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is in a great company is not
therefore not solitary. When, therefore, we have lost a brother or a son
or a friend on whom we were wont to rest, we say that we are left
solitary, and oftentimes we say it in Rome, with such a crowd meeting us
and so many dwelling about us, and, it may be, having a multitude of
slaves. For the solitary man, in his conception, meaneth to be thought
helpless, and laid open to those who wish him harm. Therefore when we
are on a journey we then, above all, say that we are solitary when we
are fallen among thieves; for that which taketh away solitude is not the
sight of a man, but of a faithful and pious and serviceable man. For if
to be solitary it sufficeth to be alone, then say that Zeus is solitary
in the conflagration,[1] and bewails himself. _Woe is me! I have neither
Hera nor Athene nor Apollo_, nor, in short, either brother or son or
descendant or kinsman. And so some say he doth when alone in the
conflagration. For they comprehend not the life of a man who is alone,
setting out from a certain natural principle, that we are by nature
social, and inclined to love each other, and pleased to be in the
company of other men. But none the less is it needful that one find the
means to this also, to be able to suffice to himself, and to be his own
companion. For as Zeus is his own companion, and is content with
himself, and considereth his own government, what it is, and is occupied
in designs worthy of himself; thus should we be able to converse with
ourselves, and feel no need of others, nor want means to pass the time;
but to observe the divine government, and the relation of ourselves with
other things; to consider how we stood formerly towards the events that
befall us, and how we stand now; what things they are that still afflict
us; how these, too, may be healed, how removed; and if aught should need
perfecting, to perfect it according to the reason of the case.
2. Ye see now how that Caesar seemeth to have given us a great peace;
how there are no longer wars nor battles nor bands of robbers nor of
pirates, but a man may travel at every season, and sail from east to
west. But can he give us peace from fever? or from shipwreck? or from
fire? or earthquake? or lightning? ay, or from love? _He cannot._ Or
from grief? _He cannot._ Or from envy? _He cannot._ Briefly, then, he
cannot secure us from any of such things. But the word of the
philosophers doth promise us peace even from these things. And what
saith it? _If ye will hearken unto me, O men, wheresoever ye be,
whatsoever ye do, ye shall not grieve, ye shall not be wroth, ye shall
not be compelled or hindered, but ye shall live untroubled and free from
every ill._ Whosoever hath this peace, which Caesar never proclaimed (for
how could he proclaim it?), but which God proclaimed through His word,
shall he not suffice to himself when he may be alone? for he beholdeth
and considereth, _Now can no evil happen to me; for me there is no
robber, no earthquake; all things are full of peace, full of calm; for
me no way, no city, no assembly, no neighbor, no associate hath any
hurt_. He is supplied by one, whose part that is, with food, by another
with raiment, by another with senses, by another with natural
conceptions. And when it may be that the necessary things are no longer
supplied, that is the signal for retreat: the door is opened, and God
saith to thee, _Depart_.
----"Whither?"
To nothing dreadful, but to the place from whence thou camest--to things
friendly and akin to thee, to the elements of Being. Whatever in thee
was fire shall go to fire; of earth, to earth; of air, to air; of water,
to water;[2] no Hades, nor Acheron, nor Coeytus, nor Phlegethon, but all
things are full of Gods and Powers.[3] Whoso hath these things to think
on, and seeth the sun and the moon and the stars, and rejoiceth in the
earth and the sea, he is no more solitary than he is helpless.
----"What, then, if one come and find me alone and slay me?"
Fool! not thee, but thy wretched body.
3. Thou art a little soul bearing up a corpse.
4. What solitude, then, is there any longer, what lack? Why do we make
ourselves worse than children, which, when they are left alone, what do
they?--they take shells and sand and build up somewhat, and then throw
it down, and again build up something else, and so they never lack
pastime. And shall I, if ye sail away from me, sit down and weep for
that I am left alone and solitary? Shall I have no shells nor sand? But
children do these things through their folly, and we through our wisdom
are made unhappy.
CHAPTER X.
AGAINST THE CONTENTIOUS AND REVENGEFUL.
1. To suppose that we shall become contemptible in the eyes of others,
unless in some way we inflict an injury on those who first showed
hostility to us, is the character of most ignoble and thoughtless men.
For thus we say, that a man is to be despised according to his inability
to do hurt; but much rather is he to be despised according to his
inability to do good.
2. The wise and good man neither strives with any himself, nor in the
measure of his power will he allow another to strive. And in this, as in
all other things, the life of Socrates is set before us as an example;
who did not only himself fly all contention, but also forbade it to
others. See in Xenophon's _Symposium_ how many quarrels he ended; and,
again, how he bore with Thrasymachus, and how with Polus and with
Callicles; and how he endured his wife, and how his son, which opposed
him with sophistical arguments. For he remembered very well that no man
can command the ruling faculty of another.
3. How, then, is there yet any place for contention in one so minded?
For what event can amaze him? what appear strange to him? Doth he not
look for even worse and more grievous things at the hands of evil men
than do befall him? Doth he not count everything for gain which is short
of the extreme of injury? Hath such a one reviled thee? Much thanks to
him that he did not strike thee. _But he did also strike me._ Much
thanks that he did not wound thee. _But he did also wound me._ Much
thanks that he did not slay thee. For when did he learn, or from whom,
that he was a tame animal, and affectionate to others, and that to the
wrongdoer the wrong-doing itself is a heavy injury? For since he hath not
learned these things, nor believes them, wherefore should he not follow
that which appears to be his advantage? Thy neighbor hath flung stones!
Hast thou, then, sinned in aught? But he has broken things in the house?
And art thou a household vessel? Nay--but a Will.
4. What, then, hath been given thee for this occasion? To a wolf it were
given to bite--to fling more stones. But if thou seek what is becoming
for a man, look into thy stores, see what faculties thou hast come here
furnished withal. Hast thou the nature of a wild beast? the temper of
revenge?
5. When is a horse in wretched case? When he is bereaved of his natural
faculties; not when he cannot crow, but when he cannot run. When is a
dog? Not when he cannot fly, but when he cannot track. Is not a man,
then, also thus wretched, not when he cannot strangle lions or embrace
statues[1]--for to this he came endowed with no faculties by Nature--but
when he hath lost his honesty, his faithfulness? Surely we should meet
together and lament over such a man; so great are the evils into which
he hath fallen. Not, indeed, | |
not in Holinshed. It has been transferred from his account of the witches' hailing of Macbeth and Banquo. Not unusually for Shakespeare, this casts a less than happily legitimate light upon the denouement. Doubt is reinforced by the fact that, like the witches' greeting of Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor, Macduffe's entitling of Malcolme is premature, prophetic, in that it precedes a decision of the thanes. In a very _Macbeth_ way, Macduffe pressures the nobles by anticipation into delivering what he wants, saying that he already hears what is in their minds (again, in a minor key, like Macbeth's ambition educed by the witches).
This is the cue which prompts the thanes to a chorus of salutation:
_[Macduffe.]_ Behold where stands
Th'Vsurpers cursed head: the time is free:
I see thee compast with thy Kingdomes Pearle,
That speake my salutation in their minds:
Whose voyces I desire alowd with mine.
Haile King of Scotland.
_All_. Haile King of Scotland. _Flourish_. (V.vii. TLN 2506-12)
Those with an ear for irony will hear the insubstantiality of 'voyces' (like the 'Voyces' of election that Coriolanus scornfully calls for). Those with an eye for it will be struck by the way the witches' 'All haile' (a phrase with overtones of betrayal elsewhere in Shakespeare) returns to the page through a Folio speech prefix (' _All_. Haile King of Scotland'). It is in the hands of directors whether the flourish sounds from the tiring house unannounced, as the play's endorsement, as it were, of Malcolme's new title, or whether Macduffe signals the trumpeters, to orchestrate this relatively benign coup or assertion of heritable principles. What it remains for criticism to do is to analyse the connection between the hailing of the witches and that of the nobles. To undertake this task is to return to the topic of offices and titles highlighted by _The Valiant Scot_.
*** * ***
That the word _hail_ occurs far more often in _Macbeth_ than in any other play by Shakespeare cannot be entirely explained by the freedom with which the witches use it in Act I and the thanes echo them in Act V. Hardly has the action begun than Malcolme greets the bleeding sergeant with a 'Haile, braue friend' (I.ii. TLN 23). There is no doubt, however, that the witches give hailing prominence:
_Mac_. Speake if you can: what are you?
_1_. All haile _Macbeth_ , haile to thee _Thane_ of Glamis.
_2_. All haile _Macbeth_ , haile to thee _Thane_ of Cawdor.
_3_. All haile _Macbeth_ , that shalt be King hereafter. (I.iii. TLN 147-50)
Requesting a greeting for himself (a curious gambit), Banquo is rewarded with a similar, yet developing, refrain, as 'Hayle' repeated by each of the witches turns into riddling doublets:
_3_. Thou shalt get Kings, though thou be none:
So all haile _Macbeth, and Banquo_.
_1. Banquo, and Macbeth, all_ haile. (I.iii. TLN 167-9)
By means of these repetitions, _hail_ gains cumulative weight, yet it also evolves in significance. The process starts as the witches use 'haile' not only as a greeting but as an imperative to one another to hail their visitors and then as a description of what they are doing. As one witch hails she hails another to join her in hailing; and if uttering the word binds them together, as their broken, choric utterances repeatedly do, so does its semantic field, since 'all haile' could mean 'all whole'. As figures of inversion--a Shakespearean anti-masque--the witches parody in their three-in-oneness the constitutional theology of the Jacobean threefold monarchy. _Hail_ implies 'whole' because it also means, especially in northern usage, 'health'--being sound and whole in body. At the start of a play preoccupied with insanity and disease, the witches mockingly wish upon Macbeth and Banquo all the health they set out to subvert with the bad medicine they brew up in what they say as well as their cauldron. This is one reason why their greeting sounds like a charm. Another is that the weird sisters wish the travellers 'luck'--an archaic meaning of _hail_ , as it is of weird (i.e. 'wayward/weyard'). Wholeness can be projected upon Macbeth and Banquo because they are, like those who greet them--Jacobean versions of the three fates--joined in their 'lot' or 'destiny'. The ambiguity of welcome is underwritten by the slipperiness of the word.
Macbeth has another question:
Stay you imperfect Speakers, tell me more:
By _Sinells_ death, I know I am _Thane_ of Glamis,
But how, of Cawdor? the _Thane_ of Cawdor liues
A prosperous Gentleman: And to be King,
Stands not within the prospect of beleefe,
No more then to be Cawdor. Say from whence
You owe this strange Intelligence, or why
Vpon this blasted Heath you stop our way
With such Prophetique greeting? (I.iii. TLN 170-8)
The play's concern with how fathers relate to sons has led critics to make much of Macbeth's lack of an heir. Yet the role registered in his name (Mac-, 'son of') is also striking, since he has come to lack a father. By that death he inherits the title Thane of Glamis. Did Cawdor not have a son? (How many children had Lady Cawdor?) Perhaps the treachery imputed to the father has been punished in his heir. Perhaps the lack of an heir made the Thanedom ripe for redistribution. Either way, _Macbeth_ starts with a heritable title being allocated by order of the king. In this the play, like _The Valiant Scot_ , is potently of its period. It is a strategy that Duncan will revisit, obscured from the sight of most modern commentators because passed off as not allocation at all, but inheritance, when he settles the estate of kingship, over which by Scottish custom he has no particular rights, upon his firstborn, Malcolme.
Before that, Macbeth receives official news of his own promotion. Giving _hail_ another twist, Rosse tells him how reports of his success in battle came 'thick as hail' to Duncan. Heralds announcing success approached the king with so many greetings (hailings), one upon another, that there was a blizzard of welcomes mixed with welcome reports. Because of this, Macbeth is to be not just thanked and heralded into the king's presence but _greeted._ This is a more handsome reward than it sounds because the greeting includes a title (we often hail a named addressee), and the anticipated form of that title (Cawdor) makes what Rosse obscurely says about this being 'earnest of a greater Honor' provocative because it is bound to put Macbeth in mind of the royal title that has been prophesied:
And for an earnest of a greater Honor,
He bad me, from him, call thee _Thane_ of Cawdor:
In which addition, haile most worthy _Thane_ ,
For it is thine. (I.iii. TLN 209-12)
Rosse's hailing is as insidious as that of the witches.
When Shakespeare's contemporary, Simon Forman, made notes on a performance that he had seen of _Macbeth_ he remembered from the next phase of the play the 'kindly wellcome' that Duncan gave to Macbeth and Banquo; and it is indeed remarkable how elaborately Macbeth is welcomed. Duncan lavishes upon him the sort of fulsome greeting--'Thou art so farre before, | That swiftest Wing of Recompense is slow, | To ouertake thee', and so forth (I.iv. TLN 299-301)--that seventeenth-century conduct-book writers, such as the Scotsman John Cleland, warn against. After fewer words of welcome to Banquo, marked as warmer by a physical embrace, Duncan seizes the chance to capitalize on the victories that Macbeth has won him:
Sonnes, Kinsmen, _Thanes_ ,
And you whose places are the nearest, know,
We will establish our Estate vpon
Our eldest, _Malcolme_ , whom we name hereafter,
The Prince of Cumberland: which Honor must
Not vnaccompanied, inuest him onely,
But signes of Noblenesse, like Starres, shall shine
On all deseruers. (I.iv. TLN 322-9)
Favouring Malcolme with estate, name, and honour, Duncan | |
Find a Grief Support Group
Virtual Grief Support Groups and Resources
HopeHealth is committed to provide you with the support you need. To ensure safety during the pandemic, we are offering our grief support groups virtually to anyone in our community who needs support. We invite you to join any of our many specialty and general groups for adults, children and healthcare providers. See our comprehensive offering here.
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Remote Grief Support During COVID-19
If you are coping with grief, we are here for you. Join us for one of our virtual grief support groups held through Zoom by following the details below. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at (888) 528-9077.
General Grief Support Group - Thursdays and Fridays
This is a general grief support group open to anyone who has lost a loved one and is in need of support.
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Click here to access the group on Thursdays from 5:30 – 7 p.m. E.T.
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Grupo de apoio ao luto em português e crioulo
Liderado por um facilitador especialmente treinado, este grupo oferece um ambiente seguro, confidencial e de apoio para pessoas que estão passando por luto relacionado à perda.
Para participar, registe-se mandando um e-mail para CenterforHopeandHealing@HopeHealthCo.org. No ato do registo vai receber uma senha. Todas as reuniões são protegidas por senha "password".
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The loss of a spouse or life partner can be a devastating experience leaving you feeling isolated from the world at large, but you are not alone. Join others who have experienced a similar grief experience for mutual support and comfort.
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January 11, 18, 25; February 1, 8, 15, 22
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Tuesdays 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. ET (This group is currently full.)
January 4, 11, 18, 25, February 1, 8
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March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; April 7
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This group is for anyone experiencing the loss of a parent.
Click here to access the group weekly on Wednesday from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. ET
Session 1: January 19, 26, February 2, 9, 16, 23
Session2: March 16, 23, 30, April 6, 13, 20
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This group is for anyone experiencing the loss of a child.
Click here to access our Loss of Child Group Biweekly on Mondays 4:00-5:30 p.m.
January 10, 24; February 14, 28; March 14, 28; April 11, 25
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Click here to access our Loss of Sibling Support Group monthly on Wednesdays 6:30-8:00 p.m. ET
January 26, February 23, March 30, April 27
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A supportive setting for those who have experienced the unique and challenging role of caregiver for a loved one with dementia and are now grieving the difficult loss of that person.
Third Monday of the Month from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. ET
Losing a Loved One to COVID-19: Comfort and Support - Wednesdays (Biweekly)
Grief research suggests that suffering personal losses can be particularly challenging when experienced in times of broader social stress. Loss of a loved one to COVID-19 can bring about complicated grief—a type of bereavement that is unusually difficult and long-lasting. From the sudden way the world changed, to the unanticipated decline in health of our loved ones, to the inability to hold memorials to honor them in their death all contribute to this unimaginable grief.
Join our experienced grief support group facilitators for a time of sharing, healing, and comfort each week as we continue to grieve together.
Click here to access the group biweekly on Wednesdays from 4:30-6:00 p.m. ET through Zoom
January 12, 26; February 9, 23; March 2, 16, 30; April 13, 27
Children's Grief Support Group - First Tuesday of the Month
This bi-weekly virtual group is for children aged 6-12 years old who have experienced the loss of a loved one. In this group, children will connect through art-focused activities facilitated by a grief counselor. Mindfulness techniques will be introduced and space for discussion will be provided.
This group is password protected. Please email Diane Labmert, grief counselor, at DLambert@HopeHealthCo.org to obtain the password.
First Tuesday of the month from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. ET through Zoom.
January 4, February 1, March 1, April 5
Teens Grief Support Group - Second Tuesday of the Month
This bi-weekly virtual group is for teens aged 13-17 years old who have experienced the loss of a loved one. In this group, teens will have the opportunity to connect through art-focused and mindfulness techniques facilitated by a grief counselor. A safe space is created for teens to discuss their grief and how that grief may be compounded by COVID-19.
This group is password protected. Please email Diane Lambert, grief counselor, at DLambert@HopeHealthCo.org to obtain the password.
Click here to access the group every second Tuesday of the month from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. ET through Zoom
January 11, February 8, March 8, April 12
Mindfulness Meditation for Grief and Healing - Wednesdays
Mindfulness meditation is a practice that engages posture, everyday movement, the breath and mindful, focused awareness. In practicing together, participants can foster a deeper sense of the present moment, reduce stress and anxiety and find deeper meaning after the death of a loved one.
Click here to access the group on Wednesdays from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. ET through Zoom
Soulful Signs - Tuesdays and Fridays (Biweekly)
This gathering explores the continued relationships with loved ones who have passed. This group includes a supportive and non-judgmental discussion about ways in which loved ones are communicating with us along with helpful tips and guidance to stay connected to them. For some, maintaining and nurturing these relationships are instrumental in healing from the pain of loss.
Tuesdays (biweekly) 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. ET
January 11, 25; February 8, 22; March 8, 22
Fridays (biweekly) 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. ET
January 7, 21; February 4, 18; March 4, 18
LGBTQ+ Grief Support Group - Fourth Monday of the Month
Led by a specially trained facilitator, this group provides a safe, confidential and supportive setting for individuals experiencing grief related to loss.
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The unprecedented public health crisis brought on by COVID-19 is impacting every aspect of daily life, but the emotional and physical toll on healthcare professionals in particular is daunting. Please join HopeHealth support group facilitators and your peers in the healthcare work force as we gather to provide comfort, emotional support, and resources that will help you to cope with the ongoing stressors and cumulative losses you are experiencing during this difficult time. Taking time to turn your caregiving inward while providing care for others helps create balance of mind, body, and spirit when it is needed most.
Click here to access the group on Mondays biweekly from 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. ET through Zoom
January 3, 17, 31; February 14, 28; March 7, 21; | |
Nagorno-Karabakh: If There Is No Peace, There Is a Threat of War
Browsing through the archives on my laptop, I found my one year old take on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. I can admit that the situation on the ground hasn't changed dramatically and my article is still reflecting the grave realities we face.
Unfortunately South Caucasus is rich not only with natural resources but also with numerous protracted conflicts, and the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region is among them. The ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been concluded on May 5, 1994, but no substantial progress has been made so far. The main international mediator – OSCE Minsk Group composed of representatives of Russia, France and the U.S. – has failed to bring any positive changes into the resolution of the conflict. The Madrid Principles of the resolution of the conflict adopted by both Armenian and Azerbaijani leadership in December 2007 have brought a light of hope but the following "war" over details disappointed many.
At first sight, it seems that the main bone of contention is whether the referendum defining the final legal status of the region should be conducted prior or after the return of the IDPs, who are of Azerbaijani-origin, because that would determine whether the region will remain as a part of Azerbaijan or proclaim independence. However, after many years of fruitless negotiations it becomes obvious that Armenia is very reluctant to return to Azerbaijani control not only the Nagorno-Karabakh region itself, but also the occupied territories surrounding the region. Armenian leadership is not yet ready to take such a bold decision; it not only lacks political capital to spend but also legitimacy among Armenian population. Any concession of land to the Azerbaijani side could result in the loss of power and political turmoil. Moreover, one should not forget that the current president of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, is originally coming from the Nagorno-Karabakh region and is said to be one of the founders of the Nagorno-Karabakh armed forces.
Politics of demonization of Armenians in Azerbaijan is another argument at hand which prevents any attempts to reconcile both sides. Armenian side has serious concerns that those Armenians, living in the Karabkh region, will be simply wiped out of their living places or turned to be second glass citizens of Azerbaijan.
Meanwhile, Armenia has adopted a "fence sitting" approach waiting for the more favourable international environment to come for self-determination of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh (read: without return of IDPs). Therefore it would be naïve to hope that a breakthrough in negotiations could be achieved by 2013, when the Armenian presidential elections are going to take place. While both presidents at the OSCE summit in Astana signed a joint statement reaffirming their "commitment to seek a final settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based upon the principles and norms of the international law", it still should not be considered as a safety net to avoid the breakout of the military actions.
Azerbaijani leadership is well aware of the situation and is trying to push Minsk Group mediators to put more pressure on Armenia while keeping military option as a last resort but the more frequent statements made by both politicians and military on the possibility of use of force to return back the occupied territories indicate that the patience is gradually running out. In its latest report[1] the International Crisis Group has warned on a possibility of the resumption of military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The situation has deteriorated over the past year, the cease-fire violations became more frequent and the causality figures increased. Unlike it is in Georgia, there is no so-called 24/7 working "hot line" among the parties to the conflict which could prevent the escalation of the conflict. Therefore any serious skirmish could easily spiralout of control and lead to the outbreak of war which could have far more grave consequences for the region than the Russia-Georgia war in August 2008.
In August 2010 Russia and Armenia signed the 5th Protocol to the Treaty on Russia's military base on the Armenian territories concluded in 1995. The Protocol envisaged that the Russian military base (located in the Northern city of Gyumri) will not only serve for the protection of the national interests of the Russian Federation, but will also ensure security of the host country, that is, Armenia, and provide modern weapons and equipment to Armenian armed forces. For those who have been following the developments in the region, there is nothing new in this document as Russia has long been providing armaments to Armenia. Moreover, both Armenia and Russia are parties to the Collective Security Treaty which envisages that an aggression against one of the state parties is an aggression against all. What is important here that the latest document is just one more explicit proof of Russia's biased position in the regulation of the conflict as well as to the fact that the key to the resolution of the conflict lies in Kremlin.
These developments led to the conclusion of the Agreement on Strategic Partnership and Mutual Support between Azerbaijan and Turkey, which pledges that both countries will support each other in a case of aggression and enhance military cooperation. The agreement shows an increasing fatigue, and even frustration with the current state of the negotiation process in Azerbaijan. The country has increased its military spending up to more than $ 3 billion, which is even more than the whole state budget of Armenia. The current growth in oil prices will lead to more fortune and more military spending, but this will not last forever. Azerbaijan's budget is heavily dependent on oil revenues. And as some pundits[2] predict that at the current rate of extraction Azerbaijani oil reserves may be depleted by 2019, but the oil boom will end in 2013. Less cash would mean fewer chances to regain Nagorno-Karabakh by force.
Azerbaijani diplomats tend to complain that foreigners come to Azerbaijan to get something profitable out of this country – Russians seek for obedience, Europeans seek for oil and gas, Iranians seek for an opportunity to export Islamic revolution, Americans seek for dominance and support Europeans in their quest for energy resources – and nobody cares of Azerbaijan's top national priority – restoration of the territorial integrity. The only partner for Azerbaijan which not only takes but also delivers is Turkey. But the frustration of the current negotiation format, explicit military and economic support of Russia to Armenia and looming descent in oil production might push Azerbaijani leadership to opt for the military solution, which would plunge the region into chaos.
The current format of the conflict mediation process is ineffective as it very much depends on the domestic situation. The upcoming presidential elections (scheduled for the first half of 2012) in all three countries represented in the OSCE Minsk Group – U.S., France and Russia – mean less focus on the resolution of the conflict. Moreover, due to a large presence of Armenian diaspora Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict often becomes an issue of domestic politics like it is in the U.S. or France.
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has largely been out of view for the European Union which has left the resolution of the conflict to the OSCE. In words of the President of European Commission Barroso, the EU is ready to provide assistance for rehabilitation in case a conflict settlement is reached.[3] But again there is a smell of gunpowder in the air, and again the EU is reluctant to step in. If the EU is not yet ready to make bold political decisions, it should invest more into reconciliation between two sides financially supporting non-profit organisations working in this field. Two generations have been brought up not speaking to each other. Azerbaijanis | |
Newslinks for Tuesday 22nd December 2020
Coronavirus 1) Mass Covid testing of lorry drivers could reopen ports
"Boris Johnson is drawing up contingency plans to test all lorry drivers taking goods across the Channel in order to bring an end to the disruption at Britain's ports. Ministers are understood to be preparing "infrastructure" to allow thousands of truckers to be tested for Covid-19 after France insisted hauliers should be cleared as negative before entering the country. On Monday night, Mr Johnson made a personal appeal to Emmanuel Macron, the French president, to reopen the French border after ports were closed in response to the news that a newly-discovered mutant coronavirus strain was "out of control" in London and the South-East. The Prime Minister told a Downing Street press conference he believed the risk of freight drivers passing on the new and highly infectious strain of Covid was very low." – Daily Telegraph
Johnson appeals to French president but freight ban remains – The Guardian
Chaos at ports could last until Christmas Eve – The Times
Macron's lorry ban is utterly pointless. Ambrose Evans-Pritchard – Daily Telegraph
MPs ETC: Johnson on Macron: "We both understand each other's positions". His statement. Full text.
Coronavirus 2) PM under pressure to impose new national lockdown
"Boris Johnson is facing intense pressure to impose another national lockdown within days, as more than 40 countries banned arrivals from the UK in an effort to keep out a new fast-spreading variant of coronavirus. Government scientific advisers warned that inaction could cost tens of thousands of lives and risk an "economic, human and social disaster", with the new strain spreading across the UK and overseas. Ministers urged people to avoid panic-buying food as France failed to lift its ban on freight and passengers from the UK on Monday despite a personal appeal from the prime minister, who asked Emmanuel Macron to put aside his "anxiety" over the new strain of Covid-19." – The Guardian
Mutant virus strain 'is everywhere', says adviser – The Times
Tier 4 restrictions set to spread across country, Vallance warns – Daily Telegraph
More areas of England set to enter tier 4 in race to curb new strain – FT
Whitty says hospital cases could match April peak by New Year – Daily Mail
Foreign experts scoff at British response to mutant virus – The Times
Regional response
All arrivals to Greater Manchester and West Midlands from Tier 4 and Wales asked to self-isolate – Sky News
January school closures considered – Daily Telegraph
New Covid variant in UK: spreading Christmas fear? – The Guardian
'Captain of a rudderless ship': Tory media turn on Johnson – The Guardian
Inside story of how PM forced into action – The Times
A nation on the brink, Editorial – The Guardian
National emergency, Editorial – The Times
Failed cycle of lockdowns is precisely why Parliament must step in, Adam Afriyie – Daily Telegraph
Britain is being punished for alerting world to new crisis, Tom Harwood – Daily Telegraph
How a string of failures by the government helped Covid to mutate, Anthony Costello – The Guardian
Our leaders are trapped in an echo chamber, Claire Fox – Daily Telegraph
Travel chaos, U-turns and a cancelled Christmas: it's Johnson's worst week, Polly Toynbee – The Guardian
ToryDiary: T.I.N.A
Video: WATCH: "There's no reason to think this new variant of the virus is any more dangerous" – Johnson
ToryDiary: The case for "doing a Sweden" runs out of steam
Coronavirus 3) William Hague: Ministers cannot afford to mess up vaccination plan now
"It is understandable that Boris Johnson's decision to ask much of the country to abandon their plans for Christmas with almost no notice has been subject to intense criticism. Some people think it should have happened earlier, others that it is not necessary at all, still others that some kind of conspiracy to achieve a tighter lockdown without parliamentary approval is afoot. The Government may have made many mistakes in the handling of the pandemic, but most people who read the minutes of the expert committee NERVTAG that met on Friday would agree with this latest decision of an obviously reluctant Prime Minister." – Daily Telegraph
Comment: Allie Renison: Pregnant and breastfeeding women deserve choice over whether they have the Coronavirus vaccine
Comment: Raghib Ali: Christmas is going to be tough, but there is finally light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel
Coronavirus 4) Government 'operated illegal buy British policy' for test kits
"The government was operating an illegal "buy British" policy when it signed contracts with a small UK firm to supply Covid antibody tests, claim lawyers who have filed a case against the health secretary. The Good Law Project said there were a number of other companies in a better position to supply antibody tests in June and August, when the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) agreed deals worth up to £80m with Abingdon Health without going out to tender. The government had also agreed a deal to share in the profits the company made, the lawyers say. The government was determined to get a British test, following the fiasco of the purchase by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, of 3.5m Chinese antibody tests in March with orders for a further 17.5m." – The Guardian
Coronavirus 5) Biden given vaccine on live TV
"President-elect Joe Biden received the first dose of his COVID-19 vaccine in Delaware on Monday, posing for the cameras as a local nurse administrated the shot. 'There is nothing to worry about,' he said as he reassured the public the vaccine was safe. Biden also gave credit to President Donald Trump's administration for its roll out of the cure. About 24 million people are expected to be given the first round of shots. The president-elect thanked the medical staff and urged Americans to follow coronavirus restrictions during the upcoming holiday period, including wearing face masks and practicing social distancing." – Daily Mail
Hopes of Brexit breakthrough after UK fishing offer
"Downing Street has made a major counter-offer on fishing access for EU fleets in British waters to break the Brexit trade talks deadlock, raising hopes of a deal before Christmas. After a difficult period of negotiations, with both sides seemingly entrenched, the UK's chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, is understood to have tabled a proposal that could unlock the troubled talks. According to EU sources, the British demand for a 60% reduction in the catch by value in British waters had been reduced to 35%, far closer to the 25% reduction that Frost's EU counterpart, Michel Barnier, had said he would be prepared to accept. Boris Johnson has also accepted a five-year phase-in period for the new arrangements, with a compromise also likely on the application of tariffs or export bans on goods where fishing access changes after the phase-in period, it is understood." – The Guardian
Britain offers 'cash-for-quotas' fishing deal – The Times
EU and UK edge towards Brexit compromise on fisheries – FT
MPs told to be ready to vote on possible Brexit deal next week – Daily Telegraph
PM dismisses sell-out claims – Daily Express
Ministers fear £6bn cost of Rashford hat-trick
"On the day of the government spending review last month, Marcus Rashford tweeted: "@RishiSunak is the Universal Credit uplift going to be taken away in April?" The England and Manchester United footballer made clear what he thought of the chancellor's plan to remove £20 a week from up to six million of the country's poorest households. "I'm really concerned that families are constantly counting down the days until help is taken away from them," he told his four million followers. "Children cannot be living to deadlines. We have to stabilise these households. 2.5 million will be unemployed in spring." – The Times
Plans to decriminalise non-payment of TV licence 'shelved by Government'
"Ministers had proposed viewers who refuse to cough up £157.50 should no longer face a criminal record. But such | |
example in section \ref{example},
$C_h$ may indeed converge to infinity
as the thickness of $S^h$ (that is $\|g_1^h + g_2^h\|_{L^\infty(S)}$)
converges to $0$.
Our goal is to investigate the behaviour of $C_h$ in two frameworks, relating to the following
hypotheses:
\begin{itemize}
\item[{\bf (H1)}] For some positive constants $C_1, C_2$ and
$C_3$, and all small $h>0$ there holds:
$$C_1 h\leq g_i^h(x)\leq C_2 h, \qquad |\nabla g_i^h(x)|\leq C_3 h \qquad
\forall x\in S, \quad i=1,2. $$
\item[{\bf (H2)}] For some smooth positive functions $g_1, g_2:S\longrightarrow \mathbf{R}$,
there holds:
$$\frac{1}{h} g_i^h \to g_i \quad {\mbox{ in }} \mathcal{C}^1(S) \quad {\mbox{ as }} h\to 0,
\qquad i=1,2. $$
\end{itemize}
Notice that clearly {\bf (H2)} implies {\bf (H1)} with, for example:
$C_1 = 2\max \{g_i(x); ~x\in S, ~i=1,2\}$,
$C_2 = 1/2\min \{g_i(x); ~x\in S, ~i=1,2\}$,
$C_3 = \max_i \|\nabla g_i\|_{L^\infty (S)} +1$.
\medskip
Before stating our main results, we need to recall the notion of
a Killing vector field.
The Lie algebra of smooth Killing vector fields on $S$ will be denoted
by $\mathcal{I}(S)$.
That is, $v\in \mathcal{I}(S)$ if and only if:
\begin{itemize}
\item[(i)] $v:S\longrightarrow \mathbf{R}^n$ is smooth and $v(x)\in T_x(S)$
for every $x\in S$,
\item[(ii)] $\begin{displaystyle}\frac{\partial v}{\partial \tau} (x) \cdot \tau = 0
\end{displaystyle}$ for every $x\in S$ and every $\tau\in T_x S$.
\end{itemize}
Condition (ii) implies that
\begin{equation}\label{kill}
\frac{\partial v}{\partial \tau}(x) \cdot \eta
+ \frac{\partial v}{\partial \eta}(x)\cdot \tau = 0 \qquad \forall \tau,\eta\in T_xS
\quad \forall x\in S.
\end{equation}
Recall that Killing vector fields are infinitesimal generators of isometries on $S$,
in the sense that if $\Phi$ is the flow generated by $v$:
$$ \frac{\mbox{d}}{\mbox{d}s} \Phi (s,x) = v(\Phi(s,x)), \qquad
\Phi(0,x) = x,$$
then for every fixed $s$ the map $S\ni x\mapsto \Phi(s,x)\in S$ is an isometry.
It is known that the linear space $\mathcal{I}(S)$ has finite dimension
\cite{KN, Peterson}. We recall this fact in Appendix C.
\medskip
Given positive smooth functions $g_1, g_2:S\longrightarrow \mathbf{R}$, define:
$$\mathcal{I}_{g_1, g_2}(S) = \left\{v\in\mathcal{I}(S);
~~ v(x)\cdot\nabla(g_1+g_2)(x) = 0
\quad \mbox{ for all } x\in S\right\}.$$
\medskip
Our main results are the following:
\begin{theorem}\label{th1}
Assume {\bf (H1)} and let $\alpha<1$ be any constant.
Then, for all $h>0$ sufficiently small and all $u\in W^{1,2}(S^h, \mathbf{R}^n)$
satisfying one of the following tangency conditions:
$$ u\cdot \vec n^h=0 ~~~ \mbox{ on }
\partial^+ S^h=\{x+g_2^h(x)\vec n(x); ~x\in S\},$$
or:
$$ u\cdot \vec n^h=0 ~~~ \mbox{ on }
\partial^- S^h=\{x-g_1^h(x)\vec n(x); ~x\in S\},$$
together with:
\begin{equation}\label{f1}
\left|\int_{S^h} u(z) v(\pi(z)) ~\mathrm{d}z\right|
\leq \alpha \|u\|_{L^2(S^h)} \cdot \|v\pi\|_{L^2(S^h)}
\qquad \forall v\in\mathcal{I}(S),
\end{equation}
there holds:
\begin{equation}\label{korn}
\|u\|_{W^{1,2}(S^h)} \leq C \|D(u)\|_{L^2(S^h)},
\end{equation}
where $C$ is independent of $u$ and of $h$.
\end{theorem}
\begin{theorem}\label{th2}
Assume {\bf (H2)} and let $\alpha<1$ be any constant.
Then for all $h>0$ sufficiently small and all $u\in W^{1,2}(S^h, \mathbf{R}^n)$
satisfying $ u\cdot \vec n^h=0$ on $\partial S^h$
and:
\begin{equation}\label{f2}
\left|\int_{S^h} u(z) v(\pi(z)) ~\mathrm{d}z\right|
\leq \alpha \|u\|_{L^2(S^h)} \cdot \|v\pi\|_{L^2(S^h)}
\qquad \forall v\in\mathcal{I}_{g_1, g_2}(S),
\end{equation}
there holds (\ref{korn})
with $C$ independent of $u$ and of $h$.
\end{theorem}
The example constructed in section \ref{example} shows that conditions
(\ref{f1}) (or (\ref{f2})) are necessary for the bound (\ref{korn}). In particular,
any Killing field $v$ on $S$ can be extended to a vector field $v^h$ on $S^h$,
satisfying the boundary condition and such that
$\|\nabla v^h\|_{L^2(S^h)}^2 \geq Ch$ but $\|D(v^h)\|_{L^2(S^h)}^2\leq Ch^3$.
Hence, if one naively assumes that $u$ satisfies the angle condition
only with the space of generators of appropriate rotations on $S$, rather
than the whole $\mathcal{I}(S)$, the constant $C_h$ has a blow-up rate of at least
$h^{-1}$, as $h\to 0$. The following theorem shows that this is the actual
blow-up rate, under the abovementioned conditions.
More precisely, define:
$$\mathcal{R}(S) = \big\{v:S\longrightarrow\mathbf{R}^n; ~~ v(x) = Ax+b, ~
A\in so(n), ~b\in\mathbf{R}^n, ~ v\cdot \vec n=0 \mbox{ on } S\big\}
\subset \mathcal{I(S)},$$
$$\mathcal{R}_{g_1, g_2}(S) = \big\{v\in\mathcal{R}(S);
~~ v(x)\cdot \nabla(g_1 + g_2)(x)
\mbox{ for all } x\in S\big\}\subset \mathcal{I}_{g_1, g_2}(S).$$
\begin{theorem}\label{th_very_weak}
Let $\alpha<1$ be any constant.
Then, for all $h$ sufficiently small and all $u\in W^{1,2}(S^h, \mathbf{R}^n)$,
there holds:
\begin{equation}\label{very_weak}
\|u\|_{W^{1,2}(S^h)} \leq Ch^{-1} \|D(u)\|_{L^2(S^h)},
\end{equation}
in any of the following situations:
\begin{itemize}
\item[(i)] {\bf (H1)} holds, $u\cdot\vec n^h=0$ on $\partial^+ S^h$
or $u\cdot\vec n^h=0$ on $\partial^- S^h$, and:
$$\left|\int_{S^h} u(z) v(\pi(z)) ~\mathrm{d}z\right|
\leq \alpha \|u\|_{L^2(S^h)} \cdot \|v\pi\|_{L^2(S^h)}
\qquad \forall v\in\mathcal{R}(S).$$
\item[(ii)] {\bf (H2)} holds, $u\cdot\vec n^h=0$ on $\partial S^h$, and:
$$\left|\int_{S^h} u(z) v(\pi(z)) ~\mathrm{d}z\right|
\leq \alpha \|u\|_{L^2(S^h)} \cdot \|v\pi\|_{L^2(S^h)}
\qquad \forall v\in\mathcal{R}_{g_1, g_2}(S).$$
\end{itemize}
\end{theorem}
\noindent Notice that (i) is implied by the hypotheses of Theorem \ref{th1} and
(ii) by the hypotheses of Theorem \ref{th2}, as the spaces $\mathcal{R}(S)$
and $\mathcal{R}_{g_1, g_2}(S)$
are contained in $\mathcal{I}(S)$ or $\mathcal{I}_{g_1,g_2}(S)$,
respectively. The bound (\ref{very_weak}) was obtained also in \cite{KV2},
but in a different context of thin plates with clamped boundary conditions
and rapidly varying thickness.
\section{Remarks and an outline of proofs}
\begin{remark}
Conditions (\ref{f1}) and (\ref{f2}) may be understood in the following way:
the cosine of the angle (in $L^2(S^h)$) between $u$ and its projection onto
the linear space $W^h\subset L^2(S^h)$ of `trivial' extensions
$v\pi$ of certain Killing fields
$v\in\mathcal{I}(S)$ (or $v\in\mathcal{I}_{g_1, g_2}(S)$) should be smaller than
$\alpha$.
Equivalently, one considers vector fields $u\in W^{1,2}(S^h)$, which
for a given constant $\beta\geq 1$ (related to $\alpha$ through:
$\beta = (1-\alpha^2)^{-1/2}$) satisfy:
\begin{equation}\label{dist_angle}
\|u\|_{L^2(S^h)} \leq \beta \|u - v\pi\|_{L^2(S^h)} \qquad
\forall v\in\mathcal{I}(S) \quad \mbox{ (or } \forall v\in\mathcal{I}_{g_1, g_2}(S)
\mbox{)}.
\end{equation}
That is, the distance of $u$ from the space $W^h$ controls (uniformly) the full
norm $\|u\|_{L^2(S^h)}$.
By Theorems \ref{th1} and \ref{th2}, inside each closed
cone around $(W^h)^\perp$, of fixed angle $\theta<\pi/2$ in $L^2(S^h)$, the bound
(\ref{korn}) holds, with a constant $C$, that is uniform in $u$ and $h$.
One could therefore argue that $W^h$ is the kernel for the uniform
Korn-Poincar\'e
inequality, in the same manner as the linear maps $Az+b$ with skew gradients
$A\in so(n)$ constitute the kernel for the standard Korn inequality
(\ref{ort_lin}), (\ref{korn_nonunif}).
This is not exactly the case, as the uniform Korn inequality is
true for the extensions $v\pi$ (see Remark \ref{rem_trivial_ext}).
The role of the aforementioned kernel is played by the space $\widetilde{W}^h$
of other, 'smart' extensions $v^h$ of the Killing fields $v$
(see the formula (\ref{3_def})).
Still, with $v\pi$ replaced by $v^h$ in (\ref{f1}) or (\ref{f2}),
both Theorems \ref{th1} and \ref{th2} remain true.
Indeed, notice that the spaces $W^h$ and $\widetilde{W}^h$ are asymptotically
tangent at $h=0$:
$$\|v\pi - v^h\|_{L^2(S^h)}\leq Ch \|v\pi\|_{L^2(S^h)} \qquad
\forall v\in\mathcal{I}(S).$$
Hence, if $|\langle u,v^h\rangle_{L^2}|\leq \alpha
\|u\|_{L^2}\cdot \|v^h\|_{L^2}$ for some $\alpha<1$,
then $|\langle u,v\pi\rangle_{L^2}|\leq (\alpha+Ch)
\|u\|_{L^2}\cdot \|v\pi\|_{L^2}$, and the angle conditions in main theorems hold,
with another $\alpha<1$, when $h$ is sufficiently small.
Thus, the fact that we chose to work with 'trivial' extensions, in $W^h$
(giving a simpler condition), instead of the real kernel $\widetilde{W}^h$,
is not restrictive.
In the particular case when $\partial S^h$ is parallel to $S$,
say $g_i^h = h$, we have
$$\vec n^h(x + g_2(x)\vec n(x)) = \vec n(x)
\qquad \vec n^h(x - g_1(x)\vec n(x)) = -\vec n(x),$$
$$\mathcal{I}(S) = \mathcal{I}_{g_1, g_2}(S).$$
If $w\in\mathcal{R}_\partial (S^h)$ then $w_{|S}$ is tangent to $S$ and,
as shown in
Appendix A (Theorem \ref{lemma_rotations}) it generates a rotation on $S$.
Actually, one has: $w = (w_{\mid S})^h\in\widetilde{W}^h$ and so
by the preceding comment we see that
the condition (\ref{ort_lin}) is asymptotically contained
in (\ref{f1}) (or (\ref{f2})).
\end{remark}
\begin{remark}
A natural question is whether $\mathcal{I}(S)$ may contain other vector fields
than the restrictions of generators of rigid motions on the whole $\mathbf{R}^n$.
This is clearly the case when $n=2$: any tangent vector field of constant length
is a Killing field.
The same question for higher dimensions and even for $n=3$ and general (nonconvex)
hypersurfaces is, to our knowledge, still open.
It is closely related to another open problem of whether the class of rotationally
symmetric surfaces is closed under intrinsic isometries.
A further related question is whether
every intrinsic isometry on $S$ is actually a restriction of some
isometry of $\mathbf{R}^3$. When $S$ is convex, it is well known that it is the case,
while for non-convex surfaces it is false. The answer to the same question,
formulated for $1$-parameter families of isometries is not known
(see \cite{Spivak} vol. 5).
\end{remark}
\bigskip
\noindent {\bf An outline of proofs of Theorems \ref{th1} and \ref{th2}.}
The general strategy is as follows. Suppose that $D(u)$ is small.
The main idea is to study the map $\bar{u}: S\longrightarrow\mathbf{R}^n$
which is obtained by averaging $u$ in the normal direction:
$$\bar{u}(x) = \fint_{-g_1^h(x)}^{g_2^h(x)} u(x+t\vec n(x))~\mbox{d}t.$$
By the boundary condition, one has $\bar{u}\cdot\vec n\approx 0$, i.e. $\bar{u}$ is
almost tangential to $S$. Moreover, $D(\bar{u})$ is essentially bounded
by the average of $D(u)$.
Hence if $D(u)$ is small, by Korn's inequality on surfaces,
the field $\bar{u}$ must be close to a Killing field $v$. If $v$ is not small,
we will | |
Skepticism and analysis surround every team as the second week of the season comes to an end. I guess I'm here to join the party–mainly for analysis, not for skepticism. It's easy to analyze halfway through the season, but only two weeks into the season seems a little rash, doesn't it? Is it appropriate to analyze, criticize, and skepticize (yes, made up word) already? I don't know the answer, but I think it's appropriate to offer some analysis because the Red Sox have made some easily preventable mistakes that have led to run scoring. And even though it's early on, there are some serious, and unfortunately controversial issues that need to be addressed. It may be the beginning of the season, but every game counts. These games count as much as they do in September. Each game is of vital importance as each team tries to avoid the obstacles on the road to the postseason. I don't agree with those who say, "It's the beginning of the season, they're just adjusting." That's what Spring Training is for. Ideally, teams should work out their kinks during Spring Training. Inevitably, obstacles will arise during the regular season, so I'm here to try and work those out.
Let's tackle the obvious topic first: David Ortiz. I think he has felt under pressure to perform since the first game of the season. Because of the dismal numbers he put up last season, all reporters ever asked him about during the Spring was his rebound. It is easy to tell how insecure about this situation he is. He snapped at reporters the second day of the season; he got ejected from a game for arguing about a strike; and it is easy to spot the frustrated grimace on his face each time he strikes out. I don't blame him for feeling pressure, but I'm surprised about how much it's getting to him.
I won't ignore the few hits that he has gotten: some have been solid contact, but others were pure luck. He even picked up the golden sombrero one game where he struck out four times: that's the problem. He strikes out, and for the most time, he strikes out looking. I'm no hitting guru, so I'm not here to talk mechanics. The fact of the matter is that having him in our lineup is ineffective, and at times, detrimental. So why does Terry Francona put him in the lineup day after day? I think that part of it comes from seniority. Maybe Terry Francona thinks that maybe Big Papi is just going to get out of his funk because of what he has done in the past. But this is the third year in a row that this has been going on. As much as it pains me to say this, he is done.
I'm sure it will be tough to sit him, but it is necessary. It is important to put the best lineup out there, and putting Big Papi in there does not get the job done. I like the idea of platooning Mike Lowell and Jeremy Hermida at that spot. Hermida has proved himself to be a fantastic pickup coming off the bench for Jacoby Ellsbury while he is injured. I can see him hitting a lot of doubles off the Green Monster.
Issue number two: The Bullpen.
Last year, the bullpen was considered our strongest asset. This year, it has been one of the weakest. I don't think that the loss of Takashi Saito or Billy Wagner really affects that; however, the loss of Justin Masterson does. I'm sure you all know exactly what I'm going to say. Bring up Michael Bowden! We need a long-term middle relief pitcher; especially if our starters are done after the fifth inning because they throw 30 pitches in an inning or two. The Red Sox obviously expect to use him as a middle reliever, so what I don't understand is why they're still treating him as a starter in Pawtucket. I think that for a pitcher to be completely effective, they have to know their role (no matter how good they are). Just look how good Justin Masterson is doing with Cleveland now that they have explicitly deemed him a starter. I have no doubt that Bowden has the ability to flourish in either role, but he will be more effective once they tell him what his role actually is so that he doesn't have to keep switching.
Ramon Ramirez has been struggling so far, so I really hope that he finds his stuff because he was the unsung hero of last year. Manny Delcarmen still struggles to be consistent, but he has the ability to go multiple innings, which is important. I prefer him over Scott Atchinson anyway. I think that Robert Manuel, now pitching in Pawtucket, could be really effective in the bullpen if he was given a chance.
I know Daniel Bard is very good, but the Red Sox need to use him a little more sparingly. The poor guy has been used so much already this season. He has a wicked slider, but I'd like to see him add a changeup to his repertoire because the radar gun is almost always 90 mph or above, and having that speed constantly will almost surely lead to giving up more home runs.
My final issue with the bullpen includes Victor Martinez as well. When it comes to Jonathan Papelbon, all he ever calls are fastballs. Papelbon also has a slider and a changeup in his arsenal, so I think that it's important that he incorporates those as well to avoid meltdowns. I'm sure you all remember his most infamous blown save, and all Victor Martinez called was fastball, after, fastball, after fastball.
Neither Victor Martinez nor Jason Varitek have the ability to throw runners out, and every team knows it. Victor obviously needs to work on his mechanics considering all of his throws are high and to the right. This could create a serious problem. First of all, because the runners can steal so easily, the possibility of inning ending double plays are eliminated, which means that our pitchers will have to work longer, and that we might have to use our bullpen earlier.
Also, pitching from the stretch is a tough thing for lots of pitchers. I especially noticed that with Clay Buchholz during the Spring, and even he has admitted that it's something he needs to work on. The pitchers obviously don't want the runners to steal, so they might feel added pressure to get the ball to the plate quicker. This situation could have disastrous consequences. It is important that the pitchers don't think about anything but hitting their spots.
If this becomes a serious problem, the Red Sox do have some catching talent in the minors (with arms) in both Mark Wagner and Luis Exposito. Luis is definitely someone to get excited about, but he still needs some seasoning. Mark Wagner, on the other hand, is in Pawtucket, and I think he is ready to go.
Some bats have been quiet (Big Papi), some have been loud (Dustin Pedroia), but the Red Sox have left so many runners on, but I think there is an easy solution that Terry Francona hasn't seen yet because he is an American League manager: small ball.
Because the Red Sox focused on improving defense during the offseason, they aren't full of the 30-40 HR power bats. However, that's not to say that they aren't offensively sophisticated. They have the ability to score a lot of runs this season, but it won't come from lots of long balls. Rarely, if ever, do you see the Red Sox lay down a solid bunt. Perhaps the | |
Author-choice Open Access Publishing
By Phil Davis
According to a study of 11 biological and medical journals that allow authors the choice of making their articles freely available from the publisher's website, few show any evidence of a citation advantage. For those that do, the effect appears to be diminishing over time.
The study, "Author-choice open access publishing in the biological and medical literature," (a copy of the final manuscript is also available from the arXiv) analyzed over eleven thousand articles published in journals since 2003, sixteen hundred of these articles (15%) adopting the author-choice open access model. Oxford University Press journals make up 6 of the 11 journals analyzed in the study.
Since open access publication fees can amount to several thousands of dollars, the author (ok that's me) goes on to determine the cost-benefit for each additional citation. While the cost-per-additional-citation was as low as about $400 (for PNAS), it approached $9,000 for the journal Development, published by the Company of Biologists.
Considering the evidence that author-choice open access publishing may have little effect on article citations, it is worthwhile for authors to consider the cost of this form of publishing. If a citation advantage is the key motivation for authors to pay open access fees, then the cost/benefit of this decision can be quite expensive for some journals.
This study is a follow-up to a controlled trial of open access publishing published in BMJ where articles were randomly selected for open access or traditional subscription-access. The authors reported no difference in citations in the first year. Since the current study observes the effect of author-choice open access, self-selection may play a role in explaining the results.
As the author of this study, I hope that readers do not come away with the feeling that I'm advocating against an author-choice program. There may be many benefits to making scientific results freely available; however, scientists should understand that open access may not buy them more citations.
Free dissemination of the scientific literature may speed up the transfer of knowledge to industry, enable scientists in poor and developing countries to access more information, and empower the general public. There are clearly many benefits to making one's research findings freely available to the general public – a citation advantage may not be one of them.
Phil Davis
@ScholarlyChickn
Phil Davis is a publishing consultant specializing in the statistical analysis of citation, readership, publication and survey data. He has a Ph.D. in science communication from Cornell University (2010), extensive experience as a science librarian (1995-2006) and was trained as a life scientist. https://phil-davis.com/
View All Posts by Phil Davis
5 Thoughts on "Author-choice Open Access Publishing"
Confirmation Bias and the Open Access Advantage:
Some Methodological Suggestions for Davis's Citation Study
Full text: http://openaccess.eprints.org/index.php?/archives/451-guid.html
SUMMARY: Davis [2008] — http://arxiv.org/pdf/0808.2428v1 — analyzes citations from 2004-2007 in 11 biomedical journals. For 1,600 of the 11,000 articles (15%), their authors paid the publisher to make them Open Access (OA). The outcome, confirming previous studies (on both paid and unpaid OA), is a significant OA citation advantage, but a small one (21%, 4% of it correlated with other article variables such as number of authors, references, and pages). The author infers that the size of the OA advantage in this biomedical sample has been shrinking annually from 2004-2007, but the data suggest the opposite. In order to draw valid conclusions from these data, the following five further analyses are necessary:
(1) The current analysis is based only on author-choice (paid) OA. Free OA self-archiving needs to be taken into account too, for the same journals and years, rather than being counted as non-OA, as in the current analysis.
(2) The proportion of OA articles per journal per year needs to be reported and taken into account.
(3) Estimates of journal and article quality and citability in the form of the Journal Impact Factor and the relation between the size of the OA Advantage and journal as well as article "citation-bracket" need to be taken into account.
(4) The sample-size for the highest-impact, largest-sample journal analyzed, PNAS, is restricted and is excluded from some of the analyses. An analysis of the full PNAS dataset is needed, for the entire 2004-2007 period.
(5) The analysis of the interaction between OA and time, 2004-2007, is based on retrospective data from a June 2008 total cumulative citation count. The analysis needs to be redone taking into account the dates of both the cited articles and the citing articles, otherwise article-age effects and any other real-time effects from 2004-2008 are confounded.
The author proposes that an author self-selection bias for providing OA to higher-quality articles (the Quality Bias, QB) is the primary cause of the observed OA Advantage, but this study does not test or show anything at all about the causal role of QB (or of any of the other potential causal factors, such as Accessibility Advantage, AA, Competitive Advantage, CA, Download Advantage, DA, Early Advantage, EA, and Quality Advantage, QA). The author also suggests that paid OA is not worth the cost, per extra citation. This is probably true, but with OA self-archiving, both the OA and the extra citations are free.
By Stevan Harnad
Stevan,
Our study focuses on estimating the effect of author-choice open access on article citations. The 11 journals were selected because they gathered sufficient paying open access submissions as to make a statistical analysis even potentially possible. Still, if the open access effect is small, a larger sample size is required to detect a signal amongst the noise, which is why I aggregated the 11 journals for subsequent analyses. PNAS contributed so many articles in the aggregate dataset (about a third) that I didn't want this one journal to dominate the results, hence the tables report the analyses with and without PNAS.
Secondly, while aggregating the journals resulted in increased statistical power, we are combining articles published in different scientific fields (biology, medicine, bioinformatics, plant sciences, and multi-disciplinary sciences), which is why journal impact factors are not used as an explanatory variable. Please note that I did include the variable Journal as either a random variable (Table 2) or a fixed variable (Table S2), so journal-to-journal variation is being accounted for in the model.
By Philip Davis
RE: Harnad point #4
Because of the sheer number of articles published by PNAS, tracking the performance of each article was considered too onerous. As a result, I tracked the first and last 6-month cohort of articles (June-Dec 2004; and June-Dec 2006). By choosing the first and last cohort, I could estimate a temporal trend in the data. Please remember that PNAS was only one of the 11 journals analyzed in this study, and that Gunter Eysenbach's study (PLoS Biology, 2006) analyzed only a 6-month cohort in one journal (PNAS, June-Dec, 2006). Granted, a full dataset from PNAS would have been ideal, and I encourage Prof. Harnad to gather and share the intervening years if he feels that the missing data points would change significantly the results of this study. My sense is that they won't, but will challenge Prof. Harnad to prove me wrong.
I think the scientific community may be slightly different then most other industries when it comes to an exchange of information. In most industries the life cycle's are such that even if a competitor finds your research immediately they are years behind. In some scientific studies we need to make sure the researchers and developers of new technology are adequately compensated for their break throughs.
By Mark's cheap wine club
Clare Hooper @clarehooperlup ·
I am finding these pieces so interesting!
Chefs de Cuisine: Perspectives from Publishing's Top Table -- Steven Inchcoombe https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2023/01/30/chefs-de-cuisine-perspectives-from-publishings-top-table-steven-inchcoombe/ via @scholarlykitchn
MMU Library @mmulibrary ·
Have you noticed on online articles something called a DOI? Seen the green ORCiD logo next to an author name? They are examples of what are called Persistent Identifiers (or PIDs). | |
the kernel bandwidth are not needed.
In the following experiments we focus on spatial
averaging, although extension to spatiotemporal data is straightforward
provided the metric is defined along the time axis.
When working with a voxel grid the distance is the Euclidian
distance taking into account the voxel size in millimeters, and
when working on a cortical triangulation, the distance used
is the geodesic distance computed on the folded cortical mantle.
We now present results of a simulation study where standard averaging
with Gaussian smoothing is compared to Kantorovich means.
Simulation results are followed by experimental results obtained
with fMRI data from 20 subjects and MEG data
on a population of 16 subjects.
\paragraph{Simulation setup.}
In this experiment using on a triangulation of the cortex,
we simulated signals of interest in two brain regions using the functional
parcellation provided by the FreeSurfer software. We used regions
Broadman area 45 (BA45) and the visual area MT. We simulated for a group
of 100 subjects random positive signals in these two regions. For each
subject and each region, the signal is focal at a random location
with a random amplitude generated with a truncated Gaussian distribution
(mean 5, std. dev. 1.). We use here focal signals to exemplify
the effect of optimal transport. Such signals could correspond to dipolar
activations derived from MEG/EEG using dipole fitting methods~\cite{scherg-etal:85}
or sparse regression techniques~\cite{wipf-etal:07,gramfort-etal:2013}.
Figure~\ref{fig:simu_results} presents the locations of the two
regions (labels), the averages with and without Gaussian
smoothing and the Kantorovich average.
Gaussian smoothing leads to a highly
blurred average which exceeds the extent of the regions of interest,
while it also strongly reduces the amplitudes of the signals,
potentially washing out the statistical effects.
The peak amplitudes obtained with optimal transport are also
higher and closer to the individual peak amplitudes.
One can clearly observe the limitations of Gaussian smoothing,
which furthermore requires to set the bandwidth of the kernel.
The Kantorovich average nicely highlights two foci of signals
at the group level.
\begin{figure}[t!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=0.6\linewidth]{fig1.pdf}
\caption{Simulation results with focal random signals generated in areas/labels BA45 (yellow) and MT (red)
in a group of 100 subjects. Data are defined on a surface with 10,024 vertices
(FreeSurfer fsaverage 5).
One shows the standard averaging referred to as \emph{Mean},
the averaging after Gaussian smoothing is referred to as \emph{Mean (S)}
(mean after Gaussian smoothing with FWHM=8\,mm),
and the Kantorovich mean (p=1).
The result \emph{Mean} shows the focal signals with
random positions in the labels delineated in green. The Kantorovich mean
highlights clear foci of activations in the ROIs without
smearing the activation as with Gaussian smoothing which furthermore
significantly dampens the amplitudes.}
\label{fig:simu_results}
\end{figure}
\paragraph{Results on fMRI data.}
We used here fMRI data analyzed on a voxel grid.
It corresponds to 20 subjects from the database described in~\cite{pinel2007}.
We average here the standardized effect of interest induced by left hand button press.
In Fig.~\ref{fig:fmri_grid_results}-a we show the Euclidian average without
smoothing.
In Fig.\ref{fig:fmri_grid_results}-b we report
results obtained by classical averaging following Gaussian smoothing
with FWHM of 8\,mm. Fig.\ref{fig:fmri_grid_results}-c
shows the Kantorovich mean with constrained mass. One can observe that
this barycenter highlights a clear active
region without requiring any kernel smoothing. It also leads
to a amplitude in the average standardized effect around 1.7 which
is much higher than the 0.23 obtained when smoothing.
\begin{figure}[t!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=0.27\linewidth]{mean_fmri.pdf}
\includegraphics[width=0.27\linewidth]{mean_s_fmri.pdf}
\includegraphics[width=0.27\linewidth]{ot_fmri.pdf}
\caption{Averaging of the standardized effect of interest on fMRI
data.
From left to right, a) the Euclidian mean without smoothing,
b) the Euclidian mean with smoothing (FWHM=8\,mm), c)
the Kantorovich mean with Euclidian ground metric and p=1.
The later result highlights a clear foci of activations
in the ROI without smearing the activation nor
damping the amplitudes as much as the kernel smoothing.}
\label{fig:fmri_grid_results}
\end{figure}
\paragraph{Results on MEG data.} We now evaluate the benefit of the proposed
approach on experimental data. These data were acquired
with a Neuromag VectorView system (Elekta Oy, Helsinki, Finland)
with 306 sensors arranged in 102 triplets, each comprising two orthogonal
planar gradiometers and one magnetometer. Subjects are presented with images
containing faces of familiar (famous)
or unfamiliar persons and so called ``scrambled'' faces.
See~\cite{henson-etal:11} for more details.
Dataset contains 16 subjects. For each one, event related fields (ERF) were
obtained by averaging about 200 repetitions of recordings following
stimuli presentations. Data were band pass filtered between 1 and 40\,Hz.
Following standard MEG source localization pipelines~\cite{mne}, a noise covariance
was estimated from prestimulus time intervals and used for
source reconstruction with the cortically constrained
dSPM method~\cite{dspm}.
The values obtained with dSPM can be considered as F statistics,
where high values are located in active regions.
In Figure~\ref{fig:meg_results}, we present results at a single
time point, 190\,ms after stimulus onset,
which corresponds to the time instant where the dSPM amplitudes
are maximum. Data correspond the visual presentation of
\emph{famous faces}.
In green, is the border of the primary visual
cortex (V1) provided by the FreeSurfer functional atlas.
One can observe that the Kantorovich barycenter yields
a more focal average nicely positioned in the middle of
the calcarine fissure where V1 is located.
Such a strong activation in V1 is expected in
such an experiment consisting of visual stimuli.
To investigate more subtle cognitive effects, such as the
response of the fusiform face area (FFA) reported
about 170\,ms after stimulation in the
literature~\cite{kanwisher-etal:97,henson-etal:11}, we
report results obtained on contrasts of ERFs measured after famous faces
presentations \emph{vs.} scrambled faces. As illustrated in
Figure~\ref{fig:meg_results_ffa}, Kantorovich mean
nicely delineates a focal source of activity in the ventral
part of the cortex known as the fusiform gyrus.
These results show that Kantorovich means provides focal
activation at the population level despite the challenging
problem of inter-subject anatomo-functional variability.
They avoid the smearing of the signal or statistical effects of interests
which naturally occur when data are spatially
smoothed before standard averaging.
Note again that here no smoothing parameter with FWHM in millimeters
is manually specified. Their solution only depends on the metric
naturally derived from the geometry
of the cortical surface.
With a cortical triangulation containing 10,024 vertices and 16 subjects
the computation on a Tesla K40 GPU of one barycenter takes less than
1\,min.
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=0.33\linewidth]{test_meg_brain_L2_mean_white.png}
\includegraphics[width=0.33\linewidth]{GradProj_test_meg_brain_ot_mean_p1_alpha00-5_white.png}
\caption{Average of dSPM estimates derived from MEG ERF data on a group of 16 subjects stimulated with
pictures of famous faces. From left to right: standard mean and Kantorovich mean.
The left hemisphere is displayed in medial view.
In green is the border of the primary visual cortex (V1) provided by FreeSurfer.
One can observe that the Kantorovich mean has its peak amplitude within V1.}
\label{fig:meg_results}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=0.325\linewidth]{famous_scrambled_test_meg_brain_L2_mean_time_white_time000.png}
\includegraphics[width=0.325\linewidth]{famous_scrambled_GradProj_test_meg_brain_ot_mean_p1_lambda60_alpha00-5_time_white_time000.png}
\caption{Group averages (16 subjects) of dSPM estimates derived from MEG
ERF data obtained by contrasting the famous faces stimulation with the scrambled faces.
From left to right: standard mean and the Kantorovich mean.
The right hemisphere is displayed in ventral view. Optimal transport results highlight a focal
activity in the Fusiform gyrus known to be implicated in face
processing~\cite{kanwisher-etal:97}.}
\label{fig:meg_results_ffa}
\end{figure}
\section{Introduction}
Computing the average of some observations may seem like a trivial problem,
yet it remains an active topic of research in mathematics, statistics and
applications such as medical imaging. The problem of atlas computation
from images~\cite{Joshi2004S151}, or meshes \cite{Durrleman201435},
or the problem of group analysis from functional imaging
data~\cite{thirion-etal:2007} are particularly relevant for this field.
The challenge is that natural
phenomena are usually described in terms of physical and temporal event locations,
along with their intensity. While Euclidean averaging is
standard and has some benefits such as low computation time, this
procedure ignores the geometry of the space the observations belong to;
the image of an average brain image obtained by Euclidean averaging of
individual voxels does not yield the image of the brain of an average
individual.
Starting from observations defined on a regular or irregular grid, our aim is to provide a
\emph{model-free} approach to \emph{average} them that only builds upon geometric arguments. An example of such data are functional MRI (fMRI) data defined on a voxel grid or a triangulated cortical surface. The approach aims to be intrinsically geometric in the sense that it \emph{only} requires the prior knowledge of a metric between the locations on the grid. The technique aims to be versatile in the sense that it can be applied to weighted samples
taking values on a discretized space with no assumptions on the regularity of the metric.
The approach | |
Bardo, a 1981 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy, had previously commanded the Cutters Courageous (WMEC 622), Neah Bay (WTGB 105), and Cape Wash (WPB 95310) as well as served as the Executive Officer of the Cutter Confidence (WMEC 619).345 Following the Change of Command, in the fall of 2004, Boutwell again participated in an Eastern Pacific Counterdrug Deployment. While patrolling approximately 80 miles south of El Salvador, Boutwell's embarked helicopter discovered a suspicious fishing vessel. The following day, on November 19th, Boutwell approached the Ecuadorian fishing vessel Kodiac, finding it abandoned and partially submerged. Once onboard, Boutwell's crew seized 2,100 kilograms of cocaine. On December 9th, Boutwell located a second partially submerged vessel. The 80-foot fishing vessel Jami was loaded with 108 bales of cocaine. Boutwell returned to Alameda just in time for the Holidays, arriving on December 21st.346,347
In mid February 2005, after a brief inport, Boutwell departed on a 90-day Counterdrug Deployment in the Eastern Pacific. While on patrol on March 29th, Boutwell, working with a U.S. Customs and Border Protection aircraft, located and intercepted the Ecuadorian fishing vessel Lesvos approximately 300 miles west of Mexico. Once on board, Boutwell's boarding team discovered and seized over 4,500 kilograms of cocaine, detaining the vessel's six-man crew. Over two weeks later, on April 17th, Boutwell and its HH-68 HITRON helicopter intercepted and boarded the Venezuelan-flagged fishing vessel Isis. During that boarding, Boutwell's law enforcement personnel discovered 141 bales containing over 3,200 kilograms of cocaine. The ship's 12-man crew was detained and their cargo seized. Apart from counter drug operations, Boutwell also participated in the rescue of a Mexican national 150 miles west of the Galapagos. The man, who had been adrift in his 28-foot fishing vessel Iris II for 23 days, was spotted waving a makeshift flag by Boutwell's lookout. The man was later brought aboard and treated for dehydration. On May 14th, Boutwell returned home to Alameda to offload more than 7,800 kilograms of cocaine.348,349
In late November, Boutwell again departed Alameda on a Counterdrug Deployment in the Eastern Pacific. 350 During the transit south, Boutwell stopped in San Diego to onload fuel as well as load supplies in support of Project Handclasp. The supplies, which were delivered to Tocumen, Panama, on December 31st, included medical supplies, hygiene products, school supplies, and toys for the local children. While in Tocumen, Boutwell crewmembers also assisted in painting classrooms and repairing electrical wiring at the Escuela Fuente de Amor.351 While patrolling on January 16th, Boutwell and its HITRON, working with the USS De Wert (FFG-45) and its embarked Law Enforcement Detachment 406, pursued and intercepted two go-fast vessels carrying a combined load of over 2,400 kilograms of cocaine, detaining their nine crewmembers.352,353 Four days later, Boutwell intercepted the 63-foot Columbian fishing vessel Angie Mar, employing warning shots from the embarked helicopter, as well as an entangling device from the small boat in order to stop the vessel.354 Upon boarding, Boutwell's law enforcement team seized nearly 2,300 kilograms of cocaine, detaining the vessel's 12 crewmembers. The crewmembers and contraband were later turned over to Columbian authorities. Boutwell returned home to Alameda on February 8th, having completed a highly successful 74-day patrol.355
On March 21st, following an 80-year relationship with the city, the Coast Guard officially designated Boutwell's homeport of Alameda as a "Coast Guard City." The designation was in recognition of the support Alameda provided to more than 2,600 active duty, reserve, and civilian employees stationed on Coast Guard Island. At the time, only five other cities had received this honorary distinction.356
In June 2006, Captain Peter J. Brown relieved Captain Bardo as Boutwell's Commanding Officer.357 Captain Brown, a 1985 graduate of the Coast Guard Academy, had been assigned to three previous afloat units and had recently been Commanding Officer of Tactical Law Enforcement Team South in Miami, Florida.358 Shortly after taking command, Captain Brown led Boutwell on a routine Counterdrug Deployment in the Eastern Pacific. During the deployment, on August 24th, Boutwell interdicted the sinking fishing vessel Mi Panchito which was carrying over 6,700 kilograms of cocaine.359,360 On September 12th, Boutwell, along with its embarked helicopter, interdicted a go-fast vessel approximately 120 miles west of Puerto Quetzal. After intercepting the vessel, Boutwell seized over 2,900 kilograms of cocaine and detained four suspected smugglers. Five days later, Boutwell teamed with its helicopter to interdict a second go-fast vessel approximately 460 miles northeast of the Galapagos Islands. During that seizure, Boutwell recovered 590 kilograms of cocaine and detained three suspected smugglers. 361,362 On October 17th, almost a month after its previous interdiction, Boutwell intercepted and boarded the Ecuadorian fishing vessel, Ludemar, finding and seizing 90 kilograms of cocaine.363
On November 30th, 2006, Boutwell was honored at a ceremony in Alameda for her tremendous success in counterdrug operations in the fall of 2006. During the ceremony, Boutwell received four cocaine interdiction stickers for seizing nearly 23,000 pounds of cocaine related to four different cases which included the apprehension of 16 suspected smugglers. The stickers were then affixed to the ship's bridge wings on either side of the pilothouse.364
In the early months of 2007, Boutwell departed on another Eastern Pacific Counterdrug deployment. During the patrol, in mid February, Boutwell participated in the rescue of five sea turtles which were caught in an abandoned fishing net. After releasing the turtles, Boutwell's crew proceeded to remove debris from the area to prevent any further impact on marine life.365
Beginning July 22nd, 2007, Boutwell embarked on a multinational Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fisheries enforcement patrol in the High Seas Drift Net (HSDN) High Threat Area with an embarked shiprider from the Peoples Republic of China366 and South Korean observers.367 The multinational effort included cooperation from Canada, China, Russia, and Japan under the authority of the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum. The Forum, which served as a venue to foster "multilateral cooperation through the sharing of information on matters related to combined operations, exchange of information, illegal drug trafficking, maritime security, fisheries enforcement, illegal migration, and maritime domain awareness," bolstered efforts in 2007 to enforce the United Nation General Assembly's 1991 resolution against high seas driftnet fishing in the Pacific. 368 As part of the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum, Boutwell visited Shanghai, China369 on August 16th370, joining the Coast Guard Pacific Area Commander, Vice Admiral Charles Wurster, to discuss joint operations.371 Boutwell departed Shanghai on August 20th.372
On August 28th, Boutwell moored in Yokosuka, Japan, to embark an officer from the China Fisheries Law Enforcement Command (CFLEC), who would assist in enforcing the United Nation's resolution on Chinese-flagged vessels.373 Six days later, Boutwell intercepted the Chinese fishing vessel Lu Rong Yu 6007 for illegal high seas driftnet fishing, turning the vessel over to Chinese authorities on September 13th. 374 On September 14th, Boutwell, with the help of her embarked helicopter, located and intercepted the Indonesian fishing vessel Fong Seng No. 818, which was rigged for illegal high seas drift net fishing. Upon counter-detecting the Coast Guard, the Fong Seng No. 818 began evasive maneuvers while attempting to hide her gear on deck. After intercepting the vessel, Boutwell determined its registry through Right of Approach questioning. Boutwell's efforts enabled the State Department to initiate a dialogue with the Government of Indonesia for prosecuting the Fong Seng No. 818. 375
During the patrol, from September 15th through the 21st, a meeting was held in Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky, Russia, known as the U.S. Coast Guard / Russian Northeast Border Guard Directorate Joint Working Group. As part of the meeting, Boutwell moored in Petropavlovsk for a mid-patrol break. Led by the Pacific Area Commander, Vice Admiral Charles Wurster, and the Seventeenth District Commander, Rear Admiral Arthur Brooks, Coast Guard representatives met with the Chief, Northeast Border Guard Directorate Lieutenant | |
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Ones comprehensive company identity will include any sort of announced DBA completing you will find yourself applying. Cover your enterprise identity is usually the identical on the company paperwork, permits, together with loan company arguments.
When you've got people and not necessarily, your enterprise company really need some sort of Country wide Overtax NO . phone number (EIN), exactly possess a Societal Safety measures Phone number your enterprise comes with EIN.
An additional incentive with is usually that a lot of company consumer credit can be purchased without worrying about the user agreeing to personalized legal responsibility, or maybe a personalized promise. Consequently with default, the market customer's personalized means are not went after.
It is critical note that will everyone are able to see your enterprise credit, which means that experiencing company consumer credit would make ones even more reliable with regard to prospective customers, shoppers, competition, loan companies, consumer credit enterprises and the wonderful keen on investing in your enterprise.
Any sort of company can usually get providing there are a great EIN phone number together with company arrange. You will not need secured together with financial records. You could be some sort of financial services. People must fully understand adequate constructing measures.
An individual profit is usually that the consumer credit account may be produced to get a company that's altogether standalone in the company customer's personalized consumer credit account doubling that asking for flexibility.
There are actually many ways of generate together with generate associations in todays world. Allow me to share simply several.
Some sort of finance advisor arrived at my own entry simply a few days ago. In the beginning As i has been slightly surprised- i imagined… CLEVER! There were a superb connection that you would probably an alternative next-doors therefore lost using him or her providing people their card account i always has been a lot more than content with get. Today actually As i has been hardly ever buying innovative finance counsellor NEVERTHELESS just and people Actually, i know must have an individual… he or she is that fellow… at the least to take into consideration which has a connection using.
Your dog additionally, is doing a superb occupation with next in place together with trying to keep up-to-date. He or she is performing a congrats with but not just social networking nevertheless constructing their personalized product with regard to their occupation.
The idea do not ever wounds to own even more most people inside your multi-level as compared to you would like.
Don't forget to help process innovative most people within a safe NON-SALES process. Ones purpose really distribute these and require an issue from their site nevertheless to start an alternative connection, an alternative get hold of, or anything else. Constantly make available to aid people in advance of people assist you.
Don't forget to ALLOW before you decide to GET HOLD OF!
An individual. Spitzer's comprehensive stage has been produced with "ethics. inch Your dog chased off several criminals, certainly a few substantial finance agencies a lot of people can have ended up worried with tricky. Together with really, your dog really managed a whole lot of superior succeed.
The majority flourishing most people get adversaries nevertheless, which means this is not a delight.
What exactly is a delight is usually that will Spitzer gained seen together with his proverbial dirt bike pants off. Honestly.
And listen to, help, if your primary comprehensive personality was made one issue, and unfortunately your get hold of seen with the same biscuit bottle you've got ended up to blame for raiding, there is absolutely no many other end result to remain anticipated besides fail — at the least, for the short term. Specialists, The united states can be a really forgiving position (think Marv Albert, Erina Milliken) together with Spitzer is incredibly probably again certain times in period, nevertheless maybe quite a bit less some sort of politician.
A few. As soon as confronted by a great hurdle, get instant measures — in simple terms a possibility you might have a few feedback relating to the end result. I do believe possessed Spitzer patiently lay to find precisely what would probably come to pass, he'd get struggled the identical politics circumstances, nevertheless truth be told there is a amount of many other serious authorized misfortunes to help think using additionally. This can get zoomed their condition together with lost their friends and family a step forward.
Session: Increasingly being definitive (making decisions) together with choosing easily measures are generally support beams with financial success considering company has been devised. A lot of these certain character have been outlined just by Napoleon Slope with "Think Together with Increase Wealthy, inch and maybe they are since the case now as they simply have been previously.
A few. Tell you ones slipups. We could end up mistaken, nevertheless As i don't believe I witnessed Spitzer get certain control with precisely what he or she is executed. He or she is claimed considerably incredibly elusive offers like, "I've arrived at get hold of my own lifetime the best way, inch nevertheless your dog do not ever ended up together with claimed that will he or she is ended up taking a nap using several a lot of women over time. Not surprisingly, it isn't really just some sort of golf slice with respectful cake this is straightforward to absorb, nevertheless truth be told there ever again, clients he or she is with challenges.
The reality is, in a connection — should it be with all your wife or husband, and with all your clients — as soon as you've got executed an issue mistaken… that swiftest process your partner get across the idea, is usually by removing comprehensive control to your measures. And, people get at least one translucent check ups together with bills inside your enterprise solutions (which it's best to permit customers fully understand about), to check they don't come to pass ever again.
Session: Comprehensive disclosure together with increasingly being altogether translucent inside your transactions, is a swiftest method to generate rely on. Fails to issue should you be within a innovative connection, and options all messed up | |
sum of money he had offered. By now everyone knew of the pretty but dubious girl who had tried to ensnare the son of one of their most respected families and lived all by herself like a savage in the woods. Her lover's father thought for a long time. Probably he would not have responded had he not caught that glimpse of her with Paul. He went to see her and found an accomplished, witty, and delightful young woman, with the most charming manners in the world. In short, he fell in love with her, as everyone did. He could not bring himself to refuse her, said he would speak to selected families on her behalf, but kept himself in face by asking for an undertaking that she would never contact any member of his family again. She replied with a quick and impatient scorn he had to see was genuine: 'I had assumed, monsieur, that you would have already understood that.'
For four years she taught the daughters of a doctor, two lawyers, three chemists, and a prosperous shopkeeper. All of them begged her to move into the little town, 'where you will be more comfortable.' Meaning that they were uncomfortable because this girl, no matter how well-bred and clever, was living by herself a good three miles from Belles Rivières. She refused, delightfully but firmly, telling them about the great forests of Martinique, the flowers and the butterflies and the brilliant birds, where she had wandered, absolutely by herself. She could not be happy living in streets, she said, though the truth was she dreamed of the streets of Paris and how she could reach them without worsening her already bad position. If she was going to try her chances in the big city it should be now, while she was still young and pretty, but she still dreamed of Paul. That she had been bound to lose him she had very soon learned, and knew that if he came back from the army she could not have him. Living, as she insisted on doing, free but alone told everyone she was waiting for him, and everyone – father, mother, sisters, would be writing to tell him so. Far from enticing him to her, this would put him off, as all her instincts, and the worldly wisdom imparted by her mother, told her. But she could not leave the place. Freedom! Liberty! she often cried to herself, roaming about her forests.
What did she look like at this time? How did she see her prospects? How did she strike the good people whose daughters she taught? How did they strike her? We know. We know it all. She drew self-portraits all her life, not because she had no other model, but because she was engaged in discovering her real, her hidden nature: we have a phrase for this search. She kept journals from the time she reached France. And there was her music, that would have told us everything even without her journals. The picture that emerges is not merely of an intelligent and attractive woman, but one who disturbed and challenged even when she did not intend to, who all her life fed malicious tongues, who always had men in love with her though she did not expect them to be or try to attract them. When she was accepted as tutor into these good houses, she behaved like a paragon of propriety, but she knew it would take only a small mistake to have the doors shut on her. She walked on a knife-edge, for above all, she had charm, that double-edged gift, arousing more expectations than it can ever fulfil. She certainly disappointed the young ladies she taught, who called her best friend and championed her to doubtful mothers and fathers, yet secretly hoped for more than her prudent advice: 'Do you really want to be like me?' she might sweetly enquire, when some over-protected daughter asked her aid in some minor rebellion. 'Do what your parents say, and when you are married you can do as you like.' She had learned this from Stendhal's letters to his sister.
In her journals she wrote she would rather be herself, 'an outcast', than any one of these privileged girls.
When she was twenty-five she took a big step up the social ladder. She taught the two daughters of a Comte Rostand. The Rostands were the leading family in the area. They lived in a large and ancient château and sent a carriage for her twice a week. That was when she gave lessons in the dark hours as well as in the light, for before the carriage she had insisted that since she had to walk miles back and forth from her little house, she would teach in the town only in the day. This caused sarcastic comments. Everyone knew she wandered about all by herself at night in her forests. Yet she was too delicate to walk back in the dark from the town? And how about dancing by herself among the rocks, banging a tambourine, or something that looked like one – a primitive looking thing, probably from that primitive country she came from. Dancing naked – some claimed to have seen her.
Did she? There is no mention of it in her journals – though when she began to keep a record, there were only notes and jottings, and only later did it develop into a running commentary on her life. There is, however, a drawing of a woman dancing in a setting of trees and rocks. A full moon. Naked. This drawing is so unlike anything else she did of herself it shocks. Interesting to watch when some fan of Julie's was handed a pile of her drawings. The face froze, there was an indrawn breath and – then – a laugh. The laugh was from shock. But how often is shock no more than a moment of half-expected revelation? A door opens (perhaps literally) onto a scene that is beautiful, or ugly, something ferocious or shocking – at any rate, the other side of the well-lit and ordered world we know: there it is, the truth. But why was there never mention of dancing in her journals? Perhaps it only happened once, and she got some kind of a scare. A pretty risky thing, to dance like that. She knew people spied on her. The gendarmes certainly did, but if one of them took a look through her uncurtained and unshuttered window – she hated feeling shut in, she said – he would see the proper young woman of the drawing rooms standing before her easel or playing her harp or writing at a small table under an oil lamp that showed the open book, her neatly ringed hand with the pen, her face, her bands of black hair, her bust smooth in a dress that went high to her throat, where there was a small white collar.
The gendarmes would also report that there were many books. If they took a good look when she was out, down in the town, they would not now be able to report anything consistently seditious or troubling. For while she still loved Revolutions as a matter of principle – she would not have been able to think of herself as a serious person if she did not – her shelves now provided a more balanced diet. Montaigne sat by Madame Roland, Madame de Sévigné with _Énile. Clarissa_ – that novel whose influence on European literature had been and still was so strong – was in a pile with Rousseau's _Confessions_ , while Victor Hugo and Maupassant, Balzac and Zola, | |
get to make that call about him being in that position again. He will at least one more time, if he has his way about it. Mommy Dearest is going down! He follows her gaze, the smirk fading a movement as he sees their hands together, but then he's smirking again, "I have. I'm a damn hero. Heroes deserve ice-cream."
He's insisting that he's ok and Callisto, to some measure, believes it. Any further confusion over the cause of Callisto's upset shall be put to ease with what the girl says next, "T'is a good thing that she is gone. Family dynamics are different with my ilk." The girl says quietly… well, obviously. "I shall not miss her, I do not grieve. I grieve for the others whom she has destroyed." Said pointedly, then she flits her gaze back up at him. "Any hurt I felt was due to what happened to you, Daxton." Not just the days after but the seconds, when he was shaking and disorientated. Orders or no orders, regardless of his intent in sending Callisto away… he did not deserve that. Callisto watches him, not hastening to move her hand away as the chains of the swing squeak slightly with the movement of her body.
The puppy dog look, indeed, throws her off a bit.. not quite in a bad way but it's not making this 'holding off' thing easier! Callisto clears her throat gently. "You are a hero. You are my first hero, you see. I've not known of a hero before." Said frankly as she watches him, making to stand carefully. "I am sorry if I seemed.. aloof.. the past few days. I felt guilty."
Daxton chuckles, "I'm a pretty tough nut to crack, Calli. I'm okay." He'll keep saying it until she stops worrying. He nods in the direction of down town, finally dropping her hand as he starts to walk. "Really? I figured you'd have met a billion heroes, all in shining armor or some crap." How old does he think she is again? "No need to feel guilty. WE won. It's a good thing."
Well she has a good reserve of worry to exhaust, here. But mercifully, Callisto will eventually ease off… it's not of her nature, it seriously isn't, to fret. There's just something about Daxton and his nature, one moment a puppy dog smirk in seek of ice cream, the other breaking a supernatural creature's neck. Then— wait.. there is a distinct lack of something in her hand, when she finally stands up. Daxton has released her and Callisto, despite herself, feels strangely bereft. His words catch her still and with a strange expression, she will try to catch his attention again by reaching for his elbow before he moves fully away.
Provided she manages to do so, she will try to pull the speedster in for a hug. It will be firmer than her typical ones! But when one expects her to babble on with more of the 'guilty' drivel she instead says with mock offense, though her tone still bears those anxious inflections: "I haven't known knights. How old do you think I am?"
Daxton turns at the touch, but once he realizes what she's after his arms raise slightly and he hugs her back. "Oh…I don't know. King Arthur times?" He never said history was a strong suit. "You rode horses, right?" And created fire?
Now she could punch him. But she won't. Regardless she gives the boy an earnest hug. Callisto, despite her past self, rather enjoys hugs.. even giving them. Especially this one. But then he goes and puts her back to when they baked on rocks and told time by sundial and she eases back, giving his chest a shove. "King. Arthur?" Callisto asks pointedly.. her expression is aghast but her gaze — which had become overbright when she eased in for the hug — is still shiny for some reason. It's bad enough to miss the mark by like, 5 years, re: the touchy question of discerning a woman's age. Imagine doing it by centuries!
Luckily Callisto isn't quite so touchy. She narrows her eyes at him, face flushed and shoulders redder, "You are way off the mark. Try Lincoln and Roosevelt." The fey girl snarks out. "And.. I did ride horses. But it was a long time ago. I do miss it but know naught of whether or not I could find something similar around here…"
Daxton knows what he's doing, her hands meet his firm chest and he playfully stumbles backwards with a laugh. "Lincoln?" He's still smiling, but his next question is a little more eeriest, "Were you here in the states?" Horse riding huh? "There's got to be stables near by. Have you looked?? Her by for a speedster is a lot further than for other people.
She'll just pretend that she's not focusing on how firm that chest felt. Callisto's fists ball at her sides briefly then unfurl, though her sharp look softens with remembrance. She wasn't truly mad. "Not during the time of their service." The girl offers, "I was cloistered away in the North, with only books and the ability to look out. I had no choice but to feed my mind with knowledge of the world via books and word-of-mouth… t'was hard to do, with my lifestyle then." A gentle sigh as she sweeps the folds of her skirts with slender hands. "I enjoy history, and not just that which is written in any one part of the world. I had a lot of time to kill." Said simply, watching him. "My emergence into the United States is fairly… recent. The 1970s. I have… seen things, there." A soft look, hastily done away with.
Talk of stables brightens Callisto's expression, "I have not. But perhaps I can look into it.. it has been a truly long time." Said as she looks at him again. Her brow furrows lightly; something seems to be eating at her, a question unasked.
North? That's right, Iceland or New Zealand or wherever. "Ah…that' why you liked Hippie boy." This is said in teasing, any uncertainty he had about Brier is gone. He's starts walking again, intent of getting something to eat, but the he can feel her gaze and looks over, "What?"
She does not supply much more insight on Brier, though perhaps some deeply buried, internal part of her psyche had been drawn to the new student. Petal, too, was blonde and of a similar nature back in the day.. though far older. It goes without saying that Callisto favors flower children.. but she just has this overall, pesky care for mortals in general. It hasn't been easy. The girl takes a deep breath, and looks down at her hands briefly. "What are we to do, Daxton?" Callisto asks with the tiniest bit of trepidation.. curses herself for feeling anxious. It's a newly-forged emotion, since the last 60 years or so. By her standards that's new.
What are they to do? Regarding evil fey? The situation at hand? What does she mean!?
"All you have done for me. I cannot help it, for it pushes me past the parameters of a friend. I am trying not to, trying to respect.. but t'is hard. Especially now." Callisto looks up. "Have we a chance? Or am I being foolish how much I am coming to care for you? What are we, exactly?" There it is!
Daxton just wanted food and to make sure Callisto was ok. The tilted headed puppy dog look disappears into a frown and he glances away. "I…I don't know." It's honest, at least. "I don't want-" No, he stops with that thought, head shaking, "Rebecca did a number on me. I..I didn't | |
I know I have your vote.
Everybody at this table has voted for themselves.
You have seven minutes, and then we'll wrap up.
Thank you very much for your presentation, and frankly, for the work your bank does around the world. Mr. Williamson and I are Maritimers. Certainly when I travel and see the Scotiabank sign, it makes me smile. I wish you still called it the Bank of Nova Scotia. It sounded better than Scotiabank. You've spent too much time in Toronto. You keep wanting to drop off the "Nova Scotia" part of it.
I'm from the east coast too.
In all seriousness, you have done and continue to do admirable work and you should be congratulated for that.
You didn't have a chance to elaborate on the answer that you would have given the University of Ottawa students. When they ask you what microfinance or microcredit is, what's the four-sentence explanation? What are the thresholds? I'm curious to hear how you would define that to a group of university students.
The segmentation for us is loans under $2,000 and revenues under $100,000 Canadian.
Practically, what it means is it's a way for very unsophisticated business owners to provide for their families. As I mentioned, they don't have financial statements in almost all cases. When you move up into small business, you start to get a little more sophistication, a little more reporting.
Perhaps I can pick up on a question that Mr. Dechert began with. He was absolutely correct on Haiti, that one of the challenges is that there is no viable land registry system. So if somebody is borrowing money and three people show up with what they pretend to be a deed to the same piece of property, it certainly is not reassuring for some banker.
But other than the obvious property rights or land registry systems or personal property security or some kind of enforceable collateral provision, what are the other challenges you're having in terms of legal structures, for example, judicial corruption? I was in a country some years ago where the judges hadn't been paid for two years. They were living off tips, like workers in the service and hospitality sector. So that is a problem, surely, if one is trying to set up any kind of financial system.
What other challenges have you had, other than property rights?
Right, generally, in any of your operations?
We always joke that we had a branch in Jamaica long before we had one in Toronto. We started as a bank that was financing trade between the east coast and the Caribbean. That's our history. That's our route. We have 120-plus years of experience in developing markets.
Then about 30 years ago we had an opportunity to enter the Mexican market, and some visionary CEOs looked at doing that.
We do a lot of homework and a lot of due diligence before we enter a market. Obviously we are looking at stability of political systems, level of corruption. All those kinds of things have to meet our criteria or we don't enter a market.
After that, if we decide to enter a market, usually it's by acquisition. Then we look at the quality and culture of the company and whether it fits with our culture. If we don't end up with the same values and culture, regardless of whether the company is profitable or not, it's not going to be a good fit.
There's an awful lot of due diligence that's done before we think about entering a market. In our case we've built an expertise in Latin America. There's been a long history in the Caribbean, and now we have a history in Latin America—from Mexico to Peru to Chile, to Colombia last year, Brazil, and Uruguay.
We have a core competency in Spanish now. All of us in head office are learning Spanish as well. Over half of Scotiabank's employees speak Spanish as their first and usually only language, and we have some core competency in Latin American culture.
I was asked at the university why we aren't in Africa, and it's that it takes a massive amount of time, energy, and management attention to learn a market and a culture. For us, it's been Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia, outside of Canada.
Sorry. That was a long answer to your question.
We were told that you're looking at expanding some of the microfinance activities of the bank. I would assume that you'd be looking at those criteria—political stability, etc.—but also a regional context.
Yes, exactly. It's the markets that we know. We wouldn't start a business in a new market, just because of all the things I've said.
I have a final question.
We were told, I think it was ten years ago, that there was a partnership or an effort—I think CIDA was a partner at that time, in Jamaica—around giving women entrepreneurs access to microcredit or microfinance.
Is that something you're trying to pursue?
In developing countries, financial literacy, as you said, is obviously a critical element. But if there are women entrepreneurs, or women who are interested either in their own family context or community context in developing some sort of business operation, surely that would be a pretty important thing to try to encourage.
Are there other activities you're doing with CIDA or other partners, particularly around women entrepreneurs?
The one in Jamaica that you mentioned...actually in working with CIDA last year we converted the four branches we had opened in that program into our traditional business model, which I think speaks to the success of the program.
We don't target microfinance programs specifically for women. We target microfinance programs for the general public. A lot of business start-ups and micro-businesses are being started by women. We want to provide financing to anyone who wants to start up a business, which includes over 60% of the cases being women.
So over 60% of the microfinance initiatives that you would be undertaking or initiating would be with women as applicants or partners.
Ms. Hannam, thank you very much for taking the time. We apologize for cutting you a little bit short today.
For the members, you have just over 20 minutes.
I'll suspend the meeting and then we'll get back here for the minister right after we're done with the votes.
Thank you once again for being here.
Pursuant to Standing Order 84(1), the committee is examining the main estimates for 2012-13, as well as a study of the expenditure plans for the department for the fiscal year 2011-12.
I want to welcome Mr. Patel, who is the assistant deputy minister and chief financial officer. Welcome, sir.
We also have the deputy minister, Mr. Rosenberg. Thank you for being here, sir.
We have Minister Baird and we have Minister Diane Ablonczy. Welcome.
Mr. Baird, why don't I turn the floor over to you? I understand you have some opening remarks. Then we'll hear from Minister Ablonczy, and then we'll go through our questions.
Welcome, sir. The floor is yours.
I want to thank you for the opportunity to be with you this afternoon. I will keep my comments short and I will be pleased to answer any questions you may have after.
It has now been almost a year since I took on my new responsibilities as foreign minister.
I last appeared before you in December, and since then many situations around the world have changed, and changed dramatically.
The situation in Syria is of great concern to us all. Canada acted swiftly in condemning the Assad regime's violent attacks against the Syrian people. We imposed a series of sanctions directed at Syria's rulers and their funding sources.
We have also activated a voluntary evacuation of Canadians in Syria, where we have facilitated the departure of literally hundreds of Canadians. During that time, in the month or so to follow, our ambassador stayed in | |
Social anarchism
For the journal, see Social Anarchism (journal).
Social anarchism[1][2][3][4][5] is a non-state form of socialism[6] and is considered to be the branch of anarchism that sees individual freedom as being interrelated with mutual aid.[7] Social anarchist thought emphasizes community and social equality as complementary to autonomy and personal freedom through norms such as freedom of speech maintained in a decentralized federalism, balanced with freedom of interaction in thought as well as incorporating the concept of subsidiarity, namely "that one should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they can accomplish by their own enterprise and industry" and that "[f]or every social activity ought of its very nature to furnish help to the members of the body social, [should] never destroy and absorb them", or simply the slogan "Do not take tools out of people's hands".[7][8]
Social anarchism has also advocated that the conversion of a proportion of present-day and future productive private property be made into social property to offer individual empowerment through easier access to such as tools or parts, or a sharing of the commons while retaining respect for personal property.[9] Distributism is an approach. The term is used to describe the theory—contra individualist anarchism—that places an emphasis on the communitarian and cooperative aspects in anarchist theory while also opposing authoritarian forms of communitarianism associated with groupthink and collective conformity and instead favouring a reconciliation between individuality and sociality. For instance, illegitimate authority is removed through inspection and vigilance. While self-determination is asserted as is worker's self-management and education and empowerment emphasized, both individually and through interaction with the community, a do-it-yourself (DIY) mentality is combined with educational efforts within the social realm.
Social anarchism is considered an umbrella term that includes—but it is not limited to—the post-capitalist economic models of anarcho-communism, collectivist anarchism and sometimes mutualism, or even non-state controlled federated guild socialist dual power industrial democracy and economic democracy or federated worker cooperatives in addition to workers' and consumers' councils, replacing much of the present state system yet still retaining basic rights as well as the trade union approach of anarcho-syndicalism, the social struggle strategies of platformism and specifism and the environmental philosophy of social ecology. The term social anarchism is often used interchangeably with libertarian socialism[10] or left-libertarianism[11] and emerged in the late 19th century as a distinction from individualist anarchism.[12]
2 Historical currents
2.1 Mutualism
2.2 Collectivist anarchism
2.3 Anarcho-communism
2.4 Anarcho-syndicalism
2.5 Platformism and specifism
3 Contemporary currents
3.1 Inclusive Democracy
3.2 Participism
3.3 Social ecology and Communalism
Terms like anarcho-socialism or socialist anarchism can be used as synonymous for social anarchism, but this is rejected by most anarchists since they generally consider themselves socialists of the libertarian tradition and are seen as unnecessary and confusing when not used as synonymous for libertarian or stateless socialism vis-à-vis authoritarian or state socialism.[13][14][15][16] Anarchism has been historically identified with the socialist and anti-capitalist movement, with the main divide being between anti-market anarchists who support some form of decentralized economic planning and pro-market anarchists who support free-market socialism, therefore such terms are mainly used by anarcho-capitalism theorists and scholars who recognize anarcho-capitalism to differentiate between the two.[6][10][17] For similar reasons, anarchists also reject categorizations such as left[18] and right anarchism (anarcho-capitalism and national-anarchism),[19] seeing anarchism as a far-left ideology.[20]
While most anarcho-capitalists theorists and scholars divide anarchism into social anarchism vis-à-vis individualist anarchism meaning socialism vs. capitalism, seeing the two as mutually exclusive although accepting all anarchist schools of thought under panarchy on the basis of voluntaryism, anarchist theorists and scholars opposing to anarcho-capitalism reject this, not seeing them as a struggle between socialism and capitalism or as mutually exclusive, but instead as complementary, with their differences mainly being based on the means to attain anarchy, rather than on their ends, arguing against certain anarcho-capitalist theorists and scholars who see individualist anarchism as pro-capitalist and reiterating that anarchism as a whole is socialist, meaning libertarian and anti-statist socialism. As an example, many anarcho-communists regard themselves as radically individualists,[21] seeing anarcho-communism as the best social system for the realization of individual freedom.[22] Notwithstanding the name, collectivist anarchism is also seen as a blend of individualism and collectivism.[23] Indeed, anarchism is generally considered an individualist philosophy, opposing all forms of authoritarian collectivism, but one which does see the individual or the community as complementary rather than mutually exclusive, with anarco-communism and social anarchism in particular most rejecting the individualist–collectivist dichotomy. Finally, social anarchism is a term used in the United States to refer to Murray Bookchin's circle and its omonymous journal.[2][24]
To differentiate it from individualist anarchism, most anarchists generally prefer using social anarchism, a term used to characterize certain strides of anarchism vis-à-vis individualist anarchism, with the former focusing on the social aspect and generally being more organisational as well as supporting decentralised economic planning and the latter focusing on the individual and generally being more anti-organisational as well as supporting a free-market form of socialism, respectively, rather than seeing the two categories as mutually exclusive or as socialist vis-à-vis capitalism, leading to anarchism without adjectives.[25] For instance, mutualism, especially the theory of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, is seen as the middle or third category between social anarchism and individualist anarchism, although it is often considered part of social anarchism[26][27] and sometimes part of individualist anarchism.[28][29][30] Proudhon spoke of social individualism and described the mutualism and the freedom it pursued as the synthesis between communism and property.[31]
Historical currents
Main article: Mutualism
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
Mutualism, originally developed by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, emerged from early 19th century socialism and is generally considered a market-oriented strand within the libertarian socialist tradition. Mutualists typically accept property rights, but with brief abandonment time periods. In a community in which mutuality property rules were upheld, a landowner would need to make (more or less) continuous use of his/her land; if he/she failed to do so, his/her ownership rights would be extinguished and the land could be homesteaded by someone else. A mutualist property regime is often described as one rooted in possession, occupancy-and-use, or usufruct.[32]
Nevertheless, mutualism is also associated with the economic views of 19th century American individualist anarchists such as Benjamin Tucker and William Batchelder Greene.[33] Today, Kevin Carson is a contemporary mutualist and author of Studies in Mutualist Political Economy who describes this work as "an attempt to revive individualist anarchist political economy, to incorporate the useful developments of the last hundred years, and to make it relevant to the problems of the twenty-first century".[34]
Collectivist anarchism
Main article: Collectivist anarchism
Collectivist anarchism (also known as anarcho-collectivism[35][36] and referred to as revolutionary socialism or a form of such) is a revolutionary form of anarchism, commonly associated with Mikhail Bakunin and James Guillaume.[37][38] It is a specific tendency, not to be confused with the broad category sometimes called collectivist or communitarian anarchism.[39]
The tendency emerged from the most radical wing of mutualism during the late 1860s. Unlike mutualists, collectivist anarchists oppose all private ownership of the means of production, instead advocating that ownership be collectivized, being made the joint property of the commune (municipality). This was to be achieved through violent revolution, first starting with a small cohesive group through acts of armed insurrection, or propaganda by the deed, which would inspire the workers and peasants as a whole to revolt and forcibly collectivize the means of production.[37] However, collectivization was not to be extended to the distribution of income as workers would be paid according to time worked, rather than receiving goods being distributed "according to need" as in anarcho-communism. This position was criticised by later anarcho-communists as effectively "uphold[ing] the wages system".[40]
Anarchist communist and collectivist ideas were not mutually exclusive. Although the collectivist anarchists advocated compensation for labor, some held out the possibility of a post-revolutionary transition to a communist system of distribution according to need, claiming that this would become more | |
On Test Cricket
— Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.
It's the morning after.
Yesterday, the Indian cricket team managed to pull off its most famous Test match win ever, the recency effect of it notwithstanding. In the truest sense of the term, it was a fine Ocean 11's kind of heist which went right down to the wire, and not the tacky Dhoom type.
The sun is just about getting ready to peep out of the clouds. While a whole host of things remain to be done, I am reluctant to start my workday given that I am still brimming with excitement over yesterday's win.
And in this situation who wants to write yet another piece on what the government should do in the next budget. (For those who don't know me, I make a living out of writing on economics and finance).
As I process yesterday's win and get ready for the boring, mundane day that lies ahead, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan is singing his legendary thumri ka karun sajni aaye na balam. It took me years to reach a level where I could appreciate the brilliance of Khan sahab's singing.
My interest in music started with listening to Hindi film music on Vividh Bharti. Over the years, thanks to my father and a few neighbours, I graduated to listening to Jagjit Singh sing ye kagaz ki kashti ye baarish ka paani.
And then it was Ghulam Ali singing faasle aise bhi honge ye kabhi socha na tha.
It continued with Mehdi Hasan singing ranjish hi sahi dil hi dukhane ke liye aa.
And I thought I had reached the peak of listening prowess when I heard Akhtari Bai Faizabadi sing wo jo humme tumme karar tha, tumhe yaad ho ke na yaad ho.
The greatness of these singers notwithstanding, everything fell flat once I had heard Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sing ka karun sajni aaye na balam. Of course I am mixing genres of music here, but that's the way it is and I can't do anything about it.
So what's the point here? It took me years of listening to music patiently and spending all the time that I did, to reach a stage where I could appreciate Khan sahab's singing. It didn't happen in a day or even a year or two, it took decades.
Imagine what would have happened, if someone had introduced me to Khan sahab's singing in the 1990s. I would possibly have turned around and said what rubbish is this. It's so slow. And he sings the same thing over and over again. Have you heard Kumar Sanu sing maine pyar tumhi se kiya hai, maine dil bhi tumhi ko diya hai?
But then I was still maturing as a listener. Appreciating good things in life takes time. It takes decades to develop some taste, if at all that happens.
The question is, why have I been going on and on about Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sahab in a piece supposedly on Test cricket. Let me explain.
Watching Test cricket for me is an experience similar to listening to Khan sahab sing ka karun sajni aaye na balam. I wasn't always up for it.
My first memory of watching cricket goes back to India winning the World Championship of Cricket in 1985. Doordarshan had just come to Ranchi, the city I was born and brought up in, only a few months earlier on October 2, 1984, and we had bought our first TV on December 25, 1984 (It was an Uptron).
I don't have many memories of the 1987 Reliance World Cup other than India losing the semi-final to England in Mumbai. For days at end there were rumours of Dilip Vengsarkar having opted out of playing in the semi-final because Sunil Gavaskar wanted India to lose, since he didn't want to play the final scheduled in Kolkata (then Calcutta).
The 1992 Benson and Hedges World Cup was the first cricket World Cup I saw in colour and on cable TV. My memories of it are limited to India losing to Australia by one run, thanks to a stupid rain rule, which would eventually also cost South Africa a place in the finals. I still remember the looks on the face of Brian McMillan and Dave Richardson, the South African batsman at the crease, when the rain rule revised South Africa's target to 22 runs to get from one ball.
The 1996 World Cup was when things got really personal. We were not supposed to lose. But then despite the bowling heroics of Javagal Srinath who got rid of both Sanath Jayasuria and Romesh Kaluwitharana very quickly, Sri Lanka went on to win the semi-final, once the pitch started spinning like a top during the Indian innings and our batting simply collapsed after Sachin Tendulkar got out, as was often the case in those days.
My final memory of that lousy day is that of Vinod Kambli slowly walking off the Eden Gardens with tears in his eyes, once the match referee Clive Llyod decided to call off the match and award a victory to Sri Lanka, due to crowd trouble.
The pain that followed was very personal. After the game got over, I walked around aimlessly for at least two hours in the colony we used to live in, trying to process what had just happened. It simply didn't make any sense. How could India lose?
After that loss, over the years, things became less personal when it came to cricket. The main reason for it was the rise of cable TV and the fact that the live cricket broadcast became more and more ubiquitous. The popularity of cable TV and ODI cricket went hand in hand, with each feeding in on the other.
The law of diminishing marginal utility was also at work and the continuous live coverage of cricket, made it like just another game, you watched, you forgot and you moved on. The value of the game wasn't quite the same. As the supply of cricket increased, the enjoyment with each extra game being played, came down.
In fact, the rise of T20 cricket led to my emotions getting totally detached from the game. My mother used to watch soap operas while having dinner (now she watches Netflix), and I watch IPL, when it is on. These days I watch the Aussie Big Bash League while having lunch.
Cricket, like soap operas for my mother, became another time filler for me.
Then things started to change in 2012, when I quit my full-time journalism job and went freelance. This is when I seriously started watching Test cricket because I finally had the time to watch a game which unfolds itself leisurely over a period of five days. Until then I used to follow Test cricket but post 2012, I started seriously watching it.
And like I took time to appreciate the singing of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sahab, it took me time to appreciate Test cricket, and when I did, boy did I enjoy it. I had go through watching a lot of 50 over cricket, international T-20 cricket, league T-20 cricket and first class matches, to finally start appreciating Test cricket. It was a proper process.
Much of T-20 cricket to me is timepass and to put it honestly, given a choice, I would rather spend time eating the original Indian timepass, the humble moongphali, than watch T-20 cricket.
A simple reason why I find Test cricket more enjoyable is because the game is much more balanced, with the bowlers getting almost an equal chance as batsmen.
Like it is in ODI cricket, the quota of overs a bowler can bowl is not limited. This means the best bowlers in a team can keep bowling as long as their body allows them to. Among the Aussie fast | |
Tag Archives: emir kusturica
by iansales 5 Comments
Best of the half-year
It's halfway through 2013, and it's proven quite a year so far in ways both good and bad. This post is to celebrate some of the good stuff – namely the best of the books I've read, the films I've seen, and the albums I first heard during the previous six months.
Winter's Bone, Daniel Woodrell (2006) I read this after seeing and liking the film and I was much surprised to discover it was not some piece of cheap commercial fiction with an unusual setting, but instead a beautifully-written literary novel which happened to use a genre plot. The film is pretty damn good too. I plan to read more by Woodrell. I wrote about this book here.
Empty Space, M John Harrison (2012) is the third book in the Kefahuchi Tract trilogy and I really must reread Light and Nova Swing one of these days. If at first I thought Empty Space felt a little undisciplined in its spraying of tropes across its narrative threads, the more of it I read the more I realised how very carefully engineered it was. I wrote about this book here.
Invisible Cities, Italo Calvino (1972) is the most recently-read book to appear in this list. I had no real idea what to expect when I picked it up, but its lyrical and oblique descriptions of the cities (allegedly) visited by Marco Polo immediately captivated me. I wrote about this book here.
The Wall Around Eden, Joan Slonczewski (1989) is one of those books I read and enjoyed, but only realised how well-crafted it was when I came to write a review of it for SF Mistressworks. It reads like a masterclass in science fiction. This book really needs to be back in print. See my review here.
Under the Volcano, Malcolm Lowry (1947) Some books just leave you speechless at the quality of the prose, and while I'd already fallen in love with Lowry's writing when I read his novella 'Through the Panama', there was always a chance this, his most famous and most lauded novel, would not appeal as much. Happily, it did. Even more so, perhaps. A bona fide classic of English-language literature. I wrote about it here.
Honourable mentions go to Osama, Lavie Tidhar (2011), whose grasp may not quite match its reach but it comes damn close; Before The Incal, Alejandro Jodorowsky & Zoran Janjetov (2012), which matches The Incal for bonkersness and sheer bande dessinée goodness; Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997), which is a bit of a bloated monstrosity, and contains too much baseball, but also features moments of genius; The Steerswoman's Road, Rosemary Kirstein (2003), which is actually a cheat as its an omnibus of The Steerswoman (1992) and The Outskirter's Secret (1993) and I only read the latter this year, but it's an excellent series and deserves praise; Jamilia, Chingiz Aïtmatov (1958), which proved to be a lovely little novella set in the author's native Kyrgyzstan; and Sons and Lovers, DH Lawrence (1913), which shows with beautiful prose how psychology should be used in fiction.
Um, not that much science fiction there. I seem to be failing at this science fiction fan business…
Le Mépris, Jean-Luc Godard (1963) I am not a huge fan of Godard, so I was somewhat surprised how much I liked this film. Perhaps it's because it feels a little like Fellini's 8½ (both are about film-making), which is also a favourite film, and looks a bit like something by Antonioni.
The Dr Mabuse trilogy, Fritz Lang: Dr Mabuse The Gambler (1922), The Testament of Dr Mabuse (1933), The 1000 Eyes of Dr Mabuse (1960) A bit of a cheat as I watched Dr Mabuse The Gambler in 2012, but never mind. If the first film is a commentary on corruption in the Weimar Republic, the second extends the metaphor to comment on Nazism, and the third further completes it with an off-kilter noir film commenting on the legacy of the Nazis. Classic cinema.
Only Yesterday, Isao Takahata (1991) I've been working my way through Studio Ghibli's output, though I find most of it either twee, cloyingly sentimental or a little juvenile. But not this one. I wrote about it here.
About Elly, Asghar Farhadi (2009) For much of its length, this film feels like an art house mystery, but then it takes a turn into something completely different and wholly Iranian. I wrote about it here.
She Should Have Gone to the Moon, Ulrike Kubatta (2008) I bought this as research for the Apollo Quartet, and was surprised to discover it was a beautifully-shot documentary and meditation on the thirteen women who successfully passed the same medical tests as the Mercury astronauts.
Honourable mentions go to Gertrud, Carl Theodor Dreyer (1964), grim and Danish and beautifully subtle; Man With A Movie Camera, Dziga Vertov (1929), an astonishing and meta-cinematic document of 1920s Russia; Black Cat, White Cat, Emir Kusturica (1998), broad comedy but also very funny; Le Havre, Aki Kaurismäki (2011), typically deadpan but somewhat cheerier than usual; and The Sun, Aleksandr Sokurov (2005), a human portrait of Emperor Hirohito at the end of WWII.
Well, will you look at that, not a single Hollywood film in the entire lot. Instead, we have films from France, Germany, Japan, Iran, Denmark, Russia, the former Yugoslavia, Finland and a documentary from the UK.
Construct, Dark Tranquillity (2013) A new album from one of my favourite bands, and with each new album they just get better and better. Can't wait to see them live.
Death Walks With Me, Noumena (2013) A new album from Finnish melodic death metal masters after far too long a wait. Trumpet!
The Threnody Of Triumph, Winterfylleth (2012) They call it English heritage black metal, though I'm not entirely sure what that means – a wall of guitars, with howling vocals layered over the top, some lovely acoustic interludes, and they're bloody good live too.
Dustwalker, Fen (2013) More English heritage black metal but also very atmospheric, perhaps even a bit shoegazer-y in places; a formula that works extremely well.
Unborn and Hollow, Forlorn Chambers (2013) A demo EP from a new Finnish band, which mixes and matches a couple of extreme metal genres to excellent effect. Very heavy, very doomy, with a lot of death in it too. I'm looking forward to seeing an album from them.
Honourable mentions: Conflict, Sparagmos (1999), classic Polish death metal; Of Breath and Bone, Bel'akor (2012), Australian melodic death metal; Deathlike, Ancient VVisdom (2013), strange acoustic doom from Texas; Where the End Begins, Mentally Blind (2013), accomplished demo from a Polish death metal band.
Categories: 2013 roundup, books, films, music | Tags: aki kaurismäki, aleksandr sokurov, ancient vvisdom, asghar farhadi, bel'akor, carl theodor dreyer, daniel woodrell, dark tranquillity, don delillo, dziga vertov, emir kusturica, fen, forlorn chambers, fritz lang, isao takahata, italo calvino, jean-luc godard, m john harrison, malcolm lowry, mentally blind, noumena, sparagmos, studio ghibli, ulrike kubatta, winterfylleth | Permalink.
Best of the year 2011
I was going to leave this until January, but everyone else is doing them now. And, let's face it, there's only a handful of days left until the end of the year and they'll be filled with various consumerist festivities. So…
As of 15 December, I had read 156 books in 2011, which I suspect will mean a total on 31 December of slightly less than last year's 178 books. But then I probably wrote more this year than I did in 2010. Of my reading, 4% were anthologies, and 12% non-fiction… which means of the remainder that 28% were books by women writers and 56% by male writers. I still need to work on that. Genre-wise, 44% was science fiction, 16% was mainstream, 8% was fantasy, and 16% were graphic novels.
Of | |
Archives For Family
Remembering Christmas
These days we measure our lives by the chemotherapy treatments that come every three weeks and blood tests every six weeks or so. Thus far, there has only been good news and we now start our mornings drinking coffee together while reading the newspapers. I still awake at five minutes after five most mornings but she doesn't join me until the papers are in and the coffee is made.
In Family Christmas 2018
Thursdays with Kathy
I awake at five minutes after five, walk downstairs and turn up the thermostat. The kettle slowly heats and a few minutes later the coffee is ready.
This is my quiet time when I read digital newspapers and catch up on the Twitter feed as a new day dawns in Baltimore.
This is my alone time, but not today.
Yesterday was Kathy's eighth chemotherapy session and the steroids they gave her make her feel great. I have just poured my first cup of coffee when I hear her slippers on the staircase.
I pour her a cup and we sit together for a while. It is like it was before and we talk about unimportant things as daylight replaces darkness over the back patio.
At times like these I wish her chemotherapy could last forever. It seems to be working wonders and, at least on Thursday mornings, she looks like she is cured. But it kills the good with the bad and she is steadily losing healthy blood cells. This makes her weaker as each day passes and we are not sure she will be able to complete the last treatment before her surgery.
But for now she is vibrant and healthy and full of hope about getting back to work and back to the way it was before.
We have breakfast and I help her with an injection before leaving for work.
When I return she has changed. The steroids have worn off and she is fatigued from the anemia. She goes to bed early and is asleep before I have finished tucking the blankets around her.
I awake at five minutes after five on Friday, walk downstairs and turn up the thermostat. The kettle slowly heats and a few minutes later the coffee is ready.
This is my quiet time, but I wish it was a Thursday.
In Family Chemotherapy
The halls at Hopkins
When we first arrived at Johns Hopkins Hospital we expected a short consultation and then a return home to await the start of a treatment plan. We left three days later. We started in the outpatient center, spent time in the Weinberg building and were assigned a hospital room in Zayed.
These buildings and many others are connected by a maze of bridges, tunnels, escalators and walkways and I spent much of the first visit wandering around looking for flowers and places to eat .
Since that visit I have walked past the Administration Building dozens of times and today I decided to stop by to visit a statue I knew was there.
It is called Christus Consolator and was donated in 1896 by William Wallace Spence. Since then countless patients and family members have visited this place for solace and inspiration.
Some leave flowers and messages. Others pause to say a prayer or rub the exposed foot for luck. I have nothing to place here today, but hope that those who were here before me did not leave in sorrow.
There are many other placards and markers installed on the walls of the hallways here. One pays tribute to the persons who served in "The Hopkins Units" during the first and second world wars.
Another is much more worn and hard to read. It tells of two sons who died within months of each other, on opposite sides of the world. One was a Marine who died during the battle to take Okinawa. His younger brother served on a bomber and was lost over the English Channel two weeks after D-Day.
Thousands of people walk by this plaque everyday and I hope that at least a few stop to read the story of sacrifice that it tells.
Legend claims that the when Christus Consolator was delivered, the doorman remarked that "Jesus came in through the front door." Today, I came in from the back door and spent a few minutes thinking about the journey that lies ahead and the people who have been down this path before us.
In Family, Friendship Christus Consolator, Johns Hopkins
The dismal wilderness.
I decided last year that I would climb the three peaks that make up the Santanoni range as part of a short backpacking trip. That trip fell through and I asked my nephew Alex if he would join me this weekend on the makeup trip.
He came directly from taking his second mid-term exam and we met at a rest stop on I-87 and drove from there to the trailhead. We distributed the camping gear between our backpacks and started our hike to the campsite just beyond Bradley Pond. We arrived with about 30 minutes of daylight remaining and were able to set up camp and have a quick dinner before dark.
It rained overnight and the air was chilly and damp during our entire day in the mountains. We carried a lot of extra gear with us because of the remoteness of the peaks we were climbing and the chance that the weather might turn for the worse. The weight of the packs slowed us down during our ascent up the trail from Bradley Pond to the clearing located in the saddle between Santanoni and Panther.
From there we first hiked to Couchsachraga Peak. Couchsachraga is ancient Algonquin and is translated as "the dismal wilderness." It is the word that the Algonquins used for the Adirondack Mountains.
The hike to Couchsachraga is deceptively difficult. At 1164 meters it is the shortest of the peaks making up the 46er list. The saddle between Panther and Santanoni is at roughly 1300 meters and the trail to Couchsachraga descends to 1000 meters before a last steep climb to the summit. The hike back to the saddle was the hardest part of the day as we struggled to regain the 300 meters we had lost hiking to Couchsachraga.
The rest of the hike was much easier. We made good time to Santanoni and Panther and headed back to the campsite at 4:00 PM.
As we walked down from Panther we debated whether we should hike out that night or stay until morning. Neither of us had slept well the night before and the freeze-dried meals I had prepared were barely edible. We reached the campsite just before dark, had a some hot chocolate and Cream of Wheat, and decided to head for home. We changed into dry clothes. packed, turned on our headlamps and started for the trailhead.
The trail was quiet and easy to follow because of the reflective trail markers. Although the head lamps limited our vision to just a few feet in front of us, we were able to track our progress by the sounds of the nearby streams that started softly and then grew louder and louder as we reached the valley and the mountain road leading to the parking lot.
It was probably the hardest day I have spent hiking in the Adirondacks thus far. Alex and I spent 14 hours walking 14 miles on wet rocks and slippery roots. We crossed two streams where the bridges had washed away. We were damp and sore and the boots we wore were covered with mud.
We reached three peaks, but saw nothing more than the signs and markers at the summits.
Couchsachraga.
In Adirondack Park, ADK 46-R, Family Bradley Pond, Couchsachraga Peak, Panther Peak, Santanoni Peak
River in the rain.
I learned to canoe in 1972 at Crumhorn Mountain Boy Scout Camp.
Jim Davidson was in charge of the waterfront | |
Job Description for President
Serving as president of a PTA includes the responsibility to lead that PTA toward specific goals chosen by its members. The goals must be consistent with the policies and Purposes of the PTA. The president is the presiding officer and the official representative of the association.
Throughout the year, mailings will be sent from the Georgia State PTA and National PTA that contain important material to assist the unit. Distribute and discuss these materials with the appropriate officers and chairmen.
For PTA training, counseling, or information, contact the council or district PTA director.
All written materials produced by PTA (e.g., newsletters, flyers, website postings, or notices) are to be cleared with the PTA president and school principal before publishing. The principal is responsible for the accuracy of school information and compliance with the State Education Code and school district policy. The PTA president is responsible for the accuracy of PTA information and compliance with PTA policies.
Prior to Taking Office
To ensure a successful term of office, certain responsibilities begin as soon as new officers are elected.
The president-elect should confer with the school principal and call meetings, as necessary, of the board-elect (elected officers and principal) soon after election to ratify appointed officers, fill any vacant offices and make plans for the coming year.
When appointed officers are ratified, they become part of the board-elect.
Hold brainstorming session(s) with the board-elect to establish unit goals. Review past unit activities, become familiar with National PTA and Georgia State PTA goals and Purposes, set realistic goals and prioritize projects. Evaluate current chairman positions and decide which are needed. Ask for suggestions of people to fill chairmanships.
Start recruiting chairmen and committee members; strive for a balance of experienced and new members, keeping in mind that all areas of the community should be represented. Select first those whose work begins immediately: program, budget and finance and membership. If the standing rules or bylaws designate some of these duties to the vice president(s) or treasurer, appoint additional members to their respective committees.
A special meeting of the board-elect may be called to ratify the appointment of all chairmen, so they can begin their activities. The president-elect may also do this at the first executive board meeting when the term begins.
Become familiar with the duties of each chairman by reviewing the Georgia State PTA Leadership Resource Guide. Share job descriptions and materials as noted with the chairmen and help them to secure procedure books and materials from their predecessors.
Names and addresses of additional executive board members should be sent to council and/or district PTA for their respective directories.
Attend workshops offered by council or district PTA and urge incoming board members to attend.
The president-elect is one of the unit's delegates to the Georgia State PTA Convention.
Prior to taking office, request the outgoing president's procedure book and review it and all material received from previous president.
Coordinate with treasurer-elect to have the sign a tu re cards for bank accounts updated with new officers and submitted to the bank at the beginning of the new term.
During Term of Office
Appoint a committee to review and/or revise the bylaws.
Work with committees in charge of activities scheduled before school begins, such as student registration and welcome for teachers, new students, and parents.
Meet with the room representative coordinator and principal to plan an orientation meeting for room representatives and/or grade level representatives.
Confer with officers and chairmen regarding plans for the year and progress toward set goals.
Prepare a master calendar that includes executive board meetings, association meetings, PTA special events, and president/principal meetings.
Order PTA materials that will be helpful to officers/chairmen in fulfilling their responsibilities. This is a legitimate PTA expense. If possible, obtain a subscription for the principal to PTA in Georgia, the VOICE, the official newsletter of the Georgia State PTA, and Our Children, National PTA magazine. Promote PTA officer/chairmen use of the PTA websites: www.georgiapta.org and www.pta.org.
The Georgia State PTA Leadership Resource Guide is included in the summer service mailing and includes membership enrollment materials, which should be reviewed and given to the membership chairman.
Membership enrollment may be planned before the service mailing is received. Arrange to obtain membership envelopes and cards according to procedure of the council or district PTA. The PTA may wish to print its own envelopes.
Make certain membership enrollment activities are approved by the principal and do not interfere with school activities.
Membership enrollment may begin at any time in the new term and should continue throughout the year.
All members must receive a membership card. Remind each member to sign the card.
Schedule a budget committee meeting with the principal and officers (treasurer, program chairman, and fundraising chairman) whose input to the budget is important. Verify programs and fundraising activities comply with insurance guidelines.
Have the proposed budget, including programs, fundraisers, Georgia State PTA convention, and other plans, presented to the executive board.
The association must approve the proposed budget, including programs, fundraisers, and other plans, before implementation (which includes the signing of contracts). A motion for each fundraiser, including how the money will be used (books for the library, etc.), must be approved by the association. This should be done at the first association meeting of the new term.
It is the responsibility of the president and unit delegates to attend the council meetings (if in council) or district PTA meetings (if not in council). Check with council (if in council) and district PTA for meetings or training programs that may be held during the year.
The executive board fills any vacant offices and ratifies additional chairmen and committee members before the school term starts.
Remind the treasurer to send the per capita portion of dues for council (if in council), district, State and National PTA, through channels each month; to submit insurance premiums by the district PTA due date.
Remind the treasurer to schedule audits of the financial books twice a year and to determine whether the council or district PTA requires a copy of the Annual Financial Report.
Work with the program committee to complete plans for Founders Day, typically celebrated in February. Include an opportunity to collect the Founders Day Freewill Offering in the program. Remind the treasurer to remit any funds collected promptly to council or district PTA.
Appoint an award committee to select local recipient(s) for award(s). Be sure a motion is made to authorize the purchase of Honorary Service Awards and emblems, to be ordered from the state office in time for the presentation. Allow six weeks for delivery.
Forward any proposed resolutions for the Georgia State PTA convention in time for council or district PTA action.
Review the Georgia State PTA convention registration information when received. Prepare convention pre-registration and housing materials as instructed by council (if in council) or district PTA.
Prepare for Association Meetings
Check with program and hospitality chairmen about arrangements.
Work with the publications, public relations, and room representative coordinators on meeting notices, publicity, and parent contacts.
Be sure the proposed budget, including programs and fundraisers, is presented for adoption at the first fall association meeting.
Prepare the agenda for the meeting ahead of time, and provide copies to the secretary and parliamentarian.
Check bylaws for the procedures to elect the nominating committee, and include that election on the appropriate month's agenda.
Check bylaws for the meeting designated for the election of officers, provide the required notice of the election to the membership and conduct election.
Conduct election of delegate(s) to the Georgia State PTA convention. The number of delegates is determined by unit membership. Elect an alternate for each delegate.
Submit a roster that includes the name, title and contact information for the new officers to council or district PTA.
Give helpful materials to the president-elect immediately following the election .
Work with the president-elect to plan the installation of new officers.
Invite incoming president to attend meetings of council or district PTA | |
Q: Get data from pressed picture and save them and send as email I have a website project. I used to work in asp.net so I am very familiar with it. However, this project is in php ...
I have searched a lot and did not find a way in which php can send data from an image (asp.net could do that).
My question is the following how can I get data from the picture that was pressed and save all these data to send them then as an email to the owner of the website.
The scenario is the following:
The thing is that I have a form (that is on sliding divs) composed of pictures.
The slides move left and right using jquery (and their display is set to none)
For example:
Slide 1 have three pictures (decorate your table and plan your event)
CASE 1 : if you press on Plan your event you go to Slide 2 , here we need to save "Plan event"
Slide 2 have three other pictures (Birthday event, Baby Shower , Wedding)
if you press on one of these you will be taken to the next slide (relevant to it) and we have to save "Birthday Event" for example and so on
CASE 2 : if you press on decorate your table you go to Slide 3 , here we need to save "decorate your table"
Slide 4 has two other pictures (open buffet, Canape)
if you press on one of these you will be taken to the next slide (relevant to it) and we have to save "Canape" for example and so on
At the end of this form , there is a send button that needs to gather all the previously saved data and send it as an email to the owner of the website.
For example in the first sceneraio the email would look something like this:
You received an order.
Order: Event Planning
Type: Birthday
In the second scenario the email would look something like this:
You received an order.
Order: Table Decoration
Type: Canape
and so on.
The html code of the slides
<div id="Plan">
<div id="SubPlan">
<div id="Plan0">
<table id="PlanTable">
<tr>
<td><h1>START <br /> PLANNING <br/> NOW</h1></td>
<td><img id="PlanEvent" src="Pictures/plan/plan-your-event.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></td>
<td><img id="PlanEventTable" src="Pictures/plan/customize-your-display-table.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></td>
<td><img id="CustomizeCake" src="Pictures/plan/customize-your-cake.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<!--Plan Event Section-->
<!--1-->
<div id="Occasion" >
<div class="PlanWrapper">
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-12"><h1>PLAN YOUR EVENT</h1></div></div>
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-12" ><p>WHAT IS YOUR OCCASION?</p></div></div>
<div class="row"><div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Occasionbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_01.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Occasionbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_02.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Occasionbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_03.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Occasionbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_04.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div></div>
<div class="row"> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 " ><img class="Occasionbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_05.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 " ><img class="Occasionbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_06.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Occasionbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_07.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 " ><img class="Occasionbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_08.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div></div>
<div class="row AddMargin">
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:left"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-left Occasionbtn_prev" ></span> </div>
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:right"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-right Occasionbtn_next"></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<!--2-->
<div id="DecorationType" >
<div class="PlanWrapper">
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-12"><h1>PLAN YOUR EVENT</h1></div></div>
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-12" ><p>WHAT ARE WE DECORATING?</p></div></div>
<div class="row"><div class=" col-xtra-12"><img style="max-width: 300px; margin-bottom:20px;" class="DecorationType " src="Pictures/plan/what-are-we-decorating_main.png" /></div></div>
<div class="row"> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-4 " ><img class="DecorationTypebtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/what-are-we-decorating_1.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-4 " ><img class="DecorationTypebtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/what-are-we-decorating_2.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color:#91737c"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-4 "><img class="DecorationTypebtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/what-are-we-decorating_3.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color:#f4d7cb"></div></div></div>
<div class="row AddMargin">
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:left"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-left DecorationTypebtn_prev" ></span> </div>
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:right"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-right DecorationTypebtn_next"></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<!--3-->
<div id="Catering" >
<div class="PlanWrapper" >
<div class="row PlanTitle"><div class="col-xtra-12"><h1>PLAN YOUR EVENT</h1></div></div>
<div class="row PlanOption"><div class="col-xtra-12" ><p>CATERING?</p></div></div>
<div class="row AddMargin">
<div class="CateringPadding col-xtra-6 col-xs-1 PlanRemove "></div>
<div class="CateringPadding col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Cateringbtn Cateringbtn1 animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Catering_1.png" /> <div class="ButtonBackground"></div> </div>
<div class="CateringPadding col-xtra-6 col-xs-3"><img class="Cateringbtn Cateringbtn1 animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Catering_2.png" /> <div class="ButtonBackground"></div> </div>
<div class="CateringPadding col-xtra-6 col-xs-3"><img class="Cateringbtn Cateringbtn1 animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Catering_3.png" /> <div class="ButtonBackground"></div> </div>
<div class="CateringPadding col-xtra-6 col-xs-1 PlanRemove "></div>
</div>
<div class="row PlanOption"><div class="col-xtra-12" ><p>HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WE CATERING TO?</p></div></div>
<div class="row AddMargin">
<div class="col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Cateringbtn Cateringbtn2 animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/NbCatering_1.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color:#91737c"></div> </div>
<div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Cateringbtn Cateringbtn2 animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/NbCatering_2.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color:#91737c"></div> </div>
<div class="col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Cateringbtn Cateringbtn2 animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/NbCatering_3.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color:#91737c"></div> </div>
<div class="col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Cateringbtn Cateringbtn2 animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/NbCatering_4.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color:#91737c"></div> </div>
</div>
<div class="row AddMargin">
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:left"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-left Cateringbtn_prev" ></span> </div>
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:right"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-right Cateringbtn_next"></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<!--4-->
<div id="TableColor" >
<div class="PlanWrapper">
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-12"><h1>PLAN YOUR EVENT</h1></div></div>
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-12" ><p>WHAT IS YOUR TABLE COLOR?</p></div></div>
<div class="row"> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 " ><img class="TableColorbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/what-is-your-table-color_1.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 " ><img class="TableColorbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/what-is-your-table-color_2.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="TableColorbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/what-is-your-table-color_3.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="TableColorbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/what-is-your-table-color_4.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div></div>
<div class="row"> <div class=" col-xtra-12 col-xs-3"><p class="decootherstyle" style="background-color: #f4d7cb;" >OTHER</p> </div> <div class="col-xtra-12 col-xs-9"> <input class="inputstyle3" /> </div></div>
<div class="row AddMargin">
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:left"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-left TableColorbtn_prev" ></span> </div>
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:right"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-right TableColorbtn_next"></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<!--</div>-->
<!--5-->
<div id="Decoration">
<div class="PlanWrapper">
<div class="row PlanTitle"><div class="col-xtra-12"><h1>PLAN YOUR EVENT</div></div>
<div class="row PlanOption"><div class="col-xtra-12"><p>DECORATION</p></div></div>
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 " ><img class="Decorationbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Decoration_1.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color: #f4d7cb;"></div></div> <div class="col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Decorationbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Decoration_2.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color: #f4d7cb;"></div></div><div class="col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Decorationbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Decoration_3.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color: #f4d7cb;"></div></div><div class="col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Decorationbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Decoration_4.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color: #f4d7cb;"></div></div></div>
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Decorationbtn animatethis"src="Pictures/plan/Decoration_5.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color: #f4d7cb;"></div></div> <div class="col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Decorationbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Decoration_6.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color: #f4d7cb;"></div></div> <div class="col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Decorationbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Decoration_7.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color: #f4d7cb;"></div></div><div class="col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="Decorationbtn animatethis" src="Pictures/plan/Decoration_8.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color: #f4d7cb;"></div></div></div>
<div class="row"><div class=" col-xs-3 PlanRemove "></div><div class="col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "> <img class="Decorationbtn" src="Pictures/plan/Decoration_9.png"/> <div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color: #f4d7cb;"></div> </div><div class="col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><p class="decootherstyle" >OTHER</p> <textarea name="DecorationOther" class="inputstyle"></textarea> </div><div class="col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 PlanRemove"></div></div>
<div class="row AddMargin">
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:left"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-left Decorationbtn_prev" ></span> </div>
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:right"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-right Decorationbtn_next"></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<!--6-->
<div id="Entertainment">
<div>
<div class="PlanWrapper">
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-12"><h1>PLAN YOUR EVENT</h1></div></div>
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-12" ><p>ENTERTAINMENT</p></div></div>
<div class="row">
<div class=" col-xs-12 col-sm-5">
<textarea name="DecorationOther" placeholder="WHAT IS THE OCCASION?"></textarea>
<textarea name="DecorationOther" placeholder="HOW MANY PERSONS ARE YOU INVITING?"></textarea>
<textarea name="DecorationOther" placeholder="SWEET CANAPE OR SAVORY CANAPE OR BOTH?"></textarea>
</div>
<div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-5"> <div class="EntArea"> <h5>THEMED SWEETS? YES OR NO</h5> <textarea name="DecorationOther" placeholder="(CUPCAKES, COOKIES, CAKE POPS, MINI CUPCAKES...)"></textarea> <div style="width:100%;"><p style="margin-right:5px; color:white">YES</p><p style="color: white;">NO</p></div> </div> </div>
<div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-2 nextbtn" > <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-circle-arrow-right"></span> </div>
</div>
<div class="row AddMargin">
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:left"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-left Entertainmentbtn_prev" ></span> </div>
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:right"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-right Entertainmentbtn_next"></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<!--Plan Event Section-->
<!--Cake Section-->
<!--1-->
<div id="PlanCake" >
<div class="PlanWrapper">
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-12"><h1>CUSTOMIZE YOUR CAKE</h1></div></div>
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-12" ><p>WHAT IS YOUR EVENT?</p></div></div>
<div class="row"><div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="PlanCakebtn" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_01.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="PlanCakebtn" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_02.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="PlanCakebtn" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_03.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="PlanCakebtn" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_04.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div></div>
<div class="row"> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-1_2 PlanRemove " ></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 " ><img class="PlanCakebtn" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_05.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 " ><img class="PlanCakebtn" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_06.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="PlanCakebtn" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_07.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-1_2 PlanRemove"></div></div>
<div class="row AddMargin">
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:left"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-left PlanCakebtn_prev" ></span> </div>
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:right"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-right PlanCakebtn_next"></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<!--2-->
<div id="CakeSize">
<div class="PlanWrapper three">
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-12"><h1>CUSTOMIZE YOUR CAKE</h1></div></div>
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-12" ><p>WHAT IS THE SIZE NEEDED?</p></div></div>
<div class="row"><div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-4 "><img class="CakeSizebtn" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake-size_1.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color: #f4d7cb;"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-4 " ><img src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake-size_2.png" class="CakeSizebtn" /><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color: #f4d7cb;"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-4 "><img src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake-size_3.png" class="CakeSizebtn"/><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color: #f4d7cb;"></div></div>
<div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-2 PlanRemove " ></div><div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-4 " ><img class="CakeSizebtn"src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake-size_4.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground" style="background-color: #f4d7cb;"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-4 "><p class="decootherstyle" >OTHER</p> <textarea name="DecorationOther" class="inputstyle"></textarea> </div><div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-2 PlanRemove" ></div></div>
<div class="row AddMargin">
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:left"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-left CakeSizebtn_prev" ></span> </div>
<div class="col-xtra-6" style="text-align:right"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-chevron-right CakeSizebtn_next"></span> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<!--Cake Section-->
<!--Table Section-->
<!--1-->
<div id="PlanTableOccasion" >
<div class="PlanWrapper">
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-12"><h1>CUSTOMIZE YOUR DISPLAY TABLE</h1></div></div>
<div class="row"><div class="col-xtra-12" ><p>WHAT IS YOUR OCCASION?</p></div></div>
<div class="row"><div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="PlanTableOccasionbtn" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_01.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="PlanTableOccasionbtn" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_02.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="PlanTableOccasionbtn" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_03.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 "><img class="PlanTableOccasionbtn" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_04.png" /><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div></div>
<div class="row"> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 " ><img class="PlanTableOccasionbtn" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_05.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 " ><img class="PlanTableOccasionbtn" src="Pictures/plan/Customize-your-cake_06.png"/><div class="ButtonBackground"></div></div> <div class=" col-xtra-6 col-xs-3 | |
Watermark is the second studio album by Irish singer, songwriter and musician Enya, released on 19 September 1988 by WEA. After the release of her previous album Enya (1987), she secured a recording contract with Warner after a chance meeting with chairman Rob Dickins, who had become a fan of her music. Her contract allowed her considerable artistic and creative freedom, with minimal interference from the label and no deadlines to have albums finished. Enya recorded Watermark in ten months with her longtime collaborators, manager, producer and arranger Nicky Ryan and his wife, lyricist Roma Ryan. It was initially recorded in Ireland in demo form before production relocated to London to re-record, mix, and master it digitally. Watermark features music in different styles, displaying Enya's sound of multi-tracked vocals with keyboards, percussion instruments, and elements of Celtic, ambient, and New-age music, though Enya believes her music does not belong in the latter genre.
Watermark received many positive reviews from critics and it became an unexpected commercial success, which propelled Enya to worldwide fame. It peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart, number twenty-five on the Billboard 200 in the United States, and reached number one in New Zealand and Switzerland. It was certified quadruple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 1.2 million and four million copies across the United Kingdom and the United States, respectively. To promote the album, Enya embarked on a worldwide promotional tour which included interviews, appearances, and live performances. Four singles were released from the album, including the international top-ten hit "Orinoco Flow", which spent three weeks at number one in the United Kingdom. Watermark was reissued in 1989, 1991, and 2009; the first two contain "Storms in Africa (Part II)" as a bonus track; the latter was a Japanese release with a second entitled "Morning Glory".
Background
In March 1987, the 25-year-old Enya released her self-titled debut solo album Enya on BBC Records in the United Kingdom and on Atlantic Records in the United States. It was originally produced as the soundtrack to the BBC2 documentary series The Celts, with Enya and her recording partners of five years, manager, arranger and producer Nicky Ryan and his wife, lyricist Roma Ryan. It was a mild commercial success, peaking at number 69 in the United Kingdom. Soon after its release Rob Dickins, then chairman of Warner Music UK, became a fan of the album, playing it "every night before I went to bed". Weeks later, he met Enya and the Ryans at a chance meeting at the year's Irish Recorded Music Association Awards in Dublin where Dickens learned Enya was considering signing with a rival label, prompting him to attract her to Warner. After a period of negotiations, Dickins signed Enya, granting her wish for complete artistic freedom without interference from management or deadlines to have albums finished. Dickins later said, "Sometimes you sign an act to make money, and sometimes you sign an act to make music. This was clearly the latter ... I just wanted to be involved with this music." In the process, Enya departed from Atlantic and signed to the Warner-led Geffen Records to handle distribution in North America.
Recording
With the green-light to make a new album, Enya recorded Watermark from June 1987 to April 1988. It was initially recorded in demo form at Aigle Studio, a 16-track facility located in the basement of the Ryans' home, then located in Artane, a northern suburb of Dublin. Nicky operated a Fostex E16 tape machine with KEF and Yamaha NS-10M speakers for monitoring, two Alesis MIDIverb II models, an ATC Q1 for reverb, and a Roland SDE-1000 Digital Delay for delay. He made a conscious effort not to incorporate audio compression as he wished to make the music sound satisfactory "at the recording end". Enya wrote and recorded the album without the use of a click track to retain a more natural feel to the music. Enya played a variety of keyboards and synthesisers, including the Yamaha KX88 master keyboard, Yamaha TX802, Oberheim Matrix-6R, Akai S900, Roland D-50, Roland Juno-60 and PPG Wave. The Juno-60 was a particular favourite of hers. Prior to recording the album, she had intended to replace its parts with better sounds but could not find better substitutes, so they were left in.
After a demo version of the album was put down, Dickins requested to have it re-recorded digitally at a more professional studio as the analogue equipment at Aigle had created an abundance of tape hiss, causing the music to suffer. Nicky found the quality of Enya's multi-track vocals had also diminished, leaving them the only option of re-recording them, though he later found the digital recording had lost "warmth in the bottom end". Recording took place at Orinoco Studios in Bermondsey, London and lasted for two months with Ross Cullum who carried out co-production, engineering, and mixing duties. "Storms in Africa" and "Orinoco Flow" were completed on the studio's two Mitsubishi 32-track recording machines. Away from the "intimate and personal" setting of their home studio, Enya found working in London more difficult as the busy city caused many distractions. Nicky said the studio was designed "in a completely mad way", which he and Enya found more attractive to work in. During the final stages of recording, Enya tripped on a step, which resulted in two cuts to her knee. She continued to work, "taking these heavy pain-killers, sitting at the desk, in the studio with one foot propped up on cushions." Cullum completed the majority of the album's mixing at Wessex Sound Studios; Jim Barton was the mixer on "Orinoco Flow".
Watermark firmly established Enya's sound of multi-layered vocals, keyboard-oriented songs, and influences of Celtic music. Enya felt the need to have layers of vocals to add a "human element" to her music as solely using keyboards and digital sampling sounded, to her, "a bit linear and straight". The idea of the multi-vocals originated when Enya was a member of Clannad, her family's Celtic band, in the early 1980s. With Nicky as their manager, influenced by The Beach Boys and the "wall of sound" technique made famous by producer Phil Spector, the two often discussed the idea of layering Enya's voice to make it its own instrument. After experimenting with the concept on Enya the vocals became more established on Watermark, with as many as over 200 vocal tracks were painstakingly recorded for certain sections. In one instance, around 90 tracks had been put down during a period of several days but the two felt they did not sound right, so they erased them and started over. This was the case particularly during the recording of "Miss Clare Remembers", a piano instrumental, when they experimented with the idea of adding vocals but decided against keeping them.
Songs
Watermark is formed of eleven tracks, eight of which Enya and Roma are listed on as co-writers. The remaining three are instrumentals solely composed by Enya. She had performed solos as a vocal on Enya, but wanted them played by different instruments on Watermark, and employed additional musicians to play parts that were already written: Neil Buckley plays the clarinet on "On Your Shore", Chris Hughes plays the rototoms on "River" and the rototoms and African hand drum on "Storms in Africa", and Davy Spillane contributes the low whistle and Uillean pipes on "Exile" and "Na Laetha Geal M'óige". Enya sings in Irish, her first language, and English and Latin. She looked back on the album in 2000: "Looking back ... the words are those of loss, of reflection, of exile – not necessarily from one's country, but from those whom the heart |
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