with the oil of gladness above His fellows. He is anointed, then, with the oil of gladness when He is united to the word of God in a stainless union, and by this means alone of all souls was incapable of sin, because it was capable of (receiving) well and fully the Son of God; and therefore also it is one with Him, and is named by His titles, and is called Jesus Christ, by whom all things are said to be made. Of which soul, seeing it had received into itself the whole wisdom of God, and the truth, and the life, I think that the apostle also said this: Our life is hidden with Christ in God; but when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory. For what other Christ can be here understood, who is said to be hidden in God, and who is afterwards to appear, except Him who is related to have been anointed with the oil of gladness, i.e., to have been filled with God essentially, in whom he is now said to be hidden? For on this account is Christ proposed as an example to all believers, because as He always, even before he knew evil at all, selected the good, and loved righteousness, and hated iniquity, and therefore God anointed Him with the oil of gladness; so also ought each one, after a lapse or sin, to cleanse himself from his stains, making Him his example, and, taking Him as the guide of his journey, enter upon the steep way of virtue, that so perchance by this means, as far as possible we may, by imitating Him, be made partakers of the divine nature, according to the words of Scripture: word, then, and this wisdom, by the imitation of which we are said to be either wise or rational (beings), becomes all things to all men, that it may gain all; and because it is made weak, it is therefore said of it, Though He was crucified through weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. Finally, to the Corinthians who were weak, Paul declares that he knew nothing, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 32. Some, indeed, would have the following language of the apostle applied to the soul itself, as soon as it had assumed flesh from Mary, viz., As now by participation in the Son of God one is adopted as a son, and by participating in that wisdom which is in God is rendered wise, so also by participation in the Holy Spirit is a man rendered holy and spiritual. For it is one and the same thing to have a share in the Holy Spirit, which is (the Spirit) of the Father and the Son, since the nature of the Trinity is one and incorporeal. And what we have said regarding the participation of the soul is to be understood of angels and heavenly powers in a similar way as of souls, because every rational creature needs a participation in the Trinity. Respecting also the plan of this visible world— seeing one of the most important questions usually raised is as to the manner of its existence— we have spoken to the best of our ability in the preceding pages, for the sake of those who are accustomed to seek the grounds of their belief in our religion, and also for those who stir against us heretical questions, and who are accustomed to bandy about the word matter, which they have not yet been able to understand; of which subject I now deem it necessary briefly to remind (the reader). 33. And, in the first place, it is to be noted that we have nowhere found in the canonical Scriptures, up to the present time, the word matter used for that substance which is said to underlie bodies. For in the expression of Isaiah, And he shall devour ὕλη, i.e., matter, like hay, when speaking of those who were appointed to undergo their punishments, the word matter was used instead of sins. And if this word matter should happen to occur in any other passage, it will never be found, in my opinion, to have the signification of which we are now in quest, unless perhaps in the book which is called the Wisdom of Solomon, a work which is certainly not esteemed authoritative by all. In that book, however, we find written as follows: For your almighty hand, that made the world out of shapeless matter, wanted not means to send among them a multitude of bears and fierce lions. Very many, indeed, are of opinion that the matter of which things are made is itself signified in the language used by Moses in the beginning of Genesis: In the beginning God made heaven and earth; and the earth was invisible, and not arranged: for by the words invisible and not arranged Moses would seem to mean nothing else than shapeless matter. But if this be truly matter, it is clear then that the original elements of bodies are not incapable of change. For those who posited atoms— either those particles which are incapable of subdivision, or those which are subdivided into equal parts— or any one element, as the principles of bodily things, could not posit the word matter in the proper sense of the term among the first principles of things. For if they will have it that matter underlies every body— a substance convertible or changeable, or divisible in all its parts— they will not, as is proper, assert that it exists without qualities. And with them we agree, for we altogether deny that matter ought to be spoken of as uncreated, agreeably to our former statements, when we pointed out that from water, and earth, and air or heat, different kinds of fruits were produced by different kinds of trees; or when we showed that fire, and air, and water, and earth were alternately converted into each other, and that one element was resolved into another by a kind of mutual consanguinity; and also when we proved that from the food either of men or animals the substance of the flesh was derived, or that the moisture of the natural seed was converted into solid flesh and bones—all which go to prove that the substance of the body is changeable, and may pass from one quality into all others. 34. Nevertheless we must not forget that a substance never exists without a quality, and that it is by an act of the understanding alone that this (substance) which underlies bodies, and which is capable of quality, is discovered to be matter. Some indeed, in their desire to investigate these subjects more profoundly, have ventured to assert that bodily nature is nothing else than qualities. For if hardness and softness, heat and cold, moisture and aridity, be qualities; and if, when these or other (qualities) of this sort be cut away, nothing else is understood to remain, then all things will appear to be qualities. And therefore also those persons who make these assertions have endeavoured to maintain, that since all who say that matter was uncreated will admit that qualities were created by God, it may be in this way shown that even according to them matter was not uncreated; since qualities constitute everything, and these are declared by all without contradiction to have been made by God. Those, again, who would make out that qualities are superimposed from without upon a certain underlying matter, make use of illustrations of this kind: e.g., Paul undoubtedly is either silent, or speaks, or watches, or sleeps, or maintains a certain attitude of body; for he is either in a sitting, or standing, or recumbent position. For these are accidents belonging to men, without which they are almost never found. And yet our conception of man does not lay down any of these things as a definition of him; but we so understand and regard him by their means, that we do not at all take into account the reason of his (particular) condition either in watching, or in sleeping, or in speaking, or in keeping silence, or in any other action that must necessarily happen to men. If any one, then, can regard Paul as being without all these things which are capable of happening, he will in the same way also be able to understand this underlying (substance) without qualities. When, then, our mind puts away all qualities from its conception, and gazes, so to speak, upon the underlying element alone, and keeps its attention closely upon it, without any reference to the softness or hardness, or heat or cold, or humidity or aridity of the substance, then by means of this somewhat simulated process of thought it will appear to behold matter clear from qualities of every kind. 35. But some one will perhaps inquire whether we can obtain out of Scripture any grounds for such an understanding of the subject. Now I think some such view is indicated in the Psalms, when the prophet says, My eyes have seen your imperfection; by which the mind of the prophet, examining with keener glance the first principles of things, and separating in thought and imagination only between matter and its qualities, perceived the imperfection of God, which certainly is understood to be perfected by the addition of qualities. Enoch also, in his book, speaks as follows: I have walked on even to imperfection; which expression I consider may be understood in a similar manner, viz., that the mind of the prophet proceeded in its scrutiny and investigation of all visible things, until it arrived at that first beginning in which it beheld imperfect matter (existing) without qualities. For it is written in the same boo of Enoch, I beheld the whole of matter; which is so understood as if he had said: I have clearly seen all the divisions of matter which are broken up from one into each individual species either of men, or animals, or of the sky, or of the sun, or of all other things in this world. After these points, now, we proved to the best of our power in the preceding pages that all things which exist were made by God, and that there was nothing which was not made, save the nature of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that God, who is by nature good, desiring to have those upon whom He might confer benefits, and who might rejoice in receiving His benefits, created creatures worthy (of this), i.e., who were capable of receiving Him in a worthy manner, who, He says, are also begotten by Him as his sons. He made all things, moreover, by number and measure. For there is nothing before God without either limit or measure. For by His power He comprehends all things, and He Himself is comprehended by the strength of no created thing, because that nature is known to itself alone. For the Father alone knows the Son, and the Son alone knows the Father, and the Holy Spirit alone searches even the deep things of God. All created things, therefore, i.e., either the number of rational beings or the measure of bodily matter, are distinguished by Him as being within a certain number or measurement; since, as it was necessary for an intellectual nature to employ bodies, and this nature is shown to be changeable and convertible by the very condition of its being created (for what did not exist, but began to exist, is said by this very circumstance to be of mutable nature), it can have neither goodness nor wickedness as an essential, but only as an accidental attribute of its being. Seeing, then, as we have said, that rational nature was mutable and changeable, so that it made use of a different bodily covering of this or that sort of quality, according to its merits, it was necessary, as God foreknew there would be diversities in souls or spiritual powers, that He should create also a bodily nature the qualities of which might be changed at the will of the Creator into all that was required. And this bodily nature must last as long as those things which require it as a covering: for there will be always rational natures which need a bodily covering; and there will therefore always be a bodily nature whose coverings must necessarily be used by rational creatures, unless some one be able to demonstrate by arguments that a rational nature can live without a body. But how difficult— nay, how almost impossible— this is for our understanding, we have shown in the preceding pages, in our discussion of the individual topics. 36. It will not, I consider, be opposed to the nature of our undertaking, if we restate with all possible brevity our opinions on the immortality of rational natures. Every one who participates in anything, is unquestionably of one essence and nature with him who is partaker of the same thing. For example, as all eyes participate in the light, so accordingly all eyes which partake of the light are of one nature; but although every eye partakes of the light, yet, inasmuch as one sees more clearly, and another more obscurely, every eye does not equally share in the light. And again, all hearing receives voice or sound, and therefore all hearing is of one nature; but each one hears more rapidly or more slowly, according as the quality of his hearing is clear and sound. Let us pass now from these sensuous illustrations to the consideration of intellectual things. Every mind which partakes of intellectual light ought undoubtedly to be of one nature with every mind which partakes in a similar manner of intellectual light. If the heavenly virtues, then, partake of intellectual light, i.e., of divine nature, because they participate in wisdom and holiness, and if human souls, have partaken of the same light and wisdom, and thus are mutually of one nature and of one essence—then, since the heavenly virtues are incorruptible and immortal, the essence of the human soul will also be immortal and incorruptible. And not only so, but because the nature of Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit, whose intellectual light alone all created things have a share, is incorruptible and eternal, it is altogether consistent and necessary that every substance which partakes of that eternal nature should last for ever, and be incorruptible and eternal, so that the eternity of divine goodness may be understood also in this respect, that they who obtain its benefits are also eternal. But as, in the instances referred to, a diversity in the participation of the light was observed, when the glance of the beholder was described as being duller or more acute, so also a diversity is to be noted in the participation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, varying with the degree of zeal or capacity of mind. If such were not the case, we have to consider whether it would not seem to be an act of impiety to say that the mind which is capable of (receiving) God should admit of a destruction of its essence; as if the very fact that it is able to feel and understand God could not suffice for its perpetual existence, especially since, if even through neglect the mind fall away from a pure and complete reception of God, it nevertheless contains within it certain seeds of restoration and renewal to a better understanding, seeing the inner, which is also called the rational man, is renewed after the image and likeness of God, who created him. And therefore the prophet says, All the ends of the earth shall remember, and turn unto the Lord; and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before You. 37. If any one, indeed, venture to ascribe essential corruption to Him who was made after the image and likeness of God, then, in my opinion, this impious charge extends even to the Son of God Himself, for He is called in Scripture the image of God. Or he who holds this opinion would certainly impugn the authority of Scripture, which says that man was made in the image of God; and in him are manifestly to be discovered traces of the divine image, not by any appearance of the bodily frame, which is corruptible, but by mental wisdom, by justice, moderation, virtue, wisdom, discipline; in fine, by the whole band of virtues, which are innate in the essence of God, and which may enter into man by diligence and imitation of God; as the Lord also intimates in the Gospel, when He says, Be therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful; and, Be perfect, even as your Father also is perfect. From which it is clearly shown that all these virtues are perpetually in God, and that they can never approach to or depart from Him, whereas by men they are acquired only slowly, and one by one. And hence also by these means they seem to have a kind of relationship with God; and since God knows all things, and none of things intellectual in themselves can elude His notice (for God the Father alone, and His only-begotten Son, and the Holy Spirit, not only possess a knowledge of those things which they have created, but also of themselves), a rational understanding also, advancing from small things to great, and from things visible to things invisible, may attain to a more perfect knowledge. For it is placed in the body, and advances from sensible things themselves, which are corporeal, to things that are intellectual. But lest our statement that things intellectual are not cognisable by the senses should appear unbecoming, we shall employ the instance of Solomon, who says, You will find also a divine sense; by which he shows that those things which are intellectual are to be sought out not by means of a bodily sense, but by a certain other which he calls divine. And with this sense must we look on each of those rational beings which we have enumerated above; and with this sense are to be understood those words which we speak, and those statements to be weighed which we commit to writing. For the divine nature knows even those thoughts which we revolve within us in silence. And on those matters of which we have spoken, or on the others which follow from them, according to the rule above laid down, are our opinions to be formed. Source. Translated by Frederick Crombie. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 4. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/04124.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.
Agents from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) have detained 10 people in St. Petersburg on suspicion of being involved with the banned Nurjular Islamic group. An FSB spokesman in St. Petersburg says five Russians, four Azerbaijanis, and one Turkmen citizen were detained on March 2 after extremist literature in Russian and Turkish was found in their possession. The Nurjular movement, which was founded by 20th-century Turkish theologian Said Nursi, promotes the notion of a united Islamic world. It has been banned as an extremist organization in Russia since 2008, when the Supreme Court ruled that Nursi's writings served to incite hatred and imperiled the religious freedom of non-Muslims. Based on reporting by Interfax and ITAR-TASS
Gary Snyder: Coyote Makes Things Hard 10. December 2007 18:42 Foreword to The Maidu Indian Myths and Stories of hanc´ibyjim, by William Shipley (Heydey, 1991) How, I wonder – how, I wonder – in what place, I wonder – where, I wonder – In what sort of place might we two see a bit of land? There might be a place of land. It would have a snow mountain to thenorth, a blue-grey expanse to the east, ridges and canyons to thesouth, and a broad valley to the west that leads to further mountainsand finally to the edge of the world. This land might have greatmeadows, beautiful parklands, bare granite ridges, and splendid faststreams and rivers. It might be someone’s home. It was someone’s home, for tens of thousands of years. They weremaydy, “creatures,” “beings” of thousands of sorts, which includedwonom maydy, “human creatures.” These “maidu,” human beings of therunning ridges, deeply forested canyons, and mountain meadowlands ofthe northern California Sierra tell a wonderful set of tales abouttheir fellow creatures and their place. They tell it from the beginning. This collection opens with an outstanding creation myth. It was toldto turn-of-the-century anthropologist Roland Dixon by a renownedstoryteller named Hánc’iabyjim, “Tom Young.” His language wasNortheastern Maidu. In the early fifties a young linguisticanthropologist named William Shipley took up Maidu studies with anelderly woman named Dículto, Lena Thomas Benner. Her daughter MaymBenner Gallagher and Shipley went over Dixon’s texts again, to come upwith what is surely one of the richest sets of old time Turtle Islandtexts available. At the beginning it seems there were two sacred characters runningaround together, arguing, planning, constructing, taking apart,disagreeing, and making a universe. K’ódojape and Wépam wájsy,Earthmaker and Coyote Old Man, they quarrel like lovers – but there´s alittle bit more to it than just kvetching between friends. Wanting a bit of land imagining it to be somewhere singing it into being And the two find a little bit of land floating, stretch it, form it,visualizing what it could become. Then these two sacred goofy buddiescome up with the idea of “many creatures” and specific habitat foreach. They pick a “little creature” out of somewhere, and make a planthat when this little guy gets big enough, the he´s and she´s will havenames for things and they´ll have a “country.” These are the humans. And there are songs. Earthmaker gives them to all beings: There will be songs – there will always be songs, and all of you will have them. Coyote is no stranger, now, to the twentieth-century Euro-Americanimagination. There are several widely differing interpretations of whathe might be. He is seen as a sort of rock musician shaman, or as aculture-hero/ trickster, who holds contradictory powers and plays arole that is sometimes creative and sometimes destructive, or anarchetype of the immature unsocialized ego, or a perennial witty amoralsurvivor; sometimes he is even the outright principle of evil, thedevil. Coyote is a big presence in this collection, in every sense, and itis worth looking closely at the role he plays in “creating/defining”the present world. It will not ruin the story that lies ahead to say alittle about it. These two characters who are forming (or defining) theworld are not, I am sure, representing good and evil principlesslugging it out inconclusively. They step together through a dialectic,a dialog, of ideal and real, with a sinewy final resolution that takesthe world as it is. Even as Earthmaker hopes for a universe withoutpain and death, Coyote argues for impermanence, for things as they are.As Earthmaker fantasizes a world in which unmarried girls remainvirgins and married couples remain celibate, Coyote calls for tickling,lovemaking, and whispering to each other. Earthmaker has a plan forimmortality; Coyote insists that there be death. Coyote wins out, andEarthmaker wanders off, to remain in isolation somewhere “down below.”Coyote goes on to finish defining the world that is our presentreality. Earthmaker proposes an ideal; Coyote presents the phenomenal.For a spell Earthmaker and Coyote shape the world almost as partners.And finally, Coyote attends to a world totally phenomenal, yet one thatis fluid, shape-shifting, role-playing, painful and dirty, but alsocheerfully transcended. If Coyote stands up for samsara, the actualityof birth-and-death, it is part of the ultimate paradox that he cannotbe killed. He always pulls his scattered conditional selftogether againand goes trotting on. In the ongoing tales of Old Man Coyote, we seewhat could be called “jokes of samsara” played out: outrageous,offensive, and ultimately liberating – into rueful acceptance, courage,and humor. There are tales of other beings too. What realities are echoed! Whenthe Cottontail boys tease Woodrat, “Old Woodrat makes me puke! Shittingon his grandmother´s blankets – stinking everything up – pissing oneverything – yucky old Woodrat! Makes his whole house stink!” we aregetting an angle on the several-millenia-old wood rat middens foundpreserved in caves or overhangs in the Great Basin, containingsolidified urine and antique fecal pellets at the ancient twig bottoms.These are useful for radiocarbon dating, and for pushing thedating-scale farther back. Perhaps we have heard too much of Coyote. There are would-be coyoteshanging out all over the western United States. He has overshadowed theother figures of western North American oral literature. This is partlybecause he has not been kept “secret.” There are narratives that werenever trapped in writing and are not told to outsiders that mightbalance this emphasis. The story of Mountain Lion and his long searchfor his lost children is of a different realm, unfolding in real time.Moon is a compulsive child-kidnapper, and it takes the persistent oldwoman Frog to set him straight (even though she can´t quite manage toswallow him). Also there are dramatic moments in these tales as old asany telling, that make them part of that truly ancient internationallore that underlies the later “world classics.” We are drawn into theaura of the giant serpent who would love a human girl, raising hisgreat head and staring intently in her eyes, night after night. We haveknown the teenage girls who danced and talked and dreamed of havingstars for lovers, and then got them and that was trouble. We gingerlyfeel our way into Moon was living with his sister Their house was coated with ice. The world of Native American myths and tales is not exactlypleasant. Captured wives, stolen children, hard-dealt death. Some wouldsay that we should be grateful to Coyote for making things challenging.Coyotes are still around, the stories are still vivid, and the Peopleare still here, too. The relatives of Hánc´ibyjim and Maym Gallagherare alive and well, keeping their culture alive, and playing a strongrole in the future of their bioregion. These myths and tales are unsweetened, unsentimental, andirreducible. They are a profound little chunk of world literature, andthey are the first, but not the last, stories to be told of where weare learning to live: the little watershed of northern California, thebig watershed of the planet.
New Times / Calendar Events SLO GRANGE FARMERS MARKET This farmers market is held every Tuesday in the Grange parking lot from SAN LUIS OBISPO DOWNTOWN FARMERS MARKET The San Luis Obispo Farmers Market takes place every Thursday from 6-9pm on Higuera St. between Osos and Nipomo and includes over 120 vendors of produce, dairy, barbecue, flowers, and more. Writers and Literature AUTHOR SIGNING DOC BURNSTEIN'S ORCUTT March 19 (3:30pm) Kippy's African Adventure, the 3rd book in The Adventures of Hunter and Ramona Pug Series by Destry Ramey. Openings and Receptions March 19 (12 PM to 4 PM) Shades of Green is the title for the new show opening at the Art Center Morro Bay on Thursday, February 21 and running through Monday, April 1. Featured artists Diane Henderson and Ray Atzet present acrylic and watercolor paintings around a theme. A reception for the artists that is open to the public will take place Sunday, February 24 from 2 to 4 PM. Art Center Morro Bay is at 835 Main Street in Morro Bay. For more information call 772-2504. Community Notebook 11/20/14-11/27/14 Testing the waters: Locals prepare to submit a nomination to create a National Marine Sanctuary along the Central Coast Faculty association and Santa Maria Joint Union High School District struggle to come to terms with contract Political Watch 11/20/14 Community Corner: Santa Maria Keller Williams holds Toys for Tots drive Students and employers want a four-year college in Northern Santa Barbara County Pipeline crunch-time: A Nov. 21 hearing looms as Nipomo stakeholders consider key water decisions
We're excited to have a special Election 2004 featured discussion by hosting two contributors who are very well-versed in the topic of tort reform but come down on the opposite sides of the political fence. Dr. Ron Chusid, founder of Doctors for Kerry, and our own Ted Frank, a Bush supporter, will make the case for their respective candidates. Bookmark us here, so you can join the discussion as it develops! Recently in Miscellaneous Category I wouldn't mind being proven wrong on any of these, but here are five tentative propositions on next Tuesday's vote: 1) Voters intend to punish Republicans for reasons that have little to do with litigation reform. I haven't run across any reports of campaigns in which a Democratic challenger has tried to make an issue of a GOP incumbent's support of the Class Action Fairness Act or med-mal reform, for example. 2) On the other hand, with a few exceptions as in the Pennsylvania Senate race, Republicans don't seem to be promoting national litigation reform as a campaign issue the way they did in previous cycles. One reason may be that it's hard to blame Democratic obstructionism when Congress and the White House have been in Republican hands so long, the GOP Senate having of course served as the longtime boneyard of federal legal reform proposals. 3) None of which makes the issue anything less than crucial as an underlying factor, sometimes behind the scenes and sometimes not, in races from coast to coast. It is lost on no one that Eliot Spitzer pulled off his meteoric rise by using the law to confront businesses. One cannot grasp the peculiar twists and turns in the Texas gubernatorial race except as reflecting the desire of prominent trial lawyers there to punish pro-reform incumbent Rick Perry by whatever means comes to hand. The issue remains hugely salient in statehouse politics from Tallahassee to Madison to Oklahoma City to Sacramento. 4) Even leaving aside the Spitzer example, we continue to live in the golden age of the activist state attorney general. Rhode Island's Sheldon Whitehouse, much criticized on this site for his lawsuits against former lead paint manufacturers, appears on his way to knocking off incumbent U.S. Senator Lincoln Chafee. Minnesota's Mike Hatch holds a narrow lead in his challenge to GOP incumbent Gov. Tim Pawlenty; Hatch's bad ideas have included suing companies that make cold medicines because meth abusers buy the stuff and cook it into their preferred drug. And Patricia Madrid of New Mexico, who has mounted a strong challenge to incumbent House member Heather Wilson -- among other races we'll discuss this week. 5) Of all the trends afoot, quite possibly the most significant as a setback for legal-reform prospects is one covered in today's NYT: Democrats are set to recapture control of many state legislatures from Republicans. Here are some comments from reader Thomas Zak in Indiana: I wanted to respond briefly to some of your comments in today's featured discussion. The numbers match up with your initial points. 1) I agree that litigation reform is a dead issue in this election, but I disagree that it was ever a serious issue to begin with. The med-mal caps suggested before were no more than a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound. No major party has ever come out strongly in favor of returning sanity to our system through either a restoration of the basic principle of �assumption of risk� or the more radical idea of loser-pays. 3) Eliot Spitzer has been able to pull off his activist AG stint by having the luck of NYC and Wall Street within his jurisdiction. By having an trillion dollar industry well known for financial shenanigans under his purview, he has been able to find real scandals which can be exposed (and exploited). The other AGs are left with the crumbs. In many cases they have latched onto questionable �scandals� like the paint industry lead fiasco in order to create a scandal out of whole cloth. 5) Given that Democratic control of congress is a possibility and that many Republicans are also opposed to common sense reforms, we must understand that national legal reform is dead � until the next major scandal of a multi-billion dollar verdict against an innocent corporation. If the public ever realizes how these all too common cases affect their pocketbooks through lost jobs and higher prices, then litigation reform will have a chance. The problem is that the connection is too weak for the public to see since most cannot even balance their checkbooks and are gullible enough to believe that speeding drunks that roll their trucks should be given millions in compensation for �design flaws� in traction control systems. So the national debate is lost for now. The real question is what can be done at the state level. What comprehensive plan can be put in place to convince ANY state government to bring justice back to their justice system instead of just waiting for the next scandal and then tweaking the rules slightly? There are plenty of initiatives on the ballot this year with implications for law and litigation. Twelve states will consider measures on eminent domain, ten will confront tobacco taxation and regulation, eight will vote on constitutional gay-marriage bans, and six will consider minimum-wage hikes, constitutionally inscribed or otherwise. The Initiative and Referendum Institute tracks the status of these and other measures in its latest election preview issue (PDF). Notable for its absence: a flurry of tort-related initiatives, the kind we saw last time around. Possibly the backers of such measures have been scared off by the trial bar's long track record of organizing "revenge initiatives" aimed at inflicting as much pain as possible on whatever interest group is perceived as standing up to the lawyers. Or perhaps the backers have noticed that when voters approve a measure inconvenient to the lawyers, state courts like Florida's sometimes proceed to invalidate or gut the measure. So why put yourself through the trouble? One minor exception to the general lull: Arizona voters will consider Proposition 102, which would prohibit illegal aliens from receiving punitive (as distinct from compensatory) damage awards in lawsuits. That measure is part of a package of proposals intended to toughen up enforcement of immigration laws, however, and doesn't seem to have much of a connection to wider efforts to reform punitive damages. Two miscellaneous, dubious ballot proposals relate to children: Question 3 in Massachusetts, backed by the Service Employees International Union, would facilitate unionization of home-based child care workers. Both the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald oppose it. Measure 3 in North Dakota would mandate "shared parenting" and prescribe a default assumption of joint custody after divorce unless one parent could prove the other unfit; it would also limit support payments to those adequate to cover a child's "basic needs". (Proponents; opponents; AP summary; Wendy McElroy; Bismarck Tribune coverage and editorial). P.S.: A couple of major omissions in the above list: the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, discussed favorably by George Will and Stephen Chapman, and South Dakota's scary judge-bashing Amendment E, discussed by Ted here. Speaking of lucky Democrats, here's the San Diego Union-Tribune's editorial endorsing the trial bar's most durable ally in Sacramento, Attorney General Bill Lockyer, in his race for state treasurer (via Taranto): The Democratic candidate for treasurer, Bill Lockyer, has displayed a vicious partisan streak in his eight years as attorney general, using his powers to sandbag initiatives he doesn't like and to file frivolous lawsuits solely to score political points with unions and environmentalists. In his previous job, as Senate president, he was the epitome of the pay-to-play Sacramento culture, famously blocking a law meant to keep criminals out of California casinos and card clubs after taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from the gambling industry. Incredibly enough, we have no choice but to endorse him. His Republican opponent, Board of Equalization member Claude Parrish, is simultaneously flippant, uninformed and unfocused. Lockyer may be the devil, but he's a smart devil. Were Lockyer treasurer, it is incomprehensible that Californians might someday wake up to learn that the state had lost billions of dollars because he made complex financial decisions without due diligence. That is not the case with Parrish. We set out to give Lockyer the most grudging election endorsement in the history of the printed word. We hope we have achieved our goal. With much more in the pipeline -- several liability reform activists around the country have volunteered reports from the front line -- we're going to extend this roundtable past the usual five-day limit and let it run on into next week. It looks like there won't be any shortage of material, so stay tuned. They don't come much nastier than the one in Georgia, where incumbent state supreme court justice Carol Hunstein, a favorite of the state's trial lawyers, is being challenged by former Bush Administration official Mike Wiggins, who's backed by business groups. See these stories from the Associated Press, Savannah Morning News, and Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and also this column from the AJC's Jim Wooten. You may want to take a shower afterward. Incumbent Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle had been running comfortably ahead of his Republican challenger, U.S. Rep. Mark Green, but the latest poll suggests a tightening race, with Green only six points behind. Liability issues have been an important factor in the race since Gov. Doyle vetoed four civil justice reform bills last January, including curbs on lead-paint and gun lawsuits, a product-liability bill, and a measure that would have moved Wisconsin's lenient expert-evidence standards toward a Daubert standard. Not long before that, Gov. Doyle vetoed a measure that would have limited medical malpractice recoveries, although he later signed a less restrictive measure. I promised an entry on the upcoming elections in and around Madison County, Illinois -- that infamous jurisdiction we've highlighted in 3 Manhattan Institute studies (here, here, and here) and our recent Trial Lawyers, Inc.: Illinois report. Rather than giving you my take, I'll give you this extensive look by Ed Murnane, who as the president of the Illinois Civil Justice League -- the main legal reform group in the state -- is very close to these races and has a view from the inside: Perhaps the most disheartening aspect of Madison County Round II -- a.k.a. the judicial elections in Southern Illinois two years after the historic Karmeier-Maag race �- is the likelihood that Madison County Round III is only two years away.... That long-term forecast is likely to be reality because of the recent death of Illinois Appellate Judge Terrence Hopkins, who served on the Fifth District Appellate Court, based in Mount Vernon. That�s the same court where Gordon Maag served and where present Appellate Justice Stephen McGlynn is fighting to hold off Maag�s pals and win the seat for the next ten years. It does not get easy in Southern Illinois. But enough about the future (maybe a bit more later). The present is here and we're into the final critical days -- yikes, it's really only hours -- to learn if the success of 2004 will be repeated in 2006. At this stage in 2004 �- three days out -� we were virtually certain that Lloyd Karmeier was going to be elected to the Illinois Supreme Court. Today, it is not as certain that Justice Steve McGlynn will hold on to the Appellate seat he was appointed to by Karmeier. As in 2004, the dollars are huge and costly television ads have been competing with ads for statewide candidates. Since Southern Illinois is primarily served by non-Illinois television markets, voters in Missouri, Kentucky, and Indiana are once again learning about Illinois judicial candidates, just as Illinoisans are learning about governors and senators from strange places. Here's the situation: Steve McGlynn, a St. Clair County lawyer, was appointed to the Appellate Court by Justice Lloyd Karmeier to fill the vacancy created by the ouster of Appellate Judge Gordon Maag. (The appointment authority is one of the best aspects of being a Supreme Court justice.) According to the law and the process, McGlynn served until the next election (that's this year) and then has to seek a full ten-year term. Judicial elections in Illinois are partisan so the Republican McGlynn is looking to the same traditional Republican sources for financial support. And the Democratic challenger, a Saline County judge named Bruce Stewart, is looking to the same traditional sources that Southern Illinois Democrats always look to: organized labor and plaintiffs' attorneys. Did we mention plaintiffs' attorneys? Stewart has a few things going for him that McGlynn does not. He has been a trial judge for the past ten years, while McGlynn has been practicing law. And he is from Saline County in the very southern reaches of the state (almost to Kentucky) while McGlynn is from St. Clair County �- the junior partner of the despicable "Madison and St. Clair Counties" axis. It was not happenstance that a non-Madison-St. Clair candidate was selected by the still-powerful plaintiffs' lawyers. They can read tea leaves, as well as public sentiment and voter instincts, so they selected a non-Madison-St. Clair candidate, especially after Justice Karmeier selected McGlynn of St. Clair County, even if McGlynn has nothing to do with the problems of St. Clair County. Both sides have pumped thousands of dollars into the fray, although on a slightly smaller scale than the 2004 festivities. Most of the Karmeier supporters (ourselves included) have contributed heavily to McGlynn and the plaintiffs' lawyers are solidly with Stewart. Adding to the mix in 2006 is a handful of other judicial elections that all revolve around the same issue, i.e. fixing what's wrong in Madison and St. Clair counties (if there is anything wrong, a question answered firmly in the negative by the establishment forces). One of the critical and entertaining second tier elections is for a circuit court (trial court) seat in Madison County. Justice Karmeier appointed a former Madison County state's attorney to fill the vacancy and seek a full term this year. The Democrat-trial lawyer establishment picked a prominent local asbestos lawyer as their candidate. Republican Donald Weber and Democrat David Hylla are setting spending records for an Illinois circuit court seat, as are McGlynn and Stewart at the appellate court level. One Madison County plaintiffs' firm, SimmonsCooper, already has contributed more than $160,000 to Hylla's campaign. Weber has no such sugar-daddy (we're helping as much as we can) and is being vastly outspent. But if Weber is able to remind voters in Madison County that the same dark forces they fought in 2004 �- and defeated -� are back again, he can win. Another interesting Madison County battle is the fight for "retention" being waged by three sitting judges who must win the approval of 60 percent of the voters to stay on the bench. The three, including Chief Judge Ann Callis, a former plaintiffs' attorney and daughter of one of the legends in Madison County, Lance Callis, have promised reforms in the courthouse. They have acknowledged problems and mistakes and actually seem to be sincere. Our political action committee decided not to take a stand -� recommending neither a "vote yes" nor a "vote no." We'll let the local voters decide if they think the trend is in the right direction. Just south of Madison County, in St. Clair County, a circuit court race of a different kind is taking place. Judge Lloyd Cueto decided he could not get the 60 percent needed to be retained so he is running in a contested race for his own seat. Although not as closely tied to the plaintiffs' lawyers in Madison County, Cueto is none-the-less friendly to them and reform-minded activists want him out. He is being challenged by a relatively unknown but courageous lawyer named Paul Evans, who doesn't have a lot of money but looks like he could pull it off. We are doing everything we can to help him. There are 100 other counties in Illinois �- Madison and St. Clair are not the only two. We have a large one named Cook County with a fairly major city as its county seat. There are more than 80 judicial candidates running in Cook, mostly from Chicago but some from the suburbs, and we are watching them closely. But somehow, none of it ever seems as interesting and significant as what happens in Madison and St. Clair Counties. And after the ink dries on this year�s ballots, they�ll be lining up and raising bucks for the 2008 installment: Madison County Round III. Those interested in more information on the Illinois races should check out the Illinois Civil Justice League's IllinoisJudges.net, which promises information today, tomorrow, and through tomorrow night on these and other races in the Prairie State. Bob Dorigo Jones, president of Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch, sends in this update on tomorrow's elections in the Wolverine State: The big news in the Michigan Supreme Court election this year is that there is no big news. The two incumbents who are running for election--one nominated by Republicans and one nominated by Democrats--are considered likely to be re-elected and have spent only a fraction of what incumbents have spent in recent years. Altogether, the five candidates for the two seats on the state Supreme Court (2 Democrats, 2 Republicans and 1 Libertarian) have spent about $214,000 on their campaigns according to a report in the Detroit Free Press last week. Compare that to the nearly $15 million spent by all parties (including interest groups) in 2000 when there were three seats up for election, and it is clear that this election is much different from the heated, high-stakes elections we have seen in recent years. The difference is that the trial bar believes it doesn't have a chance to change the balance on the court in this election. There is a 5-2 split on the court with the four justices having solid records on limiting the spread of liability beyond what the legislature authorizes and putting the clamps on frivolous lawsuits, and one being in that camp most of the time. Of the two justices considered more pro-plaintiff, the one who is up for re-election, Michael Cavanagh, has been on the court for 23 years. A former Republican legislator who was chair of the House Judiciary Committee is running for the seat and would make a very good member of the high court. However, he faces an uphill race and considerable competition for funding from the two other high-profile statewide races for governor and U.S. Senate. The GOP-nominated incumbent who is up for re-election, Maura Corrigan, is an excellent judge with a solid record on civil and criminal matters. She has also distinguished herself as a champion for children and families, and the plaintiffs' bar has not mounted a serious challenge to her seat. Instead, the plaintiffs' bar is spending heavily to re-elect the incumbent governor, Jennifer Granholm, who has already rewarded them by appointing members of the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association to the state Court of Appeals in her first term. Because of the low likelihood of a change in the Supreme Court, and because so much money and attention is being focused on the gubernatorial election, Michigan's top political pundit, Bill Ballenger, characterized the election for Supreme Court in Michigan this way: "We're back to the sleepy old races we had in the early 1990s." For those of us who are pleased with the make-up of the Supreme Court in Michigan and eager to stay heading in the same direction, that is a good thing. Can prosecutors be made to pay a price at the ballot box for malfeasance? Durham, North Carolina, county district attorney Mike Nifong is up for re-election, and has run well in polls despite his hounding of three Duke lacrosse players -- perhaps the year's banner case of abusive prosecution (see Oct. 11, Oct. 12, Oct. 30, etc.). One challenger, County Commissioner Lewis Cheek, "has said he won't serve if elected, instead allowing Gov. Mike Easley to appoint a new prosecutor"; a third candidate, Steve Monks, has been waging a write-in campaign. (Ray Gronberg, "Durham DA race is hot", Durham Herald-Sun, Nov. 6; Ruth Sheehan, "Turning the tide in Durham", Raleigh News & Observer, Oct. 30). For some recent developments in the case, incidentally, see here, here and here (witnesses say accuser soon after incident performed dances inconsistent with alleged injuries), here (Nifong never interviewed accuser), and here ("Go ahead, put marks on me")(cross-posted from Overlawyered). "The irony in Virginia is that conservatives fearful of an out-of-control judiciary are in fact inviting the judiciary to get involved in micro-managing family law." (David Boaz, "Marriage measure is an amendment too far", Examiner.com, Oct. 30). For more of the many, many reasons to vote no, see Overlawyered Sept. 20, 2006, May 31 and Nov. 2, 2004, etc., etc. (cross-posted from Overlawyered). John Sullivan, president of the Civil Justice Association of California, alerts us to the dangers looming if Golden Staters approve Proposition 89: Californians are today voting on a list of statewide initiatives that includes Proposition 89, a proposal that if passed would do grave harm to legal reform in the Golden State. Pitched as "campaign finance reform," this initiative comes at a time when we are making great strides in reforming California�s civil justice system�-a system that has for far too long been rife with frivolous lawsuits and abuse. If 89 passes, business and civil justice reform advocates will effectively be precluded from participating in the political process in California. The Civil Justice Association of California board voted months back to oppose Proposition 89. Proposition 89, would prohibit a corporation from directly or indirectly contributing to an independent expenditure election campaign, which is the only constitutional way a company has to make its views on candidates known to voters. Equally devastating would be the $10,000 corporate contribution limit on supporting or opposing initiatives. Personal injury lawyers and other plaintiffs' lawyers are largely unaffected by these limits. (The big trial lawyer players are Limited Liability Partnerships.) This mismatch would set plaintiffs' lawyers up to elect their picks to the Legislature. It would set them up for ballot campaigns to undo voter-passed laws like Proposition 64 of 2004 and win ballot campaigns to further their agenda. Proposition 89 would, in the legal reform arena, mean unilateral disarmament for us in the very political areas where we've been able to make gains and restore balance. At the same time, the scales would be hugely tilted in favor of those who want to more aggressively use the civil justice system as a revenue raising and social tool against businesses and government entities. If the provisions of Proposition 89 had been in place, none of the following would have been possible: Passage of Proposition 64 (2004). Businesses of all sizes banded together to pass Proposition 64, which stopped personal injury lawyers who had been using state unfair competition law to extort settlements. The defeat of Propositions 30 and 31 (2000). These trial lawyer-sponsored schemes would have allowed two lawsuits for every insurance claim, costing the insurance industry and eventually all insureds millions of dollars. The defeat of Proposition 211 (1996). This was securities class action lawyer Bill Lerach's unsuccessful scheme to end-run federal securities litigation reform and open California courts to his brand of "strike" suits based on stock price changes. The election of moderate Democrats in recent election cycles, sending to Sacramento more lawmakers who understand the need for a fair civil justice system and are not beholden to the plaintiffs' bar. Thanks John. We'll be watching the fate of Prop 89, with our fingers crossed. [This post will be periodically refreshed and updated to reflect incoming results.] As of 12:05 a.m. Wednesday Eastern time, here are results on some races mentioned in posts above, winner in ALLCAPS: U.S. Senate: Ct., LIEBERMAN/Lamont; Pa., CASEY/Santorum; R.I. WHITEHOUSE/Chafee. House of Reps.: Iowa, BRALEY/Whalen; N.M., Madrid trails Wilson. Governorships: Ark., BEEBE/Hutchinson; Fla., CRIST/Davis; Minn., PAWLENTY/Hatch; N.Y., SPITZER/Faso; Tex., PERRY/Bell; Wisc., DOYLE/Green. AG-ships: Ark., MCDANIEL/DeLay; Del., BIDEN/Wharton; Fla., MCCOLLUM/Campbell; Md., GANSLER/Rolle; N.Y., CUOMO/Pirro; Okla., EDMONDSON/Dunn. Judgeships: Ga., HUNSTEIN/Wiggins; Ill., STEWART/McGlynn and HYLLA/Weber (D wins), EVANS/Cueto (R wins). Ballot measures: Ariz. Prop. 102 (no award of punitive damages to illegal aliens) passes; Calif. Prop 89 (campaign finance) loses; Michigan Civil Rights Initiative wins; N.D. Measure 3 loses; S.D. Amendment E defeated by 9-1 margin; "marriage protection" amendments lose 49-51 Ariz., win 52-48 in S.D., pass by larger margins elsewhere. Misc.: Nifong re-elected Durham D.A. In another exception to the overall disastrous night for Ohio Republicans, voters gave the GOP a 7-0 majority on the state's high court (although two of the incumbent justices behave more like Democrats). Jonathan Adler has details. I had a mixed reaction to the Court's recent Philip Morris decision. On the one hand, there is a crisis of excessive punitive damages. On the other, no one who agress with the late Justice White (dissenting in Moore v. East Cleveland) that "[t]he Judiciary, including this Court, is the most vulnerable and comes nearest to illegitimacy when it deals with judge-made constitutional law having little or no cognizable roots in the language or even the design of the Constitution" can greet with complete delight the opening of yet another vein of substantive due process. Yet this is what the Court has done in BMW v. Gore, State Farm v. Campbell, and now in Philip Morris v. Williams. That the Court has its hand in the substantive-due-process cookie jar in these cases cannot really be doubted. The Court's claim to address only the "procedural" question of the instruction on harm to nonparties was no doubt intended to deflect this argument, but it did not convince Justice Thomas ("the 'procedural' rule is simply a confusing implementation of the substantive due process regime this Court has created for punitive damages"), and it does not convince me. At the dawn of the first s.d.p., the same confusion occurred. See e.g. Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul RR v. Minnesota, 134 U.S. 418 (1890). Railroads objecting to ratemaking couched their claims in procedural terms: the regulating agency did its ratemaking without giving us a special hearing, see, and all we want is that hearing. Piffle! They were going for a court-mandate role in setting rates; once the Court was convinced to strew procedural banana peels along the path of regulation, as requirements of due process, it was a short leap to declaring the regulations themselves unconstitutional. Philip Morris v. Williams supposedly avoids the question of excessive fines, and imposes a merely "procedural" requirement that the trial judge should be clearer about the role that harm to nonparties should playing in the jury's punitive damages calculation. Why a juror should find the Court's clarification any clearer than the instrution actually given, I'm sure I don't know, but the point here is, this "procedural" rule imposes a substantive requirement: that the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment prohibits civil juries from punishing defendants separately for harm to nonparties. I don't find that in the Due Process Clause. I'd be glad if it were there, but I can't find it. The next post on this issue will be by Prof. Michael Krauss, who taught me everything I know about tort law, and with whom I expect I'll be in complete policy agreement about the general goshawfulness of heavy punitive damages. David M. Wagner Regent University School of Law Well, it is an honor and a pleasure for this lawprof to be featured along with his illustrious student. I suppose this should make me feel quite old, but it doesn't! My only complaint is that, after my earlier featured discussion on firearm liability, "Smoking Guns" (and a book I wrote on tobacco and firearms, entitled "Fire and Smoke") this featured discussion is entitled "Smoke and Mirrors." Enough with the smoke already, it is clouding my eyes!! Nonetheless, I hope I will be able to see clearly through the maze that our Supremes have set up for us in Philip Morris USA v Williams. The plaintiff in Williams was the widow of a long-time smoker. This widow alleged that Philip Morris deceived her husband into not quitting smoking. According to the wife, the late Mr. Williams said that ��the tobacco companies don�t even say they�re cancer sticks, so I can smoke them.�� Although his wife helpfully pointed to the warning labels on cigarette packages and told her husband that cigarettes would kill him, Mr. Williams allegedly responded: �This is what the Surgeon General says, it�s not what [the] tobacco company says.� According to his wife, Williams gave no credence to the Surgeon General�s warnings because he believed that the tobacco companies would simply not sell a harmful product. �[H]e would say �Well, honey, you see I told you cigarettes are not going to kill you, because I just heard this so-and-so guy on TV, and he said that tobacco doesn�t cause you cancer!�� Now, I don't know about you all, but I know of no one on earth who talks like the decedent allegedly did, and I know of no one who thinks that no seller could possibly fib about the quality of the product he was selling. Of course, the jury can choose to believe whom it will, and to no one's surprise it chose to believe Ms. Williams. [Is the jury interested in buying a bridge in Brooklyn from me?] What possible motive could the plaintiff have to "embellish", after all? That said, tobacco companies' behavior over the years has certainly been reprehensible on many different levels. Thank You For Smoking is a nice caricature of Big Tobacco's awful behavior. But awful behavior does not tort damages merit! Tort damages are awarded following proof of wrongdoing, causation, and damages. Causation was established when the jury believed the astounding rendition by Ms. Williams. As to damages, well, punitive damages are essentially awarded in cases of intentional tort. Here, I guess, fraud is the intentional tort du jour. Are there limits on punitives? My own writings, which David likely knows, claim that punitive damages cross the line between private ordering [tort, contract, property, self-determination among and between individuals] and public ordering [relations between Big Brother and lil' ol' citizens, criminal law and the like]. Not for nothing is the state subject to constitutional limitations when public ordering is involved. As to the constitutional limitation of "due process", I like David think it is phoney-baloney (but he put this in a much more scholarly way -- since I am not a constitutional scholar, but just a torts guy, I will resort to plain English). I personally preferred "excessive fines", considered but (in my opinion very unwisely) rejected by the Supreme sages in Browning Ferris v Kelco some years back. I think the Supremes have been atoning for their sins ever since, trying desperately to find a constitutional measure to rein in out-of-control punitives after they had rejected the most obvious candidate. [And in a future installment I will explain why Williams was tailor-made for this.] At least Justice Stevens, dissenting, expressed regret about the rejection of the Excessive Fines theory. So that's my initial volley. Like David, I think states have police power to regulate and do all sorts of silly things. Perhaps unlike David, I don't think those things include taking money from (out-of-state) corporations without providing constitutional protections. But I don't think the Supremes in Williams gave any real guidelines about what is verboten and what is allowed. Much more litigation to follow, I'm afraid, with no one gaining but we lawyers. More on all this anon. Till tomorrow, David. Michael I. Krauss Professor of Law George Mason University Browning-Ferris is a case that only recently came within my ken. One admirable aspect of it is that both the majority and the partial dissent relied on original intent, historically recovered. They reach different conclusions, of course, but no one ever said originalism always provides an easy answer: only that it provides legitimacy. The dissent in B-F argued that "amercements" were within the range of what Magna Carta limited, and therefore also of what the English Bill of Rights and our Eighth Amendment limited, and that amercements were civil rather than criminal. This claim is worth researching further. (Beyond that, all I can say right now about B-F is that the majority scores by having Scalia on its side, but the dissent wins the Shakespeare-cite event by quoting one of my favorite characters, the Prince of Verona in Romeo and Juliet.) All of this is a bit to one side of Philip Morris v. Williams, which bypasses the Eighth Amendment altogether and bases its holding directly on 14th Amendment Due Process. Michael and I probably agree that it would be more constitutionally legitimate (assuming the incorporation doctrine!) to curb punitive damages through the "excessive fines" clause of the Eighth Amendment than to do so through Due Process tout court. Michael has rightly moved a key issue into center place: just what is the tort/crime boundary, and do punitive damages defy it? They are awarded in tort cases, but a common-lawyer of the time of, say, Coke could easily figure that whatever is designed to "punish" must pertain to the criminal justice system. There is a case for deconstructing the tort-crime boundary. The modern administrative state these days often lays heavy hands on citizens through procedures that are outside the criminal justice system, and therefore, outside the constraints that the Constitution places on that system. Perhaps punitive damages are of this nature, and perhaps we should rethink the assumption that criminal-procedure restraints apply only when the government is willing to admit that a given cases is "criminal." But, as the old Alka-Seltzer commercial said, that's a spicy meatball. The criminal justice system evolved from the early-medieval tort system for good reasons as well as bad: yes, kings wanted to be in charge of justice. But also, people wanted to be able to rely on the king's peace, not just their own ability to sue their tortfeasors. Browning-Ferris can be read as a refusal to reverse this evolution, and until the issue is thought out further, I can't quite say the majority was wrong about this. Thanks for the thoughtful comments, David. Let me address the way I see the general boundary between private and public ordering in today's edition, then tomorrow perhaps I will indicate why the Philip Morris case was an excellent candidate to establish that boundary. [NB These thoughts replicate to some extent a much more extensive discussion in Engage, the Federalist Society's academic journal. That article can be found here (scroll to page 118).] Wrongful behavior without damages creates no corrective justice requirement. Driving home while drunk is negligent, and exposes others on the road to undue danger. It is good, I think, that DUI is a crime and that the state sanctions misbehavior with fines and/or imprisonment. So, if a drunk driver makes it home without hitting anyone, he has no tort liability toward anyone. Note that he may have committed a crime � but that is a matter for public ordering, with all the protections provided when the power of the state is involved (constitutional protection against self-incrimination, double jeopardy rule, strong presumption of innocence). The drunk who makes it home safe owes compensation to no one, because his conduct, though wrongful, did not harm anyone. It is the precise conjunction of wrongfulness and harm caused thereby that creates the tort obligation. Typically, that tort obligation consists of compensation, of righting the wrong and making good the loss - no more, no less. Compensation, moreover, has to be full. This is a definitional requirement of corrective justice, and a fundamental proposition of the common law of tort. Thus a man who negligently burns down a house worth $50,000 is liable in tort to pay $50,000 to make the home-owner whole. If the house and its contents were worth $1 million dollars, then he is liable in tort to pay $1 million to make the home-owner whole. This is not because tort favors the rich, but because tort equally respects poor and rich. All must be returned to their former state - that far but no further - when they are wrongfully harmed. Punitive damages do not fit the scheme of tort law because, by definition, punitive damages are overcompensatory. Nevertheless, in one superficial and one real form, punitive damages were present at the conception of tort law. Both of these forms can be usefully summarized here: Superficial - In medieval days criminal and tort trials were held at the same time. For what we today call intentional torts, such as battery and trespass, there was at the same time a crime committed and a tort suffered, and both of these were adjudicated in the same judicial proceeding. So, a battery may have caused $10 in harm, payable to the plaintiff, but in the days before police forces and criminal tribunals the plaintiff could also pursue the equivalent of a criminal fine. He was in a sense the private attorney general, prosecuting the criminal case, and the fine went into his coffers. Today, though, we have county proscecutors, and fines are collected solely in a criminal setting. Those fines are subject to cherished American constitutional protections such as: -Double jeopardy prohibition of more than one fine for the same offense; -5th amendment protection against self-incrimination; -8th amendment protection against excessive fines. A tort trial offers none of those protections (compulsory discovery is self-incrimination, one tort committed against many people leads to many lawsuits, etc.). So in this superficial form, punitive damages are an anachronism with no place in tort today, having been replaced by public ordering via criminal law with all its apparatus. Concrete - Punitives were granted as symbolic damages when there was deliberate wrongdoing but de minimis damages. If A slandered B, but B could not prove that she had lost any business because of the slander, A might nonetheless be condemned to pay B $1. If A deliberately and flagrantly trespassed on B�s land, but didn�t trample any of B�s crops, B could still sue A for nominal, symbolic damages. The damages in this case were symbolic � they recognized that one party was in the right, had been wronged by the other party, and won the suit. Suits like this might be filed both to vindicate one�s self and one�s rights, and because a �loser-pays rule� (in effect outside America) means that the tortfeasor would have to pay his victim�s lawyer�s costs. It would not cost much to vindicate one�s rights in this way. Thus "punitives" classically were either disguised criminal fines (before the state criminal apparatus was organized), or small symbolic sums meant to vindicate inconsequential violations of a plaintiff�s rights. Since criminal fines require constitutional protections, all that should logically remain are the small symbolic vindication sums. The survival of large punitive awards is a product of confusion between private and public ordering. That is why four states� supreme courts (Louisiana, Nebraska, Washington and Massachusetts) have declared that their common law of tort does not permit punitive damages today. A fifth state (New Hampshire) has abolished punitives by statute. Any state in the union could abolish punitive damages if it wished. Many states, like Virginia, allow punitive damages for intentional torts and gross negligence, but have a statutory cap on punitive damages. Other states have no limitation on punitives at all. Yet in all states punitive damages were not really a problem, in that they were mostly symbolic until the great torts explosion of the 1980s. Up to 1976, the highest punitive damages award in the entire country was $250,000, a sobering observation in light of recent billion-dollar judgments. I've likely bored readers enough. David, perhaps in tomorrow's edition we can sketch the way the Supremes dealt with punitives from Pacific Mutual v Haslip through State Farm v Campbell. Then on Friday we can get into the nitty gritty of the Williams. Back at GMUSL, Prof. Bill Bishop used to warn us that, despite his open-book rule, "those who attempt original research in the exam-room will be at a disadvantage." I think I'm under that disadvantage as I weigh Michael's arguments in light of both the majority and dissenting historical analyses in Browning-Ferris. Michael and Justice O'Connor (who includes her former clerk, Peter Huber, in her cites) make persuasive points about the incomplete (to say the least) distinction between tort and crime during the Common Law's earliest formative era, i.e. from the Conquest to Magna Carta. Since we're all originalists on the day B-F was decided, the question becomes, which is the correct historical mise-en-scene for solving the question? If the equation U.S. Bill of Rights = English Bill of Rights = Magna Carta is more or less correct, at least where the "excessive fines" language is concerned, then the relevant understanding is the one that prevailed at the time of Magna Carta, and therefore Justice O'Connor and Michael are right. But when push comes to shove it's the U.S. Constitution that we're construing, not the documents on which some its text is admittedly based, so perhaps the correct historical moment for capturing its meaning is the period in which it was drafted and ratified. And as to that, the majority has produces persuasive authority to the effect that the the fines/damages distinction had solidly taken hold well before 1791, and that the word "damage" was available to the drafters if they had wanted to include it alongside "fines" in the Eighth Amendment. It always risky to predict the counter-arguments of people smarter than oneself, but I'll take that risk and imagine Michael replying something like this: look again at the historical development of punitive damages as described in the previous post, and now imagine that we could assemble every drafter and ratifier of the Eighth Amendment today and show them the meshugass that's going on today in the name of punitive damages, they would say "Well OF COURSE that's part of what we meant by 'excessive fines'!" This argument is strengthened by the fact that (as Michael points out) this is very RECENT meshugass, and therefore scores lower (because less rooted in tradition) on the standard Scalian scale (see Michael H. v Gerald D). But for text-based originalists, it's always a stretch to base a decision on what the Framers "surely would have" said, instead of what they actually said. (Cf. Justice Thomas's concurrence in U.S. v. Lopez, rejecting the argument that the Framers surely would have blessed the "substantial effects" test for Congress's interstate commerce power, since the clause they actually wrote can be shown from originalist evidence not to have had any such broad range.) That's the ground of my caution on the "excessive fines" clause as a limitation on punies. Yet I could be persuaded that the dissent was right on the "excessive fines" issue in B-F; as to the Due Process holding in Philip Morris, not so much. As to Haslip -- I'll probably have more to say about it later, but short take: it's regrettable that the challenge there sounded only in Due Process, rather than attempting to revive the Eighth Amendment/excessive fines argument. The late-19th century railroad lawyers were not so timid: they kept nudging the Court toward substantive due process until they got it. Advocates of "excessive fines" limitations on punitive damages should be no less persistent, the more so since their argument is better than mere substantive due process. I note with pleasure the state legislative developments that Michael cites: we originalists nearly always prefer state legislation to federal litigation! Since Browning-Ferris had not made a timely Fourteenth Amendment claim (who knew that was the hook the Supremes would hang their hat on?), the Supreme Court expressly reserved ruling on the due process argument. In fact, Justices Brennan and Marshall hinted strongly that they thought this kind of punitive award did violate due process. But these Justices would soon leave the court. Subsequent to the Browning Ferris decision, several states modified their statutes to provide that a certain percentage of punitive damages (up to 60% in some instances, notably in Oregon, home of Philip Morris v Williams, according to a recent Washington Post report) must henceforth be payable to the state government, not to the plaintiffs. Gee, sort of undercuts the majority's view in Browning Ferris that punitives cannot be paid to the state, so cannot be fines, doesn't it? This makes the state an explicit accomplice in the increasing acceleration of punitive awards, and puts the lie to the claim that punitives are not fines. This set the stage for act 2 of the Supremes' Punitives Saga: Pacific Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Haslip. Lemmie Ruffin (I am not making that name up) was an insurance agent. He worked for a lot of insurance companies, including Pacific Mutual Life. As a Pacific Mutual agent, Lemmie sold �major medical� health insurance policies to a group of female civic employees in Alabama. They paid monthly premiums to Lemmie, and he was to forward these premiums to the company. The employees thought they had health insurance. In reality, Lemmie stopped sending money to Pacific Mutual Life, and kept the money for himself. So the insurance company gave Lemmie warning letters to give to the women (to pay their overdue premiums or have their policies cancelled) � of course Lemmie never transmitted those letters, he just kept deceiving the insurance company and the employees. Finally the women�s policies lapsed, and when one got very sick, she found she was not covered anymore. Needless to say, she sued Pacific Mutual Insurance for its �bad faith.� An Alabama jury found bad faith and inadequate supervision of Lemmie by the (out-of-state�) insurance company. The jury held that Pacific Mutual Life had to pay Ms. Haslip $230,000 to cover her hospital bills. But Ms. Haslip was not yet done with Pacific Mutual � she asked for punitive damages. Alabama�s punitive damages scheme gave a jury virtually complete discretion: it merely required a jury to make two distinct decisions: (1) whether or not to impose punitive damages against the defendant, and (2) if so, in what amount. It provided no standard for decision (1), and no method of calculation for decision (2). On the threshold question of whether to impose punitive damages, the trial court instructed the jury as follows: �Imposition of punitive damages is entirely discretionary with the jury, that means you don�t have to award it unless this jury feels that you should do so.� There was, in my opinion, absolutely no law here. Can there be "due process of law" when there is NO law? Do you agree on this theoretical point, David? The jury condemned Pacific Mutual to $1 million in punitives. The company appealed all the way to the US Supreme Court, on the grounds that it was deprived of due process by the standardless discretion invested in the hometown jury, and by the huge amount of punitives when clearly the company had had no malice whatsoever � it was just as tricked by Lemmie Ruffin as the plaintiff had been. Pacific Mutual lost its appeal, 7-1. Again only Justice O�Connor dissented. The due process claim that everyone had thought so promising after the Browning Ferris case flubbed, as the two Justices who had espoused it had left the court. The Alabama jury instruction was deemed precise enough (!) that the jury would have legal guidance about what to do. The punitive award of 4 times compensatory damages was not so exorbitant as to violate due process standards, said the majority. They did say it was �close to the line,� however. This is utterly unprincipled, sez me -- rejecting the sound "no law" argument while intimating that higher damages might somehow violate Due Process. After the rejection of the Excessive Fines rationale in Browning Ferris, Haslip represents a further slide into unintelligibilty as regards punitives. But the darkest hour had not yet been reached. It would come, in 1993. That is act 3, TXO Production Corp. v. Alliance Resources Corp. TXO and Alliance were engaged in a complex series of negotiations so that TXO could get oil and gas rights to land owned by Alliance. They were bickering back and forth over what royalty rate would be paid to Alliance. During these negotiations, a third party claimed that it owned the rights to Alliance�s land by virtue of an obscure deed. TXO expressed concern that any title it might get to the oil and gas rights was vulnerable; because of this it asked for a reduction in its royalty rate to cover itself from possible claims by this third party. After more complex and ambiguous declarations on both sides, TXO claimed that a deal had been reached, but Alliance denied it. TXO sought a declaratory judgment from the West Virginia Circuit Court that, through all these negotiations, it had finally acquired resource rights over the land. Alliance defended against this claim, and countersued for what Alliance called �slander of title,� (an old English tort that had never once been recognized in West Virginia�s entire history), asserting that TXO was falsely diminishing public belief that Alliance had full property rights. At bottom, this suit was little more than an episode in rather hardball contractual dispute about royalty rates. That is, until the West Virginia courts got through with it. The trial judge rejected TXO�s claim that a deal had been reached. The judge let a jury decide whether Alliance�s title had been slandered. The jury accepted Alliance�s slander of title suit, and condemned TXO to pay $19,000 to Alliance for damages, which represented its lawyer�s costs in defending against the declaratory suit by TXO. Alliance had no other losses. So far, so good, I guess � the case was a close call in a hardball contracts dispute. I have not mentioned that Alliance was a local West Virginia company, while TXO was a fully-owned subsidiary of U.S. Steel. That explains, perhaps, why the jury also condemned TXO to ten million dollars in punitive damages, or 526 times the compensatory award. TXO appealed, and had great confidence in the appeal. Recall that in Haslip punitives were �only� 4 times compensatories and the court said that was �close to the line.� Moreover, West Virginia�s instructions to the jury on punitives were so totally devoid of standards as to make a mockery of the Supreme Court�s pious command to the states in Haslip to henceforth guide the jury with some precision. Here was the standard as stated by the West Virginia Supreme Court, when it heard the TXO appeal: we know we are now compelled by the United States Supreme Court to set punitive damages standards if our decision is to pass constitutional scrutiny, so we hereby distinguish between the �really mean� defendant and the �really stupid� defendant. For the really stupid defendant, punitives can be 10 times compensatories. For the really mean defendant, punitives can be 500 times compensatories. Since this defendant �failed to conduct [itself] as a gentleman�, the �really mean� standard applies, and 526 times punitives is close enough to 500, so we uphold the award. [pause to allow readers to gasp] The Supreme Court affirmed the West Virginia Supreme Court, 6-3, saying that its standard passed constitutional scrutiny. Justices White and Souter joined Justice O�Connor in dissent this time. On the one hand, O�Connor was no longer alone in thinking that there were some punitive damage awards that could not pass constitutional muster. On the other hand, this case looked like MOPA (the mother of all punitive awards), and if six Justices found it constitutional, one wondered what could possibly fail to pass muster. Again, in my opinion, the WV court called the Supremes on their incoherent Haslip jurisprudence. Tomorrow I will deal with Gore and Campbell, wherein the Supremes seemed to decide to rescue tort law from the abyss perhaps approached through its poor Browning Ferris and Haslip jurisprudence. Where has this left us? Are there any disagreements between David and me? Perhaps we disagree about whether "condemn the defendant to any amount you please" satisfies Due Process of Law requirements? And as David suggested, we may disagree (though David's jury seems still out on this onw) about the Excessive fines issue. But we surely agree that by TXO the Supremes were in it up to here... Haslip: Lemmie Ruffin. The excessive fines issue: Lemmie See. The Due Process analysis by the majority in Haslip: Lemme Attem! But first, let me clarify a side-issue that keeps coming up: the out-of-state impact of punitive damages. I and all MI fans, I'm sure, are convinced by Walter Olson's argument that the interstate impact of punitive damages creates an interstate commerce issue without coming anywhere close to the Wickard frontier, and therefore, Congress can enact tort reform under the Intersate Commerce Clause. Whether out-of-state impact is relevant to a Due Process analysis of punitive damags, I'm not so sure. The constitutional remedy that tort reformers need may better be found in the "negative commerce power" doctrine, or for those who share Scalia's scepticism about the negative commerce doctrine, then perhaps in Article IV privileges and immunities. Michael's frequent references to out-of-state defendants being turned over and shaken for loose change by state courts suggest that those courts are engaging in a sort of protectionism that would be clearly unconstitutional if done by a state legislature. This should be further explored. (Btw, what prevents defendants in such cases from removing to federal court on diversity grounds? Perhaps because of Erie the advantage of doing so is limited, but at least they might get less biased jury instructions.) OK now, about the Haslip instruction and verdict. Michael says: "There was, in my opinion, absolutely no law here. Can there be "due process of law" when there is NO law? Do you agree on this theoretical point, David?" I want to, but: the presence of discretion, w/o more, is not lawlessness. Prosecutors have discretion in bringing cases; federal administrative agencies (sometimes) get Chevron deference; the Supreme Court insists (perhaps wrongly) that no unconstutional delegation of lawmaking power has occurred when Congress gives agencies no guidance more specific than "fairness," or when it tells EPA to give us clean air but allows that to mean (re particulate matter) "anything from zero to the London Killer Fog," as Doug Ginsburg memorably put it. How this applies to punitive damages, and to instructions about them, depends on the state of the law in 1868. Scalia, in his Haslip concurrence (which rejects the majority's reasoning as solidly as Michael does), concedes that punitive damages had their vigorous critics. One notices, moreover, that many of the criticisms Scalia cites are similar to the one Michael makes: that punitive damages belong in the criminal justice system (public ordering) and not in the tort system (private ordering). But he also concludes (and I know nothing to the contrary -- perhaps Michael does) that these critics lost: they were in the minority. "In 1868, therefore, when the Fourteenth Amendment was adopted, punitive damages were undoubtedly an established part of the American common law of torts. It is just as clear that no particular procedures were deemed necessary to circumscribe a jury's discretion regarding the award of such damages, or their amount." So, back to the question: can there be "due process of law" when there is NO law?" But there was a trial, a judge, a jury, and an appeals process. So I can't agree that there was NO law (as distinct from BAD law, which there assuredly was). Due process of law entitles defendants to those PROCEDURES that are part of the law of the land, and Pacific Mutual got those. Scalia's critique of the majority opinion in Haslip parallels Michaels: the Court decides only "that Alabama's particular procedures (at least as applied here) are not so 'unreasonable' as to 'cross the line into the area of constitutional impropriety[.]' This jury-like verdict provides no guidance as to whether any other procedures are sufficiently 'reasonable,' and thus perpetuates the uncertainty that our grant of certiorari in this case was intended to resolve." The Court is being coy with millions of dollars and incalculable downstream economic effects at stake. It flutters its eyelids in Haslip over SOME punitive damages being perhaps too much for Due Process. But then the TXO decision comes along and says, nope, 526 x compenatories still doesn't get you to the limit. It's like the pre-Smith Free Exercise regime: your religiously motivated conduct is protected by the compelling state interest test -- and when we find a state interest that isn't compelling, we'll let you know. Same here with punitive damages: supposedly there's a Due Process limit; somewhere over the rainbow.... I'd say these cases ask the wrong question: How much is too much? To an opponent of substantive due process, the only question is: What part of no don't you understand? Let me suggest some ways to break the impasse. As Michael has noticed, I for one may be willing to buy the doctrine of the Browning-Ferris dissent. As a medievalist (which I was before I took up law), the appeal of a Magna-Carta-based opinion is undeniable; and when you have a clause (excessive fines) that can be dated back earlier than the tort-crime division, simply announcing the tort-crime division may not be an adequate answer. But I have another suggestion to make: the Scalia view in Haslip and TXO is heavily grounded in history: "text and tradition." But earlier in this thread, Michael pointed to the historically anomalous nature of modern punitive awards. Could a case be made that there is a principled distinction, and not just a distinction of degree, between the punitive damages that were part of American tort law in 1868, and the kind that debuted only in the 1980s? If it's only a distinction of degree, Scalia won't buy, as his Haslip concurrence shows. But perhaps it's a distinction of kind...? Of course, whether Scalia buys may be irrelevant if a solid majority of the Court now believes there are Due Process limits (w/o regard to the Eighth Amendment) on punitive damages. But a principled answer to "how much is too much" would be desirable for its own sake, and for predictability in tort law. In this, my closing comment, I first pay tribute to David. I think he HAS identified a Due Process claim on originalist grounds (since, as he almost concedes, modern punitives are qualitatively different from the symbolic damages of yore; and "bet the company" damages based on jury whim is standardless and lawless). Diversity jurisdiction is easy to defeat (just sue the local retailer), so that out doesn't exist. So Due Process is available, though not for the reasons given in the cases dealt with in my last comment. Let's see if the Court did any better Post-TXO. That case was perhaps the Supremes' darkest hour concerning punitives. The dam broke in Gore. But did it break in a good way? BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore Mr. Gore purchased a new BMW from an authorized Alabama dealer. He loved his car. But when he took it in for service, he was informed by one of the mechanics that a panel of the car had been repainted. It turned out the car had been scratched during boat transport from Germany. BMW had followed a nationwide policy of repairing predelivery paint chips and scratches to new cars, so long as the cost of repair did not exceed 3% of the car�s suggested retail price. [If repairs cost over 3% of the value of the car, it was removed from new vehicle inventory and given to the sales team to use as a demonstrator, then sold at auction.] This particular paint job cost way under the 3% limit, and it was also under the Alabama consumer protection limit, as that law had always been understood. So BMW shipped the car to its Alabama dealer, who sold it new. Gore brought this suit for compensatory and punitive damages against BMW, alleging, inter alia, that his car had a lower resale value because of the repainted part; he considered himself a victim of the tort of fraud. Again, local plaintiff, out-of-state defendant. The jury returned a verdict finding BMW liable for compensatory damages of $4,000, the alleged difference in resale value between a �concourse� car and one that had a repainted panel [But wait -- did BMW sell the car for "concourse" purposes? Sigh...] . The jury also assessed $4 million in punitive damages, on the grounds that BMW had likely repainted 1000 cars over the years and should pay $4K for each. Alabama appellate courts reduced the punitive award to $2 million, which they decided was not �grossly excessive� under TXO, because that amount constituted a mere 500 times compensatories (less than the 526 multiple that passed muster in TXO). A bare majority of the court had had enough. By a 5-4 margin (Stevens, O�Connor, Souter, Breyer, and Kennedy) the court held that a combination of the lack of real wrongdoing by BMW, the lack of notice that any punitive award was possible or even that BMW's practice was illegal in Alabama, the jury's consideration of non-Alabama touch-ups which were surely not violations of Alabama law, and the huge discrepancy between compensatories and punitives all combined to make this award unconstitutional. The court didn�t give any boundaries as to what would be a maximum limit, but said this case was beyond that limit. Three dissenters, Chief Justice Rehnquist, Justices Thomas and Ginsburg, essentially held that the federal constitution did not place any limits on states in determining punitives. Justice Scalia denied that due process could ever affect damages, in federal or state court. Hmmm... it's unconstitutional, we don't know exactly why, it's a "multi-factor test", but this one is beyond the pale. Unless punitives are like obscenity (as opposed to saying "unless punitives are obscene), this decision appears rather lawless. State Farm Insurance v. Campbell (Utah 2003) In 1981, Curtis Campbell was driving with his wife in Cache County, Utah. He decided to pass, all at once, six vans traveling ahead of him on a two-lane highway. Todd Ospital was driving a small car approaching from the opposite direction, at a speed in excess of the speed limit. Campbell did not have enough space to pass all six vans. He was headed right toward Ospital. To avoid a head-on collision with Campbell, Ospital swerved onto the shoulder, lost control of his automobile which came back onto the road, and collided with a vehicle driven by Robert G. Slusher. Ospital was killed, and Slusher was rendered permanently disabled. The Campbells escaped unscathed; in fact, they never even collided with anyone � they got back in their lane safe and sound just in the nick of time thanks to Ospital�s sacrificial decision to leave the road. In the ensuing tort suits against Campbell by Ospital�s estate and by Slusher, Campbell insisted he was not at fault since he never collided with anyone (!) and since Ospital was speeding. Campbell�s insurance company, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company (State Farm), decided to contest liability and declined offers by Slusher and Ospital to settle their suits for the measley policy coverage limit of $50,000 (i.e., $25,000 per plaintiff). State Farm also ignored the advice of one of its own investigators and took the case to trial, assuring the Campbells that �their assets were safe, that they had no liability for the accident, that [State Farm] would represent their interests.� To the contrary, a jury determined that Campbell was 100 percent at fault, and a judgment was returned for $185,849, way more than the amount of Campbell�s coverage. At first State Farm refused to cover the $135,849 in excess liability (recall that Campbell had purchased only $50,000 of coverage). State Farm�s lawyer told the Campbells, �You may want to put for sale signs on your property to get things moving.� Nor was State Farm willing to post the required bond to allow Campbell to appeal. Campbell thus hired his own lawyer to appeal the verdict. While this appeal was pending, in late 1984, Slusher and Ospital's estate contacted Campbell. The three reached an agreementwhereby Slusher and the estate agreed not to execute their judgment against the Campbells� property. In exchange the Campbells agreed to pursue a bad faith tort suit against State Farm and to be represented by Slusher�s and Ospital�s attorneys. The Campbells also agreed that Slusher and Ospital would have a right to play a part in all major decisions concerning the bad faith suit. No settlement between Campbell and State Farm could be concluded without Slusher�s and Ospital�s approval, and Slusher and Ospital would receive 90 percent of any verdict Campbell obtained against State Farm. In some jurisdictions this might be seen as a fraud on the court. In 1989, the Utah Supreme Court denied Campbell�s appeal. State Farm then decided to pay the entire $185 thousand. There were now NO pecuniary damages suffered by the Campbells. The Campbells nonetheless filed (as they had promised the Slushers and the Ospital estate they would) a complaint against State Farm alleging the torts of fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The trial court initially granted State Farm�s motion to dismiss that suit because State Farm for lack of damages, but that ruling was reversed on appeal. Now State Farm had to defend itself. In the first phase the jury determined that State Farm�s decision not to settle for $50,000 was unreasonable. The second phase of the trial would determine damages. Remember that there were NO pecuniary damages (because State Farm had paid all the excess award). There was arguably emotional distress during the short period when the Campbells thought they were going to lose their home. Emotional distress, however, is not usually recoverable unless it was intentionally inflicted, and no one can seriously claim that State Farm is a sadistic company bent on inflicting emotional distress on its clientele. State Farm argued during phase II of the trial that its decision to take the case to trial was, in retrospect, an �honest mistake,� and that it certainly did not warrant punitive damages. The Campbells introduced evidence that State Farm�s decision to take the case to trial was a result of a national scheme to meet corporate fiscal goals (read, O HORROR, TO MAXIMIZE PROFITS) by capping payouts on claims. Just before the second phase of the trial the Supreme Court decided Gore. Based on that decision, State Farm moved for the exclusion of evidence of all out-of-state conduct. The trial court denied State Farm�s motion. The jury then, amazingly, found $2.6 million dollars in emotional distress for the Campbells, who (to repeat) had not lost one cent. Likely the jury knew that 90% ($2,340,000) of this amount was going to the Slusher and Ospital families, and it wanted to give $260,000 to the Campbells � but this would be totally illegal if done explicitly, because the other two families had settled their suit and had no cause of action against State Farm. In addition the jury awarded $145 million in punitives, to punish State Farm for its aggressive practices throughout the country. The trial court reduced the compensatories to $1 million and the punitives to �only� $25 million, under the TXO �really mean� standard. The Utah Supreme Court then reinstated the original $145 million punitives award. State Farm appealed to the Supreme Court. This time the decision was 6-3. Chief Justice Rehnquist abandoned his previous position and joined the majority, leaving Justices Scalia, Thomas, and Ginsburg alone in dissent. The majority this time tried to provide an indication that certain trial court activity would no longer be tolerated: -Don�t ever again use legal out-of-state behavior to calculate punitive damages. Out-of-state behavior can be invoked to establish a pattern of bad faith or maliciousness, but in that case it has to be the same behavior as the behavior being impugned; -Don�t ever give more than nine times compensatories as punitive damages, the court said, unless there is a �particularly egregious act that has resulted in only a small amount of economic damages.� -Moreover, in cases like this one, where the compensatory damages adjudged by the jury are extremely generous, do not let punitives exceed compensatories. Philip Morris v Williams [Oregon 2007] As is now well known, Justice Breyer (writing for four others) held that the Due Process Clause does not permit a jury to award punitive damages for harm caused to individuals other than the plaintiff, even in a case of egregious conduct (fraud -- yet see my very first comment in this series -- if you believe there was fraud I have that bridge for sale...). Yet in Gore the Supremes had apparently allowed a jury to award punitive damages for harm caused to individuals other than the plaintiff (so long as the other individuals were in-state). Without this rule, the Court held, defendants would be subjected to a �standardless� damages determination, without fair notice of the punishment to be imposed, and without the opportunity to fully refute the alleged harm to nonparties. But why were the Supremes suddenly concerned about "standardless" interpretation -- this issue had not troubled them in Haslip, TXO and maybe even Gore. Harm to others would be allowed in evidence to ALLOW FOR punitives, but not to CALCULATE punitives. How would the court know that the jury had danced this delicate dance correctly? We just don't know, the Supremes never tell us. Coyly Justice Breyer at one point lets slip that if the punitives were LOWER, we might know that juries were correctly instructed and followed their instructions. But clearly there was no majority to cap punitives once and for all -- Courts will now have to craft jury instructions on this issue. We can look forward to years of litigation and circuit splits trying to sort out what the Court hath wrought. And so we come to the end of a very rocky and unsettled road. The Supremes have no coherent view of punitive damages. Justice Stevens seemed to admit as much when he harkened for the good ol' days of Excessive Fines (recall that Oregon takes 60% of Williams' booty). This is a mess, a royal mess, and we're in for much more to come. Stay tuned folks, and thanks for reading this far. James R. Copland Anyone who's been following the news cycle even casually has heard about Harvard Law professor and U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren's ill-documented claims of (trace) Native American ancestry. Harvard faculty, including Reagan solicitor general Charles Fried, have been quick to claim that Warren's appointment was based on her academic and teaching credentials, rather than to further faculty "diversity"--a claim that at least on the surface seems to undercut the legitimacy of diversity hirings in the first instance. As someone who was a student and active campus participant at elite academic institutions in the 1990s, I saw first-hand the significant pressure placed on administrators by students eager to diversify faculties that were overwhelmingly white and male (a composition one would expect in that era for bodies of lifetime-appointed professors). At the University of North Carolina, a key rallying cry for campus activists in the early 90s--and a regular agenda item on the student advisory committee to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, on which I served--was the call for a "Native American faculty member." Any member, in any discipline, with essentially any record. At Yale Law School, which sponsored a free-speech wall in which students could voice their signed opinions in the days before blogs, Internet message boards, and social media, certain students grabbed a significant portion of the available space by blowing up the profile pictures of the entire faculty to emphasize its whiteness and maleness. (My bold red counter-poster, "diversity is more than skin deep," asked how many of the faculty were registered Republicans, Evangelical Christians or Latin-Mass Catholics, or the like? It proved provocative, though it did highlight the "dirty little secret" of the true agenda of those calling for diversity.) As vigorous as the student protesters were at my own alma maters, they had nothing on the student protesters at Harvard Law School around the time Elizabeth Warren was offered tenure, who stormed the dean's office and won a seat at the table with the faculty appointments committee. To discuss the issue of faculty diversity, particularly as it relates to law schools, we're thrilled to welcome back our founding editor, my friend and former colleague Walter K. Olson. Since leaving MI for the Cato Institute in 2010, Walter has released his fourth book, Schools for Misrule: Legal Academia and an Overlawyered America, which as its title suggests makes him eminently qualified to opine on this subject. In addition to Olson, we are excited to welcome the Competitive Enterprise Institute's Hans Bader, where he serves as senior attorney and counsel for special projects. Hans was formerly a senior counsel with the Center for Individual Rights, which has led many of the legal challenges to government affirmative-action programs. Opposite Olson and Bader, we are happy to welcome Texas Law professor Gerald Torres, a former president of the Association of American Law Schools and a leading proponent of Critical Race Theory. Among Professor Torres's many writings about race and diversity is his 2002 book, co-authored with Lani Guinier, The Miner's Canary: Enlisting Race, Resisting Power, Transforming Democracy. We hope you will visit back over the ensuing days to see what our distinguished participants have to say, in what promises to be a fascinating discussion. Walter K. Olson Little-known fact: Harvard lawprof Elizabeth Warren once gave a speech to a Manhattan Institute luncheon crowd on the topic of asbestos bankruptcy trusts. As I recall, she gave a deft account of this abstruse but important subject, and I much doubt it would have improved anything had the Institute asked her to address the topic from the special vantage point of a female scholar. Much less did anyone imagine that Warren might bring some special insight to bear from her family tradition of remote Cherokee lineage, which has lately furnished so much grist for critics. For many readers, the Warren-as-Cherokee brouhaha has been their first close look at the matrix of identity politics in which law schools operate. When HLS administrators began to claim Warren as a minority hire, they were under intense pressure for not having any female minority professors. These days, the relevant pressure is likely to take the form not so much of student occupiers but of relentlessly screw-turning accreditation agencies, a process well described by Gail Heriot. Is this a mere identity spoils system, or does it amount to something nobler and more high-minded? The strong claim I want to focus on here is that diversity hiring improves the quality of scholarship in the traditional law curriculum by bringing distinctive minority insights that straight white Anglo abled males would not or could not have contributed. (I will leave for another post the question of how it might influence scholarly development on topics that do relate to identity, such as discrimination law.) There's no definitive way to resolve this claim, I suppose, without agreeing on how to evaluate the now-vast literature advancing (e.g.) feminist approaches to torts, the "queering" of intellectual property law, and so on. I can only say that I must not be reading the right papers in this genre, because the papers I've read haven't impressed me. Given that criticizing identity-studies literature seems to be a good way to get fired from one's writing gig, I'd better stop there. To me, time has vindicated the basic position staked out by Stephen Carter of Yale in his Reflections of an Affirmative Action Baby. Carter writes of the "Dear Minority Colleague" letters presuming he holds correct views on various topics, and the resentment aimed at minority faculty like himself who choose to specialize in scholarly topics having little or nothing to do with identity. Twenty years later it remains true that many of the minority lawprofs to have made the biggest impact on the outside world have been those who've largely avoided identity themes in their intellectual work, such as Carter himself and Stanford's William Gould, to whose number might be added Elizabeth Warren (to the extent she counts as minority) and Chicago's Barack Obama. As I put it in reviewing Carter's book: "It doesn't take a white or a black mind to explode a fallacy: it takes a mind." Professor Gerald Torres There are many claims in Walter Olson's brief post, some empirical, some not, most simply unexceptional. Let's agree that the dust up around Professor Warren has to be understood in the context of a partisan political contest for the US Senate and a bureaucratic choice by one law school or another. So, for purposes of the discussion about diversity in the workplace it is a non-issue. Let's also agree that the faculty members of color in American law schools are scarcely of one mind on any subject except perhaps the idea that having a more diverse academy is good for the academy and the profession. Even on this one there is probably little agreement about what the exact contours of diversity entail. Nonetheless, the question of whether having a diverse faculty and a diverse student body is a net good might revolve around any number of poles really, but certainly at least two. Those two poles are central to the mission of law schools and they are whether such diversity is better for training lawyers and whether it improves the quality of legal scholarship. Again, the answers to these questions are empirical and I think it is clear that where the empirical investigation is undertaken (and unfortunately here the bulk of the evidence comes from the business school and business literature), it tends to point in the direction of supporting diverse learning environments. Why would this be true? Scott E. Page, a professor of complex systems at the University of Michigan, suggests a number of compelling reasons for maintaining a diverse learning environment. When looking at the ways groups solve problems Professor Page noticed something we all intuitively understand: if you approach a problem with a wide variety of tools the chances of achieving an optimal solution are increased. When people with diverse perspectives work together and capitalize on their individual expertise, they are more likely to produce innovative solutions to complex problem than do lone thinkers. The key to Professor Page's analysis is what he calls toolbox diversity. Without suggesting that race or ethnicity is a way to predict in advance how any particular person might think, it is not a stretch at all to think that how someone grows up might affect how he or she approaches problems. Thus taking those facts into account as you construct a group will help produce a richer problem solving, learning and teaching environment. For example, growing up Indian on a reservation might give you a different perspective on the meaning of sovereignty than growing up in Washington, D.C. or growing up in one of the fifty states or Puerto Rico. Consider another example paraphrased from Scott Page: if you can only hire two people and three people apply and you give them all a test in which John gets seven of ten questions right, and Ryan gets six of the ten questions right and Jamal gets five of the ten questions right, you might not want merely to rely on the number of questions the applicants got right. If, for example, Jamal got the three questions right that John got wrong, it might make more sense to hire John and Jamal, even though Jamal got the fewest answers correct than it would be to hire John and Ryan if those two missed the same questions. By hiring John and Jamal you have increased the tool box diversity of your group. This improves the likelihood that your group will be able to solve the problem confronting them as well as to solve a greater range of problems. Elizabeth Warren's campaign claimed she was 1/32 Cherokee, although the documentary evidence cited for this claim turned out to be non-existent. Ironically, Warren is descended from a militiaman who helped round up the Cherokee in the notorious trail of tears, in which perhaps 1/3 of the Cherokee died in one of the most infamous episodes of ethnic cleansing in American history. People on the law-school hiring committees that selected Warren unsurprisingly claim they didn't take her race into account, only her qualifications. But they would say that even if it weren't true. Like the character in Casablanca who claimed to be shocked to find gambling in a casino, race-conscious hiring officials invariably claim they didn't consider race when they hired a particular colleague. It's legally risky to admit discriminating. It also devalues the credentials of the beneficiary of the discrimination. Admitting you hired a colleague based on her race would be viewed as rude, insulting, and stigmatizing. But for some reason, many journalists and bloggers are taking at face value claims by a couple members of law school hiring committees that law professor Elizabeth Warren's purported Native American ancestry played no role in their decision to hire her. After earlier denying that she ever claimed to be Native American in professional circles, Warren has now admitted doing so, supposedly just to "make friends," a claim that a law professor at Cornell says doesn't "add up." Warren's only basis for claiming to be Native American was a great-great-great grandmother, which would have made her at most 1/32 Native American (assuming that ancestor had been a full-blooded Indian). Claiming Native American ancestry based on such a thin reed is absurd. I have reviewed thousands of college applications and admissions decisions, and never saw a candidate get a plus in admissions based on so little Native American ancestry, especially one with Warren's lack of cultural ties to any tribe (unless you count her bogus "Native-American" crab recipes that were apparently plagiarized from a French restaurant in Manhattan). Moreover, the press routinely characterizes people with far more non-white ancestry than Warren as white. Warren did not "tell the truth," says the University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato "It's pretty obvious she was using (the minority listing) for career advancement." Paul Bedard of the Washington Examiner has argued that Warren's race was likely a factor in her hiring at Harvard, since no one with her non-prestigious alma mater in fact ended up at a place like Harvard. Harvard Law School was under heavy pressure to hire women and minorities at the time that Warren was hired, as I described earlier. As law professor Ann Althouse observes, "Harvard was under a lot of pressure at that time to do something about the lack of racial diversity on the faculty, and I'm skeptical of the claim that Warren's minority status never came up during the hiring process." While a few members of these hiring committees may not have taken her purported race into account, most probably did, given the pervasive presence of affirmative action in law school hiring (as I noted earlier, one law school had large preferences for Native American applicants), and the demand by law school accreditors that law schools engage in affirmative action. But if they are smart, hiring committee members won't publicly admit it, because of the legally unsettled nature of how much you can use race in hiring to promote "diversity." Unlike using race in admissions (which the Supreme Court has blessed, to a certain extent, in its University of Michigan decisions, which upheld a law school's affirmative action policy, but struck down the undergraduate affirmative action policy at the very same university for using race too heavily), using race in hiring to promote diversity is still a legal gray area. Civil-rights agencies favor using race, and the American Bar Association pressures schools to use race, but two federal appeals courts have rejected it. At the same time, however, if school officials publicly admit they used race in hiring, that could trigger a reverse discrimination lawsuit by whites. A school board that used race as a tie-breaker in layoffs, resulting in the layoff of a white teacher,was found guilty of racial discrimination in Taxman v. Board of Education of Piscataway Township, 91 F.3d 1547 (3d Cir. 1996). For people involved in law school hiring to admit Elizabeth Warren's race was a factor in her hiring could expose them to liability for reverse discrimination (including personal liability, under 42 U.S.C. 1981, which allows not just institutions, but individual college decision makers to be held liable for damages, and which my former employer, the Center for Individual Rights, once used to sue individual school officials for reverse discrimination. Sad to say, the safest path for some college hiring committee members in liberal areas of the country is to consider race in hiring, but lie about it. Using race appeases liberal civil-rights bureaucrats and law-school accreditors, but not admitting it effectively prevents lawsuits by critics of affirmative action like the Center for Individual Rights (CIR), which lack the resources to sue over anything but the most blatant and obvious forms of reverse discrimination. Although there are many civil-rights agencies and liberal interest groups that favor affirmative action, there are only a small number of entities like CIR that sue over affirmative action In our different ways, Prof. Torres and I both aim to advance diversity -- in my case, diversity between institutions. If universities were made genuinely autonomous tomorrow, I expect some would extend systematic preferences to minorities, others none at all. Some (as with Hastings in the old days) would develop a specialty in older faculty hires, others the young and inexpensive, and so forth. The resulting competitive institutional ecology might help test some of the business-school and HR theories about whether a specific kind of demographic diversity is uniquely suited to collegial achievement in scholarship (I suspect it isn't, since some great intellectual institutions over the centuries have been hyper-diverse, others hyper-un-diverse, and many in between.) At the same time, were competing approaches to diversity permitted, newcomers would be more likely to find an institution that suits their own desired experience: some would seek a pledge that advancement would be race- and sex-blind, others an assurance of encountering colleagues from backgrounds very different from their own. Of course that's not the world we live in. In our actual world, all law schools must conform to a prescribed format. Accreditation officials will haul up any institution that tries to be race-blind, and HLS will scramble to claim hiring credit for Prof. Warren's vague family lore of Cherokee ancestry. Should outsiders care? One reason to care might be if the prevalence of identity politics tends to reinforce the problem (assuming it is a problem) of ideological imbalance in the legal academy. In Schools for Misrule I conclude that it does, though only as one of many contributing factors. One clue is that the ideological tilt varies so much from field to field. As Prof. Leiter's citation rankings confirm, there is much closer to a left-right balance (or, alternatively, a lack of strong political identification) in such fields as tax, business law, inheritance, and intellectual property. The closer one approaches to the identity-politics minefields, the stronger the liberal-to-Left dominance: in a field like employment discrimination law, setting aside one book by Richard Epstein, there is far less visible a bench of "defense-oriented" writers than there is in torts or antitrust. Are any rising academics doing work on disabled rights or Indian law that's systematically skeptical of expansive ADA interpretations or tribal powers? I hope Prof. Torres can name them, because I can't. To be sure, a fair number of legal academics do write in opposition to the claims of feminism and gay rights. But since most of them are clustered at institutions like Brigham Young, Notre Dame, and Regent, I'd call that an exception that tends to confirm the pattern: religion has successfully managed to stake out its own identity-politics turf. I'm not one to join the doomsayers. My book argues that identity politics in the law schools has tended to loosen its grip over the past decade or two, and that over the same period schools have opened themselves to more diversity of viewpoint. I hope that trend continues. First, I would like to thank Mr. Olson for making my point. Without his response I would not have seen how he fundamentally misunderstood the point I was making. This is evident in his second paragraph where he responds to an argument I didn't make or assumes that I share views in common with people with whom he has disagreed in the past. Without this diversity of viewpoints I would not have understood this. Moreover, it suggests a line of conversation that might enlighten us both. Here I am imagining a discussion informed by the work of Professor Banaji on implicit bias, for example. Second, as to the claims Mr. Olson makes in his first paragraph I can only conclude that he is unfamiliar with the experimental and cognitive psychology studies that would provide the data he is seeking. He needs but to look. I would recommend the work of Professor Sommers on juries, Professor Loyd and Phillips on the impacts of diversity on group process and information sharing, or the work of Professor Claude Steele as well as the previously referenced work by Professor Page. There is a great deal of research being done right now. It is useful and instructive even if not completely dispositive. FEATURED DISCUSSION ARCHIVE: Obamacare Decision: Reactions, July 2012 Law School Faculty Diversity, May-June 2012 Class Actions, May 2012 Constitutionality of Individual Mandate, March 2012 Human Rights and International Law, February-March 2012 The constitutionality of President Obama's recess appointments, January 2012 Do caps on medical malpractice damages hurt consumers?, December 2011 Trial Lawyers Inc.: State Attorneys General, October 2011 Wal-Mart v. Dukes, April 2011 Kagan Supreme Court nomination, May-June 2010 Election roundtable, November-December 2006 Who's the boss, September 2006 Medical judgement, July 2006 Lawyer Licensing, May 2006 Contingent claims, April 2006 Smoking guns, July 2004 Center for Legal Policy at the
Often students who seek a degree in Spanish combine it with another degree program, such as international business or education. However, a Spanish degree does not have to be combined with another degree to lead to a good career. According to the 2010 census, people of Hispanic origin make up the largest ethnic minority in the United States and many are more comfortable speaking Spanish. While a Spanish major can combine a bachelor's degree in Spanish with a teacher certification program to become a Spanish teacher, teaching in a classroom is not the only education-based option. School districts with large populations of Hispanic students often hire translators and liaisons to work with parents, translate documents and help them gain a better understanding of the Hispanic culture. If you like the idea of helping students learn Spanish, you can work online as a tutor or use your understanding of the Spanish language to help those who already speak Spanish learn English as a tutor. In the business world, you may find work as a translator for businesses who work with Spanish-speaking countries or who are trying to build a relationship with the Hispanic community. This work may involve planning events or creating sales pitches that relate to Spanish culture, editing or translating documents in Spanish or simply translating a business meeting. An advertising agency may hire you to help with ad campaigns that have a Spanish component to help avoid cultural misunderstandings or gaffes in translation. The publishing industry is full of publications written in Spanish. Many major magazines and newspapers have Spanish versions that require new or re-focused articles. Websites and online publishers designed for an Hispanic audience also regularly seek writers. In addition to writing for a publication, you may work as an editor for these publications or for a translated work, verifying the accuracy of the translation and looking for areas where the original English did not translate well. You may find work in other areas of publishing as well. For example, you might write subtitles for movies or translate literature into Spanish. In order to make themselves accessible to Spanish-speaking Americans, government organizations need people who speak Spanish and understand Hispanic culture. Government jobs for Spanish speakers include working as an interpreter to help Spanish-speaking Americans to receive benefits, navigate the legal system or simply communicate with a government agency. You may also be involved with translating agency forms and other documents into Spanish. Beyond helping Spanish-speaking Americans connect with government agencies, you may find yourself working at an embassy in a Spanish-speaking country, serving as CIA or FBI agent or working with other government departments that handle foreign affairs. Many non-profit agencies cater to the Hispanic community. Much of the work is the same as with businesses and non-profit agencies, working as an interpreter and translating documents for the agency. However, your knowledge and understanding of Hispanic culture will also come into play. Your job may be to find ways to raise awareness of the non-profit organization in the Hispanic community, or to gain the trust of community members, and knowing the language can be key in accomplishing this. Depending on the agency, you may also find yourself working in the role of an educator, leading ESL classes, summer camps and other activities designed to appeal to the Hispanic community. - Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
Something for God, he thinks. Impressing the young with his extraordinary tennis prowess and celebrity, you imagine, and at the same time suggesting they come along with him to the church to pray. Possibly, he speculates, in China. As he comes over in this unassuming book, Michael Chang is innocence personified. He wasn't a high achiever at school, and he accepts life and the world in ways that his smarter contemporaries might bridle at. Even money doesn't appear to bother him much, though that his winner's check for US$291,752 in Paris in 1989 more than doubled his career earnings isn't surprising for a 17 year-old. He just thanks God for all his blessings in his prayers every night, after he's prayed for his Mom and his family. He never asks God to let him win, though. God has his plans, knows what's best for him and for the world, and Michael doesn't presume to ask him to change them. Michael Chang is a distinctly American phenomenon. D.H. Lawrence, writing in Studies in Classic American Literature considered America a place of innocence, but an innocence the world needed to renew itself. Lawrence himself moved to New Mexico for just that input, just that inspiration. Europe was over-sophisticated and tired, he thought. New things wouldn't come from there. And Bible-reading Christianity is part of that American innocence. In France religious belief has long been associated with ultra-right wing politics. After cheering him following his victory over Lendl, his French fans turned to jeering when he attributed his victory to Jesus. In the last analysis, Chang reminds us that the usual stereotypes don't account for all people. The teenager who lobbed an underarm serve to Lendl at a crucial juncture, so unnerving him that he went on to lose the point, had no smart plan. "I never thought twice about it," he writes. "I just did it." Life, then, is a mystery -- or, if you prefer, a miracle. Michael Chang has an inner steadfastness, both as a tennis-player and as a man, that other people's incomprehension, and even hostility, can't even begin to shake.
Kuniyoshi’s Faithful Samurai prints make for fascinating history by Mike Gibson More than the rest of us, artists would seem to be well-served by their obsessions. In the case of illustrator Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), his borderline obsessive fascination with the popular legend of the Faithful Samurai served as fodder for an astounding, and an astoundingly beautiful, body of work—in all, he authored 12 print series and 20 triptychs depicting scenes and characters from that stirring chapter in Japanese history. Three of Kuniyoshi’s Faithful Samurai-inspired woodblock print series, as well as eight triptychs, are currently on display at the University of Tennessee’s Frank H. McClung Museum through Sept. 24. The museum is hosting a special program of activities related to the exhibit, including origami and demonstrations of Japanese swordsmanship, on Sunday, Aug. 27 from 2 to 4 p.m. The Faithful Samurai story is iconic in Japan, the subject of countless pieces of visual art, literature, and kabuki theater, including the classic 1749 play the Chushingura , from which Kuniyoshi drew both costumes and character names (all of which were changed due to government censorship). The legend has it that in 1701, Lord Asano of Takumi visited the Shogunate in Edo (Tokyo) for an official ceremony. During a rehearsal, Asano drew his sword on Kira of Kozuke, the Shogun’s master of ceremonies, in response to the latter’s repeated insults. A corrupt man, Kira apparently goaded Asano into action when Asano refused to offer him a bribe. But drawing one’s sword in the palace was illegal, and Asano was sentenced to commit seppuku—suicide through self-disemboweling—that very evening. His property was seized, and the 320 samurai in his employ were dispersed, cast adrift as masterless ronin. But more than a year later, 47 of the ronin reconvened and carried out their late master’s revenge. On a snowy evening in December of 1702, they stormed Kira’s household, dispensed with his retainers and cut off his head, which they then took to the temple where Asano was buried. There they awaited arrest, and there they were also buried, having been forced to commit seppuku in February of 1703, despite an outpouring of public sympathy. That Kuniyoshi himself was moved by the ronin’s loyalty and their act of righteous vengeance is plainly evidenced in these woodblock prints, created from his original, lovingly rendered illustrations. In repose, his ronin are possessed of an austere nobility, their grim sense of purpose plain even in smooth, lineless faces. When depicted in motion, they are dynamism itself, fierce, kinetic, yet clearly endowed with the fluid grace of trained samurai warriors. In one set of prints—Seichu gishin den, or “Stories of the faithful hearts and true loyalty”—Kuniyoshi’s admiration spills over to depictions of the ronin’s family members, many of whom endured hardships or even sacrificed their own lives to the cause. These illustrations are often integrated with Japanese text, in a way nods toward modern-day folks artists like Howard Finster, or the designers at Knoxville’s own Yee-Haw Industries. Kuniyoshi began his career as a textile dyer in his family’s business, and as such, his use of color is almost as striking as his illustration. His prints are rich and vibrant, but realistically so; his kabuki-inspired costumes are variegated, but tasteful, even chaste; his skies and rivers are characterized by gradations in hue, paling and darkening increments rather than changeless washes of blue. But perhaps the most striking aspect of Kuniyoshi’s work is how familiar it feels to the Western eye. Looking at the faces and figures in one of his prints—particularly one of those from the Seichu gishi shozo, or “Portraits of Faithful Samurai” series—almost puts one in mind of some of the more sophisticated American cartoon art of the 19th century. Kuniyoshi is said to have spent a great deal of time studying Western illustration techniques, and it shows; most American artists today will probably find that their own work has more in common with his than that of modern anime. It’s easy to see why Kuniyoshi was so taken by his subject matter; the story of the Faithful Samurai is at once enchanting, suffused with the mystery and mysticism of feudal Japan, and yet freighted with ineffable sadness and a stark nobility. It’s also easy to see why of all the artwork the story inspired, visual and otherwise, Kuniyoshi’s is arguably the best remembered.
I watched Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama give his acceptance speech in Denver in front of those faux Greek columns and thought of one word. It was a word we geezers learned back in high school when they still taught us about Greek civilization and literature. Apparently columnist Victor Davis Hanson also conjured Greek images when saw those columns and mentioned them in the lede of his piece in Friday’s Investor’s Business Daily. Hanson wonders why some savvy “old cigar-chomping Democratic pro” did not take Obama aside and warn him about offending Nemesis. Same principle, different word. “Most mortals in Obama's position would have treaded lightly. …” Hanson writes. “But headstrong tragic figures do not do that. They neither welcome in critics nor would listen to them if they did. They impute their unforeseen temporary success to their own brilliance — and expect it to continue forever. So would-be gods set themselves up for a fall far harder than what happens to the rest of us.” The word I was thinking of that night in Denver was hubris. When when mortals equate themselves — we’re the ones we’ve been waiting for — to gods, “the gods” have a way providing oil spills, nuclear enemies, bad-mouthing generals, home grown terrorists, soaring joblessness, a flat economy and a poor bowling game. Humbling, isn't it?
My life and our home are full of joy, love, and the kind of chaos only a 2-year-old child can create—all thanks to in-vitro fertilisation. From the moment she wakes up each morning calling “Daaaaddy!” or “Mommeeee!” or simply squealing with delight, Victoria Maria is full of smiles and boundless energy. Truly my life is forever changed by medicine and its creative technology. Without IVF, I would not have become a mother again, my husband a father again, and my 6-year-old son a big brother. There are many medical advances that sustain and save lives, but this amazing procedure brings new life into the world when all other attempts to create one have failed. There is no finer example of creativity. My daughter's first breath rushed new meaning into our lives. The joy I now feel when my son gives her a hug and a kiss or helps put on her shoes is incalculable and unparalleled in my life. She is the last grandchild on both sides of her family. To see my 80-year-old mother and my husband's parents’ eyes light up when she beams her irresistible smile is a delight beyond compare. Medicine and love came together in such a unique way. My perseverance, the amazing gift of an egg donor, the relentless pursuit of doctors and researchers to eliminate the pain and suffering of infertile patients and improve lives through medicine, plus guidance from above, brought Victoria into this world and made it a better place for those around her. Looking back to the time when my life was immersed in the world of infertility and its treatment, I recall a very different picture. During the 3 years before my daughter's birth, I lived life on a hellish emotional roller-coaster ride, with my husband and son unfortunately buckled down in seats alongside me. When I first entered a fertility clinic, I expected a quick fix to my difficult scheduling issues with a husband who, as a merchant mariner, never seemed to be home during the right times. I assumed my easily conceived son, then barely a year old and still cuddling in my arms, was certain proof of my fertility. Wrong. I did not realise that the opportunity for conventional means of conception had passed. Standard blood tests showed that my fertility had waned to the point at which the chance of success with IVF was extremely low and getting worse with every tick of that infamous biological clock. I was shocked and saddened to face such unexpected news. Little did I know, I stood at the threshold of the toughest battle of my life in every way: emotionally, physically, logistically, and financially. However, I quickly embraced this challenge and my reporter instincts kicked in as I researched all the medical literature on the biological clock, otherwise known as age-related infertility. During my quest, I became aware of the tremendous lack of general knowledge among most women, and the devastating consequences for many of those who postpone having children. I determined to do something with the mountain of information I had collected so that others would stand a better chance against this inevitable deadline. With the support of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, I began building the foundation for a book on this subject. At the same time, my infertility struggles grew more difficult. Failed cycles and miscarriages with lesser treatments shattered my hopes and the cost depleted our financial resources. After starting my own business, I finally secured insurance coverage for infertility, only to be denied IVF. The notion that my son would grow up without a sibling seemed completely unacceptable. So, despite my despair, I was determined to find a way to expand my family. My doctor supported my efforts and suggested we consider other options, including egg donation. I researched both egg donation and adoption; meanwhile, I found that my insurer approved a single IVF cycle with donated eggs. My husband and I decided we would try egg donation first; if that failed, we would pursue adoption. Still, letting go of romantic and traditional notions of conception and motherhood took time. Through many hours of individual and couples therapy, plus monthly meetings of Resolve (National Infertility Association) support groups, we grew more comfortable with this new terrain. A wonderful woman working in health care, who understood the trauma and devastation of infertility and who shared my Italian heritage, donated the most profound gift any woman could give another. Success with IVF has also led to rewards I never would have imagined; I have appeared on numerous radio and television programmes, including The Today Show, a nationally broadcast morning news TV programme, and in many print publications across the US. In addition, my many presentations for younger women at universities and women's organisations have yielded much praise. Surviving the upheaval and devastating disappointments of infertility, and eventually finding success with a wonderful clinic and egg donor compelled me to help others facing similar challenges. I now lead monthly peer discussion groups, volunteer professional services, and help with special programmes as a board member of the Massachusetts chapter of Resolve, the National Infertility Association. Finally, I stepped off the raucous roller-coaster. I now find myself loving every moment with my completed family. Though I endured a tremendous struggle, I am grateful for the opportunity to help others. Occasionally, as I drive by the clinic where my sweet baby girl spent the first 3 days of her life, I realise I will forever feel connected to that building, all the dedicated people who had a hand in developing IVF, and especially those who changed my life forever, who made my adorable, rambunctious, giggling, loving little miracle possible. Cara Birrittieri is a journalist and health communicator with more than 10 years of television medical and science reporting. Her book, What Every Woman Should Know About Fertility and Her Biological Clock, is published by New Page Books/Career Press.
A Roundtable Discussion on Banning Literary Texts by African American Authors is Thursday, Oct. 3, at 4 p.m. in the Faculty Commons, third floor of Alden Library. Recently a school board in North Carolina banned Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man, concluding that the text lacked “literary value.” Invisible Man is often regarded as the best American novel since World War I and has generated a steady torrent of scholarship since its appearance in 1952. Closer to home, an Ohio board of education president labeled Toni Morrison’s 1970 novel The Bluest Eye “pornographic.” Critics also consider The Bluest Eye to be an essential literary text. These are not isolated incidents. This roundtable will address the topic of “literary merit,” “pornographic” content, and other areas related to the current trend in the interdiction against literary texts by African American authors. It seeks to provide an open forum for discussing the significance and consequences of this new trend and consider if and how it relates to current attacks on minority civil rights. - Susanne Dietzel, Ph.D., Director of the Women’s Center - Ayesha Hardison, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English - Gary Holcomb, Ph.D., Professor of African American Literature - Amritjit Singh, Ph.D., Langston Hughes Professor of English and African American Studies This event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Department of African American Studies and the Multicultural Center.
Matt Yglesias defends the liberal arts from a hackish utilitarianism: In order to do well in courses on 19th Century British Literature or Social Anthropology or Philosophy or American History in a properly running American college, what you need to do is get pretty good at reading and writing documents in the English language. These are very much real skills with wide-ranging practical applications. Clearly relatively few people are professional writers, but a huge amount of what goes on at the higher levels of a typical business is a steady stream of production and consumption of reports and memos.If you can compose an email that's 10 percent clearer in 90 percent of the time as the other guy, you're going to get ahead in a wide range of fields. Outside of office work, a big part of the difference between a hard-working individual who's pretty good at his job and a person who's able to leverage his skills and hardwork into an entrepreneurial or managerial role is precisely the ability to research things and write up plans. Everyone knows that a kid growing up in rural India is obtaining valuable skills if he gets better at English, but this is equally true for a kid growing up in Indiana. Allow me to use this instance to turn back to the only subject that matters--the Civil War. All kidding aside, people are often shocked Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs because they communicate with such incredible clarity. Today you can still find people who argue that the real genius behind Grant's writing was Mark Twain. Part of this is the notion that Grant wasn't good at anything except mass slaughter and drunken binges, and thus couldn't be a good writer. But I also don't think people realize that writing is often just about the work clear communication. Grant was fighting at a time when writing clear orders was extremely important to military success, and he excelled at it. His memoir have the same kind of hard brevity you'd find useful coming from a commander. On secession for instance: There is little doubt in my mind now that the prevailing sentiment of the South would have been opposed to secession in 1860 and 1861, if there had been a fair and calm expression of opinion, unbiased by threats, and if the ballot of one legal voter had counted for as much as that of any other. But there was no calm discussion of the question. Demagogues who were too old to enter the army if there should be a war, others who entertained so high an opinion of their own ability that they did not believe they could be spared from the direction of the affairs of state in such an event, declaimed vehemently and unceasingly against the North; against its aggressions upon the South; its interference with Southern rights, etc., etc.They denounced the Northerners as cowards, poltroons, negro-worshippers; claimed that one Southern man was equal to five Northern men in battle; that if the South would stand up for its rights the North would back down. Mr. Jefferson Davis said in a speech, delivered at La Grange, Mississippi, before the secession of that State, that he would agree to drink all the blood spilled south of Mason and Dixon's line if there should be a war. The young men who would have the fighting to do in case of war, believed all these statements, both in regard to the aggressiveness of the North and its cowardice. They, too, cried out for a separation from such people.The great bulk of the legal voters of the South were men who owned no slaves; their homes were generally in the hills and poor country; their facilities for educating their children, even up to the point of reading and writing, were very limited; their interest in the contest was very meagre--what there was, if they had been capable of seeing it, was with the North; they too needed emancipation. Under the old regime they were looked down upon by those who controlled all the affairs in the interest of slave-owners, as poor white trash who were allowed the ballot so long as they cast it according to direction. These are some of the clearest sentences I've ever read. They obviously are a part of American "literature." But "literature" shouldn't be walled off. It is always a good idea to be able communicate clearly--no matter the field. As a side-note I'd add that people, for some reason, consider writing to be "mystical." I'm not sure why. It's always felt like a trade to me--almost physically laborious. This article available online at:
The Way We Talk About “Women’s Lit” \| May 3, 2010 Marketing demands and an underlying thread of sexism in the publishing industry work together to trivialize literature written by women, argues WMC Progressive Women’s Voices commentator Courtney Young. Earlier in the spring, a debate concerning the crop of literature being written by women touched off in Britain. Daisy Goodwin, the current chair for the Orange Prize in women’s fiction, took issue with the topics of the books submitted for review, terming them “misery lit.” “If I read another sensitive account of a woman coming to terms with bereavement,” she said, “I was going to slit my wrists. The misery memoir has transformed into misery literature. There were a large number of books that started with a rape, enough to make me think ‘Enough.’ Call me old fashioned but I like a bit of foreplay in my reading.... I turned my face against them.” Quite soon music journalist Jessica Dutchin rejoined with an opposition piece that offered more nuance, blaming the lucrative chick lit industry. “Most women writers who want to be perceived as tackling themes beyond the buying of high-heeled shoes and the seduction of Mr. Perfect loathe the concept of chick lit—which is a marketing phenomenon more than a literary one—and don't want their work to be mistaken for it,” she wrote. “Therefore we have resorted to the tactic of choosing themes that are as dark and miserable as possible.” As an unapologetic book lover and a woman writer to bat, I wondered during the debate about the ways that we talk about and categorize “women’s lit” and how is this fueled by an underlying thread of sexism in the industry. The first problem is the term “women’s lit” itself. The categorization immediately establishes literature written by women as different, a sub-category, separate from, specific to a particular audience, catering to a set of ideas/themes absent in, shall we say, “men’s lit”—a term, of course, never used. I’m puzzled and a bit exacerbated when I walk into a local Border’s or Barnes and Nobles to see an “African American literature” section that is segregated from the population of general literature. Similarly, “women’s lit” can be segregated in corresponding ways. “Chick lit” and the now monikered “misery lit” may be analyzed and debated in “serious circles,” but the marketing of literature by women almost always relies on the emotional and situational. The conversation surrounding what we may call “men’s lit,” however, is almost always more cerebral, intellectual and diverse whatever the genres. For example, in the acclaimed literary journal n+1, writer Marco Roth published a trend piece on the rise of the “neuro-novel.” Writing about authors including Jonathan Lethem, Richard Powers, and Ian McEwan, Roth speaks to the proliferation of male authors who complicate their narratives with male protagonists suffering a neurological disorder (think Lethem’s Lionel Essrog in Motherless Brooklyn who has Tourette’s Syndrome or Mark Schluter who battles with Capgras Syndrome in Powers’ The Echo Maker). Earlier this year, Katie Roiphe published what may be one of the most debated and most read articles in the history of the New York Times entitled “The Naked and the Conflicted—Sex and the American Male Novelist.” In it, Roiphe champions the sex narrative of such literary heavyweights as Norman Mailer, Philip Roth, and John Updike despite the underlying misogyny and violence within those texts. And though such celebrated novelists/short story writers as Toni Morrison, Marilynne Robinson, and Annie Proulx are lauded individually, where is the deep, nuanced debate surrounding groups of literature written by women outside of chick or misery lit? (And by the way, couldn’t authors such as Cormac McCarthy and Dennis LeHane fall into the category of “misery lit?”) I believe a strong case could be made in the public sphere to speak collectively about literature written by these women—as well as Zadie Smith, Margaret Atwood, Ursula K. LeGuin, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie—that hinges upon the intellectual, the violent, the spiritual, the quirky, and so forth. But it just isn’t done. It tends to hinge more heavily on the writer as woman—or the writer as woman of color/ethnic writer/bi-racial writer as in the case of Adichie or Smith. Looking at books optioned into films, it seems clear that the gendered way the critical conversation is structured spills over into popular culture. Consider the variety in this list: Robert Ludlum (The Bourne series), Cormac McCarthy (All the Pretty Horses, No Country for Old Men, The Road), Dennis LeHane (Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River, Shutter Island), Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook, Dear John), Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are), and Alan Moore (Watchmen). Now consider the female book to film translations, including Stephanie Myers (The Twilight series), J.K. Rowlings (Harry Potter series), Sophie Kinsella (The Shopaholic series), Candace Bushnell (Sex and the City), Helen Felding (Bridget Jones’s Diary), and Fannie Flagg (Fried Green Tomatoes). While many of the book to film adaptations spawned by male authors span genre—including romance, comedy, action, superhero and drama—female book to film translations are heavily sequestered in fantasy and drama with a large dose of romance. The choices partly reflect both what houses are willing to publish from female authors and how these books get marketed. The influence of marketing was central to 2009’s highly charged debate over Publisher’s Weekly’s 10 best books list that did not include a single woman writer. As Claire Messud illuminated in February’s Guernica Magazine, “Our cultural prejudices are so deeply engrained that we aren’t even aware of them: arguably, it’s not that we think men are better, it’s that we don’t think of women at all. The absence of women from lists and prizes leads, then, to the future absence of women from lists and prizes. Now, lists and prizes mean nothing, of course; except that they inform curious readers about who and what to read.” I can’t help but think about what the impact would be if instead of Stephanie Myers’ vampire romance series slaughtering the young adult and film industries, Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series took its place wherein the protagonist does not need to be saved but does the saving. Or if Octavia Butler’s fiction that plays with both conventional gender and race roles within a sci-fi setting was consumed more readily by the masses. Given that 80 percent of all fiction readers are women, shouldn’t we be talking about literature written by women in a different way? The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author alone and do not represent WMC. WMC is a 501(c)(3) organization and does not endorse candidates. To receive WMC Features by email, click here.
As you enter the Manzanita Indian Reservation north of Boulevard, the Kumeyaay Wind Farm turbines can be seen from the road. They stretch across the hillside, resembling skyscraper versions of pinwheels placed in springtime gardens. The 25 wind turbines stand side-by-side. They are the size of 20-story buildings, with 218-foot-tall towers and 141-foot blades. The gentle whooshing sound combines with spinning shadows tossed against the ground to produce a hypnotic feeling. They look serene. Turbines owned by the Campo Tribe are on the Campo Reservation, which borders the Manzanita Reservation. Ginger Thompson, a Manzanita tribal member, owns a home less than a football field away from the turbines. Since the construction of the wind farm, Thompson and her neighbors have complained about serious health issues. Thompson recently had part of her kidney removed after being diagnosed with kidney cancer. She and a handful of her neighbors were invited to participate in a Cal State San Marcos medical study to determine if their ailments are linked to the turbines. An epidemiologist tested the homes that sit closest to the wind turbines on the Manzanita Reservation, confirming the presence of unconventional levels of electrical current, electromagnetic fields, and electromagnetic interference with power quality. “A lot of tribal members got their houses tested after they found out about the different cancers going around,” Thompson says. “It scared people. We don’t want to panic. We just want to know what is going on, what these [wind turbines] produce, and if they’re harming us.” Epidemiologist Dr. Samuel Milham, adjunct professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and author of Dirty Electricity, visited the Manzanita Reservation twice to measure ground, air, and building stray voltage. He found that those living on the reservation are exposed to levels of transient voltage a thousand times higher than normal in their air and soil. Milham reports that the turbines produce enough dirty energy to sufficiently increase the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and attention-deficit disorder. Thompson sits in a low-backed chair in the conference room at the Southern Indian Health building on the La Posta Reservation, where she works. Through a picture window, Kumeyaay windmills spin on the chaparral-covered hillside. Thompson motions their way. “Soon, we are going to be surrounded from ridge to ridge to mountaintop by those things. We need more information, true information, not the information these companies cherry [pick] for us.” After her cancer diagnosis in November 2012, Thompson began taking precautions. She no longer allows her 11-year-old granddaughter to play outside in the yard without her shoes on. Before going to bed, Thompson makes sure all the electronics in her room and her granddaughter’s room are unplugged. “I worry that this stuff is getting in my water, the air, the dirt in the ground. Am I safe in my home? When I go to bed, I unplug everything, because of the extra energy coming through. If you are sleeping next to an outlet, that energy enters the body. It might be extreme, but why take chances?” Thompson and her granddaughter recently bought seeds to plant a garden to grow their own fruits and vegetables, but she is rethinking that idea. “I don’t think it’s safe to consume the food I would grow. I’m not going to take that risk until I am sure that the [energy produced by the turbines isn’t] going to cause a health risk.” Especially aggravating to Thompson are the shadows cast inside her home from the turbine blades. She used to have sheer curtains in her kitchen window, with a view of the mountains surrounding her land. She had to switch them for thick ones that block out the sun. “The shadows of the turbines swooping drives me crazy,” she says. “It makes me dizzy.” Thompson has experienced health issues apart from the cancer. “Since the turbines, my granddaughter and I are tired all the time. My allergies are heightened. My eyes are watering constantly. When I get off the mountain to go on vacation, after a couple of days away from the [Sunrise] Powerlink and the turbines, I’m back to normal.” Despite her concerns, Thompson plans to stay put. “I can’t afford to move. My house is paid for. Besides, I love my property. I am surrounded by relatives. My heritage is here.” She isn’t angry that the turbines were built. Initially, like many others, she believed they were a good alternative. She points to a lack of public education by the green-energy companies. “We had no say in them going up. They just appeared one day.” Thompson shrugs. “The only thing we can do is try to stop more from going in. We need more honest literature to read on the turbines. The information we get is so limited. I want these corporations and investors to tell us exactly what is going on. They are claiming these are safe and don’t cause health problems. I don’t think the turbines are green. I believe they are what are called ‘bad energy.’ They want to make a profit off [the turbines] at our expense.” Three miles away, on the other side of I-8, Boulevard resident Don Bonfiglio is also impacted by the Kumeyaay Wind Farm. “The sound they produce is driving me crazy,” he says. We’re sitting at a table in the Manzanita Diner, off Old Highway 80 in the center of Boulevard. It’s a Saturday afternoon, and we share the restaurant with one other patron. “The first time I noticed it was in the middle of the night,” Bonfiglio says. “I heard this humming noise and couldn’t sleep. I thought it was my fridge. It sounded like it was coming from my ceiling. It was like someone was mowing their yard down the block. I shut everything off and looked around. It was driving me nuts. I went outside at 3:00 in the morning to look around. I walked toward the motel. But it wasn’t there. I walked to the other corner, but there was nothing there. I walked a mile to find the source of the noise. Finally, I realized it was the turbines.”
McSorleys Old Ale House on St. Patrick’s Day “We were here before you were born” McSorley’s Old Ale House has been a gathering place, a watering hole, the subject of art and literature and even a supreme court controversy. Established in 1854 – McSorley’s can boast of being New York City’s oldest continuously operated saloon. Everyone from Abe Lincoln to John Lennon have passed thru Mcsorley’s swinging doors. Woody Guthrie inspired the union movement from a table in the front – guitar in hand, while civil rights attorney’s Faith Seidenberg and Karen DeCrow had to take their case to the Supreme Court to gain access. Women were finally allowed access to McSorleyÕs in 1970! So belly up. Enter the sawdust strewn floors and history patched walls for a trip back through time. Share the McSorley’s experience with the spirits of 150 years!
Alternative Modernities in Europe 7-8 June 2013, Transilvania University of Brașov, the 2nd international conference organized by Transilvania University’s Faculty of Letters and the Romanian Association of General and Comparative Literature (ALGCR) professor Virgil Nemoianu (Catholic University of America, Washington D.C.) professor Jean-Pierre Dubost (Blaise Pascal University, Clermont-Ferrand) professor Adriana Babeţi (Universitatea de Vest, Timişoara) Prof. Toma Pavel (University of Chicago) Prof. Jüri Talvet (University of Tartu) Prof. Arturo Casas (University of Santiago de Compostela) Prof. Mircea Martin (University of Bucharest) Prof. Jean-Pierre Dubost (Blaise Pascal University, Clermont-Ferrand) Prof. Caius Dobrescu (University of Bucharest) - modernity, technology, democracy - centers and peripheries - irradiations, hybridizations, localizations - delays and de-synchronizations; revivals and synchronizations - the longevity and the fragility of traditions - accelerations, decelerations - experimental modernity, conservative modernity - religion and secularization This conference seeks to bring together new perspectives (comparative, interdisciplinary, and disciplinary) on the idea of modernity understood in its temporal dimension, as a way of thought or paradigm belonging to its specific times and places, but also understood in its metaphysical, conservative, trans-temporal dimension. In 1863 Baudelaire claimed in his essay, Peintre de la vie moderne, that “there is no modernity, there is only our modernity.” Taking this as a starting point we can differentiate between a generic paradigm called “modernity,” that of the grand Western narratives of the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, and another “modernity,” an alternative one, belonging to specific cultures and specific times. We can identify such alternative modernities especially in Eastern Europe but not only, the problem is to see if these were indeed competing against the Western metanarratives, complementing them, or continuing them under various disguises. Reflections on modernity usually become a self-referential discourse, one “that claims to testify for the entire age to which it is ascribed,” as Paul Ricoeur argued (La Memoire, L’Histoire, L’Oubli, 2000). However, if we manage to leave this self-referential character aside, can we still come up with ways to define the modern? Do the atomized concepts that founded its discourse still hold any value today? What is the fate of its legitimizing narratives? Jean-Francois Lyotard reinterpreted his own concept of a post-modern to mean a continuous rewriting of modernity, and he is met in this respect by Gianni Vattimo’s analyses of the late modern condition. If we take these perspectives to heart, then any reflection on modernity has to contain indeed also a defining attempt: a march forward always looking back, a continuous hermeneutical endeavor, necessarily self-referential. Besides alternative modernities of specific times and places, we see that we are dealing with modernity itself continuously forming as its own alternative through this imperative self-referentiality. If we take modernity this way, as a continuous rewriting of itself, then it really remains to be seen what this particular stance, or intellectual attitude, brings forth in the twenty-first century. Comparative and interdisciplinary approaches are very welcome. The papers will be published in a conference volume. The conference fee is 70 Euros, payable to the conference secretary, Dr. Georgeta Moarcas, on arrival. The registration fee will cover lunch and dinner on June 7 and 8. Organizers will gladly assist with hotel reservations (the prices vary from 25 to 80 Euros per night). We can also provide a guided walking tour of Brasov on the day of arrival. Please e-mail proposals/abstracts for papers (max. 500 words) with a short CV to the following address: firstname.lastname@example.org by May 20th, 2013 . Please specify if you have any special A/V requirements for your presentation. Language of presentation: English, French and German. The organizing committee: Dr Rodica Ilie (Conference Chair, Department of Literature and Cultural Studies Director) Dr Andrei Bodiu (Graduate School Coordinator) Dr Adrian Lacatus (Dean, Faculty of Letters, Brasov) Dr Georgeta Moarcas Drd. Dan Botezatu
CSO_Ateneo_ Trafficking in Women and Children in ZAMBASULTA.pdf Mar 15 2012 Download right click "save as" The Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC), with the support of the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT), has embarked on a research project on trafficking in women and children in the Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi (ZAMBASULTA) area. Although the port of Zamboanga City has become a major hub for people trafficked to Malaysia and some other parts of the world, this phenomenon has not been the subject of many research studies. Existing literature on human trafficking in Mindanao in general, has also remained scant. - Russian Union of Journalists, OSCE Manual on Reporting on Human Trafficking - IOM Manual Human Trafficking and Legalization of Criminal Profits. Russian. - IOM Manual on THB crimes typologies. Russian. - IOM International Conference. “Improvement of International Cooperation in Counteracting Human Trafficking” Russian - ILO OSCE Anti-Trafficking Response in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia - ILO Preventing Forced Labour in Russian Construction Industry - Trafficking in Persons to Europe for sexual exploitation - First Aid Kit Russian - IOM Direct Assistance to Victims Handbook 2007 Russian - Needs Assessment Toolkit Russian
Edifier R451, size: 298 KB Here you can find all about Edifier R451 like review and other informations. For example: . Edifier R451 manual (user guide) is ready to download for free. On the bottom of page users can write a review. If you own a Edifier R451 please write about it to help other people. [ Report abuse or wrong photo \| Share your Edifier R451 photo ] NETBOOK BANGH HOME EDIFIER R451 5.1 User reviews and opinions No opinions have been provided. Be the first and add a new opinion/review. Multimedia Desktop Theater Edifier Enterprises Canada Inc. Made in China IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN The lightning flash with arrowhead, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of Uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the product's Enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons. CAUTION: TO PREVENT THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL. The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the Appliance. Read these instructions. Keep these instructions. Heed all warnings. Follow all instructions. Install in accordance with the manufacturer's Instructions. Do not use the speakers near water, and do not immerse them in any liquid or pour any liquid on them. Do not block the openings in the speaker cabinets, never push objects into speaker vents or slots because of fire or electric shock hazards, and provide sufficient space around the speakers for proper ventilation. The apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or splashing and that no objects filled with liquids, such as vases, shall be placed on the apparatus. Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that produce heat. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one wider than the other. The wide blade is provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet. Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the apparatus. For added protection during lightning storms, unplug the speakers from the electrical outlet and turn off the computer. Unplug this apparatus when unused for long periods of time. Water and moisture ----Do not use the speakers near water, and do not immerse them in any liquid or pour any liquid on them. Heat---- Place the speakers away from all heat sources. Ventilation ---- Do not block the openings in the speaker cabinets, never push objects into speaker vents or slots because of fire or electric shock hazards, and provide sufficient space around the speakers for proper ventilation. Location ---- Place the speakers in a stable location so they will not fall causing damage to the speakers or bodily harm. Cleaning ---- Unplug the speakers from the computer and from the electrical outlet before cleaning them with a damp cloth. Lightning ----For added protection during lightning storms, unplug the speakers from the electrical outlet and turn off the computer. Servicing is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Please adjust the audio to proper volume to avoid damaging your health and the system. WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPARATUS TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. One Year Limited Warranty Edifier warrants to the end user that all of its computer speaker systems are free from defects in material and workmanship in the course of normal and reasonable use for a term of one year from the date of purchase. This warranty is the exclusive and only warranty in effect relative to Edifier multimedia speaker systems and any other warranties, either expressed or implied, are invalid. Neither Edifier nor any authorized Edifier reseller is responsible for any incidental damages incurred in the use of the speakers. (This limitation of incidental or consequential damage is not applicable where prohibited.) Edifier obligation under this warranty does not apply to any defect, malfunction or failure as a result of misuse, abuse, improper installation, use with faulty or improper equipment or the use of the speaker systems with any equipment for which they were not intended. The terms of this warranty apply only to speaker systems when such speakers are returned to the respective authorized Edifier reseller where they were purchased. Under the terms of this warranty the original consumer purchaser has certain legal rights and may have other rights which vary worldwide. Copyright 2005 All Rights Reserved. Manual Edition 1.1, Jun 2005 Printed in CHINA Very thanks for choosing Edifier multimedia speaker,it can provide good sound for multimedia Computer and home theater. Before operating the system, please read this manual thoroughly and retain it for future reference. Edifier and Edifier logo are owned by Edifier Enterprises Canada Inc. and may be registered. And other brand names and trademarks are the property of their owners. Edifier assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this manual. Information contained herein is subject to change without notice. 6.5 inch antimagnetic professionally enhanced subwoofer driver 3 inch antimagnetic full range tweeter unit Two dispartly frequency satellites design Low noise designed Open the packing Please check the speaker pattern marked on the package. Please contact the seller as soon as possible if you find the speaker is not the pattern you want. R451 packing list: 1 x Sub Woofer 5 x satellite Speakers 3 x Audio Connecting Cord 1 x User's Manual Introduction of back panel Speaker Output LINE IN C SL L Sub Woofer Satellite Speakers Super Bass Control Surround Control Volume Control Power Indicator Audio connecting cord User's Manual Line In Port Speaker Out Power Cord + + SR SL + + R C L 11 Power Switch POWER OFF ON SW SR R Surround sound speaker systems using 5.1 format are designed to connect to compatible audio devices offering 5.1 output. Many pc s and DVD players already offer this type of output. If you only have a 2 channel stereo output it may be possible to purchase a Dolby digital 5.1 decoder which will convert this into a 5.1 format. This is not included with these speakers. If you must use a 2 channel input then this should be connected to the front L and front R input. This will result in a stereo output only. 1.POSITIONING If you have the 5.1 surround sound input then you can experience the full performance of this system. You will have the indivedual outputs for the subwoofer, front stereo, rear stereo and front centre speakers. Position the front stereo speakers in front of the listening position and an equal distance to the left and right sides. Ideally the speakers should be about ear height(when sitting to listen)if possible and slightly away from a rear wall but they can be hooded onto a wall if necessary. If they are placed on a slippery surface, a little blue-tack may help hold them in place. These speakers contribute a lot to the overall audio so careful placement is crucial to your enjoyment of the music. The centre speaker should be placed on your TV screen or your computer screen(depending upon application)as this speaker is used for vocal content. The voices in a movie need to sound as though they are coming from the Tv set so try positioning this on top of the set. The rear speakers are used for special effects and are not as crucial in their placement. A good position for these is high up on the wall behind the listening position, perhaps pointing downward a little. The subwoofer houses a powerful bass driver and the positioning of this unit can have an effect on the quality of the bass. If the unit is placed in a corner, the bass will be amplified by the reflection from the walls. This position will give maximum bass but can sound quite boomy. A position near a rear wall but away from the corner is best as this will give a little boost to the bass without being too much. Experiment with the position to achieve best results. Also note that the unit receives the signals from the remote control. The range of transmission from the remote is not too great so don`t position the bass unit too far from the listening position. 2.CONNECTING (1).Switch off the power first before connecting any part of the system. (2).Connect all 5 satellite speakers to their relative speaker output spring clips on the rear panel of the subwoofer. Please note to match the colour, red to red and black to black. Note that the cable for the rear speakers is longer than the front. (3).Connect the inputs to your PC or DVD player as shown in figure. (4).Plug the AC power plug into the wall outlet, as shown in figure. Total Power Output : Input Impedance: Input Sensitive: Bass Unit: Mid-range Unit: Tweeter Unit: Frequency Response: Dimension(Subwoofer): Dimension(Satellite): Gross Weight: RMS 6WX5+30W 10K Ohm 450 mV 6 1/2 Aluminum coil, 4 Ohm 3 Paper coil, 4 Ohm 1 PV membrane dome 42 Hz ~ 20 KHz 290(W) x 193(H) x 285(D)mm 96(W) x 167(H) x 108(D)mm About 11Kg W760I CQ-DFX223N DC-X303Z AL922 Makita 6413 29FU1RLX Quad 50E TXL37U10E Treason 2002-11 Samsung N310 Power AMP SNC-M300P TX FM HM120JI-D Solo 3350 KV-2780R 706-AVR CD-3230A D865GLC FOR Xbox Mf201 74700 E TX-SR504E 1390 MF 190TW8FB 105 G SDP-E800 Odmiany 3469 F1226 Leica M1 Dslr-A580L London MP35 6 5 Vivicam 5100 2200-3000 ADC VC-6013 LSZ244M-4 MH-607YS SA-AK410 TX-SR604E XR-C7220R SD-CX11 Cirkelsag 32LC7R MA-1535 Q1-F001 L 2100 DPL950VD-receiver Elna 1 STE 70 AL1716 Firewall Contour-1998 RL41wcps1-XTL ICF-C470 Nawigatorem 9000 Series EP-3VCA CS-21Z57ML KX-FT982FX RS-M270 ICF-C205 Pocket POD S7-HD D-390 PS50C7000 5610XI Malibu 2003 VGN-P11z R Multimode 3 Rider M7810A Fabia RS MHC-771 42LG50FR-MA WF419AAU XAA 40 AF-4 WJ-HD220 575LM-lm575ba- Universal5-500 T2-AH1 Linea 198 RSH5utrs DAV-X1G CD4401S Xpressmusic D1214 Compex Body ER7522B Maker 4 44 V-1100 Motorola A925 Digitech GSP5 7 WMS Geonaute C400 KDC-MPV6022 MCD295 manuel d'instructions, Guide de l'utilisateur \| Manual de instrucciones, Instrucciones de uso \| Bedienungsanleitung, Bedienungsanleitung \| Manual de Instruções, guia do usuário \| инструкция \| návod na použitie, Užívateľská príručka, návod k použití \| bruksanvisningen \| instrukcja, podręcznik użytkownika \| kullanım kılavuzu, Kullanım \| kézikönyv, használati útmutató \| manuale di istruzioni, istruzioni d'uso \| handleiding, gebruikershandleiding 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101
By KRISTO IVANOV, Prof. emeritus, Ume University Ivanov, K. (2006). Whither computers and systems? In J. Bubenko, Jr., J. C. Gustaf, A. Kollerbaur, T. Ohlin, & L. Yngstrm (Ed.), ICT for people: 40 years of academic development in Stockholm (pp. 125-134). Stockholm: Dept. for Computer and Systems Science at Stockholm University and Royal Institute of Technology,<http://www.dsv.su.se> Whither Computers and Systems? Confessions of a 2006-emeritus The 40th Jubileum of the Department which eventually was named "Computer and systems sciences" (CSS) at Stockholm University and the Royal Institute of Technology is an opportunity to expand and complement some of my earlier memories and thoughts about the field's disciplines and people[i]. I am grateful for having been invited to contribute in writing to this celebration, and I refer the reader to turn to my earlier memories for a more academic treatment of history that is pertinent to the present occasion. In the following text I will use the term CSS for both the Department and for the discipline(s) which it initially embodied and which subsequently evolved in other departments all over Sweden. The context will indicate the rough meaning of this term which will enframe the particular experiences I relate below. My whole image of CSS' environment and mission transcends Stockholm's academia which I frequented only during a few years until completing in 1972 my Ph D dissertation. It happened to be the first doctoral dissertation at the department[ii]. Its message, on quality-control of information, belonged to the counterpoint, rather than the mainstream of ongoing research, and it was later popularized and applied to issues of security, privacy, and integrity in a way that is still relevant today [iii]. Launching such counterpoint-research based on systems-trends originated at the University of California at Berkeley, but was at the time unknown in CSS. It speeded up my dissertation efforts since, as an "outsider", I was not seen as a competitor in academic politics. My image of CSS, however, is also grounded in later experiences including other related university and business environments. As a matter of fact, I felt much as an outsider in relation to many of my Ph.D. student colleagues at the CSS Department who were mostly employed there as instructors or assistant professors. I also felt as an outsider in the sense that I was one of the few who, being an electronic engineer, had worked many years in both line and managerial staff positions in industry, and was still employed but on leave from a dominant computer business firm. As such I was more a "practitioner" and, a representative of "users", rather than of "programmers" or computer technicians. This background may explain my particular way of experiencing the Department. The following is then the short version of my provocatively subjective and unavoidably superficial view of the development of the Department's field, for which I apologize in advance to all optimistists and supposed realists. It will be kept at a somewhat abstract level because of reasons of diplomacy and available space. Parts of my account, below, may appear to be pessimistic, but, in the spirit of the "Ecclesiastes" (cf. below) I see pessimism and optimism as only the secularized westener's attempt to confront, alternatively to escape, reality and truth! The birth of CSS was made necessary by problems caused by the increasing use of computers and electronic communication, in the gap between technology and human sciences. In this respect many of us felt that CSS, both the original Department and the various kinds of knowledge or various CSS-relevant disciplinary fragments that it attempted to bring together was exemplary. Information processing, administrative data processing, and informatics were innovative labels which had the ambition of integrating pieces of knowledge which other older and more established disciplines like mathematics and economics comfortably considered to fall outside their disciplinary limits. In this respect this was a unique pioneering deed in the Swedish academia as compared to foreign tendencies, still prevalent today, to allot disparate CSS problems to either institutes of technology, (as for the case of programming and computer architecture), or to business schools (as for the case of softer issues restricted to or redefined as business administration, organization, or sheer accounting and auditing). In this respect CSS in Sweden, originally associated to multiple university faculties (cf. Stockholm University and Royal Institute of Technology), resembles what was also being attempted in other countries and in other contexts under the label of operations research and later systems approach. Such multidisciplinarity is still to this day vaguely aimed at under the label of contextual computer-human interaction, CHI. DEPARTMENTS AND UNIVERSITIES Later political recognition of the underlying computer-related problems fostered all over Sweden the awakening of other older academic disciplines and academic departments with their own competitive not to say opportunistic research proposals, designed to tap money in view of the growing availability of research grants. This engendered gradually a general dissolution of disciplinary limits and, consequently, also of possibility to evaluate competence for work on opportunistically defined shortlived trends of hardware and software. Whatever wheel had been invented by the original CSS-efforts, it was occasionally reinvented and given a new label or acronym by various departments and research centers mushrooming everywhere. The decreasing integrity of universities working for research and development controlled by the industrial-economic complex, turned them gradually into a sort of auxiliary, cheap, tax-funded industrial laboratories for technical and commercial advantage of export firms. The universities' expansion, forced by government in view of vote-raising doubtful political purposes[iv] but without proportionate increase of public funding, required their increased dependence upon commercialization, and a gradual decline of admission requirements and staff competence. Abdication from historically justified but narrow rigorous thinking fostered a multitude of methodological sub-cultures which appeal to soft postphenomenological, non-modern, and postmodern "weak thinking" borrowed from fashionable trends in the human sciences. Terms like information, data, system (and therefore systems science), information (and therefore information systems), knowledge, evaluation, productivity, communication, and organization tend now to mean nearly anything. And, concerning techno-optimism and belief in progress, what about "productivity"? [v]. Theories and models are substituted by ad-hoc shortlived "models", "conceptual frameworks", "tools", or whatever, with scanty place for ethical, let alone economic and political considerations. This attitude of neglect is lately exemplified during the ongoing bankruptcy of thinking about privacy, security, rule of law, and personal integrity as affected by computer systems. Weak thinking, however, continues to clash with, and to be overpowered by, hard profit-economics and hard byproducts of military technoscience. Academic survival is then obtained by means of big promises coupled to time consuming, frustrating attempts to tap money from either commercial-industrial sources or large-scale national and EU bureaucracies. Universities compete to become institutes of technology and business schools[vi]. ECLECTICISM AND EPHEMERALITY Enough, now, on the development of the CSS field which in some sense must correspond to the development of the related academic departments in general. I think that one main consequence has been (a) an initial twenty years' clash between "hard" and "soft" part of the CSS field, followed by a still ongoing reaction of permissive or uncommitting, eclectical, relativistic, postmodern coexistence between the two, and (b) ephemerality of doubtful scientific and educational results all over the years. One makes research today on yesterday's visible effects of the use of externally given technology which was adopted the day before yesterday. When the results happen to be published tomorrow they will be obsolete and used to justify new research to start the day after tomorrow about the consequences of today's technology which is already becoming obsolete. I used to say that academic education should strive for more long run lasting results on more basic and stable problems, as opposed to shortlived industrial and commercial skills which follow occasional random trends. This has not been strived for, but it does not disturb young students and professionals who have not yet had the opportunity to perceive the "postume" feeling of emptiness when comparing repeatedly new big promises with later disappointement and oblivion. In some way this enhances the importance of history and of interchange of ideas between young and older people. Furthermore, young and old age are not symmetrical in the sense that older people have already been young and have most of the youngs' experiences, while the other way round is not the case. What is left of the various projects, models, theories, courses or controversies about programming of the sixties and seventies? Von Neumann computer architecture, structured programming and relational data bases? What about the seventies' or eighties' science fictions of logic programming, office automation, and artificial intelligence, AI, compared to the fragmented pieces of particular software embedded in today's products? What if academic CSS had never been created and the whole historical development had been entrusted to the USA military complex, computer industry and the international market? It would be exciting to do a bit of historical counterfactual research, and to try to apply the pragmatist test of "did it make a difference?", in order to draw some conclusions about what should be done today for a more enduring meaning in, say, ten and twenty years from now. Ephemerality in this context has two sides: deserved and undeserved. Deserved when results are ill conceived or tied to particular products, hardware and software that last a few years. I do not dare to give examples since wise people already know them (particular programming trends, methodological innovations with beautiful acronyms etc.) while unwise people may only feel anger and become my sworn enemies. Economic literature seems to be more self-critical in this respect than the literature of the CSS-related field[vii]. Undeserved when quality is not recognized as when it is supposed to be defined as "survival of the fittest" in the spirit of a supposed "Darwinian" social evolution. Valuable thoughts about, for instance, the meaning of systems and information are forgotten in the name of ill conceived vague speculations about, say, knowledge, communication, experience, contexts, networks, or environment. Ephemerality is also evidenced (another repeated CSS-experience repeated during the last 30 years) when most researchers in the CSS field do not care to read or recommend their own dissertations, and still less others', only a few years after they have got them printed. Sometimes as soon as they are printed! The reader or these lines can make an own self-examination, and an examination of what happened to the work of colleagues and supposed luminaries of the field. Unfortunate ephemerality is also fostered by the neglect of lessons from philosophy of science and technology. The neglect of philosophy has also had the unexpected effect of opening up the CSS field to the equally unexpected leadership by philosophers« kings. "No names mentioned, nobody forgotten". I got the impression that certain philosophers or philosophically educated researchers from other than CSS could in a relatively short time period conquer several CSS-truths, and claim to develop them on a more professional basis than some CSS home-prophets could master. I reflected that "Among the blind the one eyed is king". I think that such neglect, together with psychological realities about the sharp difference between personal aptitude profiles, also stands at the center of the origin of the clash between the "two cultures", softer and harder, human science vs. formal and natural science. Only exceptionally gifted CSS-people (Joseph Weizenbaum, Brje Langefors, Terry Winograd, Werner Schneider?) could attempt to manage the bridge between the hard and the soft. CONFLICTS AND MEMORIES The clash between the hard and the soft, improperly labeled as they may be, was one of my strongest impressions of the CSS department in the sixties and seventies. I cannot forget the show at the disputation of my dissertation which awakened particular interest also for being, as mentioned, the first one to be completed at the department. I was ferociously attacked by a legitimately self-appointed extra-opponent who, being an exponent of a trendy programming fad at the time, condemned my work with "religious" passion. Later, during the seventies and eighties, I had the occasion to witness bitter clashes between exponents of the hard and soft CSS people. Interestingly enough, it was always the hard people who wanted to oust the soft ones from the CSS field, and this phenomenon was most prominent during the process or "game" of evaluation of candidates to professorial chairs in various universities around the country. It was often the case of hard people in their role of experts in evaluation and recruitment committees who experienced a passioned commitment to demean, disqualify and prevent softer colleagues from gaining tenured or influential positions at the universities. In defense of this hard militant approach to academic politics it can be said that it was as if its proponents foresaw and in a heroically self-defeating way were trying to prevent the later advent, in the nineties, of the plague of supersoft post-phenomenological "weak thinking", "non-modern" qualitative methods, and relativistic postmodern design, to be mentioned below. These experiences, as well as the "religious" wars between enthusiasts of different software philosophies prompted me to study later the psychology of computer science as a branch of CSS-oriented philosophy of science, and to explore the ethical, political and theological foundations of CSS. Eventually I came to the conclusion that much CSS disciplinary development is ultimately a theological matter in the original sense of the word. A second lasting impression from my early life at the CSS Department, was also related to a lack of interest or unconsciousness about the philosophy of science underlining its theories and methods. I "discovered" by myself that most ot the "dogmatically" taught basic stuff at the Department was based on logical positivism. When I tried to share this problematic insight with one of the most aggressively successful young stars and "crown princes" at the department I was startled by his justification (roughly): "I have no objections to be called logical positivist since I am both logical in my thinking, and have a positive optimistic attitude in my scientific effort!". A related experience was my observation of how easily ephemerality of scientific projects could be countered with equally ephemere flexibility of terminology: I think I dare to mention, if I remember it right, that a project named ISAC, meaning Information Systems for Administrative Control came simply to be renamed Information Systems for Administration and Change as soon as marxist critique became trendy in the seventies, making "control" sound reactionary and outdated. Needless to say, it is difficult to see what heritage is left today from the theorizing behind various projects and acronyms such as ISAC or CADIS, computer aided design of information systems, not to mention PROLOG. One can only guess what will be left in ten or twenty years out of today's theorizing behind, say, the fashionable trend of interactional design. THE MYSTICS OF DESIGN - OR RELIGION? As I have written in one of my papers referenced in a note below, (The systems approach to design), the clash between soft and hard aspects of CSS is today no longer associated to any dominance of logical positivism in academia. It is, rather, associated to products and concrete expressions of the logical positivism of the hard military-industrial complex.These products are then given to or bought by the academia which claims to study them by soft qualitative methods and postmodern "design" fostering Internet-services, games, edutainment, "eXperience" and X-economy. So, today's research speaks often about experience design, aesthetic computing, sensible computing, and such. One of the latest innovations is supposed to be virtual reality being displaced by "real virtuality" which stimulates "as many of the five senses as possible". This reminds me of another strong impression linked to the CSS department's history. Some solitary marxist colleague at the CSS department during the early seventies joined other Scandinavian colleagues who had been prophetizing academic revolution supported by labour unions. Their theories made admiring and rich references to Marx, Mao, and to the Yugoslavian models of workers' participation in systems design. They met, however, difficulties after the debacle of the Sovjet system. Their academic politics and ethics were suddenly metamorphosed into aesthetics and "design", or, rather, interactional aestheticism, a fashionable and profitable field offering rich research funds, where today nobody needs to feel neither solitary nor dependent upon collaboration with labour unions. Politics and ethics became postmodern design and aesthetics run by actor networks. References to marxist literature were followed by references to phenomenology, post-phenomenology or non-modernism, Heidegger, Foucault, Latour, and such. This trend is still going on today. Textbooks on IT-design sometimes even refer to "tremendous mysteries" and soft esoteric terms, but do not dare yet to mention religion[viii]. I tried to depict the import of this remarkable and symptomatic development in my named paper on the systems approach to design, but it is also the object of other interesting in-depth studies of the relation between academia and politics.[ix] If the logical positivism of science and its coarse economics are seen, in oversimplified terms, as a reaction against earlier defective weak thinking, and if relativistic eclectical postmodernism is seen as a reaction against logical positivism, then what? Why-not? I have claimed on earlier occasions that the why-not strategy belongs as several other CSS-strategies such as so called pluralism or, rather, eclecticism, to the department of easy questions and difficult answers: it shifts the expensive whole burden of proof to the occasional questioner. Is it enough to go on, to live and let live, letting every university and every department have its own ad-hoc profile, and to give up the idea of any cumulative scientific knowledge or of the value of historical knowledge? Why not let "the pendulum swing back and forth again" while the only supposedly stable truths left at the universities are the governmental injunctions of gender studies and ethnic-cultural diversity? Or is the supposed pendulum the "cross-sectional view of a spiral screwing itself down into hell"? Against such a background the only joyful remembrance which stood and still stands at the heart of the CSS Department and its disciplines is the theory-laden concept of SYSTEM[x] which today also tends to be thoughtlessly diluted in a non-committing mystical "whole" or "wholeness", or, worse, in a interconnected multitude of technical gadgets. It was intended, however, to aim at a philosophically grounded integration between so called hard and soft knowledge, encompassing formal, natural, and human science. This would include the hard realities of global economics and global politics which seem to be conspicuously absent from CSS-theorizing despite their influence of technological development. From this point of view the old clashes between hard and soft were pointing at something legitimate and potentially very fruitful, calling forth a systems thinking which unfortunately did not materialize. And what about "religious passion" or, rather, Christian passion in relation to CSS today? If my misgivings as related above happen to be justified, either the Apocalypse itself or the following quotations from the Ecclesiastes (New English Bible, 1970) may serve, after some interpretation, as a retirement guide consistent with emeriti's experiences. As such they may also be valuable for non-secular evaluations of "whither CSS?": "What has happened will happen again, and what has been done will be done again, and there is nothing new under the sun...The men of old are not remembered, and those who follow will not be remembered by those who follow them..."(1:9, 11) "So I applied my mind to understand wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly, and I came to see that this too is chasing the wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and the more a man knows, the more he has to suffer..."(1:17) "Yes, indeed, I got pleasure from all my labour, and for all my labour this was my reward. Then I turned and reviewed all my handiwork, all my labour and toil, and I saw that everything was emptiness and chasing the wind, of no profit under the sun..."(2:10) "What sort of man will he be who succeeds me, who inherits what others have acquired? Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be the master of all the fruits of my labour and skill here under the sun. This too is emptiness." (2:18) "One more thing I have observed here under the sun: speed does not win the race nor strength the battle. Bread dos not belong to the wise, nor wealth to the intelligent, nor success to the skilful; time and chance govern all..."(9:11) "One further warning, my son: the use of books is endless, and much study is wearisome."(12:12) NOTES WITH REFERENCES [i] Ivanov, K. (1984). Systemutveckling och ADB-mnets utveckling [Systems development and the development of the discipline of informatics/ADP]. In H.-E. Nissen (Ed.), Systemutveckling, av vem, fr vem och hur? [Systems development, by whom, for whom, and how?] (pp. 1-14). Stockholm: Arbetarskyddsfonden. (Report No. K4/84. Orig. also as report LiU-IDA-R-84-1, University of Linkping, Dept. of Computer and Information Science, 1984, and as contribution to the Universitet- och Hgskolembetet UH-report "Den rena vetenskapen och den goda tillmpningen", 21-26 April 1985, Lilla Vik. The essay's diagram of key philosophers' names for information systems development is also found adapted by Hirschheim, R. A., 1985, Information systems epistemology: An historical perspective, in E. Mumford, et al., eds, Research methods in information systems, Amsterdam: North Holland, 1985, pp. 37-38. Reprinted in R. Galliers, ed.,Information systems reserch: Issues, methods and practical guidelines, pp. 28-60, Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1992.) Ivanov, K. (1984). Mot ett ingenjrsvetenskapligt universitet: Ngra tankestllare infr universitetets samarbete med intressenter p data-omrdet. [Towards or against a university of engineering science]. University of Linkping, Dept of Computer and Information Science, Report LiU-IDA-R-84-2. (Cf. a revised minor excerpt as "Universitetets bidrag till nringslivets och frvaltningens samhllsnytta". In C. Knuthammar, & E. Plsson (Ed.), Vetenskap och vett: Till frgan om universitetets roll (pp. 52-62). Linkping: University of Linkping. (ISBN 91-7372-925-6. With a bibliography of 95 entries - pp. 124-127.) Ivanov, K. (1995). A subsystem in the design of informatics: Recalling an archetypal engineer. In B. Dahlbom (Ed.), The infological equation: Essays in honor of Brje Langefors (pp. 287-301). Gothenburg: Gothenburg University, Dept. of Informatics. (Pre-publication version at <http://www.informatik.umu.se/~kivanov/BLang80.html> and in pdf format at <http://www.informatik.umu.se/~kivanov/BLang80.pdf> 30 Dec 05.) Ivanov, K. (2001). The systems approach to design, and inquiring information systems: Scandinavian experiences and proposed research program. Information Systems Frontiers, 3(1), 7-18. (Abstract at <http://www.wkap.nl/oasis.htm/324218>. 1 June 2001, pre-publication version at <http://www.informatik.umu.se/~kivanov/Chu-SysAppDes.html> 23 Dec 05.) See also: Ivanov, K., & Ciborra, C. (1998). East and West of IS. In W. R. J. Baets (Ed.), Proc. of the Sixth European Conference on Information Systems ECIS'98, University of Aix-Marseille III, Aix-en-Provence, June 4-6, 1998. Vol. IV (pp. 1740-1748). Granada & Aix-en-Provence: Euro-Arab Management School & Institut d'Administration des Enterprises IAE. (ISBN for complete proceedings: 84-923833-0-5.). Cf. <http://www.informatik.umu.se/~kivanov/chinese.html>. [ii] Ivanov, K. (1972). Quality-control of information: On the concept of accuracy of information in data banks and in management information systems: The University of Stockholm and The Royal Institute of Technology. (National Technical Information Service NTIS No. PB-219297, summary at <http://www.informatik.um.se/~kivanov/diss-avh.html>. [iii] Ivanov, K. (1986). Systemutveckling och rttsskerhet : Om statsfrvaltningens datorisering och de lngsiktiga konsekvenserna fr enskilda och fretag [Systems development and rule of law]. Stockholm: SAF:s Frlag. [iv] Wolf, A. (2002). Does education matter? Myths about education and economic growth. London: Penguin Books. (Reviewed in The Economist, June 8th 2002, p.71. "The education shibboleth. Extra years of schooling and wider access to university are everywhere supposed to be good for growth. Think again".) [v] Anonymous (1997). Productivity: Lost in cyberspace. The Economist, (September 13th), 78. (Cf. Assembling the new economy, in same issue, pp. 77-83.) [vi] Ivanov, K. (1984). Mot ett ingenjrsvetenskapligt universitet...Op.cit. [vii]Adam, F., & Fitzgerald, B. (2000). The status of the IS field: historical perspective and practical orientation. Information Research, 5(4). (<http://InformationR.net/ir/5-4/paper81.html> accessed 23 August 2001.) Anonymous. (2000). Europe's Neilogistical reforms. The Economist, (January 22nd), 30. Anonymous. (2000). Thought followership. The Economist, (May 20th), 24. Shapiro, E. (1995). Fad surfing in the boardroom: Reclaiming the courage to manage in the age of instant answers. New York: Addison-Wesley. (Referred to in Harvard Business Review, March-April 1997, pp. 142-147, and in the Supplement of March 22nd, p. 20.) Skarin, U. (2002). Floskler fr miljoner: Sveriges hetaste pratmakare. Veckans Affrer, (43, 21 oktober), 10-13. Anonymous. (1997). Management consultants and their clients: Princely sums. Review of Dangerous Company. By James O'Shea and Charles Madigan. Time Business & Nicholas Brealey Publishers. The Economist, (August 16th), 75-76. [viii] As a matter of fact, "tremendous mysteries" in the aesthetics and phenomenology of design have their legitimate origin and place in religious experience as expressed e.g. in Ratzinger, J. (2005). On the Contemplation of Beauty. 2002 Message to the Communion and Liberation. (Published 2005-05-02. Available at <http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=70258> accessed 051228. Swedish translation "Sknheten skall befria oss" in Signum, No. 5, Vol. 31, 11-16, <http://www.signum.se/signum/template.php?page=read&id=1356>, accessed 060115.) The lack of a legitimate theological dimension in science fosters pseudo-religious passions and pseudo-mysteries in techno-science. [ix] Cf. Bengtsson, J.O. (2001). Left and Right Eclecticism: Roger KimballÕs Cultural Criticism. Humanitas, vol. XIV, No. 1. (Also at <http://www.nhinet.org/bengtsson14-1.pdf> accessed 060228). [x] Churchman, C. W. (1971). The design of inquiring systems: Basic principles of systems and organization. New York: Basic Books.
It is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. In early July, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation placed its two London-based “quality” dailies, the Times and Sunday Times, behind a paywall, charging £1 for 24 hours access, or £2 a week (after an introductory £1 for the first month.) At the same time, News Corp also forbad the UK’s Audit Bureau of Circulations from reporting site traffic, so that no meaningful measure of the paywall’s effect was available. That situation has now been partially reversed, with News reporting some of its own numbers: they claim 105,000 total transactions for digital content between July and October.* (Several people have wrongly reported this as 105,000 users. The number of users is smaller, as there can be more than one transaction per user.) News Corp notes that about half of those transactions were one-offs, meaning only about 50,000 transactions in those four months were by people with any commitment to the site longer than a single day. Because that 50K number includes not just web site transactions, but Kindle and iPad sales as well, web subscribers are, at best, in the low tens of thousands. However, we don’t know how small the digital subscriber number is, for two reasons. First, the better the Kindle and iPad numbers are, the worse the web numbers are. Second, News did not report, for example, whether a loyal reader from July to October would count as a single transaction or several consecutive transactions. (If iPad sales are good, and loyal users create multiple transactions, then monthly web subscribers could be under 10,000.) The other figure News reported is that something like 100,000 print subscribers have requested web access. Combining digital-only and print subscribers, and comparing them with comScore’s pre-paywall estimate of roughly six million unique readers worldwide, the reduction in total web audience seems to be on the order of 97%. (Note that this reduction can’t be measured by before and after traffic, as the home pages are outside the paywall, so people who refuse to pay still show up as visitors.) Because the print subscribers outnumber digital-only users, most of the remaining 3% pay nothing for the site. Subscription to the paper is now a better draw for website use than any case News has been able to make for paid access. Given the paucity of the data, the key question of churn remains unanswerable. After the introductory £1 a month offer, the annualized rate rises from £12 to £104. This will cause additional users to bail out, but we have no way of guessing how many. As with every aspect of The Times’ paywall, interpretation of these numbers varies widely. There are people arguing that these numbers are good news; Robert Andrews at PaidContent sees hope in the Times now having recurring user revenues. There are people arguing that they are bad news; Mike Masnick at TechDirt believes those revenues are unlikely to offset new customer acquition costs and the loss of advertising.* What is remarkable though, what seems to need more explaining than News’s strategy itself, is why anyone regards this particular paywall as news at all. The “paywall problem” isn’t particularly complex, either in economic or technological terms. General-interest papers struggle to make paywalls work because it’s hard to raise prices in a commodity market. That’s the problem. Everything else is a detail. The classic description of a commodity market uses milk. If you own the only cow for 50 miles, you can charge usurious rates, because no one can undercut you. If you own only one of a hundred such cows, though, then everyone can undercut you, so you can’t charge such rates. In a competitive environment like that, milk becomes a commodity, something whose price is set by the market as a whole. Owning a newspaper used to be like owning the only cow, especially for regional papers. Even in urban markets, there was enough segmentation–the business paper, the tabloid, the alternative weekly–and high enough costs to keep competition at bay. No longer. The internet commodifies the business of newspapers. Any given newspaper competes with a few other newspapers, but any newspaper website compete with all other websites. As Nicholas Carr pointed out during the 2009 pirate kidnapping, Google News found 11,264 different sources for the story, all equally accessible.* The web puts newspapers in competition with radio and TV stations, magazines, and new entrants, both professional and amateur. It is the war of each against all. None of this is new. The potential disruptive effects of the internet on newspapers have been observable since ClariNet in 1989.* Nor has the business case for paywalls changed. The advantage of paywalls is that they raise revenue from users. The disadvantages are that they reduce readership, increase customer acquistion and retention costs, and eliminate ad revenue from user-forwarded content. In most cases, the disadvantages have outweighed the advantages. So what’s different about News paywall? Nothing. It’s no different from other pay-for-access plans, whether the NY Times’ TimesSelect* or the Harligen Texas Valley Morning Star.* News Corp has produced no innovation in content, delivery, or payment, and the idea of 90%+ loss of audience was already a rule of thumb over a decade ago. Yet something clearly feels different. Over the last fifteen years, many newspaper people have assumed continuity with the analog business model, which is to say they assumed that readers could eventually be persuaded or forced pay for digital editions. This in turn suggested that the failure of any given paywall was no evidence of anything other than the need to try again. What is new about the Times’ paywall–what may in fact make it a watershed–isn’t strategy or implementation. What’s new is that it has launched as people in the news business are re-thinking assumed continuity. It’s new because the people paying attention to it are now willing to regard the results as evidence of something. To the newspaper world, TimesSelect looked like an experiment. The Times and Sunday Times look like a referendum on the future. One way to escape a commodity market is to offer something that isn’t a commodity. This has been the preferred advice of people committed to the re-invention of newspapers. It is a truism bordering on drinking game material that anyone advising newspapers will at some point say “All you need to do is offer a product so relevant and valuable the consumer is willing to pay for it!” This advice is well-meaning. It’s just not much help. The suggestion that newspapers should, in the future, create a digital product users are willing to pay for is merely a restatement of the problem, by way of admission that the current product does not pass that test. Most of the historical hope for paywalls assumed that through some combination of reader desire and supplier persuasiveness, the current form of the newspaper could survive the digital transition without significant alteration. Payalls, as actually implemented, have not accomplished this. They don’t expand revenue from the existing audience, they contract the audience to that subset willing to pay. Paywalls do indeed help newspapers escape commodification, but only by ejecting the readers who think of the product as a commodity. This is, invariably, most of them. You can see this contraction at the Times and Sunday Times in the reversal of digital to print readers. Before the paywall, the two sites had roughly six times more readers than there were print sales of the paper edition. (6M web vs. 1M print for the Sunday Times* .) Post-paywall, the web audience is less than a sixth of print sales (down to <150K vs. 1M). The paying web audience is less a twentieth of print sales (<50K vs. 1M), and possibly much less. One way to think of this transition is that online, the Times has stopped being a newspaper, in the sense of a generally available and omnibus account of the news of the day, broadly read in the community. Instead, it is becoming a newsletter, an outlet supported by, and speaking to, a specific and relatively coherent and compact audience. (In this case, the Times is becoming the online newsletter of the Tories, the UK’s conservative political party, read much less widely than its paper counterpart.) Murdoch and News Corp, committed as they have been to extracting revenues from the paywall, still cannot execute in a way that does not change the nature of the organizations behind the wall. Rather than simply shifting relative subsidy from advertisers to users for an existing product, they are instead re-engineering the Times around the newsletter model, because the paywall creates newsletter economics. As of July, non-subscribers can no longer read Times stories forwarded by colleagues or friends, nor can they read stories linked to from Facebook or Twitter. As a result, links to Times stories now rarely circulate in those media. If you are going to produce news that can’t be shared outside a particular community, you will want to recruit and retain a community that doesn’t care whether any given piece of news spreads, which means tightly interconnected readerships become the ideal ones. However, tight interconnectedness correlates inversely with audience size, making for a stark choice, rather than offering a way of preserving the status quo. This re-engineering suggests that paywalls don’t and can’t rescue current organizational forms. They offer instead yet another transformed alternative to it. Even if paywall economics can eventually be made to work with a dramatically reduced audience, this particular referendum on the future (read: the present) of newspapers is likely to mean the end of the belief that there is any non-disruptive way to remain a going concern. Also, nota bene: One of the problems with the various “Hey you guys, I just had a great idea for saving newpapers!” micropayment comments showing up in my moderation queue is that the proposers often exhibit no understanding that micropayments have a 20-year history of failure. I will not post comments suggesting that micropayments will save the news industry unless those comment refer to at least some of the theoretical or practical literature on previous attempts to make them work for the news business. Start here: Why Small Payments Won’t Save Publishers
Acclaimed writer Murray receives legacy award HARLEM, N.Y. (August 24, 2011) — Tuskegee University President Gilbert L. Rochon on Aug. 20 presented acclaimed writer and Tuskegee alumnus Albert Murray with the Booker T. Washington Legacy Award at his home. Murray and others were named recipients of the award for excellence and dedication in their respective fields in January during activities for Rochon’s inauguration as the sixth president of Tuskegee. \|Acclaimed writer and alumnus Albert Murray received the Booker T. Washington Legacy Award from Tuskegee University President Gilbert L. Rochon at Murray's home in Harlem, N.Y. Murray, a native of Nokomis, Ala., is a literary and jazz critic, novelist, and biographer. He received a bachelor’s degree from Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1939. He received his master’s degree in literature from New York University in 1948. Murray taught English and American literature, and directed theater at Tuskegee. After the outbreak of World War II, he entered the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943 and served until 1946. After the war, he transferred to the U.S. Air Force Reserve and returned to teach at Tuskegee, where he also served as head of the ROTC program for four years. He retired from the Air Force with the rank of major in 1962. He then moved to New York to settle into a writing career. Murray, who had a mutually influential friendship with another Tuskegee student, Ralph Ellison (they formed a friendship years after college), published his first book, The Omni-Americans in 1970. In his writings, Murray presents an authentic analysis of African-American life as he has known and lived it. As he does so, he neither ignores nor apologizes for the negative elements that cause people to define blacks as social problems — elements such as the poverty and crime resulting from a long tradition of slavery, segregation, discrimination and racism. However, he does strongly challenge the negative, oversimplified images that both blacks and whites represent as the common experience of all African-Americans. Murray has had a distinguished career as writer, teacher, and lecturer at universities that include Colgate University, the University of Massachusetts, and the University of Berlin. The Houghton Library of Harvard University recently purchased Murray’s papers. Murray is one of the original founders and a board member of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has received numerous honors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Book Critics Circle, membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the DuBois Medal from the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African-American Research at Harvard University. At their October 2004 meeting, the Tuskegee University Board of Trustees approved the recommendation to place the donated books and writings of Murray in the Rare Book Room of the Ford Motor Company Library under the name of “The Albert Murray Collection.” @ 2011 Tuskegee University
St. Peter's Square Saint Paul (9) The Importance of Christology: Pre-existence and Incarnation. Dear Brothers and Sisters, In the Catecheses of these past weeks we have meditated on St Paul's "conversion", the result of his personal encounter with the crucified and Risen Jesus, and we asked ourselves what relationship the Apostle to the Gentiles had with the earthly Jesus. Today I would like to speak of the teaching that St Paul bequeathed to us on the centrality of the Risen Christ in the mystery of salvation, on his Christology. In truth, the Risen Jesus Christ, "exalted above every other name", is at the centre of every reflection Paul makes. Christ, for the Apostle, is the criterion for evaluating events and things, the goal of every effort that he makes to proclaim the Gospel, the great passion that sustains his footsteps on the roads of the world. And this is a real and living Christ: "Christ", Paul says, "who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal 2: 20). This person who loves me, with whom I can speak, who listens to me and answers me, this is truly the starting point for understanding the world and finding the way through history. Those who have read St Paul's writings know well that he was not concerned to recount the sequence of individual events in Jesus' life. Nevertheless we may think that in his catechesis he told far more about the pre-Paschal Jesus than he writes in his Letters which are admonitions in precise situations. His pastoral and theological intention was so focused on fostering the nascent communities that it came naturally to him to concentrate completely on the proclamation of Jesus Christ as "Lord", alive now and present now among his followers. Hence the characteristic essentiality of Pauline Christology, which develops the depths of the mystery with a constant and precise concern: to proclaim the living Jesus, of course, but above all to proclaim the central reality of his death and Resurrection as the culmination of his earthly existence and the root of the successive development of the whole Christian faith, the whole reality of the Church. For the Apostle the Resurrection is not an event in itself, separate from death: the Risen One is always the One who has first been crucified. Even as the Risen One he bears his wounds: the Passion is present in him and we can say, together with Pascal, that he is the Suffering One until the end of the world, while at the same time being the Risen One and living with us and for us. Paul had understood this identification of the Risen One with the Crucified Christ at the encounter on the road to Damascus: at that moment it was clearly revealed to him that the Crucified One is the Risen One and the Risen One is the Crucified One, who asks Paul: "Why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9: 4). Paul is persecuting Christ in the Church and then realizes that the Cross is not "accursed by God" (Dt 21: 23), but is also the sacrifice for our redemption. Fascinated, the Apostle contemplates the hidden secret of the Crucified and Risen One and, through the suffering experienced by Christ in his humanity (earthly dimension), goes back to that eternal existence in which he is wholly one with the Father (dimension before time): "When the time had fully come", he wrote, "God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Gal 4: 4-5). These two dimensions, his eternal pre-existence with the Father and the Lord's descent in his Incarnation are already announced in the Old Testament, in the figure of Wisdom. We find in the sapiential Books of the Old Testament certain texts which exalt the role of Wisdom that existed prior to the world's creation. Passages such as the one from Psalm 90 should be interpreted in this sense: "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God" (v. 2); or passages like this one that speaks of the creator Wisdom: "The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth" (Prv 8: 22-23). The praise of Wisdom, contained in the Book of the same name, is also evocative: "She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and she orders all things well" (Wis 8: 1). The sapiential texts themselves which speak of the eternal pre-existence of Wisdom, also speak of the descent, the abasement of this Wisdom, who pitched a tent for herself among men. Thus we already hear echoing the words of the Gospel of John, who speaks of the tent of the Lord's flesh. He created a tent for himself in the Old Testament: here the temple is shown, and worship in accordance with the Torah; but the New Testament perspective enables us to realize that this was only a prefiguration of the tent that was far more real and meaningful: the tent of Christ's flesh. And we already see in the Books of the Old Testament that this lowering of Wisdom, her descent in the flesh, also suggests the possibility that she was rejected. St Paul, in developing his Christology, refers precisely to this sapiential perspective: in Jesus he recognizes the eternal wisdom that has always existed, the wisdom that descends and pitches a tent for herself among us and thus he can describe Christ as "the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor 1: 24), he can say that Christ has become, through God's work, "our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (ibid., v. 30). Similarly, Paul explains that Christ, like Wisdom, can be rejected above all by the rulers of this world (cf. 1 Cor 2: 6-9), so that within God's plans a paradoxical situation is created, the Cross, which was to transform itself into the means of salvation for the whole human race. In the famous hymn contained in the Letter to the Philippians (cf. 2: 6-11) a further development of this sapiential cycle sees Wisdom abase herself to then be exalted despite rejection. This is one of the most elevated texts in the whole of the New Testament. The vast majority of exegetes today agree that this passage reproduces an earlier composition than the text of the Letter to the Philippians. This is a very important fact because it means that Judaeo-Christianity, prior to St Paul, believed in Jesus' divinity. In other words, faith in the divinity of Jesus was not a Hellenistic invention that emerged much later than Jesus' earthly life, an invention which, forgetful of his humanity, would have divinized him; we see in reality that early Judaeo-Christianity believed in the divinity of Jesus. Indeed, we can say that the Apostles themselves, at the important moments in the life of their Teacher, understood that he was the Son of God, as St Peter said in Caesarea Philippi: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Mt 16: 16). However, let us return to the hymn in the Letter to the Philippians. This text's structure is in three strophes, which illustrate the high points on the journey undertaken by Christ. His pre-existence is expressed by the words: "though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped" (Phil 2: 6). Then comes the Son's voluntary self- abasement in the second strophe: "emptied himself, taking the form of a servant" (v. 7), to the point of humbling himself and "[becoming] obedient unto death, even death on a cross" (v. 8). The third strophe of the hymn proclaims the Father's response to the Son's humbling of himself: "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name" (v. 9). What is striking is the contrast between the radical humbling of himself and his subsequent glorification in the glory of God. It is obvious that this second strophe is in contrast with the claim of Adam, who wanted to make a God of himself, and in contrast with the act of the builders of the tower of Babel, who wanted to construct a bridge to Heaven and make themselves divinities. However, this initiative of pride ended in self-destruction: this is not the way to Heaven, to true happiness, to God. The gesture of the Son of God is exactly the opposite: not pride but humility, which is the fulfilment of love and love is divine. The initiative of Christ's abasement, of his radical humility, in stark contrast with human pride, is truly an expression of divine love; it is followed by that elevation into Heaven to which God attracts us with his love. In addition to the Letter to the Philippians, there are other places in Pauline literature where the themes of the pre-existence and descent to the earth of the Son of God are connected to each other. A reaffirmation of the assimilation of Wisdom and Christ, with all the connected cosmic and anthropological implications, is found in the First Letter to Timothy: "He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory" (3: 16). It is above all on these premises that a better definition of Christ as the sole Mediator is possible, against the background of the One God of the Old Testament (cf. 1 Tm 2: 5 in relation to Is 43: 10-11; 44: 6). Christ is the true bridge that leads us to Heaven, to communion with God. And lastly, just a brief reference to the last developments of St Paul's Christology in his Letters to the Colossians and to the Ephesians. In the former, Christ is described as the "first-born of all creation" (1: 15-20). This word "first-born" suggests that the first of numerous children, the first of a great many brothers and sisters, came down to draw us and make us his brothers and sisters. In the Letter to the Ephesians we find a beautiful exposition of the divine plan of salvation, when Paul says that in Christ God desired to recapitulate everything (cf. Eph 1: 23). Christ is the epitome of all things, he takes everything upon himself and guides us to God. And thus he involves us in a movement of descent and ascent, inviting us to share in his humility, that is, in his love for neighbour, in order also to share in his glorification, becoming with him sons in the Son. Let us pray the Lord to help us conform to his humility, to his love, in order to be rendered participants in his divinization. * * * I offer a warm welcome to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, especially those from England, Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Ghana, Guam, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada and the United States. Upon you and your families I cordially invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace. © Copyright 2008 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
On Teacher’s Day we turn the spotlight on 'An Inspiring Teacher', a documentary on senior professor of English K. Chellappan who has been an influence for over four decades This Teacher’s Day, the teaching community has decided to gift itself a present. Many teachers pooled in to fund a documentary on K. Chellappan, fondly known as Dr. KC, a senior professor of English who has taught hundreds of students for over four decades and is responsible for creating over 200 teachers of English (including 120 M.Phil candidates and 50 PhDs). Dr. KC has presented over 175 papers on English teaching around the world and translated several Tamil books into English. Being an inspiration The documentary An Inspiring Teacher, directed by Venkey was released on the eve of Teachers Day and DVDs were distributed to colleges all over the State. K. Elango, the national secretary of English Language Teachers Association and the head of Department of English at Anna University, who spearheaded the initiative, says the idea was born when they realised there were no documentaries on teachers, barring some made on Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. “Despite English being spoken in India for 400 years, only 12 per cent of the population speaks it. In fact, China is making greater progress. We have to take English from the classes to the masses. For which we need quality English language teachers, but most teachers are not exposed to teaching techniques or able to make a distinction between language and literature. We have fragmentary, mechanical teachers of English,” says Prof. Elango. “We need to inspire teachers to become better teachers. Inspiring teachers are a vanishing breed. The idea was not to make a biopic or a film to eulogise him, but show how he managed to become a great teacher. Dr. KC brought in comparative literature, stylistics and translation, and managed to reach out to teachers all around the State,” he explains the vision behind the documentary. K. Chellappan was a teacher’s teacher who made English accessible to Tamil speakers. Though he taught English, he was passionate about his mother tongue Tamil too and built bridges between the two languages through comparative literature, says Prof. Elango. P. Aasaithambi, head of the Department of English, Government Arts College, Nandanam, who was a direct student of Dr. KC during 1977 and 1982 at Bharathidasan University, observes: “He was a first generation learner of English. He came from a rural background, chose Tamil medium and became the master of both worlds.” V. Chellammal, head of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, who learnt under him in the 1970s, used to go from Trichy to Madurai University to listen to him. Later she trained under him to teach elementary school students as part of British Council’s MELT programme for teachers training. “If he says something, we take it to be true. All English teachers in the State have been influenced by him at one point or the other.” He has influenced a younger generation of teachers too, even if he didn’t exactly teach them. Mangai, assistant professor of English at Ethiraj College, who worked on the research for the documentary, calls it a dream project. “I heard him at the ELTA conference on learning strategies and styles a few years ago and have been talking about this documentary for about three years now but there were no documents. Not even photos. We spent three months travelling.” Director Venkey’s wife Chitraa, who teaches English at Ethiraj College, did further research and worked on the script and voiceover of the documentary. “We got three hours of footage from Trichy, Madurai, Karaikudi and his hometown Paganeri. Teachers chipped in money wherever we went when they heard we were making a documentary. We have made this as a celebration of the teaching profession,” says Venkey, whose debut film Konjam Koffee Konjam Kadhal is awaiting release. “In a knowledge economy, teaching qualities are deteriorating. We hope this documentary can make some difference.”
As per the Student Rights and Reponsibilities in UVU's official policies and procedural manual Each student is expected to maintain academic ethics and honesty in all its forms, including but not limited to, cheating and plagiarism as defined hereafter: Cheating - is the act of using or attempting to use or providing others with unauthorized information, materials or study aids in academic work. Cheating includes, but is not limited to passing examination answers to or taking examinations for someone else, or preparing or copying other's academic work. Plagiarism - is the act of appropriating any other person's or group's ideas or work (written, computerized, artistic, etc.) or portions thereof and passing them off as the product of one's own work in any academic exercise or activity. Fabrication - is the use of invented information or the falsification of research or other findings. Examples include but are not limited to: The department of English and Literature has its own Plagiarism Policy above and beyond the above. Please visit http://www.uvu.edu/english/student/plagiarism.html for that policy along with resources on how to avoid plagiarism. See what you know about plagiarism. Try the Online Writing Lab Avoiding Plagiarism Quiz. Additionally, according to policy E-6.2 General Responsibilities Q, categories of misconduct that are not considered responsible behavior include, among other things: Failure to adhere to all laws and regulations governing the duplication and use of copyrighted materials including, but not limited to, printed and audio materials, video film, and/or computer software. The Writing Center would be happy to work with you on ensuring your papers or presentations do not have plagiarized materials or in other ways violate copyright. Simply call 863-8936, email email@example.com, or stop by the library room LI208 between any of these times: Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can also visit their Web site at http://www.uvu.edu/writingcenter/ to learn more about the Writing Center. Services are available to ALL students.
About Sean McCann Sean McCann is Associate Professor of English at Wesleyan University. Email Address: firstname.lastname@example.org Posts by Sean McCann Thursday, March 15, 2007 The Assault of History; or, more questions about Faulkner Did I ever say I understood Light in August? I must have been drinking. On a latest read the novel seems to me more extraordinary, profound, and deeply confusing than ever.Continue reading "The Assault of History; or, more questions about Faulkner" Thursday, March 08, 2007 Life Under Late Capitalism The assignment my six-year-old got in his first grade classroom: Complete the story of the duckling and the alligator. The alligator ate the duckling and the alligator lived happily ever after. The grade his teacher gave him: Check plus. And a smiley face. Friday, March 02, 2007 A distinctive kind of spiritual exercise So, you were perhaps wondering what the “moment of theory” was? In the most recent issue of Critical Inquiry the unusual Ian Hunter proposes an unconventional answer. It can all be summed up quite easily Hunter claims. What was at stake was a cultural-political battle in the humanities academy in which the short-lived resurgence of neo-Kantian structuralism would be overcome by its neo-Husserlian rival. Got that?Continue reading "A distinctive kind of spiritual exercise" Thursday, February 22, 2007 Does Anse Bundren Love His Wife? I have the good fortune of teaching Faulkner this semester, which means I get to re-read a lot of wonderful and puzzling books. To my mind, As I Lay Dying has always been the most mysterious of the lot. The Sound and the Fury may be the more evidently virtuoso performance, Absalom, Absalom! may possess more grandeur. Sanctuary is flat out creepy weird. But I feel like I’ve got more or less of a handle on what’s basically at issue in those books and in the other major works. AILD, on the other hand, has always seemed to me pretty enigmatic. Judging by the critical record, moreover, I’m not alone. Unless my impression is mistaken, the Bundren saga has produced less in the way of consensus, and in fact less devoted attention overall, than any other work from Faulkner’s great period. On this last read, I was particularly struck by a passage on which strangely I don’t think I’ve previously lingered.Continue reading "Does Anse Bundren Love His Wife?" Sunday, October 08, 2006 Does Walter Benn Michaels’s Trouble With Diversity offer, as Brad says, a neo-functionalist account of the relation between affirmative action and economic inequality? Though I have to admit that it sometimes sounds that way, I don’t think so.Continue reading "Neo-functional?" Monday, October 02, 2006 Especially for America Walter Benn Michaels makes some harsh comments about “liberalism” and says still worse about “neoliberalism.” But he doesn’t belabor a definition of terms. More significantly, he doesn’t go to great lengths to clarify the connection that everyone rightly recognizes as his central contention—and the one most open to challenge: that there’s a fundamental trade-off between an interest in diversity and an interest in economic justice. What’s the connection? Does Michaels think there’s a necessary and fundamental conflict here? Is it merely an unhappy coincidence of recent or even longer term history? Or is there an inevitable tension between the good of tolerance and the good of equality that has been exacerbated in recent years by a number of causes—including bad actors, well intentioned bloviators, and structural changes in the economy.Continue reading "Especially for America" Thursday, May 25, 2006 Déjà Vu All Over Again The recognition that . . . [x] theory is a sadly neglected subdiscipline of philosophy began with an experience of déjà vu. As I plowed through my shelfload of bad . . . [x] books, I beheld a discipline that consists mainly of unverifiable propositions and cryptic anecdotes, is rarely if ever held accountable, and produces an inordinate number of catastrophically bad writers. It was all too familiar. There are, however, at least two crucial differences between philosophers and their wayward cousins. The first and most important is that philosophers are much better at knowing what they don’t know. The second is . . .Continue reading "Déjà Vu All Over Again" Wednesday, May 10, 2006 Heartless, Heartless, Heartless I finally got a chance to read an essay plugged by Ray some time back, Debbie Nelson’s “The Virtues of Heartlessness: Mary McCarthy, Hannah Arendt, and the Anesthetics of Empathy". It’s an excellent essay—eloquent and persuasive and refreshingly free of academese. (Disclaimer: I’m a friend and long-time admirer of Debbie.) The essay’s main contention is that Mary McCarthy’s famously stern persona was not solely a matter of temperament, but part of an Arendtian commitment to public virtue. Debbie suggests, without hammering too heavily, that critics have been slow to recognize the point because of the patronizing to which women writers are often subject—maybe especially writers like McCarthy who make no allowance for conventional expectations of femininity. Basically, it’s been too easy for everyone to call McCarthy a shrew, or worse. As Debbie sees it, though, McCarthy was motivated by political and aesthetic conviction. She shared with Arendt not just a biting critical sensibility, but a preference for a solidarity rooted in public deliberation over the satisfactions of emotional bonding and identity politics. (As Ray emphasizes, there’s an aesthetic angle to the argument stressing the necessity of paying attention to, without sentimentalizing suffering.) Again without overstressing the point, Debbie clearly wants to defend their aversion to sentimentality. The essay is part of a work in progress called “tough broads.” Wednesday, May 03, 2006 On the Origin of Interdisciplinarity--a cost/benefit model Just came across a passage I thought might make for a good follow-up to Scott’s Darwinian origins of jargon post. Actually, I don’t really have a particularly good reason for mentioning the passage. Just thought it offered a memorable analogy, packaged in the pleasantly astringent prose style that used to characterize the best mid-century social science. (Or maybe that’s just my impression.) The text is the preface to The Calculus of Consent (1962), James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock’s seminal work in the theory of public choice.Continue reading "On the Origin of Interdisciplinarity--a cost/benefit model" Monday, April 17, 2006 Here’s an interesting article by for fans of Language (once L = A = N = G = U =A = G = E) poetry--Oren Izenberg in Critical Inquiry on “Language Poetry and Collective Life.” Caveat: I’m not a fan myself, nor am I especially educated about the material. I don’t really have any informed opinions, more like a complacent lack of interest. But when I stumbled over this essay by chance, I thought that what it had to say sounded ingenious, more or less right, and clarifying. I’m curious to know whether people who know and love the stuff feel the same.Continue reading "Radically Universal?" Wednesday, March 29, 2006 Time, or Too Late, to Kill the Ph.D Octopus? Over at POTUS, a fine group blog by some top level American political historians and political scientists, eminent historian Alonzo Hamby has two informative posts (scroll down for the first) about how graduate education in history has changed. The capsule summary: it’s gotten longer and a lot more uncertain. Hamby has illuminating thoughts about the various ways that a grad student’s life differs from the experience he had back in the early ‘60s. But, ruminating about why it is that average (or maybe median, he doesn’t specify) time to the history Ph.D. is now 11 years past B.A. and 8 years past admission, he touches pretty lightly on what seems to me obviously the central factor—a glutted employment market. This is only to point out the obvious. But there’s no incentive to rush through a dissertation if there are no jobs waiting for you, and all kinds of reverse and perverse incentives to prolong the agony. All this has been pointed out ad nauseum. But as far as I’m concerned it can’t be said too often, and both the consequences and the best response still merit consideration. Monday, March 27, 2006 How German Is It? A question for film noir buffs. What do you make of frame narrative in The Killers? Frame is not quite the right term, but I hope you know what I’m talking about—that part of the movie dedicated to the effort of insurance investigator Jim Reardon (Edmond O’Brien) and detective Sam Lubinsky (Sam Levene) to unravel the central mystery behind the killing of the Swede (Burt Lancaster, in the role that made him a star). I suppose until recently I thought this part of the film’s design was clever, but relatively straightforward. Recently, however, I’ve been reading some of the criticism on noir and Robert Siodmak, and I came across two arguments that made me wonder. The fact that they make almost completely contradictory claims has only deepened my perplexity. Next thing I know I’ll be inhabiting the noir universe. Is anything straightforward?! Can anyone be trusted?! Can I please have a cigarette?!Continue reading "How German Is It?" Friday, March 17, 2006 Who Speaks for the Monolith? (Cue, Zarathustra) Let me follow Ray’s sublime post with a ridiculous one and offer the second in a series of trivial terminological gripes. (I assume you’ll be grateful that the complaints show up Brigadoon-like but once a year).Continue reading "Who Speaks for the Monolith? (Cue, Zarathustra)" Tuesday, February 28, 2006 I recently had an interesting experience with an all but forgotten work of scholarship. The text was Leon Katz’s legendary 1963 doctoral dissertation on Gertrude Stein--The First Making of The Making of Americans. Katz is the cat who, following the discovery of Stein’s notebooks for The Making of Americans (found tossed in among the ms for the novel in her papers at the Beinecke), somehow charmed Alice B. Toklas into spending months reviewing the barely legible pages with him. The pair worked together eight hour a day, four days a week from November 1952 to February 1953. When it was over, the aged Toklas, who was writing her cookbook at the same time, had “a particularly bilious form of yellow jaundice.” Katz had an incredible lode of information.Continue reading "Passionate Indifference" Thursday, January 19, 2006 Human, Not So Human: A Few Quibbles About Moretti’s Graphs, Maps, Trees I love Graphs, Maps, and Trees. Who couldn’t? If you’re not dazzled by the erudition and the data set, how could you fail to find instruction and delight in the nimbleness of Moretti’s mind and the brio of his prose? But, love it thought I do, like Matt, Ray, and Jenny Davidson, I’m not so sure that GMT can really “delineate a transformation in the study of literature” as Moretti suggests (NLR 67).* I applaud Moretti’s remarkable commitment to research. I admire his interest in “explanation” as against “interpretation” (even if I’m not sure the distinction finally holds up). I’m attracted to his emphasis on “devices and genres; not texts.” And I welcome his enthusiasm for analogies and examples drawn from all sorts of disciplines arguably related to literary scholarship. I’m still more taken by his intellectual seriousness and his evident appreciation for the artfulness of literary creativity. But looking at the essays in combination and considering some of the many different sources of insight I think they combine, I don’t see a new methodology for literary study so much as a sterling example of comparative literary scholarship at its most inspired—a la Auerbach, Spitzer, Bakhtin. Here’s an unscientific prediction. There will be no school of Moretti, because only Moretti will prove able to do what’s on display here. A few minor thoughts about why that might be so.Continue reading "Human, Not So Human: A Few Quibbles About Moretti’s Graphs, Maps, Trees"
December 31, 2002 Leading public and political figures in Georgia began a campaign to encourage mass migration to Abkhazia. Numerous publications argued the rights of Georgians to settle Abkhazia. This campaign lead to a firm conviction among all levels of Georgian society that any attempts by the Abkhaz to claim this land as their own should be quashed. It was no coincidence that soon after the disintegration of the Russian Empire in May 1918 the new Georgian Democratic Republic occupied and annexed Abkhazia. It is important to note that prior to this occupation an Abkhaz National Council had been formed which was active in the development of regional state institutions in the North Caucasus and Southern Russia. As a result of these processes, Abkhazia joined the Union of Mountain Peoples of the North Caucasus, and then the Mountain Republic and the south-eastern Union of Cossack Forces, Caucasian Mountain Peoples and Free Peoples of the Steppe. Hence, following the annexation of Abkhazia by Georgia, the leadership of the Mountain Republic issued a formal protest to the authorities of the Georgian Republic and Germany, whose troops had participated in the operation. During the period of Georgian Menshevik rule in Abkhazia what was in effect a military dictatorship was established. The bodies of the representative authorities were dissolved. Numerous instances of atrocities towards the civilian population of Abkhazia during this period under the command of General Mazniev (appointed Governor General of Abkhazia) have been recorded. On 4 March 1921 the authorities of the Georgian democratic republic in Abkhazia were overthrown by the "Kiaraz" detachment of Abkhaz rebels, with the support of Red Army troops of the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic. An independent Soviet Socialist Republic of Abkhazia was proclaimed on 31 March 1921. On 21 May 1921, the Revolutionary Committee of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic recognised the independence of the Abkhaz SSR. In December 1921 the Abkhaz SSR, under pressure from Stalin who was developing nationalities policy in the RSFSR at the time, was forced into a Union Treaty with the Georgian SSR, which created the basis for state-legal relations between Abkhazia and Georgia. According to this treaty, the SSR of Georgia and the SSR of Abkhazia entered into a military, political and economic alliance. In order to achieve these aims, several areas of state activity were announced as common, and were conducted jointly. Thus state-legal relations between Georgia and Abkhazia were based on the treaty, and at the time of signing it the two states possessed equal rights. Following this the Abkhaz SSR took part in the establishment of the USSR and in December 1922 its representatives signed the USSR Treaty. In 1931 the Abkhaz SSR was forced to become an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic within the Georgian SSR. This violation of the sovereign rights of Abkhazia had grave consequences for the Abkhaz national consciousness. The reduction of its status to that of an autonomous republic resulted in a gathering of people from throughout Abkhazia over several days (18-26 February 1931), who expressed their distrust toward the government and Soviet authorities. This was the first such mass protest in defence of Abkhaz statehood and rights during the Soviet period. Subsequent Georgian policy was focused on creating a mono-national state. Meskhetian Turks, Greeks, Kurds, Khemshins, Laz and others were deported from Georgia. In Abkhazia a policy of altering the demographic balance was pursued, partly by means of forcible assimilation and partly by means of the mass settlement of Georgian nationals in Abkhazia. At the root of this policy were works by Georgian scholars maintaining that there was no Abkhaz nation as such, and that the Abkhaz were one of the Kartvelian tribes. In 1937-1953 in order to assimilate the Abkhaz, the Georgian government took measures which can only be considered criminal. The Abkhaz were deprived of the right to teach their children in their native language. All Abkhaz schools were closed, as were institutions preparing teachers of the Abkhaz language. In addition, Russian language schools were closed in all the villages of Abkhazia; contrary to the wishes of students and their parents, Abkhazian children were allowed to study only in Georgian schools. In spite of the fact that Armenians constituted a considerable proportion of the population, Armenian schools were also closed in Sukhum and other towns. Russian departments were closed in the Sukhum Teacher Training Institute, and also in the industrial and agricultural technical schools. The Russian section was also closed in the Sukhum State Drama Theatre. The Abkhaz script (originally based on the Cyrillic and then the Latin script) was altered, against the will of the Abkhaz people, to one based on Georgian characters. As a result, after 1938 the Abkhaz were deprived of the right to read newspapers, journals, and other literature in their native language. In the Abkhaz capital Sukhum, and in district centres Gudauta and Ochamchyra broadcasting in Abkhaz was abolished. Signboards and posters in the Abkhaz language were taken down. The toponymy of Abkhazia came under Georgian influence. In spite of the fact that more than 65% of the population did not understand Georgian, record-keeping was carried out in Georgian in almost all the regions and in Sukhum. The Abkhaz were not trusted and were persecuted, their rights infringed. Abkhazians were forced to alter their surnames into Georgian ones, and in the Gal district Abkhazians were given new passports in which their nationality was indicated as Georgian. From 1949 to 1953 Russians and Armenians could not find work or register in Sukhum. Many people were forced to leave Abkhazia due to their nationality. Over 1500 Armenian families left because living conditions became intolerable. In 1949 Greeks were deported from Abkhazia, and migrants from Georgia occupied the houses they had left. Large numbers of Georgian nationals moved to Abkhazia. In 1939 a migration department was established within the Council of People"s Commissars, together with a special office "Abkhazpereselenstroi". The activity of these structures became the primary indicator of the work of the bodies of state power. Thus Gosplan (State Planning Committee of the USSR) reported to the government that on the initiative of the beloved son of the Georgian nation, Comrade Beria, thousands of peasant households migrated to Abkhazia from Georgian districts lacking in arable land. As a result of the above, the demographic situation was artificially altered. Even in 1897 after mass migration to Turkey and other countries of the Middle and Near East the Abkhaz numbered 55.3%, whereas by the end of the 1990s they numbered only 17% (in other words they were a minority in their own country). Over this period, the Abkhaz population had increased by 1.5, while the Georgian population had increased ten-fold. According to international law, genocide constitutes the destruction of language, religion, culture, and the artificial alteration of the demographic balance. This was the policy of the Georgian authorities and Georgian nationals working in the Abkhaz leadership. After Stalin"s death this policy continued, though with some alteration. Under these conditions, Abkhaz statehood was reduced to a formality. According to the 1997 Constitution of the USSR, the autonomous republics were states with their own constitutions and supreme organs of government, legislative, executive and judicial. In it important to note that according to the Constitution of the USSR the autonomous republics had sole sovereignty over their territories. Moreover, according to the USSR Constitution, the autonomous republics participated in discussing and settling matters within the competencies of the USSR through the supreme organs of government, which means that they were units of the USSR. It should be noted that in the USSR law of 26 April 1990 "On the Differentiation of Power between the USSR and Units of the Federation" it is stated that "the autonomous republics - the Soviet socialist states which are units of the federation - of the USSR". Thus, in spite of the fact that Abkhazia was an autonomous republic within the Georgian SSR, they were both units of the USSR and thus the relationship between them was one between two states. During the last years of the USSR, the Georgian authorities began a process aimed at leading to their exit from the Union. This process was accompanied by nationalist propaganda. Leaders of the national movements in Georgia appealed to the public to abolish the autonomous statehood of Abkhazia. This lead to anxiety not only among the Abkhaz, but also among other non-Georgian people. Between 1989 and 1991 the Supreme Soviet of Georgia made a number of unilateral decisions according to which the organs of state power in the Georgian SSR and therefore state-legal acts adopted by them were proclaimed illegitimate and illegal. In turn, the Supreme Soviet of the Abkhaz ASSR adopted on 25 August 1990 its "Declaration on the state sovereignty of Abkhazia and resolution on legal guarantees for the protection of Abkhaz statehood". In this last document in particular it is established that as a result of decisions taken by the Supreme Soviet of the GSSR, the inclusion of Abkhazia within Georgia had no legal basis. In view of the fact that state-legal relations between Abkhazia and Georgia were established according to a treaty agreement, Georgia could not unilaterally alter the nature of its relationship with Abkhazia. In addition, altering the relationship was in contradiction of USSR legislation regulating the relationship between Union and autonomous republics. Thus the activities of the Georgian authorities led to the breaking-off of state-legal relations between Georgia and Abkhazia. When Zviad Gamsakhurdia came to power towards the end of 1990 the Supreme Soviet declared a transitional period with the aim of eventually restoring Georgian independence. Then on 28 February 1991, a referendum on the question of restoring Georgian independence according to the Act of Independence of 26 May 1918 was announced. This referendum was essentially posing the question of secession from the USSR. In accordance with the USSR law of 3 April 1990 "On the issue of Union Republic secession from the USSR", a law which was adopted when Georgia was still part of the USSR, autonomous republics had the right to consider independently whether to remain within the USSR in the case of their Union Republic seceding. Accordingly, Abkhazia took part in the referendum of 17 March 1991 in which the majority of the population voted for the preservation of the USSR. The Central Commission of the USSR Referendum officially confirmed the results of the referendum in the Abkhaz ASSR. Georgia, having declared its intention to build an independent state, did not participate in the referendum. On 31 March 1991 a referendum on the restoration of Georgian independence was held on the territory of Georgia, in which Abkhazia did not participate. On 9 April 1991, in accordance with the outcome of this referendum, The Georgian Supreme Soviet adopted an act on the restoration of Georgian independence, which Georgia saw as the successor of the Georgian Democratic Republic of 1918-1921. From this moment, the GSSR ceased to exist de-jure. As a result, there were two unconnected states existing on the territory of the former GSSR - Georgia, which had declared its independence and exit from the USSR - and Abkhazia, which remained a subject of the USSR. Consequently, the state-legal relations between Abkhazia and Georgia, which were created and regulated by Soviet legislation, were also brought to an end. Abkhazia continued to be a subject of the USSR until its collapse on 21 December 1991, and in this capacity participated in the negotiations on reforming the Soviet Union. The Chair of the Abkhaz Supreme Soviet remained a member of the Soviet Federation of the USSR and a member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR until its collapse. At the same time, Abkhazia did not take part in the presidential elections in Georgia, or in the activity of its official structures. It was obvious that Abkhazia could not be both a subject of the USSR and of an independent Georgia. Its follows that prior to its admission to the UN, Georgia had had no relationship with Abkhazia, and hence that the recognition on 21 December 1991 by the UN of Georgia"s territorial integrity within the borders of the former GSSR had no legal basis. On the eve of Georgia"s admission into the UN the Chair of the Supreme Soviet of the Abkhaz ASSR, Vladislav Ardzinba, informed the Secretary General of the UN in a letter that there were no state-legal relationships between Abkhazia and Georgia, and that therefore the admission of Georgia into the UN was not legal. In February 1992, following the collapse of the USSR, the Provisional Military Council of Georgia which had seized power in a coup d"etat took a decision concerning the adoption of the constitution of the Georgian Democratic Republic of 1921, in which relations with Abkhazia were not defined. At the same time, the Georgian authorities declared that pending the elaboration of a new model, relations with Abkhazia would for the time being be based on previous principles. However, at the time this decision was taken there existed no state-legal relations between Abkhazia and Georgia, and thus the resolution was not applicable to Abkhazia. Taking into consideration the political situation at the time, Abkhazia, in an effort to avoid military confrontation, offered to restore state-legal relations with Georgia on new equal grounds. On 23 July 1992, the Supreme Soviet of Abkhazia decided to abolish the 1978 Constitution and adopt instead the 1925 Constitution, according to which (in article II) Abkhazia was a sovereign state and subject of international law. At the same time, the Parliament of Abkhazia addressed the Georgian leadership with a proposal to begin negotiations on the establishment of equal relations within the framework of a federative treaty. However, the Georgian authorities opted to use force rather than political dialogue with Abkhazia, and armed aggression began on 14 August 1992. Having made this decision, the Georgian leadership set out to destroy Abkhaz statehood and suppress the aspiration of the Abkhaz people toward self-determination. G. Karkarashvili, Army Commander of the State Council of Georgia, said openly on 24 August 1992 that "I assure Mr. Ardzinba"s supporters in particular, and warn them, that from today the Georgian side will be prohibited from taking Prisoners of War ? and those armed men who confront our governmental troops will be directly affected by the order not to take prisoners. If negotiations prove to be unsuccessful, I can assure these separatists that if out of the sum total of Georgians 100,000 perish then all 97,000 of you who support Ardzinba will perish?" There was no doubt as to the goals of the occupying forces after such statements. In order to achieve its aims, the Georgian leadership was ready to wipe out the entire Abkhaz people. Could this have been the opinion of Karkarashvili alone? No - immediately following this statement Shevardnadze, the head of Georgia, appointed Karkarashvili "knight of the Georgian people". The activities of the Georgian troops showed this to be far from an empty declaration. To date the Procurator General"s Office of the Republic of Abkhazia has more than five thousand volumes of criminal cases which bear witness to the fact that during the war in 1992-3 the Georgian leadership was engaged in a policy of genocide against the Abkhaz people. Some of this evidence was published in a report by the Procurator General of the Republic of Abkhazia: "Preliminary materials in the investigation of cases of mass murder, genocide and other grave crimes carried out by the Georgian authorities and its armed formations during the period of occupation of Abkhazia in 1992-1993". After the cessation of armed conflict, Georgia and Abkhazia entered into negotiations facilitated by the UN and Russian Federation and with the participation of the OSCE. One of the key issues for negotiation was that of future relations between Georgia and Abkhazia. On 4 April 1994 a "Declaration on measures for a political settlement of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict" was signed which noted the absence of state-legal relations between Abkhazia and Georgia. A similar assessment is made of the above-mentioned declaration in the Report of the Secretary General of the UN on 3 May 1994 (S/1994/529) and in "Proposals relating to political and legal elements of the comprehensive settlement of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict" (Annex II of the report of 3 May 1994). These state that "Abkhazia will be a subject with sovereign rights within the framework of a union state, which will be established by negotiation following the settlement of contentious issues. The name of the union state will be determined by the sides during the course of further negotiations. The parties will recognise the territorial integrity of the state created within the boundaries of the former Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic as of 21 December 1991". Thus the UN proposed that Abkhazia and Georgia create a new union state and then agree on its name. Moreover, on the initiative of the Abkhaz leadership, the international non-governmental organisation "Commonwealth of Lawyers for Asian-Pacific Co-operation" conducted an independent evaluation of the Declaration of 4 April. In its "Findings of the evaluation on the "Declaration on measures for a political settlement of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict" it is noted that the declaration establishes the absence of state-legal relations between the parties. It is also stated that "as is evident from the text of the declaration, the parties have reached an agreement on joint activity in the spheres of foreign policy, border and customs services, energy, transport, communications, ecology, and human rights. These spheres of activity are the preserve of a sovereign state. Accordingly, the parties recognised that both had such rights." It is worth noting that not only the Georgian side but also the UN, R ussia and the OSCE, all signatories of the declaration of 4 April, recognised that Abkhazia possessed the competencies characteristic to a sovereign state. The expert evaluation thus concluded that the declaration of 4 April was an international (interstate) agreement. Dr. B Drissen, a specialist in international law from Brussels, came to the same conclusion. In his "legal evaluation of the validity and interpretation of the agreement signed in 1994" he writes that the declaration of 4 April is an international legal treaty signed by two states. For three years following the signing of the 4 April declaration, the parties negotiated the question of restoring state-legal relations. In June 1997 a draft "Protocol on the Georgian-Abkhaz settlement" was prepared, in accordance with which two equal parties would create a single state based on equal foundations. However, the Georgian side declined from signing this document. This can be explained by the fact that the Georgian position has the support of the UN, OSCE and other parties involved in the settlement of the conflict, who consistently seek to predetermine Abkhaz status as an autonomy within the state of Georgia. At present, on the initiative of the UN, representatives of the group of friends of the Secretary General are working on the document "The basic principles for the distribution of competencies between Tbilisi and Sukhumi" which proposes the inclusion of Abkhazia within Georgia with autonomous rights. This approach is in violation of the principles for settlement set out in the declaration of 4 April. In arguing their position, UN representatives state that the 4 April declaration talks of a temporary breakdown in state-legal relations between Abkhazia and Georgia which came about as a result of the war. Yet war leads to a factual breakdown in relations, not a legal one. State-legal relations are regulated by corresponding legislation which, as shown above, was unilaterally abolished by the leadership of Georgia prior to the outbreak of the Georgian-Abkhaz war. And it is this circumstance which is recorded in the declaration of 4 April.
Yesterday I had an interesting chat with an earnest young man who belongs to the Falun Gong movement. As best as I can tell, Falun Gong is the most serious of the opponents of Communist rule in China. Whenever I meet people from China who passionately want change now, it rarely takes more than a couple minutes before they start telling me about how Falun Gong changed their lives. As best as I can tell, Falun Gong started as a quasi-religious alternative medicine movement. They believe in the curative powers of meditation. During our chat, the Falun Gong member told me eagerly about how its special brand of meditation saved his mother's life. I know, it's got to be a placebo effect, but as Robin Hanson has told me, placebos are grossly under-used. If sugar pills or meditation make people feel better without dangerous side effects, why not embrace them? The main problem Falun Gong seems to have run into is that it became very popular in China very quickly. This forced the Communist government to make a choice: Either tolerate a popular movement outside its control or crack down. They opted for the latter. It's tempting to see this as paranoia on the part of the government, but the Soviet bloc's collapse does suggest that dictatorship is fragile. Before persecution began, Falun Gong does not seem to have been very political. But now they are staunch anti-communists, as their literature makes clear, and are working hard to expose the dark history of the Chinese Communist Party. My visitor from Falun Gong is rather sure that Communism's days are numbered. He has quite a few arguments, but unfortunately none of them convince me: 1. Economic growth in China is an illusion. Either it's only in the cities, and the country is actually getting poorer, or it's based on one-time asset sales, or the products being sold are so adulterated that Chinese prosperity is an illusion. I am very open to the possibility that China's economic statistics are exaggerated. Communist regimes have cooked the books before. But the idea that China does not have pretty high growth simply isn't credible. Unlike Stalin's Russia, foreigners can go to China and look around. A KGB-guided tour can show visitors a Potemkin village, but if visitors are free to wander off the beaten track, it's another matter. 2. China will quickly suffer from environmental disaster. Again, I believe that China's pollution problem is getting worse. But the standard pattern is that industrialization aggravates some environmental problems at first, then mitigates them as income rises. I don't see any reason why China won't fit this pattern, even if it remains a dictatorship. 3. China will experience a Falun Gong-inspired spiritual revival. People will leave the Communist Party and the system will fall under its own weight. In a sense, I think that China has already experienced a spiritual revolution. The collapse of Maoism in large part reflects revulsion against the Cultural Revolution and totalitarianism. But while the man from Falun Gong told me that massive defections from the CCP are already underway, I'm skeptical. Lately the Party has been recruiting businessmen, a sign that the leadership is more than willing to trade off ideology for longevity. Even if the membership of the Party does shrink substantially, I don't see why that would preclude 50 more years of dictatorship. I wish I were wrong. It would be wonderful to see the picture of Mao in Tianamen Square come down today. But in reality I think the end of Communism in China is going to come about gradually, the joint result of economic growth, globalization, and the moral suasion of groups like Falun Gong.
Working poetry in around the edges of other responsibilities works for a while, but it's important, at some point, to have room to focus only on writing. After a gig as a writer-in-residence at Interlochen Arts Academy, I realized that my writing had changed and I had changed. I felt I was at last in the center of my life. After Interlochen I just couldn't imagine going back to a life in which poetry was relegated to the sidelines. I had to, however, and pieced together a work life of teaching and editing, but was frustrated to see my time and energy gobbled up by those concerns. When my employer gave me an ultimatum: full time or no time, I swallowed hard, but chose poetry. I lost my job. Two days later, the NEA called with the news of this grant. I was speechless and remained so for hours. And then I wept. For joy, in relief, and in gratitude. I felt, and still feel, humbled, elated, and blessed with impossible luck. It is as if I've been alone in a locked room, trying to spin straw into gold, feeling kind of grubby and desperate, when the door opens and a fairy godmother or an angel or a talk show host walks in and says, "Surprise! We have a commitment to developing a national literature and we like what you've been working on in here. Hang in there." Hallelujah. I am very grateful to the NEA and am working hard to be worthy of this honor. Many, many thanks. -- for my father He was sick in a drought year: a time when ruin comes in increments--each sunrise, each cloudless noon brings a thousand tiny deaths and panic lies clock-heavy on the chest, counting, counting-- One morning, he told me, he couldn't sleep so he got up and drove out to look at the parched fields, the screen door's creak the only sound in the quiet house. Where he lived the fields lie flat and open, ancient lake bed young to this air--the only place his fear could spread and quiet. He passed rows and rows of midsummer's growth: white beans and corn. Faster and faster, a sea, a blurred sea of green and sage green, then slower, rows and rows again. He knew each row was a farmer's spring prayer put into the ground pass by pass: the steady knocking journey down the rows, the tractor's heat and drum, the tense muscle-focus as the row end approaches, hard left steer into a teardrop turn, definite pull to raise the planter, then hard right, and at this moment, everything is tight and engaged-- the animal tractor spinning, dirt spit out under the wheels, the wide sweep of the raised planter, a feathered fan like the wheel and stomp of the Sandhill, courting. The weighted sway of the planter, movement in an old circle, heading by feel toward what lies ahead-- this is the farmer's dance for each row's end, each row's beginning, new hope ribboning behind. Now at midsummer, each young plant hunched against further loss, leaves shuttered and luminous, the pale undersides thrown up and glimmering like aspen. Not enough. What if there is not enough? Rain. Life. Time. This is the world my father knew: the farmer's returning again and again to embroider the ground with prayer, the rows of small lives, great birds calling overhead, the girlish twirl of the earth around the sun, all balanced in a great delicate blackness larger than our knowing, larger than our imagined God. But this morning it began to rain, a whisper, so soft it had to be noticed, and he saw the crops as they stood under the rain. The shuttered leaves began to open in the slow, wondrous way plants move. They reached up for more in the loved gesture of trees, a motion of hope, to take in whatever comes. He told me when it began to rain, he saw the crops saying thank you, thank you, thank you. He was trying to tell me this is all beautiful, this is all so beautiful. He drove a little longer, slowing, his arm propped in the open rain bead on his arm, that loved arm, moisture beading on his face. And moving slowly, he let himself be turned, gently, toward home. (First published in Third Coast)
At the time, Reed said that he would make his intentions known in about a week. That week came and went, and Reed remained ambiguous about his intentions. This week is almost over and still no clue either way from the mayor about what he intends to do. If he waits much longer, his decision may be moot anyway. The longer the mayor waits to make a decision the more difficult it will be for him to get in the race, political observers and some of his supporters say. "I'm a little surprised this thing hasn't taken shape," said G. Terry Madonna, director of Franklin & Marshall College's Keystone Poll. "This is not something you can turn around in days. This takes weeks to get this done." As each week passes since Labor Day, the chances of Reed launching a successful write-in campaign become more improbable, Madonna said. "The indecision, on the surface is inexplicable," he said. "It may be that he's conflicted about running and losing after a stellar career of rebuilding the city." Reed, who has served as Harrisburg's mayor for 27 years, may be undecided about what he plans to do, but the two people whose names will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are not. As far as City Council President Linda Thompson and Republican Nevin Mindlin are concerned, Reed isn't a factor in the race and hasn't been since he lost the May primary to Thompson. Thompson beat Reed in the May Democratic primary by 1,046 votes. Reed attempted to get on the Republican ballot, but failed to get enough write-in votes to knock Mindlin off the ticket. The two candidates for mayor aren't concerning themselves with Reed's indecisiveness; they are pressing on with their campaigns. "I'm running my campaign on my victory," Thompson said, as she sat in the lobby of her new campaign headquarters in the 1300 block of State Street, which opened this week. "Steve Reed was my opponent in the primary, and he is no longer my opponent. If Steve Reed enters this election in the next seven weeks, we will still run our race in the same way." For Thompson, that campaign has been ongoing ever since she won the primary. She's gone door-to-door, doubled the ranks of her volunteers to about 400 people and has held several fundraising events. The "Linda Thompson for Mayor" signs, T-shirts, buttons and baseball caps have arrived, and 30,000 pieces of campaign literature are ready to be dropped off at potential voters' doors. "This campaign has been branded," she said. "The message has been consistent." Mindlin opened his campaign headquarters on North Second Street, next to Molly Brannigans and Bourbon Street Saloon, quite some time ago. Mindlin doesn't spend a lot of time in his campaign headquarters. It's mostly used for meetings, but he suspects the office will get more use as Election Day draws closer. Right now, Mindlin is spending more of his time going door-to-door, trying to rally residents' support. He's been canvassing neighborhoods since July. "As far as I am concerned the campaign began the day after the primary," Mindlin said. "The campaign is me going door-to-door five days a week." The "Mindlin for mayor" yard signs are going out next week, and the literature is ready. "We will have a presence," Mindlin said. "Really, our interest is to talk to people." A "Rock-The-Mindlin" fundraiser concert is even planned for Sept. 24 at Ceoltas Irish Pub. As time draws closer to the election, it has become clear to Mindlin that Reed is less and less of factor, he said. "The real race is between Linda Thompson and myself," he said. Thompson and Mindlin have also committed to square off against each other in a town-hall meeting sponsored by various Latino organizations on Sept. 30. It's unclear whether Reed plans to participate. Reed was unavailable on Wednesday. Randy King, one of the mayor's chief supporters and campaign organizers, did not return an e-mail about Reed's status. Hector Oritz, one of the organizers of the town-hall meeting, said that he sent a letter to Reed's office last week, asking him if he wanted to participate in the forum. Ortiz said that he hasn't heard back. "I don't know what the strategy is over there," Ortiz said. Bill Risse, one of Reed's financial supporters, in a recent interview said that Reed really needed to let people know what he wanted to do by Labor Day. "I think if he waits much longer than Labor Day," Risse said, "a lot of Democrats will probably not be in a position to help him. He's got to give people a signal one way or another."
News flash! The planet will be here long after we have turned to fossils! Happened before...will happen again. Humans are just to full of themselves to think otherwise. Hey...the sixties were good to me too! This ... makes me quite interested in what sort of 'evolution' would occur in a setting of 'infinite' modern society. For one, culture/tech/etc, will constantly move in any given 'direction', bar any apocalyptic event. Even trying to hypothesize what the future could bring culturally/technologically is an interesting thought experiment in itself. And I don't mean in the next 50 years ... but the next 100, the next 1000 years. And then in terms of evolution, you are looking at MILLIONS of years. I mean, we came up with writing only a few THOUSAND years ago. Language probably 50,000 years ago. Hell, our species didn't even exist until around 1 million years ago, and then we finally reached some sort of "human singularity" around 50,000 years ago. This sort of thought experiment is indeed mind boggling. One thing to consider: Does unlimited gene flow STOP evolution? Or does it just keep the entire species going in the same direction. Barring multiple planets and Cataclysmic events ... is there any way that geneflow would become limited, to create speciation? Clearly multiple planet habitattion without common access to FTL travel would cause this ... but if we continue to only occupy the earth? I don't necessarily think speciation is a bad thing, but I don't see it happening under 'normal' circumstances. But then again, the chances of circumstances remaining 'normal' for an amount of time approaching infinity begin to approach zero. Meaning that, chances are, shit will hit the fan eventually, and thus eventually we will have speciation. Even so ... it would likely take MILLIONS of years for such 'breeds' of human to actually become a completely separate species. That is to say, reproduction between breeds would likely remain possible for millions of years ... and with that being the case, there is always the possibility for gene flow to keep the species from completely separating. To give some idea of what a breed is, we as humans are all one breed. Dogs on the other hand, are all one species, but multiple breeds. (I think Iguanids are also simply breeds of the same species) However, assuming that we DO populate different planets, and that we do NOT have FTL travel (or FTL breaks down eventually, et cetera), speciation is practically a guarantee. Consider the movie 'Pandorum' and the difference between the recently awakened and those that were on the ship for quite awhile I suppose the primary obstacle of such thought is that it is EXTREMELY hard to stay objective under such considerings, as many things are rather personal ... given that we all ARE humans, and so forth. Still, assuming speciation, neither of the populations will remain as we are today, but will become different on their own terms. Which gives the consideration ... assuming we don't speciate, and instead remain all the same species (and the same breed) ... will we remain as we are today? Or will we inevitably become something different? Will the standard deviation of traits simply expand, while the mean stays the same? Or will the mean shift altogether? I suppose my main focus on this thought experiment would be to try and ignore Extinction events or Apocalyptic events because I think it would be far more interesting to see the simple effect of "TIME" on a species, and if there is any effect. Or if only a true change in the status-quo can cause a sort of evolution. I mean it would be simple to say "Sun radiation killed all that did not upload themselves onto robotic software" or something silly, and I think transcendence is a similar cop out "all those that did not transcend were ...". Actually, all transcendence stories seem to entail the entire species Transcending, or even there being some religious plot for the rest that did not transcend. But I am not talking about about becoming robots or transcending, but the pure biological fate for humanity as a species over the course of time. I think there are two ways of looking at this ... 1. that humanity will fundamentally change long before FTL becomes accessible. 2. that humanity will miraculously stumble upon FTL, and will be able to actively colonize other planets, and perhaps be able to interact with other sentient life. as part of #2, there are two ways of looking at this as well A. Humanity will find other sentient species and interact with them in a similar fashion as Star Trek et al. B. That humanity will find no other sentient species. And B is separated into 2 more parts as well 1B. We have complete access to FTL travel, and all of humanity will be on the same boat ... which brings us back to #1!! 2B. We have limited access to FTL, and speciation ultimately occurs. If FTL eventually becomes commonplace ... then you will have the "Star Trek" scenario, but every species would have originated as 'human', and equally none will be 'original human' any more. Personally I think #1 is the most interesting to think about ... as we already have a ton of popular literature on #2. While concept 2B is also interesting to consider .... (especially if one can argue that travel outside of our galaxy would be rather difficult, and under the assumption that other recognizable sentience would be unlikely to exist within the same galaxy)
Please send your comments with the subject line “Comments on Perinatal Guidelines” to ContactUs@aidsinfo.nih.gov by April 11, 2014. Type your search term(s) in the text box. Users can only search one guideline at a time. To search for an exact phrase, use quotation marks (i.e. "what to start"). To narrow your search, add additional relevant terms. If you are not finding what you need, try searching similar terms (i.e. perinatal OR pregnancy) to broaden your search. Recommendations for Use of Antiretroviral Drugs in Pregnant HIV-1-Infected Women for Maternal Health and Interventions to Reduce Perinatal HIV Transmission in the United States (Last updated: March 28, 2014; last reviewed: March 28, 2014) Raltegravir is classified as Food and Drug Administration Pregnancy Category C. Animal Carcinogenicity Studies Raltegravir was neither mutagenic nor clastogenic in a series of in vitro and animal in vivo screening tests. Long-term carcinogenicity studies of raltegravir in mice did not show any carcinogenic potential at systemic exposures 1.8-fold (females) or 1.2-fold (males) greater than human exposure at the recommended dose. Treatment-related squamous cell carcinoma of nose/nasopharynx was observed in female rats dosed with 600 mg/kg/day raltegravir (exposure 3-fold higher than in humans at the recommended adult dose) for 104 weeks. These tumors were possibly the result of local irritation and inflammation due to local deposition and/or aspiration of drug in the mucosa of the nose/nasopharynx during dosing. No tumors of the nose/nasopharynx were observed in rats receiving doses resulting in systemic exposures that were 1.7-fold (males) to 1.4-fold (females) greater than the human exposure at the recommended dose. Reproduction/Fertility Animal Studies Raltegravir produced no adverse effects on fertility of male or female rats at doses up to 600 mg/kg/day (providing exposures 3-fold higher than the exposure at the recommended adult human dose). Teratogenicity/Developmental Toxicity Animal Studies Studies in rats and rabbits revealed no evidence of treatment-related effects on embryonic/fetal survival or fetal weights from raltegravir administered in doses producing systemic exposures approximately 3- to 4-fold higher than the exposure at the recommended adult human daily dose. In rabbits, no treatment-related external, visceral, or skeletal changes were observed. However, treatment-related increases in the incidence of supernumerary ribs were seen in rats given raltegravir at 600 mg/kg/day (providing exposures 3-fold higher than the exposure at the recommended human daily dose). Placental and Breast Milk Passage Placental transfer of raltegravir was demonstrated in both rats and rabbits. In rats given a maternal dose of 600 mg/kg/day, mean fetal blood concentrations were approximately 1.5- to 2.5-fold higher than in maternal plasma at 1 and 24 hours post-dose, respectively. However, in rabbits, the mean drug concentrations in fetal plasma were approximately 2% of the mean maternal plasma concentration at both 1 and 24 hours following a maternal dose of 1000 mg/kg/day. In humans, raltegravir appears to readily cross the placenta. In P1026s, maternal and cord blood from six deliveries of mothers receiving raltegravir-based therapy during pregnancy were evaluated; the ratio of cord blood to maternal plasma was 0.98 (95% confidence interval, 0.09–2.26).1 Other case reports have shown similarly high cord blood/maternal blood drug level ratios of 1.00 to 1.06.2,3 In a report of three pregnant women with multiresistant HIV-1 who were given raltegravir in late pregnancy to rapidly reduce maternal viral load, raltegravir concentrations within 3 hours of delivery in the neonates of two patients were approximately 7 and 9.5 times higher than in the mother’s paired sample; in the third infant, maternal plasma was not available but neonatal concentration was still high 2.5 hours after delivery.4 However, no adverse reactions were observed in mothers or infants. In a series of three cases with preterm deliveries at 29 to 33 weeks’ gestation (in 2 cases raltegravir was added to the maternal antiretroviral regimen shortly before anticipated preterm delivery), cord blood-to-maternal-plasma ratios ranged from 0.44 to 1.88.5 Raltegravir is secreted in the milk of lactating rats, with mean drug concentrations in milk about 3-fold higher than in maternal plasma at a maternal dose of 600 mg/kg/day. No effects in rat offspring were attributable to raltegravir exposure through breast milk. Whether raltegravir is secreted in human breast milk is unknown. Human Studies in Pregnancy Only limited data exist on the use of raltegravir in pregnancy. Raltegravir pharmacokinetics (PK) were evaluated in 10 women in the IMPAACT P1026s study. Raltegravir PKs showed extensive variability but did not appear to be consistently altered during the third trimester compared with postpartum and historical data in non-pregnant individuals; thus the standard dose appears appropriate in pregnancy.1 In multiple case reports and case series of 4, 5, and 14 pregnant women treated with raltegravir in combination with 2 or 3 other antiretroviral drugs because of persistent viremia or late presentation, the drug was well tolerated and led to rapid reduction in HIV RNA levels.6-10 However, in one case of similar use, 10- to 23-fold increases in liver transaminases were reported after initiation of raltegravir with resolution when raltegravir was discontinued.11 Drug levels were not measured in any of those studies. Because raltegravir is highly protein bound to albumin, there is concern about displacement of bilirubin from albumin in the neonate potentially increasing the risk of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. In an in vitro study of the effect of raltegravir on bilirubin-albumin binding, raltegravir had minimal effect on bilirubin-albumin binding at concentrations of 5 µM and 10 µM, caused a small but statistically significant increase in unbound bilirubin at 100 µM, and caused potentially harmful increases at 500 and 1000 µM.12 These data suggest that the effect of raltegravir on neonatal bilirubin binding is unlikely to be clinically significant at typical peak concentrations reached in adults with usual dosing (adult concentrations with standard raltegravir doses were geometric mean Cmax of 4.5 µM, median Cmax of 6.5 µM and maximum observed Cmax of 10.2 µM).12 Raltegravir should not be used in neonates until PK and toxicity studies have been completed. Chewable tablets contain phenylalanine. Best BM, Capparelli EV, Stek A, et al. Raltegravir Pharmacokinetics during Pregnancy. Paper presented at: Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; 2010; Boston, MA. Pinnetti C, Baroncelli S, Villani P, et al. Rapid HIV-RNA decline following addition of raltegravir and tenofovir to ongoing highly active antiretroviral therapy in a woman presenting with high-level HIV viraemia at week 38 of pregnancy. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2010;65(9):2050-2052. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20630894. Croci L, Trezzi M, Allegri MP, et al. Pharmacokinetic and safety of raltegravir in pregnancy. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2012. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22382989. McKeown DA, Rosenvinge M, Donaghy S, et al. High neonatal concentrations of raltegravir following transplacental transfer in HIV-1 positive pregnant women. AIDS. 2010;24(15):2416-2418. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20827058. Hegazi A, Mc Keown D, Doerholt K, Donaghy S, Sadiq ST, Hay P. Raltegravir in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1: effective transplacental transfer and delayed plasma clearance observed in preterm neonates. AIDS. 2012;26(18):2421-2423. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23151500. Taylor N, Touzeau V, Geit M, et al. Raltegravir in pregnancy: a case series presentation. Int J STD AIDS. 2011;22(6):358-360. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21680678. Cha A, Shaikh R, Williams S, Berkowitz LL. Rapid reduction in HIV viral load in late pregnancy with raltegravir: a case report. J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care. 2013;12(5):312-314. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23695227. De Hoffer L, Di Biagio A, Bruzzone B, et al. Use of raltegravir in a late presenter HIV-1 woman in advanced gestational age: case report and literature review. J Chemother. 2013;25(3):181-183. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23783144. Westling K, Pettersson K, Kaldma A, Naver L. Rapid decline in HIV viral load when introducing raltegravir-containing antiretroviral treatment late in pregnancy. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 2012;26(12):714-717. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23101466. Nobrega I, Travassos AG, Haguihara T, Amorim F, Brites C. Short communication: Use of raltegravir in late-presenting HIV-infected pregnant women. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2013;29(11):1451-1454. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23731224. Renet S, Closon A, Brochet MS, Bussieres JF, Boucher M. Increase in Transaminase Levels Following the Use of Raltegravir in a Woman With a High HIV Viral Load at 35 Weeks of Pregnancy. J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2013;35(1):68-72. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23343800. Clarke DF, Wong RJ, Wenning L, Stephenson DK, Mirochnick M. Raltegravir In Vitro Effect on Bilirubin Binding. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2013. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23470680.
About this Webinar English Language Arts Core Academic Standards: Major Shifts Date: Monday, September 3, 2012 This webinar series provides information about the major shifts that are outlined in the Missouri English Language Arts Core Academic Standards. Each session includes a discussion of one of the shifts and implications for instruction. Session 1: Determining Text Complexity This session explains how to determine text complexity using the three-part approach described in Appendix A of the Common core State Standards. - View recorded webinar - Presentation handout - Text Complexity: Qualitative Measures Rubric - Literature - Text Complexity: Qualitative Measures Rubric - Informational Texts Session2: Text Dependent Questions and Close Reading This session explains how to guide students to read closely to determine what a text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it. Rather than asking students questions about their prior knowledge or experience, the standards expect students to wrestle with text dependent questions: questions that can only be answered by referring explicitly back to the text in front of them. Note: The link below will open a video file instead of Adobe Connect. Session 3: Academic Vocabulary This session explores the three tiered approach to vocabulary. Research confirms the importance of vocabulary acquisition in students’ academic growth. Through this webinar, teachers will discover how the three tiered approach works, how to determine the tiered-level of a word, and how to judiciously select vocabulary words to directly instruct in their classrooms. If you experience trouble during the webinar, first read through our help guide, and if assistance is still needed, call 573-751-2660. Following the webinar, please give us your feedback by participating in a short online evaluation survey. This will help us improve our services and future webinars.
' a ls , ewitj!9.',, ';' C'coeswiu. REl'.l ihtir uaceie tl.iVa to their -uumetfDSifiiciiiU uJ customers, for "file xeintmltri igc extended to them " in.tV pr's!m'. fciid tale j lrastue ir ! KWiifc 'Vat tljrar now rei living at their v J Foot )h1 Shoe trt th luigtst and test se vrdrcll Etoekoflt .,.': -...' JJqols4 A Shoes- ; , i i Wt'sWp . Mc AMur; counting j P lf,'Mi:.. - , I ' si . ... 6ENTLEMEN8' DOOT8 &, SHOfTB, ' "'GeiitlCuckskiu Gileis litm. Congress Gait J "orer,Qent Faoct Slirea.Gent Oxhwd f unips. '-Genti Enameled Nulif.ers, Gents Enameled Congress Guiters. Cents Pate nt Lf fiber Kill t Tojrrib AlherrV Genun rtent Leather, i -'brtetarti: Kid top, Trime Albert's; Gents . . JJm.kkiihoe9, Gents Opera Slipper; Jt j7uV1tJ -t 'very, variety , of Fine and .' '-Vrse calfskin, Rip and Morocco Boots mid Sh'CJ. Also. I.AD1H BOOTS AND HOW; LsdiesTtiiskin Gaiter Boots, Ladies enamel ' -el Jenay-Lind's R. R., Indies Morocco Jen .;: Li lid's R.R La dies" Congress Gaiters, r? Ladies. Fancy Jenny J.ind Shoes, Ladies' en amelled Morocco Shoes, Ladies' Victoria FanfY, t'0,S.J vVp' Fiwn Tnn UnnU .J., dus raricyTlukJiTiia, cuoued tops, Ladies .'; -Blue Gaits,' Ladies Colored Sander's Gaiters. ;j fUsot Misses Boots and Shoes,' Misses Kid v... Boots and- Gaiters, Misses Fancy colored .rlGaiterSr-Missea enameled Fancy Boots; also, ,Cbilriren' Boots and boea, Childrens' calf, ' ' '.eged Shoe Childreos' Fancjr shoes, Chil iiens Fancy Gaiters, and every o'.her varietv 'tIT Ladies', misses' andcbjiilretis' wear, Fine ""and COatse. .. " f, ""We' hate any number of Workmen en -i gaged, that is necessary, and ate prepared to , nil orders at tlie shortest nonce, .ttaii try All of our Goods will be sold atpri . , . -ft Wist will give satisfaction. Call and ex- j( . smjue for yourselves- . ... . V: BOOKS! HOOKS! ! ..-T A NNQUNCES . to tha citizens of Vin ' ' ix ton county, that he bas iust received a i-a. naw dock of Eooks and Stationary, cinsisting In nart of. . ' ' ! FAMILt BIBLES, at prices from tl 50 to f.ji.) - '.METHODIST HYMN BOOKS, : ;m Sound it Morocco, gilt and common bind- 'j '.sir.:.' t ' I K VYetua' Life of WisnmoTon, ,'i.ii .. FsAmttrjf. ' i ,4 Life of Daniei, Booac, ' lltica: Hawk, .:-'", Brr.israriAi'i worki complete, .;. -.KtBnoi'a- !- . a . s Life of V. T. Bar ndm. ! .-. Da AcBiob.tS History of tha Reformation. t I0UNO MAW'S JJ00K OF Ksowiidoe. ' ' RufAEoo EiirAUiiirA, a Romance. ' j...:.; . une8 Histpp, 0( th0 Urmed States. Grimshaw's History of the United Stales. '. Child at Home, a Moral Tale. ... MA80N1C WRK8. "'' t The Craftsman, the Light of the Temple, ana meiotiuiea tor the trait, containing an "' excellent selection ol Hymns and Odes' suita ' ' bla for cvry occasion. .7" SONG BOOKS. . . The Ameiicari Soncster, Parlor Sonester, J;, Exiie of Erin, Songs of Old Ireland, Negro Bones, and a variety ofotuer bone Hooks. ,- ' Moral aud Instructive story books for chil- dnn.PicloiialToy Books for children.of every . ' .oeaenpuun. , ; ' rlJuatices" Dockets, Lege rs and Day Books, DODUd m katner and hall binding, of all sizes. Y-- i STATIONARY. , s ..Best Cap Paper, Llue Post Letter Paper x a .l omniercisl Note Pa pur. Bill Paper, also Ink - : -i uills. Steel Fans, Sand Boxes, Inkstands, afers, iiting Sand, and Stationary of j.-ery Hind, all of whicn will he sold at the !ai -west figures, for cash. inay4 '55. tf .-Wasbinglon Union Insu .- ranee Company. ; -.CHke it Eonsfr'i Blofkjeorncr Superior St; a ,-e a . i tnd Pnblic Sduarr, i Zi.ii CLEVELAND, O H 1 0 . ; tl.'TIUIS well known Hone Company is pre-d--' -L pared, as usual, to take risks on tlie sa- t - let classes of frooertr. Their means are C'-. mplp, and theii rates are as reasonable as j uioca of any sound Company. tnr '0 SPECIAL HAZARDOUS OR - . steam risks taken, jco -j OFFICERS: - . '."' V Hlt: tlnnlm Ptei!f!n Gso.'Mygatt, Vic '. President and . Treasurer, . , , , j. t. oaesia, oecreiarj,. ....; is ti. Gt0' P Beattr, Osneral Agapr, " - -DIRECTORS: : . - . . ' .. v t H...V.T. Aa. - --j V 'Jacob rerkiis, 1 do. . v Benjamin Noithrup, do.? A' I" B. 8enter, do. - O.K. Skeels, ' 4o. " - v. p. Lmnnain, do." -C. w.cookr ; - do. Timothy Baker', Korwallu : ' ' John Clark; Brunswick. - tf ?r-J. P. Kobinson. Bedford. ' " T aii a: i W, M. hostU, Cleveland, (Westiide,) X. K, DinUMAM. A015T.' ' Jtily20'55 tej McArttiur, Ohio. 'M? DA VIS, WATER ST 3 CHILLI COTHE,' OHIO. WOULD bet leave to announce to the citizens of Boss snd adjoining coun ties, fbst be bas opened out a new end complete stock, ( fall add winter goods, selected from, the best, foreign sod do- xnestic fabric,, which--b will sell at wholeeale a net retail prices, lower than any ever offered la- this .par of the coun try. Helas alias 'full od Complete Bjssortmsnt of furnishing;- goods of atrj Ojscripuoa ana qnauiyr A"0U com '' mission splendid lov pf woolen updet abuts end drawers, .-which ha will whole site at New Ycrk jSprices- he re frains from pufSnglor-rtaiiirrr Cal- . tnd sea,fi'yeTSlTei1a"n(! becopvlncal fcaf yott will mik roopfy.pxj?uicfia" liTnft "S8i Blockden't fprga ' Jh" pIicaTg ioms.Vestpf.Eallaitonw r.A'isi)mt Pint and vft makers waxrtaj, jgi wJoja-ih Jijthe-t prices ?UU psid. ocW liL,-4m DIIDCCI I . - exclusively wholesale deal er in. fancy and staple dry goods. QUE ESS WARE, CHINA, AND GLASS, ,7-, )."'" . j' No 1 EBtfijulM Buildings Faeat St., PoJtunasth. U Inc'D5l, mi - - - ?J ingns!, l:5. : - - NEW- COODS. T ' alE'UXD.F.BSlGNF.Dis uow in" receipt . 'of hia I'iiII Slok of, Dry Goods, BONNETS. Hats. Cups, &c, to which Jlie invites the ciul attention of nier tliaiiisaiid furnace ovmers, niilr the assu rance Utal the Goods will be cold as low aa i hey can be had frnm the New York and Philadelphia jubhers, and at tuch prices as will save the expense on purchases made in Cincinnati or Pittsburgh. : , ' Ite purchases and importations of Glass snd Queenswars make my stock rery Urge and complete, all of which is olfeied at the lowest rales sod on liberal terms. : It ia the true interest of merchants aid dealers to buy t5C0 per month near home in pre fere lire to 13,000 semi-annually at a dis tant point, thus. keeping their ftotks fresh, and distributing their bills payable iu a shape tlie more easily paid. J AS. TUBSELL. , Portsmouth, 0.,Dee; 28, 18&4. J. K.& D. AV1LL ; A BE now receiving and opening the larg- er brought to this market. The senior partner having spent considerable time in the cities of Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston in selecting and purchasing, and having paid careful attention to the latest styles and most improved patents of all ar ticles of dress goods snd wearing apparel, they ara confident their stock cannot be sur passed, either in magnitude or variety of styles by sny in this country. It consists in I art as follows: - Ladies' Dress Goods, and shawls of every variety and style; Cloths, Cassimerts and Tweeds of all kinds: Ready Made Clothing of every description, for men and boys; an extensive assortment of Hats, Caps, Boots and fchoes; Hardware, uueens ware, a very larce slock of Groceries, Wall and Window Paper, and a complete assort ment of Notions, Trimmings, c. In short iheir stock is complete in every department, snd will positively be sold at the lowest pri ces. Produce of all kinds wanted. sept. 13 tf. rpiIE undersigned desire Bgain to tender X their thanks to their numerous eiutom ers for past favors, and advise them of the fact, that they are now receiving ana" open lug at the Brick corner, a Large and Splend id Stock of FAL&AND WINTER DRY GOODS, consisting of every variety aud quality, suited to tlie wants of their custom ers and the community; which they pledge xtMtotelves to sell as cow as they can be bought "i iis or sny of the western markets. They ill not boast, lung, or banter, but they do not intend to bt txctlUd in qanlily and quali ty of their Goods, neither do they intend to And while inviting the attention of their customers la the prospects which are ahead, they des ire to remind them of tin fact, that some of them are in the arrears thaf'short settlements make long friends." That their Auction Notes, and lung standing account should now be paid. And in view of the abundance ol tlie crops, aud means which are at their command, it is hoped they will pay up the old score, or at least settle by note, aud commence anew. SHADES & REYNOLDS. ; sep. 13. '55 tf. rVcCl'FFEY'8 CERIE8 CCMPLEE. CPELLEES, First, Second, Third Fourth kJ and Fifth Readers. The He men's Young . .Pineo's Primary G rammer, " Analytical " " English Teacher, t Ray s Aretlimatw, Farts Vi ret. Second ana 1 hird, Ray's Algebra, Parts First and Second, McGufley'a Electic Primers. . ' . The Elementary Speller. Webster'a school Dictionary . , Mitchel's Primary GeocraDnr. ' Mitcbel'a large school Geography, latest Copy Books, Slates, Pencels and all kinds of 6tauonary for schools, for sale at no. o. matrix,?. M. BABCOCK, JSO. BABCOCS No. W 4 67 Water Street, NEW 70RK Febuary 17, '54. ly. CP. TXACt.- ., r. J. OAKtS, CP. TRACY & CO., Manufacttttert and WhohtaU ' ' tJEALEl TV. : ..BOOTS, SHOES, HATS, . LEATHR AND FINDINGS. One door below P. Kinney k Coi Bank. .front Street, tORTSMOVTH. O. April S7, l655.-ly. . . IRON. MAILS AND STEEL. 5000 Lbs. Norway Nail Rod. M Kegs assorted out and wrought Nails, uvt, ewuaio. iuuou ana nriaonri. duxi. jtisi receivea aiineuui AQvil. ImDOjters of.anif . llonlpra m t , " HARD W ARE AND CUTLERY felGVoFTnE FftOM ST. " " . PORTSSrtOUTH. OHia. - rTE will duplicate bills with anr m,lr jobbing House ,.in the West. Country mar chants, farnace proprietors, railioa d contract tors, and Qthers, v,iIlsubseiTi their interests br way i. 34 tf. ' -rVOpE OOOC8 A. GROCERIES. : -I Mrs jut,jecired a new supply pf VVau . -nd Cooii the largest lot,. tVfir hought tq McArthur, .. .... TJAIw, COFFEE, Bici, MotAaars, To jSLZABiCCO Ac all of which I will sell at me jowrn ngures.- ; JS. A. B attoit, - I n MAEG A BETfASSJ LL's( ZSTATT' U w rtjrepfgtreTi.j tbatthf upoVriign M fPpolldiWldulf flualifled ae Adruiqf,trtri)i p( tb Esreta of Margsmt Cesfil L late of Vinton county, deased. RAiig.85itf WlWmX, JWQQ$, , i NEW STOCK. Of 1855. ' LATE ARRIVAL!! I have Just tetJ mt Spring Stock compri'ing a r-eat variety of FANCY and STAFLE NOTIONS. Dealers and others ara invited to tall before purch asing elsewhere, as they will find a com plete assortment, and at prices ihat will compare with any Establishment of the kind In this section of the country. The following srticles comprise a pert of my extensive assortment: 150 packs pins. 200,000 percussion caps. 600 doiei spool cotton, CO gross button. ' 50 dozen suspenders. ISO tb skein cotton. 13 lb sewing silk, 5 lb twist silk. ' 500 gross hooks and ejes. 30 datan rasor strops. 300 doten combs, all kinds. 50 reams cap, letter and note paper, 300 dozen tapes, 130 doxen soaps. 40,000 fiBh hooks. 25 gross fish lines. 20 gross lesd pencils. inn niin mau - - -' 100 bundles wafers. 40 doxen knives. 30 doxen scissors. 10 gross spoons. ' : ' 20 gross jews harps. 3 gross French harps. 30 dozen slates. 3000 slate pencils, 30 gross thimbles. 00 dozen porta monaies. ' 200 lb patent thread. ornelian charms and tings, Ladies' work boxes and re'.icnles. Fine hair brushes and combs. Gutta percha, puff and long combe. S, S S and 8 S S fine combe. Skirt and dress whalebone. orset and shoe laces. Stilettoes, elastics and sleeve bands. Teeth and nail brushes. Steel pens and holders. Linen 6t cotton, floss crochet cotton' Zephyr worsted and needles. Gold finger and ear tings. Gold, plated and common jewelry; and other articles too numerous to particu ClQiRS AND TOBACCO! Dealers and others purchasing Cigars will find the largest Stock In the City, varying from 85 to f 30 per M. As all the fine cigare are manufactured on the premises, purchasers of fine cigars mar depend upon getting the quality of ci gar they par for, aa satisfaction is guar anteed in all cases. Also on hand, Cavendish and Fine Cut Chewing To bacco, Pipes, 6c, at the Cheap Notion Store next to the Valley Bank, Second Street, R, DAVISON. Chillicothi, O., Match 3, 1855. IF 100 CA I TOD WILL BUY. JOHN S. HAWK. MAIN STREET, McABTHUR, OIUO, Irsler in all iindi of DRY GOODS, GROCERIES, HARD WABE, QUEENS WARE, HATS, APS, BONNETS, BOOTS LOTHING, IRON & NAILS. &c. Also,, Agent for . LOUDON &, Co's. POPULAR FAMILY TS just receiving from Cincinnati, one of the a. Largest a4d best selected stacks of Kew, Ever brought to McArthm, expressly for the Winter trade, which he is determined to sell on the most reasonable terms. Ju&t call and see my New Goods before Bring atons your Produce, for in the war of Barter lie will give you as good bargains as inougn you Dseugot we vesn. November 17, 1854. 1st, c ly. A Public Invitation. U1CK0CK & Bro., HAVING just opened a Wholesale and Retail HAT ITOBEis Portsmouth, on Front Street, between Market and Jeffer son, they invite All to call and examine their wHati and Caps, Straw Coodt, Tmnti.rf alj Tallies, Carpet Bags, tmbrellai U, U OP EVERT Dtlcsrpan. Purchaarrs can at all times And at nnr m tahlishment a full and complete assortmen of the richest end most desirable styles, at well as the most common fabrics. Our long experience in the business, and knowledge of tuBuuiBbiuilllK. wiin inn nctiitlM in, mirrlia. sing, are such that we are confident we can sen Lowes, man any other House in the West tx uko xi au Rinds wanted, for which the aignest prices wiu be paid. , Portsmouth. November 4, 1853. ly W. M. BTABg.. .(j, jj, Tewkbbvb t WESLEY STARR & 60N8. . GRmi 01,111103 BEECHim . Nos. 85&87g, CHARLES STREETViT jeiwrcn rraii ana vamaen tt reels. ness (be opb.c WspectloB Wwhowes, f6sroIft)ones warfi on coMfjtnmsnrs, ' N. B. We hawe recently removed to our new and extensive Warahouaea. nmin Snnth Charles Street, where we have the advantage of Rail oad txack of our own. (oonnectinK our House wl toe B.ii O. Railway.) and are thus enebled to receive all our consign menU when seat in carloads, free of Drav Sft i)Vah. alao.a AWlir for Ih. "iptj'idsale of Tobaoco, Flour, Provkiona, m siwwm. sjBperaiiy, s We 66od acorrectsta teraentU the Market imuuw.it, iu our mjow, Py piunef V desired PHE subscriber bsving leased the above , uouBe, riorraeriy tue United State Ho tel. and having made comnleta nmnTatlnn pnbre-furnished the house with daw ihroughoH,, mrcUlf iq?lts tha Uareling j,., "HIS TABLE WJll always contain the best that die market afford snd no means will be spawslfo TPk All rnmf,irtM " ' WitlM vnnr . .Oct. 1 Dth:. 1RM ' -T ' i r- ... ryi.,1 Aun. ir CIFTS ---TOR -BE PEOPLE ! "CAPITAL CTr AKT-WlUA.., COLl'MBCS, OHIO. r . BUNELL & CO'S., SECOND GREAT The proprie tore take great pleasure in nnonnciiiR to the citizens of the Union, that in consequence of the great sat:s faction manifested by the ticket-hold- r r,f their first ereat Distribution, anu the many thousaud solicitations trom all is of tha country, in relation to whethei thev intended netting up anoth- er Distribution of Gifts for the people, they have, an immense outlay, been en abled to offer to their thousands of pat rons the following valuable, magnifi. cent, snd unprecedented BRILLIANT SCHEME, to be distributed es soon at the 300.000 Beautiful Engravings of the Cafitol of Ohio are distributed among their Patrons- The price Pf the Engra vings is but One Dollar, and ae a parlor ornament it cannot be surpassed. Read attentively the following list ol fi.nntifiil and COIlU ElftS. Which Will h c.tUfactorilv distributed by a com mlttee of ten. selected one fiom eacn - . , State where the largest number of sub scribere ere obtained: t Farm In the State of Indiana 1 10,000 1 do in unio o.ooo 1 do . do 6,000 3 Four story Brick Dwelling snd Lot.ln Columns. Ohio.. 6,500 t do do do do-"6,600 1 Beeutiful residence in the town of Mt. Vernon 5,500 1 Two-Story Brick Building in t Brick Cottace and lot in Col 1 ' do do ' do "3,000 1 Frame do do do .2.500 1 Handsome country tesidenca in Sego, Perry county, Ohio. 1,600 4 Splendid building lots in Ul- uuibus, et ta.000 8,000 10 do do do 1,500 15,000 4 do do Cleveland 6,000 1 Grand Action Piano (Chtcker- 1 Gold Watch, set with Die. 5 Gold Watches, at 6500 each 2,501 10 Rosewood Pianos, at tS00. 5.000 10 do do at 400 4,000 10 do do at 300 3,009 50 Gold Watches, at 1150 ..7,500 100 do at 100 10,000 100 do at 75. ...... .7,500 100 do , at 40 4,000 SOOSiret do at 20 6,000 500 do do at IS 7,500 1000 La die's Gold Breast Pine at (4 4.000 200 do Broche shawls at 25 5,000 500 do Silk Dress Patterns, at $20 10.000 COOO Gold Pencils, at 3 15,000 10000 Gold Pens, with Silver Cases, at 12 20.000 20000 Gold tings.et 61,50 each 30,000 12084 do at 1,00 each-. -12,064 Every purchase! of the splendid large Lithographic Engraving, will receive Certificate of Membership entitling them to a chance in the above list of valuable and costly Gifts for the Pec pie. The Engravings can be seat by mail (without being damaged,) to any part of the country. DQ FIRST COMK FIRST fKRVBD, Persons wishing to act as Agents for us will please send a recommendation signded by the Postmaster or some othei influential and well known person in the place where they reside. To those persons who have been act ing aa Agents Tor us ia our former Dis tribution, this is not required. All orders with the money enclosed, free of postage, will meet with prompt In order to prevent mistakes, sgents and others transmitting money to us will please have it sealed in the pres ence of the Postmaster, snd the amount entered on the way bill. We prepiy all our letters, circulars, dc, to our sgents end correspondents, snd expect them to do the same with Agents wanted in every town, whom we will furnish mith posters, circulara, ichelules, instructions, ore, on appli cation at our office, or by mail post paid For farther particulars see the descrip tive bills, &c, or enquire at the office No. 2, Welcutt'a Block, Town Street Columbus Ohio. ' BRUNELL & CO, No. 1, Front Street. . ' THE co-partnership heretofore existing between the subscribers, under the firm of Oakes&Buskirk, was this day dissolved by mutual consent. F. J. Oakes having sold his entire interest to Messrs. George & Cbae. H. Davis, all claims will be eettled.and debts collected by Buskirk & Davis, our successon. ; " J. OAKES, : . v; ' . A.W. BUSR.IBK. a. w. voaat, oeo, davib, Jchas. b. davu. BDSKIRK & DAVIS, (Successor of Oakes At Buskirk.) - WHOLESALE GROCERS ' . PRODVO D ALERB, ; ' ' Botteya Bloefc Front otrert. January 19, 1854(-tf. fl. He JOANS ON, (ftlOCXSeOR T9 B J J3,; - HjJIraJ. Ttcolofltul, Blank md BlwUa ttow Books) 8mUon7 ,D(1 VU ftp t, . :'.-... CBJLLICOTBE, OHIO, - i , Booka rATJ.lvid frnm lh T.Dro. t-. hAf1 PttWptioi),, pr ordered " a-e-wa aie -, . t S. Hi HOLMES, . - (Successor to Smith and Holmes.) .., ; ." : Tin, Wtrt Iron, and Copper ?art,' I . l DIALEES, WnotESALB RETtlt.!! bMtt, Grtftu & JMov Ware. .M ABKPT 6TBEPT, EAe-T SIpE.. t omMouiu. omo. i'" ApiUl 1554.1 jr,f ,, 1syj . Fr h rf)14 Cuia f ... corens, colds, iioirsexess, f ROUP, ASTDM1, AND i -C0.SI;MPTI0.V. ' ; ' ' TEIS remedy is offcered 'to the com munity with the confidence we feel fn an article which seldom tails to realise the hampp lest effects that can be desir ed.' So wide is the field of its useful- neis'and numerous the cases of its) cures. that almost every section of the country abounds in persons, vublicly known, who have been reiaored from .alarming and even, desperate diseases of the lunggs, by ite use. When once.tried its superiority over every other medicine of ite kind, is too apparent to escape observation., end nbtie its virtues are kuown. th rwb,Ifc n a6ar -hesitate what antidote to employ for the distres sing and dangerous atiecitona oi tne pulmonary organs, which are incident to ou climate, . . - Nothing hta called louder (or the ear nest enquiry of inedUal men, than the afarrcing prevalene and fatality of con sumptive complaints, nor has auy one class of diseases bad more of their Jn vestlgstions snd care. But as yet no adequate temedy.bas been provieed, on which the public could depend for pro teation from attacks upon the respira tory organs, until the introduction of the Cherry Pectoral. This article is the product of a long, laborious, and I believe (successful endeafor. to furnish the community with such t remedy. Of this last strtement the American people ara now themselves prepared to judge, and 1 appeal with conndeuce to their decision. If there IS any depen dence to be placed in what men of every clan and station certfy it hn done for them, if wa can trust our own senses, when we see dangerous affec tions of the throat and lungs yield to it, if we can drnend on the assurance of iutellieent Pbviicians. who make it their buisnesi to know, in short, if there is any relanee upon anything, then is it irrefutable proven that tbia medicine does relieve and c'.oei cure the class of diseases it is designed for, be youd sny andall others that are known to maukinJ. If this be true it cannot be toojreely published, uor be too wide ly known. The afflicted should know it. A remedy that cursec, is priseless to them. Parent should, knowit, their children are priceless to them. All should know It, for health can kejrriced to no one. Not only ahould It be cir culated here, but aveiy wbere.not only in this country, butjn all lounlrirs. How faithfully we have acted on this conviction, ia shown in the jacl that already this article has made the circles of the globe. The sun never sete on iti limits, " No continent it without it, and but few peoples, Although-not in so general use in other natious as in thu, it is employedjby the more intelligent in almost all civilized countries. It is ex tensively employed in both America in Europe, Asia, Africa, Austrailia and the far off Islands of the sea. Life aa dear to its posaeisors there as here, and they grasp at a valuble remedy with cvon more aviditr, Unlika moat preparationa of its kind, it is sn expen sive composition of'costy material. Still it is afforded to the public at reasonably low price, and what is vastly more imparlance to them, ite quality!-! never suffered to decline from its original standard of excellence. Every bottle of this mepicine, now manufactured, ia aa good as ever has been make heretofore.or as we ere capa ble of making. No toil or cost inpar sd, in maintaining it in thai beat par fection which it is possible (o produce. Hence the patient who 'procures the gennine 'Cherry Pectoral, can rely on having ae good end article as hse ever been bad by those who testify to its cures. ' ... By parching tbis 'cuse,Ihsvejthe hope of doing some good in the world.es well as the satisfaction of kbelievingathat much has been done already. Pr spared by J. C. AYES, Practical . and ' Analytical Chtmiat, Lowtll, Mats. .' ,. . i . , Sold br GEO, B. WILL and E. A; BRAT TON. McArthur. O.: J. Vorhee, Albany; K Culow, Logan: Dr, J. U. C. Miller, Jackson C. H., and by Dealers in Medicines every where.' - July 27,'65 4mo.J CHAS. A. M.' DAMARIN & Co RECEIVED direct from Nw Orleans, j 575 hhds fair to prime N. O. Sugar; 20 . clarified do. ' . 169 bis loaf, crushed & pulverized sugar. ' ' .54 oks wlute Havana, for candy and syr V. . 233Tb'lsN. OMo1aeei' I ) 75 do "St, James" choice sugar H, mo ; lasse;s ." ! " 100 do , CommorJ sugar H, molasses, ) -, , 10 do 'Golden syrup; , , .r , T. " '-SS TerRlcej- - " - ', 800 bees Bio and Java coffee: ' . 'Which, together with a full and 'completed WoopWABiv-Bucltets, tub, zlne washboards, brooms, fas. . ' .'.',.! Fruits & JfrnrH-Figa, raslns almonds pe cans, E, Walnuts. filberU': Brazil nuU: dec. Sfices "Ground and uneround--Penrjer: alsplcesi cjnnainoni cloves; ginger, f oeai .-FMH-rjnackfirar; dried lieuing, codfisbj sai UlUMf , . 1 , . . j Tias-A largi stock ,of ftesh: Imperial: Y; Hysou; pnpowder and black teai TobacoowFIfm; eights snd pound 'plug gooti irginia, Missouri snd rientucky brands -lso, fledga J. Bro'e and uthej good, brands u u iwwi uioaccoi ; ,- t ;t - ) , PTE-sTprrt-JfldlBoi copperas madderand alumr ' ' i , salsBratuf; super . caroonareof sodai -epsorn ii wauj wjui; warpping paper; oto, eto, f- will eel at tft ragulsr Cinclnnattl wholesale prices ah ; m-.m a C. A. -t- DAJrfARlK k Co." "PorUmouth, April!1 1, 1854.- - t 1 ( YANKEE Ot Yokeset tne Gltf.Anri !UX!2V 15. i its: . i UABPER'S new MONTHLY rJURINQ ihe list 'slxmopth '.there haw been '''iaaue'd " of HAsrEt'sNs MoKTiipr. AJAatix overEfgAf Aund red 'and jtfty Jkontani Nurtberl.' Thi Publltfieri may; saMy .AO-is - fact as evidence of )he yuparnlled ai.d contant ly IheVe'asitig success "whk whicl).heir ellorts to puDtisna (neap, instructive, nd entertaining monthly hve beao at tended. They renew ih axpraaslo'n of their, thsnks -to tha-public for their constant confidence - and support,-, and specialty to the prvss for the' substan- ial aid. it hse afforded; in making their ffor'-a and publication known to tbe American people, . It can scarcely: be necessary to add the assonance that the plan of conduct ing the Magazine,- which hasproved so uccessful, will be 'continued vuth in creased assiduity and care. , Tha want nd tastes of the great mass of the peo ple will continue to beoon eulted; aud no labor of 'expense will be epared to give them," ' every month, the largest amount of the most interesting and in tructive literary matter, original and selected, in the - best form ' and at the cheapest price. Special and iucreasei ttention v ill be to the series of origi nal illustrated articles, descriptive uf American scenes and historical inci dents, prepard by tbe most popular wii- ere, and accompanied by engravings by by the best artists Id ths UnitedStatas, In every department of the Masa- tine renewed efforts will be made to in crease inability, ita utility, and its at tiacuveneis for generel leaders. Though It bis not yet completed tntf sixth year of iti existence, Harper's Maglslne has a circulation greater by manr thousand than was ever attalusd' by auy other publication ever issued ir sny part of the world. It is the deter mination of the polishers that it shall continue to merit this unparalleled and still increaceing prosperity. Each number of the Magaxine ' wilt contain 144 octavo tiges, In double columns, each year thus comprising nearly two thousand pages of the choic est Miscellaneous Literature of the dsy isvery number will contain numerous Pictorlsl illustrations, accurate Plates of the Fashions, a copious Chronicle of of currant Events and impartial No tices of the Ira porta ut Books of the Month. The Volumee commence wlttj the Nos. June and December; but sub, scrlp'.ions may commence with any No.lf lerms. the Magaxine may be ob tained of Booksellers, Periodical Agents or from the Publishers, et 83 s year, or 25 cents a number. The Semi-annual Volumes, as completed, neatly bound In Cloth, are sold at Two DoUars each and Muslin Covers are furnished to those who wish to base their bat, Numtari uniformly bound. at Twenty- five tents each, fcleven Volumes are now ready, bound. . 'Harper a Storr Books' and 'Harper'i Magaxiua will be sent to one Address, for one vear. for Fivt Dollar t. - The Publisher will supply ipeclmen Numbers gratuitously to Agents and Postmasterrs, will make liberal arran gements, with thern for circulating the Magazine. Ihey will also supply Clubs, of to persons et Five Dollars a year.or five 'persons at Ten Dollars. Clerur men supplied et two Dollars e year. tMKPER Ix. BRO'S, PU BLISHERS AMERICAN MONTHLY MAGIZINE, Established in 1827. Devoted to Literature, Art and Fashion. THE New Volume, commencina with the January numb., 1856, will contain cvir 2 uelvt Hundred Paget of the cboice.t read ing matter, Steel and Wood Engravings, snd music. ' . . . . Each number will contain a splendid Steel Engraving; a Plate of the Paris Fashions, on Steel, elegantly colored; one or more articles, richly illustrated witn woodengravlnes: mis cellaneous Prose and Poetry; an 'Editor's Table; Reviews of ' New ' Books; Monthly Summary; Hints on Fashion.and Fashionable Intelligence; Patterns for -Needle-work, ana new music. ' . ', , The Steel Engravings wijl embrace finely executed portraits of tbe celebrated lady writers of the dsy, interspersed with a varie ty of other subjects 01 general interest. Tbe Fashion Plates are engra fed on Steel, after tbe latest Parle Fashions, airing out and in-door costumes for the month. They have been pronounced superior to those pub lished in any other American Periodical. ' The Wood Engravings will be of the high est finish, and by our best artists. " ' ' mi 1 1 Vf-.- Aoe i.iierary matter wiircuniisioi nisiur leal, Biogiaubical and Literary Essays, sketch ea of Travel, Fine -rts, Novels; Tales, Ro mances, etc. The Novels and Romances of Grahani are universally acknowledged to ex eel in beauty and interest any others publish, ed In America. . r t The Editor's Table is made up of Humor, ous Sketches and Anecdotes, Foreign, Domes tic and Literary Gossip, etc. " ' . Tbe monthly Summary of Current Events, prepared bf Vita. Dove, gives t ' condensed account of the principal events, which have taken place in the, .World, during the preced month. 4 ' " ? ' " : ' Tbe Reviews of New Books front the pea of the great critic, E. P. Whipple. ;Tbe Fashion article, by Genio C. 8cott,pre sente a correct and comprehensive account of the new styles of Presses, : Bonnets, AantiU las, Shawls, Emb videries.andeverythjng re lating to Fashion of Interest to ladies. The Needle-work Patterns for Collars, Un dersteeres, Caps, Berthas, Skirts, Embroider ies for Handkerchiefs, and' general Needle, work, ere numerous and beautifully designed; : ' ilftWC.'T-TtiiS alona'at s music atom would cost mom than, a veuVsubscrlDtlon. RjlS.r-Ona Copy, one yr, ia Copies', (and ftn.to AgRX&fl of, tbe club,) ?10; 11. cos In, and on to agent, $20; for 18, : one my will be sent Three- Yeara, Addition to slabs at the same xkia it club sent, -CT SpecLTjen cppieieut pklU to tboie desiring To get up clubs?.. ABRAHAM H. SEE, ABRAHAM H. SEE, No. 106 Chestnut St., Phila. STRAW CUTTERS- . w wtvrmxiTTJa at tne Will ARVUf .X 1 1 U DKNNINO. CAMPSHi a xml \| txt
A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature/Kitto, John \|←Kirkland, Joseph\|\|A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature by Kitto, John (1804-1854). -- Biblical scholar, s. of a Cornish stonemason, was b. at Plymouth. At the age of 12 a fall led to his becoming totally deaf. From poverty and hardship he was rescued by friends, to whom his mental powers had become known, and the means of education were placed within his reach. By these he profited so remarkably that he became a valuable contributor to Biblical scholarship. He travelled much in the East in the pursuit of his favourite studies. Among his works are Scripture Lands, Daily Bible Illustrations, and The Lost Senses in 2 vols., one dealing with Deafness and the other with Blindness. He also ed. The Pictorial Bible, The Journal of Sacred Literature, The Cyclopædia of Bible Literature, and contributed to various periodicals. He received a pension of £100 from Government. In 1844 the Univ. of Giessen conferred upon him the degree of D.D.
"The coolest part was getting David Wilcox," Morgan says. "And Robbie Fulks. Robbie came and did his session in my hotel room when I was on the road in Chicago. He was fun. Really amazing." Morgan ticks off the other names on his new album: Over the Rhine's Karin Bergquist; John Mayer's guitarist, David LaBruyere and Scotty Anderson, who used to play guitar for Roy Clark. "Scotty's an amazing Country guitar player," Morgan says. "Three out of the four members of Over The Rhine are also on the album, because Ric Hordinski is producing it." Funny thing. All the major names almost make you forget this is a CD intended for kids. Morgan has made a reputation producing offbeat songs for toddlers to pre-teens (he headlines the Rosenthal Next Generation Series at the Playhouse in the Park on Saturday). The as-yet-untitled children's album includes tunes such as "When Bullfrogs Croak," "It's a Drag to Be a Dragon," "The King of Fruits," "When Cordelia Played," "Grandma and the Homemade Pie," "The Pox of Chicken," "The Unicorn," "Insect City" and Cat Stevens' "Peace Train." The Cat Stevens connection is ironic, considering this review by Publishers Weekly magazine of Morgan's first CD, Bloom: "If '70s music star Cat Stevens were to record a children's album, it might well sound like Zak Morgan's breezy debut effort. Morgan's rich, sonorous voice is at home both singing and spinning yarns -- a versatility that suggests fun projects to come." Morgan's defining moment as a children's artist actually came in a horse pasture. "The first summer after college, I got this job at a dude ranch," he says. "I ended up spending a lot of time entertaining the kids." The singer/songwriter caught the bug and now traverses the country, entertaining children at hundreds of elementary schools and libraries each year. Cross Dr. Seuss with Shel Silverstein, toss in a smidgen of a grade-school educator, a G-rated stand-up comic and a Folk musician, and you'll arrive at Zak Morgan. Accompanied by infectious guitar riffs, his onstage storytelling is loaded with wordplay and puns that leave even the adults in the audience chortling against their will. Morgan's lyrics are innocent and yet sophisticated, all in the same universe. Take the tune "Bill Fisher and His Running Nose," an ode to a schoolboy who's abused his honker once too often and finds one morning that the angry snout has run away from him. Yep, we're a long way from Barney here. The lyrics are catchy, the humor edgy. So edgy, in fact, that Morgan concedes he won't perform some of the songs on his album at certain concerts. "I won't do the Santa Claus song, for instance, if there are 4- and 5-year-olds in the audience," he says. "Some parents might be offended." For the uninitiated, "Santa and the Full Moon" involves the big guy getting stuck in a chimney in a full state of undress. Hence the "Moon" in the title. But topics such as nose-picking, growing pains and schoolhouse bullies aren't off limits, as Morgan quantifies the essence of a child's life. "The nose-picking," he's quick to point out, "well, that's only semi-autobiographical." Morgan, born in Cincinnati in 1970, lived here until 1989, when he shipped off to Kenyon College. After graduation came a stint on the Wyoming dude ranch, a defining moment when he first began to entertain kids with impromptu escapades, followed by a job at a Manhattan publisher, where he reintroduced himself to children's literature. Then a return to Cincinnati, where all these exposures blended cohesively. Morgan -- who began writing and playing music at the age of 13 -- looks to his family tree for his creative inspiration. "Probably it's most rooted in my grandpa. He would tell stories, just make them up, and the kids would gather 'round," he recalls, adding that he also inherited his grandfather George's irreverent sense of humor. Grandpa George would invent yarns, limericks, even whole new words. "Those influences are just all brewing around in me," says the star of stage and snotdom. "The theme of my show is reading and exercising the imagination. It's such a gift, imagination, and reading is a great way to tap into it." Morgan stresses vocabulary expansion as well, and that's little surprise with lyrics such as "the leopard's pernicious, and you look delicious ... ." That said, there's a whole lot more to the typical show -- if a word like "typical" can be used in conjunction with such craziness -- than the basic ABCs: costumes, props, surprise guests, whooping horns, witticisms and more. "I try to bring the kid out in everyone, even the parents," Morgan says. "I don't want to patronize the kids, or dumb down. You can't reach kids by patronizing them. That's especially true with fourth and fifth graders, who are trying so hard not to be a kid." Classroom gigs are just part of the mix for Morgan, though. "My peers in the music business are somewhat envious, because there's so much work available in the children's market," he concedes with a smile. "I make 100 phone calls and get 50 concert bookings. It's easy to get work, and it pays better." ZAK MORGAN performs his children's concert, "Bloom," at the Playhouse's Rosenthal Next Generation Series at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday.
If you weren't at the Norman Rockwell Museum on Saturday, you missed out on a great day of comics and education. In fact, I think it's safe to say that the "Graphic Novels in the Classroom" Symposium, which you missed (unless you were there, and if you were, then "hey, nice to see you again!"), was the Malcolm Gladwellesque Tipping Point for the comics in the classroom movement. The assembled multitude of (at least) fifty educators, gathered together in the name of comics awesomeness, learning about what these fancy newfangled graphic narratives are all about, will be seen as the first wave of the paradigm shift. No more will comics be relegated to the young, to the homeless, to the insane. From this moment forward, comics will permeate the walls of every school in the country, radically shifting the way students learn. Comics, and education, will never be the same again. Okay, I'm exaggerating, a lot. But the Rockwell Symposium, which I was lucky enough to be a part of (I presented a well-attended workshop on "Graphic Novels and Literature" as part of the afternoon session), was symbolic of something more. Think about it: not only is the Norman Rockwell Museum embracing comics as an art form, and as a legitimate, and essential, part of the history of American Illustration, but the teachers who showed up on Saturday (who ranged from new teachers quite familiar with comics to experienced teachers who knew that Beetle Bailey used to be in the newspapers) were enthusiastic about the potential of the medium. These teachers wanted to find out why they should use comics and how they should use comics. And, based on what I saw and heard, they left the building at 4:45 PM with exciting new ideas about the role comics can play in a teaching environment. It was exciting to be involved in. Thirteen years ago, when I first received my teaching certification in Massachusetts, when I was younger, had slightly more hair, and thought that new was inherently better than old, I failed to get hired. I had good credentials, and I would always be one of the finalists interviewed for every job, but I couldn't close the deal that summer. In retrospect, I know exactly why. I sat in those interviews and talked about the changing face of English instruction. I talked about the shift toward visual narrative and the inevitable change in the way English is taught. I discussed the incorporation of film and comics into the curriculum as modes of narrative, and I talked myself out of every one of those jobs by doing so. They didn't want to hear that stuff. They wanted to hear that I was going to teach Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, and I was going to assign a lot of essays using "process writing," and that I wasn't going to put up with any crap from the students. They didn't want to hear how things were going to change. When I finally DID get hired, well that was the interview where I didn't talk about any of that visual narrative stuff. I had learned my lesson. But damn it if I wasn't right, and the reaction to the Rockwell Symposium only confirms the ideas I was mentioning over a decade ago. The thing those schools didn't realize back then, and it was my fault for not expressing myself clearly, I suppose, is that I think there's more than enough room for Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, AND films AND comics. As much as I'm on the so-called "cutting edge" (at least in this relatively rural area of the state) with my Cinema class (which has been in place for over six years now, and had produced several award-winning filmmakers already) and my advocacy of comics in the classroom, the truth is that I am pretty "old school." I believe in teaching Shakespeare, frequently. And without using one of those so-called "modern translations" which others find so helpful. That's bullshit as far as I'm concerned. When you teach Shakespeare plays, you teach the blank verse or you don't teach it. The language IS the meaning, and that's why you won't find me using "classics illustrated"-style comics in the classroom. The comics don't replace the important literary texts, and they aren't modes to "simplify" meaning for students. The comics worth teaching are the ones that can stand next to a literary work and offer some basis for thematic comparison, or some interesting similarity (or difference) in the way a different medium shapes narrative technique. I might use John Barth's "Autobiography" (prose), Chuck Jones's "Duck Amuck" (film), and Grant Morrison and Charles Truog's "The Coyote Gospel" (comics) as three texts in a short unit on metafiction. Perhaps if I had clearly explained why those three texts are equally valid and useful as instructional tools, I wouldn't have gotten those condescending stares in those interviews thirteen years ago. It probably wouldn't have mattered. Schools, even that recently, weren't ready for the shift. If the Rockwell Symposium is any indication, they are now. And, honestly, it's about time. By the way, the image at the top of this post is from Jay Hosler's Clan Apis, which is a great example of a comic that's a teaching tool but also an engaging read by itself. Plus, Jay is a fantastic advocate of comics in the classroom and a brilliant speaker on the topic. His slideshow and lecture which kicked off the Symposium was one of the most informative and enjoyable two hours of my life. That's what learning should feel like, at its best. Comics in education. Finally.
The Misty Poets (Chinese: 朦胧诗人; pinyin: Ménglóng Shīrén) are a group of 20th century Chinese poets who reacted against the restrictions on art during the Cultural Revolution. They are so named because their work has been officially denounced as "obscure", "misty", or "hazy" poetry (menglong shi). But according to Gu Cheng, "the defining characteric of this new type of poetry is its realism--it begins with objective realism but veers towards a subjective realism; it moves from a passive reaction toward active creation." The movement was initially centered on the magazine Jintian (Chinese: 今天; pinyin: Jīntiān; literally: "Today"), which was founded by Bei Dao and Mang Ke and published from 1978 until 1980, when it was banned. Guo Lusheng is among the earliest poets of the zhiqing generation poets and was an inspiration for several of the original Misty Poets. Five important misty poets, Bei Dao, Gu Cheng, Duo Duo, He Dong and Yang Lian, were exiled after the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Jintian was resurrected in Sweden in 1990 as a forum for expatriate Chinese writers. During the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong decreed certain cultural requirements for literature and art in China. According to these ideas, writers and artists were encouraged to form a "cultural army" to educate the masses and provide them with revolutionary values. All art would therefore be political and there was no art for art's sake. According to these requirements, the poetry was relatively compliant and realistic, as the following example shows: - The moon follows the earth, - The earth follows the sun, - Oil follows our steps, - And we shall always follow the Communist Party. In the civil war-like state at the end of the Cultural Revolution, many Chinese were sent to the country under the slogan "Up to the mountains and down to the countryside" ( Chinese: 上山下乡 shàngshānxiàxiāng) The discontent of the deportees was great and many felt disillusioned after the Cultural Revolution, which was described as the "Ten Lost Years" afterwards across the country. Although it was banned during the Cultural Revolution to publish literature and art, an extensive underground poetry circulated, which was written under extreme conditions: Gu Cheng (Chinese: 顾城 Gu Cheng) says that he started his poems in a pigsty, Bei Dao (Chinese: 北岛) wrote his first plays in the evening after work. Only with the death of Mao Zedong, the arrest of the Gang of Four, as well as an opening to the west, the laws became looser around the "cultural requirements". The unofficial magazine "Today" (Chinese: 今天 Jintian) and "Today" offered a platform for these feelings and poems. The first issue was published with the seminal poem "The Answer" (Chinese: 回答 Huida), which can be regarded as a paradigm for the obscure nature of misty poetry. The line "I do not believe" (Chinese: 我不相信 wǒ bù Xiangxin) here almost became a buzzword at the time. The publication of further Menglong poems immediately initiated a year-long debate on the freedom of the individual and the author and his commitment to society, the state, and the party. List of Misty Poets - Bei Dao - Bei Ling - Chou Ping - Duo Duo - Fei Ye - Gu Cheng - Ha Jin - He Dong - Jiang He - Mang Ke - Shu Ting - Tang Yaping - Xi Chuan - Yang Lian - Zhang Zhen - Yan Li - "Introduction and commentary to Wang Ping's translations". Epc.buffalo.edu. 1995-02-20. Retrieved 2010-10-19. - Jeffrey Twitchell, Huang Fan (1997). "Avant Garde Poetry In China: The Nanjing Scene 1981 1992". World Literature Today 71. Retrieved 2010-10-19. - "Smoking People" 39 (2). Beloit Poetry Journal. Winter 1988–1989. - Sze, ARthur ed., Chinese Writer on Writing, Trinity University Press, 2010 - "A Brief Guide to Misty Poets". Poets.org. Retrieved 2010-10-19. - Tony Barnstone (ed.), Wu Shuteh in Out of the Howling Storm. The New Chinese Poetry. Wesleyan University Press, Hanover / London 1993, 12 - Barnstone, Tony, ed. (1993). Out of the Howling Storm: The New Chinese Poetry. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 0-8195-1210-9. - Jones, Andrew F. (1992). Like a Knife: Ideology and Genre in Contemporary Chinese Popular Music. Cornell East Asia series, no. 57. Ithaca, New York: East Asia Program, Cornell University. ISBN 0-939657-57-0.
Professor Paul Michael Lützeler's talk at McGill University in Canada on Nov 5, 2014 at 4 PM In all parts of the world economic continental unions are developing: in Asia, North America, South America, in Africa and in Europe. The European Union is the oldest of them. Its forerunners started already in the 1950ies. New William H. Gass fellowship and PhD track for international writers The Ampersand recently featured an article about professor emeritus William H. Gass, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday. Comparative Literature director Lynne Tatlock spoke about Gass's literary influence, quoting Matthias Göritz, the first reipient of the William H. Gass fellowship who said, “I admire Gass as an essayist, translator, and storyteller; I admire him as a teacher. My colleagues across the globe and I see him as a legend. After reading his work, people are ‘infected’ and changed. It’s simple: we have to read William Gass; otherwise we’ve missed the best. I’m proud and grateful to be recognized as the first William Gass fellow. And thus not to miss the best.” For more information about the new PhD track for international writers, see here.
ASRUL YASIN, ANDI (2010) ASPEK PENAWARAN (SUPPLY) WISATA DAN PENGELOLAAN KEPARIWISATAAN DI KAWASAN TAMAN NASIONAL LAUT TAKA BONERATE KABUPATEN KEPULAUAN SELAYAR. Masters thesis, UNIVERSITAS DIPONEGORO. \|PDF - Published Version\| Utilization of conservation areas such as National Parks for tourism aims to increase the use of symptom of uniqueness and natural beauty found in the region. In addition, the exploitation of tourism in protected areas can provide many benefits and advantages which include increased opportunities in the field of economy, natural conservation and cultural heritage, developed infrastructure and improved of life quality in the region. One way to achieve the goals and obtain these benefits is to increase tourist visits to the region. The things that are needed to fatherly increase the tourist visits are aspects of supply and tourism management in the region. One of National Park’s potential areas to be used as a tourist attraction is the Marine National Park’s Taka Bonerate. This area has a panoramic view of nature, especially its beautiful underwater, and is potential to be used as a tourist attraction. But in reality, the aspects of tourism supply and tourism management in the region has not been able to make this area an interesting tourism site and mostly visited by tourists. Under these circumstances, the research question prepared is: how is the aspects of tourism supply and tourism attractions management in the Marine National Park’s Taka Bonerate area? The purpose of this study is to examine the aspects of tourism supply and tourism management in Marine National Park’s Taka Bonerate. Analysis is carried out on the aspects of the existing conditions (supply), tourism, and tourism management institute that are in the development of tourism in the region in accordance with the targets. The research methodology used in this study is a qualitative method which data collection is conducted through interviews and archival data collection. Interview technique used is purposive sampling technique. The analysis technique used is a qualitative descriptive analysis based on literature review, the results of data collection, and best practices. From this study, it is found that the aspects of tourism supply and institutional management of tourism in this region have not been able to make this area become a popular tourist attraction and mostly visited by tourists. The main recommendation based on the research findings is local goverment’s concern to develop the tourism sector in Marine National Park’s Taka Bonerate. \|Item Type:\|\|Thesis (Masters)\| \|Subjects:\|\|G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure\| T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering \|Divisions:\|\|Postgraduate Program > Master Program in Urban and Regional Planning\| \|Deposited By:\|\|Mr mpwk undip\| \|Deposited On:\|\|19 Apr 2011 20:42\| \|Last Modified:\|\|19 Apr 2011 20:42\| Repository Staff Only: item control page
OXFORD, England - In a little more than five years, four great thick books have come tumbling out of the Oxford University office of Niall Ferguson, probably the most talented and easily the most industrious British historian of his generation. Pile them on a desk, pile his reviews on top of them, throw on a copy of his rich book contract, and you have evidence of more successful literary work than most university teachers dream of accomplishing in an entire career. First there was Paper and Iron: Hamburg Business and German Politics in the Era of Inflation, 1897-1927, which turned his doctoral thesis into a cool, measured account of the financial panics that drove the Germans crazy. Then he broke new ground with The World's Banker: The History of the House of Rothschild, having been given first-ever access to the private archives (but only up to 1915) of the bank that played power-broker in half a dozen European countries for generations. About two years ago he caused a sensation with The Pity of War, an account of the origins, the strategies and the meaning of the First World War. And, after a brief pause for breath, he's just written a work that attempts to pull together in one collection of arguments all the strings of his startling career, The Cash Nexus: Money and Power in the Modern World 1700-2000, published this week. His research has always been impressive, his ideas contentious, and his standards high: Fritz Stern, a major historian of modern Germany, reviewing the Rothschild book in The New Republic, said "Ferguson's work reaffirms one's faith in the possibility of great historical writing." But it is the sheer mass of meticulously organized material that makes the first strong impression. Together, the four Ferguson books contain 3,024 pages. If you add Virtual History: Alternatives and Counterfactuals (1997), which he conceived, edited and partly wrote, the page total reaches 3,572. Niall (pronounced "Neal") Ferguson will celebrate his 37th birthday on April 18. He's a radical Tory, in the sense that radical means going to the root. And he is a writer of unusual courage. When facts and logic lead him to dangerous and unpopular positions, he does not step back from them. In The Pity of War he reaches a conclusion that many have flirted with over the years but no one else has argued persuasively and confidently: that Britain was wrong to cross the channel and fight the Germans in 1914. It cost far too much, in blood and money, for the advantage gained. By the end of the 20th century, after all, the Germans had achieved exactly what they wanted in 1914, economic leadership of Europe. The Cash Nexus, while it deals with nothing quite so abrasive, nevertheless makes uncomfortable reading by insisting that we unlearn some favourite assumptions. All those who write about politics, and most of those who practise politics, believe the economy is now the central concern of every democracy and voters reward politicians for good times while punishing them for bad. Not so, says Mr. Ferguson, and cites many proofs to the contrary. (As he was finishing his book, U.S. voters were giving him a powerful new argument by rejecting the Democrats, who had presided over the greatest boom in U.S. history and should have, by the logic of economics, easily won the presidency, the Senate, and the House.) We also believe, because most of us are congenital optimists, that prosperity encourages democracy, and democracy inevitably creates prosperity, in an upward double-helix motion. Wrong, says Mr. Ferguson, and demonstrates that freedom and economic growth are not nearly as closely linked as we imagine. It has also been long accepted that the United States risks becoming dangerously overstretched as an empire by taking on too many global responsibilities. Wrong again, says Mr. Ferguson. The United States does not take on nearly enough. It does not commit sufficient resources to the military operations that will be needed to encourage democracy and peace, operations that only the United States can undertake (with the help of others). To make his point, and answer the overstretch argument, he invents a word: The Untied States, he claims, is "understretched." These views, and the research that support them, have placed Mr. Ferguson at the centre of the profession of history in Britain and made him something of a media star as well. In a recent conversation in his office at Jesus College, Oxford, he talked about the first steps he took toward the life he now leads. It will not surprise those who know his style that he began to think of himself first as a writer. As an adolescent in Glasgow in the 1970s, he knew he wanted to write books but did not know what kind. He remembers that the decision turned on comparing Hamlet with the Thirty Years War. He was writing essays about both of them, and loving both of them. But he began to think that Hamlet was really just one text, and therefore rather limited, whereas, he discovered with astonishment, Glasgow University's library contained hundreds of books on the Thirty Years War. (As he says, he seems not to have known how much literary criticism there was in the world.) One work of history he devoured with special excitement was Friedrich von Schiller's account of the Thirty Years War, a great 18th-century German's stirring reprisal of his country's 17th-century trauma. That glimpse of the historian's landscape as a place of infinite possibilities set Mr. Ferguson on his way and also hinted at the particular themes of his career. Since he began by studying a war that took place mainly in Germany, it is not entirely surprising that most of his subsequent work has taken him to Germany or somewhere in the neighbourhood. His accomplishments might suggest he has been hurtling toward success for two straight decades, but for a while he veered foolishly off course. At 17, when he arrived as a scholarship student at Magdalen College, he somehow forgot why he was there. He threw himself into a hectic social life, the Oxford Union, student theatre, anything except his studies. Soon he was so inadequate a student that (he now realizes) almost any other university in the world would have withdrawn his scholarship and sent him packing. But, as he says, Oxford forgives and Oxford forgets, if you prove yourself in the end. Toward the close of his second year, as he was smoking a hookah on stage while dressed as the caterpillar in a production of Alice in Wonderland, he asked himself: What the hell am I doing here? More or less instantly, he turned into the scholar that nature had always intended him to be. He went into the library and, in a sense, never came out. He does not lack a private life (he and his journalist wife, Sue Douglas, have three children) but the habit of deep research has remained with him ever since he ended his adolescence with his first serious assault on the Bodleian Library. Frantic catching-up won him a First that was good enough for a further scholarship, and soon he was heading toward a PhD. Cautiously, he chose subjects that would help him earn a living outside academe if he had to: economics and (because of its place in world business) Germany. He went off to Hamburg to study German inflation. His modest scholarship kept him in penury, a place he found unappealing. So for years he made himself relatively prosperous by writing freelance journalism, much of it clandestine. As "Alec Campbell," he wrote a column for a now-dead Sunday paper and then served as German correspondent for The Daily Telegraph while working on his thesis in Hamburg. When he began writing for the Daily Mail, his editors demanded a more honest byline and the right to run his picture. So he changed his name to Campbell Ferguson, and had his picture taken while hiding behind thick-rimmed glasses. This secrecy was not a joke. He lacked academic tenure, and believed he might never get it if his professors knew he was making money writing for the papers, an activity that many academics view without enthusiasm. Even today, some colleagues let it be known that they find his success unseemly. "You are expected to be publicly poor," he says, "as a sign of your devotion. You are supposed to suffer and enjoy it." That's not his way. But to some extent, his success has been forgiven. At Oxford since 1992 as Fellow and Tutor in Modern History, he was recently made professor of political and financial history, a grand title devised to please him, express precisely what he does, and perhaps prevent him from considering offers elsewhere. He now has a $1.3-million three-book contract, he is working on a television series about the British Empire, and he is involved in a Web site (www.boxmind.com) that broadcasts the lectures of major academics. His next book project is an account of European monarchy from the age of Napoleon to the First World War, shaped around the Saxe-Coburg family, whose English branch is the House of Windsor. He considers monarchy a neglected subject and believes royalty played a far larger part in 19th-century history than we acknowledge. The Saxe-Coburgs, in his view, were to governance what the Rothschilds were to finance, and he sees the monarchy book as a parallel to his work on the bankers. When I went to visit him, Stephen Moss of the Guardian had not quite finished his interview. So for a few minutes I listened to a British journalist express his unconscious assumptions about Mr. Ferguson's career. Mr. Moss seemed to suppose that anyone achieving prosperity should immediately abandon work that pays relatively little. He wanted to know why Mr. Ferguson still bothers to write articles for the Telegraph. "It's an addiction," Mr. Ferguson answered. More seriously, he said that journalism taught him to write and remains a good discipline. Even his enemies envy Mr. Ferguson's style. It is crisp, poised and pointed; his tone suggests he has somehow absorbed vast quantities of European literature. His poise is partly grounded in independence from cliques; we never sense that he is writing for a club of like-minded Tories. And his phrasing is so fresh that when he occasionally lapses into academe-speak ("It is worth pausing at this point to ask ...") it comes as a shock. The Guardian man professed not to understand how Mr. Ferguson could be both historian and journalist: "Can you have it both ways?" he asked. Actually, Mr. Ferguson operates within a long tradition, exemplified in the 20th century by A.J.P. Taylor and Hugh Trevor-Roper, both of them first-class scholars and first-class controversial journalists. As Mr. Ferguson says, "What's the point of having knowledge about modern history if you confine yourself to writing monographs for the Oxford University Press?" The Guardian man had another idea: Would Mr. Ferguson be giving up teaching? Incredibly, he asked this question in Mr. Ferguson's warm and capacious "tutor's room," which has a fireplace, enough space for a dozen people to meet comfortably and its own bathroom (literally: there's a bathtub). This is in a 16th-century college created by Elizabeth I, where mullioned windows look on to an elegant quadrangle. It is the fantasy of every would-be don, including the would-be don that Mr. Ferguson once was. The idea that anything short of dynamite or death will get him out is preposterous. But Mr. Ferguson simply replied that every year there are some intellectually ambitious students and he would miss them. To most other professionals, Mr. Ferguson's productivity remains his central mystery. If someone asks how he manages his time, he says, "I get up in the morning and work. My puzzle is with people who spend 10 years not producing a book. What do they do?" Perhaps the need to write so much is a neurotic compulsion. If so, he will not be seeking therapy. "It would be terrible to be cured." Someone once asked him what values he had been given by his father, a doctor. "Work, work and work," he said. He feels guilty when he is not knuckling down to something. But surely there are quiet moments of self-satisfaction? I asked him whether he felt happy and relaxed when he finishes a piece of writing he knows is good. "Oh, for a split second." Then it is back to work.
Now being developed into a feature movie, Herzl’s Journey is based on Bernard Zissman’s second book which takes another imaginary journey back in time, over one hundred years, to meet Theodor Herzl, the visionary Hungarian born journalist and founder of Zionism. Zissman and Herzl discuss the impact of anti-Semitism in France in the eighteen nineties around the famous case of Jewish army officer Captain Alfred Dreyfus, wrongly convicted and sent to Devil’s Island. Together they travel across Europe from Vienna to Paris and from Basel to London as Herzl makes his case for the establishment of a Jewish national home in Palestine. Spanning over a century of European history and the ravages of war, Herzl meets up again with Zissman who is growing up in England as the Nazis begin to march. Following the end of the Second World War, they watch as the State of Israel is born out of a narrow and critical vote in the United Nations in 1947. HERZL’S JOURNEY NOMINATED FOR PRESTIGIOUS LITERARY AWARD Sir Bernard Zissman’s new book, “Herzl’s Journey” has been nominated for the Sophie Brody Medal, an award presented by the American Library Association – “to the author of the most distinguished contribution to Jewish literature for adults published in the United States”.
Can you believe that Bob Dylan, who had fallen off the charts a few days ago, has now risen to #1 for this year’s Nobel Literature Prize? He’s been given 5:1 odds, putting him ahead of Syrian poet Adonis, Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, and the Hungarian writer Peter Nadas. What is going on? “The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind…” The eminently worthy Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer has fallen to #6. Down Under poet Les Murray has climbed to #8. Cormac McCarthy, last summer’s #1 heartthrob, has dropped to #12. You can check out some of the other punters at Ladbrokes here. Dylan has regularly figured at the bottom of the lists for years – like Communist Party candidate Gus Hall used to in the presidential elections. But for no reason anyone knows, the songwriter shot to the top of the list overnight on Tuesday. According to a Washington Post blog: …overnight on Tuesday, Dylan’s odds jumped from 100/1 to 10/1. Wednesday, the site had his odds for winning at 5/1, beating out all other contenders. Ladbrookes reported that 80 percent of all bets in a 12-hour period went to Dylan. Earlier this summer, the singer was nominated for the $50,000 Neustadt international prize for literature, often considered a precursor to the Nobel, losing to Indian-Canadian writer Rohinton Mistry. He won a “special citation” Pulitzer in 2008. Is he headed for better things? Ladbrokes hopes not. It said it would have “a significant five-figure payout” on its hands if Dylan wins the Nobel on Thursday, according to the Guardian: “We’ve seen enough activity from the right people to suggest Dylan now has a huge chance this year. If he doesn’t make the shortlist at least there will be some seriously burnt fingers,” said spokesman Alex Donohue. “As Dylan said, money doesn’t talk, it swears. If he does the business there might be a few expletives from us as well.” The Washington Post cited the lyrics of another song: … could be the bettors are taking gambling advice from Dylan’s own songs: “Make your money while you can, before you have to stop, / For when you pull that dead man’s hand, your gamblin’ days are up.” Postscript: The new #2 is Algerian novelist and filmmaker Assia Djebar. Ever hear of her? Someone is fooling with us … And Vaclev Havel made it to #38 today, on his 75th birthday. “As soon as man began considering himself the source of the highest meaning in the world and the measure of everything, the world began to lose its human dimension, and man began to lose control of it.” – V.H.
41.The Creative Entrepreneurs Organization: Developing Innovative ... The Creative Entrepreneurs Organization: Developing Innovative Products and Businesses by. Thomas J. Hayes, III. Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the ... 42.Excerpt from: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in VET It is innovation and entrepreneurship that are at the heart of success for the ... selected ideas from the international literature on innovation and entrepreneurship. INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN VET_SAMPLE 43.ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION POLICY - EconStor Abstract. What is meant by entrepreneurship, innovation and economic growth is often not clear or ... Innovation and entrepreneurship are often regarded as ... 44.Innovation & Entrepreneurship Doctoral Fellowship Extension Innovation & Entrepreneurship Doctoral Fellowship Extension. Extensions for a 3rd or 4th year of funding through the Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) ... 45.Fostering Innovative Entrepreneurship: Challenges and ... - UNECE practically to foster the innovative entrepreneurship and competitiveness of their economies. ... The role of patenting in innovation-based entrepreneurship . 46.Innovation and entrepreneurship - The University of North Carolina ... Purpose – This article aims to discuss the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in today's economic environment and why such activities should be ... 47.15.912: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT OF INNOVATION AND - MIT Because of the explosion of entrepreneurial innovation in the iPhone and ... exploration of innovation and entrepreneurship in an industry or venture of your ... 48.innovation and entrepreneurship development centre (iedc) - NSTEDB "Develop institutional mechanism to create entrepreneurial culture in academic institutions to foster growth of innovation and entrepreneurship amongst the ...
You all may recall that after 9/11 Osama bin Laden explained his orchestration of the terrorist deed that murdered some 3000 innocent human beings as payback for America’s materialism. (His anti-materialist rant is routine – a good discussion of his views may be found here.) Yet as the writer of the above piece notes, anti-materialism is a common theme among most religions. Sure, the idea that human life is about preparation for an after-life — a spiritual life superior to the mundane one we can lead here on Earth — is central to religions. In the West, however, many religions have made peace with the mundane elements of human existence so there tends to be a less avid denunciation of materialism, which is how the idea of being seriously concerned with living prosperously here on Earth is usually designated. After all, the Christian God is both human and divine (in the person of Jesus). Destruction of life is generally deemed to be a sin for Christians, whereas, as bin Laden has noted, the love of death is central in his version of Islam. As one account has it, “This originated at the Battle of Qadisiyya in the year 636, when the commander of the Muslim forces, Khalid ibn Al-Walid, sent an emissary with a message from Caliph Abu Bakr to the Persian commander, Khosru. The message stated: ‘You [Khosru and his people] should convert to Islam, and then you will be safe, for if you don’t, you should know that I have come to you with an army of men that love death, as you love life’.” This account is widely recited in contemporary Muslim literature. Yet despite the Western theological tradition’s more friendly attitude toward the mundane, nearly every Christmas leaders of Christian denominations tend to revert to the original, anti-life doctrines by condemning commercialism. The latest Pope followed the previous one by lamenting the “materialist” approach to celebrating Christmas. They referred to “the dead-end streets of consumerism,” according to newspaper reports, chiding people everywhere for what the report calls “being caught up with consumerist pursuits.” Ironically, the Pope issued his proclamations from St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. If you have ever visited the Vatican, as I and millions of others have, you would know it to be one of the West’s, if not the world’s, most opulent places. And as to consumerism, the gift shop dominates the entrance to the Vatican, where one is invited to spend great sums of money on various small or sizable trinkets. Commerce flourishes there, believe me, as the Vatican cashes in on the desire of many of the visitors to take away some reminder of their having been to that historically and theologically significant place. Of course, even apart from the Vatican, the Roman Catholic Church, as well as others within Christianity, often excel in ostentatious display of riches – one need but go to high mass on Christmas Eve to witness this. And why not? That is how human beings tend to celebrate what they value highly, by honoring the occasion with gift-giving. And gift-giving necessarily involves commerce – most of us aren’t skilled at the crafts that it takes to create the various gifts we wish to bestow upon those we love and cherish. I personally bought airline tickets for some of my family members and a computer for another, in part because I have no airplane in which to fly them where they would like to go and no factory and expertise to make a modern, up-to-date computer. To obtain these gifts, I rely, as do billions of others, on commerce. So why then would Popes besmirch consumerism and commerce? Beats me. (And remember, also, that “materialism” is ultimately a nonsense term – nothing we purchase is simply material but embodies the creative intelligence – indeed the creative spirit – of many human beings!) So, I urge all Popes to change their message and to have a more generous understanding of all who make use of commerce in our celebration of Christmas!
In this perennially popular, short, and sensational (i.e., teachable!) book, we are confronted with one of literature’s most enduring and chilling tales of a hidden or repressed self. Just what is the relation of Stevenson’s hideous Mr. Hyde to the urbane Dr. Jekyll? Like many other nineteenth-century monsters (Frankenstein or Dracula, for instance), we may feel like we know this tale even before we read it for the first time. Many of our students will already have encountered popular-cultural allusions to the story. But what exactly does the hideous Mr. Hyde stand for? And where do we get our clues and our cues for this once we sit down with the book? Stevenson’s book has been interpreted as being about unconscious desire, or some aspect of human culture that the nineteenth century feared, like homosexuality. Participants will consider the implications and challenges of teaching the novella through these conflicting and competing interpreations. Seminar led by Jules Law, Northwestern University
Many who don't follow the climate change issue closely, which is most of you according to opinion polls, may be wondering at the little spate of news articles/opinions and letters on this subject recently. They were occasioned by release of the IPCC Summary for Policymakers of the Working Group II contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report. The IPCC, or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, was established 26 years ago by the United Nations. Its reports cover "the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation." The IPCC process can be a bit confusing, so to be of service, I will try to summarize it as succinctly as possible. First, it should be noted the IPCC does not carry out any original research, nor does it do any work of monitoring climate or related phenomena itself. It bases its assessments on published literature, which includes peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed sources. Thousands of scientists and other "experts" contribute (without payment from the IPCC but usually with continued payment by their normal employers, mostly governmental agencies, universities and NGOs) to writing and reviewing reports, which are then reviewed by governments. IPCC reports contain a "Summary for Policymakers," which is subject to line-by-line approval by delegates from all participating governments, typically from more than 120 countries. The IPCC published its first assessment report in 1990 and has produced another one about every five or six years. Each report is released in phases, one for each of the three IPCC working groups plus an overall synthesis report. The Fifth Assessment report (AR5) is being released from September 2013 to October 2014. The Working Group II report on "Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability" was released on March 30, 2014. The Working Group I report on "The Physical Science Basis" was released on Sept. 27, 2013. The Working Group III report release on "Mitigation" is scheduled for April 2014, and the overall synthesis report for October. Each of these "sub-reports" contain a "Summary for Policymakers," which, as noted above, is subject to line-by-line approval by delegates from about 120 governments. As can be expected from such a process, these "summaries" are very political and usually bear little resemblance to the reports they supposedly summarize. The news reports/opinions and resulting letters occasioned by the release of each report are normally almost entirely based on the "Summary for Policymakers," and as such often have little to do with the actual report. The little spate of news articles/opinions and letters mentioned above, accompanying the recent release of the Summary for Policymakers of the IPCC Working Group II, appear to follow that pattern. They all include claims of climate caused weather extremes which have already been debunked by many, probably most notably by Dr. Roger Pielke Jr., a well-respected CU professor. Some of the comments even seem to go beyond the "Summary" itself, with one letter alluding to climate change "disrupting our water resources, destroying our ability to grow food. ..." According to an AP article, the report says the impact on water resources is unpredictable. As to food, the report does opine, while offering no real proof, that climate change will hurt food production. But even if one accepts this, one of the authors says that due to improved agricultural techniques, crop production is growing about 10 percent per decade and climate change is likely to only reduce yields by 1 percent a decade, so crop production will still continue to increase substantially in the future. I found it particularly disturbing that that letter writer chose to use "denier" in referring to those expressing legitimate doubts regarding unsubstantiated extreme warming predictions. This approach is used to tie climate skeptics to deniers of the Holocaust. Because of this, it is probably worthwhile to state briefly the usual position of those he labels "deniers." Most agree the earth's temperature has risen slightly during the last few centuries as we recover from the Little Ice Age. They recognize how greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, but especially water vapor, warm the earth. They agree that carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has increased due to fossil fuel use. What they question is a predicted temperature increase far beyond that due to carbon dioxide caused by some unknown multiplying factor. From the little or no temperature increase over the last 17 years while the carbon dioxide level has continued to increase, it appears just the opposite is true. Carl Brady is a retired engineer who has been a resident of Frederick about 9 years.
John Gardiner selected a cattle run in the area and built a house just north of the junction of the Yarra River and Kooyong Koot Creek (later to be known as Gardiners Creek). James McAlpine settled in the area and his sons baptism in 1840 is recorded in early Melbourne church records. The first sale of Crown Land occurred on 10 June; four lots, with a total of 245 acres extending south from Kooyong Koot Creek (Gardiners Creek) were sold. The second sale of Crown Land occurred on 27 June, in the area bounded by Kooyong Road, Gardiners Creek Road (now Toorak Road), Malvern Road and Tooronga Road. Land Sales in Gardiner Township. First school began in a four-roomed cottage in Malvern Road not far from Elizabeth Street. The school master was David Stevenson who had just arrived from England Inception of the Gardiner District Road Board. The boundaries of the first District (Kooyong Road, Gardiners Creek, Warrigal Road and Dandenong Road) have always remained the same. First road works started by the Road Board - the construction of Malvern Hill Road (later called Hopetoun Road) A public auction was held on 27 November. 90 lots owned by Charles Skinner, were described in the auction advertisement as Freehold properties in the Township of Ledbury, Parish of Prahran, Malvern Hill Estate. A government grant was obtained for the construction of a non-denominational School building in Glenferrie Road for the Anglican Church. Holy Trinity Church built at the corner of Dandenong and Warrigal Roads, the first permanent brick church in the former City of Malvern. Victorias first bowling green at the Gardiner Hotel (cnr Glenferrie and Dandenong Roads) First toll house erected on Scotchmans Creek Road (later known as Waverley Road) by the Road Board. First water pipe supplied water to a part of the town from the Yan Yean Reservoir. Gardiner Road Board became the Gardiner Shire Council. According to the Melbourne Directory the population of the Gardiner District numbered about 68 persons. James Munro (President of the Shire Council) moved that council employees should only have to work an eight hour day (present rate was 9 hours for a wage of 6/-); his motion was defeated, it was regarded as too revolutionary. Spring Road State School opened in a new two-roomed brick building. Name of Gardiner changed to Malvern. First train passed through Malvern Station. First asphalt footpath laid in Malvern Hon Alfred Deakin laid the foundation stone of the Shire Hall. Official opening of the Town Hall (Shire Hall). Malvern Gardens laid out by Thomas Pockett. Construction of Methodist Church in Spring Road. At the beginning of this year it was recorded that in the past twelve months Malverns rateable property had increased in value by 62,000 pounds. The Shire Hall was extended in a northerly direction and the second tower built. Foundation stone of St Josephs Catholic Church laid. Northbrook built for Councillor Donald Munro. Stonington built for John Wagner. Railway line extended from Burnley to Glen Iris. Malvern Gardens officially opened by Duncan Gillies, MP. The southern tower of the Town Hall was redesigned and strengthened to contain a clock, a gift from the Shire President, Cr Alex McKinley. One hundred notable Melbourne men formed the Melbourne Golf Club and obtained permissive occupancy of two pieces of land in East Malvern for an 18 hole golf course. The Club moved to Black Rock in 1901 and the course was taken over by the Caulfield Golf Club, later Metropolitan Golf Club. Demonstration at Malverns Town Hall to support Womens Suffrage. Sir George Sydenham Clark became the first of the Victorian Governors to take up residence at Stonington. Malvern Progress Association formed. Malvern became a Borough in February and a Town in April. State Parliament passed the Prahran and Malvern Trust Constitution Bill opening the way for tramway construction. Land acquired by Council for Central Park. First tram lines opened in Malvern, first tram car left the depot in Coldblo Road on 30 May. Malvern declared a City. Inauguration of the Malvern Municipal Band. Tooronga Progress League formed. Land acquired by Council for Hedgeley Dene Gardens. Outbreak of World War I. Malvern organizations, especially Red Cross, began patriotic war work which continued for the next four years. Influenza epidemic, over 2,000 cases in Malvern. Kooyong Tennis Courts became the home of the Lawn Tennis Association of Victoria. Electrification of railway line. Mayor opened a begonia show using wireless, a first in Australia. Portico added to the Malvern Town Hall. Municipal Swimming Pool opened (on the site of the present Harold Holt Swim Centre). Malvern Baby Health Centre opened in Barkly Avenue. Beginning of economic depression. 800 local families were on Government sustenance, 14% of population. Railway line extended from East Malvern to Glen Waverley. The last of the Governors to live at Stonnington. Lord Somers in residence June 1926 - June 1931. Large area in vicinity of Gardiners Creek severely flooded and Toorak Road bridge swept away. World War II. Malvern organizations involved in war work. Centenary celebrations of the establishment of Local Government in Malvern. Construction of Cabrini Hospital to replace the old St Benedicts hospital Opening of Malvern Library in High Street. Chadstone Shopping Centre opened. Chadstone Library opened in Bowen Street. Opening of Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Pool on original Municipal pool site in High Street. First issue Malvern News Sheet. Cr Ann Morrow elected as Malverns first female mayor. Announcement that the South Eastern and Mulgrave Freeways would be linked by a 4 lane divided arterial road. Official opening of second and final stage of Malvern Valley Golf Course. Gargoyle chosen as new Corporate Logo for the City of Malvern. Premier John Cain opened final section of South Eastern Arterial Road Link Urban Character Study released. First Pool Party at Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre. Gala Opening of Malvern City Square. Launch of Private and Public Memory by Lynne Strahan. Official Opening and Family Fun Day at Dairy Park. Opening of Northbrook Art Garden. Internal refurbishment of Town Hall. First Land Sales plaque unveiled in Kooyong Gardens. Dunlop Pavilion and Peverill Park officially opened. Inaugural City of Malvern Building Design Awards. Malvern Gardens Centenary Plaque unveiled. Major construction work at Percy Treyvaud Park. Governor Dr Davis McCaughey opened Olive Miller Nursing Home for Malvern Elderly Citizens Welfare Association [MECWA]. Darling Park, Glen Iris Park, T.H. King Pavilion and Glen Iris Wetlands officially opened. Old Fire Station (Willis Street) - opening of the Community Print Workshop. The name of the part of Malvern known as Chadstone changed to East Malvern. Bible College Site in Elm Road leased and later sold to MECWA. Chadstone High School closed Malvern Heritage Study released. Cenotaph moved from Town Hall corner to Central Park. First performance on the Compton Pipe Organ in the Town Hall. Commencement of Malvern Emergency Food Relief Service. Gardiner Primary School closed. Council purchased the Chadstone High School site. The Literature of Malvern - A Bibliography by Ian McLaren launched. Malvern Historical Society celebrates 21 years. Kildara Convent and School closed Final Meeting of Malvern Council. 22nd June Malvern City Council ceased to exist. Under the powers contained in the Local Government Act 1989, the Governor in Council abolished the municipal districts of the City of Malvern and the City of Prahran, and in lieu created a new municipality, the City of Stonnington. Appointment of 3 Commissioners to administer the municipality Greetings from Malvern by Jane Nigro and Di Foster launched. Election of first Stonnington City Council. 85th Anniversary of the Malvern Bowling Club The oval at Central Park renamed the John Landy Oval. Completion of the restoration of the Conservatory at Central Park. 75th anniversary of the East Malvern Cricket Club. New Stonnington ward boundaries approved. Opening of the Wattletree Early Childhood Centre MECWA Community Cares 40th anniversary Final issue of Stonnington Community News The first 25 Federation markers approved Federation Fair held at Stonington Opening of Phoenix Park Library 10th Anniversary of the City of Stonnington calendar Opening of refurbished Malvern Library. Publication of History of Malvern: A Supplement 1988-1994by Alleyn Best 150th Anniversary of Municipal History in the areas formerly known as the Gardiner Road District, Malvern Council, and Prahran Council, now know as the City of Stonnington.
October 31st, 2011 § § permalink Jeremiah Glazer (MAPH 2008) lives in New York. He works at Etsy.com, the popular online marketplace, as Video Operations Coordinator On a morning when MAPHers are submitting papers on “The Mirror Stage,” it might be hard for them to share all of Jeremiah Glazer’s (MAPH 2008) sentiments about his time in the program. “I loved Core,” he told me by telephone last week, “I even loved Lacan.” Jeremiah arrived at UChicago in the fall of 2007. He jokes that between graduation and the start of MAPH he went through every one of the motions that a recently-graduated liberal arts major can go through. After finishing at BU in 2005, he worked at a law firm, toyed with the idea of law school, decided he hated legal work, and applied instead to PhD programs, hoping to study Wittgenstein. » Read the rest of this entry « October 13th, 2011 § § permalink You could say I had a magical summer. The Chicago History Museum Being offered the MAPH internship at the Chicago History Museum had to be a nod to the absolute nerdism of my childhood – I was that kid who dragged her parents to every history museum within reach, wherever we were. I have become that adult who returns to the same ones over and over again. I was a Humanities student, but I am also a lifelong history geek, and the opportunity to intern in the Curatorial Affairs department at CHM let me do exactly what MAPHers do best: bridge the gaps. We’re cross-disciplinarians, proponents of academic cross-pollination. I studied theater during my MAPH year, venturing out into a little bit of art history and concentrating very much on art-audience communication and relationships. I wrote my thesis on Tony Kushner’s AIDS-era epic play Angels in America, focusing on the work’s ever-changing relationship to its temporal setting: what happens when a play becomes history? I wrestled with Benjamin and his Angel of History, theories on nostalgia, and literature on historical drama. You can see the history geek peeking out. It always has. It’s a necessary marriage, I think. More on the the internship and how it links to Deborah’s current project after the jump. » Read the rest of this entry « October 7th, 2011 § § permalink MAPH Alumni Writers during the 2010 Alumni Weekend Most of you will be getting Tableau (the Humanities Division Magazine) in the mail in the near future. However, it is worth noting now the thoughtful article on the history of MAPH and the first 15 years of the program, by A-J Aronstein (MAPH ’10) featured prominently in this issue. If you don’t want to wait to get your copy you can read the article online now. The memorable sign at Clark Street Ale House If you are feeling fond memories of your MAPH years you have the opportunity to catch up with your fellow alumni at next week’s alumni meet up Thursday, October 13 between 5:30-8:30 at Clark Street Ale House. If you are not in Chicago or haven’t been in touch for a while drop us a line and let us know what you are doing or let us know if you want to set up an alumni get together in another city. October 5th, 2011 § § permalink Martin Schwartz (MAPH ’06) directed and wrote Tutor: enter the exclave, a theatrical piece based on JMR Lenz’s Der Hofmeister (1774). The work is slated to open tomorrow at Dark Porch Theatre in San Francisco, CA and runs through October 22nd at the EXIT Studio on 156 Eddy St. If you are in the Bay Area it looks like a great night out for some experimental theater. Tutor: enter the exclave
Systematic and ongoing evaluation of the library’s collections - an integral part of the collection management process - normally results in the withdrawal of materials from those collections. The process, performed by the subject librarian assigned to the respective fields, entails an awareness by them of the teaching, research, and service needs of the respective departments; a familiarity with the bibliography and literature of the respective fields; and a familiarity with the relevant portions of the collection. The withdrawal function shall be exercised discriminantly and in consultation with the appropriate faculty members through their department. Materials in the following categories are most often subject to systematic withdrawal: - Materials containing obsolete or superseded information (e.g., superseded editions of encyclopedias, indexes and abstracts subsequently cumulate, outdated factual materials, preliminary reports). - Worn, damaged, or badly marked items when readily available elsewhere through interlibrary loan or, if heavily used, through the purchase of - Duplicate copies of rarely-used materials which had been duplicated for reserve use; duplicated due to strong, previously-current interests; and duplicated inadvertently. Disposition assumes an adequate withdrawal mechanism. The nature of, and procedures for, the disposition of library materials is influenced by, and subject to, such factors as potential value beyond the library, the prospects of recovering any costs, the costs to the library, the library’s contractual obligations, the manner in which materials were acquired, etc. Disposition most usually shall proceed in the following sequence: - In instances wherein it can reasonably be expected that dealers may be interested in purchasing withdrawn materials - normally when there are sufficient numbers of items with resale potential (e.g., runs of periodicals, older editions of encyclopedias), quotations shall be solicited for purposes of sales or trade-in allowances. - In instances wherein it can reasonably be expected that other Utah libraries may be interested in acquiring withdrawn materials, a list of appropriate materials will be periodically provided to them, indicating a closing - Items remaining will be offered for general sale with due notice to the University Community. Proceeds from the sale will be used to purchase additional information resources. - Items remaining after the booksale will be recycled. (Reviewed and revised
Currently I am on my way to Montreal to attend one of the largest geochemistry conferences in the world, Goldschmidt, where I will be giving a presentation on some of the work I have done in my PhD. Overall this is by far a good thing, I get to travel overseas (for the first time – Tasmania doesn’t count), meet other researchers from around the world and experience the culture of other cities and geologists. However part of being able to attend the conference is producing a presentation and that includes creating diagrams. Scientists love diagrams as they allow us to clearly show data in a visual sense, rather than by simply displaying numbers, making the meaning much clearer and instantly understandable. The difficulty comes in making that diagram as informative as it needs to be without including too much information for the audience to absorb; which varies depending upon the purpose of the diagram. Diagrams for oral presentations need to be easily understandable from a distance and in a short time frame as they are generally only displayed for about a minute, meanwhile diagrams diagram in written work, such as journals, can be much more detailed as the reader has more time and the caption can be used to help explain the diagram, diagrams used on posters are somewhere in between in complexity as they can make use of captions but generally are only viewed for a short time. All of this means that at the very least diagrams need to be altered if not created newly for each purpose; for example diagrams for a journal are generally in greyscale whilst posters and presentations allow full colour, lines, text and data points are much larger for presentations and colour contrast is extremely important. The diagram shown above is one that I prepared recently for my presentation which evolved gradually over about a week, it shows the variation of oxygen fugacity (fO2) relative to pressure (which is equivalent of depth) for some mantle samples from South Africa. Key considerations included making sure that all the major points could be seen easily from a distance and also separate data sets distinguishable using both colours and the symbols. Other inclusions include literature data as this immediately gives the audience an indication of how my data correlates with previously published work as well as reference points, lines or fields that give a context as first glance. I also added text to quickly explain the diagram (and to make sure that I don’t mix up terminology). On top of all the issues regarding would to include the choice of program to use, as with many scientists I tend to use Excel to store and manipulate my data, leading to the temptation to use it to create the diagrams (especially graphs). However the default outputs aren’t that great visually or content wise so lots of tinkering is required to get the diagram you want. Of course there are other options available and many people choose them, however as with most people I tend to only be creating serious diagrams when a deadline approaches. As such the learning curve of new software, particularly graphics programs is generally too steep when push comes to shove. Therefore I end up creating most my diagrams using excel, telling myself that I will learn how to use Kaleidagraph or Illustrator next time, but when next time comes around I am generally in a rush so the process repeats inself. In conclusion, diagrams can be very useful but always take much more effort than expected to get them just right.
The new single aisle cabin design of Embraer’s E2 Commercial Jets was unveiled at the Farnborough Air Show, designed by the world-renowned design studio Priestmangoode, London. The firm of Priestmangoode won The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade 2014, the Travel + Leisure Design Award 2014, and is the design firm responsible for a number of new aircraft cabins on leading international airlines; including attractive new cabins for Thai Airways and South African Airways and the captivating La Prémiére cabin for Air France. Brazil-based aircraft manufacturer Embraer has invested in making its E2 commercial E-Jets competitive by featuring state-of-the-art engines, new aerodynamically advanced wings, full fly-by-wire flight controls, and other systems evolutions. It claims these features will result in double-digit improvements in fuel burn and reduced maintenance costs, emissions and external noise. This new cabin design completes and complements those technical features by enhancing the passenger experience. The feature-rich design by Priestmangoode offers a clean, contemporary cabin, while making maintenance easier and more efficient for airlines and leasing companies. The project covered a reimagining of the complete passenger cabin; from sidewall panels to ceiling panels, overhead bins, cabin lighting, IFE, First Class and Economy passenger seating, galley and lavatory, even the Passenger Service Unit (PSU) and oxygen masks. Priestmangoode stated that its team focused on increasing personal space for passengers in the unique seat designs and overhead bins and by installing the patent-pending PSU, which opens up overhead space for the passenger seated. It allows passengers to control the light and air conditioning of their seat without disturbing the passenger next to them. The internal windows of the cabin were “designed to appear larger, creating a greater feeling of space.” Priestmangoode and Embraer also maximized the space available in the overhead bin, without reducing cabin space by integrating seamlessly with the ceiling; for what design firm describes as “a cleaner, more spacious looking cabin as you enter the aircraft.” Each passenger can fit a standard piece of wheeled carry-on luggage in the overhead bins in First Class. There are no legs between the seats, which allows passengers to fit large items under the seat in front of them, further enhancing the carry-on capacity of the aircraft. The cabin can be configured as three-class with Economy, Economy Plus, and two different design options for First Class. Priestmangoode has designed a new staggered First Class seat for the aircraft, with all the features of a traditional First Class seat, but integrated into the cabin without requiring a change to the bin configuration between classes, and using the same seat tracks to secure the seats to the cabin floor in First as in Economy. This allows airlines to choose alternate cabin configurations. It also reduces the overall weight of the cabin and simplifies maintenance. The economy class seat is designed as wide as 18.5″ on up to 36″ pitch–with an upper literature pocket which can accommodate either a slot for passengers’ tablet devices or a larger IFE monitor. The economy seats also include drop-down footrests. The firm applied a more modern design to the lavatories, with a look inspired by contemporary hotels. The design also considers the needs of limited-mobility passengers onboard; by including acoustic curtains which give passengers with reduced mobility greater privacy, and integrated hand-rails in the walls. The lavatory mirror was pushed back to maximize space and improve hygiene. Priestmangoode incorporated unique-to-Embraer design details such as new bin handles, galley latches and bathroom fittings. These bespoke items create a unified design feel throughout the aircraft. This is the latest project in a long-standing relationship between Priestmangoode and Embraer, which includes the design for the Embraer Lineage 1000 executive jet interior. Paul Priestman said of the project: “We have a long standing relationship with Embraer, and this project has cemented a fruitful partnership between our companies. Embraer is continuously investing in its fleet, research and development and shows great design leadership, and commitment to the passenger experience and long term sustainability.” Priestmangoode worked with Embraer’s in-house engineering team to achieve a cabin design which would clearly differentiate Embraer from its competitors in narrow body aircraft. Embraer wants to offer its customers a competitive product to maintain its lead in the 70 to 130-seat market. There are currently 1,000 E-Jets in service with 65 customers from 45 countries.
I've been doing BLS with my 6 month old for about a week now. We're super pumped- I found sweet potato in her diaper after the first night! But, I'm a little confused. I've read in books (including LLL stuff) to avoid "wheat products" for awhile, but then I see in the same literature to let them go for "wheat breads, cereals." So, what's the difference? What am I supposed to avoid? I've given her some Cherrios, and while she gets some in her mouth, she hasn't swallowed yet. Also, I'm excited about the idea of hummus, but I wondering if store bought or from a restaurant hummus is ok. Does it have too many additives (salt, oil, etc.)?
Cognitive Disability and Moral Status Why are cognitive disability and moral status thought to be sufficiently connected to warrant a separate entry? The reason is that individuals with cognitive disabilities have served as test cases in debates about the moral relevance of possessing such intellectual attributes as self-consciousness and practical rationality. If a significant portion of human beings lacks self-consciousness and practical rationality, then those attributes cannot by themselves distinguish the way we treat cognitively developed human beings from the way we treat non-human animals and human fetuses. If we cannot experiment on or kill human beings who lack those attributes, then the lack of those attributes alone cannot be what justifies animal experimentation or abortion. For the most part, the philosophers who have considered these claims were not primarily concerned with the treatment or moral status of cognitively disabled human beings—they sought to challenge existing practices toward fetuses or animals, or the rationales for such practices. But those claims have significant practical implications for cognitively disabled human beings. If the justification for treating living beings in certain ways does rest to some extent on their possession or lack of intellectual attributes, then it may be acceptable to treat cognitively disabled human beings in ways that it would be unacceptable to treat cognitively nondisabled humans. This implication, a kind of philosophical blowback from the debates on animal rights and abortion, has become the subject of sustained controversy in applied ethics. Philosophers who question the moral status of human beings with the most significant cognitive disabilities often compare them to animals claimed to have similar or greater cognitive abilities (McMahan 1996, 2002, 2009; Singer 1993, 2009; and Wilkinson 2008 in Other Internet Resources). Some critics find these comparisons unnecessary and offensive (e.g., Carlson 2009; Carlson and Kittay 2009). The philosophers who make such comparisons emphasize contrasts like the following: Vast numbers of chimpanzees and other “higher” primates are used in painful and often lethal research for the benefit of human beings. Although there are strong objections to specific primate research programs and research on specific primates, there is broad agreement that most primate research is acceptable if it has the potential to contribute significantly to human health, and if the harms and risks to the animal subjects are minimized. In contrast, cognitively disabled human beings no better able than those primates to understand the aims of the research or to consent to participation cannot be enrolled in potentially harmful research unless they are likely to benefit, the risk of harm is negligible, and their legal representatives consent to their participation. The debate over the moral status of individuals with the most severe cognitive disabilities also raises difficult methodological issues concerning the reliance on intuitions, convictions, and considered judgments in assessing moral arguments. Some philosophers would deny that any argument should persuade us to abandon our conviction that it would be terribly wrong to subject a human being cognitively incapable of consent to painful and dangerous experimentation of no possible benefit to him (e.g., Kittay 2008). Others would insist that even such firm convictions cannot be immune from critical scrutiny, especially if they appear to conflict with other deeply held convictions (McMahan 2007). Still others would accord such convictions no presumptive weight or authority (Singer 2005). Finally, in addressing the moral status of cognitively disabled humans in a separate entry, rather than in a general entry on disability, we are not endorsing a questionable “exceptionalism” about cognitive disabilities—a view that regards them as fundamentally different from other kinds of impairment (see Related Entries below). Our reason for limiting ourselves to cognitive impairment is dialectical: there is currently no debate about the moral status of individuals with non-cognitive disabilities. We know of no serious philosopher who argues that people who cannot see, hear, or use their legs, or who experience frequent depression or auditory hallucinations, have lower moral status than people who lack these disabilities. Admittedly, the consensus may be superficial. Some philosophers who claim to treat adult human beings with physical or psychiatric disabilities as having the same moral status as nondisabled adult humans also take positions that other philosophers see as inconsistent with a commitment to equal moral status. One notable example is Rawls' (1971) exclusion of people with physical disabilities from the Original Position on the assumption that they are not fully cooperating members of society. Another example is the defense of “quality adjustment” in allocating scarce healthcare resources, which discounts the life-years of people with disabilities to reflect their supposedly lower quality of life (Williams 1987). Whether or not these positions are consistent with the recognition of full moral status, their proponents insist that they are; they do not deny, or attempt to argue against, the equal moral status of people with physical or (most) psychiatric disabilities. By contrast, the moral status of human beings with cognitive disabilities has become a subject of intense debate among philosophers, applied ethicists, and disability scholars (for a recent discussion, see Carlson and Kittay 2009). We will proceed as follows. We will first characterize the human beings who are the subject of the debate on moral status—those with what we will call “radical cognitive disabilities.” After discussing the ways in which human beings are classified as cognitively disabled, we will describe this narrower category of human beings whom the debate concerns—a set of individuals stipulated to exist rather than classified by empirical procedures. We will note the difficulty of separating claims about such stipulated individuals from claims that some actual human beings satisfy that stipulation. Next, we will characterize the concept of moral status, describing its structure and function. We will then outline the principal differences in how that concept is understood, particularly its “inclusion criteria”—the criteria for ascribing what we will call “full moral status,” the status attributed to cognitively nondisabled adult human beings. (In calling that moral status “full,” we do not intend to take sides in the debates over whether there can be any higher moral status.) We will identify one family of moral-status accounts—those basing possession on individual attributes—as the primary, though not the exclusive, source of the challenge addressed in this entry: the claim that some human beings lack full moral status. After outlining those accounts, we will review several ways of meeting the challenge: 1) basing full moral status on individual attributes shared by a greater proportion of human beings; 2) adopting secondary grounds for the possession of full moral status—by “courtesy” or by “proxy”; 3) rejecting individual attribute accounts in favor of accounts that base the full moral status of all human beings on their species membership or their broader humanity. - 1. Whom is the Debate About? - 2. What is Moral Status? - 3. Individually-Based Accounts - 4. Individually-Based Accounts and Radical Cognitive Disability: The Challenge of Exclusion - 5. Group-Based Accounts of Moral Status - 6. Conclusion - Academic Tools - Other Internet Resources - Related Entries There is, not surprisingly, disagreement about how to define cognitive or intellectual disability. (We will use these terms interchangeably, ignoring, unless specifically relevant, their apparent differences in breadth and emphasis.) There are competing psychometric and functional definitions, based respectively on standard deviations from the mean score on intelligence tests and on “significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior, which covers many everyday social and practical skills” (American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 2011). For this entry, we will consider individuals defined as cognitively disabled in functional terms, because our interest is in the moral relevance, if any, of the absence or substantial limitation of critical cognitive functions. We will not assume that, or examine whether, individuals with psychometrically-defined “severe” or “profound” intellectual disabilities are functionally disabled in this way. As noted, this entry will focus on human beings with “radical cognitive disabilities” — disabilities in intellectual function and capacity that limit or preclude the development of one or more attributes believed to confer full moral status. Among those attributes are the consciousness of oneself as a temporally-extended being; practical rationality—the capacity to govern one's actions by reasoning about how to act; and the capacity to make and respond to moral demands. (We will often abbreviate the list to “self-consciousness or practical rationality” without making any assumptions about the centrality or relationship of the two attributes.) These attributes, as well as others held to be required for full moral status, may be possessed by different subsets of human beings, and the relationship among such attributes is a matter of considerable dispute. This dispute, however, is best deferred to a fuller treatment of the grounds of moral status; we will discuss them only to the extent that they bear on the moral status of human beings with significant cognitive disabilities. The category of “radical cognitive disability” is stipulative. We do not start with the assumption that any specific human being falls into that category, or even that some human beings do. Eva Kittay (2005) has argued that there is no reason to assume that any human beings are radically cognitively disabled, in the sense we are using the term. Jeff McMahan (2009) has countered that the existence of such human beings is very likely: given the continuous nature of fetal and infant neurological development, it is very likely that some human beings are radically disabled because their development has ceased or been interrupted at points where they have not yet acquired morally relevant capacities. Even if McMahan's “existence argument” for radical impairment is correct, however, it does not remove the daunting uncertainty of attributing radical cognitive impairment to any actual human being. This uncertainty arises in part from a lack of clarity and consensus about what would count as adequate evidence of self- and other-awareness and practical rationality. To resolve that question, it is necessary to confront not only interpretive ambiguities in making inferences about the content of other minds, but conceptual issues about what it means to possess critical cognitive functions. Similar issues are raised in the debate about animal consciousness (see the Entry on animal consciousness), but there is also disagreement about whether the kinds of evidence adduced for and against the cognitive capacities of animals are equally relevant in assessing the cognitive capacities of human beings (Kittay 2005; McMahan 2002, 2005, 2008). The primary reason for restricting the entry to radical cognitive disability, like the reason for restricting it to cognitive disability, is dialectical. Few contemporary philosophers would deny that human beings with mild or moderate cognitive disabilities have the attributes required for the moral status enjoyed by cognitively normal human beings—for what we call “full moral status.” Philosophers who see self-consciousness and practical rationality as necessary for full moral status generally recognize that mildly and moderately disabled humans possess those attributes, and possess them to the extent necessary to reach the threshold set by their accounts of full moral status (see Sec. 2.1). By stipulating a category of human beings with radical cognitive disabilities, we seek to avoid difficult empirical issues about the extent to which individuals classified as having serious cognitive disabilities actually lack the psychological functions held to confer moral status. Even the most direct assessments of these functions may fail to recognize nonstandard, particularly nonverbal, forms of cognitive functioning. And with the possible exception of extreme cases like anencephaly, there are formidable difficulties in inferring a lack of cognitive capacity from a lack of specific behavior or brain activity. We recognize that there are objections to the use of stipulation to sidestep these difficult empirical issues. Disability scholars insist that philosophers must recognize that the terms they use will inevitably be taken to refer to actual human beings, so that they cannot stipulate away concerns about hurt and misinterpretation (Kittay 2005; Wong 2007). Moreover, the prevalence of individuals who actually satisfy their stipulations has relevance to morally significant policy issues, such as the costs and benefits of more inclusive educational practices. Nevertheless, we will rely on the stipulation that we have made about radical cognitive disability, in part because the assumption that some human beings are radically disabled is shared by many of those who argue for the full moral status of all human beings. We will discuss only radical cognitive disabilities that are congenital or early-onset. The question of how moral status is affected by the loss of important cognitive functions is a distinct one, both for those who believe such functions confer moral status and those who do not. Concerning the former, the question is whether moral status can survive the loss of the functions on the basis of which it was conferred. For those who deny that moral status requires the possession of those functions, their loss may still raise important questions about personal identity, and about the first-person authority of the earlier, nondisabled self over the later, disabled self. The treatment of “once-competent” individuals in minimally conscious states, or with severe dementia, thus raises distinct issues about the impact of psychological discontinuity or loss of mental function on the relationship of human individuals to their past or future selves. There has been a protracted controversy, and a large literature, on these issues (Dresser 1995; Dworkin 1994; Stone 2007); they deserve separate discussion. “Moral status” is not part of the shared vocabulary of all ethical theories. An act utilitarian, for example, has no more use for that concept than for “respect,” “rights,” or “inviolability.” For a theory that accorded weight to beings only in proportion to the utility they enjoyed or produced, the concept of moral status would be relevant only in the indirect sense that its use would affect aggregate utility in various ways. For example, the negative utility that might result from denying some human beings full moral status might support a policy of treating all human beings as if they had full moral status (see Sec. 4). On such a theory, the most salient moral property of an individual is her capacity to occupy states that can be characterized as “good” or “bad,” the most obvious being pleasure and pain. The possession of such a capacity gives an individual a morally considerable interest in occupying or avoiding such states. Moral considerability is: 1) continuous, in that the degree of moral considerability that a being possesses varies in proportion to the strength, character, and number of its interests; and 2) asymmetrical, in the sense that a being might have moral claims on others without others having moral claims on it. When non-utilitarian philosophers discuss “moral status” of a type of being, they are generally using a more categorical notion than moral considerability. They generally understand moral status as a threshold concept and a range concept. Beings that fall below a minimum level—the threshold—of a status-conferring attribute like rationality lack a certain kind of moral status despite possessing the attribute to some degree. And all beings that fall within the “range”—that reach the threshold level of the attribute—have the same moral status regardless of how far they exceed that threshold. (The term “range concept” comes from Rawls; his example is of points within a circle, all of which are equally “inside” despite varying distances from the circumference.) More controversially, moral status is sometimes regarded as symmetrical: a being must be able to have moral claims made on it (and hence be capable of responsibility) as well as being able to make moral claims on others. A symmetry condition would exclude any human being lacking the capacity to have moral claims made on them—not only individuals with radical cognitive impairments, but infants and young children as well. Not all writers on moral status treat it as both a threshold and range concept. Both features of the concept have been challenged, and the concept itself has been criticized as hierarchical and elitist (Birch 1993). Several philosophers have argued for treating moral status as a matter of degree, so that a being's moral status varies proportionately with its morally-relevant attributes (Perring 1997; DeGrazia 2008). These proposals avoid uncomfortably sharp dichotomies, but they have a revisionary character. Even if commonsense morality recognizes some gradations in moral status, well-established social practices such as animal research assume discontinuities. Moreover, even if common sense could be reconciled to gradations below the threshold (which would thereby become less of a threshold), it would balk at recognizing gradations above it, thereby abandoning moral status as a range concept. More comprehensively, Mary Ann Warren has proposed a multi-criterial account of moral status, in which it is neither a range nor a threshold concept. For Warren, the moral status of a being varies with the degree that it possesses the status-conferring attribute (Warren 1997). But Warren maintains that “full moral status” is both a threshold and a range concept; beings with moral agency enjoy the same, highest moral status regardless of the degree to which they possess the attributes needed for moral agency. As noted earlier, we will use the term “full moral status” to refer to the moral status that is generally accorded to cognitively nondisabled human adults, without assuming that there can be no higher status. “Full moral status” is thus roughly synonymous with “personhood” as that term is used in debates about whether fetuses, or higher primates, are persons. The issue of moral status, and which beings have full moral status, has become important because of its bearing on the rights and treatment of those beings. “Moral status” and “full moral status” are not intended as honorifics; their ascription to a being entails that it enjoys rights that other beings, lacking that status, do not. The particular rights entailed by full moral status may, however, differ on different moral theories. Two theories with the same concept of moral status and the same criteria for assigning it (see Sec. 2.2) may associate full moral status with different rights or rights of different strength. One theory might, for example, hold that beings with full moral status may never be used as mere means, whereas another might hold that they may be so used in specific emergencies. There is, though, only partial independence between the formal character of and criteria for moral status, on the one hand, and the rights entailed by such status, on the other. For example, it would seem implausible for a theory to recognize a categorical notion of moral status while rejecting any notion of rights. An account of moral status need not deny all rights to beings falling below the threshold it sets; they will merely lack the same package of rights possessed by beings above that threshold. One philosopher (Sachs 2011) has argued that claims about moral status are unnecessary and confusing, because the debate is really about the specific attributes needed to justify or ground specific rights. Although moral status claims may well obscure more often than they enlighten, they do not merely concern the grounding of specific rights in specific attributes. First, as just noted, theories that share the same criteria for full moral status may differ in the rights they associate with that status, and vice-versa. The debate over moral status thus appears to raise issues besides the grounding of specific rights. Second, some of these distinct issues concern the threshold and range features of the concept of moral status: how small differences in morally-relevant attributes—those placing a being above or below the threshold—can result in significant differences in the package of rights and immunities a being possesses; how all cognitively normal humans can have the same package of rights and immunities despite differing greatly in the attributes that place them above the threshold. Those who defend the standard concept of moral status seek a theory to underwrite its range and threshold features; those who attack it argue that no plausible moral theory could do so. The central distinction in the debate over the full moral status of human beings with radical cognitive disabilities concerns the type of attributes on which moral status is based. Most of those who deny or question the full moral status of all human beings insist that moral status must be based exclusively on attributes or properties of the individual; those attributes must be identifiable by a biological or psychological inventory of that individual, with no reference to the biological or social environment it inhabits. For example, it would be possible to assess an individual's self-consciousness or practical rationality knowing nothing about its fellow creatures (although the assessment itself might have to be done by self-conscious and practically rational creatures). In contrast, we could not ascertain an individual's species membership or social relationships without knowing a great deal about the world it inhabited. We will call accounts based solely on individual attributes “individually-based”; we will label accounts “group-based” as those based on facts about the individual's membership in a biological or social group, or her relationship with other members of that group. Those facts may concern the individual's biological origins, the typical or average characteristics of a biological or social group to which she belongs, or her actual relationships with other individuals. Although some individually-based accounts concern an individual's capacity or potential to form relationships of certain kinds with other individuals, it is that capacity or potential which confers moral status, not the existence of such relationships. Those who insist that moral status must be based on an individual's own attributes, that it cannot depend on the accidents of birth or the vagaries of biological classification, are also likely to insist that an individual's claims on others cannot depend on whether those others happen to be members of the same species or communities. In this view, full moral status must not only be independent of external circumstances, but must be universally recognized. Although some group-based accounts may require that a being's full moral status be universally recognized, others see full moral status as group-relative (see Sec. 5.1). In comparing accounts of moral status, it is important to note two possible differences between such accounts. First, they may propose different conditions as sufficient for full moral status. Some accounts, for example, claim that membership in the human species is sufficient for that status. Second, they may offer different explanations of how the satisfaction of those conditions grounds or warrants full moral status. For example, even if being a Homo sapiens suffices for possessing that status, there may be different rationales for why it is sufficient: 1) because it is in the nature of Homo sapiens to be rational, or because the rational nature of the species requires respect for all of its members, rational or not; and 2) because members of the same species owe a duty of partiality to each other, regardless of their individual attributes. The two accounts ground moral status in the same relational property—membership in the human species—and they make membership a sufficient condition for full moral status. But they use the fact of species membership differently in justifying moral status. They might also associate different rights with full moral status, in accordance with their different ways of grounding it. And, as discussed in Sec. 4, they may have different implications about who is required to recognize or respect an individual's status. Individually-based accounts generally take cognitively normal adult human beings as their paradigm and pick out one or more of their attributes as sufficient for the moral status they enjoy. These accounts identify overlapping clusters of psychological and cognitive attributes—self-consciousness, awareness of and concern for oneself as a temporally-extended subject; practical rationality, rational agency, or autonomy; moral responsibility; a capacity to recognize other selves and to be motivated to justify one's actions to them; the capacity to be held, and hold others, morally accountable. These attributes pick out different subsets of human beings. Some self-conscious humans, for example, may lack the capacity to be held morally accountable. But individually-based accounts may differ less in the range of beings to whom they accord full moral status than in the ways they regard those attributes as grounding that status. One approach holds that psychological attributes confer moral status by virtue of the interests to which they give rise. This approach treats psychological attributes as the basis of interests that we have a prima facie obligation to advance, or at least not to thwart—an obligation whose strength varies with the strength and other features of those interests. The capacity to feel pain grounds an obligation to avoid its infliction; the capacity to anticipate and dread as well as feel pain may ground a stronger obligation. But if additional psychological capacities merely increased the strength of the interest, and the corresponding obligation to advance or not thwart it, an interest account would not yield a clear threshold for full moral status (McMahan 2002). More categorical interest-based approaches ground moral status on the capacity to experience oneself as temporally-extended beings whose lives can go better or worse (Singer 1993; Tooley 1983) or to value one's own existence (Harris 1985; Newson 2007). Individuals having such capacities can care about and value their future lives in a way that individuals lacking self-consciousness cannot, giving them a qualitatively weightier interest in those lives (McMahan 2002). Whether or not such capacities can account for the threshold and range features of full moral status, their adoption as criteria appears to deny that status to human beings with the most significant cognitive impairments. A second approach, derived from or inspired by Kant, sees moral status in terms of the respect demanded by the possession of one or more attributes, such as autonomy or rational agency (e.g., Korsgaard 1996). This approach regards the possession of an autonomous will as conferring dignity and demanding respect, so that a being with such a will must not be treated as a mere means, but as an end. This Kantian conception of full moral status is often regarded as a paradigm, in identifying an attribute that does not vary continuously, and whose possession appears to have clear moral implications. The threshold for moral status set by many Kantian accounts is a high one. If those accounts regard the capacity for autonomy as the threshold for full moral status, and if they understand that capacity as grounding moral status in moral responsibility, then a since “there is nothing for which we would hold human infants or severely cognitively disabled adults morally responsible, it is argued, such humans must lack Kantian moral status” (Kain 2009, 66). Even if humans did not need to be held morally responsible to enjoy full moral status, many would still lack the capacity for autonomy that seems essential on any Kantian account. A third approach, associated with contractualism, sees moral status in terms of the attributes needed for membership in a moral community, or for participation in relationships of mutual recognition and concern. It is the capacity for forming such relationships, not their actual formation, which grounds full moral status. A cognitively normal human being would have such status even if he were abandoned on a desert island. This approach, the most clearly symmetrical, treats certain attributes as necessary for moral status not because their mere possession generates moral obligations, but because they are requisites for the kind of relationships in terms of which the proponents of this approach understand moral obligations. This requirement may appear to give cognitive and psychological attributes a more instrumental role than they are assigned by the second approach. It's not that their mere possession demands respect, but that they enable their possessors to form relationships of which mutual respect is an integral part. Though relationship- or community-based accounts differ conceptually from respect-based accounts, they differ little in practical terms. They will identify different human beings as having full moral status only if humans can have the cognitive or other psychological capacities held to be necessary for respect but lack the empathy or motivation held to be necessary for membership in a moral community (or vice-versa). For example, a moral-community account might exclude psychopaths. But so might a respect-based account, if it denied psychopaths autonomy because they lacked the capacity to be motivated by a sense of duty, or more broadly, a capacity to recognize and act on moral reasons (see Shoemaker 2007). A respect-based account might also exclude psychopaths if it attributed their moral deficits to severe disabilities in practical reason. Relationship- or community-based accounts would, like Kantian ones, appear to set a very high threshold for full moral status. The greater the moral accountability demanded by the relationship or community, the more difficult it may be to claim that human beings with radical cognitive impairments are capable of participation. One challenge for all of these accounts is to identify an attribute or attributes that can explain, or at least be reconciled with, the threshold and range features of the prevailing concept of moral status. The difficulty presented by a threshold is that it imposes a moral discontinuity over psychologically continuous attributes. In contrast to the possession of a soul or a divine spark, practical rationality and moral accountability, and most other individual attributes claimed by contemporary accounts to ground moral status, appear to come in degrees. Looking at the development of an infant, for example, the acquisition of these attributes appears to be gradual, even if the rate of growth is uneven. And yet our judgment of moral status appears categorical—an individual either has full moral status or lacks it. The categorical character of moral status is also clear above the threshold. We do not think that the more highly intelligent, more deeply self-conscious, or more fully autonomous among us have a higher moral status than the rest, even those close to the threshold. The challenge of justifying the range feature of moral status is closely related to the challenge of justifying the threshold—why should differences above the threshold be morally insignificant when the differences marked by the threshold are so significant? If full moral status is determined by the possession of any of the cognitive attributes discussed in the last section, then that status will be enjoyed by some non-human animals and—more problematically—almost certainly lacked by some human beings. Most proponents of individually-based attribute accounts welcome the implication that we cannot justify prevailing disparities between our treatment of “higher” animals and cognitively disabled human beings, and many argue that those disparities are better reduced by raising our standards for the former than by lowering them for the latter: The optimal point of convergence … requires that traditional beliefs about animals be more extensively revised than traditional views about the severely retarded. (McMahan 2002, 230) But full convergence, as McMahan recognizes, would have disturbing implications even if it were achieved entirely by upgrading the treatment of nonhuman animals: [T]he preservation of the traditional view [that it is seriously wrong to kill an anencephalic infant] will commit us to the conclusion that it is seriously wrong to kill an animal that altogether lacks the capacity for consciousness. And this is unacceptable. (2002, 230) Convergence at a significantly lower level would have equally unacceptable implications. For example, it would permit the use of radically impaired human beings (at least those lacking special ties to cognitively normal human beings) in any research, however harmful, for which the use of animals with comparable cognitive capacities was permitted. Any view about moral status that aspires to reflective equilibrium with our deeply held moral convictions must address the abhorrence with which most thoughtful people would regard the practical implications of treating humans with radical cognitive disabilities as having even slightly lower moral status than the rest of us. A variety of approaches seek to address that abhorrence: by identifying criteria for full moral status that include a wider range of humanity (Sec. 4.1); by expanding the ways in which an individual can possess or achieve full moral status without denying the primacy of individual attributes (Sec. 4.2); and by shifting from individually-to group-based accounts of moral status (Sec. 5). Several accounts identify attributes, such as the capacity to value or care, which are shared by a greater proportion of human beings than self-consciousness, practical rationality, autonomy, or moral accountability. These accounts seek to recognize the full and equal moral status of all, or almost all, human beings, including children, and of adults with significant cognitive and psychological disabilities. Among the more inclusive criteria proposed are the capacity to communicate, or for minimal communication with other humans (respectively, Berube 1996; Francis and Norman 1978); to value or care (Jaworska 1999, 2007); to give and receive love (Kittay 1999); and to engage in relationships characterized by reciprocity of care (Mullin 2011). These criteria are attractive because they identify attributes that may offer a more intuitively appealing foundation for moral status than practical rationality or self-awareness, and because they reduce, to varying extents, the proportion of humans excluded from personhood. But because they arguably still exclude some humans, and include some non-human animals, they will be unacceptable to some philosophers. Moreover, these alternative attributes do not resolve, but merely relocate, the problem of accounting for the threshold and range features of full moral status. One attribute—the potential for any other individual attribute held to suffice for full moral status—comes much closer to full inclusion (Kumar 2008). But it faces three formidable problems. As Joel Feinberg (1986) famously argued, the fact that someone has the mere potential for an attribute does not warrant treating him as if he actually possessed it. If potential has moral significance, it cannot be directly inferred from the moral significance of that which it actualizes. Further, some human beings never have the potential for any individual attribute held to suffice for full moral status, in any sense of “potential” that would distinguish them from many non-human animals (McMahan 2008, 91–92). This raises the problem of determining what it takes to have the “potential” for an attribute. The claim that someone has potential is a counterfactual: in some other circumstances, perhaps a later life-stage of the individual, the person would have the attribute. This brings in difficult questions about the scope of such counterfactuals. On a broad enough construal, every living being has the potential to develop the relevant attributes in a sufficiently different possible world, and so has full moral status. A second general way of accommodating the powerful intuitions about the full moral status of all human beings is to recognize alternatives to the actual possession of the status-conferring attributes. One version of this approach treats human beings with radical cognitive disabilities as, in effect, capable of acquiring the necessary attributes by proxy, through their relationships with other human beings. Thomas Scanlon (1998), for example, affirms the full moral status of all human beings while basing full moral status (“the requirement of justifiability”) on the individual capacity for “judgment-sensitive” attitudes. Although he recognizes that radically-disabled humans lack those attributes, he suggests that they can acquire them vicariously, through trustees: The tie of birth gives us good reason to want to treat [human beings lacking the capacity for judgment-sensitive attitudes] “as humans” despite their limited capacities. Because of these limitations, the idea of justifiability to them must be understood counterfactually, in terms of what they could reasonably reject if they were able to understand such a question. This makes the idea of trusteeship appropriate in their case, whether it is appropriate in the case of nonhuman animals or not. It also indicates a basis on which such a trustee could object to proposed principles. Severely disabled humans have reason to want those things that any human being has reason to want, insofar as those are things that they are capable of benefiting from. (185–186) Scanlon himself may understand trusteeship merely as a way of realizing or respecting the full moral status of human beings with radical impairments, a status based on “the ties of birth.” Other philosophers, however, suggest that trusteeship can secure full moral status by helping to satisfy criteria that could not otherwise be met. Thus, Francis and Silvers (Francis 2009; Silvers and Francis 2009) argue that cognitively normal human beings can function as “mental prostheses” for radically impaired ones: [A]s a prosthetic arm or leg executes some of the functions of a missing fleshly limb without being confused with or supplanting the usual fleshly limb, so, we propose, a trustee's reasoning and communicating can execute part or all of a subject's own thinking processes without substituting the trustee's ideas as if it were the subject's own. (485) Francis and Silvers do not claim that the moral status of human beings with the most significant cognitive impairments could rest on such trusteeship, or on the potential for it. But it is useful to consider two challenges in developing their proposal in this manner. The first is the question of authorship or authenticity: It is not clear how a trustee's reasoning could be said to “execute” all, as opposed to part, of “a subject's own thinking.” It is not clear how the thinking can be the subject's if it was wholly executed by a trustee (Wasserman and McMahan forthcoming). The second challenge, which the notion of mental prostheses shares with Scanlon's notion of the vicarious expression of judgment-sensitive attitudes, is that it is not clear why such functions could not be undertaken for nonhuman animals—a possibility Scanlon leaves open in the above passage. If it could be, then the potential for such representation would ground the moral status of vast numbers of primates and other mammals. To close the floodgates, it would seem necessary to argue that this representation was less feasible for intelligent animals, even domesticated ones, than it was for radically impaired human beings. Clearly, an argument would be needed that the counterfactual exercise Scanlon prescribes is more practicable or comprehensible for our fellow humans than for even the most intelligent animals. In Francis and Silvers' terms, it would be far more difficult to fashion a mental prosthesis for the latter. A proxy approach also raises the difficult question of how the trustee can acquire the moral and epistemic authority to speak for an individual with radical cognitive disabilities. Legal systems assign trustees or guardians to represent the “best interests” of individuals too immature or impaired to make, or to have made, their own judgments. But it is not clear how someone gets “appointed” as a trustee for purposes of securing moral status. Moreover, even those closest and most committed to an individual with radical cognitive impairments may find it hard to discern his interests, and distinguish them from their own “judgment-sensitive” attitudes. Another way of accommodating strong convictions about the full moral status of all human beings bases that status on actual relationships between cognitively normal and radically-disabled human beings. Because of their duties of partiality, the parents and siblings of radically impaired individuals must treat them as if they had full moral status. To the extent the necessity is not merely psychological but moral, this becomes in part a group-based account, with an extreme form of agent-relativity: for close family members and no one else, radically disabled humans actually have full moral status. But because of the full moral status of those close family members, other human beings must respect their obligation to treat their disabled relatives as having full moral status. They do not, however, have to assume that obligation themselves. Some proponents of individually-based accounts—McMahan, for example—appear to take this view. In contrast, some of the group-based accounts in the next section hold that the “tie of birth” requires all cognitively nondisabled human beings to accord full moral status to every other human being, regardless of their relationship. A weaker version of the derivative or courtesy position does not claim that a human being with radical cognitive disabilities actually has full moral status even for close family members, merely that they must treat her as if she did. This reduces somewhat (but does not eliminate) the disparity between family members and third parties, but only by downgrading the moral status of radically-impaired humans even for their most significant others. For some philosophers, either version of this view is unsatisfactory, for two related reasons. First, it is too narrow, since it denies the full moral status of all human beings to and for each other. Second, it is too contingent—a human being with radical cognitive disabilities owes even his partial equality to the existence of certain relationships. If his parents and other relatives abandon him or die, he has only a very tenuous claim to being treated by the rest of humanity any better than a non-human animal with similar attributes. Yet another approach to accommodating the conviction that every human being has full moral status would be epistemic, calling for the adoption of a strong, even “irrebuttable” presumption of full moral status for all human beings. This approach is based on the difficulty of assessing the cognitive potential of human beings, the powerful tendency to underestimate the capacity and potential of human beings with any degree of cognitive abnormality, and the terrible cost to individuals who warrant but are denied full moral status. This approach can be regarded as rule-consequentialist, in requiring that we sometimes disregard our case-specific judgment because of the high probability and substantial costs of error. But it has appeal for many who reject rule-consequentialism as a general approach. At the same time, this rationale for full moral status may seem uncomfortably grudging and contingent. It appears to imply that, with sufficiently accurate assessment tools and sufficiently reliable assessors, we could deny moral status to many human beings whom we now are constrained to treat as having it. Moreover, their exclusion would represent moral progress. Such a presumption of full moral status for humans with radical cognitive disabilities could be given a more robust justification. That justification would treat biological differences, species norms, and “ties of birth” not as providing independent grounds for full moral status, but as providing very strong reasons for presuming it. Perhaps part of the reason we presume this is epistemic, because it is so difficult to conclude that individuals who look human really lack human capacities. But that is not the whole explanation. When cognitively nondisabled humans encounter another being with human appearance, they customarily respond to that being in ways they do not to non-human animals; they use distinctive gestures, facial expression, touch, speech, and other behavior. Such responses assume a capacity for reciprocal exchange that may not always be present. But even when it is not, those responses are not idle gestures. They may enable communication, and provoke cognitive and social development, that would otherwise not occur. Family members, friends, professionals, and scholars who work with people who have cognitive disabilities report that the more time they spend with individuals who initially seemed unable to communicate or respond meaningfully, the more they could discern about their interests, desires, and moods (Brown and Gothelf 1996; Goode 1994). Indeed, those people often display species-typical preferences in clothing, food, socializing, and other activities. In sustained interaction with nondisabled humans who treat them as members of the same moral community, cognitively disabled individuals develop socially and psychologically along the lines of other human beings. Treating people with cognitive disabilities as though they had potential for typically human desires and responses, then, can thus become self-fulfilling. This offers a pragmatic (and consequentialist) justification for a presumption that all human beings have full moral status: not merely because of the terrible costs of mistakenly denying that status, but because treating fellow human beings as capable of joining our moral community makes it more likely that they will be able to do so. This proposal does not claim that such treatment could never be effective if directed toward a dolphin or chimpanzee. But we have stronger reasons to treat our fellow human beings this way, however significant their cognitive disabilities. Our shared embodiment and genetic endowment facilitate our treating them as having the capacity or potential for typical human interaction and activity, and make it likely that they will be more responsive to such treatment than a non-human animal with similar cognitive abilities. Other intelligent beings, differently embodied than we are, would have the same reasons to treat their fellow beings this way. In recognizing such a limited partiality, we do not treat species as having a moral significance akin to that of families or even nations. Nor, clearly, do we assume that human beings in particular have special moral status. Despite its resolute optimism, this proposal still excludes some human beings from full moral status. It assumes a minimum level of social responsiveness which is almost certainly lacking in human beings with anencephaly, and perhaps lacking in human beings with other extreme cognitive impairments. Yet in its pragmatic justification of a limited partiality towards members of the same species, it sets the stage for views that give a more central role to species membership. A number of philosophers have argued for the full moral status of all human beings, without seeking to identify any intrinsic attribute possessed by all humans that would ground that status. These philosophers can be loosely divided into two groups. Those in the first group regard membership in the species Homo sapiens as sufficient for full moral status and ground that status in a species-based attribute (See Sec. 2.2). For some philosophers in this first group, all homo sapiens belong to a kind whose nature or norm it is to possess rationality or similar attributes. For others, all homo sapiens are connected through “ties of birth” to other human beings. For the former, any being of a kind whose nature it is to be rational, etc. has full moral status; for the latter, any human related by birth to other human beings has full moral status. Although the two approaches pick out the same individuals human beings, the way in which they ground moral status gives them different implications for the status of human beings with radical cognitive impairments. The former way of grounding moral status gives it a wider “writ,” because the individual's moral status is not based on his relationship to specific others. Rather, it is based on the norm of a group to which she belongs. That norm demands recognition by anyone, whether a member of the group or not, capable of recognizing it. If human beings with radical cognitive disabilities have full moral status by virtue of belonging to a group with the norm of rationality, then a rational Martian, no less than a rational human, should recognize the full moral status of human beings with radical cognitive disabilities. It might be possible to argue that the morally-relevant norms of a group are not binding on those outside the group, but we have not seen such an argument. In contrast, ties of birth may not bind those lacking the same biological connection; members of other species need not recognize the full moral status of human beings with radical cognitive impairments. In that sense, the moral status of those human beings is not as “full” as that of other human beings, since it must be recognized only by other humans. If full moral status is based on duties of partiality toward members of the same group, it will be group-relative, not binding on members of other groups. The second type of group-based accounts acknowledges the moral significance of the group-based attributes relied on by the first type of group-based accounts. But accounts of the second type deny that the full and equal moral status of human beings can be grounded in any specific attribute, individually- or group-based, that can be described in morally neutral terms. These accounts regard “human being” as a thick normative concept, grounded in language and social practice, that is not necessarily coextensive with the biological category of “Homo sapiens,” and that has moral content that cannot be derived from any descriptive attribute associated with it. The judgment that a being is human and therefore must be treated respectfully does not consist of a value-neutral biological classification and an argument that establishes the moral status of beings so classified. The requirement for certain kinds of treatment, and the prohibition of others, is part of the meaning of “human being” and implicit in discerning that a given individual is a human being. Proponents of these accounts thus reject the very attempt to identify a criterial attribute possessed by all beings with the moral status of cognitively normal human adults (Diamond 1978; Edwards 1997; Byrne 2000). These philosophers reject the treatment of cognitively nondisabled adults as a paradigm for full moral status, and of infants, young children, and radically cognitively disabled adults as “marginal cases” whose moral status needs to be justified by extension. For both types of group-based accounts, the categorical nature of full moral status is explained by the way in which that status is grounded. Membership in the human species, a sufficient condition of that status for accounts of both types, is a categorical rather than a continuous “variable” (although there may be some vagueness or ambiguity due to imprecise or conflicting membership criteria). And for both types of account, the grounding of full moral status is the same for all human beings, regardless of their individual attributes. 5.1.1 Species Norms On the first relational approach, some of the properties identified by intrinsic-attribute accounts as sufficient for full moral status play an important but distinct role. Although self-consciousness and practical rationality are not necessary for full moral status on this view, they are the norm for human beings. This norm cannot be understood statistically; it would not change if most or all humans ceased to be self-conscious or practically rational. Rather, the norm captures what is natural to, or characteristic of the species. A normal attribute is not, however, an essence that each member must possess. Rather, it is a relational property: each individual has moral status as the member of a group for which that attribute is the norm. Scanlon, for example, claims that the class of those to whom we must justify our actions “includes at least those beings who are of a kind that is normally capable of judgment-sensitive attitudes” (1998, 186). Although species-norm account focus on the human species, they are not limited to humans. Presumably, if we discovered that dolphins or Martians were a species with a similar cognitive norm, the individual members of that species would possess full moral status. And they would possess it regardless of whether they themselves had the cognitive attributes natural to or normal for their species. We would be bound to recognize the full moral status of all dolphins or Martians, and they would be bound to recognize the full moral status of all humans. There might appear to be a tension in grounding full and equal moral status in norms to which some but not all members conform. Even if the norm of practical rationality gives all group members equal moral status, it might be thought that those members actually possessing that attribute would be “more equal” than those lacking it. The response to this concern, which we discuss in Sec. 5.2, is that those possessing the attribute have better fortune but no greater moral status. Not surprisingly, proponents of intrinsic attribute accounts, such as McMahan, are unsympathetic with the claim that “facts about the nature of some individuals could determine how other individuals that lack that nature ought to be treated” (McMahan 2008, 85). The claim he rejects seems to require that certain attributes are “normatively characteristic of human beings—that is, that all human beings ought to have them even if they do not.” (85) Like other critics, McMahan sees this claim as requiring a kind of “moral alchemy” that transmutes factual claims about some individuals into moral demands concerning others. For proponents of the more comprehensive views to be discussed below, no alchemy is required. The concept of a human being is a normative one, imposing moral demands on those who understand and apply it. 5.1.2 (Co-)Humanity as a Special Relationship A second kind of species-relationship claimed to confer moral status is not between the individual human and the species norm, but between the individual human and other human beings, in particular, those who are cognitively normal. The claim is that human beings have a reason, based on co-membership in the species, to regard each other as moral equals. As Scanlon (1998) asserts, the mere fact that a being is ‘of human born’ provides a strong reason for according it the same status as other humans. This has sometimes been characterized as prejudice, called speciesism. But it is not prejudice to hold that our own relation to these beings gives us reason to accept the requirement that our actions be justifiable to them. (185) This position grounds full moral status in the kinship of all human beings—what used to be called “the family of man.” Although this kinship currently depends on birth to a human mother, it is shared by all human beings and does not vary with degree of consanguinity. This approach avoids the questionable notion of a species norm as a source of moral status. But unlike a species-norm account, it requires no one but human beings to recognize the full moral status of all humans. On the species norm account, McMahan (2002) observes, intelligent and morally sensitive Martians would be required to treat severely retarded human beings in the same way they would be required to treat us. … But if the reason we have to accord the severely retarded the same moral status as other human beings is that we are related to them through the ‘tie of birth,’ then Martians would not have this reason. (217) This is a practically insignificant limitation at present, but an expressively significant one for those who insist that moral status be universally recognized. A defender of a human kinship approach might readily accept this limitation, especially since we and the Martians would still be constrained by the attachments of the cognitively normal members of the other species to their radically impaired relations (as discussed in Sec. 4.2 above). But she would still have to defend the claim that co-membership in the species established the sort of kinship that required even this species-relative full moral status. McMahan (2002) argues that even if membership in some collectivities, like a nation, could confer full and equal status on its members, membership in the same species could not: Unlike membership in a nation, membership in a species is not a focus of collective identity. Being human does not significantly differentiate us from anything else; it therefore fails to engage our pride or enhance our sense of identity. Just as no one's sense of identity is enlarged by the recognition that one is an animal rather than a plant, so no one's sense of identity is importantly shaped by an awareness of being human rather than being, for example, a rabbit. (221) The defender of a “ties of birth” account could respond in two ways. First, she might deny that species identity and pride were necessary to ground the full moral status of species members. Rather, that status was grounded in similarities among human beings, even radically disabled ones, that arose from their distinctive embodiment and that created a strong sense of fellowship (among those self-conscious enough to feel fellowship) overshadowing even vast differences in mental capacity. These similarities might include ways of feeling, communicating, moving, and reacting to and interacting with other members of the species. These affinities are refracted by culture, not all members of the species—even cognitively normal ones—share all of them, and members of other species share some of them. Nevertheless, they may be a distinctive enough ensemble to provide a basis for partiality. Or a defender might argue, as Bernard Williams (2006) does (see Sec. 5.2), that species-identity and pride could play a role in human fellowship now obscured by the lack of a suitable comparison class. Although, as Robert Nozick (1974) observed, no contemporary human boasts about having an opposable thumb or speaking a language, our sense of species pride and identity might crystallize in the presence of another advanced species, making salient our distinctive shared history and achievements. Standing alone, however, both responses seem vulnerable to the claim that similarities associated with species membership may explain, but cannot justify, the treatment of all other human beings as moral equals. Why should a sense of fellowship, however strong, be a source of moral status? If our sense of fellowship reflected what mattered morally, why wouldn't we feel greater fellowship with McMahan's intelligent, morally sensitive Martian than with a human infant who has severe developmental disabilities, apparently unresponsive to other humans? One response is that what justifies intra-species partiality is not the capacity to share but the capacity to benefit. Thus, Gunnarson (2008) suggests that members of our own species have a capacity to derive unique, intrinsic benefits from their relationship to other human beings. Reliance on such a capacity may provide an intuitively more appealing basis for full moral status than biologically-based similarities. But it might still deny full moral status to some humans—not only anencephalic infants but others lacking the capacity to benefit from relations with other humans. Moreover, some non-human animals, especially pets, may derive benefits that are intrinsic and unique to their relationship to human beings (Townley 2010). And the members of other cognitively advanced species might well benefit in highly specific, possibly unique ways, from interaction with human beings. To explain the moral significance of species co-membership, some philosophers embrace a strongly anthropocentric view, which denies that we can step outside of our humanity to assess the moral status of the world's inhabitants. On this view, the concept of a human being is prior to, and inseparable from, that of a person. As Stephen Mulhall (2002) argues: [O]ur concept of a person is an outgrowth or aspect of our concept of a human being; and that concept is not merely biological but rather a crystallisation of everything we have made of our distinctive species nature. To see another as a human being is to see her as a fellow-creature—another being whose embodiment embeds her in a distinctive form of common life with language and culture, and whose existence constitutes a particular kind of claim on us. (7) This view, which, following Williams (2006), we will call “humanist,” has two variants. The first, per Mulhall, is linguistic or conceptual, influenced by Wittgenstein (1958). We come to understand notions like thinking, deciding, and feeling in terms of the behavior of other human beings, and, although we can attribute some of these capacities or states to other beings, it is only by extension or analogy (Hanfling 2001). We also learn the appropriate ways of acting toward fellow human beings in learning the very concept: for example, human beings are to be named, and not eaten even when they are dead. We do not conclude that human beings must be treated this way; the recognition that they must is already part of the meaning of the concept (Diamond 1978; Gleeson 2008). This thick, normative concept of human being is not a biological one, and need not have the same extension as the class of Homo sapiens. For some humanists of this type, a newly-created embryo is not a human being, and it is not part of the meaning of human being that the life of a newly-fertilized embryo must be protected to the same extent as the life of a newborn human infant (Crary 2007). But the very fact that other humanists do regard early embryos as human beings suggests the need for an account of how such a deeply-embedded concept can be so vague or disputable at the margins. Because of the role of our language and concepts in our moral understanding, the justification and criticism of our moral practices can only be internal to them, on humanist accounts. As Byrne maintains, reason operates in ethics properly when it functions immanently. Offering a sound moral argument in criticism of any one of our moral practices would be a matter of drawing upon insight from some other part of our moral life. (2000, 70–71) The case against eating animals, for example, cannot be made by citing attributes they share with us, but only by exposing tensions or contradictions with our other practices (Diamond 1978). Presumably, similar but more acute tensions would confront any view of humanity that excluded some biological human beings or denied some of them full moral status, making racism and sexism untenable without placing any pressure on the concept of humanity itself. The second variant denies the possibility of an impartial basis for assessing moral status. To attempt to grade or evaluate the world's inhabitants in absolute terms is to treat the universe as having a point of view—the perspective of a deity or a utilitarian Ideal Observer (Williams 2006). Without such a vantage point, human beings can judge the rest of the world only in terms of their own concerns, values and civilization. Our humanity thus gives us an indispensable frame of reference for evaluating the rest of the world. It also grounds a defensible partiality toward each other that has little in common, structurally or morally, with racism or sexism. Naked appeals to the humanity of another being as the basis for action or restraint are acceptable to almost all of us; naked appeals to race or sex, unsupported by claims about morally relevant attributes, are rarely made by even the most unapologetic racist or sexist. The “human prejudice” is more akin to the affinity and loyalty of participants in a shared culture. If it is difficult to see “the human prejudice” this way, it may be because “[h]uman beings do not have to deal with any other creature that, in terms of argument, principle, worldview, or whatever, can answer back” (Williams 2006, 148). A distinctively human “culture” is both pervasive and barely visible in a world that offers no rivals. Williams does not claim that our commitment to that culture would necessarily trump an appeal to participate in a more advanced and universal community and relinquish cherished but parochial aspects of our own culture. Nevertheless, that commitment would give us a morally defensible reason, not just a prejudice, against such assimilation. Humanist accounts recognize that species norms have moral significance, but they do not assign them the criterial role that they play in accounts based on relational attributes in justifying the moral status conferred by species membership. In the passage from which we quoted earlier, Mulhall regards radically disabled humans as suffering a grave misfortune in lacking characteristically human capacities: We do not strive (when we do strive) to treat human infants and children, the senile and the severely disabled as fully human because we mistakenly attribute capacities to them that they lack, or because we are blind to the merely biological significance of a species boundary. We do it (when we do) because they are fellow human beings, embodied creatures who will come to share, or have already shared, in our common life, or whose inability to do so is a result of the shocks and ills to which all human flesh and blood is heir—because there but for the grace of God go I. (Mulhall 2002, 7) For a humanist like Mulhall, the capacity to participate in distinctively human forms of life is neither necessary nor sufficient for full moral status (as McMahan (2005) appears to assume). That status is established merely by our recognition of an individual as a human being, heir to the same “shocks and ills” as we are. Human beings with radical cognitive disabilities suffer “grave misfortune” but not reduced status if they are not able to share in the distinctive forms of our common life in which their embodiment has “embedded” them. Non-human animals with similar attributes have lower moral status but suffer no similar estrangement or loss. Their participation in their own species' distinctive forms of life—if there are any—does not depend upon, and might well be impaired by, their possession of the cognitive attributes of normal adult humans. A critic might concede that we in fact hold these divergent attitudes toward humans and non-human animals but would question their moral significance: why should we regard the congenital absence of certain capacities as a tragedy for the individual lacking them if and only if that individual is human (McMahan 1996)? A humanist would respond that the question itself reveals that the critic simply is not clear on the concept of “human being”—a concept that includes the notion of a common life, based on shared embodiment, from which radically impaired humans are excluded. Humanists are wary of grounding the full moral status of radically-disabled human beings in their relationship to a species-norm like rationality. Thus, Byrne (2000) argues that appeal to the rational nature of human beings as the basis for respect is too reliant on external justification and too narrow. It is too reliant on claims about the respect owed to beings that are rational-by-nature, which Byrne doubts are any more self-evident or plausible than claims about the respect owed human beings. And it is too narrow because it ignores other aspects of humanity that make the concept of “human being” so rich and powerful. The position of humanists on the species-relativity of moral status is uncertain. Given the critical role they assign to “the distinctive form of common life” of human beings for moral recognition and obligation, it is far from obvious that Mulhall or Diamond would require an intelligent Martian to recognize and respect the moral status of cognitively normal human beings, let alone of human beings with radical cognitive disabilities. Indeed, it is not clear how humans could confidently impute intelligence to Martians if their embodiment was sufficiently different from ours, let alone whether we could regard them as subject to moral obligations of any kind. Similarly, it is not clear whether Mulhall and Diamond would hold that humans were required to treat Martians as moral equals, even if they could attribute intelligence and moral sensitivity to them. The role they assign to distinctively human forms of life raises doubts about the possibility of mutual comprehension, recognition, and respect. In contrast, Williams' account, and others less wedded to a Wittgenstinian view of language and concepts, can more readily address the prospect of close encounters with other intelligent beings. Williams himself considers such encounters, and acknowledges the possibility of mutual recognition, though he thinks it might be reasonably qualified by partiality towards the members of one's own species and their shared culture. Similarly, Williams would be able to recognize the full moral status of McMahan's (2002) Superchimp, with the intelligence of an average 10-year-old human. On the other hand, Mulhall and Diamond might be doubtful that we would confirm the truth of McMahan's stipulation. In any case, they might see that chimp as tragic in his isolation from his fellow creatures and his ill-suited embodiment—a high price to pay for its cognitive upgrade (Kittay 2005). Both types of humanist accounts leave critical questions about the boundaries of the thick concept of “human being.” Does that concept encompass early embryos, or human-like beings produced by a future synthetic biology? Can we answer such questions in terms of the “fit” of a proposed boundary with the other beliefs and practices associated with the concept, or are such questions decided less self-consciously by gradual shifts in our beliefs and practices? Without a better sense of how boundary questions can be resolved, it is not clear how humanist accounts will meet the challenges of exclusion. There seems to be little prospect for consensus on the moral status of people with the most severe cognitive disabilities. There are sharp disagreements about how, or even whether, the moral status of human beings must be grounded, and about the weight to be given to our strongest and most considered, moral convictions. 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Enhanced bibliography for this entry at PhilPapers, with links to its database. - Wilkinson, D., 2008. Answering the challenge: moral philosophy and the cognitively disabled, online manuscript, accessed Novemer 22, 2011. - Cognitive Disability: A Challenge to Moral Philosophy, podcasts of Stony Brook Conference, September 18–20, 2008. We have received invaluable editorial assistance from Dorit Barlevy, Ari Schick, and William Chin.
Readers of the foregoing pages may, not improbably, object that, while we have instanced certain curious and isolated parallels from early Aryan literature and tradition, and, what, from the point of view of declared intention, appears to be a kindred group of religious belief and practice in pre-Historic and Classical times, the two, so far, show no direct signs of affiliation, while both may be held to be far removed, in point of date, alike from one another, and from the romantic literature of the twelfth century. This objection is sound in itself, but if we can show by modern parallels that the ideas which took form and shape in early Aryan Drama, and Babylonian and Classic Ritual, not only survive to our day, but are found in combination with features corresponding minutely with details recorded in early Aryan literature, we may hold the gulf to be bridged, and the common origin, and close relationship, of the different stages to be an ascertained fact. At the outset, and before examining the evidence collected by scholars, I would remind my readers that the modern Greeks have retained, in many instances under changed names, no inconsiderable portion of their ancient mythological beliefs, among them the 'Adonis' celebrations; the 'Gardens of Adonis' blossom and fade to-day, as they did many centuries ago, and I have myself spoken with a scholar who has seen 'women, at the door of their houses, weeping for Adonis 1.' For evidence of the widespread character of Medieval and Modern survivals we have only to consult the epoch-making works of Mannhardt, Wald und Feld-Kulte, and Frazer, The Golden Bough 2; in the pages of these volumes we shall find more than sufficient for our purpose. From the wealth of illustration with which these works abound I have selected merely such instances as seem to apply more directly to the subject of our investigation 3. Thus, in many places, it is still the custom to carry a figure representing the Vegetation Spirit on a bier, attended by mourning women, and either bury the figure, throw it into water (as a rain charm), or, after a mock death, carry the revivified Deity, with rejoicing, back to the town. Thus in the Lechrain a man in black women's clothes is borne on a bier, followed by men dressed as professional women mourners making lamentation, thrown on the village dung-heap, drenched with water, and buried in straw 4. In Russia the Vegetation or Year Spirit is known as Yarilo 5, and is represented by a doll with phallic attributes, which is enclosed in a coffin, and carried through the streets to the accompaniment of lamentation by women whose emotions have been excited by drink. Mannhardt gives the lament as follows: "Wessen war Er schuldig? Er war so gut! Er wird nicht mehr aufstehen! O! Wie sollen wir uns von Dir trennen? Was ist das Leben wenn [paragraph continues] Du nicht mehr da bist? Erhebe Dich, wenn auch nur auf ein Stündchen! Aber Er steht nicht auf, Er steht nicht auf 1!" In other forms of the ritual, we find distinct traces of the resuscitation of the Vegetation Deity, occasionally accompanied by evidence of rejuvenation. Thus, in Lausitz, on Laetare Sunday (the 4th Sunday in Lent), women with mourning veils carry a straw figure, dressed in a man's shirt, to the bounds of the next village, where they tear the effigy to pieces, hang the shirt on a young and flourishing tree, "schöne Wald-Baum," which they proceed to cut down, and carry home with every sign of rejoicing. Here evidently the young tree is regarded as a rejuvenation of the person represented in the first instance by the straw figure 2. In many parts of Europe to-day the corresponding ceremonies, very generally held at Whitsuntide, include the mock execution of the individual representing the Vegetation Spirit, frequently known as the King of the May. In Bohemia the person playing the rôle of the King is, with his attendants, dressed in bark, and decked with garlands of flowers; at the conclusion of the ceremonies the King is allowed a short start, and is then pursued by the armed attendants. If he is not overtaken he holds office for a year, but if overtaken, he suffers a mock decapitation, head-dress, or crown, being struck off, and the pretended corpse is then borne on a bier to the next village 3. Mannhardt, discussing this point, remarks that in the mock execution we must recognize "Ein verbreiteter und jedenfalls uralter Gebrauch." He enumerates the various modes of death, shooting, stabbing (in the latter case a bladder filled with blood, and concealed under the clothes, is pierced); in Bohemia, decapitation, occasionally drowning (which primarily represents a rain charm), is the form adopted 1. He then goes on to remark that this ceremonial death must have been generally followed by resuscitation, as in Thuringia, where the 'Wild Man,' as the central figure is there named, is brought to life again by the Doctor, while the survival, in the more elaborate Spring processions of this latter character, even where he plays no special rôle, points to the fact that his part in the proceedings was originally a more important one. That Mannhardt was not mistaken is proved by the evidence of the kindred Dances, a subject we shall consider later; there we shall find the Doctor playing his old-time rôle, and restoring to life the slain representative of the Vegetation Spirit 2. The character of the Doctor, or Medicine Man, formed, as I believe, at one time, no unimportant link in the chain which connects these practices with the Grail tradition. The signification of the resuscitation ceremony is obscured in cases where the same figure undergoes death and revival without any corresponding change of form. This point did not escape Mannhardt's acute critical eye; he remarks that, in cases where, e.g., in Swabia, the 'King' is described as "ein armer alter Mann," who has lived seven years in the woods (the seven winter months), a scene of rejuvenation should follow--"diese scheint meistenteils verloren gegangen; doch vielleicht scheint es nur so." He goes on to draw attention to the practice in Reideberg, bei Halle, where, after burying a straw figure, called the Old Man, the villagers dance round the May-Pole, and he suggests that the 'Old Man' represents the defunct Vegetation Spirit, the May Tree, that Spirit resuscitated, and refers in this connection to the "durchaus verwandten Asiatischen Gebrauchen des Attis, und Adonis-Kultus 3." The foregoing evidence offers, I think, sufficient proof of the, now generally admitted, relationship between Classical, Medieval, and Modern forms of Nature ritual. But what of the relation to early Aryan practice? Can that, also, be proved? In this connection I would draw attention to Chapter 17 of Mysterium und Mimus, entitled, Ein Volkstümlicher Umzug beim Soma-Fest. Here Professor von Schroeder discusses the real meaning and significance of a very curious little poem (Rig-Veda, 9. 112); the title by which it is generally known, Alles lauft nach Geld, does not, at first sight, fit the content of the verse, and the suggestion of scholars who have seen in it a humorous enumeration of different trades and handicrafts does not explain the fact that the Frog and the Horse appear in it. To Professor von Schroeder belongs the credit of having discovered that the personnel of the poem corresponds with extraordinary exactitude to the Figures of the Spring and Summer 'Fertility-exciting' processions, described with such fulness of detail by Mannhardt. Especially is this the case with the Whitsuntide procession at Värdegötzen, in Hanover, where we find the group of phallic and fertility demons, who, on Prof. von Schroeder's hypothesis, figure in the song, in concrete, and actual form 1. The Vegetation Spirit appears in the song as an Old Man, while his female counterpart, an Old Woman, is described as 'filling the hand-mill.' Prof. von Schroeder points out that in some parts of Russia the 'Baba-jaga' as the Corn Mother is called, is an Old Woman, who flies through the air in a hand-mill. The Doctor, to whom we have referred above, is mentioned twice in the four verses composing the song; he was evidently regarded as an important figure; while the whole is put into the mouth of a 'Singer' evidently the Spokesman of the party, who proclaims their object, "Verschiednes könnend suchen wir Gute Dinge," i.e., gifts in money and kind, as such folk processions do to-day. The whole study is of extraordinary interest for Folk-lore students, and so far as our especial investigation is concerned it seems to me to supply the necessary proof of the identity, and persistence, of Aryan folk-custom and tradition. A very important modification of the root idea, and one which appears to have a direct bearing on the sources of the Grail tradition, was that by which, among certain peoples, the rôle of the god, his responsibility for providing the requisite rain upon which the fertility of the land, and the life of the folk, depended, was combined with that of the King. This was the case among the Celts; McCulloch, in The Religion of the Celts, discussing the question of the early Irish geasa or taboo, explains the geasa of the Irish kings as designed to promote the welfare of the tribe, the making of rain and sunshine on which their prosperity depended. "Their observance made the earth fruitful, produced abundance and prosperity, and kept both the king and his land from misfortune. The Kings were divinities on whom depended fruitfulness and plenty, and who must therefore submit to obey their 'geasa 1.'" The same idea seems to have prevailed in early Greece; Mr A. B. Cook, in his studies on The European Sky-God, remarks that the king in early Greece was regarded as the representative of Zeus: his duties could be satisfactorily discharged only by a man who was perfect, and without blemish, i.e., by a man in the prime of life, suffering from no defect of body, or mind; he quotes in illustration the speech of Odysseus (Od. 19. 109 ff.). "'Even as a king without blemish, who ruleth god-fearing over many mighty men, and maintaineth justice, while the black earth beareth wheat and barley, and the trees are laden with fruit, and the flocks bring forth without fail, and the sea yieldeth fish by reason of his good rule, and the folk prosper beneath him.' The king who is without blemish has a flourishing kingdom, the king who is maimed has a kingdom diseased like himself, thus the Spartans were warned by an oracle to beware of a 'lame reign 1.'" A most remarkable modern survival of this idea is recorded by Dr Frazer in the latest edition of The Golden Bough 2, and is so complete and suggestive that I make no apology for transcribing it at some length. The Shilluk, an African tribe, inhabit the banks of the White Nile, their territory extending on the west bank from Kaka in the north, to Lake No in the south, on the east bank from Fashoda to Taufikia, and some 35 miles up the Sohat river. Numbering some 40,000 in all, they are a pastoral people, their wealth consisting in flocks and herds, grain and millet. The King resides at Fashoda, and is regarded with extreme reverence, as being a re-incarnation of Nyakang, the semi-divine hero who settled the tribe in their present territory. Nyakang is the rain-giver, on whom their life and prosperity depend; there are several shrines in which sacred Spears, now kept for sacrificial purposes, are preserved, the originals, which were the property of Nyakang, having disappeared. The King, though regarded with reverence, must not be allowed to become old or feeble, lest, with the diminishing vigour of the ruler, the cattle should sicken, and fail to bear increase, the crops should rot in the field and men die in ever growing numbers. One of the signs of failing energy is the King's inability to fulfil the desires of his wives, of whom he has a large number. When this occurs the wives report the fact to the chiefs, who condemn the King to death forthwith, communicating the sentence to him by spreading a white cloth over his face and knees during his mid-day slumber. Formerly the King was starved to death in a hut, in company with a young maiden but (in consequence, it is said, of the great vitality and protracted suffering of one King) this is no longer done; the precise manner of death is difficult to ascertain; Dr Seligmann, who was Sir J. G. Frazer's authority, thinks that he is now strangled in a hut, especially erected for that purpose. At one time he might be attacked and slain by a rival, either of his own family, or of that of one of the previous Kings, of whom there are many, but this has long been superseded by the ceremonial slaying of the monarch who after his death is revered as Nyakang 1. This survival is of extraordinary interest; it presents us with a curiously close parallel to the situation which, on the evidence of the texts, we have postulated as forming the basic idea of the Grail tradition--the position of a people whose prosperity, and the fertility of their land, are closely bound up with the life and virility of their King, who is not a mere man, but a Divine re-incarnation. If he 'falls into languishment,' as does the Fisher King in Perlesvaus, the land and its inhabitants will suffer correspondingly; not only will the country suffer from drought, "Nus près n'i raverdia," but the men will die in numbers: "Dames en perdront lor maris" we may say; the cattle will cease to bear increase: "Ne se n'i ot beste faon," and the people take drastic steps to bring about a rejuvenation; the old King dies, to be replaced by a young and vigorous successor, even as Brons was replaced by Perceval. Let us now turn back to the preceding chapter, and compare the position of the people of the Shilluk tribe, and the subjects of the Grail King, with that of the ancient Babylonians, as set forth in their Lamentations for Tammuz. There we find that the absence of the Life-giving deity was followed by precisely the same disastrous consequences; Vegetation fails-- "The wailing is for the plants; the first lament is they grow not. The wailing is for the barley; the ears grow not." The reproductive energies of the animal kingdom are suspended-- "For the habitation of flocks it is; they produce not. For the perishing wedded ones, for perishing children it is; the dark-headed people create not." Nor can we evade the full force of the parallel by objecting that we are here dealing with a god, not with a man; we possess the recorded names of 'kings who played the rôle of Tammuz,' thus even for that early period the commingling of the two conceptions, god and king, is definitely established. Now in face of this group of parallels, whose close correspondence, if we consider their separation in point of time (3000 B.C.; 1200 A.D.; and the present day), is nothing short of astonishing, is it not absolutely and utterly unreasonable to admit (as scholars no longer hesitate to do) the relationship between the first and last, and exclude, as a mere literary invention, the intermediate parallel? The ground for such a denial may be mere prejudice, a reluctance to renounce a long cherished critical prepossession, but in the face of this new evidence does it not come perilously close to scientific dishonesty, to a disregard for that respect for truth in research the imperative duty of which has been so finely expressed by the late M. Gaston Paris.--"Je professe absolument et sans réserve cette doctrine, que la science n'a d'autre objet que la vérité, et la vérité pour elle-même, sans aucun souci des conséquences, bonnes ou mauvaises, regrettables ou heureuses, que cette vérité pourrait avoir dans la pratique 1." When we further consider that behind these three main parallels, linking them together, there lies a continuous chain of evidence, expressed alike in classical literature, and surviving Folk practice, I would submit that there is no longer any shadow of a doubt that in the Grail King we have a romantic literary version of that strange mysterious figure whose presence hovers in the shadowy background of the history of our Aryan race; the figure of a divine or semi-divine ruler, at once god and king, upon whose life, and unimpaired vitality, the existence of his land and people directly depends. And if we once grant this initial fact, and resolve that we will no longer, in the interests of an outworn critical tradition, deny the weight of scientific evidence in determining the real significance of the story, does it not inevitably follow, as a logical sequence, that such versions as fail to connect the misfortunes of the land directly with the disability of the king, but make them dependent upon the failure of the Quester, are, by that very fact, stamped as secondary versions. That by this one detail, of capital importance, they approve themselves as literary treatments of a traditional theme, the true meaning of which was unknown to the author? Let us for a moment consider what the opposite view would entail; that a story which was originally the outcome of pure literary invention should in the course of re-modelling have been accidentally brought into close and detailed correspondence with a deeply rooted sequence of popular faith and practice is simply inconceivable, the re-modelling, if re-modelling there were, must have been intentional, the men whose handiwork it was were in possession of the requisite knowledge. But how did they possess that knowledge, and why should they undertake such a task? Surely not from the point of view of antiquarian interest, as might be done to-day; they were no twelfth century Frazers and Mannhardts; the subject must have had for them a more living, a more intimate, interest. And if, in face of the evidence we now possess, we feel bound to admit the existence of such knowledge, is it not more reasonable to suppose that the men who first told the story were the men who knew, and that the confusion was due to those who, with more literary skill, but less first-hand information, re-modelled the original theme? In view of the present facts I would submit that the problem posed in our first chapter may be held to be solved; that we accept as a fait acquis the conclusion that the woes of the land are directly dependent upon the sickness, or maiming, of the King, and in no wise caused by the failure of the Quester. The 'Wasting of the land' must be held to have been antecedent to that failure, and the Gawain versions in which we find this condition fulfilled are, therefore, prior in origin to the Perceval, in which the 'Wasting' is brought about by the action of the hero; in some versions, indeed, has altogether disappeared from the story. Thus the position assigned in the versions to this feature of the Waste Land becomes one of capital importance as a critical factor. This is a point which has hitherto escaped the attention of scholars; the misfortunes of the land have been treated rather as an accident, than as an essential, of the Grail story, entirely subordinate in interest to the dramatis personae of the tale, or the objects, Lance and Grail, round which the action revolves. As a matter of fact I believe that the 'Waste Land' is really the very heart of our problem; a rightful appreciation of its position and significance will place us in possession of the clue which will lead us safely through the most bewildering mazes of the fully developed tale. Since the above pages were written Dr Frazer has notified the discovery of a second African parallel, equally complete, and striking. In Folk-Lore (Vol. XXVI.) he prints, under the title A Priest-King in Nigeria, a communication received from Mr P. A. Talbot, District Commissioner in S. Nigeria. The writer states that the dominant Ju-Ju of Elele, a town in the N.W. of the Degema district, is a Priest-King, elected for a term of seven years. "The whole prosperity of the town, especially the fruitfulness of farm, byre, and marriage-bed, was linked with his life. Should he fall sick it entailed famine and grave disaster upon the inhabitants." So soon as a successor is appointed the former holder of the dignity is reported to 'die for himself.' Previous to the introduction of ordered government it is admitted that at any time during his seven years' term of office the Priest might be put to death by any man sufficiently strong and resourceful, consequently it is only on the rarest occasions (in fact only one such is recorded) that the Ju-Ju ventures to leave his compound. At the same time the riches derived from the offerings of the people are so considerable that there is never a lack of candidates for the office. From this and the evidence cited above it would appear that the institution was widely spread in Africa, and at the same time it affords a striking proof in support of the essential soundness of Dr Frazer's interpretation of the Priest of Nemi, an interpretation which has been violently attacked in certain quarters, very largely on the ground that no one would be found willing to accept an office involving such direct danger to life. The above evidence shows clearly that not only does such an office exist, but that it is by no means an unpopular post. 50:1 Ancient Greek Religion, and Modern Greek Folk-Lore, J. C. Lawson, gives some most interesting evidence as to modern survivals of mythological beliefs. 50:2 Wald und Feld-Kulte, 2nd edition, 2 vols., Berlin, 1904. Cf. Vol. II. p. 286. The Golden Bough, 3rd edition, 5 vols. 50:3 I cite from Mannhardt, as the two works overlap in the particular line of research we are following: the same instances are given in both, but the honour of priority belongs to the German scholar. 50:4 Op. cit. Vol. I. p. 411. 50:5 See G. Calderon, 'Slavonic Elements in Greek religion,' Classical Review, 1918, p. 79. 51:1 Op. cit. p. 416. 51:2 Op. cit. pp. 155 and 312. 51:3 Op. cit. p. 353. 52:1 Op. cit. p. 358. 52:2 Op. cit. p. 358. 52:3 Op. cit. p. 359. Cf. the Lausitz custom given supra, which Mannhardt seems to have overlooked. 53:1 In the poem, besides the ordinary figures of the Vegetation Deity, his female counterpart, and the Doctor, common to all such processions, Laubfrosch, combining the two first, and Horse. Cf. Mannhardt, Mythol. Forsch. pp. 142-43; Mysterium und Mimus, pp. 408 et seq.; also, pp. 443-44. Sir W. Ridgeway (op. cit. p. 156) refers slightingly to this interpretation of a 'harmless little hymn'--doubtless the poem is harmless; until Prof. von Schroeder pointed out its close affinity with the Fertility processions it was also meaningless. 54:1 Op. cit. Chap. 17, p. 253. 55:1 Cf. Folk-Lore, Vol. XV. p. 374. 55:2 Op. cit. Vol. V. The Dying God, pp. 17 et seq. 56:1 See Dr Seligmann's study, The Cult of Nyakang and the Divine Kings of the Shilluk in the Fourth Report of the Wellcome Research Laboratories, Kkartum, 1911, Vol. B. 57:1 Cf. Address on reception into the Academy when M. Paris succeeded to Pasteur's fauteuil.
The UNC Charlotte Undergraduate Research Conference will be held tomorrow, Friday, April 19th, on the 1st floor of Atkins Library. The event is a university-wide showcase of research projects completed by undergraduate students of all levels from all colleges and departments in the university. The conference will begin at 8:30 A.M. with a keynote address by Malin Pereira, Executive Director of UNC Charlotte's Honors College. Her talk is titled, "It’s All about You and All about the World: Finding Your Passion and Making a Difference through Undergraduate Research." Oral presentations are scheduled for morning and afternoon sessions in rooms 124-126. Forty-three undergraduate students will present their research projects to judges in the following categories: Biology, Chemistry, Arts & Humanities, Physics, and Science & Engineering. Students who are presenting posters in the same categories will stand beside their posters near room 125 from 2:00 - 4:00 pm to discuss their research projects with judges. Sixty students have registered to present posters. Conference participants will enjoy a reception during the poster presentations before moving to the Dale Halton Reading Room at 4:00 pm for the afternoon keynote address and the awards ceremony. The guest speaker for the afternoon is Matt Theado, Associate Professor of English Language and Literature at Gardner-Webb University, whose talk is titled, "Embracing the 'R-word': What We Talk about When We Talk about Research." Following the keynote address, awards will be presented for the best oral and poster presentations from each category, and the Atkins Library Undergraduate Research Awards. Dr. Stephen Mosier will present the Atkins Award named for him, the Stephen Mosier Award for Physical Sciences & Engineering. Students and faculty are invited to stop by during the day to view the presentations, meet the students, and attend the keynote addresses and awards ceremony.
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are shed from primary and metastatic tumors and disseminate into the blood. CTCs are believed to play a key role in the spread of the disease throughout the body. There has been considerable interest in analyzing these cells as a potential source of clinically actionable information relating to molecular profile of the patient’s disease. CTCs can be accessed repeatedly and noninvasively from a simple blood draw. This provides a clinically feasible methodology for tracking longitudinal changes in disease profile that is not readily accomplished with conventional biopsy approaches. Numerous approaches have been employed to isolate and utilize CTCs for diagnostic and discovery applications. Platforms have been described in the literature or commercially released using alternative isolation modalities such as size-based separation, affinity capture, and imaging cytometry. A key limitation of these technologies is the ability to isolate and recover viable, intact CTCs for downstream molecular analysis. Cells that have been isolated onto antibody-coated microfluidic channels, porous filters, and glass slides often adhere tightly to the substrate, which makes it extremely difficult to remove these cells for further analysis. Other limitations such as low CTC recovery, low purity, and diminished viability have also prevented widespread use of CTCs in the laboratory and clinical environments.
Next> \| <Prev \| End A Day's Railroading HAPPINESS has commonly a good appetite; and the thought of the fortunately ended adventures of the night, the fresh morning air, and the content of their own hearts, gifted our friends, by the time the boat reached Albany, with a wholesome hunger, so that they debated with spirit the question of breakfast and the best place of breakfasting in a city which neither of them knew, save in the most fugitive and sketchy way. They decided, at last, in view of the early departure of the train, and the probability that they would be more hurried at a hotel, to breakfast at the station, and thither they went and took places at one of the many tables within, where they seemed to have been expected only by the flies. The waitress plainly had not looked for them, and for a time found their presence so incredible that she would not acknowledge the rattling that Basil was obliged to make on his glass. Then it appeared that the cook would not believe in them, and he did not send them till they were quite faint the peppery and muddy draught which impudently affected to be coffee, the oily slices of fugacious potatoes slipping about in their shallow dish and skilfully evading pursuit, the pieces of beef that simulated steak, the hot, greasy biscuit, steaming evilly up into the face when opened, and then soddening into masses of condensed dyspepsia. The wedding-journeyers looked at each other with eyes of sad amaze. They bowed themselves for a moment to the viands, and then by an equal impulse refrained. They were sufficiently young, they were happy, they were hungry: nature is great and strong, but art is greater, and before these triumphs of the cook at the Albany depot appetite succumbed. By a terrible tour de force they swallowed the fierce and turbid liquor in their cups, and then speculated fantastically upon the character and history of the materials of that breakfast. Presently Isabel paused, played a little with her knife, and, after a moment, looked up at her husband with an arch regard and said: "I was just thinking of a small station somewhere in the South of France where our train once stopped for breakfast. I remember the freshness and brightness of everything on the little tables,--the plates, the napkins, the gleaming half-bottles of wine. They seemed to have been preparing that breakfast for us from the beginning of time, and we were hardly seated before they served us with great cups of café-au-lait, and the sweetest rolls and butter; then a delicate cutlet, with an unspeakable gravy, and potatoes--such potatoes! Dear me, how little I ate of it! I wish, for once, I'd had your appetite, Basil; I do indeed." She ended with a heartless laugh, in which, despite the tragical contrast her words had suggested, Basil finally joined. So much amusement had probably never been got before out of the misery inflicted in that place; but their lightness did not at all commend them. The waitress had not liked it from the first, and had served them with reluctance; and the proprietor did not like it, and kept his eye upon them as if he believed them about to escape without payment. Here, then, they had enforced a great fact of travelling,--that people who serve the public are kindly and pleasant in proportion as they serve it well. The unjust and the inefficient have always that consciousness of evil which will not let a man forgive his victim, or like him to be cheerful. Our friends, however, did not heat themselves over the fact. There was already such heat from without, even at eight o'clock in the morning, that they chose to be as cool as possible in mind, and they placidly took their places in the train, which had been made up for departure. They had deliberately rejected the notion of a drawing-room car as affording a less varied prospect of humanity, and as being less in the spirit of ordinary American travel. Now, in reward, they found themselves quite comfortable in the common passenger-car, and disposed to view the scenery, into which they struck an hour after leaving the city, with much complacency. There was sufficient draught through the open window to make the heat tolerable, and the great brooding warmth gave to the landscape the charm which it alone can impart. It is a landscape that I greatly love for its mild beauty and tranquil picturesqueness, and it is in honor of our friends that I say they enjoyed it. There are nowhere any considerable hills, but everywhere generous slopes and pleasant hollows and the wide meadows of a grazing country, with the pretty brown Mohawk River rippling down through all, and at frequent intervals the life of the canal, now near, now far away, with the lazy boats that seem not to stir, and the horses that the train passes with a whirl, and leaves slowly stepping forward and swiftly slipping backward. There are farms that had once, or still have, the romance to them of being Dutch farms,--if there is any romance in that,--and one conjectures a Dutch thrift in their waving grass and grain.Spaces of woodland here and there dapple the slopes, and the cosy red farm-houses repose by the side of their capacious red barns. Truly, there is no ground on which to defend the idleness, and yet as the train strives furiously onward amid these scenes of fertility and abundance, I like in fancy to loiter behind it, and to saunter at will up and down the landscape. I stop at the farm-yard gates, and sit upon the porches or thresholds, and am served with cups of buttermilk by old Dutch ladies who have done their morning's work and have leisure to be knitting or sewing; or if there are no old ladies, with decent caps upon their gray hair, then I do not complain if the drink is brought me by some red-cheeked, comely young girl, out of Washington Irving's pages, with no cap on her golden braids, who mirrors my diffidence, and takes an attitude of pretty awkwardness while she waits till I have done drinking. In the same easily contented spirit as I lounge through the barn-yard, if I find the old hens gone about their family affairs, I do not mind a meadow-lark's singing in the top of the elm-tree beside the pump. In these excursions the watch-dogs know me for a harmless person, and will not open their eyes as they lie coiled up in the sun before the gate. At all the places, I have the people keep bees, and, in the garden full of worthy potherbs, such idlers in the vegetable world as hollyhocks and larkspurs and four-o'clocks, near a great bed in which the asparagus has gone to sleep for the season with a dream of delicate spray hanging over it. I walk unmolested through the farmer's tall grass, and ride with him upon the perilous seat of his voluble mowing-machine, and learn to my heart's content that his name begins with Van, and that his family has owned that farm ever since the days of the Patroon; which I dare say is not true. Then I fall asleep in a corner of the hay-field, and wake up on the tow-path of the canal beside that wonderfully lean horse, whose bones you cannot count only because they are so many. He never wakes up, but with a faltering under lip and half-shut eyes hobbles stiffly on, unconscious of his anatomical interest. The captain hospitably asks me on board, with a twist of the rudder swinging the stern of the boat up to the path, so that I can step on. She is laden with flour from the valley of the Genesee, and may have started on her voyage shortly after the canal was made. She is succinctly manned by the captain, the driver, and the cook, a fiery-haired lady of imperfect temper; and the cabin, which I explore, is plainly furnished with a cook-stove and a flask of whiskey. Nothing but profane language is allowed on board; and so, in a life of wicked jollity and ease, we glide imperceptibly down the canal, unvexed by the far-off future of arrival. Such, I say, are my own unambitious mental pastimes, but I am aware that less superficial spirits could not be satisfied with them, and I do not pretend that my wedding-journeyers were so. They cast an absurd poetry over the landscape; they invited themselves to be reminded of passages of European travel by it; and they placed villas and castles and palaces upon all the eligible building-sites. Ashamed of these devices, presently, Basil patriotically tried to reconstruct the Dutch and Indian past of the Mohawk Valley, but here he was foiled by the immense ignorance of his wife, who, as a true American woman, knew nothing of the history of her own country, and less than nothing of the barbarous regions beyond the borders of her native province. She proved a bewildering labyrinth of error concerning the events which Basil mentioned; and she had never even heard of the massacres by the French and Indians at Schenectady, which he in his boyhood had known so vividly that he was scalped every night in his dreams, and woke up in the morning expecting to see marks of the tomahawk on the headboard. So, failing at last to extract any sentiment from the scenes without, they turned their faces from the window, and looked about them for amusement within the car. It was in all respects an ordinary carful of human beings, and it was perhaps the more worthy to be studied on that account. As in literature the true artist will shun the use even of real events if they are of an improbable character, so the sincere observer of man will not desire to look upon his heroic or occasional phases, but will seek him in his habitual moods of vacancy and tiresomeness. To me, at any rate, he is at such times very precious; and I never perceive him to be so much a man and a brother as when I feel the pressure of his vast, natural, unaffected dulness. Then I am able to enter confidently into his life and inhabit there, to think his shallow and feeble thoughts, to be moved by his dumb, stupid desires, to be dimly illumined by his stinted inspirations, to share his foolish prejudices, to practise his obtuse selfishness. Yes, it is a very amusing world, if you do not refuse to be amused; and our friends were very willing to be entertained.They delighted in the precise, thick-fingered old ladies who bought sweet apples of the boys come aboard with baskets, and who were so long in finding the right change, that our travellers, leaping in thought with the boys from the moving train, felt that they did so at the peril of their lives. Then they were interested in people who went out and found their friends waiting for them, or else did not find them, and wandered disconsolately up and down before the country stations, carpet-bag in hand; in women who came aboard, and were awkwardly shaken hands with or sheepishly kissed by those who hastily got seats for them, and placed their bags or their babies in their laps, and turned for a nod at the door; in young ladies who were seen to places by young men (the latter seemed not to care if the train did go off with them), and then threw up their windows and talked with girl-friends on the platform without, till the train began to move, and at last turned with gleaming eyes and moist red lips, and panted hard in the excitement of thinking about it, and could not calm themselves to the dull level of the travel around them; in the conductor, coldly and inaccessibly vigilant, as he went his rounds, reaching blindly for the tickets with one hand while he bent his head from time to time, and listened with a faint, sarcastic smile to the questions of passengers who supposed they were going to get some information out of him; in the train-boy, who passed through on his many errands with prize-candies, gum-drops, pop-corn, papers and magazines, and distributed books and the police journals with a blind impartiality, or a prodigious ignorance, or a supernatural perception of character in those who received them. A through train from East to West presents some peculiar features as well as the traits common to all railway travel; and our friends decided that this was not a very well-dressed company, and would contrast with the people on an express-trainbetween Boston and New York to no better advantage than these would show beside the average passengers between London and Paris. And it seems true that on a westering line, the blacking fades gradually from the boots, the hat softens and sinks, the coat loses its rigor of cut, and the whole person lounges into increasing informality of costume. I speak of the undressful sex alone: woman, wherever she is, appears in the last attainable effects of fashion, which are now all but telegraphic and universal. But most of the passengers here were men, and they were plainly of the free-and-easy West rather than the dapper East. They wore faces thoughtful with the problem of buying cheap and selling dear, and they could be known by their silence from the loquacious acquaintance-making way-travellers. In these, the mere coming aboard seemed to beget an aggressively confidential mood. Perhaps they clutched recklessly at any means of relieving their ennui; or they felt that they might here indulge safely in the pleasures of autobiography, so dear to all of us; or else, in view of the many possible catastrophes, they desired to leave some little memory of themselves behind. At any rate, whenever the train stopped, the wedding-journeyers caught fragments of the personal histories of their fellow-passengers which had been rehearsing to those that sat next the narrators.It was no more than fair that these should somewhat magnify themselves, and put the best complexion on their actions and the worst upon their sufferings; that they should all appear the luckiest or the unluckiest, the healthiest or the sickest, people that ever were, and should all have made or lost the most money. There was a prevailing desire among them to make out that they came from or were going to some very large place; and our friends fancied an actual mortification in the face of a modest gentleman who got out at Penelope (or some other insignificant classical station, in the ancient Greek and Roman part of New York State), after having listened to the life of a somewhat rustic-looking person who had described himself as belonging near New York City. Basil also found diversion in the tender couples, who publicly comported themselves as if in a sylvan solitude, and, as it had been on the bank of some umbrageous stream, far from the ken of envious or unsympathetic eyes, reclined upon each other's shoulders and slept; but Isabel declared that this behaviour was perfectly indecent. She granted, of course, that they were foolish, innocent people, who meant no offence, and did not feel guilty of an impropriety, but she said that this sort of thing was a national reproach. If it were merely rustic lovers, she should not care so much, but you saw people who ought to know better, well-dressed, stylish people, flaunting theirdevotion in the face of the world, and going to sleep on each other's shoulders on every railroad train. It was outrageous, it was scandalous, it was really infamous. Before she would allow herself to do such a thing she would--well, she hardly knew what she would not do; she would have a divorce, at any rate. She wondered that Basil could laugh at it; and he would make her hate him if he kept on. From the seat behind their own they were now made listeners to the history of a ten weeks' typhoidfever, from the moment when the narrator noticed that he had not felt very well for a day or two back, and all at once a kind of shiver took him, till he lay fourteen days perfectly insensible, and could eat nothing but a little pounded ice; and his wife--a small woman, too--used to lift him back and forth between the bed and sofa like a feather, and the neighbors did not know half the time whether he was dead or alive. This history, from which not the smallest particular or the least significant symptom of the case was omitted, occupied an hour in recital, and was told as it seemed for the entertainment of one who had been five minutes before it began a stranger to the historian. At last the train came to a stand, and Isabel wailed forth in accents of desperation the words, "Oh, disgusting!" The monotony of the narrative in the seat behind, fatally combining with the heat of the day, had lulled her into slumbers from which she awoke at the stopping of the train, to find her head resting tenderly upon her husband's shoulder. She confronted his merriment with eyes of mournful rebuke; but as she could not find him, by the harshest construction, in the least to blame, she was silent. "Never mind, dear, never mind," he coaxed, "you were really not responsible. It was fatigue,destiny, the spite of fortune--whatever you like. In the case of the others, whom you despise so justly, I dare say it is sheer, disgraceful affection. But see that ravishing placard, swinging from the roof: 'This train stops twenty minutes for dinner at Utica.' In a few minutes more we shall be at Utica. If they have anything edible there, it shall never contract my powers. I could dine at the Albany station, even." In a little while they found themselves in an airy, comfortable dining-room, eating a dinner, which it seemed to them France in the flush of her prosperity need not have blushed to serve; for if it wanted a little in the last graces of art, it redeemed itself in abundance, variety, and wholesomeness. At the elbow of every famishing passenger stood a beneficent, coal-black glossy fairy in a white linen apron and jacket, serving him with that alacrity and kindliness and grace which make the negro waiter the master, not the slave of his calling, which disenthral it of servility, and constitute him your eager host, not your menial, for the moment. From table to table passed a calming influence in the person of the proprietor, who, as he took his richly earned money, checked the rising fears of the guests by repeated proclamations that there was plenty of time, and that he would give them due warning before the train started. Those who had flocked out of the cars, to prey with beak and claw, as the vulture-like fashion is, upon everything in reach, remained to eat like Christians; and even a poor, scantily-Englished Frenchman, who wasted half his time in trying to ask how long the cars stopped and in looking at his watch, made a good dinner in spite of himself. "O Basil, Basil!" cried Isabel, when the train was again in motion, "have we really dined once more? It seems too good to be true. Cleanliness, plenty, wholesomeness, civility! Yes, as you say, they cannot be civil where they are not just; honesty and courtesy go together; and wherever they give you outrageous things to eat, they add indigestible insults. Basil, dear, don't be jealous; I shall never meet him again; but I'm in love with that black waiter at our table. I never saw such perfect manners, such a winning and affectionate politeness. He made me feel that every mouthful I ate was a personal favor to him. What a complete gentleman! There ought never to be a white waiter. None but negroes are able to render their service a pleasure and distinction to you." So they prattled on, doing, in their eagerness to be satisfied, a homage perhaps beyond its desert to the good dinner and the decent service of it. But here they erred in the right direction, and I find nothing more admirable in their behaviour throughout a wedding journey which certainly had its trials, than their willingness to make the very best of whatever would suffer itself to be made anything at all of. They celebrated its pleasures with magnanimous excess, they passed over its griefs with a wise forbearance. That which they found the most difficult of management was the want of incident for the most part of the time; and I who write their history might also sink under it, but that I am supported by the fact that it is so typical in this respect. I even imagine that ideal reader for whom one writes as yawning over these barren details with the life-like weariness of an actual travelling companion of theirs. Their own silence often sufficed my wedded lovers, or then, when there was absolutely nothing to engage them, they fell back upon the story of their love, which they were never tired of hearing as they severally knew it. Let it not be a reproach to human nature or to me if I say that there was something in the comfort of having well dined which now touched the springs of sentiment with magical effect, and that they had never so rejoiced in these tender reminiscences. They had planned to stop over at Rochester till the morrow, that they might arrive at Niagara by daylight, and at Utica they had suddenly resolved to make the rest of the day's journey in a drawing-room car. The change gave them an added reason for content; and they realized how much they had previously sacrificed to the idea of travelling in the most American manner, without achieving it after all, for this seemed a touch of Americanism beyond the old-fashioned car. They reclined in luxury upon the easy-cushioned, revolving chairs; they surveyed with infinite satisfaction the elegance of the flying-parlor in which they sat, or turned their contented regard through the broad plate-glass windows upon the landscape without. They said that none but Americans or enchanted princes in the Arabian Nights ever travelled in such state; and when the stewards of the car came round successively with tropical fruits, ice-creams, and claret punches, they felt a heightened assurance that they were either enchanted princes--or Americans. There were more ladies and more fashion than in the other cars; and prettily dressed children played about on the carpet; but the general appearance of the passengers hardly suggested greater wealth than elsewhere; and they were plainly in that car because they were of the American race, which finds nothing too good for it that its money can buy.
RICK WARREN ASKS, “WHY BE DIVISIVE?” July 29, 2003 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, firstname.lastname@example.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) - Rick Warren, church growth guru and pastor of the Southern Baptist-affiliated Saddleback Valley Community Church near Los Angeles, California, teaches pastors to use worldly music to draw a crowd and to focus their message on the positive and to avoid controversial and divisive doctrinal issues. Called by Christianity Today “America’s most influential pastor,” Warren’s influence is vast. He has taught 300,000 pastors through his church growth seminars and far more through his books and videos. His influence reaches into every sphere of Christianity today, from Catholicism, to liberal Protestantism, to evangelicalism, to fundamentalist Bible and Baptist churches. His latest book, The Purpose-Driven Life, has sold 4.5 million copies. In an interview with USA Today that ran in the July 21 issue, Warren said, “I’m not going to get into a debate over the non-essentials. I won’t try to change other denominations. Why be divisive?” He cites Billy Graham, the king of ecumenical “positive onlyism,” as his model. Since Mr. Warren has asked his question, I have decided to answer it. The reason we need to be divisive is because God has commanded us to preach all of His Word and to “reprove, rebuke, exhort” (2 Tim. 4:2). The emphasis in 2 Timothy 4 is as much “negative” as “positive.” That is the preacher’s divine standard. God has commanded us not only to believe sound doctrine but also to earnestly contend for it (Jude 3). That means we are to fight aggressively against that which is false. This is exactly what we see in the uncompromising ministry of the Lord’s apostles. Their epistles contain strong and clear warnings about false teaching. Paul often named the names of the false teachers. Such a ministry naturally causes divisions between those who are committed to the truth and those who are following error. The apostasy of our time is much advanced in comparison with that of the days of the apostles (2 Tim. 3:1-13; 4:3-4). The Holy Spirit warned that “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). That is the story of church history. The apostasy that was just beginning in the days of the first churches grew quickly as the centuries passed, eventually producing the Roman Catholic Church, and it has continued to grow and spread throughout the age. The Bible warns that just prior to the return of Christ, the apostasy will be almost complete. Thus preachers today are obligated to be even more aggressive and more divisive, if you will, than the apostles were! That, Rick Warren, is why we should be divisive, and you will give an account at the judgment seat of Christ for promoting your unscriptural “positive-only, avoid divisiveness” emphasis. And in that day the Word of God will wash away the strong wall of church growth philosophy that you have built up to defend your methodology and by which you have duped so many. I believe this with all of my heart. And I weep over the damage that is being caused to the churches of Jesus Christ by a methodology that is breaking down the wall of separation between God’s people and the world but that is doing it under the guise of holiness and love for the truth. This philosophy of rejecting strict scriptural separation destroyed Israel of old and it will destroy every church that goes down the same road. WARREN AND FALWELL Rick Warren and Jerry Falwell are partnering for a Purpose-Driven “SuperConference” in October. It will be held on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. Simultaneously, a Rick Warren 40 Days of Purpose campaign will be shown by telecast in more than 4,000 churches, including Falwell’s church. Falwell is a member both of the Baptist Bible Fellowship International and the Southern Baptist Convention. Our day is described plainly in Bible prophecy: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). This generation has itching ears, and it will not hear the preaching of God’s Word that plainly rebukes its sin and forthrightly condemns its heresies; but it eagerly hears -- yea, flocks in droves to hear -- those soft-speaking teachers that are willing to be non-divisive and tickle ears with a positive-only, non-offensive message. The same generation that hates the old uncompromising, plain-spoken, “old time” fundamentalist-style preaching, dearly loves the preaching of the Billy Grahams and the Rick Warrens and the Robert Schullers. Rick Warren claims that he has not compromised the Word of God with his principles and methods, that he has only modernized them; but when I look into the book of Acts and the Epistles I see a different kind of Christianity, a different kind of church there, than the one that Rick Warren has devised. Thus I must reject Warren’s Purpose Driven methods and I must warn those who have an ear to hear, regardless of how small that crowd may be, that they not heed the siren call of the contemporary church growth gurus. [Distributed by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service, a listing for Fundamental Baptists and other fundamentalist, Bible-believing Christians. Our goal in this particular aspect of our ministry is not devotional but is TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO ASSIST PREACHERS IN THE PROTECTION OF THE CHURCHES IN THIS APOSTATE HOUR. This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the list. If somehow you have subscribed unintentionally, following are the instructions for removal. TO SUBSCRIBE to the Fundamental Baptist Information Service, send an email to email@example.com and put “subscribe FBIS” in the subject field. TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send an email to firstname.lastname@example.org and put “unsubscribe FBIS” in the subject field. TO CHANGE ADDRESSES, simply unsubscribe the old one, then re-subscribe the new one. Or a more simple process is to go to the web site and sign up or change addresses there: http://www.wayoflife.org/fbis/subscribe.html. We take up a quarterly offering to fund this ministry, and those who use the materials are expected to participate (Galatians 6:6). Some of these articles are from O Timothy magazine, which is in its 20th year of publication. Way of Life publishes many helpful books. The catalog is located at the web site: http://www.wayoflife.org/catalog/catalog.htm Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061. 866-295-4143, email@example.com (e-mail). We do not solicit funds from those who do not agree with our preaching and who are not helped by these publications, but for those who are, OFFERINGS can be made at http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/offering.html PAYPAL offerings can be made to https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=dcloud%40wayoflife.org]
Invitation to Co-author A new solicitation, with more detail: I am seeking a fellow writer of crime/mystery fiction to collaborate on up to a dozen novels during the next 4-5 years. I am looking for a natural plotter whose talent is building the framework for a complete story – beginning, middle and end. We would then collaborate on story development, character development, subplots, etc. (to the extent necessary), and I would carry the bulk of the writing weight. My strength is in voice and characters, relationships, particularly dialogue, and hitting the emotional buttons. My style is lean. Compatibility of style is critical, especially as there will be shared responsibility/approval in the writing. My objective is to find a full 50-50 partner with shared vision, production goals and responsibility. The genre is crime/mystery fiction with legal and/or political context, and set in Boston or New England. I think the market is saturated with serial killers, child abduction, pedophilia, etc. perpetrated by the World’s Worst Badass. I don’t use a lot of violence, but not out of any ideology, I’m just trying to find a niche that everyone else isn’t crowding. The focus is on characters, relationships, emotional turmoil, all the good stuff that sucks the reader in for the ride. I try to bring readers into conflicts that they’re most familiar with (as opposed to taking them to a different world): fear of humiliation or embarrassment from one’s neighbors/friends/family; fractured familial relationships; people accused of crimes that appear out of character. I want to put readers in situations they could actually find themselves. I have a second finished novel that features two former homicide detectives in the PI business – one white, one black, not unlike Spenser and Hawk. This first-in-a-series ms my agent brought to T&M and RH, to no avail. The second in the series is about 25k in, but I’ve stalled on the storyline due to my plotting disability. My agent and beta readers love the characters and their relationship – it’s the story development that is problematic. I’d like to continue with these two characters, but am open to beginning anew. I have also been asked many times if the two characters (Paul and Shannon) from Diary of a Small Fish will be coming back. That is another possibility. My desire is to find a collaboration that can produce novels that Thomas & Mercer will buy (and continue to buy). At this time, I am not interested in a traditional publishing deal. It’s either T&M or SP all the way. My relationship with my agent is superb, and I am looking for a collaboration that she will embrace. I am nearing 60 years of age. I’ve been a professional (lawyer) for 35 years and I’ve raised two children to maturity. I have a sharp sense of humor and zero appetite for bullshit, game playing, passive aggressiveness, insecurity, jealousy or dishonesty. I speak directly, I say what I mean, and I have deep familiarity with phrases like, “I don’t know,” “I’m sorry,” “you’re right, I’m wrong,” and “I like your way better.” If this sounds like something you would like to explore, send me an email at email@example.com, along with a bio and the writing sample you feel best represents your strongest talent. If there is a good fit, we can explore further. Filed under: Craft, crime fiction, literature \| 6 Comments Tags: amazon, co-author, crime, fiction, mystery, thomas & mercer, writing partnership Get a taste of breakfast! I follow the ethical author code - RT @susl: @petermorin December 1st is release day of Full Irish. amazon.com/Full-Irish-Pet… http://t.co/gRxmfCliC5 5 hours ago - RT @More4LessOnline: @petermorin Diary of a Small Fish Pete Morin $0.99 #Mystery Thriller eBook Sale moreforlessonline.com/mystery--thril… … 2 days ago - RT @susl: @petermorin Full Irish murder mystery set on the west coast of Ireland and the watering holes of Dublin and Boston.- http://t.co/… 2 days ago - Small Fish, 99 cents a pound. tiny.cc/wa8tpx 2 days ago - Fighting Plagiarism & Harassment gofund.me/StandingAgains… via @gofundme 2 days ago Join the Alliance!
This postage might not get letters delivered faster, but Britain’s Royal Mail predicts fans will find its series of Harry Potter stamps magical. The Post Office will issue a series of seven stamps on July 17 depicting the covers of each of J.K Rowling’s books about the boy wizard. Millions of the stamps will be issued just before the series’ final volume, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, goes on sale July 21. The commemorative stamps are part of the Post Office’s tradition of celebrating “social themes and important occasions central to our way of life”, said a Royal Mail spokeswoman. Rowling’s fantasy series has sold more than 325 million copies worldwide. Tuesday, May 22, 2007 Tuesday, May 15, 2007 Friday, May 11, 2007 From stamps that smell of roses and sandalwood to those with the head of the calm Buddha, to that containing the image of RM. Alagappa Chettiar, the Puducherry Head Post Office’s Philately Bureau is a place where stamp collectors will rejoice. The bureau has good collection of stamps in its own albums and also sends newly released stamps to its 837 philately account-hollers of whom 167 are quite new. “They have joined us after our exhibition of stamps held in November and more children are evincing interest in joining as members since they get stamps or covers worth Rs.200, which is the initial amount that they have to pay to become members. There is no membership fee as such,” V. Santhanaraman, Senior Superintendent of Post Offices told The Hindu. Recently a meeting of members of the Philately Bureau was held and 100 of them turned up. They exchanged contacts so that they could exchange stamps and information. The post office plans to organize such meetings once in three months. The bureau has been in existence since the 1990s and sends stamps in singles or sheets or in fours or first-day covers or topical stamps and also info sheet if opted for by the member. “Stamp collection is done only in the initial stages. After a few days, the collectors try to exchange stamps and get stamps that are needed for the specific topic that they are interested in. At this stage only vendors and exhibitions keep stamp collectors interested. People also get stamps from used foreign letters”, added Mr. Santhanaraman. Himself a stamp collector in the past, his daughters now collect stamps. “We also go to schools regularly and ask them to start philately clubs for the children. We take our application forms to schools and also conduct regular workshops in schools on how to collect and preserve stamps,” said R.P. Balaji, Public Relations Inspector. Anyone can become a member of philately bureau here on any working day between 10 am and 5 pm or can contact Mr. Balaji on +91 413 – 2336532 or +91 9443577115. Posted by kittu at 4:29 AMPermanent Link Wednesday, May 2, 2007 In contrast to Traditional Philately, which is based on geographical entitles such as stamps of a particular put together stamps on a specific theme, topic or subject. Thus, while a missing stamp of a particular series of a specific period or country may be a matter of concern to a traditional philatelist who wishes to complete the set, the thematic philatelist would only took for thematic relevance of stamps, irrespective of its other contexts. The variety in themes that philatelists have presented through stamps has been delightfully fascinating. Any philatelic material can be collected related to a theme which in addition to postage stamps includes the varieties of postal stationary, aero philatelic cachets, postmarks and maximum cards. Significantly enough, postal administrations have adopted issuing policies that have actively encouraged thematics as a venture specially for the youth class, for whom it constitutes a veritable mine of information and education. This calls for the combined ingenuity of the postal administration, the printer, the philatelists and the subject-matter experts. In fact, there is hardly any subject of general interest that does not have a good set of stamps on it, but thematic philatelists come up with the most unique and novel ideas in relating a philatelic item to a chosen theme. these relationships involve classifications of themes taken from a broader subject of choice , their further sub-classifications and its sub-classifications. Sri Vishnu S. Saksena, for instance, has devoted an entire book on the theme of India’s freedom movement, entitled: “India’s Freedom Struggle Through India Postage Stamps.” Thus thematic philatelists would like single, prominent themes to be pictured forcefully on stamps rather than multiple themes or commemorative set of stamps. Indian stamps are very rich in thematic variety, specially on the freedom movement and its personalities, great men and women of various walks of life, Indian art and culture, flora and fauna. Nevertheless, there is a need to bring out many more stamps on areas of scientific discoveries and inventions, technological developments and medical advances that have taken place the world over and specially in India. These stamps will be extraordinary rich in their education value to the youth and children. When the Penny Black was released in May 1840, there were only two philatelic items worth collecting: • The postage stamp just released, and • The postal stationery wrapper, the Mulready Ever since then, the range of collections have incredibly diversified and we have now a separate class of collection called Postal Stationery. Though the number of philatelists specializing in Postal Stationery is relatively small, nonetheless, the presentation lends a special attractiveness to philatelic exhibitions because of its rarity and also because these items being larger in size have to be artistically or thematically presented. Postal Stationery collections cover all postal items with a postage stamp on them or which bear in some manner or other, impressions for pre-payment of postage for use of the postal services (and not merely the pre-payment of stationery charge). It includes items bearing postage prepayment indications even if the value is not mentioned, called Non-value Indicator or NVI items. Items of private stationery whether stamped or printed (STPO of PTPO), but conforming to the postal regulations of the countries area also included as Postal Stationery. Many items where no pre-payment of postage is involved, such as Money Order forms, Acknowledgement Cards, ‘On Postal Service’ mail, internal mail of the Armed Forces or the Railways etc. and items bearing symbols of prepayment but where postage is actual paid later, are not included. Generally speaking, Postal Stationery includes illustrated or plain types of postcards, envelopes, registered envelopes, aerogrammes, letter cards, parcel bags and also postal forms of various kinds. Article 3 pf SREV even includes wrappers or newspaper bands. All classes of mail are included such as those sent by surface post or by air, inland or foreign, by registration, by special deliveries, inland and foreign telegraphs. Postal receipts issued by post offices for various postal transactions or for fees charged or other documents such as Postal Orders etc. can also be included and are collected by philatelists to represent their variety or history or some speciality about them. Many postal administrations today include Postal Stationery items in their issuing programmes, specially since philately is not limited just to postage stamps and since philatelists attend to bring out novel thematic correlations between stationery items and stamps in their presentations. For instance, the LA POSTE or the Belgium Post brings out splendid designs on their postcards, and also attractive tourist cards of higher values to be sold at tourist resorts. To a philatelist, the “postal history” of a nation – the development of its postal services – is as important as its political history, if not more. Postal History consists of collections of stamps that delineate, not the political history of a nation, but the history of its Post Office. The history and development of the postal services, postal rates, postal markings, mail carriers and their lines and stages, postmen’s uniforms and such other items as seen in used or mint stamps. For the ardent student of philately, India provides perhaps the richest and most varied wealth of materials for Postal History. Postal History exhibits are arranged in a way as, to show the history and development of the chosen aspect of the postal services. Consequently, FDCs are not normally included in a Postal History presentation unless they have been used in course of transmission by post. But Postal History may also contain such items as prints or maps or brochures or news items and cuttings or extracts from books and other material, provided they are relevant to the main subject or relevant to the concerned postal administration. Many philatelists believe that Postal History is really a sub-set of Traditional Philately. However, a Postal History presentation is a very difficult one, usually made by senior philatelists specializing in this area. I have once seen the history of Railway Mail Service of India being exhibited side by side with the history of the Indian Railways by an enthusiastic philatelist, in which among other items, the date-stamps and postage-due stamps impressed by RMS Sorting Sections on letters posted to these Sections by the public at various railway stations, had been presented starting right from the beginnings of the RMS in India. Wednesday, April 25, 2007 This is the basis of all philately and what we all generally mean by stamp collection as a hobby. All stamps relating to a particular country or a region or a postal administration issued, say, over a particular period or certain philatelic items issued during that period come under this category. Postage stamps, miniature sheets, FDCs, varieties in cancellations and postmarks, postal stationery of various types and other philatelic products, all are included in this category, but presented historically. Archival items such as artist’s drawings, essays, proofs, printer’s specimens and other rare items, can also form a part of this category. Some stamps are of immense value. The world’s most valuable stamp is the famous British Guiana one-cent magenta stamp with Demerara postmark dated 4-4-1856 as there is only one copy available of this stamp. It sold for $ 935, 000 at a New York auction in 1980. We shall now go over to the growing classes of philately. Under article 5 of the GREX Regulations, the FIP approved competitive classes (for FIP exhibitions) are ten in number: Traditional Philately, Postal History, Postal Stationery, Aerophilately, Thematic Philately, Maximaphily, Philatelic Literature, Youth Philately, Revenue and Astrophilately Any other exhibit of special philatelic interest can also be included and this can constitute, what one might call, a 11th class or a class on its own. The SREV provides regulations for the evaluation of exhibits of each approved class and provides for constituting a special jury for the 11th class. The non-competitive or invitee classes include the Court of Honour or exhibits of exceptional significance, the Official Class (exhibits from postal authorities, postal museums, postage stamp printers and postage stamp designers and engravers), the Jury Class and other non-competitive classes consisting of exhibits of special interest. As a primer on philately, I shall first analyse the various classes of collections that philatelists internationally recognize, and subsequently, highlight the inestimable educational value of philately a hobby among children and the youth. Fortunately, in comparison to many other hobbies and pursuits, philately is internationally well organized. The International Federation of Philately (the FIP), which was set up in 1926 at Zurich, aims to promote philately and philatelic exhibitions, friendly relations amongst peoples and also between philately traders and postal administrations. It is recognized by the Universal Postal Union as the official representative of philately. It’s regulations adopted since the Finlandia – ’88 exhibition provides a uniform basis for collecting, exhibiting and evaluating philatelic exhibits, and are contained in three documents: * GREX or the General Regulations of FIP for Exhibitions, * GREV or the General Regulations of the FIP for the evaluations of exhibits under the competition –class and the * SREV or the Special Regulations of the FIP for the evaluations of competitive exhibits. These rules are for conducting exhibitions held under the auspices of FIP at the international level, but other national level exhibitions endeavour to follow FIP regulations to the maximum extent possible for the sake of uniformity. The FIP also started an FIP – internet Competition in 1999 to adjudge the best website put up on philately. The Universal Postal Union developed a ‘Philatelic Code of Ethics’ in its Beijing Congress of August, 1999 (Recommendation C70) which gives details for issuing policies and other matters related to philately, to be followed by the postal administrations of the member nations of the UPU. This code is being implemented by the World Association for the Development of Philately (WADP) – an independent body that works under the aegis of the UPU and its member postal administrations. The WADP coordinates between the UPU and the four major philatelic associations of the world – one for Europe (Federation of European Philatelic and Associations), one for the Americas (Federation of Inter-American Federations) and one for Asia (Federation of Inter-Asian philately or FIAP) and the FIP. Since dealers are an integral part of the philatelic industry, the constituent members of the WADP are the FIP, the International Federation of Stamp Dealers Associations (IFSD), the International Association of Philatelic Journalists (AIJP) and the International Publishers of Postage Stamp Catalogues, Stamp Albums and Philatelic Publications Association (ASCAT). The Philatelic Congress of India (PCI) is the Indian body affiliated to FIP and FIAP. Thursday, April 19, 2007 The saga of Indian Philately – both pre-Independence and post-Independence – has been a fascinating and romantic one. Generations of collectors have grown up savouring the joys, thrills and challenges the hobby has to offer and many have carried their abiding interest in Philately to adulthood and old age. The same cannot be said of the present generation. What with various distractions in the present-day world – TV and Cable, Computers, Internet and Video games, sports and highly competitive academic pursuits, the youth of today have less inclination to pursue a serious hobby like philately. In fact, many of the senior collectors even find it difficult to bequeath their precious and painstakingly nurtured collection to their young ones. Thus the outlook for future is uncertain. One way to regain the lost ground is to promote Philately through websites and Internet. Video games related to philatelic themes need to be devised and put on popular websites to attract the younger generation. Many educative and intellectual games and exercises with stamps can be designed to stir the imagination and ignite the minds of children. Only time will tell what the future of the hobby will be with all such efforts put in to promote it.
Broken Orbits and Forgotten Hymns September 15, 2011 “And when I came out of my solitude and crossed over this bridge for the first time I did not trust my eyes and looked and looked again, and said at last, ‘An ear! An ear as big as a man!’” (Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra). Galileo’s cosmology was heresy for its time: are there today musics that propose or profess new cosmologies deemed heretical? Non-human or post-human musicologies tread and navigate these sonar waters. Although the title of Gregory Lenczycki’s piece suggests an interstellar milieu—perhaps the dislodging of a lunar body or GPS satellite from its revolution around a planet by the energetic tail of a comet intruding upon our solar system—or a scene of crime passionnel—perhaps the eerie abandoning of a string of assaulted lovers with facial injuries—listening to Broken Orbits and Forgotten Hymns might also evoke the micorcosmic or nanoscale soundscape of a pupa awakening to life. This sound of emergence, the event of a clinamenic swerve in a cosmos, whether micro or macro, is both biological and technologic, rendering this pupa as both insect and electric puppet (puppet: from the Latin pupa, for girl or doll, and the pupil of an eye is so-called because of the tiny image reflected in the eye of the other). It is perhaps not by accident that early inventors of automata such as Jaquet-Droz often had their contraptions play musical instruments: both automata and musical instruments share an inherent mechanicity, one that Descartes also applied to animals, which he considered as mere bêtes-machines [In Edison’s Eve, Gabie Wood writes, “Descartes…likened the flow of animal spirits to that of a wind passing through the body—as it does through the Flute Player automaton” (24). For Aristotle, a living being is one that breathes (anima) and a musical instrument is also often an organon, a strange breathing mechanical contraption. Sleeping Beauty. Here we might say that the philosophical concept precedes the technological contraption, yet Descartes was inspired by automata of his time, and there is an old fish tale that says he tried to make one himself, calling it Francine after his dead daughter]. Jaquet-Droz’s singing bird automaton and flute-playing automaton showed the 18th century that even the most inhuman, mechanical instruments were able to create the most sublime music, as if the difference between the animate and the inanimate was irrelevant. This indistinction is in keeping with a Shinto cosmology that deems all beings—living or not—share the same potentiality. J-D’s automata draw a dog, write a letter, and play the harpsichord, endlessly and without fail: we see the mechanical digital in action, the robotic hand sketching and typing and strumming, all the most important human gestures, the ones that constitute our humanity. The automaton pipe player could play faster than a human being, suggesting that Kant’s notion of human perfectibility would be better understood as technical and prosthetic. Rather than setting the human being apart from machines, these automata haunt us with the specter of our own mechanicity and our own infinite reproducibility: contra Descartes, human beings share an affinity with the bête-machine. Human being is, perhaps, more akin to automaton rather than zoon and this is why, says Freud, that “waxwork figures, ingeniously constructed dolls, and automata” engender the feeling of the uncanny. We shouldn’t forget that as the creator of the 18th century writing automaton, Jaquet-Droz, was subject to punishment from the Spanish Inquisition for exhibiting his non-living writing machine: it is just as heretical to say that man is a robot as it is to say that god is a man. Yet there is another threat here: automata, in contrast to their perpetual motion, remind us of our finitude: “our mechanisms defy time,” says the writing automaton of J-D. Rather than zoon politikon, human being is automaton politikon: memento mori in a danse macabre. It’s interesting that a clock-maker would become the father of the automaton: not only is the mechanicity essential here, but also the sense of temporality: the machine is in motion, the clock is in motion, and its movements count out time, and time, as Heidegger tells us, is essential to the question of being. Time is also essential for music. Not just minutes and hours, but the entire calendar of days and months and years and the orbital cycle of the planets show us that music and time itself belong to a cosmological arrangement: the microcosm of the clock speaks of the macrocosm of the solar system. It is interesting that the microcosmic clock engenders the automaton, as if there is a new machine genesis and birth of a world and a people with the clock craftsman’s work (which might indicate that experimental electronic music comes from an interest in automata and the mechanical dimension of the human experience). So too is the musical instrument a microcosm—a system that sounds out time through mechanical movements and arrangement. We see the relation between clocks and boites-musiques: not only do they share the same intricate design and craftsmanship, but they also point to the musicology of the cosmos, whether micro or macro. One wonders what Heidegger thought about the cuckoo clock and its Black Forest, yet mechanical, temporality… Experimental sound techniques attempt to awaken the temporalities of experimental cosmologies: digital delay processes, for instance, make audible non-human time-space potentialities, and digital rhythms pulse-out non-human temporalities. The sounds emanating from the microcosm of the insect share a material affinity with the electronic cosmos. Chirp, click, buzz, hiss, hum, drone, saw: these are the canonical sounds of the insect but also electronic music, suggesting that they share a common morphogenesis. In company with such digital biosonic artworks as the nanoscale music of Blue Morph, Lenczycki’s composition Broken Orbits and Forgotten Hymns takes us further into this affinity between the electronic and the entomological. Although peculiar fossil remnants might make us wonder about early hominids’ auditory capacity, today’s biotechnology might make us wonder about the auditory capacities of future transgenic human beings and androids. The geometry of the ear, with its morphological computation, can process sensory data non-cognitively: filtering and processing occur without neural involvement, without neural cognition. Morphological computation challenges craniocentrism (internalism) and supports hypotheses about embodied cognition, sensory systems outside the body (as with bats, electric fish, and other creatures with electrolocation systems), ecological perception, and mechanical ecology. Digital technology creates a sound bestiary otherwise inaccessible. Although insect musicologies perhaps in reality do not issue from the perceptual life-worlds (Lebenswelten) of insects but our own, they might nevertheless open up the becoming-animal potentiality of our sonic environment. Lenczycki’s soundscape is, like the one in Wordsworth’s “Boy of Winander,” a cosmic mimic hooting to silent owls, who “shout/Across the watery vale, and shout again,/Responsive to his call…”. The mechanical and instrumental (and, in this case, electronic) calling to the animate, to the zoon, seeks a response. Concerning the call-structure of the primary rhetorical figure of address, Barbara Johnson writes: “apostrophe can be a mere sound, amplified by the laws of sound waves” (Persons and Things 9). The ability to call also constitutes the caller as one who has a living voice. Although there is no human person, no subject, no citizen in Lennczycki’s sonic cosmos, because of the mere facticity of sound, there is voice. Anthropocentrism cannot be kept at bay even with the most inhuman of posthuman sounds. Developments in posthuman technology bring new understandings for perception: technology creates a new perception apparatus that awakens human perception to phenomena beyond its “natural” capacities. For instance, the beating of a bee’s or a hummingbird’s wings are too fast for the human eye, yet slow motion photography brings the movement of the wings to the human eye’s field of vision. The sound that insect wings emit, which is a feature of the speed of the movement of their wings, joins insect sounds with other technics of speed: high velocities are a function of industrial technology. The sonic trace, or acoustic trace, is an indicator of wing speed: we all know that buzz and drone, though applied to insects, could very well be applied to the sound of power tools, implements of dentistry, or…experimental electronic music. Industrial noise has a non-human, often insect-like, quality issuing from its robotic factory production and techno-labor. Furthermore, human technologies are themselves already often inspired by animal intensities and potentialities (the hummingbird and the helicopter, the spider web and the telegraph). In Insect Media, Jussi Parikka writes, “It is as if insects were a microcosmic doubling of other animals, a kind of intensification of potentials of life” (Insect Media 4). In the sonic realm, insects perform a microcosmic mimicry of their Umwelt. Insects are in themselves media or virtualities of cosmic elements: they mimic everything else in nature, so they indicate the manner in which we can make artificial entities. Writes Parikka, “there is a cosmology of media technologies that spans much more of time than the human historical approach suggests” (xiv). An Uillean pipe player, for instance, looks like a grasshopper: player and pipe form a single new organon, which emerges and dissolves with the performance. Emergent performative entities are a specialty of the insect world with its morphogenic hive, colony, and swarm. Different animals inspire different perceptual technologies and media. More often than not, however, the sounds of techno-industrial society are disturbing, alienating, or just weird: think here of David Lynch’s Eraserhead in which the mutant bio-products of industrial urbanism generate the most unappealing soundscapes imaginable. Yet the disturbing electro-insect-like noises emanating from Lynch's cinemascapes might be announcing a new sonic literature or audio-texture. Like the sound of a typewriter deep within a tympanum, noise can be a disturbing factor that interrupts the work-world efficiency of information; for this reason, William R. Paulsen likens literature and the literary to a kind of cultural noise that disrupts and disturbs the calculable flows of the information age. In Noise of a Culture: Literary Texts in a World of Information, he asserts, “first, that literature is a noisy transmission channel that assumes its noise so as to become something other than a transmission channel, and second, that literature, so constituted, functions as the noise of culture, as a perturbation or source of variety in the circulation and production of discourses and ideas.” In their Textbook of Office Management, Leffingwell and Robinson likewise identify what disrupts the management of the bureau: “Disturbing factors must be known and guarded against. A very common one is noise, not the noise of a boiler shop, but the constant sound of batteries of typewriters, adding machines, the babel of loud talking, and so forth, noises that would not be noticeable on a busy street but may become distracting in an otherwise quiet office.” This bureaucratic insight might also suggest that noise not only disrupts the work-world of the information age, but information machines—typewriters, adding machine, the buzz of Gerede, and might we add the computer itself—also produces its own kind of noise, its own kind of literariness. Sometimes a malfunctioning hair dryer or a department store vacuum cleaner provides the same sonic experience as experimental electronic music. With digital technology, it doesn’t matter if one is working in sound or image: data can generate either one. Recording information digitally enables the imaging-forth of visual entities and the sounding-forth of aural ones. Digital technology also enables the gathering and recording of information at nanoscales and megascales. Empiricism, with its emphasis on sensory perception and the rejection of innate ideas, was the philosophy that set the terms for our contemporary digital media theory. In his 1757 A Philosophical Enquiry into Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful, Edmund Burke tells us that the sublime of sound, like the spatial-visual sublime, concerns scale: a sound too big for the human or too small opens up the experience of the aural sublime. Burke is following in the footsteps of Locke, who already in the 1690 An Essay Concerning Human Understanding discussed the prosthetic extension of the senses and perception by telescopic and microscopic technology(“Of Perception,” “Of Discerning”). Nanotechnology makes the “silence” audible: a sublime feat, especially if we recall that the silence of Ajax was the paradigmatic example of the sublime style in Longinus’s Peri Hypsos. Digital sound technology might now make audible what was formerly beyond audibility in Ajax’s response to the death of his friend. The Blue Morph project by Victoria Vesna is a nice example of nanoscale digital music and bioart. Using nanoscale recordings from the sounds derived from the Blue Morpho butterfly, the human ear is now able to listen to the cellular transformations involved in the metamorphosis of Blue Morpho from caterpillar to butterfly. Nanoscale oscillations of microorganisms at the cellular level produce sounds for the human ear when amplified, a new sound phenomenon called sonocytology. James Gimzewski used the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) almost like a nano-musical instrument to gather sound for the Blue Morph project. There is no arhythmia in the insect world, but hyper-rhythmia: constant pattern and repetition. The micro-temporalities of metamorphosis in Blue Morph bring attention to the nano-rhythmics of living beings and the continuities and discontinuities of their biochemical structures, their material rhythm. The algorithmics of experimental electronic music, however, need not meter out repetitions. In Broken Orbits and Forgotten Hymns, the rhythms of Lenczycki’s cosmos generate a non-human temporality, if we can speak of temporality at all outside of the human framework (Kant). Giorgio Agamben, suggests that for insects such as a tick in hibernation, there is no time. Nevertheless, rhythm relates insects to their organization structures, to their hive, to their source of pollen, to the temperature of their surroundings: sound is environmental for the insect, but it is also a technics of its own body, which mediates the creature’s relation to its environment, or Umwelt. Environmental factors regulate insect pulsations, the sonic cosmos of insects. The rhythm of living beings orders their relation to their cosmos. Music is the ordering of sound chaos into cosmos. Longinus and Kant, among others, mobilized the trope of the musical score and attunement in their discussions of the sublime over the question of an empirically and conceptually inarticulable mode of relation in hypsos and aesthetic reflective judgment. With the experience of the sublime, there is an alternating attraction-repulsion that sets up a particular rhythm. The insect body of sound belongs not only to insects, but also to all vibrational sound bodies. The micro-order of the insect environment (Umwelt) follows, according to zoologist Jakob von Uexküll, musicological principles. The Greek word kosmein means “to order and arrange,” originally troops, for instance, yet we can also think kosmein here as arrangement in the musical sense. The aesthetic dimension of this ordering or arranging expresses itself in the secondary sense of kosmein as “to deck, adorn, equip, dress” and is illustrated, for example, in the term kosmokomes, which means “dressing the hair.” There is an aesthetic or cosmetic dimension to cosmologies that can be traced in insect microcosms, which vibrate with their own musicologies, reverberating back and forth the reaches, not of a Welt, but an Umwelt. For Uexküll, the insect is entirely constituted by its biosemiotic relation with its environment (Umwelt); the insect is in itself an instance of these relations. Yet, the environment of a specific insect has no relation to any other animal environment that does not constitute its specific insect being. Uexküll tells us that animal being is entirely relational—its relations constitute its being—and each specific animal has no access to an objective world. Although each creature strictly inhabits its own environment and knows not of the others, living in entirely separate and subjective Umwelten, each species relates to one another as do notes and instruments in a musical score: this composition constitutes the cosmos of creaturely beings. Uexküll theorizes a musicological arrangement of the living cosmos. One might ask here, for whose ears (and what kind of ear could they be?) does this music resound? Uexküll’s musicology of the cosmos is not composed of living organisms per se, but the biosemiosis of perceptual marks and the receptors of these marks. Uexküll considered all ecological beings as Bedeutungsträger and Merkmalträger—carriers of significance and marks—whose organs (Merkorgan) are designed to read marks. In “Jakob von Uexküll—Theoretical Biology, Biocybernetics and Biosemiotics,” Torsten Rütting writes, “Uexküll already at the beginning of the 20th century had recognized that the fascinating abilities and behavior of animals are based on sign processes—perception and transmission of signs to which meaning is marked on according to their significance. He had therefore introduced terms like Merkzeichen, Wirkzeichen, Lokalzeichen, Momentzeichen“ (2). Although Heidegger notoriously asserted that animals are poor in world (Welt) because they don’t have “the word,” Uexküll, from whom Heidegger borrowed the term Umwelt (environment), theorized that the animal environment was nothing but a linguistic system. Writes Rütting, “Uexküll’s son Thure von Uexküll stated that ‘one can truly understand his (Jakob’s) terms only if one sees them on the background of a theory of sign-processes and makes clear to oneself that Umweltlehre is a science of signs sent and received by living beings’ (Uexküll 1980: 292). The recognition of the semiotic character of Uexküll’s approach implies the fact that a biologist, who was not familiar with linguistics, Peircean, Saussurian or any other semiotic approach, was able to develop an elaborated terminology and conception for studying sign systems in the animal world. The historical perspective considers that Uexküll developed his approach as an alternative to the mechanistic and reductionistic trends in biology at the beginning of the 20th century (Uexküll 1913)” (8). Although only those elements that are relevant to a species have meaning for a species, rendering the Umwelt of each species untranslatable for all others, nevertheless, all species relate to one another as do elements in a musical score. Writes Giorgio Agamben in his “Tick” chapter from The Open: Man and Animal: “Where classical science saw a single world that comprised within it all living species hierarchically ordered from the most elementary forms up to the higher organism, Uexküll instead supposes an infinite variety of perceptual worlds that, though they are uncommunicating and reciprocally exclusive, are all perfect and linked together as if in a gigantic musical score” (40). The concept of “musical score” solves the aporia between an infinite number of subjective Umwelten of living beings that nevertheless must share, perhaps not an objective world, but a commonality that is figured through the harmonics, melodics, and rhythmics of musical composition as an emergent network of inter-relationality. Concerning Uexküll and his critique of the possibility of an objective time-space world for all living beings, Agamben continues: “Too often, he affirms, we imagine that the relations a certain animal subject has to the things in its environment take place in the same space and in the same time as those which bind us to the objects in our human world. This illusion rests on the belief in a single world in which all living beings are situated. Uexküll shows that such a unitary world does not exist, just as a space and time that are equal for all living things do not exist. The fly, the dragonfly, and the bee that we observe flying next to us on a sunny day do not move in the same world as the one in which we observe them, nor do they share with us—or with each other—the same time and the same space. Uexküll begins by carefully distinguishing the Umgebung, the objective space in which we see a living being moving, from the Umwelt, the environment-world that is constituted by a more or less broad series of elements that he calls “carriers of significance” (Bedeutungsträger) or of “marks” (Merkmalsträger), which are the only things that interest the animal. In reality, the Umgebung is our own Umwelt, to which Uexküll does not attribute any particular privilege” (40). Just as the various subjective Umwelten of the various species are entirely closed off, yet are also in relation with each other as separate notes and instruments are in a musical score, so too does each species interact in its own Umwelt according to musicological principles. Writes Agamben, “Everything happens as if the external carrier of significance and its receiver in the animal body constituted two elements in a single musical score, almost like two notes of the ‘keyboard on which nature performs the supratemporal and extraspatial symphony of signification”” (41). A Theory of Meaning (appended to A Foray Into the Worlds of Animals and Humans) is the text that most fully develops not only UexkÜll’s theory of the biosemiosis of living beings with their environment, but a rhetoric of musical metaphors that illustrate the manner in which animals musically relate to their environments, or Umwelten. The biosemiosis of perception markers, carriers of meaning, and the environmental organs that register meaning follow musical principles. Rather than employing linguistic terms like “code,” as in genetic code, to describe the developmental plan of living beings, Uexküll prefers musical ones: there is, for instance, “a primal score for the fly just as there is one for the spider” (160). Uexküll speaks of the growth melody of self-tones (151), the melody of the buds (154), the previously established melody (156), and the idea that the sequence of formal development has a formal score (159). The relation between the environment, sensory organs, and the brain are understood as a musical system: “a perception cell in the brain lets a certain perception sign sound owing to the cell’s self-tone. Each of these living bells is then connected to the outer front through a nervous bell cord, and here it is decided which outer stimuli are allowed to ring the bell and which are not. The self-tones of the living cellular bells are connected with each other through rhythms and melodies, and these are what allowed them to sound in the environment” (166). Uexküll understands sensory perception as a living bell tower, or carillon, ringing sometimes in harmony, jumbling sometimes in cacophony. Increasing levels of complexity in the forms of life parallel increasing levels of musical complexity: “All organ subjects with their organ melodies join together to form the symphony of the organism…The process of heightened subjectification of cell tone to organ melody to organism symphony” (171). What Uexküll is writing here is a compositional theory of nature, and says as much: “Musical composition theory can serve as a model here…” (172). Uexküll’s theory of nature is less of a biosemiotics and more of a bio-musicology: the creature and the environment form point and counterpoint composing a kind of “duet” or “harmony.” Uexküll also lets slip a kind of natural theology with this musicology of nature when he refers to “the composer of these environmental compositions” (181). Longinus and Kant, among others, also mobilized the trope of the musical score and attunement in their discussions of the sublime over the question of an empirically and conceptually inarticulable mode of relation in hypsos and aesthetic reflective judgment. Uexküll likens species to musical instruments (organon) in a cosmic composition or a “Klaviatur des Lebens” (keyboard of life) (207). He writes, “Like every instrument, every animal harbors a certain number of tones, which enter into contrapuntal relationships to the tones of other animals” (187). Although, for instance, the bat and the moth have separate environments—neither does the bat inhabit the moth environment nor does the moth inhabit the bat environment—the two species nevertheless relate as point and counterpoint as when “the fly-likeness of the spider means that it has taken up certain motifs of the fly melody in its bodily composition” as with “the bat motif in the configuration of the hearing organ of the moth” (191). A human being might ask: how does sound function in the insect’s environment? Why do some insects make sounds, yet don’t have ears? Uexküll’s example of the bat’s hearing apparatus, paired with the sound of the moth, illustrates the sonar relations that bind bat and moth, one to the other, point and counterpoint. The perception mark of the enemy (bat-predator) structures the body and function of another organism (moth-prey) and vice-versa. The enemy—through the evolutionary process—designs the prey-organism. Not only does each species have its ecological or environment enemy, but also that enemy, through reciprocity, has constituted the other creature’s body. The creature’s enemy constitutes the very organs of the creature: “the artful microscopic structure of the moth’s hearing organ exists solely for the single high-pitched tone emitted by the bat. These moths are totally deaf to all else” (87). To be more precise, it is not the creature’s enemy, but the perception mark of the enemy that constitutes the organs of perception of the creature. The bat-tone and the moth hearing-organ have a relation of reciprocity. Each creature has the capacity to notice (merken) the perception mark of the enemy. If we follow Carl Schmitt with his formulation that the political is constituted by the friend/enemy distinction, then we see that perception, even animal perception, is not only musicological, but also inherently “political” if we can still use this term for animals other than human beings, i.e. other than zoon politikon. The enemy is an intimately subjective reality for the subject, who lives in an environment of entirely subjective realities. That there is no consensus around the concept of “world” should come as no surprise if we agree with Uexküll that all ecological beings have entirely “subjective” spatio-temporal worlds or environments (Umwelten), and each being—each jellyfish, cat, blind tick, black crow, and sea worm—perceives its subjective Umwelt as an objective Umwelt. In “Welt und Umwelt,” however, philosopher Josef Pieper argues that while plants and animals live in an Umwelt, reason enables the human being to live in a “Welt.” That only the human being has a world is something that philosopher Martin Heidegger also argues when he insists that the animal is poor in world and that the stone has no world at all. Yet in Heidegger’s existential analytic, it is not reason that constitutes world for human Dasein; rather, it is language, which is consistent with Uexküll, who considers all living beings as Bedeutungsträger and Merkmalträger—carriers of significance and marks—whose organs (Merkorgan) are designed to read marks: the surrounding world of the living being is constituted by a biosemiotics. Heidegger would qualify this, however, by insisting that Leben—even plant and animal life—must be thought, not in terms of biological science, but in terms of our fore-understanding of human Dasein, which is not determined by simply adding language to the “living being.” Heidegger would say that for animals, as opposed to human Dasein, “’life’ itself as a kind of Being does not become ontologically a problem” (Being and Time 72). Only human Dasein is the being for which Being is an issue or a concern. For Heidegger, Aristotle does not go far enough even when he says that man is zoon logon ekhon (the speaking animal or the rational animal). Heidegger notes that for Aristotle, “the kind of Being which belongs to a zoon is understood in the sense of occurring and Being-present-at-hand. The logos is some superior endowment; the kind of Being which belongs to it, however, remains quite as obscure as that of the entire entity thus composed” (72). Heidegger notoriously gives human Dasein a kind of ontological priority in terms of understanding other forms of life. He writes: “Life, in its own right, is a kind of Being; but essentially it is accessible only in Dasein. The ontology of life is accomplished by way of a privative Interpretation; it determines what must be the case if there can be anything like mere-aliveness [Nur-noch-leben]. Life is not a mere Being-present-at-hand, nor is it Dasein. In turn, Dasein is never to be defined ontologically by regarding it as life (in an ontologically indefinite manner) plus something else” (73). In other words, mere life never gives us access to Dasein’s mode of Being, but Dasein gives access to understanding mere life. And what is Dasein? It is an “entity which, in its very Being, comports itself understandingly toward that Being” (78). This comportment toward being is called being-in-the-world, which is a relation to the world, the possibility of having a relation to the world (which the stone, for instance, doesn’t have). Modern technology, and in particular digital informatic technology, would pose a challenge to human Dasein for Heidegger. The world is reduced to mere reportage, to mere information, to representation—we no longer have world, but world-picture (Weltbild), world taken as picture. In our era of digital media and network society, networked Dasein would indeed be a system of relations, but there would be no being-in-the-world, only a being-in-the-world-picture. This is why technology must take a new turn and become performative and embodied. Or alternately, it must abandon Dasein and the Welt and take up, perhaps, animal being and the Umwelt. Cybernetic zoology foregrounds the interaction with environmental factors and downplays the idea of the organism as a discrete separate entity. In a manner that resembles Uexküll, philosopher John Haugeland writes: “it is not the animal’s brain that organized its world, but the evolutionary ecology of the animal that organizes its brain” (“Mind Embodied and Embedded” 219). For Uexküll, animals are entirely constituted by a semiotic relationship with their Umwelt, or environment. He considers animals as semiotic ecological beings, as Bedeutungsträger and Merkmalträger—carriers of significance and mark—whose organs (Merkorgan) are designed to read marks in the environment. Basically, the animal is formed so that it perceives and responds only to those carriers of significance, which constitute its environment. The animal is its relationship with its environment. For Heidegger, this means that the animal is captured by its environment—entirely captivated by its environment—and so cannot have an authentic relation to any elements of its environment: it not capable of “relation” at all. The animal cannot comport itself toward being-as-such. It cannot apprehend something as something, but only as an affordance or interest of its own constitution. Another thing, a relation to another thing as a thing, is not given as such. Nothing is revealed as a being for the animal. Uexküll’s zoosemiotic understanding of the Umwelt is especially symptomatic for our digital media world, which is highly networked and interactive. Even if, as Heidegger says, stones are worldless, animals are poor in world, and only humans are world-building, the digital-world addresses all beings—whether inanimate or animate—as technological beings interfacing with a technological apparatus and inhabiting a technological framework. Digital technologies create an immanent monism, a continuity between mind and matter, language and living organisms. From this perspective, we might try to retrieve a mode of material perception that does not belong to human subjectivity (reflexivity), but belongs to the technological “perception” of digital media (just as the camera offered a mechanical optics on the world). Technological media suggest that even inanimate things have a material “perception,” or point of view, not otherwise accessible to animate beings. The word media means “in the middle” or in-between, and I would like to suggest that even if inanimate entities are entirely without world (Welt), as Heidegger insists, technological media are in-between worlds, or Zwischenwelt, as painter Paul Klee used to say of art (i.e., that art was a between world, a transmission of something that is incommunicable). If “media” comes from the Latin medius, meaning the middle, media are the means, the intervening relation. By nature, media constitute a relation between things; hence, if our digital network or ecology is a system of relations, it is essentially a kind of media. And if, as Jussi Parikka argues, insect forms of organization are essentially relational, it is no wonder that they serve as a paradigmatic form of media. Media technology and insects, then, share the medius, the principle of means or middle. Network culture is an insect media. Uexküll emphasized the relationality of organisms, especially to their environment or Umwelt. If a certain kind of network of relations characterizes the cosmos of living organisms, philosopher Heidegger insists that human Dasein is also, in a different manner, relational: Dasein is constituted by its relation to the world or Welt. Characterized by an ontology of relations, Dasein is the comportment toward beings as such. For Heidegger, modern technology, and in particular digital informatic technology, would pose a challenge to human Dasein. The world is reduced to mere reportage, to mere information, to representation—we no longer have world, but world-picture (Weltbild), world taken as picture. Networked Dasein would indeed be a system of relations, but there would be no being-in-the-world, only a being-in-the-world-picture. This is why technology must take a new turn and become performative and embodied. Computer networks can be likened to superorganisms, such as swarms or ant colonies, which are constituted by emergent relations. Networks are characterized by an openness toward emergence and relationality. Networks are, in a sense, a non-human form of organization; hence, we should not be surprised if non-human animal organization like insect swarms offers a model for the emergent relational organization of the network. In “Politics of Swarms,” Jussi Parikka notes that as an emergent entity, the superorganism, the swarm might be better termed an event. Describing a full range of interactions, he writes, “These various cases present such structural couplings where a new entity, an event, seems to arise from the specific and very singular interactions taking place on the interface of various individuals and their vectors” (120). The swarm is an event, an event of relationality and interaction. The event of the swarm comes and goes, and this event seems to have an “intelligence” all its own, yet this intelligence belongs to no enduring entity, only the temporariness of the event. And although the temporality and speed of emergence is quick, a sudden change, the event-character of the swarm does not preclude a certain materializing or crystallizing of the event. Discussing myrmecologist William Wheeler’s interest in ant architecture, Parikka writes: “the organizational event of swarms feeds back with architecture. Organizational patterns and architectures are not conceptualized merely as stable structures of hierarchy that upkeep the social organization of, for example, a hive as rigid and non-changing. The architecture becomes living in itself and space is temporalized as a variating, metamorphosing topology that cannot be considered without its inhabitants. Here swarms and insect architecture are systems of living, not as structures, but as events irreducible to an individual…” (121). The temporality of the swarm is what is emphasized here: even the swarm’s architecture is emergent and it continues to be so in its relation to the swarm, which is itself the event of an inter-relation. This emphasis on time instead of space (as with Heidegger’s existential analytic) makes the swarm and swarm architecture akin to the temporal technics of music. For media theorists like Alexander Galloway and Eugene Thacker, or more lately Jussi Parikka, the non-human cosmology of digital networks finds its model in the insect swarm, and I propose that contemporary experimental electronic sound-art is also instructed by a certain swarm or “insect musicology.” Although insect swarms are often analyzed as architectural, spatial, or visual formations, they can also be analyzed as an emergent temporal, rhythmic, and sound formation that serves as a model for an emergent “insect musicology.” Just as Kraftwerk announced in 1978 that “wir sind die roboter”, we might now have to say “Insects R Us.” One of the reasons why the concept of “swarm” is a useful mediator for listening to Lenczycki’s piece Broken Orbits and Forgotten Hymns is that an amorphous and emergent sound formation and rhythm unfolds: repetition and pattern do not rule here. The swarm, above all, is a temporal assembly of relations that is non-hierarchical, emergent, and amorphous, which suggest that it would inspire a new cosmos that is neither order nor chaos. Out of a new network of sound relations, a new cosmos emerges. The swarm is not chaos, yet it is not a hierarchical, centralized, rational order either: it is a temporal assemblage that is akin to cosmic music. Parikka writes that the affect that triggers the swarm is a “murmur, whisper, and a refrain that even the bees might not hear but sense in some uncanny way” (Insect Media 118). For us, one of the striking features of the swarm, for instance a swarm of bees, is its sound: unlike the focused and crowning roar of a ferocious predator, the wavering buzz and sweeping drone of a vast multitude signal an imminent and uncontrollable final take-over, generating an amorphous and multi-directional anxiety. Sound, by definition, seems to resist specific embodiment; instead, there is an immersion in a sonic-cosmos that is more akin to a swarming network of relations rather than a particular reified body. The music of the hive, the swarm, the colony, and the mound interfaces with digital technology, generating an interspecies sonic arrangement (kosmos). David Kristian’s Micornymph vs. Macronymph overtly performs the affinity between the electro-mechanical patterns of insects and experimental digital music. As with Kristian’s work, digitality is the mediating substrate of Gregory Lenczycki’s cosmic interspecies composition, yet there is less he-grizzly bullwacking here. Instead, Broken Orbits and Forgotten Hymns explores the gentler aspects of electronic swarming and flight: there’s a lot of levitating lift-off, a wavering in the levitation, a wobbling, but then a stabilizing. We might hear the allusion to some sitar inspired levitation, but an electronic cello grounds this flight in stability. These are some very deep and serious insects: perhaps meditating in a cave, like Johnny Cash, facing the cave’s wall of rock, and love’s ring of fire, trying to understand how their poverty in world differs from the stone’s total lack of world.
Abrams Wins whiting English Department lecturer, Hannah Dela Cruz Abrams’ novella, The Man Who Danced with Dolls, won one of this year's Whiting Writers’ Awards of $50,000. The novella is the portrait of a family’s legacy — the language of their memories, the secrets of their buried past, and the subway busker whose wordless dancing punctuates their lives. See details here. Junior wins award Jamie Watson's Honors College newsletter tied for first in a national competition. Here are all the details. Joyce Carol Oates and John Updike are just two of the many speakers the English Department has helped bring to the campus. If you want to talk to the best minds in literature, the English Department is a great starting place. Check out who else we've brought to campus.. Want to see England the way Jane Austen saw it? You can -- if you are awarded one of the dozen or so fellowships that Mr. Charles F.Green III provides. details are here. Paris, London, Rome, Madrid, and other world cities are only an application here. See International Programs for details. The English Department also offers a 3-credit study abroad course that goes to Buenos Aires, Argentina, for 2 weeks. See our blog for more details. English in Action Showcase Want to get a sampling of what other students have accomplished in their classes? Take a look. English in Action Photo above: (l-r) Victor Malo-Juvera, a scholar of English Education and an assistant professor of English, who moderated the interview July 2, 2014, in the Convention Center in downtown Wilmington; Donyell Roseboro, associate professor, Department of Instructional Technology, Foundations, and Secondary Education in the Watson College of Education; Candace Thompson, assistant professor of Education whose rousing concluding remarks married the personal, the political, and the poetic; Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker; and Marlon Moore, assistant professor of English, a scholar of contemporary Black Women Writers. -- Photo by Rory Laverty Showcase: Dec. 3, 3-5 p.m. in the Warwick Center The English In Action (EIA) Showcase is held at the end of both the fall and spring semesters and provides a forum for students to display the work they have done throughout the semester in their English courses -- from composition and professional writing to literary theory. Preparing Students for the World In addition to the mainstays of poetry, literature and rhetoric, English is a major that provides many opportunities beyond teaching. The department offers learning tracks that encompass the latest in Web work, the cutting edge in telling stories visually and by sound. For instance, students who took part in our May study abroad trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, turned a piece of classic literature into a graphic novel, taking the photos and distilling the storyline themselves. Studying English is no longer sitting hours at a desk; it is entering into the 21st Century by preparing students how to navigate and excel in a global environment where communication is the gold standard of success. The English Department leads the way in providing our students with real-world experience and the practical knowledge that comes from that effort. Whether it's interning at a newspaper, preparing suites of business literature or writing press releases for nonprofit agencies-- among the dozens of opportunities we offer -- students are better prepared for life after graduation through these service learning experiences. Clubs and Societies Talking James Joyce over coffee or arguing WikiLeaks over hot dogs, student organizations in the English Department tackle the esoteric ("What's with Joyce and that oversized period anyway?") and the down-to-Earth (literature is an exercise in life). Check out our Sigma Tau Delta chapter and join the activities. The restless student need look no further than the English Department for opportunities. The Wentworth Travel Fellowships sponsor about a dozen students each year to travel to countries as far flung as china and India or areas as nearby as Concord Mass., in order to follow in the footsteps of their favorite authors. Also, many English Department students have gone to Wales to take advantage of Swansea University's study abroad program. A long-standing addition to our offerings is a 3-credit May trip to Buenos Aires where students study the art, literature and music of one of the most beautiful capital cities of the world. You can take a look at what past students have experienced by going to the ENG 294 WordPress blog. In additional to the Wentworth travel awards, the Department also offers a variety of honors and awards that range from being named an outstanding graduate to an award that pays tuition and another that pays for books. All the details are here.
so my laptop that's just over two months old crashed and now i am left computer-less and miserable because i can't watch cartoons in the comfort of my own room. so if y'all are wondering why i haven't been posting is because my laptop is getting fixed. but i promise when i get it back i'm gonna blog with a vengeance. see you later homeslices. Tuesday, July 22, 2008 in many ways, the nineties can be viewed upon as the last decade when fashion was still a member's only club and still held intrigue amongst those who were not part of it's elitist circle. the advent of the communication age and the internet revolution has democratized fashion and made it more easily accessible for those who although cannot afford it, is able to give them an insiders look on a business which at one point in time protected its world and ideas with the most heightened sense of security. it might be hard to imagine that it wasn't so long ago that the idea of camera men inside a fashion show was enough to create panic of gargantuan proportions. in those days, designers protected their ideas and its integrity fervently. they were weary of being copied because back then fashion houses would sell their designs to mass market retailers to be able to be duplicated for a price. nowadays, one only has to turn on the computer a day after a fashion show and be able to view the whole collection on-line, video streaming included. only to see an interpretation of it two months later at high street retailers front display windows for a fraction of the price. the mood of urgency in fashion right now to produce the next newest thing has become a race that although sometimes is still able to produce collections with an actual impact outside of fashion, usually results in, for a lack of a better word, uninspired. save for a few designers of course who are more interested in developing their respected houses rather than looking for the seasonal cash cows, the lack of a strong, coherent idea across the globe to produce a look that defines the two thousands is a testament that although this decade has sold more luxury hand bags and accessories than previous times, it fails to assert a personality. in the nineties, there were two distinct aesthetics that defined the decade. two distinct schools of fashion that found favor with the women of those times. one who preferred beautiful simplicity through rigor and technique, and the woman who used fashion to realize the fantastical. calvin klein-spring/summer 1995 jil sander-spring/summer 1997, prada-spring/summer 1997, helmut lang-fall/winter 1996 the minimalist movement in fashion gained momentum during the mid-nineties. after such an extravagant display of opulence during the second golden age of couture in the eighties and followed by the overt excessiveness of gianni versace in the early nineties, the fashion pendulum had no where else to go but the direct opposite of it. after the grunge explosion of 93, the new mood of fashion was headed towards a more reality based sensibility. after everything that was piled on to fashion, the need to strip it down to its most minimal and the "less is more" mantra became a more predominant theme. perhaps the coming of a new millennium and a sense of exhaustion after a sixties and seventies revival, designers were looking for a real sense of modernity. and one of the strongest themes of modernism in art has been a minimal aesthetic. championed by the likes of calvin klein and miuccia prada, both designers presented a collection during the fall/winter 1994 shows filled with knee length hemlines, an extremely muted palette of neutral colours, and a little sense of austerity and maturity. mind you at this time most of the collections were presenting the mini skirt, cropped tops, and a more playful and frivolous feel, the collection prada and klein showed would eventually change the course of fashion and bring the minimalist idea forward. amongst those designers whose profiles were suddenly at the forefront were the german born jil sander who has been designing with the minimalist aesthetic since starting her eponymous house in 1968 but only really gained popularity during the nineties. and then there was helmut lang, the austrian who was able to combine minimalism with utilitarian details to create a look that matched the harder edge of the nineties with luxury and by doing so became one of the biggest influences to the new generation of designers that heralded the twenty first century. the minimalist aesthetic was the one theme that was present in new york, milan, and paris. each major fashion capital had designers creating under the minimalist umbrella. although there were subtle changes across the ponds, the spirit of minimalism was obviously pronounced throughout. it influenced new designers and at times even coerced older designers to adapt to its philosophies. minimalism has been the defining look of the nineties. the ideas presented by minimalism influenced everything in fashion. from advertising, presentation, and even the models, the minimalist idea was the major theme. however influential minimalism was, the atmosphere in the nineties was able to cradle two opposing aesthetic. one that was focused on purpose and sensibility, and another that explored ideas not confined in one theme, but harvested influences like an alchemist to produce creations that however overtly decorated and impractical, had a new modern spirit that separated it from any attachment to the eighties. john galliano-spring/summer 1997 alexander mcqueen-spring/summer 1997, jean paul gaultier-fall/winter 1994, vivienne westwood-fall/winter 1995 as dominant as the minimalist ideology was at the time, there was a group of designers that provided a respite from the "bareness" that was so prevalent during the nineties. leading this group of maverick designers were the british, most notable john galliano. galliano first gained notoriety after his graduate collection from central saint martins entitled "incroyables". inspired by the new romantic movement, the wave of japanese designers showing in paris, and the eccentric eighties london club scene populated with colourful characters such as the performance artist leigh bowery. even in the beginning, the fantasy element and the collision of exoticism and cultural references were apparent from the start. in the nineties, galliano's romantic vision blossomed and started to gain influence. his theatrical runway presentation which merged fashion and performance filled with ambience and models playing characters became the hottest ticket in paris. in his sensitive hands he combined themes as disparate as masai, native america, the belle epoque, ancient egypt, flamenco, asia and the circus into a creative hodgepodge even with all the contrasting ingredients, became absolutely delicious amidst a sea of black and beiges and the utalitarian sensibility. it was his romanticism that eventually landed him the job as creative director for the illustrious house of christian dior in 1997. the sheer joy of galliano's collection balanced the sometimes overt seriousness in the minimalist attire. while galliano's collections celebrated the joy of life, his country man alexander mcqueen saw beauty in the darker side of things initially prompting shock and outrage from the public with his sentiments. he eventually won the crtics over by displaying his ability to also present collections of unapologetic beauty. more specifically his "water" collection of spring/summer 1997, and the "robot" collection a year later. although galliano and mcqueen were relative new comers in the business, the old guard of the romantic movement, namely vivienne westwood and jean paul gaultier also flourished at this time. westwood who has been one of the most influential designers of the past twenty years asserted herself again as a creative force that was showing no sign of fatigue. just as she did when she invented the punk aesthetic, she continued to challenge perceptions of female beauty. this time borrowing techniques and philosophies from days gone by. at a time when everyone was so concentrated on the future, westwood, in true punk form broke away from the collective thought and looked at the past not as a revivalist, but as an archeologist searching for a truth. like galliano, gaultier has always cross referenced multi-culturalism as a proverbial theme. the nineties saw him fusing traditional ethnic costumes with modern street fashion like the underground culture of tattooing and body modification to continue to make his work contemporary and relevant. not once losing the humor and french sophistication he built his reputation on. as the nineties drew to a close and a new era of opulence was starting to emerge brought upon by the likes of tom ford at gucci, minimalism fell out of favor. while designers like calvin klein and jil sander were still staunch supporters of the movement, the popularity of ford and the new mood he brought captured the public's imagination. unlikely factors such as the before mentioned internet revolution, celebrity obsession, and the rise of urban superstars who regularly dropped luxury labels into their lyrics with their penchant for flashing their goods at any opportunity greatly added to the demand for luxury brands. and since one of the minimalist creed is to be subdued and personal, these new harbingers of "cool" instead chose the loudest and most elborate pieces to be noticed. influencing consumers to buy products identified with a celebrity. the new romantics however managed to elevate their craft to the highest level of fashion. galliano, mcqueen, and gaultier all became creative directors at haute couture houses and westwood is still able to provoke controversy. most recently with her support for various causes such as the environment. what these designers did manage to do was to combine their romantic ideas with the purpose of minimalism. to look at galliano's work now and ten years ago its obvious to see that he now puts more regard to the wearability and function of the clothes, not just its show value. and now a new breed of designers like raf simons is again championing the minimalist ideology. proving that the ideas that stemmed from it will reverberate and continue to influence the designers of the future. Wednesday, July 16, 2008 i loooooooooove boys who kinda look homeless but smells really good and patrick petitjean is in my opinion the textbook example of that. not that i've personally experience a whiff of his scent or anything, but he's a model so he has to have good hygiene. hands down his scruffy, fuzzy beard is the hottest thing ever. its not like he doesn't look amazing clean shaven, but i like gnarly beards. and if his face isn't hot enough, his lifestyle definitely is. the man lives in the mountains in the pyranese and he doesn't even have a fucking phone (which i love because i am also one of the last breeds of humanity that doesn't have a cellphone). so basically his agency can't get a hold of him when a client wants to book him but he's so amazing that people would wait just to work with him. lately i've been diggin older looking dudes because boys today all look alike and they have no character. well the hotness that is patrick petitjean is overflowing with character. i hate the outdoors and shit, but i would fucking sleep in a tent on the floor in the mountains if only for a chance to spoon with him. Sunday, July 13, 2008 the fashion world has always had its fair share of romantics. from the fertile imaginations of dior and saint laurent, fashion was never short of those who used fantasy to make what women dream of become a reality. in the era of dior and saint laurent, fashion was utilized as a tool to provide people with a certain sense of optimism. following a horrific experience as a result of the second world war, the world was in a desperate need for beauty and perfection. and the fashion of those times, with its strict conduct of propriety, reflected all of that. fast forward seven decades later and the escapist function of fashion has fallen out of favor in modern times with its obsessive need for reality. this however doesn't mean that the great romantics are gone, only this time around a darker, more confrontational, and more anti-establishment sensibility has taken its place to react with the a more pessimistic world view. and this time around these neo-romantics, just like everything that influences fashion nowadays have taken inspiration from street culture. more specifically the goths. an offshoot of the punk movement, the only thing goths actually took from punk aesthetically was its anti-establishment philosophy. heavily influenced by the gothic and horror literature of victorian england and the melancholic side of existential philosophy, goths re-interpreted the dark romance found in those books and used them as "costumes" to unify their tribe. there is a mix of dandyism (which according to baudelaire is "one who elevates aesthetic into a living religion" - which is goth to some of its members), victoriana, a hint of s&m, elaborate make-up, and body modification just to name a few. there is also an interesting tension that is so pronounced in the gothic attire. the contrast of soft fabrics worn with rigid tailored pieces, the darkness of the black against the palest of skin, and victorian inspired pieces worn with futuristic materials like pvc or rubber. it all adds up into an interesting and provocative picture. such a defined aesthetic and the secretive nature of goths have made them an intriguing influence to designers like olivier theyskens who brought his gothic sensibility first to the lamented house of rochas and now to nina ricci. ricardo tisci who brought the dark allure of goths to the rarefied world of haute couture. the young upstart from london gareth pugh who combines gothic elements with experimentation with shapes and a flair for the theatric. and perhaps the most famous goth designer of them all, rick owens. the american designer who initially brought the gothic element to fashion. of all the sub-cultures, the goths are one that have changed very little over the years. although the genre has been divided to smaller sub-genres, perhaps the secretive nature of the culture has preserved its integrity. as influential as the movement is to certain fashion designers, i think its safe to say that the typical goth have no idea that their look inspires clothes that people spend thousands of dollars on. and maybe its that disregard for things outside their world and the clash of the traditional and the modern that designers find so fascinating. anne demeulemeester-fall/winter 2006, cerruti-spring/summer 2008, rick owens-fall/winter 2008, cloak-fall/winter 2005 givenchy haute couture-fall/winter 2007, rochas-fall/winter 2005, dior homme-fall/winter 2008, gareth pugh-spring/summer 2008 Tuesday, July 8, 2008 vogue italia: july 2008 photographer: steven meisel model: sessilee lopez like i said a couple of posts ago, sessilee is fucking siiiiiiiiiiiick. i mean she KILLED this editorial. i've always liked this girl ever since she came out a couple of years ago and for some reason i thought she was brazillian. however, ever since this amazingness dropped a few days ago i've since learned that she was born in the city of brotherly love, was signed to IMG before she moved to major models, this is the second time she's been in vogue italia (the first was in 2005 with gemma ward and hye park - also photographed by meisel), and she's in one of the version of kanye west's "flashing lights" video. i've also moved her to my top ten favorite models of the moment and i will light a candle in church everyday until she moves into the top rankings on models.com. first lets talk about how awesome the whole eighties/grace jones vibe thats going on and how after seeing the pictures its impossible to see anyone else who could've delivered the way la lopez did. and after a couple of months eagerly anticipating and waiting for the all black issue of vogue italia and assuming that it would be jourdan dunn that would blow me away (which she still did), and it was sessille who turned out the be the biggest surprise. vogue italia is like thirty dollars here in canada and i don't care if i have to eat ramen noodles for a week three times a day i am going to buy two copies of this issue so that i can have one wraped in an acid free clear bag and framed on my wall, and the other i can rip out the images so i can scan it, blow it up, and wall paper my room so that every morning when i wake up i can have the hottest women on the planet saying good morning to me. - ► 2009 (123) - not connected - the two faces of the nineties - patrick petitjean - the gothic sensibility - she sizzles - the devil and daniel johnston - alek wek - alexis mabille - haute couture fall/winter 2008 - anne valerie hash - haute couture fall/winter 2008... - super gay, super messed up - givenchy - menswear spring/summer 2009 - ▼ July (11) - a shaded view on fashion - bored and beautiful - cathy horyn - chasse gardee - contributing editor - coute que coute - creative boys club - dazed digital - elmer olsen - fashion bits and bobs - fashion gone rogue - foto decadent - her famed good looks - jak and jil - lex louise - men's rag - nicola formichetti - painting air - sans artifice - slow and steady wins the race - the fashionisto - the imagist - the sartorialist - whats wrong with the zoo
Homosexuality and Public Policy Article ID: 2137 Age Group: Adult Days Up: 6,080 Times Read: 16,742 Posted: April 3rd. 1998 Times Viewed: 16,742 I watch a lot of C-Span coverage. The television is usually turned on to channel 99 here in Clearwater for most of the day. Last night (Thursday April 2), it seems The "Traditional Values Coalition" talked C-Span into covering their sit down dinner and forum on "Homosexuality and Public Policy." I had never seen this TVC group in action before. I hope I never do again. After an introductory speech by TCV chairman, Rev. Lou Sheldon, the program immediately brought out its "big gun." Was it a political activist? A government official? A Religious Right leader? No. Their "big gun" stood at the podium in the shape of a young girl about 12 years old with wide eyes and long shiny hair. You see, the main tenets of The Traditional Values Coalition are to-" support "reparative therapy" and counseling for those desiring to leave the homosexual lifestyle and to oppose local, state and national legislation granting special rights for homosexuals." (TVC "California Voters Guide") This young girl stood at the podium and bravely recounted her story. She is being raised in a Christian home with parents who are concerned about her. She knows right from wrong. She openly declares herself a "born again" believer. She is secure in her beliefs. And then one day, she finds out that her teacher is gay. It happened after the "outing" episode of "Ellen," the little girl reads from her notes. Shortly after the "Ellen" show aired, her teacher asked the class what they thought about the episode. "Is it O.K. to be gay?' Pro or Con." Somewhere in the discussion, the teacher also revealed that she herself was gay. The California teacher, according to this girl's testimony, then deliberately singled the girl out to question because she said that she knew "how your parents are raising you." The little girl began to cry. She says she cried because she was embarrassed to be singled out that way. She said she cried because while she had heard rumors that her teacher may be gay, she was forced very publicly to have to acknowledge this fact. She cried because she knew that being gay was wrong. The little girl went home and told her parents what had happened. She knew that they would be upset. They had filed an "opt out" form with the school that their child would not be exposed to pro-homosexual materials. They were upset. Her parents demanded a meeting with the teacher and the school. They went through legal channels to censor the school for not following their expressed wishes for the child's curriculum to be honored. The story got into the newspapers. There was public moral outrage on both sides of the issue. I am sure that the little girl cried a lot during those times. She cried again when she got to the end of her presentation last night. Being publicly embarrassed in school is just wrong. Being thrust out into a media spotlight at such a young age is wrong, too. All because her teacher is gay and that is really, really wrong. She left the podium in tears. The program continued as the little girl's father spoke about all the trials and tribulations of being a parent in this ungodly age- the persecution and death threats that he and his family has received, the media coverage that has been less than kind to their cause and the resulting finding in the legal case that no real harm had been done to his daughter by the teacher or school system. His daughter was standing here crying, wasn't she? Then a fire fighter come forward. He may lose his job after distributing anti-gay literature while on the job. His new fire chief happens to be a lesbian. He had been ordered to stop handing out the pamphlets. It could undermine the new chief's authority and make her job more difficult. He kept handing them out and demonstrated against her at her official swearing-in ceremony. He may be fired. What a travesty! Another lowlight was the appearance of gospel singers, Debbie and Angie Winans. ''There's a spirit that is a homosexual spirit. It's unclean and not of God,'' they said. ''That spirit is the enemy. It's a strong spirit, it's deceitful.'' The Winans sisters created a stir last fall with a song called ''Not Natural'' that includes an anti-gay verse. They peddled contact information to those present at the forum who wanted to buy their tape. It was a very sad and hate-filled program. Wearing their moral outrage like the perfectly coifed hair of Paula Jones' advisor Susan Carpenter McMillan, the attendees called for the return of "family values." What they overlooked, of course, was the fact that the lesbian fire chief and the gay teacher probably have families, too. I don't know what their families thought about this program. But my mind kept returning to the image of that little girl crying at the podium. I heard the words that she spoke. She has undoubtedly given this speech before. She has the support of her parents and the Traditional Values Coalition. As I recalled the reasons that she gave to explain her tears, I suddenly realized what was missing from her story. How does a young child who likes-and even admires-her teacher come to grips with the sudden realization that her teacher has been declared by her parents and her faith as the embodiment of evil? A long held supposition in the Pagan community has been that if people come to know us first as good honest folks that when they find out that we are Pagan, it will not make any difference. We may have been wrong about that. Confronting complex issues- such as the conflict which can arise when a long held assumption turns out to be wrong- is a difficult job even for adults. To find out that a personal hero or mentor may really be a liar or a thief can shake the very foundations of a person's belief system. What one thought was good turns out to be bad. What one put trust in has betrayed that trust. These things can leave deep and lasting scars on a person's psyche. As I thought about this young girl's tears, I wondered what she really thinks about her teacher. Not about the issue itself or what her parents have coached her to say or what effect this may have on her Christian faith. But how does she really feel now? Has she been able to reconcile the warmth that she may have felt toward her teacher with this new thought: Should the teacher decide not to undergo the TVC prescribed counseling to change her sexual orientation that her teacher is no longer worthy of her love? Has she been able to understand her own horror that a valued mentor turned out not to be not a role model to be admired, but someone that her faith denounces as the worst sort of Satanic enemy? How does she deal with the fact that the feelings of love and admiration she may once have felt for this woman-because of the misguided and hateful agenda of organizations like The Traditional Values Coalition- must now be twisted into a public display of revulsion and anger? This little girl has just learned that her faith- a faith that preaches of love and forgiveness-is also a faith that teaches hate and intolerance. No wonder she was crying. I was crying, too... Walk in Light and Love, The Witches' Voice - Clearwater, Florida Location: Tampa, Florida Other Articles: Wren has posted 318 additional articles- View them? Other Listings: To view ALL of my listings: Click HERE Email Wren... (No, I have NOT opted to receive Pagan Invites! 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Book Explores Catholic-Protestant Presence in ShakespeareJan. 30, 2007 by Jennifer Hannah, associate marketing manager, Baylor University Press, (254) 710-4800 In her new book Shakespeare's Christianity, author Beatrice Batson investigates the Catholic and Protestant foundations in three of Shakespearean tragedies: Julius Caesar, Macbeth, and Hamlet. Throughout the each of these plays are distinct footprints of Elizabethan England's religious struggles and tensions. Baylor University Press is pleased to announce the December 2006 publication of this book. "This stimulating collection of smart essays demonstrates not only that Shakespeare was theologically informed but also that Christian language and concepts were integral to the design of his major tragedies. The formidable contributors enable us to hear lost echoes of Scripture and sermon, polemic and Prayer Book that reverberate in nearly every scene," said Peter Leithart of New St. Andrews College. Bypassing the discussion of Shakespeare's personal religious beliefs, Batson instead focuses on Catholic and Protestant traditions that underlie and inform Shakespeare's artistic genius. "As we make our way through these essays, here observing Shakespeare's Catholic sensibility and there his Protestant one, we see the playwright's infinite variety in a light both familiar and critically new," said Joseph Candido of the University of Arkansas. Batson received her doctorate from Vanderbilt University and is now Professor Emerita of English at Wheaton College. Established in 1897, Baylor University Press serves the academic community by publishing works that integrate faith and understanding. The Press features publications in the areas of religion and public life, Judaism and Christianity, Christianity and literature, religion and higher education, religion and rhetoric, and philosophy of religion.
The Royal College revitalizes its Maintenance of Certification program and MAINPORT web application OTTAWA, June 14, 2011 /CNW/ - As part of an ongoing commitment to high-quality health care provided by competent physicians, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada has developed and launched a thoroughly redesigned Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program along with a revised MAINPORT web application. "We developed the new systems after an extensive period of study," said Craig Campbell, MD, FRCPC, director of the Royal College's Office of Professional Affairs. "The revisions are informed by two streams of evidence: a comprehensive study with 3,000 Royal College Fellows and a thorough review of the continuing professional development research literature." First launched in 2001, the MOC Program is an evidence-informed educational initiative designed to support, enhance and promote the continuing professional development (CPD) activities of specialist physicians in Canada. The revisions mark a significant evolution in the Royal College's steadfast effort to support the lifelong learning goals of specialists. "The result is a streamlined, more flexible MOC Program that provides you with more choice of learning activities, more control to plan your professional development and greater incentives to participate in self-learning and assessment activities," said Dr. Campbell. To complement the MOC Program improvements, MAINPORT — the web application system where CPD activities are documented — has also been redesigned. MOC Program participants can now set practice goals, including plans and dates for completing those goals, and link their learning activities to one or more CanMEDS Roles. The Royal College has also developed a mobile MAINPORT application for the Android, iPhone, iPad or BlackBerry that is accessible at https://m-mainport.royalcollege.ca. "The new MAINPORT is more effective as a CPD/learning management system than the old version," said Steven Simpson, MD, FRCPC, of Calgary, Alta., one of 12 CPD educators recruited from across the country to help MOC Program participants learn the new system. "It has a more inviting interface and enables me to track my activities as I move through the process of developing and recording them," he added. Assistance from CPD educators is one of several ways the Royal College is supporting MOC Program participants through transition from the former system. Other training opportunitie include a MAINPORT flash tutorial and one-on-one sessions with Membership Services Centre staff. About the Royal College The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is a national, not-for-profit organization of more than 42,000 members in 87 countries. The Royal College contributes to improving the health of Canadians by setting the highest standards for specialty medicine across the continuum of lifelong learning. The organization is also a trusted partner in advancing sound health and public policy. To find out more, please visit www.royalcollege.ca. Telephone: 613-730-8177 ext. 474
\|Creators:\|\|Ellard, Graham and Johnstone, Stephen\| 'Motion Path' was a twelve-screen video installation shown as one of three individual, but thematically linked, exhibitions about architect Erich Mendelsohn. 'Motion Path' was filmed in four buildings designed by Mendelsohn, located in Germany, the USA and England. The 11-minute films were exhibited as a synchronised twelve screen installation. 'Motion Path' was shot using custom-designed mobile camera mounts and foregrounds the language and effects of parallax, transparency and simultaneity in the filmic representation of architectural space. My interest in parallax and the mobile camera was developed from the research for 'Holding Pattern', a large scale public sculpture designed to be viewed through the windscreen of a moving vehicle. The project was constructed through extensive studio experimentation and consultation with relevant specialists. An essay mapping the historical context informing the work was researched through a literature review and was published as Motion Path. A single screen version of the video work was presented at the BFI Southbank in July 2007. \|Type of Research:\|\|Art/Design Item\| \|Your affiliations with UAL:\|\|Colleges > Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design\| \|Date:\|\|01 April 2006\| \|Deposited By:\|\|INVALID USER\| \|Deposited On:\|\|03 Dec 2009 23:42\| \|Last Modified:\|\|04 Jul 2014 17:21\|